The invention relates to various aspects in the production of extrusion products. The properties of extruded articles are dependent significantly, in addition to their formulation, also on the setting variables and in particular on the thus resulting process variables. The setting variables and in particular the process variables thus represent a state of the extrusion process characterized as fingerprint. The thus claimed invention takes into account these facts and supports the operator of a production plant to detect earlier changes in quality and to systematically counteract a deterioration in the quality.

The continuity of a functional layer of a web (32, 60, 78) is assessed by forwarding the web, detecting (42, 63) the presence of the functional layer and a discontinuity and/or a thin region in the functional layer, and generating a signal in response to the discontinuity and/or thin region. The functional layer comprises a detectable component (360) in a thermoplastic composition. The detecting is carried out by a machine vision system capable of detecting the detectable component (360) in the functional layer. The detectable component (360) can be active or passive. Also included are systems for carrying out the process.

The invention relates to a method for the indirect determination of a specific formulation with an extrusion process in an extrusion device (10) comprising the following steps: determination of measurement data of at least one processing parameter of the extrusion process of the extrusion device (10), comparing the determined measurement data with saved data saved in relation to the specific formulation of the same processing parameter, determination of the deviation of the measurement data from the saved data of the same processing parameters and comparing of the deviation with a predefined deviation threshold.

Aspects of the present invention relate to methods for characterizing a multi-layered tire tread. In one example, a method comprises providing a first rubber composition having a first refractive index and providing a second rubber composition having a second refractive index. The method further comprises determining a difference between the first refractive index and the second refractive index and comparing the difference to a threshold refractive index. In addition, the method comprises adding a refractive index modifier to the first rubber composition and/or second rubber composition in case the comparison provides that the difference is lower than the threshold refractive index, so that the difference is greater than, or equal to, the threshold refractive index.

A testing apparatus for obtaining mechanical properties of a polymer composite extruded from a nozzle of a compounding extruder includes a plurality of pairs of roller units that roll the polymer composite along a first direction. Each of the pairs of roller units includes a first roller unit and a second roller unit disposed such that a center of the first roller unit and a center of the second roller unit are separated by a predetermined distance in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction. The pairs of roller units are disposed along the first direction such that the predetermined distance of each of the pairs of roller units increases stepwise along the first direction. The pairs of roller units strain a vulnerable portion of the polymer composite in the second direction. The testing apparatus further includes a sensor that measures stress in the vulnerable portion.

Aspects of the present invention relate to a tire tread production line and a method for manufacturing a tire tread. The production line comprises a coextruder, a THz sensor and a controller operatively connected to the coextruder and to the THz sensor. The THz sensor is configured to irradiate the multi-layer tire tread extrudate with THz electromagnetic radiation, and receive a response of the multi-layer tire tread extrudate to the THz electromagnetic radiation. The controller is configured to operate the coextruder based on the response of the multi-layer tire tread extrudate to the THz electromagnetic radiation.

A method of manufacturing a polymer film includes melting a resin, extruding the melted resin through a die to produce a polymer film, shaping the polymer film, cooling the polymer film, illuminating a surface with a light source, capturing an image of a shadow cast by the polymer film on the surface while the polymer film is between the light source and the surface, calculating a frequency spectrum of at least a portion of the captured image, and adjusting a process parameter of the melting, the extruding, the shaping, or the cooling based on the frequency spectrum.

The present invention provides a method for improving visibility of an image display device which is capable of providing an image display device excellent in anti-reflection properties and bright-field contrast even using an optical layered body including a light-transmitting substrate having in-plane birefringence, such as a polyester film. The method of the present invention is a method for improving visibility of an image display device that has an optical layered body including a light-transmitting substrate having in-plane birefringence and an optical functional layer disposed on one surface of the substrate. The method includes the step of disposing the optical layered body such that the slow axis showing a greater refractive index of the light-transmitting substrate is in parallel with the vertical direction of a display screen of the image display device.

It is provided an extrusion device for a plastic profile, in particular a hollow chamber profile, with an extruder, an extrusion nozzle arranged at the exit of the extruder for forming the plastic profile the plastic profile subsequently being guided through a calibration device, a downstream removal device for the plastic profile, a cutting device for cutting off parts of the extruded plastic profile and a weighing device for measuring the profile weight. A profile monitoring device is provided for detecting at least one profile parameter of the plastic profile in the extrusion direction after it has emerged from the extrusion nozzle and/or a process monitoring device is provided for detecting at least one process parameter in and/or before of the extruder, the extrusion nozzle, the calibration device, the removal device and/or the cutting device.

The invention relates to the determination of the optical quality of a film. On the one hand, a correlation of the obtained measured values with the production parameters, which are detected in a time-synchronous manner at the extrusion plant, is carried out. On the other hand, a correlation of said obtained measurement data with the geometric and/or functional properties of a film, for example the water vapor permeability, is carried out. The obtained correlation of data is used in the process for controlling the running production process of the film to an optimum operating point. Consequently, the resulting functional properties of a film are improved in an automated manner and met according to the desired specifications. The operator can predetermine which geometric and/or functional properties of a film are accepted as a control variable.