In a measuring arrangement for determining properties of a material to be extruded while an extrusion process is being carried out in an extruder, at least one extruder screw is rotatably mounted in a tubular guide in a barrel and is connected to a rotary drive. Material to be extruded is fed to the tubular guide at one end and is removed as finish-extruded material at an oppositely arranged discharge. Arranged at measuring positions at predeterminable defined intervals on the wall of the tubular guide along the longitudinal axis of the extruder screw are multiple first sound transducers, which are designed for the detection of sound waves that are generated during the extrusion process by the extrusion process as process noises and/or are emitted by a second sound transducer, arranged at one end of the tubular guide, in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the extruder screw and into the material to be extruded that is conveyed through a mixing chamber present in the tubular guide.

A system includes a wet extrusion process machine configured to receive, mix, and convey a plurality of ingredients to an extrusion die, the plurality of ingredients include a protein powder, an oil, and water. The system includes an electronic process control system (EPCS) configured to control the wet extrusion machine using a plurality of process settings effective to produce an extrusion die mixture which is forced into, passes through, and is output from the extrusion die. The system further includes a supervisory machine intelligence control system (SMICS) operatively coupled with at least one of a direct fibrosity measurement (DFM) subsystem configured to directly measure one or more physical fibrosity parameters of the extrusion die mixture, and an indirect fibrosity measurement (IFM) subsystem configured to measure one or more extrusion process parameters associated with the extrusion die mixture. The SMICS is configured to modify one or more of the plurality process settings in response to at least one of the one or more physical fibrosity parameters, and the one or more extrusion process parameters, effective to modify the extrusion die mixture.

A method of manufacturing a film (F1) including cavities and formed from a polymer in which a cavitating agent is dispersed, said method including a step of extruding the polymer through an extrusion die equipped with adjustment actuators for adjusting thickness of the extruded film, and a step of stretching (Str1) the film, as well as establishing a mapping function of the film on the basis of mass-per-unit-area profiles of the film before and after the stretching step, establishing a stretch profile of the film as stretched on the basis of said mapping function and of said transverse mass-per-unit-area profiles, and establishing a characteristic transverse profile that is characteristic of the film on the basis of said stretch profile and of a transverse profile of the concentration by mass of cavitating agent in the film as stretched that makes it possible to take into account the distribution of the cavities in the film; in which method said adjustment actuators are controlled as a function of said characteristic transverse profile.

A device for measuring a strand that is tubular includes a first radiation source to emit terahertz radiation in a first measurement region from an inside onto an inner surface of the strand. A first radiation receiver receives terahertz radiation reflected by the strand in a second measurement region. A first evaluation apparatus determines at least one geometric parameter of the strand in the first measurement region. A second radiation source emits terahertz radiation in the second measurement region from an outside onto an outer surface of the strand. A second radiation receiver receives terahertz radiation reflected by the strand in the second measurement region. A second evaluation apparatus determines at least one geometric parameter of the strand in the second measurement region. A third evaluation apparatus determines a change in the at least one geometric parameter of the strand between the first and second measurement regions.

A system includes a wet extrusion process machine configured to receive, mix, and convey a plurality of ingredients to an extrusion die, the plurality of ingredients include a protein powder, an oil, and water. The system includes an electronic process control system (EPCS) configured to control the wet extrusion machine using a plurality of process settings effective to produce an extrusion die mixture which is forced into, passes through, and is output from the extrusion die. The system further includes a supervisory machine intelligence control system (SMICS) operatively coupled with at least one of a direct fibrosity measurement (DFM) subsystem configured to directly measure one or more physical fibrosity parameters of the extrusion die mixture, and an indirect fibrosity measurement (IFM) subsystem configured to measure one or more extrusion process parameters associated with the extrusion die mixture. The SMICS is configured to modify one or more of the plurality process settings in response to at least one of the one or more physical fibrosity parameters, and the one or more extrusion process parameters, effective to modify the extrusion die mixture.

A composition comprising a low density polyethylene (LDPE) and a peroxide-treated metallocene-catalyzed linear low density polyethylene (pmLLDPE), wherein the composition when extruded as a molten resin displays a neck-in value that is (i) decreased when compared to the neck-in value observed when using the LDPE alone, (ii) about equal to the neck-in value observed when using the LDPE alone, or (iii) increased by <10% of the neck-in value observed when using the LDPE alone. The composition when extruded as a molten resin displays a neck-in value that is decreased by ≥5% when compared with a neck-in value of an otherwise similar composition comprising the LDPE and a metallocene-catalyzed linear low density polyethylene (mLLDPE) that has not been peroxide-treated. The composition comprises 1-80 wt. % pmLLDPE. The pmLLDPE has a melt index of ≤0.9 g/10 min, when tested in accordance with ASTM D1238 under a force of 2.16 kg.

An apparatus (1) for optical inspection of a mass of polymeric material (2) passing through an extruder (3) having a hollow extrusion cylinder (4) extending elongately in a longitudinal direction comprises an optical sensor (8) which can be operatively coupled to the extrusion cylinder (4) and having an infrared light emitter (8a) and a receiver (8b) configured to measure a measurement parameter representing an optical property of the polymeric material (2) inside the extrusion cylinder (4) and is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of the optical sensors (8) which can be operatively coupled to the extrusion cylinder (4) in a plurality of measurement sites located in succession and spaced from each other along the longitudinal direction and a processor (9) programmed to acquire a plurality of measurement signals containing the measurement parameters measured by the corresponding optical sensors (8) and programmed to process the plurality of measurement signals in order to calculate a corresponding plurality of values of a control parameter indicating a physical state of the polymeric material (2) as a function of a longitudinal position.

A composition comprising a low density polyethylene (LDPE) and a peroxide-treated metallocene-catalyzed linear low density polyethylene (pmLLDPE), wherein the composition when extruded as a molten resin displays a neck-in value that is (i) decreased when compared to the neck-in value observed when using the LDPE alone, (ii) about equal to the neck-in value observed when using the LDPE alone, or (iii) increased by <10% of the neck-in value observed when using the LDPE alone. The composition when extruded as a molten resin displays a neck-in value that is decreased by ?5% when compared with a neck-in value of an otherwise similar composition comprising the LDPE and a metallocene-catalyzed linear low density polyethylene (mLLDPE) that has not been peroxide-treated. The composition comprises 1-80 wt. % pmLLDPE. The pmLLDPE has a melt index of ?0.9 g/10 min, when tested in accordance with ASTM D1238 under a force of 2.16 kg.

In a measuring arrangement for determining properties of a material to be extruded while an extrusion process is being carried out in an extruder, at least one extruder screw is rotatably mounted in a tubular guide in a barrel and is connected to a rotary drive. Material to be extruded is fed to the tubular guide at one end and is removed as finish-extruded material at an oppositely arranged discharge. Arranged at measuring positions at predeterminable defined intervals on the wall of the tubular guide along the longitudinal axis of the extruder screw are multiple first sound transducers, which are designed for the detection of sound waves that are generated during the extrusion process by the extrusion process as process noises and/or are emitted by a second sound transducer, arranged at one end of the tubular guide, in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the extruder screw and into the material to be extruded that is conveyed through a mixing chamber present in the tubular guide.

A device for measuring a strand that is tubular includes a first radiation source to emit terahertz radiation in a first measurement region from an inside onto an inner surface of the strand. A first radiation receiver receives terahertz radiation reflected by the strand in a second measurement region. A first evaluation apparatus determines at least one geometric parameter of the strand in the first measurement region. A second radiation source emits terahertz radiation in the second measurement region from an outside onto an outer surface of the strand. A second radiation receiver receives terahertz radiation reflected by the strand in the second measurement region. A second evaluation apparatus determines at least one geometric parameter of the strand in the second measurement region. A third evaluation apparatus determines a change in the at least one geometric parameter of the strand between the first and second measurement regions.