METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ADJUSTING THE THICKNESS OF A PLASTIC FILM PRODUCED BY CAST EXTRUSION PROCESS

Abstract

A method for producing reels of plastic film by cast extrusion process is described. The steps include causing the film to flow from an extrusion head slit, adjusting its thickness, drawing the exiting film with an internally cooled roll, winding the film downstream of the roll to form reels of film, measuring the thickness of the film and adjusting the thickness of the film based on the thickness measurements provided by the thickness measuring device. The method further includes measuring a reference quantity of the film reels produced, comparing the reference quantity measured value with a design value of the reference quantity corresponding to the design value of the thickness of the film and if the measured value is different from the design value of the reference quantity, acting on adjustment means and/or on the thickness measuring device to obtain a desired film thickness.

Claims

1. A method for producing reels of plastic film by cast extrusion process, comprising the steps of: (a) causing the film to flow out from a slit of an extrusion head by adjusting the thickness of the film by means of an adjustment device, b) drawing the film exiting the extrusion head by means of an internally cooled roll, c) winding the film coming from said roll by means of a winding unit placed downstream of the roll so as to form said reels, d) measuring the thickness of the film by means of a thickness measuring device placed between the roll and the winding unit, e) controlling said adjustment device to adjust the thickness of the film based on thickness measurements provided by the thickness measuring device, measuring a reference quantity of the reels thus produced, which reference quantity is a quantity that depends on the thickness of the film, g) comparing a measured value of said reference quantity with a design value of said reference quantity corresponding to a design value of the thickness of the film, and h) if the measured value differs from the design value of said reference quantity, acting on said adjustment device and/or on the thickness measuring device to obtain a thickness of the film corresponding to a desired value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said reference quantity is a weight of the reels of film produced.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said reference quantity is an average diameter of an outer cylindrical surface of the reels of film produced.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of measuring a width of the reels of film produced and taking into account the measurement of the width thus acquired to control said adjustment device in step.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step f) of measuring said reference quantity is performed on each reel (B) of film (F) produced.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step f) of measuring said reference quantity is performed on samples of the reels (B) of film (F) produced.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein in said step h) said adjustment device is suitably controlled based on a difference between the measured value and the design value of said reference quantity.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein in said step h) said thickness measuring device is suitably recalibrated or remapped based on a difference between the measured value and the design value of said reference quantity.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein prior to said winding step c) the film is divided by means of longitudinal cutting devices into several webs, wherein in said step c) each web is wound by the winding unit to form a respective reel, and wherein said steps f), g) and h) are performed each time for each of the reels simultaneously produced.

10. An apparatus for producing reels of plastic film by cast extrusion process, comprising: an extrusion head having a slit through which the film is caused to exits in operation, an adjustment device associated with said slit of the extrusion head for adjusting a thickness of the film, an internally cooled roll, which is arranged downstream of the extrusion head to draw the film exiting the extrusion head, a winding unit arranged to wind the film coming from said roll so as to form one or more reels, a thickness measuring device interposed between the roll and the winding unit for measuring the thickness of the film before it is wound by means of the winding unit, and an electronic control unit configured to control said adjustment device to adjust the thickness of the film exiting the extrusion head, a first measuring device arranged to measure a reference quantity of the reels of film produced, said reference quantity being a quantity that depends on the thickness of the film, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to control said adjustment device and/or the thickness measuring device based on measured values of said reference quantity provided by said first measuring device (28) in order to obtain a thickness of the film (F) corresponding to a desired value.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said first measuring device is arranged to measure a weight of the reels of film produced.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said first measuring device is arranged to measure an average diameter of an outer cylindrical surface of the reels of film produced.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a second measuring device arranged to provide the electronic control unit with a measurement indicative of a width of the reels of film produced, said electronic control unit being configured to control said adjustment device and/or said thickness measuring device based also on measured values provided by said second measuring device.

14. The apparatus according to claim-10, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to control said adjustment device based on a difference between the measured value and the design value of said reference quantity.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to recalibrate or remap said thickness measuring device based on a difference between the measured value and the design value of said reference quantity.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising longitudinal cutting devices arranged upstream of the winding unit and configured to divide the film into several webs, wherein the winding unit is configured to wind each web of film to form a respective reel, and wherein said first measuring device is arranged to measure said reference quantity for each of the reels of film simultaneously produced.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following description, which is given purely by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0035] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an apparatus for the production of plastic film reels by cast extrusion process provided with a thickness adjustment system according to the prior art;

[0036] FIG. 2 is an enlarged scale view of detail A of FIG. 1;

[0037] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, from a different point of view than that of FIG. 1; and

[0038] FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views, similar to those of FIGS. 1 and 3, schematically showing an apparatus for the production of plastic film reels by cast extrusion process provided with a thickness adjustment system according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, where the same reference numbers or letters have been given to parts and elements identical or corresponding to those of FIGS. 1 to 3, the present invention provides, as in the state of the art, for the use of an apparatus comprising an extrusion head 10, with a slit 12 from which the plastic film F (hereinafter simply referred to as film F) is poured, an internally cooled roll 14 (chill roll) placed downstream of the extrusion head 10 for drawing the film F out of the slit 12 of the extrusion head 10, and a winding unit 16 placed downstream of the chill roll 14 for winding the film F onto a cardboard tube T to form a reel B. The apparatus further comprises longitudinal cutting devices 18 arranged to remove side bands (edge trims) of the film F before the latter is finally wound in the winding unit 16. The position of these longitudinal cutting devices 18 is adjustable in the direction of the width of the film to allow adjustment of the width of the side bands removed from the film.

[0040] The invention is applicable both to the case in which the film F is wound onto a single reel B and to the case (shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) in which the film F is divided by means of longitudinal cutting devices 20 into several webs (in the present case four webs) and each web is wound by the winding unit 16 onto a respective cardboard tube T to form a respective reel B. In the remaining part of the description the term reel will be used in general to indicate both the case of production of a single reel at a time and the case of simultaneous production of several reels. As explained above with reference to the prior art, also in the apparatus according to the invention the longitudinal cutting devices 20, where present, may each comprise a pair of longitudinal blades arranged at a certain distance from each other or alternatively a single longitudinal blade.

[0041] The apparatus further comprises, as in the prior art described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, a thickness measuring device 22, positioned downstream of the roll 14 and upstream of the winding unit 16 and arranged to detect any deviations in the film thickness in a transverse direction, i.e. in a direction perpendicular to the direction of film advancement, and a thickness adjustment system comprising an electronic control unit 24 and adjustment actuators 26, which are arranged in particular in the extrusion head and are suitably controlled by the electronic control unit 24 to adjust the thickness of the film leaving the extrusion head 10.

[0042] More specifically, the electronic control unit 24 is configured to adjust, by acting on the adjustment actuators 26, the thickness of the film leaving the extrusion head 10 on the basis of the comparison between the measurement of a reference quantity of the reel (which reference quantity depends on the film thickness) and the value of said reference quantity corresponding to the design value of the film thickness (i.e. the desired value of the film thickness). If the measured value of the reference quantity coincides with the design value of this reference quantity, this means that the film thickness at the outlet of the extrusion head 10 corresponds to the design thickness value, and therefore it will not be necessary to intervene on the adjustment actuators 26. If, on the other hand, the measured value of the reference quantity is higher or lower than the design value of this quantity, this means that the thickness of the film leaving the extrusion head 10 is correspondingly higher or lower than the design thickness value, and therefore the electronic control unit 24 will suitably control the adjustment actuators 26 to compensate for the deviation of the actual thickness of the film from the design thickness.

[0043] The weight of the reels produced can be chosen as the reference quantity. In fact, with the same width and outer diameter, the weight of the reels depends on the average film thickness. In this respect, even though there is still the possibility of weighing the cardboard tube prior to its insertion on the mandrel of the winding unit 16, the variability of the weight of the cardboard tube can be neglected and therefore it can be assumed that the weight of the cardboard tubes is constant and that therefore any variations in the reel weight are dictated solely, given the same width and outer diameter of the reel, by variations in the average film thickness.

[0044] Preferably, the reel width is measured in addition to the weight, since any variation in width, with the same average film thickness, affects the reel weight. The reel width is determined by the distance between the longitudinal cutting devices (more precisely, in the case of winding of the film on a single reel, by the distance between the longitudinal cutting devices 18, and, in the case of winding of the film on several reels, by the distance between the longitudinal cutting devices 20 as regards the central reel(s) associated with the central film web(s), and between each longitudinal cutting device 18 and the adjacent longitudinal cutting device 20 as regards the two side reels, associated with the two side film webs). This distance can be assumed to be known precisely and to be constant over time, so that it is possible to avoid measuring the width of each reel.

[0045] By measuring the weight, and possibly also the width, of the reels produced, it is possible to impose, in the event of variations in film thickness with respect to the design value, an adequate compensation to the measurements made by the thickness measuring device and/or an adequate correction of the film thickness at the outlet of the extrusion head by acting on the adjustment actuators 26. Naturally, in the case of an apparatus producing several reels at the same time, dividing the film into several webs and winding each web onto a respective cardboard tube to form a respective reel, any variations in thickness may be compensated for each film web according to the weight measurements, and possibly also the width measurements, of the corresponding reel.

[0046] The modes the weight, and possibly also the width, of the reels are measured may be of various types, from a manual mode, the simplest, to a fully automatic mode, the most complex.

[0047] In the manual mode, used in the apparatus shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the user weighs one by one, according to an established order, by means of a scale 28 the reels B unloaded cyclically from the winding unit 16 and, for each reel, enters the corresponding measured weight value in a user interface 30 of the thickness adjustment system. The weight values thus entered will be used by the electronic control unit 24 of the thickness adjustment system for the subsequent adjustments until new data are entered. The interval between successive weight measurements may be defined according to customer specifications and may range from a weight measurement on 100% of the reels produced to a measurement at regular time or cycle intervals, or to the occurrence of apparent defects in the reels produced.

[0048] In addition to the measured weight value, the user can also enter the width value for each reel in the user interface 30. The width value of the reels can be determined on the basis of measurements taken on the reels themselves or on the basis of measurements of the distance between the blades of the longitudinal cutting devices 18 and 20. In the latter case, the measuring operation will have to be repeated or corrected each time the blades of the longitudinal cutting devices 18 and 20 are repositioned.

[0049] The operation of acquiring the weight, and possibly also the width, of the reels may be at least partly automated by connecting the scale 28 directly to the electronic control unit 24. In this case, the user simply has to give consent to the weight acquisition by identifying the position of the reel to be associated with the weight measurement acquired by the scale 28. In addition, the scale 28 may be associated with a width measurement system, which may be of a mechanical type (e.g. a touch probe, etc.), of an optical type (e.g. a photocell, a camera, etc.), of a non-contact type (e.g. based on sonar and ultrasounds, laser, etc.) or of any other type suitable for the purpose.

[0050] The reels may be placed on the scale 28 manually but, with a view to increasing automation, the scale 28 may be associated with automatic feeding means, such as automatic belt feeders, roll feeders, rolling feeders, robotic feeders or others, to automatically place the reels to be weighed on the scale, without the need for user's intervention. According to a further mode, in the event that automatic or robotic palletising systems are provided downstream of the winding unit 16, the measurement of the weight of the reels, as well asif providedthe measurement of the width of the reels, may be performed directly by these systems, for example by performing the weight measurement on the arm of the palletising robot itself.

[0051] Further automatic modes of measuring the width of the reels may be, for example, measuring the film web immediately before it is wound onto the reel, or acquiring the position of the blades of the longitudinal cutting devices. In case the width of the various webs is measured, this may be carried out with optical measuring devices or using devices already present on the apparatus for different purposes, such as cameras for analysing impurities and defects.

[0052] Regardless of how and where the reel width information is acquired, this information can be automatically associated with the reel weight information and managed by the electronic control unit of the apparatus to control the adjustment actuators.

[0053] This information constitutes a valid element for checking the effects of the adjustments and, together with the measurements provided by the thickness measuring device, allows closed-loop compensation strategies to be adopted, which make it possible to achieve levels of precision and repeatability of reel weight and average value of the thickness of the wound film that would otherwise not be obtainable with open-loop adjustment alone based on the thickness measurements provided by the thickness measuring device positioned between the chill roll and the winding unit. Such compensation strategies may be applied not only to correct the amount of thickness adjustment imposed by the adjustment actuators, but also as a local correction of the thickness value measured by the thickness measuring device.

[0054] Furthermore, if the actual value of the average film thickness is known from other devices present on the apparatus, such as gravimetric dosing devices, this data can be suitably used by the electronic control unit of the thickness adjustment system. The actual value of the average film thickness can, in fact, be obtained from the hourly flow rate of the apparatus, controlled by the gravimetric dosing devices, once the width of the extruded web that is wound to form the reel and the line speed are known.

[0055] As an alternative to weight, the average outer diameter of the reel, i.e. the average diameter of the outer cylindrical surface of the reel, can be used as a reference quantity and can be measured using, for example, a touch probe (or similar measuring instrument) slidably mounted in a transverse direction, i.e. in a direction parallel to the axis of the reel. By moving the touch probe from one edge of the reel to the other, it is possible to detect variations in the outer diameter of the reel, resulting from the overlapping of film layers whose thickness varies in a direction parallel to the axis of the reel, and thus measure the average value of the outer diameter. In addition, the touch probe could also measure the actual width of the reel. On the basis of the measurement of the average outer diameter of the reel, as well aspreferablythe measurement of the width of the reel, it is possible to determine any deviations of the film thickness from the design value and, if necessary, compensate for these deviations. The average outer diameter of the reel can, however, be measured in other ways, for example by using vision means such as cameras.

[0056] The present invention has been described herein with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. It is to be understood that other embodiments sharing the same inventive core, as defined in the appended claims, may be envisaged.