Extrusion Dies Industries, LLC
EDI Extrusion Coating Technology
Designers and manufacturers of high performance die systems
Headquarters and Main Office:
Extrusion Dies Industries, LLC
911 Kurth Road
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 U.S.A.
Tel: 715-726-1201
Fax: 715-726-2205
E-mail: sales@extrusiondies.com
Website: www.extrusiondies.com
Rework website: www.reworkdies.com
Autoflex VI-R EPC Die
Wholly owned subsidiaries:
EDI GmbH
Kastanienweg 8
51580 Reichshof—Wehnrath
Germany
Tel: 49-2265-980627
Fax: 49-2265-980690
E-mail: info@edi-gmbh.de
EDI Precision Dies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Building No. 4, Dakun Industrial Park
860 Zhongde Road
Songjiang, Shanghai 201614
P.R. China 201614
Tel. +86-21-57850918
Fax. +86-21-57850698
E-mail: edishanghai@extrusiondies.com
Your international partner in extrusion die technology,
EDI provides a broad line of custom-engineered
extrusion dies and related system components for the
extrusion coating & laminating market. Highly
qualified engineers, with in-depth experience in both
die manuacturing and processing, are available to
discuss and help define your requirements and to
work with you after your equipment is delivered.
Visit EDI at www.extrusiondies.com
EDI is a leading international supplier of extrusion coating & laminating die systems. The keys to our
success have been a program of continuous investment in skilled human resources, advanced
manufacturing hardware and sophisticated software tools, along with a relentless pursuit of
technological innovation and uncompromising quality. Our success in the industry is a direct result
of the excellence of our products and services. This is especially true of recent developments in
extrusion coating and laminating technology that provide real solutions to problems that have
plagued the industry for many years.
Extrusion Die Developments
Successful die designs for the extrusion coating and laminating industry need to address a specific
set of today’s performance needs:
Trouble-free coating width variation for versatility and efficiency.
Ability to reduce edge bead size to minimize expensive waste.
Precise control of coat-weight uniformity so that desired physical properties are achieved with the
least amount of coating material. This precise control is required for a wide variety of coating
materials with differing rheological properties.
Accurate coextrusion of materials with dissimilar melt temperatures or rheological characteristics,
so that the composite structure provides the desired physical properties at a lower cost.
Ease of maintenance for splitting and cleaning the system along with removing lip build-up
in-between cleanings.
Coating Width Variation
Devices that adjust extrudate width, commonly called “deckles”, have been used by the industry for
decades. The most sophisticated version available today is shown below. The bronze components
are the internal deckle plugs which completely seal-off the ends of the internal channels. This full
plug approach eliminates stagnation or dead areas in the channel. The silver-gray colored
component at the bottom of the figure is an external back-up deckling system.
Autoflex VI-R H100 EPC Die with
Internal/External Deckle and Air Cooling Feature
External deckles are well known for their ability to provide highly effective sealing characteristics. By
combining these two deckle systems, which were previously thought to be mutually exclusive, EDI
has developed a significantly better approach to deckling. Just like the coextrusion of two
coating materials leads to a higher performance product by combining the superior adhesive
properties of one material with the superior strength properties of another, so does this new deckle
concept lead to a dramatic performance improvement. Processors find that die systems equipped
with only internal deckles require a great deal of experience and skill to adjust without leakage
problems. They also find that external-only deckle systems do not allow for edge profile control and
are not as streamlined. EDI’s dual deckle system allows for simple, convenient width adjustment
procedures, without any leakage issue. Both systems are driven together either by a hand-wheel or
by a motor drive. Linear bearings ensure alignment and smooth movement.
Edge Profile Control
One of the chief goals in extrusion coating is to maintain a uniform coating thickness across the
entire application width. This is not always easy. The common problem of edge bead – an
increased thickness along both edges of the coating – makes it necessary to trim the edges to meet
product specifications. Edge bead is particularly costly in extrusion coating because the scrap
includes both coating and substrate. The bead is formed by the imbalance of forces that is created
when tension is applied to the coating web. As the web becomes oriented in the machine direction,
it necks-in (becomes narrower) resulting in a build-up of material on the edges. EDI’s adjustable
internal deckle components allow the operator to minimize the width and size of the edge bead. The
result is a minimal overcoat requirement, so waste is significantly reduced.
Image of Material with a Tuned Edge Profile
Image of Material with a Heavy Untuned Edge
Control of Coat Weight Uniformity
There are three key features that EDI has developed to maximize the amount of control the
processor has over coat weight uniformity.
x Lip land lengths that provide a significant response to an operator or gage control system
adjustment.
x A flow channel design is available that combines a varying geometry in the center of the die with
a constant geometry on each end. The constant geometry on each end allows for fully
adjustable internal deckling and the varying geometry in the center helps to promote flow to the
ends of the die.
x A thermally isolated automatic lip adjusting system provides extremely accurate product
tolerance.
Body Bolt Layout Parallel
To Die Lip Opening
Multiflow IV Manifold Design
57” (1450mm) Autoflex VI-R Die
Lip Land Design Approach
EDI’s approach is to provide an appropriate lip land length, with a good balance between the
pressure drop across the lip land compared to the pressure drop across the whole die. Depending
on the materials and rates to be processed, lip lands can be provided in a range from 6 to 13mm.
This approach can allow a broader window of materials to be accurately distributed by one die, for
example LLDPE and LDPE.
Many other die manufacturers design for internally deckled dies utilizing a very short final lip land at
the exit area of the die (only 3 to 5 mm long). This is done to minimize the pressure generated in the
lips, so the die becomes less of a challenge to seal. This represents a compromise, however, since
shorter lip lands will promote more die swell and afford less lip tuning control.
Advanced Automatic Lip Adjusting Systems
EDI’s automatic lip adjusting system, named Autoflex VI-R, provides three key advantages over
previous systems.
Since the translator blocks are mounted outside of the die body, there is significantly less heat
transfer between the body and the blocks than with previous systems that were mounted within the
die body. This eliminates much of the thermal “cross-talk”, so accurate gage control can be
achieved more quickly.
The translator material is a beryllium-copper alloy, whose high thermal conductivity provides a rapid
response to a control action.
Also, due to a large coefficient of thermal expansion, the translators provide a great deal of stroke
(+/- 0.38mm of automatic adjustment range).
63” (1600mm) Autoflex VI-R H40 Die with
Internal/External Deckle
Ease of Use and Maintenance
The new-generation EPC die includes innovations that reduce downtime in four ways:
Rapid and accurate changes in width. A more robust support structure and drive mechanism
for the deckle ensures a more stable and repeatable width-adjustment system. Changes in width
are carried out by means of a single movement of the entire assembly of deckle components.
Once those components have been adjusted to obtain the desired edge-bead profile for a
polymer, that setting is preserved without variation through repeated changes in width.
Easily inserted scraper to remove build-up. Operators can now quickly retract the external
and die-gap deckle components and insert a simple brass scraper that cleans away carbonized
polymer that causes die lines. In the past it was impossible to remove such buildup upstream of
the lips without complete disassembly, but the new scraper reaches beyond the lip opening and
into the secondary manifold of the die.
Ready access for replacing seals and adjusting die gap. In the past, much of the deckle had
to be disassembled to make it possible to replace end seals. The redesign of the EPC die makes
it possible to carry out these tasks quickly and easily, without dealing with numerous fasteners
and handling heavy deckle components.
Fast removal of deckle system for ‘split and clean.’ It is now possible to open the die without
completely disassembling the deckles at either end. Instead, each deckle assembly can be removed intact by unfastening four bolts.
Another innovation is optional: External cooling by forced air makes it possible to cool end seals and
deckle components.
Lip Scraper Feature to Remove Build-Up Rapidly
Fast Removal of System for Split & Clean
Multimanifold Coextrusion
The most accurate way to co-extrude is to use a multi-manifold die. Since each layer is spread to
the full width prior to combination, there is greatly improved uniformity over the coextrusion
feedblock approach. Also, the multi-manifold die can be designed to help maintain a large
temperature differential between layers and our dual flex lip design provides a great deal of
distribution control for each individual layer. Since each flex hinge is located in a position where lip
adjustment influences both the lip gap and the individual combining gaps, one can accurately
fine-tune the distribution of each layer.
78.7” (2000mm) Autoflex VI-R H40 Die with Dual Flex Lip Technology
Coextrusion Feedblock Developments
EDI has worked towards the goal of significantly advancing coextrusion feedblock technology for the
past couple of decades, with great results. The Ultraflow® is the most widely used feedblock that is
supplied by EDI. The Ultraflow feedblock utilizes custom-engineered flow inserts that function as
mini-manifolds within the feedblock, yielding a high degree of control over product dimensions. Using computer modeling techniques, EDI designs each insert to fine-tune the layer distribution of a
given material. Product variation is possible with the same feedblock because the inserts are exchangeable.
The Ultraflow feedblock makes product changeovers possible by providing convenient access to the
flow inserts, which are located immediately inside a removable cover plate and can be exchanged
for other inserts without taking the feedblock off of the line.
3 Layer Ultraflow I Feedblock
Ultraflow I Feedblock Inserts
New Adjustable Ultraflow Feedblock Increases Productivity
Our Ultraflow® V feedblock is the next generation of feedblocks that EDI supplies. It has
adjustable “combining planes” located where the melt streams join the central flow channel. The
combining planes can operate in two modes, each with a different advantage in terms of ease and
adjustability:
● Eliminating feedblock adjustment by the operator. By leaving the adjustable plane in
free-floating mode, operators can let the position be determined directly by the equilibrium pressure
developed by flow from the extruders. The combining plane responds to the pressures of the
different mass flows from the extruder by achieving a state of equilibrium reflecting these
differences. In this way, a change in flow from one of the extruders causes a readjustment of the
combining plane at the point where materials merge.
● Optimizing layer-to-layer interfaces. For polymers whose interaction at the point of
confluence poses the possibility of disrupting or compromising the multilayer structure, the
adjustable plane can be moved manually to fine-tune polymer flow. Shafts extending from outside
the feedblock into the centers of the adjustable planes provide ease of operation. Simple settings
will change the adjustable planes from free-floating mode to varying levels of responsiveness to melt
flow pressure. Once adjusted, an adjustable plane remains in a fixed position. Due to the
inherent streamlining, this design is compatible with sensitive materials, like EVA, Nylon, and EVOH.
Our standard Ultraflow feedblock is an industry workhorse that enables processors to fine-tune
layer thicknesses by interchanging specially machined flow inserts, without having to disassemble
the feedblock. The new Ultraflow V feedblock eliminates even this step by using built-in combining
planes. It is, in addition, a compact device, easy to disassemble and clean, and streamlined for
optimal flow. Ultraflow V feedblocks can be designed for any number of extruders or layers.
Ultraflow V Feedblock
Extrusion Dies Industries, LLC
October 2010 Rev. 4