HOW TO SOLVE

BLOWN FILM PROBLEMS

How to Solve Blown Film Problems
This technical brochure covers some of the most common blown film problems and their
probable solutions. It is hoped that the information contained here will be of assistance to you
in your film operations.

Table of Contents Page

Blown Film Basics ........................................................................................................................ 2
Prevention Checklist .................................................................................................................... 6
Dies and Air Rings ....................................................................................................................... 10
Maintaining and Improving Film Output ....................................................................................... 13
Roll and Film Defects .................................................................................................................. 17
Visible Roll Defects...................................................................................................................... 19
Gauge Variations ........................................................................................................................ 22
Bubble Trouble and Blemishes ................................................................................................... 26
Roll Defects — Whose Fault? .................................................................................................... 30

1
Blown Film Basics at first glance, extremely simple. The
elements of the process (Figure 1) in-
clude the resin pellets which are fed
The goal of this brochure is to describe through a hopper into an extruder. Here,
specific defects that can appear in tubular heat and friction convert the pellets to a
blown film and to suggest probable melt which is forced through an annular
causes and solutions. However, a review or ring-shaped die to form a tube.
of the process of blown film extrusion is
The tube is inflated to increase its
worthwhile.
diameter and decrease the film gauge. At
An operator can become so familiar the same time, the tube is drawn away
with a given film line that problems are from the die, also to decrease its gauge.
solved intuitively, but training new The tube, also called a “bubble,” is then
personnel or bringing a new line on stream flattened by collapsing frames and drawn
may raise difficulties. Some inherent and through nip rolls and over idler rolls to a
half forgotten quirk of the process (and winder which produces the finished rolls
there are many) may be of no of film.
consequence under familiar conditions,
However, anyone familiar with blown
but can become the unrecognized cause
film extrusion knows this simplified expla-
of defects when conditions are changed
nation is less than half the story.The
to accommodate new products or
blown film extrusion system is, in fact,
processing requirements. Reviewing the
one of the most complex and sensitive of
blown film extrusion process can prepare
all plastics processing technologies. The
you to handle these problems.
tubular blown film process is efficient and
economical, and can produce a magnifi-
Blown Film Process Basics cent array of products — from a light
The process of producing film by extrud- gauge, clear converter film to heavy gauge
ing molten resin into a continuous tube is, construction film, which when slit and
opened, may measure 40 feet or more in
width.
Basic Blown Film Line Elements of Blown Film

Figure 1 Figure 2

2
Main Arena of Action of the important characteristics of the film
are fixed-orientation, shrink properties,
More of the problems in blown film
clarity, gloss, strength, etc.
extrusion take place in the section of the
tube illustrated in Figure 2 — from within The formula to obtain the BUR and
the die to the far side of the nip rolls — drawdown ratios and their meanings are as
than in any other portion of the line. Ele- follows:
ments in this section are labeled and are
Bubble Diameter
referred to again in this booklet. Blow Up Ratio (BUR) =
Die Diameter
Even though practice does not always
follow theory, theory can help explain BUR indicates the increase in the bubble
many of the problems encountered in diameter over the die diameter. The die gap
extruding polyethylene into blown film. For divided by the BUR indicates the theoretical
example, blow-up ratio (BUR) used alone thickness of the melt after reduction by
as a film-making parameter is meaning- blowing. Since it is difficult to use calipers
less. BUR must be related to draw-down on the bubble to measure its thickness
ratio and die gap. In Figure 3, all three of unless you knock it down, a more practical
these parameters are used to illustrate a formula is:
theory of melt orientation, an important
factor in extruding the high quality film 0.637 x Layflat Width
BUR =
required by customers. Die Diameter

Melt Orientation Theory

The final thickness reduction in the
melt after blowing is indicated by a
drawdown ratio.

Width of Die Gap

Drawdown Ratio (DDR) =
Film Thickness x BUR

A third ratio, called the blow ratio (BR),

is the increase of layflat width over die
diameter. BR is used less frequently, but
can easily be confused in conversation with
the more common BUR.
A blow-up ratio greater than 1
indicates the bubble has been blown to
a diameter greater than that of the die
orifice. The film has been thinned and
Figure 3
possesses an orientation in the
transverse direction (TD).
A drawdown ratio greater than 1
To illustrate melt orientation, it is indicates that the melt has been pulled
necessary to separate the blow-up and away from the die faster than it issued
drawdown functions. In reality, however, from the die. The film has been thinned
these take place simultaneously in the melt and possesses an orientation in the
below the frost line. In this area almost all machine direction (MD).

3
 In practice these numbers are only In Figure 4, on the front, a right
approximate because the melt swells as it triangle is formed (shaded area) with the
leaves the die gap. The above calculations length of the vertical side equal to D, the
are made using the die gap dimension distance between the nip rolls and the
because the degree of swell varies with bottom of collapsing frame; the length of
the resin used and processing conditions. the base side is equal to half the layflat
width minus the radius of the bubble, or 4½
inches.
Collapsing the Bubble
On the side view, a right triangle is formed
Although these ratios provide general (shaded area) with the vertical side equal to
parameters, some incompatibility exists D as before, but the base side is equal to the
between the configuration of the bubble radius of the bubble, or 8 inches (½ of the
and that of the film after it has been diameter).
collapsed over the various rolls. After film
is wound, its size is called the layflat Since the two triangles have vertical
width. Brief study of Figure 4 shows the sides of equal length, D, but different base
reason for this incompatibility. The lengths, 4½ inches vs 8 inches, the third
sketches show front and side views of a sides of the two triangles (E vs C) must
bubble 16 inches in diameter collapsed to also have different lengths. In other words,
a layflat width of 25 inches (some the length of film that forms the edge of
numbers here are rounded off for ease of the layflat (E) is not equal to the length
comparison). that forms the center of the layflat (C). Yet
these unequal lengths must travel from the
plane of their point of contact with the
collapsing frame to the nip rolls in the
Theory Geometry of the same amount of time.
Collapsing Bubble
Tabulated data at the bottom of Figure
4 show the magnitude of this discrepancy
in length. If the angle A, formed by the
center line of the bubble and the edge of
the collapsing frame is 22°, then distance D
must be 20 inches for a collapsing frame
long enough to accommodate the full
bubble width. By calculation, the edge E is
found to be 20½ inches long, while the
center C is 21½ inches. The center of this
section of film is one inch, or about 5%,
longer than the edge.
To bring a layflat out of the nips that
actually lays flat, the edge of the film
should theoretically travel faster than the
center. In other words, the velocity of the
Figure 4 film should gradually increase from the
center until, at the edge, it is 5% greater
than that of the center. With a line speed of
120 feet per minute (fpm) at the center, the
edge must travel at about 126 fpm.

4
 Fortunately, film made from low density Rotation of Die
polyethylene can stretch. The edge must
Rotating the die and/or air ring as
stretch to permit the center to remain taut
shown in Figure 5 can help mask errors
as it goes through the nips. If the edge does
built into the melt by process faults which
not speed up (stretch), the center will be
cause variations in the film thickness,
baggy and broad “smile” wrinkles will
called gauge bands.
appear across the web.
By rotating the die and air ring, the
Less extensible film — stiff overwrap
gauge bands can be moved around the
from resin with a density of 0.935 g/cm3, or
surface of the film as the bubble is
a high density, paper-like film — does not
extruded. The bubble itself does not rotate.
have the ability to stretch. The broad
The gauge bands are thus distributed
“smile” wrinkles appear if no attempt is
across the face of the roll, level wound as
made to increase the edge velocity.
fish line on a reel, and the result is a
However, if the edge velocity is too great,
cylindrical roll of film of perfect symmetry.
edge wrinkles occur.
Normal procedure at this point is to
close down the collapsing frame. This Rotation
procedure decreases the angle A (see
Figure 4) and reduces the difference
between the lengths of the center and edge.
Decreasing the angle from 22° to 11°
narrows the difference in length between
the center and edge to 1¼ %. At a 5½°
angle, the difference is a mere 5/8%,
essentially solving the problem, although
not completely.
Closing down the collapsing frame
however, doubles and quadruples the
surface area of the frame in contact with the
film. Unfortunately, films with a high surface
coefficient of friction drag between the
collapsing frames. As the center area of
this warm film in contact with the collapsing
frames increases, the additional drag
distorts the flatness of the film, making it
baggy at the center and difficult to print and Figure 5
convert.
The perfect theoretical solution to the Without rotation, these faults build up
bubble-to-layflat problem is a collapsing in one place on the roll of film, as fish line
frame 200 feet long with a zero coefficient on a reel without a level wind. The result is
of friction. In this frame, the length of the a roll of film with a surface looking like a
edge and center of the film would not differ wood turning for a short thick balustrade.
by so much as a hair’s breadth. However, Unfortunately, rotation can introduce
like many theoretical solutions, this one is problems of its own in that the gauge
just not practical. bands now gradually move across the face
of the collapsing frames. Such action
causes the web to move back and forth

5
between the frames and the layflat to
wander back and forth in the line down-
stream from the main nips. A web guide is Prevention Checklist
required to finally track the layflat in a
To prevent problems in extruding blown
straight line so the film winds up as a
film, purchase the proper equipment to do
good roll.
the job. Then, make sure the equipment is
Generally, broad gauge bands caused installed properly, checked and maintained
by a draft of air or a heat rise off the front regularly and scheduled efficiently so that
end of the extruder against the melt high quality film can be produced at high
cannot be rotated because the melt itself output rates with minimum scrap.
is not rotating through this fault. As a
Checklists are excellent memory
consequence, the roll of film may be
joggers for both production and
tapered or have convex or concave faces
maintenance personnel. An operator should
as the different thicknesses of film build
check each film line against a checklist at
up upon themselves.
least one time per shift. Lines should also
Again, as the bubble or die diameter is be checked when there is an order change,
increased, so is the transverse speed of and at start-up or at shutdown, since some
gauge bands across the faces of the equipment can be inspected only at those
collapsing frames increased for a given times.
rotational speed. This can cause bubble
All or part of the following checklist
instability, intermittent wrinkling in the nips
usually is incorporated in plant process
and web wander downstream. These
descriptions, plant operating standards or
three problems can be corrected by
the plant maintenance department’s sched-
reducing rotational speed.
ule. The checklist cannot include everything
However, one rotation should never because each blown film extrusion shop is
take less than the time it takes to build a different. However, regular use of the
roll of film. Otherwise, the gauge bands checklist should minimize many potential
will not have had time enough to be problems.
uniformly distributed across the entire
face of the roll of film.
Resin, Additives and Regrind
1. Are the polyolefin resin and additives
Conclusion
the right grades for the film being
Many problems occur in blown film extruded?
extrusion in the hot melt between the die
2. Are the quantities sufficient to com-
and the frost line and where the tube is
plete the run?
collapsed at the main nip. Other sections
in this booklet deal more specifically with 3. Are the resin loading system filters
problems such as uneven rolls, gauge clean or have they recently been
bands, wrinkles, maintainng output, physical replaced?
and optical problems and solutions. 4. Were the additive feeders emptied
and cleaned when out of service to
prevent dribble from contaminating the
next resin to be run?

6
5. Were the recycle/regrind systems for which all indicate extruder operation
salvaging edge trim and roll scrap stability — frequently monitored and
recently checked to make sure that maintained?
the proportion of scrap to virgin resin 3. Are all heater bands and thermo-
is accurate? couples around the extruder head,
6. Are the scrap rolls of film compatible adapter and die checked for loose
with the virgin pelletized resin being wires? Be sure the power is off when a
used? check is made.
7. Are all rolls of scrap clean and labeled 4. Is the wiring for the heater bands
by resin type? correctly connected, e.g., not “in
8. Was the equipment cleaned between series” if “in parallel” is required or
resin changes to prevent vice versa.
contamination? 5. Are thermocouple leads correctly
9. Are all hoppers and boxes of resin connected to their corresponding
covered, not only to prevent extruder zones? For example, the
contamination of the resin, but also to thermocouple lead for zone 3 should
prevent possible damage to the not be connected to the temperature
extruder by tramp metal or other controller for zone 2.
materials? 6. Are all the heater bands for a specific
extruder zone of the same size and
Extruder Drives watt density? Mixing different bands in
the same zones can cause cool areas
1. Most extruders are equipped with or hot spots depending upon thermo-
some type of variable speed drive for couple location.
consistent output control. Are all
7. Are the die heater band terminals not
fluctuations in revolutions per minute
aligned in a row? If they are aligned in
or power consumption, as indicated by
a row, the resulting cool spot can cre-
the screw tachometer or drive
ate a gauge band in the film.
ammeter, checked along with other
8. Is the extruder regularly checked for
causes for extruder surging?
loose thermocouples, burned-out
2. Are all dirty air filters replaced? heater sections and loose or broken
Otherwise, sensitive solid-state drive wires? Most of the time, these prob-
components can overheat and burn lems are not readily visible and finding
out. them requires specific maintenance.
3. Are the extruder transmissions and
thrust bearings properly lubricated? Extruder Cooling
1. Is there a specific instrument that
Extruder Heaters and Controls checks for overheating in the extruder
drives?
1. Are temperature controllers for each
extruder zone checked for excessive 2. If the extruder is water-cooled, are the
temperature override or insufficient feed throats cool to the touch?
heating? Inefficient plumbing that does not
force all of the air out of the water-
2. Are the melt temperature and
cooled chambers of the feed throat
pressure indicators and the screw
can cause poor circulation and hot
tachometer and drive ammeter —
spots on the surface of the feed throat.

7
 Resin can melt and stick to these hot 3. Are the die and air ring level and
surfaces, bridge and interrupt the resin parallel to each other, with the air ring
feed to the extruder. The result is a concentric with the die orifice?
reduction in output, surging, or in time, 4. If the air ring is raised above the die
the complete loss of feed and face, is there any dirt between the die
shutdown of the extruder. face and the bottom of the ring? Dirt in
3. Has the automatic barrel water cooling this area can interrupt the air flow of melt
system been checked recently? This and cause gauge bands in the film.
can be done by lowering the set point 5. Is there any dirt or contamination on
of the barrel zone temperature the lips and venturi tube of the air
controller for a moment, listening for ring? Die lips should be regularly
the pumps to start and observing a cleaned with brass shim stock or
temperature drop on the instrument. knitted copper cleaner pads.
4. If air is used in automatic barrel 6. If die and/or air ring rotator drives are
cooling, has the blower exhaust been in use, are the commutator rings and
checked for hot air output? brushes required for full rotation regu-
5. If water cooling is used on the screw, larly cleaned?
are both the incoming and outgoing 7. Are the power and thermocouple
water flows at the correct tempera- wiring checked for freedom of move-
tures? Cooling water is normally fed ment and any scuffing, if rotating
through a siphon tube to the end of systems are in use?
the screw. The outgoing water modi-
fies the temperature of incoming water 8. Is the air hose used to inflate the
before it reaches the end of the screw. bubble removed before die rotation
Otherwise, if the incoming water were begins?
too cold, it could freeze the melt. Tower and Line
6. Is the water flow in both feed throat
and screw cooling areas controlled on 1. Is the bubble symmetrical around a
the output side only? Control on the plumb line dropped from the center
input side can lead to cyclic heating of the main nips to the center of the
and cooling, caused by the periodic die? This symmetry is essential for
displacement of water with steam wrinkle-free film.
(water hammering effect), leading to 2. Are the collapsing frames
surging. symmetrical with each other and the
tops aligned with the main nip rolls?
7. Are all the extruder water systems If not, the collapsing film can be
filtered and are all the filters checked distorted as it enters the nip rolls,
regularly? resulting in continuous or
Rotator, Die and Air Ring intermittent wrinkles on one or both
edges, depending upon the
1. Is a record kept of screens used and
misalignment. Also, too large a gap
date installed?
between the top of the collapsing
2. Is the pressure gauge at the end of frame and the bottom of the nip
the barrel checked often? A high rolls allows the collapsed bubble to
pressure indicates a filled screen. A partially reinflate and cause edge
low pressure indicates a blow-out. and/or full “smile” wrinkles across
the width of the film.
8
3. Is gussetting equipment easily 9. Is the blown film tower stable with
adjustable? Does it have a locking no vibration or sway?
Iave a matte finish to provide a 10. Is the tower isolated from drafts?
relatively friction-free surface for
11. Are any slightly diagonal MD
the film to slide upon? Film tends to
wrinkles or web wander visible?
cling to a brightly finished metal
Although it is usually beyond the
surface.
ability of an operator to tram (align)
4. Do the metal surfaces of equipment rolls in a tower, these defects can
have a matte finish to provide a result in misaligned rolls.
relatively friction-free surface for the
12. Are treater bars properly gapped
film to slide upon? Film tends to cling
and parallel with the treater rolls?
to a brightly finished metal surface.
The dielectric covering of the roll
5. Are the collapsing frames clean must be free of punctures and the
and smooth with no sticky coating, roll grounded back to the treater
dirt or dust? If the nip rolls are through a carbon brush to the
steel and rubber, it is preferable to shaft.
part the film from the smooth dry
13. Are in-line embossing, slip-sealing,
surface of the steel roll rather than
reinflating and postgusseting,
from the rougher rubber surface
printing and bag making equipment
which can become tacky and
checked regularly according to
induce MD wrinkles. All rolls should
prescribed procedures?
be clean and dry (not sticky) and all
idler rolls should turn freely. 14. Are winder drive and tension controls
checked and the winder set to
6. Are nip roll and other line drives
accommodate the core sizes and
checked for speed adjustment?
widths for the product to be run?
7. Are the variable speed nip and line
15. Finally, are roll doffing equipment,
drives individually controlled? This
cores and packaging supplies
situation is difficult for an operator
readily available ?
t o s y n c h r o n i z e a n d c a n cause
excessive scrap when the
downstream nip is permitted to Tools and Adjustments
overdrive the primary nip. 1. Does the operator have the tools
8. On lines equipped with drives that necessary to operate and adjust a
depend on the main nip roll drive line?
as a master speed reference for all 2. Is the film thickness gauge calibrated
downstream nip roll (and regularly to maintain quality film
equipment) drives, is the main nip standards?
roll overdriven by excessive web
tension (trim pots turned up to high For the Operator
on downstream drives)? This When you go on shift or take over
excessive tension can result in the another line, do you “stop, look, listen
loss of line speed control, and feel?”
excessive speed hunting in the line
and a large amount of off-size scrap
film.

9
LOOK — of some defect in the film. Other sections
of this booklet help pinpoint the causes of
„ Are the resin, additive and recycle
systems correctly adjusted and func- film problems and explain how to correct
tioning properly? them with a minimum loss of time and
product.
„ Are the melt temperature pressure
gauges and temperature controllers
functioning?
„ Are there any temperature over- or Dies and Air Rings
under-rides?
„ Are bubble shape and frost line nor-
mal?
Setting Up the Die and Air Ring:
1. A die should always be centered
„ Are there any wrinkles in the web?
beneath the main nip roll assembly. A
„ Is the trim too narrow or too wide? plumb line dropped from the center of
„ How does the roll look on the winder? the nips should be no further out of
plumb than the edge of a dime placed
LISTEN — on the center of the die face.
„ How do the extruder drive system, Obtaining a true plumb line can be a
resin feed system, barrel cooling problem if you use a die from another
pumps, relays and treater sound? Any line or a new die which has an
variations in sound can be an incorrect adapter length. The further
indication of trouble. If you become the die is off-center, the more the film
familiar with sounds of the line in is distorted by the uneven distances it
operation, many times you can stop a must be drawn to the nip rolls. This
problem from becoming a larger one, cause of both wrinkles and poor
if not prevent it altogether. gauge cannot be corrected by the
operator.
FEEL — 2. The top of the die should be leveled
only after the die and extruder are up
„ Is there excessive heat or vibration in to operating temperature, the barrel
the extruder transmission and drive clamps tightened to the die adapter
bearings? and all casters on the die cart in firm
„ Is the air chiller functioning in the air contact with the floor. The die cannot
ring? be leveled separately from the ex-
„ Are water cooling lines cool, warm or truder for several reasons:
hot? A. Most floors are not level, which
„ Is the web tension too tight or too means the die must be leveled in
loose? place.
„ How hard is the roll across the face? B. The distances from the floor to the
center-lines of the die adapter and
Many elements of a properly designed, the extruder barrel increase at
installed and adjusted blown film line different rates as they are brought
remain trouble-free for a long time. Other up to operating temperatures.
parts may need repair often. Most
malfunctions show up quickly in the form

10
 C. If any of the die stand casters A. In the most common configura-
are not down tightly on the floor, tion (upper diagram), the adjust-
there is a good chance the die is ing bolts are in the die ring
not level. There is also a chance above the die body.
that the die and air ring will B. In the older configuration (lower
vibrate because the extruder diagram), the adjusting bolts are
barrel is supporting part of the in the die body below the die
weight of the die and air ring ring.
assembly. This vibration can
On design A, the adjusting bolt is
manifest itself as air ring
turned in to open the die gap, while
chatter.
on design B, the adjusting bolt is
3. Only after the die is properly leveled turned in to close the die gap.
can the air ring be leveled and
2. When adjusting a die,
centered. Because the air ring is not
usually fastened to the top of the die, A. You are only going to open or
but is dependent upon its own weight close the die gap by one or two
to hold it in position, a good operator thousandths of an inch and
always checks the air ring for center maybe a quarter turn of the bolt
and level when the bubble is down. at the most.
With a bubble up, it is not possible to B. Except for a few very special
see whether the die or the air ring dies, you cannot open and close
needs adjustment. the die gap in one place. Try it,
4. Finally, some air rings are set on a and you strip the bolt threads
flame retardant pad on top of the die. first. What you are trying to do is
Other air rings are not on such a pad, center the die ring around the
but are raised above the top of the die
with the air gap providing insulation. Film Die Gap Adjustment
5. If an air gap exists between the air
ring and the top of the die, the air ring
is usually less sensitive (more
forgiving) to blower and top opening
adjustment. However, this air gap
means there is an air flow between
the bottom of the air ring and the top
of the die that impinges upon the hot
melt as it extrudes from the die. Any
dirt, pieces of purge or silicone grease
in this open space can disturb the air
flow and lead to gauge bands in the
film.

Die and Air Ring Adjustment

1. Most dies currently in use are ad-
justable. Figure 6 illustrates the two
basic designs of adjustable dies and
how they are identified:
Figure 6

11
 die mandrel so the die gap is the hot, but thin, melt from the narrow
symmetrical all the way around die gap which cools and freezes faster
to extrude a film of constant into a thicker film.
thickness. 4. As shown by Figure 7, the air ring
C. The die ring can only be adjusted must be clean. The air ring in Figure 7
by pushing on it, because there are was dropped on its edge one time.
no pull bolts. After choosing the Since then, this air ring’s internal
bolt or bolts to push, loosen all perforated metal baffles have had a
other bolts until each is about one- tendency to clog in two areas 180°
eighth of a turn back. This prevents apart. One baffle section is shown in
the die ring from moving too far if it Figure 18.
is suddenly released. In an experiment, a hot die was
D. Do not try to make major adjust- leveled and centered to a uniform
ments as they may result in the 0.038 inch hot die gap. The air ring
bubble coming down. described above was then leveled and
centered on the die. The two gauge
E. When the adjustment is complete,
profiles taken from film blown with this
bottom but don’t tighten the re-
set-up illustrate the difference clean-
mainder of the bolts to hold the
ing an air ring can make.
ring in place.
The first film profile sample in
3. In explanation of an apparent
Figure 7 with the two high and two
anomaly, thick film comes from a
low film gauge variations opposite
narrow die gap and thin film from a
each other also illustrates the type of
wide die gap. The thick, hot melt from
defect that can occur when an air ring
a wide die gap holds its heat longer
is off-center or tipped and not level.
and draws down to thinner film than
The operator, not knowing his air ring
was askew, tried to adjust the die.
Film Gauge Variation Caused by Figure 8 illustrates film from a die that
Dirty Air Ring is out of adjustment. Note the 1.3 mil
film from the wide 0.041 inch die gap
at point C and 1.65 mil film from the
narrow 0.035 inch die gap at point A. A
similar gauge variation can be caused
by an off-center air ring on a centered
die.
Figure 9 illustrates the gauge
variation that occurs in a film from a
centered die and a tipped air ring.
This also could just as well be from an
off-center air ring.
5. Finally, in the last three figures, note
how the bubble shape and frost line
appear in the areas of thick and thin
film. Variations in bubble shape and
frost line are usually the first and best
indicators of changes in the quality of
Figure 7
the film being extruded.
12
Film Gauge Variation Caused by Figures 7, 8, and 9 illustrate data
Poor Die Adjustment developed from film extruded with an
eight inch die and air ring on a 3½ inch
extruder.

Maintaining and Improving

Film Output
Causes of decreased output rates should
be corrected immediately to prevent
schedule and quality problems from
escalating. Several factors can cause short-
term reductions in output, and in some
cases, eventually result in other, more
serious problems.
Productivity can be viewed in three ways:
Figure 8
„ Maintaining Satisfactory Output
„ Improving on that Output
„ Reducing Scrap

What is Satisfactory Output?

Film Gauge Variation Caused by
Determining whether your production line
Tipped Air Ring
is performing at top efficiency is difficult. To
simplify the calculation, lines can be divided
into two types:
„ Those dedicated to a specific resin and
product
„ Those used to run several different
resins and produce a broad range of
products

Resins include LDPE, HMW-LDPE,

LLDPE, MLLDPE, HDPE, HMW-HDPE and
blends, plus additives and reground film,
such as edge strip and scrap. Products
include clarity sheeting, multi-wall bag
liner, merchandise bags, grocery sacks
and garbage bags.
Output is probably best defined as the
pounds per hour (PPH) of a resin that can
Figure 9 be extruded through one circumferential inch
of die gap (DG) or PPH/inch DG.

13
Example: L/D (length/diameter) extruders. The
„ If a 16 inch die has a 50 inch range is necessarily broad to allow for
circumference and operates at 12 age, wear, screw-design, drive, power
PPH/inch DG on high clarity level and resin to be extruded.
sheeting, the instantaneous die Extruder Size Drive, hp Output, PPH
output is 600 PPH. (inches)
„ If the sheeting is 48 inch wide and 1½ 5 - 15 20 - 60
requires a 1 inch trim from each 1¾ 7½ - 25 30 - 100
edge of a 50 inch layflat, 4% of 2 10 - 40 40 - 150
the instantaneous output is being 2½ 25 - 60 100 - 250
recycled and there is a net output 3½ 40 -125 120 - 500
of 576 PPH of sheeting off the 4½ 60 - 250 240 - 1000
winder.
To obtain the average PPH, divide the By comparison, on dedicated lines with
number of premium pounds made by the high horsepower extruders with 28 to 32:1
number of machine hours required to L/D, the output rates can be 20 – 30%
make them. The closer the average PPH higher than those in the table.
is to the instantaneous die output in PPH,
the higher the efficiency of the line. Maintaining Output
Dedicated lines usually operate from 10 Both slow and rapid reductions in
to 25 PPH/inch DG and up with normal output rates can occur for many
refrigerated air cooling the bubble. Higher reasons. The true cause needs to be
output rates are obtained with internal quickly identified and appropriate
bubble cooling and external cages to size measures taken to correct the problem. If
and stabilize the bubble. At higher output incorrect solutions are applied, the
rates, the line versatility usually is limited problem can be compounded.
to variations of a single product extruded Some causes of reduced output are
from one type of resin. resin-related.
More versatile film lines may include
the capability to wind tubing flat or Fines and Fluff in the Feed Stream
gussetted, make centerfold or "j" film,
Fines are bits of pellets that adhere to
produce single or double wound sheeting
the walls of transfer system piping and
and, with a bag machine ahead of the
other equipment through which resin
winder, generate single bags or bags in a
passes, propelled by forced air. Resin
roll.
fines contain a disproportionately large
Instantaneous output for LDPE or amount of slip additive, as much as 8 to
blends with LLDPE, plus additives and 12%. This is because slip is intentionally
regrind, ranges from 8 to 25 PPH/inch DG. incompatible with the film resin so that it
The output is largely governed by the blooms to the surface as the film is
product requirements of size, gauge, BUR extruded and performs its function of
and whether the end product is wound preventing blocking. Slip also blooms to
film or bags. the surface of the pellets. Thus, because
Remember, a die can act as a valve on the surface of the pellets is the usual
the output of an extruder when you review portion in contact with equipment walls,
the following table of output ranges fines contain higher levels of slip than the
expected from six different sizes of 24:1 resin from which they come.

14
 Fines that coat the upper, inner Sudden Machine Shut-Down
surfaces of the hopper and then fall into
When an extruder restarts after an
the extruder cause a sudden increased unforeseen shut down, it may deliver little
concentration of slip, which greases the or no melt or it may surge. Heat from the
extruder screw. Melt throughput and screw transition section has travelled back
bubble gauge both decrease for a time to the feed section, which in a neutral
until the extra slip clears through the screw, is normally cooled by the resin
extruder. Any overreaction to this pellets fed to it. The feed section, now
problem, such as increasing extruder hotter than usual, partially melts the
speed, quickly results in a film with an pellets which stick to the screw, bridging
unwanted increased gauge when the slip and partially or completely blocking the
has cleared. section. The bridged screw, of course,
Fluff, when recycled and added to the does not deliver the expected melt
feed stream, leads to an unpredictable output.
decrease in the bulk density in the hopper. If the screw is not badly bridged, the
The feed section of the screw — which is adhering pellets can be cleared by
only a conveyor — senses only bulk, not inserting a flinch rod made from the resin
weight. The feed section does not speed into the feed throat while the screw is
up to maintain delivery of pounds of melt turning over slowly. The screw flight will
to the die. Thus, output and gauge go cut sections from the rod, and these will
down when significant amounts of fluff go break away partially melted pellets
through the extruder. Similarly, if fluff feed sticking to the screw. If bridging is
decreases, more virgin resin is fed to severe, the screw may have to be
maintain the bulk through the extruder, removed and cleaned. In any case, all
and output and gauge go up. If supplies of safety procedures must be carefully
scrap or fluff are small and intermittent, followed.
they can be saved and run for utility grade For other than emergency shut-downs,
film. But if large amounts of scrap are the extruder and die temperatures should
generated regularly, then improved recycle be reduced to the point where the die
systems — proportional feeders, hopper drools at a lowscrew rpm, while the mass
stuffers, etc. — may be worth purchasing. of the equipment cools before shutdown.
Do not reduce the temperature to the point
Blending of LLDPE and LDPE where the melt can solidify and blow the
On older machines with lower HP drive fuses or rupture a gate or die. Spe-
drives, the addition of 15% to 20% or cial heat-stabilized purge compounds are
more of LLDPE to LDPE can reduce the excellent for shut-down because they flush
output. Raising barrel temperatures, the system and do not decompose in the
particularly Zone 2 at the transition portion equipment as it cools.
of the screw on some extruders, can
sometimes eliminate the problem. Fluff Recycling Lines
Some output problems are machine- Bridging is a particular problem with
related. lines that recycle fluff from ground trim and
scrap film. Plug the front end of the bore of
the screw and water-cool the first three to
five feed flights to partially solve this prob-
lem and keep output at required levels.

15
Improper Water Cooling and extruder size. The addition of a new
low pressure die with a second mandrel
Improper water cooling in the extruder
can result in reduced output. For a discus- extension to provide a wider die gap to
extrude LLDPE and a dual lip air ring will
sion of water cooling, see the Prevention
improve output rates with both LDPE and
Checklist discussed earlier in this booklet.
LLDPE.
Screen Pack Plugging
Tower Modifications
As screen packs gradually get plugged,
output just as gradually decreases. In To run HDPE, the tower must be
response, the operator often increases modified so the height of the main nip roll
screw speed which increases melt pressure and collapsing frame assembly can be
and temperature and raises the frost line. changed. Furthermore, an adjustable
The hotter melt and subsequent higher height iris must be added above the die for
frost line can lead to an unstable bubble. bubble stabilization. Also, a new, smaller
die and air ring may be necessary to
The operator’s solution works for only a
short time. The best way to prevent this accommodate the 4:1 BUR required to
obtain a high strength HMW-HDPE film.
problem is to keep good records of when
screen packs were changed and have Bubble Cooling
operators frequently refer to them. A melt
Refrigerated air can stabilize and cool a
pressure gauge at the end of the barrel also
bubble produced by the hotter melt
provides a warning that screens are
generated by increased output from an old
plugging.
screw or the additional melt output from a
new mixing screw. Improved and more
Improving Output consistent cooling also results in better
Barring the installation of newer more gauge and less scrap. If refrigerated air is
sophisticated blown film lines in their en- used, the air ring must be corrosion-
tirety, the output of older lines can be resistant or given a protective, moisture-
increased by several means, assuming the resistant coating, and the outside of the
lines are well designed and have been ring should be insulated to eliminate
maintained. With increased output how- condensation. Condensation droplets
ever, additional tower height for cooling which fall into the air stream strike the
and increased corona surface treatment bubble and cause it to snap off. When the
capacity may be necessary. line starts up, this chilled air must be
turned on to bring the ring to operating
temperature and blow out any condensed
Melt Separation Screws
water droplets before the bubble is pulled
New, more efficient melt separation up.
screws with a barrier flight and mixing head
If all equipment operates smoothly, film
can be retrofitted for the extrusion of
is now going through the main nips at rates
LDPE, HMW-LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE, HMW-
fast enough to require a line speed
HDPE and blends, plus additives and
increase. Many lines never operate at
reground material. These screws do not
speeds more than one-half to two-thirds of
help an extruder that is under-powered but
their maximums. With the commonly used
should improve both film quality and output
DC and eddy current variable speed drives,
of any extruder with an adequate drive
the slower line speeds can result in a loss
matched to the transmission, thrust bearing
of control and additional scrap.

16
 To illustrate, a line with a maximum Having operators exchange information
speed of 150 fpm, driven through a about current operations at shift change is
reducing transmission by a drive with ± 1% another way of preventing problems that
speed control, can v a r y ± 1.5 fpm. If the might lead to increased scrap. It is only
line is run at a slow speed of 15 fpm, this human for operators to feel they know
same 1.5 fpm translates to a ± 10% best. When the shift changes, the first
variation in line speed. move an operator may make is to readjust
Four-speed transmissions that enable certain controls. The effects of these
the line drives to operate in the top third of moves may not be apparent for several
their speed ranges with acceptable speed hours. By this time the operator has
control, regardless of line speed, are an forgotten the specific changes he or she
excellent investment for the multipurpose has made — so the results are
line. The amount of scrap produced in problematic. The solution to such
stopping and starting the line to shift gears occurrences is to have some overlapping
should be relatively low; actually, the time at shift change so operators can
amount of scrap should decrease and the exchange information.
film quality improve.

Decreasing Scrap
One way to increase output is simply to Roll and Film Defects
reduce scrap. A line producing scrap is more All film defects ought to be detected by
costly than a line sitting idle. A line producing the film extrusion shop manager or
scrap is not productive; it costs money to foreman before the roll gets out the door.
operate; and it is turning out material that But in practice, through oversight,
requires further handling to salvage. inattention to detail or unexplainable
Scrap can result from simple human circumstances, defective film can go
error: wrong resin for the job, undetected until examined by the
misinterpretation of specs for size and customer.
gauge, etc. Scrap can also be the result of Overall film appearance is most
not scheduling production orders in a important. A good-looking, “machined
sequence that minimizes changeover from cylinder” roll of film is what the customer
size to size, gauge to gauge, or resin to should receive. A superficially dirty or
resin. These problems cannot be solved in impaired roll, which may actually convert
any specific way; individual shop like a charm, can have the customer
conditions must be considered. examining the entire order for real or
Two other common sources of scrap imaginary defects.
can, on the other hand, be easily A machined-cylinder roll has no scuff
eliminated. Adding simple roll doffing marks, damaged edges, fuzzy ends,
equipment gives the operator greater protruding or buried core ends or crushed
control in removing the roll of film from the cores. Other, less obvious defects can be
winder and placing it intact on a pallet or buried in the roll, but these apparent
in a carton. defects should have been caught and
eliminated by the operator.

17
Wetting test kits are available, and
instructions should be followed closely if
consistent results are to be obtained. Ink can
be applied from an aerosol can or by by an Visible Roll Defects
anilox roll. The film must be completely dry Visible roll defects can usually be
before tape is applied to check adhesion. classified as those caused by defective film
To assist the customer, wind a one-side- or poor web or roll handling. In some
treated film with the treated surface inside or cases, the same defect can result from
outside, as specified, and so label the box. either cause.
Causes of poor treatment include: 1. Rolls with corrugated (uneven)
1. Under-powered treaters ends can be caused by:
The treater must be matched to line „ Poor tracking (web wander) in
output rates and web speeds. the line ahead of the winding
2. Improper grounding station.
The treater roll should be grounded „ Variable width film resulting
through a carbon brush assembly. This from an unstable bubble. A
can improve its efficiency. Grounding web guide located before the
through the treater roll bearing is winder magnifies the condition
inefficient because the bearing by positioning the film on the
lubricant acts as an insulator. core so that the guided edge
3. Film too cold of the roll winds evenly; as a
result, the the depth of the
Warm film is easier to treat. The top of corrugations at the opposite
the tower, just after the main nips, is end doubles.
the best location for the treater station.
„ Variable tension in the edge
4. Wrinkled film trimming or slitting station. At
Film must lie smooth on the roll, and low tension, the sheet is
the treater bars must be positioned widely slit and at high tension
parallel with the roll. the sheet is narrowly slit.
5. Improper levels of slip additive Again, web guiding into the
For example, if a film resin with slip winder can magnify the
levels designed for 1-mil film is used condition by placing the
to produce a 4-mil film, four times as defect at only one end of the
much slip additive blooms to the roll.
surface, resulting in a white coating on 2. Fuzzy roll ends can be caused by:
the printing plates or a powdery build- „ Dull cutting blades
up on the working and sealing „ Poorly aligned blades
surfaces of bag-making machinery.
„ Edge slit sheeting because the film
6. Excess silicone grease on the die and cannot be perfectly guided in order
air ring surfaces to maintain the blade exactly in the
Both ink adhesion and heat sealability center of the edge fold.
of the film can be adversely affected if 3. Symmetrically deformed rolls can be
this grease gets on the film. Excess caused by:
grease can also contaminate the
surfaces of the collapsing frames, nip
rolls and idler rolls.

19
Blocking 1. Insufficient cooling
2. A high frost line
Blocking, or film layers sticking to one
another, can result from: 3. Too low a blow-up ratio
4. Nips set too tightly, particularly with
1. Too much winding tension an old and hardened rubber nip roll,
Tension levels can easily be leading to film deformation in the
overlooked unless they are so great edge crease
the core is crushed, making it 5. Die lines or bad weld lines from the
impossible for the operator to remove die
the roll from the winder shaft. If the 6. Scratches from splinters in the
core is crushed only slightly, the collapsing frame or other sharp
operator may be able to remove the objects
core from the shaft, but the customer 7. Very fine weld lines caused by
may then find it impossible to degraded particles of resin or dirt
remount it on a let-off stand. Just as lodged under or in the die lips (see
bad a problem can arise if the winding Figure 10).
tension is too low, blocking will not
occur, but the film may telescope out
from one end of the roll, making the
film impossible to convert.
2. Hot weather
The inner surfaces of insufficiently
cooled film block as they pass through
the nips. To correct:
„ Reduce output
„ Raise the main nip rolls
„ Use refrigerated air or other means
of increasing cooling efficiency
„ Reduce nip roll pressure
3. Inefficient air ring
4. Incorrect additive levels in resin
If the additive levels are designed for
Figure 10 The weld line in the film resulted from
a 4-mil film and you are producing a 1- dirt hung up below die lands. The die
mil film, not enough slip and antiblock line resulted from a damaged die
additives are present to prevent mandrel.
blocking from occurring.
5. Over treatment and/or high gloss Printing Problems —Treatment
Tendency to Split In-line treatment (or mistreatment) to
Film with splitty tendencies can also be enable printing is the key to many
overlooked unless samples are examined. problems the customer is often the first to
The conditions below can occur singly or in discover.
concert, leading to an increase in the The two most common methods used
film’s orientation in the machine direction. to check film for treatment are by a
This makes the film easy to split. surface wetting test and by ink adhesion.

18
 „ Uniform gauge variations across Figures 12 and 13 illustrate the
the width of the film. They may or same type of roll defect. However,
may not be immediately visible to because the film is supported in the
the customer, or to the operator roll, either at the center or at both
who made them. However, if you ends, by the thicker film, there is
measure the roll circumferences at usually a noticeable difference in
each end, you will find this defect. surface hardness across the roll face.
This causes baggy film or rippled
Cross Section of Film edges.
Convex Roll

Figure 11

Figure 11 illustrates a
symmetrically deformed or tapered roll Figure 12
of film. The calculations show that
Concave Roll
only a very slight gauge variation was
required to cause this defect.
Measuring 0.00002 inch is beyond the
capability of any in-plant micrometer,
and measuring ten thicknesses of the
film to determine a 0.0002-inch
variation is also difficult with most
available equipment.
Furthermore, the tapered roll has
an almost uniform surface hardness,
although the large end may be slightly
harder than the small end. The
customer finds the defect quickly,
particularly in a high speed printing
operation, because the one rippled
edge, caused by the camber in the
film, tracks in a straight line through
the converting operation. Figure 13

20
 This defect manifests itself on a extruded from the die. It takes only
large sheeting line where two or more small outside forces (light air currents,
rolls are cut from the web and wound heat, stretching) to deform the bubble
on a single shaft. As soon as the thin and cause these defects.
film at the small diameter end of the The same defects can be caused
roll is cut free from the thicker film at by something as simple as an uneven
the other end of the roll, the thin film closure across the nip rolls. In this
end winds with little or no tension. case, the film is not pulled through the
Then, either while winding or doffing nips with equal force at both ends.
off the shaft, the roll will telescope, The film may actually slip at the less
resulting in a good deal of scrap. tightly closed end.
Often this film defect is uniform These roll defects generally do not
over a period of time, indicating a occur on lines with overhead rotation.
continuous problem in production. A In general liners with fewer layers will
rise in the temperature or warm air have die rotation, while lines with three
cooling the barrel off the front end of layers or more will have overhead
an extruder, parallel with the line and rotation. The reason for this is that the
winder, can cause a roll of tubing, or seals in a multi-layer die are too complex
the roll of sheeting from the back of to allow die rotation.
the bubble above the extruder, to have
Early versions of overhead rotation
a concave face. If the extruder is at a
are very complex in nature, while newer
right angle to the line, the rolls can
versions are quite reliable and cause few
taper. A flame retardant cover will
problems. Older versions frequently do
usually solve the problem by providing
not rotate concentrically, which causes
some insulation. Frequently, the intake
non-uniformity that is directly
of an air ring blower can create
proportional to the time for one cycle of
enough draft to cause the problem.
the overhead equipment.
Hot air heaters or floor fans are other
sources. If the problem occurs only 4. Defects found more frequently on large
during the day, the cause may be an lines
open door that usually is closed at With the exception of fuzzy roll ends,
night. the roll defects discussed in this section
Tapered rolls can also result if the occur more frequently, and produce
die and/or air ring are tipped. In this much more scrap, on large blown film
case, the film from the lower side of lines, particularly those producing
the die or air ring has to travel further. sheet. It is easier to notice — and
Die and air ring rotation cannot correct correct — an unstable bubble 16
tapered, convex or concave rolls inches in diameter making a 25-inch
(Figures 11, 12 & 13) because the layflat than it is with a bubble 48 inches
bubble does not rotate (see Blown in diameter making a 75-inch layflat.
Film Basics). The sheer size of a 48-inch
These defects occur in the bubble diameter bubble makes it more
in its most sensitive area, between the susceptible to vagrant breezes and
die and frost line. The finished film is drafts in the area than the 16-inch
formed between the die and frost line diameter bubble. Similarly, roll
by the simultaneous blowing and alignment for a 75-inch layflat requires
drawing of the tube of hot melt more attention to prevent wandering.

21
 Problems are further compounded Extruder Surging
when the film extruded is high clarity Extruder surging can be caused by
packaging to be printed and converted common maintenance problems such as
at high speeds. loose thermocouples, defective tempera-
To minimize some of the defects that ture controllers, burned out barrel heaters,
occur more often on larger lines, non- variable water supply for screw and/or feed
contact gauges for the precise throat cooling, etc. Other causes include:
measurement and control o f f i l m
thickness may be economically justified.
1. Overheated extruder drives
Larger lines offer increased output and
The speed of these drives should be
reduced labor needs, but operators
regulated at 2% or less of base motor
handling thee lines need greater skill and
speed with a 95% load change. Solid-
training — and they command higher
state DC power cabinets should be
wages.
located where temperatures do not
exceed 100°F or they should be fitted
with a filter and cooling blower.
Gauge Variations 2. Running high speed extruders at half
speed
Gauge variations occur both in the
length of the web in the machine direction A variation of 2% of 1,800 rpm base
(MD) and across the width of the web in speed is 36 rpm; but at 900 rpm, 36 rpm
the transverse direction (ID). is a 4% variation. It is better to change
drive belt sheaves or gears if a range of
screw speeds is desired. It is more
MD Gauge Variation efficient to operate in the upper third of
Gauge variation in the machine the drive speed range.
direction is generally associated with
3. Automatic on/off barrel cooling
extruder or line take-up problems, rather
than with die and air ring problems. Cyclic Surging can result, particularly when
surging of the extruder causes MD gauge two or three zones are cooled
to run on the plus side as output simultaneously. Proportional control is
increases, and on the minus side as needed to eliminate shock cooling.
output decreases. In severe cases, MD 4. The wrong screw and/or barrel
gauge variations can be accompanied by temperature profile
a change in layflat web width as the frost 5. Adding fluff or scrap at variable rates
line rises and falls with variable output,
These additions alter the bulk density
causing the bubble diameter to change. of material in the extruder feed hopper.
Each surge cycle may last from five 6. Partial or intermittent bridging of
minutes up to several hours. Therefore,
material in extruder hopper, feed throat
changes in frost line height or bubble
or on the screw.
instability may not be immediately apparent
— even less so on large lines because of the
size of the bubble involved (see previous Cyclic Surging
section). Cyclic surging of the line speed can
duplicate and be indistinguishable from
effects of extruder surging. Causes
include:

22
1. Too much tension in the web at the same time. Non-contact thickness
Winder or secondary nip rolls that gauges will indicate MD gauge variation
overdrive the main nip rolls can cause as cyclic average changes.
speed to vary and an increase in web
tension. TD Gauge Bands
2. Poor regulation of electronic drive Gauge bands in a roll of film are caused
speed by variable film thickness in the transverse
Particularly when the line is run at direction (TD), or across, the web. As the
low speeds, a means of maintaining film is rolled up and the roll increases in
drive speed in the high range is needed. diameter, a build-up of thicker areas of the
Quick-change gear boxes, sprockets or film occurs. At the same time, the thinner
pulley changers can all be used be- areas of the film stretch down into the
tween the drive and the nips to keep valleys between the thicker bands. The
the drive speed high. greater the winding tension, the more
3. Mechanical and electrical faults pronounced the bands become and the
Partially seized bearings, loose drive more distorted (not flat) the film is when
sprockets or chains, loose wiring, etc.,
Maximum Distortion
can all contribute to variable line
speed.
For all extruder line drives, a drive
ammeter can immediately indicate the
area of trouble but not whether it is
mechanical or electrical. The actual
cause of the surging can be
complicated, such as the combination
of an overheated DC power source with
the motor operating in mid-speed
range. The problem is intermittent
because the DC power source cools
down at night and warms up during the Figure 14
day, resulting in the system alternately
in and out of an acceptable speed
control range. Minimum Distortion
Another mechanical cause of surging
can be a loose drive chain tensioner with
a sprocket loose and slipping on the shaft.
The guard can be removed and the loose
drive chain fixed, but the loose and
slipping sprocket can remain unnoticed.
If MD gauge variation is suspected,
the die and air ring rotation should be
stopped, a stub roll of film made and then
cut open. At one point, the gauge should
then be checked down through the layers
of film. Layflat web width can be checked Figure 15

23
unwound from the roll (Figure 14). Rotating uneven film gauge do not rotate when the
the die and air ring can minimize but not die and air ring rotate, then the problem
eliminate this distortion in the film by may be due to drafts striking the hot melt
distributing the gauge bands evenly across below the frost line, or some defect in the
the roll face (Figure 15). non-rotating body of the air ring.
Bubble shape is a fair indication of film The installation of 500-watt floodlights
thickness. A symmetrically shaped bubble in the film line area helps make the frost
indicates that there are no gross gauge line fully visible to the operator. The lights
defects in the film. An unevenly shaped should be mounted just above the usual
bubble suggests several problems. First, frost line height, at least 30 inches from the
the die is not centered and needs largest bubble blown and aimed down
adjustment, but only if the operator has set through the frost line area towards the
up the film line well. If the set-up is not center of the bubble. The lights should be
good, the air ring may not be concentric turned on during start-up for die and air
with the die or, if not firmly mounted, may ring adjustment or frost line check during
be cocked and not parallel with the top of production. The lights must be mounted
the die. carefully; if they are too close to the frost
For unpigmented films that are not too line and bubble, their heat can result in
cloudy, the evenness of the frost line is gauge bands.
another excellent indication of film Some other causes of gauge bands
thickness (Figure 16). In a misshapen include:
bubble, the frost line is cocked and not 1. Drafts of air on the bubble
parallel with the top of the die and air ring. Gauge bands caused by drafts are
The high and low areas in the frost line immediately visible on a roll of film
indicate areas of poor gauge and the extruded from a rotating die and air
location of problems in the equipment ring. When stationary equipment is
beneath the bubble. If these areas of used, the cause is not so obvious. Often
a curtain, shroud or enclosure is placed
around the bubble to eliminate drafts.
However, if there is a hole in the enclo-
sure, air hits the bubble. Other causes
can be a leak in a non-rotating air ring
body, a leak in a near-by air line or a
piece of metal deflecting air upon a
portion of the melt. The resulting gauge
bands can be from less than an inch to
several feet wide.
2. Defective or poorly adjusted dies
Older design, stationary side-fed dies with
tapered mandrels, which have been
sprung by a cold start, usually produce
films with two high and two low areas of
gauge opposite each other.

Figure 16: A well-shaped bubble with

horizontal frost line visually
indicates good gauge control.

24
 The same defect can occur when a die 3. Degraded material on the die lips
has been adjusted eccentrically and the air Even more noticeable than gauge
ring moved off-center to the die to align it bands are the lines and coarse surface
(Figure 7). Off-center adjustment usually of film extruded from a die with a build-
occurs if dies have not been cleaned for up of degraded and carbonized material
a long time or if they have been on the die lips or in the die lands just
improperly assembled after cleaning. beneath them. Usually these deposits
Degraded and carbonized melt that has indicate excessive melt and die
leaked inside the die has made the die temperatures. These deposits should be
impossible to adjust. This defect is cleaned from the top of the die with a
seldom caused by an out-of-round die brass shim stock inserted between the
ring because, except for special flex-lip die lands (Figure 17).
dies, it is practically impossible to
Other causes of die lip build-up are
deform a die ring. The threads of the
offset die lips or die lips with wire edges,
adjusting bolts would strip first.
too large a radius or very fine nicks.
A die that has been damaged, These defects cause the melt to
repaired by welding, polished and momentarily drag across the face of the
replated can still cause a gauge band in higher die land as the melt leaves the
the film from the welded area. die.
Unfortunately, the weld metal never has
4. Other die defects
the same heat transfer rate as the
original metal, thus affecting melt flow Causes include:
in the area and causing the gauge band „ Poorly designed internal flow pas-
(Figure 17). sages
„ Segments of a heater band burned
out
„ Loose heater bands
„ Die heater band terminals aligned on
one side of the die
The last three problems cause the
die to be heated unevenly, affecting the
melt flow in the die ahead of the die
lands and resulting in gauge bands.
5. Defective or poorly adjusted air rings
An air ring’s first function is to
stabilize the bubble; the cooling from
the air used is a bonus. An air ring
should be machined as precisely as the
die and securely mounted parallel and
concentric to the top if the die. When a
die is cleaned, the air ring should also
Figure 17: A gauge band results from the be cleaned of dirt carried in the cooling
weld in the die lip. The build-up air. Blockage of the air ring (Figure 18)
on the die lip drags and marks causes gauge bands.
the film surface.

25
 Some air rings are mounted slightly gauge bands. Grease on the inner lip or
above the die face with an air gap between in the throat of the venturi disrupts the
the ring and the die, while others are placed ring’s air flow. The gauge band’s width
on a flame retardan t gasket directly on is usually equal to about how far the
top of the die with no air gap. A grease has been rubbed around the air
common cause of gauge bands when ring surfaces multiplied by the blow-up
the air ring is mounted above the die is ratio.
an accumulation of silicon grease
between the top of the die and the
bottom of the air ring. This grease
partially blocks the uniform flow of air
through this passage, resulting in
Bubble Trouble and
gauge bands where the hot melt Blemishes
extruding from the die is not cooled.
The best film made from a die and air
ring can be rendered useless by
inattention to the design, maintenance and
set-up of the downstream bubble-
collapsing and web handling equipment,
including the tower and the winder.
Operating conditions governing the take-
off equipment all affect the film’s
properties and appearance and
adjustments to one piece of equipment can
Figure 18: Dirt in screen caused 5" gauge lead to problems elsewhere. For example,
band.
opening the collapsing frames to reduce
However, despite this problem, not all drag and obtain flatter film results in more
air rings should be mounted on a gasket. space at the top of the bubble. If air is not
Some types of air rings are difficult to added, the bubble diameter and the layflat
adjust if there is no air passage between width are reduced. In other words, an
the top of the die and the bottom of the attempt to improve the film’s appearance
air ring. can result in decreased productivity. All
the equipment in the film production
Essentially, gauge bands caused by system is interconnected, a fact that must
defective or poorly maintained be recognized in adjusting operating
equipment cannot be corrected simply conditions.
by adjusting the die gap or centering
the air ring. Such problems are
Collapsing the Bubble
eliminated only by proper set-up and
maintenance of the equipment. Conditions to check:
Rotation merely implants gauge bands 1. The main nips must be centered over
deeper into the roll of film. the die. The center of the die, bubble
6. Excess silicone grease and main nip rolls must be in
Often used to keep hot melt from alignment with one another. If this
sticking to the top of the die on start equipment is not aligned, film from
up, silicone grease, when used in one section of the die must travel
excess, is a very common cause of further than film from another section
to reach the nips. The greater the

26
 misalignment, the more the film is 3. Collapsing frames must be aligned.
distorted and the more difficult the The best collapsing frame is free of
process of collapsing the bubble and vibration and symmetrically mounted
processing the web downstream so it can be opened or closed about
becomes. the center line of the bubble by a
2. Bubble stabilizer bars must be single control (Figure 20). Aligning
centered. Bubble stabilizer bars the four lower corners of the frames
should be mounted so they can be individually is time consuming and
adjusted symmetrically about the difficult to do without racking them,
center line of the bubble. Off-center which would worsen rather than solve
stabilizer bars can lead to pulled and a problem.
stretched film. The bars’ contact There are two additional mounting
with the bubble should be vibration faults that commonly occur, either
free and minimal. Vibration and singly or combined, with collapsing
excessive drag on warm, freshly- frames:
formed film can only lead to chatter A. If the frames are mounted too far
marks, bagginess and wrinkles below the nip rolls, the film can
(Figure 19). partially reinflate above the frames,
usually causing wrinkles into and
out of nip rolls across the center
of the web.
B. Off-set or misaligned with the nip
of the rolls, collapsing frames can
cause continuous or intermittent
wrinkling of the film edges out of
the main nips.
Of course, collapsing frames that
have not been regularly cleaned,
repaired or maintained, or roller
frames with rollers that turn unevenly
or not at all, can also contribute to
film wrinkling. Wrinkles are also a
Figure 19: Graduation on beam aid
adjustment of bubble stabilizer common occurrence after a transition
bars. Drag causes wrinkles. to a wider layflat film following a long
run of narrow tubing. Dirt collects on
the surfaces of the collapsing frames
during the narrow tubing run. The
edges of the wider tubing rub against
these surfaces as the bubble
collapses. The result is wrinkles in the
film as it moves out of the nip rolls.
However, despite perfect equip-
ment alignment, determining the
proper collapsing frame opening to
Figure 20: Collapsing frame with single
achieve the flattest film is still, to
point adjustment. Arrow
indicates crank handle. some extent, trial and error. Figure 4

27
 on page 4 suggests the closer the cause excessive MD wrinkles. The air can
frames, the better the film. Unfortu- also collect just ahead of a treater roll,
nately, the closer the frames, the resulting in poor treatment or treatment of
more film in contact with the frame’s the wrong side of the film where it has
wooden slats and the greater the drag folded.
to distort the film and make it baggy in To prevent air collection, during set-up the
the center of the web. web should always be diagonally slit in a
The final frame opening is a number of places across its width right after
compromise. The size of the bubble the main nips to bleed off any trapped air. If
(contact area), line speed (drag air does appear, the nips should be checked
across the contact area), thickness of for tightness and the film for size.
the film (remembering the amount of Wrinkles, slightly diagonal to the MD of
slip not only varies from resin to resin the web, can indicate a roll that is either
but also depending on the thickness of galloping or constricted. Again, because of
the film) and the resin used (degree the changing tension in the web (particularly
of stiffness) must all be considered. on older lines), film should be cut to width
4. Gusset blades must be aligned. only between two pairs of nips that isolate
this station from web tension changes. If not
5. All other equipment must be in
isolated, film width can vary excessively with
aligned or trammed. Not only must
web tension changes upstream. The web can
the tower be plumb and all the rolls
drop right out of the cutting station knives
trammed, but the film die must be
during the momentary loss of tension
vertical and aligned with the air ring
downstream when film is cut over to a new
and main nip rolls. Winders and other
core on the winder.
equipment must be properly aligned
and trammed with the tower if the
web of film is to track through them Film Appearance
smoothly. Film appearance should first be defined
before being discussed. The term includes
Handling the Web Through the Tower haze (clarity), gloss (reflectance) and
As the web of film moves from the main general appearance (no imperfections in or
nips to the winder, the film can be on the surface). Good film appearance is
visualized as a long rubber band the result of the right combination of resin,
experiencing constantly changing tension. equipment and process.
To prevent the film from stretching as it Resin quality is initially controlled by the
moves through the tower, this tension resin supplier. The resin must meet the
should be kept to a minimum. Excessive customer’s requirements for physical
tension results in MD wrinkles that are then properties, additive levels, etc. However,
folded into the film as it passes over each even though prime resin is shipped to the
roll. The folds make the end product customer, every time the resin is handled,
defective and unacceptable. However there are additional opportunities for it to be
wrinkles will always appear in film on the contaminated, first by residual material in
line. Only on occasion do these wrinkles the transfer system, and second, by
indicate a problem. residual material in the container itself
Air can carry over in the layflat from the (Figure 21). Stones and dirt from transfer
bubble before the main nip rolls are closed hoses left lying on the ground alongside
at start-up. This air can reinflate the tube railroad sidings are often removed from the
just before it passes over an idler and screen packs of many extruders.
28
 below it can also help operators identify
and determine the type or origin of the
gels.

Figure 21: Gels were caused by moisture

getting into resin when
delivery truck was unloaded in
the rain.
Figure 22: Severe die lines indicate that a
Resin stored in fiber drums or boxes dirty die is the probable source
without lines can pick up cellulose fibers of gels in the film.
that can result in gels which can knock
down a 1-mil bubble faster than it can be Air ring chatter marks appear as
reblown. Additional, sources of close, uniformly spaced lines around the
contamination are dirty, unchanged filters bubble in the TD of the film. High
in resin transport systems and the upper frequency vibration of the hot melt just
inner surfaces of extruder hoppers coated above the die caused by improper air
with layers of dust from many different movement or excessive air velocity from
resins previously used. This material can the ring are the usual causes. Normally,
intermittently fall into the extruder and this vibration can be eliminated by
contaminate resin in the system. adjusting the air ring and/or the blower.
Contamination also can come from Film can be scratched by being
inside the extruder by a new resin dragged over any sharp or abrasive
gradually purging an old, degraded resin surface. The source can be a splinter in
from stagnant areas in the system. A die the collapsing frames, a sharp edge on a
that has been overheated or that has not gusset blade, dirt on the face of a
been cleaned often can cause gels in the “frozen” roll, etc. Scratch lines are usually
film, particularly when a new resin is coarse and white in color. On occasion,
introduced to the system. In both cases, these lines are intermittent and are
the gels are usually random throughout the always parallel to the MD of the film. In
film and can be clear to amber to black in contrast, die and weld lines have a
color and look like tapioca and/or melted-in appearance, and with die
arrowheads (Figure 22). rotation, are slightly diagonal to the MD
Gels from a hole in a screen pack, of the film.
from a burn in the die web or from a point “Applesauce” or “orange peel”
inside a side fed die where two melt flows surfaces in film can be a resin-related
join, appear only in one area of the film. defect. These defective surfaces appear
Again, one or more flood lights mounted as faint to heavy aberrations in the film,
to illuminate the frost line and the melt distorting its clarity. Orange peel also can

29
be caused by blending resins that are not defective cores could be the result of
fully compatible.The extruder, die, air ring inattention to tension control as the roll
and processing conditions can have a builds or a need for maintenance work on
significant effect upon the final haze and the drive.
gloss of a film from a given resin. Color in the roll ends of natural film
Additives, and the proportion of scrap results from three unrelated problems.
recycled to production all have an Blue/gray coring in the first inch (or less) of
additional effect. film around the core is caused by too
If colorants are used, the appearance much initial winding tension and can
of the film is dependent on a thorough indicate crushed cores if severe enough. If
dispersion via a good mixing screw, blue/gray coring occurs, some cores may
assuming there is good master-batch collapse at a later time, as the film ages,
color uniformly mixed with the resin prior shrinks and increases the stress on the
to extrusion. Poor color dispersion shows core.
as clouds of color in the film and can Making a roll change too soon after
result in heat seals with variable strength changing resins can also cause a color
as the amount of color and film density change in the roll end from the core to the
varies in the seal area. finished diameter. There is nothing
inherently wrong with the film, but such
transition rolls should be scheduled to
Roll Defects — Whose meet orders where such a roll is accept-
able. For instance, such a roll of film
Fault? might be quite acceptable as the last roll
of a general purpose clarity order rather
Roll and film defects discussed in this than the first roll of a high clarity order.
booklet are summarized in Table 1. A Finally, on some equipment it is very
common converter complaint is wrinkled difficult to purge color, particularly white.
film near the core of the roll. This problem Liner, rather than clarity orders, should be
can be due to operator error. How much scheduled following orders for colored
skill does the operator have in cutting the film. A clarity film scheduled after a white
film from the finished roll to a new core? film appears clear in single thickness, but
Was there a fixed reference mark to locate on the roll the residual color, still purging
the core or was it “eye-balled” for position from the extruder and die, whitens the end
on the winder shaft with the resultant of one or several rolls of otherwise clear
buried and protruding core ends? Or, was film.
the damaged roll just too heavy for the Care should always be taken to know
operator to handle? and not exceed the number of splices
Other, non-operator, conditions can allowed in a roll and the number of spliced
contribute to roll and film defects, rolls acceptable to the customer in an
including the location and/or the order. Splices are costly in the time they
accessibility of winder nips, slitting, and take to check and thread through
trimming stations, treating stations, converting equipment. Uniform roll
gusseting equipment, etc. diameters, consistent weights and good
appearance are important customer
Telescoping or crushed cores, with
requirements.
possible blocking, are the result of too
little or too much winding tension. Again,

30
 Table 1
Roll Defects Film Defects

Gauge Bands Low Yield

Non-Uniform Surface Hardness Gauge Bands, TD
Convex Face Variable MD Gauge
Concave Face Flatness
Tapered Through Length Camber
Wrinkles Wrinkles
Corrugated Ends Variable Width
Fuzzy Ends Uneven Gussets
Telescoping Fuzzy Ends
Blocking, wound with too much tension Blocking
Crushed Cores Treatment Level
Roll End Color Splittiness
Damaged Edges MD Film Strength
Scuff Marks Edge Creases
Core Ends Die & Weld Lines
Protruding Scratches
Buried Appearance
Splices Gloss
Weight Clarity
Diameter Color
Roll-to Roll-Uniformity Imperfections
Identification—missing roll labels Applesauce
Treated Surface Gels
Wound Wrong Side Out Arrowheads
Incorrectly Identified Air Ring Chatter
Not Identified Blocking
Incorrect Additive Levels Very High Gloss
Incorrect Additive Levels

LyondellBasell's state-of-the-art research center is located in

Cincinnati, Ohio. Testing, evaluation and research on new blown film
polyolefin resins, process innovations and new procedures take place
continuously on full-scale production equipment. Technical service
engineers can provide training and advice on resin selection, trouble-
shooting operations and other concerns of the blown film operation.

31
LyondellBasell Industries
P.O. Box 3646
Houston, TX 77252-3646
United States

www.LYB.com

Before using a product sold by a company of the

LyondellBasell family of companies, users should
make their own independent determination that the
product is suitable for the intended use and can be
used safely and legally. SELLER MAKES NO
WARRANTY; EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
(INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR ANY WARRANTY)
OTHER THAN AS SEPARATELY AGREED TO BY
THE PARTIES IN A CONTRACT.
LyondellBasell prohibits or restricts the use of its
products in certain applications. For further
information on restrictions or prohibitions of use,
please contact a LyondellBasell representative.

Users should review the applicable Safety Data

Sheet before handling the product.

Adflex, Adstif, Adsyl, Akoafloor, Akoalit, Alathon,

Alkylate, Amazing Chemistry, Aquamarine,
Aquathene, Arcopure, Arctic Plus, Arctic Shield,
Avant, Catalloy, Clyrell, CRP, Crystex, Dexflex,
Duopac, Duoprime, Explore & Experiment, Filmex,
Flexathene, Glacido, Hifax, Hiflex, Histif, Hostacom,
Hostalen, Ideal, Integrate, Koattro, LIPP, Lucalen,
Luflexen, Lupolen, Lupolex, Luposim, Lupostress,
Lupotech, Metocene, Microthene, Moplen, MPDIOL,
Nerolex, Nexprene, Petrothene, Plexar, Polymeg,
Pristene, Prodflex, Pro-Fax, Punctilious, Purell,
SAA100, SAA101, Sequel, Softell, Spherilene,
Spheripol, Spherizone, Starflex, Stretchene,
Superflex, TBAc , Tebol, T-Hydro, Toppyl,
Trans4m, Tufflo, Ultrathene, Vacido and Valtec are
trademarks owned or used by the
LyondellBasell family of companies.

Adsyl, Akoafloor, Akoalit, Alathon, Aquamarine,

Arcopure, Arctic Plus, Arctic Shield, Avant, CRP,
Crystex, Dexflex, Duopac, Duoprime, Explore &
Experiment, Filmex, Flexathene, Hifax, Hostacom,
Hostalen, Ideal, Integrate, Koattro, Lucalen,
Lupolen, Metocene, Microthene, Moplen, MPDIOL,
Nexprene, Petrothene, Plexar, Polymeg, Pristene,
Pro-Fax, Punctilious, Purell, Sequel, Softell,
Spheripol, Spherizone, Starflex, Tebol, T-Hydro,
Toppyl, Tufflo and Ultrathene are registered in the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
6483/0599