MACHINERY | DOWNSTREAM EQUIPMENT
ment,” said Ingo Stahlkopf, head of sales at Optris. “The expanded portfolio allows users to select exactly the right sensor for their process.”
Wrinkle-free Maxcess recently helped Plitek – a custom film specialist – to overcome a problem when it was trial-running a material for a new customer. The material – an expensive and thin, high-elon-
gation polymer – began wrinkling during process- ing. These properties, coupled with the need for web-tension, made it difficult to process while achieving good roll uniformity. Industry-standard options were to refurbish their
existing spreader rolls with a rubber coat, or change-out standard idler rolls with conventional spreader rolls. However, this introduced other challenges such as an 8-12 week lead time and high refurbishment cost. Maxcess recommended replacing the under- performing spreader rolls and idler rolls with an upgrade – specifically, a Componex WinertiaAV reverse crown spreader roll. Unlike traditional spreader rolls, it has a smaller diameter in the centre and larger diameter at the ends. This reverse taper creates greater surface speed at the edges, spreading the web outward to eliminate centreline slack and wrinkles. One week later – and for half the price of the
Below: At K2025, BST introduced its iPQ-Surface with full integration into the SmartData Lake
spreader roll refurbishment – Plitek saw positive results. These included: elimination of wrinkles; a doubling of roll length, with reduced stoppages and higher throughput; improved process control; faster trial completion; and improved the overall material processing.
Plitek has now installed multiple WinertiaAV
reverse crown spreader rolls for different processes. “Processing thin, highly elastomeric extrusions is
not an easy task,” said Rob Larsen, manager of engineering and new product development at Plitek. “When we can engineer out web handling problems on an extrusion line, it allows us to focus on the key areas.”
Visible improvement BST introduced several systems for quality assur- ance and process optimisation for web-processing at K2025 last year – with a focus on digital connec- tivity and intuitive operation. Its iPQ-Surface modular surface inspection system now has a 16k camera that offers higher resolution and reliably detects tiny material defects, says BST. The system now also includes MPX stroboscope technology that was originally devel- oped for battery cell production. It has now been optimised for flexible packaging. It allows multiple images to be captured in a single pass under varying lighting conditions, to identify defects that are only visible under specific illumination. It can distinguish between gels – caused by incomplete melting during extrusion – and ‘burnt’ defects. At K2025, BST introduced iPQ-Surface with full
integration into the SmartData Lake (SDL). Inspec- tion data is stored centrally and can be easily accessed and analysed via the browser-based SmartData Review (SDR) – alongside data from other BST systems already connected to the SDL. “By deploying our digital and intelligently
networked systems, we provide solutions that guarantee high quality standards while reducing production costs and waste,” said Joachim Bar- thelme, executive vice president for flexible materials at BST. Two plastics companies in southern Europe have installed iPQ systems. In Turkey, Biriz Ambalaj is using iPQ-Surface to enhance oth quality and efficiency in production. The iPQ-Surface system has a modular structure that is adaptable to user requirements. This flexibility allows the system to offer the best solution for each specific application and installa- tion. Capable of uninterrupted inspection of a wide range of material, it can detect tiny surface defects – to help Biriz Ambalaj raise product quality. Meanwhile, Eurofilm Mantzaris – a film converter based in Greece – has chosen iPQ-Surface for automatic inspection on its blown film extrusion lines. The company has recently increased produc- tion of products including structures for lamina- tion, MDO and easy-peel films. These need good optical properties and surface quality – which explains the need for quality control on the blown film extrusion line.
30 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | July/August 2026
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IMAGE: BST
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