MATERIALS | WATERPROOF MEMBRANES


Cutting waste Ken Piora, a senior product engineer in the coating business at Davis-Standard, described how the company can generate less waste in the production of extrusion-coated reinforced membranes. Extrusion coating is commonly used to make


membranes, but both the production and rewind- ing operations generate waste material – such as when rolls are trimmed to size. The first place that waste can be reduced is during the unwinding process. High speed roll-to-roll changeovers consists of splicing one length to another – which results in waste. “You can minimise the tail length through


precision machine controls,” he said. Here, an encoder can identify the position of splice tape on a new incoming roll. Correct timing of the pastor roll and knife can help to reduce tail length. Splicing is initiated by expiring roll diam- eter, roll length or push button. At the same time, being able to process edge trim is a key factor behind reducing waste, he said. Correct design of the extruder and screw allow edge trim to be processed in-line. For instance, the screw design should consist of duel mixers and an


in-line static mixer. Edge trim fluff can be re-intro- duced automatically into the extruder, by convey- ing it to the hopper via blowers.


By constantly monitoring how much incoming


material is being consumed – by weighing incom- ing rolls and resin blends – the total waste can be calculated. This type of monitoring helps extruders move towards a ‘smart factory’ concept. “Advances in technology reduce material waste


and improve efficiencies, for a higher return on investment,” said Piora. n The next Waterproof Membranes conference is held on 16-18 November 2020 in Bonn, Germany. For more details, contact conference organiser Lorna Grey (lorna.grey@ami.international) on +44 (0)117 314 8111.


CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: � www.ami.international � www.tecnofilm.com � www.europiren.com � www.colloids.com � www.synthomer.com � www.kraussmaffei.com � www.davis-standard.com


Te solution for improving plastic sheets and rigid food packaging


n Anti-block agents n Anti-static agents n Anti-fog agents n Specialty fluids n Polymer masterbatch


Van Meeuwen Chemicals BV n


The Netherlands n


T +31 (0)294 494 494 n


info@vanmeeuwen.com


n www.vanmeeuwen.com


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