Addex Intensive Cooling EGC Gen 3 is an
auto-profile system for rotating blown film dies.

NEWARK, N.Y., March 12, 2024 – Addex Inc., a leading supplier of high-performance blown film cooling equipment, will introduce the next generation of its Intensive Cooling^TM External Gauge Control (Gen 3 EGC) as a retrofit to existing blown film plastic lines with rotating dies at the upcoming NPE 2024 exhibition (Booth W5543), which runs May 6-10, in Orlando, Fla. Addex first introduced Intensive Cooling auto-profile air rings at K 2016 for stationary dies only.

The new auto-profile system for rotating dies is based on the company’s high-resolution EGC (external gauge control) air ring which can reduce gauge variation by over 50%.

New blown film lines are typically sold with stationary dies, however, there are many blown film producers with rotating dies in operation that need improved gauge control. Conventional wisdom suggests adding an oscillating haul-off to the line, but that isn’t always practical due to budget limitations or physical constraints, such as a tower that is too short, or a tower that can’t support the weight of an oscillating haul-off.  Producers have felt the pressure to buy new lines with stationary dies to achieve improved profile performance, since much less expensive retrofit options that allow for a similar performance gauge control on their existing rotating dies simply did not exist. Addex has responded with a new gauge control package based on their new Generation 3 control technology, that retrofits to rotating die lines and controls to the desired 50% reduction level, according to Addex President Bob Cree.

The new Gen 3 EGC for Rotating Die System operates much like Addex’s EGC gauge-controlling cousin for stationary dies, but with additional features. The EGC air ring, well known for its very high resolution control, has a series of “fingers” that open or close to adjust localized air volume. A 300mm/12 inch air ring, for instance, includes 168 control zones, with 200+ control zones on larger systems. This new rotating die-enabled technology is facilitated by a proprietary mapping algorithm embedded within Addex’s latest Gen 3 control technology that corrects for die rotation effects in real time. The new software/hardware system controls not only the auto-profile air ring, but also simultaneously controls the physical rotation of the die.

 “We take over all aspects of rotation and then do auto-profile control in parallel. This allows us to continue to map the measurement of thickness bands to each of the high-resolution control zones, all to within one degree. This has enabled us to achieve some really shockingly good results,” says Gautam Jagannathan, Addex Software Specialist & Senior Field Service Engineer.  “We actually surprised ourselves on how well this new system performs, and it’s all due to what we do with die rotation and integrated real-time mapping.”