Blown Film Extrusion
Since its foundation, back in 1961, Macchi S.p.A. has been in the forefront of technological development of blown film extrusion, so that it is today listed among the world leading blown film lines manufacturers.
From the first patent covering a 2 layer coextrusion die achieved in 1961, to the recent evolutions of wide, hi-tech multi-layer lines, the Company has kept his focus on productivity, high quality and sustainability of his technological offering.
Paramount to such growth have been the development and management of a broad sales network, and a fast and efficient after sales service completed by a team of experienced engineers, able to provide quick help where needed.
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All machines are made and manufactured at Macchi S.p.A in Italy – https://www.macchi.it/
First introduced by Macchi in 2001, the Polyolefin-dedicated (POD) technology has become a real industrial trend since 2013, when its ability to increase the margins in the tough film market by producing thinner, stronger, better and price competitive films has been fully recognized.
Five or seven extruders have quickly become the answer to achieve the desired optical properties, printability and sealability by balancing the characteristics of the new resins which are being made available in the raw materials market, for instance compensating the excessive elasticity of metallocene or linear skins in very thin structures by using stiffer grades in dedicated layers.
Collation shrink and flexible packaging substrates have been the driving force, but new applications are being developed daily.
The POD concept, offering unprecedented possibilities of film downgauging, higher output rates and better product performances, is paving the way to new business opportunities across the film markets.
One of the best known Macchi innovations have been the COEX FLEX “platforms”. All the components of the hot section are assembled on a baseplate, resulting in a compact unit which fits perfectly into a standard container, or under an existing extrusion tower.
The result is a user-friendly system which is not only economic to transport, but also easy to install and which allows the upgrade of an old mono layer system into an up to date coextrusion system, for a fraction of the investment.
Today the three-layer co-extrusion solution is the work horse of the industry, as it allows to achieve a high output and a significant level of productivity and flexibility.
Macchi has thus developed a whole range of compact COEX FLEX platforms to meet any production need and any capacity range, from 100 to 1000 kg/h.
The growing requirements of the packaging industry have driven the development of barrier films, from the early, simple PA/PE structures, to the introduction of EVOH and the use of triple, asymmetrical barriers and differentiated outer layers.
Over the years, Macchi have not only been improving their technological offer to be able to satisfy these growing demands, but have been developing and perfecting their solutions, to extend the application range of the films made available by the resin industry. Seven and nine layer pieces of equipment now can manufacture double or triple barrier structures, to optimize the film performances, provide for further thickness reduction and increase the productivity. And the road is quickly leading to 11 layer structures, to cater for new market needs such as peelability/reclosability.
Thus, today the Macchi range of systems for the barrier film industry spans from 5 to 9 layers, all fully engineered to be integrated production systems.
Winding is one of the critical moments in blown film extrusion: even the highest quality film, if wound incorrectly, can seriously affect the following printing or converting operations.
Since years therefore Macchi has developed the BO winding concept, which includes a complete range of digitally controlled, gearless, horizontal winding units, and which is nowadays universally considered as one of the best performing on the market.
The BO concept has been realized in two configurations, sharing the same strong structure: BO Basic, designed only for surface winding, and BO Plus, which features center, surface and gap winding.
Equipped with a number of features, both models can be personalized choosing in a range of original accessories, including a modular semi-automatic shaft handling system, with different automation options, designed to be fitted on any BO Plus winder
The RECOTRIM is a quite unique pelletizing system, developed to allow the in-line recycling of the side trims produced during film extrusion. As a standard, it is supplied with an air/trim separation hopper, which results quite useful when the winder is equipped with a Venturi suction system to allow the removal of the trims, but it can be completed upon request with a nip roll, whose speed matches the winder speed.
A typical RECOTRIM feature is the use of a counter rotating twin screw, allowing the smooth feeding of materials of any thickness. Once fed, the material is melted and plasticized in the screw, without losing any of its physical characteristics, and then fed to a specially designed extrusion die, based on melt flow concepts derived from film extrusion, and exits through a strand die. There, an adjustable speed rotary cutting system divides the extruded strands into pellets of the size required, which are then air cooled before being discharged in a container.
The system is equipped with a side chute, which allows also to reclaim waste reels.
The productivity of the RECOTRIM varies according to the types of materials, and can reach up to 50 kg/h.
MACCHI has developed a new line supervision system which, on top of the already known characteristics of user-friendliness, complies with the Industry 4.0 protocols, thus anticipating the future of the Industry.
- Higher reliability
- New system architecture
- Industry 4.o compliant
Macchi lines comply with the Industry 4.0 legal requirements integrating IT, automation and mechanics with excellent results.
They represent a new level of organization and control of the line for the entire life cycle of the product and they are able to meet the various needs of the customers thanks to their application to production realities.
The SQL Server (Structured Query Language) is installed on the PC box of the line. This is the database for data exchange that allows to indicate the material databases and the recipe.