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Many extrusion companies, large and small, can employ the standard LineMaster™ system to enhance product consistency, save on raw material, shorten setup times, and reduce scrap. The LineMaster system extends these advantages to those running lines where there are frequent ramp-down/ramp-up cycles, such as for film roll changeovers, or where inconsistencies in extrusion rate pose especially great problems, such as in co-extrusion.
LineMaster yield control is so simple and effective that Coextruded Film Technologies (CFT), a South African producer of three-layer blown film, says it has made possible "extremely precise" layer ratios and consistent rollstock. The LineMaster system is now linked directly from the CFT plant to the home of managing director Bob Boden, who is able to monitor and change settings remotely.
Precision Control of 3-Layer Film
LineMaster makes it possible to apply yield control in a multiple-extruder processing line such as that operated by CFT in Johannesburg. "Maguire's LineMaster system has enabled us to maintain extremely precise layer ratios and to produce rollstock with weights that are virtually identical from one roll to the next," says CFT's Bob Boden. "Our control over layer ratios has resulted in films with consistent heat sealing and mechanical properties—an achievement which has proved invaluable for supplying quality film for high-speed wicketted bag production."
The increased control over line operation also made possible raw material savings that Boden estimates roughly at 12%. In addition, LineMaster software simplifies setups by downloading recipes and settings, provides extensive documentation of raw material consumption for inventory control, cost accounting, and quality assurance, and permits remote access for monitoring extrusion line operation
Founded in December of 2000, Coextruded Film Technologies is focused on developing specialized multi-layer polyolefin films. "We set up our plant to maximize three capabilities: technological excellence for innovation, quality assurance for customers, and efficient, precision control of all operations by management," Boden says. "Maguire equipment and systems are at the heart of these capabilities."
