A thermal transfer roll success story.
Extruded film lines in flexible packaging facilities are equipped with rollers that are usually covered with a hard chrome finish, which is very smooth. Some of these rollers can also be covered with a flash chrome to provide a matte finish, typically in the 80-160 Ra surface range. For this, let’s focus on the matte finish thermal transfer rollers.
One of our customers in the flexible packaging industry was experiencing an issue where the melted film was not releasing completing from the edges on the roll as it leaves causing excessive buildup to occur. When buildup like this is present, the line needs to shut down to properly clean the thermal transfer roll. This downtime leads to a significant interruption in production, increasing costs and reducing the ROI of the line. When it comes to these matte-finished thermal transfer rolls there is actually a solution effectively eliminating buildup on the roller surface.
When compared to matte chrome finishes, a Teflon release coating will have better release characteristics than the chrome, thus providing longer run cycles and less downtime. This solution allows the production line to maintain a cleaner thermal transfer roll allowing for an increase in production output. At American Roller, our Plasma Coatings PC-18,000 series offers excellent release properties for use on thermal transfer rollers. Rated for higher service temperatures, PC-18,000 can withstand temperatures in the 500-600℉ and will also meet FDA compliance requirements in most cases.
Producing both rubber and polyurethane materials allows us to be sure we recommend the correct product for your end-use. If urethanes don’t fit due to an application condition that requires a roller to be used in very high-temperature environments that exceed urethane capability (>200F), we can choose the appropriate elastomer that will fit your needs.
Are your thermal transfer rolls experiencing excessive buildup?
Let us recommend a solution that will work for your production processes!
| Contact Us |