Blown film line
In blown film extrusion, IoT links the machine data of every blown film line with the order and the product. After a fault, operators discard only the affected section, not the whole batch, and find settings that run stably.
Blown film line at a glance
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Blown film extrusion with machine data: less scrap, stable lines
In the solution examples, the ENLYZE Manufacturing Data Platform records process parameters from the extruder, gravimetric dosing and line peripherals in high resolution. The edge device ENLYZE SPARK sits in the line's control cabinet and was installed at mk Plast in about two hours while production continued. It connects to the controller, peripherals and ERP via OPC UA, Modbus and other standard interfaces. Every reading receives an exact time stamp and is linked to the order number and product, regardless of the line's age or manufacturer. Data is analysed in Grafana or Power BI, where alerts for throughput deviations are also planned.
The examples come from consumer goods, automotive and chemicals, with a focus on scrap reduction and the correlation of production parameters. At a German specialty plastics manufacturer, line speed once dropped to 50 percent of the setpoint for about a minute. Thanks to the data, only a few metres of film were discarded instead of hundreds of kilos. mk Plast derives from its production history the settings that have been proven to run stably for each article. In the month of introduction, output rose by 4.8 percent compared with the previous months, and the effort for manual re-inspection was more than halved.
Blown film extrusion: frequently asked questions
How can blown film producers avoid scrapping entire batches?
Blown film producers no longer need to scrap entire batches when a fault can be assigned precisely to the affected section of film. The ENLYZE platform links machine data with exact time stamps, order number and product. When throughput dropped at the specialty plastics manufacturer, the start and end of the drop could be determined exactly. Only that section was sorted out and the rest of the batch was processed. First results showed after a few weeks.
How can an older blown film line be connected?
An older blown film line can be connected via an edge device in the control cabinet and suitable connectors. At mk Plast, the plant components to be measured were identified first and fitted with connectors, some of which were developed specifically for the purpose. The maintenance and integration team installed the ENLYZE SPARK in about two hours during ongoing production. Lines without OPC UA or MQTT can be connected in this way too.
How do you find stable settings for a blown film machine?
Stable settings for a blown film machine can be found in your own production history. mk Plast found that output and quality depended heavily on weather, raw materials and operator experience. ENLYZE documents all relevant process parameters over the long term, and the settings proven to run stably were derived for each article. The process knowledge is available to all specialist staff, so quality no longer depends on individual employees.
Can the solution be rolled out to other extrusion lines?
Yes, every extrusion line can work with the same platform, regardless of its age or manufacturer. The specialty plastics manufacturer, which has more than ten production sites, plans to extend standardisation to further blown film lines and to measure scrap reduction per line. Standardised alerts for throughput deviations are to be set up in Grafana. According to the head of operational excellence, the data can also be used to optimise line speeds.
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