WCA January 2017

Industry news

High carbon wire production lines

IN today’s world, the word progress has become synonymous with expectations of better quality. In the sector of high carbon steel wire, the evolution of the chemical composition of these wires, with always higher carbon contents, has meant a continuous innovation of both the wire production equipment and the entire production process. This increase in the mechanical properties of the wire has amplified the difficulties of high-speed drawing due to the development of high temperatures. Much has been done to optimise the drawing process, with new die angles and significant developments in lubricant quality, but existing capstan cooling systems in the wire drawing machines have meant that it has not been possible to exceed certain limits. The R&D department of Eurolls, recognised in the design and production of rolls and cold rolling cassettes, has developed a solution that permits exceeding existing limits by the introduction of a new cold rolling cassette specifically designed for high carbon wire production. Indonesian film producer PT Kencar Sukses Investama is expanding its presence in the Southeast Asian film market by adding two more Davis-Standard cast film machines to its facility in Sidoarjo, Indonesia. This brings its total to four Davis-Standard machines in just over five years. It has introduced several innovative food-packaging films to the region, accounting for a rapid growth rate and strong customer base. Kencar was the first company in Southeast Asia to introduce five-layer CPP films, and with the additional Davis-Standard machines will become the first with six-layer capabilities. This will enable it to support markets for high barrier CPP as well as CPE films that offer better thickness uniformity and clarity than comparable blown films. Kencar president Eddy Soelayman

❍ Continuous innovation from the R&D team at Eurolls

the development of a new internal coating specifically studied by Eurolls R&D. This internal coating ensures a reduced formation of deposits and rust while guaranteeing an increase in heat transmission (same cooling capacity but with a lower quantity of cooling water). Eurolls SpA – Italy Website : www.eurolls.com materials and film applications. Feedblock and die technology will accommodate up to seven distinct layers in a structure. The “ironing” roll will be included on the winder for consistent roll conformity. Kencar appreciates Davis-Standard’s proven technology, which produces films with higher surface treatment retention, better metal adhesion and improved oxygen and water vapour barrier properties, all critical in flexible packaging. “Davis-Standard has been excellent in providing creative solutions for the unique films we continue to introduce to the market,” added Mr Soelayman. “They have a good understanding of polymer processing and know-how to transform our vision into final products.” Davis-Standard LLC – USA Website : www.davis-standard.com

The cold rolling process, due to a lower friction coefficient and an innovative wire lubrication system, generates less heat thereby lowering wire temperature during the reduction process. All recent Eurolls wire drawing lines have been supplied with the possibility to adopt this new cold rolling system. Furthermore, these same new lines have not only an improved capstan cooling system but also benefit from said: “The Southeast Asia flexible packaging market is growing at more than eight per cent per year and Kencar has outpaced that growth by more than 50 per cent. We see a transition in the CPP market from commodity to high-performance films that have superior barrier, metal adhesion, gloss and heat seal properties. “We are currently producing five-layer CPP films with heat seal properties like CPE with excellent gloss and metal adhesion. With the new machines we can take that a step further by producing CPP films with unique barrier properties that allow converters to down gauge and reduce conversion steps to save cost.” The Davis-Standard cast film machines will be higher speed versions of the original two. Both machines will feature next generation DSB ® barrier screws to handle Kencar’s diverse range of

More Davis-Standard machines on the way

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Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2017