FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Addex’s Next-Generation Intensive Cooling Experience (ICE) Delivers Major Output Gains for Blown Film
Breakthrough Bubble-Cooling Technology to be Unveiled at K 2016
NEWARK, N.Y., August 23, 2016 -Addex Inc., a leading global supplier of auto-profile and other related cooling systems for blown film lines, has announced the launch of the Intensive Cooling Experience (ICE) system, a unique cooling technology that increases output by 40% to 60% for blown film extrusion lines. The ICE system adapts 40-year-old cooling technology and is a major improvement over conventional air-ring technology. The new bubble cooling technology will be shown at the upcoming K 2016 exhibition (Hall 17/C37), which runs Oct. 19-26 in Düsseldorf,Germany.
“The ICE system is yet another example of how Addex works continually to devise unique products that provide processors both increased performance as well as quality, which are simple and easy to operate,” said Bob Cree, president of Addex Inc. “In this case, we’ve developed a major enhancement that takes earlier technology to a higher level and sets a new bar for throughput.”
The new patent pending ICE™ Element design consists of a series of cooling rings arranged in a stackable configuration to achieve higher output rates. Each of these air rings direct divergent air flow along the bubble, both upward and downward from each stacked cooling element, to provide high film-holding forces and peak cooling efficiency. The high-performance divergent cooling elements are assembled using simple spacer pipes that also provide a common feed of cooling air to each cooling element level, according to Cree. The stack mounts directly to the top of the die, forming a short stack topped with an ICE™ enhanced Addex dual-flow air ring.
The system includes an ICE™ Enclosure which fully surrounds the stack, replacing the surrounding atmosphere with a highly stable controllable ambient pressure. Each enclosure includes variable speed, low-pressure fans to operationally set the pressure differential between the inside and outside of the bubble. The system includes easy-to-interpret operator feedback and adjustment for optimizing the stability and cooling efficiency of this enclosed, stacked cooling system.
ICE™ comes standard with four stackable cooling elements, yielding a guaranteed 40% to 60% increase in output, with high film quality assured by the enhanced stability of the ICE™ enclosure and cooling element designs. Two cooling elements are the minimum, but generally any number can be stacked to achieve the desired output gains, according to Cree. Each element provides a 10% to 15% increase in output rate versus lines using conventional dual-flow air rings. Addex’s ICE™ system delivers major throughput gains for processors, while improving gauge variation and leaving other physical properties intact.
The ICE™ system applies to all polyolefin and barrier blown film processes. It is now commercially available worldwide, with units already sold in both North America and Europe.
Today, Addex supplies some of the most sophisticated technologies capable of producing films at the highest possible output and stability, with the lowest possible gauge variation. Addex’s focus on research and development has resulted in over 20 U.S. patents (or patents pending), including the ICE™ cooling system, Automatic and Manual Profile Controls that yield high-quality films, an All-Digital IBC Control that significantly reduces scrap, and a host of other blown film specific inventions in the areas of die design, oscillating haul-off technology, and winding.
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About Addex Inc.
Addex Inc., based in Newark, N.Y., USA, was founded in July 1989 as a supplier of high-performance components for blown film production. Today, Addex focuses on leading edge cooling technologies with its patented (or patent pending) very high-output cooling, automatic and manual gauge controls, and IBC control systems. For more information, visit www.addexinc.com.
Press Contact:
Joseph Grande
413.684.2463
joe@jgrandecommunications.com
