By Jim Callari, Editorial Director Plastics Technology
Pancakes aren’t the only thing that come in short stacks. Now blown film cooling systems do as well. New film-cooling technology from Addex is said to boost output by more than 25% vs. the company’s recently designed Intensive Cooling Down-on-the-Die (DoD) system, which has been shown to bump throughput by 10-15% over conventional designs.
Addex’s Short Stack will be officially unveiled at K 2022, Oct. 19-26 in Düsseldorf, Germany. The Short Stack is positioned directly under the air ring and sits flat on the die. Compared with so-called “raised-up” cooling rings, operators don’t have to worry about moving the Short Stack up or down, since its height is not adjustable. This simplifies operation. Says Bob Cree, Addex president, “The height-adjustable systems tend to be tough to start up; the bubble has to be pulled out and around oversized IBC hardware, which is required to push the tube outward into the air ring. Plus, they can be touchy to operate.” Cree, who co-invented the device along with Bill Randolph, Addex’s R&D manager, says the Short Stack facilitates startup by naturally pulling the bubble into an oversized air ring. The Short Stack can be run with or without conventional IBC hardware.