Extrusion Coating the Subject of Upcoming Course

Published: May 17, 2012

LOWELL, MA | Thomas Bezigian will offer a two-day course at the Univ. of Massachusetts/Lowell entitled “Extrusion Coating Technology: Product Design, Processing & Troubleshooting.” Scheduled for July 12–13, 2012, the course comprises two days of classroom work centering around the equipment and process of producing various extrusion coated and laminated structures, and around equipment and raw materials and processing.

Emphasis will be on the research and development process to produce various common product structures, as well as processing conditions, process setup, and troubleshooting to make those products. The discussion will include an in-depth description and potential uses and limitations of extrusion coating including foam extrusion, film lamination, anti-oxidants, flame retardants, foil laminations, and more.

Bezigian explains that his multibillion-dollar industry is on the leading edge of technology, producing products that include multilayer flexible packaging, milk cartons, drinking cups, aseptic packaging, release papers, graphics papers, and much more. Substrates such as lightweight paper, heavyweight paperboard, film, foil, and woven and nonwoven fabrics are combined with a variety of polymers to produce a nearly endless list of products.

Although there is no prerequisite for this course, knowledge of extrusion coating processing and some background in plastic, paper, and foil raw materials would be helpful. Tuition is: $925. To register, fill out the form at the course website and fax to 978-934-2028.

CONTENT

Overview of a Typical Extrusion Coating Line: Unwind; Priming; Extruder; Laminating station; Post treating; Winders

Raw Materials: Polyethylene; Polypropylene; Adhesive, barrier, and high-temperature resins

Substrates: Paper; paperboard; foil; film; nonwovens

Processing: Startup and shutdown; solidification and cooling; adhesion; quality and troubleshooting; maintenance