Teaching publications

MTT 655 Polymer Processing

: Calendering: Design and product control

Presentation contents

„ Principle of calendering
„ Materials
„ Processing of calendering
„ Products
„ Advantages of calendering process
„ Estimation of output rates and pressure

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Asst. Prof. Ekachai Wimolmala
Calendering

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 Principle of calendering
„ Consists rollers, Sheet or film form
„ Simple process, Continuous process
„ Minimum thickness of 0.05mm.
„ L/D ratio between 2 to 3; length (L) and diameter (D)
(Rollers speeds 10-200 m/min , length 0.5-2.5m, diameter 0.4-0.9m)
„ Adjusted by heating and cooling systems
„ Usually the compound mixture of the polymer and filler
and/or additive using other mixers
(two roll mill, internal mixers and extruders)
„ Product: shower curtaining, tarpaulins, table cloths,
wall covering, rainwear, credit cards, conveyor belt,
floorcovering, tyre, waterproofing
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Materials
„ Poly (vinyl chloride); PVC
(reason lies on degradation calendering processing
has a relatively shorter residence time)

„ Polyethylene; PE, Polypropylene; PP

(more used in the sheet and film extrusion)

„ PU
„ Rubber (carcass coating)

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Calendering Machines

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Asst. Prof. Ekachai Wimolmala
http://tpe-u.com/tpu/emea/en/processing/special_processes/calendering/Calendering.html

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Calendering process

I-shape
•ชุดลูกรีดไมตองทําหนาที่หลอมเหลวพลาสติก
•ทําหนาที่ปรับขนาดความหนาของผลิตภัณฑ
•นิยมใชในอุตสาหกรรมพลาสติกในปจจุบัน

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Calendering process

Vertical L-shape
•ผลิตภัณฑแผน PVC แบบแข็ง
•โดยใชลูกรีด 2 ลูกแรกเปนตัวหลอมเหลว
พลาสติก

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Calendering process

F-shape

•ผลิตภัณฑ PVC แบบออน

•โดยใชลูกรีด 2 ลูกแรกเปนตัวหลอมเหลว
พลาสติก

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Calendering process

Z-shape
• ใชในการเคลือบพลาสติกลงบน
แผนผาหรือเสนดาย

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 PVC Calendering plant

D.H. Morton –Jones, Polymer Processing, CHAPMAN AND HALL

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Factors processing
„ Roller temperature
„ Pressure of roller
„ Gap size
„ Rotating speed of the rollers
„ Viscosity of the polymer

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Asst. Prof. Ekachai Wimolmala
Products

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The advantages of calendering

„ Higher output rates

„ Less chance of thermal degradation
„ Much easies to operate
„ Lower machine and maintenance costs

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The disadvantages of calendering

„ Difficult of control thickness

„ Limited only to materials in the rubbery state
„ No other product (pattern sheet and film)
„ Difficult to control processing temperature
„ Premixing and compounding are required

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Asst. Prof. Ekachai Wimolmala
Estimation of output rates and Pressure
in calendering
„ Control properties of the product
„ Behavior of flow

Assumptions
- The melt is incompressible
- The flow between the rollers is isothermal and laminar
- There is no slip between the rollers and the polymer
- The size of the rollers is the same
- The rotating speed of the rollers is the same

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The schematic of flow along the nip in a calender
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 V = velocity of the sheet
V = 2πRN Q = total output rate
P = maximum pressure
Q = HWV R = radius of the rollers (m)
N = rotating speed of the roller (rpm)
Pmax = 16ηvd3 H0 = size of the nip gap
RH0 H = thickness of the sheet
W = width of the sheet (m)
d = distance nip gap to sheet (m)

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 Example
In PVC sheet manufacture by calendering, estimate the thickness of the
sheet and the maximum pressure developed on the nip of rollers. Roller
diameter 50 cm and width 700 cm. The rotating speed of the rollers is 20
rpm. The feed rate of the PVC compound having a viscosity of 104 Ns.m-2
is 0.45x10-3 m.s.-1 The nip gap is 0.2 mm. The PVC compound has a
viscosity of 104 Ns.m-2 . The d value is 30 mm.

Sol
The velocity of the sheet is determined by
V = 2πRN =2X3.14X0.25X20=31.4 m.min-1

Therefore the thickness is:

H = Q = 0.45X10-3X60 = 0.001 m
WV 0.70x31.4
And the maximum pressure is :
Pmax = 16ηVd3 = 16x104x(31.4x60)x(0.03)3 = 1.63x108 N.m-2
RH0 0.25X0.0002
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Thank you

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Asst. Prof. Ekachai Wimolmala