Measurement and modelling of the film casting process: 2. Temperature distribution along draw direction

In the case film process a polymer melt is extruded through a slit die, stretched in air and cooled on a chill roll. During the path in air the melt cools and a reduction of both thickness and width takes place; obviously, temperature distribution, thickness and width reductions are function of draw ratio and stretching distance.Temperature distribution along the draw direction was measured as function of flow rate during film casting experiments performed with an iPP resin. A non-contacting method of measurement, based on a narrow-band IR pyrometer, was adopted.A good qualitative agreement is shown between experimental temperature data and predictions of a model accounting of radiation emissivity dependence upon film thickness. Differences are consistent with discrepancies of film thickness evolution along draw direction, indeed the model slightly over predicts both film thickness reduction and, parallel, temperature decrease along the draw direction.