The Effect of Process Parameters on the Mechanical and Optical Properties of Cast Film

Abstract

<p> This project will examine the effect of process parameters on the properties of a semi-crystalline cast film. The objective was to conduct the experiment on a commercial scale extruder. The process parameters studied were the chill roll temperature, annealing roll temperature, film thickness and line speed. The intent of this project was not to develop a deterministic model for the casting process, but only to investigate the effect of process parameters on the properties of cast films manufactured on a commercial extrusion line. </p> <p> The film properties evaluated were the tensile strength at break, Young's modulus, elongation at break, and haze. Only the properties in the machine direction (MD) were evaluated. The experimental data was first analyzed by plotting the average film properties against the average normalized process parameters. A second analysis was done with the experimental data by using multivariate data analysis (MVDA). Two multivariate data analysis (MVDA) projected methods were used, these were the partial projection to latent structure (PLS) by means of partial least squares, and the principal component analysis (PCA). The results from the first and second analysis showed that the changes in process parameters affected the properties of the cast films. It is conjectured that the effect of process parameters on semi-crystalline cast film properties are related to the percentage of crystallinity and crystal size. The manipulation of process parameters would change the percentage of crystallinity and crystal size, which in turn modify the properties of cast film. </p>