Extruder-Raman | Combining Extrusion and Raman Spectroscopy: Monitoring Crystallization of a Polymer in Real-Time
The combination of a single screw extruder with a Univex film haul-off unit with Cora 5001 Raman spectrometer allows in-situ monitoring of crystallization changes over time
Crystallinity is a key structural property of polymers that influences their mechanical, optical, and barrier properties. During film extrusion, crystallinity is affected by processing parameters, particularly the draw-off speed, which controls the rate at which the extruded film is stretched and cooled. Changes in crystallinity can be caused by material composition, process parameters or ambient factors, which may lead to non-conformity of the output product. With offline analysis, such defects or deviations can go unnoticed until the end of the process cycle leading to cost and time waste.
Therefore, real-time monitoring and control of crystallinity is a building block towards a state-of-the art quality control system ensuring quick alerts and timely corrective actions before deviations can cause damage. Real time data collection ensures that the product output is continuously assessed throughout the production cycle and data is collected for future analyses, when needed.
Anton Paar’s Raman spectrometer, the Cora 5001 with fiber probe can be directly mounted on the film haul-off unit. This allows for continuous monitoring of the crystallinity during production with results directly displayed on the instrument screen.
LDPE and PEEK are two widely used polymers, which were investigated and which show very different properties, depending on their crystallinity.
Get the document
To receive this document please enter your email below.