Influence of Process Parameters on the Breathable Film Strength of Polymer Extrusion

Abstract

Optimization of process parameters in polymer extrusion is an important task to reduce manufacturing cost. To determine the optimum values of the process parameters, it is essential to find their influence on the strength of polymer breathable thin film. The significance of six important process parameters namely, extruder cylinder temperature, extruder speed, extruder dies temperature, cooling roll temperature, stretching ratio, stretching roll temperature on breathable film strength of polymer extrusion was determined. Moreover, this paper presents the application of Taguchi method and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for maximization of the breathable film strength influenced by extrusion parameters. The optimum parameter combination of extrusion process was obtained by using the analysis of signal-to-noise ratio. The conclusion revealed that extruder speed and stretching ratio were the most influential factor on the film strength, respectively. The best results of film strength were obtained at higher extruder speed and stretching ratio.