3.1 Blown Sheet Process
Polyethylene resin is pumped directly from storage silos or from totes on the floor to hoppers above the extruder.
Hoppers feed resin into the extruder. The resin is heated to the melting point in the extruder barrel. It is conveyed through the barrel by the rotation of a specially designed screw which, in conjunction with heating elements along the barrel, provides consistency to produce a molten polymer stream.
The molten stream is forced through a screen pack, which act as a final filter for impurities or contaminants, and up through a die. It extrudes from the circular die as a film tube ("bubble"), pulled vertically by a set of nip rollers located at the top of a cooling tower. An IBC (Internal Bubble Cooling) unit, part of the extruder, maintains consistent bubble diameter. Material gauge is monitored and maintained by a computer system which controls the operation of the extruder.
At the top of the tower the bubble passes through a collapsing frame and is pulled through the nip rollers. The material is directed back toward the ground, and continues cooling as it approaches a winding machine. Before being taken up by the winder, the tube is split and spread to its deployable width. The winder rolls the finished geomembrane onto a specially made heavy-duty core.
3.2 Process Quality Control
Poly-Flex® geomembranes are manufactured via the blown sheet process. This is a continuous process. The key elements to successfully producing a high quality liner is to maintain consistency in both the raw material and the process. As described above raw material consistency is established in the laboratory when the resin is initially received. Consistency during the processing is assured by an on-line quality control monitor. This representative of the quality department has been specially trained to monitor the process and the liners during the manufacturing process.
The extrusion process starts with the verification of the formulation. This is done at the beginning of each order or blend change by the extrusion manager and then is continuously monitored by the on-line quality control representative.
The process conditions during manufacturing have been optimized for each resin formulation. These conditions are kept in a log book which is available to the line operator. These process conditions must be maintained throughout the production run. Any variation of process parameters from the set point range recorded on the process log book are immediately reported to the production supervisor by the on-line quality control representative. If the variation exceeds the control range, the quality control representative places the material being produced on hold. Materials are placed on hold until the process is brought under control.
The on-line quality monitor can also place material on hold if the material has any visual defect (holes, water spots, or scratches) or dimensional abnormalities (width, length, and thickness).
All materials placed on hold will be further inspected and tested. If the material passes specification and is approved by the quality control manager and/or production manager, the material will then be released into stock. If the material fails to pass specification or does not get approval of either the quality control or production manager then the material will be reclassified or scrapped. In either case it cannot be sold as a prime Poly-Flex® geomembrane.
Poly-Flex® geomembranes are continuously monitored for pinholes during the manufacturing process by spark testing equipment. The spark tester unit is a perpetual monitor of any holes that could surface in the sheet. The spark tester monitors the entire layflat width of the sheet as it is being manufactured. The detector operates from a 120 V AC power supply. The 120 volts are transformed to a higher voltage that ranges from 0-24 kilovolts. The electrode is made up of a long semiconductor blanket that is positioned to lay over the sheet as it passes over a steel roller prior to final winding. A grounding conductor is connected to the roller with a return line to the controller. If a hole passes under the electrically charged blanket, the voltage will arc to the steel roller and the detection system will sense the voltage drop, thus triggering an audible alarm and shutting down the winder. Twice per shift, the quality control technician tests the spark tester by introducing a 1/32" pinhole in the sheet. This hole is at the end of a roll after the scheduled footage has been achieved. The winder continues to run until the hole is detected. Once the hole is detected, the alarm sounds and the winder shuts down. The Q.C. technician restarts the winder and cuts out the entire layflat area of the pinhole.
After a roll of material has been produced it is labeled and a retain is cut for laboratory evaluation.
3.3 Roll Labeling
Three labels are affixed to each roll, as described below:
1. One label on the outside of the core.
2. One label on the core plug.
3. One label on the roll surface.
An additional label is attached to the laboratory sample.
3.4 Storage, Staging and Shipping of Geomembrane Rolls
Finished rolls (verified and labeled) are moved to the storage area using a specially designed cart and remain in storage until a Purchase Order is received. Rolls selected for shipment are moved to a staging area, where they are held for a truck. Before loading the order for shipment, all documentation is checked against the information on the roll labels. Rolls are lifted and moved using a loading arm equipped with rigging and hooks. Fork-lifting machinery are never to be used to lift or move geomembrane rolls.
|
