New Nanoflow Die Technology from Guill Tool Creates Thousand Plus Layers

The new NanoFlow die technology from Guill Tool & Engineering Co., Inc. has the potential to leap-frog existing state-of-the-art extrusion die technology.

The NanoFlow die (patent and patents pending) can create a thousand plus layers from a single extruder as opposed to roughly a dozen layers prior to the NanoFlow’s development. The NanoFlow layer thickness is in the micrometer (1 millionth of a meter) to nanometer (1 billionth of a meter) range.

With this advanced extrusion technology, significant savings are available through the use of less material and/or less expensive material, as well as a reduction in different materials needed for production. The NanoFlow die extrusion technology is designed to enable an environmentally friendlier or ”greener” end product, an increasing concern for manufacturers bearing the continual brunt of stricter governmental regulations.

Although the concept of nanotechnology (controlling matter on an atomic scale) dates back to 1959, it is only now becoming fully realized commercially and promises to change how products are made in almost every type of industry application including: medical, automotive, electronics, industrial and so on. These applications are the key to the success of the NanoFlow die technology. This advancement is considered significant by extrusion tooling engineers and could rival any prior improvements in state-of-the-art manufacturing. Guill is proud to be at the forefront of this exciting extrusion revolution.

“Several years ago, we started working on overcoming the limitations in the number of layers we could use in tubular or hollow products,” says Richard Guillemette, Guill’s Vice-President. “Guill now has nano tooling designs with far more layers than what was previously possible—all of which can create a wide range of advanced products. We are encouraged with the potential of this new die design”

“Conventional multilayer polymer hose may contain several expensive materials in its construction. Now there is the opportunity to make a comparable product with less materials and less expensive materials,” concludes Guillemette.

Guill’s new NanoFlow die technology provides the ultimate in performance properties for extruded products in a wide variety of applications. These include enhanced mechanical, barrier, and optical properties to name a few. Mechanical properties can be enhanced like increased impact and fracture toughness. An increase in ductility can mean an increase in tear strength. Strong, brittle materials prone to crack propagation can be combined with soft ductile layers to limit the crack propagation.

Barrier properties, (for example, when sensitive materials require protection from the air) can be better engineered by designing the thinnest layers, which will force materials to crystallize. Gas (O2, H2O, EtOH) barrier-type properties are also made possible with the proprietary NanoFlow die technology.

Guill Tool received ISO certification in 1995, the first major extrusion tooling company worldwide to meet those international standards. The company has long been recognized as one of the leading established designers and manufacturers of custom extrusion tooling for all types of applications, including wire, cable, fiber optics, medical tube, wood composites, automotive tube, plastics compounding, custom applications, rubber, profile, industrial pipe, hose and tube, blow molding, plus food and packaging.

The company also provides education and training for the extrusion industry with plastic and aluminum model heads, fully illustrated operating manuals for step-by-step assembly and disassembly, training videotapes, as well as classes on the care and cleaning of extrusion tooling.

Source: http://www.guill.com/