Kohlert Consulting supports film manufacturers and converters in developing, optimizing and digitalizing their production processes – from extrusion and inline measurement technology through to the implementation of Industry 4.0 solutions.
We combine practical knowledge from three decades of film production with modern measurement technology and data analysis. Whether you want to automate your production, stabilize production parameters or reduce complaints – we accompany you from consulting to implementation.
Developing new manufacturing processes, optimizing existing ones: process analysis, modeling and practical implementation for calender, extrusion and blown film lines.
Process monitoring directly in the production line: measurement data support the machine operator in quality assessment and provide the basis for digitalization and Industry 4.0.
Laboratory-based evaluation outside the line – for raw materials, film profiles and end products. Ideal for subsequent analyses and complaint reduction.
We know the lines from everyday production – not just from theory.
Across the entire chain – from raw material to the finished end product.
Three proven entry points with a defined scope, procedure and deliverable. Individual projects – from process development to measurement technology integration – are agreed on this basis.
As-is assessment of your calender, extrusion or blown film line: process parameters, measuring points, quality and complaint data. Identification of the levers with the greatest effect.
Which measured variable delivers the greatest leverage? Selection of inline and offline measurement technology, supplier comparison, interfaces to control system, laboratory and ERP, support during commissioning.
The calender model is parameterized with the data of your line. Your calender operators practice changeovers and optimizations on a laptop or in the VR headset – without occupying the production line.
Digital tools from our process development – to try out and to use on your line.
Web app for calculating the thickness distribution across the roll width: enter roll geometry, roll crown, roll bending and roll crossing and see the profile and 3D analysis immediately. Runs in the browser, also offline.
Open web appFlow, pressure and heat calculation in the roll nip: mean thickness, calendered width, throughput, shrinkage and optimum roll settings – on a laptop or in the VR headset with images of your line.
Go to the projectPlanning engine with sequence-dependent setup times (color, width, thickness), campaign building and capacity constraints across multiple plants – available as a demonstrator, adaptable to your ERP data.
Request a demoFlexible process integration via suitable interfaces links measurement data with the machine's control data, the quality data from the laboratory and the order data from the ERP system – to optimize the process procedure and reduce complaints.
Inline and offline measurement technology: thickness, gloss, color, surface, shrinkage, bank level, bearing condition.
Line and recipe data of the plant
Quality data and test results
Order, material and batch data
Stable process parameters, preventive maintenance, fewer complaints, traceable quality.
Together with industrial partners and the Technical University of St. Petersburg, we develop solutions that can be used directly in film production.
A model developed over ten years of research with the Technical University of St. Petersburg calculates the flow processes in the roll nips of calender lines. From boundary conditions, slip properties of the rolls, rheology of the polymer compound and heat transfer, the film properties that are decisive for the operator are calculated in advance.
Usable directly on a laptop or via VR headset with images of your own calender line – as if standing in the production process. Partner: Technical University of St. Petersburg.
Thickness variations in the machine direction are hard to detect, but they reveal bearing damage and run-out errors. Thickness measurement over the film length with Fourier analysis to assign the variation to rotational speed and roll diameter – the basis for preventive maintenance.
Stabilization against thermal degradation: up to five samples simultaneously with uniform insertion into a heating cabinet, evaluation of the degradation via color camera analysis. Optimizes the stabilizer content for further stresses such as thermoforming.
Unusual surface properties for films: antimicrobial, conductive, scratch-resistant or selectively printable. Implemented via sol-gel technology and spray application with IR drying.
Tool for predicting plant failures and identifying possible causes: three alarm levels, WLAN communication between the devices, data view online and from the archive – on any device with a web browser.
Models for the cooling process, film shrinkage and thickness distribution as well as 3D simulation of the line. Basis: mass balance, momentum equation, heat balance and rheological equation of state – for process optimization and operator training.
Anti-counterfeiting system as well as measurement methods for shrinkage and shrink force, scratch resistance and dimensional measurement of formats – developed for use in the laboratory and on the line.
Three examples from calender and film production: starting point, approach, result. Customer names and detailed figures are available on request.
Why the cross profile tips during changeovers, how roll deflection and roll crossing complement each other, and how a model calculates the setting in advance.
Read the article Measurement technology · MaintenancePeriodic variations in the machine direction are rarely coincidental. How to measure them, assign the cause and turn it into preventive maintenance.
Read the articleProf. Dr. Christian Kohlert and Prof. Dr. Tamara Chistyakova summarize decades of experience in calender technology and film manufacturing in two technical books.
The best way for optimized production of plastic films: process fundamentals, measurement technology and digitalization of calender technology – in English for the international film industry.
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The German-language edition on innovations in the film industry: from the basic equations of polymer processes to inline measurement technology and process modeling on the calender.
20 years of scientific partnershipKohlert Consulting is led by Prof. Dr. Christian Kohlert – with practical knowledge from more than 30 years of process engineering in film production, many of them as Group Director Process Technology at Klöckner Pentaplast, and a professorship in calender technology at the Technical University of St. Petersburg.
Specialist in film manufacturing, finishing and converting with more than 30 years of experience in measurement technology and film production.
“Our anti-counterfeiting system and the new sequence planning software for cost reduction are highly innovative projects that we were able to develop together thanks to Kohlert Consulting.”Prof. Dr. T. B. Chistyakova · Head of the Department of Computer-Aided Design and Management Systems, Technical University of St. Petersburg
Calendering, extrusion, blown film, measurement technology, Industry 4.0 – explained concisely, with answers on working together.
Whether process analysis, selection of measurement technology or a digitalization project – we will get back to you promptly and discuss how we can specifically support you.