What is Prodigi™?

Instead of using thermal bolts to control the lip adjustment, the Prodigi™ system relies on a series of motorized actuators. The actuators, which are connected to the adjustment threads, smoothly translate motor rotation into precise linear movement to locally open and close the lip. This is accomplished away from the hot die, at a user interface.Prodigi™ is a fully automated system, making extrusion and coating processes faster, safer, and repeatable. 

Increase Your Set-up Speed

Once your desired process parameters are established within the Prodigi™ system, the saved recipe may be simply relaunched for your next production cycle.

The integrated programming automatically adjusts your die lips from their neutral (or last) position to the correct gauge profile configuration for the production run. The entire process is approximately 80% faster, taking only a few seconds compared to several minutes with traditional lip adjustment systems. 

Gain Additional Stroke

The Prodigi™ system features a series of motorized actuators that control the adjustment bolts. These actuators have an extremely wide range of stroke, meaning the system can traverse the entire useful flexible lip travel range without the need for any manual intervention. A more precise product can be accomplished by fine tuning the cross-web distribution with such lip adjustments. When the product’s profile changes with high or low spots, Prodigi™ adjusts for optimal uniformity. 

Achieve Optimal Repeatability

While repeatability is possible with traditional die adjustment systems, it's difficult to reach absolute consistency from production run to run. This is often due to a variety of factors that can influence how the thermal bolts react. 

The Prodigi™ system operates with computer-based programming, designed to save the exact location of each bolt during a production run. By collecting and storing this data for future production runs, the exact bolt positions can be easily repeated. 

Boost Your Energy Savings

The integrated Prodigi™ actuators operate at significantly lower temperatures than conventional, thermal expansion based auto-bolt translator blocks. While standard thermal bolt heaters typically average 50% power demand during the entire production run, the Prodigi™ system uses little to no power after achieving steady state operation.

Improve Team Safety

The Prodigi™ system is designed to be fully operational from a remotely controlled panel. This removes the operator or technician from the hot zone near the die surfaces and melt stream components. 

The Prodigi™ system is also safe for use in certain fluid coating applications where solvents are being applied. The integrated actuators are safe for use near solvent fumes and do not pose a risk for ignition. 

Production Line Integration

There are several options for integrating the Prodigi™ motorized lip actuator system into a production line, including installing a new die into a new or existing line. In some cases, it may be possible to rebuild an existing EDI® die to support Prodigi™.