An engineering study of the film embossing process

A mathematical model of the dynamics and heat transfer of the film embossing process has been developed. The thermal analysis around the preheat roll is determined from an unsteady, two‐dimensional heat conduction equation along with appropriate boundary conditions by neglecting the curvature of the preheat roll and choosing a Lagrangian reference frame. The heat transfer occurring between the preheat roll and the embossing rolls is based on a one‐dimensional analysis, including both convective and radiative effects. The deformation occurring in the nip region is analyzed for two different situations. For the case where the surface features are small in comparison with the film thickness, a modified one‐dimennsional calendering analysis is given, accounting for the irregular geometry of the embossing roll surface. For the case where the polymer does not make complete contact with the surface of the engraved channel, the local deformation is determined by means of a simple one‐dimensional cavity filling model. The required pressure distribution is determined by means of a simple one‐dimensional cavity filling model, The required pressure distribution is determined by means of a conventional calendering analysis. The analysis for the case of a Newtonian and power‐law model is presented in detail. The model yields qualitatively correct results and is computationally simple.