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Title / Operate a blown film extrusion machine
Level / 2 / Credits / 8
Purpose / People credited with this unit standard are able to: demonstrate knowledge of a blown film extrusion line; and purge, shut down, perform a material or colour changeover, and restart a blown film extrusion line.
Classification / Plastics Processing Technology > Blown Film Extrusion
Available grade / Achieved
Entry information
Recommended skills and knowledge / Unit 287, Perform process operations for blown film extrusion; andUnit 23129, Process and use plastics materials.
Explanatory notes
1Definitions
Enterprise– an organisation where training and/or assessment is taking place, and/or where the trainee is employed.
Enterprise procedures– actions which comply with the policies, systems, and directives in a particular enterprise. Enterprise procedures must comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety in Employment Act, 1992, and subsequent amendments.
2Films applicable to this unit standard are those produced from general purpose polymers such as low density polyethylene or linear low density polyethylene or high density polyethylene.
3For assessment, the performance of all the evidence requirements must take place in accordance with enterprise procedures.
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
Demonstrate knowledge of a blown film extrusion line.
Evidence requirements
1.1Film extruder components are identified and their purpose is described.
Rangecomponents include – controls, safety features, drive, screw and barrel, screen changer, die, air ring, bubble cooling, raw material handling equipment, main drive, gear box.
1.2Downstream equipment is identified and its purpose is described.
Rangedownstream equipment includes – bubble guide, collapsing frame, top nips, web guiding, treaters, slitters, winders.
1.3Machine services are identified and their purpose and controls are described.
Rangemachine services – electrical, water, compressed air.
Outcome 2
Purge, shut down, perform a material or colour changeover, and restart a blown film extrusion line.
Evidence requirements
2.1The blown film extrusion line is purged of old material.
2.2The blown film extrusion line is shut down.
2.3The hopper is cleaned of all previous materials.
Rangeprocedures may include – hopper cleaning, cleaning and fitting a hopper magnet.
2.4Raw material and additives are selected and verified against job specification, and new raw materials are loaded.
2.5The blown film extrusion line is purged with new material.
2.6Work area is cleared and cleaned to ensure safe operating conditions.
Rangework area may include – floors, stairs, platforms, machine surfaces, ledges, intake and output areas, hand tools.
2.7Preset blown film extrusion line is restarted and run with the new materials and monitored to meet job specification.
This unit standard is expiring. Assessment against the standard must take place by the last date for assessment set out below.
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process / Version / Date / Last Date for AssessmentRegistration / 1 / 28 April 1993 / 31 December 2014
Revision / 2 / 13 February 1997 / 31 December 2014
Review / 3 / 23 January 1998 / 31 December 2014
Review / 4 / 27 October 2005 / 31 December 2014
Review / 5 / 17 May 2012 / 31 December 2019
Review / 6 / 15 September 2016 / 31 December 2019
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference / 0134
This CMR can be accessed at
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA, before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
CompetenzSSB Code 101571 / New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2019 / / New Zealand Qualifications Aut