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solar cells' efciency over time. It can be supplied as an unsup- ported flm or extruded directly onto solar-flm sub- or superstrates, like ETFE, polyester, glass scrims, or customer-specifed flms. BixForm BX is a proprietary thermoplastic compound that is extruded and sold as flm and sheet products. Sheets of BixForm BX can be heated at low temperatures (with roughly 170 F tap water) and formed to any shape, with a hand and feel like clay. After forming, the product cools quickly into a rigid polymer similar in stifness to ABS or polypropylene. BixForm BX has even been injection molded into 3D products that are reheated for fne- tuning and customizing the fnal product's shape. BixForm BX can be made with any surface fnish (glossy, matte, embossed) or laminated with fabric, felt, foam, or adhesive on one or both sides to give additional aesthetic appeal or functionality. BixForm BX is processed at widths up to 72 in. from only a few mils to more than 200 mils thick. The resin can also be formulated in any color or with common polymer aesthetic efects. Once formed, BixForm BX has a modulus of 200,000 psi, like that of rigid PP. A variation of this product, BixForm HiMod, is another proprietary thermoplastic compound formulated by Bixby that is extruded and sold as flm and sheet products. Sheets of BixForm HiMod can be heated at low temperatures in hot air or hot tap water and formed to any shape, with a hand and feel like clay. After forming, the product cools quickly into a rigid polymer with the stifness of a reinforced engineering plastic. BixForm HiMod has surface-fnish, coloring, and lami- nating versatility similar to the BX version. BixForm HiMod is processed to 72 in. wide and up to 200 mils or more thick. Once formed, BixForm HiMod has a modulus of 500,000 psi, similar to many reinforced engineering polymers. Newer developments include modifying sheet functionalty for specifc barrier properties, conductivity, coefcient of friction, and thermal resistance. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE POUNDS These solutions are produced at a 100,000 ft² facility in Newburyport that employs more than 50 people. Bixby has three fat-die extrusion lines and runs six extruders supplied by Davis- Standard, Pawcatuck, Conn. (davis-standard.com). It can run to 48 in. wide on one line, processing up to fve distinct layers (polymer, adhesive, and fabric) in a single pass. It's 60- and 72-in.-wide lines can run up to three distinct layers in a single pass. Bixby's produc- tion runs three shifts around the clock Monday-Friday. Bixby can run a variety of rolls on each line, depending on the fnish required—including one that applies a 3D "wafe pattern" Over its long history Bixby has evolved and diversifed into a highly engineered, project-oriented sheet extruder whose focus is to generate solu- tions, not pounds. A Novatec central drying system delivers material to Bixby's three sheet lines. To support all the product changes it does, Bixby makes clean, polished screws readily available. on the sheet—and changes screws often. All dies feature auto- gauge control. Materials are all fed right at the roll-nip point, and all lines can be set up to coat either side of the fabric. Notes Rocconi, "We're not the typical extrusion house with dedi- cated lines that run the same thing every day. We regularly pull screws, dies, and rolls. In a lot of ways, our manufacturing setup is more akin to an injection molder than an extruder. In a week, on each line, we can do four to six changeovers. Our mantra is fast and fexible." Extruders feed crosshead dies to facilitate production of multi- layer structures and changeovers. Gagnon refers to Bixby's brand of processing as "plug-and-play" extrusion. It has hundreds of SKUs within dozens of product families. Bixby runs a wide range of materials and adhesives. These include all types of polyolefns, TPEs, TPUs, TPVs, various polyesters, polycarbonate, nylon, acrylic, EVAs, and ionomer. Its lamination 48 DECEMBER 2014 Plastics Technology PTonline.com Bixby International On-Site