Production of polymeric film

1 . A method of making a biaxially oriented polymer film comprising:

feeding a film of polymer material to material handling rollers, the film having a length, a width, longitudinal edge margins and a central portion bounded by the longitudinal edge margins;

passing the film from one of the material handling roller to the next through a heating zone located between the one material handling roller and the next material handling roller;

applying heat to the film in the heating zone such that more heat is applied to the longitudinal edge margins than to the central portion of the film;

stretching the film between the material handling rollers in the heating zone.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the material handling rollers are unheated.

3 . A method of of making a biaxially oriented polymer film comprising:

feeding a film of polymer material to material handling rollers, the film having a length, a width, longitudinal edge margins and a central portion bounded by the longitudinal edge margins;

passing the film from one of the material handling roller to the next through a heating zone;

applying heat to the film in the heating zone;

wherein passing the film through the heating zone comprises moving the film in a first direction through a first portion of the heating zone and moving the film in a second direction through a second portion of the heating zone, wherein the second direction is different than the first direction.

4 . The method of claim 3 wherein the first direction is generally vertically downward and the second direction is generally vertically upward.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein passing the film through the heating zones comprises moving the film passing the film through multiple heating sections in the heating zone and independently controlling the heating sections for applying different amounts of heat to the film within the heating zone.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein independently controlling the heating sections comprises controlling a first section to apply heat to the film, controlling one or more middle sections to apply no heat to the film and controlling a final section to apply heat to the film thereby to produce annealing of the film.

7 . The method of claim 1 wherein applying heat to the film comprises applying radiant heat to the film.

8 . A method of making a biaxially oriented polyethylene film comprising:

feeding a film of polyethylene material to material handling rollers, the film having a length, a width, longitudinal edge margins and a central portion bounded by the longitudinal edge margins;

passing the film from one of the material handling roller to the next through a heating zone in a feed direction;

applying radiant heat to the film in the heating zone including plural heating sections positioned in different locations along the feed direction;

sensing a temperature of the film at locations in the heating zone and collecting temperature data;

independently controlling the heating sections using the temperature data to applying different amounts of heat to the film as the film passing through different ones of the heating sections.

9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the material handling rollers are unheated.

10 . The method of claim 8 wherein passing the film through the heating zone comprises moving the film in a first direction through a first portion of the heating zone and moving the film in a second direction through a second portion of the heating zone, wherein the second direction is different than the first direction.

11 . The method of claim 10 wherein the first direction is generally vertically downward and the second direction is generally vertically upward.

12 . The method of claim 8 wherein independently controlling the heating sections comprises controlling a first section to apply heat to the film, controlling one or more middle sections to apply no heat to the film and controlling a final section to apply heat to the film thereby to produce annealing of the film.

13 . A heating system for producing polymer film, the heating system comprising:

a frame forming a passageway sized and shaped to receive a web of film into and through the frame, the web of film having longitudinal edge margins and a central portion between the longitudinal edge margins;

heating units arranged along a length of the passageway for applying radiant heat from the heating units to the film passing through the passageway, the heating units being independently controllable for applying different amounts of heat to different portions of the passageway along the length of the passageway, and least some of the heating units being positioned for applying heat preferentially to the longitudinal edge margins of the film;

each of the heating units include heating elements which are elongate along a heating element axis, the heating units positioned for applying radiant heat preferentially to the longitudinal edge margins being arranged so that the heating element axis is generally parallel to the longitudinal edge margin of the film.

14 . The heating system of claim 13 wherein at least some of the heating units are arranged for preferentially applying radiant heat to the central portion of the film, the heating elements of the heating units arranged for preferentially applying radiant heat to the central portion of the film being arranged so that the heating element axis is transverse to the longitudinal edge margins of the film.

15 . A heating system for producing polymer film, the heating system comprising:

a frame forming a passageway sized and shaped to receive a web of film into and through the frame, the web of film having longitudinal edge margins and a central portion between the longitudinal edge margins;

heating units arranged along a length of the passageway for applying radiant heat from the heating units to the film passing through the passageway, the heating units being independently controllable for applying different amounts of heat to different portions of the passageway along the length of the passageway, and least some of the heating units being positioned for applying heat preferentially to the longitudinal edge margins of the film;

wherein the passageway includes a first portion and a second portion, the first and second portions being generally side-by side.

16 . The heating system of claim 15 wherein the heating units are disposed on an exterior wall of the frame in the first portion and on opposite exterior wall of the frame in the second portion.

17 . The heating system of claim 16 further comprising a reflector plate positioned between the first and second portions of the passageway.

18 . The heating system of claim 15 wherein the first portion and the second portion of the passageway are arranged vertically.

19 . The heating system of claim 18 further comprising rollers mounted on the frame for changing a direction of movement of the web of film from a vertically downward direction in the first portion of the passageway to a vertically upward direction in the second portion of the passageway.