Apparatus for smoothing and cooling a synthetic resin web produced by a slit nozzle

An apparatus for making a synthetic resin web comprising:

• a slit nozzle for producing a hot synthetic resin layer;
• a smoothing device including at least a first smoothing roll and a cooled second smoothing roll forming a nip through which the synthetic resin layer passes;
• a cooled roll surface of said second smoothing roll downstream of said nip and along which said synthetic resin layer is guided so that a face of said synthetic resin layer lies in contact with said cooled roll surface;
• and
• the cooling-air chambers juxtaposed with at least a portion of said synthetic resin layer in contact with said cooled roll surface and open toward an opposite face of said synthetic resin layer, said cooling-air chambers being provided in succession in a direction of travel of said layer, each of said cooling-air chambers having a source of a cooling gas for passing said cooling gas into contact with said opposite face of said synthetic resin layer as said synthetic resin layer travels along said cooled roll surface to smooth and cool a web formed by said layer, each cooling-air chamber having a respective air inlet and an air outlet and being configured so that cooling air after passing into contact with the web is discharged to said outlet, the cooling air temperatures in said chambers being different from one another.