Machinery News

Direct drives prove their worth
In a recent series of tests undertaken by Davis-Standard, it says that direct-drive extruders provide a quieter (as much as 70% at 100rpm), more energy-efficient operation (as much as 25%) when compared to AC or DC drive counterparts. The direct drive operates on a permanent magnet synchronous motor, which does not require a mechanical gear reducer to multiply the torque to rotate the screw.

At the upcoming K2010 show, Davis-Standard will also display the internal mandrel of its new ProCone die technology to illustrate the many possibilities not seen in competitive systems it says. The ProCone is engineered for blown film structures from five to nine layers for the production of barrier films. The die has a stackable mandrel arrangement allowing vertical movement of mandrels within the stack. This design allows for angular movement of the mandrels relative to each other, which provides flexibility to change the layer ratios without changing extruder position. The modules, consisting of one cone and one ring, can be rotated to share an extruder or uncoupled and moved within the stack for use with another extruder. Modules also have a rate range design to enable higher or lower rates or for special resin changes as needs require. This die is available in sizes from 50 to 300 mm.

The US company will display both an Integrator and EPIC control console. The former is engineered for blown film processes. It provides control of thickness measurement, IBC and speed as well as winder, alarm and recipe functions. This unit is developed to include the gauge supplier's control software as well as IBC control for one seamless display package. The EPIC is is available with Remote ACcess Technology (REACT), which enables the company's process engineers and technicians to support customers worldwide in real-time without a service call.

In terms of pelletising technology, the company's unit, Black Clawson Converting Machinery, will put forth its underwater, water ring and air ring pelletisers for micro pellets, normal pellets and macro pellets in laboratory sizes, with 5 to 25% more production than previous models. The die plates, manufactured in-house, have been redesigned to enable greater throughputs while nearly doubling the face life of the die plate. This design also enables greater process flexibility for a broad melt viscosity processing range without a die change. This technology was developed to support new markets such as bio-resins and de-bottlenecking projects and improved scrap recovery at all levels.

For winding technology, Davis-Standard will offer shuttle service from Düsseldorf to the company's facility in Erkrath (about 20 minutes away) for a demonstration of new horizontal winding technology. Several winders will be shown as well as extrusion equipment for a variety of applications.