Chinese plastics firm installs ZSK extruders from Coperion

Dongguan Baier Plastic Co., Limited, a provider of high-performance engineering plastics based in China, has acquired three ZSK Mc18 compounders from Coperion. With these twin screw extruders, the company says it is expanding its production capacity for engineering plastics such as PA6/PA66, PEEK, PEI, PAI, PPS, PPO, PPA, PA9T, PA10T, LCP, and PA46, which are primarily used in the automotive industry, the electrical and electronics sector, and mechanical engineering.

The processing of high-performance engineering plastics places the highest demands on production technology and the compounding process. Given this, Coperion says it has designed the set-up of the three ZSK extruders and the suitable screw designs for the required high process temperatures. Combined with the high specific torque, the ZSK Mc18 extruders ensure an efficient and product-gentle operation, and are said to achieve highest throughput rates while maintaining product quality.

The new extruders will enhance the production capacity and expand the product portfolio of Dongguan Baier Plastic, which has successfully operated a ZSK Mc18 twin screw extruders from Coperion for several years.

High-performance engineering plastics are characterised by their ability to maintain their mechanical properties over long periods, even at extreme temperatures above 400°C.

The compounding of these plastics requires specially configured production technology. Extruders used for processing high-performance plastics must be significantly more powerful than those designed for standard plastics and must withstand high process temperatures. For this, Coperion says it has designed the process sections of the three ZSK Mc18 extruders for Baier Plastic both mechanically and electrically for melt temperatures of up to 450°C. The extruders are equipped with powerful heating cartridges and effective thermal insulation to maintain the required temperatures consistently.

The twin screws are individually configured for the processing of high-performance engineering plastics, and both the screws and the barrels are equipped with special wear and corrosion protection.

The high specific torque of the ZSK extruders, combined with the specially designed twin screws, ensures a short residence time of the highly viscous melt in the process section at a very high filling degree. Additionally, the side degassing units ZS-EG reliably and stably degas the plastic melt, further enhancing the product quality of the high-performance engineering plastics.

Additional intelligent features on the ZSK extruders ensure quick recipe changes. Both the side feeders ZS-B and the side degassing units ZS-EG are in easy design, allowing them to be detached from the process section particularly quickly. This minimises downtime during recipe changes and increases the OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) of the production systems.

To fully exploit the performance potential of the ZSK Mc18 extruders, the ZS-B side feeders are equipped with the patented Feed Enhancement Technology (FET). In the feeding zone there is a porous, gas-permeable wall section to which a vacuum is applied externally. The result of FET technology is a significant increase in throughput and improved cost-effectiveness of the compounding system.

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