Plant Openings in Germany: Uth invests in hq; JSW opens tech centre

With the construction of a new assembly hall, rubber machine maker Uth GmbH has recently invested a seven-digit sum in its headquarters in Fulda, Germany. The new building represents a step further in the growth strategy of the engineering company for its production site in the centre of Germany.

Uth specialises in large machines for the gear pump technology sector and fine mesh straining solutions for the rubber, tyre and silicone industry. "Many new developments placed increased demands on our operational resources. For example, our newly developed TRP technology (two-roll plasticiser), weighted at 40 tonnes, is designed for the preparation of rubber compounds and had brought us to our capacity limits," explains Managing Director Peter J. Uth.

Uth broke ground and laid the foundation for its new assembly hall early this year and after five months, the hall was inaugurated. The expansion of the assembly area at the company’s headquarters is a clear commitment to the production in Germany although the manufacturer has an international focus with 80% exports share as well as branches in China and India. "We want to continue producing and distributing quality machines worldwide which are made in Germany and meet the highest standards. We continuously focus on the research and development of our innovative products in order to further expand our position on the global market." says Uth.

The 1,100 sq m-new building allows for machinery weighing up to 25 tonnes. Uth says the hall is also equipped with underfloor heating, the latest LED lighting technology and daylight-emitting light domes. The new building expands the total area to around 10.000 sq m.

Meanwhile in other news, Japanese machinery maker Japan Steel Works Europe GmbH (JSW) has recently opened its TEXenter extrusion technical centre in Germany, in a completely new industrial park in Dusseldorf-Benrath. During K2016 last year, JSW announced the closing of the Belgian Overpelt facility and the inauguration of a new 1,000 sq m floor space TEXenter early in 2017, now admitting that the local authorities took some time to assess the technical features and site facilities.

The reasons for the choice of this location are mainly the central reachability and optimum infrastructure in that area for JSW’s marketing endeavours concentrating on polymer production companies situated in European countries, it says. It is located just half a mile to the nearest motorway, 25 minutes to the airport or to the exhibition site where the K-shows take place and half an hour to an important polymer production area (Dormagen near Cologne). Plus, it is close to JSW’s European headquarters in the centre of Dusseldorf.

The TEXenter (TEX = Technology plus Excellence) is now equipped with all high-end technology for R&D on extrusion processes, compounding, chemical reaction, dewatering, devolatilising, pelletising etc. The latest type, the TEX44αIII twin-screw extruder – 47mm screw diameter and what it says is the world’s highest torque density of 18.2 N/cm³ – is available for high-end compound trials. The highest torque makes it possible to operate the extruder with lower screw speed and, as a result, lower polymer temperature, and better product quality can be realized. In addition, a specialised 32-mm screw diameter is ready for devolatilising tests in combination with the TEX44αIII. The layout of trial extruders, TEX44αIII (1^st extruder) and TEX30α (2^nd extruder), is tandem. The 1^st extruder is used for preparation of the solution (mixture of polymer and solvent) in order to simulate one of the more critical end stages of the polymerisation process. TEX30α (2^nd extruder) removes the solvents, volatile matter and monomer substances from the polymer solution. With these trial equipment, JSW says it can conduct trials for isolation processes (devolatilising) and high-end compounding processes as high filled compound, super engineering plastics, TPV, biodegradable plastics as well as reactive processing and recycling.

All extruders of the TEXαIII series benefit from a new gearbox design combined with enhanced gears, screw shafts and barrels. The result is a torque density value is 18.2 Nm/cm³, which means that the screw speed can be reduced without reducing the throughput and keeping the temperature at an optimal level. A standard torque limiting function disengages motor and gearbox to stop screw rotation and protect the machinery. A low‑noise water-cooled motor is optional in Europe.

The 700 sq m floor space for tests, trials and R&D at the TEXenter is combined with a 300 sq m office section on the first floor overlooking the workshop.

JSW has three global Extrusion Technical Centres in Hiroshima, Japan, Detroit, US, and Dusseldorf, Germany.