2014-2016 Exhibitions

• An underwater pelletiser that removes dirt and fine particles from process water is said to drastically reduce power usage in water filtration and cut overall pelletiser energy use by 10-17%, according to Nordson BKG. The Optigon water filtration system eliminates the need for a separate fines-removal sieve, which in standard systems requires a secondary, dedicated water pump. Instead, all filtration is provided by a Polygon drum filter, where the 70-micron screens are finer than the 150-micron screens used in standard systems. Driven by a small motor, the drum rotates within the water that is circulated in the pelletising system by the main process water pump. By eliminating the secondary pump, the Optigon water filtration system uses 1,440 KW/year (measured at 8,000 hours), as against 44,000 kW and 98,480 kW for the company’s Opti-Line and Poly-Line systems, respectively. Other energy-saving measures available as optional include the insulation of the water system to prevent heat loss; and insulation of the die plate heating flanges, with energy savings of 30% compared with standard die plates.
  
  
• PSG‘s Maag Pump Systems, Automatik Pelletizing Systems and Maag Filtration Systems will be presenting a complete system for polymer production in the mid-tier output range. The system consists of the extrex 90 extrusion pump, the CSC-RS 116 arched screen changer and the new Sphero S underwater pelletiser system. The latter caters to compounding, masterbatch and recycling applications in outputs from 700-3,000 kg/hour, with manual pressure setting and pneumatic pressure control. The system requires no rails and can be positioned with a swivel arm. An improved water bypass construction ensures faster production start-up. Further exhibits are the Primo 200E dry-cut strand pelletiser with its cantilever bearings and an extra-large cutting width of 200 mm for compounding of thermoplastics and the production of masterbatches up to 1.5 tonnes/hour. Also on display is the extrex GDP twin outlet gear pump for individual supply of melt to two different nozzle blocks.
  
  
• ProTec Polymer Processing will present the Solido LFT system for producing long fibre-reinforced thermoplastics (LFT) with fibre lengths corresponding to pellet lengths. The industry standard of 7-25 mm is produced via the pultrusion process. With Solido, the glass or carbon fibre strands are first isolated in the impregnation tool to create the filaments, followed by impregnation. The LFT pellets are said to produce components with improved surface quality and high mechanical strength, with a fibre content of up to 60% by weight and plant sizes of up to 1.2 tonnes/hour. LFT pellets can be injection moulded and used for applications previously reserved for thermosetting plastics. Automotive engineering in particular is currently a field of application for LFT but in the future even bioplastics can be "upgraded" in this way, says the firm.

• Research by US-based Nordson Extrusion Dies Industries has led to the development of a technology that resolves the issue raised by low melt strength polymers. The trials were carried out at Sung An Machinery (SAM) North America’s technology centre. SAM manufactures machinery and accessories for the printing and converting industry for paper, film, and foil in South Korea. Components of the technology include dies with lip lands that are shorter than the industry standard, allowing the gauge profile of the coating to be controlled. A suite of secondary internal deckle blades, sized for various polymers allow for fine-tuning of the edge profile of the polymer as it exits, minimising bead formation. A short radius is effective for LDPE while longer radii stabilises the thickness profile near the edges with polymers having less melt strength. Meanwhile, the “microrod” designed by the company is half the standard diameter allowing for less lateral movement of the melt, thus less edge bead formation. The short lip land and micro-rod are available in new dies specified by converters while the suite of exchangeable secondary deckle blades is available on a custom-designed basis.
  
  
• Italian producer of automatic coilers for small/large flexible pipes FB Balzanelli is able to produce palletisation systems to optimise the packaging and storage process of various types of pipes. In addition to its TR series coilers with two opposing reels – the first system developed by FB Balzanelli – today the company's palletisation systems are built to allow clients to manage multiple production lines simultaneously. It has supplied 850 units worldwide to date.
  
  

• Ettlinger Kunststoffmaschinen will launch the ERF500 melt filtration, designed for a maximum output of 5,000 kg/hour. This is an addition to the ERF200 and ERF250 sizes that achieve outputs of 1.5 tonnes/hour and 2.5 tonnes/hour respectively. The compact ERF500 is able to handle contamination of up to 18% by weight. Another new launch is the ECO melt filter, developed for film and sheet extrusion applications, to remove cross-linked and high-molecular material fractions contained in the melt, together with any gels or partial impurities. This melt filter, rated for a contaminant level of 1.5% by weight, is offered in two different sizes: ECO200 for outputs of up to 1,000 kg/hour and ECO250 for 2,500 kg/hour. In addition to polyolefin, it is also suitable for filtering easy-flowing materials such as PET or PA. The central component of both filters is a rotating, cylindrical filter screen with millions of conical holes that can be supplied with a wide variety of filtration levels. The cleaned melt on the inside of the drum is supplied to the downstream mould via a system of flow channels. The rotary motion of the filter drum simultaneously supports the blending and ensures optimally homogeneous conditions in the melt.
  
  
• Illig will showcase its entry-level UA 100Ed sheet processing machine, designed with a forming area of 960 mm x 560 mm and manual loading. A technology developed by the German company is the central supply of cooling air employed for cooling of formed parts. Apart from that, it will have on display the UA 100g, with a forming area of 960 mm x 660 mm. Two options are available to expand the basic machine: an additional upper table and the “loose” part control required for demoulding of parts with more pronounced undercuts. Other highlights are the vacuum pump, reinforced cooling fans with four adjustable air exhaust elements, as well as ceramic infrared heater elements employed to heat up the material to forming temperature, with elements equipped with a special black glaze, thus reducing energy by up to 30%. The PLC control is equipped with a high-resolution TFT screen and the new task-oriented user interface.
  
  

• Coperion K-Tron will present its patented BSP-135 Bulk Solids Pump (BSP) feeder on a pivoting base, with positive displacement action and vertical rotating discs that create feeding ducts. It will also showcase its gravimetric batch blenders that are available in sizes from 0.5-25 kg and include up to eight main feed elements depending on the unit. Each unit is designed with an integrated loading platform for mounting material loaders or vacuum receivers. The blenders include a metering and weighing system for controlling all ingredients of every batch to the desired amounts and it is not averaged over multiple batches. Besides the vacuum receivers, the gravimetric batch blender is equipped with a powder feeder. The latter is designed to optimally handle difficult materials such as pigments, sticky, bridging or flooding powders, fibres and fiberglass. The volumetric feeders are available in different sizes from 0.01 cu dm/hour to 1,600 cu dm/hour.
  
  

• Italy headquartered ancillary equipment producer Moretto will showcase its Eureka system including a Flowmatik airflow management and distribution system, the OTX hopper drier and the X Max dryer. Moretto’s Eureka system has been developed over a 13-year period of testing, leading to what company Founder/CEO Renato Moretto describes as “the most ambitious project in the history of dehumidification during my 45 years carrier in the plastics world”. Moretto says the work Eureka appropriately describes how the three elements of the system have finally “closed the loop” to form an efficient drying system. It is also said to be the only drying system that can process 10,000-12,000 kg/hour of material in compounding, extrusion and PET processing, boasting up to 56% lower energy consumption than traditional drying systems. The end product has been redesigned and calculated utilising the power and AI of the high-end Leonardo computer (one of only three in Europe), says Moretto. X MAX dryer is based on Moretto’s patented X technology and incorporates a multi bed single molecular sieve desiccant system providing constant -65°C to -85°C dew point. A key enhancement is its multi-stage centrifugal blower, developed by Moretto since the initial launch in co operation with Padua University. The X Max 916 model, for example, is said to provide up to 1,600 cu m/hour drying capacity at 300 mbar pressure with low electricity consumption of 13.2 kWh. The truncated cone-shaped OTX (Original Thermal Exchanger) hopper dryer is available in 28 sizes and is said to be 40% faster.