Extruder developments | machinery feature
Ongoing machinery modifi cations help extrusion companies to improve the quality and throughput of their products. Lou Reade reports
Moving on: developments in extruder technology
In the year following a K show, it’s no surprise to fi nd few major launches of new extruders. However, manufactur- ers are constantly redesigning their machines, in order to optimise the production of particular products – from medical tubing to irrigation lines. Maillefer, for instance, has modifi ed its PIL/Explore
production line for micro-drip irrigation tubing, to ensure that downtime is kept to a minimum. It does this by quickly detecting and rectifying two types of production problem: small breaks or tears in the wall of the pipe; and complete tube breaks.
A complete tube break results in a full line stop. The
problem is then to stop polymer from bleeding into the calibration trough, and dripper melting onto insertion equipment. This can be a time-consuming clean-up job for the line operator – and it means that production stops until this is solved. The company’s Rapid Rupture Response (Triple-R)
feature ensures that downtime is kept to a minimum. It automatically detects – and reacts to – a tube break. The area around the head is immediately freed, which leaves polymer bleeding on the fl oor – rather than into equipment. The tube downstream is stopped with minimum distance from the breakage point. The fi xed chassis of the insertion and calibration sections allows the operator to return retracted equipment back to pre-set alignment positions, without complicated adjustments. With the tube’s break point only an arm’s length away, the operator can easily join the tube at the extrusion head and returns to full production within minutes. Scrap is limited, identifi ed, and
isolated from quality product, says the company. The second rapid response feature is detecting tears and fracture points along
the tube wall. Maillefer’s patent-pending technology identifi es these faults in real-time, and responds
www.pipeandprofi
le.com October 2014 | PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION 17
Battenfeld- Cincinnati’s
SolEx extruder, with a process- ing length of 40D, offer high throughput rates with optimal melt homogeneity and low melt temperatures
Tecnomatic says that its Zephyr extruders set new standards in pipe extrusion
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