Technology | materials handling
Versatile and fl exible material delivery and feeding systems are now essential in the modern compounding plant. Mark Holmes reports on some of the latest initiatives
Materials handling fi rms focus on fl exibility and precision
Unlike most plastics processors, the typical compound- er has to handle a wide range of different materials in a variety of physical forms. These materials need to be delivered safely and effi ciently to where they are required, as well as mixed and dosed in precise quantities. Suppliers of materials handling equipment are working hard to meet these demands, while ensuring ever greater fl exibility in operation and facilitating rapid product changeovers. Flexibility to respond quickly to customer demands
is a key requirement for the compounding industry, according to Matt Burt, General Sales Manager for Materials Handling Equipment at Coperion K-Tron. “Due to frequent product changes and always smaller lot sizes a state-of-the-art compounding line has to be built for quick product change and easy cleaning in between different products,” he says. “This allows a reduction in downtimes for cleaning and improves the product quality by excluding contamination. At the same time operational safety can be improved by better cleanability, easy access and facilitated housekeeping. In addition, accuracy is still very important when feeding additives and fi llers. Better accuracy ensures a more consistent and quality product as well as saving the customer money by not wasting expensive additives.” Ever changing additive technology also requires
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more versatile and fl exible equipment that can handle a wide range of different materials. “Compounders want their material delivery and feeding systems to be designed for a wide spectrum of materials from plastic pellets to diffi cult materials,” explains Burt. “In addition, there is a need for complete controls integra- tion. Compounders need their control systems to communicate with other equipment in the process. This communication is essential whether it is with a mixer or an extruder. In some cases, customers require a control system that can allow access to information such as raw material usage, extruder output and overall system performance trends.” In order to improve feeder accuracy, Coperion
K-Tron has developed an Electronic Pressure Compen- sation (EPC) system for use with loss-in-weight feeders. “In a closed feeding system, pressure build-up inside a feeder can signifi cantly impair weighing accuracy,” says Burt. “The commonly installed mechanical pressure compensation systems are sensitive to structural factors and machine alignment and may therefore be intricate or even unreliable. The EPC is an electronic solution for accurate and steady pressure compensation in feeder hoppers.” The EPC system features a modular design that allows
the pressure sensors and electronics to be tailored for the most effective interaction with Coperion K-Tron’s KCM
February 2016 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 65
Main image: Few com-
pounders take on as many
different tasks as the Coperion Technical Centre in Stuttgart but fl exible material handling
systems are a
top priority for many com- pounding
operations today
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