Mixers | machinery
Batch mixers are getting smaller, more energy effi cient, and more productive. Peter Mapleston reviews some of the latest developments in the sector
Equipment makers mix it up
The trend across the compounding industry today is to more fl exible production. Suppliers of batch mixers are responding to that with the development of mixing machines that are more compact, more energy effi cient, and easier and quicker to clean and maintain. Mean- while, manufacturers of continuous mixing equipment are not standing still. This article looks at the latest developments in both sectors and explores why compounders might consider moving from one technology to the other. Michael Kaiser, regional sales manager at batch mixer
producer MTI, says the company sees a general trend across all compounding applications towards smaller more fl exible mixing units rather than high capacity systems. “The complete mixing process including the material handling systems is becoming more compli- cated. The number of ingredients is increasing, there is a constant drive to increase the amount of fi llers and the optimal moment to feed raw materials into the mixer is receiving more attention,” he says. “We also see a lot of developments with more ‘health
friendly’ plasticizers and newly-built mixing units are mostly equipped with aspiration systems to improve the quality of the mixed materials. Especially with PVC compounding units, the necessity for a cooling mixer between high/speed mixers and compounders is coming under question more and more.” Kaiser says MTI is responding to these demands by offering tailor-made solutions alongside its standard-
www.compoundingworld.com
ised mixing equipment. For example, the company not only provides solutions for minimum contamination of the mixers by material deposits inside the mixers, but also offers options for quick and easy cleaning to keep down times to a minimum, he says. MTI highlights its capability in mixing systems for
lines producing pipe in polyethylene polymer crosslinked using peroxides—PE-Xa. Crosslinked PE is widely used for gas, heating and water pipe systems and, according to MTI, production of PE-Xa piping is growing steadily. It says high-volume manufacturers of small-diameter pipe in particular increasingly prefer the two-stage production process, in which polymer and additives are batch mixed prior to extrusion. The company says its equipment provides more
thorough intermixing of the raw materials than is possible with mixing in the extruder, and so delivers a higher quality and more homogeneous result. It says customer trials show that even if the mix is stored for several weeks prior to further processing, cross-linking levels remained virtually unchanged due to the intense peroxide diffusion. Kaiser says growth in PE-Xa pipe production is being
brought on in part by the increase in the use of twin-screw extrusion technology (taking the place of slower ram extrusion). This has made the production of PE-Xa pipes more competitive. “With higher output and more production lines, a central mixing unit has logistical and economic advantages compared to an
November 2015 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 53
Main image: Cooling and energy
effi ciency are high develop- ment priorities at Italian mixer manufacturer
Promixon. This image shows its TMX turbo tool
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
