machinery | Mixers Right: A Promixon Problend-TC
hot/cold mixing system for PVC dry-blend and WPC
TC/2500/8600/VS hot/cold mixing combination to Shaw Industries Group for production of PVC flooring. It claims this is the biggest single mixing plant ever manufactured. The equipment works in combination with a calender supplied by another unidentified Italian producer, and a feeding plant with a German extruder. Shaw Industries installed the mixing equipment this summer.
Working with wood Caccia Engineering offers equipment for batch mixing thermoplastics (virgin or recycled) with organic fillers, typically wood-based. Models range in volume from 200 up to 1,500 litres. Systems consist of WCP turbo mixers, vacuum units with separating filters for extracting humidity, and AC or AG Series coolers that can be coupled with a flexible screw conveyor. The company says the systems have been purpose-
Right: A Caccia turbo mixer for wood plastic composites
management, guaranteed by an innovative logging system for administration of technical assistance cases, [the new machine concept] is also a door from which to obtain information and share current and future joint projects.” The company says the Plasmec Formul@1 will also be the foundation of a future project that will see the creation of archives shared between the compa- ny and its customers.
Batch or continuous Ajax Equipment supplies both batch and continuous mixers. Eddie McGee, the company’s technical director, says its emphasis is currently more focused on continuous mixers. These feature two inter-meshing screws and are used for mixing the dry ingredients with each other and/or with liquid additions. Unlike continu- ous mixers from companies such as Farrel and TPEI (covered later in this article), Ajax machines normally do not melt the materials. McGee says batch mixing has the advantage of being
Right: This
Plasmec batch mixer was on display at Plast 2015
designed and modified to achieve the best quality in compounds containing vegetable matter. “Due to the high percentage of humidity present inside these compounds, the vacuum unit is constantly operational for the whole phase of compound agitation and friction heating inside the turbo mixer,” it says. A short time before the unloading phase, atmospheric pressure is restored inside the mixer and the compound is poured into the cooler. All contact surfaces are made of stainless steel or aluminum, whereas the multi-stage mixing tool has a wear-resistant coating. The typical heating temperature for these compounds can reach 175°C. The cooler brings this down to around 70°C so that the batch can be conveyed easily without any agglomerates. Finally, a flexible screw conveyor, which also breaks up any lumps, conveys the compound directly to an extruder or a storage container. Plasmec recently launched the Plasmec Formul@1.
“As well as meeting quickly and satisfactorily the most varied issues regarding maintenance, process, use and
58 COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2015
www.compoundingworld.com
well-understood, and it enables ease of quality monitoring and precise control of material quantities. But he says it also has a number of drawbacks. “In principle, mixing can be continued until such time as satisfactory homogeneity is achieved, but this can be
PHOTO: PETER MAPLESTON
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