MACHINERY | LAB COMPOUNDERS
Right: CPM’s lab at Lauffen in Germany includes twin screw and RingExtruder compounding systems
respective process requirements. It also reduces the need for additional racks and time-consuming conversion work while making cleaning easier as the feeders can be easily swivelled outwards. Global compounding machinery maker CPM
says that its technical laboratory at Lauffen in Germany is unique in being able to develop extrusion processes side-by-side on both co-rotat- ing twin screw extruder and its RingExtruder. The centre is equipped to trial specially-designed screw profiles to provide a more energy efficient com- pounding process while recent filtering invest- ments support a focus on high quality recycling technologies — particularly rPET. Underlining the importance of recycling
projects, the company’s lab machines are equipped with feeders that can easily handle flake feedstocks. High capacity side feeders are also available for development of compounds contain- ing high levels of fillers.
Built for the lab Thailand -based Labtech Engineering has been very active on the trade show circuit this year, exhibiting its machines at Fakuma in Germany, Packprintplas in the Philippines, and Vietnamplas in Vietnam. The company’s UK and Ireland agent Millmer-
ran says the Scientific range of twin-screw extrud- ers are built with a clamshell-type barrel design which ensures leak-free operation and provides easy access to the screws for cleaning or changing of elements and/or barrel inserts. On the 20 and 26mm versions, the barrel can optionally be supplied in a fully closed version. The barrel, whether clamshell or of fully closed
design, is built in modular, interchangeable sections of 4D lengths and the surfaces facing the screws are nitrided, giving a low friction coating with a surface hardness of 65 to 70 HRC. The drive motor is flange mounted to the gear
box through a torque-limiting coupling protecting the screws from overloads. The torque limiter is electronically connected to the motor controls and a programmable frequency inverter regulates the motor speed. The 26mm twin screw extruder is available in standard motor power of 11 kW and max RPM of 800, and as a high RPM version with 22 kW motor drive. Both the 20 and 26mm extruders can be equipped with one or more twin-screw side-feeders.
Lab technology company Thermo Fisher Scientific offers twin-screw extruders on both lab and pilot scale, with throughputs ranging from 200 g/h to 30 kg/h depending on the material.
42 COMPOUNDING WORLD | December 2023
As interest in recycled materials grows, labora- tory compounding plant needs to be able to handle a wider range of raw material input types. Shredded plastics, for example, have a wide particle size variation and low bulk density, which calls for a compounder with a high free volume. The company says that feeding fluffy shredded films and fibres with low bulk density presents a particular challenge, which its Process 16 Twin- Screw Extruder is designed to address. It says the machine offers a particularly wide feed throat for a lab-scale extruder, which eases feeding of film shreds and prevents blockages. In addition, special wide throat screw elements are designed to provide fast conveying into the extruder barrel. Another problem experienced when handling
shredded plastic film waste is electrostatic charge, which results in material tending to attach to surfaces such as the feeder outlet and the feed funnel, where it can then pile up. Thermo Fisher says it can provide an accessory called an Ionisator, which is placed at the outlet of the feeder tube and neutralises the charge on the material to prevent blockage and allowing feeder output and efficacy of the extruder to be maximised.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.brabender.com �
www.kraussmaffei.com �
www.mariscorp.com �
https://busscorp.com �
www.coperion.com �
https://onecpm.com �
https://labtechengineering.com �
www.millmerran.co.uk �
www.thermofisher.com
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: CPM
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