TECHNOLOGY | PROCESS MODELLING
Figure 3: In the SIGMA3D module, data is automatically fed into KTP’s SIGMA 1D software for visualisation of the whole system Source: Kunststoffechnik Paderborn/ IANUS Simulation
industrial area and with good accuracy,” Spork- mann says. KTP’s SIGMA software is continually improved under a series of 2-year projects with industry partners. A new project cycle, SIGMA 12, is begin- ning this month and the next goals for project development will be discussed with the project committee. An important upcoming topic for the project committee to consider is the integration of recycled carbon fibres within the software’s fibre breakage module. The SIGMA software is available for license only
by project partners within the project committee, which gives companies input into what features they would like to see developed.
Melting simulation Another project performed by KTP last year improved SIGMA’s melting module, which is designed to provide a generic model that can be used for most common industry materials. Particle size and shape (for example cylindrical or round) affects melting so the improvements added a new calculation method to predict the reduction of the particle size, dependent on the statistical probabil- ity in which zone the particle is located within the process, which improved accuracy of results. KTP also added a degassing module to SIGMA
that models the free surface and its renewal time within the barrel with respect to the filling degree in order to calculate a degassing parameter, which
34 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2018
gives a good representation of the system’s degassing ability. Sporkmann says that the program does not
calculate degassing using a diffusion coefficient, which is a material-dependent value and rather complex to measure for each compound, but rather relates degassing to the screw configuration and machine parameters. “We calculate the machines’ basic ability to degas a polymer within a certain configuration, to compare different ma- chines. The idea is to be able to use an individual degassing parameter to compare systems with different degassing abilities, such as a different number of vacuum pumps,” he explains.
Finding the data Companies that have already employed modelling know its value for improving compounding efficiency. However, the biggest hurdle to over- come for 1D computer modeling to become widespread throughout the compounding industry is not simulation capability or user friendliness but having accessible data to define the raw material characteristics in the program. Adam Dreiblatt, Director of Process Technology
for extruder manufacturer CPM Century Extru- sion, says: “There is a big disconnect between the required raw material data and the information available to the compounder. They make hundreds of different compounds, each with different polymers, additives and fillers. They ask, ‘How and
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