TWIN-SCREW EXTRUDERS | MACHINERY
Manufacturers of twin screw compounding machinery are optimising and tuning equipment to meet specific
customer processing
requirements.Peter Mapleston reports
Fine-tuning provides peak performance
Most producers of twin-screw compounding extruders today are providing customers with the opportunity to have equipment built for specific processing applications. That trend to broadening product line-ups to include machines with special features or enhanced capabilities appears, how- ever, to be gaining pace. A growing number of twin-screw extruder
makers are adding high-torque units to their line-ups, for example. Last June, US-based Entek introduced its HT72 co-rotating twin-screw model, which offers a torque density of 18 Nm/cm3
,
placing it among the highest in the industry. Features include a 1.61 Do
/Di screw ratio, robust
construction and powerful motor intended to make it a workhorse for continuous production. The HT72, which Entek says is the first in a new machine series, is designed for commodity com- pounding and masterbatching customers requiring medium-to-large batch production sizes and high production rates. The company says that, when coupled with its new Vacuum Feed Technology (VFT), the HT72 can drive throughputs even higher in processes that involve feeding of low density fillers.
www.compoundingworld.com
Another new Entek feature available on the HT72 is the company’s Vent Flow Sensor. It says that is designed to detect developing vent flow problems, giving operators the time required to correct processing issues before they become problematic. “This device will effectively reduce unplanned downtime and help reduce safety issues, including the risk of fire,” the company claims. “It will also make vent flow cleaning easier.” The trend towards automotive electrification is
providing an additional impulse to lightweighting initiatives such as replacement of metallic parts with polymer-based alternatives, according to Shibaura Machine (previously Toshiba). The company says that a knock-on effect of that is grow- ing demand for co-rotating twin screw extruders. The company (then Toshiba) launched its TEM-58SX ultra-high-torque twin-screw extruder back in 2011. Since then, the line-up has been expanded to include the 26SX, 37SX, 41SX, 48SX, and 75SX. The company says characteristics common to all these models are high kneading and low temperature extrusion, energy saving and production cost reduction by reducing specific
Main image: This ICMA system for production of high-perfor- mance
electrical cable compounds provides full access to the screws and barrels
March 2022 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 15
IMAGE: ICMA SAN GIORGIO
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