MACHINERY | MIXERS
Flexible optimisation The Add-A-Lot system is modular, so it can be readily configured to specific customer needs. For example, surge bins (which can be furnished with discharge aids such as pneumatic knockers, agitators, or vibrators) can be modified for incom- ing packages of various products. And by using a base frame, it is possible to place big bags directly on the feeding station. The Add-A-Lot feed system’s controls are
integrated into Coperion’s own control systems, enabling recipe management, production planning and storage administration as well as batch tracing and documentation using barcodes, RFID, or other technologies. Customers can choose what brand of container mixer to use in the system.
Below: The Flex-line heating/ cooling mixer can be paired with a Vent tec 2.0 aspiration system for mixing natural fibre reinforced compounds
Natural solutions On a slightly less grand scale, a highlight from MTI Mischtechnik’s display was a Flex-line heating/ cooling mixer combination which, together with a Vent tec 2.0 aspiration system, was optimised for the production of dry blends for natural fibre-rein- forced compounds (NFCs). Also designed on a modular basis, Flex-line
mixers can normally be used for a wide range of applications; mixer sizes, drives and equipment options can all be individually configured. The M 1000/K 3300 version on the company stand used a heating mixer volume of 1,101 litres and a cooling mixer volume of 3,308 litres, for typical batch sizes of 400 kg and an output of over 1,600 kg/h. The unit was one of a series of machines ordered by an Asian NFC-processing company. The performance of the aspiration system is
matched to the application. “Unlike conventional solutions, these devices control their operation autonomously as a function of actual process parameters, thereby providing constant processing conditions irrespective of changes in process and ambient condi-
tions,” says MTI. “They achieve this by continuously monitoring all actual operating conditions via key parameters such as intake air and system air temperatures, air pressure, humidity and, with high significance, the aspiration air flow rate.” MTI says that, even under unfavourable condi- tions when processing natural fibres with fluctuat- ing but relatively high moisture contents, efficient dehumidification of the blend is ensured. Prepara- tion times, depending on the raw material moisture content, are usually less than 15 minutes, it claims. Applications of such mixer-aspiration combina- tions also include the production of almost completely dehumidified rigid and soft PVC dry blends. Especially with PVC formulations contain- ing hygroscopic stabiliser systems, they prevent the formation of deposits on the interior surfaces of mixers and downstream equipment.
The robot returns At K2016, MTI showed one of the most novel pieces of kit at the show in the form of a container mixer manipulated by a giant six-axis robot—the C tec PRO. Three years on and company CEO Christian Honemeyer says MTI expects very soon to sign a major contract with an unnamed company that has been using the system for several months for production of pigmented polyethylene. “The system is now fully proven,” he says. “We have shown that it can produce up to 10 batches an hour, between 100 and 750 litres each.” The C tec PRO system now has a CE certification
and is ready for operating on a 24/7 basis over the course of a contract (MTI will lease the system) of 36 months. Over the past three years, it has undergone various minor modifications, Honemey- er says, mostly to the mixing head.
Clean savings Time taken to clean equipment is unproductive time. And, because of the nature of the batch mixing process, cleaning is an important element in the daily routine. “Especially with small batches, the availability of a mixer decreases,” says Karl Hendrik Schluck- ebier, Sales and Process Manager for the Mixing business unit at Zeppelin Systems, which owns the Henschel brand. “By selecting the right mixer types, cleaning time and thus production costs can be saved.” He also notes that the use of cleaning agents and the disposal of drag losses are important criteria for investments in new mixing plants. Schluckebier says that in the development of
Zeppelin’s new Henschel-Mixer CMQ container mixer, the focus was on not only the quality of mixing and dispersing but also on cleaning
58 COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2019
www.compoundingworld.com
PHOTO: MTI
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