MACHINERY | MIXERS
Right: Reliance Mixers’ high intensity models can include easy-clean features such as split bowls
Below: Mixaco’s container mixers are designed for fast and simple cleaning
and masterbatches include cleanability, energy efficiency, reduced handling requirements, and flexibility, according to Markus Frantzen, General Manager at the US-based subsidiary of Italy’s Mixaco. “The biggest challenge for a colour masterbatch plant is the cleaning versus productiv- ity of equipment,” he says. Frantzen says Mixaco’s Container Mixer (CM) i4 meets this challenge with a design optimised for cleanability, including the use of a flat, polished mixing head that minimises material adhesion and a provision of a large space between the floor and the mixing head so that the head does not need to be removed for cleaning. He also points to the Mixaco Control Center, describing it as an “Internet of Things” (IoT) innovation that provides real-time process information to improve quality control and allow predictive maintenance to avoid downtime. The steady increase in demand for remote monitoring capabilities on mixers is also reported at US-based Reliance Mixers. “Since many PVC blending operations run 24/7, remote monitoring is a helpful tool,” says Ketul Desai, President of the company. “For blending systems that use a PC as the human machine interface (HMI), Reliance Mixers sets up one PC in the control room and another in the blending supervisor’s office. In addition, the system can send a text message if there is a shutdown.” Desai also sees increasing requests for control systems with the option for remote troubleshoot- ing. When equipped with this technology, a user can request that the OEM login to the control panel to identify any problems they may be experiencing. Predictive maintenance has also been steadily
increasing in use. Vibration sensors installed on the mixer collect data that give an early warning of potential problems. “Increasing vibration typically indicates a mechanical issue,” says Desai. “Perhaps the mixing agitator blades are wearing out and are off balance, and/or maybe the bearings are wearing out. It could also be that the vibration pads between the machine and floor are wearing out.” Temperature sensors in the
bearings are an older technology that can be used in conjunction with vibration sensors. If the bearings are heating up, they may be
getting worn. “The sensors give people more information at their fingertips to make 44 COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2021
decisions to keep their equipment running properly. They can see the health of their equip- ment by looking at the trend in vibration, so they can catch a problem before it gets so bad that vibration can be seen visually,” says Desai. He reports that even smaller facilities are starting to see the value of predictive maintenance, adding that “sensors are more often requested and moving on to becoming standard.” The company can provide temperature and vibration sensors on its mixers as well as data collection systems for various types of control systems. A challenge for masterbatch producers, in
particular, is cleaning large mixers easily and safely, says Desai. The company’s large, 2,000 litre high intensity mixer includes an option for a split bowl that makes it easier to clean. “Rather than having to climb into the bowl, the operator can swing the top section of the split bowl away, making the agitator blades much easier to access and the whole bowl easier to clean,” says Desai. He explains that this feature is especially important for manufacturers of colour masterbatch, where frequent changes are common.
Development focus Italian mixing machinery maker Plas Mec says equipment development at present is focused in two directions: laboratory scale equipment and predictive maintenance. According to Area Sales Manager Maurizio
Palumbo, the interest in recycled compounds and the use of sustainable bio-based materials — resins, pigments, fibres and fillers — is creating a need to research the reformulation of plastic compounds in general with two distinct targets in relation to the nature of the compounds themselves. While this is still very much an R&D, he sees opportunities in development of industrial scale mixing equipment
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: MIXACO
IMAGE: RELIANCE MIXERS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
