MACHINERY | MIXERS
Above: Promix’s Visco-P static mixer includes mixing, cooling and inline viscosity measurement
to handle these new materials. Palumbo says the other major demand trend —
greater and remote connectivity — arises from the challenges imposed by the pandemic. “Since the advent of Industry 4.0 programmes, all control systems are equipped with a device that allows remote internet access for inspection and surveil- lance by the manufacturer’s specialised techni- cians, which is of considerable help in identifying specific component anomalies or collecting data to evaluate more complex situations in respect of mixing plant performance. Obviously this greatly helps to reduce service costs too,” he says. “This may not be enough, so in order to avoid un- planned plant shutdowns, it is advisable to adopt a preventive maintenance programme.” Today, he says Plas Mec is offering preventive maintenance programmes that are put together to meet the different needs of customers. These generally include periodic technical visits carried out by specialised technicians using specific methods and equipment to determine replace- ment of system parts at set times. Programmes also involve training production teams to increase their confidence and knowledge of the machinery so they can deal with and solve small and medium- sized issues. Palumbo says take up for the
Right: Remote access is
included in all Plas Mec mixer control systems, including its HC heating/ cooling models
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programmes is not, as yet, that widespread. He attrib- utes that, in part at least, to the sturdiness of its ma- chines and relative simplicity of the mecha- nisms and controls.
Static solutions Switzerland-based Promix Solutions develops static mixer systems. Its SMB plus mixes efficiently and has a
COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2021
narrow residence time distribution. This allows efficient inline self-cleaning and is particularly important for facilities producing many different types of compounds or different colors. “The mixer is 100% clean after purging with five to six times the volume of it,” reports Rolf Heusser, CEO at Promix Solutions. However, like many traditional static mixers, it is not a very effective cooling device, a limitation addressed in its patented Promix P1 cooling mixer. Cooling mixers are used for PVC and other thermally sensitive compounds such as bio-based polymers and compounds with natural fillers. Most cooling mixer designs use an outer cooling jacket but Promix says its P1 cooling mixers put the cooling on the inside, avoiding the problem of cooled polymer depositing and building up. “The mixing bars are cooled from the inside by [a heat transfer fluid, such as] thermal oil. This technology allows a very effective mixing and cooling at the same time,” says Heusser. He says that while static mixers can homogenise the melt temperature, a cooling mixer can both homogenise and potentially lower the melt temperature to help optimise granulation. Heusser says the Promix P1 cooling mixer is increasingly being used for biopolymers and recycled materi- als, such as PET, as it helps stabilise the process and increase throughput. Promix also offers an inline viscosity measure- ment option in its Promix Visco-P. This allows continuous in-line measurement as a basis for quality control and raw material management and is generating interest from processors. “[This measurement] is especially important for sensitive materials, [such as] PET or some biopolymers, as well as for recycled material with potentially changing raw material composition,” Heusser says.
Continuous options US-based Readco Kurimoto’s Continuous Processor (CP) is a very good mixing device for compounds that do not require a long residence time, accord- ing to David Sieglitz, President of the company. “The Readco CP is typically less expensive than an extruder. Cleaning and maintenance inside the CP is easier and faster compared to an
IMAGE: PLAS MEC
extruder,” he says. “The CP can be more effective and efficient depending on the
type of fillers incorporated into the
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IMAGE: PROMIX SOLUTIONS
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