PROCESSING | MIXING TECHNOLOGY
Above: The Centrifugal Inline Mixer (CIM) from Dec Group ensures precise dosing of powders in small to medium quantities
At the Compounding World Expo Europe, which took place in Brussels, Belgium in September, one of the exhibitors from the mixing technology sector was Mixaco. Guido Brand, Sales and Marketing Manager at the company, spoke in a conference session on how to make the most of advances in batch mixing technology. His presentation covered technology improvements in terms of flexibility, reliability, scalability and efficiency. Brand also gave a future outlook for mixing technology that took in developments in digitalisation (through connection to ERP software and also automation) and Industry 4.0 (including digital twins that can find the “golden batch”).
Right: The Farrel Pomini FCM with a single screw extruder
Compounding PVC Rigid PVC is commonly used in construction materials such as decking, rails, window frames, and pipe fittings. Unlike flexible or semi-rigid PVC, it does not contain plasticisers, making it more challenging to process. A common method involves mixing with batch or continuous compounding equipment, finishing with a two-roll mill followed by water bath and a dicer. Key features of continuous mixing technology include adjustable mixing intensity, which is achieved by changing rotor speed and orifice position, as well as excellent temperature control throughout the mixing chamber, rotors, and extruder barrel. The standard six L/D rotor provides a short residence time and low heat history for the polymer, which is especially important for processing temper- ature-sensitive PVC. Farrel Pomini’s rigid PVC solution involves compounding the PVC using its Farrel Continuous Mixer (FCM) to a hot feed single screw extruder for pelletising. The compound cools as it processes through the extruder while the newly designed Farrel Pomini Dry Face Pelletiser (DFP)
50 COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2024
minimises the die pressure, any potential tempera- ture increases, and efficiently cuts the pellet. After pelletising, an air transfer system completes the cooling process along with pellet classifying and dust and fine removal. The DFP has a compact and robust design, is easy to operate, and can be fully integrated into the Farrel Pomini Synergy Control System. The entire line can be completely auto- mated with minimal operator involvement. This concept is currently commercially available for producing rigid PVC, providing a safe, cost-effec- tive, and space-efficient solution. (Read more about Farrel Pomini’s technology in the PVC Recycling feature on page 23 in this issue.) In the summer, Plantech CST, a member of the
Syncro group and a specialist in turnkey plant engineering and manufacturing for storage, conveying, mixing, and dosing, successfully completed the installation of a PVC dryblend production plant at Laborplast. Roberto Pariani, CEO of Laborplast, said: “This new plant represents significant progress for Laborplast, not only in terms of production capacity, but also in the quality and innovation of the solutions we are able to offer our customers. Our collaboration with Plantech- CST has enabled us to adopt a cutting-edge technology that allows us to meet more efficiently our customers’ needs and pursue our ambitious environmental sustainability goals.” The plant, based on Plantech CST’s Turbo Mix technology (hot and cold mixer) from the CACCIA- MYX series, includes a combo mixer with turbo and cooling mixer (RCC+RCH), a high vacuum pump system for the turbo mixer, big bag emptying stations for PVC powder, calcium carbonate and micronised recycled PVC, weighed cyclone filters (WHL) for vacuum feeding of turbo and cooling mixers. There is an automated control system for the mixer and feeding system, managed via PLC with customised supervision software
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: DEC GROUP
IMAGE: FARREL POMINI
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