ALTERNATIVE COMPOUNDERS | MACHINERY
Matching machines to the task
Novel “alternative” compounding extruder designs can deliver
particular performance and processing benefits in challenging compounding
applications.Peter Mapleston reports
The twin screw compounding extruder is certainly the workhorse of the plastics compounding industry but there are other options. And, as the energy crisis continues to bite, suppliers of compounding systems using alternative technolo- gies are highlighting how their products can be used to cut electricity bills while making high-quali- ty materials. “As important as energy efficiency has been in
the past, the topic has taken centre stage as never before,” according to Farrel Pomini, which cites this aspect as a strong point of its technology. The Farrel Continuous Mixer (FCM) uses a non-in- termeshing large feed opening design that allows all dry materials to be fed without the use of side feeders, which the company says use a significant amount of energy. “Eliminating side feeders from the compound-
ing process can produce energy savings in the range of 200,000 kW/h annually,” says Paul Lloyd, Farrel Pomini President and Business Unit Director. In addition, the gearbox used on the FCM is said to be approximately 2% more efficient than gearboxes used in a typical twin screw extruder (TSE). If a 500 kW motor is used on the machine, the savings can equate to 60,000 kW/h per annum, the company estimates.
Depending on specific variables, the continuous
mixer uses approximately 10% less power than a TSE when compounding, the company claims, as the rotor profile and large mixing chamber clearances enable a highly efficient application of shear. “This generates lower temperature melt output as well, which is beneficial in temperature
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sensitive applications, such as processing biopoly- mers, including PLA and PHA,” Lloyd says. A number of other technical features are less
easily quantified but are also said to contribute to the continuous mixer’s overall energy savings. These include the short 6:1 L/D rotors that are supported at each end by roller bearings. This arrangement is claimed to be 98% more efficient than a typical 48:1 twin screw extruder shaft, which is usually cantilevered and supported by the extruder barrel. In addition, the FCM, once it has been started up, completes almost all compound- ing applications without external heating. At K2022, Farrel Pomini will introduce the High-Dispersion (HD) Rotor, which is suitable for use on all of its Compact Processors and is said to be ideal for processing fibre grade, high colour carbon black, as well as colour concentrates. The High-Dispersion Rotor is a single-stage rotor with an enhanced mixing area in a 10:1 L/D format. In addition to a mixing section that is double the length of a standard rotor, the HD rotor includes
The new HD rotors from Farrel Pomini are designed for high dispersion
Main image: Alternative compounding machinery
designs such as the Gneuss MRS extruder can provide real benefits in specific applications
IMAGE: FARREL POMINI October 2022 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 63
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