Extruder technology | machinery
Recent developments in extruder technologies and applications illustrate on-the-fly dimension changes, higher throughput and enhanced energy efficiency. Lou Reade reports
Machine intelligence: latest developments in extruders
Plastic pipe is usually designed to accommodate the flow of liquids – whether water, oil or gas – but they also have a growing presence as a way of protecting vital infrastructure such as communications cables. Emtelle of Denmark – which makes both communi-
cations ducting and plastic water pipe – recently extended production at its facility in Sønder Felding, with the addition of a new line from Battenfeld-Cincinnati. “The greatest advantage of the new line is its flexibil- ity,” said Kenn Byllemos, COO of Emtelle Denmark. The line, which is capable of fast-dimension change
(FDC), produces four-layer pipe in diameters of 200-800mm to SDR classification (DIN 8074). It does this with minimal changeover times and scrap quanti- ties, and replaces an older, less flexible line. The four-layer co-extrusion line – with four extrud-
ers and a co-extruder for colour stripes – also includes two FDC calibration sleeves and a complete set of FDC downstream equipment. It says the ability to handle 200-800mm pipe on a single line is unique in the industry. The smaller of the automatic calibration sleeves handles diameters of 200-355mm, the larger diameters 400-630mm. Diameter ranges of 710-800mm can be handled with standard calibration sleeves. “Our calibration sleeves are made of a cylindrical, rolled metal sheet that comes close to a standard
www.pipeandprofile.com
calibration in its design,” said Brigitte Diekhaus, project leader at Battenfeld-Cincinnati. “The pipe dimension can be changed during production – seamlessly and automatically.” The calibrated sleeves can produce both standard
and customised sizes, not only in terms of external diameters but also wall thicknesses – which can vary between around 6 and 57mm. “The automatic dimension change was very impor-
tant for us, since we have more and more customers demanding customised sizes,” added Byllemos. “These must combine a small wall thickness with a relatively large external diameter.” Changeover to different pipe dimensions takes up to
20 minutes, he says, and changing to a different automatic range can be done within one shift. Another advantage is that only minor quantities of scrap are produced during dimension change.
Energy reduction Battenfeld-Cincinnati has also upgraded its SolEx range of single screw extruders with the SolEx NG series – whose new processing unit offers several advantages including lower melt temperature and a 15% reduction in energy costs. The new version has an internally grooved barrel, a
July/August 2017 | PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION 31
Main image: An FDC line from Battenfeld- Cincinatti
allows Emtelle to change pipe dimensions during
production
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
