MATERIALS HANDLING | MACHINERY
Moving forwards: latest in materials handling
Materials handling equipment – including dryers, conveyors and blenders – is a vital component in ensuring that high quality plastic is delivered to the extruder
Before any plastic can be extruded into a product, it must be prepared – through processes such as drying – and conveyed to the extruder. Manufactur- ers are continuing to design materials handling equipment that raises efficiency – and this includes controlling the process more intelligently. UK-based ACI has developed a new profile
dryer, for complex plastic and rubber extrusions. The dryer is compact and efficient and is designed to draw out moisture from unusually shaped profiles including EDPM rubber extrusions, asymmetric profiles and silicone seals during manufacture. To ensure it does not damage or distort the
extruded part, it uses vacuum technology rather than compressed air – which often contains oil and water. As well as achieving high drying efficiency, it can reduce running costs through lower energy
www.pipeandprofile.com
consumption – using a 1.5kW or 3kW motor. The unit is fully enclosed with a small footprint of just 1,300mm long, which easily fits into most production lines. The main enclosure contains a side channel blower and cooling fan as well as a water separator which collects coolant for recy- cling. The unit is made from stainless steel with ceramic rollers, eliminating the risk of corrosion. To suit customer requirements, the drying head can be configured to meet individual specifications. Designed for intricate and specific profiles, the solution is capable of drying extrusion of up to 65mm in diameter, and is particularly suited to production lines where water collection or spray containment is essential. Drying speed varies with profile size, but smaller profiles of 0.02-6mm can achieve a drying speed of up to 100 m/min. Chris Hellier, managing director of ACI, said:
Main image: Conveying is just one element of materials handling, which is vital for an efficient extrusion process
October 2020 | PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION 29
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
