EXHIBITION REVIEW | PLAST 2018
Right: Omipa’s automatic die for solid sheet enables fast regulation of the gap while the lips stay parallel across its entire width
for PET storage, transport, and dehumidification, as well as in dosing systems. The company also does plant engineering for turnkey systems – something for which demand is increasing among compound- ers, it says.
At the show, the company was also showing off a new plant supervision system that provides real-time control of all auxiliary systems in a processing plant, whether they be from Plastic Systems or from other suppliers. It provides information on energy consumption, enables remote communications with the plant, provides data for preventive and predictive maintenance, and also performance indices.
Automatic die for sheet Omipa showed a new automatic die concept for solid sheet with thicknesses ranging from 1mm up to around 30 mm. What is remarkable about this die is not only that it enables fast regulation of the gap, but that the lips stay parallel all across the width of the die. There are no bolts, manually adjustable or thermal, to be seen. Sales manager Massimo Maccagnola was tight-lipped (no pun intended) about how the die works, saying no more than it has to do with thermo-regulation and flow. Omipa’s main market is hollow profile PP sheet, a
market that it has been in for decades. The com- pany says that over the last couple of years, business has increased considerably. Applications are various, ranging from flooring, through various types of boxes, to pallet interlayers and advertising panels. Maccagnola said business in polycarbonate sheet extrusion systems is also picking up, but is being hindered by polycarbonate supply problems.
Chiller spotlight Piovan pointed the spotlight at its new Aquatech Easycool+ range of chillers that comply with European Union Ecodesign regulations – which come into force in 2021 – governing energy efficiency of such products.
38 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | July/August 2018
It was also designed specifically for industrial
processing of plastics. Most chillers, it says, are not designed and calibrated specifically for this, but have merely been adapted. “If they are effective in the process, their costs
and energy consumption are high because they were not conceived for this kind of application, and energy outlays push up production costs,” said the company. “If they are inefficient, their initial costs are lower, but they have to be run at full capacity: expensive maintenance and imprecise temperature control negatively impact finished product quality and costs.” When processing plastics, the temperature
ranges to be maintained for different processes can vary by 50°C or more, demanding different pressures and flow rates from the chiller. Piovan says that Easycool+ is flexible enough to maintain optimal working conditions at all times. The range employs ‘plug and play’ technology with integral circuitry in the machine: eight differ- ent hydronic versions available for each model, with or without thermal storage, and specific versions for use at extremely high flow and pres- sure. A system built with Easycool+ is sized to ensure the lowest possible refrigerant load, says Piovan. Power ranges from 60 to 250 kW. Two different types of evaporators are available:
brazed plate, which is normally used when clean water is to be used in the cooling process; and shell and tube, for situations where treated water is not available. Piovan also emphasises the low maintenance
costs. All components are arranged inside the unit for easy access by a technician. The refrigerant circuit is designed for periodic testing in accord- ance with current European legislation. The control software allows operating parameter monitoring and troubleshooting, even remote. The software can also be connected to Piovan’s Winfactory 4.0 supervision software. And Frigel Firenze, fresh from its acquisition of
www.filmandsheet.com
PHOTO: PETER MAPLESTON
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