TECHNOLOGY | CONTROLS AND MONITORING
Right: The EquiSpec system from Equitech International
and spectroscopic measurements for adjustments in recipe and operating point. Demand is spread- ing to an ever-wider range of applications. For the processing of sensitive products with a narrow quality window or critical products with required seamless traceability of process parameters, inline measurements can help to accomplish better process control. The potential to adapt the process directly to fluctuations leads to increased quality and savings due to less off-spec production.” The Coperion engineers say: “The recycling sector in particular is confronted with strong quality variations in the supply chain, raw materials from uncertain sources or lack of knowledge of material histories and contamination, for example. Without a pure source material, inline measurement technology is a useful tool to prevent costs caused by unnecessary downtime, incorrectly used additives or too much waste. Further use of inline measurement technology is also driven by the digitalisation of production, self-learning systems or even approaches in the area of AI.” The manufacturers of
inline measuring systems meet these requirements and offer increasingly attractive solutions. As a manufac- turer of compounding and extrusion systems, Coperion says that it has already been working with many established manufacturers of inline measurement technology. Therefore, Coperion is technologi- cally open to any supplier or operator and supports the integration of these solutions into Coperion compounding and extrusion systems. The company offers hardware and software solutions for integration on the twin-screw extrud- er, as well as the peripheral devices for these inline measurement systems.
Colour control Colour is also a key variable that can be measured in the production line in real-time and Equitech International supplies equipment for inline colour measurement and possible chemical concentra- tion. “A major force influencing inline measurement equipment is plastics recycling,” says Jaime Gómez, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Inconsistent colour of recycled plastics benefits from real time measurement, which allows the
42 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | November/December 2021
compounder to adjust colour in real time. When production samples are taken every few hours, only a few points are checked for compliance with standards. An inline measurement system allows the producer to take a full spectrum every few seconds and guarantee 100% product compliance with the standards. An advantage of inline colour measurement for colour changes is the immediate knowledge and certainty that the new colour collected is complying with standards. When developing new compounds, inline measurements can also allow for the determination of residence time distributions, a useful process analysis tool.” Gómez adds that monitoring product quality is
the key application area and being able to provide a full inspection of the entire production batch as it is being produced. Monitoring of expensive pigments and additives is also important to ensure only what is needed is used, as well as accurate blending of PCR.
New developments require affordable, user- friendly, and interchangeable systems, he says, that can be installed in any plastics compounding line to provide the user with a high return-on-investment. There is also a market need for closed loop colour control for L* for general purposes, and closed loop colour control for L*a*b* with pigment suppliers. Indeed, the main technical area of interest for anyone in the industry is now precise,
real-time colour control and
chemical concentration for proper dispersion and homogeneity of the extrudate. “The technology has evolved significantly since we invented it back in 1995,” adds Gómez. “We are currently working on the development of Genera- tion V that will address these current trends for greater affordability and user-friendliness. Gen V breaks with the past and uses 2021 technology. We are also placing an instrument at the Polymer Center of Excellence in Charlotte, NC, USA shortly, where companies will be welcome to test their formulations and have full access to our system.” KraussMaffei has developed ColorAdjust, a method of measuring and regulating colour within the mechanical recycling process when using ZE Bluepower twin-screw extruders. ColorAdjust measures and controls the colour of the final granules. The system provides inline quality control and is suitable for use with liquid colour or master-
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
IMAGE: EQUITECH
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