TECHNOLOGY | RECYCLING AND RECOMPOUNDING
KraussMaffei expands direct compounding
IMAGE: KRAUSSMAFFEI
Above: KraussMaffei is introducing its new Direct Compounding Injection Moulding (DCIM) machine at K2022
KraussMaffei is introducing its new Direct Compounding Injection Moulding (DCIM) machine at the K show, which presents moulders with the opportunity to compound their own formulations in-house and at the primary injection unit using recycled or virgin materials. Material savings up to 50% are possible. The DCIM unit is a complementary technology to KraussMaffei’s higher throughput Injection Moulding Compounder (IMC) system which features a twin-screw compounding extruder combined with an injection molding machine. That system requires a minimum of 2 kg for efficient operation. Its new DCIM unit consists of a single-screw extruder with a specially designed 30:1 L/D screw to produce homogeneous melt from a wide range of materials. The DCIM is installed in a piggy- back position directly over the injection unit of a standard hydrau- lic injection moulding machine. DCIM manages shot weights from 50 to 2,000 g and is typically linked to a KraussMaffei CX or GX series hydraulic injection moulding machine. The compounded melt is conveyed directly into the plasticising
unit of the injection machine in a single heating step without cooling or storage, eliminating a thermal history which reduces the potential for material degradation. The one-step process also trims energy consumption and reduces CO2
footprint. The DCIM and injection unit operate intermittently. The DCIM
extruder conveys material until the injection shot volume has been reached, at which point it stops. The DCIM restarts when the next shot begins to build. At the K show, a DCIM unit connected to a GX 1100-4300 injection press will produce a five-piece polyolefin collapsible crate in a 35 s cycle, using three scrap materials with different viscosities – a PP staple fibre fleece from masks, a shredded HDPE material used in packaging and HDPE blow moulding scraps from toy production. A masterbatch, stabiliser additives and a micaceous iron oxide are added in the process. The five individually moulded parts will be removed from the mould by a KraussMaffei LRX 350 linear robot and transferred to an automation station from Campe- tella which will assemble and stack the finished 1 kg crates. �
www.kraussmaffei.com
44 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | October 2022
vicinity of its test centre for bulk solids handling. A recycling test laboratory at the facility will be equipped with the most current technology for high-quality and innovative recycling processes to develop processing and product solutions for the mechanical recycling of industrial and household waste and for other recycling processes. Approach- es for every recycling process stage, including materials conveying, feeding, extrusion, pelletising and materials postprocessing will be investigated and evaluated. Gneuss will unveil a complete Omni recycling machine system at the K show that is designed for closed loop recycling of contaminated polyester, polystyrene or polyethylene reclaimed as post- consumer fibres or thermoform waste. The Omni system consists of a new 3C Rotary Feeder, a new MRSjump 70 extruder as well as Gnuess’ RSFgenius 90 melt filtration system and its online viscometer VIS equipment. The system can process 200 kg/hr of undried and uncrystallised polyester thermo- form reclaim, the company said. The new 3C Feeder is engineered to use low bulk density materials without any external pro- cessing steps. It consists of a conveyor belt that feeds the shredded reclaim material into the hopper where a fast-rotating disc with knives cuts, compacts, and pre-conditions the material. The knives add energy to the material which starts the process of heating and degassing before the material is transferred into the MRSjump extruder. The MRSjump extruder design is based on conventional single-screw extruder technology but features a Multi Rotation Section for material devolatisation, like the Gneuss MRS extruder, which is comprised of multiple satellite single screws, driven by a ring gear and pinion transmission that provides gentle yet efficient decontamination of the PET. The satellite screws rotate in the opposite direction to the main screw which disproportion- ately increases the surface exchange of the polymer melt. A large opening for venting that
Right: RSF Genius rotary filtration technology from Gneuss
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
IMAGE: GNEUSS
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