Strictly-Extrusion

New extrusion dies with channels that allow both heating and cooling reportedly make more stable wood-filled profiles that are less subject to warping, sagging, or voids. Guill Tool & Engineering Co., USA, developed its Equaflow extrusion tooling specifically to solve problems in extruding wood-fiber composite profiles. However, they are also being applied to other tricky materials, such as a developmental composite filled with crumb rubber. Equaflow dies are available in two models: for wood-filled monolayer and coex profiles. Both die types can be either for hollow or solid core profiles.

If you have an older extruder that is underpowered by today’s standards, or one with a worn-out gearbox but a usable barrel and screw, upgrade it. Merritt Davis, Hamden, Conn., has introduced the first universally retrofittable, standard gearbox assemblies for 4.5-, 6- and 8-in. extruders of virtually any make. Adapters are available for a range of brands, including Sterling, Davis-Standard, NRM, Battenfeld Gloucester, Welex, and HPM. Merritt Davis offers helical, hardened, and ground double- and triple- reduction gearing.

Companies looking to outsource production of thermoplastic compounds or additive blends now can take advantage of a diversified supplier that is new, yet draws on extensive experience, manufacturing capacity, and technological resources, it was announced today by Teknor Apex Company. Now established as a separate division, Teknor Specialty Compounding directly operates manufacturing capacity at two U.S. facilities and regularly accesses the capacity of its parent company at eight other U.S. plants and one in Singapore. At the two primary facilities, the new division has added substantial new capacity, including a twin-screw extrusion line in Lodi, Ohio, USA, and a fully automated powder blending plant at Jacksonville, Texas, USA.

A 12-screw “ring” extruder is said to permit pelletizing reclaimed PET bottle flake without predrying. Developed by Buhler AG in Uzwil, Switzerland, the Model RE ring extruder will be part of an upgraded continuous recycling process for food-grade PET that will be installed late next year by Germany’s
Schmalbach-Lubeca AG at a plant in Beaune, France. The streamlined process will feed washed PET flake, without drying, into the Buhler ring extruder, which will remove moisture along with any organic impurities
or volatiles. The Model RE has 12 corotating, closely intermeshing screws arranged in a circle. Melt will then be pelletized and sent into a continuous solid-state polycondensation process, also engineered by Buhler, raising the PET’s I.V. to bottle grade again.

Advanced Extruder Technologies, USA, has launched a full range of single-screw extruders from 0.75 to 15 in. diam. with L/Ds from 4:1 to 50:1. Units can have smooth, grooved, and/or intensively cooled feed sections AET custom builds its Advantage series extruders for specialized applications like fibers and reclaim, as well as large units for compounding, sheet, profiles, pipe and film. For example, the firm built a dual-diameter extruder built for PS foam reclaim at 2000 lb/hr with 8-in. diam. feed section and 4.5-in. discharge.

Extrusion Dies, USA, has established Extrusion Dies UK in Leicester. Ist 3000-sq-ft facility will perform die rework and remanufacturing. EDI’s goal is to make the new subsidiary a comprehensive service center that provides technical service and spare parts. EDI, which claims to be the world’s largest supplier of flat dies for film, sheet and coating, also has an EDI Europe subsidiary in Wiehl-Hubender, Germany.

A polyethylene film which it is claimed could help make cars safer has been developed by Alpha Packaging Films. The film, known as FRG, contains a halogenated polyphosphate flame retardant and is intended for use in door liners. It was developed at the request of a company supplying door liners to British motor manufacturers. The industry safety standard calls for liners not to burn more than 100 mm in 60 seconds. Alpha says its FRG film does not burn at all. The halogenated polyphosphate flame retardant, supplied by Wells Plastics, was used as an alternative to antimony trioxide or other heavy metal synergists to prevent the generation of toxic fumes. Testing to the German dioxin ordinance has shown that the FRG does not contain or generate levels of brominated dioxin or dibenzofurans.

Akcros Chemicals America has launched a new series of „Interstab“ heat stabilizers for specific PVC-P applications. The stabilizers on barium/zinc basis has been developed at the request of a North-American processor. According to Akcros, the stabilizer ensures color fastness in thin-walled calender films and best possible adhesive strength of printing ink suitable for complex, high speed printing applications.

Cheer Young Machinery Works’ new 3-layer co-extrusion blown film machine, equipped with a 360° oscillating nip roller device, is available for greenhouse sheets, construction sheets, food packaging, and sacks. The roller device produces a more uniform and flat film, and the material composition can be 2-layer of A+B structure, 3-layer of A+B+C or A+B+A. The die head is made from a high quality alloyed steel with nitride and a quenching treatment prevents the transformation of materials under high temperatures. The flow channels are chrome plated and highly polished ensuring that they flow smoothly, thus eliminating any material obstruction.

Wood flour for extrusion applications is a growing market. Plastics veteran Bill Crostic and Jim Summers have opened Onaga Composites LLC, a company for compounding. The firm will begin producing wood-flour-filled polyethylene and polypropylene compounds next month in a 25,000-square-foot site in Onaga. It will operate a twin-screw extrusion line with annual capacity of 15 million pounds.