Strictly-Extrusion

Battenfeld China has launched a new single-screw extruder series for the Chinese market, incorporating a number of innovative features developed by its sister company, Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik GmbH of Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. The new single-screw extruders are characterized by a significant increase in throughput, especially in Polyolefin processing, although the processing length has remained unchanged. Moreover, there is an extensive choice of swarfless cutting devices at customers’ disposal to meet every possible need.
To boost their performance, the extruders have been equipped with more powerful motors and drives with higher torques. The direct drives are designed for easy maintenance and provide force transmission at a low noise level. In combination with new barrier screw geometries, which ensure excellent melt homogeneity at low temperatures, an average 20 to 25% increase in throughput can be achieved. With a screw diameter of 60 mm and an L/D ratio of 30 D, these single-screw extruders reach a maximum output between 370 and 400 kg/h in HDPE processing. The largest model of this new series, with a 150 mm screw and a processing length of 30 D, is suitable for the extrusion of 1200 mm HDPE pipes with an output between 1400 and 1700 kg/h.
Swarfless cutting - cleaner and more efficient
Cutting is the last step in plastic pipe production. Customers will undoubtedly appreciate finished pipe products that are neatly and evenly cut, with smooth cutting surfaces. This is easily achieved by a highly efficient swarfless cutter that produces no saw dust, so that subsequent inside and outside cleaning of finished lengths of pipe can be dispensed with. Battenfeld China has developed an extensive range of swarfless cutting units for pipe diameters from 10 to 1,200 mm.
The TU series of planetary cutting units

This series has been specially developed for cutting PE and PP pipes with diameters ranging from 40 to 1200 mm. Two independent round cutters act in succession, following a precisely timed sequence. The first round cutter is pressed against the pipe by a hydraulic cylinder for preliminary cutting of a chink. Then the second round cutter is able to separate the pipe smoothly without generating any swarf. Even thick-walled pipes can be perfectly cut by this method. The advantages are obvious:
• swarfless cutting for a cleaner production environment
• a noiseless cutting process
• pneumatically operated V-shaped clamping adjustable to different pipe diameters
• saw carriage via pneumatic cylinder
• electrical central height adjustment
Cutting units with MTV knives
These were originally developed for cutting PVC profiles. After extensive testing, this method was also applied to cutting polyolefin pipes. A motor-driven knife blade cuts the end of the pipe from top to bottom without generating any swarf, thus creating a perfectly smooth cutting section with almost no noise emission. MTV knives are suitable for cutting PP and PP pipes with diameters ranging from 16 to 125 mm at a maximum carriage speed of 10m/min.

The FK flying knife cutter

This cutter is specially designed for cutting small tubes and profiles that are usually produced at extremely high line speeds. Sometimes the cut lengths required for certain products are very short, in which case the cutter must be set at high cutting frequencies. By means of an impact cutter connected directly to an AC servo drive, FK cutters are able to cut tubes with diameters up to 63 mm and profiles with a maximum cross-section of 50 x 50 mm at a preset cutting frequency of up to 600 cuts per minute. The flying cutter has been proven as a cost-efficient concept for the production of small PE and PP pipes up to 63 mm in diameter with a maximum line speed of 30m/min.
Thus Battenfeld China offers an extensive range of swarfless cutting units from which processors may choose according to their need, either for new production lines or for retrofitting to upgrade their existing lines.

International film producer Treofan is to invest US$45m in a major expansion of its production and R&D facility at Zacapu in Mexico. The project includes installation of an 8.2m wide five-layer BOPP line from Brückner, providing a production output of 36,500tpa and a linear production speed of 525 m/min. “This investment is an important strategic step for Treofan towards strengthening our competitive position in the Americas and globally,” says Treofan chief executive Peter A Briggs. “With this investment we will be able to better serve our North American customers with reliable, high quality speciality products at competitive prices,” he says. Brückner has been appointed general contractor for the entire Zacapu project, managing everything from groundworks and building construction through to logistics and production equipment installation and commissioning.