CHICAGO (July 14, 2 p.m. EDT) — Daca Instruments has developed a new version of its microcompounder that processes about 0.15 ounce of material.
The new model incorporates an upgraded controller unit allowing MicroCompounder to be controlled from a desktop computer. The software can govern the temperature and speed of compounding while recording the resulting motor torque and melt pressure. The software can create temperature and speed ramps to study the effect of processing temperature and mixing speed on the viscosity of the polymer. The new model also can be operated manually if a computer is not available.
The MicroCompounder mimics the mixing behavior of large, twin-screw compounding machines, according to Goleta, Calif.-based Daca.