Davis-Standard Corp. (Booth N5107) has expanded its single-screw extruder offerings with the new Super Blue line, a lower-cost extruder family, officials said in an interview at the firm's booth.
The new lineup is an offshoot of D-S's Blue Ribbon single-screw machines.
Super Blue extruders range from 2- to 3.5-inch barrel versions, typically with 24:1 screws. Davis-Standard President Robert Ackley said production costs of the new machines are lower because they are based on standard components and some re-engineering.
Ackley and D-S vice president of marketing Hassan Helmy showed several other new extrusion products at the Pawcatuck, Conn., company's booth.
D-S's new line of vertical gearboxes are touted as high-torque, low-noise components that also save floor space. Helmy said tests showed the new gearboxes have noise levels of about 8 decibels lower than the quietest competing gearboxes. D-S claims its vertical versions have noise levels of 80 decibels or lower, typically what European processors aim for and about 5 decibels lower than the average gearbox operating in North America.
D-S has debuted wireless monitoring of extrusion systems by integrating its Epic III control system with wireless technology developed by Adaptive Instruments LLC of Hudson, Mass. D-S featured several wireless hookups to extrusion systems at its booth, including one monitoring a running Killion cast film line. D-S software allows one Epic III system to wirelessly monitor extrusion parameters and relay the information to another Epic III installation. Wireless monitoring and a hand-held display allow a supervisor to check the status of several machines while walking around the plant, Helmy said.
D-S wireless extrusion systems are commercially available.
Ackley said a nine-layer blown film die at the booth was the company's first to incorporate so many layers. It was sold to an undisclosed U.S. producer of barrier packaging. The die was displayed next to the new D-S automatic air ring for blown film.
A foam extrusion line displayed at the D-S booth underlined the firm's extensive work in the area. Helmy said one new D-S installation in Europe comprises a large twin-screw extruder feeding several large co-rotating single extruders making expanded polystyrene insulation board. He said the system makes high-quality EPS board at rates of more than 2,400 pounds per hour using atmospheric gases. A recent expanded polyethylene foam system makes very light product from a 44:1 counter-rotating extruder using atmospheric gases.
