Crown/CDL Technology Inc. plans to open a development laboratory at its Addision, Ill., headquarters.
The company will be able to conduct live demonstrations of twin- and single-screw extruders coupled to its Crown underwater pelletizing equipment.
Some processes available in the lab, which is scheduled to open sometime around the end of May, will include ceramic-titanium die designs, dry-face cutting, micro-pellet process development, nitrogen chamber pelletizing and nonimpact drying and cooling.
Under a new branding strategy launched in November, all CDL underwater pelletizing equipment is now known by the Crown brand name.
Crown/CDL said its newly patented designs and innovations in its pelletizers' water chambers, dies, cutter hubs and cutter blades eliminate problems such as die-hole freeze off, the generation of fines and polymer leakage.
The Easy-Flow anti-turbulence water chamber uses pressurized water to provide laminar flow in the direction of blade rotation, reducing the demand for horsepower to run the cutter-head drive. This also creates more consistent, uniform pellets by reducing turbulence inside the water chamber, the company said.
Anti-Freeze Dies use material technology that tolerates higher and lower operational temperature ranges without die-hole freeze off. That increased range allows hotter polymers to flow through the die, and much colder water to impact the cutting surface, the company said.
A Crown Flex-Adjust pneumatic cutter hub-adjustment design gives the operator a high level of control to set and monitor the amount of pressure the cutting blades exert on the die face.
Tel. 630-543-5240, fax 630-546-4656, e-mail [email protected]
