PSI-Polymer Systems Inc. has introduced a line of extrusion gear pumps designed for processing cross-linked polyethylene.PEX pipe is used for plumbing and radiant floor tubing.
PEX has presented a challenge for extrusion gear pumps, according to PSI-Polymer Systems. Gear pump shafts are lubricated by the material that the pump is processing, and it may take several minutes to travel through the bearing journals in the pump. That means the PEX material could cross-link between the bearings and shafts, causing the gear pump to freeze up.
In 2006, PSI installed a custom-designed extrusion gear pump on a PEX extrusion line at Vanguard Piping Systems Inc. (now Viega LLC). According to PSI, the pump significantly improved output rates, reduced scrap, improved gauge control and reduced gel formation. That installation led PSI to commercialize a new line of gear pumps for PEX.
PSI-Polymer Systems is based in Hickory, N.C.
Tel. 828-345-6264, fax 828-345-6265.