American Leistritz Extruder Corp. showcased its Nano-16 entry for the medical market at NPE2009 in Chicago.
The Somerville, N.J., firm operated the Nano-16 twin-screw extruder publicly for the first time, processing batches weighing 0.7-3.5 ounces. Its microplunger feeder is designed to for ultralow rates of feeding. The plunger is a positive displacement device that can meter materials in a wide range of forms, including powders, granules, pastes and water-based slurries.
The processing section features a 16-millimeter screw with a 1-millimeter flight depth. Free volume is only 0.9 cubic centimeters per diameter, the lowest volume available for a twin screw that is scalable to production-class machinery, Leistritz claimed.
Other features include segmented screws and barrels and a control and data acquisition package with a torque sensor load cell integrated into the drive train. The Nano-16 is easily converted to a Micro-18 process section, by exchanging the barrels and screws, for processing one-half to 15 pounds per hour.
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