Coperion GmbH has improved the performance of its Kombiplast KP compounding system, making it more compact and energy efficient.
Kombiplast gives gentle compounding of heat- and shear-sensitive plastics. A two-stage compounding system uses a ZSK twin-screw extruder equipped with a ZS-B twin-screw side feeder and an ES-A downstream single screw discharge unit, that gently builds up sufficient pressure the next step in an EGR eccentric pelletizer.
Italian fittings manufacturer Formatura Iniezione Polimeri SpA bought the first unit of the new and improved series, a KP 62 Mv PLUS/200, is operating in the FIP factory in Casella, Italy. It is turning out PVC compounds at a rate of up to 1,600 kilograms (3,527 pounds) an hour.
The ZS-B twin screw side feeder uses Coperion's patented Feed Enhancement Technology. The feeding zone has a porous, gas-permeable wall section to which a vacuum is applied externally, sucking out the air between the particles and considerably improving the material intake capacity when processing feed-limited products such as dry blends.
The ES-A single-screw discharge unit is another improvement. The barrel is now cooled with water instead of a cooling fan. That cuts electricity usage and improves accuracy for setting and controlling the temperature profile.
Also, the knives can be set more accurately and the drive and rotor bearings have been improved on the EGR pelletizer.
Coperion is based in Stuttgart, Germany. Its U.S. headquarters, Coperion Corp., is in Ramsey, N.J.
Tel. 201-327-6300; email [email protected].