PTi sees momentum for small footprint extruder

Processing Technologies International LLC, based in Aurora, Ill., has big expectations for its small footprint Super-G HighSpeed extruder.

The company, which makes high-performance sheet extrusion machinery for the packaging, construction, automotive, and lawn and garden industries, among others, said its "tuck under" motor option can reduce the machine footprint on certain models by 33 percent.

During NPE, PTi will have its Super-G HighSpeed extruders on display at Booth W6744. The Super-G HighSpeed extruders are used for processing polypropylene and high-impact polystyrene for the packaging market.

PTi entered the high-speed extruder segment in 2017 when it first launched the Super-G HighSpeed. Matt Banach, senior vice president of sales and marketing, said customer response has been "overwhelmingly positive."

"At this point, we're kind of doing some research on what we call 'pounds output per square foot of plant space,' but we believe, right now, that we have the highest output per square foot in the world in terms of our Super-G HighSpeed design," Banach said in a phone interview.

The company's SGHS3000-36D model, for example, features a vertical U-configuration and tuck under motor, reducing the machine's footprint to 12 feet 8 inches compared with 17 feet 7 inches for the original model. It has a production output of approximately 3,000 pounds per hour.

PTi sold three Super-G HighSpeed extruders in 2017. Banach said the company has "a lot of interest in the machines going forward," while also acknowledging that the machines are a narrower offering compared with its conventional extruders and HVTSE (high-vacuum twin-screw extrusion) technology that have a broader range of material applications.

"What we've seen is, again, the specific application of high-speed technology has a lot of people excited because of that small footprint, but it's not necessarily the market direction that everybody is going for," Banach said.

Last fall, PTi finished up a $10 million expansion of its facility in Aurora, beefing up the original 60,000-square-foot plant by an additional 40,000 square feet. The expansion boosted capacity by 50 percent, the company said.

Today, the 100,000-square-foot facility on 7.3 acres includes about 120 employees and a 15,000-square-foot technology development center.

"We do all customer trials and demonstrations within that facility," President Dana Hanson said of the technology development center. "While we haven't had a grand opening yet … we've had a number of customers come through the facility and run trials, and it's just been a spectacular resource for us."

Hanson, during a phone interview, said the technology development center has room for two extrusion lines.

"Line one features our dryerless multi-resin technology, and it also features a horizontal G-series roll stand," Hanson added. "We're able to run relatively thin-gauge trials for customers, even south of 10 mil thick sheet."

PTi can run a variety of resins on the system, including PET, PETG and polylactic acid, which all typically require drying, in addition to filled and unfilled polypropylene, various styrenes, polyethylene and ABS, he said.

"The trend that we see our customers' customers pushing for are multi-resin solutions. … As prices fluctuate, [the supplier] can change resins on the same equipment," Hanson said.

Line two is the company's Super-G HighSpeed small footprint extruder.