Extrusion Asia Edition 1-2021

新的环保禁令对于Asahel来说既是挑战也是机遇。公司将产 品全部切换为生物降解塑料。在科倍隆斯图加特实验室实验 成功并经过相关培训后，Asahel开始用一套 ZSK 26 Mc18实 验线在当地生产生物降解塑料，再将这些材料应用于下一步 自行生产可生物降解的袋子和包装制品。 T his new compounding equipment serves to expand upon Asahel Benin’s pilot system from Coperion which the com- pany has successfully used to manufacture biocompounds since Benin’s July 2018 prohibition of plastic bags and packag- ing. Asahel Benin processes these biocompounds on its blown film machines into biodegradable bags and packaging, making the company a pioneer among west African manufacturers of more environmentally friendly short-life plastic products. The new STS 65 Mc 11 extruder and its peripheral equipment are currently being installed on site. Asahel Benin will begin pro- duction on this machine in spring 2021. Compounding Technology with High Flexibility Coperion designed Asahel Benin’s compounding machine to be very flexible in order to achieve maximum freedom in the pro- duction of biocompounds. For example, thanks to the highly accurate Coperion K-Tron feeders, the system can handle a va- riety of raw materials, depending on the recipe. The four loss-in-weight feeders include two T35 twin screw feeders, one S60 single screw feeder as well as a liquid feeder. While the S60 single screw feeder offers an optimal delivery of free-flowing materials such as base resin pellets or granulates, the self-cleaning action of the T35 twin screw feeders makes them ideal for feeding particularly difficult powder additives, such as starch or calcium carbonate. Both T35 twin screw feed- ers are equipped with Coperion K-Tron’s unique ActiFlow™ smart bulk solid activator which reliably prevents the formation of material bridges or ratholes in the hopper. All four feeders are mounted on platform scales which feature patented Smart Force Transducer (SFT) single wire weighing technology. These scales provide accurate, stable and reliable digital load mea- surement under a broad range of operating conditions. Togeth- er with the fast sampling rate of the KCM-III feeder controller this advanced weighing technology results in extremely high short-term accuracy, which is particularly important in continu- ous extrusion processes. The biodegradable polymers are melted in the process section of the STS 65 Mc 11 extruder, and non-meltable components, such as starch, are plasticized. Intensive dispersion and devola- tilization of the melt results. After passing through the die head and nozzle the extrudate goes through a water bath for strand cooling, the strand surfaces are then dried using an air wipe, and the compound is finally pelletized in an SP 220 treasure strand pelletizer. Coperion ensured that all of the product-contact machine parts have high wear protection, further increasing operational flexi- bility. Asahel Benin will be able to process various raw materi- 33 Extrusion 1/2021 als, even highly corrosive and abrasive ones, on this compound- ing system for many years to come. Sustainable Corporate Strategy Since 2018, the import, production, sale, and possession of pe- troleum-based plastic bags and packaging has been banned in Benin. Prior to that time, Asahel Benin Sarl. had used both new PE pellets as well as recyclates for manufacturing the films that were then used predominantly in household products and in shopping bags for supermarkets. The new law was at once both a challenge and an opportunity for Asahel Benin. The company switched its production com- pletely to bio-based plastics. Following a successful test and training phase at Coperion’s Test Lab in Stuttgart, Asahel Benin Sarl. began manufacturing biodegradable compounds using a laboratory system built around a ZSK 26 Mc18 in its home country. The company then processes these materials into bio- degradable bags and packaging on its blown film machines. ➠ Coperion GmbH Theodorstr. 10, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany www.coperion.com 科倍隆楷创高精度失重式喂料机配有ActiFlow智能助流装置，能 可靠有效地避免料斗里形成物料架桥或老鼠洞 （照片： 科倍隆楷创，Niederlenz） Coperion K-Tron high-accuracy loss-in-weight feeders can be outfitted with an ActiFlow smart bulk solid activator to prevent ratholing and bridging of difficult powders (Photo: Coperion K-Tron, Niederlenz)