Extrusion International USA 1-2020

34 Extrusion International 1/2020 COMPOUNDING The user had selected the COMPEO 88 following extensive series of tests on different compounding systems. One major factor was the particularly efficient dispersion of the high con- tents of liquid components and color pigment typical of masterbatches. The liquid additives can not only be fed in together with the premix in free fall via the large-area inlet but can also be injected directly into the melt via injection pins. Another deci- sive factor was the uniform shear in the process section, which prevents temperature peaks and thus enables precise temperature control just above the gelling temperature of the sensitive carrier material. The gentle yet emphatic pressure build-up in the conical twin-screw discharge unit also makes a signifi- cant contribution to achieving the stated goal of high process consis- tency and thus uniformly high prod- uct quality until formulation change. Due to the large number of small lots with a wide variety of formulations and colors that are typical of master- batch production, such changes may occur very frequently. As a result, the shows. The customer’s project man- ager is also thrilled and, in addition to the machine’s mixing properties and performance, is particularly keen to emphasize its simple, intuitive op- eration.” BUSS had presented the COMPEO 88 and 110 at K 2019 to join the pilot system COMPEO 55, which had al- ready been launched on the market. All three models are available with process lengths from 13 L/D to 25 L/D, the model size indicating the screw diameter in mm. Typical throughputs for processing thermoplastics are 150 to 300 kg/h (COMPEO 55), 600 to1200 kg/h (COMPEO 88) and 1200 to 2400 kg/h (COMPEO 110). With a process length of 25 L/D, the COM- PEO 88 is optimized for compound- ing black or colored masterbatches and, if required, can be fitted with one or two additional side feeders. modularity, accessibility and ease of cleaning of the COMPEO 88 were further major factors in the purchase decision. Dr. Philip Nising, CEO of the Buss Group says: “Our customer contacted us in 2017 with his demanding com- pounding task. Thanks to the open and determined cooperation, a solu- tion was quickly found that both sides found convincing and exciting. The COMPEO systemproved to be the ide- al basis for the combination of gentle dispersion and gentle pressure build- up in a flexible continuous process.” François Loviat, Head of Process at BUSS, adds: “By using the COMPEO 88, this manufacturer is following a growing industry trend of switching from traditional discontinuous batch processes to modern, continuous production which, thanks to opti- mal controllability, leads to uniform results and increases time- and cost- efficiency. Our COMPEO compound- ing systems, which have been tried and tested under harsh everyday production conditions, are designed to make this a smooth and seamless transition, as this present example First COMPEO Compounding System for Color Masterbatch in Operation Only announced to the plastics industry in the run-up to K 2019, a COMPEO 88 compounder fromBUSS is already in industrial use. The first user is a multinational masterbatch manufacturer, which has been producing color masterbatches with this system since late October 2019. BUSS’s technical center had previously optimized the screw configuration for this specific application – a service that is available to any customers with individual applications – so commissioning took just one week. Buss AG Hohenrainstrasse 10, CH-4133 Pratteln, Switzerland www.BUSScorp.com wire 2020: Hall 9, Booth C50 Gentle yet emphatic pressure build-up in the conical twin-screw discharge unit contributes significantly to high process consistency and uniformproduct quality (© Buss AG)