The demands on plants, processes and equipment are constantly increasing. So to live up to the demand for greater
efficiency, higher throughput and lower reject rates, Witte Pumps & Technology GmbH has completely overhauled its entire
range of polymer pumps. In a bid to achieve more throughput, gentler handling and greater energy efficiency, the pumps in
both the BOOSTER and POLY ranges have been entirely reworked.
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| POLY-AT vs. BOOSTER-AT |
The result is a redesign that impacts on all core components: friction bearings, housings and gear shafts have all been
modified. From a technical perspective, this has meant real advantages in terms of conveying properties and product
qualities thanks to the reduced heat input, lower shear and shorter dwell times of the polymer in the smelting reactor. What's
more, the optimised gear shafts and modified housing geometry facilitate significantly higher throughputs than with pumps of
the same footprint in the previous design. This in turn allows for increases of up to 40% without changing the installation
size.
A further advantage for customers is that the core components of both series are interchangeable: the friction bearings and
gear shafts are designed to fit both the BOOSTER and POLY series in the corresponding sizes. This is a real bonus for
customers as it cuts right down on their storage requirements.
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| POLY-AT |
The POLY series also offers exceptional flexibility when it comes to installations beneath the polymer melting reactor.
Customers can choose from three different flange geometries to ensure they are always benefiting from the best
combination of reactors and pump flanges from both a technical and economical perspective. In the original version (SX),
the flange geometry is integrated into the housing. This option is the most cost-effective for customers and requires the least
amount of installation space. The version (MX) featuring blind holes in a flange that protrudes over the housing offers the
maximum cross section to ensure the lowest possible pressure losses. This version is generally used for extremely highviscosity polymers. The range is rounded off with a flange with through holes. This version (LX) offers maximum installation flexibility with only minimal pressure loss.
All sizes and flange geometries are available with connections that comply with EN 1092-1 and ANSI B16.5. It goes without
saying that the company also offers housing variants for replacing existing pumps and debottlenecking, not to mention
solutions for special requirements based on customer requests. By standardising on three gear widths for each centre
distance, the distances between the respective pump sizes have been significantly reduced. This means it is now easier
than ever to select the best possible – and therefore most cost-effective – pump size for each application.
The new gear geometries facilitate differential pressures of up to 320 bar for selected pump sizes. What's more, the new
design is rounded out with the usual variety of different material combinations. The most common of these combinations has
to be a stainless-steel or carbon-steel housing with tool steel or aluminium-bronze friction bearings.
The pump portfolio now spans from 611 to 21,500 ccm/revolution to cover all common polymer applications. An expansion of the range is set to be rolled out gradually.
Customers are invited to visit the Witte team at this year's K Messe, which will be taking place in
Düsseldorf from 16–23 October. Visitors will have the opportunity to design their own ideal pump using the on-site
configuration tool to get an idea of how their model would look. The booth will feature a version of the new BOOSTER along
with a model from the POLY series.
