Small and large extrusion lines

On this year’s Fakuma edition the German company Leistritz Extrusionstechnik not only presented the new ZSE 27 iMAXX twin-screw extruder, but visitors also got the opportunity of gaining an insight - through a virtual tour - into a large-scale compounding plant.

When it comes to developing new formulations and processes or upscaling to production level with a throughput of up to 300 kg/h, a ZSE 27 iMAXX will be used.  “This twin screw extruder is a further development of our established ZSE 27 MAXX machine”, explains Anton Fürst, managing director at the German company Leistritz Extrusionstechnik. “We incorporated several novelties. In this realm we paid special attention to a user-friendly design”.

Compounders asked for more ease of use and efficiency. Therefore, the Leistritz designers reconsidered the existing ZSE 27 MAXX and redesigned it. The result is an R&D and small scale production extruder with an “i”ntegrated design.

The first striking feature is the missing control cabinet. It was eliminated by installing the whole extruder electrics including a new water-cooled frequency converter into the base frame. Thus, the extruder not only saves space, but also gets more mobile. “A further novelty is that we used a water-cooled Siemens motor”, explains Fürst. “It is smaller, but convinces with the same power”. An inspection window was inserted at the motor lantern in order to be able to monitor the safety coupling. The inductive sensor can easily be exchanged via the screw joint underneath the window – without having to dissemble the whole motor.

Besides the increased protection degree of IP54 (heating cartridges even IP65) the ZSE 27 iMAXX convinces because of its easy cleanability. The machine has a smooth surface and the base frame is powder coated. All cables are neatly housed in the supply frame. “As you can see we changed several things in terms of user and maintenance friendliness, but we perpetuated the technical advantage of the ZSE 27 MAXX: high torque and high volume”, adds Fürst.

But not only small machines are in the spotlight at the Fakuma: under the motto “Engineering live!” visitors have the opportunity of taking a look at a large-scale compounding line with a ZSE 27 iMAXX.

For the first time at the Fakuma, Leistritz offers the opportunity to take a virtual look behind the scenes of a large-scale extrusion line. “As system supplier, we engineered and built a polymerisation plant in Kazakhstan last year. The line realizes a throughput of 8 t/h”, Anton Fürst explains. “At our booth 6302, hall A6, it is demonstrated as a 3D animation”. Visitors can interactively see how the raw polymer powder comes out of the reactor and is transported in a nitrogen atmosphere over a distance of 350 meters to the extruder where it is stabilised against autoxidation. The most important stations are explained by films and further information. This ways one gets an impressive overall picture of a top-class compounding line.