Extrusion International USA 3-2021

28 Extrusion International 3/2021 EXTRUSION INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS Processing Technologies International, LLC (PTi) www.ptiextruders.com ProcessingEngineer Technical Specialist Enrigue“Ricky”Torres „ Processing Technologies International (PTi) is saddened to announce the passing of one of its members on May 17, 2021 – Enrigue “Ricky” Torres. Ricky was a Processing Engi- neer Technical Specialist with PTi for 20 years, and had over 40 years of experience in the plastics industry. Having been a plant manager prior to working with PTi, he had both hands on experience and a thorough understanding of extrusion equipment and related processes, making him extremely knowledgeable and well respected among all that worked with him. Ricky set a high bar for himself in his professional life. He tru- ly characterized someone full of company spirit and enthusi- asm for the work. He loved this industry and the craft that he was so talented at – teaching others how to process plastic. Ricky is preceded in death by his wife Minerva and is survived by his two children and three grandchildren. Mourning The Loss Of One Of Their Own Automatically Hopper Device Enables to Accurately Dosing currently in operation. To make up for the space occupied by the insert, the complete hopper assembly includes an exten- sion to accommodate the desired quantity of material. The three large-capacity Maguire ® blender families, the 1200, 2400, and 3000 Series, blend up to twelve ingredients, using a wide range of removable hopper and feeder con fi gurations and numerous dispensing devices. The blenders handle rawma- terials in a variety of forms, including regular pellets and regrind, bulk powders, fl ake, and ingredients that are especially bridge- prone, such as wood fl our. As with other Maguire weigh scale blenders, once all ingredients are dosed into the weigh cham- ber, the batch falls into a mixing chamber. A microprocessor makes corrections from batch to batch, including adjustments to compensate for variations in extrusion rate or bulk density, maintaining overall batch accuracy to within +/- 0.1%. „ A pneumatically operated device that is deployed inside one of the hoppers in a gravimetric blender makes possible accurate dosing of regrind, recycled plastics, and other ingre- dients that tend to agglomerate or “bridge,” obstructing fl ow through the dispense valve of the hopper. Maguire has introduced the new “bridge breaker” for its three largest blender series, those with maximum throughput capacities of 5,000 kg/hr, (11,000 lb/hr) and capability of blend- ing up to twelve ingredients. The bridge breaker consists of: 1) hopper insert that directs material straight down onto the dispensing valve; and 2) a rotary device that operates auto- matically while the dispense valve is open. The device rapidly pulses between clockwise and counter-clockwise movement, enhancing material fl ow through the dispense valve. The hopper insert, which provides a vertical alternative to the sloping wall of the hopper, can be retro fi tted in any blender Blenders with Hopper Extensions Hopper Insert with Bridge Breaker MAGUIRE PRODUCTS, INC. www.maguire.com