Extrusion International 3-2023-USA

32 Extrusion International 3/2023 INDUSTRY NEWS These Class 3 and 4 breaker plates are available for CSC (continuous) and DSC (discontinuous) bolt-type screen changers and MSC (manual) slide plate screen changers. When space and screen life are considerations, an oval screen pock- et offers significant productivity advantages, according to the com- pany. Available for bolt-type screen changers, the elongated pocket increases the filter area by roughly 168+%. This can be generally equiv- alent to upsizing the screen changer 1-1/2 to two times the model size but with the space envelope of the smaller screen changer. Pressure drop across the screen pack is lower, yielding higher throughput rates given the lower average back pressure. Shear stress is lower, boosting melt integrity. Screen life is roughly linear to the area increase, yielding an increase in time between screen changes. For processes where recycle mate- rial can contain ‘bursts’ of contami- nants, the longer screen life allows the operator longer intervals be- tween screen maintenance. This option is only available for new ma- chines due to the custom housing and bolts. PSI-Polymer Systems Inc. www.psi-polymersystems.com Breaker-Plate-Class 2-4 New Application Development Laboratory in China Opened  Solvay has officially opened an - other application development lab (ADL) in Shanghai to expand the global footprint of its research and innovation capabilities. The open- ing ceremony of the new lab on May 12th was attended by Solvay’s Chief Technology Officer Nicolas Cudré-Mauroux and Andrew Lau, Senior Executive Vice President of the company’s Materials global business unit, and Francesco Triulzi, Head of Application Development Labs, Solvay Materials. “There is an enormously growing demand for new application de- velopment in various Chinese key industries, such as automotive, life sciences and electronics,” states An- drew Lau, and adds: “Our new ADL addresses this trend with a signifi - cant investment aimed at respond- ing to local market needs faster and with greater proximity to customers than ever, providing tailored high- performance material solutions.” With a team of some 30 highly qualified and experienced scien - tists, engineers and technicians, the Shanghai ADL will be fully equipped to advance custom-tailored appli- cation developments using state- of-the-art Solvay technologies. An Innovation Workshop will coordi- nate the resources to accelerate the implementation of local solu- tions through world class simula- tion, prototyping and performance evaluation services, complemented by various dedicated process equip- ment, such as for 3D printing, extru- sion and noise-vibration-harshness (NHV) improvements. “The new ADL will follow a triple strategy focusing on local-for-local, global-for-local and local-for-global innovation,” explains Nicolas Cudré- Mauroux. “Unique facilities to sup- port these efforts include a semi- conductors clean room environment enabling high-purity and high-tem- perature testing, separation capabil- ities for hemodialysis and water fil - tration applications, and a functional and industrial coatings facility.” Solvay www.solvay.com Solvay has opened an advanced Application Development Lab (ADL) in Shanghai, fully equipped to accelerate innovation in various Chinese key industries using the company’s state-of-the-art material technologies (Photo: Solvay)