Extrusion International USA 4-2022

41 Extrusion International 4/2022 mous growth in recent years. These are often PVC-based formulations. In view of the sustainability dis- cussions, it is becoming ap- parent that PP will take on a leading role in this area and partially replace PVC. The requirements for floor coverings in terms of absence of tension, flatness and thick - ness tolerance are extremely high due to the following processing steps, such as printing, as well as the later application area. The semi-crystalline structure of PP makes the task even more difficult. It turns out, that for the produc- tion of environmentally friendly floor coverings made of PP the Multi-Touch roll stack from battenfeld-cincinnati is very suitable. This was clearly dem- onstrated in practical use by several first customers. This unique roll stack, equipped with up to nine cooling rolls for pre-calibration and re-calibration, ensures a long phase of intense con- tact between the board and the cool- ing rolls after the melt has left the flat die. The cooling of the top and bot- tom side takes place almost simulta- neously. In this way, a dimensionally accurate, visually attractive semi-fin - ished product with ideal flatness and lowest thickness tolerances is created, which is perfect for flooring applica - tions. Yet not only for floor coverings, but also for manufacturing refrig- erator panels or other surface panels made of PS or PP, the roll stack is in demand internationally and already being used in many countries. At the K booth, a Multi-Touch roll stack will be exhibited, so that interested custom- ers can exchange views with the rel- evant specialists about its wide range of applications, which even include the production of thin film smoothed on both sides. battenfeld-cincinnati also offers per- fect extruders for the PVC industry. The most recent proof is the new pelletiz- ing extruder series aglomEX, available either with or without electrically driv- en shear gap adjustment (EMS). These extruders are suitable not only for vir- gin material, but also for PCR goods originating, for example, from the Re- windo collection system. The immedi- ate eye-catcher on the model aglomEX 114 to be showcased at the booth is the processing unit lengthened by 6 D, with which all five models have been fitted. In this way, the extruders not only meet the demand of the PVC in- dustry for capacity to process a range of raw materials as wide as possible, but they also achieve up to 20%higher output rates in response to the general call for high efficiency. On course towards fully automatic extrusion lines Automation and digitization not only facilitate daily production process- es, but also fulfill the requirements for high efficiency in production, reduced set-up times and low scrap rates. Im- pressive examples are the systems de- veloped by battenfeld-cincinnati for pipe and sheet production and pre- sented at this year’s K. Fast dimension change (FDC) is a systemwhich enables changes of pipe dimensions within a wide range of diameters at the push of a button during production. Not only the melt gap on the pipe die, but also all downstream aggregates adjust themselves simultaneously to the new pipe dimensions without any manual intervention. So, pipe manufacturers are able to fill even small-volume or - ders efficiently and to minimize the amount of scrap as well, which makes their production eco-friendlier. Similar helpers in daily production are on of- fer for sheet and board extrusion lines. For instance, combined operation of the extruder and the melt pump in sheet extrusion significantly facilitates start-up. This saves time and costs and minimizes start-up scrap. Automatic adjustment of the flat-sheet die and the roll stack, as well as the roll com- pensation system, also simplifies the operation and increase the efficiency in production. At the K, battenfeld-cincinnati will also present Steady flow from its ex - tensive range of individual modules, which is the solution to reduce pres- sure fluctuations in PVC extrusion. In the counter-rotating conical twin screw extruders frequently used in PVC extrusion, pressure fluctuations inside the die are unavoidable, due to the chamber profile. Yet these fluctua - tions may degrade the quality of the semi-finished product. Steady flow takes care of measuring the pressure at the screw tip, and on that basis con- stantly readjusts the screw speed. This minimizes pressure fluctuations and consequently pulsations in the melt flow, which in turn ensures significant - ly better semi-finished product quality and reduces the amount of scrap. Gerold Schley is confident: “With our trade fair presentation, we will impres- sively demonstrate that we have un- derstood the needs of the industry and are offering solutions. These range from optimized individual compo- nents to complete lines, including digi- tization tools as well to facilitate daily production and to enhance production efficiency in every aspect”. He is look - ing forward to many interesting and above all face-to-face conversations in Düsseldorf. battenfeld-cincinnati www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com K 2022: Hall 16, Stand B19, FG -CE12 Digitisation