Modern Plastics Worldwide - October 2007 - dae uptlax

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Shredder
Production!
Understand.
Innovate.
Design.
Integrate.
Sterling-Hempstead shredder’s unique
ram feed design gets you maximum
throughput for a higher production rate.
What’s more, it can be easily stacked
over new or existing granulators.
You’ll also get:
• Flexible Speed & Cutter Arrangements to Meet
Changing Demands
• Elimination of the need to pre-cut large parts prior
to the granulation process
• Improved, rugged drive design for the tough applications
Sterling-Hempstead demo facility is equipped to handle multiple
stage testing including Shredder, Shredder/Granulator, or
Shredder/Granulator/Elutriation/Air conveying. Call us today
to schedule testing of your material.
* Shredder shown with optional feed ram.
135 Vista Centre Dr. • Forest, VA 24551
Tel: 434-316-5310 • Fax: 434-316-5910
www.Hempstead.SterlingBlower.com
Sterling-Hempstead Shredder Systems & Sterling Systems are divisions of The Sterling Blower Company
CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com
TECH TRENDS
From modular machines to modular
plants, several compounding suppliers,
including KraussMaffei Berstorff
with the pictured system, are promoting
full-stream compounding “plants”
that fit in shipping containers and can
be reassembled on site.
followed by the Middle East, which has seen an explosion in
resin production. “[Buss] would describe the compounding
market as strong and investing,” Richardson says. “As such,
resin prices would not seem to be posing a problem.”
More additive, less resin
Higher resin prices have pushed compounders, where possible,
to lower the amount of resin in a compound while upping the
amount of additives or active ingredient (see MPW July 2006,
Tech Trends, for initial report). Carlos Caro, project manager
at additive and color batch compounder Grafe Color Batch
(Blankenhain, Germany) continues work on lower resin loading
that goes back to 2002. “One of the main targets at Grafe
is to improve dispersion of the active substance in the final
product by decreasing at the same time the dosage of the masterbatch
and the quantity of the masterbatch needed.” Grafe
was founded in 1991, and currently has 220 employees running
15 production lines that serve clients in Germany, Austria, and
Eastern Europe from three business units—color masterbatch,
additive masterbatch, and electrically conductive compounds.
Caro said carrier resins like polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene
(PP) account for 70-90% of material costs in compounds,
and his company has had varying levels of success in lowering
the impact of that figure.
In a nucleating agent masterbatch, Grafe has achieved 50%
active substance, with antiblocking agent masterbatches at 40-
50% active substance (either silica or alumosilicate), and 30%
active substance for antifog film-application masterbatches. Multilayer,
polycarbonate sheet, UV-absorbing masterbatches have
reached 50% active substance; UV stabilizer masterbatches are
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