THE STAFF MAGAZINE OF THE ELRINGKLINGER GROUP NO. 1 ...

All-plastic inlet pipes for the chemicals industry
The central gas infeed
and distribution system in
an all-PTFE design enables
homogeneous reaction
conditions across the entire
cross-section of the reactor
Pump housing production:
quantum leap in milling technology
36 TECHNOLOGY
HEIDENHEIM. ElringKlinger Kunststofftechnik
GmbH has succeeded in developing an
all-plastic system solution for applications in
large-scale reactors. The use of modified polytetrafluoroethylene
(PTFE) in conjunction with
a special welding technology means that the
inlet pipes, which are exposed to an extremely
harsh environment, can now be made entirely
of high-performance plastic. They are even
suitable for large-scale reactors with volumes of
over 20,000 litres.
Previously, enamelled or PTFE-sheathed
pipes had to be used as inlet pipes, especially for
liquid chemicals and gases. In special cases,
stainless steel or solid silver were used. Our new
all-plastic system solution is more cost-effective,
as well as delivering exceptional efficiency. This
is due to the fact that the distribution system
HEIDENHEIM. The largest component currently
produced by ElringKlinger Kunststofftechnik GmbH at its
Heidenheim site has a gross weight of 450 kilograms.
Milled PTFE components – especially pump housings for
medical applications, the semiconductor industry and
food production – are an integral part of our product range.
Having already introduced high-performance press
systems for the production of large-volume blanks, we expanded
our production capacities in July 2010 by adding
a state-of-the-art milling centre. This provides the basis for
highly economical machining even of large, complex components.
Using this process, the PTFE blanks are given their
final shape by removing chips from the material.
The mounting table of the new five-axis machining
centre measures 3.0 metres by 0.8 metres and is designed not
only for traditional milling but also for turning. Further
benefits in terms of efficient production: the milling head can
be rotated around 90 degrees, which means that even complex
components can be machined in just a few stages. What
is more, the tool magazine has 142 tools ready for use,
which significantly reduces loading times. The system can
also machine series components in parallel or be operated
in shuttle mode: the working area is then divided by a mobile
allows the chemical reaction to be processed
on a highly selective basis. To do this, the gas
distribution system is suspended in the reactor
dome and fixed into place. The gaseous source
material is introduced from above through a
central flange and fed through an all-plastic pipe
made of Dyneon TFM PTFE until it is in
close proximity to the reactor floor. From there,
the star-shaped “whisk” distributor swirls it
throughout the reactor as very fine bubbles. As
the reaction component rises, the reaction is
brought to completion. This produces virtually
identical concentrations throughout the whole
volume of the reactor. As a result, the formation
of by-products is suppressed and the yield of
the target product increased. At the same time,
the costs of cleaning the reaction mixture are
minimised. (Dr. Michael Schlipf)
partition wall. One side does the machining while the other
is responsible for loading. The milling centre is controlled
from a programming station. The customer’s drawing data is
entered, processed and transferred to the system via a data
cable. (Thomas Reindl)
The mounting table of the new five-axis machining centre measures
3.0 metres by 0.8 metres