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SITRAPLAS invests extensively in new machines and systems
SITRAPLAS, East Westphalian compounder for innovative engineering plastics solutions, is going on the offensive. With an investment of around one million euros in new machines and systems, the company is increasing its production capacity at its headquarters in Bünde. In addition, further expertise is being built up in the state-of-the-art technical center. The aim is to be able to meet customer requirements even more flexibly and to increase the sustainability of the processes.
Laboratory extruder in the pilot plant
SITRAPLAS, for example, is expanding its performance in the pilot plant with a ZSK26Mc18 laboratory extruder from Coperion. The configuration of the extruder complements the machinery with additional process options and offers proven plant flexibility for efficient production. Thanks to the new machine, SITRAPLAS can now develop innovative technical compounds even faster with a total of three extruders.
Underwater pelletizing complements pelletizing process
Another novelty: In addition to strand and dry cut pelletizing, underwater pelletizing is now also possible. The new system is ideal for processing thermoplastic polymers and can be used both in the pilot plant and in the production facilities. In the pilot plant itself, a multi-hole plate is available for this purpose. By means of different holes, a wide range of materials can now be achieved. The system is also extremely flexible when changing material and color.
Dosing technology from Brabender
SITRAPLAS is known, among other things, as a manufacturer of very close-tolerance translucent compounds with different color shades. For even more performance in this segment, the company is investing in the latest metering technology from Brabender. For example, an existing system has been supplemented by a DDSR40 2.0 twin metering screw. The high standard for optimum fine metering of additives can thus be increased even further. In addition, the unit allows the addition of difficult-to-handle bulk materials with advantages especially for transparent compounds.
In addition, SITRAPLAS has completely equipped the metering system of another production line with Brabender metering devices of the new Generation 2.0, which has a positive effect on flexibility, cleanliness, and changeover times. The metering differential scales ensure optimized regrind metering and increase the formulation possibilities of recompounds. Already, SITRAPLAS' Green Compound product group offers products of the highest quality, comparable to the properties of virgin material.
Gentle mixing of PMMA compounds
In order to guarantee the highest possible batch reliability, SITRAPLAS homogenizes all production batches before delivery. The newly installed Kreyenborg MBM mixer was specially developed for sensitive bulk materials and is thus ideal for this task. After all, gentle homogenization is enormously important especially in the production of PMMA compounds. Conventional mixing systems can mechanically stress the granulate and thus generate an increased dust content, which leads to a significant reduction in the quality of transparent compounds.
More energy efficiency in material handling
For the planning of the investments, the company uses the data of the energy management system "econ". In fact, the entire product process at SITRAPLAS is digitally connected and is also monitored by econ with regard to energy efficiency. In line with this, SITRAPLAS has replaced the vacuum pumps of the automatic material conveying system with particularly energy-efficient and quiet devices in a further investment step.
"With our investments in machinery and systems at the Bünde site, we can respond even more flexibly to customer requirements and increase sustainability at the same time. Our production is alreadyCO2-neutral today. We are currently working on calculating theCO2 footprint of our products according to the cradle-to-gate principle in order to create maximum transparency in this way," says Tim Hencken, owner and managing director of SITRAPLAS, giving an outlook on further activities.
