Giant tandem compounders.

Two huge tandem twin-screw compounding lines are on order from Coperion Werner & Pfleiderer in Germany for delivery in early 2007 to Saudi Arabia. These newly developed ZSK NT lines will consist of a ZSK 320 co-rotating extruder with screw speed up to 500 rpm, followed by a ZSK 380 with screw speed of 80 to 150 rpm. The first stage melts the polymer. The second stage, with its own motor and gearbox, homogenizes the polymer and builds up pressure to pelletize. No melt pump is needed. Each line will produce up to 110,000 lb/hr of bimodal PE.

Coperion (U.S. office in Ramsey, N.J.) previously delivered around a dozen smaller tandem ZSK lines for two-step compounding applications such as reactive extrusion in the first stage followed by alloying or addition of fibers and fillers in the larger, slower second extruder. Tel: [phone] * PT Direct: 789LZ

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