Suppliers Showcase: Equipment.

Three-zone conveyor oven

The No. 794 is a three-zone, electrically-heated belt conveyor oven currently in use curing a cast silicone rubber layer onto steel rollers. This unit has a maximum operating temperature of 500 [degrees] F and a workspace of 30" wide x 96" deep x 24" high. The conveyor consists of an 18" long open belt loading zone, 36" long insulated unheated entrance vestibule, three 32" long insulated heat zones with independent recirculated airflow and temperature control, 12" long insulated unheated exit vestibule and 60" long open unloading zone. A 90 kw total heat input is installed in Ni-chrome wire heating elements, with 30 kw per heating zone. Three 1,000 cfm, 1 hp recirculating blowers provide vertical downward airflow to the workload. The No. 794 features aluminized steel interior and exterior, as well as 4" thick insulated walls, a three-pen, 10" diameter circular chart recorder and a 24" w, 1" x 1" flatwire conveyor belt with 1/2 hp motor drive and variable speed from 1.5 to 4.3 inches per minute. (Grieve)

Circle 100 on card

Injection molding screw

An injection screw has been designed by the company for multi-function molding applications for pre-colored or color additive processing. The Hi-Pro screw design optimizes mixing and temperature control which have required multiple screw designs in the past, according to the company. Unlike typical general purpose screw designs that rely on compression ratios, the Hi-Pro screw utilizes a special design barrier section in conjunction with the company's Super Stratablend mixing section. The benefits of the Hi-Pro design over conventional, general purpose designs are said to include faster recovery rates on a wider variety of resins, better mixing and reduced color additive loadings, improved temperature control and less downtime due to screw changes for different resin requirements, according to the manufacturer. The company specializes in the design, engineering and manufacture of feed screws and barrels for injection molding and extrusion, and chill rolls for sheet, film and other heat transfer material processes. (New Castle Industries)

Circle 101 on card

Twin-screw extruders

RSM Series tapered, twin-screw extruders are available in eight models, with outputs ranging from 990 to 33,300 pounds per hour. Drive motors of 25 to 275 hp produce controllable screw speeds from three to 15 rpm. The machines can be set-up to extrude profiles, or can be equipped with roller heads to produce sheet. Roller heads are available from 14 to 24 inches in diameter and with roll widths of 24 to 40 inches. Based on sizes of rolls and drive motor horsepower, the roller heads can produce sheet ranging from 20 to 36 inches maximum width. RSM extruders eliminate the need for a mill, according to the company. (Technical Machine Products)

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Sortation equipment

Standardized process equipment for rubber processing and tire manufacturing, and a complete line of sortation equipment for tire handling, are available from the company. The firm has developed a slab rubber cooling unit that reduces manufacturing and engineering costs through the standardization of the rubber process and tire handling equipment. In turn, the standardization provides quicker deliveries and savings for the customer, according to the company. The slab rubber cooling unit features automatic threading, precision stacking, auto skid handling, auto slitting and cutting, and optimal space utilization. The company also offers a complete line of tire sortation equipment, available with sortation speeds as high as 100 tires per minute. The product line includes the transverse-roller slat shoe sorter, specifically designed for the high-speed sortation of tires, so slats not associated with shoe motion are removed and replaced with narrow transverse-oriented conveyor tread. This allows the product to be rolled to the side of the conveyor rather than being forced to slide across slats. (Mathews Conveyor)

Circle 103 on card

Pin barrel rubber extruder

The redesigned HRX-P series of pin barrel robber extruders offers a modular door design for improved feeding of compounds, fewer trailings, and is interchangeable with any OEM extruder. This extruder carries an optional five year guarantee on barrel wear. The variable speed feed roll assembly is said to offer uniform feeding, which eliminates the direct gear and requires less maintenance, according to the company. Other features include an air over hydraulic mono-clamp front end arrangement, space saving tuck-under motor with direct drive, eliminating belts or sheaves, power feed roll door assembly, larger feed section opening which can be fed left handed or right handed, and an accessible feed section door for easy cleaning, according to the manufacturer. (NFM Welding Engineers)

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Polyurethane dispensing

The AlphaRim is a state-of-the-art high-pressure polyurethane dispensing machine. By using an innovative approach in hydraulic design, the company's engineers are said to have succeeded in combining the mixhead and pump hydraulic systems on the same platform, and were able to then eliminate the separate hydraulic power pack. A single hydraulic tank is partitioned to prevent any chemical contamination. The result is said to be a very affordable machine that is suitable for manufacturing a wide variety of polyurethane products, like decorative molding, leisure products, medical appliances, furniture and more, according to the company. The AlphaRim can dispense both filled and unfilled materials. Outputs range from 8 to 40 pounds per minute, and variable ratios can be specified from one to four and four to one. Metering accuracy of +1/2% is said to be attainable. Shot to shot consistency and temperature control are said to be exceptional, according to the company. Another benefit is said to be the reduction in size, with a footprint of only 4' x 9', including raw material tanks. The AlphaRim offers all the features found on the company's other models, including CDC metering pumps, self-cleaning mixheads, touchscreen programmable logic control and more. (Gusmer-Admiral)

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Inert atmosphere oven

The company's inert atmosphere batch oven is said to feature tight temperature uniformity and an inert environment, resulting in higher yields in pharmaceutical and medical implant manufacturing, and electronics and rubber processing, according to the company. Pressurized nitrogen injected into the chamber displaces air and reduces oxygen content to less than one percent. The resulting inert atmosphere is said to prevent oxidation and boost yields. Available in maximum temperature ranges of either 650 [degrees] F or 1,000 [degrees] F, the oven features a tight temperature uniformity of [+ or -] 1.5 [degrees], according to the manufacturer. Dry heat exchangers facilitate cool-down without reintroducing oxygen. The programmable temperature controller is said to allow a variety of profile options for varying purge, ramp-up and cool-down sequences. (Despatch Industries)

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Gravimetric blenders

The company is said to have increased the batch-to-batch accuracy of minor-ingredient dispensing in its gravimetric blenders. The enhanced performance is said to make possible unprecedented precision in obtaining the desired ratio of ingredients in batches that include minute amounts of additives, even additives that until now were difficult to dispense accurately. Based on proprietary software, this advance is said to enable molders and extrusion processors to dispense exceedingly small quantities of additives that vary in pellet geometry, bulk density or flow properties, without compromising product quality and consistency, according to the manufacturer. The company's gravimetric blenders use a batch process and weigh each ingredient separately to control levels of colors and additives. Once the operator sets the desired percentages of resin, regrind, color and additive, the microprocessor controller automatically adjusts material dispenses to maintain the preset batch ratio. (Maguire Products)

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Adhesives dispensing

The See-Flo IPD integrated pneumatic dispense system is said to reliably dispense extremely high volumes of adhesive in a controlled, variable spray pattern. Engineered for use with a broad range of material types and viscosities, the system is designed to dispense, or spray, high viscosity single-component mastics or sealers in automated or robotic applications. The system is typically temperature-conditioned to insure consistent material viscosity and allow the IPD's variable pneumatic drive assembly to maintain proper tip pressure. See-Flo IPD systems utilize rod displacement metering and incorporate positive-displacement metering cylinders with the company's quick-change seal cartridge design. This modular cartridge extends seal life and promotes ease of maintenance, according to the company. The air-driven system includes an integrated pneumatic drive. (Sealant Equipment & Engineering)

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