Revolutionizing Extrusion at K 2025 with Digital Intelligence and Sustainable Material Savings
From October 15 to 19, Promix Solutions will exhibit mixing, foaming, and cooling solutions for the plastics industry at the K trade show in Düsseldorf at Hall 9, Stand E18. The Visco-P inline viscometer is used for real-time monitoring and process control, while Microcell Technology is used to save raw materials. Now, the inline viscometer can be connected to a dosing device via a closed control loop. This makes it possible to fully regulate the management of raw materials based on the viscosity measured during the production process, as in the case of controlling the IV value during PET processing.
Material is responsible for 80% of the CO2 footprint in extrusion. Promix is useful in this situation. By incorporating eco-friendly air gases into the polymer, Microcell Technology produces a microcellular foam structure. This results in substantial material savings by reducing the product weight by 20–50%. This lowers production costs while simultaneously safeguarding the environment.
Promix Microcell Technology works with nearly all polymers and is mostly utilized for films, sheets, foam core pipes, profiles, and cable sheathing. The use of Promix Microcell Technology is frequently encouraged by new foaming-related product attributes, such as weight reduction, enhanced heat or noise insulation, improved shock/impact absorption, light-diffusing optics, or other haptic and visual effects, in addition to the polymer savings.
At K, Promix will be showcasing relevant key components and providing information on the possibilities within the specific fields of application. One promising new field of application is the foaming of monofilaments. Promix is currently developing foamed monofilaments for artificial grass together with an industrial partner.
Microcell technology is available for both, newly planned extrusion lines and as a retrofit solution for existing lines. To date, more than 350 industrial references are on the market and various machine manufacturers are successfully integrating the technology into their lines.
Updated graphical user interface and optimized foam additives
The gas dosing system, the heart of the physical foaming process, has been equipped with a modernized graphical user interface for even easier operation. In addition, an improved grade of Procell nucleation additives is available, ensuring even finer cell structures. In higher dosages, it also acts as a foaming additive. This can be helpful in extrusion lines with very low throughputs or for preliminary testing, since additive foaming does not require any changes to the extrusion line. The experts at Promix will be happy to advise you.
Monitor and control raw material quality and process conditions in real time
The increasing use of recyclates and raw materials from different sources makes it more and more difficult to keep extrusion processes under control. The inline viscometer “Visco-P” measures the actual viscosity under processing conditions and in real time directly in the melt stream, without any bypass or loss of material. The maintenance-free measuring module, which is tailored to the application, homogenizes the melt without the risk of clogging, deposits or decomposition. The Visco-P is therefore ideal for recyclates as well as filled and shear-sensitive materials.
At the K trade fair, Promix will be demonstrating how Visco-P can be used to measure and control the IV value during PET extrusion. The system has a closed control loop into which a dosing device can be integrated As soon as the IV value measured in the production process falls below the target value, the software triggers the dosing of an IV enhancer until the quality of the melt has reached the desired level again. The same logic is possible in PP recycling by dosing respective chain extenders. Trend evaluations and reporting tools enable the measurement results to be recorded with statistical analysis. User-selectable limit values for the viscosity trigger an alarm and show the operator current deviations from the target value. This means that corrective measures can be taken immediately, even without a control loop.
The Visco-P inline viscometer is compatible with all common extruder types and almost all polymers and can be retrofitted to existing systems. All common interfaces are optionally available to flexibly network the new products with Industry 4.0 platforms.
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