Extrusion International 5-2016

It’s the “internal value”

that matters!

Right on time for the “K 2016”, the Krefelder company, known for developing high-precision rollers

for the plastic industry presents its newest innovation: ED1 – the 1st in a series of electronic measu-

ring tools for checking the temperature, pressure and flow rate. Developed in cooperation with the

Zürich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW.

The two managers, Stephanie Holzmann and Maria Barthels

Motivation

In order to influence the technical extrusion process in the

most detailed way possible and make it reproducible at any

time, the process technician requires as much precise detail

as possible. Centrally recording, visualizing and controlling all

nominal and actual values as partially prepared process data

is the standard today. Every bit of information helps monitor,

influence and control the extrusion process. However, to

date, important information about temperatures and pres-

sures in the roller is not even recorded. Only the heating and

cooling aggregate, which is sometimes set up in a separate

space, delivers process data that can be used to calibrate and

control the process. In addition, individual users install com-

plicated measuring devices before or after the sealing head

in order to get closer to the data in the roller. Though there

is certainly a correlation between the data from the heating-

/cooling unit and the actual data in the roller, without que-

stion, a direct measurement in the roller would be far more

precise.

Industry 4.0, Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT is the basis for the fourth industrial revolution. Commu-

nication between things like sensors and controllers, sensors

and process monitoring systems will lead to intelligent facto-

ries. The benefit to the user lies in the efficient use of re-

sources and an improved decision-making basis. Physical

objects can communicate with each other wirelessly via au-

tonomous, integrated systems and via the Internet. These sy-

stems are an integral component of products, devices or

Extrusion International 5/2016