Extrusion International 6-2022

55 Extrusion International 6/2022 been able to significantly increase the output of many of our products – ac- tually even more than I would have expected," Fehn reports. The out- puts of various polymers illustrate the better-than-expected results: "It's always highly product-dependent, of course, but we were nevertheless able to achieve significantly better per - formance with many compounds," Schirrmacher adds. The PEARLO pelletizer improved HEXPOL TPE's pelletizing productivity right from the start, to such an extent that other components, such as the extruder and screw configuration, also had to be adapted. To improve the efficiency of the overall system, HEXPOL TPE decided to purchase a new extruder with higher motor power. Extending by two additional cylinder zones also provides greater flexibility for compounds requiring a longer process length. Machine configuration delivers clear benefits for products and for staff The wide-ranging advantages for HEXPOL TPE's products were only one aspect in favor of the Maag PEARLO pelletizing system. The HEXPOL TPE management is always keen to pro- vide the best possible support to its workforce. Process engineering man- ager Dominik Fehn knows the every- day challenges in production well: "All the setup and cleaning phases, and each product cycle, are always hard work for our production colleagues," he acknowledges. Cleaning is often necessary, for ex- ample, before producing compounds that come into contact with food. The entire system has to be dismantled for the purpose. The process includes dis- mantling each component, removing the screw elements, and cleaning and sandblasting inside blast cabinets. "This thorough cleaning is very time- consuming," Fehn explains. "The whole process takes about 15 hours." Given those challenges, he was per- suaded not only by the PEARLO under- water pelletizer's process benefits but also by the option to mount the ma- chine suspended from above. In this top-mounted configuration, the floor under all the components remains freely accessible because the machine is suspended from an overhead rail system. Quick-adapter systems involve just one bolt, whereas twelve previ- ously had to be detached and refitted. "That saves a lot of time: What used to take an hour now only takes five minutes," Fehn reports. Also, much less force is required when a machine weighing 400 kilograms can be pulled along suspended from the ceiling rath- er than being moved on rollers. Maag offers two-axis machines that can be moved in two directions. This means production staff can clean and set up faster, and components do not have to be readjusted. "That's a major and crucial reduction in workload," Fehn states. In addition, the faster changeover times reduce energy con- sumption. Impressive results lead to new growth projects HEXPOL TPE has been able to sur- pass its limits and improve output with the newly installed Maag PEARLO un- derwater pelletizer. In fact, the com- pany's production management team has been so impressed with the system that it has purchased another one. The Maag pelletizing systems will enable HEXPOL TPE to improve its perfor- mance and boost its coverage of mar- ket demand, while at the same time tapping into newmarkets with growth potential. "Our production portfolio is broad-based in order to realize as many development ideas as possible," Dominik Fehn explains. He is con- vinced: "The new Maag PEARLO will give us the additional push we need." Seizing future opportunities HEXPOL TPE sees both the chal- lenges and the opportunities in the future of polymer processing. Manag- ing Director Jochen Schneider and his colleagues have a vision of creating a Smart Factory in the future – aim- ing, for example, to reduce media interfaces by transferring process pa- rameters directly and seamlessly from the ERP to the MES. Dominik Fehn is also looking at introducing Machine Learning, a component element of AI (Artificial Intelligence): "The extrusion line will be able to detect when there are product-specific deviations based on years of process analysis in polymer processing. The resulting algorithm will then automatically correct the necessary process parameters. The increasing digitalization and automa- tion will further reduce employees' workload, and boost our production potential." The Author: Michael Eloo Maag Pump Systems AG Aspstr. 12, 8154 Oberglatt, Switzerland www.maag.com HEXPOL TPE process engineering manager Dominik Fehn is convinced by the Maag solution The key element of the PEARLO system is the cutting chamber. Its knife configuration is based on a turbine; the water inflow is tangential