New discharge unit for higher throughput and better quality

The efficiency of a production line can be considerably increased by the retrofitting of modern components. This is proven by the installation of a screen changer and a melt pump at a plastics producer in Far East.

The Asian producer of PP focuses on a completely new KREYENBORG discharge unit in his plant. Here a piston screen changer and a melt pump replace the present melt filter. The retrofitting had two primary goals: On the one hand an increase of the throughput capacity of the whole line, on the other hand higher filter fineness.

The filter area has been increased by the replacement of the old slide plate screen changer by a continuous KREYENBORG piston screen changer of the type LK-SWE. Thus – in combination with the melt pump – a throughput capacity of 9.000 kg/h is achieved, which is meaning an essential increase. Additionally the piston screen changer allows for a completely continuous mode of operation. For the change of the filter media the line must no longer be shut off, the production runs uninterruptible.

In order to achieve a higher filter fineness and thus to increase the product quality, a higher melt pressure became necessary. This pressure is realised by the new melt pump. In combination with the piston screen changer thus a quality filtration with high filter fineness can be effected without problems.

The complete discharge unit consisting of screen changer, melt pump and all adapters had been delivered by KREYENBORG. This optimally coordinated combination is ready-for-use for integration into the existing line. The revolutionary thing about that is that it might be completely laterally driven out of the line (for example for pulling out the extruder screw) for service purposes.

The retrofitting of existing lines in extrusion and polymerisation becomes more and more important in the plastics industry. Generally, the efficiency of the complete line may be considerably increased by the replacement or the addition of individual components. Throughput increases, quality improvement, use of recycling material or reduction of the operating costs are only some examples. An exact analysis of existing lines quickly shows improvement approaches. Again and again latest components of the KREYENBORG group – like melt filters and pumps – generate essential advantages in case of retrofitting.