Plastics News Europe - October 2019 - 35

K2019 - MACHINERY

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Sales Director at Reifenhäuser
Blown Film. The measuring unit precisely records the topography of the
fine film web in order to then set
the optimum production parameters, resulting in greater process reliability and efficiency.
Reifenhäuser is also highlighting
its growing expertise in digitalisation.
"Our customers accumulate and
possess heaps of data but they lack
the expertise to deal with it," commented Dr. Benedikt Brenken, Head
of Business Development at the Reifenhäuser Digital business unit. The
company works with its customers to
analyse problems using data analysis
methods (big data, machine learning,
AI), fine-tuning the areas known in
the production process at an early
enough stage to prevent production
faults. Reifenhäuser is already offering the first products based on machine learning methods. Brenken advises users to change their thinking:
"The crucial question shouldn't be
how I can make a profit using data
analysis, but whether I can afford not
to get started with data analysis here
and now."
DAVIS-STANDARD L.L.C. (Hall
16, A 43) will be showcasing a range
of extrusion and converting technologies along with its recently acquired
businesses Maillefer International Oy
and Brampton Engineering and Thermoforming Systems L.L.C. (TSL). The
company will exhibit DS Activ-Check,
a "smart" technology system for continuous extruder monitoring, which
offers real-time notifications for potential failures. At K, the predictive
tool, which involves monitors and
sensors to check machine operations,
will be demonstrated on a profile line
using Microsoft Windows 10 on its
integrator EPIC III control system.
Another item on display will be
Bluebox, a Maillefer Industry 4.0 data
collection tool which has been developed for high-speed acquisition and
storage of data from all levels.
Maillefer will demonstrate an implementation of a smart factory, where
data from different exhibits, including
the stand itself are correlated into informative dashboards.
The company will also be promoting the new replacement for its existing GEC Extrol control systems: the
Italycs 5 control system for blown film
lines, co-developed by Gloucester Engineering and Brampton Engineering,
as well as the Vector air ring, boasting
new air control technology, which
provides stable air velocity to minimise variations in gauge across the
width of the film and is said to improve the uncorrected film gauge by
as much as 60 percent to 80 percent.

OCTOBER 2019

Ultra Flat Plus technology significantly improves the processing
properties of bio-based films

At K 2019, said Gerold Schley,
CEO of BATTENFELD-CINCINNATI
(Hall 16, B19), one of the oldest companies in the extrusion industry, the
focus is on 'sustainable solutions',
thus fulfilling the promise of sustainable production that the company has
made to its customers.
Battenfeld-Cincinnati is showcasing various single extruders, including
its latest innovation: the alpha plus.
This compact plug-and-play extruder
comes with the new BCtouch UX
compact control solution - easy and
intuitive to use even for those with no
prior experience of the equipment -
instead of a basic relay control. A
high-performance temperature-monitoring module is integrated in the
compact control system, which
comes in handy for temperature-sensitive raw materials in particular. Two
gravimetric dosing systems can also
be integrated in order to keep energy
and material costs to a minimum.
These features are interfaced using a
12" touch display panel.
As an example of its commitment
to sustainable solutions, the company
will also be showcasing the solEX NG
75-40D, a high-performance single-screw extruder offering outstanding melt homogeneity, low
melt temperatures, and low energy
consumption. It features an optimised

NG processing unit ("New Generation") that can also be easily retrofitted onto an older solEX model thanks
to a compatible basic structure and
drive unit. Battenfeld-Cincinnati is
also making the NG unit available for
the uniEX range of single-screw extruders, effective immediately. Here,
too, the unit can be retrofit onto older models.
Also on display: the STARextruder
120, dedicated specifically to processing PET and offering excellent degassing under low pressure, to prevent
material degradation. The extruder
boasts a central planetary roller section where the melted material is
rolled out into very thin layers, producing an enormous melt surface, for
easy degassing and devolatilisation.
The FDA-approved STARextruder can
be used to process both non-predried
new materials and any kind of recycled material.
The company's stand at the event
will also be showcasing three models
from its pipe range: its fast dimension
change (FDC) pipe head that enables
automatic pipe dimension changes
during production, plus two new spider NG PVC pipe heads. Like the solEX
extruder that will be on display, the
two spider heads (one mono-layer

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Plastics News Europe - October 2019

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