fiberEX - Extrudia

fiberEX
The extruder series for
processing wood plastic composites (WPC)
and natural fiber composites (NFC)
Setting standards - your partner for successful WPC/NFC production
The fiberEX extruder series was designed especially for the production of wood plastic composites (WPC) and natural fiber composites (NFC). With an output window of 15 – 1,000
kg/h the machine series exactly meets the requirements of the WPC/NFC industry for maximized process stability for all output ranges. Based on its long-term expertise battenfeldcincinnati offers solutions to process a wide variety of raw material combinations. Maximized flexibility is ensured by a modular extruder concept for direct extrusion as well as the
two-step production process. The fiberEX extruder series is built and designed in Vienna, at the group’s competence center for counter-rotating twin screw machines.
At battenfeld-cincinnati a team of specialists is dedicated to continuous product and process improvement by ongoing developments. Together with its worldwide network of
competent partners specialized in raw materials, formulation development, tooling, as well as feeding and dosing solutions, battenfeld-cincinnati is able to give the best possible
support to start-up and successfully run a WPC/NFC extrusion business.
Our features:
fiberEX extruder series with screw diameters from 38 to 135 mm
for outputs from 15 to 1,000 kg/h
Diverse screw geometries for processing WPC based on a variety of
different raw materials and their combinations
Modular dosing and feeding solutions for all materials, even bulk
materials showing poor flow behavior
Optimized degassing solutions to maximize the achievable
processing window
Diverse metallurgical solutions for wear protection with in-house
technology
Your benefits:
Expertise gathered by more than 260 lines placed worldwide
Modular machine concept for direct extrusion as well as extrusion in the two-step process
Partnership with leading system suppliers in the market along
the whole supply chain
Enhanced lifetime of screws and barrels
Complete solutions from formulation development to equipment design
End products and markets
Definition
NFC are composite products consisting of natural fibers, mainly thermoplastic polymers and additives to improve and tailor
the required properties to the end application. WPC is a sub-category of NFC, indicating that the fiber originates from a wood
source. Formulations using more than 20% fiber fall under the definition of WPC/NFC (in terms of processing equipment).
Final products
WPC/NFC end products are often a substitute for wood products, but are beginning to come into their own international
market. 75% of the total market volume is still found in the outdoor sector, although indoor applications are gaining in
importance.
Outdoor applications:
© NATURinFORM GmbH
Indoor applications:
© plasticWOOD
Decking
Railing
Fencing
Siding
Noise barrier wall panels
Sight screen shades
Properties (USPs):
Splinter-free
Slow fading/color sustaining
Flexible in design and surface structure
Repellent to moisture, fungi and termites
Low thermal expansion and weathering
Doors/door frames
Furniture
Skirting
Window sills
Decorative sheets
Properties (USPs):
High acceptance in humid and
hot climates where MDF is not
a suitable alternative
© Resysta
© CorrectDeck®
© Resysta
Markets
The biggest and most established market is North America where WPC/NFC products have a long tradition and therefore higher acceptance.
In Europe, the market first took off in 2003, when a volume of over 40,000 tons per annum was reached. In Asia, there are well-known markets like South Korea
and Japan with an established market acceptance of fiber composites. China also shows dynamic growth and a high number of new applications, although
the history of WPC/NFC in this area is relatively short.
battenfeld-cincinnati has served the WPC/NFC industry from day one and has dedicated a tailored machine series – fiberEX - to the processing of WPC/NFC.
Examples of surface treatments for end products:
© photo by courtesy of EINWOOD
Embossing
Brushing
Sanding
Material composition
WPC/NFC formulations consist of two main components:
1. Natural fibers (all fibers available throughout the year in a constant quality); these conventionally represent the main component by weight percent (wt%)
2. Polymers which essentially act as the “glue” between the fibers. Apart from very few exceptions there are three thermoplastic polymers available for WPC/NFC formulations: PP, PE, PVC
The limiting factor in the choice of polymers is their melt temperature which should not exceed 200°C to avoid fiber degradation or burn. Recycled grades of polymers can be used as well, depending on
their availability and quality/purity.
To tune the mechanical and physical properties to the desired application, a variety of additives are available. This is why formulations often have more than two (maximum up to seven) components,
depending on the complexity of the specifications or end products.
To ensure a high quality end product and lean process, the following three
key project phases are recommended:
1. Exact product definition:
a. Product placement in the market
b. Specifications of technical properties
Natural fibers
Polymers
Wood
Rice husks
Bamboo
Palm
Flax
etc.
PP
PE
PVC
Recycled grades of PP,
PE or PVC
Additives
Fillers
Lubricants
UV-stabilizers
Coupling agents
Pigments
Fungizides
etc.
Calcium carbonate
Talcum
Different mineral
fillers
2. Formulation development:
a. Based on the requirements under point 1.
3. Equipment
a. Designed for the formulation developed under point 2.
Processing WPC/NFC – producing high quality end products
Not only the right formulation but also the way it is processed and homogenized are crucial for producing a first class end product whith enhanced properties. There are several
methods to manufacture WPC/NFC products, because industrial trends and standards have changed over the years. battenfeld-cincinnati offers system solutions for both the process
itself and process support. In the industry, two basic extrusion processes are distinguished:
Processing trends
In recent years, a strong international trend towards co-extrusion has developed. Co-extrusion technology reduces material costs, the main cost driver in manufacturing, and was already well-established in
the polymer industry. The principle behind co-extrusion is the reduction of cost-intense materials (pigment, UV-stabilizer…) in the core of the profile, while the high quality outer layer ensures best product
performance and aesthetic appearance.
Inner layer:
Outer layer:
Higher ratio of recycled material
Less/no pigments
High content of UV-stabilizer
Less/no UV-stabilizer
etc.
Virgin material
Lower fiber ratio
High content of UV-stabilizer
High pigment ratio
battenfeld-cincinnati offers a high variety of co-extrusion solutions and retrofits to equip new and existing lines:
Conventional system – both extruders side by side
on the production floor
“Space saver“ execution: co-extruder on a pole
“Piggy back” execution: co-extruder mounted on top of the
main extruder
Dosing:
Tailored and patented dosing solutions even for raw
materials which tend to aggregate and bridge
(Pat. Nr. DE 103 16 232)
System solutions:
With its wide network of partners battenfeldcincinnati offers complete extrusion lines – from
conveying the material into the extruder, to shaping the product with a tuned tool, calibrating
and cutting it into a sellable product
Gear box:
Solid gear boxes provide high security
and torque for maximized efficiency
and energy transfer into the material
Barrel and screw tempering:
As standard, barrels are fully insulated
using the apc® cooling system to ensure
homogeneous temperature distribution
Screws are tempered with the maintenance-free, closed Intracool® system
Screw geometries
battenfeld-cincinnati’s screw geometries are based on more than
25 years of expe rience in the market and more than 260
machines sold
Tailor-made concepts focusing on gentle plastification, maximized
venting and homogenization at high output levels
Screws are designed and manufactured in Europe
Wear protection:
As standard, screws and barrels are executed in tungsten carbide to
ensure enhanced lifetime
To compensate for the corrosive and abrasive nature of WPC/NFC
materials, battenfeld-cincinnati offers a wide variety of wear protection
solutions using in-house technology
Venting port:
An engineered venting port provides enhanced degassing capcity
to ensure maximum process stability and low maintenance for
high outputs
Two separate venting ports are used for larger output ranges
Degassing:
Engineered filter systems can be quickly maintained without
tools and during production
Depending on the extruder size, the execution and number
of filters can be adapted
Schematic drawing of a complete line/possible line configuration:
Tipping table
Saw
Surface treatment
Brushing
Sanding
Embossing
Haul-off
Calibration
and cooling
tanks
Shape-giving
tool
Extruder:
Surface treatment:
Brushing (predominantly in
Europe and Asia)
Sanding (mainly in Japan)
Embossing (wide-spread in the
USA and China)
Co-extrusion surface effects
Downstream: calibration
& cooling
Compared to other extrusion
processes, WPC/NFC do not have
to be calibrated extensively
The cooling length is often shorter than in conventional PVC
extrusion processes due to different flow behaviors
Tooling:
The tool’s task is to shape the
melt to an end product with defined dimensions within tolerances and with high surface
quality
The extruder’s task is to process
the material very gently to avoid
fiber degradation, and at the
same time to provide the necessary mixing and homogenization
capacity
The extruder must provide the
best possible melt quality for the
next process step: shaping the
product
Extruder
including
upstream
Upstream:
When conveying WPC/NFC
materials it is crucial to avoid any
segregation of the material or
particle sizes
The gravimetric dosing unit has
to be designed for WPC/NFC
materials and has to compensate the potentially fluctuating
bulk density and different flow
behaviours
fiberEX output range
The extensive output range of battenfeld-cincinnati’s WPC/NFC extruder series
Output range* kg/h
Output range* kg/h
Extruder
Extrusion of compound/pellets
fiberEX 38
20 - 60
fiberEX 50
fiberEX 72
Direct extrusion/compounding
Extruder
Extrusion of compound/pellets
Direct extrusion/compounding
15 - 40
fiberEX 93
200 - 400
100 - 300
60 - 130
40 - 100
fiberEX 114
250 - 600
200 - 450
90 - 275
70 - 210
fiberEX 135
500 - 1,000
380 - 750
WPC high performance
Extrusion of compound/pellets
extrusion
Direct extrusion/compounding
Twin strand extrusion
WPC sheet
1,000
2,000
Solid profiles, panels
Output range *
Output range *
> 3 kg/m meter
weight
Standard
WPC co-extrusion
500
Laboratory applications
Small profiles
applications
< 2.5 kg/m
Hollow decks
< 3 kg/m
meter weight
1,000
meter weight
WPC co-extrusion
Laboratory applications
220
100
kg/h
fiberEX 38
fiberEX 50
fiberEX 72
fiberEX 93
fiberEX 114
„flex vent“ System
* Actual achievable output depends on residual moisture content, formulation, bulk density, tooling and downstream;
reference outputs achieved with conventional compounds available on the market
fiberEX 135
„twin vent“ System
lbs/hr
battenfeld-cincinnati
Austria GmbH
battenfeld-cincinnati
Germany GmbH
battenfeld-cincinnati (Foshan)
Extrusion Systems Ltd.
battenfeld-cincinnati
USA
Laxenburger Str. 246
1230 Wien
Königstraße 53
32547 Bad Oeynhausen
2 Jinxiang Road, Daliang, Shunde
Foshan, Guangdong
823 South Bypass, P.O. Box 832
McPherson, KS 67460, USA
P +43 (1) 61006-0
F +43 (1) 61006-8
P +49 (5731) 242-0
F +49 (5731) 27124
P +86 (757) 2997 5318 / 2238 0110
F +86 (757) 2997 5631 / 2221 1801
P +1 620 241-6843
F +1 620 241-0207
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com
www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com
www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com/china
www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com/usa
Edition 3: 04-2015
Subject to technical alterations.