High Precision in Gravimetric Resin Blending

Plastics 101's - Session 7

Monday, October 11, 2021

3:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

(see full conference schedule)

Presentation Description:

The joining of plastic resins prior to processing, commonly referred to as "blending" is a critical part of molding. The addition of color and processing aid additives along with regrind not only increases the economical use of lower-cost base resins but actually establishes the performance characteristics of the final product. 

Many equipment manufacturers offer gravimetric equipment for this common process. But precision consistency is often questionable since there is a wide variety of methods used for the dosing and weighing of each ingredient. Further, acceptable blending performance relies on the blender's ability to thoroughly mix the materials to eliminate product variations. Lastly, to make the blending equipment truly useful to processors, its ability to be readily cleaned and prepared for rapid material changes is crucial for continued molding up-time. Additionally, easy programming and communication integration with other molding processes is crucial for efficiency.

In this presentation, Mr. Flockerzi will outline the specific details of a range of throat mounted (or floor mounted) multi-ingredient blenders that answer these common issues, resulting in highly-controlled blend ratios, easy use by shop personnel, and easy cleaning. Details that will be illustrated include:

• Unique “Double Eyelid” metering valves with 25 millisecond reaction time for precise dosing of resins, additives and regrinds,
• Easily removed stainless steel supply hoppers, that incorporate all metering mechanisms for easy cleaning, refilling, and servicing,
• An obstruction-free, easily-removed gravimetric weigh bin, free of wires and hoses for precise batch weight measurements and easy cleaning,
• The advantages of a one-piece stainless steel, round-bottomed, removable mixing chamber for truly homogenous blending of widely different ingredients, plus full draining,
• A touchscreen graphical control with capability to hold hundreds of recipes for easy recall,
• Connectivity via Ethernet, RS485 and USB ports, along with integration with supervisory control systems.

In addition to his detailed outline of the latest technology in blenders details, options for medical compliance, powders, precision dosing, high temperature materials and static elimination will also be overviewed.