Kautex Maschinenbau: More efficient production with new purging compound

As energy costs continue to rise, improving efficiency in production is becoming an increasingly important issue. For equipment used in extrusion blow molding, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH (www.kautex-group.com) has now developed Kautex Purge, a new purging compound that not only boosts production output but also results in a significantly improved product quality.

Fast and thorough
Purging the extruder and the parison die head with Kautex Purge considerably reduces the need for mechanical disassembly. The compound removes plastic residues and contamination fast and conveniently allowing faster color and/or material changes. At the same time, regular purging helps to minimize machine downtimes by better maintaining critical components. Finally, scrap rates and material losses that result from normal purging are reduced considerably.

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Simple application
The new purging compound is fed into the extruder barrel same as regular material and, depending on the type of residue, plasticized at temperatures ranging from 180° to 300°C. The purging compound pellets soften, expand and clean screw, barrel and head. When the compound is purged from extruder and head after 20 to 25 minutes of soaking, residue, burnt material and other contaminants are pushed out along with it. If streaks, black specs, or other residue continue to contaminate parts, the process is simply repeated, if necessary at an elevated temperature.

Gentle on the machine and the environment
Unlike other products available for similar purposes, Kautex Purge does not cause any increased wear of machine components. The purging compound treats metal surfaces gently and does not affect any components that are in contact with plastic melt. The useful life of the equipment is maintained and maintenance costs are lowered. The compound can be recycled and reused. Additionally, the compound is non-toxic and does not cause any environmental or health hazards. During transportation, the compound does not have to be declared as a hazardous substance.

Photo: Before and after purging

Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH, Bonn, Germany

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