This time it is a ZSK 32 Mc18 smart, which was first presented at K 2013 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Equipped with 32 mm diameter screws, this extruder has been put into service at Treffert SAS, the group's facility at Ste-Marie-aux-Chênes in the Lorraine region of France. Heinrich Treffert, CEO of Treffert SAS and managing shareholder of Treffert GmbH & Co. KG, says, “With the new extruder we shall be producing mainly masterbatches and concentrates for laser and other sensitive applications. The focus is on the medical, pharmaceutical and automotive industry.”
The design of the ZSK 32 Mc18 smart is extremely ergonomic. The axes of the screw shafts are positioned at a height of only 800 mm from the floor, thus making the extruder readily accessible for maintenance and – thanks to the smooth surfaces of the machine enclosures – for easy cleaning. The extruder ideally meets the demands that Treffert makes on its machines for the production of materials destined for the manufacture of medical products. Besides the extruder itself, Coperion also supplied the complete pelletizing system: the waterbath, the strand suction device, the strand pelletizer and the pellet screener all come from Coperion Pelletizing Technology.
Operating under the slogan “Colour follows function”, the Treffert Group has during the past several years been concentrating on the production of masterbatches and compounds for the manufacture of medical products and optical materials destined for highly demanding applications. Compared with the classical methods of masterbatch manufacture, these elevated demands have also generated more demanding requirements on the production systems themselves. High product purity and the avoidance of every possible kind of contamination during production now take absolute priority. It was these requirements in particular that were the guiding principle for the development of the new ZSK 32 Mc18 smart from Coperion. Both Coperion's expertise and the practical experience of Treffert as a long-standing user of ZSK technology went into the development of the ZSK 32 Mc18 smart. Treffert was involved in this development project from start to finish.
“One of the important features of Coperion's new twin screw extruder”, says Heinrich Treffert, “is the ease and reliability with which it can be cleaned. It meets the essential demands we make on all machines used for the manufacture of materials for sensitive applications. The new twin screw extruder also permits rapid changeover from one batch to another and enables us to respond to customer's wishes within the entire Treffert Group more quickly and flexibly than before.”
Another obviously advantageous feature of the new ZSK 32 Mc18 smart is the completely enclosed base frame. It contains all connections, water supply system and manifold, thus making for smooth, readily accessible surfaces that are easy to clean. Auxiliary equipment, such as the ZS-B side feeder or the ZS-EG side devolatilization unit, can be mounted with the aid of a swivel arm on any barrel of the extruder process section. They do not come into contact with the floor and do not therefore run the risk of contamination. All units can be operated from a standing position without any need for a ladder, crane or platform, a feature that makes for much greater safety and easier handling.
