KraussMaffei Berstorff is establishing itself in the progressively recovering profile market as a system provider for a wide variety of extrusion requirements and is reinforcing its market position worldwide.Complete systems for standard and special tasks
"In the wake of a stagnating market situation we are happy to see the revival of the profile market in which we have a very good position thanks to our broad product line," states Peter Oswald, Head of Product Management at KraussMaffei Berstorff in Munich. "We are noting an improved project situation both in the established markets in Central and Eastern Europe, but also from up-and-coming markets such as South America and the Near and Middle East. In addition, there is a higher demand for complete systems," says Oswald describing the current project situation. KraussMaffei Berstorff provides not only individual machines, but has also been supplying for some time now complete extrusion systems for processing PVC into window profiles, as well as polyolefin for technical profiles.The processing of natural fiber-reinforced materials is of interest in two regards. First, they partially replace expensive plastics; second, renewable resources can also be processed this way. All lines equipped with the longtime, tried-and-tested 32D twin-screw extruder technology have a rugged and stable design, comply with the CE conformity regulations and prove to be extremely flexible for clamping many different mold systems. In addition, each line can be designed exactly in accordance with the customer specifications.
In combination with the high-performance single-screw series, the systems from KraussMaffei Berstorff are also ideally suited to producing technical profiles which are in demand from the automotive industry through to the construction industry.
Coextrusion systems reduce material costs
"The coextrusion combinations, which have been successfully used for several years, are another successful model in our product range," explains Oswald. "They enable profile manufacturers to use recycled materials and fillers in what is called core, layer or combination technology, and thereby substantially contribute to lower material costs," he adds. Precisely because of the increasing price pressure, but also because of the scarcity of raw materials, manufacturers are being forced to process cost-effective formulations while nonetheless also manufacturing a premium quality finished product with a perfect exposed face. KraussMaffei Berstorff provides a broad product range with a wide variety of combinations - from the proven 32D series and the conical twin-screw extruder series. The range of variations here is almost limitless; practically every customer-specific production requirement with regard to the formulation, application and space can be implemented. The piggyback version and the column models of the conical series prove to be particularly space-saving; moreover, they have an extremely flexible range of applications.
Testing and developing formulations with lab systems
The smallest model of the parallel twin-screw series, the laboratory extruder KMD 35-26/L, supports the processor's endeavor to reduce production costs. In lab systems it is possible to test a wide variety of formulations with minimum material consumption. Moreover, test series for the sake of optimizing and developing formulations can be performed with low material consumption in the scale-down procedure.The output of the extremely small and compact machine is 15-40 kg/h; it is suitable for all commercially available rigid and flexible PVC mixtures and, by exchanging corresponding screws, can also be used for production of pipes or sheets.
