The new Vacurema Inline Strapping System
2009-01-06
This way it is possible to achieve higher stretching levels without sacrificing strength. The result is a considerable reduction in material consumption. This was achieved through modifications carried out on the Vacurema Basic Reactor: compared to the standard version used previously, the volume of the vacuum reactor in the strapping system was doubled and at the same time rated for a vacuum of less than 10 mbar.
An increased reactor volume in conjunction with reduced feed intervals produced the desired positive effect: the extended pre-treatment of the material under high vacuum effectively removes contaminants and moisture, even in cases where there are fluctuating moisture contents up to 1.5%.
Moreover, the build-up of intrinsic viscosity (IV) in the reactor counteracts the loss of viscosity (material degradation) that normally occurs in the extruder.
Thus the viscosity of the product is comparable to that of the bottle flake fed into the reactor. The Techno Plastic Tight Strap 300 stretching system installed directly downstream of the Vacurema is based on the many years' experience of this Italian specialist manufacturer of extrusion systems for strapping bands and monofilaments. The melt from the Vacurema extruder enters the spinneret, which is equipped with a double melt pump, where it is divided into four band-shaped strands.
After initial cooling (solidification), the strands have a cross-section of 35.6 mm x 1.8 mm. They then pass through several temperature-controlled processing stages, in which they are stretched (in so-called godets), embossed and stabilised. Following this they pass via the final cooling station to the winding unit, with their final cross section measuring 15.75 mm x 0.8 mm. The overall length of the Tight Strap 300 stretching line is around 50 metres.
The use of PET strapping is currently growing worldwide at a rate of around 15%. Thus the production of high-quality PET strapping from washed PET bottle flake represents - both today and for the future - an attractive business opportunity. Turnkey production lines featuring the combined Vacurema Tight Strap Technology - this system configuration is also basically suitable for the production of PET filaments - will in future be offered by both partners - Erema and Techno Plastic.
Since it was founded in 1983 Erema has specialised in the development, manufacturing and worldwide distribution of plastic recycling systems and technologies for the plastics processing industry. With its own sales and service companies in the USA, China and Japan, plus around 50 local representatives in all five continents, Erema provides custom recycling solutions to match almost any individual application requirements.
Innovative, stable technology and global service support ensure that owners enjoy the maximum benefit from their machines. Erema's technology has become established as a global, leading standard for a wide variety of recycling tasks, ranging from the recycling of polyolefins to polyester (PET).
