- 23 May 2007 -
Vertical extruders help prevent 'tip overs'

Wayne Machine has introduced a new vertical extruder series, which features excellent balanced weight distribution to aid in the prevention of ‘tip overs’, a major safety problem with vertical extruders. The units are said to be ideal for co-extrusion of sheet, tubing, profile, rod, blown film, cast film, fibre, monofilament, and wire insulation applications, on account of their narrow footprint and the fact that they can be adjusted with a hand-wheel to tilt from 0 to 90 degrees.

Typically, vertical extruders with in-line gearboxes have all the weight of the mechanical section on one side of the post. The motor is positioned on the opposite side of the extrusion processing section in the new Yellow Jacket Vertical Extruder series, resulting in a more balanced weight distribution. The design also enables the use of double reduction helical gearboxes with shaved ground and hardened gears. More power is delivered to the screw with a helical gearbox, there is less wasted energy converted into heat from friction and therefore less abrasive gear wear that is found in worm drives, with which vertical extruders are usually equipped.

The company claims that with the new equipment, processors are now able to run engineering and highly filled resins in co-extrusion applications, which require high levels of screw torque. The extruders also process polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, polypropylene, thermoplastic resin, silicone, rubber, food and most thermoplastics. A high temperature/anticorrosive package is also available for Teflon fluorinated ethylene polypropylene, Saran, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy and liquid crystal polymers.
 
Wayne Machine & Die Company; www.waynemachine.com