KraussMaffei expands ZE BluePower series

Oct. 17, 2019
Four new large compounding extruders will take the spotlight for KraussMaffei’s extrusion division during K 2019.

Four new large compounding extruders will take the spotlight for KraussMaffei’s extrusion division during K 2019 Oct. 16-23 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

The extruders, the latest models in the ZE BluePower series, will be capable of throughputs of 5,500 pounds per hour and greater. KraussMaffei will begin shipping the new models globally immediately after the exhibition.

The first machines in the ZE BluePower series were medium-sized models that KraussMaffei introduced six years ago. Three years later, the company added a laboratory machine.

The new models expand the capabilities of the machine series, making it suited for a wide variety of applications.

“Since its market launch in 2013, the ZE BluePower has gained a strong foothold in the market for a wide range of compounding tasks, as well as for reaction and degassing applications,” said Matthias Sieverding, president of extrusion technology at KraussMaffei. “The series stands out for unparalleled output rates, short setup times and maximum cost-effectiveness.”

The new extruders are appropriate for compounding, producing virgin sheet and biaxially oriented film, and processing recycled material, the company said.

Because of their large free volume (the space between the screw and the barrel) and high-torque density, the new ZE BluePower extruders are appropriate for compounding engineering plastics and highly filled resins, the company said. The barrels of the new models have an outer-diameter- to-inner-diameter ratio of 1.65 to 1, which means that the free volume is 27 percent more than that of the ZE UT extruder series, which the ZE BluePower series replaced. In addition, they have a 36 percent higher torque density.

The new models — the 98, 122, 142 and 166 — are identical to their smaller sister models from a process engineering point of view.

A large range of 4D and 6D barrels — barrels that are four times and six times longer than the screw diameter, respectively — and various side feeder and degassing units are available for the extruders. Exchangeable oval liners protect the barrel from extremely abrasive materials.

Bruce Geiselman, senior staff reporter

[email protected]

Contact:

KraussMaffei Corp.

Florence, Ky., 859-283-0200

www.kraussmaffei.com

About the Author

Bruce Geiselman | Senior Staff Reporter

Senior Staff Reporter Bruce Geiselman covers extrusion, blow molding, additive manufacturing, automation and end markets including automotive and packaging. He also writes features, including In Other Words and Problem Solved, for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. He has extensive experience in daily and magazine journalism.