Upgrades to a compounder line from Collin pack more performance into an even smaller and more versatile machine, according to the company.
Models within the P-Series 2.0 significantly improve upon the capabilities of the previous line by taking advantage of improved design engineering, higher torque and greater power, up to 1,200 rpm. With L:D ratios ranging from 36:1 to 60:1, the machines are appropriate for R&D applications involving pigments, additives and fillers, as well as applications involving materials that require high torque and high temperatures for compounding and processing. They are suited for poor-flowing, highly viscous and highly filled materials.
“We have intensively used the last months for the development of innovations, have built different lines for medical applications and have also redesigned our compounder series comprehensively ,” said Friedrich Kastner, the CEO and managing partner of Collin’s parent company, based in Maitenbeth, Germany.
The P-Series 2.0 machines have been re-engineered to feel at home in tight quarters. To save space, the compounders are designed to allow operators to perform screw pulls backward from the barrel, limiting the amount of room that’s needed for cleaning and maintenance. With their small footprint, they can be incorporated to perform direct compounding in multilayer extrusion lines; they are especially suited for use with blown or cast film lines that process recycled PET.
As standard, the compounders offer mechanical height adjustability, from about 3.6 feet to 4.9 feet, so they can be used in conjunction with any layer produced by a cast film line. Motor-powered adjustability is available as an option.
When outfitted with one main gravimetric dosing unit, an auxiliary dosing unit and one side feeder, the 60D unit is about 7.9 feet long by 3.1 feet wide by 6.5 feet tall; the 48D unit is about 1 foot shorter. According to the company, the 48D weighs around 2,100 pounds. The compounders can operate alongside multiple gravimetric or volumetric side feeders.
In addition to their convenient size, the new machines sport other features that offer improvements upon the original versions. For instance, they feature newly designed air-cooling units that allow for crash cooling. Compared with previous models, the machines, which are equipped with 24-kilowatt motors from the Baumüller Group, Nuremburg, Germany, can produce 22.5 percent more torque.
Collin also touts the machines’ versatility.
As an option, the P-Series 2.0 machines have interchangeable barrel blocks with coded plugs. The option allows users to reconfigure the alignment of barrel elements along the processing unit by switching out barrel elements; for example, an operator might swap out a side feeder with a closed barrel or move an element, such as a vent barrel, into a different arrangement. This feature means the machine can perform a multitude of different applications.
“At the distribution gear, exchangeable cylinder elements with coded plugs can be arranged in nearly any order, since the control recognizes the respective function via the coding,” Kastner said.
As standard, the machines come with the new CMI 17 controls and 17-inch touch-screen control panels. The new CMI 17 controls show all operating conditions and are designed for ease of use.
Karen Hanna, associate editor
Contact:
Collin Lab and Pilot Solutions Inc., Tucker, Ga., 678-325-6708, www.collin-solutions.com
Karen Hanna | Senior Staff Reporter
Senior Staff Reporter Karen Hanna covers injection molding, molds and tooling, processors, workforce and other topics, and writes features including In Other Words and Problem Solved for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. She has more than 15 years of experience in daily and magazine journalism.
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