Westchester Plastics Adds Capacity
Significant expansion at its Wapakoneta, Ohio, plant.
Ametek Westchester Plastics, an independent compounder of thermoplastics, has significantly expanded capacity at its Wapakoneta, Ohio, plant. A new compounding line is based on a 92-mm Coperion ZSK Mega Compounder Plus twin-screw extruder with 44:1 L/D, 1250-hp drive, dual vacuum venting, dual side-feeder capability, and liquid injection capability. The pelletizing section includes rare-earth magnets and electronic metal detection.
Another addition is a new 40-mm, 44:1 twin-screw CXE40 high-speed/high-torque model from Century Extrusion for development and production use. It has 1200 rpm max. speed and the same other features as cited for the larger machine. An existing 70-mm, 9-barrel Coperion Super Compounder was upgraded and lengthened by two barrel sections. (Ametek plans a similar upgrade for a 92-mm Coperion Super Compounder in the next few months.) Also, an existing #4 Farrell Continuous Mixer line was rebuilt and upgraded with post-blending and drying.
Related Content
-
What to Know About Your Materials When Choosing a Feeder
Feeder performance is crucial to operating extrusion and compounding lines. And consistent, reliable feeding depends in large part on selecting a feeder compatible with the materials and additives you intend to process. Follow these tips to analyze your feeder requirements.
-
Configuring the Twin Screw Extruder: Part 4
For many compounding operations, material is fed to the extruder at the feed throat. This is the case when feeding a single polymer or a blend of polymers mixed with solid additives. Some ingredients, however, present a challenge in feeding. Here’s how to solve to them.
-
Improving Twin-Screw Compounding of Reinforced Polyolefins
Compounders face a number of processing challenges when incorporating a high loading of low-bulk-density mineral filler into polyolefins. Here are some possible solutions.
