Blow Molding: Three-Layer Drum Machine Performs at K 2019
ST Blowmoulding touts advantages of continuous extrusion over accumulator heads for drums.
The biggest blow molder running at October’s K 2019 show in Dusseldorf was said to be the ECT 880 CoEx3 from ST BlowMoulding of Italy. This three-layer continuous-extrusion machine was designed to produce 220-liter L-ring drums and open-head drums at up 50 drums/hr. Compared with accumulator-head machines, this unit reportedly provides a 10% faster cycle, improved wall-thickness control and major energy savings. The machine is equipped with high-efficiency HEX extruders, a ReCo3 extrusion head from W. Müller, and the PWDS/SFDR radial-control unit from Feuertherm. The machine also incorporates safety devices for head tooling changeovers: an electric hoist to raise the core and die; an adjustable swivel arm to align them to the extrusion head; and a movable catwalk extending from the machine mezzanine to permit work under the extrusion head.
As reported in our September show preview, another new machine from ST BlowMoulding will be displayed offsite: an ASPI 200 suction blow molder. It incorporates such recent developments as a brand-new control interface said to be “as user-friendly as a smartphone”; the W-Print system to mark data directly on the parison; and parison swell monitoring for process control.
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