At this year’s Chinaplas, that has started April 17 and will conclude on April 20, Coperion GmbH, Stuttgart/Germany is presenting itself as a technology provider for a wide range of forward-looking applications in the processing of plastics. With an extensive installed base, Coperion is considered an expert in the recycling of plastics as well as in the production of bioplastics. Coperion will bring is bringing its expertise in plastics recycling to life at its Booth 10K31 in Hall 10 with a virtual complete system for recycling PET. This plant allows a look inside numerous key components from Coperion and recently acquired partner Herbold Meckesheim, with whom Coperion now offers complete systems for plastics recycling.
In addition, Coperion is demonstrating its expertise in conventional compounding systems at Chinaplas 2023. Coperion is currently showing a ZSK 58 Mc18 twin screw extruder with a Coperion K-Tron K-ML-SFS-KT20 twin screw feeder, as well as the STS 25 Mc11 laboratory extruder with a C/S-LW-NT28 twin screw feeder from Colormax Systems. In addition, the Coperion K-Tron quick-change feeder T35-QC is on display together with a 2415 vacuum receiver for ingredient refill, as well as the comprehensive service offering on all Coperion technologies and equipment.
At this year’s Chinaplas, Coperion is presenting the versatile and efficient processing applications of its ZSK and STS twin screw extruders as well as its engineering expertise in groundbreaking applications such as the recycling of plastics and the production of bioplastics. A ZSK 58 Mc18 twin screw extruder with a specific torque of 18 Nm/cm³ is on display, characterized by its consistently high throughput capacity with first-class product quality. It has been locally assembled at Coperion’s manufacturing site in Nanjing, China. With the assembly in China, Coperion is able to react as fast as possible to customer demand. Customers benefit from local added value, transport and tax savings as well as from shorter delivery times. Even after-sales services are customized to local parts and needs. The ZSK 58 Mc18 extruder is outfitted with a Coperion K-Tron K-ML-SFS-KT20 twin screw loss-in-weight feeder.
In addition to compounding and recycling, Coperion extruders are suitable for the production of bioplastics. This process places very high demands on the extrusion system due to the diversity of base polymers being used and the variety of recipes.
The STS 25 Mc11 laboratory extruder that Coperion is showing at Chinaplas, has a 25 mm screw diameter and features a simple design. It is operator-friendly and easy to clean. By having the same screw diameter ratio Do/Di of 1.55 and the same maximum specific torque Md/a³ of 11.3 Nm/cm³ as the entire STS Mc11 extruder series, production parameters can be reliably scaled up to a larger STS model. To extend the process window, Coperion has increased the screw speed of the STS 25 Mc11 to 1,200 min-1. This way the laboratory extruder is ideally suited for recipe development and basic scientific research with small batch sizes of 2 kg and achieves throughput rates of up to 110 kg/h. The STS 25 Mc11 which Coperion is exhibiting at Chinaplas is shown with a Colormax Systems C/S-LW-NT28 twin screw loss-in-weight feeder.
Together, Coperion and Herbold Meckesheim realize entire plants for plastics recycling. From mechanical processing – shredding, washing, separating, drying and agglomerating of plastics – to bulk material handling as well as feeding and extrusion all the way to compounding and pelletizing, their systems cover the entire process chain for reclaiming plastics.
Coperion and Herbold Meckesheim achieve solutions for mechanical recycling of post-industrial and post-consumer waste, chemical recycling, solvent-based recycling, and deodorization, tailored to the type of plastic being recycled. Together, they show a PET recycling plant simulation at Chinaplas, demonstrating their expertise in numerous plastics recycling processes. Booth visitors can look directly into the process steps and view the construction and functionality of key technologies.
Also on display is a high-accuracy Coperion K-Tron K2-ML-D5-T35/S60 quick change feeder, featuring the ActiFlow™ smart bulk solid activator and Electronic Pressure Compensation (EPC) in combination with a 2400 Series vacuum receiver for refill. The T35/S60 quick change feeder (QC) on display is designed for applications requiring quick changeover of materials and convenience of fast cleaning. The QC feeder allows for fast removal of the entire feeding module with screws in place for replacement with a second unit. Twin and single screw feeding modules are available.
The ActiFlow™ smart bulk solid activator offers an innovative method to reliably prevent bridging and rat-holing of cohesive bulk materials in stainless steel hoppers without internal hopper agitation. The smart flow aid applies gentle vibrations to the hopper wall, hereby carefully activating the contained material with the optimal amplitude and frequency. It is designed specifically to work with Coperion K-Tron’s line of gravimetric loss-in-weight feeders.
2400 Series vacuum receivers provide a high-capacity sequencing system primarily used where larger conveying rates or long distances are required, in applications with one or multiple destinations. They are designed to high quality standards for pneumatically conveying powder, pellets and granular materials for most industries. Conveying rates range from 327 to 6,804 kg/h (720 to 15,000 lb/h).
Coperion conducts its intensive research & development work both for new plants and for their integration into existing systems. For this purpose, Coperion offers comprehensive maintenance and modernization packages for all its technologies, which increase the productivity, flexibility and reliability of the plants to a significantly improved level. Such services allow plant operators to fully exploit the improved performance potential of the plant after shortest time.