Original Brabender® Instrumentsfor Material Research and Quality Control

… where quality is measured.

2

Company

C. W. Brabender® Instruments Inc.Brabender® GmbH & Co. KG, Brabender Messtechnik®

GmbH & Co. KG and Brabender Technologie KG

Brabender® Applicational Laboratory

Founded in 1923, Brabender® be-longs to the leading manufac-turers of instruments and systemsfor testing physical properties in all fields of research, development,and industrial production.

Today, the Brabender® group comprises four companies, each ofwhich is responsible for its specialrange of development, production,and service. This allows versatility in each of the special lines. To thebenefit of our customers.

A modern application laboratory is at the disposal of all customersand interested parties for trials withtheir own material. All measuringsystems of Brabender® can betested under practice-oriented conditions.

An experienced expert team will assist the tests and will stay at yourdisposal at any time for furtherquestions.

Apart from that, numerous articlesdealing with the application of theBrabender® instrument systems formanifold tests have been publishedall over the world during the pastdecades. We shall be pleased tosend you a bibliography comprisingabout 1500 articles at present.

Together, we will find the optimumsolutions for your special problemsand prove their suitability.

The Brabender®

groupThe Brabender®

support

Table of contents

3

Company 2- The Brabender® group- The Brabender® support

Table of contents 3Torque rheometers 4-5- Plasti-Corder® Lab-Station / Lab-Station EC- Plastograph® EC plus / Plastograph® EC

Mixers 6-8- Measuring mixers- Mixer type 30 / 50 & type 30 EHT / 50 EHT- Thermoplastics: PVC, PE, PP...- Mixer type 350 / 350 E- Special Mixer type 350 S- Step-controlled Measuring Mixer

Single screw extruders 9-11- Measuring Extruders and Extrusiograph®

Measuring heads- Extrusiograph® 19 / 25 D- Measuring extruder 19 / 10 DW- Grooved extruder 19 / 20 DN

Stand-alone- Stand-alone extruder KE 19 / KE 30

Twin screw extruders 12-14Docking stations- Twin screw extruderTSE 20 / 40 D- Twin screw extruder TSE 25- Twin screw extruder TSE 35 / 17 D- Twin screw extruder CTSE

Stand-alone- Mini-Compounder KETSE 12 / 36 D- Lab-Compounder KETSE 20 / 40 D and 20 / 40 D EC

Software 15

Processing / measuring die heads 16

Downstream equipment 17- Pelletizer- Film Blowing Unit- Univex- FSR

On-line production control 18- Auto-Grader®: MFR, MVR- Film Quality Analyzer- Film Testing Line

Carbon black and rubber testing 19- Absorptometer ”C”- Elatest®

... where quality is measured.

Plasti-Corder® Lab-Station

4

Torque rheometers

The Plasti-Corder® Lab-Station /Lab-Station EC are torque rheometers for applicational investigations or processing tasksin laboratories and for simulation.

The heart of the Lab-Station isthe fully digital 16 kW motor which ensures fulltorque of 400 Nm overthe entire speedrange of 0.2 min-1

to 350 min-1. The inverter drive provides for precise and constantspeed even under this load. Furthermore, a torque measurement is integrated.

The movable and self-centeringdocking stations like mixers and extruders are just coupled to thisbasic unit.

The integration of a modern field-bus system into the new Plasti-Corder® Lab-Station /Lab-Station EC makes working a real breeze: permanent communi-cation between control modules,

sensors, and computer, easy wiringof the system components, mani-fold expansion facilities - just plug and play.

All control modules and sensors required for additional equipmentare allocated to the docking stations and are recognized auto-matically after coupling.

Integration of the performance electronics in the individual dockingstations allows preheating of themeasuring head even without thebasic unit or cleaning of the extru-der or mixer under temperature. For manual operation, all importantcontrol data can be read on a con-trol panel at the Lab-Station.

Profit from state of the art soft-ware packages for recording, representing, and evaluating yourmeasuring data and documentingyour tests.

Plasti-Corder® Lab-Station / Lab-Station EC

The heart of a flexible testing and simulation unit

• Modular configuration

• Multi-master system with self-intelligence modules• Self-validation• Real-time transmission of events and actual values• State of the art software for all current Windows® versions• Real multitasking• Raw material and recipe development• Quality control parallel to production• Laboratory-scale production of samples for further investigations

4

Plasti-Corder® Lab-Station EC

Twin Screw Extruder TSE 25

Mixer Type 350

Single ScrewExtruder Type 30

P 600

Single ScrewExtruder Type 19CTSE

TSE 20 / 40

Mixer Type 30 / 50

5

Plastograph® EC plus / Plastograph® EC

oriented conditions, cost-effectively,reliably, with little expenditure of time and material.

The Plastograph® EC plus is theadvanced version for measuringmixers and extruders.

With its digital 3.8 kW motor, atorque measuring range of 200 Nm,and a speed range from 0.2 to 150 min-1, the Plastograph® ECplus is the perfect measuring drivefor practice-oriented measurementswith the Brabender® series of 30and 50 mixers, measuring extrudertype 19, and the conical twin screwextruder.

The Brabender® Plastograph®

EC and EC plus are the economicaltable-top versions of the Braben-der® torque rheometer applied allover the world for investigation andsimulation in laboratories. The Plas-tograph® EC and EC plus are theperfect measuring drives for prac-tice-oriented measurements withthe Brabender® measuring heads.

Brabender® Plastograph® EC and EC plus serve for testing theprocessibility of thermoplastics,thermosets, elastomers, ceramicmolding materials, fillers, pigments,and many other plastic and plasti-fiable materials under practice-

The economical torque rheometer for mixers and extruders

• Quick and cost-effective setup

• Easy connection of additional equipment such as mixers and extruders• Automatic recognition of additional equipment• State of the art software under all current Windows® versions for reliable recording and evaluation of measuring data

Plastograph® EC plus

Plastograph® EC

Conical TwinScrew Extruder

Single Screw Extruder Type 19

Mixer Type 30 / 50

Planetary Mixer P 600

... where quality is measured.

6

Mixers

Brabender® measuring mixers

ApplicationWith Brabender® measuringmixers, you can simulate on alaboratory scale all processes likecompounding, mixing, masticating,etc. that are relevant for productionand processing of polymers andother plastic and plastifiable mate-rials. Or use them for producingyour sample material or for reactiveprocessing.

Brabender® measuring mixerstest the processibility of thermo-plastics, thermosets, elastomers,ceramic molding materials,pigments, and many other plasticand plastifiable substances.

Blade geometries

Select the optimum blade geometryfor your special application from alarge program of different blades.These comprise Banbury, cam, androller blades which have provensuccessful in industrial applicationfor many decades, but also speciallyoptimized blade geometries for cer- tain measuring tasks as e.g. deltablades for thermosetting materials.

Evaluation• Fusion behavior of PVC

• Heat and shear stability of polymers

• Flow and cure behavior of crosslinking polymers acc. to DIN 53 764

• Automatic evaluation of the black incorporation time (BIT) with selectable zero point

• Flow and cure behavior of elastomers

• Plasticizer absorption of PVC dry blends

• Liquid absorption of powders

• Semi-automatic universal evaluation

PrincipleThe measuring principle is based onmaking visible the resistance thesample material opposes to the ro-tating blades. The correspondingtorque moves a dynamometer outof its zero position.

In compliance with the existingstandards and test specifications, atypical ”Plastogram®” (torque andstock temperature vs. time) isrecorded for each sample material.

This diagram shows the relation-ship between torque (viscosity) and temperature/time in considera-tion of structural changes of thematerial.

The measured data are displayednumerically as a table and/orgraphically as a diagram during themeasurement on the monitor andcan be printed and stored.

C.W. Brabender said

“It is only testing, measuring, andrecording as a function of timewhich efficiently helps to riseproduction quality; only this way,certain processes can be recognizedwhich cannot be grasped withstatic measurements.”

The efficient machines for quality control and recipe development

• Raw material and recipe development

• Material testing• Quality control parallel to production• Optimization of the production process• Laboratory-scale production of samples for further investigations

77

Mixer type 30 / 50 & type 30 EHT / 50 EHT

Fusion behavior

Use this evaluation method fortesting the fusion behavior ofthermoplastic polymers. Measurematerial-specific Plastograms®

which also permit to draw conclu-sions as to the history of the material.

The WINMix software analyzesthe curve and determines, among

others, the extreme values in thetorque curve (as a measure for vis-cosity), fusion time, gelation speed,and the mechanical energy input.

These material characteristics arevaluable data for incoming andfinal inspection or for the configu-ration of production processes.

Thermoplastics: PVC, PE, PP...

The series type 30 / type 50 andtype 30 EHT / 50 EHT measuringmixers can be equipped with differ-ent blades. Within a series, the freemixer volume varies depending onthe blades mounted. Due toliquid temperature conditioning,these measuring heads stand outfor particularly precise and uniformheating/cooling.

Mixers with the extension EHT(electric, high temperature) distin-guish by their electric temperatureconditioning in three control zoneswith compressed air cooling. Ascompared to liquid heated mixers,this extends the operating range toa maximum temperature of 500 °C.

These measuring heads are per-fectly suited for materials like PAEKand PEEK with melting tempera-tures of more than 300 °C.

This makes these mixer types par-ticularly interesting for researchand development applications withsteadily changing test materials.

The EHT version is available for theseries 30 and 50 mixers.

The rotor speed ratio of 2 : 3(driven to non driven) results in ahigh torque resolution which allowsa better differentiation, especiallywhen testing low viscositypolymers.

Measuring mixer type 30 / 50

• Easy handling and cleaning

• Interchangeable blades• Liquid or electric heating• Precise and constant temperature• Conditioning up to 500 °C

... where quality is measured.

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Mixers

Step-controlled Measuring Mixer

The series 50 and 350 measuringmixers can be equipped with a tep-control which offers special advan-tages for recipe development.

Define a sequencer control with upto 20 mixing steps from your com-puter keyboard. The individual mix-ing steps can be switched as afunction of registered units like

• Time• Stock temperature• Energy input

in AND / OR functions. Additionally,several optional sensors e.g. formeasuring the electric conductivityof the sample material can be connected.

This makes step-controlled mixersthe optimum tools for the pro-duction of elastomer compounds.

Mixer type 350 / 350 E

Mixer heads of the 350 series areavailable with liquid heating/cool-ing and with electric heating andair cooling. Due to the large mixer

volumes of 370 to 440 cm3, thesemixer heads are frequently used forproducing sample compounds forsubsequent tests. The material caneasily be taken out and rolled outto sheets or pressed to plates. Con-trol and document the entirecompounding process from yourcomputer. Or implement and profitfrom an optional step-control ofeach individual mixing step.

Of course, these mixers can also beapplied for material testing (e.g. ofrubber compounds).

Special Mixer type 350 S

• Large mixer volumes• Liquid or electric heating• Precise and constant temperature• Conditioning up to 300 °C

The special mixer type 350 S ismainly used in the rubber andcaoutchouc industry for mixing andcompounding tasks or for materialtesting. The large free mixer volumeof 370 to 440 cm3 has proven fa-vorable for proportioning of the

recipe components. Taking out ofthe mixing good is facilitated by thehorizontal division of the middlepart of this mixer. Just tilt the upperand lower halves open for remo-ving the material and use it for subsequent tests.

Extensive software packages areavailable for material tests like e.g.the determination of the black in-corporation time (BIT).

• Accurate feeding• Quick emptying• Easy cleaning

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Single screw extruders

Measuring Extruders and Extrusiograph®

PrincipleSimulate Production Realisti-cally on a Laboratory Scale

Brabender® single screw measu-ring extruders and Extrusiograph®

are interchangeable measuringheads which, in connection with a Brabender® Plasti-Corder®

Lab-Station or Plastograph®

EC plus, serve for testing the ex-trudability of polymers and for stu-dying thesis occurring in researchand development as well as in prac-tical application. The Brabender®

modular system allows a completeinstrumentation of the extruders for the control and development ofraw material. Different screws, dieheads, and downstream equipmentfulfill all kinds of extrusion tasks.

ScrewsFor each measuring extruder/ Extrusiograph®, different screwsare available. The screws are madeof special steel, the flight basis andthe lands are chromium-plated. Single- and multi-stage screws withvarious compression ratios and different lengths are available fortesting a large range of materials.

ApplicationIn the measuring extruder / Extrusiograph®, the sample ma-terial is plastified under practice-oriented conditions and extrudedthrough the die head. All measuringvalues such as torque, melt temper-ature, melt pressure are recordedcontinuously and represented inthe form of tables and diagramsparallel to the current test.

The extrudate is tested for variouscriteria:

• Uniform plastification, gloss, gels

• Color dispersion and color matching

• Transparency and formation of streaks, e.g. with transparent materials

• Swelling and contraction behaviour

• Segregation of individual recipe components of a compound at the die and/or at the screw`s tip (e.g. titanium dioxide)

• Output per unit of time, etc.

Besides, subsequent mechanicalmaterial tests can be run with theextruded specimens.

The Brabender® measuring ex-truders and Extrusiograph® canbe mounted very quickly and easilyto the drive unit. The torque is trans-mitted electronically which protectsboth the drive unit and the measur-ing extruders and Extrusiograph®

from damage due to overload.

Heating/coolingAll Brabender® measuring extruders and Extrusiograph®

consist of an extruder barrel withhoned and nitrided bore, water-cooled feed zone, and various heat-ing or heating/cooling zones withelectric heating and air cooling. The measuring extruders and Ex-trusiograph® have additional so-lenoid valves for controlled coolingair supply to the individual heat-ing/cooling zones.

The temperature of the individualextruder zone is controlled and displayed by self-optimizing elec-tronic temperature controllers.

Temperature and pressure sensorsTwo threaded bores (1/2“ x 20UNF) opposite each other are provided at the end of the barrel ofeach measuring extruder for takinga thermocouple and a pressuretransducer for measuring the tem-perature and the pressure of themelt in front of the die channel.

All Extrusiograph® have sixthreaded bores (1/2“ x 20 UNF) opposite each other along the barrel for taking thermocouplesand pressure transducers.

E = feed opening of the extruder

L1 = feed sectionL2 = compression section

L3 = metering sectionL4 = mixing section

The multipurpose machines for testingand processing

• Applications in laboratories and small scale production

• The development of new products• Testing the processing behavior for recipe develop- ment or incoming and final material inspection• Quality control during production in combination with measuring heads• Production of small tubes and profiles• Production of blown and flat films

... where quality is measured.

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Single screw extrudersMeasuring heads

Extrusiograph® 19 / 25 D

• Variable feed units• Interchangeable feed zone• Measuring ports along the barrel

The liquid heated extruder 19 / 20 DN has a grooved barrelover the entire length. Togetherwith the pneumatic feed unit, it isperfectly suited for pasty materialswhich have a strong tendency toheat formation due to internal friction. Therefore, this extruder isfrequently applied with ceramicmaterials.

Grooved extruder 19 / 20 DN

• Liquid heated• Grooved barrel• Pneumatic feed unit

The extruder 19 / 10 DW with itsfeed roll and its short length of 10 Dis specially used for elastomers.

Frequently, it is used in combinationwith a pin barrel supplement and aGarvey die head.

Measuring extruder 19 / 10 DW

• Feed roll• Short processing length• Expandable with pin barrel

The Brabender® Extrusiograph®

19 / 25 D has a barrel diameter of19 mm and a processing length of25 D.

The Extrusiograph® is equippedwith vibrating feed hopper in the standard version. Vibrating feed chutes and feed screws areavailable.

The feed zone of the 19 mmExtrusiograph® is interchange-able and can be designed either conically grooved or as a smoothcylinder.

All Extrusiograph® have six threa-ded bores (1/2“ x 20 UNF) oppositeeach other along the barrel for taking thermocouples and pressuretransducers.

Stand-alone extruder KE 19 / KE 30

Single screw extrudersStand-alone extruders

• Compact design

• High perfomance extrusion

• Cost-effective setup

Kompaktextruder KE 30

11... where quality is measured.

Brabender® stand-alone extru-ders are multi-purpose machinesfor testing and processing a largevariety of materials. Their compactdesign makes these machines theideal solution for applications in laboratories and smallscale production.

Equipped with a grooved feed zone,and a barrier screw, throughputscomparable to high-performanceextrusion can be reached. A largeprogram of downstream equipmentis available to build up completeprocessing lines.

12

Twin screw extruders

Twin screw extruders and compounders

PrincipleThe basic steps of compoundingcan perfectly be realized with co-rotating twin screw extruders.This makes modular co-rotatingtwin screw extruders the idealcompanion for plastics from synthe-sis up to recycling. Profit from theharmonized, modular conception of screws and barrels for optimallyrealizing all processing steps (feeding, conveying, plasticizing, dispersing, reacting, venting, pressure build-up).

The system configuration of eachmodel can easily be adapted to theindividual processing task - anytimeand at low cost.

Or combine several processingsteps within a continuously working extruder and use your

Brabender® twin screw extruderas a modern in-line compounder.

Depending on the extruder size, onthe material to be tested, and onthe processing task, throughputs up to 60 kg/h can be reached. Thisopens up the entire applicationrange to these extruders - from material development up to small-scale production of sheets andfilms.

Of course, the necessary additionalequipment like measuring and control units or metering systems(gravimetric, volumetric, liquid) aswell as down-stream equipment isavailable, too, allowing for modularsetup of complete extrusion lines.

Expansion is possible wheneverneeded.

• Well-defined plastification time and purposive shearing

• Gentle mixing at low energy input and highquality homogeni- zation

• Gentle material treatment without temperature peaks even at high speed

• Variable shearing by using mixing and kneading elements

• Kneading blocks with different disk widths and offset angles

• Good control of the pressure in the melt for optimum venting

• Self-cleaning of the screws by intermeshing flights

AdvantagesIntermeshing co-rotating twinscrew extruders stand out for decisive processing features:

• Good feeding characteristics, even with materials with poor flow properties

• High conveying constancy without pulsation or irregular thermal loads

• Narrow residence time spectrum of the melt within the screw area

• Constantly high quality of the extrudate

• High output at long energy transfer

• High energy input as compared to the free screw volume

Ideal companion for compounding continously

• Development of new material

• Recipe development• Production simulation• Applications in laboratories and small scale production

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Twin screw extrudersDocking stations

Twin screw extruder TSE 25

The corotating twin screw extruder TSE 25 with a barrel diameter of 25 mm is a true all-rounder among the extruders. Withits variable processing length of 22to 48 D, the TSE 25 can be used formultistage compounding tasks, aspilot plant, for reactive extrusion,and for recipe development.

A special software helps to build upthe screws from a construction kitso as to perfectly suit the respec-tive application. Depending on thematerial, this extruder reachesthroughputs of 0.6 to 50 kgs/h.Feed units and a large program ofdie heads and downstream equip-ment are available as additionalequipment.

Twin screw extruder TSE 20 / 40 D

• Clamshell barrel• Variable processing length• Vertical- and sidefeeding• Interchangeable screw elements• Electric heating / water cooling• Conditioning up to 400 °C

• Counter-rotating• Implying high torque• Screws with closed loop heat exchanger

• Counter-rotating• Conical screw design• Constant material transport• Degassing opening

• Interchangeable barrel segments• Variable processing length• Interchangeable screw elements• Through put range for laboratory and pilot plant

The counter-rotating TSE 35 wasconceived for processing tasks implying a high torque.

Different screw geometries areavailable, according to the pro-cessing task.

Its fixed processing lengths of 17 Dand the available torque of 200 Nmper screw make this extruder parti-cularly suited for one- or two-stepprocessing of difficult material.

This extruder is supplied as counterrotating version.

Twin screw extruder TSE 35 / 17 D

Conical twin screw extruder, counterrotating for laboratory scaleproduction. Including venting zoneand measurement of pressure / temperature inside the cylinder andat the screw tip. There are variousscrew geometries available.

Twin screw extruder CTSE

... where quality is measured.

The TSE 20 is available with barrellength of 40 D. The barrel lengthcan be reduced to 30 or 20 D bymeans of a distance sleeve in thescrew configuration to easily adaptyour extruder to the individual processing task. Metering and/orvent ports can be installed every 10 D. For this purpose, the barrel isequipped with 4 ports which can be closed.

Furthermore, side feeding is possible. The barrel of the TSE 20is divided horizontally and can betilted open on both sides. This allows visual assessment of individual processing steps andmakes this extruder particularly sui-ted for application in research anddevelopment. This extruder is alsoavailable as stand-alone version.

14

Twin screw extrudersStand-alone extruders

The Brabender® Mini-Compound-er KETSE 12 / 36 D is a co-rotatingtwin screw extruder miniature withapplication to the chemical as wellas to the pharmaceutical industry todevelop new products.

Almost each processing task andthe easy handling of the system, distinguish the Mini-Compounderas an excellent laboratory apparatus.

The Brabender® Mini-Com-pounder KETSE 12 / 36 D has anintegrated drive with an output of2.4 kW and reaches speeds up to max. 600 U/min-1. The modularscrew conception offers all indivi-dual processing possibilities withminimum material requirements.

Mini-Compounder KETSE 12 / 36 D

Lab-Compounder KETSE 20 / 40 D

• Extremly small material amount processing• Clamshell barrel• Vertical- and sidefeeding• Interchangeable screw elements

With the new Stand-Alone KETSE20 / 40 D, Brabender® offers atwin screw extruder as miniaturescale with application to the che-mical industry for material researchand process simulation.

The scale-down of the machine in combination with the compre-hensive adaptability to almost each processing task, and the easy handling of the system, explain the distinction of the KETSE 20 / 40 D as an excellentlaboratory apparatus.

The clam shell barrel (length: 40 D)is divided horizontally, can be tiltedopen, and allows visual assessmentof individual processing steps. Fur-thermore, a comfortable mountingof the screws and a quick cleaningof the cylinder is possible.

In addition to the main metering,metering or venting ports at a bar-rel length of 10 D, 20 D and 30 Dare available. Side feeding can beinstalled at 12 D and 22 D length.

Miniature screws compared with apaper clip

• Clamshell barrel• Variable processing length• Vertical- and sidefeeding• Interchangeable screw elements• Electric heating / water cooling• Conditioning up to 400 °C• Compact design• Cost-effectiv setup

15

Software

User-optimized software

Plastogramm®

Correlation of flow curves from round and slot capillary tests

With program modules like

• WINMIX (mixer applications)

• WINEXT (extruder applications incl. capillary rheometry)

• WINAG (on-line testing of melt index and film purity), etc.

The user-optimized Windows®

software allows recording of process data and evaluation of the test results according to thestate of the art.

On-line diagrams give a quick survey of the test data and evaluation results already duringthe running test.

The users of Brabender®

instruments have a high degree of system-technical intelligence on hand.

Special data correlation programspermit a direct comparison of theresult of different test series witheach other.

Memorization of the measuring values in MS Access® database format and a real 32-bit softwareensure quickness, safety, and a high flexibility combined with easyhandling of the system.

... where quality is measured.

16

Processing / measuring die heads

Processing / measuring die heads

Single strand die headRound die assembly for extrudinga rod or a filament.

Rheometric slot capillary die headCapillary viscometer slot die assem-bly for scientific viscometric tests.

Tubing die headTube die assembly for extrudinga tube or a hose.

Rheometric round ca-pillary die headCapillary viscometer round die assembly for scientific viscometrictests.

Flexlip die head withcoathangerFlat sheet die assembly for extru-ding a sheet or a film. The thicknessof the die gap is variable.

Garvey die headGarvey die assembly for testingspecial injection properties according to ASTM D 2230.

Principle of the spiralmandrel die headFilm blowing die assembly withcooling ring for testing the proces-sibility of thermoplastics.

SwelltestOptoelectronic thickness measuringdevice for round strands for testingthe swell behaviour of polymers.

However, if you need a liquid heateddesign for a special application, just ask us. All die heads have threaded bores for taking melt temperatureand/or pressure transducers. Most of the die heads can be used verti-cally and horizontally.

PrincipleMounting and interchanging of thedie heads at the extruder orExtrusiograph® is very easy: justfix them with the ring nut at the extruder barrel. The die heads are made of extremely corrosion-resistant steel and are heated elec-trically in the standard version.

17

Downstream equipment

The pelletizer can handle up to 4 strands with diameters of 1 to 4 mm.

The control of the cutting speed aswell as the take off speed allow toadjust the pellet size.

Further features are its low-noiseoperation and its perfected design,including e.g. a drawer system foreasy discharge.

Air showers are available for dryingthe strands after a water bath.

The Film Blowing Unit serves forsimultaneous blowing, cooling, taking off, and winding up of ext-ruded blown films and for exactlyadjusting the hose diameter andthe film thickness.

Depending on the material, common blowing ratios are 1 : 2 up to 1 : 4.

An additional Film Quality Analy-zer mounted into the film blowingtower enables simultaneous puritytests.

Pelletizer Film Blowing Unit

The Univex can take off, cool, andwind up flat films up to a max. filmspeed of 30 m/min. Liquid tempe-rature conditioning of the nip rollspositively influences e.g. crystalliza-tion processes. The Univex can becontrolled manually or through PC(via Canbus).

Univex

The Take-off Unit with integratedinverter drive can take off filmsheets and ribbons up to a max.film speed of 10 m/min.

The FSR can be controlled manuallyor through the PC (via CAN bus). It is adjustable for height on a movable base frame includingsafety device. The Liquid Tempera-ture conditioning is intended for aregulation between 10 - 180° C.

FSR

• Realistic production simulation• Expandable with Film Quality Analyzer

• Film, sheet or ribbon take off• Accurate temperature conditioning

• Adjustable pellet size• Low-noise operation• Easy discharge

• Excellent film quality• High take off speed• Accurate temperature conditioning

... where quality is measured.

The Auto-Grader® continuouslydetermines the melt index, film purity, and transparency - withinseconds online with polymer production.

Self-optimizing and automatic op-eration ensures optimum adapta-tion to the polymer to be tested. Allrelevant data are stored in a data-base and can be transmitted to aprocess control system.

When production changes over to a new charge, the Auto-Grader®

allows to exactly determine thetime when the product meets thespecification. This minimizes theportion of “out-of specification”material.

The system is open to expansion for running further on-line meas-urements, e.g. of color, haze, etc.

18

On-line production control

Auto-Grader®: MFR, MVR

• Objective

• Continuous

• Real-time testing

• Integration into process control system

Film Quality Analyzer

The Film Quality Analyzer teststhe purity of transparent films.Apart from transparency, the content of gels, impurities, blackspecks, and fisheyes is tested. All particles detected are sized and allocated to size classes. As aresult, you get the size distributionand the impurity development over time. Extrapolations to the material area, weight, and volumeare possible as well.

The standard version permits to determine particles with a mini-mum diameter of 19 μm. In specialcases, resolutions down to 5 μmhave been realized. The minimumfilm transparency may go down to 20 %.

Film Testing Line

The flat film from the measuring extruder is led through inbetween a light source and a high-resolutionelectronic camera where it is mea-sured. The pictures are analyzed by an intelligent data transfer interface. The picture signals andthe processed measuring values are transferred to the computer. The test and evaluation results areshown on the monitor and printed.

• Modular built extrusion line

• Single screw extruder

• Integrated film quality analyzer FQA CCD camera 4096 pixel

• FSR take off for film sheet ribbon

• Detection of black spots, gels and fisheyes

• Evaluation of film quality note

• Objective• Continuous• Detection of black spots, gels and fisheyes• Evaluation of film quality note

19

Carbon black and rubber testing

Elatest®

The Elatest® determines the density of polymers, in particular of rubber and unvulcanized rubbercompounds - a dimension which isof decisive importance for rubberprocessing, both during recipe development and for continuousproduction control.

The sample material is compressedwithin the measuring cylinder. Any gas contained in the sampleescapes during this compressionprocess. Under a preset pressure,the moving piston reaches a position which is specific for eachindividual sample, i.e. the sample iscompressed to its specific volume. The stroke of the piston is measu-red by a displacement transducerand transmitted to the computer.

From the sample weight and volume, the computer automati-cally calculates the density. Use the software easily with the touchscreen. Excellent reproducibility ofthe measured values, the ease ofhandling, and the reliability makethe Elatest® best suited for produc-tion control as well as for researchand development.

Absorptometer ”C”

The established Brabender Absorptometer ”C” for runningprecise and reproducible absorptiontests fully meets ASTM D 2414 including new procedures B and Cas well as ASTM D 3493.

The principle consists in measuringthe resistance which the carbonblack puts up against the rotatingblades during oil addition and in determining the absorption. Thehigh-presision burette adds liquidas a titrant to the powder sample inthe mixing chamber.

As the liquid wets the sample, threedistinct phases can be observed inthe torque curve:

• Free flowing phase• Agglomeration phase• End phase

During the free flowing phase, liquid is absorbed into the structureof the carbon black. Upon absorpti-on of sufficient liquid, the particlesbegin to adhere to each other andform agglomerates. Resistance tomixing rises, indicated by a sharpincrease in torque.

A maximum torque (saturation) isreached, follwed by a state changefrom liquid into solid to solid intoliquid.

The oil absorption number of carbon black is directly related tothe processing and vulcanizationproperties of the rubber compoundsprepared with these carbon blacks.

Precise and reproducible absorption test

• Frequency inverter drive unit with precise torque measurement

• High-precision measuring mixer with special blades

• Cooling jacket with temperature indication for mixer (option)

• High-precision burette, sequencer controlled titration rate for optimum test procedure

Compact density measurement

• Fully automatically

• With minimum time requirement

• With a reproducible accuracy of 0.03 % (0.0008 g/cm3 absolute)

Elatest® with touch screen

... where quality is measured.

Brabender® GmbH & Co. KG

Kulturstr. 51-55 · 47055 Duisburg · GermanyPhone: +49 203 7788-0 · Fax: +49 203 7788-101E-Mail: plastics-sales@brabender.comwww.brabender.com 25

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Brabender® agencies all over the world.© 2013 Brabender® GmbH & Co. KG

All trademarks are registered.Subject to change of design and technical mo-dification without notice.

… where quality is measured.