Equipment | Polymer Processing

Group Thermoplastic Semi-finished Fiber Composites

UD tape plant UD500

• melting impregnation
• working width 500 mm
• temperature control up to 350 °C
• max. 15 m/min process speed

UD tape plant UD50

• Melt impregnation
• working width 50 mm
• temperature controlled up to 350 °C
• max. 15 m/min process speed

Parallel, free configurable twin screw extruder, laboratory scale-up to pilot scale (0,2 - 400 kg/h)

• melt pumps
• strand, underwater pelletizing, hot face
• mixing and conveying elements
• gravimetric Flexwall Doser, Gravimetric Agitator Doser
• vertical two wells stuffing unit, two wells sided feeders,
• roving dosing unit with platform scale
• gas dosing pump
• vacuum facility

Single-screw extruder

• L/D = 30, D = 45 mm
• max. speed 200 rpm

Profile extrusion

• calibrating table, discharging conveyor, saw
• various profile extrusion tools (plates, double multi-skin plates)
• co-Extrusion

Mini-Compounder with conical double screws

• temperature control up to 350°C, parallel and anti-directional conical screws, two pressure sensors for the determination of viscosity, adaptable external sensors (for example NIR)

Mini injection molding facility

• temperature control up to 400 °C, mould temperature up to 250 °C, injection pressure max. 1200 bar, various test piece geometrics

Laboratory kneader

• temperature control up to 400 °C, material quantities max. 300 g

2D tape placer

• Dimensions: L=2100mm W=1200 mm H=2100 mm
• Max. depositing area in x 500 mm and in y 700 mm
• Maximum speed of linear axes 1 m/s
• Manual adjustment of the Z-axis

3D tape placer

• Installation area approx.: L=2800mm W=2800mm H=2100 mm
• Depositing area approx. 1000 mm x 1000 mm x 700 mm
• Maximum speed < 0,5 m/s

Injection Molding Compounder KM 3200–24500 MX IMC

• Injection Molding Compounder with a 3200 ton clamping force
• tools with a maximum shot weight 20000 grams (PS)
• configurable parallel twin screw extruder for diverse processes
• gravimetrical dosing system for free flowing granulates, powder, continuous roving and cut glass fibers, various natural fibers
• further configurations: Injection stamping, pneumatic and hydraulic cascade, de-conforming, extraction of pieces with a robot, vacuum degassing, ejector cross as per Euro map

Injection Molding Machine KM200–1000C2

• Injection Molding Compounder with a 200 ton clamping force
• tools with a maximum shot weight 476 grams (PS)
• further configurations: injection stamping, tool temperature control up to 140 °C
• two-shot Injection molding machine SP160, vertical, with a max. shot weight of 68 grams (PS)
• completely automatic production cell with IR-heating station as well as handling robots for the production of lightweight structures in hybrid injection molding process through forming and reshaping of continuous reinforced depositors

Engel V-Duo 7050/700

• Vertical line (use of gravity for OB forming), HK baffle available
• Automation cell with IR oven and robotic gripper handling for organosheet or organosandwich processing
• MuCell package (physical foaming), injection-compression package
•  Processing of high temperature thermoplastics up to 450°C possible

Engel Duo 8160/900

• Horizontal system (corresponds to conventional SGM)
  
• Automation cell with movable IR oven and 2x robot gripper handling for organo sheet and organo sandwich processing respectively
• 2 x 6-axis robots: easix KR50 R2500 and KR120 R3500 for cold and hot handling

Analysis of process-related material behavior

• Rheological measurement methods and characterization of the process behavior of short-, long- and continuous-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (including shear frame tests, temperature-dependent tensile tests, DMA, DSC, LFA, HKV...)
• Material modeling with Digimat
• Analysis and simulation of thermoforming behavior as well as process and component optimization (e.g. cutting optimization) of tape and fabric organosheets with LS-DYNA
• Analysis and simulation of thermoforming behavior of thermoplastic sandwich semi-finished products (e.g. with honeycomb or with foam core) with newly developed FE approaches in LS-DYNA
• Simulation of injection molding, hybrid injection molding and foam injection molding with Moldex- 3D

Sustainable Materials and Processes Group

Rheological measuring methods

• High pressure capillary viscometer (manufacturer: Göttfert, maximum extrusion force: 20kN, temperature range: 60-400°C, ISO 11443)
• PVT measuring device (manufacturer: Göttfert, temperatures of up to 500°C and cooling rates of up to 30 K/min, pressure range up to 2500 bar, optional isobaric or isothermal measurements, ISO 17744)

3D printing with polymer materials

• Creator3 (manufacturer: Flashprint, process: FDM - 2-fold extruder, installation space: 250 mm x 200 mm x 300 mm)
• Finder (manufacturer: Flashprint, process: FDM, package size: 140 mm x 140 mm x 140 mm)
• MarkOne (manufacturer: Markforged, process: FDM + continuous fiber, package size: 320 mm x 132 mm x 154 mm)
• Composer A4 (manufacturer: Anisoprint, process: FDM - 2-fold extruder, continuous fiber reinforcement, package size: 297 mm x 210 mm x 140 mm)
• RF2000 (manufacturer: Renkforce, process: FDM - 2-fold extruder /metal filament, package size: 180 mm x 200 mm x 230 mm)
• 3ntr-A4v4 (manufacturer: 3ntr, process: FDM - 3-fold extruder, package size: 295 mm x 167 mm x 200 mm)
• SpaceA 1100-500-S (manufacturer: Yizumi, process: Granular - 6-axis 3D printing, build envelope: 1100 mm reach).
• 3D printing with metallic materials
• TruPrint 1000 (manufacturer: Trumpf, process: SLS - pure copper, CuCr1Zr, CuNi2SiCr, CuSn10, stainless steel possible, installation space: Ø 100 mm x H 100 mm)

Polymeric Material Design - Elastomer Processing Group at Fraunhofer PAZ

internal mixer GK 1,5E

• intermeshing PES5 rotors
• chamber volume 1,5l
• rotor speed 10-200 min-1
• drive power max. 48 kW

Internal mixer GK 5ET

• intermeshing PES5 rotors
• chamber volume 5 l
• rotor speed 10-150 min-1
• drive power max. 90 kW

Laboratory rolling mill Tecnolab MM 300x600 VF

• roll diameter300 mm
• roll length 600 mm
• rotational speed < 21 min-1
• output power 2 x 11 kW

Vulcanizing press RUCKS K275

• pressing force 1.000 kN
• plate size 400 x 400 mm²
• distance between plates 300 mm
• Temperature < 250 °C

Rubber extruder EEK 45.14 Rubicon

• Screw diameter 45 mm
• Screw length 14 D
• Speed 3-70 min-1Drive power 12 kW
• Melt pump ZRP 36/32
• Rheometer tool

Process characterization

• Moving Die Rheometer MDR (Montech)
• Mooney viscometer MV 3000 (Montech)
• Shore A hardness tester (Montech)
• Rebound elasticity tester (Bareiss)
• Abrasion tester DIN ISO 4649:2002 (Bareiss)
  
• Optical microscope incident light (Bresser)

Polyurethane plant RIM Star 8/8 CCM from Krauss Maffei Technologies GmbH for Clear-Coat Molding

Double band press for continuous laminate production

• work width 1.000 mm
• temperature control up to 250 °C
• 0,2 - 8 m/min transport speed

Laminate Press

• 400 x 400 mm work width
• temperature control up to 400 °C
• maximum press pressure 10 N/mm

Static mixer

• with connections for physical propellants (CO2 and N2)

Polymer-powder mill, shredder unit, roller mill

Fiber cutting unit

• speed of production: 50 - 500 m/min
• staple length 1.5 - 98 mm
• cable strength with cutting gap 3 mm: 3000 - 65000 dtex

Dry air dryer

• separate drying and regenerating circuit
• drying temperature-adjustment up to 160 °C

Polyurethane plant

• RIM-Star 8/8 CCM from Krauss Maffei Technologies GmbH
  
• Clear-Coat Molding

Double band press for continuous laminate production

•  working width 1,000 mm
• temperature controlled up to 250 °C
• 0.2-8 m/min transport speed
  

Laminate press

•  400 x 400 mm working width
• temperable up to 400 °C
• maximum press pressure 10 N/mm

Static mixer

• with connections for physical blowing agents (CO2 and N2)

Polymer powder mill, shredder, roller mill

Fiber cutting

• Production speed: 50 - 500 m/min
• staple lengths 1.5 - 98 mm
• wire thickness with cutting gap 3 mm: 3,000-65,000 dtex

Dry air dryer

•   separate drying and regeneration circuit
• drying temperature adjustment up to 160 °C