Simpler, more cost-effective extruder design launched

KraussMaffei Berstorff has added a variant to its ModulPlus compounding line platform, which it says is designed to be simpler and more cost-effective.

The group says that the time required to manufacture the line is now about two months shorter and the steel structure costs are reduced by up to 20 percent. Four lines in the new configuration have already been sold to customers in Denmark and China.

The new design is reportedly simpler than previous lines, though metering, material handling, pelletising and control modules are almost unchanged. The real difference, says the company, is that the extruder is no longer integrated in a steel module, enabling simple access to the extruder at ground level.

“Thanks to this innovative solution, we save up to 20 percent in steel structure costs and reduce the manufacturing time by about two months,” said Thorsten Schroer, Assistant Head of Plant Engineering at KraussMaffei Berstorff. ModulPlus has been designed with standardisation in mind, says the company, which also saves on build time.

KraussMaffei Berstorff says that the key benefits of the new design are rapid start-up without any interface problems, easy disassembly and re-installation in case there is a need to re-locate, and a low total investment cost as a simple production area is usually sufficient, and there is no need for sophisticated steel structures.