For more than 20 years, German extrusion specialist Troester has been offering its customers solutions for applications with its Rotomex gear extruders, where strained rubber compounds ensure product quality. Since the early 2000s, more than 150 Rotomex systems from the ZX75, ZX120 and ZX170 series have been supplied, which are used in the automotive, tire and pharmaceutical industry for the production of the finest technical rubber goods such as pharmaceutical products, sealing, profiles, hoses, curing bladders, windscreen wipers as well as compounds. The machines are rated for a compound throughput of 275 kg/h (ZX75), 760 kg/h (ZX120) and 1,400 kg/h (ZX170).
All the gear extruders are characterised by their simple and compact design, which means that they require a small footprint and can be easily integrated into all production processes.
However, the most important advantage of a Rotomex is its low energy input into the compound. Its energy consumption is up to 70% lower than that of a comparable single-screw extruder with a gear pump. This results in a specific energy requirement ? 45 Wh/kg.
In further comparison, a rubber compound can be plasticised at a lower temperature rise without influencing the vulcanisation kinetics, which ultimately ensures extremely gentle material treatment. In recent years, the straining of rubber compounds with the Rotomex has shown great success in extending the service life of rubber products. In several applications, the life cycles of curing bladders have been increased by up to 300%, claims the manufacturer.
Troester says its gear extruders can be seamlessly integrated into production processes, e.g. they can be placed upstream of an extruder or an injection moulding machine and then feed the downstream equipment as required via an integrated product control loop.
Troester will be showcasing its equipment at the DKT show (1-4/7/2024) in Nürnberg/Germany at Booth No: 9-611, Hall 9.