Colour Measurement System CM2
Plastics have become indispensable nowadays, and the areas of application are constantly broadened
The level of the requirements has risen in equal measure.
The industry demands for high quality raw material, that needs appropriate “online controls” to guarantee best properties for the fields of polymerisation, processing and application. Therefore it is essential that the extrusion process is checked for function and documented, as the polymer film should be clear of contamination and gels. It is important to detect in-homogeneities as soon as possible so the cause can be eliminated at an early stage of the process.
The rheological behaviour of the polymer melt is defined by the molecular structure and allows conclusions to the extrusion process.
The quality of the granules, eg: the size and shape, has an influence on the pneumatic conveyance and of course also on the material flow in the feeding process and extruded during high performance extrusion.
For further processing the frequency and size of gels and black specs in the film must be determined. These affect the optical appearance of the film and reduce the mechanical stability and ability for treatment, eg: printing, laminating etc.
The surface quality is also an important QC criterion when producing glossy and transparent films. Most thermoplastic material contains additives for processing and preservation, the content of which has to be analysed during quality inspection.
Optical Control Systems (OCS) has developed a modular conception of testing systems and optional devices which can be combined according to requirements:
Pellet/powder impurity
Size and shape distribution
Gels and contamination
Additives measurement
Rheology
Haze, gloss, thickness measurement
Pellet transport system
With these instruments all quality control requirements in modern plastic production and plastic conversion are fulfilled, offering tools for flawless history tracking of all critical parameters, for effective process control and for root cause analysis, creating a solid basis for process improvement.
The systems that are available include:
Powder & Liquids
Power Testing System PT2C is capable of detecting contamination and discoloured powder particles and can be defined with the teaching tool. The irregularities are sorted into different class sizes which are completely user defined. The PT2C can be used for laboratory purposes as well as online inspection. The powder can be submitted as a sample or it can be withdrawn from the production line.
Pellet Inspection Systems
Pellet Scanning System PS25C is used to analyse transparent, opaque and colour pellets. The material throughput is approximately 40 kg/h.
High Speed Pellet Scan System PS200C is for online quality control during a production process. This system is an advanced version of the PS25C with an approximate throughput of 250kg/h.
Pellet Size and Shape Analyser PSSA is a modular inspection system for precise analysis of size and shape of transparent and opaque granules (eg: twins, ripples, dog-bones, tails, fines). The features of the granules. Eg: size, shape, elongation, roundness, roughness and convexity are determined.
Pellet Size and Shape Distribution PSSD is for the rapid analysis of size and shape distribution of transparent and opaque granules (eg: twins, triples, dog-bones, tails, fines). The system is able to analyse up to 50 kg/hr.
Pellet Analyser PA66 is a combination of the PSSD and PS25C with real colour measurement (CM) optional.
Blown Film Tower
The blown film tower BFT 300/400 with film hauloff, extruder and spiral die are used to produce high quality blown films for carrying out optical and physical measurement on the film. The system is for on/-off line measurements such as gels, contamination, haze, gloss etc.
Cast Film
Chill Roll & Winder Unit CR9/WU9 contains and FT-IR for Online Spectroscopy, Haze, Gloss- and thickness measurement for either laboratory or online.
Film Testing
Film Surface Analyser FSA100 can be used in the laboratory or production. The film quality (either transparent or opaque) is assessed optoelectronically and the data is stored in an inspection report for later analysis. The system recognises and classifies defects, and every defect detected is transferred with the defect image to the measurement protocol with its feature vector (position, size, shape …)
Sample Tester ST4 is for the precise inspection of surfaces (transparent films, plates, glass and non-transparent / opaque materials such as paper, metal or textiles) with a small area. The system detects impurities, holes, scratches and other surface irregularities.
Rheometer
OP5 online Rheometer measures Melt Index and/or Polydispersity of small solid polymer samples.
Additive Measuring
Online FT-InfRared Spectrometry APLAIRS (Analysis of PLAstics by InfraRed Spectrometry) measures additives, physical properties, co-polymer and multi-layer composition, thickness as well as degree of polymerisation simultaneously.
Filtra Test
Filtra Test ME FT 20 (according to DIN En 13900-5) can determine the Filter Pressure Value FPV.
Pelletising
The laboratory scale strand pelletiser consists of an extruder (20/25 D V3), strands die, water bath and strand pelletiser with adjustable speed.
Thickness, Gloss, Haze and Colour Measurement
Hazemeter Gamma 12 (according to ASTM 1003) calculates the haze value from the ratio of the scattered light and total transmitted light.
Glossmeter GM (according to ASTM D 523 / DN 6730) determines the gloss characteristics of the manufactured film.
Thickness Measurement TM9 is used for continuous measurement of the film thickness with the aid of measuring rolls.
Wide Web Inspection System
FSP600 is a surface inspection system for use in production. Every defect is transferred with the defect image to the measurement protocol together with its feature vector (position, size, shape …).
Pellet Transport System
The Pellet Transport System PTS is a continuous and automatic transportation of pellets between the production lines and measuring systems.