- Email: [email protected]
Ultra-accelerated UV testing
EQUIPMENT
News
Ultra-accelerated UV testing Atlas Material Testing Technology has developed a new, ultraaccelerated exposure testing device which can provide approximately 63 years of South Florida UV radiation exposure in a single year. The technology, which is similar in concept to the company’s moderately accelerated EMMA® technology, works by tracking the sun while concentrating reflected sunlight on test specimens mounted in a target area. A new patented mirror system used in the ultra-accelerated concentrator has very high reflectance in UV and near visible wavelength ranges, while attenuating reflectance in the longer wavelength visible and IR portions of the solar spectrum. This technology makes use of very high concentrations of UV energy without excessively heating test samples, which can lead to unnatural material changes when compared to the changes in the end user environment. UV energy can be variably concentrated on a target area
of around 10 cm by 10 cm by using multiple focusing mirrors arranged on the curve of a 10 m sphere. Custom mounting and cooling can be added depending upon the specific material exposure requirements. Optically, the mirror system has a direct normal 100/1 concentration factor. Atlas says that the device can expose many different types of materials to ultra-high UV irradiances. The technology is suitable for testing materials that require a long service life, transparent and glazing materials, and small solar photovoltaic (PV) cells or material used in these cells. Atlas developed this new solar concentrator technology in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Russian Institute of Laser Optical Technology (ILOT) under a US Department of Energy (DOE) programme. Contact: Atlas Material Testing Technology Website: www.atlas-mts.com
Miniature twin screw extruder for R&D The Brabender® MiniCompounder TSE 12/36 is a new miniature twin screw extruder which is suitable for research and development in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. According to Brabender, the extruder can adapt itself to the majority of processing tasks at a scaled-down level, making it suitable as a laboratory apparatus, with the minimum samples required in the pharmaceutical industry being able to be processed with the Mini-Compounder. The TSE 12/36 has an integrated drive with an output of 2.4 kW (3.2 HP) and reaches speeds up to a maximum of 600 RPM. The processing unit is a clamshell design with segmented screws, and the modular screw design enables the operator to optimize the compounding application
by utilizing various kneading, mixing, and shear elements of the screws. The segmented screw elements are interchangeable and can be realigned to adapt to a specific application. The Mini-Compounder has barrel lengths of 36 D with metering and/or venting ports located at 6 D, 12 D, and 26 D with side feeding capabilities at 14 D. The barrel of the TSE 12/36 is divided horizontally, and can be tilted open on both sides, allowing visual assessment of individual processing steps. It is supported by CAN open bus technology and recording and evaluation of measuring data as well as control of the entire machine system are done with Windows-based software. Contact: C W Brabender Website: www.cwbrabender.com
New gravimetric blender supplies multiple extruders TSM Control Systems has developed the New Multi-Blend™ Gravimetric Blending System for the co-extrusion market. TSM says that the system allows the end user to locate the blending of all materials and recipes centrally in a high throughput gravimetric blender, the TSM3000. This gravimetric blender can handle up to 12 individual material components at any given time with total automatic cleaning between recipes. The new TSM Multi-Blend™ is centrally located, supplying any number of extruders. The company says that it offers a number of advantages. Firstly, the use of centralized off-line blending to feed multiple extruders has many cost advantages such as the elimination of gravimetric blenders for each layer. Thereafter individual extruder layer material recipes are simply entered into the Plastics Additives & Compounding May/June 2009
8
TSM central blender control panel. When an extruder requests a material fill, the TSM blender prepares the required job recipe, mixes the material, before conveying it off to its respective extruder. Finally, the blender’s automatic self-cleaning feature is initiated in anticipation of the next fill request. According to TSM Control Systems, all material consumption is logged for traceability/accountability purposes, which contributes to the overall increased production efficiency. The mixing technology of the TSM3000 also enables homogenous mixing independent of percentage settings or material density. There are no dead areas in the mixing chamber as all materials, in all areas, are blended by screw. Contact: TSM Control Systems Website: www.tsmcontrols.com
News
Ultra-accelerated UV testing Atlas Material Testing Technology has developed a new, ultraaccelerated exposure testing device which can provide approximately 63 years of South Florida UV radiation exposure in a single year. The technology, which is similar in concept to the company’s moderately accelerated EMMA® technology, works by tracking the sun while concentrating reflected sunlight on test specimens mounted in a target area. A new patented mirror system used in the ultra-accelerated concentrator has very high reflectance in UV and near visible wavelength ranges, while attenuating reflectance in the longer wavelength visible and IR portions of the solar spectrum. This technology makes use of very high concentrations of UV energy without excessively heating test samples, which can lead to unnatural material changes when compared to the changes in the end user environment. UV energy can be variably concentrated on a target area
of around 10 cm by 10 cm by using multiple focusing mirrors arranged on the curve of a 10 m sphere. Custom mounting and cooling can be added depending upon the specific material exposure requirements. Optically, the mirror system has a direct normal 100/1 concentration factor. Atlas says that the device can expose many different types of materials to ultra-high UV irradiances. The technology is suitable for testing materials that require a long service life, transparent and glazing materials, and small solar photovoltaic (PV) cells or material used in these cells. Atlas developed this new solar concentrator technology in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Russian Institute of Laser Optical Technology (ILOT) under a US Department of Energy (DOE) programme. Contact: Atlas Material Testing Technology Website: www.atlas-mts.com
Miniature twin screw extruder for R&D The Brabender® MiniCompounder TSE 12/36 is a new miniature twin screw extruder which is suitable for research and development in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. According to Brabender, the extruder can adapt itself to the majority of processing tasks at a scaled-down level, making it suitable as a laboratory apparatus, with the minimum samples required in the pharmaceutical industry being able to be processed with the Mini-Compounder. The TSE 12/36 has an integrated drive with an output of 2.4 kW (3.2 HP) and reaches speeds up to a maximum of 600 RPM. The processing unit is a clamshell design with segmented screws, and the modular screw design enables the operator to optimize the compounding application
by utilizing various kneading, mixing, and shear elements of the screws. The segmented screw elements are interchangeable and can be realigned to adapt to a specific application. The Mini-Compounder has barrel lengths of 36 D with metering and/or venting ports located at 6 D, 12 D, and 26 D with side feeding capabilities at 14 D. The barrel of the TSE 12/36 is divided horizontally, and can be tilted open on both sides, allowing visual assessment of individual processing steps. It is supported by CAN open bus technology and recording and evaluation of measuring data as well as control of the entire machine system are done with Windows-based software. Contact: C W Brabender Website: www.cwbrabender.com
New gravimetric blender supplies multiple extruders TSM Control Systems has developed the New Multi-Blend™ Gravimetric Blending System for the co-extrusion market. TSM says that the system allows the end user to locate the blending of all materials and recipes centrally in a high throughput gravimetric blender, the TSM3000. This gravimetric blender can handle up to 12 individual material components at any given time with total automatic cleaning between recipes. The new TSM Multi-Blend™ is centrally located, supplying any number of extruders. The company says that it offers a number of advantages. Firstly, the use of centralized off-line blending to feed multiple extruders has many cost advantages such as the elimination of gravimetric blenders for each layer. Thereafter individual extruder layer material recipes are simply entered into the Plastics Additives & Compounding May/June 2009
8
TSM central blender control panel. When an extruder requests a material fill, the TSM blender prepares the required job recipe, mixes the material, before conveying it off to its respective extruder. Finally, the blender’s automatic self-cleaning feature is initiated in anticipation of the next fill request. According to TSM Control Systems, all material consumption is logged for traceability/accountability purposes, which contributes to the overall increased production efficiency. The mixing technology of the TSM3000 also enables homogenous mixing independent of percentage settings or material density. There are no dead areas in the mixing chamber as all materials, in all areas, are blended by screw. Contact: TSM Control Systems Website: www.tsmcontrols.com