IKV research on continuous vulcanization

PRESS RELEASE

IKV research on continuous vulcanization

New heating and vulcanization measuring technology from Gerlach Maschinenbau at IKV

Aachen, July 2017 – The Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) in Industry and the Skilled Crafts at RWTH Aachen University has a new measuring device for the development of heating strategies for continuous vulcanization. Jens Möckel, Managing Director of Gerlach Maschinenbau GmbH in Nettetal, Germany, formally presents the new machine – a HeatStraD, Heating Strategy Developer – to IKV’s extrusion pilot plant.

The new vulcanization unit was developed during a two-year joint ZIM project between Gerlach and IKV, and has now been made available to IKV as a prototype. With the new HeatStraD, IKV is able for the first time to heat simultaneously or sequentially rubber profiles by means of hot air, infrared radiation and microwave, and to measure the heating pattern of the profiles in cross section. These measurements make it possible to identify an optimal combination of the various forms of energy transmission – with which profiles can be homogeneously heated – for different materials. By analysing the power consumption of the plant, the two project partners can also evaluate the energy efficiency of the developed vulcanization and heating strategy.

The machine has a gas burner, with which the process air is heated by radially arranged infrared emitters, as well as a magnetron with an output of 3 kW. In addition, the comprehensive measuring technology allows an evaluation of air flow velocities and air temperatures in the vulcanization channel as well as various system and profile temperatures. This means that IKV can for the first time evaluate the entire heating process during continuous vulcanization.

The Head of the Institute, Professor Christian Hopmann, thanks Gerlach Maschinenbau for providing the innovative machine: “Continuous vulcanization is an exciting area of research for us. In the course of increasing digitisation of production, continuous vulcanization has until now been a major obstacle due to a lack of measuring possibilities and process models. Thanks to the new HeatStraD, we will in future be able to create new process models and also validate them. This means that we can improve the production of rubber profiles as a whole.” For Jens Möckel, the machine also represents an important step forwards in the further development of continuous vulcanization units: “We can develop a deeper understanding of continuous vulcanization by specifically questioning different heating technologies and by the knowledge gained with the new HeatStraD and, as a result, offer our customers optimised, more efficient system concepts together with unique services in process design.”

In the long term, IKV is planning to use the new measuring device to compare various heating mechanisms in continuous vulcanization, to describe the principles of microwave heating and thus replace the existing “black box” of continuous vulcanization by creating and validating process models.

Jens Möckel (left), Managing Director of Gerlach Maschinenbau GmbH and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hopmann, Head of IKV Institute in IKV’s extrusion pilot plant. (photo: IKV/Fröls)

About IKV

The Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) in Industry and the Skilled Crafts at RWTH Aachen University is the leading European research and education institute in the field of plastics processing. More than 300 employees are available to answer questions concerning processing, materials technology and part design in the plastics and rubber industries. The close connection with industry and science, as well as the outstanding IKV facilities ensure that students benefit from a practically oriented and comprehensive education. Plastics engineering graduates from Aachen are thus sought-after experts in the industry. Around 50 percent of German plastics engineers with a university degree have received their education at IKV. In organisational terms, IKV is divided into the specialist departments of Extrusion and Rubber Technology, Fibre-reinforced Plastics and Polyurethane, Part Design and Materials Technology, as well as Injection Moulding. The institute also includes the Centre for Analysis and Testing of Plastics, and the Training and Further Education department. IKV is run by an Association of Sponsors, currently with a membership of about 290 plastics companies from all over the world. Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hopmann is Head of the Institute and Managing Director of the Association of Sponsors. He also chairs Plastics Processing at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University.

The press photo in print quality can be downloaded from our website www.ikv-aachen.de/neuigkeiten/pressemitteilungen.

Contact concerning topic:

Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung (IKV)
in Industrie und Handwerk at RWTH Aachen
Florian Lemke, M.Sc.

Team Leader Rubber Technology |
Rubber Extrusion

Seffenter Weg 201
52074 Aachen
phone: +49 241 80-28353
fax: +49 241 80-22316

Florian.Lemke@ikv.rwth-aachen.de

Press contact:

Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung (IKV)
in Industrie und Handwerk at RWTH Aachen
Ulla Köhne
Head of Public Relations
Seffenter Weg 201
52074 Aachen
phone: +49 241 80-96631
fax: +49 241 80-92660
ulla.koehne@ikv.rwth-aachen.de