The Process by which ingredients are intimately mixed
together into as nearly a homogeneous mass is
known as compounding.
The Process of improving properties of structurally
weak, deliquescent polymers into strong, durable
commodity plastics is termed as Compounding of
Plastics.
•Their degree of effectiveness.
•The efficiency of processing ingredients.
•The condition of processing
•The requirement of the end use
•The environmental exposure to which the
product will be subjected.
•
Physical form & melting characteristics of the polymer
considered
•Degree of dispersion or solubility of the additive in the final
mixture
•Physical form of the plastics raw material or compound to
be produced
• Added to the monomer ie before or during the production of
the polymer.
•Added during the working up of the polymer.
•Added in a separate manufacturing step.
•Incorporated directly before or during molding of a plastic to a
semifinished product or finished article.
•Additives should be iner
•Used by the producer of the base resins
Examples
Stabilization of impact resistant PS and pre stabilasation of PV
produced by suspention polymerisation.(in both case
antioxidants are added to the monomers
•Used by polymer manufacturer.
•Additives used must satisfy specific requirements determined
by the process such as emulsifiability , solubility in certain
solvents , low volatility or stability to hydrolysis.
•Polymer must be in dispersed form.
Example- In modification of styrene polymer,such as ABS.
There are four basic methods
◦ Dry mixing,
◦ Batch mixing,
◦ Continuous mixing,
◦ Compounding by Screw extruder.
The selection of the method determined by
◦Condition of the material,
◦The volume of end product required,
◦The sensitivity of the material to breakdown during shear.
Dry mixing the plastic with its additives in a 500
pound capacity paddle mixer.
The paddles are turned at 30 to 90 seconds or until
the mix is homogeneous.
If the mix is too long, it will develop lumps of glass,
while too short a mix will produce an unequal
dispersion of glass fibres.
Dry mixer are preferred for powders, plastic pellets
with fibers and also for mixing plasticizers with PVC.
There are four types of dry mixers:
◦ High speed impellers,
◦ Ribbon mixers,
◦ Paddle mixers and
◦ Drum tumblers.
The mixer consists of an enclosed container with a
higher speed impeller mounted at the bottom.
An impeller is similar to the rotating blades of a
helicopter.
The impeller is capable of 80 to 3600 revolutions per
minute (RPM). Mixing is fast with materials blended
within 2-4 minute cycles.
Heat generated during the mixing process must be
drawn off through a cooling jacket to retard
decomposition of the material and to block the
development of lumps.
Drum tumblers are popular with molding operation
for the dispersion of powdered colorants with the
plastic pellets.
In a drum tumbler, plastic pellets (with approximately
1 to 2% colorant) are placed in a 250 gallon drum
and tumbled dry for approximately 30 minutes.
Drum tumblers are used when the additives disperse
easily throughout the mixture without tending to
lump or cluster together.
High speed mixture is widely used for PVC dry
blending and for the dispersion of colorants,
pigments etc….
And also it is using for mixing polymer powder
with pellets.
HSM is made of impellers mounted in the bottom
of stationary vessel.
Rotational speed of impellers is upto-1000rpm.
The motors are using for rotating impellers.
Two roll mills are used mostly for mixing materials
with coarse particles.
In roll mills, the size reduction takes place between
two rolls can have either a smooth or a profiled
surface.
It is reducing the particles size from 1mm˃ to ˃
0.010mm.
Rolls are rotating as counter-rotating only.
Toll roll mill are mainly using in calendering
process of PVC sheet.
Banbury mixers :
Banbury mixers :
The Banbury mixer is a brand of internal batch mixer,
named for inventor Fernley H. Banbury.
Banbury batch mixer consists of cylindrical chamber or
shell with in which materials to be mixed are deformed by
rotating blades or rotors .
The blade motion causes the mixture to be shear between
blade and tip and shell and creating shuffling of material
Cycle time 2-4 min Size 50-75 kg Producing large shapeless
lumps.
Internal batch mixers such as the Banbury mixer are used
for mixing or compounding rubber and plastics. Its invention
resulted in major labor and capital savings in the tire industry.
It is also used for reinforcing fillers in a resin system.
Ribbon Blender is useful for convective mixing.
In most of convective mixers, a mixing rotor within
a static housing, moving groups of particles from
one region to another.
Ribbon mixtures are available both as batch
mixture as well as continuous mixture.
The rotational speed in ribbon blender is typically
in the range of 10 to 60 rpm.
Many different ribbon geometries are available.
The mixing blade is set off center and is carried on a rotating
arm. It therefore travels round the circumference of the
mixing bowl while simultaneously rotating around its own
axis.
This is therefore a double rotation similar to that of a
spinning planet rotating around the sun, hence the name.
Planetary Mixers are used for dry mixing and dough mixing.
The homogenous mixing if various lngredients of different
densities in different proportions for solid/solid, liquid/solid,
and liquld/Iiquid is achieved effectively by the use of
Planetary Mixer.
Planetary Mixers for the preparation of ointment, toothpaste,
creams.
The blades each rotate on their own axes, and at the same
time on a common axis, thereby providing complete mixing
in a very short timeframe.
Screw extruders are the process tool used in
compounding, injection molding, injection blow
molding, extrusion, and extrusion blow molding.
Screw extrusion technology is used as the plastic
mixing and melting device.
GF are efficiently compounded with plastic using
screw extruders.
Two Types
◦ Single Screw Extruder
◦ Twin Screw Extruder
It classified by the ratio of the length of the screw to
the inside diameter of the screw. Standard extruders
have 30 to 1 ratios.
The size of extruders range from small laboratory
models with 1/2 inch diameters to large production
extruders with 8" diameter barrels.
Consist of long steel screw which rotates steel
tube called barrel
Extruder outputs range from a few pounds an hour up
to 1,000 pounds per hour.
Barrel, is wrapped with heating elements to maintain
the barrel at the melt temperature of the plastic.
The plastic is pumped from one end of the screw to the
other by rotating the screw.
The rate at which the plastic moves from one end of the
extruder to the other is controlled by the speed of the
screw.
Zones of Extruder & its Functions:
Feed Zone - Transport the material from hopper
to compression zone.
Compression Zone - Compacts, eliminates air gap
- Transport the material from
compression to metering zone.
Softens the material
Metering zone - Melts, Mixes, the material pressurizes
and pumps the melt.
The efficiency of the mixing action of the single screw extruder
compounder depends on maintaining higher friction between the
wall of the barrel and the material than between the materials and
the screw surface.
If the friction is higher on the screw surface, plastic will stick to the
screw surface, decompose and clog the mixing process.
In a single screw, extruder's plastic pastes, flakes. Sometimes low
bulk density materials tend to stick to the screw surface.
To overcome these restrictions, the twin screw extruder was
developed.
The twin screw extruder has two screws that are arranged side by
side and intermesh.
The intermeshing action of the two screws constantly self-wipes the
screw flights.
It is impossible for plastics to stick to the screw surface.The
positive pumping action of the intermeshing screws allows
for the compounding of all forms of plastic materials not
possible with a single two stage extruder.
There are two type of rotating
1. Co-rotating.
2. Counter –rotating.
Co-rotating:
When two screws rotates along same side in a barrel
then the phenomena is called co-rotating
Counter-Rotating:
When the two screws rotates the different side in a barrel,
then the phenomena is called counter-rotating.
Thank you
