Processing of plastics

References

Necumer GmbH, Bohmte, Germany - Plastic dusts safely under control

The company Necumer GmbH from Bohmte (near Osnabrück) is one of the leading manufacturers of plastic material for model, mould and tool making. Necumer manufactures these materials in its own factory and delivers them ready-to-use in the desired format to customers in over 40 countries.

The construction of a new plant at a new location in 2014 should expand production capacities and further optimise production conditions. A particular challenge here was the reliable extraction of stubborn plastic dust and chips. With Höcker Polytechnik GmbH, Necumer was already a competent partner for all extraction and filter questions at the start of the project.

The experts from Höcker analysed the material behaviour of the plastics and the work processes in the company. The result is a solution individually tailored to the Necumer, which reliably removes and discharges the statically adhering plastic dusts and chips. In addition, the energy consumption has also been considerably reduced and the important occupational safety regulations have of course been complied with.

Fighting polymer dust with the MultiStar

Necumer uses the flexible MultiStar filter system from Höcker Polytechnik as its extraction centre. This model series has been successfully tested for pressure shock resistance by "BG-Exam" and is in use thousands of times worldwide. Four frequency-controlled 22 kW clean air fans in the sound-insulated fan module of the purge air filter ensure powerful extraction. The air flows within the filter chamber have been carefully calculated so that the dusts that tend to stick and float are guided safely towards the discharge screw. The dust can be discharged either via the BrikStar briquetting press or container. The fully automatic MultiStar filter requires only 9m x 3m floor space and has been positioned to save space in the immediate vicinity of the processing center outside the production hall.

In the machining center, the plastic blocks are precisely cut, milled and ground using band saws, milling machines and grinding machines. Up to 40m3 of dust and chips accumulate here every week and are reliably transported away via several extraction lines. Of course, the extremely long chips with a tendency to balling are also safely extracted and discharged from the milling process.

Necumer produces the materials for the plastic blocks itself in the mixing plant. Here polymers and other additives are combined and the resulting vapours are safely extracted and filtered by the mobile Vacumobil 300 filter system. There is no need for extensive conversion work as the Vacumobil series can be easily operated within the factory halls.

Energy-efficient, of course

During all planning phases the specialists of Höcker Polytechnik focused on minimum energy costs. Speed-controlled, energy-saving fans reduce the power consumption even under full load operation and pneumatic sliders coupled to the PLC switch off extraction lines when processing machines are at a standstill and shut down the fans accordingly. The return of the extracted and filtered air reduces heating costs during the winter months.

The system has now been in trouble-free operation for more than three months. For Necumer GmbH, the new Höcker extraction system is an enormous gain. The air quality in the work rooms meets the requirements of the TH-Luft and has improved significantly, dust and chips have been banned from production and energy costs have been considerably reduced. This project also shows how important it is to integrate the extraction technology from the start of the project into the planning. In this way, costs can be saved and the efficiency of the company increased.

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