PETpla.net Insider 08 / 2017

MATERIALS / RECYCLING PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 08/17 www.petpla.net 29 injection moulding machines. These machines are very often equipped with the drying system at the machine suppliers and then tested and deliv- ered. Using the new Boy - Procan Alpha 4 control, the dehumidification unit can be connected to the machine control, because improved connectiv- ity and a more comfortable connection to peripheral devices is possible due to this control. The purchase of this complete solution relieves the user on the way to process-reliable manufactur- ing. Moisture in the resin can lead to porosities, surface smears or mate- rial damage due to hydrolysis, which always has a negative impact on the characteristics of the moulded part. As often expensive plastics are selected and get lost due to damage, damage through moisture is virtually always a rejection criterion. “By using the com- pact Card dryer system, we are able to offer our customers an effective and cost-efficient system,” explains Bernd Fischer, division manager for applica- tion technology and service at Boy. “The dehumidification units fulfil all common functions, they are easy to handle and can be mounted taking up very little space on the Boy XS,” says Fischer. “Finally we have decided to offer a less cost-intensive, very effec- tive system.” Saving energy by direct mounting on the feeder The choice fell to the small mate- rial dryers of the Card compressed air dryer series of the Austrian manufac- turer FarragTech. With the Card G as well as the Card 10S dryers from FarragTech only very small amounts of compressed air are consumed. The whole process is thus a lot less energy-intensive than with other mate- rial dryers. Due to the direct mount- ing on the feeder, remoistening of the treated material is avoided. This represents a special solution with a small material container that has been designed especially for the Boy XS and which works with this injection moulding machine only. The dehu- midification unit – in this case the Card G – is mounted on the injection moulding machine outside the feeder and permanently supplies the small material container with dried resin, depending on the requirement of the filling level sensor. For all other Boy The dehumidification unit – in this case the Card G – is mounted on the injection moulding machine outside the feeder and permanently supplies the small material container with dried resin. (Photos: Dr. Boy GmbH & Co. KG, FarragTech GmbH) machines, the material dryers can be mounted directly on the small material container on the feeder. Additionally, the drying system from FarragTech runs completely maintenance-free. Process optimisation through flexible adaption “For us, collaboration with Boy started with the task of designing a suitable mechanical interface to the existing Boy machine system for our dehumidification units,” explains Günther Scheiflinger, Technical Man- ager at FarragTech. “The mechanical connection options of our dehumidifi- cation units were changed in such a way that they fit without any prob- lems to the flange of the Boy injection moulding machines and the dryers have been installed without undue effort since then.” Consequently, the injection moulding machines from Boy could be offered from that date with a suitable dehumidification unit – with optimum efficiency in the area of material drying and conveyance: “When our customers order a dehu- midification unit for the machine, we will immediately contact FarragTech,” explains Fischer. “We could keep our sales program of peripheral devices for Boy machines up to a locking force of 350kN very lean.” Moreover, since the start of the cooperation of both companies, the costs of materials for Boy could be reduced and the internal processes in terms of speed be opti- mised. Together with FarragTech, Boy has now developed another connection option: however, this is only available for the Card G FIT series, because the Fit controller from FarragTech is required in this case. This electronic interface has been in the program since 2016, making it possible to operate the dehumidification unit directly via the input panel of the Boy machine. The dehumidification unit records the process, with alarm mes- sages being fed back by the system in case of faults and a detailed docu- mentation of the entire process being made possible. In addition to sup- plying resin dryers, FarragTech also supports Boy at exhibition appear- ances by providing free-of-charge peripheral devices for the exhibits and applications. In return, Boy provides the exhibition stands of FarragTech with injection moulding machines, if necessary. www.dr-boy.de www.farragtech.com Special-purpose solution for Boy XS