Milan, Italy-based compounding and extrusion machinery manufacturer Icma San Giorgio has designed, built and installed a new compounding line for the production of biodegradable, bio-based plastic materials used mainly to manufacture shopping bags or agricultural mulch films.
Over the past few years, the company has gained experience with the design and engineering of biopolymer compounding lines, said Giorgio Colombo, CEO of ICMA.
“Biopolymer compounding is one of the new and most interesting frontier of the circular economy,” he declared.
The project was completed on a turnkey basis and was delivered completely production-ready, from the loading systems for the different components to the packing of the final product.
The line includes a loss-in-weight gravimetric feeding system, engineered for hard flowing powder metering and pre-heated liquids. The co-rotating extruder features a 112 mm screw designed specifically for heat sensitive bioplastic materials.
The extruder, equipped with a side feeding unit, hot liquid injection nozzle and vent stuffer has a capacity of 1.5 tons/h capacity. The cutting unit selected is an under-water system, allowing a really consistent and accurate quality and a fully automated production.
Pre-storage silos complete the line with a gentle mixing system as well as a packaging system into big-bags.
Finally, an advanced control panel integrates all systems and it releases complete production reports available through company ERP / MES network even from remote channels via dedicated line expressly created by ICMA for remote assistance.