A weekly look at new products, innovations

Editor's Note: Each week, Rubber & Plastics News will take a look at some of the rubber industry's new products and innovations on www.rubbernews.com. Does your company have a new product or new innovation? To be considered for inclusion in this recurring feature, email [email protected].

The Dyna-Purge Division of Shuman Plastics Inc. has partnered with 3Dom USA to service the 3D printing industry with a new grade of Dyna-Purge purging compound.

Dyna-Purge reported that the partnership with 3Dom USA will introduce “Dyna-Purge 3D Clean,” a non-abrasive, non-chemical, engineered thermoplastic purging compound specially formulated to meet the needs 3D printing technologies.

Dyna-Purge 3D Clean is offered exclusively through 3Dom USA and is designed to purge all resins used in 3D printing, the company said. Dyna-Purge said it is easy to use before or after printing a part, for color changes, resins changes, especially composite materials and for preventative machine maintenance.

The company claims the product is easy to use through its cleaning formulation and wider processing temperature range, from 320°F to 575°F. Available in 8-inch strands and packaged in a clear cylinder, Dyna-Purge 3D said it is safe and non-hazardous, with no chemical additives, and the ingredients are FDA compliant.

For additional information contact Tim Cutler at Shuman Plastics Inc., Dyna-Purge Division, at [email protected] or visit www.dynapurge.com; or Jake Clark at 3Dom USA L.L.C. at [email protected], or visit www.3domusa.com.

Guyson Corp. has designed and built an automated tire mold cleaning system that features a precision nozzle manipulator with three axes of movement.

The custom pressure-blast machine is engineered to clean both two-piece and segmented molds, Guyson reported. The roof-mounted nozzle motion system directs the blast from four pressure nozzles rigidly bracketed in position on the wrist of the programmable manipulator. The horizontal and vertical range of nozzle motion accommodates molds of various diameters and tread widths, Guyson said, while the third axis precisely controls the pitch or angle of impingement of the blast stream to facilitate rapid and thorough cleaning of details of target surfaces.

Twin powered turntables of 78-inch diameter and 6,600-pound weight capacity are mounted on a motor-driven transfer cart that rolls on tracks extending from each side of the blast cabinet, the company said, and each different mold in the tooling inventory is associated with a programmed cleaning routine that synchronizes nozzle movements with the direction and speed of rotation of the mold.

The mold cleaning system's programmable automation controller is capable of storing and recalling dimensional data and process parameters for more than 100 different tire molds, Guyson said. PAC control enables use of electronic sensor technology to monitor a variety of critical system functions, Guyson said, including detection of low media level, inadequate compressed air pressure and full dust drum.

A custom-designed touch screen interface linked to the PAC graphically displays information on fault conditions, the company claimed, as well as process data such as nozzle position coordinates, moment-to-moment blast pressure and elapsed blast cycle time. The touch panel also simplifies password-protected entry of dimensions and set points for new mold cleaning programs to be added to the PAC, the company said.

Guyson said prospective users of automated or robotic mold cleaning equipment can submit sample molds for a free test cleaning and application engineering evaluation at the blast machinery manufacturer's factory in northeastern New York state.

For more information, click here.

Guill Tool & Engineering Co. Inc. has introduced Series 824, a co-extrusion crosshead designed for irrigation tubing with an emitter tool.

The Series 824 is manufactured from stainless steel and the crosshead features balanced flow design with spiral technology that improves flow characteristics at all extruder speeds. Dual feed ports provide concentric compound flow, Guill said, while the splits flow from one extruder to feed the inside and outside layers via a manifold assembly.

Guill claimed Series 824 is adaptable to all popular extruders on the market. Capacities include a max. die ID of 1.875 inches, max. core OD of 1.250 inches, max. tip OD of 1.500 inches and max. emitter tool OD of 30mm (1.18 inches), the company said.

The Series 824 design allows the emitter insertion tool to pass completely through the crosshead ID, according to Guill. Gum space adjustment is performed with die nut rotation, Guill said, while the Guill two-stage clamping mechanism allows easier concentricity adjustment. Additionally, quick-change tooling and a tool kit for disassembly and re-assembly are provided with the unit.

With the Series 824, Guill reported the customer realized cost reductions, better quality, less scrap and more uptime in their process. The Guill cool-tube design prevented the emitter from melting in the head and the overall unit mechanics allowed more rapid and easier changeover from a co-extrusion to a single layer, the company claimed.

On this project, Guill supplied the customer the company's extrusion tool cart, which facilitates easy alignment and tool changes. The removable cart swing gates stay free from accumulated process fluids, Guill said, while the adjustable height means the cart is compatible with virtually any extruder model. Thermal isolation in the design keeps heat in the head, not the cart, the company said.

For more information, go to www.guill.com.