Focus

Plasticising
Screws - cylinders - non-return valves:
Suitable for every application!

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Genuine ARBURG components

Genuine ARBURG components: long service life, 100% in-house production: all products meet consistently high quality standards.
guaranteed.

Wherever components move and mate- High of in-house production, best quality stages is monitored continuously. This re-
rial is being conveyed, wear is unavoi- A high ratio of in-house production, cen- sults in outstanding durability, robust per-
dable. This principle evidently also ap- trally organised production, one location: formance and high precision throughout a
plies to plasticising units during injec- All of these are part of ARBURG’s long tradi- long service life. For all applications.
tion moulding, with consequences for tion. This results in components that guar-
component function and for the manu­ antee maximum reliability and suitability for
factured moulded parts. Developments daily operation.
in the materials sector, particularly in Starting with the raw material, all the pro-
the field of engineering thermoplastics, duction stages for screws, cylinders and
which are increasingly adapted specifi- non-return valves are implemented centrally
cally to a special range of properties, at Lossburg. In the case of the screws, this
place high demands on the wear protec- includes machining, heat treatment and
tion for screws, cylinders and non- subsequent alignment, grinding and polish-
return valves. Based on our wide range ing. All dimensions as well as true running
of experience and process expertise, we properties are monitored as part of detailed
develop and manufacture our products quality control. The same applies to the pro-
to perfectly match your day-to-day re- cessing of cylinder tubes and the manufac-
quirements. We achieve our high quality ture of components for non-return valves:
thanks to the in-house production of all Here, too, the quality of all production
plasticising components. An advantage
from which you benefit directly in your
production through high levels of avai-
lability and a long service life.

2 www.arburg.com · 09/2014
Variety of geometries: the optimal screw for every application. Service hotline: immediate support via remote
diagnosis.

A decisive factor: manufacturer Fast spare parts supply Analysis of defective components
know-how ARBURG stands for comprehensive service If a plasticising component such as a screw
As a manufacturer of high-end injection offerings, including the spare parts supply or non-return valve becomes defective dur-
moulding machines, ARBURG also possesses of plasticising components. In-house pro- ing production, the customer can request
extensive applications engineering and pro- duction guarantees stock levels on a contin- ARBURG’s repair department to analyse it.
cessing expertise. This expertise continuously uous basis, ensuring worldwide availability Such components are appraised, checked,
flows into the development of all the plasti- of all components. In order to ensure the measured and, if necessary, subjected to
cising components. This has resulted in a prompt delivery of spare parts throughout, material tests. The results of these investiga-
practice-oriented range for the processing of the ARBURG headquarters and subsidiaries tions are submitted to the customers in the
diverse materials, which perfectly combines are connected via an IT network. This en- form of a detailed statement which also
a number of wear resistance categories with sures optimum supply to all customers, min- provides recommendations for replacing the
a variety of geometries. imising machine downtimes. Plasticising defective components. Once the reason for
parts can be ordered directly from the head- the defect is known, appropriate measures
quarters in Lossburg, the subsidiaries and can be taken. For example, it may be ad-
representatives, or via an interactive cata- vantageous to change to a different wear
logue on the Internet. resistance category in order to prevent the
problem in future.

09/2014 · www.arburg.com 3
Wear resistance categories for plasticising compon

Highly wear-resistant: special non-return valve. Comparison of structures: melt-metallurgical (left) and powder-metallurgical (right) steels.

All the components used to prepare the Basics: abrasion and corrosion Wear-influencing factors
melt are subject to a certain degree of In the case of abrasion, a hard foreign body • Process parameters (rotational speed /
wear. This unavoidable effect is brought penetrates the comparatively soft surfaces back pressure / temperatures / material
about by a variety of overlapping me- of basic metal bodies, forming furrows in dwell time)
chanisms. In addition to mechanical the material. These hard particles can be ei- • Filler type (glass fibre / carbon fibre,
wear, i.e. abrasion, corrosion also plays ther a filler in the molten plastic or a solidi- mineral fillers)
a significant role in the processing of fied particle which has already become de- • Filler content
special thermoplastics. tached as a result of wear. Consequently, • Additives (flame retardants / dyes)
In accordance with applicable require- abrasive wear occurs virtually throughout
ments, we offer you plasticising compo- the entire plasticising unit, i.e. in both the
nents in a variety of wear resistance ca- solid plastic and melt areas of the unit.
tegories. You are able to choose from a Pitting-type corrosion, in contrast, is gener-
variety of screw/cylinder combinations ally attributable to combined chemical and
to cover the spectrum of materials to be mechanical attack. Corrosion is often pre-
processed. The differentiating factors ceded by abrasive wear processes. The pri-
here are, firstly, the materials used and, mary cause of corrosion are the volatile con-
secondly, the type of wear protection stituents of the melt. For example, corrosion
applied, i.e. the type of surface treat- can be caused by water from inadequately
ment technique and hardening process. dried granulate combined with oxygen.
However, the metal surfaces are also at-
tacked by aggressive, corrosive constituents
contained in plastics with additives or which
occur through the thermal breakdown of
polymers. As these volatile constituents are
only released under processing conditions,
corrosive wear occurs primarily in the area
of the metering zone (extrusion zone) and
on the components of the non-return valve.

4 www.arburg.com · 09/2014
ents
Wear resistance Temperature
categories Component Wear protection Area of application
range up to

Screw ARBID
Unfilled plastics / plastics with
a low filler content
Wear-resistant (< = 25 %) 380 °C
Cylinder Bimetal
and low corrosion tendency

High-alloy
Non-return valve
tool steel

Screw High-alloy PM steel

Plastics with high
filler content
Highly wear-resistant 1) Cylinder Bimetal ( > = 25 %) 450 °C
and high
corrosion tendency
Non-return valve High-alloy PM steel

1) Standard from injection unit 800 upwards: Long service life: bimetallic cylinder (BMA).

A suitable wear resistance category for Wear-resistant cylinder modules Highly wear-resistant cylinder modules
each material (ARBID - BMA) (PKV - BMA)
The wear resistance of the different screws The wear-resistant screws sold under the A high-chromium, powder-metallurgical
and cylinders depends not only on the ab- brand name ARBID feature very high bound- steel (PM steel) is used for the highly wear-
solute surface hardness, but also on the ary layer hardness and excellent mechanical resistant PKV screws. Compared with con-
depth of hardness, i.e. the progression of properties thanks to the hardening process ventional melt-metallurgical materials, the
the hardness across the diameter; this is employed by ARBURG. Highly wear-resistant structure of PM steels is significantly more
also a decisive factor in determining service bi-metallic cylinders (BMA), in which two dif- uniform, more finely grained and non-po-
life. Selection of a wear resistance category ferent materials are combined, are also avail- rous. PKV screws are characterised by high
depends largely on the material being pro- able. A hardened alloy is applied in the cylin- abrasion and corrosion resistance and,
cessed. However, injection moulding ma- der, which is made from conventional steel. thanks to the hardening process employed,
chines are generally used in day-to-day pro- With a thickness of 1.5 to 2 mm, this layer have a significantly higher wear reserve
duction operations for manufacturing a has a high degree of hardness and offers an than the wear resistant ARBID screws.
wide variety of products made from differ- optimum wear reserve
ing materials. Consequently, the wear resist- .
ance category selected for the injection unit
must be of a universal nature in order to
achieve maximum protection against wear.

09/2014 · www.arburg.com 5
Special plasticising components for thermoplastics

Problem-free processing: special thermoplastic screw geometries and designs. Packaging sector applications: barrier screw.

The right choice of screw geometry can PVD-coated components High-compression screws
also prevent or reduce wear to your Highly adhesive plastics, for example poly- The use of a screw with a relatively high
plasticising components. We therefore carbonate (PC), tend to form a coating on compression ratio (HC screw) can prove
recommend the use of screws with an the surfaces of plasticising components. ­expedient in improving fusing during the
adapted compression ratio and special This generally causes superficial flaws on processing of semi-crystalline thermoplastics
cylinders in the case of special thermo- the surface of transparent components. such as POM. During the processing of ma-
plastics. Problems caused by highly PVD coatings from chrome nitride (CrN) on terials with poor granular feeding properties
adhesive plastics can be remedied by screws and non-return valves prevent the or the addition of regranulte material, a
means of special component surface formation of these coatings. This form of more deeply cut inlet feed zone will also
treatment. Ensuring that your produc- surface treatment, well known in the metal prove advantageous with respect to process
tion always runs smoothly. cutting tool sector, provides additional stability. HC screws are available in a highly
wear protection. wear-resistant quality (PKV).

Free cross-section LM = Metering zone Free cross section

Metering zone LK = Compression zone Feed zone
LE = Feed zone

LM LK LE

6 www.arburg.com · 09/2014
 Application Screw geometry

Thermoplastics (general) Standard three-zone screw

Shear-sensitive materials, e.g. PVC PVC screw (low-compression)

Semi-crystalline thermoplastics, e.g. POM HC screw (high-compression)

Self-dyeing Three-zone screw with mixing section

High-speed parts Lengthened screws with mixing section or

barrier screws

Rhomboidal mixing element: for use in the case

of high material throughputs and melt qualities.

Low-compression screws Lengthened cylinder modules and Range for thermoplastics

The use of low-compression screws is rec- ­barrier screws • Screws and non-return valves
ommended for processing shear-sensitive Lengthened plasticising units with L/D ra- with PVD coating
materials. In addition to a reduced com- tios of 22:1 to 25:1, usually combined with • High-compression screws
pression ratio, these screws also have a rhomboidal mixing elements, have proven • Low-compression screws
longer compression zone which provides suitable for meeting high demands with • Lengthened plasticising units
milder fusing. Such screws are used primar- regard to material throughput and melt • Barrier screws
ily for processing PVC. In the event of over- quality. An alternative to the lengthened, • Rhomboidal mixing elements for
heating, PVC liberates highly aggressive 3-zone screws are barrier screws, which melt homogeneity
HCl (­hydrochloric acid), which can result in are used primarily for processing PE and PP
corrosion to the plasticising components. for packaging applications.
For this reason, low-compression screws are
only available in a highly wear-resistant PKV Rhomboidal mixing elements
design which has a high resistance to cor- Plastics are generally not dyed until the pro-
rosion. Another typical application is pow- cessing stage on the injection moulding ma-
der injection moulding (PIM), used for pro- chine. Master batches and liquid dyes are
cessing ceramic or metal feedstocks. typically used for this purpose. Rhomboidal
mixing elements ensure homogeneous mix-
ing of the melt in order to prevent streak
formation. Optimal homogenisation also
makes it possible to reduce the proportion
of additives and consequently lower material
costs. Rhomboidal mixing elements are
available for screws with diameters exceed-
ing 30 mm and a L/D ratio greater than 20.

09/2014 · www.arburg.com 7
Special plasticising components for cross-linkable

Highly specialised: screws for moist polyester and granular thermosets.

A significant distinguishing factor in the Thermoset processing reinforcing materials. The ARBURG range
processing of cross-linkable moulding Thermosets are processed almost exclusively includes highly wear-resistant cylinder
compounds compared to thermoplastics with fillers and reinforcing materials. There is modules for this purpose.
is the cylinder temperature control. consequently a high risk of abrasive wear to
Whereas cylinder modules for thermo- the plasticising units. The screws of cylinder Elastomer processing
plastics are heated electrically, liquid- modules for thermoset processing operate Screws for processing elastomers are de-
medium (water or oil) temperature-­ without compression and feature a relatively signed purely as compression-free convey-
controlled cylinder modules are used small L/D ratio owing to the material feed ing screws and are equipped with an
in the case of cross-linkable moulding positioned further forward than its normal adapted non-return valve. The feed area is
compounds. The screw geometries and location. Granular materials are processed specially designed for the processing of
­non-return valves employed also differ. ­ without a non-return valve; in ­the case of band material and features a corresponding
Our range therefore also includes spe- BMC compounds, a specially-designed feed yoke.
cial plasticising units for the processing ­non-return valve is used. Thermosets are
of cross-linkable moulding compounds. processed almost exclusively with fillers and

8 www.arburg.com · 09/2014
moulding compounds

Highly precise dosage: disc-type non-return valve Reliable closure: needle shut-off nozzles for processing LSR.
for LSR processing.

Liquid silicone processing (LSR) Needle shut-off nozzles

Compression-free conveying screws are The low material viscosity makes it neces-
also used for the processing of LSR. Be- sary to use needle shut-off nozzles on all
cause the two components are fed to the LSR cylinders. This prevents the liquid sili-
screw in liquid form, the screw channels cone rubber from leaking out when lifting
are cut very flat. Due to the low viscosity the nozzle. Depending on the mould de-
of LSR, these screws are combined with sign, numerous shut-off nozzle versions
special, disc-type non-return valves which are available.
allow precise dosage and secure closure.

09/2014 · www.arburg.com 9
Optimal design of plasticising systems

1000

100 ghput
terial throu
um ma
Maxim )
0 - 80%

[kg/h PS]
10 g ra nge (2
um workin
Optim
1

0
30 70 100 170 290 400 800 1300 2100 3200 4600
Injection unit size

ARBURG’s database of expertise: a suitable Always ideal: optimum working range of injection units in relation to material throughput.
plasticising system for every application.

A common feature of all our Design basis: shot weight and dosage The plasticising capacity factor
ALLROUNDER machine series is their volume The shot weight and cycle time are used to
modular design. The same applies to all The process of designing a plasticising sys- determine the plasticising capacity of the in-
our injection units. Various cylinder tem initially involves determining the appli- jection unit. In this instance, the ideal oper-
sizes can be used on one machine wit- cation’s shot weight and dosage volume. ating range of the screw should also be be-
hout the need for elaborate conversion. The dosage path of the screw should lie tween 20 and 80 percent of the maximum
A correspondingly wide range of screw between 1D and 3D to avoid process-re- plasticising capacity. The reason for this re-
diameters is available for this purpose. lated fluctuations. Based on the dosage striction is related to material-specific para­
This allows you to precisely match the volume, a range between 20 and 80 per- meters. The maximum possible plasticising
plasticising systems to suit your specific cent of the maximum screw stroke should capacity of an injection unit is determined
operational requirements. therefore be selected. In contrast, extreme by the screw’s pitch volume and minimum
Optimal design of your plasticising sys- loading increases the occurrence of air dwell time, which should be approximately
tem can contribute decisively toward pockets and leads to excessively short 30 seconds for most standard plastics and
minimising wear. Our applications engi- dwell times, non-homogeneous material approximately 60 seconds in the case of
neers will therefore provide you with and un-plasticised granules. technical plastics. When operating at the
advice on all aspects relating to the de- lower limit of the plasticising capacity of
sign of plasticising systems. Combined
with application-specific wear protec-
tion, selection of the optimal injection
unit ensures the highest possible pro- Calculation of the required plasticising capacity [kg/h]
ductivity and quality of your injection
moulding production.
Plasticising capacity [kg/h] = Shot weight [g] x 3.6
Cycle time [sec]

0.2 x max. plasticising capacity < required plasticising capacity < 0.8 x max.
plasticizing capacity

10 www.arburg.com · 09/2014
Individually interchangeable: the injection units of all ALLROUNDER machine series are of modular design. Minimal heat losses: Cylinder modules are
insulated in the feed area.

an injection unit, thermal damage to the The plasticising flow factor

material due to excessive dwell times can Finally, a check should be carried out to
be expected. In the case of high injection ­determine whether the plasticising flow,
flows and pressures, such as those required which is dependent on the screw speed,
for thin-walled articles for example, a se- is adequate for dosing the required shot
lection based on shot weight and plasticis- weight within the remaining cooling time.
ing capacity alone is often inadequate, Selection of a larger injection unit may
since the maximum attainable injection also be necessary in this instance.
pressure within the injection unit is re-
duced as the screw diameter increases.
In such cases, a change to the next largest
unit is recommendable.

09/2014 · www.arburg.com 11
Subsidiary
Trading partner

International sales and service network: ARBURG is represented by its own organisations at more than
30 locations in over 20 countries and by trading partners in more than 50 countries

ARBURG GmbH + Co KG
Postfach 11 09 · 72286 Lossburg · Tel.: +49(0)7446 33-0 · Fax: +49(0)7446 33-3365 · www.arburg.com · e-mail: [email protected]
With locations in Europe: Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Slovakia,
Spain, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary | Asia: People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates | America: Brazil, Mexico, USA
526421_EN_GB_092014 · Subject to change
Printed in Germany
For more information, please go to www.arburg.com.

© 2014 ARBURG GmbH + Co KG

The brochure is protected by copyright. Any utilisation, which is not expressly permitted under copyright legislation, requires the previous approval of ARBURG.

All data and technical information have been compiled with great care. However, we are unable to guarantee its correctness. Individual illustrations and information may deviate from the actual
delivery condition of the machine. The relevant valid operating instructions are applicable for the installation and operation of the machine.

ARBURG GmbH + Co KG
DIN EN ISO 9001 + 14001 + 50001 certified