Zenith Applications for Medical Tubing
Industry: Medical Tubing
Industry Challenge
To ensure quality and repeatability in medical tubing, producers must control extruder variations such as pressure fluctuations, viscosity inconsistencies, and density changes.
The Zenith Solution
By utilizing a Zenith Precision Extrusion Gear Pump on a medical tubing line, manufacturers can more effectively control the melt delivery to downstream equipment. The pump meters the flow through the die thus achieving a controlled melt quality and reduced melt temperature, ensuring a product that’s reliable, repeatable, and economical. Additional benefits are reducing the back pressure on the extruder to minimize resonance time and stabilize the plasticizing action of the extruder.
How You Benefit
Improved Dimensional Stability - The Zenith Precision Extrusion Gear Pump will effectively isolate your die from upstream pressure fluctuations and surges, resulting in a smooth surge-free flow to the die inlet. Based on previous experience, this can limit the fluctuation seen on the discharge of the pump pressure within 1%
Increased Productions - The Zenith Precision Extrusion Gear Pump will generate a portion of the hydraulic pressure required at the die head, allowing the extruder to operate at a lower back-pressure. Each 1,000 PSIG reduction in back pressure, on a typical extruder, will result in approximately a 10% increase in throughput at a given speed
Controlled Melt Quality - The Zenith Precision Extrusion Gear Pump allows the back-pressure on the extruder to be regulated to minimize residence time and stabilize the plasticating action of the extruder. A controlled melt quality and reduced stock temperature is achieved. In addition, the unique Zenith gear design creates substantially less shear heating in the material than conventional designs.
Streamlined Operation and Start-up - Zenith’s integrated closed loop controller and positive displacement gear pump provide metered flow to the die, while providing ease of operator interface
Reduced Off-spec Product - The Zenith Precision Extrusion Gear Pump provides a narrower finished product gauge variation, allowing tolerances to be adjusted downward to maintain minimum desired gauge.
Reduced Energy Consumption - With the Zenith Precision Extrusion Gear Pump efficiently generating the hydraulic head pressure requirement, the extruder drive horsepower draw can be proportionally reduced. This advantage is highly dependent on individual process variables such as screw design, viscosity, etc., and should not be the primary reason for utilizing a gear pump.
Increased Extruder Flexibility - The gear pump/extruder combination allows for controlled operation under varying conditions such as regrind levels, polymer type, pressures, temperatures, etc. In addition, Zenith Precision Extrusion Gear Pumps facilitate the use of recycled material, a plus for the polymer processors in today’s "green" conscious world.
