Modular extrusion system cuts job-change down to three minutes

American Kuhne have developed a new modular extrusion system enables processors of tubing and other small-diameter medical products to be up and running with a new job just three minutes after the previous run, leaving the tasks involved in die and barrel cleanout to take place outside the clean room environment.

American Kuhne will be showcasing a video overview of the new modular extrusion system at MD&M East 2015.

American Kuhne’s Modular Quick-Change system has four components: an extruder drive module for the clean room; a purge module for the tool room or other maintenance area; and two barrel modules, one used on-line while the alternate is purged and cleaned.

At the end of a job, the “dirty” barrel module, including die head, is rolled away to the tool room for cleanout—a procedure that typically takes two hours.

The alternate barrel module, preheated and with the new job recipe pre-loaded, can be installed on-line in about three minutes. 

Based on Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) concepts, the new system is especially suited for medical and other contamination-sensitive applications.

Bill Kramer, Chief Technology Officer for Extrusion Systems, said: “The medical industry demands best practices in machine design that provide stability, efficiency, and control. Beyond these, this SMED solution enables a novel hot-swap process that reduces to minutes what would otherwise take hours and, perhaps more importantly, preserves the clean room environment.”  

The Modular Quick-Change system is available for extruders up to 2 inches (51 mm), though custom-engineered systems are available for larger units.