New Production Line at Spartech Polycom to Use Acrison Feeders
Compounding giant Spartech Polycom has selected Acrison International as feeder supplier for its new plastic pellet production line at its Donchery site in France.This line represents the largest of the three production lines of Spartech Polycom France and has been installed to cope with increased European demand for plastic pellets to make components for the automotive industry.
The third line looks set to produce 16,000 tonnes per annum, to take Polycom Donchery's total annual production to approx. 36,000 tonnes.
The Acrison feeding and blending system was chosen by Polycom for several reasons, though technology and previous experience with the Acrison kit were the most significant factors in the purchasing decision.
Several production lines with similar Acrison equipment have proven to work consistently and reliably for a number of years at several Spartech Polycom sites in the States, hence the company were confident it would work just as well at the Donchery site.
Furthermore, the compounder was impressed with the technology used in the design of the Acrison kit, particularly the new 170 model feeder. This new feeder is a popular model which was recently added to the range of Acrison feeders. One of the unique features is that it incorporates a separate, offline discharge port for quick product changeovers. It was believed that such a design would help Polycom perform faster product changeovers than on the other 2 production lines and help reduce product losses in the process.
The other aspect of the Acrison system offering which impressed French plant manager François Lagrue was Acrison's MD-II-MFC touchscreen controls system. The MFC was specifically developed to give operators a quick overview of the most vital feeder parameters on the one screen in an instant as opposed to having to scroll through several screens to obtain vital information. This would help Spartech Polycom identify and rectify any problems occurring on the line quickly and efficiently.
Plant manager François Lagrue is confident that the new production line will prove as reliable and trouble-free as similar lines installed at Spartech Polycom's American outfits for years to come.
