COLLIN Lab & Pilot Solutions GmbH

In 1998, all started – at that time, several companies founded the „CEN Committee Filtertest “consisting of masterbatch producing companies and manufacturers of laboratory lines for the processing of plastic. Aim of this initiative was to develop a standardized method for the determination of the pressure filter value.

In 2004, with EN 13900-5, the CEN Committee finally presented a uniform measuring method with which the suitability of pigments for colouring plastic can be described and which, in the meantime, as ISO 23900-5 has become international standard.

Application
The pressure filter test is used to detect quality differences in a polymer caused by agglomerates, fillers, which are not completely dispersed resp. impurities.

It can be used e. g.
- in the field of product development for optimizing the colour etc.
- for quality control resp. outgoing and incoming goods control of masterbatches, compounds or polymers

Function
The material to be tested is melted and homogenized in an extruder and via a melt pump, it is guided through a screen with a defined and constant volume flow. The screen is clogged by particles with a certain size, which results in a reduced opening of the screen. At a constant volume flow, this causes a pressure increase in front of the screen, which is determined by a sensor and which is used for the determination of the sample quality.

Special characteristics

- A filter cassette system allows a filter change within a few seconds
- For changing the filter, via a bypass valve, the melt flow can be deflected in front of the filter. This allows an interruption of the melt flow by the filter without having to stop the extruder and the melt pump and to start them again after having finished the filter change
- Integrated pre-heating of the screen
- Easy-to-use software for calculating the pressure filter value and determining a listing Further reading

The customer wants to cool down by 15 K/min according to the ASTM 4703 (former 1928) for certain Polyolefins.

BUT it is not only cooling down by 15 K/min. It also needs to be controlled in a tolerance of +/- 2 K from 150° K to 90° K measured every 30 sec.

The press S servo hydraulics from COLLIN Lab and Pilot Solutions offers this accuracy, since this is very important for the density. By not controlling this cooling rate with such an accuracy, there could be variations in the density. The picture below shows the actual value and the set value.

In the market, there are many presses, which all can cool down by 150° K to 90°, but most of them are just swivelling around the cooling down line.

Besides that, the press has the following features:
- Low noise servo hydraulic system
- No oil cooler needed –> lower cooling water consumption
- Pneumatic low pressure stage for the range of 0.1 to 2 bar
- Reduced energy consumption
- Pressure regulation via the motor rotation speed
- Temperature range: 20 – 350°C (up to 450°C as option)
- High temperature accuracy of +/- 1.5°C over the platens measured at 9 points Further reading

Energy storage systems and energy converters are a current mega-topic. The need for these systems is growing extremely fast as a result of the change to fossil fuel-free traffic and the energy turn. All major automobile manufacturers decided to switch to electrically powered vehicles (PHEV / BEV / FCEV) within the next decade. Since the all battery cells are made of several layers of NMC, NMA, LFP or similar coated metal foils and a polymer-based separator this process can be handled by COLLIN machinery.

COLLIN set an initial milestone back in 1999 with a pilot line for an innovative German battery plant coating a solvent-free Li metal oxide electrode onto a foil. In recent years, several machines for production of separators and for coating electrodes have been developed and built. Together with compounders for mixing and extruding electrode material, roll mills to develop a process for calandering thin electrode films and extrusion dies for a wide range of materials the COLLIN portfolio offers all necessary equipment for your battery lab.

The optimization of the electrode production by reducing or even eliminating the solvents (NMP or liquid carbonates) requires machines which can handle mixtures with high solid fill grades. All parts are available with high corrosion and abrasion resistance. Another recent development is the use of a gel-like separator instead of a solid separator film. COLLIN has designed a highly functional pilot line including an EX-proof automatic extrusion die to develop a continuous production process which would run in a dry room environment. Of course we also have machinery to prepare proton exchange membranes (PEM) for fuel cells. COLLIN calanders can also be used to prepare catalyst coated membranes (CCM) in the decal process. Further reading