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PRODUCTS -
MACHINES
TECHNOLOGY 41 40
Fasteners for lightweight construction
Alufast® aluminum screws from Arnold
Umformtechnik are designed for joining
lightweight magnesium components, and
where material pairs are exposed to thermal
stress, they are said to significantly improve
the security of threaded fastener joints.
The aluminum screws weigh only a third
of the equivalent steel screws. Particularly
with large volumes the weight savings can
amount to the equivalent of several metric
tons of steel per year.
The type 6056 aluminum alloy used for
Alufast fasteners has a proven track
record of durability for joining magnesium
components with threaded fasteners.
The Alufast product line has good
characteristics for thermal expansion,
corrosion resistance and recycling,
while fulfilling stringent requirements
for retention of clamping force, thermal
stability and weight reduction. Alufast®
products are especially suitable for joining
magnesium components exposed to
thermal stress and corrosion stress.
Unlike steel screws, which require over-
dimension head bearing areas when
joining magnesium components, standard
dimensions are sufficient with the Alufast
fasteners.
Improved compounder
Compounding and extrusion specialist
Coperion, of Germany, has made several
improvements to its STS compounder series.
The STS 96 advanced compounder with 96
mm diameter twin screws is equipped with
a new STS die head and a twin screw side
feeder. This machine configuration is ideal
for the compounding of engineering
or biodegradable polymers and cable
compounds. Typical applications for the
STS 35 advanced are the development of
products and processes in the laboratory
and the production of a wide diversity of
polymer compounds in small batches, such
as color masterbatches.
The STS advanced compounders cover all
standard applications in the compounding
of plastics. The modular design of the screw
barrels and the screw elements permit
process lengths of 24 to 68 D. Featuring five
different machine sizes, the STS advanced
series makes production throughputs of up
to 3,800kg/hour possible, depending on the
actual compounding application.