Dual-Strand Profile Line Gives Extruder Twice the Output

Steady growth in product demand and a full manufacturing floor required profile extruder Intralox to get creative when it needed to upgrade its equipment. So the firm, a global leader in providing plastic conveyor belts, recently replaced an older profile line with a new dual-strand profile line from Davis-Standard, Pawcatuck, Conn., doubling its output to 300 ft/min without requiring additional space.

The line processes solid rod made of PP, PE, PA, Acetal and PEEK. Davis-Standard customized the line for Intralox, completing delivery and installation within eight months of purchase. Intralox plans to replace its other profile lines with Davis-Standard dual-strand lines in the near future.

“This new line is a game-changer in terms of production outputs, rod quality and innovation,” says Gregory Washington, extrusion supervisor at Intralox. “While dual-strand profile technology is not new, it’s new for us. We’ve had great results in terms of speed, equipment performance and ease of operation.”

Davis-Standard supplied all line components, from extruder and controls through downstream equipment built by Conair, Cranberry Township, Pa. Conair also built the Y-block that splits the material flow, which was incorporated into Intralox’s existing tooling. Before taking delivery, Intralox witnessed and approved the entire operating line in Pinconning, Mich., where Conair has a 50,000-ft² that has dedicated extrusion lab and conference/training facilities.. This run-off provided valuable insight into Davis-Standard’s ability to customize the line to meet current and future expectations.

The new line was installed at Intralox’s headquarter in New Orleans. The processor also has North American plants in Savage, Md. and Grand Rapids, Mich.