Stuttgart, January 2022 – KANSAI HELIOS Group has just expanded its production of coatings at two locations – Helios Coatings Italia and Helios Coatings Deutschland – using a Coperion twin screw extruder at each site. Two ZSK Mv PLUS extruders with 43 mm screw diameters for powder coating production were installed practically concurrently, one at the Riese Pio X location in the Venice region of Italy and the other at the Buchholz, Germany site. KANSAI HELIOS specifically decided upon Coperion's twin screw extruder technology, due to its very high dispersion performance, and its suitability to a very broad range of recipes. KANSAI HELIOS values how Coperion ZSK extruders fulfill very high quality requirements, as well as their efficient operation and flexible options when manufacturing powder coatings.
The KANSAI HELIOS Group is among the leading producers for industrial coatings worldwide. Since 2017, the group has been a part of the KANSAI PAINT Group.
Twin Screw Extruders for the Demands of Tomorrow
With these two ZSK twin screw extruders, KANSAI HELIOS is deliberately expanding its powder coating production around a technology that has built in flexibility for future challenges. ZSK extruders’ speed, residence time and throughput can be modified quickly and individually for the requirements of new powder coating recipes.
Coperion’s ZSK Mv PLUS twin screw extruders have already been used successfully for manufacturing high-quality powder coatings for many years. Extruders in this series stand out particularly for their deep cut screw channels with a 1.8 Do/Di (outer to inner) screw diameter ratio, resulting in a very large free screw volume. Powders with low bulk density and poor intake behavior, often used in powder coating manufacturing, can be fed into the process in large quantities. At the same time, thanks to the ZSK Mv PLUS’s twin screws, even recipes with high filler content are intensively dispersed while still being gently handled. Distribution of individual raw materials in the powder coating premix proceeds very reliably and homogeneously. The result is a very high-quality powder coating.
All of the ZSK extruders’ connections, water supply and cables are protected by easy-to-clean casings and are still easily accessible. The closely intermeshing twin screws ensure optimal self-cleaning in the process section, making recipe changes quick to execute.
Coperion has equipped the ZSK 43 MV PLUS extruders for KANSAI HELIOS with a number of smart features to simplify machine operation; both twin screw extruders are operated using the new, user-optimized CSpro control system. Complexity of its user interface is greatly reduced in comparison to previous versions, without losing any well-known functionalities and it can be operated intuitively by touch. Information can be inserted on demand. The risk of possible operator error is markedly reduced, thus increasing the ZSK extrusion equipment’s efficiency.
Additionally, both of KANSAI HELIOS’ ZSK extruders have been equipped with electronically secured maintenance doors at the gearbox lantern. As soon as the extruder’s screw shafts come to a complete stop, service personnel can open the gearbox lantern without tools. The screw shaft coupling can be accessed safely and quickly, leading, for example, to a clear reduction in downtime during machine maintenance and a resulting increase in the machine's efficiency.
Markus Wörz, Sales Manager at Coperion S.r.l., Milan Office, works with KANSAI HELIOS and is very satisfied with both powder coating machines: “With our ZSK twin screw extruders, KANSAI HELIOS chose just the right technology to be well positioned even in the future for every potential development. The ZSK extruders operate very efficiently and can be adjusted for the complex demands of new recipes with just a few modifications. We will continue to stand at KANSAI HELIOS’ side with the know-how we’ve collected over years and years and our comprehensive process expertise.”
“Coperion is a long lasting and loyal partner of the KANSAI HELIOS Group, and we are honored and proud to celebrate our partnership with every such transaction. Our Italian facility is in the middle of an intensive investment cycle, and it represents only one piece of the puzzle in the project of develop new modernized state-of-the art powder production facility where there will be only space for smart, technologically advanced, and efficient production equipment such as installed ZSK extruder, to satisfy future demands of our customers”, says Bine Pangršič, Managing Director of Helios Coatings Italia.
