EXTRUSION

Winning
with Foam
For Retrofitting. The production costs of
semi-finished extruded products are sig-
nificantly influenced by the cost of raw
materials. This makes technologies very
interesting that reduce raw materials Pipes with foamed cores
(figures: Promix Solutions)
consumption. By means of extrusion
foaming, savings on raw material costs can be achieved without having to accept
compromises in product quality. Retrofit solutions for physical foaming with CO2 or
N2 enable conventional extrusion lines to manufacture foamed products.

CHRISTIAN SCHLUMMER well as for sheet applications in building ing and controlled expansion of the melt
or container construction. with its charge of blowing agent. This re-
oamed semi-finished-products are quires special machines with very long

F used today in numerous areas of ap-

plication. Classic applications utilize
the specific properties of high-expansion
Different Technologies

Heavy foams are relatively high-density

foam to obtain, for instance, insulating
effects, damping properties or a specified
compressibility. In such applications, the
physical property of foam is the main
thing. However, foaming is also used in
cases where the properties of a foamed
product scarcely differ from those of non-
foamed products. In such cases, the aim
is to reduce raw materials consumption
while largely maintaining the same prop-
erties. These “heavy” foams are even used
in cases where they are not even recog-
nized as being such: For example, multi-
layer laminates with a foamed center lay-
er are used in adhesive tapes. In the food
industry, dairy products are sold in ther-
moformed cups with a foam core layer.
Special electrical properties are obtained
in cable applications by means of inter-
mediate foamed layers. Multilayer tech-
nical components with a foamed core lay-
er are increasingly present in infrastruc-
ture areas as pressureless sewage pipes as
Translated from Kunststoffe 9/2013, pp. 176–180
Article as PDF-File at www.kunststoffe-
international.com; Document Number: PE111446
foamed articles that ultimately compete
with non-foamed products for final ap-
plications. These applications have main-
ly been foamed using chemical foaming
additives. The reason for this lies in the
relatively simple application of chemical
foaming additives. These additives are
generally dosed gravimetrically into the
raw materials as a masterbatch and devel-
op their foaming action under the influ-
ence of warmth. Besides the high costs of
the additives among their disadvantages
include the limited foaming power of
chemical additives and the retention of
chemical residues in the melt. Chemical
additives are used in numerous high-den-
sity products and achieve weight reduc-
tions of 10 to 50 %.
High-expansion foams are mainly
produced on special foam extruders. Sys-
tems of this type fulfill a number of re-
quirements that exceed the capabilities of
classic extrusion. Besides the process-re-
lated specifics of melt conditioning and
discharge shaping by the die, foam ex-
truders also have to assume the tasks of
preparing, injecting and homogenizing
the blowing agent, as well as melt cool-
processing units compared to those of
conventional extrusion equipment. The
physical foaming fluid used then is in-
jected into the melt under high pressure,
then homogenized and cooled in screw
mixing and shearing zones. The specified
goal is a single-phase mixture of melt and
blowing agent with a defined tempera-
ture that undergoes controlled expansion
due to pressure loss in the shaping die.
As a consequence of the ban on CFCs,
aliphatic hydrocarbons such as butane
and pentane have become established.
Due to their low level of solubility, inert
gases, such as CO2 and nitrogen place
strong demands on processing technol-
ogy, but offer a number of advantages
over hydrocarbon-based versions.
Among these are unlimited availability
and low costs. Since it is obtained from >
i Contact
Promix Solutions AG
CH-8406 Winterthur
Switzerland
> www.promix-solutions.com
K show: Hall 9, booth E32

Kunststoffe international 9/2013 www.kunststoffe-international.com 107

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 EXTRUSION
Total
costs
ing
CO2 foam
ing
am
a l fo
mic
Investment
Che
in plant
Operating costs of chemical foaming
Fig. 1. Comparative cost structures for chemical and physical foams
Fig. 2. Static retrofit for foaming with CO2
the surrounding air, CO2 also serves eco-
political goals, since it does not con-
tribute to global warming. CO2 is non-
combustible, odorless and, in process rel-
evant concentration, non-toxic. Thus a
trend can be seen toward the use of at-
mospheric gases as blowing agents. Spe-
cific hardware improvements have made
it possible to utilize CO2 for many
foamed products that have been manu-
factured by classic hydrocarbons.
Chemical and
Physical Blowing Agents
However, the low solubility of atmospher-
ic gases has its advantages. Thus CO2 and
nitrogen can also be used in very low con-
centrations for heavy foams that used to
be manufacturer exclusively using chem-
ical blowing agents. All in all, the number
of high-density foam applications is in-
creasing that are being foamed more for
reason of cost pressures than out of tech-
nological necessity. Process engineering
solutions using atmospheric gases are
thus becoming more important. Solu-
tions for retrofitting conventional extru-
sion lines for physical foaming offer a low-
risk point of entry into this processing
technology. In this way, the processor is
108
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Cost
advantage
Operating costs of CO2 foaming
Time
© Kunststoffe
in a position to utilize existing extrusion
lines for physically foamed products. The
high investment in a special foaming ex-
truder becomes superfluous. In addition,
the retrofitted extruder, similarly as with
chemical foaming, can be used for both
foamed and non-foamed products. The
processor can then organize his produc-
tion capacities flexibly and take the first
step into the market for foamed products
by combining lower capacities with con-
ventional products. For a direct compar-
ison of physically and chemically foamed
products, the necessary investment costs
for physical foaming equipment are com-
pared with the running costs of additives.
As a rule, the bottom line shows a cost ad-
vantage for physical foaming in a short
time (Fig. 1).
Processing characteristics
Extruder type
Available space/installation space
Pressure conditions
Melt cooling
Drive power
Suitability of extruder die
Table 1. Features of retrofit solutions for extrusion foaming
© Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich
Solutions for
Retrofitted Extrusion
Retrofit solutions for foam extrusion us-
ing CO2 and nitrogen appeal both to
processors who would like to replace their
existing chemical foaming process with
physical foaming, as well as to those who
wish to substitute existing compact arti-
cles with foamed products.
The Swiss company Promix Solutions
specializes in retrofit concepts for phys-
ical foaming and offers custom solutions
for existing extrusion lines. Experience
with numerous industrial projects shows
that almost any conventional extruder
can be retrofitted as a foam extruder re-
gardless of its type or size. In order to be
able to offer the optimum solution for
any particular case of application, two as-
pects are of central importance: A
process-relevant evaluation of the exist-
ing plant technology and the specific re-
quirements of the foamed product. In ad-
dition to the physical properties derived
from its raw materials, foam density and
cell size distribution, the surface quality
of the foamed product is an important
quality feature in many instances. In such
cases it is important to consider the in-
teraction of properties and the limits of
what is possible. Thus falling density is
almost always accompanied by a loss of
mechanical strength. Surface texture is
also a function of the degree of foaming
whereby individual characteristics can be
specifically influenced depending on the
case of application and process variants.
Coextruded film and sheet with a foam
core layer and compact outer layer com-
bine low weight with good surface finish
(Table 1).
The technological processing require-
ments derive directly from the require-
ments for the foamed product whereby
existing technology determines the type
and scope of retrofit components. Promix
Solutions offers two fundamentally dif-
ferent concepts that can be divided into
static and dynamic solutions. Both con-
cepts pursue the goal of integrating the
Product-specific characteristics
Raw material
Foam density
Cell structure
Surface structure
Mechanical properties
Mono-/multilayer application
Kunststoffe international 9/2013

additional processing steps of blowing
agent injection, homogenizing and cool-
ing in the existing extrusion equipment.
Which solution is suitable in a particular
instance depends on the concrete circum-
stances of the extrusion equipment to be
retrofitted. Thus, in addition to the exist-
ing floor space, the extruder’s pressure ca-
pacity and drive power as well as the melt
cooling requirement are taken into con-
sideration.
The Static Solution
In essence, Promix foam system’s static
solution combines a fluid injection noz-
zle for the blowing agent with a down-
stream static mixing zone. The system is
installed downstream from the extruder
barrel immediately in front of the extru-
sion die. This patented process has the ad-
vantage that no alterations are required
for the plasticating unit of the extruder.
All that is required for retrofitting is cor-
responding floor space for installation as
well as reserve pressure from the extrud-
er, since the static mixing zone is by na-
ture a pressure consumer. The blowing
agent is introduced under high pressure
by a mass flow-controlled dosing station.
It should be noted thereby that the quan-
tity of blowing agent required by low-to-
medium foam levels is quite small, so that
precise dosage has to be assured even at
miniscule amounts as small as 1 g/min
(Fig. 2).
Especially significant is the configura-
tion of the static mixing zone. Laborato-
ry experiments at Promix Solutions have
shown that the maximum blowing agent
concentration soluble at any given ex-
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Standard
160
140
Max. amount of CO2 dissolved
120
[in % of base value]
100
80
60
40
20
0
Throughput 25 %
Fig. 3. Maximum soluble amount of CO2 as a function of mixer configuration for polyethylene,
MFI 4.0, 220°C
truder throughput depends on the type
and configuration of the mixing zone.
The influences of mixing technology on
the resulting foam can be illustrated by
taking the soluble quantity of blowing
agent at a given point of operation as
measure of mixture quality. Thus by op-
timizing the mixing zone configuration
at a given operating point, up to three
times higher CO2 concentration could be
dissolved in the melt than with a conven-
tional mixing zone. Process-relevant pa-
rameters such as pressure and tempera-
ture as well as shear rate and the dwell
time of the polymer-blowing agent sys-
tem play a large role in the formation of
a single-phase solution of polymer and
foaming fluid (Fig. 3).
EXTRUSION
Optimized standard New configuration A New configuration B1
Throughput 50 % Throughput 80 %
Throughput guidance extruder
© Kunststoffe
With an optimum mixing zone, medi-
um-to-high density microcellular foams
can be produced by the purely static pro-
cessing variant at any throughput. If melt
cooling is also required to further reduce
foam density, the system can be combined
with static melt coolers. An especially ef-
ficient type of melt cooling can be
achieved with the aid of a Promix bundle
heat exchanger. The barrel section carry-
ing the melt is then fitted with a number
of tempered, bended pipes that function
simultaneously as mixing components.
The pipes are directly tempered by a heat
transfer medium. The melt flows through
the cooler and is intensively cooled by
contact with the pipes. At the same time,
the special geometry of the pipe bundles >
109
 EXTRUSION
Fig. 4. The melt cooler
enables foam densities
markedly lower than by chemical
foaming processes
ensures that the melt is constantly and
thoroughly mixed radially. Despite the
large heat exchange surface, the resulting
empty volume of approx. 75 % causes on-
ly slight pressure losses. The configura-
tion of the melt cooler is determined by
its cooling task, while taking the materi-
als and processing data of the particular
application case into consideration. By
combining these melt coolers with a
retrofit solution, products can be pro-
duced with foam densities that lie clear-
Fig. 5. Dynamic retrofit solution for foaming with CO2
Fig. 6. Foaming system with melt cooler for foamed sheet extrusion
110
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ly below those of chemical foaming addi-
tives (Fig. 4).
The Dynamic Solution
The dynamic retrofitting variant com-
bines static mixing zones with
dynamic components. The
additional processing steps
required for foam ex-
trusion are imple-
mented to begin with
dynamically in a pro-
cessing section down-
stream from the con-
ventional plastication
cylinder. Depending on
peripheral circumstances, the
plastication cylinder is extended
to include a tempered section for inject-
ing and dissolving the blowing agent. If
the plastication screw is suitable, it is
lengthened to include additional func-
tional elements. If not possible, the exist-
ing screw is replaced by a longer, specifi-
cally equipped foaming screw. A static
mixing zone adjoins this dynamic pro-
cessing section. Special injectors inject the
foaming fluid into the extended section
© Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich
of the cylinder. In this way, it is not nec-
essary to modify the existing cylinder.
Retrofitting can thus be accomplished in
a short time without long-lasting loss of
production. The static/dynamic cylinder
section is equipped with heater bands and
a cooling fan or fluid temperature regu-
lation. This provides the defined temper-
ature control required to influence the
melt strength that is so important for
foaming. Static mixing elements keep the
melt’s texture and temperature perfectly
homogeneous. The same mass-flow reg-
ulated dosing station is used for prepar-
ing the fluid as in the static solution. The
single-phase solution of blowing fluid
and melt is thus created by the dynamic
components in the lengthened screw and
complemented by the static mixing zone.
The advantage of the dynamic solution is
that it generates almost no additional
pressure loss. The special configuration
of the dynamic mixing section mixes and
dissolves the blowing fluid thoroughly
and efficiently. Cooling takes place via the
cylinder surface whereby static melt cool-
ers can be included here, too (Fig. 5).
If the extruder already has a process-
ing length suitable for foaming applica-
tions, the cylinder may not have to be ex-
tended in certain circumstances. Static
mixers in front of the extrusion die en-
sure a texturally and thermally homoge-
neous melt, a fundamental precondition
for obtaining high-quality foamed prod-
ucts.
Industrial Applications
Retrofit concepts of this kind have found
their way into industrial production.
Promix Solutions has retrofitted a large
number of foaming systems for various
areas of application. Among these are ex-
trusion lines with outputs as high as
1,500 kg/h. Substitution of chemical ad-
ditives for foam extrusion as well as the
conversion of conventional extrusion
lines for physical foaming was realized.
One European manufacturer of compos-
ite PP sheet, for instance, has replaced its
previously used chemical foaming
process with a Promix retrofit system for
foaming by CO2. The co-extrusion line
with a total output of 750 kg/h previous-
ly produced PP foamcore sheet with a
density of 600 to 650 kg/m3 and was re-
cently equipped with retrofit concept for
physical foaming (Fig. 6). Annual savings
of over 20 t of chemical masterbatch are
paying for the investment in plant tech-
nology within a few months. Since the line
was also equipped with a static melt cool-
Kunststoffe international 9/2013

Fig. 7. Extruded low-density sheet
er, sheet can be produced with markedly
lower density than by a chemical foam-
ing process (Fig. 7). This not only opens up
additional savings potential on the mate-
rials side, but also accesses applications
for the producer that require lower den-
sity PP foam sheet.
One leading manufacturer of plastic
pipe has used the process to realize pro-
duction of pressureless sewage pipe with
a foamcore layer. To do so, they convert-
ed their previous production process for
single-layer, compact PP sewage pipe in
order to produce multilayer pipe with a
foamcore layer. Their main extruder was
retrofitted with a Promix foam system.
Moreover, a new multilayer pipe head and
ancillary extruder were installed for the
internal and external pipe layers. Despite
the corresponding investments in an an-
cillary extruder, multilayer pipe head and
foam extrusion system, the investment
paid for itself in short time thanks to a
25–30 % reduction in raw materials con-
sumption. Currently three pipe sizes up
to DN400 are being produced by this con-
cept. These products have passed all tests
for the relevant standards. Meanwhile,
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Fig. 8. Foaming system for extruding PP foamcore pipe
three extrusion lines have been retrofit-
ted with the Promix System (Fig. 8, Title fig-
ure).
Conclusion
The production of medium-to-high den-
sity physically blown foams is being suc-
cessfully implemented with the aid of
retrofit solutions. However, when one
considers the multitude of possible appli-
cations, it becomes clear that the poten-
tial for microcellular foamed products is
nowhere near exhausted. Since retrofit so-
lutions are by definition always combined
with existing plant technology, great sig-
nificance adheres to the particular sur-
rounding circumstances right in the plan-
EXTRUSION
ning stage. In addition to relevant expe-
rience, this presumes a holistic approach
to the extrusion process. Besides the
choice of raw material and additivizing,
process control and the ability to judge
the suitability of the extrusion die, this in-
volves an understanding of the interac-
tion among the parameters. If all this is
given appropriate consideration, the costs
of foam extrusion can be significantly re-
duced and long-term market competi-
tiveness strengthened. 
THE AUTHOR
CHRISTIAN SCHLUMMER, born 1969, is Director
of Foam Extrusion and Managing Partner at Promix
Solutions AG of Winterthur, Switzerland;
c.schlummer@promix-solutions.com
111