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Companies in the rubber and plastics industry are con-
stantly researching new products and materials. A new
product has to undergo a whole series of tests before it
is launched onto the market. These tests are indis-
pensable. However, a manufacturing company generally
doesn’t have the opportunity to carry out all the neces-
sary tests by itself. For one thing, its machinery is tied
up in its own production planning and is often no longer
state of the art. Even tests under laboratory conditions –
as they are largely outsourced to research facilities and
universities – can only simulate a result under real product
conditions without actually reproducing them.
Above all, the interplay of the various factors involved in
a mixing process – including the raw material and the
way in which it is added, the actual mixing and dischar-
ging method, and any further processing stages – signifi‑
cantly influence the end result. That is why the industry is
focusing ever more on choosing the right production
machines and systems in combination with the product
being manufactured or the material being processed.
In 2012 in Freudenberg, the HF MIXING GROUP
opened what is probably the most modern research
and development centre in the tyre and technical
rubber goods industry. MIXING TOGETHER reported
extensively on it in the last issue. Meanwhile, a new
UMIX 80 TDH mixing system has increased the testing
options at the site. Both single drives powering the tan-
gentially running sigma blades on the UMIX can be ad-
justed to run at between five and 50 revolutions per
minute by means of a continuously variable speed con-
trol, both in synchronous and friction mode. With a cap‑
acity of 80 litres, the mixing chamber is designed to
operate under negative pressure and can be adjusted
to work at up to 230 degrees Celsius. Accordingly, the
UMIX also offers supreme flexibility and adds another
interesting option to the range of machinery at the
technical centre. All machines and weighing equipment
Where the best test
The HF MIXING GROUP offers its customers perfect testing condi-
tions in a production environment at three different locations.
MIXING
TOGETHER
| The MIXING GROUP’s world
Alexander Quast (centre) is the master of the technical centre and an expert consultant for his customers.
