SIKORA at K 2022:
Innovative technologies for a sustainable future (hall 10, booth F14)

•World premiere: New model CENTERWAVE 6000/1200 for dimensional measurement of pipes from 250 to 1,200 mm diameter
•World premiere: The latest model of the CENTERWAVE family CENTERWAVE 6000/250 for small product diameters
•Novelty: PURITY SCANNER ADVANCED with three innovative 25 µm high-resolution black and white cameras for inspection and sorting of pellets
•Live material tests with the PURITY CONCEPT V
•Service: Maintaining the availability and efficiency of the SIKORA systems
•Test your saving potential with a SIKORA measuring device: material, costs and CO2

Pulse of a new generation: The focus of SIKORA’s trade show appearance at K 2022, from October 19 to 26, 2022, is the world premiere of two new models of the CENTERWAVE 6000 family for the measurement of pipes by means of millimeter wave technology already early in the extrusion process. Also new will be the PURITY SCANNER ADVANCED with three optical cameras and one X-ray camera for highest performance in inspection and sorting of plastic pellets. In addition, visitors are invited to inspect and analyze their pellets live and on-site with the laboratory testing device PURITY CONCEPT V. As savings are part of the SIKORA technologies, visitors will learn how they can save material, costs and CO2 in their extrusion line. The appearance of the Bremen-based company at the K promises pure innovation and sustainability.
 
World premiere: New CENTERWAVE 6000/1200 model for dimensional measurement of pipes with diameters from 250 to 1,200 mm

SIKORA offers the CENTERWAVE 6000 for online measurement of wall thickness, inner profile and diameter as well as ovality over the entire circumference of plastic pipes. With the world premiere of the CENTERWAVE 6000/1200, a new model is now available that specifically covers diameter ranges from 250 to 1,200 mm. The CENTERWAVE 6000/1200 thus meets the demands of large-diameter pipe manufacturers. “The new model can be easily integrated into the production line thanks to its slim design and is particularly suitable for extrusion lines in which pipe diameters of up to 1,000 and 1,200 mm are produced,” says Christian Schalich, Head of Sales – Hose & Tube. In-line, the system supports immediate centering, seamless, reliable quality control, and optional automatic control. All models of the CENTERWAVE 6000 device series are characterized by their innovative measuring principle based on millimeter wave technology. Operation is intuitive at the push of a button. “Once activated, the operator immediately receives continuous and precise measured values – without presetting the product parameters, without the influence of a coupling medium (water) and without any calibration,” Schalich explains. To ensure this, the measuring system automatically determines the exact refractive index of the material at the measuring position. “Patented and therefore unique is the continuous measurement of a very important characteristic value of the pipe wall: the refractive index of the material. With its help, both the wall thickness and the outer diameter can be precisely determined without having to calibrate the measuring system,” Schalich says. Directly after the vacuum tank, knowledge of the refractive index, in addition to the measurement, already provides an accurate prediction of the wall thickness and diameter values to be expected after cooling at the end of the extrusion line. A manual input of the refractive index when changing the production conditions is not necessary at any time due to this procedure. “The CENTERWAVE 6000 convinces mainly due to the advantages that the technology offers for the extrusion process,” Schalich explains. The “one-button operation” rules out operating errors, target dimensions are quickly achieved, start-up scrap is avoided, highest quality is ensured, and processes are optimally controlled.

World premiere: The latest model of the CENTERWAVE family CENTERWAVE 6000/250 for small product diameters
Millimeter wave technology from SIKORA was previously known for the measurement of larger pipes. At the K, SIKORA presents for the first time the CENTERWAVE 6000/250, for smaller tube diameters from 32 to 250 mm. It enables 100 % measurement of the wall thickness, as well as the determination of diameter and ovality for tubes with wall thicknesses from 1.6 mm due to its automatic adjustment of the rotation speed. Like all CENTERWAVE devices, the system is equipped with a transceiver that continuously rotates 360 degrees around the product. In doing so, the CENTERWAVE 6000/250 automatically adjusts the transceiver’s rotation speed to the line speed, thus ensuring 100 % seamless quality control.
Novelty: PURITY SCANNER ADVANCED with three innovative 25 µm high-resolution black and white cameras for inspection and sorting of pellets
The plastics market is changing. Raw material shortages and price increases are challenging the industry. Consequently, the demands of the manufacturers regarding quality control of pellets are also increasing. SIKORA takes this change into account and offers with the PURITY SCANNER ADVANCED a modular system for flexible optical online inspection and sorting of plastic material. “Even the smallest, critical contamination are reliably detected and sorted out by the system. Both the detection and the ejection behavior of contaminated pellets are perfectly coordinated,” explains Ralf Kulenkampff, Head of Sales – Plastics. Thanks to the modular concept, different camera types can be used depending on the inspected material. In addition to optical 25 µm high-resolution cameras, which detect black specks and discolorations, an X-ray camera can be installed to detect metallic contamination. Common systems on the market have a maximum of two optical cameras. However, these quickly reach their limits due to relatively low coverage as soon as the contamination are outside the cameras’ field of view. “By using a third black and white camera in the PURITY SCANNER ADVANCED, a significantly higher detection rate is achieved, so that more contaminants are detected – this is unique with our system,” explains Kulenkampff.

The PURITY SCANNER ADVANCED automatically sorts out detected contamination via a blow-out unit. For optimizing the by-catch, SIKORA has developed the “hybrid blow-out” function. The customer can define in advance which contaminants in the material are uncritical and select a smaller blow-out unit for these, so that their by-catch is reduced. These include, for example, small, light-colored black specks that frequently occur in the material. On the other hand, a larger blow-out unit is specified for critical contaminants, for example metal contaminants, which can impair the functionality of the subsequent end product. “The interaction of reliable detection and hybrid blow-out ensures the highest material quality. At the same time, production processes are optimized, and the reduced by-catch contributes to cost-efficient and sustainable production,” says Kulenkampff.

Live material tests with the PURITY CONCEPT
For random sample inspection of plastic pellets or test plates for speck analysis, SIKORA presents at the K the PURITY CONCEPT Systems with optical inspection (PURITY CONCEPT V) or X-ray analysis (PURITY CONCEPT X). Within a few seconds, depending on the system, the test material is inspected for metal contamination or optical deviations. Contaminants are automatically detected, visualized and statistically evaluated. In a laboratory environment live material tests with the PURITY CONCEPT V are offered at the SIKORA booth. Visitors are invited to send in free of charge pellet samples, which will be inspected and analyzed directly on the booth with the PURITY CONCEPT V. Alternatively, visitors can bring small quantities of their pellets directly to the booth for testing and evaluation and personally convince themselves of the precision, speed and ease of operation of the system.

Service: Maintaining the availability and efficiency of the SIKORA systems
Maintaining the availability and efficiency of the SIKORA systems at the customer’s site is SIKORA’s top priority. At the K, the SIKORA service team presents the entire range of its service portfolio. From installation and commissioning of the devices to consulting and training, always matching the individual customer requirements.

Test your saving potential with a SIKORA measuring device: material, costs and CO2
In extrusion, costs can be specifically absorbed by using sustainable measuring technology. For example, optimal centering in pipe production by the CENTERWAVE 6000 measuring system leads to a material savings potential of approx. 3-5 %. Start-up scrap is reduced to a minimum and, in addition to material, valuable production time is saved which can be used for processing additional production orders. In addition, this saves energy during production and at the same time contributes to more sustainability by conserving valuable resources. SIKORA has developed its own tool to calculate possible saving potential in terms of material, production time, costs and CO2 emissions which will be presented for the first time to a broad audience at the K.