INVT GD200A VFD Solution for Extruder Machine Application

Abstract: An extruder machine is a specialized piece of equipment used in manufacturing processes to shape raw materials by forcing them through a shaped opening (die). It applies pressure and heat to the material, typically in the form of a continuous stream, to produce products with specific shapes, sizes, and properties.

Keywords: GD200A drive

1. Introduction
Extruder machines find extensive applications across various industries, owing to their versatility, efficiency, and ability to process a wide range of materials. Understanding these applications is essential for appreciating the importance of extrusion technology in modern manufacturing. As follows:

• Plastic Industry

• Food Processing

• Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Industries

• Construction and Building Material

2. Project information and Solution

* Project information: Extruder machine
Customer demand - The packaging industry is ever hungry for plastics to meet their demands, and this is a major element that is bolstering the growth of the global plastic extrusion machine market. In the production process, the processing machines produce varied types of plastics.
The screws help in conveying and mixing of raw materials, and finally transform the dry mix into plastic melt, which is forced through a die. In general, there are three different zones where structural transformations take place.

The first one is the feeding section, where the raw materials are fed to the extruder. At this stage initial mixing occurs, with or without water. In the second part, which is called the compression section, pressure is built up due to increase in temperature by either heating coils or friction. The final transformation takes place in the metering zone, where the dry mixture forms a homogeneous viscoelastic material. The transitions in this zone control the structure, texture, color and flavor of the product. Expansion occurs right after this stage at the die exit due to temperature and pressure drop.

Solution - The process requirement of the extruder is mainly to control the outlet pressure to be constant. When the equipment starts to work, special control is carried out, and when the required pressure is reached, it switched to pressure control. There will be no impact during the switching process, and the high control precision of VFD (Variable-frequency Drive) is used to the pressure signal.

VFD controls the driving motor of the main engine and auxiliary engine, satisfy the required revolving speed and power of the process, make sure that the main engine and auxiliary engine can operate coordinately. ATO VFD can realize the automatic control of the whole unit, ensure good quality and high yield (The revolving speed of the screw decides the extruding amount and extruding speed directly. The fluctuation of the revolving speed will result the fluctuation of the extruding amount and affect the extruding quality).

Site information:

* INVT solution

GD200A:

• Wall mounting type fixing done.

• Running in SVM control mode

• Drive operation through 3-wire mode control from PLC.

• Drive running in 80% current at machine’s full load.

• Drive running acceleration and deceleration can be set at drive for time saving.

The vector mode control type VFD (Variable-frequency Drive), use the self-learning function to observe the motor parameters, not only can ensure the good output characteristics of the motor at low frequency, the automatic energy-saving operation function of the drive will reduce the output current with the change of the torque.

* System Configuration:

Motor to Rotor Belt Connection          Machine Rotor 

Roller for job pressing and holding          Final Output Job

3. System commissioning

Control panel

4. Advantages and benefits

1. High Productivity: Extruder machines can operate continuously, enabling high-volume production of uniform products with minimal downtime, thereby improving overall productivity and efficiency.

2. Material Efficiency: Extrusion processes typically generate minimal waste, as excess material can often be recycled and reused, reducing raw material costs and environmental impact.

3. VFD has complete protection functions, which can realize over-voltage, over-current, under-voltage, overload, short-circuit, and lack of phase protection functions to ensure stable operation of the motor, reduce vibration, impact and noise, and provide a good working environment

5. Conclusion
INVT’s solution delivered significant performance improvements in terms of speed, quality, and efficiency. Machine accuracy is better and speed is increased now, GD200A-45G/55P-4 drive inverter is successfully used to run a 18KW motor for the cutting machine in the load conditions, added a DBR of 60% for load regenerative feedback observing.