New Jersey Research Center gets a Boost from Warner & Pfleiderer

The Center for Chemical & Reactive Processing (CCRP) at Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, N.J.) has been working for several years on new technology for continuous processing, especially for polymers. Among the process units it has onsite are screw extruders, which are especially useful for reactive extrusions.

Thus, it is no mental leap to see why Werner & Pfleiderer Corp., a leading vendor of screw extruders, would be interested in supporting the Center. According to company and CCRP officials at Chem Show 97, the Center is targeted at R projects that are longterm in nature-say, 18 months or more. W & P has its own product-development labs, but these make sense mostly for specific, narrowly focused projects. CCRP is investigating a broader range of applications, including polymer addition and condensation reactions, devolatilization, food processing, adhesive and sealant production, and pharmaceutical processing.

W & P will provide supplies and tech support to maintain its equipment at CCRP, which includes the ZSK 30 and its new ZSK 25 twin-screw extruder. Intended for labscale applications, the ZSK 25 offers a higher power-to-volume ratio and is capable of higher throughput rates than the ZSK 30.

CCRP, an independent facility that operates as a division of the Polymer Processing Institute of Stevens, brings together students and staff at Stevens and independent researchers. Its goals are to advance continuous processing technology through sponsored research for clients. Its address is: Polymer Processing Institute, Stevens Institute of Technology, Castle Point on Hudson, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 201-216-5080.

Werner & Pfleiderer: 663 E. Crescent Ave., Ramsey, NJ 07446. Tel: 201-327-6300.

By Nick Basta