Despite the ongoing Corona pandemic, the annual user meeting of the simulation software REX/PSI (REX = Computer Aided Extruder Design, PSI = Paderborn Injection Molding Simulation) developed in Paderborn was held again this year - but digitally via the online conference platform BigBlueButton. Thus, on Mai 31, numerous representatives from industry and science, including company representatives from BASF SE, Battenfeld-Cincinnati Germany GmbH, BB Engineering GmbH, Breyer GmbH Maschinenfabrik, Brückner Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG, Covestro Deutschland AG, Hosokawa Alpine Aktiengesellschaft, IANUS Simulation GmbH, Lindauer Dornier GmbH, LS Mtron Ltd, Netstal Maschinen AG, Reifenhäuser Blown Film GmbH, Reifenhäuser Extrusion Systems GmbH, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery GmbH, Windmöller & Hölscher KG, Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH & Co. KG and Yizumi Germany GmbH virtually together.
The foundation stone for the development of the REX/PSI simulation software was laid a good 30 years ago by Prof. em. Dr.-Ing. Helmut Potente. Since 2007 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Volker Schöppner is responsible for the further development.
At the same time as the user meeting, the current versions of the simulation programs for single screw machines REX 17.0 and PSI 15.0 were published. With the help of the software program, the theoretical evaluation of the machine behavior and thus an optimization of barrel and screw configuration as well as of the process parameters is realized for single-screw extrusion as well as for the plasticizing units of injection molding machines without costly experimental investigations. For the most part, analytical equations are used, which allow short simulation times of less than one minute. The project started in September 2019 in its now 17th project term, in which, for example, the calculation of the mixing effect, also through a coupling to CFD software, is to be optimized.
The following papers were presented:
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- Improvement of Power Calculation of grooved Barrel Extruders (Florian Brüning)
- Implementation of Fiber Breakage in PSI (Franziska Bürenhaus)
- Improvement of Power Calculation of grooved Barrel Extruders (Florian Brüning)
- Mixing Quality and Pressure Throughput of Spiral Shearing Sections (Maximilian Frank)
- Pressure-Throughput Behavior of Cavity Transfer Mixers (Christoph Schall)
- Processing of Recycling Material in Injection Molding (Jonas Petzke)
- General Usability, Bugfixing and Preview of REX/PSI next Generation (Nils Kretzschmar)
- Proceedings of Material Data Measurement (Dennis Kleinschmidt)
- Conception of the Periphery in REX (Dorte Triennens)