Despite the ongoing Corona pandemic, the annual user meeting of the REX/PSI simulation software developed in Paderborn (REX = computer-aided extruder design, PSI = Paderborn injection moulding simulation) was held again this year - but digitally via the online conference platform BigBlueButton. Thus, on 25 June, 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 has been responsible for further development.
At the same time as the user meeting, the latest versions of the simulation programmes for single-screw machines REX 16.0 and PSI 14.0 were published. With the help of the software programme, the theoretical evaluation of the machine behaviour and thus an optimisation of the barrel and screw configuration as well as the process parameters can be realised for single-screw extrusion as well as for the plasticising units of injection moulding machines without costly experimental investigations. For the most part, analytical equations are used, which enable short simulation times of less than one minute. The project started its 16th project period in September 2019, in which, for example, the calculation of the mixing effect is to be optimised, also through a coupling to CFD software.
The following papers were presented:
- Numerical Simulation of Solids Conveying in Grooved Feed Sections (Florian Brüning)
- Upgrading of Search Explorer and Visualization of Cycle Time in PSI (Marius Dörner)
- Visualization of Radial Temperature Profile and Calculation of Key Figure for Thermal Homogeneity (Marius Dörner)
- Extension of the Degassing Calculation by a Second Degassing Section (Florian Brüning)
- Development of Simulation Based Assistants for the Extrusion Process (Jonas Köllermeier)
- Calculation of new Mixing Key Figures for Evaluation of Mixing Quality based on CFD Simulations (Maximilian Frank)
- Extension of the 3D CFD Simulations by further Shearing- and Mixing-Sections (Dr.-Ing. Jan Trippe)
