KOCH-Technik installs new dryer sytem at Tacx

Tacx is a manufacturer of training systems and equipment for cyclists, especially exercise bikes and rollers for racing drivers, as well as drinking bottles and bottle cages. The company is best known for its bottles, with which it has been equipping several professional teams in cycling for years. Most of its products are manufactured by Tacx in the Netherlands. To this end, the company recently set up a new production site in Oegstgeest, very close to its headquarters.

The Dutch representative of KOCH-Technik, Thiele & Kor Plastics Machinery B.V., installed the complete central conveying and drying system from the silos to the dryers and pipe systems to the plastic processing machines. The system supplies around 20 fully electric injection molding machines, on which technical parts are injected, and four blow molding machines, on which drinking bottles are produced. The main materials used are polyamides and polycarbonate, both in granular form and as regrind.

KOCH-Technik also used the new, energy-efficient "EKON" dryer for the system, which was presented for the first time at K 2019 last year. This new dryer unit combines the advantages of the existing two dryer concepts CKT and EKO, which were brought together. The EKON dryers are available in eight different sizes from 110 to 2,000 m³ / h. For the system for Tacx, the choice fell on the type EKON 1100F (for the generation of 1,100 m³ / h of dry air), together with a total of 16 drying containers, once 600L and 400L, two 300L, four times 200L, six times 100L and twice 60L.

Thanks to a temperature-controlled regeneration of the drying cartridges, the EKON dryers are particularly energy-efficient, as this shortens the energy-intensive regeneration of the adsorption beds. The EKON achieves additional energy savings with the use of heat exchangers between the unheated supply air and the warm return air from the drying containers. This means that less energy is used for the heaters on the drying container. The frequency control of the drying process and the energy-saving flaps also provide additional energy benefits.

Fully automatic and safe material distribution
The material distribution throughout the system is handled by the patented "Navigator" material control system, which is designed to supply the processing machines with the different materials quickly and fully automatically.

The investment by Tacx, a longstanding customer of KOCH-Technik, comes at a time when corona-related people around the world mostly stay at home. This is reportedly leading to increased demand for exercise bikes. Thus, the expansion of the production capacities at the cycling equipment supplier seems to come at exactly the right time.