With over 80 years of success behind it, Zapel is the industry’s main Polish manufacturer and one of the European leaders. Installed at the Boguchwała plant, this latest SAMA solution was chosen for its outstanding quality and reliability, key factors in this type of application. SAMA thus confirms its role as a crucial partner in this highly specialized sector
ZAPEL S.A., Poland’s largest manufacturer of ceramic insulators and composite materials and a key European player, recently commissioned SAMA to supply the new NVPP500/750 extruder. It is now installed at the Boguchwała plant, where Zapel produces a vast range of components for the sector. These include insulators for overhead lines, post insulators for substations and switchgear, and special insulating components for electrical equipment.
This specialized SAMA solution was selected for its ability to produce - with the utmost precision and quality - the ‘pugs’ of technical ceramic body (subsequently turned to form the classic shed profile) that are used in power plants and transformer stations.
NVPP500 is designed to produce hollow pugs up to 0.65 meters in diameter and solid pugs up to 0,5 meters in diameter. Uniform material de-airing during extrusion is a must as it ensures homogeneous density and prevents the formation of pores, which could lead to breakages or compromise component performance.
The extrusion process begins with a screw feeder that receives the incoming ceramic material in the form of small unfired plastic pugs. These are reduced and conveyed to the vacuum chamber, where residual air is eliminated to ensure the mix is compact and homogeneous. The conical profile of the screw exerts progressive pressure on the material, aiding both its compaction and transfer towards the extrusion die, where the ceramic pug takes shape before being sent on for subsequent processing. The solution delivered to Zapel was a ‘special design’ model capable of handling diameters of up to 0.65 meters.
By supplying this new NVPP500/750 extruder to Zapel - which follows a series of similar installations, the last of which was in 2016 - SAMA confirms its role as a key partner in a highly specialized sector occupied by only a handful of international players. In addition to extruders of various sizes, the company has a comprehensive portfolio of machines for the entire technological chain, from profiling and glazing to firing.