The materials which are loaded into the extruder (e.g. granulate or liquid) are often mixed and transported by two or more screws which are driven simultaneously. For the purpose of obtaining the same torque for both screw-shafts the drive unit contains a torque-branching gear. In practice this causes many difficult problems for the customers. On the one hand, there is the unequal distribution of torque to all the shafts, which may eventually cause waste. On the other hand, with a significantly unequal distribution of torque there is the risk of overloading or breakage of shafts. In the worst case this means production standstill.

The application of NCTE sensors shows exactly its advantages in this example. They can be directly mounted on every single gear output shaft or corresponding coupling part. This ensures direct observation of the torque on every single screw and thus optimal control of the manufacturing process. The highlights:

• temperature resistance (screws are heated)
• resistance against vibrations and bending
• possible measurement in oil and other liquids
• perfect secondary sensor design with shield, adapted to the extremely small radial installation space between the shafts
• service-friendly sensor-installation through half-shell solution
• high accuracy