Head of Development Olav Davis offers an insight into the activities of Tartler’s new R.D.D.

Olav Davis has been heading the new Research Development and Demonstration Centre of equipment manufacturer Tartler for half a year now. In an interview, the materials and wind power expert discusses his objectives and the company’s latest solutions in the field of dosing, mixing and filling technology. Find out which innovations customers can expect from Tartler in the coming months.

Mr Davis, it has been a good six months since you took up your role as the Head of the new Research Development and Demonstration Centre R.D.D. at Tartler. What do you consider to be the primary strategic objective of your new role?

Davis: Our company motto is “Mischen is possible”. It reflects the fact that an ongoing innovation ability and continuous development are integral parts of the Tartler strategy. That has been the case since the company’s founding in 1981 and has since been firmly anchored as an ongoing process within the company. However, it was time to bring the diversity of ideas and developments together in one dedicated space for R[&]D to enable us to more effectively align innovation and validation to the needs of our customers. This step is now in place with the establishment of the new Research Development and Demonstration Centre R.D.D., which I have been appointed to oversee.

And how will customers benefit from the activities of the R.D.D.?

Davis: The key factor is that the interdisciplinary and project-oriented teams that have been assembled for the R.D.D. will be able to push all Tartler innovations from the experimental phase into the implementation phase faster than was previously possible. The assessment and practical implementation of new solutions for mixing, dosing and filling technology are now carried out much quicker. At the same time, R.D.D. plays an important role in further increasing the quality of Tartler products and systems.

How did you first come across Tartler?

Davis: The first contact was established in 2013 as part of a development project that I oversaw for my employer at the time to develop a new direct infusion system for the manufacture of wind turbine blades. The project was very successful and the new system solution has been in use since 2014. This proved to me how valuable and effective close collaboration between customer and supplier can be.

Which factors will be shaping your work in the coming weeks?

Davis: Not only do we have several new product and technology ideas on our agenda, we also intend to more closely involve the customers of Tartler in the concrete research and development work of R.D.D. in the future. After all, the requirements and needs of synthetic resin users will always be the focus of our attention.

What do you mean specifically when you say you want to “more closely involve” customers?

Davis: The collaborative partnership with our customers has always been one of Tartler’s major strengths. We want to continue to intensify this aspect by allowing customers, even those with highly demanding or unusual requirements, to share our expanded development and testing capabilities. The R.D.D. is also available to customers who do not themselves have the capacity to conduct test series or demonstration tests for their own ideas. We are in the position to define, budget and organise individual development projects. This can also include projects that go far beyond mixing technology in the narrow sense – such as the development of new compliment application process technology or new material conditioning systems, to name just two examples.

What projects are you currently working on?

Davis: Immediately after joining the company in August last year, together with the Tartler team I entered into the development and test phase of our new TAVA 200 F, which is currently being readied for market launch. The TAVA 200 F is a vacuum machine for cross-sector use that enables lidded drums to be filled with high-viscosity and pasty media without air pockets.

Without air pockets? That sounds interesting – can you explain that a little more?

Davis: The new TAVA 200 F is the logical evolution of Tartler’s vacuum drum change system introduced in 2014, where the air is sucked out between the surface of the material in the drum and a moving follower plate in a controlled fashion. This prevents any ventilation issues and enables the user to carry out drum changes reliably without material loss or splattering! Thanks to the new TAVA 200 F, manufacturers and bottlers can now also profit from our vacuum technology, since this semi-automatic degassing vacuum station can be used flexibly for the air-free filling of 200-litre drums for various pasty and high-viscosity materials, and can also be designed for other container sizes.

What principles do you follow in your practical project work?

Davis: Developers should never be disheartened by failure! I am currently reading a book by Matthew Syed called “Black Box Thinking”. It provides an insightful description of how companies and teams can turn mistakes into successes. Failures are the best teacher and motivation! The aerospace industry is a prime example of this, learning from past errors to create the foundation for today’s safety record. Within an R[&]D context, it is crucial to learn quickly from mistakes in order to transfer new insight to a design as quickly as possible. Breaking things is often a lot of fun– as long as it takes place in a secure environment and serves a defined purpose.

What trends do you currently see in Tartler markets – such as plastics processing, model construction or wind power technology – and how are you responding to these trends in terms of innovations?

Davis: Our primary focus is always on providing the customer with their ideal combination of systems engineering and service. At the moment we are getting a lot of feedback from our customers on the need for dosing, mixing and filling solutions that reduce material waste, a need that the new TAVA 200 F vacuum machine is perfectly made to fulfil. Furthermore, our customers in synthetic resin processing benefit from the development and provision of highly efficient and comprehensive material application solutions for their processes. At Tartler, we do not just deal in dosing and mixing technology, we pursue a holistic approach from the initial material preparation right through to the finished component.

What does this mean specifically for users in plastics technology?

Davis: You would like to take a look behind the scenes? Very well. Currently we are working hard on the second generation of the Tartler direction infusion system with an integrated in-line degassing unit for resin and hardener. This new, comprehensive solution will include all components that the user needs for the entire process between the machine, the mix head and the workpiece. The system is under development and – as always – we will test all functions thoroughly to ensure that we can provide our customers with the very best solution.

What can customers expect from Tartler in the coming months?

Davis: We are currently focused among other things on the completion of additional multi-component systems with our new vacuum drum change system – like the TAVA D 50 I and the TAVA 200 D Nodopox for the processing of high-viscosity polyurethane or epoxy resin. And in addition to the aforementioned Tartler direction infusion system, we are also testing some completely new ideas along with a whole host of detail improvements. I don’t want to reveal any more right now… you’ll just have to wait and see!

Mr Davis, thank you for this interview.

Ready for use in the wind power industry: 2-component solution from the Nodopox range from Tartler for the processing of two high-viscosity adhesive components. The plant has an automatic refill of 200-liter original containers, a volume flow control and a six-meter extension arm for the mixing head. It logs all project parameters and ejects up to 20 kg / min.

For further information please send us an e-mail to info@tartler.com

Further information regarding vacuum technology and the TAVA 200 F can also be found on our YouTube channel.