(Bio-) Plastics

A customised solution for any challenge

When it comes to successfully producing and compounding plastics and bioplastics, there are several decisive factors: continuous processing, gently processing temperature-sensitive materials, excellent material quality, high-performance degassing, efficient self-cleaning, and diverse processing possibilities.

• Continuous processing

  The Planetary Roller Extruder’s ability to continuously process plastics and bioplastics sets it apart. All formulation components can be fed into the Planetary Roller Extruder in the required sequence to ensure the same consistently high product quality. Continuous operation also results in reduced labour and energy costs.

• Material-friendly processing of temperature-sensitive materials

  The Planetary Roller Extruder is even able to process temperature-sensitive and shear-sensitive plastics and bioplastics. That is because it not only offers excellent temperature control, but also continuously rolls out the material in thin layers in a very material-friendly process.

• Excellent material quality

  As a result of the extreme flexibility offered by the Planetary Roller Extruder’s modular structure, it is possible to adjust the required process technology to the precise requirements of the individual process, e. g. by using differently shaped planetary spindles or dispersion rings. The Planetary Roller Extruder’s continuous thin rolling of the material ensures excellent material tempering. This avoids the formation of hot-spots and delivers homogeneous product quality. It also prevents polymer chain degradation due to the high melt temperature. The formulation components are processed at a temperature that prevents any additional thermal damage – something that also reduces the proportion of stabilisers required.

• High-performance degassing

  When processing plastics and bioplastics it is often necessary to remove the entrained air, volatile components, aromatic compounds and water from the melt by degassing. Thin-rolling ensures ongoing replacement of the melt surface and the continuous generation of a large phase-boundary interface. The undesired components can then be removed from the process zone of the Planetary Roller Extruder by simultaneously applying a vacuum. The degassing process can be adapted by setting the fill level in the relevant roller module and optimised as required. When a vacuum is used, degassing usually takes place through specially adapted side-feeders or vacuum domes, which can be installed at multiple points along the Planetary Roller Extruder.

• Efficient self-cleaning

  Impressive: As a result of the 45° helical-toothed machine components (central spindle, planetary spindles, roller cylinders), the melt is continuously rolled out and conveyed in the extrusion direction in the Planetary Roller Extruder. The Planetary Roller Extruder is therefore self-cleaning to a large extent. This makes it possible to flexibly use different formulations (e.g. colour formulations) one after the other on a single machine configuration with very little scrap.

• Wide range of processing possibilities

  Thanks to their modularity and tremendous adaptability in structure and configuration, the Planetary Roller Extruder can process many different types of plastic formulations. The conditions required for plastics processing (melt temperature, melt pressure, dwell time, specific mechanical shear input, dispersion, degassing, etc.) can be controlled flexibly.