Starlinger
Compounds are used in many areas of the plastics processing industry – from injection moulding to film and sheet production.
The C-VAC module from Starlinger recycling technology now makes it possible for plastics recyclers to break into new markets in this field. Waste from film, injection moulding and fibre production as well as post-consumer waste can be upgraded to reinforced or filled plastics in the course of the recycling process, thus achieving a greater added value.
Recycling and compounding in a single process step
Compounding is usually done in a separate step following recycling. The C-VAC module, however, makes it possible to recycle and compound in one process step. In addition to the dosing of various additives, filling and reinforcement materials such as calcium carbonate, talcum or glass fibres can be added in the desired quantities. After the ground and optionally preheated material has been melted in the main extruder, compounding takes place in the degassing extruder after melt filtration. Since this extruder functions independently of the main extruder, screw design and speed can be selected as needed in order to achieve perfect compounding results. Depending on the properties of the material being added – powders, for example, require a certain screw length for optimum dispersion – dosing can be done before intake into the extruder.
Single-screw extruder for material-friendly compounding
Unlike conventional compounding extruders, the C-VAC extruder uses a single screw. This is especially relevant in fiberglass compounds because it reduces fibre breakage during compounding to a minimum, resulting in greater strength in the items subsequently being produced from the compound.
Output quantities range, depending on the size of the line, from 150 kg/h to 2,700 kg/h. The separate C-VAC module can be integrated into any existing Starlinger recycling line, opening up to recyclers the vast potential for secondary materials in the field of compounds.
