There won't be many blown-film lines running, but there is still much in the way of innovation going on in extrusion and compounding.

Significant expansion at its Wapakoneta, Ohio, plant.

Two machine builders, each with more than 60 years’ experience in compounding, have united to furnish continuous mixing equipment.

Extrusion machinery at the June NPE show in Chicago showed inventive ways to get more out of your floorspace and materials.

Compounding news at the show includes several new ways to feed low-bulk-density materials faster for higher outputs with corotating twin screws.

A modified double-flighted feed section is being added to the mixing rotor to increase the feed rate on a workhorse masterbatch mixer from Farrel Corp., Ansonia, Conn.

Compounding machinery news at the K Show next month focuses on more torque, more output, and sometimes both, for kneaders, mixers, and twin-screw extruders.

Much of the compounding news at the NPE Show in Chicago in June ad-dressed the growing trend among extrusion processors to become compounders.

Throughput capacities are going up for compounding equipment of all types.

Compounding news at the K Show includes the use of alternative motors to save space and raise output on twin-screw machines.

Compounding news at NPE included a wealth of new batch and continuous machines to mix in high loadings of wood flour, glass fiber, carbon black, and more exotic fillers.

For the second straight NPE show, the focus in compounding is on twin-screw machines that deliver more speed and torque—thus more output—than ever before. No fewer than six suppliers of twin-screw compounders are showing such machines. There’s something to see in in-line systems as well. And there’s plenty of news in PVC mixers and pelletizing equipment, too.

Show exhibitors say long-fiber wood composites, direct extrusion/compounding, and reactive compounding are where the action is.

You may be thinking of buying one of the new ‘high-torque/high-speed’ twin-screw compounders in order to raise your output without going to a larger machine. But how much torque or speed do you really need? Underusing a high-powered extruder wastes investment dollars. So look carefully at what is required for the materials you run.

For the second straight NPE show, the focus in compounding is on twin-screw machines that deliver more speed and torque—thus more output—than ever before. No fewer than six suppliers of twin-screw compounders are showing such machines. There’s something to see in in-line systems as well. And there’s plenty of news in PVC mixers and pelletizing equipment, too.