Recycling: Cascade Retrofit Package for Extruders

During K 2019, MAS will introduce a retrofit package for recycling lines to increase process performance and quality, such as for the processing of PE film flakes. It features a combination of the MAS-CDF disc filter and a specifically developed and patented MAS single-screw degassing extruder. This allows existing single- or twin-screw extruders to be upgraded to a cascade extrusion line.

The company says that the MAS cascade package is more than just a retrofit option. The patented division of the melt stream comes from the filter into a series of individual streams in a multi-channel melt distribution manifold. The polymer melt, coming from the initial extruder and after having passed the filter, is fed into the degassing zone of the single-screw extruder. The division into individual streams means that the polymer mixture can be degassed more efficiently and has a more homogeneous material density. Several production applications with PE and PP materials have shown that after retrofitting the cascade package, the throughput of the recycling line raises by 40 to 50% over the initial constellation, according to MAS. Also, the more homogeneous extrudate increased the bulk density of the regenerated material by up to 15%. As a result, the weight amount per transport unit increases, whereas the transport volume and the associated transport costs decrease, and can contribute to a higher added value.