In plastics recycling, mechanical, extruder-based material processing is currently one of the key processes for specifically improving the material properties of recyclable plastics. Due to their respective “history” and the necessary pre-processing steps, these materials often come in highly inhomogeneous and irregular shapes and grain sizes. The spectrum ranges from fluffy film flakes, powders, and regrinds to fiber balls and pellets to snippets and other bulk materials that are generally considered difficult to handle.
Specially designed dosing devices are required to feed such materials into the extrusion process evenly and at a defined mass throughput. Against the backdrop of Kubota Brabender Technologie's (KBT) many years of experience in the field of dosing technology, its continuous further development, and its thematic proximity to the IKK, the idea of closer cooperation was born. The aim of this cooperation is to systematically investigate the challenges involved in dosing difficult-to-handle plastic bulk materials and to develop sustainable solutions through practical applications at the IKK and regular feedback to KBT.
In this context, the additional permanent loan of the FiberXpert fiber dosing system, model FX50, is of particular importance. This dosing system was specifically designed for materials that have been little researched to date, have poor flow properties, and are structurally inhomogeneous. Based on many years of practical experience at the IKK in handling bulky plastics, the FiberXpert offers clear advantages over conventional, standardized dosing solutions.
According to Dijan Iliew, IKK, the proportion of demanding materials will continue to increase in the future as a result of legally prescribed recycling quotas, which could fundamentally change the requirements for existing dosing technology. The FiberXpert represents a promising and technically sensible alternative, especially for recyclers who depend on a constant and reproducible material input during processing.
Special thanks in this regard go to Frank Budde, Account Manager Sales Germany at Kubota Brabender Technologie, who is supporting the existing good cooperation and the IKK with another loan for its research activities.
