(Interview) ENTEX on challenges and trends for planetary roller extruder

Editor of Adsale Plastics Network spotted the increasing application of processing recycled materials and bioplastics at Fakuma 2023. Speaking to our editor regarding the challenges and trends, the directors at ENTEX underlined the new requirements for extrusion from processing these materials.  

“The topic of recycling, such as cradle to cradle, and the processing of biomaterials will become increasingly important. These materials and their processing place new requirements on extrusion,” said Sebastian Rust, Managing Director/CTO.

“It is important to keep the impurities within limits when recycling, which can be very difficult from case to case. With bioplastics, you must be very careful about the exact temperature,” he explained.

In both areas, the planetary roller extruder (PRE) from ENTEX shine with their geometric design and temperature control of the roller cylinders and the central spindle.

Rust added that other compounding systems cannot process recycled materials and bioplastics with certain ease due to their design. “The problem is the peripheral units, starting with the dosing units.”

The planetary roller extruder is also particularly good for degassing because it has very large exchanged surfaces. ENTEX also developed the so-called degassing screws, or degassing takes place in a second stage, and this processing technology is continuously updated.

ENTEX showcased the L-WE 30, which is said as the world’s smallest laboratory roller extruder. Depending on the formulation, the extruder enables an output capacity from several hundred grams to 5-8kg/h.

A heating/cooling unit from the Dynamic series with latest design was also on stage. The unit features a controller with a touch display.

Opportunity grows as sustainability demand increases

“The demand for sustainability applications (recycling and bioplastics processing) is increasing, not by leaps and bounds, but steadily and slowly,” commented Nils Ritterhoff, Managing Director.

“We are not currently able to report a significant increase in machine sales in these areas, but what we can see the collaboration and development with customers at our test centers in Bochum (Germany) has increased very strongly,” he said. “In both the areas of de-vulcanization and chemical recycling.”

Ritterhoff is cautiously optimistic that the plastics industry will have good opportunity to grow next year if companies and users place greater emphasis on the issue of recycling.

Sebastian Rust, Managing Director/CTO (right) and Nils Ritterhoff, Managing Director, at ENTEX.

More contract work and rubber processing on PRE

When it comes to the latest market trends of PRE, Rust pointed out that companies are doing more so-called contract work on PRE.

From the perspective of materials to be processed, systems for the rubber sector are also very popular, for example, for de-vulcanization and adhesives, in addition to the classic PVC and chemical sector with high-strength temperatures, he added.

To accommodate such trends, Entex constantly exchanges information with customers and further develops patented technologies. The company have decided to further expand production capacities and vertical range of manufacture to tackle increasing process complexity and specialized customer requests.  

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