Reinventing The Pelletized Future: Why Your Co-acting Twin-screw Extruder Decides Your Position in The Circular Economy
Today, as the global plastic industry stands at a crossroads, we are not only facing the choice of materials, but also the choice of production methods. When you hold a handful of polyethylene or polypropylene particles in your hand, what you see should not only be raw materials, but also compliance with the new emission regulations of the European Union, fulfillment of brand environmental commitments, and the key to opening up emerging markets.
Nanjing Kelongwell Chemical Machinery Co., Ltd. believes that the true extrusion process is not simply melting plastic, but tailoring a "rebirth journey" for each particle. Whether you are an explorer entering the granulation field for the first time or a seasoned expert trying to find the best balance between environmental protection and cost-effectiveness, please remember one core logic: your plastic extruder must respect the "personality" of every type of plastic, just like respecting life.
The "spectrum" of common plastic particles: the transition from commodity to specialty
Plastic pellets are not uniform. According to the white paper released by ICIS, the annual supply of mechanically recycled plastics worldwide will exceed 50 million tons by 2050. In this huge market, there are mainly several types of particles with distinct personalities circulating:
·Polyolefin family (PO): including PP, HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE. They are the kings of daily necessities, but when faced with high melting points or recycled materials containing impurities, ordinary equipment often seems inadequate.
·Engineering Plastics family: such as ABS, PA (nylon) PET. They are extremely sensitive to moisture and shear heat, just like mimosa, which can degrade (hydrolysis or thermal degradation) if touched improperly.
·Heat sensitive materials: such as PVC. Its residence time in the plastic extruder must be precise to seconds, otherwise the released corrosive gases will threaten the safety of the equipment and operators.
On this day in 2026, with the mandatory implementation of the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), the demand for high-quality recycled materials in the market is growing exponentially. This requires granulation equipment to have extremely strong "tolerance" and "precision".
1. The starting point of customization - identifying the three major granulation challenges
Before discussing the configuration of efficient extruders, let's first answer the three most concerning questions for customers:
Q1: I want to use post consumer recycled materials (PCR) to produce new material grade particles. Why does it always have odor or gel spots?
A: The problem usually lies not in the material itself, but in the plasticization and exhaust stages. Recycled materials contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as ink and adhesives. An excellent co rotating twin screw extruder must have strong vacuum stripping ability and a soft plasticizing screw combination. The "customization" emphasized by Nanjing Kelongwell is to design the arrangement sequence of shearing elements according to your specific impurity content, ensuring that the removal of odors and the avoidance of excessive shearing damage to the material molecular chain are achieved.
Q2: Can PET and PA6 be processed using the same machine?
A: Sure, but the 'core' must be replaced. PET is a highly hygroscopic material that requires strict preheating, drying, and exhaust; Although PA6 also absorbs water, its melting point is sharp and its flowability is extremely strong. This requires that the screw geometry and aspect ratio (L/D) of the plastic granulation production line must be able to adapt to these two rheological behaviors. General equipment often leads to a decrease in PET intrinsic viscosity (IV) or PA6 extrusion fluctuations. A truly customized extruder screw should reserve parameter windows for different materials at the beginning of design.
Q3: How to reduce the production cost per ton of raw materials in the face of fluctuations in raw material prices in 2026?
A: Energy efficiency and automation are key factors. According to the 2026 Global Extrusion Machinery Market Report, energy-saving extrusion production lines and equipment equipped with Industry 4.0 intelligent control systems have become mainstream trends. By customizing the heating and cooling system and driving scheme of the high-efficiency extruder, the energy consumption per ton of material can be reduced by 15% -20%.
2. Core customization strategy - allowing the extruder to produce "smart teeth"
Faced with the above challenges, simple equipment procurement is outdated. Nanjing Kelongwell Chemical Machinery Co., Ltd. provides modular customization services based on "material genomics" for international customers.
2.1 Large scale customization for polyolefins (PO)
For PE or PP granulation, the pursuit is the ultimate balance between high yield and low cost.
·Strategy: Install a large-diameter, high torque co rotating twin screw extruder.
·Technical point: Adopting a high torque transmission box, the screw can maintain stability even at high speeds. In response to the ductility of LLDPE, kneading blocks are introduced in the screw mixing section to achieve micro dispersion of heterogeneous raw materials.
·Data evidence: When processing HDPE crushed materials, customized twin screw extruders increase production by about 30% compared to conventional single machines, and reduce unit energy consumption by 12%.
2.2 "Mild" customization for engineering plastics (such as PET, PA)
The biggest enemies for PET or PA, especially when processing rPET (post consumer recycled PET) bottle flakes, are "hydrolysis" and "thermal oxidation".
·Strategy: Low shear, large exhaust, long dwell time.
·Technical point: Design a special exhaust type plastic extruder to ensure that the vacuum system can extract the moisture generated by the condensation reaction. The screw configuration must reduce the proportion of strong shear elements, increase the pitch depth, and achieve "melt infiltration" conveying.
·Trend insight: NAPCOR's white paper states that the recovery rate of PET thermoforming will reach 130 million pounds by 2023, but the prerequisite is to have advanced cleaning and sorting lines in conjunction with dedicated extruders.
2.3 "Corrosion resistant" customization for PVC and thermal sensitive materials
·Strategy: Low temperature plasticization, corrosion-resistant materials.
·Technical point: The cylinder body adopts a higher level of corrosion-resistant alloy, and the surface of the screw is sprayed with tungsten carbide. At the same time, the control system must be precise to ± 1 ° C to prevent PVC from remaining and decomposing inside the plastic extruder barrel.
3. Why are co rotating twin screws the best partner for circular economy?
The popularity of high-precision twin screw extrusion systems is soaring during the forecast period from 2025 to 2030. Compared to single screw extruders, co rotating twin screw extruders have unparalleled:
1. Self cleaning: The screw engagement part constantly scratches to prevent material carbon buildup, which is crucial for international chemical plants that frequently change material colors.
2. Controllability: Fillers, glass fibers, and compatibilizers can be accurately injected into the melt, perfectly adapting to the needs of "modification and granulation integration".
3. Flexibility: Modular cylinder design allows you to add side feeding or exhaust ports at any time according to business expansion in the next 5 years, without the need to replace the host.
4. Conclusion: Your next extruder should not just be a machine
In the view of Nanjing Kelongwell Chemical Machinery Co., Ltd., customizing efficient extruders for different plastic particles is essentially a game of "entropy reduction" - we use precise mechanical design and thermodynamic control to combat the disorderly state of waste plastics.
For those who pursue environmental protection and high cost-effectiveness, choosing not only a plastic extruder, but also a partner who can understand the language of materials. When global regulatory agencies set hard targets for the amount of recycled materials in plastics, and when consumers pay for the carbon footprint of products, your co rotating twin screw extruder is your strongest moat in future market competition.
Quick questions, quick answers
·Q: I am a beginner and I just want to try making PP/PE recycled particles first. What configuration should I choose?
·A: It is recommended to start with a modular co rotating twin screw extruder. Choose a medium aspect ratio (such as 36:1-40:1), equipped with an automatic screen changer and vacuum exhaust. This configuration can handle both clean industrial waste and post consumer waste containing small amounts of impurities, with the highest cost-effectiveness and interfaces for future process upgrades.
·Q: What should I pay attention to when customizing high-quality LLDPE particles for casting films?
·A: The focus is on the melt pump and filtration system. High quality film requires no crystal point and gel. Therefore, in addition to optimizing the screw temperature control of efficient extruders, it is necessary to customize high-precision screen changers (such as those with backwash function) and melt pumps to ensure absolute stability of pressure and flow rate.
·Q: Europe has requirements for the carbon footprint of recycling equipment, how can we ensure that the equipment meets the standards?
·A: The equipment of Nanjing Kelongwell fully considers energy efficiency ratio in its design. We use energy-saving motors and optimized heating coils, and can monitor energy consumption data in real time through a PLC system. At the same time, we provide fully protected designs that comply with CE standards to ensure safe production of equipment and assist your factory in obtaining ISO 14000 environmental management system certification.
