Plastics recycling systems specialist Erema (Ansfelden, Linz / Austria; www.erema.at) has developed a system that processes recycling raw material into customised plastic compounds in one step without intermediate cooling. The “Corema” system processes recycling raw material into filtered melt using Erema’s cutter/compactor technology where the material is cut, homogenised, heated, dried and buffered. The preheated material is plastified in a single-screw extruder and is then passed directly to a co-rotating twin-screw extruder from Coperion (Stuttgart / Germany; www.coperion.com). The global compounding and extrusion equipment leader has just been acquired by US-based Hillenbrand (see Plasteurope.com of 18.10.2012)

Erema said the system's mixing and gas removal capabilities mean it can handle all compounding tasks. In addition to the dosing of a wide variety of additives, high amounts of fillers and reinforcing agents can be admixed. The result is customised plastic compounds for high-quality applications. The system is available with capacities from 300 kg/h up to 4 t/h and a broad range of raw materials can be recycled.

Manfred Hackl, joint Erema CEO, said: “We made a conscious decision in favour of Coperion as a partner. This company has a wealth of experience in the production of compounds and the twin-screw extruders are made in such a modular way that they can be adapted for any individual job. And the same applies to our recycling system. We are of the opinion that 'Corema' is the ideal system not only to process inexpensive mixed fractions such as PET/PE with additives, but also to produce a compound with 20% talcum out of PP nonwoven waste, for example.”

In an early application of the system, Dutch company Rodepa Plastics (Enschede; www.rodepaplastics.nl), which has been operating two Erema recycling systems for a number of years, is now moving into compounding using the "Corema" system in response to increasing customer demand for filled recyclates.