Does My Recyclate Need Re-Compounding?

It is an integrated recycling and compounding concept that combines a MAS conical co-rotating twin-screw extruder, optional additive or filler incorporation, continuous CDF melt filtration, a single-screw cascade for degassing and pressure build-up, and final pelletising.

Simple regranulation mainly remelts and pelletises material. Re-Compound adds controlled homogenisation, property modification, filtration and strong degassing when the recycled input or final application requires more process duty.

Re-Compound uses one MAS compounding extruder followed by filtration and a cascade stage for degassing and pressure build-up. Twin-Compound uses two coordinated compounding extrusion stages and is intended for applications that require separated first- and second-stage mixing or ingredient-entry duties.

MAS currently describes Re-Compound applications for recycled PE, PP, ABS, PS, PA and PET, among other melt-processable thermoplastics. Actual suitability depends on compatibility, contamination, degradation, viscosity, moisture, additives, fillers and the required output properties.

Potentially yes. Strong degassing is a central duty of the Re-Compound concept, but performance depends on polymer, moisture and volatile load, melt temperature, residence time, vacuum conditions, surface renewal and throughput. Pre-drying may still be required.

Suitable additives and fillers are normally incorporated in the MAS twin-screw extruder during melting and homogenisation. Ingredient form, loading, compatibility, dispersion requirement and ability to pass the selected filtration stage must be validated.

Yes, where they are compatible with the polymer, process conditions and filtration strategy. The dosing level should be selected from measured input variation and the required final colour, weathering or application specification.

CDF is intended for suitable solid, non-melting contaminants within a selected filtration fineness and operating range. Performance depends on contaminant type, size and load, polymer rheology, pressure conditions and throughput. It cannot solve polymer incompatibility or every odour and volatile problem.

The layout removes solid contaminants before final degassing and pressure build-up. The subsequent cascade can then focus on volatile removal and creating stable pressure for pelletising.

The single-screw cascade stage provides effective degassing and pressure build-up after melt filtration. Its configuration is selected around polymer rheology, volatile load, throughput, filter duty and the downstream pelletising system.

The current MAS Re-Compound concept can be combined with strand, water-ring or underwater pelletising. Final selection depends on polymer, viscosity, throughput, filler content, pellet specification, cooling and downstream handling.

A second filtration stage can be considered between the cascade and pelletising when the material, quality target and economics justify it. Pressure, waste, maintenance and product requirements must be checked project-specifically.

There is no universal throughput value for a Re-Compound line. Capacity depends on polymer, bulk density, feeding, additive or filler loading, contamination, filtration fineness, degassing duty, viscosity, pelletising and required output quality.

Energy demand depends on the complete line boundary and material duty. Compare feeding, melting, filtration, vacuum, cascade, pelletising and auxiliaries under the same throughput and output specification rather than relying on a single machine value.

Main drivers include feeding and dosing, extruder size, filtration, cascade configuration, vacuum, wear protection, pelletising, controls, utilities, installation, energy, additives, filter waste, labour, maintenance, cleaning, yield and the value of the final re-compound.

Review contamination and filler abrasiveness, screw and barrel materials, speed, filtration load, pressure, inspection access, spare parts, service intervals and cleaning or changeover. Wear assumptions must be matched to the real material.

Yes. Representative material, complete formulation information, agreed operating conditions, sampling and test methods should be used to compare routes and document output properties, consistency, throughput, energy boundary, yield, waste and scale-up assumptions.

A simpler regranulation line, Twin-Compound, iQonicTwin Regrind, a retrofit or another architecture may be more suitable when property modification is unnecessary, the feedstock cannot be stabilised within the required window, two-stage compounding is needed, or lifecycle economics do not support a complete Re-Compound line.