Extrusion International 5-2022

67 Extrusion International 5/2022 Circular Economy and Sustainability T here is a lot to see for visi- tors at the Brabender stand at this year’s K trade fair: Bra- bender will be presenting its solutions for quality testing as well as for the development of sustainable plastic and rubber products on a laboratory and technical scale. This includes modular torque rheometers with measuring kneader and extruder attachments, as well as compact extruders of vari - ous dimensions and devices for special measuring applications in the plastics industry. In addition to the devices on dis- play, there will also be live dem- onstrations on site: “Among other things, we extrude recycled plastic pellets from shredded polypropyl- ene at our booth”, explains Jessica Wiertz, Manager Applications at Brabender. “Circular Economy” and environment in focus Sustainability and resource con- servation have been the focus of the Duisburg-based (Germany) company for many decades. Current projects with partners from research and in- dustry in which Brabender devices are used include the extrusion of sustainable films from algae or the determination of carbon black from recycled car tires with the help of the Absorptometer C. In addition, the use of the laboratory devices saves resources and costs compared to ongoing production with machines, since only a fraction of the amount of raw material is required for the measurement, as would be the case with comparable tests on large-vol- ume machines. Modular and compact solutions for rheology and extrusion Also on the booth is the Meta- Station 4E, with which Brabender launchedthenewgenerationofmod- ular torque rheometers at K 2019. Like its predecessor, the Plasto- graph, which is widely used in the industry, the MetaStation 4E serves as a drive for measuring knead- ers of various sizes. In addition, the drive has been extended to operate the larger Brabender internal mix - ers and does not require a docking station. Furthermore, single-screw extruders, the conical twin-screw extruder and the new B-TSE-A 12/36 mini compounder can also be oper- ated with the MetaStation 4E. Meanwhile, Brabender also of- fers the MetaStation 8 stand-alone drive, also on display at K 2022. To- gether with its bigger brother, the MetaStation 16, the two are the successor generation to Braben- der’s well-known Plasti-Corder Lab station. At the heart of the Meta- Station devices is Brabender’s Meta- Bridge software. The user interface, which is immediately available without installation, the tracking of measurement results from any loca- tion and end device, various data evaluation functions, pre-imple- mented standards and individually adaptable measurement methods are just some of the software’s ad- vantages. It can be operated via the convenient touchscreen, making the operation of external computer peripherals obsolete. In addition to the modular Meta- Stations, Brabender will also show compact extruders, in - cluding the TwinLab-C 20/40, with integrated drive at the K booth. As for the modular ex - truders, different die and screw geometries as well as metering and downstream equip- ment, including for pel- let pelletizing or strand winding, are available for the compact units. Optimize vehicle tire formulations A product innovation at the trade fair is the new 350 SX internal mixer, which Brabender will present for the first time at a trade fair. In com- bination with a Brabender torque rheometer, the 350 SX analyzes the melting behavior of materials and compounds and is used in the tire in- dustry, for recipe development and research and development. Among other things, it helps to optimize the formulation of tires by mixing the rubber and analyzing the pure rubber. In addition, the effect and behavior of ingredients such as car- bon black or silica in car tires can be measured. Residual moisture measurement – also for recyclates When processing high-quality plastics, an important parameter is the water content of the product. With the moisture analyzer for plas- tics, the Aquatrac V, the water con - tent in plastics, including PET recy- clates, can be determined according to DIN EN ISO 15512:2019. Braben- der will also exhibit the device for re - sidual moisture analysis at the show and perform live measurements. Brabender ® GmbH & Co. KG www.brabender.com K 2022: Hall 10, Stand A14