Screw elements for twin-screw and three-screw extruders

A plastics manufacturer was committed to improving its processing efficiency and product quality in the production of engineering plastics and high-performance polymers. Because its existing twin- and three-screw extruders exhibited problems with uneven mixing, low throughput, and high energy consumption when processing high-viscosity materials, the company decided to explore solutions for optimizing its screw elements.

The Challenge:

Uneven mixing: Due to the poor configuration of the existing screw elements, the material was not adequately dispersed, resulting in inconsistent final product quality.
High energy consumption and low efficiency: The high energy consumption and low throughput of the current screw design increased production costs.
Insufficient wear resistance: Screw elements wear out quickly when handling highly abrasive materials, leading to frequent replacements and high maintenance costs.

Solution:
The manufacturer worked with our company to redesign and optimize the extruder's screw portfolio. The new configuration included:

High-efficiency conveying element: Increases material transfer rates and reduces stagnation and backflow.
Special Mixing Elements: Multiple mixing elements have been added to the screw to improve dispersion and mixing of the material to ensure uniformity.
Wear-resistant materials: Screw elements made of highly wear- and corrosion-resistant materials to extend service life and reduce replacement frequency.

Results:

Quality Improvement: The new screw configuration significantly improves the homogeneity and dispersion of the material, resulting in a more consistent quality of the final product.
Improved energy efficiency: Due to the optimized component mix, the extruder's energy consumption has been reduced by approximately 20% and productivity has increased by 30%.
Cost savings: More wear-resistant materials and optimized design reduce element replacement and downtime, saving maintenance and replacement costs.

By using optimized screw elements, the manufacturer not only solved its existing production challenges, but also significantly improved the performance and overall productivity of its equipment, earning it more customer trust and market share in the high-performance plastics market.