At Fakuma 2026, the MAAG Group will present a technological highlight – the first gear pump extrex⁶ EC specifically designed for the continuous conveyance of challenging rigid PVC (polyvinyl chloride).

New extrex⁶ EC for rigid PVC.

Technological Highlights of the extrex⁶ EC:

• Gap-free design with no dead spaces: Prevents prolonged residence times and material burning, ensuring a clean process.

• Increased extruder efficiency: Uniform, pressure-stable conveying significantly reduces the load on the extruder. Depending on the application, material throughput can be significantly increased, or energy savings of up to 20% can be achieved in the extruder while maintaining constant throughput.

• Reduction in process temperature by up to 10°C: The optimized temperature control reduces the thermal stress on the melting process. This eliminates the need for expensive stabilizers in some cases.

Successful practical application in recycling at REHAU

Initial practical use at the REHAU Group confirms the enormous potential of the new pump system for the circular economy.

The MAAG Group PVC pump in use at the REHAU technical center in Germany.

Following intensive testing at REHAU’s technical center between 2022 and 2024, a final prototype was successfully tested with a production profile in early 2025. By optimizing the pump’s thermal balance, MAAG was able to ensure that the temperature increase through the pump did not exceed 6°C – even with a melt temperature that was already 10°C lower.

The extrex⁶ EC particularly demonstrated its strengths when using cost-effective recycled PVC material with inherently inhomogeneous batches. Pressure fluctuations at the die were minimized by the gear pump’s constant output, resulting in a massive improvement in the product quality of the profiles.

At the same time, the load on the extruder decreased by up to 20%, promising a longer service life for the system and noticeable cost savings in the maintenance cycle.

In all trials with recycled material, no discoloration occurred, and no additional stabilizers were required. REHAU thus achieves a clear economic and environmental advantage, as expensive virgin material can be replaced with recycled one.

Global implementation on the horizon

The new PVC pump has since been successfully installed for production purposes at a REHAU plant in Spain. An extended lease agreement now provides the necessary time to gradually implement the innovative pump system across the plastics processor’s global fleet of facilities.