At this year's CHINAPLAS, Coperion GmbH will be presenting itself as a technology provider for a wide range of forward-looking applications in the processing of plastics. In particular, the company will bring its expertise in plastics recycling to life at its booth with a virtual complete system for recycling PET.

This plant allows a look inside numerous key components from Coperion and recently acquired partner Herbold Meckesheim, with whom Coperion now offers complete systems for plastics recycling.

Coperion will also be demonstrating its expertise in conventional compounding systems. It will show a ZSK 58 Mc¹⁸ twin screw extruder with a Coperion K-Tron K-ML-SFS-KT20 twin screw feeder, as well as the STS 25 Mc¹¹ laboratory extruder with a C/S-LW-NT28 twin screw feeder from Colormax Systems.

The Coperion K-Tron quick-change feeder T35-QC will be on display together with a 2415 vacuum receiver for ingredient refill, as well as the comprehensive service offering on all Coperion technologies and equipment.

Enhanced plastics compounding, recycling and processing of bioplastics

A ZSK 58 Mc¹⁸ twin screw extruder with a specific torque of 18 Nm/cm³ will be on display, characterized by its consistently high throughput capacity with high product quality. With the assembly at its manufacturing site in Nanjing, China, Coperion is able to react as fast as possible to customer demand.

Coperion’s ZSK 58 Mc¹⁸ will be on display at CHINAPLAS 2023.

Customers benefit from local added value, transport and tax savings as well as from shorter delivery times. Even after-sales services are customized to local parts and needs. The ZSK 58 Mc¹⁸ extruder will be outfitted with a Coperion K-Tron K-ML-SFS-KT20 twin screw loss-in-weight feeder.

In addition to compounding and recycling, Coperion extruders are suitable for the production of bioplastics. This process places very high demands on the extrusion system due to the diversity of base polymers being used and the variety of recipes.

Coperion has already realized numerous systems for the production of bioplastics and therefore has comprehensive engineering know-how in designing the process steps needed to achieve the required mechanical properties of the bioplastic end product.

The STS 25 Mc¹¹ laboratory extruder that Coperion will show at the trade fair, has a 25 mm screw diameter and features a simple design. It is operator-friendly and easy to clean. By having the same screw diameter ratio D_o/D_i of 1.55 and the same maximum specific torque Md/a³ of 11.3 Nm/cm³ as the entire STS Mc¹¹ extruder series, production parameters can be reliably scaled up to a larger STS model.

To extend the process window, Coperion has increased the screw speed of the STS 25 Mc¹¹ to 1,200 min^-1. This way the laboratory extruder is ideally suited for recipe development and basic scientific research with small batch sizes of 2 kg and achieves throughput rates of up to 110 kg/h.

The STS 25 Mc¹¹ which Coperion will exhibit at CHINAPLAS 2023 will be shown with a Colormax Systems C/S-LW-NT28 twin screw loss-in-weight feeder.

Complete plastics recycling plants from a single source

Together, Coperion and Herbold Meckesheim realize entire plants for plastics recycling. From mechanical processing – shredding, washing, separating, drying and agglomerating of plastics – to bulk material handling as well as feeding and extrusion all the way to compounding and pelletizing, their systems cover the entire process chain for reclaiming plastics.

Coperion and Herbold Meckesheim offer complete systems from a single source.

They achieve solutions for mechanical recycling of post-industrial and post-consumer waste, chemical recycling, solvent-based recycling, and deodorization, tailored to the type of plastic being recycled.

Together, they will be showing a PET recycling plant simulation at Chinaplas, demonstrating their expertise in numerous plastics recycling processes. Booth visitors can look directly into the process steps and view the construction and functionality of key technologies.

Coperion K-Tron feeders for maximum flexibility

In addition, there will be a high-accuracy Coperion K-Tron K2-ML-D5-T35/S60 quick change feeder, featuring the ActiFlow smart bulk solid activator and Electronic Pressure Compensation (EPC) in combination with a 2400 Series vacuum receiver for refill.

The Coperion K-Tron K2-ML-D5-T35 quick-change gravimetric feeder offers high-accuracy and reliable feeding with maximum flexibility.

The T35/S60 quick change feeder (QC) on display is designed for applications requiring quick changeover of materials and convenience of fast cleaning. The QC feeder allows for fast removal of the entire feeding module with screws in place for replacement with a second unit. Twin and single screw feeding modules are available.

The ActiFlow smart bulk solid activator offers an innovative method to reliably prevent bridging and rat-holing of cohesive bulk materials in stainless steel hoppers without internal hopper agitation.

The smart flow aid applies gentle vibrations to the hopper wall, hereby carefully activating the contained material with the optimal amplitude and frequency. It is designed specifically to work with Coperion K-Tron’s line of gravimetric loss-in-weight feeders.

2400 Series vacuum receivers provide a high-capacity sequencing system primarily used where larger conveying rates or long distances are required, in applications with one or multiple destinations.

They are designed to high quality standards for pneumatically conveying powder, pellets and granular materials for most industries. Conveying rates range from 327 to 6,804 kg/h. The 2415 pellet receiver will be on display at the trade fair.