New compounding line from Feddem enriches research at the IKK

The mechanical engineering company Feddem GmbH & Co. KG is handing over a research extruder to the Institute of Plastics and Circular Economy at Leibniz Universität Hannover as part of a partnership.

Close cooperation between industry and research proves especially valuable when both sides combine their expertise and resources. An example of this is the partnership between Feddem and the Institute for Plastics and Circular Economy (IKK) at Leibniz University Hannover.

The FED 26 MTS extruder was officially handed over on permanent loan by Dieter Groß, Managing Director of Feddem, to Prof Dr Endres, Director of the Institute. The FED 26 MTS extruder was specially modified for use in research. Unlike conventional twin-screw extruders, the FED 26 MTS works without kneading elements, which enables particularly gentle melting of the materials.

A particular highlight of the system is the integrated energy recording system, which measures the energy consumption of individual components such as heating elements and cooling zones in real time. This data is both visualised and stored in the cloud, enabling precise analysis and optimisation of energy flows.

Thanks to its modular units, the FED 26 MTS also offers a high degree of flexibility, as the design and process length can be adapted to changing requirements.

"Energy efficiency is also becoming an increasingly important economic factor in the plastics industry and I am therefore extremely pleased that we now have access to a research facility that we helped design, which enables us to record, understand and thus optimise energy flows in a time- and location-resolved manner, i.e. locally for the corresponding consumers", says Prof. Dr. Endres. "When it comes to energy management and temperature control, I still see great potential for more energy-efficient compounding, which has been very much neglected to date. My special thanks go to Mr Groß and the company Feddem, who made this collaboration possible."

"We are very happy about the cooperation with the IKK. With this partnership, we are actively contributing our technological strength to scientific development and making a valuable joint contribution to the further development of energy-efficient plastics processing" says Dieter Groß, Managing Director of Feddem.