At the K, Cincinnati Extrusion GmbH, Vienna, Austria presented its fast-running Rapidex single-screw extruder, which offers many advantages. Com-pared to conventional extruders manufacturers, it stands out by its compact design, lower costs for spare parts, lower energy consumption and enormous output.

The new, fast-running Rapidex 60 reaches an output of up to 1,600 kg/h in processing PE 100, which is three times the throughput of a conventional extruder with a 60 mm screw diameter. This outstanding increase in performance has been achieved by extending the processing unit to 37 D, adjusting the screw design and significantly increasing the drive power. This new extruder model has already proved its worth on the production floor at the Viechtach facility of Rehau AG + Co., where a prototype has been producing PP pipe in continuous operation for about a year.

Thanks to the high screw speed of this fast-running machine, the dwell time of the plastic melt in the processing unit has been significantly reduced, which ensures quick material and color changeover. Constant melt temperatures promote optimal melt quality. Another characteristic of this extruder model is its excellent rigidity, even at high speed and with back pressures of up to 500 bar, which underscores the wide processing window of Rapidex.