COMPEOPioneering compounding technology

In the basic version with two inlet zones, polymers, additives, and some of the fillers are fed through the first intake opening. In the melting zone, the polymers are melted and mixed with the additives. In the second and third feed zones, additional fillers are fed via a side feeder and homogeneously distributed in the subsequent mixing zone. Amazingly flexible. Amazingly different. Volatile substances and air inclusions are expelled in the degassing zone before the product is passed on to the discharge unit. Process length, type and number of feeding units, temperature, degassing, and process geometries are defined according to the respective plastic compounding application.

The screw geometries of the COMPEO series ensure a high throughput at up to 20% lower speeds. By increasing the volumetric torque by 15%, the configuration of longer mixing zones is enabled. The result is more stable process conditions without additional energy input. All kneading flights are designed as free-form surfaces, ensuring uniformly intensive shearing of the product and thus eliminating local overheating.

The configurable process zone of the COMPEO compounding system opens up completely new process engineering possibilities through the use of mixing and kneading elements with two to four rows of flights. By combining conventional kneading elements with specifically developed mixing elements, previously conflicting goals can be achieved, such as high specific throughput with controllable energy input. On the other hand, the process window of the COMPEO is significantly larger than that of previous series. This allows the throughput to be varied in a ratio of 1:6. This increases both the system flexibility and user-friendliness. The high throughput ratio is particularly advantageous during startup, for small batches, and in inline processes where the downstream unit requires consistent product quality, even with highly variable throughput rates.

The configurable process zone of the COMPEO compounding system is only as strong as the peripheral units that bring the material into the process room and the subsequent discharge unit that prepares the polymer mixture for further processing.

Precisely fitting inlet screws in different throughput versions, as well as perfectly adjustable side feeders for introducing, for example, additives, ensure application-specific ideal fill levels in the process room.

The BUSS’ discharge units, available in various designs, are a perfectly matched complement to the COMPEO. Details on the different designs are presented within the scope of process technology.

The COMPEO compounder series offers a variety of applications and the highest flexibility in processing materials for the infrastructure, transportation, consumer goods, construction, food, and energy markets. In our COMPEO showroom, we showcase typical system layouts for some of the many material and composite systems that benefit from manufacturing with BUSS technology. Dive into the world of COMPEO! See what is possible with the unparalleled compounder generation.

The system control equipped with a touchscreen is based on the latest controller (Siemens or Allen Bradley) and features an OPC-UA interface for integration into higher-level IT architectures. This interface makes the system fully Industry 4.0 compatible. The modular software is structured according to the system configuration and can be operated intuitively.

Thanks to a recipe management integrated into the system control, switching between recipes can be done practically at the push of a button. All essential system parameters such as fill levels, flow rates or quantities, temperatures, and output are visualized, recorded, and archived. Additionally, defined process parameters such as temperatures, power consumption, or specific energy input – and thus the efficiency of the system – can be continuously monitored with the system control. Optionally, the system can also be maintained via remote diagnostics and remote maintenance.