The HAAKE™ Rheomex OS Twin-Screw Extruder for the HAAKE™ PolyLab™ OS Torque Rheometer System is available in either a parallel twin-screw or conical twin-screw configuration and connects seamlessly to the modular HAAKE PolyLab Rheodrive OS via a plug-and-play connection. With a small sample size, users can simulate production processes, examine rheological and material-specific properties, and test or inspect new formulations.
The HAAKE Rheomex CTW 100 OS is a conical counter-rotating twin-screw extruder designed for a wide range of laboratory and pilot plant applications when paired with specialized screws of varying geometries. This extruder is ideal for high-shear compounding of materials such as PVC, wood fiber blends, and the mixing of polymers with different viscosities. The counter-rotating twin-screw design ensures positive material displacement from the hopper to the die, producing high pressure and shear, while providing precise control over residence times.
The HAAKE Rheomex PTW 16 and PTW 24 parallel twin-screw extruders feature screw diameters of 16 mm and 24 mm, respectively. These extruders are equipped with a horizontally split barrel, with the top half removable for easy inspection of melting and mixing processes. Parallel twin-screw small-scale compounders are typically used for early-stage compounding and blending tests. The screws can be individually configured with conveying, mixing, and kneading elements to optimize performance. The segmented top barrel half is designed with modular components for easy configuration of feeding and venting systems.
The system is compatible with a range of peripheral devices, including feeding systems, application-specific screws, mixer rotors, and extruder downstream equipment. These devices can be combined to create a fully integrated, downsized production line for testing or small-scale production of new materials. This includes extrudate cooling baths, take-off units, blown film towers, inspection systems, feeders, pelletizers, melt pumps, and capillary rheometers.
Typical applications include:
- Compounding: Blending polymers with additives, reinforcing fibers, and fillers.
- Rheology: Analyzing the viscosity and flow behavior of the resulting compound.
- Processability: Determining extrudability and generating data for process scale-up.
- Reactive Extrusion: Performing chemical reactions during the extrusion process.
- Material Structure: Examining the morphology of polymer blends and nanocomposites.
- Biopolymer Degradation: Studying the decomposition of biopolymers.
- Screw Design Impact: Investigating the influence of screw design on viscosity.