Can I run my extruder at a higher fill level?

Short answer, yes, but your vent will probably object. Running at a higher fill level is one of the simplest ways to get more output from an extruder, and it is often the vent port that stops you doing it.

When the barrel is fuller, there is more melt under the vent opening and less room for it to decompress. It rises up the port, gets into the vacuum line and blocks things up. So most processors settle for a lower fill level than the machine could manage.

A vent port stuffer changes that. Screwtech Engineering units sit on the vent and use a self-wiping twin-screw design to convey rising melt back down into the barrel. Gas still escapes, product does not.

That lets you improve capacity by running at higher fill levels while maintaining product quality. Because precision tolerances allow full vacuum, moisture and volatiles are still removed as they should be.

Screwtech stuffers are a proven design used by many leading compounding and profiling extrusion companies. They are made from high quality stainless steel, with an easy clean two-part vacuum chamber, a separate seal housing and an oil filled gearbox with water cooled jacket for long life at high temperature.

Various sizes are available for twin-screw and single-screw extruders. If you know your machine has more in it, speak to Screwtech Engineering about letting it run.

For more information on Can I run my extruder at a higher fill level? talk to Screwtech Engineering