It’s no secret that the plastics industry is facing pressures to come up with solutions for dealing with the global solid waste crisis. Last October at the huge K2019 show in Germany, seemingly every exhibitor was promoting how their materials, products and services were contributing to a greener planet and to creating a truly circular economy.

This trend is good news for the plastics recycling industry, as more companies look for ways to process and recycle scrap plastic. Linda Campbell, ENTEK VP-Sales, says consumer goods companies and many others are looking to include recycled plastics in their products. “This green push means there is more demand for producing recycled materials, bio-based materials, etc. and that means there is more demand for ENTEK twin-screw extruders,” she said.

Industry Growth Evident at the Plastics Recycling Conference

At the recent Plastics Recycling Conference held in Nashville from February 22-24, a show ENTEK has exhibited at for several years, the company saw increased interest in its twin-screw extruders. “We have supplied a lot of replacement wear parts to the recycling industry, including screws and barrels for their extruders,” said Tammy Straw, Business Development Manager at ENTEK. “But now recyclers are talking with us about purchasing new twin-screw extruders. This market has traditionally used mostly single-screw extruders,” she said.

“This year’s Plastics Recycling Conference, for us, was the best one yet,” she said. “This year there was real interest in twins whereas in previous years visitors would tell us that they aspired to one day use twins in their plant.  We brought back a lot of solid leads from the show.”

The increased interest in twin-screw machines is because recyclers are now being asked to not only increase output, but also to compound new and innovative formulations, a job that is perfectly suited for twin-screw extruders.

If you are a plastics recycler and need extrusion and compounding support, contact ENTEK today to discuss your application!