3rd IPPT_TWINN Summer school - Compounding Technologies

Date: 25. 08. 2025 - 28. 08. 2025 

Venue: OST Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences 

Main organizer: OST Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, IWK Institute for Material Engineering and Plastics Processing  

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

Early stage-researchers, Masters and PhD Students, who work or study in the field of polymer or mechanical engineering and wish to deepen their knowledge in the field of compounding technologies. 

The objectives: 

Most of the materials used are mixtures or blends and must be homogenized and processed. In the plastics industry, as well as in the food industry, screw kneaders are often used for this purpose. You are invited to a four-day course to gain a deeper insight into compounding technology. The focus is on dosing technology, the co-rotating twin-screw extruder with various downstream equipment and the scale-up from the laboratory to production. 

The course is based on lectures, laboratory work and workshops. In the lectures students will get an in-depth theoretical knowledge of compounding processes, co-rotating twin screw extruders, dosing units and material properties. 

In the laboratory sessions the students will be divided into smaller groups and work on analysis of bulk materials, feeding evaluation and tests, compounding on a co-rotating twin screw extruder, screw design and screw change, degassing possibilities and the effect on compounds, strand and under water pelletizing. Students will get a better understanding of the processing parameters, production and critical compounding aspects. They will get to know the influence on the material properties by different settings and mixtures. The work will also focus on the scale-up capability of the compounding process. Furthermore, the critical parameters and boundary conditions will be discussed. 

Registration: daniel.schwendemann@ost.ch , by 2nd of June 2025