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A state-of-the-art material testing lab for extrusion processes is slated to open this fall at the headquarters of custom extrusion line supplier Bausano in Italy.

The new resources will help customers learn a system’s capabilities prior to purchase, then optimize the setup of their extruder lines. The lab expands Bausano’s R&D and pilot testing department in Turin with hardware and software for testing a broad range of materials on three of the company’s extrusion lines:

• The small twin-screw extruder MD 30 to examine scale up of an extrusion process from lab to pilot test to production.
• The medium twin-screw extruder MD 75 to produce representative samples in the pilot stage.
• The waste-regenerating single-screw extruder E-GO R 60-37, which feeds industrial and post-consumer waste from washing lines back into production. The system helps repurpose contaminated high- and low-density polyethylene and polypropylene waste from common sources including milk and motor oil bottles, cling film, and shopping bags.

A Brabender lab system will run alongside the three extrusion lines, with a high-pressure capillary rheometer for viscosity tests and material characterization, and software for rheological and physical analyses. Material-testing capabilities accommodate PVC, C-PVC, HDPE, PP, LDPE, thermoplastic rubbers, polycarbonate, ABS, PMMA, EVA, POM, PS, PA6, biodegradable polymers, and wood-plastic composites.

“Bausano has always made it a priority to provide expertise and laboratory facilities to our customers and prospects worldwide for testing formulations and evaluating developments in the plasticization and extrusion process,” said Manager Giorgio Critelli. “We constantly strive to help our customers find the best way to [tailor] our extruder lines to their specific needs. We’re confident that this expansion will provide further pre-purchase assurance of reliability and capability to meet production targets.”