Coperion Ask the Expert

How to increase throughput, improve product quality and reduce energy consumption of ZSK extruders?

April 2025


There is a lot of potential in modernizing a compounding and extrusion line. The throughput of a system can be significantly increased, product quality improved, energy consumption reduced or overall equipment efficiency (OEE) enhanced.

Modernization potential of ZSK extruders

In addition to modernizing individual components, optimizing the process offers many opportunities to create significant advantages. Our engineers take a close look at your production system in terms of process technology.

By integrating new Coperion developments such as the FET Feed Enhancement Technology or the ZS-B MEGAfeed side feeder, the feed rate and throughput of your extrusion and compounding system can be significantly increased. We check whether it is possible to increase the extruder’s specific torque for your process and uncover limiting factors for throughput performance in order to subsequently maximize the capacity of your system.

At the same time, our expertise in process engineering opens up numerous opportunities to improve the product quality delivered by your ZSK. We check the screw configuration and parameters such as the pressure build-up or the temperature profile in the process section in order to achieve more gentle processing of raw materials or increase dispersion. Such process optimizations contribute to product quality and can also help to reduce the overall energy consumption of the extrusion process.

Our experts also analyze the wear material configuration of your ZSK barrels and screw elements. We check whether longer service lives can be achieved by changing the materials. Our ZS-EG also offers notable potential for optimization: The ZS-EG side degassing unit can significantly increase the operational reliability of degassing processes. All process modernization measures have a positive impact on the OEE value of your compounding and extrusion system.

Curious? Then come to one of our worldwide test centers to see the effect of the modernization measures for yourself. Here, numerous ZSK extruders equipped with the latest Coperion developments are at your disposal, along with our process engineers and their comprehensive know-how. We reconstruct your process in a pilot plant setup and test the integration of various optimization strategies with your product. This gives you certainty about the benefits you can expect from the modernization of your extrusion and compounding line before you invest.

  • Optimizing the screw configuration

    The correct configuration of the twin screw is crucial for the product quality and throughput achieved with the ZSK. In addition, the screw configuration has a major influence on the energy consumption of the extrusion and compounding process. By selecting the right materials for the screw elements and barrels, the service life of the ZSK process section and therefore the system availability can be significantly increased.

  • Increase of specific torque

    Some extrusion and compounding processes allow the specific torque to be increased - especially in older ZSK systems. To achieve this, individual components such as the extruder drive and the screw shafts must be optimized. This results in higher throughputs and, due to the higher fill level of the screw flights, lower process temperatures and improved product quality.

  • Feed Enhancement Technology FET

    With this patented technology the feeding zone of a ZSK extruder or a ZS-B side feeder is equipped with a porous, gas-permeable wall section to which a vacuum is applied externally. The resulting gas extraction increases the material intake capacity in the processing of feed limited products by up to three times. The results of the FET technology are considerable increases in the throughput rate and greater efficiency. 

  • ZS-B MEGAfeed side feeder

    Thanks to the innovative, patented design of the ZS-B MEGAfeed side feeder, raw materials with bulk densities as low as 20 kg/m³, which were previously considered to be feed-limited, can be reliably fed into the ZSK twin screw extruder in large quantities.

    The ZS-B MEGAfeed was originally developed for recycling plastic flakes and fibers. However, it also significantly improves the feed into the extruder for other applications and opens up extremely high potential for increasing throughput.

  • ZS-EG side degassing unit

    The performance of extruders with a conventional degassing dome can often not be fully utilized, particularly in low-viscosity extrusion processes with high gas volumes.

    The ZS-EG twin screw side degassing unit is the ideal solution. With its large free cross-section for degassing, it keeps the melt in the process section without product leakage, even at the maximum specific torque of the extruder. Gases are reliably extracted through the axially open screw flights. Throughput increases of up to 30% with improved product quality are possible.

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