{"id":2289,"date":"2026-11-09T21:43:58","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T13:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerkepm.com\/cases\/dubai-filler-masterbatch-extruder\/"},"modified":"2026-11-09T22:20:02","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T14:20:02","slug":"dubai-filler-masterbatch-extruder","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kerkepm.com\/es\/cases\/dubai-filler-masterbatch-extruder\/","title":{"rendered":"Filler masterbatch extruder that would not hold spec"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"k3\">\n<noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.googletagmanager.com\/ns.html?id=GTM-5JN495RG\" height=\"0\" width=\"0\" style=\"display:none;visibility:hidden\"><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<div class=\"wrap\"><div class=\"crumbs\"><a href=\"\/\">Home<\/a><span>\/<\/span><a href=\"\/cases\/\">Case studies<\/a><span>\/<\/span>Dubai, UAE<\/div><\/div><div class=\"wrap\"><div class=\"hero\">\n<p class=\"kicker\">Case study 1 \u00b7 Dubai, UAE \u00b7 Filler masterbatch<\/p>\n<h1>Filler masterbatch extruder that would not hold spec: three days in Dubai<\/h1>\n<p class=\"dek\">A PE filler masterbatch producer in Dubai ran a KTE-75B at 560 rpm to chase output and got yellowed, porous pellets instead. The filler masterbatch extruder was not rebuilt \u2014 screw speed, barrel profile, die temperature and the vacuum vent were reset, and the line came back inside specification in three days.<\/p>\n<div class=\"byline\"><div><b>Line<\/b> KTE-75B<\/div><div><b>Material<\/b> PE + 80% CaCO<sub>3<\/sub><\/div><div><b>Result<\/b> back in spec<\/div><div><b>On site<\/b> 3 days<\/div><div><b>Updated<\/b> 9 November 2026<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"wrap\"><div class=\"appmedia\">\n<figure class=\"case-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/case-dubai-filler-masterbatch-extruder.webp\" alt=\"Dubai customer holding pellets from the filler masterbatch extruder after the three-day reset\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"><figcaption>Dubai customer holding pellets from the filler masterbatch extruder after the three-day reset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"appmedia-text\">\n<section class=\"qa\" id=\"answer\"><nav class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block k3-toc\" aria-label=\"On this page\"><b>On this page:<\/b><a href=\"#rm-s1\">Quick answer<\/a><a href=\"#situation\">The situation: good output, rejected pellets<\/a><a href=\"#found\">What the readings showed on a filler masterbatch extruder<\/a><a href=\"#changed\">What we changed, in the order it was changed<\/a><a href=\"#result\">Result<\/a><\/nav><h2 id=\"rm-s1\">Quick answer<\/h2><p>The filler masterbatch extruder was being run like a virgin-resin line. Screw speed had been pushed to 560 rpm to chase tonnage, which put melt temperature about 25 \u00b0C above the window a PE carrier tolerates and left the vacuum vent with nothing to pull. Dropping to 400\u2013430 rpm, lowering the barrel profile 15\u201320 \u00b0C, raising the die to 180\u2013185 \u00b0C and pulling \u22120.08 MPa at the vent put pellets back inside spec at <strong>600\u2013650 kg\/h<\/strong> on 80% CaCO<sub>3<\/sub> \u2014 no screw element, barrel or die was replaced.<\/p><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"wrap\"><div class=\"grid\"><main>\n<div class=\"stats\"><div class=\"stat\"><b>3 days<\/b><span>engineer on site<\/span><\/div><div class=\"stat\"><b>80%<\/b><span>CaCO<sub>3<\/sub> loading held<\/span><\/div><div class=\"stat\"><b>0<\/b><span>screw parts replaced<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"note\">Photograph from the commissioning file for this project; customer names are withheld where requested.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"sec\" id=\"situation\">The situation: good output, rejected pellets<\/h2>\n<p>The customer is a filler masterbatch producer supplying film and injection moulders around the Gulf. The line is a <a href=\"\/machines\/co-rotating-twin-screw-extruder\/\">KTE-75B<\/a> \u2014 71 mm screws, 2\u00d71,530 N\u00b7m, 132\u2013160 kW, quoted for 300\u2013800 kg\/h \u2014 feeding 1,250-mesh coated CaCO<sub>3<\/sub> at 80% into an LLDPE carrier, water-ring hot-face cutting, centrifugal dryer, bagging.<\/p>\n<p>Output was there. What was not there was the product: pellets came out with a yellow cast, a rough surface and visible porosity, and the customer's film line blew holes at 40 \u00b5m. Their first conclusion was that the filler masterbatch extruder was undersized for 80% loading. Their second was that the CaCO<sub>3<\/sub> supplier had changed the coating. Both were wrong.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"sec\" id=\"found\">What the readings showed on a filler masterbatch extruder<\/h2>\n<p>An engineer was on the site three days after the call (visa included). The first hour was spent reading the panel rather than the pellets, because the symptom \u2014 yellow, porous, rough \u2014 has three different causes and they were all present at once.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tw\"><table><caption><b>Table 1.<\/b> Panel and hand readings on arrival, against the window this material needs.<\/caption>\n<thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">Reading<\/th><th scope=\"col\">On arrival<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Target<\/th><th scope=\"col\">What it explained<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody>\n<tr><td><b>Screw speed<\/b><\/td><td>560 rpm<\/td><td>400\u2013430 rpm<\/td><td>Specific energy up ~30%; filler-filler friction heats the melt faster than the barrels can cool it.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><b>Melt temperature<\/b><\/td><td>212 \u00b0C<\/td><td>185\u2013192 \u00b0C<\/td><td>Yellow cast and smell: the LLDPE carrier is degrading, not the CaCO<sub>3<\/sub>.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><b>Barrel profile<\/b><\/td><td>190 \u00b0C flat, all zones<\/td><td>165 \u2192 185 \u00b0C falling<\/td><td>Feed zone too hot: powder bridges at the throat, throughput surges and starves.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><b>Die temperature<\/b><\/td><td>170 \u00b0C<\/td><td>180\u2013185 \u00b0C<\/td><td>Die pressure high, strand surface torn, die holes partially frozen.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><b>Vacuum at vent<\/b><\/td><td>\u22120.02 MPa<\/td><td>\u22120.06 to \u22120.09 MPa<\/td><td>Mineral carries 0.3\u20130.5% moisture in Gulf humidity; that is the porosity.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><b>Feeder<\/b><\/td><td>Volumetric, uncalibrated<\/td><td>Gravimetric, \u00b10.5%<\/td><td>Loading drifting 78\u201383%: density and dispersion wander with it.<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n<p>The important finding is the one that is easy to miss: <b>above roughly 75% filler, screw speed stops being an output lever.<\/b> The melt is already torque-limited, so the extra 130 rpm bought almost no tonnage \u2014 it only added shear heat. The customer had been turning the only knob they had.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"sec\" id=\"changed\">What we changed, in the order it was changed<\/h2>\n<ol class=\"flow\">\n<li><b>Speed down first, output measured after.<\/b> 560 \u2192 420 rpm, then a torque and melt-temperature check at each step. Output fell 8% and then came back as the profile was corrected \u2014 the line had been running against its own cooling capacity.<\/li>\n<li><b>Barrel profile inverted.<\/b> From a flat 190 \u00b0C to a falling profile, 165 \u00b0C at the feed throat rising to 185 \u00b0C before the die. Cool feed zone ends the bridging; the shear heat does the melting, which is what a high-filler compound needs.<\/li>\n<li><b>Die up to 180\u2013185 \u00b0C.<\/b> High-filler melt needs a hot die to pass the holes without tearing the strand surface; the previous setting was borrowed from a 60% formulation.<\/li>\n<li><b>Vacuum opened to \u22120.08 MPa.<\/b> The vent had been running at \u22120.02 MPa, which is enough to hold a seal and not enough to remove the moisture the mineral brings in. Porosity disappeared in the same shift.<\/li>\n<li><b>Feeder calibrated and locked.<\/b> Loss-in-weight verified against a 10-minute catch sample; the loading figure the customer quotes to their own customers is now the loading the line actually runs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<h2 class=\"sec\" id=\"result\">Result<\/h2>\n<p>Pellets came back inside the customer's own incoming inspection \u2014 colour, surface, and film blown at 40 \u00b5m without holes \u2014 at 600\u2013650 kg\/h on 80% CaCO<sub>3<\/sub>, which is inside the band the KTE-75B is quoted for. No screw element, barrel liner or die was replaced, and no formulation change was made.<\/p>\n<div class=\"quoteband\"><b>What the customer said afterwards:<\/b> the machine was fine; nobody had told them that a filler masterbatch extruder is tuned by temperature, not by rpm. The three days were spent on settings and on training the shift leaders to read melt temperature before they touch the speed dial.<\/div>\n\n<h2 class=\"sec\" id=\"line\">Line configuration<\/h2>\n<div class=\"tw\"><table><caption><b>Table 2.<\/b> The line as built, and which part of it the case actually touched.<\/caption>\n<thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">Stage<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Equipment<\/th><th scope=\"col\">In this case<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody>\n<tr><td>Main machine<\/td><td>KTE-75B, 71 mm, 2\u00d71,530 N\u00b7m, 132\u2013160 kW<\/td><td>Unchanged; settings only<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Screw geometry<\/td><td>45\u00b0\/90\u00b0 kneading blocks, W6Mo5Cr4V2 elements, bimetallic liner<\/td><td>Unchanged; the wear check showed 0.3 mm on the first mixing block<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Feeding<\/td><td>Loss-in-weight on the mineral, volumetric on the carrier<\/td><td>Both calibrated; carrier feeder scheduled for gravimetric upgrade<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Devolatilization<\/td><td>Vacuum vent at barrel 7<\/td><td>\u22120.02 \u2192 \u22120.08 MPa<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Pelletizing<\/td><td>Water-ring hot-face, centrifugal dryer, vibrating screen<\/td><td>Water 45\u201355 \u00b0C, die 180\u2013185 \u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n\n<h2 class=\"sec\" id=\"transfer\">What transfers to your line<\/h2>\n<p>If you run 75\u201385% CaCO<sub>3<\/sub> or talc on a twin screw, the sequence above is the first thing to check on your filler masterbatch extruder before you accept a quotation for a bigger machine:<\/p>\n<div class=\"call warn\"><h4>Three readings that decide the case<\/h4>\n<p><b>Melt temperature against carrier limit<\/b> \u2014 above it, yellowing is chemistry, not colour. <b>Vacuum level at the vent<\/b> \u2014 below \u22120.06 MPa, porosity at 80% loading is a vent problem, not a dispersion problem. <b>Specific energy (kWh\/kg)<\/b> \u2014 if it climbs while output does not, you are heating the compound, not making it.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The same correction applies to talc, which is harder to wet out and more abrasive: the temperature window is similar but the screw geometry and the wear package are not. The <a href=\"\/applications\/talc-filler-masterbatch-line\/\">talc filler masterbatch page<\/a> covers that difference, and the <a href=\"\/applications\/caco3-filler-masterbatch\/\">CaCO<sub>3<\/sub> page<\/a> carries the parameter table this case was checked against.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"sec\" id=\"faq\">FAQ<\/h2>\n<details open><summary>Why did higher screw speed not raise output on this filler masterbatch extruder?<\/summary><p>Because above roughly 75% filler the line is torque-limited, not volume-limited. The screws are already full; turning them faster adds shear heat without adding conveying capacity. On this line the extra 130 rpm cost about 25 \u00b0C of melt temperature and bought under 5% output.<\/p><\/details><details><summary>Was the CaCO<sub>3<\/sub> the problem?<\/summary><p>No. Coating and mesh were checked against the incoming certificate and were unchanged. The moisture the mineral carried (0.3\u20130.5%) only became a defect because the vent was running at \u22120.02 MPa instead of \u22120.08 MPa.<\/p><\/details><details><summary>Would a bigger machine have fixed it?<\/summary><p>It would have hidden it. A larger filler masterbatch extruder run at the same flat 190 \u00b0C profile and the same weak vacuum would have produced the same yellow, porous pellets at a higher capital cost. The settings were the defect: a bigger machine would have repeated them.<\/p><\/details><details><summary>How long does a commissioning visit like this take?<\/summary><p>Three to five days for a single line with material on site: one shift to read the panel and pull a sample, one to change and verify settings, and the rest to train the shift leaders so the settings survive the visit. Visa time is separate and depends on the country.<\/p><\/details>\n<div class=\"method\"><h2 id=\"rm-s2\">Where this record comes from<\/h2>\n<p>Commissioning reports, service logs and the parameter sheet issued with the line. Machine figures are the quoted bands for the model; process windows follow the Kerke parameter table and are confirmed on a material trial before they become a production setpoint. Where the customer asked not to be named, the country and the application are kept and the company name is not.<\/p>\n<p>Reviewed by the Kerke process team, Nanjing. Case published 9 November 2026.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"related\"><h2 id=\"rm-s3\">Related<\/h2><div class=\"rel-grid\"><a class=\"rel\" href=\"\/applications\/caco3-filler-masterbatch\/\"><span>Application<\/span>CaCO<sub>3<\/sub> Filler Masterbatch Line<\/a><a class=\"rel\" href=\"\/machines\/co-rotating-twin-screw-extruder\/\"><span>Machine<\/span>Co-Rotating Twin Screw Extruder (KTE-50B to KTE-135D)<\/a><a class=\"rel\" href=\"\/knowledge\/twin-screw-extruder-troubleshooting\/\"><span>Knowledge<\/span>Twin Screw Extruder Troubleshooting: Nine Symptoms, Nine Causes<\/a><a class=\"rel\" href=\"\/cases\/\"><span>Case studies<\/span>All eight field cases<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"pager\"><span><\/span><a href=\"\/cases\/japan-two-stage-single-screw-extruder\/\"><span>Next case<\/span>Japan \u00b7 Waste material recycling<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"cta\"><div><b>Tell us your material \u2014 we will tell you the line<\/b><p>Send 25\u201350 kg and we run it on our lab extruder: pellets, running video and a capacity report back in 3\u20137 days.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"acts\"><a href=\"\/get-a-quote\/\">Get a quote<\/a>\n<a class=\"alt\" href=\"\/get-a-quote\/#trial\">Send material for trial<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/main>\n<aside><h5>On this page<\/h5><ol><li><a href=\"#situation\">The situation: good output, rejected pellets<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#found\">What the readings showed on a filler masterbatch extruder<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#changed\">What we changed, in the order it was changed<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#result\">Result<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#line\">Line configuration<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#transfer\">What transfers to your line<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#faq\">FAQ<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n<div class=\"sidecard\"><b>Running 80% filler?<\/b>\n<p>Send the filler mesh, the coating type and your current barrel profile. We answer with a temperature window and a vent setting, not a new machine quotation.<\/p>\n<a class=\"btn\" href=\"\/get-a-quote\/\">Ask an engineer<\/a>\n<a class=\"btn ghost\" href=\"\/cases\/\">All case studies<\/a><\/div>\n<\/aside><\/div><\/div>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@graph\": [{\"@type\": \"FAQPage\", \"mainEntity\": [{\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Why did higher screw speed not raise output on this filler masterbatch extruder?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Because above roughly 75% filler the line is torque-limited, not volume-limited. The screws are already full; turning them faster adds shear heat without adding conveying capacity. On this line the extra 130 rpm cost about 25 \u00b0C of melt temperature and bought under 5% output.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Was the CaCO3 the problem?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"No. Coating and mesh were checked against the incoming certificate and were unchanged. The moisture the mineral carried (0.3\u20130.5%) only became a defect because the vent was running at \u22120.02 MPa instead of \u22120.08 MPa.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Would a bigger machine have fixed it?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"It would have hidden it. A larger filler masterbatch extruder run at the same flat 190 \u00b0C profile and the same weak vacuum would have produced the same yellow, porous pellets at a higher capital cost. The settings were the defect: a bigger machine would have repeated them.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"How long does a commissioning visit like this take?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Three to five days for a single line with material on site: one shift to read the panel and pull a sample, one to change and verify settings, and the rest to train the shift leaders so the settings survive the visit. Visa time is separate and depends on the country.\"}}]}]}<\/script>\n<div class=\"wrap\"><section class=\"k3-more\" id=\"rm-more\"><h2>Filler masterbatch extruder \u2014 the short version<\/h2><p>Note on filler masterbatch extruder: the readings in this record come from the commissioning log of the line described, and the settings are the ones that were left with the customer. Treat them as a starting point for your own material, not as a guarantee \u2014 the same correction on a different filler grade or carrier ends in a different number.<\/p><p class=\"k3-rel\"><b>Related on this site:<\/b> <a href=\"\/applications\/\">Extrusion lines by application<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"\/machines\/\">Twin screw extruder types<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"\/get-a-quote\/\">free extrusion line quotation<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Extrusion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wikipedia: Extrusion<\/a><\/p><\/section><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home\/Case studies\/Dubai, UAE Case study 1 \u00b7 Dubai, UAE \u00b7 Filler masterbatch Filler masterbatch extruder that would not hold spec: three days in Dubai A PE filler masterbatch producer in Dubai ran a KTE-75B at 560 rpm to chase output and got yellowed, porous pellets instead. The filler masterbatch extruder was not rebuilt \u2014 screw [&#8230;]\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2355,"parent":2288,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-blank.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"application":[],"app_group":[],"class_list":["post-2289","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerkepm.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerkepm.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerkepm.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerkepm.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kerkepm.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2289\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerkepm.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerkepm.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerkepm.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"application","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerkepm.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/application?post=2289"},{"taxonomy":"app_group","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerkepm.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/app_group?post=2289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}