Machine · Lab & material trials
Lab Equipment & Send-Your-Material Trials
Send 25–50 kg and we return pellets, video and a capacity report in 3–7 days. Beyond extruders we supply the complete laboratory as a one-stop project — 24 instruments from MFI and DSC to tensile and impact, specified, installed and commissioned together.
Quick answer
Our lab runs KTE-16, KTE-20B, KTE-36B and a small single screw with water-ring, strand and underwater pelletizing. Send 25–50 kg of material and we return pellets, a running video and a capacity report in 3–7 days (7–14 days for grafting or biodegradable formulations). The same lab is available as a one-stop purchase: KTE extruders plus the full instrument set — melt flow, DSC, tensile, impact, FTIR and more — delivered and commissioned as a single project.
Workshop photos and a running video — shot on our own lines, not stock images.
Parameter table
| Equipment | Spec | What we test |
|---|---|---|
| KTE-16 | 15.6 mm, 1–5 kg/h | Additive screening, expensive formulations |
| KTE-20B | 21.7 mm, 2–15 kg/h | Masterbatch and compound trials |
| KTE-36B | 35.6 mm, 20–100 kg/h | Pilot batches, customer sample production |
| SE-50 | 50 mm single screw | Recycling and strap trials |
| Pelletizing | Water ring / strand / underwater | Pellet shape and output check |
| Analytical | MFI, moisture, density, sieve | Basic incoming/outgoing QC |
Reference output measured on the stated material family; subject to a material trial. Motor and torque values are per machine, not per screw shaft.
One-stop lab supply — the full instrument list
An extruder is only half of a materials lab. What comes out of the die has to be measured — flow, thermal behaviour, mechanical strength, ash and moisture — and that normally means buying from five different instrument suppliers who never talk to each other. We supply the whole room as one project: the instrument list is specified around the materials you will actually run, the instruments are delivered together with the extruder, installed and commissioned in the same visit, and your operators are trained on real polymer methods instead of generic demos.
| Category | Instrument | Key specification |
|---|---|---|
| Sample prep | Precision micro injection molder TY-7003 | 1.8 T injection / 6 T locking force, 0–80 mm stroke, 360 ℃ zones ±0.5 ℃ |
| Sample prep | Two-roll lab mill | 550 mm roller face, heated rolls |
| Sample prep | Hydraulic press | 30 T capacity, plaque and sheet pressing |
| Sample prep | Pneumatic punching machine | Specimen preparation for impact and tensile bars |
| Flow & rheology | Melt flow rate (MFI) meter | 100–450 ℃, ±0.5 ℃, automatic cut-off |
| Flow & rheology | Oscillating disc rheometer | Rotorless, rubber cure curves |
| Thermal | DSC | 0–±500 mW, ±0.1 ℃, includes computer |
| Thermal | HDT / Vicat softening point tester | RT–300 ℃, ±0.1 ℃, 3 sample stations |
| Mechanical | Tensile strength machine 10 kN | Includes PC and printer |
| Mechanical | Pendulum impact tester | 1–22 J pendulums, 3.5 m/s |
| Mechanical | Digital Rockwell hardness tester | 20–88 HRA / 20–100 HRB / 20–70 HRC |
| Mechanical | Shore hardness tester | GB/T531 and ASTM methods |
| Composition & optics | FTIR spectrometer | Michelson interferometer, includes computer |
| Composition & optics | Optical microscope | Image analysis, PC and software, polishing kit included |
| Composition & optics | Profile projector | 300×200×200 mm travel, 0.7–4.5× optical / 20–120× digital |
| Composition & optics | Haze / transparency meter | Φ154 mm integrating sphere, ASTM D1003, 0–100% |
| QC basics | Moisture meter 720A | 0.01–100%, 60–160 ℃ heating, 120 g capacity |
| QC basics | Density meter | 0.001 g/cm³ resolution, 0.01–300 g range |
| QC basics | Ash oven (muffle furnace) | Max 1,200 ℃, 16 L chamber, PID program |
| QC basics | Analytical balance | 0.0001 g (10⁻⁴ g) precision |
| QC basics | Magnetic stirrer | 0–450 rpm, 0–100 ℃ digital control |
| Durability & safety | Xenon weathering apparatus | 700×1950×1100 mm chamber |
| Durability & safety | Flammability test chamber (gas burner) | ≥0.5 m³ box, 0–99 min 99 s timer ±0.1 s |
| Bench | Steam sterilizer | Desktop vacuum steam autoclave |
- You tell us the material families and the tests each formulation must pass (MFI, DSC, tensile, impact, ash, weathering).
- We return a lab layout — extruder plus instruments, sized to your budget, with the test method each instrument covers.
- One delivery, one installation visit — the extruder is commissioned and every instrument verified with reference samples.
- One contact afterwards for spares, calibration and consumables — the same team that built your extruder.
Every instrument is quoted together with the extruder as one package — ask us for a full lab quotation. Installation, operator training and a one-year warranty are included.
How the trial works
- You send material — 25–50 kg of resin plus filler/additive, with the target specification (MFI, filler %, pellet size).
- We run it on the closest lab machine, recording barrel temperatures, screw speed, torque, vacuum and output.
- You receive pellets (courier), a video of the run, and a one-page report with the parameters and the capacity we would guarantee on a production line.
The trial is free for customers evaluating a line; you pay courier. If the formulation needs development (grafting, starch blends, flame retardant systems), we quote a development fee that is credited against the machine order.
Universities and institutes
Several universities and research institutes run our KTE-20B and KTE-36B for compound development. Lab machines are shipped with single-phase options where requested and a full English manual.
What this machine is normally bought for
Puffed Food Extrusion Line
Food extrusion shares the barrel with plastics but not the rules: the machine is a cooker, and the product is defined …
TVP / Plant Protein Texturization Line
Textured vegetable protein is a fibre-alignment problem: soy or pea flour is hydrated, cooked and then stretched throu…
Biodegradable Plastic Extrusion Line
PLA, PBAT and starch blends degrade twice: once in the environment, which is the point, and once in the extruder, whic…
FAQ
What exactly do I get back from a trial?
Pellets from your material, a running video of the line, and a report with barrel temperatures, screw speed, feeder settings, output per hour and observed quality issues.
Can I attend the trial?
Yes — either on site in Nanjing or by video call during the run. Most customers outside China join the call and watch the die and pelletizer live.
Does a trial commit me to an order?
No. The report is yours, including the parameters, whether or not you buy from us.
Can you supply the whole laboratory, not just the extruder?
Yes. The 24 instruments listed above are quoted, delivered, installed and commissioned together with the extruder as a single project, with operator training and one contact for service, spares and calibration afterwards.
Where these numbers come from
Screw diameters, speeds, motor ratings, torque and reference output come from the Kerke parameter table and the product master data sheet, and are cross-checked against commissioning records. Where a catalogue value and a trial value disagree, the trial value is the one we quote.
Instrument list is from the Kerke lab equipment option list (2026 edition). Reviewed by the Kerke process team, Nanjing. Page updated 12 November 2026.
Send 25–50 kg — we return pellets, a video and a report with the parameters we used, in 3–7 days.
Lab equipment — the short version
One-stop note: the extruder sets the capacity, but the instruments around it decide whether a formulation is signed off. Specifying both from one supplier means the trial data, the QC methods and the machine parameters speak the same language from day one.
Planning an upgrade this quarter? Send the material and the target output — the configuration comes back within one working day.
Every quotation lists the wear package as a separate line, so its cost is visible from day one.
Questions are answered the same day, in English or Chinese.
Note on lab equipment: the data on this page was last verified on our own test line in Nanjing.
Not sure which lab equipment configuration fits? Describe the material and the pellet shape required — we answer with a recommendation, not a brochure.
A lab equipment from Kerke ships with CE documentation, a test-run record and a recommended spare set.
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