SMALL BATCH COMPOUNDING | PROCESSING


IMAGE: AIMPLAS


Making more from smaller batches


Small batch production is becoming increasingly common in today’s compounding market. Chris Smith seeks some practical advice from three industry experts


The compounding industry is changing. While there may be some running the same formulations day-in day-out, most compounders now run shorter production runs and are making more frequent product changeovers. Many are also very likely handling an ever more diverse variety of recipes. This shift to small batch production brings new challenges — having the flexibility to handle many different resins and additives and the ability to reconfigure a line from one production job to the next becomes critical in controlling cost and maintaining quality. To learn how compounders can prepare their


operations for efficient and effective small batch production Compounding World Editor-in-Chief


www.compoundingworld.com


Chris Smith turned to three compounding industry experts: Luis Roca, Leader of Compounding at the Aimplas plastics technical institute in Spain; Austin Lindsey, Regional Sales Manager at US-based compounding machinery and wear parts manufac- turer Entek; and Frank Lechner, Head of Process Technology at German compounding machinery and systems maker Coperion.


CW: What level of interest do you see from your compounding clients in small batch production? Is this a growing trend and what do you see as the main reasons for that? Roca: It’s a very wide question, but it could be customisation of products and new technologies


Main image: Flexible plant, such as this line in the Aimplas tech centre, is a key require- ment for effective small batch com- pounding


April 2023 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 29


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