Our Common Lab Services

Introduction

As part of Randcastle’s commitment to technical service, a working lab is available for customer experiments. Typically, customers supply the polymers and the goals. Randcastle sets up the extruders (cleaned before the trial) with the agreed die and downstream equipment. Most often, customers come to the lab to work with Randcastle lab technicians. However, trials are also performed by Randcastle following customer provided instructions. Sometimes, customers are unsure of how exactly to process their material, we will work with you and help you figure out the plan.

There are many reasons why our customers use our lab services.  Goals often include making an extrude to some size while combining other goals. For example, the goal may be to make a 1 mil cast film while compounding and degassing a filler. Or, the goal may be to investigate the physical properties of a coextrusion while investigating feeding, pressure stability, output, and so on. Some lab users have operating budgets but no capital budget so they come to the lab and do their experimental work. Some users are unfamiliar with extrusion.  They come for a seminar and combine it with a lab experiment.

What Happens When You Get Here

First, you meet directly with Keith. We review your application with you and review the safety aspects of the extrusion machinery.  We show you where the coffee is.  We begin.  We usually work through lunch (though you get to eat). Keith will be hands on with your project at all times.

Unique Equipment

The lab’s machinery is constantly being updated, going to shows, or rented. Thus, a complete listing of the lab’s facility is not practical. However, usually the lab has about machines that vary from the quarter inch to 1 inch screw range. Two of these are compounders having L/D's of 24:1 and 36/1. These extruders are set up according to the application. Please call or email to discuss your particular application or a specific quotation.

We have a wide variety of Extrusion Lab Equipment available. Please contact us regarding your specific requirements. Three Novatec dryers are available.  Double and triple venting is possible on the Taskmaster. Various feeders allow starve feeding of the extruders. A liquid pump is available for downstream additive compounding. A roll feeder is available for soft taffy like feed stocks or silicone. A unique fragile strand pelletizer allows you pelletize delicate water soluble strands. A NEW item in the Lab is the Batch Mixer which is designed to work with samples in the 10 gram range. 

Expertise

Keith Luker, began working in extrusion in high-school and worked through university. He now has 50 years of extrusion processing experience. He hasn’t been counting, but it’s safe to say Keith has conducted over a thousand lab trials with materials that run the gambit and customers from around the globe. He was called a "Veteran Trainer" in 1994 by PM&E Magazine. As the company President, the engineer, and often sales representative, there’s no middle man or go between; you get direct access which equates to direct benefit. Keith’s passion and knowledge in extrusion has only grown over the decades. He is an instructor for SPE, SME, and others. He is the author of dozens of papers and innovations in extrusion, and holds 7 patents in the field. Keith’s son Erik Luker has been assisting his father since the company began in their home garage in the 80’s. Erik continues to assist in lab trials today and often adds a fresh perspective to his father’s experience.

Intangibles

Sometimes, you plan for a trial and, well, things happen. The supplier ships the material late and it arrives the morning of the trial.  You expected to process these 1/8 inch pellets on the 1/2 inch extruder you found set up and heated on your arrival. The material arrives that morning in 3/16 inch ground form requiring a larger extruder. No problem. Our setups use quick disconnects on the plumbing and the electrical and make the change as painless as possible.  Combined with hustle and energy, you might be surprised how quickly we can get things done. After all, we’ve been doing it for decades. Wait… The trial starts and we find out there are gas bubbles in the extrudate. Now what do we do? We discuss whether to vent the material in line with the application and whether we need more than one vent opened up. The point is, we keep going to get the job done. We work hard. We figure it out. We like a challenge.

• Compounding:
o Batch Mixer: We have the 10 gram in, 5 gram extruded out SFEM-BM-1000-4.
o Four Compounding Extruders: Compounding capability from 125 times better than a typical single screw to 1,000 times better than a single screw. The extruders range in outputs from 30 grams per hour on our RCP-0375 to about 30 pounds per hour on our Taskmaster 1,000 wwith up to 3 vents for degassing. L/D’s range from 2 mixer 24/1 L/D to 4 mixer 50/1 L/D.
• Direct Compounding: Often, melt mix compounding is possible while we make products such as film, sheet, etc.
• Pelletizing: There are three pelletizers in the lab, RCP 2.0 with dual drives (in bench and floor model)and an RCP 1.0 Micro-pelletizer.
• Cast Film (including coextrusion): 3, 6 and 10 inch wide dies
• Extrusion Coating/Lamination: 6 and 10 inch wide dies.
• Sheet (including coextrusion): 3 inch and 6 inch wide dies
• Blown Film: Dies 0.625 and 1.0 inches.
• Filament (also called strand or rod): Non-oriented by godets in various sizes.
• Bi-component Strand (sometimes called coextruded rod) Non-oriented by godets in various sizes
• Tubing: A free extrusion (free meaning that there is no sizing system) lab line for small tubing.
• Wire Coating: A lab line for coating wire.