Industrial Resin Recycling installs MAS extruder system

Industrial Resin Recycling Inc. (IRR), a Howell, Michigan-based full-service recycler of postindustrial and postconsumer plastics, has completed the $2.5 million installation of a MAS twin-screw extruder system at its Fowlerville, Michigan, extruding facility, an upgrade the company says will increase the facility’s compounding capacity by more than 40 percent.

According to IRR, the extrusion system developed by Austria-based MAS is used to process different plastics fractions, such as materials of the lowest bulk density, mill materials, flake, new products and fibers. Additives, filling materials and fibers can be added directly via the feed opening without complicated and high-maintenance side dosing.

In a news release announcing the equipment upgrade, IRR says this advanced technology improves not only sustainability but also circularity with recycled material to help reduce scrap.

Along with the startup of the extrusion system in Fowlerville, IRR is in the process of setting up a shredder-feeder-extruder combination at its Piedmont, Alabama, facility to expand its postconsumer business as it processes nonwovens, film and carpet.

Founded in 1995, IRR is a full-service, ISO 9001-certified recycler that primarily serves the Midwest and Southeast U.S., processing approximately 35 million pounds of plastic per year. The company sources plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, nylon and more from industries that include automotive, houseware, healthcare, consumer products and carpeting, among others.

IRR’s three facilities perform different functions. At its Howell headquarters, it shreds, grinds and float-sinks materials; at Fowlerville, it extrudes material and operates a comprehensive testing laboratory; and in Piedmont, it shreds, grinds, float-sinks and extrudes plastics. In addition to its recent upgrades, the company operates eight shredder-grinder combinations, four grinders, two float-sink wash lines, seven extruders, four high-capacity blenders and two complete labs. The company also has several silos and the ability to work with railcars.