Improved efficiency and expanded polymers range of ReDeTec MixFlow technology

工业合作伙伴ReDetec开发了一种名为ProtoCycler+的创新聚合物挤出和回收平台。ProtoCycler+的主要功能是为3D打印机挤出和线轴聚合物。ProtoCycler+目前是实验室台式挤出机，但其潜在的挤出技术在工程、医疗和工业领域具有巨大的潜力。ProtoCycler+的第二个功能是使商业和教育市场能够将3D打印的废物回收到可用的细丝中，从而节省成本并将塑料从垃圾填埋场转移。ProtoCycler+使用了一种名为“MixFlow”的专利挤出技术。ReDeTec专有的MixFlow技术是一项创新技术，对提高聚合物挤出行业的能源效率具有重要意义。这项技术可以改造到现有的挤出系统，并可扩展到工业水平。虽然MixFlow技术非常高效，但它是一项非常新的技术，还没有达到与竞争技术相同的成熟水平。这导致了ReDeTec团队目前专注于解决的一些临时缺陷。其中最主要的是ProtoCycler+目前挤出的聚合物种类有限。这阻碍了机器的潜力，因此限制了公司的扩张。这个nserc参与项目的目的是解决这些问题，并为ReDeTec提供一个能够生产质量更高的材料的最先进的挤出系统。该项目将允许ReDeTec开发和制造改进的挤出系统，并扩大其在加拿大的业务。从长远来看，ReDeTec将能够从回收塑料/聚合物中开发新一代材料，这些材料将有可能用于许多行业，包括3D打印。此外，再生塑料的挤压将导致更好地控制温室气体排放。该项目将直接培训瑞尔森设计、建模和制造方面的两名研究生。这些研究生将受益于ReDeTec的定期多学科培训，并直接参与其技术人员的工作。

Industrial partner ReDetec has developed an innovative platform for polymer extrusion and recyclying called ProtoCycler+. The primary function of ProtoCycler+ is to extrude and spool polymers for 3D printers. ProtoCycler+ is currently a laboratory desktop extruder but the underlying extrusion technology holds enormous potential for the engineering, medical, and industrial sectors. The secondary function of ProtoCycler+ is to enable the business and education markets to recycle their 3D printed waste into usable filaments, thus saving costs and diverting plastic away from landfills. ProtoCycler+ used a patented extrusion technology called "MixFlow". ReDeTec's proprietary MixFlow technology is innovative with significant implications for increased energy efficiency in the polymer extrusion industry. This technology be retrofitted into existing extrusion systems and is scalable to an industrial level. While MixFlow technology is highly-efficient, it is a very new technology that has not reached the same level of maturity as competing technologies. This results in a number of temporary drawbacks the ReDeTec team is currently focused on solving. Chief among these is the limited range of polymers that the ProtoCycler+ currently extrudes. This hinders the machine's potential and, as a result, limits the company's expansion. The aim of this NSERC-Engage project is to solve these issues, and provide ReDeTec with a state - of- the-art extrusion system capable of producing materials with improved quality. This project will allow ReDeTec to develop and manufacture improved extrusion system and expand its business within Canada. In the long-term, ReDeTec will be able to develop a new generation of materials from recycled plastics/polymers which will be potentially used in many industries, including 3D printing. Furthermore, the extrusion of recycled plastic will result in a better control of green house emissions. This project will directly train two graduate students at Ryerson on Design, modeling, and manufacturing. These graduate students will benefit from regular a multidisciplinary training at ReDeTec and direct involvement with their technical staff.