CIRCULAR ECONOMY · THERMOPLASTIC MATRIX · FIBRE REINFORCEMENTS
Thermoplastic matrix composites
Thermoplastic matrix composites combine a polymer — PVC, TPO, EPDM or other thermoplastics — with fibre reinforcements, fillers, backing layers or additives. Mechanical grinding may release part of the fibres, but residual fibres often remain encapsulated in the matrix or attached to the polymer surface. XCRUSHER focuses on this industrial bottleneck: liberating residual fibres to prepare a cleaner thermoplastic fraction, compatible with downstream extrusion, filtration, granulation and material reincorporation.
A material problem, not just a size problem
- The polymer and its fibrous reinforcement are laminated into layers that are hard to dissociate.
- Fine mechanical grinding is energy-intensive and often requires cryogenics.
- Residual fibres remain encapsulated in the matrix, or attached to the polymer surface by adhesion, entanglement or surface effects.
- These fibres degrade recycled-material quality and disrupt downstream steps (filtration, extrusion).
The XCRUSHER approach to thermoplastic matrix composites
XCRUSHER complements mechanical grinding with pulsed-power treatment focused on residual fibres. The objective is not to micronise the material or grind ever finer, but to reduce the constraint on mechanical grinding and act at the polymer / reinforcement interfaces. The treatment aims to detach fibres still encapsulated in the matrix or attached to the polymer surface, in order to obtain a better-separated thermoplastic fraction compatible with downstream operations.
What we qualify on your material
Polymer / reinforcement liberation
Thermoplastic fraction cleanliness
Condition of liberated fibres
Polymer fraction condition and properties
Extrusion / filtration / granulation compatibility
Reincorporation potential
Examples: PVC/PET membranes, TPO/PET membranes, multilayer waterproofing membranes, reinforced plasticised PVC technical fabrics, reinforced PVC hoses, thermoplastic composites combining polymer, fibres, fillers or backing layers.