Lesun Screw says custom twin-screw elements cut wear in European compounding line

Lesun Screw published a case study on November 13, 2026, describing how it helped a European masterbatch and compound maker extend service life and reduce downtime on high-filling polyolefin lines. The company says custom powder metallurgy elements and re-engineered kneading geometry improved wear resistance, stabilized processing, and lowered total operating costs.

Why it matters: - High-filling compounding puts extreme wear on twin-screw extruder hardware, especially when calcium carbonate and glass fiber are present. - The wear problem can drive clearance loss, backflow, thermal instability, unplanned shutdowns, and higher total manufacturing costs. - The case study points to a broader need for durable, application-specific extrusion parts in Europe and other high-wear polymer processing lines.

What happened: - Lesun Screw said a European masterbatch and compound manufacturer was running high-throughput lines with polyolefin resins filled with more than 60% calcium carbonate and aggressive glass fiber reinforcement. - Standard twin-screw extruder elements in the melting, kneading, and dispersion zones wore out quickly. - The processor faced frequent maintenance stoppages and long lead times for OEM replacement parts. - Lesun Screw said it designed and supplied custom replacement elements for the application.

The details: - The source of the wear problem was the abrasive environment created by mineral fillers that remain solid during processing. - As screw and kneading-block surfaces eroded, radial clearance expanded between the screw flights and barrel wall. - That clearance growth reduced pumping efficiency and destabilized residence time in the barrel. - Operators trying to recover pressure by increasing screw speed could create excess shear heat and further material degradation. - Lesun Screw said the upgraded elements use premium powder metallurgy tool steels made with hot isostatic pressing. - The materials contain a high volume fraction of vanadium and chromium carbides for stronger resistance to abrasive gouging and surface erosion. - Engineers also changed the geometry of the kneading blocks with optimized stagger angles and wider crest widths. - The new profile spreads shear energy over a wider area and helps avoid localized stress while improving filler dispersion. - High-efficiency mixing elements were added downstream to improve micro-dispersion of calcium carbonate without adding excess friction heat. - Lesun Screw said the technical team recommended pairing the upgraded screw profile with high-wear bimetallic barrels. - The company also said it operates a 10,000-square-meter smart manufacturing facility in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. - The facility includes multi-axis CNC machining centers, automated vacuum heat-treatment systems, and coordinate measuring equipment. - For custom replacement parts, Lesun Screw said it uses laser scanning and reverse engineering to capture original dimensions, spline geometry, and shaft center distances with sub-micron accuracy. - The company said it keeps inventories of powder metallurgy alloys and bimetallic liner materials to shorten turnaround times. - Lesun Screw included a link for more information: the official website.

Between the lines: - The case study is as much about supply-chain resilience as it is about wear resistance. - Faster delivery of custom parts can matter as much as longer service life when a line runs continuously and downtime is expensive. - The recommendation to upgrade barrels alongside screw elements suggests wear problems can shift to adjacent components if only one part of the system is replaced.

What’s next: - Lesun Screw says the same technical approach can be applied to other demanding compounds, including glass-fiber reinforced nylon and flame-retardant polymers. - The company says it will continue offering custom engineering support and tailored twin-screw solutions for processors facing severe abrasion. - The case study says processors can request product specifications and engineering consultations through the company website.

The bottom line: - Lesun Screw is positioning custom metallurgy plus geometry design as a longer-term fix for extreme abrasion in high-filling compounding, not just a replacement part sale.