At Plastics Recycling Show Europe 2026 in Amsterdam, scheduled for 5–6 May, BB Engineering will present its portfolio of PET recycling technologies. The German machinery manufacturer will again focus on textile recycling and melt filtration, indicating these areas as critical in view of increasing quality requirements in processing recyclates. The company’s offering includes components and systems for producing films and synthetic fibres, as well as solutions for PET recycling. The portfolio covers extruders, various types of filters, and complete spinning and recycling plants, enabling integrated solutions from a single source. Building on experience from the synthetic fibre industry, BB Engineering places particular emphasis on recycling PET textiles and will highlight the VacuFil and COBRA systems in Amsterdam.
Portfolio focused on textile PET recycling
BB Engineering notes that competencies in plastics processing and synthetic fibre technologies form the basis for designing PET recycling plants for different feedstock streams. The listed input materials include, among others, flakes, textile waste, fibre waste, and start-up lumps. The solutions presented at PRSE cover both melt quality stabilisation and melt filtration of contaminants, which is important when running feedstocks with elevated contamination levels.
VacuFil Visco+, PET LSP recycling and IV adjustment
The VacuFil PET recycling plant combines large-area filtration, described as gentle to the material, with precise IV adjustment, intended to ensure consistently high rPET melt quality. According to the company, the modular design enables configuration from bottle-to-bottle applications to 100% fibre-to-fibre. Various PET feedstocks are processed, and the IV value is set to match end-product requirements.
The core of the system is said to be the patented Visco+ component. Using liquid-state polycondensation (LSP), it is intended to remove volatile contaminants and deliver a homogeneous melt with viscosity within ±0.01 dl/g. The manufacturer states that the solution can operate up to 50% faster than comparable LSP systems and, depending on throughput, enables a viscosity increase of up to 30%.
Process stability and reproducibility are to be supported by continuous monitoring using an online viscometer. VacuFil’s stated capacity ranges from 150 to 4,000 kg/h.
VacuFil Visco+ testing plant in BB Engineering’s technical centre
COBRA, melt filtration with automated intermediate cleaning
BB Engineering reports that its latest melt filter, COBRA, was developed in response to the growing demands of the recycling industry. The objectives include reliable handling of high contamination levels, simplified filter changes and cleaning, and reduced operating costs. The system is designed to combine continuous large-area filtration with automated, chemical-free intermediate cleaning.
The solution uses two filter cartridges with automatic switching, intended to ensure stable, safe, and uninterrupted operation, including at contamination levels where conventional candle filters or screen changers reach their limits. The integrated cleaning system is said to extend the service life of the filter media while reducing operational effort, melt losses, and energy consumption, without the use of chemicals. The manufacturer indicates that this translates into higher process reliability and sustained reductions in operating costs.
Due to its flexibility, COBRA is intended to be suitable for both coarse and fine filtration. In addition to PET recycling, the company points to potential efficiency gains in other applications such as polymer spinning and the possibility of easy retrofitting on existing lines.
COBRA filter
