Industrial design methods for dynamic mixing elements

In the production of plastic products, the raw material is first melted. The melt is then shaped as desired and subsequently cooled so that it retains its new form. However, the melt usually does not consist of a single raw material. Often, several materials are blended or additives are introduced to achieve, for example, specific color effects or material properties. To ensure that the final product exhibits uniform properties throughout, it is essential that the melt and all additives are thoroughly mixed. For this purpose, so-called mixing elements are used. Their exact shape varies greatly and has so far been determined mainly based on practical experience. In recent years, however, an additional level of complexity has emerged: in the plastics industry, recycled materials are increasingly being used. These materials tend to vary more in their properties than virgin materials. Consequently, new designs for mixing elements are needed that perform reliably across a wide range of material parameters. To achieve this, computer-based methods will be developed and employed to determine optimally designed mixing elements, with a particular focus on so-called robust optima that is, shapes that remain nearly optimal even under slightly changed conditions.