Process description – Thermal

Processes.

solid state polycondensation

(SSP) technology for PET.

Raw Material
crystallization Annealed PET
10mW

5mW
melting

glass transition

°C °C
50 100 150 200 250 300 50 100 150 200 250 300

Reactor
Crystallizer N2
Air/N2
5mW

5mW
°C °C
50 100 150 200 250 300 50 100 150 200 250 300

Annealer
N2

Cooler
Air

Final material

Before the raw material can be thermally processed, it must be crystallized and annealed, which allows the
necessary polymer molecular structure to form during thermal treatment in the reactor. However the main purpose
of SSP processing is to increase the intrinsic viscosity of the polymer to the desired level, and there are a number
of concomitant factors and reactions during this process. Some of the important factors include the content of
byproducts (acetaldehyde, oligomers, ethylene glycol), molecular structure (gel, uniformity of crystalline structure)
and the physical characteristics of the product (color L*, a*, b*, dust content, melt temperature, sintering of the
product, etc.). More than 30 years of know-how enabled Buhler to develop all the steps of PET processing while
taking advantage of the natural physical laws of material behavior.

Bühler AG
CH-9240 Uzwil, Switzerland
T +41 71 955 11 11
F +41 71 955 34 40
thermal.processes@buhlergroup.com
www.buhlergroup.com