Gear Pump for Rigid PVC How Maag Saves Up to 50 Percent in Energy

At Fakuma 2026, Maag unveiled the world’s first gear pump specifically designed for conveying rigid PVC and, in the run-up to the event, promised energy savings of up to 50 percent. Where do these savings come from, and what does this mean for processors? PlastXnow asked these questions at the booth. 

Processing rigid PVC efficiently is no easy task! High viscosity, thermal stress, and the risk of deposits make conveying the material a technical challenge. At the same time, processors today expect more: lower energy consumption, consistent quality—and systems that can be flexibly adapted to changing requirements.

At Fakuma 2026, Maag demonstrated how these goals can be reconciled. Among other things, the focus was on the extrex⁶ EC gear pump for continuous rigid PVC conveyance: Its gap-free design is intended to reduce deposits and thermal stress, relieve the extruder, and save energy depending on the application. 

PlastXnow met with Tim Rudersdorf, Sales Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH) at Maag, at the booth for a trade show “speed date.” In the interview, he explains how challenging materials can be processed reliably—without compromising on energy efficiency and flexibility.

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About the Author

Tim Rudersdorf has been Sales Director for the DACH region at Maag since early 2025. A graduate with a degree in plastics and elastomer engineering (FH), he has been working in the plastics industry for more than 24 years. His professional career has taken him through various areas of the industry—with a particular focus on plastics technology, mechanical engineering, sales, and customer service. 

Service

Service: You can find the video of the trade show speed date with Tim Rudersdorf on our LinkedIn channel. 

PlastXnow: With the new extrex⁶ EC, Maag is showcasing a gear pump designed specifically for processing rigid PVC. What was the particular challenge during development—and how does the new pump outperform previous solutions?

Tim Rudersdorf: Our goal was to use as much “regrind” material as possible in the manufacturing process. The problem with this is that the extruder quickly reaches its limits, and the shear forces in the material cause high temperatures, which also leads to inefficiency in the process. 

Since the temperature range for processing rigid PVC is very narrow, we developed the EC series and focused on the following points: Flow-optimizing channels suitable for the product; no stagnation zones so that the material does not stick and negatively affect the process; and very precise control of the process temperature in the EC series thanks to the pump’s cooling system.

Depending on the application, they promise energy savings of up to 50 percent in the extruder. Where exactly does this efficiency gain come from?

The pump handles the entire pressure build-up, which was previously performed by the extruder. Since the pump is significantly more efficient than the extruder and reduces back pressure and backflow in the extruder, energy costs can be reduced by up to 50 percent. Similarly, the high shear forces—without the use of a gear pump—generate extreme temperatures, which lead to a loss of efficiency and wear in the extruder and result in higher energy costs.  

What does this mean for processors, given current energy costs?

For customers, this has a major impact on production costs, allowing them to maintain their competitiveness and improve their margins. Given high energy and raw material prices, many processors are switching to less expensive recycled materials. Recycled materials vary greatly in viscosity, which causes fluctuations in energy consumption in the extruder. The gear pump mechanically absorbs these fluctuations, stabilizes the process in terms of energy consumption, and prevents costly scrap, the disposal and reprocessing of which would in turn consume a great deal of energy.

In addition to efficiency, Maag also focuses on flexibility. How important will quick product changeovers, short cleaning times, and short setup times be for the plastics processing industry of the future—and how do your solutions support processors in this regard?

The EC series was designed with flow channels optimized to minimize dead space. This means there are no corners where old material or paint can get trapped. The new material flushes the pump clean extremely quickly while it is running. This minimizes material loss and downtime.

Thank you very much for the interview!