Dr. Klemens Kohlgrüber absolvierte eine Schlosserlehre und machte die Weiterbildung zum Maschinenbau-Techniker in Köln. Das Studium zum Maschinenbauingenieur in Wuppertal folgte, anschließend das Diplom und die Promotion an der RWTH Aachen. Von 1986 bis 2015 die Tätigkeit bei der Bayer AG, u. a. Leitung der Hochviskos-, Misch- und Reaktortechnik. Parallel dazu mehrjährige Vorlesungen an der Uni Dortmund für Chemiker im Masterstudiengang über Polymeraufbereitung. Mehrjährige Leitung des Arbeitskreises Hochviskostechnik der Forschungsgesellschaft Verfahrenstechnik und ehemals Mitglied im VDI-Fachbeirat Kunststoff-Aufbereitungstechnik. Dr. Kohlgrüber ist Leiter von jährlich stattfindenden VDI-Seminaren über Extruder.Dr.-Ing. Michael Bierdel studied process engineering at the University of Stuttgart and received his doctorate in 2001. Since 2001 he has been working in research and development at Bayer Technology Services GmbH (Bayer AG), now Covestro Deutschland AG (Covestro AG), in the High Viscosity Technology group, which he has led since 2012.Dr.-Ing. Michael Bierdel studied process engineering at the University of Stuttgart and received his doctorate in 2001. Since 2001 he has been working in research and development at Bayer Technology Services GmbH (Bayer AG), now Covestro Deutschland AG (Covestro AG), in the High Viscosity Technology group, which he has led since 2012.

Plastics production comprises the main process steps "synthesis (reaction)", "preparation/compounding" at the raw material manufacturer and compounder, and "processing" (shaping into semi-finished or finished products).
In this handbook, the central middle step, preparation and compounding, is discussed.
The preparation tasks include the removal of components, the incorporation of additives, and the change of particle size. Compounding is the incorporation of additives into a polymer or plastic.
The process engineering fundamentals and the specific equipment and machines used are described. The specialist authors impart their knowledge from the fields of research, polymer production, and equipment/machine production with applications in plastics technology.