Time to take stock: in what condition and with what agenda is the industry presenting itself after two-and-a-half years of a difficult climate? We have conducted a survey: insights into the dominant themes of the age.

Preview of K 2022: Kunststoffe Questionnaire on the Situation in Injection Molding Machine Construction

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Steuerungen (Hardware und Software)

Automatisierungstechnik

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

Steuern, Regeln

Software

Digitale Transformation

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Nachhaltigkeit

Umweltmanagement

Mess-, Steuer- und Regelgeräte

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Energieeffizienz

Spritzgießmaschinen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Harsh Realities

The plastics industry has a variety of materials and technologies available for significantly reducing the ecological footprint of products. There are very few applications for which it is not possible to replace at least a portion of the fossil material with recyclates or bioplastics. Various methods, standards and software tools are available to determine what savings this can achieve.

Determining CO2 Savings from Recycled Materials and Bioplastics

Simulation

Recycling

Normen / Standards

Recht allgemein / sonst.

Biokunststoffe

Reducing the CO2 Footprint

Statutory recyclate quotas and the specifications of brand-name producers are weighing heavily on the packaging branch these days and turning recyclate availability into a hot issue. Some polymers are simply not available in sufficient amounts. Experts at the 31st Dresden Packaging Conference provided insights into the current situations and explained why the situation could worsen in the future.

Recyclates of many polymer types are hard to get right now.

16:9

Verpackungsmaterial

Logistik

Streifinger, Florian

Hard-to-Find Recylates

Electrical and electronics manufacturers want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their products and optimize waste management and recycling for them. This can be achieved, among other ways, by using more sustainable thermoplastics and quality-assured recyclates. A close cooperation between companies to establish material cycles and the recycling-friendly design of equipment are also important.

Driving Sustainability Trends in the Electrical and Electronics Industry with Polymers

Elektronik

Technische Kunststoffe

Thermoplaste

Polycarbonat

Support for a Greener E&E World

A growing number of companies and industrial sectors would like to use recyclates for their products. However, the application is frequently still confronted with considerable difficulties. And the extension of recycling to other fields and sectors also poses new questions. An overview of the current status and associated technical solutions was provided in conference “Forum Plastic Recyclates” at the end of March.

Conference Minutes of “Forum Plastic Recyclates”

Additive

Start into a Second Life for Plastics

The IKV is researching digital solutions for better description and classification of recyclates. The aim is to increase the actual recyclate use rates. Results will be presented at the IKV colloquium in September.

PlasticBOND: Schematic illustration of the platform design to be developed.

Research to Improve Recyclate Use

IKV develops recyclable packaging solutions with the help of plasma technologies and presents the current state of research at the IKV colloquium in September.

Oberflächenbeschichtung

Holz

Recyclable Barrier Systems for Sustainable Packaging

Over past months, many in-house workflows and development processes have slowed down and also changed. Nevertheless, time has not stood still, also not in injection molding technology. The debate and development have been shaped by two themes: digitalization and the circular economy. Below are some examples of developments and projects that underpin this trend.

Two displays are seamlessly integrated into the continuously 3D-formed instrument panel

Innovative Injection Molding in Times of Pandemic

Schaumspritzgießen

Künstliche Intelligenz für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Folientechnik (IMD, IML, FIM, u.a.)

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

Spritzgießsimulation

Schnecken und Plastifiziersysteme

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Machine Learning / Künstliche Intelligenz für die spanende Fertigung

Industrie 4.0 für die spanende Fertigung

Lasermarkieren

Oberflächentechnik

Laserbearbeitungen

Inline- / Online-Messsysteme

There Is More beyond the Horizon

Engel has developed a new way to process plastic scrap as flakes on an injection molding machine straight after grinding. This innovation eliminates the pelletization step and significantly boosts the economics of plastics recycling. The key to consistently high product quality is to vent the plastic melt.

Test setup at the pilot plant in St. Valentin, Austria: for the two-stage process, Engel has combined a plasticizing screw with an injection screw.

Venting in a Two-Stage Process Boosts the Efficiency of Recycling Processes

Schmelzefilter

High-Quality Recycled Plastics Obtained Directly from Flakes

The circular economy and more sustainable additives are the focus of AF Color’s Fakuma presence this year.

The circular economy and more sustainable additives are the focus of AF Color’s trade show presence this year

Masterbatches

Messe Fakuma

Polyamide

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Biobased Additives and Orange for PA

Caracol and NextChem (Maire Tecnimont group) partnered to create Beluga: a joint research project to produce the first 3D printed sailing boat prototype made in a single piece with MyReplast recycled material.

Caracol and NextChem bring to life the 3D printed sailing boat Beluga

Anlagen Additive Fertigung / 3D-Druck, andere

Anlagen für die Additive Fertigung

Caracol and NextChem Bring to Life Beluga

Together with the University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal, Germany, MultiPet GmbH is researching into injection-moldable blends that can be used to produce high-quality multi structured injection-molded parts from mixed PET.

Colorful mixture: the recycling of mixed fractions from bottles, blisters and trays remains a major challenge

Production of Injection-Moldable PET-Blends from Mixed Plastic Fractions

Polyethylenterephthalat

rPET Blends for High Standards

In the research project “UPcyclePET”, and together with Easicomp GmbH, Fraunhofer LBF developed a new material that had to prove its qualities in practical tests.

Upcycling of used PET beverage bottles into long fiber-reinforced thermoplastics

New Compound Materials for Durable Technical Applications

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Sustainable Components from PET Flakes

LyondellBasell has obtained the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus certification for certain grades of polyethylene and polypropylene produced at four of its U.S. manufacturing sites.

Pictured is LyondellBasell’s Channelview Complex. The company has obtained the ISCC Plus certification for certain grades of polyethylene and polypropylene produced at four of its U.S. manufacturing sites

Polyethylen

Polypropylen

LyondellBasell Gains ISCC Plus Certification

The state of Upper Austria has recognised Engel Austria´s commitment to building up a circular economy for plastics with the Upper Austrian Environmental Award 2021.

State Councillor Stefan Kaineder (left) congratulating Engel‘s Vice President Marketing Ute Panzer and Günther Klammer, Vice President Recycling at Engel, on winning the State Environmental Award

Co-Injektion (Barriere-/Sandwich-Spritzgießen)

Engel´s Skinmelt Technologie Awarded

“In difficult economic times, recycling is a reason to invest”

Interview with Korbinian Kiesl, President of Billion SAS

Mr. Kiesl, the circular economy requires that plastic recyclates can also be processed. How far advanced is Billion in this field?

The processing of recyclates has switched from being a vision to an everyday topic. These days, we no longer even ask ourselves whether our injection moulding machines can process recycled material. This is now a matter of course. Around 80 percent of our customers already run recyclates on our machines, some more, some less, but 80 percent is an immensely high proportion considering that almost no one was doing this a few years back. Three years ago, these customers were looking at K to see what was technically possible. They asked if we had any experience with these new materials. We were hardly ever asked this question about our experiences. Now, however, we are capable of dealing with concrete projects very quickly.

What role does quality play for your customers?

The more homogeneous the recyclate, the better the results for our machines, both in terms of physical properties and appearance, aesthetics. This requires a very good separation of used plastics. The machine can do everything, it‘s just a matter of whether you want to see the used recyclate or not. In the cosmetics industry – which represents an important customer group of ours – the use of recyclates was hardly conceivable until a few years ago. There, it was always a question of maintaining a flawless appearance. Today, there are customers in this industry who even want a package to show that it contains something recycled.

All customers today place their ecological interests and sustainable actions in the foreground. Within the consumer goods sector in particular, there is increasing pressure to do something. But as commercial enterprises, they are naturally looking closely at what is happening in terms of cost, plus there is a lot to be said for recyclates at present. Inflation, as well as the real cost explosion on the raw material side, be it virgin material or even all additives, mean that recycling is becoming more and more worthwhile. Recycling is a reason to invest, especially in difficult economic times.

Some users need their products to look good. What can you offer them?

If someone wants to have a smooth surface for aesthetic reasons, then our machine can make a product using the so-called sandwich process. The recycled material is inside the product. On the outside, it is surrounded by virgin material. The recyclate is therefore not visible. The prerequisite is that the chemical properties of the materials used are not mutually exclusive. For example, a furniture manufacturer uses our process to produce flower pots from recycled plastic. Customers from the cosmetics industry are also increasingly requesting this method. In times like these, it is also worthwhile in terms of cost. The product is still flawless on the outside, and cheaper recyclate is processed on the inside.

The process works with multi-component technology. There are two injection units that bring the different materials together. We first inject the virgin material into a mould. It clings on the inner walls. Then the second material is injected into the centre of the part, and finally the initial material is used to close the mould, so to speak.

In 2019, you had future ideas and visions, in 2022 you have the products and the customers who use them. What’s next on the agenda?

More and more users will utilise recyclates. This trend is irreversible. In addition, it is already becoming apparent today that non-polymeric waste will also be processed. Our customers are already occasionally making products from biomass. They obtain the material from composting plants. These products are then biodegradable at the end of their lives. The use of renewable raw materials and biodegradable raw materials, including biodegradable plastics, will definitely increase in the coming years. Certainly, it will not initially happen in such quality-sensitive areas as medical technology or the automotive industry. But in the consumer goods sector, in white goods or in packaging, for example, the use of renewable or biodegradable raw materials will rise.

VDMA - Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau e.V. 

https://www.vdma.org

Billion S.A.S.  

https://www.billion.fr

The Select2 Twin Shot two-component machine can be used to produce components using the sandwich process.

Schematic diagram of the sandwich process

2022-08-22 VDMA Interview Billion

The world is facing major challenges: climate change must be fought; the environment must be protected, and resources must be conserved. It is also important to make good use of the opportunities offered by digitalisation. The plastics industry has a key role in this process because plastics are ubiquitous in the world.

Climate protection, digitalization and the circular economy are therefore also the three major topics at K 2022, the world’s leading trade fair for the plastics industry. To get in the mood for the industry meeting in autumn 2022, the VDMA is letting representatives of the plastics machinery industry and all other stakeholders in the sector have their say through weekly interviews.