To shift the use of recycled film plastic from push to pull across industries, it must be competitive in cost and quality of pellets.
After accurate sorting and wash plant decontamination, materials are ready to be molded into pellets for reuse. For soft plastics ,these materials can range from heavily printed/metallised films to LDPE washed flakes, agricultural film or PE/PP film flakes. Challenges presented by film plastics during the repelletising process include any remaining contaminants such as aluminium and the residual moisture content of film flakes.
This is where EREMA sets the standard and reaches a new dimension in soft plastics recycling. Contaminants missed by wash plants are reliably dealt with by the EREMA Laser filter through the extrusion process.
Despite the fluctuating degree of moisture in material, EREMA manages to achieve stable pellet quality. This is thanks to the Cutter Compactor which prepares the input material for the extrusion process. The Cutter Compactor cuts, homogenises, heats, dries compacts, buffers and doses. There is also an option to add a Double-Disc or AirFlush module. Double Disc technology allows for processing of materials up to 12% moisture while the Air Flush Module increases drying performance and output while ensuring lower energy consumption and extending plant service life.
EREMA technology offers an opportunity to effectively process material with high levels of contamination and moisture. EREMA machines can bring film recycling to food manufacturing, agricultural and logistics industries in Australia, where there is currently a huge deficient in domestic capability despite the extensive film plastic resource that awaits.
EREMA offers part of the solution to turn this material into good quality pellets in an economical way.
Success Story from German Recycling company, COPO Plast
Machine: INTAREMA TVEplus by EREMA
Materials: Regrind material (PE, PP, ABS, PS etc.) Heavily printed, multi-layer and contaminated film
The first INTAREMA® system in Germany was installed in spring 2014 at Heinrich e.K. of
Traunreut. Copo Plast uses its TVEplus® 1310 with Laserfilter LF 2/350 to process 10,000 tonnes of heavily printed multilayer materials, mainly in PP and with contaminants such as paper, wood and foreign materials, every year to make recycled thermoplastic pellets. After many years, managing Director Heinrich Winkler reports about the complete satisfaction with the latest technology from EREMA.
According to Heinrich Winkler the challenge of recycling is primarily to produce a good quality. The recycled pellets, which go to processors, injection molding and film producers working in the automotive, gardening and construction sectors throughout Europe, must be adapted according to the respective application when produced. They must ensure a smear-free surface on the finished part and fulfil a wide variety of modifications for impact resistance, colour and filler material.
Numerous manufacturers now produce a multitude of mixed films which also have considerable amounts of contaminants with PVC or PET. The availability of the input material decreases as a result, while the requirements of the customers in terms of the recycled pellets are rising continuously. In order to be able to produce high-grade recycled pellets from this input material with continuously sinking quality, Copo Plast decided in favour of an INTAREMA® TVEplus® system.
Best technology on the market
Heinrich Winkler explains why the decision fell in favour of EREMA: “Because it‘s the best technology on the market and the technical contact is on an extremely high level. We have never experienced this with any other producer“.
He goes on to add: “We are particularly pleased with the magnificent degassing performance and the consistently high throughput of our INTAREMA® system. Plus the Laserfilter is of course brilliant when it comes to removing contaminants such as paper.“ Heinrich Winkler also very much appreciates the service and friendly approach of EREMA
LEARN MORE ABOUT EREMA PLASTICS RECYCLING CAPABILITIES HERE.
CEMAC technologies is the exclusive distributor for EREMA in Australia. Interested in repelletising? Call us on (03) 8400 6066 or submit an enquiry form.