In cooperation with Alpla Group, Brink and IPB Printing, Engel to present its latest injection moulding machine at the K show in October 2022.
The injection moulding machine manufacturer to process recycled material (rPET) at its stand and present thin-walled containers made of PET which are made in a single injection moulding process step.
“Featuring a wall thickness of 0.32, the transparent, round 125-ml containers are representative of a whole genus of packaging. Using integrated in-mould labelling (ILM), the containers claim to be ready-for-filling as soon as they leave the production cell. The special feature in this application is the material.
The thin-walled containers are produced directly from rPET in a single step. Up to now it has only been possible to process PET in thick-walled parts such as bottle preforms in injection moulding. The final packaging format was created in a second step of the process – by blow moulding for example,” stated the press release.
Bottle-to-cup and cup-to-bottle as the target
PET, a packaging material which can be processed as a recycled material on an industrial scale to create food packaging offers the benefit of a close recycling loop.
Through its partnerships with companies, Engel aims to pave the way for removing the need to downcycle packaging products other than bottles, and open up an opportunity for recycling/upcycling. The company plans to substantially extend the range of uses for PET and rPET and establish bottle-to-cup or even a cup-to-bottle recycling.
Injecting at 1400 mm per second
The modified rPET being processed at the K show to come from drinks bottles recycled in the plants of ALPLA Group. Other partner companies involved in the show exhibit are Brink for the mould and IML automation and IPB Printing for the labels.
Engel will be showing e-speed 280/50 injection moulding machine, specifically developed with electrical clamping unit and hydraulic injection unit for the high performance requirements of thin-wall injection moulding.
The machine achieves injection speeds up 1400 mm per second at a maximum injection pressure of up to 2600 bar when processing small shot weights with an extreme wall-thickness to flow path ratio.
To process rPET, Engel combines the new injection unit with a plasticising unit from in-house development and production specifically designed for processing recycled material. During plasticising and injection, the viscosity of the PET is configured for thin-wall injection moulding. The machine supports the processing of arbitrary recycled materials up to one-hundred percent rPET.
Engel will be presenting at the K 2022 at Hall 15, stand C58.