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Recycling
The recycling of plastics is not a newly conceived policy approach of our time. The processes and procedures for recycling plastic waste, especially mechanical recycling, have existed for decades and have been continuously developed and improved. The increased demand for recycling capacities for plastics creates new technical challenges that could only be solved to a limited extent so far. These include, for example, heterogeneous waste material streams that cannot be separated despite highly developed sorting systems, or impurities (macroscopic and microscopic) that reduce the quality of the recyclates produced.
In addition to the ongoing development of recycling technologies, the plastics industry is being forced by acute global problems - such as the pollution of the environment with plastic waste, but also by legal requirements - to re-examine existing standards and develop innovative ideas and recycling options. Here, SKZ can support you as a competent partner in the fields of process engineering and material development.
Our focal points in the field of recycling include:
- Removal of residual impurities and odor minimization of recyclates
- Design and optimization of degassing, filtration and mixing processes
- Formulation development for increased recyclate use
- Recycling and utilization of fillers (e.g. glass or carbon fibers)
Services
- Tests with simple or stepped vacuums
- Use of entraining agents
- Pilot plant trials with various filter systems available on the market
- Laboratory analytical studies on the nature and properties of interfering substances in recyclates
(e.g. VOC and odor, heavy metals, elastomers)
- Production of sample quantities according to customer specifications
- Increasing the recyclate content in existing formulations
- Optimizing the property profile of recyclates/recyclate-containing formulations
- Planning, design and execution of recycling processes (from regrind to granulate)
As experts in the field of plastics technology, we strive to pass on the knowledge we have acquired over decades to our customers. From material development and manufacturing processes to the application of various testing and measuring methods - in our numerous practice-oriented training courses, you as a participant will acquire the necessary knowledge in dealing with plastics as a material. This begins with the selection of the right materials and compliance with production-oriented design rules, continues with the correct handling of equipment and machines for the production and processing of plastic components and ends with the correct understanding of quality criteria and the associated use of testing and measuring tools.
Bringing together people from different areas of the company and from different sectors to exchange experience and technical know-how is also a top priority for us, in addition to the pure transfer of knowledge. Our numerous specialist events provide the ideal venue for a free exchange of ideas. Renowned speakers from a wide range of industries and excellent technical presentations make the SKZ conferences popular meeting places within the plastics industry.
Technical equipment
Plants from all well-known plant manufacturers (Leistritz, Coperion, KraussMaffei and COLLIN) are available to you in our technical center. The plant sizes range between 18 and 27 L/D diameter. This allows us to cover a throughput range from 0.2 kg/h up to 150 kg/h. Most of these systems are also suitable for compounding high-temperature thermoplastics.
A recycling extruder from EREMA type INTAREMA 906 T/TE is available for recycling trials on an industrial scale (throughput from approx. 150 kg/h). Shredded and washed waste fractions (regrind), sprues and films can be processed directly from the reel. The plant can be flexibly equipped with and without vacuum degassing and also allows filtration of the melt with various screen finenesses.
Various pump systems are available for experiments with fluids:
- Knauer HPLC pumps (0.06-3000 ml/h)
- Brabender tempered liquid dosing FDDW (approx. 2-20 l/h)
In addition to the machine-integrated vacuum systems, it is also possible to use a screw pump for high volumes to be extracted (290 m³/h) and thus, for example, to implement staged degassing processes.
Machines of various shaping processes are available for subsequent investigations:
- Laboratory plate press
- Extrusion dies (films, profiles, sheets, etc.)
- Blow/thermoforming machines
- Injection molding machines
