Erema: High-strength PET strapping from post consumer PET flakes with new strapping technology

The specialist symposium on "PET Strapping" held jointly by Erema (www.erema.at), the Austrian manufacturer of plastic recycling systems, and their Italian technology partner Techno Plastic s.r.l. (www.technoplastic.it), on 27 and 28 October 2008 at Erema´s headquarters in Ansfelden generated enormous interest. More than 150 specialists from 17 countries took this opportunity – the first ever public presentation of the Vacurema inline strapping technology – to see the line in action. The system demonstrated in a real production environment at the Open House event consists of the Erema Vacurema Basic 1308 TE, optimised for the recycling of standard bottle flakes to produce high-quality melt with virtually no IV loss, and a Techno Plastic Tight Strap 300 stretching plant connected directly to it. Experts from around the world were amazed by the reduced costs for the input material and the enormous energy savings compared to conventional strapping systems. Specialists from Erema and Techno Plastic also gave speeches (Photo) on both days on the new process and plant technologies presented for the production of high-strength PET strapping band from post consumer PET flakes.

"We are delighted about the exceptionally high level of interest and positive feedback, especially considering that this is a highly specialised field with a defined market segment. The technological and economic merits that our Vacurema technology, proven many times in bottle-to-bottle recycling, can also offer for the PET strapping segment were convincing not only for specialists throughout Europe. We also welcomed participants from the USA, Uzbekistan and even Vietnam," says Erema CEO Manfred Hackl. "Combined with the likewise tried-and-tested plant technology for the production of strapping, supplied by our partner Techno Plastic, we can now offer PET strapping producers a perfectly configured turnkey production facility from a single source."

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Compared to a conventional multiple plant configuration featuring a crystalliser, drier and extruder, with the new Vacurema inline strapping technology you can save around 20 to 25% of input material costs and also reduce energy costs by more than one third – without sacrificing the quality of the end product. The tensile strength of the PET strapping with a cross-section of only 15.75 x 0.98 mm² produced during the symposium was 517 N/mm² (embossed) which corresponds to 6,400 N (640 kg) breaking load. The starting material was 100% commercially available, low-quality post consumer PET flakes that had been merely cold washed. In further customer trials, tensile strengths above 600 N/mm² have been achieved continuously under regular stretching conditions.

The modified and patented Vacurema technology makes this possible by processing the bottle flake in a single pass with virtually no viscosity loss and stable IV, even in cases where the moisture content of the feed material is up to 1.5%. The throughput of the plant demonstrated at Erema is up to 300 kg/h of high-strength strapping band. The system, which is also suitable for making PET filaments from washed bottle flakes, can also process pure virgin material and mixtures of virgin material, bottle flake and strapping production waste in any ratios.

"The use of PET strapping worldwide is currently growing at a rate of around 15% a year. The production of high-quality PET strapping from washed bottle flake is an attractive and profitable business opportunity – and will continue to be also in the future," says Aldo Mingozzi, managing director at Techno Plastic, describing the reasons behind the cooperation with Erema. "As we showed together at this Open House, producers of PET strapping who use the new Vacurema inline strapping technology have considerable quality and productivity benefits that make this system stand out clearly from all other PET strapping plants offered on the market so far." In the future, turnkey plants with the combined Vacurema Tight Strap Technology for the production of PET strapping band and PET filaments from cost-effective post consumer bottle flake will be offered by both partners.

Since it was founded in 1983, Erema Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.m.b.H has specialised in the development, production and worldwide distribution of plastic recycling systems and technologies for the plastics processing industry. With sales companies and offices in the USA, China and Japan, plus around 40 representatives in all five continents, Erema provides custom recycling solutions to match almost any individual application requirements. Innovative, stable technology and global service support ensure that owners enjoy the maximum benefit from their machines. Erema´s technology has become established as the global, leading standard for a wide variety of recycling tasks, ranging from the recycling of polyolefins to polyester (PET). The global market leader from Austria is 100% privately owned and currently produces around 300 plants and systems every year with a workforce of 350 employees. In the past financial year 2007/2008 Erema achieved a turnover of over EUR 102 million.

Erema - Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.m.b.H., Ansfelden, Austria

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