Plastics News - Show Daily - October 17, 2024 - 11

FAKUMA 2024
Plastics News, October 17, 2024 * 11
Stork boosts potential for
more recycled content
STORK PLASTICS
MACHINERY BV
A7-7201
By Catherine Kavanaugh
Plastics News Staff
Hengelo, Netherlands-based
Stork Plastics Machinery BV has
developed a breakthrough injection
molding machine to process
recycled PET in response
to market demand and environmental
concerns.
At Fakuma 2024, the hybrid
press, called Foodline 4400, is
producing an oval 1-liter container
from 50 percent recycled PET
in a custom two-cavity mold.
" This innovative container combines
sustainability with complex
geometry, offering a tamper-evident
and watertight closure - a
fi rst in the packaging industry, "
Stork IMM CEO Gert Boers said.
Boers described the container,
which was developed by Brink
Moulds & Automation, as the
fi rst high-quality, 1-liter PET container
from half recycled content
to be manufactured for high-volume
production. " This is not just
a development project. This is
ready to go in a manufacturing
environment, " he said. " We are
setting a new benchmark for the
future of packaging. "
Stork IMM and Brink offi cials
have been to several trade shows
where they said smaller bottles
were produced with recycled
content of 35 percent. They got
to work to bring a more sustainable
option to the food packaging
market. " We took an important
step. We topped it. We're up to
50 percent rPET, which is a big
achievement that reaffi rms our
commitment to deliver technology
that will support a circular
economy, " Boers said.
" This innovation aligns perfectly
with the growing global focus on
sustainability. As EU regulations
now require a minimum percentage
of post-consumer recycled
content in packaging to avoid
fi nes, our container is not only
compliant but sets a new standard
for what is possible with recycled
materials in the food industry. "
Founded in 1968, Stork IMM specializes
in rapid injection molding
machines from 200 tons to 2,000
tons that make fl owerpots, crates,
food containers, buckets and lids.
In the European Union, regulations
mandate the use of at least
35 percent post-consumer material
in plastic packaging. Boers
said this is a big challenge for
food packaging
manufacturers
because of the inability to use recycled
polypropylene due to European
Food Safety Authority restrictions
related to permeability.
While recycled PET has been
used in blow molded PET bottles
for years, the injection moldability
has been an issue. Now, adjustments
to the mold, material and
machine have opened up a new
alternative for the production of
1-liter buckets, Boers said.
For the material, Alpla developed
a special additive that addresses
the variability inherent in
recycled materials and allows recycled
PET to be injection molded
From left: Benjamin Sutch, managing director of Chudleigh Sutch
UK Ltd.; Stork IMM Sales Manager Wim Brinkman; and Stork IMM
CEO Gert Boers.
Plastics News photos by Caroline Seidel
with the same quality as virgin PET.
For the machine, Stork IMM
based it on a previous platform
but boosted the speed, acceleration
and pressure to gear it specifically
toward processing recycled
PET for the food industry.
" This machine is capable of handling
the high speeds and pressures
required to produce thinwalled
packaging, " Boers said.
" It can reach injection pressures
up to 3,000 bar, ensuring that the
containers maintain the same wall
thickness as those made from
[polypropylene]. Moreover, Stork
IMM's machines are designed for
continuous, high-speed production,
meeting the demands of the
packaging industry with 24/7 operational
capacity. "
The 440-ton Foodline press on
exhibit has been sold to Netherlands-based
Kreuwel Plastics Almelo
BV, which makes containers,
pots, buckets, tubs and bins
from recycled polypropylene
and polyethylene.
Pressing developments
It took years of hard work,
collaboration and development
among Brink, Stork and Alpla
to reach what they are calling a
groundbreaking milestone in processing
recycled PET.
With an optimized screw and
valve geometry, continuous,
high-speed production is possible,
yielding cycle times of 6.2
seconds to produce 580 parts
per hour.
For the recycled content, the
Foodline 4400 press calculates the
melt fl ow index (MFI) of the material
while injecting in the same
shot and adjusts for it with software
developed by Brink called
Stork Injection Control. The software
detects changes in the MFI,
corrects settings and maintains
stability of the shot weights in
the same cycle, which all reduces
rejects, Stork IMM Sales Manager
Wim Brinkman said.
" I think that is very important
to point out that we compensate
for the differences in melt fl ow by
adjusting the injection parameters
in the same shot, " Brinkman
said. " This is not a closed loop
with resetting of parameters after
three or four shots. Every shot
is 100 percent right no matter
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what material you throw in the
machine, which is extremely important
for everybody who starts
using regrind material. "
Also, the clamp unit of the
machine has a reinforced, redesigned
movable platen to make it
even more stiff for the high forces
of packaging applications.
For the 1-liter container, the
mold was custom designed for
the unique properties of recycled
PET, which meant adjusting the
cooling, venting and injection systems
to accommodate the forces
generated during production.
Brink also has a versatile inmold
labeling system to apply labels
for a visually appealing and
functional product.
Stock's
Foodline 4400
allows molders
to increase
the recycled
content in
packaging.
In the UK
Stork IMM offi cials are opening
a new sales and service operation
in the United Kingdom called
Stork IMM UK to build on the company's
20-plus-year history there,
according to Benjamin Sutch,
managing director of Chudleigh
Sutch UK Ltd., Stork's service and
sales partner in the U.K.
" We are seeing quite a bit of investment
in the U.K. with people
setting up and expanding their
businesses to serve the local
market, " Sutch said. " We think it's
the right time to add additional
resources and expand the team
to support our existing and new
customers with service, sales and
spare parts. "
With the establishment of domestic
service, Boers said, " We're
now uniquely positioned to scale
up and meet local needs while
growing our business. "
The U.K. expansion comes on
the heels of the opening of a U.S.
sales and service operation in
Swedesboro, N.J. The U.S. subsidiary,
called Stork IMM USA LLC,
builds upon the company's 25year
history in the North American
market, Sutch said.
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Plastics News - Show Daily - October 17, 2024

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