PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2011

PET news 6 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 03/11 www.petpla.net PlastID to develop detection and separation in recycle stream An industry group comprising Petcore, ColorMatrix, Pellenc, EPRO, EuPR, PlasticsEurope, UNESDA and EFBW has applied for a European R&D grant to fund the full scale-up of PlastID, a Petcore project intended to develop methods to detect and separate specific containers from the plastics recycle stream. The multi-million Euro project will focus on approved food-stand- ard packaging polymers and it is envisaged that the technology developed through the PET recycle experience will be transfer- rable to HDPE, PP and PS. The use of novel materials in PET bottles can cause discol- oration during the recycle process. One aim of the project is to facilitate the recovery of bottles containing novel materials from the clear bottle stream and divert them to higher value outlets. The PlastID project will develop an LCA (lifecycle assessment) on the collection, sorting and recycle processes and provide training in new technologies. The consortium is awaiting the outcome of its application and intends to present the project in greater detail in future editions of PETPlanet. www.petcore.org More exhibitors and services at 25 th Chinaplas, May 2011 The 25 th edition of Chinaplas, the International Exhi- bition on Plastics and Rubber Industries, will be held at China Import and Export Fair Pazhou Complex, Guang- zhou, PR China, from May 17 to May 20, 2011. The confir- mation of the India Pavilion brings the total of country and regional pavilions at the event to 11. Chinaplas will now be arranged under 12 themed zones, with the addition of the Rubber Machinery & Equipment; Industrial Services; and Bio-Plastics and Degradable Plastics zones. Over 20 enterprises have already reserved space in the Rubber Machinery & Equipment zone, in Hall 3.1. ChinaplasOnline.com, the official website, has been revamped and improved, with a search engine func- tion that allows keyword searches in the website content and exhibitor’s data. The ‘Download Centre’ holds show- related information, such as the visitor brochure, eNews- letter, etc. available for visitors to download. Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Arabic versions are now available. Latest show updates, transport and hotel information, and seminar details are available through WAP Chinaplas. www.chinaplasonline.com Mould Technologies Group acquires Magor Mold Inc. Mould Technologies Group (MTG) of Diessenhofen, Switzerland, which incorporates Schöttli AG, has acquired all of the issued shares in Magor Mold, Inc., of San Dimas, Ca, USA, as of January 2011. MTG also owns s-mouldtech, of Suzhou, China. Schöttli and Magor both specialise in the development and production of extremely high-output injection moulds. Schottli develops and produces injection moulds for the production of medical parts, caps and closures and thin-wall packaging and caters to medical disposables manufacturers and packaging and plastic cap producers. Magor injection moulds are mainly used for the production of transfusion systems, dialysis units, respirators and anaes- thetic systems, drug applicators and hygiene products made from standard polymers and engineering thermoplastics. It predominantly supplies manufacturers of medical parts and disposables. Service and maintenance across MTG’s range of products will now be carried out by the local companies. Wolfgang Bühler and Martin Schöttli will both remain manag- ing directors of Magor and Schöttli. www.schoettli.com www.magormold.com www.s-mouldtech.com Clear Path Recycling PET recycling facility operational Clear Path Recycling, LLC, the PET recycling joint venture company established by Shaw Industries Group, Inc., and DAK Americas LLC, in April 2009, has completed the first phase of its PET recycling facility in Fayetteville, NC and the plant is now operational. The facility produces recycled PET (RPET) flake from post-consumer PET bottles and now has the capacity to recycle up to 160 million pounds of PET bottles per year. This is estimated to save over 550,000 cubic yards of landfill space each year and over 1.9 trillion BTUs of energy annually, equal to the power needed for over 20,000 U.S. homes per year, according to Energy Information Administration data. Shaw and DAK will be the primary users of the RPET Flake (Recycled PET bottles) in their respective polyester based products including carpets, fibres and resins. The remaining product will be sold for merchant use. Plans for the facility include increasing throughput to 280 million pounds (127 million kg), about 5 billion bottles per year, which will make it the largest recycling facility in North America. www.clearpathrecycling.com New closures factory in South East Asia Bericap has recently opened a production facility in Singapore, which will be providing direct service to customers in the ASEAN zone. It is intended to be the nucleus for future expansion of sales and production facilities in South East Asia. The facility will initially manufacture closures for the non-food and non-beverage market, with beverage closures to follow in the near future, as well as a hinge closure for bottlers of soya sauce who require anti-drip features, tamper-evidence and a clo- sure design allowing capping of hot-filled glass bottles. Bericap Singapore is preparing to introduce the DoubleSeal one-piece closure technology for carbonated beverages or hot-filling. A screw-cap with folded tamper evidence band for the agrochemi- cal industry is also to be produced. The manufacturing process and other additional safety features make the closure difficult to copy and support anti-counterfeiting measures. and Bericap says that the new factory has space and capacity to enlarge the product range and increase output. www.bericap.com