PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2013

TRADE SHOW PREVIEW 83 PET planet insider Vol. 14 No. 09/13 www.petpla.net Nothing up the sleeve… Amut’s DLB delabeller removes heat- shrink sleeves, making more PET bottles available for recycling. The delabeller unit is designed for for post-consumer PET bottle washing plants is and will be on show at K 2013. The DLB was unveiled last June as the solution to the problem of full-bottle shrink sleeves, which were conveni- ent for bottlers but have been so problematic to remove that they effectively rendered bottles unrecyclable. Amut says that the DLB enables recovery of PET bottles with PVC or PETG full-body sleeves, with a more than 80% efficiency level. The machine overcomes the fast expansion associated with heat-shrink sleeves, when recycling has been attempted. The machine uses friction to remove the labels, in a completely dry process that treats the flow of bottles continuously. They are fed by a conveyor belt and the selected residence period within the machine ensures the high efficiency of separation of the label, while maintain- ing the integrity of the bottles and necks. After treatment the tattered labels are collected in a hopper under the machine and are discharged with a screw-feed extractor. Final separation of any remaining free labels is under- taken downstream through a “rotary ballistic screen” blown-air system. The recovery and valorisation of the dry labels helps to reduce disposal costs; polymer and colour recognition is undertaken by electronic detectors. The DLB available in three models, depending on the customer needs, with a continuous working process and the assurance of almost total recovery of both bottles and labels, delivering greater PET flake purity. DLB 30 and DLB 60 are designed for high flow rates and are able to treat the entire bottle flow at the beginning of the washing line. The third type, DLB10, is installed downstream of the washing line and is designed to treat bottles rejected by the main NIR sorter. DLB 10 can process 1000kg/hr; DLB is rated at 3,000kg/h and DLB 60 at 6000kg/h. www.amut.it Amut Hall 16 Booth D43