36 TRADE SHOW REVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 11/23 www.petpla.net TRADE SHOWreview Fakuma Review 1,636 exhibitors from almost 40 countries filled the twelve Fakuma exhibition halls this October. 44 per cent of the exhibitors came from abroad, most of them from companies in Italy, followed by China, Switzerland, Austria, Türkiye and France. After a modest start to the first day of the trade show, a total of 39,343 trade visitors (2021: 29.543 visitors) filled the exhibition halls to find out about topics such as digitalisation, automation, flexibility, energy efficiency and sustainability. Many companies dealt with the establishment of closed material cycles, the optimisation of products for recycling and the preparation of recycled material for high-quality applications. These new technologies address the current challenges of resource conservation and net-zero emissions. Traditionally, the large injection moulding machines were eye-catchers and real crowd pullers. Many sustainable solution ideas for packaging and recycling compounds were also on display. Among other things, machines for grinding and shredding were also represented at the show, as were modern cooling systems and energy-efficient mould temperature control technology, systems for process monitoring and data acquisition, and developments from the field of industrial 3D printing. The increasing use of circular raw materials instead of fossil raw materials was also a topic in many places at the show. The next Fakuma will be held in Friedrichshafen from October 15 to 19, 2024. www.fakuma-messe.de Additives and colourants for a wide range of applications Repi had come with the full range of additives and colourants for a wide variety of polymers, used in many different markets. At their booth, the company presented samples of applications that can be coloured by using their portfolio: PVC profiles, PMMA and PC sheets, as well as HDPE, PP and PVC injection moulded parts, plus PET bottles and thermoformed trays. A clear focus was placed on the “Novosystem”, this is how Repi calls its basic colour concept: starting from a few basic colours, it has given the user the chance to formulate any given shades according to their needs. Not only shade development is quick and delivered straight to the user, but the quantity produced can also be amended according to the production run and in order to avoid residues and unused quantities. The company provides its expertise and a proprietary software with a comprehensive formulation database built on years of lab developments, that enable the users to build their own formulation library and therefore become independent in the formulation of shades. This represents a huge advantage for those industries requiring the constant development of new shades even for small production campaigns. Success cases can be found in the ABS and PVC profile production, as well as in injection moulding processes for the production of many plastic components. In order to complete the offer, dosing equipment is available that is claimed to offer precision in dosing and full traceability of the dosing history. Pumps of different sizes are available, depending on the speed of the user’s machine and the amount of colour to be dosed. At Fakuma, Repi aimed at companies that operate in “conventional” plastics, offering the added value represented by liquid colour technology: a combination of flexibility, efficiency, performance and versatility. www.repi.com PROCESS PILOT+TM Optimize Blowmolder Performance and Profitability with Automated, Closed-Loop Control +1.724.482.2163 agrintl.com Maximize rPET usability and processing Improve bottle performance and downstream operations Maintain lightweight, targeted material distribution Increase consistent production yield Overcome environmental and process variation Reduce scrap with accelerated start-up
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