30 EVENT REVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 07+08/24 www.petpla.net EVENTreview All-electric PET EBM machine Bekum America, the US-subsidiary of Berlin-based Bekum Maschinenfabriken, showcased the US-built, all-electric Eblow 407D extrusion machine with the patented C-frame clamping and E-twin toggle system, producing a 2 l handled bottle with Indorama’s Future-PET resin EBM PET 5507-R25 with 25% rPET content in the demonstration. This mediumsized, double-sided model is a four-cavity ‘gallon machine’ with a 15 t clamping force, 520mm slide stroke and 500mm maximum mould width. Steve London, President and Chief Operating Officer, explained: “In addition to our all-electric Eblow series, we have an impressive range of traditional hydraulic machines as well as hybrid variants that can be customised to meet the different needs of our customers.” According to the company, 35 US-built Hyblow 407D (hydraulic/hybrid) machines are currently in operation in North America and there is expected to be strong market demand for the all-electric version of the 407D. Bekum also exhibited its new 3-layer spiral head technology in conjunction with its latest vertical extruders. The package presented is designed to facilitate the transition to a 3-layer system for existing customers. The company has also been working on high-performance extrusion systems with significant energy savings through optimised cylinder and screw design with direct-coupled gearboxes and high-efficiency motors. www.bekumamerica.com Ultra-thin PET food containers Canadian mould manufacturer Stackteck presented its new system for the production of round, ultra-thin 450ml PET food containers. The manufacturer relies on its proprietary ‘Thin Recess Injection Moulding’, which has been executed while incorporating seven sequentially controlled valve gates. The new mould with ISO hotrunner technology from Yudo, which is characterised by very closely spaced valves with individual controls and was developed for high-pressure injection with optimised heat management, was running as an IML system on a Netstal Elion 3200 in combination with suitable take-out robot and an inspection system from IMD Vista at the Netstal stand during the trade fair. GM PET, Rick Unterlander and VP Business Development & Marketing Jordan Robertson presented a container with 30% PET content produced using this technology. Containers with 100% recycled content are also possible and, according to Stackteck, have already been produced in practice. The containers were labelled with IML labels from the Belgian manufacturer MCC Verstraete, which, according to Stackteck, had used a PET substrate for a 100% PET content in the trade fair demonstration version. Material supplier Eastman was responsible for the PET rawmaterial with its product Eastar EN001 with an IV of 0.80dl/g and EN058 with an easier fillability (IV) of 0.58dl/g were also used. “With this mould, we can injection mould over longer lengths without having to use modified material and achieve both ultra-thinwalling and rigidity. We see great potential here in the food industry,” said Mr Unterlander. www.stackteck.com Eblow 407D Stackteck’s mould in action at Netstal Rick Unterlander, GM PET and Jordan Robertson, VP Business Development & Marketing at Stackteck Systems The final results for registration and paid exhibit space were announced: a total of 51,396 attendees or 1,106,767 square feet. NPE 2024, which took place from May 6-10 in Orlando, Florida, saw a record-breaking number of international attendees. With 15,156 international participants from 133 countries, NPE 2024 was the most global trade fair in the event’s history. There were 20,378 first-time visitors, an increase of almost 9% compared to NPE 2018. There was also a significant increase in the number of participants in the various regions, including 4,438 Latin American (LATAM) registrations, 29.3 % of international registrations and a 9.9 % increase in LATAM registrations compared to NPE 2018. Significant increases in registrations were recorded from countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Guatemala. 2,801 European participants, 18.5% of international registrations and a 23% increase in European registrations compared to NPE 2018, with the largest increase in registrations from Italy. With 2,202 exhibitors, the exhibition space has increased by 10.3% compared to NPE 2018. PETplanet’s feedback on NPE 2024 was also very positive and the dialogue with new and old acquaintances, customers and friends from the PET processing industry was extremely positive. The special live edition of the PETinar series on site at the NPE was very well received and met with a positive response. You can find exclusive content on our homepage! We look forward to seeing you at NPE 2027 in Orlando from May 3-7, 2027! www.petpla.net/category/petinars/
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