Hírek | Thege-Plastic

The world's plastics industry has already taken the green path, but in our country the transition is even further away

At home, used German injection moldings are bought, even though the new ones are much more environmentally friendly.

At the 2019 Düsseldorf K-show, the world's largest plastics industry trade fair, manufacturers bid against each other to curb environmental damage. The theme of the exhibition is the former, which the European Union regards as the key to competitiveness. Unsurprisingly, most of the plastic industry manufacturers presented machines that, in addition to narrow recycling, show serious progress in the area of carbon dioxide emissions and energy saving, as well as in connection with material consumption.

Smart grinders for 80 percent less electricity use

These efforts can be well illustrated by the presentation of some exhibiting companies and their products, such as the Swedish manufacturer Rapid, which can be considered the first step in recycling processes. It can also be said about the Scandinavians that they always treat nature conservation as a priority, nevertheless it is a big leap that the machine consumes up to 80 percent less electricity compared to the previous series thanks to the so-called EnergySMART system, which simply means that the machine he works only when and as he is tasked.

Injection molding companies can use more and more recycled materials

The fruit of the work of the Scandinavian company, the plastic granulate obtained from waste, also played a central role at the exhibition. There was practically no manufacturer that did not highlight that their devices handle recycled materials better without quality degradation, so less new plastic has to be produced. Chinese companies working with capacities that are almost unfathomable by European standards, including 10,000-15,000 Hong Kong-based ChenHsong on an annual basis, have also raised this issue. The Chinese ChenHsong promoted its injection moldings with recyclable materials and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.

ChenHsong's new technology curbs plastic production

The company presented its image unit, the IU200-MK6, during which the core layer is filled with grinding material, which means that the inside of the product is made of recycled material, while only the outer, visible layer is made of new plastic. Another major commitment of the manufacturer was carbon dioxide neutrality, which was represented by their JM328-MK6 injection molding machine, for which a unit capable of the so-called sandwich technique was already installed. The Chinese manufacturer also presented the first fully electric SM100-SPARK, which was made with Japanese technology, since the island country is the undisputed pioneer of the fully electric machine market.

Electric injection molding machines represent a change similar to what can be observed in cars

JSW (Japan Steel Works) has been the market leader in its market for decades, and, by the way, they are at the forefront in the field of working and biodegradable plastics, emphasized Máté Konkoly-Thege. The managing director of Thege-Plastic emphasized that the injection molding of "green plastic" was also presented at the K-show with their fancy-named J350ADS-890H-EHD machine. In the case of electric injection molding machines, it is difficult not to draw an analogy with the automotive industry, with the difference that the former industry started the transition much earlier, so the price difference is not that big. Otherwise, they are completely similar in everything else: they are more reliable, their production is simpler, they require less material and energy and they emit much less harmful substances - he concluded. The Japanese JSW only manufactures fully electric injection molding machines.

In addition to nature, the transition also helps the return

Staying with the car analogy, it is true for the majority of the Hungarian injection molding industry that they prefer used German machines over similarly priced, new and guaranteed injection molding machines from the Far East. The problem with this is that machines that are often driven to death are much more polluting. However, utility savings of 30-40 percent can be achieved with a new Chinese injection molding machine compared to a 5-8-year-old German machine, while the electricity bill can be reduced by up to 80 percent when replacing an older machine park, not to mention that the payback period can be reduced to up to 4 years.