Starlinger presents technologies for sustainable packaging and recycled plastics at CHINAPLAS
With the focus on the Chinese market, Starlinger will present its entire machinery range for the production of sustainable woven plastic packaging and recycling of post-consumer and in-house plastic scrap at CHINAPLASS 2022.
Starlinger will put the production technology for AD*STAR cement bags starting with the tape extrusion lines and winders under spotlight, as well as the lamiTEC coating technology which is crucial for AD*STAR block bottom valve bag conversion, says Hermann Adrigan, Sales Director of Starlinger & Co GmbH.
The new Chinese Standard on cement packaging has led to an ongoing demand for AD*STAR sacks in China during the past two years. The new standard permits only three types of sacks for packaging cement in order to improve sustainability and resource conservation.
AD*STAR sacks can be equipped with additional features such as carrying handles or an easy-open closure.
AD*STAR block bottom bags, developed by Starlinger and made of coated polypropylene tape fabric, feature a favorable carbon footprint, very low breakage rate, and protect the cement against humidity. The accurate conversion process, on the Starlinger ad*starKON sack conversion lines, guarantees smooth filling of the sacks on the most modern filling lines.
Starlinger’s machine range also includes a new circular loom: the RX 6.0pro scores with high production speeds of up to 1140 ppm, new shuttle and take-off design, as well as frequency-controlled motors.
The innovations ensure easy handling, less maintenance, longer lifetime of the wear and tear parts, and improve energy efficiency even more. The RX 6.0pro is designed especially for the production of high-strength lightweight fabric which is also used for AD*STAR sacks.
The RX 6.0pro is the latest model in the Starlinger RX loom series and reaches a production efficiency of more than 90%.
Market with growing importance for plastics recycling
Starlinger recycling technology will also put the spotlight on PET recycling and odor reduction for post-consumer recycled plastics at the trade fair.
China is one of Starlinger’s most important markets in Asia. The reprocessing of PET bottles as well as the re- and up-cycling of other post-consumer plastics such as PE and PP are topical issues in the area of plastics recycling, states Paul Niedl, Commercial Head of the business unit.
The recoSTAR dynamic C-VAC with downstream odour reduction unit produces odour-reduced plastic regranulate.
Due to the fact that the use of recycled PET is not yet unrestrictedly permitted for food contact applications, the bottle-to-bottle market is still in its early stages of development.
Currently only a limited number of companies are producing rPET for food packaging – using, amongst others, Starlinger technology, adds Paul Niedl. He hopes that the conditions will change soon as China has huge potential in bottle-to-bottle recycling.
Recycling technologies from Starlinger also work well for other applications: For the recycling of polyester fiber, efficient melt filtration as well as an increase of the intrinsic viscosity (IV) is desired to achieve high quality of the recycled material. This way, fiber producers can process high shares of recycled material and make their products more sustainable.
