PET is the only plastic material which can be recycled into high-quality form for reuse. Taking that fact into account, Austria’s Starlinger at this year’s K will focus on PET treatment and the processing of rPET in innovative packaging solutions. “Over the last two decades, Starlinger has acquired a great deal of know-how relating to PET. Now we are able to draw on this, with new packaging applications that benefit from the outstanding properties of PET and rPET,” explains Hermann Adrigan, sales director at Starlinger.
From PET bottle to high-performance fabric
Since the presentation at K 2013 of the first FIBC made of 100 % woven PET, and based on many years of company experience in PET recycling, Starlinger textile packaging has developed proprietary technology for the production of woven tape fabric from up to 100 % rPET flakes. Since the properties of rPET match those of virgin material, fabric woven from rPET has exceptionally high tensile strength coupled with a high creep modulus. It is extremely resistant and retains shape stability over a long period of time even under the effects of load and temperature exposure – advantages which make PET fabric the material of choice for a wide range of new applications.
Food-safe and suitable for attractive designs, PET fabric also lends itself ideally to packaging food products and consumer goods. Thus, Starlinger will be showing for the first time a ‘PET pet food sack’ at K – a sack for dog food made of 100 % rPET flakes. The pinch bottom sack from the PP*STAR product family consists of rPET tape fabric laminated with printed OPET film, offering all necessary barrier properties for the safe packaging of sensitive contents such as dog food or fertilizer.
Also in keeping with the focus on PET are the viscoSTAR SSP reactor and the viscoSHEET line from Starlinger viscotec. With the viscoSTAR SSP reactor, PET pellets or flakes are decontaminated and rendered suitable for use in applications with food contact while increasing the intrinsic viscosity (IV) of the material. viscoSHEET lines produce sheet from up to 100 % rPET – out of flakes from production waste, skeleton waste, or edge trims. Along with the viscoSTAR SSP reactor, individual components of the viscoSHEET line such as calender and winder will be on display at K.
A sack for every purpose
A milestone in Starlinger’s history will enjoy a prominent place at K 2016 – the AD*STAR® sack. The all-rounder, first launched in 1995, now serves the building, chemical, agricultural and food product industries with over 7.5 billion sacks per year. The block bottom valve sacks made of coated PP tape fabric are a safe and – as a life-cycle analysis has recently shown – very environment-friendly means of packaging for dry bulk goods such as cement, gypsum, chemicals, as well as flour, rice or sugar. AD*STAR sacks can be produced in many variations: with valve or open mouth, BOPP coated, as small and handy AD*STAR *mini sack, as AD*STAR *carry sack with welded-on handles, or even as a shopping bag.
Another packaging product being featured is the IC*STAR sack which is welded at the bottom instead of sewn. This new process makes for a stronger sack bottom as well as material savings and lower maintenance during production. Industry 4.0 will also be on the agenda: Starlinger will be showing for the first time at K 2016 how the integration of the latest information and communications technology into woven sack production can be realized.
Focus on film recycling, and two world premieres
Starlinger recycling technology will be in Hall 9, showing a recoSTAR dynamic recycling line in operation, reprocessing in-house film waste. The SMART feeder, one of the line’s most important components, prepares the input material: Its automatic temperature control makes it possible to achieve uniform high product quality even when processing materials with varying moisture levels and fluctuating bulk density. Also, all recoSTAR dynamic lines are equipped with the ‘Dynamic Automation Package’ DAP and the rECO energy concept. Continuous process adjustment, the use of motors of the highest energy efficiency class, and energy recuperation at various process steps make this one of the most efficient plastics recycling lines on the market, in terms of both production and energy efficiency. In addition, Starlinger recycling technology will be presenting two world ‘firsts’ at this year’s K exhibition: new technology for processing polyester, and a pioneering process for refinement of pellet material.
In-house exhibition with all innovations
The latest technological developments in the fields of woven sack production and plastics reprocessing will be available for viewing at the in-house exhibition on Starlinger’s own premises, to be held from 17 to 19 October and 24to 28 October respectively. Among the highlights will be the conversion line multiKON KX, on which IC*STAR sacks are closed by welding, the new starEX 1600 tape line for PP and HDPE tapes with a production speed of 550 m/min, and the newest winding technology for PP and PE tapes. Another focal point will be, as always, AD*STAR® production technology; interested parties can also learn more about the production of PET tapes and fabric.
[highlight color=’white’ backcolor=’#ff0000′]Starlinger at K 2016[/highlight]
[infobox style=’regular’ static=’1′]
Starlinger textile packaging: Hall 16, stand B 47
Starlinger recycling technology: Hall 9, stand D 21
Starlinger viscotec: Hall 16, stand B 47
[/infobox]