A collaboration between Bausano, the Italy-based manufacturer and supplier of customised extrusion lines for plastics processing, and Wintech, an Italian company producing rotary injection moulding machines, has resulted in the development of a new solution for the processing and moulding of WEEE waste into new products.
With over 316,000 tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) collected in 2022 in Italy alone, diverting this from landfill or incineration constitutes a potential source of raw materials while at the same time reducing the carbon footprint of any new products produced.
Bausano has developed technology enabling this waste to be processed without requiring prior treatment of any kind, said Marco Masiero, R&D test engineer at the company. He called it a further step forward in the aim to process ‘non-homogeneous or highly polluting waste outside the standard channels of the circular economy’.
The solution presented by the companies involves the integration of a Wintech injection system with a Bausano extruder.
In the initial phase, the plastic waste is processed by the Bausano twin-screw extruder, during which the melt is homogenised and optimally plasticised, after which it is injected into the Wintech mould. The Bausano extruder eliminates residual moisture and any volatile compounds, thanks to its efficient and proven degassing system.
Post-injection, the product is cooled in a multi-station carousel - a key step to ensure high piece-per-hour productivity - a crucial factor that is carefully considered during the design phased of the machine. Additional decisive factors include the type of Bausano extruder, the volume of the injection barrel, the type of raw material to be processed and the size of the output.
The systems built and supplied by the two companies are wholly customisable , thus making it possible to optimise the moulding process and achieve superior quality finished products; products that range from modest-sized tiles to floor mats or even bases for signs and road barriers. The patented Multidrive transmission system and the patent-pending induction heating system, enables a reduction in energy consumption of some 30-35%.
The project was carried out under the banner of the circular economy, resulting in a totally integrated and extremely efficient and reliable plant, said Masiero.
With this solution, Bausano convincingly answers the question of whether it is possible to recycle such waste materials, ‘with a system that gives new life to this difficult-to-recover waste’, he added.
Bausano, Wintech partner on recycling solution
