Belgian manufacturer of honeycomb structures EconCore has selected Meaf machinery for its trial production of recycled PET (rPET) ThermHex honeycomb sandwich panels.
The company is using the high speed, energy efficient Meaf 50-H34 extruder to produce the honeycomb core, which consists of 95% recycled post-consumer PET, Meaf announced 20 Aug.
EconCore’s thermoplastic honeycomb technology enables the production of honeycomb panels in a continuous and in-line integrated process. During the successive production steps polymers are extruded, vacuum formed and folded into a honeycomb core.
Further process integration has been achieved with the direct in-line lamination of skin layers onto the honeycomb cores, allowing for the one-shot production of sandwich panels or parts.
“We want to bring a smart, innovative and sustainable product to market that contributes towards the circular economy of plastics,” said Wouter Winant, technical manager at EconCore.
The rPET core offers high stiffness and strength in compression and shear, high temperature stability and has an excellent weight to cost ratio, according to Winant.
In addition, the Meaf 50-H34 flat die extruder offers a cost-effective and highly efficient production process, Winant said.
The Meaf H-series sheet extrusion lines are designed to have higher output at lower melt temperatures and RPM and reduce energy consumption by at least 50% compared to competitor brands in the market.
The extrusion lines are suited for both single and multi-layer extrusion applications and can produce up to eight layers, using a range of materials including PP, PS, HIPS, PET, PE, PA, PLA, TPE, EVOH barrier and others, according to Ardjan Houtekamer, technical director at Meaf.
The extrusion technology will also feature prominently on the Meaf stand at K2019, to be held 16-23 Oct, in Düsseldorf, Germany.
EconCore taps Meaf extruder for rPET honeycomb sandwich panels
Meaf