Engel has won the Austrian State Innovation Award 2024, the company announced. The Award, honouring Austria’s most innovative companies, was presented during an award ceremony held in Vienna 7 Oct.
According to the jury, Engel’s submission constituted ‘a groundbreaking transformation in the recycling process’.
The two-stage process is ‘highly innovative and ecologically invaluable…By eliminating an additional processing step, resources and costs are significantly saved. The technology enhances recycling processing capabilities, reduces the global CO₂ footprint, supports the circular economy, and revolutionises the industry with a 30% energy saving’.
The two-stage process shortens the recycling route, explained Klaus Fellner, head of application technologies at ENGEL. In conventional processes, the recycled material is fed into the injection moulding machine in the form of extruded pellets. Engel’s process makes it possible to skip the extrusion step, as the shredded recycled material can be directly processed into new parts without prior preparation.
“In the first stage, plastic flakes are melted in a plasticising screw. Impurities and odour emissions are then removed through a continuous melt filter and a degassing unit. The injection and shaping of the part constitute the second stage. This allows plastic part production from recycled material to be streamlined into a single process step, enabling direct processing at the injection moulding machine. This reduces investment costs, energy consumption, and CO₂ emissions,” said Fellner.
Engel has been intensively focused on recycling for many years, added Johannes Kilian, head of process and application technology at the family-owned plastics machinery manufacturer.
“The State Innovation Award highlights the relevance of plastic and plastic recycling, as plastics and the circular economy are essential components for a sustainable future, especially in the context of climate change and carbon neutrality,” he said.