K is coming back to town

Justly known as the mother of all plastics and rubber shows, the K fair, which takes place  once every three years, is due back this year at Messe Düsseldorf again. K 2022 runs from 19 through 26 October  - and is once again completely sold out. In this preview, we’ve collected an - of necessity - tiny selection of notable highlights that will be on display.

At this year’s K fair, the major themes of circular economy, digitalisation and climate protection promise to be in evidence everywhere. As sustainability moves from being a far-off ‘maybe’ to a more immediate ‘must’, companies throughout the plastics industry are responding with new products, processes and developments to advance in this area.

Materials
At K 2022, Evonik (hall 6, stand B28) is introducing a new drop-in sustainable high-performance thermoplastic to its eCO line of plastic products. In the new polyamide 12 elastomer (PEBA) Vestamid eCO E40, 50% of the fossil-based raw materials used in its production have been replaced with an alternative material obtained from chemical recycling of used tires. A member of the polyether block amide family, the new moulding compound is well-suited for applications such as sports shoe soles. The soles exhibit excellent low-temperature impact strength, chemical resistance and high elasticity, and are easy to colour, process and overmould.
The company uses only renewable energy sources for production of the material, reducing its carbon footprint by 42 percent. The new Vestamid eCO E40 and more sustainable plastic materials will be on display at the K fair under the motto ‘Next generation plastic solutions’.
Also on-site: the team from the Centre for Circular Plastics Solutions with new ways for an efficient circular economy.

Sabic  (Hall 6, stand D42), present at K 2022 under the theme ‘Making the change real’, is launching, among others, its Bluehero programme, a new strategic initiative  designed to support the shift to product electrification. The initial focus will be on the automotive industry. With electrification becoming a megatrend, the company’s starting point with Bluehero is support of the automotive industry’s mission to create better, safer and more efficient electric vehicles, with an emphasis on improving structural battery components.
With road transport making up a significant share of total global CO2 emissions, the program will build upon the company’s established materials and capabilities to help the automotive value chain transition to a world with zero tailpipe emissions. The core of the Bluehero ecosystem is Sabic’s global team of engineers, research fellows and scientists. As part of its work, the team collaborates with customers, development partners and others across the value chain, from OEMs and tiers to tooling suppliers and testing agencies. As the initiative develops, Sabic anticipate expanding the focus and scope to help support efforts in other sectors. Those could potentially include energy storage, charging infrastructure, other modes of transport and industrial and consumer equipment

Under the motto ‘Quality Works’, specialty chemicals company Lanxess (hall 6, stand C76 – C78) is presenting material developments,  new processes and technologies and sustainable products and system solutions for the rubber and polyurethane industries as well as colorants and intermediates for the polymer sector at K 2022. The focus topics for this year are electromobility and sustainability. The High Performance Materials business unit is highlighting sustainable material and lightweight solutions for the electromobility market, such as, for example, lightweight structural components based on the continuous fibre-reinforced composites of the Tepex brand in the field of batteries for passenger cars as well as Tepex composites based on recyclates or bio-based raw materials. Another focus is on tailored solutions for the increased requirements in electric vehicles, for example in the powertrain or charging infrastructure.
The Urethane Systems business unit is presenting products designed to increase sustainability along the entire value chain, from Low Free (LF) monomer technology and innovative Adiprene Green brand prepolymers with a high bio-based content to novel hot-cast and cold-cure systems that can be processed with reduced energy input.

UniteChem Group (hall 8a, stand E33), the world’s leading supplier of light stabilizers for plastics in a broad range of high-end industrial applications, will be showcasing the expanded service and product offering following from the company’s ongoing expansion plans and investments both in global production capacity (new plants in China) and local customer support in Europe, where the company is seeking to grow its presence. After establishing a major warehouse in Antwerp, Belgium, and opening a Sales office in Düsseldorf, the next steps will be to double its workforce, bringing its technical support even closer to local customers and expansion into another European country.

DuPont Mobility & Materials will showcase new Hytrel foam and other new solutions and technology innovations in hall 6, stand C43 at the upcoming K 2022, including the new Hytrel Eco grades. Based on a biomass balance approach, these newest Hytrel TPC-ET thermoplastic elastomer grades are true drop-in replacements with no need to requalify products or retool. One customer recently launched patented, foldable swim fins to consumers, thanks to an upgrade from Hytrel ECO B.
Also on display will be a 3-in-1 Solution for EV batteries: a patent-pending concept to increase energy density that combines three elements into one modular unit to decrease range anxiety, increase passenger room, improve cooling, and integrate components; a sustainable polymer portfolio for E-bike applications; as well as the company’s patented Chemical Bonding technology enabling direct polyamide-aluminium joining that produces higher bond strength. In addition, the M&M stand will feature numerous commercial applications in the consumer space, from running shoes to espresso machines; developments in the industrial & electrical space and what might be the only thermoplastic solution that can pass requirements for the high-temperature dip soldering process: a Zytel grade able to replace phenolic parts and is bio-based, recyclable, and NHFR at V0.

From Ascend (hall 6, stand A07) came the news of its public commitment across a broad range of sustainability goals, including the reduction of its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2030. The company will also begin using bio-based feedstock and by 2023, will offer bio-based acrylonitrile, hexamethylene diamine and polyamides. At K 2022, the company will be showcasing a new technology platform of high-temperature, high-ductile PA66 for fasteners, which has been designed as a smarter replacement for PA46, called Vydyne Thermaplus, as well as Vydyne AVS, a new engineered material effective at dampening high-frequency vibrations at the motor, which translates into an 80% reduction in cabin sound pressure. EV motors produce vibrations at 10 times the frequency of internal combustion engines, making standard automotive under-the-hood dampening materials less effective. Other highlights include the company’s Starflam flame-retardant polyamides designed to meet a variety of performance requirements; and its HiDura  portfolio of long-chain polyamides for consumer goods and connectors, as well as copolymers for films that make packaging more durable.

At K 2022, in hall 6, stand A75, Covestro will present new products and materials for many key areas that support the circular economy and climate neutrality. The company has developed the ‘CQ’ brand suffix , which stands for ‘Circular Intelligence’. Products so tagged  have at least a 25% alternative raw material base. One of the first is Desmodur CQ, a polyurethane foam used in upholstered furniture, mattresses and thermal insulation. Covestro is increasingly moving away from fossil resources, in the direction of mass-balanced, renewable precursors and plastic waste as alternative raw materials, as well as green electricity. The company is also focusing on the future supply of "green" hydrogen and the development of innovative recycling technologies. In the long term, Covestro aims to offer all its products in a climate-neutral version. By 2030, the company plans to invest around one billion euros in circular economy projects.

Brüggemann (hall 8a stand D08) is presenting a range of performance-enhancing additive solutions at the K fair this year. These run the gamut from electrically neutral heat stabilisers for polyamides in electrical and electronic applications, including e-mobility, that do not corrode metallic components - such as overmoulded sensors - and have no impact on the polymer’s electrical properties, to high-performance stabilisers for exposure to moderate to very high temperatures and additives for stabilising recycled polyolefins. A further focus is on efficiency-boosting flow enhancers, which enable shorter cycle times and low wall thicknesses for components made of polyamides and PBT. Brüggemann will also be showcasing the new developments in its range of additives for recycling featuring specially developed technology to repair defects in the molecular chains which arise during the processing and use of polyolefins, and degrade quality. The result is recycled polymers with improved mechanical properties which do not require the addition of virgin material.

ExxonMobil (North Entrance / 11) will demonstrate how it is “Advancing Sustainable Solutions. Together” at the booths of industry-leading machine manufacturers (OEM) and distributors at K2022. These include solutions made with certified circular polymers using Exxtend technology for the chemical recycling of plastic waste as well as solutions that enable the use of higher percentages of mechanically recycled content; and mono-material solutions, such as PE//PE laminates, which are designed for recyclability by reducing the number of components, including those often considered more difficult to recycle.

Machinery
At K 2022, injection moulding machine manufacturers from around the globe will be displaying a host of developments and improvements targeted at sustainability. From energy-saving innovations to intelligent modules that enable better processing using recycled and bio-based materials, here, too, the topics of digitalization, climate protection and circular economy are top-of-mind issues.

This year, Haitian International (hall 15, stand A57) has a bigger booth, more exhibits, and more room for smart solutions, the company said. Present with a total of five exhibits, including two European machine premieres – one of which the Haitian Mars K Series  - Haitian International will be exhibiting for the first time intelligent machine functions that enable plastics processors to achieve additional energy savings and more efficient processes. The goal: to offer smart features as a standard feature at no extra charge. Recognising the importance of flexible connectivity, several system partners will be integrated into the machine concepts shown at K 2022. In the MES area, in addition to Haitian Smart Solutions’ own “GoFactory”, another MES partner will be presented specifically for the European market. All five exhibits will be connected to both systems.

Engel Austria (Hall 15, stand C58; the Circular Economy Forum) has developed a new process that enables ground plastic flakes to be used in injection moulding, thus eliminating the pelletisation step from the recycling process and significantly improving its energy and cost efficiency.
To be able to process flakes in injection moulding, the recycling process breaks plasticising and injection down into two process steps. In the first, the plastic flakes derived from post-consumer or post-industrial collection, are melted in a conventional plasticising screw. The melt is transferred to a second screw for injection into the cavity. Depending on the material and application, a melt filter and a degassing unit can be integrated into the process between the plasticising and injection units. This means that high-quality products can be created – even from contaminated plastic waste. Processing plastic flakes directly significantly improves the energy footprint of the product by up to 30%, the company said. At K2022, Engel is presenting the new, two-stage process for the first time as a live exhibit at a trade fair, producing dolly pallets, are being produced at the stand in the Circular Economy Forum in the open-air area between halls 11 and 16. A blend of polyolefins from a post-industrial collection is being processed on an Engel duo 12060H/80Z/900 injection moulding machine.

Next to introducing its precisionMolding and powerMolding injection moulding machine series - already available in Asia - to its customers in Europe and North America, KraussMaffei (hall 15, stand C15/C24-D24) will also be showcasing new digital solutions designed to achieve a more energy-efficient production – important in an era where energy prices are soaring. Visitors to the stand will also see a complete circular economy circuit in action:  an all-electric PX 200-1400 in cleanroom design will be manufacturing caps for insulin pens under cleanroom conditions, in short cycle times. These are then shredded, fed into a ZE 28 BluePower twin-screw extruder with a variety of additives, such as bonding agent and liquid dye, blended and homogenised. The recycled compound is then processed on the new powerMolding 1300-11900 with a clamping force of 13,000 kN into an automotive front-end carrier made of 100 percent recycled material.

The company has also announced its entry into the additive manufacturing market, with new technology that will be unveiled at K 2022.

Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, exhibiting in hall 15, stand D22, is further growing is all-electric IntElect platform. First launched with smaller tonnages—50 to 180 tons—the company in 2019 expanded the range from 220 to 500 tons. Basic machines are available in the full range, with higher-speed versions launched in 2018 from 50 to 80 tons. At K 2022, they will offer those IntElect S versions to 450 tons. In addition, the company will introduce the high-speed PAC-E line of machines, initially targeting packaging and currently available in the medium tonnage range. Described as a fusion of the El-Exis hybrid platform and IntElect all-electric series, it features a brand-new injection unit developed specifically for high-speed packaging. At K, the PAC-E line will debut with an all-electric 350-ton model running a 72-cavity cap mould, illustrating that the electrified press can achieve the same cycle time as the El-Exis.
At the show, the company is also showcasing the company’s web-based myConnect software, which can provide critical data and decision-making information in real time. In the future, all new machines will be equipped with this platform and its range of networked support services, which has been extended to include condition monitoring.

As always, the Wittmann Group’s machinery presentation is broad and comprehensive, with applications on display at the Wittmann Battenfeld booth C06 in hall 15, at the VDMA Circular Economy Forum, at booth CE10 in the outdoor area, and more equipment presented at the booth of Wittmann Technology as well as several booths of other exhibitors. The trade fair highlight, however, is an EcoPower equipped with the new B8X control system and operating with direct current generated from sources of renewable energy. Wittmann Battenfeld, together with its customer WAGO, have developed technology - and applied for a joint patent  - that enables the continuous current generated by solar cells to be used directly for driving injection moulding lines, without loss by first passing through inverters, transformers and high-voltage power lines. On an EcoPower 180/750+ operating with direct current, a part for the customer’s “basic clamp” is produced from flame-retardant polyamide with a 24-cavity mould supplied by WAGO. The parts are removed by a modified WX142 robot from Wittmann in a DC version powered directly via the intermediate DC circuit of the EcoPower, and which also returns any excess energy set free by axis deceleration to the intermediate circuit. This concept not only enables energy costs to be kept down by direct use of solar electricity, but direct current is also easy to store in conventional batteries, thus providing an excellent way to handle current peaks. If necessary, the machine can be changed over to AC operation.

A true highlight at the Netstal stand (hall 15, stand D24) is the redesigned Elios 4500, which now features a fully electric clamp unit, will which mould a thinwall 150-ml, IML-decorated yogurt cup from certified renewable PP from Sabic based on tall oil. According to the KraussMaffei company, switching to all-electric mould closing allows for a 0.1 second faster dry cycle and a 7kW reduction in average power consumption. The machine is also 450 mm shorter. One cup weighs just 6.5 grams. The 12-cavity mould, like the handling system, comes from IML Solutions. The cycle time will be around 5 seconds. Combining digitization and circular economy, the in-mould labels from Verstraete will also feature digital watermarks from the Holy Grail 2.0 initiative.

Nissei and Negri Bossi will be exhibiting together (in hall 15, stand B22) for the first time at a major event since the Italian machinery manufacturer joined the Nissei Group in January 2020. That move added large-tonnage injection moulding machines and a greater geographic reach to Nissei’s product line and allowed the businesses to share supply chains and production bases.
Nissei will debut an all-new all-electric machine, intended as a flagship model, to be sold in Europe. The companies also plan to expand on the PLA bioresin moulding package introduced at K 2019, where Nissei moulded long-stemmed thin-wall transparent PLA champagne flutes; and exhibit a solution  to  meet the rapidly shifting demands relating to electric vehicle.

Arburg,  whose motto at K this year is "There is only a Plan A", is emphasising its commitment to addressing the fundamental and critical issues of sustainability, the circular economy and carbon reduction. At its stand (hall 13, A13-1) and the arburgGREENworld pavilion in the VDMA Circular Economy Forum, the company is demonstrating how highly networked, digitalised manufacturing helps to conserve resources and increase production efficiency.
The arburgGREENworld pavilion offers insights both into Arburg’s own efforts, within the company to conserve resources and into what its products do for customers. Here, an electric Allrounder 370 A with recyclate package will produce "Greenline" plugs from Fischer.
The main stand will showcase Arburg technologies that enable sustainable, efficient manufacturing. Exhibits will include solutions with a small footprint, process control and networked peripherals, as well as completely new technologies, configurations with compact automation or the series production of mass-produced articles. A total of eight hydraulic, hybrid and electric Allrounders with a clamping force of between 350 and 6,500 kN and two Freeformers for industrial additive manufacturing will be on show. All injection moulding machines will be automated with robotic systems, in some cases integrated into complex turnkey systems and connected to the "arburgXworld" customer portal.

Extrusion highlights this year include energy-efficient technologies from Coperion and Coperion K-Tron (hall 14, stand B19) for processing, and a dedicated area for plastics recycling developments.
Coperion will be exhibiting an entire production line for recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at the VDMA’s Circular Economy Forum (CE09) as well as its expertise in numerous plastics recycling processes such as chemical recycling, multilayer film recycling, and upcycling. Its ZS-B MEGAfeed side feeder that enables plastic film and flake recycling in very high throughput dimensions, will be featured in the system, which is built around a ZSK 58 Mc18 twin screw extruder configured for manufacturing high-quality PET based on recycled materials. Conventional technologies for recycling PET require pre-drying and crystallization of flakes and fibres before they can be re-processed. Using Coperion's technological process solution, PET recyclate can be introduced directly into the ZSK extruder. The MEGAfeed enables plastic recyclate with a bulk density under 200 kg/m³ to be reliably fed in large quantities into the ZSK twin screw extruder. Melting, intensive devolatilization, and complete homogenization occur in the process section of the ZSK 58 Mc18; the material stream is then transferred via a gear pump and filter with an automatic screen pack changer to an underwater pelletizer for pellet production,  and then condensed in the SSP (Solid State Polycondensation) reactor. The high quality of recycled PET manufactured using this innovative Coperion process was approved by the FDA for direct contact with food (letter of non-objection).
One eye catcher at the Coperion Booth B19 in Hall 14 will be the high performance ZSK Mc18 extruder with a 70 mm screw diameter. With its high specific torque of 18 Nm/cm3, it is especially suited for efficient compounding of plastics at very high throughput rates and with comparatively low energy consumption

Davis-Standard will exhibit machinery and process solutions that highlight the company’s commitment to ‘value, innovation, and sustainability’ in Hall 16 Booth A43. Technology from the Davis-Standard family of companies, including Davis-Standard, Maillefer, Brampton Engineering, Deacro and Thermoforming Systems LLC (TSL). These are focused on a circular economy, energy efficiency, reduced power consumption and minimized waste. A live demonstration of smart factory connectivity is included. One highlight is the space-saving SHO Extruder (3.5-inch, 90mm) offering outputs of at least 20 percent higher versus existing groove feed models, engineered with a new gearbox, an optimized feed section, and high-performance, energy-efficient DSB barrier screw for  high-viscosity HDPE applications such as pipe extrusion.
Other exhibits include Maillefer’s new MXD series high-performance extruders will be on display in 45mm and 80mm sizes; and Extrusion Die 510A for packaging, cup stock, board and paper, foil, and film applications offering improved safety and reduced waste.

Windmöller & Hölscher’s response to challenges to create a circular economy, new opportunities through digitalisation, and the constant pressure to make production more efficient is succinctly expressed in its K 2022 theme of  ‘Get in the Loop’, illustrated with the infinity symbol. The focus is on demanding applications, such as barrier films or packaging with an increased percentage of PIR/PCR, the company said. Automation and digital systems for improving efficiency, such as the RUBY IoT- system will also be highlighted, with live demonstrations run on the VAREX II blown film line on the stand (hall 17, stand A57). W&H is also inviting visitors to the four-day EXPO at its headquarters in Lengerich. More than ten machines covering extrusion, printing, and converting will be running live demonstrations several times a day. Visitors can register at the W&H booth at K to join.

KraussMaffei (hall 15, stand C15/C24-D24) will be showing its DCIM (Direct Compounding Injection Molding) system that enables  different recycled materials, with different viscosities, to be economically processed - using a single-screw extruder- into a homogeneous melt that can subsequently be injected moulded into products. At K, five-piece polyolefin collapsible crates will be produced from PP staple fibre fleece from FFP2 masks, shredded HDPE from logistics packaging goods and HDPE blow moulding scraps from toy production, with masterbatch, stabilizer additives and micaceous iron oxide added as fillers.
The extruder, equipped with a specially developed , elongated screw with a ratio of length to diameter of 30 L/D (instead of the normal 17-23 L/D) is installed in a space-saving piggyback position directly over the injection unit of a standard hydraulic machine. The compounded melt is conveyed into the plasticizing unit in a single heating process, which reduces degradation of the polymer, conserves energy and reduces the CO2 footprint. The extruder and injection moulding machine produce in intermittent operation, which means that when the injection volume for the next cycle has been reached, the extruder stops. The system complements the company’s well-known IMC technology and, says KraussMaffei, enables material cost savings of up to 50 percent.

Bausano  (hall 16, stand B70), specialized in the design and production of customised plastics extrusion lines will be showcasing its Smart Energy System for cylinder induction heating, which helps to significantly reduce energy consumption. The system features forced-cooled induction coils with special openings that allow air to pass through and the temperature sensor to be installed. The coil is wrapped in highly insulating materials to minimise heat loss from the cylinder to the outside. The cooling airflow is channelled directly onto the plasticising cylinder for faster cooling. The system allows for an even heat distribution and a lower coil surface temperature, quick heating up to 250 °C and extremely accurate temperature control thanks to reduced thermal inertia. It will be on display at the stand on a twin screw extruder from the Nextmover range,  demonstrating that with this technology, an overall productivity of 2,000 kg/h can be achieved for PVC pipe diameters from 63 mm to 160 mm, while saving 35% energy. The system will also be shown on Bausano’s new single screw extruder E-GO R, designed for recycling plastics, which the company is debuting at K and which is designed to handle highly contaminated plastics. Some examples are HDPE waste from containers for milk, motor oil, shampoos and conditioners, soap, detergents, and bleach. Other applications include PP waste from lunch boxes, yoghurt pots, syrup and medicine bottles, caps and LDPE waste from cling film, shopping bags, and squeezable bottles.

Promix Solutions in hall 9, stand E18 is presenting solutions for the mixing, foaming and cooling of polymer melts that can save raw material costs, reduce the carbon footprint and increase production capacity. Promix Microcell Technology creates a microcellular foam structure in the polymer by adding environmentally friendly atmospheric gases (N2 and CO2). This reduces the product weight by 20 - 50 %, which leads to substantial savings in raw materials.
Promix conducted intensive research in the past two years into the further development of physical foam extrusion, leading to Its new an important milestone in terms of cell size. The company showed it was possible on average to halve the previous cell size of 100 micron. The extremely fine-celled structure yields mechanical values, comparable to those of non-foamed trays of the same thickness but with weight savings of around 20%. The technology is suitable for use in packaging films, sheets, foam core and corrugated pipes as well as profiles, cable sheathing, blow moulding and blown films.
Promix Microcell Technology can be used for almost all raw materials, including for PP, PE, PET, TPE, TPU, PA, hard & soft PVC and bioplastics. The technology is available both for newly planned extrusion lines and as a retrofit solution.

Kiefel GmbH (Hall 3, Stand E 90, VDMA Circular Economy Forum), specialised in thermoforming and joining technology for plastics and natural fibres, will be presenting machine, tool and automation solutions for processing recyclable materials at this year's K fair, as well as new digital services, solutions for the medical and pharmaceutical industries and research activities on the topic of sustainability. Among others, the company is offering a demonstration of the KMD 78.2 Speed steel rule machine, illustrating how high-quality, sustainable packaging products are made from recycled film - thus making a contribution to tray-to-tray recycling. The company is also unveiling the new Kiefel Standard Automation (KSA) - completely modular standard automation solutions based on a building block principle for the most common applications.
Kiefel will also be demonstrating its successful natural fibre thermoforming technology at the stand. The installed base of the NATUREFORMER KFT 90 machine, which deploys this technology, is growing rapidly worldwide.

Recycling innovations and equipmeLindner (hall 9, stand B17 & B19) is presenting a range of new, efficient all-in-one plastics recycling solutions, As the company points out, the key to recycling success lies in the perfect coordination of the upstream processes of shredding, washing and sorting. Among others, Lindner is launching its upgraded Jupiter BW series for the first time. The shredder ensures a constant volume flow and homogeneous larger particles, reduce the proportion of fines generated by 50%, and thus optimising the particle size for NIR sorting. Live outdoor demonstrations will be given at the VDMA Circular Economy Forum, where Lindner will be presenting a shredding, washing and drying unit, equipped with a Micromat HP shredder and integrated water treatment, and will be recycling plastics live several times a day. A definite highlight is the new system solution to directly process post-consumer flakes from rigid plastics in an injection moulding process. These pass through Lindner’s recycling machine, and – without prior extrusion – directly enter the injection moulding process.

Gneuss (hall 9, stand A22) is showing, among others, its new OMNI recycling machines for the closed loop recycling of PET, PS and polyolefin post-consumer reclaimed materials, including a complete OMNI recycling machine featuring a new 3C rotary feeder, an MRSjump 70 extruder, a fully automatic RSFgenius 90 melt filtration system and an online viscometer VIS, for the processing of 200 kg/h (450 lbs/h) of undried and uncrystallized polyester (PET) thermoform reclaim. The new 3C Rotary Feeder makes it possible to use low bulk density materials without any external processing steps. A conveyor belt feeds shredded reclaim material into the hopper, where a fast-rotating disc with knives cuts, compacts and pre-conditions the material. The knives add energy into the material and start the heating and degassing process before the material is automatically fed into the MRSjump extruder.
Samples of polypropylene tubs for food applications made with 30 % post-consumer PP and PS sheet made from 30 % post-consumer PS, processed on Gneuss OMNI Recycling Machines with MRS extruders and RSFgenius filtration systems, will be on display.
In parallel, with Gneuss’ headquarters only about 200 km from the show, a complete PET sheet extrusion line with an OMNImax Recycling Machine - consisting of an MRSjump 70, Gneuss’ deep vacuum system and a fully automatic filtration system RSFgenius 75 - and a sheet downstream with a 500 mm wide extrusion die will be running in Gneuss’ technical centre open to visitors.

 On the joint stand (hall 09, stand 9C09, and the Erema Circonomic Center) of the Erema Group – consisting of  Erema, Pure Loop, Umac, 3S, Keycycle and Plasmac – seven new technological innovations, recycling systems and components will be launched, including technological innovations in the plasticizing unit that have been specially developed for high throughputs with low specific energy consumption, the new Erema 406 laser filter with a 50 percent larger screening area, and new digital assistance systems that will be made available on the BluPort customer platform. Among the apps to be premiered are the PredictOn app, which helps to  anticipate and eliminate imminent malfunctions through the continuous measurement and evaluation of machine data. In addition, the company is introducing Chemarema, a new series developed for the mechanical material processing - preparing input streams and ensuring a reliable, continuous and energy-efficient flow of feed material - that is also part of the chemical recycling process.  Erema Group subsidiary UMAC is launching ReadyMac, a standardised, prefabricated recycling solution that can be produced from stock, based on proven Erema TVE technology.
Finally, in the inhouse recycling segment, Pure Loop and Plasmac will round off the wide range of machines offered by the group of companies with their product portfolio.
At the Circonomic Center located outside on the fairground, Erema will be showing plastics recycling with live demonstrations in conjunction with cooperation partners. Different waste streams will be processed for this purpose, and  applications for the recyclate will be showcased at the Products made of Recyclate exhibition at the centre.

In Recycling Hall 9, stand A02, Maag, whose systems play a key role in enabling a more circular economy for plastics, will be showing solutions for mechanical recycling. The company will showcase a range of equipment, from its Ettlinger ERF and ECO series melt filters, capable of handling contamination levels of up to 16 %, high throughputs of up to 10,000 kg/h and filtration finenesses down to 60 microns; its updated PEARLO underwater pelletizer technology; AMN die plates for underwater pelletisers; and the new extrex recycling pump with more space between the teeth and flatter angles to allow impurities up to a size of 0.6 mm to pass through, making an upstream protective filter in most cases unnecessary. The company is also debuting  its new ContiNeo backflush screen changer, combining the advantages of a piston screen changer with those of large-area filtration.

Hellweg Maschinenbau, a manufacturer of advanced granulation machinery, will be presenting extended options around the Smart Control system for its entire granulator range at stand C39 in hall 11. Also new: a servomotor-driven (enabling optimum control) digital central lubrication unit with Bluetooth data transmission retrofittable to all central granulators together with a new edge trimming system for use in extrusion. Hellweg has added a hardware module to the Smart Control system table that stores the power consumption data, including power peaks, of the machine it is fitted to over the long term, providing valuable data for analysis and optimising energy use. The SECURE+ package for the control system adds safety features. As soon as it detects imminent granulator overloads on the basis of motor current and torque values, it counteracts them so that rotor blockages can virtually be avoided.
Hellweg can now also optionally equip all central granulators from the 260 series upwards with a new central lubrication unit. Using a Bluetooth interface, the unit provides the operator with all relevant data, such as battery voltage, temperature, delivered lubricant volume as well as the time since the most recent pump stroke, operating time and number of pump strokes.
The new R 200/20 Servo edge trimming system, a joint development with BREYER Extrusion, complements Hellweg's range of systems of this type, also known as guillotines or chippers. When trimming film webs, it pre-shreds one or two edge strips, which are then fed to a granulator for further processing.

Maguire  (hall 10, stand C41) is introducing a new gravimetric feeder line that can be configured in any optimal way to accommodate various processing requirements. The new feeder models allow for up to 4 different size auger feeders, all located on one mounting frame, using a single common touch screen control.  In addition, the company is introducing a Volumetric Feeder (MVF) option. These new feeder models provide ultimate flexibility for injection moulding, extrusion, blow bolding and extrusion control applications. Maguire is also debuting the newest member of the company’s line of Weigh Scale Blenders, the new WSB-600 series blender for mid-range throughput applications at the show, that precisely dispenses up to twelve materials of widely diverse types and can be configured to dose up to six major ingredients. With a throughput range up to 2,500 lbs/hr, it is suitable for injection, extrusion, blow moulding, and central blending applications.

 At the stand of CMG Granulators (hall 9, stand C10), the company is showcasing its range of size reduction and recycling equipment solutions, including granulators, shredders, integral feed conveyors, and much more. All CMG granulators feature the Adaptive Motor Power (AMP) function, enabling them to autonomously establish the power level needed for the job, while optimising regrind quality and minimising the power consumption. The ROI for the AMP is less than 12 months. CMG provides technologies and solutions designed for the Circular Economy. Its portfolio features, among others, the Evoluzione series super granulators for post-consumer recycling – a solution for the most critical operating conditions, wet or dry granulation, with a granulation capacity from 2,000 to over 5,000 kg/h; high efficiency shredders such as the TRM1500 with patented blade design; and a newly designed granulator series for in-line scrap recycling, suitable for sheet, skeletal sheet and reject parts grinding, comprising four models, suitable for small to medium capacities, to cover applications ranging from 200 through to 1.000 kg/h.