MATERIALS AND APPLICATIONS
Sirmax Group is Enriching its “ Green ” Products Portfolio
The product portfolio of Sirmax Group is increasingly “ green ”. In the sustainable development context towards which the company has been focusing since some years ago , the range of bio-compound products , with the brand Biocomp ® produced by the Company Group Microtec srl , based in Mellaredo di Pianiga ( Ve ), is expanding . The bioplastics portfolio has been enriched by 4 new grades – which add to the already existent ones – specifically developed for injection molding and extrusion / thermoforming : Biocomp ® IM 95 , Biocomp ® IM 95 CP , Biocomp ® IM DPLA and Biocomp ® IM FLEX . The new grades are based on the formulation of innovative plant materials with the inclusion of natural additives which ensure a content of renewable “ biobased ” sources up to 100 % ( referencing to ASTM D 6866 ). The main properties of the new grades are the ease of processing through extrusion
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Some examples of products with biopolymers by Microtec ( Sirmax Group ) and moulding , the limited cycle time , also using standard presses with nondedicated screws for plasticisation , and the great resistance to deformation due to heat with HDT up to 95 ° C ( without pre- or post-crystallization processes ). “ For Microtec these new products represent the entrance into a new field , the one of injection moulding – explains Diego Lombardo , Microtec managing director -. Now we are able to source our customers with the compound specific to thermoforming , too . We are already operative ”. The 4 new grades introduced are suitable to produce “ single use ” products or “ semi-durable ” goods which are wholly biodegradable and compostable according to the EN 13432 norm , certified “ OK Compost Industrial ” by TUV- Austria . They can be used in several application fields : plates , glasses , cutlery , straws , clips for agriculture , pens , brushes , trays , jars , lids , coffee capsules , toys , closing caps , and more . In sight of the new and more stringent European regulations , the objective is to respond to the new needs of the market , especially those of the food market , identifying innovative solutions in the perspective of sustainability . All the Biocomp ® compounds , indeed , are suitable for the contact with food in accordance with UE norms . Moreover , Sirmax produces with Microtec a wide range of biodegradable and compostable products with reference to the EN 13432 norm for flexible packaging applications , shopping bags and bags for fruit and
vegetables , among which there is the recent Biocomp ® BF 6535 , which has a content of raw materials from renewable sources higher than 60 %. A few months ago , Microtec has improved the productive capacity , with to the expansion of the plant from 5.000 to 17.000 square meter in total . Thanks to the doubling of the extrusion lines , the production capacity is now equal to 16.000 tons per year .