ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT players operating in the biopolymers market . With these products , SB aims to redefine the standards of an industry which – in consideration of the growth rates expected in the next few years – will need specific solutions , no long-er borrowed from conventional systems .
QUALITY IN RECYCLING As regards plastics recycling , for many years now SB Plastics Machinery has been deliv-ering ad hoc solutions to a market niche focusing on high-quality recycling . According to the company , today ’ s recycling market can no longer be considered – as it was in the 1980s and 1990s – as the result of an intuition leading to huge returns on investments , but it has become an integral part of every converter ’ s production cycle : as such , it is an increasingly complex and , most of all , competitive market . SB is therefore convinced that the only way to remain successful is focusing on the quality of the recycled materials , which should be possibly better than the virgin material . This is why the company offers its traditional range of MOBY – IV STABILIZER solid-state polycondensation ( SSP ) systems , as well as the recycled PET Super-Clean system for decontamination . The main features differentiating the MOBY technology from other competing solutions concern the quality of the output material : during the treatment , the intrinsic viscosity ( IV ) of R-PET is not only increased up to values exceeding 1 dl / g , but it is
most importantly stabilised with an intensive mixing process . For example , even in the case of tray-to-tray plate regrind applications , where the user in-tentionally varies the quality of the input materials , the MOBY system offers a strategic opportunity , since it not only increases and stabilises the IV values , but also takes care of the decontamination process to make polymers suitable for contact with food ( FDA / EFSA grades .) All this while avoiding the complex recipes and mixing systems usually imple-mented upstream in order to normalise the pressure of the extrusion head . As far as HDPE recycling is concerned , on the other hand , SB has conducted an inten-sive R & D programme over the last two years in cooperation with a major foreign recycler . The two companies are going to install , in 2021 , one of the first plants in the world for the recovery of food-grade HDPE . This experience has also led , last year , to the development of the new AIR range of ma-chines specifically designed for the deodorisation of HDPE : SB relies on these machines to enter one of today ’ s most promising markets . To this purpose , an inhouse laboratory has been set up in order to carry out treatment tests and specific analyses on the reduc-tion of contaminants ( typically limonene or organic compounds .)
LABORATORY SUPER-DRYING The VHELIOS range of super-dehumidifiers , de-
Detail of an AIR system for the deodorization of recycled HDPE
signed for laboratory tests on engineering plastics and biopolymers ( granules and ground or powdered plastics ) are also proving increasingly successful . In this case , too , the target market are not only converters , but rather all those who have to carry out tests on a regular basis in order to validate the quality of their plastic articles . The VHELIOS super-dehumidifiers allow quick drying cycles to be carried out on material batches ( typically ranging from 10 to 60 litres ) which can be subsequently stored in many ways for an undetermined period of time . This technology takes advantage of a vacuum system which protects the polymer or biopolymer to be processed from any oxidation or moisture regain phenomena . Once the configurable automatic cycle ( which can also be performed overnight ) is concluded , the material can be used immediately , preserved in the reactor under vacuum conditions until it is used , or unloaded and stored ( together with other materials ) in a docking station . The latter option makes it possible to prepare several samples of the same material or of different materials , and use them only when needed .
Detail of a Moby - IV Stabilizer plant for polycondensation and Super-Clean of recycled PET
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THE FEATURES OF SB MACHINES AND SYSTEMS All machines and systems offered by SB Plastics Machinery are equipped with compo-nents sourced from leading manufacturers that can provide assistance and spare parts locally . For example , thanks to a partnership that has become well established over the years , PLC and HMI controls are supplied by Siemens , which guarantees the best standards not only in terms of reliability , durability , protection from electromagnetic interference , and connectivity ( 4.0 ), but also in
Italian technology plast / May 2021
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