Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Plastics News China
  • Rubber & Plastics News
logo-pn-color
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • End Markets
    • FYI Charts
    • LSR World
    • Multimedia
    • NPE2021
    • K Show
    • Special Reports
    • Top materials of injection molders
      Recycled PET use by product category
      US PET, flexible packaging desintations
      Global fluropolymers additives market: CAGR
    • NPE exhibitors question handling of deposits for canceled trade show
      Exhibitors back NPE cancellation: ‘We couldn't take that risk'
      NPE2021 canceled as in-person event
      NPE reviews its options as pandemic prompts exhibitor to exit
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • What Keeps You Up At Night
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Videos
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • CEO Issue
    • Best Places to Work
    • Processor of the Year
    • Rising Stars
    • Women Breaking the Mold
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • Heavy Metal
    • One Good Resin
    • BRICS and Plastics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Perspective: Making the best of working from home
      Nypro's Gordon Lankton left the plastics industry a better place
      Recognizing Plastek Industries for all-around excellence
      Let's look forward, rather than back, to mark COVID anniversary
    • Kickstart: They're not used shoes, they're 'refurbished'
      Kickstart: Holy guacamole, science is cool
      Kickstart: Coffee with a splash of sustainability
      Kickstart: Live, from Shenzhen, it's an in-person trade show
    • Heavy Metal: Coronavirus edition, plus the work of working from home
      Don't put off succession planning
      What's a good gift for your cobot? Batteries?
      Here's some big ideas to mull over the holidays
    • PE resin trends highlighted in Shell report
      Dow's Lowry honored by World Economic Forum for sustainability work
      Africa impacts new colors from Ampacet
      Plaskolite marches into madness with its own online bracket
    • Climate debate in Washington increasingly includes plastic
      There was no choice but canceling NPE still a big deal
      The business case for producer responsibility
      Think divided government stalls plastics legislation? Think again
    • Annual PN LSR directory grows
      Want prices? Introducing historical resin pricing, now available in a downloadable form
      A new annual ranking: Top processor gains
      Thermoformers: Would you believe a 12 percent gain?
    • Working from home: Rugrats edition
      Nypro's Gordon Lankton left the plastics industry a better place
      Let's look forward, rather than back, to mark COVID anniversary
      Virtual pitfalls derail exhibits for builders' trade show
    • Machine builders press through pandemic with innovations
      PEX pipe maker Uponor donates $30,000 for Texas storm relief
      Virtual pitfalls derail exhibits for builders' trade show
      PPI puts $200 bounty on exhumed HDPE conduit
    • Perspective: Making the best of working from home
      Perspective: The Materials Wars: Is plastic actually better?
      Perspective: Plastics manufacturers — a surprising contribution to sustainability
      Plastics industry business owners: Listen to your future workforce
    • Mailbag: Additional fees for electric vehicles ‘unfortunate'
      Mailbag: Where's the plastics industry's response to critics?
      Mailbag: Manufacturers struggling to follow COVID-19 safety rules
      Modernizing recycling infrastructure will benefit businesses as well as the environment
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
    • Maintenance can ensure efficient blender operation
      Dosing: Perfect for adding color
      Blending vs dosing: What you need to know
      Going low or high: Comparing volume
    • Colors and custom compounds
      In the laboratory: Compounding solutions
      Recycling content: Resins going ‘green’
      Compounding: Glass and other fillers
    • Dryer maintenance: Don’t err with air
      Dryers: Options for a shop’s process
      Dryer installation: Going central?
      Resins: Hygroscopic or non-hygroscopic
    • Electric injection molding presses: Efficiency is key
      Hydraulic injection molding machines
      Proper maintenance can prevent downtime
      Hybrid injection molding machines
    • Purging Hot runners: Open or closed methods
      Purging extrusion machinery
      Purging extrusion blow molding machines
      Purging: Chemical, abrasive and non-abrasive
    • Controls, special applications boost production, profitability
      Robot maintenance key for smooth operation
      High-speed robots: A rapid way to increase efficiency
      Robots: Every shape and size
    • Maintenance: Key for efficiency
      Shredders: Plastic in pieces
      Safety first for size reduction
      Granulators: The right fit
    • Structural foam molding: Flexibility for processors
      Video: Structural foam molding
    • Mold inventory: How many molds does a shop have?
      Molds: Innovation
      Mold changeover: Saving time and money
      How molds work
    • Labor: Apprenticeships may provide answer
      College training, programs
      Internships: Solving the skills gap in-house
      Lean Six Sigma: Transforming business operation
  • Events
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Ask the Expert
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
    • 2020 Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
    • Polymer Points Live - April 2021
      Polymer Points Live - February 2021
      Polymer Points Live - January 2021
      Polymer Points Live - December 2020
    • Plastics in Healthcare 2020
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Plastics in Healthcare
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
  • Resin Prices
    • All Resins
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Rankings
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Data Store
  • Directory
  • More+
    • Classifieds
    • Digital Edition
    • Newsletters
    • Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Sponsored By Bandera
      Bandera US was born for the North American market
      Sponsored By Ensign Equipment
      Filling systems customized for any process or budget need
      KraussMaffei
      Sponsored By KraussMaffei
      KraussMaffei retools in US with investment from parent ownership
      Sponsored By Mitsubishi
      Innovative new technology from Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation helps reduce emission footprints
    • KraussMaffei
      Sponsored By KraussMaffei
      KraussMaffei Retools in US with investment from Parent Ownership
    • Sponsored By ENGEL Machinery
      Tailored maintenance for injection molding machines and robots
      Sponsored By ENGEL Machinery
      Improve maintenance efficiency with e-connect.monitor
      Sponsored By ENGEL Machinery
      Maximum precision for lowest shot weights
      Sponsored By ENGEL Machinery
      Even more cost effectiveness for small precision parts
    • Shell Polymer
      Sponsored By Shell Polymers
      Food and beverage trends impacting the polymer industry
      Sponsored By Conexiom
      Use Sales Order Automation to free up time for CSRs to focus on customers, not manual entry
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
May 25, 1998 02:00 AM

VISTEON LEVELS LASER AT RESIN FIRMS, RECYCLERS

Joseph Pryweller PLASTICS NEWS STAFF
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    DEARBORN, MICH. — Looking like a leftover prop from Star Wars, a point-and-shoot laser gun could usher in a new era for plastic auto-parts recycling.

    With the financial backing of Ford Motor Co.'s Visteon parts-making unit, the device is no plaything. The infrared laser gun, attached to a 5-foot mobile console called the RP-1, is beginning commercial production and will be rolled out this year to plastic recyclers and resin companies.

    The RP-1 is considerably faster and more accurate that other resin-identifying machines, said Visteon materials engineer Anthony Brooks at the company's Dearborn-based engineering test facility.

    Visteon has put about $500,000 into the device's development since 1996, Brooks said.

    Visteon is counting on resin suppliers to latch onto the device, which it says will shrink recycling costs.

    ``We don't mind putting a little scare into resin companies,'' said Brooks, who helps lead Visteon's interior parts recycling work. ``We'd like to get a better sense of support from them. What we really want to find out is who really wants to recycle plastics and get a commitment from those companies.''

    Still, the RP-1 has to pass several hurdles, including price and the ability to read black plastic. Some industry experts say it is a step forward but not the end goal.

    Last year, Visteon made 15 types of recycled-content parts, using about 50.5 million pounds of recycled material, Brooks said. In the process, the company saved about $5.1 million by using recycled resins instead of virgin materials, Brooks added.

    Since launching the program in 1994, Ford has saved more than $11 million by using recycled materials, Brooks said.

    ``It's wrong to say that a recycled part can't be made as inexpensively as any other part,'' he said. ``We've proven that.''

    The RP-1, standing for Raman Probe 1, could advance that philosophy to other companies, Brooks said. The device uses a process developed by Nobel Prize-winning Indian inventor C.V. Raman and harnesses into a resin-identifying machine by SpectraCode Inc., a scientific-instrument maker in West Lafayette, Ind.

    Essentially, the Raman spectroscopy process allows an infrared laser to read a vibrating polymer bed, the network of springs holding the resin together, said SpectraCode President Ed Grant. When the laser strikes a plastic part, it produces an oscillating light field that changes colors as electrons move.

    The laser can measure precisely the color frequency of the electromagnetic field, Grant said. A charged, coupled device, similar to a video camera's image detector, disperses the color spectrum, looking like the peaks and valleys on a hospital heart monitor, to the machine.

    ``Each polymer has a different set of frequencies,'' said Grant, a chemistry professor at Purdue University. ``The color spectrums act as a fingerprint for a certain type of polymer.''

    After the specific material is identified, it can be sorted more easily, reground and sent to parts suppliers for reuse, Grant said.

    Point. Shoot. Job finished.

    By taking target practice at a scrapped plastic part, the machine's anodized aluminum wand can tell the difference between nylon 6 and 6/6, or between flame-retardant and traditional ABS. The wand also can detect the location of commingled material on one part.

    In about a quarter second, the machine spouts a readout in large black letters: ``The plastic is polycarbonate.'' Other resin-identifying machines take anywhere from two to 10 seconds to identify resins, Brooks said.

    Other infrared reading devices also require that a part be placed flush against the machine surface and remain motionless.

    And they do not parse out the distinct resins in one family, Grant said.

    ``The industry has made compromises,'' Grant said. ``The inefficiencies in the overall process make the economics more difficult. Recycling can become successful when the obstacles are overcome.''

    Those problems have caused recyclers to shy away from plastics, said Ray Pomerleau, director of plastics at Indianapolis-based recycling company Butler-MacDonald Inc. Recyclers frequently end up with incompatible and impure materials from one part, he said.

    ``When you look at plastics recycling as an industry, less than half a percent of that is for durable goods,'' Pomerleau said. ``We've had to deal with complex assemblies, with feedstreams that mingle plastics with metal and with plastics that shouldn't be mixed.''

    Butler-MacDonald, one of the country's largest recyclers of plastics and metal, has helped SpectraCode develop the RP-1 by offering industry expertise and test facilities, Pomerleau said. The recycler also brought the technology to Visteon's attention.

    So far, the results have been positive, Pomerleau said. But one drawback remains: In early versions of the RP-1, the laser burns through black material and obscures the reading, he said.

    However, SpectraCode, working with the recycler, has solved that problem, Pomerleau said. New machines will undergo testing at Butler-MacDonald at the end of May, he said. Because the machine's changes must still be patented, Grant said he couldn't discuss the new process to detect black plastic.

    Another potential problem could be price. The RP-1 costs $75,000, more than twice that of other laser reading devices. Still, Brooks said that a recycler could save about $2,000 a month, on average, due to the machine's speed, precision and less-cumbersome operation.

    The device has been displayed to plastics automotive recyclers, including Grand Blanc, Mich.-based American Commodities Inc. and Shrewsbury, N.J.-based Wellman Inc. American Commodities is using an RP-1 machine on a trial basis.

    Wellman, a major recycler of PET in bottles, has not decided whether to buy the RP-1, according to Tom Barnard, sales director of the engineering resins division. As fast and accurate as the device is, it is more a step forward than an industry panacea, he said.

    ``The [automotive] industry is still prehistoric in its recycling evolution,'' said Barnard, based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. ``What we'd like to do eventually is automate a line and pass [used] parts through a conveyor. We have to get where it is almost instantaneous, as it is in the bottle industry.''

    Visteon would like to help drive that industry forward, Brooks said.

    ``If this helps knock down some of the walls, then we've done some good,'' he said.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    logo-pn-color
    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber & Plastics News
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Plastics News China
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Tire Business
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • What Keeps You Up At Night
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
        • Polymer Points Live
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • FYI Charts
        • Current FYI
      • LSR World
      • Multimedia
        • Videos
        • Galleries
        • Podcasts
      • NPE2021
      • K Show
      • Special Reports
        • CEO Issue
        • Best Places to Work
        • Processor of the Year
        • Rising Stars
        • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • Heavy Metal
      • One Good Resin
      • BRICS and Plastics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Plastics in Healthcare
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
      • Industry Events
      • Livestreams/Webinars
      • Ask the Expert
      • Polymer Points Live
      • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
      • 2020 Caps & Closures Library
      • Plastics in Healthcare Library
      • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
    • Resin Prices
      • All Resins
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Rankings
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Data Store
    • Directory
    • More+
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified
      • Digital Edition
      • Newsletters
      • Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Processor of the Year submissions