The “green” theme highlighted at Chinaplas covers many categories of products. For injection molding machines, their “greenness” is measured and certified by third-party organizations.
In fact, recently developed Chinese standards for energy-saving injection presses are quite lofty, compared with, for instance, the German equivalent.
Machinery makers have been increasingly touting the energy-saving features of their products in recent years, but there was no system in place to regulate these claims, according to Qian Yaoen, general secretary of the China Plastics Machinery Industry Association. He spoke at the Green Forum during the Chinaplas show, held April 19-22 in Shanghai.
The Beijing-based trade group joined hands with the National Plastic Machinery Quality Inspection and Testing Center, and Chinaplas organizer Adsale Group, to ensure that all energy-conserving injection molding machines displayed at Chinaplas were tested and certified.
“This is the first time in history that a plastics trade fair has implemented strict verification practices for energy-saving machines,” Qian said. The move is in response to global trends of low carbon footprints, energy conservation and sustainable growth, as well as a sign of China's developing industry, he added.
China's first sets of industry standards for energy-saving injection molding machines took effect in the second half of last year, categorizing all presses in the marketplace into six energy-consumption levels — level one being the most energy-efficient.
Only machines consuming no more than 0.55 kilowatt-hours per kilogram of processed product, levels 1 and 2, can be labeled energy-efficient, Qian said.
“Our standard is even stricter than the European standard, which is 0.6 kwh/kg,” he said.
While all-electric presses remain the most energy-efficient, quite a few Chinese press makers showcased new generations of servo-driven units at Chinaplas.
“These servo-driven machines are getting close to all-electric presses in terms of energy consumption, but with much better price/value ratio, durability and low-velocity performance,” said Simon Ho, director of marketing and international trade at Cosmos Machinery Ltd.
Haitian International Holdings Ltd.'s latest servo press consumes 80 percent less electricity than conventional machines, Qian said.
Guangzhou Borch Machinery Co. Ltd. also introduced a line of patented servo-driven presses, and President Burender Zhu told Plastics News that the company developed the servo motor independently.
“If you are a buyer, and you see a press that claims to be energy-efficient without our third-party verification, you need to beware,” Qian said.
Copyright 2010 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved.