Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
October 18, 2021 10:06 AM

Plastic, paper molded together in project to cut plastic packaging content

Catherine Kavanaugh
Staff Writer
Plastics News Staff
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Netstal-main_i.jpg
    Caroline Seidel
    People watch Netstal's Elton 2200 producing food containers at Fakuma 2021 in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

    Friedrichshafen, Germany — Swiss injection molding machine builder Netstal Group and its partners have designed a package with reduced plastic content for keeping food like yogurt, cheese, ice cream and salads.

    The collaboration between eight companies resulted in a round pail with a paper chassis for German packaging manufacturer Spies Kunststoffe GmbH.

    Produced with a Netstal Elion 2200-1000 injection molding machine, the pails consist of a polypropylene rim and skeleton with a wall thickness of 0.92 millimeters bonded to a PP-coated cardboard band.

    "The cardboard band serves not only as an outer cover but also takes over the protective function of the contents through the coating," Michael Birchler, head of marketing and communications, said in an email.

    During production, a pre-printed band of the coated cardboard is inserted into the two cavities of the mold using in-mold-labeling (IML) robotics.

    PP is then injected via channels to fill the rim of the bucket and firmly bond it to the cardboard band.

    The material also fills the skeleton, which has a wall thickness of 0.92 millimeters in the area of the flow bars and is made in the same injection molding process as the rim with a cycle time of five seconds.

    PP is used for the cardboard coating, too, to ensure durability of the contents and tightness. The package also has plastic seams.

    With this application, Netstal and its partners created a novel 1.2-liter pail with minimal weight and maximum content of renewable raw materials, Birchler said. The amount of plastic used is reduced and replaced with coated cardboard, he added.

    When asked about the recyclability of coated cardboard, Birchler said, "After consultation with the German Recycling Paper + Cardboard Association, even if the product is sent to the carton collection, it is sorted out for thermal recycling. If there is an existing recycling stream for Tetra Paks in a country, the plastic can be separated from the cellulose by remaining in a water bath for a longer period of time."

    Tetra Pak, part of Swiss-based Tetra Laval Group, is a food processing, packaging and distribution company for dairy products, beverages, ice cream, cheese, vegetables and pet food. The business is focused on reducing the use of all raw materials and energy during manufacturing and distribution.

    In addition to Spies, Netstal partnered with Muller Technology Conthey, Motan Colortronic, EF Cooling, Sabic, Stora Enso and Engelhardt Etikett.

    Some of the partners helped automate the process. After a camera check for quality, robots remove the finished pails and stack them on a conveyor belt. The stacks of pails are then packed into boxes by a collaborative boxing robot.

    Birchler summed up the automation like this: "There will be the main linear robot for the IML and takeout process followed by a six-axis robot who will process the vision inspection (reject of bad parts if necessary) and stacking of the pails. A cobot will be occupied with boxing of the stacks into provided trollies."

    Pressing matters

    The partners are producing the pails with a Elion 2200 press to reliably reproduce the fine structures of the skeleton with shot weight consistency and controlled injection performance.

    The machine has a hybrid injection unit and double valve technology.

    The flow path and wall thickness ratio of the pail application is 1:305, which requires very high injection dynamics.

    Also, plasticizing was designed to ensure optimum color homogeneity.

    Caroline Seidel
    The collaboration between eight companies resulted in a round pail with a paper chassis for German packaging manufac- turer Spies Kunststoffe GmbH.
    Accreditation coming

    Looking ahead, in January 2022, Netstal will offer ISO 17025 accredited calibration of injection molding machines, which is needed regularly by medical molders. Trained calibration personnel will guarantee measurement accuracy of the relevant sensor signals within a defined range.

    Netstal has fulfilled the certification criteria as an accredited laboratory, according to ISO 17025. The certificate is expected to be issued by the Swiss Accreditation Service by the end of the year.

    "Netstal will then be considered an accredited laboratory and will be able to offer ISO 17025 accredited calibrations to its customers," Birchler said, adding the service is subject to a fee.

    Free e-service

    Netstal also is promoting its free e-service document repository for customers, which is offered as part of its so-called Life Cycle concept.

    The company has been offering its own online service portal since 2018.

    The repository it includes eliminates the need to search for specific machine documents. The platform provides access to electrical diagrams, technical data and setting instructions.

    Quick identification and ordering of spare parts is possible, too, by an integrated 3D spare parts catalog with graphic visualization of the individual machine components.

    Also, service support can be requested through a simple ticketing system.

    Netstal builds injection molding machines with clamping forces between 80 and 1,000 tons for the packaging, medical and beverage markets, including PET-Line-brand preform systems for up to 144 cavities.

    Based in Näfels, Switzerland, since 1961, Netstal employs more than 500 people worldwide. The company, which is certified for ISO 9001, has been part of the KraussMaffei Group since 1992.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Numbers That Matter Live — sign up for the next live
    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]

    Most Popular
    1
    ExxonMobil weighing options for more chemical recycling capacity
    2
    Wilbert Plastic Services adjusts to changes with new owner, leadership
    3
    PepsiCo on a ‘multiyear journey' toward bioplastics
    4
    After years of challenges, can secondary sortation take off?
    5
    Biden sets US goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    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.

    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 News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. 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
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified