Pure Loop GmbH is showcasing its integrated shredder-extruder ISEC evo for injection molders at Fakuma, first launched almost 10 years ago. What's new is the focus on the machine's ability to keep composite materials, particularly those reinforced with glass fiber, in the loop.
Glass-fiber-reinforced polymer composites are widely used in aerospace, automotive, construction and marine industries due to their strength-to-weight ratio and versatility. They are also commonly used in reinforcing concrete structures, wind turbine blades, and piping systems for enhanced performance and longevity.
Pure Loop's machine, which is equipped with a melt filter, can cope with challenging materials of different sizes and shapes. The use of high-quality carbide knives, a protected rotor, special treatment of the screw flights and other measures increase the wear resistance of the system. As a result, glass fibers can also be optimally processed, the Erema subsidiary claims.
The machine can process up to 100 percent glass fiber material, Manfred Dobersberger, managing director of Ansfelden, Austria-based Pure Loop, told Sustainable Plastics, a sister publication of Plastics News.
The origin story of that development started with a light-hearted suggestion from a client, who asked Dobersberger if he could run the machine on 100 percent glass fiber.
The suggestion turned into a serious goal for Pure Loop when Dobersberger considered what would have to be adapted — running the extruder at a higher temperature to melt the glass, using stronger knives. The rest is history.
"Now we can recycle glass-fiber scraps and make a new compound out of it in one step. This is something that no one else in the world has ever done — we are quite proud of it," Dobersberger said.