Page 52 - Plastics News March 2019

PRODUCT NEWS

Nordson introduces FlexDisc™ Quinn Packaging launches ‘fully
filter recyclable’ black plastic food

trays
ordson has introduced an innovative FlexDisc™ filter
Nfor piston-activated screen changers substantially reland-based Quinn Packaging has launched black
enlarges available filtration area without the need Iplastic food trays which it says are fully identifiable
to increase machine size, enabling processors and
recyclers to achieve finer in sorting systems. Endorsed by the Irish packaging
filtration, higher throughputs, recovery compliance scheme, the Detecta black PET
longer filter service life, and food trays could potentially ensure black plastic does
not end up in landfill.With Material Recovery Facilities
reduced specific backflush
volume. Nordson Corporation (MRF’s) using Near-Infra-Red (NIR) optical sorting
recommends the BKG® equipment to identify and sort various plastic waste
FlexDisc™ for increasing streams including PET plastic, standard black PET trays
productivity and enhancing absorb the infra-red beams making them invisible to the
quality in bottle-to-bottle PET sorting system with the result they cannot be identified
recycling, PET fiber recycling, and removed for recycling.Mark McKenna, general
and battery separator film manager at Quinn Packaging, which manufacturers rigid
applications. The function and flexible thermoformed food packaging and supplies
of the hydraulic pistons, with which many BKG screen in Ireland and across the UK, told Packaging News it
changers are equipped, is to insert screen cavities into was common practice in the plastics industry to use
the melt stream for filtration and to remove them for colour additives derived from carbon black pigment
cleaning or replacement. In systems where FlexDiscs are when items are to be produced in black. “Carbon
used, each cavity contains a filter stack comprised of Black pigment
two to four FlexDiscs, depending on machine size. Each hinder s this
FlexDisc is equipped with two Nordson screen packs. As polymer detection
a result, there is two to 4.5 times more filtration area by absorbing the
available for each cavity with the new FlexDisc than with light. Nothing is
conventional standard round screens, and 25% additional reflected to the
area (on average) when compared to the former FlexDisc detecto r s s o
version. The actual increase is dependent on machine the equipment
size. Screen changers equipped with Nordson’s backflush effectively doesn’t
technology include the BKG® V-Type 3G and BKG® HiCon™ see anything.
K-SWE-4K-75/RS. Backflushing diverts the contaminant The trays are
from the melt stream. The greater filtration efficiency of essentially invisible. “In the case of the Detecta range
the new FlexDisc reduces the frequency of backflushing there is no carbon black pigment included. Instead
and thus the amount of specific backflush volume. As melt the black colour is achieved by blending primary
enters the filter stack from the upstream side, it is evenly and secondary colour pigments together to achieve
distributed among the FlexDiscs, which are rheologically black. By using this solution the NIR light both passes
optimized to provide efficient filtration with minimal through and reflects off of the tray surface resulting in
shear stress. At the same time, the structural integrity the packaging being fully visible to sorting systems.”
of the FlexDisc design enables it to withstand pressure He said it was also developed to be a PET that was
differentials up to 130 bar (1,900 psi) during the backflush competitively priced and also blended with over 90%
procedure. “The substantially increased filtration recycled material. Repak, which operate the packaging
efficiency of the FlexDisc can enable the processor or recovery compliance scheme for Ireland under licence
recycler to save on investment cost by purchasing a smaller from the Irish Government, has endorsed the Detecta,
machine without sacrificing throughput,” said Christian declaring it an important breakthrough in helping meet
Schröder, Global Product Manager at Nordson. new EU targets on plastic waste.

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