Technological watch

LEONHARD KURZ will demonstrate live together with its partner Deckerform how the use of recycled materials can be combined with effective decoration, and thus become an attractive alternative for manufacturers at the 27th Fakuma trade fair from October 12 to 16 in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
Sustainable Compound for Range of Industries
RECOPOUND® by KURZ is a recycled PET-based compound that can be used as a construction material for robust plastic products in a wide range of industries - whether for large transport boxes, technical components, or garden furniture.
“With RECOPOUND®, we have found a particularly effective and sustainable solution for producing high-quality recycled pellets from production residues,” says Johannes Romming, project manager innovation & sustainability at LEONHARD KURZ. “The visual properties of the recycled material are in no way inferior to those of new material.The parts manufactured with the pellets using injection molding also score points with efficient processing and a wide range of design options.”
Fakuma visitors can see all this for themselves: As a giveaway for interested parties, sprayfoamed watering cans made of RECOPOUND® are produced live at Booth A6-6413 by Deckerform and finished with a transfer decoration on a hot-stamping machine from KURZ subsidiary Baier. The design of the watering cans was created in close cooperation between the partner companies LEONHARD KURZ and Deckerform.
The Unique Takeback and Recycling System
The high-quality recycled pellets are the result of RECOSYS®, the unique takeback and recycling system for PET transfer carriers in the industry, which remain as residual material after decoration. The PET transfer carriers are processed in a particularly efficient process and fed back into the utilization cycle in the form of pellets. In addition to saving fossil fuels, up to 40 percent of CO2 emissions can be saved in this way. To visually enhance the products, the entire range of KURZ plastic decorations can also be implemented for components made from recycled material. In keeping with the motto ‘Design for Recycling’, the result is no less aesthetic than with new material. In addition, the finishing has no negative impact on the recyclability of the component.
RECOPOUND® and the associated RECOSYS® recycling system are just two building blocks in LEONHARD KURZ’s ‘Lifecycle Thinking’ - and this will be clearly demonstrated at this year’s Fakuma trade fair as well. As a global company, the expert in plastic surface solutions is aware of its responsibility and is therefore consistently working on sustainable processes and products for itself and its customers. Saving resources and improving the eco-balance are important goals that KURZ is working towards, for example, with its own photovoltaic, heat and energy systems. At the trade fair, the company will demonstrate that sustainability is a point of consideration for every KURZ product - with a wide variety of exhibits, from the automotive, consumer electronics, and home appliances sectors. The experts in the field of ‘Lifecycle Thinking’ will also be available at the stand for all questions Fakuma visitors might want to ask about environmentally friendly technologies and innovations.
Environmentally Friendly Injection Molding
An injection molding machine from the Japanese manufacturer Toyo’s Si-6s series is used, which is sold exclusively in German-speaking countries by Deckerform. This is a fully electric injection molding machine with a closing force of 230 tons, which is significantly more environmentally friendly in operation than hydraulic models.
On one hand, the excellent efficiency of the electric motors reduces the power consumption, and on the other hand, there is no idle operation. In this way, energy savings of up to 70 percent compared to the hydraulic machine can be achieved. The machine shown at the Deckerform stand is particularly efficient because it can be used for a wide range of special processes and different applications. In addition to conventional injection molding, material-saving injection foaming and injection embossing can also be implemented.
Source: KURZ