Climate change is considered one of the greatest challenges of our time. Companies are therefore also obliged to put sustainability on their list of priorities and develop sustainable solutions more than ever before. Leonhard Kurz will be demonstrating how this can be achieved at the Fakuma trade fair on 27. The event will take place from 12-16 October in Friedrichshafen, Germany, at stand A4-4122.
Kurz, the expert in innovative plastic surface solutions, will demonstrate live together with its partner Deckerform how recycled materials can be combined with effective decoration and thus become an attractive alternative for manufacturers. “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, and 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, spray-foamed 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.
Machine for more environment-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 environment-friendly in operation than hydraulic models.
On the 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 hydraulic machines 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.
Leonhard Kurz has been working with Deckerform from Aichach, Bavaria since 2019 to bundle the expertise of both companies in process and application technology. “Sustainability has become increasingly important over time,” says Anna Tschacha from Deckerform’s management team. “We quickly recognized the great potential in the use of synergy effects on both sides. We’re pleased to be able to jointly present the innovations resulting from our close cooperation at Fakuma.”
Design for Recycling — Environment-friendly and aesthetic
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. The high-quality recycled pellets result from Recosys, the unique take-back and recycling system for PET transfer carriers in the industry remains 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. In order 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.
Kurz focussing on sustainability
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 many 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 environment-friendly technologies and innovations.
