Packaging

Extrusion Line Delivers Energy Savings

Friday 15. April 2011 - RPC Cobelplast-Montonate is investing in a new state-of-the-art extrusion line which will further contribute to a lowering of CO2 emissions and reduction in energy consumption at the site.

The company developed the first co-rotating twin-screw extruder for PET sheet in 2002, which subsequently won an innovation technology prize from the Italian government. Twin-screw technology has since become the most widespread process for the production of PET sheet, thanks both to its eco-friendly performance and its ability to create high quality and visually appealing sheet that incorporates post-consumer recycled PET.
In terms of its sustainable benefits, the technology offers an approximate 35% reduction in energy consumption compared to the single-screw process. Equally important, it allows manufacturers to directly process up to 100% recycled material without the need for pre-drying equipment, thus delivering further energy savings as well as improving the colour of the sheet.
The new plant at RPC Cobelplast-Montonate will also be equipped with a very high performance filtration and vacuum system, which is able to produce a food grade sheet by feeding post-consumer PET directly into the extruder.
The addition of the new line, which is scheduled to start up in September, will increase the total capacity of the Cobelplast-Montonate facility to 20,000 tonnes per year.