Finishing & Screen Printing

KURZ and Deckerform present bundled sustainability expertise at Fakuma 2021

Friday 08. October 2021 - Climate change is considered one of the greatest challenges of our time. More than ever, companies are therefore obliged to put sustainability on their list of priorities and to develop sustainable solutions. Leonard Kurz and Deckerform are engaging to combat this challenge.

LEONHARD KURZ will be demonstrating how this can be achieved at the 27th Fakuma, which will be held in Friedrichshafen from 12 to 16 October. Together with partner company Deckerform, the expert for innovative plastic surface solutions will demonstrate in live demonstrations how the use of 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 granulate from production residues,” says Johannes Romming, Project Manager Innovation & Sustainability at LEONHARD KURZ. “The optical properties of the recyclate are in no way inferior to those of virgin material. The parts produced with the granulate in injection moulding score equally well with efficient processing and diverse design options.” Visitors to Fakuma will be able to see this for themselves: as a giveaway for interested parties, injection-foamed pouring cans made of RECOPOUND will be produced live at the Deckerform stand A6-6413 and finished with a transfer decoration on a hot stamping machine from KURZ subsidiary Baier. The design of the casting cans was created in close cooperation between the partner companies LEONHARD KURZ and Deckerform.
Machine for environmentally friendly injection moulding
An injection moulding machine from the Si-6s series of the Japanese manufacturer Toyo, which is exclusively distributed by Deckerform in German-speaking countries, is used. This is an all-electric injection moulding machine with a clamping force of 230 tonnes, which is significantly more environmentally friendly in operation than hydraulic models. On the one hand, the good efficiency of the electric motors reduces the power consumption, on the other hand, there is no idle operation. In this way, electricity savings of up to 70 percent can be achieved compared to the hydraulic machine. The machine on display at the Deckerform stand is also particularly efficient because it can be used for a wide range of special processes and different applications. In addition to conventional injection moulding, material-saving injection foaming and injection compression moulding can also be implemented.
LEONHARD KURZ has already been working together with Deckerform from Aichach in Bavaria since 2019 in order to combine the expertise of both companies in process and application technology. “The topic of sustainability became increasingly important over time,” Anna Tschacha from Deckerform’s management looks back. “We quickly recognised the great potential in the use of synergy effects on both sides. We are pleased to now be able to jointly present the innovations that our close cooperation has produced at Fakuma.”
Design for recycling: environmentally friendly and aesthetic
RECOPOUND from 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 granulate is the result of the RECOSYS take-back and recycling system, which is unique in the industry, for PET transfer carriers that remain as residual material after decoration. The PET transfer media are processed in a particularly efficient process and reintroduced into the utilisation cycle in the form of granulate. In addition to saving fossil raw materials, up to 40 percent CO2 emissions can be prevented in this way. In order to visually enhance the products, the entire range of plastic decorations from KURZ can also be implemented for components made from recycled material. True to the motto “Design for Recycling”, the result is no less aesthetic than with virgin material. Moreover, the finishing has no negative impact on the recyclability of the component.
Sustainability – from production to the recycling of materials
RECOPOUND and the RECOSYS recycling system behind it are just two building blocks in LEONHARD KURZ’s “Lifecycle Thinking” – and this too will become clear at this year’s Fakuma trade fair appearance. As a globally active company, the expert for plastic surface solutions is aware of its responsibility and therefore consistently works 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 and heat and energy plants. At the trade fair, the company will be demonstrating that sustainability is a factor in every KURZ product with a wide variety of exhibits, particularly from the automotive, consumer electronics and home appliances sectors. The experts will also be available at the stand in the “Lifecycle Thinking” area to answer any questions Fakuma visitors may have about the environmentally friendly technologies and innovations.
Online presence around the Fakuma
LEONHARD KURZ is also using its trade fair appearance in Friedrichshafen as a prelude to a comprehensive online presentation of the company’s innovations and exhibition highlights. At www.fakuma.kurz.de, interested parties will find detailed information and offers, such as videos or 3D animations, on all aspects of Fakuma products and topics.