Mold-Masters currently leads the industry in sustainable application knowledge and success which extends to both Bio-Resins and Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) materials. Sustainability is not only driven by government regulations, but consumer demand and environmental awareness around the globe is driving more companies towards sustainable applications.
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When it comes to PCR and sustainable applications, Mold-Masters has the proven capability. Utilizing the industry-leading co-injection multi-layer technology, the company has the ability to combine 2 separate resins into a single 3-layer melt flow. This enables Mold-Masters to be able to inject high PCR content as the core layer up to 50% of total part weight without sacrificing part quality or cycle time. In the most recent production application, Mold-Masters implemented a 2-cavity Co-injection system for producing 5-gal (20L) pails. Each of these pails incorporated 50% PCR as the core layer. This sustainability initiative could potentially generate about $1M in annual resin savings (based on current prices) for the molder and reduced usage of TiO₂ (compared to traditional mono-layer pails). The pail of this application had a total weight of 700g. The significant savings in resin costs means that sustainability initiatives can also make financial sense from a business perspective. It only makes sense for companies to be able to maximize their ROI.
Mold-Masters first introduced this capability as part of advanced industry-leading co-injection technology back in 2015. What sets Mold-Masters apart is the leading-edge control, which allows the precise control over distribution and thickness of the core layer. This is what allows Mold-Masters to inject a higher % of PCR content than competitive systems. Where Mold-Masters can inject up to 50% of core, competitors are limited to about 35% which limits sustainability targets and can significantly affect implementation ROI. Uniform leading-edge control allows Mold-Masters to achieve more consistent and fuller core fill. Mold-Masters patented “fold-over” capabilities is a technical advantage that enables the company to achieve the highest core percentage and allows to ensure uniform distribution and complete coverage of PCR resins (prevents contact of PCR with product).
Another significant difference is Mold-Masters ability to position the core where they want it. For example, on packaging applications customers may prefer to keep any PCR core away from the injection point to avoid molded in stresses which can cause brittleness and result in drop test failures.
One of the major advantages of Mold-Masters Co-injection technology is that there is no penalty to cycle time and existing tooling can be re-used. A variety of materials can be combined although those with similar melt temperatures are ideal for compatibility. Many applications are those that utilize the same material (ex: 50% virgin HDPE, 50% PCR HDPE). However, the thermally isolated manifolds make it possible to combine two thermally different resins.
