The circular economy poses a major challenge to the closures industry. Yet it also means unprecedented opportunities from SACMI thanks to cutting-edge technology that simplifies the manufacture of standard caps from recycled resins
 |
In the closures world, SACMI is facing the challenge of re-use. The outstanding characteristics of compression - a technology in which the company leads the world - make it simpler to manufacture standard capsules from fully recycled food-grade material.
Compared to alternative technologies, the advantages of compression (which operates at lower temperatures than injection) include greater flexibility and less on-material heat stress. And that’s crucial when it comes to the circular economy: compared to injection, on the one hand compression lets manufacturers process more viscous resins and, on the other, exposing the resin to less heat and mechanical stress (process temperatures are some 20 °C cooler) increases subsequent recyclability.
Examples include the production of caps and capsules in high viscosity PCR-HDPE for the food&beverage sectors. They also include numerous multilayer applications (pods for coffee and other beverages) with fully flexible management of different resins and oxygen barrier layers.
In short: SACMI technology lets manufacturers operate within a much broader viscosity range and produce quality capsules from both virgin and recycled resins with the same machine. An unprecedented response, then, to a dual market need: maintaining maximum production efficiency and quality while seizing all the opportunities the circular economy has to offer in the plastics sector.
