Eriez’s additive route to plastics recovery

Archiv – United States | Eriez’s patented PolyMag process can provide multi-material plastics processors with significant material savings while at the same time eliminating expensive hand-sorting and other labour-intensive procedures adopted by moulders to recover valuable mixed resins.United States | Eriez’s patented PolyMag process can provide multi-material plastics processors with significant material savings while at the same time eliminating expensive hand-sorting and other labour-intensive procedures adopted by moulders to recover valuable mixed resins.
According to the manufacturer, the PolyMag process creates a material that incorporates separation characteristics into the design. By including less than 1% of the PolyMag’s additive, the resin becomes a candidate for high-intensity magnetic separation. Indeed, the PolyMag separator uses extremely powerful Erium rare-earth permanent magnets to separate mixed resin regrind particles even with a tiny amount of the additive, it is claimed.
The first step in the PolyMag process involves dosing less than 1% of the PolyMag additive into one of the co-moulded resins with an additive feeder or colour auger. To recover the scrap that occurs from start-up, process variations or design changes, the multi-material mouldings are then granulated using a standard plastics granulator. The regrind material can then be run through the PolyMag separator to yield a high percentage of resin separation ’in less time and with greater safety than ever before possible’, states Eriez.
The additive, which is a free-flowing pellet with a co-polymer carrier that is compatible with a wide range of resins, imparts a low level of magnetic susceptibility without materially affecting the physical properties of the resin or moulded part.
All resins, including thermosets and thermoplastics, are candidates for the PolyMag process. As long as the multi-material part can be ground, PolyMag can help separate it, the developer insists.