Recycling systems.

Even after our extensive pre-show discussion in May of new recycling and size-reduction equipment, we turned up some additional new systems in Chicago for reclaiming EPS, making plastic lumber, and washing bottles. And several suppliers not known primarily for recycling equipment announced plans to market film-scrap reclaim systems.

RECLAIM EPS FOAM

Erema North America Inc., Topsfield, Mass., divulged details about a new way to reprocess EPS foams. A dedicated system handles the melting, degassing, filtration, and pentane regassing of the PS reclaim--all in a single-melt process. The system works by first passing the material through the company's TVE recycling line--in which the melt filter has been moved upstream of the venting so that degassing won't be hindered by filter contaminants (see PT, May '94, p. 133). According to Helmut Bacher, managing partner of Erema's Austrian parent company, the line also relies on "a sophisticated density control system," which monitors mixing/cutting torque in the densifier.

From the TVE, a gear pump feeds cleaned and degassed melt into a second 35:1 extruder, where pentane is metered in along with a nucleating agent and other additives. This liquid-cooled regassing extruder also serves as a heat exchanger to drop melt temperature rapidly and "freeze the gas" into the PS, says Bacher.

LUMBER EXTRUSION

Also new from Erema is a downstream system for making plastic lumber or other profiles in direct extrusion. This segmented haul-off works much like a corrugator with a series of mold blocks continuously forming the profile in-line with the reclaim system.

IMPROVED WASH SYSTEM

In other turnkey systems news, John Brown Recycling Systems of South Attleboro, Mass., talked about the latest improvements to its wash system. Now the company's multi-stage wash section takes a "continuous counter-flow" approach, meaning that the reclaim and wash water move in opposite directions and that the reclaim moves in a slurry from one stage to another. This way, explains vice president James Glenn, the constantly flowing reclaim comes in contact with cleanest water as it progresses through the system. The continuous wash system comes in versions from 1000 to 3000 lb/hr.

IN-PLANT FILM RECLAIM

Three domestic machinery suppliers have established new relationships with offshore makers of in-plant film-reclaim systems:

* Alpine American, Natick, Mass., is representing Gamma Meccanica, an Italian maker of film-scrap repelletizing systems.

* Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering Co., Gloucester, Mass., announced it will market the Horai Hi-Pelleter from Japan. This compact unit densifies and then pelletizes film. Blown film product manager Bill Hellmuth notes the system is especially suited to film operations using grooved-feed extruders, which are intolerant to fluff.

* LCI of Charlotte, N.C., will market the Combi system built by Germany's Plastmachines GmbH. The unit consists of a densifier and short-barreled extruder/pelletizer.