Meaning
Reclaimed polymer material recovered from household or commercial waste streams undergoes sorting, washing, and pelletizing to be used again in manufacturing. Incorporating post consumer recycled resin into new products allows moulding companies to reduce their reliance on virgin polymers and lower the carbon footprint of their products. However, these materials often exhibit greater variability in melt flow index, mechanical properties, and colour consistency compared to virgin materials.
This variability requires closer monitoring of process parameters to prevent defects like warpage or inconsistent part dimensions, ensuring that product quality remains acceptable.
Sourcing Risk
Procurement of recycled resins involves managing supply chain variations that do not exist with virgin resins. Contaminants such as paper labels, adhesives, or other polymer types can survive the recycling process and act as stress concentrators in the moulded part. Moulders must establish strict incoming inspection protocols to verify that the recycled resin meets the required standards for mechanical strength and purity.
Process Adaptation
Injection moulding machines must be adjusted to handle the wider viscosity fluctuations typical of these reclaimed materials. The moulder may need to utilize decoupled moulding techniques to ensure that the cavity is filled consistently despite batch-to-batch variation in the melt’s behaviour. This adjustment helps to prevent defects such as flashing or short shots during production.
Cost Balance
Economic benefits of using recycled polymer depend on the price differential between virgin and recycled feedstocks, balanced against the higher scrap rates during moulding. While the raw material cost is often lower, the increased machine downtime and testing requirements can erode the savings. A moulder must calculate the total cost of ownership before committing to a recycled resin program.
