Plastic Injection Moulding and Sustainability
At Plymplastics, we are committed to continually reducing our impact on the environment, as well as considering our sustainability options.
Why is Sustainability Important in Injection Moulding?
Our objective is to help customers achieve their sustainability objectives as well as achieve our own. Increasingly, environmental concerns are playing a big role in the selection of materials for new products. At Plymplastics we will always look into potential ways to recycle our products. In choosing materials for our clients, we take into consideration customer specifications, safety standards, and the environment’s impact, both in the production process, during use, and at the end of the product’s lifecycle. We pride ourselves on being environmentally conscious and we are currently working with SWMAS (South West Manufacturing Advisory Service) towards “Make it Net Zero”.
Closed Loop Recycling in Injection Moulding
With many of the components we produce, there is a waste part called a sprue which is the feed point for the finished component. The use of recycled plastic injection moulding allows you to mass-produce products efficiently, reduce scrap losses, eliminate the need for post-production finishing and use a variety of materials. All our sprues and non-quality components are reground in our recycling/grinding machines and re-introduced into the process at a small percentage on the next batch run, creating a closed loop process with zero waste. Closed loop recycling involves using, recycling and repurposing products; therefore, they never end up in landfills.
What Are PlymPlastic Doing to Help the Environment?
Two components that we manufacture are already made from recycled fishing nets from Ocean Waste Plastic. Ocean Waste Plastic (OWP) is a concept whose purpose is to remove plastic waste from oceans and rivers, as well as to minimise the use of virgin materials, packaging by packaging. Products are currently available in Polypropylene, Polyethylene and PA6 (nylon). We are also working towards our goal of having all-electric machines in our workshop. This will utilise servos rather than a hydraulic pump, which is constantly running when not needed. Not only are all-electric machines more efficient, they are cleaner, quieter, and more accurate. Please contact Plymplastics if you have a project you would like to discuss further.
