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Starlinger unveiled its newest recycling line, the recoSTAR PET art, at the K Show in Dusseldorf. The line puts together advances in efficiency, automation, and uptime in a complete flake-to-pellet PET bottle recycling line.

The PET Art features a new combined dryer unit that replaces the separate drying stages of the previous recoSTAR. The extruder is also a new design, with a length/diameter ratio of 24, down from 40. The increased capacity in the solid state polycondensation reactor ensures thorough decontamination and cleansing, eliminating the need for a specific degassing station. A melt pump was added between the extruder and pelletizer. After crystallization and solid-state polycondensation, material moves through an energy recovery station that harnesses the heat of the warm pellets.

The changes result in a 25% reduction in energy use relative to the previous model, while increasing capacity from 1.8 to 2.1 ton/hr. Starlinger also reported that the machine requires 46% less maintenance time thanks in part to its dry vacuum pumps and open-loop desiccant air flow. Continuous automatic monitoring of process parameters has been implemented to ensure product quality, especially important for producing food-safe material.

Starlinger expects the energy savings, along with improved uptime and ease of operation, will reduce its customers’ overall production costs by 21%.

Starlinger displayed both the extruder and combined drying unit at K Show, and demonstrated a full recoSTAR PET art line at its factory in Schwerin after the show.