Griesbeck Kunststoffprodukte KG, which specialises in injection moulding and vacuum forming, demonstrates how recycling can be achieved - with a recycling rate of 98 percent.  Resource-conserving production has on one hand a long tradition in the Federal German state of Upper Bavaria, but on the other hand it is, at Griesbeck Kunststoffprodukte, also the result of a perfectly coordinated machine park - with highly modern injection moulding  & thermoforming machines, CNC computer numerically controlled machining centres and granulators for return of surplus waste material to the production process.

The assumption that recycling and sustainability were not very important for industrial companies 50 years ago can now be refuted, by using Griesbeck Kunststoffprodukte as a good example that it is indeed important: Herbert Griesbeck, was also anxious to save resources with plastics already when he founded the company.

As a passionate designer, he built the first stamping machine for the local bakery in 1962, a special dough-forming machine that is even still standard equipment in many bakeries today.

The Griesbeck company was founded in 1967 with its first thermoforming machine, with its troughed tray for dough pieces produced for the first time by machinery. Subsequent purchase of its first injection moulding machine enabled recycling of the inevitable waste produced during the thermoforming process. But waste material also arises in the injection moulding process itself, in the form of sprues of injection moulded parts, start-up waste and upon changing colours. Such waste, coming from a stable process suitable for the material being processed, is recycled for production of more than 3,000 different articles.

Optimal return to the production process depends on material quality. Until 2 years ago, Griesbeck Kunststoffprodukte KG operated several grinding stations for injection moulding production.

The resulting residual plastic materials, generally led however to poorer quality of the moulded parts. The reasons were contamination, mixing together of different materials, as well as problems in measuring a constant proportion of ground material.

The solution was found in a short route: a granulator stands alongside each injection moulding machine, forming the smallest possible closed recycling circuit. This resulted in much more stable part quality.

To ensure that the entire value-creation process is brought up to an optimum level, Griesbeck also relies on high quality when it comes to regrind. After many years of testing and practical experience, Hellweg granulators with their diagonal angled scissor-type cutting became the first choice. The results speak for themselves: high quality, characterised by thermally undamaged regrind with sharp edges, high homogeneity and low dust content.

Furthermore, the granulator’s double scissor-cut geometry is particularly energy-efficient. According to Griesbeck, the new central granulator requires up to 50 percent less drive power applied to in the grinding chamber, while doubling the throughput.

Due to the grinding quality of the Hellweg granulators, recycling could be increased for the first time to a maximum level - 95 percent of the so-called secondary raw material is re-used in the company's own production circuit, 3 percent of the well-processed residue goes to other injection moulders and only the rest (2 percent) consists of real waste for disposal.

>>> Series 300 - heavy duty granulator

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