Deployment of ultrasonic melt flow enhancement technology to achieve energy savings of 27% across the energy intensive, injection moulded food packaging sector

RPC-Superfos设计、开发和制造创新的塑料包装解决方案，我们的大部分碳排放都与制造过程直接相关。关注能源效率是我们企业责任的重要组成部分-我们的年度报告和账目中报告了电力和碳排放情况，并在我们的各个工厂推广了能源管理体系ISO 50001，以监控能源使用情况。热塑性注塑是一种能源密集型工艺，由此室温颗粒在注射单元的螺杆和机筒内被加热直到它们达到熔融温度，此时粘度足够低以将材料注入冷模具中形成产品。将熔融聚合物材料的热量吸收到模具的钢中，通过使冷却水循环通过模具来保持模具的温度。将熔融聚合物注入模具中所需的粘度决定了最低熔融温度，因为熔融粘度随着熔融温度的升高而降低。熔体温度决定冷却时间;熔体温度越低，所需的冷却时间越短，循环时间越短，从而提高生产率。我们建议在注射过程中使用超声波振动系统施加到熔体上，这提供了类似于暂时降低熔体粘度的流动增强。熔体粘度的这种降低使得能够实现较低的熔体温度，从而补偿由于较低温度而增加的粘度。测试表明，每次成型的能耗降低了20%以上，生产率提高了20%。我们的Blackburn生产基地拥有约60台注塑机，生产食品包装产品，我们对该项目的愿景是在整个生产基地推广该技术，目标是将生产用电量降低20%以上。通过提高生产率和减少碳足迹，注塑机将有助于实现政府的净零碳和清洁增长战略目标的行业“…到2030年将能源生产率提高至少20%”，主要针对“提高商业和工业效率”的主题。

RPC-Superfos designs, develops and manufactures innovative plastic packaging solutions and the majority of our carbon emissions are linked directly with the manufacturing process. A focus on energy efficiency is a large part of our corporate responsibility - electricity and carbon emissions are reported in our Annual Reports & Accounts and to monitor energy use the energy management system ISO50001 is being rolled out across our sites.Thermoplastic injection moulding is an energy intensive process, whereby room temperature granules are heated within the screw and barrel of the injection unit until they reach the melt temperature, at which point the viscosity is sufficiently low to inject the material into the cold mould to form the product. Heat is extracted from the molten polymer material into the steel of the mould, the temperature of which is maintained by circulating chilled water through the mould.The viscosity required to inject molten polymer into the mould is what dictates the minimum melt temperature, as melt viscosity reduces with increasing melt temperature. Melt temperature governs the cooling time; the lower the melt temperature, the less cooling time required, with shorter cycle times improving productivity.We propose to use an ultrasonic vibration system applied to the melt during injection, which provides a flow enhancement akin to a temporarily reduction in melt viscosity. This reduction in melt viscosity then enables a lower melt temperature, compensating for the otherwise increased viscosity due to the lower temperatures. Testing has shown over 20% reduction in energy consumption per moulding and a 20% productivity improvement.Our Blackburn manufacturing site operates ~60 injection moulding machines, producing food packaging products, and our vision with this project is to roll out the technology across the site, with a goal of reducing production electricity consumption by over 20%.Through increasing productivity and reducing our carbon footprint, injection moulders will help to meet the Government's net zero carbon and Clean Growth Strategy targets for industry to "...improve their energy productivity, by at least 20% by 2030", primarily addressing the 'improving business and industry efficiency' theme.