FIMIC takes on plastic contamination

Specialist melt filter designer FIMIC is helping transform post-consumer plastics around the world.

The level of contamination in plastic recycling has increased over the years as the demand for recycling surges.

The Australian plastic recycling market was 2.96 million tonnes in 2020 and is expected to hit 3.99 million tonnes by 2030, according to the Australian Plastics Recycling Market Analysis 2022.

Paola Crea, Regional Sales Manager for FIMIC, says the growing market has forced recyclers to look for new sources of feedstock, such as post-consumer plastics, that often have high contamination that can weaken the final product.

FIMIC specialises in the design and manufacture of automatic and self-cleaning melt filters for plastic recycling. Each filter is adaptable to any extrusion system, considering the material to be processed, hourly production target and the contamination to be removed.

“Filtering nowadays is critical for the quality of recycled material,” Paola says. “The type of waste and the contaminants are changing all the time. Our technology helps a lot with the ability to remove contaminants.

“We want to address the contamination as easily as possible. The objective is to help our customers reach the highest quality of their product, so they can sell it for a good price.”

FIMIC is a third-generation family business founded in Italy about 60 years ago. It entered the field of recycling through the manufacture of guillotines for cutting industrial waste bales and rolls.

In 1996, the company decided to improve the filtration method which, at the time, was fully done by hand. The first FIMIC backflush entered the market the next year. One year later, the ‘scraping’ system came into fruition.

Paola says the filters are aimed at improving the efficiency of recycling lines and the quality of plastic melt.

“We’re very focused on simplicity of process because we know recycling is already complicated,” Paola says.

“Post-consumer plastic can have a lot of different contaminants, from paper and wood through to other types of plastics. FIMIC filters screen material based on consistency – whatever is not melt is contamination.”

Paola says the RAS filter, FIMIC’s flagship product, is the most popular. It covers applications such as blown film, injection, and injection moulding. The non-auger valve means even aggressive contaminants such as iron and sand, can be processed without damaging blades and screens.

So how does it work?

Two blades scrape the contamination collected by the filter while the scraper traps it inside and then automatically discharges what it has collected via a front valve.

Paola says it is possible to set the pressure mode on a touchscreen. When the chosen pressure has been reached, the scraper collects the contamination inside it, opening the front valve only when the cycle is complete.

In case of large amounts of contamination, the continuous mode can be selected, and the scraper will continue to slowly scrape the screen.

FIMIC screens have a large filtering surface to help stop processed material being degraded. It’s one of the reasons, Paola says, the company has had success in the plastics recycling industry.

Too small a filtration area and the material is pushed through to the other side, taking contaminants with it.

Filtration down to 80 microns is possible because FIMIC screens are punched or lasered. Laser drilling means the screen can be thicker with more holes, resulting in a better output and higher resistance on the screens. Paola says the FIMIC laser screens are a quality, high-performance component, and are believed to be the lowest priced in the market.

A punched screen can normally last from three days up to seven days, while a laser one can last from one week to a maximum of 12 days. It can be reused, after it has been cleaned in a pyrolytic oven, up to four times.

Cost and time savings are a key selling point of FIMIC screens.

“The time spent by a single operator changing a screen does not exceed 30 minutes. This translates into optimising production and reducing downtimes,” Paola says. “Our filters do not require any operator’s intervention. Therefore, they allow a further optimisation of the workflow while keeping high quality levels.”

FIMIC has surpassed 520 units installed on all continents, from South America to New Zealand, with several in operation in Australia.

While FIMIC products have been proven in the field, the company’s global success can also be attributed to its customer support.

A spare parts portal means any spare part is a click, and worldwide shipment away. The customised warehouse guarantees a 24-hour shipment within Europe and two to three days in non-EU countries.

Customer service is available seven days a week.

Dedicated sales managers, agents and representatives are spread world-wide throughout the United States, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia to provide constant and quick support.

“FIMIC is very much focused on serving the customer,” Paola says.

“Recycling is a difficult business; things change all the time. When our customers face new problems, we can’t just say ‘oh well’. We must be in the field all the time, listening to our customers and respecting their feedback.”

FIMIC will be at the Australasian Waste and Recycling Expo to be held in Sydney in July sharing with visitors, at Stand H24, its solutions for plastic recycling and celebrating its 60th anniversary with a special gadget.

For more information, visit: www.fimic.it

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