Extrusion International USA 2-2022

42 Extrusion International 2/2022 CIRCULAR ECONOMY, RECYCLING “The carpet and arti fi cial turf industry is fully aware it needs to reduce its ecological footprint, both in the production as well as at the end of life cycle,” says ex- trusion expert Rony d’Hollander. “Due to the demands placed on carpet backing, such as dimensional stabil- ity, moisture and wear resistance, but also ease of lay- ing and cleaning, companies face quite a challenge to go from the traditional, hard to recycle, carpet backing to more sustainable solutions. At present the main ma- terials used are bitumen and latex based products. The latter is a wet process that requires a lot of processing water and natural gas for drying tunnels, and neither can be easily recycled. A possible way out of the co- nundrum of the industry is to switch to thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) for carpet backing.” Building on 75 years of machine building expertise, Meaf’s extruders are some of the best in class when it comes to fl exibility, energy ef fi ciency and installation footprint. “Not only our customers bene fi t from the modular design of our machines. It also allows us to easily rotate between a set-up for packaging or car- pet backing on our test and demonstration line,” says Roald de Bruijne, Sales Manager at MEAF. “Our screw and barrel technology can process almost any thermo- plastic, even when larger quantities of fi llers like CaCO 3 or additives are used in order for the material proper- ties to meet the industry’s speci fi cations.” Working closely with people from the carpet and arti- fi cial turf industry, Meaf modi fi ed its test and demon- stration line to include new cooling rollers, while the extruder can now be set to produce both primary and secondary backing. “And the beauty is that this tech- nology can also be applied to their existing machines, making it easier for customers to make the switch to sustainable production on their current machinery. When companies are looking for a new type of raw material, material mixture or a new machine supplier, it is always helpful to be able to run a test before decid- ing the best way forward,” adds Roald. “It is like taking a test drive when you are looking to buy a new car. With Meaf’s in-house test and demonstration line, we are happy to provide this capability to our customers as well.” In-House Extruder Test Line Added The Benelux carpet and arti fi cial turf industry has taken a big step toward a greener future with the recent release of an industry roadmap. In the document the industry sets out ways to signi fi cantly reduce energy usage and to aim at 100% recyclability of their products. Meaf Machines has now set up its in-house extruder test and demonstration line speci fi cally to help manufacturers to try out new greener carpet backing materials before committing to a large scale conversion of their production lines Meaf Machines b.v. Burenpolder, Industrieweg 10, 4401 LB Yerseke, The Netherlands www.meaf.com Meaf Machines has now set up its in-house extruder test and demonstration line speci fi cally to helpmanufacturers to try out new greener carpet backingmaterials before committing to a large scale conversion of their production lines (Source: Meaf)