Extrusion International USA 3-2019

35 Extrusion International 3/2019 sion that for over twenty years has been dedicated to the regeneration and granulation of industrial plastic waste. Agricola Imballaggi special- izes in the production of sturdy and recyclable disposable plastic boxes for fruit and vegetables. In 1996 the company created the AI Compound polymer divisionwith the task of poly- propylene scraps recycling and use of recycled granules to produce the boxes. To optimize the investments, the company immediately began to address other customers as well. By purchasing industrial waste both in Italy and abroad, AI Compound pro- duces high quality recycled granules that are sold to manufacturers of plastic items in various areas: from the production of outdoor furniture, automotive sector, household goods and packaging. Among the recycla- ble materials are PP waste in neutral or printed films, doubled PP waste as PP + PP, PP + PE, PP metallized film waste, non-woven fabric waste and many others. The main consumer of AI Compound granules remains the “boxes sector” of the company, for which it pro- duces 180 tons / month of recycled granules. Both activities are growing thanks to the regulations that en- courage the use of recycled plastics. Initially the regeneration was per- formed with standard single-screw extruders. The desire to expand the range of recycled products and to recover the most difficult materi- als has prompted AI Compound to choose new generation lines such as the GM Tandem line from Gamma Meccanica. These systems are more versatileand give the possibility to optimize production processes of- fering maximum energy efficiency. “We continue to research and to put it into practice to propose man- ageable materials for molding - says John Ferrara, administrator of Ag- ricola Imballaggi. There are many plastic materials that cannot be pro- cessed with conventional lines. This is why we have decided to invest in technologies for regeneration such as Gamma Meccanica lines, which al- low us to expand our product range and to be engaged in research on those materials that are not easily re- coverable.” After the purchase of the first GM Tandem, already in produc- tion for several months, the company purchased a second GM160 Tandem line that will be delivered shortly. Agricola Imballaggi has found an at- tentive partner in Gamma Meccanica that is able to respond concretely to its needs. From this synergy was born a project to develop a new model of Tandem, different from those up to now realized, designed for special applications. Construction and pro- duction is expected within the year. Gamma Meccanica S.p.A. Via Sacco e Vanzetti, 13, 42021 Bibbiano (RE), Italy www.gamma-meccanica.it