How our specialist compounding partners in Europe strengthen our offering
If you mention PCR or PIR to most moulders, packaging tends to be the first thing that comes to mind: bottles, tubs, film. Engineering parts less so. The technology behind recycled engineering polymers has significantly improved in recent years, and reprocessed materials can now offer a viable option for engineering applications.
PIR (post-industrial recyclate) is reprocessed manufacturing waste: offcuts, purgings, or out-of-spec production parts that have never reached a consumer. PCR (post-consumer recyclate) has been through a product lifecycle first, such as an old appliance or car part, before being reprocessed.
Wider range of PCR and PIR Engineering Polymers now available
Hardie Polymers has been supplying customers with both PCR and PIR commodity polymers for more than 35 years and began supplying engineering PIR material over 20 years ago.
In addition to our existing range of recycled material, we are now pleased to supply PCR engineering and high-performance polymers with up to 70% PCR content in most materials and 100% in polycarbonate.
With sustainability goals high on the agenda for OEM’s, the post-consumer and post-industrial polymers we supply come from carbon-neutral plants producing compounds across all the main engineering polymer groups: ABS, PC, PC/ABS, PMMA, PA, ASA, PPSU and PEI. These compounds cut carbon footprint by up to 90% compared to virgin polymers whilst still being 100% recyclable.
Fit for purpose still comes first. Recycled material is not suitable for every application, and a 100% recycled grade isn’t always the right answer. A hybrid approach of blending recycled and prime material in different ratios can often be the more practical technical solution that meets the customers’ requirements, and very often the price demands too.
Automotive, electronics, consumer goods and building and construction are the more established markets for PIR and PCR engineering polymers, with limited medical applications starting to open up too. Materials are built to meet similar quality standards to virgin material, and many are now available in custom colours as well as standard.
Volume still shapes what’s realistic. For demand below one tonne a year, a standard product that is already in production is usually the more practical route. For quantities above three-tonne lots, a fully bespoke compound becomes viable.
Developments in sorting technology mean delivery of purer feedstocks which directly translates to reprocessed materials with low batch-to-batch variation and reliable colour consistency.
Nothing is off the cards for discussion, and that’s a different standpoint to the one most specifiers still assume.
Speak to our team. We’ll help you identify a polymer that suits your requirements.
