Keller Plastics: “Green” products with Profile Extrusion Services
Keller Plastics, a leading custom profile extruder and a division of Keller Products, Inc. of Manchester, USA, announces new extrusion services in the area of Green Chemistry. The company has recently developed a family of extruded profiles that utilize primarily recycled plastics, both Post Industrial Recycled Materials (PIR) and Post Consumer Recycled Materials (PCR), and has also begun utilizing biodegradable materials in extruded profiles. Applications that are good candidates for these materials include building and construction products, office supply products, and point-of-purchase displays.
‘Green Chemistry is the future, and we want to lead the way in this area,’ said Jim Decknick, VP Sales and Marketing for Keller Plastics. ‘New plastics applications that utilize a once-used plastic material are gaining in popularity, as is the desire to reduce waste in landfills.’
Keller uses two types of recycled plastics for this ‘green’ extrusion, depending on the customer’s preferences and proposed applications. The first formulation utilizes a PCR material that is extremely tough and durable, while the second formulation uses ABS and alloys of ABS from electronics scrap and other sources. These recycled (non-PVC) materials are extruded into profiles that exhibit excellent impact strength, good flexural strength and modulus, and good colorability, according to Decknick.
Biodegradable Profiles Under Development
The other ‘green’ project underway at Keller involves investigating biodegradable materials and alloys in three categories, again depending on customer needs and preferences:
• Materials that degrade naturally over a period of months in landfills
• Materials that undergo degradation upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light
• Alloys of materials that range from flexible to fairly rigid.
Biodegradable profile applications include new packaging designs and outdoor recreational products.