Mobile sorting platform from Sesotec enables higher quality plastics processing

At almaak International GmbH, roughly 200 employees develop and produce customized plastics for small and large plastics processors worldwide. Around 60,000 tonnes of technical thermoplastics are produced annually at the Krefeld and Doberlug-Kirchain sites. 

These products are mainly used in the automotive, electrical and household appliances, and construction industry. With over 60 years of experience in the production of recyclables, handling secondary raw materials makes the company one of the top providers of sustainable product solutions in Europe. 

For a long time, only post-industrial recyclates (PIR) were used as raw materials for these products due to their availability and high-quality, consistent material sources. However, since the end of 2023, the first products with a proportion of post-consumer recyclates (PCR) have been available for production. 

Issues with the contaminated regrind process

The plastics processing industry is facing ever-increasing demands: rising raw material prices, lack of material availability, complicated supply chains, increased delivery times and, above all, continuously declining material quality contaminated with foreign bodies, colours, and plastics. 

almaak will prioritize removing metal particles from the regrind without losing good material, resulting in a better quality product. The PRE-SORT mobile sorting system from Sesotec allows this process to be easily integrated into the existing business. 

Material sorting with PRE-SORT mobile sorting platform

In order to produce sustainably and reliably with PCR, plastics processors must be able to control the quality of the incoming material. Contaminants such as metal particles impair the quality of plastics. The aim is to increase the purity of the material before processing to ensure greater safety and higher quality products. 

The PRE-SORT sorting platform from Sesotec gives almaak full control over the quality of the input material and makes it less dependent on external suppliers. The mobile sorting platform offers full process flexibility thanks to its sensor technology and the ability to select different sorting processes depending on the material composition. With a plug-and-play function, the system is immediately ready for use and fits seamlessly into any production environment thanks to its compact design.

The device makes it possible to buy goods in B or C quality at a lower price, which means savings of up to 50 percent compared to A quality. 

Advantages of the mobile plastics sorting system 

The advantages of material processing with PRE-SORT are the high-quality and pure materials, economical production, and protection against damage to downstream systems. 

"With tests in August 2023, Sesotec showed us that our requirements can be met in practice. Metal particles were removed from the regrind and the loss of good material was low", says Marc Marmetschke, senior manager of engineering, maintenance, and project development at almaak. He adds: "Our short-term goal is to demetallize a few hundred tonnes of heavily contaminated material that has been sitting in our warehouse for some time so that we can use the material. This will allow us to benefit from an immediate return on investment."