The north Italian company ROL has invested in a PET sheet extrusion line by Starlinger viscotec and decontamination technology for the production of food-grade recycled PET. Recycled PET is the most sustainable material to replace virgin material and to avoid the plastic tax, which is currently discussed for virgin plastics in Italy. The Italian Plastic Tax will enter into force on 1 January 2022 with a rate of 0.45 euros per kilogram, due only for the amount of virgin plastic contained in single use plastics (MACSI). For example, Macsi is considered to be sheets, plates, preforms, bottles, caps, containers, lids, bags, packaging and films.
ROL has been founded in 1984 in Forlì, in northern Italy, to meet the increasing demand for laminates and coextruded sheet for thermoforming in the packaging sector. Among their customers are some of the most famous Italian companies that produce pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, and thermoforming products. With 30 employees, ROL processes PET, PS, and PLA on two production sites and generate a turnover of 11 Million Euros. The newest production site is 2,500 square meters and has an annual PET production capacity of about 10,000 tons.
Going green with rPET sheet
"We extrude ideas for your future”, is the promise that ROL makes to their customers, and keep up to that promise by offering new eco-friendly materials like recycled PET. With the purchase of the viscoSHEET extrusion line, ROL took the trendsetting decision to use post-consumer recycled PET flakes as a raw material source. Sustainable sheet made from recycled PET (rPET) perfectly matches ROL’s commitment to offering the highest quality and environmentally friendly products.
“We provide solutions for our customers combining ongoing innovation and decades of experience. With the viscotec deCON technology and rPET sheet extrusion line we can produce food-grade PET sheet using 100% recycled post-consumer material respecting food-grade standards like EFSA and FDA. With recycled post-consumer PET material, we are prepared to avoid the plastic tax for virgin material which Italy and other European countries consider to implement.”, highlights Luigino Pascucci, General Manager at R.O.L. S.r.l.
High degree of automatization
Material costs are kept at a minimum, thanks to the high flexibility and efficiency of the equipment. “The high degree of automatization of the new sheet line is decisive for us.”, explains Cinzia Viroli, President at R.O.L. S.r.l. “Short changeover times, immediate effect on recipe change, and fast change of thickness of the sheet allow us to produce outstanding quality at a competitive price.”
The automatically controlled roll stack ensures the highest optical appearance and stressless sheet. Inline quality control is assured by the measurement of the intrinsic viscosity of the material, and the automatic die function of the viscoSHEET provides a wide thickness range and delivers a perfect thickness profile from left to right. A single person can operate the PET extrusion line, which is another major benefit of the high degree of automatization, according to ROL.
www.rol-italy.com
The high degree of automatization of the new sheet line is decisive for us.
CINZIA VIROLI
PRESIDENT R.O.L. S.R.L.
LUIGINO PASCUCCI
GENERAL MANAGER, R.O.L. S.R.L.