Extrusion Equipment From Italy’s Union / XPS Insulation Panels With Recyclate

Italian extrusion equipment supplier Union Officine Meccaniche (Milan) has won a contract to supply a line producing extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation panels for Polish company Synthos Dwory (Oswiecim). Union will provide a tandem extrusion line (comprising a primary twin-screw and secondary single-screw extruder) along with ancillary equipment, including a scrap recycling and granulation line that will allow the panels to contain a high percentage of recycled material.

The Italian company said its technology maintains the high-quality melt flow index necessary to guarantee a final product that complies with UNI EN 13164, the European standard that sets requirements for products made from XPS foam used for the thermal insulation of buildings.

Synthos announced in July 2018 that it was planning to build another XPS facility in Oswiecim as well as expanding capacity in the Czech Republic.

In separate news, Union has completed the purchase of a majority stake in Costruzioni Meccaniche Tecom (Olgiate Olona / Italy), a specialist in manufacturing blown extrusion lines for polyolefin films and compostable biopolymers.

Union said the acquisition strengthens its position in the extrusion market, adding that it sees an opportunity to develop Tecom’s technology in other rigid packaging applications.