Plastics is one of the most massive manufacturing industries in the US. According to Bonnie Limbach, chief communications officer with The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), “The industry accounts for more than $330 billion dollars in annual shipments with another $89.5 billion generated by upstream, supplying industries, bringing the total annual shipments to nearly $421 billion. Nationally, the plastics industry employed more than 1.5 million workers in 2000. Another 843,300 persons were employed by upstream suppliers of the plastics industry, bringing the employment impact to nearly 2.4 million – about 2 percent of the U.S. workforce.” It does not seem that economic downturn or global recession will severely diminish consumer and OEM demand for plastics in all shapes, sizes and formats. [Read more…]
Building Blocks of Energy Efficient Production
For most of us, Legos bring back fond childhood memories (or slightly less fond memories of walking barefoot through our kids’ rooms). Whatever we think of, it usually isn’t energy efficiency. Early this spring, the building block giant received the Arburg Energy Efficiency award for outstanding commitment to energy efficiency.
The 80 year old injection molded plastic toy company introduced its energy and environmental management system in 2007. In the first three years, the company increased energy efficiency by 35% and aims to improve efficiency by an additional 5% each year according to shareholder reports.
Shooting for 100% operation from energy renewable sources by 2020, Lego made significant strides reducing energy and water consumption. The company, more profitable than ever before, recently announced a switch to FSC certified packaging to further reduce its carbon footprint.
In celebration of the toymaker’s inspiring attitude and actions towards energy efficiency – and because we think they’re just too cool not to share – we’ve gathered some of our favorite industrial Lego goodies from around the web. [Read more…]
Energy Efficiency in Plastics Manufacturing
The US Department of Labor reports that the energy management sector has more than doubled in the last two years, with 75% of all jobs in an industrial setting. While energy managers prove a valuable asset to large corporations, many plastics manufacturers with a slimmer budget are tasking current employees with energy related projects.
So how does a non-energy-expert implement energy saving projects? As with any project, the first task lies in evaluating the current situation, researching potential options for improvements, and calculating the potential results of each option.
What are your true energy costs?
With home energy costs, lighting and temperature control usually come to mind as the biggest portion of energy costs. This isn’t the case in plastics manufacturing, according to a recent study focusing on the balance of energy usage in an average plastic plant. Energy consumption for lighting, temperature control and ventilation equate to just over a third of the energy that machines use in most plastics facilities.
While specific energy consumption of machinery varies slightly from plant to plant, there is virtually no difference between the amount of energy consumed in injection and extrusion molding.
A critical first step in any successful energy management plan for a plastics facility is ensuring that machines, which account for 60% of all energy consumption, operate as efficiently as possible.
Energy-saving Measures for Extrusion and Injection Molding
To reduce energy use in extrusion processes, consult with production managers and plant engineers to optimize equipment performance. In many cases optimization of the extruder speed can significantly lower energy usage without impacting end results.