The Hansgrohe Group uses an individually developed recycling process for galvanised plastics at its production site in Offenburg/Elgersweier.
Supplied by Hansgrohe
Hansgrohe group has developed a recycling process for galvanised plastics in cooperation with plant manufacturer ImpulsTec GmbH. Waste from chrome-plated components are processed so that the decoated ABS plastic can be used again directly on-site to produce new parts.
“With this technical world first, we are closing the material cycle at the site,” says Frank Semling, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Operating Officer of Hansgrohe SE. “Every resource that no longer needs to be extracted but can be recycled protects our ecosystems. With this innovative process, we are taking a further step toward green transformation.”
The new plastic recycling machine was opened by Frank Semling and Stefan Eisert, Managing Director of ImpuslTec GmbH on 14 June.
In his welcoming speech, the Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board emphasised the excellent cooperation between the ImpulsTec and Hansgrohe project teams: “Successful individual solutions can only be created through excellent teamwork. ImpulsTec’s openness to the joint development of the process and the professional exchange between those involved made possible what was previously extremely difficult to implement technically and economically: the recycling of chrome-plated plastics. On behalf of my colleagues on the Management Board, I would like to thank everyone involved in the project for their outstanding achievements.”
The system uses electro-hydraulic shredding technology. All chrome-plated ABS scrap components, such as hand-held shower housings, wall rosettes or knobs and buttons, are decoated using shock wave treatment in conjunction with pre-shredding and magnetic separation.
David Zapf, Surface Technology specialist and head of the project at Hansgrohe, explains: “The result is a highly concentrated metal fraction containing mainly copper and nickel. This is then sold for smelting. This means 100 percent of the valuable metals are returned to the raw material cycle. On the other hand, we receive the decoated ABS plastic, which we use to manufacture new parts. Here, we use the material directly on-site in our plastic injection moulding department and, thus, close the material cycle onsite.”
The recycling machine was designed to handle 100 tons of chrome-plated plastic every year. This means that the recycled ABS can be used to produce one million new hand-held showers. The machine will be in operation eight hours a day for about 250 working days a year.
“It is an urgent concern for us to focus our production on sustainability. By using or recycling products and materials for a long time, we reduce both our use of resources and transportation routes. Our new processing machinery, therefore, offers not only ecological, but also economic, benefits for Hansgrohe,” says Frank Semling.
