PET strapping replaces steel

As the price of steel continues to rise and packagers raise concerns about the safety of using steel hoops to contain pallet shipments, an alternative remains: extruded polyester (PET) strapping tapes. Expansion of PET strapping is said to be 7-15% larger than that of steel hoops making PET more elastic and suitable for packing goods whose volume may change due to heat, vibration, or shock. PET strapping tapes, extruded from recycled beverage bottles, don’t damage the edges of packed goods as steel can.The Reitruder corotating twin-screw extruder is able to extrude tapes from bottle flake recyclate that is said to be considerably less expensive than competitive steel hoops. The line’s Tape Control System (TSC) provides a continuous and automatic recording and logging of the tape width and thickness during processing. For production of commonly available tapes, the width and thickness of up to 16 tapes can be recorded, statistically evaluated, and logged inline and in real time.Reimotec GmbH, Ober-Abtsteinach, Germany; +49 6207-606-520; www.reimotec.com