An in-line monitoring tool for scrap reduction and reuse in the plastics industry

This project seeks to address waste minimisation issues within the UK''plastics processing industry. The three major processing methods of injection moulding, extrusion and blow moulding are used to produce the vast majority of plastic products present today on the market. In each of these three processing techniques the issues surrounding the production of scrap and its reuse are essentially the same (though there are differences in scale) therefore the solutions proposed will be applicable across all three sectors. The objectives of the project are three fold:1) To reduce the reject rate during production by directly monitoring the status of raw materials in-line. 2) To encourage the reprocessing of a far greater percentage of scrap in the factory 3) To investigate the use and efficacy of purging agents in response to industry concerns.