Yorkshire engineering firm urges manufacturers to get ready for changes in legislation

Published by Correspondent Mark Adair on 06 Jun 2023

A Yorkshire based precision engineering company is urging plastics manufacturers to get ready for the changes in legislation coming later this year and in 2024.

Agemaspark, based in Doncaster, is keen to ensure that businesses are ready for October 2023 when the single use plastic ban comes into force in England and for the July 2024 changes requiring tethered caps and lids for plastic containers up to three litres across Europe.

Paul Stockhill, managing director at Agemaspark said: "These are big changes that are coming into force in the UK and across Europe. They are important changes to help businesses find more environmentally sustainable ways of working. This is an opportunity for the industry to review and modify production processes to identify areas that may need modification to meet the new regulations.

"We want to make sure that all businesses working in plastics manufacturing are aware that the legislative changes are coming and that they have solutions in place to help them to continue to deliver their products in a way that meets the new requirements. Working together we can devise efficient and sustainable solutions that align with the legislation."

Thanks to investment in new technology, Agemaspark has been using its EOS 290 3D printing machine for over 18 months to create a variety of new parts and products ideal for injection mould tool inserts, functional engineering prototypes and low volume part manufacture. Its conformal cooling method in mould tools is reducing both quality errors and cooling time.

"Our machine complements our existing downstream capabilities to create and supply complete tools. This machine opens up countless opportunities for Agemaspark to reverse engineer toolmaking and support businesses across a variety of industries, from aerospace to pharmaceuticals and all aspects of plastic injection mould tooling, by providing cost-effective, accurately manufactured solutions," added Paul.

The results from projects using this method demonstrate that it is possible to reduce cycle times by up to 20 per cent and at the same time increase the continued quality of the moulding.

"There is another environmental advantage of using this method and that is in the water saving. This system results in a huge reduction in cooling water from tens of thousands of litres used in 24 hours to just 10-20 litres," said Paul.

The European Union will implement a new regulation, in July 2024, that requires all plastic containers up to three litres to have tethered caps and lids. This measure aims to reduce the number of caps and lids that become litter and contribute to plastic pollution.

"Plastics manufacturers must prepare for this change by modifying their manufacturing processes to incorporate tethered cap solutions. Ensuring these caps and lids remain attached to the containers throughout their lifecycle will not only comply with the regulation but also demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.

"This will impact not only on drinks bottle manufacturers but shampoo, shower gel and many make up products too. One thing is for certain, the plastic industry is on the verge of significant legislation changes that demand the preparedness of plastics manufacturers, by being proactive and embracing improved manufacturing processes they can help to reduce their environmental impact," concluded Paul.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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