The new partnership will see Trexel and Bockatech working together to create more sustainable recyclable and reusable packaging. Applications include to-go food service, food retail, FMCG and industrial applications.
With headquarters in Wilmington, USA, Trexel has led the development of the MuCell® microcellular foam injection moulding technology and has pioneered many plastic processing solutions.
Bockatech initially developed EcoCore using chemical foaming agents (CFAs) in powder and liquid forms. These are added to the cold plastic resin pellets before injection moulding and produce gas when heated to create the foamed core of EcoCore mouldings.
Trexel MuCell works by adding gas, typically Nitrogen, into the plastic melt in the injection moulding machine screw. Advantages of using MuCell over CFAs include close control of the amount of gas added and a fine cellular structure.
Combining EcoCore and MuCell is significantly increasing the number of foamed plastic packaging applications and the benefits that can be achieved.
"Bockatech and Trexel started collaborating to enable us to better understand the actual benefits of using gas foaming agents, in place of chemical foaming agents, for packaging," said Chris Bocking Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Bockatech.
"EcoCore mouldings, made with MuCell, feature different cell structures to those made with CFAs. This results in containers that take advantage of specific expansions designed for MuCell N2, and we're looking forward to sharing more about the excellent results from the collaboration later this year."
Currently, Bockatech is using Trexel's MuCell to develop innovative and more sustainable retail food packaging for one of the best-known US food brands and caps for a leading FMCG brand in Europe.
MuCell is a registered trademark of Trexel Inc.
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