CapFormer system Origin Materials’ commercial-scale system combines a number of technologies — including a thermoformer, mold and slit-and-fold technology — to make possible the use of PET and recycled PET (rPET) in the manufacture of caps and closures. Origin, which primarily focuses on materials development, is partnering with Michigan molder Reed City Group in its initial rollout of the technology.
What’s new? The system, announced in September. In addition to making caps in-house with the system. In a November press release, Origin said customers with total annual cap consumption of over 100 billion caps have shown interest in the system. Though it's provided the system to only Reed City so far, Origin might eventually make the technology — including the process— available to other manufacturers through a license.
Benefits Ultra-high-speed cap production, using PET, as well as rPET, supporting recycling initiatives. Origin anticipates its systems will be able to produce caps for an array of beverage bottles, as well as food packaging and medical products; with these innovations, users could churn out packaging that’s made entirely from PET, which would aid circularity efforts.
Origin Materials, West Sacramento, Calif., www.originmaterials.com
Karen Hanna | Senior Staff Reporter
Senior Staff Reporter Karen Hanna covers injection molding, molds and tooling, processors, workforce and other topics, and writes features including In Other Words and Problem Solved for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. She has more than 15 years of experience in daily and magazine journalism.
