DESIGN FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY

[BIZ/SCI-TECH: Liège, November 27]
CRIF/WTCM, the Belgian collective researcher for the manufacturing sector, is a partner in RECIPE, an EU funded project providing European plastics processing industry with the tools, knowledge and justification to reduce energy consumption. It has announced the publication of a series of fact sheets on design fundamentals for energy efficiency in plastics processing. They are available for www.eurecipe.com.

European plastics processors face intense competition from lower wage economies as well as increases in the price of energy. Soaring raw material prices and the threat of more increases in the future have dominated the industry over the past twelve months. In order to help address the industry’s energy management needs the fact sheets directly address design issues in plastics processing and include case studies that highlight how fundamental design principals can lead to significant reductions in energy consumption through the implementation of best practice and the adoption of new technologies.

The fact sheets, written by the Danish Technological Institute, focus on various aspects of good practice and design including:

- Improved control strategy
- Water as refrigerant
- Software packages for minimizing energy consumption in plastics molding
- Optimized water loop design for energy savings

The overall objective of the three-year RECIPE project is to provide the 27,000 companies in the European plastics processing industry with the knowledge, justification and tools required to reduce energy consumption, through the implementation of best practice and the adoption of new technology. A key aim of RECIPE is to demonstrate that energy purchase should be considered as a variable materials cost, with substantial potential for reductions to be made.

Many of RECIPE’s target companies are processing substantial volumes of plastics in highly cost-driven markets such as packaging, domestic goods, and construction. They are currently facing intense competition from lower wage economies as well as significant increases in the prices they pay for energy, therefore many will be receptive to a cost-driven message which will ultimately lead to reduced energy consumption across the industry.

Further details are available from J. Lecomte CRIF-WTCM tel +32 (0)4 361 87 65 e-mail Jacques.lecomte@crif.be

http://www.crif.be/