NEWS


Lego justifies halt to its work on recycled PET


Lego, the global toy brick group, has stopped investi- gating the potential of recycled PET in its major R&D program on sustain- able materials. The group issued an


official response to a recent Financial Times story saying the Danish toymaker had abandoned a project announced in 2021 to switch bricks from ABS – which is currently used in around 80% of Lego blocks – to recycled PET. The UK newspaper reported the decision was made after trials showed that additives and processing equipment needed for the switch created a worse lifetime carbon footprint. Lego’s response reiter-


ated the company’s commit- ment to sustainability, saying it plans to triple spending on related initiatives to $1.4bn up to 2025. It has also set a target to reduce carbon emissions by 37% by 2032 and achieve net zero by 2050. The statement went on to


explain: “So far, we’ve tested more than 300 different


IMAGE: LEGO


IN BRIEF...


Jörg Stech has been appointed Head of Injection Molding Machin- ery EMEA at KraussMaffei. He joins from German hydraulic systems com- pany Argo-Hytos, where he was MD. Stech succeeds Dr. Karl-Heinz Bourdon, who held the post on an interim basis from July. www.kraussmaffei.com


Most of Lego’s toy bricks are moulded in ABS


materials. Some have been successful, such as bio-PE which we use to make botanical elements and accessories. Others have shown potential, but haven’t met our strict quality, safety and durability requirements or helped reduce our carbon footprint. One of those materials is rPET. When we announced a prototype, we were optimis- tic about its potential, but after two years of testing, decided not to progress as ultimately it wouldn’t have helped us reduce carbon emissions. This is the nature of innovation – especially when it comes to something


as complex and ambitious as our sustainable materials programme. Some things will work, others won’t.” The Lego Group also announced that it is expand- ing its factory in Nyíregy- háza, Hungary, boosting the number of production lines from 51 to 68 by the time construction is complete. The expansion will also include additional packag- ing modules, warehousing areas, and miscellaneous facilities, adding 30,000 m² of built-up area to the current site and increasing the packaging capacity by nearly 30%. �www.lego.com


Sepro has acquired Garbe Automatisme, based in Izernore, France, which engineers complex, multi-step automation systems for injection moulders in automotive, medical, packaging, household appliance and other industries. Garbe will retain a high degree of autonomy within Sepro Group. www.sepro-group.com


Rosti has opened a Digital Innovation Lab at its plant at Germantown in Wiscon- sin, US, to support clients’ prototyping and product development needs. Supported by a $1.3m investment, the lab is modelled on the com- pany’s existing units in Europe and Asia. www.rosti.com


New facility for Harmac Medical Products


Single-use medical device manufac- turer Harmac Medical Products has built a second facility in Tijuana, Mexico. The new 32,000 m² building will triple production space and feature ISO 7 and ISO 8 cleanrooms, ware- housing, offices and labs. The building will also house a full suite of integrated services including


www.injectionworld.com


design for manufacturability (DFM), tooling and automation, and process and product validation, as well as extensive manufacturing capabilities including injection moulding, RF welding, and laser processing. Harmac expects the facility to be


ready to start up production in early or mid-2024.


John Somers, President and CEO of


Harmac, said: “Our new facility will provide extra manufacturing capacity for customers who are looking for a dependable, high-quality partner in a near-shore location. It will also allow us to offer a complete solution in Mexico, from resin to finished packaged device.” �www.harmac.com


October 2023 | INJECTION WORLD 5


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