Photo by Axion

Axion Polymers, a UK-based recycler of end-of-life automotive plastics, has invested in laboratory test equipment at its Salford-based facility.

The added equipment includes a new injection moulding machine for a greater range of polymer testing and further development of recycled polymer grades, announced Axion 28 Sept.

Axion’s in-house test capability now includes a Fourier Transform mid -infrared spectrometer for analysing the composition of black and dark-coloured polymer chips, a near-infrared multi-chip spectrometer for rapid analysis of large quantities of polymer chips and an X-Ray fluorescence analyser for heavy metals and bromine.

The laboratory has also secured an Izod impact tester, a tensile tester and a lab-scale injection moulding machine to produce test pieces and evaluate moulding performance.

The laboratory investment, said Axion, improves technical capabilities of the company in supplying tailored polymers to suit specific end-user requirements. These include modifying the melt flow, impact resistance and tensile strength.

The new laboratory equipment ‘provides an improved range and accuracy of results for our customers’, explained to Mark Keenan, Axion Polymers business development manager, and will ensure “consistent quality results” through providing reliable data and process control.

“This helps to optimise the process, not only to produce a consistent quality product but also to improve the quality and increase the throughput for customers,” Pasika Chongcharoenthaweesuk, Axion’s Polymer Process Development Engineer explained.