Trexel partners with W. Muller for EBM foamed solutions

Foaming injection and blow molding technology developer Trexel Inc. has partnered with W. Muller GmbH to supply a physical foaming solution for multi-layer, extrusion blow molded (EBM) containers that offers reduced weight multi-layer EMB bottles.

In an April 3 news release, officials with Wilmington, Mass.-based Trexel said that it will provide customers with the physical foaming equipment and expertise, and W. Muller – which is based in Troisdorf-Spich, Germany and Agawam, Mass. – will supply the multi-layer EBM equipment and expertise. W. Muller supplies essential equipment for the blow molding machinery that includes the parison head, extruders, and controls.

A multi-layer extrusion blow molded bottle produced with the MuCell process. Photo Credit: Trexel Inc.

Trexel said the partnership is a response in part to legislation being implemented around the world that requires minimum recycled content in plastic products – for example, the recent European Commission Proposal published in November 2022, set forth that by 2030 and 2040 there must be 30 per cent and 65 per cent recycled content respectively.

“Trexel offers unparalleled expertise in controlling the introduction of supercritical nitrogen or CO2 for use in microcellular foaming applications,” Trexel president and CEO Levi Kishbaugh said in the release. “Our foaming solutions for EBM containers can be implemented with minimal machine modifications and without license fees. As sustainability has taken center stage in plastics manufacturing, this technology complements the incorporation of [post-consumer resin] as a core layer in a multi-layer bottle and serves to meet brand’s sustainability goals.”

Trexel said that its partnership with Muller allows for trials to be conducted in technical centres located in North America and Europe, “equipped with the latest machinery and advanced engineering support.”  The foaming technology can easily be retrofitted to an existing screw and barrel, it said.

Trexel is the developer of the proprietary MuCell physical — as opposed to chemical — foaming process, which offers benefits such as greater density reductions, improved mechanical properties, and attractive surface aesthetic. The larger processing window facilitates its application to a wider range of products. MuCell foamed parts are recyclable and can therefore be reintroduced into the polymer stream.