Back in 2005, Machines Italia reported on Global P.E.T. in Perris, California, when the company installed a complete washing process to produce 2,000 kilograms of clean RPET flakes per hour.

It was the first of its type to be sold in North America, the first PET recycling plant to operate in the state and the only RPET recycling washing operation west of the Mississippi River.

The company was able to wash more than 40,000,000 pounds of dirty post-consumer bottles brought in from the local marketplace through municipal collection and deposit collection agencies. A patented process from AMUT S.p.A. (www.amut.it) provided high-quality clean PET flakes. The plant only used one pint of water to clean one pound of dirty PET flakes, as well as a minor use of chemicals in the cleaning process.

Today, the plant makes 100 percent RPET sheet with AMUT extrusion/sheet technology. Last year the company made its own thermoformed containers for food packaging called “Bottle Box.” This year, a second installation of a washing line and a third huge AMUT extrusion/sheet line will double the overall output to 80,000,000 pounds annually.

The FFG-920 QUAD, an inline high-speed thermoforming machine with four stations, provides a pre-heat station for the sheet prior to entering the forming station. All tooling is built with automatic centering technology and a quick disconnect system allowing change-over in minutes. Programming permits the recall of more than 100 product set-ups so operations are fast and user-friendly.