News

We successfully completed the first day of the conference on circular packaging. 

Francesca Siciliano Stevens was with us, Director of the European Organization for Packaging and the Environment and lectures by industry experts from global companies (Greiner Packaging, Interseroh, Lidl GB, BSH Home Appliances Group, DS Smith...) and successful small and medium enterprises (LabelProfi d.o.o., MetGen, KraftPal, Bossis Valjevo...).
In the afternoon we were gaining new knowledge in the field of recycled plastics for packaging and testing biodegradability and compatibility, visiting FTPO laboratories and successfull slovenian company LabelProfi, which deals with flexible packaging and labels.

We successfuly concluded with two-day international conference FTPO on the topic of plastic gears (FTPO Conference 2021- Plastics gears), which took place on 17 and 18 June 2021 in Slovenj Gradec. The conference was organized as a hybrid, with participation in Slovenj Gradec and accessibility via the website using the MS Teams application. The conference was a great success, with a total of more than 50 participants from 18 different countries.

A bilateral agreement signed in 2020 with the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering), Republic of North Macedonia, bore fruit this year. In the summer semester of 2021, a master's student from Skopje, Monika Fidanchevska, joined the study process at FTPO.

More info available HERE.

More info available HERE.

More info available HERE.

More info available HERE.

The aim of the conference is to connect different stakeholders from industry, academia design studios, brand owners and all involved in the packaging life cycle. Main goals are to share knowledge, good practices, ideas and to make new connections in the transformation from linear to circular packaging supply chains and business models.

More info available HERE.

The interview available HERE.

As part of the Start Circles project, an international virtual conference was held on 3 February 2021, at which the existing R&D competencies in the field of the circular economy were presented, with an emphasis on plastic and wood materials in Slovenia and Austria.

More info available HERE.

More info avaliable HERE.

More info available HERE.

More info about the cooperation avaliable HERE.

At Faculty of Polymer Technology the composites with thermoplastic matrix and waste biomass are produced.

Check our video presentation, how waste biomass as reinforcement for plastic to make also technical parts, waste paper as biomas was compounded into PE-HD matrix. In this case, the biobased PE-HD was used. On the end of the video presentation also some injection moulded parts are presented. As you can see, our biocomposite, which is biobased, is also suitable for technical parts.

For all additional information we are at your disposal.

The Polymetal is project in the frame of the »Cooperation Programme Interreg V-A Slovenia-Austria«. The main goal of the project is the cross-boarder cooperation, networking and joint R&D of SMEs, R&D institutions from less developed, non-urban areas and one of the leading European home appliances manufacturer on the development of polymer based solutions, which could replace stainless steel or aluminum for design demanding products in different sectors. Project partners are: Gorenje (lead partner), FTPO, MUL, PCCL, Intralighting and Hiebler. The project represents a good example of cross-boarder collaboration of R&D on a demanding technological challenge, which already led to new joint R&D activities, fostered the basis for new products&processes and led to sustainable growth and increased internationalization.

At Faculty of Polymer Technology the composites with addition of high thermal conductivity filler (boron nitride) into thermoplastic matrix (polypropylene) are presented. Check our video presentation where compounding, injection moulding and characterization are presented. As you can see, our composites can achieve high thermal conductivity values.

For all additional information we are at your disposal.

Sewage sludge occurs in wastewater treatment process, regardles the wastewater technology applied. It presents up to 40% of wastewater treatment costs and therefore impacts every household water bill.

Sludge drying reed beds are a natural technology for sludge mineralisation, dewatering and stabilisation. The main benefits of the technology is its' low energy consumption and low operating costs. The technology is GHG emission-free. The case was contributed by LIMNOS Ltd.

The material obtained is humus, but in case of heavy metal containment, the material can be recycled for bioplastics.

For the compatibilization of humus into thermoplastic matrix the recycled polypropylene was chosen. To achive good distribution of humus inside the composite and also to prevent thermal and oxidative degradation lubricant, antioxidant and compatibilizer were added. Tests were done with addition of 15 wt.% and 30 wt.% of humus into the composite. The stiffness rise for 2 % and 13 %, the strength decreases for 15 % and 21 %, also the elongation at break decreases for 79 % and 87 % for the composites with 15 wt.% and 30 wt.% of humus respectively.

The sewage sludge can be used as filler for thermoplastic matrix for the static loaded parts with low deformation or low load. 

In February 2020, five new pieces of equipment were acquired at the FTPO laboratory:

• Two BAOPIN BP-8176-B single-pole extruders, 

• BAOPIN BP-8170-B hydraulic press, 

• Two TOOL-TEMP TT-248 temperature control units.

In recent days, the lives of all of us have turned upside down. We are aware of our vulnerability and, at the same time, our dependence on communication, which is fortunately enabled by modern technologies to some extent. Working from home can be quite hard, especially when we work on group projects and communication is not very clear, and we play ping-pong with e-mail documents.