The following article is a transcription of a conversation between Andrew Johnson, Communications Director at CirQulor, and Joseph Likens at Kynnex, a U.S. company specialising in product management and supply chain solutions.
AJ: Joseph, thank you for joining me today. I’m going to dive right in, if I may, and ask you about the current state of play in mass manufacturing, particularly with regard to sustainability and the adoption of alternative materials, and I’m specifically focusing here on synthetic polymers… that’s plastic to you, me and everyone else.
JL: Thank you for having me. Right, to answer your question, I will say we’re some way off the wholesale switch to natural polymers. Saying this, there is movement away from the use of pure, virgin plastic. By which I mean, we’re seeing a shift to composites of high-quality recycled resin. That’s probably not what you want to hear, knowing your stance on virgin plastic, but it’s a step in the right direction.
AJ: Yes it’s a welcome start, if only to pave the way for experimentation with new composites and materials. But what are the main barriers for manufacturers when considering a natural polymer resin?
JL: There are quite a few. First, there will be concerns about running the material on machines. Will the material damage the tooling? How can the machine be cleaned after the run? Production may intermittently switch between synthetic and natural polymer runs. This is particularly true of tier 2 manufacturers.
Then there’s a whole host of supply issues. Is there a ready supply of raw material? How different will each batch be? How do I verify each batch? What testing will I need to do to verify the parameters of each batch? Is there any pre-treating required prior to use?
Then there are technical issues. Can I mix a colour with it? Is there a need for any secondary processing, such as hardening or curing? Can I print, paint or overmold the material? Are the tolerances held for the material the same as plastic resin?
Finally, there are component assembly issues. How will screw holes work? Can the material be tapped or screwed into?
AJ: It’s interesting how with any change we expect the worst. What if I told you that a natural polymer would probably cause less harm to the tooling. That there’s not so much of a requirement to use the astringent cleaning solutions used to remove plastic. And that the residue from natural polymers isn’t toxic.
Colours, additives, fillers, surface finishing – this is really a sustainability issue. You can add whatever you want, but if you’re using 100% natural polymer to create a sustainable product you’ve got to ensure anything you add in the process is sustainable and non-toxic too.
Tolerances are slightly greater although it depends on each type of material. As for screw holes and hinges, we’re currently working on screw holes, hinges etc. looking at designs and working with designers who have relationships with brands looking to incorporate genuine circularity into products – allowing for easy disassembly and reassemply at end of life of the products. Obviously, each case is dependent on the material, and the specific application.
Agreed, there’s certainly a lot to consider with any change, but do you think the industry can overcome these issues?
JL: In a word, yes. The industry has responded positively to incorporating recycled resin. Many of the issues are shared in the need for additional monitoring of the material throughout the manufacturing process. Even with supply of material, I’ve been amazed at the speed with which new streams to supply recycled resin have been set up.
AJ: So, what you’re saying is that most of these factors are technical and could be resolved through machine reconfiguration, production line modification, and additional monitoring?
JL: Yes, none of them are make or break. If there’s a good reason – a sound business case – to use an alternative material, the manufacturing process can be adapted. It can be done. Now, supply is another big issue…
AJ: Yes, current supply chains for alternative materials are nascent, underdeveloped. In some cases, the supply of alternative materials is governed by food crop harvesting and will fluctuate. And how important is the stability of new, natural resin-based feedstock? Will this hinder adoption?
JL: This is where plastic has an advantage. Lead times for synthetic resin supply are minimal, feedstock is very stable and consistent; shelf life is up to a year in optimum conditions, unless it’s for a specific mix. The challenge for alternative materials suppliers will be to replicate the slick synthetic polymer supply chain. If natural polymer feedstock can be supplied on demand; is robust enough to be stored for a reasonable length of time to account for crop cycles; and offers stability and consistency, then that’s a hurdle vaulted. Don’t forget, most manufacturers want to simply throw it into the machine and press go.
Having said this, manufacturers use local specialists to help them color mix and match the base resin or mix with different additives as required rather than always buying specific resins for a specific application.
AJ: I wouldn’t be surprised to see the pre-mix market develop out with alternative material feedstocks in the future. It may have been the case that manufacturers simply pressed go and shoved plastic through their machines, but times are changing. There’s a lot of talk about pre-mix or pre-conditioning at CirQulor as a way of managing the stability of natural polymers and supporting the supply chain.
You touched on an important driver of transformation… the business case, commercial viability and the market dynamic. Is unit price of manufacture a determining factor?
JL: As you can imagine, the industry is and will always be fixated with unit cost of production. Manufacturing is a very low margin game; barriers to entry are low and therefore margins are minimal. Manufacturers are also squeezed by corporations to keep costs low.
Standard ABS is 1-2 US dollars per kg, probably less if bulk buying. Do we have any ideas how much natural polymer costs per kg? I expect significant levies will be necessary on all sides of trade before the cost of plastic resin actually increases to a point where people will start to look elsewhere – but that depends on availability and cost of natural polymer.
AJ: It’s probably too early to stick a price on a kilo of rice or corn husk, but my sources tell me it’ll be on a par with synthetics. If that’s the case, will unit price still be a major factor?
JL: Well, yes and no. Given the low price of plastic resin, and also, generally, the amount of resin that is used in a component, the price of resin (especially generic feedstocks) is rarely a determining factor. Machine time, processing, scrap rates etc. have a greater influence on base plastic pricing in terms of proportion of the costs.
It’s complicated, quantities of each run are a factor too. Management teams will always be looking at efficiency, but if your runs are small to medium size then efficiency rates become less important as setup time will always surpass time saved.
Additionally, as we are seeing with recycled polymer resin, if the requirement for extra machine time and monitoring is born by all manufacturers, then the increase in unit price will be universal and therefore absorbed. So, if the price of natural polymers is competitive then that won’t be a barrier.
AJ: Let’s not forget, this is a new material, or class of materials. We’re talking about a replacement for plastic – a material that’s toxic to the environment. If we start to consider the environmental cost of each material the scales don’t just tip in favour of natural polymers, they tumble. Take one example, many natural polymers are sourced from agri bi-product waste – corn, rice, wheat husk or hulls. If the source is local, within close proximity to the place of manufacture, transportation costs are reduced but so will emissions of CO2.
JL: Yes I can see that, but whether manufacturers care enough is the question. For most, the driver will always be the bottom line.
AJ: So, what you are saying is, manufacturers could switch to natural polymers tomorrow, if the economic reasons to do so were in place? Do you believe the transition is coming soon? And who will drive it?
JL: I find it hard to anticipate smaller, tier 2 manufacturers leading the way at this moment in time. It’ll be the tier 1’s and big corps with budgets and government pressure to do so. We’re starting to see increased interest in alternative materials for mass manufacturing in places like China and Europe.
External factors will play a big role. But I’m optimistic, having seen the changes in the industry over these past 6 months in recycled resin composites. Once the message gets out there those alternative materials are commercially viable and orders for products made from them start flowing, adoption will follow rapidly.
It’s definitely coming.
