Production methods
There are numerous ways to recycle plastic products, the most popular of which are described briefly below.
Extrusion
Produces materials that take the shape of their mould e.g. lumber, pipes, beams.
Best for: HDPE, PVC, PP, OTHER
Injection moulding
Injects melted plastic into a closed mould.
Best for: PP, PS, OTHER
Blow moulding
Produces hollow products like bottles and containers.
Best for: HDPE, also PET, PP, PVC depending on the type of machine
Thermoforming
Uses heat, vacuum and pressure to make thermoform food packaging material, medical devices, and car parts.
Best for: PET, HDPE, PVC, PP, PS, OTHER
Rotational moulding
Rotates multiple hollow moulds on two axes, allowing for multiple products to be made at once.
Best for: HDPE, PP
3D Printing
Also known as additive manufacturing, this process uses a digital file to print a 3D product.
Best for: PET, OTHER
Production methods at The Flipflopi Project
At The Flipflopi Project, we use three main production methods:
- Extrusion (Main production method)
- Uses flakes, pellets, and agglomerates as input.
- Produces plastic lumber and planks for construction and furniture.
- Injection moulding (Small-scale production)
- Uses flakes as input.
- Creates small plastic items like cups and door knobs.
- Mainly used for training and testing new designs.
- Sheet pressing (Launching in Q1 2025)
- Uses a modular 4m x 2m press to compress flakes into plastic sheets.
- Inspired by Precious Plastic’s sheet press process.
As extrusion is our only commercial-scale production method, the following section will focus on how we use this process to create durable recycled plastic products.
