The Hungarian thermoforming specialist Kurucsai Plastic has been producing PET sheet for food packaging on a Gneuss MRS extrusion line since the beginning of 2025. The investment is intended to increase material flexibility, reduce energy consumption during extrusion and create the basis for processing food-grade recycled PET. The company originated as part of an agricultural business and initially produced thermoformed packaging for its own fruit and vegetable products. Today, it also supplies products to customers throughout the food industry. As production capacity expanded, the company gradually converted its sheet production from polypropylene to polyethylene terephthalate. This transition was driven by increasing requirements for recyclable packaging and the growing use of recycled content within the European circular economy. At the same time, the company aims to reduce its dependence on raw material availability and price fluctuations by gaining the ability to process a broad range of PET feedstocks.
The change to PET, however, introduced a significant processing challenge. PET is a hygroscopic plastic and readily absorbs moisture from the surrounding environment. In conventional extrusion processes, the material must therefore be dried before processing in order to ensure consistently high sheet quality, especially when recycled material is used. For this reason, the company looked for a solution that would allow different PET feedstocks to be processed without upstream material drying while maintaining high energy efficiency. The choice was a Gneuss MRS 110 extruder with a throughput of up to 600 kg/h of PET. Since its commissioning in early 2025, the system has met both of these requirements.
MRS technology and processing of different PET feedstocks
The core element of the installation is the patented Multi Rotation System, MRS, technology. The use of multiple satellite screws significantly increases the melt surface area, enabling highly efficient devolatilisation and decontamination of the PET melt. As a result, virgin resin, bottle flakes and in-house production regrind can all be processed flexibly without the need for energy-intensive pre-drying.
Gneuss Omni extrusion line with MRS extruder and RSFgenius melt filtration system
The extrusion process has received FDA approval for the production of recycled PET intended for food-contact applications. In addition, EFSA approval has been applied for for the customer-specific process, with a decision expected in 2026. This is intended to enable the company to use food-grade recycled PET in international food packaging markets.
Dosing, filtration and inline process
The system includes a gravimetric dosing unit that enables very precise blending of different material streams. Continuous removal of solid contaminants from the melt is handled by the Gneuss RSFgenius rotary filtration system, which helps maintain consistently high sheet quality. The sheet is then fed directly into the thermoforming lines in an energy-efficient inline process.
Gneuss RSFgenius rotary filtration system with integrated backflush technology
Since production started at the beginning of 2025, the extrusion line has proven suitable in daily operation. The combination of flexible raw material selection, elimination of energy-intensive pre-drying and the energy-efficient inline process reduces overall energy consumption and increases flexibility in material sourcing. As a result, Kurucsai Plastic now has the technical capabilities to increase the recycled content in its food packaging in line with market requirements and to respond flexibly to future market changes and the evolving requirements of the European circular economy.
Production of PET thermoforming sheet at Kurucsai Plastic in Hungary
