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News Release

Satake Machinery Used to Recycle Car Bumpers

September 26, 2011

September 26, 2011

Satake Machinery Used to Recycle Car Bumpers

The "Nissan Leaf" contains material recovered from used bumpers

SATAKE provided a paint stripping system to NISSAN for its recycling program. The machinery has been running since September 2010 at Nissan’s OIHAMA plant.

Nissan Leaf

Concern over protecting the environment and conserving energy has grown rapidly in recent years. Environmentally conscious projects are being undertaken across many industries around the world. In the car industry, Nissan is contributing to the environment with a project to reuse old bumpers for the Nissan Leaf, a fully electric vehicle.

A true bumper-to-bumper system, Nissan takes bumpers from used cars, treats the material, and uses it for bumpers in new cars.

In 2007, Satake was asked by Nissan to jointly develop machinery to remove paint from old bumpers. After development and testing, the machinery was delivered to Nissan’s Oihama Plant in September of 2009.

Recycling bumpers is a complicated process consisting of many steps that eventually results in resin pellets for raw material. Satake supplied machinery required for 3 of these steps: paint removal, washing and drying, and sorting.

Process Machinery

1.Plastic polishing machine (PBA25A) : Removes paint from the surface of crushed bumpers

2.Washing and drying machine (SJR025A): Removes foreign powder from polished pieces

3.Optical sorter (RMGS281CIS) :Removes any bumper pieces with remaining paint residue

(Please refer to the attached sheet)

This processed material is used in the front and rear bumpers of the Nissan Leaf, a zero emission electric vehicle (EV).

Bumper Recycling Process

1. Collect used bumpers

2. Crush the collected bumpers

3. Remove paint. (Satake machine)

4. Wash and dry. (Satake machine)

5. Remove pieces of bumper with remaining paint residue. (Satake machine)

6. Melt the cleaned pieces into pellets.

Installed Machinery
(PBA25A)
Plastic Polishing Machine
(SJR025A)
Washing and Drying Machine
(RMGS281CIS)
Optical Sorter

* Please note descriptions in news releases are accurate as of the date of release and may differ from the most up-to-date information.

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