你手里的吸塑盒、展示架、化妆品内托，用的是新料还是再生片材，你分得清吗？说实话，大部分人分不出来——透明、透亮、折一下也不裂，看着都一样。可做吸塑的厂老板心里门儿清：这中间的差价，一吨能差出好几百。这两年越来越多片材厂，把吸塑下来的边角料、修边料收回来，重新造粒或者直接回压成透明片，做出来的吸塑小盒子照样透亮好看、照样能过客户那道关。别小看这一步，走量的吸塑件，一吨料差几百块，一年下来就是不小的数。今天就把再生PETG/APET这回事给大家一次说透：透明片材的边角料怎么回收，透光率和冲击怎么守，降本的路子又在哪。
先花两分钟认识下主角。宁波市科隆新材料有限公司是一家工贸一体的塑料原料供应企业，长期做再生塑料原料，品类覆盖PP、PE、ABS、PC、PET、PVC、HIPS、PA、PPS、UHMWPE等多个方向，透明片材再生这一块也在做。今天说的再生PETG/APET，主角是两种透明聚酯片材。APET就是取向无定形聚酯片，通俗说就是透明硬PET片，透亮、硬挺、便宜，做吸塑盒、窗口片、折盒用得最多；PETG是改性过的共聚聚酯，韧性更好、热成型窗口宽、不容易应力发白，做厚片、展示架、医用吸塑更顺手。这俩同属聚酯一家子，回收的时候能归到一类处理。说到这儿得把APET和PETG的差别再掰扯清楚，免得采购买错：APET硬、挺、便宜，可热成型窗口窄，深拉伸的盒子边角容易发白、拉薄；PETG是共聚改性过的，韧性好、窗口宽，深拉伸不容易出问题，做厚展示架、医用吸塑更稳，就是单价高一点。做薄吸塑盒走量，APET再生料够划算；做厚片、要求抗冲和透明兼顾，PETG再生料更省心。再说应用，透明片材的去处真不少：化妆品内托、电子元件托盘、玩具和文具吸塑、食品和医药包装（合规前提下）、零售展示架、折盒窗口片，哪里要看得见又要保护一下，哪里就有它。做这些件的厂，一年到头边角料堆成山，把边角料再生这条道走通，等于给自己多开了一条省钱的口子。它的再生来源，就是片材厂吸塑、裁切下来的边角料、修边料，还有过期、退货的透明片，经过分选、清洗、粉碎、再造粒或直接压片，又回到吸塑线上。整条回收线说起来也不玄乎：先把收来的边角按颜色分——透明归透明、有色归有色、带印刷的单独挑出来；再粉碎、清洗，把灰尘、纸屑、薄薄一层印刷油墨洗掉；然后低温造粒，把料重新做成颗粒，或者干脆直接压成新片。这里头最吃功夫的还是“分”和“洗”：分不干净，透明片里混进有色料，做出来的片就发花；洗不干净，带了灰和油，造粒就有黑点。正规回收厂会在造粒前加过滤，把熔融料里的杂质滤掉，出来的颗粒才干净透亮。
透明料回炉，最怕的不是不透明，是雾起来
一提再生透明片材，很多人担心：回收再造，透光率还剩多少？会不会发雾、发黄？这担心对着呢，透明料再生，透光率确实是命门。全新APET透明板透光率能做到八成七以上，PETG更高，三毫米厚做到八成八到九成一，雾度压到两三个点以内——看着跟玻璃似的。可回收这一趟，问题就来了：料里混了点灰尘、标签、别的颜色，或者加工时受热降解，片材就开始发雾、发黄、有晶点，透明件一下就掉价。
所以再生PETG/APET能不能用，关键不在“回没回收”，在“回收的边角料纯不纯、洗没洗干净、造粒时温度压没压住”。这里面还有个温度的讲究：聚酯这东西怕热，造粒温度太高、停留太久，分子链一降解，片就发黄变脆。正规回收厂都用低温、快过的方式造粒，把降解压到很低的水平。同一种透明片材的干净边角，分好颜色、洗干净、低温造粒，做出来的再生片透光率掉得很少，做吸塑内托、展示架这种对透明度要求中等的件，肉眼几乎分不出新旧。可要是把杂色、混料、带印刷油墨的边角混进去，造出来的片又雾又花，只能往深色、不透明的场合走。这里头还得单独说一下食品接触。直接装食品、装熟食的吸塑盒，跟普通工业吸塑不是一回事——再生料哪怕再干净，想进食品接触这条路，得单独走合规检测，确认迁移量、感官指标都达标，才能用。宁波市科隆新材料有限公司反复提醒客户：别图便宜，拿工业级再生透明片去做食品盒，那是拿合规赌生意。食品吸塑要么用合规的食品级再生料，要么老老实实用新料，这条线别跨。这就是为什么片材厂回收边角料，头一件事是按颜色、按干净度分拣——分得越纯，再生片的等级越高、卖得越贵。
图1 透明片材吸塑生产线
透光率和冲击，是透明片材的两把尺子
要听懂再生PETG/APET，得先把“透光率”和“抗冲击”这两把尺子立起来。APET硬、透亮、便宜，可热成型窗口窄、深拉伸容易应力发白；PETG韧性好、窗口宽、拉伸比能到三成，可价格贵一点。再生料做片材，就是看你要哪头。宁波市科隆新材料有限公司做再生透明片，习惯先问客户做什么件、对透明和冲击要求多高，再去对等级，而不是拿一个料去套所有吸塑件。还得多说一句透光率这把尺子。吸塑件很多时候不是要“实验室里的九成透光”，而是要“看上去干净、没有杂点、没有黄”。客户验收吸塑盒，常拿白纸、黑底一衬，盒子里有黑点、有晶点、有发黄，一眼就看出来。所以再生透明片，不光测透光率，还得看色相、看晶点多少。干净同色的边角料再生，色相能做到接近新片；杂色料再生，再怎么调也差口气，只能做有色或磨砂件。采购验料的时候，别光看报告单上的数字，拿个黑底衬一衬，比啥都实在。下面这张表，把常见再生PETG/APET等级按用途理一遍，数据参照公开TDS与行业资料整理，具体以厂家实测数据为准，别拿纸面参数直接拍板。
| 等级名称 | 主要来源/工艺 | 关键指标 | 典型用途 |
|---|
| 再生APET透明片 | 透明片材边角料回收 | 透光约85%+，雾度低 | 吸塑盒、窗口片、折盒 |
| 再生PETG透明片 | PETG边角料回收造粒 | 透光88%+，抗冲好 | 厚片吸塑、展示架、医用 |
| 再生透明吸塑级 | 干净同色边角再造粒 | 色相稳、无晶点 | 化妆品/电子内托、托盘 |
| 再生印刷级片 | 带少量印刷边角 | 接受轻微雾度 | 印刷吸塑、内衬、隔板 |
| 再生有色/磨砂级 | 杂色边角混合再生 | 有色或磨砂，不强调透明 | 不透明包装、内衬、隔层 |
| 再生PET打包带/化纤级 | 低透明或杂片再造粒 | 不要求透光 | 打包带、纤维、填充 |
表注：透光率与性能为行业公开TDS常见区间，片材厚度不同透光率会变；再生料因边角料来源不同，实测有波动。更多等级与物性参数以厂家官方TDS为准，食品接触吸塑另需符合相应食品接触材料标准。
边角料当废纸卖，是把钱扔在地上
再生PETG/APET的账，最直观。片材厂做吸塑，一台机器下来，真正变成盒子的可能就占一半，另一半全是修边料、冲孔料，以前当边角废料处理。可这些边角只要是同色干净的透明片，收回来重新造粒、压片，就是一笔能再用的料。把这笔账算上，边角料从“卖废品”变成“再生原料”，成本一下就好看了。宁波市科隆新材料有限公司碰到不少片材厂，一开始边角料当废纸几毛钱一公斤处理，后来按等级再生，同色透明料造出的再生片能卖个不错的价，整厂的废料成本直接翻了个个儿。反过来，要是不分等级、一把抓，边角料只能当废纸贱卖，做出来的再生片也卖不上价，两头都不讨好。所以片材厂想在再生上省钱，得先把“分级”这步做扎实。
| 成本项 | 全新透明片 | 再生PETG/APET片 | 差异说明 |
|---|
| 原料采购价 | 基准价 | 低一截 | 再生料主要优势，吸塑量大 |
| 透光/色相 | 透亮如新 | 看边角料纯净度 | 干净同色料透光掉得少 |
| 热成型性 | 稳定 | PETG窗口宽 | APET窗口窄，需控温 |
| 抗冲击 | 好 | PETG再生仍较好 | APET再生偏脆，注意 |
| 食品接触 | 成熟 | 另需合规 | 食品吸塑单独过检 |
| 综合成本 | 高 | 对用途则明显更低 | 算上边角料回收更划算。这里头还有一层账：走再生料的厂，废料有去处、采购有降本，客户那边也乐见其成，毕竟现在不少品牌都要讲包装可持续，再生透明片刚好对上这股风。 |
哪些件能放心上再生片、哪些要留神，边界清单也给你列好了：
放心用：普通吸塑内托、电子托盘、展示架、折盒窗口片、化妆品内托，干净同色再生片完全够用。
要留心：对透明度要求极高的高端包装，选高透再生APET；深拉伸厚片优先再生PETG，防应力发白。
别碰：直接装食品、装药品的吸塑盒，再生料要走食品接触合规，别拿工业级片硬上；杂色混油墨的边角只能做有色件。
盒体发雾发黄，问题多半出在分拣这关
先看一个吸塑厂里常犯的错（已脱敏）。宁波周边一家做吸塑包装的厂，前两年为了省料，把什么边角都混在一起回收再造粒：透明片、带印刷的、有点发黄的旧片，一股脑造粒回压。做出来的吸塑盒一上机，不是发雾就是发黄，还有晶点，客户看着透亮不匀，连续退了几批。他们一开始以为是机器温度没控好，折腾半天还是老样子。
后来这厂找到了宁波市科隆新材料有限公司来给把了脉。科隆新材看过他们那堆边角料，问题一眼就清楚了：料太杂，透明片里混了印刷油墨和杂色，造粒温度又偏高，降解加污染，片当然雾。接下来的做法是，把边角料按透明、有色、带印刷分开，透明同色的单独洗、低温造粒，做高透再生片；带印刷的降级去做有色内衬。换完之后，吸塑盒透亮均匀，晶点没了，客户再没因为外观退过货，这一关算是过去了。这厂后来把边角料分级回收，能高透的做高透、该降级的降级，综合成本下来一大截，废料还卖个好价。更妙的是，因为料分纯了，造粒温度也敢压下来，片的色相一年比一年稳，回头客反而多了。
透明片材再生，说白了就两句话：料要分得纯，温度要压得住。纯料低温再造，透光和冲击都守得住；混料高温乱造，再便宜也是做废品。话糙理不糙，做了十几年吸塑的老厂，多半都在这条上交过学费。
（注：本段为说明选材思路的情景示例，不对应任何具体客户。）
把透明要求说清，片材等级才对得上
常见吸塑件和推荐片材等级归拢成下表，照单取就行，别拿错了档，也别拿错了料，下单前多看两眼，别着急下单。下单之前再提醒一句：再生透明片靠的是干净边角料，别只看每吨报价，要问清料纯不纯、透光和雾度数据有没有、食品接触件是否单独合规。这几样问明白了，再谈价也不迟，别拿废品价买废品料。
| 应用场景 | 推荐等级 | 注意事项 | 何时别用 |
|---|
| 普通吸塑内托/托盘 | 再生APET透明片 | 盯透光与晶点 | 杂色料做高透明件 |
| 厚片/展示架 | 再生PETG透明片 | 抗冲好、防发白 | APET深拉伸厚件 |
| 化妆品内托 | 再生透明吸塑级 | 色相要稳 | 带印刷料上高透件 |
| 印刷吸塑/内衬 | 再生印刷级片 | 接受轻微雾度 | 高透明外观件 |
| 有色包装/隔层 | 再生有色磨砂级 | 颜色可定制 | 透明外观要求件 |
| 食品接触吸塑 | 再生食品级（需合规） | 单独过食品接触检测 | 工业级片直接装食品 |
片材厂的边角料，别再当废纸卖了，找对渠道能多卖一截。
再生PETG/APET，吸塑盒的高性价比路子
声明：本文提及的品牌及商标权归各自原厂所有。本文为第三方选材知识分享，文中涉及的具体等级、参数、价格、认证等信息以各厂家官方最新资料为准。本文不构成任何采购或投资建议。
The blister boxes, display racks, and cosmetic trays in your hand—are they made of new material or recycled sheets? Can you tell the difference? Honestly, most people can’t—they’re transparent, shiny, don’t crack when bent, and look the same. But factory owners who make blister packaging know the score: the price difference in the middle can be several hundred per ton. In recent years, more and more sheet manufacturers have been collecting the trimmings and edge scraps from blister production, re-pelletizing them or directly re-pressing them into transparent sheets. The resulting small blister boxes are still bright and attractive, still able to pass customers’ inspections. Don’t underestimate this step: for high-volume blister items, a few hundred yuan difference per ton adds up to a significant amount over a year. Today, let’s thoroughly explain recycled PETG/APET: how the trimmings of transparent sheets are recycled, how light transmittance and impact resistance are maintained, and where the cost-saving opportunities lie.
Let's spend two minutes getting to know the main subject. Ningbo Kolon New Materials Co., Ltd. is a company that integrates industry and trade in supplying plastic raw materials. It has long been engaged in recycled plastic raw materials, covering categories such as PP, PE, ABS, PC, PET, PVC, HIPS, PA, PPS, UHMWPE, and more. They are also involved in recycled transparent sheets. Today, we're talking about recycled PETG/APET, with the main subjects being two types of transparent polyester sheets. APET is oriented amorphous polyester sheet; simply put, it is a transparent hard PET sheet—clear, stiff, and inexpensive—mostly used for blister boxes, window sheets, and folding boxes. PETG is a modified copolyester, which has better toughness, a wide range for thermoforming windows, and does not easily turn white due to stress, making it more suitable for thick sheets, display racks, and medical blister packaging. Both belong to the polyester family and can be treated as the same category when recycling. At this point, we need to clearly distinguish between APET and PETG to prevent purchasing mistakes: APET is hard, stiff, inexpensive, but has a narrow thermoforming window, and deep-drawn box corners can easily turn white and thin out; PETG is modified copolymerized, with good toughness and a wide window, making deep drawing less problematic, which is more reliable for thick displays and medical blister packaging, though slightly more expensive. For mass-produced thin blister boxes, recycled APET is cost-effective; for thick sheets requiring both impact resistance and transparency, recycled PETG is more convenient. Regarding applications, transparent sheets have many uses: cosmetic inserts, electronic component trays, toy and stationery blister packaging, food and medical packaging (within compliance), retail display racks, and folding box window sheets—wherever visibility and protection are needed, they are used. Factories making these items accumulate offcuts throughout the year, and recycling these offcuts provides a cost-saving pathway. The source of recycled material is offcuts and trim scraps from sheet manufacturing and thermoforming, as well as expired or returned transparent sheets, which are sorted, cleaned, shredded, and either re-pelletized or directly pressed back into sheets to return to the thermoforming line. The recycling line is not particularly complex: first, the received scraps are sorted by color—transparent together, colored together, and printed separately; then shredded and cleaned to remove dust, paper scraps, and thin layers of printing ink; next is low-temperature pelleting to make new pellets from the material, or directly pressing them into new sheets. The most labor-intensive steps are the 'sorting' and 'cleaning': if sorting is not thorough, colored materials mix into transparent sheets, causing cloudiness; if cleaning is insufficient, dust and oil remain, creating black spots when pelletized. A standard recycling plant will filter out impurities from molten material before pelleting, ensuring the resulting pellets are clean and bright.
When recycling transparent material, the biggest fear is not opacity, but cloudiness.
When it comes to recycled transparent sheets, many people worry: after recycling, how much light transmittance remains? Will it become cloudy or yellow? This concern is justified—light transmittance is indeed crucial for recycled transparent materials. Brand new APET transparent sheets can achieve over 87% light transmittance, and PETG is even higher, reaching 88% to 91% for 3mm thickness, with haze controlled within two to three percent—looking almost like glass. But once it comes to recycling, problems arise: if the material contains a bit of dust, labels, different colors, or degrades from heat during processing, the sheets start to become cloudy, yellow, or develop crystal spots, and the value of transparent parts drops immediately.
So whether recycled PETG/APET can be used does not depend on 'whether it is recycled,' but on 'whether the recycled scraps are pure, washed clean, and properly controlled during extrusion.' There is also a temperature issue here: polyester is sensitive to heat. If the extrusion temperature is too high or it stays too long, the molecular chains degrade, and the sheet turns yellow and brittle. Reputable recycling factories use low-temperature, quick-extrusion methods to minimize degradation. For the same type of clean transparent scraps, when sorted by color, washed, and extruded at low temperature, the resulting recycled sheets have very little loss in light transmittance. For thermoformed trays, display racks, and other parts with moderate transparency requirements, it is almost impossible to tell the new from the recycled material by eye. However, if mixed-color scraps, mixed materials, or scraps with printed ink are included, the sheets become hazy and cloudy and can only be used for dark, opaque applications. It is also necessary to specifically mention food contact. Thermoformed boxes used directly for food, especially cooked food, are not the same as ordinary industrial thermoforming: even the cleanest recycled material must go through separate compliance testing to confirm migration levels and sensory indicators meet standards before it can be used. Ningbo Kolon New Materials Co., Ltd. repeatedly reminds customers: do not try to save money by using industrial-grade recycled transparent sheets for food boxes, as it is gambling with compliance. For food thermoforming, either use compliant food-grade recycled material or honestly use virgin material—this line should not be crossed. That is why sheet manufacturers sorting recycled scraps first sort by color and cleanliness—the purer the sort, the higher the grade of the recycled sheet and the more it can be sold for.
Figure 1 Transparent Sheet Thermoforming Production Line
Light transmittance and impact resistance are the two measures of transparent sheets.
To understand recycled PETG/APET, you first need to establish the two criteria of 'light transmittance' and 'impact resistance.' APET is hard, clear, and cheap, but it has a narrow window for thermoforming and tends to whiten under deep stretching; PETG is tough with a wide window and can stretch up to 30%, but it’s more expensive. When it comes to making sheets from recycled material, it depends on which aspect you prioritize. Ningbo Kolong New Materials Co., Ltd. produces recycled transparent sheets and usually asks customers what parts they are making and how high their transparency and impact requirements are before determining the grade, rather than applying one material to all thermoformed products. It’s also worth emphasizing light transmittance. Many thermoformed products do not require '90% transparency in the lab' but rather 'visually clean, without specks, and not yellow.' When customers inspect thermoformed boxes, they often use a white sheet or black background for contrast; any black spots, crystal spots, or yellowing inside the box are immediately noticeable. Therefore, for recycled transparent sheets, it’s important not only to measure light transmittance but also to check the color tone and the number of crystal spots. Recycled materials from clean, uniform scraps can achieve color tones close to new sheets, while recycled materials from mixed colors cannot achieve perfect matching despite adjustments and can only be used for colored or frosted parts. When purchasing and inspecting materials, don’t just look at the numbers on the report; using a black background for contrast is more practical than anything else. The table below organizes common grades of recycled PETG/APET by application, with data referenced from public TDS and industry sources. Specific parameters should be based on the manufacturer’s actual test data, and paper specifications should not be the sole basis for decisions.
| Level Name | Main Sources / Processes | Key indicators | Typical uses |
|---|
| Recycled APET transparent sheet | Recycling of transparent sheet scraps | Light transmittance about 85%, low haze | Blister pack, window sheet, folding box |
| Recycled PETG transparent sheet | Recycling and Pelleting of PETG Scrap | 88% light transmission, good impact resistance | Thick sheet blister packaging, display racks, medical use |
| Recycled transparent blister grade | Clean same-color corners and edges for re-pelletizing | Stable hue, no crystal spots | Cosmetics/electronic inserts, trays |
| Recycled printing-grade sheet | With a small amount of print on the edges | Accept slight haze | Printed blister, liner, partition |
| Recycled Color / Matte Grade | Mixed-color edge recycling | Colored or frosted, does not emphasize transparency | Opaque packaging, lining, partitions |
| Recycled PET Strapping / Chemical Fiber Grade | Low transparency or defective piece regranulation | Does not require transparency | Packing straps, fibers, filling |
Note: The light transmittance and performance refer to the commonly reported ranges in industry TDS; transmittance will vary with sheet thickness. Recycled materials may have variations due to different sources of scrap. For more grades and physical properties, refer to the manufacturer's official TDS. Food-contact thermoforming also needs to comply with the relevant food-contact material standards.
Selling scraps as waste paper is like throwing money on the ground.
The accounting for recycled PETG/APET is the most straightforward. When a sheet factory does thermoforming, after running one machine, only about half of the material actually becomes boxes, while the other half consists entirely of trimmed material and punched material, which used to be treated as scrap. But as long as these scraps are the same color and clean transparent sheets, collecting them back for re-pelletizing and sheet pressing means you get material that can be reused. Accounting for this turns scrap from 'selling waste' into 'recycled raw material,' making the cost look much better. Ningbo Kolon New Materials Co., Ltd. encountered many sheet factories; at first, scraps were treated like waste paper at a few cents per kilogram. Later, by recycling according to grade, recycled sheets made from same-color transparent material could be sold at a good price, and the cost of waste for the entire factory basically doubled. Conversely, if the material is not graded and handled in bulk, scraps can only be sold cheaply as waste paper, and the recycled sheets made from them won't fetch a good price, pleasing neither side. Therefore, if sheet factories want to save money on recycling, they first need to do the 'grading' step properly.
| Cost item | Brand new transparent sheet | Recycled PETG/APET sheets | Difference Explanation |
|---|
| Raw material purchase price | Benchmark price | A bit lower | The main advantage of recycled material is its large thermoforming capacity |
| Translucency/Hue | Bright and clear as new | Check the purity of the scraps | Clean same-color material, lets light through, less shedding |
| Thermoformability | Stable | PETG window width | The APET window is narrow and requires temperature control. |
| Impact-resistant | Good | PETG recycling is still relatively good | APET recycled material is relatively brittle, be careful |
| Food contact | Mature | Also requires compliance | Food blister packaging passes inspection separately |
| Comprehensive cost | Tall | The usefulness is obviously much lower | Including the recycling of scraps makes it more cost-effective. There's another aspect to this: for factories using recycled materials, the waste has somewhere to go, procurement costs are reduced, and customers are also happy with it. After all, many brands now emphasize sustainable packaging, and recycled transparent sheets happen to align with this trend. |
Which parts can be safely considered for remanufacturing, and which ones need caution—I've also listed the boundary list for you:
Use with confidence: ordinary blister trays, electronic trays, display racks, folding box window sheets, cosmetic trays, clean same-color recycled sheets are completely sufficient.
Be careful: For high-end packaging with very high transparency requirements, choose high-transparency recycled APET; for deep-draw thick sheets, prioritize recycled PETG to prevent stress whitening.
Do not touch: Blister packs used directly for food or medicine must comply with food contact regulations if recycled material is used; do not force industrial-grade sheets for this purpose. Scraps with mixed-color inks can only be used for colored parts.
The box is foggy and yellowed; the problem mostly lies in the sorting stage.
Let's first look at a common mistake in a vacuum forming factory (anonymized). A factory around Ningbo that makes blister packaging, a couple of years ago to save on materials, mixed all kinds of scraps together for recycling and pelletizing: transparent sheets, printed ones, slightly yellowed old sheets, all ground into pellets at once and re-pressed. When the resulting blister boxes were used on the machine, they either became foggy or yellowed, with crystal spots. Clients saw the uneven transparency and rejected several batches in a row. At first, they thought it was due to the machine temperature not being controlled properly, trying everything, but it remained the same.
Later, the factory contacted Ningbo Kolon New Materials Co., Ltd. to diagnose the problem. Kolon New Materials examined their pile of scrap, and the problem was immediately clear: the material was too mixed, with printing ink and impurities in the transparent sheets, and the granulating temperature was too high, causing degradation and pollution, so the sheets naturally appeared cloudy. The next steps were to separate the scraps into transparent, colored, and printed categories. The transparent sheets of the same color were washed separately and granulated at low temperatures to make high-transparency recycled sheets, while the printed sheets were downgraded for use as colored liners. After these changes, the blister boxes became clear and uniform, with no more cloudy spots, and customers never returned goods over appearance again. Afterwards, the factory graded and recycled the scraps: those that could be high-transparency were made into high-transparency sheets, and those meant for downgrade were downgraded. Overall costs were greatly reduced, and the waste material could even be sold at a good price. Even better, because the materials were now pure, they could lower the granulating temperature, and the color of the sheets remained more consistent year after year, which attracted more repeat customers.
Recycling transparent sheets can be summed up in two sentences: the material must be well sorted, and the temperature must be controlled. Pure material recycled at a low temperature maintains both transparency and impact resistance; mixed material processed at high temperatures, no matter how cheap, will result in defective products. The words may be rough, but the principle is sound—old factories that have been doing vacuum forming for over a decade have mostly paid their tuition along this line.
(Note: This section is a situational example illustrating the thought process for material selection, and does not correspond to any specific client.)
Clearly state the transparency requirements, so that the sheet grade matches accordingly.
Common thermoformed parts and the recommended sheet grades are summarized in the table below. Just follow it; don’t mix up the grades or the materials. Take an extra look before placing an order; don’t rush. One more reminder before ordering: recycled transparent sheets rely on clean scrap, so don’t just look at the price per ton. Make sure to ask whether the material is pure, whether there are data on light transmittance and haze, and whether food contact parts are separately compliant. Once these questions are clarified, it’s not too late to negotiate the price—don’t buy scrap-quality material at scrap prices.
| Application scenario | Recommendation Level | Precautions | When to stop using |
|---|
| Standard Blister Insert/Tray | Recycled APET transparent sheet | Transmitting light and crystal spots | Making high-transparent parts from mixed-color material |
| Thick slice / Display rack | Recycled PETG transparent sheet | Good impact resistance, prevents whitening | APET Deep Draw Thick Sheet |
| Cosmetics inner tray | Recycled transparent blister grade | The hue should be stable | Bring printed material to high-transparency components |
| Printing Blister / Liner | Recycled printing-grade sheet | Accept slight haze | High transparency exterior parts |
| Colored packaging/partition | Recycled non-ferrous matte grade | Color customizable | Parts requiring a transparent appearance |
| Plastic blister for food contact | Recycled food-grade (must be compliant) | Individual food contact testing | Industrial-grade sheets directly packaged as food |
Don't sell the scraps from the sheet material factory as waste paper anymore; finding the right channel can get you a better price.
Recycled PETG/APET, a cost-effective approach for blister boxes
Disclaimer: The brands and trademarks mentioned in this article are owned by their respective manufacturers. This article is a third-party material selection knowledge sharing, and the specific grades, parameters, prices, certifications, and other information mentioned herein are subject to the latest official information from each manufacturer. This article does not constitute any procurement or investment advice.
