Epson debuts the world’s first in-office paper recycling machine

Printing company Epson has unveiled the PaperLab, an in-office recycling machine that spits out bright new paper after waste sheets are put in.

According to Epson, the process is more secure and efficient than sending paper to an off-site recycling plant. The PaperLab breaks paper down into integral fibers before building them back up into news sheets.

What makes the PaperLab so impressive are its specs. Within just three minutes of adding waste paper to the machine, it begins forming new white sheets of paper. The system can produce approximately 14 A4 sheets of paper per minute, which is equivalent to 6,720 sheets in an eight-hour workday. The device can also create A3 paper and tweak the thickness and density of the paper. If you want thin white paper or thicker paper for business cards, it can do both.

The PaperLab is the world’s first paper production system to use a “dry process.” Typically, paper-making processes require lots of water, but Epson’s system only requires a miniscule amount in order to maintain a certain level of humidity inside the machine, meaning it doesn’t have to be plumbed into the main wall. There is a small tank of water that needs to be filled up occasionally with tap water, but that’s it.

Epson’s device works through processes of fiberizing and binding. One method mechanically crushes and de-fibrates the paper, and then uses a cyclone of air to de-ink the crushed paper bits. A second process involves binding where the fibers are stitched back together again. Different binders can be added to the machine to create a variety of papers including colored, flame resistant, bright-white, or even fragrant papers. Lastly, the paper’s thickness, density, and size are determined during a pressure forming stage.

While a price has not yet been released, the PaperLab will go on sale in Japan in 2016 and is expected to come to other regions at a later date.

Source: Ars Technica