Epson has unveiled a new system called PaperLab that promises to revolutionise office recycling by destroying documents and turning them into new office paper.
The company believes PaperLab is the world's first compact office papermaking system, capable of producing new paper from securely shredded waste paper without the use of water.
Epson plans to put the new system into commercial production in Japan in 2016 with sales in other regions to be decided at a later date. Businesses and government offices that install a PaperLab in a backyard area will be able to produce paper of various sizes, thicknesses, and types, from office paper and business card paper to paper that is coloured and scented.
A developmental prototype of the PaperLab will be demonstrated at the Epson booth (booth location: 4-002) at Eco-Products 2015, an environmental exhibition that will take place at the Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Centre) from December 10 to 12.
PaperLab Features:
1. Office-based recycling process
Ordinarily, paper is recycled in an extensive process that typically involves transporting waste paper from the office to a papermaking (recycling) facility. With PaperLab, Epson is looking to shorten and localise a new recycling process in the office.
2. Secure destruction of confidential documents
Until now enterprise has had to hire contractors to handle the disposal of confidential documents or has shredded them themselves. With a PaperLab, however, enterprise will be able to safely dispose of documents onsite instead of handing them over to a contractor. PaperLab breaks documents down into paper fibres, so the information on them is completely destroyed.
3. High-speed production of various types of paper
PaperLab produces the first new sheet of paper in about three minutes of having loaded it with waste paper and pressing the Start button. The system can produce about 14 A4 sheets per minute and 6,720 sheets in an eight-hour day. Users can produce a variety of types of paper to meet their needs, from A4 and A3 office paper of various thicknesses to paper for business cards, colour paper and even scented paper.
4. Environmental performance
PaperLab makes paper without the use of water. Ordinarily it takes about a cup of water to make a single A4 sheet of paper. In addition, recycling paper onsite in the office shrinks and simplifies the recycling loop. Users can expect to purchase less new paper and reduce their transport CO2 emissions. Epson has developed Dry Fibre Technology without water, a new group of technologies for the PaperLab. Dry Fibre Technology consists of three separate technologies: fiberising, binding, and forming.