europe's plastic processors magazine

May 2013

Borche Injection Moulding machines incorporatethe latest technology at a price that keeps you competitive

Control CAPEX, retain qualityand improve efficiency

www.plasticmachineryuk.com

Industry leading power savings | 60 to 6000 tonne capacity | Established support network

New machinesoffered at used machinePRICES

in this issueMACHINERY pages 6–16

REGULARS:Latest news 6–11

SHOWCASE: TEMPERATURE CONTROL 12–13

SPOTLIGHT: INJECTION MOULDING 14–16

MATERIALS pages 17–22

REGULARS:Latest news 17–20

SHOWCASE: COMPOSITES 21–22

pages 34–35CLASSIFIEDS

INDUSTRY NEWS & EVENTS pages 30–33

Latest news

APPLICATION FOCUS pages 23–25

Electronics

K 2013: THE PREVIEW pages 26–29

Your comprehensive EPPM guide to the show

26

23

22

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European Plastic Product Manufactureris published by Plastics Multimedia

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Volume 15 Issue 4© May 2013.

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MAY 2013 • WWW.EPPM.COM • 3

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When you first join the plastics industry, whether you’re supplier side orprocessor, technician or salesperson, marketing or engineering, thereare a few things that everybody gets briefed on in their first week.Typically, if the field is injection moulding, lots of simplified diagramsand animations of polymer being fed or dosed into the machine andmelted down before being forced into a mould, to give the basicunderstanding of the technology. We all did it once. Some are just 16when they learn the ropes; others are going on 60. Well, there’s something else that everybody finds out about, maybe notin the first week, but certainly in the first year. The K Show. If you enterthe business right at the start of the K cycle, your colleagues willprobably still be buzzing (and possibly wobbling) from the previousshow. Join in year two of the three year cycle, and you might find thatpeople around you sporadically mention the show, fearful that hotelsclose to Messe Duesseldorf are already booking up fast (everybodywants to be close to the action). And if you join in a K Show year, acouple of months prior to the show, as I did back in 2010, you mightjust find that your standard initiation to that company (gatheringstationary, setting up an email account, generally finding your feet) goesout of the window.And with good reason. Planning for a show the size of K is no meanfeat. I’ve been planning since late last year, I suspect many readers

have started even earlier. Thehotels are just one thing. Whenyou get on–site, you have just afew days, if you’re lucky, to try andget round 17 halls (depending onwhat you’re there for). I’ve alwaysadopted a very ‘loose’ approach toplanning my shows, as I find thatmeetings so often overrun. But Isuspect I’ll need more than a fewcontingency plans at K this year. Anyway, if I were to give a themeto this issue of EPPM, ‘planning forK’ would be it. This is the first ofour traditional series of K Showissues. Over the last 15 years this

magazine has reported on K for fivecycles, and this year we plan to makeour coverage as genuinely useful,relevant and helpful as possible. Themedia machine has already started toturn its cogs and we have the firststand announcements from just ahandful of exhibitors who have alreadydeclared their offerings at the show. I expect that over the next three issues,the ‘K Preview Section’ will grow and

grow as we become inundated with news about product launches andnew partnerships.I just hope my forward-planning pays off!

David Gray, Editor

K 2013: The First Impression

Inje

ctio

n M

ould

ing

John Sturgess, Director,MG Stuma

Film

& S

heet

Ext

rusi

on

Graham Pickwell, Technical Adviser,

Polymer Training & Innovation Centre

Pipe

Ext

rusi

on

Blow

Mou

ldin

g

John Bunker,Member, Worshipful

Company ofHorners

Recy

clin

g

Omer Kutluoglu, CEO,2K Manufacturing

Recy

clin

g

Martin Marron, MD,Biffa Polymers

Recy

clin

g

Jonathon Short, MD,ECO Plastics Ltd.

Mic

ro M

anuf

actu

ring

Rapi

d Pr

otot

ypin

g

Barry Assheton, SalesDirector, CRDM

Auto

mot

ives

& C

ompo

unds

Andy Bone, Sales Director, Formaplex

Mark Bonifacio, President, Bonifacio Consulting Services

Pack

agin

g

Simon Chidgey,Director, M&H Plastics

Med

ical

Andrew Feilden,Principle Consultant,

Smithers Rapra

Med

ical

Graeme Diston,Senior Injection MouldingEngineer, Bausch + Lomb

Cons

truc

tion

Andrew McArthur, Engineering Manager, IKO

Andrew Smith, Head ofManufacturing, Numatic

International

Plas

tics

for t

he E

nviro

nmen

t

John Ellis, SegmentManager Polycarbonate,

Bayer MaterialScience

Nigel Brown, FoundingMD, Frontier Aerospace

Woo

d Pl

astic

Com

posi

tes

Alex Collins, Director,Vannplastics Ltd.

Wire

& C

able

Jon Herbert, Director,FS Cables

Biop

olym

ers

Dr Martin Kay,Chief Consultant, Pira International

Biop

olym

ers/

Mat

eria

ls S

cien

ce

Dr Terence A. Cooper,CEO, ARGO Group

International

Regu

latio

n &

Com

plia

nce

Vicki Sayer, RegulatoryManager, Colormatrix

Gene

ral I

ndus

try

Insi

ght

Clive Maier,Owner and Director,

Econology Ltd.

Gene

ral I

ndus

try

Insi

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Ken Braney, 2010-2011President,Society of

Plastics Engineers

Educ

atio

n in

the

UK &

Irel

and

Charmaine Bowers,Operations Manager, PolymerTraining & Innovation Centre Ad

viso

r for

the

Germ

an &

Scan

dina

vian

Spe

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untri

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Dr Gerd Schmaucks,Independent

Consultant

Mou

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Hom

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plia

nces

Aero

spac

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Paul Maley, SeniorMechanical Engineer,

Selex Elsag

Our Editorial Advisory Board is comprised of a cross-sectionof the plastics industry, including processors, consultants,technicians and key industry figures.

James Goddard, Honorary Lifetime

Member, Plastics PipeInstitute

from the editor

“

”4 • WWW.EPPM.COM • MAY 2013

(Images copyrightMesse Duesseldorf).

cover story

Distribution portfolio continues to

Own Compounds – Exciting new development:ALTECH NXT PP

ALBIS is a leading compounder with an increasinglyglobal reach. With the opening of the Chinese factory inJuly ALBIS will provide compounding capability to itscustomers in Europe, Asia and the Americas.Responding to trends towards lighter and more fuelefficient cars ALBIS has added ALTECH NXT PP to itsrange. Available in a 30% glass and mineral filledversion and also 35% and 50% glass filled versions thisrange of products is aimed not just at the automotivemarket but also where similar properties to nylon or PPmodified with long glass fibres are required.Applications are seen in the power tool, furniture anddomestic appliance markets. With lower density thannylon, processing benefits such as no drying and lowerprocessing temperatures this product provides costeffective solutions as well. Commenting on this productrange Ian Mills, Managing Director of ALBIS UK said“We are seeing a high level of interest in ALTECH NXTfrom various industries including the automotive sector.

It’s first commercial applications are now running andwe are confident that this product range will bring anexcellent range of benefits to our customers.”ALBIS UK has been established almost fifty years andcontinues to develop its business to improve serviceand offerings to its customers. With a strong field salesand technical team ALBIS is continually investing in itstechnical knowledge and ensuring that itsmanufacturing business unit operates to the highestpossible standards. Accreditations achieved includeTS16949, ISO14001, OHSAS18001 and Investors inPeople.The group invites readers to visit at PDM on standD0009 in June.

ALBIS UKTel: +44 1565 755777Email: [email protected]: www.albis.com


E X PA N DALCOM light diffusion products are widely

used in many lighting applications.

New to the ALBIS range ALTECH NXTPP helps reduce weight in cars.

ALBIS has a market leading range of polymers for healthcareapplications

ALBIS UK is a fully owned subsidiary of ALBIS GmbHwhich is one of the leading European distributors andthermoplastic compounders. ALBIS operates on anincreasingly global scale with a plant in China currentlyunder construction complementing facilities in Europeand the USA along with one of the strongestdistribution networks in Europe. ALBIS UK has added a number of key products to theportfolio so far in 2013 widening its already ‘famousnames’ product offering even further, and thus givingcustomers even more choice. In January NAS (SMMA) and Zylar (MBS) were addedto ALBIS UK’s already extensive range of Styrolutionproducts. The SMMA grades are known for their waterclear color and desirable touch and feel. The impactmodified (MBS) grades also offer clarity with practicaltoughness for those applications requiring resistance tobreakage.Customers will now have ALBIS as a one-stop-shop forthe whole range of Styrolution’s Specialty portfolio.ALBIS also provides local compounding, allowing themto offer customers smaller order sizes and specialcolours.In April the Catalloy range of products fromLyondellbasell were added into ALBIS’ portfolio.Catalloy resins are Thermoplastic Polyolefins that comedirectly from the reactor. They cover a whole range ofproperties from very soft without the use of plasticisersto very stiff. Application areas include building andconstruction, automotive, film and polymermodification. The range includes established brandnames such as Adflex, Hifax, Softell and Adsyl. Theycan be used on their own or to enhance the propertiesof other materials via blending or compoundingprocesses.Additionally ALBIS UK are now distributing Sipolprenefrom SIPOL in Italy. This a TPE-E / COPE . Anelastomeric polymer, semi crystalline with excellentmechanical and impact strength coupled with flexibility.

MACHINERY

Extrusion machinery specialistbattenfeld-cincinnati recently joinedforces with partner companies Labotekand SABIC to demonstrate the latestversion of its PO pipe extrusion line at anopen house event held at the group’ssite in Germany. The line is reported toconsume at least 30% less energy thana predecessor model. 75 visitors weregiven demonstrations on the ways to runa pipe extrusion line in an ecological andeconomical way.With an annual production time of 7,000hours, about €300,000 can be saved inelectricity costs alone if a pipe extrusion

line is equipped with certaincomponents, claims battenfeld-cincinnati. The example used during the event wasa co-extrusion line producing a two-layer pipe for pressure pipeapplications, which reached an outputof 750kg per hour and a line speed of0.93 meters per minute. The group’s uniEX 35-30 and solEX 75-40 extruders were used, as well as thehelix 250-3 VSI-T+ pipe die with anEAC (efficient air cooling) internalcooling system, and the “Green Pipe”downstream equipment.uniEX single screw series extruders areequipped with AC motors using air-cooled frequency converters. Modelsfrom the solEX series use an AC motorwith a water-cooled frequencyconverter.battenfeld-cincinnati has also revised itshelix VSI-T pipe dies in an effort toreduce energy consumption. The corecomponent of the new helix 250 VSI-T+3-layer pipe die is a cooling basketinstalled between the spiral mandreland the lattice basket. The EAC internalcooling system blows in cold air forinternal pipe cooling and subsequentlytransfers heated air to the Labotekmaterial drying system. The saggingeffect (uneven wall thicknessdistribution) is significantly reduced,especially in large-diameter pipes,claims the company.

The third keycomponent is the“Green Pipe”downstreamequipment with built-incooling system. Thissystem usesfrequency-controlledvacuum and waterpumps. The coolingsystem also operateswith a water volumeflow cut by almost90%, a reduction whichis achieved bypumping the coolingwater into the last tank and then passingit on from one tank to the next in theopposite direction to the extrusionprocess. With those amendments,battenfeld-cincinnatti is claiming thatenergy cost savings of at least 30% canbe achieved.Labotek a supplier of drying systems forthe plastics industry has worked withbattenfeld-cincinnatti to develop an EACvariant of its combination dryer, whichwas demonstrated at the open house inoperation with the line. The drying system operates with twoseparate drying zones. The hot air drawnfrom the pipe die is blown into the topzone. The bottom zone is laid out as aconventional drying zone with a dry airsystem to ensure the necessary degreeof dryness for the material. The dryer

consumes no more than 11 kW fordrying 1,500 kg/h of granulate. SABIC has developed a new PEcompound designed for energy-efficientpipe extrusion. Vestolen A-Rely 5924 R10.000 was used to produce the pipeduring the open house demonstration.Compared to a conventional PE-100, it issaid to require measurably less energyfor melting and processing in anextruder.

battenfeld-cincinnatiWeb: www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com

LabotekWeb: www.labotek.com

SABICWeb: www.sabic-europe.com

Addex Inc., a global supplier of blownfilm equipment and components, hasreleased an automatic external gaugecontrol (EGC) system for blown filmextrusion lines. The new Tandem externalgauge control (TEGC) system combinesthe gauge control efficiency of Addex’sEGC air ring, with a bubble stabilisinglower air ring which reportedly achieves15% to 30% greater output compared toAddex’s standard EGC system.“The Tandem EGC is the culmination ofextensive development work and is yetanother example of how Addex workscontinually to devise unique productsthat help processors increase yield andrealise major raw material savings,” saidRick von Kraus, President of Addex Inc.The lower single-lip air ring sits on thedie and matches the die’s diameter. It isfed by a blower about half the size of theblower needed for a typical air ring. Theblower gently cools the bubble andstabilises it before entering the realm ofthe upper, dual-lip automatic gaugecontrol air ring which is located above it.The more stable bubble allows for higheroutput without jeopardising the gaugecontrol function.

The upper EGC air ring is 50mm biggerthan the die size. Therefore, a 400mmdie employs a 400mm single-lip air ringlocated on the die and an 450mm EGCair ring situated on top (as shown inphoto). The larger diameter for theupper air ring, which is equipped withthe gauge controlling features, isneeded to accommodate for the blowup ratio.The remaining components of theTandem EGC system are the same asthose of the standard EGC system. Thestandard unit is an automatic systemthat reduces film thickness variations byup to 70%, typically resulting in a 5% to6% raw material savings. Addexsimplified the original air ring structureby moving the electronic circuit boardfrom outside of the air ring into theplenum area. This integration offerssimplicity, enabling the user (end useror OEM customer) to rely on its owncontrol panel if desired. An end user orOEM customer may also use its ownthickness measuring system and feed itvia the Ethernet connection to the airring.Other key options for the OEM include

mapping hardware and software forthe control processor andmonitoring devices for thereversing nip position and nip rollspeed along with a controlalgorithm which converts themapped gauge profile intoinstructions for the air ringsoftware.The EGC system is claimedto have the most controlzones in the industry forair ring-based systems.The number of controlzones ranges from 90 to288 depending on the airring size. A scanningactuator horizontally slidesas many teeth (controlzones) as needed to openor close the air flow channels(vanes) and automatically adjuststhe cooling air, thus correctingthickness variation in the blown film. Justtwo motors activate all the movable partsin the system compared to competitivesystems which use one motor per zone.Like the previous EGC air ring, onemotor is used to adjust the air flow and

6 • WWW.EPPM.COM • MAY 2013

PO pipe extrusion line said to offer significant savings

Blown film gauge control claims to enable greater output

the second one adjusts the first motor360 degrees.

AddexWeb: www.addexinc.com

MACHINERY ROUNDUP

Maguire Products, Inc. claims it hasstreamlined the operation of its systemfor recycling purgings into regrind,offering potential increases in throughputof 20% and production of finer and moreuniform granulate with less dusting. Thegroup has received the CE certificationrequired to make the system available inEurope.The modifications to the MaguirePurging Recovery System (PRS) mayalso benefit the granulation ofpolystyrene, flexible vinyl, and otherpolymers that might otherwise melt ordegrade under the forces of sizereduction, causing backup or clumpingthat shuts the system down. In the PRS, material undergoes twostages of size reduction. First, a rotorplaner slices or planes the rock-likepurging into small chips. Next, agranulator reduces the chips to regrind. The knives in the rotor planer are now40% smaller, while their number hasincreased from eight to twelve. As aresult, the planer produces smaller chipsthat are more easily and uniformlyreduced by the second-stage granulator.The cutting also yields less dust than inthe previous version.The cutting chamber of the second-stage granulator has been redesigned toincrease the flow of air generated by ablower. The material in the granulator isthus cooled more effectively, preventingmelting, and it is evacuated from thecutting chamber more rapidly.These enhancements make finergranulate possible, with minimum holesizes in the screen of the second-stagegranulator reduced from 9.52mm to6.35mm. In a further improvement,Maguire has replaced the previous one-piece screen with a three-piece screenthat is easier and less expensive toreplace. Typically a purging is discharged ontothe shop floor, hardens, is scraped up,and is disposed of, ultimately ending upin landfill. Over time, this adds up to awaste of material valued at thousands ofdollars per year, claims Maguire.“Our PRS system is the only low-cost

Purging ‘reclaim’ system produces quality regrind


equipment designed specificallyfor the rugged work of size-reducing heavy masses ofplastic,” said B. Smith, Marketingand Sales at Maguire. “Since a4.5kg lump of hard plastic coulddamage the rotor of aconventional granulator, the onlyother alternative for reclaimingpurgings is to purchase a heavy-duty granulator for $100,000 to$200,000.”The Purging Recovery Systemdraws on the concept of thecarpenter’s plane. It consists of a tablethat is split into two levels and a purgingcontainment chamber that, upon startup

15 new sizes available frommould suppliers

Meusburger customers now benefitfrom an even larger range of mouldsizes. With a total of 15 new sizes upto 996 1196, the company hasextended its product range socustomers can now choose from 113different mould sizes. The extension isfor both F - plates (with guide holes)and P - plates (without guide holes).For the new 66mm guiding diameter,the matching E - Accessories are alsoavailable.

MeusburgerTel: +43 55 74 67 060Web: www.meusburger.com

of the system, moves back and forthover the table. The planer, mounted atthe point of disjunction between the two

surface levels, is actually a rotor withstaggered knives that turns at 1750 rpmWith each pass of the containmentchamber, the rotor planes away thin(13mm) slices from the bottom of thepurging and propels these chips into thehopper of a compact granulator beneaththe table. As material is planed awayfrom the purging, a pneumatically-drivenhold-down plate in the containmentchamber keeps the purging in contactwith the knives.

Maguire Products Inc.Tel: +1 610 459 4300Email: [email protected]: www.maguire.com

MACHINERY ROUNDUP

Mold-Masters, a global name in hot runnertechnology has selected Moldex3D software fromCoreTech System Co., Ltd., an injection mouldingCAE simulation specialist, to be the global CAEanalysis standard for design verification andoptimisation of hot runner systems.Mold-Masters has reportedly invested in “acomprehensive product management project to setglobal CAD/CAM/CAE standards for the organisationto accommodate the growing demands in hot runnerbusiness”, according to a statement from SimpaTec,a re-seller of Moldex3D. Responsible for the project isthe Global Engineering team which leads engineeringoffices in Germany, Canada, China and India. Afterevaluation and benchmarking, Mold-Masters decidedto globally adopt Moldex3D to build the CAE analysisstandard for the design verification and optimisationof the hot runner system.Cristoph Hinse, Managing Director of SimpaTec,stated: “We as re-seller appreciate Mold-Masters’decision as a very important step for the plasticsinjection moulding industry. With Moldex3D the useris able to analyse and revise hot runner systems inorder to observe quality aspects of the final product,e.g. filling pattern, weld lines, high gloss or paintingfree. But also economic aspects like reducing cycletimes, clamping force or injection pressure or savingresin, are assessable too. We are looking forward to afruitful and successful cooperation.”“In our 50 years in business, it has never been theplan for Mold-Masters to take the easy path inproduct development. We make the best, not theeasiest” said Hans Hagelstein, President of Mold-Masters Global Engineering. “At Mold-Masters, weare continually looking to have the best-in-classengineering analysissoftware to help us todeliver the ultimate inmelt delivery and controlsystems. WeselectedMoldex3D

Hot runner specialist adopts new CAE analysis

because of its unique technologies. The tool notonly offers more realistic mould filling simulationresults for building the organisation standard forhot runner design analysis, but also provides moreadvanced 3D features to help us on the deepinvestigation of new product development.”“We are very excited to working with Mold-Masterswhich is the world leading supplier of hot runnertechnology” said Dr. Venny Yang, President of theCoreTech System. “Hot runner system plays moreand more an important role in achieving aneffective injection moulding. Moldex3D not onlyoffers the advanced coupled flow and thermalanalysis for hot runner systems, but also developsthe private cloud solution for helping customers tobuild their own high performance computingplatform. I firmly believe that Moldex3D uniquecapabilities will provide greater value to Mold-Masters for strengthening the companycompetitiveness.”

SimpaTec GmbHTel: +49 241 9367 1500Email: [email protected] Web: www.simpatec.com


New dosing unit with brushless DC motor launched

New Omap, an Italian supplier of materials handlingequipment covering loading, storing and mixing,drying, dosing, conveying and granulating hasdeveloped a new range of dosing units. These new units are said to incorporate a brushlessDC motor with torque control based on the HallEffect (the production of a potential differenceacross an electrical conductor when a magneticfield is applied in a direction perpendicular to that ofthe flow of current).New Omap says in effect this means a much smallerphysical unit but with superior self-regulating controlcharacteristics. The new controller will alsoincorporate test and self-optimisation features. The company states another major advantage isthat this new unit will more than cover the existingDOSA1 and DOSA2 throughput range (0.2 – 30kg/hr of additive).Massimo Rubbis, Export Sales Director of NewOmap, supplier to UK distributor Intelicare,commented: “The new brushless DC motor dosersoffer significant benefits over the existing well provenand successful DOSA range. For instance, thecombination of DC motor with one set of standardscrews provide step-less dosing adjustment coveringa wide throughput range. Customers will benefit fromthe avoidance of changing feed screws plus a higher

accuracy of dosing resulting in a more consistentand repeatable end product.”

IntellicareWeb: www.intelicare.co.uk

Mold-Masters is a provider of hot runner technology.

Shown is the original design (a). The evaluation withMoldex3D results in a more uniform temperature along hotrunner nozzle in the revised design (b).

(a)

(b)

The new dosing unit from New Omap

UK-based materialhandling equipmentsupplier GenesisProcess Solutionshas recentlydelivered additionalmobile bins to aNorth Westcompounder to useas a dynamic refillsystem for itsBrabender loss-in-weight feeders,taking their total on site to eight. Genesis Process Solutions says the concept of a mobilebin is far from new, but in using the Krause FlexibleTransport System (FTS) it gives the customer the optionof using very poor flowing materials in mobile binswhere a conveying system would normally be chosen. As the FTS units are filled in a controlled, dust–freemanner, transported to the line via forklift truck, pushedinto position on a mezzanine floor and then connectedto the agitation system, they are a completely sealedunit. Once in position, the operator simply opens themanual slide valve on the FTS unit and the system theninteracts with the Brabender feeder giving the signal torefill – thus opening a pneumatic valve and starting theagitation system. Genesis Process Solutions says the FTS can besupplied in many shapes and sizes to suit the customerrequirements, as can the inlets and outlets, aseverything is bespoke. “The ones supplied on thisparticular project were using a coated material, but forless dusty products, a breathable fabric would be used,”explained Genesis Sales Manager Phil Cameron. “Thebeauty of using the FTS is that the side walls and conechange shape with the product discharge and thereforedramatically reduces bridging and rat holing typicallyfound in rigid hoppers,” he continued. Genesis Process Solutions, the UK & Ireland agents forKrause, also developed an agitation system to gounderneath the bins using ‘pushers’ to agitate theflexible cone and ensure good mass flow. The companysays various products are currently being used on–sitesuch as calcium carbonate and fibreglass strands.“We have effectively used our knowledge andexperience from our larger flexible silos and downsizedto suit mobile bins. The pusher agitation systemeffectively mimics the Flexwall feeder in its operation andtherefore gives us a great mass flow from the hoppers,”Cameron concluded.

Genesis Process SolutionsWeb: www.genesisps.co.uk

Equipment supplier shows its flexibility

The mobile bins arriving at acompounding site in North WestEngland

The broad perspective counts!

ARBURG Ltd.

MACHINERY ROUNDUPGranulators designed for plastic bottle processing

New NCF Series super-tangentialgranulators from auxilliary equipmentsupplier Conair are claimed to havefootprint dimensions at least 30%smaller than many other granulators withsimilar capabilities. The group says the cutting chamberconfiguration is ideal for handlinglightweight bulky parts such as plasticbottles, but also produces clean, uniformgranulate from runners and small parts.Different hopper designs and rotor/knifechoices are available which are said tomaximise performance with a widevariety of scrap types.Conair states four different modelsfeature 203mm diameter rotors, in widthsof 240, 360, 480 and 600mm, and deliverstandard maximum throughputs rangingfrom 68 to 205kg. A five-horsepowermotor powers the smallest unit and thethree larger sizes have 7.5 horsepowermotors with options to 15 horsepower.

Standard rotor speed for the NCF 810 issaid to be 260 rpm and standard speedon the larger models is 400 rpm,although Conair says 260-, 400- or 840-rpm can be specified on any of thegranulators to increase capacity,improve regrind quality and/or minimiseenergy consumption.A tilt-back hopper and drop-downscreen cradle are said to provide easyaccess to the cutting chamber formaintenance and cleaning. Conair saysthese features contribute to increasedproductivity and reduced downtime. Anoptional sound attenuation package isalso claimed to make the NCF Seriesquieter than other small granulators. Conair states the super-tangentialchamber design ensures that the rotorgrips bulky scrap on the downwardstroke, drawing it into the knives andpreventing it from bouncing on the rotor.Standard tangential and straight-drop in-

feed configurations are also available.The company says the rotor itself can beopen with three rows of double-angledknives for a clean scissors cut withminimum heat generation. For toughermaterials, a solid rotor can be equippedwith three rows of up to five cassetteknives in a staggered array.Cassette knives allow for quickand easy knife changes andminimise downtime for serviceand maintenance. The knivesrequire no adjusting tomaintain a consistent knifegap for improved quality,according to Conair.

Conairwww.conairgroup.com

PVC compounder boosts capabilities with equipment investment

Premier Tech Chronos has recentlysupplied specialist PVC compounderDugdale plc with its eighth Chrono-Weigh E55 bagging weigher, for thecompany’s Sowerby Bridgecompounding facility in West Yorkshire,UK.During the last five years Dugdale hasinvested several million pounds in itsnew compounding plant, which hasbeen designed to help develop andmanufacture high performance lead-freePVC compounds. It is also enabling the

group to expand its range of cellulargrades, anti-microbial compounds,sealing and intumescent products aswell as PVC alloys for elevatedtemperature applications.The latest system to be installed byPremier Tech Chronos is a repeat of thepreviously supplied equipment, butoperating at twice the throughput.A new–gravity fed Chrono-Weigh E55weigher, with stainless steel contactparts has been supplied on a bespokedesigned double level support

Conair states its new NCF Series super-tangentialgranulators have footprint dimensions at least 30% smallerthan many other granulators with similar capabilities

framework; feedbin, valve bag fillingspout, and FIBC filling spout. This hasbeen installed in an existing buildingthat is adjacent to several previouslysupplied Premier Tech Chronosbagging systems. Premier TechChronos engineers installed andcommissioned the new baggingsystem and integrated it with thematerial conveying feed system.To provide Dugdale with optimumlevels of flexibility for its packingoperation, the new system has a

‘push-pull’ discharge chuteconfiguration, which allows precisionindividual weighments to be made intovalve bags, or multi-tip precisionweighments to be made into IBCs.Control of the bagging process isachieved using a SpeedAC NXT highaccuracy weighing controller.

Premier Tech Chronos Limited Tel: +44 115 9351351Email: [email protected] Web: www.premiertechchronos.com

Plasma group opens surface treatment and testing facility

Henniker, a specialist in plasma surfacetreatment technology, has recentlyopened the doors to its new purpose-designed plasma surface treatment andtesting facility in Warrington, UK.Following rapid expansion and anincreasing demand for plasmatreatments from the automotive andaerospace sectors, the new facility willallow Henniker to provide routinesurface treatments, processdevelopment, and both pre- and post-treatment surface testing to its clients. Plasma treatment is a surfacepreparation technique. Plasma removesorganic contamination from surfaces

with no harmful waste or by-productsand renders many surfaces hydrophilic,which in turn improves adhesioncharacteristics. Plasma treatmentinstallations are currently used toimprove product manufacturing andfinishing in areas as diverse asautomotive component painting andsub-sea power connector assemblies. In its new facility, Henniker hascombined plasma treatment equipmentwith comprehensive surface testingfacilities, including surfacecontamination detection andidentification apparatus and also surfaceenergy testing to ISO DIN standards,

using a variety of test methods such assurface test fluids and contact anglemeasurement techniques. Hennikersays that the facilities are run by trainedstaff with many years of practicalexperience in plasma and surfacetesting techniques and are offered tonew and existing clients to assist withfree proof-of-concept trials, applicationsupport and process developmentservices.

Henniker ScientificTel: +44 1925 830 771Email: [email protected]: www.henniker-scientific.com

New mould temperature control connectors eliminate spillage

Stäubli, a specialist in connectiontechnology, has added a new multi-connector to its range of products forthe plastics market. Named MCI 209,the new design is a flat faced multi-coupling capable of connecting up to10 separate mould cooling circuits. Theflat faced design is said to eliminate anyspillage on connection ordisconnection, improving safety bypreventing the risk of leaking hightemperature or water glycol fluids,making floors slippery, as well asminimising the consumption of heattransfer fluids. Stäubli says the designalso ensures no ingress ofcontaminants into the circuits that couldaffect the performance of the coolingfluid and increase the maintenance

required on the system.Ensuring safe and effectiveconnections is of prime importanceand the MCI 209 range is said toincorporate a fool–proof keying systemthat prevents connection errors andeliminates any risk of crossconnection; the robust locking systemensures circuit integrity. Stäubli says allcircuit connections are made by oneaction, reducing the time to changemoulds. The optional proximity switchensures safe working practices aremaintained by providing directindication that the plates are securelytogether. A parking plate provides theadditional benefit of protecting themachine side plate during a toolchange and improving safety by

retaining loose hoses.Stäubli states MCI 209 is suitable forboth new and existing injectionmoulding machines and moulds,as well as other applicationswhere fluid circuits need tobe connected anddisconnected withoutany spillage, forexample in the medicaland pharmaceuticalmarkets. CAD files of thenew connector areavailable on request.

Stäubli UK Ltd.Tel: +44 1952 671918Email: [email protected]: www.staubli.com/en/connectors


Wittmann all-wheel drive for improved dynamics

MACHINERY ROUNDUP

Insertion and removal times are acrucial aspect of packaging and IMLapplications. For achieving therespective acceleration, drive torquesare needed that are very close to theedge of feasibility. At speeds beyond6m/s, accelerations of more than 60m/s²are absolutely common when usinglightweight grippers. The new Wittmannall-wheel drive has been designed toreach these accelerations.The market has veered towards systemsthat are able to handle higher payloadsat constant dynamics, claims Wittmann.A straightforward solution might be asimple increase of the available motorperformance. This can be achieved, butWittmann says that the approach hassome disadvantages:Firstly, the mass inertia of a servo driverises typically to the second – related toits performance. The bigger the motor,the higher the share of energy that hasto drive the rotor. The outcomes areoften overdimensioned and expensivedriving packages. Unfortunately, theseare all too often seen today in use withpackaging and IML applications.The bevel of a toothed drive belt canonly transmit a limited torque.Increasing torque, by necessity, meansa broader toothed drive belt.The group has now developed asolution for the W837 range ofhorizontal robots. Part of theamendment is to use two smaller drivesinstead of one big motor. Wittmann’sproduct trials and research have shownthat:

Two motors, each ofthem with half thepower, amount to morethan double thedynamics of a singlebig motor.The mechanical powerthat is infed in thetoothed drive belt nowcombines on two toothwheels.The toothed drive beltand the basicconstruction of therobot remainunchanged, and theextra drive effort can bekept within a limit.The drive control and its algorithmsalso ensure that the loads carried byeach of the two drives are exactly thesame.The new W837-2drive robot model wasintroduced at the company’s“Competence Days” in Kottingbrunn,Austria last month. The system wasshown in combination with an electricEcoPower 180/750 injection mouldingmachine.This new IML application demonstratedthe removal of lids from a fourfoldmould, with a time limit of less than 0.5seconds for demoulding. The W837robot differs from the standard modelonly through its double drive chain.This feature improves flexibility andmodularity when designing andcommissioning production systems,says Wittmann.

View of an IML system inoperation (top) and the newall-wheel drive (bottom).

Wittmann Robot Systeme GmbHTel: +49 9128 70990Email: [email protected]: www.wittmann-group.com

Italian recycler boostsquality with colour sorting

The introduction of colour sortingtechnology has reportedly enabledItalian plastics processor AdigeAmbiente to achieve higher valueyields for the 35,000 tonnes ofrecycled PP/PE it processes eachyear.Based in the Lake Garda area, AdigeAmbiente’s main business isgrinding and sorting industrialplastics waste to produce a recycledproduct to sell to plastic productmanufacturers. However, therecycled PP/PE specialist needed toemploy colour separation andgrouping technology in order toachieve a higher-value, coloursorted, end product. Bühler installed four SORTEX Z+bichromatic machines to sort highcapacities of mixed HDPE regrindinto four colour groups. The systemuses bichromatic colour sortingcamera technology that is designedto sort mixed colour PP/PE into fourcolour separated products. Adige Ambiente owner Luigi Molinarisaid: “We were looking for a way toensure the highest quality sort frommixed colour PP/PE regrind. Bühler’sexpert team were able todemonstrate quality and efficiency intheir SORTEX technology.”

BühlerTel: +41 71 955 1111 Web: www.buhlergroup.com

www.eppm.com

We are delighted to announce the launch of our newwebsite, with a revised layout to make your life easier.Whether it’s a quick visit to catch up on the news, or a moredetailed search for new suppliers, eppm.com willhave a permanent place in your favourites list.

If you don’t already receive a FREE copy of our printed ordigital edition of eppm, please head to the site to registeryour interest and provided you make specifying or buyingdecisions, we would be pleased to send you a regular copy.

By registering we’ll also keep you up to date with what’sgoing on in the European plastics industry, with our weeklynews broadcast sent straight to your desktop or tablet.

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MACHINERY

Wittmann claims its three newestmodels, the Primus C120, the TemproPlus D and the Tempro with variothermfunctioning, represent leadingtechnological edge for temperature

Wittmann Battenfeld unveiled the latestexpansion of its Tempro series oftemperature controllers at Fakuma 2012and is set to reveal further developmentsat K 2013.

Temp control range to be expanded in time for K

SHOWCASETEMPERATURE CONTROL

control in the plastics industry. The directly cooled Tempro directC120 temperature controller wasdeveloped in response to theindustry’s demand for directly cooled

controllers and Wittmann claims thatthe unit has become popular withplastics processors over the past fewyears. The company now offersmany variants of the Tempro directC120 – in regards to different pumpsand different heating and coolingcapacities. The dimensions of the new unit aresaid to be the same as of the Temproprimus C90 and it therefore meets therequirements of a compact beside-the-press unit. Wittmann says it canbe used at temperatures of up to amaximum of 120°C, with a standardheating output of 9 kW and amaximum delivery rate of 200 l at 2.4bar operating pressure. It is suitablefor all applications where high coolingperformance and high delivery ratesare both required.The development of plastics marketsand the new applications that goalong with it make new demands onperipheral equipment and developersat Wittmann say higher temperaturesfor controllers have yet againincreased. The pressurised models(140–180°C) of the Tempro Plus Dappliance series are, therefore, nowavailable with an optional heatingoutput of 16 kW per temperaturecontrol circuit. Tempro plus Dappliances are equipped with adimensioned 5.7" LCD colour screenas standard. Various buttons on thedisplay are freely configurable so thatthe data required in each case can beretrieved exactly as desired by theoperator.In addition, the Tempro plus D Variois now available. Here, the cavitytemperature is measured via athermal element thus allowing forheating up and cooling the cavity to adefined temperature. Heating timeand cooling time are determined forevery cycle, thus increasing thestability of the process.

Wittmann BattenfeldTel: +43 1 250 390Email: [email protected]: www.wittmann-group.com

Wittmann Battenfeld is set tounveil further expansions to itsrange of temperature controlequipment at K 2013.


MACHINERY

SHOWCASETEMPERATURE CONTROL

Frigosystem, an Italian supplier oftemperature control equipment forheating, cooling and chilling of water,oil and air, has developed a modifiedversion of its Raca Plus Energy chiller.The series employs scrollcompressors and uses newtechnology aluminium micro-channelcondensers that are said to ensure apremium level of efficiency. Thissolution also allows the reduction inthe volume of refrigerant gas by 40%in comparison to traditionalcopper/aluminium coils as well asimproving the resistance againstgalvanic corrosion. Micro channel coilsare easy to clean as they can be washedwith a high-pressure sprayer withoutbending the fins. The product range has also beenextended and now starts from 50kW upto 1,200kW cooling capacity and comeswith multicircuit and multicompressorsystems that may be specified with orwithout reservoir or pumps. Efficiencyhas reportedly been maintained whileincreasing the ambient operatingtemperature range from 43°C to 45°C

Italian firm modifies plastics chiller range

Therm, explained: “The period of use sofar covers the warm season. We wouldexpect even better efficiency still duringwinter. Here, Turbomiser can operate atlower condensing temperatures wherethe efficiency advantages are greatest.”The optimum level for Turbomiser isconsidered to be 25 to 60 percent ofload, where, due to its operatingcharacteristics versus conventionalchillers, energy efficiency for thedelivered cooling capacity is maximised.Turbomiser is equipped with integralinverter drives, enabling very fineincremental adjustments to be made toprecisely match chiller output to coolingload.Cool-Therm states it is now working tofine-tune the cooling system to deliverfurther energy savings to customers.

Cool-ThermTel: +44 303 030 0003Email: [email protected]: www.cooltherm.co.uk

UK-based coolingspecialist Cool-Therm hasannounced that it hasinstalled a new Turbomiserchiller at a flexiblepackaging manufacturer.CoolTherm states the new,high-efficiency Turbomiserchiller, installed at AmcorFlexibles Winterbourne,operates on virtuallyfrictionless magneticbearings, to deliver lowerpower consumption andreduced carbonemissions.During the project, Cool-Therm workedclosely with staff at Amcor to replaceone of the existing chillers at the siteafter it had reached the end of itsoperational life.Cool-Therm has worked with AmcorFlexibles Winterbourne for more than 20years, installing and servicing three largechillers delivering the continuous chilledwater required by the plant’s plasticsextrusion machines.Cool-Therm says the new Turbomiserchiller, installed alongside two existingMcQuay centrifugal chillers, operatesaround the clock to maximise savings.Andreij Duma, Operations Director atAmcor Flexibles Winterbourne, said:“Cool-Therm anticipated a 20 to 25percent energy saving with theintroduction of Turbomiser. However, theperformance over the first six monthslooks even better than this, and thelatest figures show a saving of just under50 percent.”Ken Strong, Managing Director of Cool-

High efficiency chiller delivers hot energy savings

The new Turbomiser chiller from Cool-Therm.

Controls Inc. “We looked for improved heating ofinjection mould tooling considering thechallenges using hot oil,” Farrell said.“Our teams confirmed the heat transferof water is better than oil and canachieve the appropriate crystallinecontent of a higher-performancethermoplastic such as Fortron PPS.”Specifically, Ticona said its processingteams made the claim that water-pressure heaters are better at controllingtemperature as water is a superior heattransfer medium to oil, which oftenneeds to be 37.77°C hotter to achievethe same temperature as water; superiorto electrically heated tools, as cartridgeheaters transfer heat into the tool andpart, but have only passive cooling,which can lead to poor process controland part variability; and also, that theyare cleaner and safer than oil systems aswater is inexpensive, can be easilydisposed of and does not degrade whenexposed to air.

TiconaWeb: www.celanese.com/ticona

In many cases, hot oil is the preferredtemperature control fluid for injectionmoulding, but Ticona, the engineeringpolymers business of CelaneseCorporation, claims it has found thatprocessors can use hot-water systemsto achieve superior heat transferperformance suitable for high-temperature resins such as its semi-crystalline polymer, Fortronpolyphenylene sulfide (PPS).“We have repeatedly observed thatcommercially available high pressure hotwater technology provides sufficient heattransfer, which ensures optimum uniformtool heating for moulding high-performance materials like Fortron PPS,”said John Farrell, Global LeaderProcessing Labs, Ticona. “In addition,Ticona polymer processing teams in theAmericas, Europe and Asia found thatwater systems are a cleaner, safer andbetter environmental choice for efficientmould temperature control.”Ticona processing engineers validatedthe moulding of Fortron PPS with varioushot water systems, including units fromWittmann Inc. and Single Temperature

Water could replace hot oil, claims polymers group

Frigosystem states these chillers may bespecified with dual water circuitsproviding both chilled and cooled watercircuits while utilising a common return.The company says all Raca Plus Energyand Raca E chillers may further bespecified with free cooling to furtherimprove energy savings.

FrigosystemTel: +39 02 9658610Email: [email protected]: www.frigosystem.it



eppm INJECTION MOULDING

EPPM: First of all Alec, when andwhere did your involvement with theBorche group begin?

Alec Farrell: I did my training withPeco/Windsor as an engineer. Iworked with a very experiencedgentleman named Richard Sayerswho was a chief designer for Peco/Windsor at that time. Richard wasinstrumental in many of theimprovements that Peco/Windsormade, and in 50 years he has been aproblem-solver for the plasticsindustry. Richard moved out to Chinain 1972 and has had significantinfluence on the technicalspecification and design of Borche,ensuring industry leading technology,exceptional quality, reliability andeffectively producing a product thatthe market needs in Europe, at acompetitive price. For too long theCentral European manufacturers havehad it their own way and Richardasked if we would promote Borcheinto the European market. As we havebeen used machinery dealers in theUK for the past 40 years, we haveconsiderable experience findingbuyers what they want at competitiveprices. Borche adds to this service,effectively allowing us to offer ourcustomers new fully guaranteed highquality machines at used machineryprices. This removes the uncertaintieswithin the second hand marketsallowing our customers to buy exactly

what they want specification–wise.The machines are fully guaranteed,backed up by our in-house serviceteam and as we are experienced usedmachinery dealers we can offermarket value trade-ins on their currentplant. Add to this the industry leadingpower saving technology, and it is awin-win for our clients. Borche fits ourbusiness model, allowing ourexperienced team to give the marketwhat it needs at a price that is right.

EPPM: So what attracts UKmoulders to this range?

AF: The price is important as CAPEXneeds controlling but this is only partof the equation. Power savingtechnology makes the plant cheaperto run than even a five-year-old usedmachine, thus reducing overheads.When you add the excellent quality,the 100% reliability and thecustomisation that is available plus amarket value trade-in on the old plantit gives a competitive advantage at aprice that is affordable. In addition westock a range of machines that areimmediately available and the leadtime on new orders is only 10 to 12weeks.

EPPM: Diversity and flexibility isimportant too - how diverse is theportfolio?

AF: The range covers 60 to 6,000tonnes. The machines carry everyconceivable option and arecustomisable even to the point ofbeing able to choose your own colourto fit in with your existing plant.

EPPM: Why do you think the last 12months in particular have been sogood for sales of the Borche range?

AF: The UK market has seen areduction in quality in used machineryon the market. At the same time keytier 1 automotive suppliers have seena major increase in orders which hasput a strain on existing manufacturing.A number of established mouldershave needed to increase capacityquickly whilst controlling the capitalcost. The technology in Borcheprovides exceptional quality with allthe benefits of modern power saving,basically providing current industryneeds.

EPPM: We all know your market ishugely competitive in the UK andEurope, and the major players areinnovating this year especially withK just around the corner. What isBorche doing to innovate?

AF: We have mentioned power savingabove which is hugely important inreducing running costs. A 320-tonneBS III machine in our showroom,under moulding conditions, usingP/P in the production of four litreflower pots, currently uses lesspower than a three bar electric fire!

Borche has an international team whoare constantly updating both thetoggle and hydraulic ranges to ensureindustry leading quality tied with valuefor money. There is a range of allelectric machines being released laterin the year and the 6,000-tonnecapacity machine has just beenordered by a Chinese company.

EPPM: Why do you think Borcheselected PMS to represent them inthe UK?

AF: Our experience and reputationwithin the UK market and ourtransparent approach to supplying theinjection moulding market. We are notsimply an agency; this is apartnership. We are not sales peopletrying to make targets, promising theearth simply to secure a sale, we areengineers with a wealth of experienceproviding our customers solutions totheir manufacturing challenges – thisis why Borche chose us as theirpartner.

EPPM: Finally, what does the futurehold for both PMS and Borche?

AF: We have sold machines rangingfrom 60 to 1,200 tonnes (twin shot) todate into the UK. We have quotes tomajor manufacturers to supplymachines up to 2,500 tonne. Ourconservative aim is to have circa 80 to100 machines in the UK by the yearend and as the story grows toincrease the exposure of thiswonderful machine to a wideraudience.

MACHINERY SPOTLIGHT

The Borche facility in China as it is today.

Borche machines in situ. The range covers 60 to 6,000 tonnes.

In the first issue of 2013, EPPM profiled on its front cover a 400 tonne injection moulding machine fromBorche, a rapidly emerging international supplier of injection moulding machinery. The Borche story beganalmost exactly 10 years ago in early 2003, in Guangzhou, China. Today, the group builds in excess of 7,000machines a year and has plans to grow this considerably. The portfolio ranges from 60 to 6,000 tonnes, withoptions for toggle, hydraulic and electric locking.Since that front cover was published a few months ago, Plastic Machinery Sales UK Ltd, the UK partner ofBorche, has seen continued growth and demand for the range. 32 machines are now in production in the

UK and a number of quotes for machines up to 2,500 tonnes have been submitted since January. We caughtup with Alec Farrell, Managing Director of PMS, to find out why uptake for the Borche brand is so strong, and

what the next steps are for the two companies.

BORCHE: ANEW NAME INEUROPE’SINJECTIONMOULDINGSECTOR

Stay tuned for more updates from this growing brand.


MACHINERY SPOTLIGHT

A UK watermetermanufactureris accruingsizeableenergy

savings,approximately

£2600 permachine, after

upgrading 15 of itsinjection moulding machines toincorporate Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’sactive Control systems. Operating globally, Elster is one of theworld’s largest electricity, gas andwater measurement and controlproviders. The company has suppliedmore than 200 million meteringdevices in the last ten years across

electricity, gas, water and multi-utilityapplications. Elster’s UK watermetering business manufacturesmetering systems for utilities,commercial and industrialorganisations including South EastWater and Anglian Water. It moulds allthe internal components for its watermeters on hydraulic and electricinjection moulding systems fromSumitomo (SHI) Demag. Some of the hydraulic machines on-site at Elster are nearly 20 years old,but are vital to Elster’s operation asthey perform to tolerances that couldnot be matched by electric machines,as Clint Sharp, engineering managerat Elster Metering, explained: “Withthese components we cannot take therisk of movement and subsequent

shrinkage post-recovery, sowe have to maintain strictmoulding pressuretolerances. In some casesfloor flatness has to bewithin seven micron. Toachieve these tolerances weneed machines with verylong cycle times.”However, with energy pricesclimbing year on year, Elsterwas feeling the impact of thehigher energy consumptionof its hydraulic machinebase. “Electric machines

use servo drives, which are moreenergy efficient than hydraulics forinjection moulding presses, plus theservo motor is only in operation atcertain times of the machine cycle,whereas the pump motor on ahydraulic machine runs continuously,”explained Ian Ramsay, after salesmanager with Sumitomo (SHI)Demag. To help its customers reduceenergy bills for their hydraulicmachines, Sumitomo (SHI)Demag has developed a retrofitpackage called activeControl. Thisoptimises energy consumption duringidle periods in the cycle using‘activeEnergy Saving’ to reduceconsumption by up to 80%. “Thecooling phase of the cycle is whentraditionally, the pump would berunning but not actually doinganything,” said Ian Ramsay.“Essentially, activeControl involvesinstalling an inverter to control thefrequency of the pump motor so thatduring idle periods, instead of runningat full power, the pump motor isramped right down to 25Hz.”Keen to trial this solution, ElsterMetering bought the activeControlpackage for one of its hydraulicmachines. This yielded cost savings of37%, which equates to around £2600a year, convinced Elster to fit the

invertorkit onto

the rest of itshydraulic fleet.

The company now has 15machines, ranging in capacity from 25up to 150 tonnes, operating withactive Control.“Everything we purchase has to payback within two years,” said ClintSharp. “This was a big project for usand it has paid for itself within twoyears in the energy savings we havemade.” He continued: “We nowspecify these drives for all newequipment purchases, which haseliminated other injection mouldmachinery manufacturers from therunning. There are some who claim tooffer similar energy saving packagesbut we’re keen to see this particularinvertor kit as we know it delivers realresults.”

Sumitomo DemagTel: +44 1296 739500 Web: uk.sumitomo-shi-demag.eu

POWER-SAVINGPUMP CONTROLSYSTEM CUTSMOULDINGENERGY BILLS

The final fourmachines,from a totalorder of 13ELEKTRAmachines

ranging from1,100 to 1,550

kN clamping force,will soon be delivered

to Hirschmann Automotive.“This will bring the total number ofFerromatik Milacron machines atHirschman to 70. All of these machines

are being used to produce connectorsfor the auto industry,” said RalfCezanne, Director of Sales andMarketing at Ferromatik Milacron. The machines have been customisedfor the specific requirements ofHirschmann Automotive and includenumerous options, such as magneticplaten for fast mould changes. “We

love the energy efficiency of theELEKTRA machines, and the excellentrepeatability,” said Markus Welte, headof electrical system engineering atHirschmann Automotive. “Otherbenefits are how quietly the machinesrun, and how little space they take up.These make for a better productionenvironment in our facilities,” headded.The collaboration between HirschmannAutomotive and Ferromatik Milacronbegan in 1997 with a first all-electricELEKTRA machine. After that, the

company orderedhydraulic K-TECmachines for severalyears, until 2002 whenHirschmann Automotiveswitched over completelyto all-electric injectionmoulding machines. Hirschmann AutomotiveGmbH was founded in1959 in Austria. Thecompany createsinnovative products,including connectors andsensors for premiumGerman automobilemanufacturers. TodayHirschmann Automotive

operates more manufacturing facilitiesin the Czech Republic, Romania,Morocco, and China, with around3,000 employees worldwide.

Ferromatik Milacron GmbHTel: +49 7644 78 302Email: [email protected]: www.ferromatik.com

AUTOMOTIVEGROUP TAKESDELIVERY OF 70thFERROMATIKMACHINE

Machine acceptance of the ELEKTRA 155 (left to right):Bernd Breisacher (Ferromatik Milacron), Philipp Lang,Markus Welte, Wolfgang Märk, Manuel Loretz (all fromHirschmann Automotive), Thomas Striegel und Ralf Cezanne(both from Ferromatik Milacron)


MACHINERY SPOTLIGHT

eppm INJECTION MOULDING

EPPM: What do peopleneed to know about static control inmoulding processes?Stewart Gordon-Smith: Aside fromthe more obviousthreat ofelectrostaticshocks, peopleshould be aware ofhow static cancause producthandling issuesduring the partejection phase as well as having aneffect on contamination control. Theattraction of dust and dirt is likely toimpinge on the overall quality of aproduct, meaning that contaminationwould noticeably affect productsbeing supplied to the automotive,medical, pharmaceutical, andelectronics industries amongst others. Admittedly, an electrostatic shock isunlikely to inflict much harm to the

SGS: Because static electricity issomething that cannot be seen, mostmachine operators fail to comprehendits potential. The occurrences will takeplace at different times of the day andtime of the year, as static is aphenomenon heavily contingent onchanging weather conditions. In addition, with the cost of virginmaterial increasing, recycled materialis used more frequently, (which has anadded benefit of being seen to begreen). But the use of recycledmaterial increases the levels ofelectrostatic charges on mouldings, asthe higher the percentage recycled tovirgin base material used, the worsethe problems can be. These differing reasons can result inreporting on loss of production andcostly production of scrap which, ifincorrectly analysed, will result in theactual cause of the problem beingmisdiagnosed.

EPPM: In terms of savings, what arethe benefits of exploring thetechnology?SGS: Controlling static by investing inthe correct equipment will increaseprofitability, by reducing scrap andincreasing the ability to use recycledmaterial. The other key benefit is that,by minimising the number of operatorshocks, H&S risks are alsosignificantly diminished.

operator, although it might cause asecondary incident that could prove tobe more serious or difficult to contain.On the other hand, small plastic partscould fail to eject from the mould tooldue to electrostatic attraction, whichwill result in damage to the aluminiumsurface, resulting in increasedengineering cost and down time. There is also an increased demand bythe market for in mould labelling,which demands a certain degree oftechnical knowledge to ensure thecorrect placement and retention of thelabel in the mould and the correctlabel specification. Meech workclosely with robotic engineeringcompanies and speciality labelmanufacturers at the design stage of aproject to maximise productionpotential.

EPPM: Why do you think that someprocessors don't take it intoconsideration?

EPPM: Finally, what is the sales andinstallation process like? Candemos be performed on-site?SGS: Meech offers worldwidetechnical support providing customersagents and distributors withapplication and product advice ontheir static control, web cleaning, airtechnology, JetStream and IonRinsesystems. All of our technical salesengineers are fully qualified to provideonsite support analysis of problemsand positioning recommendations arevital. With the modern Meech ionisingbars being powered by a 24 voltsupply, installation is becomingsimpler too.

Meech International Tel: +44 1993 706700Email: [email protected]: www.meech.com

Meech International is a specialist in staticcontrol technology. The group serves, amongothers, the injection moulding sector with staticcontrol equipment and pinning equipment forin-mould labelling. EPPM caught up withStewart Gordon-Smith, Export Sales Engineer,

Meech International, to find out how importantstatic technologies could be for moulders.

NOTHINGWORSE THAN ASTATIC MOULDER:A LOOK AT STATICTECHNOLOGYIN IM

The 994 Hydra, Meech’s miniaturisedin-mould labelling pinning system.

Stewart Gordon-Smith, Export SalesEngineer, MeechInternational.


MATERIALS

SABIC’s Innovative Plastics businesshas announced the first application ofits Lexan Thermoclear polycarbonate(PC) multi-wall sheet in a sportsstadium. The new Arena do Grêmio, amulti-use, 60,000-seat stadium in PortoAlegre, is where the custom-coloured10mm material is used for the roofing.SABIC’s Lexan Thermoclear sheet waschosen for its light weight, toughnessand impact resistance vs. glass. Thistough roofing material proved itselfeven before the stadium was completedwhen the partially installed roof wasundamaged during a violent windstorm.“SABIC’s Lexan Thermoclear sheet –compared to the coloured, laminatedglass that was originally considered – istechnologically and aestheticallysuperior,” said Marcos Benicio,Contract Leader, of OAS, the generalcontractor and installer for this project.“The durable, light-weight material wasnot only more cost effective, it was somuch easier to transport and installthan heavy, breakable glass. As anadded benefit, we were able to obtainthe material locally from SABIC’s facilityin Campinas, which also providedtechnical support and colour-matchingservices.”“SABIC materials and technicalexpertise have helped architects andcontractors design and build some of

the world’s most iconicstadiums,” said JackGovers, GeneralManager, Specialty Film& Sheet, InnovativePlastics. “Over manyyears, we’ve continuallyimproved andenhanced our sheetproducts to meetchanging environmentalrequirements andaesthetic andperformanceexpectations. Todaymarks a significantachievement with theaddition of another awe-inspiring arena – thefirst in Brazil – that isbenefitting from the design freedom,energy efficiency and highperformance of Lexan Thermoclearsheet.”Lexan Thermoclear sheet was suppliedin a custom blue tone matching theGrêmio team brand. The light colourand highly reflective surface of thesheet help minimise the effects of heatand reduce the need for coolingsystems. These attributes, togetherwith the light weight of the panels (2.2k/m2), make a contribution to thereduced environmental impact of

AltuglasInternational, asubsidiary of theArkema Group isa partner of thefilm Mood Indigo,directed byMichel Gondry.This is the filmadaptation of theeponymous bookof the frenchauthor Boris Vianpublished in1947.Gondry is said to have combinedfuturistic and surreal ideas, one of whichwas the “Limovian”, a fully transparentlimousine. Altuglas Internationalprovided nanostructured AltuglasShieldUp produced in St Avold (57) forthe car.A design team from Peugeot spentmore than six months assembling thelimousine, reportedly grafting piecesand accessories from a Peugeot 404.The transparent parts were made fromAltuglas ShieldUp. This acrylic(polymethylmethacrylate) combines twocomponents — PMMA and anelastomer, structured at nanoscale —

PC sheet provides light-weight, custom-coloured roofing

Transparent plastic limo built for Michel Gondry movie

Arena do Grêmio, which is expected toreceive Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design (LEED)certification from the U.S. GreenBuilding Council.Lexan Thermoclear sheet reportedlydelivers impact performance over awide temperature range, from -40˚C to120˚C, and also after prolongedoutdoor exposure. It can withstandharsh weather conditions as well astemperature swings without breaking orbuckling. It features a proprietarysurface treatment on one side offering

excellent resistance againstdegradation from ultraviolet (UV)radiation. The material carries a 15 yearlimited written warranty againstdiscolouration, loss of light transmissionand loss of impact strength due toweathering.The SABIC team in Brazil provided windload simulation, mechanical resistancecalculation for the aluminum profilesand flame resistance regulatory reports.

SABICWeb: www.sabic-ip.com

which provides transparency along withmechanical and chemical resistance,according to the group. The product isthe result of ten years of research andwon last year’s Potier prize forinnovation.Material for the parts was heated to180°C for fifteen minutes to be softened.Some was then forced under vacuumpressure and some was blown withcompressed air (8 bar) to form thedifferent elements.

Altuglas InternationalTel: +33 1 78 66 23 00Web: www.altuglas.com

Form-fill-seal (FSS) is a fairly simpleand highly efficient process. Thepackaging material is formed into apackage, then filled with the foodproduct, then sealed.There are typically two types of FFSprocess: vertical and horizontal.Vertical is typically used for flexibleplastic packaging. During thisproduction process a plastic film is fedvertically through a machine. Thehorizontal process, as its namesuggests, involves having rigid sheetfed into a machine horizontally to forma rigid plastic package.“Manufacturers deploying FSS for thepackaging of yogurt have been able tomaintain the necessary highproduction rates, reduce theirprocessing steps, and decrease theirneed for manual labour,” statedWilliam J. Barenberg, Jr., COO ofOctal, a manufacturer of PET sheet.“The FSS process also minimises therisk of food contamination due toreduced contact with equipment andplant personnel. All of these benefitscombined have aided manufacturersto yield an overall cost savingscompared to other yoghurt packagingoptions.”

PET sheet optimised for form-fill-seal jobs

Yoghurt packaging systems are someof the most demanding in the world.Consistency and machinability foruptime and productivity is a keyperformance indicator. Octal’s DPETdirect-to-sheet manufacturing systemis designed to provide the kind ofconsistency it takes to realise theabsolute maximum from form, fill, andseal lines.With a typical gauge variation of +/- 2to 3 microns, Octal claims DPETenables FFS operations to run athighly consistent rates day after day.Sealing quality is also reportedlyoptimized with DPET’s highly planersurface topography. Additionally,DPET cuts easier than traditional PETsheets, meaning more uniformcutting, and knives that last longerbetween sharpening and replacement.DPET also delivers a smooth andglossy surface that is said to beperfect for detailed printing designsand process printing or labelapplication, yielding packs withenhanced shelf presence.

OctalWeb: www.octal.com

MATERIALS ROUNDUPAdditives offer PVC protection indoors and outdoors

In June, Sanitized AG, a producer ofantimicrobial hygiene function andmaterial protection for plastics will belaunching two new advanced additivesdesigned for the protection ofplasticised PVC.In addition to antimicrobial properties,the two products will offer application-specific benefits including longer life-cycles, improved weatherability andthermal stability, as well as higherresistance to UV and yellowing, claimsthe group.Sanitized PL 12-32 is a formulation withwater resistance and UV stabilitymaking it suitable for outdoorapplications such as awnings and

tents. The second product, Sanitized PL12-33 features thermal stability with theability to retain product transparency.This product is aimed at indoorapplications such as flooring andfurnishings. Plastisols, coatings or foams employedin many flexible PVC products are verysensitive to attacks from microbes.Especially in outdoor applications, theextra-cellular enzymes in such microbescan break down plasticisers – and otheradditives that are susceptible to them.Some PVC products may become stiffand brittle, and cracks may begin toform and they subsequently decomposeover time, suggests Sanitized. The

group says that applyingthe new additives will helpboost stability.Sanitized PL 12-32 andSanitized PL 12-33 havebeen designed to protectagainst the unwantedeffects of microbes likebacteria, mold fungi,mildew, yeasts and algae,which can cause materialdestruction, unsightlystains, cross contamination,odour development andbiofilm formation. The formulations are said to reduce initialdiscolouration and yellowing in use. Both

Medical Plastics ManufacturingInjection MouldingMedical Materials

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products have been individually tailoredto provide a choice for differentapplications. Maria Toscan, Product Manager,Polymers at Sanitized AG said: “Nosingle substance is perfect for allapplications, as each has its benefitsand limitations. By combining benefitsand reducing limitations, we are able tooffer our customers a clear choice ofapplication-specific solutions that fullymeet their needs and provide aguaranteed highest antimicrobialefficacy.”

Sanitized AGTel: +41 34 427 16 24Email: [email protected]: www.sanitized.com

Sanitized PL 12-32 is a formulation withwater resistance and UV stability makingit suitable for outdoor applications suchas awnings and tents.

Bioplastics supplier achievesGKV certification

Recently, FKuR Kunststoff GmbH wascertified as one of the first bioplasticproducers according to the GKV Code ofConduct.Since its inception, FKuR claims it hasattached great importance to socialresponsibility, not only by developingsustainable products, but also byadhering to the highest moral andethical principles in dealing with allinternal and external partners.“We see the commitment to the GKVCode of Conduct as an important step toreaffirm and spread our corporatephilosophy,” said Dr. Edmund Dolfen,Managing Director FKuR, of theadherence to the Code of Conduct.Designed as a self-commitment, theGKV Code of Conduct is a voluntaryagreement through which its membercompanies want to ensure strictcompliance with global requirements forethical and moral behaviour, as well asmaintain conduct compliant to antitrustlaws and competence (Compliance).Also, the promotion of fair andsustainable standards in dealing withsuppliers and customers along with itsown corporate members is part of thiscommitment. The certified companiescommit to environmental sustainability,to ensuring occupational health andsafety at work, as well as compliancewith international standards such as theUN Human Rights Charter, amongothers.

FKuRTel: +49 2154 9251 0Email: [email protected] Web: www.fkur.com

MATERIALS ROUNDUP

The Hexpol TPE group has developedseveral grades of thermoplasticelastomers (TPEs) specificallyengineered to address the requirementsfor automotive mats.The range, known as Dryflex AM,combines the performance of rubberswith the processability of plastics andincludes grades based on SBS andSEBS which are available in hardnessesfrom 50 to 75 Shore A. High flow gradesare available which have been designedfor complex mouldings with a largesurface area such as trunk liners. Otherapplications for Dryflex AM materialsinclude floor mats, coin mats, fascia matsand trim.For automotive floor mats the materialneeds to have high scratch and abrasionresistance. It is also critical that thematerial is non-slip, even when wet. Thematerial structure of Dryflex AMcompounds produces the high co-efficient of friction, helping to create anon-slip surface.Dryflex AM materials are low odour andfogging. They require no vulcanisationand are 100% recyclable duringproduction. This means less energy isused and production is faster and morecost-efficient, according to the group.Sven-M. Druwen, European SalesCoordinator for Hexpol TPE commented,“Our teams work hand-in-hand with ourautomotive customers to developsolutions that address new and emergingdemands. With governments’ worldwideenacting fuel efficiency and carbonemissions laws, one of the ways carmanufacturers are looking to addressthese regulations is lightweighting. Byreducing the weight of each componentthey can look to reduce the weight of thewhole vehicle. That is one of the reasonswe have developed our TPEs forautomotive mats, they have a lowerspecific gravity compared to severalalternative materials, you can thereforenot only create lighter-weight parts, butyou can also produce more parts perkilogram of material.”

Hexpol TPEWeb: www.hexpoltpe.com

TPE group offers solutions forautomotive mats

The Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV)in Industry and the Skilled Crafts atRWTH Aachen University is developing anew foaming technology for theproduction of foamed polyurethanemouldings. The new technology enablesthe use of CO2 as the blowing agent. Itis regarded as the most promising andenvironmentally friendly alternative tochemical foaming with water, whichresults in hard segments andembrittlement in the polyurethane part.Until now, however, the use of largeamounts of CO2 as the blowing agentled to a lack of control of the foamingprocess. Initial tests already show that the new

CO2 could be useful as a blowing agent for polyurethanes

CO2 foaming process results in muchlower densities than have been possibleuntil now. To achieve controlledexpansion of the reaction mix, a gascounterpressure is generated in thefoaming mould. This cavity pressure,which is above the vapour pressure ofthe dissolved CO2, prevents earlyfoaming-up. With a specific reduction ofthe cavity pressure, the timing andspeed of the expansion process can becontrolled. This prevents early expansionand collapse of the foam. For this process, the IKV scientistscooperated with PME fluidtec GmbH,Ettenheim, in the development of asealed-off mould with valve technology

and a corresponding process control.Furthermore, the high-pressure HS500metering machine from HenneckeGmbH, Sankt Augustin, was adapted tothe new process technology. IKV has successfully started up thetechnology. Preliminary trials havealready yielded flexible foam parts with adensity of around 90 kg/m3. The processthus opens the door to expanding therange of individually adjustablemechanical properties of the PU foam.The material foamed with CO2 can bemade more flexible than one that isfoamed chemically. In addition, itsignificantly reduces the amount ofisocyanate that was needed for the

conventional chemical foaming reaction,and thus helps to reduce costs.

The Institute of Plastics ProcessingTel: +49 241 80 93806Email: [email protected]: www.ikv-aachen.de


MATERIALS ROUNDUP


selected forthis particularapplicationbecause of itsFDA compliance,surface aesthetics,and colourability.The FD/n series isavailable in hardnessranges from 25-85 Shore Adurometer and can also beovermoulded to polypropylene. Thecompound is compliant with foodcontact regulations in the U.S. (FDA) aswell as EU Regulation 10/2011. The TPEis halogen free, has a 45 Shore Adurometer, and is recyclable.Thermolast K TF4BNB is also latex- andPVC-free.The Thermolast K FD/n series istargeted at food contact applicationsincluding container and lid seals andbottle grips.

Kraiburg TPE GmbH & Co. KGTel: +49 8638 98100 Email: [email protected]: www.kraiburg-tpe.com

A reusable waterbottle developedby Vapur, adesigner offlexible, reusable,handheldproducts, featuresa custom capmade ofthermoplasticelastomer (TPE) from Kraiburg TPE. The

new ‘anti-bottle’ — designed tostand upright when full andfolded or even rolled whenempty — reportedly featuressustainability advantagesincluding reduced energy

and transportation costs. Thepatented product is also BPA-

free and phthalate-free, saysKraiburg.Vapur teamed with HQC Inc., amanufacturer of custom injectionand insert moulded products formedical and packagingcompanies, to develop theproduct. Kraiburg TPE wasbrought in by distribution partnerChase Plastics to take part in theprocess and create acustomisable technical solutionfor the bottle’s cap. Thermolast K compounds fromKraiburg TPE were developed tomeet current market demandsand are utilised in virtually allindustries, states the group. Oneof Kraiburg TPE’s Thermolast KFD/n series compounds was

TPE selected for environmentally friendly bottle design

the polycarbonate sheets do not requirea costly sub-structure. Furthermore, thesheets are said to be easy to process,allowing direct handling on-site.The Estadio Nacional continues thelong list of projects in recent yearswhere Makrolon has been used insports arenas for major internationalevents, including the roofs of thestadiums in Shenyang and Tianjin forthe Summer Olympic Games in 2008,the Arena Legia in Warsaw, and thePGE Arena Gdansk for UEFA Euro2012.

Bayer MaterialScienceWeb: www.materialscience.bayer.com

Polycarbonatesheet from BayerMaterialSciencewill keep 70,000spectatorsprotected from theelements as partof the EstadioNacional stadiumroof at the 2014FIFA World Cup inBrazil.Bayer claims itsMakrolon solidpolycarbonatesheets are sturdy,highly impact-resistant, andbreak-proof andmeet the relevantrequirements for safety, weatherresistance, transparency, economicfeasibility and design.The Makrolon UV 2099 grade that willbe used in the stadium has a UVcoating on both sides that is said toremain in place after being processedby cold-bending, and even after manyyears of weathering.The polycarbonate sheets have a lighttransmission of 82 %, said to ensureoptimum natural light for healthy turfgrowth.The final inner ring of the stadium roofwill consist of 110 metric tonnes ofMakrolon UV 2099, with each sheet12mm thick and over 10 metres long.Bayer says that thanks to their relativelylow weight compared to other materials,

World Cup to be covered in plastic

Image by gmp Architekten von Gerkan, Margund Partner / Rendering: Björn Rolle, Berlin


MATERIALS

notably in Europe” said Mrs. Mutel. “Forexample, of all the patents granted forcomposites in Europe in 2011-2012,52% involved robotics and automatedmanufacturing processes.”

Developing properties ofthermoplastics New resins, fibres and additives havebeen developed in order to improvemechanical, thermal or conductivityproperties. JEC says that this will have ahuge impact on the automotive sectorthanks to the revolutionising ofthermoplastic resins. At JEC Europe,80% of the samples on display were carsor car parts.

Turning materials into smartcomposites Another revolution for the sector aresmart composites with sensors, whichenable companies to foresee the ageingprocess of the parts they create. Theyalso enable the structures to repairthemselves.

Conquering new application sectors New sectors have started to turn tocomposites, for instance, the energysector (transmission and distribution),electronics and consumer goods (cellphones, tablets) etc.

Using greener materials: recycling Finding a way to recycle has becomeone of the priorities. Recyclates are nowused to produce new composites andare also at use in other industries, suchas cement work.

JEC GroupWeb: www.jeccomposites.com

market growth. I can foresee five newtrends that could change and boost themarket, therefore contributing to make itbigger by the next five years. Theforecast is 12 million metric tonnes by2017 compared to 9.2 million metrictonnes in 2012” said Mrs. FrederiqueMutel, JEC Group President and CEO.

Converting processes towards massproduction Over the past few years, the compositessector has developed its ability toconvert processes, including for largeand complex-geometry parts. Largecompanies have invested heavily inthese new technologies, which lower thecost of composite parts (for example,thermal curing technology enables massproduction in the aerospace and theautomotive sectors). “Innovation ismainly directed towards manufacturing,and in particular, mass production

Composites industry body predicts five new market trends

The composites market is growing at arate of 6% per year since 2010. With agrowing demand for betterenvironmental impact reduction andcosts savings, composites are usedmore and more often to lightenstructures, aircraft, and vehicles ingeneral, thus improving energyefficiency. JEC Group, a majorcomposites industry organisation, hasidentified five developments in themarket that could grow even bigger by2030. “Indeed, the global composites marketrepresents 81.6 billion euros in value for2012. This market is growing at anaverage of 6% per year. The compositesindustry is growing in volume incorrelation with the increase of grossdomestic product by country. Andpenetration continues in some sectorslike aeronautics. For instance, we expectthe composites market for aerospace tobe four times bigger than today by 2030.Also new applications in high volumemarkets continue to appear for instance,i.e. electricity, electronics and consumergoods, especially in Asia. JEC Grouphas developed a “Knowledge &Networking” service package including

three platformsin Europe, Asia-Pacific, and theAmericas tocover the wholecompositesmarket. Theyenable thegroup to detectmain trendsthat contributeto thecomposites

With Ashland Rus, Ashland says it iscreating a local platform to make itstechnology more easily accessible tothe market segment of direct and largeraccounts. This will be in addition to thecurrent distribution model forComposite Trade and its customers,which will remain unchanged.“Working together, we can build on ourcollective strengths and deliver themarket-leading innovation, technicalexpertise and service that ourcustomers expect,” stated StefanOsterwind, Commercial Vice President,Ashland Performance Materials EMEAand India.The intention, claims the group, is “tocreate local resins and gelcoatsmanufacturing capability to furthercustomise products for local markets.”

Ashland RusTel: +7 812 332 56 06Email: [email protected]: www.ashland.com

Materials group pushes into the Russian composite resinsmarket

Ashland Performance Materials, acommercial unit of Ashland Inc. hasannounced the formation of apartnership with Composite Trade, aRussian distribution company, to tapinto Russia’s growing demand forcomposite resins. The new alliance,Ashland Rus, combines Ashland’s resintechnology with Composite Trade’snetwork and local market knowledge.“This partnership will place bothcompanies in an ideal position to betterserve customers in the growing Russiancomposites market,” said RafailAminov, Director General of CompositeTrade.Ashland’s product range including,unsaturated polyester resins, fireretardant resins and gel coats, arebeing marketed in the region forstrength, corrosion resistance, fireretardancy and surface characteristicsthat are required in Russia’s growingbuilding and construction,transportation and marine markets.

LV2013 looks at composites

A conference being held in Germany inOctober, LV2013 Lightweight VehiclesConference, will focus on the effortsbeing made by the plastic industry tomove to lighter vehicles with thetightening of EU regulation. The event isorganised by European Plastics News. The second day of the conference has afocus on composites and will begin withMarcus Ruhnau, Head of MaterialDevelopment R&D at moulder DrSchneider Kunststofftechnick, who willreport on a breakthrough in carbon fibre.Dr George Kellie will give an analysis ofthe growth in nonwoven composites inautomotive interiors, and will look at howthey are playing a major role inlightweighting, followed by BrunettoMartorana from Fiat who will give a talkabout the group’s successful integrationof composite materials in vehiclestructures.

LV2013Web: www.lightweightvehicles-conference.com

SHOWCASECOMPOSITES

I can foreseefive new

trends that couldchange and boostthe market,thereforecontributing tomaking it biggerby the nextfive years

“

”

Frederique Mutel, JECGroup President & CEO

thermoplastic solution which eliminatesthe need for a traditional gel-coat forupper layer. In this technology, thedecorative layer is prepared bythermoforming a thermoplastic multilayersheet such as ABS/PMMA in the mouldprior to the reinforcing fabric layingoperation. The Altuglas Composite resinmatrix naturally adheres to theABS/PMMA surface layer.

ArkemaTel: +33 1 49 00 80 80Web: www.arkema.fr

K Show 2013,Hall 8a, Stand D01


MATERIALS

based structural composites, Arkemaand PPE collaborated with Chomarat, areinforcing fabrics producer, andglassfibre producer 3B-Fibreglass. Thedefinition of optimised fibres, sizing andreinforcing fabric for AltuglasComposite matrices leads tocomposites that reach mechanicalstrengths very similar to those ofclassic epoxy/glass thermosetcomposites at similar reinforcementvolume fractions. Additionally, Arkema and MVC claimthey have developed a fully

thermoplastic nature of the matrix,through welding in the case ofcomposite/composite assemblies. The range is available with ready-to-useLuperox peroxide initiators fromArkema’s range, allowing optimisedpolymerisation. In terms of application, the product canbe used for aesthetic semi-structuralcomposite parts such as shaped truckparts, bus body panels, hoods foragricultural machinery, etc., usuallymade of UPR-based composites. Torefine the Altuglas Compositeformulation for these parts, Arkema andPPE have collaborated with MVC, acompany well known for its expertise inthe manufacture of technical compositeparts. The partners succeeded indeveloping the first large demonstrationpart produced using a roomtemperature RTM-light process withAltuglas Composite resin. Thereinforcing glass fabric, processingequipment and polymerisation cycletime were identical to those used byMVC today for the industrial productionof UPR composite parts. In early 2011, Arkema and PPE createda joint research laboratory located inSaint-Avold (France) aimed at thedevelopment of innovative chemistriesand processes for the production ofthermoplastic composite parts. Altuglas Composite is also suitable forhigh performance structural compositeparts used in applications such as windturbines, automotive parts or sportsequipment, mostly based today onepoxy resins. To develop an optimised solution forglass reinforced Altuglas Composite

Thermoplastic resin developed that processes like thermosets

At JEC 2013, Arkema launched itsAltuglas Composite, which, the groupclaims, is the first new thermoplasticresin to allow the manufacturing ofcomposite parts on the same equipmentand processes as thermosetcomposites. The resulting compositeparts reportedly exhibit mechanicalproperties similar to those of thermosetparts, but their thermoplastic natureallow thermoformability and recyclability.Arkema and its partners won a JECAward in the “Thermoplastics” category. Altuglas is an acrylic material, developedby an R&D partnership between Arkemaand PPE (P le de Plasturgie de l’Est). Tooptimise Altuglas Compositeformulations, Arkema and PPE havepartnered with specialists in thecomposite industry – MVC (Brazil),Chomarat (France) and 3B Fibreglass(Belgium). The product is made of methacrylicthermoplastic composites, reinforced bycontinuous glass, carbon or flax fibreswith the same processes (RTM orInfusion) used today to producethermoset composite parts (made withunsaturated polyester, vinyl ester orepoxy resins) with similar polymerisationcycle times. The resulting parts showproperties, in terms of rigidity andmechanical strength, comparable toparts made with thermoset resins. The acrylic nature of Altuglas Compositeenables more possibilities forcomposite/composite orcomposite/metal assemblies. Very highmechanical strength for such assembliescan be achieved through the use ofadhesives (e.g. methacrylate-basedstructural adhesives) or, due to the

SHOWCASECOMPOSITES

ELECTRONICS

Harvesting unused energy with conductive polymers

We are all familiar with them – thegigantic white clouds of steam billowingfrom power station cooling towers. Asimpressive as this spectacle may be, inreality it represents a waste of energy aslarge power stations only rarely manageto convert more than 40 percent of theproduced energy into electrical power.The rest is released unused, mainly viathe cooling towers, into the atmosphere.Researchers have been working onutilizing the potential lying dormant inthe over 150 m high concrete giants.The magic formula for this is known asthermoelectrics. This area of physics isconcerned with generating electricityfrom temperature differences, and it isprecisely in cooling towers where therecan be very large differences betweenthe hot steam and cooler concrete skinunder some circumstances.The scientists’ vision is described by Dr.Aljoscha Roch of the Fraunhofer Institutefor Material and Beam Technology IWSin Dresden: “Thermoelectric generators(TEG) currently have an efficiency ofaround eight percent. That sounds verysmall. But if we succeed in producingTEG cost-effectively, on a large scaleand from flexible materials we can installthem extensively on the insides of theconcave cooling tower wall. In this way,through the enormous amount of energyproduced in the huge plants – around

1500 liters of water evaporate perminute – we could generate largequantities of electricity.”Together with his colleagues at theIWS, Roch has now taken a big stepcloser to this goal. The scientists havesucceeded in producing TEG by meansof a printing process. The miniaturizedgenerators are not only be producedcost-effectively, on large surfaces andin a flexibly manageable manner, butthe materials used are alsoenvironmentally-friendly. “TEG aretoday largely produced by hand fromtoxic components which contain leadfor example. We are now using modern3D printing technology and harmlesspolymers (plastics) that are electricallyconductive,” explained Roch.The new printing technology functionsin a similar way to an inkjet printer. Thedifference is that instead of a thin jet ofink, a thermoelectrically active polymerpaste emerges from the cartridge andproduces the around 20 to 30micrometer thick thermoelectric layers.“The generators have to be of a certainthickness in order to build up electricalvoltage from temperature difference.Currently available 3D printingprocesses could be very suitable forachieving the required depth,” saysRoch. The IWS researchers aredemonstrating the printed TEG for the

APPLICATION FOCUS

production lines, in sewerage systems,at large computer centers or on any typeof exhaust air system very large andhitherto unused sources of energy couldbe developed,” concluded Roch.

Fraunhofer InstituteTel: +49 89 1205 1399 Web: www.fraunhofer.de

first time in a cooling tower model atthe Hannover trade fair.But how is the electricity then“harvested” from these polymergenerators which are only a fewmicrometers in size? The hot steamactivates the electrons in the generator,the negatively charged particlesmigrate to the cooler side and anelectrical voltage is produced. Evensmall temperature differences such asone degree are sufficient for this effect.This has been known to physics foralmost 200 years, but due to the lack ofefficient manufacturing methods andsuitable materials it has not beenextensively utilised. The manuallyproduced, brick-like TEG are used inspace travel and in the form of tests inthe automotive industry. Mounted onthe exhaust pipe they supply current forthe vehicle’s onboard electronics, forexample. To date 600 W, the poweroutput of around 6 light bulbs havealready been demonstrated. Whenmultiplied by the many millions ofvehicles on Germany’s roads alone,several thousand million kilowatt hourscould be saved by TEG.Cars and cooling towers are, however,only two examples out of many. “Inprinciple waste heat is producedthrough the operation of every technicalinstallation. With TEG fitted on industrial

Electrically conductive PU adhesive launched

Adhesives specialist Intertronics hasintroduced Polytec PU 1000, an electricallyconductive polyurethane adhesive which itsays addresses applications in die attach,bonding of components in hybrid circuitapplications and surface mount technology(SMT); areas where silver-filled electricallyconductive adhesives have been used formany decades. Oxfordshire-based Intertronics says usuallysuch adhesives are epoxy-based, two-component or premixed and frozen single-component systems, but its Polytec PU 1000polyurethane solution provides an alternativewith advantages including flexibility and roomtemperature cure.Polytec PU 1000 is a single-component, silverfilled, paste adhesive which can reportedly becured quickly at room temperature and isflexible and elastic, which Intertronics says

makes it ideal for bonding of flex-circuits,temperature-sensitive substrates orsubstrates with highly dissimilar coefficientsof thermal expansion. It has foundapplications in smart cards and RFIDcircuitry, where cure can be effected inseconds.Intertronics says it is considered suitable forthe electrical interconnection of active andpassive components, particularly ifconvenient processing or high flexibility of theadhesive is desirable. This PU-dispersion issuggested for electrically conductive bondingand coating applications on absorbingsubstrates like fabric, paper, leather, cork andnon-absorbing substrates like glass,ceramics, PMMA, metals and most plastics.

IntertronicsWeb: www.intertronics.co.uk

A large proportion of the energy we produce disappears unused into thin air via waste heat. Tinythermoelectric generators can tap this potential, whereby the electricity is produced by way oftemperature differences. However, so far their production has been laborious and expensive. At the sametime there is a lack of suitable materials. The Fraunhofer Institute has been researching a newmanufacturing process with which these generators can be cost-effectively produced in the form of large-area flexible components from electrically conductive polymers via 3D Printing. The following is from thereport provided by the Institute.

A demonstration of a printedTEG wriggling flexibly arounda sample component.


Intertronics’ electricallyconductive polyurethaneadhesive


DSM has introduced Stanyl ForTii LEDLX, an LED (light emitting diode)-specificgrade of Stanyl ForTii high temperaturepolyamide with halogen-free flameretardant grades as a material for LEDpackages.Over the past years, sales of LEDpackages have increased by over 50%per year and performance also improvedin double digit percentages. This growthwas driven mainly by the switch to LEDsfor LCD (liquid crystal display)backlighting and by developments in thelighting industry. LED manufacturers arelooking for materials that deliver highreliability, enabling smooth high volumeproduction and excellent light output. High-flow Stanyl ForTii LED LX is amineral-filled grade featuring UVresistance. Stanyl ForTii LED LX is saidto display reliability over time and, morespecifically, high initial reflectivity, as wellas excellent mechanical strength.Its flow properties reportedly make itsuitable for use in high cavity tools. Thisenhanced reflectivity of Stanyl ForTii hasan immediate effect on the LED packagelight output and enables LED suppliersto improve their key specifications.The product features a specific polymerstructure. LED lifetime is extendedthrough its adhesion to silicones andepoxy encapsulates as well as themetallic lead frame, avoiding chipdegradation due to moisture or airdiffusion.

Polyamide launched for LED applications

Approximately 20% of the world’selectricity consumption is used forlighting applications. This provides asignificant opportunity to cut bothemissions and electricity costs. Today’sLEDs consume about 70-80% lessenergy than conventional lamps. At thesame time, they increase service life anddesign flexibility. Since LED solutions arerapidly becoming more affordable, LEDlighting is being adopted increasingly inmany applications around the world.Over the past few years engineeringplastics have become the incumbentsolution for LED.LEDs with high power densities makethermal management the key focus areain LED lighting design. Withoutappropriate thermal management, theywill gradually lose brightness, changetheir colour spectrum over time andpresent higher failure rates.DSM’s Stanyl TC features mechanicalperformance and thermal management,while increasing design flexibility,according to the group. Designers may be able to reduce theoverall weight of lamps, while increasingelectrical safety and productivity inmanufacturing. Total system costs canbe reduced by up to 30-40% comparedwith cast aluminium.In life cycle analyses, CO2 emissions fora typical heatsink in Stanyl TC are up to85% lower than an equivalent die castaluminium heatsink.

APPLICATION FOCUS

Stijn Meijers, Global Segment Managerfor Lighting said: “DSM is stronglycommitted to the lighting industry. Thisis demonstrated by our growing portfolioof material solutions for lighting,developed for a wide range of high-performance applications such as highlyreflective grades for LED packages orthermally conductive grades to enableimproved thermal management. By

using our industry-specific materialportfolio, our customers are able to gaina number of significant benefitsincluding greater efficiency, weightsaving, higher flexibility inmanufacturing, and a smaller carbonfootprint.”

DSMWeb: www.dsm.com

Flexible printed electronics to make interactive toys

Two companies and two technologicalcentres have created a Spanishconsortium to develop the scale-up offlexible electroluminescent (EL) devicesfor application in the toy sector throughan in-depth and detailed study. NamedFLEXeTOY, the project aims to see thesedevices become drivers of the toy sector,according to the groups, by creatingprototypes of toys that integrate devicesprinted on flexible materials andachieving electronic functionalities thathave never been seen before in objectsand products for children.Financed by Spain’s Ministry ofEconomy and Competitiveness, theproject totals €981,687 and will becompleted in August 2015. As a result,prototype toys will be obtained so thatSMEs in the toy sector can manufacturevalue-added products, in massproduction and at low cost, to increasetheir competitiveness at internationallevel. The teams claim that the insertion offlexible electronic devices in toys andchildren’s articles will make productsmore attractive and dynamic, enhancingtheir interaction with users andincreasing the child’s attachment to theproduct. For example, these devicescould require an action on the child’spart (by lighting up, depending on thedrawing), allow the child to imitate adult

roles (switch on the cooker, turn on thelights of a toy house) among manyothers.In economic terms, the manufacturerscan introduce high-tech devices intotheir articles, thus improving theircompetitiveness and sustainability in themedium term. The prototypes that willbe developed will reduce electric andelectronic waste while complying withRoHS directives and with Europeanstandards EN62115 for electricalproducts and EN71 concerning toysafety.The graphic arts and electronicindustries involved in the project willbenefit from the developments of theproject on flexible substrates, openingup new sectors of application, comparedto conventional electronics.According to TIE (European Toy IndustryAssociation), the toy market generated aproduction value of €5.5 billion in 2011,from 5000 companies that generate220,000 jobs. Spain is ranked in secondplace, behind Germany, and is noted forhaving a high export capacity. Thecapacity for expansion both in theSpanish and the European market of theresults of this project can be clearlyseen, claim the groups.

AIJUWeb: www.aiju.info

Ticona, the engineering polymersbusiness of Celanese Corporation,has introduced two new-generation Thermxpolycyclohexylene-dimethylene terephthalate(PCT) resins, said todeliver outstanding initialreflectance and reflectancestability required in light-emitting diode (LED)packages found in displaybacklight and generallighting.“Developers at Ticona havedeveloped two high performancesuper-white grades of Thermx PCT,meeting the challenging requirements ofLED reflectors, especially for highbrightness, medium-power LEDs,” saidRuth Castillo, Thermx PCT andVectra/Zenite LCP Global BusinessDirector — Ticona. “Thermx PCTprovides superior colour and reflectancestability under heat and light comparedto commonly used high temperaturepolyamides.”Thermx LED 0201 and Thermx LED0201S are fibre filled, super-white PCTcompounds. According to Ticona, theyare able to withstand the demandingLED requirements for reflector resinswith regard to heat and light stability —high initial reflectance, high reflectancestability under heat and light, excellentsilicone adhesion, processability andmechanical properties. They are alsosaid to benefit from excellent reflowcapability and low moisture absorption.Ticona says this LED product familyfeatures the optical and mechanicalproperties as well as the processrequirements for specific applications.“These super-white Thermx PCT LEDgrades provide customers with much

better reflectance stability than PA9Tand PA6T nylons at high temperature,”Castillo said. “Now, they can mouldreflectors with excellent surfacecharacteristics that maintain UV andcolour stability, providing superior long-term performance.”Ticona produces engineering resins thatare used in many fields, includingautomotive, appliance, medical, andinformation and communicationstechnology, as well as consumer andindustrial segments.The group provides products forapplications requiring predictablemechanical performance, consistentchemical and thermal properties,dimensional stability and a tolerance forheat and moisture. In general, the groupclaims, they must be strong, stiff, stableand cost-effective.

TiconaWeb: www.ticona.com

Two super-reflective grades for LED lighting launched

Multi-LED application byPhilips. Source: Philips.


APPLICATION FOCUS

All-Flo, a manufacturer of air-operateddiaphragm (AOD) pumps, has developeda specialised version of the company’s25mm polypropylene AOD pump. Thebrief was to create an entire pump withconductive, but non-metallic, materials.All-Flo selected RTP Company to providethe material.Many end-users demand non-metallicmaterials that better resist corrosion fromharsh chemicals or reduce weight forportability. “Plastic materials providebenefits our customers need that wesimply could not otherwise obtain,” saidPaul McGarry, All-Flo's Sales andMarketing Manager.All-Flo’s 25mm pumps are used in miningoperations because of their non-metallicconstruction. “Miners have to carryequipment down in tight elevators oroften walk it from hole to hole; they tell usthey really appreciate the weightdifference our pumps deliver,” saidMcGarry. “Using RTP Company’s glassfibre reinforced polypropylenecompounds enables us to achieve theconsiderable weight savings, whileproviding a stronger degree of resistanceto atmospheric corrosion.”“While many of All-Flo's pumps can meetATEX Directive requirements for beingsafe to operate in potentially explosiveenvironments, safety standards can varyfrom country to country and somecompanies have their own safetystandards that are stricter thanregulations require,” explained McGarry,referring to the recent customerchallenge to construct a specialisedversion of the 25mm AOD pump usingconductive, non-metallic materials.“We didn't have to go far to find a

solution,” said McGarry. “Our engineersalways say that if you need specialisedmaterials, RTP Company is the one totalk to.” Working in partnership with All-Flo and its injection moulder, RoyalPlastics of Mentor, OH, a number ofmaterials were trialled and a variation ofthe RTP 100 Series glass fibre reinforcedpolypropylene compound was chosenafter passing evaluation testing. Theaddition of a carbon powder provided theconductive properties to meet thecustomer requirements.“Not only did RTP Company provide aconductive material that had theproperties and met the requirements, ithad the same processability and workedwith our existing moulds,” said McGarry.“For our moulder, Royal Plastics, it's reallyjust a matter of switching out materials forus to produce a specialised version ofour 25mm polypropylene pump.”

RTP CompanyTel: +1 507 454 6900 Email: [email protected]: www.rtpcompany.com

Conductive compound meets stringent safety requirements formining pump

When Samtec Inc., a worldwidemanufacturer of electronic interconnects,was designing and developing itsSEAM/SEAF Series of high speed, highdensity connectors, it approachedTicona, the engineering polymersbusiness of Celanese Corporation, andits family of liquid crystal polymers toresolve a processing and assemblychallenge.“Our SEARAY high density, open pin fieldgrid arrays presented an interestingmaterial challenge — we needed aproven halogen free high performancepolymer that could withstand technologyfor improved solder joint reliability andensure compatibility with lead-free reflowprocesses and environmental initiatives,”said Doug McCartin, HUB EngineeringManager at Samtec Inc.Samtec, which had sampled severalcompetitive materials with little success,worked with Ticona to identify twosolutions from a family of halogen-free,high-performance polymers — Zenite6130LX for the SEAM Series, which is themate to the SEAF Series that is injectionmoulded with Vectra E135i.The SEAM/SEAF Series with high pincount from Samtec providestelecommunication, data communication,high-end computer, industrial andmedical customers with the flexibility intheir design and routing process thathelps them meet their specific electricalperformance requirements. For example,to isolate a signal for a high speedapplication, some use many circuits forgrounds, while others combine multiple

close proximity circuits for power.“In addition to having the world’s largestLCP product line, Ticona supportscustomers in their product developmentefforts with initial part design, computermodeling and simulation, prototyping,tooling consultation, testing and partvalidation,” said Ruth Castillo, Vectra andZenite LCP Global Business Director —Ticona. “In this case, we were able toidentify two LCPs that met Samtec’sperformance criteria for weldline strengthand excellent processability, includinglead free solderability.”Zenite 6130LX, a 30% glass-reinforced,lubricated LCP resin reportedly offers acombination of toughness, stiffness,dimensional stability and creep resistance— even at very high temperatures.Inherently flame resistant without theneed for halogenated flame retardantadditives, the Zenite and Vectra productline includes grades that are suitable forapplication with thinner walls, highertemperature resistance, higherproduction rates, lower overall part costsand recyclability. As highly crystalline,thermotropic (melt-orienting)thermoplastics, they can withstand SMTsoldering temperatures, including thoseneeded with lead-free solder.“As a global solution provider with morethan 50 years of material, componentdesign and processing expertise, Ticonawas able to help Samtec resolve theirmaterial challenges,” Castillo said.

TiconaWeb: www.ticona.com

Engineering plastics chosen for high-density connectorapplication

In the highly competitive environment ofelectronic entertainment devices (i.e. cellphones, tablets and audio players toname a few), manufacturers need to findsolutions meeting end users’requirements (durability and aesthetics)while setting their product apart fromcompetition. Some might use vividcolours, original design or even anattractive price to differentiate their offer.When it comes to the material selection,designers struggle to find an idealsolution which could avoid anycompromise on performance, design orcost. As an example, TPSiV shows greatpotential for part differentiation and offersgood performance in terms of durabilityand soft touch, but as with any silicon-based system, it can be a high costsolution.COPEC is a new TPE from Kraiburg,which is said to offer a “velvety” and“silky” feeling, whilst repelling dirt.According to Kraiburg, there are none ofthe “sticky” properties associated withsome TPEs.COPEC compounds also feature aresistance to skin oils and manydetergents, and are, the group claims,suited to products which are touchedvery frequently.

Reported benefits of COPEC forelectronic entertainment devicesinclude:

• Improved haptics for better ergonomics(soft, silky feel and not sticky)

• Long term aesthetics (dirt repellentmaterial/surface)• High UV and chemical resistance(including sebum and more)• Excellent mechanical performance(scratch, mar, tear, tensile strength)• Customised vivid colours• Cost savings opportunities vs.traditional silicon-based solutions (i.e.TPSiV)• Easy 2-shot over-moulding• Good adhesion to ETPs (ABS, PC,PC/PBT, etc.)

The product is said to offer designers thepossibility to obtain improved hapticsresulting in a silky, non-stick or smoothfinish, plus improved UV and chemicalresistance (to a wide range of oil andaggressive media).Significantly higher overmoulding bondstrength to ABS, PC and PC blendsubstrates COPEC offers high qualityand differentiated parts. Polar alloys of TPE offer a “silky” feel,useful to designers aiming to offer goodergonomic features.COPEC can be used for multi-component injection moulding withvarious thermoplastic materials used inelectronic applications such as ABS, PC,PC/PBT, etc.

Kraiburg TPETel: +49 8638 98100 Email: [email protected]: www.kraiburg-tpe.com

TPE developed for skin contact electronics

16-23 October 2013, Düsseldorf, Germany

2013: THE PREVIEW

The migration of manufacturing fromNorth America to China began 20years ago when companies

expected to reduce production costs 30to 40% through cheap labour and otherincentives. The savings never matched expectations.Now that labour costs, tariffs and relatedproduction expenses in China are rising,manufacturing is moving again – thistime to North America in a trend calledreshoring. Reshoring, identified in 2012, is thetransfer of manufacturing from Chinaback to the U.S. and Canada. It ishappening because China is becomingtoo expensive in labour and other coststo sustain the margins North Americancompanies want. Costs between the U.S. and China are“heading toward equilibrium,” says DavidSievers, Principal, Strategy andOperations Practice at The HackettGroup, a global consulting firm in Miami,Florida. When expenses are counted,Sievers says it costs a U.S. manufacturer¢84 on the dollar to make and shipproducts back to North America fromChina. At this level, “it’s a toss-up” as towhether any economic benefit is realisedfrom manufacturing in China. A key driver is labour. Wages in Chinaare rising at an annual rate of 15 to 18%.There are rising costs in other areas. Tax

incentives are expiring, energy isexpensive and shipping costs areincreasing. Sievers refers to all such expenses as“total landed cost” (TLC). Othersinclude: capital investments; productioncosts; handling and inventory; transit,tariffs and other taxes; receiving anddistribution in North America; productinspections; correcting qualityproblems; and labour. The 16% differential between TLC andU.S. production expenses, Sievers says,happened this year. He expects it willresult in many companies reshoring toNorth America. Hackett Group hasn’tlooked at plastics opportunities, saysMichel Janssen, chief research officer,but “it’s reasonable to expect thatplastics will benefit from primarymanufacturers bringing work back.” Another analyst, Boston ConsultingGroup of Boston, Massachusetts,identifies seven manufacturing sectorsas near a “tipping point” when it comesto reshoring. One is plastics and rubberproducts. But others include areas ofhigh plastics use – transportation,appliances, electrical equipment,computers and electronics. Some say the impact of reshoring onjobs in North America will beconsiderable. Harry Moser, whofounded the Reshoring Initiative in

Welcome to the first of our K Show previews. Over the coming issues,EPPM will provide a comprehensive guide to your show. Each preview willopen with a message from Messe Düsseldorf regarding a key market for theplastic sector. This month, the trade fair organiser analyses the trendtowards reshoring of manufacturing back from China to the US.

Kildeer, Illinois, believes reshoring hasgenerated 50,000 U.S. manufacturingjobs across all industries in the pastthree years, and could result in 500,000new manufacturing jobs by 2015. Moser developed cost-analysis softwarecalled “Total Cost of Ownership” (TCO),which is free to registered users at hiswebsite (www.reshorenow.org). This letsdecision makers evaluate the real priceof manufacturing in China by comparingcost factors. He believes that ifcompanies analyze offshoremanufacturing with TCO, they will seesavings based on product priceevaporate. One aspect of operations in NorthAmerica that is influencing reshoring isthe growing productivity of workers andefforts by companies to reduce costs. InMarch 2013, The Hackett Group releaseda study that states U.S. manufacturers inall sectors are targeting “an aggressive1.5% reduction in cost of goods (COG)sold for 2013 … to drive margin growth.”A major factor behind this is gains ininternal manufacturing productivity, whichcould account for 50% of costreductions. Hackett Group reports thatoutsourcing was “aggressively used”through 2011 by companies to reducemanufacturing costs. In 2011, theaverage COG reduction by companieswas 0.3%. The shift away fromoutsourcing as a cost-cutting strategy

and toward internal productivity began in2012, when companies increased totalcost-reduction efforts to 1.5% that year. Ifthey are successful in reducing totalCOG by 1.5% in 2013, companies willhave cut these costs tenfold since 2011. Greater productivity, cost reductions andreshoring are also expected to increaseexport activity and add 2.5 million to 5million U.S. jobs by the end of thedecade, says Boston Consulting Group.In a study last year, the company statedthat cost reductions and comparativelylow prices for electricity and natural gas,could by 2015 give the U.S. an “exportcost advantage of 5 to 25%” overGermany, Italy, France and the U.K., aswell as Japan. This would result in theU.S. taking an export share of 2 to 4%from the European countries and 3 to 7%from Japan by the end of the decade.This could increase U.S. export revenuefrom these countries by $90 billion (€69billion), and globally by $130 billion (€99billion). For almost 20 years China was touted asthe future of manufacturing – Goliath onan unstoppable global juggernaut.Reshoring shows that a commitment toproductivity and cost cutting, productquality and customer service is a bettermodel for sustainable growth than astrategy based almost entirely on price.

Messe Düsseldorf


(Images copyright Messe Duesseldorf).


K 2013: THE PREVIEW

Molecor Tecnologia isa Spanish companyfounded in 2006 andconsiders itself apioneer in air-basedmolecular orientationtechnology applied topipelines for thetransport of water.Today, the company’sinterests are dividedinto two lines ofbusiness. MolecorCanalizacionesmanufactures andcommercialises PVC-O pipes andMolecor TECH is able to manufacturePVC-O pipes up to DN 800mm and 25 bar (365 psi).The first PVC-O pipe manufactured withMolecor-patented technology was theDN200mm. It was produced just in timeto be shown at K-2007, which was alsoMolecor’s first K-Show.In 2008 the range increased toDN400mm, which was until then the‘unofficial’ limit for PVC-O pipes.Molecor says it was able to break thislimit for the first time in 2010 bymanufacturing tubes of larger diameterssuch as the DN450 and DN500 mm. Thelatter came to be known as “the biggestPVC-O pipe in the world” and that ishow Molecor chose to present theproduct at K-2010. A conference wasalso held with a very positive responsefrom the public.Between K-2010 and K-2013, Molecorhas gone a long way to increase therange of PVC-O pipes now produced. In

Molecor looks ahead to K 2013

2010 the range went from DN90mm toDN500mm in PN16 (232 psi) and PN25bar. Today, PVC-O pipes are manufacturedup to DN630mm PN25, and thetechnology is now apparently ready toreach up to DN 800mm.Molecor expanded in 2011 and anadditional factory was opened on theoutskirts of Madrid, with the aim offurther improving and advancing in R&D.This year the company is again movingto a larger facility in order increase itsmanufacturing capacity and thereforeoffer an improved service to its clients.At K-2013, Molecor will present one of itslatest technological developments, theISS+. ISS+, patent pending, isdesigned to manufacture PVC-O pipeswith the Integrated Seal System, wherethe gasket is placed automatically insidethe socket.

Molecor Tecnología Web: www.molecor.com

AMETEK Test & Calibration Instrumentshas introduced the latest additions to itsLloyd Instrument line of advancedmaterials testing systems. The Lloyd Instruments LS5 and LS2.5 areboth single-column machines featuringthe latest linear guide technology, pre-loaded ball screws and advancedsoftware compensation systems.The new features look to ensure thehighest level of precision displacementmeasurement. The LS5 is a 5kN/1124 lbf machine andthe LS2.5 is a 2.5kN/562 lbf device. Bothare available with an extensive range ofgrips, fixtures, extensometers andsoftware options and feature a large workarea with 150 mm throat depth for largerspecimens and a wide range of worktables for increased flexibility.

Both machines are said tobe equally suited for awide range of materialstesting applications inquality control,academic, and research

anddevelopmentenvironments. Among theindustryapplications for

the LS5 are plastics,packaging, medicaldevices, automotive,electronics, textiles,rubber and

pharmaceuticals. The LS2.5 systemis especiallysuited for plastic,

Latest machines offer wide range of testing

rubber and other high-elongationmaterials due to its wide crosshead travel,which can reach 1400mm.Both can be used for tensile andcompression testing, friction, tearing,peeling, insertion/extraction,creep/relaxation and many othermeasurements in manufacturing, productdevelopment and research. Each instrument reportedly offers a widespeed range for high precision accuracyand improved productivity. The LS5 has acrosshead speed range of 0.01 to 1016mm/min, while the LS2.5 features acrosshead speed range of 0.01 to 2032mm/min. The two machines have a loadaccuracy of +/- 0.5 down to 1% of loadcell value, which provides high dynamicrange and thereby reduces the number ofload cells required to cover the forcerange. The machines use plug‘n’play YLC Seriesload cells that feature anti-rotation collarsto avoid load train twist and facilitate easyaxial alignment. Eight interchangeableYLC load cells are available with differentload ratings and resolutions. At the heart of the LS5 and LS2.5materials testing system is testingsoftware named NEXTGENPlus thatallows users to control and monitor allaspects of the system from a single frontend for data analysis. It also features alibrary of test methods, SPC functionalityand visual analysis.

AmetekWeb: www.ametek.com

Lloyd InstrumentsWeb: www.lloyd-instruments.co.uk

Honeywell has upgraded ExperionPMD, boosting the range andfunctionality of its comprehensiveautomation solution for controllingprocesses, machinery and drivesthrough a single system.The new release of Experion’sintegrated Process, Machinery andDrive control, (PMD) reportedlywidens the scope of the solutionfurther, and aims to integrateseveral other products like AlarmManagement, Integrated Historian,OneWireless and Digital Video Managersolutions for the first time.The release, named Release 800, alsoadds a new field controller, FieldController Express (FCE), with over 60percent more controller point capacity,integrated Profibus and TotalPlant AlcontUPLINE/IOLINE highway interface, nativepeer-to-peer connectivity with ExperionMX and the Experion PKS controllerfamily through parameter connectionand a single point of data entry.“With Experion PMD the result is betterquality, more efficient production, andreduced maintenance and project leadtimes,” said Brad Garnett, BusinessDirector of Pulp, Paper & ContinuousWeb Solutions at Honeywell ProcessSolutions.He added: “The updates in Release 800make it a truly all-encompassingautomation solution for pulp and papermanufacturers, as well as others in thechemicals, metals, pharmaceuticals andfood and beverage industries.”PMD controllers can be used on allcontrol levels for implementing

Drive control upgrade seeks to cut costs

advanced controls, fast machinecontrols and process controls. A single,consistent set of engineering toolsacross these levels should, according toHoneywell, mean lower capital costs andenable cost effective execution ofproduction line and plant-wide control.The company claims benefits will includereduced database maintenance, easiertraining, increased access to diagnosticinformation, single alarm and eventlogging, and faster control responses. The new release is fully scalable andalso continues to support migration fromHoneywell’s TotalPlant Alcont (TPA)systems. Customers migrating toExperion PMD are able to reuse manyexisting TotalPlant Alcont assets tominimise costs, commissioning andstart-up times. Existing TotalPlant Alcontapplication solutions are converted toExperion using existing cabinets, I/O andwiring so the costs of implementationcan be minimised while aiming tosignificantly extend the life of assets.

Honeywell Web: www.honeywell.com


K 2013: THE PREVIEW

Zotefoams plc. has released its newproduct PackaZote – a new foam gradewhich is reportedly competitivelypriced.The company claims its new grade’sproperties will make it an economicalchoice for the packaging market.Paul van Rheenen, Sales & MarketingDirector said: “We are excited to revealour new packaging grade PackaZote.”“This is a new direction for us as acompany, but we are aware that for us

New foam grade said to offer less waste

to maintain our reputation as worldleaders in cross-linked block foam, weneed to listen to the market.”Zotefoams’ venture into the economicpackaging foam market has lead togreat interest and an apparently verycompetitive foam product, with benefitsbelieved to outshine the competition.PackaZote was developed to fill a gap inthe market with a product that can fulfilits application need while offering theconverter properties including isotropic

behaviour, purity, lighter density andless lamination.The product is available as a 200mm x1200mm x 53mm slab, which inapplication terms means less wastageand better application methods.Zotefoams makes its products using ahigh-pressure nitrogen gas solutionprocess, which is said to produce pure,chemically inert foam without blowingagent residues and with a uniform cellstructure and regular cell walls.

ZotefoamsWeb: www.zotefoams.com

WEICON has unveiled a new product inits cleaning range – WEICON CitrusCleaner. WEICON Citrus Cleaner has beendeveloped for the cleaning of machineryand equipment, precision engineeringand precision mechanisms in industryand trade.The new product removes stains left byoils, greases and lubricants, resins andtar, rubber residues and abrasion. It alsocleans pencil marks and ink from pensand markers.Furthermore, it can remove the residuesof adhesive tapes and labels, siliconesealant and polyurethane foam. The cleaning effect is a result of acombination of active pH neutral

German producer releases new cleaning agent

substances.The spray can be used on a variety ofdifferent surfaces such as metal, plastic,glass, ceramic and painted or coatedsurfaces.WEICON Citrus Cleaner can be appliedin several different environments likeindustry and trade, public institutions,transport, construction or even at home.The cleaner is said to be easy to useand WEICON advise that for safetyreasons, users should test the producton a hidden area beforehand to ensurethere are no adverse affects on thesurface.

Weicon Web: www.weicon.com

Austrian technology group ANDRITZ hasdeveloped a new film winder in modulardesign that the company claims canadapt to different individual customerrequirements.The ANDRITZ Biax winder – completelydesigned and manufactured in Austria –offers new drive technology on thewinding core and reportedly meets thehighest requirements in terms ofergonomic design.Safety devices and wide access doorsallow safe and easy maintenance andthe special contact roll set-up ensures

New film winder claims to serve every customer

high winding quality, even at highspeeds.The moving winder is currently uniquefor this film width on the market forproduction of biaxially stretched plasticfilms and offers constant rollconfiguration and vibration-freemovement.The product can be viewed at theANDRITZ manufacturing location inGraz, Austria.

ANDRITZ Web: www.andritz.com

Metravib has introduced a brand newseries of Dynamic Testing Machines,designed to offer a wide range ofdynamic tests in one single machine.The tests include glass transition,frequency dependence up to 1kHz,Payne & Mullins effect, highfrequency testing, fatigue testing

New Dynamic Testing Machine series announced

under various controlled waveformsand rubber heat build up testing(flexometer).The tests can be carried out througha large choice of specimen holdersthat aim to give practical and efficienttesting of most solid materials suchas elastomers, polymers,

composites, metals and ceramicsand bio-sourced materials. The design of the new series, namedDMA+, consists of a floor standingmechanical test frame, controlled bya computer station equipped withdedicated software. Each DMA+ model includes a

thermal chamber designed tooperate at temperatures rangingfrom -150°C to 500°C, temperaturesassociated with various coolingsolutions.

MetravibWeb: www.acoemgroup.com

At K 2013, KEBA plans to demonstrateboth new and further developedproducts based around the KePlastcontrol solution for injection mouldingmachines.The KePlast system is scalable incontrol, operator panel andinput/output. It can also be applied tolow-cost and high-end applications.Several types of injection mouldingmachines – whether they are hydraulic,all-electric or hybrid – can reportedlybe controlled quickly and precisely. Furthermore, KEBA will present

Automation systems to go on show

KeMotion IMM Handling, a preciserobot control for fast take-outhandlings without vibrations. Those who visit the KEBA stand willsee various products that aim toincrease productivity and energyefficiency and also aim to improve theease of use in injection mouldingprocesses.KEBA and its products can be found atstand 12-B22.

KEBA Web: www.keba.com

Compuplast have announced a newversion of their Virtual ExtrusionLaboratory – version 6.7.The company claims the new versionoffers significant improvements, whichaim to increase capability of theprograms and the comfort for the user.A full 3D Solution for some mixingelements in the extruder module hasalso been incorporated. Chill roll and multi-layer modules havebeen converted to the newenvironment, reportedly giving theprograms many new features.The spiral die and flat spiral diemodules have a capability of full 3D

New update looks to improve ease of use

solution with a possibility to see resultsin in full 3D mode due to a new 3Dvisualisation option. The cooling module contains newvariable shrinkage indicating theproduct’s potential tendency to bedamaged or bend. For K-2013, the profile die programhas been especially converted into thenew environment. This aims to reducethe necessary number of clicks andmake the program easier to operateoverall.

Compuplast Web: www.compuplast.com

K 2013: THE PREVIEW

WM Wrapping Machinery are topresent their vacuum/pressureforming machine mod FC 780EIM2 Speedmaster (780x570mm)at K-2013.The machine has in-mould cuttingand additional press for steel rulecutting in line and robot stacking.Another machine mod, the FT500will be also on show. Thisthermoformer, for in-mouldforming and trimming(570x375mm), has a lower tilting platenand a robot stacker with twisting plate.These two machines can be found atstand 3/16A.

Thermoforming company to present two new machines

WM Wrapping Machinery Web: www.wm-thermoforming.com

“Clever scientists have now discovered anew area of application for downfeathers. Apart from their use in paddingor thermal insulation, down is also anideal biopolymer material.This is not science fiction but theintroduction to the latest "Topic of theMonth” presented on www.k-online.de,the internet site of the K 2013 tradeshow. Every month, this site featuresexciting topics from the world of scienceand plastics, such as “Nylon toothbrushnow 75 years old“, “Nylon in featurefilms”, “Plastic design” or “Plasticreduces greenhouse effect” – to namebut a few. On a more practical note: on www.k-online.de useful information such as thecomplete list of exhibitors, news from theindustry, a personalised tour of the tradeshow or a ticket to the trade show forprinting at home are only one click away.While this sounds perfectlycommonplace today, at K 95, thistechnology sounded very pie-in-the-skyand hard to imagine. In the past 18years, K-Online has made a quantumleap. Gone are the times when ourinternet site contained very basicinformation and little more than a copyof the printed visitor leaflet.K-Online has become a medium in itsown right. The content is compiled andprepared for different target groups suchas exhibitors, visitors or journalists.

Exclusive: Messe Düsseldorf blogs for EPPM

Different features focus on information,organisation and communication. Theplatform offers shopping functions (e.g.visitor tickets and technical services forexhibitors) and with its vast database it isthe portal for the industry with topicalinformation from all different segments.A new Innovation Compass, to belaunched in mid-September, will provideinformation on exhibitor innovations.With its wide array of information, K-Online has become the Wikipedia of theinternational plastics and rubberindustry.At present, K-Online has about 50,000pages full of topics in a clearlystructured design to give users quickaccess to the required information. Inaddition to German and English, thecontent is also available in the nine mostimportant languages spoken at the Ktrade show, French, Italian, Spanish,Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Chinese,Japanese and Arabic. Naturally, K 2013is also available for mobile devices (m.k-online.de) and as a K App for iOS undAndroid.By the way, the next Topic of the Month“Aerogels: lightweight among high-techmaterials” deals with nanostructuredaerogels.

To read the blog post in full, alongwith posts from other contributors,head to www.eppm.com/blog

“Trendgineering” isthe trade fair mottounder whichKraussMaffei,KraussMaffeiBerstorff and Netstalwill be presentingtheir products, as well as theirtechnologies for global market trends, atK 2013 in Düsseldorf, Germany fromOctober 16-23, 2013.Solutions for market trends, includinglight-construction projects in theautomotive industry, but also theincreasing demand for plastic products inthe medical, construction and logisticssectors, as well as for thinner packagingsin the food industry, will be presented.“Our trade fair presentation will be underthe motto “Trendgineering”. With

“Trendgineering” – the motto for major machinery group

premium-quality solutions, at K 2013 wewill consolidate our position as theinnovative technology leader in theindustry - to the benefit and advantageof our customers,” said Jan Siebert,CEO of the KraussMaffei Group.

KraussMaffei GroupWeb: www.kraussmaffeigroup.com

Swiss company ASCOCarbon Dioxide Ltd hasreleased a new cleaningproduct for themaintenance ofmoulds and tools.ASCOJET,manufacturedspecifically for theplastic injectionmoulding sector, hasbeen produced toserve as a reportedly powerful butgentle cleaning method for moulds.

New CO2 cleaner to allow continuous production

The cleaner, composed of 100% carbondioxide, appears to have severalbenefits that come with its use. It canbe applied directly to the mouldswithout them having to cool down or beremoved.On top of this, the cleaning materialclaims it has advantages over sand andgranular cleaning as its propertiesensure there is no residue left over afterthe moulds are cleaned.

ASCOWeb: www.ascoco2.com


As we draw ever-nearer to K, and the momentum starts to build,EPPM's new website (www.eppm.com) will play host to some exclusiveblogs from Messe Düsseldorf, the organiser of the show. In this firstblog in the series, the trade fair specialist introduces visitors andexhibitors to the highlights of the newly revamped www.k-online.de -the online portal to the show.

Specialist plastics processor Grafe fromGermany provides masterbatch for lasermarking. Laser-marked plastics areresistant to chemicals and abrasion, andinscriptions therefore remain clearerover longer periods of time, claims thegroup. Using its own Foba laser markerto conduct preliminary tests, Grafe saysit can determine the best settings. “Laser marking is an efficient process inthe design of plastic products and hasbecome a real alternative toconventional printing methods over thepast years,” said Danny Ludwig, Head ofDevelopment at GRAFE. “It is quick andeconomical, and it produces alonglasting, very clean, precise and well-defined marking without having to pre-treat the parts.” Laser marking is suitable for three types

Masterbatch developed for laser inscription

of marking — light, dark and colouredmarking. The end-result is determinedby the process and by the polymer andthe admixtures used, such as pigmentsand other additives. These additives arenecessary in the laser marking processto guarantee the required standards ofcontrast, definition and speed. Ludwig continued: “Depending on thedesired application we develop the idealrecipe for the masterbatches, which canthen be tested in-house for writeabilityusing our own laser marker. In this way our customer receives a fullytested plastic product and all thenecessary parameters for marking thepart later.”

Grafe-GruppeWeb: www.grafe.com


INDUSTRY NEWS & EVENTS

BASF has announced amendments tothe structure of its Performance Productssegment. The segment bundles BASF’sbusinesses with chemicals used in manyend-user products. The group says that“increasing standardisation and theentry of new competitors have changedthe business environment significantly.”This is said to have particularly impactedBASF’s plastic additives operations.The objectives of the new structureinclude streamlining processes,investing in new technologies andadjusting the group’s portfolio andorganisational setup. The plannedmeasures will lead to a reduction ofabout 500 positions worldwide by theend of 2015.“The expansion of our specialtybusiness in the Performance Productssegment made us more robust toeconomic fluctuations. However, thegrowth and profitability of the standardproducts do not yet meet ourrequirements. We have thereforeidentified numerous measures which weare implementing step by step. Furthermeasures are being analysed,” saidMichael Heinz, member of the Board ofExecutive Directors of BASF SE andresponsible for the PerformanceProducts segment.

Global chemical group forecasts restructuring and job cuts

BASF says it aims to improve theefficiency and profitability of the PlasticAdditives and Pigments & Resinsbusiness units in Europe, which aremainly located in the Basel area. In thePigments & Resins business unit,European product and qualitymanagement and product safety will bepooled in Ludwigshafen. Global productmanagement lead will be bundled inHong Kong. In the Plastic Additives business, a moremarket-oriented approach will beintroduced. The new strategy will lead to a decreasein the need for product-related researchin plastic additives and pigments in theResearch Center Basel, claims BASF.Specifically, the Research Center Baselwill be scaled down. There will also beless need for administrative servicesprovided by the Business CenterSwitzerland for the BASF Groupcompanies in Switzerland. This will leadto a job reduction in the Basel-basedBusiness Center Switzerland. The PaperChemicals division, headquartered inBasel, is not affected by the currentmeasures.The restructuring will lead to a reductionof a total of up to 350 positions in theBasel area by the end of 2015. This

includes the pooling of tasks at othersites. BASF has said that it aims toimplement the job reductions related tothe restructuring measures in the Baselarea in a socially responsible manner,and states it will attempt to find job

opportunities in other BASF Groupcompanies for as many employees aspossible.

BASFWeb: www.basf.com

In the Pigments & Resins business unit, European product and quality managementand product safety will be pooled in Ludwigshafen. Image copyright BASF.

“Packaging recycling begins with design” claims industry body

Plastic packagingdesign threatens newEU recycling targets.That’s the claim madeby EuPR (PlasticsRecyclers Europe). Thestatement goes on tosay that “packagingrecycling does notbegin with collectionbut design.” The groupblames the idea thatmodern packagingdesigns today arefocused mainly onmaximisingperformance. Carelessdesign may lead toproblems with fully emptying packets, aswell as material combinations which areincompatible with recycling, accordingto EuPR.Plastics Recyclers Europe believes thatthe introduction of an EU classificationsystem will assist designers inevaluating their creations, in addition tohelping them choose the best options toimprove their recyclability classification.RecyClass is the concept proposed as asolution, and is intended to build onexisting Design for Recycling Guidelines.It will offer a platform to determine therecyclability class of plastic package

designs, based on a scale from A to G(seven classes comparable to EUenergy efficiency classes).“Many months ago we started workingon this project. At this stage a first draftof our model is being tested in severaltechnical institutes in different EuropeanCountries,” said Paolo Glerean whoheads PRE’s packaging design taskforce. “Our goal is to present theRecyClass tool during a special event atInterpack in Duesseldorf in May 2014.”

EuPRWeb: www.plasticsrecyclers.eu

New common brand for Sumitomo Bakelite plastics business

Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd.Group has unveiled a newidentity for its HighPerformance Plastics BusinessUnit to customers around theworld. From April 8, 2013 thecompanies forming thebusiness unit will presentthemselves to the market asone entity: SBHPP.The creation of SBHPPhighlights the worldwideintegrated sales and marketingnetwork, and globalmanufacturing capabilities offered by themanufacturer of phenolic resins,moulding compounds and circuitrymaterials. Customers of SBHPP willbenefit from globally available resourcesand expertise of the global leader inengineering thermoset resins andmoulding compounds, according to thegroup.SBHPP is represented by 20 companiesspanning Asia, China, Japan, Europeand North America. This includes a newcompany base in New Delhi, India, tofurther strengthen its support forcustomers in emerging markets. SBEIndia Pvt. Ltd. will include warehousing,marketing and a sales organisation toserve customers’ needs in the region forplastics and associated materials.

Mr. Noboru Yamawaki, SBHPP BusinessUnit Leader, commented: “With ‘SBHPP’we are unifying the way we presentourselves to the market. Our new identityclearly identifies us as one business unit,part of a large and establishedworldwide group our customers can relyon, and committed to exceeding ourcustomers’ expectations in materialperformance, customer service,technical expertise, and product quality.”From April 8, customers can accessinformation on all products and servicesvia one website: www.sbhpp.com.

SBHPPTel: +81 3 5462 4111Email: [email protected]: www.sbhpp.com

www.rapidwebsmart.com | www.rapidnews.com |email: [email protected] | tel: +44 (0)1244 680222 | Carlton House, Sandpiper Way, Chester Business Park, Chester, CH4 9QE, UK

Clear your desk today, call Jan Wynne Jones on 01244 680222or email [email protected]

INDUSTRY NEWS & EVENTS ROUNDUP

The Aachen Center for IntegrativeLightweight Production (AZL) of RWTHAachen University has named itsfounding partners in a kick-off meetingon February 6th 2013. Representativesof the 33 founding companies cametogether to start the cooperation inAachen. In the framework of the ExcellenceInitiative by the German Government,new clusters will be established on thecampus of the University of RWTH inAachen in the next 10 years: 19 newinstitutions will be set up on 800,000m2.As one of the first institutions on thenew Campus, the Aachen Center forIntegrative Lightweight Production (AZL)will be set up. The AZL, founded byProf. Dr. Christian Brecher and Prof. Dr.Christian Hopmann, is part of the facultyof mechanical engineering, with 62professorships and more than 10,000students. The aim of AZL is to develop theautomated production of load- andcost-optimised lightweight components,suitable for mass production andversatile process chains in compositeand multi-material design. All thenecessary expertise along the entirevalue chain is said to be within walkingdistance on the campus assembledaround the AZL, where over 700scientists are working on productiontechnologies, lightweight materials andapplications. The expertise covers theproduction from carbon- and glassfibres, textile preforming, high-volumecapable plastics processing,automation, machining and testing toapplications ranging from oil, water,gas, infrastructure, buildings to andautomotive engineering. Dr. Michael Emonts, CEO of AZL,explained the unique researchenvironment: “AZL is set up within thenew cluster “Integrative ProductionTechnology”, which additionally offersapproximately 25,000 m2 laboratoryspace for 800 scientists, at the CampusMelaten in Aachen. Within the Campus,companies have the possibility to openown branches or complete developmentlaboratories. The advantage of thedirect contact to the staff and the

New lightweighting education and research forum starts work

equipment of the excellent researchinstitutes – and especially the closecontact to highly qualified students aspotential staff after graduation – isalready used by major companies fromdifferent industrial sectors.”One of the first projects with thefounding partners of AZL is a strategicmarket and technology study over 12months, focussing essentially on theevaluation of the technical feasibility formass production of new applications forlightweight materials to establish theinstitute’s activities. This study identifiesapplications, components, distributionchannels, number of pieces, economicpotential, requirements for materialsand process chains in five major marketsegments. Dr. Kai Fischer, Divisional DirectorComposite Production Technology ofAZL, explained: “The unique aspect ofthis study is that new markets forcomposites are being identified whichare not yet accessible for thesematerials. The study therefore providesan ideal basis for the development ofnew strategic business areas for theparticipating companies all along thevalue chain.” “We are delighted to announce today atthe JEC Show in Paris 33 foundingpartners for the launch of the AZL,covering the whole value chain. Most ofthem are revealed below, some of them

will stay anonymous”, announced Dr.Kai Fischer. “From materials suppliersover moulder, manufacturing suppliers,tier 1 and tier 2 to OEMs, we are proudand happy to have with us AFPT,Ashland, DSM, DuPont, EMS ChemieGmbH, EM-Systeme, FA Kümpers,Future Fibres, Gurit, Henkel AG & Co.KgaA, Johnson Controls GmbH,Kegelmann Technik, Lamilux, LANXESS,Laserline GmbH, Lürssen Werft, MahrMetering, Opel, Röchling, SABIC,Siemens, Tencate, ThyssenKrupp AG,Ticona, Toyota Motor Europe.” Dr.Fischer continued: “The cooperation ofthis fantastic network is the foundationof the AZL and its future projects.”In summer 2014, the AZL will open itsdoors with the result of the study. Butalready since 2012, AZL is working inindustrial projects and public researchprojects. Additionally the targetedprojects resulting from the market- andtechnology study will be developed andimplemented. Michael Effing, CEO of AMAC, whosupports the AZL, commented: “Manyof the current mainly thermoset-drivenapplications still have significant labourcosts and we see them step by stepmoving to Middle East and Asia. Thecomposite technology is of imminentimportance for Western Europe andNorth America, like for lightweightautomotive applications or others. We

need to ensure that this technology canstay in Europe and that is why we buildon the promising value of the integratedmanufacturing of composite systems atthe AZL. This is how we want to supportthe future of composites in the Westernworld.”Together with the opening of the AZL,the Composite Academy will belaunched. Dr. Michael Emonts explained: “TheAZL’s Composite Academy will offervarious disciplines for extra-occupational training, education,seminars or in-depth qualification ofexperts on all levels, like technicians,lab workers, engineers, and managers.Participants will be able to pass specificeducation in the field of compositetechnologies and extra-occupationaleducation.” Dr. Emonts continued: “Withthe background of the current shortageof experts and the need forrestructuring industrial companies in thefuture with the introduction of newmaterials, this Composite Academy willprovide essential services, whichcomplete the unique one-stop-shopoffer of the AZL. We expect theComposite Academy to take off in2015”.

Aachen Center for IntegrativeLightweight Production (AZL)Web: www.azl.rwth-aachen.d

Planned buildings for the Integrative Production Technology Cluster at RWTH Aachen University Campus.

Engel has further expanded in Germany.The international supplier of injectionmoulding technology inaugurated its newsales and service facility in Wurmbergnear Stuttgart on 19th April withcustomers and partners present. Thegroup has invested €5 million in its newlocation.“Germany is our most important market,this is where we generate around aquarter of our global sales”, said Dr. PeterNeumann, CEO of ENGEL Holding duringthe inauguration ceremony, which wasattended by 130 guests.“In the last few years we havecontinuously increased our market sharein Germany. Our investment in SouthGermany sees us do justice to thisgrowth.” Joining Nuremberg, Hagen andHanover, Engel Deutschland GmbHTechnologieforum Stuttgart, located inWurmberg, is the fourth subsidiary inGermany. 22 staff for sales and applicationtechnology, training, service and energyconsulting are employed at the site.

Engel expands again in Germany

“Our objective is to establish ourselvesas an information and communicationhub for our customers in South WestGermany,” said Claus Wilde, Head ofthe new site. At 700 square metres thetechnical centre is the largest of anyEngel subsidiary. It offers space forseven automated production cells whichare available to customers for

demonstrations, tests and training. Theexhibits change to match theprogramme of seminars and workshops.“We can present new applications toclients and guests every time they visit”said Wilde. Energy efficiency andlightweight design are two current focustopics. Many global firms in automotivesupplies have their head offices in

Baden-Württemberg, as do leadingresearch institutes such as theFraunhofer Institute in Pfinztal, withwhom Engel has cooperated on fibrecomposite technologies.The Wurmberg location also offers adirect link to the A8 motorway. “We havesubstantially shortened the route toEngel for our customers in theSouthwest,” said Claus Wilde.“Customer proximity is becomingincreasingly important as a successfactor. Many plastics processing firmsare moving away from small standardmachines in favour of larger, complexand technologically sophisticatedsystem solutions. That means plasticsprocessing companies and systemssuppliers are having to work togethermore closely all the time.”

EngelTel: +43 50 620 0Email: [email protected]: www.engel.at


INDUSTRY NEWS & EVENTS ROUNDUP

VinylPlus, the European PVC industrysustainable development programme,recycled 362,076 tonnes of PVC lastyear. The target is to be recycling800,000 tonnes per year by 2020. Amore comprehensive and wider scopefor what constitutes ‘recycled PVC’ hasbeen adopted to include post-consumerand limited types of post-industrial PVC,as well as some of the regulated wastestreams in the EU.New methods of recycling difficult-to-treatPVC waste are currently under evaluationand efforts have reportedly been made toaddress the ‘legacy additives’ issuerelated to the presence of restrictedchemicals in recycled PVC.The 2012 results were presented at theVinyl Sustainability Forum 2013 inIstanbul. VinylPlus Chairman FilipeConstant said the industry “is effectivelymoving from a model of resourceconsumption that follows a ‘take-make-use-throw away’ linear pattern into a trulycircular economy model which puts end-of-life materials back into the productionstream extending the added-value ofPVC’s inherent durability and versatility.”A number of VinylPlus taskforces arestudying ways to incorporate renewableenergy and raw materials, thesustainable use of additives and theenvironmental footprint of PVCproduction. A VinylPlus product labelconcept for PVC products has beendeveloped in collaboration with TheNatural Step – an NGO providing inputand guidance for the development of theVinylPlus programme – and the UKexpert certification body BRE.“It is quite impressive to see such adynamic value-chain working together tomake the entire industry and its productsmore sustainable,” said Reha Gür, Vice-President, Turkish Plastics ManufacturersAssociation, PAGDER. “As most ofEurope and the world are experiencingdifficult economic times, this is evenmore admirable. We are honoured tohost the Vinyl Sustainability Forum inIstanbul and hope the work of VinylPluscan help inspire our country’s PVCcompanies – large and small — to movea step closer to the principles and goalsbehind this programme.”An important focus of the VinylPlusprogramme is the promotion of‘sustainability awareness’. In that regard,a number of communication projectswere supported last year to reinforce theVoluntary Commitment messages alongthe value chain. VinylPlus also engagedin external debates including Rio+20, theUnited Nations Conference onSustainable Development. Speaking at the Forum in Istanbul,Ambassador Tomas Anker Christensen,Senior Advisor at the United NationsOffice for Partnerships said:“Partnerships are a key enabler forachieving progress on agreeddevelopment goals, including sustainabledevelopment. VinylPlus hasdemonstrated success and we are keento see how the European industrychallenges itself to be more ambitiousand concrete in addressing identifiedchallenges. Industry has a critical role toplay in accelerating change, greening theeconomy and driving sustainableprogress around the world.”

VinylPlusWeb: www.vinylplus.eu

European vinyl recycling ontrack for 2020 target


Pallmann Group has made anacquisition of technology from Swisscompany BP Recycling Systems GmbH.Pallmann Group is making theacquisition via Pallmann Industries Inc.,a group company based in the USA. Thevalue of the transaction has not beendisclosed.The acquisition of BP RecyclingSystems’ technology will extendPallmann’s range of machines to includea full line of equipment for makingbriquettes and pellets from municipaland industrial solid waste, biomass,plastics, textiles, glass, non-ferrousmetals, and wood.Briquetting and pelletising aretechnologies downstream of pre-shredding and sorting of waste into

Acquisition expands recycling range

homogenous waste streams, and arekey for preparing the waste going intorecycling and fuel.The acquisition also enables Pallmann toexpand into new sectors, such asrecycling of industrial waste andpreparation of refuse-derived fuel (RDF)for combustion or gasification. “This typeof technology is a perfect match with ourexisting competencies in shredding allkinds of solid waste,” said Rolf Gren,President of Pallmann Industries. “Itoffers a good basis to expand ouroffering to our existing customers as wellas to new ones.”“Handling solid waste is becoming moreimportant as there is a growing need tofind alternatives for landfills and reuse allavailable resources on a global scale,”

he continued. “Theremaining waste can also beused as a source for energy at powerplants.”

Pallmann IndustriesWeb: www.pallmann.eu

UK ancillaries distributor TH Plastics hasagreed a contract to deliver a Morettomaterial handling system for packaginggroup Kobusch. The group was selected to provide thesystem for one of Kobusch’s sites in theUK. Specialising in co-extrusion andthermoforming for rigid packaging forthe food industry, Kobusch required asystem with a blender that could handleup to two tonnes of regrind flake perhour. TH Plastics worked with Moretto todevelop a system which included theDGM1000, a flake loader designed to

Materials handling system designed for packaging group

work with difficult to flow regrind flake, aEureka Drying System for the virgin PETand a supervisory system to monitor allthe equipment. Crawford Fleming, Project Manager atKobusch said: “We selected TH Plasticsas they were able to offer us a fit-for-purpose and cost-effective solution thatwas tailored to meet our specificrequirements. “The systems work seamlessly togetherand we’ve been able to achieveoptimum levels of over three tons offlake material per hour, which we’reextremely pleased with.”

TH PlasticsTel: +44 1457 855514 Email: [email protected]: www.thplastics.co.uk

A leading developer of plastic wasterecycling has agreed a deal with a securityconsultancy specialist.Environmental Recycling Technologies(ERT) has granted a licence to FalanxProtection Ltd for its Powder ImpressionMoulding (PIM) process.ERT has developed its PIM process, whichconverts mixed waste plastics intocommercial products.The licence allows for the manufactureand sale of products made using the PIMprocess for anti-ballistic and anti-blastuses within the Middle East and NorthAfrica, or MENA.Roger Baynham, Managing Director of

Recycling and security to mix under new license

ERT, said; “The anti-ballistic and anti-blastproducts made using PIM opens up anexciting market for the application of ourtechnology.”“We are thrilled to be working with theteam at Falanx and are confident that theycan successfully commercialise our PIMtechnology within the MENA region,” headded.Under the terms of the agreement, Falanxwill pay ERT a licence fee of $100,000 inaddition to annual royalties based on salesof products made using the PIM process.John Blamire, Chief Executive of FalanxGroup plc stated: “We are very pleased tobe working with ERT. Their technology

allows us to offer a product that givesimproved blast resistance to buildings andthe perceived threat of terrorism hasresulted in an increase in enquiries for thistype of product.”Falanx, a wholly owned subsidiary ofFalanx Group plc, is a security and riskmanagement consultancy working withclients worldwide.The group also offers training tocompanies and governments in securityand close protection.

Environmental RecyclingTechnologies plcWeb: www.ertplc.com

Europe's largest PVC producer hassigned an agreement to create a 50-50joint venture with an internationalchemical group.A letter of intent was signed by Brussels-based Solvay and petrochemicalmanufacturer INEOS in a move thatlooks to create a company in the topthree worldwide.The agreement means the combinedbusiness will strive to generate net salesof EUR 4.3 billion and have over 5,600employees spanning nine countries.Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, CEO of Solvaysaid: “This proposed partnership is anambitious and value-creating industrialproject.”“We want to create a world-class playerthat will benefit from the high-qualityassets of both companies,” he added.Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS said:“This agreement will result in the

Joint venture aims to shoot to top of list

creation of a truly competitive andsustainable business.”He continued: “The newly combinedbusiness, which will be of world scale,will be able to better respond to rapidlychanging markets and competition.”As a consequence of the joint venture,both firms believe there will be a drop inlogistics and transport costs, as well asa sharing of best practices and acombination of marketing and salesforces.Solvay’s contribution to the newbusiness will be its vinyl activities and itsChlor Chemicals business, which arespread across seven European sites, fiveof which support sustainable productionof PVC.Kerling, Europe’s biggest PVC producerand a subsidiary of INEOS, willcontribute to the new business. Thisadds 10 sites across seven countries.

The letter of intent (LOI) is subject tonegotiations between employeerepresentatives and the two companieswill run separately until completion ofsuch procedures.

INEOSWeb: www.ineos.com

SolvayWeb: www.evonik.com

EPPM CLASSIFIEDSADVERTISERS’INDEX

Company Page

Abbey Masterbatch 20, 34

ACS/Cumberland 20

Air Control Industries 19

Albis 1

Arburg 9

Bausano 34

Birmingham Granulators 34

Boussey Control Europe 34

CJP 15

Colloids 22

Dalesway 35

DB Automation 34

DME 29

Engel 36

EPPM Website 11

Equipnet 35

HB-Therm 12

Herbold 34

Koch-Technik 21

Krauss Maffei 34

Lanxess 7

Maschinenhandel Borowski 35

Mediplas 18

Messe Düsseldorf 27

Plastic Machinery UK 2

Plastrep 16

Plastico Trading 34

PMH GmbH 35

Process Control 25

PTI-Europe 35

Rapid WebSmart 31

Rawmec 35

Renmar 13, 34

Tappex 34

Tinius Olsen 8

TransXL 35

Vinyl GB 35

Zerma 34

MATERIALS

GranulatorsShreddersPulverisers

Blowers-cyclonesAll spares

Contact: Dick Monkhouse Tel: 01928 734724

Email: [email protected]

Granulators – Shredders – PulverisersNew and second hand systems bought and sold

Spares for all machines

blowers – cyclones – pipework – conveyorsblades – screens

Contact: Dick MonkhouseTel: 01928 734724

Email: [email protected]

For further information:T: +44 (0) 1789 206600F: +44 (0) 1789 206651E: [email protected]

Or scan the QR code below:

www.tappex.co.uk

PROCESSING EQUIPMENT

RE-PROCESSING EQUIPMENT

Renmar LtdTel: +44 844 6933225Email: [email protected]: www.renmarltd.com

Krauss-Maffei Automation AGTel: +49 89 88 99 0Fax: +49 89 88 99 22 06Web: www.kraussmaffei.com

RE-PROCESSING EQUIPMENT Cont’d

ANCILLARIES, AUTOMATION & TESTINGEQUIPMENT

To Advertise Here...Contact Tim Guest Tel: +44 (0) 7581 398 723Email: [email protected]

eppm

Compounding

Pipe

Film

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Recycling

Conduit

Speciality Engineering Polymers

BLACK MASTERBATCH

DISTRIBUTORS REQUIREDFor a number of key areas

Whitelands Mill, Whitelands Road,

Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 6UG, UK

Tel:Fax:

Email:Web:

(44) 0161 308 2550(44) 0161 343 [email protected]


To advertise here please contact Tim Guest:Tel: +44 (0) 7581 398 723 Email: [email protected]

1040mm Welex sheet extrusion line: 90mm Welex extruder with gear pump, die head, 1040mm wide Welex 3 roll polishing stack, haul off and winder.

92mm Amut twin screw profi le extrusion line with BA92 twin screw extruder, 8m calibration table, 2 belt haul off, travelling cross cut saw. 2001.

1300mm Battenfeld coextrusion sheet line; 2 x 90mm single screw extruders. 1300mm x 600mm 3 roll polishing stack+ haul, 2 station winder, 1995.

500mm wide Illig RDM 50/3 lid thermoformer, Double heaters, Motor Indexing. Auto Rail Spreading, Counter/ Stacker, 1982 very good condition.

1700mm Bandera Virginio Mai PMMA ABS sheet extrusion line. 80mm extruder, 1600mm Simplas die, 2-7mm thickness. Complete line 1987.

1800mm wide Reifenhauser sheet extrusion line, 120mm 33D extruder, melt pump, die, 1800mm x 410mm 3 roll stack, haul off, guil-lotine, stacker 1995.

80mm Cincinnati Conical twin screw extruder model TITAN 80PL-APC.

100mm Union single screw extruder. 35D vented with fan cooled barrel. Vacuum vent. 110kw dc motor and drive. Temperature panel 1987.

890mm Welex World Standard sheet Line. 90mm Extruder. Gear Pump 900mm Die. 890mm Welex Stack winder. 1997.

1850mm Battenfeld Gloenco PP PE Cast Film Line: 120mm+60mm extruders, feed-block. 1650mm Cloeren auto die, 1850mm Chill roll, haul off, winder.1993.

4.5” Welex single screw extruder. 30D vented., static mixer, gear pump. 2003.

25mm Betol single screw extruder. Model 2525. L/d Ratio 25:1. Dc drive. 6 zone panel. Screw cooling, throat cooling.

45mm Kuhne single screw extruder model K45E 30D plugged vented. 20-204 rpm. 24kw dc motor.

2 Component Maguire model WSB 420 gravimetric weight scale blender. 2 hopper loaders.

863mm wide EDI Ultrafl ex H75 fl ex lip sheet die. 0-1.9mm die gap. 240 V heating.

60mm Betol/Corelco pipe corrugation lines model EC255LLV complete with die head and corrugation dieset, cooling bath, hauloff & fl y cutter,!!!

1000mm Omv Coextrusion Sheet Line. 120mm Omv Extruder, 60mm Coextruder, Melt Pump, 1000mm X 500mm Roll Stack, Haul Off, Winder.

300mm wide Schwarbentham 2 rolllaboratory mixing mill. Polymix 110 P.

TRANSXL INTERNATIONAL THORNHILL SOUTH MARSTON SWINDON WILTSHIRE SN3 4TA ENGLAND MORE MACHINERY, MORE PHOTOS ON THE WEB: www.transxl.co.uk

SHEET LINES

2400mm Cincinnati PVC Sheet line

2300mm Omipa Pmma Extrusion Line

1800mm Virginio Mai 3 layer coex line

1700mm Bandera/virgin Mai ABS Line.

1500mm Bandera 3 roll stack

1350mm Welex/Union line

1350mm Welex 3 roll stack

1300mm Battenfeld coextrusion sheet line.

1040mm Welex Coex sheet line.

1040mm Welex 3 roll stack

1000mm Esde 3 roll Stack

1000mm OMV co ex sheet line

890mm Welex Pet sheet line

THERMOFORMING

700mm Illig RDM 63/15B cup forming line

700mm Illig Rv74 Vacuum Former

605mm Kiefel KL2 SH Thermoformer,

540mm Kiefel KL2EH vacuum former

500mm Illig RDM 50/3 Lid Thermoformer

6 colour Van Dam 560AA PT printer

EXTRUDERS

115mm Hartig Extruder, 30d100mm Union extruder.90mm Welex single screw extruder80mm Cincinnati Titan twin screw90mm John Brown Egan single screw extruder70mm Battenfeld-kuhne Extruder60mm Cincinnati coextruder50mm Welex co extruder. 25:1 l/d ratio.50mm Betol extruder 25:1d45mm Kuhne model K45E 30D

DIES

980mm EDI model Ultrafl ex HR75915mm EDI fl ex lip sheet die900mm Kuhne model BDF 90F863mm EDI Ultrafl ex H75 fl ex lip sheet die500mm Masterfl ex fl ex lip cast fi lm die 1987

GRANULATORS

500mm Zerma model GSH-500/600660 x 350mm Cumberland model 6/84.

Tel: +44 (0) 1793 827666 Email: [email protected] Web: www.transxl.co.uk Over 35 Years of Service

700 X 500mm Illig Rv74 Vacuum Former. Unwind. Top And Bottom Heaters. Forming Station. Punch. Stacker And Waste Wind Up. 2004 100hours only!!!

1350mm wide Welex coextrusion sheet line with 115mm and 50mm extruders. 1270mm wide sheet die, 1350mm x 450mm rolll stack, haul off, winder.

Maschinenhandel Borowski

Used plastic processing machinesInjection moulding, blow moulding and

accessories

Tel. 0049-2173-8950790 Fax [email protected]

OTHER

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