Solvay in Hungarian sheet JV

December 22, 1999 - Solvay's French industrial films subsidiary Alkor Draka is starting a calendered sheet company in Hungary in equal partnership with Folmont Plastics, a subsidiary of the Hungarian industrial group Pannonplast. Pannonplast has 18 plastics processing subsidiaries, six of them joint ventures.
     The new Pannon Aldra Plastics will make flexible sheet, typically for the stationery and electrical insulation markets.

European consortium aids massive growth in Chinese window profiles

December 22, 1999 - A project which will create the world's biggest plastic window profile company has been started in China, with input from three European extrusion suppliers.
     Dalian Shide was set up in 1995 with the capacity to produce 12,000 tonnes of profiles annually. Now it is producing 160,000 tonnes a year, and has recently contracted to buy equipment which will add another 80,000 tonnes. Future plans include the addition of a further 160,000 tonnes capacity in 2001, bringing it up to 400,000 tonnes a year and making it the largest window profile manufacturer in the world.
     The three European companies involved in the project are Greiner Extrusionstechnik which is supplying the tooling and downstream equipment, Cincinnati Milacron Austria (soon to become part of the Battenfeld extrusion operation) supplying the extruders, and Reimelt, specialist in powder handling and compounding systems.
     As well as supplying plant, the consortium will assist Dalian Shide in the setting up of a maintenance centre to enable maintenance on the tooling and machinery to be carried out in-house. This will be triggered by output exceeding 160,000 tonnes/year, and at 200,000 tonnes year Greiner will train Dalian Shide personnel to tune the tooling themselves, enabling Greiner to deliver semi-finished tooling, saving costs for Dalian Shide.

Powdered rubber price increase

December 22, 1999 - Bayer is increasing the price of its Baymod N XL 38.20 powdered NBR rubber by Euro 0·1/kg on January 1.

Battenfeld now not selling its injection moulding business...but is buying in extrusion

December 21, 1999 - Battenfeld's sale of its injection moulding business is off because the buyer can't find the money. And its purchase of Milacron's European extrusion division is on.
     The Interplas exhibition in October buzzed with rumours linking Battenfeld and Milacron in a variety of permutations, loosely leading to Battenfeld buying Milacron's extrusion business and Milacron taking over Battenfeld's injection business. In the event SMS - Battenfeld's parent holding company - signed a deal with Madison Capital Partners, an American investment group, to take over the injection moulding business. There was no official conclusion to the extrusion side of the rumours, and it was generally understood that while SMS had expressed interest in Milacron's extrusion business, the two companies had been unable to agree.
     Now the whole thing has been turned on its head. In a bald single paragraph at the end of the announcement that SMS is to buy Milacron's European extrusion business, Battenfeld says: 'Although a definitive contract had been signed on October 1 1999, the sale of Battenfeld Injection Molding Technology cannot be executed because Madison Capital Partners was not able to provide appropriate financing. According to Helmut Eschwey (member of the managing board of SMS responsible for plastics machinery) Battenfeld Injection Molding Technology will remain with the Battenfeld Group owned by SMS.'
     In October Battenfeld had felt it appropriate to withdraw from the highly competitive injection moulding business - it had lost money in this business for several years and had just returned to the black - to concentrate on being a major world player in extrusion. Now the company says injection moulding is back to stay, that there are no current plans to sell the business, and that it is definitely not in discussion with Milacron to sell it.
     Milacron's European extrusion business becomes part of Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik as Cincinnati Extrusion GmbH. Battenfeld's extrusion business is divided into two independent streams - Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik which covers pipe and profile and compounding and also includes American Maplan Corp and now Cincinnati Extrusion - and the film and sheet division of Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering. They only come together in China where they produce extrusion products for the domestic market. Battenfeld has emphasised that Cincinnati Extrusion will operate independently, despite a product overlap with Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik in the pipe and profile field.
     The purchase is of the whole operation based on Cincinnati's Austrian plant, and also includes the operation at Kawasaki in Japan. Annual sales are around $65 million. The purchase price is approximately $47 million in cash, and the sale is expected to be finalised early in the new year after regulatory approvals. Milacron will initially use the cash to reduce debt, and will then invest in its North American extrusion equipment business, which is being retained.

Ticona bids for Far East sales in technical polymers

December 21, 1999 - Ticona is strengthening its approach to the Asia Pacific market with new moves in ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, cycloolefin copolymers, acetals and liquid crystal polymers. It has set up a new company in Japan, and in Korea it is buying into acetal producer Korea Engineering Plastics.
     To extend its penetration of the market for UHMWPE Ticona is setting up Ticona Japan in Tokyo, with the brief of building a regional organisation. Ticona is global market leader in the specialised UHMWPE business, which amounts to around 74,000 tonnes. It currently meets around 40 per cent of Asian demand with sales of 2,000 tonnes a year, mainly for porous applications in filters, water purification, linings, machine components and battery separators. The Asian market is reckoned at about 12 per cent of the world market, and growth there is forecast at around 12 per cent a year, compared with 5 - 6 per cent in Europe and the Americas. Ticona's capacity for its GUR material is 30,000 tonnes at Oberhausen in Germany and 14,000 tonnes at Bayport in the USA.
     A less specific approach has so far been made to sell Topas cycloolefin copolymer in Asia, but Ticona says that Japan and Asia Pacific have generated significant customer interest, and that it is evaluating different approaches in distribution, market development and technical support.
     A new growth area for Topas which centres on Japan is in its use as a colour copier toner binder resin, and Ticona is looking at specific options in this field, with plans to announce a distribution arrangement early next year. World demand for toner is growing at 6 per cent a year from a base of 125,000 tonnes in 1998, but the colour segment, while starting from a much smaller base, has a current growth rate of around 40 - 50 per cent a year.
     Ticona's main engineering plastics distribution in the Far East is through Polyplastics of Tokyo. Polyplastics is a joint venture between Ticona and Daicel Chemicals Industries, and both Polyplastics and Ticona make Vectra LCP - Ticona 3,200 tonnes/year at Shelby in the USA, and Polyplastics 2,800 tonnes/year at Fuji. Now Polyplastics is to increase capacity at Fuji by 2,000 tonnes, to meet growing demand in Asia Pacific, largely for electronic connectors, where output is forecast to increase 25 per cent/year over the next 2 - 3 years. Polyplastics and Ticona have also been developing new computer and audio/video applications which are expected to show a 20 per cent annual growth.
     The new capacity at Polyplastics will use the company's new polymerisation technology, which will extend material options with grades having higher heat deflection temperatures and higher melt viscosity.
     Commercially, Ticona and Polyplastics are extending their licensing and compounding cross licensing agreements.
     Current demand for LCP compounds is around 12,000 tonnes annually - 7,000 tonnes in Asia Pacific and 5,000 tonnes in Europe and the USA, and this is expected to rise to 16,000 tonnes by 2001. The current 12,000 tonnes demand equates in compound terms with the eventual 8,000 tonnes resin output planned by Polyplastics/Ticona.
     Ticona and Polyplastics have also concluded a licence agreement for operating the new 30,000 tonnes/year acetal plant in Kuantan, Malaysia, which will come on stream in the first quarter next year. The plant is being built by Polyplastics' Malaysian subsidiary Polyplastics Asia Pacific, which produces acetal under the Polyplastics Duracon and Ticona Celcon and Hostaform trade marks.
     The acquisition of 50 per cent of Korea Engineering Plastics from Hyosung Coporation gives Ticona a share in a 55,000 tonne acetal copolymer plant making Kepital brand POM. The company was set up in 1987 by Hyosung Corporation, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Mitsubishi Corporation, and was the first to produce polyacetals in Korea.

European PU expansion by Dow

December 18, 1999 - Dow Polyurethanes is increasing European production of polyols and MDI. A new reactor and flexible slab polyols finishing plant is due to start up in November next year at Terneuzen in the Netherlands, increasing Dow's flexible polyol capacity from 200,000 to 280,000 tonnes and rigid polyol capacity from 35,000 to 45,000 tonnes.
     Also in the Netherlands in November Dow will add a distillation unit to an existing monomeric MDI plant at Delfzijl, increasing capacity by 60 per cent. And at Esterraja in Portugal Dow plans to increase MDI capacity from 75,000 to 90,000 tonnes with start up early next year.

Greenpeace names 'harmful' PVC toys

December 18, 1999 - The Greenpeace Toxic Toy Police have struck in Britain's high streets, raiding shops such as the Early Learning Centre, Mothercare, Boots, Toys 'R' Us and Woolworth in search of soft PVC toys containing the phthalate plasticisers banned recently by the European Commission. Toys containing levels between 24 and 42 per cent of di-isonyl phthalate (DINP) were analysed by LGC, formerly the Laboratory of the Government Chemist and now an independent company which, coincidentally, has been prominent in developing tests to assess the levels of phthalates likely to leach out when soft PVC is sucked by infants - now, presumably, a defunct requirement.
     The toys tested were not those which have been banned, but included animal figures and other toys which Greenpeace says are likely to be chewed for longer than the toys 'intended for the mouth' which are specifically named in the EU ban.

Pipelife to expand Turkish holding

December 18, 1999 - The Pipelife Group pipes and fittings joint venture between Solvay of Belgium and Wienerberger of Austria is to buy the 49 per cent of the Turkish Arili pipes company it did not already own.

Engel boss heads Euromap

December 18, 1999 - Dr Peter Neumann of Engel is the new president of Euromap, succeeding Wolfgang von Schroeter of Demag Ergotech. The new vice president is Marco Biraghi of BM Biraghi. They will both serve a three year term. Bernd Knörr, executive director of the VDMA's Plastic and Rubber Machinery Association, is secretary general.

AlphaGary's new plant on schedule for end of year completion

December 18, 1999 - The new AlphaGary plant at Melton Mowbray has been completed and transfer of equipment from the company's Syston site nine miles away should be finished by the end of the year.
     The new plant mirrors AlphaGary's Pineville, North Carolina, USA facility, and cost around £15 million. It make the company's full range of thermoplastic and elastomeric compounds, and has a segregated area for the production of medical device and regulated packaging compounds.

Lonza Group in Chinese JV

December 18, 1999 - The Swiss Lonza Group subsidiary Lonza Intermediates and Additives, through its Singapore affiliate, has established a joint venture in China with Liyang Chemical Industrial Co to make pyromellitic dianhydride and pyromellitic acid, which are used in the production of polyimides and epoxy-based powder coatings.

EVC to sell Spanish compounds plant to Solvay

December 10, 1999 - EVC is selling its Spanish PVC compounding plant to Solvay. EVC Ibérica was set up in 1992 to make and sell PVC compounds in Spain, but EVC has compounding plants throughout Europe, in particular in Italy, the UK and Switzerland, and does not regard its Spanish activities as a key business - although it will continue to sell PVC resins and rigid sheets there.

Klaus Lehwald of Demag dies

December 10, 1999 - Klaus Lehwald, managing director of Demag Ergotech's Wiehe plant, died from a brain tumour on Monday. He was 38. Before moving to Wiehe earlier this year to succeed Helmar Franz, Mr Lehwald spent several years in the UK at Demag Hamilton as sales director.

ICI sells Research Engineering

December 10, 1999 - The Cordforth Group, which for many years operated an engineering support service within ICI Research at Wilton, has now bought the operation. It has acquired ICI Technology's Research Engineering Group, which designs and manufactures research-scale plant and equipment, and plans to expand its customer base beyond the Wilton Centre.

Borealis to sell its GMT business

December 10, 1999 - Borealis is to sell its glass mat thermoplastic composites business to Symalit. The GMT business does not fit in with Borealis' long term aims, and production of GMT at Linz in Austria is to stop.
     Symalit is also buying the Borealis technology pool, including the know how for the manufacture of coloured GMT. Borealis will make R & D and product development facilities available to Symalit, particularly for the development of polypropylene compounds.

Aquagraphics takeover to fund company expansion

December 10, 1999 - Aquagraphics has been taken over by a group of investors capable of funding expansion of the company following its recent £1 million investment in a UV-curing paint and lacquering line and robot painting facility. The group includes Peter Herring, who has experience of surface coating through Hamilton Hargreaves, and is currently involved with finishing systems R & D specialist 4 Cyte. Terry Riordan and Nick Bond continue to manage the company.
     The new high gloss lacquering plant is the first of its kind in the world and is being used to coat a high gloss metallic finish TV cabinet for Philips.

New Italian blow moulding machine now in the UK

December 10, 1999 - Machines from an Italian extrusion blow moulding machinery manufacturer set up in January of this year by engineers from Techne and Sidel are now available from Trendpam. The aptly named Extrusion Srl has a range of seven machines in monolayer and multi-layer format capable of moulding standard and handled bottles up to 30 litres.
     Trendpam was appointed agent last week and has already sold a machine to Auspac for February delivery, and another to Limerick Blow Moulders.

Billion tiebarless machine goes on sale

December 9, 1999 - Billion has gone commercial with the tiebarless injection moulding machine it showed in prototype form at K'95. After four years development it has unveiled the Proxima, showing three 50 tonne machines at its factory in Bellignat, France, yesterday.
     These three machines are still regarded as prototypes, although the company has set a production schedule of having 40 and 50 tonne machines available for delivery in the first quarter of next year, 65 and 80 tonne machines in May/June, and a 100 tonne machine towards the end of the third quarter. A 150 tonnes machine is expected early in 2001 and the range has potential for reaching 600 tonnes, with eventual replacement of the Hercule series as a possibility.
     The Proxima uses a design which replaces the top tie bars with a C-frame, independent of the machine chassis to prevent bending and thus displacement of the fixed platen. Similar designs are in use by MIR, Mateu and Sole and others.
     Billion is pushing the parallelism of its design as a selling point against other tiebarless configurations, saying that because the C-frame absorbs locking stresses in exactly the same way as the tiebars it replaces, it can maintain absolute platen parallelism and does not need additional compensation devices. Here it is pitching directly at Engel, the originator of modern tiebarless construction (small machines such as the Manumold, vertical rubber presses and Billion's own celebrated 10,000 tonne machine were all earlier tiebarless machines). The Engel design allows the moving platen to tilt in relation to the fixed platen, and a knuckle joint is built into the back of the moving platen to bring the platens parallel again. This is seen in some quarters as risking mould wear, particularly in multi-cavity packaging tools. However the undeniable success of the Engel tiebarless machine vindicates both tiebarless moulding and the Engel design.
     The Billion Proxima differs mainly from the K'95 concept machine in its clamping method. The K'95 machine used a Hercule toggle clamping unit, but this was deemed too expensive for machines at the initial size covered by the Proxima.
     Instead Billion has followed historical practice and used a two-stage hydromechanical clamp unit. Two fast acting rams move the platen, pulling a clamping column through the clamping ram, and a chock plate is then slid between the clamping column and clamping ram for lock to be applied. Block and lock clamping is normally associated with big machines, but Billion says it offers speed and energy saving on a small machine - and the clamping column also aids the guiding of the moving platen.
     Alongside the launch of the Proxima Billion showed its first Vulcan machine, a French-built version of the Van Dorn Demag Calibre. This follows Demag Ergotech's adoption of the Van Dorn design to add a large two-platen machine to its range, showing the collaboration among otherwise competing Mannesmann Plastics Machinery companies.
     The prototype Vulcan is 1,600 tonnes and adheres to the Van Dorn design, although production machines are likely to have new hydraulics, replacing the plethora of American pumps with a fixed displacement pump/accumulator set-up.
     Billion plans to expand the vulcan range to 1,300 - 3,000 tonnes with a 2,500 tonne machine the next to be built. Deliveries of 1,600 tonne machines will start in 2000. The remaining production schedule is undecided, and could be steered by market requirements for specific sizes.
     Both the Proxima and the Vulcan have a new version of Billion's Dixit control system. The Dixit II is also expected to be implemented on Hercule machines during next year.
     The most obvious improvement is the relinquisihing of the beside-the-press cabinet and installation of the control interface on the machine itself.
     A 12·1 in flat, colour LCD display has been added with touch screen access all over, not just at designated input areas, and displays are instantly switchable between graphics and text with touch screen editing in both modes.
     Behind the scenes Dixit has been redesigned to run under Windows NT, increasing its flexibility, and modem access has been added for remote disagnosis.
     To complete its product overhaul Billion has been rebadged

Bayer to consolidate European NBR and SBR

December 6, 1999 - Bayer is to move production of NBR (acrylonitrile butadiene) and E-SBR (emulsion styrene butadiene) rubbers from Leverkusen in Germany to its La Wantzenau site near Strasbourg in France. The move will take place in the wake of a Euro 20 million investment at La Wantzenau which will increase capacity for these two rubbers from 100 to 150 thousand tonnes, and should be complete by the middle of 2002. Bayer also makes E-SBR and NBR in a 40,000 tonnes plant at Sarnia in Canada.

UPM gets Green Box agency

December 6, 1999 - UPM Machinery Sales is the new UK agent for the Italian-built Green Box temperature control equipment. Green Box was formerly represented by Summit Systems, and before that, by Coolmation.
     The Green Box range includes mould temperature controllers working up to 140 degC with water and 250 degC with oil. The company also makes chillers from 2,000 to 300,000 kcal/hr using four self-contained refrigeration circuits, retaining 75 per cent of capacity should one circuit fail.

New top man at Ferromatik Milacron

December 6, 1999 - Dr Karlheinz Bourdon, operations manager of Ferromatik Milacron Maschinenbau, becomes its general manager on January 1. He takes over from Roland Bechtel, who becomes chairman of the managing board of another Milacron subsidiary, Widea in Essen.

Prodef adds Sulzer static mixers

December 6, 1999 - Static mixer manufacturer Sulzer Chemtech has appointed Prodef Engineers as UK/Ireland distributor for its Quadro range of static mixers. These are used mainly for mixing and dispensing multi-part resins, and are shorter with a lower pressure drop than conventional helical mixers, reducing waste. Prodef already distributes machinery and equipment for mixing and dispensing, including cartridges, needles, syringes and dosing systems.

Commercial sintering service for 24 hour prototypes

December 2, 1999 - Colson Europe injection moulding company JBD Plastics has linked with Exeter University's Polymer Centre to provide a rapid prototyping service. The service uses laser sintering technology and can create prototypes in 24 hours. JBD can be contacted on 01271 865100.

Unanimous decision to uphold PVC toy ban

December 2, 1999 - The European Commission ban on some toys made with soft PVC which was put on hold last week has now been endorsed unanimously by the Emergencies Committee of the General Product Safety Directive. The decision to ban these toys will be formally adopted within a few days, and the decision will enter into force 10 days after its adoption. This will be the first time that the Commission has instigated an immediate ban under the General Product Safety Directive.
     The ban covers toys, intended to be placed in the mouth by babies, which are made from PVC plasticised with DINP or DEHP. To cover the possibility of a plasticiser substitution the decision also covers four other phthalates not currently in general use for teethers and dummies.
     The Association of European Toy Manufacturers, TIE, had proposed a voluntary ban, but this was rejected by the Commission because it was felt that such a voluntary agreement could not achieve the objectives of the decision. It could not be properly monitored or enforced, it would not cover imports from third countries, and would provide no legal guarantees to consumers.

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