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ENGINEERING MATERIALS
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GE pushes back the boundaries of high temperature thermoplastics
Extreme levels of performance without the drawbacks of existing high performance plastics are promised by GE Plastics for its new Extem thermoplastic polyimide. The new material outperforms GE's Ultem polyetherimide and offers properties which GE sees as extending applications for thermoplastics by either pushing the boundaries of performance at high temperature, or making commercially possible applications which were not practical because of the processing demerits of existing materials.
Frisetta cuts the cost of moulding FR nylons in colour
More flexibility for coloured flame-retardant components has been achieved by Frisetta with a new range of masterbatches with full UL yellow card V-0 listing.
Heavy compounds pull their weight in metal substitution
Heavy-filled compounds with fillers such as tungsten, barium sulphate and bismuth have been introduced by Clariant Masterbatches Specialty Compounding as alternatives to metal in applications where the weight and other characteristics of metal are desirable.
PVC in small lots
Small lots of PVC compounds from Dugdale are now being distributed nationwide by Claymore Plastics in Hereford.
TBA in European project to develop conductive compounds
Static control and EMI shielding specialist TBA Electro Conductive Products is developing innovative conductive plastic compounds within the Pan-European PolyCond project. The intention is to create eco-friendly, cost-effective and high added-value conductive plastic composites.
Cabelec for Distrupol
Distrupol has been appointed a distributor of Cabot Corporation's Cabelec series of conductive compounds.
Bayer boosts polycarbonates
Bayer MaterialScience has announced a raft of developments for its Makrolon polycarbonate with new fire retardant grades and research into polycarbonate focusing optics for light-emitting diodes.
Fujitsu adds nylon 11 to its bio-material armoury
To extend its use of bio-sourced polymers Fujitsu of Japan has been working with Arkema of France on a polymer based on Arkema's Rilsan polyamide 11, itself derived from castor oil.
Carbon nanotubes overcome difficulties with conventional conductive fillers
Carbon nanotubes are being used by Italian compounder Lati to produce highly electrically conductive compounds without the physical problems caused by some more traditional conductive fillers.
3i buys Azelis on the road to flotation
Plastics and chemicals distributor Azelis has been sold by Cognetas to 3i, seen as 'a suitable partner to support us over the next five years which will be the lead up to possible flotation'.
PACKAGING MATERIALS
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New polyethylene for frozen food packaging
Borealis has introduced what it describes as a new and unique polyolefin for film-based vacuum forming packaging in co-operation with Norwegian packaging converter Tommen Gram.
Titanium-based PET the future for bottles?
Wellman of the USA has developed a titanium-catalysed antimony-free PET for the carbonated soft drink industry, said to give higher filling temperatures, reduced acetaldehyde, lower injection cycle times, light-weighting opportunities, and increased clarity.
SABIC joins in Turkish PS joint venture
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation has formed a polystyrene joint venture with Baser Petrokemya of Turkey.
ADDITIVES
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Peptizer to process NR without carbon black
Renacit RUC 9203 is a new peptizer from Lanxess for use in pure gum mastication enabling natural rubber to be processed without carbon black.
Solutia to take control of Flexsys rubber chemicals
Solutia is planning to buy out its partner in rubber chemicals producer Flexsys. Flexys is a 50:50 joint venture between Solutia and Akzo Nobel.
Anti-fog masterbatch is improved
An improved anti-fog masterbatch for polyethylene food films has been developed by Viba in Italy.
FILM & SHEET PRODUCTION
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Blown film haul-off 'eliminates camber'
Addex of the USA reckons to have solved the problem of camber - the left and right zig-zagging of the film when unwound - with its new GBR (Gauge Band Randomizer) which reverses the wrap angle over the turning bars and so cancels out the tensions which cause camber.
Frosted acrylic process is patented
Patents have been granted to Altuglas International for its frosted acrylic sheet whose properties are inherent in the material so surface scratches and secondary processing steps have no noticeable effect on optical properties.
DSM Stanyl now for films and fibres
Stanyl polyamide 4,6 from DSM Engineering Plastics, a material usually associated with injection moulding, is finding new applications in fibre and film, bringing high temperature resistance and high wear and abrasion resistance.
Purging agent cleans where space for dismantling is limited
A purging agent designed specifically for use with film lines has been introduced by Eurobond Adhesives.
EMO dies set up in the UK
Austrian flat die manufacturer EMO is now represented in the UK by White Extrusion Machinery as part of an expansion into the wider European market to compete with the dominance of American die companies.
Film properties improved by in-line stretching
According to Edlon Machinery there is growing interest in monoaxially orienting polyethylene film in the machine direction to achieve down-gauging while maintaining or even improving physical properties.
Medium scale take-off stretches cast film
A 750 mm cast film take-off with orientation capability has been added to the Yellow Jacket extrusion equipment range built by Wayne Machine in the USA.
Cast coex line is faster, more flexible and uses less energy
To meet requirements for the production of high quality co-extruded cast films with up to seven layers, Reifenhäuser has developed a complete line which it says is characterised by high flexibility, reduced energy consumption and greater speed.
Stretch plant available for development
The LISIM Pilot-Line at Brückner's Siegsdorf, Germany, plant has been extended and is available to rent for film producers to develop new structures.
Brückner has recently bought Kiefel, which makes blown film lines and winders and thermoforming machines.
Air chillers increase productivity
Increases in productivity up to 30 per cent can be achieved, says Conair, by using its ABF air chillers to control IBC air temperatures to within ±0·1 degC down to 3 degC.
Battenfeld Gloucester boosts silage film lines
Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering has improved its blown stretch film line for silage film production, optimising nip design, processing rates, layer ratios, polyisobutylene levels, and winding tensions.
Macchi gives away the benefits of gearless drive as it seeks to increase volumes
Macchi is to adopt Siemens gearless drives for all its equipment other than, at present, for extruders at no extra cost in the hope that its higher machinery build costs will be met by higher sales volumes as film extruders capitalise on the additional control and energy saving benefits brought by direct torque drive.
New granulator improves scrap reclaim at PVC sheet producer
PVC film producer Renolit-Cramlington has cut its back-log of start-up and edge trim waste by installing a Tria granulator and returning the scrap to process.
Thickness gauge measures bubble width as well
A bubble width control function has been combined with a film thickness control system in the new Aipex-Sussex SIG140 BW/KG which can be retrofitted to any blown film line
Steady feeding improves quality of calendered PVC film
Buss has produced a new version of its Quantec kneader compounding machine for direct feeding to PVC film calenders.
Standard dosing/blending system is tailored for film production
A range of gravimetric blenders/dosers tailored for use on film and other extrusion lines has been introduced by Piovan. The MXP units combine gravimetric batch preparation with a subsequent loss-in-weight dosing function.
Autobar Packaging changes hands
Autobar Packaging has been bought from Charterhouse Capital Partners by another investment company, an affiliate of Sun European Partners.
FILM & SHEET CONVERSION
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Winder for high speed stretch wrap production
The Black Magic S4 high speed stretch film winder introduced by Davis-Standard Converting Systems Group has integrated automatic core and roll handling and is capable of producing 16,588 rolls per day.
New adhesives for rigid packaging
Arkema has expanded its Orevac range of speciality adhesive resins for rigid packaging with the addition of four new grades.
Five steps to energy saving on thermoforming machines
Independent Technical Services (UK) has been developing ways to make its thermoforming machines more power efficient and has come up with a five-step plan which it can implement on new equipment, with some steps being applicable to existing installations.
Infra red heaters save 25 per cent on energy
New Hi Heat 'Energy Saving' infra red ceramic emitters from Victory Lighting are claimed to reduce energy costs by up to 25 per cent in process heating applications, particularly in vacuum forming.
Former for up to 50,000 cups/hour
A new thermoforming machine with cutting in the tilting mould has been developed by Amut with an hourly production rate of more than 50,000 disposable cups.
Treatment system specific to PP corrugated board
A corona treatment system has been developed by Tantec for use on PP corrugated board to overcome the material's low surface energy, resulting in poor surface adhesion for water-based adhesives and inks.
Static neutralising for simpler situations
A static neutralising unit for users for whom advanced diagnostics are not necessary has been introduced by Ion Industrial.
Nylon sheet welder wanted
JR Technology, which makes equipment for processing high performance composites components, is looking for a converter who can fold and seal polyamide 50 micron sheet continuously.
New packaging sheet options from Vita
Several new sheet products were introduced by the Vitasheet Group at the Emballage 2006 exhibition towards the end of last year.
Constant current generator gives more consistent pinning power
Either constant current or constant voltage operation is possible with Ion Industrial's single polarity charge generators, suitable for charge pinning applications.
Single voice to represent European films business
A European group representing companies with interests in plastics film has been set up as part of EuPC - European Plastics Converters.
Slitting and printing from 3 m rolls
A facility for slitting and two-colour printing on rolls up to 3 m wide has been set up by Building Product Design in Merthyr Tydfil.
British-built equipment to convert 300 tonnes of BOPET film a day in the UAE
A £6 million contract has been won by the Flexible Materials business sector of Bobst Group, formerly the Atlas and General companies based in Bedford, from JBF-RAK, based in the United Arab Emirates.
Cup stacker is modular for customisation
Mould & Matic Solutions of Austria has developed a horizontal cup stacker known as the Modular Cup-Packer whose modular construction enables it to be tailored to the installation.
AUTOMATION & ROBOTICS
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Globalisation means robotisation says ABB
Automation specialist ABB estimates that during 2006 only 800 new robots were sold in the UK by all sources compared with more than 1,000 sold by ABB alone in France. So it is launching a campaign to encourage UK manufacturers to take a serious look at investment in robotics and automated plants.
Husky builds six-axis robot control into moulding machine interface
Alongside its injection moulding machines Husky also builds linear robots which can be controlled through the moulding machine control system. But it doesn't build articulated arm machines, so it has teamed up with several manufacturers of six-axis robots to provide similar control integration.
Remak runs under KUKA control
The continuous path control used on KUKA's six-axis robots has now been adopted by Remak enabling it to cover the large areas typical with linear robots but with more sophisticated movements.
New interface simplifies six-axis programming
A new software interface from KUKA Automation + Robotics is intended to improve the ease of programming articulated arm robots to the level of conventional linear machines.
Look to the future when planning robot replacement
'Significant' growth in six-axis robot installation is currently being seen by ATM against a static requirement for standard pick and place robots.
Free consultation to get the design right for automation
Design for manufacture and avoid unpleasant surprises is the message from Modular Automation, which has started a free consultation service to help manufacturers design products that can be assembled more efficiently.
In-mould closing is not always the way
PCE Automation has designed a cell to de-mould open lids from a 4 + 4 stack mould in contrast to closing the lids in-mould.
Sintered nylon makes customised grippers really fit the part
A technology for making robot grippers to fit small, fragile or hard-to-grip parts accurately has been developed by ASS Maschinenbau of Germany. The K-Hands tooling is produced in nylon on a Selective Laser Sintering machine using the original CAD data of the part. Production takes just a few hours.
Servo-drive additions to Alfa robot range
The latest in the Alfa range of robots from Hi-Class Machinery is the Redstone series with AC servo drive on all three axes plus a pneumatic twist action.
O-ring feeding was a breeze
Placing very small O-rings was a process difficulty overcome by floating them on air in an automation system designed by Modular Automation.
New company focuses on robotic handling
Aylesbury Automation has formed a new division, AA Robotics, specialising in the provision of robot-based flexible machines - especially those which can deliver short runs and be easily modified to suit fast changing products and short product life span.
Robot palletiser stacks bags automatically
The new Chronos Richardson RP500 robot palletiser can be used to stack filled bags on empty pallets placed manually into position.
INJECTION MOULDING
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Big machines and innovative technologies pitched at automotive moulders
Husky held a series of open days in Luxembourg towards the end of last year held to promote its big injection machines for automotive components and its special applications for glazing, overmoulding, in-line compounding and injection moulding magnesium.
In-line compounding wins an award for Krauss-Maffei
A part made on its in-line compounder won an award last year for Krauss-Maffei.
FM adds bigger all-electric machine
Ferromatik Milacron's all-electric Elektra series has been extended up to 300 tonnes clamp with the Elektra Evolution 300.
Hydraulic oil, yours for a lifetime
Engel says it has become the first injection moulding machine manufacturer to offer permanent oil filling ex-works complete with a guarantee.
Evaporative cooling cuts cycle times
The RiTemp technology for wrapping a cavity in a cooling chamber instead of 'gun drilled' water lines has enabled a North American moulder to run a four cavity mould on a 13 second cycle compared with 18 seconds for the same part made in a two cavity tool.
Kistler adds management information to CoMo monitoring
The latest addition to the Kistler CoMo monitoring and analysis range is CoMo-MIS, which is designed to provide a quick and comprehensive overview of the injection moulding process during the moulding cycle.
Irish moulder Inmo-Tech is using the Kistler CoMo cavity pressure monitoring system to ensure the dimensional precision of components supplied to the health care and electrical sectors.
Housewares moulder plans 'massive investment'
Housewares and storage manufacturer What More UK is planning 'a year of massive investment' in 2007 in both manufacturing capability and new moulds.
Medical/automotive moulder Wilden is taken over
German medical and automotive moulder Wilden has been bought by the Gerresheimer Group.
Wavin moves injection moulding operations
Wavin is to close its site at Lichfield in Staffordshire and move its injection moulding activities to its site at Doncaster in South Yorkshire.
Anglo-Chinese moulder expands in Malaysia
An Anglo-Chinese injection moulding and extrusion company is planning to double moulding capacity with a new plant in Malaysia.
BLOW MOULDING
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Hydrogen peroxide vapour brings benefits in preform sterilisation
A hydrogen peroxide vapour decontamination process for preforms has been introduced by Sidel, which says that it is more economical and environmentally friendly than traditional processes such as rinsing with chemical products and sterile water and gas decontamination.
Have your say in blow moulding machine safety standard
The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), is currently reviewing Standard EN422 - Rubber and Plastics Machine Safety - for blow moulding machines with the intention of streamlining it in line with other standards. The Polymer Machinery Manufacturers and Distributors' Association has taken on the role of representing British moulders' interests.
Taiwanese blow moulding machine comes to Britain
A range of blow moulding machines from Taiwan has gone on sale in Britain.
Lightweight dairy bottle gets lighter still
Italian PET bottle systems specialist PET Engineering has cut the weight of a 100 ml bottle down to 5 g - half the weight of the single-serve bottle it developed a year ago and reputedly 2 g lighter than similar containers currently in use.
M & G seeks aid to grow in PET packaging
Italian-based PET group M & G is looking for investors in its preform and bottle businesses operating from Italy.
COMPOUNDING
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Japanese acquisition inspires high performance reinforcements
Owens Corning has introduced a number of new chopped strand glass products, including three additions to its PerforMax high performance thermoplastic reinforcement portfolio.
Instant take-up of large scale compounding lines
The latest large-scale compounding line from Coperion Werner & Pfleiderer was introduced in the latter part of last year and the company has already sold four.
Coperion Werner & Pfleiderer now equips its ZSK twin screw compounders with melt pumps of its own design.
PIPE & PROFILE
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Package deals for WPC profile extrusion
A German specialist in wood/plastic composite profiles has linked with Reifenhäuser to offer technology packages which it hopes will expand the market.
Water filtration on PVC profiles 'can pay for itself in 6 months'
Keeping cooling water clean is particularly important in PVC extrusion where the material is fed as a powder and can become airborne, eventually finding its way into the water supply, so specialist companies have produced dedicated filtration systems.
Tatra expands with conical twin screw line
Trade extruder Tatra Plastics Manufacturing has installed an IMG Plastec 65 mm conical twin screw extrusion line to increase its capacity for rigid PVC pipes and profiles.
Offshore pipeline first for Degussa PA 12
Degussa's Vestamid LX9020 has become the first polyamide 12 to be granted certification by Lloyd's Register for use in the manufacture of non-bonded flexible pipes for the transport of off-shore production and injection fluids, according to the API 17 J 'flexible risers' norm, and EN ISO 13628-2.
Keeping the lid on extruder heat losses
Ecopac is a package of products and services introduced by Krauss-Maffei to reduce energy consumption in extruders and extrusion lines.
Laser projection brings speedy start-up
Start-up times can be halved with the use of the Bytewise Profile 360 on-line measuring system for profile extrusion, claims distributor Nortest.
ROTATIONAL MOULDING
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High performance alloys open new markets for rotomoulding
US compounder Aardvark Polymers has introduced a line of custom thermoplastic alloys formulated for rotational moulding applications, which are available from ICO Polymers Europe.
Micromelt project to cut costs and improve quality
A new project to reduce costs and improve the product quality of rotational moulding has been launched across Europe. The Micromelt project aims to improve part quality while reducing energy costs by 70 per cent and cutting processing cycle times by 50 per cent.
MATERIALS HANDLING
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High temperature blenders allow materials to be dried first
Additions to the TrueBlend blender range from Conair work at high temperature to allow ABS, PA, PC, PET and other engineering materials to be blended after drying.
Central filter has simplified dust removal
Wittmann has built on its F30 filter for central materials handling systems to produce the XM which is mounted on a base frame which also houses the control cabinet and could accommodate a blower.
Major materials handling order for Colortronic
A turn key materials handling system worth nearly £250,000 is to be installed by Colortronic UK at an undisclosed company in Britain.
Ioniser prevents dust building up in blenders
An ionising add-on has been developed by Arrowquint to prevent dust building up in blenders, causing instability in material batches and risking contamination.
Small bore tubing keeps material feed unobtrusive
A small scale centralised or machine-side materials feeding system intended for use in moulding shops running compact moulding machines or handling small quantities of engineering materials is now available from Matsui through Eastern Plastics Machinery.
Material coupling security is through RFID tagging
Contact-free coding using Radio Frequency Identification tagging is incorporated in the latest Wittmann coupling system to prevent mis-connection of machine to material.
Load cell performance is enhanced
Colortronic (UK) has added a Digital Mass Loadcell alongside its Colortronic Smart Loadcell.
COMPOSITES
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Powder-prime capable SMC resin/adhesive system
Ashland Composite Polymers and Ashland Specialty Polymers & Adhesives have combined their capabilities to develop a sheet moulding compound and adhesive system suitable for automotive powder-prime systems.
Thermoplastic prepreg tapes contain continuous fibres
Imhotep has introduced a range of stock and bespoke thermoplastic pre-preg tapes reinforced with continuous fibres.
PROTOTYPING
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SLS developments from 3D Systems
3D Systems Corporation has announced developments in materials and software for its laser sintering systems.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
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Free recipe for saving money and the planet
Recipe, the European project to help the plastics processing industry reduce energy consumption, has produced a new free guide to energy and money saving.
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
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Chillers give free cooling at higher-than-usual temperatures
Potential energy savings up to 40 per cent and a claimed return on investment in 18 months can be achieved with new Conair TFC (Total Free Cooling) water chillers.
Air blast coolers for high ambient temperatures
Air blast coolers for cooling at temperatures of 35 degC or more throughout the year have been introduced by Tricool in capacities up to 600 kW.
Chillers designed for user-modification
Customised chillers are now available from Rittal through a tailoring option on its ST, GKG, TS8 and Mini series of SK model chillers which can enable them to be customised at build, or customised by the user.
Closed loop control for feed throat temperature
A feed throat temperature controller working with a closed coolant circuit has been introduced by Eastern Plastics Machinery.
SOFTWARE
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Design program puts out more than you put in
Clive Maier explores a piece of developmental software from Bayer MaterialScience that can design an injection moulding by combining the hard values it can calculate with what those calculations might mean for less calculable values.
Collaborations generate new software from Materialise
Two new software products from rapid prototyping, tooling and manufacturing specialist Materialise are the result of collaborations with sector leaders Objet Geometries and Fluent.
CATIA composites software now in the UK
Cenitdesktop of Oxford, a software and systems reseller and Catia PLM business partner, now has Dassault Systems Catia composite design and manufacture products for sale in the UK.
New UK sales and support for Moldex3D
The retirement of industry veteran and simulation software early adopter John Gosden brings about a change in UK sales and support for Moldex3D software.
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