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PLASTICS INNOVATIONS PREVIEW
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What to see at Britain's latest plastics exhibition.
COLORANTS AND ADDITIVES
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Colours in plastics: the future's bright
James Wallace of Cornelius Group takes a look at developments in colour effects.
PMB beats pearl problems for Addis
Three new pearlescent colours introduced by Addis for its kitchenware products were translated to masterbatch in a very short lead time by Performance Masterbatches.
Gabriel-Chemie takes colouring expertise to where it's needed
Gabriel-Chemie has started a regular colour workshop for designers. The company held its first Colour Vision 2007/2008 Design Workshop at Central St Martin's College in London in early February and now intends to make it a regular event.
Additive masterbatch is the one to back as growth in colours declines
The European masterbatch business is the biggest in the world and is growing - except in Britain.
According to a new report from AMI, the market has been showing solid growth in recent years across Europe, with the exception of the UK. Demand for additive masterbatch is increasing faster than for other masterbatch types.
Solving the problem of odour and taste in plastics coloured with ultramarine blue
Alex Capuz and Ricard March of Nubiola Inorganic Pigments discuss the taste and smell implications of using ultramarine blue colorants, and describe tests to show how one of their company's latest grades improves on standard ultramarines.
Improved acid resistance stops blues looking washed out
Ultramarine pigment manufacturer Holliday Pigments has improved the performance of its acid resistant Premier AR grade specifically for plastics applications.
Fluoropolymer colorist added to ColorMatrix group
The specialist colour supplier ColorMatrix has been augmented with a Swiss manufacturer of specialist colorants.
Coloured PVCu stays cool in the sun
A colour masterbatch incorporating heat-reflecting infrared pigments to prevent colour fading and thermal degradation in PVC has been developed by Colour Tone Masterbatch and Freefoam Plastics in Cork, Ireland. Rigid PVC products coloured with Vynacol polymer-specific PVCu masterbatches enable any colour to be used and offer temperature performance profiles of up to 40 per cent lower than conventionally coloured materials.
Biodegradable masterbatch is active only when composting
An additive that is said to make plastics biodegrade more effectively than bio-sourced polymers and that doesn't wreck the recycling process is now available in Britain from Begg & Co. Bio-Batch enables plastics to break down in composting environments but its action stops when out of contact with composting material. So it will not cause premature product break up in storage, and will not contaminate materials being recycled.
Oxo-degradation breaks down foamed polystyrene in landfill
An oxo-degradable additive is used to make polystyrene break down in landfill in a new series of containers from Canadian company Cascades.
Sheffield research to improve biopolymer packaging
Sheffield Hallam University is working on nanoclay additives to improve the barrier properties and mechanical strength of biopolymer films and coatings.
Additives for WPC compounds
Colour and additive concentrates intended for use in wood-plastic composite applications such as fencing, decking, railings, and window and door frames have been introduced by PolyOne.
Process aid improves EPDM moulding release
A new grade of MoldWiz process aid from Axel Plastics Research Laboratories improves the release of EPDM mouldings without causing surface contamination which could impede bonding or decorative treatment.
Nanoclay shortens application routes for nylons and polypropylene
NaturalNano of the USA is developing proprietary technologies and processes to simplify the use of nanocomposites for polymer enhancement and has just announced successful pilot and manufacturing scale trials for new polymer compounds.
Antistat is easier to handle
An improved version of its Armostat anti-static agent has been introduced by Akzo-Nobel in pellet form with significantly reduced tendency to cake, even at temperatures up to 35 degC.
Nucleation improves the performance of polyethylene films: bottles are next
Milliken Chemical's Hyperform HPN-20E nucleating agent has been granted food contact notification in polyethylene covering conditions A - H allowing broad usage across a range of food contact applications.
Anti-drip additive doesn't need a cold store
The new Dyneon MM 5935 EF anti dripping additive for flame retardant plastics is said to have advantages over standard PTFE fine powders. These agglomerate at temperatures above 19 degC but the new product can be stored even at tropical temperatures without premature defibrillation.
Lanxess plasticiser gets FDA approval
US Food and Drug Administration approval has been given to Lanxess plasticiser Mesamoll II for use in contact with aqueous-based foodstuffs.
BLOW MOULDING
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Elopak's British bottle business in management buy out
Elopak's dairy and juice bottle businesses in Britain have been taken over in a management buy out which is described as creating the largest privately-owned HDPE bottle manufacturer in the UK.
Esterform and Mauser sold to private equity firms
A majority share in PET bottle producer Esterform has been bought by Gresham Private Equity, while German packaging producer Mauser has been bought by Dubai International Capital.
MATERIALS HANDLING
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Blender handles higher levels of regrind
TSM Control Systems has added more features to the TSM1000 gravimetric batch blender, enabling it to work with even the most difficult regrind, dosing at a higher percentage while eliminating material blockage.
INJECTION MOULDING
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Feeding under vacuum pulls moisture out of 'wet' materials
A vacuum lock system is now available on Meiki injection moulding machines which effectively builds in a vacuum drier. It is intended for moulding engineering plastics that would otherwise have to be dried before processing at the cost of both time and energy.
Caps and plugs moulder to add Chinese plant
MOCAP, a manufacturer of standard sealing plugs and caps with plants in Telford and in Missouri, USA, is to open a third factory, in China.
BNL buys Cobb Slater
Bearing manufacturer BNL (UK) has bought injection moulder Cobb Slater, which is also prominent in the plastics bearing business.
Major investment by German toolmaker
German hot runner and mould maker Männer has opened a Eur 12 million, 7,600 m² production facility at its Bahlingen headquarters.
Plantmaster keeps tabs on milk parlour system moulding
Injection moulding machines and manual assembly stations for Dairymaster's milk parlour systems produced in Causeway, Co Kerry, Ireland are being connected to a Barco Plantmaster manufacturing execution system to provide real-time visibility of machine performance, quality information and energy consumption data.
BASF designs degassing screw for PES moulding
A de-gassing screw has been developed by BASF engineers to ease the processing of the company's Ultrason E polyether sulphone.
Mould sensor measures closing and clamping forces
Mould closing and clamping forces of a toggle machine can be measured by the Kistler Type 9238A sensor, which combines the measuring element and electronics in one housing.
Dating inserts updated
A mould dating insert 10 mm in diameter and 12 mm high from D-M-E gives six years coverage, and another, of 4 mm diameter, is claimed to be the smallest on the market.
New roving designed for D-LFT
A new glass roving for in-line compounding and moulding process from Johns Manville has a special sizing for use in polypropylene recipes to enhance fibre distribution and mechanical properties.
ENGINEERING MATERIALS
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Nylon integrated structures save weight and improve safety in cars
Two recent European car models demonstrate technology developed with Lanxess to save weight and improve safety. The new Audi TT is the first car to have a front end made with a plastic-aluminium composite structure, reducing weight by 15 per cent over an equivalent steel-based hybrid, and the Citroën C4 Picasso has injection-moulded structural inserts in nylon 6 combined with a 'high density structural foam' to make lightweight deformable structures.
BASF increases polystyrene ESCR
A stress cracking-resistant polystyrene particularly suitable for refrigerator liners but also, by dint of its resistance to fats and oils, suitable for food packaging has been introduced by BASF.
HDPE beats ESC in fuel tank components
A high density polyethylene formulated to beat environmental stress cracking and low temperature impacts in injection moulded fuel tank components has been introduced by Basell.
TPO developed for fully-integrated front wing
A technological breakthrough is claimed for the automotive industry with a front wing for the BMW X5 incorporating enough additional components to warrant the description of 'the world's first fully integrated fender module'. The wing is moulded in a 30 per cent mineral-filled thermoplastic polyolefin compound from Borealis.
TPE meets long flow length requirements
A new TPE from GLS Corporation in the USA has high flow characteristics making it suitable for long thin components.
DuPont ETPV enhances APA elastomer slate
Advanced Polymer Alloys of the USA is now distributing DuPont's ETPV (engineering thermoplastic vulcanisates).
PIPE & PROFILE
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'Plug and play' WPC system 'beats others on cost and flexibility'
Turnkey extrusion lines for wood/plastic composite extrusion are being introduced by Cincinnati Milacron Extrusion Systems. They are described as 'plug and play' and are supplied with conical twin screw extruder, material handling equipment, transfer equipment, mixing, drying, delivery system, die set and all the downstream cooling and cutting equipment. Throughput is between 1 and 2 tonnes an hour.
On-the-fly dimension changing for PVC pipe
The on-the-fly pipe dimension change system QuickSwitch from Krauss-Maffei is now available for PVC pipes.
New German single screw extruders come to Britain
Extrusion Machinery Supplies of Wakefield has taken on the UK and Ireland agency for the Ematik range of German-built single screw extruders which are said to be particularly energy efficient.
D-S single screw redesigned
Davis-Standard has redesigned its Euro Blue single screw extruder as the Euro Blue 2.
Gas pipe needs long term process quality assurance
The importance not only of filtering the melt during extrusion of critical pipe, but also of proving you have done so is stressed by German screen changer manufacturer Gneuss.
Adhesion process makes seal production accessible to more companies
A process for bonding double-sided pressure-sensitive tapes to elastomer profiles inside the die has been developed by an Australian company and is in use in the automotive, construction and white goods industries. Boss Polymer Technologies says until now, cost has limited the number of fabricators able to enter the growing high performance weather seal and profile markets, but its GSA technology makes this possible with existing equipment and minimal capital outlay.
Extrusion dosing and loading systems are upgraded
The gravimetric extrusion control and dosing systems produced by Plast-Control have been enhanced with new drive and hopper loading technology. Plast-Control has also launched its own range of hopper loading units which can be fitted directly to the weighing hopper system or mounted on the mezzanine floor above the extruder.
Medical mandrel wire has high slip
A medical grade mandrel wire for extruding catheter tubing and other applications requiring a smooth, biocompatible mandrel with a low coefficient of friction is being introduced by Applied Plastics of the USA.
Development line for corrugated hose
Du Pont has installed an extrusion line at its European Technical Center in Meyrin, Switzerland, to support the development of multi-layer and corrugated applications for engineering polymers.
PE/PU pipe jacketing slashes heat loss from district heating pipes
District heating in Russia involves the transport of water at 130 - 150 degC under the streets. The pipework used in the past has been of double-skinned steel construction with mineral wool insulation between the pipes but the current design has an outer pipe of polyethylene, an inner of steel, and an insulating separation layer of polyurethane, greatly reducing heat loss.
Pipelife buys Irish pipe systems company
The Pipelife joint venture in plastics pipe systems owned equally by Solvay of Belgium and Wienerberger of Austria has bought Quality Plastics of Ireland, which makes speciality pipes and fittings with an emphasis on hot & cold applications.
K-M adopts flow-line production for extruders
Krauss-Maffei is now building extruders on a synchronised flow basis following the implementation of a flow-line system for its injection moulding machines last year.
PP random copolymer gets German backing for pressure pipe
A change in DIN standards for polypropylene pressure pipe opens new opportunities for the Beta PPR random copolymer introduced three years ago by Borealis.
Perrite extends FR PP into extrusion
A flame retardant polypropylene compound has been developed by Perrite for a cable ducting application for the London Underground.
Practice proves prediction for PE-X pipes
Cross-linked polyethylene (PE-X) pipe has just passed its 35th year in commercial use. One of the first peroxide cross-linked PE-X pipes is still in service today and continues to undergo creep tests at 95 degC designed to evaluate the progressive deformation of the pipes under pressure at elevated temperatures.
PE 100 pipe material has greater crack resistance
A PE 100 pipe grade HDPE with improved resistance to slow crack growth is now available from Basell.
FILM & SHEET CONVERSION
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Amcor unveils plans for job cuts and plant closures in European flexibles
The 'comprehensive restructuring' of its European flexible packaging business announced by Amcor in February is to begin with a cull of 900 jobs from the 7,600 employed across Europe.
Sainsbury's 'Bags for Life' day expected to cut 900 tonnes of film disposal
As the first step in a series of one-day 'Make the Difference' environmental and social demonstrations supermarket chain Sainsbury's gave its customers re-usable carrier bags for a day instead of the normal single-use disposable bags.
Bag ban begins in Britain
A small Devon town has become the first in Britain to ban plastics bags - or at least its 43 shopkeepers are volunteering not to give them away.
Klöckner Pentaplast sold
Klöckner Pentaplast has been bought by an affiliate of the Blackstone Group of America.
It has been owned for the past six years by European-based private equity firm Cinven and JP Morgan Partners of America.
Quick-fit slot die system saves hours in coating line set-up
A modular slot die coating station which can be installed rapidly to enable users to switch between roll and slot die coating has been introduced by Extrusion Dies Industries. It is complete with all components from idler roll to backing roll and can be simply 'rolled into place', eliminating hours of set-up in switching from roll to slot die coating.
Film/fabric laminates produced without adhesives
An in-line lamination system developed by the Sheet and Film Division of RTP Company in the USA enables flexible film and sheet to be bonded to fabric during manufacture and eliminates secondary processes, negating the need for adhesives.
Anti-microbial sheet is for cladding or thermoforming
A PVC sheet with compounded-in antimicrobial additives has been introduced by Palram.
FILM & SHEET PRODUCTION
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New LDPEs bring Basell into medical blown film
Basell is entering the medical blown film arena with two new grades of Purell LDPE. Existing Purell PE and PP grades are formulated for injection and blow moulding.
RECLAMATION & RECYCLING
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Taking flame retardants out and recycling 'is better than dumping WEEE scrap'
The research into recycling scrap electrical/electronic equipment started two years ago by WRAP has confirmed the original conjecture that components containing brominated flame retardants are better treated and recycled than disposed of in landfill, incineration or other recycling options.
PVC recycler processes waste others won't touch
More efficient PVC recycling is claimed by Oldham-based Shredtec Recyclers which says its bespoke Density PVC Washing Plant will boost PVC recycling rates further by processing the material no else can deal with.
Vinyl 2010 doubles PVC recycling again
Recycling of PVC in Europe by the Vinyl 2010 organisation doubled in 2006 for the second year running to reach 83,000 tonnes.
REACTION PROCESSING
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Alternating piston pumps overcome wear from abrasive materials
Krauss-Maffei's new Tandem Hybrid PUR metering machine is claimed to solve the difficulty of dosing abrasive materials with piston pumps.
TESTING & INSPECTION
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Barrier PET bottle testing speed doubled
A collaboration between French blow moulding machinery specialist Sidel and the UK company Systech Instruments has halved the time taken to test barrier PET bottles for oxygen permeation or transmission.
In a further development, Systech has introduced an oxygen permeation testing service for companies that cannot justify in-house equipment, or whose facilities are overloaded or in need of comparison testing.
Seminars and webinars from Malvern Instruments...
Malvern Instruments has announced new programmes of conventional and web-based training on rotational rheometers.
...and Mettler Toledo
Mettler Toledo is holding two free seminars covering the latest innovations and advances in thermal analytical technology.
New options for Zwick testXpert software
Zwick has developed new options for its testXpert II materials testing software. A fully-integrated traceability option meets the requirements of FDA 21 CFR Part 11, and synchronised video recording of a material or component under test can now be synchronised with the individual data points of the test.
SOFTWARE
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Getting the measure of materials
Clive Maier looks at the latest version of CAMPUS which has been updated with far more than just cosmetic and operational improvements.
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