British Plastics & Rubber articles from April 2004

British Plastics & Rubber archives from April 2004

Metal/plastic composite process forms metal inserts during injection moulding.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... A WORLD first is being claimed by steel maker Corus for a metal/plastic composites process in which the plastic is injection moulded on to a steel component which is itself formed during the injection moulding process. Bayer developed a...

Bayer hybrid process finds growing interest in the automotive business.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... Bayer's sheet metal overmoulding process was in the spotlight at the VDI Plastics in Automotive Engineering conference in Germany recently, where the company was discussing three mainstream applications. Ford's new compact MPV, the Focus...

Declining market?--Sandretto claims record sales.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... IN the first two months of this year Sandretto UK broke sales records with orders for 30 moulding machines and 24 robots to the value of 3x5 million [pounds sterling]. This followed a 15 per cent growth in Sandretto UK sales for 2003 over...

Engel plans to increase efficiency of injection unit production.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... ENGEL is undergoing the fourth expansion of its St Valentin plant in Austria, with 8,800 [m.sup.2] of assembly space due to become available around the end of June. It will then move the production of screws and non-return valves from its Steyr...

Cincinnati name is back on the badge.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... Milacron has brought back the Cincinnati badge for its injection moulding machines. All new machines built in the USA wil be branded Cincinnati Milacron. The company says most of its American customers still refer to their machines as...

Demag operations chief leaves after less than a year.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... THE Demag Plastics Group's chief operating officer Dr Konrad Duschl, who was appointed last August to oversee group manufacturing operations, has left the company 'by mutual agreement' to pursue other career opportunities. Prof Helmar Franz,...

Long-term Arburg user invests for improved efficiency.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... DOMESTIC heating control manufacturer Horstmann Controls has expanded its fleet of Arburgs with three 40 tonne machines and one 100 tonne. Horstmann has been buying Arburg machines for 20 years, and all its moulding machines are Arburgs....

Clamp redesign improves access to the fixed platen and nozzle.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... The MX series of big machines introduced by Krauss-Maffei last autumn is replacing the company's established MC series. The MX differs mainly from the MC in the design of the clamp unit, in which the locking and clamp build-up functions have...

Maplan goes to the next stage in machine control.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... MAPLAN has expanded the functionality its rubber injection moulding machine control systems with the latest 4plus version. A 1/4 VGA graphic display provides clearer visuals and now incorporates Dynamic Page Selection. The control always opens...

Big machine clamp unit saves time and space.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... CYCLE time is saved on the latest range of big machines from Meiki by positive positioning of where the moving platen is locked to the tiebars, removing the need for slow speed closing during the locking phase. The new NS series is...

Cut and paste core programming.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... EXTRA flexibility has been built into the programming of hydraulic and pneumatic functions on BM Biraghi's machines equipped with the Elios 4000 control pack. Custom-designed sequences can be programmed with a simple cut and paste...

Bayer designs nylons for water injection.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... TWO grades of nylon have been developed by Bayer specifically for use in the water injection moulding process. Bayer has been liaising with Engel, which has used the process to develop a handle for a machine protection grid. This uses the new...

Gas injection for multi-station moulding.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... GAS injection on multi-station injection moulding machines has been achieved in a joint development by Presma and Cinpres Gas Injection. Multi-station machines enable longer cycle times to be achieved economically for thick parts by teaming one...

Research into natural fibre reinforcements.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... A research project into the use of natural fibres in injection moulded thermoplastic automotive components has been set up by Qinetiq, formerly part of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. The Biomat consortium will investigate the use...

Add-on adapter for 2K and sandwich moulding.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... THE need for flexibility in moulding technologies has led to a number of variations on the basic injection moulding machine which enable different moulding processes to be carried out without substantial investment in dedicated equipment. ...

Micro machine doubles as ancillary injection unit.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... AN ADD-ON injection unit based on the Babyplast micro injection moulding machine is now available from Babyplast agent STV for use on any make or size of machine. The self-contained retrofit injection unit has a shot volume up to 15...

Six axis robot reaches down to remove bumpers.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... A shelf-mounted six axis robot has been installed on a 4,000 tonne injection moulding machine at Decoma's factory in Banbury, freeing up space around the machine for conveyors and other process equipment. It is being used to unload car bumpers...

Small screw gives micro-moulding potential to 12 tonne Boy.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... THE ADDITION of a 12 mm screw option for the Boy 12 tonne machine gives it the potential for micro moulding. The screw has a maximum stroke volume of 4x5 [cm.sup.3], which equates to just 4x45grammes in polystyrene. With a change of...

Minimoulders outperform bigger machines on repeatability.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... BENCHTOP Minimolders from MCP Tooling Technologies improved the consistency of spirit level vials for PR Engineering of Sheffield, which had found that moulding them on larger machines had led to a lack of repeatability, particularly in the...

15 tonne all-electric offers choice of belt or direct drive injection.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... A 15 TONNE model has been added to the NEX all-electric series recently introduced by Nissei (British Plastics & Rubber January 2004, p19) bringing the range up to 10 machines from 15 to 450 tonnes. The Elject NEX150 meets growing demand in...

No sensitivity errors for cavity pressure sensor.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... PRIAMUS Priasafe cavity pressure sensors are claimed to eliminate sensitivity loss which occurs if the sensor tip touches the mounting bore. The force shunt which is generated in this way creates faulty signals and calibrated sensor sensitivity...

Monitoring cavity pressure in multi-cavity tools.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... AS MANY moulding jobs now use multi-cavity rather than single-cavity tools, and at the same time there is increasing requirement for cavity pressure monitoring, individual signal amplifiers have become no longer feasible says Kistler. This...

Dual voltage for precise control.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... ATHENA Controls has introduced Series SY controllers which combine 240 and 18-45 V outputs and are intended for users who require precise hot runner control over 240 V manifolds with 18-45 V injection nozzles. They incorporate a special safety...

Marking inserts can be changed quickly.(Injection Moulding)
April 1, 2004... NEW Hasco marking units reduce downtime involved in changing inserts when compounds or colours are altered. The company says that marking is now obligatory for many products. The interchangeable inserts can be easily removed from a mould at the...

At last, a standard mould for two-shot testing.(Testing & Inspection)
April 1, 2004... TO RECTIFY the current gap in testing standards for two component mouldings, Axxicon has developed a version of its AIM mould system to fit in a standard two component moulding machine of 80-150 tonnes. The mould is designed to produce...

Solids clamp for liquid immersion.(Testing & Inspection)
April 1, 2004... BOHLIN Instruments has developed a fixture for holding comparatively large samples under immersion in a temperature-controlled liquid. Temperature control is provided by a simple and compact Peltier device that offers relatively rapid...

Tiny testing.(Testing & Inspection)
April 1, 2004... New nanomechanical test systems by US company Hysitron are now available in the UK from Megatech of Cannock. The equipment has been developed to measure material properties at the nanometre scale and consists of three units; the TriboIndenter,...

Metrology distributor upgrades its measurement service.(Testing & Inspection)
April 1, 2004... OGP UK, the British distributor of metrology systems and software from Optical Gaging Products, has stepped up its subcontract measurement service for dimensional, form and profile inspection. The improved service uses the latest instruments...

Higher force slow speed tester.(Testing & Inspection)
April 1, 2004... THE slow speed LR30KPlus tensile tester recently introduced by Lloyd Instruments (British Plastics & Rubber, February 2004, pl0) has been joined by a higher load capacity instrument, the 100 kN LS 100plus. These machines can travel at 1...

Hardness tester upgraded to test both plastics and metals.(Testing & Inspection)
April 1, 2004... INDENTEC has enhanced the capability of its 4150 LK Rockwell hardness tester to include compliance with ASTM D785-93 and the European equivalent ISO 2039-2 in addition to the more common ISO 6508-2 and ASTM E 18, making it suitable for testing...

Lid peel tester for yoghurt pots.(Testing & Inspection)
April 1, 2004... LLOYD Instruments has developed a test fixture for measuring the peel strength of sealed lids on yoghurt pots. Its TG 5346 unit has a sample clamping arm that is fully adjustable in the horizontal and vertical planes to accommodate a range of...

Viscometry seminar planned for May.(Testing & Inspection)
April 1, 2004... BROOKFIELD Viscometers is holding its annual Rheology & Methodology Seminar in May. The seminar is designed for everybody working with viscometry from production operator to scientist. Content includes instruction on the use and care of...

Guidelines for managing plastics wastes.(Reclamation & Recycling)
April 1, 2004... THE ACRR (Association of Cities & Regions for Recycling) has collaborated with plastics industry associations to create a set of guidelines for the management of plastics waste. The advice is aimed at local authorities, and is embodied in the...

Optical sorting simplifies window frame recycling.(Reclamation & Recycling)
April 1, 2004... PENFOLD Plastics has simplified the recycling of PVC window frames by borrowing from food sorting technology. Modern frames have coextruded seals and it is not easy to remove these before recycling. The slow and expensive way has been to...

Payload plus for new truck panel.(Reclamation & Recycling)
April 1, 2004... A NEW truck body panel material made from recycled plastics is 60 per cent lighter than GRP ply panels. That translates into 240 kg of extra payload for a 7x5 tonne vehicle, or one trip saved for every six to eight made. The new material...

Extruder tailored for foam reclaim.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... DAVIS-Standard has developed a modified version of its Scrapper reclaim extruder specifically for foam reprocessing. The Foam Series dual-diameter Scrapper has a wide, grooved feed section for reprocessing low bulk density material. It is also...

Asahi develops technology for recycling fluoropolymers.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... Asahi Glass in Japan has devised a way to recycle fluoropolymers and is planning to start doing so in June. Fluorinated materials are difficult to recycle because of the fluorine which is given off by thermal processes. In Asahi's process,...

Automatic reclaim of polyester film scrap.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... AN INTEGRATED system for reclaiming polyester film scrap has gone into action at the DuPont Teijin Films plant at Dumfries after a year's development work by DuPont Teijin and Armstrong Waste Management. The reclaim plant works behind new...

Reclaim of nylon car parts works--if there are enough.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... IN PURSUIT of recycling aims for motor Vehicles--such as the EU End of Life vehicle directive that requires 85 per cent of a vehicle by weight to be capable of recovery and re-use--DuPont has applied its Composite Recycle Technology for nylon...

Tyre reclaim plant now available from Jarshire.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... RECLAIM equipment built by TPA Trituratori of Italy is now available from Jarshire. The company builds a range of twin and four-shaft shredders for reducing rubber and plastics, and plants dedicated to recycling refrigerators and tyres among...

Granulator improvements planned by Wittmann.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... WITTMANN is improving its CMB granulator range with increased safety, lower noise, reduced energy consumption, and less dust generation. A new blade design incorporates a mechanical brake which improves safety for the operator while the...

Tetrapak continues its focus on CMG granulators.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... TETRAPAK has installed CMG granulators as part of total material recycling systems from UPM for top/tail flash and reject containers at throughput rates of 400 kg/hour per line to cater for production rates of 112 four pint containers per...

Built-in blow-out keeps rotor discs uncontaminated.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... CONAIR is claiming the high ground on maintenance reduction with its use of compressed air ports to clear dust and fines build-up under rotor end discs. Any granulator rotating end disc design, regardless of manufacturer, has a small gap where...

Erema decouples recycling stages.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... EREMA's fourth generation T-DD recycling technology handles very big and discontinuous inputs, and offers performance increases up to 15 per cent together with significant energy savings. This has been done by decoupling the material processing...

Plastic bottle collections up by 50 per cent.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... PLASTIC bottle collection in Britain has increased by 50 per cent over the past two years, according to research funded by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) and carried out by Recoup (RECycling Of Used Plastics). Data provided...

On-machine IR drying saves costs in PET reprocessing.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... INFRARED drying is replacing pre-treatment of reclaimed material on PET injection stretch blow lines, according to UPM Machinery Sales. The dryer is mounted directly over the feed throat feeding crystallised and dried regrind/virgin material...

Additive removes moisture from reclaimed polystyrene.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... BECAUSE reclaimed materials can have an unknown moisture content, Cabot has added a dessicant masterbatch for styrenics to its Plasadd series of additive masterbatches. Plasadd PS8744 is used at a 1 percent addition rate and typically...

Hand-held moisture measurement.(Reclamation & Recyling)
April 1, 2004... THE M49 Moisture Monitor from JR Technology can be used for assessing the moisture content of regranulated materials. A hand-held probe is placed against the material and the display shows actual moisture content within the range 0-20 per cent....

The best of dyes and pigments colours new pill packaging.(Additives)
April 1, 2004... TRANSPARENT colorant for clarified polypropylene has enabled Rexam Pharma to develop 'a new pill jar concept that breaks from tradition'. Traditionally, pill jars are moulded in white opaque polyethylene, which meets the necessary barrier...

Price stable flame retardant from China.(Additives)
April 1, 2004... A POWDERED chlorinated paraffin flame retardant from China is now available in the European market from Chance & Hunt. Guardion CP70 is a white, low CTC grade of chlorinated paraffin which the company says is a viable alternative in a...

PPA used in transmission thrust washers.(Engineering Materials)
April 1, 2004... A MODEL polyphthalamide (PPA) from Solvay Advanced Polymers is being used by GM Powertrain for automatic transmission thrust washers. The washers act as spacers between metal parts such as clutch housings and sprockets. Service conditions...

New nylon resists higher e-coat temperatures.(Engineering Materials)
April 1, 2004... A NEW nylon 66-based material has been developed by Rhodia for use in vertical automotive body panels. Technyl A 238P5 M25 blk 5N is electro-paintable, withstands the anticipated higher e-coat temperatures of up to 200 degC and, says...

Stanyl polyamide 46 for intercooler end caps.(Engineering Materials)
April 1, 2004... Volkswagen is using Stanyl polyamide 46 from DSM Engineering Plastics for its intercooler end caps. The intercooler cools turbocharged air to extract the maximum power from an engine, usually a diesel. The outcome is a smaller and lighter...

Alloy for automotive interiors improves heat ageing and mould flow.(Engineering Materials)
April 1, 2004... A NEW alloy in the Bayer Bayblend PC/ styrenic series has been formulated for vehicle interior applications and, among other improvements, has a 40 per cent greater flow than Bayblend T88-2N, which is widely used in these applications. ...

British company unveils full range of PLA packaging.(Packaging Materials)
April 1, 2004... EUROPACKAGING has introduced a range of products to help retailers capitalise on growing consumer demand for nature-based packaging. They are made from NatureWorks PLA (polylactide) from Cargill Dow, and include general merchandise carrier...

'Glass Polymer' for ocean wave package.(Packaging Materials)
April 1, 2004... EASTMAN's Glass Polymer polyester has been used in the USA to create a cologne package with an ocean wave effect to complement Parlux's Ocean Pacific toiletries brand. The package and the wave system were both developed by packaging specialist...

Conductive polyamide for automotive fuel systems.(Engineering Materials)
April 1, 2004... ATOFINA has added a new grade to its line of conductive polyamides. Rilsan M-BESN Black P212 CTL has been specially developed to meet the needs of automotive fuel systems conforming to the SAE J2260 industry standard. According to Atofina,...

Hostaform springs to aid of headset manufacturer.(Engineering Materials)
April 1, 2004... TELECOMS headset supplier Clement Clarke Communications has turned to Ticona Hostaform acetal copolymer for key components in its latest unit. The brief for the new headset called for a more modern look while cutting the component count and...

Blow moulded TPU takes on slush PVC in car interiors.(Blow Moulding)
April 1, 2004... SKINS for interior vehicle panels such as door trims and dashboards are normally made by slush moulding PVC. These skins can become brittle at low temperatures--not something that is welcomed generally, and something which is seen as...

ActiTUF barrier system adopted for European beer.(Blow Moulding)
April 1, 2004... THE ActiTUF single-layer PET barrier technology from the M & G Group is being used in Europe for the first time. Inter-brew has adopted it for its new PET-based Atigo containers for Stella Artois and Jupiler beers in Belgium and for the...

PUGnacious packaging from Riverside.(Blow Moulding)
April 1, 2004... The PUG is a 25 cl novelty container developed by Riverside Plastics. The company has taken it to prototype stage and run trials on various filling lines. As weft as its potential as the basis of a series of collectable animal characters,...

Regloplas enters the budget business.(Temperature Control)
April 1, 2004... SWISS fluid temperature controller manufacturer Regloplas is aiming at the budget market with two new controllers, the 90smart which is available in a few weeks, and the 150smart which will be available in October. For a price of around...

Water/oil filter 'never needs replacing'.(Temperature Control)
April 1, 2004... NICKERSON Europe is supplying a new type of filter for use in polymer processing machines, the Magnom from Fluid Controls Systems. The filter consists of a series of annular magnets and steel plates that together remove ferrous, and some...

Flexible band speeds up barrel heater replacement.(Temperature Control)
April 1, 2004... A NEW barrel heater from Fast Heat is said to reduce downtime for replacement by as much as 80 per cent compared with conventional rigid one-piece bands. The new HTFlex heater can be replaced in 10 minutes compared with up to an hour for a...

Fans resist hose-down and give IP56 protection.(Temperature Control)
April 1, 2004... THE latest range of fans and filters from Rittal uses a fine filter and stainless-steel hose-proof hood to achieve high IP protection against water and dust. The fans deliver airflows of up to 525 [m.sup.3]/hr while maintaining protection to...

Improvements to in-line long fibre thermoplastics compounding.(Composites)
April 1, 2004... DEFFENBACHER has further developed its direct long-fibre thermoplastics (LFT-D) process. The term refers to 'inline' compounding in which the long fibres are incorporated during the component forming process in preference to the traditional...

New method for joining metals to composites.(Composites)
April 1, 2004... TWI has developed a new technique that looks set to solve a long-standing problem--that of joining metals to fibre reinforced plastics composites. Dubbed Comeld, the technique depends on a metal surface pretreatment invented and patented...

Ultrasonic vibration keeps mesh clean.(Material Handling)
April 1, 2004... ROTEX Europe claims advantages from applying ultrasonic vibration directly to the mesh of its powder screeners, including finer screen separation, higher output and longer mesh life. The new Ultrasonex blinding control system incorporates a...

Fork truck takes the strain for topless bag discharger.(Material Handling)
April 1, 2004... THE COST of a new Flexicon (Europe) bag discharger has been kept down by having no upper frame components to lift and position the bag. The user's fork truck or plant hoist suspends the bag above the unit during operation. To provide total...

British company supplies Portuguese moulder's Italian plant.(Material Handling)
April 1, 2004... SUMMIT Systems has been involved in a multi-national project to build a manufacturing plant for plastic bottles for products from Lever Faberge in Italy. It was selected by Portuguese blow moulding company Logoplast to supply materials handling...

You need to know that the air you're drying with is really dry: Liisa Astrom of Vaisala Instruments in Finland makes the case for monitoring dryer performance by measuring dew point, and describes some of the equipment available to do this.(Material Handling)
April 1, 2004... DRYING plastic pellets is an essential part of many processes, especially when processing hygroscopic materials such as PET and nylon. Thorough drying is required to prevent the unfavourable effects of excess moisture, such as a decrease in the...

New 3D printer has auto support removal.(Protyping)
April 1, 2004... DIMENSION 3D Printing Group, a business unit of Stratasys, has launched a 3D printer suitable for advanced 3D models. The new Dimension SST includes all the functionality of the original Dimension 3D printer, but adds an automated soluble...

Medical grade polycarbonate makes functional prototypes.(Prototyping)
April 1, 2004... FUSED deposition modelling system maker Stratasys has developed a medical-grade polycarbonate material for functional prototypes. The new PC-ISO material is available in translucent and white, and is suitable for use with Stratasys T-Class...

Thermoforming toolmaker takes on machine distribution.(Thermoforming)
April 1, 2004... PATTERN Forme of Taunton, which makes tooling for thermoformed packaging, has become British, Irish, French and Spanish agent for a range of Polish-built thermoforming machines. Initially only one model from the TES range built by Tepro is...

New Illig model makes its debut at Delyn.(Thermoforming)
April 1, 2004... ILLIG has added the RV 74b pressure-assisted thermoforming machine with a forming area of 700 x 500 mm to its range. It has a Siemens control system and is capable of processing PS, PVC, PET and PP. Changeover costs are said to be reduced by...

Braney goes solo, but still sells Brown.(Thermoforming)
April 1, 2004... KEN Braney, former sales and marketing director of the European arm of US thermoforming equipment company Brown Machinery, has set up an agency company which will represent Brown in the UK, Ireland and some other European countries. As well as...

All-electric thermoformer runs at high speed.(Thermoforming)
April 1, 2004... THE possibility of making anything from packaging to refrigerator doors at twice the speed currently attainable is presented by a fully electrical reel fed thermoforming system developed by Rigo Group company Milano ENG of Italy. It can be used...

Kiefel Thermorunner range extended.(Thermoforming)
April 1, 2004... Kiefel has added two Thermorunner forming machine models around the KTR 4. The Thermorunner KTR 4 can run at up to 45 cycles a minute, depending on the number of cavities in the forming tool. The forming unit permits the installation of...

Compact in-line former for up to 15,000/hour.(Thermoforming)
April 1, 2004... A COMPACT in-line thermoforming system developed by Esde and Wikon is now available through BA Thorne Machinery. The line combines Esde's smallest single screw extruder, which has a polystyrene output of 65 kg/hour, with a 320 x 150 mm...

Adviser gets wiser: Clive Maier reviews the next best thing to injection moulding in a box.(Software)
April 1, 2004... THE days of injection moulding as a black art, a knob twiddler s paradise, are long gone. It is now set firmly on a science base and those few--once a majority--who argue that plastics are somehow different and beyond calculation are taking on...

Delcam upgrades CopyCAD reverse engineering software.(Software)
April 1, 2004... REVERSE engineering is making a comeback following a period when it was widely believed that the technique would be completely supplanted by computer-based design. But time has shown that many companies still have some designers working with...

Ticona Global.(What's New on the Web)
April 1, 2004... Ticona has replaced its separate European and US web sites with a new global version. The site designers have taken the opportunity to create a clean new look, better navigation and a new search tool. Content includes product property data,...

Eastman Innovation Lab.(What's New on the Web)
April 1, 2004... The Innovation Lab from Eastman Chemical sets out 'to inspire and support designers in their quest for innovation and product optimisation'. The site was developed by Eastman in association with UK design agency The Brewery. The emphasis is on...

Performance Plastics.(What's New on the Web)
April 1, 2004... The web site of engineering plastics distributor Performance Plastics covers its portfolio of materials from principals EMS-Grivory, Mitsubishi-Rayon and Toray Industries, together with information on Aquapurge purging agent and Emsodur shot...