British Plastics & Rubber articles from February 2006

British Plastics & Rubber archives from February 2006

Conferences & exhibitions.(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... Applications--automotive May 2-4 Plastics-In-Motion. Executive Conference Management conference in Lisbon, Portugal. +1 734 737 0507 (fax +1 734 737 0508, e-mail ecru@executiveconference.com, web site www. executive-conference.com). ...

Printing without plates makes short runs realistic.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... DIGITAL printing is bringing new opportunities for decorating plastics products, in terms of both quality and productivity. Digital printing on film for labels and transfers can achieve photo realistic images, but perhaps more importantly it...

'Photo realistic' printing improves shelf appeal of fats tubs.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... AN enhanced dry offset printing technique has been developed by RPC Bebo Nederland at Beuningen in the Netherlands to improve the quality of printing on its thermoformed containers used for spreads, fats and edible oils and achieve...

DuPont wraps sublimation around complex curves.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... Decoration of plastics by sublimation is not new, but it has been limited to surfaces with simple shapes like flat or cylindrical parts. Now DuPont has developed a 3D process for decorating complex shapes. Sublimation is a process in which...

It's a computer Jim, but not as we know it.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... THE EXO over-moulding system developed by Dow Chemical subsidiary Inclosia Solutions has been used to finish a new design of portable computer. The E-Go computer from Ego Lifestyle, a company partly-owned by the Dutch computer company Tulip,...

Testing for plating integrity.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... TO SUPPORT its ABS chrome plating facility at Southend Borough has published on its web site a short guide to preparing mouldings for plating. It recommends drying times to prevent blemishes such as splash or fish eyes which can mar the...

UV-curing ink needs no base coat.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... THE Printcolor Series 747 UV-curing pad printing ink from GK Marketing has been developed to enable high reproduction levels with application stability for decorative and functional printing on a range of applications such as advertising...

How safe is your UV curing system?(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... THERE is currently widespread misinformation and misunderstanding concerning UV light health and safety issues, according to UV Light Technology of Birmingham, so the company has published Risk Assessment of Exposure to UV Light Emissions from...

Create a message for multiple ink jet printers from a single source.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... Uprated message creation software is available for Linx continuous ink jet printers. Logo Jet can create, edit and store messages and logos on a Windows-based PC and down load them to a maximum of 32 Linx CIJ printers in real time. The...

Release agent gives silicone performance without finishing problems.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... AMBERSIL has developed a hybrid mould release agent that combines the release properties of silicone with the surface finishing scope of a non-silicone. Formula Twenty is based on an active material that has been formulated to provide better...

Marking specialist adds pad printers and foiling machines.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... NEW pad printing and hot foiling equipment has been introduced by Product Marking Solutions of Slough. The pad printers come from MAG System of Italy and are made in several ranges from the small Junior for single colour printing, to the...

Servo drives save screen print set-up time.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... Individual servo drives are used for each fixture and screen on the new Isimat MS 1400 UV screen printing machine. A print job can be set up at the touch screen and an operator can input dimensions or recall stored settings. The machine then...

Two welds in one assemble water meter.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... A DOUBLE hot plate welding system was designed for the manufacture of a new water meter from Severn Trent Measuring Systems. The new SmartMeter is produced in just two components--the outer case and the inner flow chamber--which are moulded in...

New adhesives for bonding fasteners.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... NEW BigBond surface mount adhesives by BigHead Bonding Fasteners bond BigHead fasteners to a wide range of substrates. Three formulations--High Grab, PU Fast Set and FS Acrylic--are intended to provide the correct adhesive for 95 per cent of...

TWI checks all options for aerospace welding project.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... THERE are an awful lot of ways to weld plastics. Seventeen altogether, according to TWI--The Welding Institute. TWI went through the list when it was commissioned by 'one of the world's leading aerospace operators' to recommend a welding method...

Quick cure after practical working time.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... THE LATEST adhesive in the Scotch-Weld EPX range from 3M has a three to five minute working life and then cures rapidly to give a handling time of seven minutes. Scotch-Weld DP805 two part, 1:1 mix ratio structural acrylic adhesive can be used...

More output, less fume by switching to IR welding.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... OUTPUT at a major pipe systems manufacturer of two drainage components with complex geometries doubled after infrared welding replaced hot-plate techniques. Fumes associated with hot-plate were also eliminated. Both products are two part...

New routing system can trim bigger parts.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... A NEW larger version of its Cutting Box routing machine has been introduced by KMT Cutting Systems. The Cutting Box Routing L has a larger footprint than the existing Cutting Box S, giving the opportunity to work on larger work pieces and to...

Deflashing in safety.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... A RANGE of safety knives with particular application in deburring plastics components has been introduced by Martor Direct (UK). The three new ranges differ in the types of blades they use and in the way they are held. The Gratex is a...

Water jet cutter for soft materials.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... The Mini Jet water jet curing machine for soft materials such as foam and rubber augments Power Jet Systems' equipment for hard materials. It has a 2 x 1 m curing table with a single cutting head operating on a two axis cantilever gantry. ...

Efficiency and economy claimed for fibre optic lasers.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... FIBRE laser systems are replacing C[O.sub.2] and YAG lasers for marking, cutting and engraving applications because they are more reliable, cost-effective and more than five times more power efficient than traditional technologies according to...

Interchangeable mould parts adjust bottle sizes.(BLOW MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... To meet demands from blow moulders of hot fill and heat set containers, Wentworth Mold has developed mould assemblies and shells with interchangeable parts that allow bottle height, volume and shape to be easily adjusted for containers of...

SIG Corpoplast is also promoting a modular quick-change mould for increasing the product change speed of its Blomax III stretch blow machines.(BLOW MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... SIG Corpoplast is also promoting a modular quick-change mould for increasing the product change speed of its Blomax III stretch blow machines. Speed-Loc comprises three elements. The base mould can be released in one step using a lever tool and...

RF plasma reduces bottle coating cost.(BLOW MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... A NEW barrier coating process has been developed in the USA, and is being distributed by injection moulding machine maker Husky. The silicone oxide coating process from Nano Coating Systems of Fremont in California is a plasma process, but...

Same bottle, less material.(BLOW MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... GRAHAM Packaging in the USA has developed a way of using less material to produce the same PET bottle. The process 'in effect distributes the plastic where it's needed and removes it where it's not needed', says the company, adding 'the bottom...

Bottlemaking Award now open for entries.(BLOW MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... The Worshipful Company of Homers and the Polymer Machinery Manufacturers and Distributors Association are now taking entries for this year's Homers' Bottlemaking Award, of which this magazine is pleased to be one of the sponsors. Entries...

SABIC develops rapid ESCR test.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... SABIC has developed a new, rapid and supposedly very reliable method for measuring the environmental stress crack resistance of plastics. This property describes the resistance of a material to failure in the presence of aggressive or corrosive...

Bright white LEDs enhance stereo microscope.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... To meet demands for true colour white lighting for colour inspection, with softness to prevent glare and reflection and show up surface defects, Vision Engineering has fitted its latest Mantis stereo microscopes with bright white LED lighting,...

Permeability measurements in minutes, not days.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... A NEW instrument for measuring the water vapour permeability of plastics and rubber materials, products and containers has been produced by Versaperm. It gives a reading in as little as 30 minutes for some materials compared with several days...

Seals specialist opens its laboratory up to contact work.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... High performance seals specialist Precision Polymer Engineering is opening its internal testing laboratory up to contract testing work. It describes its Material Characterisation Centre as 'one of the leading resources in Europe for the...

Success of complex custom-built leak tester brings a second order.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... PCE Automation builds standard leak testers, but also produces bespoke test machines. One recent custom design was for a company making a medical one-way valve, to replace an existing test cell that could not match current line speeds and test...

CNC milling machine to cut thick polymer samples.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... RAY-RAN Test Equipment has developed a CNC profile cutting machine to produce test samples upwards of 5 mm thick, such as from underground thick wall pipes. It has designed a machine specifically for plastics because its says metal cutting...

Melt viscometer can now run under standard test software.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... THE Davenport Melt Viscometer from Lloyd Instruments has been upgraded to work with the company's Nexygen test and data analysis software. The updated version incorporates an interface card for use with Windows 2000 and XP, and a retrofit kit...

Extensometers for contact and non-contact operation.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... CONTACTING and non-contacting extensometers have been introduced by Lloyd Instruments and Instron. The two contacting instruments from Lloyd are the EX250Plus and EX800Plus, providing increased travel over previous models at up to 250 and...

Impact testing control software is improved.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... IMPROVEMENTS have been made to Instron's Dynatup Impulse data acquisition and analysis software for instrumented impact testing, to improve and simplify test set up, data analysis and reporting of results. Key features of the new version...

High pressure capillary rheometer now at low temperatures.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... HIGH pressure capillary rheometry is a well-established method for simulating the processing conditions of molten polymers at high temperatures. New low temperature control options for the Malvern Rosand RH7-D/RH10-D and RH2000 rheometers,...

Low cost tester for form-fill-seal strength.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... A HOT TACK tester new from RPM Test Equipment is said to be significantly cheaper than others on the market. The HT1-XS measures the strength of the heat seal in typical vertical form-fill-seal applications. This defines a hot tack index...

Titration and more on tour near you.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... A technical seminar tour with a 'pick and mix' programme to enable delegates to pick just the subjects that interest them without travelling too far is being organised throughout this year by Metrohm UK. The subjects will be: Potentiometric...

Optimised GPC/SEC module.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... NEW from Viscotek Europe is a fully integrated pump, auto-sampler and degasser module specifically designed and optimised for gel permeation chromatography/size exclusion chromatography (GPC/SEC) applications. The GPCmax module can be used with...

Shop floor tensile/compression testers need no PC.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... TENSION and compression frames tough enough to be used on the shop floor have been introduced by Mecmesin. MultiTest-x machines operate stand-alone with an integral LCD control console for use in environments which would not be suitable for...

The new release of Mecmesin's Emperor software for testing quality includes numerous enhancements.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... The new release of Mecmesin's Emperor software for testing quality includes numerous enhancements. Emperor was designed specifically for use in quality control laboratories to solve applications where the response of manufactured products,...

Load cells and servos make creep tester do more.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... ELASTOCON's new Automatic Creep Tester for plastics is available in a number of customer-defined configurations of test stations and load ranges suitable for testing in liquids according to ISO 16770 (full notch creep test) or in air according...

Lasers and computers make density measurement faster and more accurate.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... LASER measurement has been added to Ray-Ran Test Equipment's three column density gradient instrument to produce the Advanced Auto Density Measurement System. The laser unit determines the position of the sample or float and the height is...

PU pounder measures foam fatigue.(TESTING)
February 1, 2006... A machine to measure the dynamic fatigue properties of flexible PU foams has gone on sale worldwide following development for importation into Japan. The STM-536 machine was designed by SATRA-Hampden following Japan's adoption of ISO...

Electric toggle machine acts like a direct hydraulic.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... NISSEI's NEX series all-electric machine now has a revised clamping system intended to give more of a direct hydraulic feel to its toggle clamp. Injection speed and response have been increased, and a new version of the TACT controller has been...

Finger tip control for Husky.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... NEW touch screen features have been added to Husky's Polaris control system. These give more precision to profile generation and modification of recovery, injection-fill speed, injection-hold pressure and mould stroke. In addition to...

Less space needed for O-ring production.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... The MHF400/190E1 machine for O-ring production built by Maplan has been redesigned to reduce its floor space requirement, saving 380 mm in its length and 180 mm in width. Despite a design which uses very thin platens, Maplan says there is...

Dedicated Wittmann robot for servicing stack and two-plate moulds.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... A SERVO robot based on the Wittmann W 711 series has been equipped with a second, independently functioning, vertical axis driven by servo drives for the removal of parts from both stack moulds and two-plate single face moulds. The Series...

Improved mould temperature control brings faster DVD writing.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... A NEW mould temperature control layout and pulsed cooling have been adopted by Krauss-Maffei to improve the accuracy of its Futuremold optical disc moulding system for today's higher data density discs. HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc...

Demag and Haitian end joint venture.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... THE break-up of the Demag Haitian Plastics Machinery company in China towards the end of last year has now been formalised. A statement from Demag Plastics Group says: 'The company was closed by mutual and amicable consent, effective December...

Sandretto applies for bankruptcy protection--again.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... SANDRETTO in Italy is seeking protection from its creditors under an Italian legal structure called amministrazione straordinaria. This is one of five structures under Italian bankruptcy proceedings in which the company's affairs are supervised...

Engel plans more all-electric machines.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... NEW E-Motion all-electric machines are on the stocks at Engel, including a series of multi-material models. At present the company builds machines up to 280 tonnes, but a 350 is imminent, if not already now in production. This is a four...

New agent for American hot runner controllers.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... US-BASED hot runner system and panel controller manufacturer Athena Controls has appointed Invotec Solutions as UK and Irish agent as part of a strengthening of its European network. Coinciding with the appointment is the introduction of...

Gammaflux adds admin aids.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... CONTROL improvements for Gammaflux hot runner systems bring long term data archiving for documentation-demanding jobs such as in automotive, and safer set-up. The new RPC-light 8 1/2 inch touch screen operating panel has long term data...

Proximity switch resists heat.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... NEW Hasco Z1477 inductive proximity switch resists temperatures up to 140 degC. It is protected against short circuiting and reverse polarity. Operation is non contact and wear free. The housing is in aluminium. www.hasco.com ...

Tunnel gate inserts keep vestige marks out of the way.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... TWO new Exaflow tunnel gate inserts, known as the Ringelflow and the Maxiflow, are for gating on the rear or interior sides of parts which must be free of vestige marks on visible external surfaces. The Ringelflow is a single part insert...

Electric valve gate 'is cleaner and simpler than hydraulics'.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... An electrically-operated valve gate system from Hasco can bring oil-free gate operation to clean room moulding, or compensate for the lack of hydraulics on an all-electric machine. As there is no need to machine any oil or air bores into...

Cost-cutting hot runners from Canada.(INJECTION MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... SAVINGS of up to 40 per cent on the cost of a hot runner system are claimed by Profine Moulds of Canada for its budget hot runner proRunner system installed on a Profine mould. The equipment is suitable for small to medium parts and is...

High PVC output at low speed.(PIPE & PROFILE)
February 1, 2006... INTERMESHING screws of the Amut Max series BA76 extruder are of new design with air cooling and have an LD ratio of 28:1 for high outputs in PVC at low speeds. Reduction gears can handle more torque. Centralised control with touch screen...

Battenfeld Gloucester builds 17-layer cast film line.(FILM & SHEET PRODUCTION)
February 1, 2006... A 17-layer cast film line is under construction in the USA with the option to expand it to 34 layers. Battenfeld Gloucester is building the nine-extruder line for a customer making a variety of barrier films from deep-draw forming film to...

European funding to increase extrusion output.(PIPE & PROFILE)
February 1, 2006... RAPRA Technology is part of a 14-strong European consortium that has secured 1.4 million [euro] of EU funding for research into the use of supercritical CO, as a process aid in extrusion. Further funding from other organisations in the...

Twin screw range dedicated to wood/plastic composites ...(PIPE & PROFILE)
February 1, 2006... TWIN screw extruders specifically for use with wood/plastic composites have been developed by Entek of the USA--which also has an office in Uttoxeter. The E-Max co-rotating twin screw series has been designed to withstand harsh material...

... While this extruder's for non-wovens.(PIPE & PROFILE)
February 1, 2006... AN extruder intended for the production of mono- and multi-filament, spun-bond and melt-blown products in various materials has been developed by Davis-Standard. The Fibermaster II extruder for the non-wovens industry is designed for high...

Gearbox retrofits and screw sale.(PIPE & PROFILE)
February 1, 2006... RETROFITS for gearboxes of extruders Knot of its own make are now offered by Davis-Standard. The company says that many old makes of gearbox are no longer supported by their original manufacturers, making repair impossible. The company...

Vacuum coater aids development of flexible electronics.(FILM & SHEET CONVERSION)
February 1, 2006... THE latest version of the OptiLab multi-purpose vacuum coater has been commissioned at DuPont Teijin Films UK. Supplied by General Vacuum Equipment, a member of the Bobst Group, it is installed within a Class 1,000 clean room at Wilton,...

GE unveils PC film for organic LEDs.(FILM & SHEET CONVERSION)
February 1, 2006... GE Global Research has developed a substrate system for flexible organic light-emitting diodes based on a developmental high-temperature Lexan polycarbonate film combined with a transparent, ultra-high-barrier coating to help protect the OLED...

Flexible substrate coating systems.(FILM & SHEET CONVERSION)
February 1, 2006... APPLIED Films of Germany has made a number of advances in what can be produced on its thin film deposition equipment. A key application is the production of colour shift layers on plastics films by electron beam evaporation. These shift...

Twin-walled container acts as buffer for temperature sensitive materials.(ROTATIONAL MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... A TWIN-WALLED polyethylene container rotationally-moulded as a single piece unit is being promoted as a heat storage vessel or emergency bund to manufacturers and processors in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical and material handling sectors....

Multi-layer moulding with more precision.(ROTATIONAL MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... AUTOMATED multi-layer moulding is now possible on Persico's Leonardo machine. Until now, says the company, production of multi-layer rotationally moulded products was limited. It can be done manually, with the operator stopping the machine...

Modified Schulman grades offer better parts faster.(ROTATIONAL MOULDING)
February 1, 2006... NEWLY modified rotational moulding compounds from A Schulman attain optimum physical properties much faster than conventional grades. In tests, a modified SuperLinear XL 0370 compound reached maximum potential impact range approximately 30 per...

More MES flexibility from wireless data transmission.(PROCESS CONTROL)
February 1, 2006... THE Celltrack production monitoring tool from Moldflow is now wireless-enabled. Celltrack Production Management is a manufacturing execution system that tracks and reports production and machine efficiencies. It provides capabilities for work...

Vinyl TPEs now with low-gloss finish.(ENGINEERING MATERIALS)
February 1, 2006... LOW-GLOSS grades of Flexalloy vinyl thermoplastic elastomers have been developed by Teknor Apex, enabling processors to achieve a rubber-like matt finish to products made with Flexalloy compounds while still obtaining the performance advantages...

Acrylic co-elastomer treads the middle way for automotive hoses.(ENGINEERING MATERIALS)
February 1, 2006... A NEW acrylic co-elastomer for automotive use from DuPont Packaging & Industrial Products fills the gap between high-and mid-range elastomers. DuPont ACE is said to cost-effectively replace epichlorhydrin rubber, chlorinated polyethylene,...

CBT makes PC more mouldable.(ENGINEERING MATERIALS)
February 1, 2006... THE innovative low melt viscosity thermoplastic polyester cyclic butadiene terephthalate--CBT--has found another role, as a viscosity modifier for polycarbonate. Its developer and manufacturer Cyclics Corporation of the USA has teamed up with...

LSFOH compound increases data cable line speeds.(ENGINEERING MATERIALS)
February 1, 2006... A LOW smoke, halogen-free cable jacketing compound said to give substantial increases in line speed with reduced energy consumption has been developed by Scapa Polymerics. Megolon+ S800 is claimed to run 60 per cent faster than other LSFOH...

New LSFOH compounds have been added to PolyOne's ECCOH series of thermoplastic non-halogenated compounds.(ENGINEERING MATERIALS)
February 1, 2006... * New LSFOH compounds have been added to PolyOne's ECCOH series of thermoplastic non-halogenated compounds. They cover a range of applications including: sheathing compounds for the data & telecoms market, with good processability, and low die...

Process aid saves costs by improving use of regrind.(ADDITIVES)
February 1, 2006... FURTHER work has been done by Genie Kenraw to test the effects of the Axel Plastics MoldWiz process aid, this time to show its effect on moulding with regrind. The company has carried out trials over the past year or so which have...

Borealis extends PP packaging applications.(PACKAGING MATERIALS)
February 1, 2006... NEW polypropylene grades from Borealis enable down-sizing of transparent injection moulded packaging, and open up new applications in labelling and modified atmosphere packaging. The new transparent, thin wall packaging grade is credited...

Conformal cooling: how Hipermoulding is progressing.(TOOLING)
February 1, 2006... THE European consortium investigating the benefits of conformal cooling in the Hipermoulding project has moved into the development of software to predict the effects of conformal cooling, backed up by moulding trials at Pera. The project...

Manufacturers aim to make 3D printers more cost-effective.(PROTOTYPING)
February 1, 2006... MOVES to make 3D printing more widely available in design offices have brought simplification and price cuts from printer manufacturers. The new Eden250 3D printing system from Objet Geometries (UK agent HK Technologies) aims to bring rapid...

Cooling process water: the third in a series of energy efficiency fact sheets produced by Dr Robin Kent for the Carbon Trust to help plastics processors reduce costs through energy efficiency.(ENERGY EFFICIENCY)
February 1, 2006... A RELIABLE and consistent source of cooling water is essential for fast and repeatable plastics processing. Cooling process water and refrigeration plants uses approximately 11 per cent of all the energy consumed in manufacturing in the UK....

Higher power costs could lead to thousands of job losses, says the BPF.(ENERGY EFFICIENCY)
February 1, 2006... THE full effect on plastics processors of rising fuel costs has been revealed by a British Plastics Federation survey of its member companies, which points to a possible 7,000 job losses as a direct result. The survey, carried out last...

Measures of performance: energy efficiency ratios (EERs).(ENERGY EFFICIENCY)
February 1, 2006... Coefficient of performance (COP) is the ratio of the cooling capacity to the absorbed power of a compressor. Coefficient of system performance (COSP) is the ratio of the cooling capacity to the absorbed power of the complete system. This...

Retrofittable pump and drive can save power and simplify hydraulics.(ENERGY EFFICIENCY)
February 1, 2006... AN ENERGY-saving hydraulic system upgrade for injection moulding machines which is said to cost substantially less to run than variable speed drives and/or variable volume pumps is now available from Kadant AES of the USA--which has an office...