British Plastics & Rubber articles from January 2001

British Plastics & Rubber archives from January 2001

Are you ready for the energy tax?
January 1, 2001... What is it? The Climate Change Levy (CCL) is a punitive tax measure being introduced by the government as an aid to meeting its greenhouse gas reduction targets set at the Kyoto summit conference in Japan in 1997. It follows the simple...

Motor speed control is a key factor in cutting energy waste.
January 1, 2001... AMONG the many web sites offering advice on energy saving is Maxermize (www.maxermize.com) which gives a simple but effective demonstration of how controlling electric motors with variable speed drives can be particularly cost-effective: ...

Saving energy in dryers is a gas.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Motan has been collaborating with Ruhrgas on the development of gas-fired dryers for plastics applications and as a result has introduced the Luxor gas dryer which it says can yield energy cost savings of around 50 per cent compared with...

Vacuum drying reduces heating time.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The Low Pressure Dryer, introduced last year by Maguire, is due to go on sale in the UK this month. The LPD uses vacuum assist to remove moisture in around a sixth of the time taken by a conventional dryer. Maguire has patented the...

Compressed air cost saving -- whose responsibility?
January 1, 2001... THE generation of compressed air is estimated to account for more than 80 TWh of electricity consumption and 55 million tonnes of [CO.sub.2] per year in the EU and is equivalent to about 10 per cent of the total electricity consumption in...

CIM shows where the energy goes.
January 1, 2001... McKechnie Plastic Components is using a CIM system from Barco Dextralog to, among other things, keep energy costs under control. The company installed the original PCMS system four years ago as a result of a report produced by a consultant...

A little limescale can lead to a lot of wasted energy.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... SCALE build-up in the tubes of a chiller can substantially increase running costs. The thermal conductivity of calcium carbonate is 4,000 times smaller than that of copper and therefore even the thinnest coating acts as an effective heat...

Vacuum pump 'can save 30 per cent power'.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... LOWER running temperatures and a 30 per cent saving in power consumption are claimed by Rietschle for its new Twister VSB vacuum pump. The company says that the non-contact, dry-running operation of the Twister VSB makes it particularly...

More bagmaking productivity through automated handling.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... GERMAN film conversion equipment specialist Lemo has added productivity to its bagmaking machines by fitting them with robotic handling systems for automatic packaging. Systems comprise Autopack elements for specific products; ST-N types are...

Automated labelling makes pipe fittings production more flexible.
January 1, 2001... Hepworth Drainage, part of the Hepworth Building Products Group, has fully-automated lines for making couplings for the SuperSleve drainage system at its Lichfield site. However, labelling the components of the couplings was still done by hand....

Bagging machine keeps bottles clean.
January 1, 2001... MACHINES for automatically bagging batches of bottles from a blow moulding machine to protect them from contamination and static build-up are now being built by Dassett Process Engineering. The company has built a handful of semiautomatic...

Automatic inspection of rubber oil seal surfaces.
January 1, 2001... OMRON F150-3 photo sensors are incorporated in Phasor automated visual inspection machines for shock absorber oil seals. The rubber mouldings are checked for scratches, marks, surface blemishes and inclusions and a machine can inspect thousands...

Try-before-you-buy camera inspection.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... SHELTON Vision Systems has developed a rapid testing procedure so that customers may send small samples for fault detection evaluation to enable price quotes to be based on physical tests rather than theory. The company was formed in 1995 to...

Buffer conveyors let cam-operated equipment run fast but flexibly.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Modular Automation now incorporates cam driven machines made by the Bodine Corporation of the USA in its automated assembly systems in a way which, it says, gives the high productivity of which cam-driven machines are capable without...

All you need for end-of-arm tooling.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... A RANGE of end-of-arm tooling components for robots has been added to the injection moulding accessories sold by Nickerson Europe. The range extends from ready-made kits consisting of profile framework, bracketing and choices of grippers,...

Tap production automated from assembly to sterilisation.
January 1, 2001... LIQUID packaging specialist David S Smith Worldwide Dispensers has for some time designed its own specialised assembly machines, but is now looking increasingly to outside suppliers. As part of this change in direction the company awarded...

Double deck assembly line saves space.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... DOORS for Bosch-Siemens Hausgerate front loading washing machines are manufactured in a fully automatic production unit at the Coko plant in Bad Salzuflen, Germany. Injection moulding machines and automation equipment were supplied by...

De-gating and finishing are in demand.(for robots and automation equipment)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... HI-TECH Automation has seen a trend towards de-gating and secondary finishing in its recent orders for Sytrama robots and purpose-built automation systems. One company in Telford has ordered two systems for machining thick wall section...

Six-axis robot achieves more in the clean room.(Fanuc equipment)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... BESPAK, which makes drug delivery systems including metering and flow control valves, has installed a Fanuc 100 tonne injection moulding machine with Fanuc M6 robot to manufacture inhaler components. A six axis unit was chosen in preference...

Apex broadens its range -- and broadens its suppliers.(MtC full servo beam robot)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... THE latest addition to the Apex robot range, now also sold by Hi-Class Machinery, is the MTC full servo beam robot with three-axis synchronised interpolation movement which Hi-Class says gives a faster cycle time but more importantly a smooth...

Vibration welding replaced by robotic glueing.(Rover 25 spoiler manufacture)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... AN automated glueing cell with nine nest moulds for the production of rear spoilers for the Rover 25 has been installed by Wittmann UK at Linpac Automotive, Dunstable. The two parts of the spoiler, the fascia and an insert, were formerly joined...

Injection moulding robots have flexible control.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... GERMAN injection moulding automation specialist Neureder has set up a UK office in Slough. The company builds two ranges of three-axis robots and a six-axis series, and has developed automation systems for a number of industry sectors...

Ownership options lower costs.(pre-owned robots)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... PRE-OWNED robots may be leased or purchased from ABB Flexible Automation. The company says that this involves lower costs compared with investing in new equipment and can be appropriate for product launches or to cover production peaks. The...

Servo drive for the price of pneumatics.(FlexiLiner)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2001... The new FlexiLiner from Geiger Handling combines servo technology with a price comparable with that of pneumatic machines. The three main axes are driven by servo motors, giving higher transfer speeds. The machine is freely-programmable --...

New Sepro machine is aimed at packaging production.(PIP 3020 HP)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2001... A NEW high-speed robot from Sepro Robotique is aimed at the packaging market. The PIP 3020 HP has take-out times of less than half a second, using a full 1,100 mm of vertical stroke. Overall cycle times of 4 seconds can be achieved...

Motoman adds more dexterity at the end of the arm.(Motoman Robotics)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... MOTOMAN robots, made in Japan, can now be supplied with BTM end arm effectors under a new cooperation agreement between Motoman Robotics (UK) and design house and systems integrator BTM. The effector was developed in the USA and uses...

Modular takeover leads to modular design.(Pressflow)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... PRESSFLOW's new NC range robots are the first new machines to be released since the company's acquisition by Modular Automation. There will be three machines in the range: the smallest will be the first to be introduced with the two larger...

Multiple processes can be controlled with automatic failsafe.(Eurotherm Controls Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... A DISTRIBUTED process controller with built-in redundancy has been introduced by Eurotherm. The Process Supervisor can perform both continuous and sequential control functions and has two independent processors so that if one were to fail the...

Benchtop robots take over from tired technicians.(Kawasaki robots)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... KAWASAKI FS 02N and 03N robots available from Wittman UK are small six axis models for benchtop applications including testing, inspection and packaging. Technicians may be released from performing repetitive tasks to do more creative work,...

Automation systems for reel-based processes.(C & H Systems)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... EDLON Machinery represents Danish company C & H Systems which has supplied automated handling systems for 30 years. A system supplied to the roll converting division of the Tetrapak beverage packaging plant in Sweden comprised robotics for...

Mini motor gives a lot of torque.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... A NEW design of servo motor from Control Techniques Dynamics fits into small spaces but gives a high torque for its size. The 55 AC is a brushless permanent magnet motor with a cross section of 55 x 55 mm. Its length varies with its torque...

Compact robot has a long reach.(ABB Flexible Automation Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Positional repeatability of the new ABB Flexible Automation IRB 140 robot is said to be within 0.03 mm. It is a compact unit having a 400 x 450 mm footprint and height retracted of 810 mm. Vertical reach fully extended is 1,240 mm and...

Non-woven backing gives new strength to breathable films.(Reifenhauser Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... REIFENHAUSER has developed an improved -- and cheaper -- way of producing composites of breathable film and non-wovens. These composites are used in applications from sanitary products to roofing membranes, with the non-woven component...

FDA approval to use reclaimed PET in food grade sheet.(Erema's polyethylene recycling system)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... THE US Food & Drug Administration has approved the Erema TEVSV post-consumer PET recycling system for the production of food contact sheet from returned soft drinks and mineral water bottles. Reclaimed PET bottle flakes can be directly...

Multi-layers cut the cost of barrier structures.(Black Clawson Co.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... BLACK Clawson's new Micro-Layer feedblock can be used for film structures with up to 100 thin layers enabling multiple layers of cheaper polymers to achieve barrier properties normally requiring more expensive materials. It is said to give more...

PA and PVdC in the same film -- at commercial rates.(blown film production by Macro of Canada)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... A TECHNIQUE used in flat film extrusion to protect the process from the PVdC barrier layer -- and vice versa -- has been translated into blown film production by Macro of Canada. And it has been combined with air gap insulation to produce such...

Space-saving sheet line to go upstream of a thermoformer.(Battenfeld)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... A SHEET LINE for in-line operation with a thermoformer and one which runs 'out of the box' have been developed by Battenfeld as part of a new global approach to sheet extrusion. The new line is intended to be space and energy saving and has...

New agent for winders/rewinders.(Jarshire)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The French-built Monomatic range of winders and rewinders is now being sold in the UK by Jarshire. Monomatic reel stands can be built in horizontal or vertical configuration and can have built-in loading and unloading systems to eliminate...

Kuhne plans to make improved air ring even better.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... A THREE-LAYER blown film line demonstrated recently by Kuhne at its Sankt Augustin, Germany, plant was equipped with a new design of high capacity air ring which is under development to become even more efficient. The dual lip ring has...

Esde now building film thickness gauging equipment.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... German film and sheet extrusion line manufacturer Esde has taken the unusual step of developing its own range of film gauging equipment. The non-contact system can measure the overall thickness of multi-layer films using a laser micro...

Scrap halved by on-line gauging.(Scott and Fyfe)(Fairey Group PLC)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... SCRAP has been halved by Scott & Fyfe in the manufacture of woven PP fabrics for the manufacture of FIBCs by the installation of an NDC Infrared Engineering 6100TC film thickness measuring gauge. Time spent on sampling has also been saved. ...

New sensors measure thickness and length.(the Scantron laser measuring system)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... THE Scantron WTS non-contact web thickness laser measuring system, is said to be applicable to materials which are difficult or impossible to measure with other devices. The laser measures the thickness as the material passes over a datum...

Electron beam process shrinks without additives.(Energy Sciences Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... AN electron beam shrink film process which does not rely on additives in the film has been developed by Energy Sciences of Boston, USA, represented in the UK by Edlon Machinery. The process uses a linear cathode and generates a shower of...

Thinner film makes big savings for the NHS.(British Polythene Industries)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... REFORMULATING the film for refuse sacks is making big savings in the health service. A new sack developed by British Polythene Industries in association with the NHS has achieved downgauging without compromising strength and performance through...

Linpac sells out of water-soluble films.(Linpac Plastics)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2001... FOOD packaging materials and containers manufacturer Linpac Plastics is selling its water-soluble film manufacturing subsidiary Aquafilm to Cast Film Europe, owned by Cast Film Technology of the USA. Aquafilm specialises in the manufacture...

Edible packaging 'could reduce the need for plastics'.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... NEW edible packaging films for fruits and vegetables developed in the US are not intended to replace plastics but could enable the amount of plastics packaging material used to be reduced. Dr Tara McHugh, US Department of Agriculture research...

Danisco installs tenth line at Ilkeston.(DANISCO Flexible, blown film line at Ikeston, UK, plant)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2001... DANISCO Flexible has invested [pound]1.6 million in a 2.6 m, three-layer blown film line at its Ilkeston, Derbyshire plant. The new Windmoller & Holscher Varex Optifil becomes the tenth blown film line at the plant and brings factory capacity...

Sheet extrusion to go from strength to strength.(Europe)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2001... SHEET production now represents almost 10 per cent of European plastics consumption and accounted for more than 2.7 million tonnes of polymer in 1999 according to market researcher AMI. The highest polymer consumption for sheet extrusion in...

Slovak buy makes Barlo front runner in acrylic sheet.(BARLO Plastics purchases PCHZ-Akryl)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2001... BARLO Plastics now reckons to be Europe's leading producer of extruded acrylic sheet with the purchase of Slovakian sheet extruder PCHZ-Akryl through its operating company PSC, which is to be integrated into Barb's operation as Barlo Plastics...

Macfarlane adds metallocenes for better cling properties.(MACFARLANE Plastics' Superpowerflex cast power pre-stretch film)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2001... MACFARLANE Plastics' new Superpowerflex cast power pre-stretch film is a combination of metallocene resins with octene-based materials, and is said to be suitable for bar coded goods, uneven loads or wrapped goods which require a high lay on...

'Smart' film controls plant growth.(BPI Agri's horticultural film Visqueen Solatrol)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2001... A HORTICULTURAL film from BPI Agri contains filters to modify the ratio of red to far red light that it transmits to prevent runaway growth forming 'leggy' plants. Use of this 'smart' film -- called Visqueen Solatrol -- reduces or eliminates...

Britton broadens its product range with higher performing films.(BRITTON Group Letchworth)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... BRITTON Group Letchworth has added more demanding types of packaging films to its mono and co-extruded polyethylene films by introducing higher performance blends with, for instance, polypropylene. Its new films are intended for packaging...

MCP develops smooth fusible cores and non-toxic alloys.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... MCP Equipment has developed a new technique to produce fusible alloy moulding cores with a high gloss finish. This is desirable for producing mouldings with smooth bores favourable to the fluid flow of gases and liquids. Conventionally, this...

Maplan moves into TPEs.(equips rubber injection molding machine with unit for thermoplatic elastomers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... MAPLAN has broadened its machine range for rubber injection moulding by introducing an injection unit for thermoplastic elastomers. The first machine to carry it is one of the C-frame series. These machines are designed with free access to...

Milacron and UBE kiss and make up.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... THE injection moulding patent row between Milacron of the USA and UBE of Japan has been resolved, but neither party is saying how. Milacron has a US patent on the use of personal computers to control injection moulding machines, and alleged...

Why barriers are best for high throughputs.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... BARRIER screws with a mixing section differ from standard three section screws in three principal ways. Mixing pins are incorporated in the channel at the end of the compression section, in front of the metering section where at high...

Improve melt quality with a simple nozzle modification.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Improved homogenisation is also the claim for the new KMH-KSM static mixing head developed by Koch-Glitsch of Italy. The company says it can bring better colour distribution, reducing colorant costs by 25 to 40 per cent and improving...

Dow Emerges into the information age.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Dow Chemical is targetting the information technology equipment market with a dedicated range of materials which it is calling Emerge. Emerge products are being formulated from the company's existing range of engineering polymers to meet the...

More specialist materials from DuPont.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... DUPONT has extended its portfolio of high performance materials using a melt-processable polyimide and, through DowPont Dow Elastomers, with easier-to-process fluoroelastomers. DuPont Engineering Polymers makes polyimide shapes and parts...

Ticona expands across its engineering range.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... TICONA has rolled out an impressive array of new products with the announcement of new grades of Hostaform acetal copolymer (POM), Celanex thermoplastic polyester (PBT), Fortron polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) and Vectra liquid crystal polymer...

GE gives its new all-weather material a name.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... GE PLASTICS' mystery material for vehicle body panels has now acquired a name, but everything else about it remains a secret. The W4 material, now called Sollx, was introduced early last year, hyped as 'the holy grail in weatherable...

Micrex invests [pound]1 m in PEX pipe extrusion.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... STAMFORD Group company Micrex Profiles has invested [pound]1 million in a Battenfeld five-layer pipe extrusion line to make cross-linked polyethylene pipe using sister company Micropol's Isoplas XLPE. The Pronto-PEX pipe is intended for...

Silane X-link HDPE pipe replaces steel in chemical works.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The first application for Solvay's Eltex TUX100 silane cross-linkable HDPE pipe compound (British Plastics & Rubber, July/August 2000, pl6) is in its precipitated calcium carbonate plant in Angera, Italy. The ChemPEX pipe was developed in...

Cincinnati revamps Proton range.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... THE Proton series of single screw extruders built by Cincinnati Extrusion has been revamped with an improved throughput feed section, more powerful drives, and a new control system. The feed zone now has an offset grooved bush with...

Rubber extruder agency agreement.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... RUBBER extruders, curing systems and complete extrusion lines made by Colmec of Italy are now available in the UK through Brian Ward (Manchester). Included in the catalogue is a patented screw preformer which makes continuous pre-formed blanks...

Reifenhauser hangs on to business in pipe and profile.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... WHEN Reifenhauser pulled out of the pipe and profile equipment business last year it kept a stake in this sector through its (then) recently set-up Extrusion Center, from which it was selling individual extruders, dies and other components to...

Uponor wins major UK water pipe contract.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... FOLLOWING its success with the British Gas Transco business Uponor (UK) has won a major contract to supply polyethylene pipes and fittings to one of the world's largest water and waste water companies. The contract, with Thames Water Utilities...

Milacron claims halving of stretch blow mould change time.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... THE latest single stage stretch-blow PET machine from Milacron can use existing 'industry standard' tooling, but can achieve tool changes in about half the time of commonly used equivalent machines. The Uniloy U750-60 achieves faster mould...

New identities for blow moulders.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... TWO household names in blow moulding are no more. BlowMocan and Plysu, both part of the South African Nampak packaging group -- BlowMocan since 1994 and Plysu since 1999 -- are now operating under the Nampak banner. Nampak's European...

Aoki upgrades machine specifications.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... AOKI Technical Laboratory has introduced two new injection stretch blow moulding machines that are substantial upgrades of existing machines. The first, the Aoki SB III-250LL-50S, embodies improvements that result in cycle times some 30...

More for less from Uniloy Milacron.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2001... A lower machine cost, a smaller footprint, and an increased mould cavity capacity are the advantages of the new Uniloy Milacron HSM 1-D blow moulding machine. This double-station continuous extrusion shuttle machine replaces the company's...

Learning to think plastics.
January 1, 2001... Computer-based training lets you start, stop, recap and learn at your own pace. Clive Maier tries out one of the Paulson programmes. IF OR more than twenty years now, Paulson has been to the forefront in plastics training. According to the...

LIMS on-line.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... THERMO LabSystems has adopted the ASP model for delivering its Nautilus software via the internet. Nautilus is a laboratory information management system (LIMS) and the ASP model now makes it available to even the smallest laboratory...

Omnexus update.
January 1, 2001... WHEN Omnexus launched at NPE in June of last year it was a dedicated US site and the plan was to roll out the UK/European version on January 1, 2001. Since then, though, the date has been quietly eased to the first quarter of 2001. So there is...

Psstt, want to buy a moulding machine?(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... CARE to buy an injection moulding machine over the internet? Demag Ergotech thinks you might. It bases that view on a survey of a thousand German injection moulders that was carried out in November. Asked what would encourage them to use an...

Truckload prices for the smaller processor.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... POLYSORT, one of the first of the US plastics portals, has set up what it describes as the industry's first online group purchases. This is a version of the popular e-business idea of aggregation. Each group purchase consolidates the...

Moldflow delivers upgrades and much more.(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2001... MOLDFLOW has delivered version 5.0 of both its Part Adviser and Mold Adviser programs. Known collectively as MPA, the programs are intended for use by part designers and mould designers at an early stage of the product development cycle. MPA...

New features for ArtCAM and PowerSHAPE.(DelCam software)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... DELCAM has upgraded its ArtCAM Pro software. This is a program that allows 'artistic' users such as artists, sculptors and engravers to generate complex designs without having to use an engineering-based CAD/CAM system. One application is to...

SpecialChem.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... SpecialChem is new internet portal dedicated to polymer additives and masterbatches. The French-based SpecialChem company describes this as a complex and fragmented market where users find information, specifications and sourcing advice hard to...

Borealis and rotomoulding.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Borealis has produced a new web site devoted to its Borecene polyethylene rotomoulding materials, and to rotomoulding in general. The site is surely destined to become the first stop for anyone wanting to know more about this rapid growing...

Stowe Woodward Mount Hope.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Stowe Woodward claims to be the world's largest manufacturer of elastomeric roll covers and its new web site offers extensive information about products and processes. The site is organised by topics, each offering a series of levels that lead...

MCP Group.(web site)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... MCP Group has upgraded its web site to provide comprehensive coverage of the full range of benchtop injection moulding machines, rapid tooling systems, vacuum casting machines, medical systems and associated resin and alloy materials. The site...

EDI Remanufacturing.(web site)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... EDI, the largest manufacturer of flat extrusion dies for film, sheet and coating, has launched a new web site entirely devoted to its die remanufacturing business. The company remanufactures some 350 dies each year at its plants in the USA and...

Celanese Chemicals Europe.(Internet marketing)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Celanese Chemicals Europe has set up an Internet store for its product range of solvents, intermediates, amines, monomers, catalysts and acetate products. This complements the existing scope for trading with its customers either conventionally...