British Plastics & Rubber articles from January 2004

British Plastics & Rubber archives from January 2004

Six axis robot solves deep undercut demoulding problem at Birkby's.(Automation)
January 1, 2004... The complex de-moulding and de-gating of parts with 5 mm undercuts has been automated at Birkby's Plastics by mimicking the manual process with a six-axis robot. The mould tools were originally produced for manual demoulding, but automation was...

Lower cost of ownership makes six axis robots more attractive.(Automation)
January 1, 2004... The increasing cost-effectiveness of six axis robots in plastics processing has given extra impetus to Forward + Thompson of York, which specialises in purpose-built machinery. The company operates in two main areas--precision welding,...

ABB invests in demo and training centre.(Automation)
January 1, 2004... ABB has set up a 'Solutions Centre' at the Milton Keynes base of its Automation Technologies Division as part of a 300,000 [pounds sterling] customer service investment. The company regards this as more than just a showroom, and the centre...

Star extends servo robot range and adds a sprue picker.(Automation)
January 1, 2004... THE Gxe and Ixe ranges of servo robots introduced in 2002 by Star Automation have been extended from the original three sizes to seven, a new version of both ranges has been introduced--the Gxe-H and Ixe-H--for unloading along the axis of the...

Automatic swaging machine cuts process time.(Automation)
January 1, 2004... A 'smart' swaging machine made by Computer Age Engineering of America is now available in the UK and Europe from systems integrator Industrial Automation. Swaging is the process of altering the outside diameter of a part, and this machine is...

Robot is part of the machine--not a bolt-on.(Automation)
January 1, 2004... THE benefits of buying a system rather than just two interconnected machines were behind the installation by Certwood of Luton of a Negri Bossi Vector 600 tonne injection moulding machine fitted with a Flash $300 robot. The package has...

Wittmann starts building Chinese robot factory.(Automation)
January 1, 2004... Austrian-based automation and materials handling company Wittmann is building a factory in China and is expecting a number of large robot supply contracts in China for the automated moulding of automotive textile parts from international...

Large scale Wittmann robot automates Rutland moulding operation.(Automation)
January 1, 2004... A WITTMANN W 663 beam robot, one of the largest supplied by the company, has been installed on a 1,700 tonnes injection moulding machine at Rutland Plastics of Oakham. The robot can handle a maximum payload of 75 kg, and was fitted with a...

IML boosts robot sales for Sandretto.(Automation)
January 1, 2004... SANDRETTO UK has added the Ginko robot from Dal Maschio to its range. This servo-driven linear robot is intended for use on moulding machines of 50-250 tonnes, and is made with extruded aluminium profiles for greater rigidity at less weight....

Wittmann links with Schottli for high speed IML cells.(Automation)
January 1, 2004... WITTMANN has joined forces with Swiss toolmaker Schottli to make in-mould labelling systems with the emphasis on high speed food packaging. The agreement involves all members of the Wittmann group, but the impetus has come from Wittmann France....

Better barriers call for seven layer coextrusion.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2004... MACCHI says that it has five seven layer film lines under construction for delivery to five customers in the first quarter of 2004. Coextruded barrier film was at one time mainly constructed in five layers with a PA or EVOH central layer, two...

Kuhne builds multi-layer PC and MAP PET film lines.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2004... DEDICATED lines for the production of polycarbonate sheet and PET film have been delivered by Kuhne. The PC sheet line has an output of more than 1 tonne/hr and is considered to be one of the biggest of its kind in Europe. Sheet is made...

COC films can be steam sterilized.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2004... BLISTER packaging film that will allow steam sterilisation can now be made with Ticona's Topas cycloolefin copolymer. Blends of Topas have been developed which enable film made from them to be used as a barrier material for sterile...

Nano-structure surface makes film anti-reflective and anti-glare.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2004... What is described as the first film of its kind to combine both anti-reflective end anti-glare properties has been introduced by Autotype. The MARAG (MothEye--because of its resemblance to the eye structure of a moth--Anti-Reflective,...

Near-infrared and X-ray gauge options from NDC.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2004... NEW near-infrared and X-ray thickness gauges have been added to the film thickness measurement gauges made by NDC Infrared Engineering. The near-infrared FG710 is a high speed gauge for use with packaging materials such as polypropylene,...

Retrofittable thickness profiler 'pays back in months'.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2004... The SIG 140 On-Line Film Thickness Profiler is the latest in the SIG Profile range from Sussex Gauging. It is retrofittable and uses a patented non contact or contact capacitive measuring head for all types of film, producing a real time...

Blown film gauge control from Germany for dies up to 2 m.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2004... SULLIVAN Plastics Machinery has taken on the agency for Kdesigns of Germany, which makes a blown film profile control system. The company started only three years ago and has already supplied more than 80 systems, both as refits on existing...

Air bearings prevent roll set in sheeting.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2004... The problem of roll set on thick plastics which are re-elected before sheeting has been addressed by Doel Engineering which has developed a process using air flotation bars to deflect and extruded web to a sheeting machine out-of-line, parallel...

Roll stack improvements from Kuhne.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2004... KUHNE has improved the design of its roll stacks to achieve better film transparency, thermoforming properties and printability. Vertical stacks are made for PP, HDPE and HIPS, 30 degree tilted stacks for PET and horizontal for materials...

Liners for concrete pipe.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2004... A calendared sheet line for the production of liners for concrete pipes has been built by BG Plast for a Middle Eastern customer. The sheets are produced with T-shaped teeth on one surface, that anchor to the concrete as the pipes are cast....

Bandera continues the quest for total PET recycling.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2004... THE latest move by Bandera in equipment for producing film from reclaimed PET is to add in-line thermoforming, enabling it to offer complete lines including all ancillaries such as temperature control equipment. Bandera has been involved...

Low melt PVC compound prevents cables catching fire.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2004... CABLES used in safety-critical applications such as electric blankets or aircraft wiring can be made thinner and at lower cost with a new PVC compound produced by Dugdale. Dugdale makes negative temperature coefficient (NTC) compounds...

LNP adds more long fibre reinforced thermoplastics.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2004... LNP Engineering Plastics has added four products to its line of Verton long fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites. The first of these, Verton Xenoy composite based on its parent GE's PC/PBT, is a structural material combining high modulus...

FR PC/ABS is for next-generation TV housings.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2004... DOW Chemical Company has developed a new polycarbonate-ABS blend especially for television cabinets. TV manufacturers need a material with extremely high flow, UV stability, and resistance to ignition. That ignition resistance must conform to...

The Ultem-ate conductive compound.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2004... A THERMALLY and electrically conductive polyetherimide compound has been added to the LNP Engineering Plastics Konduit range. Konduit Ultem is based on LNP's parent company GE Plastics' Ultem PEI, and combines the dimensional stability of Ultem...

New melt-processable rubbers include transparent and sealing grades.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2004... NEW GRADES of Alcryn melt-processable rubber have been introduced by Advanced Polymer Alloys. The first, described as a breakthrough development, is a transparent material that maintains all the normal MPR properties such as durability,...

In-process reaction compounding produces enhanced TPEs.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2004... AEI COMPOUNDS has developed innovative speciality compounds based on DuPont Dow Elastomers' Engage polyolefin elastomer using patented in-process reaction compounding technology. This produces elastomeric compounds with enhanced thermal,...

Vectra LCP now developed for laser direct structuring.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2004... THE process for adding electronic circuits to injection mouldings using a laser to draw the tracks, developed by LPKF Laser & Electronics, has now been licensed to Ticona. In September 2003 (page 28) we reported that Bayer had taken a...

New styrenic block copolymers offer processing and designs gains.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2004... NEW developments in styrenic block copolymer technology lie behind Kraton Polymers' introduction of the Kraton A range. These materials incorporate a stiff rubber segment that is slightly more polar and results in improved compatibility with a...

PPA ousts nylon for DIY tuning manifold.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2004... AIR inlet manifolds for car engines moulded in plastics have until now been for OEM fitment, but a company in America is selling plastics manifolds as tuning accessories for the aftermarket. The LSX manifold from Fuel-AirSpark Technologies is...

New PET grade protects against UV.(Packaging Materials)
January 1, 2004... A new PET material from Voridian provides protection against ultraviolet radiation for food, beverage, cosmetic and other products packaged in it. UV light can degrade the vitamins, lipids, fatty acids, flavours and colours commonly found in...

Bigger, not smaller, particles make process aids more effective.(Additives)
January 1, 2004... IMPROVED functionality is claimed for fluoropolymer process aids for extruded polyolefins recently patented by DuPont Dow Elastomers. Until now the thinking has been that fluoropolymer process aids should have a small particle size and be...

Improved coupling agents for use with wood and natural fibres.(Additives)
January 1, 2004... POLYPROPYLENE and polyethylene waxes for use as coupling agents between plastics and natural fibre fillers have been introduced by Clariant. Licomont AR 504 is a polypropylene wax grafted with maleic anhydride, intended for use in natural...

Process aid for hard-to-handle rubbers.(Additives)
January 1, 2004... INDSPEC Chemical Corporation has developed a processing aid based on resorcinol for tyre and other rubber formulations that are hard to process. Ulti-Pro 100 reduces the viscosity of 'boardy' rubber while maintaining high stiffness and...

'The new industry standard pink'.(Additives)
January 1, 2004... THE FDA has given food contact approval to Ciba's Cromophtal Pink PT, a quinacridone pigment suitable for synthetic fibres and for most common plastics, which Ciba says could set a new market standard for the fibres and plastics industries to...

New chemistry for lead-free yellows and oranges.(Additives)
January 1, 2004... JOHNSON Matthey's Solaplex range of yellow and orange pigments is based on a new inorganic pigment chemistry and a new chromaphore known as CI Pigment Yellow 216. The new pigments occupy a unique colour space and form an environmentally...

PlugXPress injection unit augments 2c machine for In-Mould Assembly.(Injection Moulding)
January 1, 2004... TWO Cannon companies, Sandretto and Windsor, have combined to provide TRW Engineered Fasteners and Components with a three component moulding cell for the production of automotive air grilles. The cell consists of a Sandretto Series Novo Multi...

Static mixers chop cycle times.(Injection Moulding)
January 1, 2004... USE of Sulzer Chemtech static mixers at Intier Automotive Interiors has reduced cycle time by 23 per cent and colour change time by more than 75 per cent. The mixers were fitted to two similar 2,000 tonne machines running ABS and PP. The...

The NEXt all-electric from Nissei.(Injection Moulding)
January 1, 2004... A NEW series of all-electric machines has been introduced by Nissei. The NEX range is built in nine sizes from 30 to 450 tonnes, with options of 13 injection units covering screw diameters from 16 to 90 mm. In addition there are three injection...

TM range keeps growing.(Injection Moulding)
January 1, 2004... TWO large scale machines have been added to Battenfeld's expanding toggle lock injection machine series, the TM. The TM 5500 (550 tonnes) and TM 6500 (650 tonnes) bring the range to a total of 11 sizes from 50 to 650 tonnes. The TM range...

Demag and Schottli pitch for Chinese closures business.(Injection Moulding)
January 1, 2004... DEMAG Ergotech has joined forces with Swiss mould maker Schottli to sell a production system for closures in China. It comprises an Ergotech El-Exis S fast-cycling injection moulding machine and multi-daylight moulds for screw caps to a design...

British PVC pipe makers opt for Negri Bossi ...(Injection Moulding)
January 1, 2004... TWO pipe fitting moulders have recently extended their fleets of Negri Bossi injection machines. Polypipe of Doncaster has taken delivery of its 100th while the last four machines to be installed at Durapipe's Cannock plant have come from Negri...

... While in Ireland it's Sandretto.(Injection Moulding)
January 1, 2004... CORK PLASTICS, one of Ireland's I major extruders of pipe, rainwater and co-extruded cellular foam systems, as well as window profiles and other building products, has extended its moulding capacity with the addition of two Sandretto machines...

Injection moulding cut the cost of making intricate stainless steel parts.(Injection Moulding)
January 1, 2004... When Innovative Metal Products designed a new universal range of Motion Knee Hinges for Medistox, it needed stainless steel fittings to form the main frame, which has to have good strength and be aesthetically pleasing. Most conventional...

Topas keeps moisture out of pharmaceutical bottles.(Blow Moulding)
January 1, 2004... TICONA's Topas cyclo-olefin copolymer is being used as a moisture barrier layer in pharmaceutical bottles and vials moulded by Owens-Illinois. Reasons for its selection include low permeability to water vapour, high transparency, clarity,...

A million up for automotive spoiler moulder.(Blow Moulding)
January 1, 2004... POLYTEC Holden--the biggest employer in Bromyard, Herefordshire--has made its millionth car body spoiler. The former Holden Hydroman--it joined the international Polytec Group in 1997 and became Polytec Holden in 2000--made its first production...

Interbrew extends worldwide use of ActiTUF single barrier beer bottles.(Blow Moulding)
January 1, 2004... The ActiTUF single layer technology for barrier PET bottles from Mossi & Ghisolfi (M & G) has been adopted by Interbrew for more beer bottles. It has followed the use of the material in Russia, Romania and Bulgaria with launches in Croatia and...

Amcor 'sets new standards' in hot fill PET.(Blow Moulding)
January 1, 2004... A NEW standard for hot-fill PET bottles is being claimed by Amcor with the introduction of its Rebound bottle which is lighter, stronger, and more flexible in presentation than before. Rebound has become Amcor's standard hot-fill design and...

SIG to build-in TopWave testers.(Blow Moulding)
January 1, 2004... SIG Corpoplast and AgrTopWave have started a joint marketing operation for Agr's PET preform and bottle quality monitoring systems to be built into SIG Corpoplast's stretch blow moulding machines. The agreement covers two systems, the...

'Active' conical extruders are gentler with the material.(Pipe & Profile)
January 1, 2004... TWO more conical extruders have been added by Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik, supplementing the original BEX 2-54 C 20 to 140 kg/hr model with the BEX 2-72 C with an output range from 50 to 250 kg/hr and the BEX 2-42 CC with 10 to 70 kg/hr. ...

PE suppliers join technology package for on-the-fly diameter changing.(Pipe & Profile)
January 1, 2004... ATOFINA, BP Solvay and Egeplast have joined Krauss-Maffei in the market launch of the QuickSwitch system for pipe extrusion. Described in British Plastics & Rubber May 2003 issue, page 13, the system permits changes in pipe diameter to be made...

Eurocell plans 4 m [pounds sterling] expansion.(Pipe & Profile)
January 1, 2004... EUROCELL Profiles (UK)of Alfreton in Derbyshire, a window and door profile extruder belonging to the Plastics Converting Division of the Belgian Tessenderlo Group, is investing 4 million [pounds sterling] in a new extrusion hall, which will be...

Medical tubing is flexible without phthalates.(Pipe & Profile)
January 1, 2004... A PLASTICISER-free alternative to PVC is being used by the Natvar Division of Tekni-Plex of the USA for the production of SurePath 252 medical tubing for the administration of unstable drugs such as insulin and anaesthetic monitoring. The...

Release agent boosts mould wetting.(Composites)
January 1, 2004... Axel Plastics Research Laboratories has developed a new mould release specially for low VOC (volatile organic compounds) gel coats. These are low-styrene resins that typically do not flow or wet the mould surface as well as conventional gel...

Improved chopped strand mat.(Composites)
January 1, 2004... Johns Manville has developed an improved chopped strand mat for use in hand lay-up, resin transfer moulding and resin injection moulding. The new ES 22-6 mat uses a styrene-soluble emulsion binder based on polyvinyl acetate which is compatible...

Controller intended to work at high temperatures.(Temperature Control)
January 1, 2004... A PRESSURISING pump and purpose-built pressure maintaining vessel for temperatures up to 160 degC are built in to the Viceroy 160 water temperature controller from Tricool Engineering which is intended for applications involving high operating...

Major global supplier to pitch at UK polymer market.(Temperature Control)
January 1, 2004... GLOBAL process control systems manufacturer Rittal is planning to target the UK plastics and robber processing market for temperature control equipment, an area which it says it has not addressed before. Rittal makes a whole range of...

Flow adjustment available on retrofit manifold valves.(Temperature Control)
January 1, 2004... TOOL-TEMP now supplies Meccanica Generale manifold valves, which it says provide the required flow volume for effective temperature control where originally fitted regulator valves are inadequate--as is often the case when engineering materials...

Dryer manufacturers add compressed air units.(Materials Handling)
January 1, 2004... COMPRESSED air dryers have not been widely available in the UK--probably the best known available here has been the Fasti range. But that is changing with the introduction of dryers from Motan and from Wittmann. Compressed air dryers are...

Remote stock management benefits Distrupol and its customers.(Materials Handling)
January 1, 2004... DISTRUPOL is planning to introduce remote stock management to bulk materials customers across Europe following successful implementation at two sites in the UK. The system is based on the microwave measurement of polymer stock level in a...

Big bag emptier seals in dangerous dust.(Materials Handling)
January 1, 2004... AN UNLOADING system for flexible IBCs installed by Victrex put particular stress on dust containment. It is used to empty bags of hydroquinnone, and was installed to replace an existing in-house designed system which, despite having an...

Amine-free polyols cut PU foam emissions.(Reaction Processing)
January 1, 2004... BASF subsidiary Elastogran is claiming a first for its amine-free polyols. After two years of development the company has become the first to offer conventional polyetherols and graft polyols with antioxidants that are free of amines. The...

Flame retardant to replace pentaBDE.(Reaction Processing)
January 1, 2004... ALBEMARLE Corporation has developed a new flame retardant for polyurethane foams. It is intended as a replacement for pentabromodiphenyl ether, otherwise known as pentaBDE, which has been widely used as a flame retardant in PU foams,...

Baxenden banishes ozone depletion.(Reaction Processing)
January 1, 2004... HYDROFLUOROCARBONS have now been eliminated across the board in Baxenden's polyurethane systems. The company has completed a two-year programme of HCFC replacement and can now supply zero ozone depletion materials for flexible, integral skin,...

Wide application range for gear pump dispensing systems.(Reaction Processing)
January 1, 2004... A NEW range of variable ratio, low viscosity gear pump dispensing systems is said by its supplier, Intertronics, to be ideal for RIM and doming applications which require constant flow, as well as clear view filling using silicones in display...

In-mould coating cuts down PU emissions.(Reaction Processing)
January 1, 2004... CHEMICAL Innovations has developed an in-mould coating that minimises VOC emissions from polyurethane mouldings. Cilcoat W860SR-C780W is a water-based two-component system for use with semi-rigid PU foam mouldings with either integral skins or...

Screenless Sumo tackles tough scrap.(Reclamation)
January 1, 2004... A LOW speed screenless granulator is now available from Wittmann. The CMB Wittmann Sumo machine is designed for the reduction of hard and glass fibre reinforced scrap. Advantages are said to include low cutting chamber wear, reduced heating of...

Optical disc sprue reclaim spawns new small granulator.(Reclamation)
January 1, 2004... A NEW granulator from Getecha for small sprues up to 60 mm long is based on the design of the SRS-A1 machine for the reclaim of polycarbonate optical disc sprues. It has a footprint of 600 x 265 iron and is suitable for clean room operation....

Bayer.(Engineering Plastics)
January 1, 2004... To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its Makrolon polycarbonate, Bayer has published a 150 page book detailing the history of PC, from its invention in the laboratory to its first industrial scale production, and on through the milestones in...

Nickerson Europe.(Injection Moulding Ancillaries)
January 1, 2004... A brochure from Nickerson Europe describes new moulding ancillaries available from the company, and introduces the Smartflow range of fluid flow accessories. Included in the brochure are mould temperature valves, flow meters, water manifolds,...

Rapra.(Polymer Science)
January 1, 2004... Polymer Yearbook 18 is a collection of articles that highlight some important areas of current interest in polymer science, including synthesis of new materials, the kinetics of polymerisation and the characterisation of polymer systems An...

Rediweld.(Moulders)
January 1, 2004... A brochure from Rediweld Rubber & Plastics outlines its position as a single source provider of thermoplastic, thermoset and elastomer specialist moulding services. Recent investment has encompassed additional moulding capacity, expanded...

Brabender Technologie.(Materials Handling)
January 1, 2004... A new CD presents Brabender's whole programme for bulk ingredient feeding, weighing, discharging and flow metering. It is intended as a 'digital working manual' and contains detailed information on gravimetric and volumetric metering feeders,...

Spirex Corporation.(Plasticising Systems)
January 1, 2004... New literature from Spirex details the company's plasticising systems and provides information about the relationship of complete plasticising systems to specific polymer use, the parameters of proper processing, and the effective use of...

Masterflex.(Hoses)
January 1, 2004... A catalogue from Masterflex Technical Hoses describes the company's range of technical hoses and connecting systems, and a technical appendix section provides information on how to use hoses, pressure loss details, descriptions of materials,...

3T backs laser sintering for production as well as prototyping.(Prototyping)
January 1, 2004... 3T RPD is now claiming preeminence in the UK and third place internationally in capacity for rapid production of plastic components from a CAD model since the installation of its fifth laser sintering machine. Four of the five machines...

Nanoparticle technology meets stereolithography.(Prototyping)
January 1, 2004... DSM Somos has developed stereolithography materials that embody nanoparticle technology. The first of this new product line is known as NanoForm 15120, a composite material with properties similar to the glass-filled polyamides used in timed...

Software solution for machined prototypes.(Prototyping)
January 1, 2004... CNC machining company RT Palmer has L53 transformed itself from a production machining business into a specialist manufacturer of prototypes. The change came because the company saw a growing demand for prototypes made in the production...

3D printer makes prototypes in the office at an affordable price.(Prototyping)
January 1, 2004... THE InVision 3-D printer from 3D Systems allows designers and developers to turn 3D computer models into solid objects for less than 28,000 [pounds sterling]. The printer is a multijet modelling (MJM) device that uses a durable acrylic...

Calling all toolmakers.(Tooling)
January 1, 2004... The Gauge and Toolmakers Association is gathering information on the state of UK toolmaking, its peace in world rankings, and its projected form by 2008. The association invites all toolmakers, whether or not they are GTMA members, to share in...

Gate inserts save space and simplify tooling.(Tooling)
January 1, 2004... ONE-piece curved tunnel gate inserts from EXAflow of Germany enable parts to be gated non-visibly. The Miniflow gate is available in standard sizes from 0-1 to 0.47 [mm.sup.2], and the inserts are said to eliminate the need for complex EDM...

Mason Pinder invests in size and speed.(Tooling)
January 1, 2004... AN INVESTMENT of more than 700,000 [pounds sterling] on two new machine tools is the latest step in the transformation of Mason Pinder Toolmakers into a European supplier of large injection moulds weighing up to 25 tonnes. A Mecof 5-axis...

Laser sintering steel for rapid mould manufacturing.(Tooling)
January 1, 2004... 3D SYSTEMS has introduced a new SLS (selective laser sintering) steel product intended for the rapid manufacturing of injection moulds, die-casting tools, thermoforming moulds, and complex metal components. When processed on 3D's SLS...

Conductive core pins cut cycle times.(Tooling)
January 1, 2004... WITH 10 times better heat conductivity than steel, Z492 core pins made of beryllium-free copper can reduce cycle times by up to 30 per cent, says Hasco. They can be used to dissipate heat concentrations in mould areas inaccessible to cooling...