British Plastics & Rubber articles from January 2005

British Plastics & Rubber archives from January 2005

New die systems speed shift to lean manufacturing by cast film producers.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2005... The cast film industry's conventional business model of long runs and high inventories is being replaced by lean manufacturing, a strategy that enhances versatility and productivity but poses special challenges for custom film producers to...

Feedblock gives control over individual core and outer layers.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2005... A new version of Reifenhauser's REIcofeed coextrusion feedblock gives on-line profiling control of all the individual layers of a cast film up to nine. Each melt stream has its own adjustable profiler which compensates for adjustments to the...

Higher output of foamed PVC sheet.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2005... CINCINNATI Extrusion has increased 'the output of its extrusion equipment for PVC tree foam production. The Argos 132 parallel twin-screw extruder used to give a line output of 1,200 kg/h has the latest-generation, high-performance drive and...

Water cooling puts blown film head to head with cast.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2005... THE water-cooled blown film line developed by Brampton Engineering of Canada and unveiled at the 2001 K show is now finding customers in Europe. After extended trials two European film producers--one of them understood to be Nordpack of...

Another exponent of the downward blown water-quenched process is Rajoo Engineers of India which has developed a downward two layer blown film line to make clear film with less than 7 per cent gauge variation.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2005... * Another exponent of the downward blown water-quenched process is Rajoo Engineers of India which has developed a downward two layer blown film line to make clear film with less than 7 per cent gauge variation. The Aquaflex line makes 40 micron...

Collapsing frame combines the best of rollers and airboards.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2005... Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering has introduced a blown film collapsing frame which combines the features of rollers with those of airboards. The RollAir Collapser has a non contact airboard and composite rollers and is said to provide...

Static pinning reduces cast film shrinkage.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2005... A MAJOR producer of pallet stretch wrap film, Telford-based Eurofilms Extrusion, invested more than 3 million [pounds sterling] in cast and blown film technology and sought means for static control from Arrowquint, particularly where film was...

Dual sensors cope with off-position bubbles.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2005... TWO ultrasonic sensors are used to measure the distance to the film and regulate the robotic arm of the new Sussex Gauging OGS 145 blown film thickness control system. This allows measurement even if the bubble is off centre and slightly off...

Thickness sensor rides on consistent air cushion.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2005... TO ensure exact and reproducible conditions, the new VenPad capacitive thickness measuring system offered by Octagon Process Technology incorporates means to generate an air cushion of consistent short distance between the sensor and the film...

Magnetic induction gives thickness gauge product independence.(Film & Sheet Production)
January 1, 2005... A CONTINUOUS thickness measurement system for flat films and sheet developed by ElektroPhysik is based on the principle of magnetic induction, making it unaffected by humidity, density or colour of the material. It is also, compared with air...

Laminating machine is built for versatility.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
January 1, 2005... WEB Processing has introduced a versatile version of its Mark III laminating machine for companies who make a diverse range of end products with different adhesive patterns and types and coat weights. The Mark III is a roll to roll PU...

Airtight label prevents bags tearing.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
January 1, 2005... A label that creates an airtight reuseable bag seal that is guaranteed not to tear has been developed by a French company. The Etik Tack label from Etik Ouest is suitable for dry goods or products packaged in a modified atmosphere. The company...

Enercon absorbs Ahlbrand in the UK.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
January 1, 2005... Enercon Industries is now selling corona treatment equipment in the UK following the takeover of its close neighbour Ahlbrand Systems UK. Both companies shared the same address in Aylesbury and managing director of Enercon Industries Richard...

Static eliminators meet latest winding speeds and ATEX standards.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
January 1, 2005... NEW static control systems for film webs have been introduced by Meech Static Eliminators and WLT. The two new systems from Meech are for use in classified hazardous environments. Both are suitable for coating, laminating, finishing and...

Thompson adds equipment to increase vehicle component forming capacity.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
January 1, 2005... THOMPSON Plastics Group has expanded the thermoforming capability at its Vehicle Products Division's Hessle site near Hull. It has invested 500,000 [pounds sterling] on a new thermoformer and two five axis CNC trimming machines from Geiss. ...

Low pressure driers help JIT operation.(Materials Handling)
January 1, 2005... KOITO has installed two Maguire low pressure driers supplied by Summit at its main European plant at Droitwich where car lighting units are moulded. The factory runs on JIT principles and keeps the smallest possible stocks of materials, which...

Gravimetric calibration of volumetric dosing.(Materials Handling)
January 1, 2005... GRAVIMETRIC calibration can be made possible for volumetric dosing with the Movacolor Model MC30 automatic calibration unit available from Velox UK. The unit is placed on a stand-alone weigh scale, or gravimetric station, and the rate of...

Laser level indicator peers past awkward projections.(Materials Handling)
January 1, 2005... ALLISON Engineering's K-Tek LM02 target laser level transmitter is said to eliminate the problem of false echoes involved with radar or ultrasonic devices as the beam does not diverge or spread. The beam is only 50 mm wide and may be directed...

Recycling return air cuts drier energy consumption.(Materials Handling)
January 1, 2005... SANDRETTO UK is claiming 30 to 40 per cent energy savings for its latest DDT driers. A single desiccant system is offered for small throughputs and a double system for larger. Dewpoints to -50 degC can be achieved and operation is without...

Now overmould wood or metal for a quality feel.(Injection Moulding)
January 1, 2005... The EXO overmoulding process developed by Dow Chemical subsidiary Inclosia Solutions has been extended to work with wood and metal. The EXO overmoulding system enables a variety of decorative and functional coverings such as leather, suede...

PICME leads Daniels to productivity improvement.(Injection Moulding)
January 1, 2005... LOOK after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves. Daniels Healthcare in Kidlington had the big issues under control but found much needed improvement from concentrating on the smaller issues that might be overlooked. The...

PC/ABS is formulated for Engel's X-Melt.(Injection Moulding)
January 1, 2005... BAYER MaterialScience has developed a special Bayblend PC/ABS grade to achieve the thinwall flow made possible by the Engel X-melt expansion injection moulding process. The process involves exerting a pressure up to 3,000 bar upon the melt...

Cost of transport makes domestic big part moulding attractive.(Injection Moulding)
January 1, 2005... CINCINNATI Milacron has built a Maxima 3,900 tonne twin platen machine with two 24 kg injection units for coinjection moulding which can process approximately 1,350 kg/hr of PE or 1,000 kg/hr of PP. It is the second largest coinjection machine...

Six-axis robots meet growing demands in plastics routing.(Automation)
January 1, 2005... The need to trim ever more complex thermoformed and composites parts has led to the development of six-axis robot based routing systems. Paul Etchells from KMT Cutting Systems (formerly ABB KMT Waterjet Systems) describes the improvements that...

Wittmann lowers robot prices by using cheaper manufacturing.(Automation)
January 1, 2005... Wittman's Series 7 linear robots are reckoned to be more than 20 per cent cheaper than previous models because of production capacity available to the company in Hungary and China. Equipment made in China will probably be supplied to the UK by...

Robots at full stretch.(Automation)
January 1, 2005... New Apex SC three-axis servo-driven robots meet requirements for 3 m long vertical and traversing movements on moulding machines of more than 500 tonnes. Heavy duty motors are fitted to accommodate 50 kg payloads and positional accuracy to 0-1...

Lid handling is brought up to date without using robots.(Automation)
January 1, 2005... HUSKY's SlideChutes in-mould automation system has been devised to solve problems with traditional lid handling methods. According to Husky very few advances have been made in lid-handling technology over the past 15 years. Most moulders still...

Robot maker expands range by acquisition.(Automation)
January 1, 2005... SWISS robot maker Staubli, which includes robots specifically designed for plastics processing in its range, has bought the robotics activities of Bosch-Rexroth of Germany. The addition of Bosch-Rexroth's SCARA robot technology gives Staubli a...

Hang on to mouldings and you know they're safe.(Automation)
January 1, 2005... A RECENT installation by PCE Automation worked on the theory that keeping hold of parts is better than having to re-orientate to perform the next function. The job is a 24 cavity flip-top closure in PP which needed to be closed immediately...

Robot maintains cavity separation.(Automation)
January 1, 2005... Excessive rejection of good parts when one part in a batch is found faulty can be avoided by using a new take-out robot from Waldorf Technik of Germany which maintains separation of parts from multi-cavity moulds. The Direct 1S robot ensures...

Three robots per machine at Cannon Avent.(Automation)
January 1, 2005... SEPRO is to install two automation cells at Cannon Avent for the production of packaging for baby soothers and bottle teats, each cell incorporating three beam robots serving one moulding machine. The new cells will complement two already...

Unattended system counts and boxes around the clock.(Automation)
January 1, 2005... A PRODUCT handling and counting system designed to work unattended round the clock has been installed by UPM at Worldwide Dispensers on a line producing glands for a wine box valve. The mouldings are made on a Netstal machine running a 32...

Big suppliers join forces in injection blow.(Blow Moulding)
January 1, 2005... MAJOR players in the injection blow moulding business have joined forces to promote multilayer bottles, and another group has come together to promote injection stretch blown polypropylene. Kortec, which supplies turnkey systems for...

IRD 'could save thousands of Euros' for bottle manufacturers.(Blow Moulding)
January 1, 2005... THE IRD--infrared dryer--built under license by UPM Machinery Sales is now being promoted to the PET bottle sector in addition to the PET sheet business where it has achieved much of its success so far. Don Cooper of Trendpam--UK agent for Aoki...

Gneuss lowers effective cost of filtration.(Compounding)
January 1, 2005... A LOWER cost melt filtration system has been introduced by Gneuss of Germany, whose products have traditionally been in the upper price bracket. The SFXmagnus is based on the company's RSFgenius, but has had the integrated self-cleaning...

Improved ways of incorporating silicones.(Compounding)
January 1, 2005... NEW Silicone-based materials from Wacker Silicones are set to improve polymer compounding by modifying polymers in new ways to achieve different properties, and by reducing the complexity of combining different materials. The impact and...

Extensible system for feeding masterbatches.(Compounding)
January 1, 2005... BRABENDER's new GranuMaster modular masterbatch feeding system can be extended for any number of ingredients and is claimed to be particularly suitable for on-line compounding. Basic units are compact feeding stations with a circular...

Dedicated plant makes wood/plastic composites.(Compounding)
January 1, 2005... PALLMANN has introduced the Palltruder extruder to produce a dry, homogeneous and free flowing granulate with a high bulk density from thermoplastics and natural wood. This material, known as Pallwood, has a moisture content below 1 per cent...

Ceramic die plate prevents pelletiser holes from freezing.(Compounding)
January 1, 2005... ECON of Austria has selected a ceramic material with low heat conductivity as the material for its underwater pelletiser die plates to prevent the problem of individual holes freezing because of big differences between the temperatures of the...

Second unit joins Regloplas budget range.(Temperature Control)
January 1, 2005... THE new Regloplas 150smart RT60 oil mould temperature controller operates up to 150 degC and has 6 kW heating capacity and 28 kW cooling. It continues the 'low budget, high end' approach taken last year with the introduction of the 90smart unit...

Getting colder up north.(Temperature Control)
January 1, 2005... COOLING equipment supplier Aqua Cooling Solutions has opened a northern office at the Shaw Park Business Centre in Huddersfield. It will stock a range of spare parts and consumables, including specialist inhibited glycols, as well as having...

One size fits all.(Temperature Control)
January 1, 2005... New Rittal air-air heat exchangers have interchangeable 30, 45 and 60 W/K aluminium modules which all fit the same size of housing, allowing easy upgrading. Units, which can be internally or externally mounted, have finned exchangers protected...

Extended stroke reaches mouldings on the production line.(Finishing)
January 1, 2005... AN extended forward pad stroke to the print area is a feature of the new Teca Print TPX201 pad printer to allow large mouldings to be printed either in a jig or while being indexed on a production line. The printer has a scaled pot system...

3D UV curing under inert gas.(Finishing)
January 1, 2005... A device for UV curing of coatings under inert gas conditions suitable for the BASF Larolux process has been developed by Dr Honle under the name Uvacube inert. Enhanced surface qualities can be optained on complicated 3D surface geometries...

New York plumbers want plastic piping ban.(Pipe & Profile)
January 1, 2005... THE safety of plastic water pipe is being disputed in New York State, USA, where plumbing companies are deciding whether to fight a relaxation of the use of plastic pipe in large buildings. Plastic pipe is allowed in all construction...

Plastics/metal pipe equipment collaboration.(Pipe & Profile)
January 1, 2005... AN agreement providing for exclusive cooperation to produce equipment to make composite plastics-metal pipes has been signed by Cincinnati Extrusion of Austria and Nexans Production Lines and Technology Division, Germany. Turnkey lines to...

Dow tunes up performance for rigid packaging.(Packaging Materials)
January 1, 2005... HIGHER performance grades of several of its packaging materials have been introduced by Dow Chemical for rigid packaging applications. As well as offering improved stiffness and toughness, the new materials are also said to offer higher...

New polyesters for clear, thick bottles and labels.(Packaging Materials)
January 1, 2005... EASTMAN Chemical Company has added two materials to its packaging product portfolio. The first is a new grade in its Glass Polymer line of materials that combine the shelf appeal of glass with the light weight and shatter resistance of...

Film masterbatch for odour control.(Packaging Materials)
January 1, 2005... THE latest PE film masterbatch from Viba of Italy is designed to absorb gas molecules developed during organic ripening or decomposition and confers an 'odour control' effect. Applications for Vibatan are in refrigerated and non refrigerated...

Transparent PP is freezer-resistant.(Packaging Materials)
January 1, 2005... BORPACT SG930MO is a new clarified polypropylene from Borealis for transparent packaging that is deep freeze resistant. Borealis says it overcomes the technical challenge of combining transparency and low temperature impact in thin wall,...

Transparent biodegradable for conventional processing.(Packaging Materials)
January 1, 2005... FKuR Kunststoff has introduced a transparent biodegradable material for extrusion and injection moulding. Biograde 200C joins the company's Nature Compounds product line and is wholly created from renewable resources. The material is said...

Ringing the changes on engineering thermoplastics.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2005... THERE'S an old adage that you shouldn't try to run before you've learned how to walk. The people at Cyclics Corporation don't seem to have heard of it. The innovative US company has been in existence for five years, announced plans to double...

Nylon 6 developed for growth in laser welding.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2005... DSM Engineering Plastics has developed a laser-weldable polyamide 6 to exploit the design freedom and production efficiency of this form of welding. The process is proving particularly attractive in the automotive industry because it allows...

Friendly flame retardant nylons.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2005... FRISETTA Polymer has developed a range of flame retardant glass reinforced nylons that are free of halogens and phosphorus. The new Frianyl compounds comply with the requirements of WEEE and RoHS, and are UL94 V-0 rated at 0.75 mm. They also...

The form and properties of CBT.(Engineering Materials)
January 1, 2005... CBT requires a catalyst for polymerisation, and Cyclics makes the material in two forms: one-part systems have the resin and catalyst premixed, and in two-part systems the resin and catalyst are supplied separately for mixing during processing....

Materials data on demand.(Software)
January 1, 2005... Computerised availability of materials data has come a long way since the introduction of CAMPUS. Computer access itself has come a long way as well, and today it seems hardly worth storing information on a local machine when the most...

Clariant offers state of the art colour imaging.(Software)
January 1, 2005... CLARIANT Masterbatches is equipping its ColorWorks design and technology centres worldwide with ColorViz Indigo systems to help designers visualise new products. The Indigo computer imaging system was developed for three-dimensional...

Elysium CAD Doctor is customised for Moldflow.(Software)
January 1, 2005... A COLLABORATION between Moldflow Corporation and CAD data translation and repair specialist Elysium has resulted in Moldflow CAD Doctor. This is a customised version of Elysium's CAD Doctor software, optimised for use with Moldflow's Plastics...

New release for Moldflow Plastics Advisers.(Software)
January 1, 2005... THE newly released version 7.1 of Moldflow's Plastics Advisers includes new features that expand the scope of analysis and improve productivity. A notable addition is an option for controlling the trade-off between computing speed and process...

Fluent upgrades model and mesh software.(Software)
January 1, 2005... FLUENT, the world's largest provider of computational fluid dynamics software and services, has released a major upgrade to its Gambit CAD cleanup and mesh generating software. Version 2.2 now has fully automatic clean tip options for the...

Ensinger selects MAPICS EPR.(Software)
January 1, 2005... IN A deal worth about 350,000 [pounds sterling], Ensinger UK Group is installing the MAPICS SyteLine 7 ERP (enterprise resource planning) system across the group companies of Ensinger Ltd, Trig Engineering and Ensinger Precision Engineering....

Manufacturing management.(Software Directory)
January 1, 2005... PlasWare Manufacturing System Plastics Software Lid (01428 656595). E-mail: sales@plasware.co.uk Web site: www.plasware.co.uk Manages your business from order receipt to invoicing including order processing, planning and stock...

European sourcing service.(What's New on the Web)
January 1, 2005... EUROMAP, the European committee of machinery manufacturers for the plastics and rubber industries, has set up an online sourcing service. The European Sourcing Service is effectively a searchable and cross-classified directory of plastics and...

Clariant.(What's New on the Web)
January 1, 2005... Clariant has revised its website dedicated to flame retardants. Content includes the basics of fire outbreak and progression, protection through flame retardants, legal aspects, news, industry facts and figures, and a comprehensive archive. A...

Eastman Glass Polymer.(What's New on the Web)
January 1, 2005... Eastman Chemical Company describes its redesigned Glass Polymer pages as a microsite. It is aimed at brand owners and packaging designers, and sets out the potential for product differentiation offered by the polymer's glassy look and feel. The...

Mecmesin.(What's New on the Web)
January 1, 2005... Mecmesin has rebuilt its website to include on-line sales of selected instruments. These include a manually operated test stand, analogue and digital force gauges and three models of gram gauge in a wide range of capacities. The products are...

Stopol Auctions.(What's New on the Web)
January 1, 2005... Ohio-based Stopol Auctions bills itself as the only auction website dedicated exclusively to the plastics industry. The aim is to bring the competitive atmosphere and dynamics of the auction room directly to the buyer's desktop. Site...

Merquinsa.(What's New on the Web)
January 1, 2005... TPUXpress is Merquinsa's new online resource centre for thermoplastic polyurethanes. The aim is to provide customer support 'anywhere, anytime'. Site visitors can request samples or information, and place detailed technical enquiries via online...

Dyneon.(What's New on the Web)
January 1, 2005... An e-marketing agreement with SpecialChem has resulted in an online TechCenter devoted to Dyneon's range of polymer processing additives. The approach covers benefits and applications, with reference to manufacturing problems such as melt...

Great Lakes Chemical Corporation.(What's New on the Web)
January 1, 2005... Great Lakes' new website is dedicated to flame retardants and is aimed at plastics producers and compounders. It provides in-depth information about selection, technical matters, safety data and regulatory requirements for Europe, Asia and the...

VitasheetGroup.(What's New on the Web)
January 1, 2005... VitasheetGroup is the thermoplastic sheet operation of British Vita that has been newly formed from 13 plastics sheet businesses. The British components were VTS Royalite, VTS Plastech and VTS Doeflex. They join companies based in France,...

Packaging and materials organisations to merge.(Update)
January 1, 2005... THE Institute of Packaging is planning to merge with the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining to increase its resources to meet five objectives: to gain critical mass and achieve financial security; to enhance the professional status of...

Biopolymer blended into computer housing ...(Update)
January 1, 2005... A NOTEBOOK computer is about to go on sale in Japan with a case containing a bio-sourced plastic. The Fujitsu FMV-BIBLO NB80K will have a housing moulded from a blend of a Ecodear polylactic acid from Toray, and a 'non-crystalline plastic' with...

... while your mobile phone becomes biodegradable.(Update)
January 1, 2005... A biodegradable material has been incorporated into electronics in this country with a novel approach from the University of Warwick's Warwick Manufacturing Group. It has worked with PVAXX Research and Development and Motorola to mould a mobile...

Another link claimed between polycarbonate and cancer.(Update)
January 1, 2005... MORE weight has been added to the arguments over the health issues surrounding bisphenol A--from which polycarbonate is made, but also used in the manufacture of epoxy resins, polysulphone, polyarylate, and some polyesters. BPA has been claimed...

Printed plastic electronic label 'could replace bar codes'.(Update)
January 1, 2005... A GERMAN company partly owned by stamping foil manufacturer Leonhard Kurz has produced a plastic RFID chip which it expects to become available commercially next year. The intention is to replace bar codes, which can typically store 44 bits,...

Plastics exhibitions proliferate.(Update)
January 1, 2005... THE PDM--Plastics Design & Moulding exhibition scheduled for Telford for April 12--14 this year will be followed by a similar event, also at the Telford International Centre, on September 26 -28, 2006. Organiser Emap says the event will take...

Window blinds react to light intensity.(Update)
January 1, 2005... COATING machinery specialist Web Processing Machinery has developed a process for coating roller and vertical blind fabrics with a polychromatic material to adjust the translucency of the blinds to match the strength of sunlight they are meant...

BP to make LLDPE faster as it improves sell-off package.(Materials Marketplace)
January 1, 2005... BP is to increase output of LLDPE from its Grangemouth plant to meet higher demand. This has been made possible by the adoption of a BP/Nova Chemicals catalyst, Novacat T, which has enabled the plant to run faster. BP's gas phase Innovene plant...

M & G names site for world's biggest PET plant.(Materials Marketplace)
January 1, 2005... THE world's largest PET plant, planned for South America by M&G, will be built near the town of Ipojuca in the State of Pernambuco in North Eastern Brazil. The new plant will have a capacity of 450,000 tonnes and is expected to come on-stream...

DuPont and Dow to carve up elastomers joint venture.(Materials Marketplace)
January 1, 2005... DUPONT Dow Elastomers is to be split tip in June with its portfolio being broadly returned to its founding partners. The company was formed in 1996 with the aim of achieving elastomers development strength greater than the sum of its parts. Dow...

Rapid demand growth forces expansion of Antwerp MDI/aniline production.(Materials Marketplace)
January 1, 2005... BASF and Bayer are to invest in their MDI and aniline production facilities at Antwerp in Belgium to meet higher than expected demand. BASF is to expand capacity for MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) at Antwerp in the second quarter of the...

Indian Oil to enter petrochemicals with PP plant.(Materials Marketplace)
January 1, 2005... INDIAN Oil Corporation--the world's 19th largest petroleum company is to enter the polyolefins business with the building of a 600,000 tonnes polypropylene plant. It has plans for an integrated hydrocarbon products business, using its own...

Joint effort to produce new foamed material.(Materials Marketplace)
January 1, 2005... ARKEMA and Alveo are working together to develop foamed products made from polyether block amide. Arkema makes Pebax PEBA, and Alveo is a specialist in crosslinked polyolefin foams. The new Pebaxfoam material is intended for a range of...