British Plastics & Rubber articles from July 2003

British Plastics & Rubber archives from July 2003

New EPDM combines metallocene catalysts with gas phase production.(Engineering Elastomers)(ethylene-propylene diene monomer rubber)
July 1, 2003... Nordel MG EPDM represents the fusion of the two latest technologies, gas phase polymerisation and metallocene catalysis. J G Pillow and C Daniel of DuPont Dow Elastomers' European Technical Centre in Geneva look at the character of the polymer...

Flip flop colour coating for rubbers.(Engineering Elastomers)(Whitford Plastics develops Xylan 2222)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A coating has been developed by Whitford Plastics to give rubber components an irridescent finish. Xylan 2222 is based on Whitford's existing Xylan 2020 weatherstrip coating, but uses pearlescent pigments to give a metallic colour-shifting...

New compounds zap bugs that other antimicrobials can't reach.(Engineering Elastomers)(Milliken Chemical)
July 1, 2003... A SERIES of antimicrobial heat-cured rubber compounds that are said to improve on other methods of resisting bacterial growth on rubber components has been introduced by the speciality elastomers business of Milliken Chemical. These patented...

DuPont Dow improves Kalrez chemical sealing.(Engineering Elastomers)(DuPont Dow Elastomers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... DuPont Dow Elastomers has improved on the sealing performance of its Kalrez 4079 perfluoroelastomer with the Spectrum 7075 grade for severe sealing applications in the chemical and hydrocarbon process industries. It gives better seal force...

Increased scope and capacity for polyolefin elastomers.(Engineering Elastomers)(ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical)
July 1, 2003... NEW polyolefin elastomers being introduced by ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical increase the scope of these materials across a range of industrial applications. Vistamaxx speciality elastomers developed by ExxonMobil using its Exxpol metallocene...

Better base resistance now with APA Viton range.(Engineering Elastomers)
July 1, 2003... THE new grades of Viton fluoroelastomer made with DuPont Dow's recently developed Advanced Polymer Architecture have been further extended, while the initial materials, introduced towards the end of last year, are receiving favourable comments...

Higher performance materials for cure-in-place sealing.(Engineering Elastomers)
July 1, 2003... A new seal production technology from DuPont Dow Elastomers extends the range of materials that can be used in a cure in place process to more than just silicone or polyurethane and brings to the technique materials capable of operating in high...

Cyclo-olefin used to make optical discs.(Engineering Plastics)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... CYCLO-olefin polymer (COP) is being used in commercial production in Europe, the USA and Hong Kong to make a new generation of optical discs developed by Philips and Sony. The SACD--super audio compact disc is a hybrid disc with a conventional...

Cars will never look the same again.(Engineering Plastics)(Polycarbonate automotive glazing joint venture between Bayer and GE Plastics goes commercial with its first system)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... THE polycarbonate automotive glazing joint venture between Bayer and GE Plastics has gone commercial with its first system. The company was set up in 1998. Exatec uses both Lexan and Makrolon polycarbonates as the basis for its automotive...

sPS replaces thermoset in heater casing.(Engineering Plastics)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A SYNDIOTACTIC polystyrene compound has been supplied as an alternative to a thermoset for making a caravan heater casing, lowering both material and processing costs. PolyOne recommended a 30 per cent glass fibre-filled Edgetek sPS to...

DuPont sets up liquid colorants business.(Engineering Plastics)
July 1, 2003... DuPont has set up a business unit to supply custom formulated liquid colorants and fine particle dispersions from initial development to continuing manufacture. Prior to this the company made liquid colorants and dispersions for internal use...

LNP extends its compounds range with more GE materials.(Engineering Plastics)
July 1, 2003... MORE GE Plastics materials have been adopted as bases for compounds made by its subsidiary LNP Engineering Plastics. The Verton long glass fibre compound range now includes grades using Xenoy PC/PBT and Valox PBT. There are also new...

New sources for in-house ABS colouring.(Engineering Plastics)
July 1, 2003... HELP for moulders needing to colour ABS in-house has come from two sources in Germany. BASF has joined a consortium of masterbatch producers in the Colorflexx service, while Atlantic Polymers has linked with Toray of Japan in a similar...

US compounder sets up shop in Kent.(Engineering Plastics)
July 1, 2003... American specialist materials compounder PolyChemAlloy has set up a European sales operation in Kent. The company supplies speciality polyolefin and engineering compounds across a range of industries where material specification is exacting. As...

Distribution changes for engineering plastics.(Engineering Plastics)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... RHODIA has appointed Ashland to distribute its Technyl nylons across Europe, while PolyOne is aiming to improve its Irish penetration by appointing Total Polymer Solutions to handle some of its products. The Rhodia/Ashland tie up ends the...

Rhodia adds FR nylons with WEEE/ROHS in mind.(Engineering Plastics)
July 1, 2003... TO MEET current and emerging regulations restricting the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, Rhodia has introduced a number of halogen and red phosphorus-free flame retardant nylons. One compound in...

Now you can paint or plate acetal without problems.(Engineering Plastics)
July 1, 2003... THE difficulties of painting or plating acetal have been overcome by DuPont which has introduced Delrin Decorating Solutions, a systemised approach with two grades of material for plating and three for painting, an etching solution to activate...

EPS cup beats vending machine challenges.(Engineering Plastics)
July 1, 2003... PROBLEMS with the use of thin-walled EPS cups in automatic vending machines are said to be overcome by using Nova Chemicals' Dylite material. This has been adopted by Autobar Disposables' Veriplast International division in the UK to make a new...

High density foams for 3D gaskets.(Engineering Plastics)
July 1, 2003... TWO NEW ranges of heavier density cross-linked block foams have been introduced by Zotefoams under the Neolene brand. The foams are made using a new free expansion manufacturing process that produces a smooth, regular and fine cell structure...

GE focuses on extreme duty, and adds a thermosetting PPO.(Engineering Plastics)
July 1, 2003... GE Plastics has introduced its first engineering thermoset as part of a raft of new higher performance materials branded X Gen resin. Noryl ETX is based on polyphenylene oxide, cross linked with styrene monomer. Varying the PPO content...

New software gives weigh scale blenders more control.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... WITH its new LineMaster software Maguire is claiming that extruders can achieve consistent accuracy in material consumption and product quality using nothing more elaborate than a weigh scale blender. The LineMaster combines blender...

Feeder never needs cleaning.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... THE NEW FlexWall plus feeder from Brabender Technologie eliminates the need for cleaning when product changeovers are made. The unit has two parts, a chassis on to which the load cell, motor and paddle mechanism are mounted, and the feed unit...

Conair adds loaders and dryers.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... Compressed air and vacuum versions of the free-flow Tube Loader have been introduced. The Tube Loader, as its name suggests, is a vertical tube which has a full width discharge flap at the bottom, so there is no narrowing of the flow path to...

Conveying, dosing and blending updates from Colortronic.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... IMPROVEMENTS have been made across the range to Colortronic's blending, dosing, feeding and conveying equipment. The company's range of vacuum conveying units has been completed to cover conveyors with capacities from 0.5 to 88 litres. ...

A central system not for you? Why not? John Smith of Conair Europe argues that even small companies can benefit from centralised materials handling.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... WHILE a central materials handling system may not always be the right answer for all processors, there are very few who could not benefit from automating materials management in at least part of their operation. The key to success lies in...

Pellet deduster is now cheaper to buy and easier to own.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... PELLETRON Corporation of the USA has re-designed its P5 Deduster dust contaminant removal system for small to midsize processors. The original version, which was introduced in 1991, had a feeder attachment to help control the material flow into...

Mobile loader serves multiple machines.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... A cost-effective approach to machine loading from bags or silos has been taken by Spiroflow with its mobile spiral conveyor which serves multiple machines. This consists of a bin on castors with a spiral conveyor attached to reach up to a...

Dustcheck disposes of Doeflex dust.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... PVC compounder Doeflex has built a new line for the production of PVC powder and pellets and sought a quiet running dust extraction installation that could be accommodated inside the factory as outside space was limited. A Dustcheck Wing 328...

Automatic handling pays dividends at Hager.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... MANUAL HANDLING of materials has been eliminated at the Telford moulding shop of international electrical supply products manufacturer Hager. The Telford moulding shop has 28 injection moulding machines, using a range of 16 materials,...

Bag dumping station keeps things clean.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... A NEW self-contained bag dumping system has been produced by Flexicon (Europe). It is mounted on a castor-wheeled frame with a hinged operator platform and incorporates a receiver hopper, dust collectors, bag compactor, flexible screw conveyor...

Vacuum drying speeds test sample turn round.(Materials Handling)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... PRODUCTION of tensile specimens at the LNP Engineering Plastics headquarters laboratory in the USA has nearly doubled since the installation of higher performance materials dryers. LNP has installed five Maguire Low Pressure Dryers in place...

Dust free material handling system for poor flowing powders.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... EARLIER this year, mht material handling technologies installed a conveying system for calcium carbonate filler at Vita Thermoplastics in Middleton, Manchester. The system consisted of a big-bag unloading unit, a pneumatic feeding system to a...

Robots make sure the hose connections are right.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... THERE are various ways of preventing the wrong materials line being connected at a centralised feeding system. The lines can be electronically or physically coded so they only fit the right sources, they can be connected through an automatic...

Birkby's buys Summit system.(Materials Handling)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... SUMMIT Systems has installed a 250,000 [pounds sterling] materials handling system at Birkby's Plastics, commissioning it on the same day as the Liversedge-based company was purchased from Marubeni in a management buy-out. The installation is...

Sandretto installs bespoke system for KMS.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... INJECTION machine supplier Sandretto UK has extended its operation to a wider level, and is now supporting machine installation with materials handling systems. The company has sold a materials handling system to trade moulder KMS to...

Powder batch weighing to [+ or -] 0.25 per cent.(Materials Handling)
July 1, 2003... RECENT UK installations of the Chronos Clean-Feed vacuum conveying/weighing system have included a major cable compounder in the north-east and a flooring manufacturer just north of London. Clean-Feed automates powders batch weighing,...

Injection machine makers put tooling in a spin.(Injection Moulding)
July 1, 2003... VERTICALLY pivoted rotating tools have been shown to improve productivity in multi-component moulding, but HPM of the USA (now part of Taylor's Industrial Service) has gone a step further and rotates the whole moving platen. Its 360-5,000...

Rapid write down for Arburg drive control.(Injection Moulding)
July 1, 2003... THE Arburg Energy Saving (AES) variable speed drive controllers optionally available for Arburg injection moulding machines have been added to the list of energy-saving drives which qualify for Enhanced Capital Allowance under the provisions of...

Husky rolls out new moulding machines and robots.(Injection Moulding)
July 1, 2003... A PACKAGE of machine upgrades and a new line of robots has come from Husky. The new machine developments are a revision of the company's Hylectric hybrid machines, including the addition of a Thixomolding unit, and new machines for PET preform...

Higher output planned for multi-layer PET preforms.(Injection Moulding)
July 1, 2003... THE proprietary multi-layer moulding process for PET preforms developed by Owens-Illinois is to be made more productive through a development agreement with Husky. The SurShot process gives fine control of the layer thickness and has always...

Modified injection unit beats screw slippage of self-lubricating compounds.(Injection Moulding)
July 1, 2003... SELF-LUBRICATING compounds contain additives which give a low friction coefficient and high wear-resistance to the moulded product. Unfortunately, when you need to mould them their very nature inhibits proper plasticising because they slip...

New big K-M series.(Injection Moulding)
July 1, 2003... Krauss-Maffei is planning to replace its MC series of large machines with a new range, the two platen MX series, starting in the autumn. The MX machines will extend from 800 to 5,400 tonnes. www.kraussmaffei.co.uk Factfinder 145

Arburg offers special control package.(Injection Moulding)
July 1, 2003... ARBURG is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its Selogica control system by introducing the Allrounder C 'control+' model at a promotional price. The machine, available between 30 and 220 tonnes, is based on the existing C series, with a...

Expansion through investment in Arburg.(Injection Moulding)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... INVESTMENT programmes by two British moulders has included the purchase of a number of Arburg machines. Loblite, which makes weatherproof electrical switches and sockets at Gateshead, has spent 135,000 [pounds sterling] on four Arburgs...

Joining the electric generation.(Injection Moulding)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... L & D Mouldings of Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, has moved into all-electric moulding with the purchase of a Toshiba EC 40 tonne machine and is planning to buy more all-electrics. MD and chairman David Kendall says that because of the lower...

Engel takes over Corpoplast preform system business.(Injection Moulding)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... ENGEL is taking over the Premax PET bottle preform business from SIG Corpoplast. It has supplied SIG--and previously Krupp--Corpoplast with the injection moulding systems incorporated in Premax for several years. Last year it introduced its own...

Hydraulic punching used for hole cutting in automation cell.(Injection Moulding)
July 1, 2003... SPECIALIST hydraulic actuation has been added to the possibilities in Wittmann automation cells through a new co-operation between Wittmann UK and hydraulic press manufacturer P J Hare. The two companies joined forces in the production of a...

K-M introduces its own robot brand.(Injection Moulding)
July 1, 2003... A Krauss-Maffei branded take-out robot has been introduced following K.M's takeover of the German automation firm Neureder towards the end of last year. The NR 160 linear robot is fully integrated with the injection moulding machine, machine...

Demag gets exclusive status from Valeo.(Injection Moulding)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... AUTOMOTIVE systems group Valeo has named Demag Ergotech as its worldwide exclusive supplier of injection moulding machines for the next two years. This implies not only that Valeo will buy all its machines from Demag, but that the two companies...

The benefits of direct drive extrusion at no extra cost.(Pipe And Profile)
July 1, 2003... THE direct drive extruder shown by Reifenhauser at K2001 has gone into series production. In the REITorque design the motor drives the screw shaft directly without a gearbox, couplings or belt drives. Torques from 300 to 11,000 Nm can be...

Don't scrap worn twinscrew barrels--reline them.(Pipe And Profile)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Worn parallel twin screw extruder barrels can be reclaimed with a relining process from JBL Feedscrews that the company says is not available anywhere else in the UK. Provided there is sufficient wall thickness, the twin barrel can be...

Continuous process for irrigation pipe.(Pipe And Profile)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... IRRIGATION pipe has conventionally been made by inserting injection moulded drip nozzles at regular intervals into the pipe. This has been done by driving the drippers into the pipe just after extrusion through the rear of a crosshead and at...

K-M expands the versatility of its extruder ranges.(Pipe And Profile)(Krauss-Maffei)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... BUDGET-priced off-the-shelf single screw and more flexible PVC twin screw extruders have been added to the Krauss-Maffei range. The new XS extruders are targeted primarily at standard extrusion applications at the lower end of the output...

Bespoke production of sports car panel pre-pregs.(Composites)(MG Rover uses Sprint CBS from SP Systems)
July 1, 2003... A DEDICATED pre-pregging system is being used to supply kits to MG Rover for panels on its X-Power SV high performance sports car which is being produced at 250 cars per year over a four year period. The car uses composites panels for two...

New HQ for Tod.(Composites)(W & J Tod has opened a new head office and CATIA design centre)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... COMPOSITE components engineering group W & J Tod has opened a new head office and CATIA design centre at Crewkerne, in Somerset. The move is the result of a three year programme to transfer the company's specialist engineering and design...

Brookhouse invests in co-ordinate measuring.(Composites)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A FIVE AXIS coordinate measuring machine has been installed at the Darwen factory complex of Brookhouse Patterns to serve all the companies in the Brookhouse Holdings group. These chiefly supply the aerospace industry. The new machine...

Is this the biggest one-piece GRP moulding?(Composites)
July 1, 2003... This new imitation Portland stone club logo for Charlton Athletic Football Club is thought by its manufacturer, Dartford Composites, to be the biggest one-piece GRP item ever produced. It weighs 5 1/2 tonnes, and measures 26 ft x 100 mm thick....

'Plug and play' line for slabstock batches.(Reaction Processing)
July 1, 2003... A NEW slabstock production line from for discontinuous production of different grades of foam from a small production space. The BlocFoamat (BFM) Compact line can make a variety of polyether foam grades: standard foams, high-resilient...

Castable PU gets tougher.(Reaction Processing)
July 1, 2003... IMPROVEMENTS have been made to the resilience, tear strength and tensile strength of Monothane heat-pour-cure castable polyurethane elastomer made by Chemical Innovations. Monothane is available in hardnesses from 20 to 95 Shore A and is...

Fifth DCPD mould carrier delivered by ESU.(Reaction Processing)
July 1, 2003... ESU Cannon has just delivered its fifth special mould carrier for the processing of DCPD, all of which are being used to manufacture exterior body panels for commercial vehicles. ESU designs and builds these presses from 50 to 150 tonnes and...

One-piece tractor bonnet is reaction moulded in DCPD.(Reaction Processing)
July 1, 2003... TRACTOR builder John Deere is fitting all-plastic bonnets for improved access and lower weight. It started in the late 1990s when it restyled its four- and six-cylinder 6000 series tractors, and the reception from farmers has encouraged it to...

Simple, low cost high pressure machines from Cannon.(Reaction Processing)
July 1, 2003... A PROGRAMME to cut production costs and improve product quality has led to the introduction of two new dosing unit ranges by Cannon. The A-Compact is intended to meet requirements for a simple and compact high pressure dosing unit at a...

RIM-Star range is extended.(Reaction Processing)
July 1, 2003... THE RIM-Star ECO II high pressure mixing and metering machine series has been extended with a new high-end machine version, new modules and some additional options. The new high end version is the SC which has fully regulated mixing and...

Roto supplies from a single source.(Rotational Moulding)
July 1, 2003... A 'ONE-STOP-SHOP' consortium for rotational moulders has been opened by Maus Mould Services of Doncaster offering mould making, post-moulding jigs and fixtures and other accessories, mould release and graphics application. Maus is a German...

Roto moulding helped cut (off) the corners.(Rotational Moulding)
July 1, 2003... Rotational moulding has enabled what is traditionally a rather boxy looking product to be styled in a more modern way with the development of a new portable mobile short wave infra-red heater for industrial hire companies. The Thermoquartz...

Warning on EPS machine tool changing.(Safety)
July 1, 2003... The Health and Safety Executive has issued a warning on the use of Erlenbach Vollaumat EPS moulding machines following an accident at a Glasgow moulding company. An employee was crushed and seriously injured by a falling tool while...

Key exchange covers several doors.(Safety)
July 1, 2003... Fortress Interlocks has produced a new key exchange module, the XM, which can be used to exchange one or more keys for a number of other keys. It may be used as part of an interlock system to protect employees working with dangerous machinery...

EDI meets die cleaning demand ...(Film & Sheet Production)
July 1, 2003... ACCORDING to a survey carried out by US cast film die manufacturer Extrusion Dies Industries one of top items on the wish list of cast film producers is a faster way of cleaning dies. To oblige the company has added facilities for splitting a...

... And doubles profiling stroke.(Film & Sheet Production)
July 1, 2003... THE NEW EDI Autoflex VI-L gauge profiling system has twice the stroke of the standard VI-R system so that automated gauge control may be applied to thermoforming sheet up to 3.8 mm thick. The company says that sheet 50 per cent thicker than...

Seven layer blown film line makes food packaging film.(Film & Sheet Production)
July 1, 2003... A NEW series of blown film coextrusion lines from Bandera has been developed mainly for food applications, and is said to meet the conflicting requirements of flexible production while maintaining quality at high outputs. A seven-layer...

PS/ABS coex line on a single frame.(Film & Sheet Production)
July 1, 2003... A CUSTOM-built PS and ABS coextrusion sheet line recently installed by Esde Maschinentechnik produces 1,350mm wide sheet in ABA and AB configurations at outputs up to 500 kg/hour. Both single screw degassing extruders--one 70 mm/32 D, the...

What to watch for when buying secondhand.(Secondhand Machinery)
July 1, 2003... In today's roller coaster plastics business, very recent, very good machinery is coming on to the secondhand market, and although it's not at rock bottom prices, it can represent a very good investment over buying new. But be careful Buying...

Glycol 'better than oil' as option to pressurised water.(Mould Temperature Control)
July 1, 2003... THE operational benefits of using glycol as a heat transfer medium instead of oil are behind a new 140 degC version of the standard cs90 water temperature controller from gwk. The cs90HT uses glycol as a medium because of what gwk's...

Stop scale before it stops your cooling.(Mould Temperature Control)
July 1, 2003... When the temperature is at its hottest and machine and mould cooling systems are working the hardest is not the best time to find that inadequate cooling water treatment has led to the build up of scale and corrosion. Descaling may be needed in...

Internal mould release is food-approved.(Additives)
July 1, 2003... IMPROVED surface finish, continuous running and increased output are some of the benefits claimed for Croda's new IncroMold range of internal mould release agents for plastics. The food-approved process aids have been formulated for use in the...

No mad cows here.(Additives)
July 1, 2003... Axel Plastics Research Laboratories has developed a process aid additive that is composed entirely of vegetable-based organic materials. This is in response to a fear expressed in some quarters that animal-derived organic additives could be a...

Great Lakes adds antioxidants and flame retardants.(Additives)(Great Lakes Chemical Corp)
July 1, 2003... NEW antioxidants and tire/smoke prevention additives have been introduced by Great Lakes Chemical Corporation. The company is to start producing a new grade of Anox 20 hindered phenolic antioxidant with a non-organotin catalyst which will...

More defence against bugs and fungi.(Additives)
July 1, 2003... IRGAGUARD F 3000 is a new organic fungicide from Ciba for use in plastics and rubbers. It can be incorporated into a variety of materials such as PVC, polyurethane, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyester and nylon as well as...

Mould quotations--as easy as 1, 2, 3? Accurate mould quotation is an art. Clive Maier tries software that injects some science as well.(Software)
July 1, 2003... IF you are in and around moulding, you spend a lot of time on mould quotations. For toolmakers, they are core business. For moulders, it's crucial to the success or failure of the overall price package. And if you commission mouldings, you...

Die Wizard now standard in Delcam's PowerSHAPE.(Software)
July 1, 2003... DELCAM's PowerSHAPE hybrid modeller now includes powerful functions and features for designing cavities and cores. Hitherto, this capability was only available within the company's PS-Moldmaker option. Delcam believes that PowerSHAPE now...

Software directory.(Software)(Directory)
July 1, 2003... BLOW MOULDING/ THERMOFORMING Accuform T-Sim, B-Sim Accuform, +420 677 210465 Symbolic Systems, 01227 738892 Single user price: 2,000 [pounds sterling] - 5,000 [pounds sterling] Simulation of blow moulding and thermoforming, including...

Plastic Hammer.(What's New on the Web)
July 1, 2003... Plastic Hammer is a new UK online auction site devoted to the sale and purchase of equipment, materials and small items for the plastics industry. The site had several hundred items on offer when it went live on July 4 but its promoters expect...

GTMA business generator.(What's New on the Web)
July 1, 2003... The GTMA has rejigged its web site as a 'business generator' built around searchable online supplier directories. The home page now opens on a search form where you can identify suppliers of materials, manufactures and services for activities...

Autotype International IMD.(What's New on the Web)
July 1, 2003... Autotype International has produced a new resource devoted to in-mould decoration (IMD) otherwise known as film insert moulding (FIM). According to your point of view, this is either a new site or new pages on an existing site but the important...