British Plastics & Rubber articles from July 2007

British Plastics & Rubber archives from July 2007

International plastics and rubber exhibitions.(conferences & exhibitions)(Calendar)
July 1, 2007... Applications--aerospace September 18-19 International Conference on Polymers in Defence and Aerospace 2007. Conference in Toulouse, France, organised by Rapra Technology. 01939 250383 (fax 01939 252416). [Mail] conferences@rapra.net...

Dates and management change for Interplas.(conferences & exhibitions)
July 1, 2007... THE dates for next Interplas exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham have been changed. It will now be on September 30 to October 2 in 2008.The change comes with the addition of another exhibition to the co-location package. It had already been...

Plastics Innovations goes to Dublin.(conferences & exhibitions)
July 1, 2007... EASYFairs is going ahead with a plastics exhibition in Dublin next year. Plastics Innovations 2008 will be held at the RDS--Royal Dublin Society--conference centre on February 6 and 7.The hall has the capacity for 97 12 m2 stands in easyFair's...

Uniloy seeks to make blow moulders more aware of energy issues; Uniloy Milacron has started a campaign to raise awareness of energy efficiency in blow moulding, launching it at a round table meeting with plastics industry journalists from across Europe. Britain was represented by British Plastics and Rubber.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... GUIDO Re is managing director, global blow moulding, at Uniloy Milacron in Magenta, Italy--the world's largest supplier of blow moulding equipment outside of the PET sector. He says the company is currently going through a purple patch, but...

Hybrid machine cuts energy use 22 per cent.
July 1, 2007... THE new Uniloy Milacron UMS 16H.S is a hybrid machine that Uniloy says brings a 22 per cent energy saving--although it does not say what this is compared with. This saving has been achieved by changing all movements except that of the clamp...

Extraplast claims 50 per cent energy savings.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... ENERGY saving is a focus for the machines built in Germany--at the former Fischer plant in Troisdorf--by Extraplast Maschinen.The company has a range of eight extrusion blow machines with extruder sizes from 50 to 150 mm and accumulator head...

RPC gets its head down at Corby.
July 1, 2007... The rapid adoption of head-stand bottles for sauces and ketchups is bringing 'major investment' at RPC Containers Corby to extend two of its standard multi-layer bottle ranges. Both the Orion and Hercules headstand ranges, currently available...

Dragon Plastics buys Riverside.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... WELSH closures moulder Dragon Plastics now has something to fit its closures on. It has bought its neighbour bottle blower Riverside Plastics out of administration. Both companies are on the Treforest Industrial Estate in Pontypridd. It was...

Lost head trepanning driven by .dxf data.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... PCE Automation recently developed a system for a customer to trepan a lost-head container without burrs to allow for guaranteed high frequency sealing of the closure foil to protect the food contents on packing. To complicate things the...

Tandem shuttle machine for high volume 100 ml bottles.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... A CUSTOMISED shuttle blow machine which can make 19,500 bottles per hour has been built by Bekum for a major dairy products producer. The machine was designed to make 100 ml yoghourt drink bottles, and Bekum reckons it has the highest output of...

Blow moulding machines? PET All offers the lot.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... A CANADIAN company boasting a wide range of turnkey options in blow moulding is bidding for European business through its British representative R & L Plastic Solutions in Rochdale. R & L, acting as Pet All (EU), has just installed a large...

Blow/fill/cap at 17 bottles/second.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... THE latest version of Sidel's Combi blow/fill/cap PET machine can produce up to 61,200 bottles per hour--that's 17 bottles per second. There are several models in the new range. The Combi 26 and 30 are designed specifically for the...

Laying the basis for preform co-injection.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... A CO-INJECTION option that enables a move to multi-layer preforms at a later date is now offered by Husky on its HyPET preform systems. It has been developed in association with barrier bottle specialist Kortec and enables preform moulders to...

Fill straight from the stretch blow machine, says SIG.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... DIRECTLY integrating a stretch blow moulding machine for the production of PET bottles with a downstream filler can save both floor space and money, according to SIG Corpoplast. And to make this as simple as possible the company has developed...

Sidel puts spares and technical data on line.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... SIDEL users can now order parts or consult technical manuals over the internet using a customer-specific interface. Sidel's MySidel portal has been added to the company's web site. It includes applications and information tailored to match...

PET bottles slim down to 'NoBottle' at all.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... PET bottles are getting even lighter. Coca-Cola Enterprises is trimming 2 g off its 26 g 500 ml carbonated soft drinks bottles, while machine manufacturer Sidel has developed a 9.9 g 500 ml water bottle that it says is so light it has been...

Sidel expands Malaysian blow moulding machine capacity.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... CAPACITY for low and medium output PET blow moulding machines at Sidel's Malaysian plant has been increased from 70 machines per year to 120 with the opening of a new production area. The expansion also strengthens the group's ability to...

Leak testers find smaller defects faster.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... IMPROVEMENTS to PCE Automation's leak testers have speeded up operation. The single LL-1H and twin head LL-2H models are now based on the new Siemens PLC combined with Pro-Face interfaces. This combination gives a higher data resolution to find...

Lightweight closures launch this year.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... A new lightweight 'standard' closure for beverage bottles was agreed on at the International Society of Beverages Technology in November 2006 and now Global Closure Systems company Obrist is planning to introduce it later this year. The...

Bottle cap helps you read the label.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... A bottle cap with a built-in magnifier for reading the small print on medicine bottles has been introduced by Dragon Plastics of Pontypridd. The 30 mm R3 MagnicaP is moulded in polypropylene with an active hinged flip top containing a 1.5...

Amcor develops PET bottle for long-life milk.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... A FOUR month minimum shelf life for UHT milk is said to be possible with Xamos, a new PET material developed by Amcor PET Packaging Europe. Mono-layer bottles produced in it have an extremely high opacity at low thickness never before achieved,...

Waitrose bags milk bottle initiative.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... SUPERMARKET chain Waitrose is experimenting with milk bags to cut packaging waste from plastic milk bottles. It is offering customers at selected stores a re-usable milk jug into which fits an eco pak film bag of its Calon Wen organic milk....

Neutraliser systems kill static on PET bottles.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... VIRTUAL AC static neutraliser systems from MKS Ion Industrial prevent static charges from interfering with the transport of PET bottles. Their neutralisation bars, which can be positioned as far away as 300 cm, neutralise charges that would...

Basell and Borealis tailor PPs for injection stretch blow.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... A FAMILY of polypropylenes formulated specifically for injection stretch blow processing has been introduced by Basell. The Stretchene series materials are currently described as 'developmental' and are said to outperform standard polypropylene...

Radici introduces engineering plastics for blow moulding.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... A SERIES of engineering plastics specifically for automotive blow moulding is to be introduced by RadiciNovacips. The blow moulding grades are to be added to the company's Radilon nylon and Heraflex polyester elastomer ranges. Radilon S...

New HDPE has increased stiffness and ESCR.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... A NEW Hostalen HDPE from Basell brings a higher level of stress-crack resistance and stiffness. Hostalen ACP 6031D has been made using Basell's proprietary Hostalen Advanced Cascade Process which the company says gives it an ESCR of up to 10...

TPU makes for easy restarting of IBM process.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2007... A TPU that enables easier restarting on injection blow moulding machines has been developed by Bayer MaterialScience. Bayer says that restarting injection blow moulding machines making TPU bellows often takes several hours and is expensive....

EU wants Court of Justice to act against unfair Portuguese pipe laws.(pipe & profile)
July 1, 2007... CONTINUED Portuguese hindrance to the import of cross-linked polyethylene water pipes is being opposed by the European Union with a request to the European Court of Justice to impose a fine. The Court has already ruled--in 2005--that Portugal...

Twin strand fencing products can be made with a single co-extruder.(pipe & profile)
July 1, 2007... A TWlN strand process for making co-extruded fencing products using only two extruders has been developed in the USA by American Maplan Corporation and is now being sold in Europe by Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik. The plastics and...

Coiling machines prevent pipe ovality.(pipe and profile)
July 1, 2007... DEVICE that enables large diameter HDPE pipe to be coiled with zero or minimal ovality has been developed by Pipe Coil Technology and has already been ordered by two major European piping companies. Low Ovality Technology allows pipe to...

Slush moulding combines PU colour coat with TPU skin.(rotational moulding)
July 1, 2007... DESMOPAN DP 3790AP is a new aromatic TPU developed by Bayer MaterialScience for rotational moulding decorative skins for car dashboards and door panels. It may be used for moulded skins coated by rotational sintering and it is the key component...

Thompson expands roto moulding capacity at Bridgend.(rotational moulding)
July 1, 2007... A 3.5 m Caccia shuttle rotational moulding machine has been installed at Thompson Technik's Bridgend factory in a 250,000 [pounds sterling] investment which includes new compressors and factory ring main for improved energy saving. The machine...

Mould clamps designed for roto moulding use.(rotational moulding)
July 1, 2007... THE Eckold range of TI mould clamps is now sold by Matrix Polymers under an exclusive UK and mainland Europe distribution deal, adding to the Matrix Polymers 'one step shopping' approach for rotational moulding supply. The quick release TI...

New roto moulding grades from Aardvark.(rotational moulding)
July 1, 2007... ROTATIONAL moulding material specialist Aardvark Polymers has added new grades to its line of Next Generation Roto Resins. The new offerings include a flame retardant nylon and the first commercial Aardalloy thermoplastic alloy products. ...

Network control integrates all stages of the materials handling system.(materials handling)
July 1, 2007... THE supply of materials to a processing machine is crucial to the smooth running of the conversion operation. Storage, drying, conveying and feeding equipment has probably reached the point at which the way it works can scarce be...

Simple controller made simpler with a touch screen.(materials handling)
July 1, 2007... THE CMS single wire control introduced by Colortronic (UK) eight years ago has been upgraded with a touch screen to improve ease of use, even with complex conveying systems. It was originally developed from customer feedback in 1999 to...

'Plug and Dry' for small throughput automated production.(materials handling)
July 1, 2007... TWO self-regulating desiccant air dryers are being introduced by Mann+Hummel ProTec. The Somos T and TF Eco Compact dryers are designed for energy-saving operation with a low purchase price. The T version is the standard unit and the TF has an...

Large scale dryers reuse 100 per cent of regeneration energy.(materials handling)
July 1, 2007... PIOVAN has completed a new series of large-scale drying systems suitable for use with single or multiple hopper assemblies, with capacities ranging from 400 to 2,500 kg/h and air flows from 1,200 to 4,500 [m.sup.3]/h. The company says...

Vacuum loader system designed for simple expansion.(materials handling)
July 1, 2007... TSM Control systems has simplified the installation and expansion of its vacuum loading systems. A system is typically made up of a central VAC350 vacuum sequencer, a centralised vacuum pump station, dust filtration with integral blow-back...

Loader has no need of a vacuum pump.(materials handling)
July 1, 2007... THE HLV20 loader from MSM is a relative newcomer to the equipment range at Sandretto UK. The machine has a patented eject system which eliminates the need for an electric vacuum pump and can be fitted with a proportioning valve which, when...

Infra red investment cuts costs at Sharp Interpack.(materials handling)
July 1, 2007... SINCE its establishment in 2002 rigid packaging manufacturer Sharp Interpack has invested more than 60 million [pounds sterling] in new thermoforming/ extrusion equipment as well as a new extrusion hall and two warehouses. Part of that...

Venturi conveyor moves a lot with just a little air.(materials handling)
July 1, 2007... THE V-Jet venturi bulk materials conveyor from Fasti is said to consume only small quantities of air and energy and surpass comparable models on the market. With a 3 litre separator, the V-Jet Professional has a capacity of 870 litres/hr,...

Batch weighing system breaks up lumps.(materials handling)
July 1, 2007... DE-LUMPING of product is performed by a new Flexicon batch weighing system before gravimetric feeding into bins. An IBC is connected to a manual clamp ring at the top of a telescoping tube. The tube automatically elongates the bag as it empties...

BASF adds high heat automotive materials ...(engineering materials)
July 1, 2007... BASF has introduced two high temperature materials specifically for automotive use, and improved the flow of its PBTs and PESUs. The first new high temperature material, Ultramid TOP 3000, is a 10 per cent mineral-filled partly aromatic...

... And Lanxess expands headlamp options with high heat PBT.(engineering materials)
July 1, 2007... A GRADE of PBT tuned to withstand today's higher heat demands and aesthetics in car headlamp bezels has been introduced by Lanxess. Pocan DP 1203 is a non-reinforced PBT and extends Lanxess's headlamp material range which includes not only...

Conductive Noryl gets environmental endorsement for powder coating.(engineering materials)
July 1, 2007... GE Plastics' conductive Noryl GTX PPE-PA alloys have been added to General Electric's ecomagination portfolio of environmentally responsible products (although what happens to ecomagination plastics now that GE Plastics is being sold to SABIC...

One-pellet solutions for long-glass fibre compounds.(engineering materials)
July 1, 2007... THE new LNP Verton Xtreme compound portfolio from GE Plastics provides one-pellet long-glass fibre solutions for enhanced colour, flame retardancy, and weatherability. The patent-pending technology improves batch-to-batch and part-to-part...

DuPont Kalrez 9100 improves wafer yields.(engineering materials)
July 1, 2007... KALREZ 9100 perfluoroelastomer from DuPont Performance Elastomers has been specially developed for ultra-low contamination in aggressive plasma environments. Kalrez 9100 parts demonstrate' unusually long life' in the harshest semiconductor...

Bio-based foamed packaging sheet from BASF.(biopolymers)
July 1, 2007... BASF has introduced a packaging material which should enhance its presence in biodegradable plastics. In 2005 it introduced the Ecovio blend of its Ecoflex copolyester with NatureWorks' polylactic acid. Ecoflex, while derived from...

HDPE from 100 per cent renewable sources.(biopolymers)
July 1, 2007... A HIGH density polyethylene made entirely from sugar-cane-derived ethanol has been developed by Braskem in Brazil. The material has been certified by international laboratory Beta Analytic as containing 100 per cent renewable raw materials and...

Injection mouldable PHA to replace PS and PP.(biopolymers)
July 1, 2007... THREE new grades of Mirel polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) have been introduced by Telles, the joint venture between Metabolix and Archer Daniels Midland in the USA. Mirel P1001 and P1002 are for injection moulding and Mirel P2001 is for paper...

New coupling agent makes green tyres even greener.(additives)
July 1, 2007... An organosilane that allows novel reinforcing fillers to couple more effectively in rubber compounds has been developed by Degussa, improving further on the low rolling resistance technology introduced by the company some 10 years ago. In...

Masterbatch gives flip effect at low cost.(additives)
July 1, 2007... PERFORMANCE Masterbatches has developed a low cost flip effect masterbatch. When used to colour SAN products, for example party ware, it produces a colour flip with a glittering edge glow effect. Several colour options are available including...

Casting resins for solid surface applications.(composites)
July 1, 2007... POLARIS brand resins for cast marble, solid surface and engineered stone are being introduced to Europe by Ashland Composite Polymers. Ashland says that its tests show Polaris resins to offer low water absorption, low colour and high filler...

New technology brings 20 new PPs from Dow.(packaging materials)
July 1, 2007... AROUND 20 new and upgraded polypropylene grades are to go into production at Dow Europe's Wesseling plant in Germany as part of its Horizon Project which aims to improve polypropylene performance using the latest Unipol high activity catalyst....

New polyol process to be commercialised by Bayer.(polyurethanes)
July 1, 2007... NEW 'quantum leap' technology for the manufacture of polymer-filler polyether polyols is to be implemented by Bayer MaterialScience in a 60,000 tonnes capacity plant to be built in Germany or Belgium. The new technology, which Bayer says...

COIM sales move to Milan--but with British phone numbers.(polyurethanes)
July 1, 2007... ITALIAN polyurethanes producer COIM has restructured its British sales operation. While the company retains its Northampton and Measham warehouses and UK sales contacts, the actual sales administration has been moved to a new European customer...

DuPont and NASA seek to reinforce PU with Kevlar.(polyurethanes)
July 1, 2007... DuPont has signed a Space Act Agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to jointly develop urethane foam insulation reinforced with its Kevlar aramid fibre for use in a variety of future spacecraft, including the...

MID from Ticona Vectra LCP in new climate sensors.(design)
July 1, 2007... CLIMATE control for the modern car cabin no longer depends simply on temperature. Sensors also take into account the intensity and direction of incident sunlight and ambient light to maintain conditions at a level that is comfortable for the...

Lanxess Pocan for laser direct structuring of RFIDs.(design)
July 1, 2007... APOCAN thermoplastic polyester specially developed by Lanxess for laser direct structuring is being used by Harting Mitronics for its new generation of radio frequency identification transponders. Pocan DP T7140 LDS is a blend of PET and PBT,...

University of Bradford opens micro/nano-moulding lab.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... A LABORATORY for micro- and nano-moulding has been opened at the University of Bradford as part of the university's Polymer Interdisciplinary Research Centre. The 2.2 million [pounds sterling] laboratory has been funded by the Higher Education...

Husky to buy Moldflow hardware business.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... MOLDFLOW's Manufacturing Solutions Division which we reported last month was up for sale, is to be bought by Husky of Canada for $7 million. Husky has a substantial business in tooling and hot runners alongside its core injection moulding...

Airline disposables giant is sold.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... AIRLINE cutlery and crockery manufacturer deSter Holding of the Netherlands is being bought by US-based Gate Gourmet. DeSter reckons to be the world's leading supplier of airline passenger contact and comfort items, such as cutlery, chinaware...

RPC buys into Eastern Europe.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... THE RPC Group has taken its first step into Eastern European injection moulded packaging by buying a company in Slovakia. It has bought the plastics operations of DM Plast in Vel'ky Meder near Bratislava for 2 million [pounds sterling].

K-M expands the concept of two-component moulding.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... KRAUSS-MAFFEI has extended its polyurethane over-moulding technology into a large scale system for making automotive interior parts with a soft touch or textured surface. It has applied the SkinForm process, introduced at the K2004 exhibition,...

Sumitomo sees success above 200 tonnes.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... ELECTRON Tech (Sales) has installed an additional Sumitomo all-electric machine at its Daventry showroom to meet demand for tool trials and demonstrations. The SE180DU brings the machines on site up to four. The strength of Sumitomo's...

Hybrid vertical machine saves energy.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... NISSEI says that its new ST20-2V 20 tonne hybrid vertical injection moulding machine achieves a 40 per cent energy saving compared with its fully hydraulic vertical types. The new electric/ hydraulic model is based on the ST hydraulic machine,...

Free trial could halve energy consumption.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... POWERMASTER is offering free trials of its ESC energy-saving controller for injection moulding machines. The company says it can reduce power consumption by 30-60 per cent on 'traditional plastic injection moulding equipment', and if the trials...

Demag concentrates machines and manufacturing to boost business.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... MAJOR changes are in train at injection moulding machine manufacturer Demag following its separation from the rest of the Mannesmann Plastics Machinery Group earlier this year. At a meeting in Germany recently chief executive Dr Klaus Erkes...

Battenfeld increases HM two-platen range.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... THE two-platen HM series from Battenfeld has been extended to four models with the addition of a 650 tonne machine, the largest in the series, only six months after the company introduced a 500 tonne model. The two-platen layout applies...

Smallest nozzle yet from Husky.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... HUSKY has introduced the Ultra 350 valve gate nozzle, its smallest, with a seal diameter of 8 mm, bore diameter of 16 mm and minimum nozzle spacing of 25.4 mm. Designed for the multicavity production of small parts, it matches the output of the...

Mini cavity pressure sensor resists abrasive materials.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... INTENDED for use with glass fibre reinforced and other abrasive materials, the Kistler Type 6182BCE miniature mould cavity pressure sensor has a chromium plated front face. It is otherwise identical with the Type 6182B with single wire...

Needle valve intended for closure production.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... VALVE Shot Z3145 hot runner nozzles new from Hasco are intended for the production of closures. They have a needle valve system for optimum process control and balanced filling of all cavities is promoted by simultaneous opening of the valve...

Laser sintering produced complex cores.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... CONFORMAL cooling channels in the cores of a mould to produce garden shear handles have been made by Gardena using MCP SLM direct to metal technology. The parts are of complex shape and needed uniform cooling for high component quality. ...

Eject undercuts up to 26 mm.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... LIFTERS that spring undercuts of up to 26 mm are now being offered by DMS-Diemould. The Cumsa PK housing lifter complements the PS standard and PC housing lifters, and assists release of moulding undercuts by means of a cooled insert. ...

Film insert process cuts steps to non-splinter components.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... THREE German companies have jointly developed a new film insert moulding process based on a back-injected textile reinforced TPU film. There is a growing demand in the production of car interiors for plastics surfaces that satisfy high tactile...

Sprue picker sale leads to automation co-operation.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... SEVEN of the new HOP Five 650X swing arm robots from Yushin have gone into Denroyd in Sowerby Bridge in the first installation of this type in Britain. They have replaced barrel separators for sprue separation, depositing the sprue in a...

Cavity pressure sensor avoids sensitivity loss.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2007... PRIAMUS says that there is a risk with small cavity pressure sensors that the front of the sensor will touch the mounting bore and therefore lose sensitivity. So it has developed the Priasafe principle to avoid this. The sensor is protected by...

Glass improves on ceramic barrier coatings.(film & sheet)
July 1, 2007... GENERAL Vacuum Equipment has improved its method for depositing thin layers of predominantly inorganic glassy barrier materials with carbon inclusions. Doing this creates a transparent film with high barrier protection against moisture and...

Flexible films to harness solar energy.(film & sheet)
July 1, 2007... TWO OptiLab roll to roll vacuum sputter coaters are to be supplied by General Vacuum Equipment to Ascent Solar Technologies of Colorado, USA, for use in the development of advanced photovoltaic flexible films for solar energy applications. The...

Coating 'gives cheaper barriers than coex'.(film & sheet)
July 1, 2007... WEKO claims technical and cost advantages for its external film coating technology for the application of an anti-misting layer to food packaging material, compared with the use of masterbatch. A thin layer of anti-misting, anti-static or slip...

Down-gauging will keep collation film growth to a flat tonnage.(film & sheet)
July 1, 2007... ACCORDING to a new report from Applied Market Information the 1.2 billion [euro] collation shrink film market in Europe is set to grow in terms of square metres of film used, but continuing down-gauging will mean relatively little growth in the...

Fastest flexo from F & K.(film & sheet)
July 1, 2007... THE fastest flexo press yet from Fischer & Krecke was demonstrated at its recent introduction event running a 7 colour expanded gamut print job with 9 different commercial images at 150 lines per inch using direct laser engraved-in-the-round...

Laser welding investment bid to beat Far Eastern fabrication prices.(film & sheet)
July 1, 2007... IN AN attempt to compete with Far Eastern prices Barkston Plastics Engineering has invested 250,000 [pounds sterling] in laser welding facilities. At the same time it has taken on UK distribution of the Gentex Corporation Clearweld technology...