British Plastics & Rubber articles from July 2008

British Plastics & Rubber archives from July 2008

British Plastics & Rubber: becomes part of the European Publishing Consultancy stable of specialised technical magazines.
July 1, 2008... I am delighted to announce that Euro Publishing Consultancy, the owner of European Plastic Product Manufacturer magazine (EPPM), has bought a controlling interest in British Plastics & Rubber. The next edition will be published under the...

China exempt? "Made in China" still doesn't conjure up confidence, but is perception lagging behind practice? Blow moulding guru Robin Enderby of BMC controls thinks it might be.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... ONCE upon a time machines from places like China were often poor quality and based on old "copied" technology. And this is still true of some machines. But there are now companies in China building blow moulding machines equal to anything...

Sidel backs NoBottle with dedicated form/fill/finish line.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... THE light weight benefits of the NoBottle PET bottle design introduced last year by Sidel have been extended with the FlexLine bottling line designed specifically for ultra-light PET bottles. The NoBottle achieves 9.9 g for a 500 ml bottle...

Hot fill PET bottle takes a full body label.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... A PANEL-LESS hot fill PET bottle from Amcor PET Packaging being used for fruit juices in the USA was designed to be as tall and slim as possible within the constraints put on it by the functionality of the base. Traditional hot-fill...

Copolyester is a drop-in for PC in sports bottle.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... THE growing disquiet over the use of polycarbonate for re-usable drinks bottles has led an American manufacturer to introduce a new range based on Eastman's Tritan copolyester. Cool Gear International makes its EZ Freeze bottles from...

Agr plans to close the loop on RHB bottles.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... A CLOSED loop process controller for reheat stretch-blown PET bottles is to be introduced commercially by Agr International in the second quarter of next year. The company has begun working with "key industry players" around the world to...

Amcor innovates in PET booze bottles.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... A SPIRITS bottle with a built-in handle and an opaque black cream liqueur bottle have been developed in the USA by Amcor PET Packaging. The handled bottle is claimed to have broken new ground in that the company says that previously no-one...

Graham Packaging bought in complex public flotation plan.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... US-based plastics bottle producer Graham Packaging is being sold in a $3.2 billion deal which will take it public. It is is currently owned jointly by the Graham Group and investment company Blackstone. In the buy out, specialist acquisitions...

New cap extends the cost-saving benefits of short-neck bottles.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A CLOSURE for short-neck bottles now available from Corvaglia of Switzerland takes the trend for short-neck bottles into sports drinks. The potential savings offered by the PCO 1881 short neck design are substantial....

Gwalia buys toolmaker to expand in-house capacity.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... SOUTH Wales bottle and closure manufacturer Gwalia Packaging, which bought blow moulder Riverside Packaging last June and in March this year announced a 1.5 million [pounds sterling] expansion plan, has now bought a tool making company. It has...

Six layer coextrusion puts a bag inside a bottle: in May we reported the installation of a customised Bekum two-station machine to make a complex pharmaceutical container at a German company. Here we expand on what the product is and how the machine was modified to make it.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... BAVARIA-based Gaplast is a family business with around 100 employees operating internationally in the pharmaceutical, medical technology and cosmetics markets. Around a third of its 14 million [euro] sales come from bag-in-bottle applications...

Russian oil company blows 60 million oil cans a year.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... Russian petroleum giant Lukoil has opened on automated plant for the packaging of car engine oil which con fill and pack more than 110,000 tonnes/year. It has six extrusion blow moulding machines from Uniloy Milacron which con produce 60...

New downstream equipment improves efficiency for Thames.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... EFFICIENCY has been improved at Thames Plastic Bottles in Maidenhead with the installation of a downstream support package from PCE Automation. The company, now part of the Thames Packaging Group, has been supplying PE, PP, PVC and PET...

"Out of focus" deflashing laser compensates for part variations.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... A DEFLASHING operation at Polypipe has been automated by ATM Automation using a combination of robotics and laser cutting. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Polypipe Civils makes surface water drainage, sewerage, cable protection and water...

Swiss stretch blow machines are back in Britain.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... SWISS stretch blow moulding machine manufacturer Magplastic is returning to the UK marketplace through Farrow Machinery Sales. The company builds linear stretch blow machines for PET, PP and PLA and has sold more than 800 machines in more...

Melt filter designed for blow moulders.(blow moulding)
July 1, 2008... THE difficulties of access on some extrusion blow moulding machines has led Industrial Plastics to develop a melt filter specifically for use on blow moulders. It can be fitted to new or existing extruders, and can be manually or hydraulically...

PVC calendering improved by switching to bulk handling.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... A BULK bag unloading system with pneumatic and flexible screw conveying has improved the operations at a Mexican PVC film plant with increased process quality, more efficient use of the workforce and a safer work environment. The equipment was...

New feeder/blender has conveying built in.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... THE latest generation of Graviblend feeding and blending systems from Colortronic Systems has a fully integrated material conveying system --integrated both mechanically and in terms of the system control. The company says this means fewer...

Vacuum loaders designed for system expansion.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... NEW features of TSM Control Systems vacuum loading equipment are said to facilitate installation and expansion. A typical TSM system comprises a central VAC350 or CP2000 vacuum sequencer, a centralised pump station, dust filtration with...

DEB Dispensing centralises loading.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... A CENTRAL loading system was installed at DEB Dispensing's refurbished production facility in Little Eaton, Derbyshire, to streamline materials handling for the company's 11 injection moulding machines. The equipment was supplied by New...

Materials transfer hoses are antistatic and abrasion resistant.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... NORRES Airduc PUR 355 MHF and 356 MHF PU hoses are transparent, flexible and resistant to chemicals and are claimed to have abrasion resistance five times better than rubber. They are vibration resistant and suitable for plastics conveying...

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... A PRIMARY function of a materials conveying system is to get material from storage to process in the same pre-determined time and at the same pre-determined rate, cycle after cycle, to provide consistency to the conversion process. But reality...

Plug-and-play network can be configured to mimic your plant.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... THE latest version of Win Factory from Piovan can be set up in standard form, or can be customised to mimic the production floor, and after installation can be extended at will, as all its components operate independently of one another. So an...

Belts and buckets save space at rubber reclaim plant.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... BELT and bucket elevators, not usually thought of as materials handling equipment in polymer processing, have been installed to save space at a rubber recycling plant. Crumb Rubber has built a tyre-recycling plant in Plymouth at which it...

K-Tron moves production from Stockport to focus on sales and support.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... K-TRON Process Group is to transfer the manufacture of pneumatic conveyors from its Stockport plant to Niederlanz in Switzerland, and to use the Stockport premises as a new centre of excellence for vacuum pneumatic conveying systems. The...

Glass equipment beats glass abrasion.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... KOCH has introduced Glasko conveying equipment made in thick-walled glass for maximum resistance to abrasion by glass reinforced materials. The glass used is hardened and Koch says that its life may be a hundred times as long as...

Dryer energy efficiency is rated to a standard.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... ENERGY consumption--or the lack of it--is a fundamental component of a dryer specification. But claims made for energy efficiency and the basis on which they are made need to be considered carefully, according to Wittmann. [ILLUSTRATION...

No need to reclaim energy.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... COLORTRONIC says that as its X-Tronic energy saving system for drying material does not input unnecessary heat and energy into the material there is no need to reclaim carry-over of heat. Optimum air flow and temperature are specific to...

Compressed air dryer for small parts.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... A COMPRESSED air drying system intended for use in the production of small parts such as lenses and electronic components has been introduced by Moretto. The Moretto Dry Air material dehumidifier incorporates a self-regenerating double tower....

PET/PLA crystallisers have energy-saving air supply.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... NEW Colortronic CPK and KT crystallisers for PET and PLA recycling comprise standard modules which can be combined as required and achieve a keen price/performance ratio, says the company. The modules allows outputs from 50 to 900 kg/hr to be...

Rotary desiccant dryer drive is improved.(materials handling)
July 1, 2008... The drive to Conair's mid-size Carousel Plus dryers (W15 to 141400) has been improved, and the same improvements are soon to be applied to the large units in the range. Conair has adopted a cleated belt with a grooved traction band on the...

PP replaces SAN thanks to breakthrough clarifier.(design)
July 1, 2008... BRAZILIAN domestic appliance maker Suggar, which produces 2,500 washing machines a day, is using polypropylene clarified with Milliken Chemical's Millad NX8000 clarifier to replace styrene acrylonitrile in three of its most popular models. The...

Nylon lock body is produced in parallel with a Zamak version.(design)
July 1, 2008... THE latest version of the acclaimed PremiApri ("PressOpen") lock from Serrature Meroni of Italy is being made in two models, one with a body die-cast in Zamak (zinc/aluminium/ magnesium alloy) and the other injection moulded in plastic. ...

Non-halogenated FR film for electronics manufacturers.(design)
July 1, 2008... SABIC Innovative Plastics has introduced a non-halogenated flame retardant polyphenylene oxide film for electronics manufacturers. EFR 735 film is the company's first flame retardant thermoplastic film to be made without the use of brominated...

TPE overmoulding makes better window seals for Peugeot.(design)
July 1, 2008... MULTI-component thermoplastic rejection has replaced rubber extrusion for the production of side window and door seals for the Peugeot 308 car. The seals are made by Cooper Standard Automotive at Vitre in France, which wanted a more...

New flame-retardant PC and PC/ABS compounds.(engineering materials)
July 1, 2008... COMPOUNDING specialist Perrite has extended its flame-retardant compounds portfolio with additions to its Perlex and Ronfalin ranges. Perlex R5550 is a polycarbonate with a flammability rating of UL 94 V0 at 1.5 mm and 3.0 mm. It is...

Enhanced flame-retardant PA66.(engineering materials)
July 1, 2008... SOLUTIA, a major manufacturer of nylon 66, has developed an enhanced flame-retardant grade. Vydyne GW350 brings improved toughness and elongation, and meets the requirements of the International Electrotechnical Commission 60695 series of...

Growth planned in LFT.(engineering materials)
July 1, 2008... GERMAN compounder TechnoCompound is planning to expand its capacity for long fibre reinforced thermoplastics "in the course of the next few years". The company has more than doubled its compounding capacity since splitting from PolymerChemie at...

Polyamides transformed by electron beam radiation.(engineering materials)
July 1, 2008... NEW Xtreme LNP Starflam compounds from SABIC Innovative Plastics have been developed to provide electrical device and connector manufacturers with a lower-cost alternative to traditional materials like thermosets or special high heat polymers,...

Conductive TPEs aim to replace EPDM rubber.(engineering materials)
July 1, 2008... THE TPE Division of compounding specialist RTP Company has introduced a series of electrically conductive thermoplastic elastomer compounds based on thermoplastic vulcanisates. The new ESD C 2800 B Series materials were formulated in response...

New HNBRs for flex fuels and the oil industry.(engineering materials)
July 1, 2008... LANXESS has added three new ultra-high acrylonitrile content grades to its Therban product line of high-performance hydrogenated nitrile rubber materials. The new grades--Therban AT A 5005 VP, Therban AT C 5065 VP and Therban A 5008 VP--have...

Nanotechnology masterbatch eases PEEK processing.(additives)
July 1, 2008... US company Hybrid Plastics claims to have pioneered the development of an entirely new chemical technology for plastics. This technology is said to bridge the property space between hydrocarbon-based plastics and ceramics. It imparts new or...

BASF claims most eco-efficient non-phthalate plasticiser.(additives)
July 1, 2008... AN independently-verified BASF eco-efficiency analysis has found that BASF's Hexamoll DINCH product has the highest eco-efficiency in a comparison of the top five non-phthalate PVC plasticisers on the market today. Results for Hexamoll DINCH...

UV masterbatch resists agrochemicals.(additives)
July 1, 2008... ITALIAN company VIBA Laboratories has developed a polyethylene masterbatch specifically for UV stabilisation of agricultural greenhouse films. Vibatan PE UV Master 03642 has been designed to combat agrochemicals such as halogens and pesticides...

Free energy for all! Angela Ainsworth, improvement engineer at Picme, examines how introducing a waste management programme can help cut relative energy consumption, while at the same time maintaining operational effectiveness.(energy efficiency)
July 1, 2008... WITH energy prices continuing to rise, it has become increasingly important to maximise production output in order to reduce the overhead cost per unit made. This may sound easier said than done, especially if you're under the impression that...

New guide to saving energy.(energy efficiency)
July 1, 2008... CURRENT energy costs at manufacturing sites are generally around 4-8 per cent of turnover, and for many plastics processors this will equal or even exceed their profit margin. For some sites, energy costs exceed direct labour costs. Reducing...

Sumitomo to base European electric machines on Demag's IntElect.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2008... SUMITOMO is to focus its integration with Demag on the Demag site at Schwaig, near Nurnberg in Germany, and its European sales of electric injection moulding machines will be based on the Demag IntElect with Sumitomo drives. Schwaig will be the...

Modernisation brings more Milacrons.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2008... TWO Ferromatik Milacron K-Tec 60-265 machines have been installed at Elkay Electrical Manufacturing.They were delivered as a package which also included Wemo 4-5 swing arm robots, conveyors and safety enclosures. The robots are servo motor...

Modular controllers combine economy with flexibility.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE K6, the latest in the PMS K-Series of modular hot runner controllers, has been designed to give "high end features" in an "economical package" for moulds with up to 24 impressions. Using various control card...

Press fit sensor simplifies cavity temperature monitoring.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2008... A MOULD cavity temperature sensor with a press fit which is said to be simple to install has been developed by RJG of the USA. A small hole is drilled for the wire and a flat bottomed pocket provided in the cavity face. The sensor works in...

Rosti to expand in Asia with Indian plant.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2008... DANISH technical moulder Rosti Technical Plastics is to expand its Asian presence by setting up an Indian subsidiary in August. The move draws on Rosti's experience since expanding in China and will focus on contract manufacturing geared to...

Big hydraulic injection unit for Arburg electric.(injection moulding)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ARBURG now offers a size 1300 hydraulic injection unit for its Allrounder 570 A 200 tonne electric machine, complementing the size 800 electric unit, the largest of its type currently made by the company. The higher...

Don't be a Wall-E when it comes to buying a robot: cinema goers this summer will see how Disney's Wall-E copes with being the only robot on earth. But in your moulding shop a robot would be far from alone. Stirling Paatz of robot integrator Barr & Paatz warns of the pitfalls of crowding your robot's work cell and other tips for avoiding mistakes when drawing up a specification.(automation & robotics)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AT first glance, industrial robot specification sheets look fairly straightforward. Typically, there's a picture of the particular model, looking sleek and stylish, unblemished by external cabling, end-of-arm...

Leasing now available for custom-built equipment.(automation & robotics)
July 1, 2008... CUSTOM-designed assembly equipment can now be leased from Modular Automation International instead of having to be purchased outright. The company says that finance companies are not keen on leasing assembly equipment because it is...

Two-stage extruder combination produces TPVs.(compounding)
July 1, 2008... A NEW production system for thermoplastic vulcanisates from KraussMaffei Berstorff combines a twin-screw compounding extruder with a short single-screw rubber extruder fitted with gear pump. The single-screw extruder and gear pump...

Polybutene improves performance of masterbatch for PP.(compounding)
July 1, 2008... IMPROVED colour, gloss and processing performance is claimed for colour masterbatch made using LyondellBasell Industries' polybutene-1 (PB-1) as a carrier resin. The masterbatch, produced by FIMAS of Italy, is being used by a Polish...

Standard Twin Screw compounder is not so standard now.(compounding)
July 1, 2008... THE STS (Standard Twin Screw) compounder made by Coperion's Chinese company Keya Machinery has been given a more powerful drive and a programmable controller as the STS advanced. Increased drive output enables screw speed to be raised to 800...

Lasers can make a hole lot of difference to packaging films.(film & sheet conversion)
July 1, 2008... PERFORATIONS are used to increase the shelf life of perishables such as salad and other fresh produce, or to control pressure changes within packages being cooked in microwave ovens. For package perforation lasers offer significant advantages...

Know your responsibilities for chiller maintenance.(temperature control)
July 1, 2008... NEVER before have refrigerants been such a hot topic. The F-gas regulations are the most talked about and little wonder as the new regulations have major implications for plastics and rubber processors. As major users of temperature control...

HFCs and the alternatives.(temperature control)
July 1, 2008... HFCs include R134a, R404a, R407C, R410a and R507. All major manufacturers are designing products around them as, used as refrigerants in effective, efficiently designed systems, they can be as environmentally friendly as other refrigerants,...

Pulse heating added by Regloplas.(temperature control)
July 1, 2008... PULSED temperature control is now available on Regloplas temperature controllers. The company has collaborated with Wieder International to develop the RegloplasHETCO Pulse9OMVT pulse temperature controller for water up to 90 degC. ...

Mouldmakers' engraving software a standard from Schott.(tooling)
July 1, 2008... GERMAN CAD/CAM software developer Schott Systeme provides mould makers' engraving tools as standard within its integrated CAD/CAM package Pictures by PC 3.2. Seldom included in general CAM software, these professional engraving tools facilitate...

Laser welding systems for mould repair.(tooling)
July 1, 2008... Rofin-Baasel's new StarWeld Integral system has been designed for precision laser welding of medium and large parts. It is intended mainly for the tool and mould industry where it is used to repair mould tools by adding welding wire on to...

Quality prototyping at entry-level cost.(prototyping)
July 1, 2008... FUSED deposition modelling specialist Stratasys has introduced a prototyping and production system that combines performance with an entry-level price. The FDM 360mc machine provides the same accuracy, repeatability, and material specifications...

SLA material approved for biomedical and skin contact use.(prototyping)
July 1, 2008... DSM Somos has gained USP Class VI approval for its WaterShed XC 11122 grade. This transparent and water-resistant material is already widely used in the medical device industry, and the new classification now officially approves it for use in a...

Biocompatible FDM material.(prototyping)
July 1, 2008... A BIOCOMPATIBLE fused deposition modelling material for medical, food and pharmaceutical markets has been introduced by Stratasys. The new ABS-M30i material is intended for use with the Stratasys FDM 400mcT fused deposition prototyping and...

Materialise upgrades Magics.(prototyping)
July 1, 2008... MATERIALISE has released version 12.1 of its Magics software for rapid prototyping and manufacturing. The emphasis is on streamlining the RP&M process and improving productivity. One new feature allows you to perforate a hole only through a...

Joining laboratory evaluates assembly options.(finishing)
July 1, 2008... AUTOMATION supplier ATM has opened an in-house plastics joining laboratory where a number of joining processes can be assessed for customers' applications. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hot air cold staking is seen as a simple technology...

Laser marker has work station flexibility.(finishing)
July 1, 2008... A LASER-marking work station from Rofin-Baasel has been designed for small and medium sized batch production. The CombiLine Advanced is made in two versions. The WT variant has a static worktable with 100 kg load capacity and can accommodate a...

Wet look for a cold one.(finishing)
July 1, 2008... Product plaques for Foster's beer pumps were given a "straight from the fridge" look with a finish from Peerless Coatings. The brief was to make the plaques look as if they had condensation beads running down them. Peerless company Aquadec...

Fasteners on show in Birmingham.(finishing)
July 1, 2008... EXHIBITION organiser NewbyCom has fixed October 23 as the date for the next Fastening and Assembly Solutions show. It will be held at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham. [website] www.fastening-solutions.co.uk

Interference-free low-temperature testing.(testing & inspection)
July 1, 2008... SWEDISH test equipment manufacturer Elastocon has solved the puzzle of performing ISO 815-2 compression set testing at low temperatures without opening the low-temperature cabinet and so influencing the result. Its new EV09 low-temperature...

Downloadable presentations on rheology best practice.(testing & inspection)
July 1, 2008... MALVERN Instruments has added best-practice rheology measurement guides to its website. These on-demand presentations provide expert guidance for analysts involved in making rheology measurements. 'Best Measurement Practice For Capillary...

PET IV can be tested without using solvents.(testing & inspection)
July 1, 2008... LLOYD Instruments has introduced a new instrument for determining the intrinsic viscosity of PET. The Davenport PETPlus Intrinsic Viscosity Measurement Instrument uses what the company describes as a unique solvent-free method to avoid both the...

Touch PC simplifies testing.(testing & inspection)
July 1, 2008... ZWICK has designed its new Touch PC to make materials testing machines easier and more efficient to operate. The Touch PC is mounted directly on the testing machine and consists of an integrated industrial computer equipped with a touch screen....

Mini CMM for precision engineering and micro machining.(testing & inspection)
July 1, 2008... THE DEA Micra is a new mini coordinate measuring machine from Hexagon Metrology designed for the inspection of small precision engineered components. It combines Hexagon's DEA bridge measuring machine technology with scanning from Leitz, its...

New standards help define recycling requirements.(reclamation & recycling)
July 1, 2008... TWO new international standards should help define the requirements of plastics recycling worldwide. One, from the International Standards Organisation, is a broad guide to recycling plastics, while a new ASTM standard from the USA should...

3 million [pounds sterling] rPET investment by LinPac.(reclamation & recycling)
July 1, 2008... LlNPAC Packaging has invested 3 million [pounds sterling] in thermoforming and extrusion equipment for recycled PET at its Featherstone plant in a move which it says makes it one of the largest producers of rPET packaging in the UK. The...

Data demonstrate the carbon-saving potential of plastics recycling.(reclamation & recycling)
July 1, 2008... USING recycled PVC to make building products can be 94 per cent more eco-friendly than using virgin polymer according to recycler Axion Recycling, and the statistic could be used to promote products to eco-conscious consumers. Axion has...

Sorters keep an eye on Closed Loop scrap.(reclamation & recycling)
July 1, 2008... Two Spectrum two-stage colour sorters have been installed at Closed-Loop Recycling's new Dagenham facility for reclaiming food grade plastics. The equipment, costing 266,000 [pounds sterling], will assist in processing 35,000 tonnes/yr of mixed...

Try before you buy simulation: simulation software SIMPOE now has a British distributor, and an on-line evaluator. Clive Maier describes what they offer.(software)
July 1, 2008... IT has been a long time now since science met moulding head on in the shape of simulation by computer. And science was and is what it was all about. Computing is just the delivery system that makes the science suitable for everyday practical...

Moldflow moves on and introduces new version of Design Link.(software)
July 1, 2008... AUTODESK has completed its acquisition of Moldflow Corporation and Moldflow is now a wholly-owned subsidiary. President and CEO Roland Thomas has departed, ending a 26 year association with the company and the direction of Moldflow is now in...

Manufacturing management: real time production monitoring, scheduling and process monitoring.(Software directory)(Directory)
July 1, 2008... ProHelp EPM (for Microsoft Windows[TM] PC Servers) Mattec Ltd Tel: 01909 561544 Fax 01909 560675 E-mail: a.jewell@mattec.com Real-time Modules: Production Monitoring, 'Drag and Drop' Scheduling/ Planning, Preventative...

Rohm and Haas buy takes Dow further into specialities.(materials marketplace)
July 1, 2008... DOW Chemical is planning to buy Rohm and Haas in an $18-8 billion deal which will take it further away from reliance on commodity chemicals. According to Dow, it will become "the world's leading specialty chemicals and advanced materials...