British Plastics & Rubber articles from June 2003

British Plastics & Rubber archives from June 2003

ERP only gives you the answer if you know the question: a fully integrated ERP software system can mean the difference between a profit and loss. But it needs to be implemented carefully. Ola Gejde of plasticsgrid, which distributes the IQMS system, gives some pointers.(Information Management)
June 1, 2003... ERP as a concept is simply too compelling to ignore. It makes sense, to replace a paper calendar and multiple, outdated accounting and spreadsheet software programs with an integrated system that stores and sorts the information flowing in from...

ERP--don't bite off more than you can chew.(Information Management)
June 1, 2003... Early last year injection moulder AK Industries replaced its ageing IT system with a plastics-specific ERP system from infor:swan. Since going live in February 2002 the major concerns have been issues based around getting the system to work in...

You got it in, now how do you get it out?(Information Management)
June 1, 2003... DTR Software's Manufacturing Manager ERP system is unusual in that it is evolving as a collaborative product. It has been written specifically for plastics processes, and as new features are developed with individual customers that may have...

Piece part information system has its roots in machine monitoring.(Information Management)
June 1, 2003... ACCORDING to Rhombus Systems many integrated manufacturing monitoring systems are derived from accounting systems, and lack feedback from the shop floor. Its own Factory Information System, by contrast, has evolved from a machine monitoring...

Moldflow assembles the parts for plant-wide management.(Information Management)
June 1, 2003... WITH its new Moldflow Manufacturing Solutions software, otherwise known as MMS, Moldflow is aiming for nothing less than a 'complete collaborative manufacturing management system' for injection moulders. Over the years, the company has...

OPC improves data communication for Syscon.(Information Management)
June 1, 2003... IN A BID to make data generated from production processes more meaningful Syscon PlantStar has expanded its moulding machine monitoring systems into 'a total manufacturing middleware solution'. Despite the sophistication of modern automated...

Colour communication time cut by using central database.(Information Management)
June 1, 2003... TIME spent by Rexam passing information on colour between sites has been cut with the introduction of a centralised database and internet communication. The company has upgraded 25 licenses for X-Rite's QA-Master quality assurance software...

Film producers and converters face an uphill struggle.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... FOR ANYONE working in film conversion or production, the annual review of the Packaging and Industrial Films Association makes pretty depressing reading. Overall economic malaise is compounded by competition from cheap imports, loss of...

ERP module calculates film or bag quotes.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... A SPECIALISED quotation module for film or bags has been added to DTR Software International's The Manufacturing Manager ERP software. The Bag and Film Quoter combines the processing costs of film extrusion, slitting, printing and other...

Corona treater designed not to inhibit line operation.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... RECONDITIONING a 3 m Er-We-Pa coating and laminating line at a Dutch packaging supplier was expected to increase its speed by half, which posed questions of whether the adhesion between laminate layers would be sufficient, or whether this would...

Slitter/rewinders take on tricky film tasks.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... AUTOTYPE is buying a second Parkland SM150 Series II slitter/rewinder for its UK plant at Wantage. The first machine was bought in July 2001 and is used for slitting polyester and polycarbonate films used in a range of products developed for...

Merkle plans slitter/ rewinder.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... CUTTING specialist P W Merkle is planning to introduce a mid-range slitter/rewinder for reels up to 1,550 x 550 mm, with larger models to come. A demonstration unit will be available in the next few weeks. The company is primarily a...

Paperfeel adds customer development lab.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... PAPERFEEL of Peterborough makes a three-layer blown polyethylene film which has the texture, print quality and folding characteristics of paper. The company has now set up a test laboratory for customers to assess the film, and define how they...

Side weld bag maker adds zip seals.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... TO meet growing market demand in Europe for reclosable zip-sealed bags Lemo has introduced the Intermat CT 850 Z (for zipper) version of its Computronic bag maker. The first line was supplied to a European customer in April. The machine is...

Reel-to-reel screenprinting of flexible circuits is automated.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... AN AUTOMATED line for the reel-to-reel lamination and die cutting of flexible electronic circuits, as used in car roof wiring, has been developed by German company A & M Kinzel. Flexible circuits have been made by reel-to-reel...

Corona treater for high speed label presses.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... The latest narrow web corona discharge treater from Ahlbrandt can be used on the majority of label presses at very high speeds. The power unit operates at an output frequency 40 KHz and is integrally linked to the electrode station, which...

Bag making boost for security specialist.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... THREE Indian-built Mamata Vega bag makers have been installed by Mercury Packaging at its Kirkby-in-Ashfield plant as part of a programme to expand its capacity for Safe and Sure security bags. Mercury was founded four years ago, and is...

New control developments in US bagmakers.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... THE Polystar Webmaster 10000 is a new series of AC-driven bag makers from Ro-An of the USA which incorporates new, patented control technology. In particular it has a new system of electronic dwell control, and a vacuum web control system which...

Getting a grip on static: static electricity is a well-known problem--and in some cases, processing aid--when handling film. We all know more or less what it is and what to do about it. But this overview of static by Simon Hatcher, the technical director of static control specialist Meech Static Eliminators, may add extra food for thought.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... TODAY's high speed production processes, often involving synthetic materials, are more prone to static effects than was historically the case. An example of this is in labelling: labels used to be printed on paper and applied slowly. They are...

Removing static shifts swarf and dust as well.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... Process Control has supplied X-Stat ionising vacuum bars to two companies experiencing difficulties caused by static. One makes large plastics sheets for advertising hoardings and met problems because cutting created static which caused swarf...

New bars designed for long distance static elimination.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... THE new P-SH-N-Ex anti static bar from WLT has been designed for the neutralisation of static in film rolls. It has an integral power unit and a neon-warning bulb, which illuminates when high voltage is present. The bar is capable of...

Hot air welding solves exterior use assembly problem.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... ASSEMBLING plant, protection tubes for viticulture was proving difficult for Sivita of Aberbeeg in South Wales as sealing the twin walled PP used to form the triangular tubes was proving extremely difficult, and tests on adhesive bonding...

Smaller and cheaper electron beam processors open up new curing potential: electron beam curing of coatings has traditionally been regarded as the preserve of large scale manufacturers. But EB curing systems have been produced which are suited to smaller scale manufacture. Lawrence Wild of Edlon Machinery describes the second generation of equipment from Energy Sciences in the USA.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... THE cost-effective and environmentally friendly electron beam curing process could be the future curing/ drying method of choice given certain restrictions and problems which face the converter today, particularly in the field of solventless...

Revised lip positioning improves slot coating die operation.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... BY moving the flexible lip and adjusting system to the bottom lip, Extrusion Dies Industries reckons to have improved the quality achievable with its Ultracoat slot die so that coatings can be applied without distortion at very low coating...

Modular coater for short runs.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... AN EXTRUSION coating machine designed for smaller production capacities has been assembled by Davis-Standard using components from other of its extrusion lines. The Flex-Master 1300 is intended for runs of 1--2 hours on common flexible...

Standard options' clinch Striebig as new Amari panel saw.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... A MARI PLASTICS at Norwich is able to cut thick engineering plastics sheets more easily and more accurately since it installed a Striebig Evolution panel saw. The new machine can cope with 20 mm thick sheets which caused the previous saw to...

Panel saw handles 3 x 2 m sheet for under 4,000 [pounds sterling].(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... THE KoolKut range of vertical panel saws from Sagetech Industries has been extended with the introduction of the KK21S, which can handle sheet sizes in excess of 3 x 2 m. It offers simple straight and angle cutting to the full sheet size,...

Sharp Interpack invests to expand.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... CONTINUING investment by Sharp Interpack in the year since it was bought out of the Malbak Group--where it operated as MY Plastics--has added substantially to the company's thermoforming capacity for food packaging products, and is to continue...

Brown introduces new high output disposables line.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... A NEW series of servo-driven thermoforming machines and trimming presses from Brown Machine is intended for the production of disposable plates and drinking cups, lids, fruit and vegetable containers and so on. Included in the series is a...

New forming heaters cut power use by 25 per cent.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... VULCAN Refractories is claiming the potential of a 25 per cent saving in electricity usage with the addition to its Vulcatherm quartz infra red heater range of High Efficiency (HE) specification heaters for use in thermoforming machines. ...

New acrylic sheet combines the best of cast and extruded.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... A NEW grade of impact-modified acrylic sheet material from R6hm combines the benefits of cast Plexiglas GS with those of extruded Plexiglas Resist to provide a new level of performance. Plexiglas Resist HP is weather resistant and requires no...

New possibilities with polyester thermoforming sheet.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... VIVAK HT, is a copolyester thermoforming sheet from Makroform which is said to offer thermoformers 'undreamed-of possibilities'. The sheet has a service temperature resistance of up to 91 degC, but can be deep-drawn easily without...

Makroform adds six-walled sheet.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
June 1, 2003... A six wall polycarbonate sheet has been introduced by Makroform, in thicknesses of 16 and 20 mm with roofing applications particularly in mind. The new Makrolon multi longlife 6/16-20 and 6/20-20 sheets are said to combine excellent heat...

Rough mould surface improves fabric backing.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2003... IN-MOULD fabric covering of an injection moulding looks better if the mould surface is textured, according to the results of trials at Swiss mould maker Georg Kaufmann Formenbau. The principal reason is that the fibres lock into the mould...

Hot runner systems have improved heat management.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2003... FASTER colour changing is one of several advantages claimed by Mold-Masters for its new Master Series of hot runner systems, developed over the past two years. High heat tips have corrosion resistant coatings and good thermal uniformity derived...

Software checks platen alignment on big two platen machines.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2003... CONTROL software for monitoring the parallelism of the mould halves on each shot has been developed by Engel for its Duo series of large capacity two-platen machines. Deviations can be measured to a resolution of 0.05 mm. Engel says this...

Ferromatik Milacron uprates and expands its range.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2003... FERROMATIK's 30 tonne all-electric Elektra Evolution has been given an even smaller screw option, enabling it to function as a sub-1 g shot moulder. The new 14 mm screw was demonstrated at a recent open-house in Germany where the machine...

Automatic production of anti-vibration components.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2003... MAPLAN's latest machine for the production of anti-vibration components comprises a vertical 300 tonne clamping unit with a FIFO rubber injection unit of 2,500 c[m.sup.3] capacity. Parallel movements can be performed in up to four steps and...

Merit liked the contract so much it bought the machines.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2003... TO IMPROVE component supply and service Merit Plastic Mouldings has taken over a previous in-house moulding operation--and as well as taking in the tools it has bought the machines to run them on. The customer is Input/Output Inc (I/O) A...

Arburg 400 tonne machine now on sale in Britain.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2003... THE much-publicised 400 tonne Arburg machine has gone on sale in this country, with a model available for demonstration at Arburg's showroom in Warwick. The 820S--Arburg designates its machines according to their tiebar spacing--marks the end...

Husky enhances hot runners.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2003... HUSKY has added new configurations to its Pronto hot runner range and introduced back to back valve gating for stack moulds. Pronto 2T and 4N manifolds have been designed for increasingly popular non-symmetrical layouts. The manifolds allow...

New packaging range from Sandretto.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2003... MACHINES of 150, 200, 270 and 360 tonnes comprise the new Sandretto Mach range for high speed production of packaging and technical products with thin wall sections or long flow path ratios. Injection units have a choice of three screw...

More spark from Demag.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2003... WIDER availability of electric drive on Demag Ergotech machines has come with the expansion of the El-Exis S hydroelectric series and introduction of the all-electric IntElect. The El-Exis S was introduced in 1999, and has a closed circuit...

Amaray has the PMS habit.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2003... CORBY-based AGI Amaray has now installed 33 PMS Systems hot runner controllers on its automated line for the production of 1 million PP DVD cases a day. The first PMS system was supplied in 1998 when an eight zone trial unit was installed to...

Sidel machine produces 1,000 bottles a minute.(Blow Moulding)
June 1, 2003... SIDEL is claiming two world records for PET stretch blown bottle production with its demonstration at the NPE exhibition in Chicago this month. It breaks the blowing speed record per station with 3,000 bottles per hour, giving a new hourly...

Santoprene keeps up with food contact demands.(Packaging Materials)
June 1, 2003... A FOOD-CONTACT grade of AES Santoprene TPV developed to meet the latest European food contact legislation is being used by Rubbermaid as a seal on its food container lids. The two companies collaborated in the development of the new...

New PP for thermoforming sheet.(Packaging Materials)
June 1, 2003... EXXONMOBIL has introduced a polypropylene grade designed to provide the clarity and stiffness required for thermoforming applications. ExxonMobil PP5082KN is a nucleated polypropylene which, in addition to its clarity and high stiffness,...

Make the bottle cap match the contents.(Blow Moulding)
June 1, 2003... (CLEAR tinted polypropylene caps are being promoted by Milliken Chemical and are being commercialised by three major drinks producers. The aim is to improve aesthetics by replicating the beverage colour or brand colour, but Milliken also claims...

DuPont raises fluoropolymer profile with move to Distrupol and AlphaGary agreement.(Engineering Plastics)
June 1, 2003... THE DuPont fluoropolymers distribution business, which has remained with Resin Express since the very public transfer of the engineering polymers business to Distrupol at Interplas last year, is now also moving to Distrupol. DuPont says...

New Lexan grade is the key to degradable one-trip DVD.(Engineering Plastics)
June 1, 2003... AN optical disc process that relies on the disc medium degrading to the point of obscurity is to be tried in the USA. The patented EZ-D DVD from Flexplay is made with a specially developed grade of Lexan polycarbonate from GE Plastics. It is...

Nylon compounds tailored to customer needs.(Engineering Plastics)
June 1, 2003... NYLON compounds tailored for specific applications in the electrical and automotive industries have been produced by PolyOne after developments with customers. To mould an electrical socket PolyOne developed high flow, halogen- and...

Manifold chances for laser weldable nylon 6.(Engineering Plastics)
June 1, 2003... A BLACK nylon 6 has been added along-side the black laser-weldable PBT and nylon 66 made by BASF. Nylon 6 starts out with a higher transparency to laser light than PBT and nylon 66, and BASF sees the new black colourable material as...

'New balls please'--no longer necessary, says DuPont.(Engineering Elastomers)
June 1, 2003... BETTER bouncing balls are promised by new rubber formulations being introduced by DuPont Textiles & Interiors. The company is now ready to introduce the results of years of research which have led to a portfolio of patented technologies that it...

New plant brings more polyolefin elastomers.(Engineering Elastomers)
June 1, 2003... SIX MORE grades of DuPont Dow's Engage polyolefin elastomer will become available in the second half of this year following the start up of the company's new plant at Plaquemine, Louisiana in the USA. Several grades will provide improved...

IR welding solves hot plate problems.(Finishing)
June 1, 2003... THE LATEST lamp technology used for infrared welding machines from Forward Technology Industries gives almost instant heating up time and greatly reduced power consumption. Machines of this type comprise banks of high powered, short wave IR...

Pigmented inkjet prints faster and restarts quicker.(Finishing)
June 1, 2003... Print speeds claimed to be faster than 7 m/second can be achieved with the new Ultima plus print head developed by Linx Printing Technologies for its 6800 Spectrum pigmented inkjet printer. The nozzle is optimised for pigmented inks and reduces...

Invisible bonding of clear PC.(Finishing)
June 1, 2003... AN Italian producer of parts for heating and refrigeration systems, air conditioning units and domestic appliances, is using Araldite 2026 transparent structural adhesive to bond polycarbonate components of a refrigerated vending machine. ...

Corrugating heads improve crush-resistance.(Pipe And Profile)
June 1, 2003... NEW Series 400 corrugating extrusion heads from Guill Tool & Engineering in the USA are said to improve crush resistance of the product. The multi-port spiral flow design provides a balanced compound distribution with no weld lines to the...

Co-ro for wood filled compounds.(Pipe And Profile)
June 1, 2003... EXTRUDERS for wood-filled profiles have been introduced by NFM Welding Engineers, which says that its TEM series co-rotating intermeshing twin screws 'offer the highest torque per free volume and highest screw speed of any commercially...

Stainless steel finish.(Pipe And Profile)
June 1, 2003... The new Entek E-Max 27 mm twin screw extruder for medical and pharmaceuticals use has a stainless steel exterior for easy cleaning and protection from corrosion. The machine is fully modular and self-contained and requires only one power...

Extruders on two weeks delivery.(Pipe And Profile)
June 1, 2003... RAPID delivery is offered on the new Super Blue range of single screw extruders from Davis-Standard. The company says they can be ready for shipment within two weeks of order. The Super Blue extruders are available in 50, 65, 75 and 90 mm screw...

Confirmation that vacuum manifold saves money.(Pipe And Profile)
June 1, 2003... PIPE and profile extruders can save energy using a central vacuum system introduced by Battenfeld a couple of years ago, and now receiving testimonials from companies who have put it into operation. KBE Kunststoffproduktion, a window...

European producers to supply 'hundreds of extrusion lines' to Chinese window frame giant.(Pipe And Profile)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... A MASSIVE contract to supply extrusion systems to China is being placed with several European companies. Dalian Shide Plastic Industry Co is planning to build 11 PVC window profile plants and is sourcing reportedly 'several hundred' extrusion...

Torque limiting clutch resists harsh extruder operation.(Pipe And Profile)
June 1, 2003... THE SEVERE fluctuations in the load on extruder screws--from changes in material viscosity to collisions with foreign objects--can substantially increase operating torque, making extruder drives among the most demanding applications for...

Moldex3D moves in: Clive Maier tries out a flow simulation program from Taiwan that is making in-roads in Europe.(Software)
June 1, 2003... IT is not much more than a year since we surveyed the 'flow simulation contenders' in British Plastics & Rubber. Moldex3D has come a long way in that time. Then it was a leading player in its home territory of Taiwan and the South East Asia...

What's new on the web.(Software)
June 1, 2003... Have your say IDES, the plastics materials data specialist, is developing a new corporate web site that will offer rapid access to its Prospector databases, and include useful tools and tips for moulders, OEMs and materials suppliers and...

Software directory.
June 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,...

Minolta evolves its portable colorimeters.(Colour)
June 1, 2003... Minolta describes the latest generation of its Chroma-Meter portable colorimeters as the result of evolution, not revolution. Thus the new CR-400 series is fully compatible with, and retains the best of, its forerunners but gains new features...

Environmental test chamber is first of a line.(Environmental Testing)
June 1, 2003... Instron SFL, a division of Instron specialising in thermal technologies for materials testing, has unveiled the first of a planned line of Heatwave environmental chambers. The chamber uses forced air convection to attain temperatures up to 350...

Rubber Recovery turns tyres into flood barriers.(Update)
June 1, 2003... A NEW rapid deployment flood barrier is the latest use for scrap tyres. The process management partnership Rubber Recovery has created a durable barrier block moulded from 'crumbed' tyres combined with other polymers and resins. The blocks...

New high-performance extruder concept.(Update)
June 1, 2003... GERMAN company Extrudex Kunststoffmaschinen has developed a new very high performance single screw extrusion concept. The Helibar system involves both barrel and screw. The barrel has deep spiral grooves in the feed section accompanied by...

Robots replace machine tools for more flexible complex cutting.(Update)
June 1, 2003... CADCAM developer Delcam has linked with industrial-robot manufacturer KUKA to develop machining by robot. The companies believe that robots could provide a low-cost alternative to machine tools for many large-scale manufacturing operations...

Major investment in polymer analysis planned by Rapra.(Update)
June 1, 2003... IN ITS biggest ever investment Rapra Technology is spending 600,000 [pounds sterling] on new polymer analysis equipment resources. Some 400,000 [pounds sterling] in capital purchasing has been released for spending this summer and will...

Summer seminars.(Update)
June 1, 2003... Q-Panel/Cytec A joint demonstration of the protection of plastics from weathering effects, and how to measure it, is being planned by Q-Panel Lab Products and Cytec Industries' polymer additives business at the Marriott Worsley Park Hotel,...

Hydro Polymers buys high flow PVC business and plans new recycling operation.(Company Report)
June 1, 2003... PolyOne has sold its Vinakon high flow PVC compounds business to Hydro Polymers--which already makes the materials at its Newton Aycliffe site. Vinakon dates back to 1991 when B F Goodrich and Hydro Polymers formed a joint venture to make...

Buy-out at PVC recycler.(Company Report)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... PVC recycler Plasgrind of Burnley has been bought by its management from Plascoat International. Former operations director Chris O'Connor becomes managing director. The company has a current turnover of around 800,000 [pounds sterling], with a...

BASF sells Ronfalin to Perrite and shuts down production.(Company Report)
June 1, 2003... Vita Thermoplastic Compounds' JGP Perrite compounding business has bought the Ronfalin ABS compounds brand from BASF, and BASF has closed down the Geleen, Holland production facilities for Ronfalin compounds and ABS polymer. Ronfalin was...

Vita buys Belgian polyolefin sheet business.(Company Report)
June 1, 2003... British Vita has bought the production assets and customer base of Crown General's sheet extrusion division, based near Antwerp in Belgium, for an undisclosed sum. The assets comprise two extrusion lines which are to be relocated to two...

Modular Automation bought out of receivership.(Company Report)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Modular Automation, the robotic product handling specialist that went into receivership in April this year, has been resurrected as Modular Automation International. The company is operating from the same premises in Birmingham, is retaining...

Rexam buys pharmaceutical packaging company.(Company Report)
June 1, 2003... Rexam is to buy Risdon Pharma Development, the Paris-based pharmaceutical packaging company which was the subject of a management buy-out from Crown Cork & Seal early last year for 97 million [euro]. Rexam is paying 125 million [euro]. ...

Profile finishing firm changes hands.(Company Report)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Contract profile laminating company Profile Wrappers of Tamworth has been bought by its management from founders Steve and Janice Collingwood. The company specialises in the application of PVC or paper film to aluminium, uPVC and compressed...

Amcor takes over Alcoa's PET packaging business.(Company Report)
June 1, 2003... The world's biggest PET bottle business has just got bigger. Amcor PET Packaging--which bought the Schmalbach Lubeca PET packaging business last year --has bought Alcoa's South American PET packaging business which has nine plants in Brazil,...

Deceuninck buys in-house seals capacity.(Company Report)
June 1, 2003... The Deceuninck Group, which recently bought the Thyssen PVC window profile business, has now bought a majority stake in Belgian seals producer Detajoint. The 75 per cent share holding is part of Deceuninck's strategy of keeping as many...

Cellular Mouldings rescues Rim-cast customers.(Company Report)
June 1, 2003... Polyurethane casting company Rim-cast, which recently went into voluntary liquidation two years after being bought from its retiring founders, has been absorbed into neighbouring PU casting specialist Cellular Mouldings of Kettering. ...