British Plastics & Rubber articles from June 2004

British Plastics & Rubber archives from June 2004

Electric drive is the basis for added-value moulding.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2004... ELECTRIC drive is now commonplace in injection moulding machinery with oft-quoted benefits of energy saving, repeatability and accuracy, cleanliness and quiet running. What electric drive also brings is a commonality with other equipment,...

Engel plans Chinese factory.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2004... ENGEL is planning to build an injection moulding machine factory in China to pair with its Korean plant to build its full range of machines. The Austrian manufacturer--the biggest single brand manufacturer in the world--aims to cover its...

Extra flight puts performance back into small screws.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2004... SMALL machines have small screws, and in most cases the small diameter and low L/D ratio are not a problem. But when a small machine is to be used for jobs that require high plasticising performance or involve sensitive materials, the small...

You don't like tramp metal--neither do your customers.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2004... You keep your moulding process free from metal contamination because of what tramp metal can do to your machines. But what about tramp metal getting into your components after you have moulded them, and importantly, before your customer...

Big mouldings beat import competition for Glendenning.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2004... SEVERAL months of investment in tooling and a pallet-based collar packaging system have brought results for Glendenning Plastics, which in March achieved the highest ever monthly sales figure in its 40 year history. The March total broke the...

The internet takes away communication limitations.(Automation)
June 1, 2004... THE INTERNET is being used by Wittmann as a channel to simplify communications between ancillary equipment and manufacturing systems. While machine manufacturers have offered modems for some years as a way to provide communication for...

Wittmann adds clean room robots.(Automation)
June 1, 2004... A modified version of Wittmann's top entry robots has been introduced for clean room applications conforming to ISO 7 and US Federal Standard 209E. The optional clean room adaptation kit includes smooth and closed surfaces for the energy chain...

Six tips to keep your hot runners up to scratch.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2004... * Check heater ohm readings on new hot runner systems When you receive a new system, make a record of all the ohm readings for the heaters. During maintenance of the tool, check those readings again. Any reading higher or lower than...

Moldflow puts MSI hot runner controllers on sale.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2004... ALTANIUM hot runner control systems are now available from Moldflow (Europe) following Moldflow Corporation's acquisition of American MSI Corporation. The systems have a small footprint controller which can support from one to 384 zones and the...

Magnetic platens have heater plate options.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2004... Retrofittable magnetic platens with a capacity of up to 18 kg/[cm.sup.2] made by Hilma-Roemhald are now available from Roemheld (UK). They are available for machines from 30 to 5,000 tonnes in two designs according to the application. For...

PlantStar now talks to Arburgs.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2004... AN ARBURG host interface has been added to Syscon's PlantStar manufacturing monitoring system. It enables the moulding machine's set up and performance data to be uploaded to the PlantStar system, and for set up to be stored on the PlantStar...

CGI forestalls possible gas injection patent disputes.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2004... MORE flexibility has been added to Cinpres Gas Injection's Plastic Expulsion Process through a licensing agreement with Alliance Gas Systems of the USA. The legendary litigation-to-the-death history of conflicting gas injection moulding...

Water injection can outperform gas.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2004... This chain saw handle moulded on a 200 tonne Billion machine at the Plastika plastics processing trade fair in Italy recently showed the potential of water assisted moulding over gas injection. The handle is up to 30 mm in diameter and was...

Multi-cavity X-Melt 'the only way' to mould micro component.(Injection Moulding)
June 1, 2004... JOINT DEVELOPMENT between Engel and Mold-Masters has enabled Engel's X-Melt high speed injection technology to be applied to multi-cavity moulds. X-Melt is an explosive injection process in which the melt is compressed in the space in...

New D-S control system is available for retrofit.(Blow Moulding)
June 1, 2004... A MULTI-FUNCTION control system which handles both machine and parison control is now being fitted to all new Davis-Standard blow moulding machines, and is available for retrofit, not just to D-S machines, but to other makes as well. The...

PET plants to produce preforms instead of granules?(Blow Moulding)
June 1, 2004... A PROCESS which integrates PET production with bottle preform moulding is under development in Germany and will possibly go commercial by the end of the year. Zimmer, a subsidiary of the MG Technologies group which has built polyester...

Hot fill cooled to enable hair wax to be packed in PET.(Blow Moulding)
June 1, 2004... A thickwall PET jar is used at the edge of its abilities to give improve aesthetics to a Scottish personal care products company. Mile Cosmetics has introduced a range of hair wax using Audus Noble 60/100 jars. The product is hot-filled,...

'Suck moulding' process churns out products like sausages.(Blow Moulding)
June 1, 2004... FOR some time twin sheet thermoforming has provided an alternative method to blow moulding fur making large hollow mouldings. Now another process loosely described as a vacuum forming process has been developed, this one making hollow items...

O-I puts the pressure on to increase rigidity.(Blow Moulding)
June 1, 2004... A WAY to increase PET bottle rigidity when using thin walls has been adopted in the USA by Owens-Illinois for a flavoured water bottle. Extra rigidity is obtained by pressurising the head space after filling, and to overcome air contact...

'Asia's biggest beer bottle' uses three-layer PET technology.(Blow Moulding)
June 1, 2004... A MULTILAYER PET process has been adopted by Korea's biggest brewer to give a 6 months plus shelf life for a 1.6 litre bottle, which now accounts for 15 per cent of the country's beer market. The 'Hite Pitcher' is produced by Hyosung...

More back-up from PET mould specialist.(Blow Moulding)
June 1, 2004... WENTWORTH MOLD, the Canadian based blow mould tooling specialist with an office in Mansfield Woodhouse near Nottingham, has expanded its operations with an installation and start-up service for PET preform and blow moulding machinery, and is...

PEN beer bottle makes 20 trips.(Blow Moulding)
June 1, 2004... A refillable PEN beer bottle has been developed by Rexam for The Danish Brewery Group's Royal Pilsner and Royal Classic brands. The 0-38 I bottle weighs 36 g compared with the 312 g glass bottle it replaced, and can be reused up to 20 times....

Silos remove Arla Group bottleneck.(Blow Moulding)
June 1, 2004... THE Arla Foods Group is the largest dairy company in Europe, supplying one in every five bottles of milk in UK supermarkets. Its Newcastle site produces a million bottles each week of flavoured milks for a worldwide market, including Gulp,...

Transfer head changes flexible foam formulations faster.(Reaction Processing)
June 1, 2004... TO REMOVE bottlenecks in flexible foam production on fast cycle times Krauss-Maffei has introduced its MK 18/22ULP-6CN-G six component transfer mixing head which facilitates rapid blend component changing. The new head also addresses the...

Cannon now in the panel plant business.(Reaction Processing)
June 1, 2004... CANNON has started building plants for the continuous production of polyurethane insulated metal panels for applications such as roofing, roof insulation, walls, sectional doors, prefabricated structures, ducts and air-conditioning systems. Its...

Integral skin PU foam systems.(Reaction Processing)
June 1, 2004... A NEW range of integral skin polyurethane foam systems from Baxenden Chemicals is aimed at the automotive trim and furniture markets. Flexocel ZM resin systems use blowing agent technology with zero ozone depletion potential. They have...

Cash dispenser counts on polyurethane.(Reaction Processing)
June 1, 2004... Polyurethane outer panelling is used on the new ProCash CRS automatic teller machine from Wincor Nixdorf. It consists of one large moulded part in two versions, each weighing 6-5 kg The panels are moulded by Thieme in Germany in Bayer's Baydur...

Compounding lines developed to meet growth in TPEs.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... THE physical properties of a TPE-V depend primarily on the phase morphology that is achieved. This is done in a reactive compounding process--compounding and simultaneously cross-linking the elastomeric phase in a twinscrew extruder--and is...

Twin screw majors add small scale extruders.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... NEW 'basic' twin screw compounders have been introduced by Berstorff and Coperion Werner & Pfleiderer. The Berstorff machine makes its debut at the K2004 exhibition in October, while the W & P machine was unveiled at a recent company symposium....

Ring Extruder can handle higher torque.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... A GEARBOX capable of withstanding higher torque than before has been developed for the 12-screw 3+ Ring Extruder built in Germany and sold here by Uniplex Machinery Sales. The concept of the extruder was described in British Plastics &...

Cool twin screws from the drive end.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... AN IMPROVEMENT in the way co-rotating twin screw extruders are cooled is reported from the US office of German drives manufacturer PIV drives. Because of the high loads taken on twin screw drive shafts it is difficult to pipe coolant in from...

Barrel retrofit cuts future rebuild costs.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... A NEW barrel retrofit package for APV Baker MP twin screw extruders allows complete liners or worn sections to be replaced with new liner inserts and backing blocks, removing the need to replace a complete liner and halving liner replacement...

Twin screws for pharma applications.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... PHARMACEUTICAL applications are the target of Thermo Electron s Prism Pharmalab twin screw extrusion system which is built in stainless steel to GMP standard for development or small scale production. The system includes GMP standard...

New twin screw compounder earmarked for nanofiller research.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... RAPRA Technology is buying a 21 mm twin screw compounder from Rondol Technology to enhance its capabilities in compounding and compound development. The machine will initially be used in work to establish new nanofilled thermoplastic...

Easier assessment of colour quality.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... DEFINING a colour match is set to become easier with new colour quality control software from Konica Minolta, who says that it 'will change the way colour data is handled throughout industry'. The emphasis is on customisation of working...

Static mixing from coarse to ultrafine.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... A COMBINATION of static mixers with different geometries from Swiss company Fluitec Georg gives a pre-distribution followed by homogenisation down to the molecular level. The mikromakro mixer has a variety of applications, including mixing...

Flexible masterbatch feeder suitable for in-line compounding.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... BRABENDER has developed a compact modular masterbatch feeding system in cooperation with a major compounder which it says is suitable for in-line compounding because of its flexibility and easy material changeover. It can be extended to any...

Threefold increase in output follows PVC line upgrade.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... A THREEFOLD increase in the output of a PVC compounding line at Hydro Polymers, Newton Aycliffe, has been achieved following the replacement of the existing extruder with a new machine capable of processing 3 tonnes/hr. A larger mixer has also...

Pellet screener stops longs wastage.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... ROTEX EUROPE has delivered two of its recently introduced Plastic Pellet screeners to a producer of colour and additive concentrates for the plastics industry in Asia. The new range of machines is designed to screen smaller volumes up to...

Tight process control applied to dust removal.(Compounding)
June 1, 2004... PELLETS can be de-dusted at rates between 100 and 100,000 kg/hr with a new sifter/ deduster from Acrison International. The Typhoon is a fluidised bed machine available in vertical or horizontal configurations. Very tight separation...

Conair simplifies drying and adds new hopper dryers.(Materials Handling)
June 1, 2004... A NEW materials handling and drying system from Conair is claimed to reduce processing machine downtime. Material inventory on the machine is minimised by small batch conveying and handling is performed within a central area remote from the...

New small gravimetric blender from TSM.(Materials Handling)
June 1, 2004... TSM Control Systems has introduced the TSM50 gravimetrie batch blender for on-line/off-line blending in both extrusion and moulding. With a throughput of up to 50 kg/h using batch sizes of 0.5 kg, it is TSM's smallest blender. Blend ratios of...

Powder conveyor for up to 2 tonnes/hr.(Materials Handling)
June 1, 2004... COLORTRONIC has installed examples of its CSP vacuum conveying units at its Chesterfield headquarters for customer trials. The CSP conveys free-flowing powders or materials with a high dust content at up to 2 tonnes/hour for more than 150 m....

Bulk Solids feeder gets bigger.(Materials Handling)
June 1, 2004... A LARGER capacity model has been added to K-Tron's growing Bulk Solids Pump feeder range. The BSP 150 is now the biggest in the series, and combines four feeding ducts to reach feed rates of 45 to 4,500 [dm.sup.3]/hour--gravimetric options are...

Gravimetric blending assures vital UV stabiliser addition.(Materials Handling)
June 1, 2004... A NINTH Maguire gravimetric blender has been bought from Summit Systems by South Wales extrusion company Tubex. Tubex makes tubes for the protection of sapling trees and vines and the new blender is part of a 175,000 [pounds sterling]...

Motor moved to cope with limited headroom.(Materials Handling)
June 1, 2004... Motor drive of the new Flexicon low profile flexible screw conveyor is positioned at the Inlet end of the conveyor tube to allow the discharge outlet to fit within a limited headroom, particularly where there is weighing equipment. The units...

New TPVs promise high colour and no pre-drying.(Engineering Materials)
June 1, 2004... A SERIES of thermoplastic vulcanisates that offer more colouring possibilities than conventional TPVs and which call be processed without pre-drying has been introduced by Solvay Engineered Polymers. The NexPrene 9000 series improves on the...

Kynar added to Performance range.(Engineering Materials)
June 1, 2004... PERFORMANCE PLASTICS, which distributes higher performance engineering plastics, has added Atofina's Kynar PVDF to its range. Kynar offers high chemical resistance and thermal and UV stability, and good mechanical performance, together with...

PC vehicle glazing made more weather resistant.(Engineering Materials)
June 1, 2004... A LONGER lasting form of polycarbonate vehicle glazing system has been introduced by Exatec, the joint venture between Bayer MaterialScience and GE Advanced Materials. Exatec900 adds improved weathering performance to the abrasion and...

LCP for a new twist on torque motors.(Engineering Materials)
June 1, 2004... SWISS electrical drives manufacturer Sonceboz is using DuPont's Zenite LCP liquid crystal polymer for the stator of its 4000-Series torque motor. The material is used to injection mould thin-walled coil bobbins, and to overmould the wound...

High GF, high flow nylon cuts the need for metal stiffeners.(Engineering Materials)
June 1, 2004... THE LATEST addition to DSM's Akulon Ultraflow high flow nylon series is a 50 per cent glass filled PA6 which is said to give a better surface finish than 30 per cent GF PA66 through better wetting-out of the glass fibres. And it brings greater...

Vinyl compounds speed profile extrusion.(Engineering Materials)
June 1, 2004... PROFILE extruders can raise through-puts by some 15 to 25 per cent with new flexible vinyl compounds developed by Teknor Apex. The increase in output is said to be gained without detriment to dimensional tolerances and smooth gel-free profile...

New BMW extends GE's body count.(Engineering Materials)
June 1, 2004... THE recently-introduced BMW Series 6 is the latest car range to adopt painted thermoplastic body panels in material from GE Advanced Materials, which says it has put more engineering thermoplastic body panels on the road than any other material...

Low-gel LLDPEs for premium films.(Packaging Materials)
June 1, 2004... EXXONMOBIL Chemical has developed two linear low density polyethylene grades specially for the production of high quality lamination and coextrusion films. The new grades are low-gel versions of the company's existing Exceed 1018CA and Exceed...

New polyethylene for thin-wall moulding.(Packaging Materials)
June 1, 2004... NOVA Chemicals has introduced a polyethylene specifically for thin-wall injection moulding. Surpass IFs932 combines a low melt viscosity with a high level of toughness and stiffness. Like the rest of the Surpass polyethylene portfolio,...

GE combination for cosmetic packaging.(Packaging Materials)
June 1, 2004... GE Advanced Materials has brought together three of its technologies in a combination for cosmetics packaging. The fusion of Xylex polycarbonate/polyester blend plastics, Visualfx aesthetics, and LNP Thermocomp HSG heavy-feel compounds offers...

Paints stick to PP without surface preparation.(Finishing)
June 1, 2004... PAINT systems which can adhere to polypropylene without pre-treatment have been developed by Swiss paint manufacturer Dr A Schoch. With these paints, the company says, a polypropylene substrate only requires normal cleaning with isopropanol:...

Automatic air cap cleaning reduces spraying downtime.(Finishing)
June 1, 2004... REDUCED down time and contamination are claimed for a new robot air cap cleaner from Mercia Systems which eliminates the need for an operator to stop a paint line and enter the spray booth to clean an air cap manually. Cleaning an air cap...

Chiller range designed to last longer.(Temperature Control)
June 1, 2004... LONGER life and reduced maintenance are claimed for Tricool's latest TRE chillers which have been designed to work with water in varying conditions. The company says that the use of dissimilar metals in evaporator construction can lead to...

IR sensors intended to replace thermocouples.(Temperature Control)
June 1, 2004... NON-CONTACT infrared temperature sensors which can permanently substitute traditional thermocouples 'without undue cost and complexity' have been introduced by Land Instruments. The company has extended its MF3 series of IR thermometers with...

UV option for Viscotek triple detector.(Testing & Inspection)
June 1, 2004... A UV detector option has been added to the Viscotek GPC/SEC TDA (triple detector array) system. The new UV detector is maintained in a thermostatically controlled environment and is programmable over the range 190 to 360 nm. The device has the...

Spectrophotometer measures transmittance and haze.(Testing & Inspection)
June 1, 2004... THE latest benchtop spectrophotometer from Datacolor has been designed for enhanced transmittance and haze measurements. The SF650X gives better transmission measurements for all sample types, including regular transmittance of transparent...

Sensor film for higher pressures.(Testing & Inspection)
June 1, 2004... SENSOR Products, the producer of tactile pressure sensor films, has added a high pressure product to its range. The new Pressurex Super High tactile pressure sensor film covers pressures ranging from 1,012 to 3,037 kg/[cm.sup.2]. Pressurex...

Hydraulic power units are easier to maintain.(Testing & Inspection)
June 1, 2004... INSTRON has introduced a range of hydraulic power units for driving single and multi-station test configurations. Its 3250 Series has been designed for low noise, high efficiency and low environmental impact. The series covers flow rates...

Additions to spectrosopy range.(Testing & Inspection)
June 1, 2004... NEW developments in the fields of elemental analysis and molecular spectroscopy have been made by Thermo Electron Corporation. Its ARL ADVANT'X+ sequential X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer has been designed to provide a cost-effective...

New technique for measuring extensional viscosity.(Testing & Inspection)
June 1, 2004... Thermo Electron, the company previously known as ThermoHaake, claims its Haake X-die is the flint easy-to-use and reliable instrument for measuring apparent extensional viscosity and shear viscosity of polymer melts on-line, continuously and...

Automated optical inspection at top speed.(Testing & Inspection)
June 1, 2004... ITALIAN manufacturer Doss has developed an automated optical inspection machine for small parts that combines accuracy with speed. Its Galgo machine carries out multiple inspections for dimension, aspect and integrity at up to 20 parts per...

Automatic tensile tester in mini format.(Testing & Inspection)
June 1, 2004... ZWICK has developed an automatic tensile test system in mini format. This space-saving system consists of a testing machine and a mini handling system with a magazine holding up to 20 specimens. Most available Zwick load frames can be...

3D laser scanner for high accuracy.(Testing & Inspection)
June 1, 2004... A NEW 3D laser scanner from Konica Minolta is aimed at high-accuracy applications. With its three interchangeable lenses, the Vi-9i instrument can attain an accuracy of 0.05 mm and a precision of 0.008 mm. The unit includes the latest version...

World service: the plastics industry needs documentation like any other. To market, sell, service and support, we have to get our message across. We have to get it across borders too. It is a global market now. This month Clive Maier looks at two software solutions that can help.(Software)
June 1, 2004... IT'S A small world and getting smaller all the time. We are still an island, but only in the geographical sense. Fifty years ago, a plastics processor could work exclusively for British companies, using British machinery and materials. Today...

Chips with everything.(Software)
June 1, 2004... PLASTICS, additives, adhesives, primers, paints, lacquers, solvents, cleaning agents: the commonplace materials of the plastics industry. Chemicals, all of them, and that means regulation and obligation. If you supply and transport chemicals,...

What's new on the web.(Software)
June 1, 2004... Thermoforming Solutions New company Thermoforming Solutions has been formed to support the sales and marketing of US-built Brown Machine thermoforming machinery and tooling in Great Britain, Northern and the Republic of Ireland and in...

Developments at TIG include extrusion applications.(Software)
June 1, 2004... TIG, the Austrian developer of plastics process monitoring and control systems, has announced a number of new developments. The Production Planning Assistant now accommodates material batch information to allow for full recording, checking and...

Kistler upgrades DataFlow.(Software)
June 1, 2004... VERSION 2.1.1 of Kistler's DataFlow injection moulding software adds handshake functionality to guarantee the acquisition of cyclical data. Also new is a multi-component module for handling two-shot mouldings. DataFlow visualises,...

Software directory.(Software)
June 1, 2004... BLOW MOULDING/THERMOFORMING Accuform T-Sim, B-Sim Accuform, +420 677 210465 Symbolic Systems, 01227 738892 Single user price: 4,000 [pounds sterling]-16,000 [pounds sterling] Simulation of blow moulding and thermoforming, including sheet/...

Rapra aims to set standards for leachates in inhalation devices.(Update)
June 1, 2004... RAPRA Technology is starting a multi-client project to create a method for the analysis and control of leachable substances in finished moulded inhalation delivery systems. The first meeting is scheduled for July 21. The reasoning behind...

Cut machine power from 50 m away.(Update)
June 1, 2004... A SAFETY cut-off intended for use in training workshops, but with wider potential, has been introduced by machine tool supplier Meddings "Flott". It is a remote switch which can be carried in the teacher's pocket, and is able to cut the power...

Basell hints at future investment as it inaugurates PB-1 plant.(Materials Marketplace)
June 1, 2004... THE largest polybutene-1 plant in the world has been inaugurated at Moerdijk in the Netherlands. Basell's 45,000 tonnes PB-1 plant is the first to be built in Europe in more than 30 years. It is part of the company's 2 billion [euro] turnover...

Ticona to hasten LCP expansion.(Materials Marketplace)
June 1, 2004... TICONA is bringing forward the planned expansion of its Vectra LCP plant at Shelby in North Carolina, USA. The plant has been steadily expanded since it was built in 1988 and a debottlenecking operation to increase its current 6,000 tonnes...

DuPont and Tate & Lyle harden up biopolymer development.(Materials Marketplace)
June 1, 2004... DUPONT and sugar giant Tate & Lyle have formalised their co-operation in making polymers from renewable resources by setting up a joint venture with plans to build a commercial plant next to a Tate & Lyle factory in Loudon, Tessessee, USA by...

Recent price increases.(Materials Marketplace)
June 1, 2004... Polyothylene/polypropylene --Dow polyethylene and polypropylene, up by 100 [euro]/tonne. Nylons--Rhodia PA66 base resins, up by 100 [euro]/tonne. Prices of PA 66 compounds increased accordingly. PVC--EVC Evipol S-PVC, up by 100...

Britton Group bought by management.(Company Report)
June 1, 2004... Britton Group (Holdings), which reckons to be the UK's second largest supplier of flexible plastics packaging and one of the top 10 producers in Europe, has been taken over in a 46 million [pounds sterling] management buy-out. The MBO was led...

Rubber moulder free from gas meter ownership.(Company Report)
June 1, 2004... Metflex, once the rubber moulding division of gas meter manufacturers Slumberger, and then Actaris, is now independent following a management buy-in by managing director Lawrence Irving and executive chairman Phil Tempest. As well as giving the...

Moulders merge.(Company Report)
June 1, 2004... Two high tonnage injection moulding companies, Excel Technical Mouldings of Paignton and Plastic Technologies of West Bromwich, have merged to form XL Plastic Technologies. Both companies operated in similar market sectors, Excel with moulding...