British Plastics & Rubber articles from June 2007

British Plastics & Rubber archives from June 2007

Conferences & exhibitions.(Calendar)
June 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). [e-mail] conferences@rapra.net...

New plastics exhibition to be repeated.
June 1, 2007... THE Plastics Innovations exhibition held in Coventry last month is to be repeated in May 2009, and may take place in Ireland next year. Organiser easyFairs is skipping 2008 for a UK event because the calendar is already full with both Interplas...

RTP appoints Azelis as UK distributor and sets up Chinese TPE plant.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... SPECIALIST US engineering materials compounder RTP has appointed Azelis Plastics UK to sell its compounds in Britain. RTP has manufacturing plants in the USA, the Far East and France and it was the association between the French plant and...

German speciality compounds for Ultrapolymers.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... ULTRAPOLYMERS has been appointed UK and Ireland distributor for the engineering compounds produced by Lehmann & Voss of Germany. The Luvocom compounds are based on plastics such as PPS, PPA, PA46 and PAEK, often with fillers such as carbon...

Cyclics names compounding distributor for CBT.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... DISTRIBUTION of Cyclics Europe's CBT--cyclic butadiene terephthalate--for compounding and masterbatch applications has been taken on by IMCD Deutschland (formerly Interorgana). [website] www.interorgana.com

Improved performance materials under development at DuPont and DSM.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... BOTH DuPont and DSM have shown glimpses of the new technologies going through their development laboratories, some of which are expected to see the light of day at the K2007 exhibition, or before. DuPont is developing new technology to get...

Nylon 3D-MID goes into production.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... THE first 3D-moulded interconnect device components made of BASF's new taser-structurable polyamide have been developed by Kromberg & Schubert, an automotive supplier based in Renningen, Germany. Ultramid T 4381 LDS is a partially crystalline,...

SMA bursting out of its traditional boundaries.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... A HUGE potential for styrene maleic anhydride from the once-defunct DSM plant at Geleen in the Netherlands is claimed by Polyscope, the company that bought and resurrected it last year and started delivering product earlier this year. The...

Polycarbonate roofs could still grow in size and potential.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... It may be small, but the new smart for two boasts 'the largest polycarbonate roof module fitted in a production-line vehicle anywhere in the world' according to Bayer Material Science whose Makrolon is used to mould the 1.2[m.sup.2] panel. ...

Carbon nanotubes get better and cheaper.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... SPECIALITY Compounder RTP Company, now represented in Britain by Azelis, has improved its nanotube processing techniques and has introduced new carbon nanotube compounds that offer substantial performance improvements over previous CNT...

Resisting wear under extreme conditions.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... THE wear-resistant grades based on its high performance materials portfolio have been expanded by Solvay Advanced Polymers. These materials are designed for wear-resistant applications requiring long-term use in temperatures between 120 and 265...

New aerospace materials lower weight and meet tougher FST demands.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... THREE grades of its Ultem polyetherimide, Noryl polyphenylene ether/polystyrene and Lexan polycarbonate have been introduced by GE Plastics in a package of materials formulated for light weight and smoke/flame resistance to aerospace standards....

Crosslinked polyethylene speeds cable production.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... BOREALIS has developed a new cross-linked polyethylene grade for insulating medium voltage cables. Supercure LC8205 offers enhanced and consistent electrical performance for these cables by suppressing the growth of harmful water trees that...

Quadrant to add polyimide stock shapes.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... PERFORMANCE materials specialist Quadrant is planning to introduce a polyimide stock shape material which will take it head to head with DuPont's Vespel. The polyimide (Tg 375 degC) fills a gap in Quadrant's stock shapes portfolio between...

Metal-detectable engineering plastic.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... E-COMPONENTS & Chains of Pocklington has developed a metal-detectable engineering plastics material. Few details are available but the company describes its Detectamet Detectathene as polyethylene-based with a metal additive. The material has...

GF nylon 6 is both high flow and high impact.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... NYLON 6 compounds combining high impact resistance and Charpy toughness values, with high rigidities and good flow properties have been introduced by German compounder, J&A Plastics. Anjamid PA 6 J250-T2/GF Triple Two is suggested for long,...

Arkema optimizes its Evatane EVA.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... ARKEMA is making changes to its Evatane ethylene vinyl acetate product range. Alongside price increases to overcome rising raw materials, energy and transport costs, it is to cut out grades with insufficient profitability. The first to go will...

New Santoprenes for overmoulding and water contact.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... NEW over-moulding and water-compatible grades of Santoprene TPV have been introduced by ExxonMobil Chemical. Santoprene TPV 45 B100 brings the bonding range up to 25 grades and more are in development to meet the growing demand. This...

Better 2K bonding with new TPE.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... IMPROVED adhesion to nylons is claimed for a new series of thermoplastic elastomers from PolyOne.The company is using Kraton Polymers' MD-6684CS clear, linear high molecular weight, SEBS in a new range of OnFlex-S KA TPE-S products for...

LSR achieves faster cycle times.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... A FAST-CYCLING liquid silicone rubber has been introduced by Dow Coming. Silastic LC-70-2004 is a 70 Shore hardness LSR suited to the production of parts such as mobile phone keypads, butterfly valves for food dispensers, bakeware, spatulas and...

Full production planned for proprietary elastomer for drug delivery systems.(engineering materials)
June 1, 2007... DRUG delivery system specialist Bespak is to scale up manufacture of a bromobutyl elastomer it developed in-house for use in pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDIs). Bromobutyl was selected as the base polymer for its inertia to both ethanol...

Biomass source for engineering materials.(biopoloymers)
June 1, 2007... DUPONT and DSM have revealed plans for long term commitment to produce engineering materials from renewable sources. DuPont was one of the early proponents of bio-sourced materials with its research into 1,3 propanediol (PDO), the monomer used...

Bio-compostable film keeps red meat red.(biopoloymers)
June 1, 2007... TELFORD-based Sirane, which makes packaging and protective materials for foods and other products, has introduced a bio-compostable and absorbent tray insert or display surface for meat products. Dri-Fresh Resolve has been three years in...

Bio masterbatches from PolyOne.(biopoloymers)
June 1, 2007... COLORANT and additive masterbatches specifically for use with biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxybutyrate-valerate copolymer (PHBV), polybutylene succinate (PBS), polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) and...

FDA-compliant PLA modifier for food packaging.(biopoloymers)
June 1, 2007... DUPONT Packaging has added an FDA-compliant grade to its Biomax Strong family of polymer additives. The Biomax Strong product line improves the performance of biobased polylactic acid (PLA) packaging. The new Biomax Strong 120 grade...

Plastics producers form more bio-partnerships.(biopoloymers)
June 1, 2007... MORE partnerships are being formed which could see the development of bio-sourced plastics. Last month we reported on a tie-up between Rohm and Haas and energy crop company Ceres to investigate the potential for producing methacrylate monomers...

Direct metal laser sintering at IPDC speeds tooling development.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... ITS newly commissioned EOSINT M 270 direct metal laser-sintering machine gives the Innovative Product Development Centre (IPDC) the capacity to produce metal parts or tooling directly from metal powders. The centre is part of the Department of...

Materialise claims European first for super-durable SLA parts.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... MATERIALISE has become the first rapid prototyping and manufacturing service bureau in Europe to run the latest DSM Somos DMX-SL 100 material on its stereolithography machines. DMX-SL 100 is an extremely durable SLA resin with a creamy white...

SLA material mimics ABS.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... RAPID modelling, prototyping and manufacturing specialist 3D Systems Corporation has introduced a new stereolithography material that simulates the look and feel of moulded ABS. Its Accura 55 Plastic produces white three-dimensional parts that...

Desktop 3D modeller at under $10,000.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... 3D Systems Corporation has revealed plans for a summer launch of a fast and simple desktop modeller priced at just under S10,000. The company describes its V-Flash modeller as 'revolutionary' and the first to be based on a breakthrough...

Prototyping and pilot production at ACG.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... ADVANCED Composites Group, part of the Composites Division of Umeco, has released details of its work in the field of prototyping, pilot and one-off production. This comes as a result of the growing demand for fully working, usable structures...

Materialise customizes Magics software for Dimension printers.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... SOFTWARE developer Materialise and Dimension, a business unit of Stratasys which makes desktop 3D printers, have teamed up to develop 'Dimension Magics'. This is a customised version of Materialise's Magics software tuned to the specific...

Midas makes light work of bus stop redesign.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... COOLING and components for use on a project to install solar powered bus stops across London have been supplied by Midas Pattern Company. The London Buses arm of Transport for London first investigated the potential of illuminating bus...

Protoform increases its capacity for Space Puzzle moulds.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... PROTOTYPE and pre-production, injection tooling company protoform has added two customised five-axis machining centres and a rotary pallet changer to increase the capacity for its Space Puzzle Molding tooling concept. This installation more...

New layer option speeds FDM by up to 50 per cent.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... FUSED deposition modelling specialist Stratasys has developed a new thick-layer build option that increases throughput by an average of 40 per cent and sometimes by as much as 50 per cent compared to existing options. The new build option...

Laser Prototypes boosts SLA capacity.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... LASER Prototypes (Europe) of Belfast has put in a 3D Systems Viper Si2 machine, the first new high-definition rapid prototyping system to be installed on the island of Ireland. The company is the longest-established rapid prototyping bureau in...

Product development package for nylon car engine oil pans.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... AN extended product development service from Lanxess is helping to transfer the use of nylon for gearbox oil pans to load-bearing engine oil pans and has resulted in a number of projects with OEMs and system suppliers. These mainly involve a...

HL Plastics installs 3D printing.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... HL Plastics of Derby has installed a new Dimension 3D printer that will reduce product development cycles for both its products and those of sister company Liniar. The machine converts engineering CAD drawings to physical 3D models in hours,...

ARRK concentrates vacuum casting at Gloucester.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... FOLLOWING the centralisation of its rapid prototyping machines at its Gloucester headquarters, ARRK Product Development Group has now consolidated its two vacuum casting facilities into one centre of rapid prototyping excellence at the same...

CADCAM + RP = high speed mould design.(prototyping)
June 1, 2007... BELGIAN company QuickTools uses a combination of rapid prototyping technology and Delcam's CADCAM software to create injection moulding tools quickly, and at a price competitive with prices from toolmakers in countries with lower labour costs....

New lines from old.(film & sheet production)
June 1, 2007... Italian film equipment producer Colines has started an equipment rebuild service. Film lines from the Used As New Colines service are completely revamped and restored to the original production conditions after passing control and upgrade tests...

Reifenhauser adds compact thermoforming sheet line.(film & sheet production)
June 1, 2007... COMPACT thermoforming sheet line for medium and low throughput production of PP or PS sheet has been introduced by Reifenhauser. The Mirex Smart completes the company's series of thermoforming sheet lines for the production of film structures...

Gusseting unit is designed for agricultural films.(film & sheet production)
June 1, 2007... A NEW gusseting unit for blown film bubbles up to 18 m in circumference has been introduced by Davis-Standard in the USA. The company says it simplifies installation and minimizes overall tower width by reducing the space required for the...

Cut costs by extruding wider rolls.(film & sheet production)
June 1, 2007... A COEXTRUSION cast line for stretch film 5 metres wide with up to seven layers has been demonstrated by Adtech Provera of Italy. The 5Evolution line has a throughput of 3,200 kg/hr and can be run by a single operator. By reducing the total...

Rapid lip adjustment uses a single bolt.(film & sheet production)
June 1, 2007... The latest fast lip adjustment system from EMO of Austria uses a single bolt to move the lower lip up and down over an adjustment range of 10 mm. The single point adjustment can be done manually or using the optional stepper motor. EMO's...

Non-contact blown film gauge passes production trials.(film & sheet production)
June 1, 2007... NEW non-contact blown film gauge from Octagon Process Technology of Germany has now completed service trials. The capacitive sensor of the VenPad system measures single-layer and co-extruded films within a range of 6 to 500 microns with a...

Thickness gauge works on the collapsed bubble.(film & sheet production)
June 1, 2007... TWO film gauge control systems have been introduced by Plast-Control. The C-Scan is a non-contact gauge measurement system and is particularly suitable for sticky or barrier films, while a non-contact IBC control system maintains the blow up...

New PE is formulated for geomembrane production.(film & sheet production)
June 1, 2007... AN HDPE for geomembrane film production has been introduced by Dow Chemical. It is intended for all geomembrane applications from impermeable liners in geotechnical engineering applications for environmental protection, prevention of drinking...

Blended biopolymers make mulch film last longer.(film & sheet production)
June 1, 2007... COMPOSTABLE mulch film made of PLA blended with other biodegradable polymers has been developed by FKuR Kunststoff of Germany in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT. Production and application testing have been carried out by...

Bio-sourced barrier film from Sweden.(film & sheet production)
June 1, 2007... A NEW OXYGEN barrier film, being developed by Xylophane in Sweden is made from by-products of corn, straw and wood processing that are usually discarded. From this cellulosic material the company produces the polysaccharide xylan, which is...

PP for food film is clearer and stiffer.(film & sheet production)
June 1, 2007... A NEW polypropylene for highly transparent blown films used in food packaging has been introduced by Borealis. Borclear RB709CF is a random copolymer with high clarity, very good sealing performance, high stiffness and good printability....

New HDPE makes stronger non-wovens with less material.(film & sheet production)
June 1, 2007... A NEW HDPE fibre grade has been introduced by Borealis for bi-component applications. The new VL9500 is said to produce stronger non-wovens with less material. It can be used in the complex production of spun-bonded or staple fibre non-wovens...

New Parkland slitter developed for narrow width slitting.(film & sheet conversion)
June 1, 2007... THE latest version of the Parkland International SM100 Series III slitter, delivered to an adhesive materials manufacturer in Europe, is a duplex cantilevered design with centre-driven gap winding and was specially developed for narrow width...

SCM extends flexibility of Sigma series panel beam saws.(film & sheet conversion)
June 1, 2007... A NEW cutting width has been added to SCM's Sigma range of panel beam saws. The new 3,800 mm width has been introduced between the 3,200 mm and 4,500 mm already available to provide a compact machine with all the features of machines with...

Skymark installs third F & K flexo press.(film & sheet conversion)
June 1, 2007... AN eight-colour Fischer & Krecke Flexpress flexo printing machine--the company's third--has been installed by Skymark Packaging International at its Scunthorpe plant as part of an investment program in capital equipment that is set to continue...

R & D centre works on customers' product development.(film & sheet conversion)
June 1, 2007... A NEW research and development centre has been set up in Germany by VitasheetGroup. Its experimental pilot manufacturing facility is intended for small runs, allowing quick turn rounds with minimal wastage. A full range of diagnostic testing is...

Laser system cuts, laminates, slits and disposes of scrap.(film & sheet conversion)
June 1, 2007... SPARTANICS of the USA has developed an all-in-one laser cutting, laminating, slitting and scrap web removal machine with fully integrated controls for lasers, web, camera registration, slitters, rewinders, and lamination. The integration of...

Form/seal machine saves film and extends storage.(film & sheet conversion)
June 1, 2007... A MACHINE developed by a French company for forming and sealing modified atmosphere packing trays reduces film consumption by rejigging the way in which the gas is injected. Instead of going in through holes in the sides of the film, It is...

Frosted sheet for illuminated displays.(film & sheet conversion)
June 1, 2007... The new acrylic sheet from Altuglas International, Altuglas Frosted, is available in three shades: Clear, White and Black. It is intended for illuminated surfaces and has a matt opalescent finish with a texture that resists scratching and...

Victrex invests to make PEEK film in volume.(film & sheet conversion)
June 1, 2007... A 5.3 million [pounds sterling] film plant has been built by Victrex at its Thornton Cleveleys site in Lancashire to make film from the company's Victrex PEEK polyaryletherketone. PEEK has been used in high performance films for several years,...

Precision shaping of sheet and foams.(film & sheet conversion)
June 1, 2007... LATEST Hot Knife hand tools from Welwyn Tool Group can be used for precision hot cutting and shaping of foams such as point of sale materials and EPS exhibition units. They can also be used for cutting corrugated plastics for crate linings and...

Economical performance film for electricals and electronics.(film & sheet conversion)
June 1, 2007... GE PLASTICS has produced a new polyetherimide film for electrical and electronic applications. Ultem 5000B film provides an answer for manufacturers who hitherto have had to choose between the high cost of polyimide to achieve desired...

Swanstone shows engineering forming potential.(film & sheet conversion)
June 1, 2007... Two examples of the engineering potential of thermoforming shown at the recent Plastics Innovations exhibition by Swanstone demonstrated what could be done in both thin film and thick sheet. The keyboard is in 0.17 mm polycarbonate,...

Ejector return switch just slides into place.(injection moulding)
June 1, 2007... AN ejector return indicator switch that doesn't need a special pocket to be milled in the tool has been introduced by Invotec. The Smartflow Thinswitch fits in the standard 1/8 in ejector gap in Imperial sized moulds and so can also be...

Medical moulders expand facilities.(injection moulding)
June 1, 2007... ARROW Medical and Owen Mumford have both doubled their production capacity in some fields of medical device manufacture. Arrow Medical has doubled clean room assembly space to 2,500 [ft.sup.2] at its Kington, Herefordshire, plant with a...

General purpose electric machine heads new technologies from Engel.(injection moulding)
June 1, 2007... AN all-electric injection moulding machine with a price close to that of an equivalent specification hydraulic machine is being test marketed by Engel. The e-max is pitched at the general purpose market, leaving the high precision market to the...

Engel invests in North America.(injection moulding)
June 1, 2007... ENGEL plans to invest $4 million at its Guelph injection moulding machine plant in Canada over the next three years. Guelph is one of two North American plants. It builds the company's small and medium-sized machines, while large machines are...

In-mould labelling puts pure PTFE into injection mouldings.(injection moulding)
June 1, 2007... A PROCESS for selectively adding a PTFE bearing surface to an injection moulding has been developed by Quadrant's injection moulding division. The new process -Thin Film Fluoropolymer Technology (TFFT)--enables pure PTFE to be applied to...

GE Plastics opens automotive glazing centre.(injection moulding)
June 1, 2007... A DEDICATED centre for the development of polycarbonate vehicle glazing has been opened by GE Plastics at its European headquarters at Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands. It has been equipped with a Krauss Maffei SpinForm swivel platen injection...

Midlands moulding takeover.(injection moulding)
June 1, 2007... MIDLANDS Technical Mouldings--the former Automotive Applied Technologies--has acquired technical moulder Aldersgate Plastics in Verwood for an undisclosed sum. The plan is to consolidate Aldersgate into its Cradley facility bringing nearly 3...

Haitian redesigns to meet European requirements.(injection moulding)
June 1, 2007... HAITIAN of China -- the world's most prolific manufacturer of injection moulding machines--has revised its designs better to suit European requirements and now uses electrical, electronic and hydraulic components of European manufacture and...

Latest Eurovent-certified chillers from Rhoss ...(temperature control)
June 1, 2007... NEW Rhoss R134A Z Power series air cooled chillers supplied by Coolmation are available in cooling capacities from 300 to 700 kW. The company says that the units are Eurovent certified and not only meet Enhanced Capital Allowance criteria but...

... And from Aqua Cooling Systems.(temperature control)
June 1, 2007... NEW Aqua Cooling Systems TWA W/Y/A air cooled water chillers are certified by Eurovent as Class A high efficiency.They have twin screw compressors and can be used in conjunction with the company's range of bolt-on free coolers. The units have...

Quick release in confined spaces.(temperature control)
June 1, 2007... THE patented design of new Staubli CBI 06 automatic quick release couplings for temperature control circuits facilitates connecting and disconnecting where connections are located in awkward places on injection or blow moulding machines,...

Closed mould release without contamination build-up.(composites)
June 1, 2007... NEW generation of closed-mould release agents is being developed by Axel Plastics Research Laboratories starting with the semi-permanent Xtend 19CMS. The company says this mould release addresses one of the greatest problems that plague...

Carbon nanotubes add extra strength to composites.(composites)
June 1, 2007... The potential of carbon nonotubes as composites reinforcing materials has been demonstrated by Bayer MaterialScience and composites technology specialist Nanoledge with a surfboard and a ski which outperform conventionally-mode equivalents. ...

Surface-grained GF-PUR components made in a single mould.(reaction processing)
June 1, 2007... KRAUSS-Maffei has joined forces with Galvanoform, which makes grained-surface moulds, to develop an in-line process for the production of grained finished parts in glass fibre reinforced PUR using a single mould. Known as IMG (In-Mould...

You'll wonder where the yellow went.(reaction processing)
June 1, 2007... DOW Chemical has introduced Pellethane low yellow index TPU elastomers in both ether and ester grades at various levels of hardness. Advantages claimed include better colour consistency in fabricated parts, less need for UV stabilisers and...

High pressure cuts slabstock cost.(reaction processing)
June 1, 2007... HENNECKE claims that, taking the cost of isocyanate at 1.70 [pounds sterling]/kg, a producer making 5,000 tonnes of slabstock a year can achieve savings of about 136,000 [pounds sterling] by changing from low to high pressure technology. The...

Barr & Paatz adds ELAU for packaging system automation.(automation & robotics)
June 1, 2007... BARR & Paatz of Totnes has been appointed UK systems integrator by packaging machinery automation specialist ELAU of Germany, enabling it to supply systems using ELAU's Delta 3 high speed pick and place robot and the PacDrive automation system,...

Sepro puts down roots in the Americas.(automation & robotics)
June 1, 2007... FRENCH robot manufacturer Sepro is forming a 50:50 joint venture in the USA with ancillary equipment supplier Conair. Conalr has represented Sepro in the USA for nearly 20 years, selling more than 2,500 robots, and claims number one position...

Arkema fuel line system gets Ford approval.(pipe & profile)
June 1, 2007... FUEL line system designed designed to meet Ford's new specifications for ethanol-containing fuels (WSS M98D33-A11/ A12) has been produced by Arkema using its Rilsan nylon 12 and will be used in future Ford vehicles. Rilperm 5040 and 5041...

Polypipe to buy Terrain.(pipe & profile)
June 1, 2007... THE Terrain business making non-pressure piping systems at Aylesford in Kent is being bought by Polypipe. Geberit of Switzerland is selling the business for a reported 42.5 million [pounds sterling]. Last year's sales were 25 million [pounds...

New reinforcements for hydrolysis and heat resistance.(compounding)
June 1, 2007... NEW glass fibre reinforcing products for high performance thermoplastics have been introduced by Owens Coming and Johns Manville. There are two additions to Owens Corning's PerforMax family of hydrolysis-resistant high-performance...