British Plastics & Rubber articles from March 2003

British Plastics & Rubber archives from March 2003

Powdered metals and ceramics -- the answer when plastics can't cope? (Engineering Materials).
March 1, 2003... A RECENT news item in America's Plastics Technology magazine described 'the largest part made using metal injection moulding' with a story about a hot air flow component for the heating circuits of jet aircraft. But the driver for adoption...

Plastic film could light up your handbag. (Engineering Materials).
March 1, 2003... Smart Surface Technology is the buzz phrase for a new 'cold light' illumination technology based on a plastic film which got Bayer shortlisted in the 23rd German Industry Innovation Prize. Illuminated parts using this technique can be moulded...

Two suppliers combine to sell anti-static products. (Engineering Materials).(PolyOne, Noveon)(industry briefs)
March 1, 2003... POLYONE and Noveon are joining forces to supply electrostatic dissipative compounds to the electronics industry. PolyOne is to distribute Noveon's Stat-Rite line of inherently dissipative polymers, and Noveon is to distribute PolyOne's...

DuPont buys engineering plastics business. (Engineering Materials).(DuPont buys from Eastman)
March 1, 2003... DUPONT has bought Eastman's high performance crystalline plastics business with which it plans to reinforce its position in the, principally, automotive and electrical/electronics industries. Eastman has sold it because the company had 'a...

Additional grades increase medical options for LSRs. (Engineering Materials).
March 1, 2003... TWO enhancements have been made to GE Silicones' liquid silicone elastomers for medical mouldings. Two of the newest materials, self-bonding LIM8040 and low durometer LSR2005, have met the requirements of USP Class VI testing. And a new grade,...

Radiation improves the performance of nylons. (Engineering Materials).(Frisetta)
March 1, 2003... CROSS-LINKING is the key to the high temperature performance of thermosetting materials such as phenolics, ureas and melamines and is accomplished by the application of heat and pressure during the forming process. This binds the otherwise free...

Choice of TPOs makes parts fit for GM. (Engineering Materials).(thermoplastic olefins from Solvay Engineered Polymers)
March 1, 2003... QUALITY problems on the American-built Chevrolet Avalanche sports utility vehicle were solved by switching to materials tailored for the application by Solvay Engineered Polymers. Warping was a problem on panels for the lockable storage...

Coming to your senses. (Engineering Materials).(Santoprene thermoplastics)
March 1, 2003... OFTEN the appearance or feel of the product to the consumer is as important as any other characteristic Selecting a material or materials with a particular sensory property will enhance the product's overall image and the market's perception of...

Fewer breakages and cheaper replacements as PP replaces PC. (Engineering Materials).(polypropylene, polycarbonate; Lufthansa Catering Logistik uses Milliken Millad clarifying agent)
March 1, 2003... POLYCARBONATE has been replaced by polypropylene to counter breakages and the resultant cost of replacement for in-flight catering trolley drawers supplied by Lufthansa Catering Logistik. The company sells around 100,000 Atlas inflight...

Single-layer PET has barrier good enough for beer. (Engineering Materials).(Mossi & Ghisolfi group)(industry briefs)
March 1, 2003... A PET formulated to give an effective oxygen barrier in only a single layer bottle has been developed by Mossi & Ghisolfi group (M & G), the world's second largest PET producer which bought Shell's PET business in 2000 and last year bought...

Compression process offers benefits for fabric backing. (Injection Moulding).(Tecomelt machines delivered to Engel customers)
March 1, 2003... SIX vertical Tecomelt machines, with twin injection cylinders for the simultaneous deposition of melt into two cavities, were delivered to Engel customers in Austria, the UK and the USA in the second half of last year. The machines are being...

New modular systems for sheet and cast film. (Film & Sheet).(Battenfeld)
March 1, 2003... NEW modular systems for thermoforming sheet and cast film have been introduced by Battenfeld. The TSL sheet line is from Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik in conjunction with Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering, while the new Cast 2020 cast film...

Film sealer makes disposable gloves. (Film & Sheet).(Cibra)(industry briefs)
March 1, 2003... DISPOSABLE GLOVES can be made from film on the roll with a machine developed by the Italian company Cibra. The Sigmastar line can produce gloves for a variety of uses, such as: * medical grade gloves, to be used in clinics,...

Roll covering is now fully automatic. (Pipe and Profile).(Berstorff)(industry briefs)
March 1, 2003... THE latest generation strip winder from Berstorff is claimed as the first to offer full automation of the whole roll covering process. The principle of strip-winding is that continuously-extruded rubber strip is applied by a covering unit,...

Flow and temperature made easier to monitor. (Mould Temperature Control).(Reps systems)
March 1, 2003... IMPROVEMENTS have been made to the Reps range of temperature and flow monitoring systems and their control software through development work with an international moulder. The initial requirement was to monitor the flow and temperature of...

Combined unit cools oil and mould together. (Mould Temperature Control).(Frigel equipment)
March 1, 2003... THE RANGE of temperature control equipment made by Italian company Frigel available from Albis (UK) Machinery Division includes the Ecodry system which has separate provision for hydraulic oil and mould temperature control. Water at ambient...

Upgrades to the Wittmann range. (Mould Temperature Control).
March 1, 2003... WITTMANN now has options of direct and indirect cooling on its Tempro Plus and Tempro Primus mould temperature controllers and has added a range of oil heaters to achieve temperatures up to 250 degC. The Tempro Basic 90 now has water...

Pressurised controllers make better use of water. (Mould Temperature Control).
March 1, 2003... REGLOPLAS has two new pressurised water temperature controllers which, it claims, enable the better heat transfer characteristics of water compared with oil to be used up to 120 degC. The Pl20L has 20 kW heating capacity, 140 litres/minute pump...

Valve redesign improves transport with lower losses. (Materials Handling).(Motan Materials Handling)
March 1, 2003... Rochus Hofmann and David R Scott of Motan Materials Handling describe how their company has increased the capacity of a dense phase conveying system by increasing the operating pressure of the system's rotary valves. FOR more than 20 years...

The college comes to you: a college education can can be yours on demand -- over the internet. Clive Maier looks at an on-line polymer training course developed at Wiltshire College. (Software).
March 1, 2003... You want qualifications but there are problems. You can't get time off. The find college is too far away. You can only time to study late at night. Whatever the reason, you can't get to college. Worry no more. The college will come to you --...

Preaching to the unconverted. (Software).
March 1, 2003... I HAD a brush with thermal conductivity the other day -- and almost got my fingers burnt. The piece I was reading, published years ago by a long-gone but fondly remembered materials manufacturer, looked wrong. But was it? I dimly recalled...

What's new on the Web.(Serv-IT recently alerted us to the sales methods of UK Internet Registry)
March 1, 2003... Don't go dotty about web names Web design and hosting company Serv-IT recently alerted us to the sales methods of UK Internet Registry. This company sends out documents resembling invoices to registrants of .co.uk names, offering to sell...

New strategies for PowerMILL. (Software).
March 1, 2003... THE latest release of Delcam's PowerMILL CAM software includes new strategies for 5-axis and high-speed machining together with enhancements based on user feedback. The most significant addition for 5-axis working is support for swarf...

Blend module closes the loop between laboratory and production. (Laboratory Management Information Systems).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... With its blending control module, Quality Systems International is extending its laboratory information management system (LIMS) into the production environment. The QSI Blending Module allows production departments to optimise blends in...

Cheap and simple testers. (Mechanical).(Instron has designed its new 3300 Series testers for affordability and ease of use)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Instron has designed its new 3300 Series testers for affordability and ease of use. The range includes single-column and bench-top units for testing in tension, compression, flexure and other modes. The single-column models are available in...

Epoxy adhesive has high peel strength. (Adhesives).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Adhesive bonds are typically strong in shear but weak in peel; so much so that joints are generally designed to avoid peeling loads as far as possible. This has tended to limit the use of adhesives for bonding composite and aluminium structures...

Colorants for special effects. (Colorants).(All Plastics)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Mica-Tek Special Effect colorants produced in the USA by All Plastics are now available in the UK from Chance & Hunt. This range of non-dispersing pigments can provide a wide variety of texture and colour effects. The range includes gold...

Black masterbatch makes smooth films. (Colorants).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Cabot Corporation has developed a new black masterbatch for applications that require a very smooth surface. This is a demand in many film markets, including packaging, photography, surface protection, and lamination. The smooth finish is...

Water-based mould release for matt or gloss parts. (Release Agents).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Two new water-based semi-permanent mould releases from Axel Plastics Research Laboratories offer composite moulders consistent and easy release of parts in either matt or gloss finish. XTEND W-7836D and W-7836 were specially developed to...

Welwyn Tool adds bending to welding. (Agency Update).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Plastic welding tool specialist Weiwyn Tool Co has moved into plastics forming equipment with its appointment as UK distributor for a new range of heating and folding machines from Herz of Germany. The range extends from a portable benchtop...

Hamilton moves into recycling. (Agency Update).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Hamilton Machinery has become UK and Irish agent for the recycling machinery built in Germany by Plastmachines. The equipment is modular for optimum use of floor space, and lines can be equipped to suit most needs, in particular the...

Pellet screen deals with longs and fines. (Compounding).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Cuccolini (UK) has developed a low cost vibratory pellet screener designed for the removal of the longs and fines found in the output of extruded strand pelletisers. The new pellet screener has a circular screen format and is powered by a...

Second generation optical sorter. (Sorting).(Key Technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Key Technology has launched Prism2, a second-generation optical inspection-detection-rejection sorting system. This has the same handling capacity as the original Prism but within a shorter and narrower footprint. The sorting engine offers...

Ion blower pistol meets latest ATEX standards. (Static Control).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Eltex Elektrostatik has produced a variant of its PR55 ion blower pistol that is approved to the new ATEX standards for dust environments such as food processing and bulk handling. The new EXPR55 pistol works with Eltex power supply models ES53...

Bayer streamlines further by quitting joint ventures. (Company Report).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Bayer has pulled out of two joint ventures with the sale of its PolymerLatex operation, shared with Degussa, and closure of BayerShell Isocyanates. The sale of PolymerLatex to Soros Private Equity Partners for [euro]235 million completes...

DuPont to close Dutch plant in nylon compounding rationalistion. (Company Report).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... DuPont is planning to close its nylon compounding plant at Rozenburg in the Netherlands as part of a European-wide rationalisation. The company also compounds nylons at Uentrop in Germany and Mechelen in Belgium, and given the general over...

British Vita nears compound production in Malaysia. (Company Report).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... British Vita has commissioned a compounding plant in Malaysia, and plans to start production in May. The [pounds sterling]1.33 million facility near Johor Bahru will make a range of polypropylene, polycarbonate, ABS and polyamide products for...

Boston Matthews opens Asian sales office. (Company Report).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Extrusion systems manufacturer Boston Matthews, which towards the end of last year took over the Munchy recycling extruder company, has opened an Asian sales and technical support office in Singapore. As well as sales and support, the office...

New structure at Polytype. (Company Report).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Printing press manufacturer WIFAG of Switzerland is to split off its Polytype paper/film/foil converting and printing equipment divisions as separate companies under the umbrella of Polytype Holding. The aim is to give all operations a more...

On the move. (Company Report).(Machinery agent Eurodata)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Machinery agent Eurodata has moved to: 55 Westbrook End, Newton Longville, Buckinghamshire MK17 0DL. Telephone number is 07771 817350; fax 01908 374941. Semi-finished materials specialist F R Warren & Company is now at Unit 10, Ashley...

Co-operation on ultrasonic melt flow improvement. (Update).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... FOUR European plastics industry associations have joined forces to launch a research and development project to improve polymer flow through the application of ultrasonic vibration. The Polymer Machinery Manufacturers & Distributors...

Rapra courts the smaller companies. (Update).(Rapra Technology)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... MEMBERSHIP of Rapra Technology has been made cheaper for small businesses since the former research association's management buy-out and restructure last year. Full company membership (annual fee from [pounds sterling]1,200) includes...

And so does Faraday Plastics. (Update).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... FARADAY Plastics was set up in 2000 by the Department of Trade and Industry to act as a guide and consultant for research and development for the UK plastics industry. It is jointly administered by Rapra Technology and the Warwick Manufacturing...

Higher prices for polymers and additives. (Materials Marketplace).(Dow)
March 1, 2003... DOW has taken the first step in an avowed attempt to restore margins in its polyurethane business by announcing an April 1 price rise of [pounds sterling]150 - 200/tonne on its main polyurethanes raw materials -- polyols, methylene diphenyl...

EVC invests [pounds sterling]1 million at Runcorn. (Materials Marketplace).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... EVC is planning to spend [pounds sterling]1 million on improving its vinyl chloride monomer plant at Runcorn. EVC acquired the plant from ICI in 1997 and since then has increased capacity from 160,000 to 300,000 tonnes and applied...

Training agenda.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... DESIGN July 1 - 4 Advanced Plastics Product Design * Polymer Technology, London Metropolitan University (formerly University of North London) [pounds sterling]675 Alison Green, 020 7133 2189 MATERIALS Adhesives...

Conferences and exhibitions. (Materials Marketplace).(plastics additives)
March 1, 2003... Additives New April 1 -3 AddPlast Europe 2003. Conference and exhibition in Cologne, Germany. Emap Communications, +31(0)30 2411088 (fax +31(0)30 2413287, internet www.addplasteurope.org). April 8 - 10 European Coatings Show 2003....

Headlamp coating could have a big future in optical discs. (Engineering Materials).(Bayer Silicones)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... THE scratchproof coating developed by GE Bayer Silicones for polycarbonate headlamp lenses has been retargetted at the optical disc market. The surfaces of optical discs can scratch under severe mechanical stress and this can lead to problems...