British Plastics & Rubber articles from March 2008

British Plastics & Rubber archives from March 2008

Conferences & exhibitions.(Calendar)
March 1, 2008... Applications--automotive May 14-18 Plastics-In-Motion. Conference in Prague, Czech Republic. Executive Conference Management, +1 734 73737 0507 (fax +1 734 737 0508). [e-mail] ecm@executiveconference.com [website]...

Plastics Consultancy Network.(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... Advice on designing or manufacturing a product in plastic can be sought from the Plastics Consultancy Network which will hold a Plastics Surgery in an inflatable plastic igloo in the entrance to hall 3. Consultants from the PCN will help...

Independent Polymer Technology.(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... A similar range of services will be offered by Independent Polymer Technology (3 B52) which is an independent consultant providing materials selection, product design, failure analysis, product testing and materials analysis and testing...

Stuma Plastics.(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... Also giving design advice will be North West based injection moulder Stuma Plastics (2 H41) which will be inviting visitors to "Challenge the Designer". One of the company's designers will be on the stand for visitors to propose any kind of...

Distrupol.(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... And just along the aisle from Stuma, Materials distributor Distrupol (2 J30/ K14) is inviting visitors to bring design drawings and problems and guarantees a solution on the same day, or during a subsequent visit. Its development engineers will...

3di Consulting.(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... Northampton-based 3di Consulting (1 Q30) is an independent product design consultancy which also offers project management. Its two directors, Michael Lannie and Tony Wye, have both worked in industry and have more than 35 years combined...

4Plas.(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... A 76 page materials guide covering design, physical properties and processing will be available from 4Plas (2 F28).

Prototype to Production Group.(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... The MAX infant toilet training aid seen in prototype form at PDM 2006 will once again be shown by the Prototype to Production Group (2 J50), but now it is in commercial production. The group has produced production tooling and is moulding,...

Brightworks.(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... Services from product concepts through user understanding, mechanical engineering, 3D computer aided design, and rapid prototyping to detailed specification and production assistance are offered by Brightworks (2 H60). The company specialises...

In-CAD Services.(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... In-CAD Services (1 Q38) is a design company with experience in mechanical engineering with an emphasis on redesigning products made in steel to be made in plastics. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Materialise.(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... The largest rapid prototyping capacity in Europe is claimed by Materialise of Belgium (2 J6). Samples on display will range from a big stereolithography model produced on a patented Mammoth SLA machine to small detailed components produced on a...

Laser Lines.(prototyping & rapid manufacturing equipment)
March 1, 2008... The Dimension Elite is the latest in this range of 3D printers from Laser Lines (2 J2), producing stronger parts and the ability to build finer detail. It uses a new material called ABS Plus which Laser Lines says produces parts that are on...

Prototype and low and high volume production are handled by Protool (2 H40).(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... Prototype and low and high volume production are handled by Protool (2 H40). The company offers rapid aluminium tooling, silicone tooling, production tooling and project management of tooling from the Far East. Injection moulders exhibiting...

Inpress Plastics.(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... Technical trade blow moulders are thin on the ground. Inpress Plastics (1 Q6) is one such company, with machine capacity for products up to 80 litres. It also has eight injection moulding machines up to 350 tonnes. Inpress can mould products...

Gordon Ellis & Co.(design, prototyping and moulding services)
March 1, 2008... Rotational moulder Gordon Ellis & Co (3 A6) also works in wood and has over 100 years experience in manufacturing. Products can be made in wood, plastic and metalwork and can be supplied in a component form or assembled on site.

The MetaFuse nanometal/polymer hybrid technology introduced at K2007 will be shown by DuPont (2 J20) in its focus on replacing metal and rubber for enhanced performance and production efficiencies.(materials)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The MetaFuse nanometal/ polymer hybrid technology introduced at K2007 will be shown by DuPont (2 J20) in its focus on replacing metal and rubber for enhanced performance and production efficiencies. MetaFuse uses...

4Plas.(materials)
March 1, 2008... New near-prime low cost polypropylene grades and prime long fibre materials will be added to the materials available from 4Plas (2 F28) which also include engineering plastics, thermoplastic elastomers, PVC and masterbatches and performance...

Luxus.(materials)
March 1, 2008... Complex new materials and recycled old ones will be shown by Luxus (2 H22).The company is able to develop customised materials such as nano composites, biodegradable compounds, flame retardant and micro pellet products, while recycling...

Distrupol.(materials)
March 1, 2008... Design support and material specification will be emphasised by Distrupol (2 J30/K14) when it asks visitors to "Challenge us". It is inviting visitors to bring design drawings and problems and guarantees a solution on the same day, or during a...

PTS.(materials)
March 1, 2008... Alongside materials from manufacturers including PTS-Marketing, Ticona, Teijin, Akzo Nobel, Accurel Systems, Engineering Chemicals, Neopreg and Sasol PTS (3 D20) will be introducing high performance materials from its latest supplier, Vyncolit....

Teknor Apex UK.(materials)
March 1, 2008... The new identity of Chem Polymer will be unveiled at PDM as the company becomes Teknor Apex UK (3 A29). Its parent company, Teknor Apex of the USA, has set up Teknor Apex Europe as a holding company for its custom compounding units in Europe...

Ultrapolymers.(materials)
March 1, 2008... Three themes will be developed by Ultrapolymers (3 C23)--lightweight packaging, value engineering and medical materials. Lighter weight packaging can be achieved by using higher specification materials from LyondellBasell. Ultrapolymers...

Alastian.(materials)
March 1, 2008... The LyondellBasell internet business Alastian (3 C60) sells 60 grades of polyethylene and polypropylene on a no-frills basis with round-the-clock ordering.

Vita Thermoplastic Polymers.(materials)
March 1, 2008... The tactile properties of thermoplastic elastomers will be emphasised by Vita Thermoplastic Polymers (2 K16) with the invitation to 'Touch it, Flex it, Grip it and Stretch it!' The company argues that as consumers are increasingly demanding...

Alcom is a range of customised compounds from Albis (3 C20) produced by "polymer tuning" to add functions such as light blocking or light diffusion, or metallic compounds eliminating flow lines to remove the need for painting.(materials)
March 1, 2008... Alcom is a range of customised compounds from Albis (3 C20) produced by "polymer tuning" to add functions such as light blocking or light diffusion, or metallic compounds eliminating flow lines to remove the need for painting. Other compound...

Diamond Photofoil.(decorating)
March 1, 2008... Photofoil digital transfers from Diamond Photofoil (3 D52) are applied by roll-on or conventional hot foiling to produce full colour graphics at speed with no solvents and no origination costs. The moulding can be handled immediately after...

A robot-mounted plasma treatment unit treating PP wheel trims to enable adhesion with water based adhesives and lacquers will be demonstrated by Plasmatreat (3 B41).(decorating)
March 1, 2008... A robot-mounted plasma treatment unit treating PP wheel trims to enable adhesion with water based adhesives and lacquers will be demonstrated by Plasmatreat (3 B41). The same process can also be used to modify the PP surface and improve...

MacDermid Autotype.(decorating)
March 1, 2008... Functional decoration, such as adding hardened surfaces or backlit information, can be done by moulding against a film inserted in the mould. MacDermid Autotype (2 H52), is a global manufacturer of specialist hard-coated films for use in film...

ICO Europe.(materials)
March 1, 2008... Polymer powders for use in rotomoulding, textiles, masterbatch, metal coating and other applications are supplied by ICO Europe (2 F20).The company also provides a processing services for jet milling, ambient and cryogenic disc milling,...

Gabriel-Chemie.(materials)
March 1, 2008... New colour masterbatch collections will be introduced by Gabriel-Chemie (2 J40). Colour Vision Edition 2008/2009 has three key colour themes--Selective Fusion, Colours of Life and Virtual Crossover--and 36 new colours. It is the result of the...

Begg & Co Thermoplastics.(materials)
March 1, 2008... Customised masterbatches are made by Begg & Co Thermoplastics (1 N31), in universal or polymer specific form from 5 kg upwards with a typical production and colour matching lead times of three days.

Performance Masterbatches.(materials)
March 1, 2008... Performance Masterbatches (3 D11) will be introducing a new antimicrobial masterbatch following an exclusive manufacturing agreement with SteriTouch. SteriTouch is a silver ion based antimicrobial which is effective against MRSA, e coli...

Branson Ultrasonics.(assembly equipment)
March 1, 2008... Ultrasonic and hot air welding systems will be shown by Branson Ultrasonics (2 J59). The company's latest 2000X Series ultrasonic assembly systems are fully digital which the company says enhances performance, process control, communications,...

Mecasonic.(assembly equipment)
March 1, 2008... Ultrasonic, spin, hot plate and vibration welding systems will be shown by Mecasonic (1 L14). The company has introduced a new range of generators to remove dependence on operator skill The ultrasonic Omega III range is equipped with the latest...

Moretto.(materials handling)
March 1, 2008... The X Dryer from Moretto (3 D30) is an automatic dehumidifying dryer needing only to be told the type of material and the hourly throughput. Its control software does the rest. The dryer automatically controls all process...

Piovan.(materials handling)
March 1, 2008... The HR series dryer being introduced to Britain by Piovan (2 G19) is a wheel-type dryer which the company says halves the energy consumption of previous types. No cooling water or compressed air is needed, only an electrical power supply. There...

InteliCare.(materials handling)
March 1, 2008... Energy-saving dehumidifying dryers that don't need compressed air to change from one molecular sieve tower to the other will be shown by InteliCare (1 N39). The dryers developed by Omap of Italy in the early '80s did not require compressed air...

Plast-Control.(materials handling)
March 1, 2008... Making its debut in more general materials loading will be Plast-Control (3 D6). The company specialises in blown film process control, but has developed the ProBatch Blender, a batch blender with potential in other fields of plastics...

Summit Systems.(materials handling)
March 1, 2008... Big bag handling systems are now available from Summit Systems (2 G40) and supplied through its manufacturing arm, Summit Fabrications. These can be from a standard design or custom made for any size of bag. Options for the frames include...

Premier Moulding Machinery.(materials handling)
March 1, 2008... Examples from the Formosa Automation Systems Inc (FASI) range of central conveying, blending and drying equipment will be demonstrated by Premier Moulding Machinery (1 M42).

Werner Koch-Technik.(materials handling)
March 1, 2008... Equipment for mixing, dosing, conveying, drying and storing of plastic granules will be shown by Werner Koch-Technik (1 M60).

Coolmation.(temperature control)
March 1, 2008... A low energy small-scale chiller will be introduced by Coolmation (3 A31). The Micro Powercool is built in capacities from 15 to 70 kW and is described as the "first and the only industrial chiller on the market using green energy efficient...

InteliCare.(temperature control)
March 1, 2008... Despite Coolmation's description of the Micro Powercool as the only chiller on the market using R410a with scroll compressors, InteliCare (1 N39) will be promoting the Frigosystem RACA Plus Energy chiller--a large capacity version of which it...

Netstal.(temperature control)
March 1, 2008... HB Therm temperature controllers have been installed in Netstal (3 C40) compact disc moulding machines for 25 years and a year ago Netstal took on distribution of all HB Therm products in Britain and Ireland. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At...

Sandretto.(temperature control)
March 1, 2008... Mould tool and plant cooling with Greenbox systems from Italy will be promoted by Sandretto (2 H69). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Gas Injection Worldwide.(injection moulding)
March 1, 2008... Surface finish on injection mouldings can be improved by heating the tool face. This increases gloss to the point where painting can become unnecessary, can eliminate weld and flow lines and moulded-in stress, can extend flow paths and can give...

Cinpres.(injection moulding)
March 1, 2008... As well as the gas injection moulding for which it is best known, Cinpres (1 H73) will be showing examples of its Water Assisted Moulding process. Water Assisted Moulding can reduce cooling times to around half those of traditional gas...

Kistler.(injection moulding)
March 1, 2008... Further improvements to cavity pressure monitoring are claimed by Kistler (3 E22) for the latest versions of its CoMo Injection and Dataflow systems, representing, says the company, "a major advance towards the ultimate objective: zero defect...

RJG.(injection moulding)
March 1, 2008... eDART fix from RJG (2 F10) is a modular process control system starting from a short shot containment system. It needs only one sequence signal that can be obtained without any wiring in the machine panel if the machine output is not available....

Cinpres.(extrusion)
March 1, 2008... The Optifoam process from Cinpres (1 H73) is a retrofit system for extrusion, using a foaming technique and physical blowing agents to reduce material density. Cinpres says it improves melt quality and can be retrofitted without the need for...

Fanuc.(injection moulding)
March 1, 2008... The latest control function from Fanuc (1 M20) will be shown on a S-2000i 100B Roboshot injection machine. This is the Backflow Monitor which tracks the flow of melted material in the barrel and can also monitor the wear of a valve slider....

Billion.(injection moulding)
March 1, 2008... A new Dixit 3 control system is under development in France and Billion (1 M32) will be seeking feedback to integrate in the final design. The new control system is described as having "an unrivalled user interface, state of the art con...

Sandretto.(injection moulding)
March 1, 2008... A new control system will also be shown by Sandretto (2 H69) which will be promoting the E1 machine control and diagnostics system of its Nove HP machine range. In addition Sandretto will have real-data examples of the cost savings and pay-back...

Premier Moulding Machinery.(injection moulding)
March 1, 2008... A new range of energy efficient injection moulding machines will be introduced by Premier Moulding Machinery (1 M42). The Mars series is built by Haitian in China, and more than 2,500 machines have been produced in the last 18 months. The...

Victor Europe.(injection moulding)
March 1, 2008... Also qualifying for Carbon Trust interest-free loans is the all-electric 50 tonne injection machine which will be demonstrated by Victor Europe (1 M39) to show its energy saving of 50-80 per cent compared with a standard hydraulic machine of...

KraussMaffei.(injection moulding)
March 1, 2008... Electric and hydraulic machines will be promoted by KraussMaffei (2 G18). The CX range is now extended to 650 tonnes and the MX range is from 800 to 4,000 tonnes. The EX electric machine range has been extended up to 240 tonnes. Linear robots...

Boy.(injection moulding)
March 1, 2008... A 12 tonne machine will be shown moulding micro gear wheels by Boy (1 M30). The Boy 12 A will be fitted with "the world's only" standard 12 mm plasticising unit to mould acetal gear wheels with a part weight of 0.001 g in a two-cavity mould.

AutoRIM.(reaction moulding)
March 1, 2008... The potential of high pressure RIM polyurethane will be demonstrated by Hennecke with its British distributor AutoRIM (3 C22). They will show the latest mixing technology including composite spray moulding.

Mold-Masters.(mould making)
March 1, 2008... Valve gates and hot tips will be among the hot runner equipment to be shown by Mold-Masters (2 H15). Mold-Masters has been involved in hot runner technology for more than 45 years and has filed more than 1,600 patents. The Accu-Valve...

Ewikon.(mould making)
March 1, 2008... The L2X drop-in hot runner system from Ewikon (2 H13) comes completely assembled with nozzles, manifold, sprue bush and complete wiring for easy integration into the mould construction. The nozzles are screwed into the manifold making the...

Gunther UK.(mould making)
March 1, 2008... Alongside its range of 240 volt hot runner systems, hot halves and controllers Gunther UK (3 E12) will be showing its CADHOC hot runner design programme which enables a hot runner system to be designed in less than 10 minutes. On display...

Thermoplay UK.(mould making)
March 1, 2008... A new stack mould hot runner from Thermoplay UK (2 G30) has a valve-gate system with the nozzles directly opposed and an integrated shut-off group inside the nozzle, which offers space savings by reducing the hot runner seat dimension inside...

Sandretto.(mould making)
March 1, 2008... The Swedish-made MasterFIow hot runner systems are now sold in Britain by Sandretto (2 H69).

A new on-line catalogue emphasising its position not just as a tool room supplier, but also a supplier of consumables to the mould shop and production floor, will be introduced by Hales (1 M28).(mould making)
March 1, 2008... A new on-line catalogue emphasising its position not just as a tool room supplier, but also a supplier of consumables to the mould shop and production floor, will be introduced by Hales (1 M28). Hales says this will enable it to supply...

More than 12,000 standard tooling products are available from DMS-Diemould (1 Q16).(mould making)
March 1, 2008... More than 12,000 standard tooling products are available from DMS-Diemould (1 Q16). Also supplying standard components and hot runners is Hasco (3 B20).

Smiths Metal Centres.(mould making)
March 1, 2008... Aluminium plates from Alimex are available by Smiths Metal Centres (2 K26), an AS9120/ISO901 approved stockholder of non-ferrous materials and engineering plastics. It can supply aluminium plate products up to 1,000 mm thick and pre-milled...

GTMA.(mould making)
March 1, 2008... Several members of the Gauge and Toolmakers Association will be showing their capabilities at PDM, as will the GTMA itself (1 Q24).

Among the mould makers from China showing at PDM will be New Star Mold (2 J80), PGS Precision (2 G76) which is based in Singapore with five sites in China and Luen Tai from Hong Kong (1 N44).(mould making)
March 1, 2008... Among the mould makers from China showing at PDM will be New Star Mold (2 J80), PGS Precision (2 G76) which is based in Singapore with five sites in China and Luen Tai from Hong Kong (1 N44), able to supply mould sizes from small precision...

3D Lasertec.(mould making)
March 1, 2008... Expansion in laser engraving by 3D Lasertec (1 Q10) has resulted in the investment in the latest Foba G900 five axis laser machine which produces full 3D profiles on to 3D contours and surfaces. In addition to the 3D machine, 3D Lasertec has...

Triton Technology.(testing)
March 1, 2008... A quality assurance instrument that can test materials in as little as five minutes will be introduced by Triton Technology (1 L32). The identiPol QA uses a combination of thermal analysis procedures. A full thermal profile, which can include...

Bodycote Testing.(testing)
March 1, 2008... The Polymer Division of Bodycote Testing (2 G6) can test materials and polymer-based components with ISO 17025 accredited facilities for mechanical testing (tensile, impact, flexural, fatigue, creep); physical testing (hardness, colour, gloss,...

Gammadot.(testing)
March 1, 2008... Rheological and materials characterisation services from Gammadot (3 A50) cover the application of rheology to quality control, failure analysis and process optimisation issues, to providing materials property data (viscosity, PvT and thermal)...

Rapra Technology.(testing)
March 1, 2008... Smithers Group company Rapra Technology (2 H16) operates in plastics and rubber consultancy, materials/product testing, and analytical and information services.

Polymer Cluster.(industry services)
March 1, 2008... Free technical support for eligible companies is available from the Polymer Cluster (1 P84) which is a Wolverhampton Telford Technology Corridor project based at the University of Wolverhampton and funded by the European Regional Development...

Pera.(industry services)
March 1, 2008... Technology development company Pera (1 P31) has built an international network of industry support centres that help firms develop innovative new products, improve business performance and enhance management and leadership skills. This enables...

The Polymer Innovation Network.(industry services)
March 1, 2008... Also working in the field of innovation is The Polymer Innovation Network (2 H70), a node of the Materials Knowledge Transfer Network and funded by the Technology Strategy Board. It exists to facilitate the translation of innovative and...

IMSM.(industry services)
March 1, 2008... A fast track fixed fee process from IMSM (1 M70) has helped more than 6,000 organisations worldwide to achieve ISO certification.

STV.(industry services)
March 1, 2008... A secondhand machine brokerage service will be introduced by STV (2 F24). STV-Connect brokerage connects buyers and sellers of plastics processing equipment. The company charges the seller a percentage of the final sales price with a minimum...

Listgrove.(industry services)
March 1, 2008... Human resources company Listgrove (1 P32) now has a three way regional structure--for job opportunities in the North, Central and South--and is increasing its activity in executive appointments, management services and international recruitment...

Polymer Training.(industry services)
March 1, 2008... A series of free training seminars will be run throughout PDM by Polymer Training (3 A42). There will be nine daily sessions giving practical tips for injection moulders. The workshop programme will be repeated each day and has been put...

Query Management.(industry services)
March 1, 2008... A credit management service designed specifically for the needs of the plastics industry will by introduced by Query Management (1 Q32). It aims to improve cash flow, reduced overheads and administration of direct employment, reduce exposure to...

InTouch.(manufacturing systems)
March 1, 2008... Operator interface keyboards for the production monitoring and scheduling systems from InTouch (2 F10) are configured for each customer based on that particular customer's requirements and working practices. At PDM the company will be showing...

Barco.(manufacturing systems)
March 1, 2008... The PlantMaster manufacturing execution system (MES) will be demonstrated by Barco (1 L20). This has a suite of application modules that integrate with the customer's ERP system giving real-time production monitoring, scheduling, Kan-Ban, tool...

Teknor Apex European restructure to bring TPE production to Oldbury.(engineering materials)
March 1, 2008... A RESTRUCTURE is underway of the Teknor Apex business in Europe, with a major focus on Britain. The US-based engineering plastics compounder and TPE formulator has set up Teknor Apex Europe as a holding company for its custom compounding units...