British Plastics & Rubber articles from November 2003

British Plastics & Rubber archives from November 2003

Mineral fillers for PVC reinforcement.(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... Despite its detractors, PVC is still the world's second most widely used thermoplastic, with an annual consumption of 30 million tonnes, growing at 4-5 per cent each year. It has many time-honoured applications, particularly in the building...

12-screw extruder increases dispersion and degassing without degradation.(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... THE German-built 3+ Ring Extruder is now available in the UK through Uniplex Machinery Sales. This takes the concept of co-rotating screws to a different level, combining 12 co-rotating screws arranged in a ring around a stationary central...

Nylon pellets made underwater with minimum moisture retention.(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... PRODUCTION of 60 per cent glass fibre-filled nylon 6 pellets was demonstrated at a symposium on underwater pelletising held recently at Gala's plant ill Germany. Gala says this was the first time it has been possible to pelledse this product in...

Heat treatment eliminates barrel liners.(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... BERSTORFF has applied for a patent on a new inductive hardening process for the rectangular section barrel housings of its ZE UTX twin screw extruders. Induction induces eddy currents in the part to be hardened. The metal heats up because...

High speed mixing improves productivity and flexibility.(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... A FIVE-FOLD increase in productivity was achieved by a European tubing manufacturer after switching compound preparation from a 1,000 litre mixing tank to a smaller but much faster intensive mixer. The company mixes liquid polymers with...

Screener prevents longs passing through the mesh.
November 1, 2003... THE first of a new design of plastic pellet screener developed by Rotex Europe has been sold to a major Spanish colour concentrate producer. It will be used to scrcen PS, PE and PP pellets at a rate of 1,500 kg per hour. The new machine is...

Mixer has no moving parts to damage product.(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... A FIGURE of eight motion drum mixer has replaced ribbon blenders at a Dutch plant making thermoplastic elastomer compounds, and has reduced energy consumption and product degradation and increased mixing efficiency. The 4,000 litre Lindor...

Loss-in-weight FIBC discharger can empty bags continuously.(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... CONTINUOUS gravimetric discharge from FIBCs is possible with a new unit from Flexicon (Europe). It has an activated surge bin the cubic volume of which exceeds that of a full FIBC, providing adequate time for bag changes. A Spout Lock...

Henschel completes mixer series.(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... HENSCHEL has added the final model to its range of container mixers with the CM2000 for 800 kg batches. There are now five models in the range beginning with the CM 150 for 60 kg batches. The new model has been designed to use exchangeable...

Quick change between single and twin screw feeders.(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... QUICK change from a single screw to a twin screw configuration is possible with the new K-Tron T35/$60 feeder, designed for short run work in the masterbatch industry. Feed rates from 0.12 [dm.sup.3]/hr to 4,500 [dm.sup.3]/hr call be handled...

Central Europe sets the pace for compound production ...(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... GROWTH in masterbatch use has reduced the market for colour compounds, and Western European compounders have declined in numbers while Central European compounders are increasing. They are two of the conclusions of the latest report on the...

... while the Americans dominate in masterbatch.(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... A LONGSIDE its report on the whole European compounding market, AMI has also published an analysis of the top 50 thermoplastic masterbatch producers in Europe. It says that five companies account for nearly 60 per cent of production--A...

Minor additives weighed and dispensed automatically.(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... JOHN P Waterhouse has introduced an automated system for weighing minor additives. This is normally a labour intensive operation, weighing ingredients from static or mobile bins on to a central platform scale. The Smart Call is a modular...

Automating small additions prevents health and handling problems.(Compounding)
November 1, 2003... AN automatic bag filling system has been developed by mht of Germany for the handling of mini bags for colour pigments which are fed into a hot mixer by a belt conveyor. Normally such small low-melting point plastic bags are filled...

Polymer-specific masterbatch: fast turn round or your money back.(Additives)
November 1, 2003... A SERIES of polymer-specific colour masterbatches intended to offer the same delivery times as universal masterbatches has been introduced by VTC Silvergate under the name Quiksilver. Silvergate says that polymer-specific masterbatch should...

Processing aid reduces injection temperature and pressure.(Additives)
November 1, 2003... A WAX processing aid that can aid dispersion of inorganic fillers in compound formulation, or can be used directly as an injection moulding process aid is available from Sasol Wax of Germany, which has started operations in this country. ...

Concentrates help ease nanoclays into the system.(Additives)
November 1, 2003... A RANGE of nanoclay concentrates replacing raditional mineral or glass reinforcements and flame-retardant additives is the first outcome of an alliance between PolyOne and Nanocor, the largest supplier of nanoclays for plastics. They help...

UV + FR in one concentrate for PP.(Additives)
November 1, 2003... A COMBINED light stabiliser and flame retardant masterbatch has been introduced by PolyOne for use in thick-walled PP applications. Previously, halogenated flame-retardants and UV stabilisers could not be combined, due to a chemical reaction...

Higher levels of additive concentration.(Additives)
November 1, 2003... HIGHLY loaded additive concentrates which lower the necessary rate of addition have been added to PolyOne's OnColor series. The OnColor HL technology allows loading up to 90 per cent for inorganic pigments and 55 per cent for organic...

PEEK compound is even stronger and stiffer.(Engineering Materials)
November 1, 2003... LEHMANN & Voss, a German compounder specialising in engineering plastics, has developed a superstrong polyether ether ketone (PEEK) grade. The new material is reinforced with carbon fibres but is stronger, stiffer and tougher than other...

Hands-on approach to weatherstrip development.(Engineering Materials)
November 1, 2003... SOLVAY Engineered Polymers in the USA has started a development programme to devise thermoplastic alternatives to rubber automotive weatherstripping. It has installed a purpose-built Davis-Standard three extruder coextrusion line designed to...

SBS is clearly better.(Engineering Materials)
November 1, 2003... BASF has added a new grade to its Styrolux styrene butadiene styrene range. Styrolux 3G 33 is an injection-moulding grade with improved transparency yet good impact strength and stiffness. It also has an improved melt flow, enabling faster...

Viton can now face more caustic conditions.(Engineering Materials)
November 1, 2003... THE Advanced Polymer Architecture technology being used by DuPont Dow Elastomers to extend its performance elastomers has given rise to a new series of Viton fluoroelastomers with a high base resistance, making them suitable for use in highly...

New alloy for freezer-to-microwave packaging.(Packaging Materials)
November 1, 2003... A new plastics alloy product family from GE Plastics has a property profile that makes it a good fit for many freezer-to-microwave packaging applications. Noryl PKN is an alloy of PPO (polyphenylene oxide) and polystyrene, and offers a...

TPU is more transparent and stays that way longer.(Engineering Materials)
November 1, 2003... A ROMATIC thermoplastic polyurethanes achieving high transparency in thick wall sections, good UV stability and lower yellowness than with other types have been introduced by Bayer, with the sports footwear market in mind. For this...

New TPVs are more suitable for automotive interiors.(Engineering Materials)
November 1, 2003... A RANGE of thermoplastic vulcanisates that overcome the limitations of its previous TPE-V materials has been introduced by PolyOne. The Bergaflex series of vulcanised polyolefin-based elastomers had limitations in some applications,...

Nylon compounds have defined application targets.(Engineering Materials)
November 1, 2003... NEW nylon compounds aimed specifically at automotive electronic housings and stadium seating have been introduced by PolyOne. The automotive housing material is a blend of nylon and syndiotactic polystyrene. Bergamid A70 G 10 H SOQ is said...

Conductive polyamide for fuel lines.(Engineering Materials)
November 1, 2003... ATOFINA has developed a new conductive polyamide 12 for automotive fuel lines. Rilsan M-AESN Black P 212 CTL meets the conductivity requirements of US vehicle manufacturers: surface resistivity is below [10.sup.6], Ohms. It has already...

Nylon 11 reinforced with bronze.(Engineering Materials)
November 1, 2003... AFTER a year of making a specialist nylon 11 compound for Atofina, Palmarole Compounds is now marketing the compound under its own name, Palmarole BMN Y BZ TL is made from Atofina's Rilsan reinforced with bronze beads to give it high wear...

For Oroglas read Altuglas.(Engineering Materials)
November 1, 2003... ATOFINA company Atoglas is consolidating all its acrylic products worldwide under the single trade name of Altuglas which will also be identified by a new logo. This name was already in use for acrylic sheet produced in Europe by Atoglas but...

All-electric goes two-colour.(Injection Moulding)
November 1, 2003... A secondary injection unit has been introduced by Ferromatik Milacron for its Elektra series of all-electric machines. The electrically-driven injection unit is available as a kit to retrofit standard single colour machines--and could also be...

Boy gives a bigger bang for your buck.(Injection Moulding)
November 1, 2003... THE 30 tonne Boy injection moulding machine has been upgraded to 35 tonnes, and at present is being sold at the same price. The company says it is alone in making a machine of this size, and by uprating its clamping and injection pressures it...

Bigger arburg for Moorland Plastics.(Injection Moulding)
November 1, 2003... A TRADE moulding company set up 40 years ago to aid people in South Yorkshire who had suffered work-related disabilities--particularly in mining--has bought its biggest machine so far. Moorland Plastics Barnsley is a local...

'World's first' runnerless rubber moulding system.(Injection Moulding)
November 1, 2003... TO COUNTER the problem of heavy runner waste in rubber moulding, Seiki has developed the Rudiz runnerless injection moulding system--'the first runnerless moulding system for thermoset robber in the world'. Seiki's experience with its...

Demag to double Asian injection machine capacity.(Injection Moulding)
November 1, 2003... DEMAG Ergotech is planning to double the capacity to build injection moulding machines at its Indian and Chinese joint venture plants, Increasing capacity at L & T Demag Plastics Machinery in India to 600 machines per year has been...

Dragon invests to improve closure production.(Injection Moulding)
November 1, 2003... CLOSURE specialist Dragon Plastics of Pontypridd has invested nearly 200,000 [pounds sterling] in a machine and tooling package including a 200 tonne Billion Hercule machine. As well as speeding up cycle times, the new machine brings a...

Investment follows business boost at Stadium.(Injection Moulding)
November 1, 2003... STADIUM Plastics, which was sold 18 months ago to enable the Stadium Group to concentrate on electronics, has grown its turnover 25 per cent, added major new automotive business, and is now investing in five more injection moulding machines....

Tricool aims for flexibility with Sheik.(Temperature Control)
November 1, 2003... THE new Sheik range of temperature controllers from Tricool consists of 20 models, starting at 6 kW and rising to 96 kW, and encompassing oil controllers that can reach 350 degC. They can use mains, tower or chilled water circuits. Both heating...

Britvic to double in-house stretch-blow.(Blow Moulding)
November 1, 2003... Britvic Soft Drinks is buying two more SIG Corpoplast Blomax stretch blow moulders, augmenting the two it installed in April. The first two machines--Blomax 12 Series III with 12 blowing stations--are making bottles for the Robinsons Fruit...

Chiller range expanded.(Temperature Control)
November 1, 2003... The Kelvin KRA range of chillers from Total Process has been expanded with addition of 65 and 75 kW The whole range extends from to 175kW. The machines are available with or without internal water plump and stainless steel tank. ...

More torque and better cutting says Conair.(Pipe & Profile)
November 1, 2003... Conair has redesigned its CTS travelling saws to give better cutting accuracy and more torque. There are three sizes for maximum pipe diameters of 127,178 and 229 mm as well as profiles up to 229 x 432 mm. Starting, stopping, blade travel...

Options are broadened for standard extrusion line.(Pipeline & Profile)
November 1, 2003... IMPROVEMENTS have been made to the Battenfeld off-the-shelf extrusion lines introduced around a year ago. The miniBEX series combines a standard calibrator/haul-off/saw unit with one of four extruder options--a conical twin, a parallel twin and...

10 m Atlas slitter will be the biggest in China.(Film & Sheet Production)
November 1, 2003... THE first 10 m wide slitter/rewinder for plastic film to be installed in China will be supplied by Valmet Converting. Valmet says there are only three other slitter/rewinders of this width in the world, and its Atlas division has built all of...

Hollow PP sheet is made on a twin screw extruder.(Film & Sheet Production)
November 1, 2003... BG PLAST says that it has produced the world's first twin screw extrusion system for PP hollow profile extrusion. Advantages include more efficient plasticising, a reduction of 40 per cent in electricity consumption and the possibility of using...

Press-side and centralised granulators added by Conair.(In-House Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... BESIDE-THE-PRESS and central granulators have been added to the Conair range. The CLS by-the-press granulator has a low speed rotor for light scrap such as sprues and small parts and is complemented by the new CHS machine configured for...

Clean room granulator can be cleaned in situ.(In-house Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... DEMAND from a British customer making medical products led to the development by Rapid of an in-line granulator to meet ISO14664-8 clean room standards. It is based on a model 1528 granulator with the addition of an easily removable stainless...

Tria toughens up.(Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... REDESIGNED granulators for extrusion and blow moulding have been introduced by Tria. The XT-BM series machines have anti-wear grinding chambers with a combination of hardened steel and a surface hardening process to achieve 62 Rockwell...

New CMG machines for thermoforming, edge trim and blow moulding scrap.(Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... CMG of Italy has introduced two new granulators for recycling skeletal waste, either in-line from the thermoformer or from off-line reel scrap. They can handle film thickness down to 20 microns with a feed roll system controlled through an...

Shredders for plastics or rubber waste.(In-House Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... PLASTICS and rubber waste may be reclaimed by the Coparm shredders available through Jarshire, which can also supply and install feed conveyors and extractors. Shredders have power outputs from 37 to 180 kW for capacities from 2 to 30 tonnes/hr...

Film producer chops landfill waste by 90 per cent.(In-House Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... COATED film manufacturer Autotype of Wantage in Oxfordshire has reduced the waste it sends to landfill by more than 90 per cent, from more than 700 tonnes a year to an annual total of just a few tonnes. It has done this by implementing a...

Large and small additions from Rapid.(In-House Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... NEW from Rapid is a granulator primarily intended for recycling large sprues and light weight voluminous waste from injection moulding, but also suitable for in-line granulation of edge trims and skeletal waste from low capacity thermoforming...

Munchy extends its machine options for film scrap reclamation.(In-House Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... NOW fully integrated into the Worcester production facility of Boston Matthews. Munchy International has added three new machines to its K range. They are the K55, K150 and K300, claimed to be able to reprocess scrap films of LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE,...

UPM promotes high speed infrared drying for PET.(In-House Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... INFRARED drying equipment specialist SIAC has appointed UPM Machinery Sales to represent it in the UK and Ireland, with initial emphasis on the PET business, and with potential in reprocessing PET reclaim. Infrared reaches moisture at the...

Pellet screener shakes out oversize and dust from reclaimed scrap.(In-House Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... VIBRATORY pellet screener intended remove oversize and fine material from granulated or shredded scrap has been introduced by Cuccolini (UK). Product is received from the granulator or shredder on to a safe landing area where a directional...

Metal detectors keep reclaimed scrap safe.(In-House Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... NEW E-Z Tec 9000 Series metal detectors made by the pulse technology division of Eriez Magnetics Europe are suitable for scrap reclamation. The E-Z Tec 9000 is a high sensitivity balanced coil detector with a single PCB for ease of servicing....

Careful control of scrap re-use can trigger other savings.(In-House Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... THE best way to reduce scrap is not to make it in the first place. That is the argument made by Maguire for the use of its gravimetric blenders to feed processing machines. Not only is scrap reduced by feeding a correct blend of polymer and...

Scrap tyres are becoming an increasingly valuable commodity.(Tyre Reclamation)
November 1, 2003... WITH the latest stage in EU legislation on tyre disposal banning tyres of less than 1.4 m diameter from landfill, means are being found to offset disposal costs by converting the tyres to a useful material for reprocessing. In Austria...

CoDA practice for composites: composites are complicated. Clive Maier tries a design program that makes them look simple. But beware of making exotic materials just because you can.(Software)
November 1, 2003... COMPOSITE is something made up of two or more parts, and behind that simple statement lies a complex world of infinite variety. As we are plastics people, we are talking here about polymer composites; composites in which a plastics material...

Upgrade for quality monitor.(Software)
November 1, 2003... NORTHWEST Analytical has released version 2.3 of NWA Quality Monitor, a complete factory-floor system for statistical process control. The release includes many new features, including improved connectivity. Quality Monitor can now write...

Software directory.
November 1, 2003... BLOW MOULDING/ THERMOFORMING Accuform T-Sim, B-Sim Accuform, +420 677 210465 Symbolic Systems, 01227 738892 Single user price: 4,000 [pounds sterling][pounds sterling]--16,000 [pounds sterling] Simulation of blow moulding and...

DuPont automotive.(What's New on the Web)
November 1, 2003... DuPont's new web site is devoted to automotive applications. The content is organised by vehicle system for easy navigation and covers more than 100 DuPont product lines and services spread over 350 pages, with more than 200 links to further...

MaterialsSolutions.(What's New on the Web)
November 1, 2003... Designers and manufacturers working with composites can now get free access to knowledge-based tools at the new MaterialsSolutions web portal. The site is the work of a partnership led by NPL and involving AEAT, MERL, Rapra Technology, QinetiQ...

FairMoulds.(What's New on the Web)
November 1, 2003... FairMoulds is a new independent internet marketplace for selling and buying used moulds and dies. The service has been launched by German company Lutz Communications and is completely free to buyers. There are no transaction charges and all...

Engelhard.(What's New on the Web)
November 1, 2003... Engelhard now has a Special Effects Gallery on the SpecialChem portal for polymer additives and colours. The gallery provides a new way for designers to visualise and specify Engelhard's pearlescent, sparkle and liquid metal pigments. From the...

Maillefer.(What's New on the Web)
November 1, 2003... More than 70 percent of Maillefer's customers said they wanted online ordering of extrusion parts. The result is E-parts, a new addition to the Maillefer web site. The first phase covers telecom cable extrusion requirements, including screws,...

Bruckner Maschinenbau.(What's New on the Web)
November 1, 2003... Bruckner, a German company specialising in sequential and simultaneous stretching lines for oriented films, has redesigned and rebuilt its web site to give full details of the product range, the associated drive and automation equipment,...

DOW Corning silicone rubbers.(What's New on the Web)
November 1, 2003... Dow Coming has redesigned its silicone rubbers web site to make it easier to find and select products, formulations, applications, technical guides and data sheets. If you can't find what you want, you can 'ask an expert' or request a custom...

Pathtrace puts out a new release and a free offer.(Software)
November 1, 2003... PATHTRACE Engineering Systems has released version 8 of its EdgeCAM software CAM package. This reflects a shift in emphasis towards programming complicated turning machines in which sub-spindle and B-axis machines turn out finished parts in a...

Try mould balancing software for 30 days.(Software)
November 1, 2003... BEAUMONT Technologies, the company behind the MeltFlipper technology for correcting shear-induced flow imbalances in multi-cavity moulds, is offering a free trial of its '5 Step Process' software. This is an automated program that helps...

TopMold now on sale in Britain.(Software)
November 1, 2003... TOPMOLD, the integrated knowledge-based 3D CAD/CAM solution for mould making, is now distributed in the UK by MCL CADCAM of Huddersfield. The program is developed by Missler Software, the second largest provider of CAD/CAM solutions France and...

Prospector Pro available by the month.(Software)
November 1, 2003... PLASTICS data specialist IDES is now offering a monthly access option to its Prospector Pro database. Monthly subscriptions cost $60 per person per month, and may suit those who require only intermittent access or who prefer to spread the cash...

Spaceminster to assemble conveyors to shorten deliveries.(Product Handling)
November 1, 2003... Spaceminster is to start assembling conveyors built by Virginio Nastri at its Milton Keynes headquarters in January. Shipping conveyors from Italy has caused difficulties in the past in the disparity between the delivery time some customers...

Machinery companies join forces to sell abroad.(Update)
November 1, 2003... A GROUP of members of the Polymer Machinery Manufacturers and Distributors Association has got together to enter worldwide markets. Together, the group can offer a complete package of equipment covering a wide range of plastics...

Free seminar on technology for profit.(Update)
November 1, 2003... MOLDFLOW, Materialise and Synventive Molding Solutions are coming together to offer a free seminar showing how technology can improve product quality and cut costs in injection moulding. Moldflow will discuss its design and process...

Training agenda.(Update)(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... January 13-14 Introduction to Polymer Technology. Two-day course in Telford, UK. 419 [pounds sterling] residential, 350 [pounds sterling] non-residential. Independent Polymer Technology Ltd. Full details: www.ipolytech.com/...

Phase 2 of impact performance study starts.(Update)
November 1, 2003... THE National Physical Laboratory has begun the second three-year phase of research into predicting the impact performance of plastics. The project--Design with Plastics under Impact Loading--is funded by the Department of Trade and Industry and...

Bayer to split up polymers business.(Company Report)
November 1, 2003... The continuing reorganisation--some may say break-up--of the Bayer Group started two years ago has taken another step. The company has announced plans to split up its chemicals and polymers divisions--until now regarded as two of its four core...

Nova revises European polystyrene distribution.(Agency Update)
November 1, 2003... European outlets for Nova Chemicals' polystyrene have been streamlined, with Distrupol, already a UK distributor, also handling the Benelux countries, Ireland, Scandinavia and France. Ultrapolymers is to manage Nova's German distribution. Other...

Polimoon completes Fibrenyle takeover.(Company Report)
November 1, 2003... Nordic packaging group Polimoon has bought British moulder Fibrenyle from Alcan, effective from the end of last month. The acquisition is seen to fit particularly well with Polimoon's interests in consumer and pharmaceutical packaging--the...

BASF to quit PS specialities to concentrate on volume.(Materials Marketplace)
November 1, 2003... BASF is to tighten up its polystyrene business, taking out speciality products and concentrating on the volume business that can most efficiently be handled in big plants. From July 1 next year it is to stop production of many grades at...

Sullivan to sell FBF converting equipment.(Agency Update)
November 1, 2003... Sullivan Machinery has taken on UK representation of the Italian-made FBF range of film production and converting equipment which includes spread rollers, air shafts in steel, aluminium and carbon fibre and hot and cold microperforators which...

Omya adds more Albemarle additives.(Agency Update)
November 1, 2003... A European distribution agreement between Omya and Albemarle Corporation has led to Omya UK taking on distribution of Albemarle's Saytex/Pyro-chek brominated flame retardants and Ethanox/Ethaphos antioxidants in the UK. Omya UK will service...

Bohlin bought.(Company Report)
November 1, 2003... Bohlin Instruments, which three years ago bought out its competitor in rheology measurement, Rosand Precision, has itself been bought by a major materials testing equipment company. It has been taken over by Malvern Instruments, a Spectris...

Kraton sold again.(Company Report)
November 1, 2003... The former Shell-owned thermoplastic elastomer business Kraton Polymers has been sold again, three years after Shell sold it to venture capital group Ripplewood Holdings of the USA. Ripplewood put the company back on the market in July this...