British Plastics & Rubber articles from October 2004

British Plastics & Rubber archives from October 2004

Die and cooling innovations seek to remove variations in blown film.(Film & Sheet Production)
October 1, 2004... DR-PAck in Hungary is a group involved in both the production and conversion of blown films. It has identified what it thinks of as deficiencies in the established technology for blowing film, and has developed its own way round these...

Direct drive is quieter.(Film & Sheet Production)
October 1, 2004... The Esde-50-28/31V 50 mm single screw extruder has been introduced with direct screw drive, complementing 25/18D and 35/27D models. The company can also build 70 mm direct drive models. Advantages of direct drive are better mechanical...

PPS can be formed for transport panels and tank liners.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
October 1, 2004... Commercial methods of pressure and vacuum forming PPS sheet have been evolved by Magee Plastics in the USA. They are based on the use of Ensinger PennFibre sheet made with Ticona Fortron PPS. Nine unfilled, glass filled and impact modified...

Acrylic mirror and PETG now available from Perspex.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
October 1, 2004... Perspex Distribution now supplies acrylic mirror and PETG sheet. PDL Mirror 1000 acrylic mirror sheet is intended for use in POP and refrigerated food displays or where a stylish reflective surface is required. It is available in sheets...

Hollow PE sheet is heat resistant.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
October 1, 2004... NEW from Simona in Germany is a range of hollow sheets for use in plant and equipment engineering or the construction industry made of high heat resistant polyethylene. The standard size is 3,000 x 1,000 mm weighing 42 kg. The facing sheets are...

Lightweight tooling boosts output.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
October 1, 2004... Higher cycle rates obtainable with its new Speed-Mould tooling can boost thermoforming output by up to 20 per cent, claims Mould & Matic Solutions. The Austrian company, which makes thermoforming and injection packaging moulds as well as...

100 per cent solids coating at 1,500 m/min.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
October 1, 2004... A PRECISION silicone coating head for applying release liner for pressure sensitive labels has been introduced by Polytype Converting. The five roll coater is intended for solventless 100 per cent solids coatings and can run at 1,500...

Flexo printer in line with film blowing.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
October 1, 2004... A UTECO flexographic printer has been installed by Dunstable-based Palagan in line with its MAM three layer blown film extruder. High performance PE film, layflat and gusseted tubing is produced for bag and sack applications. Film is...

Robots can bring cost savings to thermoforming.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
October 1, 2004... Thermoformers can halve labour costs, improve the working environment and shorten changeover times with a new series of robots developed by ATM Automation. ATM's technical manager Sabir Hirji explains. THE TM robotic stackers have been...

Hot melt applied intermittently to prevent jamming.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
October 1, 2004... Intermittent hot melt application is possible with a new Optimation tape applicator for bagmaking machines. This is said to prevent contamination of the machine by adhesive, a major cause of jamming and downtime. The applicator can be set...

Technical former designed for maximum flexibility.(Film & Sheet Conversion)
October 1, 2004... THE new Ecoline 20/10 technical thermoformer from FRIMO-Huber of Germany has been designed for maximum flexibility in operation. It has a fully modular design so it can be tailored to requirements and also to allow for simple and fast upgrading...

Pneumatics replace hydraulic needle valve control for economy and simplicity.(Reaction Processing)
October 1, 2004... CANNON has introduced a fully pneumatic system for control of the needle in the head of its ReCo foam injection equipment. The company says that hydraulic systems, as previously supplied, have complex management, are expensive and require...

In the booming water cooler market Alkam is having a ball.(Blow Moulding)
October 1, 2004... WATER COOLERS are big business and getting bigger. According to specialist drinks consultancy Zenith International there were 1.66 million machines in Western Europe by the end of last year, with 1,300 million litres of water going through...

Gas loading added to BaseLine.(Reaction Processing)
October 1, 2004... HENNECKE now offers a low to medium gas loading device for its BaseLine high pressure foaming machines. Gas loading is used in the manufacture of rigid internal skin foam to create an extremely large number of gas nuclei to produce a minute...

Robotic mixing to 100 per cent accuracy.(Reaction Processing)
October 1, 2004... A METHOD of using a Cartesian robotic linear actuator to dispense mixed two part reactive chemicals to 100 per cent accuracy has been developed by TM Robotics, systems integrator AMT and Failsafe Metering. The process, already being used...

Polyol from reclaimed PET.(Reaction Processing)
October 1, 2004... An aromatic polyester polyol has been developed from post-consumer PET scrap by Rampf Ecosystems of Germany The company describes Petol as 'reasonably priced' and says it compares in quality with conventional products. It can be used for...

New adhesive grades and approvals for TPEs.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... TWO TPEs formulated for adhesion to other materials have been introduced by SOF.T.ER of Italy. The new 665 grade added to the Forprene range of PP-EPDM compounds allows injection moulding adhesion on glass, suitable for car glass...

New polymer chemistry behind improved TPVs.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... NEW high performing thermoplastic vulcanisate elastomers from Teknor Apex in the USA are the result of novel polymer chemistry that creates a dual network morphology. Conventional TPVs usually consist of ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer...

Medical-grade TPE.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... VITA Thermoplastic Compounds has introduced a range of medical-grade thermoplastic elastomers under the brand name of Mediprene. They are produced by Vita in France and are seen as an economic and superior replacement for silicone and natural...

Softer TPV for seals and grips.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... A NEW thermoplastic vulcanisate from Zeon Chemicals is softer than existing grades without losing resistance to oils and high temperatures. Zeotherm 100-70B combines a 75 Shore A durometer with continuous (3,000 hour) resistance to temperatures...

Food contact approval for sulphone polymers.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... INDIAN polymer producer Gharda Chemicals has gained food contact approval for its three of its Gafone sulphone polymers. Gafone PPPSU, Gafone PES and Gafone B 2300SP have all been certified by the Swiss agency RCC for food contact applications...

Ticona technology on the road.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... Ticona's latest series of free seminars covers the design, use and processing of engineering polymers and provides an update on developments in the industry. The new programme includes practical case studies of real automotive, healthcare,...

High performance claims for conductive compounds.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... IONPHASE of Finland has developed a range of new conductive polymer materials known as IPE (Ionomer PolyElectrolyte) which can be blended with 'all conventional base polymers" and processed using 'any traditional industrial technique'. The...

New PC and ABS compounds from Italy.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... POLIFOR is a new series of polycarbonate-based compounds from SO.F.TER of Italy incorporating electrically conductive, high density and sound deadening grades. The electrically conductive materials are filled with carbon black and other...

More conductive compounds from Whitaker.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... WHITAKER Technical Plastics has added several new grades to its line of standard conductive compounds. PEC1041 is a low density polyethylene film grade, free of vinyl acetate and with a low sulphur content. It is intended for use where...

Standard ABS is electroplatable.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... BASF has demonstrated that its standard Terulan GP-35 ABS is also suitable for fast electroplating. This grade can be acid etched quickly--in just 2 to 4 minutes at 68 degC. The time saving can be invested in a more thorough washing away of the...

Coex package for coolant hoses.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... DEGUSSA has developed a system package for coextruded vehicle coolant hoses. It combines a Vestamid nylon 12 outer layer with a polypropylene inner and a tie layer between in a wall thickness of 1-1.5 mm. The outer nylon layer gives it...

Rotomoulding polyethylenes 'outperform any others'.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... NOVA Chemicals claims that its new polyethylene rotomoulding grades outperform any that are currently available. They are produced by Nova's Sclairtech technology, using a proprietary single-site catalyst. Surpass RMs539 is a high flow...

Polypropylenes can be blow moulded on PET machinery.(Engineering Materials)
October 1, 2004... BP Amoco Chemical Company has introduced a range of polypropylenes designed for injection stretch blow moulding on standard reheat-blow machinery used for PET. These Acclear HP I-series grades are distinguished by a rapid heat-up that...

Slip additive for closures gets low odour endorsement.(Additives)
October 1, 2004... CRODA Chemicals developed its Incroslip C torque release additive specially for caps and closures where low taste and odour is an important requirement. Now forced ageing testing by independent Belgian laboratory Certech has confirmed the high...

Intumescent flame retardant for polyolefins.(Additives)
October 1, 2004... COMMERCIAL-scale production is being planned inside and outside of Japan for a new intumescent flame retardant for polyolefins from Asahi Denka. The new material is said to minimise the disadvantages of conventional halogen-free...

Improved coloration for PP masterbatches.(Additives)
October 1, 2004... A NEW dispersing agent for the production of pigment masterbatches has been introduced by Degussa subsidiary Goldschmidt Industrial Specialties. Tegomer P141 was developed to colour polypropylene micro fibres and technical plastics. It is said...

More light stabilizers from BASF.(Additives)
October 1, 2004... BASF has extended its Uvinul line of light stabilisers for plastics. There are six new products suitable for both polyolefins and engineering plastics. Five are benzotriazole types and the other is a monomeric hindered amine material. The new...

Higher performance for new and upgraded talcs.(Additives)
October 1, 2004... THE new range of Jetfine ultrafine talc products from Luzenac is intended for compounds used for automotive components. They have a very high aspect ratio and ultrafine grind, and are recommended for semi-crystalline polymers such as...

New light shed on clarity.(Additives)
October 1, 2004... MILLIKEN has undertaken market and technical studies that will interest the packaging industry. The market study was carried out for Milliken in the USA by Research Inc. It established that consumers of soft drinks and bottled waters...

New clarifying agent brings improved optical properties.(Additives)
October 1, 2004... THE new' ADK STAB NA 21 nucleating/ clarifying agent for polyolefins from Adeka Palmerole of France is said to give far better optical properties than its predecessor NA 11, and in many cases to improve on the performance of sorbitol-based...

Research into anti-microbials pays off for AddMaster.(Additives)
October 1, 2004... CONTINUING growth in infection and death from the hospital super bug methycillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus--or MRSA--has boosted sales ofAddMaster's BioMaster MRSA combatant masterbatch to past those of 2003 in only the first half of this...

Additive reduces ATH level in cables.(Additives)
October 1, 2004... NANOFIL is a new organic modified bentonite nanocomposite additive developed for use in cable compounds by German research organisation Sud-Chemie. It reduces the amount of aluminium trihydroxide used to make cables flame retardant and is also...

W & P adds extruders for reactor and general compounding.(Compounding)
October 1, 2004... THE new ZSK-NT two-stage compounding extruder from Coperion Werner & Pfleiderer has been designed for compounding bimodal polyethylene from the reactor. Bimodal PE has short polymer chains for good processability and chains of high molecular...

Vacuum drying beats blowing water off the strands.(Compounding)
October 1, 2004... THE Qualconvey Vacuum Air Knife aims to achieve the driest extruded plastic strand possible for granulation. Traditionally, water droplets which remain on strands after the cooling bath are removed by blowing them away in a positive...

Latest Leistritz for Colour Tone.(Compounding)
October 1, 2004... COLOUR TONE Masterbatch has installed a Leistritz ZSE 18HP extruder, the first of its type in the UK and the sixth Leistritz at the company. The machine cost 50,000[pounds sterling] and is chiefly used to meet small orders in batches of 10 to...

Screw design tailored for micro pellet production.(Compounding)
October 1, 2004... A UNIVERSAL blowing agent screw was developed by Berstorff for an extrusion line delivered to Addicell Additive of Germany to make chemical blowing agents in the form of micro pellets. Until now powder-like compounds have mainly been...

Uprated replacement barrels extend extruder life span.(Compounding)
October 1, 2004... XTRUTECH in Stoke on Trent is now supplying screws, screw shafts and elements, barrels and heater bands for corotating twin screw extruders made by Baker Perkins, APV, Theysohn, Werner & Pfleiderer, Leistritz, Marls, Berstorff, B & P, Prism and...

More PET preforms, and from smaller machines.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... EVEN more PET problem output is claimed by MHT Mold & Hot Runner Technology of Germany which has introduced new moulds with higher cavity density, and for smaller machines. MHT now makes more than 50 mould types for horizontal and vertical...

Load cells for electric machines.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... VARIOHM now supplies Lebow 333610 compression flat load cells, made in the US and chiefly intended for electric injection moulding machines. The units have high frequency response and 0 to 10 VDC output via a concealed amplifier. Various...

Diagnosing defects.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... UPM has equipped a two machine cell for the production of medical components with a handling system incorporating diverter plates to reject defective mouldings. The plates are activated by the machines' SPC systems and only good parts are...

Feeding process changes back into part design.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... ONE thing that has restricted the optimum design of a moulded part has been the lack of information about process-related material properties--that is, properties such as anisotropy due to fibre orientation that the part acquires during the...

Purging compound given a push for extra efficiency.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... POWERPURGE is a novel system developed by Spirex Corporation of the USA to purge an injection unit without the need for disassembly and cleaning. A new non-return valve is fitted to the machine and its controls integrated for automatic...

Sankey spends 1 m+[pounds sterling] on wheelie bin line.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... MORE than 1 million[pounds sterling] has been spent by Richard Sankey on a Sandretto Mega HESD 2,000 tonne machine and two tools, each weighing more than 20 tonnes, to manufacture Ecomax refuse bins in HDPE at the rate of 1,000 a day on a 24/7...

Bespoke system for textile insertion.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... WITTMANN has developed an automated textile insertion and part removal system in conjunction with Demag Plastics Group of Ohio and Michigan-based mouldmaker pgam advanced technologies. It comprises a model W643 top entry servo controlled robot...

Gas assistance saves energy as well as material.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... SAVINGS in energy of up to 15 per cent are possible with external gas assisted moulding compared with conventional methods according to a programme of energy consumption trials sponsored by Faraday Plastics. Research was undertaken by Bradford...

More melt without losing precision.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... A WAY of getting more melt through an injection unit without sacrificing accuracy by using a bigger screw has been devised by Billion. Its ISC technology is described as removing the interdependence of shot volume, plasticising rate, injection...

Small machine with built-in mould base.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... A 25 tonne machine with a removable built-in mould bolster has been introduced by Industries Deu of Spain. The Deu Mini 250H55 has 270 mm between the tiebars, 450 mm daylight and 200 mm stroke. It has four screw diameter options giving shot...

Biggest Arburg in Britain.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... THE largest Arburg machine yet supplied in the UK has gone into service with Cheshire-based window blind maker Louvre-Lite. The Allrounder 570C2200-675 220 tonne machine with a Multilift H robotic handling system has doubled productivity and...

Steel sheets glued together to make moulds.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... A NEW rapid tooling technique developed by Georg Kaufmann Formenbau of Switzerland is claimed to reduce costs by 20 per cent and enable moulds to be made in from eight to 12 weeks. Moulds are laminated from epoxy-coated steel sheet using a...

A cold blast from Canada.(Injection Moulding)
October 1, 2004... Husky has tied up with Cold Jet of the USA to offer its customers dry ice blast mould cleaning systems, which it says are particularly effective for multi-cavity PET preform tools. The T-2 system is for general cleaning and the AerRO 75 heavier...

Bigger and faster six axis robots from ATM.(Automation)
October 1, 2004... JAPANESE-built six axis robots have been added to the ATM range at lower cost and with higher speeds and payloads than the machines previously sold by the company. They are ATM-branded and are built in two formats, the SC for floor, wall...

Automation for automotive underbonnet parts.(Automation)
October 1, 2004... WITTMANN UK has supplied TP Moulding of Telford with an automation cell to make automotive underbonnet components. The system is based on the W633 CNC 6 Dias-Bus linear robot with two bowl feeders for different inserts and independent control...

New robots and systems software from Staubli.(Automation)
October 1, 2004... THE latest six axis robot range from Staubli, the TX, can be mounted in any configuration and comprises four models: the TX40, TX90, TX90L and TX90XL. The TX40 is a fast robot with a 450 mm envelope and 2.3 kg payload. It is small enough to be...

Robot reaches down.(Automation)
October 1, 2004... A ROBOT capable of being mounted in elevated positions to maximise use of cell workspace has been introduced by ABB. The ABB IRB 6650S Shelf Robot enables large parts to be demoulded with no risk of obstruction or collision. It is intended for...

New single screw series from Boston Matthews.(Pipe & Profile)
October 1, 2004... NEW series of single-screw extruders A has been introduced by Boston Matthews. The Logic range has been designed for energy efficiency and is driven by an AC motor with encoder feedback together with a flux vector drive with forced ventilation....

On-the-fly pipe diameter change.(Pipe & Profile)
October 1, 2004... INOEX is entering the non-stop diameter change arena with its Advantage system which can use existing die heads as the maximum regulating range is 1:2. The system incorporates a guide chamber, calibration sleeve, sealing unit and master...

Greater accuracy in wood-filled extrusion.(Pipe & Profile)
October 1, 2004... Equaflow II tooling has been developed by Guill Tool & Engineering of the USA to give greater accuracy, more consistent product flow and reduced waste in the extrusion of wood filled compounds. Flow channels are designed to meet requirements...

K-M in steel-reinforced spirally wound pipe partnership.(Pipe & Profile)
October 1, 2004... KRAUSS-MAFFEI and the Plastream division of Rib Loc Australia have signed an exclusive cooperation agreement to manufacture turnkey machinery for the production of steel reinforced plastic pipe. Along with very high stiffness, Plastream pipes...

Extrusian tooling--designed in Austria, built in China.(Pipe & Profile)
October 1, 2004... An Austrian company is linking up with a Chinese toolmaker to build extrusion dies in China. Trinity Technology has joined with Tongling to set up Tongling Trinity Technology Co. The company will design the tooling in Austria, build it in China...

Pathtrace updates EdgeCAM Strategy Manager.(Tooling)
October 1, 2004... PATHTRACE has released version 9 of its EdgeCAM Strategy Manager software. The program is an interactive graphical tool used to define and capture the way in which parts are machined. Strategy Manager allows the user to capture best-practice...

Multi-level replication masters for microstructures.(Tooling)
October 1, 2004... NANOCOMMS has set up a new NanoEmboss division to meet a growing demand for rapid prototyping and volume replication masters produced by its proprietary NanoEmboss process. Replication masters are used in hot embossing and micromoulding...

All the colours at once: Lawrence Wild of Edlon Machinery describes the dry offset printing process, which he terms the most successful and universally used method, for the high speed decoration of three dimensional products by direct printing.(Finishing)
October 1, 2004... DRY OFFSET is the only direct printing process where the complete and final multi-colour image is transferred to the substrate with a single impression. In the plastics industry, dry offset printing is the main process for the decoration of...

UV adhesive is screen-printable.(Finishing)
October 1, 2004... OR-COTE International and 3M have jointly developed a UV-cured screen printable adhesive for applications including membrane switches, automotive dashboards and signmaking. SP-7514 is a liquid PU-acrylate based material suitable for flat bed...

In mould decorating is combined with hot foiling.(Finishing)
October 1, 2004... KURZ of Germany has developed a system for combining in-mould decoration and hot toil stamping in a single operation. In a demonstration at K2004 an rejection moulding machine will produce a cell phone lens which will be decorated on one...

Accurate registration two-up for tube printer.(Finishing)
October 1, 2004... ISIMAT has designed its new, TD 6160 high speed six colour screen printer to meet demands from tube manufacturers for a machine with highly accurate colour registration. In two-up operation it can have up to seven stations and print 160 tubes...

An overview of diode laser transmission welding.(Finishing)
October 1, 2004... THE use of diode lasers to carry out transmission welding of polymer materials has been a technique which has gained considerable ground since its inception in the late 1990s. Transmission laser welding relies on the fact that a joint can be...

Slotted shank rivet nut gives a big bearing surface.(Finishing)
October 1, 2004... BOLLHOFF Fastenings has introduced Plus-Nut slotted shank blind rivet nuts into its Rivnut range. They are designed for use in plastics sheets where a strong female thread is set securely from one side of the workpiece. On clenching, the...

Vibration welders for medium and large size components.(Finishing)
October 1, 2004... TWO new vibration welders have been added to the Dukane Corporation range. The mid-size Model VWB3500 (965 mm x 455 mm) and larger Model VWB3700 (1,320 mm x 610 mm) have vibration heads that require no lubrication because they have no bearing...

Faster installation of brass inserts.(Finishing)
October 1, 2004... An improved heat inserter for use with its Multisert internally threaded brass inserts has been introduced by Tappex. The inserter has a power output of 400 W with digital temperature feedback and an improved duty cycle, resulting in better...

More grip from blind insert.(Finishing)
October 1, 2004... THE new Versa-Nut blind insert is claimed by Textron Fastening Systems to provide, at 12-7 mm, twice as much grip range for soft materials, thin-walled plastics and composites as previous types. It has tour longitudinal slots evenly spaced...

Making pipelines safer for pellets.(Materials Handling)
October 1, 2004... A PIPELINE elbow developed by Pelletron of the USA is intended to minimize damage caused when solid particles are injected into a high velocity conveying system--the higher the velocity, the more dust and streamers are formed in elbows. ...

Chillers work at higher ambient temperatures.(Temperature Control)
October 1, 2004... LATEST Tool-Temp air-cooled water chillers use new CFC-free R134a refrigerant which enables them to work without problems in higher ambient temperatures, even tip to 45 degC, so that users need not be concerned when the factory becomes too hot....

Pulsed cooling technology for sale.(Temperature Control)
October 1, 2004... Temperature control specialist Rowland Evans has decided to retire and has put his company, RE Promotion Services (REPS) up for sale because 'small entrepreneurial companies can no longer service global markets, especially when their home...

Evaporative cooling makes plastics plants pleasanter.(Temperature Control)
October 1, 2004... AN EVAPORATIVE cooling system introduced by Coolmation for plastics processing operations is said to be 30 per cent more economical to install and 80 per cent cheaper to run than conventional air conditioning. The company says that on a...

Time and temperature scanning rheometer comes home.(Testing & Inspection)
October 1, 2004... THE Fluid Dynamics T2SR time and temperature scanning rheometer is now available in the UK from Celsum Technologies. It is something of a homecoming because the T2SR evolved from the Strathclyde rheometer of which Celsum's managing director Roy...

Disposable viscometer spindles save clean-up time.(Testing & Inspection)
October 1, 2004... A NEW development from Brookfield Viscometers will improve productivity and efficiency in the laboratory by saving on cleanup time. The company's disposable Thermosel spindles meet SHRP and ASTM test requirements, and replace the standard...

Rheometer cell replicates process conditions.(Testing & Inspection)
October 1, 2004... THE APPLICATIONS of Malvern Bohlin rheometers can now be extended by a new high pressure and high temperature cell from Malvern Instruments. The cell allows rheological measurements to be made under conditions that resemble the processing...

DSC measurements under pressure.(Testing & Inspection)
October 1, 2004... METTLER Toledo has produced a pressure DSC cell for making differential scanning calorimeter determinations under pressurised conditions. This is significant because pressure influences all physical changes and any chemical reactions that...