Plastics Engineering articles from August 2007

Plastics Engineering archives from August 2007

August plastics engineering.(Editorial)
August 1, 2007... The theme of this issue is rapid prototyping; and judging from the Chambered Nautilus-like skeletal structure on the cover, this technology has come a long way since the days of the frequently seen multiport distributor cap--not that it wasn't...

Expanding market--shrinking volumes: the collation shrink market in Europe continues to expand, but demand for thinner films will keep material volumes static.(GLOBAL NEWS: EUROPE)
August 1, 2007... According to a new report from AMI, the collation shrink film market in Europe is a 1.2bn [euro] business that accounted for nearly 800,000 tonnes of PE resin in 2006. In recent years there has been considerable development in the types of PE...

DSM Composite Resins has sold its Uraplast Polymeric plasticiser resins business to Polynt.(ACQUISITIONS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... DSM Composite Resins has sold its Uraplast Polymeric plasticiser resins business to Polynt. The sale transfers all intellectual property, including rights to the Uraplast trade name. However, no employees, production facilities or fixed assets...

IQAP, the Spanish masterbatch company, has increased its local presence with the purchase of Alicante-based Alcolor Group.(ACQUISITIONS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... IQAP, the Spanish masterbatch company, has increased its local presence with the purchase of Alicante-based Alcolor Group. Marc Feltrer, IQAP commercial and marketing manager said the acquisition made IQAP the technical masterbatch leader in...

Polimoon has acquired Dekoplast, the French cosmetics and medical packaging company that went into administration at end of 2006.(ACQUISITIONS)
August 1, 2007... Polimoon has acquired Dekoplast, the French cosmetics and medical packaging company that went into administration at end of 2006. Manufacturing will be retained at La Roche sur Foron, while the business at Dekoplast's other site in Senlis will...

PDA launches in Europe: new industry body to champion polyurea usage in Europe.(GLOBAL NEWS: EUROPE)(Personal digital assistants)
August 1, 2007... A group of European companies have joined forces to form the Polyurea Development Association (PDA Europe)--a body that will deal with industry issues relating to polyurea technology. "Our mission is to build greater understanding and...

Closure manufacturer Dragon Plastics has acquired fellow Welsh company Riverside Plastics from the administrator.(ACQUISITIONS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Closure manufacturer Dragon Plastics has acquired fellow Welsh company Riverside Plastics from the administrator. Riverside's bottle business, which will be owned by Dragon's associate company Gwalia Plastics, will trade initially from its...

A single material solution from Borealis has enabled DaimlerChrysler to create a high quality interior for its new Mercedes C-Class.(AUTOMOTIVE)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... A single material solution from Borealis has enabled DaimlerChrysler to create a high quality interior for its new Mercedes C-Class. Daplen EE188HP, a thermoplastic olefin compound has been used on all visible injection moulded interior trims...

VDE.(CERTIFICATION)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... A key change in acquiring VDE certification for electrical equipment has been introduced. It relates to the recently extended IEC/EN 60335-1 standard, which tightens up plastics flammability requirements in unsupervised domestic appliances....

BASF.(CLOSURES)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... BASF is to close and dismantle its adipodinitrile (ADN) plant in Seals Sands, UK. From 2009 BASF will purchase ADN from the global network of US company INVISTA. ADN is used to produce hexamethylenediamine (HMD) a key intermediate for Ultramid...

Holliday Pigments.(CLOSURES)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Holliday Pigments the first manufacturer to develop ultramarines for thermoplastics and thermosets, is to close its UK manufacturing site in Kingston Upon Hull. Parent company, Yule Catto, said it was to combat the cumulative effects of the...

DSM Engineering Plastics has entered into a distribution agreement with Resin Express for the Baltic States, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.(DISTRIBUTION)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... DSM Engineering Plastics has entered into a distribution agreement with Resin Express for the Baltic States, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. This extends the current distribution partnership which includes France, UK and Benelux, and is in line...

GRPMS, part of Umeco, is to acquire the Estonian distribution business of Ashland Composite Polymers.(DISTRIBUTION)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... GRPMS, part of Umeco, is to acquire the Estonian distribution business of Ashland Composite Polymers. As part of the agreement, GRPMS becomes sole distributor for Ashland's resin and gelcoat products in the region. This expands the relationship...

Basell.(EXPANSION)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Basell is to further debottleneck and revamp its Spherizone process plant in Brindisi, Italy, increasing PP capacity by 50kt to 235kt per year. The revamped unit is expected to start up in Q1 2009. The expansion follows an initial...

Dow Europe.(EXPANSION)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Dow Europe has announced that 20 new and upgraded PP products for rigid packaging and film converters are to be produced at its Wesseling plant in Germany. They include DR7032, a random copolymer for thin wall injection moulding with a 100 melt...

GE Plastics.(NEW FACILITIES)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... GE Plastics has opened its first Automotive Glazing Center of Excellence at Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands. The facility is aimed at helping customers create, and process auto glazing applications using Lexan GLX polycarbonate and other engineered...

Songwon.(NEW FACILITIES)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Korea's Songwon has opened European headquarters and a customer service centre in Frauenfeld, just outside Zurich. "This is the culmination of the efforts last year to establish Songwon International as our direct channel to market in Europe,...

Bada.(NEW FACILITIES)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... German compounder Bada has equipped its new factory in Buhl with lines from Coperion Werner & Pfleiderer. Bada, which supplies special high-grade moulding compounds based on engineering plastics (primarily for injection moulding), was already...

France, Germany and the UK have formed a new European partnership for aerospace composites.(PARTNERSHIPS)(Aerospace Valley, Hanse Aerospace and Farnborough Aerospace Consortium)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... France, Germany and the UK have formed a new European partnership for aerospace composites. Teams from Aerospace Valley in Toulouse, Hanse Aerospace Hamburg and FAC in Farnborough have agreed a collaborative venture to respond to the current...

Lanxess and British chemical group Ineos have agreed a joint venture that will see Lanxess withdraw from the global ABS business.(PARTNERSHIPS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... LANXESS and British chemical group INEOS have agreed a joint venture that will see LANXESS withdraw from the global ABS business. LANXESS is incorporating its Lustran polymers division into the JV and will initially hold a 49 percent minority...

Berstorff.(RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... In cooperation with the bioprocess engineering department of Hanover University of Applied Sciences, Berstorff has developed a new twin-screw extruder concept for the production of natural fibre compounds. These natural fibres can be directly...

Lanxess.(RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... LANXESS has increased its annual R&D budget by 15 percent to approximately 100m [euro]. "With this investment, we are primarily targeting high-growth markets of the future as well as future technologies that promise a rapid return on...

Two European machine manufacturers--Arburg and SML--have reported record sales figures for 2006.(RESULTS)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Two European machine manufacturers--Arburg and SML--have reported record sales figures for 2006. Arburg, which also celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, saw turnover increase by 23 percent to 328.9m [euro], while SML recorded sales up by...

Strong demand for plastics powers Brasilplast.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Brasilplast attracted 1260 exhibitors and more than 60,000 attendees during its five-day run, May 7 to 11, in Sao Paulo. The size of the show and the presence of exhibitors representing the entire plastics chain, from materials suppliers to...

Machinery sales post solid gain in quarter.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Plastics machinery sales in Brazil rose 9.5% in the first quarter over the same period last year. Abimaq (Brazilian Assn. of Machinery and Equipment) reports machinery sales of R$143.04 million, as against R$130.63 million in 2006. Exports grew...

Biodegradable resin offered for packaging.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Ecobras, a compostable packaging resin, made its debut at the show. The material combines Ecoflex resin, an aliphatic aromatic copolyester from BASF, with more than 50% of a corn-based resin from CornProducts Brasil. The material meets the...

Braskem develops nanotech process for PVC production.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Brazilian resin producer Braskem announced that it has filed the first patent in the region for production of PVC with nanotechnology. The patent covers a process for developing PVC nanocomposites in situ, through direct polymerization in...

Dow develops PE grade for use in geomembranes.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Dow Chemical Brazil )(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Geomembranes consumed 24,000 tons of resin in Brazil and Chile last year, and demand is growing by about 6% per year. Recognizing this market, Dow Chemical Brazil has introduced a medium-density PE resin. MDPE 6895 can be extruded in...

Degussa polyamide resin is for large-diameter pipe.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Degussa featured two polymers for high-performance applications, along with a PVC plasticizer. Vestamid LX9020 is a polyamide (PA) 12 for offshore and large-diameter pipe. The material is reportedly the first certified by Lloyd's Register for...

Borealis to expand PP composites line.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Borealis is investing R$18 million (about US$9.5 million) in an extrusion line to expand capacity at its plant in Itatiba, Sao Paulo state. The line will add 11,000 tons/yr of capacity for PP composites for the automotive and home appliance...

Lanxess's sales rise; ABS venture set.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Lanxess, the company created from Bayer's polymers and chemicals groups, says Brazil has surpassed Canada as its largest market in the Americas. The company posted sales of 163.3 million [euro] (US$212.3 million) last year, a gain of 11.2%....

Rhodia adds polyamide grades for automotive.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Targeting higher productivity and improved part performance, Rhodia introduced two polyamide grades for Brazil. Technyl XCell was developed with Trexel Inc. for use with the latter's MuCell microcellular foam-molding technology for thinwall...

Golden edition presses are a fixture of Arburg line.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Arburg announced that the Allrounder Golden Edition line of injection-molding machines, introduced last year to mark the company's 50th anniversary as an injection-machine supplier, is now a permanent part of its product line. The hydraulic...

Boy machine molds high-precision lenses.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... To demonstrate the suitability of its machines for high-precision parts, injection-machine manufacturer Boy exhibited a model 35A press, with 350 kN (39 tons) of clamp force, molding optical lenses. The machine, which was operating with a...

NPE is seeking more Latin American visitors.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... NPE 2009, North America's largest plastics exposition, seeks to attract more attendees and exhibitors from Latin America. William Carteaux, president of The Society of the Plastics Industry, the NPE organizer, says the group plans to boost...

Super-efficient electric car wins design contest.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... First prize in a design competition for lightweight prototype cars went to an entrant who fabricated the body and parts of the wheels with Spectar copolyester sheet from Eastman Chemical Co. The contest, which promoted energy efficiency, was...

Recycling program is a hit at Brasilplast.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... More than 30 tons of plastics were recycled at Brasilplast, under an initiative sponsored by Plastivida (the Social-Environmental Institute of Plastics in Brazil). Around 20 drop-off points were set up in the Anhembi exhibition center, and...

Mexico, Peru will host shows in 2008.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... Two key shows will take place in Latin America next year. Plastimagen, the region's second-largest show, is in Mexico City, April 8 to 11. Over 700 exhibitors and 31,000 attendees, mainly from Mexico and Central America, are expected. Guadalupe...

Chemtura sells EPDM assets to lion copolymer.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Effective June 29, 2007, Lion Copolymer, LLC (LCP), (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA) has completed its acquisition of the EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) and chemical foaming agent (CFA) assets associated with Chemtura Corp.'s plant in...

Solvay, Sibur to build vinyl plant in Russia.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... Solway and SolVin, the joint European vinyls subsidiary of Solvay and BASF, announce that they have partnered with Gazprom affiliate Sibur LLC to build Russia's first world-scale vinyls plant, in Kstovo, in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The...

A. Schulman acquires European masterbatches firm.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Plastic compound and resin supplier A. Schulman, Inc., of Akron, Ohio, USA, has announced its acquisition of the Delta Plast Group, a manufacturer of color masterbatches with operations in, Sweden and Belgium. The transaction was expected to be...

O-I divests plastics packaging business.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Owens-Illinois, Inc.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Owens-Illinois, Inc. (O-I) has entered into a definitive agreement with Rexam PLC to sell its plastics packaging business. Total consideration for the business will be approximately US$1.825 billion, O-I reports. The company posted 2006...

Biobased PDO plant opens to accolades.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, LLC, an equally owned joint venture of DuPont and Tate & Lyle, has officially opened its Loudon, Tennessee, USA-based plant for production of Bio-PDO, a renewably sourced 1,3-propanediol. The June 8 opening...

Eastman technology enhances CeeLite LEC panels.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(CeeLite (Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, USA))(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... CeeLite (Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, USA), the first commercial manufacturer of LEC (light-emitting capacitor) technology; has signed an agreement with Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tennessee, USA) to manufacture CeeLite LEC panels using...

CryoLife patents woundsealing hydrogel foam.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... CryoLife, Inc. (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) has been awarded a U.S. patent for BioFoam, a protein hydrogel foam for rapidly filling and sealing open wounds. The patent describes the product as "a kit for forming a solid cellular foam comprised of a...

California launches plastic-bag recycling program.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Progressive Bag Alliance (PBA), the California Retailers Association, and the California Grocers Association have announced implementation of the U.S.'s first statewide plastic-bag recycling program. Effective July 1, 2007, a new California...

Cereplast participates in Live Earth.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Cereplast, Inc., was selected to supply cups, forks, and spoons--all made from the company's compostable biobased plastic for the Live Earth Rio de Janeiro concert held on July 7, 2007. As an ecologically sound substitute for petroleum-based...

DuPont.(Website Updates)(E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.)(www.renewable.dupont.com)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... DuPont (Wilmington, Delaware, USA) has created a new web port--www.renewable.dupont.com--allowing users to conveniently find information on its new category of products, DuPont Renewably Sourced Materials. These are high-performance biobased...

Secant Medical.(Website Updates)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Secant Medical (Perkasie, Pennsylvania, USA) has launched a new web-based resource for medical-device engineers seeking to incorporate specialized fabrics into their product designs. The site--www.secantmedical.com--provides an overview of...

PTI receives SAE certification.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... Polymer Technologies Inc. (PTI), of Clifton, New Jersey, USA, a supplier of high-performance plastic and metal injection-molded parts, has announced that it has successfully implemented the Aerospace Quality Standard SAE AS9100B. PTI's Quality...

ACC group analyzes PUR industry, notes impact of security regs.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry of the American Chemical Council (ACC) (Arlington, Virginia, USA) has released a study titled 2006 Socio-Economic Impact of the Polyurethanes Industry on the U.S. Economy. The 18-page report covers the...

The choice widens: GMT vs LFT: developments in long fibre compounds have given processors greater choice than ever before. As GMT and LFT materials jockey for pole position, their usage has broadened into many new areas of application.(EUROPE)(glass mat thermoplastic)(long fiber thermoplastic)(Industry overview)(Cover story)
August 1, 2007... Long fibre reinforced thermoplastics have become well established for use in structural and semi-structural parts, thanks to their ability to offer excellent mechanical properties at keen prices. But the continuing competition between the...

Export plastic touts products "made in Brazil": a new export power is emerging in Latin America--Brazil's processors. Working with petrochemical companies and resin suppliers in a program called Export Plastic, processors are building demand for their products from a growing number of foreign customers.(LATIN AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... Export Plastic, formed in 2004, has 101 processor members in 12 of Brazil's 26 states. The companies exported US$155 million worth of products in 2006, the equivalent of 68,000 tonnes (150 million lbs) of resin. This was a gain of 147% in value...

Rapid prototyping: easier-to-use machines, lower pricing expand user base, add design flexibility.(NORTH AMERICA)(Cover story)
August 1, 2007... Rapid growth best characterizes the field of rapid prototyping (RP)--the layer-by-layer additive fabrication of 3D models, prototypes, tooling components, and finished production parts from CAD files and digital scans. New, less-expensive...

What's new at K 2007.(EUROPE)(polymer trade show)
August 1, 2007... October's sellout K Show is set to beat all records in terms of exhibitor numbers. Over 3,000 companies will present their products and services across a colossal 168,000 square metres of exhibition space. Many will be using K to launch new...

TPUs stretch properties: new grades extend the range of uses for these increasingly flexible materials.(NORTH AMERICA)(thermoplastic polyurethanes )
August 1, 2007... Two of the touted values of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) are the softness and flexibility they can offer without requiring the additives and plasticizers that PVC and other heavily compounded materials rely upon. This argument is becoming...

A review of additives for plastics: functional film additives: this is the third article in a four-part series that looks at the range of additives commonly used in plastics to improve their appearance and performance. These primers are meant to create a base of information on plastics additives.(NORTH AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... This article looks at functional additives that boost the performance of blown and cast films, whether for monolayer or multilayer applications. Since slips and antiblocks were discussed in part two of this series (PE, January 2007, p. 48ff.),...

Rising resin prices and "green" initiatives boost interest in microcellular foam.(NORTH AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... Suppliers of plastics packaging are facing the "double whammy" of rising material costs and efforts by customers to promote environmentally friendly goods. As a result, many companies are redesigning consumer packaging with an eye toward...

Ken Braney's monthly look at SPE's European activities.(SPE NEWS ROUNDUP: EUROPE)(Society of Plastics Engineers)(Conference news)(Column)
August 1, 2007... As mentioned in my last column we have now held the SPE European Board meeting in Milan. It was hosted by SPE Italy at the Villa Torretta, in Sesto San Giovanni. SPE representatives attended from the Benelux, French, Italian, UK, Central...

SPE in Europe.(EUROPE)
August 1, 2007... SPE Europe Yetty Pauwels +32 3 541 77 55 spe.europe@skynet.be www.speeurope.org SPE Europe Board Chairman Bernhard Peters +49 2392 960966 peters.neuenrade@t-online.de SPE Executive Committee...

Artificial enzymes.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,232,861 (June 19, 2007), "Enzyme-Mimicking Polymers," Koji Sode (Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan). Enzymes are the catalysts of life, integral to more reactions than we can count. An enzyme is a large polymer that first grabs a...

Flame-retardant thin-walled polycarbonates.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,232,854 (June 19, 2007), "Polycarbonate Compositions With Thin-Wall Flame Retardance," Shiping Ma, Thomas Ebeling, and Shrish Rane (General Electric Co., Schenectady, New York, USA). Flame-retardant polycarbonates are well...

Bioactive spinal implants.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,230,039 (June 12, 2007), "Bioactive Nanocomposites and Methods for Their Use," Hai H. Trieu and Kimberly A. Chaffin (SDGI Holdings, Inc., Wilmington, Delaware, USA). Spinal implants are based on both metal and non-metal...

Barrier materials for drink packaging.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,229,678 (June 12, 2007), "Barrier Laminate Structure for Packaging Beverages," Tricia Susan Reighard, Christopher S. Cleveland, and Richard A. Tedford, Jr. (Evergreen Packaging Inc., Memphis, Tennessee, USA). Flexible...

Removing the solvent.(industry PATENTS)(plastics extrusion)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,226,989 (June 5, 2007), "Method of Separating a Polymer From a Solvent," Norberto Silvi, Mark H. Giammattei, and Paul W. Buckley (General Electric Co., Schenectady, New York, USA). Solvents are widely used in plastics...

Reactor thermoplastic polyolefins.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,226,977 (June 5, 2007), "High-Melt-Flow-Rate Thermoplastic Polyolefins Produced In-Reactor," Sehyun Kim, Andrew L. Schnitgen, Ruben A. Migone, and Jeffrey S. Salek [Sunoco, Inc. (R&M), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA]. ...

PTFE aerogels.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,226,969 (June 5, 2007), "Aerogel/PTFE Composite Insulating Material," Cedomila Ristic-Lehmann, Brian Farnworth, and Anit Dutta (Gore Enterprise Holdings, Inc., Newark, Delaware, USA). Aerogels are widely used in thermal...

Nanofiber sensors.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,226,530 (June 5, 2007), "Conducting Polymer Nanofiber Sensors," Bruce H. Weiller, Shabnam Virji, Richard B. Kaner, and Jiaxing Huang (The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, California, USA, and The University of California, Los Angeles,...

Producing polymerclay nanocomposites.(industry PATENTS)
August 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,223,359 (May 29, 2007), "Method of Producing an Exfoliated Polymer-Clay Nanocomposite Through Solid-State Shear Pulverization," John Torkelson, Andrew Lebovitz, Kosmas Kasimatis, and Klementina Khait (Northwestern University,...

Magnetic separators.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)(Eriez Manufacturing Co.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Eriez Magnetics recently introduced the ProGrade Series of permanent magnetic separators, which include magnetic plates, grates, traps, and tubes designed for plastics processing and recycling applications. Professional-grade magnets and...

Machine recycles auto parts into fuel.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)(Global Resource Corp. )(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Global Resource Corp. reports that its Hawk 10, a machine for recycling automobile shredder residue (ASR), uses high microwave frequencies to convert "autofluff"--textiles, foams, plastics, rubber, and light metal content extracted from...

PET dryer.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... If drying procedures are not meticulously followed and residual moisture remains above 0.005%, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) material will undergo a chemical change during melt processing, losing viscosity and physical properties, according...

Machinery calibration.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... The XL-80 Laser Calibration System from Renishaw features a fast slew rate, high dynamic data capture rate, and high total system accuracy--in a smaller, lighter, and more portable package. Further, the XL-80 increases linear measurement speed...

Temperature controllers.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)(Zytron Control Products )(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Series 1900 digital temperature controllers from Zytron Control Products provide control of almost any on-off temperature, time/temperature, and timing-control applications. Available for direct panel mounting with an integral generic or...

Simulation software for polymer processing.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
August 1, 2007... Ansys, Inc., which specializes in simulation software and technologies to aid the product-development process, has developed Polyflow 3.11 software for analyzing polymer processing. Version 3.11 extends the company's library of viscoelastic...

Small, but safe, sensors.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)(Priamus System Technologies)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Cavity-pressure sensors are important tools for quality assurance for the injection-molding process. However, the increasing miniaturization of molded parts, and, consequently, the miniaturization of the sensors themselves, increase the risk...

Upping the clamping force.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)(Battenfeld Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH's new injection molding machines)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Machine manufacturer Battenfeld Kunststoffmaschinen has expanded its HM Series to include a 650-ton model. This new size also features advanced high-precision hydraulics and the Unilog B6 control system. According to the company, the model...

Linear-position sensors.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)(MTS Systems Corp.'s product enhancement)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... MTS Systems Corp., Sensors Division, has implemented a third-generation testing unit for its calibration Of linear-position sensors that it says provides high accuracy to more effectively meet the increasing performance of its next-generation...

SL resin nears direct manufacturing.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)(DSM Somos)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... DSM Somos has designed a resin to bring stereolithography (SL) a step closer to the direct manufacturing of high-durability plastic parts. DMXSL 100 offers greater impact resistance (reportedly four times higher) and elongation than standard SL...

DuPont extends biopolymer lineup.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)(E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... A corn-sugar-derived polymer called Cerenol joins the DuPont lineup of renewably sourced plastics. (Cerenol is reportedly made from 100% renewable resources.) Like DuPont's Sorona, it is designed to replace petroleum-based products without...

Resins for rotomolding.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)(Aardvark Polymers's new line of rotomolding resins)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Aardvark Polymers has added three products to its rotomolding resin lineup. The first is Aarlon 4055FR, a flame-retardant, UL94-V0-rated nylon resin. The nucleated, heat-stabilized, semicrystalline 6/6 polyamide is formulated without heavy...

Nylon solutions hang tough.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)(Nylon Corporation of America)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Nycoa (Manchester, New Hampshire, USA) offers two new nylon resin grades for applications requiring extra durability. * Nycoa 5300ST--a "super-tough" nylon 6,6 engineered for cold-weather impact applications including winter sporting goods,...

Lower-yellow-index TPUs.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)(Dow Chemical Co.'s thermoplastic polyurethanes)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Dow (Midland, Michigan, USA) has introduced lower-yellow-index TPUs (thermoplastic polyurethanes)--to be released commercially under the Pellethane brand by year-end 2007. According to Dow, the color performance of these new "Low-YI" products...

SMA copolymers.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)(styrene maleic anhydride from Polyscope Polymers BV)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Polyscope Polymers BV (Geleen, The Netherlands) has rolled out Xiran SMA (styrene maleic anhydride). An impact-modified copolymer with high-temperature stability, dimensional precision, and good adhesion, Xiran offers auto-parts manufacturers...