Plastics Engineering articles from February 2007

Plastics Engineering archives from February 2007

UK falling behind in robotics: British companies encouraged to invest in robotics to maintain competitive edge.(GLOBAL NEWS: EUROPE)
February 1, 2007... The UK has been amongst the lowest purchasers of robots in recent years, behind countries such as Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Australia and Canada. This is the finding of ABB the global power and automation company that estimates that robot...

European Colorants battle Asian competition: product innovation and R&D funding essential if European companies are to differentiate themselves from Asian competitors.(GLOBAL NEWS: EUROPE)
February 1, 2007... In its recently published report on European Markets for Plastic Colorants, Frost & Sullivan reinforces the fact that the shift in manufacturing to Asia has adversely affected Europe's masterbatch and colorants industry. Companies have become...

Germany's foamed plastics industry expects 2006 turnover to top 7bn [euro].(GLOBAL NEWS: EUROPE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Following a difficult couple of years, the FSK (Plastic Foam Association) reports that Germany's cellular plastic and polyurethane processors are now looking ahead to a much brighter future. According to Hans Schloz, FSK's managing director, an...

Lucite International.(CLOSURES)(ceases effect of chemicals)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Lucite International is to cease manufacture of effect chemicals at its Cassel Works in Teesside, UK from Q4 2007. The move is blamed on a sharp fall in UK demand and the continuing rise in raw material costs. Future growth at Cassel will focus...

BASF.(EXPANSION)(expands the production of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... BASF is expanding production of MDI at it Verbund site in Belgium. In the second quarter of 2007, annual capacity is expected to rise from 450,000 to 560,000 tonnes, making it the world's largest MDI complex. Simultaneously, BASF plans to...

Lanxess.(EXPANSION)(production in hexanediol )(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Lanxess has expanded production of hexanediol (HDO) at its Uerdingen site in Germany by around 15%. HDO, which is not classified as dangerous according to the European Directive (67/548/EEC) is used in the manufacture of high grade coating...

Arkema.(EXPANSION)(announces increase in copolymer production)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Arkema has announced a 15% increase in HC EVA copolymer production at its Balan plant in France. This says the company will allow it to pursue its development strategy in growth markets, while consolidating its commercial rankings in particular...

Green issues.(GLOBAL NEWS: EUROPE)
February 1, 2007... Microscopic particles of plastic could be poisoning the oceans, according to a British team of researchers. They have identified fragments of plastic, some of which are just 20 microns in size (thinner than the diameter of a human hair) that...

Wirthwein has installed its 100th Krauss-Maffei injection moulding machine.(INSTALLATIONS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Wirthwein has installed its 100th Krauss-Maffei injection moulding machine. The KM 100-750 CX went to the company's main plant in Creglingen, Germany where it will be used to manufacture automotive components. Wirthwein was one of the first...

Rexam has taken delivery of an all-electric ELEKTRA evolution 110 and a hydraulic K-TEC 155 from Ferromatik Milacron.(INSTALLATIONS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Rexam has taken delivery of an all-electric ELEKTRA evolution 110 and a hydraulic K-TEC 155 from Ferromatik Milacron. The machines complete a package of 16 IMMs supplied by Ferromatik over six months to Rexam's Neuenburg operation, and will be...

M-Base.(INTERNET)(develops new version of material data center)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... M-Base has developed a new version of its Material Data Center, the Internet portal introduced for EuroMold 2006. A new feature is a trade name directory providing information on several thousand plastics and additives. This, plus access to...

SpecialChem and Merquinsa have launched a new TPU technical centre on Omnexus, Specialchem's website dedicated to plastics and elastomers.(INTERNET)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... SpecialChem and Merquinsa have launched a new TPU technical centre on Omnexus, Specialchem's website dedicated to plastics and elastomers. The companies say the new zone (www.omnexus.com/tc/tpu/index.aspx) has been developed to foster flesh...

BASF and Dow may build the world's largest toluene diisocyanate (TDI) plant at one of their integrated sites in Europe.(JOINT VENTURES)(Dow AgroSciences L.L.C.)
February 1, 2007... BASF and Dow may build the world's largest toluene diisocyanate (TDI) plant at one of their integrated sites in Europe. The plant, that would have an annual capacity of 300,000 tonnes, could start operations in 2011. "Although this is an...

Milliken.(NEW FACILITIES)(Milliken & Co. open facility in Belgium )(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Milliken has opened a microbiology laboratory in Belgium to support its European customers. Located at the company's Technical Centre in Gent, it will provide in-house material and finished part testing facilities to customers active in the...

Basell.(NEW FACILITIES)(opens office in Moscow)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Basell has opened an office in Moscow to serve the growing Russian polyolefins market. It is headed by Georges Barbey, and the Basell sales group in Moscow is led by Domenico Gigliobianco. The office is located at Uspensky Pereulok 10, 2nd...

RECIPE.(PUBLICATIONS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... RECIPE, the European project to help the plastics processing industry reduce energy consumption, has written a Best Practice Guide for Low Energy Plastics Processing to aid companies in planning and implementing an energy efficiency programme....

SPI names Xaloy president as NPE 2009 chairman.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Society of the Plastics Industry, National Plastics Exposition, Randy Pearson, John Effmann)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The Society of the Plastics Industry; Inc. (SPI), (Washington, D.C.) has selected Randy Pearson, president of Xaloy Extrusion (Hickory, North Carolina) to chair the NPE (National Plastics Exposition) 2009 executive committee. Serving as vice...

Polymer wound-care technology advances toward battlefield.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Polymer Solutions Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Polymer Solutions Inc. (Blacksburg, Virginia) has announced an advanced polymer wound-care bandage that promises to help heal military injuries faster and with less pain. "TheraGauze" stays moist for multiple days and is nonstick. It uses a...

National Composite Center receives nanomaterial project funding.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The National Composite Center (NCC) (Dayton, Ohio) will receive operational funds from the State of Ohio for a program to modify the Quickstep molding process with nanoparticles, which is expected yield material with improved shear strength and...

GE ponders sale of plastics unit.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(General Electric Plastics B.V.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... General Hectric Co. (Fairfield, Connecticut) is reviewing the performance of its Pittsfield, Massachusetts-based plastics unit with an eye on selling the business, according to a number of sources including the WAR Street Journal, The New York...

Saint-Gobain to acquire Florida firm.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp., Consolidated Polymer Technologies Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics (SGPP), Aurora, Ohio-based subsidiary of Saint-Gobain of Paris, has agreed to acquire the assets of plastics manufacturer Consolidated Polymer Technologies (CPT), based in Clearwater, Florida. SGPP plans to...

Ciba to build pigments plant in China.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Ciba Specialty Chemicals Holding Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Continuing its expansion in China, Ciba Specialty Chemicals announces that it has signed an agreement with local authorities in Qingdao to build a new plant for high-performance pigments. To serve as a regional base for Ciba's coating-effects...

PolyOne opens office in India.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... PolyOne Corp. (Ohio) announces that it is entering the Indian market with the opening of a business-development office in Mumbai. This supports the company's pursuit of global expansion: by 2010, PolyOne has stated, it expects to generate 30%...

Chemtura plans purchase of Kaufman Holdings.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Based in Middlebury, Connecticut, Chemtura Corp. has signed a letter of intent to acquire the stock of specialty-chemicals manufacturer Kaufman Holdings (East Hanover, New Jersey; Oakville, Canada) in a cash transaction expected to close in...

Huntsman Australian unit sells polyester resin assets.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Nuplex Industries Ltd.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Huntsman Corp. (Salt Lake City, Utah) reports that Huntsman Chemical Company Australia Pty Ltd. (HCCA) has completed the sale of its Polyester Resins (composites) business assets to Nuplex Industries Ltd. for a total transaction value of $20.3...

Resin, raw-material prices continue to climb.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Dow Chemical Co., Chemtura Corp. )(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The following are among the many companies reporting price hikes necessitated by growing raw-material, processing, and transport costs. * Chemtura Corp. (Middlebury, Connecticut)--Effective Jan. 1, 2007, the prices of ketone peroxides and...

Davis-Standard launches new websites.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The websites for Davis-Standard's Converting Systems (www.bcegan.com) and Extrusion Systems (www.davis-standard.com) business groups have been redesigned and relaunched for 2007. The new sites enable easier navigation and provide more specific...

PlastiSoft embarks on global expansion.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, ERP (enterprise-resource-planning) software manufacturer PlastiSoft reports that it has been expanding its client base into Asia and Central America. As a result of this expansion, says the company, its...

Chemtura announces long-term agreements.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Tetra Technologies Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Chemtura Corp. (Middlebury, Conn.) has signed long-term supply and purchase agreements with oil and gas services company Tetra Technologies for a number of products including bromine. Following are some key points of the agreements: Tetra will...

Correction.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Correction notice)
February 1, 2007... Outdated contact information was listed for Uniloy Milacron on page 24 of the December 2006 issue of PE. The correct information is: Uniloy Milacron Inc. North American Headquarters 5550 Occidental Hwy, Suite B Tecumseh, MI...

K 2007 on with the show: Europe's premier plastics event takes place once again in Dusseldorf this October. K 2007 looks like it will be the biggest so far, with the addition of yet another hall. We find out what's on offer and get some market views from the K Exhibitor Council.
February 1, 2007... K 2007, the 17th edition of the world's biggest and longest-running truly international plastics and rubber trade fair, kicks off on Wednesday 24 October, and will close its doors on some very weary visitors a week later. Back in October...

Wood fiber composites: fierce competition drives advances in equipment, materials, and processes.(NORTH AMERICA)(Cover story)
February 1, 2007... The wood-plastic composites (WPC) industry, fast approaching the $2 billion mark globally, has been making steady gains over wood, especially in construction. In North America, most demand has been for outdoor decking, but, increasingly; the...

Printed electronics: a merging of industries: every now and again a new development brings tremendous crossover potential to a group of unrelated industries. The emergence of printed electronics is a prime example and one that is opening up some exciting prospects for plastics.(EUROPE)
February 1, 2007... Put together what sounds like a random selection of industries -electronics, chemicals, plastics and printing--and what emerges? A new technology that is now seeing the first fruits of a long gestation period. Printed electronics is...

BMI suppliers target new grades at broader market penetration.(NORTH AMERICA)(bismaleimide)
February 1, 2007... A milestone was reached in military aviation last December with the maiden flight of the F-35 Lightning II Joliet Strike Fighter (JSF), one of the most advanced aircraft ever commissioned by, the U.S. Air Force. The warplane incorporates...

Pinpointing additive interactions: the ways in which different additives affect one another's performance are becoming clearer.(NORTH AMERICA)
February 1, 2007... When evaluating the effectiveness of various stabilizers, pigments, flame retardants, and other additives in thermoplastics, people usually focus on how each additive affects the performance of the resin. But with multiple additives and...

Recycling materials.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,128,858 (October 31, 2006), "Method for Producing Woody Moldings and Apparatus for Producing Woody Moldings," Daijirou Ozaki, Yutaka Suzuki, and Masao Ooshiro (Misawa Homes Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). Scrap wood is often...

Optical storage.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,129,006 (October 31, 2006), "Optical Data Storage System and Method," Lambertus Hesselink, Brian H. Cumpston, and Matthew Lipson (Research Investment Network, Inc., Long Beach, California). Holography provides an opportunity...

Polynorbornenes.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,132,565 (November 7, 2006), "Norbornene Compounds With Cross-Linkable Groups and Their Derivatives," Der-Jang Liaw, Ching-Cheng Huang, Shou-Mau Hong, and Ming Hung Huang (National Taiwan University of Science & Technology, Taipei,...

Biodegradable packaging.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,135,063 (November 14, 2006), "Resilient Biodegradable Packaging Materials," Hans G. Franke and Donald R. Bitmer (Amylex Corp., Incline Village, Nevada). Starch, an abundant and inexpensive biodegradable polymer, should be...

Bonding PTFE.(industry PATENTS)(polytetrafluoroethylene)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,135,122 (November 14, 2006), "Polytetrafluoroethylene Composites," Edward Hosung Park (Freudenberg-NOK General Partnership, Plymouth, Michigan). Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is frequently bonded to a structural material...

Injection molding golf balls.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,135,136 (November 14, 2006), "Golf Ball Manufacturing Method," Paul A. Puniello and Christopher Cavallaro (Acushnet Company, Fairhaven, Massachusetts). Golf balls with solid cores often seem to be inferior because of the hard...

Polyisocyanate capping.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,135,536 (November 14, 2006), "Production Method of Polyisocyanate by End-Capping With Acyl Chloride," Jae-Suk Lee, Chan Hee Jung, Sang-Yoon Park, Guttikonda Yogendra Nath, and Shashahar Samal (Gwangju Institute of Science and...

Biopolymerization.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,135,540 (November 14, 2006), "Polyhydroxyalkanoate Copolymer Including Unit Having Bromo Group in Side Chain and Method for Producing the Same," Tsutomu Honma, Shinya Kozaki, Takeshi Imamura, Takashi Kenmoku, Tatsuki Fukui, Etsuko...

Barrier materials.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,138,452 (November 21, 2006), "Nanocomposite Blend Composition Having Super Barrier Property," Myung-Ho Kim, Shi-Ho Lee, Young-Chul Yang, and Ku-Min Yang (LG Chem, Ltd., Seoul, South Korea). A polyolefin material with good...

Ken Braney's monthly look at SPE's European activities.(SPE NEWS ROUNDUP: EUROPE)(Society of Petroleum Engineers)
February 1, 2007... SPE Europe's sections and divisions are active throughout the year. At the recent Euromould Exhibition in Germany, the Rapid Design, Engineering & Mouldmaking Special Interest Group organised a one-day conference on 'Modern Tool making in...

SPE in Europe.(EUROPE)(Society of Plastics Engineers)(Directory)(Brief article)
February 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...

Palm-sized testing for miniature specimens.(NORTH AMERICA: MACHINERY)
February 1, 2007... According to Admet, Inc., the progress of materials science is intimately related to achievements in the development of powerful analytical techniques that enable the examination of the atomic and electronic structure of materials at the...

Processing system for injection molding.(NORTH AMERICA: MACHINERY)
February 1, 2007... Spirex Corp reports that its Quantum processing System has demonstrated favorable performance results, using a variety of resins, compared with similar injection-molding units. The company states that all tests were done at 300 screw rpm,...

Extrusion scanner.(NORTH AMERICA: MACHINERY)
February 1, 2007... The PM-300 Extrusion Profile Monitoring System from Laser Design checks multiple complex feature measurements at a rate of 12 times/sec on inline extrusion production lines, with a [+ or -] 0.1-mm accuracy, according to the company. The...

Drying and regenerating desiccant in one operation.(NORTH AMERICA: MACHINERY)
February 1, 2007... In conventional twin-bed dryers, the desiccant absorbs the moisture from a stream of hot air that has passed through a hopper full of resin. The desiccant must be regenerated after each resin batch has dried, first by heating to approximately...

Vacuum extruders for fuel-line production.(NORTH AMERICA: MACHINERY)
February 1, 2007... A range of vacuum extruders, called corrugators, has been created for the production of automobile fuel lines. Corelco, a manufacturer of plastics-extrusion equipment, says its corrugators can produce pipes--in all kinds of thermoplastic...

Scrap into bricks.(NORTH AMERICA: MACHINERY)
February 1, 2007... The WastePac Densifier automatically converts plastic film, foil, polycoated paper, and waste material into rigid bricks from 4 inches to more than 8 ft in length. Compressing both clean and post-consumer material with a 40:1 compaction ratio,...

High-temperature blenders.(NORTH AMERICA: MACHINERY)
February 1, 2007... High-heat versions of the TrueBlend 100, 250, 500, and 900 Series blenders from Conair can now blend engineering plastics such as ABS, nylon, polycarbonate, and PET after they are dried, the company reports. The blenders offer throughputs as...

Hammer Mill reduces friable, fibrous materials.(NORTH AMERICA: MACHINERY)
February 1, 2007... For reducing friable and fibrous materials into uniform particle sizes ranging from 20 to 300 mesh, Munson Machinery Co. has introduced the Hammer Mill Model 141. Centrifugal force causes pivoting hammers to stand at 90[degrees] to the rotating...

Transparent olefins for precision optics.(NORTH AMERICA: MATERIALS)
February 1, 2007... A "new class" of transparent olefin materials for precision electro-optic applications promises weight and manufacturing-cost advantages over glass along with performance advantages over other thermoplastics. Developed by Fosta-Tek Optics of...

Improved permeability properties.(NORTH AMERICA: MATERIALS)
February 1, 2007... With its new Selar VP Technology, DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers (Wilmington, Del.) offers an ionomer chemistry-based resin offers enhanced permeability properties for fresh-food packaging. Meeting application requirements for selective...

Nondrying color masterbatches simplify PET processing.(NORTH AMERICA: MATERIALS)
February 1, 2007... Ampacet's new Formula X line of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) masterbatches for colors and additives can be used in stretch blow molding, injection molding, and thermoforming of PET packaging and other products with no need for the predrying...

Thermoset solder pallet material.(NORTH AMERICA: MATERIALS)
February 1, 2007... Norplex-Micarta (Postville, Iowa) has developed a high-temperature thermoset composite solder pallet material for lead-free applications. WaveMax 6000 combines a nonwoven random glass mat substrate with a high-temperature, static-dissipative...

Advanced composite resin for SL prototyping.(NORTH AMERICA: MATERIALS)
February 1, 2007... DSM Somos (Elgin, Ill.) has announced the commercialization of NanoTool, the third generation of the company's ProtoComposite materials. Heavily filled with noncrystalline nanoparticles, NanoTool allows for faster processing and reduced...

Combination flame-retardant/ smoke-suppressant additives.(NORTH AMERICA: MATERIALS)
February 1, 2007... New from Indianapolis-based Polymer Additives Group (PAG Holdings, Inc.), the Charmax FS line of polymer additives combines a flame retardant with a smoke suppressant. They are said to improve performance for a wide range of polymers. The...

Neon-effect acrylic sheets.(NORTH AMERICA: MATERIALS)
February 1, 2007... Headquartered in Jersey City, N.J., Acrilex, Inc., has announced the Acriglas Neon Lights series of acrylic sheets for applications meant to draw attention, such as point-of-purchase displays and store fixtures. Offered in bright, day-glow...

Acetals and nylons for rotational molding.(NORTH AMERICA: MATERIALS)
February 1, 2007... Aardvark Polymers (Lambertville, N.J.) has released three new formulations of engineered polymers for rotational molding applications. Available in North America through PolyOne Distribution (www.polyone.com), the products are: * Aarlon...

Monomeric HALS is FDA-approved.(NORTH AMERICA: MATERIALS)
February 1, 2007... Uvinul 4050 H from BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany) is said to be the first monomeric hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS) worldwide to be approved by the U.S. FDA (Food & Drug Administration) for use in plastics for food contact. Uvinul 4050 H...

Fire-resistant construction resin.(NORTH AMERICA: MATERIALS)
February 1, 2007... A new fire-resistant construction material, Hetron FR620T-20M polyester resin, has been introduced by Ashland Composite Polymers (a division of Ashland Performance Polymers) of Dublin, Ohio. Featuring improved wetting and low shrinkage, the new...

Glass-fiber reinforcement.(NORTH AMERICA: MATERIALS)
February 1, 2007... At the Composites and Polycon 2006 exhibition held in St. Louis, Missouri, last October, Owens Coming (Toledo, Ohio) launched several new glass-fiber thermoplastic-reinforcement products. The following three are additions to the company's...

Industry events.(EUROPE)
February 1, 2007... FEBRUARY 6-7, In Mould Decorating 2007, Dusseldorf, Germany www.imdconference.com 6-8, Wood-Plastic Composites 2007, Vienna, Austria, www.amiplastics.com 14-15, Medtec/Contamination Control and Cleanroom Products, Birmingham,...

Industry events.(NORTH AMERICA)
February 1, 2007... SPE CONFERENCES Feb. 26-28. SPE's International Polyolefins Conference. Site: Wyndham Greenspoint Hotel, Houston, Texas. Contact: William A. Diecks, Conference Chair, email dieckwa@cpchem.com. Mar. 6-7. SPE's GPEC 2007. ...