Plastics Engineering articles from January 2006

Plastics Engineering archives from January 2006

Multifunctional stabilizer for adhesives.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... Ciba Specialty Chemicals (Basel, Switzerland)has introduced what it describes as a cost-effective multifunctional stabilizer for adhesives. Cuba Oregano 1726 is said to offer excellent high-temperature process stabilization and adhesive...

Silane coupling agent.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... Z-6172 Silane is a vinyl-tris-(2-methoxyethoxy) silane coupling agent designed to provide improved dispersion of mineral fillers in EPDM rubbers and thermoplastic resins. Z-6172, from Dow Corning (Midland, Mich.), increases initial and wet...

High-purity carbon nanotubes.(to be marketed by Bayer MaterialScience AG)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Bayer MaterialScience (Leverkusen, Germany) reports that it plans to market high-quality carbon nanotubes, trade named Baytubes, for a wide variety of applications. In collaboration with Bayer Technology Services, GmbH, the company has...

BASF launches plastic based on renewable materials.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... Ecovio is a biodegradable, plastic from BASF that is made of the company's petrochemical-based Ecoflex combined with renewable raw materials. BASF says it expects the world market for biodegradable plastics to grow by more than 20% over the...

Soft-touch TPEs promise clarity plus low cost.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... GLS Corp. (McHenry, 111.) describes its new TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), Versaflex OM9-802CL, as a soft-touch overmold material that offers clarity while providing excellent adhesion to PC, ABS, PC/ABS, and COPE at a competitive price. The...

Soft overmold TPE grades offer broad hardness range.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... TPE Solutions, Inc., of Shirley, Mass., offers overmold and coextrusion grade TPEs with Shore A hardnesses ranging from as low as 20 to as high as 90. Until now, says TPE Solutions, "soft TPE alloy choices for two-shot molding were mostly...

Breathable, waterproof films provide viral barrier.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... Omniflex, Inc., of Greenfield, Mass., has added the TX4000 line to its Transport brand of etheramide-based waterproof, breathable films. These thin, low-static films are suited to applications requiring resistance to chemicals and high...

Purge compounds.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... Houston-based Ingenia Polymers Corp. has released two new purge compounds. IP1850 shutdown purge compound is used to reduce the oxidation of polyethylene and protect equipment during shutdown and start-up. IP1850 is designed to minimize...

Adhesives with fast cure times.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... GE Advanced Materials, Silicones (Wilton, Conn.), has introduced a family of two-component, room-temperature-cure adhesives that are said to feature exceptionally fast cure times--requiring as little as 9 minutes for a tack-free and primerless...

Slip additive holds down friction level.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... Ampacet, Inc., of Tarrytown, N.Y., has introduced a slip additive for polyethylene-based packaging films. Ampacet 102794 is said to allow these films to be adhesive-laminated to films made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or another polymer...

Low-gloss grades of tough vinyl TPE.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... 2Yielding a rubber-like matte finish, Flexalloy 9750 vinyl TPE compounds from Teknor Apex (Pawtucket, R.I.) are for applications calling for a low-gloss finish, such as certain consumer products and furniture trim. They offer the same strength...

Natural-fiber-filled PE composites.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... The Pigments & Additives Division of Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland) has developed a new additive for wood-plastic composites (WPCs). TP Licocene PE MA 4351 is described as a highly polar polyethylene wax grafted with maleic anhydride for...

"World's thinnest" graphic transfer material.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... The Graphics Fusion Co., Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.) has developed a durable polymer called Nanostrate for use in automotive graphics. Claimed to be the "world's thinnest graphic transfer material," Nanostrate is 25 microns thick. This is similar...

Fast-curing polyetheramine.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... Huntsman Performance Plastics has announced a new product, XTJ-590, designed to serve as a fast-curing epoxy hardener at low temperature while providing good mechanical properties. A reactive polyether diamine of low molecular weight, XTJ-590...

Multilayer fluoropolymer film technology.(MATERIALS)
January 1, 2006... Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics has introduced a multilayer film technology for coextruding fluoropolymer resins that is said to offer processors savings of up to 20%. The first product derived from this technology, FluoroLease A, is to be...

Automation: multiaxis articulated robots offer maximum versatility.(Cover Story)
January 1, 2006... Robots for automating plastics-processing operations have become more affordable, more technologically advanced, and easier to use than ever before. They are helping molders become more competitive by providing improved throughput, better part...

Innovations in autos are plastics-specific: SPE Automotive Division Award-winning applications reflect a real need for plastics.
January 1, 2006... Given the price of gasoline, one might have expected the winners of the SPE Automotive Division's 2005 Innovation Awards to be mainly weight-reducing, metal-replacement applications. Instead, the winners--announced at the Division's 35th Annual...

Patents of interest.(Horizons)
January 1, 2006... The patent is a legal document giving the holder a license to capitalize on his or her invention without competition for a few years. In exchange, the holder teaches us the basis of the invention. The patent is forward-looking, representing a...

Recirculating vacuum pump.
January 1, 2006... American Leistritz Extruder Corp. has introduced a recirculating oil-sealed vacuum pump package for use with its range of twin-screw extruders and other type/model extruders. The recirculating oil ring pump replaces once-through water-sealed...

Faster router.
January 1, 2006... Thermwood debuted its Model 90 five-axis CNC router at the annual SPE Thermoforming Division Conference. Equipped with the company's impact-resistant head--which allows a lighter, stiffer structure that seldom if ever needs realignment--the...

Portable trimming.
January 1, 2006... Robotic Production Technology (RPT) has introduced the RoboTrim RT-400 System--a portable, pre-engmeered router trimming and knife deflashing system designed specifically for the plastics industry--at the recent Thermoforming Conference...

Centrifugal sifter.
January 1, 2006... Wedco Processing Services specializes in the size reduction of thermoplastics and other materials into custom powders that are used in numerous applications. The company uses its particle-size reduction processes to produce granular to...

Support services for manufacturers.(MACHINERY & PROCESSING)
January 1, 2006... Shimadzu Scientific Instruments has opened a laboratory at the company's headquarters that contains an extensive selection of measurement equipment. Designed to assist researchers when testing applications, running samples, and performing...

Monitoring screw and barrel wear.(MACHINERY & PROCESSING)
January 1, 2006... A device from Glycon Corp. is reported to present an easy, inexpensive way to monitor screw and barrel wear without the extended downtime required to pull the screw and take measurements using conventional means. The SmartBarrel System works...

Single die applies multiple coatings.(MACHINERY & PROCESSING)
January 1, 2006... Extrusion Dies Industries (EDI) has introduced multimanifold dies for proximity coating of fluids onto web substrates that enable the use of a single die to apply two or more coatings simultaneously. Use of the new dies achieves greater...

Hot-runner nozzles.(MACHINERY & PROCESSING)
January 1, 2006... Husky Injection Molding Systems has added two edge-gate (EG) hot-runner nozzles to its Ultra nozzle product line. Said to be well suited for applications using polyolefin materials and applications in which side gating is necessary, the EG...

Bending large acrylic sheets.(MACHINERY & PROCESSING)
January 1, 2006... Kamweld Technologies has expanded its KHD line of tools for bending plastic sheets of long lengths and various thicknesses. The KHD tools heat acrylic and other thermoplastic sheets evenly in order to make fast, straight-line bends for creation...

More flexibility for bottle configurations.(MACHINERY & PROCESSING)
January 1, 2006... A mold assembly for hotfill mold and other applications from Wentworth Packaging Mold Group enables the use of interchangeable parts that permit height, volume, and shape adjustments to accommodate for varying sizes of containers without having...

CNC routers and a single-station thermoformer.(MACHINERY & PROCESSING)
January 1, 2006... At the recent SPE Thermoforming Conference, Maac Machinery Corp. introduced Royce Routers, a line of five-axis CNC routers that are designed specifically for trimming heavy-gauge thermoformed parts. The twin-table, "plug-and-play" routers can...

2005 SPE Thermoset Durability Awards.
January 1, 2006... The Thermoset Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers announced the winners of its 2005 Thermoset Durability Awards at the 51st annual Madison Thermoset Molding Conference, held October 20-21 in Madison, Wisconsin. Approximately 150...

Why write for SPE?
January 1, 2006... All sources of information are not created equal. Type the words "Thermoset Adhesives" into Google or any other internet search engine, and you'll discover there are nearly 38,000 sources listed. Separating the wheat from the chaff will be no...

Plastics: top sector for Belgium.(markets)(Industry Overview)
January 1, 2006... A report recently published by Agoria Plastics and Febelplast--the two federations that together represent more than 250 plastics and rubber converting companies in Belgium--shows the country's plastics industry to be in good shape. While...

Changes at the top for Europe's cable industry.
January 1, 2006... According to new data from Applied Market information, there are more than 340 sites for the production of cable in Europe. However, the European cable industry is dominated by a few major players operating across the region. At the end of...

APC reports record-high plastic-bottle recycling.(APC Plastics Recycling Study)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... According to the 15th annual APC Plastics Recycling Study, consumer plastic bottle recycling increased by 247 million lbs in 2004--the largest annual increase on record--to reach a total of more than 1900 million lbs. Significant gains were...

Degussa and Chinese firm to produce rubber silanes.(Degussa Lanxing Chemical Industrial Co., Ltd. formed as joint venture)(Rizhao Lanxing Chemical Industry Co., Ltd)(Degussa AG)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Degussa AG (Dusseldorf, Germany) and Rizhao Lanxing Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. (Shandong Province, China) have agreed to establish a joint venture for the manufacture of sulfur-functional silanes for rubber applications. Degussa will own a 50%...

Cars' electrical systems will need more plastics.(U.S. Market for Plastics in Automotive Electrical and Lighting Systems's report on market revenue of plastics in automotive industry )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... In its study titled U.S. Market for Plastics in Automotive Electrical and Lighting Systems, Frost & Sullivan reports that 2004 market revenue was $642.4 million and projects that it will reach $931.7 million in 2011. Growth is based on the...

Arkema fuel-tank technology receives California exemption.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Arkema (Philadelphia) reports that it has received an exemption from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for its new PetroSeal fuel-tank technology. The exemption allows OEMs and molders who certify to CARB that they are using PetroSeal...

Thermoforming Division gives equipment, funds to NPC.(National Plastics Center)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The National Plastics Center (NPC), based in Leominster, Mass., has received a donation from SPE's Thermoforming Division to further its educational outreach program. The gift includes: a new van for the Center's PlastiVan program, plus new...

ANTEC 2006 plenary to focus on SpaceShipOne.(Society of Plastics Engineers 2006 Annual Technical Conference)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... SPE has announced that Kevin Mickey, vice president of program management for Scaled Composites (Mojave, Calif.)--builder of the record-breaking SpaceShipOne spacecraft--will deliver a plenary speech at the Society's ANTEC 2006, to be held in...

State of Michigan honors SPE Automotive Division.(Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Division's annual Innovation Award Gala)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... At the SPE Automotive Division's annual Innovation Award Gala held in Livonia, Mich., Nov. 16, 2005, the Division found itself to be the recipient of an award. Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land presented the group with a commemorative...

Struktol, Equistar will market wood-plastic composites.(Struktol Company of America and Equistar Chemicals L.P. in joint marketing agreement )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Struktol Company of America, based in Stow, Ohio, and Equistar Chemicals, LP, a Lyondell company, have announced a joint marketing agreement for the wood-plastic-composites (WPC) industry. Per their agreement, Struktol becomes the exclusive...

Electroactive polymers go green.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have created electroactive polymers (EAPs) using renewable, plant-based resources such as polysaccharides and proteins from corn. EAPs are plastics that...

Honeywell completes acquisition of UOP.(UOP L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Honeywell (Morris Township, N.J.) announces that it has completed its acquisition of the 50% interest in UOP LLC formerly owned by Union Carbide Corp. (a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Co.), giving Honeywell full ownership of the...

ADM to produce polyols from renewable resources.(Archer Daniels Midland Co.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Based in Decatur, Ill., Archer Daniel Midlands Co. (ADM) has announced plans to build a polyols facility that will utilize renewable carbohydrate-based and/or glycerol-based feedstocks to produce propylene glycol and ethylene glycol. Its...

PP insulates oil pipeline in Gulf of Mexico.(Borcoat polypropylene)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Borealis (Kongens Lyngby, Denmark) has developed Borcoat polypropylene (PP) materials to thermally insulate the flowlines and risers serving the Thunder Horse semi-submersible production platform operated by BP in the Gulf of Mexico. Designed...

Chevron Phillips sells cumene plant in Texas.(Chevron Phillips Chemical Co., Ineos Americas LLC )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. (The Woodlands, Texas) has sold its cumene production unit in Port Arthur, Texas, to Ineos Americas LLC (Lyndhurst, United Kingdom). The plant, which Chevron Phillips Chemical had idled in 2003 because of poor...

Dow Chemical shuts down U.K. polystyrene plant.(United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.) reported that it would close its polystyrene (PS) production facility in Barry, South Wales, United Kingdom, by the end of 2005. Dow says the closure is aimed at "maximizing the efficiency of its asset...

PolyOne closes plant in England.(plastic color additives facility)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Cleveland-based PolyOne Corp. reports that it will phase out its Manchester, England, plastic color additives facility. Targeted for the end of first-quarter 2006, "the closing is part of the company's objective to reduce costs and align...

Plastics-industry prices continue to climb.(markets)
January 1, 2006... Many plastics companies continue to cite "extraordinary" increases in the costs of energy and raw materials, and transportation challenges, as they report price increases for their products. Among them are the following. * Air Products...

Corrections.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2006... In the article titled "SPE's Thermoforming 2005: Spreading Our Wings," published in the November 2005 issue of Plastics Engineering, the contact information for the Multipart Award won by Profile Plastics should have read: Profile Plastics...

Eastman increases production in China of hydrocarbons.(Nanjing Yangzi Eastman Chemical Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.) has expanded hydrocarbon resin production capacity by 30% at its Nanjing Yangzi Eastman Chemical Ltd. (NYEC) facility to meet demand in the Asia-Pacific region. To come on line in May 2006, the expansion...

Huntsman builds in Singapore.(Jeffamine polyetheramine-manufacturing facility)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Huntsman Corp. has begun construction of a world-scale Jeffamine polyetheramine-manufacturing facility in Jurong Island, Singapore. To be commissioned in first-quarter 2007, the 16,000-tonne/yr manufacturing plant is the company's first in...

BASF consolidates PUR Foam activities.(BASF AG restructured)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... BASF has announced that it has transferred all U.S. activity related to its spray-applied polyurethane (PUR) foams (SPF) to Minneapolis-based BASF subsidiary Foam Enterprises LLC, effective Jan. 1, 2006, and has renamed the company BASF...

DuPont R&D Center opens in Shanghai.(E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. opens research and development facility)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... DuPont (Wilmington, Del.) has announced the opening of the DuPont China Research & Development Center at Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai. This is DuPont's third major R&D facility outside the U.S. and represents an investment of more than $20...

Chemtura EPDM facility restarts in Louisiana.(Ethylene-Propylene-Diene-Monomer)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Chemtura Corp.'s Crompton manufacturing facility at Geismar, La., has restarted an EPDM production unit that was damaged by a fire Oct. 19. The unit produces Royalene EPDM. The other two EPDM units in Geismar were not affected by the fire, and...

ExxonMobil expands capacity in Texas for elastomers.(production)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Based in Houston, ExxonMobil Chemical reports that it is doubling production capacity for its proprietary Exxpro specialty elastomers used in the construction of tire inner liners. Representing a multimillion-dollar investment, the Baytown,...

Arkema commissions EVA plant in France.(ethylene-vinyl acetate)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Arkema (Philadelphia) has announced the commissioning of a new high-content ethylene-vinyl acetate (HC EVA) copolymer production unit at its Balan facility in Aim France. Located near major supply routes, says Arkema, the new unit is said to...

DuPont names distributor for the Baltic States.(E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.'s Engineering Polymers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... European polymer distributor Distrupol has been appointed as the sole supplier for DuPont's Engineering Polymers business (Wilmington, Del.) in the Baltic States. The U.K.-based company will distribute DuPont's engineering plastics throughout...

Dow ends force majeure for PO and PG.(propylene oxide and propylene glycol)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.) has announced the end of force majeure and related volume allocations for propylene oxide (PO) and propylene glycols (PG) (effective Dec. 1, 2005). The company declared force majeure on Sept. 1, 2005, owing...

Lanxess subsidiary closes site in New Jersey.(Rhein-Chemie Rheinau GmbH)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Lanxess reports that it is consolidating the U.S. manufacturing operations of its Mannheim, Germany-based subsidiary Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH at the latter's Chardon, Ohio, site as part of the group's second restructuring package, designed to...

Plextronics gets $1.8 million for further OLED work.(from U.S. Display Consortium, organic light-emitting diodes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Plextronics (www.plextronics.com) announces that it has been awarded a $1.8 million R&D contract by the U.S. Display Consortium (USDC) to further develop Plexcore technology to improve the performance of OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes)....

John Theberge, 1936-2005.(TP Composites Inc.)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
January 1, 2006... John E. Theberge, vice president of technology and quality at TP Composites, Inc., Aston, Pa., died on Oct. 14, 2005. He had spent 20 years at LNP Engineering Plastics and was a frequent contributor to plastics-industry conferences, including...

SPE Conferences.(upcoming events for Society of Petroleum Engineers)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
January 1, 2006... Feb. 26-Mar. 2. SPE's International Polyolefins Conference. Site: Houston. Contact: Conference Chair Bounita T. Favorite, Chemtura Corp., 225-755-3797: fax 225-753-5212: email bounita.favorite@chemtura.com. Or visit...

SPE Seminars.(upcoming events for Society of Petroleum Engineers)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
January 1, 2006... Mar. 5-10. SPE's Industrial Thermoforming Symposium & Workshop for Thin & Heavy Gage Thermoforming. Site: Crowne Plaza Dallas Market Center, Dallas. May 8-11. SPE's Seminar Series at ANTEC 2006. Site: Hilton Charlotte Center, Charlotte,...

SPE meetings.(upcoming events of Society of Petroleum Engineers)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
January 1, 2006... Feb. 9. SPE's Philadelphia Section. Site: Holiday Inn, Bensalem, Pa. Subject: Wood Composites Forum. Contact: Joe Salver at 800-355-2422 ext. 5631. Mar. 9. SPE's Philadelphia Section. Site: Holiday Inn, Bensalem, Pa. Subject: TBA. Contact:...

Other upcoming events.(Calendar)
January 1, 2006... Feb. 15-16. ARM International South Asia Region Division 2nd Annual Rotomolding Conference. Site: New Delhi, India. Contact: ARM International, 2000 Spring Rd., Suite 511, Oak Brook, IL 60523; 630-571-0611; fax 630-571-0616;...

Guide to auxiliary equipment.(Directory)
January 1, 2006... Guide to Auxiliary Equipment Page Assembly/ COMPANY, CITY, STATE, PHONE # Accumulator Decorating AEC Inc., Wood Dale, IL (630) 595-1060 ...