Plastics News
  
Product news

  Constar VCT system creates glasslike jars
Bottle supplier Constar International Inc. has introduced Vertical Compensation Technology, a panel-less hot-fill design for PET containers. Constar developed VCT to provide its PET bottles and jars with the look and premium feel of glass, targeting glass-to-plastic and plastic-to-plastic conversions for hot-fill beverage and food products.

Designed using Constar’s CONSTruct advanced predictive engineering software, VCT’s distinctive hoop geometry eliminates the need for vacuum panels by allowing the bottle or jar to flex vertically to compensate for the vacuum created in the hot-fill process.

One of its major benefits is improved productivity during the filling process as the smooth sidewalls and rigidity facilitate the high-speed application of roll-fed labels. This also replicates the in-hand feel of traditional glass hot-fill bottles and jars — no “crinkly” label feel.

VCT is available in stock and custom-designed bottles and jars. Constar is based in Philadelphia.

Tel. 215-552-3705.

  S+S opens N.Y. site, debuts optical sorter
S+S Inspection Inc. has opened a 3,000-square-foot recycling technical support center in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Rick Wielgus, S+S technical manager of recycling, who has 27 years of experience, is managing the new facility.

The move comes after S+S opened its corporate headquarters last fall in Tucker, Ga.

S+S Inspection is part of S+S Separation and Sorting Technology GmbH of Schönberg, Germany, which makes separation and sorting equipment. The new headquarters gave the German parent direct control over sales and service.

In new product news, S+S introduced an optical sorter called Spektrum G. The unit solves the problems of feeding granular and pellet material by replacing the conventional feed chute or conveyor with a free-fall setup, increasing productivity and net yield. S+S said using a chute to feed material through the inspection area can result in lateral movement of material, causing poor separation along the width of the belt.

Spektrum G uses specifically matched vibratory feeders to deliver the material for sorting to a high-speed conveyor.

Tel. 770-493-9332, fax 770-934-3384, e-mail alison.trendell@sesotec-usa.com.

  Italian firm offering coreless rewinder
An Italian maker of rewinders, slitters and palletizing equipment for the stretch film industry now is selling its coreless system for stretch film that eliminates the need for the cardboard core.

The Milan-based company is NO.EL Automazione Industustriale. The technology behind the Coreless Rewinder II is patented.

The current model is designed for use off-line, but NO.EL expects to introduce an on-line winder in Europe and North America in late 2008 or early 2009. The first customer to use an on-line Coreless Rewinder II will be cast film maker Hipac SpA of Milan.

Officials said initially most coreless demand came from rolls designed for manual wrapping, where the film rolls have a 2-inch diameter. But about half of new orders are coming from larger rolls, with a 3-inch-interior diameter and a total weight of 25-35 pounds.

The cost of the cardboard tubes adds up. According to NO.EL, in North America the average cost for a tube is $1.

The tubes cannot be used again for the stretch film rolls, said Roberto Colombo, vice president and NO.EL’s sales manager for the world market. Generally in Europe, about half the cardboard tubes are recycled and the other half are thrown away, he said.

“During the [winding] process, it damages the cardboard,” Colombo said.

The Coreless Rewinder II has been available only in Europe and Brazil. NO.EL introduced it into the U.S. market in the second quarter of this year.

One of the first customers for the Coreless Rewinder II was BPI Films, the Greenock, Scotland-based unit of British Polythene Industries plc of Greenock.

BPI Films uses the coreless rewinder for its manual-wrap brand of Zeroll stretch wrap. Operations director Tony Sollé put some numbers on it.

BPI places 360 of the small rolls on a pallet. Eliminating the cardboard core shaves off about 180 pounds of weight from every pallet.

The film maker also can fit many more rolls of Zeroll on a pallet. Before going coreless, only 240 rolls would fit on a single pallet, Sollé said.

NO.EL’s exclusive agent for North America is Nuove Sales LLC in Los Angeles.

Tel. 310-670-0576, ext. 1, e-mail montesano@nuovesales.com.

  Heritage to produce bags with bioresin
Telles has agreed to supply its Mirel bio-based resin to Heritage Bag Co. for production of compostable trash bags, can liners and kitchen compostable bags.

Compounder Heritage Plastics Inc. of Picayune, Miss., will use Mirel to produce its BioTuf compostable film for parent company Carrollton, Texas-based Heritage Bag, officials said in a May 15 news release.

Telles is the Lowell, Mass.-based joint venture between Metabolix Inc. and Archer Daniels Midland Co.

BioTuf is a pelletized, mineral-containing compound based on a blend of biodegradable resins, including aliphatic/aromatic copolyester. It is designed to be extruded and converted on standard processing equipment for low density polyethylene or grooved-feed high-molecular-weight high density PE.

Frank Ruiz, research director for both Heritage companies, said Mirel has improved the toughness and tensile properties of Heritage bags.

Heritage has produced limited runs of the film and will go into full production later this year, he said in a June 4 telephone interview.

“The market for completely biodegradable and compostable bags is growing by more than 15 percent a year,” he said. “The process of turning organic trash into compost is becoming a significant trend in waste management and that represents a multimillion-dollar business opportunity for us.”

Launched in 2007, Mirel is a corn-derived polyhydroxyalkanoate targeted at the agriculture/horticulture, marine, compostable bag, consumer product, business equipment and packaging markets.

Mirel will decompose or degrade in two months to two years, depending on the density of the product and whether it is in ground water, soil, rivers, home compost or municipal treatment plants. According to Heritage, BioTuf bags made from the film completely degraded in 60 days inside a commercial composting facility.

Mirel has been used in North America by Target Corp. for gift cards. American Excelsior Co. uses the resin in its E-Staple biodegradable turf stake, and Recycline Inc. uses Mirel to make consumer products including toothbrushes, razors and tableware.

Telles currently produces about 30,000 pounds of Mirel monthly at its pilot plant and is increasing capacity to 50,000 pounds over the coming months. ADM has begun construction of the first commercial-scale Mirel plant in Clinton, Iowa. The new facility will produce 110 million pounds of Mirel per year and is expected to start in the second quarter of 2009.

  Polyvel concentrate helps laser marking
Polyvel Inc. has developed laser additive concentrates for use in polyolefins, polyesters, PVC and other thermoplastics.

When the concentrates are let down into polymers, the resulting plastic part can be laser marked using fast laser technologies that had been restricted to marking metal products. The concentrates are suited for most common processing technologies.

Polyvel of Hammonton, N.J., said examples of applications include electrical components and insulation, bottle caps, labels and packaging.

Tel. 609-567-0080, fax 609-567-9522, e-mail info@polyvel.com.

  POSS brand protects arrow reproductions
Hybrid Plastics Inc.’s POSS Imiclear-brand coating is being used to preserve American Indian arrow reproductions.

POSS Imiclear is based on the firm’s POSS silicone nanotechnology material combined with polyimide resin. The combination gives a sprayable, colorless coating that resists scratches and scrapes. The coating provides see-through protection of hand-made arrow reproductions. It is tough, adheres well and is highly water repellent.

POSS compounds have particles with average diameter of 1.5 nanometers. Hybrid of Hattiesburg, Miss., claims such compounds are biocompatible, nonflammable and competitively priced compared with conventional polymers. POSS compounds are readily incorporated into polymers through blending, grafting and copolymerization.

Tel. 601-544-3466, fax 601-545-3103, chagstrom@hybridplastics.com.

  Teknor introduces 3 colorants for PLA
Teknor Color Co. has new color concentrates for use with polylactic acid and blends.

The Pawtucket, R.I., company says the three series of colorants are designed for clear and opaque bottles, film, sheet, profiles and injection molded goods.

One series uses PLA as the carrier and is suited for use in all biodegradable applications. Another has a copolyester carrier resin and is for biodegradable blown film and other uses requiring greater flexibility than is possible with 100 percent PLA.

The third series of concentrates has a PET carrier and is aimed at nonbiodegradable end uses where application of a biopolymer like PLA is desired, such as in toys and housewares.

All series are available in a wide range of colors.

Tel. 800-554-9885 or 401-725-8000, fax 401-724-8520, e-mail info@teknorcolor.com.

  Invista’s resin offers clarity akin to glass
Invista is debuting a PET resin with glasslike clarity for food, beverage and beauty product packaging.

Polyclear AE Crystal PET 3302 is intended mainly for thick-walled bottles of unconventional sizes and shapes. It has good moldability for thick-wall applications and high processability and efficiency. It provides surface sparkle and a clean appearance to attract consumers’ attention, according to the Wichita, Kan., company.

The new resin also gives a high-gloss finish. Its strength makes more flexibility and tighter angles in packaging design possible. It can be processed in integrated, single-stage machines and in two-stage machinery. Its wide processing window also helps with design flexibility, Invista said.

Tel. 704-586-7367, fax 704-586-7564, e-mail jeffrey.g.best@invista.com.

  Innovative touts PU for medical, autos
Innovative Polymers Inc. has a new series of polyurethanes that simulate thermoplastic processing and performance.

The new resins rely on cross-linking technology to give polymers gel times of seven to 15 minutes and demold times of less than seven hours at room temperature. Cured properties include good impact strength, good heat deflection temperature and a high flexural modulus. Several products are flame retardant.

The new polyurethanes are well-suited for equipment housings, automotive interior and under-the-hood parts, medical and electronic components and water-clear lenses, according to the Saint Johns, Mich., company.

The materials can be hand cast or vacuum cast to create parts that act as if they were injection molded, claims Innovative Polymers.

Tel. 800-340-4563, fax 989-224-1400, e-mail bill@innovative-polymers.com.

  Sabic creates film for security records
Sabic Innovative Plastics has developed three high-performance polycarbonate film grades for making electronic identification cards and security documents.

The grades include a laser-markable grade, a bright white, opaque film, and a clear grade for the cover or intermediate layers of an ID card. The Pittsfield, Mass., firm says the films offer optimal performance, aesthetics and processing benefits sought by the card marketplace.

For electronic security documents like drivers’ licenses, the films use heat and pressure to join all layers so that a card can’t be pulled apart, unlike hybrid cards that rely on adhesives. Narrow gauge tolerance of plus/minus 2.5 percent enables converters to assemble multilayer cards within a mandated thickness range.

The laser-markable Lexan for top or middle layers provides gray-scale graphics. The white film for core layers prevents graphics from showing through to the back of the card. The clear film has high optical quality and easy processing for clear overlays or intermediate layers.

Tel. 704-516-1715, fax 866-773-3529, laura.kelleher@sabic-ip.com.

  Cytec says additive has easy handling
Cytec Industries Inc. has introduced a line of stabilizer additives for demanding applications.

Cyasorb Cynergy Solutionst provides trouble-free processing, good dispersion and easy handling. It gives a high performance-to-cost ratio and helps processors speed up commercialization of new products, according to the West Paterson, N.J., company.

New light stabilizers in the series were made available in the second quarter of 2008.

Tel. 973-357-3266, fax 973-357-3050, domenico.romanino@cytec .com.

  ABA-PGT marketing flexible work cell
ABA-PGT Inc. is touting a flexible work cell that allows automated insert loading to plastic gears, part removal and park packaging as a low-cost investment.

The cell is specifically designed for production volume that is not high enough to justify buying a full-time, fully automated independent manufacturing cell. That means injection molded gears with annual volumes between 40,000 and 500,000.

The customer will buy end-of-arm tooling, pallet inserts and trays, if required. ABA-PGT will handle the rest.

Manchester, Conn.-based ABA-PGT, an injection molder and mold builder specializing in plastic gears, said molds of one or more cavities will generally provide the best performance.

Tel. 860-649-4591, fax 860-643-7619, e-mail info@abapgt.com.

  Toshiba continuing deal with Ohio’s NFM
Toshiba Machine Co. Ltd. has extended its license agreement with NFM/Welding Engineers Inc. for the next 10 years, so that NFM will continue to make the TEM series of high-torque, high-speed compounding extruders at its plant in Massillon, Ohio.

The machines are co-rotating, intermeshing twin-screw extruders. Applications include engineering plastics, fiber compounding, filler compounding, color concentrates, polymer alloys, direct extrusion and reactive extrusion.

Toshiba of Japan also awarded NFM/Welding Engineers an expanded sales territory that now covers Europe, Africa, Central America and South America, in addition to NFM’s home market of North America.

Tel. 330-837-3868, fax 330-837-2230, e-mail bnoll@nfm.net.

  Brabender trumpets twin-screw extruder
C.W. Brabender Instruments Inc. said its Mini-Compounder TSE 12/36 is a miniature, co-rotating twin-screw extruder for new-product development.

The laboratory machine has an integrated drive with an output of 3.2 horsepower. It reaches speeds of up to 600 revolutions per minute. The clamshell barrel is divided horizontally and can be opened to allow visual assessment of individual processing steps, easy screw mounting and quick cleaning of the barrel, the South Hackensack, N.J.-based firm said.

Tel. 201-343-8425, e-mail mdinatale@cwbrabender.com.

  Brückner & Bangkai sign BOPET contract
Brückner Maschinenbau GmbH signed a contract at Chinaplas to sell a biaxially oriented PET film line to Shanghai Bangkai Plastic Polyester Film Co. Ltd.

Shanghai Bangkai bought a BOPET line that can make film 28.1-feet wide, running at 4,330 feet a minute. In 2003, the company bought its first Brückner BOPET line for its factory in Jinshanwei, south of Shanghai.

Brückner claims that in 2007 it captured more than 60 percent of the investments in film stretching lines in China.

Brückner is based in Siegsdorf, Germany.

  Davis-Standard unit sells over 20 lines
Davis-Standard LLC said its ER-WE-PA operation has sold more than 20 production lines to Chinese packaging producers since ER-WE-PA opened a subsidiary in Shanghai in 2000.

ER-WE-PA, based in Erkrath, Germany, makes equipment for blown film, cast film, extrusion coating and liquid coating.

Davis-Standard is based in Pawcatuck, Conn.

  Milacron displays wares at open house
At Chinaplas, Milacron Inc. shuttled 105 visitors over three days to its Shanghai Technology Center, where they saw a TC86 conical twin-screw extruder turning out wood-plastic composite deck board.

Herb Hutchison, director of international business development at Cincinnati Milacron Extrusion Systems, said it is difficult to run a large extrusion line during a trade show. He extended his stay for two weeks after the show to meet with customers and industry leaders.

In addition to the home country of China, the Shanghai open house attracted visitors from other areas, including the Middle East, Korea, Africa, Nigeria, India, Australia, Malaysia, the British Virgin Islands and several European countries.

The Cincinnati-based company’s extrusion demonstration laboratory is located at Conair Group Inc.’s Shanghai factory.

  MGS Manufacturing does first Chinaplas
MGS Manufacturing Group Inc. exhibited at its first-ever Chinaplas.

John Hahn, vice president of engineering, and Richard Kochanski, global account manager, worked a small booth in the U.S. pavilion. Hahn said MGS rotary turntable molds for multishot are used in China by automotive molders, caps and closure makers and other markets.

Demand for multishot molding will grow as the Chinese people make more money and seek a higher quality of life, he said.

“We have quite a few customers already over here. They definitely have the money to spend,” Hahn said.

The Germantown, Wis.-based company makes molds and add-on injection units for multishot molding.

  Saudi-based recycler keeps waste at home
As good as the business of selling plastic waste to the hungry Chinese market is, a Saudi company has decided there’s something even better.

Middle East Waste Management Ltd., based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, would rather keep the waste, at least part of it, at home. The 10-year-old scrap and waste supplier said it plans to start a molding plant at its headquarters in June.

Sales and marketing manager Moh’d Al Zaharnah said China has been the most important market for the company.

“Freight cost is not as intimidating as people think,” he said. “A regular 40-foot, [55,000-pound] container to China costs about $600.”

He estimated 90 percent of the firm’s business is international.

With a staff of more than 100, the company recycles 33 million pounds of post-industrial and post-consumer waste annually from three collection sites throughout Saudi Arabia. “We work with local authorities and business,” Al Zaharnah said. He added the output will top 44 million pounds, “at least.”

The company handles a number of materials — including PET, high density polyethylene, PVC, low density polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene — and sells baled waste, regrinds, powder, repro pellets and lumps.

  Eurotherm fortifying global sales force
Eurotherm Inc. is on the move internationally — beefing up its sales network in the U.S. market and selling Maco controllers in Asia.

Steve Schroeder, global business development manager for plastics, said Eurotherm is emphasizing competitively priced control products that are customizable, targeted to specific companies. For example, the Maco Compact controller for injection molding machines can be easily expanded and upgraded.

“We’re going to get very serious about not only bringing products to market, but to the customers directly,” Schroeder said in an interview during Chinaplas.

Schroeder said Eurotherm has sold about 500 of the Maco Compact units in China since introducing the product to the country in early 2007. Chinese processors — especially the booming automotive molding sector — need to upgrade to high-end controls on their existing machines, he said.

By July 1, the company plans to have a complete sales and service staff in India to handle Maco products, Schroeder said.

Eurotherm, based in Leesburg, Va., has been busy signing up U.S. sales representatives. Schroeder said the company now has 22 new agents under contract.

  DSM materials answer to customer demands
DSM Engineering Plastics has launched a new line of materials, responding to growing interest in green products, and desire from customers to streamline production and reduce costs.

At a news conference before Chinaplas, DSM introduced flame-retardant products that are halogen free. The company also launched a new grade of Stanyl nylon that can reduce costs in the production of tumble valve bearings in V6 and V8 engines.

The Heerlen, Netherlands-based firm already boasts a factory in Jiangyin, China, and a joint venture with the state-owned petrochemical company China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., known as Sinopec, in Nanjing. Sometime this month, DSM said it intends to open a new facility at the Jiangyin site to produce Akulon-brand nylon 6.

Other materials were introduced, including a new grade of the polybutylene terephthalate material Arnite, to manufacture miniature, thin-walled insulating components.

The company aims to reach $1.5 billion in China-based sales by 2010. To do that, it is focusing on developing new products like those introduced at the show that address the changing demands of the market, said Jos Goessens, president of DSM Engineering Plastics.

  Bag ban boon for Biograde
The Chinese government’s restrictive policy on plastic shopping bags is forcing some low-end bag makers to close, but it is also boosting some businesses. Biograde Nanjing Pty Ltd. of Nanjing is one of them.

“Eighteen years is how long we’ve been trying to promote degradable and biodegradable products,” sales manager Yang Xuyan said in an interview at the Chinaplas show. “Investors come and go … finally this year we are really seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The company makes degradable resins — a mix of 35 percent corn starch and high density polyethylene — as well as biodegradable resins that are made of starch and other bio-based materials. She declined to specify the other materials.

Biograde Nanjing is the sole Chinese manufacturer in a pool of international finalists to supply biodegradable bags to the Beijing Olympic Games, a local newspaper Nanjing Daily reported. The company also said it’s the only Chinese firm whose biodegradable products have met the U.S., European Union and Japanese standards for biodegradable products.

“Considering production and transport costs, we are leaning toward domestically made products, as long as the sample test results meet our standards,” the Beijing Olympics procurement office told Nanjing Daily.

Biograde Nanjing’s degradable and biodegradable resins come in a variety of grades for different processes, including injection molding, blow molding and foam-making.

“We make more than 700 metric tons [1.5 million pounds] every month,” Yang said.

After a number of ownerships changes over the years, the company now is a fully owned subsidiary of Victoria, Australia-based Biograde Ltd. The parent company helps market the products — made in Nanjing — in Australia and New Zealand. Its Hong Kong branch is selling to other international markets.

The Chinese market for alterative packaging is starting to take off with the bag ban, Yang said.

To demonstrate the speed of market growth, Yang compared the sales in 2007 and 2008.

“Our entire annual sales of 2007 were 10 million yuan [$14 million], but we’ve already reached that number only by the first quarter this year.”

In order to cater to the booming demand, the company also is making finished products both in-house and through contractors. Four blow molding machines came on stream in March for production, to supplement the two machines that are used for testing. The operation is highly automated, she added.

The company now supplies biodegradable carrier bags to retail giant Suning Appliances Co. Ltd., which swiftly replaced conventional plastic bags with paper bags after the bag ban was announced in January. The ban of ultrathin (less than 25 microns) plastic bags and ending of retailers giving bags away for free was set to take effect June 1 in China.

  Rhodia constructing Shanghai R&D site
Reinforcing the company’s research and development capabilities in Asia, Rhodia Group has launched construction of a new Shanghai R&D facility.

To be completed sometime this summer, the center will employ 150 scientists to support the firm’s industrial operations in China and across the Asia-Pacific region.

“Asia-Pacific is really our fast-growing market,” Rhodia President Laurent Schmitt said in an interview at Chinaplas. In 2007, the company saw a 40 percent increase in sales in the region, and from 2004-2006, it had 55 percent growth. China is the fastest-growing country in the region.

To fill customer demand, the new research facility will focus on the automotive, electronic, home and personal care, oilfield and agricultural formulation fields. One of the facility’s primary directives will be to help develop sustainable products.

  Israel’s Plazit 2001 enters China market
Israeli molder Plazit 2001 chose the Chinaplas show to make its debut in the Chinese market.

In addition to receiving potential customers at the company’s busy booth, “We are also here to check out the best collection of plastic materials and equipment in China,” said Ezra Laudon, marketing development manager.

Plazit 2001, part of the Grazit Industries Group, is a global company. With 95 percent of its sales from outside Israel, the company has production facilities at its headquarters in Gazit, Israel, as well as in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.

“We make acrylic and polystyrene sheets and [polymethyl methacrylate] granules at Panchim [the Bulgarian branch],” Laudon said. Panchim Ltd. POB is Plazit’s Bulgarian subsidiary.

Plazit has total sheet extrusion capacity of 48.5 million pounds, using materials that include styrene acrylonitrile, polystyrene, acrylic and polycarbonate.

“New lines with additional 2,000 metric tons [4.4 million pounds] of capacity are coming on-stream in three months,” Laudon said.

At the show, the company touted its thin optical sheet used for cell phones and liquid crystal displays.

The Grazit Industries Group also includes food packaging manufacturers Madaf-Plazit Packaging in Gazit and MCP Performance Plastics Ltd. in Hamaapil.

  Arburg reports record in Chinese press sales
Arburg GmbH + Co. KG sold more injection presses in China in 2007 than ever before, according to Helmut Heinson, managing director of sales.

Arburg’s Shanghai subsidiary moved to a new building in 2007, with a demonstration room for up to six Allrounder machines. The Lossburg, Germany-based company also has facilities in Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

  Teknor Apex adds TPO, vinyl blends
Teknor Apex Co. has developed flexible vinyl compounds with low volatile organic compound emissions, and new thermoplastic olefins that it claims outperform conventional TPOs.

The Pawtucket, R.I., company’s new vinyl compounds, which reduce VOCs by 80 percent or more, are aimed at profiles and molded items, sheet and extrusion-coated fabric found in institutional furniture and furnishings. Applications include wall coverings, window treatments, baseboards and furniture trim, Teknor Apex said.

The new formulations help manufacturers meet voluntary air-quality standards developed by organizations like Washington-based nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council and its Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design rating system, the company said.

The new family of TPO compounds, named Telcar, is a blend of rigid polyolefin and Infuse olefin block copolymer from Dow Chemical Co. of Midland, Mich. Conventional TPOs have rubber phases of ethylene propylene diene monomer or random ethylene copolymers.

The blends bridge previous cost-performance gaps and provide processors with a true alternative to styrenic block copolymer thermoplastic elastomers, the companies said. The materials exhibit enhanced physical properties, high processability and a versatile range of hardness and fabrication techniques.

Telcar OBC compounds provide more rubberlike elasticity, greater tensile strength, tear strength and elongation compared with TPOs using EPDM or random ethylene copolymer, the firm said. Hardness ranges from single-digit Shore A to 90 Shore A and above.

Compared with styrenic TPEs, the new compounds have better compression set, heat aging, chemical resistance and processability. As well, Telcar OBC provides a smooth feel for soft-touch grips and surfaces.

Teknor Apex envisions uses for the TPOs in food and beverage packaging, office products, medical devices, consumer goods and industrial products like hoses and gaskets.

Tel. 401-725-8000. For TPOs, fax 401-728-5680, e-mail tpe@teknor apex.com. For vinyl, fax 401-729-0166, e-mail vinyl@teknorapex.com.

  Axel’s mold release yields higher gloss
Axel Plastics Research Laboratories Inc. is offering a semi-permanent mold release that it said is suited to production of sanitary ware and other parts that require exceptional gloss.

Xtend 830 is a solvent-based product that is applied by lightly wiping it on the mold surface and then immediately wiping it off. The process yields a higher-gloss, less-streaky surface than is usually achieved with semi-permanent releases.

Xtend 830 can be wiped over dirty areas to clean up clay and wax marks, eliminating the need for cleaners or strippers to ready a mold for additional production, according to Axel of Woodside, N.Y.

Tel. 718-672-8300, e-mail info@axelplastics.com.

  Ampacet dry color offers chrome look
Ampacet Corp. has a new dry colorant with the sheen of chrome but without its drawbacks.

The Tarrytown, N.Y., firm has developed a masterbatch with a chrome alternative designed for use in extrusion and injection blow molded bottles for cosmetics, automotive accessories, appliances and housewares.

The masterbatch avoids processing and environmental problems associated with chromium metal plating. The Ampacet products weigh and cost less, the company said.

Tel. 914-631-6600, e-mail eileen.ferguson@ampacet.com.

  Granta software turns resin choice into strategy
Thousands of new products hit the marketplace every year. Each one of those products — from medical equipment to kitchen tools — requires hundreds of decisions during the design and development process, including choices about what materials manufacturers will use.

Granta Design Ltd. has developed a way to help companies select materials quickly, and help material suppliers, including resin companies, get information about their blends to key decision makers.

“It’s a systemic approach to material selection,” Chief Operating Officer Patrick Coulter said in a May 6 interview in Milwaukee. Coulter was in Milwaukee for Granta’s materials strategy meeting and seminar, to discuss the software-based approach.

Making material choices early helps to smooth the launch of new products, he said. At the same time, companies can establish a corporatewide strategy that is easy to track and moves them toward their specific goals, such as using more recycled resins or less-expensive compounds.

The medical industry, for instance, must use materials that can be sterilized and that meet federal safety standards. Granta’s design software automatically can steer product designers toward those types of plastic materials from the start, reducing the potential for last-minute changes.

Granta of Cambridge, England, launched its first material selection software package in May 2007 and is updating that information for the next-generation version it will introduce soon.

About half of its customers are based in North America, Coulter said, and include major corporations with global brands. Those firms want a way to track every decision made on a new product, he said, and having a corporate strategy in place for material selection is easier than making decisions case by case.

“The idea here is that companies are under a number of pressures to meet targets in terms of weight or environmental issues or cost,” he said.

A company typically relying on steel or other metals can use the program to see whether and what plastics might be compatible, for example. Or, in another scenario, if someone wants to know why a particular resin was used, the company can look at the product development process to show that the resin choice fit the corporation’s strategy — whether that strategy calls for using the least expensive blend, the one most easily recycled, or one that can take the high heat of sterilization as for a medical product.

That strategy also makes it less likely that the material choice will be reversed later in the process, he said. “The benefit of making the right material solution early is very, very large,” he said.

For plastics suppliers, Granta’s software allows them to bring information about their resins to people who are making decisions about future products, he said.

  Elastocon targets large parts, overmolding
Elastocon TPE Technologies Inc. has commercialized new thermoplastic elastomers for large parts and overmolding.

Rochester, Ill.-based Elastocon debuted the large-part thermoplastic olefin grades in January. They’re aimed at automotive or nonautomotive transportation uses, such as tractor fenders or parts for off-road vehicles, Elastocon owner David Barkus said in a telephone interview.

Barkus added that there’s “no real limit” to the size of parts made with the materials, since their high-flow properties allow them to fill large molds easily.

Previously, Elastocon had focused more on consumer products, making materials based on thermoplastic vulcanizates and styrenic block copolymers.

“This is a whole new market for us,” said Barkus, who founded the firm in 1999 after stints at TPE maker GLS Corp. and blow molder Plastipak Packaging Inc. “Manufacturers asked us to work on this product, and it was 2½ years in development.”

The TPO materials are easily colored and have high gloss with scratch and mar resistance. They can be used with a number of processes, including in-mold decorating, pad printing, hot foils and stamping. Other potential uses include body panels, bumper fascias, deflective guards and mud or snow flaps.

Elastocon’s new STK overmolding grades — which debuted in April — offer superior adhesion to nylon and other resins such as polycarbonate and ABS, officials said. Applications for overmolding grades include tools and hardware, housewares, utensil grips, safety face masks and toys.

According to Barkus, all of Elastocon’s products are nontoxic, phthalate-free and latex-free, and do not require drying.

Elastocon employs 50 — including a three-person research and development staff — and operates seven production lines in a 50,000-square-foot plant in Carpentersville, Ill. The firm does not disclose sales, which Barkus said grew at a rate of 30 percent in 2007.

  GITBlow connects molding processes
Martin Schäfers, a doctoral student at the Institute of Polymer Technology at the University of Paderborn, Germany, described the GITBlow process, which combines aspects of gas-assisted injection molding and blow molding.

Actually, GITBlow uses two gas-injection steps, the first to make a hollow section, and the second to expand that hollow section even more. The finished parts have thin walls and extremely large hollow areas — so GITBlow competes favorably with water-assisted injection molding and extrusion blow molding, Schäfers said.

Applications include conduit for automotive fluids, air conditioning ducts and intake manifolds. For appliances, the process can make conduits and ducts for air and water, and other hollow parts.

The first step is making what Schäfers called a preform by using gas-assisted molding with nitrogen gas. To finish the part, a core pull is moved, and gas is pumped in again.

Researchers in Paderborn molded parts on an Arburg press with 120 metric tons of clamping force to run the trials. They tested two methods, a one-stage proc¼ess and a two-stage process.

One-stage GITBlow does both gas-injection steps in the same station, in a closed mold. For the two-stage method, the preform is made in one station, then is moved to another mold, then reheated for the second shot of gas.

Two-stage GITBlow requires a rotating mold and a handling unit for the radiant heater, so it’s more expensive. But it has several advantages. Selective heating of the area to be inflated the second time means that no areas that have already cooled get stretched. Also, the gas-conveying zone of the preform and the finished part can have different external contours, providing for more freedom of design. Finally, the preform and part are molded at the same time on the rotating mold, cutting the cycle time.

  BioSolar develops plant-based power cells
BioSolar Inc., which has developed solar power cells using plant material, did its development and testing at a Marshall and Williams laboratory for making biaxially oriented film in Woonsocket, R.I.

Santa Clarita, Calif.-based BioSolar contacted Parkinson Technologies Inc., which makes Marshall and Williams orientation equipment, known as tenter frames. Product trials included running films of different materials. The goal was to use biaxial orientation to add strength to bio-based materials.

The pilot lab has a complete inline system for coextruding film and sheet with as many as five layers, with either machine direction orientation or transverse direction orientation.

  New hot-runner parts made to mold PLA
With bioresins getting more attention, D-M-E Co. has rolled out its Eco-Smart line of hot-runner components designed to process corn-based polylactic acid.

“It’s new ground for a lot of the industry, but there are more and more companies getting interested in PLA,” said Robert Starr, director of global marketing.

Molders need hot runners with greater corrosion resistance and a better ability to minimize shear heat because of PLA’s temperature sensitivity, he said.

Madison Heights, Mich.-based D-M-E worked with molders for two years to fine-tune the materials and parts in hot runners to work specifically with the resin.

  Paper explains use of magnetic fillers
By adding magnetic fillers to polymers, polymer-bonded magnets can be injection molded with a multipolar structure, according to a paper by Stefan Eimeke, a researcher at the Institute of Polymer Technology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Erlangen, Germany.

For making magnets, injection molding has several advantages over traditional sintering techniques, such as better dimensional stability, more freedom to design complex shapes and cost reduction in the one-step proc¼ess, Eimeke’s paper said.

The key is the use of permanent magnets incorporated inside the mold to both orient and magnetize the metal fillers inside the melt. The orientation changes from pole to pole, based on the placement of the in-mold permanent magnets, he said.

Institute of Polymer Technology researchers studied how several variables affect the orientation, including changes in melt temperature, viscosity, part thickness, flow length and the type of steel used. One conclusion: the magnetic conductivity of the permanent magnets is stronger on thin parts than thicker parts.

  Researcher studies composite fuel cells
Chia Yen Tzeng, a research assistant at Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan, described studies into fuel-cell plates made from polyphenylene sulfide filled with 50 percent carbon fiber.

Tzeng said filled composite fuel-cell plates have desirable mechanical and chemical properties, but they have poor conductivity required for that appli¼- cation. Using a JSW injection press, the researchers molded bipolar plates using standard injection molding and injection/ compression molding. The goal was to get low through-plane resistance. One of the study’s conclusions was that the injection/ compression proc¼ess can improve conductivity by improving carbon-fiber orientation.

  RTP trumpets TPEs’ good bonding ablity
Winona, Minn.-based compounder RTP Co. used the Plastics Encounter show at Antec to introduce a family of bondable thermoplastic elastomer materials, called the RTP 6042 Series, for use in combination with a wide range of rigid plastic substrates.

RTP has formulated standard grades to bond to polycarbonate, ABS, PC/ABS, PC/polymethyl methacrylate and thermoplastic polyurethane.

Products in the new RTP 6042 Series have a wider processing window than the RTP 6002 Series, which they replace, the company said. Additional improvements include superior bonding performance and more consistent mechanical properties.

“The critical element in any overmolding process is the chemical bond between the soft elastomeric material and the rigid substrate,” said Paul Killian, technical marketing manager for RTP’s TPE Division.

The materials are especially good for rugged electronic devices that need excellent tensile and tear strength, plus abrasion resistance, according to Killian.

The 6042 Series materials are special alloys, but RTP is not releasing what type of TPEs are involved.

In other news, RTP has entered into a trademark agreement with Solvay Advanced Polymers LLC. Under the deal, RTP will compound and market pre-colored Radel R polyphenylsulfone and Udel polysulfone resins globally, using Solvay trademarks.

The agreement means customers that want small and mid-sized lots of pre-colored Radel R and Udel compounds can get them quickly from RTP.

  Milacron introduces new barrel heater
Milacron Inc. of Cincinnati is now selling a radiant barrel heater made from ceramic fiber insulation, through its ServTek parts and service unit.

ServTek TCS is an improvement over standard heater bands for precise, highly energy-efficient heating and cooling of barrels for injection and blow molding machines and extruders. The TCS stands for temperature control system.

ServTek TCS is available as an option on new Milacron-brand machinery or as a retrofit on any company’s equipment.

Milacron is pitching the barrel heating and cooling system under its “earth-friendly technology” portfolio. In many states — including Wisconsin, where Plastics Encounter was held — utilities offer rebates for using the ceramic radiant barrel heaters because they consume less electricity than heater bands, the company said.

Ritch Waterfield, ServTek product manager, said ServTek TCS can result in 30-50 percent energy savings, with as short as an 18-month payback time.

A series of radiant heating elements totally encapsulates the barrel. In radiant heat, all of the heat goes directly into the barrel. The heat stays there, reducing burns to workers, since the outside of the insulated barrel is cool to the touch.

Heating sections, strapped together by Velcro, can be easily removed and replaced. Wires of the heating element run inside the ceramic fiber-shaped sections. It controls the temperature along the entire length of the barrel.

Also, ServTek TCS cools the barrel back down faster, by drawing air directly across the barrel.

REX Materials Inc. of Fowler¼ville, Mich., manufactures the heaters to the specifications of Milacron, which will offer the technology in the Americas.

REX is a longtime maker of ceramic fiber heaters for applications such as water heaters, boilers, furnaces, die-casting and molten metals manufacturing.

REX got into the plastics machinery market several years ago, when it licensed the concept from Insul-Vest Inc. of Tulsa, Okla., which makes insulating blankets to go over heater bands.

But in the plastics industry, REX was not a household name. Milacron is, and the Cincinnati-based plastics machinery manufacturer plans to promote the technology aggressively.

  Wittmann’s Drymax ready for bioresins
Wittmann Inc. of Torrington, Conn., rolled out its Drymax twin-bed desiccant dryers, now designated as “bioresin ready” — able to dry a full range of bioresins on the market today.

According to the company, several standard features make the Drymax line well-suited for the plant-based materials, especially their ability to maintain constant, low-temperature operation, down to 120° F, with no temperate spikes, and a constant low dew point.

Constant air flow optimizes drying times. A feature called Smart¼Regen monitors the drying proc¼ess of the desiccant beds, reducing the amount of energy needed to regenerate the desiccant.

In related news, Wittmann has developed a standardized rating method and a comprehensive testing program for each of its Drymax dryers.

  PT linking databases from US & Germany
Plastics Technology magazine announced a materials selection database, Plaspec Global, that links up PT’s North American database with the Campus database from M-Base Engineering + Software GmbH in Aachen, Germany.

Plaspec Global is available in basic and complete versions.

The basic version is free, and allows users to search and retrieve single-point and multiple-point data for materials by supplier name, resin type/grade, melt flow properties, flex modulus, flammability and process type, and also browse technical literature.

The complete version offers advanced features, so users can search on all properties, perform direct comparisons of materials on both single- and multiple-point data, product analytical tables and charts, search case studies on applications such as packaging, medical, automotive and electronics.

The introductory price for a full-year subscription costs $99.

Plastics Technology demonstrated Plaspec Global at Plastics Encounter.

Plaspec began in 1984, when the magazine launched it as a telephone dial-up subscription service. In 1997, Plaspec moved to the Internet. Plastics Technology took the database in-house in 2000, putting it on its Web site.

Tricia Karsay, PT’s director of marketing, was named product manager for Plaspec Global. PT is published by Gardner Publications Inc. of Cincinnati.

  Admet Inc. presents testing equipment
Admet Inc. of Norwood, Mass., displayed its testing equipment for polymers and films, including two control products.

Admet said its eP digital controller and the Precise digital controller offer accurate test programming and control, and convenient collection of test results. The data can be moved to spreadsheets and reporting software.

The company’s MTestWindows is a personal-computer-based materials testing system. The AdmetQuattro testing system adds cyclic testing programming, as well as control.

  Farrel extruder works well for small runs
Farrel Corp. said its new CP125, the latest model of its CP Series II, was developed for small-scale compounding in a laboratory, a pilot plant or limited production.

Its throughput rate is between 176-330 pounds an hour.

Farrel said the CP125 is good at running polyolefin-based compounds with high levels of mineral fillers, additives and color masterbatches; polymer-rubber blends; and applications that need high-intensity mixing at a low processing temperature.

The twin-screw extruder has counterrotating, nonintermeshing rotors, which Farrel said allows for fast color changes. The CP125 comes standard with a single-stage extruder. A two-stage vented barrel also is available.

Ansonia, Conn.-based Farrel recently installed a CP125 in its laboratory in Rochdale, England. Customers can test their specific materials on the line, which includes gravimetric feeders for metering test materials to the continuous mixer and extruder. The line can be fitted with either a strand die or an underwater pelletizing system.

  After 20-year search, List AG finds answer
After more than 20 years of research, List AG of Arisdorf, Switzerland, has realized its goal of solving the puzzle of direct evaporation for temperature-sensitive polymers.

List’s two-step process has moved from concept to pilot scale and now is being scaled to commercial production for several manufacturers.

Direct evaporation, also known as direct devolatization, was recognized as an energy-efficient alternative to the traditional stripping method, according to List. But the process had a major drawback, since it only worked on polymer solutions that were not temperature sensitive.

List claims it has solved that problem. List engineers have discovered how to maximize the mass-transfer driving force for evaporation. During the first step, about 99 percent of the solvent evaporates under atmospheric pressure, or a slight vacuum, and is condensed and recovered. In the second step, any residual volatile concentrations are reduced to a final specification.

List recently demonstrated the new technology to about 60 invited engineers at a Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft pilot plant in Schkopau, Germany. The pilot plant is a joint project between the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research and Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials.

List USA Inc. is based in Charlotte, N.C.

During Antec, engineers from List presented two papers about the company’s research into kneader reactors:

* Daniel Witte introduced his paper on “Advanced Process Design in High-Volume Kneader Reactors Using Multiple Feed Ports to Avoid Crust Forming, Foaming and Low-Heat Transfer.”

* Boyd Safrit gave a paper on “Kneader Technology for the Direct Devolatization of Temperature-Sensitive Elastomers.”

List also had a booth at the Plastics Encounter show.


  
 
 

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