MW0801_Cover1.ps 12/18/07 1:47 PM A Canon Communications LLC Page 1 Publication Published Continuously Since 1925 MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE January 2008 THE GLOBAL PLASTICS MAGAZINE Bringing down the curtain on K MPW’s final post-K report looks at injection molding, blowmolding, pipe and profile, film, and thermoforming Tech Trends: From TuLIP to SLIM; latest in bioresins Design Focus: Get the paint out New products, materials, and more... www.modplas.com JANUARY 2008 VOL. 85 No.1 MW0801_002.ps 12/21/07 10:14 AM Page 2 The Infrared Dryer... One Step Does It All Eliminates Separate Dryer & Crystallizer for PET, PCR Sheet he fastest, most-efficient way to crystallize and dry – up to 4x faster than any ordinary crystallizer and dryer. T • Saving Time – up to 4x faster than ordinary dryers/crystallizers The Infrared Dryer’s unique rapid tumbling/drying action eliminates the need for large resin hoppers with inefficient airflow and wasted space for resin waiting to be dried. • Saving Energy – up to 65% less energy usage than conventional desiccant systems. Qualifies for energy tax savings in states where applicable • Saving Space – reduces resin inventory up to 300% • Over 75 Installations Worldwide – fast payback on all purchases • Exclusively Manufactured in USA – by NOVATEC Founding Member RRAN WA 5 YEAR TY ©2008 NOVATEC Inc. Brochure Available www.novatec.com C o n v e y • D r y • B l e n d CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com 222 East Thomas Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21225 USA Phone: 410-789-4811 • Fax: 410-789-4638 1-800-BESTDRY (800-237-8379) email: sales@novatec.com http://www.novatec.com MW0801_003.ps 12/21/07 10:15 AM Page 3 CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com 004_55548540_MW01 12/18/07 1:40 PM Page 4 Chemtura. Value is our strongest additive. ™ Monomer Polymerization Finishing Compounding Naugard® Antioxidants Axion™ Single-Site Catalysts Axion™ Stereomodifiers BOMAG® Z/N Catalyst Components Metal Alkyls Cocatalysts PETCAT – Antimony Catalyst Ca & Zn Stearates–Catalyst Quenchers Kemamide® Slip Agents Anox™/Naugard®/Lowinox® Antioxidants Stearates Lubricants/ Mold Release Agents Kemester® Antistats/Antifog Anox™ NDB® Non Dusting Additive Blends Moldpro™/Clearlite Nucleating Agents/Clarifiers Ultranox® Antioxidants Weston® Antioxidants Genox® Antioxidants Celogen® Foaming Agents Celogen® Foaming Agents Polybond® Coupling Agents Kemamide® Slip Agents Royaltuf® Impact Modifiers Lowilite™ UV Stabilizers Stearates Lubricants/ Lowilite™ UV Stabilizers Mold Release Agents Kemamide® Slip Agents Moldpro™ Mold ™ Moldpro Flow Improvers Release Agents Witconol™ Antistats Metallic Stearates ® Mark Heat Stabilizers Mark OBS® Organic-Based Stabilizers Drapex® Plasticizers Markscreen® UV Stabilizers MarkStat® Antistats Marklear® Antifogs Marklube® Lubricants Reogard®/Reofos® Phosphorus-based Flame Retardants Firemaster® Bromine-based Flame Retardants Timonox®/Fireshield™ Antimony Trioxide Synergists Stearates Lubricants/Mold Release Agents Anox™/Naugard®/Lowinox® Antioxidants Ultranox® Antioxidants Weston® Antioxidants Blendex® Modifiers Metallic Stearates Delac® Accelerators Naugard® Polymerization Inhibitors Fabrication Greener is better. Also, better value. The new products on Chemtura’s Value Chain prove it: higher efficiency helps make innovations possible, for greener products with greater value. For example: New Polybond® coupling agents for wood/plastic composites, now more than 50% more efficient. New, heavy metal-free Mark® OBS® Organic Based Stabilizers for rigid and flexible PVC, the cost-effective alternative to lead and calcium zinc. Greener chemistries, reducing waste, improving efficiency, boosting performance in products and processes—it all adds up to greener value, all along the Value Chain. New Firemaster® 600 and 602 flame retardants for flexible polyurethane foam, with improved efficiency and an excellent environmental profile. Visit us online at www.chemtura.com. Chemtura: The world’s largest manufacturer and marketer of plastics additives. New nonylphenol-free liquid phosphite stabilizers to replace TNPP: Equivalent performance to TNPP; no nonylphenol impurities or degradation products. New Naugard® 300-E inhibitor, which improves efficiency and control of styrene processing. CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com MW0801_005.ps 12/21/07 11:49 AM Page 5 www.modplas.com JANUARY 2008, VOL. 85 CONTENTS No. 1 A Canon Communications F E AT U R E S 48 Publication Published Continuously Since 1925 January 2008 THE GLOBAL PLASTICS MAGAZINE www.modplas.com Bringing down the curtain on K Cover Story: Final K report MPW concludes its exhaustive coverage of a notably successful K 2007 with final looks at injection molding, blowmolding, pipe and profile, film, and thermoforming. 18 LLC MPW’s final post-K report looks at injection molding, blowmolding, pipe and profile, film, and thermoforming Tech Trends: From TuLIP to SLIM; latest in bioresins Design Focus: Get the paint out New products, materials, and more... Tech Trends: Got to lose weight Autobar has succeeded in cutting weight in packaging without compromising mechanical properties. Plus, additive packages mate with bioresins; bioresins bloom at K; and DuPont’s latest renewably resourced materials. 18 31 Design Focus: Getting the Paint Out Eliminating paint has obvious environmental and cost benefits. But designing parts with molded-in color can also produce a robust manufacturing process. DEPARTMENTS 48 62 Spotlight In Ukraine, Ukrplastics weathered the fall of the Iron Curtain to become one of Eastern Europe’s top processors. 10 First Look 16 As I See It 24 Material Thoughts 27 Product Watch 31 In this issue Customer service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Foucs on North America . . . . . . . . .33 modplas.com Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Advertiser index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 5 MW01_06_masthead.qxd 12/18/07 2:03 PM Page 6 www.modplas.com Group Publisher Patrick Lundy +1 973-808-0494 patrick.lundy@cancom.com EDITORIAL 55 Madison St., Ste. 770 Denver, CO 80206 USA +1 303-321-2322 +1 303-321-3552 fax Releases: editorial@modplas.com Editor-in-Chief Matthew Defosse +49-69-90552-132 mdefosse@modplas.com MARKETING, ART & PRODUCTION Marketing Manager Patrice Aylward +1 440-239-4986 patrice.aylward@cancom.com Sales & Marketing Support Coord. Beth Berner +1 440-239-4594 beth.berner@cancom.com Art Director Denise Faddis denise.faddis@cancom.com Publications Production Director Jeff Tade jeff.tade@cancom.com Managing Editor John Clark jclark@modplas.com Asst. Publications Production Mgr. Tanya Von Grumbkow tanya.vongrumbkow@cancom.com Senior Editor/U.S. Clare Goldsberry +1 602-996-6499 cgoldsberry@modplas.com Ad Management Services Vanessa Marmon vanessa.marmon@cancom.com Senior Editor/U.S. Tony Deligio +1 303-833-9195 tdeligio@modplas.com Senior Editor/Germany Robert Colvin +49-69-90552-130 bcolvin@modplas.com Senior Editor/Asia Stephen Moore +65-9687-0420 sbmoore@modplas.com Associate Editor Kate Dixon +1 303-321-2322, ext. 306 kdixon@modplas.com Online Editor Jamie Quanbeck +1 608-824-9605 jquanbeck@modplas.com Contributing Editors Elizabeth Johnson CIRCULATION/ SUBSCRIBER SERVICE PO Box 3568 Northbrook, IL 60065 USA +1 847-559-7590 +1 847-291-4816 fax mpw@omeda.com U.S. SALES OFFICE 7261 Engle Road, Suite 402 Middleburg Heights, OH 44130 +1 440-239-4594 +1 440-239-4595 fax North American Sales Manager Deborah Plank +1 480-699-7196 deborah.plank@cancom.com District Managers Charles Lubking +1 610-644-4203 chuck.lubking@cancom.com Liz Tuke +1 847-920-1665 liz.tuke@cancom.com Directory/Buyer’s Guide Manager Iris Topel +1 718-478-8104 itopel@modplas.com Classified Advertising Manager Cheryl Ackerman +1 516-496-8891 cheryl.ackerman@cancom.com List Rental & Reprints Sales Mgr. SueEllen Belliveau +1 310-445-3711 sueellen.belliveau@cancom.com or sales@fostereprints.com +1 866-879-9144 INTERNATIONAL SALES OFFICE Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, Benelux, Eastern Europe, UK. Canon Communications Deutschland GmbH Goethestrasse 2 60313 Frankfurt, Germany +49-69-90552-108 +49-69-90552-104 fax Associate Publisher International Sales Petra Hütte phuette@modplas.com Italy Ferruccio Silvera +39 02 284 6716 ferruccio@silvera.it Japan Katsuhiro Ishii +81-3-5691-3335 amskatsu@dream.com China, Taiwan & Hong Kong Rudy Teng +(886-2) 2799-3110 rudy_teng@hintoninfo.com Korea Young Beck +82-2-2273-4818, 4819 ymedia@chol.net CORPORATE OFFICE Canon Communications LLC 11444 W. Olympic Blvd., Ste. 900 Los Angeles, CA 90064-1549 USA +1 310-445-4200 +1 310-445-4299 fax Chairman & CEO Charles McCurdy charles.mccurdy@cancom.com Sr. VP, Publishing Ron Wall ron.wall@cancom.com Sr. VP, Events Div. Kevin O’Keefe kevin.okeefe@cancom.com VP, Sales & Marketing Kevin O’Grady kevin.o’grady@cancom.com VP, Operations, Publishing Div. Roger Burg roger.burg@cancom.com Director, Circulation Sandra Martin sandra.martin@cancom.com CFO Daniel Koskovich daniel.koskovich@cancom.com CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com 6 JANUARY 2008 • MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE modplas.com 007_55548531_MW01 12/18/07 1:41 PM Page 7 CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com MW0801_008.ps 12/21/07 11:25 AM Page 8 EDITORIAL New year, new features Welcome to a new year, new s you will read within the articles in this issue, there is an awful lot of optimism in the industry right now, and that in spite of some obvious problems such as high energy costs and the related rising cost of plastics, a weak U.S. currency, a strong European common currency, and all of the rest that place high demands on a processor’s ability to react quickly to changing market conditions. A healthy dose of optimism always is helpful in contributing to a company’s success, and hopefully your outlook for 2008 is as positive as many of your contemporaries is. Our mission at MPW remains providing plastics processors around the world the technical and market information they need to better run their businesses, coupled with relevant news and insight. Beginning in this issue, you will notice some changes we have made in our ongoing effort to better meet this mission. Near the front of each issue, our As I See It opinion articles will now be in a Q&A format in which we ask questions of processors, moldmakers, or other industry experts. Continuing through the magazine, you’ll see that we have extended our Material Thoughts section to at least three pages in every issue. MPW has long been known as the industry’s best source of news and information on material developments, and we intend to build on that tradition. A challenges and opportunities, and also to some new features in your magazine. A few pages further in you’ll find, within our Product Watch section on new equipment, that each issue now includes a ‘Focus’ article highlighting recent developments on a specific type of machine. With this change we hope to help you better compare ‘apples to apples’ as you go about your capital equipment spend. In addition, this year we will begin publishing our Technology Bulletins, emailed to processors who have identified themselves as interested or active in a certain technology. Successful processors almost always are interested in processes beyond the ones they perform in their shops, and our magazine will continue to meet the demand for this broad-based look at the industry. These new Technical Bulletins will ‘drill down’ deeper to provide even more focused information on selected topics. Categories covered on at least a quarterly basis in separate Bulletins will include blowmolding and thermoforming, decoration/assembly and extrusion, and compounding and auxiliary equipment. Subscribers who have identified themselves as engaged in one of these activities will automatically receive the Bulletins (with an unsubscribe option, naturally); other interested readers can request their names be added to a subscription list for specific newsletters by emailing Jamie Quanbeck, our online editor, at jquanbeck@modplas.com. Another option is to subscribe for the newsletters via our website, where starting this month, the most current Tech Bulletins also will be posted. Among the many new opportunities and challenges certain to appear in 2008, we toss out our own challenge to those processors, students, and consultants who think they know a bit about plastics processing. Just as this year’s Summer Olympics in China will highlight the world’s top athletes, our own competition in the August issue will challenge the world’s plastics processing experts. Start training! Best wishes for a happy and profitable new year. Matt Defosse, Editor-in-Chief 8 JANUARY 2008 • MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE modplas.com 009_55548542_MW01 12/18/07 1:44 PM Page 9 CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com MW01_10_14_firstlook.qxd 12/18/07 1:57 PM Page 10 Industry News & Analysis FIRST LOOK In Brief Chemson ups U.S Ca/Zn Austrian PVC stabilizer supplier Chemson is expanding its capacity of calcium/zinc one-pack stabilizers at its Philadelphia site in the U.S., responding to what it says is growing demand for these. Tin stabilizers remain the standard for PVC in North America. Elsewhere, Ca/Zn or other non-lead alternatives are steadily replacing lead stabilizers. Argotec doubles space Film extruder Argotec Inc. (Greenfield, MA) will more than double its 56,000 ft2 of manufacturing space with the purchase of a 60,000-ft2 building located nearby. The company extrudes optical, medical, and weatherable films from two sites in Greenfield. Gulf eyes ME BOPP BOPP film processor Gulf Packaging Industries is expanding to meet Middle Eastern and export demand for the web, adding a 5-layer, 25,000tonnes/yr line at its site in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. A 32,000-tonnes/yr biax line will be added next year. Husky’s banner 2007 Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. (Bolton, ON) reports orders for preform molds and molding systems increased more than 13% in FY07 and were the highest in company history. “PET still accounts for only onethird of all beverage packaging, so there is room for more growth,” said Jeffrey MacDonald, Husky’s VP beverage packaging. Get more news: MPW’s e-Weekly Global industry news that’s fast, free, and easy! Go to modplas.com and click on ‘subscribe’. 10 JANUARY 2008 • Solvay sells PP compounding business to Basell Polyolefins supplier Basell (Hoofddorp, Netherlands) reinforced its North American polypropylene (PP) compounding presence with the acquisition of Solvay Engineered Polymers (SEP; Mansfield, TX), a division of The Solvay Group (Brussels, Belgium), which has shifted its plastics emphasis towards its Advanced Polymers unit and high-performance materials. According to Solvay, SEP’s annual sales make up less than 2% of the turnover for the entire group, which, through the first nine months of 2007, was €7.206 billion. In 2001, SEP sold its PP production capabilities, so that for the last six years it focused solely on compounding PP in Mansfield and Grand Prairie, TX. It also has an automotive applications center in Auburn Hills, MI, and sales offices in Canada, Mexico, Germany, and China. SEP’s material portfolio includes grades for injection molding, thermoforming, and sheet and profile extrusion. Basell has North American polyolefin production in Jackson, TN, with base polymer production in Lake Charles, LA and Bayport, TX. On Nov. 20, Basell and Lyondell shareholders voted to accept a merger of the polymer and chemical giant, which was proposed initially on July 16. The new business will be called LyondellBasell Industries. TPE/TPV moves: PolyOne buys GLS, and Santoprene expands Compounding power PolyOne (Cleveland, OH) acquired specialty thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) supplier GLS Corp. (McHenry, IL). Terms of the deal between the publicly traded PolyOne and privately owned GLS were not disclosed, but a release stated that GLS generates approximate annual sales of $130 million and has posted double-digit revenue growth in each of the last 10 years. GLS, which has 200 employees, supplies five standard TPE product lines from McHenry and a Suzhou, China facility that opened in 2006. GLS recently launched a new family of TPEs based on Dow Chemical’s Infuse olefin block copolymers (OBC) and also partners with Kraton Polymers and BASF on alloys. In addition to purging compounds, colorants, and additives for TPEs, PolyOne has existing TPE capacity and formerly had a presence in thermoset elastomers, but sold it to an investor group led by Lion Chemical Capital LLC and ACI Capital Co. Inc., which subsequently changed the name to Excel Polymers. MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE GLS’ materials see use in a broad range of products. Following a string of divestments—the most recent being the July 6 sale of its 24% interest in Oxy Vinyls LP to Occidental Chemical Corp.—the GLS deal marks PolyOne’s first acquisition since modplas.com MW01_10_14_firstlook.qxd 12/18/07 1:57 PM Page 11 FIRST LOOK its restructuring began. PolyOne had 2006 revenues of $2.6 billion. Meanwhile, in order to support the company’s growing base of customers in China, ExxonMobil Chemical’s Santoprene business now sells a full portfolio of thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV) in Renminbi, the Chinese currency. Materials warehoused in China are supplied from ExxonMobil’s production sites in Baton Rouge, La.; Notre Dame de Gravenchon, France; Cologne, Germany; Newport, Wales; and Pensacola, FL. In addition, ExxonMobil announced it would build a second major petrochemical complex in Singapore, including a 300,000-tons/yr specialty elastomers unit. Equipolymer expands European PET presence Swiss supplier Equipolymer will increase the capacity of its Ottana, Italy polyeth- ylene terephthalate (PET) production site by 150,000 tonnes/yr to 485,000 tonnes. With that new capacity, Equipolymer, a joint venture formed in 2004 between Dow Chemical and the Kuwait Petroleum Corp., will become the largest PET supplier in Europe. In addition to Italy, Equipolymer has manufacturing in Schkopau, Germany, with company headquarters in Horgen, Switzerland. The Ottana operation, which is located on the island of Sardinia, is the company’s third PET production facility site. In Germany, the company’s facilities have annual capacities of 160,000 and 175,000 tonnes. The current leading European supplier of PET, Spanish supplier La Seda de Barcelona, earlier this summer acquired the European PET bottle blowmolding and preform molding operations of Australian packaging group Amcor Ltd. for €425 million. KM nails first SkinForm sale Plastics processing machinery manufacturer KraussMaffei (Munich, Germany) announced in late November that, during October’s K show, Korean automotive components supplier IL Kwang Pictured after the order are (l to r) Dietmar Straub (CEO KraussMaffei), K.S. Lee (director of IL Kwang’s advanced R&D center), and Manfred Reichel (a KM director and leader of its extruder business). CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com modplas.com MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 11 MW0801_012.ps 12/21/07 11:25 AM Page 12 Industry News & Analysis FIRST LOOK ordered what will be the first SkinForm processing cell for commercial parts. IL Kwang supplies the Hyundai/Kia Group. The SkinForm system supplied to it will include an inline compounding extruder, a KM 2300-14000 spin-platen injection molding machine, the patented SkinForm process, and two KraussMaffei robots. Interior trim components with softtouch surfaces will be processed. Thermoplastic substrates are first injection molded, using material compounded inline, and then PUR mixing heads affixed to the mold cover defined areas of the substrate with abrasion-proof, soft-touch surfaces. Processors can vary the size, thickness, and tactility of the coating in different areas as part of the same process, and without changing machine settings. The skin’s color can be changed from shot to shot. Matrix builds blowmolding site Matrix Packaging is opening a new extrusion blowmolding operation in St. Louis, MO for processing of household chemical and personal care bottles. Matrix, a division of packaging firm Sonoco (Hartsville, SC), reports the 150,000-ft2 facility initially will house six extrusion blowmolding machines and employ 75 workers. Matrix also plans to add three new blowmolding machines to sites in Canada, Los Angeles, and Jefferson City, MO before the end of the year. Earlier this summer, Sonoco paid $210 million cash to purchase Matrix Packaging Inc. (Mississauga, ON; MPW First Look, July 2007). Matrix operates six facilities between the U.S. and Canada, employing 860, and in addition to extrusion blowmolding, it performs injection stretch blowmolding and injection molding. [ On the record ] “The euro is a nightmare.” Robert Knaster, director of U.S. sales for Italian injection molding machine maker NPM Plastic Metal. “The U.S. market (for biaxial orientation equipment) is a continuing good market, but only for some specialty biax films and not commodities, while Russian demand has declined over the years due to saturation. China remains the real growth area.” Ludwig Eckart, COO sales/project management, at German tenter-frame builder Brückner Maschinenbau. "While orders amounting to around €7 million were placed during K 2004, this time we can look back on an order volume of some €16 million from (K 2007)." Gerhard Wendelin, CEO and managing partner of Austrian recycling equipment maker Erema. bilizers, UV absorbers, heat stabilizers, plasticizers, lubricants, surface coatings, and other chemicals. In September 2006, Songwon announced it would begin direct market- 12 JANUARY 2008 • Azdel sold to Korea’s Hanwha Hanwha Living & Creative (L&C) Corp. (Seoul), a diversified Korean supplier of building products, PVC compounds, plastic sheet/film, and other B&C-related products, has acquired Lynchburg, VAbased Azdel Inc. Terms were not disclosed. Azdel was a 50/50 joint venture of plastics supplier GE Plastics (now Sabic Innovative Plastics) and glass-fiber supplier PPG Industries. Both founders have agreed to long-term supply agreements for Azdel, which makes semifinished composites that can be, for example, thermoformed for use on trains, planes, or automobiles. Azdel’s products will continue to be marketed using the Azdel brand. In addition to its long-term agreement to supply thermoplastics to Azdel, Sabic IP also will work with Azdel on R&D. Johnson Controls buys former Visteon site Songwon plans European expansion With plans in place to create a worldscale European facility in 2008, Korean additives supplier Songwon (Ulsan) and German compounder W. Zink GmbH (Jettingen-Scheppach) announced a cooperative arrangement for one-pack systems (OPS). Songwon supplies antioxidants, light sta- ing of its additives to customers outside of Asia; previously it relied on Clariant to distribute its materials ex-Asia. Since then the company opened Songwon International-India (Mumbai) in August 2007, as well as a European headquarters in Frauenfeld, Switzerland and U.S. headquarters in Houston, TX. In addition, the company added a second antioxidant production facility and extended its product range. Songwon’s Dieter Morath and Irina Pavlova, MD of BPC Chemical Technologies, which will distribute Songwon’s additives in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus and CIS countries. The supplier plans further expansion of its reach. MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE Tier One automotive supplier Johnson Controls will purchase Ford Motor Co.’s Saline, MI injection molding site. The 1.6-million-ft2 operation had been rolled into Ford’s Automotive Components Holdings (ACH) interiors business, which was used to collect together operations that former Ford business Visteon had divested. In 2005, the companies signed a definitive agreement that shifted approximately 24 North American facilities from Visteon to an entity managed by Ford. The plastics processing site that Johnson Controls will buy has a product mix that includes instrument panels, full cockpits, door panels, door trim, and consoles. The deal will close if a new collective modplas.com 013_55548525_MW01 12/18/07 1:41 PM Page 13 The Secret To Ending Your Static Problems! Prevent Shocks, Jamming, Tearing and Static Cling! Super Ion Air Knife The Super Ion Air Knife™ produces a laminar sheet of airflow that floods an area or surface with static eliminating ions. The shockless design requires only 2 SCFM of compressed air per foot of length at 5 PSIG. • Effective up to 20 feet • Compact, rugged, easy to install One thing is certain - when the temperature outside drops and humidity plummets, static electricity problems are sure to make bad things happen. A static discharge can be painful, not only to the person who gets zapped but also to those who deal with the associated production headaches. You can expect: • • • Webs and films to cling to themselves • • Electronic sensors to fail, making false readings • Materials to tear, jam or curl Hazardous sparks or shocks Product clinging to itself, rollers, machine beds Dust attraction to ruin surface finishes Charged conductors (like metals) discharge completely when grounded. Insulators (like plastics) don't conduct. Grounding machinery by using carbon brushes or by installing grounded tinsel will have little effect on these surfaces. Ionizing Bar EXAIR Ionizing Bars eliminate static cling on paper, film and plastics that can attract dust and foreign materials, ruin product appearance, produce tears or jamming, and zap personnel. • Many lengths available from stock • Compact, rugged design for industrial use EXAIR manufactures a complete line of static eliminators to remedy common static problems. For applications involving high speeds, large surfaces or complex geometries, the best choice is our Super Ion Air Knife with its curtain of laminar airflow. It provides the best performance of all ionizers and is effective up to 20 feet away. Other styles include the Ion Air Cannon, Ion Air Gun, and Ion Air Jet. All use our engineered airflow products to minimize air use and noise while delivering maximum results by moving more static eliminating ions to the product surface. There are applications where airflow might disturb the product. For these cases, EXAIR's Ionizing Bars and Ionizing Point don't require airflow and can neutralize the charge when mounted within a couple of inches of the surface. All Power Supplies are UL Listed to U.S. and Canadian safety standards. All Static Control Products are UL Component Recognized to U.S. and Canadian safety standards. Ion Air Gun EXAIR's Ion Air Gun eliminates and removes static, contaminants, and dust from three-dimensional parts prior to assembly, packaging, painting or finishing. • Fast static decay rates with low compressed air consumption • Effectively eliminates static at distances up to 15 feet Ionizing Point EXAIR's Ionizing Point is a compact, single point ionizer ideal for winding, rewinding or slitting operations. • High concentration of positive and negative ions for fast static decay • Can be duct mounted to neutralize static charges due to moving air or materials Can't Find the Source of the Static? EXAIR's Model 7905 Digital Static Meter allows easy one-hand static measurements for locating the source and severity of your static problem. Sensitive and responsive, it indicates the surface voltage and polarity on objects up to ±20 kV when measured one inch (25mm) away. It features a push button "hold" for readings and has an automatic "power off". It comes complete with a hard-shell case and calibration certificate traceable to NIST (National Institute Of Standards And Technology). CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com Ion Air Cannon EXAIR's Ion Air Cannon is ideal for those hard to reach spaces or confined areas that require a concentrated flow of static eliminating ions. • Cleans and neutralizes static electricity at distances up to 15 feet (4.6m) • Rapid static decay with low air consumption If you would like to discuss an application, contact: 11510 Goldcoast Drive Cincinnati, Ohio 45249-1621 (800) 903-9247/fax: (513) 671-3363 www.exair.com/55/470.htm MW01_10_14_firstlook.qxd 12/26/07 1:57 PM Page 14 Industry News & Analysis FIRST LOOK bargaining agreement between Johnson Controls and the United Auto Workers can be reached. From the original 24 sites, ACH now has 11 plants and employs approximately 11,000 hourly and salaried employees. and then drying in order to form complex automotive parts. This foam, based on melamine, is lightweight (with a density of about 9 kg/m3), flame-resistant and sound absorbent, and can be employed at temperatures up to 200°C (392°F). Toyota leads with thermoformable thermoset foam Site helps processors link to datasheets Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corp. is the first in that country to specify Basotect TG thermoformable thermoset foam for use in a Japanese-made car, according to BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany), the supplier of the material, which was introduced in 2006. Toyota is using the material for the engine hood covers in its Lexus LS series cars. Basotect TG can be formed under heat and eliminates the previous step required to process this material, which required impregnation with adhesives, pressing, Plastic materials information manager IDES (Laramie, WY) now offers processors and others a tool to add links to technical plastic material datasheets from their websites. IDES updates its Prospector database of 70,500 plastic material datasheets weekly. IDES says adding links to summary datasheets is easy to do, allowing website owners to copy and paste code from the IDES website onto their site. The html code and a short demonstration video are available on the IDES website at: http://www.ides.com/search. Clariant growing Latin America presence Clariant Masterbatches (Muttenz, Switzerland) acquired the product inventory, equipment, and business portfolio of Columbian masterbatcher MasterAndino and will continue manufacturing at the existing MasterAndino plant until early in 2008, when both operations will be merged in a newly constructed Clariant Masterbatches facility in Cota, on the outskirts of Bogotá. Earlier this year, Clariant purchased PlastiColor S.A., a producer of color masterbatches in Guatemala City, Guatemala. In Chile, a greenfield plant opened in December 2006 in Maipú, near Santiago. In Brazil, Clariant Masterbatches expanded capacity at its site in Suzano, just east of the city of São Paulo. Three new masterbatch lines are being installed along with an automated materials handling system. Elegance Don’t compromise on quality. www.gabriel-chemie.com Premium Masterbatches for Superb Products. For further information please contact: cosmetics@gabriel-chemie.com CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com 14 JANUARY 2008 • MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE modplas.com 015_55548513_MW01 12/18/07 1:41 PM Page 15 11th Annual World Congress ® 8 DUBAl Dubai, U. A.E., April (6)–7– 8–9, 2008 Plastic Processing, Applications, Markets Al-Azzaz Establishment (KSA) Albemarle Middle East (FZE) (UAE) APPC – Advanced Polypropylene Co. (KSA) Basell Polyolefine GmbH (DE) Basell Polyolefine GmbH (DE) Basell Polyolefine GmbH (DE) Basell Polyolefins NV (BE) Borealis GmbH (AT) Borouge Pte Ltd. (SG) Borouge Pte Ltd. (SG) Borouge Pte Ltd. (UAE) Cabot Plastics Ltd. (GB) Chemtura Manufacturing UK Ltd. (GB) Ciba Specialty Chemicals (BH) Ciba Specialty Chemicals (BH) Clariant International Ltd. (CH) Coperion Werner & Pfleiderer GmbH (DE) Evonik Degussa GmbH (DE) Friatec AG (DE) GSE Lining Technology (EG) Impact Laboratories Ltd. (GB) K-Tron (Switzerland) Ltd. (CH) Maack Business Services (CH) Maack Business Services (CH) Maack Business Services (CH) Milliken Europe N.V. (BE) NATPET – Ntl. Petrochem. Ind. Co. (KSA) Rowad National Plastic Ltd. (KSA) SABIC – Saudi Basic Ind. Corp. (KSA) SABIC – Saudi Basic Ind. Corp. (KSA) SABIC – Saudi Basic Ind. Corp. (KSA) SABIC – Saudi Basic Ind. Corp. (KSA) SABIC – Saudi Basic Ind. Corp. (KSA) SABIC Innovative Plastics (NL) Siemens AG (DE) Songwon International AG (CH) Table-Top Exposition Hospitality Function Rooms Group Discussion Panels Changing Petrochemical Horizon ME Region FR, AO and Curing Additives A New Player in the PP Market – Project Update Enhanced Value of PE Speciality Products Global Trends in Polyolefins Trends in Polyolefin Piping Systems Packaging Solutions – Basell Technologies PP Sewage Standardization and Durability The Global Water Challenge PP for Film Applications PP Advancement in Thin Wall Packaging Specialty Carbon Blacks for Plastic Pipes Novel Liquid Anti-Oxidants for Packaging Polyolefin Stabilisation in Pipe Applications Engineering Polymer Additivation Antirodent Masterbatches: Pipe / W+C Applications Developments in Compounding Technologies Industrial Pipes from Nylon 12 Jointing & Repair Gas/ Water Pipe Networks HDPE Geomembrane Structure Sealing Assuring Structural Integrity in PE Dosing and Conveying Solutions Value Added Applications Review High Volume Engineering Plastics Global Review Major Thermoplastics Polyolefin Nucleation & Clarification Facts and Figures PC & PMMA Sheets for Construction Industry Specialty Products Business in ME/AF SABIC – Polypropylene, Partner for Growth SABIC’s PE Competitive Advantages Polycarbonate – SABIC's Latest Product A Global Perspective of Polymers SABIC Innovative Plastics Introduction Distributed Control System for Polyolefins Innovation in Polymer Stabilisation Plastics Consultant and Congress Organizer: MAACK BUSINESS SERVICES Maack & Scheidl Partnership Plastics Technology and Marketing CH-8804 Au/near Zürich, Switzerland MAJOR SPONSOR: Tel: +41-44-781 30 40 Fax: +41-44-781 15 69 E-mail: MBSpolymer@bluewin.ch GLOBAL CONFERENCES, STUDIES, PROJECTS CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com www.MBSpolymer.com MW01_16_17_AsIseeit.qxd 12/18/07 2:01 PM Page 16 AS I SEE IT Q&A with Jack Shedd By Clare Goldsberry Whether the processing operation is family-owned or not, the guidance for success is the same: Be better, smarter, and faster than ever before. ack Shedd’s career in the plastics industry has spanned 27 years and a variety of companies, and it paints an interesting historical picture of the U.S. plastics processing industry during its heyday of the 1980s and 1990s, and also through the challenges of the 21st century. In 1980, Shedd began his plastics career in sales with GE Plastics. In the early 1990s he moved to the “other side of the fence” and took a marketing/sales position with Mulay Plastics, a long-time family-held custom injection molding company that had just been sold to an investment group as the family exited the business. After fulfilling his mandate at Mulay to grow the company’s business and expand into new markets, Shedd joined Kamco Plastics, another privately held injection molder that has been in operation since its founding in 1972. There his goals also focused on business development. On November 15, Kamco announced that it had been acquired by KPI Holding Com- J pany. Also in November, Shedd assumed the duties of director of sales and marketing for Hoffer Plastics (South Elgin, IL), a well-known, family-owned custom injection molder led by second-generation President Bill Hoffer, whose daughters Gretchen and Charlotte also hold leadership roles in the company. MPW: You’ve worked at a number of companies during your career, from a huge multinational to smaller familyowned, privately held ones. You’ve also seen the transition of molders from privately held to investment-banker ownership. Why this recent move to another family-owned molding company? Shedd: I always said if there was ever another injection molding company I’d go to work for, Hoffer Plastics would be the one I’d pick—not knowing that one day I’d get the opportunity. Bob Hoffer, the founder of the company, was a dynamic individual and what he created here at Hoffer is a dynamic company. Hoffer is famous in our industry for building one of the premier custom molding companies in the United States. Hoffer has been an industry leader for 54 years, and the family wants to continue that. The Hoffer charter is to build the business with sustaining value for our customers and for the Hoffer generations of the future. MPW: Lightweighting, thinning of wall sections to reduce weight and cut material costs, and so on: How do you see that impacting both plastics suppliers and molders? Shedd: From the resin side, thinner, lighter, and smaller products in almost every industry will drive down consumption and reduce the number of pounds used. But from the molder’s standpoint, there’s still a huge amount of conversion opportunities from metal to plastics. At Hoffer, that’s what we go after—assemblies of multiple metal components that we can consolidate with a more robust and cost-effective plastic design. That’s where some of the real opportunities still lie. We also specialize in taking plastic assemblies, molding very close tolerance parts, and feeding them into elaborate assembly equipment that reduces costs and save jobs. We’re heavily into industrial design for ergonomics, design for differentiation, and design for reduced cost to manufacture. There are some good opportunities in plastics right now for molders who can provide this. MPW: Where do processors stand in today’s global market where competitive issues are increasingly tough? Shedd: In today’s market custom molders need to be better, smarter, and faster than ever before. They need really good discipline in their business models, and need to Stepping into the role of director of sales and marketing for Hoffer Plastics, Jack Shedd moved back to a family-owned custom processing operation following stints with Mulay Plastics and Kamco plastics. Beginning his career with GE Plastics in 1980, Shedd has seen the best and worst of times for the U.S. plastics industry—from both sides of the fence. 16 JANUARY 2008 • MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE modplas.com MW0801_017.ps 12/21/07 11:26 AM Page 17 Jack Shedd run their businesses more efficiently than ever before. Hoffer is a phenomenal model in how to run a large, custom molding facility efficiently and profitably. MPW: Can you explain that model? Shedd: When Hoffer Plastics really began to take off during those growth years in the 1960s, Bob Hoffer recognized that there was such as thing as “too big” for a custom molding plant. He believed that in order to be run efficiently and profitably, a molding plant should not have more than 12 presses. He developed a model that created a new division when that 12-press limit was reached. Today, there are eight manufacturing facilities of 12 presses each within 360,000 ft2 in the Elgin facility. Each facility has its own P&L, tooling support, management, and etcetera. Each is their own little entity, plus each one is a focused plant; focused on specific markets and specific customers. What’s really cool about all of this is that the company has a global customer base of some of the biggest and best in the Fortune 500 and 100 category, and we did it all without having to be in China or Mexico. However, that said, we realize that going global is the next step. MPW: Can family-owned molding companies make it today? If so, how? Shedd: Family-owned companies need critical mass. There’s a certain niche in which some molders can be a certain size, and kind of hang out there and make a living. But eventually, if they expect to grow their businesses and staff them with design, industrial, and tooling engineers, they have to have a sustainable program in place. They need to be diversified and versatile, and have a broad base of customers that allow them to weather the storm. We have a really great diversity of markets, as well, that include caps and closures, consumer, automotive, medical, and building products. Molders today need diversity of markets. MPW: What’s the biggest change you’ve seen over your career? Shedd: The way the global economy keeps driving manufacturing toward the most efficient producers, whether that’s on the resin producer side or the custom modplas.com molding side. Years ago, you may have had less competition and were able to enjoy greater margins. Today, we’re all required to supply the most efficiently manufactured products. We have to get cost out. To do that requires that we have disciplines in place and operate within those, or we won’t be successful. Customers today cannot afford a supply chain mired in poor quality, high scrap, or with delivery issues. They need the efficiencies like ours has. We make plastic molding look easy. MPW CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 17 MW01_18_23_TT.qxd 12/18/07 1:59 PM Page 18 PRO TECH TRENDS PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY TECH TRENDS: p. 18 Cutting weight in packaging; Plus, additive packages mate with bioresins; bioresins at K; DuPont’s new entries. From TuLiP to Slim: Got to lose weight By Matt Defosse If you’re a packaging processor, then the pressure is always on to reduce weight without compromising properties. Sometimes, as in this MATERIAL THOUGHTS : p. 24 Easy-to-handle pigments from Huntsman benefit processors; Plastic and wood combine easily with Structol’s processing aid; Fiat selects scratchresistant Borealis material for bumpers; and more. PRODUCT WATCH: p. 27 WikertMaschinenbau offers cleanroom-friendly compression molder; Largest packaging machine unveiled from Sandretto; Zeppelin’s chopper valve keeps process lines flowing; and more. Product Focus: Material handling innovations 18 JANUARY 2008 • utobar Packaging Group, one of Europe’s largest rigid plastics packaging processors, was one of the few processors to make the cut in the early years of this decade when food and consumer goods giant Unilever starting slashing away at the number of suppliers it wanted. For example, between 2000 and 2003, just for one product—margarine tubs and lids—the firm reduced its supplier base from 12 to three. In 2001 Autobar began work on its Tubs and Lids Project (TuLiP) for Unilever, with the ultimate goal to see how much weight could be taken out of its dairy packaging. The answer: quite a bit. The TuLiP project led to a weight reduction for 500g margarine/dairy containers from 17g to 15g. Inmold labels, also from Autobar, were reduced from a 75-µm thickness down to only 50 µm. Swiss manufacturer Netstal (Näfels) supplied the 550-tonne machines devoted to A MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE case, the journey takes a few years. And sometimes you even cut capital spending while raising your output. forming some 150 million of the containers annually at Autobar’s facility in Regensburg, Germany (March 2003 MPW, p. 44). But good processors only stay that way if they always work to improve, so Autobar began its next weight-cutting project, this one called Slim (Super Light Injection Molding). The Slim project has been in the works for some time but has largely remained out of the limelight since then (though mentioned briefly in MPW’s December 2006 market update on packaging). The limelight shone brightly on Slim, however, at October’s K show, where Dairy tubs get Slim: To reach its goals, Autobar went with Netstal’s machines, its own inmold labels, and the MuCell microcellular foaming process. modplas.com MW01_18_23_TT.qxd 12/18/07 1:59 PM Page 19 PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY Netstal had its new Evos 350 hybrid electric/hydraulic press processing ‘Slim’ containers. “People came here immediately after seeing the Slim project at the Netstal booth,” said David Bernstein, president and CEO of Trexel (Woburn, MA), in an interview at his company’s stand during the K show. Trexel licenses and develops MuCell, the microcellular foaming process that Autobar stipulated should be incorporated into Netstal machines supporting its Slim project. MuCell microcellular foaming, in which a heated gas under pressure is Trexel’s David Bernstein: blended with the plastic melt plan on MuCell from the start and the benefits are and injected, reduces melt much greater, he says. viscosity, leading to quicker cycles, while also saving package weight even as package properties such as top load strength are retained. In addition, processors can save on their capital equipment outlays, as smaller processing machines, with less pressure and clamp force, are suitable. “Autobar designed the (Slim) package from the start with MuCell in mind, and that’s why they’ve had such great success with it,” explained Bernstein. “You double the benefit of the technology if you plan to use it from the first day.” Bernstein advises any processor considering MuCell to do exactly that: plan for it from a project’s birth to reap full benefit. The benefits of such planning are many, he says, and include lower costs and time saved on mold trials. “If you’re planning on MuCell from the start, you’re reasonably assured of having a mold qualified to spec more quickly,” he says. Plus, a processor can plan from the start on investing in a smaller press. “‘Realistic’ is that you’d get away with a 600-tonne press instead of a 1000-tonne machine,” Bernstein says. Less weight, lighter presses, nice job For Autobar, the Slim project is proving a winner as it was able to reduce package weight by another 6%, while maintaining sufficient top-load strength and stack resistance, keeping customers happy. Autobar also was able to switch processing from its 550-tonne machines to 15 other Netstal machines it owned that are sized just 385 tonnes. The polypropylene Slim tubs also include thinner (now just 38 µm) in-mold labels, five per tub, converted by the processor at its sister facility in France. Partnering on the display running at the K show were moldmaker Plastisud (Castelnaudary), which also supplied Autobar with its molds, and automation specialist Machines Pagès (Foncine Le Haut, both France). modplas.com Ye a r s of technology GEARBOXES FOR SINGLE-SCREW EXTRUDERS GEARBOXES FOR COROTATING AND COUNTER-ROTATING TWIN SCREW EXTRUDERS GEARBOXES FOR ELECTRIC INJECTION MOULDING MACHINES Sede Centrale / Head Office & Factory v i a M a n z o n i , 4 6 - 2 0 0 2 0 M A G N A G O ( M I ) - I T A LY Te l . + 3 9 0 3 3 1 3 0 7 6 1 6 - F a x : + 3 9 0 3 3 1 3 0 9 5 7 7 e - m a i l : i n f o @ z a m b e l l o . i t - h t t p : / / w w w. z a m b e l l o . i t SWITZERLAND Office: (for Switzerland, German, Austrian market) CH-8840 Einsiedeln - Phone: +41-55-4221340 E-mail : roth-partner@bluewin.ch CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 19 MW01_18_23_TT.qxd 12/18/07 2:00 PM Page 20 PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY PRO TECH TRENDS Meanwhile, Trexel’s Bernstein says processors will soon have an even greater choice of materials optimized to benefit from Mucell processing. So far, France’s Rhodia offers nylon grades optimized for the process, as does ExxonMobil’s Santoprene division with MuCell-specific thermoplastic elastomers, and Ticona is optimizing a longglass-fiber-reinforced PP for the process. Hard at work, Bernstein says, is a supplier of thermoplastic olefins (TPO) on optimizing its material for the process, and he expects soon to see HMS-PP and PET grades similarly offered. Additive packages mate with bioplastics By Robert Colvin Steve Duckworth (from left) and Chris Pandis from Clariant International believe their RENOL-natur color masterbatches, used in the biodegradable pen they are holding, fits the bill since the colors come from plants and insects. The pen is processed from Novamont’s Mater-Bi starch-based biopolymer. Bioplastics are finding increased interest, especially as a marketing tool, for packaging organically grown fruits, vegetables, and other food stuffs. Other segments including medical devices and electronics are also showing interest. For instance, although in Germany only 0.1% of the total plastics wrap is made of bioplastics, the country’s association of plastics packaging and film producers, IK (Bad Homburg), expects the sector to take off, says Jörg Söhngen, chairman of the IK’s study group, Bioplastics. Arkema’s Biostrength impact-modifier and melt-strength-enhancer family targets PLA This awakening along with increased food-packaging applications. supplies of bioplastics has spurred interest among additives producers to supply and additive packages is also finding elematerials that are suitable for these new are not so environmentally friendly.” When these materials are composted, vated interest among the electronics indusresins. “Biopolymers like polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoate, polyhy- the polymers may break down to their nat- try, especially in Japan, not mainly for comdroxybutyrate, polybutylene succinate, ural components, but not the oil-based col- postability as in the packaging sector, but polybutylene adipate co-terephthalate, orants and additives. He claims interna- to show more concern about leaving a and starch blends are much in demand,” tional packaging concerns and retailers smaller footprint on the environment. His company recently came out with says Chris Pandis, global head of packag- such as Marks & Spencer and Wal-Mart ing at Clariant International (Muttenz, are driving the biodegradable trend today its RENOL-natur color masterbatches, Switzerland). “However, until now, users and using this as a marketing tool. Steve derived from plants and insects, targeting of these green polymers have had to rely Duckworth, head of marketing for con- bioploymers that it says are guaranteed on conventional [fossil fuel-based, non- sumer goods at Clariant, says the interest in to break down when the end-product is organic] colorants and carrier resins that such environmentally-friendly polymers composted. It also developed CESA20 JANUARY 2008 • MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE modplas.com MW01_18_23_TT.qxd 12/18/07 2:00 PM Page 21 PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY TECH TRENDS Based on renewable materials such as flowers and insects, Clariant Masterbatches’ RENOL-natur color masterbatches complement environmentally friendly biopolymers. XYMARA pigments, based on mica, are said to be suitable for many bioplastics applications. extend, a chain-extender additive masterbatch to overcome some PLAs’ low-meltviscosity problems. Clariant worked with PLA producer NatureWorks (Minnetonka, MN) and a thermoformer on developing this product that Pandis sees in high demand for foamed, thermoformed meat trays. Late last summer additive producer Rohm and Haas (Philadelphia, PA) launched an impact modifier aimed to broaden the usage of PLA by making it stronger without sacrificing clarity. Paraloid BPM500 disperses clay nano-particles that do not scatter light and permits PLA packaging to have only a 10% haze value at 5% loadings, says Suzanne M. Carroll, packaging marketing manager at the company. “It is important for additive technology to be in-step with bioplastic material development so that necessary performance criteria can be achieved,” she says. Resins and additives manufacturer Arkema (Paris, France) agrees and Stéphane Girois, market development manager, points to its recently introduced Biostrength impact modifier for PLA. The resin, he says, has a lot of deficiencies such as brittleness, low heat-distortion temperature, poor melt strength, shear sensitivity, modplas.com and high melt stickiness. He says the bioplastics market is growing at 25%/yr and has a high potential of replacing commodity packaging resins such as nylon, vinyl, polyester, polystyrene and polyethylene in many applications. Grade 150 is a methacrylate-butadiene-styrene-based modifier that leads to highest impact within the family while acrylic modifier grade 130 provides good transparency. Girois says loadings of only 4% of Biostrength 700 melt-strength enhancer will double PLA’s melt strength while maintaining good transparency. It also minimizes the need for pre-drying. The only problem, which Arkema doesn’t see as a problem, is that the additive is oil-based and not degradable during composting. Because of the low addition level, Girois says Biostrength should nevertheless have a very low environmental footprint. Also on the market are OnColor Bio color masterbatches, OnCap Bio additive masterbatches, and SmartBatch Bio color and additive masterbatches combined in one palette formulation from PolyOne (Cleveland, OH). All are based on biopolymer carriers (PLA, BASF’s Ecoflex, or starch compounds), says PolyOne, and can be dosed into biodegradable polymers without equipment readjustment. The company sees stretch and shrink films, netting, trays, plant pots, bottles, and waste bags as applications with the biggest potential. The OnCap Bio additive masterbatch range can include antiblock, antistatic, mold release, slip, UV barrier, and UV stabilizer properties. Not all of these materials are biodegradable, but are used in a way that the final application still qualifies as a biodegradable application in accordance with EU standard EN13432. OnColor Bio Colorants are being used in a new line of plastics toys from Green Toys, set to come onto the market by mid-year. Some producers like Chemtura (West Lafayette, IN) are looking at their new green line of additives for existing oil-based polymers and considering whether they have potential for biodegradable resins. Mark Chrisman, VP global sales polymer additives at the company, points to its recently debuted Weston NPF705 organophosphite stabilizer used for stabilization of polyethylene, vinyl, and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). Chemtura is considering what role this new additive could play in biopolymers. The company is currently researching this possibility and expects results later this year. Currently NPF705 is seen as a cost-effective and greener alternative to TNPP secondary antioxidant since it MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 21 MW01_18_23_TT.qxd 12/18/07 2:00 PM Page 22 PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY TECH TRENDS BASF’s Ultramid Balance PA 6.10 is based on castor-oil-derived is nonylphenol-free. sebacic acid. Marc Dumont, global marketing head, coating effects in the business unit plastics at Ciba Specialty Chemicals (Basel, Switzerland), says the company’s micabased XYMARA pigments for plastics are suitable for biopolymers like PLA. During composting the mica won’t degrade, but, as a natural earth element, instead rejoins the soil without any negative effects. Bioresins took bloom during K Show October’s K Show was not explicitly about bioplastics, but evidence of these materials’ growing influence flourished at exhibitors’ stands. Here, just some of the bioplastics news we collected at the triennial event. By Stephen Moore and Tony Deligio Bioresin developments continue to branch out from polyolefin-style plastics and packaging into new resins, applications, and feedstocks, with multiple companies making announcements at the K Show for partially biobased thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU), and polyamides (PA). Evonik Degussa (Düsseldorf, Germany) plans to debut commercial biopolymer products in the next two-tothree years, according to Manfred Springer, a member of the management board who is responsible for the specialty materials business. The plastics supplier has been working on biobased sources for plastics for the past eight months under agreements with various parties, including academic researchers. Merquinsa (Barcelona), Arkema (Paris), BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany), and DuPont (Wilmington, DE) have launched or expanded new materials that have renewable content ranging from 40% to 100% by weight. For its partially biobased resin, BASF went back 50 years to retool a castor-oil technology and create Ultramid Balance PA 6.10. The material is based 60% on castor-oilderived sebacic acid and offers low density (compared to most polyamides), 22 JANUARY 2008 • low-temperature impact resistance, and good dimensional stability due to low water absorption. DuPont launched Hytrel TPE, Zytel long-chain PA, Biomax RS polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), Hytrel RS TPE, DuPont Selar VP breathable films, and Sorona EP, which is similar to polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). These apply bio-based 1,3 propanediol created at DuPont’s Loudon, TN joint venture with Tate & Lyle Bio Products. The new, renewably sourced grades of Zytel long-chain polyamides also are based on sebacic acid from castor oil. PA 10.10 is 100% renewably sourced and PA 6.10 is more than 60% renewably sourced. These flexible PAs are used where temperature resistance, low permeability, or mechanical properties are important. Part of the family is already commercially available with additional grades to be introduced in 2008. (More on DuPont’s efforts below.) Merquinsa announced what it says is the first TPUs and adhesive product lines made with renewable sources. Merquinsa Pearlthane and Pearlbond Eco grades are made from 40% to 95% (by weight) renewable resources, respectively. These new products utilize a proprietary technology and reportedly boast performance that’s equal to, or in some cases even better, than petroleum-based TPUs. Merquinsa’s Eco will be commercialized globally in the coming months, and a MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE full life-cycle assessment (LCA) is underway to provide full environmental data. Of Arkema’s new products at K, two are based on vegetable castor oil. Pebax Rnew TPEs are said to feature the same performance as petroleum-derived Pebax TPEs, while Platamid Rnew thermoplastic hot melt adhesives are said to function well even for very demanding bonding challenges. Arkema leveraged its expertise in renewable resource-based Rilsan polyamide 11 to develop the products. Arkema’s renewable materials-based product portfolio is developed and marketed under the Renewables label, which will apply to products involving at least 20% renewable origin. On the 100%-biobased front, Novamont (Novara, Italy) launched a MaterBi Nanostarch it says can improve performance in flexible films. The company also announced the expansion of manufacturing capacity at its Terni biorefinery to 60,000 tons of material in 2008. Attending its first K, Metabolix (Cambridge, MA), announced the award of a $2-million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, which it said it would use for its Integrated BioEngineered Chemicals (IBEC) program. DuPont expands renewably resourced plastics portfolio By Stephen Moore DuPont continues its progress in the development and launch of high-performance plastics made with renewable resources. The new offerings will contribute to the company’s goals of doubling revenues from renewable resource-based products to at least $8 billion by 2015. According to Nandan Rao, global technology leader for DuPont Performance Materials, research programs to develop materials based on renewable resources are paying off with new offerings that provide comparable or better performance than the petrochemicalbased materials they replace. Chief modplas.com MW01_18_23_TT.qxd 12/18/07 2:00 PM Page 23 TECH TRENDS among the new offerings are Sorona EP thermoplastic resins, Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomers, Biomax RS packaging resins and Selar VP breathable films. A key ingredient in Sorona EP is BioPDO made at the recently inaugurated DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products facility in Loudon, TN. Bio-PDO replaces petrochemical-based 1,3 propanediol (PDO) and/or 1,4-butanediol (BDO) in the two glass-reinforced grades of Sorona EP initially available. DuPont says Sorona EP offers performance advantages compared to polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), including improved dimensional stability and surface appearance. Sampling for targeted development programs is under way with broader availability expected in 2008. Hytrel RS incorporates DuPont Cerenol renewably sourced polyol made with BioPDO. Initial grades of Hytrel RS will have a renewable content range of 25-50%. Hytrel RS will offer comparable performance to DuPont’s Rao says plastics based on renewable resources provide comparable or better performance than the materials they replace. standard grades of Hytrel. Here also, sampling is underway, with broader availability expected in 2008. Biomax RS 1001 is a renewably sourced polytrimethyl terephthalate (PTT) aimed at rigid packaging applications such as injection molded containers, caps, and consumer items such as media cases, where it would replace polypropylene. Initial applications are targeted for cosmetics, food and consumer goods packaging. Biomax RS 1001 incorporates has a renewable content of 35% with Bio-PDO as the key ingredient. Selar VP is a renewably sourced breathable film, designed for use in applications where foods need to respire, such as fresh fish and produce. It is up to 40% renewably sourced with the incorporation of a vegetable-based fatty acid. In seafood applications, it provides a tightly sealed package for fresh fish versus the open, unsealed polyethylene bags commonly used today. In produce applications, it provides a completely sealed packaging alternative to microperforated films. MPW Test Development: Our experts can assist Plastics you in planning testing a program solutions or creating from new test Tinius methods to global Olsen. standards. Test Equipment: Hardware and software for tensile, flexure, compression, puncture/burst, shear, melt indexing, and impact testing of plastics. Test Support: Superior service from third-party accredited field (215) engineers. 675-7100 www.TiniusOlsen.com CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com modplas.com CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 23 MW01_24_26_matthoughts 12/18/07 1:57 PM Page 24 PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY MATERIAL THOUGHTS New TiO2 grade set to ease processors’ work Pouring a Deltio 5X TiO2 product (above) reveals a more consistent flow and less powder formation than in conventional grades (below), which tend to bridge and stick during transport and storage. RESINS/COMPOUNDS Material provides major advantages for processors Clearflex H&T CLH196 is said to be a high-performance hexene copolymer linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) specifically designed for production of super-power stretch cast films. Its comonomer distribution, produced by a Ziegler-Natta catalyst system, is said to be optimized to result in improved seability performance. Processed films from the material have high optical properties, low haze, good gloss, and low gel content. This grade is said to compete well against both metallocene LLDPE resins and ethylene-octene copolymers. It provides good pre-stretch performance for applications needing high holding force for firm security of pallet loads during transportation. It is claimed to be good for packaging irregularly shaped goods and has a puncture resistance of 1500 N/mm or 170 J/mm. 24 JANUARY 2008 • A family of titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments is designed to avoid caking, bridging, and sticking. Deltio 5X made its market debut late last year in Europe during the triennial K show. It promises to make material handling substantially easier, VP global sales Simon Turner told MPW at its launch. The material does not derive its easy-handling properties by means of a chemical coating process for the particles, but by a proprietary means of manufacturing. What this means for the processor is that the first in this new family should shorten clean-down times, improve metering, and reduce waste left in bags. Lower dusting levels can also improve the working environment, Turner says. “We’re not compromising with Deltio 5X on optics nor end product consistency,” he says. “We believe that step-change improvements in areas such as ease-of-use will result in real, measurable benefits for the processor.” The manufacturer considers this technology of such importance that it could eventually be used to replace existing product offerings. Turner admits Deltio 5X’s selling price is higher than the company’s classic Tioxide TiO2 pigment, but he believes customer-seen benefits will stimulate demand for the new product. Because of its easy-flow characteristic, it can enable output increases of more than 20%. Isabel Miles, the company’s technical service and development manager, says that some customers are having to hammer silos to get traditional TiO2 grades to keep from bridging, something that Deltio 5X is said not to require. Although this TiO2 grade is first available in Europe, it is expected to be marketed in Asia and the Americas soon. Polimeri Europa SpA, San Donato Milanese, Italy; +39 02 5201; www.polimerieuropa.com Wear-resistant compound improves pump performance This material proves to be a tough cookie A proprietary clay-based nanocomposite, nanoTUFF 9230, made via in-situ polymerization as a means of optimizing nanoclay exfoliation, allows thin-wall designs and an enhanced surface appearance. It also brings weight savings over traditional glass-fill or even so-called “super-tough” nylon grades. This material is said to be 57% stiffer than supertough nylons at medium impact. It can be specifically formulated for extrusion, injection-, or blowmolding, as well as thermoforming applications. The manufacturer can provide UV-stabilized and custom color grades. The material is typically used for chemical storage containers and rigid profiles. Nylon Corp. of America (NYCOA), Manchester, NH, U.S.A.; +1 603-627-5150; www.nycoa.com MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE Huntsman Pigments, Billingham, England; +44 1642-376811; www.huntsman.com Cyclaire bicycle pump technology took advantage of high-strength compounds to provide a robust, wear-resistant component. Initially, friction between the bearing and the die-cast zinc shaft caused the components to wear quickly. A custom RTP200 series nylon compound with aramid fiber and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) solved the problem of main bearing wear. It is a central part of the pull-cord system that includes a strap winding around a pulley that drives the main shaft. By switching from metal to the nylon compound, the aramid fiber increased wear resistance with minimal counter surface abrasion, while the PTFE provided friction reduction by facilitating internal lubrication and higher dynamic load-bearing capabilities. RTP Co., Winona, MN, U.S.A.; +1 507-454-6900; www.rtpcompany.com modplas.com MW01_24_26_matthoughts 12/18/07 1:57 PM Page 25 News & Developments Both interior and exterior parts of the Fiat Ducato van benefit from special PP properties. RESINS/COMPOUNDS PP meets demands of Fiat vehicle Italian automotive producer Fiat wanted to improve the scratch performance and overall aesthetics of selected interior and exterior components of its Ducato van. For the unpainted bumper where good scratch resistance was required, Italian Tier One molder Ergom selected this producer’s Daplen EE103AE, which, aside from offering the required scratch resistance, also provided the desired matte surface finish. This high-melt-flow polypropylene (PP) grade permitted Ergom to use existing processing technology for the bumper despite a large, complex, thin-walled, and grained surface area. The material’s low thermal expansion is said to minimize any temperature-related gaps from occurring between the part and chassis once assembled. Grade EE168AI was selected for the interior door cladding and armrest because it meets high scratch-resistance standards with low gloss and good dimensional stability. With these properties, Tier One molder Lear was able to offer Fiat both an aesthetically appealing, stabile door cladding that was also lightweight. Borealis, Vienna, Austria; +39 039 20421; www.borealisgroup.com Polymer bites back at pests UBESTA nylon 12 is liked for a number of its characteristics, but rats, mice, and termodplas.com mites don’t take a fancy to the resin. It is said to have good processability for thinwall applications to achieve smooth surfaces and stable mechanical properties. The material is characterized in sheathing applications by having low to no gel content. It has good chemical resistance and mechanical strength and surface hardness to prevent pests from biting cables. Weather and thermal resistance is said to be good. UBE America Inc., Ann Arbor, MI, U.S.A.; +1 734-302-3086; www.ube.com Polymer fights flames, smoke development Panlite LV2250Y polycarbonate includes a flame retardant and mold release for easier processing. Despite the addition of these two additive packages, the manufacturer says they do not impair the intrinsic transparency of the resin in injection molding applications. This grade targets electric, electronic, and business machine applications. It has medium viscosity. Moisture content is about 0.2% at room temperature so to obtain good molding results, it needs to be dried to a moisture content of 0.02% or lower. Molding temperature is 270-320°C. Teijin Chemicals Ltd., Tokyo, Japan; +81 3 35064776; www.teijinkasei.co.jp Bikers gear up for easier grip, shifting A racing bicycle that offers a gear shifter with comfortable grip but with enough friction so that riders do not lose hold is being offered in the Double Tape Road shifter processed by parts processor SRAM Corp. (Chicago, IL). The mechanism, produced from Santoprene-brand thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) 12150M100, mounts to the handlebar and becomes a structural portion that a rider holds while biking. It allows the rider to both change gears and brake. To accomplish a required balance between comfort and friction, SRAM processed a 2-mm-thick skin that covers most of the shifter. Under the skin is a structural member made of 50% glassfilled nylon that clamps to the handlebar. The skin has seven keys, some round, others more square, that engage key pockets in the structural member. The TPV is said to provide chemical resistance to diesel fuel used by raceteam mechanics to clean bikes. ExxonMobil Chemical, Houston, TX, U.S.A.; +1 330-849-5008; www.exxonmobil.com ADDITIVES/FILLERS Wood-filled goods benefit from agent Combining wood flour and polymer can be challenging, but these additive solutions help processors through a unique lubricating and filler wetting mechanism. Processing aids TPW 709 and 113 improve fiber dispersion with the melt, help balance the flow across the die, eliminate edge tearing, improve throughput, and reduce both torque and temperature. Grade 709 is a proprietary blend of nonmetal internal/external processing aids. It can be used with or without coupling agents at a lower dosage than competitive lubricants on the market, says the manufacturer. A dosage of 3-4% in high density polyethylene/wood applications is typical, while in polypropylene/wood formulas addition level is 1.2%. Grade 113 is a blend of complex, modified fatty acid esters. It serves as a functional lubricant package to provide good wetting and dispersion in a wide range of polymers. Dosage levels are 1-6% of the total compound weight depending on filler loading and process requirements. Struktol Co. of America, Stow, OH, U.S.A.; +1 330-928-5188; www.struktol.com MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 25 MW01_24_26_matthoughts 12/18/07 1:57 PM Page 26 PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY MATERIAL THOUGHTS ADDTIVES/FILLERS Agent keeps bacteria under strict control Vinyzene SB1 is an antimicrobial additive to protect polyolefins against fungal and bacterial attack. It also can be used in vinyl, polyurethane, and polymericbased composites. It offers broad-spectrum efficiency against mold, mildew, and bacteria in such applications as flexible films, foams, and wood/plastics composites. It includes 5% 10,10’-oxybisphenox-arisine (OBPA) active ingredient, and is delivered in a PVC/PVA resin carrier. Melting point is 72°C, glass transition temperature is 70°C, and the material comes in an average pellet size for dosing of 1.5 by 1.5 mm. Rohm and Haas Chemicals, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.; +1 800-356-3402; www.rohmhaas.com/plasticsad Material prevents premature degradation Lowilite UV B1211 is a liquid blend of thermal and light stabilizers that is said to be particularly effective in automotive interior applications. It has low fogging properties, good thermal protection, and UV performance. This anti-oxidant and light stabilizer can be effectively used in door trims, instrument panels, steering wheels, head and arm rests, and window sealants. It gives good protection to polyurethanes. Because it is a low viscosity liquid, it is said to be easy to pump during processing. It is miscible with all common polyols and light stable pastes. Chemtura, Langley, England; +44 1753 603000; www.chemtura.com ADDITIVES Lubricant helps reduce squeaks Synthetic dampening sealing greases from the Klübersynth RA44 series for plastics components reduce noise as well as dampen vibrations and oscillations when operating switches and levers on the instrument panel. At the same time they mechanically dampen slow-moving components. The grades are available with different apparent dynamic viscosities so that 26 JANUARY 2008 • more than 100% increase in demand from 2005 to 2006. According to the association, the UK, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Italy are already established organic packaging markets while Germany is still in the early stages of development. Nevertheless, German consumption rose 30% last year compared to 2005. “As a branded comKlübersynth RA44 series synthetic dampening greases keep pany we cannot pass by this injection molded vehicle components quiet and vibration free. development,” says Thomas Schmid, product manager at Birkel and design engineers can use them to attain responsible for its organic segment. The defined shifting forces and compensate for packaging film used meets both European tolerances in the components. As the base (EN13432:2000) and American (ASTM oil viscosity determines the shear resist- D6400-99) composting standards. This ance of a dampening grease, oil selection monolayer, PLA-blend film is designed to directly influences the feel and noise per- ensure good color adhesion to the film ceived during their actuation. By prevent- during printing. This film is presently ing direct contact between the moving available in white and pigmented versions, parts, noise and wear are said to be and a transparent version is due next on reduced drastically. Compatibility tests to the market, says the processor. DIN EN4599 stress cracking standards Kobusch-Sengewald GmbH, show a largely neutral behavior of the Halle/Westfalen, Germany; +49 5641-96285; dampening greases toward most plastics. www.kobusch-sengewald.com They offer good flow characteristics at low (-40°C) temperatures. Klüber Lubrication München KG, Munich, Germany; +49 89 7876504; www.klueber.com SEMIFINISHED PRODUCTS Organic film wraps up organically grown pasta German food processor Birkel has come out with a line of organic pasta that it has packaged in an eight-color flexoprint polylactide acid (PLA) biodegradable and compostable film from this processor. The organic film is seen as a constructive marketing tool for the food processor and the company is following a booming trend that the Federation of Organic Agriculture says spurred a 16% increase in sales in 2006 over the previous year. The use of bioplastics for food packaging is also growing rapidly, reports a survey carried out by the European Bioplastics Assn. among its members. These reported a MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE Monolayer, PLA-blend film from KobuschSengewald helps package organic noodles from German food processor Birkel. modplas.com MW01_27_30_Prodwatch 12/18/07 2:02 PM Page 27 PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY PM&A’s PRODUCT WATCH Cures rubber faster; makes better parts, too Processors of thermoset rubber may be interested in this firm’s TurboCure, a mold design feature developed by Beaumont Technologies and marketed to thermoplastics processors as Melt Flipper, and now offered by REP to molders of thermoset rubber. According to the company, rubber molding cycle times can be reduced by up to 50% with better homogeneity in the compound during injection and curing. How it works: First the TempInverter mechanism avoids the laminar effect and increases a compound’s temperature by 10-15ºF without increasing the maximum temperature of the mold or the mechanical functioning of the part. This occurs at the injection stage. Inside the mold, the FillBalancer mechanism, also from Beaumont, renders the filling more homogenous by ensuring more consistent cavity fill and minimizing temperature variations; the highest-temperature material flows to the center of the cavity, not the perimeter. REP will offer this system to molders of elastomeric compounds under an exclusive license agreement announced at the October 2007 Rubber Expo in Cleveland. Also at that event, the firm announced expansion of its G9 series of injection presses for processing of rubber, TPE and LSR. According to the manufacturer, its showcase machine in this new generation is the V79, a 550-ton press. Other standard presses are offered in the 55-900 clamp-tonnage range. No pit or operator platform is required on the V79, as the movable traverse is located at operator level. Mold thickness adjustment is automatic and the work height is constant, regardless of mold height. Its footprint is just 126 inches wide by 56 inches deep. A new L-shaped injection head also permits floorlevel feeding of raw material. All G9 presses are controlled by a 15inch touchscreen graphics panel and a PC front end. Online diag- Based on Beaumont’s Melt Flipper, the TurboCure system helps molders of thermoset rubber cut cycle nostics are standard. times, with better homogeneity in parts produced. REP Corp., Bartlett, IL, U.S.A.; Shown is the system’s injection unit. +1 847-697-7210; www.rep.tm.fr Technology & Innovation COMPRESSION MOLDING Press good for cleanroom processing Wickert’s 10000 S compression molder is good for cleanroom production of rubber and plastic parts The WKP 10000 S press is suitable for processing of rubber, thermosets and thermoplastics, and is cleanroom compliant. The press chamber with stainless steel cleanroom cladding can be integrated into an established cleanroom easily, says the manufacturer. Dirt particles and other contaminants are removed by the vacuum chamber. The smooth, heating-plate surfaces were conceived for cleanroom use. Quick tool change is supported by an integrated magnetic device. The slide table also is contained in a cleanroom encasement. WickertMaschinenbau GmbH, Landau, Germany; +49 8341-9343-0; www.wickert-presstech.de INJECTION MOLDING 450-tonne press expands packaging machine range This Italian manufacturer of injection molding machinery used the K show last October to introduce to a broad audience its largest machine for packaging processing. Dubbed the HPF 450, it joins the firm’s established HPF range and offers 450 tonnes of clamp force. During the show it ran a 2+2 cavity modplas.com stack mold with fully automated unloading and stacking. The machines in this range include accumulators, and electricity is used to power the screw drive/torque on the injection unit. Maximum shot volume is 2526 cm3. New to this machine and all of the firm’s presses are its new e-One con- trols, which allow an easy Internet connection and can be integrated quickly into a processor’s local area network (LAN). Graphics on these have been improved and a 15-inch touchscreen interface has been added. Sandretto Industrie, Torina, Italy; +39 0114-1011; www.sandretto.it MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 27 MW01_27_30_Prodwatch 12/18/07 2:02 PM Page 28 PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY PM&A’s PRODUCT WATCH Technology & Innovation Product Focus: Material handling Material handling innovations abound Latest developments in material handling offer the processor ways to solve problems, save energy, cut waste and do more with less, says Ben Martin, marketing manager at equipment manufacturer Conair (Pittsburgh, PA). Take, for example, his company’s Trueblend blenders. Besides improved throughputs, accuracy, and simpler controls, perhaps the biggest benefit of all may be the fact that these units won’t leak pellets all over the shopfloor like many competitive blenders. The weighing and mixing section is completely enclosed in a powder-coated steel cabinet. When the full-length access door is closed, all pellets are contained. Conveying, mixing, and dust elimination in a combined process is achieved with Mann + Hummel ProTec’s (Bensheim, Germany) MFG/MFGE attachment devices. The materials to be processed are either directly absorbed from the cutting mills or extracted from the granulate containers and automatically supplied to the conveyor. In order to provide two components for process- ing, such as reclaim and virgin in specific quantities, the MFG with the dosing unit is installed at the intake area of the converting equipment. While the materials are dispersed and mixed through the external air supply, unwanted fine particles released from the material mix are extracted. The degree of dust elimination is determined by the infinitely adjustable time setting of the external air supply. Fast material changes and easy access to the vacuum loading system are promised in the GlassVu see-through system from Novatec (Baltimore, MD). This swing-out glass hopper affords a full view of resin loading and consumption, and facilitates fast setups, streamlined material flow, and rapid cleanout. A GlassVu loader or receiver is mounted atop the hopper and pivots away from the throat allowing residual material to be drained directly through a hole in the base plate. An easy swipe of the glass makes cleanout fast. The BD series blenders from AEC (Schaumburg, IL) can handle two to six components, and the BD500 unit has a process material rate of 5-227 kg/hr (10500 lb/hr). Standard with all BD blenders Another new development from Conair is its ELC vacuum loading-system control for use with self-contained loaders. Specifically designed for small-lot and JIT production, the GlassVu vacuum loader from Novatec helps cut cleaning downtime. 28 JANUARY 2008 • MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE Use of Mann + Hummel Pro Tec’s MFG/MFG-E is said to improve starting conditions for material preparation, stabilize the production process, and improve quality. is a removable weigh hopper that provides quick color changes, in addition to supply hopper drain tubes with slide gates for easy cleanout. A safety-interlocked access system shuts off air and power if the mixer door is opened. An adjustable slide-gate stroke limiter is provided for accurate Equipment producer AEC says its BD blender series helps processors achieve a new level of metering accuracy. modplas.com MW01_27_30_Prodwatch 12/18/07 2:02 PM Page 29 PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY PM&A’s PRODUCT WATCH metering of minor ingredients. The Mixomat, from equipment supplier AZO (Osterburken, Germany), provides conveying, dosing, weighing, and mixing in a single system. It consists of a conical housing, filler and venting connections, large cleaning door with quickrelease fasteners, and inspection-glass facilities. The unit’s scales for dosing weighed components—as well as coloring and mixing plastics with pigments and additives—are able to achieve an exemplary degree of efficiency by integrating the various material handling stages into a single unit, according to the firm. Optimized accuracy in gravimetric blending is the aim of the IntelliBlend control function from processing machinery producer Motan (Isny, Germany). The company claims that due to the ‘intelligent’ function in its Gravicolor/Gravinet control concept, its gravimetric mixing units can achieve a ten-fold improvement in mixing accuracy for both injection molding and extrusion. The IntelliBlend control function ensures an exact obser- Technology & Innovation vance of the regrind ratio while production shortages are automatically replaced with virgin and masterbatch. Motan’s IntelliBlend precision control system helps optimize the dosing process. AEC www.aecinternet.com AZO GmbH www.azo.de Conair Group Inc. www.conairgroup.com Mann + Hummel ProTec GmbH www.mann-hummel.com Motan Inc. www.motan.com Novatec Inc. www.novatec.com Mixomat from AZO combines conveying, dosing, weighing, and mixing in a single system. MOLDS & TOOLING Inserts handles dates, barcodes This supplier now offers a 12-month, fiveyear Matrix Date Stamp Insert, good for molders of long-running production parts. These are available in three sizes and three grades of steel: H13, P20, 420SS. This product is suited for most injection molding and die casting applications. Also new is a barcode insert to provide barcode information on molded parts in an easy-to-install insert. These, too, are available in the same three steel grades. Processors only need to provide the firm with their barcode data (in electronic form) and the insert will ship in two-tothree working days. This insert can be used in several applications including inventory control, traceability, and tracking information. DMS’ barcoder fits in most injection molds. Diemould Service Co. (Canada) Ltd., Oldcastle, ON; +1 800-265-4885; www.dmscomponents.com MATERIAL HANDLING Additive homogeneity proves an easy mix The Blendo continuous gravimetric blender is designed for continuous dosing during extrusion, where exact and homogeneous dispersion of additive packages is a must. The unit can be installed directly to the extruder throat or on a mezzanine, and is suitable for flood or starve feeding. The sturdy selfsupporting structure makes it possible to install pre-storage hoppers and modplas.com pneumatic loaders without additional supports. The electrical panel on the board of the machine does not take up precious shopfloor space. This cascade mixer is said to ensure optimal dispersion, even with ingredients of different special weights and particles sizes, says the producer. The integral-weight downcomer hopper measures the gravimetric throughput or the extruder- required throughput. A load cell then detects variations in weight. Neither ultrasonic nor capacitive sensors are required. The design of the unit permits addition of up to six dosing stations at a later time. The unit can handle pellets, regrind, flake, and fluff, as well as powder. Doteco Srl, San Martino Spino, Italy; +39-0535-31653; www.deteco.com MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 29 MW01_27_30_Prodwatch 12/18/07 2:02 PM Page 30 PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY PM&A’s PRODUCT WATCH Technology & Innovation TESTING & MEASUREMENT INDUSTRIAL SAFETY HDT, Vicat testing combined in unit Sink bigger and better The HDT Vicat 500 AlOxide testing unit is intended to provide answers to processors regarding both heat-deflection temperature and Vicat testing of high-temperature plastics. It is designed for the latest engineering polymers, such as PEEK and liquid crystal polymer, where special formulations and reinforcements can lead to deflection and softening temperatures higher than 300°C. Unlike standard oil-based instruments that are often limited by the heating medium’s flash point and degradation, the 500 AlOxide employs a fluidized powder bed, permitting the bath temperature to reach up to 500°C. Its use of an inert powder instead of oil provides for a safe testing environment. The heating medium can be reused without contamination. CEAST SpA, Pianezza, Italy; +39 011 9664038; www.ceast.com AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT Chopper valve helps eliminate agglomerates A chopper valve, PFC650/160, for the discharge of polypropylene and polyethylene, reduces the size of agglomerates that can develop during compounding or masterbatch production and avoids blocking of process lines. When the process starts, agglomerates that may have settled on the inside vessel wall can block conventional valves by compacting (to sizes up to 250 mm in width and up to 800 mm in length). The design of the new valve—with offset rotor chambers, admissible drive torque of 10,000 Nm, and a rigid construction—breaks up such accumulations. This valve has an exchangeable chopping insert that is designed to reduce maintenance, repair, and adjustment, and minimize the quantity of air leakage by means of a reduced gap between the rotor and the casing. The first of these valves are deliverable in April. The Zeppelin PFC650/160 chopping valve helps eliminate agglomerates. Zeppelin Silos & Systems GmbH, Friedrichshafen, Germany; +49 7541 202436; www.zeppelin-industry.com ChemFree’s washer helps eliminate hazardous waste. The SmartWasher line of industrial sinks, for cleaning and degreasing of equipment, has been expanded to include this new model, the SW-28XE, with a larger sink that doubles the work surface, two brush stations with flexible nozzles, an adjustable timer with a user’s choice of 10 or 30 minutes of continuous flow, an adjustable thermostat, and a 300-gallon/hr pump all in a blowmolded construction that can hold a 550 lb load. ChemFree manufactures a wide range of bioremediating SmartWasher units, which allow a user to eliminate or reduce waste streams, eliminating the expense of hazardous waste removal contracts and associated liabilities. ChemFree Corp.; Norcross, GA, U.S.A.; +1 800-521-7182; www.chemfree.com PRINTING/DECORATING Soft, pliable films get just right motif A new rotogravure printing system for soft web is designed for processors and converters who are faced with small-lot production and fast changeovers. The electric axis unit consists of seven registered printing elements. It has an output speed of 100 m/min in material widths of 900-12,250 mm. Clamping of the printing rolls is accomplished 30 JANUARY 2008 • through pneumatic cones. The producer, a leading manufacturer of calendaring lines for both plastics and rubber films and sheet, says changing the printing units and restart can be achieved in only 10 minutes. This is done by production stop and simultaneous moving-away of pressing rolls and doctor units. Rotation of the printing MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE rolls is transmitted through independent brushless motors. An electronic control maintains roll rotation in synch with position and speed. A system of four cameras is used to detect printing defects and point them out through an alarm to the operator. Rodolfo Comerio, Solbiate Olona, Italy; +39 0331 641680; www.comerio.it modplas.com MW01_31_32_designfocus.qxd 12/18/07 1:58 PM Page 31 DESIGN|FOCUS Designing for colorants Get the paint out By Tony Deligio In addition to the environmental and cost benefits of eliminating paint in markets like automotive, creating designs that apply molded-in color can produce a robust manufacturing process as well. Beyond any ancillary benefits, however, appearance and customer acceptance trump all other considerations, especially in hues and products with ingrained expectations. That’s certainly the case with “school bus yellow,” a hue that evokes a singular image. In a 2008 model-year project, Solvay Engineered Polymers (Auburn Hills, MI, and now part of Basell) took on just that task, supplying a polyolefin alloy with molded-in color to replace a nylon-polyphenylene oxide (PA/PPO) blend, that had been painted, for two body panels that transition the bus’s exterior from the engine enclosure to the passenger compartment. IC Corp. (Mansfield, TX), which manufactures the CE model school bus, said using molded-in color in Solvay’s Indure X-210A polyolefin alloy, versus paint, saves more than $350,000 annually on the parts. Regardless of the economics, the components still needed to conform with appearance and performance standards, including gloss levels and scratch, mar, and UV resistance. The Class A unpainted parts are specified to gloss levels of 80-85% at a 45° angle, and this was accomplished by polishing the surface of the two-cavity tool which molds the parts. Otherwise, IC was able to use the original tooling, since Solvay worked modplas.com RTP Co. (Winona, MN) has combined its color and long-fiber know-how in a new line of long-cut color masterbatches, which mimic the shape of long-fiber thermoplastics (LFT), and thereby reduce separation during handling. In addition to additives in long-cut masterbatch pellets for dry blending, RTP supplies additives in precompounded LFT pellets. to match the shrinkage rates of the PA/PPO predecessor with its TPO replacement. According to Mitesh Shah, technical manager of automotive operations at Solvay Engineered Polymers, molded-in color ultimately offers more stone-andgravel protection than painted parts, since their weatherability is lowered once paint begins to chip off. “These materials have been developed to achieve, in molded-in-color parts, an appearance and a durability that is similar to painted parts,” Shah said in a release. Solvay says the Indure material provides the flexural modu- lus, tensile strength, and impact resistance needed in the application, while featuring no flow or weld lines in spite of vent holes. Smart design The bus application will be joined on the road in 2008 by the Smart fortwo, which, according to polyolefin supplier Borealis (Beringen, Netherlands), will become the first commercialized car to have full body panels made from polypropylene (PP). Here, too, moldedin color is applied, although a secondary step to add a clear coat is used (initially reported in MPW’s K Show Daily). Smart sourced Borealis’ Daplen ED230HP TPO for the panels, replacing Ampacet’s LiquidMetal promises designers a polished metal appearance in plastic. MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 31 MW01_31_32_designfocus.qxd 12/18/07 1:58 PM Page 32 Solvay Engineered Polymer’s Indure polypropylene blend was used as a molded-in color replacement for a painted PA/PPO in this school bus application. polycarbonate/polybutylene terephthalate (PC/PBT) compounds traditionally used in such applications. The parts are molded by Plastal, which also assisted in developing the material. The Tier One supplier required a material that would enable high production levels. With the design calling for in-mass colored compounded material, secondary production steps are eliminated and Borealis reports the result is a part that offers UV resistance and good clear-coat adhesion. In addition to lowering volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by reducing paint, sourcing PP also lowered overall vehicle weight by 15%, which means less fuel is needed and less exhaust is created. On the mechanical property side, there is a low thermal expansion of the material so there’s zero gap tolerance The Smart fortwo, which arrives in North America in 2008, is the first commercial vehicle to feature polypropylene body panels, applying molded-in color instead of paint. between the parts, and the panels exhibit a strong impact to stiffness ratio. The fortwo is slated to launch in North American starting this month, with six colors (deep black, light yellow, crystal white, blue metallic, red metallic, and silver metallic) available. The vehicle itself only measures 8.8 ft in length, 5.1 ft in height, and 5.1 ft in width. The company overcomes safety concerns regarding PP body panels by surrounding the cockpit in a tridion safety cell, made from standard and high-strength steel. Smart says the safety-management system is designed to achieve a four-star U.S. crash rating. Dealers will begin to fill U.S. orders for the vehicle in 2008, with 30,000 already placed on hold with a $99 deposit. Making plastics look like metals On the packaging front, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is prized for its clarity, but several colorant suppliers have launched new color portfolios to jazz up polyester. In addition to adding seven new shades to its LiquidMetal Colors line, Ampacet (Tarrytown, NY) has launched Blue Edge masterbatch, which it says gives PET bottles a blue halo silhouette, as well as enhancing bottle 32 JANUARY 2008 • MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE brightness and giving a soft glow in ultraviolet light. The company says that since pigment isn’t used, light transmission isn’t affected. Alcoholic drinks consumed in clubs that employ black lights are one potential target product. For its LiquidMetal line, Ampacet has added bronze, gold, red, silver, midnight blue, brown, and bright chrome to the preexisting brass, chrome, copper, onyx, graphite, and gun-metal blue shades. Ampacet says the line sees use in packaging that looks to simulate polished metal for cosmetics, specialty foods, beverage, and car-care product packaging. The product uses Ampacet’s Formula X PET technology, which eliminates the need to pre-dry PET colors and allows for extruder-throat feeding. This technology also reportedly reduces feed-throat clogging and screw slippage, while improving color dispersion. Teknor Color Co. (New York) has new custom-colored concentrates that allow designers to achieve color-shift effects in packaging. The ColorMorph line has colorants that shift from gold to bright red, depending on viewing angle, and from transparent to opaque. The latter orients the color in this PET sheet so that printing or contents would be visible, depending on the angle. MPW modplas.com MW01_33_46_focusNA.qxd 12/18/07 2:03 PM Page 33 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Focus on North America MW01_33_46_focusNA.qxd 12/18/07 North 2:03 PM Page 34 America SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Alternative to the Cooling Tower and a New Approach to Process Cooling Frigel Traditional View of Process Cooling Process cooling is such a fundamental part of injection molding that it is often taken for granted and regarded as a “utility” within the plant. While process technicians and engineers constantly seek “incremental improvements,” they are constrained by the design, capacity and flow characteristics of traditional plantwide cooling systems or portable units selected in the past. Until recently, plastics processors have typically chosen a cooling tower or chiller to directly or indirectly cool the heat loads in their facilities. But the cooling tower brings extra costs with it, costs of water, costs of chemical water treatment, and costs of general maintenance related to the constant evaporation, contamination, and fouling. Some processors have chosen air-cooled central or portable chillers and their higher energy cost to avoid the problems of a cooling tower. Time for a New Approach Frigel, established in 1960, offers a new approach to process cooling that is widely used in various parts of Europe, Latin America and Asia. Ecodry System Approach: • Fluid Cooler (as a direct alternative to the traditional cooling tower) • Pumping system (designed to work with a single loop of non-insulated piping) • Microgel Integrated Chiller/TCU’s and/or • Turbogel TCU units (for mold/ process cooling at the point of use vs. central chiller) 34 JANUARY 2008 • Frigel Ecodry Fluid Cooler as a Cooling Tower Replacement Frigel has refined the use of fluid coolers for process cooling since the early 1990’s to save water and energy for plastics processors. Frigel has enhanced its highly efficient single pass heat exchanger with adiabatic and self draining technology for effective “hot day” and “cold day” operation. To assure constant cooling when ambient temperatures are from 85 to 120°F+, Frigel’s Ecodry Fluid Cooler is offered with an adiabatic chamber that conditions and cools the incoming air by adding humidity to the airstream before it reaches the heat exchanger surface. For cold weather operation (using water and no glycol) the Ecodry is offered with a fully automatic self draining system that protects the unit from freezing, even in climates where ambient temperatures drop to -20°F or below. The result is a modular, flexible, pre-engineered system available in a range of sizes (17 to 3,500+ tons) and configurations that promise the best performance, lowest operating cost, and highest reliability for installation anywhere in the world. Point of Use Cooling Microgel integrated chiller/TCU units are specially designed for high performance mold cooling and cycle time reduction. Used in conjunction with an Ecodry unit, these combination chiller/TCU’s offer high flow, precise temperature control and a built-in free cooling valve that provides automatic free cooling when ambient temperatures are lower than the process setpoint. Compact 2-Zone models allow independent control of two MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE mold halves at temperatures from 20 to 200°F. By generating the flow and cooling at the point of use, energy is conserved vs. big central chilling, tower and pump systems. Most importantly process parameters can be optimized to reduce the T across the mold and the cycle time. Gather the information to obtain a savings analysis Identify and quantify the operating costs of the traditional cooling system you have or are considering. This includes providing costs for electricity, water, sewerage, and cooling tower chemical programs. Just as important, gather information on the cooling time portion of your injection molding cycle. Note the cooling parameters (temp, flow, pressure, size of cooling lines, cavities) and determine if your molding machine is able to take advantage of a reduction in the cooling time. Frigel and its technical sales representatives can help you determine the payback opportunities for this new approach. 21020 Rand Road Unit A Lake Zurich, IL 60047 Phone: 847/540-0160 Fax: 847/540-0161 www.frigel.com info@frigel.com modplas.com 035_55545814_MW01 12/18/07 1:42 PM Page 35 “Since we switched to Ecodry, my water bill has been cut in half—and I anticipate it to even go down further. Today, I wouldn’t use any other system, and I don’t know why anyone else would. Ecodry is just so simple, and it works.” Steve Streff – President, S.K. Plastic Molding, Inc. More powerful, economical and environmentally friendly: The Ecodry system from Frigel is nothing short of a revolution in process cooling. In more than 5,000 installations worldwide, Ecodry is creating huge cost savings compared to traditional cooling tower systems. Ecodry’s unique, closed-loop design can bring you: • Water savings of up to 95%. • A cleaner-running system that doesn’t damage heat exchangers. • No continuous chemical discharge. • Industry-leading energy efficiency. This isn’t just an improvement on the old ways. This changes everything. CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com MW01_33_46_focusNA.qxd 12/18/07 North 2:04 PM Page 36 America SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Chemtura Displays New “Greener” Plastics Additives Chemtura Chemtura Corporation (NYSE: CEM), the world’s largest plastics additives company, is showcasing new “Greener is Better” additives around the world, including at the recent K2007 show. These new or improved products all achieve Chemtura’s goal: to provide customers with sustainable additive solutions. Each product has been screened to make sure that it offers a “greener” profile than the product it is intended to replace. The criteria are performance without compromise, proven cost effectiveness, plus a strong environmental and human health profile. Chemtura offers new “Greener” Additives for: Flexible PVC: Mark® OBS® Organic-Based Stabilizers. The world's first non-heavy metal heat stabilizers are more cost effective than calcium/zinc alternatives. Mark® OBS® creates opportunities for automotive and flooring manufacturers around the world. 100% Nonylphenol-Free Phosphite Stabilizers: Weston® NPF 705. Weston® NPF 705 is a drop-in liquid replacement for TNPP, an industry-standard secondary antioxidant which is used in LLDPE and HDPE, in PVC and in SBR. Weston® NPF 705 is targeted for use in consumer and industrial packaging, household goods and 36 JANUARY 2008 • For greener, flexible PVC: Mark OBS organic-based stabilizers from Chemtura tires, to name a few applications. Chemtura is seeking global food contact approvals. Developed as DVS 005, with a patent pending, Weston® NPF 705 neither contains nonylphenol nor can it break down to form nonylphenol. Reducing DNBP: Naugard® 300-E. Naugard 300-E Styrene Monomer Inhibitor, a new DNBP inhibitor blend, provides equivalent effectiveness at lower levels of DNBP in styrene monomer processing. Naugard® 300-E is the latest tool in improving the control and efficiency of styrene monomer production, especially compared to Tempobased products. Flame Retardants: Firemaster® 600 & Firemaster ®602 for Polyurethane Foam. These new flame retardants are10% more efficient than their predecessors, Firemaster 550 and 502. Each has an excellent environmental profile and is non-scorching in flexible polyurethane applications, such as automotive and furniture manufacturing. MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE Wood Plastic Composites: Polybond® 1103 & Polybond® 3029 Coupling & Lubrication Agents. Now Polybond® products are even more effective, such as Polybond® 1103 for processes and applications requiring very low melt viscosity. Newly reformulated Polybond 3029 is now 50% more efficient than ever—allowing manufacturers to use more recycled wood in the composite. For details on Chemtura’s new Sustainable Additives for Greener Products, please visit www.chemtura.com or contact your Chemtura representative. Chemtura Corporation (NYSE: CEM) was created in 2005 by combining the resources of Crompton and Great Lakes Chemical Corporations. With 2006 sales of $3.5 billion, Chemtura is a global manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals, crop protection and pool, spa and home care products. Please visit www.chemtura.com. modplas.com MW01_33_46_focusNA.qxd 12/18/07 2:04 PM Page 37 S P E C ISAPLE A CD I AVLE RATDI VSEI N RG T I S IENCGT I SOENC - North America Low-Cost Conveyors Have No Moving Parts! EXAIR Corp. EXAIR’s Line Vac is a fast, low-cost way to convey: • • • • • • • • • • • • Plastic pellets Scrap trim Textiles Bulk solids Food products Chips Paper Pills/tablets Small parts Shavings Sawdust Granules The compressed air operated Line Vac connects to standard hose or tube to create a powerful in-line conveyor. The compact design features large throat diameters for maximum throughput capability. Eleven sizes in aluminum and ten in stainless steel are suited to a wide variety of transfer applications. Why The Line Vac? Line Vac conveyors are ideal for moving large volumes of material over long distances. A small amount of compressed air is injected through directed nozzles to produce a vacuum on one end and high output flows on the other, with instantaneous response. The material flow rate is easily controlled with a pressure regulator. No moving parts or electricity assures maintenance free operation. Applications • Hopper loading • Fiber tensioning • Material conveying • Waste/trim removal modplas.com • Chip removal • Part transfer • Filling operations Advantages • Compact • Quiet • No moving parts • Fits standard hose or tube • Aluminum or stainless steel • Eleven sizes • High throughput capability Line Vac Conveying Rates Line Vac is available in a number of styles, materials, and sizes. Each has a large, smooth, straight bore that allows as much material to pass through as possible. Infinite control of the flow rate through the Line Vac can be controlled by a pressure regulator. The actual conveying rate is affected by the size, mass and geometry of the part to be conveyed along with the length, lift and number of bends in the hose, tube or pipe. These variables make it difficult to determine the exact conveying rate for any product, however, EXAIR Application Engineers can assist you by comparing the material you want to convey with something that has already been tested. Selecting The Right Model Line Vac is available in a wide range of sizes to fit your application. Some of the criteria used to select the proper model are: • Diameter of parts being conveyed • Diameter of hose or tube • Rate (weight or volume) • Stainless steel (Type 303 and 316) or aluminum Aluminum is the economical choice for general purpose conveying. Our standard stainless steel models (Type 303) offer good corrosion resistance and are ideal for food service, abrasive or corrosive applications. For critical applications including certain foods and pharmaceutical products, Type 316 stainless steel models provide excellent corrosion resistance. The High Temperature Line Vac models are suited for temperatures up to 900°F (482°C). Frequently used for sampling hot flue gases, this High Temperature Line Vac can resist back pressure from long pipe lengths with numerous bends. The Threaded Line Vac attaches easily to plumbing pipe couplers, making it easy to build a complete system using ordinary pipe and fittings available from any home center, hardware store or plumbers supply. Performance is the same as EXAIR’s standard Line Vac. Threaded Line Vac conveyors are ideal for conveying large volumes of material over long distances. Models from 3/4" NPT to 2" NPT are available in aluminum and stainless steel, which are suited to a wide variety of conveying applications. EXAIR’s new Heavy Duty Line Vac is EXAIR's most powerful conveyor. The appearance is similar to the standard Line Vac but performance has been boosted dramatically. The Heavy Duty Line Vac has been engineered to convey materials at a faster rate over longer vertical and horizontal distances. The hardened alloy construction helps prevent premature wear that could occur with ordinary aluminum or stainless steel Line Vacs. For more information, please contact an EXAIR Application Engineer at (800) 903-9247. EXAIR Corporation 11510 Goldcoast Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45249-1621 (800) 903-9247 (513) 671-3322 MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 37 MW01_33_46_focusNA.qxd 12/18/07 North 2:04 PM Page 38 America SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Advanced Hot Runner Technology For Global Markets...Right From The Start INCOE® Corporation Since 1958, INCOE® has engineered productivity built hot runner systems for a wide range of molding applications. Our original patented design pioneered the development of the first commercial hot runner nozzle for the injection molding industry leading the way for all who followed with design concepts consistent across all major hot runner system technology suppliers worldwide. Today, INCOE® provides advanced hot runner technology solutions to global markets supported directly in over 35 countries. INCOE® hot runners are engineered to assure excellence in service and customer satisfaction wherever your molding takes place. With your bottom line in 38 JANUARY 2008 • mind, our systems offer innovative technologies to provide the very best price/performance ratio available on the market. Next Generation DF GOLD Series The next generation of DirectFlo™ GOLD series systems offers molders superior value and productivity advancements based upon the DF series of proven hot runner technology. Unitized hot runner systems, complete hot halves, expanded gating selections, temperature and gate sequencing control technologies all deliver unsurpassed performance value. Nozzles offer precise melt delivery with flow diameters ranging from Ø3 mm (for parts weighing less than 1 gram) to as large as Ø25 mm (for parts weighing up to 10 kg or more). DF Gold Series and Controller Product Features • Advanced Twin Heater reliability • Gating options featuring a proprietary anti-wear coating includes Thermal, Sprue, Valve gate, Multi Tip and Multi Edge Gate designs • Custom and Standard manifold designs • Opti-Flo® with MeltFlipper® Technologies • Color Seal technology for quick color change • Threaded nozzle connection for a guaranteed leak proof seal • Unitized and Integrated Systems; Self Contained, Fully Tested, and Ready for Installation • Superior temperature control technology offering up to 128 zones for optimized system performance • Patented GSC2™ (Gate Sequence Control) technology ensures precise and repeatable valve gate operation MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE Global Markets and Application Expertise Technology solutions for both engineered resins and commodity material parts are supported by decades of application and installed system experience. Hot runner know how in multiple markets is available to meet any molding requirement; single nozzle applications, high-cavitation, stack molding, valve gating (hydraulic or pneumatic), back-toback valve gating, gas assist molding, and multi-material molding to name a few. Today, INCOE® can support your application in any size category in markets such as: • • • • • • • Automotive Appliances Closures Electronics Medical Packaging Technical Wherever your molding takes place and whatever your market is, INCOE® has the right hot runner solution for your application… Right From The Start. 1740 E. Maple Rd. Troy, MI 48083 Tel: (248) 616-0220 Fax: (248) 616-0225 info@incoe.com www.incoe.com modplas.com Need Closure Systems? I Reduce Cycle Times I Optimized Designs for Closures I Unmatched Balance & Part Consistency INCOE® hot runners today Closure systems designed to increase your productivity. INCOE® performance ... Right From The Start GLOBAL SALES, SERVICE & SUPPORT 1740 East Maple Road Troy, Michigan 48083 USA Phone: (248) 616-0220 • Fax: (248) 616-0225 Email: info@incoe.com Internet: www.incoe.com MW01_33_46_focusNA.qxd 12/18/07 North 2:04 PM Page 40 America SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Manufacturing solutions since 1934 Rocklin Mfg. Since 1934, Rocklin has manufactured, marketed, and serviced industrial electronic equipment worldwide. The MoldMender Micro Welder repairs plastic injection molds, rubber processing molds, and die casting molds and dies made of steel. Mold and Die Repair • Push button controls for exact machine settings • Six low power settings for delicate repairs • Eight high power settings for faster and heavier repairs • Variable weld speed control for various job demands • Automatic indicator lights for assistance in machine settings • Audio weld indicator for ease of operation • Heavy duty rotary hand piece, cables, and copper ground plate100% solid state electronics for reliable operation • Employs a non-capacitive, resistance welding process for more dependable results Moldmender/Micro Welder Welds: metallic ribbon, wire, paste, powder—H-13, P-20, S-7, A-2, 420SS, M-2, Nickel + Parting Lines, Corners/ Edges, Scratches/Dents, Pin Holes • Permanently repairs ferrous metals • No preheating or heat treatment • No welding experience necessary • Easy operation/portable • Rotary hand piece for continuous welds • Adjacent surfaces are unaffected • Minimal Finishing on repairs • Fully hardened, non-arcing welds Made in the USA Call 800/255-6046 or fax 712/252-5619 for Literature, CD, or Demo. 110 South Jennings St. P.O. Box 1259 Sioux City, IA 51102 info@rocklinmanufacturingco.com www.rocklinmanufacturingco.com MOLD AND DIE REPAIR MICRO WELDER WELDS: Metallic Ribbon, Wire, Paste, Powder H-13, P-20, S-7, A-2, 420SS, M-2, Nickel, etc. Parting Lines Corners / Edges Scratches / Dents • Permanently Repairs Ferrous Metals • No Preheating or Heat Treatment MADE IN USA • No Welding Experience Necessary • Easy Operation — Portable • Rotary Hand Piece for Continuous Welds • Adjacent Surfaces are Unaffected • Minimal Finishing on Repairs • Fully Hardened Non-Arcing Welds Pin Holes WEB SITE: www.rocklinmanufacturingco.com E - M A I L : i n fo @ r o ck l i n m a n u fa c t u r i n g c o. c o m LITERATURE - CD - DEMO CALL: 800-255-6046 FAX: 712-252-5619 CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com 40 JANUARY 2008 • MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE modplas.com MW01_33_46_focusNA.qxd 12/18/07 2:04 PM Page 41 S P E C ISAPLE A CD I AVLE RATDI VSEI N RG T I S IENCGT I SOENC - Stäubli Corp. Stäubli is a mechatronics solution provider with three dedicated divisions: textile machinery, connectors and robotics. Originally founded 1892 as a small workshop in Zurich-Horgen, Stäubli today is an international group operating in 23 countries with its North American Headquarters located in Duncan, SC. Innovation is the driving force in the progress of Stäubli. North About Stäubli Connectors As one of the leading manufacturers of quick connector systems, Stäubli covers connection needs for all types of fluids, gases and electrical power. These standard or specific products (single and multiple connectors, tool changers, quick mould change systems) combine performance, quality, safety, dependability and durability. About Stäubli Robotics Featuring high productivity and precision, Stäubli robots offer solutions for all industries. The comprehensive product range includes small 4-axis SCARA robots as well as medium and heavy-duty robots operating with payloads from 1 kg to 250 kg all utilizing a single PC based controls platform. CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com America Today, Stäubli Robotics is the leading-edge player in robotics around the world with its engineering as effective and dependable as its sales and services. Staubli Corporation 201 Parkway West Duncan, SC 29334 Tel: (800) 845-9193 Fax: (864) 486-5497 Website: www.staubli.com MW0801_042.ps 12/21/07 10:19 AM Page 42 MW0801_043.ps 12/21/07 10:19 AM Page 43 The Vydyne PA66™ Difference: Our fully integrated approach to PA66 manufacturing makes it possible to deliver superior product quality and versatility. Rely on Vydyne® resins and compounds, such as 21SPF, to meet your needs in almost any market. To find out more, visit www.vydyne.com. TM ©2008 Solutia Inc. Vydyne is a registered trademark of Solutia Inc. 33260-1/08-QualitySpread MPW CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com 044B_6558_fp_MW01 12/18/07 1:43 PM Page 44B January 29–31, 2008 Anaheim Convention Center | Anaheim, CA One visit to this valuable trade event offers you: Access to the world’s foremost plastics processing and machinery suppliers The future of the industry, including hands-on demonstrations of primary processing machinery, computer-aided design and manufacturing, production machinery, contract services, materials, molds and mold components, automation technology, material handling/ logistics, and much more Additional resources at the co-located events for two leading plastics markets—medical manufacturing and packaging—as well as the entire plastics processing marketplace Use Promo Code: AA Produced and Managed by: CANON COMMUNICATIONS LLC • 11444 W. Olympic Blvd. • Los Angeles, CA 90064-1549 Phone: 310/445-4200 • Fax: 310/996-9499 • canontradeshows.com MW01_33_46_focusNA.qxd 12/18/07 2:04 PM Page 45 S P E C ISAPLE A CD I AVLE RATDI VSEI N RG T I S IENCGT I SOENC T I O N World Class Sterling Inc. Since 1916, Sterling, Inc has provided world-class technical services and auxiliary products for the plastics and other industries. With a commitment to providing value to our customers, we only offer the highest quality equipment for their processing needs. Sterling has a worldwide sales network staffed with trained representatives knowledgeable in process applications that are responsive and provide useful information and technical assistance. Our sales force draws on years of experience to provide efficient, effective processing solutions. Located in New Berlin, Wisconsin, Sterling’s manufacturing facility offers 140,000 square feet, and is home to over 200 employees, allowing us to research and engineer our products. Sterling designs and manufactures a broad line of heating and cooling equipment, central conveying systems and controls, continuous and batch style blenders, additive feeders, central and portable drying systems, size reduction and automation equipment to suit just about any application need. Sterling Inc. 2900 S. 160th Street New Berlin, WI 53151 Phone: 262-641-8610 Fax: 262-641-8653 E-mail: sterlingweb@corpemail.com Website: www.sterlco.com Sterling Inc.’s New Berlin, WI manufacturing facility. CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com modplas.com MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 45 MW01_33_46_focusNA.qxd 12/18/07 North 2:07 PM Page 46 America SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Struktol Struktol, located in Stow, Ohio, USA, is a force in North America for more than twenty years with production, technical, and support staff to meet the market needs of the polymer industry. Quality additives for performance that are produced to a quality-managed system that meets ISO 9001 standards, the most comprehensive standard that is accepted worldwide. At Struktol, everything we do is always designed to meet the challenges and demands of our customers. Expect More from your plastic additives. %XPECT-OREFROM3TRUKTOL )MPROVEDPROCESSINGOFWOODCOMPOSITESISAT THEHEARTOF3TRUKTOLSUNIQUELUBRICANTPACKAGES 2EALIZEIMPROVEDPRODUCTIONANDPERFORMANCE FORADIFFERENCETHATWILLSETYOUAPARTFROM THECOMPETITION s )MPROVEDFILLERDISPERSION s )MPROVEDCENTERFLOWFORPROFILES s %DGETEARINGELIMINATED s -EASURABLEOUTPUTRATEINCREASES s 2EDUCEDTORQUEANDTEMPERATURES &ORMOREINFORMATIONONOUR)NTELLIGENT!DDITIVE 3OLUTIONSCONTACTTHEPLASTICADDITIVESSPECIALISTSTODAY CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com 46 JANUARY 2008 • MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE Products When it comes to plastic additives, Struktol's vast chemical experience is translated into the most intelligent solutions available anywhere. Each of Struktol's 30+ plastic additives is tested and retested to insure maximum product quality and performance consistency. Struktol's products offer: • Superior viscosity control • Improved mold release • Reduced friction, plate out, and mold splay • Improved mixing and uniform filler dispersion • Greater impact resistance Realize More with Struktol: • Outstanding customer and technical services • Greater margins per piece, more product per run • State-of-the-art laboratory capabilities • Custom, unique product development • Just-in-time shipping • Improved ease of manufacturing For more detailed product information, please visit the Struktol website at www.4struktol.com 201 E. Steels Corners Road P.O. Box 1649 Stow, OH 44224-0649 Toll Free: (877) 811-9941 Tel: (330) 928-5188 Fax: (330) 928-8726 customerservice@struktol.com www.4struktol.com modplas.com 047_55546502_MW01 12/18/07 1:40 PM Page 47 #1 TOP 10 IN LABOR & MANUFACTURING PRODUCTIVITY STATE FOR BUSINESS FORBES.COM CNBC POLLINA ENERGIZED ELECTRIC RATES AMONG LOWEST IN NATION UNPARALLELED STREAMLINED TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE PERMITTING PROCESS WHERE PLASTICS AND PROFITS SOLIDIFY. THE RIGHT ASSETS. REAL SOLUTIONS. Every crucial business resource is aligned in America’s best state for business, as named by Forbes.com, CNBC and Pollina Corporate Real Estate – the most comprehensive and impartial studies to date. Over 200 leading plastics manufacturers are here – Gala, DuPont, Klöckner Pentaplast of America, Inc. and Strongwell, to name just a few. Plus a highly trained workforce prepared to deal with advancements in manufacturing technology. Manufacturing wages below the national average. Recruitment and training programs to help you become operational faster in a right-to-work state. All this is here with a 6 percent corporate income tax rate that has not increased since 1972. Shouldn’t you be here, too? For a prime location, contact the Virginia Economic Development Partnership at 804-545-5700 or e-mail to info@YesVirginia.org. W W W. YES V IR GIN I A .O R G Forbes.com CNBC Pollina CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com MW01_48_49_KR_injecmold.qxd 12/18/07 2:03 PM Page 48 K 2007 Review: Injection molding It’s the part that counts (and it’d be nice if the machine wasn’t too pricey) By Matt Defosse Molders coming to the K to see a great leap forward in injection molding machines may have left mildly disappointed; there were advances aplenty, naturally, but nothing so new it stunned. Breathtaking, though, was the level of For packaging applications, the talk among injection molding machine manufacturers at the K show still focused on speed—and the number of machine makers eager to share in the packaging market’s steady growth continues to rise. But for the majority of the machines displayed, the focus was very much on the plastic, or increasingly multimaterial, parts being formed, labeled, packed, and just plain manipulated in every way necessary. “What you definitely do see here is that the applications being processed “How do they make that?” A K attendee inspects the hinges molded at Ferromatik Milacron’s stand, using a mold owned by Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin-based processor Bemis. 48 JANUARY 2008 • complexity of the parts molded, assembled, and otherwise made at many exhibitors’ stands. are very demanding,” explained Herbert Kraibühler, technology director at Arburg (Lossburg, Germany), during an interview at the show. Indeed, complex work cells filled the stands at Arburg and those of its competitors, too. Ferromatik Milacron’s complex highlight was its K-Tec 450 ETW (450-tonne clamp force) press processing two-material hinges for toilet seats, an application that replaces metal in these hinges. A 6+6+6+6 cube stackturning mold running at 20-second cycles formed the hinges from a Sabic polypropylene and a thermoplastic elastomer from Kraiburg. The mold and patented part belong to Bemis, a well-known U.S. injection molder and world leader in molded toilet seats. Peter Bemis, CEO and president of the firm, said moldmaker Foboha agreed to push up the mold’s delivery date if Bemis agreed the mold could run at the K. He did, it did, and the cell drew a constant crowd. A production cell at Haitian’s stand showed the firm’s new Venus machine, made by subsidiary Zhafir, rigged with a 6-axis robot from Stäubli and a Cognex visual Q/C system. Italy’s NPM Plastic Metal (Gambellera) teamed with plastics supplier BASF, with the latter’s stand including an 85-tonne NPM electric press molding 13.5-cm tall chairs with BASF’s Ultradur high-speed PBT; the chairs mimic, except in size, the full-sized Myto designer chairs made by an Italian processor with a 900-tonne NPM press, for furniture OEM Plank. MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE “Competitively priced” almost echoed through the halls At KraussMaffei (Munich, Germany), the focus was on multiprocess work cells, as three of the firm’s six displayed molding machines integrated PUR processing equipment into their work cells. New was the ClassiX range of hydraulic machines, based on KM’s established CX range. KM’s CEO, Dietmar Straub, called the ClassiX range “high-value machines for competitive prices;” these are sized from 350-1500 kN and processors can choose from some standard options. As reported in our last issue, Klaus Erkes, CEO at Demag Plastics Group (Schwaig, Germany), has his firm focused on making small-to-midsized hydraulic and electric injection molding machinery available at competitive prices around the world. Engel had plenty of complex cells, but the Schwertberg, Austria-based machine maker really wanted processors to recognize that with its e-max electric press, running during the K, the firm could serve the general-purpose parts market with an electric machine priced competitively, globally. Engel benefits now from currency exchange issues, too, as the e-max is made at its site in Korea; this year production in Schwertberg begins, too. Gerd Liebig, Engel marketing manager, notes that rather than offer an option-heavy machine, as Engel typically does, the compact e-max, which weighs about half as much as comparable tiebarless e-motion machines from Engel, comes with few options. All-electric machines were of course modplas.com MW0801_049.ps 12/21/07 10:20 AM Page 49 Pink presses? Not really; Demag’s paint job was only to help draw attention at the K. commonplace at the K show, as every major European manufacturer now offers them. Exiting hydraulics entirely is Japan Steel Works (JSW; Tokyo). According to Yuichi Yoshino, managing director of JSW’s injection molding machinery division, production of vertical hydraulic presses will continue for several more years but as of this month processors seeking horizontal machines from the firm will only be offered allelectrics, with clamping forces ranging from 35 to 2500 tonnes. Already, 93% of overall JSW production is comprised of all-electrics, with the ratio of all-electric vertical machines standing at 70%. Yoshino says that JSW will only start offering all-electric machines larger than 2500 tonnes clamping force when the technology is there for true all-electrics. “Large ‘all-electrics’ currently available in the 3000-tonne-plus range are in fact hybrids,” says Yoshino. “Typically, their direct clamping mechanisms are a combination of electric with hydromechanical for final clamping.” Plus, he said a 2500-tonne allelectric machine currently commands a 50% premium over equivalent hydraulic machines, though the gap is closing. Battenfeld’s departure from large machine manufacturing did not last long; modplas.com Your Equipment Before Axel. Axel Process Aid Additives. A Little Dose Moves Things a Lot Faster. See us at:ICERP 2008, Feb 7-9, Mumbai, India, SAMPE Asia 2008, Feb 11-13, Bangkok Thailand at the K a HM 800/5100 two-platen machine molded 1080g ABS frames for flat LCD screens. Using the firm’s Airmould gas injection technology, cycle times were only about 30 seconds. Alexander Müller, Battenfeld’s interim managing director, said that, as the firm now manufactures its HM and TM ranges on a single platform, some capacity has been freed, so that Battenfeld (Kottingbrunn, Austria) this year will restart manufacture of larger (1000 and 1300 tonne) machines. As reported in the December issue, Netstal (Näfels, Switzerland) introduced its new Evos range of hybrid electric/hydraulic machines at the K, Fanuc extended its Roboshot B range, Dr. Boy introduced a new control for its machines, and Husky keeps trimming the cycle times of its HyPac fast molder for thin-walled packaging. One of the Evos-molded projects shown at the K gets a closer look in this issue’s Tech Trends article on p. 18. Your Equipment After Axel. Just a pinch of an Axel additive increases production speed significantly—0.3% typically yields a 30% gain in productivity.That’s an ultra-low investment with major benefits: dramatic flow enhancement, superb dispersion, residue-free equipment. And our unique chemistry leaves no transfer on finished parts. So surfaces bond or imprint flawlessly. Contact Axel today, we’ll get you up to speed! Mold Releases & Process Aid Additives Box 77 0855,Woodside, NY 11377 800-332-AXEL(2935), 718-672-8300 Fax: 718-565-7447 www.axelplastics.com CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 49 MW01_50_51_KR_blowmolding.qxd 12/18/07 2:00 PM Page 50 K 2007 Review: Blowmolding Blowmolding plugs in, powers on at K By Tony Deligio All-electric was the buzzword for many blowmolding machinery suppliers at K, with benefits beyond energy savings touted as the impetus to shift from hydraulic designs. Nissei ASB Machine Co. Ltd. used K to commercially launch its ASB 15N/10E, a one-step, all-electric injection stretch blowmolding (ISBM) machine that the firm says uses 60% less electricity compared to hydraulic models and has reduced vibration and noise. Kazumi Masuda, section manager, believes it is the first all-electric ISBM in the world, and Nissei already sold three to Japanese customers, with November 2007 deliveries. Prototype iterations were shown at NPE 2006 and at Chinaplas 2007, and Masuda says the company used the 16month interim to assess customer feedback and make recommended changes. At the show, the machine, which can create containers as large as 2 liters, molded a 38-mm, 13g polypropylene (PP) medicine container in a 4-cavity tool. For the company’s best-selling machine, the ASB70DPH, of which Masuda said it delivers 80 to 90 annually, Nissei also lowered energy consumption by 40% in a new model shown at K. Italian supplier Techne created buzz and protected intellectual property by placing its all-electric Advance extrusion blowmolding (EBM) machine behind a protective glass wall. The company believes the system can rival the output of a wheel machine but with a smaller overall footprint and less energy consumption, thanks to all-electric servodrives, which Techne said lower electricity needs 35%. In addition, the system uses a modular shuttle concept to maximize production so that one extruder is surrounded by up to four automated carriages with 10 cavities apiece for output up to 90,000 bottles/hr. Italian blowmolding machine manufacturer Meccanoplastica brought a 5550 JANUARY 2008 • tonne all-electric injection blowmolding machine to K. The fully electric unit targets the cleanrooms of the pharmaceutical market, since no hydraulic pumps means no oil. According to Rolando Fantini, technical director, IBM machines in the 50-60 tonne range typically have energy usage of 25-30 kw/hr, while this unit only uses 5 to 7 kw/hr. In the summer of 2008, the company plans to launch an 85-tonne model which can produce bottles from 100-150 ml in volume from four cavities. BBM Maschinenbau und Vertriebs GmbH also debuted an all-electric blowmolding machine at the K. The BBM 4100/15E four-cavity machine has 100mm spacing between cavities and 15 tonnes of clamping force. The company MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE SIPA ran the latest EVO(lution) of its rotary stretch blowmolding line at K, pushing per cavity production from 1800 to 2000 bottles/hr. also has a 35-tonne model available, and both units use Reifenhäuser extruders. BBM promises energy savings of 40%. Bekum brought a prototype all-electric to the K, called the E Blow. A company official estimated total machine energy savings of 25% for the unit, which will be commercially available at the start of 2008. Bekum anticipates offering the same size range for its allelectric as it does for hydraulics. Depending on clamp size, the units make containers up to 4 liters in size. Uniloy Milacron went the hybrid route, modplas.com MW01_50_51_KR_blowmolding.qxd 12/18/07 2:00 PM Page 51 addition to new windows so processors can see into the machine, Krones has revamped the heating technology—placing heating on one side of the preforms and cooling on the other—instead of intermixing the functions. According to Ulrich Lappe, head of the plastics division technology center at Krones, this improves surface cooling and is especially important in thicker, returnable PET packaging. SIPA used FEA software to optimize mold-opening and other functions on its rotary stretch-blowmolding line, applying a cam-driven concept and specifying more robust chains. The research helped boost production on its 12-cavity rotary line to 2000 bottles/hr/cavity, up from 1800 bottles/hr/cavity. SIPA officials said engineering for the original system began more than a decade ago, in 1997, so the company felt an update was in order, resulting in the EVO (Evolution). Feedback from prototype displays at NPE 2006 and Chinaplas 2007 resulted in a commercial version of Nissei’s new all-electric injection stretch blowmolding machine, launched at K. displaying its UMS 16HS electric/hydraulic extrusion blowmolding machine at K. The company believes the machine can deliver energy savings of 22%. Guido Re, global director blowmolding, and Rick Smith, commercial director for North America, told MPW that customer interest was also high in reciprocating-screw technology, which has seen success in the dairy market. Beyond all-electric In other blowmolding machinery news, Kautex launched a newly refined KLS (Kautex Long Stroke) machine at the K. The machine adopts former Fischer-W. Müller GmbH technology, which went through several different owners, including Battenfeld and SIG, then lay dormant as SIG (which had acquired the firm plus Kautex) focused on Kautex’s larger machinery, and was then relaunched last year. Wolfgang Meyer, president of Kautex in North America, described it as part of Kautex’s efforts to refocus on the packaging market. The system has a 100-mm center distance for six to 14 cavities, with production levels that make it a fit between shuttle and wheel lines—the niche Kautex is targeting, according to Meyer. In addition, the machines are designed for one-hour mold changes, with customizable center distances and an integrated leak tester in the gripper. Krones debuted a redesigned Contiform S-14 at the K. In modplas.com CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 51 MW01_52_KR_Thermo.qxd 12/18/07 1:57 PM Page 52 K 2007 Review: Thermoforming The beat goes on By Matt Defosse In the years between K 2004 and last October’s K show, there were no great leaps forward in thermoforming machinery and tooling, but rather gradual transitions that, taken collectively, clearly show the industry’s shift in materials and its focus on improved productivity and precision. First, the material shifts: It’s no secret that thermoforming applications are gradually shifting away from polystyrene as polypropylene or, increasingly, amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET) are specified. Exhibitors at the K show reported that, if anything, the shift is accelerating. APET remains a big comer among thermoformed materials, noted both Jens Oltmanns, manager project center at thermoforming machine manufacturer Gabler (Lübeck, Germany) and Frank Nissel, then president (and since named chairman) at sheet extruder manufacturer Welex (Blue Bell, PA). Oltmanns and his colleagues were surprised not to receive more questions during the show about processing of polylactic acid (PLA) or other plastics either based on renewable materials or biodegradable, or both. “I don’t think PLA processing will really take off until the composting problem is fixed,” as the material still must be deposited in an industrial composting facility to properly degrade, he noted. More than any other material, Nissel sees APET gaining market share from both PP and PS. Still, there remain plenty of regional differences; he noted that yogurt cups in North America, once exclusively made from PS, now are all PP, whereas Europe’s processors are operating in almost the exact reverse, with PS dominating the huge yogurt packaging market there. You certainly didn’t see PS running on lines at the K. GN Thermoforming (Chester, NS, Canada) had a GN 1914 DM running, as well as a GN 3625D processing APET clamshell trays. Meico (Monza, Italy) ran, and sold, its new FT700, forming polypropylene drinking cups during the show. The new owner is 52 JANUARY 2008 • Turkish processor Yildiz Plastik. At Irwin R&D (Yakima, WA), APET cups were on the menu, formed on a model 30NT with Irwin’s own Chesaw handling/stacking unit. Kiefel (Freilassing, Germany) was processing Basell’s Adstif HA740J PP on its newly introduced KTR 6, forming very thinwalled drinking cups using a tool from Bosch Sprang (Sprang-Capelle, the Netherlands). Welex’s Nissel noted that inline sheet extrusion/thermoforming, the norm in North America, is making its way through Europe and elsewhere as machine makers outside North America offer largGabler’s Irena Sokolowski (left), marketing manager, er machines with larger and Jens Oltmanns: Gabler’s stand was “overrun,” forming stations. OMV says Sokolowski, with processors interested in the (Parona, Italy) displayed firm’s Focus machine. its F87, with an 850-mmby-650-mm forming area, One of the more interesting processwhich it says can help processors reach outputs exceeding 125,000 rim-rolled PP ing lines at the K, in that it formed a procups/hr. Competitor Illig (Heilbronn, duction cell such as those often seen with Germany) reported its newly developed injection molding machinery, was on the RDK 90 can form PP—even on large stand of Wonderpack, the Nashik, Indiatools—at speeds typical of PS processing. based thermoforming machine maker. At cut-sheet thermoforming machine Wonderpack’s compact line included an manufacturer Geiss (Sesslach, Germany), IM-4065 N2K thermoformer coupled one of the firm’s established T8 machines with a Stäubli RS-25 robot removing PP was on display, but with updates includ- trays (Repol PP from India’s Reliance) ing a new user interface on the operator from an 8-cavity tool. The 14g trays panel, plus the means to better control were stacked and then bagged at the machine’s heaters so that heating of 10/stack using bagging equipment from Wonderpack. thick sheet takes less time. MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE modplas.com MW01_53_KR_PipeandProfile_chaser.qxd 12/21/07 10:21 AM Page 53 K 2007 Review: Pipe and profile extrusion Equipment makers report being on a roll By Robert Colvin One thing that was in short supply at K 2007 was industry pessimism. On the pipe, profile, decking, and siding extrusion side of the sector, things were generally upbeat. Wolfgang Studener, managing director of extruder maker Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik (BEX; Bad Oeynhausen, Germany) says demand for pipe extruders is growing rapidly. One reason is that copper’s price has risen so dramatically that more builders are reaching for plastics pipes for hot/cold water systems. Another reason appears to be to reduce theft at building sites where copper pipe is proving an irresistible booty for burglars who find an easy market to resell such stolen goods. Plastics pipe doesn’t have this appeal. During K, BEX was showing a cutaway of a 2000-mm high-density polyethylene (HPDE) pipe used in the mining industry that was extruded by its customer Tehmco (Santiago, Chile). BEX sold 25 extruder lines for jumbo pipe processing (800-2000 mm) last year and now has 75% of the world’s big pipe market, claims Studener. Plastics supplier Borealis (Vienna, Austria) and its sister company Borouge (Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.) also see continued high demand for both sewage and potable water systems throughout the world, not only in developing countries. The firms took the opportunity at the K to establish their Water for the World initiative to leverage both companies’ expertise to provide know-how, funds, personnel, and polymer for pipe projects around the world. Together with Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), an organization supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), WaterAid, Care International, Thames Water, Unilever, and Halcrow, the project targets bringing clean water and sanitamodplas.com (left) Wolfgang Studener, managing director of Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik, foresees high demand for jumbo plastics pipes, such as this 2000-mm HDPE pipe sample from its Chilean customer Tehmco. (above) Dietmar Straub, CEO of KraussMaffei, sees high pipe extruder demand coming from Eastern Europe, Russia, and the CIS countries. tion to 4 million people globally by 2015. The initiative is open to competitors as long as they have the same goals as his company, says new Borealis CEO Mark Garrett. Dietmar Straub, CEO at equipment producer KraussMaffei (Munich, Germany), says demand for pipe extrusion lines in Eastern Europe is growing not only for municipal renewal projects but particularly for gas distribution lines. He also says sales of sheet and profile lines are growing, though BEX’s Studener, on the other hand, says he is seeing a definite slowing in investment in new equipment and capacity of profiles lines, with some of this decrease linked to the U.S. housing slowdown. Drossbach Corrugated Pipe Solutions (Rain/Lech, Germany) and competitor Fränkische Rohrwerke (Königsberg, Germany) used the plastics’ venue to announce the formation of a global technology partnership to manufacture large corrugators, starting with inner diameters of 800 mm. Fränkische transfers its existing know-how for the FDC LLX machine to its partner for further technical development and optimization. Following a transition period, Drossbach will manufacture and supply the machines to Fränkische customers. The companies plan joint extruder and corrugator marketing. Rinco Albert, marketing manager at corrugator equipment maker Unicor (Hassfurt, Germany), reported demand for his company’s equipment was running high this year, reportedly at the €10 million mark, with two of the company’s latest and largest machines, the UC1800, designed for the production of drainage, storm water, and sewer pipes, being ordered just prior to K. In the U.S., stiffer Environmental Protection Agency regulations for managing storm water are expected to have a positive effect on demand for large-sized corrugated pipes and spur equipment investments. MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 53 MW01_54_55_KR_Film.qxd 12/18/07 2:08 PM Page 54 K 2007 Review: Film Records are made to be broken By Tony Deligio Film suppliers looked to topple processing high watermarks at K, running machinery near maximum output and introducing new technologies for “record” production levels. More than simple throughput, several suppliers of blown- and cast-film lines pointed to factors like film make-up—including Windmöller & Hölscher highlighted its capabilities with a Varex blown-film system running a 40-µm-thick, three-layer structure of metallocene PE, PE, and low-density PE, at an hourly output of 750 kg, topping the 650 kg/hr W&H anticipated prior to the show. According to W&H, more impressive than the output was the fact that the system did so on a 250-mm-wide die to create a 1540mm-wide film for a die factor of 3. This difficult-to-process but increasingly popular metallocene polyethylene grades— and the system’s die factor to differentiate themselves. Kiefel ran the pictured three-layer system at its K stand, boasting output of 820 kg/hr thanks, in part, to its Perfect Cool technology. Cooling and tolerance control were promoted at Hosokawa’s K booth, which featured a three-layer blown-film line. 54 JANUARY 2008 • represents an improvement of 150%, according to W&H. According to Bud Smith, president and CEO of Brampton Engineering (BE; Mississaugua, ON), in addition to higher throughputs, the market is moving toward multiple-layer structures that allow processors to reduce use of expensive barrier materials like nylon or EVOH. More layers also means more MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE flexibility, according to Smith, who said BE’s SCD-3 (streamline coextrusion die), which was redesigned in 2004, allows faster changeovers. “We have customers that go from three to five to seven to nine,” Smith explained at K. At Italian cast-film supplier Dolci, throughput was stressed as well, with the company producing 10 tons of film/day from a 2m cast system for stretch film that modplas.com MW01_54_55_KR_Film.qxd 12/18/07 2:10 PM was extruding at a rate of 700 m/min. Dolci’s Matteo Spinola told MPW that the winder for the line is actually designed to accept film at a speed of 800 m/min. At the show, the line ran linear low-density PE supplied by Sabic, burning through 1700 kg/hr to create an industrial stretch film that was 17 µm thick. Fellow Italian supplier Macchi ran a Coex three-layer blown-film line at the show emphasizing output of 500 kg/hr for a film that was composed of more than 80% metallocene PE. The film had a layflat width of 1400 mm with a thickness of 30 µm. Carnevalle stressed the efficiency of the direct-drive HighTorque motor running its Polaris 5 PA 18000 five-layer blown-film line at K. That system featured 60-mm and 50-mm extrusion lines, a 400-mm gap, 2.1-mm die, and layflat width of 1800 mm. Output was 450 kg/hr of material and 150 m/min of film. Page 55 Cooling technology heats up Hosokawa Alpine operated a three-layer blown-film line at its K booth, producing a film with a layflat width of 1600 mm that was suitable for lamination, bags, shrink film, or frozen foods. The company stressed the CCRP 50 double-cooling ring portion of the line, which is an external cooling system that it says optimized output as well as film-gauge tolerances. Consisting of two cooling rings located one above the other, the system’s bottom ring sits directly on the die head, with the top ring’s height electromechanically adjustable. In addition, the ring is segmented and works as part of the line’s POS (profile optimization system). Cooling was also emphasized at Kiefel, which promoted its patent-pending Perfect Cool technology. The system applies cooling to the interior and exterior of the film via a double-walled stack that uses water as a heat-transfer medium. At the show, Perfect Cool allowed a 4-mm die to achieve output of 820 kg/hr in a threelayer film that applied metallocene LLDPE. Film doesn’t contact the stack, and cooling-air flow inside and outside the bubble is turbulent, not laminar. Reifenhäuser ran a five-layer line at its stand with a die factor of 2.2 and 660 kg/hr of throughput. The company attributed the high throughput to the line’s REI2Cool and REIcoflow technologies, which feature a dual-chamber die ring for more efficient cooling. Corner the news at K Visit MPW’s K Corner at www.modplas.com for all the K show coverage. Independent tests proved it ... 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Qualified candidates should email resumes with position of interest to: resume@davis-standard.com Davis-Standard, LLC 1 Extrusion Drive Pawcatuck, CT 06379 www.davis-standard.com Davis-Standard, LLC is an equal opportunity employer and a drug free workplace. modplas.com MW01_56_60_classifieds.qxd:Layout 1 12/21/07 10:37 AM Page 59 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING For information Contact: Cheryl Ackerman (516) 496-8891 • Fax (516) 496-8762 • cheryl.ackerman@cancom.com Moldmaking Materials for Sale/Wanted CONTAMINATED DON’T DUMP, WE CAN USE Also need clean cellulosics, Acrylics, Polycarbonates or wide range of plastic scrap ENTIS ASSOCIATES 1600 Beacon St. Suite 506, Brookline, MA 02246 Cost Effective High-Quality Reprocessed PS/ABS/PC/PVC/PP/PE/PETG/PET Pellets and Regrind Tel: 617 267 2322 Fax: 617 277 9493 A DEBCO PLASTICS GROUP REPROCESSED PELLET IS AS Custom Core Pins Custom Core Pins AY-MAC PRECISION, INC. 22835-G Savi Ranch Pky Yorba Linda, CA 92887 ph (714) 279-8122 fax (714) 279-9358 email: aymacprecision@aol.com “The Core Pin Specialists” modplas.com CLOSE TO VIRGIN AS A REPROCESSED SOLUTION CAN BE! Debco Plastics Group 877-963-6893 info@debcoplastics.com We Buy & Sell All Resin Types MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 59 MW01_56_60_classifieds.qxd:Layout 1 12/21/07 10:37 AM Page 60 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING For information Contact: Cheryl Ackerman (516) 496-8891 • Fax (516) 496-8762 • cheryl.ackerman@cancom.com Granulator Knives Granulating - Shredding Knives & Screens Nelmor - Cumberland, etc. Buy direct from the OEM supplier Guaranteed Quality - Large Inventory Made in USA 888-993-9911 dsmanufacturing@aol.com www.granulating-knives.com LOOKING TO SAVE SOME MONEY? LOOK NO FURTHER. A COMBINATION AD IN Modern Plastics and Injection Molding Magazine WILL HELP S T R E T C H YOUR DOLLAR. WATCH YOUR SAVINGS GROW. Find out how you can get 2007 rates for 2008!! Contact CHERYL ACKERMAN - 516-496-8891 cackerman@immnet.com 60 JANUARY 2008 • MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE modplas.com MW0801_061_r1.ps 12/26/07 1:52 PM Page 61 CALENDAR OF EVENTS JANUARY 15-17 16-18 29-31 29-2/1 Swiss Plastics 2008, exhibition, Luzern, Switzerland. Contact: René Ziswiler, Messe Luzern AG, tel: +41 41 3183700; fax: +41 41 3183710. e-mail: andrea.knuesel@messeluzern.ch; http://swissplastics.messeluzern.ch ICE China 2008, Shanghai, China. Contact: Michael Boyle, Nimble Shows & Media GmbH, tel: +49 8033 3026260; fax: +49 8033 30262688. e-mail: m.boyle@nimblesm.de; www.ice-x.com PLASTEC West and WestPack, exhibitions, Anaheim, CA. Contact: Canon Communications, tel: +1 310-445-4200; fax: +1 310-996-9499. e-mail: info@devicelink.com; www.plastecwest.com Upakovka/Upak Italia 2008, packaging exhibition, Moscow, Russia. Contact: Marie-Luise Schläfke, Messe Düsseldorf, tel: +49 211 45607741; fax: +49 211 45608548. e-mail: schlaefkem@messe-duesseldorf.de; www.upakovka-upakitalia.com FEBRUARY 4-6 6-7 8-12 11-13 12-14 13-14 18-20 18-20 20-21 25-27 26-28 The Packaging Conference, congress, Las Vegas, NV. Contact: Ron Puvak, PTI, tel: +1 419-725-5613; fax: +1 419-867-7700. e-mail: r.puvak@plastictechnologies.com; www.thepackagingconference.com Plastics Innovations Ireland, exhibition, Dublin, Ireland. Contact: Jim Hughes, EasyFairs, tel: +44 208 6224415. e-mail: jim.hughes@easyfairs.com; www.easyfairs.com/plastics Ambiente 2008, consumer goods exhibition, Frankfurt, Germany. Contact: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, tel: +49 69 75756221; fax: +49 69 75756757. e-mail: katrin.hentschel@messefrankfurt.com; www.ambiente.messefrankfurt.com Nova-Pack 2008, PET containers conference, Orlando, FL. Contact: Schotland Business Research, Inc., tel: +1 609-466-9191. e-mail: ron@schotland.com; www.schotland.com Grass Yarn & Tufters Forum 2008, conference, Zurich, Switzerland. Contact: Maud Lassara, AMI, tel: +44 117 9249442; fax: +44 117 3111534. e-mail: ml@amiplastics.com; www.amiplastics.com Medtec UK, exhibition, Birmingham, England. Contact: Canon Communications LLC, tradeshow division, tel: +1 310 4454200; fax: +1 310 9969499 e-mail: mark@canon.co.uk; www.canonmed.com Molding 2008, conference, San Francisco, CA. Contact: Shar Finnegan, Executive Conference Management, tel: +1 734 7370507. e-mail: shar@executive-conference.com; www.executive-conference.com Agricultural Film 2008, conference, Barcelona, Spain. Contact: Sally Humphreys, AMI, tel: +44 117 9249442; fax: +44 117 3111534. e-mail: sh@amiplastics.com; www.amiplastics.com 24th International Plastics Colloquium, conference and exhibition, Aachen, Germany. Contact: Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV), tel: +49 241 8093806; fax: +49 241 8092262. e-mail: info@ikv.rwth-aachen.de; www.ikv-aachen.de Thermoplastic Concentrates 2008, conference and exhibition, Phoenix, AZ. Contact: Maud Lassara, AMI Conferences, tel. +44 117 9249442; fax: +44 117 3111534. e-mail: ml@amiplastics.com; www.amiplastics.com LogiCon 2008, conference, Brussels. Belgium. Contact: Wendy Fanner, Worldwide Business Research Ltd., tel: +44 207 3689438; fax: +44 207 3689401. e-mail: wendy.fanner@wbr.co.uk; www.wbresearch.com ADVERTISER INDEX COMPANY PAGE Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. Arburg GmbH + Co KG Arizona Instrument LLC Axel Plastics Research Laboratories Inc. Canon Trade Show Events Chemtura Dyna-Purge Division, Shuman Plastics Elba SpA EXAIR Corporation Executive Conference Management Inc. Frigel Gabriel-Chemie Group Incoe Corp. Korea E+EX Inc. Maack Business Services Novatec Inc. Pneuveyor Systems International Ltd. Reliance Industries Limited Rocklin Manufacturing Co. Shini Plastics Technologies Inc. Solutia Staubli Corp. Sterling Inc. Struktol Company of America Suzuko Corporation Tinius Olsen Virginia Economic Development Partnership Vortex Valves North America/Salina Vortex Zambello Riduttori Group 3 64 23 49 44 4 55 9 13 63 35 14 39 17 15 2 51 7 40 6 42 41 45 46 11 23 47 55 19 The first and last word on K Modern Plastics Worldwide SHOW DAILY 30-31 OCTOBER 2007 Dr. Jürgen Vutz, Arburg’s Herbert CEO of Windmöller INSIDE TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY TUESDAY - WEDNESDAY Kraibühler says & Hölscher, stands processors have in front of the shown tremendous 3-layer Varex Titan sale for Bobst p. 2 interest in the blown-film line firm’s increased sold off the injection capacity. company’s stand. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: p. 4 Kraiburg homes in on new elastomer markets p. 6 p. 5 SMS announces sale of BGE at the K By Tony Deligio Klaus Reifenhäuser and Lew Wan Hong seal deal for five coextrusion blown-film lines; p. 4. Ernesto Strauss (left), and Hassan Helmy, VP at D-S, agree a deal for a 2.4m-wide cast-film line; p. 2. MPW would like to thank all our friends at K for a wonderful show. In a deal that will not be officially announced until later today, SMS has sold off the last vestige of its plastics unit, Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering (BGE; Stand 16/D22), to a group of senior managers plus two private investors who counted BGE as a longstanding customer from their previous venture. John Sharood, chairman of what will now be called Gloucester Engineering, and Dick Murphy, vice chairman, joined with eight senior managers, including Carl Johnson, president and CEO of BGE, to purchase the maker of blownand cast-film and converting technology from German metals-processing equipment manufacturer SMS (Düsseldorf). SMS had already divested pipe/profile/sheet extruder manufacturer Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik to Swedish investment business Triton (Stockholm), and Battenfeld Injection Molding to German investor Adcuram (Münich), leading many to speculate on the future of BGE with SMS. “We just put two and two together and realized [SMS] probably would be selling [Battenfeld Gloucester] in the future,” Sharood explained to MPW on Monday, the EFT (encapsulated feed technology) and saying negotiations began in January of this new Cast 3000 cast-film line. BGE will maintain headquarters, R&D, year, with the deal finalized on Oct. 29—the and manufacturing in Massachusetts, as same day Sharood arrived at the K. Sharood’s investment vehicle is called well as its satellite offices in Vienna, the UK, Mousam Ventures, and along with Murphy, Italy, China, and Singapore. According to it undertook a management buyout of EGS Sharood, it has approximate annual sales of Gauging, purchasing the maker of web $100 million and 300 employees. measurement and controls from Invensys. In September 2006, it sold the business to Thermo Scientific (Waltham, MA). EGS had a longstanding relationship with BGE as a supplier. “I’ve known Gloucester for many years,” Murphy said, “and it just seemed like a good opportunity.” According to Sharood, other than dropping Battenfeld from the company name, there will be no immediate changes to the firm, From left, John Sharood, chairman; Carl Johnson, with the plan moving forpresident; and Dick Murphy, vice chairman, represent ward to pursue the new techthe new ownership, along with eight other senior nology and services path managers, of Gloucester Engineering (Stand 16/D22), undertaken by Johnson. Here buying the business from SMS. at the K, that has included See you again soon. Tuesday’s weather: 50°F / 10°C Light rain Wednesday’s forecast: 54°FSunny / 12°C Good show? Great show? Positively fantastic show! By the K Show Daily team At this, the 17th edition of the show, the world’s leading plastics industry exhibition has seen its prestige rise even higher as a result of the strong underlying economy in Europe and many other regions of the world. The K Show truly could not have been held at a more opportune time, said Bernhard Merki, president of Euromap, the European committee of Machinery Manufacturers for Plastics and Rubber Industries, who notes that the main problem facing most machinery manufacturers at the moment is a lack of Exhibitors agree: It was a perfect time for the K Show to occur. The Messe Düsseldorf team, including Petra Cullmann, K Show project director, shown here, is thrilled that the event has been so positive. [Continued, p.7} K 2007 | DÜSSELDORF | 24 – 31 OCTOBER 2007 | HALL 17 | BOOTH A 59 AND AT OUR LENGERICH IN-HOUSE EXPO! PASSION FOR INNOVATION Windmöller & Hölscher KG | Phone: +49 5481 14-0 | Fax:+49 5481 14-2649 | info@wuh-lengerich.de | www.wuh-lengerich.de MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE (ISSN 0026-8275) is published monthly, with an additional issue in summer, by Canon Communications LLC, 11444 W Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064-1549. Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA, and at additional mailing offices. Canada Post International Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 40612608. Canada Post return address: BleuChip International, P.O.Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. SUBSCRIPTIONS—Please send all circulation correspondence, subscription orders, and change of address notices to Modern Plastics Worldwide, PO Box 3568, Northbrook, IL 60065 USA. For subscriber service call +1 847-559-7590, or fax +1 847-291-4816, or email to mpw@omeda.com. Basic subscription price in U.S.A. and possessions is 1yr. $59.00, 2 yrs. $99.00, 3 yrs. $139.00. Canada is 1 yr. $110.00, 2 yrs. $199.00, 3 yrs. $295.00. All other countries are 1 yr. $150.00, 2 yrs. $250.00, 3 yrs. $300.00. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for shipment. Back issues (except for Encyclopedia issue) $25 each, plus S/H. Modern Plastics Worldwide has no connection with any company of similar name. The name ‘Modern Plastics’ is Registered ® U.S. Patent Office. Copyright © 2004 Canon Communications LLC. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. Copying for other than personal or internal reference use without the express permission of Canon Communications LLC is prohibited. Requests for special permission, or bulk orders should be addressed to the publisher. POSTMASTER – Send all address changes to Modern Plastics Worldwide, PO Box 3568, Northbrook, IL 60065 USA. modplas.com MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE • JANUARY 2008 61 MW01_62_spotlight.qxd 12/18/07 1:58 PM Page 62 SPOTLIGHT Kiev, Ukraine WITH OLEKSANDR GALKIN, UKRPLASTIC The Iron Curtain fell and so did this processor’s fortunes, until a determined man and his employees took the reins. Ukrplastic President Oleksandr Galkin likes the look of the future. Oleksandr Galkin radiates energy and confidence. The president of Ukrplastic (Kiev), the leading flexible packaging producer in Eastern Europe, is certain of the future of his business. Success did not always seem so clear. Sixteen years ago, the 80-year-old company was on the verge of collapse when Ukraine won its sovereignty but lost almost 70% of its energy sources. Industrial output fell and inflation was rampant. One of the first steps in the company’s turnaround was a gradual phasing out of PVC film extrusion. During restructuring the company began to introduce new technologies and materials, looked for new products, and learned to conduct marketing. “As a graduate of Kiev Food Technology Institute, I managed to grasp the immense potential for food packaging in Ukraine,” recalls Galkin. Since gaining independence, the country has worked to regain its reputation as the ‘breadbasket of the USSR,’ when Ukrainian collective farms provided more than a quarter of all Soviet agricultural output. “We were confident that a country with the objective to be a major European food supplier would need world-class packaging materials,” says Galkin. 62 JANUARY 2008 • They were right. Ukrplastic re-entered the flexible packaging market in 1994 with the start-up of a modern BOPP film line for Ukraine’s rapidly growing food and tobacco industries. Success led to the acquisition of leading-edge multilayer film lines. The processor also invested in a Bielloni flexographic printing press followed by more European-made flexographic and gravure machines. Today Ukrplastic runs five gravure and six flexo presses including two new, wide-web, 10-color, servodriven CI flexo presses from Fischer & Krecke. Self-reliant, the company has automated in-house production of rotogravure printing cylinders and laser cut plates for flexo printing. The processor currently produces barrier films, multilayer BOPP films, twist films for candy, and metallized films. “We have increased our sales nearly 25% compared with last year. Now we are at $100 million and account for more than 40% of the flexible packaging market in Ukraine. In the past seven years we invested over $100 million in equipment and technology,” Galkin says. “Currently we export about 40% of our production to Russia and the Baltic region. We would like to make Ukrplastic a world-class company and a diversified supplier of packaging products not only for the countries of the former Soviet Union but also for Central and Western Europe.” MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE A big project for Ukrplastic this year is the installation of an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) for film rolls. “This system will allow precise interaction among production areas, will reduce downtime, and improve customer service,” explains Galkin. “We want to improve employee working conditions and enhance inventory management; the system will assure routine floor clean-up by placing rolls into the AR/RS racks.” The company also is planning cleanroom film extrusion for the pharmaceutical industry. Galkin is a frequent visitor to trade shows worldwide and personally negotiates deals and evaluates equipment, though he brainstorms proposals with his team of executives, which includes a chief of technology, a plant manager, and a VP for construction. When MPW visited, the company was upgrading its facility in preparation for new equipment. While giving a plant tour, Galkin stopped at a Macro Engineering multilayer co-extrusion line and conversed in fluent English with the Canadian service engineer about the progress in upgrading the line. Looking ahead, Galkin says, “In 2008 Ukrplasic will install two new wide-web printing presses: flexo and gravure with inline lamination. Also, we are going to put in a new 9-layer blown-film line from Brampton Engineering at the end of next year. We may reach a turnover of $150 million in a couple of years.” Greg Grishchenko • editorial@modplas.com modplas.com 063_55548488_MW01 12/18/07 1:42 PM Page 63 WPCs2008 The Changing Technology in WPCs March 31 - April 2 San Diego, California . . . . . . . session topics WORKSHOP: Wood Plastics Composites: science, technology, markets Market Dynamics and Business Prospects Commercial Uses and Industrial Applications of WPC Advances in Additives Technology for Commercial Success Properties and Characterization Techniques of WPC Advances in Processing & Manufacturing Commercial Products Advances in Woodfiber and Related Composites about sponsors This Third World Congress and Exhibit on Woodfiber/Plastic and related Composites is aimed at the latest trends in commercialization and technology in this rapidly growing field that is becoming global in nature. There will be a poster session and an exhibit area. View more information and register online at: www.executive-conference.com tel: 734.737.0507 | fax: 734.737.0508 | ecm@executive-conference.com CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com ECM EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE MANAGEMENT www.executive-conference.com 12/18/07 1:43 PM Page 64 Internationally original. Those looking for flexibility, quality, performance and durability, are in the right place with ARBURG. In addition to our high standards in production and vertical integration, there is another powerful argument: our entire product range is characterized by the attribute „Made in Germany“. Because all of our machines and components are produced exclusively at the parent factory in Lossburg, Germany. And this will not change. You can rely on that! ARBURG GmbH + Co KG Postfach 11 09 · 72286 Lossburg / Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 74 46 33-0 Fax: +49 (0) 74 46 33 33 65 e-mail: contact@arburg.com | (BR) Brasil: ARBURG Ltda. · Tel.: +55 (11) 5643 7007 · brasil@arburg.com | (CN) China: ARBURG (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. · Tel.: +86 (0) 21 5488 8866 · shanghai@arburg.com | ARBURG Machine & Trading (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. · Tel.: +86 (0) 755 8343 3750 · shenzhen@arburg.com | (HK) Hong Kong: ARBURG (HK) Ltd. · Tel.: +852 (2) 886 3007 · hongkong@arburg.com | (MX) Mexico: Industrias Plásticas L y H · Tel.: +52 (55) 5373 6065 · iplyh@prodigy.net.mx | (MY) ARBURG Sdn Bhd · Tel.: +60 (0) 3 5636 6213 · malaysia@arburg.com | (SG) Singapore: ARBURG PTE LTD. · Tel.: +65 6778 8318 · singapore@arburg.com | (US) USA: ARBURG, Inc. · Tel.: +1 (860) 667 6500 · usa@arburg.com | CLICK MPW a INFOLINK @ www.modplas.com www.arburg.com 064_55548861_MW01