BP&R Feb 2012

British Plastics

and Rubber

bp&r

THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR BRITAIN’S POLYMER PROCESSORS

February 2012

A positive perception of PVC

Making the most of materials for automotives

Efficient machines for the packaging market

comment

bp&r BRITISH PLASTICS &RUBBER www.britishplastics.co.uk EDITORIAL Editor: Leanne Taylor T: +44(0)1829 770037 E: leanne@rapidnews.com Managing Editor: Sam Anson T: +44(0)1829 770037 E: sam.a@rapidnews.com

SALES Advertising Sales Manager: Lisa Montgomery T: +44(0)1829 770037 E: lisa@rapidnews.com

ART

Celebrating UK INNOVATION

Production & Design Manager: Samantha Hamlyn T: +44(0)1829 770037 E: sam@rapidnews.com Production: jonny jones T: +44(0)1829 770037 E: jonathan.jonesr@rapidnews.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions Manager: Tracey Nicholls T: +44(0)1829 770037 E: tracey@rapidnews.com

PUBLISHER Welcome to February's issue of BP&R. With the recent launch of the 'Made in Great Britain' campaign celebrating UK invention and innovation, we are looking in detail at a company from North Wales who have invented a new and novel way of foaming polymers during the injection moulding process using regular tap water. Find out more in our injection moulding section starting on page 24.

Despite 2011 being a challenging year for the UK motor industry, total new car registrations were slightly ahead of industry expectations, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 2012 is set to see the market stabilise, despite tough economic conditions, thanks to an increase in new materials, significantly improved fuel efficiency and exciting new technology. In our automotives special starting on page 8 we look at the latest plastics technology for light weighting, energy efficiency and high-end design.

Mark Blezard T: +44(0)1829 770037 E: mark@rapidnews.com

With the London 2012 Olympics looming, we have cause to celebrate the vast use of sustainable plastics in the stadia and arenas. I caught up with Roger Mottram, Chairman of the BPF Vinyls Group, to find out more about the use of PVC in sport, how awareness of its sustainability is increasing and the latest on the VinylPlus scheme launched in June last year.

We also take a look at what we can expect from the packaging industry in 2012, featuring a cosmetics special.

With advances in IML, as well as the use of more sophisticated machinery, inventive caps and closures and clever use of colour and design, we look at how the latest trends reflect consumer demands.

Thanks to all of our readers who have submitted feedback about our new-look format, we're thrilled to hear that you like it as much as we do. Enjoy the issue.

Leanne Taylor - Editor

British Plastics & Rubber is available on free subscription to readers qualifying under the publisher’s terms of control. Those outside the criteria may subscribe at the following annual rates: UK: £80 Europe and rest of the world: £115 British Plastics & Rubber is published monthly (10 times/year) by Plastics Multimedia Communications Ltd, Unit 2, Chowley Court, Chowley Oak Lane, Tattenhall, CH3 9GA T: +44(0)1829 770037 F: +44(0)1829 770047 © 2012 Plastics Multimedia Communications Ltd While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information contained within this publication is accurate the publisher accepts no liability for information published in error, or for views expressed. All rights for British Plastics & Rubber are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

ISSN 0307-6164 Incorporating Polymer Age and Rubber and Plastics Age.

Associated organisations

of plastics in automotive

Plastribution has added two new families of polymers to its portfolio of materials for automotive applications, thereby creating new opportunities for the manufacture of components that can help reduce the weight, and therefore enhance the fuel

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With effect from the start of 2012, Plastribution's distributor role for Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics has been extended to include its XANTAR (PC), XANTAR C (PC/ABS) and XANTAR E (PC/PET) products, with the intention of exploring new opportunities specifically for the UK automotive industry.

Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics' XANTAR product line consists of general purpose and special grades, including flame retardant, glass-fibre reinforced and engineering structural foam grades.

Specialised products include Xantar LDS (Laser Direct Structuring), a range of custom-made PC and PC/ABS based grades that enable selective electroless plating by means of laser direct structuring (LDS) to integrate electric circuits into moulded parts, and XANTAR XRM (Xtra Robust Modified), a family of impact modified, flame retardant PC. XANTAR C is a blend of Xantar polycarbonate and a specially developed high purity ABS. Key properties of XANTAR C products are low melt viscosity and high impact resistance under unfavourable conditions (such as low temperatures or when exposed to chemicals), its high level of purity, high stability and bright natural colour. It is available in standard, flameretardant and tailor-made grades.

XANTAR E is a blend of XANTAR polycarbonate and PET or PBT. These products are mainly developed for the automotive industry, both interior and exterior applications and consist of standard and special grades. It exhibits high ageing resistance and has benefits in demanding impact situations e.g. the combination of low temperature performance and weld lines. It also displays low volatility during processing

vehicle, moulded inlet for a Renault The frame of an air 2 (PC/ABS) from Xantar C RC 301

(low odour) and end-use (reduced windshield fogging).

Common automotive applications XANTAR PC, PC/ABS and PC/PET blends are predominantly used in automotive interior applications.

Specially developed grades offer solutions for demanding applications, such as air conditioning and venting nozzles, steering column claddings, dashboard components and interior lighting.

XANTAR based materials pass today's very stringent environmental requirements with respect to absence of heavy metals and undesired volatile components. They therefore match demands for fogging, emission of volatiles and odour in the car interior. Specifically, XANTAR E can be used to meet the severest impact requirements, whilst XANTAR C is available in several compositions to match the applications demands for heat resistance and impact.

New enhanced finish electroplating grade of ABS from Chi Mei In a separate development, the Taiwanese supplier Chi Mei has introduced a new electroplating grade of ABS, Polylac PA726M, intended for use in automotive parts and components, particularly front grilles. It surpasses its previous offering in terms of reduced impurities, visual appearance of the final part and corrosion resistance.

"One enhancement of the new material is it higher melt flow rate, which leads to a reduced occurrence of streaking in the plated part," explained Martin White, who looks after Styrenics

and Specialties at Plastribution.

"Moreover, thanks to the modified process employed by Chi Mei to produce PA-726M, the material contains fewer impurities that can hinder electroplating performance and result in a reduced yield rate."

Evaluation tests conducted by Chi Mei on chrome-plated components moulded from the new material included thermal cycle testing, to determine its durability under different temperatures, and CASS (Copper Accelerated Acetic Acid Salt Spray) testing, to determine corrosion resistance.

The excellent results of new the material in these tests, as well as the impressive visual results achieved on trial parts, contributed to its approval by an automotive OEM in Taiwan. "With the introduction of Polylac PA-726M, which is now also available to our customers in the UK, we can offer a new alternative for the electroplating of ABS that is able to fulfil the rigorous demands of automotive applications," concluded Martin White.

FURTHER INFORMATION: www.plastribution.co.uk

XantarÂŽ is a registered trademark of Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation.

PolylacÂŽ is a registered trademark of Chi Mei Corporation.

efficiency, of today's vehicles.

This control console bezel for a Volvo interior has been moulded using Xantar C CM 506 (PC/ABS)

THE BIG STORY Driving the adoption

We drive EDRIVE: An addition to our electric machine range that enables a wide range of applications. Invest in modern electric injection moulding machines. With great technology at a competitive price. In order to reliably make money with high quality products. The new EDRIVE series:

ARBURG Ltd. Tachbrook Park Drive Warwick CV34 6RH Tel.: +44 (0) 1926 457 000 Fax: +44 (0) 1926 457 020 e-mail: uk@arburg.com

www.arburg.co.uk

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29 22 40 14

on the cover

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bp&r BRITISH PLASTICS &RUBBER

contents

FEBRUARY 2012

on the cover Driving the adoption of plastics in automotive Plastribution has added two new families of polymers to its portfolio of materials for automotive applications, creating new opportunities for the cost-effective manufacture of components that can help reduce the weight, and therefore enhance the fuelefficiency, of today's vehicles.

See page 4

30-35 REGULARS ]FEATURE INJECTION MOULDING TESTING AND INSPECTION Testing and inspection for improved safety and higher standards

37-41 FEATURE

24

RECLAMATION & RECYCLING

14

ENGINEERING MATERIALS

28

CURRENCY CORNER

43

SOFTWARE

43

BUYERS’ GUIDE

44

VINYLS A positive perception of PVC

3 EDITOR’S LETTER Celebrating UK innovation

8-13 FEATURE AUTOMOTIVES Driving ahead with innovation

42 FEATURE SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION Unearthing the myths and improving your website

41 FROM THE FRONTLINE

17-23 FEATURE PACKAGING A close look at cosmetics

PVC and Vinyl Special: Roger Mottrom talks to BP&R

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bp&r

OLED lighting developed for use as a transparent car roof BASF and Philips have achieved a practical breakthrough in the development of OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology that allows it to be integrated in car roofs.

The OLEDs are transparent when switched off, allowing for a clear view outside the vehicle, yet providing light only within the vehicle when switched on. This OLED lighting concept for car roofs is the result of a longstanding cooperation between BASF and Philips in the research and development of OLED modules.

In addition to offering new design possibilities, the transparent OLED lighting concept also allows new approaches to automotive engineering. The transparent OLED sandwich structure can be combined with equally transparent solar cells.

vehicle View of fuel tank in

compared with alternative materials. They are also more cost-effective.

“Ease of installation was vital to this project as we wanted the tank to be assembled after the roll cage, so that it could be replaced if it was ever necessary.

The alternative of putting the tank box in before the roll cage was welded in place would have resulted in us being unable to replace it.”

Freddy Page-Roberts, of inrekor, added: “Our focus is very much on achieving bespoke designs for a wide range of vehicles from electric cars through to standard and high performance vehicles. However, the versatility of inrekor means that it is being successfully applied as a solution for motorsport, passive safety, aerospace and in-vehicle storage.” inrekor panels are a composite construction utilising an Arpro core bonded between two thin sheets of aluminium. inrekor identified the Arpro

Transparent OLED (organic lightemitting diodes) for spacious ambiance in interior lighting

“This combination allows the driver to enjoy a unique open-space feeling while it generates electricity during the day and pleasantly suffuses the interior with the warm light of the transparent, highly efficient OLEDs at night,” said Dr. Felix Görth, Head of Organic Light-Emitting

Fuel Tank

Innovative fuel tank is perfect fit for Aston Martin Racing Lightweight structures technology specialist, inrekor, has used its expertise to develop a specially engineered fuel tank for Aston Martin Racing.

Built from Arpro, a lightweight material widely used in automotive applications, and sandwiched in aluminium, the new bladder fuel tank is said to meet FIA standards requiring a 10mm thick shell.

It has been designed by the inrekor, Prodrive and Aston Martin Racing engineering teams to ensure a tight fit within the vehicle roll-cage, optimising both fuel capacity and safety.

The flexibility of inrekor is said to mean it can achieve a complex shape and be supplied in separate parts, which can then be built in situ to fit into the confined space within the vehicle. It is said to be a fraction of the price of carbon fibre, more cost-effective than honeycomb and can be pieced together securely and easily.

Chief engineer, GT, at Aston Martin Racing, Dan Sayers, explained: “Moving the fuel cell to be positioned inside the roll cage increases protection, and this was our main target. The aim is for this installation to be common across our GT range and therefore the inrekor tank will also be used in GTE, GT3 and GT4.

“The advantage of the inrekor panels is the fact that they are energy absorbing and versatile, meaning that complex shapes are easily achievable when

Vehicle roll-cage

AUTOMOTIVES

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news

material as suitable for use in its composite panel because of its cost and the ease with which it can be moulded, as well as its energy absorption and insulation properties. inrekor states it has also patented several methods jointing panels, including the use of bespoke apertures to create anchor points which prevent peeling and tearing and ensures the joints are especially strong. further information www.inrekor.com

Diodes and Organic Photovoltaics at BASF Future Business GmbH. Dr. Dietrich Bertram, General Manager of OLED Lighting at Philips, added: “This project provides impressive evidence of new possibilities with OLEDs, and illustrates the potential of Philips' Lumiblade OLED technology to help create innovative lighting applications that enhance people's lives.”

OLED technology offers the advantage of high-energy efficiency, in addition to creative flexibility and new options for designers. OLED light sources are just 1.8 millimeters thin and can be transparent.

The entire surface of an OLED illuminates with diffused light, making it a very soft light source that produces less harsh shadows compared to point light sources. further information www.basf.com www.philips.com

The lightweight Elise-E from Evonik

ITS170/67 granulator

Major Polish vehicle tyre recycling plant choses ITS Granulator A vehicle tyre recycling plant in Poland has chosen an ITS granulator from UKbased Excell Environmental Solutions as part of a turnkey facility that will process over 25,000 tonnes of material per year.

Orzel SA, who have been active in the tyre market since 1998, are said to have selected the ITS170/67 granulator due to its low total granulating function cost, reduced maintenance and operational costs, resulting in increased productivity and therefore revenue per hour.

Driven by a 160kW electric motor connected via V belts to a large flywheel, this granulator will process 2000 kg/hr of pre-shredded car and truck tyre pieces from 20mm in size down to around 0 5mm. The special staggered rotor blade geometry is said to offer an extremely smooth and gradual cutting action requiring very low energy consumption compared to traditional straight blade granulators. The uncomplicated and easy access design for maintenance also is said to have been reason for selection of this machine over competition.

New electric sports car is a lightweight Evonik has unveiled the first electrical sports car with a weight below 1,000 kg at this year's Car Synopsium in Bochum, Germany.

The 'Elise-E', which has been made in conjunction with Lotus UK, weighs 950kg, has a power of 150kW and accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 4.4 seconds with a top speed of 200 km/h. “The purpose of exhibiting the vehicle is to show the automotive industry what can be achieved with our expertise in chemicals,� said Klaus Hedrich, Head of the Evonik Automotive Industry Team.

According to Evonik, the combined use of innovative storage technology, lightweight components and tyres with reduced rolling resistance are the main reasons the sports car is the first-ever model to weigh less than 1,000 kilograms.

The car is powered by a lithium ion battery with Evonik's Cerio storage technology, with a heat-resistant ceramic separator at the core. According to Evonik, the separator allows for the highly compact design of the battery cells which results in high energy density at a low weight. The weight of the car's body is also

said to have been reduced with Evonik technologies. Rohacell foam and carbon fibres used for the sandwich structure are said to make the body 60-70 percent lighter than a comparable steel structure.

Evonik applied a new resin infusion process with an epoxy resin formula based on the Vestamin hardener technology to manufacture it. Evonik claims this process allows for high-quality surfaces and reliability in the serial manufacture of composite automotive body parts.

The side windows, made of Plexiglas, are also said to have contributed to the weight reduction, as they have a weightsaving potential of 40-50 percent compared to conventional mineral glass.

Vehicles with less weight and high power have to be safe and sustainable on the road. In this fast-running electrical vehicle, this is said to be ensured by special lightweight tyres, which were developed with high-performance Silica Ultrasil and the silane Si 363 manufactured by Evonik.

They are said to reduce the rolling resistance of the tyres by approximately 20 percent, leading to energy savings of about five percent. further information www.evonik.com

further information: www.excell-es.com

Mazda develops resin material for world's lightest bumpers Mazda Motor Corporation has announced it has developed a resin in conjunction with Japan Polypropylene Corporation for making vehicle parts that maintain the same rigidity as parts made with conventional materials, while achieving significant weight reduction.

Using this material, the parts manufactured are said to be thinner than those using conventional resin, resulting in a significant reduction in the resin required to manufacture parts.

When the material is used for both front and rear bumpers, Mazda states it contributes to weight reduction of

approximately 20 percent.

In the bumper production process, this reduced thickness is said to allow for a shorter cooling period for moulding, and by using computer-aided engineering (CAE) technology, the fluidity of the resin material is also optimised. As a result, Mazda states bumper-moulding time is halved to 30 seconds, leading to reductions in energy.

Mazda blended two components found in polypropylene and rubber that

Motors UK Ltd.

da Mazda CX-5 courtesy of Maz

have different properties, and succeeded in distributing them in a double-layer structure in line with the required function for the surface and the inside of the base bumper material. As a result, the surface is said to have excellent paint film adhesion and the inner section retains high rigidity and impact absorption, with reduced thickness.

Mazda plans to use this resin material in the new Mazda CX-5 SUV. further information www.mazda.co.uk

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AUTOMOTIVES feature

A car part based on part recycled PA6 with glass fibre and mineral

BP&R: Can you tell me about the projects Albis is working on for plastics in automotives?

IM: We are currently about to enter a phase of field testing a new ALTECH compound designed to substitute one base polymer for a lower cost alternative for use particularly in automotive applications. Production scale-up trials have been completed and we can begin the wider testing in selected automotive applications. This is in the early stage of development but the early signs are encouraging that it will bring cost down potential to a number of areas in the automotive sector. We are also working on projects with one OEM to incorporate renewably sourced materials into our compounds.

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BP&R: which new materials have you added to your portfolio recently that are specifically for automotives?

IM: We have recently added the BASF's Ultramid polyamide range to our portfolio.

This range incorporates many automotive grades. Within our own ALTECH and ALCOM compound ranges we have many specialised automotive grades that are for under bonnet and interior applications.

continue to penetrate into new applications in vehicles and we are working with a number of tier one suppliers to enable weight reduction in vehicles. Current projects running include reducing the weight of car seating and a fully recycled ALTECH PC/ ABS.

BP&R: Weight reduction and sustainability are both hugely important within the automotive industry. how is albis using recycled plastics to reduce carbon footprint and make a vehicle more environmentally friendly?

IM: Albis supply a number of products based on recycled plastics for the automotive industry. We use both industrial and post consumer recyclate for these products. Our post consumer recyclate is effectively closed loop recycling as it is based entirely on recycled plastic from end of life vehicles. Plastics

BP&R: What benefits can plastics offer over other materials such as metal and synthetics in terms of safety, quality and sustainability?

IM: Plastics are versatile offering easy processability and can be easily reclaimed for recycling. They can be used in many demanding areas of the vehicle including high temperature applications. They can also contribute significantly to the quality of a vehicle by providing quality appearance to interior trim and helping improve features such as interior lighting with diffusers or light blocking materials.

They also assist in reducing noise in the

Making the most of materials for automotives With the rise in materials for automotive components leaning towards the trend for weight reduction, sustainability, efficiency and high-quality design, BP&R Editor, Leanne Taylor, caught up with Ian Mills, Managing Director of Albis UK, to find out more about the developments in this field.

cabin with sound deadening applications.

Increasingly plastic provides weight reductions for vehicles and is not only replacing metal but also glass in some automotive glazing applications.

BP&R: How do you ensure that a plastic material is safe for use in an automotive part?

IM: Compounds are tested to ensure they meet the necessary criteria required when processed whether it be flame retardancy, impact or fogging tests etc. The piece part will have to be tested in certain cases to ensure suitability and this may be environmental testing or crash testing or some other specific test. Albis can carry out many tests in house but in some cases external testing will be necessary. Albis has many years of experience in this area and as a result have many OEM approvals in place which have all undergone the necessary testing.

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further information: www.albis.com

Jaguar concept design image Credit: Jaguar

AUTOMOTIVES case study

Case Study

Making automotive prototyping rapid >> At a Glance:

When Jaguar Land Rover was faced with the challenge of broadening its in-house prototyping capabilities to enhance automotive styling and provide elastomer-like design testing, it needed a solution that would provide working models produced quickly in a single process for immediate style, fit and function testing as well as faster development and testing of complex and multi-material parts.

Company: Jaguar Land Rover Location: Coventry, UK Industry: Automotive

Jaguar Land Rover installed a Connex500 from Objet in the summer of 2008. The 3D printer was said to be chosen for its multimaterial capability, which combines two different materials and draws on their best attributes to deliver high-quality models.

The two global premium brands of Jaguar and Land Rover have been under single ownership since the year 2000, firstly as part of the Ford Motor Company and now as the UK-based wing of the Indian TATA Group.

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The two marques originally started life with completely different perspectives. The first Jaguar, the SS100, was launched in 1935 as the first 100mph affordable sports car.

With classic lines and high performance it became the inspiration for a remarkable lineage of Jaguar cars with a reputation for speed, comfort and race winning.

In contrast, the first Series 1 Land Rover 80, built in 1948, had completely different attributes, being an 'all-purpose vehicle' with a rugged, no-frills design and off-road capabilities. Today, there are eight vehicle lines produced by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

To ensure that these lines maintain their premium position in the marketplace, almost 20 percent of Jaguar Land Rover's workforce is employed on product development, using the very latest CAD techniques with in-house prototyping and tooling to quickly prove designs. In addition to CNC model making and a fully equipped metalwork and toolshop, the prototyping capabilities include several RP machines using SLA, laser sintering and polymer jetting technologies.

Prototyping parts direct from CAD data Jaguar Land Rover invested in the Connex500 in 2008 to broaden its resinbased RP prototyping capabilities. The ability to create models direct from CAD data with elastomer, rubber-like materials and produce working mechanisms, were said to be other key benefits that would contribute towards reducing development cycles. To prove its capability, the Connex was initially tasked to produce a complete facia air vent assembly for a Range Rover Sport. It was modelled using rigid materials for the housing and airdeflection blades, and rubber-like materials for the control knobs and air seal.

Jaguar Land Rover was said to be able to print the complete facia air vent, as a working part, in a single process. Once printed, the model was taken from the Connex, cleaned and tested immediately, proving that the hinges on the blades all worked and the control knob had the right look and feel.

“The automotive industry thrives on 3D Printing,” Andy Middleton, Objet's General Manager for Europe, told BP&R. “Prototypes are commonly used on a massive scale when planning a future vehicle. Solutions that offer a variety of applications thus become all the more important.”

The Connex uses Objet's PolyJet Matrix technology by jetting two distinctive model materials in preset combinations in a matrix structure to create flexible and rigid materials, with different mechanical and physical properties as well as finishes.

Using this technology, Jaguar Land Rover's Connex is said to have accumulated 5000 hours of operation, printed over 2500 parts and used 600 kg of resin.

Fit and function testing The ability to use 3D printers for overmoulding is said to have been beneficial to the production of parts in the automotive industry as it allows designers and engineers to create strong, structural products with ergonomic comfort. Two materials are used, but not mixed, to create, for example, a cover with rubber

An example of an ove r

moulded part

seal. Once cleaned the assembly can be used directly for fit and function testing.

Range Rover Sport

“With the Objet Connex multi-material 3D printing technology and wide material variety, Objet offers its automotive customers ample possibilities with the use of over-moulding, elastic and transparent parts,� Mr Middleton continued.

The styling department at Jaguar Land Rover uses the 3D printing technology to help finalise new design proposals. The Connex-printed components are said to have proved to be robust enough for rigorous testing, allowing the design to be proved before moving into the expensive tooling stage.

For Jaguar Land Rover, the benefits of 3D printing are said to be good part definition with high accuracy and dimensional control, as well as fast turnaround due to easy operation, a fast build speed and simple clean-up process. Additionally, it is also the ability to prototype parts direct from CAD data that would have been time consuming or expensive by other means. further information: www.jaguarlandrover.com www.objet.com

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news Boost to plastics recycling will create UK jobs Following the launch of a new technical guide published by WRAP that aims to help local authorities increase plastic bottle recycling rates, the UK's capability to recycle plastic packaging has been given a further boost with funding provided to recycle an additional 15,000 tonnes of rigid plastic packaging at ECO Plastics' facility in Lincolnshire.

The £1.15 million loan from WRAP will enable ECO Plastics to extend its existing bottle sorting and processing facility, to recycle a total of 150,000 tonnes of plastics annually. The investment complements the joint venture that the business formed with Coca-Cola Enterprises last year and will mean that its Hemswell facility is now better able to process rigid plastic packaging such as tubs, pots and trays, as well as plastic bottles.

Following WRAP's funding of the Biffa Polymers plant in Redcar in 2010, the organisation states this is another important step towards building the reprocessing infrastructure that the UK needs to effectively recycle more of our plastic resources.

Linda Crichton, Head of Collections at WRAP, believes the growth in plastic bottle recycling has been remarkable over the past 10 years. “Back in 2000, only around 12,000 tonnes of plastic bottles were recycled in the UK - it's now nearly 20 times that amount,” she said. “We're also seeing rapid growth in domestic infrastructure to reprocess plastic bottles, some of which are even producing recycled food grade materials. Around half of the plastic bottles collected for recycling are now reprocessed in the UK.” WRAP states that as the UK's capacity to process non-bottle plastics packaging grows, it will ultimately become viable for local authorities to routinely collect nonbottle plastics packaging from households at kerbside.

Over the next three to five years, WRAP aims to support higher recycling rates for all plastics packaging, but in a way that allows quality to be maintained so that the best environmental and economic outcomes can also be achieved.

WRAP aims to increase the UK's

to five years, Over the next three her recycling hig rt ppo su WRAP aims to kaging pac rates for all plastics

capacity to recycle its rigid plastic packaging by 100,000 tonnes per year through the Mixed Plastics Loan Fund.

Environment Minister, Lord Taylor, said: “I'm delighted to see this investment in ECO Plastics. It will increase the amount of plastic that gets recycled by 15,000 tonnes, helping to protect the environment and save businesses money by cutting back on their use of raw materials. The recycling industry is growing and we're working to help companies gain a foothold in this exciting new marketplace which will help us become a zero-waste economy.”

Marcus Gover, Director of the Closed Loop Economy programme at WRAP, said: "Recycling is a great British industry and this funding represents a further confidence boost. Getting the right reprocessing infrastructure in place is crucial to turning the developing interest in mixed plastics collections from local authorities into a reality. I'd encourage anyone with an interest in recycling plastic packaging to check the criteria of our Mixed Plastics Loan Fund."

Jonathan Short, Managing Director of ECO Plastics, said: "The processing of nonbottle rigid plastics packaging is the next logical step in UK plastics recycling infrastructure. But it is vitally important that we don't run before we can walk - the processing infrastructure must be in place before we encourage further non-bottle rigid plastics collection across the UK. Even after this investment, current collections far outweigh the available processing capacity, which remains a serious risk to the whole industry.

“We support WRAP’s vision to see this growth occur in the

Plastic bottle recycling has grown considerably in the last 10 years

reclamation & recycling

100% Recycled Nylon 100% Prime Properties

medium term, allowing companies like ECO Plastics to develop markets for the non-bottle plastic recyclate. It is an essential ingredient for a successful industry.”

The facility, based in North Lincolnshire, will employ an additional 12 local people, creating sustainable jobs in addition to further developing the UK's green economy with home grown processing and manufacturing - turning 'waste' into resources. further information: www.wrap.org.uk/mplf

www.ultrapolymers.co.uk

01925 750320

a Spirit of Partnership

t igh P t-R Lef ead M , h y e e t hi een n W ean F CEO a l A dS m an ronCo i v En

We need to do more with our WEEE, says Labour MP There needs to be greater control of waste electrical and electronic items (WEEE) on household recycling sites according to Labour MP, Alan Whitehead, after a recent visit to EnvironCom's new WEEE re-use facility in Edmonton, North London.

The Southampton MP, who is co-chair of the Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group, toured the facility to learn how doing the right thing with WEEE, which includes re-use where possible, creates more value across the industry. However, according to EnvironCom, many producer compliance schemes don't support this view, which results in mountains of WEEE waste being recycled without understanding its re-use potential.

Commenting at the Edmonton facility, Mr Whitehead said: “National government, local authorities,

manufacturers and retailers all have a responsibility to the public and the environment to ensure they are doing all they can to sustain the life of our unwanted electricals, thus preventing thousands of tonnes of this valuable resource simply going straight to being recycled, ending up in landfill or being illegally exported overseas.

“It is quite clear that here in the UK we now have the capability to give our unwanted electrical items a new lease of life, which benefits the whole supply chain, but some parts of the industry are not seeing the true benefit of re-using WEEE waste. It's obvious that more needs to be done to address this in order that all recyclers are able to operate in the same, responsible way and within the law.”

Sean Feeney, CEO of EnvironCom, commented: “We are delighted that Alan chose to come and visit our new re-use facility and see for himself that with the right attitude and the right technology, it is possible to do the right thing with WEEE. “But in order to achieve this there

needs to be a level playing field across the industry, with tighter controls on WEEE at household recycling sites in favour of those producer compliance schemes and recyclers that support re-use.”

In December 2011, WRAP reported that almost a quarter of WEEE should be reusable, with a potential value of £220 million. Its 'Realising the Reuse Value of Household WEEE' report found that 23 percent was either fit for resale and reuse or required only minor repairs before it could be resold.

EnvironCom is championing WEEE reuse in the UK and its London facility, which opened in October 2011, is aiming to achieve a 30 percent re-use rate, far exceeding any other WEEE recycler in the UK. At this site alone, the company will give a new lease of life to up to 75,000 WEEE items each year. further information: www.environcom.co.uk

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01925 750320

a Spirit of Partnership

news Regain Recycling The Express Building, now

New year, new investment for plastics recycling company Regain Polymers, a UK plastics recycling company based in Castleford, West Yorkshire, has announced ambitious growth plans backed by a £1m-plus investment in additional capacity and the acquisition of a competitor.

The additional capacity involves the purchase of a state-of-the-art twin-screw extruder, to be installed at the Castleford plant in March 2012. According to the company, the new line will increase extrusion capacity by 40 percent to over 45,000 tonnes per annum.

To further support its growth and future plans, the business has also acquired Express Recycling & Plastics Ltd of Rainham, Essex, a recycler specialising in the separation and reprocessing of rigid end of life plastics. According to Regain, the increased geographic market spread this acquisition brings will greatly improve its ability to attract raw materials for both recycling plants.

Speaking of the new acquisition, Ian Porter, Managing Director of Regain Polymers, said: “We are actively seeking opportunities to expand our business and

Flight plastics ready for takeoff Flight Plastics UK Ltd has announced major developments to its business including moving to new factory premises and the installation of a new Bandera twin screw A-PET/ R-PET sheet extrusion line.

“This is an exciting time for us,” said Kevin Mills, MD of Flight Plastics UK Ltd. “We have been looking for the right property to purchase for some time, and we are delighted with our new property situated in Romsey, Hampshire. We have been able to work with a blank canvas and design a bespoke factory for our sheet extrusion process.”

“We have been at the forefront of APET sheet extrusion in UK and New Zealand but in the UK we moved to twin screw dryerless extrusion of R-PET over two years ago in response to consumer demand for recycled thermoformed packaging. Our investment in our first Bandera twin-screw extruder has proved so successful that we decided to buy a second one once we secured the

& Plastics Ltd

reclamation& recycling

www.ultrapolymers.co.uk

this new venture will increase both our capabilities and capacity to supply the market.”

Mark Roberts, Technical Sales Director, stated: “We believe this combination of investments to be one of the most significant developments in the UK recycling market for many years. Our strategy is one of growth, and these investments will give us both the

property.”

The company states installation has now been completed, with the existing extrusion lines ready to be moved to the new premises.

“We now have a very significant capability for A-PET and R-PET. Our gauge range is from 200 micron through to 1.5mm with a maximum width of 1400 mm,” Mr Mills continued.

“We re-extrude customers scrap and we pride ourselves on the speed of turnaround as we are well aware that our customers are put under immense pressure by their customers.

“We are proud to be involved in the recycling process and we have good relationships with our R-PET flake suppliers. Rather than exporting our scrap without adding value, the UK should embrace the recycling push within our own shores.” further information: www.flightplastics.co.uk

technology and capacity needed to ensure that we are well placed to achieve this in 2012”.

Express Recycling & Plastics Ltd has been renamed Regain Recycling & Plastics Ltd. further information: www.regainpolymers.com

Flight Plastics new UK factory in Romsey, Hampshire

PACKAGING NEWS

news New packaging product stemmed from mushrooms Two US companies have announced collaboration in the development of a new type of packaging made from mushrooms.

Sealed Air Corporation and Ecovative Design LLC announced that they will work together to accelerate the production, sales and distribution of Ecovative's EcoCradle Mushroom Packaging, a new technology for environmentally responsible packaging materials made from agricultural byproducts and mycelium, or 'mushroom roots'.

The mushroom-derived packaging is said to be a cost-effective and home compostable product that is made from renewable, non-food agriculture materials. "Ecovative is extremely excited to be partnering with Sealed Air to bring EcoCradle packaging to a world-wide audience,” said Eben Bayer, CEO of Ecovative. “Together we are

aging ed pack nt print e e r a b p s w n o a Tr ill n rumbe w from G K in the U available

The mushroom-derived packaging is said to be a costeffective and home compostable product

furthering our vision and broadening our impact, providing an innovative and effective alternative to petrochemical based packaging at a much larger scale."

The biomaterial has won a number of packaging awards, including the DuPont Packaging Innovation Diamond Award and, according to Ecovative, is being used to protect products for some big-name customers.

"We are excited by the prospect of working with Ecovative. This entrepreneurial team has created fundamental material technology, using

the unique properties of mycelium, to provide solutions to packaging, as well as other applications. Ecovative has been able to use its science to manipulate material properties, varying density, strength, texture, and appearance to meet different performance needs of a variety of customer applications," said Ryan Flanagan, President of Sealed Air's Protective Packaging business.

A clear path for UK packaging firm Luton-based Bell Packaging Limited and Italian Grumbe Srl have announced a joint collaboration to promote high quality transparent packaging in the UK. Grumbe are a specialist producer of printed transparent packaging and, with increased requests from FMCG companies for their products, an agreement has been reached between Bell Packaging and Grumbe to provide full availability in the UK of their range.

Tubing, boxes, inserts and promotional designs can be decorated using litho, foil and screen print processes. Producing over 80 million packs per annum, Grumbe is also said to offer the largest printed box capacity in

Europe.

Commenting on the announcement, Managing Director, Peter Lennie, stated: “Everybody at Bell is very excited about the new product range. Grumbe have made significant improvements in the environmental aspects of transparent packaging. With their specialised print and creasing capabilities along with the production of other substrates we can offer the complete solution for medium and large FMCG projects.

“Key market areas include the drinks industry where presentation is becoming an increasingly important sales tool, and also the cosmetics and confectionery sectors. At next months' Easyfairs exhibition we will be showing some of the latest designs and we look forward to meeting customers and new prospects at the show.”

further information: www.mushroompackaging.com

further information: www.bellpackaging.com

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PACKAGING NEWS

news Packing in the trends for 2012 Packaging trends in 2012 revolve around energy saving and sustainability, according to Engel's Kurt Hell at the company's UK packaging day last month.

Both megatrends revolve around the use of all-electric machines, or energy efficient hydraulic machines with servohydraulic systems. For sustainable packaging, there is a focus on machines with a clean toggle and an oil-free mould area.

Mr Hell spoke of biomaterials making a further impact in the packaging industry for 2012, with new and innovative applications including their use in blow moulding and dual material products.

With the world's population growing, Mr Hell explained the close relationship between demographic trends and packaging. There is demand for food packaging in reduced portion size for single or small families, as well as the rise

Transparent PS cups from Beck decorated inside and outside by one label

in convenience packaging and increased product shelf life.

Design was also heralded as a major trend for 2012, with high quality decoration of products enabling the use of holographic labels and multiple colour decoration. Advances in IML are giving rise to the opportunity for containers to be decorated inside and outside by one label, as well as improved barrier properties

through co-injection of PP and EVOH coatings.

Innovations in caps and closures for 2012 include multi-function caps for sports drinks as well as in-built cutlery within the lids of food products. further information www.engelglobal.com/uk

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packaging NEWS

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Efficient machines for the packaging market KraussMaffei has announced for the first time it is demonstrating the performance of the MX 650+ as a powerful machine for the specific needs of the packaging industry by operating it live at a trade show.

At the forthcoming NPE exhibition, the company states a MX+ 650-4300 will produce large screw closures made of polypropylene in a 48-cavity mould. The MX650+ is said to master different mould installation heights just as reliably as extremely heavy mould weights up to 13,500 kg. While doing so, Krauss Maffei states it achieves a high platen parallelism and uniform clamping force distribution, which is the basis for process-reliable production.

"Multi-cavity moulds are used primarily for screw closures and sealing caps, and very short cycle times are required," said Paul Caprio, Managing Director of the KraussMaffei Corporation (USA).

KraussMafffei states the MX 650+ specifically meets these requirements and

‘Greenest ever' refillable bottle is more eco-nomic Specialist plastics packaging business, Petainer, has developed its 'greenest ever' refillable bottle - further improving the sustainability of what is already said to be one of the most environmentally-friendly forms of beverage packaging.

The new bottle is manufactured using more than 25 percent post-consumer 'one-way' recycled PET plastic, but has the same performance characteristics as a refillable bottle made entirely from virgin material.

Nigel Pritchard, Group Chief Executive of Petainer, said: “This is a very exciting development. Refillable bottles are already the beverage packing system with one of the lowest environmental footprints. This massive advance in the use of recycled material makes refillable bottles even more 'eco-nomic'.

“They are 'eco-friendly' because they use up to 90 percent less virgin material per filling. This performance is improved even further by the introduction of postconsumer recyclate, which means that the bottles now require less energy and other resources to manufacture.

“They are also economic in the traditional sense because the environmental benefits translate into lower costs. As the cost of PET resins inexorably increases, the economics of refillable bottles using recycled material

jection MX series in RX hine with L ac m g mouldin linear robot

offers high performance with a compact installation area. HPS-UN plastifications, especially for the polyolefins used in the packaging industry, are said to produce high specific melting capacities and uniformly high melt quality at low melting temperatures. The high-performance injection unit is said to guarantee high precision and reproducible processes, even for injection speeds up to 700 mm/s,

The new greener bottle

become even more compelling.

“We believe these new containers have a good claim to be considered one of the world's most sustainable forms of beverage packaging. This will become even more the case as commodity resources become scarcer, costs rise and environmental impacts come more to the fore.”

Petainer is now working with bottled water companies, carbonated drinks producers and brewers across Europe to put its new 'greener' refillable bottles into

and thereby a high shot weight consistency in all cavities. The company states the dynamics of the clamping unit are therefore fully exploited and the processor benefits from short cycle times, uniform molding quality, and long-lasting production reliability. further information: www.kraussmaffei.com

use.

Research has demonstrated that refillable bottles - which are returned to the retailer by the consumer once emptied, then sent to the beverage manufacturer for washing and refilling have a lower carbon footprint than oneway bottles that are thrown away after use.

This is the case even if one-way bottles are recovered for materials recycling.

Petainer, which manufactures both refillable and one-way bottles in PET, is said to be a leader in the use of recycled materials in both types of bottle. It has demonstrated that one-way bottles can be manufactured from 100 percent recycled material.

Petainer's latest developments in manufacturing technology allow more than 25 percent of post-consumer waste from used PET bottles to be included in refillable bottles. The company is now working on improving the use of postconsumer recyclate even further.

Nigel Pritchard added: “This bottle-tobottle recycling, added to the existing environmental and economic benefits of refillable bottles, makes a strong case for fillers and brewers to consider switching to refillable bottles. We are already seeing a number of customers and countries considering the introduction of refillables.” further information: www.petainer.com

g n i g a k c a p cosmetics PP grade makes squeezable tube innovation a reality for cosmetics packaging Borealis' first polypropylene (PP) grade for squeezable cosmetics tubes, Borsoft SL600MO, is the material innovation behind a sustainability-focused packaging solution for the cosmetics sector called 'Clube'.

Developed by Plasticum Group, a European manufacturer and designer of innovative plastic packaging solutions, Clube is a one-piece squeezable tube with an integrated closure and in-mould label (IML) that is said to cut material usage by up to 40 percent.

“We are always looking for new opportunities to push the boundaries of design and functionality in the packaging solutions we offer for the personal care market, preferably in combination with cost-effective intellectual manufacturing processes,” commented Rian Stegeman, Chief Technology Officer, Plasticum Group.

According to Borealis, Clube enables all three elements to be produced in one single bi-injection moulding production step, instead of the traditional three, for more efficient production and a series of knock-on productivity, design and environment-related benefits.

Borsoft SL600MO was created specifically by Borealis and tailored to meet the needs of the production process and those of the tube. The grade was optimised for outstanding flowability, good flexibility, excellent contact transparency and outstanding environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR).

Borealis state the material's excellent flow and easy processing characteristics enable the formation of a soft tube body capable of supporting an integrated

CLUBE - one-piece tube with integrated

special

closure © Plasticum Group

closure. From a sustainability perspective, potential elimination of the tube shoulder is said to create significant savings in material usage.

Less waste and rejections occur, and the PP tube and cap material are fully recyclable.

“Borsoft SL600MO takes Borealis into the new application area of squeezable PP cosmetics tubes with a step change offering in performance, short lead times and sustainability.

Such a development is fundamental to our commitment to add value across the packaging value chain and is only possible when close cooperation and knowledge sharing takes place between all partners,” said JeanChristophe Janssens, Borealis Key Sales Manager.

The all-in-one closure and tube construction is said to offer unlimited design differentiation possibilities to brand owners. Injection moulding allows more flexibility of tube shape, for example, two chamber, oval, square or triangle shape, combined with the high quality imaging of

in-mould labelling. Silver contour and metallic surfaces as well as the use of bicolour are among the creativity options said to be available to designers.

“With the cosmetics segment holding the largest market share within the continually growing European tube market, we look forward to supporting the packaging industry to further explore the potential of what can be achieved,” Mr Janssens continued. further information: www.borealisgroup.com

ing agent The clarify PP ith is used w nt le el for exc y c en ar p s tran

cosmetics packaging SPECIAL

The animation addresses the industry trend favouring less packaging and a requirement for harder working plastics

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plastics additives support better cosmetics brands UK-based Croda Polymer Additives has launched two illustrations showing the brand benefits of its additives in plastic packaging and how they influence what consumers buy.

According to Croda, its ranges of specialty plastics additives have already helped many brand owners and convertors meet packaging requirements, whilst at the same time maintaining brand identity and product integrity.

The first of the animations addresses the industry trend favouring less packaging and a requirement for harder working plastics. The accumulation of dirt and dust on cosmetic products during transport, storage and display can tarnish a brand's image, and ultimately impact consumer choices and sales.

“Brand owners can protect the packaging surface without the need for an environmentally unfriendly and costly outer box,” said a Croda spokesperson.

From evaluations carried out at the company's central plastic laboratories in the UK, LDPE without any Atmer antistats will show a high surface resistivity after processing.

“This will be substantial enough to attract any dust or dirt in the atmosphere. By the addition of 0.2 percent Atmer 129 or 163, the surface resistivity can be significantly reduced to stop the attraction of dirt and dust for over one year,” the company spokesperson concluded. further information: www.croda.com/pa

Alternative to PET for sustainable cosmetic packaging Innovative packaging company, Milliken, has launched a new clarifying agent for use with polypropylene (PP) as a sustainable alternative to using PET for cosmetic packaging.

By using only a small amount of Millad NX 8000 clarifying agent for PP, the bottles are said to have excellent transparency and clarity. As PP has a lower density and higher energy recovery value than PET and 40 percent less solid waste by weight generated, Milliken states the product is a sustainable option for clear parts in cosmetic packaging.

The company states that using Millad NX 8000 clarifying agent with clear PP represents an excellent sustainable option because it enables production of lighter bottles, which helps deliver a very low carbon footprint.

Compared to PET, Milliken states the PP-based bottles help to lower the environmental impact through less CO2 consumption, less greenhouse gas emissions and less transportation costs through lower density/weight. further information: www.milliken.com

A packaging solution for biocosmetics Ineos Barex has launched a range of resins for the packaging of airless containers and preservative free biocosmetics.

Barex resins belong to a family of acrylonitrile-methyl acrylate copolymers (AMAB) and due to their chemical resistance and inertness they offer high barrier properties to gases such as oxygen, aromas, fragrances and volatile components. They are said to enable no or negligible interaction between packaging and content.

The resins are said to be EEC Directive compliant, and protect natural ingredients against oxidation and prevent sensitive formulae, such as polyphenols, from going rancid.

The barrier packaging protects preservative-free cosmetics

Ineos Barex states using the resins in cosmetics packaging significantly increases the stability and shelf life of products. When used for airless bag dispensers, the barrier properties of Barex are said to remain unchanged regardless of the ambient humidity in the package. further information: www.IneosBarex.com

further informtion: www.mhplastics.com

Lipstick cases (Image: Esmin)

All-electric machines for lippy packaging In 2011, Taiwanese cosmetic packaging manufacturer, Esmin, placed an order for 43 injection moulding machines from Wittmann Battenfeld.

The all-electric machines from the EcoPower and MicroPower series are used to produce plastic packaging for makeup and cosmetic brushes.

Esmin, who export their products worldwide, are said to have chosen the Wittmann technology for high precision, process reliability and short cycle times.

Aryuan Huang, Technical Manager at Esmin, said: “We are planning to increase our efficiency and further enhance our image in the industry with machinery from Wittmann Battenfeld.�

The Toni & Guy packaging range The new Celestial range of packaging

www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com

New celestial bottles are out of this world UK-based supplier of plastic packaging, M&H, has announced the addition of its new range of 'Celestial' bottles to its portfolio.

M&H states the curved shaped bottles are manufactured in PET, offering great product clarity, with the availability of three bottle sizes offering varied range potential.

M&H counts big consumer brands, such as Toni & Guy, as part of its product range, having developed innovative packaging alongside Unilever for a new range of products last year.

The range features a high build varnish printed onto text to give a high gloss embossed effect, which is said to eliminate the need to carry out the secondary embossing process. The caps and bottles in the range are colour coordinated, with the 250ml Tubular bottle featuring a tampo printed cap with a crest symbol for added luxury.

Upcoming event seeks out 'green' cosmetics Where: New York When: 17-19th May 2012 The upcoming Sustainable Cosmetics Summit aims to tackle some of the major sustainability issues in the beauty industry, focusing on green formulations and sustainable packaging.

The conference will review the range of sustainable packaging options available to cosmetic brands. The opening speaker will look at the influence of materials and design on the environmental footprint of cosmetic packaging.

Other papers cover novel re-usable materials, upcycling and recycled packaging, eco-design, and the potential of bioplastics.

At FIERA MILANO, from Tuesday May 8 to Saturday May 12, 2012, for the international exhibition for plastics and rubber industries.

In 2012, PLAST will be the largest specialized exhibition in Europe.

As of 31 January 2012, almost 1,200 exhibitors from 40 countries had signed up for the event, but more applications have been recently submitted.

Based on data from PLAST'09, when 32% of visitors came from abroad, more than 60,000 visitors are expected from all over the world.

Find more information, special offers for visitors, discounted rates on airfare and hotels, tourism plans in Milan and Italy generally, as well as the exhibitor list and the pre-registration form on www.plastonline.org Organizer: Promaplast srl Assago (Milan) - Italy

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FURTHER INFORMATION: www.wittmann-group.com

injection moulding

Engineering Passion

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news Technology 'instrumental' in reducing faulty parts Birmingham-based Barkley Plastics produce 6.5 million injection moulded parts every month, making quality control an essential part of the business process.

With many end-user customers now demanding 'zero parts per million defects', just a few out of spec parts in a delivery can incur significant costs. This is a major problem, especially for export orders, when the parts are needed to keep a production line running. The only solution is for the end user to manually sort the consignment and bill the cost, which can be more than the value of the order, to the supplier. Like many injection moulders, Barkley have been using cavity pressure monitoring for several years to try to identify out of spec parts before they get into the delivery system.

For the past 10 years, Barkley had been using a simple 2-channel peak cavity pressure monitoring system that it claimed was difficult to set-up and had become problematic.

To protect its reputation and bottom line, two of the old systems have now been replaced with the 4-channel CoMo Injection systems from Kistler Instruments.

According to Barkley's Business Development Manager, Matthew Powell, by monitoring all aspects of the cavity pressure curve during the moulding process, the CoMo system ensures that all out of spec parts are rejected quickly and reliably. “Because the CoMo system automatically provides perfect rejection of faulty parts it is possible to run the moulding machines in the dark with little or no supervision.”

In addition to monitoring the process, it is said the CoMo system can be used to balance the hot runners, which Mr Powell describes as a “massive bonus” that is essential to maintaining consistently high quality parts. The availability of accurate data about the performance of the moulding machines is said to allow communication between departments to be based on hard facts, rather than experience and intuition. Typically, mould

Touch-screen on injection machine at Barkley

Close-up of touch-screen

design is part science and part knowledge and the precise data supplied by the CoMo system is said to compliment the high quality tooling manufactured by Barkley Plastics in its in-house toolroom and design facility.

Mr Powell continued: “Although the new system is much more sophisticated than our old system, it is actually easier to use. However, to get the best results in the shortest time demands expert training, which is what Kistler supplied. We have already minimised the number of rejects and can see the potential to eliminate rejects totally as we become more familiar with the CoMo Injection system”.

The injection moulding industry is very competitive with quality and zero defects often being more important than price, especially when the economy is far from buoyant. A reputation for delivering a first class product will win new and retain existing customers more effectively than a low price. With production running at around 80 million parts per annum, minimising rejects can make a major contribution to Barkley Plastics' reputation and profits, which is why the company states it is now planning to install more CoMo Injection systems from Kistler. further information: www.barkley.org.uk

www.kraussmaffei.co.uk

Expansion plans revealed at Plastindia At this year's Plastindia exhibition, Husky Injection Moulding Systems demonstrated its latest beverage packaging and hot runner technologies and announced plans to expand its presence in the region with a new facility in Chennai.

“The investments we're making in our new Chennai facility demonstrate our commitment to our customers in India and throughout the SAARC countries,” said John Galt, Husky's President and CEO. “With the most extensive service and support network in the industry, our new facility in Chennai will allow us to provide faster time to market and even better support to customers in this rapidly growing region.”

Plastindia marked the public debut of Husky's H-PET AE (all-electric) preform manufacturing solution to the Indian market. Husky's H-PET AE system is said to be an efficient, affordable solution for the lower volume preform market that is said to be energy efficient, flexible and easy-touse with low maintenance requirements.

The primary focus of the company's new 5700 square meter Chennai facility is said to be mould conversion as well as mould and hot runner refurbishment for local preform manufacturers. With the opening of this facility, Husky states it has also expanded its engineering capacity for hot runners and preforms in order to handle increased demand from customers in the SAARC countries, helping to reduce lead times and faster time to market. further information: www.husky.ca

Husky H-PET AE

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British innovation: The invention of technology for the plastics industry is not new - the machines that manufacturers are reliant upon today were borne out of the ideas of those individuals trying to make the process that little bit more efficient, more productive and more cost effective.

Streamoulding nozzle

injection moulding feature

Engineering Passion

However, in an age where plastic manufacturers run a daily gauntlet against rises in material costs, energy prices and environmental targets, technical innovation is championed as the very sinew of a strong and enduring economy. British Plastics and Rubber is proud to champion those companies in the UK that are developing new technologies that are both socially responsible and economically viable.

With the recent launch of the 'Make it in Great Britain' campaign, companies that are inventing novel and non-obvious new equipment for the manufacturing industry are a cause for celebration. One such company, The R&D Factory Ltd., is a small UK business promoting Streamoulding, a technology for injection moulders that is at the forefront of innovation.

Leanne Taylor spoke to John Heaton, one of the company's Directors, to find out more about this ground breaking invention.

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concept

Inventing a new for injection moulding

The R&D Factory Ltd. is a small business based in Flintshire in North Wales, with just two directors at its helm.

Through its mantra of inventing socially responsible products and processes that generate definable and quantifiable environmental benefits whilst reducing material and energy costs, the company has developed Streamoulding, a retrofit system using tap water to foam the polymer in the nozzle of an injection moulding machine.

“It is well known that water is a contaminant in moulding and that polymers are dried before processing to stop any reaction,” explained John, “which created a number of 'what ifs' in terms of how we could use water in a way in which it could be beneficial.”

“These included whether the reaction

of the water within the nozzle could be controlled, whether it could foam one shot at a time and if the foam could be created during injection into the mould. We also considered if this could be done on existing injection machines using ordinary tap water.”

Even if it were technically possible to create a product, the company had to consider whether the process would be commercial, whether it would be affordable and whether it would save money.

“Initially we had to prove the concept, which we did by getting a very crude reaction to take place in the plunger cylinder of an old Netstal machine.

Notably the material was dry and unchanged in the screw, barrel and hopper. It was at this time that we decided to concentrate on developing this process to occur in the nozzle only.”

John explained that keeping the system relevant to ordinary production processes was vital. “We had to ensure that whatever we were doing we could do it reliably and consistently in normal production conditions and environments.

We have kept all our engineered solutions as simple as possible throughout the project.”

In terms of innovation, John explained that the company had invested time in conducting a patent search to see if the idea had already been conceived. “From our own knowledge and market research, we couldn't find any water foaming system available commercially,” he said. As a result, the company now has a UK patent for the technology and applications in process for patent protection overseas.

So how does the process work? John explained that there are essentially four

stages to the process, which happen more or less simultaneously.

“With the Streamoulding system everything on the moulding machine remains the same up until the nozzle, which is replaced by the Streamoulding mixing nozzle. When the polymelt enters the nozzle it passes through a diffuser with a precise number of profiled holes.

These are designed to break the shot into a number of mini melt streams.

“Triggered by the injection cycle on the machine, a small and adjustable amount of water is delivered at up to 420 bar and is injected in a time which can be as quick as 3 hundredths of a second. The water passes through a specially designed viscosity valve located on the mixing nozzle and into the nozzle chamber. This valve maintains a seal between the pressurised water and the molten material. The timing and duration of the water insertion in respect to the injection cycle, is fully adjustable.

“By introducing the water at this point, it immediately turns into vapour and saturates the mini melt streams. This reaction causes foaming and an immediate loss of latent heat. We reckon this is in the order of 60˚C in one hundredth of a second. This heat is then replaced by the system to enable normal operating temperatures to be maintained and reactivate the mixture. This mixture has now got a reduced viscosity and now passes through a second diffuser and then a static mixing mechanism. This is a very rapid process with the water reacting simultaneously with the skin and the core of the mini melt streams.

“This reduced viscosity foamed mixture is then rapidly injected into the mould. The cooling time is significantly

reduced and the mouldings are ejected dry, at around 60˚C. Any moisture is vented off through the mould.”

In terms of the unique selling points of Streamoulding, John believes savings in weight and therefore polymer cost as well as shorter cycle times, meaning reductions in energy costs, are two major benefits.

“Unique to Streamoulding is the fact that no changes to the moulds are needed and the whole system is retro fit and can be fitted, set up or removed if needed, in a matter of hours. Some of the investment scenarios I have completed show payback periods can be less than 12 months.”

A Streamoulding unit costs less than £20K, with John stating that affordability was at the forefront of the team's minds when developing the system. “We decided at an early stage that the purchasing experience for our customers should be as straightforward as possible,” John explained. “There are no licenses involved, and the lead-time is 4 - 6 weeks. We are keen that Streamoulding is within the budget of small to medium companies and we feel that this is an additional USP.” In terms of the on-going development of the technology, John explained that there are plans in place to complete trials using rapid

mould heating, as well as developing the system to be used in extrusion as well as with biomaterials.

“Due to the cross linking of molecules that we believe is happening during the Streamoulding process, we have successfully moulded dissimilar materials from mixed plastic waste without delamination which opens up the possibility of exciting new markets. We have also done some initial work where we used Streamoulding to successfully mould PP and PS with a biomass filler. We tried rice, corn and oats to get some idea of what would happen with each. We are looking to move ahead with these projects in collaboration with suitable partners.”

Commercially, there seems to be exciting times ahead for The R&D Factory.

Major companies have shown interest in using the technology, and final production trials of Streamoulding at a major international company are scheduled during March 2012.

In terms of on-going technical development, the company is collaborating with UK universities to identify and explore the uses of Streamoulding technology, including working on a project with Loughborough University to water foam PVC mid 2012. further information: www.rndfactory.co.uk

Footnote: Streamoulding ® is a registered trademark of The R&D Factory Ltd

Top: Streamoulding Control Plinth Inset: Inside of Control Plinth

www.kraussmaffei.co.uk

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engineering materials

Excellence in Nylon Distribution

news Evonik's Vestamid now in over 400 offshore pipes Vestamid NRG 1001, a highperformance polymer from the plastics division of Evonik, has been used in a total of over 800km of pipeline since its release.

The polyamide 12 made by Evonik Industries is said to have gone into the making of more than 400 unbonded flexible pipes to service the oil production industry.

Together with pipe processor Wellstream International Limited, Evonik conducted intensive testing to demonstrate compliance with international standards API 17J for flexible

risers and ISO 136282. The tests allegedly proved strong creep performance, ductility, thermal expansion, methanol compatibility, and hydrolysis resistance.

Vestamid The moulding compound has since been used commercially for the manufacture of flexible pipes. Specially developed Vestamid NRG is said to combine its technical advantages with consistent product quality and good processability, thus reducing setup times,

has been used in over 800km of pipeline

scrap and the risk of extrusion faults.

The new name, Vestamid NRG, represents a range of polyamides employed primarily in the energy sector. further information: www.vestamid.com

The TPEs reportedly offer superior grip even when wet

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Elastomer technology delivers optimum grip even when wet Kraiburg TPE, a supplier of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), has launched a new elastomer technology which gives improved grip to TPE materials in the presence of moisture for a range of consumer, industrial and medical

applications.

Wet Grip technology, offered under the Thermolast W trade name, boasts up to three times the coefficient of friction (COF) of conventional TPEs for both dry and wet applications with no negative impact on physical and rheological performance, according to Kraiburg.

The Wet Grip technology, based on styrenic block copolymers (SBS), is said to be permanent and incorporated throughout the matrix. It does not migrate to the surface and dissipate over time and has no negative impact on processability in multi-component injection moulding or extrusion processes. Kraiburg states it has the ability to adapt the technology to its broad portfolio of Thermolast branded SEBS elastomer compounds.

“We've developed a one-of-a-kind material solution that gives products a firm grip even when wet,” said Keith Dunlap, Kraiburg TPEs Director of Sales and Marketing for Americas. “This is a major development for consumer product companies who want to have a competitive advantage, enabling them to make products that are safer and easier to handle.”

Kraiburg states its technology can be used to eliminate the tackiness found in prior competing material solutions which use tackifiers to achieve the wet grip, or it can be used along with tackifiers to improve COF performance. Kraiburg TPE Thermolast W - Wet Grip compounds are

also said to be able to adhere to a range of engineering thermoplastics including acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and polycarbonate (PC).

Kraiburg states it expects the Wet Grip technology to be adapted for a range of hand-held uses for diverse markets including sporting goods, lawn and garden and watercraft. Possible uses for Wet Grip could potentially include anti-slip mats; tool handles; fitness equipment; serving trays for caterers; orthopedic aids such as crutches; medical, dental, and surgical instruments; kitchen utensils; children's toys; and a range of household goods.

Wet Grip compounds are available in 25-60 Shore A hardness and are said to meet FDA approvals. Along with the unique Wet Grip performance, Thermolast W compounds are also said to provide standard performance advantages such as smooth surface, optimum sealing, versatile bonding, high transparency, and easy colouring.

Kraiburg has teamed up with a global partner to launch the new technology and is said to be currently working to make it available to other global OEMs and processors.

Wet Grip compounds are currently manufactured at Kraiburg TPE's facilities in the U.S. and Germany. further information: www.kraiburg-tpe.com

Trelleborg tooling block boosts e-go A high performance epoxy tooling block from engineering plastics specialist, Trelleborg Offshore, has been used in the development of a new Single Seat DeRegulated (SSDR) class aircraft designed

by UK-based light aircraft company, e-Go aeroplanes.

Trelleborg provided its EP678 tooling block to help with the development of the 'e-Go' aircraft, which was the winning design in a competition held by the Light Aircraft Association (LAA) to develop aircraft that meet the new de-regulated rules in the UK. The SSDR class demands a weight of less than 115kg.

Tony Bishop, CEO at e-Go Airplanes, said: “In 2007, following an announcement by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority of the new class of aircraft, the Light Aircraft Association (LAA) launched a competition for new designs in this category. We designed the e-Go project to be exciting, efficient, easy to fly, ecological and ergonomic and entered it into the 'state-of-the-art' category of the competition.

“We originally entered the competition for the challenge and to realise our longheld ambitions to design a complete airplane, therefore we were over the moon to find out that we had won and were

01925 750320 The e-Go aircraft

www.ultrapolymers.co.uk

a Spirit of Partnership

weighs less than 115kg

overwhelmed with the immediate demand for our design - we quickly got serious about building it, flying it and commercialising it.

“Trelleborg Offshore has sponsored the development of this project by generously providing half-size boards of its EP678 tooling block to make the patterns for all the composite work. When building the e-Go, we require accurately machined patterns with an excellent surface finish and temperature stability as we have to be able to make the composite components quickly, efficiently and with an excellent finish; Trelleborg's epoxy blocks are ideal for this and we are really happy with the results. Thanks to global support from companies such as Trelleborg Offshore,

we are on track to make our dream aircraft a reality.”

The programme has now reached the prototype phase and patterns are currently being machined at a number of CNC shops. Moulds and parts are then built at the e-Go Centre from composite materials, mainly pre-impregnated carbon. The first prototype flight is planned for Summer 2012 and production is expected to commence soon after. The company's aim is to manufacture 30 aircraft in the first year. further information: www.trelleborg.com/en/offshore

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testing & inspection

news Testing and measurement of polymer surface energy UK-based Dyne Technology Ltd has announced that since starting to sell its Test Pens to the converting and packaging industries, it has built a strong reputation delivering solutions to a variety of sectors including automotive, medical device manufacture, packaging, web and label by providing plasma and corona surface treatment equipment.

In acknowledging the need for strict quality measures within these industries using surface treatment methods, Dyne Technology has improved its range of Test Pens, offering sets of 6, 9, 12 and 16. The company states that this gives users a wider range of Dyne levels to measure the surface energy of a number of substrates and give quick and easy results indicating surface wettability. The extended range has been adopted to offer Quality Engineers a larger range of Dyne levels within the sets that can be used on a

Dyne pen technology

wider range of materials and surface energies.

According to Dyne, the low surface energy of polymer-based substrates often leads to poor adhesion of inks, glues and coatings. If the Dyne test fluid remains as a film for three seconds, the substrate will have a minimum surface energy of that

usivity al Diff m r e h T tus appara

Thermal diffusivity measurement service goes online Independent Materials testing laboratory, Gammadot Rheology, has refurbished its Rapra-developed Thermal Diffusivity apparatus with a view to bringing the measurement service online by the end of the month.

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ink value, expressed in mN/m (Dynes).

Should the Dyne test liquid reticulate or draw back into droplets in less than one second then the surface energy of the substrate is lower than that of the liquid itself. The exact surface energy (Dyne level) can be determined by applying a range of increasing or decreasing values of Dyne test pens.

To obtain optimum adhesion, it is necessary to increase the surface energy of the substrate to just above that of the material to be applied. Surface treatment with either plasma or corona results in good wetting of the material over the surface of the substrate and so improves adhesion. For optimum adhesion when printing, gluing or coating on various substrates, it is necessary to obtain a high surface energy.

By pressing the pen tip firmly down on the Test Pens, the valve opens and fresh fluid floods the tip; thus flushing it clean, which allows the tester to lightly pass over the sample to accurately determine the Dyne Level. The disposable pens have a fluid capacity of 15ml and are available in 1 Dyne (mN/m) increments from 30 to 70 mN/m. The fluid contained within the pens is based on the ISO 8296 method for measuring the surface energy of polyethylene film. further information: www.dynetechnology.co.uk

The equipment provides thermal diffusivity data as a function of temperature in both the solid and melt phase (temperature range: -50°C to +350°C), though the aim is to further expand its capabilities to enable the direct measurement of thermal conductivity by the end of the year, (thermal conductivity is currently calculated from the relationship of thermal diffusivity, specific heat capacity and density).

The apparatus will become a key part of Gammadot Rheology's flow simulation data production suite, providing accurate thermal data across a wide temperature range for use in injection moulding simulation packages such as Moldflow, Moldex3D and Sigmasoft3D.

further information: www.gammadot.com

of 80mm. It is said to be fitted with a router capable of cutting speeds of 8,000 rpm to 32,000 rpm. Machines with larger bed sizes are also available. further information: www.ray-ran.com

Cutting Machine

Ray-Ran CNC Profile

CNC Milling Machine Dedicated to Polymer Materials Ray-Ran Test Equipment Ltd has manufactured a CNC Profile Cutting machine that is said to be ideal for producing test samples from polymer material upwards of 5mm thick, such as samples from underground thick-wall pipes.

Metal cutting machines have not generally proven suitable for polymer materials which require very high cutting speeds, in the region of 8,000 to 23,000 rpm, to give the desired surface finish and ensure that the temperature at the cutting surface does not affect the material characteristics.

The Ray-Ran CNC Milling Machine is said to offer X, Y and Z-axis combinations to cater for most test sample sizes.

Prewritten programs are available and training in the demonstration department is offered.

The ball screws and slide ways are said to provide excellent positional accuracy and low friction drives, which are matched to the Stepper Motor Drive Systems. The advanced Micro-Stepping feature are said to give optimum cutter control when machining contours.

Ray-Ran states special polymer cutting tools are available which reduce the cutting surface temperature and give optimum surface finish.

The Ray-Ran Model 1 CNC milling machine comes complete with a bed size of 500mm x 440mm with an X axis of 300mm, a Y axis of 260mm and a Z axis

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bp&r

In an increasingly safety-conscious industry, it is imperative that these tanks and vessels are maintained and serviced effectively to avoid failure of service resulting in accident.

Common reasons for tank failure range from incorrect initial High voltage spark testing of thermoplastic dual laminate chemical storage tank

testing & inspection news

32

Inspection service is 'tanked up' Plastic and composite tanks and vessels are used in a variety of applications, often used for the storage of a wide range of materials, including those that are harmful and hazardous.

specifications, installation and design, to physical damage, misuse and lack of maintenance.

Representatives from a number of major tank manufacturers, insurers and inspectors have worked closely with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to produce two 'advice to user' guides for GRP and thermoplastic tanks, PM75 and PM86.

These guides offer the tank user an insight into the relevant tank design standards, recommendation on the timing and extent of inspections, inspection techniques and guidance on repairs if necessary.

One company that put the advice in the HSE guides to good use is Tank Inspections Ltd, which has been created due to the demand from end users for reliable inspections of various plastics and composite tanks, vessels, scrubbers and other process equipment.

"Following the publication by the Health and Safety Executive of guidance and advice booklets PM 75 and PM 86 for end users of thermoplastic and glassfibre reinforced tanks storing hazardous liquids, it is evident that the lack of experienced inspectors in this highly specialised field is proving to be a problem. Tank Inspections Ltd has highly experienced personnel with many years of both manufacturer and inspection of all types of plastic tanks," Tank Inspections Director, Kevin Johnston, told BP&R. The company offers scheduled inspection periods where a full dossier can be built up for each individual tank, which will allow any indication of slow degradation to be recorded.

"The inspection process is a difficult area compared to metal tanks.

Specialised techniques with the adequate knowhow can only be acquired through 'in the field' and manufacturing experience," Mr Johnston continued.

Tank Inspections Ltd has specialist facilities for material testing of thermoplastics, dual laminate composites including fluoroplastics and GRP. The company states that better tank management should lead to longer tank life, increased site safety, reduced downtime and cost savings.

further information: www.tankinspections.co.uk

testing feature

Testing and inspection for improved safety and higher standards

Extrusion ers plastomet

Pendulum impact testing machine

With testing and inspection of polymers demanding more accurate and detailed results for safety and quality, 2012 is expected to see some interesting developments in machinery and software. Leanne Taylor caught up with Alan Thomas, of Zwick Testing Materials, to find out what

33

the year holds for the company.

bp&r

>>

BP&R: Last year it was reported that there was significant growth in sales of testing equipment to the composites, plastics and medical sectors.

Which sectors do you think will see sales growth in 2012?

AT: This is true. Zwick also saw a strong growth of sales in these sectors. We are predicting that 2012 will be a very active year in the composites sector. This is because of significant changes within this industry towards automotive applications and because Zwick offers advanced, comprehensive testing solutions which

Robotic testing system

testing & inspection feature

BP&R: Test machines are of great use in the plastics and rubber industries across a range of sectors. Are there any new types of test equipment being released in 2012?

AT: Zwick released a complete new product range of static testing machines during the testXpo 2011 exhibition last October. These machines are equipped with the most recent controller “testControl II�, which has many advantages for our customers in the polymer industry, such as higher sampling rates and improved safety functions.

enables component suppliers to get products to market in the shortest possible time.

Alan Thomas

BP&R: With test machines processing such large amounts of data, how do manufacturers ensure that the results remain accurate?

AT: Software development at Zwick is a matter of clearly defined and documented procedures and responsibilities. There are several standards that set the guidelines for specification, realisation and testing of our software, especially for industries with tough requirements, such as medical.

BP&R: What are the latest updates in international testing standards for plastic and rubber products?

AT: Several testing standards have been updated within the last two years.

Sometimes the changes are small, but some standards have seen a quite broad revision. Examples are the standards for Melt-Flow Rates, ISO 1133-1 and ISO 1133-2 and the standard for tensile tests on plastics, ISO 527 part 1 and part 2 that will be published very soon. Zwick actively monitors standardisation requirements and is represented on many International Standards Committees including those involved with ISO/TC 61 (plastics) and ISO/TC 45 (Rubbers).

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BP&R: With stringent test standards enforced to ensure the safety of products, can older machines be modernised to

keep up to date with the latest international testing standards and regulations?

AT: We have extensive experience of modernising older generation testing equipment, both Zwick and other makes of machines, to improve testing efficiency, reduce maintenance costs, satisfy current testing standards and generally give the equipment a new lease of life.

Sometimes it is only necessary to update software in order to ensure the machine complies with changes in testing standards.

BP&R: How is Zwick enhancing and updating its current range of testing equipment for 2012?

AT: We have developed some very exciting products for a number of industry sectors, which are currently 'under wraps' but will be launched at our testXpo 2012 event that takes place at our headquarters in Ulm, Germany in October.

BP&R: Can testing machines be adapted to test a new type of material, for example a bio-based or 100 percent recycled product?

AT: Yes, this is normally possible. In many cases, the equipment does not even need any changes, because a recycled polymer may be tested to the same standards and procedures as new polymers. Zwick testing machines are generally flexible enough to cover such requirements.

BP&R: Testing products where health and safety is a priority, such as fire resistance and food packaging is extremely important. How do testing machines meet the strict criteria for health and safety standards?

AT: Compliance with regulations such as FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and Annex 11 of the EU GMP directive is required when using electronic recordings and signatures in regulated environments. Zwick offers the ideal solution for this purpose with its testXpert II testing software: The ‘expanded traceability’ option offers all tools required to satisfy the requirements specified by the FDA in 21 CFR Part 11 in combination with organisational measures and procedures in the respective company.

The ‘electronic records’ function permits complete, tamper-proof documentation of all actions and modifications performed in testXpert II. The user defines the degree of actions to be logged and justified according to his specifications, which can originate from a QM manual or external requirements. In some cases, this could involve recording every change in a parameter relevant to testing, e.g. the test speed, in its entirety in an audit trail. The 'electronic signatures' permit the assumption of responsibility to be documented and simultaneously allow the conversion to a ‘paperless laboratory,’ because the signature on a document can be replaced with a digital signature of the test series by means of entering the user ID and password in testXpert II. BP&R: Zwick has recently launched a competition to find the oldest working test machine still in use; how long is the average test machine expected to last for?

AT: Many older generation hydraulic testing machines were 'overengineered' and incorporated very stiff loading frames. With planned maintenance and updated control systems and software, such machines will last for many decades and will continue to provide reliable results.

With the introduction of re-circulating ball screw drives, electromechanical machines are designed for very long life. For example, at least 90 percent of Zwick machines built in the seventies and eighties are still in regular use and more than 40 percent of those machines have been modernised with modern controllers and up to date software. further information: www.zwick.co.uk

35 bp&r

IMCD to distribute Eastman plasticisers in Germany and Benelux Speciality chemicals group, IMCD, is to take over the distribution of Eastman nonphthalate plasticisers in Germany and Benelux.

The range includes Eastman Benzoflex, TXIB formulation additive, Eastman 168 (DEHT) and Eastman Triacetin ranges.

Barry Ferguson, IMCD's Marketing Manager for Plastics, PU and Rubber, said the deal “further strengthens the existing partnership between Eastman and IMCD”.

“Eastman is a market leader for nonphthalate plasticisers and with their increased production capacities of Eastman 168TM non phthalate plasticiser in 2011, we are confident that the growth opportunities will only continue in future,” he commented.

Eastman states the extended cooperation will allow IMCD to further benefit from having access to a broad portfolio containing PVC, plastics, polyurethanes, adhesives, sealant and other applications of phthalate-free plasticisers.

Lorna Williams, Eastman's Business Development Manager for Plasticisers, Adhesives and Sealants, added: “Our goal is to deliver the best service to our customers and IMCD is the perfect partner for that.”

Further Information: www.eastman.com

stribute IMCD will di ee fr phthalateplasticisers

Dow and Teknor Apex announce joint venture to produce flexible vinyls Dow Chemical and Teknor Apex have announced a joint collaboration agreement for the production of flexible PVC compounds in several application areas.

Under the agreement, Teknor Apex was granted exclusive marketing rights in North America for flexible vinyl compounds containing Dow Ecolibrium Bio-Based Plasticisers in applications including consumer and industrial products, medical devices, automotive components and wire and cable products.

“Working with a company like Teknor Apex will allow us to bring this sustainable technology to a host of consumer and industrial end products that utilise flexible vinyl compounds, including certain wire and cable construction applications,” said Thorne Bartlett, New Business Development Director for Dow. Made from virtually 100 percent renewable feedstocks, Dow claims the use of its Ecolibrium Plasticisers in flexible vinyl compounds may help cable-makers and durable goods OEMs reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40

vinyls

The bio-based plasticisers are said to provide sustainable solutions in end products

news

percent if used instead of traditional diisononyl phthalate PVC plasticisers.

“Environmental stewardship is serious business at Teknor Apex, and we are committed to the development of innovative compounds utilising sustainable resources,” said Louis R. Cappucci, Vice President of the Vinyl Division at Teknor Apex.

“Using Dow Ecolibrium Bio-Based Plasticisers in our world-class compounds will allow both Dow and us to help open doors for those OEMs looking for sustainable solutions in their end products. Compatible with a wide range of applications, footwear, flooring and profiles are among the first targeted areas for our new compounds.”

Further information: www.dow.com/ecolibrium

1165/1165C sheet is said to offer greater economy than UL94-V0 rated sheet.

PVC sheet offers resistance to impact and abrasion Performance sheet manufacturer, Boltaron, has released a PVC/Acrylic sheet for general-purpose thermoforming and fabricating applications that is impact and abrasion resistant as well as fire-rated.

Extruded from recycled resin, the Boltaron 1165/1165C sheet yields higher properties and greater economy than comparable fire-rated sheet products, according to company director, Adam Mellen.

Recommended for general thermoforming and fabrication, the UL94V0 fire-rated sheet offers Izod impact resistance of 10 ft. lbs/in. (530 J/m) as well as resistance to chemicals and abrasion.

According to the company, the sheet is readily thermoformed, yielding uniform wall thickness in deep recesses and sharp

outside corners. It can also be sawn, drilled, tapped, routed and otherwise machined using conventional tools, and can be brake formed (thinner gauges), heat welded, adhesive bonded and mechanically fastened, allowing rapid fabrication of a broad range of highintegrity parts and assemblies.

Typical applications include equipment housings, medical device enclosures, vending machine components, fixtures, and parts requiring painting.

Further Information: www.boltaron.com

37 bp&r

vinyls feature

Cutting the cost of colouring rigid PVC

Colouring technology used to create coloured masterbatches incorporating infrared reflective pigments

Recent developments in colour concentrate technology enable processors to add colour inhouse and benefit from increased manufacturing flexibility, tighter purchasing, reduced inventory and closer quality control. Tony Gaukroger, Managing Director of Colour Tone Masterbatch Limited, explains to BP&R the process behind the colouring of rigid PVC. Traditionally, self-colouring PVCu has never been as successful as colouring commodity polymers, but there is no reason for it not to be. In-house colouring offers reduced costs by facilitating the purchase of natural polymer from a supplier of choice and reducing stock holdings of coloured compounds.

Common methods of colouring PVCu include: o Dye packs - a blend of pigment and dyes o Liquid colours - a dispersion of colourants in a liquid carrier o Wax dispersions - a solid dispersion of colourants in a wax o Masterbatches - colourants compounded into a universal or polymer specific carrier resin

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Before choosing the most appropriate colouring method, the processor needs to consider a number of factors such as health and safety, as dusty powder pigments require the use of personal protection equipment. Other factors include special plant, such as dosers and pumps that might be needed to introduce the colourants to the polymer, as well as enhanced quality control to ensure the accurate addition of colourants. This could mean extra training, employing qualified staff or investing in test

equipment such as spectrophotometers.

Higher levels of cleanliness may be necessary along with dedicated storage facilities with temperature and humidity control, as well as regular agitation etc.

There will also be additional demands on the process to homogenise the colourants into the polymer. Finally, ease of use, which takes into account the process, application, colouring criteria and amount of colourant required.

Formulation of concentrates Formulating a colour concentrate for PVCu is not as simple as with other polymers. Although based on a PVC resin, unplasticised PVC compound formulations are complex and contain many ingredients, such as stabilisers, fillers, impact modifiers, processing aids and lubricants. The choice of these can vary immensely; even the level of compounding depends upon the application.

Many concentrates employ one ingredient as the carrier, selected for its ability to accommodate large amounts of pigment without adversely affecting processing or performance when added to the host polymer. Side effects can be undesirable, especially if the colourant carrier is also a lubricant in the PVCu. With liquid and wax systems, care has to be taken with carrier choice to avoid plate-out, screw slip and other melt rheology problems. Some liquid carriers plasticise PVC, introducing a plasticiser to a material selected for its lack of plasticisers!

Masterbatches are equally complex.

Universals generally work well in PVCp while grades created for use in PVCu can be troublesome when used at high loadings. Universal types based on high VA content EVA are fairly successful, but these too can have a plasticising effect.

They are unsuitable carriers for dyestuffs.

Assuming the colour is suitable the processor then has to consider the effect

of the colour concentrate on the melt rheology of the compound as well as any evidence of incompatibility - appearing as lamination in the finished product.

Modern masterbatch technology utilises intensive mixing in a masterbatch extruder to produce highly pigmented products. Unfortunately, PVC is extremely sensitive to shear which makes it a poor carrier for masterbatches. Plasticising somewhat overcomes this and PVCpbased masterbatches can be made on conventional masterbatch equipment.

However, PVCp masterbatch in PVCu adds plasticiser into an unplasticised polymer. Traditionally, PVCu polymer specific based masterbatches were produced on PVC extruders and generally featured lower levels of pigmentation compared with other polymer specific types. A combination of resistance to flow and being prone to degradation under shear make it difficult to produce highly loaded PVCu masterbatches.

Twelve years ago, Colour Tone developed the Vynacol polymer-specific colouring system for PVCu that made it as easy to colour as any other polymer by eliminating compatibility and processing issues historically associated with adding colour to PVC. This technology employs innovative methods of modifying and manipulating the additive systems commonly used in PVCu compounds.

Where and when to add colourants Liquid-based colouring systems are usually pumped directly into the polymer melt. 'Dry' colourants can be added to precompounded pellet or dry blend, prior to compounding. Dye packs require premixing and a liquid dispersant will help to reduce dust.

However, introducing colourants into a dry blend is pointless unless the colourant (dye packs, liquid colourants and some wax dispersions) can be wetted out.

Processors can benefit from increased manufacturing flexibility by switching from coloured PVCu compound to natural resin coloured with Vynacol masterbatch

Benefits can be offset by the need for additional cleaning of colour-contaminated equipment, which will impact subsequent batches. While masterbatches and wax dispersions can also be treated in this fashion, it is more common to dose these materials directly into the polymer stream during processing.

How much colour is required?

Some applications require a lot of colourant. This may be for a number of reasons, for example, strong polymer colour, exterior performance, poor coverage of the pigments or opacity specification on thin wall products.

Processors should quantify the amount of dispersed pigment or dyes required because they will be mixed with a relatively large quantity of colourant carrier. It would be foolish to decide on a colouring method, which met colour requirements but introduced processing issues or reduced the physical performance of the base polymer.

Whatever the colour carrier media there are technical merits in using predispersed pigments. Pigments and dyes are dusty, 'dirty' products and present a

risk of contamination. Conversely, dispersed pigments are dust free, have no health and safety issues and the dispersing process breaks down the pigment agglomerates into primary particles which give better pigment development. The net result is better dispersion, enhanced quality and increased cost efficiency.

Can it be done?

In-house colouring is not difficult.

There may be some issues but they are manageable with the assistance of a colourant supplier. PVC suppliers can take up to six weeks to deliver products while masterbatch suppliers offer immediate technical support, colour matching and delivery of usable product within 24 hours.

With the freedom to avoid extended delivery times, processors can negotiate natural polymer prices and reduce stocks of coloured compounds.

The bottom line is improved production flexibility and better service to customers. further information: www.colourtonemasterbatch.co.uk

PVC advancing with the times PVC is one of the oldest, most established and predictable materials for many key applications including construction, medical devices, food packaging and automotive. Its properties and durability have lead to many decades of use with extensive benefits.

PVC Formulation 2012 in DĂźsseldorf, Germany, will see expert compounders, material suppliers, international researchers and members of the industry supply chain debate the market trends and technical developments.

With sustainability being a buzzword across the PVC industry, much focus at the conference will be on recycling targets, technical developments in additives and compounding as well as the needs of individual PVC markets worldwide.

PVC compounding and processing is in a phase of active development, an area which will be explored at the event. There are several drivers for this including the global trend towards renewable chemistry, which includes bio-based additives, as well as plans to produce more PVC resin from plant-origin feedstock.

PVC is well tested and used in many long-term applications subject to extensive weathering and other factors, which can affect colour. Colour retention and antimicrobials will be looked at in closer detail at the event.

European REACH regulations are having effects on all aspects of the chemical industry, and the consequences for the PVC industry will be considered. In addition, the legislation in various world regions to ban heavy metals in many products is affecting stabiliser selection and overall formulation, as other additives are required to achieve the same performance with the new substitute materials.

The uses of foaming and Nanotechnology for PVC will also be discussed at the event.

The PVC Formulation 2012 conference is taking place from 20-22 March 2012 at the Maritim Hotel, DĂźsseldorf, Germany.

www2.amiplastics.com

Below left: Colour pigments are dusty and may require the use of personal protection equipment

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From the Front Line

vinyl special

PVC is being used for specialised sports surfaces

A positive perception of PVC Following on from its hugely successful predecessor, Vinyl 2010, the new VinylPlus scheme is already making its mark on the PVC industry.

Leanne Taylor, Editor of BP&R, spoke to Roger Mottram, Chairman of the BPF Vinyls Group, to find

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out what direction the project is headed in 2012.

BP&R: VinylPlus was launched in June last year after the success of Vinyl 2010. How does the new programme differ and what is it trying to achieve?

RM: From last year's Progress Report you can see the achievements we made with the Vinyl 2010 programme - we exceeded our targets on recycling and we made very good progress on the phasing out of various additives and achieving the ECVM (the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers) Charter standards on the production of PVC. With VinylPlus we have built on the successes of Vinyl 2010 and put in place some new, more ambitious targets for sustainable development so that we keep making progress and advancing from what we've already achieved. These targets have been framed in five challenges, which were all devised from a consultation exercise conducted with stakeholders so

we could really address the areas that are perceived to be issues. The challenges include the controlled loop management of PVC, where new, increased recycling targets have been set to recycle 800,000 tonnes/year of PVC by 2020, as well as one involving organochlorine emissions, which is helping to ensure that any persistent organic compounds do not accumulate in nature. We also have a challenge around the sustainable use of additives, where we're moving towards the complete replacement of lead stabilisers by no later than 2015. We've also got a challenge on sustainable energy and climate stability where we want to minimise any possible climate impact through reducing our energy consumption and raw material consumption.

Overarching all of that, we have a programme of stakeholder engagement where we want to build awareness across the value chain about what we're doing

A PVC window profile Inset: Roger Mottram, Chairman of the Vinyls Group, BPF

The London 2012 Olympics will feature PVC in many venues

within these challenges and make sure that the people involved in procurement become increasingly aware of all the good progress that we're making.

BP&R: How is this project working on the image of PVC as a beneficial and sustainable material?

RM: We are trying to find ways to make people more aware of the benefits of PVC, but also that we're making progress on environmental sustainability. The BPF is preparing a new brochure to be launched in the next few weeks, entitled 'PVC in Sport'. Within that we are referring to the London Olympics and the use of PVC in the various venues. We have information from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) that there is over 140,000 square meters of PVC fabric being used in the various venues that are being constructed. In addition to that there's pipes, seating and cabling systems that are also PVC. So we've prepared a brochure in which we've highlighted all these uses for the Olympics as well as how PVC is used in sports equipment, clothing and specialised sports surfaces. Some of the playing surfaces, badminton for example, have to be high-performance to ensure good grip.

We've also highlighted the criteria that the ODA set in its policy on PVC - where it recognised the sustainable development programme that we have by asking the suppliers of PVC products to make sure that they were complying with the standards of the ECVM charter and also to take up some sort of take-back scheme for recycling. That is good recognition by a very influential stakeholder and PVC purchaser of some of the good work that we're doing.

Is high-profile exposure of PVC, such as its use for the Olympics, helping to spread the message about its sustainability?

RM: I hope so. If a lot of PVC is used in big projects like the Olympics and can be shown to meet the very stringent sustainability criteria, then we hope that that will become a template for other highprofile projects to follow suit, such as the next games to be held in Rio in 2016.

We're hoping that the organisers will follow the example set by London and be keen to use a lot of responsibly sourced PVC as well as putting similar criteria in place where high standards must be met. I think it does the industry good to be involved in such high profile projects and I'm pleased that the ODA decided to use so much PVC. Is there still a negative perception of PVC that might prevent people wanting to use it for high-profile projects?

RM: I think with a lot of these projects the people involved start thinking that they want to avoid PVC as they may have heard from environmental groups that there are problems with PVC recycling. What we’ve shown that it can be recycled and that it can, and is being, responsibly produced at a very high standard.

People involved in the procurement of these projects recognise that PVC has a very high performance - that it has good mechanical properties and good performance attributes. Also, it is very cost-effective as a material. It will often deliver the high performance required at a more affordable price than alternative materials. It's been a case of being able to give those involved in procurement a reason to say it's not a bad material, it has many advantages, environmentally it is making progress and the industry is on the path of sustainability.

How has the UK performed in meeting the targets for PVC recycling?

RM: The Vinyl 2010 programme set a target of 200,000 tonnes post-consumer

PVC recycling per year for the EU. We managed to beat that and achieve 250,000 tonnes. Of that, across the whole of the EU, the UK was second only to Germany in terms of the biggest proportion recycled, with approximately 50,000 tonnes coming from British recyclers. The UK industry has done very well in setting up recycling facilities and making sure that PVC recycling is happening. It has been a good story for the UK and I hope that recyclers continue to extend their business and lead the way across Europe in terms of achievement.

What is VinylPlus trying to achieve in 2012 and what messages are being spread?

RM: One of the main objectives is trying to make stakeholders aware of the contribution PVC makes in modern life.

PVC is incredibly versatile and used in many everyday items that people take for granted. The BPF is promoting a campaign showing how PVC is used everyday to raise awareness of its benefits.

We are also promoting a new study, which compares the total cost of ownership through the lifecycle of PVC and alternative types of materials for windows, pipes and flooring. It considers the full lifetime of the product, including how much it costs not only to buy a pipe, window or the flooring, but the cost to maintain it as well as the cost to dispose of it at the end of life.

In the current economic climate those involved in procurement, particularly if they are involved in the public sector, are under pressure to make savings. We want to show that you can save millions of pounds on council budgets if you use PVC products, as well as ensuring good performance from an increasingly environmentally sustainable material. further information: www.bpf.co.uk

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SEO

Plastics and rubber go 'SEO' “Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO, is what it says on the tin,” according to SEO Programmer, Jonathon Oates. “It is optimising a website to get the best possible position in search engine results for its relevant audience.” So why does it matter to businesses in the plastics and rubber industries? Leanne Taylor, BP&R Editor, found out more.

Increasingly, people conduct research online and it's been proven if you're not in the first few search results, never mind the first few pages, then you might as well not be in the results all together. But with businesses investing heavily in websites how can you ensure your company shows up in searches that will generate leads?

According to Oates, search engines pick up on several factors to determine how relevant a website is to the search term that is entered. “For example, if someone entered 'blow moulding' into Google, you would want your company to appear in the search even though the individual didn't know your company name.”

So, what can you do to ensure your website is showing up in the right searches at the right time? James Smith, Sales and Marketing Manager at Moorland Plastics, states good SEO practise falls into three areas - appropriate content on the page itself, keywords in the text denoting the services offered and link

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building, where relevant links to other sites are included.

Content “The most important point is great content,” states Smith. “If your website is truly meaningful to your customer base, then you are more likely to convert website clicks into enquiries. There are loads of businesses offering SEO services, but they are less likely to write content that will appeal to your target market. In essence, you know your market better than anyone else.”

Keywords Keywords are the phrases and words typed when looking for a business or service, for example ʻinjection mouldingʼ.

However, with many companies using the same keywords, you need to use longer, more specific phrases. “There are far more phrases available than words,” explains Oates. Making a keyword into a phrase is known as the 'long tail' principle.

“Key phrases are very important, but for a

small business with a limited marketing budget the best solution is to use the long tail principle,” explains Smith. “While everyone is battling for the number one position on say 'Plastic Moulding' why not mix-up key phrases with terms more relevant to your target market.”

Link Building “Link building works very basically on a principle of friendship and popularity,” states Oates. “If you have a site with lots of links going into it, a search engine would see you as the most popular and therefore relevant to the search, ranking you higher. However, these links have to look natural and be applicable to the content. If you have hundreds of irrelevant links to your site this can be detrimental and you could end up a lot lower in the search results.”

Looking Ahead “I think the future is in writing great content, and coming up with innovative ways to make your content less business like and more interesting to read, stuff that people want to share,” explains Smith. “It's not easy, but in a search-oriented market, it'll make the difference between getting a chance to quote or not.” further inforamtion: www.moorlandplastics.co.uk jonathon@jonathonoat.es

Case Study: Getting the right deal for plastics and rubber traders Currency exchange is a critical issue for UK businesses trading abroad, whether they are exporting products or importing raw materials. British Plastics and Rubber Magazine looks at how Mouldshop deals with foreign exchange with the support of its currency partner, Smart Currency.

Innovative, ambitious, forward thinking and with a global outlook: such characteristics will be vital for businesses in the competitive plastics and rubber sectors as we head into what looks set to be a hugely challenging 2012.

One company that ticks all of these boxes is Mouldshop, a Midlands-based business that started out trading in the UK a decade ago and which has since branched out into Europe. Mouldshop provides a range of products for injection moulding professionals including mould sprays, consumables, water couplings, specialist tools and accessories.

As a business that has successfully headed into international markets in recent years, we caught up with director Karen Osborne to ask about the benefits of doing business abroad and , in particular, how it deals with the issue of foreign currency.

Mouldshop uses Smart Currency for international transactions. “Using Smart makes our lives easier,” said Osborne. “We have found it to be cost effective as Smart offer very competitive rates and added to this we get great personal service. Making a payment is just a simple call and the transaction is processed on the same day. As a business that often needs to move quickly, we appreciate that flexibility.”

Up to now, Mouldshop has mainly used Smart for basic currency exchange. However, Osborne can appreciate other benefits to working with the company. “Smart is very proactive in terms of keeping us informed about exchange rates generally,” she added.

“The company sends us regular email updates about currency movements. This is helpful for us as a business because it means that if the currency rate is beneficial we can invest in euros, for instance. It is helpful to have that up-to-date knowledge and to be able to purchase as and when the right opportunity arises.”

Purchasing currency upfront is, of course, a form of hedging and it's a tactic that is becoming increasingly used

by UK companies due to ongoing - and seemingly entrenched - volatility in global currency markets.

further information www.smartcurrencybusiness.com/bpr 0207 898 0500

software directory manufacturing management directory DESIGN & PROCESS SIMULATION Autodesk® Moldflow® Wilde Analysis Ltd T: 0161 474 7479 E: moldflow@WildeAnalysis.co.uk W: www.WildeAnalysis.co.uk Plastics Made Perfect Autodesk® Moldflow® Plastics Simulation Software allows Designers, Toolmakers and Engineers to validate and optimise the design and manufacturability of plastic parts.

Autodesk® Moldflow® helps users to identify, communicate and resolve problems earlier within the development cycle, meaning innovative designs get to market faster, with the confidence that tooling and part quality will be right first time.

Autodesk® Moldflow® has the largest available polymer database, and offers the tools to troubleshoot existing issues or to improve the manufacturability of new design projects.

Supported by Wilde, with over 30 years experience in FEA, CFD and Reliability Engineering.

ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING Solarsoft Mattec Real-time MES (Microsoft Windows™ PC Servers & “Web Based”) Solarsoft Business Systems MEI Division (Europe) T: +44 (0)1909 479 886 E: andy.jewell@solarsoft.com Modules: Production Monitoring, “Drag and Drop”, Scheduling/Planning, “Family Moulding”, Preventative Maintenance, Bar Coding/Parts, Trace-ability, Operator Visual Aids, Process Parameter Profiling, E-mail/Tannoy Alerts, Stand-alone, “Drag and Drop” Scheduler, Stand-alone, SPC “Machine Analyzer”, Machine Energy, Monitoring, KPI Dash-boards, Visual Manufacturing (Large LED/LCD Displays), Automatic Data Import/Export Functions (for Integration to Manufacturing Systems &Other Software Packages).

Solarsoft iVP ERP SAAS Manufacturing Software (for Plastics’ Processors) Solarsoft Business Systems T: +44 (0)1909 479 886 E: andy.jewell@solarsoft.com Solarsoft’s iVP ERP (SAAS) software for the plastics’ converting industry covers the full range of back office operations from on-line and off-line sales and quotations to production planning, inventory management and finance through to logistics, ware-housing and distribution. It seamlessly integrates with Solarsoft-Mattec’s Real-time MES to provide a single system that offers a complete quote-to-cash solution for the plastics’ industry.

A listing in the Software Directory costs £140 per programme per year.

REAL TIME PRODUCTION MONITORING, SCHEDULING AND PROCESS MONITORING intouch T: 01604 646144 F: 05601 506253 E: enquiries@ intouchmonitoring.com Real-time production monitoring systems.

Designed to be easy to use and providing affordable solutions to all sizes of businesses. Production monitoring, scheduling, reporting, data import/export, databases for parts, tools and operators, integration with other software packages.

ProHelp EPM (for Microsoft Windows™ PC Servers) Mattec Ltd T: 01909 561544 F: 01909 560675 E: a.jewell@mattec.com Real-time Modules: Production Monitoring, ‘Drag and Drop’ Scheduling/Planning, Preventative Maintenance, Bar Coding/Parts Traceability, Operator Visual Aids, Process Parameter Profiling, Pager/Tannoy Alerts, Stand-alone ‘Drag and Drop’ Scheduler, Stand-alone SPC Machine Analyzer, Automatic Data Import/Export Functions (for integration to Manufacturing Systems and other software packages).

PlantMaster BMS Vision Ltd T: 01254 662244, E: sales.bla@visionbms.com Website: www.visionbms.com/ plastics.

Affordable and flexible MES system for the plastics/rubber industry. Real-time production monitoring features wireless data units and OPC Ethernet machine connections. “Drag & drop” job scheduling supports frame/insert level family tooling plus KAN BAN. ERP system integration, SPC/ SQC, Touch Screen Data Units, Machine Maintenance, Operator Tracking, Traceability, DNC, Energy Monitoring, Bar Coding, Pager Alerts.

Easy to use systems from a €600m company with over 30 years experience.

SYSCON-PlantStar MTec Services Ltd T: 0114 2476267 F: 0114 2476267 E: mt@mtec-services.co.uk W: www.mtec-services.co.uk W: www.syscon-intl.com PlantStar systems provide customised, scalable applications that deliver realtime plant floor data from any machine, shift, and plant anywhere in your business. Affordable systems available for all size of processor.

Browser-based software and hardware, and wireless ethernet technology make for highly versatile and configurable systems providing information wherever needed. Standard systems include real-time alarms, downtime & reject analysis, capacity scheduling, ERP integration and more.

With options including SPC/SQC, Labour tracking and Scheduling, Family Tooling, Material traceability, bar-coding.

Call Lisa on 01829 770037 for details.

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BP&R buyer’s guide services

plasma surface treatment

mouldmaking

fastenings and fixings

acquisition

materials for sale and wanted

injection moulding masterbatch printers printers of plastic mouldings

WANTED

Injection Moulding businesses Are you looking to retire and/or sell out of your injection moulding business? We may well be interested, if you are not tied in to a long lease. If you're located in the West Midlands, we may well want to take on your key employees as part of the deal.

If interested, please contact, in confidence: Greg McDonald Goodfish Limited greg@goodfishltd.com (01543) 505 323

extrusion flow analysis Fleming Polymer Testing & Consultancy Unit 326, Hartlebury Trading Estate, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY10 4JB T: 01299 253300 E: enquiries@flemingptc.co.uk W: www.flemingptc.co.uk Compuplast bureau service & distributor

mouldflow analysis

TAMPO.SCREEN.FOIL Contour Marking Co Ltd Albert House, Gledrid Industrial Park, Gledrid, Chirk, Wrexham LL14 5DG T: 01691 770093 F: 01691 770023 E: sales@contourmarking.com W: www.contourmarking.com

pad

Total Print Ltd Specialist Pad Printers Station Road, Gedney Hill, Lincolnshire PE12 0NP T: 01406 330122 F: 01406 330123 E: info@totalprintltd.com W: www.totalprintltd.com

polymer distributors

Gammadot Rheology Testing & Consultancy Services Unit 5C, Leaton Industrial Estate, Bomere Heath, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 3AP T: 01939 291677 E: enquiries@gammadot.com W: www.gammadot.com Providing independant testing solutions to all your quality control, failure analysis & flow simulation data needs

Unit 326, Hartlebury Trading Estate, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY10 4JB T: 01299 253300 E: enquiries@flemingptc.co.uk W: www.flemingptc.co.uk Rheometry,TGA,DSC,MFI/MVR Impact

tool making design and manufacture of blow moulds

Beaubury Precision Moulds Ltd

bp&r

additive masterbatch

testing/ consultancy

Fleming Polymer Testing & Consultancy

44

materials

4 Telford Close, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP19 8DS T: 01296 434311 F: 01296 433276 E: blowmoulds@ beaubury.co.uk W: www.beaubury.co.uk

mould release colour masterbatch

conductive plastics and coatings TBA Electro Conductive Products PO Box 56, Rochdale, Lancs OL12 7EY T: 01706 647718 F: 01706 646170 E: info@tbaecp.co.uk W: www.tbaecp.co.uk

To advertise in this space contact lisa montgomery 01829 770037

Eclipse Colours Ltd Units 3E + 3F, Hillam Road Industrial Estate, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD2 1QN T: 01274 731552 F: 01274 738118 E: sales@eclipsecolours.com W: www.eclipsecolours.com Polymer Specific and Universal Colour and Additive Masterbatches. Fastmatch colour matching service.

1 mm Easysperse MicroPellets to 4 mm MaxiPellets.

Standards second to none.

equipment ancillary

InControl Ultrasonics Ltd (FFR Ultrasonics Ltd) The Swan Centre, 8A Swan Street, Sileby, Leicestershire LE12 7NW T: 01509 816507 E: enquiries@ffr-ultrasonics. co.uk W: www.ffr-ultrasonics.co.uk

control systems and equipment

www.britishplastics.co.uk

ultrasonic welding

quality monitoring control Kistler Instruments Ltd T: 01256 741550 F: 01256 741551 E: sales.uk@kistler.com W: www.kistler.com Pressure transducers and associated monitoring/control equipment for new and existing injection moulding applications.

thermocouples

We have a comprehensive directory of suppliers, products and services.

Is your company listed? should it be? let us know contact lisa montgomery on 01829 770037

co-extrusion die heads and systems Ridgeway Co-Extrusion Technology Ltd

assembly hot plate welding Branson Ultrasonics 158 Edinburgh Avenue, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4UE T: 01753 756675 F: 01753 551270 E: bucuk.sales@emerson.com W: www.branson-plasticsjoin.com

Machines Automation Robotic Systems Ltd T: +44(0)1904 489 888 E: sales@mars.gb.net W: www.hotplatewelding.co.uk An innovative specialist in plastic welding solutions providing standard and bespoke plastic welding machines and equipment, tooling and training.

Machine Techniques Ltd Units 3-5, Sutton Court, Bath Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 9EW T: 01858 434059 F: 01858 433638 E: davidchatterton@ymail.com W: www.mactec.co.uk

plastic assembly Machines Automation Robotic Systems Ltd T: +44(0)1904 489 888 E: sales@mars.gb.net W: www.plasticassembly.co.uk An innovative specialist in plastic assembly solutions providing standard and bespoke plastic assembly machines and equipment, jigs, fixtures and training.

Telsonic UK Ltd Units 14 & 15 Birch Copse, Technology Road, Poole, Dorset BH17 7FH T: 01202 697340 F: 01202 693674 E: sales@uk.telsonic.com W: www.telsonic.com

vibration welding Branson Ultrasonics 158 Edinburgh Avenue, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4UE T: 01753 756675 F: 01753 551270 E: bucuk.sales@emerson.com W: www.bransonplasticsjoin.com

chillers/ temperature controllers

Elmatic (Cardiff) Ltd Wentloog Road, Rumney, Cardiff CF3 1XH T: 029 20 778727 F: 029 20 792297 E: sales@elmatic.co.uk W: www.elmatic.co.uk

dryers/ dehumidifiers Matilda House, Carrwood Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QB T: 01246 260222 F: 01246 455420 E: sales@motan-colortronic.co.uk W: www.motan-colortronic.co.uk

Motan Colortronic Ltd Matilda House, Carrwood Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QB T: 01246 260222 F: 01246 455420 E: sales@motan-colortronic.co.uk W: www.motan-colortronic.co.uk

Unit 5, Martindale, Hawks Green, Cannock, Staffs WS11 7XN Replacement Coils New platens T: 01543 570642 F: 01543 574460 E: sales@mfinduction.com W: www.mfinduction.com BS EN ISO9001: 2000 registered.

BS EN ISO9001:2008

hot runner controllers

Motan Colortronic Ltd Matilda House, Carrwood Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QB T: 01246 260222 F: 01246 455420 E: sales@motan-colortronic.co.uk W: www.motan-colortronic.co.uk

extruders and downstream equipment

spin welding Branson Ultrasonics

158 Edinburgh Avenue, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4UE T: 01753 756675 F: 01753 551270 E: bucuk.sales@emerson.com W: www.branson-plasticsjoin.com

MF Induction Heating

granulators

75, Dunboyne Business Park, Dunboyne, Co. Meath, Ireland T: +353 (0) 1 8013261 F: +353 (0) 1 8013262 M: +44 (0) 7435 967632 E: patrick@hte.ie W: www.hte.ie

Branson Ultrasonics

induction heating for platens and tools

hot runner systems extrusion systems

H.T.E. Engineering Services Ltd

ultrasonic plastics assembly systems

film blowing

Motan Colortronic Ltd

pulse staking

158 Edinburgh Avenue, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4UE T: 01753 756675 F: 01753 551270 E: bucuk.sales@emerson.com W: www.branson-plasticsjoin.com

Unit 22, W & G Estate, Challow, nr Wantage, Oxfordshire OX12 9TF T: 01235 760435 F: 01235 763021 E: frankh@ridgewaycoex.co.uk W: www.ridgewaycoex.co.uk Optimised monolayer die heads, coating die heads up to 4 layers, multi-layer die heads up to 7 layers, for pipe/tube sizes from 1 mm O/D up to 200 mm O/D; multiple tube die heads for mono and multi-layer products; multi-layer, multi-parison blow moulding die heads up to 7 layers; multi-layer sheet and profile dies up to 5 layers. R & D and product development projects; line conversions; turnkey system installations.

heating equipment

infra red systems

Cooper Plastics Machinery

CNC ASSEMBLY MACHINES Cannon ShelleyUK agents for Belotti CNC Machining Centres 32 Roman Way Business Park, Godmanchester, Huntindon, Cambridgeshire PE29 2LN T: 01480 453651 F: 01480 52113 E: sales@cannon-shelley.co.uk W: www.cannonforma.com

Unit 12, Harmill Industrial Estate, Grovebury Road, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 4FF T: 01525 850610 F: 01525 218008 E: cooperplastics@ googlemail.com W: www.cooperplastics.co.uk Extruders, water baths, hauloffs, fly knife cutters, conveyors/ tip tables, in-line punches, coilers etc. New and used.

Repairs, servicing or rebuilds.

UK agent for Lyons Electronics

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BP&R buyer’s guide hopper loaders

nozzles & nozzle tips

screws and barrels

Motan Colortronic Ltd Matilda House, Carrwood Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QB T: 01246 260222 F: 01246 455420 E: sales@motan-colortronic.co.uk W: www.motan-colortronic.co.uk

injection moulding

printing machines pad

Technical Welding Services (Rochdale) Ltd Corporation Road, Sparth Bottoms, Rochdale, OL11 4HJ T: 01706 655402 F: 01706 657735 E: info@tws-mail.co.uk W: www.extruder-screws.co.uk

secondhand and reconditioned DM Machinery Ltd Second-hand Injection Moulding Machine Stockists 40 Thomas Lane, Wakefield West Yorkshire, WF1 5RR T: 01924 290206 E: Katy@dmmachinery.co.uk W: www.dmmachinery.co.uk

silk screen and pad Mascoprint Developments Ltd

hopper dryers

Stags End Cottage Barn, Gaddesden Row, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 6HN T: 01582 791190 F: 01582 791199 E: info@mascoprint.co.uk W: www.mascoprint.co.uk

PRODUCT HANDLING materials handling and storage

mould curtains & chutes Seltek Solutions

mixing, feeding, drying Motan Colortronic Ltd

gravimetric/volumetric blending Motan Colortronic Ltd Matilda House, Carrwood Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QB T: 01246 260222 F: 01246 455420 E: sales@motan-colortronic.co.uk W: www.motan-colortronic.co.uk

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PLASTICOLOR B A Thorne (Machinery) Ltd 19A Imex Business Centre, Oxleasow Road, East Moons Moat, Redditch, Worcestershire B98 0RE T: 01527 584714 F: 01527 584784 E: bat@bathorne.co.uk W: www.bathorne .co.uk

Matilda House, Carrwood Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QB T: 01246 260222 F: 01246 455420 E: sales@motan-colortronic.co.uk W: www.motan-colortronic.co.uk

metal detection & separation equipment Motan Colortronic Ltd Matilda House, Carrwood Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QB T: 01246 260222 F: 01246 455420 E: sales@motan-colortronic.co.uk W: www.motan-colortronic.co.uk

Unit 25 Stockwood Business Park, Stockwood, Nr Redditch, Worcestershire B96 6SX T: 01386 793274 F: 01386 792154 E: sales@selteksolutions.co.uk W: www.selteksolutions.co.uk Mould curtains and mould chutes to prevent spillage of parts and to ensure mouldings land where they should without damage. Available in a wide range of standard sizes, special sizes on request. Also tie-bar covers and drum covers.

quick mould change systems EAS PO Box 716, St Albans AL4 9ZX Tel: 01727 855758 Fax: 01727 842823 E-mail: angus_mac.eas@bt connect.com Web site: www.EASchange systems.com

screen changers Industrial Plastics Ltd Unit 13 Canterbury Industrial Park, 297 Ilderton Road, London, SE15 1NP T: 020 7252 9600 F: 020 7252 9601 E: sales@ipl-london.co.uk W: www.ipl-london.co.uk

Plasplant Ltd Unit 4, Oakhanger Farm, Oakhanger, Bordon, Hants GU35 9JA T: 01420 473013 F: 01420 475152 E: plasplant@aol.com W: www.plasplant.com Rawmec (EEC) Ltd Rawmec Industrial Park, Plumpton Road, Hoddesdon, Herts EN11 0EE T: 01992 471796 F: 01992 471797 E: rawmec@btconnect.com W: www.rawmec.com TransXL International Ltd Thornhill, South Marston, Wiltshire SN3 4TA T: 01793 827666 F: 01793 823826 E: sales@transxl.co.uk W: www.transxl.co.uk

static control Arrowquint Ltd Unit 5 Sanders Close, Finedon Road Industrial Estate, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN8 4HQ T: 08450 655455 F: 08450 655456 E: sales@arrowquint.co.uk W: www.arrowquint.co.uk Static control solutions, equipment sales and rental, repairs and on-site servicing.

UK/Eire agent for Eltex – market leaders in static control systems.

testing equipment

Ray Ran Test Equipment Ltd Kelsey Close, Attleborough Fields Industrial Estate, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 6RS T: 024 763 42002 F: 024 766 41670 E: Polytest@ray-ran.com W: www.ray-ran.com

hardness - IRHD and shore MAPRA Technik Co — BAREISS Unit D13 The Seedbed Centre, Langston Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 3TQ T: 020 8508 4207 F: 020 8502 5107 E: info@mapra.co.uk W: www.mapra.co.uk

inspection & measurement MAPRA Technik Co – MARCEL AUBERT – DOSS – KAFER Unit D13 The Seedbed Centre, Langston Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 3TQ T: 020 8508 4207 F: 020 8502 5107 E: info@mapra.co.uk W: www.mapra.co.uk

spark testers Buckleys (UVRAL) Limited Buckleys House, Unit G, Concept Court, Shearway Road, Shearway Business Park, Folkestone, Kent, CT19 4RG, ENGLAND. T: +44 01303 278888 F: +44 01303 274331 E: sales@buckleys.co.uk W: www.buckleys.co.uk

thermoforming equipment