BP&R March 2014 by BP&R Magazine

British Plastics

and Rubber

bp&r march 2014

The rise of rotational moulding

Lightweight plastics drive sustainable mobility

Process control helps business flow

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bp&r BRITISH PLASTICS &RUBBER www.britishplastics.co.uk EDITORIAL Editor: Leanne Taylor T: +44(0)1244 680222 E: leanne@rapidnews.com

SALES Group Advertising Manager: Lisa Montgomery T: +44(0)1244 680222 E: lisa@rapidnews.com

ART SAM HAMLYN T: +44(0)1244 680222 E: sam@rapidnews.com

Spring brings green shoots for plastics

SUBSCRIPTIONS T: +44(0)1244 680222 E: subscriptions@rapidnews.com

PUBLISHER Mark Blezard T: +44(0)1244 680222 E: mark@rapidnews.com

shoots for UK plastics. Compared to this his issue we are delighted to announce that the digital version of time in 2013, companies are seemingly feeling more positive, with the results of BP&R is getting a spring in its step the latest British Plastic Federation (BPF) and taking on a new format. From this ‘Business Conditions Survey’ suggesting month, the magazine is available as a free download on both Apple’s App Store, rising confidence within the UK plastics industry, with 73 percent for those with iOS of the 108 respondents devices, as well as on “From this month, the predicting an increase in Google play, for those using Android technology. magazine is available as sales turnover for 2014, a free download on both up from 55 percent at the What this means is that the digital issue can Apple’s App Store, for same time last year. Additionally, the be read on the go, any those with iOS devices, recently held 2014 EEF time, anywhere. By as well as on Google Manufacturer’s investing in this play, for those using Conference suggested technology we are Android technology.” growing opportunities in ensuring that readers the UK due to the gradual can access the magazine reshoring of manufacturing. According to at a convenient time and in a convenient the report ‘Backing Britain – a way. We have built an archive so that manufacturing base for the future’, one current and past copies of the magazine in six companies have re-shored are available, with new issues added as production back to the UK in the last soon as they’re published. three years, with the UK based supply Readers should simply search chain set to benefit from the trend with “British Plastics and Rubber” in the App these companies turning to a UK supplier Store or on Google Play to download the for parts and components. Hopefully the relevant content. Our website gives a plastics industry can capitalise upon the step-by-step guide to accessing the vast opportunities this will bring, content for those unfamiliar with using meaning business will bloom. these platforms. Find out more at www.britishplastics.co.uk Enjoy the issue. In industry news, the changing season seems to be bringing some green 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 (8 times/year) by Rapid Plastics Media Ltd, Unit 2, Carlton House, Sandpiper Way, Chester Business Park, CH4 9QE T: +44 (0) 1244 680222 F: +44 (01244) 671074 © 2014 Rapid Plastics Media 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

THE BIG STORY Adding value to the supply chain with technical know-how

K distributor of plastics raw materials, Plastribution, is offering extended technical guidance and advice to its customers throughout the manufacturing process in order to enable them to produce components that are costeffective and suitable for their end-use. The company says its technical support in a number of areas, including regulation and compliance as well as processing, efficiency and troubleshooting, will extend the reach of businesses choosing materials by enabling them to make the right selections at the early stages of a project to ensure the functionality and suitability of the end product. “By offering sound technical advice across a number of areas, covering the initial design through to the end of the manufacturing process, we are helping customers make the right choices, which in turn will ensure they maximise profits without sacrificing quality,” commented Mike Boswell, Managing Director of Plastribution.

Plastribution’s technical support covers the following areas: Regulatory and Compliance The monitoring and supply of all relevant documentation for regulatory issues including, but not limited to: REACH, RoHS, MSDS, WEEE, WRAS, food contact, medical compliance, California 65 proposition, conflict minerals. Plastribution can also advise businesses of their obligations regarding these issues.

Efficiency Plastribution is able to help with choosing the right products and additives to improve cycle time and energy efficiency. Alongside industry partners, the company can also advise on process/machine optimisation to get the best cycle time without sacrificing component quality.

Material Choices Material selection is critical to product performance. Plastribution’s breadth of experience means the company can provide advice on the best material for the job, as well as assisting businesses to meet their ongoing requirements, such as physical performance, cost, design and regulatory constraints.

Processing Advice With carefully selected industry partners, Plastribution can help choose the right machine type and size, as well as tooling, ancillaries, storage and handling equipment.

Idea to Component From an initial sketch to production components, Plastribution can help make ideas a reality by providing advice on the correct material, design considerations, manufacturing methods, project costs, prototype tooling and finished component manufacture.

Troubleshooting If you are having issues with components, whether they are visual defects, physical defects, processing issues or drying and handling issues, practical advice can be given on the best methods to eradicate the problems by process or material improvements.

Training and Development Plastribution is proactive in the provision of training to the industry, covering polymer basics, process optimisation and the economics of the polymer supply chain.

Re-shoring The company is well equipped to support OEMs who wish to transfer manufacturing of plastic components, assemblies and sub-assemblies back to the United Kingdom. This includes technical support and assistance with supply chain management ensuring smooth repatriation of your manufacturing.

For more information on how Plastribution’s technical know-how can add value to your supply chain, call 0845 34 54 560. www.plastribution.co.uk

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on the cover

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bp&r BRITISH PLASTICS &RUBBER

contents march 2014

on the cover Adding value to the supply chain with technical know-how UK distributor of plastics raw materials, Plastribution, is offering extended technical guidance and advice to its customers throughout the manufacturing process in order to enable them to produce components that are costeffective and suitable for their end-use. See page 4

28-31 ]FEATURE

REGULARS INDUSTRY NEWS

software and process control

Reclamation and Recycling

Materials

machinery

FROM THE FRONT LINE

SOFTWARE

BUYERS’ GUIDE

ERP software helps moulder streamline services

34-37 FEATURE composites Lightweight plastics drive sustainable mobility

3 EDITOR’S LETTER Spring brings green shoots for plastics

13-17 FEATURE

41 FEATURE mo’s corner What is the “gain-in-weight” method in the context of gravimetric asynchronous dosing?

testing Testing instrument range extended to include MFI indicator

23-27 FEATURE

rotomoulding The rise of rotational moulding

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Industry News

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news Prime time goes plastic as LEGO embarks on TV takeover Don’t adjust your set: plastic really did embark on a TV takeover recently after ITV1 aired the ‘world’s first’ ad break made entirely from LEGO. In order to promote the release of The LEGO Movie, a series of animated commercials were recreated using LEGO characters for the likes of advertisers including Confused.com, Premier Inn and BT. The stop-motion versions of the adverts were screened during an advert break of ITV’s Dancing on Ice on Sunday 9th February. “To support the launch of a movie in which the whole world is made of LEGO

UK must not “stand still” in quest for manufacturing excellence At the EEF’s manufacturing conference in London the key message was for the UK not to “stand still” in its quest for manufacturing excellence. In his keynote address, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable MP, said that Britain “could have and should have” a bigger manufacturing sector, and outlined the Government’s initiatives to address concerns in the areas of skills, access to finance and energy. To coincide with the event, manufacturers’ organisation, the EEF, released a survey suggesting that the gradual re-shoring of manufacturing is continuing in the UK, with one in six companies bringing production back to the UK in the last three years. “The trend may be gradual but it is encouraging to see more re-shoring continuing,” commented EEF Chief Executive, Terry Scuoler, adding “it makes incredibly sound and solid business sense to reshore to the UK.” Commenting, Cable said that reshoring suggested that Britain is “a good place to be and a good place to do manufacturing.” During a panel discussion held earlier in the day, key speakers from industry and manufacturing associations said the benefits of re-shoring production to the UK include “huge opportunities” for

An ad break on ITV recently got a plastic makeover

bricks, we came up with the idea of transporting ITV viewers there, taking iconic characters and talent such as Confused.com’s BRIAN the Robot, the BT flatmates and Lenny Henry and giving them the LEGO treatment,” said David Wilding, Head of Planning at PHD, part of the group that created the adverts. further information: www.lego.com

The panellists at the EEF conference talked on issues such as re-shoring and supply chain security

companies further down the supply chain. In terms of the UK’s export opportunities, much focus was given to finding similarities with target markets, as well as accessing available help and funding to grow relationships and understand the countries being targeted. Crispin Simon, acting Chief Executive of the UKTI said the UK has a “very strong entrepreneurial culture”, is “extremely skills savvy” and “can sell overseas”, with huge potential to tap into new and existing markets. In the day’s other keynote address, Ken Clarke MP reflected on the UK

economy, stating the UK is experiencing “good growth”, but that it is now critical to ensure a “more balanced and strong economy” is built and maintained. He raised the need to break down roadblocks to trade, including duplicates in regulation for different countries, to make the process more beneficial for all. Clarke reiterated the importance of manufacturing in the UK, concluding: “we should never again take on the belief that manufacturing does not matter...and never again should we let it decline.” further information: www.eef.co.uk

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Better because it is more ergonomic 3GDÅ«MDV Å«BKD@Q BTSÅ«CDRHFMÅ«VHSGÅ«HSRÅ«KNVDQÅ«NODQ@SHMFÅ«GDHFGSÅ«@MCÅ«SGDÅ«MDVÅ«""Å« Å« BNMSQNKÅ«TMHSÅ«HRÅ«@MÅ«HMRS@MSÅ«GHS Å«(EÅ«XNTÅ«CNÅ«MNSÅ«V@MSÅ«SNÅ«BNLOQNLHRDÅ«NMÅ«@MXSGHMFÅ«mÅ«ADÅ« HSÅ«HMRS@KK@SHNM Å«L@HMSDM@MBDÅ«NQÅ«RDKDBSHNMÅ«NEÅ«HMIDBSHNMÅ«TMHSÅ«RHYD Å«3GDÅ«$-&$+Å«CTNÅ«HRÅ« SGDÅ«ODQEDBSÅ«BGNHBD Å«6DÅ«G@UDÅ«@KRNÅ«L@CDÅ«HSÅ«D@RHDQÅ«SNÅ«@BBDRRÅ«SGDÅ«OTQFHMFÅ«@QD@Å«@MC VDÅ«G@UDÅ«QDCTBDCÅ«SGDÅ«MNYYKDÅ«BDMSDQÅ«KHMDÅ«AXÅ«TOÅ«SNÅ« Å«LL Å« There are just two things we have not changed:Å«SGDÅ«L@BGHMD RÅ«QDKH@AHKHSXÅ« @MCÅ«HSRÅ«U@QH@AKDÅ«LNCTK@QÅ«RXRSDL

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Industry News

news Plastics earn place in top 10 most important inventions of modern era In a new survey, published by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), chemical engineers have voted plastics as the sixth most important chemically engineered inventions and solutions of the modern era. From a shortlist of over 40 inventions, plastics’ “relatively low cost, ease of manufacture, versatility and imperviousness to water,” were cited as major benefits in their use for an “enormous and expanding” range of products over the past century. “It is difficult to conceive of modern living without plastics. Versatile, lightweight and tough it is no surprise that worldwide demand for plastic has risen from 1.7 million tonnes in 1950 to 280 million tonnes in 2011. That trend is expected to continue,” commented IChemE MediaEnvoy, Thaddeus Anim-Somuah, a Process Engineer based in the Netherlands. “Innovations in plastics have also supported improvements for many other products and industries. In particular, the construction, automobile and textile industries have been able to develop new products,” he continued. “Health has benefited — the simple task of storing and

The survey of BPF members suggests growing confidence

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Lightweight pipes are jst one of many critical applications in plastic that are benefitting modern living, says the IChemE

supplying clean water in plastic bottles or down lightweight pipes has saved many lives. “The food industry has been transformed by plastic packaging. Manufacturers, retailers and consumers have benefited from extended shelf lives. Even the environment has benefited from plastics by helping to reduce the amount of materials needed for packaging and the energy required to transport goods.” The full list of solutions that made the top 10 in the survey were: 1) Drinking or potable water; 2) Petrol or gasoline (and

other fuels including diesel); 3) Antibiotics; 4) Electricity generation (from fossil fuels); 5) Vaccines; 6) Plastics 7) Fertilizer; 8) Sanitation; 9) Electricity generation (from non-fossil fuels); 10) Dosed medications (such as tablets, pills and capsules) “Plastics fully deserve to be in the top 10 chemically engineered products and they will continue to evolve and change especially in relation to sustainability,” Anim-Somuah concluded.

Survey shows increasing confidence in the plastics industry The results of the latest British Plastic Federation (BPF) ‘Business Conditions Survey’, have suggested rising confidence within the UK plastics industry, with 73 percent of the 108 respondents predicting an increase in sales turnover for 2014, up from 55 percent at the same time in 2013. The survey showed a sharp rise in the number of apprentices, with 66 percent of companies employing apprentices compared to only 37 percent a year ago, albeit respondents said they were not always easy to find. According to the results, 51 percent of companies are utilising over 80 percent of their production capacity, but only 36 percent plan to invest in plant and equipment significantly. “A rather low

figure when there must be a need to expand and re-equip to meet rising demand after the recession,” commented Peter Davis, BPF Director-General. “Perhaps this reflects the survey finding a lot of unused capacity.” On the risk of power cuts in the next few years, 43 percent of companies said they were “very concerned” and 25 percent had plans or equipment to avoid power cuts. Davis added: “a worrying 51 percent of plastics companies said the risk of power cuts could affect their UK investments. The Government must speed up replacement of de-commissioned power stations; invest in more gas storage and Energy from Waste.”

further information: www.icheme.org

further information: www.bpf.co.uk

Nationally recognised apprenticeship programme aims to tackle lack of plastics training In partnership with Cambridge Regional College, Peterborough-based G&A Moulding Technology is launching a Polymer Processing Apprenticeship with the goal of addressing the significant lack of funded, recognised and formal training in the plastics industry. The nationally recognised qualification for polymer processing in the UK aims to address the need for trainees to learn practical skills that will necessitate the apprentice to work quickly on complicated tasks, use numeracy skills, understand polymeric materials and have an eye for detail. “The training is unique to other training/educational establishments in that the majority of the training will be based on vocational skills which are essential to the businesses we aim to support, delivered in the state-of-the-art facilities at G&A Moulding Technology,” commented Richard Brown, Managing Director at G&A. Both industry and vocational experts will provide the training in order to ensure the apprentices are learning relevant and up-to-date business skills. “The polymer

industry is an important area of manufacturing in the UK and the aim of this initiative is to ensure the future workforce has the required skills,” continued Brown. An apprentice would normally work in either a factory or a workshop and learn how to mass-produce plastic components. They would weigh and mix raw materials, learn about the production process, test products, maintain machinery and ensure items are made on time without wasting materials. The aim of G&A and Cambridge Regional College, however, is to take apprentices early in their career path and immerse them in a polymer learning environment over a two-year training period to impart the knowledge required to be successful in the workplace at the expected performance criteria. The apprenticeship will be carried out at an individual’s own workplace, with the technical training at G&A’s facilities. Support will be given by CVC to assist apprentices taking the Polymer Operations (QCF) exam, which is endorsed by the Qualification Awarding Body PAA\VQ-SET. further information: www.camre.ac.uk The apprenticeship scheme aims to ensure the future workforce has the right skills

can you help? 500 tonnes of HDPE stolen from UK distributor Over the weekend 22-23 February 2014 approximately 500 tonnes of Marlex, branded high density polyethylene (HDPE), packed in 25 kg bags, was stolen from one of Biesterfeld Petroplas’ third party contractor’s warehouses in the North West of England. After launching an appeal for information, Biesterfeld Petroplas received a number of leads in relation to the stolen polymer, which has led to the recovery of some material. In a statement, the company said: “Biesterfeld Petroplas would like to thank our customers and the plastics industry in general for the fantastic response to our appeal. “A large number of leads have come in which have directly led to material being recovered. However, there is still a quantity unaccounted for and an active police enquiry is continuing.” The targeted grades were 5502BN, 50100 and TR131, resins used to manufacture bottles, film, pipe and sheet produced by CPChem. The material is fully traceable via batch numbers and analysis. A reward of up to £50,000 is being offered entirely without prejudice and subject to the usual conditions payable for information given leading to recovery of the stolen polymer. All information should be provided directly to the police on the telephone number below. If you have any information on the theft please get in touch with Cheshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 104 of 24 February. Information can also be left anonymously, via Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111

TESTING & inspection

news Netzsch launches new DSC curve recognition and interpretation system Manufacturers of high precision instruments for analysis and testing, Netzsch, has launched new software for the automatic evaluation and identification of DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) curves when the technique is used for the recognition and quality control of polymer materials. Netzsch has incorporated two new software solutions, ‘AutoEvaluation’ and ‘Identify’, into its instrument for the characterisation of polymers, the DSC 214 Polyma, which it says makes DSC investigations easier and more comprehensive. The AutoEvaluation software allows for completely autonomous, reproducible and reliable evaluation of the measurements, where the Identify, single-click software significantly reduces the expertise needed

oftware The new s can help to identify accurately aterials polymer m

to identify DSC curves, says the company. For identification of polymer types, the software uses a database with with measurements and literature data from Netzsch libraries for polymers as a basis, as well as libraries that can be created by the user. For application in failure analysis and

quality control, using the DSC 214 Polyma with the Identify software can be used to analyse a DSC measurement on a rejected (broken) part, which can help to minimise product failures when used as a standard tool. further information: www.netzsch-thermal-analysis.com

Testing instrument range extended to include MFI indicator Lacerta Technology, manufacturer of characterisation and identification instruments for plastics, has extended the capabilities of its identiPol testing equipment. The company has increased the functionality of its identiPol QA2 tool, designed for checking and identifying incoming plastic material into a production area, by adding the ability to quickly give an indication of the Melt Flow Index of thermoplastics. This new capability has been named Melt Flow Indication (MFi), as MFI is not measured directly. However, Lacerta says for common PE and PP materials (with others to follow) the system can be setup to offer a quick indication of the MFI. The identiPol is specifically designed to work alongside the production line, to ensure that plastic raw material is of sufficient quality and consistency to previous batches, prior to processing.

g equipment The identiPol testin ed to end ext range has been ity nal tio nc fu increase

further information: www.lacerta-technology.com

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TESTING & inspection

news

Fireproof is offering testing support for polymers used in cables

UK testing facility offers Fireproof support to cable manufacturers Fireproof, a UK-based testing laboratory, says it is offering product development support to the cables sector to ensure that stringent fire safety standards are met whilst moving away from conventional cable polymers, such as PVC, to materials that do not contain halogens. The drive towards low smoke, zero halogen (LS0H) cables is made more difficult by the need to maintain critical performance characteristics and minimise detrimental effects on mechanical and electrical properties. Fireproof, an ITRI Innovation service, says that its in-house testing facilities can speed up the development process. “Here, at Fireproof, we are proud to offer a service which can help to reduce

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lead times on new product development. This is achieved through our extensive experience that helps us to focus on the right approach and by using our in- house polymer processing and testing capabilities to carry out multiple tests,” said Dr. Paul Cusack, Fire and Polymers Manager at Fireproof. The company says it can carry out a comprehensive range of testing services in its laboratories based at the offices of ITRI, in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. This firetesting laboratory can offer polymer processing, compounding and moulding of test specimens, flammability, heat release and smoke emission testing as well as mechanical, physical and electrical testing. further information: www.itri-innovation.com

Polymer testing gets its own webinar series Smithers Rapra is launching a webinar series focused on helping companies speed up the development cycle for rubber and polymer products with effective testing programs through a variety of stages; from materials science to whole product testing. “The 2014 series of webinars is designed to show clients how standard and custom testing protocols for rubber, plastics and composites products can benefit the various of stages of their product development,” said Todd Hain, Marketing Manager at Smithers Rapra. “These webinars are designed to be a helpful and educational forum to discuss many common challenges facing product development engineers, chemists and product managers and to connect with Smithers’ experts in these areas.” The next topic in the series will cover various tyre testing techniques and will be scheduled for the spring. Other topics planned for the year will highlight various industry verticals and technologies. further information: info.smithersrapra.com/webinars

Testing instrument speeds up weatherability tests Atlas Material Testing Technology has released a new weathering instrument suitable for performing accelerated testing on plastic and other materials. The key features of the mid-sized, air-cooled xenon device, which has been named Xenotest 440, are said to be speed and economy of resources. The system uses lamp operating technology as well as ultrasonic humidifiers to reduce water consumption. XenoLogic, the group’s twin-lamp operating technology, permits the instrument to reach high irradiance levels of 120 W/m2 of total UV radiation. By testing at higher irradiance levels, test

times can reportedly be “significantly reduced” compared to standard weathering tests, claims Atlas. XenoLogic is said to offer an extended lamp service life as it synchronises two 2200 W xenon lamps inside the chamber at the lowest possible stress level, which also leads improved light efficiency. Atlas says that the two xenon lamps combined can last over 4000 hours under standard testing levels of 40-60 W/m2. This increases instrument uptime and Atlas says reduces lamp operating costs by as much as 30 percent or more. The Xenotest 440 features a 10 x 6.8 cm test position (among others), which is suitable for plastic, paint and coating specimens. further information: www.atlas-mts.com

Xenotest interior

Why it pays to invest in materials R&D Q: Why invest in rubber, plastics and composites R&D? A: Investing in R&D to maintain a commercial When developing a new or advantage is existing plastic or rubber essential to product, materials ensuring the selection, design sustainability development, identification, and future testing, evaluation or success of a failure analysis is vital in company. ensuring that the end Polymers product is suitable and fit have a for purpose. Here, BP&R proven caught up with Martyn record as Bennett, Chief Scientist at adaptable, Artis, one of the providers durable, in the RAPRA network, who lightweight says that spending money cost-effective on the right R&D support material for offers significant return use in a on investment. multitude of applications, in virtually all industry sectors. However, to gain the maximum benefit, any component, or product, has to be optimised and proven fit for purpose throughout its life cycle, before its launch

to market. This is where it really pays to do your R&D well. Q: What are the financial benefits over a product’s complete life cycle? A: Effective planning and execution of R&D reaps financial rewards immediately by reducing the cost of this potentially expensive activity. It will also deliver increased sales and a longer, reliable, problem-free ‘in-service’ life. This improves brand/company reputation, earning the loyalty of returning customers and enticing new ones. Increasingly, the ‘end of life’ fate of polymer products is an area of intense scrutiny. This must be considered during your R&D, as getting it wrong can cost dearly. Q: How does RAPRA reduce costs of significant and high risk R&D? A: R&D, by its nature, is a risky business. RAPRA reduces risk during R&D by using its unique network of specialist technical support facilities. The network ensures a user always benefits from the best available solution provider and is not subject to the limitations of a single site.

Q: What is the benefit of using RAPRA’s services? A: RAPRA has set up a dedicated ‘Polymer Helpdesk’, where an individual may submit an enquiry as to how best to solve a technical problem, such as high impact issues including product defects and failures. It then uses a wide network of service providers to try and issue a relevant response within 24 hours. This is a free service, which over 500 companies benefitted from last year alone. From there, companies may choose to take up the services offered by the individual provider in order to help resolve their enquiries. Should a company or individual wish to join RAPRA as a member, we work proactively with them so that the ongoing cost of R&D is kept to a minimum by looking at previous issues and offering advice as to how to proceed with future projects. RAPRA is offering new members access to the benefits of this service for £50 a month. further information: www.rapralimited.org

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Data acquisition system said to improve test accuracy Instron, has launched two new systems designed for high-speed data acquisition within the framework of instrumented materials and components testing. Ceast DAS64K and DAS64K-SC are said to provide a data acquisition rate of 4 MHz, which Instron says effectively doubles the temporal resolution compared to previous models. This enhancement is said to be particularly advantageous when testing brittle materials or performing drop weight tests at high speeds or tests at low temperatures. The new data acquisition cards are also available for retrofitting on existing systems without impacting the performance characteristics of these systems, says the company. DAS64K-SC provides a single acquisition channel, whereas DAS 64K is designed for simultaneous acquisition of up to four independent channels. Data may originate from a variety of transducers, including standard strain gauged or piezoelectric instrumented tups and hammers, and in the case of the DAS 64K system, from general-purpose

Case Study:

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Borealis opts for automated testing solution from Zwick Borealis is using two two table-top testing machines from Zwick that it says is enabling the automated quality control of the plastics produced at its facility in Schwechat, Austria, one of the biggest production sites in Europe. The facility, which has an annual capacity for polyolefin production, including both polypropylene and polyethylene, of around one million tonnes, uses two Zwick Allround-Line table-top testing machines for automated quality control of its plastics. Automated tensile tests with nominal forces of 5 and 10kN are carried out in accordance with standards including ISO 527, with automated flexure tests to ISO 178, with specimens tested covering a wide range of dimensions. One of the testing machines is equipped with a makroXtens extensometer. Zwick explains this contact-type extensometer is designed for tensile, compression, flexure

The new Ceast data acquisition system is said to improve test accuracy

transducers supplying a defined voltage or current output. Both models are said to be suitable for use with all current Ceast Series 9000 pendulum impact testers and Ceast 9300 drop towers, as well as with instrumented tups or hammers of legacy models including Instron Dynatup drop towers and non-Instron impact testers. For machine control, data acquisition and storage, as well as comprehensive data analysis, Instron has further enhanced the Ceast Visual Impact software. Both data acquisition systems can record and store up to 65,536 data points per test and per channel. Equipped with 14-bit analogue-to-digital converters, they are said to achieve a bandwidth of up to 700 kHz – depending on the acquisition rate. All relevant parameters such as sample rate, gain, number of data points,

trigger mode and trigger level, including the selection of a master channel for triggering data acquisition, may be set from a connected PC. The Visual Impact software suite used for this purpose is conceived to control Ceast pendulum type and drop weight impact testers and the associated testing procedures, and Instron says supports the use of the new data acquisition systems with a userfriendly interface. It saves load and absorbed energy data and provides features for visualisation and further analysis of acquired data using statistical methods. further information: www.instron.com

The automated system uses a Kuka robot

and cyclic tests in manual and automated testing systems. Finestrain measurement for determination of Young’s modulus is also possible, involving a strain range between 0.05 and 0.25 percent. Pneumatic grips developed by Zwick are used to hold the specimens, with the required gripping force generated via a pneumatic actuator, which, depending on size, acts either directly on the jaws or via a lever-system. The second testing machine is fitted with a motorised flexure table for three and four-point flexure loads, plus a digital flexure transducer. This measures deflection directly under the specimen in accordance with ISO 178, ASTM D 790 and ISO 14125. To obtain a higher magazine capacity (> 400 specimens), the specimens are stacked, handled via a Kuka KR5 robot. A special feature of this system, says Zwick,

Zwick testin g system

TESTING & inspection

news

is the combined vacuum and pincer gripper; the vacuum function is used to remove specimens from the stack and the pincer function to provide a force-locked grip on the specimen (remains). The entire system is controlled via an industrial controller using Zwick’s autoEdition2 automation software for plastics. As well as those at its Schwechat site, Borealis employs additional Zwick testing machines for its research activities in Lintz, including an identical second automated testing system. further information: www.zwick.co.uk www.borealisgroup.com

Injection Moulding Rotational Moulding Extrusion Blow Moulding Thermoforming Vacuum Forming Film Extrusion Recycling Materials Design

30 September-2 October 2014

NEC, BIRMINGHAM, UK

www.interplasuk.com

reclamation & recycling

news US rapper turns to recycled plastics for designer jeans American rapper Pharrell Williams has made an unlikely appearance in the world of plastic, debuting his own range of jeans which will be made of recycled plastic. The jeans will be made by major clothing brand G-Star Raw, according to Billboard.com. According to the site, Mr Williams announced the collaborative fashion range, which is to be named ‘RAW for the Oceans’ — a campaign which aims to repurpose waste plastic from the sea. The company behind the manufacturing process is Bionic, which specialises in producing ‘Bionic Yarn’, a material made of recycled plastic fibres that can then be incorporated into various fabrics.

Billboard states that Mr Williams will be the co-designer of the jeans. The singer has even released a new video and version of his chart single ‘Happy’, which includes Mr Williams’ take on the issue of waste plastic. Williams draws attention to pollution, but far from turning the blame back on the plastics industry, his approach draws focus to the matter of responsibility, as well as product innovation. The RAW for the Oceans collection is due to begin retailing in August.

Milk bottle recycling rates are all white, says Nampak UK producer of plastic milk bottles, Nampak, has praised the UK’s recycling levels for high density polyethylene (HDPE), which reached an all time high of 79 percent, according to statistics from recycling organisation, Recoup. Recoup’s 2013 survey estimates that 316,054 tonnes of plastic bottles were collected for recycling in 2012, and of those, 96,396 tonnes were HDPE milk bottles. Steve Morgan, Technical Manager at Recoup Recycling, said: “Recoup

celebrates the continued and increasing success of milk bottle recycling in the UK, however, there is more that can be done. Later this year the aim is to further increase collection levels of all plastic bottles as part of a national plastic recycling communications initiative Recoup is leading on.” Nampak, which manufactures a HPDE milk bottle known as ‘Infini’, launched a version of the bottle containing up to 30 percent recycled HDPE last year, in a continuing drive for sustainability within the plastics packaging industry. “We are thrilled with the continued

further information: www.bionicyarn.com iams is Pharrell Will own is designing h using s an je of range cs ti as recycled pl

Nampak’s Infini HPDE milk bottle

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progress being shown in the sector. It is something we feel is incredibly important,” commented Eric Collins, Managing Director of Nampak Plastics. “At Nampak we strive to ensure not only our bottles, but also our manufacturing processes, are providing the most sustainable solution possible. As such, these results are very encouraging and we hope to see even further improvement this year.” FURTHER INFORMATION: www.recoup.org www.eu.nampak.com

Are you you in com pliance with the lat est vversion ersion Are compliance latest 527-2:2012? Recent Recent changes were were of ISO 527-2:2012? that cou ld af fect yyour our rresults. esults. made that could affect Further investment in food-grade hot wash line for UK recycler Erema Recycling Machines and B+B Anlagenbau have recently supplied an expansion line for the production of food-grade HDPE at one of the UK’s pioneering recycling facilities. When Dagenham-based Closed Loop Recycling began producing food-contact grade HDPE from transparent bottle material in 2008, the technical equipment was installed by Erema and B+B. This collaboration has now been continued through the expansion of the existing plant capacity to a total of 4,800 kg/h. The processing steps comprise dry cleaning, air classification, hot wash, sink float separation, as well as mechanical drying from B+B and subsequent extrusion with upstream decontamination from Erema. This process enables Closed Loop to produce rHDPE pellets from HDPE milk bottles for direct food contact in line with EFSA requirements. The basic principle of B+B’s plant concept is to treat the regrind material in a dry state as long as possible while it is in the process. This, it says, means that expensive resources such as water can be saved and no elaborate plant engineering is required for processing. The core component of the washing facility is the hot wash, which removes any unwanted elements such as stickers or adhesives from the regrind material. This particular application also features the removal of milk residues and the associated odours as a crucial part of the cleaning process. The hot wash system works continuously and is fully automatic to ensure maximum availability and minimum maintenance intervals. In the subsequent extrusion process, food contact grade HDPE regrind material is made on two Erema Vacurema Advanced 1716 TE systems and is then reused in the production of milk bottles. Closed Loop ordered what is now the third of these systems – each with a capacity of 7,000 t/year – as part of the expansion. Erema says its Vacurema technology for the processing of rPET for direct food contact also works in a slightly modified form for the recycling of food contact grade HDPE pellets that require an additional extruder degassing.

When Plastics Performance is Critical… TRUST Instron ®

further information: www.erema.at ed Clos e at ing n i l The Recycl Loop

Erema and B+B Anlagenbau have recently supplied an expansion line for the production of food-grade HDPE at Closed Loop Recycling

™

Coronation Coronation Road, Road, High Wycombe, Wycombe, Bucks, HP12 3SY, 3SY, UK TTel: e el: + +44 44 1 1494 494 46 464646 4646 | go.instr go.instron.com/ISO-527 on.com/ISO-527

reclamation & recycling

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news Cautious welcome for MRF code of practice from UK recyclers Two of the UK’s biggest plastic recyclers have issued a cautious welcome to the publication of the Government’s new regulations for Material Recycling Facilities (MRFs), but have warned that more still needs to be done in order to safeguard the domestic industry. Unveiled by DEFRA on February 12, the Code of Practice confirms that mandatory quality requirements for all MRFs will be introduced from October 2014. Lincolnshire-based ECO Plastics says although it and others in the industry applaud the move as an essential first step, the business is “dismayed” at the Government’s failure to back-up the regulations with other key measures. Commenting, Jonathan Short, Deputy Chairman and founder of ECO Plastics, said: “We are pleased that the Government has understood the importance of tackling the declining quality of the UK’s waste stream and introduced a compulsory Code of Practice, and that the system will be actively policed by the Environment Agency. Full transparency through the publication of testing results is another important step that will pay dividends in increasing industry confidence. “That said, regulations are only as valuable as the inspection process used to enforce them, and the sampling quantities and frequency of testing envisioned is a long way below what is needed to come close to robustly measuring the quality of inputs and outputs. There is a very real concern that MRFs that do not wish to comply will be able to flout the rules because of the extent to which the process has been watered down.” Short also noted his dismay that higher quality output was automatically seen as a threat by some waste management companies. “It is frustrating that some companies have only viewed the Code from a negative perspective,” he continued. “MRFs should embrace the regulations as the tool to deliver the industry-wide improvement which will drive up the pricing of the entire market, adding value for all stakeholders. I continue to look forward to the day when I no longer receive 18 percent contamination in my feedstock.” Also responding to the new regulations, Chris Dow, CEO of Dagenham-based Closed Loop Recycling, said: “The UK recycling industry and the wider UK economy has so much to gain from a

The new MRF regulations have been given a cautious welcome by two of the UK’s leading recyclers

regulatory system designed to improve the quality of material that feeds into reprocessors such as ourselves. Such a system, which is built upon transparency and regular reporting, should provide an enormous opportunity for the whole waste and recycling industry to work in partnership to really close the loop on waste – the backbone of the circular economy.” Dow also agreed that although a starting point, there is additional work needed in order for the UK to make its mark on the wider recycling circuit. “Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, although we’d still like to see it go further in helping us and our industry partners develop a sustainable business model where we can ensure that the UK is the recycling powerhouse of Europe,” he concluded. FURTHER INFORMATION: www.closedlooprecycling.co.uk www.ecoplasticsltd.com

PET liner recycling facility finds home in Scotland Labelling and packaging materials manufacturer, Avery Dennison, has expanded its PET liner recycling programme with the addition of a new collection facility for brand owners in the UK and Ireland. Waste PET liners can now be sold directly to Avery Dennison’s recycling partner, PET Processors UK, in Dumfries, Scotland. “This programme reflects our longstanding commitment to facilitate easy and effective recycling of PET release liner,” said Stephan Reis, who is responsible for the Liner Recycling programme at Avery Dennison Materials Group Europe. “We are proud to have found a recycling partner serving the UK and Ireland who can turn waste into a valuable new product.” PET Processors UK creates thermal forming sheets for food containers and compounds for industrial use in automotive and construction from the recycled liner. With this new facility, Avery Dennison says brand owners in this region can directly benefit from its recycling programme with quantities as low as two tonnes. “This programme can help brand owners realise their sustainability goals and it can generate significant income by eliminating the need to pay for landfill or incineration. For example, one million square metres of release liner waste is currently worth anything from £5,000 to £8,000. Our goal is to link brand owners to local recycling facilities and make it as easy as possible for them to realise these returns,” Reis concluded. FURTHER INFORMATION: www.averydennison.com

Minister sees how innovative technology can boost green economy During a tour of a new recycling facility in South East London, the Minister of State for Business and Energy said that the innovative technology employed showed how dealing with waste and recycling properly could create jobs and boost economic growth. Speaking at the PlasRecycle reprocessing plant in Woolich, Michael Fallon MP said that the Government’s industrial strategy was designed to give businesses in the UK the confidence to invest, and secure “highly skilled jobs and a stronger economy.” PlasRecycle has built the UK’s first dedicated plant for recycling postconsumer shopping bags and films collected at the kerbside from households. The new facility, which started operations in late 2013, uses a high tech proprietary process developed by PlasRecycle over the past four years, to reprocess up to 20,000 tonnes per annum of used shopping bags and plastic films. The plant produces a plastic granulate that can be used for making new bags, replacing virgin materials. For every tonne of plastic packaging that is reprocessed and recycled, PlasRecycle says there is a corresponding saving of 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. “We were delighted to welcome the Minister and show him around our new plant,” commented Duncan Grierson, PlasRecycle’s Founder and Chief Executive. “We are pleased to be contributing to the country’s environmental targets set by the EU’s Waste Framework Directive and the Climate Change Bill.” Paul Levett, Chairman of PlasRecycle added: “We are pleased that our initiative is not only creating green jobs in the UK, but can be a key part of producer responsibility programmes for the packaging and retail industries. With this new solution, Local Authorities can now actively ask their residents to put carrier bags and other films into their recycling boxes.” Other guests attending the visit included representatives from Foresight Group, the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB), the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Waste & Resources Action Plan (WRAP). further information: www.plasrecycle.com

L-R: CEO Duncan Grierson, the Minister and Chairman Paul Levett outside PlasRecycle’s facility in Woolwich

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rotomoulding

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news Rotomoulding powders have a bright future UK-based Broadway Colours says 2013 was a “record breaking” year for the company, during which it saw substantial growth thanks in part to the rapid growth of its grinding facility for rotomoulded powders. The company, based in Halesworth, Suffolk, says that a move to new premises in 2011 allowed it to expand and subsequently launch its line of rotational moulding powders with the installation of a new polymer grinding facility. Since then, Broadway has expanded its range of standard rotational moulding powders, adding six more colours in 2013. In addition, the company launched a ‘custom colour’ service for bespoke colours and effects. “Since the official launch in 2011 the company has hit the ground running, with the number orders growing every month,” commented Chris Gramlick, Sales Manager at Broadway Colours. “The custom colour powders have really taken

Rotomoulded pressure vessel for hydrogen storage moves to second stage A three-year, multi-partner research programme to develop a monolithic, thermoplastic composite, Type IV pressure vessel for high-pressure (70 MPa) onboard storage of hydrogen gas for fuel cellpowered vehicles has successfully achieved its primary objectives. The study, which aimed to develop both vessel and manufacturing process, was part funded by the Technology Strategy Board and was headed up by EPL Composite Solutions Ltd. Other members of the consortium included Crompton Mouldings Ltd, who manufactured the rotationally moulded liner, Celanese Corporation, who supplied the thermoplastic raw materials, Element Ltd, who conducted the rigorous testing of the vessels and Oxford Brookes University, who produced the data analysis and endof-life recycling analysis. Phase one of the programme successfully produced hydrogen storage cylinders that are lightweight, low-cost, and durable and address issues with gas

Sample cubes from Broadway

off to the point where we have had to buy a second sample grinder to produce small sample amounts of powder, and make it more efficient for us to produce sample cubes.” The growth the company has experienced across all areas of the business has led to further expansion plans for 2014, with a new factory due to be completed in the summer. The new facility will be 90,000 sq.ft, and Broadway says the space will allow it to combine both its masterbatch and

grinding facilities under one roof. “This is an exciting step for Broadway Colours as we will be able to develop and customise this new site so that it is perfectly suited to offering high quality masterbatch and rotational moulding powders with increased capacity levels that allow for many years of future growth,” Nick Barber, Operations Director, commented. further information: www.broadwaycolours.com

nk is moving to The Durastor ta development phase two of its

permeability, embrittlement and vessel recyclability afflicting current thermosetreinforced and metal vessels. Now the first cylinders have passed a battery of challenging industry tests, phase two will finalise turnkey equipment and work cells, allowing the thermoplastic vessel to be used as a drop-in solution on current cylinder production lines. further information: www.cromptonmouldings.co.uk

ILLUMINATING

OUGHT An installation made by rotatio nal moulding has won a com petition for light ing design. The top honour in ‘Leuchte de s Jahres’ went to ‘Cosm o’, a 88cm x 16 0cm lamp cast using a si ngle piece of PE on a rotating basis from a tw o-part aluminiu m mould.

TEL: +44 (0)1986 875 100 EMAIL: SALES@BROADWAYCOLOURS.COM

news Want a new lampshade? Get on yer bike! Mark Colliass, a UK student at Nottingham Trent University, has developed a sustainable rotational moulding rig — which allows people to create their own lampshades by riding a bicycle. The project was developed to make a statement about throwaway culture. The 23-year-old’s invention — which rotates a lampshade mould when fitted to the front wheel of an ordinary bicycle — is designed to involve people in the manufacturing process of their own product, which Colliass says should make it more meaningful to the owner. For the invention to work, users pour jesmonite, a bio resin, into the lampshade mould and add a colourant of their choice. The mould is then placed into the rig and when the user starts to cycle, the mould rotates. The centrifugal force produced creates a hollow cylinder out of the jesmonite and after 40 minutes of cycling, the material sets in the shape of a lampshade. “The feeling of taking the lampshade out of the mould is the best experience, when you realise it has worked,” said Colliass.“You definitely have this kind of personal attachment to it, which you don’t get with other objects. “It also alters the experience of the bike ride, as you connect the bike ride and the product together.” Users can add different layers of colour to the lampshade by repeating the process once the previous mould has set. “People can tailor it to how they want it

ABOVE: t ride The user mus uce od pr to the bike de ha ps m la e th LEFT: t The end produc

to look,” Colliass added, who is now looking to take the project further as part of his studies. “It’s about trying to tackle the idea of a disposable generation. We’ve become very materialistic as it’s easy to dispose of things and replace them. “The hope is that by enabling people to make their own lampshades, and by

making that process fun and easy to do, they’ll grow more attached to it and be less likely to want to throw it away.” further information: www.ntu.ac.uk

rotomoulding

- BRINGING COLOUR TO PLASTICS

Fast facts: Hashim Bhabha is a mechanical engineer and a PhD student at Manchester Metropolitan University. His research on advanced composite science for rotomoulded applications is sponsored by UK-based Rotomotive Limited.

of tional view Cross sec step within y et af s ed d rotomould e colour re s FEA. Th . s es tr s t SolidWork of highes ea ar es at indic

technical spotlight: FEA of Rotomoulded Parts

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Computer aided engineering (CAE) technologies such as finite element analysis (FEA) offer the capability to build, optimise and validate engineering designs In the following article, within a virtual environment, Hashim Bhabha, a PhD student consequently decreasing at Manchester’s development time and Metropolitan University, simplifying revisions. details his research into Currently, FEA is widely factors affecting used in the rotomoulding approximations of material industry to ensure products will behavior in rotomoulding be within the dimensional using finite element analysis tolerance specified, withstand (FEA) software. the loads required and last the intended lifecycle. When verifying the structural integrity of parts using FEA, engineers require accurate numerical materials data. Therefore, it is crucial to ascertain which material parameters are required for FEA and to understand their effect on simulation results. Rotomoulded parts often have considerable variations in wall thickness, exemplifying the necessity for accuracy during FEA modelling. Primarily, two main analysis types are conducted within FEA software; linear and non-linear. Linear FEA simulations typically require a modulus, strength at yield and Poisson’s ratio value; the former two parameters are predetermined relatively easily via mechanical testing, however, extracting a modulus from mechanical testing is dependent upon which section of the resulting stress-strain curve is selected for calculation (leaving this open to debate).

Non-linear simulations typically require a Poisson’s ratio value and a tensile stress-strain curve from physical testing. Furthermore, non-linear simulations are normally more time consuming relative to linear simulations, due to the larger amount of input data. Initial FEA investigations conducted on a small rotomoulded safety step (for ease and simplicity) indicated the linear analysis results correlated better with physical test results, relative to equivalent non-linear FEA results. However, the tensile stressstrain curve used for non-linear simulations may not account for mechanical behaviour due to compression (assuming the stressstrain response of the safety step material in compression is not identical to that of an equivalent tensile response). Therefore, non-linear FEA experiments using combined tensile-compression stress-strain curves are being investigated to gauge the effect of this data combination on the outcome of results. Moreover, variations in the values of Poisson’s ratio for rotomoulded materials (according to literature and general consensus) places a question mark over the extent at which this factor affects FEA simulations. Therefore, methods to measure the Poisson’s ratio of rotomoulded polymers and identify the effect of this parameter on the outcome of FEA simulations are being developed. If new materials are to be introduced to the rotomoulding industry, it is essential that reliable material data (such as modulus and stress-strain data) for these materials are available for design engineers using FEA. further information: www.mmu.ac.uk Rotomoulded safety step

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news

WWW.BROADWAYCOLOURS.COM

Roto PP Comparisons 100

At lower processing temp. still gives improved impact

250

245

Impact (J) 240

PIAT (˚C) 60 235 40 230

20 225

220

0 Micropellets

Micropellets

Black Powder

Development Manager, Ultrapolymers. “New grind specification and advancements in catalyst systems mean that converters can now get satisfactory results when processing PP on the same arm as PE, providing crucial commercial advantages,” he continued. Some of the applications ideally suited to the PP grades include parts requiring autoclaving/sterilisation; high temperature processing; medical bio-technology;

Curing insight

Black Powder

UP321 Black

A comparison table of the impact properties of Ultrapolymers’ UP321 and other PP materials available in the market

appliance housing; automotive; pipe system parts; furniture and hot water systems. further information: www.ultrapolymers.com

th March ers” on 25 n in g e B r rs fo /n46985 of Polyme inar ”DEA etzsch.com b .n e w W w e w re : F ow Register N

Cure monitoring of paints and coatings with Dielectric Analysis (DEA)

·· ·

PIAT (•C)

New grades of PP developed for Rotomoulders Due to the advantages offered by polypropylene (PP) for rotational moulding, Ultrapolymers has developed new grades it says offers increased benefits when using the material for the process. The new grades are said to offer a combination of high stiffness (modulus of 1000MPa), excellent impact performance (55J Arm method), superior aesthetic appearance and easy processing, which Ultrapolymers says provides moulders with an invaluable opportunity to expand product ranges. “Rotational moulders and designers are becoming increasingly interested in the properties offered by polypropylene. PP offers many advantages over PE, including increased stiffness, higher temperature performance, improved ESCR, superior scratch resistance and higher gloss surface finish,” commented Ronny Ervik, European Technical

Impact strength @ RT (J)

Formula development for coatings Cure monitoring, e.g., during coating process Optimization of process parameters

NETZSCH-Gerätebau GmbH · UK Branch Office Tel.: (+44) 1902 306645 · uk.thermal@netzsch.com

IDEX sensor in lab furnace for DEA 288 Epsilon

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rotomoulding

ͻ ^ƉĞĐŝĂůŝƐƚƐ ŝŶ ƵƐƚŽŵ ŽůŽƵƌ WŽǁĚĞƌƐ Case Study: Rotomoulded waste solution offers food for thought A UK-based supplier of professional kitchen equipment has launched an innovative food waste solution manufactured by rotomoulding, using the custom service from JSC Rotational and material from ICO Polymers. Mechline’s on-site food waste bio-digester, the Waste2O, uses a powerful biological formulation to digest soft, organic food waste and reduce it to waste water, enabling businesses to divert food waste from landfill. In order for the Waste2O to blend in seamlessly with other major pieces of equipment in the commercial catering environment, it requires a manufacturing process that enables hygienic, durable products to be moulded. After discussions with the team at JSC and their material suppliers, ICO Polymers, Mechline says it was confident that the rotational moulding process and specialist polymer suggested would achieve its objectives, meet industry requirements and maintain its high standards in quality and service life. “It’s an important part of Mechline’s Waste2O food waste bio-digester for the machine to strike the right balance between its functionality and its aesthetics,” commented Peter SagePassant, Mechline’s Managing Director and Head of Product Development. “Without JSC Rotational’s input, we would not be able to create the sleek, first-class impression the machine needs to make and maintain its position in the market place. We firmly believe that appearances play a large part in our commercial success in our industry.”

The rotationally moulded Waste2O

Mark Drinkwater, JSC Rotational’s Managing Director, said: “When Mechline came to us with this project, design and material specification was the biggest challenge to achieve. This product was aimed at the US market and required an approved specialised material meeting UL94 V0 rating. ICO Polymers Icorene 9105 V0 grey has the certification from the UL 94 laboratories and enabled us to meet the stringent material specification.” ICO Polymers, a division of A.Schulman and European supplier of high performance rotomoulding powders, said Icorene 9105 V0 was a difficult grade to perfect, but it is one of many new, specialised grades the company has developed to open new opportunities for moulders. “ICO thrives on working closely with moulders on new projects, the closer we work with our moulding customers the more opportunities we have of building partnerships with the moulder and OEM’s,” said Les Druyf, ICO’s Account Manager. “JSC Rotational is a very good technical moulder that we have worked well with over many years to meet the high demands of the end user.”

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further information: www.mechline.com www.jscrotational.co.uk www.aschulman.com

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WWW.BROADWAYCOLOURS.COM

The rise of rotational moulding

t’s 2014 and there seems to be a sense of growth within the UK rotational moulding sector. This is more than just economic recovery following a period of recession – it is an increase in activity, an improvement Post-recession recovery is not of processes, and an the only reason the UK’s enhanced profile within rotational moulding industry is on manufacturing – in short, the up, says Karen Drinkwater. a build-up of confidence. There are a great Here she writes for BP&R on the reasons behind the optimism and many reasons as to why why the future looks bright. this is so. There have always been great benefits when using rotational moulding to produce components and these remain the same. The process produces highly durable, robust, hollow items ideal for the toughest of environments. There is also a great deal of freedom when designing for rotational moulding, enabling the achievement of complex and organic shapes – a real bonus for product designers who now find that it is possible to produce one part encompassing many features that would otherwise require multiple components at a higher cost in labour, materials and production time. Rotational moulding has also experienced increased popularity due to the continued conversion of existing products from other materials such as steel or wood to plastic. The reasons are numerous and include weight reduction, cleanliness and timeliness of production. Rotational moulding has always been popular in the environmental arena with its products being re-usable, recycled and recyclable and this is set to continue with the introduction of biomaterials to the sector. This goes some way to explain the recent confidence in the sector, but there is something else to consider. Rotational moulders have always been entrepreneurial by nature, many still being ownermanaged. This hands-on approach has resulted in a progressive attitude, which has pushed technical knowledge and ability forward. This progression has has been supported by the sector’s material suppliers. Well-established companies have responded to some of the industry’s requirements with new materials such as V0-rated polyethylene, the bioresin already mentioned and other new grades. Others are new suppliers who are emerging to develop improved polypropylenes, flow promoters and decorating techniques. There is still a long way to go – rotational moulding has always lagged behind the major sectors of the polymer industry due to lack of critical mass – but progress is definitely happening. Five years ago there was a clear divide between products that could be produced from steel tools and those that were produced from an aluminium tool, determined by complexity and surface detail. Improvements in steel tool technology have led to more of an overlap between the two. Projects that were once unviable in aluminium are now competitive in steel. Aluminium tool making continues to progress with advances in coating and cooling technologies. Machinery innovations have also led to increased cycle times and efficiencies in production. Some UK moulders have invested in the revolutionary Leonardo semi-automatic moulding machine, which has rapid cycle times and all-electric machines are also now available. Not every moulder has such equipment, and rotational moulding is still by comparison a slow, labour intensive process, but not to the extent as it was. Moulders continue to look for ways to improve efficiency on their existing machinery. Growth within the sector is of course also dependent on new

projects. Organic growth from existing products is fine, but these contracts don’t push the boundaries of the industry. It is the new, challenging work that enthuses a moulder and the sector as a whole. The challenge for rotational moulders has been to identify and attract these projects. Rotational moulding makes up only a small percentage of the polymer industry. Most within the industry will have heard of the process, but few have any depth of knowledge, or awareness of what can be achieved – and the same can be said for the wider manufacturing community. In the past, little has been done to rectify this and perhaps this is where the significant change has been. Rotational moulders from across the country have been joining together to promote their industry to the wider manufacturing community. This has not been easy, as rotational moulding serves so many industry sectors – how do you reach as many as possible? A long-term view has resulted in the decision to target young designers whilst they are gaining their qualifications. Numerous presentations have been given in leading universities across the country, highlighting the design benefits of rotational moulding. Working together within the sector has not proved as difficult as some may have thought. We are now looking to the future and at what else can be achieved to improve the UK rotational moulding industry. Discussions are underway concerning a possible apprenticeship programme and further research projects and a materials seminar and an international conference are also scheduled. Further progress and confidence is ahead. further information: www.bpf.co.uk www.jscrotational.co.uk

Fast facts: Karen Drinkwater is the Chair of the British Plastics Federation’s Rotational Moulders Group. She is also the Founding Director of JSC Rotational Ltd, a rotational moulding business based in Worcestershire that she started with her husband in 2003. Rotational an be moulding c e th in ed us re of manufactu f o er b m a nu products

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Case Study: ERP software helps moulder streamline services Rutland Plastics, a custom moulder of bespoke plastic products, recently upgraded its business software systems to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) from Epicor, a move it says has given the business better visibility, increased efficiency and an improved customer service offering. Rutland said its previous Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP) system could no longer support its growing business, as the system wasn’t integrated and data was kept in too many different spreadsheets, something that it says was hindering its customer service. At the time, the company used two systems, one for finance and the other— developed in the mid-90s—to meet its specific manufacturing needs. “Our existing systems were making it

ys the Rutland Plastics sa e new th of n tio nta impleme ht software has broug the business. efficiencies within

software and process control

Intelligent Mould Flow Monitoring

very difficult to get the reports and management information that we needed to run the business, and no development had taken place on our manufacturing software for about 15 years,” said Steve Ayre, IT Manager for Rutland Plastics. The system that the company had in use was no longer supported; it had been developed internally and was heavily industry focused. “If we hadn’t switched systems it would have become a risk to the business,” says Ayre. “Because our old system was not supported, if issues had arisen those could have had a detrimental effect on the business. An ERP system helps you control your business and you can’t afford to take risks.” Rutland chose to do a lot of its system implementation in-house, a decision it

says allows it to develop add-ons internally and retain knowledge on site. This has enabled the company to implement such functionality as a basic checking system. “This system basically looks at what quality checks each part needs to go through and what corrective actions that may need to take place. It is an important part of our ISO accreditation,” continued Ayre. The company was recently awarded the ISO13485 medical standard for manufacturing medical parts and the Epicor ERP software supports this process through its traceability features. “We also make parts for safety critical applications such as gas pipe fittings, and those batches of fittings must be traceable in case of problems and recalls,” Ayre added. In terms of administrative efficiencies, Rutland says implementation of the ERP system has enabled it to easily send order acknowledgements, delivery notes and invoices automatically, as well as improving stock management through increased visibility of customer demand and customer orders. “We now know exactly what’s happening to orders throughout the business, and we can therefore plan accordingly.” Ayre explained, adding that the software gives Rutland full visibility of exactly how much a job or a part is costing. “This means that we can focus on improving things like scrap rate, or how to better manage problem products. It helps us to cut costs and be more efficient overall.” Rutland says the software has enabled it to offer better customer service, thanks to customerfacing staff having instant access to information and data, enabling them to give more accurate lead times. The original goal for Rutland Plastics was to replace its legacy MRP system, however, it now says but with the Epicor ERP system in place it has a strong platform to improve the business as it evolves, including a platform for its recent new offering of 3D rapid prototyping services. further information: www.epicor.com. www.rutlandplastics.co.uk

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Rutland has recently added a 3D rapid prototyping service, which it has used the software system to monitor.

www.mouldflo.com

news Software said to simplify and speed up materials selection process Cambridge-based materials information technology specialist, Granta Design, has recently launched a new version of its PC software that it says enables materials experts and product development teams make better decisions faster during earlystage design, redesign, or material replacement. The new CES Selector 2014 uses an upgraded user interface said to help users find the materials data that they need faster, so that they can plot and compare properties and select the right materials, as well as greatly enhancing its polymer data. Dr. Charlie Bream, Product Manager for CES Selector at Granta Design, was clear that the new release would bring immediate benefits. “By making it easier and quicker than ever before to find and apply the right materials data,” he

CES Selector provides a suite of graphical tools and data to support systematic materials selection.

explained, “materials experts and product development teams will not just find it easier to make the right decisions first time, but will be able to rapidly respond to changing design requirements, new regulations that could render current materials obsolete, or supply-chain disruptions.” The latest version is said to make navigating, searching, and exploring materials information easier. Data on polymers has been significantly enhanced, according to

Granta. In particular, the latest version of IDES Plastics and the new CAMPUS and M-Base dataset provide information on over 30,000 polymer and over 600 biopolymer grades. Enhancements to the data structure are said to simplify selection based on the target applications and key features identified by the polymer manufacturers. further information: www.grantadesign.com

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software and process control

Intelligent Mould Flow Monitoring

news

eted s now compl Autodesk ha M A C ion of the acquisit am ecialist, Delc sp e ar w ft so

and inspection software provides automated CADCAM solutions for a variety of industries, ranging from aerospace and automotive to toys and sports equipment. “The acquisition of Delcam is an important step in Autodesk’s continued expansion into manufacturing and fabrication and beyond our roots in design. Together with Delcam we look forward to accelerating the development of a more comprehensive digital prototyping solution and delivering a better manufacturing experience,” said Buzz Kross, Senior Vice President for Design, Lifecycle and Simulation Products at Autodesk.

Autodesk completes acquisition of Delcam Software giant, Autodesk, has completed the acquisition of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software provider, Delcam. Autodesk announced its intent to acquire Delcam in November 2013 for £20.75 per share, or approximately £172.5 million, with the latter operating as a wholly owned, independently operated subsidiary of Autodesk, with no significant changes planned for the business. “Autodesk brings to Delcam increased financial strength, unparalleled expertise in design and a long history of making technology accessible to broad audiences,” said Clive Martell, Delcam’s Chief Executive Officer. Headquartered in Birmingham, UK, Delcam’s range of design, manufacturing

further information: www.autodesk.com

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The CAMPUS materials information has been optimised for mobile devices

Software upgrade puts material information in your pocket CAMPUS (Computer Aided Material Preselection by Uniform Standards), a material information system for the plastics industry, has recently been upgraded to include a version for smartphones. Launched at K 2013, the new version has increased functionality so that materials data can be accessed via mobile devices, as well as the recent availability of PDF datasheets for all CAMPUS grades in 10 different languages. The CAMPUS plastics information system offers these online datasheets free for resins from participating material producers. further information: www.CAMPUSplastics.com

www.mouldflo.com

Case Study: Mould flow monitoring makes medical sense play’, allowing multiple manifolds to be monitored, and also enables convenient and simple connection to the touch screen, power supply, alarm signals in/out and machine communications,” explained Guyett. Equipped with USB and Ethernet, the data generated by the system can be fed into production monitoring systems, or other ancillary devices such as hot runner controllers or the moulding machine control system, using the on-board communication ports. Using a remotely mounted touch screen, the Mouldflo system will monitor and display the flow and temperature for every circuit. The data is stored in the internal memory, and Mouldshop says is time and date stamped for ultimate traceability. The data can be read over an Ethernet connection, downloaded onto a USB stick or fed into an external production monitoring system or directly into the injection machine control system. Warning and alarm limits can be set for flow and temperature to all monitored zones individually. Should a zone deviate from those settings, then both an onscreen warning and a potential-free alarm signal can be fed directly to an ancillary device — such as an alarm tower, hot runner controller or the injection moulding machine to warn that the flow has deviated outside of tolerance. The system is capable of storing multiple mould set-ups on the internal memory, which can be quickly loaded when a mould is changed with all the correct setpoints for any given mould. “One particularly effective integration has been with EFI, where all of the data from the cooling circuits is being fed

on The Mouldflo manifold in place hine mac lding mou Polymermedics’

South West-based medical injection moulding company, Polymermedics UK, says it has dramatically improved its process monitoring and control using technology developed by Mouldshop. Serving the demanding medical market sector, Polymermedics has responded to increasing customer demand for full, real-time data monitoring of its manufacturing processes. By using Mouldshop’s ‘Mouldflo’ technology, the company says it is able to provide a critical link, ensuring part quality and process stability are maintained, controlled and documented throughout the manufacturing cycle. “The control and documentation of all process input variables is of paramount importance when producing high quality mouldings for the medical sector,” said Polymermedics Technical Manager, Neil Skyba. “Our customers demand the degree of process traceability that is possible using the Mouldflo system.” Mouldflo is designed to protect the mould and improve part quality by quickly identifying cooling problems, as well as alerting the moulder to common circuit problems, such as no water flow from the mould temperature controller, blocked waterways or incorrect piping. “The slimline and compact manifold design has been developed to enable Mouldflo to be mounted into the smallest space possible next to the machine platens. This keeps pipe runs to an absolute minimum, improving flow rates to the mould and reducing cycle times,” said Mark Guyett, Managing Director of Mouldshop. The Mouldflo manifold is equipped with very compact sensors that are capable of reading both flow and temperature. The sensor is based upon the vortex flow measurement principle, which uses a bluff body in the flow path to create small eddy currents (vortices) and the pressure of this current is measured to determine the flow through a given cross sectional area. The sensors have no moving parts; this, combined with a large flow path, make it suited to mould cooling even when using heavily contaminated water. The sensors are integrated directly into the manifold, which has been designed to create a fixed linear flow path that is essential for accurate flow measurement. “The Mouldflo system is equipped with a DIN-Rail mounted interface module, which allows the manifolds to be easily connected to external devices. The interface module facilitates true ‘plug and

directly into the hot runner controller,” explained Guyett. With all of the hot runner and the cooling circuit information in one place the moulder reportedly has the ability to ‘tune’ the mould. By controlling the hot runners accurately and keeping this temperature oscillation to a minimum, the set point can be reduced to bottom end of the processing window; this reduces the amount of heat that needs to be taken out of the moulding and ultimately reduces the cooling cycle. By incorporating the new technology into its manufacturing process, Polymermedics says it is able to improve its competence and benefits to potential customers, as well as reducing costly scrap or potential rejects in the field. “The benefit of mapping the cooling characteristics during the validation and optimisation process means that once in serial production, issues can be highlighted and rectified prior to any impact on the part quality or mechanical properties, thus reducing scrap and potential customer complaints,” Skyba concluded. further information: www.mouldshop.co.uk

n provide The software ca n to various informatio w flo t ien fic ef ensure

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// Materials Technical //

Blog

In association with Hardie Polymers – www.hardiepolymers.com This month, polymer expert and technical blog author, Dr Charlie Geddes, takes a look at the unique properties and best uses of TPE’s

How can a thermoplastic elastomer be both thermoplastic and elastomer ? The class of polymers known as thermoplastic rubbers (TPR), or thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), describes pretty well what it says on the label. As thermoplastics these materials soften with heat and can be melt processed, by extrusion or injection moulding, but regain their soft solid properties when cooled. As elastomers they conform to the ASTM definition of materials that “can be stretched repeatedly to twice their length and, on release of the stress, will recover, with force, to the original length”. Most linear polymers above their glass transition temperature can be easily stretched but few have the ability to recover elastically. Traditional vulcanised rubbers achieve elastic recovery by inserting strong chemical bonds between the polymer chains (irreversible crosslinks) to create loose networks. Thermoplastic elastomers acquire recovery from reversible ‘physical’ crosslinks (domains, crystalline regions or ionic bonds), created by close association of the ‘hard’ parts of the polymer chains. Although TPEs have been synthesised to mimic the properties (mechanical and chemical) of traditional vulcanised elastomers they perform less well at elevated temperatures, as one might expect. However, the considerable savings in processing costs make them attractive in many

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Lexan makes laboratory flask “virtually unbreakable” TriForest Labware, a moulder of laboratory equipment, has developed a polycarbonate 3L Fernbach flask that the company says is “virtually unbreakable” as a result of SABIC’s Lexan HP grade. The flask is said to be the first of its size to be made via injection blow moulding. For the end-user, the flask is being marketed for improved productivity during the culture sampling process. Other plastic flasks of this size are extrusion blow moulded, however, using Lexan HP allowed for thicker walls and enhanced optical clarity, enabling real-time sample measurement similar to glass.

TPEs are favoured for their ‘softtouch’ properties, such as on computer accessories

applications. The real boost to TPE development came when designers discovered their ‘soft touch’ properties for hand held appliance such as electric shavers and keypads. TPEs also struggle to match the compression set resistance and creep resistance of vulcanised elastomers. I have witnessed the rejection of TPEs as replacement for vulcanised elastomers because they could not match the compression set resistance imposed in the specification, not because compression set had any relevance in the application but because it happened to be on the data sheet of the material being replaced. Got a view on the above? Blog posts will also be published on the BP&R website at www.britishplastics.co.uk - feel free to leave your comments.

“Developing innovative solutions that can improve safety and efficiency in laboratory environments is increasingly important to the healthcare industry, enabling reduced costs and faster results,” said Cathleen Hess, Director of Healthcare Marketing for SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business. Syed Rehan, VicePresident, TriForest Labware, said: “Without the exceptional properties provided by Lexan HP resin – optical clarity, impact resistance and the ability to be injection blow moulded – we would not have been able to make this 3L Fernbach flask.” further information: www.sabic.com

k is made The new flas P grade from Lexan H

technologies to help customers avoid significant losses due to missed business opportunities, image-loss of brand, unwarranted claims for damages and patent infringements,” added Jos Bastiaens, European Technology and Innovation Manager. “Celanese can provide different solutions for customised product protection through anticounterfeiting features in plastics.” Available anti-counterfeiting technologies include unambiguous part analysis based on unique engineered material additives, ultraviolet-detectable technologies for enhanced quality control primarily used in the production of complex medical devices and printing and laser marking technologies that allow Celanese engineered materials to be marked with a visible barcode, such as manufacturer, batch number and raw material/batch. Other anti-counterfeiting technologies include X-ray detection, micro-tagging — invisible colour coded small particles — that can be identified via microscopy (10x magnification), as well as optical verifiable pigments/nanoparticles that are an

invisible marker or ‘optical fingerprint.’ “Celanese is committed to helping its customers protect and enhance their brand,” Kutta said. “This portfolio of anticounterfeiting technologies can help them protect and grow their business.” further information: www.celanese.com The technology can be used for automotive

engineering materials

Anti-counterfeiting technologies for engineering plastics launched Celanese Corporation has announced the availability of a range of detectable polymer technologies said to help OEMs and suppliers protect their goods against counterfeiting. The anti-counterfeit technologies are reportedly designed to help customers meet increasing security and safety needs by being able to detect the exact materials used in a particular product. “These technologies are especially important today in light of several recalls due to inferior and counterfeit materials,” said Stefan Kutta, Celanese Global Director, Transportation. Celanese says its engineered materials are available with anticounterfeiting technologies to help assist OEM and Tier suppliers in reducing the potential risk and loss of revenue from counterfeits in automotive parts, consumer products, medical devices, packaging and consumer electronics. “Celanese material scientists have developed various traceability

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composites

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news Lightweight plastics drive sustainable mobility Krauss Maffei is supplying the injection moulding and reaction process machines used to produce the exterior parts made of thermoplastics, as well as the structural components made of fibre-reinforced plastic, on BMW’s electric car, the i3. The company is helping BMW to process carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CRP) for the first time in series production, with its injection moulding machines, swivel plate technology and the high-pressure resin transfer moulding process (HP-RTM) all being utilised. “That is our contribution towards a new generation of vehicles in order to facilitate the breakthrough for lightweight construction and electromobility,” said Nicolas Beyl, President of the Reaction Process Machinery Segment of KraussMaffei. KraussMaffei has supplied BMW with injection moulding and reaction process

KraussMaffei is collaborating with BMW on the production of parts for the i3 electric vehicle

machines, including two double swivel plate machines that are fully automated with two industrial robots. Weighing 400 tonnes, each MX 400017200/12000/750 WL is 24 metres long, nine metres wide and seven metres high. The thermoplastic outer shells of the BMW i3 are produced on these machines, which

Fast reacting resin systems in highpressure resin transfer moulding (HP-RTM) are the key to short cycle times, for example for the side frame of the BMW i3, produced on reaction process machines

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have a clamping force of 4,000 tonnes, at the BMW plant in Leipzig. Using the ‘joining in injection moulding’ process, the outer door shell and its substructure are injected in a single pass, becoming joined as the two swivel plates turn and are bonded with a third plastic component. “The combined work processes ensure very high dimensional accuracy of the parts,” commented Frank Peters, Vice President of Sales at KraussMaffei. In addition to the sidewall panels and the rear bumper, the hood of the BMW i3 comes from a KraussMaffei injection moulding machine. “They are produced on the most complex machines we have ever developed,” continued Peters. In addition to injection moulding technologies and automation solutions, KraussMaffei’s Reaction Process Machinery Segment is also involved in the manufacture of parts for the BMW i3. Some 20 machines for high-pressure resin transfer moulding (HP-RTM) supply reactive resin components for the supporting structures, for example the side frame, at BMW’s plants in Leipzig and Landshut. HP-RTM allows fast reacting resin systems to be processed in order to

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Stewart’s factory in Banbury, UK

attain short cycle times. High-pressure injection produces a high degree of fibre wetting. In order to produce fibre-reinforced parts with an epoxy matrix in larger series, KraussMaffei enhanced high-pressure resin transfer moulding (HP-RTM) for series use. In this process, a self-cleaning, high-pressure mixing head injects the resin into the closed cavity and saturates the fibres inside under high pressure and with precise stipulations of the duration and temperature so that the resin and hardener are fully networked. After it has hardened, the component becomes stiff and very light. KraussMaffei says compared with the previous autoclave process or vacuum infusion, the advantage of automated production is that the cycle times are reduced from up to 24 hours to minutes depending on the complexity and size of the component. KraussMaffei says another benefit is that this type of HP-RTM process is also suitable for the use of polyurethane instead of epoxy resin as a matrix material. In addition to easier handling of the generally lower raw material price, another advantage of polyurethane is the reduced processing temperature. “With the BMW i3, we implemented our improved HP-RTM technology for the first time under series conditions within the context of a completely new production concept. This provides us with a broader view of the process chain in efficient fibre composite production and is our competitive edge for other projects,” summarised Josef Renkl, Head of Research, Development and Application Technology. further information: www.kraussmaffei.com

Carbon fibre offers “unparalleled results” in metal replacement, says UK moulder Manufacturer of plastic moulded products, Stewart Group Holdings, is now using carbon fibre for its injection-moulded products, which it says is giving

“unparalleled results” in metal replacement across a number of industries. Having recently gained certification to the ISO/TS16949 standard, the company says manufacturing with carbon-filled plastics will enable it to produce a wide range of replacement parts, including components with thermal and electrical insulation properties across industries including aerospace, automotive and technical mouldings. Carbon fibre mouldings produced at Stewart Group Holdings’ Banbury factory will be stable, heat resistant and robust. The company says clients will also enjoy the benefits of greater design flexibility. Jim Metcalf, Technical Sales Manager at Stewart Group Holdings, said: “Our carbon fibre moulding capability improves our offering to all types of businesses, especially automotive and Engineering OEMs. As well as the expertise to manufacture in carbon fibre, Stewart Group Holdings provides full design, FEA and development support.” further information: www.stewartcompany.co.uk

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composites

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composite capability and expertise to support their vehicle programmes. “You only get those levels of OEMs or manufacturers coming to you if you deliver a quality service with a competitive cost,” said O’Neill when asked about the calibre of projects the company has been involved with. The open days also saw the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) Association and the UK Trade and Investment also in attendance. ARRK joined the SMMT in October 2013, a move which O’Neill said was “critical” for the entire group. “The SMMT has really bought into supporting us and we’ve been using the information it provides as guidance for the automotive marketplace, such as who’s doing what and when, so we know that we can be tendering for these packages of work that manufacturers are sending out,” he said. During the event, O’Neill stressed the importance of the utilising the UK’s supply chain for the components needed for manufacturing. “We had Lawrence Davis here, who advises the government on manufacturing,” he explained. “His message at yesterday’s open day was that when looking at German OEMs, 65 percent of their supply chain is German. However, looking at British OEMs, only 35 percent of the supply chain is UK-based. “So there’s a gap there the government wants to close. Asking things like, ‘why aren’t we using local companies to supply the product?’ and ‘Why are we going abroad or outside the EU?’ will help us focus on bringing manufacturing back to the UK.” In terms of its plans for the future, O’Neill said that the level of investment made in the facility, as well as the technical personnel and determination to succeed will drive the company forward. “We want to be the best composites provider in the UK and from there into Europe and from there (laughs) the world,” he concluded. further information: www.arrkeurope.com

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machinery

Engineering Passion

news Pelletising system claims it can save “€3.2m in annual energy costs” Nordson BKG (formerly Kreyenborg BKG) has released an integrated system that uses the thermal energy of the molten polymer created during PET pelletising for subsequent crystallisation. The group’s claim is that this “eliminates problems caused by the agglomeration of amorphous material and substantially reduces energy costs for compounding or recycling”. Called CrystallCut, the patented process avoids the need to cool PET after pelletising and then reheat it for crystallisation. As an integrated network that incorporates underwater pelletising, drying, and crystallising, Nordson says it is designed for precise control of material temperatures throughout the process, preventing production and quality problems caused by insufficient crystallisation and excess levels of amorphous material. The group claims that the energy efficiency of the CrystallCut system can save more than €3million (approx £2.5million GBP) in annual energy costs for a typical PET resin plant and nearly €200,000 (approx £170,000 GBP) for an extrusion line recycling PET bottle flakes. These figures are based on examples cited by Nordson BKG from actual commercial installations. “The CrystallCut system provides substantial relief to the cost pressure on PET polymerisation and recycling, particularly as prices for PET fall,” said Ralf Simon, Managing Director of Nordson

Schematic of CrystallCut process

BKG. “In addition, because the system utilises residual thermal energy within the material to crystallise pellets from the inside out, it yields an enhanced crystalline structure that results in lower energy costs for re-melting the material.” In the CrystallCut system, hot PET granulate produced by the face cutter of the underwater pelletiser is transferred rapidly to the pellet dryer in hot water (up to 95°C) through closed conveying pipes, where pellet cooling and solidifying takes place. The system preserves heat from the melt due to a combination of closed conveying pipes and the relatively short distance between die head and dryer. Nordson claims that the temperature of the pellets are between 150-160°C when they exit the dryer onto a vibrating conveyor. This keeps the pellets in constant motion, generates a uniform distribution of thermal energy, and

CrystallCut system equipment

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prevents pellets from sticking together. At the end of the process, the pellets have a temperature of approximately 180°C, have reportedly achieved up to 40 percent crystallinity and may be transferred directly to solid state polycondensation (SSP). In addition to saving energy costs and preventing amorphous PET clumping, the CrystallCut system yields an almost dustfree product and increases bulk density by eight percent in comparison with a conventional process, according to the manufacturer. Assuming an average energy cost of 12 cents/kWh (approx 10p/kWh), Nordson BKG estimates that the CrystallCut system yields energy savings of up to 125 kWh or €15 (approx £12.50 GBP) per tonne of PET in a modern PET polymerisation plant. Based on Nordson’s claim that such a plant can achieve a production capacity of 600 tonnes per day, these savings amount to €9,000 (approx £7,500 GBP) daily and €3,200,000 (approx £2.7m GBP) per year. This would be an annual energy saving of more than 26 gigawatt hours, or 26,000 megawatt hours. Another example cited by Nordson BKG is that of an extrusion line which recycles PET bottle flakes at a rate of 1,500 kg/h. The savings reported to be achievable with the CrystallCut system exceed 180 kWh, or more than 1.4 cents/kg. In a 365/24 operation this equates to €190,000 (approx £160,000 GBP) per year. further information: www.bkg.de

www.kraussmaffei.com

DC to AC is music to your ears when it comes to energy saving Three engineering companies from the UK and Ireland have joined forces to help businesses in the plastics industry conquer soaring energy prices. Advantage Control, based in Northern Ireland, APDS from Bristol and Midlandsbased Sentridge Control say they are transforming working practices across the industry and saving companies thousands of pounds by converting businesses from DC to AC equipment. “Using DC equipment was once the only option for high-level speed control needed for production processes. DC equipment comes with costly overheads as annual inspection costs and spares can become expensive for maintenance teams. Noise pollution on the factory floor can also be an issue as these motors are often noisy to run,” commented Brian Dick, from Sentridge Control. The companies say that with advances in modern AC technology, there is now an alternative solution. “Converting motors from DC to AC is a painless process,” explained Alan Jones from APDS. “It can be done swiftly and efficiently during

Before and after graph of energy savings

production downtime and payback on investment is on average less than two years. Reduction in energy bills not only lowers overhead costs but also helps meet stringent Climate Change Levies and of course, quieter AC motors also improve the working environment.” A number of plastics processors are reportedly seeing the benefits of switching, say the companies, including one company based in Chippenham said to have made a 50 percent saving following a production review. “The largest extrusion machine at the factory was unreliable and very energy hungry. It was running a DC 400kW motor, which was proving unreliable and required frequent drive belt maintenance. After an assessment of the production process, a recommendation was made to replace the old DC motor with an AC 132kW, which

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115mm Davis Standard Thermatic extruder model 45IN45T . 30:1 L/D with barrier PP/HDPE screw, 305kw motor, Fan cooled electrically heated 6 zone barrel 2008!!

EXTRUDERS

2300mm Sheet line for ABS 1700mm Line for ABS and PMMA 1500mm Bandera stack 1450mm Kaufman Sheet line

THERMOFORMERS

For Midlands and the North – www.sentridge.com For South West and Wales – www.apds.co.uk For Ireland – www.advantagecontrol.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1793 827666 Email: sales@transxl.co.uk Website: www.transxl.co.uk

SHEET EQUIPMENT

1350mm Welex 3 Roll Stack. 300mm Dia Rolls. Silent Chain. Dc drive. 3 zone pump group. 2 roll haul off 1986.

was adequate for the client’s production process,” Jones continued. “The result was power consumption was more than halved without any loss of performance. The larger drive pulley removed ‘belt slippage’ previously the main cause of downtime and maintenance of the machine.” Additionally, a plastic extrusions company based in Belfast reportedly saved £20,000 a year in energy and maintenance bills after switching from DC to AC, with the added bonus of a much quieter factory floor.

90mm Kaufman extruder 115mm Davis standard extruder 130mm Davis standard extruder 140mm Berstorff twin Screw 150mm Egan extruder

PROFILE LINES

1120mm wide EDI close approach PET sheet die model H100 with Flex lip and decals. Lip heater. Lip gap up to 2.5mm 1996.

MIXERS

39 TRANSXL INTERNATIONAL THORNHILL SOUTH MARSTON SWINDON WILTSHIRE SN3 4TA ENGLAND MORE MACHINERY, MORE PHOTOS ON THE WEB: www.transxl.co.uk

bp&r

machinery

Engineering Passion

www.kraussmaffei.com

news Energy efficiency: out with the new, in with the old Engel has launched a new retrofit solution designed for use on older manufacturing systems that it says reduces the energy required by exisiting hydraulic injection moulding machines by up to 50 percent. In response to the industry’s need for cost-efficiency and sustainability, as well as addressing rising energy prices, Engel says it has developed the new ecodriveR as a retrofit solution that is “reasonably priced” and “can be fitted with little hassle” to significantly increase the saving potential of older injection moulding machines to bring them inline with the efficiency capabilities of newer, more modern models. ecodriveR is the next generation of Engel’s servo-hydraulic drive system, ecodrive. Consisting of a servomotor and a

fixed displacement pump, ecodrive saves lost energy among other things. Without an energy saving option, lost energy builds up when a machine is idle and traditionally accounts for a large proportion of its total energy consumption. Engel says new ecodriveR means hydraulic injection moulding machines with an asynchronous motor and electrichydraulic variable capacity pumps (EHVs) can now be controlled according to demand as well. This is achieved through the installation of a frequency converter that adjusts the speed of the pump drive to the amount of energy required. ecodriveR is set using a simple interface of the machine control unit, Wolfgang Degwerth, Head of Engel Austria’s customer service division, explained. “Since a machine’s hydraulic system remains the same when it is retrofitted, ecodriveR allows us to adapt older injection moulding machines to the requirements of modern production companies quite quickly and at a relatively low cost,” he commented. “The first few uses have shown that, depending on the application, it can reduce the energy

smart plastic injection mould design and manufacture Alliance Tooling Our unique work SMART approach means we will not be beaten on lead times, offer value that is second to none and never compromise on quality to meet your specification. All of our injection mould tools are backed by genuine tool-life warranties. That is why clients who try our service come back time after time for all their injection mould tooling requirements. For injection mould tools, delivered on time and in budget, supported by expert advice, professional service and with agreed tool-life guarantees, contact Alliance Tooling.

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mail: info@alliancetooling.co.uk tel: +44 (0) 1162 750584

Engel has launched a new retrofit solution designed for use on older manufacturing systems

required by machines by up to 50 percent without affecting the cycle time, part quality or reproducibility standards.“ As with the original ecodrive principle, Engel says the drives of an injection moulding machine with the retrofitted ecodriveR are only active when the machine is in movement, such as during mould opening and closing, plasticising and injecting. During the post injection pressure and plasticising phases, the speed is reduced, and during cooling, the drives come to a complete standstill and do not use any energy at all. Engel says the saving potential depends on different factors. Machine size and cycle time play a crucial role among other things. If, for example, POM technical parts with a shot weight of 109 g and a cycle time of 78.3 seconds are made on an Engel victory 330/125 injection moulding machine that has been energetically optimised with the ecodriveR system, 3.7 kWh of energy will be saved every hour, which Engel explained means 46 percent less will be consumed compared to a machine that has not been updated. The 3.2 kWh/h drive energy reduction and the fact that the cooling/filter motor uses 0.5 kWh/h less energy make a major contribution here, it said. If the machine is in operation for 6000 hours per year, the amount of electricity it uses will be cut by 22,200 kWh overall, which equates to six tonnes of carbon dioxide. The retrofit option ecodriveR can be added to any Engel hydraulic injection moulding machine with three or fewer asynchronous motors and electrohydraulic variable capacity pumps. further information: www.engelglobal.com

Gravimetric asynchronous dosing systems meter the individual components one after the other and the gain in weight is measured in the weighing chamber. After dosing, the ingredients form layers on top of each other and must then be transferred to a mixer.

mo explains: Gravimetric asynchronous dosing stations meter the components of a mixture into a weighing chamber one after another. As each ingredient is added, the system measures the aggregate mass of all ingredients — a method described as “gain-in-weight”. The metered components form layers on top of one another, meaning they must subsequently be actively blended.

MO’S CORNER

Q: What is the “gain-in-weight” method in the context of gravimetric asynchronous dosing?

Batch dosing stations are comparatively cost-effective gravimetric systems, as they only require a single weigh or load cell. However, in cases where volumes differ greatly from component to component, there are certain limits to the accuracy of the weigh cell and the algorithms used to measure the individual ingredients. One benefit of gravimetric dosing is that, unlike in volumetric systems, it is not necessary to calibrate the equipment. Because the system continues to dose material until the required target weight is reached, fluctuations in density do not affect the outcome. A further advantage is that you can say with certainty how much material – by weight – has been used in total. This is important for documentation purposes. In the next instalment, mo will take a look at loss-in-weight systems. askmo@moscorner.de

ravimetric asynchronous dosing is also known as discontinuous or batch dosing. As explained in part two of this series (BP&R April 2013 edition), gravimetric systems weigh the ingredients before dosing, i.e. mass is the defining parameter. The mass of the ingredients can be measured in two ways: Gain-in-weight systems measure the increase in aggregate mass in the weighing chamber as the material is being metered. Lossin-weight systems measure the decrease in mass of the ingredients remaining in the supply hoppers. Gravimetric asynchronous units meter ingredients to the weighing chamber one after the other, to form a batch. The total mass in the weighing chamber is measured as each new component is added, in line with the quantities and ratios specified in the recipe. Ingredients are metered precisely using slide-gate valves, screws or disc dosing elements, for example. Because the metered components form layers on top of one another, a mixer is required to actively blend the ingredients. The contents of the weighing chamber are fed to a separate downstream mixing chamber. Depending on the system design, the material is then fed directly into the feed throat of an injection moulding machine, or for example, into a day bin.

GRAVICOLOR gravimetric dosing stations can dose and mix up to six ingredients, depending on the design. The control unit compares the mass that has already been metered with the defined target mass. Credit: motan

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News from the Front Line The most recent BPF Business Trends survey carried out in January is now being published. It This month, Philip Law, attracted 108 Public and Industrial member firm Affairs Director at the responses, a British Plastics Federation, recent record. gives a snapshot of Some 73 current BPF activity, which percent of reveals strong economic returns progress in the industry, predicted an intensive engagement with increase in government both at UK and UK sales EU level and dialogue with turnover; 49 the media over percent are misconceived reporting. expecting profitability to increase and 40 percent are planning to take on more staff. The Survey helped inform the BPF’s Seven Association Alliance letter sent to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, preparatory to the Budget announcement on March 19th 2014. The letter, essentially a wish list from the plastics industry, called on the Government to reduce VAT on energy efficient products such as EPS installation and PVC doubleglazing, and to completely review the Green Deal. It welcomed reducing tax rates for shale glass gas exploration and stressed the importance of job creation in new businesses created at a local level. Again, it expressed the industry’s frustration with the future outlook for

energy supply. The Associations were also critical of a 5p charge for plastic carrier bags, pointing out the high 70 percent use rate and their minimal environmental impact. Bags have also been a strong feature of industry contact with Government in recent weeks. Recyclers put up a very spirited opposition to exemptions to the supposed carrier bag charge and there have been fast moving developments in Brussels on the European Parliament’s review of the European Commission’s Proposal to reduce carrier bag usage across the EU. Not only does the issue of exemptions arise, the Proposals acts against the principle of the free circulation of goods around the EU. Carrier bags fall under the remit of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and this was originally inspired as an ‘internal market’ directive, very much concerned with the harmonisation of packaging in the EU, supported by a raft of technical CEN standards. There are fears that the Commission’s Proposal will promote a multitude of different measures across the EU, with a mixture of charges, taxes and bans here there and everywhere and that international commerce will have to respond to a very confused situation. The national media was less then helpful recently when ‘The Guardian’ published an article questioning the safety

of plastics food packaging. The BPF reminded the publication of the great advances made in food hygiene as a result of the wider use of plastics packaging . The BPF recently played host to a group of 26 Danish waste management specialists drawn from plastics packaging manufacturers, local authorities and consultants, the conclusions of which will be of great interest to UK plastics recyclers. Traditionally, Denmark has been a great exponent of energy from waste, but the shape of legislation is shifting with a greater encouragement of recycling. As a consequence, there is a great shortage of Danish recycling capacity. The event not only provided a great networking opportunity but also pointed up several opportunities new areas for exploitation. further information: www.bpf.co.uk

British Plastics & Rubber Announced As Headline Media Partner for Interplas 2014

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nterplas has announced British Plastics and Rubber (BP&R) as the headline media partner for what is set to be the UK’s largest plastics exhibition. Editor of BP&R Leanne Taylor said: “As the headline magazine and media partner for Interplas, BP&R will be covering the event in its entirety, from preshow build-up to last day stand breakdowns, making sure we capture the buzz that surrounds the revitalised event. Integration with the UK’s largest plastics industry exhibition means BP&R is seamlessly involved with the only event to cover all of the manufacturing processes, technologies and services within the plastics industry and, accordingly, will be reporting on the impressive line-up of major companies who are set to exhibit the very latest technology, machinery and innovation to a voracious audience.” 2014’s outing will see some of the industry’s top figures lined up to present

on some of the most thought-provoking and relevant topics in the seminar sessions, meaning the show will be a hive of business activity on the stands as well as in the auditoriums. This platform will be complemented by a range of invaluable technology sessions for both newcomers and experienced attendees. Taylor continued: “Interplas 2014 is set to play host to some renowned industry thought leaders and influencers who will present the latest thinking, as well as stimulate lively discussion, on some of the most pressing and current topics relevant to the plastics industry. BP&R will be extending this coverage as a vehicle to carry interviews and articles to give audiences a taste of what is to come at the show.” further information: www.interplasuk.com

events

BP&R takes a look ahead at some of the upcoming conferences, trade shows and industry events of 2014.

2014

april

1 Less than one month to go before PVC conference opens its doors With just a few weeks to go before the biggest conference in its 12year history, the Chair of PVC 2014’s organising committee, Stuart Patrick, says the event will cover some of the key issues facing the industry today. With a strong line up of speakers delivering around 70 conference papers on a range of topics, the organisers say there will be much for the 300 delegates already registered for the event to discover and learn. The event will cover the latest update on high profile EU legislation including REACH, with particular reference to Azodicarbonamide, updates on PVC recycling, a special session covering PVC in medical use and a study on deriving PVC from renewable feedstocks. The event will also look at flexible PVC formulations, including a regulatory review of plasticisers in Europe followed by plasticiser selection. The latest developments on heat stabilisers, pigments and other additives will also be included. Speakers at PVC 2014 will also cover processing and properties, looking at areas such as weathering, the latest developments in PVC composites, PVC pipes in relation to content measurement and prediction of Rapid Crack Propagation, as well as the prediction and simulation of PVC foam in the laboratory. Processing machinery developments covering compounding co-kneaders and calendering will also be featured. The development and latest role for heat stabilisers will also be highlighted. Finally, presentations and discussions concerning polymerisation and resin development will be covered, including the latest developments and trends in initiators and stabilisers, as well as new resins for the paste and suspension grade markets. PVC 2014 will take place from 1-3 April in Brighton at the Hilton Metropole Hotel. BP&R is the headline media sponsor for the event. Day one speaker highlights l Jonathon Porritt CBE, Founder and Director of Forum for the Future: Sustainable Futures: Re-Making the World l Sajjad Karim, MEP for North West England Regulations - Meeting Targets and Easing the Burden l Henry Warren, Senior Principal Analyst with HIS Global Vinyls: Past, Present and…Future l Dr Brigitte Dero, General Manager of the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers and Deputy-General Manager of VinylPlus: The Contribution of the VinylPlus Programme to the Sustainability of the PVC Industry l Burak Dincel: The Developing and Innovative Usage of PVC in Building Applications l Laura Shields, The Media Coach Risk Communication: What Works and What Doesn’t further information: www.pvc2014.org

software directory manufacturing management directory ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING Epicor ERP Manufacturing Software (For Plastics’/Rubber Processors) Epicor Software (UK) Ltd T: +44 (0)1344 468 468 E: ukmarketing@epicor.com Epicor’s ERP (on-site, hosted & SAAS) manufacturing software for the polymer 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 Epicor Mattec’s Real-time MES to provide a single system that offers a complete quote-to-cash solution for the plastics’/rubber industries.

REAL TIME PRODUCTION MONITORING, SCHEDULING AND PROCESS MONITORING Epicor Mattec Real-time MES (Microsoft Windows™ PC Servers & “Web Based”) Epicor Software (UK) Ltd T: +44 (0)1344 468 468 E: ukmarketing@epicor.com Modules: Production Monitoring, Process Monitoring, “Drag and Drop” Scheduling/Planning, “Family Moulding”, Preventative Maintenance, Bar Coding/Parts’ Trace-ability, Operator Visual Aids, Process Parameter Profiling, E-mail/ Public Address System Alerts, Stand-alone “Drag and Drop” Scheduler, Stand-alone SPC “Machine Analyzer”, Machine Energy Monitoring, KPI Dashboards, Visual Manufacturing (Large LED Displays), Automatic Data Import/Export Functions (For Integration with Epicor ERP & Other Manufacturing Systems/Software Packages).

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, Standalone 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 real-time 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.

A listing in the Software Directory costs £140 per programme per year. Call Lisa on 01244 680222 for details.

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buyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; guide

materials

colour masterbatch

mould release

FOR SALE Reheat Stretch Blow Moulding Machine (PET) Make: Sidel, France Type: SBO 24/24 Year: 1994 - Preform Tipper, Hopper / Elevator, Infeed Rail - Oven & Heating Wheel - Electrical Cabinet (Siemens S5) - Operating manuals

For further details: 01925 596170 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 07838138342 Email: douglastrading@gmail.com

equipment 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.

control systems and equipment 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.

material handlinG

CNC ASSEMBLY MACHINES thermocouples Cannon Shelley UK agents for Belotti 5 axis CNC machines T: 01480 453651 F: 01480 52113 E: sales@cannon-shelley.co.uk W: www.cannonforma.com W: www.belotti.com W: www.shelley.biz

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

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.bransoneurope.eu 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

pulse staking H.T.E Engineering Ltd Unit 9, St Ives Enterprise Centre, St Ives, Huntingdon Cambridgeshire, UK, PE27 3NP T: +44 (0) 1480 467321 M: +44 (0) 7435 967632 E: john@hte.ie W: www.pulsestaker.com

ultrasonic welding

masterbatch

To advertise in this space contact lisa montgomery 01244 680222

Dosing equipment

polymer distributors 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

FLEXIBLE POLYMERS RIGID POLYMERS ADDITIVES PURGING SOLUTIONS

Telsonic UK Ltd

12a - 15 Birch Copse, Technology Road, Poole, Dorset BH17 7FH T: 01202 697340 F: 01202 693674 E: sales@uk.telsonic.com W: www.telsonic.co.uk Blog:wwwtelsonicuk.wordpress.com

C.J.P. Sales Ltd, 8 Heol West Plas, Litchard, Bridgend CF31 1PA

Tel: 01656 644907 Fax: 01656 662 397 Email: sales@cjpsales.co.uk Web: www.cjpsales.co.uk

conductive plastics and coatings TBA Electro Conductive Products Ltd Unit 3 Transpennine Trading Estate Gorrells Way, Rochdale, OL11 2PX T: 01706 647718 F: 01706 646170 E: info@tbaecp.co.uk W: www.tbaecp.co.uk

To advertise in this space

44 bp&r

contact lisa montgomery 01244 680222

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

chillers/temperature 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

Energy Saving Dryers

heating equipment

infra red systems

ROTOR WHEEL DRYERS The New Industry Standard Up to 70% Energy Saving Low regeneration No Chilled Water No Compressed Air Temp. range 55-180Ë&#x161;C 5 Year Warranty E info@summitsystems.co.uk W www.summitsystems.co.uk T 01827 265 800

mixing, feeding, drying Motan Colortronic Ltd

extrusion systems Injection Moulding

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

induction heating for platens and tools extruders and downstream equipment Cooper Plastics Machinery 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, haul-offs, fly knife cutters, conveyors/tip tables, in-line punches, coilers etc. New and used. Repairs, servicing or rebuilds. UK agent for Lyons Electronics.

MF Induction Heating 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

LABORATORY machines

nozzles & nozzle tips

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

materials handling and storage gravimetric/volumetric blending

secondhand and reconditioned

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

PLASTICOLOR B A Thorne (Machinery) Ltd 19A

granulators

screen changers

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

ANGLO PLASTICS LTD

printing machines

Buy/Sell Used Plastics Machinery Rutland Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 1HX T: +44 (0) 1276 470910 T: +44 (0) 7740 632907 E: information@ angloplastics.com W: www.angloplastics.com

pad

Buy and Sell Cable and Plastics Machinery Presently Available:

Floatair tumble mixer 250kg capacity

hopper dryers

50mm x 24:1 Boston Matthews extruder

dryers/dehumidifiers

90mm x 24:1 Francis Shaw extruder

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

Rapid Granulator type 4535/KV Please Contact:

T: +44 (0)1204 534414 E: sales@goodwinmachinery.co.uk W: www.goodwinmachinery.co.uk

hot runner systems 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

screws and barrels

hot runner controllers

DM Machinery Ltd Used Injection Moulding Machine Stockists 40 Thorne Lane, Wakefield West Yorkshire, WF1 5RR T: 01924 290206 E: sales@dmmachinery.co.uk W: www.dmmachinery.co.uk

DTL Machinery UK

To advertise in this space contact lisa montgomery 01244 680222

hopper loaders 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

We Buy / Sell all Makes, Age and Sizes of Injection Moulding Machines & Ancillaries Tool room machines and also complete factories / plants Factory Clearance Services Dismantling / Removal of obsolete plant and machinery T: 01925 596170 M: 07838138342 E: douglastrading@gmail.com

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buyers’ guide secondhand and reconditioned 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

WANTED

TAMPO.SCREEN.FOIL Contour Marking Co Ltd Albert house, Gledrid Industrial Park, Chirk ,Wrexham, LL14 5DG T: 01691 770093 F: 01691 770023 Sub Contract Tampo, Screen & Foil Printing to the plastic moulding industry E: sales@contourmarking.com W: www.contourmarking.com

hardness - IRHD and shore MAPRA Technik Co — BAREISS For Bareiss of Germany IRHD & SHORE hardness testers, Abrasion & Rebound testers. T: 020 8508 4207 F: 020 8502 5107 E: info@mapra.co.uk W: www.mapra.co.uk

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

To advertise in this space

RIDAT COMPANY

SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE. COMPETITIVE PRICE.

contact lisa montgomery 01244 680222

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

UK manufacturer of Thermoforming & Pressure Forming Equipment, including Blister & Skin Packaging machines

World leader in Materials Testing Instrumentation Tensile|Fatigue| Impact Compression|Melt Flow

For more information or to order our sales brochure please contact us:

T: 0845 050 6525 or E: info@ridat.com

www.instron.com inspection & measurement MAPRA Technik Co – DOSS – MARCEL AUBERT – KAFER For DOSS visual solution of Italy – Inspection & sorting machines for O’rings, Seals, Gaskets. T: 020 8508 4207 F: 020 8502 5107 E: info@mapra.co.uk W: www.mapra.co.uk

EXTRUSION Extrusion and Plastics Services Extrusion, Compounding, Wash Plant Installation, Maintenance, Removal New Factory Setups / Single Machine CAD work / Tooling Mods / Trials Product Development / Line Trials Downstream Equipment Repairs Chillers, Pumps, Pipework, Air etc Punching / Drilling / Foiling / Wrap Filtration / Settlement Systems Process Improvement / Training

www.ridat.com

07930 150120

services ACQUISITION

Coronation Road, High Wycombe, Bucks HP12 3SY, UK Tel: +44 1494 464646

printers printers of plastic mouldings

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

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

static control

injection moulding

Ray Ran Test Equipment Ltd

extrusionandplastics@hotmail.co.uk

EXTRUSION FLOW ANAYLYSIS FLEMING

Injection Moulding Business Wanted T/O between £100,000 and £1.5million. Contact in the strictest confidence, Joe Reeve, Data Plastics Ltd Email joe.reeve@dataplastics.co.uk Phone 01993 700777

Polymer Testing and Consultancy An independent ISO9001 accredited laboratory specialising in the flow simulation of: Extruder screws & spiral mandrel,flat spiral,profile, coathanger & coex dies Compuplast distributor Stop guessing start simulating Tel: +44 (0)1299 253300 www.flemingptc.co.uk

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 Sub-Contract Pad Printers to the Plastics Industry

RECYCLING systems

EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.m.b.H. Unterfeldstraße 3 4052 Ansfelden / Austria Phone: +43 (0)732/31 90-0 Fax: +43 (0)732/31 90-71 sales@erema.at www.erema.at

CHOOSE THE NUMBER ONE.

testing/consultancy FLEMING

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Hot Runners Nozzles Moulds Dies Filters Screws Cleaning service for processors Remove all polymers Tel:- +44 121 511 1203 Fax:- +44 121 511 1192 Email:- LesH@claytonholdings.com Web:- www.claytonholdings.com

parts & services

Polymer Testing and Consultancy An independent ISO9001 accredited laboratory specialising in: Capillary rheometry FTIR DSC/TGA MFR/MVR Extrusion Pilot-scale blown film Line Instrumented impact Flow simulation Tel: +44 (0)1299 253300 www.flemingptc.co.uk

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

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contact lisa montgomery 01244 680222

www.kraussmaffei.com

Structural components with special strengths FiberForm – the multifunctional processing system KraussMaffei has developed an innovative process which combines injection molding and thermoforming of organic sheets. FiberForm significantly strengthens components and allows a wide range of functions to be integrated. Other strengths: – Fully automatic manufacturing of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic injection moldings – Short cycle times thanks to seamless integration into the injection molding process – Ideal for manufacturing lightweight structural components for mass-production applications

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