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bp&r BRITISH PLASTICS &RUBBER
www.britishplastics.co.uk EDITORIAL
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duncan wood T: +44(0)1244 680222 E: duncan@rapidnews.com 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 rate: UK, Europe and rest of the world £249 British Plastics & Rubber is published monthly (8 times/year) by Rapid Plastics Media Ltd, Carlton House, Sandpiper Way, Chester Business Park, CH4 9QE T: +44 (0) 1244 680222 F: +44 (01244) 671074 © 2016 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.
Productivity, processes and a potential brexit
T
he EEF’s annual manufacturing conference in London always provides a day of insight, information and stimulating discussion on the key issues affecting the UK’s manufacturers. Overwhelmingly, and unsurprisingly, the item on the agenda that made the biggest noise was the panel debate on the UK’s future in the EU. It was clear that the uncertainty of what a BREXIT would mean for business clouded many of the delegates’ ability to see very far into the UK’s manufacturing future at all. You can read my roundup from the day on page 13. On the theme of conferences, last November’s ARMO event for the rotational moulding industry, held in Nottingham, facilitated some great conversation about how the industry must widen its materials pool in order to fulfill its potential and remain competitive. Martin Coles, Managing Director of Matrix Polymers, continues the discussion where the conference left off in his thoughtful article starting on page 18. Speaking of materials, we have the pleasure of highlighting a highly unusual one this issue, as we profile ‘Gum-Tec’, the world’s first polymer to be manufactured using recycled chewing gum. It’s creator, Anna Bullus, tells us more about the fascinating story behind the material on page 20, explaining how her love of plastics coupled with a passion to clean up the world’s
streets have carved her a very ‘bright’ career. Finally, it is with great sadness that I share the news with you that our regular technical materials columnist, Dr. Charlie Geddes, passed away on 6th February. I know I speak on behalf of all of our readers when I say that his thoughtful columns were an excellent and insightful addition to the magazine and something that will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Dr. Geddes’ family and friends at this difficult time.
It was clear that the uncertainty of what a BREXIT would mean for business clouded many of the delegates’ ability to see very far into the UK’s manufacturing future at all.
Enjoy the issue.
Leanne Taylor, Editor
bp&r
THE BIG STORY AS POLYMER PRODUCTION INCREASINGLY MOVES AWAY FROM WESTERN EUROPE, DOES BUYER BEHAVIOUR NEED TO CHANGE? IN OUR LEAD STORY THIS MONTH, UK MATERIALS DISTRIBUTOR, PLASTRIBUTION, TELLS READERS OF BRITISH PLASTICS AND RUBBER WHAT CONVERTERS NEED TO CONSIDER.
FORWARD PRICING FOR STABILITY OF SUPPLY
T
he history of polymer production in Europe is rich, with many of the key developments, including the discovery of LDPE and development of materials technology for the production of materials such as PP and HDPE/ LLDPE, taking place within the region. However, over the last two decades the production of these materials has increasingly moved away from Europe towards the Middle East and Asia, where the economics of production are significantly lower. In particular, the attraction of converting gas to polymer and by so doing, both adding value and converting a volatile material into a relatively inert solid, is almost irresistible. Despite the challenges of supply chains and the foreign currencies so far, European polymer converters have largely been insulated from the consequences of exchange rate volatilities and commercial price risk resulting from longer lead-times, and have typically continued to enjoy product priced in the month of delivery on short notice. So far, this has left the suppliers of material from outside Europe with the challenge of managing the supply chain and managing the risk in what can be a volatile market.
There is strong evidence that placing the commercial risk on the importer tends to increase volatility, as attempts are made both to speculate on the market and also reduce risk by trying to anticipate market trends and react to them. Typically, this tends to tighten supply in a market with an upward price trend and increase supply when
(Fig 1. Source: Plastribution Price Know-how 2015 Review & 2016 Outlook)
POLYOLEFINS BASKET
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MIN
MAX
AVERAGE
RANGE
VOLATILITY
2011
£1,083.86
£1,254.28
£1,254.28
£170.42
14%
2012
£996.99
£1,296.36
£1,190.35
£299.38
24%
2013
£1,178.07
£1,312.98
£1,252.85
£134.91
11%
2014
£1,075.70
£1,254.23
£1,182.12
£178.53
14%
2015
£879.41
£1,265.62
£1,088.53
£386.21
31%
“As the tide continues to turn, has the time come for polymer converters to consider moving away from the traditional approach of pricing in the month of delivery and to start making forward commitments in terms of their purchases?”
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
there is a downward price trend, as importers attempt to either enhance profits, or secure purchase contracts against inbound cargoes and unsold inventories. These very behaviours, as well as the increasing proportion of imports, are likely to be a significant cause of the increased market volatility seen in 2015. (See Fig. 1) As the tide continues to turn, has the time come for polymer converters to consider moving away from the traditional approach of pricing in the month of delivery and to start making forward commitments in terms of their purchases? At Plastribution, we believe that such an approach would, firstly, increase security of supply, secondly, it would reduce volatility, since the speculative behaviour of the sellers would be diminished. Thirdly, this approach would reduce the sellers need to charge a risk premium and also put European converters on a similar platform to those in other parts of the world where forward buying is often the norm. Finally, it would move the point of risk closure to the point of consumption where prices are more typically fixed. “Despite the combination of logic and market forces, it is suspected that old habits tend to die hard,” explained Plastribution’s Managing Director, Mike Boswell. “Needless to say, we are eager to form effective partnerships with customers to ensure reliability of supply and we are always ready to discuss particular needs to make certain we provide an appropriate solution to meet their requirements.” WWW.PLASTRIBUTION.CO.UK
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bp&r BRITISH
contents
PLASTICS &RUBBER
march 2016
on the cover Forward pricing for stability of supply As polymer production increasingly moves away from Western Europe, does buyer behaviour need to change? In our lead story this month, UK materials distributor, Plastribution, tells readers of British Plastics and Rubber what converters need to consider. SEE PAGE 4
3
EDITOR’S LETTER
Productivity, processes and proving ourselves on the world stage
13 report
the eef conference 2016
Leanne Taylor reports on the key issues from the EEF’s Annual Manufacturing Conference held at the end of February.
18 comment
rotomoulding — rolling towards its full potential? In an exclusive article for BP&R, Martin Coles, Founder and Managing Director of Matrix Polymers, reflects on the challenges and the opportunities currently facing the global rotational moulding sector.
6
20 feature
plastic solution made from recycled gum
Anna Bullus is the brains behind Gumdrop Ltd., a UK-based start-up that is campaigning to change the nation’s littering habits through its novel, closed-loop recycling solution.
27 case study
REGULARS
INDUSTRY NEWS
09
Reclamation and Recycling
28
MATERIALS
42
MACHINERY
45
BUYERS’ GUIDE
47
SOFTWARE
49
NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINE
50
boddingtons in great health for 2016
The past six years at Kent-based injection and contract moulder, Boddingtons, have seen quantum leaps in growth. In this feature, the company’s Directors tell BP&R what has fuelled its success and what it takes for a company to succeed in the med-tech sector.
32 case study using nonlinear modelling to reduce production costs
Nonlinear modelling helps speed up materials and process development in several industrial sectors, and is particularly useful for plastics and rubbers, since the behaviour of polymeric materials tends to be complicated. BP&R looks at one example in more detail.
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INDUSTRY | NEWS
COMPETITION FOR HORNERS’ DESIGN AND BOTTLEMAKERS AWARDS 2016 OPEN Two annual competitions to find outstanding design and innovation in plastics are open once again for 2016. Both the Worshipful Company of Horners’ ‘Plastics Design and Innovation’ and ‘Bottlemakers’ Awards are now accepting entries, with must be received by the deadline of 31st July 2016. The Horners’ Award for Plastics Innovation and Design encourages excellence in UK expertise and, as such, entries must have demonstrated that the product, machine, or process entered has significant UK content in design, materials or manufacture. As a further encouragement to UK entrepreneurship, entries must demonstrate their commercial potential or success. “The Horners’ Award is a prestigious accolade with a number of valuable commercial benefits attached. Last year we again saw a record number of entrants all demonstrating high levels of innovation and exemplary creativity in design. The calibre of entrants year-after-year demonstrates its uniqueness and how vital it is to
Dr Charlie Geddes
promote all that design in plastics stands for,” said Raymond Layard, the Master of The Horners Company. Secondly, the Bottlemakers Award recognises outstanding design innovation in the manufacture of a plastic bottle, container or jar with a closure made by any process. This includes extrusion blow, injection blow or injection stretch blow moulding. Entries can also be injection moulded, vacuum formed, and rotationally moulded. “Last year we were encouraged by
OBITUARY: DR. CHARLIE GEDDES
the number of high quality entries to the Bottlemakers award, so we are extremely excited about what 2016 will hold,” continued Layard. Winners will be presented with their Awards at London’s Mansion House during the annual banquet of the Worshipful Company of Horners, on 6th October. Both awards are run in conjunction with the British Plastics Federation. Application forms for the Awards are available to download from: WWW.HORNERSAWARD.CO.UK
After a further three years industrial R&D with a floor covering company, he joined Napier College in Edinburgh in 1970, where he was responsible for the polymer technology unit. After taking early retirement in 1996 he continued with part-time lecturing, short courses for industry and polymer consultancy. More recently he was involved with the Council of the Scottish Plastics and Rubber Association as Communications Officer and, for the last 10 years, as Honorary Secretary. Charlie’s funeral took place on 19th February. Anyone wishing to make a donation to the family’s chosen charity should please visit the website below:
It is with sadness and regret that we inform readers that Dr. Charlie Geddes, a regular contributor to BP&R through his technical materials blog, died on 6th February 2016. Charlie passed away with his family around him, following treatment last year for cancer. He is survived by his wife, Sheena, and their children and grandchildren. Charlie’s career in the plastics industry was a long and successful one. After achieving a first class honours degree in Chemistry at Aberdeen University, Charlie completed his PhD thesis on ‘Isotactic Polymers’ and spent the next three years at RAPRA researching PVC decomposition. JUSTGIVING.COM/CANCERRESEARCHUK
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
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WELSH TOOLMAKING COMPANY NAMED “MANUFACTURING CHAMPION” A precision tool making company has been crowned the UK’s “manufacturing Champion” at the national EEF/Aldermore Future Manufacturing Awards held in London recently. FSG Tool & Die, based in Llantrisant, South Wales, was given the award in recognition of the work of the company’s Managing Director, Gareth Jenkins, in representing the sector and championing its cause. Jenkins, a former apprentice, has taken a leading role in EEF Wales for over a decade and sits on a number of manufacturing boards. “It’s easy to be passionate about a sector like manufacturing when you can see what, with the right strategy and support, it can deliver both economically and in-terms of careers and livelihoods for local communities,” he commented. “My whole career has been focussed on manufacturing, but to have my commitment and
IPC MOULDINGS RECOGNISED WITH OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Northern Ireland tool manufacturer and injection moulding company, IPC Mouldings (IPC), has been recognised at an awards ceremony that highlights operational excellence.
work recognised in this way is overwhelming. There are some truly inspirational people working in industry, so to be singled out as a Manufacturing Champion is really quite something – it’s an honour that will take some time to sink in.” FSG manufactures high precision injection mould tools for the pharmaceutical, medical and
The EFQM Ireland Excellence Awards, organised by the Centre for Competitiveness (CforC), is based on a model that recognises organisations that demonstrate excellence in their overall performance. Operating from a 14,000 sq ft location in Carrickfergus, IPC
Joanne Liddle, right, managing director of IPC Mouldings, receives her award
The Award winners at the EEF’s National Manufacturing Event
automotive industries specifically designed for high-volume production using the latest technologies in cooling and mould-flow analysis. WWW.FSGTOOLANDDIE.CO.UK
Mouldings is an AS9100 accredited provider of technical solutions for global industries, using advanced engineering polymers and processing techniques. The EFQM Recognition provides businesses with a framework to increase competitiveness, productivity and efficiency and helps businesses understand how well current management practices are running. Winners undergo rigorous examination and must illustrate their employees’ dedication, low absenteeism, high productivity, customer satisfaction and superior financial performance. “This recognition is excellent news for IPC as it reaffirms our professional practice. In addition, the Recognition for Excellence Award has also helped us to discover learning and improvement opportunities – which is extremely helpful from a business development perspective,” commented Joanne Liddle, Managing Director at IPC. WWW.IPCMOULDINGS.COM
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
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Javelin Plastics, Surrey
JAVELIN STARTS 2016 IN STRONG POSITION WITH NEW ADDITIONS TO BOARD Surrey-based injection moulder, Javelin Plastics, says two new board members and aggressive growth plans means the company is starting 2016 on a strong footing. Shaun Champion and Simon Pepper have joined the company’s Senior Management team as Sales Director and Technical Director respectively, following the departure of Deputy MD, Mike Crowe, at the end of 2015.
AMTEK “BUCKS THE TREND” AS INJECTION MOULDING BUSINESS INCREASES BY 150 PERCENT Amtek Plastics UK says the last two years have seen its injection moulding business increase in size by 150 percent. The Devon-based moulding and tooling company has expanded dramatically in the last two years, with a significant investment of over £150,000 in new machinery and a three-fold increase in floor space at its manufacturing facility. The company has recently started working on developing the product ranges of several OEMs, as well as winning a new contract with international delivery firm, DHL. It has also rebranded, incorporating ‘UK’ into its title, as well as implementing a full back office system. “I’m not sure if we are bucking the trend but we are finding that working with the right businesses that are investing in new product development is certainly keeping us extremely busy right now,” commented Amtek’s Owner, Stewart Little. In order to help achieve this growth, the company has been working with Newton Abbot-based business coach, Steve Gaskell, for the last two years. “It’s exciting times here at Amtek,” commented Gaskell. “One of the real areas to focus on has been productivity and in the last couple of months, that has gone up by 64 percent.”
“Our clear focus on further improving customer service levels and not losing sight of our 2016 aggressive growth plans creates an exciting challenge for our new Senior Management Team,” commented Lee Reading, Javelin’s Managing Director.
NORTH EAST FIRMS PROTECT FUTURE INTERESTS WITH NEW APPRENTICES Two plastics firms based in the North East of England have revealed they are putting their skills succession plans into action with new apprentices. Global supplier of PVC stabilisers, Chemson, has appointed seven new apprentices at its UK plant in Wallsend, where they will undergo an extensive four-year training programme in a variety of roles from maintenance and research to production and logistics planning. As part of the apprenticeship programme, Chemson says the new recruits, all aged between 16-24, will receive a “thorough grounding” in critical manufacturing skills such as mechanical and electrical engineering, zero-harm safety culture and six-sigma quality manufacturing techniques. “The manufacturing sector – and particularly polymers and plastics – requires very specific skills which can take years to develop,” commented Paul Knowles, Managing Director of Chemson’s UK operation. “Chemson is strongly committed to nurturing
WWW.AMTEKPLASTICS.CO.UK
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WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
Champion and Pepper have over 25 years’ experience within the Plastics Industry, which Reading says ensures Javelin Plastics starts 2016 “with a strong management team in place to drive the business forward.” WWW.JAVELINPLASTICS.CO.UK
raw talent from the ground-up but this is the first time we have had such a large intake of apprentices in one go. This significant cohort forms part of our larger long-term strategy for growth as we invest in skills for the future.” In addition, precision tooling and injection moulding company, The Omega Group, has taken on three new toolmaking apprentices and two production apprentices at its Washington site. The Group, formed from the recent partnership between Blyth and Hartlepool-based Omega Plastics and Washington’s Signal Plastics, has a track record of developing apprenticeships, which equip young people with industry recognised NVQ Level 3 qualifications. “Apprenticeships aren’t just for the larger companies. They are a cost-effective way for smaller, highly specialised firms like us to train the workforce to a high standard and make the business more competitive,” said Omega Group Managing Director, Dave Crone. WWW.OMEGA-PLASTICS.CO.UK WWW.CHEMSON.COM
A vote to leave the EU “is an astonishingly uncertain gamble” WORDS: Leanne Taylor
T
he EEF’s annual manufacturing conference in London always provides a day of insight, information and stimulating discussion on the key issues affecting the UK’s manufacturers. This year proved to be no exception, with some excellent discourse around the nation’s ‘productivity puzzle’; how people and processes can work connectively to enhance output, as well as ongoing conversations around succession planning, skills and exporting. Overwhelmingly, and unsurprisingly, the item on the agenda that made the biggest noise, however, and underpinned almost every other presentation in some way, was the discussion on the UK’s future in the EU. The sector is battling a number of “headwinds”, as EEF Chief Executive, Terry Scuoler, put it, and against the backdrop of the economic slowdown in China and developing markets, oil prices, geopolitical issues in the Middle East and a strong pound he said there was undoubtedly “uncertain years ahead.” Added to this, he said, was the biggest uncertainty of all: the result of the upcoming EU referendum. “Leaving the EU would lead us to unchartered and potentially difficult and stormy waters,” Scuoler told delegates. “It is that unpredictability that both I and my organisation seek to avoid.” Scuoler wasn’t alone in his opinion. The Financial Times’ Chief Economics Commentator, Martin Wolf CBE, said a vote to leave the EU would be “an astonishingly uncertain gamble.” This, he added, was on top of what he believes to be an already difficult few years ahead for the UK in economic terms. “A so-called Brexit would inevitably launch a period of massive uncertainty as nobody knows what leaving would mean,” Wolf said. “We know what staying would mean and we may not like it, but a vote to leave would be a vote into a highly uncertain environment.” Wolf said this uncertainty would have a knock-on effect to many other business decisions. “I don’t know how a management firm goes about positioning itself for investment as it makes such a huge difference whether the UK is in or out of the EU.”
The Productivity Puzzle
Wedged between debates on the upcoming referendum was a panel discussion on the UK’s ‘productivity challenge’, i.e. how UK manufacturers can “get more with less”. The main talking points related to embracing a need to enhance productivity through business models, workforce training and investing in plant and machinery, but also through the adoption of the opportunities offered by the ‘digital age’, often referred to as ‘Industry 4.0.’
“We do have a a big productivity challenge - this has opened up quite significantly since the recession,” commented EEF’s Chief Economist, Lee Hopley. “There is a strong focus on improving efficiency and competitiveness and lots of companies say they know they need to be more ambitious when it comes to utilising the technology that will lead to a step-change in productivity performance.” The EEF called on Government to ensure the right policy framework is in place to allow manufacturers to adapt to new, productive working environments, including a tax system that incentivises investment and Government support for innovators and exporters. The panel commended an earlier announcement by the Rt. Hon Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Business, Skills and Innovation, who revealed that the Government was launching a review into the UK’s Internet connectivity, following a recent EEF report on its importance in enabling the use of big data and information systems.
Exporting still high on the agenda
Doing business in export markets was the theme of the final panel session. Liz Fothergill CBE, Chairman of Pennine Healthcare, a manufacturer of medical plastic devices, and Edward Naylor, CEO of building products manufacturer, Naylor Industries, highlighted finding the right distributors, embracing local culture and providing high levels of customer service as essential pointers for manufacturers looking to expand abroad. Alan Ainsbury, Head of Trade and International, Transactional Services Division, RBS, who was also on the panel, advised manufacturers that there was still opportunities to export in markets that are contracting, that they just need to be sought out.
Ending on a high note
After a day of discussing the future, whether it is as part of the European Union, or embracing a completely new way of working alongside robotics, automation systems and software, there was a rollercoaster of information for delegates to contemplate. However, there was tonic in the final keynote, with Baroness Brady CBE, Vice Chair of West Ham United and Apprentice Aide, leaving the audience inspired with her empowering address on succeeding in business against the odds, parting on the advice: “Grit your teeth, find your backbone and then put one foot in front of the other.” WWW.EEF.ORG.UK
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
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PRIMEPAC - THE PROOF OF SAVINGS IN PLASTICS Primepac, a plastics manufacturer supplying packaging products for leading international household brands called in ICS Cool Energy to provide the best solution for a production expansion and 25% more cooling for a 24/7 operation. In plastics and rubber manufacturing processes, cooling takes a large share of energy use so the brief was to provide improved processes at lower cost. The new free cooling system starts operating when the ambient temperature reaches 12°C or lower. In the first full year of operation at Primepac, the free cooling has operated for over 4,600 hours, representing 55% of the total cooling system’s working hours. The result is a reduction in compressor operating hours which helps to prolong the life of the chiller. ICS Cool Energy also helped Primepac to secure funding from a Carbon Trust scheme operational in Northern Ireland. Eddie Rath, Primepac’s Managing Director explains: “ICS Cool Energy has earned our trust over many years. What’s really helpful for us is the practical attention to all the details including pointing us towards the Carbon Trust NI funding. That’s real added value and we’ve achieved substantial savings as a result,” he said.
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ROTOMOULDING | NEWS INVESTMENT AND RENEWED CONFIDENCE PUTS WIND BACK IN EXCELSIOR’S SAILS Excelsior Roto-Moulding Ltd says it has entered 2016 with renewed confidence as the business comes back from a “challenging period” in which it experienced fire and floods. The rotational moulding firm, based in Bury, Lancashire, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2016 and says it is marking the milestone with fresh investment in plant and personnel in order to ensure the next 40 years are successful ones. “We’ve been a well-known and well-respected player in the industry since 1976, and every member of the Excelsior team brings pride and integrity to their work. We always strive to be the best that we can be for our customers, and throughout our recent tribulations, that ambition remained,” explained Excelsior’s Managing Director, Giles Fielding. The family firm has recently invested in its Lancashire plant, building a mezzanine floor to facilitate increased product storage
capacity, enabling it to further improve the customer delivery times of its safety steps, grit bins, materials handling containers, exhibition display cases and equestrian products. Excelsior has also invested in new machinery, recently purchasing a new carousel, and is currently undertaking a comprehensive equipment analysis in order to ensure optimal manufacturing efficiency and minimal customer delivery times. In addition, the company has launched a rigorous staff development programme, with staff at all levels undertaking courses including NVQs. Two new recruits have joined the firm — Liesa Barrington as Production Planner and Purchaser, and Bernard Cullen as Dispatch Manager — and promotions have been made. “As we begin our anniversary year, not only is our ship well-and-truly back in order, but it is better than ever. We look forward to the next 40 years with great excitement, mindful of the great strides we have taken
Giles Fielding sees a positive future for Excelsior, despite recent challenges
and will continue to take, for the benefit of our customers,” Fielding concluded. WWW.EXCELSIOR-LTD.CO.UK
ARMO CONFERENCE HEADS DOWN UNDER FOR 2016 EDITION Following on from its success in Nottingham in 2015, the Association of Rotational Moulders’ ARMO Conference is heading to Australia in 2016. The event, which will be held from 18th – 21st June on Australia’s Gold Coast, will feature a number of presentations, meetings and workshops aimed at facilitating the ongoing development of the rotational moulding industry, as well as allowing delegates to share knowledge and form new business relationships. Attendees have the option to join the wider ‘Rototour’ programme, which includes the ARMO conference, from 12th - 21st June, which includes a number of plant tours and industry visits. Early bird discounts are available until 8th April. For more information visit the website below: WWW.ROTOMOULDCONFERENCE. COM.AU
Australia’s Gold Coast will play host to the ARMO Conference and Rototour in 2016
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
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“The Hönö is a multipurpose fun board that allows users to body board and knee board in the waves, and jump on and have fun in the snow.” Fatyak Hönö Bodyboards
SNOW OR SEA PROVES NO MATCH FOR ROTATIONALLY MOULDED FUN BOARD A manufacturer of rotationally moulded leisure products has launched a new multi-purpose ‘fun board’ that can be used on either water or snow. Somerset based Kingspan Environmental Ltd, which trades as Fatyak-Kayaks, produces the new ‘Hönö’ fun board at its factory in Williton using tough polyethylene to provide strength and durability. The Hönö is corrosion resistant and features the latest UV stabilisation packages to reduce colour fade and maintain strength. “We wanted a quality, dual purpose product, which is when we had the idea for the Hönö,” explained Nick Hawkins, the company’s General Manager. “The Hönö is a multipurpose fun board that allows users to body board and knee board in the waves, and jump on and have fun in the snow. As always, we wanted to create the best possible product with no expense spared in design and execution.” The 4kg board, which measures 1200 x 590 x 100 mm (length x width x depth), is manufactured in two halves using tooling produced by Midas Pattern Company. The product offers a number of design innovations that required careful consideration by Midas, such as deep channels on the bottom for good tracking, a batwing profile on the tail for stable turning, a moulded-in feature to secure the board-saving leash, and a drain plug location. According to Hawkins, Midas met the challenges to provide a “technically superb” board, delivering tooling for the product that was “right first time”. Now, Hawkins says the Hönö is “selling well” with typical annual sales anticipated at around 600 pieces.
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ROTOMOULDING – ROLLING TOWARDS ITS FULL POTENTIAL?
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y time in taking Matrix Polymers forward now approaches a quarter of a century. It therefore seems timely and welcome to take a breath and to embrace the opportunity provided by British Plastics and Rubber in addressing the features and issues of our rotomoulding industry. Firstly, at Matrix Polymers we have much to savour IN AN EXCLUSIVE ARTICLE FOR over our lifespan to date. BP&R, MARTIN COLES, FOUNDER We are now one of the AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF biggest producers of material MATRIX POLYMERS, REFLECTS for the UK rotomoulding ON THE CHALLENGES AND THE sector. We have the largest OPPORTUNITIES CURRENTLY technical support staff in FACING THE GLOBAL ROTATIONAL the UK and we are now one of the main suppliers to the MOULDING SECTOR. European market, providing approximately 15 percent of rotomoulding materials used across Europe. A rotomoulded tuk-tuk on display at the ARMO Conference in Nottingham last year
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As the exhibits at the recent BPF/ARMO 2015 conference clearly showed, we work closely with OEMs as well as with leading rotomoulders to develop new materials and applications for the process. One such example involves developing higher temperature resistant rotomoulding grades for use in the transport and automotive sector. And yet – and as well as – Matrix Polymers is a part of a global rotational moulding industry that has yet to really fulfill its true potential. Did you know, for example, that a staggering 97 percent of the material used in rotomoulding is Polyethylene. Don’t you that think this is very strange? There is no other major plastics process that is dominated by just one material. In truth there are many reasons why our industry so reliant on Polyethylene. The material has a number of performance weaknesses, but also many good things going for it, not least its very competitive cost. And there’s the rub. It might be summarised thus – ‘Are we content to remain almost totally dependent on one polymer – or can we and should we reach for bigger and better horizons?’ In my view, the answer is obvious. Consider this one fact: The GRP composites sector high finish, quality image - uses over a million tonnes of polymer each year in Europe. That is over five times the amount of Polyethylene used in Europe’s rotomoulding industry. You can also bet your bottom dollar that many GRP products command a considerably higher price than rotomoulded equivalents. Rotomoulding has some footholds in traditional GRP areas - such as automotive and transport, building and boats - but just think how much more we could do with a new materials approach. Specifically, if our industry could process materials that shrank less, had no pinholes, were very hard and stiff, had glossy surfaces, could be painted… just think then of the thousands of new applications rotomoulders could go after. We can indeed ‘dare to dream’ but only if we are prepared to put the difficult technical and scientific work into developing material alternatives for the process, namely; tackling long heating cycles; issues of oxidisation; issues of pressure and sintering; issues of powdered polymer feedstock and many other factors. I am pleased to report that at Matrix Polymers we are already doing just this work. We have committed to a significant new and global R&D programme for non-Polyethylene materials for rotomoulding and for innovations in the process itself. In conjunction with this we are also committing to significant expenditure in plant and equipment to support the R&D team’s projects, including establishing a new cryogenic grinding system at our plant in Poland – an investment of £300,000, which will greatly increase our capability to produce powders from most polymers. None of this works without ‘pull’ from the market and so we are also working much more closely with OEMs, in order to help support our customers in developing new products and find new markets. And then, of course, with all this done we must still face the final hurdle about people’s perception regarding the price of materials.
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Martin Coles (centre left) Founder and Managing Director, Matrix Polymers
My view is that as an industry we are going to have to simply abandon the idea alternative materials will have to be at lower cost. It just isn’t going to be like that. Other materials are going to be more expensive and in some cases significantly higher in cost than Polyethylene. And that practice is the norm in all other plastics processes – PEEK is more expensive than injection moulded ABS, Polycarbonate is more expensive than injection moulded Polyethylene. There are horses for courses. Customers will buy materials for the advantages, the extra performance and the specifications laid down by their customers. And if my arguments for innovation and creativity in our industry haven’t convinced you, consider the options of standing still…I was at Chinaplas last May and I saw a company making blow moulding machines capable of producing 10,000 litre multilayer tanks! Threats to the traditional rotational moulding sector are now building from all other kinds of plastics processes. Lower cost moulds and machines mean
“My view is that as an industry we are going to have to simply abandon the idea alternative materials will have to be at lower cost. It just isn’t going to be like that. Other materials are going to be more expensive and in some cases significantly higher in cost than Polyethylene.” – Coles
that both injection and blow moulding will encroach more and more on traditional rotomoulding territory, not to mention the impact of additive or 3D manufacturing in the coming years.
In summary, can rotational moulding afford to carry on as is?
The answer is clearly ‘no’. As an industry we have to work together much closer, we have to believe in broadening our options, we have to invest in a future vision and we have to make it really happen. For our part, Matrix Polymers will continue to commit to the expansion of the industry itself, primarily by targeting the scope of materials available for the process. We look forward to reporting further this year on our new R&D programmes. Indeed, we believe that only by increasing the range of available and workable materials can rotational moulding significantly grow its scope, its future and prospects. WWW.MATRIXPOLYMERS.COM
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The Gumdrop bins have been installed across the UK and beyond
Chew on this: Plastic solution made from recycled gum paves the way for cleaner streets Words: LEANNE TAYLOR
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nna Bullus is the brains behind Gumdrop Ltd., a UK-based start-up that is campaigning to change the nation’s littering habits through its novel, closed-loop recycling CHEWING GUM LITTER: UNSIGHTLY, solution. Founded in UNHYGIENIC AND AN UNAVOIDABLE 2009 to tackle the global SIGHT ALMOST EVERYWHERE. problem of chewing gum litter, Gumdrop Ltd. is the STEP FORWARD ANNA BULLUS, THE first company in the world INNOVATOR WHOSE PASSION FOR to recycle and process RECYCLING LED HER TO EXPERIMENT chewing gum into a range WITH THIS VERY ABUNDANT WASTE of new compounds that MATERIAL AND IN TURN CREATE can be used in the rubber and plastics industry.
THE WORLD’S FIRST PROCESS TO RECYCLE AND PROCESS IT INTO A NEW RANGE OF PLASTICS AND Falling in love with RUBBER COMPOUNDS. plastics
The story of how the material came about started when Anna became interested in recycling whilst specialising in plastics and
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material experimentation at the University of Brighton. After deciding to pick up every piece of mixed-material litter she could find to investigate its recyclability, Anna unwittingly came across a piece of chewing gum discarded in an empty crisp packet. As part of her final year project, she set herself the challenge of turning this piece of gum into a receptacle that could collect more of it and, subsequently, be completely recycled to make new bins, create a closedloop recycling process and alleviate the problem of littering. After experimenting with what she describes as “hundreds” of different materials, temperatures and resins, she came up with a mouldable polymer and a viable design: The ‘Gumdrop’, a bright pink, bubbleshaped bin, was born. “The course that I did at university was very hands on,” Anna told me. “I had exposure to metal, wood, ceramics and plastics. It was all workshop-based, which was great fun as you got to experience the material first hand. I fell in love with plastics; it’s versatility, colour and the different manufacturing techniques.”
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gaining traction outside of the UK. “We have just launched Gumdrop in Denmark, which we are extremely excited about,” explained Anna. “We have started working with schools and universities there, as well as implementing educational resources. There are so many countries that all have a gum litter problem, so I hope that we can soon start working in other European countries, as well as the US.”
A huge amount of demand
The Gumdrop project helped gain Anna a First Class Honours degree from Brighton. Inspired, she began to showcase the concept worldwide and, encouraged by the positive reception it received, made the decision to start a business, and career, out of it. Needing to develop her material into a product that was commercially viable, she approached the Polymers Department at London Metropolitan University. Here, she spent three years developing her material from recycled chewing gum into a mouldable polymer Anna Bullus suitable for use in injection and blow moulding, now known as ‘Gum-tec’. “Gum-tec is the brand name we have given for a group of new compounds that are made with recycled chewing gum,” explained Anna. “Most of the compounds that we create are thermoplastic and thermoplastic elastomers. It has taken a huge amount of time to develop these different compounds and to understand which applications they would be best suited to. We are still developing and still learning new things everyday, so this process is ongoing as we get better at what we do.”
The future’s green – with a drop of pink
Since the launch, the company has spent time creating other products made from the unique Gum-tec material. These include fribees, sports cones and wellington boots. Although no major retailers are stocking the products yet, the company plans a consumer launch in 2016. Anna, who has won countless awards and achieved mass recognition for the concept, says her determination to stop littering remains steadfast. She believes that education is still the best way to change behaviour. “It’s hugely important. We are great believers in that the more information that you give to people the more informed their decision is. We do many campaigns where we spend time speaking to the public about gum recycling and our new technology. The education side is key, as the success of the Gumdrop bins will be determined by how well we educate on why it is important to recycle chewing gum.” Anna now aims to deliver innovation on a global scale and continues to pursue her goals by educating and inspiring the public to reduce chewing gum waste.
“I fell in love with plastics; it’s versatility, colour and the different manufacturing techniques.”
‘Dropping’ all over the UK
After finalising the material, Anna launched the Gumdrop to market in 2011. After installation at a private site, or on a street, the Gumdrops are used until full, before being sent back to Gumdrop Ltd. to be recycled and used to manufacture three new bins, which in turn can then be redistributed, before the cycle starts again. So far, the Gumdrops have been installed at private companies, including Legoland, BAA, Royal Mail, Amey, ISS and Westfield Shopping Centres, as well as in towns and cities as part of council schemes to reduce chewing gum litter, including one in Bangor, North Wales. Anna says the Gumdrops have proved to be a great success. They are said to be reducing gum litter by up to 46 percent in the first 12 weeks of use and are now
WWW.GUMDROPLTD.COM
The range of products made with the Gum-tec material
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MEDICAL | NEWS CHEMTREND LAUNCHES NEW BIOCOMPATIBLE RELEASE AGENT FOR MEDICAL RUBBER PRODUCTS Chemtrend has launched a new, biocompatible release agent for the manufacture of silicone rubber products for the medical industry. Mono-Coat 1989W is a semipermanent, water-based release agent certified in accordance with the USP Class VI panel of tests. It is said to be well suited for the moulding of products such as tubes, caps and closures. “Because of its high level of purity, its excellent biocompatibility, and its high resistance to mechanical stress, silicone rubber is widely used for medical applications,” said Robert Greene, Chem-Trend European Sales Manager Rubber, Roto & Friction, for the rubber industry. “Mono-Coat 1989W meets all
requirements on biocompatibility and is therefore ideally suited for use in medical applications. In addition, the new release agent helps reduce scrap and delivers a higher efficiency in the production of silicone rubber medical products.” Chem-Trend says this new release agent ensures easy release of the finished products from the mould and facilitates the manufacture of clean parts. Mono-Coat 1989W is said to benefit from excellent temperature and abrasion resistance, and offer multiple releases with little to no transfer to the moulded part. In biological compatibility tests conducted by the independent medical research organisation, NAMSA, Mono-Coat 1989W was found to meet the requirements of the USP Class VI panel of tests. WWW.CHEMTREND.COM
Mono-Coat 1989 W meets all requirements on biocompatibility and is therefore ideally suited for use in medical applications
New Versaflex HC overmoulding thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) for device housings offer enhanced resistance to commonly used antiseptic cleaners used in hospitals.
POLYONE LAUNCHES NEW TPES TO ASSIST IN FIGHT AGAINST MEDICAL INFECTION PolyOne has launched two new TPE grades for medical device manufacturers that are designed to withstand strong hospital cleaning products whilst still maintaining purpose and function. New Versaflex HC overmoulding thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) for medical device housings offer enhanced resistance to commonlyused antiseptic cleaners, without loss of resilience, appearance of cracking and delamination of the product. PolyOne says the new grades feature “excellent” bonding to plastics with improved chemical resistance, such as rigid PVC, co-polyesters, PC/polyethylene terephthalate, rigid thermoplastic urethanes and polyetherimide, many of which are now replacing traditional substrate materials. Available in two Shore A hardnesses, Versaflex HC grades can also be customised to achieve desired haptic qualities. Customers have reported that
devices made with Versaflex HC TPEs successfully withstood 10,000 antiseptic wipes. Further, the grades are compatible with PolyOne’s OnColor HC Plus USP Class VIcompliant colourants, which resist fading from repeated antiseptic use. Both grades, designed for two-shot injection moulding, provide a soft touch and grippy feel to enhance ergonomics, comfort and ease of use WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
for housings of hand-held scanners, patient monitors, infusion pumps, defibrillators, reusable surgical devices and other durable medical devices. With a Shore A hardness of 48, Versaflex HC 1348 is slightly softer than Versaflex HC 1365, which has a durometer of 65A and a matte finish. WWW.POLYONE.COM 23
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y Polymermedics qualit tt makes manager Derren Blewe ents in micron-level measurem graded up lynew ’s any mp the co . metrology lab
10/02/2016 12:24
GROWING MICROMOULDING ORDER BOOK SEES POLYMERMEDICS ENHANCE METROLOGY CAPABILITIES Medical injection moulding specialist, polymermedics, has upgraded its metrology lab, allowing it to deliver even more stringent quality controls for its plastic component parts. The Cornwall-based company says additional atmospheric controls will enable it to carefully regulate the temperature and humidity in the lab, as its quality team carry out micronlevel measurements using optical and probe sensing techniques. The move, says the company, was prompted by an order from a world-class medical manufacturer, specifying precisely-fitting component parts to create a new device.
However, the new measurement precision will also prove especially valuable as polymermedics monitors the quality of micromoulded parts. “Lives often depend on the medical and pharmaceutical parts we make, and we’ve worked hard to build a reputation for getting every product exactly right on specification,” said polymermedics Quality Manager, Derren Blewett. “We know there’s no room for error if these components are going to work, so we’ve decided to take our metrology to the next level. “It means we can also submit our other products to the same high levels of scrutiny, get reliable, consistent moulding data and ensure our quality is always exactly where we want it to be – and that’s especially important with our growing micromoulding order book.” WWW.POLYMERMEDICS.COM
Solvay Specialty Polymers introduced Veradel HC A-301 polyethersulfone (PESU), a transparent, tough and highly processable amorphous polymer for advanced healthcare applications. Credit: Solvay Specialty Polymers.
SOLVAY LAUNCHES NEW HIGH PERFORMANCE PESU FOR MEDICAL DEVICES Solvay Speciality Polymers has launched a new, polyethersulfonebased (PESU) medical grade polymer for use in demanding healthcare applications. New Veradel HC A-301 polyethersulfone is said to retain transparency and stiffness at high temperatures and Solvay says it offers processing advantages over other commercial high-heat, transparent polymers. The new grade has been tested under ISO 10993 biocompatibility standards for cytotoxicity, irritation and acute systemic toxicity. The material, says Solvay, is expected to pass USP Class VI testing, making it an excellent candidate for use in biopharma processing applications. In addition, these compliance records can facilitate the design and regulatory application process for medical device OEMs, thereby accelerating product time to market. Veradel HC A-301 PESU complements Solvay’s portfolio of transparent, sulfone-based polymers, including Radel polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) and Udel polysulfone (PSU), which have long been used in advanced healthcare applications. 24
Solvay’s says the new PESU grade offers heat resistance that is on par with Radel PPSU; and its high flow rate makes it particularly suited for injection moulding thin-walled parts and components with complex geometries. Its stiffness is said to be the highest of all medical-grade sulfone polymers. Solvay says the PESU is a viable alternative to polyetherimide (PEI) as it exhibits properties similar to those of PEI for strength, transparency, dimensional stability, inherent flame resistance and compatibility with steam sterilisation and chemical sterilants. Veradel HC A-301 PESU’s WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
lower inherent colour and higher flow rate may prove advantageous in some applications, the company added. Target applications for the material grade include housings and internal structural components for medical diagnostic equipment, monitoring and filtration devices, as well as biopharma processing applications such as sight windows and quick-connects. The material is currently available worldwide for sampling in healthcare applications. WWW.SOLVAYSPECIALTYPOLYMERS.COM
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LYONDELLBASELL ADDS TWO NEW PP GRADES TO ITS MEDICAL PORTFOLIO LyondellBasell, one of the world’s largest plastics, chemical and refining companies, has expanded its ‘Purell’ materials portfolio for the healthcare industry with the introduction of two new polypropylene (PP) grades. The first of the new materials grades, Purell grade HP548N, is a PP resin that the company says offers improved rigidity and faster cycle time. LyondellBasell says the grade
“outperforms” other homopolymer polypropylene grades by offering improved stiffness and an optimised balance between fluidity, stiffness and crystallisation behaviour. The company says customers that have used the product report that it provides advantages during processing, such as time, cost and energy savings. Purell HP548N is used by customers for the production of vials, pill strips, medical devices, syringe plungers and rigid containers. Secondly, the new Purell grade
Maybe viruses in the blood will soon be a thing the past. Maybeofviruses in the blood will soon be a IN TOUCH WITH PLASTICS thing of the past. IN TOUCH WITH PLASTICS
RP315M, is a PP resin that is said to provide an “exceptional” balance between mechanical and optical properties and is therefore highly suitable for the production of cast film. The new resin is said to feature excellent sealing performance, an additive package containing slip and anti-blocking agents, low gel content with good optical and aesthetic properties and a wide processing window. Some typical customer applications for Purell RP315M include packaging of medical devices, cosmetics, flexible packaging, labware and caps and closures for the pharmaceutical industry. “The Purell family of grades offers industrydefining products based on LyondellBasell’s pioneering resin and manufacturing technology developments,” said Rodney Fox, Marketing Manager of LyondellBasell Polypropylene Healthcare Europe. “The new grades Purell HP548N and Purell RP315M not only extend our Purell product range for healthcare applications, but they also help us to address the specialised product needs of our customers.” WWW.PURELL-POLYMERS. COM The new Purell grade HP548N can be used for medical applications such as syringe plungers and pill strips.
Why set limits when the future is open? At present, plastics already offer antibacterial protection and meet the strictest requirements medical What is there to Why set limits when theinfuture is technology. open? keep intelligent plastics from ALBIS from actively fighting viruses At present, plastics already offer antibacterial meet one day? Our potential in the healthcare field protection is far fromand exhausted. the us strictest requirements in medical technology. What is us there to Let provide inspiration for the industry together – join keep plastics on ourintelligent way to the future!from ALBIS from actively fighting viruses one day? Our potential in the healthcare field is far from exhausted. Let us provide inspiration ALBIS (UK) Ltd. for the industry together – join us Industrial Estate · Knutsford on our way Parkgate to the future! GB-Cheshire WA 16 8XW Phone: +44/(0)1565/755777 Fax: +44/(0)1565/755196 ALBIS (UK) Ltd. albisuk@albis.com in Ireland: ireland@albis.com Parkgate Industrial ·Estate · Knutsford www.albis.com GB-Cheshire WA 16 8XW Phone: +44/(0)1565/755777 Fax: +44/(0)1565/755196 albisuk@albis.com · in Ireland: ireland@albis.com www.albis.com
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Boddingtons in great health for 2016 UNDER THE STEWARDSHIP OF ANDY TIBBS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, AND KEITH LAWSON, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, THE PAST SIX YEARS AT KENT-BASED INJECTION AND CONTRACT MOULDER, BODDINGTONS, HAVE SEEN QUANTUM LEAPS IN GROWTH. HERE, THE DIRECTORS TELL BP&R WHAT HAS FUELLED ITS SUCCESS AND WHAT IT TAKES FOR A COMPANY TO SUCCEED IN THE MED-TECH SECTOR.
B
oddingtons, based in the South East of England, offers a comprehensive service to all market sectors - from product design and development, tool design and production to moulding, assembly, testing and industrialisation. Turnover at the company has trebled - from £5m in 2010 to £15m at the beginning of this year. Growth of seven percent is forecast for 2016; and the management group is confident of meeting a £28m turnover target by the end of 2020. But what is fuelling this growth? The company says its growing – and award-winning – reputation for medical and healthcare moulding is helping fuel the expansion. The foray into this sector over the last six years has meant the company having to recruit for niche roles – particularly for specialists in financial, regulatory and quality support. “We needed to get a new reputation firmly established in med-tech and technical moulding,” explained Tibbs. “Most people realise that med-tech business generally provides opportunity for better margins. The real benefit, however, is that once established, med-tech provides a much more stable and sustainable future.” So what are the secrets in winning that med-tech business? “Open-mindedness is key,” Tibbs continued. “No company is too small or too big for us to do business with. Right from the outset, we made a point of working with startups who specifically demonstrated both drive, initiative and strong intellectual property.” And a number of these start-ups are now beginning to produce significant sales. This includes Arc Medical, on behalf of whom Boddingtons won the ‘Industrial Product Design of the Year’ Plastics Industry Award. “Med-tech can be a very attritional,” said Tibbs, “which is why we were delighted, for example, at the medical trade show, MTI EXPO 2015, to receive 14 enquiries – all projects of exceptional merit. We are still delighted and are now poised to take two of those to commercial success. The pass/fail ratio may seem harsh for some – but that’s what the sector demands for success.” Boddingtons also makes it easier for clients by invariably handling legal responsibilities for the products it makes. “We do this for a variety of reasons,” explained Tibbs, adding that “it also sharpens up our own business and manufacturing practices to a very competitive level.” One physical manifestation of this growth can now be seen in building work at the Marden manufacturing site. Plans were set in motion last year to double the size of the company’s production by building an additional facility at the rear of the current plant. Planning permission was gained in in Q1 2015 and building work commenced in Q2 2015. It is expected that the new building will be operational in stages, beginning at the end of Q2 2016.
The current factory floor at Boddingtons The expansion works are well underway for the new facility
An approved investment of £4.6 million has been earmarked to cover the new fit-out and additional capacity. Within the new Boddingtons facility, 50 percent of the space will be cleanroom manufacturing. This will provide two facilities close to each other, which offers ‘risk mitigation’ for Boddingtons customers. The additional building will, other than the cleanroom, be a large whiteroom manufacturing facility, along with a specialised assembly area. Following this investment, and given its success at the MTI EXPO last year, the company will return to the medical tradeshow in 2016 to increase its push into this market. “Successful manufacturers today not only need to make a great product,” Tibbs said. “Increasingly they need to master the arts of marketing – to see and be seen – and to clearly communicate services, strengths and benefits to target markets. Boddingtons is walking this talk as part of our ambitious growth trajectory. EXPO 2016 will play an important part in helping us achieve our aims and our sales targets.” WWW.BODDINGTONS.CO.UK/MEDICAL/
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RECLAMATION & RECYCLING | NEWS DEMAND FOR AXION’S RECYCLED POLYMERS FUELS POSITIVE OUTLOOK FOR 2016 Manchester-based reprocessor, Axion Polymers, says demand for its Axpoly polypropylene (PP) grades throughout the coming months has led it to forecast a positive outlook for 2016. Having developed a broad range of high-grade recycled engineering polymers, the company says it attributes its growing success to getting its product performance, commercial terms and customer service right for the highly competitive plastics marketplace. “We have had a great start to the year and are selling to a broad range of reliable customers who value the environmental benefits and consistent quality of our recycled plastics. They also really like our ability to offer stable prices that are not linked to volatile oil pricing; that makes a lot of sense to a lot of customers,” commented Keith Freegard, Axion Director. Axion Polymers says its technical capability in supplying tailored polymers to suit specific end-user requirements, such as modified melt flow, impact resistance and tensile strength, is an additional factor that is driving growth. Freegard says the company is now looking to repeat this success with its new high-impact polystyrene grade, Axpoly r-HIPS 1000. Suitable for a range of applications, including horticultural products, DIY goods, retail products and automotive components, all grades are tested to ISO standards, are RoHS-compliant and REACH-ready. “Our focus is on further growing our customer base by developing
TGM RECYCLING ACQUIRES POLYMER INDUSTRIES LTD.
Axion r-PP grades at the company’s Salford facility
a wider range of technical polymer resins and adding value by making novel plastic compounds that have physical properties that are usually difficult to achieve through standard methods – this ability to ‘be different’ is one of our core skills,” he explained. Inviting enquiries regarding any potential application for the new HIPS or existing grades, Freegard added: “Many organisations today are under pressure to meet certain sustainability targets; particularly in the construction and civil engineering sectors where tender-winning contract offers must have a credible story in terms of the environmental benefits of the selected materials. “Invariably, they are obliged to deliver products that have provable, traceable and solidly measured performance in terms of carbon impact and are also sustainablysourced. Having the in-house expertise to demonstrate this is welcomed by our customers. Overall we are optimistic and confident about growth in 2016.” WWW.AXIONPOLYMERS.COM
TGM Recycling, a UK-based holding company that owns a number of environmental businesses, has acquired Polymer Industries Ltd., a specialist plastics recycler and manufacturer from South Devon. The acquisition will see new investment made in Polymer Industries, with new product development and equipment enabling it to expand its processing and manufacturing capacity, as well as the addition of new staff. The company will maintain its headquarters in Wrangaton, South Devon and its founders, Jason Goozée and John Gibbins, will continue to manage and develop the business. “I am delighted that Polymer Industries has now become part of the TGM Recycling Group,” Goozée stated. “It not only strengthens our combined management team, but also gives us greater support and confidence to drive the business forward and to further expand our polymer reprocessing and manufacturing capabilities. I see a bright future ahead for the Group.” TGM Recycling already owns TGM Environmental Limited; The Waste Paper Company; Surrey Waste Recycling and Europlastix Recycling Limited. For many years it has specialised in the paper recycling industry and last year made its first foray into plastics recycling with the creation of Europlastix Recycling. WWW.POLYMERINDUSTRIES. CO.UK WWW.TGMENVIRONMENTAL.CO.UK
COOLING FLUIDS for Extrusion & Moulding Processes Expert technical advice and factory direct pricing, since 1998 www.hydratech.co.uk info@hydratech.co.uk tel: 01792 586800
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BOOMERANG PLASTICS CLOSED WITH “HEAVY HEART” The owner of a plastics recycling business says it was with a “heavy heart” that he made the final decision to close the company. Mike Jordan says the decision to close Boomerang Plastics was not one he took lightly, but circumstances surrounding an arson attack in 2014, plummeting oil prices and a difficult domestic recycling market made the cessation of the business inevitable. “We are of course disappointed with the outcome, but, we have learnt some valuable lessons and have walked away ensuring all our creditors were paid,” explained Jordan, who is also Managing Director of UK ancillaries company, Summit Systems. “We will now be focusing on driving forward our successful new recycling business, ‘Summit Recycling Systems’, which will design and build MRF and PRF sorting plants.” Established in 2011, Boomerang expanded rapidly on the back of a contract to process used plastic yoghurt pots from dairy foods manufacturer, Müller. The recycling business comprised a unique processing line developed to separate the unusual mixture of partclean plastic pots, yoghurt, printed wrappers, card and foil. The initial line, which addressed the issue of multiple materials and colours, was established with the help of Warwick University. It harnessed cutting edge density separation technology, cold washing, hot washing, chemical separation and colour picking. Specialist software was used to map out the design intricacies of the plant. Boomerang sourced premises in Tamworth, centrally located to Müller’s Midland Dairy network
and suited to the industrial size equipment required for high volume processing. Its parent company, Summit Systems, led the installation sourcing equipment from a variety of international destinations, and linked the line together via its team of in-house technical experts. The plant became operational in March 2011 and was soon up to speed, processing 150-200 tonnes of waste per week at a quality that enabled circulation back into the packaging chain. However, an arson attack in 2014 led to relocation, where electricity prices and insurance rocketed. Combined with the instability of oil prices and what Jordan describes as “a lack of incentive to recycle in the UK”, the final decision to close the business was made at the end of 2015.
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
Owner Mike Jordan has made the difficult decision to close recycling business, Boomerang Plastics. Pictured here, materials waiting to be processed taken by BP&R during a factory visit in 2012.
“We were buffered by our core ancillary business doing so well, thanks in part to a new partnership with Tria granulators that led to our biggest order ever. It was with a heavy heart we closed the door but I now have the freedom to focus on making our service even better for our customers. The experience has helped our other businesses by providing insight and a very detailed understanding of the recycling chain.” Jordan concluded. WWW.SUMMITSYSTEMS.CO.UK
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CASE STUDY: INJECTION MOULDER STRENGTHENS OFFERING WITH PURCHASE OF MOISTURE ANALYSER Oxford-based injection moulder, OGM Limited, says the purchase of a moisture analyser has enhanced its business and increased its future potential for growth. The company, which specialises in producing high precision, technical plastic and thermoplastic injection mouldings and assemblies, purchased a Brabender Messtechnik Aquatrac Moisture Meter at the end of 2015 in response to a customer requirement to dry a copolyester material to a precise and low level. Paul Tinson, Technical Moulding Manager, OGM Ltd, said he made the decision to purchase the Aquatrac after first seeing it in action two years ago. “I knew that the Aquatrac would greatly enhance our material testing capabilities, but, at the time, the demand within our business wasn’t there,” he explained. “However, as we began to process more copolyester over the past couple of years, it became more critical. When processing this type of material, it is essential that it has been dried to the manufacturer’s specifications. Failure to do so can cause degradation in the polymer chain effecting the mechanical
properties of the moulded part.” The Aquatrac, which is available in the UK through quality control and testing equipment supplier, Engelmann & Buckham Ltd, was developed to measure the water content of engineering polymers. It is a simple-to-use and accurate means for determining the moisture content in plastic granules down to 0.001 percent, or 10 parts per million. Higher degrees of moisture, greater than 0.5 percent can also be measured. Prior to the purchase of the Aquatrac, OGM Ltd was impact testing the copolyester parts. However, this type of testing wasn’t ideal, as a failure could be due to a number of reasons, not just the moisture content of the material. With the technology offered by the Aquatrac, the drying of the material at OGM can now be directly measured and, in the event of a failure, can enable moulders to fully focus attention on either the drying of materials or other aspects of the process. Tinson has also been able to use the Moisture Meter as an auditing tool for OGM’s 30 driers, to check that they are performing at the required levels. “I chose the Aquatrac over its competitors because of the unique way that it measures only H20. Others
we tested often included plasticisers present in some polymers that were lost together with H20 in the test process. This was then included in the moisture reading, meaning we could not relate those readings with the material supplier’s specification with total confidence. “Not only has the Aquatrac enhanced our current business but is also an important sales tool for future customers,” Tinson added. “We are able to conclusively show that we can manufacture a part to an exact moisture level, therefore ensuring a top quality product, and this sets us ahead of our competition.” WWW.BUCKHAM.CO.UK WWW.OGM.UK.COM
The Aquatrac Moisture Meter
STRAIN HARDENING TEST METHOD BECOMES ISO 18488 An innovative way of ranking the long-term behavioural properties of plastics has become ISO 18488 standard. The method, which was developed by petrochemicals company, SABIC, is said to significantly reduce the time taken to test the slow crack growth (SCG) resistance of highdensity polyethylene (HDPE) with particular relevance for pressure pipes. “SABIC is delighted that the strain hardening test method has been laid down in ISO 18488. For suppliers of pressure pipes this brings significant positive benefits. Obtaining reliable data on the long-term behaviour of plastics has always been difficult, 30
and this innovation is an important development for the market,” commented Hans Pierik, SABIC’s Senior Manager for HDPE. The strain hardening test method, which SABIC says reduces the time and cost associated with getting material for plastic pressure pipes to market, was first launched in 2010. While traditional methods to evaluate environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR) in pressure pipe materials, such as the Full Notch Creep test, can take months, if not years, to complete, SABIC’s development reduces this test time significantly, to just a few days. In addition, the Strain Hardening Test Method does not require either notched specimen or detergents, further reducing the costs associated WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
with the assessment of long-term behaviour in HDPE. SABIC says the test was developed, in part, to help suppliers meet increasingly demanding requirements as set out by the Publicly Accessible Standard 1075, which necessitates higher resistance to slow crack growth than expected in the PE100 specification. The method requires a tensile test at 80°C, and is based on fundamental postulates of crack propagation. ISO 18488 analyses the basic polymer properties that cause stress crack resistance – a different way of obtaining information on the behavioural properties of plastics than traditional testing methods. WWW.SABIC.COM
TESTING & INSPECTION | NEWS NEW XPLORE INSTRUMENT PUTS UNIVERSITY AT THE FOREFRONT OF POLYMER RESEARCH The University of Bradford’s polymer research testing capabilities will be enhanced this month with the addition of a new machine that it says will keep it “at the forefront” of materials research. The University’s Polymer Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC), which researches and handles advanced, biomedical and pharmaceutical materials, has purchased a PME 5, manufactured by Xplore Instruments, which will be arriving in its laboratory later this month. The company has previously invested in Xplore equipment as part of its ongoing work screening very small-scale, high cost materials for industries where technical consistency is imperative. The
The Polymer IRC at the University of Bradford
PME 5 is said to bring reliability through its very precise temperature measurement and control, its capability of dosing all kinds of formulations accurately, its ease of cleaning (thus reducing the chance of cross contamination) and its robust construction materials (so that the barrel and screw dimensions remain the same over the years). It also has GMP compliance and proprietary rheological software that greatly simplifies comparison of trials and upscaling. Phil Coates, Professor of Polymer
Engineering at the University of Bradford, UK, and Director of the Polymer IRC, is delighted with the forthcoming addition to its laboratory. “We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of polymer research and are recognised worldwide as such. The Xplore PME 5 is the best in the market and has a very good reputation across the industry,” he commented. Martin Quaedflieg, Commercial Director of Xplore Instruments, said the PME 5 is unique on the market. “We are delighted that the University of Bradford has selected the PME 5 for its groundbreaking research. They will benefit from the unmatched reliability of its results, its convenience and flexibility to operate, and its increased data generation capability.” WWW.XPLORE-TOGETHER.COM WWW.POLYENG.COM
MECMESIN LAUNCHES PRECISION CONTROL TENSION AND COMPRESSION TESTER
The MultiTest-dV is suitable for top-load testing
Mecmesin has launched the first of a new generation of universal testers, with a focus on precision control. The company says with a positional resolution of 0.001 mm, the new MultiTest-dV offers “unparalleled control” even as an affordable, entry-level system. The new testers use sophisticated control electronics hidden behind the control panel, which enables full functionality on the device through four multifunctional operating buttons, a colour display and Mecmesin’s unique precision control wheel. The wheel enables ultra-fine crosshead control, says Mecmesin, as well as rapid crosshead repositioning, whilst doubling up for changing machine settings of speed, set positions, and test type and parameters. The wheel is surrounded by coloured LED lights that indicate the test stand status at all times. Users are able to select one of four test modes and dial-in speed and displacement in either or both directions, plus test cycling requirements, as well as the option to connect a Mecmesin Advanced Force Gauge (AFG) for load limit control. Test speed is continuously variable from 0.1 mm/ min to 1200 mm/min, with a resolution of 0.1 mm/min and an accuracy of ±0.2% of indicated speed. Three models are rated at 0.5 kN, 1 kN and 2.5 kN respectively. The 0.5 kN and 1 kN models have extended columns for highly-elastic sample testing, and all three accept Mecmesin’s range of digital Advanced Force Gauges. WWW.MECMESIN.COM WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
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Using nonlinear modelling to REDUCE PRODUCTION COSTS NONLINEAR MODELLING HELPS SPEED UP MATERIALS AND PROCESS DEVELOPMENT IN SEVERAL INDUSTRIAL SECTORS, AND IS PARTICULARLY USEFUL FOR PLASTICS AND RUBBERS, SINCE THE BEHAVIOUR OF POLYMERIC MATERIALS TENDS TO BE COMPLICATED. HERE, BRITISH PLASTICS AND RUBBER PROFILES A CASE STUDY THAT DESCRIBES HOW THE PROCEDURE HELPED FINLAND-BASED EXEL COMPOSITES REDUCE THE PRODUCTION COSTS FOR ITS PULTRUDED FRP PROFILES.
linear Figure 1. Non oduct models of pr oduction pr , es ti er prop tion uc od pr rate and hich w s ic om on ec mposition depend on co ess oc variables, pr mension di d an es bl varia ed to us e ar variables ays to w e in rm te de uction improve prod s economic
T
o improve the production economics of any process, we need to know the degrees of freedom and how they affect the various consequences of the process including its production economics. These relations are usually not very simple, and cannot be described sufficiently well by linear models. Nonlinear models, Author: Abhay Bulsari, Nonlinear Solutions Oy, Turku, however, are the solution to this problem. Finland, with co-authors From a limited set of Matti Suominen, Exel experimental data, or sometimes Composites Oyj, Heinävaara from plain production data, (Joensuu), Finland and Kim Sjödahl, Exel Composites Oyj, nonlinear models can be developed which describe the end results of Vantaa, Finland. various variables on the product quality, production rate and production cost. Then with appropriate mathematical tools, it becomes easy to determine more economic ways of producing the product with given constraints on quality variables and process variables. This article describes a glaring case of improvement of production economics of a pultrusion process of Exel Composites in Heinävaara near Joensuu in Finland using nonlinear models developed from experimental data.
Readers of this magazine have read about nonlinear modelling [1-4] so the basics are not repeated here. Nonlinear modelling helps speed up materials and process development in several industrial sectors, and is particularly useful for plastics and rubbers, since the behaviour of polymeric materials tends to be complicated. It is relatively straightforward to go through the procedure to improve the production economics of any production process. In this case of Exel composites (see typical products in Figure 2), we selected one product
Figure 3. A surface plot of bending strength against fibre content and die temperature, while keeping other input variables constant
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Figure 2. Products of Exel Composites include pipes and profiles with fibre reinforcements
“Nonlinear models save time, effort and money in process and materials development, often quite drastically like in this case.”
that is produced in large amounts in Heinävaara. Then, we decided to go for experimentation since it provides data of much better quality and information content than plain production data. The variables to be taken into account were then decided. Among the composition variables were fraction of fibres and the fraction of peroxide. Then some process variables like line speed and temperatures were included. Besides, we had two dimension variables as well. From the right side of Figure 1, we had some mechanical properties, metre weight, and some others. Experiments were planned considering that the effects of the input variables need not be linear. Once the experiments were carried out and the pipe samples tested for product properties, the data was analysed and pre-processed, after which nonlinear models were developed and tested. These models were implemented in a LUMET system, a set of software components intended for facile use of nonlinear models. The software system, which has been described in earlier articles [2], allows us to carry out several kinds of calculations and plot effects of variables, without needing to know about the mathematics of nonlinear modelling (see Figure 3 for example). Optimisation calculations were then carried out with constraints on product properties (quality variables) as well as some process variables, and new operating conditions with 55 percent faster production, saving 26 percent of production cost per metre were determined and validated.
Conclusions
In many industrial sectors including plastics, there are fairly small profit margins in most products in the western world. If the production processes are made more cost
efficient, it becomes easier to compete against cheaper imports from low cost countries. This is often possible with precise quantitative knowledge of the process and the raw materials and their effects on the product properties, production rate and production cost. This knowledge can be created relatively quickly by development of nonlinear models from either production data or from experimental data. Nonlinear models save time, effort and money in process and materials development, often quite drastically like in this case. Nonlinear models are a lot more capable of describing complicated relations than linear statistical techniques because nothing in polymer science or process engineering is very linear. With appropriate mathematical tools, these models can be used very efficiently to determine cost efficient ways of producing a product.
References
[1] A. Bulsari, P. Pitkänen and B. Malm, “Nonlinear modelling paves the way to bespoke polymers”, British Plastics and Rubber (December 2002) 4-5 [2] A. Bulsari and M. Lahti, “How nonlinear models help improve the production economics of extrusion processes”, British Plastics and Rubber (September 2008) 30-32 [3] A. Bulsari and M. Lahti, “Temperature profile in the extruder barrel matters”, British Plastics and Rubber (June/July 2010) 7-11 [4] A. Bulsari, J. Ilomäki, M. Lahtinen and R. Perkiö, “Nonlinear modelling speeds up tyre rubber recipe development”, British Plastics and Rubber (June 2015) 28-29
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
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SOFTWARE | NEWS Fig.1: Broken screw as a result of poor design can be avoided using the FEM software
ANALYSIS SOFTWARE CAN PREVENT COSTLY EXTRUDER SCREW FAILURE Using appropriate analysis software to design extruder screws can prevent the costly failure of the parts during operation, says a UKbased testing and consultancy firm. Kidderminster-based Fleming Polymer Testing and Consultancy (PTC) says using Compuplast Extruder FEM analysis software, processors can simulate and optimise screws, as well as entire extrusion lines. Don Fleming, Director at Fleming PTC, commented: “For example, if we look at the image in fig 1., this shows a 150 mm diameter screw after approximately one year of operation that failed catastrophically. However, unlike a cold start break, which typically occurs in the feed section where the screw root diameter is the smallest, this break occurred near the end of the barrier section where the screw root is largest.” Fleming explained that believing that the failure was the result of
poor steel quality, the processor ordered for an identical replacement to be manufactured, however, it experienced the same failure over a near identical production duration. “The reason for the failure was, infact, an incorrectly designed barrier section,” continued Fleming. “Simulation showed that there was almost 30 percent of unmelted/solid material remaining at the end of the barrier; the position where the solid’s channel depth reduces abruptly in order to force polymer through the small barrier gap. “A wedge type force was created, resulting in a very high cyclic
NEW SOFTWARE CAN HELP MANUFACTURERS PREVENT DOWNTIME BEFORE IT HAPPENS A UK-based software developer has created a programme it says delivers a new approach to prognostics and condition monitoring and could help manufacturers prevent machinery failures “months” in advance. The ‘PROGNOSYS’ software has been developed by Senseye, a company based in Southampton that specialises in machine learning and data science to improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Senseye says that by using the principles of condition monitoring enabled by advanced machine learning and the Internet of Things, PROGNOSYS can predict costly failures in machinery months in advance, helping businesses to save money by avoiding downtime. The programme works by taking in measurements like vibration, humidity, acoustic emissions and power usage and uses technology like artificial intelligence and
The new PROGNOSYS software is a cloud-based programme that can help manufacturers avoid costly downtime
machine learning to predict when and how machinery is likely to fail. It’s designed to be affordable for all manufacturers and used with any type of machinery, says Senseye. It’s also entirely cloud-based so there’s nothing to maintain. The software can be used for plastics processing machinery and Senseye already has a pilot running with long-established plastics and rubber extruder and moulder, Martin’s Rubber Company, in WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
deflection, which in turn led to the breakage. This could have been prevented had the screw been correctly deigned, which in turn suggests knowledge of the required melting progression.” The FEM software is based on a scientific approach to designing screws, dies, parts and tools and is designed to both optimise the extrusion process and make it more efficient, saving processors both time and money. WWW.COMPUPLAST.COM WWW.FLEMINGPTC.CO.UK
Southampton. To help manufacturers prove the value, Senseye has introduced a limited-time on-boarding programme to help manufacturers learn about the value of PROGNOSYS free of charge. This programme, it says, provides a no-cost installation and use of the cloud solution for a period of three months. “We’ve been working hard on developing this complex technology from its origins in Aerospace and Defence to be easy to use and accessible to the manufacturing industry,” explained Simon Kampa, CEO of Senseye. “We’re thrilled to be running this pilot to show off PROGNOSYS and demonstrate the power of the industrial Internet of Things”. Senseye is accepting applications to join the web-based pilot programme at no cost, on a firstcome-first served basis. Interested companies can sign up using the weblink below. WWW.SENSEYE.IO 35
s re allow softwa ld u m a o c m e g The Ed n of complex nal ig io the des or the rotat tools f ing industry mould
SOFTWARE HELPS PRECISION ENGINEERING COMPANY LOOK FORWARD TO AN EXCITING FUTURE IN NICHE NEW MARKETS A Northamptonshire-based precision engineering company says it is becoming a growing contributor to the niche market of supplying mould tools to the UK’s rotational moulding industry thanks to the use of a software programme for complex machining. Turnell and Odell says the opportunities presenting it in the rotational moulding industry are giving rise to an exciting future for the company. However, it says that its foray into this complex world of rotational mould tools would not be possible if it wasn’t for the use of Edgecam software, a production CAM solution that combines toolpath generation with CAD integration. CNC Milling Supervisor, Lee Billingham, says the company has recently created two-metrelong rotational mould tools for construction industry pipes, which required millions of lines of code. The company had recently invested in new machinery to carry out milling of mould tools
SOFTWARE HELPS SAINTGOBAIN’S MACHINES TO TALK MORE EASILY Bristol-based Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics has recently installed software to enable the efficiency and interconnection of individual machines to form integrated production lines. The company’s High Performance Bearings Group, which supplies high-volume international OEMs in markets that include automotive, leisure and industrial, has installed EPLAN’s Electric P8 software to ensure that the different machines within its manufacturing facility work 36
“We needed 1.2-million lines of code just for one operation. It would be absolutely impossible without Edgecam,” he explained. The company produces rotational mould tools ranging from 200mm cubes to two metres, for a number of industries including construction, medical, food and, more recently, aerospace. Due to the complex nature of rotational moulding tools, where uniform wall thickness has to be maintained, the file sizes are considerably bigger than for normal machining. Turnell And Odell’s Production Director, Kevin Rees, says Edgecam makes the task of machining rotational mould tools’ particularly complex features an easy process. “This is because any shape within Edgecam becomes simple,” he explained. “Even with the most demanding shapes, the only complexity is how quickly Edgecam can process the information. It handles several millions lines of code just as easily as a few thousand – it just takes a little longer.” The company has recently invested in two additional Haas VF4 SS machines for high speed machining at 12,000 rpm, which are perfect for its aluminium rotational mould tools, as well as a new, six dualcore computer capable of running 12 x 3.5 gigahertz simultaneously, which Rees says is vital to handle the huge file sizes. It also has a solid state hard drive, 31.9 gigabytes of
together as effectively as possible. “This Saint-Gobain division buys machines from various manufacturers, which it then needs to integrate into an effective and efficient production line,” explained Deep Nandhray, Regional Sales Manager at EPLAN. “With the help of Electric P8, the company is able to interconnect the machines with much less engineering effort and maintain datasheets and documentation much more easily.” EPLAN says the Electric P8 is designed to be both functional and easy-to-use, with added features, such as the EPLAN ‘Data Portal’, WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
Clive Odell (L), and Kevin Rees (R)
RAM, and NVIDIA Quadro K4200 graphics card. The company’s CNC Miller, Alexey Don, has been working on the pipe mould tools. He says Edgecam not only made the job simple, but made it possible in the first place. “With millions of lines of code it would be a lifetime’s work to do it manually. We just wouldn’t be able to work out the co-ordinates. But Edgecam does it within a couple of hours,” he explained. Managing Director, Clive Odell, says the company can look ahead with confidence, especially as it develops what he calls “homespun talent” through an apprenticeship scheme, having taken on Higher Level apprentices, Layla Weaver and Ashley Easton, this year. “The average age of our milling department is in the 30s, so we have a good succession plan. And with our growing role in the rotational moulding and aerospace industries, I believe Turnell and Odell has an exciting future.” WWW.VEROSOFTWARE.COM WWW.TOENGINEERING.CO.UK
a global online component library, integrated into the software to allow users to access comprehensive information for almost all of the components used in the machines within a production line. Electric P8 also offers users auto-referencing for component location within a project, automatic wire numbering, generation of reports – including terminal reports – and intelligent generation of PDF documents. This saves a large amount of costly engineering time, says EPLAN, as well as minimising the risk of errors. WWW.EPLAN.CO.UK
28 SEPT - 29 SEPT 2016
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Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s ISO 7 activeCell, a self-contained injection moulding cleanroom, as used by Carclo Technical Plastics (CTP).
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery (UK) Ltd Accent House · Triangle Business Park Stoke Mandeville · Bucks · HP22 5BL T: +44 (0)1296 739500 F: +44 (0)1296 739501 E: sales.uk@dpg.com www.sumitomo-demag.co.uk
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR RELIABILITY Reliability and energy efficiency are the two main attributes of the TCU and VCU ranges of mould heaters from Renmar. The reliability can be measured by the fact that Renmar still receives spares requests for machines that were sold some twenty years ago and which have lasted this long with just simple routine maintenance. Energy efficiency is due to the high flow rates delivered by both TCU and VCU ranges. As water is delivered through the tool, turbulence occurs which increases the efficiency of the unit and gives better heat transfer. Because the water is delivered at a higher rate and at a potential higher temperature, the tool is heated more quickly and reaches the desired operating temperature in a much shorter time. The result is a mould heater that uses considerably less energy than many competitive heaters.
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• Off –the-shelf microprocessor based PID Eurotherm temperature controller with Process and Setpoint LED readouts • 9kw – 48kw heaters • 1HP – 10HP Pumps • Graphic control panel with indicator and warning lights • Compact cabinet • Independent high temperature safety thermostat • Flow rates of 132 to 284 litres per minute with 2.0 to 3.7 bar pressure
Prices from Just £1,150.00 + VAT Delivered For more information contact Renmar on 0844 6933225 or go to www.renmarltd.com
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www.biesterfeld-petroplas.com
RUBBER | NEWS Royal Society of Chemistry building. Image: RSC
THE IMPORTANCE OF ELASTOMERS DISCUSSED WITH THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY A leading member of the Board of the British Rubber and Polyurethane Products Association (BRPPA) has highlighted the growing influence of elastomers to the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). Dr Alexander Celik, Group Managing Director at Rosehill Polymers Group, talked about the influence the turnover in the US of development of nearly $50 billion, and £4 elastomers has billion in the UK market. on sectors such “It was an honour to as the aerospace share some of BRPPA’s and automotive expertise with the Royal industries after Society of Chemistry an invitation to and I thank them for speak at the RSC. their invitation,” Celik This included an said. “Elastomerics insight into what are an essential he described component for a huge roup breadth of industries G as “disruptive , ik el C er Dr Alexand innovations” in and sectors, which irector at Managing D Group. s elastomerics. owes much to the er m ly o Rosehill P The presentation, pioneering work of entitled ‘Rubber chemists past and present.” Products – Applications and The wide range of industries Markets’, highlighted the economic in which polymers are used significance of elastomerics, which accentuates the importance of are estimated to generate an annual BRPPA’s work. Dr Celik noted how
FOUR D RUBBER HAS SIGHTS ON GROWTH FOLLOWING £3.2M FUNDING A Heanor-based manufacturer of latex rubber for the medical, retail and leisure industries is set to expand into new markets and develop new products following a £3.2 million funding deal from Santander Corporate and Commercial.
Four D Rubber Ltd is investing in enhanced manufacturing capabilities in the UK and Sri Lanka and accelerating its product development programme, including new latex-free ranges. It says the funding from Santander will be used for a wide range of growth-focused initiatives, including a redesign of Four D Rubber’s website, as well as international sales and customer growth from the newly strengthened UK-based sales team. “This is an exciting time for our business as we are now in a position to invest in new products and people, both in the UK and Sri Lanka,” explained Richard Gogerty, CEO, Four D Rubber. “A key aspect of this growth strategy is to focus on the medical and exercise segments where we believe there will be WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
polymers can be used in coloured rubber granules for sports tracks and safe play surfaces in the sports industry, as well as the speed cushions and traffic islands that are seen daily on highways. The automotive industry accounts for 76 percent of the rubber market supply and even if tyres are excluded from that, it remains the largest industry at 31 percent. BRPPA is marking its 10th anniversary in 2016 and is says it is committed to a broad range of activities to promote Britain’s rubber and polyurethane industry. WWW.BRPPA.CO.UK
increased demand in the future.” These sectors form the basis of the key product lines for investment, said Gogerty, adding that for 2016, the management team is focused on expanding the business “significantly,” particularly with regards to overseas growth and international markets. “Four D Rubber is an excellent example of a UK business which has developed a unique product and has subsequently carved out a niche market for itself. With Richard’s impressive experience in this industry, we are confident that the business will go from strength to strength in the coming years,” commented Steve Young, Relationship Director for Santander Corporate and Commercial. WWW.FOURDRUBBER.COM 39
www.biesterfeld-petroplas.com
Tyres continue to dominate the market for rubber
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO DRIVE RUBBER MARKET, FINDS REPORT A new study of the global rubber market suggests that the automotive industry is still the biggest market for the materials, with a predicted growth of 2.4 percent per annum to 2022. The findings, by research analysts, Ceresana, form part of a new paper, ‘Market Study: Synthetic Rubber (2nd Edition)’, which provides an overview of elastomer materials, markets and key drivers. Key applications in the automotive industry are of course, tyres, which account for over 60 percent of all rubbers processed. In addition, however, there is an increase in their use for components such as hoses and cables, gaskets and profiles for windows and doors. However, the study points out that, aside from automotive, demand within the industry and construction markets is set to grow, with consumption of rubbers for use in conveyor belts, roll coverings, hoses, profiles, gaskets, cables, mouldings,
and roofing films, as well as others, predicted to grow by 2.9 percent per annum. In terms of materials, the report finds that by far the most important type of products is SBR: more than 5.3 million tonnes were processed in 2014. SBR is produced by emulsion polymerisation (E-SBR) or solution polymerisation (S-SBR). While E-SBR accounts for 73 percent of total SBR demand, the market for S-SBR develops at significantly more
Kongskilde your conveying specialist
Kongskilde offers complete systems for conveying and handling large volumes of plastics materials generated from today’s production lines. These systems ensure a high efficiency, significant savings and an improved working environment.
Kongskilde UK Tel. 01263 713291 mail@kuk.kongskilde.com www.kongskilde.com
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dynamic growth rates of more than five percent per annum. The tyre industry is the dominating sales market for these two products, as well as for BR, IIR, and IR. For industry and construction products as well as for the modification of materials, other types are preferred, for example ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) or polychloroprene rubber (CR). WWW.CERESANA.COM
European Master Distributor for Dow Corning/Xiameter Silicone Elastomers
DELTA RUBBER BRINGS GASKET CUTTING IN-HOUSE AS BUSINESS CONTINUES TO GROW Delta Rubber has purchased a new cutting machine in order to bring gasket manufacturing in-house – a move described as “a natural development of the business and key to future development.” Founded in Dorset in 2008, Delta Rubber has steadily expanded into a £1million-turnover company with expansive premises and seven employees. As a specialist in producing parts for industrial sealing purposes, the business supplies customers in a vast range of industries including marine, automotive, construction and electronics and renewable energy – making parts for products ranging from bird tables to supercars. “A key part of our success is that we know exactly what we’re doing: the whole team has the technical knowledge to understand customers’
problems,” said Jon Fisher, Director, Delta Rubber. “A large part of what we do is problem solving.” Formerly, Delta Rubber was outsourcing most of the production of rubber gaskets, a core part of its product line, to a local company with a digital cutting table. Digital cutting technology is markedly more versatile than traditional gasket cutting presses, as it enables prototypes to be made quickly and easily, in a range of sizes. Additionally, the table’s tooling can be changed easily to accommodate new materials. However, Delta Rubber was spending “significant sums of money” on outsourcing the work, Fisher explained. Bringing the work in-house also increases the speed of turnaround: “These days the pressure of industry means everyone wants their work the same day. We decided to invest in our own equipment to increase that speed of response.”
The company approached precision cutting systems supplier, Zünd UK, and purchased a reconditioned ex-demo model Zünd S3 M800. It was installed at Delta Rubber in September and “is going extremely well”, said Fisher, adding that “its precision is very impressive”. Currently, it is being used for making mould-gaskets for wind turbine blades. The Zünd S3 cutting table has a modular design to allow for changes to its size and function to be made at any time. It can process a wide variety of materials up to 25mm thick, is fast, compact and lowmaintenance, and offers superior performance at the highest safety levels. “The Zünd S3 is an ideal machine for a business like Delta Rubber that caters for such a wide range of customers and industries,” said Peter Giddings, Sales Director, Zünd Plotting Systems (UK) Ltd. “It is simple to run, maintain and update and we expect Delta Rubber to see an increase in production speeds too.” Fisher concluded that the new Zünd S3 is “paying for itself” as the business continues to grow. He added: “Bringing gasket-making in-house is a natural development of the business and key to future development. “We may well look at other markets in the future and possibly invest in a larger Zünd machine.” WWW.DELTARUBBER.CO.UK Delta Rubber’s new Zünd G3 is currently producing parts for the wind energy industry
KEAFLEX INSTALLS CLEANROOM AS IT EXPANDS ELASTOMER MOULDING CAPABILITIES Hampshire-based elastomer moulding specialist, Keaflex, has added a cleanroom at its manufacturing facility in order to expand its capabilities. The new facility will allow the company to mould sensitive parts in a low particulates atmosphere, enabling it to supply to contamination-sensitive industries. Keaflex has installed three moulding machines capable of compression and transfer moulding
Keaflex’s new cleanroom will enable the manufacturer to expand its elastomer moulding services into new industries.
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
operations and says trimming and packaging can also be carried out within the same room to eliminate any chance of outside contamination. The company’s Managing Director, Andy Tuffield, says the new clean manufacturing area will enable the company to supply customers in the aerospace, marine, medical and pharmaceutical industries. The new facility comes at a time the Hampshire-based company is investing substantially in new machinery, including a brand new 250-tonne injection moulding press announced in December last year. WWW.JAMESWALKER.BIZ/KEAFLEX 41
MATERIALS | NEWS A. SCHULMAN ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL COMPOUNDING CAPACITY IN GERMANY A. Schulman has invested in additional compounding capacity for highly specialised engineering plastics, including PPS compounds, at its German manufacturing facility. The company has added two new production lines at its Kerpen plant, comprising two twin-screw extruders and a fully automatic packaging line. “The additional compounding capacity will address the continued growth in high-performance compounds,” said Heinrich Lingnau, Senior Vice President and General Manager Europe, Middle East and Africa, A. Schulman. “With this investment A. Schulman is supporting the increasing customer demand for current and future developments in the automotive as well as electrical and electronics markets.”
Horst Klink, A. Schulman’s Vice President of Engineering Plastics, EMEA, added: “This investment is indeed aligned with the expansion of our product portfolio, and in particular with the production of our new range of Ecotran PPS compounds. “In addition, it will increase our flexibility in production to better
The Grip It MAX gloves
DRYFLEX TPE DEVELOPED FOR NON-SLIP GRIP GLOVES A special grade of Dryflex thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) developed by ELASTO UK has been chosen for a new range of gloves 42
requiring high levels of non-slip grip. The ‘Grip It MAX’ gloves from handprotection products manufacturer, Polyco, have a knitted liner with a three-quarter, injection moulded TPE coating, which is reinforced in WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
serve our customers with tailor-made speciality compounds.” This latest European investment announcement follows on from the one made in 2015, when the company announced additional PET compounding capacity at its Bornem masterbatch plant in Belgium. WWW.ASCHULMAN.COM
critical areas to give added abrasion resistance and maximum protection for the hands. The gloves have an ergonomic design with an underslung thumb, which matches the natural position of the hand at rest. This allows for ease of movement and the tapered fingers ensure that dexterous tasks can be performed with ease. It also has a unique and specially designed tread pattern on the palm and fingertips, which contributes to its gripping ability. ELASTO worked with distribution partners, Distrupol UK, on the development of the custom formulated grade for Polyco. Mark Griffiths, R&D Manager at ELASTO UK explained: “The material structure of the Dryflex TPE compound helps to produce the high surface friction required for the non-slip properties in this application. It was also critical that we developed a compound that could perform efficiently in the high precision manufacturing process.” The gloves can typically be used for transport, logistics, scaffolding, roofing, engineering and manufacturing applications. WWW.HEXPOLTPE.COM
HYBRID POLYMER MOORING SYSTEM WINS PLASTICS INDUSTRY INNOVATION AWARD DuPont Performance Materials (DPM) and Technology from Ideas, Ireland (TFI) have been awarded the 2016 European Plastics Innovation Award for best “Hybrid Product” for a mooring protection system used to protect wave energy devices in harsh sea conditions. The ‘Dynamic Tethers’ mooring system is the result of a joint development involving DuPont, TFI and manufacturer, Radius Plastics. It is made from DuPont’s Hytrel resin and incorporates hybrid polymer mooring components to control the motion, substantially reducing mooring loads by up to 70 percent. It has the potential to “significantly reduce” mooring costs for both fish farms and ocean energy and its taut leg design also reduces seabed damage from movement of conventional mooring chains. “We are delighted that our innovation with DuPont has been recognised by this award,” commented Noel Halloran, Chairman TFI Marine, Ireland. “It is the result of a three-year development programme. Our initial product has been successfully demonstrated in the challenging sea environment on Ireland’s Atlantic coast over the past 15 months. Our Dynamic tethers have performed excellently, minimising the loads and keeping the moored structure protected, particularly during the recent succession of severe storms. We will shortly be announcing a project to deliver our Tethers to manage mooring loads of up to 500 tonnes for a tidal energy developer.” The European Plastics Innovation Awards are jointly organised by PlasticsEurope, the European Association of Plastics Manufacturers, the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) and the European Association of Plastics Converters (EuPC). Thomas Oury, DuPont Performance Materials Regional Director EMEA, said: “We are extremely proud to receive the Plastics Industry Innovation Award as this represents for us recognition from our peers in the plastics industry of our innovation capabilities. As such, we thank PlasticsEurope, SPE and EuPC for launching this initiative, which I believe will act as a catalyst to encourage more innovation from the plastics industry and will also give visibility to great accomplishments in our industry.”
ers’
Teth mic m a n y D te The ing sys r moo
WWW.DUPONT.COM WWW.TFIMARINE.COM
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The original one stop shop for all your moulding supplies Introducing Moldtec Plastic Processing Ancillaries • Robust, reliable construction with advanced electronic control • Full support, installation and spares service
TMW Mould Temperature Controller
TMW water heaters heat the mould and maintain set temperature. Direct cooling and high pressure pump ensure constant temperature. With our optimised design, water can reach 120˚C and the accurate PID control maintains accuracy of ±1˚C. Features: • Accurate PID control maintains temperature within ±1˚C. • Multiple safety devices with visible alarm. • Accurate temperature control achieved by direct cooling. • 5 BAR 42 litres/min • Max temp 120˚C.
from mould
In stock.
TM900W: In stock. Price £1295 to mould
PMS Ltd 24 Brunel Road, Corby, Northants NN17 4JW 44
www.pmseurope.com
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( 01536 403886
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MOTAN COLORTRONIC NAMED DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR FOR TEMPERATURE CONTROL PRODUCTS Motan Colortronic Limited has been named the 2015 ‘Distributor of the Year’ for Reglochill and Regloplas chiller units and temperature control products. The Swiss-made units are used in more than 50 countries worldwide and are regarded for their excellent energy footprints and potential for cost reduction. “Against very strong, worldwide representation, we are extremely proud to be given this award,” commented Karl Miller, Managing Director of Motan Colortronic Limited. “This is due to the diligence, commitment and dedication of the whole team at Motan Colortronic. I would also like to thank all of our customers for their continued support.” In September last year, UK-based Motan Colortronic extended its stock holding of the Reglochill products at its Chesterfield site, after extensive
demand from customers for standalone chillers. The standalone (plug and play) units from 4-30 kW are supplied with a ‘ready to run’ energy efficient pump with CoP ratings of up to 5.9. This, says Miller, coupled with the use of high quality components and easy-to-use control, has made the Reglochill products “a must” for customers concerned about quality, reliability and energy efficient cooling. In addition, the Regloplas temperature control units have proven popular with customers after the manufacturer was the first to offer devices equipped with a frequency converter. “With the frequency converter, Regloplas is introducing a genuine customer solution to the market that ensures significantly optimised energy consumption for both new capital investments and for equipment already in operation” Miller continued. “In the UK and Ireland we have received extensive enquiries for them.”
MILACRON’S EUROPEAN MANUFACTURING SITE “PROGRESSING AS PLANNED”
ility cka fac The Poli epublic R in Czech
Milacron says its investment in its European site for the production of blow moulding machinery is “progressing as planned”. The company has invested over 15 million Euros (approx. £11.9m GBP) in the manufacturing facility in Policka, Czech Republic, as part of a programme to serve the growth of the European market and offer high-speed deliveries and support to customers across the region. “Our investment in Europe is imperative to support our growing global customer base. Our goal here is simple: To be the European leader in blow moulding system manufacturing.” said Ron Krisanda, Chief Operating Officer, Advanced Plastic Processing Technologies. Since it opened in April 2015, the plant, which manufactures the company’s complete range of ‘Uniloy’-branded blow moulding machinery, has more than doubled its workforce to meet production demand. Plans to extend the 11,000 sq. m. site by an additional 4,000 sq. m. are also underway.
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
Motan Colortronic has won Distributor of the Year for the Regloplas units, pictured here
Both the Regloplas and Reglochill units are available for demonstration at Motan Colortronic Limited’s Chesterfield site. WWW.MOTAN-COLORTRONIC.CO.UK
“Over the last several weeks our production progress has allowed the Policka facility to ship an impressive number of blow moulding machines to customers in European countries, South America, China and the United States and these are now successfully producing high quality parts in production environments,” Krisanda continued. “In addition, Milacron continues to evaluate strategic suppliers to ensure a robust and efficient supply chain to complement the progress of the site. To date things have operated well beyond expectations and as a result have seen 100 percent on-time delivery of all machine orders.” Milacron says the it will also start delivery of its extended injection product portfolio, including the Magna Toggle Servo (MTS) and Elektron EVO, from the Policka site, to support growth and customer demand as a result of the successful launch at Fakuma in October 2015. The company says its investment in its Czech operation represents a “continued commitment and long-term strategy” for the “valuable European market”. WWW.MILACRON.COM
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Engineering Passion
CASE STUDY: UK NATURAL SPRING WATER COMPANY INVESTS IN SECOND COMPLETE PET LINE Following an increase in demand from both customers and consumers, Montgomery Waters, based in Wales, has recently installed a second complete line solution at its manufacturing site for the production of liquids in PET. The line solution, supplied by Sidel, is being used to bottle still and sparkling water for both Montgomery Waters’ range of brands, as well as for other manufacturers. The company says the addition of the new line is allowing it to increase capacity, flexibility and quality. “In 2012 we moved to in-house blowing and updated our labelling by upgrading our existing high speed line, increasing production capacity by 50 percent, with a Sidel Matrix Combi, as well as a labeller and conveyors,” commented Paul Delves, Managing Director of Montgomery Waters. “Now increased demand from both consumers and our customers meant we needed to invest in an additional line – one that offered maximum flexibility and could be integrated with the solutions we had already installed to provide operator flexibility across our lines, reduce training needs and maintenance costs.” Sidel says a complete PET line solution involves much more than its individual parts, as it must embrace everything, from the packaging concept through the equipment process, the line design and supply,
RENMAR INTRODUCES CENTRAL FEED SYSTEM FOR RELIABLE PROCESSING UK-based ancillaries supplier, Renmar, has introduced a central feeding system based around materials handling equipment from Marse. Following the signing of a UK and Ireland distribution agreement, Renmar’s Managing Director, Kevin Horne, saw an opportunity to create a solution beyond selling Marse’s 46
ttling The new bo ed at ll ta s in ne li y Waters Montgomer
productivity management analysis and a continuous focus on line performance improvement. The whole solution, it added, needs to be planned to meet the challenges of the supply chain, with the underlying objective always being to achieve the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO). The new complete line solution installed at Montgomery Waters includes the latest generation of Sidel Matrix equipment: the compact blow-fill-cap Combi solution featuring a Sidel Matrix blower SBO14 and a Sidel Matrix filler SF300 FM, along with a Sidel Matrix rollfed labeller SL70 and conveying, shrink wrapping and palletisation equipment. The Sidel Matrix Combi features a blendfill version of the Sidel Matrix Carbonator, meaning that it uses only one buffer tank, reducing the CO2 consumption as well as the
equipment footprint. The 70 filling valves are equipped with magnetic flow meters, electronically controlled to ensure accurate volume filling into the PET bottle and therefore avoiding spillage and beverage waste. The Sidel Matrix labeller is a highly modular rollfed labeller, which can be installed in various different layouts and easily reconfigured. Changeover times are 30 percent faster than previous labeller generations, says Sidel, with 40 percent less downtime required for maintenance. With the addition of the new complete line, Montgomery Waters says it will be able to produce PET water bottles in four formats, from 330 ml to 2 L, at speeds of up to 31,000 bottles per hour (bph).
products individually and conceived the ‘Core 8’ system. “Core 8 is an expandable central feed system which, as its name suggests, can support up to eight hopper loaders that can be used to feed up to eight extruders or moulding machines,” Horne explained. “It is very simple and very cost effective. A vacuum unit, consisting of a side channel complete with automatic cleaning filter is used to convey material along
pipeline(s) from either a central day bin area or external silos. “The hopper loaders draw the material from the material source via the pipeline and then deposit a known amount of that material, by either volume or time, into the existing extruder or moulding machine hopper. The system is infinitely repeatable and reliable.”
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BUYER’S GUIDE
PL Machinery BG 2015_Layout 1 2
MATERIALS
DEHUMIDIFIERS
Whatever your ancillary needs – we have the solution
MASTERBATCH
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
HEATING EQUIPMENT
BLACK & WHITE MASTERBATCH Compounding
Recycling
Moulding
Film
Pipe
Conduit
Whitelands Mill, Whitelands Road Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 6UG, UK Tel: +44 (0)161 308 2550 Fax: +44 (0)161 343 2026 E-mail: aml@abbeymb.com Web: www.abbeymb.com
Telephone: 01582 883666 Email: sales@plmachinery.com Web: www.plmachinery.com
MOULD RELEASE
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
induction heating for platens and tools
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
MF Induction Heating
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.
colour masterbatch
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
HOT RUNNER SYSTEMS hot runner controllers
DRYERS 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
MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT
Call: 0161 624 2114
Email: sales@colourmaster.co.uk Eclipse Buyers Guide_Layout ANCILLARIES 1 07 www.colourmaster.co.uk
InControl Ultrasonics Ltd (FFR Ultrasonics Ltd)
New and used Granulators, Shredders, Pulverisers, Wash Plants 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.
Blades and Screens Blade Sharpening Ancillary Items Service – Repair - Spares UK & Ireland Agents for
Tel: 01827 838840 Email: info@granulators.org www.granulators.org
BG Advert buyers guide.indd 1
TO ADVERTISE IN THis SPACE CONTACT LISA MONTGOMERY 01244 680222
PO Box 10380, Sileby, LE12 7ZX T: 01509 621992 E: enquiries@ffr-ultrasonics. co.uk W: www.ffr-ultrasonics.co.uk
MATERIALS HANDLING AND STORAGE gravimetric/volumetric blending Motan Colortronic Ltd
Telsonic UK 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
12a - 15 Birch Copse Technology Road, Poole, Dorset BH17 7FH T: 01202 697340 F: 01202 693674 E: info.uk@telsonic.com W: www.telsonic.co.uk Blog: telsonicuk.wordpress.com
energy saving
vibration welding Branson Ultrasonics
158 Edinburgh Avenue, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4UE T: 01753 756675 F: 01753 551270 21/01/2015 16:42 E: bucuk.sales@emerson.com W: www.bransoneurope.eu
DRYER HIRE Hire from one month Monthly rolling contract Opportunity to purchase
CHILLERS/TEMPERATURE CONTROLLERS
Range of models Preventative Maintenance Visits
Motan Colortronic Ltd
Matilda House, Carrwood Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QB T: 01246 260222 F: 01246 455420 E: sales@motan-colortronic.co.uk W: www.motan-colortronic.co.uk
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BUYER’S GUIDE SCREWS & BARRELS
MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT LABORATORY MACHINES
Magnetics Separators Metal Detectors Eddy Current Separators
Bunting Magnetics Europe Ltd European Design & Manufacturing Facility
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
TRAINING
Northbridge Road Berkhamsted Hertfordshire HP4 1EH, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1442 875081 Email: sales@buntingeurope.com www.magneticseparation.co Contact: Carlton Hicks
NOZZLES & NOZZLE TIPS Engineers to the Plastics & Rubber industries, specialising in the following: Screw & Barrel Manufacture Screw & Barrel Refurbishment Tie Bar Repair & Manufacture Screw Tip Assemblies Feed Liners, Plain & Grooved 100 Tonne Screw & Barrel Press Bimetallic Barrel Blanks up to 50 mm In Stock Please e-mail or phone Karl for more info. E. info@tws-mail.co.uk T. 01706 655402 W. www.tws-ltd.com Technical Welding Services (Rochdale) Ltd
MATERIALS HANDLING AND STORAGE hopper loaders
PRINTING MACHINES pad
Global manufacturer & distributor of inserts for plastic, fasteners for plastic, cable management, circuit board hardware, nylon rivets & screws, rubber bumpers & feet & many more.
MIXING, FEEDING & DOSING
www.trfastenings.com sales@trfastenings.com
SECONDHAND AND RECONDITIONED
3D PRINTING
3D Printing FOR SALE
in Plastic & Rubber
BILL CARRINGTON
Regular quantity of Nylon/Polyester mixed fibre based in bales of 300400 kilos per bale. Contact 01253 736963
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
STATIC CONTROL
Tel: 01420 88645
www.projet3d.co.uk
SERVICES MOULDFLOW ANALYSIS
Arrowquint Ltd
Unit 2 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.
ANGLO PLASTICS LTD
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
RECYCLING SYSTEMS EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.m.b.H.
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
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.
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
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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.
SCREEN CHANGERS Industrial Plastics Ltd
DM Machinery 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
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
TESTING EQUIPMENT Ray Ran Test Equipment Ltd
Kelsey Close, Attleborough Fields Industrial Estate, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV11 6RS T: 024 763 42002 F: 024 766 41670 E: Polytest@ray-ran.com W: www.ray-ran.com
hardness - IRHD and shore MAPRA Technik Co — BAREISS 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
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
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
TO ADVERTISE IN THis SPACE CONTACT LISA MONTGOMERY 01244 680222
BUYER’S GUIDE
SERVICES SOFTWARE
PRINTERS
Gammadot Rheology Testing & Consultancy Services
printers of plastic mouldings 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
PARTS & SERVICE
TESTINg/CONSULTANCY
Component PRINTERS
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
TO ADVERTISE IN THis SPACE CONTACT LISA MONTGOMERY 01244 680222
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
SOFTWARE DIRECTORY A listing in the Software Directory costs £160 per programme per year. Call Lisa on 01244 680222 for details. 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: info.uk@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). 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. intouch T: 01604 646144 E: enquiries@ intouchmonitoring.com Website: www.intouchmonitoring.com Real-time production monitoring systems. Designed to be easy to use and providing affordable solutions to all sizes of businesses. Production monitoring, scheduling, reporting, data import/export, databases for parts, tools and operators, integration with other software packages. ProHelp EPM (for Microsoft Windows™ PC Servers) Mattec Ltd T: 01909 561544 F: 01909 560675 E: a.jewell@mattec.com Real-time Modules: Production Monitoring, ‘Drag and Drop’ Scheduling/Planning, Preventative Maintenance, Bar Coding/Parts Traceability, Operator Visual Aids, Process Parameter Profiling, Pager/ Tannoy Alerts, Stand-alone ‘Drag and Drop’ Scheduler, Stand-alone SPC Machine Analyzer, Automatic Data Import/Export Functions (for integration to Manufacturing Systems and other software packages). SYSCON – PlantStar MTec Services Ltd Tel: +44 (0)7711 036750 Tel: +1 574 232 3900 E: mt@mtec-services.co.uk W: www.mtec-services.co.uk W: www.plantstar.org
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. Browserbased software and hardware, and wireless Ethernet technology make for highly versatile and configurable systems providing information wherever needed. Standard systems include realtime alarms, downtime & reject analysis, capacity scheduling , ERP integration and more. With options including SPC/SQC, Labour tracking and Scheduling, Family Tooling, Materials traceability, barcoding. New QuickShot entry level system, provides real-time data collection & reporting, plus drag & drop scheduling and much more for less than £500 per machine!
enterprise resource planning Epicor ERP Manufacturing Software (For Plastics’/Rubber Processors) Epicor Software (UK) Ltd T: +44 (0)1344 468 468 E: info.uk@epicor.com Epicor ERP 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, warehousing and distribution. Available on-site, hosted & SaaS it seamlessly integrates with Epicor Mattec Real-time MES to provide a single system that offers a complete quote-to-cash solution for the plastics’/rubber industries.
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Process Optimisation Software RJG Technologies UK Ltd t/a G&A Moulding Technology T: +44 (0)1733 232211 E info@gamt.co.uk Zero Defect Moulding – What’s your target? • Cycle time reduction • Reduced scrap rates • Improved process capability • Higher yield and OEE PRO-OP™ software provides a stepby-step procedure for optimising the injection moulding process to deliver optimum quality products at the most favourable cycle time. PRO-OP™ is a server based application which, by setting an optimum moulding process, highlights weaknesses and problems in relation to part design, mould design, mould construction, moulding equipment efficiency, moulding equipment specification and material selection. The moulding process is documented with explanations for each key process parameter setting demonstrating the processing conditions and equipment contributions to the final result. PRO-OP™ is aimed at companies whose focus is quality and consistent part manufacture. PRO-OP™ supports companies by providing a documented and structured validation protocol which is recognised in the in the pharmaceutical and medical sectors.
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NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINE
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PF has just completed its latest Business Conditions Survey. These are carried out twice a year and they form excellent briefing documents for members, who can measure their THIS MONTH, BPF own performance against DIRECTOR-GENERAL, PHILIP peers; for Government, LAW, SHARES HIS THOUGHTS which takes decisions based on the performance ON THE RESULTS OF THE of broad business activity; FEDERATION’S LATEST and the Bank of England, BUSINESS CONDITIONS where they inform inflation SURVEY, WHICH HAS policy. The Bank is attracted REVEALED A MUCH MORE by the plastics industry’s underpinning of so many CAUTIOUS OUTLOOK FROM manufacturing and distributive THOSE MEMBERS POLLED. sectors and the consequent fact that it acts as a bellwether for the performance of the economy as a whole. Our latest Survey, carried out in January/February, covered 95 companies, a significant slab of the membership with the bulk of the responses being from the processing sector. Their overall message is that there is a much higher level of caution apparent in the industry’s expectations. For example, regarding the UK sales turnover 63 percent of respondents forecasted an increase, down from 72 percent in the last Survey carried out in June 2015. Export sales are expected to fare worse, with 28 percent expecting an increase compared to 39 percent in mid 2015. Half of respondents quoted volatile exchange rates as the reason for the expected slowdown. 32 percent of respondents expected their profitability to increase in the next 12 months, down from 39 percent in the June 2015 Survey and indeed this was the lowest ebb since June 2011. Companies expecting either a decrease or flattening in profitability cited oil and polymer price fluctuations or volatile exchange rates as the major causes of their disquiet.
Oddly enough, expectations of capacity utilisation were actually higher than six months ago at 76 percent, compared to 73 percent. On staffing, 37 percent said they were preparing to increase staff levels, down 15 percent from the more buoyant expectations of twelve months ago. Recruitment of people of the right calibre is still a problem with 51 percent citing difficulties. On investment, 46 percent say they will “invest a little” and 38 percent “significantly”. With decisions on EU membership looming, we asked the membership to state their opinion on continued participation. 78 percent wish to remain in membership – 62 percent were satisfied with the EU as it is and 16 percent wanted to remain inside but felt that unspecified changes should be made. 14 percent were undecided and just 8 percent wanted to leave the EU. This broadly compares with other business surveys currently being published. Away from the survey, companies have a great opportunity to make their mark by entering the latest Horners’ Award Competitions for Plastics Design and Innovation and for Bottlemakers. Get your entries into the BPF by July 31st 2016. The winner will feature at the prestigious Horners’ banquet at the Mansion House in the City of London on 6th October. The prizes will be awarded by the Lord Mayor. For further information contact Mike Birrell on birrells@aol.com Great benefit can accrue to the winning companies as recipients of the Horners Award accolade. A whole series of iconic products have been helped on their way since the 1940s by winning the Award, the ‘Topper Dinghy’ just one of them. For advice on energy efficiency, attend a seminar on managing your Climate Change Agreement to be organised by BPF Energy on April 13th at the office of Squire Patton Boggs in central Birmingham. Priced at £25 per delegate this is a cost effective day and for more information contact energy@bpf.co.uk
bp&r BRITISH PLASTICS &RUBBER 50
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Maximum efficiency and cleanliness Machines in the ELION Series Machines in the ELION Series are the most widely used core element of complex production systems in medical technology. There is a good reason for this: Their properties make them the tailor-made solution for the manufacture of plastic parts such as pipettes, petri dishes or insulin pens: – Rigorous cleanroom compliance (ISO 7) – High process capability – Excellent injection dynamics – Modular design with numerous equipment options
Engineering Excellence
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716.684.6560 | Fax 716.684.8302 | email: info@applerubber.com | 310 Erie Street, Lancaster, NY 14086-9504 Now accepting Copyrights Š2015 Apple Rubber Products, Inc. All rights reserved.