BP&R Nov/Dec 2015

British Plastics

and Rubber

bp&r nov/dec 2015

OPTICAL FIBRE:

SURGING DEMAND, TOUGH REQUIREMENTS

ANCILLARIES: SHAKING UP THE TENDER PROCESS FOR BETTER BUSINESS

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bp&r BRITISH PLASTICS &RUBBER

www.britishplastics.co.uk EDITORIAL

group Editor: Leanne Taylor T: +44(0)1244 680222 E: leanne@rapidnews.com

SALES

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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 rates: UK: £80 Europe and rest of the world: £115 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 © 2015 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.

FAREWELL 2015 AND FORWARD WITH INNOVATION

I

it comes to 2016. Not least, as trade t will come as good news, that, in his show behemoth, K, makes a return in recent Spending Review and autumn October, with ‘innovation’ one of its statement, Chancellor, George key themes. The show’s President and Osborne, announced the protection CEO, Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, of funding for innovation and the even said that innovation is what science network, Catapult, in the UK. a company needs to make it stand This move has been welcomed by the out in 2016. “Innovative products manufacturing industry as a whole and are the most important assets in a something that should facilitate further competitive environment. Only those innovation in UK plastics. In putting this who can offer new technologies that issue together, it is apparent a great bring real benefits to many UK companies their customers will are driving innovation be able to hold their forward. own against strong For example, this competition,” he issue’s focus on Innovative explained. medical plastics led products Finally, although me to Herefordshirethis is our last print based manufacturer are the most issue of 2015, you can of silicone and organic important assets still keep up to date with rubber products, Primasil Silicones, in a competitive all the latest content via the website, Twitter which has recently been environment. and LinkedIn. I’d like recognised by medical industry leaders for its Only those who to take this opportunity to wish all of you a part in developing a can offer new happy, peaceful and cooling cap designed prosperous New Year. to eliminate hair loss in technologies chemotherapy patients. that bring real Enjoy the issue.

The product, recognised by top medical experts, benefits to their Leanne Taylor, is just one example Editor customers will of how plastics and rubbers are changing be able to hold the face of healthcare as we know it. You can their own read the full report on against page 32.

In addition this issue, strong within our reclamation competition and recycling section, we cover an innovative, high performance recycled content polymer range from Louth-based Luxus. This product, manufactured in the UK, has the potential to not only “significantly improve” scratch performance over current products used for automotive interiors, but also helps deliver improved Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and produce a much faster cycle time.

Innovation is something we will certainly be seeing much more of when

bp&r

THE BIG STORY

OPTICAL FIBRE CABLE:

DEMAND AND REQUIREMENTS REMAIN HIGH OPTICAL FIBRE CABLES HAVE BECOME THE CABLE OF CHOICE FOR TELECOMMUNICATION APPLICATIONS. THEY ARE QUICKLY REPLACING TRADITIONAL COPPER CABLE FOR THE HIGH-SPEED, LONG-DISTANCE TRANSMISSION OF VOICE, VIDEO AND DATA TRAFFIC. BY ESTELLE COGNET, INDUSTRY MANAGER FOR WIRE AND CABLE AT POLYONE. Market boom, bust, and now steady growth

After solid market expansion during the 1990’s, followed by a collapse in demand in 2002 due to the implosion of the dot-com bubble, demand for optical fibre has surged, with annual demand growth rates now in the double digits. This rapid pace is expected to continue, particularly in developing countries.

Compared to the copper wire it is replacing, optical fibre cable offers considerable advantages, including lighter weight and a smaller diameter.

But, the technical challenges to manufacture effective and safe optical fibre cable are many. Often, these challenges can be met through the careful design of the cable together with appropriate material selection.

This selection is critical to meeting specific needs such as

4

minimum signal attenuation, easier cable installation, and appropriate protection from the environment in which the cable is installed.

Fire safety a must

Cables are installed through walls, linking the rooms and areas of a building, and are a critical aspect of fire safety. Preventing a fire starting or reducing its spread can help increase escape time and the time taken for a material to meet its flash point (the temperature at which a material will spontaneously ignite). In a confined space, a small fire can quickly generate enough heat for a material to reach its flash point.

Materials should also address the emission of smoke or toxic fumes from a fire.

Low smoke and fume, nonhalogen polymer formulations, commonly referred to as LSFOH, can be used in fire-safety critical areas where flame retardance, low smoke generation, low fume corrosivity and low fume toxicity are required.

Challenge, meet solution

PolyOne has developed a full range of ECCOH LSFOH solutions developed specifically for optical fibre cable. In addition to their safe performance during fire, these advanced polymers offer additional positive properties to support manufacturers. Consider the following applications and challenges, and potential LSFOH solutions:

Tight buffering For tight buffering applications, the post-extrusion shrinkage of the extruded buffer materials is a potential problem. This shrinkage strains the fibre and causes increased signal attenuation.

LSFOH solutions developed for these applications are inherently low-shrink materials due to a high mineral content. In standard manufacturing conditions, the typical shrinkage is lower than 0.3%.

Dry loose tube applications For dry loose tube, specialty LSFOH polymers have been formulated with improved crush resistance in order to prevent damage to the fibres.

Ease of installation To ease installation, optical fibre cable sheathing needs to have a balance of good mechanical properties as well as surface properties. PolyOne has developed a new LSFOH formulation with a coefficient of friction that is 70 percent lower than that of standard LSFOH materials. The lower coefficient of friction translates to good sliding properties in cable and enables easier installation in existing ducts.

Underground applications Buried cable typically includes steel armouring to provide the strength required to withstand many years underground. The ECCOH LSFOH solution from PolyOne, developed to serve as a sheathing material in such constructions, has a very good stress crack resistance.

WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK

Exposure to sunlight Not all optical fibre cable will be buried, and in fact, some is exposed to extensive sunlight, making UV resistance an important trait to ensure long functional life. For such applications, a full range of materials with UV resistance has been developed, along with specific formulations that endure the SEPAP accelerating ageing test.

Harsh environments Optical fibre cable sometimes must be installed in environments in which it is exposed to extreme cold, heat, chemicals, saltwater, or a combination of all of these.

In such conditions, crosslinkable polymers may be the correct selection to confer the best mix of thermal properties with improved resistance capabilities.

One recent introduction is an oilresistant LSFOH solution that can be crosslinked either by e-beam irradiation or via dry silane cross-linking technology, so that a manufacturer can choose the most cost-effective technology for specific production environments.

It is even possible to select a formulation that passes the very stringent NEK 606 / IEC 600092360 standard for offshore installations.

If you are facing these challenges, contact PolyOne to collaborate with us on the most appropriate solutions to meet your goals for manufacturing efficiency and quality output.

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contents

PLASTICS &RUBBER

NOV/Dec 2015

on the cover OPTICAL FIBRE CABLE: DEMAND AND REQUIREMENTS REMAIN HIGH Estelle Cognet, Industry Manager for Wire and Cable at PolyOne, writes for BP&R about the advantages, as well as the manufacturing challenges to produce optical fibre cables that are safe, useful and efficient.

SEE PAGE 4

3

EDITOR’S LETTER

Farewell 2015 and forward with innovation…

17 FEATURE

Shaking up the tender process Jeff Day, Managing Director of material handling and process cooling specialist, AB Systems, argues that long-term business success relies on healthy competition, and explains how buyers can operate an effective yet time-saving tender process.

28 FEATURE

Testing and Inspection Toby Rogers of AMETEK Lloyd Instruments discusses the benefits of an alternate method of testing for end users of PET.

32 interview

REGULARS INDUSTRY NEWS

09

Reclamation and Recycling

38

MATERIALS

45

BUYERS’ GUIDE

47

SOFTWARE

49

NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINE

50

medical

BP&R speaks to Herefordshirebased manufacturer of silicone and organic rubber products, Primasil Silicones, about its part in developing an innovative medical device to stop hair loss during chemotherapy.

37 FEATURE

Sorting and Separation Wolverhampton-based plastics recycler, Recycled UK, has recently installed seven magnetic separators at its processing facility in order to reduce metal contamination in its material streams.

18 FEATURE

Mo’s Corner

When drying plastics, you should always keep four parameters in mind – and each one has an impact on the other three.

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DRYING HAS NEVER BEEN THIS EFFICIENT: ETA PLUS®

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LUXOR

INDUSTRY | NEWS

BANK OF ENGLAND CASHIER OPENS NEW FILM LINE FOR POLYMER BANKNOTE The Bank of England’s Chief Cashier has officially opened a new film line that will be used for the production of the UK’s polymer banknotes.

Victoria Cleland opened the new ‘Clarity C’ line, more commonly referred to as the ‘Bubble’, at Innovia’s UK polymer plant in Wigton recently.

This is an important milestone in the development of the site, which will produce the polymer for nearly two billion new £5 and £10 banknotes.

During her visit, Cleland was given a tour of the new production facility and met some of the BOPP management team who were involved in the 18-month Bubble construction programme.

The film line, a five-storey high ‘bubble’, takes plastic pellets and using heat, gravity, and air produces a polymer film of uniform thickness,

quality and strength. The new line is part of an overall investment programme of over £40 million by Innovia, which includes the build of a completely new Innovia Security opacification plant on land adjacent to Innovia Films BOPP facility.

Innovia Group CEO, Mark Robertshaw, Bank of England Chief Cashier, Victoria Cleland and Innovia Films MD, Joe Piccione inspecting a reel of Clarity C film at the end of the new bubble line.

WWW.INNOVIAFILMS.COM

BPF AND PAFA CREATE NEW UK BUSINESS GROUP FOR FLEXIBLE PACKAGING The British Plastics Federation (BPF) and the Packaging and Films Association (PAFA) have announced their intention to create a new business group aimed at the plastics and flexible packaging industries in the UK. The associations say the new group will, for the first time, provide the UK with a single point of reference for companies supplying into the highest volume market for plastics materials.

“The new group will combine the great traditions of both PAFA and the BPF to create a very powerful platform for this industry sector, massively increasing its comparable advantage,” commented Philip Law, WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK

Director-General of the BPF. The new group, which will operate within the BPF’s legal structure, will comprise over seventy manufacturers of plastics and flexible packaging.

Barry Turner, CEO of PAFA, said: “This move will create a single, more powerful point of contact with Governments across the UK, will enable us to leverage the combined expertise of both organisations and will ensure that the communication and services to members are further enhanced.”

The announcement is the culmination of several months of discussions between the two organisations. The new Group, under the leadership of Turner, will be fully operational from 1st January 2016.

WWW.BPF.CO.UK WWW.PAFA.ORG.UK 9

Professor Williams

CHEMIST RECEIVES WISE AWARD FOR ECO-PLASTICS START-UP A chemist has won an award for women in science, technology, engineering and maths (WISE), for founding and leading the eco plastics start-up, Econic.

Professor Charlotte Williams, from London’s Imperial College, was recognised for her work as both a scientist and an entrepreneur with an award in the ‘Tech Start-Up’ category.

Professor Williams founded Econic in 2011 to commercialise her research undertaken in Imperial’s Department of Chemistry.

Econic uses catalysts to allow carbon dioxide to be used as a raw material in polymer production, making the process cheaper and more environmentally sustainable.

The technology is compatible with existing manufacturing plant infrastructure and can make use of waste carbon dioxide, reducing the need for raw petrochemicals.

Professor Williams was handed her trophy by WISE’s patron, HRH the Princess Royal. “I am delighted by this honour, and it’s a lovely recognition of the work of many people over many years,” she said. “I

“REJUVENATED” UK SUPPLY CHAIN IS IN BETTER SHAPE THAN 12 MONTHS AGO The UK’s automotive supply chain is more “vibrant and established” than it was a year ago, according to a recent poll carried out by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The survey showed almost threequarters (73 percent) of respondents – who represented a variety of organisations across the automotive sector – agree that the domestic supply chain is in better shape now than 12 months previously.

“I hope it inspires other women to take the risk of starting a company and commercialising the great science they do,” – Williams

hope it inspires other women to take the risk of starting a company and commercialising the great science they do.

“I formed Econic because I was still fascinated by the science and wanted to see where it could go. I wanted to take the discovery in the lab forward into something real and commercial,” she added.

The findings are a further endorsement of the continued recovery of the UK automotive supply chain. Automotive Council figures released in September revealed

41 percent of the average UK-built vehicle is now locally sourced – up from 36 percent in 2011.

A forecast report released by SMMT recently, meanwhile, identified a potential 28,000 new jobs to be created over the next five years.

While the rejuvenation of the supply chain is undeniable, access to finance remains an issue for many, says the SMMT, with some 41 percent of those questioned reporting having projects curtailed because the required funding was not available.

WWW.WISECAMPAIGN.ORG.UK WWW.ECONIC-TECHNOLOGIES.COM

WWW.SMMT.CO.UK

WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK

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DATA ON WASTE COLLECTION MUST BE MORE TRANSPARENT, SAYS PRE The recycling body, Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE), says information on plastics waste collection in Europe must be more transparent, as new data released recently1 suggests the recycling rates have not improved, despite collection rates increasing.

PRE says it welcomes the sudden increase of plastics collection in Europe, as this is an essential step towards plastics recycling. It said the figures could be proof that higher recycling rates are more achievable and realistic than expected in its latest study, which suggests a 60 percent recycling rate for plastics2.

However, the increase in plastics waste collected for recycling did not translate into increased plastics recycling in Europe. In fact, PRE says plastics recyclers have not seen an increase in feedstock for their plants. Furthermore, the exports of plastics waste have been globally stable over the last three years. The organisation said therefore “it can

Plastics waste collection has increased, but recycling levels don’t reflect this, says PRE

be questioned” where over 1Mt of additionally collected plastics waste (6.6Mt collected for recycling in 2012 to 7.7Mt in 2014) have ended up.

This, it added, underlines the fact that quality collection and sorting are “essential” to drive investments and job creation in Europe. Additionally, it says the data on waste collection most become “more transparent and harmonised” across Europe.

PRE said that the new Circular Economy Package must structure

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the vital steps of collection, sorting and data reporting. “It goes against the base of a circular economy that sorting is not mentioned in any of the EU legislation,” it concluded.

WWW.PLASTICSRECYCLERS.EU 1 Consultic - Plastics - the Facts 2015 http://www.plasticseurope.org/ 2 Study on an increased mechanical recycling target for plastics, BIOIS

FREE GUIDE AVAILABLE TO HELP UK MANUFACTURERS EXPORT EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, and Government have joined forces in a drive to get more UK manufacturers exporting, with a free guide for those interested in the benefits and opportunities it can bring.

The two have launched the guide, named Britain’s Global Adventure: the Export Opportunity, which has been published to coincide with the launch of ‘Exporting is GREAT’ – the Government’s biggest ever export campaign.

EEF is an official partner of the campaign, which aims to inspire and support an additional 100,000 companies to export by 2020.

The guide explains the benefits to companies of

JAVELIN MOVES FORWARD WITH £300K INVESTMENT FUNDING Surrey-based Javelin Plastics has secured £300,000 in funding to support the next phase of its aggressive five-year business plan.

The firm received the funding from a UK investment company specialising in British manufacturing after strong sales growth in 2015.

In the last 12 months Javelin has secured new projects worth well over £1m. This, combined with growth from some of its existing key accounts, has made 2015 an “exciting year” for the team, said Managing Director, Lee Reading.

“We already knew 2016 was going to be a good year for us, but with our new partnership we Surrey-based Javelin Plastics

exporting and the positive impact export growth will have for the wider UK economy. It features four UK manufacturers that are already successfully exporting who explain in their own words how and why they made the leap, what the benefits have been and how they overcame any difficulties.

Companies can get their free copy of the guide by calling EEF on: 0808 168 5874or visiting the website below: WWW.EEF.ORG.UK

now know we have the ability to supersede even these exciting plans,” Reading commented.

Considerable investment in new capital equipment to support further expansion has already been made by the company in 2015. Recent purchases include two- and sixhead pad printers, a number of ultrasonic welding machines and robotics.

Javelin focuses on a number of key market sectors, including safety critical, white goods and automotive. It says this new investment is enabling the company to add real value to mouldings, which are being produced 24/7 at its Camberley site.

WWW.JAVELINPLASTICS.CO.UK

Comment: work smarter, not longer STEVE SHAW, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT RAPRA, LOOKS BACK ON 2015 AND SAYS TO BE MORE EFFICIENT IN INTENSE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS COMPANIES MUST LOOK AT WAYS IN WHICH THEY CAN WORK SMARTER.

T

hrough a diverse range of activities and in the broadest sense, (including all the articles we hope you read in BP&R), in 2015 RAPRA has been prompting you and your organisation to reflect on the resources you have, both human and material, to see if they are truly fit for purpose. If not, what new things might be out there that can improve performance and meet any new challenges, without breaking your staff, the bank balance, or both?

That may sound a bit patronising, you’re all smart people and know how to solve technical problems and manage businesses. However, ask yourself, how much of your time during the course of a working week do you still spend, having to ‘manage’ unforeseen issues? This invariably requires devising compromises that chip away at the quality of your products, services, or perhaps more significantly, the quality of your working life (which will inevitably affect your products and services).

The relentless pace that new technologies are being developed can be viewed as both the villain and the hero in this plot. On the one hand, technology, especially Information and Communications Technology (ICT), is largely responsible for the vastly increased speed and volumes of business we’re told are needed to compete in a global economy. This will invariably impose extra pressure on companies that haven’t been able to adapt to this environment.

Much like biological species that need to adapt when there are environmental changes, or they become extinct, businesses need to ‘mutate’ (this just means to change rapidly and should not be considered bad) in order to survive.

If you look at the most successful companies, they include large global corporations that have introduced some kind of disruptive technology (large business mutation), and many much smaller organisations that are agile enough to make many small rapid changes (still business mutations).

So to keep the biological analogy going, on the positive side, having the equivalent of a business ‘genetic engineer’ to capitalise on the latest technology developments so that your company can benefit from the most appropriate ‘mutations’, has to be a really smart move.

Since the Rubber and Plastics Research Association was formed in 1919, it has been the virtual ‘genetic engineer’ for countless successful businesses, promoting research and development leading to commercialisation of new and emerging technologies. We can help you to solve technical problems, extend the capabilities and enhance the agility of your business, making it fitter for the future. Training and education will be a major theme for RAPRA during the coming year.

WWW.RAPRA.ORG

WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK

13

New materials handling range from Renmar Cost saving with Renmar

Renmar has been appointed the UK alarm and desiccant bed change-over and Ireland distributors for the Marse valve location. All of which is handled by range of materials handling equipment anand automatic programming A significant problem that can occur quickly reaches the desired facility. There which includes hopper loaders, dryers are nine different models in the range. with moulding machines is when the operating temperature in a much and descalers. Manufactured in tool overheats.

Whendelivery this happens, This launched not only reduces Europe, short times and highly shorter Thetime. recently range of the only options areprices to increase the cycle times but sohas using competitive are guaranteed. compressed airdoes dryers been the cycle times or stop production less energy than competitive designed formany elevated installation in Hopper Loaders – There are three heaters. situations that require a small to medium altogether.

Neither option is in anyway individual series throughput. An electronic control panel desirable but there is a within simplethe andhopper loader range MA, MAT and Duplo easy via an internal data relatively economic, answer; install an Both allows the TCU andsetting VCU ranges are – and a total of seventeen different base of main materials.

AEC TCU or VCU mould heater. more than capable of handling mould models. So there really is a machine with complex cavity designs. to suit all applications. Every model is tools Mould Tool Descaling - Lime scale The high flow rates delivered bygrade the stainlessWe have a number of customers manufactured from high buildup in injection moulding tools can TCU and VCU range moulda heaters who have successfully reduced the Mould Tool steel and can of handle variety of be a thing of the past with the different materials.

Descaling If used regularly mean that as the water is delivered number of olderunit. competitors heatersas part of ainstance planned where maintenance through the tool, turbulence occurs - in one 6 x 6kWprogramme Dehumidified and Compressed the Mould Tool Descaling Unit will keep which increases the efficiency of the conventional units were replaced by 3 Air dryers - Packed with features all the mould tool waterways clear. unit and gives better heat transfer. x AEC TCU300-9kW units, essentially including different timing options and Portable and is easy to move from one Because the water is delivered at a halving their running costs. For more industry-leading safety elements covering machine to the next. higher compressed rate and at aair potential failure, higher over temperatureinformation contact Renmar on 0844 temperature, the tool is heated more 6933225 or go to www.renmarltd.com

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MATERIALS HANDLING | NEWS RENMAR IS NEW DISTRIBUTOR OF MARSE PRODUCTS IN UK AND IRELAND Renmar Ltd., based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, has announced it is now the UK and Ireland distributor for the Marse range of plastics materials handling equipment.

The company will be offering the full range of products from Spainbased Marse, which includes hopper loaders, dryers and descalers.

“The Marse materials handling range fills in some important gaps in the range of products that we have available. And the fact that everything is manufactured in Europe means that we can be very competitive with pricing and delivery times,” commented Renmar’s Dan Horne.

The Marse hopper loaders incorporate three individual ranges - MA, MAT and Duplo – and a total of seventeen different models. Each model is manufactured from highgrade stainless steel and can handle

MORETTO HAS EUREKA MOMENT AS DRYING PROJECT COMES FULL CIRCLE At Fakuma last month, materials handling systems provider, Moretto, displayed its completed closed loop drying system for plastics that it says “provides benefits for the whole moulding process.”

The ‘EUREKA Plus’ system was developed as part of a thirteen-year project known as ‘EUREKA’. The last and final component of the system, the ‘Moisture Meter’, was the focus of the company’s presence at the exhibition.

EUREKA Plus is formed today by four core elements: ‘OTX’, the Original Thermal Exchanger, where energy meets moisture; the ‘X MAX’ modular dryer; ‘Flowmatik’, the auto-adaptive air The Moisture Meter

a variety of different materials.

In addition, the range of MDD dehumidified dryers was designed for handling plastics. Features include different timing options and several safety features covering compressed air failure, over temperature alarm and desiccant bed change-over valve location. All of this is handled by an automatic programming facility.

There are nine different models in the range.

Complimenting the dehumidified dryers is a new range of compressed air dryers. These have been designed for elevated installation in situations that require a small to medium throughput. An electronic control panel allows easy setting via an internal database of main materials.

Finally, the Marse portofilio includes a Mould Tool Descaling Unit for use in combating limescale buildup where water is used to heat or cool injection moulding tools.

Used regularly as part of the planned maintenance programme the Mould Tool Descaling Unit is said to keep

all mould tool waterways clear. The unit is also completely portable and is easy to move from one machine to the next.

manager for process air distribution; and, finally, Moisture Meter, a system to measure and control moisture in-line.

Moretto says such an engineered drying system ensures “unequalled” energy efficiency, as the composing elements work in synergy. This, it says, benefits the entire moulding process in terms of better cycle times, higher performance, a lower waiting time and higher efficiency and profit.

“The newly-added Moisture Meter is the absolute novelty in the drying system market,” said Paolo Gasparotto, Business Development Manager at Moretto.

“Moretto is the only company supplying an effective device to measure the residual moisture in the plastic granule during the process.

The constant communication between the Moisture Meter and the dryer enables the setting of the process by the input of numbers to dry the material perfectly, as required by the material’s technical sheet.”

The opportunity to manage the drying system in this way provides an “incomparable efficiency” in

treatment, says Gasparotto, which affects the quality of the moulded products and subsequently the reduction of production waste.

It is this drying-by-numbers technique that certifies the quality of the final product and makes the Moisture Meter so useful, especially in safety critical applications, such as those used in the automotive industry, where perfect material properties are essential.

Company founder, Renato Moretto, said that the company is in the process of developing yet a further drying system for plastics, one which focuses on further energy savings.

“We do have a new project. It is still in the field of drying and we aim to launch a technology on the market that further reduces energy consumption,” Moretto explained “It is more and more necessary to sensibly use energy resources, this is important for our children. The drying process uses a lot of energy and we see it as a must to save energy in the process. In the future we will put our energy into saving energy.”

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dryers The new MDD lable in ai av w no e ar eland the UK and Ir ar m en through R

WWW.MORETTO.COM 15

think materials management

PACKAGING MANUFACTURER ORDERS SECOND INFRARED DRYER A Belgium-based packaging manufacturer has placed an order for its second Kreyenborg infrared dryer (IRD) for crystallisation and drying of PET flakes, after the first proved beneficial in terms of increased throughput, process stabilisation and quality.

Sabert Europe recycles its own in-house PET waste to use in the production of its packaging via thermoforming. It says the decision to order a second dryer came after the first proved easy to install within the existing plant, as well as simple to operate and clean, which the company says enables continuous operation with high flexibility.

The installed IRD crystallises

Inside the IRD

and dries the PET moisture content from one percent (10,000 ppm) to 0.01 percent (100 ppm) within 15 minutes. Several heating zones automatically regulate to a preset temperature. The product temperature, in each heating zone, measured by a pyrometer, is the reference input variable for the control system. Direct measurement of the temperature, enables the crystallisation and drying processes to be conducted with “total precision”, says Kreyenborg, resulting in reproducible results.

Variations in throughput are compensated by a preselected setting on the extruder or the automated start/stop function of the IRD. “The IRD raises the quality of my products to a new level and that combined with an increase in plant throughput. The logical conclusion was the immediate purchase of a second IRD,” commented Sabert Production Manager, Jean-Luc Soret.

WWW.KREYENBORG.COM

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CMYK COLOR INFORMATION:

INDORAMA DARK BLUE: C100 | M80 | Y6 | K30 {PANTONE 288C) INDORAMA GREEN: C97 | M2 | Y98 | K12 (PANTONE 348C) INDORAMA LIGHT RED: C2 | M100 | Y82 | K6 (PANTONE 186C)

Polymer distribution across the UK & Ireland www.biesterfeld-petroplas.com WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK

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Shaking up the tender process

T

hanks to the ease and swiftness of the Internet, ‘shopping around’ for the best value deal on the best products takes little more than a couple of quick Google searches. Sadly, this buying method isn’t effective when it comes to procuring STICKING WITH THE SAME more complex items, SUPPLIERS YEAR AFTER such as process cooling and YEAR MIGHT BE THE EASIEST materials handling solutions. For SHORT-TERM APPROACH one thing, such products and TO BUYING, BUT CAN systems are either not available or suitable for online purchase, while PREVENT MANUFACTURERS reviews are hard to come by. Most BENEFITTING, SAYS JEFF importantly, however, the technical DAY, MANAGING DIRECTOR expertise required to devise and OF AB SYSTEMS, WHO supply optimum solutions can’t be ARGUES THAT LONG-TERM easily judged or bought online. In BUSINESS SUCCESS RELIES the absence of a ‘quick fix’, plastics industry buyers are left ON HEALTHY COMPETITION. with only one real HERE, HE EXPLAINS HOW choice if they want BUYERS CAN OPERATE to source the AN EFFECTIVE, YET TIME- best solution SAVING, TENDER PROCESS. – tender.

Although the general perception of traditional tender processes is that they are often protracted, complicated affairs, this doesn’t have to be the case.

On the contrary, tendering can be easy and quick when performed correctly.

Love me tender

Put simply, tendering is an incredibly effective way for plastics companies to determine the best supplier for any particular need. When done well, buyers can rest assured that the solution they procure will be the one that offers optimal value in terms of price, service, product quality, performance, longevity, energy efficiency and long-term cost savings. Often, the process of tendering enlightens buyers to alternative solutions, products or innovations of which they were previously unaware. Such due diligence enables manufacturers to compete more effectively and efficiently in the market.

There are also less obvious, but nonetheless valuable, benefits to tendering. For example, procuring the best solution saves time in the long run, since a better performing system, coupled with excellent service from the supplier, should ensure minimal downtime and disruption. It also helps with regulatory compliance, provides an audit trail, and increases supplier commitment.

A further benefit is that tendering maintains a competitive marketplace, with companies fighting for business. This stimulates innovation – in products, technology, pricing structures and the way services are provided – spurring the market on an ever-upward trajectory.

Stuck in an expensive rut

The alternative scenario of sticking with the same supplier year after year (even decade after decade in many cases) is generally bad for business. It’s simply

dangerous to assume that the same supplier, no matter how exceptional it has proven previously, will be able to provide the best solution for the next job. Inferior solutions lead to greater expenditure, more hassle, and more time wasted. Furthermore, without keeping existing suppliers on their toes, lack of competition can also lead to complacency and overpricing – in short, the supplier drives the agenda, not the buyer.

Keep it open

The best way to tender is to get suppliers to do most of the hard work. ‘Most’ because, of course, some time and effort is required – but it needn’t be much; once a system is set up it can be repeated for each tender.

Begin by compiling a list of around 10 suppliers to evaluate. Good signs to look for include a healthy online presence, industry awards, excellent word-of-mouth recommendations, or those that contribute to industry magazines and exhibitions. Next, create a questionnaire that can be sent out to potential suppliers. Typical questions would include asking the supplier to list its OEM customers and whether it has sole supplier status? How long has the company been established?

Who makes up the team?

What is their background and expertise? Are all engineers employed by the company or are they contracted? Is the company accredited by industry bodies, such as FGAS? Also, ask suppliers to provide testimonials and case studies – the latter being ideal for assessing the supplier’s approach, capabilities and expertise.

Importantly, give each supplier an opportunity to outline what makes them different. Supplying such information will demonstrate commitment on the part of the supplier – after all, time and effort is required with no guarantee of getting a job or even the opportunity to bid.

For small jobs, invite suppliers to provide quotes and ask them to detail what makes their product or solution different and best for the client. For example, the supplier may use the more efficient and cost-saving R407 refrigerant in a chiller, rather than the initially cheaper, but more costly to run, R410. The quote, therefore, could appear more expensive than others, but if the supplier is able to express the long-term cost-savings, the buyer will be better off.

For larger or complex projects, a wise strategy is to organise an open day where all suppliers are invited on site to view the system and analyse the problem. This will help suppliers understand the precise requirements and, subsequently, provide the best solution at the best price.

Tendering is undeniably the best approach for buyers and the market, and with a little effort, can be done quickly, efficiently, and effectively – providing plastics manufacturers with long term competitive gain.

Jeff Day is the Managing Director at AB Systems Ltd. For more information, please visit: www. ab-ltd.co.uk

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think materials management

Q: What are the most important parameters for drying plastics?

A: There are four key drying parameters

W

hen drying plastics, you should always keep four parameters in mind – and each one has an impact on the other three.

The drying temperature is the parameter with the biggest influence on drying speed. At temperatures above the glass temperature the diffusion rate increases disproportionately rapidly. However, it is not possible to simply increase the drying temperature as required, as this can thermally damage or melt the material. Moreover, if the temperature is too high, the additives can separate from the granules and mix with the surrounding air. Plus, excessively dry material can pose difficulties with regard to plastification.

The flow of dry air transfers heat energy to the material, causing the moisture in the granules to evaporate and dissipate. The airflow volume will also have an impact on drying speed, but once again it cannot be simply adjusted as required. Although a higher volume of air will translate into faster dehumidification, it can also destabilise the material and cause a fluidised bed, or can lead to overdrying. Moreover, applying an excessively high airflow generates unnecessary costs. However, at the same time it is essential to ensure the volume of air is sufficient to raise the temperature of the granules to the required level within the given time frame.

The dew point is determined by the dryness of the air.

It refers to the temperature at which the relative humidity is 100 percent, i.e. the air is fully saturated with moisture.

If the air is cooled to below the dew point, the water condenses and forms droplets (see photograph). A lower dew point can only accelerate the drying process to a certain extent due to the limits imposed by the diffusion rate. For the majority of hygroscopic plastics, a dew point of approximately -20° Celsius is sufficient for drying.

Very low dew points are associated with very high energy consumption. When using hot air to dry the material, the dew point varies depending on the ambient conditions; when using dry air, it is kept stable within pre-defined limits. If the drying temperature remains constant, differences in dew point will only have a minor impact on drying speed.

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Lastly, drying time will depend on the material used based on the diffusion rate of the water from the granules, the initial moisture content and the target residual moisture content.

Damage to material can occur if the drying process is too long or is carried out at an overly elevated temperature.

As a general rule, all four parameters must be adjusted in line with one another and with respect to the material being dried. Because each parameter influences the drying process and the outcome in a different way, changing one will always mean altering the others if the same drying results are to be achieved.

ASKMO@MOSCORNER.DE

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Sven Hasselbach Photography

MASTERBATCH AND ADDITIVES | NEWS ial bag imicrob The ant tracted t a s a h for life n t n e att io a lot of

ADDMASTER LOOKING FORWARD TO 2016 WITH “GREAT OPTIMISM” Manufacturer of performance additives, Addmaster, says it is looking forward to 2016 with “great optimism” after it announced record sales for the current year.

The Staffordshire-based company says 2015 marks the fastest rate of growth sales since the business started 15 years ago.

This success, it says, is down to the record sales of its Biomaster, Verimaster and The Addmaster team celebrates a successful year

SILVERGATE “DELIGHTED” WITH RESPONSE TO 3D PRINTING RANGE Silvergate Plastics has said it is “delighted” with the response it has received to its new range of masterbatch produced specifically for use in 3D printing applications.

The company launched the new products during the TCT Show + Personalize 2015, held at the NEC, Birmingham, in September, after it had been inundated with requests from filament producers seeking compatible and high performance colours and polymers produced specifically for the extrusion of filaments.

“We were absolutely delighted by the response we received at this

Scentmaster additives, ranges it describes as the “technology backbone” of the business.

Three new additional staff members have been recruited to deal with the increase in demand for the lines, which provide antimicrobial, security and fragrance additives respectively.

“2015 has been are most exciting year yet. Sales are at a record high, our pipeline is bulging with new enquiries and our product range continues to grow and develop around the globe. We are all looking forward to 2016 with great optimism,” commented Addmaster’s Managing Director, Paul Morris.

The firm says the introduction of a five pence charge for single-use carrier bags in England in October fuelled demand for its antimicrobial ‘bag-for-life’.

The reusable bag is manufactured with its Biomaster antimicrobial additives, where the use of silverion technology is designed to help reduce the problem of crosscontamination between the bag and goods during grocery shopping. This, says Addmaster, gives it a longer useable life and improves food safety.

UK food safety expert, Dr. Lisa Ackerley, explained: “Multi-use bags are a concern of many industry experts and this bag provides

year’s TCT Show,” explained Maryann Wilcox, Silvergate’s Sales Manager.

“With the rise of 3D printing and the rapid developments in the industry’s technology, we have been receiving requests for a compatible colour range. Our technicians have been quick to respond to this demand and we are pleased to offer such an extensive quality range of masterbatch to this ever-growing market.”

Silvergate has developed a range of masterbatches that perform well with the extrusion of filaments.

The company has also evolved its Optiblo technology – the company’s advanced formula for optimising efficiencies and product performance during manufacture – within this range, as its properties reportedly help to improve the extrusion WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK

a solution to the problem. With Biomaster protection built into the bag there is the added bonus of reducing the likelihood of crosscontamination of dangerous bacteria such as campylobacter when purchasing and handling food”.

Addmaster says that after the bag was featured on television and local radio, online enquiries for the product soared to up to 6,000 an hour, initially crashing its website.

The bag is now available for sale online at Amazon.

WWW.ADDMASTER.CO.UK

process. Also included are fragrance and antimicrobial additives.

WWW.SILVERGATE.CO.UK Silvergate said it was “delighted” with the response it received to its range of products for 3D printing at TCT Show + Personalize

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UK FIRM ADDS ANTIMICROBIAL ADDITIVE TO IPHONE 6 CASE Brighton-based gadget solutions manufacturer, Proporta, has launched its latest ‘indestructible’ polymer smartphone case with antimicrobial technology.

The Dual Shield iPhone 6/6S cover features a tough polycarbonate outer shell and a soft TPU inner skin, both of which incorporate antimicrobial additives from UK-based SteriTouch.

Silver ions embedded in the material will permanently prevent the growth of bacteria, mould and biofilm, says Steritouch, and the case has been designed to withstand drops, scratches and damages.

The Dual Shield, says Proporta, has even been put through a military standard drop test, in which it “passed with flying colours,” and reportedly exceeded the required performance.

WWW.STERITOUCH.COM e uses phone cas s in The new ve ti bial addi antimicro TPU layers. d the PP an orta rop Image: P

FRX POLYMERS’ FLAME RETARDANT AVAILABLE GLOBALLY AS BELGIAN PLANT OPENS FRX Polymers, a company specialising in the development of halogen-free polymeric flame retardant polymers, has inaugurated its new plant in Belgium in order to supply its latest product to the global market.

Three years on from its groundbreaking ceremony, the plant in Antwerp opened this summer and is now producing the company’s environmentally-friendly flame retardant polymer, Nofia, for use in electronics, textiles, monofilaments, transportation vehicles and high-end construction materials.

Nofia is a non-halogenated and non-migrating solution that is transparent in PET, PC and TPU polymers. It is melt processable, therefore FRX says it is excellent as an additive for PET fibre, film or foam applications and clear, thin PC applications like thin-wall (>1.5mm) moulding applications. The product also can improve heat and

mechanical properties.

FRX says it will double its capacity over the next 18 months as the plant goes through a debottlenecking process at the Antwerp facility. “It’s an exciting time for FRX Polymers as demand for Nofia products is ramping up rapidly. This new investment in Antwerp allows us to stay ahead of demand,” said Marc Lebel, President and CEO of FRX Polymers.

FRX Polymers, which is headquarted in Chelmsford, USA, began marketing the Nofia product in 2007 and today has a number of commercial applications for the phosphorus-containing polymer.

Royal Imex, a marketer of hair extensions, recently introduced a synthetic PET hair fibre extension made with the Nofia polymeric flame retardant. The company worked closely with their fibre producer, Uno Industries. This, says FRX, is the first phosphorus containing monofilament in the synthetic hair extension market.

WWW.FRXPOLYMERS.COM

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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PERFORMANCE MASTERBATCHES INVESTS £500K IN UPGRADES DURING ANNIVERSARY YEAR A South-Wales based masterbatch and compound manufacturer has recently invested over £500k in upgrading its plant and laboratory facilities as the company celebrates 40 years in business.

Performance Masterbatches Ltd (PMB), based in Ebbw Vale, says the upgrade includes two new lines, which will significantly increase the plant’s capacity and reduce lead times to “inside the industry standard.”

One of the lines was commissioned in August and the other in November this year. This is in addition to the recent investment in the company’s R&D facility and training programme.

“We are manufacturing a high

colour specialty ditive Adtec’s id and ad u q li ates, osaf’s T concentr to d ches ad e ts for th masterbat f produc o af s o o li T o f e: port Imag industry. plastics

quality product servicing all industry sectors and from what we see and our healthy order book we are very optimistic about both the future of the British plastic industry and PMB,” commented Lawrence Watts, PMB’s Managing Director.

“This investment will help to further enhance our reputation as one of the leading European colour houses in today’s very progressive and competitive environment.”

TOSAF GROUP FINALISES ACQUISITION OF ADTEC

another step in the fulfillment of our US market entry strategy following our earlier announcement of the construction of a new additives, white and colour masterbatch plant in Bessemer City, NC,” commented Amos Megides, Chairman and CEO of Tosaf Group.

“The acquisition of Adtec is an important addition to our cluster of highly synergistic and complementary businesses which operates ten plants across Europe and Asia.”

Tosaf Group, a developer and manufacturer of additives, compounds and colour masterbatches for the plastics industry, has finalised the acquisition of Adtec Colorant Corporation.

Based in the US, Adetec is a manufacturer of specialty colour concentrates, liquid and additive masterbatches for the injection moulding, blow moulding, film, and extrusion markets.

“This transaction represents

WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK

WWW.PMB.CO.UK

WWW.TOSAF.COM

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TESTING AND INSPECTION | NEWS AGR TESTING SOLUTION HAS BROUGHT “CONSIDERABLE IMPROVEMENTS” Italian blowmoulding machine manufacturer, SMI, has installed a testing solution from AGR International for validation of bottles, moulds and blowing solutions in its corporate lab.

SMI selected Agr International to provide pressure testing equipment for its internal quality management and testing programme and has recently installed a new PPT3000 Packaging Pressure tester. This, says SMI, will enable it to qualify bottles created in its design centre and ensure that they meet pressure strength and volume expansion design goals.

Unlike Agr’s typical PPT3000 user, SMI does not manufacture and/or fill bottles for commercial sale. SMI is one step up the supply chain, providing equipment and expertise to others to blow, fill and package PET containers. In its design centre, SMI’s engineers work with customers to create designs and graphic renderings of bottles to be produced. Once the design is rendered and verified, the container is further developed and turned into a detailed project. Prior to final sign-off on a container design, the SMI staff rigorously analyse preforms and containers and subject them to severe tests of quality control. The PPT 3000 is used extensively at this point of the design cycle to verify that the bottle design meets pressure, volume expansion and the shelf-life expectations of the customer.

SMIform’s testing lab

According to Erika Luiselli, SMI’s Technical Production Department Manager: “We are using the PPT3000 in a number of ways; to validate bottles produced in prototype moulds to ensure they meet SMI Quality Specifications and to test our blow moulding machines during final checkout in order to certify and guarantee that the bottles produced with these systems conform with what was prototyped by our customer at the initial stage of their project. Following qualification, results from the PPT3000 tests are submitted to the customer as part of final acceptance process.”

In addition to machine and bottle qualification, SMI uses the PPT3000 to test the behaviour (expansion) of bottles during the filling process.

“This information is very useful during the design of containers that will be produced by our integrated

NASA POLYMER SCIENTIST RECEIVES AWARD FOR WORK ON TESTING STANDARDS

NASA polymer scientist, Jess Waller, has received a prestigious award from ASTM for his testing work

NASA polymer scientist, Dr. Jess Waller, has received a prestigious award from two international standards organisations for his work on Nondestructive Testing Standards.

Awarded by ASTM International and SES, the recognition is presented to a person who has contributed the most outstanding service in a given year in the field of

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blow-fill systems,” Luiselli continued.

According to Agr, the PPT3000 offers high-precision pressure, volume expansion testing capabilities for PET containers with the versatility to perform a number of standard and custom test profiles. Furthermore, in addition to traditional tests, the PPT3000 can also be used to provide immediate predicted shelf-life characteristics of individual PET containers for carbon dioxide, oxygen or or water loss, in a matter of 60 seconds.

“We think that the introduction of the Agr PPT3000 in our laboratories has brought considerable improvements in our daily testing activities, increased the level of accuracy and improved time efficiency,” concluded Luiselli.

WWW.AGRINTL.COM

standards. ASTM noted Dr. Waller’s “many contributions” in leading the development of standards for composite and aerospace materials over the last year. This work has focused on investigating the compatibility of plastics and elastomers in hypergolic and oxygenenriched media, nondestructive evaluation and composite overwrapped pressure vessels.

WWW.ASTM.ORG

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NEW ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE OPTIMISED FOR POLYMER RESEARCH Oxford Instruments Asylum Research has developed a new atomic force microscope (AFM) which it says is specifically designed to meet the growing demands of polymer researchers who require fast, high resolution, and quantitative nanomechanical measurements.

The ‘Cypher ES Polymer Edition AFM’ is optimised for polymer research by offering high resolution, fast scanning, heating and a comprehensive suite of nanomechanical characterisation tools. It is said to be ideal for many polymer and material science applications, such as imaging morphology and structure, measuring force and deformation, mapping nanomechanical and thermal properties, monitoring dynamic processes including solvent and thermal effects, and for probing electrical and functional behaviour.

“Asylum Research’s innovative nanomechanical scan modes and environmental capabilities have made it possible for us to address the specific demands of polymer scientists with our new Cypher ES

Polymer Edition AFM system,” said John Green, Director of Sales.

“Asylum Research is the only AFM manufacturer to offer high resolution and quantitative imaging of both the elastic and viscous response of materials. This is an essential capability for polymer scientists since virtually all polymers exhibit significant viscoelasticity. With the Cypher ES Polymer Edition AFM system, the polymer researcher now has many powerful tools within one system to operate efficiently, get quantitative data, and correlate results.”

The Cypher ES Polymer Edition includes three exclusive nanomechanical characterisation techniques. Two AFM techniques, AM-FM and Contact Resonance Viscoelastic Mapping Modes, enable high resolution, quantitative mapping of both the elastic modulus and the viscous response (i.e. loss modulus or loss tangent). The third technique, Fast Force Mapping Mode, enables quantitative high-speed elastic modulus mapping. Asylum’s Fast Force Mapping Mode captures every force curve in the image, measures both deflection and the Z sensor signal, and supports both common

ick New Zw ure temperat s er b cham

ZWICK LAUNCHES NEW TEMPERATURE CHAMBERS FOR TESTING PLASTICS AND COMPOSITES Zwick has launched new temperature chambers designed for materials testing of plastics and composites.

The new temperature chambers are said to use optimum matching of system components, ensuring reliable test results combined with fast, easy handling.

The company says that integrating the temperature chamber with Zwick extensometry means reliable test results are guaranteed, regardless of whether optical or contact-type measurement is used. All influences such as vibrations and streaking due to convection are reportedly minimised, while an optional LED lighting module can also enable optical measurement for change of width.

The requirements of standards such as ISO 527-1 and ASTM D638 are “comfortably met”, the company added. To avoid influencing test 26

The new equipment works with Zwick’s existing software systems

results for sensitive specimens such as films/foils, the fan speed can be adjusted during the test sequence.

All system functions are said to feature convenient, intuitive operation via Zwick’s testXpert II testing software; the control layout adapts interactively to the test sequence and provides WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK

Cypher ES Polymer Edition AFM pictured with an image of syndiotactic PP and PS that was imaged after heating to ~135° then allowed to cool.

indentation models along with more advanced models.

Additionally, Asylum says the Cypher ES Polymer Edition offers high resolution fast scanning AFM with integrated environmental control. It includes a high temperature sample heater, which can be integrated without extra cables, tubing or controllers, to enable exploration of polymer phase transition phenomena at temperatures up to 250°C. WWW.OXFORD-INSTRUMENTS. COM/AFM-POLYMERS

direct feedback. All data can be documented traceably with the test series. In addition, the temperature chamber is said to adapt to the needs of an application; for example, when changing from a tensile test to a flexure test the appropriate control parameters for the test fixture can easily be called up. Zwick says rapid attainment of the exact test temperature is therefore “guaranteed”, even with widely differing testing applications.

New features enable short cycle-times combined with low operating-costs and can be retrofitted as required.

These include pre-tempering specimens in a specimen magazine, or rapid specimen changes with no significant reduction in temperature, achieved through a small access port in the door, while specimens can be aligned precisely and inserted quickly using special tongs.

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New research validates the benefits of solvent-free melt intrinsic viscosity testing for PET TOBY ROGERS OF AMETEK LLOYD INSTRUMENTS DISCUSSES THE BENEFITS OF AN ALTERNATE METHOD OF TESTING FOR END USERS OF PET.

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ith the release of a new research report, manufacturers, processors and end users of PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) have a credible cost and time saving alternative to traditional solvent-based Intrinsic Viscosity (IV) testing. The report, by Plastic Technologies, Inc. (PTI), concludes that IV measurement performed by a solvent-free melt process provides results consistent with solvent-based viscometer testing for package evaluation.

The melt process costs less, can be completed faster, requires no special operator training and eliminates the safety and environmental hazards of solventbased testing. In practice, this means that IV testing can be done on-site in real time instead of shipping samples to a lab and not knowing results for two weeks or more. Therefore, the assurance that its results are comparable with the older method opens significant efficiency options for producers of PET bottle preforms as well as resin manufacturers and end users.

Why IV Testing

The polymer chain length in PET determines the molecular weight of the material and with it the physical

For preform manufacturers, the benefits of rapid, economical IV testing are numerous, says Rogers.

“The ability to rapidly and safely measure IV to control process parameters has been very well received by PET processors, and several major brands now specify melt testing as standard for new pre-form manufacturing lines.”

properties that make PET such a useful packaging material. Intrinsic Viscosity (IV) is a measure of the polymer’s molecular weight and therefore reflects the material’s melting point, crystallinity and tensile strength. The IV is used as part of the specification to select the right grade of PET for a particular application, and is measured at various points of the supply chain. Material is tested at all stages, including recyclers who want to control their process; chemical companies that draw off samples from their polymerisation towers; processors who want to control their process and quality of finished goods; and in twenty-four hour process lines and by recyclers routinely test incoming resin, the dryers and extruders and finished product.

With such a variety of applications and measurement locations, there has long been a need for an easy, safe, accurate and repeatable measurement method.

Intrinsic Viscosity Measurement Methods

Historically, IV has been measured by either viscometer or a free blowing method, with the melt process (developed by ICI and commercialised by AMETEK Lloyd Instruments) added more recently.

Viscometer methods involving the dissolution of the polymer in halogenated solvents are costly both in terms of solvent purchase and disposal. The solvents used to dissolve PET are extremely dangerous and highly toxic and include: Phenol/tetrachlorethane, Phenol/ Dichlorobenzene, Dichloroacetic Acid, TrifloroaceticAcid and ortho-Chloropehnol. The solution viscosity method requires relatively simple equipment – a glass capillary viscometer. However, expensive laboratory facilities and high level laboratory staff are required to facilitate the use of dangerous solvents. Ongoing consumable costs of solvents and disposal costs are another disadvantage to the solution method. Cost and practicality of this method are seen as prohibitive for PET processors.

The free blowing method does not actually measure the IV of the material itself. According to resin suppliers and manufacturers of injection and blow moulders, it is an indirect method showing the ability of a preform to blow to a certain size. These and other characteristics change with time and environmental conditions, limiting the usefulness of the data. The unique solvent-free method is based on the extrusion of the polymer through a die using a dedicated instrument. First the PET is dried under vacuum. It is then placed into a sealed barrel with a die at the base and forced through the narrow die at

With the release of a new research report, manufacturers, processors and end users of PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) have a credible cost and time saving alternative to traditional solvent-based Intrinsic Viscosity (IV) testing

295° C for 17 minutes. The free space in the barrel is filled with nitrogen gas to ensure there is no degradation due to moisture. After extrusion, the instrument’s software performs a linear regression to obtain the polymer degradation rate and initial melt viscosity.

This is a powerful alternative that has been used by the world’s major resin producers and processors for measuring the IV of PET and other hygroscopic polymers.

Once the sample is dried, tests can be completed in less than 20 minutes. Routine testing carried out on the shop floor leaves skilled laboratory staff more time for other work. It can also be used in R&D laboratories, technical support departments and in PET plants to monitor the critical stages of the polymerisation process.

Benefits of Rapid IV Testing

For preform manufacturers, the benefits of rapid, economical IV testing are numerous. The quality of incoming material can quickly be assessed to avoid expensive downtime in production. Manufacturers can determine if their preforms and bottles are meeting performance parameters. Similarly, evaluating blends of virgin and recycled material can be done on site to allow optimisation of raw material costs. Molten polymer can be transferred from the process line to the instrument for results within 20 minutes. Manufacturers can evaluate IV directly from the production dryer prior to processing, which gives an early warning signal of issues with drying.

Preform IV can be measured to optimise the IV drop across the process, which can be related to acetaldehyde and the dangers it poses if it migrates from the PET to the beverage.

Resin can be tested before unloading to save time or to check regrind or resin mixtures. The melt test instrument displays trends, so comparisons between suppliers and batches can be made with full statistical analysis. Processors also can monitor gradual changes in dryer operation by comparing the laboratorydried incoming resin with plant-dried samples. This allows action to be taken before problems become serious.

The economic risks of using unsatisfactory material are significant. Consider a processor with a daily production output of 20,000 preforms, each weighing 48g. If the entire day’s output is lost due to ‘out of specification’ or insufficiently dried material, 960 Kg of raw material is wasted and significant income is lost from not being able to sell the 20,000 preforms. Avoiding losses like this rapidly covers the purchase cost of a melt test instrument.

Both systems reliable

The ability to rapidly and safely measure IV to control process parameters has been very well received by PET processors, and several major brands now specify melt testing as standard for new preform manufacturing lines.

We expect that trend to grow as the industry learns about the PTI test showing equivalent results from the old and new methods. The report ‘Comparison of PETPlus Data vs Solution IV Data’, concludes “use of either methodology for the measurement of IV in PET gives good, consistent agreement… In the end, both systems provide consistent, reproducible results that may be relied upon for manufacturing process monitoring.” www.ametektest.com

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Best-in-class polymer distribution ... need we say more PLA1032_Strip_10x413_02.indd 1

MEDICAL | NEWS LABTECH ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF MEDICAL TUBING LINE Working with a European partner with experience and expertise in designing and producing extrusion lines for medical tubing, Labtech has announced it is now supplying the market with fully professional medical tubing lines.

The Labtech Scientific medical tubing lines, built under license and incorporating the latest technology, can be supplied in many configurations and using many extruder sizes depending on diameter of tubing and required output. Where tolerances are critical, the extruders can be equipped with a gear pump, which will ensure a very

precise and constant resin flow to the die.

Downstream, the lines have a cooling and calibration tank in different sizes, with vacuum available, plus a haul-off and cutting unit designed for cutting soft and semi-rigid tubing for typical medical applications. The haul-off unit has a touch screen to set speed and cutting lengths and is also equipped with a dimension controller and recorder which is connected in closed loop to the extruder.

After the cutting station the tube lengths are collected on an outfeed and stacking conveyor, which enables tubes to be stored and packaged in predefined batches.

Millmerran Research and Manufacturing Ltd is the exclusive UK agent for the Labtech range of laboratory processing equipment.

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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

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Tel: 0845 34 54 560

Email: sales@plastribution.co.uk

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RTP Company has launched new technology for medical plastics

NEW PLASTIC TECHNOLOGY THAT RESISTS CHEMICAL ATTACK FROM HOSPITAL DISINFECTANTS DEVLOPED RTP Company has developed a proprietary alloy technology designed to maintain strength, functionality and integrity even with repeated exposure to hospital cleaners used to disinfect medical devices.

Known as the RTP 2000 HC series, these thermoplastic compounds can reportedly help solve cracking issues in existing devices and open up new possibilities for the design of hospital equipment and plastic housings that require frequent disinfection, such as mobile ultrasound and x-ray machines, enteral feeding devices, drug infusion pumps, blood filtration equipment and more.

RTP says the new series provides a unique solution to a widespread problem: the damage and premature failure of plastic devices, equipment, and housings caused by harsh cleaners and disinfectants used in medical settings.

In developing the RTP 2000 HC series, engineers from RTP Company tested numerous polymers for damage resistance to six popular chemical classes of hospital

COVESTRO DEVELOPS NEW PC/ PES BLEND FOR WEARABLE MEDICAL DEVICES Covestro has launched a new blend of plastic developed specifically for the growing market for wearable medical devices. e new d M525, th om Makroblen ter blend fr es ly po / te na ally c bo ifi ar c c pe ly po ped s was develo wearable r fo Covestro, t ke owing mar for the gr vices. de al medic

cleaners and disinfectants. Moulded compounds were subjected to stressors in order to replicate field failures and relative resistance.

The best performer was optimised for physical properties, chemical damage resistance, colourability and flammability. The RTP 2000 HC series is available globally in flame retardant or non-flame retardant versions, and the compounds are colourable. It is also available in sheet format in thicknesses ranging from 0.508-0.635mm through Engineered Sheet Products (ESP), a division of RTP Company.

OEMs and injection moulding

companies that create parts, housings, and equipment for medical facilities can reportedly use the RTP 2000 HC series thermoplastic compounds as a direct replacement for other amorphous resins such as PC/ABS and PC/PBT. RTP says the 2000 HC series has proven performance for superior chemical resistance under moulded in-stress conditions, allowing OEMs and injection moulders to improve the quality and service life of their medical devices.

The polycarbonate/polyester blend, called Makroblend M525, was launched in November at the Compamed trade fair in Düsseldorf and is a response to the growing demand for out-patient treatment and in-home care, where small, lightweight products can perform a number of functions without limiting a patient’s mobility.

‘Wearables’ can, for instance, monitor vital signs during physical activity or administer drugs. The tasks they perform are highly diverse, as are the demands imposed on the materials used to make them.

Covestro says Makroblend M525 displays good resistance to body lotions, other skincare products and cleansers. The plastic also meets all international standards for the biological testing of medical devices, first and foremost Cytotoxicity (ISO 10993-5) and Irritation and Sensitisation (ISO 10993-10).

“Medical device manufactures have been relying on our products

for decades now, and plastics from Covestro continue to be found in the most innovative devices on the market,” said Markus Krieter, an expert in the use of polycarbonate in consumer and medical products.

“The introduction of Makroblend M525 is just the latest example of how Covestro keeps on discovering new ways to meet the growing demands of OEMs, injection moulders and end consumers and to offer them added value.”

The new plastic is said to be very durable and exhibit high impact resistance. It is dimensionally stable, can be formed into any shape and produced in a great many shades to fulfill the design requirements for wearable medical devices.

Furthermore, it is compatible with standard manufacturing processes, such as ultrasonic welding and adhesive bonding.

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Best-in-class polymer distribution ... need we say more PLA1032_Srtip_10x200.indd 1

15/07/2014 08:51

Medical | Feature

If the cap fits…

WORDS | LEANNE TAYLOR Paxman Cooling Cap

HEREFORDSHIRE-BASED MANUFACTURER OF SILICONE AND ORGANIC RUBBER PRODUCTS, PRIMASIL SILICONES, HAS RECENTLY BEEN RECOGNISED BY MEDICAL INDUSTRY LEADERS FOR ITS PART IN DEVELOPING A COOLING CAP DESIGNED TO ELIMINATE HAIR LOSS IN CHEMOTHERAPY PATIENTS. BRITISH PLASTICS AND RUBBER SPOKE TO THE COMPANY’S MANAGING DIRECTOR, STEVE WHEELER, TO FIND OUT MORE.

I

nnovation in the medical industry is not just about the cure of an illness or disease, but also the treatment process itself. In the case of chemotherapy, hair loss can have a devastating effect on a patients self-image and confidence, which is why, in 2000, British manufacturer, Paxman Cooling, launched a ‘cooling cap’ to market designed to alleviate the effects of the treatment.

Prior to the launch, the company worked in conjunction with Herefordshire-based Primasil Silicones in order to develop the materials for use in the production of the cap. Now, thanks to the growing popularity of the cooling cap globally, Primasil and its academic partner, the University of Huddersfield, were called on once again to improve and develop the original design, with the revised version having been recently recognised by industry experts at the Medtech World Awards.

“The cap has always needed to be robust,

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flexible, user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing, water-tight and conform to the patients head shape,” Steve Wheeler told BP&R when commenting on the development of the original design.

“However, the variety of head shapes that the cap needed to fit increased as the product became global.

Increasing the accuracy of the fit to a wider number of head shapes has been achieved in this latest design through the combination of innovative material selection and development and assessing the synergism between the material and the fabrication method. The cooling cap also needed to be FDA compliant and biocompatible.”

As chemotherapy affects rapidly dividing cells, which include most of our hair follicles, its unintended consequence can be atrophy of the hair root bulb. The Paxman cooling cap essentially consists of a compact refrigeration system connected to a lightweight silicone rubber cap. By lowering the head

and scalp temperature, immediately before, during and after treatment, it reduces blood flow to the follicles and so prevents or minimises damage.

“Our latest joint efforts have produced a better fitting cap, which ensures that the coolant running through it is always in close contact with the scalp, all over the head and throughout the treatment,” Wheeler explained.

Automation to satisfy demand

The Paxman cooling cap is used extensively throughout the UK in NHS hospitals, private clinics and home healthcare sectors and is well established in many other countries across Europe. In order to satisfy increasing demand for the product, the partners looked at ways of increasing automation in the cap’s production.

“With demand for the cooling cap forecast to increase significantly the older, hand fabricated method of manufacture needed to be updated as

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it was too time consuming.

The new technique allows demand to be satisfied and delivers a significantly simplified process,” Wheeler continued. “The more automated manufacturing process allows increased efficiency and higher volume supply in response to market needs and opportunities.”

Silicone for Medical Applications

Demands in the medical device industry are particularly stringent.

If medical products don’t perform as intended, the consequences can be significant and costly.

Strict regulations help prevent those scenarios from arising, but they also pose challenges in getting a product to market. With increasing frequency, the material to help with these challenges, from a performance and regulatory requirements standpoint, says Wheeler, is silicone rubber.

“Silicone rubber is a remarkable material which is flexible in every sense of the word and can be ideal

Rubber mouldings for the medical and pharmaceutical market

Silicone rubber extrusions and tubing for medical use

for medical applications.

Through subtle alterations of its chemistry we can bend and shape its properties to meet most needs, and when the right minds are brought together our potential for creating, improving and transforming medical devices is almost limitless,” he explained.

“Many grades are biocompatible and the material is available in grades specifically developed and approved for implants and similar medical applications.

Silicone is extremely stable, can withstand environmental factors, high heat and freezing conditions, exposure to sterilisation, cleaning and disinfecting chemicals and chemical media in general,” he added.

A specific example of a product making a difference in the market today is the recent development of a silicone rubber sling, Wheeler said. This is used for safe transportation of human organs during transplant procedures.

“This manufacturing project has made the process of transplants more efficient,” he added.

Key challenges

Wheeler explained that the three key challenges for the medical device industry which silicone rubber is helping to address are firstly, contact with living tissue. “A huge concern facing medical product development relates to the potential contact with living tissue, whether it be externally (e.g. skin contact) or internally (e.g. implantable devices). It’s a double edged sword, as the product must not irritate or affect the tissue nor must it be adversely affected by contact with that

tissue,” he explained.

Secondly, Wheeler says that silicone rubber is helping address issues surrounding sterilisation, cleaning and disinfection. “Depending on the application and whether it is designed for single-use or repeated use, medical products often need to be clean or sterile. This may result in a process or treatment that typically entails exposure of the product to extreme temperatures, pressure, radiation (gamma or UV) as well as chemical media. Many thermoplastic materials, by their very nature, cannot withstand these harsh conditions, breaking down or discolouring. At high temperatures they can embrittle or melt, while cold temperatures can cause them to harden and stiffen.”

Finally, Wheeler pointed out the benefits relating to cosmetic considerations.

“A product may perform perfectly, but if it appears old, worn, or otherwise compromised, questions regarding functionality are raised,” he explained. “In the medical world, perceived quality can be critical, and anything that appears to be a flaw may be interpreted as an actual defect, even if it has no impact on function. So, in addition to resisting wear, scratching, and retaining its functionality, silicone rubber remains cosmetically attractive throughout its life.”

WWW.PRIMASIL.COM WWW.PAXMANSCALPCOOLING.COM About: Steve Wheeler is the Managing Director of Primasil Silicones, a UKbased, private company which formulates silicone rubber compounds and manufactures silicone tubing, silicone mouldings and organic rubber components.

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SORTING AND SEPARATION | NEWS Joanthan Clarke at the Identiplast conference earlier this year. Image: TOMRA

TOMRA SEPARATES THE ISSUES ON PLASTICS SORTING At the Identiplast recycling conference in Rome earlier this year, the efficient sorting technologies available for plastics were discussed at length.

Jonathan Clarke, Commercial Director, and Frédéric Durand, Plastics Segment Champion, at TOMRA Sorting Recycling, shared the business’s outlook on the plastics recycling industry’s needs from sorting technology to fulfill its role in creating a circular economy.

They also provided a glimpse of the products to watch out for in the near future, as the organisation responds to the constant challenge of anticipating market needs and bringing customers new applications, systems and ideas.

Explaining, Clarke said: “New challenges are affecting, for example, the final quality of recycled plastics, such as the ever-rising number of PET trays and opaque PET bottles appearing in input streams. These require new approaches, to ensure high quality close-to-virgin plastics are recovered while costs are cut by increasing yields. The way to achieve these results is to use new sorting technologies.”

Here we outline some of the key points from the addresses given at the conference:

Closing the loop on plastic foils The TOMRA representatives said a good example of closed loop recycling in practice is that of plastic foils from packaging. The latest automated technology makes it possible to achieve high purity clear polyethylene (PE) films, suitable for extrusion and use in new product manufacturing, consisting of 100 percent recycled content. This has closed the loop on plastic foils.

A major French PE foils manufacturer is already reportedly using TOMRA’s technology with “impressive” results. In addition, PET trays, normally used for meat products, have so far not been sorted separately or recycled, but the newest technology can detect this kind of multi-layered product.

Although still classed as waste, work is underway to determine how the recovered material can be properly recycled.

Separating opaque PET

Bottles made from PET are widely replacing those comprising high density PE (HDPE), as its use continues to grow. Opaque is used in PET bottles to protect the contents from light and oxygen but can cause problems in recycling, as the human eye can easily confuse it with HDPE. TOMRA Sorting Recycling has developed the ‘AUTOSORT unit’, which is said to make recycling this material possible for the first time, however, as it distinguishes all types of opaque PET bottles from transparent colours and recovers them.

Separating food-grade from non-food-grade PE

Separating food from non-food packaging, an almost impossible feat using manual visual inspection, is being addressed with a sensor-based technology application currently generating great interest. TOMRA has developed a pioneering unit using an extended wavelength scanner to distinguish between homo and copolymer, therefore making it possible to effectively separate two polymers within one group.

This solution is already in place at an Australian packaging and resource recovery company, Visy Industries Australia Pty.

Flake sorting for food-grade material

TOMRA has developed the ‘AUTOSORT flake sorter’, described as “a world-class plastics recycling solution enabling reprocessors to achieve the high purity and quality levels demanded by customers for food grade rPET flakes.“ The unit combines a visible range spectrometer camera (RGBVIS) to detect colour and non-transparent contaminants, a near infrared (NIR) spectrometer to detect different

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polymer types such as PET, HDPE, PP, PVC, PA, PS, PLA, etc and also a metal sensor to detect ferrous and non-ferrous particles.

The unit, says TOMRA, combines a visible range spectrometer, to detect colour contaminants, with a near infrared one, to distinguish different polymer types, such as PET, HDPE, polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS) and polylactide (PLA). It identifies and sorts flakes as small as 2mm, eliminates contamination and delivers a consistent yield of superclean recycled PET at “unparalleled” purity levels.

Flake sorting is likely to be a major future growth area in many European countries, TOMRA’s representatives suggested, as it offers a highly effective final opportunity for recycling companies to improve material quality and satisfy customers’ requirements. Following its success with PET flake sorting, TOMRA says it is now developing a similar solution for PE and PP flakes.

Sorting black packaging

Many packaging companies favour black plastics for certain items but historically these materials have not been recyclable, as infrared cameras cannot detect the carbon they contain. Now, though, studies are looking at adding a pigment or marking to bottles or trays, which, the company says, would mean ‘AUTOSORT’ could detect and recover these materials.

Future innovation

With regards to the future, TOMRA said it will continue to invest in research and development, innovation and collaborate closely with plastics manufacturers and recycling companies to identify new plastics recycling opportunities.

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SUZUKI MOTORCYCLES INDIA SAYS “ON YER BIKE” TO METAL CONTAMINANTS Suzuki Motorcycles India PVT Ltd., a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation in Japan, is using metal separators from Sesotec to remove unwanted metal contaminants from its manufacturing process.

The plant produces plastic parts for up to 1,500 motorcycles and scooters per day, using injection moulding before painting. All the components of the bikes undergo thorough inspection and quality testing.

Suzuki uses both new granulate and recycled material for the parts, however, experienced problems in the processing of the material due

to contamination with metal particles that were causing downtime of the moulding machines or damage to the hot runners.

In order to ensure material and aesthetic demands of the products are met, Suzuki has installed stateof-the-art inspection and testing machinery, which includes metal separators from Sesotec’s ‘Protector’ range.

The ‘Protector’ metal separator is installed directly above the material inlet of an injection-moulding machine, extruder, or blow-moulding machine. It detects all magnetic and non-magnetic metal contamination (including steel, stainless steel and aluminium) even if they are embedded in the product. The ‘Quick ces of IMAGES: The surfa ts can par le cyc tor mo c plasti ause bec d nte pai be perfectly tor tec Pro c the Sesote oves metal metal separator rem the contamination from e lat granu

Valve’ rejection unit then removes metal contamination.

At Suzuki’s Indian facility, there was only 350 millimetres in height available for installing the metal separators on the injection moulding machines, however, as the Protector is slim in design it could fit into the space.

Vipul Vikas, Project Manager at Suzuki said of the Sesotec Protector metal separators: “We were actively searching for a solution to solve the problem of metal contamination and we found Sesotec through the manufacturer of our injection moulding machines. Our Sesotec metal separators operate successfully and productivity has increased by five percent.”

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CASE STUDY: UK PLASTICS RECYCLER MAKES METAL CONTAMINATION STOPPAGES A THING OF THE PAST Wolverhampton-based plastics recycler, Recycled UK, has recently installed seven magnetic separators at its processing facility in order to reduce metal contamination in its material streams.

The company, which handles and processes up to 200 tonnes per month of plastics regrind from primary manufacturing and secondary recycling channels across the UK, wanted to solve the issue of metal contaminants causing both production downtime and damage to equipment such as shredders and granulators. Contaminants included both large and small metal bodies passing through the plant, including large spanners, bolts, nails, washers and fine iron.

Production Director, Paul Cotton, approached Bunting Magnetics Europe at UK plastics exhibition, Interplas, in September 2014, where the suggestion of installing magnetic separators on new conveyors as a first priority was made.

“It was very good timing that we were ready to address the metal contamination problem when we met Bunting at the Interplas exhibition.

They came and visited our site soon after the exhibition and quoted us competitive prices that meant the project could go ahead straight away,” Cotton explained.

Bunting plate magnets above a conveyor

Metal bolts extracted by a Bunting magnetic pulley

A broken spanner from a Bunting magnetic pulley

To achieve the best separation, Recycled UK went on to install two different types of magnetic separator.

Firstly, on the end of its conveyors, it replaced the standard head drive pulleys with magnetic pulleys. Here, material is conveyed up and into the magnetic field of the pulley where ferrous metal is attracted and held to the surface of the belt. Non-magnetic material continues to fall under its normal trajectory with the captured ferrous metal being held and then discharged into a separate collection bin underneath. The types of metal being removed include long blots, washers, nuts and smaller tramp iron. The magnetic pulley installed has a diameter of 150mm and is 975mm long.

Recycled UK also installed four plate magnets of three different sizes. All have flat faces and are high strength rare earth magnet models replacing weaker and older ferrite magnets. The plate magnets

have been installed in chutes on the discharge end of conveyors and also suspended over conveyors. The installed plate magnets are even removing and capturing fine iron filings from the conveyed plastic.

“Within a batch of recycled plastic there will be problematic metal, which damages equipment and the quality of the end product. Often the end plastic product is unsaleable unless it is metal-free. Recycled UK is using relatively simple magnetic separation technology, but it successfully addresses those two problems,” explained Bunting’s UK Sales Director, Carlton Hicks.

Recycled UK says that since the installation of the magnetic pulleys and plate magnets there have been no stoppages due to metal contamination. The company continues to invest in the plant to improve productivity and efficiency.

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RECLAMATION & RECYCLING | NEWS RECYCLING PVC HELPED TO CREATE 1,000 JOBS THROUGHOUT EUROPE, SAYS VINYLPLUS The 481,000 tonnes of waste PVC recycled across Europe in 2014 contributed to the creation of around 1,000 direct jobs in recycling plants, according to VinylPlus, the sustainable development programme of the European PVC industry.

As well as creating employment opportunities, PVC recycling is also saving around one million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

The figures are calculated on an average of one employee needed to recycle 500 tonnes of PVC per year and a 2kg saving of CO2 for each kilogramme of PVC that is recycled.

Energy demand for recycling PVC is typically around 90 percent lower than virgin PVC production.

Waste PVC materials, such as rigid PVC films, pipes and fittings, window profiles and related products, as well as flexible PVC (cables, membranes

HIGH-PERFORMANCE RECYCLED POLYMER RANGE IMPRESSES IN FIRST TRIAL Louth-based technical plastics recycling and compounding company, Luxus, has announced its high performance recycled content polymer range, Hycolene, has “surpassed expectations” in its first full scale commercial trial.

Hycolene is a faster cycling range of scratch resistant, lightweight (PP) compounds that help deliver improved Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) - it features up to 60 percent recycled

An example of the column shroud component used for the first Hycolene commercial trial.

Graph showing the cumulative success of PVC recycling over the last 15 years

and flooring) were recycled through the European-wide network of 155 Recovinyl-accredited recyclers.

Speaking at the recent Brussels Sustainable Development Summit in October, Arjen Sevenster, Technical and Environmental Affairs Manager for the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM), highlighted how Voluntary Commitments, such as VinylPlus, which put together the entire European PVC value chain, can

address sustainability challenges in a systemic and holistic way, helping to move an industry sector towards a low-carbon circular economy.

“The potential of recycling should not be underestimated. With regard to the depletion of the non-renewable raw materials, recycling achieves the same objective as moving to renewables,” he said.

content. The range aims to help satisfy both ‘end-of-life’ vehicle (ELV) and emissions targets.

The results of the trail, which took place in September at the plant of Lincolnshire-based moulder, International Automotive Components Group (IAC), have shown that the scratch performance of Hycolene has “significantly improved” on the current product.

Luxus says it will, therefore, deliver a higher quality finish; a key requirement given design and aesthetics are increasingly important in automotive interior trims, the target market for the product.

The recent trial also demonstrated that Hycolene can produce a much faster cycle time delivering moulders a substantial 8-12 percent saving, as more parts per tonne can be processed - satisfying Tier One targets in addition to OEM’s lightweighting requirements.

“These results have confirmed that the enhanced performance of the Hycolene range has not only been maintained, but in some instances have surpassed expectations,” explained Dr Christel Croft, Technical

Director at Luxus.

“It has shown too, that Hycolene can really help improve life cycle analysis, since this ‘tool’ takes into account all the factors affecting a product’s environmental footprint. It also has the potential to be used as a true ‘drop in’ solution by Tier Ones.”

Dave Jenkins, Product Engineering, International Automotive Components Group Ltd, commented: “From my perspective this was a very encouraging first trial, although further trials are required to fully optimise the product. A range of components also needs to be run, so we can understand the material’s strengths and weaknesses. These will commence once the initial component lab testing is completed satisfactorily.”

As for the future, the next step is to repeat the commercial production improving screw design and process conditions following these initial results to improve material qualities.

Luxus will then produce different grades of Hycolene and work with IAC to produce further parts for statistical analysis.

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NEW VIDEO CAMPAIGN TO URGE CONSUMERS TO UNLEASH THE ‘SECRET LIVES’ OF PLASTICS Recycling organisation, RECOUP, has launched a new, video-based campaign aimed at helping consumers realise the potential uses of plastics once they are recycled.

Through its national initiative ‘Pledge 4 Plastics’, the organisation has released a short animated video revealing the ‘secret lives’ of plastic bottles, as well as tubs, pots and trays, by highlighting how they can be transformed into new products.

The animations chart product transformations include a shampoo bottle into a plastic chair, butter tub turning into a table, a milk bottle becoming a toy rocket and a fruit punnet morphing into kitchen utensils.

Stuart Foster, CEO of RECOUP, said: “It’s common knowledge that you can, and should, recycle plastic bottles used for water, fizzy drinks and juice. Our insights, however, indicate that when it comes to plastic bottles for shampoo, household cleaners and bleach, cooking oil,

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The association is encouraging industry to support the campaign by sharing the animations, videos and social media pushes.

table sauces, moisturiser and garden and car products, recycling levels are much lower. This drops further when it comes to things like butter tubs, fruit punnets and yoghurt pots.

“The aim of this video is to educate people in a really digestible format, showing examples of what kinds of plastics can be recycled – and, importantly, the diverse range of things they could become afterwards.

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We hope this surprising information will encourage people to share the video and, in turn, recycle more of their household plastics.”

The association is encouraging industry to support the campaign by sharing the animations, videos and social media pushes.

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RECYCLED UK CAR TYRES ARE MATCH FIT FOR AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALLERS Football players in Melbourne are to start playing and training on pitches manufactured using recycled tyres from British cars this month.

Suffolk-based Murfitts Industries, a UK manufacturer of premium rubber granules for artificial sports surfaces, has shipped more than 300 tonnes of its products to Australia to be laid in new pitches.

This order has been delivered to Tiger Turf Australia, one of the world’s largest artificial turf manufacturers, which is laying two football pitches for Monbulk Rangers Soccer Club in east Melbourne.

“The demand for our product from customers around the world is a resounding endorsement of the work our team puts in to deliver the highest quality,” said Mark Murfitt, Founder and Managing Director of Murfitts Industries.

“We continue to develop and invest in our processes and are always looking for even more

TESCO INTRODUCES SINGLEUSE CARRIER BAGS PRODUCED USING IN-STORE WASTE Supermarket giant, Tesco, is offering single-use carrier bags produced using 100 percent recycled plastic, a proportion of which is from its own in-store waste.

The chain is collaborating with Eurokey Recycling Ltd. and PapierMettler to produce the carrier bags, which are made from 100 percent recycled LPDE. The bags are made using 80 percent post-consumer plastic Tesco is turning its plastic waste into carrier bags in a closed-loop recycling operation

Murfitts recycles old vehicle tyres at its UK facility, with the resulting granules being used for new sports pitches

innovative ways to meet our clients’ needs. We aim to lead the way in both effective recycling and high quality manufacture. Our business is unusual in that we are able to completely remove a waste product from the refuse chain and create something of higher value from it, something which clearly has multiple

benefits.”

The company manufactures its products by recycling car tyres from across the UK, and has developed bespoke processes that enable it to recycle 100 percent of every tyre.

waste, with the remaining 20 percent being made up of recycled plastic waste from the production process onsite, such as pallet and multi-pack wrapping.

“We are extremely proud to work with these suppliers to turn plastics from our business-generated waste into our single use carrier bags.

We believe that recycling materials back into products makes sense for the industry and the environment,” commented Robin Hughes, Procurement Manager at Tesco.

The material is collected by Eurokey, which sorts the plastics at its facility in Eastern Europe to prepare the LDPE for reprocessing.

John Dhillon, Managing Director at Eurokey Recycling said the company is “very pleased to be part of a sustainable and ethical plastic recycling solution in line with the Tesco Corporate Social Responsibility ideals.”

The plastics are processed and granulated at the PapierMettler facility in Morbach, Germany. Here, the granulated recycled LDPE is used to produce Tesco single use carrier bags as well as a part element of the supermarket’s ‘Bag for Life’.

Bill Aldridge, UK Sales Manager of Papier Mettler, said:

“We are delighted to be working with Tesco to achieve optimal solutions regarding green packaging. As a result, Tesco not only offers carrier bags made of post-consumer recycled material, they have now gone one step further. By closing the material loop, Tesco carrier bags are now produced using their own plastic waste. An ideal situation for Tesco, Tesco’s customers and the environment.”

The development of this closed loop operation, to the benefit of all companies involved, has been made possible through “partnership and hard work,” according to Stuart Foster, CEO of Recycling Association, RECOUP, of which both Tesco and Eurokey are members.

Commenting, Foster endorsed the initiative and said it is a “perfect example” of how joined up actions between the supply and recycling chain can deliver efficient recycling of plastic resources in a transparent way. “A true plastics recycling success story and an example for others to follow,” he added.

The project, which has been running successfully for some months, looks set to continue as a long-term viable solution.

WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK

WWW.MURFITTSINDUSTRIES.COM

WWW.TESCOPLC.COM 41

Engineering Passion

WELDING | NEWS ROFIN MPS Compact

ROFIN INTRODUCES NEW DEDICATED LASER SOLUTIONS FOR POLYMER WELDING Manufacturer of laser-based technology, Rofin, has introduced a new system for the fusion of polymers following an increase in demand for lightweight components.

The polymer welding solution is based on Rofinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MPS, a multipurpose laser workstation with a multitude of installations worldwide. It houses a DILAS Compact Evolution laser, operating with 980 nm or 880 nm wavelength and a cw power of 150 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 500W. A pyrometric process control allows for a constant welding

42

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temperature and hence, Rofin says, provides optimised results.

The polymer welding system is either sold as a turnkey machine or as a functional kit consisting of laser, clamping unit and software for process control. The systems are equipped with a special human machine interface for polymer welding and a work piece clamping unit working with either a pneumatic or a servo clamping drive.

The control software for the joining process has been specially developed for polymer welding applications, for example, to deliver a setting signal and level for process control and quality assurance. Data can be logged for process statistics and quality management.

WWW.ROFIN.COM

www.kraussmaffei.com

Everything under control: a new infrared camera system with software developed in-house verifies the heat distribution in plastic components after heating and just before joining. Photo: bielomatik

WATCH OUT - THERE’S A CAMERA ABOUT But it’s not candid camera shows bielomatik is talking about, it’s control. At Fakuma last month, the German company exhibited a new camera system for its infrared welding lines that allows the quality of joined plastic connections to be reliably verified using software developed in-house.

The clean processing of engine compartment parts, as well as special safety components such as chute channels for airbags, is increasingly being performed using non-contact methods such as infrared, hot gas or gas convection welding. The quality, however, is not as easy to monitor as it is with other methods. But these components are, however, subject to a duty of documentation: the manufacturer must verify and evaluate the manufacturing process for every safety component and document the result meticulously.

“We have to demonstrate that the welding in a non-contact process was executed perfectly”, said Dr.-Ing. Tobias Beiß, Head of Innovation Management at bielomatik Leuze

GmbH + Co. KG. “However, with contact-free heating, the parameters monitored as standard by the welding machines do not deliver a sufficiently detailed statement on the quality of the welding process.”

To meet this problem, the company developed an infrared camera system that records the change in temperature in certain areas.

Beiß continued: “After heating and shortly before joining, the machine operator uses a thermal imaging camera to determine whether the heat distribution corresponds to the values of a properly welded and verified reference component.” If there is a duty of documentation, bielomatik says a QA control system can store the key ratios of every single component together with the camera image, the machine parameters, the exact production date and time stamp or the barcode.

“Our system stands out from those of other manufacturers in one key aspect,” Beiß added. “We have developed the software ourselves and can adapt and modify it to meet the requirements of the particular circumstances. That means bielomatik has the type of monitoring

WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK

and data analyses exactly under control.” bielomatik said there has also been developments in convection welding based on natural gas.

One innovation is a technology, for which a patent has been applied, that allows individual zones to be activated separately in a similar way to controllable IR tools. The user can regulate the supply of gas separately for each zone using valve technology and set it precisely by adjusting the nozzle.

“Because of the ability to set the temperature distribution more precisely and the greater geometric degrees of freedom, the complex gas convection welding procedure is even more suited to joining high-end components made of glass fibre reinforced polyamides in the engine compartment, or complex moulded elements made of high temperature resistant plastics,” Beiß continued.

This technology, he added, is extremely energy efficient since gas is a primary energy carrier.

WWW.BIELOMATIK.COM

43

MATERIALS | NEWS NEW PP JAR PROVIDES “ULTIMATE CLARITY AND GLOSS” FOR HIGH BARRIER FOOD APPLICATIONS A new multilayer PP/EVOH/ PP jar produced using ISBM (Injection Stretch Blow Moulding) technology is said to offer a new, greater level of transparency and gloss ideally suited for high barrier food applications.

Produced by Total and RPC Promens Consumer Corby in Northamptonshire, the technology opens up opportunities in the retail sector, in particular markets such as cook-in sauces, instant coffee, ready meals, fruits and baby foods, producing packs that deliver high clarity for a premium on-shelf image along with the

practical, convenience and safety benefits of plastic.

Equally important, says Total and RPC, is the substantially lighter weight of the plastic jars, which will help retailers and brand owners meet sustainability targets in terms of packaging and carbon emission reductions.

RPC uses a unique metallocene-based PP specially developed by Total for ISBM technology. This, it says, provides improved aesthetics together with ultra-low extractables, reducing by far the overall migration, especially at high temperature conditions.

Together with the development of a special new manufacturing process, this

has allowed RPC Promens Corby to produce multilayer containers that maintain their highly-effective oxygen barrier for long ambient shelf life, while delivering excellent clarity.

The containers are thermally stable to temperatures in excess of 100°C for pasteurisation and sterilisation. A number of popular retail jar sizes are being developed with additional sizes planned for the future.

Caps, also supplied by RPC, are manufactured in Polypropylene leading to a mono material pack, which facilitates recycling.

and l Corp.

Chemica intly i h is b u Mits pan) jo orp. (Ja Sharp C e prize for the t h t he fron received ent of t m p lo ’s ve de Sharp panel of martphone new s Sharp) (Image:

WWW.TOTALREFININGCHEMICALS.COM WWW.RPC-GROUP.COM

BIOPLASTICS AWARD GIVEN TO SMARTPHONE INNOVATION

The new PP jar from Total and RPC Promens Consumer Corby

GAZECHIM TO DISTRIBUTE REPSOL POLYOLEFINS IN THE UK Repsol and Gazechim recently reached an agreement for the distribution of Repsol’s polyolefins in the UK, effective since October 2015.

The Spanish chemicals producer says its chose to work wiith Gazechim to supply its products to the UK market after long-stranding partnerships between the companies in five

other countries.

Repsol says it is “extremely confident” that this agreement will further increase its service levels to its UK customers.

Julian Waller will continue to serve Repsol’s UK polyolefins’ customers, with all Repsol’s supply and logistic activities carried out by Gazechim.

WWW.GAZECHIM.CO.UK

WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK

Two companies have been jointly awarded the 2015 Bioplastics Award for their collaboration on the world’s first biobased engineering plastic used in the front panel of a smartphone.

Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. and Sharp Corp. (Japan) jointly received the prize for the development of the front panel of Sharp’s new smartphone made from Mitsubishi’s biobased engineering plastic, ‘Durabio’.

Durabio is a biobased engineering plastic made from plant-derived isosorbide. This high-performance material reportedly offers greater resistance to impact, heat, and weather than conventional engineering plastics. In addition, it has excellent transparency and low optical distortion.

The panel of judges singled out this application as the first instance of a biobased engineering plastic successfully replacing polycarbonate in a technical application.

They said the development “captivates through its high profile and the potentially huge field of applications for a biopolymer that also overcomes one of the big problems of incumbent technology – impact resistance.”

WWW.MITSUBISHICHEMICAL.COM WWW.SHARP-WORLD.COM 45

ELIX POLYMERS INTRODUCES NEW ABS POLYMER COMPOSITE MATERIAL ELIX Polymers, a specialist in ABS high performance materials, has introduced a new generation of natural fibre reinforced ABS. New ELIX ECO ABS-NF thermoplastic is said to be highly suited for injection moulding applications and specific extrusion processes, delivering a high aesthetical value to the final ABS-NF moulded parts. Market applications include automotive and furniture markets.

ELIX Polymers says ELIX ECO ABS-NF can be processed without having to modify machines and offers a number of key benefits. These include high stiffness, heat resistance, low moulding shrinkage ratios, low emissions and weight reduction when compared to glass fibre reinforced ABS. For example, ELIX ECO ABS-NF has a density of 1.12 compared to 1.15 for ABS-GF. The material has been also tested for 3D printing technology with what the company says is “impressive results”, both in terms of processability and aesthetics.

The development of ELIX Natural Fibre Reinforced ABS

was undertaken under the auspices of the EEA and Norway Grants. This was the first time that a European ABS producer was given a European Grant for a project to investigate new sustainable ABS materials and composites.

Introducing the new generation ABS polymer composite, David Castañeda, Operations Director and responsible for new products and business development, said: “We believe that this new material offers a range of sustainability benefits that meet current industry trends.

At the same time, it underlines ELIX Polymers’ commitment to the establishment of a more environmentally sustainable product portfolio and establishes our company’s position as a leading supplier of eco-friendly ABS materials.

“The introduction of this new generation material fully fits our key objective: to expand the company’s portfolio of materials for eco-friendly manufacturing, greater sustainability and health impact awareness.”

WWW.ELIXPOLYMERS.COM ELIX Polymers has introduced a new generation of natural fibre reinforced ABS.

In association with Hardie Polymers – www.hardiepolymers.com

// Materials Technical //

Blog

This month, polymer expert and technical blog author, Dr Charlie Geddes, marvels at medical plastics and discusses their use.

WHAT MAKES MEDICAL GRADE PLASTICS SO SPECIAL? During a recent stay in hospital following emergency surgery, I had the opportunity to observe at first hand the not insignificant contribution that plastics made to my recovery.

The skill of the surgeon, the expertise of the medical clinicians and the superb nursing care were major factors but the proliferation of tubing attached to me also had a role to play, along with flow controllers, infection minimising gloves and aprons and not forgetting the sterile packaging.

Toughness and transparency are important properties for the constituents of intravenous lines but chemical properties and biocompatibility are paramount for medical grade plastics, which, compared to normal grades, have to comply with a barrage of regulatory tests. This is achieved by extra care at manufacture to minimise polymerisation residues and careful selection of additives such as antioxidants and plasticisers.

When it comes to medical implants, intuitively you might expect that the most inert plastics, such as PTFE, would have most success. However the body tends to reject anything totally inert and prefers thermoplastics with some compatibility with human tissue, either from the thermoplastic’s chemical structure or by appropriate chemical modification.

Bioengineers are now finding that, in addition to chemical compatibility, nano-scale surface texture holds the key to biocompatibility.

Some nano-scale patterns can kill off cells while other patterns encourage cell growth, particularly bone cell growth. This opens up the possibility of plastics implants for repair of diseased bones.

Got a view on the above?

Blog posts will also be published on the BP&R website at www.britishplastics.co.uk - feel free to leave your comments 46

BUYER’S GUIDE vibration welding

MATERIALS

Branson Ultrasonics

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

MASTERBATCH

CHILLERS/TEMPERATURE CONTROLLERS

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

Burgess Colours & Compounds, 1-10 Burgess Street, Middleport, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 3PD, T: 01782 819670 F: 01782 816133 Email: sales@burgesscolours.co.uk We are one of the UK’s leading supplier of black, white, colours and additive masterbatches

Motan Colortronic Ltd

PL

WANTED

PVC

Matilda House, Carrwood Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QB Machinery BG 2015_LayoutT:101246 2 260222 F: 01246 455420 E: sales@motan-colortronic.co.uk W: www.motan-colortronic.co.uk Whatever your ancillary needs – we have the solution

Wanted, Clear flexible PVC prime, reprocessed, regranulated, scrap.

EXTRUSION SYSTEMS

Please send us your offers / enquiries to vinyl_ltd@mail.com or tel: +44 (0) 1625 500912.

Vinyl Ltd

MOULD RELEASE

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

Please note we buy/sell prime, reprocessed, regranulated flexible PVC compounds, dry blends, scrap PVC, PVC resins and associated raw materials.

Tel: +44 (0) 1625 500912 | Fax: +44 (0) 1625 420991 Mobile: +44 (0) 7860 371294 | Website: www.vinyl-ltd.com

DEHUMIDIFIERS

new and used

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.

Telephone: 01582 883666 Email: sales@plmachinery.com Web: www.plmachinery.com

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

HEATING EQUIPMENT

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

colour masterbatch

ultrasonic welding

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.

Call: 0161 624 2114 Eclipse Buyers Guide_Layout Email: sales@colourmaster.co.uk

www.colourmaster.co.uk

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.

TO ADVERTISE IN THis SPACE CONTACT LISA MONTGOMERY 01244 680222

DRYERS

1 07

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 ANCILLARIES InControl Ultrasonics Ltd (FFR Ultrasonics Ltd) New and used Granulators, Shredders, Pulverisers, Wash Plants Blades and Screens

PO Box 10380, Sileby, LE12 7ZX T: 01509 621992 E: enquiries@ffr-ultrasonics. co.uk W: www.ffr-ultrasonics.co.uk

Blade Sharpening Ancillary Items Service – Repair - Spares UK & Ireland Agents for

Tel: 01827 838840 Email: info@granulators.org www.granulators.org

Telsonic UK Ltd

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

induction heating for platens and tools MF Induction Heating

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

HOT RUNNER SYSTEMS hot runner controllers

BUYER’S GUIDE

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT energy saving

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

TO ADVERTISE IN THis SPACE CONTACT LISA MONTGOMERY 01244 680222 PRINTING MACHINES

MIXING, FEEDING & DOSING

pad

TESTING EQUIPMENT

Global manufacturer & distributor of inserts for plastic, fasteners for plastic, cable management, circuit board hardware, nylon rivets & screws, rubber bumpers & feet & many more. www.trfastenings.com sales@trfastenings.com

SCREEN CHANGERS Industrial Plastics Ltd

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

LABORATORY MACHINES

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

METAL DETECTION & SEPARATION EQUIPMENT Motan Colortronic Ltd

gravimetric/volumetric blending

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

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

hopper loaders

Magnetics Separators Metal Detectors Eddy Current Separators

SECONDHAND AND RECONDITIONED 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

DM Machinery Ltd

CHOOSE THE NUMBER ONE.

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

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

Motan Colortronic Ltd

MATERIALS HANDLING AND STORAGE

Ray Ran Test Equipment Ltd

SCREWS & BARRELS

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

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

TRAINING

DTL Machinery UK

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

Bunting Magnetics Europe Ltd European Design & Manufacturing Facility

Northbridge Road Berkhamsted Hertfordshire HP4 1EH, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1442 875081 Email: sales@buntingeurope.com www.magneticseparation.co Contact: Carlton Hicks

TransXL International Ltd

NOZZLES & NOZZLE TIPS Engineers to the Plastics & Rubber industries, specialising in the following:

FOR SALE BILL CARRINGTON

Regular quantity of Nylon/Polyester mixed fibre based in bales of 300400 kilos per bale.

Contact 01253 736963

TO ADVERTISE IN THis SPACE CONTACT LISA MONTGOMERY 01244 680222

48

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

Thornhill, South Marston, Wiltshire SN3 4TA T: 01793 827666 F: 01793 823826 E: sales@transxl.co.uk W: www.transxl.co.uk

STATIC CONTROL Arrowquint Ltd

Unit 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.

WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK

3D PRINTING

3D Printing in Plastic & Rubber

Tel: 01420 88645

www.projet3d.co.uk

BUYER’S GUIDE PRINTERS

SOFTWARE

SERVICES

TESTINg/CONSULTANCY

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

MOULDFLOW ANALYSIS

PARTS & SERVICE

PRINTERS printers of plastic mouldings Total Print Ltd

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: ukmarketing@epicor.com Modules: Production Monitoring, Process Monitoring, “Drag and Drop” Scheduling/Planning, “Family Moulding”, Preventative Maintenance, Bar Coding/Parts’ Trace-ability, Operator Visual Aids, Process Parameter Profiling, E-mail/Public Address System Alerts, Stand-alone “Drag and Drop” Scheduler, Stand-alone SPC “Machine Analyzer”, Machine Energy Monitoring, KPI Dashboards, Visual Manufacturing (Large LED Displays), Automatic Data Import/Export Functions (For Integration with Epicor ERP & Other Manufacturing Systems/Software Packages).

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

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

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: ukmarketing@epicor.com Epicor’s ERP (on-site, hosted & SAAS) manufacturing software for the polymer converting industry covers the full range of back office operations from on-line and off-line sales and quotations to production planning, inventory management and finance through to logistics, ware-housing and distribution. It seamlessly integrates with Epicor Mattec’s Real-time MES to provide a single system that offers a complete quote-to-cash solution for the plastics’/rubber industries.

Gammadot Rheology Testing & Consultancy Services

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

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.

comment

NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINE

I

bp&r BRITISH PLASTICS &RUBBER 50

took on the job of representing the BPF within the SIMPL forum and promoted it tirelessly within the Federation and wider industry. He was also responsible for the BPF setting up and refining an accident survey, which not only tracked the progress of accidents but also allowed firms to benchmark their own performance against the industry average. He was also responsible for the development of an online risk assessment tool for firms, particularly those at the smaller end of the spectrum.

Again, Mike is a selfless operator much deserving of his award for work carried out for the industry as a whole.

We wish him a very long and happy retirement.

We had an excellent exhibition presence in Plastics and Rubber Indonesia in Djakarta, 18th - 21st November, with eight companies in the BPF’s pavilion, including Wells Plastics, Gas Injection Worldwide, Intouch Monitoring, Fraser Antistatic Eliminators, EPI, Jayplas and theplasticshop.co.uk. Significant opportunities were identified in waste management and recycling, automotive, packaging and electronics.

It was the first time we had exhibited there in a market of some 250 million people, the fourth most populous nation in the world - and we were impressed.

One exhibitor said it was the best exhibition he had been to in ten years. Our exhibitors had been well prepared beforehand by a BPF seminar on opportunities in Asia (ex China) with a focus on Vietnam and Indonesia. Speakers were drawn from the Vietnamese and Indonesian embassies and from experts in locating the optimal agents operating in those markets.

The Plastics 2020 Parliamentary Reception, an annual event held on November 25th, attracted 45 MPs and 13 peers including my friend Baroness Golding of Newcastle Under Lyme. Rory Stewart, Defra’s Resources Minister, spoke for the very first time to a plastics industry audience and his comments were pretty much on the same page as our own thinking. He said litter was not the fault of products, but human behaviour, and that he wants to work with industry on an assessment of the achievability of recycling targets and PRN reform.

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was really pleased to see two long-standing colleagues receive the BPF’s ‘Gold Medal’ at the Federation’s recent Annual Dinner. A record audience of 506 guests saw Stuart Patrick and Mike Jones THIS MONTH, BPF step up to receive their award from DIRECTOR-GENERAL, BPF’s President, David Hall of PHILIP LAW, CELEBRATES Polypipe.

Stuart Patrick was formerly THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF Research and Development TWO LONG-STANDING Manager for Akcros and was a INDUSTRY MEMBERS, longstanding member of the BPF’s CELEBRATES UK Vinyls Group. Following retirement SUCCESS OVERSEAS he became Chairman of the Polymer AND REPORTS ON Society within IOM3 and Chairman of the Organising Committee THE PLASTICS 2020 for the celebrated Brighton PVC PARLIAMENTARY Conference, held every three years, RECEPTION. an international forum which is regarded globally as the go-to event for the PVC industry and which normally attracts 500 plus delegates.

Stuart has masterminded several editions of the event and overhauled its programme to introduce a day looking primarily at the political context of the use of PVC, bringing in speakers such as leading environmentalist, Jonathan Porritt. I know how much personal sacrifice all this has meant for Stuart. When speakers dropped out he was the one who had to find last minute replacements, just one stressful example! A truly great and selfless contribution to the industry.

MIke Jones of Distrupol has been Chairman of the BPF’s Industrial Health and Safety Committee and has pushed health and safety to the upper reaches of the BPF’s agenda at a time when other issues such as energy availability and the translocation of business to Asia were all competing for air time. Mike spent a lifetime in plastics originally working for BIP where he where he worked on process and application development.

His time as Chairman of Health and Safety in the BPF coincided with a decline in the HSE’s resources and the consequent setting up of the SIMPL Strategy designed to reduce the accident rate in plastics industry firms. Mike

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