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www.britishplastics.co.uk EDITORIAL
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interplas 2017: “awesome”
“A
wesome”. That, I think, is my favourite of the very many adjectives used to describe Interplas 2017 after it wrapped up at the NEC last month. After all, the show was awesome. It brought together an impassioned industry to network, inform, educate and do business in times of unprecedented political uncertainty. Exhibitors reported an unexpectedly high level of new orders, with Brexit fears firmly overshadowed by the quantity and quality of the new projects in the pipeline. Philip Law, Director-General of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) told the audience on day two of Interplas that the plastics industry should remain “very upbeat”, despite the challenges facing it. Speaking at the beginning of the ‘Advancing UK Plastics’ conference session, Law said that regardless of the uncertainties surrounding Brexit, the industry has the opportunities to overcome them. “I think there are two routes to continued success,” he explained. “One is to keep on investing. Push all uncertainty about Brexit to one side and invest. I really can’t emphasise this enough. We cannot risk falling behind other countries. “The other route is through making connections and by exploiting networks like never before. Brexit has brought to the fore the old expression ‘UK PLC’, evoking a common national purpose built
on co-operation and I’m not just talking about connections between like-minded firms, but connections between totally different entities and connections between sectors both similar and dissimilar.” Indeed, Interplas helped to facilitate these connections and to form new relationships by not only gathering the brightest minds and people, but also through demonstrating innovative concepts, technology and ideas that will allow closer, smarter and more productive working both inside and outside of the plastics industry.
There was truly a feeling of an industry revived at Interplas; one that has the innovation, determination and capabilities to excel on the world stage, whatever the coming years hold. And that is truly awesome.
There was truly a feeling of an industry revived at Interplas; one that has the innovation, determination and capabilities to excel on the world stage, whatever the coming years hold. And that is truly awesome.
Leanne Taylor, Group Editor
bp&r
THE BIG STORY ALBIS named sole supplier of Romira’s Luranyl PPE in the UK and Ireland
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LBIS (UK) Limited, a subsidiary of ALBIS PLASTIC GmbH, the global specialist for the distribution and ALBIS (UK) LIMITED compounding HAS BEEN SELECTED of technical AS SOLE SUPPLIER OF thermoplastics, has been selected LURANYL PPE IN THE as sole supplier UK AND IRISH MARKETS of Luranyl PPE in WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT. the UK and Irish HERE, BP&R LOOKS markets with AT THE ADVANTAGES immediate effect. OF THE MATERIAL AND Luranyl PPE is manufactured by HOW IT HAS RECENTLY Romira GmbH, a BENEFITTED ONE UK German producer AUTOMOTIVE CUSTOMER of thermoplastic THROUGH SIGNIFICANT compounds. “We are very SCRAP RATE REDUCTION. pleased with the new distribution agreement, which demonstrates an expansion of our trusting partnership with Romira. It is also an expression of confidence in ALBIS UK’s excellent technical performance in the UK and Irish markets,” commented Josephine Bagnall, Commercial Director of ALBIS (UK) Limited.
Material Benefits
Luranyl is especially well positioned for applications in electric and electronic sectors. It has fantastic dimensional stability which allows complex parts to retain shape during use. Low water absorption coupled with high heat resistance makes it particularly suitable in end uses where there is continuous contact with water, such as housings for metering, pumps and filtration products.
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In addition, Luranyl has a good inherent flame retardance with self-extinguishing properties without dripping. High chemical resistance makes it the material of choice for boiler exhaust parts which are in contact with potentially corrosive chemical condensates. High stiffness and temperature performance allows Luranyl also to be used in the automotive industry for low wall thickness parts, which reduces weight and overall material usage.
Collaborative Work in Automotive
Thanks to ALBIS’ broad product portfolio of technical thermoplastics and its strong technical and application development capabilities, it is able to work collaboratively with OEMs, tier one suppliers and thermoplastic processors. In a recent development in the automotive sector, ALBIS helped UK injection moulding company, ALBIS UK helped reduce scrap rates on a roof rail cover component by recommending a special power coating grade of Luranyl PPE.
Advanced Plastics, and its customer Sapa Automotive – a large international supplier of coated parts – on a Roof Rail Cover component made from Luranyl HT (high temperature) PPE+PA. Prior to working with ALBIS, Sapa was incurring a huge scrap rate when powder coating pre-series moulded in original intent material. Through its technical competence and application development experience, ALBIS UK recommended a special grade of Luranyl HT. Advanced Plastics and Sapa were reticent to change the material due to the approach of the OEM’s launch date. However, the unsustainable scrap rate mitigated the risk of such a late change. The key property of the Luranyl HT grade is the surface resistivity of the material, aiding the powder coating process and allowing for more positive results than the incumbent grade. ALBIS UK provided technical support to trial the material at different conditions to provide a scope of mouldings. As it transpired, the powder coating quality wasn’t dramatically affected by the processing conditions. Finally, the current scrap rate (post-powder coating) has been drastically reduced by changing to Luranyl, and it remains consistently at a very low level. Due to its low density, Luranyl PPE also offers an opportunity for weight reduction compared with other engineering materials. WWW.ALBIS.COM
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contents
PLASTICS &RUBBER
october 2017
on the cover Exclusive Distribution Agreement is ‘on point’ for UK and Irish Markets ALBIS (UK) Limited has been selected as sole supplier of Romira’s Luranyl PPE in the UK and Irish markets with immediate effect. Here, BP&R looks at the advantages of the material and how it has recently benefitted one UK automotive customer through significant scrap rate reduction. SEE PAGE 4
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CASE STUDY UK MOULDER IMPROVES EFFICIENCIES AND COST SAVINGS WITH NEW PURGING COMPOUND
Maxell Moulding Services (UK), a precision injection moulder based in Telford, was looking to make cost savings and efficiency gains by trialling new purging compounds. BP&R looks in more detail at how switching to a new product by Velox has enabled a leaner and more efficient production process.
REGULARS
interplas INDUSTRY NEWS MATERIALS POLYMERMAN REPORT MACHINERY RECLaMATION AND RECYCLING BUYERS’ GUIDE SOFTWARE NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINE
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Editor’s Letter Interplas 2017: “Awesome”
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Review Interplas is “back on top” for the UK plastics industry After three action-packed days at Interplas 2017, the UK’s largest and leading plastics industry event is being hailed as a resounding success by exhibitors and visitors who took part in the triennial showcase for the British plastics industry. BP&R reviews the highlights that saw the show get “back on top”.
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Issue Focus PLC VS CNC: Is there room for both in the factory of the future?
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As greater automation becomes the focus of UK manufacturing, control systems are having to become increasingly complex and efficient. However, to make the most of these technologies, manufacturers need to understand what their options are, and how these control systems can play their part in the factory of the future.
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Feature PET Recycling: Trends, Developments and Outlook Christoph Wöss, Business Development Manager for Bottle Applications within the EREMA Group, looks at the changing landscape in PET recycling in recent years and considers both future challenges and requirements.
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INTERPLAS
IS “BACK ON TOP” FOR THE UK PLASTICS INDUSTRY
A FTER THREE ACTIONPACKED DAYS AT INTERPLAS 2017, THE UK’S LARGEST AND LEADING PLASTICS INDUSTRY EVENT IS BEING HAILED AS A RESOUNDING SUCCESS BY EXHIBITORS AND VISITORS WHO TOOK PART IN THE TRIENNIAL SHOWCASE FOR THE BRITISH PLASTICS INDUSTRY. OVER THE FOLLOWING PAGES BP&R REVIEWS THE HIGHLIGHTS THAT SAW THE SHOW GET “BACK ON TOP”.
Almost 12,000 attendees (audit pending) visited the NEC, Birmingham and they were provided with the opportunity to see a multitude of product launches and demonstrations from almost 500 exhibiting companies, more than 40 inspiring presentations across two conference stages and a host of exciting show features. Interplas was opened on Tuesday, September 26th by Alison Gill, current Master of the Horners Livery Company, and Bruce Margetts, Managing Director of Bericap and the recently appointed President of the British Plastics Federation (BPF). Margetts said: “We are honoured to be asked to open Interplas 2017. The BPF has been associated with Interplas since its origins and it is great to see its resurgence as the premier show for the UK plastics industry. “There may be lots of political uncertainty as the Brexit negotiations continue but with investment in skills, productivity and through embracing new developments such as Industry 4.0 the UK plastics industry will become strong and resilient enough to flourish on the global stage. Interplas is a great platform for this.”
over the lo fol wing pages BP&R reviews the highlights that saw the show get ‘back on top”
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Feedback from exhibitors on the show floor was extremely positive. “Interplas 2017 was awesome,” said Graeme Herlihy, Managing Director of ENGEL UK. “Interplas feels like it’s on top again and pretty much every major player in plastics is here. It’s important to be seen here and it’s important to have a great stand. I’m happy to say we have had a good show.” Carl Reeve, Managing Director of PMM and representing Haitian UK, added: “Interplas has been brilliant for us. I think now is a positive time for the industry. Having the show every three years is ideal because exhibitors make a real effort when the event comes around. Interplas 2017 is the best UK plastics show I’ve been to in 10 years and this is definitely the most positive show I’ve been to. The quality of leads has far exceeded what we expected.” For the first time, the conference programme was delivered across two stages. The Main Stage hosted world-class presentations from Jaguar LandRover, Nissan, KPMG, P&G and the BPF, while Stäubli, Plastribution and NetComposites presented to full houses on the brand new Interplas Introducing Stage. In addition to the conference programme, exciting features such as the Knowledge Pavilion gave attendees the chance
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to meet industry trade bodies, consultants and service providers to get expert advice on research and development, skills and education, regulation and materials selection, whilst ‘Mediplas@Interplas’ and ‘Inspex’ provided specific technology advice on medical and inspection issues. The new PlastikCity Pavilion presented 20 first time exhibitors to the audience further enhancing the opportunities on the show floor, and the Women in Plastics initiative returned with a hugely successful and well attended networking evening. Duncan Wood, CEO of Rapid News Communications Group, owners of Interplas, commented: “We are delighted to be hearing such great feedback about the show. When we took over management of the show in 2011 our aim was to return Interplas to form, and I think we can safely say the 2017 edition has done this, we are delighted to be able to serve the British plastics industry with a world class platform from which it can project itself to the global market. “We will continue to strive to be the perfect showcase for the British Plastics industry. A celebration of the best of the sector, a gathering of the brightest people, best technology and most innovative developments – roll on 2020!”
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BODDINGTONS: CLASS 7 TURNS HEADS AT INTERPLAS
business discussions.” Boddingtons’ new plant was formally opened on November 1st last year by Lord Digby Jones who praised the vision and commitment of Boddingtons and the company’s investment in “these amazing new manufacturing facilities”. The Class 7 Clean Rooms are now equipped with a total of eight moulding machines, beside the press automation, in line printing and other technical services, all producing a great variety of med-tech parts; from DNA trays to needle holders, endoscopy products, medical tubing and many other med-tech devices.
Award-winning plastics injection moulding manufacturer, Boddingtons, celebrated a successful Interplas 2017 in which the company clinched a number of new business prospects with more to follow over the coming weeks. “In some ways the Interplas show represents the fruit of our company’s marketing activities over the past 18 months: New customers immediately sought us out at the NEC, already equipped with drawings, specifications and, in some cases, NDA agreements for us to sign,” said Managing Director, L-R: Boddingtons’ Andy Tibbs, who was Tony Ayley, Business present throughout the Development Manager; three-day exhibition. Andy Tibbs, Managing “In addition, the general Director; and Chris Philpott, footfall was impressive Sales Manager and the overall standard of informed enquiry was very high.” There is no doubt that the company’s new £4.3 million injection moulding facility in Marden, Kent – complete with Class 7 Clean Room and matching regulatory services – “New customers has played a key role in immediately sought attracting business. us out at the NEC, “It’s very simple,” said Tibbs, “international already equipped med-tech OEMs and with drawings, specifiers want to know specifications and, if you have Class 7 in some cases, NDA production facilities and services or not. If agreements for the former - then the us to sign” way forward is open for
‘VICTORY’ FOR ENGEL UK ON THREEMACHINE SALE TO FORTEQ
To mark the final day of a successful Interplas 2017 for ENGEL UK, the injection moulding machinery leader was handed an order for three machines from Forteq UK. Forteq UK, based in Huddersfield, is a Swissowned global technical injection moulding supplier, primarily to the automotive industry. The company’s focus areas are in precision components such as gears, timing system guides, fluid delivery components, complex door latch housings, engine mount assemblies and filtration parts. Forteq is also heavily involved in metal-to-plastic lightweighting projects for under-bonnet applications and air suspension systems. Managing Director of Forteq UK, Paul Wallis explained that an increase in orders, particularly for components for electric vehicles and utility meters has driven the decision to invest in ENGEL injection moulding technology.
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“We have a requirement to support our business growth and the Forteq group recognise the flexibility provided by the ENGEL machines, in terms of the range of tool sizes that can be utilised in each machine,” Wallis said. “To us, with our wide range of components, this is a very important feature. We are also confident in the service provided by ENGEL. Their speed, efficiency and flexibility, together with our access to 24/7 technical service is something we value highly.” The three e-Victory machines ordered represent a combined investment approaching €800,000 (£700,000) and comprise two 140 tonne machines and one 400 tonne machine with viper robots. All the machines are equipped with the Inject 4.0 technology IQ weight control. The e-Victory range is a fully hydraulic tiebarless clamp unit coupled with a fully electric injection unit. Image: L-R: Robin Hornsby of Engel UK and Paul Wallis, MD of Forteq UK
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“The UK plastics industry is fantastic and we know it has the capabilities to supply a company such as ours to help us progress. However, we need to work together to innovate; we need our suppliers to be global players.”
Words | John Carlon FANUC AND HI-TECH’S PARTNERSHIP STAND ATTRACTS QUALITY INTEREST
Words | Leanne Taylor “OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE UK PLASTICS INDUSTRY ARE FOR THE TAKING” AUTOMOTIVE GIANTS TELL INTERPLAS
A stellar line-up of representatives from some of the globe’s leading automotive companies told an eager audience at Interplas that “opportunities are there for the taking” when it comes to plastics. Starting proceedings, Jaguar Land Rover’s Lead Materials Engineer, Ian Ray, said plastics are “only going to take a greater role” when it comes to the automotive industry meeting the challenges it faces head on. These, he explained, include the need to reduce overall vehicle weight, innovate where new engine technology is concerned, and keep up with “generation Z” in its demand for ever more personalised and customised cars and interiors. “The use of plastics and thermoplastics in JLR’s vehicles is only going to get greater,” he told the audience. “The UK plastics industry is fantastic and we know it has the capabilities to supply a company such as ours to help us progress. However, we need to work together to innovate; we need our suppliers to be global players.” Ray urged suppliers in the UK to take the opportunities a changing market presented and not to be complacent. “We
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mustn’t let out European competitors overtake us,” he said. Following Ray, Mark Ellis, Manager for Materials Design and Test at Nissan, echoed the need for togetherness, urging the industry to come forward to present its solutions to the challenges faced by the UK’s automotive manufacturers. “The next 10 years are predicted to be the most significant period of innovation in the last 100 years for the automotive industry,” Ellis explained. “Business opportunities are there for the polymer industry to exploit.” “It will be how we use these technologies, and in the right way, that will lead us to work successfully with the industry. The door is always open,” he added. Next, the audience heard from DuPont’s Craig Norrey, who gave an enlightening presentation as to how the combination of injection moulding with thermoplastic composites
can open new doors in design, part weight reduction and innovation. Norrey identified a case study from DuPont’s work on the ALIVE 6 project where the successful replacement of an oil pan highlighted future possibilities for success in materials replacement for a variety of components. Finally, Richard Logan of the SMMT painted a picture of strength where the UK’s overall car manufacturing industry is concerned, however, he warned that Brexit was still preventing the “full force of investment” being placed in the UK by some of the globe’s leading manufacturers. TOP: Ian Ray addresses a packed audience on the main stage BELOW: The audience listens to what JLR requires from its plastics suppliers and supply chain
FANUC and partner HiTech Automation reported a strong interest in the systems on display on their joint stand at Interplas. The stand included several working models of Fanuc Roboshot injection moulding machines, as well as a wire-cut EDM machine. All of the machines on the stand were also paired with robots to demonstrate different automation configurations. “The whole marketplace and customers have been very positive and we generated more enquiries than we were expecting. The level of quality of the people that we spoke to has generated strong leads and opportunities already,” FANUC’s Andy Armstrong said at the show. “The quality of visitors to Interplas is always high, and 2017 was no exception. We were delighted to continue our partnership with Hi-Tech Automation as we demonstrated a host of Automation solutions that both FANUC and Hi-Tech could offer businesses in the plastics industry.” Image: Fanuc and Hi-Tech’s stand at Interplas
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Words | Rose Brooke NO IMM IS AN ISLAND: HAITIAN UK CELEBRATES INTERPLAS SUCCESS
Haitian, one of the world’s largest injection moulding machine manufacturers is celebrating a wildly successful Interplas 2017 in the UK. Premier Moulding Machinery (PMM), which is the official sales and service partner of Haitian in the UK, was spreading the word about Haitian’s leading plastics processing technology, which puts high quality production hardware within the grasp of trade moulders. “Representing the world’s largest moulding machine manufacturer, we’ve always sold a little under the radar,” Carl Reeve, PMM and Haitian UK Managing Director, told me at the show. “Haitian wanted us to push the Haitian brand this time around and that has given us a bit of gravitas.” Haitian is pushing its European sales with a little more vigour. Last year, the company put 1,000 machines in Europe and it is expecting demand to grow to 1,300 in 2018, or 28 per cent year-onyear growth, with Tier 1 automotive driving this demand. One of the big attractions to the Haitian brand is its price point, which offers quality, aftersales service and a three year guarantee on an injection moulding machine
with a 120-tonne press, but with a £65,000 (€72,000) price tag compared to the average cost of an injection moulding machine which is usually upwards of £100,000 for the best on the market. “It’s a machine a trade moulder used to dream of owning,” said Reeve, “and now suddenly it’s within their grasp and I think that’s game changer.” Many of Haitian’s Interplas UK meetings and conversations took place with existing contacts but the on-site team was pleasantly surprised by the leads generated from people who were unfamiliar with the brand’s offering. “It’s great to see customers and talk to them but actually to get somebody who didn’t know who you were come and talk to us, that’s the difference between exhibiting as PMM and Haitian,” said Reeve. “People are starting to get to know Haitian.” It was decided to double
the PMM and Haitian UK stand six months before Interplas UK opened, with the team opting for an open island with plenty of space to move around the working machinery. The choice to go up in size and to keep the stand as accessible as possible has been credited for the team’s successful event, boosted further by the positive atmosphere of the show and the wider British plastics industry. “In all seriousness [Interplas] has been brilliant for us,” said Reeve. “I think we’ve probably had as many enquiries each day as we were hoping for over the course of the week...” He added that the industry is in a positive place and there is enough work for everybody. “I don’t think we get a positive show unless it’s a positive show for everybody,” Reeve explained. “We need our competitors to be selling machines and the moulders to do well in order for us to
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do well, and as an industry it feels quite upbeat.” The energy and build-up to a triennial event such as Interplas has added to the buzz on the show floor. The Haitian UK team believes the three-years of planning and investment means bigger stands - including moving machinery - and a greater effort all round. “I think it’s the best show UK show in probably 10 years. Since 2008, this is probably the most positive show I’ve been to. “The quality of the leads we’ve got this time has far exceeded what we would normally expect. We’ve had very few time wasters. From the first enquiry on the first day, the quality has continued.” Haitian UK is taking home a bundle of orders and leads to follow up back at base, including a £250,000 order form. “We’ve picked up a lot of enquiries and a lot of orders, and we’ve exposed ourselves to the industry. I think I’ve picked up a lot of market awareness too,” said Reeve. “It’s been interesting to see what other people are doing.” Haitian UK will return to Interplas in 2020.
“The quality of the leads we’ve got this time has far exceeded what we would normally expect. We’ve had very few time wasters. From the first enquiry on the first day, the quality has continued.”
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“our stand at Interplas has been about making people see the new advances in the technology we’ve achieved since the last Interplas. It’s really exciting to show them the new product lines and more advanced processing techniques”
Words | Rose Brooke SUMMIT SYSTEMS MAKES INTERPLAS A SPRINGBOARD FOR SUCCESS
A candid attitude to the technology that will rake in savings for customers and an open stand with plenty for visitors to see is the key to making Interplas a springboard for success, according to Summit Systems. Mike Jordan, Managing Director, is something of an Interplas UK fixture, having attended 10 outings of the leading British plastics event. From the Summit Systems’ booth Jordan explained just how the company - which supplies a broad range of plastics processing ancillaries including blending, dosing and drying equipment - makes its Interplas presence a success every time. “We always enjoy Interplas, and our tenth appearance was fantastic,” he said. “Our stand attracts a lot of interest because we’ve made a lot of effort. If you come to this show you’ve got to give the visitors something to look at. That’s why it’s good it takes place every three years, because it takes three years to plan.” Jordan and his team explained that the planning and effort that went into the
THINGTRAX SCOOPS INAUGURAL INTERPLAS INNOVATION AWARD
stand proved worthwhile, with visitor footfall exceeding expectations. “All three days were busy, attracting some amazing interest, but the middle day was exceptional,” Jordan continued. “We had old customers come to see us, but what surprised me was a lot of fringe customers came onto the stand. Now I’ve been in this industry a long time, but we had three customers come on the stand yesterday that I’ve never even heard of before. “They all wanted to see what is new, which is great, and our stand was about making people see the new advances in the technology we’ve achieved since the last Interplas. It’s really exciting to show them the new product lines we’ve got and more advanced processing techniques,” said Jordan. To illustrate, he indicated to one of the dosing machines on the stand, which stated it would pay for itself in savings within six months plus added benefits. A customer will be sceptical until Jordan offers them to try it, he explained, and then following the trial Summit Systems will ask if they want to keep it - and generally the machine doesn’t make a return journey. It is this quality of equipment, combined
with its 24/7 service and a commitment to building a reputation focused on honesty and trust that Jordan believes has seen the company grow. “We don’t make false claims. Companies that throw out false claims upset me,” Jordan said, referring to a competitor claiming to offer the only in-line, realtime resin moisture control system in the field. “We have an in-line moisture meter,” Jordan stated. “There have been 300 of them in the field since 2012 with 84 being sold since January 2017, so we know that makes us the biggest supplier or the most popular product that is the most proven to work in the field. We’re yet to see any other system proven in the field and we’ve got references from Samsung, Tupperware, BD Medical and Invista.” Concluding, Jordan said that over the three show days Summit Systems had “amazing interest and entertained some superb businesses.” He also confirmed that three orders had been signed during the show itself. In addition, the company received a “huge amount” of interest in its new temperature control division, Summit Chilled. Image: Mike Jordan reported a successful show
ThingTrax has taken home the inaugural Interplas Innovation Award after judges recognised the solution’s unique approach to streamlining the plastics production chain. The all-in-one technology allows companies to monitor their machinery, predict breakdowns and employee workflow patterns, gather productivity data and use the information to make their operations as efficient as possible. The data gathered is stored in the Smart Cloud and has been designed for plug-and-play, allowing new users to start benefiting from their ThingTrax analytics immediately. All it takes is for a technician to install the Smart Machine Capture Gateway on-site. Aman Gupta, Head of Devices, ThingTrax, accepted the award on day two of Interplas and revealed the win has come as an unexpected surprise. “Winning the Interplas Innovation Award is definitely a surprise - we just had an idea to enter the competition to see if we had a shot,” he said. Gupta and the team are very proud of their innovation, which they believe is the only solution of its kind that has been developed especially for plastics processing. “To be honest, when we started working on it, we knew we were doing something different,” said Gupta. “Lots of companies work on this problem but we are unique in focusing completely on plastics. We want to bring maximum innovation to the sector.” Image: Aman Gupta of ThingTrax (right) accepting his award from Rapid News Communications Group CEO, Duncan Wood.
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Is your hydraulic oil saving you money? Operators using Mobil DTE™ 10 Excel premium hydraulic oils saved, on average, nearly $40,000 * in total costs. Is it time you joined them? Visit us at stand E88 at Interplas to meet with our hydraulic oil experts and find out more We also invite you to attend our exclusive energy efficiency guide webinar on Sept 12th for Injection Moulders
*Savings based on extended oil drains, increased production/equipment uptime, energy efficiency or other tangible savings achieved by 147 customers in 2015, as compared to use of market general hydraulic oils. Š 2017 Exxon Mobil Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its affiliates unless otherwise noted.
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NEW NAME AND NEW START UNVEILED FOR PETLON POLYMERS AT INTERPLAS
Gloucestershire-based Petlon Polymers was officially re-launched at Interplas as ‘Vision Petlon Polymers’ after being acquired by Visionscape. The UAE-based company’s investment has saved the jobs of all Petlon staff, and the company decided to celebrate this new beginning at the leading exhibition for the British plastics industry. At the official ribboncutting ceremony on the first day of Interplas UK (September 26th), Chairman of the Visionscape Board, Lord Simon Reading, spoke of the perfect match between Petlon and Visionscape and welcomed his new partners on board. “It’s a great pleasure of mine to announce that the Visionscape Group has bought Petlon Polymers,” he said at the champagne reception. “The acquisition reinforced our position to diversify and to support the circular economy.” He said both companies’ “homogenous ethical approach” made the partnership a “perfect match.”
“I think the feedback from our exhibiting members confirms that Interplas is a major exhibition in the UK calendar and no doubt 2020 will be equally successful”
“INTERPLAS IS A MAJOR EXHIBITION IN THE UK CALENDAR” SAYS PMMDA CHAIRMAN
Polymer Machinery Manufacturers and Distributors Association (PMMDA) reported success across the board at Interplas, with many selling machinery straight from their stands. Chairman, Kevin Horne, who is also Managing Director of Renmar Plastics Machinery said: “Congratulations go to Rapid News for organising Interplas 2017, it was a great success for the exhibiting PMMDA members. “From a personal perspective, Renmar and Amut had some great enquiries and it is encouraging to have discussions around investment in both machinery and ancillaries despite the ups and downs relating to Brexit.”
For Arburg, whose machinery highlights on its stand included an Allrounder ‘Golden Electric’ series, for cost-effective entry into electric moulded part production, and a Freeformer, the company’s system for plastics additive manufacturing, Interplas provided the opportunity to showcase its technology to over 140 visitors. “Arburg experienced an extremely busy three days at Interplas,” explained Colin Tirel, UK Managing Director. “In all, we saw over 140 companies during the show from a wide variety of market sectors. These companies were a mixture of existing and new customers. This surpassed our expectations leading up to the show and the experience from the previous show in 2014. We are all extremely pleased with the outcome”. PMMDA members were keen to report not only sales, but also the overall
Image: Vision Petlon Polymers announces new name and owners
buzz of the show, including positive conversations around future investment. “After 15 Interplas shows we very surprised with both the quantity and quality of the new projects in the pipeline,” said Karl Miller, Managing Director of Motan Colortronic Limited. “Compared to previous shows the investment is spread across many plastic processing markets such as injection, extrusion, blow moulding and recycling. This extensive investment is good for the companies, the people and families dependent on the fields of plastic processing and we hope this continues for many years to come.” The PMMDA was represented at the show as part of the Knowledge Pavilion, a dedicated feature area new for 2017, where visitors could get advice, information and expertise from a range of associations, organisations and consultants. Concluding, Horne said: “I think the feedback from our exhibiting members confirms that Interplas is a major exhibition in the UK calendar and no doubt 2020 will be equally successful.” ABOVE: Arburg reported a busy Interplas LEFT: Motan Colortronic said investment was spread across many markets
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Tel: 01952 671918 | Email: connectors.uk@staubli.com | www.quick-mould-change.com
UNVEILED LIVE: DIABETES DEVICE SCOOPS HORNERS AWARD
A plastic device designed to improve the lives of diabetics was unveiled as the winner of the 2017 Horners Award for Design and Innovation at Interplas. ‘TickleFlex’, an insulin injection aid, was invented by type-1 diabetic, Peter Bailey, of TickleTEC Ltd. TickleFlex assists insulindependent diabetics who self-administer insulin. It fits onto existing needles and is designed to minimise both the pain of injection and the human error that sometimes occurs. With over four million diabetics in the UK the device was judged to have the potential to make a positive difference in many people’s lives. Judges, including members of the Worshipful Company of Horners and the British Plastics Federation (BPF), determined it to be an “innovative medical application of plastics’ versatility in solving a realworld issue.” The TickleFlex uses ‘specially textured flexing fingers’ to grip a small area of skin and control insertion depth, whilst pain is blocked by ‘saturating local sensory inputs’. For those who suffer from a fear of needles the device is also designed to hide the needle. The judges were impressed by how these features were combined to improve the everyday lives of those who need to selfadminister insulin. Bailey explained his
FIRST EDITIONS ‘DECORATED’ WITH BOTTLEMAKING AWARD WIN
invention: “The tickle flex fits on the end of your insulin pen, then when you inject yourself, it creates a ‘pucker’, and that is from the subcutaneous tissue that you want to inject into, if you’re insulin dependent. “Because the fingers grab the skin, even if you don’t have a steady hand it holds the skin, so the needle doesn’t shear. It acts a bit like a snow shoe so you can’t press and go in too deep,” he continued. “This extensive texturing on the fingers saturates the nerves, a bit like scratching an itch, you then don’t feel the needle go in – using distraction analgesia, just using two bits of plastic. It is virtually indestructible and its cheap.” A second finalist, Phytoponics, received the runner-up award for its hydroponic system to grow food in less hospitable climates at less cost. The plastic hydroponics kit is the first of its kind to offer Deep Water Culture technology geared at the hectare scale, which should provide productive benefits to the commercial grower at a much lower cost than has previously been the
case. Developed by Adam Dixon, originally of Cardiff University, the judges felt the kit demonstrated a “great application of plastics in a design to offer new ways to address large scale sustainability issues like world hunger.” RPC were also awarded the Highly Commended Certificate for their Plaswood Lock Gates, which demonstrated an excellent use of plastic to replace existing wood in lock gates, which would not degrade in the same way wood does while still retaining the wood-like effect. Tickle Tec Ltd will be presented with their trophy by the Lord Mayor of the City of London at the Horners Annual Banquet to be held at Mansion House on Thursday 5th October. ABOVE: (L-R) David Williams of the Horners Company, Peter Bailey of TickleTEC and Alison Gill, current Master of the Horners Company at the Awards ceremony BELOW: The TickleFlex (Image: TickleTEC)
“This extensive texturing on the fingers saturates the nerves, a bit like scratching an itch, you then don’t feel the needle go in – using distraction analgesia, just using two bits of plastic. It is virtually indestructible and its cheap.”
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The winner of the Horners Bottlemaking Award, also revealed live at Interplas, was First Editions Ltd for its use of digital printing to decorate LDPE sports water bottles. The Birmingham firm designed the digital process to allow highquality, full colour printing to be fully applied around the bottle, including on non-flat areas such as shoulders and handle areas, which cannot be reached using conventional methods. Unlike conventional printing, the process works directly from digital artwork, without the use of screens or plates, and enables First Editions to give a truly bespoke service with no minimum order quantity. This is the first use of the newly developed technology for such applications in Europe and First Editions have had to overcome significant technical problems to achieve a successful production process, not least of which was the implementation of atmospheric plasma surface treatment to enhance the properties of the LDPE surface to ensure compatibility with the ink systems used in the digital print heads. The Highly Commended Certificate was awarded to Kinneir Dufort for its ‘Super Lightweight Twist’ bottle, which offers a substantial weight saving on previous designs but also has an innovative ‘Twist’ feature, which will reduce the volume when being returned for recycling. The winner First Editions Ltd will be presented with their award alongside the Horners Award winner, TickleTEC, by the Lord Mayor of the City of London during the Horners Annual Banquet at the Mansion House. Image: First Editions’ highquality, full colour printing can be fully applied around the bottle, including on non-flat areas such as shoulders and handle areas
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INTOUCH REPORT A SUCCESSFUL INTERPLAS WITH NEW ORDER
WITTMANN BATTENFELD CELEBRATES NEW BUSINESS AT INTERPLAS 2017
Wittmann Battenfeld UK (WIBA UK) celebrated a very successful Interplas 2017 exhibition. Leading injection moulder, Linear Plastics, ordered a 1000 and a 350 tonne moulding machine from the company’s stand on the last day of the show. The new business from Linear topped off three days of constant commercial activity for Wittmann Battenfeld UK with enquiries received across the board for injection moulding machines, automation, materials handling and other aspects of moulding production. WIBA UK Managing Director, Barry Hill, said: “We are delighted with our time here at the NEC and also very pleased to see the ‘buzz factor’ return once more to the Interplas event.
“In truth for us it Wittmann Battenfeld has been one very MicroPower technology productive three-dayalso caught the eye at long conversation with all the show, as did the aspects of the injection company’s new choices in moulding sector in the UK 3 axis robots, including the and Ireland. competitive new Primus “No sooner had one range. customer left the stand than another arrived. We Image: L-R: Gareth Bassett, shall now be extremely Linear Plastics Managing busy processing enquiries Director; Andrew Harrison, and orders over the coming Linear Plastics General weeks. Our SmartPower Manager; Daniel Williams, and EcoPower moulding Wittmann Battenfeld Area technology has been much Sales Manager; Loic Rolin in demand and, to date, of Wittmann Battenfeld at orders for 13 new Wittmann Interplas 2017 robots have been taken and interest in all of our ancillary equipment has been high.” Wittmann Group experts from Austria and France “In truth for were on hand at the NEC us it has been one Birmingham to help across very productive the full Wittmann product three-day-long range – from injection conversation with moulding machines to automation to ancillary all aspects of the plastics processing injection moulding equipment. sector in the UK
and Ireland”
Intouch Monitoring Systems, a supplier of real-time Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)/ Industry 4.0 solutions for the manufacturing and assembly industry, exhibited at Interplas again this year with “great results.” The large amount of publicity and interest in Industry 4.0 drew in a large and continual flow of interested visitors to Intouch’s stand throughout the three-day show, the company said. Intouch secured a high-profile UK customer at Interplas, with Suscom Industries, a supplier of office furniture, signing up for its product following an introduction from injection moulding machinery manufacturer, Romi. Tony Tartaglione, Director of Suscom Industries, said: “In our search for trusted and reliable Partners for our 24/7 business and, through Romi’s introduction, Intouch Monitoring stood out as categorically offering the best MES solution for a very competitive price” Suscom Industries, as part of their Industry 4.0 initiatives, are initially implementing Intouch’s real-time scheduling, production monitoring and reporting system on their full complement of Romi’s latest injection moulding machines and automation cells to further assist in improving control of their manufacturing process and to further improve plant and people productivity as their business continues to develop and grow. Image: The Intouch team at Interplas
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INDUSTRY | NEWS Discover: Plastics celebrates the flexibility, longevity and strength of plastic pipes
BPF PIPES GROUP JOINS TEPPFA PIPES CAMPAIGN A major multinational awareness campaign, championing the suitability of plastic pipe systems for underground sewers, has been launched to inform and inspire the civil engineering and utilities sectors. Discover: Plastics celebrates the flexibility, longevity and strength of plastic pipes – as well as their ease and speed of installation – drawing on more than 20 years of independent research. Curated by TEPPFA, the European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association and in partnership with four National Associations, Discover: Plastics drives awareness of the natural suitability of plastic pipes for sewer and stormwater applications. It also shines a light on real-life case studies from across Europe, showcasing how plastic pipe systems have been successfully deployed in many challenging situations, and are continuing to function decades after their installation. At the centre of the campaign is a dedicated knowledge hub – a specialist microsite – which brings together the results of multiple wideranging studies into the performance and behaviour of plastic pipes when used for sewers. These studies include the 100-Year Service Life of Gravity Sewer Pipes report, which investigated the effects of traffic loading and strain, corrosion and other factors on plastic pipes in both field conditions and laboratory testing. Independently reviewed by an
n Robi n o r y B
expert from the world of academia, the project proved that a 100-year inservice lifetime could be confidently predicted for EN-compliant plastic pipes. Floris Bordewijk, Chairman of the Applications Group Civils at TEPPFA, said: “Following an intensive piece of market research which revealed the most important considerations that specifiers take into account, TEPPFA has collated the results of many years of investigation and study to create Discover: Plastics. For decades, we have invested substantially in excavating existing systems to assess their longevity; undertaking controlled lab research to quantify the benefits of flexibility; and subjected plastic pipes to continual hours of strength testing. In addition, we’ve enlisted the expertise of many independent bodies who
have provided verification for our work. “We know civil engineers are passionate about the quality of their designs, and by collating this wide range of compelling evidence, we can demonstrate that plastics display all the qualities required of a longlasting sewer pipe system.” Caroline Ayres of TEPPFA, and Director of the BPF Pipes Group, said: “This strongly supported research by TEPPFA endorses much of the valuable work of our members on below-ground plastic pipes, and we wholeheartedly welcome this campaign, which will help set the record straight on plastic and enable specifiers and civil engineers to better understand its benefits.”
CHEMSON EXTENDS UK WORKFORCE AT WALLSEND
After technical investments at the plant, Chemson’s focus shifted to strengthening its team. Alexander Hofer, Director, said: “The UK Market is very important for Chemson. We take good care to constantly ensure an optimal access to our customers and to offer them a better service every day.”
Chemson, Austrian manufacturer of PVC Additives, has welcomed Robin Byron, Operations Director; Sean Cockett, Product Manager and Andrew Scurr, Technical Service Manager to its factory in Wallsend, Tyneside.
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RJG TECHNOLOGIES SHARES BEST PRACTICE IN THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW RJG UK, based in Peterborough, has secured a place with innovative companies in the annual Parliamentary Review. Set up by former minister David Curry in 2010, The Parliamentary Review’s September release is a fixture in the political calendar that looks back on the year in industry and Westminster. The aim of the Review is to showcase best practice as a learning tool to the public and private sector, sent to over half a million leading policymakers. Daniel Yossman, The Parliamentary Review’s Director, said: “RJG Technologies and other hardworking organisations from across the country have come together to make this year’s Review possible. “Sharing knowledge and insight with both peers and government is essential work and I am delighted that this year’s Review will reach every corner of the British economy.
PLASTICSEUROPE PRESENTS OPERATION CLEAN SWEEP REPORT ON PELLET CONTAINMENT PlasticsEurope has released its report for Operation Clean Sweep (OCS), an international programme to help prevent resin loss from getting into the marine environment.
PlasticsEurope has released its report for Operation Clean Sweep (OCS), an international programme to help prevent resin loss from getting into the marine environment.
The Parliamentary Review highlights best practice to leading policymakers
“It’s always a real joy to hear from policymakers who tell me that something they have read in the Review has had an effect on their thinking. “It is my belief that innovation is contagious, if only it is given the
platform to spread. It is the Review’s purpose to provide this platform and I am confident we are fulfilling it.”
‘Operation Clean Sweep Report 2017’ reinforces PlasticsEurope’s commitment to fight marine litter. This report provides information on the implementation of the OCS programme in Europe and measures taken by PlasticsEurope members to prevent pellet loss, for instance, modifying equipment for better containment, training employees and involving their entire value chain, among others. A Zero Pellet Loss (ZPL) initiative was initially launched in 2013 by PlasticsEurope to raise awareness among employees at manufacturing plants on how to properly manage pellets and other particles at each step of the production and supply chain. To align and concentrate global industry efforts under a common approach, ZPL was integrated on a pan-European basis, into the global OCS programme in 2015, joining their common goal of creating awareness, sharing best practices and providing guidance to its members. PlasticsEurope targets 100 per cent-member engagement in the OCS programme for year-end 2017
and the report strongly encourages other industry associations, policymakers, NGOs and the general public to join this initiative to help achieve the goal of ‘zero pellet loss’. To date, more than half of PlasticsEurope’s members have signed the OCS pledge and are implementing different measures within their companies, production sites and logistics value chain. A reporting scheme is being developed over the course of 2017 to track members’ progress. The plastics industry also affirms its commitment to other marine litter prevention programmes under the 2011 Declaration of the Global Plastics Associations for Solutions on Marine Litter, engaging in industry action and close cooperation with stakeholders. The Global Declaration focuses on education, research, best practices, public policy, recycling and pellet containment. Today, 70 plastics industry associations in 35 countries have joined over 260 projects.
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PURGING COMPOUNDS | NEWS CHEM-TREND BUILDS ON EASTERN EUROPEAN GROWTH STRATEGY WITH NEW ROMANIAN DIVISION Chem-Trend, a manufacturer of release agents and purging compounds, has established a Romanian division following the acquisition of a company from its distribution partner in the country. Chem-Trend Romania has been formed following the parent company’s acquisition of Rubio Trading and Consulting SRL, a release agent business, as part of its planned growth strategy in Eastern Europe. The new Chem-Trend Romania will continue to support the local market in the existing industries of polyurethane and rubber moulding, thermoplastics processing and die casting and will expand in the future to support the needs of the tyre manufacturing market as well. “Rubio has long been known for its knowledge of the release agent business combined with excellence in customer service, and ChemTrend provides industry-leading R&D, global sales, service and manufacturing capabilities. Joining the talents of these very dynamic and complementary organisations
EFFICIENCY IN INJECTION MOULDING TO FUEL DEMAND FOR PURGING COMPOUNDS TO 2025 A new report into the global purging compound market suggests that growth between 2017-2025 IN TERMS OF PURGING COMPOUNDS BY TYPE, THE REPORT ANTICIPATES THAT CHEMICAL PURGING PRODUCTS WILL CONTINUE TO LEAD THE MARKET ing Purg s t Pelle
Chem-Trend will supply its products through its newlyestablished Romanian office
will directly enhance the service we offer to our important customers in Eastern Europe,” said Paul McGill, Executive Director Sales and Marketing, Chem-Trend Europe. President and CEO of Chem-Trend, Devanir Moraes, added: “ChemTrend is proud to have been active in Eastern Europe for many years. Romania continues to attract a high level of foreign investment and the establishment of Chem-Trend Romania positions us to provide even
greater service to our local, regional and global customer base that are located in this strategically important and rapidly expanding market. The addition of this office, along with the many talented and experienced people who have joined us from Rubio, strengthens our commitment to addressing the needs of the local market.”
will be fuelled by demand from injection moulders looking for ways to streamline the process through efficiencies in scrap removal and carbon cleaning. The research undertaken by US-based Transparency Market Research, suggests that it will be the North American market that will lead in terms of consumption, fuelled by a high number of plastic processing plants typically in engineering thermoplastics. The report suggests purging compound market in Asia Pacific is expected to expand significantly due to the rapid industrialisation in the region, the same too with Latin America and the Middle East and Africa, where reviving economies and investment are expected to drive demand. In terms of purging compounds by type, the report anticipates that
chemical purging products will continue to lead the market ahead of mechanical and liquid respectively, as a result of benefits such as its high mouldability rate. In addition, an increase in mergers and acquisitions to enhance product offerings is another factor positively influencing the market, finds Transparency Market Research, who cites Chem-Trend’s acquisition of Moulds Plus International’s business ‘Ultra Purge’ in 2016 as one that significantly broadened its thermoplastics processing portfolio. Indeed, the competition between purging compound manufacturers and suppliers will lead to an increase in research and development, with a focus towards improvement and development of innovative products.
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WWW.TRANSPARENCYMARKETRESEARCH.COM 25
Moulding the future of plastics automation Flexible. Fast. Consistent. Suitable for all industries including Electronics, Optical, Medical device and consumer goods: The clean consistent performance of Stäubli robots make them the ideal solution for all types of robotic applications from complete process automation through In mould labelling to high speed parts handling. Man and Machine www.staubli.com
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CASE STUDY: UK MOULDER IMPROVES EFFICIENCIES AND COST SAVINGS WITH NEW PURGING COMPOUND Maxell Moulding Services (UK), a precision injection moulder based in Telford, was looking to make cost savings and efficiency gains by trialling new purging compounds. It was looking for a highly effective product in order to make its production run as lean as possible in between colour or material changes. As the company offers plastic moulding services for exacting applications in the medical, food, automotive and electrical industry, it needed a product that would enable both efficiency and speed. Following the trials of several purging agents from different suppliers, Maxell tried Asaclean GL2 from Velox. After having emptied the screw and barrel from a run of 30 per cent glass filled black ABS, Maxell used 8kg of Asaclean GL2 before going on to a white polystyrene (PS) on a 80mm diameter screw. No visible black streaks or spots were left in the PS. “With our previous purging compound we were purging for three to four hours until, finally, clean material came out of the machine,” explained Hugh Davies, Moulding Technician at Maxell. “This was too long, too expensive and too inefficient for us. Then we tried the Asaclean GL2. All it took us was 8kg instead of 16kg and, after only 15 minutes of purging, the machine was clean. No screw needed to be pulled and we were ready to start the next production run right after.” Maxell Molding Services achieved high time, material and cost savings with Asaclean GL2
Fast and effective: colour change to transparent materials with Asaclean
Asaclean GL2 is a purge compound best suited to clean screws and barrels and for applications such as injection moulding and extrusion. Produced by Asahi Kasei Chemical Corporation, Japan, Asaclean GL2 belongs to the purge compound family Asaclean with 15 additional types for various special applications, such as high-temperature range, transparent applications etc. According to Enno Stapel, Product Manager at Velox and responsible for Asaclean, it combines properties of efficiency
“
as well as high purging power and it is neither abrasive nor corrosive The and is an all-rounder performance grade appropriate for of Asaclean hard cleaning, especially GL2 was during colour changes, outstanding in material changes to every aspect. standard polymers, sealing and hot runner It does not only clean the cleaning. Asaclean machine within GL2 works within a temperature range of only 15 minutes 180°C to 330°C – if and thereby necessary, up to 360 ° C, if an exhausting minimises the downtime, but system is available. “Asaclean is a ‘ready we could also to use’ granulate save money solution that does by using 50 not require mixing per cent or pre-drying and no temperature adjustment less purging on the machine,” material explained Stapel. compared to “Likewise, each single other purge granulate is cleaningactive, there is power in compounds. every pellet.” Concluding, Maxell’s Davies said: “The performance of Asaclean GL2 was outstanding in every aspect. It does not only clean the machine within only 15 minutes and thereby minimises the downtime, but we could also save money by using 50 per cent less purging material compared to other purge compounds.” WWW.VELOX.COM
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Heavy Duty Pull Out Mould Tool Racking Designed for unit loads from 100 Kgs to 10,000 kg, also available in various widths and heights to suit customers requirements. It is also possible to equip the heavy-duty pull-out shelving systems with side panels, rear panels, covers and doors to protect the stored items.
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Tel: 01952 671917 | Email: robot.uk@staubli.com | www.staubli.co.uk
AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS | NEWS KUKA MAKES ENHANCEMENTS TO SMALL SERIES ROBOTS KUKA has further developed its KR AGILUS six-axis robot series, with the next generation due to replace all standard variants of its small robot range from the end of the year. Each of the new KR AGILUS robots meets the requirements of protection rating IP67, protecting them against water spray. For applications with lubricants or coolants, there will still be a special waterproof (WP) variant. The other variants, such as cleanroom, atex protection – for potentially explosive environments – and hygienic machine are also still available. The newly developed KR AGILUS robot will come in white as standard, in order to best enable it to blend into the production environments of its primary target market: the electronics industry in Asia. The small robot will, KUKA says, also be of interest to customers in General Industry (GI) worldwide, owing to its speed and precision. The robot will feature a payload capacity of six or ten kilograms, with a reach ranging from 700 to 1100 millimeters. The small robot can be installed on the floor, the ceiling or the wall. Just like the first generation of the KR AGILUS, the second
A Yaskawa Motoman robot
“The new and improved position of the energy supply system is just one example of the many details on the robot that have been enhanced”
The new KR AGILUS robots
generation will also be equipped with KUKA’s KR C4 compact controller. “In the new KR AGILUS, our customers can look forward to a small robot that we have further developed with our customary quality. The new and improved position of the energy supply system is just one example of the many details on the robot that have been enhanced,” explained Christoph Schaible, KUKA Product Manager. WWW.KUKA.COM
YASKAWA MOTOLOGIX STARTS NEW COLLABORATION WITH ROUTECO UK Motion control and robotics specialist, Yaskawa, has started a collaboration with Routeco UK to supply its products to the UK market. This includes an investment in a dedicated robot cell demonstration facility at industrial automation and control products provider, Routeco’s, Milton Keynes site where the benefits of Yaskawa’s MotoLogix control system can be viewed. Commenting on the agreement, Keith Harrison, Group Commercial Director at Routeco said: “This is an exciting new venture with a market-leading global robotics brand which will enhance our
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automation solutions offering to our customers. “The integration between Motoman Robots and Rockwell Automation PLCs using MotoLogix provides a significant technical advantage to our existing customers and makes this a perfect partnership for Routeco and our clients.” MotoLogix is a software interface for controlling Yaskawa robots by PLC. It is currently available for several major PLC brands and fieldbuses and is designed with two primary objectives; to enable OEMs to integrate Yaskawa robot systems in their PLC controlled machinery and to enable easy programming, commissioning, teaching, operating of robots in a machine, without need of specialised knowledge. WWW.YASKAWA.EU.COM
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Tel: 01952 671917 | Email: robot.uk@staubli.com | www.staubli.co.uk
CASE STUDY: FIPA PROVIDES AUTOMATION SOLUTION FOR COMPLEX AUTOMOTIVE MOULDING PROJECT When a US injection moulding company was approached by a major automotive manufacturer to produce front and rear wheel arches, it needed an automation solution that could handle a difficult task, tight deadlines and high quality requirements. Proper Polymers, based in South Carolina, needed a cutting station that would handle two different size arches, maintain zero vestige and achieve an acceptable delivery date. The project was extra challenging as the gate faces inwards and is concealed in the assembled state. After the original project partner was unwilling to produce a single cutting station that would handle both parts, Proper Polymers approached German provided of automation and End of Arm Tooling (EOAT) solutions, FIPA, who began with design and construction of the degating station. Both the precise cut and the robot’s limited workspace presented challenges. Where it is normally common for two parts to be moulded in adjacent machines in the automotive industry, in this case it was not an option, as at the time of development there was only one injection moulding machine available for the project. This meant the parts had to be moulded alternately in the same machine. If the workspace had been sufficiently large and adjacent machines were available, the two parts and two cutting stations could have been arranged next to each other and have the respective parts cut on separate cutting stations. FIPA therefore developed a solution with a rotating mounted dual cutting station, which processes two wheel arches in parallel. When changing production from front to rear wheel arch the tool is changed and the cutting station indexed 180°. A robot then picks up two wheel arches from the injection moulding machine and inserts them into the cutting station. FIPA air nippers remove the gates with zero millimetres remaining. The robot then takes the two wheel arches and the runners out of the cutting station and places them on a conveyor.
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Due to restricted space and safety concerns, the cutting station was mounted above head height and out of reach when in operation and while being rotated pneumatically. This ensures the blades of the air nippers cannot come into contact with workers in the work cell. FIPA parallel grippers hold the wheel arches in position during gate removal. Several problems in the start-up phase were quickly identified and remedied. The gate geometry was difficult; the standard blade opening width, smaller than the gate, caused interference between the gate and the blade. In order to achieve sufficient clearance, stiffer springs were inserted in the blades and the cutting station’s drive was replaced with a custom solution designed to allow for the wider opening. This solved the issue with the blade opening dimension. In addition, the parallel grippers with HNBR pads designed to securely hold the wheel arch in position, while not marking the part, required greater opening tolerance to allow easy insertion of the part into the fixture due to minor variations in presentation. This was resolved by modification to the mountings of the gripper’s HNBR pads on the non-visual side. This achieved a reliable operational tolerance while maintaining precise positioning of the part before degating. FIPA designed the cutting station in an expedited time, 20 hours of design and 20 hours of assembly and testing. Commenting on the project, Mark Foster, Engineering Manager at Proper Polymers, said: “FIPA worked miracles to get us our degating solution, support was second to none.” He continued: “We at Proper believe in partnerships with our suppliers and we have solidified that with FIPA.” WWW.FIPA.COM
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esigned, FIPA d led and b m e ass ired he requ tested t tion lu o s n io ers automat m ly o P per for Pro
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FIPA worked miracles to get us our degating solution, support was second to none. We at Proper believe in partnerships with our suppliers and we have solidified that with FIPA. - mark foster
KRAUSSMAFFEI’S RANGE OF SMALL ROBOTS OFFER MODULARITY AND EFFICIENCY KraussMaffei has recently optimised its range of linear small robots, which a special design to satisfy the criteria of availability, precision and productivity. The new LRX 50, LRX 100 and LRX 150 models are equipped with new features to enable significant reduction in secondary process times, as well as the overall cycle. The robots have an industrial design, which was specifically aimed at increasing reliability against failure, says KraussMaffei. They have a decentralised switching cabinet design for easy access and flexibility, for example in event of maintenance or when retrofitting sensors or additional media circuits. In addition, a revised thermal and protective concept for the electronic components with protection class IP 54 ensures high availability and safety. Furthermore, rack and pinion drives instead of toothed belts result in a high level of precision in rapid axis movements. The media lines and the electronics system are protected on the Y axis by quick-change covers and a central media portal allows fast gripper changing and supports production with frequent product change-overs. Managing Director of KraussMaffei Automation, Thomas Marufke, says additional powerful components complement the good accessibility and productivity of the new generation of linear
small robots. The new axis design allows free access for plasticising and material supply, a new compact design of the servo-driven hand axes makes minimal opening strokes possible and an additional blow-off function after the components are held using a vacuum ensures rapid depositing. “Overall, the secondary process times can be significantly reduced, which, in turn, shortens the total cycle times,” Marufke explained. Where energy-efficiency and cost-effectiveness is concerned, KraussMaffei says functions such as the new digital vacuum monitoring system with integrated air-saving has the possibility to reduce compressed air requirements by up to 90 percent. Finally, with the aim of handling greater loads with smaller devices, the design of the servo-driven hand axes has been revised. The objective was to reduce the device’s own weight and thus increase the remaining load capacity of the robot. Marufke says thanks to the new lightweight design of the robot’s main axes, the mass to be moved by the respective individual axis was also reduced. Overall, the work can now be performed with smaller drive units, thus reducing energy consumption. The new LRX 50, LRX 100 and LRX 150 can be combined individually with all hydraulic and all-electric injection molding machines with clamping forces from 350 to 6500 kN. WWW.KRAUSSMAFFEIGROUP. COM The new small robot series has a special design to optimise efficiency
Tel: 01952 671917 | Email: robot.uk@staubli.com | www.staubli.co.uk
PLC VS CNC: Is there room for both in the factory of the future?
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he automation of industrial processes is hardly a product of the last few years, but the concept of automation is changing as ‘Industry 4.0’ and the Internet of Things (IoT) become more prevalent. Alongside the picking, packing, palletising and conveying of former years, automation now encompasses concepts such as zero-downtime, increased precision, high speeds, efficiency and proactive maintenance. All of this is powered by digital, programmable systems that have been developed and perfected over more than 60 years. GREATER The first of these is Computer AUTOMATION Numerical Control (CNC), a BECOMES THE technology that facilitates the FOCUS OF UK automation of machine tools by MANUFACTURING, means of computers that execute CONTROL pre-programmed sequences. “CNC was developed during SYSTEMS the 50s and 60s as a logical ARE HAVING progression from Computer Aided TO BECOME Manufacturing (CAM) and tracerINCREASINGLY based automation,” explained Baird. COMPLEX AND “Established alongside computer EFFICIENT. and servo system developments, HOWEVER, CNC helped manufacturers to meet TO MAKE THE their increasing requirements for MOST OF THESE repeatable, high-precision production. TECHNOLOGIES, Today, it’s formed of five main parts MANUFACTURERS – a sequencer, interpolator, servo NEED TO controllers, logic controller and UNDERSTAND operator control interface – and WHAT THEIR is synonymous with precision and control.”
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OPTIONS ARE, AND HOW THESE CONTROL SYSTEMS CAN PLAY THEIR PART IN THE FACTORY OF THE FUTURE.
The introduction of PLC
Twenty years after CNC was first introduced, a cheaper and simpler form of computer-aided control was developed: Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). Baird added: “It’s strange that the less sophisticated IN THE FOLLOWING version of machine control was ARTICLE, IAN developed 20 years after its highly BAIRD, CNC technical predecessor, but PLC APPLICATIONS certainly served, and still serves, a MANAGER purpose in factory automation. “PLC was developed in the 1980s to FOR FANUC supersede relay logic control systems, UK’S FACTORY which were often less cost-effective, AUTOMATION flexible and easy to use because DIVISION, they relied on hardware to perform EXPLAINS MORE their key functions. PLC has input TO BP&R READERS. and output functionality and can be programmed to perform sequential operations, data processing, or simple axes control.” Despite the two-decade age difference, PLC has never been intended to replace CNC, as Baird outlined: “Both serve very different purposes and marketplaces, with their 32
own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it would be limiting for anyone in industry to say: ‘I’ve invested in CNC – there’s no room for PLC here’, because they are two entirely different controls.” CNC is more frequently associated with the concept of automation because the scope of its use extends beyond a simple input-output algorithm. Baird said: “Modern CNC is a flexible, digitally-controlled system that can be tailored to suit a manufacturer’s needs without needing to re-programme the entire system. “Most modern CNCs also include user interfaces with builtin operation, maintenance and diagnostic screens. For this reason, CNC is popular with people who want full control over their machines, because its functionality does allow you to fly solo after a bit of training.” “A CNC’s applications are limited only by your imagination,” continued Baird. “Any application that requires precision motion control needs CNC, whether that be the manufacture of watch parts and medical devices, or reactive atomic plasma etching.” PLC, on the other hand, is the perfect solution for simple control tasks. Baird added: “If you’ve got an application that doesn’t need a high level of accuracy or flexible motion control, such as an AC motor
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conveyor, then PLC is often the best choice. It’s cheaper than CNC, which would arguably be better invested in more complex applications.”
Cost vs. Flexibility
There are some disadvantages to the simplicity of PLC, however. “PLC does not have the flexibility of CNC,” Baird explained. “This means that, if you need to change the programme even slightly, you have to re-programme it entirely. It also doesn’t offer the precision of CNC and is therefore best used as a lowcost solution for basic tasks.” Despite PLC’s low cost, many manufacturers are choosing CNC over PLC, due in part to its lower total cost of ownership. “It is interesting to see many designers turning to CNC after investing in PLC, largely for reasons of flexibility, reliability and cost,” Baird continued. “The initial cost of CNC is higher than that of PLC, but your return on investment can be higher in the long
Tel: 01952 671917 | Email: robot.uk@staubli.com | www.staubli.co.uk
“Although it’s unrealistic to expect factories to work seamlessly 24/7, we can aim to minimise downtime caused by minor faults or errors.” This is where the concept of predictive maintenance comes into play, which, as Baird explained, is facilitated by CNC control technology. “Predictive maintenance allows us to spot potential problems before they occur, and act accordingly before they become serious”, he said. “We do this by employing the automation technology that controls the machine as a kind of watchman.”
The factory of the future?
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Only time will tell how CNC and PLC adapt to the factory of the future, but it is clear that they will both form a part of it, if not always working in collaboration
term because of the CNC’s higher reliability and control. It also gives system designers the flexibility to dictate how much control they want users to have over their machines.” The long-term cost-effectiveness of CNC can be attributed to its advanced user-programmable features, which can minimise downtime and control the energy usage or output of the machine. Baird continued: “A lot of CNCs now come equipped with AI contour control. This means you can control the machine to be within a certain workload, or adaptively control the machine for working overnight. For example, you can programme it so that it only works at 80 per cent load, allowing you to be more economical with your energy usage. “CNCs also come equipped with energy efficiency functions, such as energy charge modules. These help you to size your machine equipment to the average power duty of the machine, thus reducing factory overhead.” The added safety functions of
CNCs lend themselves well to collaborative working with humans. “CNCs come equipped with a digital algorithm that looks after the motion control. This digital system is formed of two parts: a real digital data system and an observer digital system. The observer acts like the ‘ideal’, providing the machine with the parameters in which it should be working. The real and the observer are both driven by the same command, so they should be working in exactly the same way,” Baird continued. “If the real system encounters a disruption, such as an unexpected load, then this causes the real data to deviate from the observer data. The machine will translate this as a collision and respond in one of two ways. If it’s moving slowly, it will stop, and if it’s moving quickly, it will perform a ‘vectored back-off’, where it will retract any moving machinery to avoid damage.“For high-end machines, you can also incorporate 3D technology, which stops five-axis machinery from moving outside of its pre-determined work envelope.” Alongside safety, zero-downtime is an important consideration for manufacturers looking to automate their processes. Baird added: “Unplanned downtime is expensive: it can halt production for days, weeks, or even months. An undetected fault could cause irreversible damage to machinery, and even be hazardous to human operatives.
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With all of these advantages over its younger sibling, is CNC destined to become the sole tool of the factory of the future? “It’s tempting to dismiss PLC as cheap and cheerful, but it still has a vital part to play in automation,” said Baird. “The best example of this is a production line. CNC may be controlling the robot arms, the tooling, milling, grinding, and so on, but PLC is powering the belt that takes a product or material from one part of the line to the next. The complexity of CNC does not lend it well to such tasks and would be wasted. As part of a factory floor, where simple and complex tasks are done simultaneously, CNC and PLC work perfectly together.” With CNC and PLC both maintaining a place in manufacturing’s tool-kit, it is now important to look at how they can be developed. For Baird, the world of Big Data and collaboration beckons. “Industrial control systems will continue to evolve, and this will largely come in the form of specialisations suited to specific industries,” he explained. “Third-parties will also exploit the concept of an open interface in order to integrate the factory with the Internet of Things. With this will come intelligent machines and data collection and analysis on a vast scale, which will help us to identify further process improvements.” Only time will be able to tell how CNC and PLC adapt to the factory of the future, but it is clear that they will both form a part of it, if not always working in collaboration. “It’s horses for courses really, and there will be instances where one is better than the other. When all’s said and done, it’s a case of choosing the right tool for the right job, which is essentially what engineering is all about,” Baird concluded. WWW.FANUC.EU/UK/EN
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RECYCLING MACHINERY | NEWS AMUT AWARDED TWO NEW TENDERS FOR RECYCLING PROJECTS AMUT’s recycling division has been awarded two new tenders by leading European companies both involved in the waste management field. Each includes the supply of a twin plant suitable for the reclaiming and regeneration of thermoplastic polyolefin scraps to be transformed into granules. They will benefit from AMUT’s patented water-saving concept, where special recirculation circuits enable the re-use of water. The first project will see the two lines work in parallel to process LDPE scraps with a total output of 2500 kg/h. The thermoplastic scraps mainly consist of baled blown films coming from post-consumer recycled packaging. In order to increase the flexibility of the plant, a group of conveyor belts enables the two shredders to feed alternately two buffers on the lines. The decantation phase enables the separation of heavy objects and contaminants from the film, whilst a pre-washing action removes other pollutants and dirt. The second highfriction action is made during wet grinding.
Solvay has joined Husky Injection Moulding Systems to launch Verian High Barrier Polyester (HBP) [Stock image not representative of product]
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Turbo Washer and Friction Washer machines are used to perform an intensive and continuous washing and rinsing action and the process washing water can be thermally adjusted and conditioned by chemicals/detergents to increase the cleaning efficacy. The flakes are separated from water and conveyed to the centrifuge machine for the drying phase. A hotair drier reduces the humidity value of the flakes and makes the material suitable for the extrusion processes. The other project will see AMUT supply twin lines for washing and pelletising of postconsumer plastic materials: the total output is 1500 kg/h of LDPE film or 4000 kg/h of PP or HDPE containers. The main advantage, says AMUT, is the ability to reclaim either light or heavy polyolefins with the same machines one at a time. In the first decantation trough, the material is separated from heavy objects and contaminants and then conveyed in two parallel turbines for the prewashing phase.The second highfriction action is made during the wet grinding. An intensive washing action is made by the Friction Washer where
the flakes are continuously subjected to a strong friction action followed by rinsing operation for further removal of residual impurities. The purification from residual heavy plastics and rinsing is completed by a special centrifuge called decanter. The decanter also performs drying. The projects both include an extrusion plant to complete the entire reclaiming process.
RECYCLABLE HIGH BARRIER POLYESTER RELEASED BY SOLVAY AND HUSKY
to process Solvay’s Verian HBP for a 17gm carbonated soft drink application. By combining the HyPET HPP5 platform with an advanced melt delivery system and sophisticated controls, Husky says the Multi-Layer Technology delivers all-new capability that enables the most precise distribution of Verian HBP within a multi-layer preform. John Galt, Husky’s President and CEO, said: “We are excited about our partnership with Solvay and the potential that Verian HBP presents in minimising the impact PET packaging has on the environment. We believe this development will open new growth opportunities for the next generation of high performance engineered PET packages, while ensuring compatibility with existing recycling streams.
Solvay has joined Husky Injection Moulding Systems to launch Verian High Barrier Polyester (HBP), a recyclable line of high-performance polymers to pack PET bottles and films. The new polymer expands Solvay’s portfolio of speciality polymers for barrier packaging. Augusto Di Donfrancesco, President of Solvay Speciality Polymers, said: “Working together with Husky, the development of Verian HBP highlights our robust capability to design cutting-edge and game-changing products and technology that will play a major role in high performing sustainable packaging solutions of the future.” The two companies first showcased the polymers during the recent Drintec tradeshow, where Husky ran a HyPET HPP5 fully integrated preform manufacturing system to demonstrate its ability WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
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Each project includes the supply of a twin plant suitable for the reclaiming and regeneration of thermoplastic polyolefin scraps to be transformed into granules.
WWW.SOLVAY.COM WWW.HUSKY.CO/EN
CASE STUDY: VECOPLAN LENDS RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY TO MARINE CLEAN UP PROJECT Vecoplan AG, a manufacturer of recycling machinery and systems, has created a process for transporting, processing and recycling salvaged plastic fishing nets, known as ‘ghost nets’ from the Baltic Sea. The company was asked to help find an environmentally-friendly way of recycling the polypropylene and polyamide fishing nets as part of a project initiated by WWF in Germany and international recycling company, Tönsmeier. Initial results from the tests have been positive and it is hoped that the knowledge gained will make it easy to transfer the process from small to larger seas and oceans. “Our task was to find options for the material recycling of salvaged nets in our own technology centre,” said Vecoplan’s Project Manager, Ulf Kramer. For the initial tests and system development, the project partners salvaged 450 kilos of heavily soiled material from the seabed before manually sorting it into coarse nets, fine gill nets and fixed ropes. These pre-sorted groups were then subjected to various tests to find out which processing and procedural steps were feasible and effective. “The groups were shredded with no problems,” said Kramer. Vecoplan used a VAZ 1600 M XL single shaft shredder with a 110 kW HiTorc drive for the first step of the treatment process. The machine was configured with a U-rotor and a filter diameter of 20 mm. Kramer The material is processed in the Vecoplan technology centre by the VAZ 1600 M XL single shaft shredder with HiTorc Drive.
n have bee ets may s, Ghost n bed for decade ea s e e h h t t o n o at t e a thre y can and pos but the – t n e environm d. le be recyc
Shredded and washed – the recycled material looks good.
continued: “We equipped the VAZ like this because we had already run tests in the technology centre using old, discarded nets – and we were also able to draw on our own experience.” The shredded material, still heavily soiled, was magnetically separated and collected in big bags, before further sorting using the sink/swim process, which separated the heavy particles, such as sand, from the lighter plastic particles. “Since sand, mud and the small lead weights worked into the nets fall to the bottom, the PP and PA6 can be skimmed off the water surface and conveyed separately to the washing process after a second water bath,” explained Falk Schneider, a University of Bath doctoral candidate, who is providing scientific support for the project on behalf of WWF. The shredded material, separated by density, was then poured from the big bags into the funnel on the feed screw of the washing system – and the process of cleaning began. The WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
material is fibre-separated during this washing process and is presented as free fibres following friction loading. The dewatered product is then conveyed in big bags. In a production plant, a drying process would be carried out at this stage instead. With regard to the material obtained, Kramer said: “Following the tests, successful washing results were visually observed, and the purity values are now being analysed in detail by various universities in their laboratories.” The recycling and material reclaiming of the plastic fibres in the process are, therefore, still being tested. “In my doctoral thesis, which is based on these experiments, the process is described from the point of view of economics and ecology,” added Schneider. “We now know that it is possible to recycle ghost nets – but the question is, how economically viable is it?” Detailed answers to this question will soon be available. WWW.VECOPLAN.COM 35
RUD Tool-Mover
Ultimate Safety in Handling Heavy Plant & Injection Moulding Tools
Tradition in Dynamic Innovation
• Ultimate safety in handling heavy plant & injection moulding tools • Helps reduce costs to potentially damaged tools • Increases safety to the operator • Offers a handling weight range from 10 – 64 tonnes • Improve efficiency & safety when handling
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TOMRA SORTING RECYCLING LOOKS TO REDUCE LANDFILL WASTE WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY TOMRA Sorting Recycling has announced the launch of a new sensor-based sorting machine based on laser technology. ‘Autosort Laser’ enables the separation of glass, ceramics, stones, metals and plastics from household and commercial waste. TOMRA says its capabilities allow material recovery facilities (MRFs) to further fractionalise waste and reduce overall weight for landfill, thereby significantly reducing landfill costs. Additionally, Autosort Laser helps create additional revenue streams through the recovery of salable products. The laser sorting technology is based on TOMRA’s nearinfrared (NIR) Autosort series. The Autosort Laser is said to offer a powerful sensor combination capable of detecting more material properties at the same point simultaneously, and therefore sorts material fractions more efficiently. One of the first companies to use the new laser technology is Germany’s Remondis GmbH. Harry Amann, Site Manager, commented on the installation: ”We are very proud of having the first
RAPID GRANULATOR MAKES MAJOR INVESTMENT IN PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY CONTROL Size reduction equipment manufacturer, Rapid Granulator, Rapid Granulator makes major investment to improve productivity and quality control.
Autosort Laser installed in our plant in Erftstadt. High cost savings and great output quality simplified our plant process. Needless to say, we expect a quick ROI on this project.” Autosort Laser has an independent background system ensuring sorting stability and makes it possible to separate thin, thick or opaque glass from transparent polymers, which are ever-increasingly used today in items such as injections, lighters, baby or cosmetic bottles. Peter Mentenich, Senior Product Manager at TOMRA Sorting Recycling,
commented: “I’m very pleased to see the first successful installations and the launch of Autosort Laser in our product portfolio. It ensures greater profitability for our customers and helps to significantly reduce the amount of material ending up in landfills. A good example again that sustainability and business are not mutually exclusive – both can be achieved with innovative waste management and recycling technology.” WWW.TOMRA-AUTOSORT-LASER. COM
’s new TOMRA Laser rt o s Auto
is making a major investment in machining equipment at its headquarters in Bredaryd, Sweden. Installation of three high-precision, highly automated machining centres with a total investment of €4.5 million (£4.03 million GBP), will provide the company with extra capacity to produce core components to very tight tolerances while improving overall process flow. A new ‘Done-in-One’ turning and milling machine was installed in April, followed by a horizontal machining centre in June; a third machine is scheduled to go into operation before the end of the year. “In the future, we will be able to produce tolerance-critical components in much bigger numbers and in larger sizes in-house than before,” explained Rapid’s CEO, Bengt Rimark. “Machining for us is a core technology. We need to maintain very high accuracy and precision, so it is very important that we have complete control over production of the principal components in the cutter housings.” WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
The new machining centers in Bredaryd will produce the key machine components for all Rapid granulators. These have a direct influence on the granule quality generated in the cutting process. “You have to convert your scrap material into high quality regrind, so you can feed it back into the production process again without affecting the production process negatively. Your regrind will then get the same value as your virgin raw material, generating huge savings,” Rimark added. He also emphasised the importance of granulators being able to operate continuously for long periods at a time. “The granulator is often the most profit-generating piece of equipment in a plastics processing factory.” Rimark says. “That is why return on investment can be as short as three or four months.” Rapid Granulator is available in the UK through PL Machinery Services. WW.PLMACHINERY.COM 37
Detergent bottles are given a new life.
STARLINGER GIVES NEW LIFE TO DETERGENT BOTTLES WITH PIONEERING RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY Responding to calls from brand managers for better end-of-life options for polyolefin packaging used for detergents, Austrian recycling machinery manufacturer, Starlinger, has developed new recycling technology it says is receiving worldwide interest. The development of the technology had to overcome the challenging complications associated with polyolefins used to package detergents, whereby the plastic and, consequently, the recycled material, takes on an odour because of substance migration from the original product. Starlinger therefore embarked on a project that saw it work in conjunction with a major European recycler, which provided the postconsumer detergent bottles that maintained a persistent odour of dishwashing or laundry detergent even after undergoing a shredding and washing process. The goal was to produce highquality regranulate and to aim for optimum removal of the strong smell. In addition, the regranulate needed not to entail qualitative losses compared to products made from virgin material. Taking these requirements into account, Starlinger started a test production during which more than 100 tons of HDPE post-consumer material were processed. During test production, samples were extracted and sent to a German laboratory for analysis. The analysis consisted of an olfactory
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test with human participants and a physical analytical method called gas chromatography. The knowledge obtained through this analysis enabled Starlinger to optimise the recycling process – and thus the final product – one step at a time. A special characteristic of odour reduction using the Starlinger technology is its permanent nature. While conventional processes ordinarily bind odours through the use of additives, therefore enclosing them in the final pellets, Starlinger’s odour reduction process permanently removes the substances causing the unwanted smell. The removal occurs in part during material preparation in the ‘SMART’ feeder in the recycling line, as well as during degassing using the
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C-VAC module. As a final step, the regranulate receives the ‘finishing touches’ in the Smell Extraction Unit – where the configuration and process parameters can be adapted individually to the needs of the customer’s material. As a result of the tests and the technology development, the material was fit to be reused in the production of laundry or dishwashing detergent bottles, leading to a new take on bottle-to-bottle recycling. Starlinger says as a result the technology has created “lively interest” worldwide. The technology is now housed as a demonstrator at Starlinger’s Weissenbach site. WWW.STARLINGER.COM
BUNTING MAGNETICS EUROPE ACHIEVES SUCCESS IN ISO STANDARDS Bunting Magnetics Europe has successfully transitioned to the new ISO9001:2015 Quality and ISO 14001:2015 Environment Standards. The certification covers the manufacture and supply of Magnetic Separators, Metal Detectors, and Magnets and Magnetic Assemblies from their European manufacturing headquarters in Berkhamsted, UK. Denis Elkins, Bunting Magnetics Europe’s Quality Assurance Manager, explained the importance of transitioning to the ISO9001:2015 Quality standard: “Bunting has held the ISO9001 quality standard since May 2005. The quality of our products, manufacturing processes, and business management is of utmost importance to us and our customers, and, we believe, is one of the primary reasons for our continued success.” The ISO 9001:2015 Quality Standard was revised in 2015 and now has a definitive focus on business performance. The process approach has been combined with risk-based thinking, promoting the ‘Plan-DoCheck-Act’ cycle at all levels in the organisation. The new standard acknowledges that modern organisations will have several management standards in place,
Denis Elkins, Bunting Magnetics Europe’s Quality Assurance Manager
and the 2015 version has been designed to be easily integrated with other management systems. The new version also provides a solid base for sectorquality standards (automotive, aerospace, medical industries, etc.), and takes into account the needs of regulators. Bunting also recognises the importance of adopting good working practices in accordance with international Environmental Standards and originally attained the ISO14001 standard in February 2002. The ISO14001:2015 Environmental Standard sets out the criteria for a certifiable environmental management system. It maps out a framework that a company or organisation can follow to set up an effective environmental management system, regardless of its activity or sector. “We have been actively involved in the environmental sector supplying metal recycling equipment for many years,” explained Denis, “and so maintaining this environment standard was simply commonsense. As a UK manufacturing company we recognise that we have a responsibility to protect the environment and the standard provides the framework to implement, measure and manage the most effective methods of operation to reduce waste and pollution.” WWW.BUNTINGEUROPE.COM
PET Recycling:
Trends, Developments and Outlook
IN THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE CHRISTOPH WÖSS, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER FOR BOTTLE APPLICATIONS WITHIN THE EREMA GROUP, LOOKS AT THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE IN PET RECYCLING IN RECENT YEARS AND CONSIDERS BOTH FUTURE CHALLENGES AND REQUIREMENTS.
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P
ET has been regarded as a prime example of plastic recycling for a number of years. No other plastic has a value chain which has been analysed so thoroughly with handling processes (separation, collection, sorting, recycling and reprocessing) that are so carefully tuned to each other. The great economic and sustainable success of PET recycling, however, suffered a major setback in 2013 because of the low oil price. The price of virgin material was suddenly more or less on a par with that of recycled pellets. This development in the market prompted recyclers in particular to reconsider their business model and led to new forms of collaboration between recyclers and brand owners. Working together brought benefits for both sides: recyclers had a reliable market of buyers for their recyclates and brand owners were able to make the reuse of rPET a USP compared to their competitors and have a positive image with consumers for promoting sustainability. Besides increased collaboration with brand owners, the direct processing of PET flakes to make semifinished or end products emerged as a further trend. As a result, many recyclers extended their recyclate portfolio by adding sheet/strapping end products. Mechanical engineering in the field of plastic recycling also had to react to the low oil price and customers’ changing requirements. At EREMA, the order situation in the PET sector has shifted over the last 18 months to 85 per cent machines which produce end products directly from PET flakes. Further to this, EREMA joined forces with SIPA last year and developed the VACUREMA Inline Preform system. Food-contact compliant 100 per cent rPET can now be produced for the first time directly from post-consumer PET flakes in a single pass. By combining injection and compression techniques this system allows the production of preforms that are up to 10 per cent lighter than even the lightest injection moulded preforms. The trend towards recyclers seeing themselves more as producers will also prevail – as a result of the oil price, the demand of well-known brand owners and also because of more and more politicians calling for a circular economy.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY AS AN OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE IN PET RECYCLING The European Union is committed to and striving for a circular economy in the interest of a sustainable approach to raw materials. The following recycling rates have been proposed for the plastics recycling sector: 65 per cent of municipal waste and 75 per cent of packaging waste within the EU by 2030. This proactive political approach will, in general, strengthen the upward trend in plastics recycling but also point out the challenges in no uncertain terms. In the initial stage, efficient collection systems are crucial in achieving these targets. There are currently no binding plans for national collection systems. There are a multitude of collection systems in place throughout Europe, ranging from the yellow bag for plastic to the deposit systems. Regardless of which system is used it can be said that PET has the highest collection and recycling rates of all polymers. The most recent PCI Wood Mackenzie Report (autumn 2016) documents that close to 59 per cent of the PET bottles in circulation in the EU were collected and recycled in 2015. This means five per
cent growth compared to 2014. The findings of the study show the following picture of the immediate future: the collection and recycling of PET from the post-consumer sector will continue to rise but the increase will level out in percentage terms. The reasons for this lie in the difficulty of keeping PET clean-sorted as the number of product categories is growing all the time. These range from new types of PET milk bottles in France and Spain and aerosols in shaving foam cans to the wide variety of material compositions in PET thermoforming products. The latter include for example plastic trays for pre-packed salads or fruit and vegetables or packaging which may consist of several layers of polymer and is used to extend the shelf life of cheese and sausage products. These polymers with different property profiles (including viscosity, transparency, colour or bulk density) have an impact on the recycling process and the end application. Groups of experts within the Petcore Europe association are already working on these future product cycle challenges. Two working groups have been established as a result: the ‘Working Group on Opaque and Difficult to Recycle (ODR) PET Packaging’ and the ‘Working Group on Recycling PET Thermoforms’. The former was launched in May 2016 and works on an end-of-life strategy to improve recyclability. The working group looking into thermoforms has existed since June 2015 and has over 30 representatives of companies and organisations in the manufacturing industry and recycling sector. The aim here is to increase the amount of PET in thermoforms in Europe while at the same time offering sustainable recycling processes for these products.
UNDERSTANDING PET RECYCLING AS THE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS
PET is already making good progress in drawing level with the most sustainable industries such as metal, glass and paper. Closing the product cycle even further calls for support above all from producers and, in the broader sense, from receptive consumers. The market for organic products is booming especially because of increasing demand from consumers. So why not pay attention to the origin and composition of the packaging, too? This awareness/sustainability consideration would mean additional leverage for PET recycling. With regard to sustainability, mandatory recycling rates for the use of rPET in end products, an EU-wide ban on landfilling or a note on PET bottles indicating the proportion of recycled materials would be just some exemplary political measures to push recycling. The fact that the PET sector offers space for innovative ideas can be seen for example in another Petcore Europe project called ‘Polymark’. The objective is to develop a series of marker technologies for PET products. These should contain information such as properties or the structure of the product which can be recognised and assigned by a sorting device. The new technologies offer for the first time a mechanical method for the efficient sorting of plastics. The PET industry needs more such showcase projects to keep recycling at a high level and also be able to master the new challenges. WWW.EREMA.AT
About the author:
Christoph Wöss has been working at EREMA since 2001 and took over the PET recycling plant segment (known as the VACUREMA product line) within the EREMA Group in 2007. He can turn to 15 years of experience in the plastics industry. EREMA established the Business Development division in 2014 in which Christoph Wöss is now responsible for bottle applications. 41
MATERIALS | NEWS BASF TO ACQUIRE SOLVAY’S POLYAMIDES BUSINESS FOR € 1.6 BILLION BASF is to acquire Solvay’s global Polyamides business for € 1.6 billion (approx.. £1.4 billion GBP) in a deal expected to close in the third quarter of 2018. In a statement Solvay said the sale is “a crucial step” in its transformation towards becoming a multi-speciality chemicals company. “Solvay’s planned divestment of Polyamides marks a tipping point in the profound transformation journey we began four years ago. Successful completion of this transaction will further reinforce Solvay as a multispeciality chemical group, delivering superior growth and sustainable value,” said Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, CEO of Solvay. BASF has acquired the business on “a on a cash and debt-free basis” it said, adding that the Polyamides division would complement its engineering plastics portfolio and expand the company’s position, particularly by enhancing access to key growth
DOW AND DUPONT ANNOUNCE COMPLETION OF MERGER Dow and DuPont have announced the successful completion of their merger, effective as of August 31. The combined entity is operating as a holding company under the name ‘DowDuPont’ with three divisions – Agriculture, Materials Science and Speciality Products. Over the next 18 months each division will be assigned its own people, assets, systems and licenses in place to operate independently from the parent company. DowDuPont intends to create a “leading Materials Science
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BASF is to acquire Solvay’s global Polyamides business for € 1.6 billion
markets in Asia and South America. At the same time, the purchase will strengthen BASF’s polyamide 6.6 value chain through increased polymerisation capacities and the
Company” to be named ‘Dow’. Since the announcement, it has realigned its original plan for the business segments falling within each division in order to “enhance their competitive advantage.” The Materials Science Company will now consist of Performance Materials and Coatings; Industrial Intermediates and Infrastructure; and Packaging and Speciality Plastics. The intended Materials Science Company will reportedly offer the “strongest and broadest chemistry and polymers toolkit in the industry”, the parent company said in a statement, with the scale and competitive capabilities to enable “truly differentiated solutions” for customers in high-growth end markets, including packaging, transportation, infrastructure and consumer care. The intended Materials Science Company will be headquartered in Midland, Michigan, USA. WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
backward integration into the key raw material ADN (adipodinitrile). For the full year 2016, net sales of the Polyamides business amounted to €1.32 million. It has approximately 2,400 employees globally and, worldwide, it operates 12 production sites, four R&D locations and 10 technical support centres. The business would be integrated into BASF’s Performance Materials and Monomers divisions. WWW.SOLVAY.COM WWW.BASF.COM
Andrew Liveris, Executive Chairman of DowDuPont, said the merger marked “a significant milestone” in the storied histories of the two companies. “We are extremely excited to complete this transformational merger and move forward to create three intended industry-leading, independent, publicly traded companies. While our collective heritage and strength are impressive, the true value of this merger lies in the intended creation of three industry powerhouses that will define their markets and drive growth for the benefit of all stakeholders. Our teams have been working for more than a year on integration planning, and...we will hit the ground running on executing those plans with an intention to complete the separations as quickly as possible.” WWW.DOW-DUPONT.COM
GO GREEN.
ECONIC TECHNOLOGIES JOINS ASIAN PETCHEM GROUP TO DEVELOP HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYMERS Econic Technology, a British material research company based in Cheshire, has partnered with one of Southeast Asia’s largest petrochemical companies, SCG Chemicals. The venture will enable the development of processes to manufacture novel CO2based high molecular weight polymers using Econic’s catalyst technologies and to assess application opportunities. SCG Chemicals is one of Thailand’s largest integrated petrochemical companies and a key industrial producer in the Asia-Pacific region. SCG Chemicals’ independent subsidiary and polymer research and development firm, Norner, will also play a key role in the development programme. Econic Technologies says the joint venture is one of a number of global partnerships it is engaging in as it works towards realising its goal to create value from waste CO2 across the globe. By working with polymer manufacturers and suppliers, to help them make their products
SABIC OPENS DUTCH POLYPROPYLENE PLANT SABIC has opened a new polypropylene pilot plant in Geleen, the Netherlands, and has announced its intention to build a new extrusion facility in the same place. In line with SABIC’s strategic commitment to customer-driven innovation, the new pilot plant, located at the SABIC’s Global Technology Centre for Europe, will design next-generation polypropylene materials. It is already on-stream using gasphase polymerisation technology. The new facility will serve to develop grades with improved balance in stiffness and impact resistance, flow properties and other properties specific to target applications. SABIC plans to concentrate on development of impact grades of polypropylene, as well as random
using carbon dioxide (CO2), the company aims to create the potential to transform the sustainability of products in a variety of industries from packaging to construction. It says its partnership with SCG Chemicals opens another route to take its catalyst system developments into mainstream use, with a focus on high molecular weight CO2-based polymers as a new family of thermoplastics. Rowena Sellens, CEO of Econic Technologies, said: “This opportunity to work with a partner that sees the potential beyond CO2-polyols is a fantastic step forward in expanding the breadth of the applications possible, as well as showcasing the relevance of our catalyst technologies as we move towards commercialisation on a global scale.”
Without seeing red.
WWW.ECONIC-TECHNOLOGIES. COM
copolymers and homopolymers. It will also carry out experiments on advanced catalysts. Yousef Al-Benyan, SABIC’s Vice Chairman and CEO, and the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Henk Kamp, opened the plant. Al-Benyan said: “It’s about innovative thinking, extending and improving our portfolio, and – as we are showing here today – investing in technology and innovation.” The company announced that the PP extrusion line is expected to be in operation in the fourth quarter of 2017 on its Geleen site. It will answer customers’ needs for advanced materials that can support them developing the next generation lightweight applications in industries such as packaging, appliances, automotive, and healthcare.
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@POLYMERMAN ON PRICES Exchange rates improve but pricing remains a sensitive situation A RECENT UPTICK IN EXCHANGE RATES WILL DO LITTLE TO MITIGATE OTHER KEY DRIVERS AFFECTING POLYMER PRICES, WRITES MIKE BOSWELL IN THIS MONTH’S COLUMN.
by some producers’ actions to cut allocations in order to sell below plan, with the intention of preserving precious inventories through into December. This approach is particularly apparent for those products where long lead-times are involved due to delays in replenishment. Of course, the next ‘breathing point’ is likely to be December when both the seasonal demand in Western Europe tends to taper off and the vast majority of plastic converters shut down their plants for seasonal holidays. In the current conditions, it would appear that those hoping for some seasonal bargains as producers ‘optimise inventories’ to cope with the December demand lull may struggle in comparison with prior years. Having said all this there is a clear feeling of resistance from polymer converters, who no doubt are struggling to pass prices through the supply chain and whose margins will be impacted by such inertia. Ultimately, the market will determine the price but at the time of writing the overall conditions appear to very much favour the sellers.
T
he recent improvement in the value of the GBP against both the Euro and, more significantly, against the USD, must be taken in the context of the significant devaluation of the last two years. It is also notable how sensitive FOREX is to market and political events, with the recent improvement attributable to the Governor of The Bank of England suggesting that an interest rate increase was likely before the end of 2017, subject to market data continuing to report similar market fundamentals. The fact that ‘the market’ has ‘priced in’ a hike means that hints of any delay would most likely have a negative impact on the value of the GBP, plus there is the additional possibility of other ‘news’ affecting the relative value of major currencies. Aside from exchange rates, polymer market fundamentals will continue to affect polymer pricing throughout the remainder of 2017, with the likelihood that there will be further price inflation in most materials. This is based on feedstock prices, which have also been reinforced by a surge in crude oil prices and, perhaps most importantly, a very tight situation on polymer supply which has resulted from firstly, Hurricane season in the US and in particular the significant impact of storm ‘Harvey’ in the key US polymer producing region of the Gulf Coast. Secondly, strong seasonal demand following the summer holiday season. Thirdly, increased buyer activity as polymer processors look to
Who is @polymerman
Ultimately, the market will determine the price but at the time of writing the overall conditions appear to very much favour the sellers. secure required volumes and the desire to mitigate further price increases and, finally, unplanned capacity outages such as that affecting the Versalis LLDPE plant at Dunkirk. The sensitivity of pricing is clearly evidenced in products such as PVC, where prices surged on the back of weather issues affecting the significant US-based
producers and the recent styrene monomer rollercoaster. It also is likely that the aftereffects of the storms in the US will further impact on the supply of engineering polymers, where materials such as PMMA, POM, PC and PBT are already in short supply on a global basis. The tight supply situation is currently being highlighted
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
Mike Boswell is Managing Director of UK materials distributor, Plastribution, as well as the Chairman of the British Plastic Federation’s Polymer Compounders and Distributors Group, and, most recently, its ‘BREXIT Committee’. He has a broad knowledge of both materials and the issues affecting the wider industry, with over 20 years experience in the field. @polymerman is the title used for announcements made via his Twitter account.
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Engineering Passion
MACHINERY | NEWS BORCHE CHOOSES UK TO ESTABLISH ITS FIRST FULLYOWNED SUBSIDIARY Borche Machinery has established a UK subsidiary business to serve the growing number of customers throughout the UK and Ireland. Borche Machinery UK Co. Ltd will be based at the Pensnett Estate in Kingswinford, West Midlands. “Whilst the company currently has sales agency representation and networks throughout the world, Borche UK will be the company’s first fully-owned subsidiary in Europe, demonstrating the high level of importance in which the company regards and places on the UK and Irish markets,” explained Terry O’Reilly, Sales Director at Borche UK. Borche UK will have several machines in stock available for demonstration, inspection and training, enabling the potential for fast delivery. This, added O’Reilly, will allow the business to respond relatively quickly to market demands, as well as provide effective service as a result of an extensive spare parts inventory and its service team based at the Kingswinford site. A formal open event is currently being organised for later this year, during which Borche President, Mr. Zhu, is expected to attend. The event will allow visitors to see machines both running and on display, as well
WITTMANN BATTENFELD WORKS FOR LGG CHARLESWORTH EXPANSION Contract moulder, LGG Charlesworth, has invested
, ummer Paul D K (left) U WIBA aun h with S n of io p m a Ch (right) LGGC
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Borsche UK’s new offices in Kingswinford, West Midlands
as being able to inspect the service facilities. The UK and Irish markets have thus far proved to be very successful for Borche, with O’Reilly saying its range of energy efficient servo control machines have been “very well received.” The company already has machines installed up to and including 2200 ton and an existing customer base of both multi nationals and independents across a broad span of industrial sectors including automotive, building products, office chairs, white goods, electrical, medical components, housewares and storage bins, amongst others. The company also boasts one of the largest production capacity of intelligent Two Platen machines
£500,000 on a 500 ton injection moulding machine from Wittmann Battenfeld UK. The Malvern-based manufacturer has been manufacturing and assembling injection moulded thermoplastics and compression moulded thermoset products for more than 50 years, in key market sectors including automotive, aerospace and electronics, with clients such as Racal, JLR and Rolls Royce. LGG Charlesworth hopes to increase capacity with its expansion. Shaun Champion, LGGC Commercial Director, said: “Our Wittmann Battenfeld 500-ton press was selected following a detailed exercise that compared the current market offerings. “Eight different machine manufacturers and a total of 12 WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
“Whilst the company currently has sales agency representation and networks throughout the world, Borche UK will be the company’s first fully-owned subsidiary in Europe, demonstrating the high level of importance in which the company regards and places on the UK and Irish markets” in Asia, of which an additional new dedicated factory has recently been commissioned to further expand the Borche BU machine range, which extends to 6800 ton. WWW.BORCHE.CO.UK
different machine options were considered. A full review of all the various options showed the Wittmann Battenfeld press as being one of the most technically advanced available. In addition, all the ancillary equipment – made and supplied by Wittmann Battenfeld - created a total package which succeeded in ticking all of our boxes and needs.” Paul Dummer, Wittmann Battenfeld Sales Manager, said: “Naturally we are delighted at coming through and being selected to assist LGGC in their expansion and in the work of growing their marketplace. LGGC has always been one of the leading lights of the UK moulding industry, and we hope that this partnership will be the first of many going forward.” WWW.WITTMANN-GROUP.CO.UK
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ARBURG CUSTOM-TUNES ALLROUNDER FOR TREND TECHNOLOGIES IRELAND A leading manufacturer of precision components for the medical device and automotive sectors has invested in an Arburg multi-component injection moulding machine in response to soaring demand for its products. Trend Technologies Ireland, a manufacturer of precision injection moulded components and subassemblies for the medical device, ICT and automotive sectors, employs 190 people at its site in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Ireland. The site is one of ten Trend Technologies sites globally, and is the company’s centre of excellence for injection moulding. The company invested €3 million (approx. £2.6 million GBP) over six months to expand its ISO Class 7 cleanroom manufacturing facilities in Ireland by 50 per cent in response to demand for high quality medical device components. The investment included the addition of electric injection moulding machines, including a new Arburg Allrounder Alldrive 570 A 2000 400/70 200-tonne modular electric multicomponent machine and robot system. Colin Tirel, Director of Arburg UK, said: “This model is the highest specification modular electric machine Arburg manufactures, and has been specified to produce critically demanding parts to extremely high tolerances.” At Trend Technologies, the Arburg Allrounder Alldrive 570 A 2000 400/70 200-tonne multi-component injection moulding machine features two injection units in a horizontal/ vertical configuration. Arburg has been producing multi-component machines since 1962, and this remains the most popular layout for the injection units. Its original brief was for the machine to be able to run at high volume, but have the flexibility to
produce a number of other components if required. Also included in the specification was the requirement for the machine to be able to operate and monitor an existing electric rotary unit. The machine was completely configured at Arburg in Lossburg, Germany, to the customer’s specification, which included water manifolds mounted on the moving and fixed platens. Individual water flow zones are monitored for temperature and flow. This ensures that if there is a failure in any of the circuits within the mould, it will be sensed by the machine’s control system, and the moulding process will cease. Dónal Lawlor, Trend Technologies Director, said: “Trend has chosen an Arburg machine for this challenging moulding project and the machine is integrated with RJG’s eDart system and Sepro-controlled robot to provide a technically superior manufacturing solution.” The Sepro robot system was installed to work with the Arburg machine during production. The RJG eDart pressure monitoring system within each of the 16 cavities eliminates the need for an expensive vision inspection system, says Trend Technologies. This monitoring system sends a good/ bad part signal to the Sepro Robot for automatic segregation. The cell is installed in a cleanroom at Mullingar to manufacture parts for a medical assembly – a connector for negative pressure wound therapy products. Lawlor added: “Trend won this business because we proposed a technically superior solution offering reduced cycle times and part costs.” The Trend Technologies investment programme also involved the construction of a new cleanroom for postmoulding operations, and the addition of the latest digital printing, laser welding and vision recording equipment to record individual serialised components. WWW.ARBURG.COM
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Engineering Passion
HAITIAN ACHIEVES RECORD HALF YEAR RESULTS Haitian has revealed “record” halfyear sales of €650.2 million (approx. £580 million GBP) with more than 18,000 machines delivered in the first half of the year. The company increased revenues by 30.5 per cent in comparison to the first half of 2016. Net profit increased by 43.6 per cent, a significant contribution to income through increased efficiency. The results are supported by strong sales in China, where demand for injection moulding machines continues. Steadily rising production efficiency, with an everincreasing degree of automation and government support, motivates plastic-processing companies to scrap old machines and invest in new kit. Haitian has upped sales in China by 29 per cent, to €457.1 million (approx. £407.5 million GBP), since the first quarter of 2016. Haitian’s expansion to services in Germany, India, Turkey, and Mexico is also having an impact. In addition, strong economic recovery in Europe and the USA had a positive effect on the results. Export sales increased by 33 per cent to €179.7 million (approx.. £160.2 GBP) since the first half of 2016. Haitian runs an investment strategy, ‘Technology to the Point’, to
"WE ARE WORKING FULL THROTTLE ON MAJOR ISSUES"
achieve its aims of productivity and flexibility at the lowest possible cost, concentrating consistently on electric solutions in the smaller tonnages and on two-platen solutions in the mid-range and large tonnages. Compared to 2016, the electric series of the Zhafir Plastics Machinery brand has increased in sale and quantity by 55 per cent. In the first six months nearly 1,200 units left the factories. The twoplaten Haitian Jupiter plus Series experienced a sales growth of 41 per cent compared to 2016, with 400 units sold. In the first six months of the year, the company’s best-selling, servo-hydraulic Haitian Mars Series achieved an increase of more than 30 per cent both in the number of units and turnover. Thus, more than 15,000 have already been sold in the first six months of the year. Professor Helmar Franz, Haitian Director, said: “We see that Technology to the Point has been vindicated ten thousand times over, and we’ll stay on this successful course. With this sometimes seemingly unspectacular, yet extremely effective and sustainable strategy as our basis, we are working at full throttle on major issues such as the optimal capability for integration into MES software solutions, or on a newly defined modularity for established basic technologies in servo-hydraulic and electric series machines.” WWW.HAITIAN.CO.UK ’s Haitian ing ell best-s ies er S s r a M
DENROY MEETS AVIATION DEMAND WITH ENGEL DUO 900 IMM Denroy Plastics in Bangor, Co Down, has invested in a new Engel duo 900 tonne injection moulding machine as it forecasts a “significant increase” in sales through to 2019. The company’s latest purchase is its 37th - and largest - machine to date. It has been purchased in response to the demand from Denroy’s aerospace clients for larger components, moulded from materials such as PEEK and other high end polymers. “The choice of Engel as a partner is in no small part due to their very obvious position in the forefront of technological advances in injection moulding,” explained Denroy’s General Manager, John Irwin. “Engel are well known for their ability to work in partnership with customers moulding in the automotive industry and there is a definite crossover into the aerospace industry. Particularly, in terms of light weighting and providing high volume, repeatable products.” Denroy’s expectations for growth going towards 2019, based on intelligence from customer forecasts, indicates the company will see a very significant increase in sales. Irwin said that predictions based on these forecasts have proved to be very reliable in the past, as Denroy has seen its growth meet expectations over the last few years and expects to see this trend continue. “We are looking to create collaborative relationships with suppliers in contrast to transactional connections, in order to fulfil our future plans. We have found Engel to be ideal in this respect,” he continued. Denroy Plastics were among the considerable number of moulders who attended the ‘Composites for High Volume Applications’ open event at Engel UK in April of this year. Irwin concluded: “Listening to the major speakers at this event, certainly ratified our strategic plan and confirmed to us that we are on the right lines with how we intend to move forward.” WWW.ENGEL.AT/EN
DTL Machinery UK deals in used plastic injection moulding machinery and related ancillary equipment since 2003. We buy all makes, age and sizes of machines for our stock and also redundant / very old machines (1980 onwards) for our overseas customers for refurbishment. We can buy from a single machine to a complete factory / plant.
Also, we offer the following services: 1. Machinery valuations 2. Brokerage services 3. Factory relocation / machinery removal 4. Factory clearance (Dismantling and removal of obsolete plant and machinery)
Tel: 01925 596170 • Mobile: 07838138342 • WhatsApp: 07838138342 • Email: dtlmachineryuk@gmail.com / info@dtlmachinery.co.uk • Web: www.dtlmachinery.co.uk WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK Douglas Trading UK Ltd., T/A DTL Machinery UK, Unit 1 C, Causeway Park, Central Avenue, Warrington WA4 6RF, UK.
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Two great names under one roof
Technical Sales Manager
Small footprint 1 and 2-zone Hot Runner Controllers
Abbey Masterbatch have an opportunity for an experienced Technical Sales Manager to join their team in Ashton under Lyne.
The All New HRCM512 2-zone controller
The continued growth of the company has necessitated the creation of this new position to develop additional sales of masterbatch products in both the UK and Export markets.
• Small footprint fully featured 2-zone controller
We are looking for a technically qualified individual with the knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to become a key member of our management team. You should be able to demonstrate a good technical knowledge within the main thermoplastic conversion industries, together with competence in material selection, properties and performance, particularly relating to the use of colour and additive masterbatches.
• 2 independent control zones • Includes all the features you need
Just £295
• Includes 2 connector plugs
HRCM15 1-zone
You should be a good communicator, well able to develop and maintain customer contacts and have the ability to follow and report trends within the industry.
• Full feature 15A hot runner controller • Industry standard features without the cost
We offer an attractive remuneration package, dependent upon experience and qualifications.
• Includes connector plug
Just £195
To apply please email your c.v. to Michael Shirt, Managing Director jms@abbeymb.com
Large stocks of Ancillaries available for next day delivery Call our sales team on 01536 403886 / 206653 to discuss your requirements
Abbey 1-4 page October.indd 1
Biesterfeld Petroplas Ltd 6F Park Square, Milton Park Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RR T: 01235 822 040 F: 01235 833 155 E: sales@biesterfeld-petroplas.com W: www.biesterfeld.com
02/10/2017 12:25
Grolman International Distribution
Pigments & Additives for Masterbatch Light Stabilisers Compatibilisers Organic Pigments Carbon Black Biesterfeld AG
Biesterfeld Plastic GmbH
Biesterfeld Petroplas Ltd
Established in 1906 Family owned business Headquarted in Hamburg
Europe’s leading distributor for plastics & rubber
Supplying the UK and Ireland since 1986
Sales of €670 million
Long standing relationships with producers
Group sales of €1.1 billion
260 employees
740 employees 4 Core business divisions: Biesterfeld Plastic Biesterfeld Spezialchemie Biesterfeld International Biesterfeld Performance Rubber
Centralised European product management
Comprehensive portfolio of polymers & rubbers
Inorganic Pigments Boron Nitride
Homogenous supply program in 42 countries across Europe and North Africa
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Engineering Passion
industry training academy
celebrates successful first year
IN SEPTEMBER 2016, SUMITOMO (SHI) DEMAG UK (SDUK) OPENED ITS NEW TRAINING ACADEMY, INTRODUCING A STRUCTURED AND PROGRESSIVE BEGINNER TO ADVANCED LEVEL TRAINING PROGRAMME. AIMED AT THE ENTIRE PLASTICS WORKFORCE, IN 12 MONTHS 22 COMPANIES HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAMME, INCLUDING BERICAP UK, ESSENTRA COMPONENTS, PIOLAX AND BROANMAIN, WITH ALL DELEGATES, RANGING FROM MOULD TOOL SETTERS TO ENGINEERS, GIVING THEIR COURSE A 100 PER CENT RATING. HERE, BP&R LOOKS BACK AT THE FIRST YEAR.
All seven courses, run at SDUK’s Daventry-based Academy, are designed to be modular and offer logical progression from basic tool setting to advanced process engineering, creating a skilled workforce that addresses workforce retention and labour shortages. Research released by Engineering UK in 2017 indicates that 265,000 skilled entrants will be required annually to meet demand for engineering enterprises to 2024*. SDUK Managing Director, Nigel Flowers, explained: “Skills shortages account for 30 per cent ** of all vacancies in manufacturing and we are acutely aware that this is especially prevalent in the polymer sector. Through this Academy, we are helping to address so many challenges, from workforce confidence, job satisfaction and retention, to manufacturing productivity and process optimisation. Businesses that have taken part to-date quickly reported tangible business improvements.”
TRACKING PROGRESS AND PRODUCTIVITY
Prior to each three-day workshop, customers usually collect and collate live machinery data, including cycle production time, daily output and the injection pressure for a typical component. This information is then compared to performance post-training to measure improvements. Tool setting technician knowledge is a key area where participants report improvements. By benchmarking technical understanding before and after every course, the level-2 Tool Technician module has resulted in an average 52 per cent knowledge increase among delegates. SDUK calculates that this increased confidence among tool setters saves businesses around 30 minutes for each tool change, equating to approximately four hours more machine uptime each week. Customers are also logging instant machine and productivity improvements. For Piolax,
completion of the Process Technician module by 12 of its operatives resulted in a 9.9 second reduction in cycle time, increasing output of cable ties, for example, by 31,800 parts per day. Piolax Plant Manager, John Clough, commented: “Our entire workforce embraced this training programme fully, and they all value how much has been invested in developing their future skills.” Similarly, Essentra Components recorded a 250,000 weekly increase in the production of components after its workforce completed the Mould Mounting, Toolsetting Technology and Process Technician courses.
PLASTIC FANTASTIC RENEWED ENTHUSIASM FOR IM CAREERS
Staff satisfaction is equally high, with many participant companies reporting that their injection moulding workforce has new enthusiasm in their job. “For some experienced team members it has been a good refresher, for all an opportunity to learn and apply new processing skills and techniques,” said Chris Butler, Process Development Manager at Essentra Components. “The future of our company relies on us providing quality, industry supported training and giving the right opportunities to those who wish to progress.” Broanmain’s Operations Director, Jo Davis, concurred, describing how the SDUK training offer prompted the business to rethink its recruitment approach. “Appointing tool setters in our location has been a significant problem. Rather than taking the usual route of recruiting a processor with on-the-job experience, we opted to use SDUK’s training facility to recruit someone that fitted our team culture instead.” One course attendee from Broanmain, Maria, joined the company in January 2017 with no previous injection moulding experience. She completed the three-day Introduction to Injection Moulding course in February and
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Strong work ethic, problem solving and specialist technical skills in high demand
the Process Technician module in May. Maria immediately applied her knowledge to troubleshooting and within six-months is now managing three of Broanmain’s largest machines, completing over eight tool changes weekly. The Academy currently offers seven course modules. In 18 months, a trainee with little of no knowledge of injection moulding processes can gain an advanced knowledge, with the level of complexity increasing incrementally. Those attending the Process Technician training are encouraged to return for a practical assessment test within six months of course completion to demonstrate practical competence and knowledge retention. To support Continuing Professional Development (CPD), later this year the SDUK training team plans to instigate a 3-6 month post-course follow up for every delegate, ensuring that the training continues to be embedded, identify future shortfalls and advise on next steps each student can take. HTTP://UK.SUMITOMO-SHIDEMAG.EU/
SOURCES:
* https://www.engineeringuk. com/media/1356/enguk_ report_2017_synopsis.pdf ** Page 42 of https://www.gov. uk/government/publications/ ukces-employer-skills-survey2015-uk-report
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RECLAMATION & RECYCLING | NEWS NEW BLACK PLASTIC PACKAGING RECYCLING GROUP COMMITS TO SOLUTION BY END OF 2018 A new cross-industry group has been formed to agree new commitments on recycling black plastic packaging. The ‘Black Plastic Packaging Recycling Forum’ is comprised of over 60 members representing packaging manufacturers, packers, brands and retailers, material re-processors, trade associations and independent specialists. It aims to tackle the long-standing challenge of recycling black plastic packaging through reviewing available and developing sorting technologies and recycling markets to understand optimal opportunities, and implementing feasible, commercial long-term sustainable solutions. Lead by RECOUP, the Group has made a commitment to “find sustainable solutions by the end of 2018 that will enable the recycling of all black plastic packaging bottles, pots, tubs and trays.” It will follow a ‘Black Plastics Packaging Recycling Roadmap’ that will incorporate three objectives relating to rolling out tried and tested detectable pigment; developing business models and new technologies to sort existing black
PLASGRAN INVESTS FURTHER INTO TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE Cambridgeshire-based plastics recycling specialist, PLASgran, has PLASgran has installed a new measuring system as forges ahead with its long-term investment programme
packaging materials; and assess the potential to change from black to an alternative colour. Meeting these objectives, says RECOUP, will enable the collection, sorting and recycling of black plastic packaging, and the development of sustainable solutions which can be embraced by all members of the supply and recycling chain. This includes end market development, which is essential to ensure demand is created to enable the value of this material to be fully realised. Stuart Foster, CEO, RECOUP, said: “Despite the inevitable politics and positioning behind issues such as black plastic recycling, our role at RECOUP is to bring the various groups and stakeholders together to make practical steps forward and build on the great work of individual organisations to date. The aim is to drive black plastic recycling forwards in a practical and sensible way, turning ambitions and collaborative thinking into actual delivery.” The Group says it aims to next provide an update at the end of 2017, with the next group meeting to be held in the coming weeks. Helen Jordan, of the British Plastic Federation and the Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan, said: “This cross-industry group is a positive strive towards ensuring a circular economy for black plastic packaging.
installed a new measuring system as forges ahead with its long-term investment programme. The state-of-the-art Differential Scanning Calorimeter DSC 3+ from Mettler Toledo can measure melting points, glass transition temperatures, oxidative stability and crystallisation rates, amongst other things, and is a valuable investigative and analytical tool for the characterisation and understanding of composition and morphology of a wide range of polymers. “DSC is particularly useful in recycling as we are often faced with blends of materials, which can be difficult to use if we don’t have a clear understanding of ratios and content. This can be particularly the case when using post-consumer sources, which are difficult to separate fully, yet represent a robust WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
The work contributes towards the plastic industry’s overall commitment through the Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan (PIRAP) of increasing plastic recycling.” Iain Ferguson, Environment Manager with the Co-op, said: “We know that the issue of black plastic and ready-meal trays is one of the most challenging recycling problems faced by the industry, and bringing key industry stakeholders together to co-operate and develop a solution for this complex problem is the way forward as we work towards our ambition of making 100 per cent of our packaging easy to recycle.”
Black Plastic Packaging
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and regular feed stream which can be widely utilised if it is understood properly,” explained PLASgran’s Managing Director, Mark Roberts. The £40k investment will be situated in PLASgran’s new Technical Development Centre, opened earlier this year and Roberts says it represents the most recent purchase in the company’s long-term programme of investment in its UK capabilities. “Over the last couple of years, we have consistently developed our product range, technical expertise and analytical capabilities. The business will continue to invest in new technologies, both in the laboratory and in manufacturing facilities as we progress towards our goal,” he concluded. WWW.PLASGRANLTD.CO.UK 53
CHINA BAN HAS “CREATED TURMOIL” IN THE WASTE MARKET, SAYS PRE Plastic Recyclers Europe (PRE) has warned that China’s ban on plastic scrap imports has “created turmoil” in the waste market. The Association says the latest restrictions on imports of plastic waste to China have brought waste management “back to reality”, as Europe’s systems are unable to treat the low quality waste that can no longer be exported. Ton Emans, Plastic Recycling Europe’s President, said: “The market is oversupplied with low qualities of plastics waste due to China’s restrictions on imports. These low qualities used to be exported as a cheap end-of-life solution for badly collected and sorted waste. “This unfair practice, in terms of economic, social and environmental implications, is at the edge of the legal requirements imposed by the Waste Directives. As a matter of fact, exporters should have demonstrated that the exported waste is treated according to the EU standards,” he continued. “Today, this surplus is unable to be totally absorbed in EU as it does not meet the quality requirements of
the European recyclers. This abrupt change in the market conditions demonstrates the urgency needed to implement a real and sustainable waste market in Europe. This can only be done by driving the quality upwards by changes in design for recycling, collection and sorting.” PRE criticised a “lack of vision of the value chain over the last few years”, which has now resulted in the EU being unable to treat these new increased quantities overnight. WWW.PLASTICSRECYCLERS.EU
VEOLIA OPENS LONDON HDPE PLANT
Estelle Brachlianoff, Rajesh Agrawal and Richard Kirkman at the Dagenham HDPE site
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Plastic Recyclers Europe (PRE) has warned that China’s ban on plastic scrap imports has “created turmoil” in the waste market.
Waste management specialist, Veolia, has refitted a specialist HDPE re-extrusion plant in east London. Its Dagenham Plastics Facility site was officially opened on September 19th, by the UK president of Veolia, Estelle Brachlianoff, and Rajesh Agrawal, London’s Deputy Mayor for Business. The site, acquired from Closed Loop recycling, will specialise in handling HDPE from milk bottles, separated by Veolia at its nearby plant in Rainham. Unveiling the inaugural plaque, Brachlianoff said: “In the world we are producing 300 million tonnes of plastic, of which seven million are dumped into the oceans. In the river Thames we removed 4000 bottles from the river. Plastic is a great material. It is very useful, and protects products for extending their WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
life - as long as it is not the end of the story. “We want to be part of the solution instead of complaining, and we do that by investing in this plant today. Veolia is now a ‘mining’ company – we are mining our waste to make something transformative, and then investing to make that into something that has value for somebody else,” she added. After a refit of a derelict site, with new shredding, sorting and EREMA extruder lines, the plant is set to make 10,000 tonnes of food grade HDPE pellets a year. The move will boost Britain’s domestic recycling capability in the wake of China’s Bordergate Sword rulings, creating 30 jobs in East London and enabling Veolia to sell a variety of valuable products from the bottles it collects from households. WWW.VEOLIA.CO.UK
Crédit photo : GettyImages - © Echo
Interplas Exhibiting at essful for proved succ lymers Po on Axi
AXION POLYMERS: “SUCCESS - WE’D DO INTERPLAS EVERY YEAR” Plastics recycler, Axion Polymers, has declared its attendance at Interplas 2017 a “great success”, having collected more than 100 leads, including two firm invitations to quote from potential plastic clients, over the show’s three days. “Interplas is a key show for us, so having put a lot of planning effort into our stand, we were very pleased to be rewarded with a high level of knowledgeable and interested visitors,” said Axion Director, Keith Freegard. “We were really busy and are now following up more than 100 leads.” He said that a ‘high point’ from the show was at least two visitors, impressed with the company’s high-quality 100 per cent recycled polymer range, had emailed them the next day inviting quotations against specified polymers. “In the normal selling process, it would take three months to get to that stage. So for us, the show has proved its worth. I feel confident that we’ll gain between five and 10 new orders from the number of leads we got,” continued Freegard, who also spoke at the show on why product designers should ‘think circular’ and use sustainable recycled plastics in new goods. Axion Polymers produces three types of recycled polymer from their advanced re-processing plants for Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) derived from End of Life Vehicles (ELV) and WEEE. These are Axpoly PP (polypropylene), ABS (Acrylonitrile
Butadiene Styrene) and HIPS (high impact polystyrene). All three recycled polymers have a significantly lower carbon footprint than oilbased virgin plastics – up to 89 per cent for ABS, 82.5 per cent for recycled (HIPS) and 73 per cent for recycled (PP), according to Axion’s 2017 Axpoly Carbon Footprint Analysis. Speaking after the show, Axion’s Product Development Technologist, Mark Keenan said: “Not only was the show a great opportunity to look for new leads and potential to grow Axion Polymers, it also enabled us to meet with much of our existing customer base, which would normally not be possible due to time constraints and busy workloads. “Many of our customers visited our stand to talk about not just how the existing business relationship together was going, but also how it could be developed to our mutual benefit.” Freegard concluded: “Based on our 2017 experience, I’d be happy if Interplas was held every year if we got a similar quality of visitors and amount of footfall. For us, the show fills the right gap in the market and it’s in the right location.”
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No silver bullet, but green shoots of change for plastics recycling CONSUMER AND PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY, INCREASING QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF COLLECTED MATERIAL, CREATING DEMAND THROUGH RECYCLED CONTENT AND INNOVATIVE THINKING WERE ALL PART OF THE DISCUSSION FOR THE RECORD NUMBERS ATTENDING THE RECOUP ANNUAL CONFERENCE. BP&R LOOKS AT THE KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EVENT.
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T
he RECOUP annual conference is now a firm feature of the plastics recycling calendar, with nearly 300 delegates attending the event in Peterborough last month. The day provided a roll call of notable speakers discussing, addressing and challenging the current issues facing the industry. Alongside this, new editions of the RECOUP Recyclability by Design and UK Household Plastics Collection Survey were also launched. Stuart Foster, RECOUP CEO, told delegates: “This conference allows the whole of the extended plastics recycling supply chain to network and exchange ideas. RECOUP will be taking on board the key priorities and with the help of its members continue to lead in the area of plastic resources and recycling into 2018.”
“A CRITICAL REQUIREMENT TO ENGAGE CONSUMERS”
In the keynote address, journalist, Lucy Siegle, challenged and inspired the audience to engage with what she viewed as the many new and innovative areas of development within plastics recycling, including the use of plastics within textiles and the critical requirement to engage the consumer. Throughout the day there was a shared view that increasing recycled content in manufacturing would be one of the keys to success, whether through voluntary arrangements, incentives or a legislative approach. The importance placed on designing recyclability into product and packaging manufacture was also significant, with a number of examples referenced, together with a call from Plastic Recyclers Europe (PRE) to mandate recycled content. However, Robin Baird from Resource Efficient Solutions challenged the audience, stating: “It is essential in delivering a sustainable and thriving society that we must all take responsibility for our actions. This includes householders seeing and being aware of the importance of their choices when handling recyclable packaging. Only when we all take collective responsibility can we truly work towards a circular future.” Throughout the day some speakers challenged the apparent lack of progress
and re-visiting of old issues. But it was evident that there has been more dialogue in recent years between sectors to address the barriers to improving plastic recycling.
“MATERIAL HARVESTING”
In the afternoon the delegates were able to access a choice of sessions to reflect their industry sector. In the ‘Kerbside Collections and Sorting’ session, the key theme of improving quality through resource recognition was highlighted by Stuart Hayward-Higham from Suez, referring to the collection system as “material harvesting” to endorse the value of the recyclate. He also pointed out the collection systems themselves need to be convenient but not confusing to the consumer, which linked to WRAP’s consistency programme.
PACKAGING RECYCLABILITY
In the session entitled ‘Designing for Recyclability’, Graham Fox from Innocent Drinks stated that in a move from cartons to PET bottles it had found that its sales were “stronger than ever”. Innocent had a further commitment to use 30 per cent rPET in bottles from 2018 and were actively campaigning for the wider use of rPET. Iain Ferguson from the Co-operative Group re-stated to the the audience that the Co-op had a commitment that by 2020 80 per cent of the Co-op products will have packaging that is easy to recycle. Also in that session, Paul East, Packaging Technologist from RECOUP outlined some of RECOUP’s current projects regarding packaging recyclability.
QUALITY IS KING
The third of the breakout sessions focussed on recycling itself, with the Plastic Industry Recycling Action Plan (PIRAP) a conduit to achieving much more. There was a clear message that quality and meeting demand was key to success. The need to demonstrate reprocessed plastic is fit for purpose and desirable was identified by Steve Burns from Impact Solutions, who compared it to a popular car brand that has improved its image significantly over the last two decades. The opportunities presented by new
alternative processes was highlighted by Adrian Griffiths of Recycling Technologies, who shared its involvement in the exciting new ‘Project Beacon’ initiative in Scotland, which will use a range of new technology innovations to recycle nearly all plastics.
ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS
The thought-provoking final session of the day brought Greenpeace, Sky News, Keep Scotland Beautiful, INCPEN, Marks and Spencer and Icaro together to discuss the consumer perceptions of plastics within the natural environment. Icaro shared results from a new survey focusing on attitudes to plastics in the marine environment. The survey included questions to consumers on locations where they had seen plastic litter, the consumer perception of the reason for littering behaviour, and attitude towards a DRS system. Greenpeace speaker, Elena Polisano, commented that the tide was already turning, the impacts were already visible and the consumer was engaging with the issue. Greenpeace pointed out that increasing recycling and producer responsibility reform remained one of the future challenges.
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
Commenting on the conference, Mike Baxter from headline sponsors, RPC bpi Recycled products, said: “Right now plastics manufacturers and the plastics recycling industry are under the spotlight; from the press, the NGOs and politicians. We believe our industry can be proud of its achievements with the amount of waste plastics recovered and recycled in the UK. Today’s Conference has provided the ideal platform for promoting the plastics recycling industry’s successes whilst also discussing current issues with many of the key stakeholders”. There was agreement that there were no silver bullets or magic wand to solve the recycling conundrum but that there were real opportunities and signs of change. Sectors are becoming more co-ordinated, and more partnership working is evident. WWW.RECOUP.ORG
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COMPOSITES | NEWS Ben Halford (left) and Sir Alan Duncan touring the new facility in Rutland
SURFACE GENERATION OPENS ADVANCED COMPOSITES R&D FACILITY IN UK Surface Generation, a provider of advanced carbon fibre processing technologies, has announced that is has opened a new research and development facility for advanced composites manufacturing at its headquarters in Rutland, UK. The new facility will specialise on the development of the company’s PtFS process, a patented advanced manufacturing process that enables manufacturers using compression and injection moulding applications to adapt heating and cooling levels in real-time to meet the exact requirements of each part. Officially opened by Sir Alan Duncan, MP for Rutland and Melton, the 10,000 square foot building is home to a state of the art workshop and research laboratory that will be used to develop advanced composite processing technologies and automated production techniques for Surface Generation’s clients, which include some of the most advanced automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics manufacturers in the world. “The opening of this facility is
PORSCHE PREMIÈRES BRAIDED CFRP WHEELS IN AUTOMOTIVE FIRST
The wheel will be available from January 2018
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High-end car manufacturer, Porsche, has announced the availability of lightweight wheels with braided carbon fibre on its vehicles from next year, a first in the global automotive industry. Manufactured entirely from carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP), the
a major milestone for Surface Generation,” Ben Halford, Chief Executive at Surface Generation, commented. “We already help major blue chip organisations find new ways to manufacture composites so that they can be stronger, lighter and more efficient. This new facility provides the environment we need to expand that work and apply our processes and approach to larger and more complex components.” The facility will also be used to experiment with new technologies including graphene, 3D printing and nanocomposites, which have the potential to significantly improve the cost, quality and throughput of high volume composite component manufacturing.
Seven engineers and technicians will work at the facility initially, and Surface Generation plans to recruit 12 more people to its research and development team as part of its expansion plans over the next two years. Sir Alan Duncan MP added: “Surface Generation is a small business exporting globally and making a big impact around the world. It is turning a small corner of Rutland into a centre of excellence for advanced manufacturing and composites research, creating high value jobs and revolutionising how cars, aeroplanes and electronic devices are built.”
wheel will be available as an option on Porsche’s 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series vehicle from January 2018. The innovative wheels are said to weigh around 8.5 kilograms less than standard alloy wheels, which is a reduction of 20 percent. They are also 20 per cent stronger. With a reduced unsprung weight, Porsche says the tyres trail the surface of the road better and are perfectly optimised for absorbing longitudinal and lateral forces. Lower rotating masses mean more spontaneity both in acceleration and braking. The result is increased driving dynamics and driving pleasure. The wheel is essentially comprised of two components. The wheel centre is made from carbon-fibre fabric. This involves cutting and assembling over 200 individual components. The second component is the rim base made from braided carbon fibre by what is currently the world’s largest carbon fibre braiding machine with a diameter of approximately nine
metres. The wheel centre is then braided into the rim base. The assembled wheel is impregnated with resin and pre-hardened at high pressure and high temperatures. The finished wheel is hardened at high temperatures followed by a long cooling process. The central lock is then inserted into the finished wheel and the wheel is protected with clear lacquer. Porsche is the first company in the global automotive industry to use this extremely complex technology. It says the braiding technology offers “key advantages” over the more conventional method of manufacturing pre-impregnated carbon-fibre fabric, including the production technique making the material structure of the carbon considerably denser and more compact, increasing rigidity. Using the material more efficiently also produces less waste.
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WEIGHT SAVING COMPOSITE COMPONENT HAS “ENORMOUS POTENTIAL” IN AUTOMOTIVE SERIES PRODUCTION A new, lightweight composite component designed for the backseat system of an offroad vehicle made by a European automobile manufacturer has “huge potential” for series production. This is according to Henrik Plaggenborg, Head of Technical Marketing and Business Development at Tepex Automotive, part of Bond-Laminates, a subsidiary of materials specialist Lanxess.
The loadthrough component is fabricated by shaping and backinjecting Tepex dynalite. Photo: LANXESS AG
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The material used for production of the component is Tepex dynalite, a continuous-fibre-reinforced semi-finished thermoplastic composite. The centre backseat is equipped with a load-through that enables the backrest of each seat to be folded down individually. This load-through component is produced by shaping and back-injecting Tepex dynalite. “The part marks the entry of this composite material into the lightweight design of backseat systems and is further evidence of its enormous potential in series production applications,” explained Plaggenborg. The component was developed by automotive supplier, Brose, with support from the Lanxess High Performance Materials business unit. Brose manufactures the component at its site in Coburg, Germany. “The new component is more than 40 percent lighter than its steel counterpart. At the same time, this safety-relevant component withstands all load scenarios, because the orientation of the continuous fibre layers in the only two millimetrethick semi-finished product is designed to bear the mechanical stress,” explained Harri Dittmar, Project Manager and Tepex Applications Specialist. For functional reasons, the load-through is only mounted on one side, at the top of the rear seat’s backrest. Because of its position, it is exposed to both bending and torsion forces. To withstand these load scenarios, a special multiaxial design was chosen for the continuous-glass-fibre layers in the thermoplastic composite. Multiaxial Tepex is a new development from Bond-Laminates, which makes the composite sheets significantly stronger than before by combining the Tepex fabric with tapes in a technically complex process. The semi-finished product for the load-through has a core consisting of four layers, each 0.25 millimeters thick, which have a fibre orientation of +45 and -45 degrees relative to the component’s longitudinal axis and are arranged symmetrically. They absorb the torsion forces. In contrast, the bending forces are absorbed by the two outer layers, each 0.5 millimeters thick, in which 80 percent of the continuous fibers are in the direction of force. “In case of a frontal collision, this multiaxial layer design ensures that the lightweight component withstands the impact of the accelerated load in the trunk and, in case of a rear collision, the inertia forces pressing the passenger into the seat,” explained Dittmar. The mould for the load-through was optimised with the help of a draping simulation developed by Lanxess as part of its ‘HiAnt’ services, the brand name the company has combined its range of services for supporting customers through the entire component engineering process. WWW.BOND-LAMINATES.COM
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CASE STUDY: FRIMO CONTRIBUTES TO 25 PERCENT WEIGHT REDUCTION IN CAR UNDERBODY PROJECT The Frimo Group, alongside partners, has successfully contributed to a weight reduction of 25 percent in a vehicle underbody as part of a collaborative research project. The LEIKA research project in collaboration with the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) at Dresden Technical University, Germany, aimed to transfer and adapt knowledge from industrial development and process chains to convert existing automotive bodywork structures into lighter hybrid metal fibre composite designs. In addition to the strong lightweight potential of the hybrid technology, the project resulted in impressive results in short process times and the option to integrate functions directly by combining forming and spraying into one step. The underbody structure produced through the LEIKA project was made at a laboratory at the ILK in Dresden and consists of several components combined together, each of which was made from specially-manufactured metal fibre semi-finished products that were subsequently formed. These semi-finished metal fibre products, based on the film stacking process, have a specific laminate structure consisting of steel, magnesium, plastic and carbon and glass fibre. Thanks to the use of individual material combinations in accordance with the load path, it was possible to achieve a weight reduction of just
ht htweig The lig body r e und
under 25 percent, whilst maintaining performance in comparison to a metallic reference version. The process and component quality achieved with cycle times under two minutes confirm the potential for large series production. The key task for Frimo was the development of a stack mould for production of the various semifinished metal fibre products in the discontinuous pressing process. The material stacks, made by a specially designed gripper, were brought into the hot zone of the press tool where they were thermally conditioned. The plasticised matrix material then impregnated the fibre reinforcement and combined the individual layers of the laminate structure. In the following cold zone, consolidation to the target wall thickness was achieved. In addition to the technological implementation and testing of the system technology for manufacturing semi-finished metal fibre composite products, extended preliminary tests were carried out by Frimo and the principles and process concepts for a continuous largeseries manufacturing process were developed. In addition, FRIMO was able to bring its extensive experience from the field of hybrid technology to the project and thus make a significant contribution to the development and design of forming and injection moulding tools. The partners say the results from the LEIKA project will be essential for the success of electric mobility in the context of range, driving performance and cost-efficiency. WWW.FRIMO.COM
g workin DSM is , e on saf ive and effect ht eig lightw ks en tan g o r d y h
DSM DEVELOPS SOLUTIONS FOR HIGH-PRESSURE COMPOSITE TANKS FOR HYDROGEN STORAGE DSM has introduced a material solution for high-pressure composite tanks for hydrogen storage as it aims to continue to reduce CO2 emissions. Hydrogen has the highest energy per mass of any fuel. One kg of hydrogen is equivalent to 33.3 kWh, which means it delivers three times more energy than conventional fuel. But its low ambient temperature density results in a low energy per unit volume. This requires the development of advanced storage methods that have the potential for higher energy density. The two-part tank design features a blow moulded liner made of ‘Akulon Fuel Lock’, a polyamide 6-based engineering plastic with a very high barrier to hydrocarbons. The tank can then potentially be further reinforced by wrapping it in unidirectional (UD) continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic tapes made of ‘EcoPaXX’ polyamide 410. This combination of materials has already proven to be very effective in CNG tanks, and DSM is now actively testing the concept in hydrogen tanks. The result would be the lightestweight plastic tank available for hydrogen storage applications, says DSM. For the liner, Akulon Fuel Lock “greatly reduces weight compared to metal” it added. It also offers improved permeation versus polyolefin liners, meaning that the gas stays in the tank. The liner material, which is 100 percent recyclable, is safe with no debuckling. Furthermore, the material is optimised to remain ductile and tough, even at extremely low temperatures (-40°C). This was important for CNG, but is even more vital for hydrogen storage, as the working pressures are much higher. WWW.DSM.COM 61
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q&A
bighead and cranfield university partner
on composite joining technologies
UK UK-BASED MANUFACTURER OF BONDING FASTENERS, BIGHEAD, HAS FORMED A KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER PARTNERSHIP (KTP) WITH CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY FOCUSSED ON NEW JOINING TECHNOLOGIES FOR COMPOSITE MATERIALS. DR. LAWRENCE COOK, WHO LEADS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WORK ON MATRIXPOLYMERS AND ADHESIVES AT CRANFIELD, SHARES HIS VIEWS ON THE PARTNERSHIP.
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Q: WHAT DOES THE PARTNERSHIP CONSIST OF?
Q: WHY IS THIS KIND OF PARTNERSHIP/R&D PROJECT IS BENEFICIAL?
A: The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a strategic working partnership, between bigHead and Cranfield, implemented through the KTP associate whom works as a product development engineer at bigHead. The KTP presents an excellent opportunity for exchanging knowledge and expertise between the partners. This partnership includes regular visits between the two partner’s facilities and a continuous working dialogue between the partners at various hierarchical levels.
A: For bigHead, embedding composites materials and manufacturing knowledge into their wider team enables the company as a whole to be conversant in these everdeveloping materials and technologies. This supports knowledgeable and informed discussions with customers and industrial partners, which is a key requirement for bigHead being able to offer and grow a fastening solutions business for customers whose applications feature advanced composite materials. Having access to Cranfield’s applied composites manufacturing and joining research capability gives bigHead ability to actively develop fastening solutions and demonstrate them to customers and clients. This allows bigHead to spearhead development and offering of composites focussed joining solutions within the Bossard group. For Cranfield, the experience of working with bigHead and their partners helps highlight the real-world challenges that arise from joining of composite materials either to themselves or other materials, in mass-market applications. Knowing where these challenges exist allows Cranfield to focus their research on providing applied research that helps industrial partners solve such challenges. Drawing on bigHead’s membership of the Bossard group allows Cranfield to grow applied knowledge and expertise in the field of joining technologies for multi-material structures. This increased knowledge subsequently supports applied teaching for engineering and design focussed learners at Cranfield and within industry.
Q: HOW DO BOTH PARTIES BENEFIT? A: bigHead, as the industrial partner, benefits from access to knowledge and expertise in the field of composite materials and manufacturing, as well as joining techniques for composite and multimaterials. Cranfield, as the academic partner, benefits from greater understanding and applied experience of bigHead’s joining solutions, and knowledge of the industrial challenges facing bigHead’s customers and clients. Both partners benefit together from expanding their industrial and academic networks, and by engaging with new partners.
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
Q: WHAT ARE THE LONGTERM GOALS? A: Ultimately, the goal of the partnership is to support bigHead in developing and offering composite materials fastening solutions, initially for the automotive industry, but for other applications thereafter. The KTP, and subsequent continuation the working partnership is synergetic to both bigHead and Cranfield’s long-term plans – to be leaders in the field of joining and fastening solutions for composite and multi-material structures and applications. The automotive market is particularly exciting due to the fast-changing landscape of composite materials and multi-materials manufacturing within this field, which is driving an appetite for lean, fast, reliable, and low-cost joining or fastening techniques. Vehicle lightweighting efforts continue to drive materials and manufacturing developments, along with a shift towards alternative powertrains and different vehicle architectures. As vehicle designs adapt to new powertrains and a potentially seismic shift in vehicle usage/ ownership scenarios such as autonomous driving emerge, new players are entering in the market – expanding possibilities. With the upcoming generation of vehicles, Cranfield foresee significant interest in highly integrated, low-cost, reliable materials processing and joining techniques, a significant focus on reparability of novel materials and structures, and an increase in the requirement for robust, dependable multi-functional materials and structures. WWW.BIGHEAD.CO.UK WWW.CRANFIELD.AC.UK
BUYER’S GUIDE
MATERIALS
ultrasonic welding
MOULD RELEASE
SYSTEMS HOTPASSION. RUNNER SYSTEMS FRIMO.CONTROL HIGH TECH AND HIGH AND EQUIPMENT
hot runner controllers
quality monitoring control
MASTERBATCH
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.
BLACK & WHITE MASTERBATCH Compounding
Recycling
Moulding
Film
Pipe
Conduit
DRYERS
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
Motan Colortronic Ltd
Ultrasonic Plastic Welders New & Used
For Sale &
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
Wanted
Branson - Mecasonic - Telsonic Sonotrodes (Horns) all Frequencies Fixtures, Repairs, Service, Parts Sub-Contract Welding, Hire & Consultancy
Tel; 01258 459257
Accurate colour systems for the PVC and additives industries
Tel; 07730 413197
als.ultrasonics@gmail.com www.als-ultrasonics.co.uk
t: +44(0)1942 254006 e: sales@astropol.uk.com www.astropol.uk.com Eclipse Buyers Guide_Layout 1 07
colour masterbatch
MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT
ASSEMBLY hot plate welding Branson Ultrasonics 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.
158 Edinburgh Avenue, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4UE T: 01753 756675 F: 01753 551270 E: bucuk.sales@emerson.com W: www.bransoneurope.eu
infrared welding HIGH TECH AND HIGH PASSION.
Unit 3 Vitrage Technical Park 27 Witney Road , Nuffield Industrial Estate, Poole, Dorset BH17 0GL T: 01202 697340 F: 01202 693674 W: www.telsonic.com Blog: telsoniccuk.wordpress.com
gravimetric/volumetric blending
DEHUMIDIFIERS Motan Colortronic Ltd
Matilda House, Carrwood Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QB T: 01246 260222 F: 01246 455420 E: sales@motan-colortronic.co.uk W: www.motan-colortronic.co.uk
HEATING EQUIPMENT
158 Edinburgh Avenue, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4UE T: 01753 756675 F: 01753 551270 E: bucuk.sales@emerson.com W: www.bransoneurope.eu www.frimo.com
Specialists in supplying Plastic Joining, Bonding and Assembly Solutions
-Pulse Staking -Pulse Fusion -Ultrasonic Welding and Metal Insertion -High Frequency Induction Heating -Hot Air Staking
Tel UK: +44 7467 959240 Tel IRL: +353 1 8013261 Email: info@hte.ie
www.hte.ie
TO ADVERTISE in this space CONTACT LISA MONTGOMERY 01244 680222
• Reliable and robust machinery with installation worldwide • High performance de-mould automation for injection moulding • High speed axis for reduced cycle times • Dependable after sales support if required
01455 289842 enquiries@db-automation.co.uk www.db-automation.co.uk
CHILLERS/TEMPERATURE CONTROLLERS
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
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
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
AM&LT PUGH KONGSKILDE MAIN DEALER
Suction Blowers pipework cyclones New and Used recycling Equipment Kongskilde Spares, Parts and Pipework Suppliers industrial BLOWERS FLAKE/REGRIND Friendly Expert advice Les 01568 611338 Hereford W: WWW.GRAINBLOWERS.CO.UK
TO ADVERTISE IN THis SPACE CONTACT lisa montgomery 01244 680222
automation
DB-Automation specialises in designing and building bespoke high speed injection moulding automation
Technologies:
www.ChemTrend.com www.UltraPurge.com
Telsonic UK Ltd
MATERIALS HANDLING AND STORAGE
Branson Ultrasonics
Infrared Welding
pulse staking
Purging Compounds Release Agents Mould Maintenance
PO Box 10380, Sileby, LE12 7ZX T: 01509 621992 E: enquiries@ffr-ultrasonics. co.uk W: www.ffr-ultrasonics.co.uk W: www.incontrolultrasonics.co.uk
vibration welding
Welding machines Innovative tooling concepts Emitter systems Control technology
cleaning materials
InControl Ultrasonics Ltd (FFR Ultrasonics Ltd)
TO ADVERTISE IN THis SPACE CONTACT lisa montgomery 01244 680222
MATERIALS HANDLING AND STORAGE hopper loaders
BUYER’S GUIDE
MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT
PRINTING MACHINES
SCREWS & BARRELS
pad
MIXING, FEEDING & DOSING
www.magog.co.uk Design, Manufacture, and Refurbishment of Screws & Barrels for the Plastics and Rubber Industries.
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
• Screw design • New manufactured Screws, Barrels, Feed Sections & Liners • Proven wear resistant specifications for screws • Nitrided and Bimetallic barrels • Refurbishment and repairs • Condition monitoring and wear checks Contact us to find out how we can help you Magog Industries Ltd, 10 Crane Mead, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 9PY T: +44(0)1920 465201 E: enquiries@magog.co.uk
METAL DETECTION & SEPARATION EQUIPMENT Motan Colortronic Ltd
Matilda House, Carrwood Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QB T: 01246 260222 F: 01246 455420 E: sales@motan-colortronic.co.uk W: www.motan-colortronic.co.uk
TO ADVERTISE IN THis SPACE CONTACT lisa montgomery 01244 680222 Magnetics Separators Metal Detectors Eddy Current Separators
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.buntingeurope.com www.magneticseparation.co
/magnetic_separation_and_metal_detection/
EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.m.b.H.
TESTING EQUIPMENT hardness - IRHD and shore MAPRA Technik Co — BAREISS For Bareiss of Germany IRHD & SHORE hardness testers, Abrasion & Rebound testers. T: 020 8508 4207 F: 020 8502 5107 E: info@mapra.co.uk W: www.mapra.co.uk
inspection & measurement
TransXL International Ltd
Plastics Processing Machinery Bought & Sold, Thornhill, South Marston, Wiltshire SN3 4TA T: 01793 827666 F: 01793 823826 E: sales@transxl.co.uk W: www.transxl.co.uk
Refurbished machines with fault and leak free guarantee.
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
We buy & sell all manner of plasscs equipment. Visit our workshop in Wellingborough, Northants. 01933 272747
CHOOSE THE NUMBER ONE.
I’VE GOT A BUMPER LOAD OF RECYCLED PLASTIC IN ME, THANKS TO VANDEN
50mm high and 35mm
Mould change
We buy and sell high quality plastics
028 9266 8009
sales@stvmachinery.co.uk www.stvmachinery.co.uk
Engineers to the Plastics & Rubber industries, specialising in the following: Screw & Barrel Manufacture Screw & Barrel Refurbishment Tie Bar Repair & Manufacture Screw Tip Assemblies Feed Liners, Plain & Grooved 100 Tonne Screw & Barrel Press Bimetallic Barrel Blanks up to 50 mm In Stock Please e-mail or phone Karl for more info. E. info@tws-mail.co.uk T. 01706 655402 W. www.tws-ltd.com Technical Welding Services (Rochdale) Ltd
SECONDHAND AND RECONDITIONED
www.vandenrecycling.com supply@vandenrecycling.com
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
Tel: 01952 671918 Fax: 01952 608579 Email: connectors.uk@staubli.com
www.quick-mould-change.com
hopper loaders Motan Colortronic Ltd
Matilda House, Carrwood Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QB T: 01246 260222 F: 01246 455420 E: sales@motan-colortronic.co.uk W: www.motan-colortronic.co.uk
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
thermocouples
BUSINESS FOR SALE
Buying, Selling, Merging? Whatever your business needs, Richmond Capital Partners are the industry experts with a proven track record of guiding acquirers or sellers through the process of buying, selling and merging. Contact Paul Holohan in complete confidence on 07798 530684
TRAINING richmondcapitalpartners.com
COMPOUNDS
Cooper Plastics Machinery
QUALITY PVC PELLETS FOR EXTRUSION vekacompounds.com +44(0)1322 387 219
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
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- We buy / sell all makes / age / sizes of Plastic Injection Moulding Machinery & Ancillaries equipment. - We also buy redundant, nonrunners & faulty machinery. - Machinery repair and maintenance services available. T: 01925 596170 M: 07838138342 E: info@dtlmachinery.co.uk E: douglastrading@gmail.com
RECYCLING SYSTEMS
Contact: Carlton Hicks
NOZZLES & NOZZLE TIPS
DTL Machinery UK
8 Lyall Court, Flitwick, Bedfordshire MK45 1UX T: 01525 719850 E: Cooperplastics@gmail.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.
DM Machinery Ltd
Used Injection Moulding Machine Stockists 40 Thorne Lane, Wakefield West Yorkshire, WF1 5RR T: 01924 290206 E: sales@dmmachinery.co.uk W: www.dmmachinery.co.uk
for sale
• We buy/sell all makes/age/sizes of Plastic Injection Moulding Machinery & related ancillaries equipment. • We also buy redundant, non-runners & faulty machines for refurbishment. T: 01925 596170 M: 07838138342 E: info@dtlmachinery.co.uk E: douglastrading@gmail.com
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
TO ADVERTISE IN THis SPACE CONTACT lisa montgomery 01244 680222
BUYER’S GUIDE TO ADVERTISE IN THis SPACE CONTACT lisa montgomery 01244 680222
3D PRINTING
3D Printing
in Plastic & Rubber
PRINTERS printers of plastic mouldings Total Print Ltd
Specialist Pad Printers Station Road, Gedney Hill, Lincolnshire PE12 0NP T: 01406 330122 F: 01406 330123 E: info@totalprintltd.com W: www.totalprintltd.com Sub-Contract Pad Printers to the Plastics Industry
Component PRINTERS TAMPO.SCREEN.FOIL
Tel: 01420 88645 www.cdg.uk.com
TESTINg/CONSULTANCY
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
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
SOFTWARE
Cimatron 3D
Mold Tool Design CAD CAM software
SERVICES MOULDFLOW ANALYSIS Tel: 01420 88645 www.cdg.uk.com
SOFTWARE DIRECTORY A listing in the Software Directory costs £160 per programme per year. Call Lisa on 01244 680222 for details. real time production monitoring, scheduling and process monitoring Epicor Mattec Real-time MES (Microsoft Windows™ PC Servers & “Web Based”) Epicor Software (UK) Ltd T: +44 (0)1344 468 468 E: info.uk@epicor.com Modules: Production Monitoring, Process Monitoring, “Drag and Drop” Scheduling/Planning, “Family Moulding”, Preventative Maintenance, Bar Coding/Parts’ Trace-ability, Operator Visual Aids, Process Parameter Profiling, E-mail/ Public Address System Alerts, Standalone “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. Realtime production monitoring features wireless data units and OPC Ethernet machine connections. “Drag & drop” job scheduling supports frame/insert level family tooling plus KAN BAN. ERP system integration, SPC/SQC, Touch Screen Data Units, Machine Maintenance, Operator Tracking, Traceability, DNC, Energy Monitoring, Bar Coding, Pager Alerts. Easy to use systems from a €600m company with over 30 years experience. intouch T: 01604 646144 E: enquiries@ intouchmonitoring.com Website: www.intouchmonitoring.com Real-time production monitoring systems. Designed to be easy to use and providing affordable solutions to all sizes of businesses. Production monitoring, scheduling, reporting, data import/export, databases for parts, tools and operators, integration with other software packages.
MOULDFLOW ANALYSIS
TO ADVERTISE IN THis SPACE CONTACT lisa montgomery 01244 680222
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’
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
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).
enterprise resource planning Epicor ERP Manufacturing Software (For Plastics’/Rubber Processors) Epicor Software (UK) Ltd T: +44 (0)1344 468 468 E: info.uk@epicor.com Epicor ERP software for the polymer converting industry covers the full range of back office operations from on-line and off-line sales and quotations to production planning, inventory management and finance through to logistics, warehousing and distribution. Available on-site, hosted & SaaS it seamlessly integrates with Epicor Mattec Realtime MES to provide a single system that offers a complete quote-to-cash solution for the plastics’/rubber industries.
Process Optimisation Software RJG Technologies Ltd Moulding Technology T: +44 (0)1733 232211 E info@rjginc.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. 65
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NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINE
IN
bp&r BRITISH PLASTICS &RUBBER 66
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS
HIS EXCLUSIVE COLUMN, PHILIP LAW, DIRECTORGENERAL OF THE BRITISH PLASTICS FEDERATION, EXPLAINS WHY THIS AUTUMN IS A TIME FOR THE UK PLASTICS TO TRULY CELEBRATE.
T
his Autumn is a time of celebration in the UK Plastics Industry! Everyone I spoke to enjoyed their three days at Interplas at the NEC in late September. I am told that approximately 12,000 people attended. I congratulate Leanne and the team at Rapid News for staging such a successful event. Some people were commenting that the buzz in the aisles was reminiscent of “the old days”. Let’s hope that this trend continues. It was certainly good to hear that Machinery and Equipment suppliers were sealing deals and two of the most publicised were Wittmann Battenfeld and Engel, real evidence of continuing investment in the sector. Investment is a subject I touched on in my introduction to the Interplas seminar programme. I do urge the industry to cast aside current uncertainties and invest in the future. It’s only through investment that we can keep up with and hopefully forge ahead of the international competition. Without it we will just fall behind. Interplas was good for the BPF and we received several serious membership enquiries which are now being followed up. BPF used the opportunity of Interplas to launch several new resources to support the industry. A key one was ‘Career Zone’, accessible through our ‘Polymer Zone’ website at www.polymerzone. co.uk We desperately need new blood in the industry to replenish our skill levels and to provide long term succession. There has been little in the way of careers advice available to school children and as several organisations have fingers to some extent in the same pie there is little coordination between them. Career Zone aims to pull all the information together and provide a one-stop-shop to anyone who is thinking of a career
WWW.BRITISHPLASTICS.CO.UK
in plastics. It provides information about the benefits in working in what is truly an international industry where literally the sky is the limit. It illustrates the varied career pathways through the industry and details qualifications required for each stage. It provides details of courses leading to the appropriate qualifications and it gives indicative salary possibilities at each stage. Various figures in the industry have contributed their biographies so users can see how people have built their own careers in plastics. We also launched a website to provide better access to information about marine litter. It aims to inform the public debate about plastics in the seas and it highlights the importance of keeping plastic in the recycling stream and out of the environment. It includes suggested actions for Government, industry and NGOs. It is accessible through www. marinelitterthefacts.com The true facts on plastics in the sea are really needed. We have just carried out a YouGov survey to test the public’s understanding. When asked to guess the percentage of plastics waste in the sea that comes from Europe and the USA combined, 49 per cent of respondents stated that they believed the two regions accounted for more than half of marine litter globally. In fact, the USA and Europe combined contribute just two per cent. Only one per cent of respondents got the answer correct. Most people believed that the USA is the worst offender in terms of plastics pollution, with the UK coming fourth, when in fact the USA ranks 20th and European coastal countries combined rank 18th. This is how myths are created but of course it is more difficult to dispel them. WWW.BPF.CO.UK
For a lot more information and a fascinating 3D animated video, visit www.netstal.com/elios or scan the QR code and dive right into the world of the new ELIOS.
Performance, newly driven ELIOS – powerful, fast, precise The ELIOS series is setting a new standard in high-performance injection molding with its innovative drive technology. The result is more than fascinating: up to 7500 kN of clamping force, a dry cycle time of 1.9 seconds* and a never-before-achieved energy efficiency. In combination with the proven precision, reliability and usability of Netstal you get a highly productive premium system for successful realization of demanding applications. * ELIOS 7500, measured according to Euromap
Engineering Excellence
@plastribution
plastribution.co.uk
Technical know-how Let’s make it work for you
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