EPPM 21.5 by EPPM Magazine

OCTOBER 2019 | VOLUME 21/ISSUE 5

Sepro ﬂexes its robotic muscle TO BRING INCREASED FLEXIBILITY TO GENERAL-PURPOSE ROBOTS

LESS IS MORE

NIGEL FLOWERS OF SUMITOMO (SHI) DEMAG SIZES UP THE TRENDS IN MICRO-ELECTRONIC MOULDING.

K ON-SITE SPECIAL

MORE INNOVATIONS, DEVELOPMENTS AND CONCEPTS TO LOOK FORWARD TO AT THE WORLD’S LARGEST PLASTICS TRADE FAIR.

ARE YOU SEARIOUS…?

WILLEMIJN PEETERS SHARES HOW THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY CAN BE A MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY.

Showing our colours â&#x20AC;&#x201C; closing material cycles At ENGEL, we embrace responsibility, helping our customers achieve sustainable injection moulding production. At the heart of this are our inject 4.0 solutions for the smart factory, which also open up new opportunities for the Circular Economy. For instance, the iQ weight control software balances out process fluctuations when processing recycled material. Consistent high part quality increases the range of possible uses for the recycled material. Technologically, we are also promoting increased use of recycled material. With the new ENGEL skinmelt process, we are enabling a high proportion of recycled material even in complex component geometries. The bottom line: green is more than the colour of our machines. Come and see what it all looks like at K 2019 (Hall 15, Stand C58).

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EDITORIAL

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IN THIS ISSUE OCTOBER 2019

FOREWORD

Plastics Recyclers Europe President Ton Emans introduces the October edition by summarising the role of the K trade fair in industry, innovation and the environment.

ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

Editor Rob Coker sets the scene for EPPM’s fifth 21st anniversary edition, remembers his first job in the plastics industry, and considers the big reasons to be excited about K 2019.

Sepro ﬂexes its robotic muscle Sepro Group Product Marketing Director Claude Bernard discusses the efforts behind increased flexibility in generalpurpose robots.

K ON-SITE SPECIAL

INJECTION MOULDING

Husky explains why it continues to be one of the big dogs of injection moulding.

Managing Director of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Nigel Flowers sizes up the trends in micro-electronic moulding.

MATERIALS HANDLING

Moretto S.p.A. presents itself as a ‘Partner of Solutions’ capable of listening and responding with dedicated, customised products.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

More innovations, developments and concepts to look forward to at the world’s largest plastics trade fair, with contributions from K stalwarts such as Solvay, Bunting and Battenfeld Cincinatti.

K show 2019 hall plan

CEO and Founder of Searious Business Willemijn Peeters shares some of the secrets of her success, and how the Circular Economy is a massive opportunity for the plastics industry.

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MASTERBATCH & ADDITIVES

Wolfgang Maschek and Ken Huestebeck of Squire Patton Boggs unravel the European Commission’s SUP Directive.

Dr Jochem Pflug of EconCore reveals how science, not nature, was the inspiration behind the honeycomb thermoplastic technology.

CLASSIFIEDS

EUREKA

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COLUMN

FOREWORD I

nnovation, new trends and technological progress of the plastic industry have been on display triennially at the K show since 1952. Starting as a purely regional event, the show very quickly established itself globally and has accompanied the industry through years of rapid growth, from simple, everyday plastics to high-tech applications in a myriad of sectors. The show also witnessed the emergence and growth of the recycling sector back in the 1980s, which began as in-house, post-industrial waste recycling and soon expanded into reprocessing post-consumer waste. Consequently, plastics recycling is now gaining more focus and space at the show. The tremendous growth of K would not be possible, however, if it was not for a strong urge for innovation and the constant quest for new solutions and markets, administered by the industry. Today, nonetheless, the industry is under substantial media and public pressure. The public opinion demands a shift in brands and behaviours, as well as in general habits. As a result, there is a growing media attention and the number of policies impacting plastics is on the rise at regional, national and European levels. The plastics industry and its value chain must eventually recognise that this is a call for action; a call for a genuine transformation towards evermore sustainable, efficient and circular solutions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and that can be achieved only by working hand in hand.

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Plastics Recyclers Europe President Ton Emans shares his thoughts on the K show, circularity, and improving the image of the plastics industry. GENUINE REVOLUTION Circular economy is one of the effective engines that paves the way for innovation. However, the industry must take on the responsibility and leadership for a genuine revolution. Today, as in the 1960s, the industry must find the capability to innovate and work on advanced technologies and solutions to be successful with the real transformation of the sector. Building on its own experience and knowhow, the industry alone has the will and the power to transform plastic towards circularity and sustainability, but companies from the value

chain need to step up and take responsibility. Brands, packaging manufacturers and raw materials suppliers need to work together. This must involve sustainable sourcing, production, collection and recycling. In parallel, this work must be tied to increasing recycling rates, the quality of recycled material, and its uptake in new products. At the same time, the value chain must join forces to send the right message and develop the right, coherent story about the versatility of plastics, and then to communicate that story, jointly, to change mindsets. This dual approach is a must if the industry is to

commit to a long-lasting renewal of its image. Sustainability and circular economy are occupying more and more space both on the exhibition floor and in discussions and conferences. This should just be a starting point. Future shows must continue to focus on showcasing collaboration in the value chain regarding technologies and products that are compatible with recycling, the innovation within the recycling sector, best-inclass products that combine design for recycling aspects with recycled content, and successful cross-sectorial and cross-value projects if the industry is to succeed in the transition towards the circular economy model. The K show is the perfect platform to take up pioneering European and worldwide roles for the renewal of the plastics industry image by clearly promoting this transition.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

On the shoulders of giants Dear readers, Welcome to the fifth and penultimate 21st Anniversary edition of EPPM. And welcome to Düsseldorf for K 2019. Like a falling apple onto Sir Isaac Newton’s phenomenal cranium, this year’s October edition gravitates back to Germany for the world’s largest plastics trade fair, where there promises to be some real glimpses into what the future for plastics will look like. As for the past, I once worked in the role of janitor for Britton Taco (now Coveris) at its UK-based extrusion plant. What I remember most from those days is the size – and the noise – of the factory, and of the machinery within it. From memory, I believe the ones in Britton Taco were five-level extruders, which seemed huge to a teenage me, and I believe they have become bigger since, so – alongside the predictions, promises and prospects for plastics manufacturing – K 2019 will certainly be bringing back some forgotten

experiences for me as I drift from hall to hall and booth to booth trying to meet as many people as possible. There are plenty of big reasons to get excited about K 2019 as you will observe in this bumper on-site edition – not least the big news from injection moulding giants Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, massive developments in the realm of masterbatch and additives, and arguably the biggest issue of all – the environment – being the raison d’être of many exhibitors. In addressing such an immense issue, EPPM spoke with some big-hitters at Squire Patton Boggs, who kindly dissected the SUP Directive; former Plastics Recyclers Europe Ambassador Willemijn Peeters, who answers some questions on the circular economy; and Jochem Pflug of EconCore, who considers the sizeable contributions of physics to high-performance, durable plastic components. Sepro take the cover of this enormous edition as robotics and automation look to play a vast range of huge roles in manufacturing as the industry marches further into the 21st century. Chris Monreal of Plastic Energy also shares his organisation's colossal circular economy efforts, and Husky, one of the big dogs of injection moulding, reveals its plans for K, for the future, and for the circular economy. Rob Coker, Editor

K 2019 will certainly be bringing back some forgotten experiences for me as I drift through the exhibitions trying to meet as many people as possible

21 ANNIVERSARY

'Brief' enKounters EDITOR ROB COKER TAKES ANOTHER LOOK THROUGH SOME OF EPPM'S PAST K ONSITE EDITIONS.

he 2004 K trade fair on-site edition of EPPM is much alike to that of 2001 as highlighted in last month’s K preview edition, except the section focusing on K has gained four pages. In 2004 then editor Jenna Brockbank decided to add three pages running under the title ‘Show Profile’, each featuring ten short articles from regular exhibitors, some of whom can be found doing a similar thing in this edition 15 years on, including Atlas, Engel and Maguire. As well as more colour and more of the now familiar company logos – including an early version of this edition’s cover star Sepro’s – what I observe from looking at the 2004 K on-site edition and comparing it with this, is consistency (in our partnerships with industry-based clients) and growth (in the addition of increasing K-based coverage). Under the trade name Sepro Robotiques Ltd., the earlier logo resembled a section of the UK’s Union Flag, which soon may also no longer be relevant given recent political developments that should be kept from these pages. Progressing to 2007 and EPPM has undergone a logo change of its own, better reflecting the 21st century and the more connected world of industry. The 2007 K show’s exposure spans the June, July/August, and September issues, but no further editions of EPPM exist in our archives until May 2008, so if there was a 2007 K on-site edition, it is lost and there is therefore no longer any need to mention it. Moving on to 2010, EPPM has undergone another logo change, as well as another change of editor. Sam Anson introduced a whopping 29 pages of ‘K-Connect’ in

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that year’s on-site edition, which featured – aside from news articles, ads and updates floating around the traditional site plan instead of logos as in 2004 – an eight-page article (which I am estimating at around 10,000 words) titled ‘What to See in Injection Moulding Machinery at Düsseldorf’. More of a dissertation than an article, Anson signed this off as ‘a brief run through of just some of what can be expected at K from just some of the moulding machine manufacturers’. If that’s what can be classed as ‘brief’ then we best get on with our own Injection Moulding feature, and our own K on-site edition – which I hope you will find to be a bit more reader friendly.

What I observe from looking at the 2004 K on-site edition and comparing it with this, is consistency … and growth

QUALITY COOLS.

The demands on components for electrical/electronics applications are on the rise, and that’s why we want to introduce you to the real stars of our polyamide portfolio. Durethan® BTC65H3.0EF and BTC75H3.0EF have unique property combinations that support more efficient thermal management, for example in covers for electronic component housings. The Durethan® compounds display outstanding, virtually isotropic thermal conductivity combined with premium mechanical properties and a reduced tendency to warp. Another advantage of these materials is their optimized viscosity and associated good processing behavior in injection molding. Their wide processing window and extensive design freedom make Durethan® BTC65H3.0EF and BTC75H3.0EF highly versatile. To find out more about our thermally conductive BTC grades, visit: www.durethan.de

Please

visit us at: Hall 6 / C 76

COVER STORY

Capable, reliable, ﬂexible SEPRO GROUP PRODUCT MARKETING DIRECTOR CLAUDE BERNARD EXPLAINS HOW THE GLOBAL ROBOTICS MANUFACTURER IS WORKING TO BRING INCREASED FLEXIBILITY TO GENERAL-PURPOSE ROBOTS.

t K 2019, Sepro Group is introducing a new range of 5-axis Cartesian robots for injection moulding. Developed by Sepro with the support of Yaskawa Motoman, this new 5-axis version of the popular Success range of robots brings new levels of flexibility to general-purpose robotic automation on moulding machines ranging from 20 to 1,000 tonnes. The idea of a 5-axis robot is not new. In fact, it dates back to October 2012, when Sepro introduced the 5X Line of robots combining its most advanced 3-axis servo-driven Cartesian units with a 2-axis servo wrist developed in partnership with Stäubli Robotics. What is new today is the fact that most of the same capabilities and performance are now available in an affordable Success Line X package, which features a Yaskawa wrist. PNEUMATIC WRIST OR SERVO WRIST? The X, Y and Z axes of both 3-axis and 5-axis robots are identical. The X axis is formed by the stationary horizontal beam along which the mobile portion of the robot traverses from an area above the mould to a point outside the machine. The movement of a vertical arm describes the Z axis – straight down to reach into the space between mould halves. The Y axis is in line with the centreline of the machine. Once it has descended into the open mould space, the vertical arm (along with the attached wrist and part-gripping endof-arm tooling (EOAT)), moves along the Y axis to capture the parts and pull them off the mould core(s). The vertical arm then retracts above the mould and the mobile shuttles along the horizontal (X axis) beam outside the moulding area so that

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parts can be deposited on a conveyor, into fixtures for further processing, or stacked or boxed for shipment. Where 5-axis servo units differ from 3-axis robots is in the wrist at the end of the Z-axis vertical arm. In 3-axis robots, the wrist is pneumatically driven through two rotations typically referred to as R1 and R2 motions. Under pneumatic power, a valve opens to allow air pressure to move the wrist, which will continue to move through its entire range of motion (0° to 90° or 0° to 180°) until it reaches a hard stop that shuts the valve and cuts power. A 5-axis robot has a wrist driven by a servo motor with a positional encoder that recognises exactly where the drive shaft is at any moment. The system control is then able to integrate positional signals from all servo motors on all five axes, so that it knows exactly where the wrist – and gripper mounted to it – are at all times. The servo wrist can move through any portion of the R1 and R2 arcs at any time, and the movements can be executed simultaneously. In fact, the robot can move in all five axes at any time with complete control. This allows the robot to complete complicated motions precisely and with perfect repeatability. GENERAL-PURPOSE FLEXIBILITY Why would such advanced technology be required in a general-purpose robot? Until now, the flexibility and ease of

[5-axis] capabilities and performance are now available in a more affordable package

A number of benefits are applicable to almost any moulding operation. For instance, multiple servo-driven motions, are helpful when a complex part shape might be difficult or impossible to eject in a straight line, or where there may be limited space between mould halves or tie bars. Such a part might require rotation after removal, or even as it is being lifted from the machine. The servo wrist is able to make those multi-axis simultaneous movements where a pneumatic wrist could not. These capabilities enable the use of simpler grippers, saving money and development time. Accuracy in gripping and downstream positioning is another advantage.. Unlike a pneumatic wrist, the 5X servo wrist can grip parts at any angle and place them on conveyers or in sizing fixtures even in unusual orientations. End-of-arm tooling can be designed to accomplish the same thing, but can be costly, time-consuming and can require frequent maintenance. With a servo wrist, the flexibility is easily achieved via programming, not hardware alone. Custom or trade moulders often need to run tooling that they did not design, or run a given mould in any of several different moulding machines to achieve scheduling efficiency. Accommodating subtle differences with pneumatic wrists and associated EOAT can be complicated and require time-consuming mechanical adjustment by skilled employees. A servo wrist, however, can be easily adapted with simple digital commands, guaranteeing fast production changeovers approaching single-minute exchange of die (SMED) methodology.

operation made possible by 5-axis robots have only been available on Seproâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more technological machines, designed for the highest possible speed and precision. However, the need for servo-driven flexibility is not necessarily confined to high-end precision moulding applications.

Furthermore, the wrist is driven by clean electric servo motors, making the 5-axis robots ideal for medical and other applications that cannot tolerate particulate (resulting from drive-belt wear, for instance) or lubricant contamination. The wrist module is completely enclosed for clean operation. Reliable and repeatable, the digital accuracy of servo drive motors, which have positional feedback built in, has been proven over many years and is essentially

maintenance-free. In contrast, the speed and responsiveness of pneumatic units can be affected by air temperature, contamination or leaks, and frequent maintenance is required. CARTESIAN SPEED AND SIMPLICITY Many of the complex part-manipulation tasks mentioned have historically been assigned to 6-axis articulated arm robots. However, because it is a Cartesian or linear robot, a 5-axis robot offers faster intervention into the mould space for shorter cycle times and optimal productivity, while delivering the flexibility inside and outside the mould otherwise associated with an articulated unit. Set-up and operation are highly intuitive and programming was designed to fit the unique needs of injection moulding. Particularly in the new Success Line X, the cost of a linear robot will almost be lower than that of a 6-axis articulated-arm unit. At K 2019, Sepro Group will display two 5-axis-servo robots side-by-side: a model 5X-25 represents the original, premium configuration, combining flexibility and speed, and the new Success 22X, which combines Seproâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s workhouse 3-axis platform with a servo wrist from Yaskawa Motoman. Visitors will be able to see for themselves the full offering of Sepro 5-axis robot solutions for small to midsized IMMs in Hall 12, Booth A49.

The smart way to higher productivity. Today, the plastics industry faces a rapidly increasing demand for smaller volumes of more product types. This requires a higher number of mould changes, decreasing the Overall Equipment Effectiveness and impacting your competitiveness. Reducing durations of downtime during mould changes is therefore essential. By analysing your production cycles, Stäubli can recommend various efficiency improvements utilising your existing equipment. Our Quick Mould Change Solutions are adaptable to your company’s strategy and future business plans. Stäubli can support your ROI at every stage of the journey, whether it’s a short, medium or long-term investment.

www.quick-mold-change.com

FAST MOVING TECHNOLOGY Stäubli (UK) Ltd - Mail: connectors.uk@staubli.com - Phone: +44 1952 671918

Visit us at our booth Hall 11 - Booth H21

INJECTION MOULDING NEWS CORETECH SYSTEM CO., LTD. (MOLDEX3D), THE LEADING PROVIDER OF ENGINEERING SIMULATION SOLUTIONS FOR THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY, HAS ANNOUNCED THE ADDITION OF THE TURKISH LANGUAGE PACK TO THE LATEST VERSION OF ITS PLASTICS MOULDING SIMULATION SOFTWARE, MOLDEX3D R17 SP1.

CORETECH RELEASES MOLDEX3D SOFTWARE IN TURKISH

ith the addition of the Turkish language, Moldex3D’s user interface is now available in 11 languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Korean, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Turkish. According to the Turkish Plastics Industrialists’ Association (PAGDER), Turkey ranks second in the European plastics market and seventh in the world in terms of production capacity. Eyup Mahmut Horuz, Regional Sales Manager, Moldex3D

EMEA, said: “Turkey is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, and we’re seeing strong demand from the market for plastics moulding simulation software.” “After months of hard work, we’re very excited to release the Turkish version of Moldex3D,” Horuz added. “The release of the Turkish language pack has demonstrated our commitment to meet the needs of our growing worldwide customer base and brought Moldex3D one step closer to the Turkish plastics industry.”

M.TEC: NEW ENGINEERING EXPERTISE WITHIN THE FEDDERSEN GROUP M.TEC GMBH WILL COMPLEMENT BOTH THE BOOTH AND THE GENERAL PORTFOLIO OF THE FEDDERSEN GROUP AT K 2019 (HALL 6, BOOTH B94) , AS WELL AS INTRODUCE NEW ENGINEERING SERVICES.

s an engineering service provider, M.TEC represents the holistic development of plastics products and components, from idea to series maturity. The engineers’ interdisciplinary approach, safeguarding the systematic and methodic product development by inhouse simulation and calculation, ensures customer benefits. With more than 25 years’ experience in plastics products and components development, M.TEC works with international companies in the automotive, medical, domestic care, building technology and electronic devices sectors. By acquiring

the engineering office, the Feddersen Group intends to systematically expand its range of services and offer holistic and economical engineering solutions based on knowledge-based services. Visitors to the booth can learn about M.TEC’s product development process and its unique, future-oriented, inhouse approaches. Consequently, M.TEC presents the digital twin in warpage optimisation, which models cause variables from component geometry and injection moulding processes in a mathematical, virtual image of physical relations.

This innovative method enables holistic optimisations and establishes new ways of lowering time and cost expenses, as well as minimising discrepancies in injection moulding. Furthermore, M.TEC will walk K 2019 visitors stepby-step through the complex development process, making use of descriptive reallife examples and answering crucial questions.

ENGEL and Heraeus collaboration to be shown at K 2019 ENGEL AND HERAEUS HAVE MANAGED TO REDUCE CYCLE TIMES BY UP TO 70 PER CENT COMPARED WITH PREVIOUS PRODUCTION SOLUTIONS FOR THE PROCESSING OF AMORPHOUS METALS IN INJECTION MOULDING.

n doing so, the two system partners have opened the door to these alloys with truly special qualities entering large-scale production for a wide assortment of end uses. For the production of two-component housing demo parts at K, ENGEL is combining a victory 120 AMM with an insert 60V/45 vertical injection moulding

machine, which is equipped with a twostation rotary table. The manufacturing cell is fitted with both an ENGEL viper linear robot and an ENGEL easix articulated robot for the fully automated production process. Gerhard Dimmler, Senior Vice President of Product R&D at ENGEL Austria, said: “Fully automated hybrid

production is unlocking huge potential, especially for the consumer electronics industry.” “Our development work has confirmed that, in multi-component injection moulding, it is possible to create stable combinations not only of silicone, but also of other elastomers and thermoplastics with Amloy materials.”

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INJECTION MOULDING NEWS

2019

Experience Husky at K 2019 AS A LEADING INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY PROVIDER TO THE PLASTICS PROCESSING COMMUNITY, HUSKY UNDERSTANDS THAT MARKET CONDITIONS AND CONSUMER DEMANDS ARE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING.

usky is committed to helping customers find ways to better respond to these global market changes through the development of digitalised end-toend manufacturing processes, flexible, scalable moulding solutions and more sustainable packaging options. Focused on a wide range of plastic applications within a variety of markets, including packaging, medical, automotive, and home, beauty and personal care, the injection moulding equipment supplier will be demonstrating industry-leading solutions at K 2019 (Hall 13, Booth A61).

For the first time, Husky will be running its new HyPET HPP5e system, designed to make the industry’s best solution even better – delivering better energy savings, system reliability, preform quality and user friendliness. The system will be producing preforms made from 100 per cent recycled PET. Husky’s broad portfolio of both proven and new tooling technologies that help customers achieve maximised value, productivity and flexibility, including Husky’s new NexPET Mold, will be among the features showcased at the Düsseldorf trade fair. NexPET is a flexible

SEPRO GROUP WILL INVITE K 2019 VISITORS TO ‘EXPERIENCE FULL CONTROL’ WITH A SERIES OF DEMONSTRATIONS AND EXHIBITS THAT HARNESS THE POWER OF COLLABORATION TO ACHIEVE NEW LEVELS OF PRODUCTIVITY, QUALITY AND FLEXIBILITY IN PLASTICS INJECTION MOULDING.

ne of the two automation cells on the Sepro stand will feature a Sumitomo Demag moulding machine equipped

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with an SDR Speed 7 robot. Made by Sepro especially for sale with Sumitomo Demag machines, this robot is capable of getting in

mid-volume tool for shorter production runs and frequent changeovers. Husky will also be debuting its new PET preform injection moulding platform, which is the foundation for a versatile, energy efficient family of moulding solutions engineered to handle any application and production requirement. Visitors can look forward to a preview of Husky’s Next Generation Operating Model (NGOM) – its

digitalised end-toend manufacturing system offering enhanced capabilities to deliver solutions with unmatched speed and flexibility, and enabling customers to quickly respond to changing consumer trends. Husky will be highlighting its various solutions that support the circular economy and customers’ sustainability goals, as well as showing its commitment to developing sustainable packaging solutions. With its industryleading position and track record of innovation, the company is positive about making an impact in aligning the goals of

sustainability with the many positive attributes of plastic packaging. The Ultra Helix 250 T2 valve gates designed to improve part quality and maintain superior gate quality for millions of cycles for small parts with difficult to access gate locations will also be on display alongside the latest family of Altanium Mold Controllers, which provide accurate temperature, integrated servo and valve gate control. Finally, K 2019 is an opportunity for the introduction of Husky’s new online spare parts ordering portal, which will be available for a demonstration on the booth. HYPET HPP5E SYSTEM

and out of the mould space in under a second. The importance of collaboration can be seen easily in Sepro partnerships with other automation companies, open integration with injection moulding machine OEMs, and development projects with customers. A total of eight robots will be operating on

the stand, including collaborative units (cobots), provided through a partnership with Universal Robots. Several robots will be part of automation cells centred around two operating injection moulding machines. Sepro products can also be seen operating on the stands of eleven IMM partners exhibiting at the show.

Sepro Group President Eric Radat said: “A large part of Sepro’s recent growth is thanks to the breadth of technology we offer as a result of collaboration with injection moulding machine makers and other automation companies.” Sepro is exhibiting in Hall 12, Stand A49.

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INJECTION MOULDING

In-line quality control: revealing the invisible TERATONICS INTRODUCES SINGLE-SHOT TERAHERTZ PULSED TECHNOLOGY FOR THE IN-LINE PRODUCTION CONTROL OF PLASTIC PARTS. FAST, CONTACTLESS, AND NON-HAZARDOUS, THIS BREAKTHROUGH 3D SENSING TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS THE ANALYSIS OF INNER PART STRUCTURE DURING CYCLE TIME.

FROM TOP: Marco Cavallari Xavier Neiers Uli Schmidhammer

t is often desired to ‘reveal the invisible’ inside 100 per cent of the parts coming from production in order to perform dimensional measurements and check that there are no defects (e.g. missing structures, voids, foreign bodies, inclusions, density variations, etc.). Although this wish is as old as the plastics industry, internal part imaging has until now been possible only off-line, typically on a statistical sampling basis and with destructive testing or hazardous and slow control technologies such as X-ray Computed Tomography. Teratonics STRIPP Control product range allows in-line dimensional control and defect detection inside plastic objects for the first time, whether injection moulded, overmoulded, blow moulded, extruded, or further machined or assembled. Indeed, Teratonics proposes

Teratonics STRIPP Control product range allows in-line dimensional control and defect detection inside plastic objects for the first time, whether injection moulded, overmoulded, blow moulded, extruded, or further machined or assembled 14 WWW.EPPM.COM

the only 3D internal sensing/imaging commercial solution robust to vibrations and with a short acquisition time for deployment in production plants. Teratonics STRIPP Control uses terahertz (THz) pulses to reveal the invisible inside the objects. Sandwiched between microwaves and infrared in the electromagnetic spectrum lie the THz waves. These generate much interest in the industry due to their penetrative properties inside dielectric (i.e. electrically nonconductive) media, they are reflected by metals and are non-ionizing, which makes them nonhazardous. The timeof-flight of the detected ultrafast pulses (in the picosecond range, i.e. 10-12s) is measured to obtain depth and thickness information. WHAT MAKES TERATONICS STRIPP CONTROL UNIQUE? It is the fact that it generates one pixel with one THz pulse, contrarily to other pulsed THz measurement techniques which typically use hundreds or thousands of pulses for one pixel. Besides, traditional pulsed THz solutions must often perform several acquisitions of the same measurement in

order to increase the signal-to-noise ratio to an acceptable level. In contrast, Teratonics STRIPP Control singleshot pixel acquisition has an intrinsic high performance, and it is ultrafast, i.e. under a nanosecond. On this time scale, the mechanical environment is completely frozen, which generates highquality images even on moving objects. In order to ensure a simple ‘press button’ operation without a THz expert, the STRIPP Control solution includes an industrial control and acquisition unit with proprietary software for the scan motion and data processing of the multitude of complementary information stemming from the pulsed THz measurement. The system allows fast robotised scanning of three-dimensional objects based on their CAD files. The communication can be adapted to many common robot types used in the industry, including state-ofthe-art cobots. In consequence, the in-line control can be directly implemented at the exit of the manufacturing equipment (injection press, welding equipment, gluing system, etc.) with an

existing extraction robot. This technology has particularly proven its effectiveness on foamed injection moulded plastics and can perform dimensional measurements, as well as detect defects within just a few seconds, i.e. much more rapidly than the production time of many parts. Defects that can be characterised include bubbles, voids, density variations, weld lines, abnormal shrinkage, and surface dimples, for example. Furthermore, Teratonics STRIPP Control can be used to analyse the bonding zone of glued or welded parts. It can successfully reveal defects inside composites such as delamination, fibre density variation, and fibre waviness, as well as measure layer and multi-layer thicknesses. Thanks to its unique single-shot pulsed terahertz technology, Teratonics STRIPP Control can control products and processes even within the short cycle times of several demanding industrial sectors. By controlling the manufacturing and assembling of parts in-line, waste can be reduced and productivity enhanced.

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INJECTION MOULDING NIGEL FLOWERS, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SUMITOMO (SHI) DEMAG UK, SIZES UP THE TRENDS IN MICRO-ELECTRONIC MOULDING.

very electronic device requires plastic housings, circuit boards and wiring. As electrical, communication and information devices shrink, so too must their components. Moulding these parts, many of which are plastic and can house and connect the smallest processing chips, requires tremendous precision and durability.

Electronics is the third biggest user of plastic components, with demand growth for micro-IM parts driven by design developments in digital and wireless devices. The challenge has been to offset the larger battery sizes and accommodate the extra features sought by consumers, such as inductors, capacitors, duplexers, or power amplifiers.

In the moulding world, the quest to go small is nothing new. Micro-injection moulding (micro-IM) has been around for over two decades and principally relates to the manufacture of injection moulded plastic parts that have a shot weight of less than one gram. Such are the advances in the field that allelectric moulding machines produced by Sumitomo (SHI) Demag can be easily adapted to mould miniature plastic parts for a wide array of electronic components.

Another growing recipient of microelectronic plastic parts is the automotive industry – specifically vehicle electronics. Here, micro-IM is used to manufacture connectors, gears, and micro switches, all of which are growing in demand as more and more complexity is added.

The limit of what can now be moulded has reduced to parts as light as 0.0003g, with walls as thin as 0.0004in and dimensional tolerances to ±0.0005in.

Micro-IM relies on a certain level of automation to ensure moulded items stay in optimal condition

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In the global fibre optics market, this particular technology is adopted for moulding gears such as micro connectors, ceramic holders, and optics housing. Other applications comprise micro engines, micro drive control systems, and micromechanics rotators. As we head to more miniaturisation, we are seeing more sensors in cars, while the demand in electronics is driven by ongoing innovation and advancements in nanotechnology. GEARED UP FOR CHANGE In many cases, the evolution of moulding machines has been revolutionary – allowing moulders to enter markets that were not possible using traditional hardware. Very small shot weights used to have syringe-like plunger systems, which were used on specialist machines designed to produce components for specific markets. However, some of these machines were expensive, making entry into this market unviable for many. In 2001, concerns about the higher pressures required for micro-IM, as well as handling, inspecting and packaging miniature components, were abundant. Around that time, it was recommended

that this moulding process should not be carried out on machines larger than 20 tonnes because it was difficult to control and stabilise such small shot sizes, potentially leading to part damage and a lack of repeatability in the production process. Fast-forward to the modern day and a new generation of all-electric machines has brought increased precision due to advanced direct drive technology. Moulders are now able to achieve very high levels of repeatability while a specific 14mm screw design improves dosing, which is critical in micro-IM. Working with shot weights of between 0.1-1g means designers can now consider miniaturisation as a cost-effective option. Using the 14mm screw, traditional 50- and 75-tonne IntElect electric machines from Sumitomo (SHI) Demag can be deployed. The screw design is the smallest screw capable of processing standard plastic resins and enables users to limit the amount of material used by adapting nozzle body length and diameter to minimise residual time. The plasticising unit contains around 8cm3 of plastic material at the screw. Traditionally, they would be used to run different components with much larger shot weights, but the 14mm screw enables small shot weights and the fine control needed. AUTOMATION FOR GREATER PRECISION As well as stability and repeatability, microIM relies on a certain level of automation to ensure moulded items stay in optimal condition. Cleanrooms might be used for pharmaceutical, aerospace, military or biotech components, but in the electronics sector this situation is less typical.

2019

Moulded parts can be as small as a match head, and one example that highlights the importance of automation is inserting contact pins into electronic switches, which requires great precision. Equally, tracking and collecting such diminutive parts during the ejection process is essential, with sensors monitoring the loading and unloading of the mould. Despite more automation and smaller components, the process of micro-IM isn’t that dissimilar to creating larger parts. Shot-to-shot precision is where the main difference lies. Allowing more material under the check valve on a 10g part isn’t a big issue, but in a 0.1g part, it is. Historically, micro-IMs would have used hydraulic machines, which meant dealing with variations in oil temperature and compressibility. Those drawbacks are removed with the new generation of allelectric units. MASTERING MICRO-IM MANUFACTURING For complete cavity filling during moulding, machines use a dynamic injection process. Because it must run steadily and with complete precision to prevent overfilling, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag direct drives are often supported by an activeLock non-return valve and the company’s award-winning activeFlowBalance. With activeLock, process consistency is increased, fluctuations reduced, and the risk of rejects minimised. The contra-rotation of the screw closes the non-return valve and ensures a consistent closing behaviour, which is critical for micro-IM shot-toshot consistency. The activeFlowBalance technology, meanwhile, uses the expansion of the compressed plasticised material at the point of changeover from injection to holding pressure to top up the filling levels in partially filled cavities, which is a result of lower counter pressures. As well as activeLock and activeFlowBalance, other modifications could be considered when looking to

switch to micro-injection moulding – one being better illumination in the mould space. Being able to see more easily is a simple thing that can be overlooked. Some moulders may prefer a vacuum pump in the mould to allow the material to flow better, but the last thing you want is an air pocket or a void which, in percentage terms of a micro component, could be significant. Ionisation is also good for keeping parts clean and static out, which ensures parts don’t stick together. WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? Rapid development of various micro technologies, including micro-optics, nanotechnologies and microfluidics, mainly in Western Europe, is expected to increase demand for microinjection polymer moulding. Specifically, Germany holds a large amount of the European market for micro-IM due to its leadership in automobile manufacturing. Design advances in automotive, driven in part by rapid developments in microfluidics technology, are expected to boost

demand significantly. By 2020 the use of plastics in automotive will increase by 75 per cent, meaning that the average car will incorporate 350kg of plastic, around 150kg more than in 2014. The trend for smaller electronic devices looks set to continue, with data connectivity top of the agenda. Nanotechnology is gaining rapid traction across a range of industries and it won’t be just the size of components that matter in the future, but the degree of engineering involved.

In many cases, the evolution of moulding machines has been revolutionary – allowing moulders to enter markets that were not possible using traditional hardware

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2019

MILACRON’S ANDY STIRN AND EDWARD JUMP SPOKE TO EPPM ABOUT HOW IM ENGINEERING IS MEETING MODERN CHALLENGES.

MOULDING BACK THE YEARS IN WHAT WAYS HAS INDUSTRY 4.0 AND THE IOT CHANGED IM MACHINERY COMPARED WITH WHERE IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO? Stirn: Our industry is moving lightyears ahead of where it was, when plant operating systems were clunky in comparison. Now, with the use of AI and predictive analytics, anyone can track uptime on one or on multiple machines. We can use this technology to learn more about the machines, and any potential vulnerabilities. These pieces can work with the control systems and sensors, which is a game-changer for streamlining maintenance to achieve maximum OEE. Jump: Cloud connectivity has enabled data use for an entire fleet of machines and auxiliary equipment on a global platform. From there, applications can be developed to reduce inefficiencies and maximise output based upon customised KPIs, energy calculations, or asset utilisation. Using real-time data solutions through M-Powered, manufacturers can craft strategies based on current production maintenance, quality, and inventory management. The more complex production is, the more valuable the analytics become. HOW HAS IM EFFICIENCY IMPROVED DURING YOUR TIME AT MILACRON? Stirn: In the last 24 years, there have been many changes. We have seen a rise in all-electric machines, which has a direct effect on energy efficiency. Milacron set that standard over 30 years ago. In the last five years,

we’ve seen a shift into servo-hydraulic machines. Again, that greatly improves the efficiency. In the past seven years, many manufacturers have switched to Rex TCS heater bands, leading to significant improvements in productivity and economical barrel heating. We also have much better screw designs on IM machines to improve the quantity and quality of output, enabling us to melt a wide variety of resins. Our improved clamp designs lead to increased dry cycle times, lowering the overall processing cycle time. Jump: Our M-Powered capabilities add sophisticated predictive data analytics to our IM machines through various applications. A global network of machines allows M-Powered to monitor overall performance and profitability. The data collected can be used for precise applications to deliver sophisticated planning, scheduling, and tracking capabilities. HOW HAVE THE FOOTPRINTS OF IM MACHINERY EVOLVED? ARE THEY LIKELY TO CHALLENGE 3D PRINTING MARKETS? Stirn: There are certain advantages for prototyping with 3D printing in small batches, but there is no parallel to the injection moulding process for cranking out moulded parts quickly. HOW IS MILACRON’S ENGINEERING EXPERTISE MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT? Stirn: Energy efficiency has been a significant priority – our world-class designs push

energy efficiency to the highest levels. We have additional capabilities engineered to handle large contents of recycled materials with co-injection and with low pressure IM products (LPIM), and we are continually evaluating alternatives. The co-injection moulding process moulds a part with an outer virgin skin and a post-consumer recycled core, maintaining the desired appearance. An efficient co-injection system can deliver the same high-volume production and cycle times as a standard monolayer part through Milacron’s patented simultaneous injection processes. This process maintains the advantages of using recycled materials and energy savings without sacrificing output when compared to virgin materials. Jump: Scalable solutions to shape each production strategy with data collected from M-Powered are on the horizon. Manufacturers will eventually be able to manipulate the knowledge gained to maximise quality, minimise energy usage, improve cycle time, or a combination thereof to achieve peak performance. Information is collected and analysed to identify potential problems to deliver proactive maintenance recommendations to reduce downtime. Manufacturers will see a significant improvement in OEE. The objective of employing this data is to avoid unexpected or expensive setbacks, product defects, and quickly evaporating profits. Milacron continues to invest in the entire M-Powered suite delivered by our ServTek aftermarket brand, taking customer performance and efficiency to new levels.

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MATERIALS HANDLING NEWS Flexicon launches French language website FLEXICON HAS LAUNCHED A NEW 223PAGE FRENCH LANGUAGE WEBSITE, DETAILING THE COMPANY’S BULK HANDLING EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEMS UTILISED ACROSS INDUSTRIES THAT FILL, DISCHARGE, WEIGH BATCH OR CONVEY BULK SOLID MATERIALS.

ice President of Global Sales Greg Slack said: “The new website improves online access to information on Flexicon equipment and engineered systems by our Frenchlanguage customers and prospects in France, Canada and elsewhere. Those located in France will additionally benefit from Flexicon’s new factory-direct sales office in the Dijon region.” The new website details Flexicon’s mechanical and pneumatic conveyors; bulk bag conditioners, dischargers and fillers; bag dump stations;

drum, box and container tippers; and weigh batching systems – a total of 108 equipment configurations including integrated plantwide systems with automated controls. The site also lists 1,575 bulk materials handled by Flexicon equipment, and details the company’s full-scale test laboratories and Lifetime Performance Guarantee. Flexicon operates facilities in the US, UK, Australia and South Africa, and factorydirect sales offices in Spain, Germany, Singapore, Indonesia, Chile, and now France.

CONIQ, THE NEW WEIGHING CONTROL UNIT FROM SCHENCK PROCESS FOR INDUSTRIAL WEIGHING APPLICATIONS, HAS RECEIVED ITS FIRST AWARD: THE RED DOT DESIGN AWARD 2019 FOR INTERFACE DESIGN.

SCHENCK PROCESS WINS RED DOT DESIGN AWARD

ONiQ was developed in an iterative humancentred design process alongside Custom Interaction. Starting with field observations, detailed data about current usage with the predecessor weighing device, as well as user needs, were collected. The analysis of those data were transformed into first drafts of the CONiQ user interface. User feedback from early UX-tests and interviews was what developed those first drafts into wireframes and ‘click-dummies’. In every iteration user feedback was gathered and integrated in the next version of the user

interface. The visual design was developed and integrated into the user interface in parallel. The result is an easy-to-understand, easy-to-operate, popular interface design. Peter Groll, Chief Technology Officer Schenck Process Group, said: “This is really a breakthrough for Schenck Process to be recognised as a company having significant capabilities in designing excellent user interfaces.” Over a period of several days, experts had intensively reviewed, discussed and evaluated a total of 8,697 international award contributions n order to ultimately

reward the best, including CONiQ. Professor Dr Peter Zec, founder and CEO of the Red Dot Award, said: “I want to congratulate the laureates sincerely on their distinction, which both bears testimony to their convincing performance and highlights their quality and design leadership. Anyone who succeeds in such a strong and international bunch of competitors deserves to be proud of themselves and of their achievements.”

WITTMANN INTRODUCES TEMPRO PLUS D100 AT K 2019 THE INJECTION MOULDING SECTOR IS STRONGLY INFLUENCED BY THE FACT THAT MOST CUSTOMERS REQUIRE HIGH QUALITY AND THOROUGH DOCUMENTATION. DUE TO CONTINUOUS FURTHER IMPROVEMENT, THE HIGH-END TEMPERATURE CONTROLLERS OF THE TEMPRO PLUS D SERIES FROM WITTMANN CAN SATISFY ALL REQUIREMENTS.

ere, the 16,000 TEMPRO plus D temperature controllers shipped to all parts of the world so far speak for themselves. Requirements analyses in production sectors have pointed to a demand for pressurised temperature controllers

for a maximum temperature of 100°C. To meet this demand, Wittmann will introduce the new temperature controller model TEMPRO plus D100 at this year’s K in Düsseldorf, Germany. With this appliance, Wittmann underscores once more the significance of this series and its expertise in product development. The new TEMPRO plus D100 belongs to the range of temperature controllers and can be fully integrated in the control

system of a Wittmann Battenfeld injection moulding machine. The new temperature controller is capable of 9kW heat output and stands out by its magnet-coupled stainless steel pump, which ensures sufficient flow quantities. The pump capacity is 0.5kW, with a maximum flow quantity of 40l/min and a maximum pressure of 4.5 bars. The TEMPRO plus D100 is equipped with a wear-resistant, maintenance-free flow quantity measurement device as standard.

Like all other Wittmann temperature controllers, TEMPRO plus D100 offers an extensive choice of additional equipment options in order to configure the perfect temperature controller tailored to fit every application. The Wittmann product portfolio includes robots and automation systems, materials handling, dryers, gravimetric and volumetric blenders, granulators, temperature controllers and chillers.

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MATERIALS HANDLING

Remote control

2019

CONAIR ADDS CONTROLS AND CUSTOMISED KPIS TO ITS SMARTSERVICES MONITORING PLATFORM.

onair has added two important new capabilities to its latest update of SmartServices, its Industry 4.0 solution for auxiliary equipment monitoring, management, and analysis.

machine itself. This capability is not only valuable to a manager monitoring processing operations, but is of particular value for maintenance and service personnel.”

The centralised, full-featured machine controls and programmable performance indicators are the latest additions and capabilities shaped in part by the experience and input of processors.

The system can make contact with a maintenance supervisor anywhere, anytime. The supervisor can then launch the portal, open the machine control, clear the alarm, assess the problem, and correct it on the spot.

SmartServices continues to evolve as a web-based portal, supported by cloudbased data processing capabilities. It helps plastics processors manage data generated by dozens or even hundreds of pieces of plant equipment into actionable information. The system collects machine data through a network of compact data hubs that transmit to the secure, cloud-based SmartServices database for processing and presentation in the user’s HMI in a dashboard format. Alan Landers, SmartServices Project Leader for Conair, said: “Now, through the portal, authorised users can access the complete control system of individual auxiliary machines and execute functions from a remote location the same way they would if they were present at the

“One supervisor called this feature ‘a godsend’,” Landers added, “and, when Conair service personnel use this feature without making an on-site visit, processors think it’s a godsend, too.”

readings, the dewpoint KPI can be customised to specify a high and low limit. If any dryers vary outside that range, the portal will send a notification with a link to the relevant dryer.

Another new feature lets users customise and program KPIs that can alert them to anomalies. The portal extends the capability for observing all machines, which some users do on a daily basis. Others, pressed for time, don’t require as much, preferring instead to have the portal reach out to them. For those customers, Landers added, “Conair now offers user-programmable KPIs. They can choose a specific KPI, set custom performance thresholds, and ask the portal to notify them and report only when a machine performs outside that threshold.”

SmartServices operates with and controls Conair blending, drying, temperature control, and downstream equipment. But the program, Landers said, has the flexibility to go beyond, even adding and monitoring customised KPIs on equipment provided by other OEMs.

HOME AND DRY If a SmartServices user wants to keep a close eye on dryer dewpoint

“Say there’s a customer with a cleanroom operation that relies on a blower to maintain a specific air pressure,” Landers concluded. “SmartServices has the capability to monitor that blower. We simply add a sensor or two to monitor blower performance, connect the sensors to SmartServices, then customise KPIs to track the equipment output.” Because all SmartServices software and data are web-based, all users have immediate access to the latest program features and updates, without the need for manual updates or concerns about introducing potential hardware or software incompatibilities. The Conair Group is a leading supplier of auxiliary equipment for plastics processors, including resin drying systems, blenders, feeders and conveying systems, temperature-control equipment and granulators. Learn more during K 2019 at Hall 10, Booth J21.

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MATERIALS HANDLING

2019

MORETTO S.P.A. PRESENTS ITSELF AS A ‘PARTNER OF SOLUTIONS’ CAPABLE OF LISTENING AND RESPONDING WITH DEDICATED, CUSTOMISED PRODUCTS.

MORETTO WINS THE CHALLENGE AT K 2019

new edition of the K fair is here; an unmissable appointment for plastic industry players involved in the common goal of proposing new solutions for a sector today more than ever at the centre of environmental controversies and recycling policies. Starting with customer-specific needs, Moretto provides K 2019 visitors with an overview of unique solutions and systems, consisting of energy-saving technologies, Industry 4.0 control and management devices, and essential tools for an efficient and sustainable production – a necessary approach to ‘winning the challenge’ in a market composed of customers with complex and diversified performance needs. INTELLIGENT FEEDING AND CONVEYING To manage and supervise the entire conveying process of small or large quantities of plastic material, ONE WIRE 3 guarantees the greatest transport efficiency due to its advanced FIFO logic. ONE WIRE 3 also controls those devices, which with their exclusive technologies, contribute to optimising the granule conveying and feeding process. The DOLPHIN manifold unit, for example, automatically supplies and distributes all the materials to all the machines, avoiding any risk of contamination and human error. KRUISEKONTROL, an exclusive Moretto patent, was recognised by the European Patent Office as ‘the only automatic and intelligent system in the world capable of defining the best transport conditions for each plastic material’. The uniqueness of the KRUISEKONTROL system is its ability to manage the speed of the material during the conveying phases, eliminating peaks, angel hair, and wear of the pipes differently to the

Moretto provides K 2019 visitors with an overview of unique solutions and systems, consisting of energysaving technologies

various inverter systems that act on air speed but don’t take the numerous variables into account. At K 2019 Moretto proposes a series of solutions dedicated to ‘micro’ conveying for the feeding and conveying of small quantities of technical materials. These are highly compact feeders that are ideal for installation on standalone machines, on drying and dosing systems, or directly on the throat of the processing machine. These conveying systems, like all products in the Moretto range, include models specifically indicated for use in clean rooms. Hall 11, Booth H57

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MATERIALS HANDLING

Blend of the line US-BASED SUPPLIER OF MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT MAGUIRE PRODUCTS, INC. INTRODUCES ITS INDUSTRY 4.0-COMPATIBLE WEIGH EXTRUSION BLENDER.

he new Weigh Extrusion Blender (WXB) from Maguire provides extrusion control based on batch precision and metering accuracy. It can be interfaced with a supervisory system that controls the total production line and has been proven effective in blown and cast film, sheet, pipe and profile, and wire and cable applications. WXB incorporates a gain-inweight (GIW) weigh bin and a

loss-in-weight (LIW) mix chamber in one machine with a Maguire 4088 controller. While the GIW function precisely weighs batch ingredients as they are dosed sequentially into the weigh bin, the LIW mix chamber makes accurate metering of the blend into the processing machine possible, as well as facilitates extrusion control and hauloff in accordance with process variables. The 4088 controller, Maguire’s most advanced blender control, is designed for communication with other systems. It enables the WXB blender to interface with the Maguire + Syncro supervisory system, which provides control of all production line segments from a single touch-screen HMI control. In blown film production, the

system controls extruder temperature, raw material metering and consumption data, air ring automation, gauging, internal bubble cooling, web and cage handling, haul-off, and the winder. It can also be deployed for coextrusion with multiple extruders. The Maguire + Syncro brand is the product of a partnership between Maguire and SYNCRO srl that was announced at K 2016. Frank Kavanagh, Maguire VP of Sales and Marketing, said: “The partnership draws on Maguire’s experience in materials handling and blending systems and SYNCRO’s extensive range of control systems for extrusion applications. It enables us to provide customers with turnkey control systems for virtually any type of extrusion operation.” SYNCRO will be exhibiting from Hall 10, Booth A62, at K 2019, and Maguire from Hall 10, Booth A26.

K SHOW on-site Sponsored by:

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28 WWW.EPPM.COM

PREVIEW

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QUICK MOULD CHANGE SOLUTIONS

Hall 16, Booth B19

Hall 10, Booth D41

BATTENFELD-CINCINNATI IS FIT FOR THE FUTURE

ATLAS SHOWCASES STATEOF-THE-ART WEATHERING INSTRUMENTS

POLYMER DEGRADATION CHEMISTRY AND PRODUCT WEATHERING RESULTS CAN BE HIGHLY SPECIFIC TO THE SERVICE ENVIRONMENT.

BATTENFELD-CINCINNATI RETURNS TO THE K TRADE FAIR FOR 2019 WITH ITS RANGE OF FUTURE-READY TECHNOLOGY.

t K 2019, battenfeldcincinnati will be showcasing several models with innovative features from its wide range of extruders. Its one-of-a-kind standard extruder is suitable for manufacturing small technical profiles, and has carved out an established position in the market over the past 18 years as a cashand-carry product, with some 1,200 sold to date. The latest innovation to be presented at K will be the alpha plus, a compact plug-and-play extruder with technical attributes. The proven BCtouch UX solution is the foundation of the new control system platform. A high-performance temperature-monitoring module is integrated in the compact control system, which is handy for temperature-

Hall 3, Booth G39 BANDING AND BUNDLING FOR SUSTAINABILITY

sensitive raw materials. In, the battenfeldcincinnati booth will also be demonstrating the solEX New Generation 75-40D high-performance single-screw extruder, and the STARextruder 120, in which battenfeld-cincinnati has developed a machine concept dedicated specifically to processing PET.

here is clearly a great demand for reducing packaging to the very minimum feasible using sustainable materials where possible. Bandall’s paper and (bio)plastic banding is

tlas, the global leader in materials testing, will demonstrate its suite of advanced weathering test instruments for polymer and plastic materials and products at K 2019. Some of the most widely used man-made materials, polymers and plastics cover a diverse range of material chemistries and properties. As such, the products in which they are used have varying lifespans. Plastic products are formulated with various colorants and functional or performance enhancing additives. Because of these, polymer degradation chemistry and product weathering results can be highly specific to the

worth considering for those moving towards responsible packaging solutions and improving recyclability. Bandall banding will stack food containers, hold rolled up mats and sheeting, tidily bundle

service environment, base resin chemistry, compound formulation and processing. Accelerated laboratory durability testing of plastics and polymers is exceptionally challenging and requires high-performance testing instruments to reliably predict service lifetimes or pass exacting specifications. Atlas’ lightfastness and weathering instruments lead the plastics and polymer industries in testing performance, with many test methods having been specifically designed around the capabilities of Atlas instruments.

bunches of piping, EPS and other insulation sheets and forms. No other banding equipment can process 35 micron films. Bandall is unique in manufacturing machines large enough for EPS

Atlas’ lightfastness and weathering instruments lead the plastics and polymer industries in testing performance

insulation sheeting. Remove immense amounts of packaging and enjoy a swift return on investment while reducing environmental impact.

29 WWW.EPPM.COM

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A sample of what you will see on the Bunting stand at K-Show 2019

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Torpedo In-Line Magnet (TIM) Round Grate Magnet

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Hi-Temp FF350 Drawer Magnet

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Plate Magnet - Flat Face

Square Grate Magnet

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Pneumatic In-Line Magnet (PIM)

PREVIEW

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QUICK MOULD CHANGE SOLUTIONS

Hall 11, Booth G60

THE COMPLETE RANGE: BIELOMATIK AT K

t the bielomatik booth, interested parties can witness joining, automation and consulting from a single provider. The two-step laser welding LasIR Turn2Weld provides new opportunities for processing complex components and innovative joining tasks for e-battery cases or cooling systems applications. Learn more about the entire bielomatik

products and services range at K, including ‘Innovative Engineering’ with partner CNC Engineers, wherein bielomatik provides modern visualisation technology for simplified customised solutions. For example, by entering the CAD data, a complex plant for the finishing operation of a plastic reservoir can be displayed as a complete 3D model on a Powerwall. Watch it live at K 2019.

Visitors can also experience the co-operation of a bielomatik LasIR plant with a cobot. The welding process of a USB stick demonstrates the easy programming, fast set-up, and secure collaboration. In combination with plastic joining systems from bielomatik, cobots provide a whole new world of application processes.

Hall 8A, Booth H32

BUDENHEIM’S K SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

pecialised chemical company Budenheim offers solutions for plastics processing in the electronics, automotive and construction industries. With a worldwide network at its disposal to optimally serve the markets with regional productions, sales teams and logistics centres, the company extends a warm welcome to its booth, where visitors can experience highlights such as eco-friendly

flame retardants for WPCs; new endothermic foaming agents for lightweight design; and light active pigments for fast and durable laser marking. Budenheim formulations are based on environmentally friendly ingredients that avoid substances classified as hazardous. Certified safe for medical and food applications, the latest functional additives await visitors at K.

Hall 10, Booth J47 REMOVING METAL FROM VIRGIN AND RECYCLED PLASTICS IS THE FOCUS ON THE BUNTING MAGNETIC STAND AT THE INTERNATIONAL K 2019 EXHIBITION IN DÜSSELDORF.

SEPARATION INNOVATION

etal contamination is an issue for any company producing plastic products or managing plastic waste. Recycled plastic often has ferrous and non-ferrous metal contamination, and removal is vital to enable reuse. Bunting, a leading designer and manufacturer of magnetic separators and metal detectors, has its European facilities in the UK; experts from the UK, Italy, and the US will attend its booth to help. Simon Ayling, Bunting Europe’s Managing Director, said: “Separation

technology used in the manufacture of virgin materials has been adapted and developed for the rapidly growing recycling sector. Without removing metal from waste, the recycling of plastic is simply not possible. At K 2019, we look forward to meeting companies in the plastics sector and helping them address and solve their metal contamination problems.” The FF and HF drawer filter magnets are the most common magnetic separators in the plastics sector. Visitors will see standard and manual-clean designs utilising the highest

strength neodymium iron boron (rare earth) magnets. Waste plastic falls through the drawer filter with ferrous metal contamination attracted to and held by the powerful magnets. The FF350 enables high-temperature material processing when mounted directly to the inlet of moulding machines. Heat is damaging to standard rare earth magnets, yet the FF350 maintains strength at temperatures up to 350°F (175°C). There are also modifications to the housing, window and access fixings for trouble-free operation. Detect and reject

Removing metal contamination significantly limits the loss of uncontaminated plastic. Demonstrations will show the detection and rejection of small non-ferrous metal by the quickTRON 03R and machine mounted allmetal detectors. Visitors will also see the Pneumatic In-Line Magnet (PIM) and Torpedo In-Line Magnet (TIM) removing metals from pneumatically conveyed plastics. These operate alongside the Pneumatic Style Metal Detector p-TRON 03 FM, which is designed to detect and reject any metal from an enclosed pipe

Contamination removed from secondary plastic

system. The issue of plastic waste continues to dominate industry news and is a key discussion topic at K 2019. Bunting’s technical team is available to discuss the best methods of cleansing plastic waste.

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Jomar’s TechnoDrive 65 PET Versatile IBM Machine Specifically built to process PET but can also run HDPE, PP, and other materials. Perfect for PET bottles with thick walls such as perfume, cosmetics, mascara, etc. • Easy to switch resins • Built-in nozzle heaters • Jomar radial piston motor for plastifier • High efficiency main motor • Proportional hydraulic valves for press • Digital displacement transducers Every machine customized for your requirements.

Visit us at the K Show, Hall 14 Stand A32

jomarcorp.com info@jomarcorp.com 609-646-8000

Omya Technical Polymer Applications omya.com

Omya Engineered Materials plastics.info@omya.com

PREVIEW

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Hall 1, Booth C24

PLASTISUD BRINGS HIGH-PRECISION TO K 2019

uilding on a long tradition of high quality and precision, Plastisud SAS will introduce its latest innovation in mould and hot runner technology, a high-performance and superb productivity system, producing the straightest pipette tips on the market for the

medical industry. Plastisud has spent countless hours developing a revolutionary new way of producing pipette tips for the most demanding applications. A two-point lateral injection system that guarantees perfect straightness. Complementing the

OMYA: ENGINEERING THE FUTURE

representation agreement for Switzerland, we have since expanded our footprint in Europe and Asia. Our global distribution network allows for the one-stop purchase of products and our partners’ chemicals. Omya’s engineering polymer businesses will become collectively known as Omya Engineered Materials

equally with or without automation for an allout compatibility with a side entry robot grip or free fall installation. The system will be performing live at K 2019 in the Sumitomo (SHI) Demag stand.

Hall 9, Booth E32

Hall 6, Booth D75 mya, a leading global producer of industrial minerals, additives and pigments derived from Calcium Carbonate and Dolomite, and a worldwide distributor of specialty chemicals, has a long history in the distribution of engineering polymers. Beginning in 1949 with our partnership with Hoechst and a distribution and

innovative design is a perfectly balanced hot runner. Ease of maintenance is realised through access to critical elements directly on the press, without complex disassembly for for consistent quality and productivity. It fits nicely in small injection machines and operates

to reinforce our growing engineering polymer business portfolio and serve to support our global growth aspirations. Omya Engineered Materials is an integral part of our long-term strategy and will be a unified platform that harmonises our worldwide engineering polymer businesses.

NUMEROUS PROMIX HIGHLIGHTS AT K 2019 P romix Solutions will be presenting several highlights at K 2019. Under the motto ‘Yes, we foam!’ the company would like to open the dialogue on how Promix Physical Foaming Systems could help save raw material cost, improve foam quality and reduce carbon footprints. Promix is also launching PROCELL, a newly developed chemical nucleating agent promising the smallest cell sizes and highest foam quality. At K 2019, Promix will showcase the relevant key components for physical foaming and exchange information on experiences and possibilities within the specific application fields.

The Swiss company has advanced its physical foaming technology with ecofriendly CO2 or N2 blowing agents, and will have machinery present on the booths of Kautex Maschinenbau (Hall 14, Booth A16-A18) and Maschinengesellschaft mbH, (Hall 17, booth C39-C42).

33 WWW.EPPM.COM

SUSTAiNABLE VALUE BY LASERMARKED WOOD-LOOKS K2019 - Hall 5 - Booth B40

free contamct arking

GABRIEL-CHEMIE.COM

a acbirda-rseion & sistant

PREVIEW

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INTRODUCING

GN580!

the

mily of GN Joining thekfa s Thermoformer Form/Cut/Stac

Features: • • • • •

3 stations Innovative technology High output thermoformer World-renowned customer service Ideal for Food, Medical and Industrial packaging applications

GN580 Come see the Stand #3A36 at the K-SHOW w w w. g n c a n a d a . c o m

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Hall 3, Booth A36

GN TO LAUNCH GN580 AT K 2019

N Thermoforming Equipment will launch its new GN580 Thermoformer at K 2019. The new form/cut/ stack thermoformer is ideal for food, medical, and industrial packaging. A smaller version of the GN800, launched at K 2016, the GN580 will run 100 per cent post-consumer recycled PET with a commonedge tool, producing meat trays with minimal

scrap. Jerome Romkey, President, said: “We continue to provide an industry-leading level of service and support, giving customers added confidence when launching new machines.” The GN580 that will be exhibited during the K show has already been sold to a European packaging manufacturer, according to GN. Its integrated steel rule cutting press and

stacking station is used for cost-effective, userfreindly manufacturing of packaging products made from all thermoformable materials. Among the top priorities of GN’s customer-focused approach are improving productivity and ensuring that customers produce the most finished parts per pound of sheet.

Hall 5, Booth B40

COUNTDOWN TO K 2019 J

ust a few weeks remain until major players in the plastics industry come together at the world‘s largest plastics exhibition in Düsseldorf. The Gabriel-Chemie Group will once again participate with a new booth design and numerous innovative solutions and product demonstrations. The main topics will focus on digitalisation and

sustainability. Launched at Fakuma 2018, the customdeveloped platform ‘Master of Batch’ product sector of Gabriel-Chemie was penetrated by the digital and networked world. The Smart Search Tool launched last year with ‘Master of Colours’ will be complemented this year with the extension ‘Master of Additives’.

Hall 11, Booth A60

FRIGEL KEEP IT KOOL

rigel, a market leader in intelligent process cooling with The Frigel Group including a worldwide network of agents and distributors, is showcasing its wide range of solutions at K 2019. With production plants located in Florence and Padua, Italy, as well as in the US, Brazil, Thailand and India, Frigel manufactures and markets intelligent,

integrated, cooling systems, made of a variety of components, including the Ecodry adiabatic liquid cooler, microgel, industrial, modular and multistage chillers and chiller/ temperature control units, as well as a full array of pumping and filtration equipment, all designed and engineered to fit specific applications. Frigel develops

and customises all microprocessor and PLC-based controls for all its products and solutions, which have been proven at more than 8,000 manufacturing installations worldwide. Customer productivity, efficiency and environmental sustainability are at the forefront of any solution developed by Frigel.

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Hall 3, Booth D16

INPAK MAKINA PRESENTING NEW MODEL TS-1000 AT K 2019

npak has been among the industry leaders with fully automatic air pressure thermoforming machines since its establishment in 2006. With the success of the TS800 and TS850, which are built with world-class technology, combined with Inpak’s engineering and own developed software providing variable options according to customers’ needs, Inpak is now ready to bring to

market the TS-1000, with a maximum mould area of 1000x750mm. The aim of the TS-1000 is to get increased production output with less overall cost, enabling competitive advantage to producers by maintaining wellproven reliability and performance and by adding new technological developments.

Hall 9, Booth A38

GNEUSS INTRODUCES NEXT-GEN EQUIPMENT AT K 2019

neuss Filtration Technology will exhibit several different models of their patented Rotary Filtration Systems at the K trade fair this year. The new SFneos was developed to combine the characteristics of several older models into one simple and cost-efficient solution.

Gneuss will also exhibit two KF screen changers, a KF 75 and a KF 110, which will be installed in a blown film line at Brazilian machinery manufacturer Carnevalli’s booth (Hall 16, Booth C70). Gneuss Extrusion Technology will show a complete Gneuss Processing Unit (GPU)

including a second generation Multi Rotation System MRS110 extruder, a fully automatic melt filtration system RSFgenius 90 and a new style online viscometer VIS, for the processing of 600kg/h of undried and uncrystallised polyester (PET).

KHS FOCUSES ON CIRCULAR ECONOMY AT K

HS will present a new PET concept at K 2019 based on the juice bottle as an example. It combines individual environmentally friendly packaging solutions in one container and thereby supports the theory of circular economy. The system provider shows how efficiency and sustainability go hand in hand by offering further line-compatible container solutions in

36 WWW.EPPM.COM

addition to its Bottles & Shapes service offering. With these technologies, KHS provides support in the conversion to an environmentally friendly and resource-conserving packaging portfolio. Kai Acker, CEO of KHS, said: “We already offer forward-looking concepts today. Our extensive PET portfolio covers the entire value chain, ranging from innovative bottle design to energy and resourceefficient production

processes. We provide support for conversion to environmentally friendly and resourceconserving types of packaging. Our portfolio offers concrete solutions for further promoting the concept of sustainability. Against the backdrop of the company group’s overall positive business development for KHS during the first half of this year, we are focusing on consistently developing our products,

processes and solutions.” A new PET bottle will be presented for the first time at K 2019. The company combines various disciplines of its extensive knowhow to create a unique container. With this concept, KHS is consistently pursuing its strategy of reduction, recycling and reuse, and has thereby agreed a partnership with an environmental service provider.

Compared to conventional PET containers, the system provider’s new approach ensures a high level of product protection and a longer shelf life. Completely recyclable and conserve on additional resources. With the Bottles & Shapes programme, KHS is also furthering its developments along the entire production chain.

1915

Solar Determinator®

1927

Original Weather-Ometer®

1954

Xenotest® 150

1977

Ci65 Weather-Ometer®

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Ci4000 Weather-Ometer®

TODAY

The Ci4400 Weather-Ometer®

Our Latest Milestone. The Atlas Ci4400. For over 100 years, we’ve revolutionized the science of weather durability testing. The new Atlas Ci4400 WeatherOmeter® is our most advanced instrument yet, delivering unparalleled performance and value. With its simplified operation, unmatched uniformity, increased capacity and sleek design, the best-in-class just got even better. Learn more at atlas-mts.com.

Visit Booth D41, Hall 10 October 16–23, 2019 Düsseldorf, Germany

Sample Capacity

Tier to tier temperature uniformity

Touchscreen Interface

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Hall 16, Booth A21

Hall 16, Booth B17

MACRO SHOWCASING LATEST TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING AT K 2019

MOLECOR FITTING IN NICELY

anadian film and sheet extrusion systems manufacturer Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. is focusing its K 2019 efforts on sustainability and introducing its latest developed technologies in extrusion systems. Macro’s newly advanced technology for sustainable packaging features the new MacroPack FP die;

faster transition times and less waste; lower film thickness; more uniform layer thickness, enabling reduced usage of expensive resins and total gauge; new designs for screws and barrels to allow for a higher recycling content; and the control system with ‘ReadyRun’ technology, enabling the operator to bring back frequently used recipes with the push of a button.

As well as significantly reducing changeover times, Macro’s latest technology advancements also offer retrofitting on air rings, blown film dies and custom winding machinery. Furthermore, the Quadex biax systems enable ‘double bubble’ with and without PVdC with improved technology to broaden the process window.

Hall 3, Booth D69-01

MARCHANTE SAS STRIVES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FILM INDUSTRY AT K 2019

or this year’s K Show, Marchante SAS reaffirms its commitment to productivity, efficiency and high-quality machinery, and will proudly celebrate Director Inocente Marchante’s 40 years in the Biax industry. Hailed as a game-changer in production processes

38 WWW.EPPM.COM

and machinery developments for more than 150 lines worldwide for BOPP, BOPET, BOPS, BOPA, PETG, Marchante founded Marchante SAS to support film producers. He began implementing sophisticated films and delicate processes, of which the Simultaneous Stretcher MASIM is one. As a manufacturer

of machinery for bioriented film producers, Marchante SAS pursues engagement towards and with a more efficient and cleaner industry. To this end, the company is developing a process to produce sheets for thermoforming with 100 per cent rPET.

olecor, within its continuous R&D process, has developed new effective systems and products in order to meet the market’s needs. The latest developments of the company for the conveyance of water under pressure will be presented at the K fair in Düsseldorf. CEO Ignacio Muñoz will present a conference titled ‘Latest Developments in PVC-O’ on 18 October at 10:00 in Room M, CCD East, where he will provide the most up-to-date information on PVC-O pipes and fittings, as well as on

the latest improvements in the technology that manufactures these products. The company has embodied its technological breakthroughs in the manufacture and sale of its products and processes, with new features that enhance performance or improvements in the production process. Improving the customer experience and adapting to market demands with innovations that increase product range and applications forms part of that commitment.

Material ingredients for a safe and sustainable future Halogen-free flame retardants, polymerisation control, foaming, laser marking and welding

BUDIT® 3|6

BUDIT® L

Flame retardants

Watch me if you scan www.budenheim.com/clip4plastics

Laser marking

Hall 8A Booth H32

BUDIT® F Foaming

EPSOLUTE® Polymerization

Chemische Fabrik Budenheim KG | Budenheim | Germany www.budenheim.com | plastics@budenheim.com

Reliable high quality in plastic recycling thanks to HERBOLD Meckesheim’s modern washing systems

The increasing amount of plastic waste worldwide, along with legally stipulated recycling quotas, is making great demands of the industry. Efficient technical solutions are therefore needed. The quality of the recyclate produced must be just right, so that it can be used in as many branches of industry as possible. HERBOLD has improved all process stages: Pre-crushing The new EWS 60/210 shredder has been designed for both dry and wet operation, and delights thanks to its high capacity and maintenance-friendly design.

Hydrocyclone separation stage: HERBOLD has optimised density separation in the hydrocyclone stage over the course of many years. Hydrocyclones achieve significantly better separation results than float/sink tanks.

e K 2019 Visit us at th Düsseldorf trade fair in d 9B42 Hall 09, Stan

The pre-wash unit helps protect the subsequent machines and provides capacity for more material.

Hot washing (optional) With optimised temperatures and dwell times, and with the use of suitable cleaning agents, hot washing achieves better cleaning results compared to pure cold washing. HERBOLD has refined this process step, which has long been standard for recycling PET bottles, for use with PO film. The combination of hydrocyclone separation and hot washing forms the basis for quality levels never achieved before.

www.herbold.com

PREVIEW

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HALL 1 BOOTH C97

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HALL 5 BOOTH D41

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HALL 6 BOOTH C61

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HALL 10 BOOTH J47

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HALL 11 BOOTH H21

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HALL 12 BOOTH E49-7

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HALL 15 BOOTH C58

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QUICK MOULD CHANGE SOLUTIONS

www.intouchmonitoring.com

Smartflow® Digital Flow Meters TRACER®VM FLOW METER, VORTEX SENSOR TECHNOLOGY. LOCAL OR REMOTE USER INTERFACE

HALL 13 B91-10

TRACER®VMA WITH AUTOREG™ AUTOMATIC FLOW CONTROL. LPM, GPM or REYNOLDS

TRACER®VM BASE FLOW METERS, VORTEX SENSOR TECHNOLOGY. 0.5 to 3.5Vdc or 0.5 to 4.1Vdc OUTPUT FOR PROCESS TEMPERATURE

THE ORIGINAL LEGACY TRACER® AND SWITCHING TRACER®, BATTERY AND SWITCHING MODELS. FLOW AND TEMPERATURE MONITORING

smartfloweurope.com +44 (0) 1908 322 282

BLUETOOTH, PC AND PROCESS MONITORING CONNECTIVITY

PREVIEW Hall 6, Booth C61 SOLVAY SPOTLIGHTS SUSTAINABILITY

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Hall 16, Booth D05

Hall 13, Booth B91-10

PERFORMANCE, PRODUCTIVITY AND PIPE EXTRUSION PLANTS

FLOW CONTROL GETS SMART

TECNOMATIC DISCUSSES THE INDUSTRY 4.0 DEVELOPMENTS ON SHOW AT K 2019.

t K 2019 Solvay will reveal developments in thermoplastic composites, a lightweighting material that enhances the Group’s sustainable mobility objectives and enables resourceefficient solutions for customers in aerospace, automotive, and oil and gas. Solvay recently created a platform fully dedicated to thermoplastic composites, blending its expertise via the vertical integration of its composite materials and its unmatched portfolio of high-performance polymers. Solvay will also present a new high-temperature PEEK polymer, an industry first, as well as its unique applications for high-performance materials, including the world’s first all-polymer recyclable e-bike made using the company’s long-fibre thermoplastics (LFT) material. Presentations on sustainable mobility and resource efficiency will be given on a variety of topics including batteries, additive manufacturing, hyper-connectivity, transportation, water filtration, construction, and consumer goods.

ipe manufacturers are more and more oriented towards cost efficiency and energy saving, but always aiming at the best performance and output rate achievable for their pipe extrusion lines. Renowned as a top producer of machinery for the production of plastic pipes, Tecnomatic will exhibit innovative solutions for pipe extrusion at K 2019 by featuring an extruder and two die-heads, as well as providing complete production systems for an increasingly demanding business, to introduce visitors to the current industrial revolution, Industry 4.0, which is becoming increasingly more abundant and important. Industry 4.0 plays a strategic role in coordinating, synchronising and analysing the

machinery’s process, as well as supplying data to human operators, thereby rendering the production process more accurate and efficient. The company will introduce visitors to its system that supports the new digital industrial revolution, providing plastic pipes manufacturers with a complete and integrated portfolio of products, solutions, industrial software and automation technologies. The system provides a simple userfriendly program for the networking of extrusion pipe lines. Via the machine’s EPC (Extrusion Process Control) system, several machines and peripherals are connected via a uniform user interface. In this way, the manufacturing

process, including material feeding, temperature control and syncronisation, is coordinated and tracked. All parameters are centrally recorded and monitored to enable energy monitoring, numbers and data conversion, and optimal performance analysis from the relevant KPIs to the clear presentation of the line performance. Complementing the smart factory concept, all data (including preventive maintenance and service parameters or alarms) can be monitored online – just one more among the many advantages of Industry 4.0-compatible extrusion plants, and just one more reason why Tecnomatic is focusing on it at K 2019, and investing in it for the future.

he new Smartflow TracerVM Flowmeter with user interface from Burger & Brown Engineering Inc. now employs vortex shedding technology to monitor liquid flow rates and temperature. With no moving parts, it greatly improves reliability and accuracy. The newly designed control circuit provides some of the same features as previous models, but now includes modified features such as Bluetooth and PC interface, selectable analog output, remote user interface mounting option, and an internal rechargeable battery, amnongst other features. The New TracerVM Flowmeter increases reliability with flow sensors that are less susceptible to dirty cooling water conditions, provides greater flexibility for installation location, and comes available in various sizes and flow rates.

43 WWW.EPPM.COM

No idea how to shape silicone? Not necessary. That's our business. RICO Elastomere Projecting GmbH | Thalheim, Austria | www.rico.at | +43 7242 76460

Tooling and silicone injection molding

Perfect feeding for the Masterbatch Industry! Visit us at

K 2019

16.-23. October

Hall 11 ,Stand D76

NEW ProFlex presented on K 2019

www.schenckprocess.com

PREVIEW

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Hall 9, Booth B23

STEINERT BRINGS BLACK BACK TO K S

teinert technology allows black plastics to be sorted from the general waste stream and into pure grades. This enables plastic processing companies to respond to such challenges in a costeffective way. Since 2011, Steinert has been developing

detection technology for very challenging sorting applications and providing reference projects that show how plastics and the environment can be compatible. Steinert pioneered black plastics detection and separation, allowing recycling rates to be

increased. Sophisticated air flow technology also makes Steinert the only company to be able to cost-effectively sort flat and lightweight black materials. The pure-grade separation of black polyolefins into their constituent allows polymer granulates to be replaced by high-

quality recyclates. State-of-the-art technologies and 130 years of process knowhow allow international customers to combine costeffectiveness with sustainability, and therefore take one step closer to a genuinely closed loop.

Hall 3, Booth E90

GOOD VIBRATIONS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; COPERION K-TRON BRINGS NEW FEEDING TECH TO K C

operion K-Tron has Coperion K-Tron has announced a completely new K3 line of vibratory feeders for dry bulk solids which will be exhibited at K 2019. The new feeder design features a unique, patent-pending drive system combined with an advanced control package, and the ability to achieve accuracies averaging 35 per cent better over traditional vibratory technologies. This new generation of Coperion K-Tron loss-inweight vibratory feeders offers gentle handling, higher accuracy

and faster product changeover, resulting in less product waste, less downtime and better end product quality, as well as improved sustainability. Significant advantages These advantages are possible due to groundbreaking new technology. The key to achieving high accuracy is the ability to deliver a continuous, even product discharge with minimal pulsations, which the K3 vibratory drive does with a completely new shock absorber design. Conventional vibratory

feeders use rubber or spring shock absorbers, which allow movement of the drive in all directions, resulting in rotational motion. In contrast, the K3 line uses a unique flexible pendulum technology which provides shock absorption only parallel to the desired direction of motion, eliminating rotational movement. This parallel motion ensures an even material flow of the product along the entire length of the tray. The advanced control system and feeder electronics include

internal sensors which measure acceleration, displacement, load, current and temperature at rates of up to 25,000 times per second. The fast-acting controller then adjusts the vibratory drive signal to maintain clean sinusoidal displacement for optimal mass flow. The combination of this unique drive with the Coperion K-Tron SmartConnex control system also results in extremely low energy consumption as compared to other feeding technologies.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT

SURFACE TREATMENT As the inventor of the Corona technology, Vetaphone offers vast knowledge and experience with Corona & Plasma surface treatment and has an extensive portfolio of solutions for any type of application in the web processing industry. Our expertise ensures the perfect surface adhesion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so you can deliver the perfect end result.

Visit us at Stand 10A59 October 16-23th 2019

www.vetaphone.com | sales@vetaphone.com

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Hall 3, Booth E90

Hall 17, Booth A76

PACKAGING’S TRAYGAP BRINGS SPECIALIST KIEFEL TO-TRAY RECYCLING AT K SYSTEMS TO K K

taly-based simultaneous multi bubbles orientation system specialist GAP will present at K 2019 important innovations

for transparent high-barrier oriented recyclable materials. The simultaneous bubbles orientation system is available up to 4,000mm and 1,000kg/h and offers a solution for high-barrier recycle oriented structures to convert laminate foil to homogenous, oriented mono-barrier multifunction materials. GAP will also show a new annular microlayer die for performance multiplication. With

the aim of reducing thickness, improving film characteristics and squeezing the maximum performance from mono material, the company will present MIRALAYERS, which can be put to use as annular die in processes such as double bubble, blown film lines, water quench and special tubing lines. These developments have been extracted from GAP’s pilot line and laboratory, which will be on display during the K 2019 trade fair.

iefel Packaging has re-engineered the egg tray to facilitate the use of 100 per cent tray-to-tray recycled post-consumer PET. The design demands were obvious: Uncompromised functionality and mechanical strength. Meticulous analysis and re-engineering of the material, tray and processing have led to a tray which is of similar or better quality to those available in virgin PS or PET. The use of Kiefel’s new premium flatbed tooling in combination with

the trendsetting new generation flatbed KMD thermoformers have significantly streamlined development. As well as a transition to 100 per cent PCR material, Kiefel Packaging offers the expertise and support for more drastic material changes. For instance, a switch to paper, pulp or plantbased materials such as PHA or PEF.

Hall 14, Booth A02

DIEFFENBACHER AT K 2019

ompanies that depend on the economical production of high-quality composite parts will find valuable advice and customised automated production plants at the Dieffenbacher booth at

K 2019. For applications such as SMC Class A exterior components and semi-structural components made from LFT, Dieffenbacher’s Fiberpress series delivers the right press and high-performance, sophisticated automation with material supply and component handling. Thermoplastic continuous fibrereinforced parts can be produced efficiently with the Tailored Blank Line, consisting of

Fiberforge and Fibercon technology. Dieffenbacher offers efficient and complete production systems from a single source for the automotive and transportation, building and construction, aerospace, and sports and leisure industries. Dieffenbacher list of prestigious customers includes Audi, BMW, Autoneum, Fritzmeier, Hanwha and Polytec, amongst others. Dieffenbacher will also present recycling solutions at K 2019

under the heading ‘Waste 2 Product’, wherein concepts ranging from shredding and cleaning to new end products made from recycled materials will be presented. Individual turnkey production plants for applications help customers seize circular economy opportunities, reduce disposal costs and produce products in a sustainable way. Dieffenbacher supports its customers from the initial product idea, through

engineering and plant conception, manufacturing and installation of the press or production plant, to its commissioning and beyond. The Dieffenbacher Lifecycle Service provides planning security over the service life of the plant. Individual modernisation solutions ensure that existing production lines can still be operated efficiently even after many years.

47 WWW.EPPM.COM

ANZ_Mobility_EN_Layout_2.pdf

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FUTURE MOBILITY AT FULL THROTTLE? SILY OGY ED EA T R CHNOL A E T T S G M US! N GET OINI N FRO J O I H T T A WI UTOM AND A

Z7500/... Locating ring, adapter

tool-free adjustment of injection moulds on injection moulding machines with larger breakthroughs. -

Fast, tool-free adaption Frictional spring tensioning system Rapid production change possible Unambiguous assignment through clear inscriptions

www.hasco.com

orf seld Düs 2019 D r 19 be K 20 3. Octo C06 2 16.- , Booth 1 Hall

bielomatik offers innovative joining technologies and automation solutions for future-oriented automotive applications. With 70 years of experience in plastic joining technology, we are your personal contact for process-independent consultation, tailored solutions for all relevant processes in the area of joining and welding, automation and the use of industrial/collaborative robots (HRC). All advantages of high tech with a human touch at bielomatik.com

Hall 11, Booth G60

SOMETIMES THE STRAIGHTEST WAY TO YOUR GOALS IS A CIRCLE

To ensure continuity in this fast-evolving world, change has become the only option. Today’s polyamides have to get smarter, more competitive and more sustainable to remain tomorrow’s engineering plastics of choice. With its integrated setup, expertise and global reach, DOMO is ready to take on this challenge.

Meet DOMO Chemicals in Hall 5, A43

www.domochemicals.com

DOMO_AZ_Wood_Mackenzie_ENC_2019_182x116mm.indd 1

13.09.19 13:01

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MEUSBURGER BRINGING MARKET INNOVATIONS TO K

t this year’s K trade fair in Düsseldorf, the Meusburger stand (Hall 1, Booth C30) will feature the new and one-of-a-kind configurator for hot runner moulds. The new cavity pressure sensors and many other Meusburger products will also be presented, as will the divisions of hot runner and control systems, Knowledge Management, and ERP. A special highlight at K 2019 is the new configurator for hot runner moulds, which is offered exclusively in co-operation between Meusburger and PSG. The complete mould base including hot

runner manifold can be customised with just a few clicks and shipped shortly thereafter in the usual high quality in just one order. In addition to the hot runner mould, the required components and the right accessories can also be ordered directly from Meusburger. This way the customer receives everything from a single source and with only one order. NEW SENSORS FOR MORE PROCESS RELIABILITY As a second product highlight, Meusburger presents the new and immediately available cavity pressure sensors,

with which the company is taking a further step towards industry 4.0. These offer maximum flexibility through direct or indirect cavity pressure measurement and are compatible with all common piezoelectric pressure sensors. The smallest installation spaces also ensure a high degree of freedom in the mould design. EVERYTHING FROM A SINGLE SOURCE In addition to Meusburger, PSG, WBI, and Segoni will also be presenting their range of products for mould and die making. The hot runner and control

systems manufacturer PSG will be presenting innovative solutions for all aspects of injection moulding. In the hot runner division, the company continues to impress with customer-specific solutions when it comes to reduced cycle times, rapid colour changes, and gating of difficult to reach parts. In control systems, the main focus is the profiTEMP+ hot runner controller which features space-saving design in addition to state-of-the-art technology. DIGITALISATION HAS ARRIVED. WBI Knowledge Management will also

be represented at the Meusburger stand, bringing their specially developed software. With this software, the resource of knowledge can be collected, shared, further developed and saved. Segoni will offer a live presentation of the latest version of their software for efficient production planning for companies with individual production structures in the fields of mould, die, and jigs and fixtures construction. They will also provide information for visitors on the use and capabilities of the system.

SODICK LAUNCHES HIGH-END IM MACHINES NUMEROUS IN EUROPE PREMIERES AT SIKORA’S K BOOTH S Hall 10, Booth H21

t K 2019, Sikora, a manufacturer and worldwide supplier of advanced measuring and control technology, will present a broad portfolio of innovative systems for quality control and process optimisation for hose, tube, and sheets. Visitors have the option of bringing along

plastic pellets for a live and on the spot inspection and analysis with the laboratory testing system PURITY CONCEPT V. In the ‘Innovation Corner’, visitors are cordially invited to contribute their ideas regarding measuring technology for hose and tube, as well as other plastics applications. The appearance of the Bremen-based company at K promises pure innovation.

odick, already a leader with its EDM equipment, is launching a range of high-end plastic injection moulding machines to the European market at K. The company has manufactured such machines for over 30 years, but they have previously only been available in Japan, China and the US. The GL30, which will be demonstrated at K, is a 30-tonne electric-hydraulic hybrid specifically suited to the production of very small,

high-precision parts, e.g. for the medical sector. Unlike the traditional reciprocating screw and check valve, Sodick machines use the V-Line injection method to accurately prepare the polymer meter shot by weight, filling the component in a precise and repeatable process, resulting in more accurate filling and pressurisation of the component. Accuracy is further enhanced by the linear motor drive system which governs the injection plunger, which travels at high

speed to reduce the viscosity of the melt. The GL30 is capable of linear injection speeds in excess of 1,300 mm/s and can achieve and maintain this speed within a 5mm shot size whilst accelerating and decelerating within 1mm of plunger movement.

49 WWW.EPPM.COM

PREVIEW

WWW.QUICK-MOULD-CHANGE.COM

Hall 11, Booth A01

ECONCORE CHOOSES MEAF EXTRUDER

mya, a leading global producer of industrial minerals, additives and pigments derived from Calcium Carbonate and Dolomite, and a worldwide distributor of specialty chemicals, has a long history in the distribution of engineering polymers. Beginning in 1949 with our partnership with Hoechst and a distribution and representation agreement for Switzerland, we have since expanded our footprint in Europe and Asia. Our global distribution network allows for the one-stop purchase of products and our partners’ chemicals. Omya’s engineering polymer businesses will become collectively known as Omya Engineered Materials to reinforce our growing engineering polymer business portfolio and serve to support our global growth aspirations. Omya Engineered Materials is an integral part of our long-term strategy and will be a unified platform that harmonises our worldwide engineering polymer businesses.

QUICK MOULD CHANGE SOLUTIONS

FREEK BRINGING NOVELTIES TO K 2019

erman-based heating element specialist Friedr. Freek is presenting two novelties at K 2019. Their square cartridge heaters and alternative nozzle heaters have numerous mechanical, economic and ecological advantages. For heating metal plates or surfaces to temperatures higher than 200°C, common round cartridge heaters and tubular heaters are usually the means of choice. The latter are normally pre-bent and installed into grooves before cast in a heatconductive compound. This procedure is complex and for

small quantities very expensive. The same applies for deep-hole bores for cartridge heaters. Freek has dealt with this difficulty and developed soft, malleable square cartridge heaters that don’t require prebending. In addition, the German heating experts will focus on energyefficient nozzle heaters at K 2019. Freek illustrates this topic to the K 2019 audience with the example of an Otto Hofstetter 48-cavity PET hot runner, which the company believes will attract much attention.

Hall 6, Booth C43.

DISCOVERING DUPONT AT K 2019: CUTTINGEDGE INNOVATION AND SOLUTIONS

50 WWW.EPPM.COM

uPont Transportation & Industrial (T&I), a division of DuPont, will showcase cuttingedge solutions and technology innovation at K 2019 in Düsseldorf, Germany. DuPont brings a deep understanding of market needs founded on years of experience in collaborating with customers. Randy Stone, President: “Through our worldwide network of innovation and technical centres, we work closely with our customers to deliver the solutions that meet their market

challenges and needs. From idea to design and production, we are proud to offer our customers unparalleled technical knowledge and expertise.” At K 2019, DuPont T&I will present innovationdriven solutions for groundbreaking product applications in the areas of advanced mobility, enabled connections and smarter healthcare. Advanced Mobility Transportation is evolving to meet the needs of passengers and the planet, where tomorrow’s cars will be electric, autonomous, shared and connected.

DuPont brings its automotive heritage, expertise and materials capabilities together to K 2019 through the AHEAD (Accelerating Hybrid-Electric Autonomous Driving) initiative. Enabled Connections In the constantly ‘on’ world that constitutes today’s living, industrial and personal devices need to make fast, reliable and secure connections. DuPont puts the user first by focusing on meeting critical industry demands for high-speed and reliable connections, environmental

sustainability, and design flexibility. Smarter Healthcare DuPont is helping to transform patients’ lives through collaborations and partnerships to stay ahead of global trends such as the growing and ageing population, personalised medicine and the use of connected medical devices. The company immerses its knowledge into the customers’ businesses, bringing expertise to silicone and polymer formulations that are dedicated to highly critical, regulated healthcare applications.

MASTERBATCH AND ADDITIVES NEWS AS OF 1 AUGUST 2019, NORDMANN TOOK OVER FULL CONTROL OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF VENATOR’S TITANIUM DIOXIDE AND FUNCTIONAL ADDITIVES PRODUCTS IN GERMANY, AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND.

Nordmann expands partnership with Venator

uilding on its long and successful co-operation with Nordmann, Venator recently named the company the sole distributor of its titanium dioxide (TiO2) and functional additives (FAD) products in the GAS region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). This will primarily affect the adhesives, coatings and inks, elastomers, lubricants and plastics markets. Stéphane David, Senior Commercial Director at Venator, said: “In Nordmann, we have a reliable distribution partner at our side. We are convinced of this by the success we have had with them in sales,

the common goals our companies share and, above all, through our co-operative partnership.” Jost E. Laumeyer, Global Sales Director Plastics at Nordmann, added: “We are very pleased at this opportunity to further expand our successful strategic partnership with Venator. For our customers, this will also mean additional added value through the extensive product expertise and continuous market support we can offer.” As a sales and marketing organisation, Nordmann links suppliers from across the globe to customers throughout the manufacturing industry.

MILLIKEN INCREASES SINGAPORE MANUFACTURING INVESTMENT MILLIKEN & COMPANY, RECOGNISED AS A WORLDWIDE LEADER OF PLASTIC ADDITIVES AND COLORANTS, HAS ANNOUNCED PLANS TO CONSTRUCT A NEW, STATE-OF-THE-ART CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING PLANT AND KNOWLEDGE CENTRE IN SINGAPORE.

xpected to begin operations in Q1 2021, the facility expands Milliken’s chemical manufacturing footprint to support increasing demand across Asia, including rapidly growing markets in India and China. The company currently operates an applications lab and technical service and sales office in Singapore, and recently celebrated its 20-year presence in the region. Allen Jacoby, Senior Vice President, Plastics Additives, said: “Milliken’s commitment to our growing markets in Asia is unwavering. With this investment, we hope to expand the positive impact innovative chemical manufacturing can contribute to the region

and to the world.” The new plant will have the capability to manufacture several integral Milliken plastic additives that bring sustainability and production benefits to the global plastics industry. Primarily, the location will produce the company’s Hyperform family of nucleating agents for polypropylene and polyethylene; as well as specialty colorants for a broad range of product applications, including home and laundry care, personal care, industrial and institutional cleaners, and polyurethane foams. Zhaolin Zhou, Asia Pacific Vice President of Milliken’s Chemical Division said: “This new

manufacturing facility strategically positions us to better serve our customers throughout Asia. Localised production capabilities and increased technical expertise will allow us to rapidly customise our solutions to meet the evolving and diverse needs of the Asia market.” The Singapore plant will be staffed with a skilled workforce including research and development chemists, chemical engineers, and technical support.

RTP COMPANY INTRODUCES CONDUCTIVE MASTERBATCH RTP COMPANY, A GLOBAL CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS COMPOUNDER, HAS EXPANDED ITS LINE OF CONDUCTIVE COMPOUNDS TO INCLUDE NEW CCX CONDUCTIVE MASTERBATCHES, SETTING A NEW STANDARD FOR SAFE, PRODUCTIVE, AND RELIABLE SOLUTIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTS PRONE TO ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE (ESD).

CX Conductive Masterbatches are available in a variety of resin systems, and can be formulated with four distinct additive technologies, stainless steel fibre, carbon

nanotubes, carbon black, and PermaStat dissipative polymer technology. Stainless steel fibre CCZ Masterbatches are created using long fibre manufacturing and

allow for the highest level of conductivity, providing EMI shielding for sensitive electronics. They are available in most resin systems and have similar shrinkage and mechanical performance to the unfilled base resin, making them wellsuited to injection moulding and extrusion equipment, and compatible with existing moulds and tooling. Carbon nanotube

CCX Masterbatches can be used in highpurity applications with virtually no effect on shrinkage or mechanical properties compared to the unfilled base resin. Carbon black CCX Masterbatches are uniquely formulated for applications that require permanent antistatic or static dissipative performance. They can be used in most resins with processing

temperatures below 270°C and provide uniform dissipative performance, full colourability, and even transparency in some resins, while retaining or even enhancing the impact performance of the base resin. Additionally, they are well suited to intrinsic safety applications and can meet the surface resistance requirements of the ATEX directive.

MASTERBATCH AND ADDITIVES NEWS

Dectection and perfection GLOBAL MASTERBATCH LEADER AMPACET INTRODUCES A METAL DETECTABLE MASTERBATCH FOR PLASTIC, 1000818-E, THAT AIDS IN THE DETECTION OF PLASTIC CONTAMINANTS, RESULTING IN ENHANCED FOOD SAFETY AND MINIMISING RECALLS FOR PLASTIC CONTAMINATION.

hen added to plastic parts, 1000818E enables detection of plastic contamination using conventional metal detectors already installed on food processing lines. Benefits include the ability to use plastic tools and equipment while minimising the risk of contamination and eliminating the need to invest in additional detection equipment. Plastics detection using Ampacet’s 1000818-E masterbatch was comparable to metal

detection, using a 10 per cent addition rate in 50µm polyethylene blown films. Ampacet’s 1000818-E is recommended for a wide range of plastic tools used in the food industry to package raw materials and finished products, such as crates, housings, trays, lids, flexible packaging film, clips and ties, as well as food processing tools, equipment or workers’ protective gear. Plastic products and tools used in food processing represent a potential risk of food contamination in case of breakage or leakage of small plastic fragments into raw materials or finished products. This food contamination could lead to risks and issues with consumers, retailers and brands, with costly product recalls. While metal contamination is under control in the food industry through the installation of metal detectors, it is not the case with plastic contamination detection. Ampacet’s metal detectable plastic

masterbatch 1000818-E, suitable to achieve various shades when used in combination with colour masterbatches, including anthracite black, dark blue, medium blue and grey, is approved for food contact applications in Europe with Specific Migration Limits and complies with US FDA regulations. For more information on 1000818-E, email marketing.europe@ampacet.com.

NEW from

Epsilon One

Tinius Olsen

High precision optical extensometers See it at the K Show Stand A73 Hall 11

• EASY TO USE • LOW COST

FLEX 92 ONE machine for

• INSTANT RESET • LASER ALIGNMENT

EXTENSIVE mould matching

The Tinius Olsen Epsilon One is a new optical non-contact extensometer performing highaccuracy, high-resolution, non-contacting axial strain and displacement measurement, using video to measure strain.

✓

COMPOSITES

CERAMICS

✓

METALS

ELASTOMERS

✓ ✓ ✓

PLASTICS

WIRE

Official global launch at K 2019, Dusseldorf HALL 3 . stand A16

FOIL

www.tiniusolsen.com sales@tiniusolsen.co.uk 01737 765001

WM THERMOFORMING MACHINES SA Via Dei Pioppi 3 - CH 6855 Stabio - Switzerland sales@wm-thermoforming.com www.wm-thermoforming.com

MASTERBATCH AND ADDITIVES FARREL POMINI AND NATUREWORKS LLC CARRIED OUT JOINT RESEARCH TO ASSESS THE BENEFITS OF FARREL CONTINUOUS MIXING TECHNOLOGY IN COMPARISON TO A TWIN SCREW EXTRUDER WHEN PROCESSING POLYLACTIDE COMPOUNDS.

of industry recommendations when processing PLA.

he study examined the ability to maintain molecular weight of the polylactide (PLA) component with four key dependent variables: molecular weight retention (Mw); melt temperature; dispersion; and specific energy.

EFFECTS ON MW RETENTION We saw that with the CP mixing technology the molecular weight retention was 95 per cent and higher up to the 50 per cent fill rate. There was a drop to 88 per cent at 60 per cent fill. When compared with the TSE samples, we saw a dramatic improvement in molecular weight retention. This is believed to be due to a combination of lower melt temperatures, low residence time, and the efficient shear imparted in the CP relative to the TSE.

Farrel Continuous Mixing technology (FCM) utilises two non-intermeshing, counter rotating rotors which imparts controlled levels of shear on the polymer, making it an ideal technology for shear and temperature-sensitive materials, including PLA. The technology contains a large free volume mixer that enhances the amount of potential filler, is starve fed, low pressure and runs at high rotor speed.

SUMMARY The results of the study show that FCM technology provides a distinct advantage over TSE as it relates to Mw retention and energy consumption when processing mineral loadings at higher levels in PLA. The lower SEI is indicative of the efficiency of the FCM technology process, conserving energy by inputting

For conducting the studies, Farrel Pomini utilised the CPeX Laboratory Compact Processor (CP), which incorporates FCM technology along with an independently controlled extruder mounted on a unitised frame. NatureWorks utilised a 40mm twin screw extruder (TSE) using screw designs and process parameters typical Sample ID #

Proces Method

Mw Retention

% Filler

Melt Temp C

FPV

SE kW-hr/kg

926-29-01

TSE

93%

222

926-29-02

TSE

82%

20%

223

0.39

0.346

926-29-03

TSE

63%

40%

226

2.93

0.308

926-29-04

TSE

60%

50%

228

2.50

0.308

926-29-05

TSE

37%

60%

235

0.84

0.231

Processed at NatureWorks on 40mm TSE 16-A

99%

20%

178

0.38

0.127

17-A

97%

40%

188

0.54

0.144

18-A

95%

50%

202

0.54

0.100

24-A

88%

60%

212

0.81

0.181

Processed at Farrel on CPeX Compact Processor

only enough work to satisfactorily compound materials in an efficient mixing methodology. Formulating with process aides may have further benefits in increasing the amount of filler used when considering the creation of masterbatches. As PLA is often compounded to improve physical properties, or to create cPLA compounds, the high Mw retention would give credence that FCM technology would be the preferred processing technology for dispersing mineral additives in PLA, benefitting from the efficient shear comparative to TSE. The benefits of Farrel Continuous Mixing should allow for lower processing costs and higher mineral fill levels, as well as improved physical properties relative to traditional compounding methods. Further studies will be conducted on larger machines to validate the consistency of the findings, but initial indications are the FCM technology is ideally suited to processing PLA and mineral-filled PLA compounds. The complete white paper is available on request.

WWW.EPPM.COM 053

MASTERBATCH AND ADDITIVES

BRUGGOLEN additives

overcome performance boundaries BRÜGGEMANN WILL PRESENT ITS LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING, COSTEFFECTIVE ADDITIVES FOR BOTH VIRGIN POLYAMIDES AND POLYAMIDE RECYCLATES AT K 2019.

he innovations range from efficiency increasing flow enhancers to new heat stabilisers and reactive additives for the production of recyclates which match the quality of virgin materials. BRUGGOLEN TP-P1810 enables a significant improvement in flow properties of polyphthalamides while retaining overall mechanical property characteristics. Compounders and injection moulders can thus significantly widen the processing window and combine high cost efficiency with application-specific optimisation. For example, it is now possible to reliably produce and easily process compounds with very high fibre contents. Together with BRUGGOLEN TP-P1507 for aliphatic polyamides, which was first introduced at K 2016, Brüggemann offers flow enhancers for all polyamide types. Producers and processors of the corresponding compounds will benefit from much shorter cycle times, and both flow enhancers enable the production of large or complex parts with long flow paths and/or low wall thicknesses. HEAT STABILISERS FOR THE ENTIRE TEMPERATURE RANGE – ALL FROM ONE SOURCE Brüggemann underlines its recognised development expertise and its ability to offer solutions for all stabilisation tasks by bolstering its extensive product range with exciting and

unique antioxidants which will be launched at K 2019. Phenolic Plus BRUGGOLEN TP-H1803 fills the price and performance gap between existing phenolic-based and copper-based stabiliser blends. It improves long-term heat ageing stabilisation compared to conventional phenolic systems, extending the temperature range to reach peaks of 180°C.

Injection moulded parts produced with this additive offer excellent heat resistance over the entire required temperature range. Separate activation is not needed.

Where long-term resistance at elevated temperatures is a priority, Brüggemann offers BRUGGOLEN TP-H1607, a new high-performance, cost-effective copper iodide-based stabiliser. Based on proprietary technology, its effectiveness significantly exceeds that of traditional copper iodide/potassium iodide stabilisers without compromising material properties – the required thermal protection is reached with very low concentrations.

VIRGIN-QUALITY OPTIMISED RECYCLATES As an established manufacturer of highperformance additives for polyamides, Brüggemann offers a broad portfolio for recycling. The range covers long-term heat agents, processing stabilisers, flow enhancers, reactive chain modifiers, nucleating agents and other functional auxiliaries. Upcycling for high-quality applications necessitates the targeted selection and combination of these additives. Especially important are reactive chain modifiers that enable molecular weight and viscosity to be precisely adjusted to suit the needs of any particular application.

With BRUGGOLEN TP-H1805, Brüggemann offers the opportunity to stabilise fibre-reinforced aliphatic polyamides for long-term use at temperatures up to 200°C for PA 6 or up to 230°C for PA 6.6. This enables compounders to customise products for applications in borderline areas that were previously the preserve of highperformance polymers.

BRUGGOLEN M1251 compensates, through linear chain lengthening, any decline in molecular weight during previous processing, improving the mechanical properties of the recyclate to match those of virgin material. BRUGGOLEN M1253, available as a smaller pellet size of the same additive, makes for easier dosage during compounding. BRUGGOLEN TP-M1417 specifically shortens excessively long molecular chains of high-viscosity polyamide scrap. Small quantities and a single extrusion step are sufficient to produce high-grade recyclate for injection moulding and with performance properties that match those of virgin material. These chain modifiers are particularly effective in enabling secondary PA material to meet high quality specifications and help to meet the need for increasing recycling quotas.

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ENGINEERING PLASTICS

2019

Physics and the future ECONCORE’S HPT HONEYCOMB CORES ARE MORE THAN JUST VERSATILE, EFFICIENT AND DURABLE, THEY ARE A PHYSICS-BASED (RATHER THAN A NATURE-BASED) SOLUTION, ACCORDING TO THE AWARD-WINNING HONEYCOMB SANDWICH MATERIAL PRODUCER’S CEO DR JOCHEN PFLUG.

he natural honeycomb is based on physical minimisation principles – which led to the material efficiency of the honeycomb structure – and to the efficient use of material in EconCore’s high-performance thermoplastic (HPT) honeycomb cores. Keen to learn more about this remarkable technology, EPPM approached Dr Pflug for the story behind them, and where they are suited to applications now and in the future. WHICH NEW COMPONENTS, MATERIALS OR PROCESSES HAD TO BE DEVELOPED TO CREATE HPT HONEYCOMB CORES? The higher processing temperatures of these HPTs are challenging in terms of the equipment and conditions required to process the polymers. The basic polymers need to be combined with the right additives to get the right performance in terms of specific strength, stiffness and impact resistance. The HPTs have good fire-retardant performances – much better than standard polymers – but the goals are demanding, so the right mixture of additives is crucial. Of course, we have to meet the challenge between processability and performance in the final application, depending on the additives, which have to enable both. The material still needs to be processable and we want the benefit of the additives in the final performance. The challenge is finding the right additive in the right mixture to get a good balance. The very special patented process, developed at KU Leuven in Belgium, is based on rotational thermoforming – a method that combines high productivity and cost-effective production. For example, air bubble foil packaging is also

produced with rotational thermoforming because it is a large-volume, high-speed process and the only continuous process which can produce a honeycomb core. IS THIS THEN THE IDEAL PRODUCT FOR INDUSTRY 4.0? We are very much involved in Industry 4.0 as we have a continuous, automated production line. It’s easy to automate the quality control completely and to have complete data from the order to the delivery. Dependent of the application and part, customers can decide on the degree of automation and data processing but, if required, we can provide all the data on each material we deliver. From our side, we are completely in line with Industry 4.0. IN THE TRANSPORT AND AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR, HOW DO THE CORES HELP IMPROVE STRENGTH AND SAFETY? Honeycombs have a superior strength-to-weight ratio over other structures, as well as good impact energy absorption, which enables significant safety increases. We have a broad range of new HPT and PA, PC, PBT cores available at EconCore and our daughter company, ThermHex, also produces PP cores and rPET-based honeycomb. This, together with the HPT honeycombs,

From our side, we are completely in line with Industry 4.0

allows us to offer a full range of cores for carbon-fibre sandwich panels in aerospace and high-performance race cars and for very cost-efficient PP sandwich parts for mass-produced, lowcost automotive applications. DO YOU FORESEE ANY SPACE-BASED APPLICATIONS? I am an aerospace engineer so I’m excited by recent developments regarding private companies going ahead with innovative space projects. The increasing number of satellites demands more efficient production methods, and HPT honeycombs can have a crucial role there by providing more cost-efficient lightweight structures.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

TECHNOLOGIES FOR PLASTIC PIPES PROCESSING

Tecnomatic Srl | Bergamo | Italy | tel. +39 035 310375 | tecnomaticsrl.net

MASTERBATCH AND ADDITIVES TECHNICAL ADVISOR FOR CHROMA COLOR CORPORATION DR RON HARRIS SHARES HIS EXPERTISE IN SELECTING THE BEST OPTION FOR COLOURING PLASTIC PRODUCTS.

Choose your masterbatch

esigners of plastic products know the importance of choosing a dynamic colour to make a product to stand out. Not surprisingly, many are not as familiar with the fundamentals of colour matching in plastic and the challenges certain resins can pose. Unfortunately, this is not often discovered until deep into the product development cycle and after considerable time and money are invested. To avoid this, many brand owners and their moulders are choosing to work directly with colour companies. By bringing them into the product design process early, colour specialists can assist in formulating colours in any number of resins to ensure that both the aesthetic value and packaging performance expectations remain paramount.

PROCESSING AND PERFORMANCE One of the most important factors to keep in mind when designing a plastic product is that the resin and colour concentrate must be suitable for the process, be it injection, blow, extrusion or compression. This is because resins, pigments, dyes and additives must withstand extreme temperatures during the moulding process – including the shear heat generated when materials are injected into a mould. The material must also be suitable for its environment. For example, for a robotic lawn mower, jet ski or all-terrain vehicle, the resin must be very durable to prevent unexpected failure during impacts, and must include ultra-violet and anti-oxidant additives, which protect against polymer degradation that ultimately leads to colour failure. Knowing the environment and performance expectations can lead designers towards a particular colour space while avoiding others. For instance, yellows and reds tend not to perform well in intense outdoor climates. That said, there are specific pigments with unique coatings and finishes that allow colour companies to effectively formulate reds and yellows for solid outdoor performance. As long as specifications and expectations are clearly outlined, more often than not, a solution can be provided. VARIOUS COLORANT TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS The next decision is to choose your colorant technology. The two most widely available choices are pre-colour and masterbatches in either liquid or pellet form. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. The advantages involved in liquid colorant include an effectiveness at extremely low use rates, and colouring costs that can be lower than the conventional pellet colour

form. The challenges involved, however, include specialised pump requirements; potential streaks and swirling; pigment and additive limitations; production interruptions caused by container changeover; increased housekeeping issues; limited shelf life and wasted colour; sustainability issues; and screw slippage in moulding machines when high levels of additives are incorporated. The advantages of pellet colorant include ease of handling, application, feeding and dispersions, as well as reduced housekeeping and maintenance. The challenges involved can usually be summarised as a cost issue due to anticipated higher let down ratios than liquid colorant. One new pelletised masterbatch technology option is Chroma Color’s G-Series. The G2 and G3 are patented technologies that successfully resolve such challenges for plastics processors where traditional pelletised or liquid colorants cannot. These pelletised colorant technologies feature the highest-loaded pigment, dye and/or additive packages in the industry. The colorant is exceptionally well dispersed and effectively distributed in large and small parts at a reduced cost. These options also offer significant sustainability benefits. For example, three truckloads of conventional concentrate can be replaced by one truckload of Chroma Color’s G3, while lowering converters’ cost-to-colour by 15-20 per cent.

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MASTERBATCH AND ADDITIVES

No doubt colour will continue to play a key role in the packaging world, but the selection of the right colorants will be crucial

THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY:

IS COLOUR STILL IN?

lastics should never be found in the environment as waste. There are different ways to achieve this starting from the proper design of the plastic article through efficient collection and sorting of the various polymers to recycling and reintroduction. The use of bio-degradable polymers offers further possibilities. Top Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies and plastic packaging producers have committed to making all their plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Colour will continue to play a key role in the packaging world, but selecting the right colorants will be crucial. Here Clariantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pigments Business shows how a pigment and polymer soluble dye producer can help stakeholders combine colour and sustainability.

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PHILIPPE LAZERME, HEAD OF THE MARKETING SEGMENT PLASTICS AT CLARIANT’S PIGMENTS BUSINESS UNIT, ASKS HOW CAN COLOUR BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY? DESIGN FOR RECYCLING Everything starts with the designer, who is tasked with the creation of appealing packaging that can be properly recycled and reused as resin for new plastic products. Depending on the recycling technology, the choice of the colorant will differ. The designer needs to know which processing steps the article faces for its production and its time after usage. This will influence the selection of pigments and there will be switch of polymers and changes in the composition of the packaging. Since brand owners have committed to incorporating significant amounts of recyclates in their new packaging, there will be further challenges in achieving brilliant and appealing colours, to which Clariant Pigments is working on solutions to, including faster and easier colour matching with recycled resins or setting up a pigment range that can withstand various recycling loops. In the case of reuse, the colorant selection also requires a particular attention since it has to remain appealing and safe. The safety aspect is even more important. Whatever the process, proper recycling starts with proper collection and sorting. In an optimal sorting centre, plastic is automatically sorted through different stages according to polymer types and colour using Near Infra-Red (NIR) technology, which can become a problem if the plastic part absorbs, rather than reflects, the NIR energy – i.e. in plastics with a carbon black pigment. Clariant has developed three colorants that can reflect in the NIR spectrum and will allow the plastics industry to continue to produce sortable black articles. These grades can be used for HDPE, LDPE, PP, PET, PS, PA and PVC. MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL RECYCLING Mechanical recycling, which is currently by far the most used process, works relatively well for PET, but for other polymers or

mixed plastics it faces some limitations. After a few recycling loops the polymer properties have declined so much that it becomes difficult to reuse the recyclates. There is also a need for a better understanding of the colorant behaviours after multiple recycling loops. It is extremely important to ensure that the pigments and polymer soluble dyes used for the collected resins will not decompose or generate toxic substances during compounding. Some pigment chemistries are more stable than others, but intensive work is required to select a safer range. Because an organic pigment is often not a single molecule, there may be other substances which could have a negative influence on the toxicological profile. This is where a pigment producer with long experience and expertise in product safety and records can support the industry, brand owners, packaging processors and masterbatch producers. Clariant is already focusing attention in this direction. A further challenge is the base colour of the recyclate, which can be any kind of grey. The re-coloration of these recycled polymers becomes an issue for the masterbatch producer as there are strong quality variations between recyclers. To ensure a faster and constant colour matching, Clariant Pigments, together with a software provider, is developing a calibration set that will allow easy corrections for the base tone of the resin. Chemical recycling can be seen as a complementary technology, which will

extend the offer of recycled resins in a quality that can meet the requirements of the packaging industry. There are different types of chemical recycling, but they are all currently at an emerging stage. A solvent-based process involves a solvent that will specifically dissolve a certain type of polymer. Some residues remain in the polymer, however, and even the colours aren’t fully been extracted, leaving the recyclate looking greyish in colour. Further research, including which type of pigment chemistry will better be removed from the polymer, is needed. Depolymerisation breaks the molecular bonds into the initial monomers, whilst pyrolysis or gasification decompose a polymer and generate fuels that can be used to produce new plastics. For the colorant and masterbatch or compounding industry, chemical recycling would be ideal since the recycled resin looks very much like a virgin polymer, and can thus be coloured just like a virgin resin. Although still a small market, biodegradable polymers enjoy increasing attention from brand owners and packaging companies. Not every pigment can be used to colour bio-degradable polymers, because they must comply with very strict standards. Clariant Pigments has set up a range of 26 organic pigments from its Graphtol and PV Fast product line, fulfilling the requirements of the European Norm EN 13432 and covering the full colour spectrum, and thereby providing valuable support to masterbatch producers and designers in extending colour horizons for biodegradable plastics.

2019

Milliken presents

Millad® NX® 8000 clarifier for PP helps processors & brand owners on the path to better sustainability At K 2019, Milliken Chemical will clearly demonstrate how it is “Enhancing plastics with Color, Care, Clarity and Performance. Together.” Its Millad® NX® 8000 clarifier for polypropylene (PP) not only transforms the resulting resin, NX® UltraClear™ PP, into a lightweight, crystal-clear replacement for alternative materials, but also reduces processor cycle times and helps lower related CO2 and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in injection molded products. The independent UL Environment has documented through trials that use of Millad NX 8000 can yield significant energy savings when injection molding transparent PP products. Use of the clarifier can lower required processing

temperatures from 235°C to 190°C – much lower than required by third-generation clarifiers to achieve the desired transparency. This results in energy savings of between 8 and 12%, as well as lower CO2 emissions. Those using NX UltraClear PP can add the UL Environmental Claim Validation (ECV) label to their products, offering a marketing advantage while also helping to confirm to all involved that they have made the more sustainable choice when it comes to doing the right thing for the planet.

Visit us at Booth A27 in Hall 6 at K 2019, and learn how you can gain a clear advantage with Milliken. Learn more at k-2019.milliken.com. © 2019 NX, Millad, and Milliken are registered trademarks of Milliken & Company. UltraClear and the Milliken logo are trademarks of Milliken & Company.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY NEWS SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING AND PAPER SOLUTIONS LEADER MONDI SHOWCASED ITS COLLABORATIVE, TAILOR-MADE SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING SOLUTIONS APPROACHES AT FACHPACK 2019.

Mondi features sustainable packaging solutions at FachPack

ondi’s vision is a pro-active approach to sustainable development and helping customers meet sustainability targets. CEO Peter Oswald said: “Not only does Mondi create packaging that is fit for purpose ... we also help guide the customer to choose the most sustainable packaging solutions.” The belief that packaging should be sustainable by design provides Mondi with the opportunity to innovate. Optimising the material is part of Mondi’s framework, paper where possible, plastic when useful. Oswald added: “Our

in-depth understanding of raw materials, converting processes, product design, local supply chain and recycling capabilities is ideal to guide the customer in making the right holistic packaging choice.” Mondi empowers its partners to meet commitments through three actions: replace, reduce and recycle. As a signatory to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, Mondi continues to demonstrate its commitment to contribute to a better world.

BAERLOCHER SPOTLIGHTS HIGHPERFORMANCE ADDITIVES FOR RECYCLING

s part of its participation at K 2019, Baerlocher GmbH will showcase its industry-leading Baeropol T-Blends for recycling, the company’s RST (Resin Stabilization Technology) family of customisable stabiliser packages, and several case studies showing Baerlocher’s successful collaborations. The company has also teamed up with Erema and APK to conduct live demonstrations in the Erema Circonomic Centre that will reveal how Baerlocher’s additive technologies can enable the upcycling of low-value, difficult-to-recycle consumer film waste into a material suitable for construction applications.

The recycling of plastics is one of the central topics of Baerlocher’s appearance at K 2019. Baerlocher’s stand features the company’s Baeropol T-Blend products, which are key enablers that can help solve various recycling issues. These dust-free, easy-to-implement additives are based on Baerlocher’s RSTplatform that works in synergy with traditional antioxidants. Baerlocher will also share its most recent and ongoing RST advancements, including new grades that offer enhanced properties previously not associated with traditional recycling. Additionally, the company will share successful case studies on a range of

collaborations. One such story features the improvements that Baerlocher’s additives had on bubble stability and increasing recycled content in an LDPE film. Others show how Baerlocher’s additives can help upstream polyolefin companies offer resins with recycled content, and improve the durability of agricultural drainage pipe extruded from recycled resins to extend lifespans. Baerlocher’s experts will be available for discussions for the duration of K 2019.

MICROPLAST MEASURES MICROPLASTICS IN WASTEWATER AND DEVELOPS NEW FILTERING METHODS AIMPLAS, THE PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY CENTRE, IS LEADING THE MICROPLAST PROJECT TO REMOVE MICROPLASTICS FROM BOTH URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER. FUNDED BY THE VALENCIAN INNOVATION AGENCY (AVI), THE PROJECT WILL ALSO DEVELOP A STANDARDISED METHODOLOGY TO OBTAIN HOMOGENEOUS DATA ON THE PRESENCE OF THESE PARTICLES IN DIFFERENT WASTEWATER SOURCES.

he project will respond to growing concern about the existence of plastic particles measuring less than

five millimetres in the environment. Lead Researcher Elena Domínguez said: “This concern has given rise to studies on these

particles, but different conclusions have been reached and no evidence has been uncovered yet about the risks to human health or the environment.” The goal of the MICROPLAST project is to anticipate legislation on these particles that may be passed in the near future. Its objective is therefore two-fold: to develop a standardised methodology to quantify the presence of microplastics in wastewater and sludge at urban treatment plants and in industrial

water at recycling pilot plants; and to develop two different technologies for pilotplant treatment, one using sand and carbon filters, and the other membrane reactors. AIMPLAS is involved in this project and carries out research on this topic to fulfil its commitment to environmental sustainability. As a result, companies in the sector will be able to integrate circular economy criteria into their business models and turn the legislative

Image copyright: AIMPLAS

changes affecting them into opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability and reduce their environmental impact. AIMPLAS also conducts research in areas such as recycling, biodegradable materials and products.

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CIRCULAR ECONOMY PLASTIC ENERGY FOUNDER AND CEO CARLOS MONREAL DISCUSSES THE GATHERING MOMENTUM OF NEW THINKING IN THE USE OF RESOURCES AND PRODUCTION, WHERE WASTE AND POLLUTION WILL BE EVENTUALLY ELIMINATED.

Recycling revolution

t its core is the adoption of the circular economy where, instead of disposing of material that has reached the end of its life, we re-use and continue to recycle, preventing pollution and maximising the use of resources. Plastic pollution, because of its pervasiveness, has been at the forefront of environmental campaigns due to its catastrophic impact on the oceans, birds and animals – and because of its unclear impact on humans. It is no surprise, therefore, that recycling and the circular economy are firmly on the K 2019 agenda. So far only 30 per cent of plastics are recycled in the EU, and around just 10 per cent worldwide. So how do we create this circular economy and solve the plastic waste problem? One solution is chemical recycling. Plastic Energy, with its proven technology, has a solution to endlessly recycle endof-life plastic waste. The process reduces the need for incineration and landfill, offering an environmentally friendly and profitable alternative for otherwise lowvalue, contaminated, mixed plastics. Plastic Energy is in the vanguard of this game-changing business because we are the only operator in the world actively and commercially converting end-of-life plastic into an optimal hydrocarbon feedstock for new plastics – or ‘Plastic2Plastic’, as we call it. We process end-of-life plastics that cannot be mechanically recycled using our patented Thermal Anaerobic Conversion (TAC) technology. Our chemical recycling process complements traditional recycling efforts as part of the circular economy. The feedstock is heated in the absence of oxygen until it melts and the polymer

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molecules break down to form a rich, saturated hydrocarbon vapour. The condensable gases are converted to hydrocarbon products, creating optimal hydrocarbon oils. There is no burning of the plastics but a melting process with emissions well below European regulation limits. In practical terms, our process can help significantly reduce the use of singleuse plastic and make plastics endlessly recyclable into high quality products. For example, through our agreement with SABIC, the ‘certified circular polymers’ will be produced from our patented TACOIL from the recycling of low quality, mixed plastic waste. SABIC will process the virgin quality TACOIL (replacing virgin oil), and the certified circular polymers granulates will then be supplied to key customers to develop high quality, food-grade, and consumersafe products. For instance, Tupperware Brands will use them to make a reusable straw and coffee cup. Similarly, the Petronas Chemical Group in Malaysia is to invest in a chemical recycling project which converts mixed plastic waste into virgin quality

polymer, and will become the first petrochemical company in Southeast Asia to do so. Based in the UK, we have two operational plants in Spain and plans to build in the Netherlands, Malaysia and Indonesia. We also have many other projects in the pipeline including ambitions to build plants in France and the UK. We believe in the circular economy, and we see the benefit of plastic to society too. Since applying our recycling process means giving valueless material a new lease of life, over and over again, what better solution is there?

The process reduces the need for incineration and landﬁll, offering an environmentally friendly and proﬁtable alternative

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CIRCULAR ECONOMY PASSING ON THE TITLE OF PLASTICS AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR AT PRSE 2019 IN AMSTERDAM IN APRIL, SEARIOUS BUSINESS CEO AND FOUNDER WILLEMIJN PEETERS LEADS A TEAM OF INNOVATORS WITH VERVE, INGENUITY AND CHARM.

Are you Searious…?

PPM approached Peeters to find out what has driven her to numerous successes and achievements, as well as what continues to drive her ambition to change the world, and the world of plastics production, for good. IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU ENGAGE WITH PLASTICS MANUFACTURERS AND WHY? I founded Searious Business to prevent ‘plastic soup’ – the pools of floating ocean plastic – at the source. Coming from business and having worked in sustainability for years, I firmly believe companies are the true catalysts of change. Searious Business is committed to bringing ocean plastic back to zero through disruptive innovation projects for global companies in high-volume markets. We rethink, redesign, and rebrand, for and alongside our customers – for the benefit of everyone, including our planet. Our customers are typically the top players in food packaging, furniture, and consumer electronics. We help them implement changes, adjust strategies, and run innovation projects. On average, our customers achieve more than five per cent higher margins, making this an effort that consumers and stakeholders often equally support.

HOW MUCH IS IT ABOUT STRATEGY AND HOW MUCH ABOUT SIMPLY RECYCLING? Our attention isn’t on reducing a company’s plastic waste alone; we also seek to reduce the plastic footprint they put into the market. While it feels good to participate in local recycling programmes, the reality is that up to 91 per cent of plastics are simply not recycled. We need industry-led initiatives, and the companies that get on-board and make this happen early are likely to reap the economic benefits. I have found that companies can overlook ways to avoid using plastic altogether – and often overwrap or use excess material. Plastics are being used as a commodity: they are easy-to-use and disposable but, if you think about it and explore the alternatives, there is usually room for significant improvement. Searious Business uses knowhow, expertise, and holistic problem-solving to involve key players and technologies to close the plastic loop and use alternatives to virgin plastics. Moving the value chain in this direction means improving recycling, promoting reuse, and redesigning products – while taking into account the entire lifecycle of products.

IN WHAT WAYS IS CROSS-SECTORAL COLLABORATION IMPORTANT? To get the much-needed systemic industry changes, we have set up a consortium in conjunction with Brightlands Materials Center and TNO called ‘RePETitive Packaging’. Comprised of research and business leaders from across the full food packaging spectrum, all of whom are now sharing a collective vision of making all plastic packaging recyclable, the consortium is eager and well-equipped to help operationalise the EU’s Plastics Strategy and has significant EU representation, including partnerships in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and Switzerland. Through this collaboration we can ensure Europe-wide effective recycling, and secure consistent quality and reliable supply volumes. This is just one Searious Business success story, for all players involved: manufacturers, the local employees, the retailers, the consumers – and the planet.

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RECYCLING FOR CLIMATE PROTECTION MINGER KUNSTSTOFFTECHNIK AG CEO BRUNO OFNER DISCUSSES THE SUSTAINABLE AND ECONOMICAL RECYCLING OF ENGINEERING PLASTICS.

ne of the biggest challenges for the coming decades is the reduction of the man-made greenhouse effect. In order to avoid harmful greenhouse gases at all levels, plastics recycling makes an important contribution. By replacing new raw materials (from fossil resources) with recyclates, considerable amounts of greenhouse gas emissions can be saved. The savings potential can amount to up to 2.2kg of CO2 per kilogram of recycled material, replacing virgin material. RECYCLATES FROM ENGINEERING PLASTICS Plastic recycling is no longer a topic for food packaging or PET bottles. In an

industry of processing engineering and high-performance plastics, production rejects from start-up processes, injection moulding sprues, faulty batches or returns accumulate in large quantities. This is where Minger Kunststofftechnik AG (https://www.minger.ch), a company from Appenzell, Switzerland, comes in. For over 30 years Minger Kunststofftechnik AG has specialised in processing engineering and highperformance resins. For high-quality products made of fluoroplastics, PEEK, polyamides, polyethylene, polypropylene and other plastics, the company provides high-quality regranulates with reliably good quality and a uniform property profile. Regrinds and raw parts are processed into high-quality regranulate, and plastics are turned into tailor-made compounds. High quality and purity are guaranteed by a strong quality-focused inspection and analysis combined with an innovative

sorting system. These regranulates are either directly distributed Minger Kunststofftechnik AG products or toll compounds for the manufacturing industry. Self-developed processes ensure the recycling of various composite and multi-layer materials, which previously had to be disposed of at great expense. PRESERVE RESOURCES AND REDUCE MATERIAL COSTS Recycling is increasingly important for sustainable companies – whether supporting the recycling process or using recycled material in products. Recycled materials help save fossil resources, keep valuable materials in a sustainable resource cycle, and improve environmental footprints. Since Minger Kunststofftechnik AG offers recycled materials at an attractive price level, the use of recycled materials for plastics converters is not only sustainable, but makes economic sense.

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CIRCULAR ECONOMY GRAHAM PACKAGING EXPLAINS HOW ADVANCEMENTS IN PET TECHNOLOGY HELP REDUCE LIFECYCLE COSTS.

A clearer path to sustainability

ver since its invention more than 100 years ago, plastic has helped shape our world. Plastic packaging has become a ubiquitous part of society – being both revered and vilified for its convenience – and plastics are proving to be less harmful to the environment than previously thought. One example is polyethylene terephthalate or PET, which is predominantly used to package a range of products and is prized for its strength, thermostability and transparency. Certain foods and beverages are thermally processed at very high temperatures and pressures that, historically, PET has not been able to withstand. However, new technological advancements in Graham’s blow moulding process alter the molecular orientation of the PET resin, driving greatly enhanced performance into the blown container. Another performance benefit during the hot-filling or retort process is the ability for the thin-walled containers to be heated and cooled quickly without the risk of thermal shock and breakage that glass has.

The container also delivers a two-year shelf life at ambient temperatures thanks in part to a nano-thin gas barrier layer of silicon oxide applied after it is blown. This barrier layer does not prevent the PET containers from being recyclable. ELIMINATING BARRIERS Companies are embracing the circular economy by exploring new technologies to reduce or eliminate barriers to recyclability, chemically recycled plastics and bio-based plastics. Energy use is a key driver for greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental and health impacts. PET uses less energy across its lifecycle, which reduces a variety of environmental impacts. Less PET is also used, compared to the weight and volume of other materials required to fulfil the same function. Many factors affect the environmental performance of materials, and every material choice has impacts across its lifecycle. Raw materials must be mined or harvested and transported for processing. The material properties can affect the design and function of the product and how much material is needed for the design. Some materials are more easily recycled, reused and reworked than

others based on their molecular content. Reducing material consumption is a key step towards a circular economy. Manufacturing activities involve shaping and assembly operations. The weight of the material affects its transport throughout the lifecycle. Additionally, materials can have different disposal and recycling options at end of life. All of these factors combined create the product’s overall environmental footprint. THE FUTURE OF FOOD PACKAGING Advancements in PET technology have allowed companies to enjoy the benefits of plastic with none of the drawbacks. Consumers can now see the product without the fragility of glass. PET is also inexpensive, lightweight, resealable, shatter-resistant and highly recyclable. Graham Packaging continues to make improvements to the environmental impacts of its products and operations. As it develops new packaging concepts, processes and technologies, Graham Packaging demonstrates sustainability and consumer benefits all along the value chain – and at each step of the journey towards a more sustainable planet.

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CIRCULAR ECONOMY ADVANCED SPORTS INSTALLATIONS EUROPE DISCUSSES THE CIRCULARITY OF ARTIFICIAL TURF, AND THE PARTNERSHIP WITH NORWEGIAN WASTE SPECIALISTS ØVRE ROMERIKE.

The pitch is back

eadquartered in the Estonian capital Tallinn and operating in 26 EU countries, Advanced Sports Installations Europe (ASIE) has more than 25 years’ experience in handling artificial grass. The company has entered into a cooperation agreement with Øvre Romerike Waste Company IKS (ØRAS) for the cleaning of discarded artificial grass sports pitches at the waste facility in Dal Skog, Norway. This is set to become known as the first purification centre in Europe and aiming to sort and reuse all materials locally. Modern artificial grass sports pitch materials are designed to last longer, so the aim of the purification centre is to promote circularity in recycling sports pitches, including the reuse of the plastic

components from the artificial grass system in new applications in other industries. The agreement includes storage and sorting where the company is authorised to receive such materials. The co-operation that ASIE has entered into with ØRAS provides the opportunity to work on the reuse, material recovery and energy utilisation of discarded sports pitches. ASIE offers a full range of services from the installation of artificial grass to its removal, including cleaning, re-use and recycling of end-oflife artificial grass materials. Much research and development is being conducted on the use of alternative ‘infill’ in artificial grass pitches, but there are approximately 1,700

artificial grass pitches with rubber granules in Norway alone. There are at least 20,000 pitches in Europe with average lifespans of 10 years – all creating huge numbers of waste streams. It is important, therefore, to have sound and approved receiving and processing solutions that promote the reuse and recycling of materials when discarded. This is in line with waste regulations and national environmental targets. It is also important that this circular concept can reduce the need for the transport of discarded artificial pitches and the consumable materials. At the end of a pitch’s lifetime, once reusing is no longer economically viable, worn out plastics are agglomerated with semi-mobile machinery and the product used in the plastics

industry. Replacing virgin materials with the agglomerate, a wide range of products including construction beams and terrace floors, to name just two examples, can be produced. ASIE is now working with partners on operating routines, environmental risk assessments and plans for operational activities across Europe.

STARLINGER HAS CIRCULARITY IN THE BAG AT K 2019, STARLINGER & CO. GMBH IS PRESENTING A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM FOR BIG BAGS MADE FROM WOVEN POLYPROPYLENE.

he sustainable concept ‘circular packaging’ will be Starlinger’s main theme at K 2019 as well as at the Starlinger Open House in Weissenbach, Austria. Worldwide, more than 380 million four-loop big bags are sold every

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year, which equates to an annual recycling potential of around 800,000 tonnes of material. Starlinger will be introducing K show visitors to an elaborate concept for a closed loop for big bags. A closed loop has

the advantage that production occurs within a quality assurance system, and the materials used are documented in a ‘material passport’. In co-operation with Louis Blockx and LC Packaging, Starlinger has simulated this loop

and produced new big bags from fabric with high rPP content. Samples are available at K show and prove that Starlinger rPP big bags show the same quality as big bags made from virgin material in terms of tensile strength, weight, and safety.

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CIRCULAR ECONOMY WOLFGANG MASCHEK AND KEN HUESTEBECK OF SQUIRE PATTON BOGGS EXPLAIN WHAT THE SUP DIRECTIVE AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION WILL MEAN IN LEGAL, POLITICAL AND INDUSTRIAL CONTEXTS.

ince the rapid proposal and negotiation of the Single-Use Plastics Directive (EU) 2019/904, which entered into force in July, Europe’s plastic manufacturers have been under increased pressure to improve the sustainability of their products, whilst simultaneously maintaining their reputations in the face of changing markets and media scrutiny. With the circular economy and the SUP Directive among the flagship policies of the outgoing Juncker Commission, EPPM spoke with Wolfgang Maschek, the Chair of Squire Patton Boggs’ (SPB) European Public Policy Practice, and Ken Huestebeck, a lawyer at that global firm specialising in circular economy policy, to learn more about what its implementation will mean for industrial players. The public policy practice of Squire Patton Boggs goes back decades but was introduced to Europe just five years ago with the aim of covering the world’s second largest market. “It has been my pleasure,” Maschek began, “over the

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last couple years to build up a team and to see it grow, particularly in the environmental space. It is interesting to see how you can apply public policy strategies and be proactive in pushing ideas and advice to clients. Over the past few years, we have seen some considerable pressure building on the European plastics sector – including the raw material providers and in the chemical sector – in particular. Under the circular economy strategy overall, there is opportunity for some, and challenges and

headaches for others.” With numerous stakeholders driving the debate before the adoption of the new EU law, Maschek and his colleagues had some indication regarding what the Commission was likely to do. The Plastics Strategy put forward by the Commission was a wake-up call for the industry, which has traditionally been represented by “horizontal trade associations,” as Maschek described it.

DEBATING THE DIRECTIVE

“But the Commission called them out and asked for solutions up and down the value chains. They needed them to step up their game and become far more proactive, collaborative, and circular.” EMOTIONAL REACTION Maschek continued by describing the difficulty in countering the emotional debate with facts: “The debate on the future of the European plastics sector has just begun – and 2019 is a key year wherein we will see a lot of ideas circulating. The new Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen, as well as the new Parliament, will see a lot of ongoing battles regarding how to continue to regulate the industry.” Additionally, von der Leyen has agreed to commit to a new Circular Economy Action Plan focusing on sustainable resource use, as well as to making Europe the authority on single-use plastics. “We need to get serious,” the incoming Commission President said. “I want to open a new front in our fight against plastic waste.” “It’s important to understand that the European Parliament is not the only legislator in the EU,” Huestebeck added. “EU legislation is proposed by the Commission, and both the Parliament and the member states in the Council then have to come to an agreement. Whatever happens in the new European Parliament, the pressure on the plastics industry will remain high. The battle of ideas can be intricate and interlinked, and the possible solutions to increase circularity and improve sustainability might well take the form of divide and conquer.”

it quickly – before the election – so that there would be no delay.” Huestebeck included a point about how the new Directive will put manufacturers of oxo-degradable plastics out of business. “Producers have known something was coming as they have had clear warning signs in policy papers with regards to the environmental impact of the products, but the Council and Parliament agreed to put the ban in the new directive, so producers will not have the opportunity to debate this in another procedure with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).” The plastics industry has to be very careful with their monitoring and preparations, as well as with presenting convincing arguments, because fundamental changes are happening much quicker than in the past. ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT From SPB’s perspective, only time will tell what the economic impact of the new EU law will be. Industry has tried during this accelerated legislative process to argue what the economic impact will be, but that is always difficult where the scope of a proposed law is not absolutely clear cut, as is the case here, according to Huestebeck: “The Commission has said ‘We have listed the product categories, so isn’t that extremely clear?’ Apparently not quite, because the directive tries in four different places to explain and define what a single-use plastic product is.” Different member states could understand the directive differently, so producers and consumers might end up with variations across the EU.

The emotion, as Maschek mentioned, has been high in both the Parliament and the Commission, as well as in the member states, as these have felt the pressure from the public in their respective nations.

It will take even longer to realise whether this directive will bring lasting environmental benefits or will turn out to be partly symbolic.

“There was a clear political will to have the SUP Directive adopted,” Huestebeck added, “as well as a lot of pressure to do

The EU institutions have been seen – by the UK, for example – as somewhat of a meddler in the affairs of each member

state. When asked how much autonomy a member state will have in implementing this legislation, and how directly it will hit each industry player, the SPB lawyers made several distinctions. “It depends,” Huestebeck said. “Consumption reduction is a target for each member state, and they are free to take the necessary measures themselves in whatever way they see fit. Minimal recycling content requirements again are targets for the member states, but they will have no choice but to impose them upon the producers. There will also be no way around imposing bans for the specified product categories.” TERMINOLOGY The term ‘SUP’ doesn’t always sit well in the mouths of producers, who say it has only negative connotations. Huestebeck added: “What is missing from the Directive is the clear recognition that some plastic products are used once, but for decades – insulation, for example. Such plastic products strictly speaking still fit the definition of an SUP as provided in the directive.” There’s nothing as ugly as making laws and sausages, the lawyers concluded, but it is very important to look at how laws are made. “This particularly applies to industries on which pressure will remain high, such as plastics. And it is basically what we do, and what we will continue to do.”

The debate on the future of the European plastics sector has just begun – and 2019 is a key year

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CIRCULAR ECONOMY

2019

CIRCULARITY CLARITY WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF PLASTIC IMPORT BANS ACROSS SOUTH EAST ASIA, THE GLOBAL EXPORT MARKET HAS SLOWED. TOMRA SORTING RECYCLING ASKS ‘CAN THE GLOBAL PLASTIC WASTE EXPORT MARKET BE REVIVED?’

lastic and other waste restrictions from China, Thailand, Malaysia and India have left exporting countries with a multi-layered predicament of a shrinking export market and plastic waste build-ups. New legislation, however, could help revive the exporting market through recycled content laws. Without the ability to export plastic waste, some countries are facing a domestic waste crisis, which some experts are linking to the Chinese National Sword programme. Although China still accepts some scrap waste, the purity bar is set so high that exporters, who are feeling the strain when it comes to handling plastic and other waste, are seeing it is a widespread ban. EU countries are exporting less, dropping from over three million tonnes every six months to just over two million, as a result. The bans were meant to force governments to improve and innovate. Some, however, have taken a step backwards.

A NEW APPROACH ON EXPORTS At the 14th meeting Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention in May 2019, 186 countries agreed to place new restrictions to control plastic waste exporting. Originally proposed by Norwegian representatives in September 2018, a new amendment to current laws will see mixed plastic waste being placed on the ‘amber list’ of waste materials, as well as adding the material to the list for ‘special consideration’. Through this amendment, exporting countries will require consent from importing countries to ship the waste. This forces exporters to have a higher quality and purity of plastic waste, giving importers a resource of better quality and value. In effect, the latest amendment supports the bans and restrictions. By receiving a higher quality plastic, it can be efficiently recycled – yet this puts pressure on exporting nations to use plastic of a high enough level of recycled material.

REVIVING EXPORTING THROUGH RECYCLED CONTENT LAWS One way exporters can meet the standards set by the Basel Convention is through implementing recycled content laws, whereby the level of plastic waste would be of a higher purity. The aim of recycled content laws is to have a more circular approach to plastics, ensuring the material is at a good enough standard, thus keeping the recycled content level high. By adopting this mandatory method to plastics, it allows for the continuing movement of plastic through markets and helps revive the dwindling export market. No longer a case of shipping scrap waste, but valuable commodities. Alongside the ambitious recycling targets, the step towards adopting recycled content laws is key for a sustainable, circular economy. The EU has introduced legislation where there will be a minimum recycled content for PET bottles of 25 per cent by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030. A coalition of 34 businesses, charities and trade associations have also called on the European Commission to take more steps when it comes to introducing stricter recycled content laws. Through efficient internal recycled content laws, exporting countries can look outwards to the global waste industry, as the plastic they no longer need will be of a high enough quality and purity to be accepted. For a sustainable future, a new approach must be taken to handling and managing material waste. To meet the restrictions set by governments and policymakers around exporting waste, recycled content laws will enable a higher quality of plastic for importing countries and help us create a more circular economy.

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CIRCULAR ECONOMY DR ANTHEA BLACKBURN, SENIOR SCIENTIST AT ECONIC TECHNOLOGIES, A PIONEERING UK CLEANTECH BUSINESS UTILISING CO2 AS A FEEDSTOCK FOR POLYMERS, SHARES HER THOUGHTS ON HOW TO TACKLE ‘FAKE’ SUSTAINABILITY.

WIPING CLEAN

here we once talked of climate change, we are now waking up to the climate crisis. The stark shift in rhetoric is forcing businesses, consumers and investors to address environmental responsibilities. Now, more than ever, businesses are starting to ensure their operations are sustainable. Almost every industry is keen to paint themselves in a ‘green sheen’ as sustainability is no longer an optional extra. In fact, a report by Nielsen found that 66 per cent of consumers would be willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products, rising to 72 per cent amongst millennials. Undermining the drive towards sustainability, however, is the tendency towards ‘greenwashing’. Defined as the practice of making false or distorted claims — unintentionally or otherwise — about the green credentials of a service or product, greenwashing jeopardises

the honest environmental efforts of companies and consumers and is becoming ever more common. In fact, the head of the International Accounting Standards Board has described ‘greenwashing’ as ‘rampant’.

Assessment (LCA) is made publicly available. Without a robust and consistent government-backed sustainability assessment, consumers can hardly be expected to trust the supposed green credentials of businesses.

Countless businesses have faced the wrath of the media for ambiguous sustainability pledges, and the resulting backlash proves that it is no longer enough to simply be ‘conscious’ of your environmental responsibility. Of course, the problem is not helped by the fact that many ‘green’ technologies are not always widely understood. Furthermore, there is currently no watchdog to challenge businesses, making it difficult for consumers to cut through the green fog of confusion.

Ultimately, the decision of what should be included would be the responsibility of the government. However, it is essential that any LCAs focus on the usable life of a product and its end-of-life treatment. For instance, if a product is marked as ‘green’ but cannot be disposed of in an environmentally sustainable way, it can hardly be heralded as environmentally friendly. A ‘green’ rating on products would go a long way, but must include the quantities of recyclable materials in the product, and whether it is a net consumer or generator of CO2. Better steps towards clarification and regulation could help discern between truthful and misleading claims.

Without governmental regulations to corroborate ‘green claims’, it is all too easy for companies to benefit from promoting products with misleading claims. In order to substantiate green credentials, governments must now listen up, make up for lost time, and legislate. HOW SHOULD GOVERNMENTS LEGISLATE ENVIRONMENTAL GREY AREAS? Perhaps a good start would be requiring that a fully regulated Lifecycle

Better steps towards clarification and regulation could help discern between truthful and misleading claims DR ANTHEA BLACKBURN 76 WWW.EPPM.COM

We should also look to technologies that offer sustainable benefits and solutions to the climate emergency that we are facing. For instance, technologies which aim to utilise CO2 and turn it into useful and commercially viable products could be vital in harnessing this waste product in a sustainable way. Adopting technologies such as these would reassure consumers and ensure that the steps many companies have taken are not lost amongst the noise of greenwashing. It falls to businesses to come clean on sustainability, and to go further than coating their credentials in a green sheen.

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ow and Siam Cement Group (SCG) have signed a co-operation agreement to develop new solutions for plastic recycling and the recycling of plastic waste. To increase the value of plastic waste and prevent it escaping into the environment, both companies are prepared to drive the development of a circular economy for plastics.

DOW AND SIAM CEMENT GROUP ATTEMPT TO INCREASE THE VALUE OF PLASTIC WASTE, BY IMPROVING TECHNOLOGY, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND PEOPLES' LIVES.

Dow CEO Jim Fitterling said: “The industry and everyone in society need to help recycle plastics by properly storing and managing waste … Working with SCG will help us make a world without plastic waste falling into the environment.” The partnership agreement is based on the joint vision of both organisations creating a circular plastic economy wherein the amount of plastic in the environment will reduce significantly, and technology for mechanical recycling will improve alongside reusing plastics as raw materials and the use of renewable raw materials for the production of plastics. THAI AND MIGHTY SCG President Roongrote Rangsiyopash added: “This co-operation demonstrates a concrete commitment to the used plastic problem. By adopting advanced technology to bring about true change, it is also creating business

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Thailand to develop various technologies to increase the value of plastic waste in the country.” This collaboration, in addition to answering social problems also responds to the Thai government’s policy of increasing the rate of plastic waste reuse by 2027. Dow and SCG have developed technology that combines plastic waste to increase the efficiency of asphalt, which helps add value to waste. Dow and SCG are among the founding members of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste in collaboration with financial institutions, the public and private sectors, and numerous other economic and environmental stakeholders.

Dow joins forces with SCG to focus on sustainable plastic waste solutions opportunities that promote sustainability – including a solution for recycling and adding value to plastic waste.” CIRCULAR ECONOMY Jonathan Pence, President of Dow Asia Pacific, concluded:

“The circular economy is a business opportunity and a solution to environmental problems. Dow will bring knowledge and expertise in materials science, as well as more than 50 years of business experience in

The circular economy is a business opportunity and a solution to environmental problems. Dow will bring knowledge and expertise in materials science

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