Canadian Plastics March 2012 by Annex Business Media

CanadianPlastics www.canplastics.com

MARCH 2012

DRYERS:

Central or beside-thepress?

HIGH-SPEED

EXTRUSION:

Life in the

FAST LANE INSIDE:

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contents

Canadian Plastics MARCH 2012 VOLUME 70 NUMBER 2

LOOKING BACK...

Twenty years before the L.A. Kings stole Wayne Gretzky from Canada, injection molder Glen S. Wooley Co., of Ajax, Ont., carried out some theft of its own from the U.S. As detailed in the November 1967 issue of Canadian Plastics, the company had recently begun molding styrene hangers used to display men’s ties in clothing stores; before they snagged the contract, virtually all the tie riders used in Canadian stores had been made in America. Manufactured in designs including a single tie unit or a newer style to accommodate matching ties and handkerchiefs, Wooley had molded over one million of the riders within the past 12 months, representing over 80 per cent of the total used in Canada that year.

page 12

Number of the month:

*30,080

* Total acreage of Walt Disney World, the default relaxation setting after NPE2012. (See pg. 24)

in every issue 4 Editor’s View: • What the Hall of Famers can teach us 5 Ideas & Innovations: • Shrimp and crab shell fibres in bio-based auto parts. Seriously. 6 News: • Canada’s Jobst Gellert among newest inductees to Plastics Hall of Fame • Husky to sell closure maker Injectoplast • Growth in sales of Canadian basic chemicals, resins will slow in 2012: report • Supplier News & People 11 Executive’s Corner: • The right ways to counsel subordinates 26 NPE Showcase Ads 32 Advertising Index 32 Classified Ads 34 Technical Tips: • Troubleshooting gauge variation: Why you should have paid attention in math class

page 18

page 24

cover story 12 E XTRUSION: The need for speed How fast are high-speed extruders? Think cheetahs wearing jet packs. Hitting rpms of 1,500 and higher, these machines have the potential to leave conventional extruders eating shop floor dust — but only in certain applications, running certain materials. Thinking of taking one out for a spin? Here’s what the experts have to say about what they can and can’t do.

features 18 DRYERS: Central or beside-the-press? A processor won’t get very far with damp resins, which puts dryers at the top of the important equipment list. But it also makes it necessary to decide where to put them: Do you go up close and personal with a beside-the-press setup, or more removed with a central drying system? Don’t go with your gut, and don’t flip a coin; take a hard look at your processing needs and take the guesswork out of your decision. 24 NPE2012 PREVIEW: Orlando blooms Here’s the new rule: If it’s April, it might be time for Orlando. After 14 consecutive NPE trade shows in Chicago, the industry is saying adios to McCormick Place and pulling up stakes for the Sunshine State, and Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. From the ANTEC program to the city’s best golf courses, here’s a quick primer to help you navigate the show and get the most out of Orlando by day and by night.

Visit us at www.canplastics.com www.canplastics.com March 2012 Canadian Plastics

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editor’s view Canadian Plastics magazine reports on and interprets develop ments in plastics markets and technologies worldwide for plastics processors, moldmakers and end-users based in Canada.

What the Hall of Famers can teach us I

t might take a little getting used to, but as March comes in like the proverbial lion it’s already time to gear up for the triennial NPE trade show. If it seems like it’s coming a bit earlier this time around — well, it is, by nearly three months, having been bumped up from traditional end of June to the first week of April. If you’re planning on attending, I’m sure it’ll be quite an event, as always. (Those predicting the death of the machinery trade show in this age of Skyping and real-time online presentations are kinda like those guys walking around with the sandwich boards proclaiming the end is near — the predicted outcome never arrives. For all the hassle of travelling to an international show — the cost, the work neglected back at the office, the lost luggage — prospective buyers still want to see a machine operate in person. But I digress...) I have to confess, there’s one ancillary NPE event that I always find especially interesting: the induction of another crop of distinguished industry vets into the Plastics Hall of Fame. For me, it’s a warmand-fuzzy right up there with watching an NHL legend have his sweater number retired and hoisted to the arena rafters. Among this year’s Hall of Fame inductees is a polymer scientist whose research generated innovations in both fibrereinforced and unreinforced plastics; a pioneer in the PET industry; an authority on plasticizing screws who designed thousands of screw components and holds 15 patents; a revolutionary in the resin distribution business who first filled the gap between resin producers and small or medium-size processors; a pioneer in thin-wall injection molding; and a prolific inventor who patented the first commercially viable hot runner system in 1965, solving problems that had hamstrung the 4

www.canplastics.com EDITOR Mark Stephen 416-510-5110 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: mstephen@canplastics.com ART DIRECTOR Andrea M. Smith

technology for years and — for good measure — co-founding a hot runner manufacturer that currently employs 1,600 people at seven manufacturing operations around the world. Does this last inductee sound familiar? He’s Canada’s own Jobst Gellert, co-founder of Mold-Masters Ltd., in Georgetown, Ont. Nor is this current crop of industry leaders all that unusual. Every class of Hall of Famers is filled to bursting with men and women who overcame the material, processing, and business hurdles that hampered the plastics industry in whatever years they were active; hurdles that were obviously formidable — insurmountable, some probably thought — at the time. Where am I going with this ode to the pioneers? Among the Canadian Plastics news articles that generate the most reader feedback are — I have to admit it — those reporting, sadly, the deaths of former industry leaders. People write to tell me how a particular leader helped them in the early days of his/her career, et cetera. Nice, right? More than a few of these emails end, however, with the writer lamenting that those were the good old days, and that the best years of the industry are behind us now. I don’t mention it when replying but, while I get where they’re coming from, I very respectfully disagree. We face unique and substantial challenges today to be sure, but there are new materials, new processing technologies, new markets, and new strategies in development right now that, I’ll bet you, will help solve them — just as, to take one example, Gellert built his better hot runner mousetrap 40 years ago. Don’t believe me? Let’s check back in 30 years’ time, when today’s inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs — the problem solvers working under our noses at this very moment — are inducted into the Hall of Fame at NPE2042. The post-gala drinks will be on me. Mark Stephen, editor

PRODUCTION MANAGER Steve Hofmann 416-510-6757 E-mail: shofmann@bizinfogroup.ca PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER Phyllis Wright SENIOR PUBLISHER Judith Nancekivell 416-510-5116 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: jnancekivell@canplastics.com SALES MANAGER Brayden Ford 416-510-5124 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: bford@canplastics.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Anita Madden 416-442-5600, ext. 3596 Fax: 416-510-6875 E-mail: amadden@bizinfogroup.ca HEAD OFFICE: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto ON, M3B 2S9. 416-442-5600, Fax: 416-510-5134 CANADIAN PLASTICS is published 7 times a year by BIG Magazines LP, a div. of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd., a leading Canadian information company with interests in daily and community newspapers and business-to-business information services. 2012 SUBSCRIPTION RATES

6 issues Canadian Plastics, plus Dec. 2012 Buyer’s Guide: CANADA: 1 Year $70.95 plus applicable taxes; 2 Years $115.95+ taxes; Single copy $10.00+ taxes. USA: US$79.95; FOREIGN: US$124.95 B uyers’ G uide only : CANADA: $103.00 plus applicable taxes and $5.00 shipping USA & FOREIGN: US$103.00 plus $5.00 shipping. From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: phone 800-668-2374; fax 416-442-2191; e-mail: privacyofficer@businessinformationgroup.ca; mail: Privacy Officer, Business Information Group, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto ON M3B 2S9. The contents of this magazine are protected by copyright and may be used only for your personal non-commercial purposes. All other rights are reserved and commercial use is prohibited. To make use of any of this material you must first obtain the permission of the owner of the copyright. For further information please contact Judith Nancekivell, 416-510-5116. For reprints call RSiCopyright, Michelle Hegland, msh@rsicopyright.com USPS 745-670. U.S. Office of Publication, 2424 Niagara Falls Blvd., Niagara Falls, NY. 14304-0357. Periodical Postage paid at Niagara Falls NY USA. Postmaster: Send address changes to Canadian Plastics, PO Box 1118, Niagara Falls NY 14304-0357. PAP Registration No. 11035 CANADA POST – Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Dept. – Canadian Plastics, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto ON M3B 2S9. RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED INDEXED BY CBPI ISSN 0008-4778 (Print) ISSSN 1923-3671 (Online) MEMBER: Canadian Business Press, Canadian Plastics Industry Association. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

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Canadian Plastics March 2012 www.canplastics.com

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ideas & innovations

Shrimp and crab shell fibres in bio-based auto parts. Seriously. ferent or better than those of the matrix — for example, reinforcing a polymer matrix with much stiffer nanoparticles.

Mechanical Strength? Check

or most of us, shrimps belong on the barbecue (preferably with lemon juice). A University of Toronto student has a slightly different vision: He’s cooked up a project that uses both shrimp and crab shells as ingredients in biopolymers for bumpers and other automobile components. Aaron Guan, a master of applied science student in mechanical and industrial engineering, won the AUTO21 TestDRIVE competition in February, receiving a $10,000 scholarship for his work on recyclable, lightweight polymeric nanocomposites. Shrimp and crab shell fibres, called chitin nanowhiskers, form the base of this new material, which might just help auto components meet strict environmental standards without compromising vehicle safety. For the uninitiated, nanoscale dispersion of filler or controlled nanostructures in the composite of a material matrix can introduce new physical properties and novel behaviours that are absent in the unfilled matrices, effectively changing the nature of the original matrix. For plastics, appropriately adding nanoparticulates to a polymer matrix can enhance its performance, often in very dramatic degree, by simply capitalizing on the nature and properties of the nanoscale filler. It’s a strategy that’s particularly effective in yielding high performance composites, when good dispersion of the filler is achieved and the properties of the nanoscale filler are substantially dif-

Seafood shells probably don’t leap to mind when most of us think of stiffer nanoparticles, but as Guan explained, the shells’ chitin nanowhiskers fibres actually have a much higher mechanical strength than conventional plastics found in auto parts, and can provide higher mechanical strength without aesthetic flaws or deformation at lower densities. According to Guan, the mechanical properties of the plastic could be easily engineered to suit various strength, stiffness, and weight requirements, simply by varying the combination of chitin nanowhisker and polymer content. The seafood-based product is completely renewable and sustainable, as chitin nanowhiskers are derived from fishing industry waste. “And since the shells are already going to waste, it’s a great way to make use of something that would normally be thrown away,” Guan added. The AUTO21 TestDRIVE competition showcases leading-edge technologies and automotive knowledge developed in part by Canadian university graduate students. The Windsor, Ont.-based AUTO21’s automotive research program provides funding to 38 applied research and development projects at 46 universities across Canada. Since its establishment in 2001, AUTO21 has supported more than 1,600 graduate student researchers with federal and private-sector funding. So what if Guan’s idea catches on? Expect less shrimp on the barbie, possibly CPL more shrimp in the Ferrari. www.canplastics.com March 2012 Canadian Plastics

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news

Canada’s Jobst Gellert among newest inductees to Gellert, a prolific Canadian manufacturing locations and 23 serPlastics Hall of Fame obst inventor and the co-founder of hot vice locations worldwide, sells in 78

AUTOMATED CONTRACT INJECTION MOLDING

runner manufacturer Mold-Masters Ltd., is being ushered into the Plastics Hall of Fame. Gellert’s induction, along with nine other industry veterans, will take place during a banquet on April 1 at NPE2012 in Orlando, Fla. The German-born Gellert has been awarded 825 patents worldwide, 199 of them in the U.S. He is credited for patenting the first commercially viable hot runner system in 1965. A “Master” moldmaker, Gellert emigrated to Canada in 1958; with his wife Waltraud, he founded Georgetown, Ont.-based Mold-Masters in 1963. Gellert’s 1965 hot runner patent addressed what was then a big problem in plastics processing: While hot runners had begun to appear in the early 1960s, they couldn’t be used with a number of resins without burning, splaying, stringing, or other defects. His patent provided for cast-in beryllium-copper heating elements positioned outside the melt channel. Gellert also invented technologies for melt distribution manifolds, hot runner nozzles, actuation methods, and mold designs that solved many of the issues that plagued the first hot runner systems. Mold-Masters currently has seven

countries, and employs more than 1,300 people. Inducted along with Gellert will be Thomas Brady, founder of packager Plastic Technologies Inc., of Holland, Ohio; Lawrence Broutman, a research professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering; Jay Gardiner, founder of resin brokerage firm Gardiner Plastics Inc., in Port Jefferson, N.Y., and president of the Plastics Academy since 1998; H. Gunther Hoyt, a longtime leader at melt delivery system supplier Xaloy Inc., of New Castle, Pa., and the architect of the company’s expansion into Europe, China, and Japan; Robert Kittredge, founder of packaging thermoformer Fabri-Kal Corp., in Kalamazoo, Mich.; H. Richard Landis, founder of Chicago Ridge, Ill.-based thin-wall injection molder Landis Plastics Inc.; Robert Malloy, chairman of the plastics engineering department at the University of Massachusetts; Daniel Maguire Jr., founder of resin distributor General Polymers Inc., in Dublin, Ohio; and Timothy Womer, a screw designer and patent holder who worked at Xaloy before starting the T.W. Womer & Associates LLC consulting firm in 2011. CPL

Husky to sell closure maker Injectoplast

Lights out up to 200 tons

Phone: (705) 375-0770 Email: sales@niigon.com

www.niigon.com 6

Husky Injection Molding Systems has signed an agreement to sell Injectoplast, the former closure injection molding operation of KTW Group, to Alpla Holding GmbH. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Headquartered in Hard, Austria, Alpla Holding is part of the Austriabased Alpla Group of Companies, a rigid packaging maker.

Injectoplast was a division of Austria-based KTW, a closure mold maker that Husky acquired in early 2011. At the time of the KTW acquisition, Bolton, Ont.-based Husky announced that it would be divesting Injectoplast due to potential conflicts with its existing injection molding customers. The deal is anticipated to close before the end of the first quarter of 2012, Husky said.

Canadian Plastics March 2012 www.canplastics.com

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news

Growth in sales of Canadian basic chemicals, resins will slow in 2012: report Driven by shale gas developments, Canada’s chemistry sector showed strong growth and profits in 2011 — but this doesn’t necessarily bode well for 2012, according to a yearend report released by the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC). Sales of basic chemicals and resins totaled $25 billion in 2011 — an 18 per cent increase from 2010, nearly bringing sales back to their pre-recession levels — while operating profits rose 61 per cent to $3.9 billion. In addition, the Ottawabased CIAC said that export sales increased by 20 per cent to $19 billion, sales to U.S. markets grew by 21 per cent, and sales to Canadian customers rose 13 per cent to $6.5 billion. But the shale gas developments also have a downside, especially in Western Canada. “Growing supplies of shale gas in the Lower 48 U.S. states has dampened demand for exports of Canadian gas and curtailed drilling activity,” the report said. “When less gas is produced, less ethane is recovered, with the consequence that the Alberta petrochemical industry is currently short on ethane, and ethylene-based derivative units are running under-capacity.” Combining these factors, the CIAC projects that operating profits will be 11 per cent lower in 2012 than in 2011. CPL

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news

PEOPLE

Shigeyuki Sasaki

SUPPLIER NEWS

Koen Verhoeyen

Vince Paskie

— Mississauga, Ont.-based measuring and testing equipment manufacturer Mitutoyo Canada Inc. has named Shigeyuki Sasaki as its new president. — Polymer supplier Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products, headquartered in Reading, Pa., has named Koen Verhoeyen as its application development manager for Canada. Verhoeyen will be based in the company’s facility in Guelph, Ont. — Auxiliary equipment supplier The

Doug Brewster

Kurt Schuering

Conair Group, of Cranberry Township, Pa., has named Vince Paskie as vice president, aftermarket sales and service; and Doug Brewster as key account manager. — Effective April 1, Kurt Schuering will be the new head of PolyOne Distribution, a division of Avon Lake, Ohio-based custom compounder PolyOne Corporation. Schuering replaces outgoing head Michael Rademacher, who is retiring.

— Process cooling system supplier Frigel North America Inc., headquartered in East Dundee, Ill., has been appointed the exclusive distributor of Switzerland-based HB-Therm AG’s temperature controllers in Canada and the U.S. — Hamilton Plastic Systems Ltd., of Mississauga, Ont., is now offering a complete line of premium mold sprays. Products included are mold releases, mold cleaners, chrome cleaners, and rust inhibitors.

Canadian Plastics March 2012 www.canplastics.com

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22/02/12 9:30 AM

executive’s corner

The right ways to counsel subordinates By Richard Martin, Alcera Consulting Inc.

ccording to a current management fad, we only truly improve by building on our strengths. It’s a trend that dated back to the 1950s, and has become increasingly popular lately due to the writings and speeches of famous motivational speakers like Marcus Buckingham. Building on strengths is indeed the best way to improve performance and the key to success, whether in business or in life. With that said, however, there are many times when people need help — counselling, if you will — to ensure they’re performing according to expectations and to their full potential. For many, the term “counselling” has a bit of a bad rap due to its equation with psychiatric therapy. But don’t be fooled: Counselling — as in reporting on and critiquing progress — isn’t a bad thing, and all leaders and managers should all be adept at it. There are two basic paradigmatic approaches, one focused on providing essentially positive feedback and the other on providing essentially negative feedback. Here’s how they work.

GOOD POINTS FIRST In the first approach — called the “sandwich” — the aim is to provide a subordinate with feedback on his/her performance. This method gets its name from the fact that the corrective feedback is sandwiched between the positive feedback. (I learned this technique as an officer in the Army, and, believe me, it’s effective.) It works like this: When counselling someone, you give them their strong points first. (The military method, usually used on leadership courses, is to give the person at least three positive points; and it’s important that these be based on observed behaviour, and not inferred from motivation or intent.) The advantage of leading with the strong points is that the person being counselled almost immediately drops their guard; they feel appreciated for their strengths. Only after totting up the person’s most salient strengths do you introduce some corrective feedback or, if you prefer, points to improve. A tip: it’s usually prudent to frame these as building on the person’s strengths. If handled properly, the next step will be a joint discussion on the best means of improving the performance of the person being counselled; hopefully, you can then get the subordinate to agree to a basic plan of action, with objectives, and how you and the organization will support them. The final piece of the sandwich is to recap the counselled person’s strong points. This closes the loop and provides the individual with additional positive reinforcement. Also, reviewing the plan of action to build on those strengths will provide additional reinforcement, and show how both parts of the discussion are tied together. As in the military, it’s critical to focus on

observable and observed behaviour; and to discuss objectives which can be measured or assessed, whether quantitatively or qualitatively.

BAD POINTS FIRST The second approach, used for more difficult counselling, sounds a little like an extreme skiing stunt: the “reverse sandwich”. This involves starting with the “meat” of the discussion and counselling the individual first on his/her weak points or areas that need corrective action. A tip: It’s best to focus on only one area that needs improvement, since the person being counselled may take the news hard — in which case, reeling off a number of weaknesses will only make them more defensive. As with the sandwich, it’s important to keep criticism to observed behaviour and performance. It may be necessary to look at motivation and intent, but this usually follows in the next phase of the discussion, which tends to be more diagnostic, focusing on finding the reasons for the person’s poor behaviour or performance. In the third phase, enumerate some of the areas where the individual has been performing well, just so they don’t feel like a hopeless case. And don’t be afraid to involve the individual in the diagnostic; asking the person to explain their performance can unearth some surprising and possibly useful facts. It may be the case that the individual is intentionally malicious; more often than not, though, the problem stems from either inadequate qualifications or from miscommunication. In the final step of the reverse sandwich, reiterate the original corrective feedback and relate it to the need to improve on the strengths identified earlier. At this point, it’s also critical to create a plan of action, so the subordinate knows exactly what’s expected of them, as well as how you and the organization will help them. As managers and leaders, you have an obligation to your organization to make sure your employees are hitting their peak potential. Providing corrective feedback is always harder for a supervisor than telling an employee how great he/she is. But if you have to speak critically to an employee, both the “sandwich” and “reverse sandwich” approaches offer you ready-made blueprints for helping them build on their strengths and mitigate their most egregious weaknesses. CPL Richard Martin is the founder and president of Montreal-based Alcera Consulting Inc. He consults for both public and private sector organizations. He also speaks, teaches, and writes on a variety of topics such as crisis management, leadership, planning, adaptability, resilience, and performance.

www.canplastics.com March 2012 Canadian Plastics

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22/02/12 9:32 AM

extrusion

HIGH-SPEED EXTRUSION:

Life in the

By Mark Stephen, editor

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n some ways, high-speed extrusion is a genuine plastics processing contradiction: small screw diameters that produce at faster rates than larger screw sizes, and higher revolutions per minute (rpm) that can nevertheless save energy. Throw in some industry confusion over how exactly to define “high-speed” and the result is a niche technology that few really understand.

Photo Cre dit: Americ an Kuhne

FAST LANE

Inc.

Hitting rpms of 1,500 and higher, high-speed units are the Porsches of extrusion — although according to some, these souped-up models are harder to handle. Before you take one out for a spin, here’s what the experts have to say about what high-speed extruders can and can’t do.

AN OWNER’S MANUAL Like a lot of plastics technology, high-speed extrusion traces its roots to Europe. “High-speed originated with Thyssen-Henschel in the 1960s, with a diameter of 60 millimetres and speeds of approximately 400 to 500 rpm,” said David Citron, vice president of sales and marketing with American Kuhne Inc. In one of the first known applications, Thyssen Plastikmaschinenbau (later acquired by Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik GmbH) built 90-mm extruders for Bellaplast in Germany in the 1970s to make polystyrene sheet at up to 450 rpm and 2,600 lbs per hour. Development was slower in Canada and the U.S., often focusing on making color masterbatches instead of sheet for thermoforming. Still, by the 1990s, the technology was sufficiently popular to move from the building block of the twin screw to the more difficult single screw design. Today, it’s well known in the extrusion community as a concept, although not always well understood regarding specifics. “There are many misper-

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Canadian Plastics March 2012 www.canplastics.com

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extrusion

THE NEED FOR SPEED

75-mm Thermatic HS high-speed extruder from Davis-Standard LLC. Photo Credit: Davis-Standard LLC

ceptions about the technology, chief among them that it simply doesn’t work,” Citron continued. “Processors are concerned about high wear of the screw and barrel, too much shearing, damage to the resin, and that screw throughput will decline with speed.” One of the big uncertainties surrounding high-speed extrusion today lies in the difficulty of defining it precisely. “Traditionally, any rotation of screw circumference over 72-mm hig h-speed one meter per second in velocity has extruder fro m been considered ‘high-speed’ in sinAmerican K uhne Inc. gle screw extrusion, and that’s a formula we continue to use,” said John Christiano, vice president of process technology with Davis-Standard LLC. Henning Stieglitz, managing director of battenfeld-cincinnati’s packaging division, basically agrees — with a caveat. “For us, high-speed begins above 1.5 meters per second circumferential speed, although there’s still no generally accepted definition.” And for twin screw units? “As a supplier of co-rotating twin screw machines, we define high-speed as any extruder that runs at 1,200 rpm or higher,” said John Effmann, director of sales and marketing with Entek Extruders. Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that today’s highspeed units can hit top rotational speeds of three, four, and five meters per second — making the traditional 1.5 meters look like something your old winter beater might manage eventually while going downhill with a tailwind. Further muddying the waters is confusion between high-speed rpm and high output. “There’s a big difference between the two, although not everyone understands this,” Effmann said.

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Now that we’ve tried to put our fingers on what highspeed is, why do we care? Put more delicately, what can the technology do, what types of resins can it do it with, and — always a concern these days — how much energy does it use in the process? “Typically, our customers are looking to increase the performance density of their machines without increasing the footprints; one customer, for example, wanted to use a 75-mm screw instead of a six-inch screw, to increase output in an industrial zone where expansion was difficult,” said John Christiano. “At present, single screw high-speed units are better suited for applications where the focus is on improving the output.” Currently, sheet extrusion — sheet inline thermoforming, in particular — makes up a large chunk of the high-speed market. “High-speed extruders have been an established technology in sheet extrusion for years, and battenfeld-cin-

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extrusion

cinnati launched this type of extruder in 2003,” said Henning Stieglitz. “The pipe extrusion business is also beginning to move in this direction, but the screw circumferential speeds are much lower. In the profile business, meanwhile, highspeed extruders still haven’t caught on.” Other high-speed markets include extrusion coating packaging, he added, and also fibre extrusion. On the co-rotating twin screw side, according to John Effmann, the units are suitable for pigment dispersion for masterbatches and mineral filler dispersion. “It’s intended for applications where high shear rates are needed,” he noted. Given the quantity-trumps-quality aspect of many highspeed applications, it’s no surprise to learn the extruders are most commonly used with commodity resins. “Our customers are mainly running polypropylene, polyethylene, and styrenics, typically unfilled or lightly filled, with each resin requiring a different optimized screw,” said John Christiano. “At present, high-speed machines aren’t used for engineering resins — not because they can’t handle them, but because engineering resins are usually saved for applications where part quality has to be perfect.” Believe it or not, some resins actually perform better in high-speed than in conventional extrusion. “Many processors

running high-speed applications with polystyrene and polypropylene are reporting improved physical properties, believed to be the result of the dramatically shorter residence times,” said David Citron. Even more surprisingly, some machine suppliers report that customer trials with PLA biopolymers — among the most sensitive resins in the known universe — also show less thermal degradation. Speaking of surprising, it might sound counterintuitive but energy consumption at top screw speeds can actually drop while output goes up. How? The savings come from not heating or cooling the mass of metal in the extruder barrel, and from not losing energy in gear reduction. High-speed extruders use heater bands sparingly or not at all. For inline thermoforming extrusion, for example, some units need to use the heater bands only on start-up; after that, the plastic is melted entirely with frictional heat. “Based on a variety of reasons, users have reported energy savings of between six per cent and eight per cent versus a comparable conventional extruder,” Citron said.

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Perhaps in part because it’s such a tricky technology to have assembled in the first place. “The machines are direct-driven and running at very high speeds, making it difficult to meet the mixing requirements while maintaining temperature,” said John Christiano. As in conventional extrusion, the screw design is critical; the difference is that high-speed extruder screws need a longer melting section and higher length-to-diameter ratio to get more output at the same screw speed. “All of the equipment suppliers have had to push the screw design envelope to meet the mixing and melt temperature requirements for high-speed units,” Christiano said. Also, machine wear can be a legitimate problem — at least in theory. “Many packaging applications use natural resin formulations, and as they put in abrasive materials at higher shear forces or higher rpm, it may lead to higher wear rates,” Christiano said. “It’s a well understood problem, however; we counter it by using a variety of coating techniques.” Sceptics of high-speed extrusion might be interested to learn that, based on the experiences of more than a few customers, machines2/15/12 can actually improve sheet1 extrusion Rotogran Jan the 12-AB-CPL 11:52 AM Page clarity. In particular, the machine suppliers say, thin-wall cooling rolls, when combined with a screw tailored for high rpms, can boost the clarity and crystalline structure of poly-

propylene sheet. In the end, the knock against high-speed extrusion as unreliable can be dismissed safely, but the technology remains unlikely to cross over into the processing mainstream any time soon. “High-speed extrusion is still an output application, and as such makes better sense for dedicated niche operations,” said Christiano. “We don’t know when, or if, it will drive the industry towards smaller screw sizes and higher rpms across the board.” High-speed or not, the road ahead is unclear. CPL RESOURCE LIST American Kuhne Inc. (Ashaway, R.I.); www.americankuhne.com; 401-326-6200 R omark Technologies Corporation - Div. of Ontor (Toronto); 800-567-1631 battenfeld-cincinnati/American Maplan Corporation (McPherson, Kan.); www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com/maplan; 620-241 6843 Davis-Standard LLC (Pawcatuck, Conn.); www.davis-standard.com; 860-599-1010 Auxiplast Inc. (Ste-Julie, Que.); 866-922-2894 Entek Extruders/Entek Manufacturing Inc. (Lebanon, Ore.); www.entek-mfg.com; 541-259-1068

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Central or

BESIDE-THE-PRESS Decisions, decisions...

By Mark Stephen, editor

There’s one question that every plastics processor has to answer: Where do you put your dryers? You can get up close and personal with a beside-the-press setup, or cool and removed with a central system. The good news? Depending on your wants and needs, either can work for you. 18

amp resins are about as useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle, making it hard to overstate the importance of a good resin drying system to the success of your plastics processing. Typically made up of the dryer itself and the drying hopper, dryers are simple enough in theory, but as a practical application there’s an “X factor” involved that every processor has to solve: where to put them? Machine-mounted or beside-the-press, or off-machine in a central location? Turns out there’s no one correct answer. Both configurations have their strengths and, depending on your processing needs, either — or a combination of both — could be the right fit for you. To help take the guesswork out of deciding, we’ve asked some of the experts to lay out the case for each.

PRESS-SIDE POSITIVES “Central drying systems have been around for a long time, but beside-the-press units have been around even longer,” said Mark Haynie, drying product manager with Novatec Inc. It’s not complicated: The units either sit beside or are mounted on a mezzanine directly above the process machines they supply. Benefits

Canadian Plastics March 2012 www.canplastics.com

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Photo Credit: Novatec Inc.

dryers

Photo Credit: Wittmann Canada Inc.

Photo Credit: Novatec Inc.

dryers

include little opportunity for material loss, and for contamination or exposure to ambient air that might cause moisture pickup. Odds are, it’s the configuration many facilities — especially the older shops — were built on. “The majority of processors probably started with a besidethe-press system, buying dryers for each machine,” Haynie said. But if, in this brave new millennium, beside-the-press strikes you as your grandfather’s technology, you might be surprised to learn that equipment suppliers still report strong sales. “Beside-thepress dryers remain a good way for small processors to establish themselves and grow their plants, because they offer the flexibility to take on a variety of jobs from a variety of customers,” Haynie said. And even once the training wheels are off, beside-the-press dryers can still make good sense. First of all, small-budget operations with an existing setup of several individual dryers may not want to switch to a central system for simple economic reasons. Second, beside-the-press remains an excellent approach for handling short processing runs. “Compared to central systems, which don’t like to move small amounts of material on a frequent basis, it can be hard to beat the flexibility that a beside-the-press dryer offers to custom molders doing either short runs or part prototyping,” said Charles Sears, president of Dir-Air Industries Inc. “It’s a good approach for molders who treat their presses as separate, individual work cells.” And in the increasingly important area of handling regrind, beside-the-press dryers might just have the edge over a central system. “While both systems can handle regrind, the regrind — which has a different shape and bulk density than a pellet — can separate in a central system because of the longer vacuum conveying distances, cancelling out the time, money, and effort you put into creating a homogenous blend,” said Rob Miller, president of Wittmann Canada Inc. “Our solution is to put a metering valve on the bottom of the dryer hopper, and then close that valve at the end of the conveying cycle; if there’s regrind left behind in the elbows, it

ensures that the whole mix gets to the machine. It works, but it also represents an additional investment.” Finally, personal or organizational experiences can factor into the choice. “Central drying is often perceived as a slightly higher risk approach because, generally, the processor is putting all of his eggs in one basket, and can lose pro-

duction on all the processing machines fed by a dryer if it shuts down,” said John Fleischer, vice president of sales and marketing with Universal Dynamics Inc. (Is it a fair cop? Probably not. “Most central systems now have more than one dryer, so you can limp by with the second unit if the main dryer goes down,” said Charles Sears.)

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CENTRAL BENEFITS Having given their props to beside-thepress units, many drying system suppliers still say that the central system is the better option for most processors in most circumstances. Some are pretty clear about it. “If I owned a molding facility, I would select a central system,” said Scott Harris, vice president of sales at Motan Inc. “I think it’s the most efficient way to dry material, even for short runs — I think today’s central systems are efficient enough to handle these applications.” An obvious benefit of a central drying system is that it can be designed to provide the same drying capabilities as several individual drying systems but requires less equipment. That’s a bonus, given the downsizing trend throughout industry, which results in many companies having fewer personnel to maintain dryers and other equipment. “If you have a crowded plant, a central system allows you to open up space to add machines and become more profitable, without increasing the

plant size,” said Jerry Muntz, vice president at Thoreson McCosh. “You can also minimize the fork truck traffic and really clean up your plant floor; that might not sound important, but a shop that’s neat, clean, and uncluttered makes a positive impression on prospective customers.” Speaking of uncluttered, a central system is a good way to minimize resin spillage. “Resin is the biggest cost to all processors, and material handling in a central system leads to considerably less spillage and loss from emptying and changing Gaylords, and also from mislabeling,” said Brian Davis, general manager of Maguire Canada. But fears about central drying systems still persist. “Cross-contamination of materials, or sending the wrong material to the wrong machine, is a common concern voiced about the multiple hopper central drying arrangement,” said Rob Miller. Purging each line after each conveying cycle, he continued, eliminates the potential for crosscontamination. “And a good control system

for a central dryer is crucial; it removes the human error of sending the wrong material to the wrong press or not letting it dry properly,” he added. A related concern centres around central systems and the potential for moisture regain during conveying from the dryer to the machine feed throat. “Processors have legitimate concerns about hydroscopic materials picking up moisture when they’re conveyed from a central drying system, especially in damp conditions,” said Jamie Jamison, dryer product manager at The Conair Group. “For roughly 80 per cent of the resins, purging from the conveying lines with ambient air is sufficient, since resin doesn’t remain in the lines for very long.” But for the most moisture-sensitive materials, which can’t be exposed to ambient at all, Jamison continued, a solution is to move the dry resin from the central drying system using a dry air source instead of ambient air. “In this case, a just-in-time hopper on the processing machine is a good idea, since it allows

Canadian Plastics March 2012 www.canplastics.com

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dryers you to minimize the amount of material that’s someplace other than in the dryer or the machine feed throat,” he said. “If you must use a large hopper on the press, you can always use a small machine-side dryer to give the material a final blast of dry air before it enters the machine.” Alternately, according to Mark Haynie, a closed loop convey can provide the same advantages as dry air and causes less inconsistencies in the dryer performance while still eliminating moisture regain.

THE MIDDLE GROUND Some processors who wanted the benefits of a central drying system without giving up their beside-the-press dryers have tried combining the two. Converting to a central drying system by using a beside-the-press dryer to feed banks of multiple hoppers can cost up to 25 per cent less than purchasing an individual dryer for each material hopper, vendors say, but it remains a quasi-central drying system at best. “We’ve relocated beside-the-press units into central systems on many occasions,” said

Scott Harris. “It opens up new floor space, but it doesn’t provide the energy savings of a central system, and doesn’t allow the processor to balance incoming and outgoing air flows with the same precision.” Another option? “A mobile drying and conveying system gives you the opportunity to apply drying capacity where and when you need it,” said Jamie Jamison. “If you have a machine that runs hydroscopic material only part of the time, you can use the mobile system when needed, and otherwise store it off the production floor. You also have the benefit of being able to predry material away from the press so that it’s ready to use when a mold or material change is completed.” And there’s a final possibility available, if you’re lucky enough. “Depending on their finances and how their processing machines are configured, some facilities can configure a central drying system in one location that supports either the entire plant or a specific machine cell or cells, and still maintain a cluster of beside-thepress units for trials and quick change-

overs,” said John Fleischer. “It might be the best scenario of all.” CPL RESOURCE LIST The Conair Group (Cranberry Township, Pa.); www.conairgroup.com; 800-654-6661 D ier International Plastics Inc. (Markham, Ont.); 905-474-9874 Turner Group Inc. (B.C. and Alberta) (Seattle, Wash.); 206-769-3707 Dri-Air Industries Inc. (East Windsor, Conn.); www.dri-air.com; 860-627-5110 P lastics Machinery Inc. (Newmarket, Ont.); 905-895-5054 Motan Inc. (Plainwell, Mich.); www.motan-colortronic.com; 800-991-9921 D Cube (Montreal); 514-272-0500 Maguire Canada/Novatec Inc. (Vaughan, Ont.); www.maguirecanada.com; 866-441-8409 B arway Plastic Equipment Inc. (Vaudreuil-Dorian, Que.); 450-455-1396 Thoreson McCosh Inc./En-Plas Inc. (Toronto); www.en-plasinc.com; 416-286-3030 Wittmann Canada Inc. (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-canada.com; 866-466-8266 Universal Dynamics/Piovan Canada (Mississauga, Ont.); www.piovan.com; 905-629-8822

EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND YOUR NETWORK March 22, 2012 – University Night Ryerson University, Toronto April 19, 2012 –Technical Dinner Presentation Aluminum Pigment Trouble Shooting for Plastics Bob Schoppe of Silberline May 16&17 –SPE Ontario Minitec 2012 Mississauga, ON June 8 –Golf Tournament Royal Ontario Golf Club 6378 Trafalgar Road, Hornby, ON Dinner Meetings: Social Hour 6:00 – 7:00 PM Dinner 7:00 PM Presentation 7:45 PM Members $45.00, Guests $55.00, Students $25.00 Tour: Member $55.00, Guests $65.00, Student $40.00 (Cash, Cheque or VISA) For More Information Contact: Christina Wilson 416-847-7000 ext. 258 chris.wilson@clariant.com http://speontario.com Please register for events on-line at www.speontario.com/upcoming-events

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o d n a l r O Florida

NPE2012 PREVIEW

CON CO

It finally happened: After 14 consecutive stagings in Chicago’s McCormick Place, the Windy City is being given a miss for NPE2012. This time around, the show takes place in the hub of Orlando, Fla. From the ANTEC program to the city’s best golf courses, here’s a quick primer as one of the biggest events in the industry gets ready to bask in the light of the Sunshine State.

D EX

ORLANDO BLOOMS:

Finding the city’s fun spots

Let’s face it, Chicago after hours was fun: blues, beer, art galleries, great architecture, and enough steakhouses to feed a hundred cattlemen’s conventions. Orlando is different: less Buddy Guy, more Jimmy Buffett; less lone wolf, more family-friendly. But just because we’re trading the Windy City for the Sunbelt doesn’t mean we have to be bored after a hard day at NPE. Here’s a quick look at how to keep yourself — and your kids, if you brought ’em — entertained during your hard-earned downtime. Orlando isn’t a tourist Mecca for nothing. First on offer is a little something called Walt Disney World, the most-visited entertainment resort on the planet. Located in Lake Buena Vista,

WHERE, WHEN, HOW MUCH

approximately 21 miles southwest of the city, the resort covers 30,080 acres and includes such facets as the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach — not to mention a campground, two health spas and physical fitness centres, and five golf courses. Hint: You might want to book off more than one afternoon for this one. Like Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando is a multifaceted resort comprising Universal Studios Florida, CityWalk, and Islands of Adventure. Family-friendly rides include The Simpsons Ride, Revenge of the Mummy, and the interactive Men

Where: Orange County Convention Center When: April 1-5, 2012; Exposition, April 2-5 How much: For an NPE2012 Expo pass — which includes admission to exhibit halls, MoldMaking Pavilion, specialty pavilions, exhibit floor theatres, and shuttle service from your hotel to the Orange County Convention Center — prices after Feb. 29 are $75 for Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) members and $120 for non-members (all figures US). Free shuttle services don’t include the ride from the airport to your hotel, alas.

SPI’s Business of Plastics pass includes the Expo pass, and is $100 for SPI members after Feb. 29 and $150 for non-members. Attendees can register on-site, as well. ANTEC at NPE includes the Expo pass, and early-bird registration for the full conference is $675 for SPI and Society of Plastics Engineers members and $825 after Febr. 29. Non-members can register for $1,025 after Feb. 29.

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NPE2012 preview

in Black: Alien Attack. As for shows, check out The Blue Man Group, Fear Factor Live, or Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue. Looking for something a little more cerebral? Visit the Orlando Museum of Art; current exhibitions include “Picturing My Florida: A Grassroots Portrait of the Sunshine State,” “Currents in Contemporary Art,” and Barbara Sorensen’s “Topographies.” Or try the Orlando Science Center, open 10:00am to 5:00pm every day except for Wednesdays. A little further from the beaten track —

EVENTS AT April A 1GLANCE April 1 April 1 8:00am – 1:30pm

1:00pm – 4:45pm

SPI’s 75th Brand Owner Anniversary Golf Super Session with Tournament: Panel Discussion: The Hyatt Regency Chapin Theater, Grand Cypress OCCC West Hall Golf Club, One North Jacaranda, Orlando

4:45pm – 5:00pm

literally — is the Bok Tower Gardens, which houses some of Florida’s unique flora and fauna in a subtropical garden with more than 100 bird species, a reflection pool, a pine ridge trail flanked by a bog garden, an open glade, and a sand hill forest community. If you want to be entertained and get up close and personal with a few modern dinosaurs, then Gatorland is a good choice and a must for the kiddies. Another family option is SeaWorld Orlando, a large park that features numerous zoological displays April 1

5:30pm-9:45pm

SPI’s 75th AnniverOCCC Orientation: sary Opening Gala Chapin Theater, featuring the Hall of OCCC West Hall Fame ceremony: Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel, Sebastian J Ballroom, 9939 Universal Blvd., Orlando

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Exposition: 9:00am – 5:00pm 8:00am – 9:00am – 1:00pm – 5:00pm 5:00pm 5:00pm SPE’s ANTEC Program: South Hall

International Plastics Design Competition: OCCC South/ North Hall, Booth #21062

SPI’s Business of Plastics Conference: South Building, Level 2 Room S210a

NPE showcase

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8:00am 5:00p

SPE’s AN Progra South

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NPE2012 preview Continued on page 29

and marine animals alongside an amusement park with roller coasters and water park. Speaking of water, the city’s Wet ‘n Wild water park is another famous attraction. If your preference runs more towards the skies and beyond, about one hour east from Orlando you’ll find the John F. Kennedy Space Center, the NASA installation that’s been the launch site for every U.S. human space flight since 1968. The Center’s Visitor Complex features exhibits and displays, historic spacecraft and memoraApril 3

April 3

Exposition: 9:00am – 5:00pm 8:00am – 8:00am – 12:00pm – 5:00pm 4:00pm 1:30pm SPE’s ANTEC Program: South Hall

NPE showcase

SPI’s Business SPI’s of Plastics 75th Anniversary Conference: President’s Lunch: South Building, OCCC West Hall, Level 2 Room Level 4 S210a Valencia Ballroom

April 4

bilia, shows, two IMAX theatres, a range of bus tours of the spaceport, and the Shuttle Launch Experience (a simulated ride into space). It also encompasses the separate Apollo/Saturn V Center and United States Astronaut Hall of Fame. Finally, if basketball is your thing, the Orlando Magic is taking on the Denver Nuggets at the Amway Center on Sunday, April 1 at 6:00pm. Prices range from a dirt-cheap US$15 to a whopping US$275. CPL April 4

EVENTS AT A GLANCE April 4 April 5 April 5

Exposition: 9:00am – 5:00pm 8:00am – 8:00am – 9:00am – 5:00pm 5:30pm 5:00pm SPE’s ANTEC Program: South Hall

NPE showcase

SPI’s Business of Plastics Conference: South Building, Level 2 Room S210a

International Plastics Design Competition: OCCC South/ North Hall, Booth #21062

NPE showcase

Exposition: 9:00am – 5:00pm 8:00am – 9:00am – 1:00pm 5:00pm SPI’s Business of Plastics Conference: South Building, Level 2 Room S210a

International Plastics Design Competition: OCCC South/ North Hall, Booth #21062

NPE showcase

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Visit DME in the Milacron booth at NPE 2012 - West Hall #2803 Take our in-booth survey for a chance to win an iPad

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NPE2012 preview Continued on page 31

GOLF! Orlando’s top public courses* —1— ORANGE COUNTY NATIONAL

—2— CHAMPIONS GATE GOLF CLUB

—3— LEGENDS AT ORANGE LAKE RESORT

—4— CELEBRATION GOLF CLUB

—5— EAGLE CREEK GOLF CLUB

Featuring the Panther Lake and Crooked Cat courses for 36 holes of championship golf, ONC also has a nine-hole short course and a 360-degree driving range. The course has played host to the 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2010 PGA Tour Qualifying School Finals.

Designed by Greg Norman to offer a blend of traditional and modern elements for a unique golf experience. Described as a great venue for 36 holes in one day.

This Arnold Palmerdesigned course features two distinctly different nines. “It might be the best kept secret for Orlando golf courses,” our source said.

Not exactly John Daly-friendly, this 18-hole course demands accurate approach shots due to strategically placed hazards.

Featuring more than 90 white sand, Scottish-style bunkers, Eagle Creek is an 18-hole, 7198-yard, par 73 championship course featuring MiniVerde grass greens. Offers some of the best putting conditions in Orlando, apparently.

www.champions gategolf.com 407-787-4653

www.orangelake.com 407-239-0000

www. celebrationgolf.com 407-566-4653

www. eaglecreekgolf.info 407-273-4653

www.ocngolf.com 407-656-2626

* according to www.golforlandoflorida.com

You don’t have to do it alone…Call Berg We’ll help you design value into your cooling system investment.

416-755-2221

Providing custom industrial process temperature control solutions for close to 40 years to satisfied customers around the world.

Design, Manufacture, Install, and Service

www.berg-group.com

Booth 6655

“Our Custom Solutions are your Competitive Advantage” www.canplastics.com March 2012 Canadian Plastics

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CPLMar12ABubm.pdf

2/14/12

10:13:10 AM

From Materials to Machinery, Find Your Plastics Processing Solutions HERE! November 14–15, 2012 Palais des congrès de Montréal • Montréal, Québec

Source the full spectrum of machinery, technology, and services for the plastics industry: • Automation Technology

• Molds & Mold Components

• Computer-Aided Design & Manufacturing

• Primary Processing Machinery

• Contract Services

• Production Machinery

• Enterprise IT

…much more!

• Material Handling/Logistics • Materials

CMY

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