Canadian Plastics November 2013 by Annex Business Media

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NOVEMBER 2013

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contents

Canadian Plastics

©MarkWragg/gettyimages/Thinkstock

NOVEMBER 2013 VOLUME 71 NUMBER 6

10 in every issue 4

Editor’s View: Beginning to plug the skilled trades drain

Ideas & Innovations: Soaking up crude oil spills with polymer mesh magnetic nanoparticles

6 News: • Nova Scotia start-up has plan for trucks to run on plastic • Engel helps vehicle part molders lighten up at Ontario seminar • Canada’s Gracious Living opening N.Y. manufacturing plant • Supplier News & People 9

Executive’s Corner: Making the most of your time

30 Technology Showcase 34 Plastics Data File

cover story 10 RESIN OUTLOOK: The price is (almost) right As the Great Recession began to recede, resin makers ramped up production to handle increasing demand. Fast forward to today and many are saddled with overcapacity. It's not the worst news in the world for a resin buyer. features 14 INJECTION MOLDING: Simulating developments Injection molding simulation software is advancing faster than a Marine platoon on dress blue parade. Seamless integration with CAD and finite element structural analysis; increases in speed, accuracy, and ease of use; new features for information on a part's aesthetics, manufacturability, and cost of manufacturing — here's a look at some of what's possible right now. 19 EXTRUSION SURVEY: Piping up Wondering what shape Canada's extrusion shops are in these days? Looking for inside info on buying intentions, markets served, machine utilization rates, and more? Relax — it's all here. 27 DOING IT BETTER: R&M Plastic Products Ltd.’s family ties Everyone knows that family businesses — which can pit one relative against another in ways that make Leafs and Habs fans look like BFFs — are disasters waiting to happen, right? Don't tell that to the Ritchies of R&M Plastic Products; they're too busy tearing it up with their three-generation family firm.

36 Advertising Index 36 Classified Ads 38 Technical Tips: How (and why) to do a gate seal experiment

01-6797-CON-Cover-7"wx2.25"h_Layout 1 8/15/13 9:04 AM Page 1

Visit us at www.canplastics.com

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editor’s view

Beginning to plug the skilled trades drain Y ou don’t need me to tell you that Canada faces a huge skills shortage in various trades. BuildForce Canada, which represents the nation’s construction sector, forecasts a need for 250,000 skilled trades workers between now and 2021. And that’s just construction. Other sectors, such as manufacturing and engineering (millwrights, robotics experts, et cetera) and transportation (aircraft maintenance, heavy equipment operators, et cetera) also face a looming skilled trades deficit. How did it come to this? Point a big finger of blame towards a generation of parents and educators that nudged millions of young adults towards the pursuit of academic post-secondary degrees instead of the professional trades, creating — intentionally or not — the perception that trades had little to offer. And it’s borne bitter fruit. According to a recent poll conducted by Ipsos-Reid, 42% of Canadian youth claim they’re unlikely to consider a career in the skilled trades; 67% of youth and 55% of adults would choose university as their first post-secondary option; 60% of youth said their parents haven’t encouraged them to consider a career in trades; and 71% of youth said guidance counselors haven’t encouraged them to consider skilled trades professions. No wonder that a mere 26% said they’d consider a career in the trades. Making matters worse, too many of today’s university programs are unmitigated wastes of time and money, failing to supply anything even resembling a marketable skill. The fallout is revealed in strange ways. Ever notice, for example, that many of the glittering youth on display at the Occupy movements last year seemed to identify themselves as Transgender and Colonialism Studies grads or some such thing, when interviewed by the press? Unemployed (probably unemployable given their mindsets) 4

and up to the tips of their blue Mohawk hairdos in student loan debts, it’s small wonder they had nothing better to do than sit around in their local park for weeks on end. In a different time, many of them would no doubt have been happily productive working in the trades, as carpenters, electricians, or moldmakers. Instead, we face a future in which — minus the expertise and skills of tradespeople — umpteen gazillion accountants, lawyers, and doctors won’t have new office buildings or hospitals in which to practise their professions, let alone the plumbing, heating, electrical, and communications systems necessary to make them habitable. The good news is that some of the powers that be in Canada are finally waking up to the crisis. Take the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, for example. The province’s 2013 budget allocates $466 million to enhance skills and training at the postsecondary level — including $5.2 million for specific initiatives to support apprenticeship and trades programs. In April, the province was also home to the first-ever provincial skilled trades conference for women and youth, a two-day event that drew approximately 1,500 people interested in learning more about employment opportunities in the skilled trades. In August, Ontario’s Durham College hosted a Skills Canada camp that, again, highlighted job opportunities that will exist in the near future in the skilled trades. I could cite many more such examples, but you get the point: The post-secondary educational goal is shifting — to remove university as the default setting for young men and women. Call these efforts drops in the proverbial bucket if you like, but they’re better than nothing at all. And who knows; it’s a steady drip-drip-drip that might actually create some plumbers, rather than simply the need to call one. Mark Stephen, editor

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.

www.canplastics.com EDITOR Mark Stephen 416-510-5110 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: mstephen@canplastics.com ART DIRECTOR Andrea M. Smith 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 ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Greg Paliouras 416-510-5124 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: gpaliouras@canplastics.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Anita Madden 416-442-5600, ext. 3596 Fax: 416-510-6875 E-mail: amadden@bizinfogroup.ca EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Tim Dimopoulos VICE PRESIDENT, CANADIAN PUBLISHING Alex Papanou PRESIDENT, BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP Bruce Creighton 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. 2013 SUBSCRIPTION RATES

6 issues Canadian Plastics, plus Dec. 2013 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 of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

mstephen@canplastics.com

Canadian Plastics November 2013 www.canplastics.com

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ideas & innovations

Soaking up crude oil spills with polymer mesh magnetic nanoparticles

he news moves fast these days, so you can be forgiven for being a little fuzzy about the Deepwater Horizon episode. Here’s a recap: On April 20, 2010, while drilling in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore rig killed 11 crewmen and sank the rig, leaving the well gushing at the seabed, and causing the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. Forgotten by many, remnants of the destruction still remain in the Gulf in the form of crude oil dispersed in the water and mixed in with the sand — along with the dispersant Corexit, which is now considered a toxic substance. But a new plastics application might just assist with the ongoing cleanup. Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed non-toxic sequestering agent-iron oxide nanoparticles coated in a polymer mesh that can hold up to 10 times their weight in crude oil — a material that can safely soak up leftover oil, from both the Deepwater Horizon spill and elsewhere, that isn’t captured using conventional mechanical means. As reported in the American Chemistry Society’s ACS Nano scientific journal, the nanoparticles consist of an iron oxide core surrounded by a shell of polymeric material — a simple poly(acrylic acid)-block-polystyrene that possesses both hydrophilic (poly(acrylic acid)) and hydrophobic (polystyrene) groups. “This amphiphilic copolymer interacts with both the aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic components present in crude oil,” the report said. “Cross-linking the polymer makes the shell more stable in aqueous environ-

ments while maintaining the crude oil loading potential.” To simulate an actual oil spill, the Texas A&M team weathered a sample of crude oil to match the conditions of the Deepwater Horizon spill. When the nanoparticles were dropped in the oil/water mixture, they immediately changed color from light tan to black as they soaked up the oil. It gets better: When the nanoparticles were full they floated to the top, making for easy recovery by a conventional magnet, not only from a test vial but also in the ocean. A magnet was held to the side of the vial, nanoparticles collected at the glass, and the water was poured off, trapping the crude oil inside the particles. Great, but how do you get the oil out? Sonication in ethanol releases the oil from the swollen polymer matrix, causing the nanoparticles to return to a light tan. And although spectroscopic changes Image Credit: Texas A&M University were observed after washing, the nanoparticles absorbed the same amount of oil during a second trial. In other words, the system is completely reusable. The next step? Creating an enhanced version that’s biodegradable; as it stands, the existing particles could pose a threat if not collected once they’ve accomplished their duties. But give the Texas A&M team some time — according to Karen Wooley, the principal investigator of the work, the project is still in the early stages. “But the fact that [our nanoparticle system] can capture 10 times its weight in crude oil is such a promising first result that I think they have significant potential,” she said. Call it a small polymer mesh silver lining to the Deepwater Horizon tragedy. CPL

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news

iesel-powered trucks could soon be running on energy obtained from your discarded soda bottles. A new Nova Scotia firm plans to team up with a Montreal company to build a $15 million plastics-to-fuel plant that they say will be the largest of its kind in Atlantic Canada. Nova ReNew Inc., established in Halifax last year, has just reached an agreement with Montreal’s Global Clean Energy Inc. (GCE) to develop and finance a plant that will convert plastics into fuel using pyrolysis technology. The plant will be able to convert 6,000 tons annually of industrial and curbside plastics — items recycled by the general population — into high-value fuel. Nova ReNew will oversee the operations and maintenance for the plant, which will be built at an undetermined location in Nova Scotia. Early in September 2013, Nova ReNew received financial and technical advisory support from the National Research Council of Canada-Industrial

Research Assistance Program, for research into the integration of the expanded polystyrene (EPS) volume reduction technology for the GCE and Nova ReNew site. “This presents a potential global solution to what many jurisdictions dread as the major Styrofoam waste problem,” said Nova ReNew spokesman Wayne Adams. “There are several municipalities that would love to save the cost of landfill space by diverting EPS from their landfills; each ton of EPS occupies 50 cubic meters of landfill space, which is very expensive.” And while Nova ReNew is a new company, the project definitely wasn’t

cooked up overnight. NovaReNew’s Dietmar Tholen spent the past six years studying technical due diligence on the practical, cost-effective conversion of municipal solid waste streams into value-added products. And the result might just be unique to Canada and elsewhere. “Plastics-to-fuel programs have been engineered and marketed in several European countries and in a few U.S. cities in recent years, but we haven’t identified any other ventures that are integrating it with EPS volume reduction technology,” said GCE’s COO Brian Levine. The company has identified at least five potential customers. CPL

Engel helps vehicle part molders lighten up at Ontario seminar

n September 24, Engel North America hosted a special industry event on the latest in lightweight injection molding technologies. Held in Windsor, Ont., the one-day “Breakthrough in Lightweighting Technologies” seminar consisted of technical presentations by a variety of industry experts on lightweight molding technologies and materials. Presentation topics included weight reduction and cost savings with strong lightweight construction materials; maximizing the benefits provided by MuCell technology; enabling lightweighting with new injection molding technologies; and manufacturing technologies for high volume automotive applications of fibre reinforced composite materials. The event, which drew about 100 attendees, also included an on-site Part6

©Domenico Pellegriti/gettyimages/Thinkstock

Nova Scotia start-up has plan for trucks to run on plastic

Photo Credit: Engel Canada Inc.

ner Fair with exhibits from a variety of mold, raw material, and technology suppliers; and a plant tour of nearby Montel Plastics Ltd., where two Engel injection molding machines — a tiebar-less Engel victory 1350/285 and a two-platen Engel duo 23050/2500 — ran MuCell applications. “The Windsor area is a hotbed of plastics development in Canada, in large part because of the automotive parts

industry, which made it an obvious location for the seminar,” said Steve Elliott, general manager of Engel Canada Inc. “Lightweighting is a main goal of almost every vehicle parts molder, and the MuCell technology can assist with that. Montel Plastics provides a wide range of technical and production support to injection molders, including facilities for MuCell injection molding trials, mold testing, and material testing, so it made sense to involve them in the event. The overall goal was to showcase lightweighting technologies from an injection molding point of view, followed by a hands-on technical display.” Next up for Engel North America? “We hope to put on more co-sponsored technical events in the area centred on other injection molding technologies,” Elliott said. CPL

Canadian Plastics November 2013 www.canplastics.com

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©Domenico Pellegriti/gettyimages/Thinkstock

news

Absolute Group expands into automation supply

Canada’s Gracious Living opening N.Y. manufacturing plant

anadian consumer products maker Gracious Living Corporation will open its first injection molding plant in the U.S. after buying property in Buffalo, N.Y. The office of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the Board of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority had approved the sale of land on Buffalo’s outer harbor to the Woodbridge, Ont. firm, where it will build a plastic extrusion and injection molding facility. The plant will create 250 jobs. The 49.5-acre property includes a pair of derelict buildings, which Gracious Living plans to refurbish for manufacturing and warehousing. According to a statement from Cuomo’s office, Gracious Living paid US$4.7 million for the site. Gracious Living has been working on a deal to expand to the region since November 2012, the statement said, and will receive $2 million in performance-based jobs program tax credits from the state in return for the company’s job creation commitments resulting from its investment. “The U.S. market is an important part of our growth plans, and having a U.S.-based facility demonstrates our commitment to serving and growing our U.S. customer base,” Gracious Living president Enzo Macri said in a company statement. “We have found the state and local governments very helpful and supportive in building the case for locating our first U.S. plant in Buffalo...and we look forward to working with them going forward.” Established in 1990, Gracious Living is a manufacturer and global importer of outdoor furniture, indoor/ outdoor organization solutions, utility garage systems, as well as pet products accessories. The company has over $100 million in annual sales. CPL

here’s a new robot supplier in North America. Equipment manufacturer Absolute Group of Companies has expanded into automation supply with the creation of Absolute Robot Inc. after agreeing to become the exclusive sales and service agent in North America for China’s Well-Lih Robotics. Established in 2003, Well-Lih produces approximately 6,000 robots annually. The Well-Lih product line, which includes sprue pickers, hybrid robots, servo robots, and inmold labeling systems, will be available for sale Bob Shingledecker in the fourth quarter of 2013. Absolute Robot’s full servo EBW series is available in sizes ranging from 200 to 1,600 tons, with payload capacities from 10 to 55 pounds. The full servo ECW series ranges from 360 to 3,300 tons, with payload capacities from 20 to 175 pounds. Mike Ortolano, president of Absolute Robot, said in a news release that the new Ellen Reed robot product line extends Absolute Group’s ability to “help North American plastics processors to remain globally competitive by providing access to high quality, costeffective robotic equipment, coupled with the superior parts and service support that North American manufacturing operations require.” The company has also hired Bob Shingledecker as director of operations, and Ellen Reed as territory sales manager and director of business development; it will demonstrate the robots and provide training at its technical centres in Worcester, Mass. and Parma, Ohio. The robot line will be supported out of the service and aftermarket operations based in Parma. The Worcester-based Absolute Group of Companies includes Absolute Machinery Corporation, Absolute Haitian Corporation, Absolute Green Energy Corporation, and now Absolute Robot. CPL

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news

Plastic found in

OUTER SPACE

t boldly went where no man has gone before and found...Tupperware? NASA’s unmanned Cassini spacecraft has detected propylene, the chemical used to make plastic food containers, in the atmosphere of Titan, the largest of Saturn’s 62 moons. “This is the first definitive detection of the plastic ingredient on any moon or planet, other than Earth,” NASA said in a report that appeared in the September 30, 2013 edition of the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

©Natalia Lukiyanova/gettyimages/Thinkstock

A small amount of propylene was identified in Titan’s lower atmosphere by Cassini’s composite infrared spectrometer, which measures heat radiation, the agency said. By isolating the same signal at various altitudes within the lower atmosphere, the report continued, researchers identified the chemical’s unique thermal fingerprint with “a high degree of confidence”. The chemical is used in a variety of applications, including packag-

Canadian molder Mitchell Plastics expands into Mexico

itchener, Ont.-based automotive interior parts molder Mitchell Plastics is expanding into Mexico, with the construction of a new manufacturing facility in Queretaro. When completed in March 2014, the Queretaro operation will have 155,000 square feet of manufacturing space for injection molding and painting. Mitchell Plastics expects to create 350 new full-time employment positions when full capacity is achieved. Initial shipments to existing customers begin next spring. “We are very excited to be expanding into Mexico as a

result of our continued growth in North America,” said Peter Gibb, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing. “The new facility in Queretaro is in an ideal location, and will allow us to improve our support to our current customers while opening new opportunities for future growth in Mexico.” Mitchell Plastics employs more than 1,600 people at plants in Kitchener and Waterloo, Ont., as well as in Alabama, Indiana, and Michigan. The company makes interior mechanisms and decorative components. Its customers include Toyota and Ford. CPL

PEOPLE — Richmond Hill, Ont.-based injection molding and automation equipment supplier Wittmann Canada Inc. has named Curtis Ferguson as sales representative for the company’s injection molding machines Curtis Ferguson and robot/automation products.

SUPPLIER NEWS

Kanina Blanchard

— The Toronto-based Canadian Plastics Industry Association has named Kanina Blanchard to the position of director general, issues. — Germany-based blow molding machinery maker Bekum Maschinenfabriken GmbH has named Andreas Kandt as its new managing director and director of global sales. 8

ing, automotive parts, and other consumer products. According to NASA, the discovery could help scientists understand the “chemical zoo” that makes up Titan’s hazy brownish atmosphere; Titan is among the few bodies in the solar system with a significant atmosphere made up of hydrocarbons. The Cassini mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency. CPL

Andreas Kandt

— Shanty Bay, Ont.-based resin supplier Simcoe Plastics Ltd. has been named the new Ontario sales agent for environmental remediation company Golden Environmental’s “BIM 200” line of microbial, pH-neutral cleaners and degreasers. In addition, Simcoe Plastics will handle accompanying products from Barrie, Ont.-based Golden Environmental that safely deal with oil and fluid spills, PLAbased garbage bags, and alkaline batteries.

Canadian Plastics November 2013 www.canplastics.com

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executive’s corner

Making the MOST of your time By Richard Martin, Alcera Consulting Inc.

empus fugit, someone once said. Yes, time does indeed fly, a phenomenon not helped by the fact that most of us are bombarded with far too many distractions during an average work day. How do you find the time to actually do your job? Here are some tips to help make you the master of your own time.

PRIORITIZE YOUR ALONE TIME. This doesn’t mean becoming the office hermit, but there are some social interactions in the workplace that consume too much time — people talking about their latest vacation, their kid’s overtime goal in little league hockey, et cetera. Avoid intimate, personal conversations that have nothing to do with work, and shun gossip like the plague.

IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR PERSONAL CONTACTS. Give the people with whom you’re meeting your complete attention. Avoid email or cell phone interruptions (see next point), and don’t run off at the mouth about everything under the sun — stay focused and keep the socializing for coffee or lunch breaks.

LIMIT YOUR TELEPHONE USE. Treat meetings like you would a trip to the local Multiplex theatre: turn off your cell phone, and de-activate beepers, music tones, or vibrating modes. These disturb your collaborators, and you’ll feel compelled to answer. In fact, don’t spend your time at work answering your phone, period. A simple voicemail message will suffice, which you can consult at regular intervals — every 90 minutes, say — to answer essential messages as soon as possible. Use emails to respond to less important messages.

MINIMIZE MEETING TIMES. Ever get the feeling that some people hold meetings as a way to avoid decision-making and responsibility? Beat the trap by

skipping those that don’t have a precise agenda. And make sure your own meetings are truly necessary, and then follow an agenda to control pointless digressions. Activity reports from all and sundry usually aren’t necessary. A weekly production meeting with key employees is usually enough to resolve most issues that will appear during the week.

LET YOUR EMPLOYEES DO THEIR JOBS. Not an easy one for the control freaks out there. Establish your expectations of your employees, set their goals...and then let them work alone. If they hit a wall, let them move around it on their own, or with help from co-workers. You’ll sometimes have to intervene, but requiring employees to be independent will improve their performance in the longer term.

CONTROL YOUR EMAILING. Everyone agrees: There are too many damned emails flying around these days. A useful communication tool has now become a problem. Let your correspondents know that you don’t want to receive chain mail with trivialities or jokes. Restrict the use of CCs to those actually involved in a given project, and ask employees, correspondents, and colleagues to do likewise. And don’t send pointless emails of approval such as “right on’’, “A-OK’’, and the like.

Controlling time becomes an absolute necessity when you can no longer think clearly about your work. Like the old adage says, you have to make time in order to have time. CPL Richard Martin is the founder and president of Montrealbased Alcera Consulting Inc. He speaks, teaches, and writes on a variety of topics such as business strategy, risk management, leadership, organizational development, and performance improvement. Visit www.alcera.ca.

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resin outlook

The Price Is

(almost)

RIGHT

As the Great Recession began to recede, resin makers ramped up production to handle increasing demand. Fast forward to today and many are saddled with overcapacity. It’s not the worst news in the world for a resin buyer. ©Mark Wragg/gettyimages/Thinkstock

t’s a strange time for resin buyers. One or two materials are in short supply, most others are abundant, and some long-established international supply and demand patterns are in flux. An attendee at the 18th annual Canadian Plastics Resin Outlook conference in October could therefore have been forgiven for feeling as confused as a Breaking Bad viewer playing catch-up after missing five episodes in a row. During the recession, conference attendees knew they were in the midst of an almost unprecedented financial meltdown. In the brave new world of 2013, no one knows what to expect, with either resin prices or the plastics manufacturing sector in general. Simply put, the recession is over, but the aftershocks and uncertainty most definitely aren’t. One thing is certain: Whichever resin you’re after, understanding how it’s made — the feedstocks, in other words — coupled with the right inside information might just improve your negotiating position.

POLYOLEFINS

One of the most popular of today’s resins, polypropylene (PP) is used in everything from appliances to automobiles to medical components to diapers. According to Paul Blanchard, director, 10

By Mark Stephen, editor engineering resins, with IHS Chemical, consumption growth is happening in all regions. “Global PP consumption grew by 10.6 per cent in 2010, helped by the U.S. stimulus package that spurred automobile and appliance sales, and by restocking in the chain,” he said. But that’s not necessarily good news, since it will drive up the price. “Through to 2015, we expect a five per cent annual growth rate driven by the emerging markets,” he said. “Leading the pack, China will accelerate its consumption to nearly 31 per cent of PP, with a 7.2 per cent growth rate.” The recession accelerated closures and mothballing of plants in North America, Blanchard continued. “North American producers should expect to see further consolidations in the market, with more plant closures and buyouts,” he said. By 2015, 42 per cent of all forecasted global capacity growth will come from China, and 13 per cent from India. During the next five years, Blanchard continued, the Americas, China, and Africa will be net importers of PP; Japan and the Middle East will be net exporters. Turning to polyethylene (PE), Blanchard described a “colossal” global market of 80 million tons, which he expects to see grow by almost five per cent over the next five years, or about 1.3 times global GDP growth. “By 2023, the global PE market will

Canadian Plastics November 2013 www.canplastics.com

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resin outlook

reach 147 million tons, with growth coming in film applications and extrusion coating primarily,” he said. Geographically, however, the growth will be anything but even, as localized production pressures take — or don’t take — their toll. “Over the next few years, we expect to see more than 8.5 million tons of capacity added in North America, while Germany will actually dismantle PE production units,” he said. What’s it all mean for pricing? “Integrated PE producers in North America will enjoy a price margin benefit, tempered by only a very slight import threat, which means there’s no reason for them to drop the price below whatever clears the market,” Blanchard said. In other words, don’t expect a break — at least not in the short term. “In the longer term, as North America becomes more and more served by a lighter feed, price competition that benefits the buyers will ensue,” he continued. “If you can hold your breath until 2018, you might experience some relief.”

STYRENICS

The post-recession world hasn’t exactly been kind to polystyrene (PS). “Sales in North America slipped in 2012 from 2011, a decline notable right across the board: in food packaging and food service sectors, electrical, and construction,” said Jeremy Rakes, polystyrene editor with Platts. No surprise, then, that North American PS production also slipped, falling 1.8 per cent to 4.6 billion pounds. And the material’s future isn’t exactly so bright that you’ve gotta wear shades. “PS probably faces more market development challenges than any other polymer,” Rakes said. “The U.S. National Toxicology Program included styrene in its June 2011 ‘Report on Carcinogens’, and communities throughout Canada and the U.S. continue to consider measures banning PS food and other packaging. Additionally, PS faces continued competition from lower cost polymers such as PP.” A big determinant of PS pricing in North America is the nasty fact that the market for PS has consolidated into just three main suppliers: Total Petrochemicals, Americas Styrenics, and Styrolution. Ever known consolidation to lead to cheaper prices? Small wonder, then, that the U.S. consistently offers among the highest priced PS in the world — and Canada, along with Mexico, is in the unfortunate position of being the main buyer of U.S.-made PS on the global market. Ouch. “Spot prices for PS hit near-record highs early this year, and buyers shouldn’t expect relief anytime soon,” Rakes said.

PET

You might not have known it, but polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been relatively kind to buyers in the past few years. “The PET spread over raw materials was quite favorable for the converters,” said Ron Coifman, markets editor for ICIS Pricing. Not that you’d want it to, but don’t expect much to change going forward, as the gap between capacity and consumption widens. “Annual global PET capacity is approximately 28 million tons total, while annual global consumption is only 20 million tons — so it’s an oversupplied market, to say the least,” Coifman

said. “Northeast Asia only consumes one-half of the 12 million tons of PET it produces per year; North America, South America, and Europe have a little more balance, but are still oversupplied.” By 2020, Coifman continued, global capacity should tick up to 38 million tons, with Asia still constituting over 50 per cent of the market. Latin America is, and will continue to be, a net importer, as will the former USSR region and Africa. “All other countries will be net exporters, in particular the Asia-Pacific region,” Coifman said. “Therefore, despite healthy growth projections of 6.8 per cent per year average, the global PET market will be significantly oversupplied until 2020.” If you think this will produce a buyer’s market, you’re right — up to a point. “When PET prices increase, converters such as bottle makers always threaten to go to glass — but most of them can’t and won’t, because the lines don’t transfer easily,” Coifman said. “The better plan is to use the PET overcapacity to negotiate the best price possible.”

PVC

When it comes to polyvinyl chloride (PVC), it’s all about new construction; PVC remains the plastic of choice for the housing and commercial space industries. And according to Phillip Karig, a managing director with Mathelin Bay Associates LLC, this is precisely what makes PVC unique in the resin production world. “PVC demand typically begins in January and February, increases

AT A GLANCE

Polyolefins Growing material demand means no pricing breaks in the short term. Paul Blanchard, IHS Chemical

Styrenics Spot prices for PS hit near-record highs early this year, and buyers shouldn’t expect relief anytime soon. Jeremy Rakes, Platts

PET Global overcapacity makes this a buyer-friendly material, and that won’t change until at least 2020. Ron Coifman, ICIS Pricing

PVC Even with new capacity coming onstream in North America, the market will be tight for the foreseeable future. Phillip Karig, Mathelin Bay Associates LLC

Nylon New caprolactam capacity announced in China has been built ahead of demand, which might lead to a buyer’s market.

Paul Blanchard

Polycarbonate

Overcapacity and shifting export patterns are pressuring sellers to the benefit of North American buyers. Paul Blanchard

www.canplastics.com November 2013 Canadian Plastics

CPLNov2013 p10-13 Resin outlook.indd 11

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resin outlook

through the construction season, peaks in July and August, and then declines; and pricing usually follows that trajectory,” Karig said. “As a result, PVC molders stock up by doing a great deal of pre-buying in November and December, which puts unusual — because unsteady — demand on the PVC producers, causing them to make more in the early winter than they want to.” And you might just be able to use their discomfort to your own advantage. “It’s important to make your company attractive to PVC suppliers; customers that buy PVC in steady quantities throughout the year become more important, and can perhaps negotiate better pricing,” Karig said. But whether you buy in bulk or in steady portions, beware of playing the spot market. “Buying PVC on a spot basis can be a dangerous game,” Karig said. “It works in many cases, but, for every dollar saved, every once in a while the PVC price drops and a buyer loses his or her job.” Karig summed up the Canadian PVC market for the year to come in one word: tight. “Even with projected slower growth going forward, we’re going to be in a tighter market next year,” he said. And don’t look for new capacity coming onstream to loosen anything up. “Westlake Chemical Corporation will bring about 200 million pounds onstream in 2014, and Shintech will be adding approximately 650 million pounds in 2015-2016, but the combination of these will amount to only about five per

cent of total current North American capacity,” he said. “The best-case scenario for the next few years is that PVC supply will be only slightly less tight than we expect.”

NYLON

Thirty-seven per cent of all global nylon 6 demand is for the automotive industry, and as that industry roars back to life, producers and buyers should expect the material’s popularity to improve, with North American operating rates for nylon 6 averaging approximately 90 per cent into 2014, according to Paul Blanchard. There was a nylon 6 pricing problem in 2010 and 2011; all nylon 6 is made with caprolactam, and the nylon 6 demands of that time — particularly in China — tightened caprolactam supply and pressured polymer prices upward globally. But that was then. Heading into 2014, buyers have an ace in the hole, Blanchard said: New caprolactam capacity announced in China has been built far ahead of demand, which might just create the oversupply that leads to a buyer’s market here at home. For nylon 6/6, Blanchard noted that until recently intermediaries faced a constrained global supply of key precursor adiponitrile that supported high prices. “In some cases, nylon 6 and 6/6 prices reached parity, which was very unusual — usually nylon

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resin outlook

6/6 has a $0.15 to $0.20 price advantage.” Cut to today, and Blanchard forecast nylon 6/6 supply to be long in North America, and prices have fallen and should remain flat into 2014 — but if they drop again, thank the fibre industry. “Fibre makers that buy vast quantities of nylon 6/6 are aware of the current surpluses and are pressuring the suppliers for lower prices, and plastics makers that are aware of this might be able to exploit it and negotiate discounts of their own,” he said.

POLYCARBONATE

If you thought that polycarbonate (PC) was passé — given the unrealized hopes that the material would invade the Blu-ray recordables and electronics markets — think again. The odd hiccup notwithstanding, the industry continues to invest in product application development for longer term growth of the business, and a lot of new capacity is coming onstream in Asia and the Middle East. Problem is, it’s not coming onstream fast enough. “We have capacity misaligned with demand,” Paul Blanchard said. “The demand is in Asia, and the capacity is still currently in ResinConf TksAd Oct 11 Western Europe andCPL North10/11/11 America.” 2:50 PM Page 1 It’s a misalignment that signals a strange transformation taking place in the global PC industry. “Demand is growing globally, but there’s a shifting pattern of demand and capacity; and

the trade pattern is also shifting, which will run into lower utilization rates in a number of Western countries,” Blanchard said. “Bayer, a major PC supplier, recently announced the layoffs of 500 workers globally. In short, there’s a major change coming in this industry, and North American suppliers feel pressured and would like to sell more.” And how. From their perspective, indeed, there’s probably too much capacity floating around as it is. “Supply in the U.S. is long, and American exports of PC to China have been slipping, but Chinese imports overall have been growing — China is getting PC from other regions, primarily Western Europe,” Blanchard said. “As a result of this change, the U.S. will lose 43,000 tons of business this year alone.” But the woes of the domestic PC makers can be blessings for the PC buyers. “Buyers, Canadians among them, are going to find very friendly PC suppliers,” Blanchard said. “Prices are currently stable, but there are negotiating opportunities to be taken advantage of.” You might also want to thank companies such as Samsung for throwing their hats in the ring. “Samsung opened an 80,000 ton plant in South Korea in December 2012, and is now marketing intensively in North America, which is another opportunity for users of general purpose materials,” Blanchard said. CPL

Canadian Plastics Magazine THANKS

these sponsors for their generous support of the 18th Annual Resin Outlook Conference. Sponsored by: “Earning your trust one stripe at a Cantec time.” Polymers INC.

Don’t miss the Canadian Plastics 19th Annual Resin Outlook Conference, October, 2014 in Toronto For details, call Judith Nancekivell at 416-510-5116

www.canplastics.com November 2013 Canadian Plastics

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©gettyimages/Thinkstock

injection molding

Seamless integration with CAD and finite element structural analysis? Done. Increases in speed, accuracy, and ease of use? Got ’em. New features that provide additional information on a part’s aesthetics, manufacturability, and cost of manufacturing? No problem. It’s never been easier to integrate flow simulation software into your plastic part-making. By Mark Stephen, editor

ou’ve really gotta wonder if there’s anything they can’t do with computer virtualization these days. Some activities are problematic: The jury’s still way out on virtual dating, for example. Others are hands-down winners — and injection molding simulation (sometimes called mold analysis or flow analysis) is definitely one of them. Flow simulation software is one of the most powerful tools ever developed for improving injection molded part quality. And it’s easy to see why; which would you rather do — manufacturing analysis early in the design process or later, when design changes are far more expensive? Designers and engineers use simulation tools to help validate educated, intentional guesses based on years of experience with design and intelligent 3D CAD software. But not even the most experienced professionals make perfect assumptions every time. Simulation increases decision-making confidence and provides insight into what, where, and how to adjust in-progress designs. So what’s not to like? Well, ever since flow simulation was first commercialized in the mid-1970s, many molders have questioned its usefulness or doubted its accuracy. Those in the second camp typically have found poor correlation between the computer model and real-world molding results — perhaps in part because of either misapplying the software or of unrealistically high expectations for its accuracy. Truth is, injection molding simulation software has been 14

Think the temperature is the same throughout a mold? It ain’t. Temperature is actually a function of the product design, the polymer material, and the mold itself. This Sigmasoft software image superimposed on a mold photo suggests where the hotter and cooler spots can be. Knowing this in advance can help solve temperature-related molding problems before they burn you. Photo Credit: Sigma Plastic Services Inc.

advancing steadily on several fronts over the past few years — to the point where even the hardcore doubters must be getting a bit wobbly by now. Seamless integration with CAD and finite element structural analysis is a common theme among today’s major software products, along with increases in speed, accuracy, and ease of use, plus a variety of new features that provide additional information on a part’s aesthetics, manufacturability, and cost of manufacturing.

REAL-TIME? A REAL CHALLENGE It’s the increase in speed that the industry probably cares about the most. Prohibitively slow simulation times have been millstones around the necks of software suppliers for years, and have kept simulation-driven design from reaching its full potential. “We’re very interested in mold simulation software as a tool for giving our customers the best machine size and clamping force for their needs, but we have had issues over the years with the length of time it can take to set up, perform, and interpret each

Canadian Plastics November 2013 www.canplastics.com

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©gettyimages/Thinkstock

injection molding

calculation, especially on very complex parts with many different creating his or her vision,” he said. “When potential problems elements,” said Georg Steinbichler, senior vice president, research are found, the designer receives explicit, real-world information and development technologies, for Engel Austria GmbH. about the source and location of the problem, so it can be Ideally, manufacturers would be able to get instantaneous, addressed as early as possible in the process.” seamless feedback on manufacturability and quality during the Because Autodesk Simulation DFM works directly with design process; such real-time feedback about product perforthe designer’s CAD application, Koss continued, there’s little mance would in turn allow designers and engineers to instantly need for additional training. The tool is also “always on” and understand the impact of each design decision on the manufacturing process. We’re not living in that ideal world just yet — but we’re getting close. “Not long ago, a 3D simulation of 10 consecutive production cycles on a multi-cavity tool could have taken as long as two days,” said Matt Proske, vice president of Sigma Plastic Services Inc., supplier of the popular Sigmasoft software. “We’ve managed to trim the time on a simulation of that kind to about four hours by changing the way our software works.” Hybrid machine platform Industry-wide, hardware and software customizable for different markets, advances have continued to reduce simulafeaturing options such as: tion times from days to hours — to minutes, in some cases. Autodesk Inc. recently • Side-entry base-mounted robot released its Autodesk Simulation DFM • Stack mold carrier (Design for Manufacturing) software, said • Rotary cube to be the industry’s first real-time injection • In-mold assembly molding simulation software that provides • Multi-material • Energy real-time feedback. The CAD software • PET systems consumption plug-in provides designers of plastic parts equivalent with a faster and easier way to determine to all-electrics the impact of design decisions on manufac• Space-efficient turability, cost, and sustainability conwith the largest cerns. “With Autodesk Simulation DFM, mold capability designers of plastic parts can more easily in its class create designs that are viable from a manufacturing standpoint, while helping ensure low costs and sustainability,” said Robert Kross, Autodesk’s senior vice president, design, lifecycle, and simulation. “Users don’t need a simulation background to take advantage of Autodesk Simulation DFM, as the software is highly intuitive, and easily integrates into any design workflow.” Powered by Autodesk Simulation Moldflow injection molding simulation technology, Autodesk Simulation DFM provides real-time feedback through specific and familiar design indicators, Kross Athena Automation Ltd. added, all while the design is still taking 372 New Enterprise Way shape. “Green, yellow, and red indicators Vaughan, ON L4H 0S8 identify potential manufacturing, cost, and www.athenaautomation.com sustainability concerns as a designer is www.canplastics.com November 2013 Canadian Plastics

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Another time-saving software development relates to the start-up production of new parts in injection molding, which is virtually always linked to extensive mold trials and iteration. A new virtual molding software system from Sigmasoft is designed to change this by offering an economic and time-effective alternative for virtual injection molding trials and part try-outs, by allowing injection molders the possibility to effectively bring their expertise into the early development process. “Virtual molding is a new method, not just a new technology, and gives the injection molder a tool to communicate his or her know-how through the complete development process in a comprehensive way,” said Matt Proske. “Up to now, the only way to get good parts was to stay in front of the machine and vary parameters with the mold already built until the parts fulfilled the quality requirements. With a virtual approach, this optimization takes place before the steel is cut, and processing problems can be identified and resolved before they even appear.” The new software factors all mold components with temperature-dependent material properties and the temperature control system (water, oil, electrical heaters, and thermocouples) over multiple consecutive production cycles into the calculation, Proske said, to understand the thermal gradient throughout the mold. “The mold isn’t the same temperature everywhere; it has hot and cold regions inside the cavity that are sometimes due to the mold material choices, but are more often driven by cooling designs that are not optimum. This influences the local cooling rates of the polymer, significantly impacting its temperature at ejection, and driving different shrinkage rates in the molded part. Semi-crystalline polymers are even more complex — hot spots cool slowly, have less crystallization, and less shrinkage. The virtual molding software calculates this complex process.”

Canadian Plastics November 2013 www.canplastics.com

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During the typical part cooling period, Proske continued, the part is shrinking — or trying to — but the mold, in some areas, is fully or partially constraining this contraction, resulting in residual stresses in the molded product. “When the mold opens, there is a stress relaxation as the constraints are removed, and the part still contains a unique thermal gradient which determines how much more it will contract, and which areas will contract more than others,” Proske said. “It’s a temperature-dependent problem — some areas will be more rigid than others and will attempt to constrain this further shrinkage, resulting in increased part distortion — and the software also calculates this complex process.”

as part of a suite of CAD/CAM/CAE software. Last year, Vero released its latest offering, VISI Flow 19, with what the company described as a host of usability and accuracy improvements over previous VISI Flow versions. These include simplified model preparation, a transparent mesh feature that allows users to look inside the model to better understand part filling, and a new part quality tool with potential remedy suggestions for each problem area. Also, a graphical section can now be cut through the filling analysis result to give a close-up, interior view of the action and analysis variables. Filling analysis is said to benefit from improved flow balancing and fine-tuning of melt compressibility at the end of the filling phase. Holding analysis is improved by fine-tuning the pressure fluctuaLET IT FLOW, AND MORE tion length and adding a new solid fraction Like the Autodesk software mentioned above, variable to better estimate part ejection time. Vero USA offers injection molding simulation The thermal analysis module has removed any restriction on the number of circuits, the company said, and new circuit management in cludes automatic setup of cooling circuits, the ability to specify different fluids through the circuit layout, and the possibility of running calculations with only selected cooling lines. Also new is a colorcoded “rainbow” chart that indicates quality categories (“Easy”, “Acceptable”, “Difficult”, “Not Advisable”, and “Excessive”) for molding conditions such as pressure, temperature, Software simulation image of a mold, with an x-ray shear stress, and frozen feature showing the part inside during the cooling phase. skin. Molding suggestions Photo Credit: Sigma Plastic Services Inc. are provided, such as www.canplastics.com November 2013 Canadian Plastics

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injection molding

reducing injection speed or increasing the molding temperature. Suggested molding solutions are also part of what’s new in Moldex3D R12.0, CoreTech System’s latest plastic design validation and optimization software for injection molding simulation — a product designed to enhance troubleshooting capabilities, analysis accuracy, user friendliness, and calculation efficiency. “The new release supports more specialized gate shapes, runners, and runner ends, such as cashew gates with arc geometries, tapered ejector pins, or lock pin designs,” said Kenny Lu, managing director for Moldex3D Northern America Inc. “The enhancements on mesh quality and density allow users to build more a realistic 3D mesh of complicated runner systems, further increasing the accuracy of plastic modeling and simulation. Moldex3D R12.0 also supports auto remeshing capabilities when a gate location changes. Additionally, users now can directly import a CAD model in Parasolid format.” The update also introduces the industrial geometry healing technology developed by Elysium. This tool, Moldex3D CADdoctor, enables multi-CAD data exchange, geometry simplification and verification, and quality check. “When users generate boundary layer meshes, they can automatically check and fix poor quality geometry,” Lu said. The new software also beefs up troubleshooting capabilities CP Molding Ad:Layout 1 10/10/2013 4:35 PM Page 1

in the so-called “solver kernels”, Lu added, to provide more accurate mold visualization and validation, enabling users to diagnose molding problems more effectively. “Simultaneously, the enhancements on the computing speed will help them get plastic insights and make the right decisions much faster than their competitors,” Lu said. In the end, making simulation an integral part of the design process allows plastics manufacturers to find problems with part and injection mold designs earlier, minimize the number of physical prototypes required to optimize designs, and speed the product development process. If you’re not interested, here’s hoping you enjoy your unplanned, early retirement. CPL RESOURCES Autodesk Canada Company (Toronto); www.autodesk.ca; 416-362-9181 (Montreal); 514-393-1616, (Calgary); 403-294-0090 Moldex3D Northern America Inc. (Northville, Mich.); www.moldex3d.com; 248-946-4570 Sigma Plastic Services Inc. (Schaumburg, Ill.); www.3dsigma.com; 847-558-5600 Vero USA (Wixom, Mich.); www.verosoftware.com; 248-869-4040

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extrusion survey

©coddygettyimages/Thinkstock

BACK THE

BLACK?

The Great Recession is old news by now, so how are Canada’s extrusion shops faring in this brave new world? We asked them, and some of them told us. From buying intentions to markets served to machine utilization rates and more, it’s all in here.

his time last year, we opened our sixth Extrusion Benchmark Survey by noting that the worst of the worst recession in living memory was behind us. Twelve months later, and this time around we actually believe it. But what do some

BY THE NUMBERS Average hourly operator wage, excluding benefits

©Akhararat Wathanasing/gettyimages/Thinkstock

$18.70

Machine utilization rate at the average extrusion shop

72%

Number of workers at the average Canadian extrusion plant

Average annual amount of product shipped outside Canada

34%

of Canada’s extrusion shops believe? Do they see light at the end of the long, dark economic tunnel? What product markets are they relying on to take them into the manufacturing landscape that lies beyond? And is new equipment part of their plans? These — and a lot more — are the questions we try to answer in our latest trip into the ranks.

THE BASICS When asked how many employees worked at their plant, we received answers ranging from four to more than 100, with the average shop employing 72 people. Last year, the survey respondents ranged from five workers to 200, with the average shop employing approximately 68 workers. In 2011, there was a 43-worker average. It seems, then, that the rebuild-

By Mark Stephen, editor

ing of staffing levels after the recession continues to hold steady. Of this year’s respondents, 76.9% are involved in profile extrusion, 53.8% in pipe extrusion, and 31.5% in tubing extrusion. In 2012, 81% were involved in profile extrusion, 33.7% were involved in tubing extrusion, and 28.6% in pipe extrusion. Additionally, 46.2% of this year’s respondents say they’re involved exclusively in proprietary extrusion, 30.8% exclusively in custom extrusion, 15.4% in captive with some custom extrusion, and 7.7% in custom extrusion with some proprietary work, Last year, 40.9% of respondents said that they were involved exclusively in proprietary extrusion, 18.2% were involved in exclusively custom extrusion, 27.3% were involved in captive with some custom extrusion, and 13.6%

The 2013 Canadian Plastics Extrusion Benchmark Survey, consisting of 35 questions, was emailed to approximately 370 people at pipe, profile and tubing extrusion facilities throughout Canada, with one respondent being selected per manufacturing facility. We received 20 completed surveys. www.canplastics.com November 2013 Canadian Plastics

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extrusion survey

were involved in custom with some 30.8% using counter-rotating twin proprietary extrusion. screw designs, and 7.7% using co-rotatWHAT CATEGORY BEST As with last year, the majority of ing twin screw designs — a slight flucDESCRIBES YOUR PLANT? respondents — almost 77% — reported tuation from the 13.6% with counterthat their shops are involved in the rotating machines, and the 22.7% with Exclusively custom extrusion construction and building markets. It’s co-rotating twin screw units in 2012. 30.8% actually a slight bump from last year, Calling all extruder suppliers: At Captive with some least one-half of the machines in when 74% worked in these two marcustom extrusion 15.4% respondents’ shops this year are five or kets — no real surprise given the reaExclusively more years old (some shops don’t have sonable strength of the Canadian and Custom with proprietary extrusion some proprietary 46.2% any machines less than five years old) U.S. housing markets. Also, 38.5% of extrusion — it’s a number that remains basically this year’s respondents are extruding 7.7% unchanged from last year. Either this consumer goods (a noticeable bump year’s respondents are really atypical, from 27.3% in 2012), 30.8% are (N=19) or there’s a lot of older equipment ratinvolved in packaging applications tling around out there, just possibly due to be replaced. (down from 40.9% last year), and 30.8% are doing automotive But are the respondents in buying moods? In a word: Maybe. work (holding steady from 27.3% in 2012). Thirty-eight per cent of respondents this year say they have no Only 36.4% of those surveyed this year said their plant has plans to buy a new extruder within the next 12 months, comeither ISO or QS9000 certification — basically the same as the pared with 36% saying the same thing in 2012. It might just be 33% reporting the same last year, but still a big drop from the the same respondents determined to tough it out with their age67% with at least one of those in 2011. And as always, the ing extruders year after year. majority of respondents this year (75%) are located in Ontario; And here’s another indicator of the peculiar lay of the postof the rest, 8.3% are in Quebec, 8.3% are in Alberta, and 8.3% recession land: Sixty per cent of respondents this year said the hail from Nova Scotia. equipment they planned on buying would replace old machinery rather than add capacity; whereas in 2012, 50% said they TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY were looking to replace old units rather than add capacity. When we asked our respondents to tote up the number of Despite a marginal uptick, then, it seems our respondents in extruders at their plant, 27% said they have 15 or more machines, the year 2013 — well past the supposed “recovery year” of versus 33% with 15 or more last year. At the high end this year, 2010 — remain skittish about the likelihood of adding capacity our largest respondent reported having 45 extruders, compared in the months ahead. with a high water mark of 70 last year. As with last year, the vast The tight-fistedness loosens considerably when we look majority this year (69.2%) use single screw extruders, with 80

PAST PURCHASES (BY %)

100

INTENT TO PURCHASE (BY %)

70 Yes

Yes

40 40

30 20

10 0

27.3

72.7

Extruders

(N=19)

45.5

54.5

36.4

Downstream extrusion equipment

63.6

Auxiliary equipment

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Extruders

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extrusion survey

downstream, however. Almost 82% of respondents this year plan to purchase new downstream extrusion equipment within the next 12 months, compared to 60% who said they would do so last year. Less promising is the auxiliary equipment side. Almost 55% of respondents this year plan on purchasing new auxiliary equipment within the next year, compared with 50% saying the same last year. Machine utilization rates seem to have held relatively steady over the past year. The average machine utilization rate among respondents this year was 72%, up slightly from 68% in 2012 — although we miss the shop this year that reported a hard-to-beat 100% utilization rate last year.

MARKETS SERVED BY YOUR PLANT Automotive 30.8% Consumer goods 38.5% Construction & building 76.9% Electronic 23.1% Packaging 30.8%

THE PRICES OF DOING BUSINESS In 2012, extrusion firms allocated an average of 2.8% of their annual budget to employee training, and 6.9% to product research and development. How do those numbers stack up against current expenditures? The figures definitely shifted: On average, almost 3.8% will be allocated to employee training in 2013, while money earmarked for product R&D fell slightly to an average of 4.5% — still, this last number pales in comparison to the 9% average spent on

Other 30.8% (N=19)

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R&D in 2008, our all-time survey best. And how are the men and women on the shop floor faring in the midst of it all? According to this year’s survey, the average operator wage, excluding benefits, is $18.70, compared to

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an average of $18.98 per hour paid out last year. Both figures are better — from the workers’ point of view, at least — than wages paid out a few years ago: The average hourly shop floor salary, excluding benefits, was $16.08 during the recessionary depths of 2009, for example, and $16.67 in 2008.

GOING GLOBAL (OR NOT) In this brave new globalized world, how are Canadian extruders faring when it comes to doing business, or establishing a presence, on foreign soil? Approximately 44% of survey respondents this year said their facilities ship 50% or more of finished products outside of Canada, a slight decrease from the 50% that reported doing so last year. As far as setting up shop outside of Canada, 45.5% of respondents have a presence in the U.S. (down from 57.9% in 2012), 18.2% have a presence in Mexico (up from 15.8% last year), 9.1% have a presence in China (up from zero last year), and no one has anything going on in India (down from 10.5% last year).

Digging a little deeper, 80% of the respondents this year whose shops have a foreign presence are maintaining a sales office, 80% maintain a manufacturing facility, and 20% have a joint venture with a local firm. Last year, 80% had a foreign presence, 50% had a manufacturing facility, and none of the respondents had a joint venture. Of the extrusion shops without a foreign presence, 83.3% are quite content to keep it that way, and have no plans to plant the company flag on foreign soil in the next 12 months. Sounds like a lot, especially when you compare it to last year, when a relatively mere 54.5% said they had no plans to enter these markets inside of the next 12 months. CPL

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doing it better

Everyone knows that family businesses — which can pit one relative against another in ways that make Leafs and Habs fans look like BFFs — are disasters waiting to happen, right? Don’t tell that to the Ritchies of R&M Plastic Products; they’re too busy tearing it up with their three-generation family firm. By Mark Stephen, editor

archives. Plastics’ Canadian

R&M Plastic Products Ltd.

dit: Photo Cre

FAMILY TIES: Photo Cred it: R&M Plas tic Produc ts Ltd.

R&M Plastic Products Ltd.’s first office Top left: Thomas Ritchie at his first desk at as Ritchie and son Bob, circa 1986; in Brampton, Ont., April 1973; top right: Thom new Barrie headquarters today. the into ng above: Bob and Dan Ritchie settli

ome family businesses just don’t work. Fans of The Godfather trilogy, for example, may recall the brothers in the Corleone mob clan winding up as how-to guides for dysfunction. And it’s not like you couldn’t find a gazillion or so real-life cautionary tales, either. Every once in a while, though, someone gets it right. R&M Plastic Products Ltd. definitely qualifies. This Barrie, Ont.based extruder and injection molder has gone your average second-generation company one better, with Dan Ritchie — grandson of founder Thomas Ritchie — now working alongside father and current owner Bob Ritchie, making for that rarest of all birds: a 100 per cent family-owned, third-generation plastics processing firm. R&M was originally formed by Thomas Ritchie in 1966,

in a little metal shack with one extruder and no business. Ritchie had been with a Toronto extrusion shop before deciding to throw his own hat in the plastics ring. The early years were no cakewalk — it wasn’t until the early 1970s that the company was able to move into a proper manufacturing facility in Brampton, Ont. — but Ritchie persevered. In 1974, his son Bob began working full-time for the company...and then left in 1979 to work for Toronto Plastics, managing the extrusion division and then taking over as sales manager. “I was very happy at Toronto Plastics, and had no intention of coming back to R&M,” Bob Ritchie said. “But I’d always wanted to own my own business, and when the opportunity arose in 1985, I jumped at the chance and became a significant partner at R&M.” www.canplastics.com November 2013 Canadian Plastics

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doing it better

The younger Ritchie had learned a thing or two about business development at Toronto Plastics; he quickly added new equipment, modernized the plant, and went after new accounts. “In the late 1980s, we began extruding spoon straws, using machinery custom built in-house, and it’s an account we still have today,” Bob Ritchie said. “We also ventured into injection molding, in part because our customers were having problems getting injection molded parts that matched our extruded parts, but also because we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to give our customers a complete turnkey product. It’s proven a good decision, but at the time no one at the company had any injection molding knowledge, so all of the employees required training.” A backdrop to the company’s steady trajectory in the 1990s was the growing involvement of Bob’s son Dan. The family joke about his crib having been an empty Gaylord box is a bit of a stretch, but not by much. “I spent a lot of time at the R&M plant as a kid, worked there on evenings, weekends and during summers while in high school, and worked full-time in the early 2000s,” Dan said. “I trained as a toolmaker, and then left R&M in 2006 to work in the engineering department of a service company.” Maybe you can guess what happened next — once again a Ritchie son returned to the family fold amid a shift in the control of the

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business. “I officially rejoined R&M in 2010,” Dan said. “When I returned, Bob and his wife Linda purchased the remaining shares, and the company was once again 100 per cent family-owned.” Maybe that ought to be 400 per cent, given that the top four members of R&M’s senior management team are either Ritchie men — Bob and Dan — or their spouses; Linda is in charge of company finance, and Dan’s wife Trina heads the administrative department.

HOLDING THE COURSE

There may be some new blood at R&M, but some things haven’t changed much — and in case you’re wondering, that’s a good thing. “Currently, extrusion accounts for about 80 per cent of our business — that number has fluctuated slightly over the decades, but extrusion remains our principal occupation,” Bob Ritchie said. “And despite our ability to reinvent ourselves, there are some product lines that we’ve had from almost the very beginning up to the present.” Case in point: guy wire guards used by the hydro and telecommunications industries to mark and protect guy wires from weather, vandalism, and animals. “R&M first began extruding guy guards back in the late 1960s, and we’ve worked hard over the years to get the resin blend just right and to take stresses out of the part,” Bob Ritchie said. “The result is a very high standard of product that we sell from Alaska down to the Caribbean.” (See pg. 29 sidebar for more.) R&M has 11 extruders and five injection molding machines — a total that Bob and Dan say suits their business philosophy, which also hasn’t changed much in some respects. “We’re comfortable with our screw sizes and clamping forces,” Bob Ritchie said. “Our extruders are 2.5 inches and our molding machines range from 90 tons to 250 tons, and these match our needs perfectly. We could make new investments — get into larger screw sizes, for example — but we don’t have the product range to justify the expense or the business risk.” Think that sounds methodical? You’re right. “We try not to have too many eggs in one basket, so in addition to guy guards and straws, we make parts for many different industries, including swimming pools and spas, display and advertising, home improvements, windows and doors, toys, and health care and medical,” Dan Ritchie said. “We always try to play to our strengths — we manufacture high-end, specialized drink straws, as well as commodity straws.”

OLD SCHOOL MEETS NEW COOL

This isn’t to say that nothing has changed since Dan and Trina signed on. “Dan and Trina are progressive and Linda and I are from the old school, and the combination can give

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Canadian Plastics November 2013 www.canplastics.com

CPLNov2013 p27-29 Doing Better-2.indd 28

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doing it better

CHANGING OF THE GUY GUARD How new blood improved an old part THE PROBLEM:

“Some end users of our guy guards were having problems with the products’ metal clamps, which were very cold to the touch in winter,” said Bob Ritchie. “Also, salt corrosion of the metal over time could be a problem in coastal areas.”

THE SOLUTION:

“Dan and an R&M engineer invented — and patented — a plastic clamp to replace the metal version,” Ritchie said. “The new clamp has a better ergonomic design, meets CSA standards, and is very popular with many of the installers.”

THE LESSON:

“Nobody asked us to do this — our sales team asked various guy guard installers for suggestions on making the product better, and we listened,” Ritchie said. An old-school approach? More like the school they tore down to build the old school. But it works.

The old metal clamp (left), and the new plastic part.

us the best of both worlds,” Bob Ritchie said. “Dan is the driving force, for example, behind our website development: We’re launching four websites this year, one for each major market we service, including guy guards and drinking straws. For the drinking straw website, Dan is including a feature that allows the customer to design their own straw, complete with color, length, and other data — R&M can then deliver them a quote based on that model. It’s a new tool for us.” Another recent change is more tangible. In 2011, after more than 30 years in Brampton, R&M moved north to Barrie. And the new 35,000-square-foot digs are just fine. “Our lease in Brampton was up, and we decided to move into a facility that better suited our current needs,” Dan Ritchie said. “Barrie has the infrastructure, and is hungry for manufacturing, having lost a number of plastics processing shops during the recession. The city officials and economic development agencies we worked with made the transition easier. Also, the employees that we hired in Barrie have added great value to the company — we have a current workforce of 30 employees, and they’re all talented, hard working, dedicated, and also bring some fun into the workplace.” There’s no word yet on whether a fourth generation of Ritchie is waiting in the wings — which might be just as well, since Bob isn’t planning on going anywhere. “I’m 63, and have no interest in retiring,” Bob Ritchie said. “When it’s done right, working with family gives you a great feeling — and I think we’re doing it right.”

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technology showcase

AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT

Small vacuum dryer gives realtime consumption measurement Sized for the throughputs of many injection molding machines as well as small extrusion lines for products such as medical tubing, the new VBD 150 dryer from Maguire Products Inc. is designed to make operation much simpler and more reliable than with previous vacuum systems, while continuing to dry resin six times faster than with desiccant dryers, and using substantially less energy. The VBD dryer has a continuous batching operation that is carried out in three vertically arranged, heavily insulated, stainless steellined vessels for — respectively — heating, application of vacuum, and retention of resin in a dry state. Operators can precisely monitor and document material use because both the vacuum chamber and retention hopper are mounted on load cells, and because dispensations of materials from one vessel to the next are carried out by high-speed slidegate valves, with an accuracy per dispense of ± 4 grams. The availability of real-time consumption data provides the opportunity to certify processing conditions — a capability that’s important for serving medical markets. In addition, the VBD 150 uses load cells to enable operators to set the dryer to the throughput required for optimum energy efficiency, avoiding the energy waste of drying excess material. VBD models incorporate the same operator-friendly software and controller perfected for the LPD dryer, and come with the same five-year warranty. The cost savings achieved with vacuum drying result from a reduction in energy consumption of up to 60 per cent in comparison with desiccant dryers; elimination of the need to regenerate desiccant; and reduction in startup time as a result of a drying cycle that is only one-sixth as long. Additional VBD models will be introduced in the first half of 2014. Maguire Canada/Novatec Inc. (Vaughan, Ont.); www.maguirecanada.com; 866-441-8409 Barway Plastic Equipment Inc. (Vaudreuil-Dorian, Que.); www.barway.ca; 450-455-1396 30

Water flow regulator improves temperature control The latest model from Wittmann’s line of Flowcon flow regulators, the Flowcon plus offers a proportionally controlled stepper motor and wear-free flow meter to enable proportional control of the valves, allowing for a significant improvement in temperature control. The valves of the Flowcon plus can be used both as simple control valves with flow monitoring, and in combination with a temperature probe to regulate mold temperature. Process data such as flow and temperature values can be entered either on the touchscreen of the teach box, or directly on the control panel screen of the processing unit, because it’s connected to the flow regulator via an interface. The key advantage of this type of flow regulator over a manually adjustable product is that it permits continuous electronic monitoring of the preset flow and temperature values. All data are logged, and can be automatically adjusted proportionally via control valves. Already proven in service many times over, the Wittmann fine regulating valve of the 301 series performs the flow regulation function here. Additional options for the Flowcon plus are currently under development: the ability to connect directly to the fully electric EcoPower injection molding machine from Wittmann Battenfeld; the ability to blow mold channels out with compressed air; and the ability to switch from cold water regulation to the operation of a temperature control device. Wittmann Canada (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-canada.com; 888-466-8266

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Canadian Plastics November 2013 www.canplastics.com

CPLNov2013 p30-37 TechShow.indd 30

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technology showcase

traditional dies with “coat hanger” manifolds: less time needed to achieve on-spec product and to purge between product runs; and up to 25 per cent improvement in crossdirectional product uniformity, along with a reduction in gel formation. The new-generation Contour die retains these advantages while saving up to two days of downtime for width changes because it incorporates an internal deckle for making changes in product width. While benefits from the new die will vary with each application, in commercial-scale trial runs by a global film manufacturer working with Nordson, the new generation Contour die achieved considerably narin the control cabinet of the molding machine. At the control cabinet, analog signals are converted into digital signals and connected with the new BlueLine voltage module by one single Hybrid-Bus cable. Since this is a bus system, the different BlueLine modules, such as pressure and temperature amplifiers or machine interfaces for process control, can be complemented and designed in any order. The device is galvanically isolated, and also designed to provide the required supply voltage for independent sensors such as pressure transmitters. On request or in case of confined space conditions, the device can also be mounted outside of the control cabinet in a sealed housing. Priamus System Technologies LLC (Brunswick, Ohio); www.priamus.com; 877-774-2687

rower gauge tolerances in comparison with a coat hanger die, making possible materials saving with a calculated annual value of US$200,000. Nordson Extrusion Die Industries (Chippewa Falls, Wis.); www.extrusiondies.com; 715-726-1201

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Twenty per cent more output from PVC cling film extrusion system

The new generation Contour cast film die from Nordson Extrusion Dies Industries incorporates an internal deckle that enables extrusion processors to achieve speed and precision without incurring downtime for changing product width. There are two major advantages of the Contour die over

Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. has upgraded its highspeed cast line for producing PVC cling film to boost output by more than 20 per cent. The new 2.0 m wide line features an extrusion output of 300 kg per hour, up from 230 kg per hour in the previous design. The line produces strong film from eight to 16 microns thickness that can be used in both hand-wrap and machine-wrap applications. A key feature of the redesigned line is the new winder,

Die saves up to two days of downtime for width changes

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technology showcase

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which operates at speeds up to 280 m per minute. The winder is a specially designed two-spindle contact version that creates elevated contact forces to generate rolls that are transparent and with uniform geometry. The cutover sequence on the new winder has also been improved to drastically minimize scrap during roll indexing. When fully equipped, the line is supplied with auxiliary roll edge cutter, resin blend preparation system, and recycling system. PVC cling film is popular for such applications as meat, poultry, cheese, and vegetable packaging applications. The film’s stretching properties offer superior food presentation on the shelf, and it clings well to many surfaces. Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.macroeng.com; 905-507-9000

HOT RUNNERS

Intelligent temperature control system for enhanced hot runner operations

tion more accessible than ever for plastics processors. The centrepiece of the Intelligent Temperature Control System, the latest innovation in a new global line of advanced DME hot runner controller solutions, is a vibrant, 5.7inch color touchscreen with a convenient foldaway mechanism that makes it easy for operators to enhance the injection molding performance of any hot runner system. The Intelligent Control System, which can be easily installed or retrofitted on a variety of machines, offers a compact design with the ability to expand to meet changing requirements. The unit’s plug-and-play system architecture does not require any external service. The controller is a highly modular system based on six-zone, 15A control cards with a maximum of up to 48 zones. Configuration is available with either Star or Delta power supply, link switchable, with up to 63A per phase. The unit’s small footprint cabinets come in a desk mounting case for up to 12 zones, and a standup case for up to 48 zones that offers direct front door access to the modular control cards. All Intelligent Temperature Control Systems are equipped with selfdiagnostic testing capabilities. The diagnostic testing tool enables users to confirm that every zone is functioning properly. The test tool takes the controller through a comprehensive review,

Offering minimal footprint and plugand-play compatibility with a wide range of systems, the new Intelligent Temperature Control System from DME is designed to make hot runner performance optimiza-

Canadian Plastics November 2013 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase

checking for reversed thermocouples, set level performance, and much more. At the end of the test, the tool builds a list of results that details how the test progressed. DME of Canada Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.dme.net; 800-387-6600

RECYCLING

Efficient degassing for highly contaminated and heavily printed plastic waste

The recycling of heavily contaminated post-consumer plastic waste and/or highly printed plastic scrap from production requires excellent filtration and degassing to produce regranulate good enough to be reused in a broad range of applications. Starlinger recycling technology has developed the new C-VAC degassing module for their recycling lines to enhance process engineering especially in the areas of filtration, degassing, and compounding. The new C-VAC module is an integrated but independent extrusion module which can be added to every Starlinger recoSTAR recycling extruder. By using a main extruder plus the C-VAC module with degassing extruder and two degassing ports — the first one for reverse venting — superior degassing performance is achieved. Due to the two separate extruder drives, the extruder speeds can be adjusted independently from each other according to material requirements, resulting in lower shear and consequently better degassing efficiency. The short extruder lengths allow gentle processing of materials without significant shear, guaranteeing quality output even at low melt temperatures. The melt filter before the C-VAC module also increases filtration efficiency regarding organic contaminants. The two degassing ports ensure good degassing. While the first port at the entrance of the degassing extruder is used for reverse venting against the melt flow, the remaining volatile contaminants are removed in melt flow direction at degassing port number two. A specially designed melt discharge from the main extruder to the degassing extruder divides the melt stream in several smaller streams, which results in more melt surface area — an increase by 300 per cent — and consequently better venting.

The Starlinger recycling lines equipped with C-VAC are especially suitable for materials which tend to create gases in the recycling process, such as post-consumer household waste, agricultural film, and highly printed film. Starlinger (Greenville, S.C.); www.starlinger.com; 864-297-900

Backflush screen changer meets recycling demands New from Maag Automatik Inc., the CSC-BFX backflush screen changer is intended to satisfy all the demands of direct recycling (such as rPET bottle flakes to films) with just two screen pistons. The recycling industry is increasingly demanding suitable backflush filters for direct processing of recycling

www.canplastics.com November 2013 Canadian Plastics

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MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT Bulk bag filling system improves productivity and safety material into 1A products (film, fibre, sections, et cetera) without the intermediate step of pelletizing — and the CSC-BFX backflush screen changer meets those requirements by storing the backflush material in rheologically optimized conditions in an integrated melt accumulator. In so doing, the CSC-BFX cleans the contaminated screen surfaces with no impact on the final product. The backflush filter incorporates only two turn/lift cylinders for the complete filter function — as opposed to other designs with as many as eight hydraulic cylinders — making it compact and easy to integrate into existing extrusion lines, with corresponding cost benefits. The backflush screen changer is fully automatic. Its controller, the maaxBFX, provides user-friendly control, monitoring, and visualization of operating parameters when handling highly contaminated polymer melt. Extensive practical trials have been completed, and the backflush screen changer is available now in the standard extrusion sizes with active filter areas from 250cm 2 to 3,250 cm 2. Maag Automatik Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.); www.maag.com; 704-716-9026

plastics data file Wittmann Innovations

Innovations — Wittmann’s quarterly newsletter — offers plastics processors detailed insight into ways to improve their businesses with news and application stories covering Robots and Automation, IML, Injection Molding Machinery, Material Conveying, Drying and Blending, Granulation and Temperature Control. It is available in print and on-line. Wittmann Canada Inc., 35 Leek Crescent Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4C2 Tel: 1-888-466-8266 www.wittmann-canada.com

Get free information from the companies that interest you most. Contact the company directly using the telephone number, e-mail address or web site listed above.

A complete bulk bag filling process system is now available from National Bulk Equipment Inc. that enables a single operator to process up to 20 4,500 pound-capacity bulk bags per hour; or 90,000 pounds of dry bulk material per hour. The system includes automated pallet introduction; automated metering of material supply; NTEP-certified, precision bag weighing; and automated, filled-bag accumulation conveyors.

The system uses a single, menu-driven HMI, designed and built by NBE, to centralize system-wide operations, including legacy, upstream material supply equipment. NBE integrated automation directs all equipment controls, communication, sensing, monitoring, and data reporting using UL-listed panels built by NBE. NBE-integrated automation reduces material loss, increases overall equipment effectiveness, and dramatically improves labor efficiency and safety. Process line optimization begins immediately upon the introduction and staging of the first pallet. The NBE cantilevered fill head/bag hanger carriage uses pneumatic actions to bring the fill head and rear bag hooks to well within the operator’s reach, without the need for the operator to step or lean into the equipment. The hydraulic carriage easily and safely lifts bag capacities up to 4,500 pounds, exceeding the lift speed and capacity of ball screw designs — a physical ergonomic design that maintains optimal operator posture for safe and efficient operation. NBE NTEP-certified weigh systems provide valid, accurate, and repeatable weighing of the bulk bags to an accuracy of +/- .01% of the 4,500 pound bag weight. National Bulk Equipment Inc. (Holland, Mich.); www.nbe-inc.com; 616-399-2220

Canadian Plastics November 2013 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase

SHOP FLOOR

Air nozzle features precise non-marring blowoff Exair Corporation’s new PEEK Atto Super Air Nozzle has been engineered to produce the highest performance attainable from a tiny nozzle, to deliver the smallest, most precise blowoff with an efficient, high volume, high velocity airflow. The overall length of the air nozzle measures only 0.50 inches (12.7 mm) with a diameter of only 0.16 inches (4 mm), permitting installation in tight spaces. Its PEEK plastic construction provides non-marring protection to production items, as well as resistance to damage from harsh chemicals. The PEEK Atto Super Air Nozzle is suitable for blowoff, cooling and drying applications located in general industrial or corrosive environments.

www.leister.com

New from the K 2013

Outstandingly compact.

The Model 1108-PEEK Atto Super Air Nozzle provides a narrowly focused air pattern. High amplification of airflow and a strong blowing force of 2.0 ounces (56.7 grams) are achieved with minimal air consumption of 2.5 SCFM at 80 PSIG. Safe operation is assured since the airflow of the Atto Super Air Nozzle cannot be blocked, which meets the OSHA standard for dead-end pressure 29 CFR 1910.242(b). Sound level is very low at 58 dBA, and meets OSHA noise requirement 29 CFR 1910.95(a), as well as being CE compliant. The Atto Super Air Nozzle is designed to easily replace existing wasteful nozzles or open pipes. The compressed air inlet is male M4 X 0.5. The nozzle is also available in Type 316 stainless steel and with NPT threading. Price starts at US$27. Exair Corporation (Cincinnati, Ohio); www.exair.com/attopeek.htm; 800-903-9247

PUT A CAP ON SCRAP

Digitally regulated extrusion welder

WELDPLAST S1 • compact extrusion welder • Functional, ergonomic design with comfort grip areas • Extremely high output power of 0.8 kg/h (HD-PE) • Integrated LED lighting and hanging point • Can work with all typical kinds of plastic (PE, PP, PVC, PA, PVDF or ECTFE) • Multifunction panel with predefined welding parameters • BL blower, adjustable air volume Leister Technologies AG Switzerland

We know how.

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www.canplastics.com November 2013 Canadian Plastics

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technology showcase

PACKAGING

Rotary table for increased food safety Operators of food production lines must adhere to strict food hygiene regulations from the FDA to ensure consumers can buy food safely — this includes avoiding any kind of contamination, such as from foreign particles or lubricants during production or transport process. With this in mind, igus Inc. has introduced the iglide PRT family of lubricant-free polymer rotary table bearings.

classified ads

The PRT 01 design is made of corrosion-free stainless steel. The sliding elements between the inner and outer rings are made of iglide A180. As an FDA-conforming special polymer, A180 is suitable for contact with food and humidity. With their low profile and rigid design, lubricant and maintenance-free polymer rotary table bearings can replace lubricated ball bearing rotary tables or rotary connections. igus Inc. (Concord, Ont.); www.igus.com; 800-965-2496

advertising index

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

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www.novatec.com www.pcs-company.com

Plastic Process Equipment, Inc. 39

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Wittmann Canada Inc.

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Canadian Plastics November 2013 www.canplastics.com

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Season’s Greetings Wishing you a happy & prosperous New Year from. . .

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technical tips

How (and why) to do a gate seal experiment By John Bozzelli, Injection Molding Solutions

s gate seal a critical plastic variable? As Sarah Palin would put it, you betcha! My experience dates back a couple of decades, to when I worked at Dow Plastics as technical representative solving customer problems. It took more years than I’d care to admit before I caught on to the importance of gate seal or unseal relative to part performance. Performance issues include impact, elongation, dimensions, stress cracking, cold versus warm properties, dimensions, and — the shocker to me — chemical resistance variations. It’s hard to believe that one section of a part has a different chemical resistance than another, but it’s true. The bottom line is that before determining second stage time, you must first know with which the molecules in the part are happier: run with the gate frozen, or unfrozen/unsealed. Here’s a personal case study to show what I mean. Last year I bought a plastic rake (warranted for five years, by the way) from the local hardware store. The weather was warm on the first occasion that I used it, and everything went fine. The next week was a bit cooler — near freezing, actually — and after five minutes the rake cracked. Where? That’s right, at the gate. Why? First, ask how much pressure does it take to fill the solid area? Not much — it’s polypropylene and the nominal wall isn’t thin-wall. Next, how much pressure does it take to fill the tines? That’s a different story — a fair amount, as the tines are harder to fill, plus shorts at the end of the tines will not sell. So, with second stage pressure, you’d better make sure there are no shorts — hold pressure might be relatively high to make sure there is enough pressure to fill the tines completely. Factor in the possibility that the processor wants to make sure there are no shorts and goes for a long second stage hold time. Therefore, molecules near the gate are frozen close together. At warmer temperatures, the molecules aren’t exactly happy, but they’ll do their job. As the temperature lowers, however, shrinkage occurs — the molecules are fighting one another, they want to shrink but cannot. This stress is higher in the gate area, and — to return to my unfortunate rake episode — when I added the stress of raking in cold temperatures, the molecules cracked. Okay, so if there’s a difference in part quality between parts run with or without the gate frozen, how do you find out? The only way to find out what is best for performance is to test parts with and without gate seal. To begin, determine what the part, resin, mold, and process demand. Run a gate seal experiment and find out the approximate gate seal time. It doesn’t have to be exact, and the gate seal experiment is easy. First, find a pressure that makes the part look correct. Second, change the second stage time; add or subtract it from the cooling or mold closed time to keep the cycle 38

time the same, then weigh parts to four significant figures. Tip: Make sure you go long enough on time that the part weight stops increasing. Finally, you plot the data. Once you know how long it takes the gate to freeze, you have some testing to do. Make an appropriate number of parts with a hold time known to provide parts with gate seal, and a second set with a known second stage time to provide parts with gate unsealed or unfrozen. Take these to quality control and put them through the performance testing spanning the full range of use temperatures, and don’t worry about dimensions. You’ll probably be surprised at how many times you’ll see all the parts fail on one side and pass on the other side of gate seal. And even if there’s no difference between parts with gate sealed or unsealed, you can save money on resin, as the parts made with the gate unsealed will be lighter than those made with the gate sealed. Having established with which way the part or resin is “happier”, you can now objectively determine second stage time. If gate sealed is best, and you found the gate seal time to be 5.5 seconds, then set it higher — 6.5 seconds, say, or longer — to ensure gate sealed parts. This is provided that you can get the screw back within the cooling time, so as not to extend the cycle. But even if you have to extend cycle time and your costs go up — which is bad — it won’t compare with the cost of failed parts in the field. If gate unseal is best, I’d start at the halfway point — in this case set 2.75 seconds — on the hold timer, run parts at a range of pressures to see if I can minimize sinks, and provide dimensions to specifications. Once the data is in on these gate unsealed parts, I’d increase or decrease the hold time (still not going near gate sealed time) and/or pressure to centre the part to specification. If this makes any sense to you, factor this gate seal or unseal influence on properties to other aspects of processing and mold design. For example, how critical is consistent cycle time if the process is run with gate sealed or unsealed? Does gate sealed versus unsealed influence the decision to use a cold runner or a hot runner? What kind of part performance consistency will you have if you picked the exact gate seal time? The bottom line? Do the testing and get the data before the part goes into production. And let me know if I’m all wet on this; after all, we’re all in this together. CPL John Bozzelli is the founder of Injection Molding Solutions (Scientific Molding) in Midland, Mich., a provider of training and consulting services to injection molders, including LIMS and other specialties. He can be reached at john@scientificmolding. com, or visit www.scientificmolding.com.

Canadian Plastics November 2013 www.canplastics.com

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Wittmann Canada 35 Leek Crescent Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4C2 T (905) 887-5355 Toll Free 1-888-466-8266 F (905) 887-1162

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