Canadian Plastics June 2014 by Annex Business Media

CanadianPlastics www.canplastics.com

JUNE 2014

MARK DANIELS LEADER OF THE YEAR

Ambassador of recycling

Which type of

RESIN DRYER

is right for you?

PROTOPLAST

is having a very good year

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

The latest developments in robotics and automation

A look at the other CPIA AWARD WINNERS

GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT

The quest to decontaminate post-consumer plastics

MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40069240

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ADVERTORIAL

Piovan 1964-2014:

50 years as key player in the world of plastics 50 years and more than 50,000 customers worldwide: important milestones which for us are the fundamental building blocks for pursuing new goals.

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ADVERTORIAL

This year, we are celebrating 50 years of leadership in auxiliary machinery for the plastic industry. In 1934 Costante Piovan & Figli was founded in Padua as a metalworking shop that took its name from its founder. It was not enough for Costante Piovan to produce molds. He understood that he needed to deliver better quality, more ideas and more solutions. It was an avant-garde idea: customer orientation was his business approach from the word go. This guiding principle has linked the three generations that developed Piovan: from Luigi, Costante’s son, who joined the company in 1960, to Nicola, who took the helm in 2000, giving an additional, strong push towards internationalization. A lot has been done, since 1964, the year when Piovan launched its first equipment on the Italian market - a granulator and a material loader. Today Piovan is a multinational company with five production facilities – in Italy, Germany, Brazil, China and the United States - 21 subsidiaries, agents in more than 70 countries and 900 employees, of which 140 are customer assistance engineers. Piovan provides the plastic industry with a complete range of products and services, including feeding, blending, drying and recycling systems. Moreover, Piovan produces industrial chillers and temperature controllers. It integrates its wide array of equipment with proprietary production monitoring and control software.

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The experience gained over the years has enabled Piovan to acquire vast knowledge in the main polymer processing techniques. It shares this knowledge with its customers, offering services not merely as a supplier of auxiliary equipment, but as a partner. These 50 years of accomplishments would not be possible without the dedicated sharing of those ethical values - individual and collective - that gave life first to a dream and then to a leading enterprise. The quality of Piovan products, in fact, would not exist without the quality of its staff, without their enthusiasm, their concrete ability and vision, and most importantly, without their pride in “being Piovan”. The best way to celebrate our first 50 years in the world of plastic is to continue to do so with passion for our work, living the life of a company well aware of its key role, going on step by step, innovation after innovation, always by the customer’s side. Because we believe that there will be a lot more to write about our history.

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contents

Canadian Plastics JUNE 2014 VOLUME 72 NUMBER 3

Photo Credit this page & cover: Ryan Ketterman, Ketterman Photography

LOOKING BACK...

During the height of the Cold War, the August 1961 issue of Canadian Plastics reported on the plastic material that was used to help safeguard Canada’s first nuclear power reactor, which had just been built by Canadian General Electric and the Atomic Energy Commission in Rolphton, Ont. The reactor’s many hundreds of thousands of square feet of concrete, steel, and wooden walls were given protection from chemical attack by a one-sixteenth of an inch thick coating of reinforced thermosetting resins. “These linings were applied by spraying the resin and reinforcement onto the surface, or by the hand ‘lay-up’ method using glass cloth and a mat,” our report said. "Proper substrate preparation is most important for this type of application."

Number of the month:

61*

cover story 10 CPIA LEADER OF THE YEAR: Mark Daniels, ambassador of recycling By day, Mark Daniels works for Hartsville, S.C.-based plastic bag maker Hilex Poly. After hours, he works for the plastic bag industry in general, speaking out about the benefits of the bags and fighting efforts to ban them. PLUS: We profile some of the industry's best and brightest, as selected by the CPIA.

features 14 ROBOTS & AUTOMATION: Aye, robots The newest crop of robot automation for injection molding machines has arrived. From linear and six-axis robots to sprue unloading to automated work cells, here's a look at some of what's available.

18 RECYCLING: Taking out the trash It's not complicated: better quality regrind equals better prices on the open market. No wonder that, in the land of post-consumer plastics, decontamination is king.

22 DRYERS: The drying game

* Percentage of Canadians with access to plastic bag and film recycling. (See pg. 18)

in every issue 5 Editor’s View: The watertight case for fracking 6 News: • Athena Automation keeps on building • Negri Bossi sold to U.S. joint venture • ABC Group sells U.S. subsidiary to China’s biggest fuel tank maker • People 30 Technology Showcase

Today's processors have to select the right dryers from a bewildering variety of options. But don't sweat it — it's all about determining how much drying is needed for the job and which dryer types are up to the task.

31 Plastics Data File

26 DOING IT BETTER: Protoplast is on a roll

38 Technical Tips: A deeper look at scientific molding (part 2)

With a recent aquisition that takes it into new territory and some newly won industry awards to its credit, this family-run injection molding firm in Cobourg, Ont., is having a very good year.

36 Advertising Index 36 Classified Ads

Visit us at www.canplastics.com 4

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

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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. 2014 SUBSCRIPTION RATES

6 issues Canadian Plastics, plus Dec. 2014 Buyer’s Guide: CANADA: 1 Year $71.95 plus applicable taxes; 2 Years $117.95+ taxes; single copy $10.00+ taxes. USA: US$81.95/year FOREIGN: US$126.95/year 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.

editor’s view

The watertight case for fracking

n his new book Groundswell: The Case for Fracking, Canadian author and Sun News Network anchor Ezra Levant explores the promise of natural gas that fracking has made possible, and the controversy that is preventing the exploitation of this resource here in Canada and around the world. The practice of sending pressurized water down wellbores to fracture deep bedrock formations and release natural gas, fracking has liberated enormous quantities of crude oil, and especially natural gas, from deposits trapped within sedimentary rock known as shale. The fracking boom has increased natural gas supplies and transformed North American producers of such resins as PE, which are favored by lighter natural gas-based feedstocks, into some of the most cost-competitive producers in the world. It’s a significant development for North America’s plastics sector, but there’s been a public backlash to fracking in both Canada and the U.S., based mainly around concerns about groundwater contamination. The industry has argued that fracking is safe and sustainable and provides major economic benefits, an argument environmental groups reject. But they’ll have a much tougher time rejecting it if Levant’s book creates the stir it deserves to. One of Levant’s shrewdest tactics is to hoist environmentalists on their own petards by using the findings of a definitive 2004 report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. to refute the misinformation — okay, lies — spread by many eco-warriors about fracking and its potential for contaminating groundwater. “After reviewing incidents of drinking water well contamination…[the EPA review] found no proven cases of fracking-related contamination. Exactly zero. Not a single one, anywhere, ever,” Levant writes. The EPA was still saying the same eight years later, he continues, citing then-EPA head Lisa Jackson telling a reporter in 2012 that “[i]n no case have we made a definitive determination

that the fracking process has caused chemicals to enter groundwater.” Levant also examines in detail the various U.S. states that are home to fracking operations — Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, and Louisiana, to name just a few — and the complete lack of credible scientific evidence that fracking has made a single drinking water source “dirty.” “Fracking has been going on in Michigan for many years; there are thousands of fracked wells in that state,” Levant writes. “If fracking really did contaminate groundwater, even occasionally, it would surely have happened in Michigan. But investigations there found…there is no indication that hydraulic fracturing has ever caused damage to groundwater or other resources in Michigan.” Nor should the results of these and other such investigations — “which have not found… a single drop of drinking water contaminated by fracking” — come as a surprise, Levant writes, since “it isn’t actually physically possible for something like that to happen. Why? Because in not one single case does a hydraulic fracture even come near the water table.” As he explains, a typical water well goes down several dozen feet, or maybe even a couple of hundred feet if the water table is exceptionally deep; even water aquifers average only around 500 feet below the ground. “But fracking? That happens thousands of feet below the surface — typically between 6,000 and 10,000 feet underground,” Levant writes. That thud you just heard is the case closing. If you read him with an open mind, in fact, it’s almost impossible to dispute Levant’s conclusion that fracking is one of the “safest…resourcebased industries on Earth.” And you could do a lot worse for the plastics industry than to buy a copy of the book and circulate it among your family and friends. Mark Stephen, editor

mstephen@canplastics.com www.canplastics.com June 2014 Canadian Plastics

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news

An artist’s rendering of the finished systems centre. Image Credit: Athena Automation Ltd.

Athena Automation keeps on building

rocessing machinery maker Athena Automation Ltd. is putting down some deep roots. In May 2014, the Vaughan, Ont.-based company broke ground on what will be a $40 million systems centre for just-in-time machine customization. “The new 155,000-square-foot facility, adjoining our headquarters in Vaughan, will allow us to ship more customized machines starting in 2016, assemble higher tonnage machines, and showcase our ‘LIGHTSOUT’ plant engineering services,” Athena president and CEO Robert Schad told Canadian Plastics. “The building’s features will include a dedicated area for mold trials and extended runs, a quality control lab with state-of-the-art inspection equipment, an automated high-density part storage system, high-efficiency resin conveying and drying systems, a dedicated chiller for each machine testing station, a cafeteria, a fitness centre, and a medical office.” It’s all part of what are proving to be heady times for Athena, which was founded by Schad — of Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. fame — in 2008. “The centre, which will be finished as early as 2016, will be about four times larger than our current building,” Schad said. “Given the strong customer interest, it is now important to demonstrate to our employees and our customers that Athena is going to be around for the long term.”

And how. “Having begun shipping machines for test purposes in 2012, we will deliver approximately 20 this year,” Schad continued. “The first stack mold carrier-equipped machine has been shipped, and in partnership Sipa SpA, the Italian machinery maker for PET bottles, we’ve added a 300 metric ton preform system for up to 96 cavities to the existing 150-ton, 48-cavity system. Also, preform machine robots now have improved service routing, and the base can accommodate more pumps, allowing for higher speed injection applications.” Athena also plans to streamline its current facility for the capacity to produce between four to six machines per month. “Of course, we’ll continue option development for customization, such as rotary cube, rotary table, multimaterial, in-mold assembly, higher speed injection, and high-speed robots with specialized tooling,” Schad said. “We’re also continuing to hire new engineers and other staff for machine production, and are implementing service and spare parts infrastructure for responding to global installation, training, and support requests.” So how does Schad assess Athena’s progress, six years in? “I’m extremely happy with our team, and with the overall performance of our machines,” he said. “The goal is to give processors a flexible platform that can be customized into one simple system.” CPL

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

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news

Negri Bossi sold to U.S. joint venture

ABC Group sells U.S. subsidiary to China’s biggest fuel tank maker

Italy-based Sacmi Imola S.C. has sold its plastics division — including the Negri Bossi injection molding machine brand — to a joint venture formed by U.S. companies Ausable Capital Partners LLC and Kingsbury Corporation. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Rochester, N.Y.-based Kingsbury makes equipment for the automotive, aerospace, and electronic components industries. Private equity firm Ausable Capital Partners is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif. The sale includes all assets of the Negri Bossi business units, which incorporate manufacturing facilities in Italy and India and manufacturing partnerships in China and the Czech Republic, along with sales and service subsidiaries in many international locations. The Negri Bossi portfolio of products includes the Negri Bossi, BM Biraghi, and Oima injection molding machine brands, along with the Sytrama product range of Cartesian robots and automation-related products. Founded in 1947, Negri Bossi is the oldest manufacturer of injection molding machines in Italy. CPL

The majority owner of China’s biggest fuel tank maker has expanded its global automotive footprint with the acquisition of the fuel tank unit of Canada’s ABC Group Inc. Toronto-based ABC Group sold its ABC Group Fuel Systems Inc. subsidiary to China’s Rongshi International Holding Company Ltd. for an undisclosed sum. Rongshi is owned by a Chinese state-owned investment holding company, SDIC; SIDC, in turn, is a major investor in Yapp Automotive Parts Co. Ltd., which is the biggest plastic fuel tank maker in China, holding 50 per cent of the market share. The ABC subsidiary, located in Gallatin, Tenn., makes blow molded, co-extruded, and injection molded fuel tanks and transfer systems. “The sale of ABC’s fuel business was part of our global strategic plan to support our evolving international operations and six other expanding business units while continuing to meet our customers’ needs,” said ABC Group chairman and CEO Helga Schmidt. “As part of that plan, we recently opened up our fourth plant in Mexico, and are building a new facility in Tennessee.” CPL

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BONUS: Conference registrants may attend, at no extra charge, a half-day workshop on the afternoon of October 8th: Is Your Resin Supply Chain Value Focused? Linking resin supply to your company’s business strategy.

For more information, contact: Judith Nancekivell, Tel: 416-510-5116, Email: jnancekivell@canplastics.com www.canplastics.com/Conference/

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

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news

PEOPLE

Krista Friesen

Kevin Bell

Tim DeVriendt

David Madar

Vladimir Ilyutovich

•K evin Bell has joined Mississauga, Ont.-based auxiliary equipment supplier Hamilton Plastic Systems Ltd. as technical sales representative for Western Ontario. • Muskegon, Mich.-based conveying systems maker Dynamic Conveyor Corporation has named Tim DeVriendt as a North America sales territory manager for modular conveyors. • The Toronto-based Canadian Plastics Industry Association has named Krista Friesen as vice president, sustainability, responsible for all plastics recovery initiatives. She replaces Cathy Cirko. • York, Pa.-based blow molding and extrusion equipment maker American Kuhne has named

Randy Woelfel

Todd Karran

David Madar as product manager of its medical solutions practice, and Vladimir Ilyutovich as the director of international business development for medical solutions. •A xel Plastics Research Laboratories Inc., a Woodside, N.Y.-based maker of mold release agents, has appointed Scott Waterman as its global business development manager. •R andy Woelfel has stepped down as CEO of Calgary, Alta.-based Nova Chemicals Corporation. Todd Karran has assumed the role of acting CEO while the Nova Board of Directors searches for a permanent replacement.

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CPIA leader of the year

MARK DANIELS Ambassador of RECYCLING By Mark Stephen, editor

Photo Credit: Ryan Ketterman, Ketterman Photography

iven such monumental screw-ups as the City of Toronto’s infamous flirtation with a plastic bag ban last year, we Canadians could be forgiven for thinking of these bans as our own unique problem, like snowstorms in May. Far from it. America has bag bans, too — Chicago just enacted one, as you may have heard. Fortunately, as in Canada, the U.S. plastics sector has no shortage of dedicated members battling tooth and nail to roll back anti-plastics legislation. They win some, they lose some, but they keep fighting. Mark Daniels is one of these bag boosters, and he’s just been named Leader of the Year by the Canadian Plastics Industry Association. By day, Daniels is the senior vice president of sustainability and environmental policy for Hartsville, S.C.-based plastic bag maker Hilex Poly. After hours, though, you’ll find him on the front lines of the long, drawn-out war being waged against much of the plastics sector by environmental activists, legislators, and about nine-tenths of the global media. And he’s no new recruit — more like a battle-scarred veteran of the type that John Wayne might have played in his heyday, albeit armed with facts and figures instead of a gun and an eye patch. Daniels serves as the chairman for the American Progressive Bag Alliance — a division of the Society of the Plastics Industry — and sits on the Board of Directors for the Western Plastics Association, the Florida Retail Federation, and the Texas Retail Association. Stanley Bikulege, Hilex Poly’s chairman and CEO, summed up Daniels’s dedication in a nutshell. “Mark works relentlessly at defending the plastic industry while ensuring that factual information is given to the public and government bodies that will allow them to make informed decisions,” Bikulege said. “He spends his time working to educate all of those groups — NGOs, government bodies, and the public — that, if left to their own devices, would eliminate key jobs in the plastics industry while negatively impacting the environment and costing consumers money. He is a true ambassador of recycling.”

BITTEN BY THE PLASTICS BUG A Cedar Grove, N.J. native, Daniels attended Villanova University near Philadelphia before starting his career with what was then Signode — it’s now Illinois Tool Works Inc. — a maker of engineered fasteners and components. His involvement in plastic bag making began in 1989, with a move to Key Packaging Industries in Salem, N.H., and then to Hilex Poly — known at the time as Vanguard Plastics — in 1999. He was bitten by the plastics proselytizing bug almost immediately. “At the time I joined Key Packaging, I also became aware of an association

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

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CPIA leader of the year

called the Coalition of Northeastern Governors, which is a nonprofit agency that encourages intergovernmental cooperation in the Northeast on issues relating to economic, environmental, and social well-being,” Daniels said. “Back then, the debate between paper bags and plastic bags was just beginning to rage, and I helped compile research to demonstrate that plastic bags were a far superior product in regards to transportation, greenhouse gas emissions, acidification, and all the life-cycle analyses. It caught my attention from the beginning, and I’ve been on a journey to educate consumers ever since.” Even deeper extra-curricular involvement in industry associations came shortly after. “I joined the American Progressive Bag Alliance, which is the largest plastic bag industry organization in the U.S.,” Daniels said. “We promote the environmental attributes of plastic bags and educate consumers on the three-pronged approach of reducing, reusing, and recycling. We also use that approach to defend our industry against bag bans and tax ordinances.” And not without success. “Currently, there is no state in the U.S. that has banned plastic bags, although some 20 states have contemplated it,” Daniels said. “We’re very careful to explain the factual benefits of plastic bags to legislators, which also involves countering the misinformation spread by some environmental activists, and we have been successful so far in defeating most efforts to enact bans.”

NOT JUST TALK Closer to home, and with help from Daniels, Hilex Poly doesn’t just talk reducing and recycling, it walks it. “Hilex Poly is the largest plastic bag manufacturer in the U.S., and we also operate the country’s largest closed-loop recycling plant, a 120,000-squarefoot facility in North Vernon, Ind., that opened in 2005,” Daniels said. “With more than 30,000 collection points distributed mainly across the U.S. — but also including the Sobeys and Metro chains in Canada — we collect plastic bags, sacks, and wraps. Our plant recycles over 25 million pounds of PE annually, plus our recycling partners reprocess another 15 million pounds of this returned material. It’s reinvigorated our company, and inspired a lot of other flexible packagers to follow suit.” Additionally, Hilex Poly’s “Bag-2-Bag” recycling program was the first closed-loop recycling initiative to introduce plastic bag recycling at supermarkets and retailers that also rewarded customers with high-recycled content shopping bags. A hardened veteran of the bag wars he may be, but Daniels remains flattered by the CPIA’s award. “I’m humbled at being selected Leader of the Year, and it’s a real honor to be respected by my peers,” he said. “But it’s also an award that should be shared by my many associates in the industry who work hard promoting plastic bags and educating the public about the tenets of reduce, reuse, and recycle.” The Duke himself couldn’t have put it any better. CPL

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www.canplastics.com June 2014 Canadian Plastics

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CPIA awards

LIFETIME

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

DR. PATRICK MOORE Moore is a Canadian ecologist, known as one of the early members of Greenpeace, in which he was an environmental activist from 1971 to 1986. He subsequently co-founded Vancouver-based consulting firm Greenspirit Strategies Ltd., and served as its chief scientist. An author and public speaker, Moore is an unabashed advocate of plastics, specifically PVC — which he calls “about as nontoxic as a substance can be” — and the plastics-related synthetic com-

pound bisphenol A. His 2010 book Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout advocates a pro-plastics approach to environmentalism, and has played an important role in changing public perceptions about our industry for the better by debunking the often spurious claims of the anti-plastics movement, characterized as a “textbook case of misinformation-based environmentalism.” (If you’re wondering, Greenpeace doesn’t much care for the book.)

CANPLAST AWARDS CATHY CIRKO Cathy Cirko joined the CPIA in January 1997, as director responsible for programs related to sustainability, recycling, and environment and health. In 2003, she was named the CPIA’s vice president, with primary responsibility for the association’s plastics postuse recovery program, in which posi-

tion she led the development and execution of advocacy and partnership efforts to promote solutions to increase the recovery of plastics at their end-oflife. She retired earlier this year. “Cathy has ably represented us throughout Canada and internationally as a vocal proponent for a sustainable plastics industry,” the CPIA said.

MICHEL ILIESCO Iliesco is the marketing director of the consumer products packaging sector for Kingsey Falls, Que.-based packager Cascades. Over the past 10 years, he has been actively involved in several pilot projects relating to plastics recovery and recycling, as well as associations and industry committees. Most recently, Iliesco played a key role in the efforts of Eco Entreprises Quebec — a private, non-profit organization that represents some of Quebec’s biggest packaging and printing companies — to improve PS recovery and recycling in that province.

CHARLES RUSSELL Russell got his start in the industry with DuPont Canada, joined Nova Chemicals Corporation in 1985, and has since held a number of technical and leadership roles for Nova, including technical services leader at the company’s Technical Centre in Calgary from 2003 to 2014. He currently serves as Nova’s market manager for bag, liner, and wrap PE markets. Russell joined the CPIA Board of Directors in 2010, and has been involved in the organization’s Post-Use Committee and Membership Committee.

INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS MARK LICHTBLAU Lichtblau is the corporate vice president of Toronto-based PE film maker Haremar Plastic Manufacturing Ltd. 12

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CPIA awards

Under his stewardship, Haremar has taken a leading role in introducing a range of innovative packaging solutions to the marketplace, including state-ofthe-art technologies — such as downgauging — that control gauge variances, allow flatter film runs through production lines, and create film rolls with a more consistent, cylindrical geometry; modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) films with controlled oxygen transmission rates and moisture vapor transmission rates that help extend the shelf life of produce; and a solvent-free, ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) clean-peeling lidding stock suitable for use with PP trays, and developed specifically for one of Canada’s leading suppliers of gourmet olives.

food pouches. Recycling is also one of the company’s strong suits; Polynova’s LDPE material is carefully collected, sorted, and sent to an outside recycling company to be reprocessed.

POLYFORM CELLULAR PLASTICS INC. Since 2006, Granby, Que.-based PS foam product maker Polyform has included a

IN-MOLD SENSOR SENSORSTRATEGIES STRATEGIES A workshopthat thatwill willdemystify demystifychoosing choosing A one-day workshop and in-moldsensors! sensors! and using in-mold

Appropriatelyplaced placedcavity cavitypressure pressure sensors provide ideal source Appropriately sensors provide an an ideal source of molding process. Both ofinformation informationtotooptimize optimizethetheinjection injection molding process. Both injection will benefit from thisthis workshop. injectionmolders moldersand andmoldmakers moldmakers will benefit from workshop. Injection information forfor manufacturing Injectionmolders molderswill willgain gainkey key information manufacturing dimensionally parts. Moldmakers alsoalso need dimensionallyand andstructurally structurallyconsistent consistent parts. Moldmakers need basic ofof pressure sensors, options of styles basicknowledge knowledgeononthe thebenefits benefits pressure sensors, options of styles and adding of of value to customers in in andplacement placementwith withthe themold. mold.The The adding value to customers important environment. importantinintoday’s today’scompetitive competitive environment.

SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS MATHIEU ROBERGE The research and development manager at Quebec’s Cascades, Roberge played a key role in the company’s recent shift to using recycled PS for its trays, a move that culminated in 2013 with its EVOK line, the first PS trays in North America with 25 per cent recycled content. EVOK trays are designed for packaging meats, poultry, fish and seafood, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables. In addition to being innovative and eco-friendly, the product has achieved a UL Environment claim validation for its recycled content. The recycled material used to make EVOK trays is also approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. EVOK products allow for a 20 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with Cascades’ previous PS foam packaging.

recycling department and collecting logistics department among its divisions. The company reclaims all of its PS and EPS waste, which is reused for a variety of expanded and rigid plastic parts; surplus material is sold on the market. In 2012, Polyform invested in its own recycling plant that can recycle a wide variety of plastics. The company recycles more than five million kg of plastic annually. CPL

Presenter Steve Zenner, Presenter Steve Zenner, Consultant/Trainer, Consultant/Trainer, RJG Inc., has 25 years RJG Inc., hasindustry 25 years of plastics of plastics experience andindustry is an expert experience and is an expert in part design, project inmanagement, part design,tooling project management, tooling design and injection design and injection molding processing. molding processing.

Workshop Workshoptopics topicsinclude: include:

types • choosing typesand andstyles stylesofofavailable availablesensors sensors • choosing the best sensor for the application • designing and the best sensor for the application • designing and installing sensors in the mold • debugging sensor installing sensors in the mold • debugging sensor issues • taking care of sensors issues • taking care of sensors June 24, 2014 June 24, club, 2014 3745 north talbot rd. ciociaro ciociaro 3745 north oldcastleclub, (Windsor), on talbot rd. oldcastle (Windsor), on

Cost: $199, including lunch and a course manual Cost: $199, including lunch and a course manual Organized by: Organized by:

CanadianPlastics CanadianPlastics Following on the success of our Basics of Plastics Seminars

Following on the success of our Basics of Plastics Seminars

Check the Training Seminars section of www. canplastics.com for detailed information Check the Training Seminars section ofand www. registration, or callfor416-510-6794 canplastics.com detailed information and registration, or call 416-510-6794

DENNIS WONG Wong is the president of Vancouverbased flexible packager Polynova Industries Inc. Under his leadership, Polynova was an early adapter to sustainability, offering eco-friendly, low-carbon footprint packaging solutions such as biodegradable and/or starch-based poly film and bags, PS replacement air cushion bags, and tin can replacement laminate www.canplastics.com June 2014 Canadian Plastics

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robots & automation

By Mark Stephen, editor

AYE, ROBOTS

ntil it was nixed by studio heads, Eight Arms to Hold You was the original title of one of the Beatles movies in the 1960s. Fast forward fifty years and it sums up the approach of many new robotic automation systems towards injection molded parts, as equipment makers pursue the goal of reducing plastics processing costs by eliminating the need for operator intervention. From linear and six-axis robots to automated cells to sprue unloading, here’s a quick look at some of the latest product offerings.

I/M MACHINE MAKERS LEND A HAND A new turnkey system from Arburg Inc. for lightweight particle-foam composite injection molding combines a two-component Allrounder 470 S with a clamping force of 1,100 kN and size 170 and 70 injection units with a small Agilus six-axis robotic system from Kuka Robotics designed for load weights of up to 10 kg and ranges of up to 14

1,100 mm. The larger Arburg unit is equipped with a 25 mm screw and the second with an 18 mm screw that operates vertically in the mold parting line. The Agilus robotic system is suspended from a linear axis arranged transversely to the machine. The system produced model wheels at the K2013 trade show in Germany that combined a foamed tire and injection molded wheel. Here’s how. First, the robotic system removes the expanded PP (EPP) tires from a magazine and inserts them into the mold. The clamping unit then closes and the PP rim is molded on. The pre-molded part is then transferred to the second cavity, and the tire is overmolded with a soft TPE component. Both injection units operate with an open nozzle. After the clamping unit opens, the robotic system removes the finished part, inserts a new wheel, and the cycle starts again. The cycle time is approximately 40 seconds. The robot then transfers the completed wheels to an automated packing system. With the addition of Engel’s new viper

120 liner robot, the machine line has now been extended to seven sizes, from a nominal load-bearing capacity of six kg upwards. “The viper 120 offers a mold take-off stroke of 3,000 mm and a reach of 3,550 mm,” said Jay Sachania, general manager of automation at Engel. “All of the viper robots can be optionally supplied with an independent control unit, and can then cooperate with injection molding machines by any vendor via a Euromap 67 interface.” The vipers come standard with smart software packages that eliminate the structure-borne vibration of the robots — even with longer axis dimensions — and optimize their movement and dynamic values, Sachania continued. “The viper robot also adjusts its movements to the respective manipulation weight, and avoids unnecessary wait times outside of the machine.”

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE Fanuc Robotics’s M-20iA six-axis material handling robot, designed for injection

Photo Credit: Kuka Robotics

The newest crop of robotic automation for injection molding machines is here.

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

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robots & automation

molding as well as material handling applications, offers a reach of 1,811 mm and a 20 kg payload. It can be mounted on the floor, ceiling, and wall — and can now also be combined with Fanuc’s new iRVision 3D area sensor. “The high-speed iRVision is ideal for bin picking applications, which have traditionally been very challenging robotic processes,” said Dale Arndt, engineering manager at Fanuc Robotics Canada Ltd. iRVision is designed to offer easy setup and operation for factory environments requiring 2D and 3D guidance, error proofing, visual tracking, and quality control. “The area sensor provides full 3D maps in one quick vision shot,” Arndt said. “It’s an easy-to-use vision tool that allows quick bin picking setup through the iPendant.” Kuka Robotics launched the new KR Quantec shelf-mounted robots at K2013. “This series comprises eleven models in two product lines, the KR Quantec K

prime and KR Quantec K ultra, making it easy for injection molders to select a robot for a specific application,” said Yarek Niedbala, sales director at Kuka Robotics Canada Ltd. Due to their low base, the robots have an even greater downward reach, Niedbala continued, to optimize the unloading of injection molding machines. “Another superior feature is that axis 2 is located 400 mm further forward, significantly expanding the working envelope forwards and downwards,” he said. The largest KR Quantec K ultra has a reach of 23,900 mm, Niedbala added, the strongest KR Quantec K ultra has a payload capacity of 270 kg, and the KR Quantec K prime can handle payloads ranging from 90 to 210 kg. Sepro Robotique and its North American daughter company, Sepro America, recently introduced two new special-purpose robots for molding machines up to 500 tons. First are new Multi Inject robots designed to provide a solution for multi-

material molding applications where the secondary vertical injection unit would interfere with movement of a standard beam robot. “Multi Inject robots are mounted gantry-style above the moving side of the clamping area, allowing unrestricted vertical access into the mold,” said Jim Healy, Sepro America’s vice president of sales and marketing. “This approach is less costly and more flexible than the sideentry robots that, until now, have been the only other option.” And new Dual-Arm servo drive Sepro robots were designed specifically for applications involving three-plate molds. “They incorporate a three-axis arm with 0–90° pneumatic wrist that allows for simple pick-and-place of molded parts, and a secondary two-axis servo arm for sprue unloading,” Healy said.

BATTLING ROBOTS The new W833 pro robot from Wittmann is targeted at injection molding machines

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robots & automation

function that can be used to select a program via the main display screen and then opened with QuickEdit or in the text editor.” Yushin has released its new Yushin RC-DW take-out robot series, which combines a standard full servo robot and an outside-the-press handling robot into one unit. ”The take-out and handling sections of these robots interact independently to do the work of two conventional robots,” said Brad Lemieux, sales manager at Yushin vendor En-Plas Inc. “The RC-DW series team up to allow a fast part extraction time along with incorporating insert molding, vision inspection, gate cutting, and other valueadded applications.” The robots are controlled by Yushin’s E-touch II controller, Lemieux added, and are commercially available for machine tonnages ranging from 30 to 600. “And larger models are in the works,” he said. Eight Arms to Hold You never caught

with clamping forces of up to 650 metric tons; and a new robot control system, the R8.3, is designed to allow for easy configuration without formal training. “The W833 is a gantry-style, machine-mounted robot with a payload of 15 kg,” said Christian Weiss, national sales manager at Wittmann Canada Inc. “It’s lighter, larger, sturdier, and stiffer than previous W8 models.” The current evolution of the R8.3 places particular emphasis on userfriendly operation along with easy communication and interaction with the injection molding unit, Weiss continued. “The new QuickNew assistant is a graphics-based programming aid that can generate a complete programming sequence in just seven steps,” he said. “The mold opening synchronization function has now been integrated into the control system as a standard feature, enabling the robot to follow exactly behind the mold; and the functional scope of the system is rounded out by a new program loading

on; robotics automation suppliers are hoping for better results with their latest product offerings. CPL COMPANY Arburg Inc. (Newington, Conn.); www.arburg.com; 860-667-6500 D Cube (Montreal); www.dcube.ca; 514-272-0500 Dier International Plastics Inc. (Unionville, Ont.); www.dierinternational.com; 416-219-0509 Engel Canada Inc. (Waterloo, Ont.); www.engelglobal.com/na; 519-725-8488 Fanuc Robotics Canada Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.fanucrobotics.com; 905-812-2300 Kuka Robotics Canada Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.kuka-robotics.com/canada; 905-670-8600 Sepro America Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.); www.seproamerica.com; 412-459-0450 I ndustries Laferrière (Mascouche, Que.); www.industrieslaffiere.ca; 450-477-8880 Dier International Plastics Inc. (Unionville, Ont.); www.dierinternational.com; 416-219-0509 Wittmann Canada Inc. (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-canada.com; 905-887-5355 Yushin/En-Plas Inc. (Toronto); www.en-plasinc.com; 416-286-3030

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recycling

Taking out

TRASH

the

oing green is red hot, and nowhere more so than with plastics recycling. According to a 2013 study prepared for the Canadian Plastics Industry Association, there is nearly country-wide access to recycling for the more common types of plastics packaging, with some 95 per cent of Canadians having access to recycling PET and HDPE plastic bottles, almost that many having recycling access for other bottles, and 61 per cent having access to the recycling of plastic bags and other films. There are two types of plastics used in recycling: post-consumer and post-industrial rigid plastics, which are mainly PP, PS, and PE. Usually either purchased from manufacturers or gathered from local authority collection schemes, these materials are transported to a recycling plant, sorted according to type and color, and then, depending on the condition of the material, either dry granulated or washed and granulated to remove labelling and/or residue product. After laboratory testing, the cleaned and graded flakes and granules are stored until they’re ordered up by plastics proces18

sors — who are moving in faster than tween girls for Justin Bieber tickets. “Plastics converters all over the world are keen to get their hands on cheaper raw materials, a requirement that can only be satisfied by resorting to secondary raw materials,” said Werner Herbold, managing director of recycling equipment maker Herbold Meckesheim GmbH. “We’re seeing particularly strong demand from countries that have not seemed very interested in recycling up until now, in particular Canada and the U.S.” And when it comes to selling the finished product to the converters, decontamination is the whole enchilada: if the material hasn’t been decontaminated properly, you might as well use it for confetti at a wedding.

GETTING CLEAN It’s no surprise, then, that recycling equipment makers are prioritizing the improvement of decontamination capabilities. And they’re cleaning up their acts fast. Take PP, the strength and high melting point of which make it the most widely used plastic packaging in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. Precisely because PP is also one of the fastest growing areas of plastics recycling, for some end uses it’s important to remove odor and traces of food contamination — which is where U.K.-based plastics design and recycling consultant Nextek Ltd. comes in. Nextek has created a two-step process to decontaminate food-grade PP for reuse back into food packaging. The initial melting phase reaches nearly 500°F to remove

Photo Credit: Amut SpA

It’s simple: better regrind quality equals better prices on the market. No wonder that, in the land of post-consumer plastics, decontamination is king.

By Mark Stephen, editor

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

CPLJun2014 p18-21 Recycling.indd 18

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Photo Credit: Amut SpA

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contaminant molecules, and then solidification under vacuum at about 280°F causes residual molecules to migrate for final removal. The finished product achieves the necessary values of food-grade content, Nextek said, and can be blended with virgin PP at rates up to 50 per cent, PET is another commonly recycled plastic — so much so that it has the number “1” as its recycling symbol. But it can be tough to decontaminate, in part because conservation and protection techniques for beverages and food often clash with recycling exigencies. Faced with this PET recycling issue, Johnsonville, S.C.-based Wellman Plastics Recycling recently installed a prewashing and sorting system from Amut Recycling Division. Centred around Amut’s new elliptical ballistic separator, the system separates the bottles from any and all pollutants by extracting contamination through the grates in the blades and removing it on a disposal conveyor. A de-labeller/pre-wash system then cleans the PET bottles before sending them to sorters on the plant floor.

SEPARATE WAYS LDPE is another material gaining popularity among recyclers, and Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen GmbH (NGR) is ready with a new system designed for efficient separation of impurities from post-wash LDPE that incorporates an automatic band melt filter. “Although LDPE flakes exit the NGR washing line in good condition and at moisture levels lower than one per cent, impurities still need to be removed,” said Michael Heinzlreiter, NGR’s head of marketing. “With the automatic band melt filter system, the fineness of filtration can be tuned down to 0.275 inches. The system has a throughput capacity of 1,450 kg per hour, and screen changes can be done within 18 seconds.” And suitable for any material in any plastic recycling facility, DLS metal detectors from S+S Separation and Sorting Technology GmbH are mounted over the conveyor system prior to the shredder, and are designed to detect magnetic and nonmagnetic contaminants even if they’re embedded in the plastic product. By removing contamination prior to the process, the company said, recylers minimize machine damage and production downtime while guaranteeing product quality. If these technologies don’t exactly make decontamination sexy — and probably nothing can — they might get processors looking for quality regrind at least a little excited. CPL

RESOURCE LIST Amut North America (Woodbridge, Ont.); www.amut.it; 905-652-9034 Herbold Meckesheim USA (North Smithfield, R.I.); www.herboldusa.com; 401-597-5500 Next Generation Recycling Machines Inc. (Norcross, Ga.); www.ngr.at; 770-493-9461 A uxiplast Inc. (Ste-Julie, Que.); www.auxiplast.com; 866-922-2894 Nextek Ltd. (London, U.K.); www.nextek.org; 207-229-1060 S+S Separation and Sorting Technology GmbH/ S+S Inspection Inc. (Bartlett, Ill.); www.sesotec.us; 224-208-1900 D Cube (Montreal); www.dcube.ca; 514-272-0500

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

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dryers

It’s actually far from a game. To come out on top, a processor has to choose the right dryer from a bewildering variety of options. It’s all about determining how much drying is needed for the job and which dryer types are up to the task.

The

can also cause a complete production stop. There are two ways to either remove or reduce the amount of moisture in a resin: the first is by increasing the pressure of the moisture inside the capillaries to drive the moisture out and then carry it away by air (air drying), and the second is to drag the moisture out of the capillaries by setting the resin under low pressure (vacuum drying). If you’re new to the drying game, here’s what you need to know about the various dryer types available on the market — and which are up to the task of handling your resins.

THE HOT AIR DRYER The oldest of the drying technologies, hot air dryers aren’t exactly complicated. “The resin is loaded into a drying hopper where heated air is blown at the bottom of the hopper; the hot air rises between the resins, heating the pellets and carrying the released moisture before it leaves the hopper at the top,” said Brian Davis, general manager of Maguire Canada. “The advantages of a hot air dryer are that it’s a simple and compact system, has a low initial

cost, and also a low maintenance cost. Disadvantages include a relatively high level of energy consumption.” Because these dryers are at the mercy of inconsistent ambient air humidity, they traditionally have been relegated to removing surface moisture from nonhygroscopic resins and to preheating resin prior to molding. “Because the heated air used in hot air dryers has a relatively high dewpoint — the same as ambient air — its ability to absorb moisture is limited, and hot air dryers are not effective in drying hygroscopic materials to low final moisture levels,” said Jamie Jameson, dryer product manager for The Conair Group. And while they might possibly be able to handle mildly hygroscopic resins in exceptionally dry climates like the Southwestern U.S., dryer makers agree that hot air dryers are only good for two things up here in Canada. “They’re useful for surface moisture removal and preheating of resin prior to introduction to the screw,” Brian Davis said. “But they should never be used to dry hygroscopic resin in Canada.”

Photo Credit: The Conair Group

DRYING game

amp resins are about as useful as an extra anchor on the Titanic. In plastics processing, resin material must be free of moisture before it’s processed to ensure that the finished part is free of defects, a fact that makes resin drying critical in the manufacturing of injection molded, extruded, and blow molded parts. The problem is, most resins don’t want to be dry. Such commonly used materials as PU and PC are hygroscopic, absorbing moisture from humid, ambient air and giving moisture back to dry air — with nylon and bottle-grade PET being the most strongly hygroscopic and difficult-to-dry materials. Non-hygroscopic resins — including PE, PP, PS, and PVC — don’t absorb any moisture, but can still have surface moisture that must be dealt with. And in between is a range of mild to moderately hygroscopic materials, including ABS, acetal, acrylic, PBT, LCP, and some TPOs, TPEs, and TPUs. Absorbed moisture in hygroscopic resins and surface moisture in non-hygroscopic resins can not only lead to the aforementioned defects in molded plastics, they 22

By Mark Stephen, editor

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

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The new ENGEL CC300

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Photo Credit: The Conair Group

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dryers

THE DESICCANT DRYER Desiccant dryers are more complicated, and come in three basic styles: twintower and carousel designs with two or more desiccant beds, and models with rotating “honeycomb” wheel desiccants. Desiccant dryers can achieve -40°F dewpoint, which is considered adequate for drying any hygroscopic resin. Drying residence time is typically between one to four hours, depending on the resin. “In a desiccant dryer, the air passes through a Canadian Plastics molecular sieve desiccant that removes 1/2 pg 4c horizontal moisture from the air, reducing its dewpoint to -40°F,” said Jamie Jameson. “The air is then heated to the drying temperature specified by the resin manufacturer — usually between 150° to 375°F — further lowering the moisture concentration of the air. This hot, dry air is then blown into the bottom of the drying hopper, where it raises pellet temperatures and breaks the bond between the water and polymer molecules, so that moisture can be taken up in the drying air that carries it outside the drying hop-

per and back to the desiccant.” Advantages and disadvantages? “On the plus side, desiccant dryers offer controlled low humidity of the process air,” said Mark Haynie, dryer product manager at Novatec Inc. “On the negative side, they might suffer from decreased efficiency over time, have high energy consumption, and usually have large floor space requirements.” Desiccant dryers are a natural choice for handling PET, which is one of the hardest materials to dry properly. But there might be a catch sometimes. “Some injection molding machine makers have very strict requirements for the condition of the pellets going into their machine throats, and they will judge the performance of their tool for PET preforms based on the parameters of the resin entering the throat,” said Rob Miller, president of Wittmann Canada Inc. “These can be difficult projects for the dryer suppliers.” Because of the difficulties involved in PET drying, many suppliers — such as Novatec, Conair, Wittmann, Maguire, and

Piovan — offer specialized PET crystallizing/drying systems. The Genesys PET dryer from Piovan, for example, features integrated automatic air flow control and adjustment, which the company said can reduce energy consumption by as much as 50 per cent compared with conventional resin drying systems. Desiccant dryers are also good fits for any resin material that has any kind of filler in it, Rob Miller continued, such as glass or a strength modifier. “They are also well-suited for such hygroscopic materials as nylon, ABS, acrylic, PU, PC, and PBT,” he added.

THE COMPRESSED AIR DRYER The compressed air dryer preheats the material with hot air, and then uses a small amount of compressed air to remove the moisture from the resin. The compressed air is decompressed before it’s heated and released at the bottom of the drying hopper. The central air compressor in plastics processing facilities supplies air to multiple dryers, saving expen-

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dryers Precept International Inc.

sive floor space in the manufacturing area and reducing the maintenance requirements. Advantages of this type of dryer are that is has no desiccant, no moving parts, no regeneration heater, no valves, and no cooling coils, and requires almost no maintenance beyond changing air filters every six months. According to suppliers, there is no appreciable difference in energy costs between compressed air drying and desiccant drying because the energy used to regenerate desiccant balances the energy used to compress air. “Processors need to make sure they have enough compressed air dedicated to that dryer, which is why the smaller units have proven more successful — they won’t change the compressed air needs of the facility,” Mark Haynie said. Most suppliers of these units recommend them for drying certain hygroscopic resins such as ABS, acrylic, acetal, and glass-filled nylon. But for drying materials that require a lower dewpoint — such as PET, PBT, and PC — some suppliers offer an add-on desiccant bed kit or a moisture removal membrane.

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RESOURCE LIST The Conair Group (Cranberry Township, Pa.); www.conairgroup.com; 724-584-5500 D ier International Plastics Inc. (Unionville, Ont.); www.dierinternational.com; 416-219-0509 Industries Laferrière (Mascouche, Que.); www.industrieslaferriere.ca; 450-477-8880 Maguire Canada/Novatec Inc. (Vaughan, Ont.); www.maguirecanada.com; 866-441-8409 B arway Plastic Equipment Inc. (Vaudreuil-Dorian, Que.); www.barway.ca; 450-455-1396 Piovan Canada (Mississauga, Ont.); www.piovan.com; 905-629-8822 Wittmann Canada Inc. (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-canada.com; 905-887-5355

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Instead of blowing hot, dry air over the pellets to draw out the moisture, the vacuum dryer — the newest dryer type on the market — uses vacuum to reduce the boiling point of water, literally pulling the water vapor from the resin pellets. Vacuum drying reportedly uses as much as 80 per cent less energy than desiccant drying because it eliminates regeneration heating and cooling. Vacuum dryers can reportedly dry most hygroscopic resins and, because of the lower temperatures used, some suppliers also recommend vacuum dryers for heat-sensitive wood-filled plastics. In the end, the buyer has some decisions to make. The task of matching the resin to the dryer is fairly simple. “Any of the various technologies — desiccant, compressed air, and vacuum — can be used to dry any polymer,” said Jamie Jameson. “The only exception is the hot air dryer, which is used to remove surface moisture from non-hygroscopic materials.” Beyond that, there are two basic questions to ask: how much drying is needed for the job and which dryer types are up to the task? The answers are important because — unlike that anchor on the Titanic — the right dryers can help a processing shop stay afloat. Consult your equipment supplier to choose wisely. CPL

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doing it better

PROTOPLAST is on a roll This family-run firm in Cobourg, Ont., does injection molding, moldmaking, and prototyping. And a recent acquisition that takes it into new territory, combined with winning multiple awards, might just make this its best year yet. By Mark Stephen, editor

ometimes the stars and planets align and — through a combination of talent, hard work, timing, and a bit of luck — you wind up having a very good year. Elvis had one in 1956, for example, and so did Wayne Gretzky in 1982. And it looks like Protoplast Inc., a family-run injection molder in Cobourg, Ont., is having one in 2014. Owned by husband-and-wife team Andy and Cathy Rolph, Protoplast has a diverse focus in automotive, electronic, medical, and industrial markets. With 80 employees and 16 injection presses, the company offers services in prototype and production molds and custom injection molding

and assembly, and reported $11.7 million in 2013 sales. Protoplast operates from a 52,000-square-foot building which houses offices, design rooms, a tool shop, a research and development facility, a production division, and an integrated materials handling area with three loading bays. But if the name sounds familiar beyond all that, it might be because Protoplast has been on a bit of a tear lately. Within the past few months, it purchased Toronto-based consumer product maker ET Industries, won an Excellence Award for employee relations from Plastics News magazine and a Manufacturing Leadership Award from Frost & Sullivan/MLC, and hosted Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne for a plant tour after receiving an Eastern Ontario Development fund for $86,000 for creating 15 new jobs. From top left: • Andy and Cathy Rolph. • CEO of operations Todd Tracey (left) and engineering and technical sales manager Terry Harris check parts. • Employees Shawn Tuff and Gail Samis take care of business on the shop floor.

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MOLDMAKING ROOTS Founded in 1981 by Andy’s parents John and Joan Rolph, Protoplast began as a prototyping and tooling shop that specialized in making spray metal tooling and low-volume prototype molds. Fast forward 13 years and things began to change. “Andy and I took over the business in 1994,” said Cathy Rolph. “We were young and ambitious, and jumped right in without looking at the customer lists or the financial statements. We wanted to implement our plan for Protoplast, which involved integrating injection molding with the tooling, and moving away from one-time customers and towards established blue chip companies that were in the business of product development. We knew we were inheriting a committed, skilled workforce, so we had almost everything we needed from the very start.” The couple’s respective backgrounds provided the rest. “Andy had worked in product development, and had abilities in industrial design that allowed him to push the envelope; and I was in management consulting, which gave me the ability to recognize people’s core strengths and position them accordingly,” Cathy said. But the company’s transition from moldmaker into plastics processor wasn’t always easy. “Many of our original customers were injection molders, and now we were in potential competition with them,” Andy Rolph said. “It was tough to navigate, but we stuck to our so-called ten-year plan, which involved developments such as having a certain number of molding machines by the end of that time and installing sophisticated ERP management software.” Cut to today, and the plan seems to have paid off, in spades. “We’ve kept our toolmaking capabilities while adding injection molding and, subsequent to that, value-added assembly,” Andy continued. “These are the three pillars of our business, and they provide a firm foundation in

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that, if one of the three is in a downturn, the other two are usually holding steady.” Like many plastics processors, Protoplast’s automotive molding has ebbed and flowed over the years. “More than 75 per cent of our business was in automotive production before the recession, which fell to 40 per cent during the downturn,” Cathy said. “At present, auto parts molding makes up about 60 per of what we do.” While remaining committed to the automotive industry, the company made a conscious decision to use the slowdown to good effect, diversifying production and broadening its customer base for injection molded products to include medical, consumer, bio-technology, and agricultural markets. “Diversification has always been paramount to our strategic planning,” Cathy continued. “Our current composition gives us the ability to track and respond to other market trends and conditions as they develop.” But if you think the company has forgotten its roots in moldmaking, think again. “Tool building has always been our backbone, and we are one of the few molders that still has a fully functioning tool shop,” Andy said. “Most of the tooling we make is for our own use, and we also import tooling from offshore from a variety of partners in China.” The non-automotive molding side of Protoplast’s business just got a little larger with the purchase of ET Industries in February, which now gives the shop its first line of proprietary consumer products, including such kitchen and bath items as sink stoppers, sprayers, and shower heads. “ET Industries had been an injection molding customer of ours, and their consumer products are sold at Bed, Bath & Beyond stores, online through the ET Industries website, and in catalogues,” Cathy said. “Owning the company gives us an opportunity to get into the big-box markets and distribution channels, as well as sales through Internet purchases and

toll-free numbers where we ship directly to customers. It’s the first time we’ve dealt directly with the end consumer, and we’re going to become more familiar with marketing channels that have already been established — channels that we can use if and when we decide to manufacture our own line of proprietary products.”

SMALL TOWN, BIG TALENTS In a small town like Cobourg, word gets around if you don’t treat your employees well. The Rolphs don’t have to worry. “Our philosophy is to tailor the job to fit the person’s skills whenever possible instead of adhering to a rigid job description, and we’re not afraid to let people who show initiative try something different,” Cathy said. For example? Patricia Hart, the company’s manager of inside sales and purchasing and an APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional, started out as the receptionist; another employee, quality manager Melissa Baker, started as a machine operator 12 years ago and has continued to move up since, in part because the company paid for her to attend night school. As a maker of such technically challenging automotive parts as air ducts, constant velocity joint boots, and parts to protect suspension and under-the-hood components, it’s crucial for Protoplast to have an agile workforce — the more so as the company got into injection blow molding several years ago and is now moving into injection transfer blow molding. To help its workers master necessary skills, Protoplast worked with Routsis Training to create an interactive training program suited for all employees, from press operators to management staff. Then they started a training program of their own, led by CEO of operations Todd Tracey. The first apprentice, Blaine McCormack, had been a maintenance millwright at another company; he began at Protoplast in March 2013 as a material

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doing it better

handler and is now learning to be a process technician. “We prefer to train people from apprenticeship onwards, and as a result our workers do everything from start to finish, which in turn gives them a vested interest in doing a good job,” Cathy said. Given its recent string of successes, the entire company appears to be doing a good job — not just because of technical expertise and a thoughtful human resources program, but also by recognizing that some of the old rules of business are past their best-before dates. “The days of ‘shoot and ship’ are largely over,” Andy said. “We’ve remained successful by trying the difficult things and having the right people in place to succeed at them. Rather than waiting for opportunities to come to us, we go out and find them. It’s risky, but there’s no other way to do business nowadays.” For Protoplast, it might just be the case that 2014 — as good as it’s been so far — is only the prelude to the really good years to come. Not unlike Gretzky following 1982 with his even better 1983-84 season. CPL

WHEN RIGID MET FLEXIBLE A part design story

Question: how do you make a rubber part that’s both rigid and flexible? Answer: injection blow molding. When an automotive customer approached Protoplast for a new design to meet a difficult automotive requirement, the company hit on an injection blow molded solution. “The part had to have all of the design and mechanical elements to make it function correctly, but there were two competing issues, flexible and ridged,” said Terry Harris, Protoplast’s engineering and technical sales manager. “We initially provided a number of different part samples in various durometer materials to pass the flexibility requirement, but they failed the mechanical requirements of ‘vacuum collapse’ since these parts are under vacuum pressure from engine intake. In the end, we developed a part design that incorporated vacuum collapse ribbing via the injection blow process, which exceeds conventional blow molding alone.”

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Design iterations showing before (left) and after the application of vacuum collapse ribbing. Photo Credits: Protoplast Inc.

annoUncing Windsor Mold

Expo

October 23, 2014 Ciociaro Club, Oldcastle, ON.

A tabletop show and dinner. Show hours: 1-7 pm Networking Reception: 7-8 pm Dinner: 8-9:30 pm www.windsorMoldexpo.coM

Keynote dinner speaker: automotive market expert, Laurie Harbour, Harbour Results Inc. Windsor Mold Expo will attract regional buying influences from Southwestern Ontario and Michigan – moldmakers, molders and OEMs. The co-located show Metalworking Manufacturing & Production Expo will attract manufacturers, job shops, maintenance, tool rooms, automotive, transportation and tool & die making professionals.

Why YoU should exhibit

• Meet face-to-face with YOUR customers, at a time when the moldmaking market is on the upswing. • Promote your products to an engaged audience. • FREE admission invitations to over 20,000 professionals, through the mailing lists of Canadian Plastics magazine, Canadian Metalworking magazine, and Canadian Association of Moldmakers. • FREE PARKING and convenient location near a concentration of mold shops encourages attendance.

Organized by Canadian Plastics

Endorsed By:

Sponsored By:

For details on exhibiting, please contact: Judith nancekivell, senior publisher Tel: 416-510-5116 E-mail: jnancekivell@canplastics.com greg paliouras, associate publisher Tel: 416-510-5124 E-mail: gpaliouras@canplastics.com

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technology showcase

AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT

Precise dosing and mixing system The new UltraBlend 95 dosing and mixing system from Motan Inc. is designed to deliver precise dosing of extremely small amounts of material directly into an injection molding, extrusion, or blow molding machine. A maximum of four raw material components can be dosed by weight, one after the other, precisely as required by the recipe. They are then mixed together homogeneously in the downstream mixing chamber (4.5 litres volume) and fed into the feed throat of the processing machine. The minimum dosing amount is three grams per component (900 gram lot size). When two components are used, a maximum throughput of 260 kg per hour can be achieved. The UltraBlend 95 is well-suited for applications with frequent material changes: all parts in contact with the product can be rapidly removed and cleaned. In addition, the dosing slider remains closed during material changeover — not even the smallest amount of residual material can run out or be shaken out. The single load cell principle compensates for any

vibration from the processing machine. This ensures the highest weighing precision, which is of benefit both to the quality of the end product and the manufacturing cost. The GRAVInet control system is used to control the UltraBlend 95 unit. The full-color display offers menu-based operation via the touch panel. Through integrated Ethernet technology, operation can also be made via a Motan WEBpanel or a PC from any desired location. A conveying control for up to seven material loaders is integrated into the GRAVInet control as standard. Motan Inc. (Plainwell, Mich.); www.motan.com; 800-991-9921 D ier International Plastics Inc. (Unionville, Ont.); www.dierinternational.com; 416-219-0509 D Cube (Montreal); www.dcube.ca; 514-272-0500

INJECTION MOLDING

High-performance machines in “packaging” versions Designed to meet the high demands of the packaging industry, Arburg Inc. now offers “packaging” versions of the hybrid and electric Hidrive and Alldrive high-performance machines. Combining high productivity and reduced energy consumption — and characterised by a balanced combination

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase of distance between tie-bars, clamping force, and opening stroke — the packaging version units offer precise, energy-saving mold movements (thanks to servo-electric, toggle-type clamping units), high plasticising performance (thanks to barrier screws and servo-electric dosage drives), dynamic positionregulated screws, and effective injection volume flows. In a production cell with two Allrounder 570 H machines on display at the recent Chinaplas 2014 trade show, production of four high-quality IML tubs was achieved in approximately four seconds. The cell featured a clamping force of 1,800 kN and a size 800 injection unit, and was equipped with an IML system from French automation and IML specialists Sepro Robotique and Machines Pagès. The four-cavity mold from Swiss manufacturer Kebo was adapted for the high-speed production of IML tubs, while the labels come from Belgian suppliers Verstraete. Arburg Inc. (Newington, Conn.); www.arburg.com; 860-667-6500 D ier International Plastics Inc. (Unionville, Ont.); www.dierinternational.com; 416-219-0509 D Cube (Montreal); www.dcube.ca; 514-272-0500

EXTRUSION

Two-ply film extrusion for 100 per cent post-consumer recycled film Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. has developed and patented a new process to produce trash bags using high percentages of post-consumer materials.

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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

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technology showcase Macro’s process is to create a two-ply film by joining two films immediately after extrusion. This configuration adds strength to the overall film structure, as weak spots in each layer are reinforced by the complimentary layer. To block the film, Macro can employ two methods. The first is a conventional blown film extrusion setup where the bubble is collapsed before the melt cools (see image); this method creates a single sheet. The second method is by extruding through a dual-orifice blown film die and having the two films join. Macro has tested blends of post-consumer recycled materials with virgin resins, as well as structures comprised of

100 per cent in-house scrap. The tests found that both tear strength and tensile strength were consistently better — by 25 per cent — over a single layer film structure. The technology will allow a range of 0.5 per cent to 100 per cent reclaimed plastic material to make up the final film structure, and is best suited for industrial applications that utilize thicker gauges. Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.macroeng.com; 905-507-9000

TRAINING & TECHNOLOGY FOR INJECTION MOLDERS

BONUS: Register for Canadian Plastics’ Math for Molders seminar on Sept.16 and RECEIVE A 5% DISCOUNT off RJG’s registration fee for our Injection Molding Essentials seminar, which takes place at the same location Sept. 17-18.

Technology Day ~ Free Toronto, Canada

Math for Molders (Canadian Plastics) ~ $199 CAD Toronto, Canada

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New from Nordson Extrusion Dies Industries LLC, tuning inserts for the Ultraflow I feedblock are designed to keep co-extrusion lines up and running while permanent fixed inserts are being machined, and to achieve greater precision in the ultimate thickness profiles of each layer across the width of the die. The new tuning inserts help processors to maximize run time and minimize waste during the week or more that is usually required to design and machine permanent inserts. And because the tuning inserts can be fine-tuned “on the fly,” it’s possible to do several iterations, making small additional changes in very little time and refining the geometry with great precision before machining a permanent insert, thereby eliminating the need to do several re-cuts of the permanent insert before arriving at the target layer profile. The flow-adjusting component of the new tuning insert consists of 10 segments, each of which can be adjusted to reduce or increase layer thickness by turning a corresponding screw. Once the target profile has been established, a measurement tool supplied by Nordson replicates the screw positions, so it can be used for producing a precisely matching permanent insert. Ultraflow I fixed-geometry feedblocks can be designed to accommodate a flow sequencing spool that makes it possible to change the sequence of

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

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Feedblock tuning inserts for flat-die film and sheet co-extrusion

Molding the Future of Plastics

EXPOSITION:

November 19-20, 2014 Palais des Congrès Convention Centre | Montréal, Québec

Top Reasons to Attend! Engage with leading plastics manufacturers displaying the latest in mold making equipment and components Educational opportunities and Free Tech Theater Optimum venue to ﬁnd fresh ideas and network with industry peers

Your Connection to the Plastics Industry

“I loved the show, thought it was fantastic. We made several new contacts with companies that we think can help us but we also found several places where our products can ﬁt—so it was a great show for me/us, can’t wait for the next one! Just an awesome show for us! Great job to the organizers and all the vendors that were there, fantastic show!”

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—Dave Tribbett, indimension3

CONNECT WITH OUR COMMUNITY:

CPLJun2014 p30-37 Tech Show.indd 33

Join your industry. Register today!

expoplast.org

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technology showcase material layers without having to block off channels or disassembling the feedblock. Nordson also offers the Ultraflow V adjustable-geometry feedblock, which, instead of interchangeable inserts, has built-in adjustable “combining planes” located where the melt streams join the central flow channel. Nordson Extrusion Dies Industries LLC (Chippewa Falls, Wis.); www.extrusiondies.com; 715-726-1201

MATERIAL CONVEYING

Factory-integrated tubular cable conveying Flexicon Corporation is now offering its Flexi-Disc line of tubular cable conveyors for fragile materials, integrated with upstream and/or downstream equipment that sources material from single or multiple locations and delivers it selectively to storage vessels, filling machines, and other processing equipment. Upstream equipment ranges from inlet hoppers and metering devices to bulk bag dischargers, drum/box/container dumpers, bag dump stations, weigh batching/blending

systems, and storage vessels. Typical downstream equipment includes bulk bag fillers, drum/box/container fillers, packaging machines, and storage vessels. All equipment is available to sanitary or industrial standards with manual or automated controls, and is factorytested for seamless integration with the conveyor and the user’s process, according to the company. The Flexi-Disc conveyor moves material using highstrength polymer discs in four-inch (10 cm) and six-inch (15 cm) diameters that are affixed to a stainless steel or galvanized cable. The discs glide within smooth stainless steel tubing, moving fragile products gently, quietly, and without generating dust, horizontally, vertically or at any angle, through small holes in walls or ceilings. The system can have single or multiple inlets and outlets, and convey over short distances or hundreds of feet/meters. Modular system components of 304 or 316 stainless steel include tubing, drive wheel housings, tension wheel housings, metered and nonmetered inlets, and

TAKING OUR

ECORESPONSIBILITIES! Making a commitment. Acting on it. Through its new national certification program, FEPAC and the plastics industry are playing a leading role in SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. North American manufacturers are reducing their carbon footprint and improving the global value chain. Under the new sustainable development framework, ECOLEADERS are enthusiastically supporting ECOPERFORMANCE, the model for the future…

WE ALL PROFIT FROM ECORESPONSIBILITY! Become an ECOLEADER now, visit www.ecoresponsible.net

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase discharges with and without valves, as well as accessories for wet or dry cleaning, including CIP sanitizing. Flexicon Corporation (Bethlehem, Pa.); www.flexicon.com; 888-353-9426 Rate Technology Systems Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.ratetechnology.com; 905-607-3240

PACKAGING

Expanded services for bag machine rebuilds Gloucester Engineering Co. Inc. has expanded and improved its capacity and capabilities for rebuilding and retrofitting old bag making machines. Gloucester can now take a used bottom-seal bag machine of any age, and from any OEM, and upgrade, retrofit, and remanufacture it with the latest servo drive and control package. Rebuilding an old bag machine will increase line performance, productivity, quality, and limit downtime by making it cleaner, safer, quieter, faster, and more accurate, all for considerably less than the cost of purchasing a new model. Using trained factory labor and OEM certified parts, Graham Engineering retrofits include a replacement of all hydraulic components with a four-axis servo drive package that controls bag length, shuttle motion, web tension, and head travel; a new touchscreen console for machine operation and control; new operator controls with software tools for remote diagnosis, troubleshooting, and recipe storage; refurbished shuttle and idler rollers; replacements for stub shafts and bearings; replacement of guards outboard of side frames on the operator’s side; and stripped and recovered rubber rolls, stripped and replated chrome rolls, and refurbished guarding and cabinets. Gloucester Engineering Co. Inc. (Gloucester, Mass.); www.gecextrusion.com; 978-282-9200

MATERIALS

Fast epoxy resin for structural composite parts in mass production Bringing mass reduction capabilities to mass production facilities, Dow Automotive Systems now offers 90-second cycle times for resin transfer molding (RTM) with the VoraForce 5300 resin matrix, making RTM-produced carbon fibre composites suitable for mass production.

MATH FOR MOLDERS Brush up your skills at this one-day workshop Injection molding and Math? Why do you need it? Don’t be intimidated. Many people haven’t used the math skills needed to use Scientific Molding techniques since highschool! This class will sharpen those skills and build confidence in each student. The knowledge gained provides a better math skills foundation for future training.

Presenter Thom Smith, Consultant/Trainer, RJG Inc., has over 20 years of experience in injection molding and is an expert in part design and troubleshooting.

COURSE HIGHLIGHTS: Calculating Area (for various shapes) • Clamp Tonnage Requirements • Ratios • Pascal’s Equation (to understand force, pressure and area) • Speed vs. Time • Group Activities for Solving Real Math Problems with Your Molding Process SEPTEMBER 16, 2014 Humber Institute of Technology a& Advanced Learning 203 Humber College Blvd. (Hwy. 27 and Finch Ave. W.) Toronto, ON M9W 5L7

Cost: $206, including lunch, parking and a course manual Organized by:

Canadian Plastics

Following on the success of our Basics of Plastics Seminars

BONUS:

Check the Training Seminars section of www. canplastics.com for detailed information and registration, or call 416-510-6794

Register for Math for Molders and receive a 5% discount off RJG’s registration fee for their Injection Molding Essentials seminar, which takes place at this same location Sept. 17-18. details at:

www.rjginc.com/training/injection_molding_essentials_c

www.canplastics.com June 2014 Canadian Plastics

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technology showcase VoraForce 5300 extends RTM process capability via an extremely low viscosity for fast injection, with superior wetting of the fibre pre-form. Further, the formulation is equipped with an internal release mold package, minimizing external mold release costs. And the benefits of the material extend beyond fast cycle times. Besides the material’s competitive mechanical properties, it allows for substantial parts consolidation, as customers can integrate many different parts into one production step, saving extra production and assembly operation costs. This can make composites an economically attractive solution over traditional metal alternatives. VoraForce 5300 is classified as non-toxic according to REACH 2015, and the VDA-278 test shows volatile emissions are close to zero, an important factor for applications adjacent to the vehicle passenger compartment. These key benefits — fast cycle times and part consolidation

classified ads

potential — contribute to make composite solutions a lightweight technology well-suited for mass production of hundreds of thousands of parts per year from a single RTM press. Dow Automotive Systems (Auburn Hills, Mich.); www.dowautomotive.com; 248-391-6300

MEASUREMENT

Smallest optical displacement sensor in its class

With an integrated display, the new low-cost OD Mini short range distance sensor from Sick Ltd. is designed for precise measurement tasks, with measuring ranges from 100 mm to 250 mm, depending on the application. The OD Mini uses CMOS receiver technology, ensuring accurate, high-resolution measurements regardless of brightness and color of the surface material. The OD Mini is a stand-alone device that uses a simple teach-in LED display or

advertising index Advertiser

To place your classified ad here, contact: Greg Paliouras, Associate Publisher at 416-510-5124 or gpaliouras@canplastics.com

Page

Website

AceTRONIC 26-27 www.acetronic.com Canadian Plastics 37 www.canplastics.com CanPlastics TV videos Canadian Plastics Resin 8 www.canplastics.com/conference Outlook Conference CPA Canada 31 www.channelpa.com Conair back cover www.conairgroup.com DynaPurge 9 www.dynapurge.com Engel Canada Inc. 23 www.engelglobal.com Erema North America Inc. 15 www.erema.at Expoplast 33 www.expoplast.org FB Balzanelli 30 www.fb-balzanelli.it FEPAC 34 www.fepac.ca Hamilton Plastic Systems 37 www.hamiltonpsl.com Harmo America Inc. 20 www.harmo-america.com HEUBACH GmbH 25 www.heubach.de IMS insert at 13 www.imscompany.com In-Mold Sensor 13 www.canplastics.com/ Strategies seminar seminars.aspx Ingenia Polymers Corp. 12 www.ingeniapolymers.com KUKA Robots Canada Ltd. 6 www.kuka-robotics.com/canada Math for Molders seminar 35 www.canplastics.com/seminars.aspx Maguire Products Canada 7 www.maguirecanada.com NGR – Next Generation 11 www.ngr.at Recycling Machines Inc. Novatec 29 www.novatec.com Ontario Power Authority 21 www.powerauthority.on.ca Piovan 2-3 www.piovan.com Plastic Process Equipment, Inc. 39 www.ppe.com RJG Inc. 32 www.rjginc.com Rocklin Manufacturing Co. 38 www.rocklinmanufacturingco.com Struktol 16 www.struktol.com Unique Tool & Gauge Inc. 17 www.unique-tool.com Vecoplan, LLC 24 www.vecoplanllc.com WEIMA America Inc. 9 www.weimaamerica.com Windsor Mold Expo 28 www.windsormoldexpo.com Wittmann Battenfeld 19 www.wittmann-canada.com

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase an external teaching input, providing cost-saving commissioning. An integrated amplifier unit reduces the amount of cabling. This compact sensor is available in two sensor housings, including a rugged 70-gram stainless steel housing for harsh environments, and a lightweight 40-gram aluminum housing for standard applications. A wide range of interfaces, including analog and switching outputs, ensure the OD Mini can be easily integrated into industrial networks. Its precise measurement capabilities enable high machine throughput, making the OD Mini well-suited for positioning, classification, and quality control applications in the robotics, machine tools, electronics, automotive, and packaging industries. Sick Canada (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.sickcanada.com; 905-771-1444 (Calgary, Alta.); 403-538-8791

SHOP FLOOR

Automated barrier door protects workers

New from Frommelt Safety Products, the Guardian Defender automated barrier door is designed to guard machinery, con-

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tain processes, and protect employees from robotic/machine movement zones. The door boasts patent-pending upgrades to its non-contact safety switch configuration, control systems and interlocking capabilities, and also features a new, more resilient curtain material that resists a wider array of application-driven hazards, and offers optional variable frequency drive to control curtain speed. In addition, it utilizes new quick-disconnect cables that allow for easier installation and integration than comparable barrier doors. Like its predecessor, the Slimline, the high-speed, highcycle Guardian Defender is well-suited for use with robotic welding cells, material handling, automated assembly, palletizing/packaging machinery and other applications that require electronic safe guarding devices. It also contains fumes, sparks, smoke, mist, flying debris, excess noise and other common manufacturing process by-products. Additionally, the Guardian Defender’s roll-up design leaves a minimal footprint in a typically crowded manufacturing cell. Frommelt Safety Products (Milwaukee, Wis.); www.frommeltsafety.com; 866-852-1500

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Hamilton Plastic Systems ltd. mississauga, ontario 1-800-590-5546 www.hamiltonplasticsystems.com www.canplastics.com June 2014 Canadian Plastics

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technical tips

A deeper look at scientific molding (part 2) By Kip Doyle, moldingHELP.com

n the last issue, we took a close look at first-stage injection. This month, we’ll focus on second-stage injection, also referred to as pack and hold, hold/holding, and P2.

MACHINE CONTROLLERS Specific settings for hold vary from machine to machine, but the basic concept is pressure over time. The idea is to pack the part to replicate the steel cavity texture and shape, and to hold pressure on the plastic for a controlled period of time. Hold pressure influences surface finish, cosmetics, and part dimensions. It’s critical that the molder understands the specifics of their controller, so keep things simple. In most applications, one pressure is sufficient. Optimize settings to minimize transition time and achieve a stable hold pressure quickly (within 0.1 seconds). Fluctuations, oscillations or extended stabilization times often indicate machine problems that must be addressed.

SETTING HOLD TIME Many molders believe they should always run with gate seal, but

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this is not the case. Perform a gate seal study (part weight vs. hold time) to determine when gate seal occurs. Test parts made with and without gate seal, and then choose the best method. If gate seal is desired, set the hold time higher than the gate seal time. Setting hold at the exact point that gate seal occurs can cause dimensional variation or even part failure. Add between 0.5 and 2.0 seconds to the hold time to ensure gate seal every shot. Running without gate seal is often an economic decision, such as simple parts with no critical dimensions. Any full part is acceptable. In these cases, a very short hold time is used, purposely releasing plastic at the gate to reduce part weight and cycle time. Sometimes we run without gate seal to relieve stress or to reduce shrinkage near the gate. Some applications may require more hold time to avoid sinks or voids. In these cases, find the “sweet spot.”

SETTING HOLD PRESSURE Many molders believe that the proper hold pressure is 50 per cent of injection pressure at transfer, but this is not supported by data. Finding the hold pressure that produces the best quality part is the goal. It’s best to centre the process within the part specifications. To do this, first find the low and high end limits for hold pressure. Start with very low hold pressure (perhaps 1,000 to 2,000 PPSI). You are now likely producing a short or “sinky” part. Increase hold pressure in small increments until the part looks visually acceptable, and retain samples for testing. Find the high limit by raising hold pressure in small increments until you see flash, pin push, and sticking. Reduce hold pressure slightly until these problems go away, and again retain samples. Next, produce some samples with hold pressure set at the mid-point, and then evaluate them. If all the samples are too big, we know the mold cavity was cut too big; the same applies if all the samples are too small. In these cases, we are “steel safe” and the cavity can be adjusted to bring the parts into specification. If some samples are too big and some too small, we have something to work with. Test at various hold pressures to find the high and low pressures that produce samples within specification. Set hold pressure to centre within those points. The situation becomes more complicated when we have some dimensions small and some large. In this case, I recommend modifying the mold cavity. Science has developed the most stable process possible; bite the bullet, adjust the mold cavity, and then sit back and enjoy the fruits of scientific molding: a stable and centred process. CPL Kip Doyle is the founder of Battle Creek, Mich.-based injection molding consulting group moldingHELP.com. He can be reached by email at kdoyle@moldingHELP.com or by telephone at 269-979-5616.

Canadian Plastics June 2014 www.canplastics.com

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