PRA August 2018 issue

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A S l A ’ S L E A D l N G m aga z l ne f o r t h e p las t l c s and r u b b e r l nd u s t r y

业 界新闻 化 学 工业: 化学公司找到成功方程式

In this issue

Volume 33, No 239

publlshed slnce 1985

A S l A’ S L E A D l N G m aga z l ne f o r the plastlcs and rubber lndustry

Features 焦 點 內 容 12 化學工業: 化學公司找到成功方程式 15 Chemicals Sector – The chemical industry is growing on account of increasing demand from end-user industries such as packaging, transportation, construction and healthcare; steering an uptrend in M&A activity 18 Building & Construction Industry – The global green building market is continuing to advance on the back of rising awareness regarding global warming and climate change

22 Pipe/Profile – New technologies are in the offing: from strand lines with higher outputs to fittings made for PVC-O pipes and pipes for the oil and gas sector and for China’s booming infrastructure

Regulars 概 要

3D printing utilising polymers is an emerging technology that could be a boon or bane as a disruptive technology China’s machinery sector remains upbeat, driven by the recovery of the downstream industry on steadily increasing demand for plastic products The upcoming 2018 Taipeiplas show, to be held at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre from 15-19 August, will showcase Taiwan’s robust standing in machinery offerings Medical-grade rubbers are aiding in the improvement of medical devices for the healthcare sector

Materials technologies for green buildings are being harnessed from root crops, carbon dioxide, and other biosourced components to create sustainable material for the building and construction sector

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On the Cover

化学工 � :

Circulation Stephanie Yuen Email: stephanie@taramedia.com.my

KDN PP 18785/08/2015 (034280)

Supplements 副 刊

化学公司找到成功方程式

Chinese Editor Koh Bee Ling

MCI (P) 046/08/2017

9 業界新聞

A S l A’ S L E A D l N G M A G A Z l N E F O R THE PLASTlCS AND RUBBER lNDUSTRY

Senior Editor Angelica Buan Email: gel@plasticsandrubberasia.com

ISSN 1360-1245

6 Materials News

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Associate Publisher/Editor Tej Fernandez Tel: +60 3 4260 4575 Email: tej@plasticsandrubberasia.com

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2 Industry News

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AUGUST 2018

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Industry News

M&As/ Investments • German chemicals company BASF is investing US$25 million in Materialise, a supplier of 3D printing technologies.

It is also expanding its cooperation with the Leuvenheadquartered firm to focus on applications in the consumer goods, automotive and aviation industries.

Still expanding into 3D printing, BASF has acquired all the shares of Advanc3D Materials in Hamburg, Germany, and Setup Performance in Lyon, France.

Advanc3D Materials offers powders and formulations for selective laser sintering (SLS), while Setup Performance is Advanc3D Materials’ most important partner for SLS materials.

• Thailandheadquartered chemical firm Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL) is purchasing 74% of the share capital of Egyptian PET converter Medco Plast Packing and Packaging Systems, through its indirect subsidiary Indorama Netherlands, from Middle East Glass S.A.E. and Mohamed Hassan Samaha.

Medco is the largest PET convertor in Egypt with a production capacity of 70,000 tonnes/year of PET preforms.

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AUGUST 2018

• Japanese chemicals maker Toray Industries has reached an agreement with Koninklijke Ten Cate (KTC) to purchase the entire share of its subsidiary TenCate Advanced Composites Holding, as announced in March this year. TenCate is a Dutch carbon fibre composites material manufacturer.

• Austrian chemical maker Borealis is acquiring 100% of the shares in Ecoplast Kunststoffrecycling, an Austrian plastics recycler. Ecoplast processes around 35,000 tonnes of postconsumer plastic waste from households and industrial consumers every year, turning them into LDPE and HDPE recyclates, for the plastic film market. Two years ago, Borealis acquired mtm plastics, a Germanybased post-consumer waste recycling technology firm, and this year, announced an investment of EUR15 million in mtm, to ramp up its processing capacity.

• US-based additives company Carolina Color Corporation, which is owned by private equity firm Arsenal Capital Partners, has acquired a compatriot, Chroma Corporation, a speciality colour and additive concentrate business serving packaging and electronics sectors.

• PU foam machinery supplier Albrecht Bäumer GmbH & Co has sold its partnership in Greenacres-Bäumer Cutting Media to joint venture partner Greenacres Holding.

It was set up in 2007 to develop market potentials in the African market.

• British speciality chemicals company Elementis is to buy Netherlands-based Mondo Minerals from US private equity firm Advent International for US$600 million to expand into talc additives. Mondo owns talc mines in Central Finland, and makes industrial talc additives, used to strengthen plastics, provide corrosion resistance to coatings, oxygen barrier to food packaging and UV protection to cosmetics.

• Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC) will acquire the PVC compound and PVC masterbatch business of Indiabased Welset Plast Extrusions.

• US specialty materials company Celanese Corporation is selling its 275,000-tonne/ year industrial ethanol unit at the Nanjing China Chemical Industrial Park to Chengzhi Shareholding Co, to further the development of acetic acid-based ethanol as a clean energy source in China.

• Saudi-state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco is considering a stake in Riyadh-headquartered petrochemicals maker Sabic, to move further into downstream and the petrochemical sectors. Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia's top sovereign wealth fund, owns a 70% share in Sabic, which is the world's fourth largest petrochemicals company. Sabic has a market capitalisation of US$102.7 billion.

• Japanese chemical maker Asahi Kasei is to acquire Sage Automotive Interiors, a US-based manufacturer of automotive interior material, for a price, including debt, of US$1.06 billion. An agreement has been concluded between Asahi Kasei and US private equity firm Clearlake Capital Group, the 100% owner of Sage that was set up in 2009 when it was spun-off from US fibre and chemical manufacturer Milliken & Company.

• Japanese chemical maker Kuraray Co, compatriot Japanese chemical company Sumitomo Corporation and Thailand-based PTT Global Chemical Public Company have officially set up a joint venture company, Kuraray GC Advanced Materials Co, in Thailand. Kuraray owns 53.3%; PTTGC 33.4% and Sumitomo,

INDUSTRY NEWS 13.3%. With Hemaraj Eastern Industrial Estate (Map Ta Phut Complex), Rayong, as the candidate of the production site, Kuraray GC will manufacture and sell high heat resistant polyamide-

9T (PA9T) and hydrogenated styrenic block copolymers (HSBC).

• US-headquartered automotive systems provider Cooper Standard is acquiring

Plant set-ups/Openings • AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals has broken ground on an organic peroxide production facility in Tianjin, China.

Organic peroxides are essential in the manufacture of a wide range of polymers including PVC and thermoset resins. The 宗久PRA_8月_FA.pdf 1 2018/6/28 下午 05:00:33 EUR90-million facility, located in the Tianjin Nangang Industrial

Zone, will replace the company's existing plant in Tianjin, and is scheduled for completion in 2020.

• Swiss chemical supplier Clariant and Beijing Tiangang Auxiliary Co have broken ground in Cangzhou (China), on a facility for stabilisers for plastics and textiles that

two US firms: Lauren Manufacturing and Lauren Plastics, to allow it to further expand markets served by its Industrial and Specialty Group (ISG). The companies to be acquired are

extruders and moulders of organic, silicone, thermoplastic and engineered polymer products with expertise in sealing solutions for industrial and specialty automotive applications.

will be ready by 2019.

Clariant also recently opened wholly-owned plants for micronised waxes and AddWorks synergistic additive solutions in Zhenjiang, further south.

Northern Europe. This will be the company’s first cracker to be built in Europe in over 20 years and also its biggest capital investment ever. It says that both units will benefit from the import of cheap shale gas from the US. Ineos currently produces nearly 4.5 million tonnes of ethylene and propylene across Europe.

• Chemical firm Ineos will invest EUR2.7 billion to build both a worldscale ethane cracker and a PDH (Propane Dehydrogenation) unit to make propylene in

Industry News

• Having announced the project in 2015, Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem)’s PBT plant located in Jubail Industrial City, owned by Sipchem Chemical Company, an affiliate of Sipchem, has commenced commercial operations with a capacity of 63,000 tonnes/year.

• Indonesian company PT Chandra Asri Perkasa Tbk (CAP) has selected LyondellBasell’s PP and LDPE technologies for two new plants to be constructed at CAP’s second petrochemical complex in Cilegon, Banten Province, Indonesia. The complex will include a 450 kilotonnes/year PP plant and a 300 kilotonnes/year LDPE plant.

• German specialty chemicals company Lanxess is to open a new applications development and technical services laboratory for polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) in Latina, Italy, in the third quarter of 2018.

• BASF plans to increase the global production capacity for its antioxidant Irganox1010 by 40% with production expansion projects at its sites in Jurong, Singapore, and Kaisten, Switzerland, with production in Kaisten coming online in 2019

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AUGUST 2018

and in Singapore in early 2021. In addition, BASF is investing in its Alabama facility in the US to further expand capacity to meet growing customer demand.

• Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) are jointly developing and building an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, India.

The project will be implemented by Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL), which is promoted by a consortium of Indian national oil companies including Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL). The US$44 billion 50:50 joint partnership between the Indian consortium and Aramco and ADNOC will be the single largest overseas investment in the Indian refining sector.

It includes a mega refinery capable of processing 1.2 million barrels of crude oil/ day as well as a range of refined petroleum products, including petrol and diesel, with an integrated petrochemicals complex, with a capacity of producing 1.8 million tonnes/year of products.

• German company Covestro is significantly expanding its global film production at Map Ta Phut, Thailand, Guangzhou, China, South Deerfield, US, and Dormagen, Germany. The total investment of more than EUR100 million also includes the expansion of the associated infrastructure and logistics.

• BASF is investigating the possibility of building a highlyintegrated Verbund chemical production site in the South Chinese province of Guangdong, which would be owned solely

by BASF and would be its largest investment of up to US$10 billion by completion of the project around 2030.

The first plants could be completed by 2026 at the latest and would include petrochemical plants; as well as a steam cracker with a capacity of 1 million tonnes/year of ethylene.

• India-based blown film and sheet extrusion lines manufacturer Rajoo Engineers has launched its innovation centre, having started construction on it in 2017. Of the machinery offered for trialling is a seven-layer blown film line housed by the centre as part of its technological capabilities. Further, there is the Lamina RS3X-1430-20/300

five-layer sheet extrusion system.

• Luxembourgheadquartered caps and closures manufacturer United Caps is opening its Malaysian plant at the end of 2018.

It will produce a range of closures for infant nutrition and agrochemicals, with a capacity of 300 million closures/year. It is also planning a new EUR20 million facility in Dinnington in the UK, to begin at the end of 2019.

• Indian conglomerate SRF is investing around EUR60 million for a new BOPET film facility it plans to build in the Hungarian city of Jászfényszaru, with a width of 10.4 m and capacity of 40,000 tonnes/year. Once production begins at the end of 2019, SRF’s plants will have a combined capacity of 220,000 tones/year of BOPP and BOPET films.

• PolyMirae, a joint venture 50% owned

by LyondellBasell , and 50% owned by Daelim, a construction and petrochemical company in South Korea, is setting up a joint venture with SK Advanced in South Korea, to build a new 400,000-tonne/ year PP plant to serve customers in Asia.

Construction will begin 2019 and operations will start in 2021.

The industry is seeking ways and means to cut back on single-use plastic items and plastic straws, given the growing pile of waste all over the world; while big brands are committing to the use of more recycled material content in products.

P

lastics items are growing and along with it, plastic waste. As of 2015, as much as 91% of plastic waste – constituting mostly of used bottles, containers, bags, single-use items, such as food service utensils and other scraps, – were landfilled; while a measly 9% was recycled and 12%, incinerated, according to a study, Production, Use, and Fate of all Plastics Ever Made, published in Science Advances in 2017.

Plastic waste is becoming an eyesore

The amount of plastic waste is anticipated to increase, unless policies to reduce plastic dependency of consumers, and proper waste management are enforced.

Adieu plastic straws, hello recyclable cups Coming on the heels of the ban of single-use plastic bags, is the ban on plastic straws. The straw that broke the camel’s back is the US. The country alone uses 390 million straws/day, according to Freedonia. As huge as the country is, Seattle is the first major US city to ban drinking straws, having adopted an ordinance a decade ago requiring all single-use plastic items to be compostable or recyclable.

Taking the cue, Starbucks Coffee Company has moved to straw-less lids, which are made from PP but are recyclable.

Last year, it started serving cold drinks in straw-less lids, offering alternative-material options too, such as straws from paper or PLA. The policy will be enforced in more than 28,000 company-operated and licensed stores worldwide in phases up to 2020 and will reduce the use of 1 billion plastic straws/year.

Materials News

The final straw for plastic waste

Starbucks’s cold cup lids are used in more than 8,000 stores in the US and Canada as a standard for all iced drinks except for Frappuccino, which will be served with a straw made from paper or PLA

Another food retailer, McDonald’s, is also anticipated to boot plastic straws in the UK and Ireland, transitioning to paper straws in 2019. Already, alternatives are being trialled in the US, Australia, and at some of its restaurants in Europe.

Meanwhile, in a bid to rid the planet of the 600 billion/ year disposable/single-use cups produced, Starbucks is working towards the development of the NextGen recyclable and compostable cup for hot drinks in a US$10 million commitment, together with New York-based principal investments firm Closed Loop Partners.

McDonald’s is trialling paper straws at its stores throughout the UK AUGUST 2018

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Materials News

McDonald's has also teamed up with Starbucks, committing US$5 million to the NextGen partnership.

Starbucks also is investing US$5 million to join Closed Loop Partners, which will help fund its infrastructure.

Asian countries not taking to plastic waste lightly The onslaught of plastic waste has caught the attention of countries like India where Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to eliminate single-use plastic in India by 2022. But the ban could hit the plastic industry hard and according to the Plastic Bags Manufacturers Association of India, it could lose over US$2.2 billion and 300,000 jobs.

India has more than 34,000 km of plastic roads

At least 25 of India's 29 states have full or partial bans on single-use plastics, such as shopping bags, food containers and cutlery. The ban was announced in late March but went into force only recently. McDonald's and Starbucks were among dozens of companies hit with fines in Maharashtra state, India's second-largest with a population of more than 100 million. But fines for breaking the ban are paltry for large companies, from US$73 to US$367 for subsequent violations.

Nevertheless, fisherman in the Indian state of Kerala have been “fishing” 25 tonnes of plastic from the Arabian Sea, including 10 tonnes of plastic bags and bottles, for recycling into material for road surfacing. The initiative currently engages five trawlers and 28 people from the local fishing community – all but two of whom are women, according to a UN Environment report on the scheme. To date, India has 34,000 km of plastic roads, mostly in rural areas and mainly in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

Over in Thailand, the country’s Department of Industrial Works (DIW) has instituted a ban on waste recycling factories from importing plastic and electronic wastes, after China and Vietnam announced temporary suspensions of scrap plastic imports. Vietnam’s suspension will be from June-October, due to what it says is “overcapacity” at the Tan Cang-Cat Lai Terminal that has caused backups and delays.

To date, Thailand has imported 37,000 tonnes of e-waste and 120,000 tonnes of plastic waste. According to DIW, about 53,000 tonnes/year of e-waste is legally imported from Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore into Thailand.

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AUGUST 2018

The country’s government has also indicated it will inspect some 2,240 plastic recycling facilities “to detect illegal imports of e-waste and violations of environmental control”.

Plastic scrap started pouring into the Asian region after China prohibited the imports in 2017. Prior to the import ban, China imported around 7 million tonnes/year of plastic waste, but decided to ban it to put more effort into processing recycled plastic in the domestic market.

UK weighs in heavily on single-use plastics Meanwhile, among Europe’s largest user of single-use plastic products is the UK. It is forecast to generate over 6.3 million tonnes of plastic waste by 2030, up by 20% from the current year’s 5.2 million tonnes, according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Packaging will account for 67% of the waste, owing to the increasing purchase of convenience food.

By 2030, UK would have used 41% more plastic straws, 33% more cups and lids, 9% more drinks bottles, and 34% more crisp packets. Recycling, while moving at a slow rate currently at 31% of the total plastic waste, is expected to increase by 12% to 42% by 2030 as a result of lifestyle changes and future policies taking effect, WWF stated.

It is for this reason that what is said to be the “world first” UK Plastics pact, launched in April this year, will breathe down hard on industries to stave off single-use plastic packaging. Led by UK’s WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), and formed as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative, the pact aims to, by 2025, eliminate single-use plastic packaging through redesign, innovation or alternative (reuse) delivery models; make plastic packaging fully reusable, recyclable or compostable; ensure that 70% of plastic packaging can be effectively recycled or composted; and advocate 30% recycled content in all plastic packaging.

Currently, 42 businesses including major food, drink and non-food brands, manufacturers and retailers; as well as plastic reprocessors and packaging suppliers comprise the membership of the pact. They account for over 80% of the plastic packaging used on products sold in UK supermarkets.

Tesco has pledged to remove hard to recycle and non-recyclable materials from packaging by 2019

Materials News UK supermarket giant Tesco, which is part of the pact along with compatriots Sainsbury’s and Aldi, says it will remove hard to recycle and non-recyclable materials, including PVC, PS, oxy-degradable materials, PLA, water soluble bioplastics and industrial compostable, used for its grocery packaging by 2019, and move towards a closed loop system.

But there are detractors and one of these is UK-based Axion Polymers that does not agree with the ban on straws and other single-use plastics, adding that the government is “clutching at straws” over waste plastic exports. It says the government fails to see the bigger picture and needs to implement strategies to impede plastic waste exports. It adds that in 2017, the UK exported 66% of plastic packaging waste collected for recycling – nearly 700,000 tonnes. Much of this is exported to Asia, where poorer and lessdeveloped facilities mean there is a much higher risk of pollution and leakage into the environment.

Axion has introduced a training programme aimed at educating the industry on recycling

The solution it says is to make products more recyclable, collect these and reprocess them in the UK turning it into an economic growth opportunity. The company has launched a new training service aimed at improving knowledge within the plastic packaging value chain and helping the industry to understand what design choices it can make for their packaging to be recyclable.

Brands repurpose products from waste and recyclables In a bid to taking on responsibility to generate the least amount of waste as possible, manufacturers are increasing recycled plastic content, offering degradable alternatives and bio-sourced plastic materials, and increasing recycling rates.

Finnish renewable diesel supplier/petroleum products manufacturer Neste has partnered with Swedish multinational furniture retailer Ikea to utilise renewable residue and waste raw materials, such as used cooking oil, as well as sustainably-produced vegetable oils, in the production of PP and PE products.

In a project with Neste, Ikea will utilise renewable, bio-based PP for its furniture

Materials News

To start up this year, the pilot at commercial scale of PP and PE plastic, chosen to contain 20% renewable content will be based o n N e s t e’s 10 0 % r e n e wa b l e hydrocarbons. Ikea will use the new plastic in products that are part of the current product range, such as plastic storage boxes, starting with a limited number of products. The furniture store says it is working to change all of the plastic used in its products to plastic based on recycled and/or renewable materials by 2030.

Elsewhere, Austrian polyolefins supplier Borealis, in conjunction with adhesi ves, sealants and functional coatings maker H e n ke l , h a s d e v e l o p e d an all-purpose glue bottle and cap from recycled Henkel’s plastic bottle and material. The bottle also nozzle is composed 100% uses Borealis’s proprietary of post-consumer recycled Purpolen PE regranulate material produced by subsidiary firm mtm in Germany. Processer KKT Kaller Kunststoff Technik manufactured the bottles while bomo trendline Technik produced the applicator nozzles.

Meanwhile, German recycling technology firm APK is using its Newcycling process to recover materials from difficult PE/PA6 multilayer barrier packaging. The company is working together with Dutch chemicals firm DSM as well as in a joint development project between Henkel, packaging manufacturer Mondi, and Borealis.

Mondi has tested the suitability of recycled LDPE from APK for multi-layer films at its R&D centre in Germany, and has carried out successful preliminary tests in a pilot plant on site. In this project, the LDPE virgin material previously used in flexible detergent packaging was largely replaced by APK’s LDPE recyclate. Mondi uses the reclaimed material in the co-extrusion and lamination of PE film with printed PET film to form a composite duplex structure, while maintaining the external appearance of the detergent bag. “The joint project meets the European Commission’s strategy, adopted in January 2018, which calls for all plastic packaging in Europe to be recyclable by 2030,” said Mondi.

The commercialisation of the project and its intended market launch in early 2019 is currently being examined by the project partners.

Car maker Volvo is following on the heels of US car makers like GM that is using recycled PET (rPET) for making parts. The Swedish car maker has pledged to use 25% recycled plastic in all its cars from 2025. Recycled plastics – such as from fishing nets or old bottles in car dashboards or carpets – will not affect safety or quality, it adds. Currently, around 5% plastics used in its cars is made from recycled materials.

Volvo has already produced a one-off XC60 plug-in hybrid using recycled parts to illustrate the potential of this raw material reduction. The carpet, for instance, had fibres made from rPET, old Volvo car seats were used in sound-absorbing material under the hood, and fishing nets and ropes were used in the tunnel console between the passenger and driver seats.

Volvo has produced a one-off XC60 plug-in with recycled parts

APK has developed a solvent-based process called Newcycling that enables the recovery of clean-grade materials from complex multi-layer packaging

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The bottom line of waste management efforts is to protect the environment, curb marine litter, wean off fossil fuel dependence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, the mountain of plastic waste may be a burden to the industry but it also provides the “incentive” to innovate feasible solutions, without endangering the environment further.

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61﹪

11﹪

67﹪

10

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53﹪

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53﹪

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75

Chemical Industry

Chemical companies finding a formula to success

R

A major driver of the world economy, the trillion-dollar chemical industry has stood the test of shifting global trends that are hinged on globalisation, systematic adoption of technologies, and sustainability, with more M&As on the horizon, says Angelica Buan in this report.

eaching total revenues of more than US$4 trillion in 2016, the global chemicals industry is expected to grow further by 2021, according to the 2017 Global Chemicals Industry Almanac produced by UK-headquartered market research provider MarketLine.

Of the chemicals industry segments, petrochemicals are predicted to hit the US$885 billion mark by 2020, and lead the other key segments, in terms of market size. This will be on account of growing demand from end-user industries such as packaging, transportation, construction, plastics, and health care, according to Ernst & Young’s Global Chemicals Outlook 2030.

M&As by Sectors Meanwhile, increasing demand in end-user industries, as well as other key factors, Specialty & 68% Fine Chem ranging from pro-industry initiatives to new technologies, Stable is also predicted to drive the Strongly Trade & 43% speciality chemicals segment Increase <20% Distribution to reach US$470 billion; to be Increase10–20% followed by the fertilisers and Decline10–20% agrochemicals segments at Petrochem & 34% Basic Chem US$195 billion.

The global economic 10 23 36 49 62 75 environment has been volatile Source: Survey responses. AT Kearney analysis and, for industries that lack Nearly half of AT Kearney’s survey respondents the agility to adopt, can be harsh. foresee the segment to be stable, and 68% foresee Unencumbered by an economic speciality and fine chemicals segment to increase slowdown in major markets, in 2018 the industry has re-strategised to sustain profitable growth by increasing capacities, realigning portfolio to boost core competencies, developing products and services geared towards sustainability, increasing deal activities, tapping other growth markets, and other like measures.

In 2017, M&A deals worldwide in the chemical industry garnered a total value of US$100 billion

Global M&A deals value (US$ billion) 2008–2018 300 272 242

233 215

216 188 160 132 104

104 76 48 20

60 40

46

58

54

VALUES BY US$

100

42 24

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Source: Statista

M&As: Joining forces to pursue growth and charter new markets Mergers and acquisitions (M&As), as an enabler of strategic goals, work favourably in several ways. To cite a few, the supply chain synergies of the merged companies cushion them against the impact of feedstock fluctuations; as well, competition is reduced, “as the barriers to entry in the segment increases because of presence of big players”, according to the Ernst &Young report.

Through the years of securing profitability and market positioning, M&A activities continue to climb, although at a varied pace. Based on a ten-year data visualisation plotted by US-headquartered data provider Statista, 2016 had a record global M&A value of US$233 billion or up 288% from the 2008 value of US$60 billion; and up by 8.37% and 133% from the 2015 and 2017 values of US$215 billion and US$100 billion, respectively.

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Chemical Industry However, the Statista data showed a tapering off in values by 2018 to US$24 billion, sliding by 76% from a year ago.

Nevertheless, according to a latest chemicals executive M&A survey released by US global management consulting firm AT Kearney, respondents expressed optimism of the uptrend in M&A activity continuing to 2018; with nearly two-thirds (61%) anticipating that the 2018 turn-out will be stronger than 2017.

Growth optimism in M&A activities Overall

61%

E. Europe

34%

India

55%

13%

W. Europe

53%

14%

N. America

53%

20%

Japan/Korea

33%

China

67%

Mideast/Africa

39%

Latin America

37%

APAC

33%

11% 14%

16%

24%

DECLINE

14%

INCREASE

14%

23%

10 16.5 23 29.5 36 42.5 49 55.5 62 68.5 75 Source: Survey responses. AT Kearney analysis

According to AT Kearney, respondents expressed optimism of the uptrend in M&A activity continuing to 2018; with nearly two-thirds anticipating that the 2018 turn-out will be stronger than 2017

What has set off this prospective trend is the recent mega-deal merger, specifically between chemical giants like Dow and DuPont to form the US$130-billion DowDupont firm, which targets to split the merged company into three businesses to focus on agriculture, materials science and speciality products in the first half of 2019. Other mega mergers include the German multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences company Bayer’s takeover of US agrochemical firm Monsanto in a US$63-billion deal; and the US$43-billion deal by Chinese chemicals company ChemChina to acquire Swiss biotechnology company Syngenta.

A significant few of respondents (11%), particularly those from Western Europe, opined the decline of M&A activity in 2018, mainly due to lack of “suitably sized targets, particularly after such a prolonged period of strong activity and escalating prices,” they added.

Meanwhile, 37% of respondents noted that “activist investors could limit the activity”, citing the foiled US$20 billion Clariant-Huntsman transaction, when activist investor White Tale Holdings, together with some other Clariant shareholders vetoed the merger.

Some respondents to the AT Kearney survey also opined why the Clariant-Hunstman deal, as well as the other similar mergers would likely not succeed.

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For Clariant-Huntsman, respondents said the merged company would have had “an unclear leadership structure, and lacked synergy”; while on the other hand, “the action of activist shareholders blocked a potentially highly successful move from companies that have few other options”.

Emerging new opportunities The failed bid by US paints and coatings producer PPG Industries to buy Dutch peer AkzoNobel in a US$29.5 billion deal was imputed to “how the PPG provoked AkzoNobel”. The latter had to resist the pressure from some shareholders to agree to the PPG takeover on alleged undervaluing of the business valuation and probable job layoffs.

Moving forward, the aborted mergers may not, after all, end on a bitter note. In a recent development, White Tale, which at the time had raised its stake to 25% or approximately US$2.4 billion to obtain a three-board seat representation, sold its stake to petrochemical company Sabic in January. Sabic is Clariant’s partner in the catalyst joint venture Scientific Design. This acquisition, claimed to deliver more value than the previous merger plan with Huntsman, now makes Sabic the largest Clariant shareholder.

More recently, Sabic itself has been in the limelight with an expected interest by the world’s largest oil company Saudi Aramco. On route to what will be the largest IPO in the world expected to happen next year, Saudi Aramco is picking up downstream businesses to diversify its portfolio into the petrochemical sector, in particular. It adds that it has been evaluating a number of acquisition opportunities, both local and global.

Saudi Aramco further confirmed that it is engaged in “very early-stage discussions with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) regarding acquiring a strategic interest in Sabic by way of a private transaction”. It has no plans to acquire any publicly held shares, it said.

PIF, Saudi Arabia's top sovereign wealth fund, owns a 70% share in Sabic, which is the world's fourth largest petrochemicals company. Sabic has a market capitalisation of US$102.7 billion. In a separate statement, PIF also said that talks about a sale were in early stages. "There is a possibility that no agreement will be reached in relation to this potential transaction," it said.

State-owned Saudi Aramco wants to develop its downstream business as the government prepares to sell up to 5% of the world's largest oil producer in an IPO, possibly by next year. Boosting its petrochemicals portfolio further could help attract investors for the IPO. In a similar vein, this transaction indicates the significance of state-owned companies like Sabic (which is also building a US$20 billion petrochemical facility with Saudi Aramco that is expected to start production by 2025); and ChemChina (which is anticipated to merge with another Chinese state-owned company, Sinochem, to create a US$120 billion chemicals company) in the rising M&A activities.

Chemical Industry

DEVELOPMENT OF M&A ACTIVITIES BY REGIONS Share of answers in AT KEARNEY executive survey OVERALL

61﹪

CHINA

67﹪

INDIA

55﹪

13﹪

W. EUROPE

53﹪

14﹪

N. AMERICA

53﹪

20﹪

10

11﹪

14﹪

23

36

49

62

DECREASE

Asia dominates the global chemical market share The changing global economic landscape has dented the competitive advantage of Europe and the US, and thus re-routed manufacturing facilities and operations to emerging markets, including Asia.

Asia accounts for more than 60% of the market share of global chemicals and is expected to reach nearly 65% of the global market share in 2030, according to the Ernst & Young report. Asia is followed by the US and Europe, which are almost of equal footing, accounting for 20% and 19% market shares, respectively, according to The Business Research Company’s Chemicals Market Global Briefing 2017.

Overall contributing to Asia’s market dominance are its lower labour cost, the rising number of production facilities, and its growing population.

According to the AT Kearney Vision 2030 report, Asia, with almost 4 billion population or more than half the global population, is witnessing rapid urbanisation and increased consumption, thus driving demand for chemicals, largely used for basic needs such as in construction, clothing, and agriculture, to cite a few.

The two fastest growing chemicals markets in the region are China, which represents more than half of the region’s chemical sales; and India, which is slated to grow 9% annually from 2014 to clinch US$214 billion by 2019, as forecast in a Tata Strategic Management Group study.

China, mired in looming debt problems, slow GDP growth, and industrial overcapacity, is shifting to speciality chemicals, according to IHS Markit, and is expected to corner 6.5% growth per year from 2015-2020 to more than US$175 billion, outpacing North America to become the largest speciality chemical market.

Chemical trade in Asia, meanwhile, will get a boost as China reduces taxes with six other Asian trading partners, under the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (AFTA) pact, formerly the Bangkok Agreement.

From 1 July this year, China has adjusted levies on imports covering 2,323 categories of commodities, including chemicals made in Bangladesh, India, Laos, South Korea and Sri Lanka.

The adjustment came after a new arrangement was reached during the fourth round of tariff concession negotiations among the six APTA members in January 2017.

Given the hefty industry scenario in the region, M&A activities are also anticipated to expand. Respondents in the AT Kearney M&A survey are looking forward to brisk

M&A activity in 2018, with some 67% hinging on China to be active during the year. China was the most active acquirer, followed by Thailand and India, the report finds.

About 55% of respondents projected the increase in activity happening in India, while Western Europe and North America will continue to score an increase in M&As, according to 53% of respondents.

The report finds that the shift in activity from developed to emerging markets has been an ongoing, but has been less significant the past few years.

INCREASE

After PPG, AkzoNobel eyed a merger with US coatings company Axalta, which also did not progress. Currently, the Dutch company has finalised an agreement to acquire Brazilian firm Polinox, a producer of ketone peroxides used in the manufacture of polymers. AkzoNobel intoned that it expects the acquisition to expand its footprint in South America, and establish it as one of the region’s leading producers of curing systems for polyester thermoset resins. The company will invest to add capacity in its own site at Itupeva, Brazil, and transfer manufacturing there after the expansion is completed. The sale is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018.

75

On a regional basis, some 67% of respondents from the AT Kearney survey expect more activity in China in 2018; an increase in activity is anticipated in India (55%); and Western Europe (53%) and North America (53%)

In 2017, there was an increase in international acquisitions by emerging market acquirers, led primarily by China and partly by GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries and Russia, in particular, value-wise. Almost 30% of the top ten deals in 2017 involved buyers from emerging markets; and developed market acquirers faced a stable trend in both domestic and international target transactions.

Achieving growth in the competitive chemicals industry is becoming more complex over the years. Companies, exhorting tools of growth such as M&As, are in hopes that with strengths and assets consolidated, weaknesses and liabilities are stamped out. Nevertheless, this is not always the case.

According to Ernst & Young, M&As come with postacquisition and joint venture integration issues.

There are also issues on competition from domestic producers in the case of cross-border deals, and cost challenges of divesting backward-integrated businesses.

In other words, there are no cut-and-dried long term successes. The global market is opening up growth opportunities for companies with the ability to innovate, to operate sustainably, and to utilise digital technologies that are available.

AUGUST 2018

17

Building and Construction

Greening buildings for a zero emissions future With the increasing adoption of green architecture, there is greater demand for green materials for the residential and non-residential segments. Innovative materials are curbing the rise in building-related CO2 emissions, says Angelica Buan in this report.

WGBC is challenging businesses across the world to eliminate carbon emissions from their buildings by 2030

18

AUGUST 2018

B

ack in 1972, the US Commerce Secretary Peter G. Peterson then said that the era of low-cost energy was almost dead, following a sharp drop in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oil output, and preceding the OPEC oil embargo that nearly quadrupled prices of oil globally. The oil shock, as it was called, has become a game changer for global industries. It was an era that no economy would wish to go back to.

Nonetheless, it was also an antecedent for energy and resourceefficient green architecture to sprout, which today has become a major disruptive trend in the building and construction sector.

The global green building market continues to advance on the back of rising awareness regarding global warming and climate change.

Green buildings have low carbon footprint, and are designed to use lesser amounts of energy and resources compared to conventional buildings.

The segment is set to grow at a CAGR of around 13% from 2015 to 2020, as reported in Global Green Building Market Outlook 2020 by Research and Markets. It added that the US has the biggest market for green building construction, while developing economies in Asia-Pacific are also showing significant growth in this sector.

Green building materials are cost-effective, safe, recyclable, and eco-friendly. According to Technavio, the global green building materials market is expected to cross US$260 billion by 2019; and by 2023, Crystal Market Research estimates the value to almost double to over US$426 billion.

Rising awareness about environmental pollution, demand for low operational and maintenance cost and compliance to emissions regulations are propelling the green building materials market.

The World Green Building Council (WGBC) has set the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment that challenges businesses and organisations across the world to take advanced climate action by setting ambitious targets to eliminate operational carbon emissions from their buildings by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement ambition of below 2 degrees of global warming. In 2015, 82% of final energy consumption in buildings was supplied by fossil fuels, whereas to meet the Paris Agreement this must become 0%, says WGBC.

Building and Construction Furthermore, the commitment proves that the sector can and must play a key role in achieving large scale emissions reduction. Globally, almost 40% of energy related greenhouse emissions come from buildings, with 28% coming from the operations of buildings themselves. This equals the total emissions of China and the European Union combined.

Globally, energy efficiency measures could contribute a 48% reduction of global emissions by 2030, with 43% of those coming from buildings.

Meanwhile, powering buildings by renewable energy is equally essential to achieving a zero emissions built environment. And with renewables accounting for an estimated nearly 62% of net additions to global power generating capacity in 2016, the reality of a decarbonised world has never been more achievable, says WGBC. Better quality air starts from the roof Rising pollution levels is a scourge of modernisation. The air has gone so bad that nine out of ten people globally are inhaling air containing high levels of pollutants, according to the World Health Organisation. Ambient and household air pollution has also been reported to cause 7 million deaths/year.

American conglomerate 3M is raising the bar in improved air quality in buildings with a new innovation that enables asphalt shingles and other residential and commercial granulated roofing materials to become smog-fighting surfaces.

Energy efficient buildings Paris-headquartered intergovernmental organisation IEA (International Energy Agency) cites that the global buildings sector accounts for over 30% of final energy consumption and more than 55% of global electricity demand. It is also responsible for about 40% of total direct and indirect CO 2 emissions. The growing number of buildings being constructed worldwide is driving demand for energy efficient building technologies.

According to Navigant Research, the global market for energy efficient building technologies is expected to reach nearly US$361 billion in 2026.

Leading in providing energy efficient innovations DuPont Safety & Construction has recently introduced its FlexWrap EZ to its full line of 100% butyl-backed flashing systems that help to create an air and water-tight protective envelope.

DuPont FlexWrap EZ around a pipe penetration 3M smog-reducing granules help remove smog pollution using roofing shingles

The 3M smog-reducing granules are said to help remove smog pollution (nitrogen oxides or NOx) using roofing shingles. These are embedded in the shingle’s surface, and are designed with a specialised photocatalytic coating applied to the base mineral. The specialised coating on the granule is activated by the sun’s UV rays, while blending inconspicuously into various shingle colour combinations. As sunlight hits the shingles containing the smog-reducing granules, radicals are generated and transform nitrogen oxide gases into water-soluble ions improving air quality.

It is part of the company’s Tyvek building envelope solutions portfolio that protects the entire building against air and water intrusion, and is a self-adhered flashing tape designed to seal around small exterior penetrations of all different shapes and sizes. It is ideal for flashing around the many smaller electrical, HVAC, and plumbing penetrations as a fast and easy solution to help improve energy efficiency and the durability of a wall system, says DuPont.

Insulation: keeping buildings cool Proper insulation promotes energy efficiency in a building and at the same time ensures that the energy used to heat or cool a building will not be lost to the outdoors. Insulations help enhance a building’s functionality.

For example, the newly opened Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia, a 60,000-people capacity stadium consisting of levelled tiered seating located above bars and restaurants, already has limited space allocation for the seating area. It is for this reason that its architects called for a slim insulation board profile that offered excellent thermal performance and high levels of energy efficiency.

AUGUST 2018

19

Building and Construction

Kingspan’s Kooltherm K10 Soffit Board is applied to the underside of the seating plats in Australia's Optus Stadium

Irish building materials company Kingspan, working with the project’s contractors at Cubic Group, designed a customised installation solution that was applied to the underside of the seating plats using Kingspan’s Kooltherm K10 Soffit Board.

The latter is an insulation product with a fibre-free rigid thermoset phenolic core, a glass tissue-based facing on its front surface and low emissivity composite foil on its reverse surface, which is used for structural ceilings.

Kingspan’s insulation solution boasts of thermal performance as well as a slim profile, meaning, it could easily fit into the enclosed areas, while still complying with the high thermal performance and energy efficiency requirements of the building. In the areas where the insulation was exposed, the panel was used to deliver the same energy performance without comprising design.

Plastic pipes: safer, greener piping system Plastic almost always wins hand down in pipe systems department, owing to their non-corrosive property, flexibility, fast and easy installation; and cost-effectiveness. Especially, most, if not all modern plastic pipes for buildings are equally durable as the traditional iron, copper or brass types.

ABS extrusion-grade Novodur 530 is certified to withstand 10,000 hours of long-term hydrostatic pressure testing

20

AUGUST 2018

Global styrenics supplier Ineos Styrolution has launched a new product solution for in-building piping application. Novodur 530, being an ABS extrusion grade material combines a wellbalanced mix of properties needed to fulfil the demanding hydrostatic pressure testing requirements under ISO 9080:2012 for in-building ABS piping application, says Ineos.

This product for in-building piping applications combines high impact strength, high modulus and good thermoforming stability, offering pipe manufacturers a friendly processing window.

In addition, its high hydrostatic strength (ISO 9080:2012) guarantees long term performance (up to 50 years) for the in-building piping application, according to Ineos. Apart from the in-building pipe application, Novodur 530 is also used for other applications, including home appliances, automotive and helmets.

Sustainable concrete with food fibre and CO 2 Cement production requires a lot of energy and is a huge source of CO 2 emissions. According to EIA, the cement sector is the third-largest industrial energy consumer in the world, accounting for 7% of industrial energy use; and the second industrial emitter of CO 2 , with about 7% of global emissions.

By 2050, global cement production is set to increase between 12-23%, driven by rising population and urbanisation worldwide. As such, direct carbon emissions from the cement industry are also expected to rise by 4% globally by 2050, EIA cited. Cement makers are urged to reduce their emissions based on the IEA target of limiting average global temperature increased to 2°C. Researchers at the Lancaster University in UK are harnessing nano-platelets derived from fibres of root vegetables to strengthen concrete used for buildings and large structures.

Building and Construction The cellulose-based platelets, which were produced in collaboration with Scottish firm CelluComp, are nano-sheets synthesised from carrot and sugar beet root. They are said to be less expensive than using commercially available cement additives like graphene and carbon fibre; and considering too that these are derived from waste products from the food industry.

Professor Mohamed Saafi, who led the study, said that the platelets when blended into a traditional concrete mix (consisting of cement, aggregate, and water) increase the amount of calcium silicate hydrate, which is chiefly responsible for the strength of concrete. Based on tests, this mixture, which used 40 kg less of a widely used cement brand per cubic metre of concrete, yielded the same strength comparable to standard mixes, thus translating to a significant reduction of CO 2 in the environment.

The researchers also found that adding the platelets boost the density of the concreteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s microstructure, allowing structures to be corrosionresistant and long-lasting.

Cellulose-based platelets from carrot and beet fibres can be used to strengthen building concrete

The team will also be developing thin nanoplatelet-based sheets, which would be applied to the outside of existing structures made from traditional concrete, to strengthen and thus extend the lifespan of those structures.

Meanwhile, the excess CO 2 dumped by industrial emitters can still be put to good use.

Canada-based CarbonCure Technology offers CO 2 capture and utilisation technologies for the concrete and cement industries.

The CarbonCure technology injects CO2 into concrete to improve the concrete's strength and reduce manufacturing costs

The process, which uses the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s patented CarbonCure Technology, involves injecting a precise dosage of CO 2 into ready mix concrete and concrete masonry products, where the CO 2 becomes chemically converted into a mineral. Once injected into the wet concrete mix, the CO 2 reacts with calcium ions from cement to form a nano-sized calcium carbonate mineral that becomes permanently embedded in the concrete, which means too that the CO 2 will never be released into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. The solution also helps concrete producers to lower production costs.

CarbonCure has already worked with several North American ready-mix and masonry producers and concrete suppliers, and has nearly 100 installations of its technology across the continent.

Recently, the company entered into a collaboration with US industrial, medical and speciality gases supplier Airgas, an Air Liquide company, to increase adoption of its CO 2 utilisation technology in the US Gulf Coast. Airgas offers concrete producers a complete value-added CO 2 supply and service solution, supported by its large Gulf Coast distribution network.

The company says that the turnkey offering will make it easier for concrete producers to realise new production cost efficiencies while reducing concreteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s carbon footprint.

The above efforts once again point the world towards the direction of a revived era of lowenergy, which is hoped will be more sustainable for a better future.

AUGUST 2018

21

Pipe/Profile

New technology at the forefront From strand lines with higher outputs to fittings made for PVC-O pipes and pipes for the oil and gas sector and pipes for China’s increasing urbanisation, new technology is in the offing.

Davis-Standard profile line doubles output Continual growth in product demand and a full manufacturing floor required Intralox, a US supplier of plastic conveyor belt technology, to get creative with its processing options. Thus, Intralox replaced an older profile line with a new dual-strand profile line from US extrusion machinery supplier Davis-Standard, doubling its output without requiring additional space.

The line processes dual-strand solid rod made of PP, PE, PA, Acetal and PEEK materials. Davis-Standard customised the line for Intralox applications, completing delivery and installation within eight months of purchase. Due to the successful set up, Intralox plans to replace its other profile lines with Davis-Standard dual-strand lines in the near future.

“This new line is a game-changer in terms of production outputs, rod quality and innovation,” said Gregory Washington, Extrusion Supervisor at Intralox. “While dualstrand profile technology is not new, it’s new for us. We’ve had great results in terms of speed, equipment performance and ease of operation.”

Davis-Standard supplied all line components from extruder and controls through downstream equipment. Washington appreciates the intuitiveness of the DS-eVUE control system as well as the dual-strand Y-tooling, accuracy of product dimensionality, cut quality, cooling tank capabilities, and the Intralox says it doubled its ability to isolate products with cast-off equipment. In addition, output with the installation of Intralox was able to witness and approve the entire operating line at Conair, Davis-Standard’s downstream equipment partner. a Davis-Standard profile line “Intralox ships product all over the world to support customers in the automotive, food, industrial, logistics and material handling, packaging, tyre and rubber industries,” said Sean Stephan, Davis-Standard’s Regional Manager responsible for this project. “Being able to take their outputs from 125 ft/minute to 300 ft/minute on the same line while supporting quality goals really defined this project,” he added.

Fittings for PVC-O pipes in PVC-O Spanish pipe machine maker Molecor says it has developed a highly efficient industrial system for the manufacture of PVC-O fittings, with which the company has been capable of manufacturing a product with better mechanical properties.

Known as ecoFITTOM, these are said to be the first fittings in the world to be manufactured in PVC-O, with improvements in the mechanical properties of PVC, claims the company.

These improvements allow the manufacture of ecoFITTOM to consume lower raw material and less energy and result in an end product with higher hydrostatic resistance and higher resistance to impact than fittings of other materials. Consequently, the manufacturing costs are lower, with no heavy machinery required for their installation. Thanks to their lightness and easy handling, given the physical and mechanical characteristics, the ecoFITTOM fittings can be installed manually up to DN315 mm (12”), something that contributes to reducing the installation costs and time taken considerably, adds the firm.

Besides this, the company says the fittings allow for improved behaviour against water hammer, are completely watertight, and provide chemical resistance and ductility and are a 100% recyclable product.

These fittings can be used in networks for the transportation of drinking Molecor’s ecoFITTOM is a continuous system water, irrigation systems, industrial applications, sewage, infrastructure that allows for a more homogeneous hydraulic networks and fire protection nets, among other applications. network

22

AUGUST 2018

Pipe/Profile Breakthrough in pipes for oil/gas sector German machinery maker KraussMaffei, at its recent 180th anniversary celebrations, highlighted the TCP (Thermoplastic Composite Pipes) pilot line, available from subsidiary company KraussMaffei Berstorff. With its latest innovation, it says it is taking new strides in fibre composite technology to support pre-qualifying customer-specific sample pipes for the oil and gas industry.

KraussMaffei Berstorff’s TCP is targeted at the oil/gas industry

In addition, the newly developed tube die features a threelayer pipe with a functional inner layer made of PA12. This is especially suited for transporting corrosive and abrasive media.

According to Matt Sieverding, President of Extrusion Technology at the KraussMaffei Group, "In the pre-qualification of new developments we offer a service that is one-of-a-kind in the world.” The base pipe can be produced on an in-house line for manufacturing pipes, purchased on the market or provided by the customer. The tapes are then wrapped on the TCP pilot line. A reconfiguration of the line allows for subsequent sheathing with a protective layer.

"For manufacturing TCP pipes, we relied on a threelevel process in our system concept. For the customer, this process ensures maximum flexibility in production. And this is combined with a minimum risk in the production process," says Sieverding.

At the second stage of the process, the surface of the PE pipe on the winding system is heated with infrared. The tape is then attached at two successive winding stations. An infrared oven for each layer ensures the fusion of the inner pipe with the reinforcing layers, thus ensuring complete bonding. A corresponding guiding device ensures exact positioning and prevents potential tape overlapping.

In onshore use, the working pressure attains 150 bar at times. In offshore use, the pipe can be required to withstand a pressure stability of more than 500 bar. A system was shown at its anniversary celebration, designed for a pipe interior diameter range of 50.8 to 152.4 mm and a maximum permissible operating pressure up to 100 bar. It is currently intended for the use of PE pipes coated with glass-fibre reinforced PE tape. In the long run, however, multi-layer pipes, other fibres and engineering polymers will also be tested.

Integrated into a complete production line, the KM-3L RKW 250 F³ tube die produces a three-layer PE pipe with a functional inner layer made from PA12. The combination of the materials was immediately obvious as PA is substantially more expensive than PE but offers high chemical and abrasion resistance. For complete bonding, an additional bonding layer is required. Due to their high impact strength and abrasion resistance, pipes manufactured in this way are particularly well suited to corrosive and abrasive media such as those frequently used in the oil, gas and chemical industries.

Moving to cleaner energy in China with gas piping With air pollution becoming a problem in China and to move away from coal energy, efforts have been stepped up to promote gas pipelines. Austrian extrusion machinery maker battenfeld-cincinnati has supplied its solEX extruders for PO pipes that are ideal for gas pipe production due to their processing properties and high outputs as well as for large diameter pipes that are often used in gas pipelines, according to CEO Toni Bernards.

The single-screw extruders allow high output production of PO pipe extrusion (up to 2,750 kg/hour for smooth HDPE pipe and up to 2,200 kg/hour for corrugated HDPE pipe), thanks to their optimised screw geometry and large processing length.

At the same time, they offer improved melt homogeneity and low melt temperatures. AC motors ensure low energy consumption – in total, solEX extruders use 15-25% less energy than conventional extruders.

At the Chinaplas show in April, a solEX 60-40-C was shown with the new control system BCtouch UX, which was introduced to the Chinese market last year.

“The new control system has already received lots of positive feedback and proven itself in operation,” said Bernards. The control PE gas pipes produced with the features Industry solEX 60-40-C 4.0 applications like preventive maintenance, OPC-UA functionality and remote maintenance. The swivel-type operating panel has a 21.5 in. HD multi-touch screen for intuitive operation and allows individual configurations and language selection for each operator.

China relies on PVC pipes for urbanisation Due to growing urbanisation and the replacement of old pipe systems, PVC pipes are also a growing sector in the Chinese market. They are used in infrastructure projects, e.g. for cable duct and sewage applications because of their long lifetimes and easy installation. uPVC pipe produced with Here, battenfeld-cincinnati a leanEX 2-CL extruder also offers extruders for the whole range of PVC pipe production. “For standard applications and medium sizes we recently introduced the leanEX conical twin screw extruders,” explained Bernards.

The new leanEX conical twin-screw series features the same concept of high automation, speed and outputs as that of the previous leanEX PO pipe extruders. Based on European technology, the machines are designed for standard PVC pipe applications.

Optimised, nitrated screws ensure high plasticising performance and wear protection at output rates of up to 270 kg/ hour for pipe and 150 kg/hour for profile.

Maintenance-free AC motors, efficient barrel temperature control and proven screw core thermoregulation ensure easy handling and long lifetimes, says Bernards.

AUGUST 2018

23

Injection Moulding Asia 3D Printing

Disruptive technology: boon or bane 3D printing utilising polymers will be valued at

Move from prototyping expected While metal 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies have continued to capture a significant share of growth and investments over the last several years, additive manufacturing with plastics continues to be tightly linked to legacy applications in prototyping and modelling despite a significant interest in moving them into manufacturing and production.

SmarTech adds that a new trend is becoming established for manufacturers who are moving away from traditional moulding processes to 3D printing due to factors including costs, output, and lead times.

SmarTech also says that leaders in the 3D printing industry are now fully committed to designing and implementing upgrades, new process architectures, and post processing equipment to improve reliability, predictability, machine productivity, and automation.

These efforts differ significantly in practical implementation depending on print technology, but are setting the stage for a true manufacturing revolution in polymers and plastics, it adds.

Until these new technical upgrades and developments can fully come online in the market, polymer 3D printing technology has continued to grow based on adding value in more concrete areas of application including producing end-use parts indirectly by printing various kinds of tooling, says the report.

Other companies continue to develop processes aimed primarily at prototyping and modelling, which remains for the most part the backbone of the industry.

US$16 billion by 2027, despite the industry being involved mainly in prototyping at the moment.

Nonetheless, this emerging technology could be a boon or bane as a disruptive technology that

could have the potential for threats and security implications if not used in the right way, says another report.

Escalating to dizzy heights of growth Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is a transformational technology that holds the potential to revolutionise entire industries by making it possible, and in a cost-effective manner, to mass manufacture entirely individualised products. It also allows for design optimisations and functional improvements, such as lighter designs, that are impossible to create with standard manufacturing technologies. As a result, more industries, including the aerospace, automotive, footwear and the eyewear industry, are adopting 3D printing.

Thus, the 3D printing market will be valued at US$16 billion in industry revenues from the sale of printers and polymer-based print materials by 2027, according to a study published by SmarTech Publishing.

The study says that dentistry, biomedical, automotive and aerospace sectors will drive future market growth over the next decade.

Technology innovations in processes SmarTechâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report also analyses technologies, including material extrusion, powder bed fusion, vat photo polymerisation, material jetting and binder jetting processes, as well as materials ranging from thermoplastic filaments, pellets and powders to thermoplastic composites.

It says that extrusion-based 3D printing generated more than 41% of all hardware revenues for polymer 3D printing in 2017. Here, it says, efforts to industrialise the classic extrusion printing concept are taking shape primarily in two areas: increasing the isotropic properties and Z-axis strength of parts, and improving the potential for high throughput manufacturing potential.

Companies like BASF, Stratasys, BigRep, Essentium, and others are working to redesign and improve filament extruders, develop thermoplastic composite materials, create multi-axis extrusion systems, and focus on high volume manufacturing using printers.

In vat photopolymerisation technology, the possibilities and scope of layer-free photopolymerisation continue to expand to push the technology into new

Research company Frost & Sullivan says that 3D printing will grow at a CAGR of 20.3% between 2017 and 2024 in the aerospace sector, with Boeing and Airbus to expedite adoption of the technology

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BASF is on a trailblazing trend in the 3D sector having invested in Materialise recently and having acquired Advanc3D Materials in Germany, and Setup Performance in France

realms of direct end use part manufacturing using new more reactive resins resulting in strong, long-life plastic parts of modest sizes. Meanwhile, concurrent efforts to automate the pre and-post processes associated with these technologies present attractive serial manufacturing capabilities for the near future. SmarTech estimates that within ten years, nearly 50% of vat photopolymerisation machines sold will feature a layer-free printing architecture.

Powder bed fusion technology for polymers continues to benefit greatly from efforts in metals additive manufacturing using similar processes, and polymer powder bed fusion systems are now reaping benefits of industrialisation through parallelised machine design to increase productivity, high temperature processing for material expansion, and automated materials handling and post processing.

SmarTech expects that shipments of powdered thermoplastic materials to support powder bed fusion markets will grow to nearly double that of the next closest polymer printing technology by 2027.

Automotive market on a roll for 3D Meanwhile, the global 3D printing market in automotive is anticipated to expand remarkably at a striking CAGR of 26.2% from 2017-2023. 3D printing is aiding the automotive industry by providing functional prototype phases, designs, part manufacturing and tools production, says a report published by Market Research Future (MRFR).

The report points to expeditious development in technology for widening the application range and for the expansion of its use in the automotive sector. It says that 3D printing has aided the production of more complex designs allowing for a short time span, as compared to the conventional production methods, thus cutting down the manufacturing costs for the production process in the automotive industry.

The increasing focus on introducing innovative and efficient printing materials to provide lightweight spare parts, reducing material wastage and lowering the turnaround time is also driving the expansion of the global 3D printing market in the automotive sector.

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3D printing for the automotive sector is expected to expand at a CAGR of 26.2%

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Injection Moulding Asia 3D Printing On the flip side, the high cost and low availability of 3D printers in the market are likely to act as a restraint on further growth in the automotive sector.

Technology that is used includes stereolithography (SLA), laser sintering, electron beam melting, laminated object manufacturing and others. Among these, SLA accounts for the largest market share in the global automotive market.

says that regulatory standards could be enforced that require printers to encode a unique ID in their products, making accountability easier. One industry expert noted the potential for genetic-based IDs (e.g., in the raw materials), which cannot be tampered with or erased. c) Loss of jobs: 3D printing could result in loss of jobs amongst skilled craftsmen and specialist machine shops, since the printers are able to easily create complex geometries out of a variety of materials. The World Economic Forum estimates that there will be a loss of more than 5 million jobs in 15 major developed and emerging economies over the next five years because of the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” (which includes AI and machine-learning, robotics, nanotechnology, 3D printing, and genetics and biotechnology). International trade analysis at ING predicts that 3D printing will be even more disruptive by 2060 and suggests that it could wipe out almost one-quarter of cross-border trade.

RAND says that new training and education strategies should be created to prepare for the changing skill needs of future industries.

Security risks and challenges in 3D printing While 3D printing will likely to be highly disruptive to traditional manufacturing sectors, a new report from US-based research firm RAND Corporation indicates that the technology may cause other types of disruptions in the economy. According to the report titled “Additive Manufacturing in 2040: Powerful Enabler, Disruptive Threat”, two overarching security threats may emerge: the proliferation of weapons and economic insecurity. Thus, 3D printers may pose a risk to personal, national and international security.

Rapid Additively Manufactured Ballistics Ordnance or RAMBO in short is a modified grenade launcher created by the US army almost entirely from 3D printed parts

d) Disruption to global economy: While organisations like the United Nations rely on sanctions to ensure rogue countries toe the line, it is possible that these countries could get around such sanctions by printing items that are no longer available to them. This could profoundly alter the global economy and international security, says RAND. Ultimately, what is required is a heightened awareness tempered by caution, says RAND, adding that if the sector continues to develop along its current trends, it could present security threats to individuals and societies.

Any new technology brings potential benefits and threats. “While fraught with risks, policymakers must begin to address the hard security questions that 3D printing will bring, ” says RAND in its report.

The report says the use of 3D printing could help empower hostile nations, and potentially create vulnerabilities that could leave manufacturers wide open to sabotage or theft.

According to RAND, these are the main threats to overcome in the future: Expert Opinions on AM’s Disruptive Effects Across a) Hacking: Hackers could hack printers by using Industries malicious code to alter blueprints or by infiltrating a printer or corrupting Traditional manufacturing/automation/materials digital files that could result in Medical, health, and pharmaceuticals Automotive and transportation potentially hazardous flaws in the Space and aerospace final printed objects. b) Criminal/security threats: With the US army already having 3D-printed a grenade launcher, now criminal and terrorist organisations will be able to 3D-print their own weapons.

Recently, the government settled a lawsuit against it that now makes it legal to distribute parts that allow the public to make their own guns through 3D printing. RAND

Logistics Education Water, energy, and infrastructure Entertainment and fine arts Online retail Legal/IP Social welfare Government Sports Finance and information sectors

Most disrupted

Least disrupted -6

-4

-2

0

2

4

6

8

Source: Participant responses from RAND workshop

10

12

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China’s machinery market stays upbeat China’s machinery production market is set to

• US government’s policy toward C h i n a ’ s t a r i f f s • Exchang e rat e fluct uat ions of t he C h i n ese yua n and currencies in ot her developing c oun t ri es

grow 7.9% in 2018, while the rubber and plastics machinery production market will achieve a

Teik Chuan Goh of IHS Markit

value of US$13 billion in 2018, up 10% year-

says that China’s exports of plastics machinery grew 25% in the first quarter of this year, but the sector is fraught with challenges including the recent US-Sino tariff trade spat

on-year, according to Teik Chuan Goh, Analyst,

Manufacturing Technology, at research firm IHS Markit.

Teik a d d s , “ I H S Markit b e l i e v e s t h a t st ab le gro w t h s w i l l maint ai n i n 2 0 1 8 , due to t h e b e n e f i t s from t h e i m p a c t o f the rec o v e r y o f t h e downst ream indust ry wit h t he dema n d f o r pl a st i c product s having st eadily increased. B ut w e a re wary about the Sino-US trade frictio n . ”

C

h i n a ’s ma c hinery p rod uc tion is grow ing at a s l i g h t l y s l o wer rate in 2018 than tha t it did i n 2 0 1 7 , b u t t h e industry is exhibiting st rong g r o w t h o f 7 . 9 %. M ac hinery p rod uc tion in China w i l l c o n t i n u e t o rise at a compound annual g r o w t h r a t e ( C A GR) of 7.6% from 2018 to 2022.

T h e pr o du c t ion of China’ s m ac hine tools will i n c r e a s e b y 8 . 2 % in 2018, rising at a CAGR of 7 . 9 % f r o m 2 0 1 8 to 2022.

T h e o v e r a l l production of material handling e q u i p m e n t w i l l grow by 12.6% in 2018. The p r o d u c t i o n r a t e of material handling equipment f o r a u t o m a t e d guid ed vehic les (A GV) is i n c r e a s i n g s i g n ificantly. In 2018, the production r a te o f AG V w i ll in c reas e by m ore th an 30%, r i s in g a t a C AG R of 20.6% from 2018 to 2022.

A s f o r t h e pl as tic s and rubber m ac hinery p r o d u c t i o n s e c tor, Teik says, “The Chinese r u b b e r a n d p l a stics machinery production ma r k e t w i l l a c hieve arou nd U S$13 billio n in 2 0 1 8 , u p 1 0 % y ear-on-year.”

Elastic dem and f o r r ubber pr o ducti on ma c h i n e ry For exports in the rubber machinery m a r k e t , h e say s t hat China’s main g rowt h of export s i n 2 0 1 7 and 2018 comes from Southeast Asia . “ T h e r e a r e more than ten major tyre projects th a t a r e i n t he work s t o st art in t he reg ion t o expa n d t h ei r customer set overseas. In addition to t h a t , t h e int ernat ional t y re mark et invest ment l o oks t o be stable for the foreseeable future. Thi s w i l l l a y a foundation for the export of Chine s e r u b b e r machinery.”

In 2017 and 2018, China’s rub b er ma c h i n ery market has been growing at a health y p a c e o f around 10%.

“The underly ing reason is t hat t h e a ut o mo t i v e and tyre industries are improving, p r o m o t i n g n e w tyre projects. Non-tyre rubber based m a c h i n e r y development has also shown g ood g row t h s i n China,” adds Teik.

P l a s t i c s p r o d u ction machinery garners higher e x po r t s I n t h e f i r s t q u a rter of 2018, China’s plas tic ma c h i n e r y e x port m arket ran ked am on g t he t op t e n c o u n t r i e s , with exports destined to the US, T u r k e y , T h a i l a nd, Indonesia, Mexico, Malaysia a n d P a k i s t a n a nd growing rapidly. In fact, Teik s a y s t h a t e x p o r ts increased by more than 25% year-on-year.

H o w e v e r , h e cautions on international h e a dw i n ds t h a t d ent reven ues .

S o m e o f t h e factors that will affect exports of p l a st i c s m a c h i nery from Ch ina are: • B r e x i t n e g o t iations in the UK • R i s e i n U S F ederal Reserve’s interest

Natio nal po licies to pr o m o te the de ve l op me n t of m achiner y pr o ductio n In 2018, t he Chinese g overnment issued a series of favourab le policies t o promot e t h e development of it s manufact uring ind ust ry – f o r example, t he count ry ’s st rat eg ic “Ma d e i n C h i n a 2025” programme, which encourages e n t e r p r i s e s to use high-end machine tools.

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Injection Moulding Asia Machinery As o f Apr i l 2018, Ch ina’ s Min is try of In dus t r y a nd I nformation Tec h n ology ( MI I T) h a d f o u n de d f i ve nation al innovation c ent res for m a t e r i a l m a n u f acturing, to focus on batteries f o r e l e c t r i c v e h icles, optoelectronic information t e c h n o l o g y , t r a ditional and flexible display p a n e l s a n d r o b ots . T h e m inis try als o c ult ivat ed a b o u t 6 0 m a n u facturing innovation centres, a t t h e p r o v i n c i al level. At the same time, the g o v e r n m e n t ’ s i mplementation of comprehensive t a x c u t s f o r pr od u c tive en terp ris es als o provided p o l i c y su ppo r t for m ac h inery m an ufac turers.

I H S Ma r k i t says th at Ch ina will c ontinue i t s “ T h e Be l t a nd Road Initiative” p olic y, s t r e n g t h e n i n g cooperation with member c o u n t r i e s i n t h e initiative and others in Latin America.

T o a c e r t a i n ex tent, this initiative has e xpa n de d t h e market for m ac h inery u s ed i n a u t o m o b i l e manufacturing, constructi on, e l ec t r o n i c s, m e tallurgy and tex tiles .

Sheny ang Machine To o l indepen d e n t l y developed i5 intelligent CNC machin e t ools, and in 2017 it est ab lished mor e t h a n 30 intelligent manufacturing bases to b e leased t o small manufact uring comp a n i es. I n January 2018, the company cooperat e d w i t h Tencent C lo ud t o creat e an indust ri a l c l o ud plat form, and t he t wo companies con t i n ued t o deepen their cooperation in the field o f s m a r t manufact uring , in order t o t ap t he p ot en t i a l value of industrial big data. At the s a m e t i m e , Shenyang Machine Tool raised RMB2 . 6 9 b i l l i o n for t he development of it s smart mac h i n e- t ool indust ry upg rade project s and t echnol ogi c a l innovat ion plat form project s.

Machine to o ls m ar ket a g r o wth po te n t i a l The demand pot ent ial of t he machin e t ool mark et is hug e in 2018. As downst re a m industries, like automotive, aerospa c e , shipping, electrical power and engin e e r i n g machinery, have developed rapidly, s m a r t machine tool demand growth was es p e c i a l l y significant.

At t he same t ime, t he promot ion a n d development of consumer elect ronic d ev i c es, such as tablets and wearable devices , w i l l a l s o spur demand for machine tools in th i s f i e l d , a s mobile device upgrades accelerate.

China’s machine tool market is cu r r e n t l y faced with industry transformations a n d upg rades, excess low- and mid-rang e ma c h i n e tool products, insufficient developm e n t o f hig h-end machine t ool product s, lack of c ore t echnolog y and a small proport ion of a d v a n c ed products.

China’s 13t h “F ive-Year Plan” and “ M a d e i n China 2025” policies have b een conti n uo usl y promot ed, t o provide posit ive ext erna l conditions for machine tools develop m e n t , especially high-end computer numer i c c o n t r o l (CNC) machine t ools.

China’s first development of its h i g h - e n d CNC machine tool industry area was i n t h e Chongqing Yongchuan district. Now l a r g e CNC machine t ool ent erprises, such a s E ma rk , Liebher r and Deg en, are successfull y s e t t l e d in the Yongchuan district. At the sam e t i m e , SW Machines C o m pany in G ermany w i l l i n v est in machine t ool manufact uring in Yo n gc h ua n , and the whole project is expected to b e g i n product ion in t he second half of 201 8 .

Fujian Quanzhou, Shandong Zaoz h u a n g , Anhui Ma anshan and other regions a r e a l s o act ively developing t heir machine t ool i n d ust ri es.

China’s overall machine tool indu s t r y i s underg oing a t wo-st ep development st ra t egy.

O p t i m i s a t i o n of industrial environment for fa v o ur a bl e c o nd ition s for mac h in ery p r o ductio n N e w i n d u s t r i e s are growing fast. In the first q u a r t e r o f 2 0 1 8 , th e ad d ed value inves tment o f h i g h - t e c h m anufacturing (i.e., information t e c h n o l o g y , b i o logical engineering and new m a t e r i a l s) i n c r eas ed by 11.9% , wh ile fix ed asset i n v e s t m e n t g r e w 7.9%.

E q u i p m e n t manufacturing and consumer g o o d s m a n u f a c turing grew faster than other c a te g o r i e s . I n d ustrial robots, new energy v e h i c l e s , i n t e g rated circuits and other n e w p r o d u c t s are growing rapidly. Faster d e v e l o p m e n t o f the downstream industry has l e d t o de m a n d growth in related m ac h inery p r o du c t s.

T h e e m e r g e nce of artificial intelligence, bi g da t a a n d o t h er Intern et of T h ings (IoT) t e c h n o l o g i e s i s injec tin g n ew vitality in t o Ch i n a ’s ma c h i n ery m arket.

I t s l e a d i n g machinery manufacturers i n t r o d u c e d t h e IoT concept into machinery, a c ti v e l y t r a n s f orming themselves from t r a d i t i o n a l m a c hinery producers to m a n u f a c t u r i n g servic es c om p anies .

C o n st r u c t i o n m ac hinery m an ufac tu rer Xu g o ng G r o up, after it was p u rc has ed , b uilt t h e f i r st do m e st ic IoT big d ata p latform in 2 0 1 7 , a c h i e v i n g real-time monitoring and r e m o t e o pe r a t i on of c ons tru c tion m ac hinery .

M e a n w h i l e , c o nstruction machinery sold to B r a z i l , M y a n m ar, Laos and other countries a r e a l s o c o n n e c ted to this platform, which is a g o o d e x a mpl e of in tern ation al IoT bu s iness p r o mo t i o n .

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Injection Moulding Asia Machinery F i r s t , f u n d s w i l l be used to support domestic m a c h i n e t o o l b rands, to improve their c o m pe t i t i ve n e ss and th e rate of en d -p roduct l o c a l i sa t i o n . S e c on d , th e c om p an y will int roduce m u l t i n a t i o n a l mac hine tool en terp ris es in China, e s t a b l i s h i n g a s ole proprietorship or joint venture t h a t w i l l o f f e r ad vanc ed tec h nologies an d promot e p r o d u c t u p g r a des.

might also negatively affect infrastructure investment growth, causing some pressure on China’s domestic economy.

Still, China’s machinery production will grow steadily under this pressure in 2018.

With the continuous optimisation of its industrial environment in the next four to five years, China’s machinery production market will steadily rise, even as it transforms.

M ac hi ne r y pr o du c tion forec as t In 2018, China’s machinery production development wi l l b e b u o y e d by the country’s national policy guidance and support, a large influx of investment funds and the initial effect o f in du st r i a l structure adjustment. www.plasticsandrubberasia.com | www.plasticsandrubberasia.cn Ho w e ve r , other more u n fa vo u r a b l e Published since 1985 development factors for Comes out eight (8) times/year in print and digital editions d e ve l o pm e n t i n 2018 cannot be Has yearly circulation of 110,000 copies, plus bonus distribution i gno r e d. in key international industry events W i t h t r a de Delivers daily news updates online friction, like the Sino-US friction Provides e-blast services for network building, corporate in 2018, on the announcements and event invites sent to our 40k mailing database rise, there is still a lot of Offers many advertising options for print and online promotions uncertainty in t h e i n t e r n a t i o n al SUPPLEMENTED BY ONLINE NICHE PERIODICALS environment.

D o me st i c Rubber Journal Asia (RJA) i n f ra st r u c t u r e www.rubberjournalasia.com investment in China is Injection Moulding Asia (IMA) affected by n a t i o n a l p o l i c i es www.injectionmouldingasia.com and macrocontrol, which FOR ENQUIRIES, CONTACT strengthens its s u pe r vi si o n o f Ms Tej Fernandez Mr Arthur Schavemaker P u b l i c - P r i va t e Executive Editor Publisher Partnership tej@plasticsandrubberasia.com arthur@kenter.nl ( P P P ) pr o j e c t s this year, but AU G U ST 2 018

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Injection Moulding Asia Taiwanese Machinery & Technology

Taiwan’s machine sector in a robust standing The upcoming 2018 Taipei International Plastics

R ise o f I ndustr y 4.0 and sm ar t m anu fa c t u ri n g Smart manufact uring play s an impor t a n t ro l e in the concept of Industry 4.0 that fo c u s e s o n providing intelligent manufacturing s o l u t i o n s t o increase flexib ilit y , qualit y , effici en c y a n d productivity and enables companies t o c o n q u e r t he challeng es of hig her deg ree of cu st omi sa t i on , hig her product qualit y , lower order v o l ume a n d shorter time to market.

This concept has also impact ed t he pl a st i c s and rubber industry. Plastics and ru b b e r machinery producers are incorporati n g e l e m e n t s such as autonomous robots, big data a n d c l o u d comput ing , Int ernet of Thing s (IoT), 3 D pri n t i n g or additive manufacturing to build i n t e l l i g e n t machines or smart production lines.

Taking this cue, Taiwanese machi n e r y mak er F C S will showcase its FA seri e s , a n e w generation standard servo energy-sa v i n g m o d e l .

Not only have t he specificat ions b ee n upgra d ed , but design has also been optimised.

and Rubber Industry Show (Taipeiplas) will

be held at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre

from 15-19 August. As a trade show exclusively dedicated to the plastics and rubber sectors, it will feature around 520 exhibitors occupying

more than 2,700 booths to present their latest products and development. The show is also

expected to attract more than 18,000 visitors from home and abroad.

S h o w c a s e o f t h e Taiwan es e mac h in e s ecto r T a i w a n h a s e s t ablished its global presence a n d i s a m o n g t he world’s top six producers a n d e x po r t e r s i n p las tic s an d rubber m achines.

In 20 1 7 , T a i w a n’ s p rod u c tion value totalled U S $ 1 . 4 2 b i l l i o n , and its ex p ort value reached US$1.16 billion.

I t i s n o t s u r prising as Taiwan has been d e ve l o pi n g i t s p las tic s and rubber ind ust ry for m o r e t h a n 6 0 y ears, and its industrial clusters s y n e r g i s e e v e r y facet of the supply chain that e n a b l e s T a i w a nese manufacturers to pro duce c o m pe t i t i ve l y pric ed p rod uc ts .

I t i s a g a i n st t his bac kd rop that the T a i p e i p l a s s h o w has become a trade show that s h o w c a s e s a c o mplete supply chain ranging f r om r a w m a t e rials, processing machines, a u x i l i a r y e q u i p ment, moulds and dies to f i n ish e d pr o du c ts .

V i s i t o r s t o T aipeiplas this year will also be a bl e t o w i t n e ss h ow th e p las tic s and rub b er i n d u st r y i s t a k in g on th e 4th Ind us trial R e vo l u t i o n . As m ore an d m ore c om p an ies are i n c o r p o r a t i n g s mart manufacturing elements s u c h a s i n du st r ial robots , big d ata an aly sis, Io T , c l o u d c o m putin g an d 3D p rin tin g, the e x h i b i t i o n w i l l showcase Industry 4.0 related p r o du c t s a n d sm art m ac hines to h elp p last ics a n d r u b b e r p r o duct manufacturers improve p r o d u c t i o n e f f i ciency, flexibility and product quality.

I n a ddi t i o n , T aip eip las will be p ac ked wit h a b u n d a n t a c t i v ities, including forums, seminars a n d n e w pr o du ct lau nc hes d uring the s how.

FCS’s FA series is a new generation standard servo energy-saving model, with its IMF 4.0 solution for a “smarter” machine

The machine feat ures t he Keba el e c t r o n i c cont rol sy st em for an enhanced int egra t i on , a n d i s combined with FCS’s IMF 4.0 solutio n t o d e v e l o p a so-called “intelligent” injection mo u l d i n g machine. The system is able to extra c t d a t a a n d values about the moulding paramete r s , q u a l i t y cont rol, auxiliary equipment and reuse t h em aft erwards.

Ot her feat ures of t he new model are: • Increase in tie-bars distance, injec t i o n v e l o c i t y and hig her sy st em pressure t o ma t c h h i gh inject ion volume requirement s • St reng t h of t he plat en desig n reinf orc ed by 30%, more uniform clamping forc e d i s t r i b u t i o n , lower machine platen deformation , a n d smoother mould closing-opening o p e r a t i o n cont rol 7

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Injection Moulding Asia Taiwanese Machinery & Technology Gr o wing po pular ity o f all-electr ic m a c h i n e s Unlike traditional hydraulic injectio n m o u l d i n g machines, all-electric machines oper a t e w i t h dig it ally cont rolled, hig h speed and h i gh l y efficient servo mot ors t hat consume en ergy o n l y when required.

As a result , energ y consumpt ion ca n be reduced by up to 50% over that for h y d r a u l i c machines. Other advantages include a h i g h level of consist ency , repeat ab ilit y an d a c c ura c y and short production cycle time. Au t o m o t i v e , medical, telecommunications and ele c t r o n i c part s moulders and producers are espec i a l l y and increasingly drawn to these ben e f i t s .

While many Taiwanese machinery m a k e r s have already developed or are st art i n g t o develop all-electric machines, in resp o n s e to the growing popularity, German m a c h i n e makers were among those that were t h e f i r s t t o b e at t he forefront of elect ric machin es.

Thus, Germany-based machinery m a k e r Ar bur g will showcase an Allrounder f rom t h e elect ric G olden Elect ric series, in an a ppl i c a t i on specifically targeted at the 3 C (comm u n i c a t i o n , computer, consumer electronics) sec t o r , w h i c h play s a sig nificant role in Taiwan.

Arburg will also showcase an app l i c a t i o n in the processing of liquid silicone ( L S R ) a n d in powder inject ion moulding (PIM) f or t h e smartphone market. As a pioneer in P I M f o r 5 5 y ears, Arb urg will display an exhib it pro d uc i n g smart phone frames made of met al usi n g t h e PIM process. The second exhib it , a hyd ra ul i c Allrounder from t he G olden Edit ion seri es, w i l l produce flexib le LSR covers. In addi t i on , t h e Arburg host computer system (ALS) w i l l b e o n view, demonst rat ing how process da t a c a n be log g ed, archived and t raced end-t o-en d .

â&#x20AC;˘ M a c h i n e o p erates accurately with injection c l o s e d - l o o p operation control without the ne e d f o r i n st allation of ad d itional s ensors and e q u i pm e n t M e a n w h i l e , Austrian injection moulding m a c h i n e ma k e r E n gel will s howc as e Ind ust ry 4 . 0 a t i t s b o o t h . Featuring a modular approach, t h e i n j e c t 4 . 0 p rogramme is making it ea sy for p r o c e s s o r s t o e xploit the opportunities presented b y I n d u s t r y 4 . 0 . At Taipeiplas, Engel will be p r ese n t i n g i t s i Q weight c on trol as s is tance system.

Engel will use a tie-bar-less Victory injection moulding machine to produce catheter components

D u r i n g t h e i njec tion p roc es s , the s oftware a n a l y s e s t h e p r essure profile in real time and co m pa r e s m e a sured valu es by m ean s of a r e f e r e n c e c y c l e . For every s hot, the inject ion p r o f i l e , s w i t c h over point and the holdin g p r e s s u r e p r o f i l e are automatically adapted to c u r r e n t c o n dition s and the injec ted m elt v o l u m e i s k e p t consistent throughout the p r o d u c t i o n o p e ration. In this way, fluctuations i n en vi r o n me n t al c on d ition s an d in raw m at e r i a l s a r e a utomatically recognised and r e adj u st e d b e f o re a s in gle rejec t is p rod uced.

E x p a nde d r o l e s for au tomation an d rob o tics A s t e c h n o l o g y has evolved over tim e and m ar k e t s b e c o m e more demanding, factories h a ve i n t e g r a t e d autom ated eq uip m en t or i n d u st r i a l r o b o ts in the p las tic s and rubber ma n u f a c t u r i n g p roc es s to im p rove p rod uct ion e f f i c i e n c y , r e d uce human errors and thu s i n c r e a s e p r o d u ct and service quality.

R e se a r c h b y Tec h Navio shows that the g l o b a l i n d u s t r i al robotic market is expected t o g r o w w i t h a compound annual growth rate ( CA G R ) o f 6 . 4 2 % from 2013 to 2018. â&#x20AC;&#x153; Au t o ma t i o n & Robot and 3D Prin tin g â&#x20AC;? will be o n e o f t h e e xhibit areas at T aip eip las 2018.

A hydraulic Allrounder 420C Golden Edition will produce flexible smartphone covers from LSR

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Injection Moulding Asia Taiwanese Machinery & Technology A particularly cost-effective application will be demonstrated at Taipeiplas with a machine designed for LSR processing from the hydraulic entry-level Golden Edition series. An Allrounder 420 C Golden Edition with a clamping force of 1,000 kN will produce a flexible LSR cover for the iPhone 8 in a cycle time of 25 seconds. The mould is provided by Proper, while the LSR dosing unit comes from Silcostar. A linear Multilift Select robotic system will perform the handling tasks in this application.

An electric Allrounder 470C Golden Electric will be shown demonstrating the MIM process to produce a green compact for a smartphone frame in a 60-seconds cycle time

Taiwan’s medical device sector in a healthy mode The medical devices industry is one of the biggest in the healthcare sector. In Taiwan, according to Article 13 of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, medical devices are defined as “any instruments, machines, apparatus, materials, software, reagent for in vitro use, and other similar or related articles, used in diagnosing, curing, alleviating, directly preventing human diseases, regulating fertility, or which may affect the body structure or functions of human beings, and do not achieve its primary intended function by pharmacological, immunological or metabolic means in or on the human body.”

If medical devices are classified based on the industrial materials used, there are those made of medical metals (metals and alloys), ceramic materials, medical polymers (natural polymers and synthetic polymers) and medical composite materials.

Taiwan’s Industrial Development Bureau in its “2017 White Paper on Biotechnology Industry in Taiwan”, says the global medical device market is estimated to be US$336.1 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach US$389.1 billion in 2019 growing at a CAGR of 5% from 2016-2019.

Meanwhile, the Department of Statistics says that the output value of the medical devices industry in Taiwan has reached an alltime high of NT$62.9 billion with an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 9.1% in the last decade. The strong performance of the medical devices industry means it has established itself as one of the few industries less affected by the 2008 financial crisis.

In the first two months of 2017, the medical devices industry had an output value of NT$9.8 billion with an AAGR of 10.3%. In recent years, the Taiwanese government has been strongly promoting the development of the medical devices industry, due to the rapid progress in R&D technology and material quality of the medical devices as well as the high ou t p u t value.

The injection moulding of metal powders (MIM) is a cost-effective alternative to the machining of metal frames and backs for smartphones. This method requires a much lower use of materials and is significantly less expensive than machining.

At Taipeiplas, Arburg will demonstrate the powder-injection moulding of tension- and segregation-free, thin-walled smartphone frames made from metal. The associated changeable mould is designed so that it can alternatively be used to produce backs for smartphone housings, as well as frames.

An electric Allrounder 470 E Golden Electric with PIM equipment and a clamping force of 1,000 kN will be used. The injection moulding machine processes the flow-optimised Catamold 17-4 PH Plus feedstock from BASF in a 60-second cycle time.

In order to maintain consistent green density, the mould is dynamically temperature controlled with a hot runner. This produces very good surface finishes, which can subsequently be polished to a high gloss.

A linear Multilift Select robotic system will remove the moulded green compacts and set them down.

Arburg is also a “We have had our own subsidiary pioneer in the processing in Taiwan for two years now of LSR and has not only and have clearly exceeded our ambitious goals,” says Michael brought this technology Huang, Managing Director of to the market, but also Arburg Taiwan, adding that uses its over 40 years of the company will demonstrate expertise to continuously manufacturing of PIM and LSR develop innovative and components for Taiwan’s very sophisticated process strong 3C industry, especially the solutions. booming smartphone market 9 AU G U ST 2 018

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Injection Moulding Asia Taiwanese Machinery & Technology Among all the product typ es, the top two product c ategories of Taiwan’s medical devices in 2016 were eyeglas s es (c ont act len s es , s unglasses, general glasses, accessories) and m ed ic al d evices and s u p p lies (s y ring es, blood glucose m on itorin g devices, artificial joints, m ed ic al c athet ers).

E ngel will demonstrate the production of catheters from LSR u s ing a 16-c av it y mould on a tie-bar-less Vic tory 200/80 inject ion Engel will demonstrate the production of catheters from LSR

moulding machine with clamping fo r c e o f 800 kN. “Demand for high-end solutions f o r L S R processing is rising fast ,” say s Kurt H el l , Vice President of Engel’s Medical bu s i n e s s unit in Asia. “By adapt ing product io n l i n es t o individual product s, t he compone n t s i n a manufact uring cell are all coordinated f rom the outset.”

To integrate other peripheral unit s and moulds alongside robots and pr o c e s s t echnolog ies, Eng el say s it has est abl i sh ed a g lob al net work of sy st em part ners, w h i l e i n Asia it work s wit h local suppliers, a c c o rd i n g t o Hell. “The sy st em part ners involv ed with the exhibit are Taiwan-based m o u l d manufact urer HR Silico ne and 2KM , w h i c h is represent ed in Asia in G uang zhou, C h i n a . ” In pursuit of fut ure g rowt h of t he med i c a l device sector, the Taiwanese govern m e n t i s launching “5+2 Industrial Transform a t i o n Plan” and “Biomedical Industry Inno v a t i o n Program (BIIP)” revolving around th e t h r e e major g oals of “connect ing t o domest i c market demands, global market dem a n d s a n d fut ure indust ry t rends”.

Rubber Journal Asia Industry News • German company Continental, which makes automotive parts and tyres, has decided to break up the company into three divisions: Continental Rubber, Continental Automotive and Powertrain, under a new holding company structure starting in 2020. While it will retain control of its rubber division, it will also look at a sale of a minority stake in the rubber group, through an IPO to raise funds for other expansions. Its powertrain division will be spunoff by 2019. The unit generated EUR7.7 billion in sales last year and employed more than 40,000 people.

• Continental has also acquired Czech machine tool manufacturer VÚK, to strengthen its presence in Otrokovice, which is also the home to its largest tyre plant worldwide with 4,500 employees.

Together with the new unit, Continental says it will be driving forward the development and production of tyre assembly machines.

It develops and manufactures polyurethane-coated and laminated fabrics used in the aerospace industry and in the healthcare & medical industry. It has a production facility in Massachusetts and total sales amounted to SEK185 million in 2017.

• US-headquartered automotive systems provider Cooper Standard is acquiring two US firms: Lauren Manufacturing and Lauren Plastics, to further expand markets served by its Industrial and Specialty Group (ISG). The companies are extruders and moulders of organic, silicone, thermoplastic and engineered polymer products with expertise in sealing solutions for industrial and speciality automotive applications.

• Trelleborg Wheel Systems has acquired New Zealand-based TRS Tyre & Wheel Ltd, owned by Bapcor Group. It is a distributor of tyres for agricultural, material handling and construction vehicles and specialises in tyres and complete wheels for tyre and tractor dealers.

• French tyre maker Michelin is buying Canadian firm Camso for US$1.45 billion to generate US$55 million of cost savings and increased sales by 2021. Camso, which averages net sales of US$1 billion, designs and manufactures off-the-road (OTR) material such as rubber tracks for farm equipment and snowmobiles as well as tyres for material handling equipment. The two companies’ OTR products will be combined and run from Camso’s headquarters in Quebec. Early this year, Michelin also acquired UK-based conveyor-belt maker Fenner for US$1.6 billion, to strengthen its presence in mining equipment.

• Japan’s Tokai Carbon is acquiring Sid Richardson Carbon (SRC) and its two affiliated companies, with the closing expected by early September 2018. The acquisition price of 34 billion yen will be funded by loans, said Tokai. Founded in 1993, SRC is headquartered in Texas and has manufacturing locations with the following capacities in: Borger (Texas) 170 kilotonnes/year; Big Spring (Texas) 115 kilotonnes/year; Addis (Louisiana) 155 kilotonnes/ year; with research laboratories in Fort Worth (Texas) and sales office in Akron (Ohio).

• Swedish engineered polymers company Trelleborg Coated Systems has acquired US privately owned company Laminating Coating Technologies (Lamcotec).

• US-based Lehigh Technologies, which produces sustainable raw materials from end-of-life tyres and post-industrial rubber, has started production at its new Murillo el Fruto Micronised Rubber Powder

(MRP) plant in Navarra, Spain.

It is the first for Lehigh outside of the US and was constructed in partnership with its Spanish partner Hera Holding and is co-located with Indugarbi NFU, a tyre recycler in Spain operated by Hera.

The plant incorporates Lehigh’s proprietary cryogenic turbo mill technology and has the capacity to produce 10,000 tonnes/year of MRP. Lehigh became a subsidiary of Michelin in 2017.

• India’s Birla Carbon will be adding 150,000 tonnes/year of new capacity on line over the next 18 months in multiple regions to support customers in the growing carbon black market.

It will undertake significant debottlenecking at its factories in Egypt and Italy before the end of Q3 2018; restart a production line in Thailand by the end of Q4 2018; and install new production lines in India by Q4 2019. Furthermore, the company is prepared to expand at its newest plant in China by an additional 120,000 tonnes/year at an opportune time.

• US-based speciality silicone maker AB Specialty Silicones has expanded its R&D and QA location, tripling the area size.

Additional laboratory facilities and equipment have increased technical capabilities for product analysis and performance matching that will enhance product development, performance testing and technical service.

• Sumitomo Rubber Europe and Dunlop Tech have opened a technical centre, after a year of construction. The 30,000 sq m building in Hanau-Steinheim, Germany, houses facilities for tyre development and testing, production of liquid latex and tyre pressure monitoring system design.

• South Korea’s Kumho Petrochemical is expanding capacity for acrylonitrile butadiene

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Rubber Journal Asia Industry News latex (NB latex) at its facility in Ulsan, South Korea, from 400,000 to 550,000 tonnes/year. It is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2019.

Kumho’s NB latex is used as a raw material for manufacturing medical rubber gloves.

• Japanese chemical maker Kuraray Co, Thailand-based PTT Global Chemical Public Company and compatriot Japanese chemical company Sumitomo Corporation have officially set up a joint venture company, Kuraray GC Advanced Materials Co, in Thailand. Kuraray owns 53.3%; PTTGC, 33.4% and Sumitomo, 13.3%. With Hemaraj Eastern Industrial Estate (Map Ta Phut Complex), Rayong, as the candidate of the production site, Kuraray GC will manufacture and sell high heat-resistant polyamide9T (PA9T) and hydrogenated styrenic block copolymers (HSBCs).

• Japanese plastics/rubber parts firm Toyoda Gosei has established an office in Delhi, India, to speed up business by locating engineering and sales operations closer to the head office of its main customer, Maruti Suzuki India. These operations were previously situated at its subsidiary, Toyoda Gosei Minda India (TGMIN)’s head office in its Neemrana plant, where it produces airbags, steering wheels, weatherstrips and other products.

• Toyoda Gosei has also tied up with EBM Corporation, a universitylaunched start-up (established in 2006) involved in system creation for cardiac surgery for both Japanese and overseas markets, to develop a prototype “Super BEAT” surgical training simulator that can reproduce the beating of the heart with accuracy using e-Rubber, an artificial muscle that functions with electricity. Toyoda Gosei is developing e-Rubber for

commercialisation as soft actuators and soft sensors, with support from New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation in Japan. Toyoda Gosei and EBM aim to begin sales of Super BEAT in 2019.

• Sempertrans, which is part of the Austrian rubber/plastic company Semperit, has opened its new Atlanta location in the US, where it processes, cuts and slits to order, and distribute heavy duty textile belts. The firm says its warehouse is now filled with belts and optimally equipped to slit the belts within 24 hours and ship all across the US. • Denmark-based Haldor Topsoe has delivered the catalyst charge for a new regenerative catalytic oxidiser at the Sinopec Qilu styrene-butadiene rubber plant in Zibo – the biggest rubber producer in China and part of Sinopec Group. The CATOX catalyst is a platinum monolith that oxidises hazardous VOCs into harmless CO² and H²O at low temperatures, saving energy and investment costs.

• China’s tyre maker Shandong Linglong Tire has broken ground on its fourth facility at its Hubei Linglong Tire site. The plant will manufacture truck and bus tyres, passenger tyres and OTR tyres with a capacity of 12 million passenger tyres/year, 2.4 million truck/bus tyres/year, and 60,000 OTR tyres. It projects sales of up to RMB5 billion.

The plant will cover an area of over 900,000 sq m with a planned floor area more than 700,000 sq m.

• With its focus on HNBR (Hydrogenated nitrile rubber), Zeon Corporation, Japan, will enhance its supply capability for its latest HNBR, HP-Zetpol, at its Kawasaki facility. In parallel, Zeon says it is continuously increasing the efficiency of two other Zetpol production facilities in Takaoka,

Japan, and in Texas, US, to fulfil steadily increasing market demand of the polymers.

• German speciality chemicals firm Arlanxeo will invest EUR mid to double-digit million to modernise its production sites in Triunfo, Brazil, and La Wantzenau, France.

In Brazil, it is investing to make the production of polybutadiene rubber (PBR) more flexible. Currently emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber (E-SBR), which is mainly used in car and truck tyres, is produced there.

As a result of the upgrade, it will also be able to produce the more advanced Nd-BR (neodymium butadiene rubber) and lithium butadiene rubber (Li-BR) for tyre and non-tyre applications in Triunfo by 2020. Arlanxeo is also relocating part of its existing E-SBR production in Triunfo to its facility in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, where E-SBR is already produced. Meanwhile in France, in addition to the regular maintenance investments, Arlanxeo is modernising its production site in La Wantzenau, the world’s largest nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) facility.

• Cooper Standard has broken ground on its new 100,000 sq-ft mixing facility in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The US$11 million facility will begin operations in early 2019 and employ about 100 employees at full capacity. With this addition, Cooper Standard will operate 14 rubber mixing facilities around the world with locations in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico and US. • German chemicals firm Evonik Industries is increasing its production capacity for precipitated silica in Adapazari (Turkey) by 40,000 tonnes/year, where it operates a facility with EGE KIMYA. Start-up is scheduled for 2020. In addition to producing Ultrasil rubber silica, it will also serve the growing needs for precipitated silica.

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Rubber Journal Asia Medical Devices

Material innovations enable medical device breakthroughs Rubber materials like silicones are aiding

implants, according to a whitepaper published by US-based medical silicone components & assemblies manufac turing c o mp any Pr oMed. C o nduc tiv e s ilic o ne rub b e r has gain ed tr action in the automotive, oil and gas, and electrical and e le c tro nic s s e c to rs , s ays the Minn esotahe adquarte re d firm that has als o p ub lish ed a whitepaper on electrically conductive silicone rub b e r.

in the improvement of medical devices for

the healthcare sector, says Angelica Buan in this report.

M

o d ern me d i c a l d e v i ce s a i d i n e a r l y d e te c tio n a n d t r e a t m e n t o f d i s e a s e s , a s w e l l a s help in i mprov i n g t h e q u a l i t y o f l i fe o f p a t i e n t s w ith disa b i l i t i e s . T h i s i n c r e a s i n g a d o p t i o n o f m edical dev i c e s i n t h e h e a l t h c a r e s y s t e m i s l e a d i n g to fur t h e r ma rke t g r o w t h , w h i c h L u c in te l, i n its med i c a l d e v i c e m a r k e t r e p o r t , p r e d i c t e d t o reach nea rl y h a l f a t ri l l i o n d o l l a r s b y 2 0 2 3 , g r o wing at a CAGR o f 4 . 5 % f r o m 2 0 1 8 .

L u c i n t e l a d d s t h a t t h e m a j o r d r i v e r s f o r the gro w t h o f t h i s m a r k e t a r e t h e h i g h e r r a t e s of hea l t h c a r e e x p e n d i t u r e , t e c h n o l o g i c a l d e v elopment, ag e i n g p op u l a t i o n a n d ch r o n i c d i s e a s e s .

F o c u s i n o b t ai n i n g t h e h i g h e s t l e v e l s o f comfort, safe t y a n d p erf o r m a n ce o f m e d i c a l d e v i ce s is lead i n g t o m o r e i m p r o v e m e n t s i n t h e d e s i gn and fun c t i o n a l i t y o f t h e d e v i c e s ; a n d m a t e r i a l s play a key ro l e i n e n a bli n g t h i s o b j e c t i v e .

Conductive silicone rubber extends application in medical devices

Now, the material, owing to its lightweight, fle xib ility, durab ility and high the rmal and electr ical c o nduc tanc e , is like w is e finding ap p lication s in th e medical devices segment. ProMed said that it has partnered with several companies exp erimenting with conductive silicone medical products in the R&D stage.

Electrically conductive silicones have been used in auto mo tiv e and indus trial ap p lic ation s such as radio fre que nc y s hie lding and s e aling. U ntil now, the us e in me dic al de v ic e s has lo ng b een hamper ed by the purity, cost, and processing challenges of the tw o traditio nal additiv e s us e d to make silicon e electrically conductive, namely carbon black and silver coated glass spheres.

Due to the p urity, s ize and ro b us tness of car bon nanotubes, its use as an additive enables silicone raw material manufacturers to offer electrically conductive silicones that are capable of meeting s o me o f the b as ic mate rial te s ting re quir ements (including USP Class VI) for medical devices.

Mo re o v e r, the y are p ric e c o mp e titiv e with silver coated microspheres, and as durable and stable in suspension as carbon black, while being much more pure, thus enabling innovative conductive medical device applications, ProMed furthered.

Bioc omp a t i b l e / e le ctr ic a lly co n d u c tiv e silic ones Med i c a l i m p l a n ts a r e m a n - m a d e d e v i c e s o r tissues t hat a re p l a c e d i n s i d e o r o n t h e s u r fa ce o f the b o dy to r e p l a c e m i s s i n g o r d a m a g e d p a r t o f t h e body as in p ro st h e t i c s; or t o d e l i v e r m e d i c a t i o n , m onito r bod y f u n c t i o n s , o r p r o v i d e s u p p o r t t o o r g ans and tiss u e s .

D ri v e n by ri sin g i n ci d e n ce o f ch r o n i c d is e as e s and a d v a n c e m e n t s i n t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d s u rgical out c o m e s , t h e g l o b a l m a r k e t f o r m e d i c a l i mplants is i n c l i n e d t o g r o w a t a C A G R o f 7 % b e t w een 2017 t o 2 0 2 3 , a s p ro j e c t e d b y C o o k e d R e se a r c h R epor ts .

M a t e ri a l s u se d fo r i m p l a n t s v a r y a n d s ho uld com p l y w i t h s t r i n g e n t m a t e r i a l s s t a n d a r d .

Bio c o m p a t i b i l i t y i s a v i t a l c r i t e r i o n f o r i m plantable mat e r i a l s , w h i c h m e d i c a l g r a d e s i l i c o n e i s suitable for.

S i l i c o n e r u b b e r h a s b e e n t h e m a t e r i a l o f choice for i m p l a n t a b l e d e v i c e s , o w i n g t o i t s h i g h chemical iner t n e s s , d u r a b i l i t y , t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h , a v a ilability in a w i d e r a n g e o f d u r o m e t e r s , w i d e t e m p erature ran g e , a n d e a s e o f m o u l d i n g b y m a n y m e t hods has m a d e t h e m a t e r i a l a m a i n s t a y o f m e d i cal dev i c e s o f a l l t y p e s , b u t e s p e c i a l l y f o r l o n g-term

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Rubber Journal Asia Medical Devices Bio ma rk i n g i mpla n ts with to m a to D N A For y e a r s , a F r e n c h c o m p a n y s o l d b r e a s t i mplants mad e o f c h e a p i n d u s t r i a l s i l i c o n e c o m p o n ents.

Hea d l i n e d n e w s w h e n i t b r o k e i n 2 0 1 0 , t h is scandal is s t i l l k e e p i n g t h e c o u r t s b u s y t o d a y . N o w, a resea rc h t e a m a t t h e G e r m a n F r a u n h o f e r I nstitute f or A p p l i e d P ol y m e r R e se a r c h I AP h a s c o me up wit h a m e t h o d t o p r e v e n t t h i s s o r t o f f r a u d. It gives man u f a c t u r e r s t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o c o u n t e r feit-proof imp l a n t s – by t a g g i n g t h e m w i t h e n ca p s u l ate d t oma t o D N A .

P r o d u c t c o u n t e r f e i t i n g h a s b e c o m e a g r owing pro bl e m f or ma n u fa ct u r e r s , w i t h fa k e s b e i ng us ually infe r i o r a n d s e r i o u s l y h a r m p a t i e n t s ’ h e a l th and eve n j eo p a rd i se l i v e s . “ C o u n t e r fe i t e r s g e n erally b uy hig h - qua l i t y i n di v i d u a l c o m p o n e n t s fr o m r e p utab le sup p l i ers a n d st r e t ch t h e m w i t h c h e a p s i l i co ne , whi c h c o s t s a f r a c t i o n o f t h e p r e m i u m m a t erial.

Pro d uc t p i ra t e s tu r n h u g e p r o fi t s , ” s a y s Dr Jo ac him Sto r s b e r g , a s c i e n t i s t a t t h e F r a u n h o f e r I A P.

then tested it with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a technique to amplify DNA, and with a special analytical method call gel elec trophoresis.

The DN A re maine d s tab le and did no t degr ade.

Storsberg says the advantage of tomato DNA is that it costs next to nothing and is suitable as a c o unte rfe it-p ro o f marke r fo r many p o lymer - based imp lants s uc h le ns imp lants .

Medic al-gr ade LSR gr owing, too Meanwhile, medical-grade liquid silicone rubbers (LSRs) are widely used for a broad range o f imp lantab le me dic al de v ic e s , in cludin g cardiovascular, neurological, urological, ophthalmic and aesthetic applications, according to US medical and s p ac e -grade LSR manufac ture r Nusi l . Typically, LSRs are us e d to fab ric ate c ure d de v ices outside th e body, and then the device is implanted via surgery.

The NuSil brand packaging solution for in-situ curable LSR features a gas sterilisable double-cartridge dispensing system that can be prefilled with specific uncured LSRs

A latest innovation in its roster of LSR s p e c ialis e d range , N uSil, an Avantor br an d, has a patented technology that allows medical device manufacturers to create devices that can be c ure d in-s itu. N us il s aid: “The ne w in- situ cur e LSR solution for implantable devices is a prefilled, s te rilis ab le dis p e ns ing s ys te m that e na bles specif ic uncured LSRs to be cured in-situ.”

De s igne d s p e c ific ally to allo w s te rilisation of th e uncured medical grade LSR, the NuSil packaging solution features a double-cartridge p refilled dispensing system. Each cartridge in the dispenser has a gas-permeable plunger seal, allowing the ethylene oxide steriliser to pass throu gh to the c o nte nts o f the b arre ls as w e ll as the entir e system as s e mb ly.

The solution, which features disposable syringes in sizes ranging from 5 ml to 75 ml, is engineered fo r us e in c o mp le te s urgic al kits and allows on e- step sterilisation of LSR components and p ackaging.

N us il als o o ffe rs an adv anc e d line of lubr icious s ilic o ne s fo r us e w ith me dic al de v ic e s. Medical de v ic e s c an b e ne fit fro m high-p e rfo rmance, biocompatible silicone lubricants to reduce friction.

Dr Joachim Storsberg shows a breast implant with a leaking gel filling

Storsberg and his team have developed pat e n t e d D N A s e q u e n c e s a s p e r m a n e n t m arkers to p o s i t i v e l y i d e n t i f y b r e a s t i m p l a n t s . T h i s gives man u f a c t u r e r s t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o t a g p r o ducts wit h a c o u n t e r f e i t - p r o o f m a r k e r a n d t h e r e by enh a n c e pa t i e n t s a fe t y . T o m a t o D NA m a k es the per f e c t m a r k e r , a s v a r i o u s e x p e r i m e n t s h a ve sub s t a n t i a t e d . “ W e i so l a t ed g e n o m i c DNA (g D NA) fr o m tom a t o l e a v e s a n d e m b e d d e d i t i n t h e s i l i cone mat r i x . W e u s e d a p p r o v e d s i l o x a n e s , w h i c h are b u i l d i n g b l o c k s f o r s i l i c o n e p r o d u c t s , to m anuf a c t ure bre a s t i m p l a n t s , ” e x p l a i n s S t ors b e rg.

The resea rc h e rs m a n a g e d t o d e m o n s t r a t e t h e extr a c t e d D N A ’ s t e m p e r a t u r e s t a b i l i t y i n pilot exp e ri men t s. T h e y v u l c a n i s e d t h e g D NA i n the hos t si l i c on e a t 1 5 0 d e g r e e s fo r fi v e h o u r s and

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Rubber Journal Asia Medical Devices Oth e r d e s i r a b l e p r o p e r t i e s o f l u b r i c i o u s s i licones for m e d i c a l d e v i c e s i n c l u d e o x i d a t i v e r e s i stance, che m i c a l i n e r t n e s s a n d h y d r o p h o b i c i t y . N uSil says it s l ubri c i ou s si l i co n e s a r e a v a i l a b l e i n a b r o ad port f o l i o of o f f - th e -s h e l f s o l u t i o n s i n c l u d i ng s e lflub r i c a t i n g e l a s t o m e r s a s w e l l a s d i s p e r s i o ns, fluid s a n d grea se s .

Super BEAT surgical training simulator that can reproduce the beating of the heart with extreme accuracy using e-Rubber

A pu l s e for e ffi cie n t h e a r t d e v ic e s Hea r t d i s e a s e i s a t o p c a u s e o f d e a t h w o r l dwide.

Inc i d e n c e a n d m o r t a l i t y r a t e s f r o m c a r d i o vascular dise a s e s ( C V D s ) a r e i n c r e a s i n g e v e r y y e a r . The Worl d H e a l t h O r g a n is a tio n (W H O ) e s t i m ates that y e a r l y , 1 7 . 7 m i l l i o n p e o p l e d i e f r o m CVDs, acco u n t i n g f o r 31 % o f a l l d e a t h s w o r l d w i de.

D e m a n d f o r m e d i c a l d e v i c e s s p e c i a l i s i ng in the e a r l y d e t e c t io n , m a n a g e m e n t a n d t r e a t ment of CVD s i s a t a n a ll -t i m e h i g h , g i v e n t h e p r e v ale nc e of s o - c a l l ed l i f es t y l e d i s e a s e s t h a t a r e t a k i ng a to ll on t h e h e a r t â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s h e a l t h .

T h e g l o b a l C V D d e v i c e m a r k e t i s a n t i c i pated to reac h e d o v e r U S$ 5 9 b i l l i o n b y 2 0 2 2 , g r o w i ng at a CAG R o f n e a r l y 7 % f r o m 2 0 1 7 a n d v a l u e o f US$42 b ill i o n , a c c ord i n g t o R e s e a r c h a n d M a r k e ts .

A n i m p o r t a n t m e d i c a l d e v i c e f o r C V D patients is th e p a c e m a k e r , a n e l e c t r i c a l l y - c h a r g e d medical dev i c e , w h i c h h a s u n d e r g o n e t r e m e n d o u s changes ove r t h e y e a r s s i n c e t h e f i r s t m o d e l s o f p a cemakers in th e 1 9 5 0 s t h a t w e r e h u g e a n d p l u g g e d exte r n a l l y o r w e r e h u n g a r o u n d t h e n e c k of the pat i e n t . M o d e r n p a c e m a k e r s a r e m o r e c o m pact, com p r i s i n g a p u l s e g e n e r a t o r a n d w i r e s t h at send elec t r i c a l s i g n a l s t o t h e h e a r t ; a n d a r e i m p lantable.

Pacemakers and related hardware are con st a n t l y bei n g u p g r a d e d t o o ffe r s a fe r a nd bett e r p a t i e n t o u t c o m e s . A l o n g t h i s l i n e , s urgical trai n i n g s h a v e a l s o i m p r o v e d t o a d o p t s i m ulation as a ke y t ool f o r s u r g e o n s t o e n s u r e p a t i e nt s afe ty.

I n spe c i a l t i e s s u c h a s c a r d i o v a s c u l a r s u rge ry, trai n i n g u s i n g s i m u l a t o r s i s c o m p u l s o r y a nd dem a n d f o r s u r g i c a l t r a i n i n g s i m u l a t o r s i s rapidly gro w i n g , a c c o r d i n g t o T o y o d a G o s e i , J a p a nese man u f a c t u r e r o f r u b b e r a n d p l a s t i c a u t o m otive par t s a n d o p t o e l e c t r o n i c p r o d u c t s . T h e f i r m part n e re d w i t h E B M, a W a se d a Un iv e r sity lau n c h e d s t a r t - u p , t o d e v e l o p a n d p r o m o t e a sim u l a t o r t h a t h e l p s s u r g e o n s t o e f f i c i e n t l y imp ro v e t h ei r su r g i ca l s k i l l s .

EB M , est a bl i s h e d i n 2 0 0 6 , h a s b e e n i n v olv e d in t r a i n i n g s i m u l a t o r d e v e l o p m e n t a n d s y stem crea t i o n f o r b o t h d o m e s t i c J a p a n e s e a n d o verseas mar k e t s , p r i n c i p a l l y i n t h e f i e l d o f c a r d i a c surgery.

Th e p a rt n e rs, w h o b e g a n co l l a b o r a t i n g in 2017, hav e b u i l t a p r o t o t y p e S u p e r B E A T s u r g i c al training sim ul a t o r t h a t c a n r e p r o d u ce t h e b e a t i n g of the he art wit h e x t r e m e a c c u r a c y u s i n g e - R u b b e r , a n artificial m usc l e t h a t f u n ct i o n s w i t h e l e ct r i ci t y .

In EBMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s c urre nt BEAT s imulato r, the movement of the heart is simulated with the us e o f a s hap e -me mo ry allo y that e xp ands and contracts by heating. The high-end version of this simulator uses e-Rubber, which expands and contracts rapidly in response to electricity s w itc hing o n and o ff. Re gulatio n o f fine movemen t is also possible to mimic states such a s complex he artb e at p atte rns due to arrhythmia or th e r apid he artb e at o f c hildre n, allo w ing re p ro duction of an environment closer to that of actual surgery.

Improvement of Super BEAT is ongoing, and sales are targeted in the fall of 2019.

An e qually v ital c ardiac de v ic e , a def ibr illator is used to deliver therapeutic shock to a patientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s he art in life -thre ate ning c o nditio ns , in cludin g v e ntric ular fib rillatio n, c ardiac arrhythmia, and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, to depolarise heart muscles and restore its normal electric impulse.

Allied Mar ket R es ear c h in its report covering the periods 2014 to 2022 forecasts the global market size for defibrillators to garner over US$15.6 trillion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 6.5% during the re p o rt p e rio d. The au tomated e xte rnal de fib rillato r (AED) is the mo st commonly used external defibrillator, clinching more than two-thirds of external defibrillator market revenue s hare in 2015.

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Rubber Journal Asia Medical Devices Re s e arc he rs fro m the Massachusetts Institute of T ec hnology (MI T ) hav e de v e lo p e d a simple, low-cost, prosthetic foot that is custom-designed b as e d o n the p atie nt’s b o dy w e ight and size, to allow users to walk more fluidly. Their work has been published in the ASME Journal of Me c hanic al De s ign.

The MIT team, in producing the low-cost p ro s the s is , is p ro v iding an affo rdab le option f or amputees in lower and middle income countries.

The c arb o n-fib re p as s iv e fo o t p ro s the tics would e as ily c o s t US$1,000 to US$10,000, w hile th e mor e high-tech ones can cost even more.

The custom-designed nylon prosthesis is based on a design framework developed by researchers that provides a quantitative way to predict a patient’s biomechanical performance based on the mechanical design of the prosthetic foot.

The prototype has no ankle or metatarsal joint, and is just one big structure, and thus, makes it s imp le and affo rdab le to manufac ture . To test th e prosthetic, the researchers produced several feet for volunteers in India.

The team is currently collaborating with Vibram, an Italian manufacturer of rubber outsoles for footwear, to design a life-like cover fo r the p ro s the s is , w hic h w ill als o give th e f oot some traction over slippery surfaces. The MIT re s e arc he rs p lan to te s t the p ro s the tic s and c o v e rings o n v o lunte e rs in India.

As wi t h i n c re a s i n g u s e , t h e d e fi b r i l l a t o r has to adv a n c e a n d o v e r c o m e c e r t a i n c h a l l e n g e s that imp a c t i t s ef f e c t iv e n e s s . On e s u ch ch a l l e n g e is to d e l i v e r e n o u g h c u r r e n t t o t h e h e a r t w i t hout b urn i n g t h e p a t i e n t ’s s k i n – a fo r m i d a b l e b arrie r with a t ypi c a l i m p e d a n c e o f 5 0 0 k i l o o h m /s q c m.

A team of bioengineering students from R ice U n i ve rs i t y i n T e x a s , U S , h a s f o u n d a way aro u n d t h a t p r o b l e m w i t h a n a d d - o n p a d f or the defi bri l l a t or.

Zfib add-on is a 3D printed plastic frame with a rubber backing that allows the user to press 180 tiny needles into a patient’s chest without having to touch the needles

T h e Z f i b a d d - o n i s a 3 D p r i n t e d p l a s t i c frame wit h a r u b b e r b a c k i n g t h a t a l l o w s t h e u s e r to press 180 t i n y n e e d l e s i n t o a p a t i e n t ’ s c h e s t w i t hout hav i n g t o t o u c h t h e n e e d l e s . T h e n e e d l e s c ollect cur r e n t f r o m t h e s i d e o f t h e p a d t h a t t o u c hes the skin a n d d e l i v e r i t t o t h e p a t i e n t . I n d i c a t o rs on top of t h e d e v i c e t u r n g r e e n w h e n e n o u g h p r e ssure is app l i ed .

T h e a d d - o n r e d u c e s t h e s k i n ’ s i m p e d a n ce by 72% , a n d t h us, s h o u l d i n cr e a s e a p a t i e n t ’s c hanc e o f surv i v a l a n d r e d u c e t h e o d d s t h a t t h e p a t i ent will nee d mul t i pl e sho ck s , t h e t e a m s a i d .

Lo w c os t op t i on f o r p r o s th e tics The ri si n g prev a l e n c e o f l i fe s t y l e r e l a t e d dis e as e s , and i n c i d e n c e s o f t r a u m a a n d a c c i d e n t a l i njuries fact o r s i g n i f i c a n t l y i n t h e g r o w t h o f t h e g l obal orth o p a e d i c p r o s t h e t i c s m a r k e t .

M o d e r n p r o s t h e t i c s , h o w e v e r , a r e n o l o nger using met a l s, i ro n o r w o o d m a t e r i a l s . C o mmo n mat e r i a l s u s e d n o w a d a y s a r e K e v l a r , t i t a n ium, and c a r b o n - f i b r e , w h i c h r e n d e r l o w - w e i g h t and hig h - st re n gt h f e a t u r e s t o p r o s t h e t i c s . I n n o v ativ e mat e r i a l s s u c h as r u b b e r s a r e a l s o u t i l i s e d for add i t i o n a l f u n c t i o n a l i t y a n d f o r a e s t h e t i c s to make an a rt i f i c i a l l i mb l o o k , fe e l a n d fu n ct i o n l i ke a natu r a l b o d y p a r t . T h e c o s t t o g e t a n a r t i f i cial limb vari es a n d c a n b e c o s t l y .

Two generations of the singlepart, low-cost prosthetic foot

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Events 2018

29 - 31 AUGUST Medical Manufacturing Asia Venue: Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Tel: (65) 6332 9623 Email: jessica@mda.com.sg Internet: www.medmanufacturing-asia.com 4-5 SEPTEMBER 1st PHA-platform World Congress Venue: Cologne, Germany Tel: +49 2161-6884469 Email: info@bioplasticsmagazine.com Internet: www.bioplasticsmagazine.com 7 - 9 SEPTEMBER PackPrintPlas Philippines Davao Venue: SMX Convention Center Davao, Davao City Tel: (+63 2) 893-7973 Fox: (+63 2) 550-1148 Email: eipril.vigilla @globallinkmp.com Internet: www.globallinkmp.com/ppp 13 - 15 SEPTEMBER ProPak Myanmar Venue: MEP at Mindama, Yangon, Myanmar Tel: +66 (0) 2615 1255 Ext. 113 Fax. +66 (0) 2615 2991 Email: arayabhorn@besallworld.com Internet: www.propakmyanmar.com 19 - 22 SEPTEMBER Indoplas, Indopack and Indoprint Venue: Jakarta, Indonesia Tel: (65) 6332 9645 Email: rita_biswas@mda.com.sg Internet: www.indoprintpackplas.com 11 - 13 OCTOBER PackPrintPlas Philippines Manila Venue: SMX Convention Center Manila, Mall of Asia Complex Tel: (+63 2) 893-7973 Fox: (+63 2) 550-1148 Email: eipril.vigilla @globallinkmp.com Internet: www.globallinkmp.com/ppp 16 - 20 OCTOBER Fakuma Venue: Friedrichschafen, Germany Tel: +49 (0)7261 6890 Fax: +49 (0)7261 689220 Email: info@messe-sinsheim.de Internet: www.fakuma-messe.de 17 - 20 OCTOBER AllPack Indonesia Venue: Jakarta International Expo, Kemayoran, Indonesia Tel: +62 21 6345861 Fax: +62 21 634 0140 Email: info@kristamedia.com Internet: www.allpack-indonesia.com 1-4 NOVEMBER Plas Print Pack Myammar Venue: Yangon Convention Center (YCC), Myanmar Tel: +886-2-2659-6000 Fax: +886-2-2659-7000 Email: exfdp@chanchao.com.tw Internet: www.myanmar-expo.com/plasprintpack

INTERNATIONAL OFFICES 1-4 NOVEMBER Myanmar International Machine Tool & Automation Exhibition Venue: Yangon Convention Center - (YCC) Tel: +886-2-26596000 Fax: +886-2-26597000 Email: Steven@chanchao.com.tw Internet: www.myanmar-expo.com/MachineTool 14 - 16 NOVEMBER Jec Asia 2018 Venue: Seoul,Coex, Convention & Exhibition Center Tel: +33 (1) 58 36 15 00 Email: visitors@jeccomposites.com Internet: www.jeccomposites.com 14 - 17 NOVEMBER Plasics & Rubber Indonesia Venue: Jakarta International EXPO, Indonesia Tel: +62 21 2525 320 Fax: +62 21 2525 032 Email: wiwiek@pamerindo.com Internet: www.plasticsandrubberindonesia.com 30 NOVEMBER - 3 DECEMBER IndPlas Venue: Eco Park Exhibition Ground, Kolkata, India Tel: +91 33 2217 5699 Email: exhibition@indplas.in Internet: www.indplas.in 5 - 7 DECEMBER Plastic Japan Venue: Makuhari Messe, Japan Tel: +81 3 3349 8568 Fax: +81 3 3349 0598 Email: mw-e@reedexpo.co.jp Internet: www.plas.jp 5 - 8 DECEMBER 2018 Plast Eurasia Istanbul Venue: Tüyap Fair Convention and Congress Center Büyükçekmece, Istanbul Tel: +90 (212) 867 11 00 Fax: +90 (212) 886 94 04 Email: nurkulacoglu@tuyap.com.tr Internet: www.plasteurasia.com

2019

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