German Machinery and Technology
Asia’s preview to latest technology updates At the Chinaplas 2014 show, to be held from 23-26 April in Shanghai, German machine makers will again make an imitable presence. Technology on display will be a first in Asia, for some exhibitors that previously displayed the new technology at the K2013 show in Germany last year.
Sales to China to inch up Germany’s plastics and rubber machinery manufacturers ended 2013 with sales down by 1%, according to the industry’s association VDMA. As a result, turnover in core machinery manufacturing fell only slightly short of the most recent record of EUR6.5 billion, said the association. Foreign deliveries rose again and in the period to November 2013 were 4.1% above the previous year’s level, taking exports close to a new record of around EUR4.6 billion. That will push the export ratio above the 70% mark again. German Exports of Plastics and Rubber Machines to China m EUR
Change over % previous year
Share in world exports (%)
2008
494.5
42.6
28.4
2009
357.1
-27.8
28.5
2010
587.2
64.4
27.9
2011
766.4
30.5
30.9
2012
640.4
-16.4
25.8
2013
855.9
33.7
N.A.
Meanwhile, in 2012, worldwide supplies of plastics and rubber machines to China reached a volume of more than EUR2,480 million, which is a slight increase of 0.1% compared to the preceding year. After growing at a rate far above average in previous years, exports to China declined by 16.4% in 2012. Top suppliers of plastics and rubber machinery to China were Japan (26%) followed by Germany (25.8%), Taiwan (13.2%), Korea (6.8%) and the US (5.2%). According to Thorsten Kühmann, Managing Director of VDMA, there is confidence in the German market and renewed growth is also expected for Latin America. The only major reservations at present concern the markets in Asia, with the exception of China. Based on association forecasts, sales are set to grow by 6% to EUR6.9 billion in 2014.
Elasto will showcase various TPEs, including those used for making baby spoons
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TPEs to make a mark in China Elasto, which is part of the Hexpol TPE group, has been successfully expanding its Asian activities over recent years. Gareth Jefferson, Regional Director, explained, “The Elasto and Müller Kunststoffe businesses have supplied customers in Asia for a number of years, initially to EU transplants and increasingly to locally owned moulders. To support our Asian customers, Hexpol decided to begin production of TPE in Foshan, in China, and the facility came on stream in early 2013.“ At the show, Elasto will showcase the Dryflex range of TPEs based on SBS and SEBS technologies. Toy and baby care applications in particular have been an expanding market for the firm, due to the softtouch consumer appeal. Other products include TPE adhesion compounds for PA, ABS, PC and PS substrates in multi-component processing; TPE compounds
German Machinery and Technology with low compression set; Mediprene TPE compounds for medical applications and conductive and anti-static compounds for electronics applications. Meanwhile, Kraiburg will unveil its new TPE compound that boasts new, advanced adhesion features that are applicable for the industrial, automotive, consumer, consumer electronics and medical fields.
Kraiburg partnered with Veritas, a manufacturer of solutions for the automotive market, to produce double clips for fastening brake lines from its HIPEX oil and temperatureresistant TPE material in combination with polyamide. The clips will be used as a standard components in engine compartments
Extrusion machinery under one roof Extrusion machinery firm Reifenhäuser Group will present its technological solutions for plastics extrusion under the slogan “Rethinking Technology”. Managing Director Ulrich Reifenhäuser, said, "In recent months we have developed strong unique selling propositions across all business units. These developments deliver real added value to customers and go beyond mere product improvements. Our focus is on productivity, quality, reliability and energy efficiency. We developed some completely new technological approaches to achieve this."
Reifenhäuser Extrusion Technology’s so-called extruder of the future that combines state-of-the-art design with innovative features
Reifenhäuser Extrusion Technology will show an extruder with features such as the new Energizer Screw for up to 20% higher productivity as well as the use of thermoelectric generators for energy recovery. It also has a new ReiWood profile and matching line technology for the wood composites market. The new developments lower production costs by up to 50%. Another subsidiary Reiloy Metall is presenting its highly wear-resistant screws and barrels for extrusion and injection moulding, manufactured in Germany in lengths up to 9 m. Reiloy components are used in all Reifenhäuser systems, as well as in the machines of leading injection machinery makers like Arburg, KraussMaffei and Engel.
German Machinery and Technology Chinese subsidiary Reifenhäuser Plastic Machinery’s scope of responsibility was expanded in April 2013. In addition to service, the company and its more than 20 employees also took charge of sales in China. A German engineer will join the team in April 2014 to further strengthen the subsidiary and be responsible for sales, project management, technical customer consulting and the after-sales business. Managing Director of Reifenhäuser China, Ralf Pampus, said, "We see great potential for growth in Asia and particularly here in China. Strengthening the team in our Chinese branch was a logical step for us and that has already paid for itself.” Pampus says that sales are up significantly since early 2013, especially for recycled PET applications, PET strapping tape lines, barrier films and sheets, agricultural film and nonwovens. Blow moulding, thermoforming and pipe making machinery Blow moulding machine maker Kautex Maschinenbau will showcase its KCC model range, which can produce packaging with volumes of between 50 ml and 10 l. It will demonstrate the production of a 750 ml monolayer sports drinking bottle with seven mould cavities. Other new machines featured at K2013, to be presented in China, will be the ZVT 7/60-100 hose head for CP applications and the fully-electric KBB series. The logical showcase for thermoforming machine maker Kiefel will be its global best seller Speedformer KMD78. The machine is used for the mass production of rigid packaging products made of PS, OPS, EPS, PP, PE, PVC, PET and PLA. The firm says that the secret lies in advanced technology, such as the black HTS ceramic heaters for the consistent distribution of heat-output, a proven toggle drive and motorised upper-yoke adjustment for both the forming and cutting stations. This is rounded up by the high degree of automation, steel-rule cutter, integrated stacking unit and touch-screen-operated Siemens Simotion control system. The unit can handle a maximum tool dimension of 780 x 560 mm, with a negative/positive formedcomponent height of up to 150 mm and a maximum film-width of 810 mm. It will be shown producing a tray tool processing clear APET material. KraussMaffei Berstorff will show its KM-5L RKW 01-40 extruder pipehead for five-layer pipes, plus have an open house at its plant in Haiyan. "With our five-layer pipehead we are presenting a stable and efficient solution for the trend towards complex, multi-layer pipes," said Michael Hofhus, Head of Sales and Service of KraussMaffei Berstorff in China. The pipehead has a modular design based on the spiral distributors that are flow-optimised with low pressure loss, thus ensuring optimum pipe quality. The exhibit (for a diameter range up to 40 mm) is combined with the KME 45-30 B/R singlescrew extruder and two KME 30-25 D/C coextruders. With the extension of production at the Chinese plant in Haiyan, the KraussMaffei Group is also continuing its strategic positioning in the Asian market. On the occasion of the opening of the plant extension, it will have an open house for the KraussMaffei Group and its KraussMaffei, KraussMaffei Berstorff and Netstal brands.
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KraussMaffei Berstorff will demonstrate the production of PE pipes (for a diameter range up to 630 mm) with a complete extrusion line. The pipehead is equipped with IPC technology for an efficient pipe production, thanks to an additional pipe interior cooling system. Compounding will be shown on the twin-screw extruder ZE 52 Basic, with corresponding downstream components. Compounders/extruders with improved outputs Coperion will debut its ZSK 26 Mc18 twin-screw laboratory extruder with 25 mm-screw diameter for the development of formulations, conducting sample compound trials and production of relatively small batches with up to approximately 180 kg/hour. Compared to its predecessor, the ZSK 26 Mc, the new laboratory extruder is capable of an increase in output of up to 100%, as the specific torque has been increased to 15 Nm/cm3, and is said to be more energy efficient. The increased filling and lower melt temperatures ensure gentle product handling. It is also a mobile unit and requires reduced floor space, as the control cabinet is integrated with the base frame of the machine. Also on display will be Coperion’s STS 65 compounder with 65 mm-screw diameter and a specific torque of 10 Nm/cm³. The series is equipped both with a powerful motor and a gearbox, rated for the required torque. The improvements allow for an increase in the amount of material passing through the extruder process section, reduced shear stress, lower melt temperature and improved mixing performance. Positive displacement pumps supplier Pump Solutions Group (PSG), a business unit within Dover Corporation, will unveil its new Automatik Plastics Machinery SPHERO S underwater pelletising system, suited for compounding, masterbatch and recycling applications with medium outputs, between 0.7-3 tonnes. Major upgrades include new pneumatic diverter valves that optimise the flow channel, with ease cleaning of the cutting chamber and quick changes of the knives. Other improvements include a new frame that allows it to be mounted on a single mobile structure, allowing for a reduced footprint. The water bypass design on the SPHERO S has also been fine-tuned resulting in a faster start-up, while the design of the cutter head allows for the production of evenly shaped pellets. ProTec Polymer Processing will present plant technology for manufacturing long fibre-reinforced thermoplastics (LFTs), with lengths of 7-25 mm, using what is called the pultrusion process. This is achieved using technology jointly developed by ProTec and project partner PolymersNet, which isolates the fibre strands in the impregnation tool to create filaments that are then coated with the polymer melt. The LFT created in this way produces components with excellent surface quality and high mechanical strength, says the firm. The technology can be used to realise fibre content of up to 60% by weight and plant sizes with throughputs of up to 1.2 tonnes/hour.
German Machinery and Technology Auxiliaries new to Asia ProTec will also be presenting its new, optimised solid-state reactor (OHL tumble reactor), a solid-state polycondensation (SSP) reactor that can be heated and evacuated for improving the properties of free-flowing materials. Heated using a smaller volume of heat transfer oil, it lowers energy consumption by around 20%. The OHL tumble reactor is used to purge polyester and polyamides of volatile pollutants (decontaminating) and/ or to post-condense these materials, i.e., increase their molecular weight. In addition, the reactor is used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries for improving the properties of free-flowing solids. Meanwhile, sister company of Coperion, K-Tron will introduce the redesigned Smart Flow Meter with feed rates of up to 200 cu m/hour. Applications include material flow control within a production line, measuring filling or discharge of materials from storage, inventory control, and quantitative bulk goods measurement. It comes in two models: K-SFM-275-B and K-SFM-350-B, for use in polyolefin production. Auxiliary equipment maker Motan, from its Chinese headquarters in Taicang, focuses on four major products areas: dryers/conveying systems; SilentLine sound insulated double-walled piping and sound-insulated frequency regulated blowers; dosing and mixing systems, such as the Ultrablend 95 gravimetric dosing and mixing unit for the medical industry; and control systems.
Motan’s ATTN control system is now standard on Luxor dryers
The firm has also developed ATTN automatic temperature and dew-point control system, which maintains a constant dew-point of the granulate being dried, in line with the process parameters of the part being moulded. ATTN is now a standard feature throughout the Luxor A range of dryers. The firm says it is essential for materials that require predefined moisture content that will be damaged if over dried as a result of a low dew-point. ATTN is generally installed in the dry air generator and can only be set to one specific dew-point between -30°C and +5°C. Furthermore, drying bins are always operating with process air at the respective dew-point set value, especially for singlebin stations. However, multi-bin stations can also be equipped with this option.
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