SA Plastics & Rubber Technology April-May 2018

S A P LA S TIC S + R U B B E R TE C H N OLOGY

& R U B B E R T E C H N O L O GY www.saplastics.co.za

VOL 16 ISSUE 2 – APRIL / MAY 2018

V OL 16 N R 2 A P R IL / MAY 2018

Calibre installs large Wintec system

Engineering Plastics on a quality systems roll

RotoFloYourHo Supp

Impressive new blown film line at CTP Flexibles

‘Rotovetti’ show jumping blocks from clive@rotoflo.co.za +27 82 ACD Rotofl o880 4976 tech@rotoflo.co.za +27 84 540 2896

Largest Supplier of Colour Compounded LLDPE in Sub Sahar Largest ofof Colour Compounded LLDPE inin Sub Saharan Largest Supplier Colour Compounded LLDPE Sub Sahar ColourSupplier Compounding of Rotomoulding Speciality Polymers Colour Compounding of Rotomoulding Speciality Polymers Colour Compounding of Rotomoulding Speciality Polymers Pulverising of Rotomoulding and Speciality Powders Pulverising Rotomoulding and Speciality Powders Pulverising of Rotomoulding and Speciality Powders Agents forofPSD Rotoworx PP, LaPlastecnica Vents and MIGS ® Agents forfor PSD Rotoworx PP, LaPlastecnica Vents and MIGS Agents PSD Rotoworx PP, LaPlastecnica Vents and MIGS® Contact: Contact: Contact:

SE

CREA MAJOR 28%-PLUS IN IN ROTO TONNAGE CONSUMPTION

Website: Website: Address: Address: Website: Address:

Clive Robertson clive@rotoflo.co.za Clive Robertson Michael Böltau tech@rotoflo.co.za Michael Böltau Clive Robertson clive@rotoflo.co.za Andrew Robertson tech@rotoflo.co.za andrew@rotoflo.co.za Andrew Robertson andrew@rotoflo.co.za Michael Böltau Chanda Mukuka sales@rotoflo.co.za Chanda Mukuka sales@rotoflo.co.za Andrew Robertson andrew@rotoflo.co.za Chanda Mukuka sales@rotoflo.co.za www.rotoflo.co.za www.rotoflo.co.za 28 Hilston Road 28 www.rotoflo.co.za Hilston Road Kya SandsRoad Kya Sands 28 Hilston Randburg, Johannesburg Randburg, Johannesburg Kya Sands South Africa South Africa Randburg, Johannesburg South Africa

+27 82 880 4976 +27 82 84 880 540 4976 2896 +27 +27 76 540 101 7805 +27+27 76 84 101 7805 2896 +27 11 101 708 3361 (Tel) +27+27 11 76 708 3361 (Tel) 7805 +27 11 708 708 1919 (Fax) +27+27 11 11 708 1919 (Fax) 3361 (Tel) +27 11 708 1919 (Fax)

Venture bought by BEE business consortium

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www.saplastics.co.za

The Home of Size Reduction

LICATION PUB OF T C P A ( ) N & P TIO RN AF HE

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Servochem looks towards plastics recycling scene

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Microplastic in most remote areas of ocean, new data reveals

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ARMSA Rotation 2018

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BY THE WAY

Publisher: Martin Wells (martin@summitpub.co.za) Editor: Tessa O’Hara (tessa@summitpub.co.za) Editorial assistant: Heather Peplow (heather@summitpub.co.za) Financial manager: Lisa Mulligan (lisa@summitpub.co.za) Designer: Jeanette Erasmus Graphic Design (jeanette.erasmus@lateraldynamics.co.za) Bronwen Moys Blinc Design (bronwen.clarke@gmail.com) Summit Publishing cc t: +27 (21) 712 1408 f: 086 519 6089 c: +27 (82) 822 8115 e: saplastics@iafrica.com Postnet Suite 42, Private Bag X16, Constantia 7848, Cape Town, South Africa Unit 8, Bergvliet Village Centre, Cnr Hiddingh & Children’s Way Roads, Bergvliet 7945

www.saplastics.co.za GAUTENG Lowrie Sharp t: (011) 793 4691 f: (011) 791 0544 c: 082 344 7870 e: lowrieplasticsmedia@absamail.co.za KZN Lynne Askew t: (031) 764 2494 f: (031) 764 0676 e: lynne@summitpub.co.za Printed by: Tandym Print, Maitland, Cape Town SA Plastics & Rubber Technology is published six times a year and focuses on these industries in South and southern Africa. We welcome news, articles, technical reports, information in general and photographs about events and developments related to the plastics industry.

The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the Plastics Converters Association, Institute of Materials or Association of Rotational Moulders either.

Copyright: All rights reserved.

ISSN number: 1684-2855 (ISDS Centre, Paris) Summit Publishing: CK 9863581/23 VAT reg: 4600187902

Plastics Institute of Southern Africa

Association of Rotational Moulders of South Africa

Plastics Converters Association

PET Plastic Recycling South Africa

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Plastics Federation of SA

Institute of Materials

One of these vials contains jelly fish, the other plastic bags: now imagine you are a hungry sea turtle, these things are not in containers, the underwater ‘viz’ is not good … and there’s zero chance of the underwater reptiles not confusing the two

RPC publication advises people industry how to face criticism

THE negative media coverage of plastics (not in this publication however) hasn’t quite got to southern Africa yet, but it’s almost surely coming. Over in Europe it’s a major issue and with this in mind RPC group, the parent company of Astrapak, published a brief guide to recommend to employees how to react in the face of criticism, in its in-house publication Perspectives.

‘With so much criticism around, it’s easy to be embarrassed about working for a plastics company, and tempting to keep quiet when family and friends add their voices to growing clamour that all plastics are bad,’ wrote the Perspectives journalist.

‘However, it’s time for us all to stand up to the critics, particularly as a lot of the information that’s put out about plastics tends to be inaccurate. The good news is that help is at hand to let us put the record straight. Take a look at the new British Plastics Federation video that underlines the fact that all plastics are recyclable.

Search for Kevin’s ‘multiple lives’ on YouTube … and watch out for the twist.’

There is also a dedicated website – www.marinelitterthefacts.com – that puts forward a balanced summary of the problem of marine litter and how best to tackle it. In addition, the BPF and PlasticsEurope have been working with the Marine Conservation Society on a new anti-littering campaign for school children called ‘Bicentives’ that uses ‘emojis’ to get this important message across.

There are also useful fact sheets available from the BPF website (www.bpf.co.uk) and the IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen (www.kunststoffverpackungen.de). Find out how much you really know about the material you are working with every day!

RPC has also made information about the products it manufactures at www.rpc-sustainability.com ‘Let’s not forget that a lot of the problem of littering – either at sea or on land – is down to human behaviour. We also need to get behind national campaigns to stop littering and shame people who carry out such anti-social behaviour,’ E concluded the Perspectives writer.

IF YOU HAV

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G TO SAY SOMETHIN de: if you si ht ig br e Look at th isdom to w of m e ge us at have som to te ri w ease impart, pl m co a. ic fr s@ia saplastic

2018/04/16 10:27

VOLUME 16 NR 2

Contents APRIL / MAY 2018

Find out more at www.saplastics.co.za

INDUSTRY NEWS

Calibre installs large Wintec system Evonik Acrylics Africa now a wholly owned Evonik company Venture bought by BEE business consortium Engineering Plastics is on a quality systems roll Signage leaders PSA, Romano merge Servochem looks towards plastics recycling scene Impressive new blown film line at CTP Flexibles ExxonMobil committed to convertors in Africa From zero to hero in five years!

Masterbatch SA celebrates 20 years First scientific tests prove HDPE’S recycling properties Microplastic in most remote areas of ocean, new data reveals

ROTATION 2018

Major 28%-plus increase in roto tonnage consumption

ASSOCIATIONS

PtSA recently launched POLYCO: Two tons of recycled plastic = 700 desks!

MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT Latest updates in materials and equipment for the plastics industry

WORLD NEWS

Plastic Man, returns to DC Comics California rules: No more No 1 resin code for PETG

SPORT

Time for a change of guard in the bicycle sector!

REGLOPLAS High-performance temperature control units … for large injection moulds, extruders, rollers, autoclaves and other processing equipment

New, more efficient Type 90 Smart 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 25 26

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Temperature control units for water up to 90°C • RT 70 control system • Solid-state relay (SSR)instead of heating contactor • Automatic phasechanger for pump direction (clockwise) • Alarm buzzer • Heating capacity 9 kW

NEW

• Cooling capacity 24-90 kW • Pump capacity 60 litres/min, 3.8 bar

Type 150 Smart 32

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ON THE COVER

Show jumping solution – The ‘RotoVetti’ blocks system, designed and developed

by ACD RotoFlo and moulded by CHM Plastics, was runner-up in the ARMSA Product of the Year competition.

Read more on page 36

www.plasticolors.co.za

Temperature control units for oil up to 150°C • Controller RT61 PID • Outlet temperature max 150°C • Heating capacity at 400V 6 kW • Cooling capacity 28kW @ 140°C • Pump capacity 60 litres/min, 3.8 bar

• Simultaneous readout of temperature set-point and actual value • Clear arrangement of operating and indicating elements • Solid state relay (SSR) instead of heating contactor

• All components exposed to water are made of non-rusting materials, hence long service-life • Achieves estimated 24% reduction in rejects and 20% increase in productivity

JENOWILL SERVICES Contact – Willy Tschopp Tel: 021 551 7241 Fax: 021 551 7243 28C Lilly Park, Railway Rd Montague Gardens, Cape Town jenowill@iafrica.com www.regloplas.com

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2018/04/12 15:30

News Crank it … in composites – Bicycle pedal cranks have for some time been manufactured in composites, specifically continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composite (CFRTP), where the main advantage is the weightsaving achieved. Next Composites of Germany, working with material supplier Covestro, has advanced the technology and is now manufacturing the cranks in an injection process: continuous carbon fibres blanks impregnated with polycarbonate. Read more on page 92

Quite a bit easier to run business with market stabilizing

THIS ISSUE

Intention for most convertors is to increase employment

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APR / MAY 2018

W

E WISH to congratulate President Cyril Ramaphosa on his election as leader of South Africa and many if not most of you will agree that, even in the few months since his inauguration, there has been more stability in the market.

and business people are not politicians either, but it’s refreshing that the president has on a few occasions showed his awareness of the challenges faced by people running businesses. Yes, businesses do wish to employ people and the intention for most convertors is to increase employment, but that’s not because we want to be nice to people – it’s simply because the general aim This observation is relevant in that of running a business is to grow it. it is far easier for business people It’s fair to say, I think, that outside of the to conduct activities when trading group of people who are running businesses conditions are more consistent (the owners and senior management) there and the country’s currency is not a is little understanding of the challenges yoyo. Up till this point we were on a involved, and this slippery slope with fixed investment is not unique to into the country having declined Africa. Putting President Ramaphosa – aware for the past four years and if the a sustainable of the challenges faced by previous regime had not stopped its business people running businesses activities things could have tipped the model together wrong way. But it has also been pointed out that the hinted requires a lot of planning and understanding where just the cooperation between the industry and various government financial obligations would departments over the matter of the reintroduced linear tariff TKO even the slightly less was not quite the dance and song scenario sketched in the prepared. Just a few percent last issue. For a start, it’s taking longer than expected for of the total number of people the tariff to be withdrawn, but at least the heavies over at in the industry actually steer the Department of Trade & Industry are cooperating and, it, and it’s unintentional but we understand, are fast-tracking the process (it has been inevitable that those outside of gazetted that the tariff will be removed). this circle will remain unaware On this occasion, however, the problem may have lain of what’s involved. This is not within: we hear that Plastics/SA knew of the unexpected something that is unique to reintroduction of the LLDPE tariff and at first did not react. our industry, and is practised It’s not surprising that people were confused as one needs all over the world. to have intimate understanding of the tariffs system to But the one thing I can say is that a lot of the convertors comprehend that the simple incorrect insertion of a code are now, even as we speak, making substantial capex could have consequences such as, by the time this has run investments and continuing with progress. In its course, the unscheduled payment of several hundred fact, the pace is slightly up at the moment – millions by you, the convertors. and stories about that will be following.

We are happy though that President Ramaphosa (by the way, I used to go to the same gym as him, but that was a while back) is far more business-minded that his predecessor. Politicians, you know, are not businessmen

(

It’s unintentional but inevitable that those outside the circle will remain unaware

Martin Wells Publisher Martin Wells,

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Publisher

2018/04/13 11:55

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2018/04/04 4:27 PM

News

Calibre

installs large

Wintec system

6 APRIL / MAY 2018

West Rand injection company installs biggest machine yet CALIBRE Plastics, a longestablished injection moulding company in Johannesburg (celebrating 55 years in operation this year), has recently installed an additional high-efficiency machine from Wintec, the Engel subsidiary.

Calibre Plastics already operates a large number of injection machines from 40 up to 800 tons clamping force.

They specialize in the production of components up to 3.5kg in polyolefins as

well as engineering resins and synthetic rubbers. Started by Waldemar Kauerauf way back in 1963, Calibre Plastics is a leading manufacturer of nursery and agricultural containers and trays. They also manufacture a range of bins, tubs and buckets.

Investment in high efficiency technology is a continuous thread for Calibre Plastics.

The new Wintec ‘t-win’ 1350-ton machine, now the largest machine at Calibre Plastics, has an injection unit with a 120mm barrel & screw. The injection

capacity is 8143cm³ for the manufacturing of larger products.

“The machine is equipped with double pumps allowing it to run parallel movements, therefore reducing cycle times. Energy efficiency as standard” said JC Jonker of Greentech.

Capability The Wintec package is proving to be attractive in terms of capability-for-cost.

The machines are produced by Engel’s subsidiary Wintec, based in Changzhou, China. Since launching in 2014, Wintec

Plastics industry helps SA deal with

Above: Grant Neser of JoJo Tanks

AS a nation facing the impact of drought and water shortages in many of our provinces, more than any other material, plastics have been relied upon to assist South Africans in dealing with the drought and accompanying water shortages.

“Our industry has been presented with a unique opportunity to be innovative and to meet very real needs that exist in the marketplace, and I’m proud to say that we are delivering with excellence”, says Plastics|SA, executive director, Anton Hanekom. “Never before have we seen such a high demand for a wide variety of plastic products – whether it is for pool covers, water tanks and storage containers, plastic pipelines, artificial grass or bottled water”.

Charlotte Metcalf, CEO of the South African National Bottled Water Associa-

Left: Neil Collier of Alplas Plastics

tion (SANBWA) says that because of the convenience of PET bottles to collect, save and consume bottled water, there has been a marked increase in the amount of 5-litre bottles entering the market in recent months.

Bottled water suppliers such as Aquellé and Bené Water have gone one step further to help Capetonians. Aquellé embarked on a two-day journey from its KwaZulu-Natal head office to donate almost 30,000 litres of bottled water to the elderly and infirm in the city. Similarly, Bené Water delivered truckloads of natural spring water for the desperate animals in the Cape as part of their efforts to bring relief to the water-scarce city.

Another example of a plastic product that has been in high demand and where manufacturers are bending over backwards to assist residents in the Western Cape, is

PHOTO: LOWRIE SHARP

Additional fluorination chamber for Pelchem

Wintec at Calibre – JC Jonker of Greentech, the machine supplier, with Bernd Meyer and Heinrich Süllwald of Calibre Plastics and the new ‘t-win’ 1350-ton Wintec machine at the Roodepoort company

Steger (Engel CSO) recently.

Calibre is able to manage the entire manufacturing process involved, from concept to completion of product. Calibre also manufactures its own tools. l Calibre Plastics tel: 011 474 1908

impact of drought Tanks have not increased the price of their water tanks. tanks in the Western Cape relative to other “Traditionally, the Western Cape was the smallest market for our tanks. Today, we are provinces. They have, however, expanded supplying more than ten times our long term their product range to include backwash tanks for swimming pools, accessories for average,” says Grant Neser, managing dirainwater harvesting and rector of JoJo Tanks. “We municipal back up and have to supply tanks from ‘Never before have greywater harvesting our eight factories around we seen such a solutions. the country and transport high demand for Neil Collier, operations tanks from as far afield a wide variety of manager of Alplas Plasas Pietermaritzburg and tics in Killarney Gardens, Groblersdal to address the plastic products.’ just north of Cape Town, ever increasing backlog says their biggest sellers have been their for tanks resulting from demand significantly 10 and 13-litre buckets and bowls and their exceeding installed capacity in this geogra11.4 litre or 18.9 litre water bottles. phy,” Grant says.

Trying to do their part to assist the country cope with the drought without capitalising www.plasticsinfo.co.za on the surge in demand, Grant says JoJo

End of era as Karbochem closes

KARBOCHEM, the synthetic rubber manufacturer which has been producing a range of SR materials since 1964, has shut.

The company started with the manufacture of emulsion styrenebutadiene rubber in Sasolburg, and later started its own plant at Newcastle in KZN. Karbochem commercial director Duncan Blackburn said, regrettably, that the company “cannot maintain a competitive position in the manufacture of synthetic rubbers”. Consequently, production of the SR materials was ceased with immediate effect on 6 April.

APRIL / MAY 2018 7

JUST BRIEFLY

focused mainly on the Asian market, however these economical machines have also become popular in other markets such as Brazil, Turkey, Canada, Mexico and the United States.

A number of South African convertors have already chosen Wintec machines in the past year.

The Wintec machines “provide tailored solutions at an attractive priceto-performance ratio,” said Christoph

AN ADDITIONAL fluorination chamber is planned for installation at Pelchem, the Pelindababased fluorination expert. The chamber is to be used chiefly for the surface treatment of plastic containers. The process significantly enhances container impermeability, enabling standard polyolefin containers to be used for the packaging of chemicals, fuel, food concentrates, cosmetic, essence and other chemically active materials where retention of odour, fragrance or vapour is necessary. The Surface Fluorination of polyolefin containers is approved by USA’s FDA. Pelchem already operates a bank of chambers on a 24/7 basis and the added capacity has recently become necessary, no surprise since the SOE operation embarked on a turnaround process which has seen it becoming increasingly busy. The chamber, due for commissioning in the second quarter of 2018, is aimed at meeting increasing customer demand for fluorination and improve on delivery times.

News Evonik Industries AG headquarters in Essen

Evonik Acrylics Africa

now a wholly owned Evonik company More agile and more responsive to meeting clients’ needs EVONIK Acrylics Africa (EAA), a specialty plastics manufacturing company within Evonik Industries is now a wholly owned Evonik enterprise with no joint venture partners.

As a result of the liquidation (and subsequent re-opening) of Ampa Plastics Group in 2017, Evonik Industries AG acquired the 49% Ampa Plastics Group JV share in Evonik Acrylics Africa.

The share purchase is in line with Evonik’s worldwide core market strategy and reaffirms the commitment to strengthening the company’s position as the exclusive manufacturer of PLEXIGLAS® acrylic sheet in the African market.

“The transition did not have any effect on our customers, since EAA was already firmly in the hands of the Evonik management team. Evonik achieved favourable growth in 2017 and customers benefitted from global manufacturing network structures and short lead times on deliveries,” said Holger Morhart, General Manager of Evonik Acrylics Africa. “Being a wholly owned Evonik enterprise adds to our ability to service the market better and secure distribution rights for complimentary products. We are more agile and therefore more responsive to meeting our clients’ needs.”

Evonik Acrylics Africa has also recently been appointed as a distributor for SABIC specialty shapes. This will allow EAA to enter

the industrial roofing and construction markets as a strong partner with an extensive high performance thermoplastic sheet offering.

About Evonik Acrylics Africa Evonik Acrylic Africa (EAA) extrudes acrylic sheet under the brand name PLEXIGLAS® at a state of the art production facility in Elandsfontein, South Africa, for local consumption and export into Africa.

The Acrylic Products Business Line of Evonik’s Performance Materials Segment manufactures the inspiring brand plastic PLEXIGLAS® and offers a wide range of specialty semifinished products for a variety of future-oriented applications.

Major markets for PLEXIGLAS® are the aviation industries, architecture and the construction industry, lighting and design applications, electronics and communication, and trade show booth construction as well as store fixtures. With production facilities in Europe, North America, South Africa and Russia and a global sales network, AP is one of the leading producers of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) worldwide.

Evonik’s PMMA products are sold under the PLEXIGLAS® trademark on the European, Asian, African and Australian continents and under the ACRYLITE® trademark in the Americas.

Evonik Acrylics Africa expands, new office in Cape Town

8 APR / MAY 2018

Series of ongoing training workshops at the new Cape Town premises EVONIK Acrylics Africa (EAA), a specialty plastics manufacturing company within Evonik Industries, has opened its Cape Town offices and technical training facility.

EAA is committed to extending the distribution and accessibility of its world-leading acrylic brand, Plexiglas®, to African consumers. The investment in additional infrastructure and staff in the Western Cape supports this growth and provides a much-needed technical training centre. At an intimate opening function at the new premises, customers had the opportunity to network with EAA staff and investigate the exciting array of tools and equipment that forms part

of the training facility. The offices feature elements such as custom manufactured lighting, planters, furniture, and décor, all produced from Plexiglas®.

“We take pride in our ability to advise customers on acrylic product selection, applications and working guidelines.

With the increased brand presence for Plexiglas® in recent years, also came the realization that there is a huge demand for focused technical training. We have the technical competence to improve the skill levels of our customers, help them grow their businesses, and service the market better,” said Holger Morhart, general manager of Evonik Acrylics Africa.

Evonik’s technical training manager, David van Eyk, will be responsible for a series of ongoing training workshops at the new Cape Town premises and at different locations across Southern Africa, whilst newly appointed technical services representative, Christallo Immelman, takes on the role of sales and product support.

“Skills development within the industries we serve is a key focus area for business development and we are proud of the technical competence of our staff,” concluded Morhart. “We look forward to an exciting year working with our distribution partners and clients.” www.evonik.com

NEWS-EVONIK.indd 8

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JUST BRIEFLY

Extrupet to process excess PET material from W Cape in Gauteng WITH the water crisis in the Western Cape resulting in an increase in PET container use, by a substantial margin, excess volumes of post-consumer PET bottles have been generated. This is directly due to consumers hoarding water, but the spinoff has been that larger quantities of used PET containers are being collected. With PET recycling capacity in the region already meeting demand, a solution for the additional quantities of containers had to be found.

Enter the picture Extrupet, which offered to process at least some of the material at its plant in Johannesburg. This resulted in a cooperative venture involving PETCO, the South African Bottled Water Association (SANBWA) and Cape Town collector Oasis Recycling who, in a pilot project, joined forces to fund the transport of two loads of 18 tons of baled PET containers to the Extrupet plant in Wadeville.

According to Chandru Wadhwani of Extrupet, this is reflective of a global drive where brand owners are being more proactive in reducing the environmental footprint of the packaging they use. The actions of SANBWA and Oasis are to be applauded as are those of the other companies that have indicated their willingness to participate in such initiatives, said Wadhwani.

Venture bought consortium

New owners of Wadeville Co have BEE, business acumen cred VENTURE Plastics, the diversified converting business in Wadeville, has been purchased by a consortium involving an equally varied group of individuals with BEE and established business acumen credentials.

Started by Geoff Watson in 1987, Venture is involved in injection moulding, extrusion and thermoforming, one of the relatively few SA convertors to engage in multiple processing technologies. It previously also operated a blow moulding division, which has recently been sold off. Watson decided to exit the scene during 2017 and the smoke signals eventually drew the attention of the partners involved in the consortium, Mike Teke, Theo du Toit, Merwen Mellett and John Konyn.

Venture’s new management team, with Mike Teke, includes Steve Coetzer, John Konyn and Sidney Sithole

PHOTO: LOWRIE SHARP

News

Bogus bag company censured

by Durban municipality

YOU have to wonder why the Durban Municipality did not conduct plant inspections when granting a large contract for the production and supply of its orange recycling bags to the creatively named Persian Star Investments 11. The bags have been a part of a Durban recycling project since 2007 in which recyclable materials are used in the eThekwini area for the collection of plastic, paper and cardboard. Some R90-million was involved in the bags contract, with Persian having quoted 74c/bag. Another manufacturer who tendered for the contract remarked that Persian has under-quoted – meaning that it was impossible to compete with the winning tender at the time. A forensic investigator, hired after the lack of supply created major waste stream issues, said that it was “highly likely that Persian did not have a fully functional manufacturing factory at the time of applying for the tender” around October 2014. But, apparently with the assistance of individuals within the municipality’s procurement department, Persian was granted the multi-million contracts. Among the feats it performed in the process was to submit a quality management certificate belonging to another company.

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APR / MAY 2018

NEWS-VENTURE.indd 10

Mpumalanga municipal Councillors learn more about recycling Mpumalanga councillors inspect recycled planks at recycling collector, Destination Green Recycling – 40 municipal councillors of the 18 municipalities of the Mpumalanga Province received in-depth training on the recycling of packaging material thanks to a two-day workshop arranged by Packaging SA and hosted at the Plastics|SA head office in Midrand recently. The municipal councillors who were invited to attend the workshop are all responsible for the Climate Change, Environmental and Waste Management Portfolio in their respective municipalities. The main focus of the workshop was to educate these important role players in a ‘train the trainer’ format about how plastics, glass, metals and papers are recycled in South Africa and the importance of recycling to our economy as part of the Local Government Support Strategy Interventions. The councillors learnt specifically about certain recycling processes and products made from recycled materials through presentations delivered by PRASA, Tetrapak, TGRC, MetPac-SA, PETCO, Polyco, SAVA, Plastics|SA and Destination Green Recycling

www.packagingsa.co.za

2018/04/13 12:14

The new owners of Venture Plastics, the Wadeville convertor, include investors Frans Baleni, Mike Teke and Theo du Toit; seen here with John Konyn, new MD of the business

status that will assist customers in their business endeavours,” added Geoff.

Venture’s GM, Steve Coetzer, a man with considerable experience across a range of converting technologies, is to continue in his present position, working in cooperation with the company’s management team.

The sale became effective on 1 March. www.ventureplastics.co.za

11

responsible BEE component, I believe we have found a perfect fit and balance in the new owners.

“Venture’s existing management team has a long and successful track record in the plastics industry (and others) and will continue to grow the company.

They intend trading under the name of Venture to ensure continuity with a seamless hand-over. The new entity should obtain a BEE level 2 contributor

APR / MAY 2018

Teke, who is a past president of the Chamber of Mines, is the majority shareholder. Du Toit, former owner of East Rand Plastics, is a well-known investor in the wider industry with investments in several converting businesses in Gauteng, including the Plastiprofile and Nylopack operations in nearby Roodekop. Konyn is MD of Plastiprofile and will be the new MD of Venture.

Originally from Kwathema, Springs, Teke started out as a teacher and then moved into HR and worked with several major groups, including Unilever, Bayer, BHP Billiton and Impala Platinum. His career quite literally went exponential from there and he has been working with a wide group of companies in the mining and commodities areas.

According to Watson, the time had come for him to “hand over the baton”.

“Paramount in my thinking was the well-being of all stakeholders, with employees, customers and suppliers heading the list. In order to achieve this, coupled with the growing need for a

PHOTO: LOWRIE SHARP

by BEE business

Venture Plastics is a multi-faceted design and plastics component manufacturing company specialising in:

Injection moulding

|

Vacuum forming

PROFESSIONAL SECTORS

For 30 years we have been helping clients across a range of industries to optimise their product ranges, achieve cost savings and commercialise ideas.

Auto Parts Diversified Industrials Electrical Components & Equipment

Mining Building Materials & Fixtures Construction

Banking Food Retailers & Wholesalers Furnishings & Bedding

Containers & Packaging FMCG products Point of Purchase & Retail

Venture Plastics (Pty) Ltd 18 Makriel Road, Wadeville p. 011 824 1420 plastics@venplas.co.za www.venplas.co.za

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2018/04/13 12:12

News

Engineering Plastics

is on a quality systems roll Plan, Do, Check, Act

ENGINEERING Plastics, the Vereeniging injection moulding business, has – in partnership with DQS South Africa and Titan Quality Management – achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification just one year after achieving ISO 9001:2008.

With its sights set on IATF 16949:2016, the company is sure to go from strength to strength with a planned system implementation date of mid-2018 and certification by the end of the year.

Engineering Plastics was established in 2000 under the direction of Hartmut Wegener, the company’s managing director. A globally active injection moulding component supplier, Engineering Plastics provides injection moulding facilities for moulded components and assemblies as well as zinc casting components such as locking and reclining mechanisms to both the local and export automotive, mining and electronics industry sectors.

The company is a well-known supplier in countries such as Germany, Thailand, Argentina, China and the USA. It employs 35 people, with the management team comprising of general manager Bennie van Zyl, programme manager Minette Smidt, logistics manager Mavis Nkotsane and QA & development manager Steve Smidt.

“We give our customers an agile service of rapid turnaround from the receipt of product specifications through the tooling process to the finished product with a ‘check-do-check’ quality review at each stage of the process. As the backbone of this process and with help from our external consultant, we used ISO 9001:2015 as the guideline for the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) cycle we use throughout the business operations to ensure customer value added in the processing, manufacturing and delivery activity” said Steve Smidt.

MD Wegener has insisted on the setting of the highest standards throughout, with the factory being one of the tidiest and cleanest around.

“To survive in our highly competitive market sector we need to continually challenge the way we deliver and ensure our factory personnel are able to meet the demands of the business we serve. We’ve done this through formal industry training via Plastics/SA and TIQMS as well as using quality improvement ‘tools’ like Daily Improvement, Quality at the Source and standardised quality control procedures” said Wegener.

Bonding soles via digital printing

12 APR / MAY 2018

Covestro provides technology and material solution with polyurethane ATOM Lab, the research and innovation business unit of shoe machinery manufacturer ATOM, has introduced a fully-automated process for shoe production.

The most technically challenging step in this process is bonding the outsole to the shoe upper. Covestro’s solution for this is based on polyurethane raw materials for adhesives, which are applied to the outsole or upper by means of digital printing.

For the application, ATOM Lab used a variation of the melt layer method (Fused Filament Fabrication, FFF, or Fused Deposition Modeling, FDM). This method uses strands of melt-processable adhesives – so-called filaments – which are melted. The molten adhesive is applied according to a digital print layout.

The sole and upper are then joined under pressure. This creates a solid, permanent adhesive bond.

This application using adhesive filaments is quick and efficient, as well as precise and reproducible, and

it is also well suited for absorbent substrates.

Covestro benefited from its experience in additive manufacturing with the technology and material solution developed. The company is involved in conventional printing methods and is currently developing a wide range of materials.

Among these are filaments and raw materials for the FFF method, which so far has been used primarily in rapid prototyping.

Polyurethane adhesives have proven to be successful in shoe manufacturing. They are easy to process and result in flexible yet strong and durable adhesive joints with high

Covestro´s digital print experts Dr. Jörg Tillack (right) and Lukas Breuers examine a shoe sole with an adhesive printed on it. In the background you can see a printer for fused filament fabrication (FFF) For digital printing of adhesives using the melt layer method (FFF) the adhesive is applied in the form of strands – so-called filaments. They are fed from a role

impact resistance. Covestro offers a comprehensive range of raw materials for one- and two-component adhesives that are often developed in close collaboration with formulators. www.covestro.com

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2018/04/12 15:39

News

A small reception was held at the Vereeniging factor in March during which the company received its ISO 9001:2015 certificate. John Titmus of Titan Quality Management, who was EP’s consultant in the process, received the DQS flag and certificate from Vusi Bongwe, of DQS South Africa, who managed the implementation of the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System. Last year Vusi presented the company with its ISO 9001:2008 certification and commented that all the employees ‘I met then are still here with us today’

PHOTOS: LOWRIE SHARP

Hartmut Wegemer accepted the new ISO certificate from Vusi Bongwe of DQS South Africa (DQS is the German Association for Certification of Management Systems)

Besides receiving its ISO 9001:2015 certificate from DQS at the reception in March, Wegener also presented Engineering Plastics’ 2017 Supplier of the Year Award to Helmut Oellermann of Brenntag SA, the material supplier. The award acknowledged

Hartmut Wegener presented Engineering Plastics’ 2017 Supplier of the Year Award to Helmut Oellermann of Brenntag South Africa

Brenntag’s excellent quality and performance during 2017.

Engineering Plastics has a long-standing relationship with Oellermann, previously one of the directors of Plastichem, which was bought by Brenntag in 2017.

APR / MAY 2018

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21 years+ and you can still

TRUST US to secure and deliver all your precious

Plastic Raw Material requirements

MBT South Africa Distributors of Plastic Raw Materials Paul Gripper Carlotta Stafford Helga Ferreira Steven Coates Tiago dos Ramos Head office Cape Town

Trading Manager (Cape Regional Sales) (Zambia, Malawi and Lesotho Sales) (Gauteng, Zim, Moz, & Angola Sales ) (Gauteng, Botswana, Namibia & Swaziland Sales ) (KZN & Free State Sales) Johannesburg Office

082 456 6659 082 600 7403 072 573 4221 063 699 5105 082 775 5344 +27 (11) 455 2889 +27 (21) 556 7787

www.mbtsa.co.za

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2018/04/13 11:53

News The PSA-Romano Signs workshop in Sunderland Ridge, Pretoria

Signage leaders PSA, Romano merge Creates largest signage company in Sub-Saharan Africa

PREMIER Sayina Africa (PSA), a manufacturer and supplier of branded corporate signage, and Romano Signs have merged, creating the largest corporate signage company in subSaharan Africa.

“PSA and Romano currently have the largest and most comprehensive manufacturing footprint in the corporate signage industry in sub-Saharan Africa with manufacturing facilities in both the Gauteng and the Western Cape,” said Sean Rogers, managing director of the new business, PSA-Romano Signs. As such, the new company will be one of the largest consumers of hi-spec plastic sheet in the region.

“PSA and Romano have as part of their commitment to increasing their manufacturing capacity invested in a new best-in-class manufacturing facility in the Cape into which the current Romano operations will relocate when it comes on stream in July 2018.

“The combined companies have localised service hubs in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, and co-operative manufacturing arrangements on the east and west coasts of Africa. Our footprint will fully support our customers’ expansion into new markets,” added Rogers.

Both companies deliver global and local corporate brand implementations throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Clients include widely known brands such as VW, Hyundai, Jeep, ABSA, BP, Steers, Ford, Avis, Total, Clicks, Engen, Sasol and Honda.

PSA services SADC-region countries directly from its Gauteng hub, and the remainder of sub-Saharan Africa through companies in Lagos, Nigeria and Nairobi, Kenya with whom it has co-operative manufacturing agreements. Both companies have completed installations in numerous sub-Saharan African countries including 14 APR / MAY 2018

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Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Mauritius, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Swaziland,” said Rogers.

“This transaction, which is the culmination of months of discussions between PSA and Romano Signs, was borne out of the realisation that while both PSA and Romano are significant players in their respective markets, a combined business would be greater than the sum of the parts. This will consequently offer both our existing and future customers within the subSaharan African region an enhanced product and service offering,” added Rogers.

“For both PSA and Romano, who have steadfastly maintained their remarkably similar business values and philosophies over a number of years, this transaction has and will always be about our customers, their brands and our ability to produce a quality product that honours the brands with which we are entrusted.”

The board of directors of the merged business will comprise the current PSA board members together with Alexi Romano, managing director of Romano Signs, who will be a key shareholder and board member. The newly formed business is backed by Grindrod Financial Services, a division of the JSE-listed Grindrod Limited.

‘Quick service’ Alexi Romano added: “We will leverage the pedigree of each company addressing the retail petrochemical, automotive retail, food and clothing retail, banking, quick service and fast foods markets.

“We believe the sustainability and future growth of South Africa, together with the future of the corporate signage industry, is directly linked to the successful implementation of the

Sign fundis sign – Alexi Romano and Sean Rogers, managing directors of Romano Signs with Premier Sayina Africa respectively, signing the merger agreement that creates PSA-Romano Signs, the largest corporate signage company in sub-Saharan Africa

principles of B-BBEE. “The newly constituted business will be a Level 4, black-owned (72%), black woman-owned (15%) and Empowering Supplier under the amended Codes of Good Practice for Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE),” said Romano, whose father, the late Romanos Romano, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the South African signage industry, started Romano Signs in 1952.

Romanos’ flair for design and willingness to take on any job led to a steady growth in the business. Initially the focus was signwriting, however soon the company started producing ‘5-by-2’s’ (5ft-long 2ft-high underawning signs with fluorescent lamp illumination).

The company managed to stay abreast with the latest signage technologies and adopted these into the business. These included fluorescent and neon-illuminated signs (1950s); engraving, acrylic fabrication and moulding (1960s); screenprinting and metal fabrication (1970s); CAD/CAM as well as computerised router and vinyl cutting (1980s); digital printing (1990s); and LED and ECG-based fluorescent illumination (2000s).

www.psasigns.co.za

www.romano.co.za

2018/04/12 15:45

News

Servochem

Servochem has been working with BYK additives, whose products were used in the manufacture of the Infinity Bridge near Stockton-on-Tees in the north-east of England pictured here. Light and reflection give this prominent footbridge its name. The twin arches reflect in the water at night and form the mathematical symbol for infinity ( ∞ ). The iconic Infinity Bridge spans the river Tees with a length of 125m and has already become a symbol for structural change in the North East of England

DPI supplies pipe, fittings for Nduli Reservoir 4.5 megalitre reservoir will supply water to Nduli community and future low-cost housing developments

DPI Trading has supplied a range of pipe and fittings to Ruwacon Civils of Bloemfontein, the main contractor on the Nduli Reservoir project in Ceres for the Witzenberg Municipality.

The 4.5 megalitre reservoir will not only supply water to the existing Nduli community, but also cater for future low-cost housing developments, explained Ruwacon Civils construction manager Adriaan Liebenbergh.

DPI Trading’s component of the project comprised the supply of Grade 316 steel pipe and fabricated fittings (200mm, 250mm and 400mm diameters).

It also supplied HDPE and uPVC pressure pipes.

The project posed various technical challenges, including the connection from a larger to a smaller reservoir, which required water levels to be balanced. In addition, a variation on the original contract called for the upgrade and replacement of corroded steel piping.

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DPI Trading has a longstanding relationship with Ruwacon Civils, having collaborated with the civil contractor on various water and sewer projects through the years.

Based at Bellville in the Western Cape, DPI Trading is a division of the larger national Incledon Group.

Technical challenges included the connection from a larger to a smaller reservoir

APR / MAY 2018

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2018/04/12 15:46

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looks towards plastics recycling scene Working with BYK additives (EU), with the recycling market in mind

Products include: Pigments (Lanxess, Huntsman Tioxide, ICC/Kansai) Emulsion binders (Dow) Resin binders (Hexion) Solvents (Engen, Sasol, TAG and Dow) Additives (Byk Chemie, Byk Cera, Grace Davison, DOW, ECKART, ICS and Perstorp) • Aliphatic Polyisocyanate Crosslinkers (Vencorex)

• • • • •

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“On top of that, a relatively new polymer additive division has slowly but surely been growing within the business with the aim of extending a helping hand and expertise where possible to the thermoplastic recycling scene. Altogether, the main aspiration has not changed - to provide a distribution and back-up service of committed and continuous excellence,” he says.

“Over the years a comprehensive range of raw materials has been established enabling Servochem to provide the surface coating and allied industries with virtually all the raw materials they require for their production,” he adds.

Servochem operates specifically in the coatings industry, with a fair amount of overlap into construction, adhesive and other industries. Its customer base is wide and includes major paint manufacturers in the country and numerous small manufacturers, as well as adhesive, printing ink, resin, rubber and polyurethane foam manufacturers.

APR / MAY 2018

CELEBRATING its 32nd year of operation, surface coatings (raw material distributor and coating additives) supplier Servochem, has recently opened its doors to the plastic recycling scene in an attempt to improve the quality of recycled and up-cycled products using the company’s additives.

“South Africa, along with many other countries in the world struggle to work away non- or partially recyclable plastics – the good news is, Servochem has a solution,” says Servochem MD, Andre du Plessis.

“We have been working hand in hand with BYK Additives (EU), specifically with the recycling market in mind, as they offer a large range of revolutionary additive options which could potentially provide the answer the majority of the recycling market is looking for,” he adds.

The Servochem Group was founded by Barry Campbell out of a garage in 1986 and has grown into a well-known and respected company in the local coatings market. With branches in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, the company has developed into a reputable manufacturers’ representative for a vast range of principles, including world-renowned names like Lanxess, Huntsman & Venator, Dow, Engen, Sasol, BYK and ECKART (Members of Altana).

Gregory Isherwood, junior key account manager at Servochem says that Servochems’s main aim has been to provide the surface coatings industry with a complete and comprehensive range of quality raw materials at competitive prices.

www.servochem.co.za

2018/04/12 15:46

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Impressive new blown film line Latest W&H line achieves minimal gauge variation CTP Flexibles in Cape Town has installed a second high-tech blown film line from Windmöller & Hölscher, with its latest addition offering extremely accurate gauge control.

Originally known as Cape & Transvaal Printers, one of the oldest and best-known print businesses in South Africa, CTP is now part of the major Caxton diversified print group.

CTP has moved with the times and made successive investments in advanced equipment to the point where it is now one of the leading film, printing, laminating and bag-making

So cool – The ‘Multicool’ air ring system is key to the film thickness control and output of the line, operating in conjunction with the patented Optifil P2K gauge profile controllers

operations in the Western Cape. It is also one of the cleanest factories in the country.

The latest addition to its machine hall, the W&H Optimex blown film is being used to produce co-ex films for a number of key customers, giving it the additional capacity as well as very necessary flexibility. Although flexibility has become an increasing need for all convertors, due to possibly varied customer orders currently, the high output offered by the line means that orders are run far more rapidly than even a few years ago. The enhanced controls offered by the German machine’s Procontrol system also allow for far faster job changeovers.

Should errors in film occur, or other machine problems, alarms sound virtually immediately, so reducing risk … but the line was humming along virtually silently in the spotless factory on the day of our visit.

Three Optimex extruders are used to produce the 3-layer co-ex films; at least a further two can be added to the system

CTP Flexibles’ Paul Prophet (business development director) and Lionel Bantam (production supervisor) are totally chuffed with the new system

The display of the system’s Procontrol TS operator system. The on-screen graph gyrations are actually only minor variations in film thickness, amplified for easier operator control

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at CTP Flexibles The line’s ability to produce technical co-ex films (it utilizes three extruders) and to down-gauge were important drawcards.

The ability to ensure minimal film thickness variation whilst offering thinner equi-strength films by down-gauging is obviously vital. But at the same time, thicker films such as for stationary applications, run with ease on the new state-of-the-art line.

The new line follows on the Varex blown film line, also from W&H, installed in 2016, leaving no doubt that CTP Flexibles’ has a strong commitment to support its customers and build on its market leadership position. Its ability to print, laminate and make bags on site are important advantages for the company.

•

CTP Flexibles tel: 021 530 6150 The new Windmöller & Hölscher Optimex blown film line at CTP Flexibles in Ndabeni, Cape Town, is a high-output system which achieves extremely low gauge variation

Behind every morning jog is a water bottle filled with water to keep you on your feet, a pair of running shoes to give you an edge, and a toothbrush to keep your teeth sparkling when you flash a smile at your neighbours. Behind every morning jog is Protea Chemicals.

Industry Sector: PLASTICS

APR / MAY 2018

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2018/04/12 15:38

News

ExxonMobil

committed to convertors in Africa Substantial polyolefins capacity coming on stream

EXXON MOBIL’S polymers management team is clearly committed to its customers and the industry in South Africa and the southern African region.

The giant USA petrochemicals business – one of the biggest corporations in the world – is a major supplier of polymers to the plastics converting sector in South Africa and the local region. Supply of ExxonMobil’s Exceed™ and Enable™ performance polymers was ramped up during the second half of 2017 to fill some of the PE shortfalls created by sluggish local LLDPE manufacture in SA – and the trend appears to be continuing as we enter the new year.

Thierry Debarneville, polyolefins sales manager for Europe/Middle East/ Africa, was in South Africa in December to visit some key customers and network with ExxonMobil SA staff.

“South Africa is an important market and many of the challenges faced by convertors here are no different than those in other markets that we supply,

both regionally and globally,” said Debarneville, who is based in Belgium.

“What matters is to deliver consistent, high-quality material to our customers on time and be a reliable and responsible supplier.”

The ExxonMobil sales team in South Africa was expanded at the time of Thierry’s visit, when ExxonMobil SA welcomed Duncan Brown and Andrea Goldsmith on board. Brown and Goldsmith were previously at enX Polymers, the ExxonMobil distributor in the region, but have now transferred to the multi-national.

Debarneville mentioned that the company was working to address the current import tariff matter and had dealt with similar issues in other countries.

New capacity Debarneville’s confidence has good foundation: ExxonMobil has substantial polyolefins capacity coming on stream in 2018. It has commenced production on two new 650,000 tons per year high-performance polyethylene lines at

its plastics plant in Mont Belvieu, Texas.

The full project, part of the company’s multi-billion dollar expansion project in the Baytown area of Texas and ExxonMobil’s broader ‘Growing the Gulf’ expansion initiative, will increase the plant’s polyethylene capacity by approximately 1.3 million tons per year.

The Mont Belvieu plant capacity totals more than 2.5 million tons per year, making it one of the largest polyethylene plants in the world. The performance polyethylene products manufactured will deliver significant sustainability benefits, enabling lighter weight, higher performance packaging, lower energy consumption and reduced emissions. At its peak, the site will ship more than 200 containers a day from the Port of Houston.

“The expansion of our Mont Belvieu facility further enhances our ability to

Very suitable premises further Durban injection company builds on legacy of the late Kas Govender IF YOU’RE in any doubt whether working your way up from the bottom can succeed, you don’t have to look much further than Kevin Govender of GPS Plastics of Durban.

Kevin Govender in the assembly hall at the GPS premises in Durban

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Govender got involved in the industry by coincidence some 25 years ago when, just after he had started working at his father’s clothing factory, he was asked to assist a neighbouring company with a technical problem. That was at the now gone Tena Plastics, where injection moulding machines were operated – and his fascination with the injection process started right there. Govender then left the family business and, to get his feet in the door, worked first as a printer at Tena, his attention still gripped by the injection process and the possibilities that that created. He then joined RH Plastics in Durban, a smallish outfit which he eventually ended up buying from the proprietors, who also have since departed the scene.

GPS grew from that platform (the name is an acronym for the names of the original partners, one of who was one of the company’s main customers, the other having left).

The company’s chief activity was and remains the injection moulding of technical components such as white goods, appliances and road traffic management components, often where downstream assembly is required.

GPS originally operated from premises in Westmead, 20

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ExxonMobil has substantial polyolefins capacity coming on stream in 2018.

It has commenced production on two new 650,000 tons per year high-performance polyethylene lines at its plastics plant in Mont Belvieu, Texas

meet growing global demand for highperformance polyethylene products around the world,” said John Verity, president of ExxonMobil Chemical Company. “The investments we’re making through our Growing the Gulf initiative will not only expand our existing manufacturing and export capacity but will further stimulate local economic growth and create thousands of full-time jobs.”

ExxonMobil is planning to invest more than $20-billion over 10 years to build and expand manufacturing facilities in the US Gulf region.

These projects are expected to create more than 45,000 jobs, including more than 12,000 full-time jobs. The expansion covers 11 major chemical, refining,

lubricant and liquefied natural gas projects along the Texas and Louisiana coasts.

About ExxonMobil Chemical Company ExxonMobil Chemical Company is one of the largest petrochemical companies worldwide.

The company holds leadership positions in some of the largest-volume and highestgrowth commodity petrochemical products in the world. ExxonMobil Chemical Company has manufacturing capacity in every major region of the world, serving large and growing markets. More than 90 percent of the company’s chemical capacity is integrated with large refineries or natural gas processing plants. www.exxonmobilchemical.com

boosts GPS outgrew the space area and moved in 2016 to more extensive premises in Halifax Road, Pinetown. The big advantage of the new segmented site is that there is clear separation between the moulding, assembly and warehousing sections, with easy access between.

“Plastics has been in my blood for 25 years,” said Kevin. Although the start was relatively small, Kevin has followed some simple logic, the standout feature of which is his goal to develop at least one new project a year, with the emphasis on sustainability.

GPS also operates a subsidiary which handles the marketing of some of its products.

Kevin attributes his success to the guiding hand of his father Kas – who unfortunately is no longer around to witness GPS’s success. Fortunately however, Kas, who was from humble beginnings, was able to spend a few years with GPS, after he left his own company in 2011, working with Kevin for the four years until 2015.

GPS now employs over 100 people, with the majority of its management personnel having come through the ranks at the company.

It operates a variety of injection machines. The comprehensive assembly capabilities appears to be GPS’s main advantage which, with astute management of logistics – involving incoming materials and components and out-going finished goods, is buoying the KZN business.

GPS remains involved in charitable work in the community in which it is involved.

The company has also been one of the main sponsors of the PISA KZN golf day.

• GPS, 031 701 2667 APR / MAY 2018

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Injection moulding for the medical, transportation, engineering, home appliances & houseware markets Various and vast skill sets, coupled with years of experience in quality and production control, R&D, machine setting, mould designing and procurement.

Manufacturing • Injection moulding machines from 100-ton up to 500-ton clamp force • R&D expertise specialising in cradle-to-grave solutions, product design Quality Systems • Effective quality benchmark tool to ensure the precision of all products • Implemented throughout every process in the supply chain Value-Added Services • PAD printing • Product assembly • Re/design consulting • Career development and enhancement

Contact

Kevin Govender at GPS Plastics on tel 031 701 2667 or email: kevingov@gpsplastics.co.za

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2018/04/12 15:42

PHOTOS: LOWRIE SHARP

News

The Pretoria moulder’s requirement for machines has increased steadily, and so has the tonnage. Four bigger machines – 470-ton systems – were built in record time by Haixing in China, shipped out and commissioned in one of the fastest track projects in the industry for quite some time

From zero to hero in five years!

MJH Machine Tools & Ampjaj’s successful partnership

MJH Machine Tools have successfully partnered with plastic packaging company Ampjaj Investments over the past five years to supply a total of 10 Haixing injection moulding machines.

In 2013 MJH Machine Tools was approached by Theo Marks of Ampjaj who wanted to do plastic packaging for his father’s Pretoria cake business. After looking at his requirements, two Haixing machines – 128 and 260-ton systems – were ordered and supplied in October of that year.

MJH agreed to train Theo (who had never worked in the plastics industry) on the new injection moulding machines and very soon Theo was up and running.

After moving his moulding business to Pretoria in 2015 so he was closer to his father’s business, Theo ordered another two Haixing machines to complement the two he already had. These arrived in October 2016 and it wasn’t long before another 260-ton was ordered from MJH who installed it in January 2017.

The in-house plastics business supply was growing and Theo was very quickly running out of capacity on the machine side - once again another machine was needed. This time, fortunately, MJH had a 260-ton Haixing available in Durban which was immediately delivered and commissioned at the Pretoria-based company within a week.

In late-September 2017, Ampjaj was awarded some very large accounts which the company’s six machines could not deliver on time, so discussions were held with MJH about the lead times of a further four 470-ton Haixing machines. With the long-standing relationship between MJH and Haixing, two machines were urgently manufactured in 21 days by Haixing in China, despatched and commissioned at Ampjaj in November 2017. A further two were delivered a fortnight later and commissioned in December.

www.mjhmachinetools.com

Orchem bought by Reda of France ORCHEM Trading has been purchased by Reda Chemicals of France, a diversified material and logistics operation supplying a wide range of specialties, raw materials and industrial chemicals which boasts one of the largest distribution networks across the Middle East, Africa, India and Asia. Orchem, a distribution business, has focused primarily on the rubber market in 22 APRIL / MAY 2018

South Africa.

Reda has an enhanced product portfolio including chemical intermediate products for rubber and plastics; coatings and construction chemicals; personal care and pharma food ingredients; petro chemicals, oils and gas.

“Orchem, as a Reda Chemicals company, will expand into extensive

new markets,” said Orchem MD André Cornelius, who is based in Durban. With offices around the country, Orchem will provide local support and flexibility. It has the resources to cover even the smallest orders.

Orchem’s former shareholders, directors of the now defunct Karbochem, were bought out for an undisclosed sum.

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2018/04/11 10:44

News

Masterbatch SA

celebrates 20 years Lab part of global network delivering technical support to customers, promoting innovation.

TWENTY years of commitment, vision and effort has enabled Masterbatch SA (Pty) Ltd (MBSA) to become a leading masterbatch producer in Southern Africa says managing director, Anthony van Niekerk.

“MBSA provides an unrivalled upstream value proposition by delivering world class products and service through advanced operational and technological excellence, innovation, quality and efficiency,” he adds.

MBSA is managed by owners Anthony van Niekerk, Phil Johnson and Brian Jensen from a base of operation in Kempton Park, Gauteng. Products are also distributed and services offered through branches in Durban and Cape Town, with agencies in Port Elizabeth, Zambia and Mozambique.

“Reflecting on the importance of this milestone, we give thanks to the invaluable support of all employees, customers and suppliers,” Anthony says. “Our dedicated and qualified team is what sets us apart, using an extensive knowledge base and professional acumen to bring superior value-add to the supply chain. We understand and accept our critical role and maintain strong core values based on respect, transparency and integrity in all dealings. We appreciate the support and trust given to us by our valued and loyal customers, who provide the vital contribution to MBSA’s longevity.”

Technical support & innovation MBSA’s laboratory forms part of a global network of suppliers, delivering technical support to customers and promoting innovation.

“We are extremely proud of MBSA’s many accomplishments: holding the highest industry standards for ISO 9001; 14001; 22000: and OHSAS 18001 certifications for quality, environmental, food safety and health & safety management systems as well as a level 4 BBBEE certification,” says Anthony.

MBSA is committed to excellence by constantly improving an industry throughout all systems and processes. The company actively uses traceability in its QA systems for all ingredients and tracks the finished product through electronic data management, thereby enhancing trackback, recall and root-cause analysis capabilities. By using an innovative inventory management system, MBSA’s traceability function is further enhanced. Effective product recognition and batch traceability, up to individual bag identification and resolution, is enabled through MBSA’s unique orange product label which contains all relevant information.

MBSA provides the plastics industry with an efficient, reliable and cost-effective way of adding colour, effects and/or performance enhancements to plastic products, including a broad spectrum of additives including anti-block, anti-oxidants, anti-static, flame retardants, slip additives, corrosion inhibitors, anti-fog, processing aids and UV stabilisers, as well as laser marking, antimicrobials, thermochromatic and desiccant specialised additives. www.masterbatch.co.za

( ) Our dedicated and qualified team is what sets us apart, using an extensive knowledge base and professional acumen to bring superior value-add to the supply chain

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Dow’s Project Project Butterfly winner, Kabelo Magopa, explains, “I am so excited to be a Project Butterfly Ambassador and I am already encouraging my friends and family to pick up waste in our community and to start recycling plastic because it is really valuable and you can even reuse it.”

Recognised for being top recycling ambassadors in their community RECENTLY, 12 pupils from Mashemong Primary School in Tembisa were recognised for being the top plastic waste collectors in their community as part of Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics’ Project Butterfly clean-up competition and environmental learning day.

The aim of this competition was to educate and encourage the children from Mashemong Primary School to take an active role in keeping their surroundings clean and to collect plastic that could be reused and transformed into something useful. In collaboration with waste collecting experts from Project Butterfly partner Destination Green, each of the children collected kilos of waste at source, with a particular focus on collecting plastic for recycling. Working with Destination Green, the plastics were collected, sorted, and distributed to local recyclers.

As a part of the recognition, the 12 winners were invited to a day of fun and learning starting at the Dow Innovation Centre in Johannesburg, where they received a certificate and prize for being the top collectors. Dow South Africa representatives shared interactive presentations around the importance of recycling, becoming recycling ambassadors in their community and the many benefits and uses of plastics and packaging.

They were then taken to the Sci Bono Discovery Centre, a world-class science centre that supports maths, science and technology education through innovative, dynamic learning experiences that help build South Africa’s science, engineering and technology capacity. Here the Mashemong Primary School pupils had the opportunity to interact and participate in an array of activities, from science experiments in the Dow-sponsored chemical lab, to building the walls of a small house using Styrofoam bricks, to generating electricity from vigorous bicycle peddling.

According to Javier Constante, commercial vice president

First scientific tests prove HDPE’S recycling properties DUTCH company, ESE World, has carried out the first practical experiment to demonstrate that HDPE can be recycled at least 10 times and further processed under controlled conditions.

The company has been the leader in the use of recycled plastics for the manufacture of containers for waste and recyclables for over 30 years. However, one question that has remained unanswered until now was how often HDPE can be processed, ground and reprocessed in injection moulding procedures without fundamentally changing the structure and characteristics of the material.

ESE established a controlled experimental model at its production facility that enabled virgin HDPE to be reused 10 times. After each step the material was analysed in cooperation with external research institutions using state-of-the-art methods.

The test demonstrated for the first time that the injection moulding process and shredding of the plastics have, in principle, no property-altering effects on the material over this entire period of reuse. With the service life of containers being around 10 to 20 years, this result means that the availability of material for sustainable production from the same recycled plastic is secured for at least 100 to 200 years.

26 APR / MAY 2018

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www.ese.com

2018/04/12 15:38

About Project Butterfly The Project Butterfly™ initiative, which was launched in October 2017, was inspired by the idea that transformation is always possible, and that with support and imagination something ordinary, dull, or even unpleasant – like plastic waste – can be transformed into something beautiful and valuable. The project also encourages transformation through collaboration with our partners, customers, local NGOs and government organisations, with the understanding that it requires a collective effort to tackle poor waste management and litter.

12 pupils from Mashemong Primary School in Tembisa were recognised for being the top plastic waste collectors in their community as part of Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics’ Project Butterfly clean-up competition and environmental learning day

APR / MAY 2018

www.dow-dupont.com

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EMEA at Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics and sponsor of the project, “Through Project Butterfly, Dow not only aims to teach the leaders of tomorrow the value of our planet’s resources but to create young recycling ambassadors who will lead impactful and positive change within their communities. This social impact project is specific to Dow and specific to Africa, to show Dow Packaging’s commitment to the region as well as to gain an understanding of some of the waste management and end-of-life packaging challenges and issues facing the different regions in Africa.”

Alessandro Corticelli, sustainability leader for Dow Middle East and Africa, further explains, “It was important for us to partner with grass-roots organisations locally, dealing with the end-oflife packaging, and empower them, through resources, visibility, and influence. It is also in our DNA to collaborate with all other industry partners from converters to brand owners and retailers, and therefore makes sense for us to join forces in tackling some of the plastics packaging challenges. In 2018 we fully expect to see Project Butterfly engage in a beach clean-up in Durban, we will return to Tembisa of course, to talk about the long term vison and plans for their infrastructure around waste management, and we plan to launch Project Butterfly in other parts of Africa.”

Craig Arnold, president of Sub Sahara Africa at Dow, notes, “As part of our 2025 sustainability goals, we at Dow recognise our role in ensuring that our products are disposed of in a responsible and sustainable way. Project Butterfly is an important part of this, and so we will also ensure that this initiative receives the necessary support to make an impact across the continent.”

News

Butterfly winners

2018/04/12 15:38

News

Microplastic in most new data reveals

Mission is helping scientists gain insight into the scale of plastic pollution, its impact on marine life THE latest Volvo Ocean Race ground-breaking science programme results have revealed that the greatest levels of plastic particles have been found near Melbourne and Hong Kong.

The scientific research, using data collected by race team ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic’, identified 75 particles of microplastics per cubic metre in waters near Hong Kong and 87 particles of microplastics per cubic metre along the coast near Melbourne.

Lower concentrations of 39 microplastic particles per cubic metre were found up the east coast of Australia and values of

(

48 particles per cubic metre were found in South East Asian waters.

The highest levels of microplastic so far have been found in European waters where the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet. A peak of 307 particles of microplastics per cubic metre was discovered there.

The tiny particles of plastic, which break down from larger pieces such as

single-use plastic bottles, were collected using a state-of-the-art instrument by race team ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic’ during the round the world race.

Dr Sören Gutekunst, of the GEOMAR Institute for Ocean Research Kiel, funded by the Cluster of Excellence Future Ocean, analysed the preliminary microplastics data at their laboratory in Kiel, Germany.

“We are finding that the concentrations of microplastics increase when the samples are taken closer to higher density populations such as Hong Kong, and in areas where ocean surface currents tend to converge and concentrate marine debris, such as in the Great Australian Bight,” said Dr Gutekunst.

“The potential to model the

)

Preliminary Microplastic Data Graph collected during Leg 4 Melbourne to Hong Kong

28 APR / MAY 2018

Highest levels of microplastic have been found in European waters where the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet

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2018/04/12 15:43

data in combination with ocean current information will provide an exceptional insight into where plastic pollution is originating and accumulating. Regardless of where the data is taken, from remote parts of the ocean, such as the Antarctic, to areas close to major urban conurbations, we are consistently finding levels of microplastics which clearly illustrates how pervasive they have become,” he added.

Microplastics are often invisible to the naked eye and can take thousands of years to degrade. By collecting information on their levels, the mission is helping scientists gain insight into the scale of plastic pollution and its impact upon marine life.

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NEWS-MARINE LITTER.indd 29

Programme Leader for the Volvo Ocean Race, said each new data sample was providing valuable information to further scientific knowledge.

“The Volvo Ocean Race provides an exceptional opportunity to directly sample remote areas and to shed light on the global scale and geographical distribution of microplastics pollution in the ocean.

“Having a second boat collecting information on the health of our oceans will only further enhance the quality of our Science Programme,” added Turner.

Dr Paulo Mirpuri, President of Volvo Ocean Race Principal Sustainability Partner, The Mirpuri Foundation said he was not expecting microplastic to be found in the most remote areas of our seas like the Southern Ocean.

“This came as a complete surprise to us; the dream that we would still have pristine and plastic free seas somewhere on this planet is gone and means the problem is a lot bigger than our initial assumptions. We all need to take action right now and hope it is not too late,” he stressed.

APR / MAY 2018

Drifter buoys help scientists understand currents influence movement of microplastics As part of the Volvo Ocean Race Science Programme, during four of the Volvo Ocean Race legs, a total of 28 drifter buoys from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration drifter programme are being deployed by the vessels, at crucial

oceanic regions to measure sea surface temperature and ocean current velocities.

This will also help scientists understand how ocean currents could influence the movement of microplastic particles.

And team AkzoNobel are now the second team to have signed up to the Volvo Ocean Race Science Programme, helping capture valuable data from the remotest parts of our seas.

Both teams will be collecting data during the 7,600 nautical mile leg from Auckland to Itajaí in Brazil. This race across the Southern Ocean passes by some of the remotest stretches of ocean on the planet.

With two sets of data to compare the findings will be more robust and deliver a wider range of data as the boats may follow different routes and therefore collect information from different parts of the oceans the race travels through.

The oceanographic data will provide important direct measurements to increase knowledge and future insights into ocean health and climate predictions.

Anne-Cecile Turner, Sustainability

News

remote areas of ocean,

2018/04/12 15:43

World News News

2017 International Coastal Clean-Up,

plastics industry releases results Thousands of volunteers around the country participated PLASTICS|SA, local coordinator of the annual International Coastal Clean-Up volunteer efforts, has revealed that single use packaging items continue to be biggest pollutants found on South African beaches.

The audited results of the 2017 International Coastal Clean-Up were recently released by Plastics|SA. According to John Kieser, sustainability manager of Plastics|SA and coordinator of the clean-ups that took place in the Cape Provinces, the past few months were spent compiling and analysing the datasheets that were filled in by more than 30 000 volunteers. Throughout the year Plastics|SA distributed nearly 350 000 bags used for clean-ups nationwide. 16 298 volunteers helped to remove more than 5 tons of litter from beaches in the three Cape Provinces alone, whilst approximately 8 000 volunteers participated in KZN. Several thousand volunteers also participated in clean-ups hosted inland to clean rivers and water sources.

“The information we get from these clean-ups are relayed and used by international organisations such as Ocean Conservancy to provide an item-by-item, location-bylocation snapshot of marine debris. As a signatory of the Declaration of the Global Plastics Associations for Solutions on Marine Litter, this information has become an integral part of Plastics|SA’s ongoing clean-ups and education 30 APR / MAY 2018

NEWS-MARINE LITTER.indd 30

campaigns,” Kieser explained.

Kieser said that broken down plastic pieces, food wrappers, containers, as well as bottle caps and lids continue to be the most commonly found, post-consumer waste items on our country’s beaches. This is clearly showing that we are dealing with human behaviour that needs to be addressed and corrected.

The Plastics|SA results have also shown a year-on-year increase in the number of regular beach clean-ups which are being initiated and driven by communities and volunteers.

This past year has seen more clean-ups taking place in areas where little or no area cleansing is done by local authorities (i.e. informal settlements); whilst large groups of school children from these and other areas continue to participate in organised clean-ups around the provinces.

Starting in April 2018, Plastics|SA will be launching a new advertising campaign on radio, television and on social media platforms aimed at spreading the message against marine pollution. The association will also be participating in the World Clean-up Day taking place on 15 September - an initiative of the “Let’s Do It” campaign. 150 countries will clean up illegal waste on this day as part of a global, civic-led “green wave” starting in New Zealand and ending in Hawaii.

www.plasticsinfo.co.za

www.coastalcleanupdata.org

2018/04/12 15:44

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2017/09/15 12:09

Rotation 2018

Major 28%-plus roto tonnage

Over 47,000 tons goes into roto, buoyed by tank sales in W Cape

32 APRIL / MAY 2018

JUST about everyone – including the roto moulding ‘community’ itself – was taken by surprise by the incredible stats achieved by the roto moulding industry over the past year, with material consumption having increased by a major 28,7% to just over 47,000 tons.

Now closing in on the 50,000 tons p/a mark, the South African roto moulding sector has become a business area of substantial interest in the local plastics industry. Much of the recent increase stemmed from the explosion of water tank sales in the Western Cape, where the prolonged drought has seen demand rocket – an estimated 1000 tanks are selling a day in the Cape region.

Growth in the previous period, to end-February 2017, was 2,8%, so the current figure is startling. For the year prior to that, to end-February 2016, the increase of 16,4% was also impressive, in that case buoyed by increased tank sales into KZN, when drought affected that province.

The figures were presented at

Jed Aylmer of Praestet Healthcare Design, winner with Pioneer Plastics of the Product of the Year in 2017 for the ‘Symba’ paediatric bed, gave a presentation about medical product design, for which he was thanked by Wayne Wiid

Speakers at Rotation 2018 (with ARMSA chairman Wayne Wiid, standing left) included Michael Curnow of PSD Rotoworx of Australia; Bill Spenceley of Flexahopper of Canada; Scott Waterson of Axel Plastics of the USA (on mould release agents); Roger Goris of Belgium (formerly at PSD but now semi-retired); Henk Duys, former owner of Duys Rotomoulders; and Alberto Carrara of Persico of Italy; (front) Dr Paul Nugent of Rotomolding Consulting (USA); Clive Robertson of ACD Rotoflo and Gareth McDowell of 493K of Northern Ireland

Kung Fu fighting? No, not quite, but fundraiser Rod Cairns of JoJo left no one in doubt that failure to contribute to the charitable cause could have consequences. The result was a fair booty was collected (R7500) and will be donated to the Irene Home for mentally disabled in Centurion

Life after roto moulding – Henk Duys gave a reflective presentation in which he talked about why he got into roto moulding (by mistake) and out of it too (also by mistake almost). According to Henk, there’s no point in ‘building a monument to poor workmanship: rather be late or over-cost, but don’t supply an inferior tank’

increase in consumption Rotation 2018, the ARMSA conference held at Klookzicht Lodge in the Muldersdrift area west of Johannesburg in March.

The 23rd edition of the ARMSA event, the conference drew over 80 delegates from South Africa, the neighbouring states and the international roto sector to what has become an annual roto fest. The majority of the presenters were foreign roto experts, giving the local roto companies opportunity to catch up on international trends.

According to Clive Robertson of material compounder ACD RotoFlo, who compiled the figures, the stats are “a conservative estimate” and could in fact be slightly

Table shows the quite startling increase in material consumption over the year to end-February

Roshanne Wiid did a flawless job as she took over from Petro Geldenhuys, who is now in New Zealand, as the conference secretary

Fireside chat … well nearly, as Paul Nugent discussed how he was called in as a key witness in a litigation process involving a material supplier and two convertors after one of the largest failures of tanks – when some 38,000 fuel tanks failed – in the history of the industry

Bill Spenceley’s company Flexahopper of Ontario, Canada, has undertaken a major solar energy project in which virtually the entire factory roof has been covered with PV panels.

Based in the city of Lethbridge closer to the US border, the area does in fact enjoy enough sunlight to justify the current expectations

APRIL / MAY 2018 33

higher. for the innovative businesses operating in According to Clive, there have been the local roto sector. big increases before, To put the figure in notably in 2002 and perspective, roto sector ‘Seen against 2006, but those were consumption in 1996, sluggish from a low base. The just over two decades figure in 2016 was back, was just 8300 economic trend also exceptional, but tons. over past few years, pales against the latest The total figure current growth stat. Seen against the includes material sluggish economic trend consumption in the is even more in the SA economy over neighbouring Southern impressive.’ the past few years, the African states too, current growth rate is of which Zambia even more impressive and a positive sign appears to be becoming the leading roto performer, but South Africa is effectively the main player and water tank demand the dominant market sector.

Probably the salient aspect of this surge is the fact that plastic water tanks are now increasingly been used in the urban environment, which was not the case before. As things have transpired, demand has greatly exceeded expectation even, and there is strong likelihood will continue >> page 34 for the foreseeable future.

Rotation 2018

Pioneer Plastics’ family business Output of storage tanks increases as contribution to water conservation PIONEER Plastics, a Tshwane-based rotational moulding company, continues to thrive after 35 years and is now increasing production at its Rosslyn plant. It is also establishing a new custom moulding manufacturing facility in Cape Town which will also enable Pioneer Plastics to expand its product range as well as meeting the growing demand for storage tanks for water conservation.

A particular strength of Pioneer Plastics lies in the company’s ability to manufacture custom-made products under its moto of ‘Anything’s Possible’. The company’s team members can assist in the design, development, and manufacture of a specific product with the use of 3D drawings and 3D printing from their design team as well as the actual manufacture of moulds from their well-equipped, in-house facility, which has two state-of-art CNC machines to make world-class moulds.

Founded by Jack Wiid in Rosslyn in 1982, the management of this healthy company is now being handed over to Jack’s sons, Wayne, the managing director, and Gary, the marketing director, with Jack holding a watching brief as chairman.

Both sons received excellent general business groundings in their previous jobs

Complex mould – Alberto Carrara of Persico outlined how this Italian company has become one of the global leaders in high precision roto moulding, using solutions such as gas heated moulds, and its ability to manufacture large and complex moulds with very high standard surface finishes, often for the automotive and transport markets

Clive pondered whether the roto bubble could burst, as had been the case in Australia a few years ago when massive growth in the water tank production market came to a sudden and abrupt halt after the 34 APRIL / MAY 2018

Founded by Jack Wiid (centre) in Rosslyn in 1982, the management of this healthy company is now being handed over to his sons, Wayne, the managing director, and Gary, the marketing director, with Jack holding a watching brief as chairman.

within the automotive industry. Over the years they also learned a great deal from their father regarding the rotomoulding industry to prepare them for their new positions.

“We are very proud of the progress made over the past 35 years and continue to expand the business, in terms of growing the product range, expanding facilities,

and introducing the latest rotomoulding equipment,” says Jack. “Pioneer Plastics must count as one of the companies in the local manufacturing sector producing the most diverse range of products.”

Pioneer Plastics was the first company in South Africa to produce the nowcommon plastic road barriers and has been responsible for a host of innovative

state there withdrew tank subsidies. Given that no government subsidies have been involved in the growth of the local sector, the trend is truly impressive and suggests that, although the centre of focus of tank sales may move, the active businesses have shown resilience and initiative to ramp up production to the Cape region over a relatively short period.

audit, the successfully certified manufacturers are allowed to use the SANS-ARMSA standard label on their tanks. Five manufacturers have undergone the audit so far.

Given that the cost of the audit is more than the actual ARMSA annual membership fee, this is a generous gesture by this trade association, to say the least.

Tank standards ARMSA chairman Wayne Wiid got the ball rolling at the Kloofzicht auditorium with a synopsis of the implementation of the ARMSA tank standards. The SANS (South African National Standard) 1731:2017 tank standard was developed by an ARMSA team working in cooperation with South African Bureau of Standard (SABS) personnel.

The standard is a fit-for-purpose guarantee on polyethylene water and chemical storage tanks.

Giving some teeth to the project, ARMSA has funded the first standards audits conducted by Francois Prinsloo of Avatar Testing Solutions at a number of roto tank manufacturing companies. Following the www.armsa.co.za

Global industry Total material consumption by the roto industry stands at about 1,7-million tons, according to Dr Paul Nugent of Rotomolding Consulting of the USA, who returned to the Rotation show again after several years. Paul has made a keen study of the roto sector worldwide and travelled widely.

Of the total, consumption in North America remains highest at about 400,000 tons a year followed by China on 250,000 and India/SE Asia with about the same.

This puts South African consumption into perspective, although the fact is that southern Africa is frequently a water stressed area so demand for tanks is expected to be greater here, and hence the relatively greater volumes.

s

thriving after 35 years Pioneer Plastics has remained in the Rosslyn industrial area, north-west of Pretoria, although years ago there was a move from the small start-up premises to a large factory building which has now been incorporated with two, adjacent similar structures

products, which are introduced at an average rate of six to seven a month.

It has won the Association of Rotational Moulders of South Africa (ARMSA) Product of the Year award for the past six consecutive years, with the latest winner being a paediatric hospital bed.

Besides a variety of the ubiquitous water storage tanks, Pioneer Plastics’ current range includes, litter bins, recycling bins, septic tanks, portable toilets, boat jetties, buoys, delivery bike boxes, trailer bodies, dog kennels and compost bins. Innovative lifestyle and off-roading products are especially popular and some of these are being exported around the world.

Pioneer Plastics has remained in the Rosslyn industrial area, north-west of Pretoria, although years ago there was a move from the small start-up premises to a large factory building which has now been incorporated with two, adjacent similar structures.

There is also a dedicated warehouse

located nearby for storing the host of steel and aluminium moulds, many of them large, required for such a diverse manufacturing operation.

Jack Wiid’s entrepreneurial spirit and an ability to design and make specialist equipment proved invaluable when Pioneer Plastics was in the start-up phase. This saw him design and manufacture the company’s first rotational moulding machine, which is still providing yeoman service 35 years later.

In fact, it was only in 2005 that he found it necessary to buy purpose-built machines as demand for the company’s products increased. Recently a fourth, large rotomoulding machine was added to the production line.

The production process and highlyefficient, home-grown logistics and production control, using a barcode scheduling system, as well as strong focus on quality control have kept Pioneer Plastics at the leading edge of rotomoulding in South Africa.

Besides a variety of the ubiquitous water storage tanks, Pioneer Plastics’ current range includes, litter bins, recycling bins, septic tanks, portable toilets, boat jetties, buoys, delivery bike boxes, trailer bodies, dog kennels and compost bins

Management controls have resulted in the Rosslyn manufacturing plant being awarded ISO 9001:2008 certification, with a high regard for employee health and safety, which receive top level attention from the management team.

“We keep right up to date with the latest developments in our industry by attending trade shows locally and overseas, as well as visiting factories producing similar products when we are on business trips to other countries,” explained Jack Wiid.

“What we see as an important differentiator between Pioneer Plastics and our competitors is our ability to design and manufacture unique products – even low volume items – to meet customer requirements. We started out as a jobbing shop and I am pleased that we are still able to offer this type of personalised service,” concluded the Chairman of Pioneer Plastics. www.pioneerplastics.co.za

CNC Milling

Solid Works

APRIL / MAY 2018 35

EST 1982

Rotation 2018

Product of the Year 1

Product of the Year winner – Pioneer technical manager Nick Swardt has a penchant for product development and now apparently for trophy collection too

st

2nd TrailShreda – The roto moulded trainer is a ‘four roller’ system that is suitable for a wide range of mountain bike configurations. The system includes front and rear roller housings, each containing the two rollers required, and a size adjustment panel in between. The components, which are relatively small by roto sector standards, were made on CNC aluminum moulds, achieving good detail and superior surface finish. The actual rollers are moulded in polyprop, which offers better dimensional stability than LD. The stabilizing arm and support standard are manufactured in metal

Show jumping solution – The ‘RotoVetti’ blocks system, designed and developed by ACD RotoFlo and moulded by CHM Plastics, was adjudged runner-up in the Product of the Year competition

7 in a row for Pioneer with TrailShreda

36 APRIL / MAY 2018

Moulding of cycle trainer components praised by international judges IN ONE of the longest winning sequences in the local plastics converting industry, Pioneer exceeded even its own expectations by winning the ARMSA Product of the Year for an unprecedented seventh time in a row.

With the standard of competition up a notch it was no forgone conclusion that the Rosslyn roto company would take the trophy again, but that’s what the group of international judges decreed, giving Pioneer a score of 76% which was comfortably ahead of the opposition.

The winning entry on this occasion was the TrailShreda™ mountain biking training system. Manufactured for South African cycle training outfit The Crank Shop, the TrailShreda system is designed for indoor spinning. The unit differs from up-till-now

where CNC machined to achieve the conventional cycling training systems in required look and feel the customer that the cyclist needs to maintain balance requested. once mounted, adding a dimension to Pioneer’s seventh the routine not widely successive win may practised before with ‘With competition have resulted in spinning training. standards up a some doubts, but the Mountain biking, it notch it was no company has come needs to be said, up with some novel requires considerably forgone conclusion solutions and over the more balance control that the Rosslyn past few years has than conventional road roto company also entered products cycling. would take the which were formerly The product consists trophy again.’ not roto moulded – that of nine rotationally is to say, new product moulded parts. The applications for the roto sector. slide, roller housings, step and arm are It may have been just as well therefore moulded in LLDPE while the rollers are that the judges were all foreign roto made in PP and PU foamed for stiffness experts. That fairly squashed any doubt and additional strength. All the moulds >> pg 38

Roto

add a colourful and The ‘RotoVetti’ blocks w jumping events sho to ent elem e ctiv effe

3rd roof. This product ir after-market tractor silver winner, with the the ind duction manager beh e pro clos za, r, John Kho d third this yea to John Deere Green. ed tch ma Duys Tanks was adjudge ur colo y call ACD’s HF 359, specifi nze medal is manufactured with todian of this year’s bro Duys, was the proud cus d ase rp-b sdo ger Kru of

APRIL / MAY 2018 37

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Rotation 2018

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about the voting process. However, from this publication’s point of view, it may be salient for the identity of the entrants to remain unknown … but given the size of the local roto industry, it’s unlikely that anything could remain totally secret.

‘Rotovetti’ The RotoVetti blocks, runner-up in this year’s competition, came about following RotoFlo Equestrian team’s search for affordable and quality show jumping equipment. Existing cavaletties (Italian for ‘small horse,’ are small jumps, originally made from wood, for basic show jumping) were of poor quality having sharp corners and edges. Imported units were extremely expensive and unaffordable to most stable yards in SA. The RotoVetti was redesigned to incorporate good finish; decent rounded corners and edges and, most significantly, the ability to interlink the blocks for jump fillers; walls and side wings. The system allows course designers endless possibilities to change and improve jumps in the arena. A wide range of colours can be used and various heights can be utilized. The show jumping fraternity now has an affordable solution and demand has created over 1500 unit sales in only six months.

The moulds were CNC machined by CHM Plastics, with the second mould produced in less than a week after demand was recognised. Three mouldings make up the RotoVetti, the main body of the structure plus two locking pins – a short pin and a long pin.

Nico Hickley of Hickley Tool and Die was instrumental in the design and mould manufacturing and Juan Tulian is proving very efficient at ensuring that production orders are delivered.

The hollow components join and stack neatly, which is an important consideration as show jumping courses can at times have as many as 18 jumps.

Latest JoJo coverage of Opening of plant celebrated JOJO Tanks opened its most modern plant to date at Klerksoord, north of Pretoria, in March and the fact that it was raining steadily on the day did not dampen the occasion.

Guests were briefly introduced to JoJo Tanks and provided context with an opening address and corporate video.

Guests were then taken on a plant tour in smaller groups while lunch was served. The new ovens were not running on the day for noise and safety reasons, however, guests were able to get a good view of the technology that has made JoJo the leading tank producer in South Africa, and probably the whole of Africa.

The event was closed by JoJo Chairman, Rod Cairns, who thanked the numerous contributors to the project’s success, followed by a corporate video detailing some of the CSI projects JoJo has been involved in over the recent past.

The new site replaces the Donkerhoek factory in Pretoria East and consolidates JoJo’s coverage of the country. With roto water tanks already widely referred to as JoJo’s (which

The judges panel for the Product of the Year competition was entirely international, including Roger Goris of Belgium (formerly of PSD Rotoworx); Alberto Carrara of Persico of Italy (roto machine manufacturer); Dr Paul Nugent of Rotomolding Consulting of the USA (international roto moulding fundi); Bill Spenceley of Flexahopper of Canada (a former chairman of the global roto association) and Gareth McDowell of 493K of Northern Ireland, a roto R+D operation

his ertson was visited on ACD Rotoflo – Clive Rob n of Roto Soluega Lat y Gar by d stan company’s n RMSA chairman Latega tions, with fellow ex-A D’s AC on d ieve ach nish admiring the surface fi g blocks ‘Rotovetti’ show jumpin

Zerma – Chantal Shaw and Jeff Cawcutt of Zerma Africa showed the company’s technology, including shredders, granulators and other size reduction machiney at Rotation 2018

PPE of Pakistan – of Exhibiting their range roto components this year were Ahsan Javed and Khurram Ahmed of Precision Products Enterprise of Lahore. ge They supply a full ran of caps, plugs, valves, y handles and other ver s necessary component

JoJo’s new plant at Klerksoord near Rosslyn has ample space for tank storage, which is a big factor in the roto sector. JoJo is the biggest manufacturer of roto tanks in SA and probably in Africa (it also operates a plant in Zimbabwe) and maintaining stock is very necessary to cater for sometimes unexpected demand surges

plant extends its SA market even further rival tank manufacturers have by now come to terms with), the new plant expands JoJo’s coverage well into North-West and Limpopo.

However, the main market for the venture may be right on its doorstep: water tanks have recently begun selling far more rapidly into the urban sector and the plant is thus well positioned to service the Gauteng market – SA’s largest metropole.

JoJo’s managing director, Grant Neser, said that the Klerksoord site was purchased in 2013 and was “a project that has been many years in the making”. The new factory has been purposebuilt for efficient process flow and ergonomics and additional and more efficient capacity has been installed.

“It is a state-of-the-art facility, with our latest in-house designed Rock and Roll ovens. These ovens are designed to make tanks effectively as they are very energy-efficient, labour-efficient, robust and easy to maintain. We are satisfied that in the manufacture of tanks these ovens will

outperform much more expensive commercially available alternatives,” said JoJo’s managing director, Grant Neser.

The factory, when complete, will house seven ovens, three 2 500-litre R&R ovens, two 5 000-litre R&R ovens and one 10 000-litre R&R oven, as well as one 1 500-litre carousel oven. All ovens are designed and manufactured in-house at JoJo. The largest tank that can be produced at Klerksoord is a 10 000-litre tank, although JoJo do produce a 20 000-litre tank at their Groblersdal site.

JoJo has plants at Groblersdal (Limpopo), Camperdown (KZN), Glencoe (near Dundee, KZN), East London, Hopetown (Northern Cape), Pretoria (Klerksoord), Uitenhage (E Cape) and Worcester (W Cape) and in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

and Rod Cairns (Chairman) rsaw the ove ) (MD er Nes nt Gra site development of the new

www.jojotanks.co.za

APRIL / MAY 2018 39

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Rotation 2018 The ‘Bale Saver’ by TUT industrial design student Pierre Botha involves roto moulded buoys (17cms diameter by 23cms long) fitted on to a metal hoop. The assembled structure holds the bale off the ground and, when the units are stacked, allows for air movement between the bales, which prevents the baled hay or other harvested material from decaying. According to the student’s research, about 2,5 million straw bales are produced annually in South Africa and as many as 40% rot to some extent or totally. Each bale holds about 300kgs of straw and sell for an estimated R1500

The ‘Rotovetti’ blocks system, designed by TUT student Isabella Mithilene, is a new solution for the assembly of show jumping hurdles. The blocks clip together and are used to create lightweight jump structures for show jumping courses. In the rendition here shows the mould halves used in the manufacture of the product

TUT Industrial Design students 40 APRIL / MAY 2018

Project elicits ingenuity by students By Hein Dubery THE challenge at this year’s Sasol student design competition, held during the ARMSA Rotation 2018 event, was to create a product that demonstrated an appreciation of the many advantages of the rotational moulding process within the theme ‘pet and/or animal products’.

The judges expected the students to identify a real-life problem around the theme by designing an original but also a commercially viable solution.

ARMSA chairman Wayne Wiid said the judges were impressed with the students’ technical understanding and ability to design rotationally moulded products.

Students from both the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and University of Johannesburg participated, and six semi-

from the ground, as well as from each finalists were chosen from the 50 entries. other, in order to improve airflow which in History was repeated when TUT Industrial turn prevents bale rotting.

Design students, for a second time in a Pierre was fortunate row, received the first Judges to be this year’s winner four prizes. as ARMSA decided TUT’s Pierre impressed with to sponsor the cost of Botha, a second year the students’ the production of the Industrial Design technical tooling to manufacture student, received understanding the Bale Saver. ARMSA the first prize for his and ability to furthermore invited ‘Bale Saver’. Pierre Pierre to exhibit his identified the problem design rotationally design at the 2018 of hay bales not drying moulded ARMSA conference, correctly and often products which delegates from rotting after absorbing the industry across Southern Africa and moisture from rain. Pierre designed a further afield attended. rotationally moulded product that lifts and Second prize was awarded to Heinrich separates each bale a few centimetres

The student winners included Pierre Botha, Heinrich Olwage and Isabella Mithilene (first, second, third), all of TUT (Technical University of Tshwane)

do it again!

Olwage, also an industrial design student at TUT. Heinrich identified the problem of distributing pellets to feed farm animals.

Current methods of feeding animals are either too time consuming and labour intensive or too expensive for the small to medium size farmer. Heinrich’s design is a cost-effective alternative to the current high-tech pellet distributors available to the market.

Third prize went to second year industrial design student Isabella Mithilene. Isabella made history by becoming the first female TUT student to be in the top three of the ARMSA student design competition. Isabella identified the problem in equestrian sports where show jumpers struggle to find locally produced show jump fences that are multi-functional and lightweight.

Surface fluorination Pelchem offers a Surface Fluorination service based on our patented processes and knowhow. This process involves the modification of polymer surfaces using fluorine gas mixtures, improving the permeation and adhesion characteristics of polymers and thereby expands polymer applications in industry.

Current solutions are either imported or very expensive, or heavy homemade gum poles that make height adjustment difficult and increase the risk of horse and rider accidents. One of the judges, who is also CEO of one of the biggest rotational moulding manufacturing companies in Gauteng, was very impressed with the uniqueness of Isabella’s fence design.

He offered Isabella the opportunity to manufacture her show jump fence alongside one of his similar looking equestrian designs.

Surface Fluorinated containers have become widely accepted for the packaging of agricultural chemicals, petrochemicals, automotive fuels, paint products, veterinary medicines, food products, household and industrial cleaners and medicinal products.

Pipes are also Surface Fluorinated for the petrochemical industry.

Several million containers ranging in size from 3ml to 1200-litre and pipes up to 100m length are fluorinated every year in our plants.

The Surface Fluorination service is compliant to various permeability requirements such as USA DOT, ECE, ERA, CARB and is approved by FDA of the USA. QC procedures according to ISO 9001:2008 standards are followed.

The ‘Rotovetti’ blocks system, designed by TUT student Isabella Mithilene, is a new solution for the assembly of show jumping hurdles. The blocks clip together and are used to create lightweight jump structures for show jumping courses. In the rendition here shows the mould halves used in the manufacture of the product

APRIL / MAY 2018 41

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2018/04/12 12:25

Ilse Karg (Chief Director: Future Industrial Technologies of the dti) and John McEwan (CEO of PtSA)

Chantelle Phillips, newly elected Chairperson of PtSA Gauteng Region

Production Technologies Association of South Africa,

just launched

Promote, protect, support collective interests of the broader production technologies industry in SA

THE formal announcement of the change of name of the Toolmaking Association of South Africa (TASA) to the Production Technologies Association of South Africa (PtSA) was made at the Western Cape networking evening held in March. This name change is specifically intended to bring the association in line with international practices and industry and government terminology.

John McEwan, CEO of PtSA, explained that the association would promote, protect and support the collective interests of the broader production technologies industry in South Africa, with the following objectives: l To promote the achievement of business

success through advocacy, networking, information programmes and services l To strive to enhance the reputation of the industry and its employees l To promote the efficiency and profitability of its member companies l To defend the interests of its members with authorities and other associations l To review the training and educational standards for skilled workers employed

by Industry, particularly in times of rapid technological changes l To ensure the pathway to the future with the promotion of sustainable development

PtSA represents the production technologies industry in the partnership with the dti in the Intsimbi Future Production Technologies Initiative, which is a multistakeholder initiative to implement a turnaround strategy for South Africa’s distressed precision manufacturing industry.

This strategy is based on the strategy which was successfully piloted in the tooling sector as the National Tooling Initiative and which is now well established for that sector.

PtSA is represented in each of the main regions through regional structures which consist of elected regional chairpersons, elected executive committees (EXCO’s) and

clean-up crews are

race veterans 42 APRIL / MAY 2018

11 consecutive years of clean-ups

A dedicated Plastics|SA clean-up team consisting of more than 100 workers from informal settlements around Cape Town once again worked tirelessly to ensure the race routes used for the recent 2018 Cape Town Cycle Tour and Mountain Bike After the race – the clean-up crews sort through the 10 truckloads of waste at WastePlan’s Epping site

Challenge were kept clean and litter-free.

Under the guidance of John Kieser, sustainability manager of Plastics|SA, this was the 11th consecutive year that the team was responsible for the area cleansing and waste management of the road race and the 7th year that they were also given responsibility for the Mountain Bike Challenge.

“I think we can rightly say that this clean-up crew should be considered race veterans by now and that they have an intimate knowledge of every hill, valley, twist and turn of the routes,” Kieser said.

Owing to the water shortage in Cape Town, cyclists used more energy drinks in multi-layered sachets. Kieser reported

that the littering of this material was notably larger than in previous years. As a result, their final sweep of the race route on the Monday after the Cycle Tour, took much longer than usual.

“The active and visible involvement of the Plastics|SA clean-up team and the red PETCO-branded bins and truck at these annual events are most certainly helping to create an awareness of the mountains of litter generated at big events such as these and the importance of recycling,” Kieser added.

With the support of waste management company WastePlan, more than 10 truckloads of waste consisting mainly of energy drink sachets and other high value plastic waste was collected and removed for recycling.

www.plasticsinfo.co.za

Wes

Association News Bob Williamson, newly elected Chairperson of PtSA Western Cape Region Dirk van Dyk (CEO of NTIP)

Above: Reinette Kydd, Natasha Croucamp and Rodney Rudman (all from DG Capital who sponsored the evening) with Emile Coetzee (Capewell)

regional members.

The chairpersons of the regional EXCO’s are nominated to the Board of Directors of the Production Technologies Association of South Africa (PtSA), along with representation from academia and other eligible stakeholders.

PtSA regional executive committees have recently been elected in Gauteng and the Western Cape and committees will be elected shortly in Kwazulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Mphumalanga.

Any company involved in the production technologies industry, including the toolmaking and precision machining industries, is eligible to become a member of the Association, as are suppliers and service providers to the production technologies industry.

By becoming members, companies and individuals can become involved in the turnaround strategy for the manufacturing industry, and can have input into this strategy.

They can thus participate in the benefits

which such a strategy will deliver for the manufacturing industry into the future.

The Western Cape networking evening which is hosted by the association is held quarterly, where members of industry, suppliers and service providers to industry, academia, associations and various interested people get together to network, to share ideas and experiences, to keep abreast of the latest technologies and to hear informative speakers. This concept will be expanded to the other regions shortly, with the first of these being scheduled for early May, in Gauteng.

The March networking evening in the Western Cape was attended by officials from the Department of Trade and Industries, representatives of the NTIP (National Technologies Implementation Platform), which is the implementation agency of PtSA, Intsimbi FPTI (Intsimbi Future Production Technologies Initiative), members of industry and representatives of various organisations and associations.

APRIL / MAY 2018 43

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2018/04/09 11:10

Association News

Two tons of recycled plastic

= 700 desks!

Securing a brighter future for the younger generation, recycling plastics OVER 700 Green Desks, made from 2 700kg of recycled plastic waste collected from both the 2017 Comrades and Two Oceans marathons, are being delivered to over 40 schools in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

This impactful #GoGreen project is part of a collaborative campaign between Polyco, WILDLANDS, and Old Mutual.

According to WILDLANDS, there is a

shortage of 300 000 school desks in South Africa, and this initiative aims to tackle the shortage head on.

During February, 20 of these desks were delivered to Axios School of Skills in Eerste River in the Western Cape, and 20 more to Nobanda Primary School in Sweetwaters, KwaZulu-Natal.

The deliveries were met with great excitement.

“It’s wonderful that South Africans can help to address the lack of desks in schools, and secure a brighter future for the younger generation, simply by recycling their plastics,” says Polyco’s Chief Executive Officer, Mandy Naudé.

Naudé also believes that this is an important lesson for the learners. “This

is our opportunity to show children the power of recycled plastic, all while they’re sitting at their Green Desks.

Currently only 5% of South Africans recycle plastic, and we’re hoping these desks will help fuel learners’ curiosity and lead them to ask questions about the power of recycling.”

The latest drop-off occurred at Lalelani Primary School in Nthshongweni, KwaZulu-Natal which is a beneficiary of the ROBINHOOD Foundation. On 14 March, a total of 47 double green desks were handed over to the Grade 1 class, who were extremely excited to receive their new and much needed desks.

Learners from Axios School of Skills

Hospital recycling programme turns waste into wealth Non-hazardous PVC waste recycled into school shoes for disadvantaged school children

44 APRIL / MAY 2018

THANKS to a groundbreaking hospital recycling project which was initiated by the Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA) in 2010, non-hazardous intravenous infusion (IV) drip bags and tubing made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are now being recycled into soles for school shoes.

“We started researching Delanie Bezuidenhout, the concept of ‘practicing CEO of the Southern green health’ in 2010, but African Vinyls our proposals and calls to Association (SAVA) recycle waste from hospitals were met with lukewarm enthusiasm at the time. Fortunately, a lot of research on this topic has taken place locally and internationally since then, with numerous examples and case studies proving that it is indeed possible and economically viable for hospitals to adopt this approach,” says Delanie Bezuidenhout,

CEO of the Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA).

Today, recycling non-hazardous medical products is being described as a pioneering and collaborative move for the healthcare industry. Globally, PVC recycling programmes are changing the way hospitals think about reducing both their costs and their impact on the environment.

“More than 40% of all plastic-based disposable medical devices used in hospitals are made from high quality PVC which are highly recyclable. By collecting and reprocessing products such as IV bags, oxygen masks and tubing, a minimum of 2 500 tonnes of locally recyclable material is diverted from our country’s landfills,” Delanie says.

South Africa currently has 33 PVC recyclers who recycle rigid and flexible PVC. Between them, they recycled more than 17 000 tonnes of PVC in 2016 into various items, such as soles for school www.savinyls.co.za

shoes, gumboots and traffic cones.

One of the first fruits of SAVA’s medical waste recycling drive was seen in Johannesburg recently, when roughly 1 000 school shoes were handed over to learners of the Masakhane Tswelopele Primary School in Zandspruit by Executive Mayor, Councillor Herman Mashaba and the City of Johannesburg.

This donation was made possible thanks to Adcock Ingram Critical Care, Netcare and the City of Johannesburg, who have begun dealing with their uncontaminated healthcare waste in a way that creates functional new products, including school shoes for disadvantaged children.

Conveniently located blue coloured bins were set up specifically for segregating uncontaminated used PVC drip bags and the PVC waste material was collected by recyclers who then sold it to a company that uses this high grade and quality PVC plastic to make soles for shoes.

RESOURCE EXTRACTION

MATERIAL MANUFACTURERS

CONVERTERS

BENEFICIATION

RECYCLERS

BRAND OWNERS / PRODUCT MFTS

COMPOSTING

LANDFILL

Facilitating the responsible management of used polyolefin plastic packaging material DISTRIBUTION WAREHOUSING MUNICIPALITIES

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2018/03/29 11:00

Association News

Plastic pipes help SA through toughest drought in decades More plastic water pipes must be installed to help save water

46 APRIL / MAY 2018

SOUTH Africa is currently in the grips of one of the worst droughts in decades, with five of the country’s provinces already declared drought disaster areas. The Western Cape, and Northern and Eastern Cape and Limpopo are the areas facing the most serious lack of water, with the Mother City counting down the days to the predicted Day Zero, when the province’s taps will run dry.

Could the problem have been avoided?

Whilst environmental factors such as El Niño and climate change are to a large extent to blame for the country’s crippling water woes, the Southern African Plastic Pipe Manufactures Association (SAPPMA) says that lacking and aging water infrastructure has exasperated the problem.

“We have started to sound the first alarm bells as early as 2010 over the lacking water infrastructure and the failure by local municipalities around the country to invest in upgrading and replacing their pipelines.

We saw signs of severe water losses in distribution caused by water leaks and wastage many years before the crisis reached its full impact,” says Jan Venter, Chairman of the SAPPMA – a non-profit association that represents more than 80% of the plastic pipe produced in South Africa and focuses its efforts on ensuring pipe systems that are leak-free and durable for long-term use. It also focuses on the rehabilitation of old pipelines.

Venter confirms that the impacts of the severe drought could have been negated had their calls for water infrastructure improvements been heeded earlier by the authorities.

“Pipelines lie at the heart of South Africa’s infrastructure and must be replaced before they fail. Water distribution, waste disposal, irrigation and telecommunications all rely on pipelines to function. However, the majority of South Africa’s pipelines were installed in the early 1950’s and 1960’s, and were manufactured from cement,

asbestos or steel. These old pipes have an economic lifespan of a maximum of 50 years and have long since corroded and disintegrated. This became evident many years ago as we started seeing an increase in water leaks and disrupted water supplies around the country. Millions of litres of treated water have been going lost every year,” he says.

Municipal investments into improving water infrastructure Towards the end of 2017, the City of Cape Town announced plans to spend R8 billion on its water infrastructure over the next 10 years. According to Anic Smit, Head of Planning, Design and Projects of the City of Cape Town’s water reticulation services, the city has invested R1.2bn on water engineering, refurbishment and replacement infrastructure during the 2015/16 financial year.

“Intensive planning has already taken place to allow for the scale (and cost) of new and upgraded infrastructure, as well as a number of projects to avert the drought situation. These include desalination plants, groundwater extraction and treated effluent reuse,” Smit said.

During the past 12 months alone, the CoCT has spent at least R500 million on replacing aging infrastructure, repair burst pipes and expand pipelines in and around the Mother City. “We have installed more than 40 km of HDPE pipes by pipe cracking and open trench methods,” Smit said. “In many cases we have opted for trenchless pipeline methods to fix burst pipes for both water and sewer mains as part of the City of Cape Town’s pipeline replacement initiatives. This reduces the overall project time and proves less disruptive and inconvenient for local residents and road users and allows us to replace long lengths of pipe without digging long trenches”.

The CoCT also supports the recently unveiled master plan by the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation, entitled “War on Leaks”, whereby national government

aims to reduce municipal water losses estimated at R7,2 billion a year due to leaking pipes, from 35% to 15%.

Plastic pipes vs other materials “We prefer using plastic pipes and pipe fittings for our City’s infrastructure, because international studies have proven that these pipes last in excess of 100 years. In this regard we follow the example of international metropoles such as London and Sydney where HDPE pipes are being used to replace old infrastructure. When manufactured correctly and meet international standards, these pipes are cheaper, quicker and easier to install, do not rust, the joints are leak-proof (if installed correctly) and have lower failure rates than pipes made from alternative materials,” Smit says.

For this reason, the CoCT insists that all HDPE and PVC pressure pipes being installed bear the SAPPMA mark as guarantee that the pipes comply with the relevant national & international quality standards.

“We have revised our tender requirements and specifications to include SAPPMA as an additional quality reassurance measure. In addition, we are also insisting that all bends on HDPE pipes comply with SANS 6269 and that pipe installers have valid IFPA certificates as it gives us a guarantee and the necessary peace of mind that the pipes we are installing comply with international standards and will be able to do the job for many years to come without the risk of pipe failure”.

Venter adds that HDPE and PVC pipes also offer low frictional resistance. “Their hydraulic properties remain virtually unchanged over its useful life, resulting in lower energy use and pumping costs.

Because they are also available in a range of sizes and pressure ratings, are lightweight and easy to handle and to join, it is little wonder that they are the preferred material for modern infrastructure,” the SAPPMA CEO says.

The impact of the drought on pipe manufacturing businesses

Looking ahead and planning for years to come Commenting on how the Cape Town drought has impacted the future outlook for the rest of southern Africa, Venter says: “It is indeed a very sad reality that our country is currently facing. Because this water shortage will undoubtedly affect the rest of the country’s economy and the way we look at our water resources in future, it is important that we all work closely together to get out of this crisis and prevent a repeat scenario in the years to come.

Apart from relying on plastic pipes to bring the much-needed water from water sources such as desalination plants to communities in the very near future, we also have plans

for the long term. Areas elsewhere in the country where water and rainfall are still in abundance, should learn from the lessons learnt by the Western Cape and ensure that they have upgraded their water infrastructure with HDPE and PVC pipes bearing the SAPPMA mark. Investing in replacing old and failing pipes today will allow us to save enough purified water to significantly reduce the impact and long-term effects of the below average rainfall which we are expecting to become the new normal. Consumers, engineers and other decision makers must empower themselves with knowledge and information on the benefits of using plastic pipes versus other materials,” Venter concluded.

Cape Town-based OKE has reported a 20% drop in irrigation volumes. “Due to the lack of rain, farmers are not investing into new developments and are holding back on capital expenditure for their irrigation”, says David Rossouw, Managing Director of OKE. However, the company also confirms that they have seen a dramatic increase in demand for HDPE100 pipe typically used for bore holes. “Whist business has dramatically slowed down for LDPE irrigation pipe, we have seen a 100% growth for larger dimension pipes used for transporting water over longer distances,” he says.

“Many of our customers are involved in initiatives to supply water to communities and water augmentation project. We have seen a huge growth in this area and are working around the clock to keep up with the demand for pipes used in water augmentation schemes and to keep delays to a minimum”.

www.sappma.co.za APRIL / MAY 2018 47

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Association News Jimi Son (Sports Gallery), Hilton Cowie (Greenlite Concrete), Noel Ehrenreich (New Earth Recycling), Adri Spangenberg (Polystyrene Association) and JD Burnette (Mpact Versapak) were at the Value Chain Meeting in Cape Town recently

Polystyrene association

links important members of value chain

48 APRIL / MAY 2018

Inaugural meeting aims to find solutions for collection and recycling stumbling blocks

THE Polystyrene Association of South Africa managed to take an important step forward towards mapping out the future collection, recycling and selling of polystyrene packaging by hosting a Value Chain Meeting in Cape Town recently.

Attending the inaugural meeting were some of the country’s biggest retailers, representatives of the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), local municipalities, manufacturers of polystyrene packaging products, waste management companies, collectors and recyclers.

Plastics|SA’s Executive Director, Anton Hanekom, facilitated the round table discussions that focused on finding solutions for the challenges currently being experienced with the collection and recycling of polystyrene and trying to find win-win solutions that would benefit the entire industry.

“The aim of the today’s meeting is to raise and talk about the issues that are important to all of us and to create a platform for dialogue,” Hanekom said.

“Today’s deliberations are very important for the plastics industry because it is the first time that we get all these role players representing the entire value chain around the same table. The solutions we develop coming out of this get-together today, have the potential to produce positive ripple effects that are far reaching”.

Hanekom reported 47% of plastics packaging that was collected for recycling in 2016, which equates to 309 520 tons, was manually recycled and successfully diverted from our country’s landfills. Of this, 5 449 tons were polystyrene that was recycled into

polystyrene from being eliminated,” new products such as seedling trays, he said. retail coat hangers, cutlery, furniture The round-table discussions made components and picture frames. it clear that there was a great demand Adri Spangenberg, Director of the for post-consumer polystyrene by Polystyrene Association, confirmed that recyclers who need in excess of the polystyrene food packaging industry 500 tons per month to sustain their equates to 25 000 tons produced in operations. However, a bottle neck South Africa. “South Africa currently has exists between the 27 recyclers on record waste management converting recyclable ‘It is clear some companies and high impact and confusion exists in collectors of the expanded polystyrene the market and the material and the into raw materials or recyclers. cement blends. Only industry regarding “Logistical and five recyclers are the green credencapacity issues responsible for 70% tials and recylie at the centre of the tonnages,” she clability of the problem. said.

However, the players Don MacFarlane, of plastics…’ have all showed a Packaging Manager commitment to work together to find a of Woolworths, representing one of the workable solution. From our side, the voices of the country’s retailers, stressed Polystyrene Association has begun talks that packaging must be a mirror that and tabled plans to subsidizing logistics reflects the lifestyle and ideas of our with facilities both in the Western generation. He called for consistent, Cape and Gauteng, where our biggest accurate communication to the public markets are at the moment. We are also and the members of the value chain working on securing alternative funding regarding which material is currently and finalising our submissions for the recycled in South Africa.

Industry Waste Management Plan.

“It is clear some confusion exists in “There is a huge demand for the market and the industry regarding polystyrene to be recycled in South the green credentials and recyclability Africa thanks to the various end-markets of plastics. There is also a difference that we have developed. Coming out between which materials are recyclable of the first value chain meeting, was and which are currently being recycled,” the formation of a smaller task team MacFarlane noted. “I have no doubt that consisting of ten role players who plastic is the packaging medium that will have volunteered their time to take the take us into the future. However, how discussions further. We are excited to we manage this packaging material is report back in due course on possible important. As retailers, we are driven by the voice of our customers. Collaboration solutions and what the next steps will be to solve the stumbling blocks that we between key role-players is critical to had identified,” Adri concluded. change this classification and to avoid www.polystyreneassociationsa.co.za

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People

Ronnie Sloan is to retire after 38 years with Plastomark

Glorius Mgolodela transfers back to Cape Town to take over as Western Cape manager for Plastomark

Shawn Thompson now heads up the engineering plastics portfolio at Plastomark

Elana de Goede has joined BASF in Johannesburg

Mohammed Bokar is the new GM of SABIC South Africa

Jaimie Targett has joind Carst & Walker

People on the move PLASTOMARK stalwart Ronnie Sloan has, after 38 years with the company, decided to call it a day. He’s due to retire at the end of May (Ronnie joined the ‘old’ Plastomark on 8 September 1980) and that move has necessitated a slight reshuffle of the Plastomark sales team.

Glorius Mgolodela is transferring to Cape Town to take over as sales manager: Cape region. He will be at the Cape office from beginning May for the handover. He will be handling all polymers (including engineering polymers) in the Cape.

As a result, Shawn Thompson will from now handle Plastomark’s EP portfolio as sales manager: engineering plastics following Glorius’ transfer.

Plastomark MD Wolfgang Raffalsky thanked Ronnie for his long and outstanding service to Plastomark and wished him and his wife all the best for their retirement.

Mohammed Bokar has been appointed general manager of SABIC South Africa, based at the company’s office in Cape Town.

As head of the SABIC’s operations in South Africa, Bokar, a chemical engineer, will oversee the company’s regional business, which covers a wide range of polymers, chemicals and agri-nutrient products. Besides business interests in the region, SABIC also has a long legacy of enhancing the communities in Africa through various humanitarian initiatives such as mentoring and educational programs for schoolchildren.

Bokar takes over from Iyad Al-Garawi, who has taken up a position at the SABIC headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

SABIC is a global leader in diversified chemicals, manufacturing on a global scale in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific. It makes distinctly different kinds of products: chemicals, commodity and high performance plastics, agri-nutrients and metals.

Elana de Goede has joined BASF Southern Africa, based in Midrand, where she has been appointed sales team lead for West, East and Southern Africa for BASF’s Performance Materials Europe portfolio. The product portfolio includes engineering plastics (PA; PBT; POM and sulphonated copolymers such as PSU, PESU and PPSU) and polyurethane systems. Elana is responsible for coordination of sales in the region across all four industries.

The PM products are supplied into the transportation, industrial, construction and consumer (footwear; furniture and appliances) sectors.

Jaimie Targett, with Montech Africa Rubber Testing Solutions, has joined Carst & Walker. Besides the Montech testing systems, Jaimie is also responsible for sales and marketing of the various machinery supplied by C&W.

Problem-solver Sutherland earned the respect of many

JOHN Harrison of Engel South Africa passed away on 15 March. John was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England in 1948. He married Joan Donnelly in July 1970 and moved to South Africa in the same year. The couple moved to Springs where they raised three wonderful children.

John worked for Kellogg’s as an electrical technician/engineer for many years and in John Harrison 1988 he joined Engel South Africa as a service 1948-2018 engineer where he worked until his retirement in 2013. The fact that Engel machines became very popular during this time, and remain so, was at least partly testament to John’s efficiency and success as a service engineer. After he retired he moved to a golf estate at Ballito, as he was a very competitive sportsman, with Joan. Sadly, he became ill towards the middle of 2014.

John will be remembered as a man with a great sense of humour, who enjoyed life to the fullest and who cared deeply for his family. He will be sadly missed by his friends, colleagues and customers. He leaves behind his wife Joan, children Andrew, Michelle and Nicola, and three grandchildren.

WE unfortunately say good bye to John Sutherland now too. The former Dutton Plastics man sadly passed away in early April.

John was born on 13 October 1943 in Aberdeen, Scotland. He spent most of his adult life in South Africa, serving the plastics industry for over 50 years. After close to two decades at Dutton, John ‘retired’ in 2010 ... but a month later decided to start a consulting business. He subsequently worked mainly John Sutherland at the Bliss Chemicals plant in Wadeville, 1943-2018 where he helped set up an impressive blow moulding plant with all the ancillaries. After that he pretty much remained with Bliss, simply enjoying the fact that the plant was running efficiently. Who can spare any person the satisfaction of enjoying a job well done? John was good at technical problem solving and dealt with such matters in a calm and specific manner, earning him the respect of many.

He will be sorely missed by everyone that had the pleasure of meeting John.

50 APR / MAY 2018

Farewell to former Engel engineer Harrison

PEOPLE.indd 50

2018/04/12 15:47

PLASTICS|SA welcomes Prean Reddy who joined the KwaZulu Natal team as a technical trainer on 1 February. Prean grew up in Phoenix, Durban and matriculated in his hometown at Palmview Secondary School. He studied Operations and Project Management at the Prean Reddy joined Plastic|SA’s Production Management KwaZulu Natal team as a Institute of SA (PMISA). technical trainer Prean has been in the industry for 17 years and has gained extensive experience in various positions, including: extrusion supervisor, asset care manager and production manager.

“I am organised, self-motivated and determined to gain knowledge and experience to work towards the attainment of outstanding performance. I am well aware of the challenges facing the industry with regards to filling the skills gaps that exist. For this reason, I am delighted to be joining Plastics|SA as a Technical Trainer and look forward to adding value to the great work the team has been doing in addressing this issue,” Prean said.

People

There’s a new CEO at the helm of Packaging SA! Shabeer Jhetam, previously CEO of The Glass Recycling Company, took over the reins on 1 March from Charles Muller.

Charles decided to step back from Packaging SA to take over the full-time running of Tufflex where he has been a shareholder and non-executive director of this Shabeer Jhetam takes over as CEO recycling business at Packaging SA for the past four years.

He takes over as managing director at Tufflex from Peter Waldburger.

has new CEO

51

Plastics|SA appoints new technical trainer

APR / MAY 2018

Packaging SA

www.plasticsinfo.co.za

Experts in fine powder milling of plastic resins PowderPlast milling operations around South Africa can accommodate our customers’ exact powder needs and specifications – from particle size and melt flow rate, to pigment choice and other additives We regularly process resins such as LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE, EVA, PP. We also offer a one-time foaming additive in compound form for rotational moulding.

• Uncompromising powder processing quality • Fast turnaround times • Proactive communication • Knowledge and experience • Multi-step approaches to solving customer needs Contact us: Plot 198 Zilkaatsnek, R511 (Brits) 0250, PO Box 1210, Ifafi, 0260 Tel: 011 393 5062 Fax: 011 393 5647 E-mail: sales@powderplast.co.za GPS: S 25°41.268’ E25°52.442’

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PEOPLE.indd 51

Web: www.powderplast.co.za

2017/09/20 10:59

2018/04/13 11:43

Middle East A shale oil field in the Middle East

(

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The economics of shale gas mean it will have a feedstock cost base very similar to the Middle East, meaning the US and it will compete strongly for market volumes, especially in Asia

Middle East polymer industry could be a casualty if trade war escalates A trade war sees additional tariffs imposed unilaterally

BY NIALL MARSHALL

WHETHER you agree that “trade wars are easy to win”, as President Trump believes, or not, it seems that the world is about to become the grass that is trampled when the USA and China elephants fight.

Protectionism and deciding to not take part in multilateral trade agreements, such as the TPP (TransPacific Partnership, a proposed free trade agreement between 12 Pacific-Rim countries) as Trump did or threatening to tear-up the NAFTA agreement unless Mexico and Canada agree to his demands, is one thing.

It means that import tariffs default to a certain WTO defined level which is applicable to all countries not party to bilateral or multilateral preferential tariff agreements. A trade war is something else; where additional tariffs are placed on goods from a country for a reason not recognized by the WTO. There are reasons for punitive tariffs that are recognized and supported by the WTO, such as “dumping” (where goods are exported at a cost lower than they are produced) or unfair state subsidies on certain goods, but a trade war applies tariffs arbitrarily with the intention of distorting trade.

The first shot in the looming trade war was fired when Donald Trump announced he would impose tariffs on steel and aluminium to protect 52

USA steel and aluminium companies – justified as being necessary for reasons of “national security”. It was quickly pointed out that most steel and aluminium is imported into the USA from Mexico and Canada as well as the EU, Australia and South Korea – countries which are not really considered a national security threat to the USA. Following threats of retaliatory sanctions on products targeted to adversely influence key states in the USA and some highlighting of adverse consequences which could result in US companies, such as the US automotive industry, becoming uncompetitive in export markets, exemptions were given to these countries. But aluminium and steel exported to the USA from other countries will have duties of 10% and 25% respectively imposed. Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia all have large aluminium smelters and product from these countries will now have the duty added – collateral damage in a trade war with China.

The next shot was the announcement

by Trump that he intends to impose duties on 1300 Chinese-made products including TVs, dishwashers and printers, imports worth around $50 billion. China immediately replied stating that if these duties were imposed it would impose duties on $50 billion dollars’ worth of imports from the USA, some 128 items including agricultural products. Trump immediately

announced that he would then impose duties on an additional $100 billion worth of Chinese products.

Now onto the possible impact on the Middle East polymer industry: Shale gas in the USA has revitalised the polyolefins industry and there are a number of projects coming on stream in the next few years. The first eight projects will come on-line by 2019 bringing an additional 8,4 million tons of polyethylene capacity to the USA, and this will almost all need to be exported. In fact, about 20% of the existing polyethylene production in USA is exported, so finding export markets is critical. China imports about 11 million tons of polyethylene per year and so it will be a key target for this US production. And, the economics of shale gas mean it will have a feedstock cost base very similar to the Middle East, meaning these two regions will compete strongly for market volumes especially in Asia – not good news for the Middle East polymer producers. But if there are duties on North American polymer – good news for the Middle East! But, if there are duties on products manufactured in China using Middle East polymer exported to USA – not such good news.

The Middle East polymer industry, much like the rest of the international polymer industry, can only lose if this trade war escalates. Trampled like artificial turf when the elephants fight.

APR / MAY 2018

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2018/04/12 15:37

Materials

Plasti-Tech is the first supplier in South Africa to offer highdensity polyethylene (HDPE PE100) stub ends labelled by means of a Lynx laser printer which uses laser-radiation

Plasti-Tech sets new labelling standards for stub ends First to offer HDPE butt ends with this sort of labelling in South Africa IN line with international standards, South African thermoplastic piping specialist, Plasti-Tech has introduced high-density polyethylene stub ends labelled with a Lynx laser printer using invisible laser-radiation. Plasti-Tech becomes the first supplier to offer HDPE butt ends with this sort of labelling in South Africa, moving away from the conventional white marker approach.

Highlighting the significance of traceability and accountability in the manufacture of stub ends, Plasti-Tech managing member Brad Chamont states that the local thermoplastic piping company has become the first supplier in South Africa to offer high-density polyethylene (HDPE PE100) stub ends labelled by means of a Lynx laser printer which uses laser-radiation.

He highlights the worrying lack of traceability in the market for HDPE stub ends in South Africa, owing to the fact that there is no identification and marking tools for these products.

This creates room for manufacturers to turn a blind eye on the quality of their products, bearing in mind that there is no traceability and, subsequently lack of accountability for failures that may occur as a result of installing poor quality HDPE fittings.

Chamont highlights that the importance of labelling stub ends using the Lynx laser machine is that the manufacturer’s mark, size and pressure 54 APRIL / MAY 2018

rating markings are permanently visible, and these cannot be tampered with without damaging the butt ends.

This helps holding manufacturers accountable for the quality they produce.

“The labelling method currently being used across the local market is a white marker. The obvious shortcoming of this approach is that this can be rubbed off during regular handling of the butt ends,” says Chamont.

Internationally, the European Standards Association compels that manufacturer names and fittings information be clearly marked on all HDPE fittings. Barcodes also form part of the standards to facilitate easy of traceability. In line with these international standards, the Installation and Fabrication Plastics Pipes Association (IFPA) is, in the next few months, scheduled to pass a regulation that compels labelling of stub ends using permanent markings such as the Lynx laser printer locally. Chamont is confident that Plasti-Tech’s labelling model will conform to the IFPA standards.

Plasti-Tech has been in the business of supplying stub ends for the past four years. In line with its best-practice approach, the company engaged the services of a local manufacturer that has agreed to manufacture and label the stub ends using the Lynx laser printer. These are available in sizes of between 50 mm and 355 mm in

diameter with diverse pressure classes.

“The IFPA has requested suppliers to have manufacturers’ names and all the necessary identifiable markings regarding the size pressure and STR,” explains Chamont.

He further explains that these standards are very crucial, bearing in mind the criticality of stub ends in applications they are used. Stub ends form parts of a mechanical joints that comprise two components: namely, the stub end, which essentially is a short length of pipe which has one end that is flared outwards and the other prepared to be welded to a pipe of the same thermoplastic material and of a similar wall thickness, as well as the lap joint flange, which is a ring backing flange.

The combination of stub ends and backing flanges is an alternative to the use of a conventional pipe to pipe buttweld. Typical applications include slurry pipelines where sections of the pipeline can be easily removed and replaced in sections due to the stub and flange mechanical connection.

“Once pipes are welded, you can’t remove sections or repair them. With a stub and flange system, the stub ends are bolted together to join pipe lengths.

So, basically a stub end is a mechanical connection of an HDPE pipe,” concludes Chamont. www.plastitech.co.za

Quality innovation with Huarong Bolsters back-up service in SA, partners MCP Automation TAIWANESE Huarong Plastic Machinery Co has bolstered its back-up service in South Africa by partnering with Michael Purvis of MCP Automation.

As the agent for Mirle controllers, which has proved itself in injection moulding for more than 20 years, Huarong is offering a free upgrade to

any customer buying new Huarong machinery via MCP Automation until the end of 2018.

Huarong also plan to introduce their latest 2 platen injection moulding machine with IML at Propak 2019.

Huarong Plastic Machinery Co has been operating for more than 35 years

www.huarong.com.tw

with factories in Taiwan and China.

In 2016, the Huarong Group merged Nanrong and Yuhdak, thus extending their horizontal and vertical injection moulding machine product lines.

Boasting a top-notch design team, the Huarong Group has also won IML and 2-platen design patents.

www.mcpautomation.co.za

APRIL / MAY 2018 55

Materials

Lanxess Tepex for car engine undertrays IN regions where road surfaces are poor, vehicle underbodies are subjected to tough conditions, having to withstand the impact of stones thrown up from the surface and, in extreme cases, even direct contact with the ground. A major German car manufacturer is therefore equipping the first vehicles of various model series that are delivered to countries with poor road infrastructure with an engine undertray made of a particularly robust thermoplastic composite construction. This consists of the continuous-fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composite Tepex dynalite from Lanxess combined with a DLFT (direct long fibre thermoplastic) mass. Thanks to the toughness and tensile strength that Tepex delivers, this composite design is significantly more resistant to impacts and damage than previous material solutions. The new component also results in significant weight savings. The engine tray in the Tepex-DLFT composite design is over 60% lighter than an equivalent component made of steel, and up to 20% lighter when the new material is substituted for aluminum.

www.bond-laminates.com

SABIC introduces new materials for LED automotive lighting parts LEXAN™ HF4010SR resin is one of the new offerings from SABIC for LED automotive lighting parts. The PC material makes it possible for customers to develop complex headlight bezels with enhanced aesthetics. SABIC has also added new grades to its existing Lexan XHT resin line, which can offer improved flow at high temperatures compared to other high-heat polycarbonate materials available today. Current high-end LED headlamps weigh close to 6kg with up to 200 components, thanks to the additional functionality they incorporate. Automakers are also striving to create highly distinctive lighting parts to help differentiate and increase the appeal of their vehicles. Lexan HF4010SR resin enables customers to target draft angles between 0.5 and 1.0 degrees lower than the recommended draft angle for PC tools (typically between 3 and 5 degrees). Bezels that are injection moulded in Lexan HF4010SR can be directly metallized (no need for priming) and gloss and reflectivity performance under high temperature environments are both very good. The material has a unique wide processing window and high flow. Parts perform in environments requiring a maximum constant use temperature of up to 130°C.

www.sabic.com

Ultrasim foaming simulation for steering wheels BASF has expanded its simulation tool Ultrasim® so that it can now precisely predict the foaming and curing of the flexible integral foam system Elastofoam® I for car steering wheels. With the detailed simulation, the most important chemical reactions as well as the flow behaviour of the polyurethane foam in the mould can be calculated. The new BASF service allows steering wheel manufacturers to reduce development cycles, thereby lowering costs, while at the same time realizing the trends towards greater functional integration, more electronics and individual design in steering wheels. It is used by automotive suppliers such as ZF-TRW Automotive Safety Systems.

www.basf.com 56 APRIL / MAY 2018

INSTRUMENTAL IN SUPPLYING ALL YOUR BLACK, WHITE AND FILLER MASTERBATCH REQUIREMENTS HEAD OFFICE - GAUTENG Telephone: +27 (0) 11 746 4000 KWA-ZULU NATAL - New Germany Telephone: +27 (0) 31 713 0631 EASTERN CAPE - Port Elizabeth Telephone: +27 (0) 41 451 2571 WESTERN CAPE - CAPE TOWN Telephone: +27 (0) 21 935 1788

www.ferro-sa.co.za

Materials

Clariant opens masterbatch production site in Saudi Arabia CLARIANT has opened a state-of-the-art masterbatch production site in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. The plant is owned by Clariant Masterbatches Saudi Arabia, a joint venture between Clariant and Rowad, a leading plastic products manufacturer in the Middle East and part of Tasnee, Saudi Arabia’s second largest industrial company.

The production site has been constructed on a 38,000m² property

www.clariant.com

in Yanbu Industrial Zone 2 and will focus on the production of white masterbatches. This location provides the site easy access to key raw materials and enables it to supply customers in Saudi Arabia as well as the wider Middle East and Africa region thanks to a good logistics network that includes the nearby seaport and airport. It is the second manufacturing hub for Clariant Masterbatches in Saudi Arabia, supplementing an existing site in Riyadh.

Arlanxeo develops rubber compound for self-sealing tyres ARLANXEO, a leading global manufacturer of synthetic elastomers, has developed a rubber compound that can be used in the future to seal tyres. This solution for so-called self-sealing tyres replaces the spare wheel and also presents an alternative to a repair kit or runflat tyre. An appropriate rubber compound from Arlanxeo, which is applied on the interior of the vehicle tyre, enables holes occurring in the tyre to be automatically sealed, so the driver can continue driving.

To ensure that the compound can guarantee optimal sealing in any climate zone regardless of the speed a vehicle is travelling, Arlanxeo are carrying out further tests under extreme conditions following successful laboratory tests. Even in the case of strongly fluctuating external temperatures, the tyres should be sealed in the same quality.

www.arlanxeo.com

Bonding soles via digital printing ATOM Lab, the research and innovation business unit of shoe machinery manufacturer ATOM, has developed a fully-automated process for shoe production for the first time. The most technically challenging step in this process is bonding the outsole to the shoe upper. Covestro developed an efficient solution for this based on polyurethane raw materials for adhesives, which are applied to the outsole or upper by means of digital printing. For the application, ATOM Lab used a variation of the melt layer method using strands of melt-processable adhesives – so-called filaments – which are melted. The molten adhesive is applied according to a digital print layout. The sole and upper are then joined under pressure. This creates a solid, permanent adhesive bond. The application using adhesive filaments is quick and efficient. It is also precise and reproducible and also well suited for absorbent substrates. The adhesive features a high initial strength and since application takes place from the melt, the adhesive is already activated. If the open time is sufficiently long, the fabricator can dispense with prior heat activation.

www.covestro.com 58 APRIL / MAY 2018

PVC pigment preparations for plasticised & nonplasticised PVC CLARIANT has launched Telasperse™ PVC pigment preparations for plasticised and non-plasticised PVC. The new family currently comprises seven colours – one blue, three reds and three yellows – as well as two blacks and a white. More colours will be added in the coming months. Telasperse PVC products are free-flowing, dustfree powder pigment preparations, fully dispersed with approximately 40-50% organic pigment. If requested, they can also be supplied in pellet form. They are based on PVC containing a non-phthalate plasticiser; the stabilisation is lead-free. Clariant can also offer specific shades based on existing colorants. Selected products in the Telasperse PVC range are suitable for food-contact applications and for toys. Although developed specifically for plasticised PVC, Telasperse PVC can also be used in some rigid PVC formulations.

Ideal materials for safety shoes Driven by Bekina® Boots, the leading company in PU boots, BASF developed a special material for an outstanding ESR (electric shock resistant) boot, the first ESR boot made with PU systems instead of rubber or PVC. Bekina® Boots, known to have the highest standards regarding quality, safety and certifications in their Neotane® Technology and always seeking for technically advanced solutions, came up with this high innovative approach – ESR compatible material solution based on PU systems.

www.basf.com

www.clariant.com

APRIL / MAY 2018 59

Dave Moore: 083 675 8325 Andrew Short: 074 589 3357 Email: dave@mouldbasesa.co.za

YIZUMI D1 TWO PLATEN MACHINES HAVE BEEN LAUNCHED WORLDWIDE These machines have a broad range of suitability. From Auto Parts, Deep Cavity Moulds, Crates, Chairs, Pallets and Appliance Parts, Yizumi D1 will mould it.

Contact us for a brochure pack to be sent to you • 55% faster open and close time compared to three platen machines • Smaller footprint • KEBA controller specific to two platen machines • IP 54 rated electrical cabinet • Oil cooled double head servo motor • Highly sensitive mould protection circuit

MOULD BASE SA

www.injectionmachine.co.za Injection Moulding Toolmaking Supplier

Equipment

Three decades of excellence in extrusion 5-layer non-barrier blown film line receives outstanding reviews

INDIAN Rajoo Engineers Limited has introduced its latest technology in the form of a 5-layer non-barrier blown film line which has received outstanding reviews.

The new line ensures a thin skin layer of property polymers and a thick core layer of inexpensive materials, Khushboo Chandrakant offering enough versatility for Doshi, executive processors to produce films director, Rajoo that comply to difficult industry Engineers demands with specifications Limited that provide a competitive edge to its customers’ business, both in terms of diverse film properties and costs.

“The film capabilities with a 5-layer are significant when compared to a conventional 3-layer alternative,” says Khushboo Chandrakant Doshi, Rajoo’s executive director.

“Operating at 600.4kg/hour, TUV certified during an onsite visit, that the specific electricity consumption under standard conditions for the 5 layer coextruded blown film line PENTAFOIL-RECF-260-90/2400 IBC-A is certified to

60 APRIL / MAY 2018

The 5 layer co-extruded blown film line, Pentafoil, has a maximum output of 650kg/ hour; the line produces all-PE film in the thickness range of 30–250 microns

be 0.301 KWh/kg of blown film (40 micron thickness, 2000mm width). With a growing bet on automation, this line christened PENTAFOIL RECF 2560-90/2400 IBC-A is with 4 x 60mm and 1 x 90mm extruders and 500mm CSD Die. With a maximum output of 650kg/hour, the line produces allPE film in the thickness range of 30–250 microns,” he explains.

Based in Rajkot, Rajoo Engineers Limited, having made a modest beginning in 1986, has today emerged as an undisputed global player in blown film, sheet extrusion lines and thermoformers.

Skilled and experienced manpower ensure quality in product and after-sales-service.

“We aim to become one of the most trusted and passionate solution providers for plastic extrusion machinery worldwide in the best interest of all the stakeholders, while pursuing ethical business practices,” says Doshi.

Owing to its focused efforts the company enjoys a premium market position in the segment. As a technology-driven company, product innovations, adaptation, worldclass quality, state-of-the-art workmanship, precision, increased energy efficiency and

high levels of sophistication and automation have become the hallmark of Rajoo products. With representations in many countries across the globe and customers in over 60 countries, the company’s exports have multiplied after its debut in the international market in 1990.

Product portfolio Rajoo’s knowledge, experience, technology assimilation and implementation continues to result in a number of ‘technology firsts’ and the ability to suit solutions to regional needs.

Solutions include the widest range of mono and multilayer blown film lines (up to seven layers), an impressive range of sheet lines (up to five layers), water quenched downward extrusion lines (up to two layers), lines for PE and PS foamed film and sheets (for various standard and special applications), as well as end-to-end thermoforming solutions.

Lines for WPC and granulation are the most recent additions to the product portfolio.

The extrusion lines cover processing of wide range of polymers like LDPE, LLDPE, MDPE, HDPE, PP, EVA; barrier materials like Polyamide, EVOH, Surlyn, elastomers, plastomers; thermoformable materials like PET, PS, and PP including new generation exotic polymers.

World-class facilities Rajoo’s state-of-the-art design and manufacturing facilities in sprawling green acres and built-up area of 20,000m2 are located on the outskirts of Rajkot, Gujarat.

World-class integrated facilities comprise R&D, design office, tool-room, die shop, metal treatment shop, fabrication shop, paint shop, assembly shop and testing shop.

The in-house modern paint shop facility is the first of its kind in the Asian industry. An amply dimensioned shot blasting room and baking oven ensures long life of paint and improves machine aesthetics.

The three huge and well equipped different assembly shops are partitioned to accommodate machines of different heights and lengths.

• Technimac is the agent for Rajoo in South Africa, tel: 011 882 6630

www.rajoo.com

Design

Excellence in

plastic packaging

design and materials to reduce marine pollution

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APR / MAY 2018

Redesigned so that they are reusable or easier to recycle A COMPETITION launched last this year

by The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, saw the winners receive over £700,000 in prize money to develop concepts such as seaweed-based and edible packaging.

The New Plastics Economy Innovation Prize recognises excellence in the design and materials of plastic packaging in order to reduce marine pollution.

The competition looks at how packaging for every day, smallsized consumer products can be redesigned so that they are either reusable or easier to recycle.

It is divided up into three categories – rethinking grocery shopping, redesigning sachets and reinventing coffee-to-go – with two winners chosen for each category.

The winners of the grocery shopping category include Czech Republic-based MIWA, which has designed an app that allows shoppers to order the exact quantities of groceries they need and have them delivered in reusable packaging, and Chilean social enterprise Algramo’s small, reusable containers that are used across 1,200 convenience stores in Chile.

UK-based company CupClub was named as one of the winners for its reusable cup subscription service

The redesigning sachets category winners include Indonesian startup Evoware’s food wrappings and sachets made out of a seaweed-based material that can be dissolved and eaten, and a technology developed by Grocery sh opping app,

by MIWA UK company Delta that allows restaurants to make and serve sauces in edible, compostable sachets.

Finally, for the reinventing coffeeto-go category, UK-based company CupClub was named as one of the winners for its reusable cup subscription service, which allows cups to be dropped off at any participating cafés, restaurants and other stores.

The other winner is US-based TrioCup, which makes disposable paper cups using an origamiinspired technique that removes the need for a plastic lid. The cups are currently made from 100% compostable material, and the company is also working on an alternative that is 100% recyclable.

TrioCup, which makes disposable paper cups using an origami-inspired technique that removes the need for a plastic lid

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2018/04/12 15:36

Equipment

ASB for improved productivity & next generation manufacturing

Nissei ASB’s live moulding demonstrations at NPE 2018 (l to r), fast cycle premium cosmetic bottle, tunnel pasteurizable pet beer bottle, high output pet liquor miniature bottle, Tritan Copolyester sports drink container, and PET heat resistant jar

Live moulding will be demonstrated featuring five machine models NISSEI ASB Machine, world-leading manufacture of machines for injection stretch blow moulding of PET and other plastics, will exhibit at the NPE 2018 exhibition in Orlando, USA from 7-11 May. Live moulding will be demonstrated featuring five machine models together with a display of some of the most interesting recent updates in injection stretch-blow moulded packaging

technology.

ASB will be represented by its largest ever presence at NPE with a 740m2 booth and five different machine models making live moulding demonstrations moulding a variety of products that showcase the versatility of the company’s technology and integration with the Internet of Things. Featured models will include:

ASB-12M v2, fast cycle cosmetic moulding & next-generation advanced control system – This is an entry level and niche market four-station one-step injection stretch blow moulding machine featuring next-generation control system and radically shortened cycle time for heavyweight cosmetic containers using standard PET resin. This revised edition maintains the solid mechanical design and energy conserving servohydraulic system, and adds an all new control system operating to the Industrie 4.0 computerised manufacturing standard allowing factory integration via the so called, “Internet of Things”. The v2 machine will be demonstrated moulding a 4-cavity, 40ml premium quality thick walled cosmetic container in a family type mould of two differing designs. With a weight of over 31g, the resulting PET wall thickness of 2mm perfectly simulates the high-grade appeal of glass – but most notable is the cycle time improvement for this class of heavyweight container from a typical requirement of 40+ seconds down to an outstanding 13.4 seconds resulting in a three-times increase in productivity.

64 APRIL / MAY 2018

ASB-70DPH v4, high versatility model maintaining its position as best seller – Superbly versatile mid-range four station one-step injection stretch blow moulding machine demonstrating visually perfect moulding of Tritan Co-polyester resin. At NPE, the ASB-70DPH v4 will be using a set of options that further increases its already formidable versatility: • Servo-driven hydraulic system - offers extremely low power consumption. In tests using the same moulds, an energy consumption reduction of 40% was

achieved compared with the standard pump equipped model, and approx. 64% reduction compared with the previous generation ASB-70DPH v3.

• Increased injection unit capacity – ideal for larger containers, heavy-weight cosmetic containers or non-PET resin with lower densities, the optional IU-50 injection unit provides a 78% increase in shot size.

• Extended daylight for injection clamp – a factory option of extended injection clamp daylight provides even greater flexibility in moulding of longer preforms as is often required when moulding non-PET resins where optimum stretch ratios are different from those of typical PET containers.

The machine will be demonstrated moulding a 700ml Copolyester (Tritan) 90g re-usable drinking flask in a four-cavity family mould at a cycle of 14.4 seconds. The design of the container has been carefully selected to show off the superb visual quality that is only achievable with the one-step moulding process.

APRIL / MAY 2018 65

Equipment HSB-2M/6, increased moulding capacity for heat resistant jars up to 1 litre – The HSB-2M/6 is a 2-step, re-heat stretch blow moulding machine featuring ASB’s unique double-blow heat-setting process and expands the range of models in the HSB series, with the capability to mould 6 cavities of 1-litre jars with thread diameter up to 86mm. These models have been developed specifically for the production of wide mouthed hot- fillable & pasteurisable jars. To optimise the process efficiency, moulding can be adjusted to apply almost any degree of heat resistance to a PET container as required by the filled product. However, as the 2-step double-blow heat-set process of the HSB-2M/6 can achieve heat resistance all the way up to the practical maximum of PET – approx.

95°C with a suitable container design and cap – it is extremely effective for those projects that exceed the capability of other heat-setting processes. At NPE, the HSB-2M/6 will be moulding a 500ml jar with an 80mm neck suitable for a metal, twist-off lug type closure designed for filling at 88°C. With a 6-cavity configuration, the 4.5 second cycle offers an output of 4,800 bph. The container features a panel-free design where the body is plain round for easy labelling and internal vacuum forces generated by cooling products are absorbed by a patented base design that flexes during filling, heating and cooling to ensure no distortion in the labelled area.

66 APRIL / MAY 2018

ASB-150DPX, World’s first triple row, one step injection stretch blow moulding machine – The recently developed ASB-150DPX expands the company’s flagship ASB-150 based models to three variants: • ASB-150DP – Single row moulding up to 16 cavities, for very large bottles and jars.

• ASB-150DPW – Double row moulding of medium sized bottles and jars up to 32 cavities.

• ASB-150DPX – Triple row moulding of small bottles in 24, 36 or 48 cavities.

At NPE, the ASB-150DPX will be conducting daily moulding demonstrations of a 50ml, 10.5-gram liquor miniature bottle in an unprecedented 48 cavities mounted in a triple row moulding layout.

With a cycle time of 8.6 seconds the machine will operate at a production rate in excess of 20,000 bph. This container design requires a very small preform that would be impossible to handle and re-heat in a two-step system so the one-step moulding process, where the container is formed directly from resin within one machine and held securely by its neck throughout, is the practical choice.

Unti

HSB-6N, leading performance for heat resistant bottle moulding – The HSB-6N machine performs double-blow re-heat stretch blow moulding in a compact solution for heat resistant PET bottles with neck diameter up to 38mm. Preforms with either amorphous or crystallized neck may be moulded with equal ease, the choice of neck type depends on factors such as neck and cap design, container filling, pasteurization and cooling specifications.

With fully electric mould clamping, the machine is smooth, quiet and energy efficient and for added flexibility, with a simple change of blow mould and a suitable preform it is equally capable of molding standard (non-heat resistant) PET containers. At NPE, the machine will be demonstrated moulding a heat resistant PET beer bottle that meets the standard industry requirements of 65°C contents temperature, to be maintained for 15 minutes to fully kill off any remaining yeast and provide long stable shelf life with no apparent flavour change. Despite this relatively low temperature of pasteurization, a combination of long processing time and carbonation pressure creates additional forces on the container that can only be adequately handled by the double-blow heat-setting process in combination with the 36.5 grams weight. It can be moulded in standard PET, or where required, oxygen scavenging or carbon dioxide retention additives can be included to further enhance the shelf life. The demonstrated 650ml bottle will be moulding at a cycle of 4.5 seconds producing 4,800bph and the featured container uses an industry standard neck suitable for crown caps, but could be moulded to any required standard.

www.nisseiasb.co.jp APRIL / MAY 2018 67

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Equipment

Speed & precision with new bag making machine The Veloss 1000FB Flying Knife bottom seal machine

Veloss 1000FB Flying Knife bottom seal machine from Vishva Exim offers fast bottom sealing with two servos NEW from Visha Exim is the Veloss 1000FB Flying Knife bottom seal machine which offers speedy bottom sealing using two servos.

“Keeping productivity up is the name of the game,” says Uday Shah of Vishva Exim. “In this highly competitive market, slow production machines are not viable. One needs a machine which provides increased production

in the minimum amount of time, labour and electricity costs.”

The new version of the Veloss 1000FB Flying Knife bottom seal machine can run at 100 cycles a minute. A special feature of the new machine is that it is equipped with two servos, one on the indexing and the second on the flying knife.

“The two servos increase the speed www.vishvaexim.com

VELOSS

of production and provide precision cutting of the bags, as well as reducing maintenance time,” Shah adds. “This feature means that heavy microns can now be cut at higher speeds, which was not possible on the older design Flying Knife.”

Vishva Exim stocks spares in South Africa to facilitate faster after sales customer service.

APRIL / MAY 2018 69

SIDE SEALING / BOTTOM SEALING / POUCH MAKING MACHINES

It’s in the bag: high-speed, high-accuracy is the name of the game

Vishva Exim Pvt Ltd has been manufacturing plastic processing machinery like extruders, bag makers, slitters, pouch makers and has sold many, many machines in the South African market.

We would like to introduce our latest model of Flying Knife Bottom Seal machine with dual servo.

One on the indexing and the second on the cutting. This will increase the speed of the machine with better accuracy and low maintenance. It can run at 100 strokes/min.

The VELOSS machines have proved a popular hit in the South African market. Our customers can vouch for that!

Flying Knife Bottom Seal The flying knife bottom seal machines produce bags from 1000mm to 1600mm width and length up to 2500mm

WWW. VISHVAEXIM. COM Contact us: Vishva Exim Pvt Ltd T: +91 98 797 97910 M: +91 909 991 6958 1225 E: info@vishvaexim.com

Equipment

FIG 1: The main focus of the new WITTE Automotive factory, opened in Ostrov, in the Czech Republic in 2016, is the manufacture of integrated exterior car door handles and the closing mechanisms behind them.

WITTE’s medium-term target is to produce of 20 million units annually

A key to success Motan drying and conveying technology at Witte Automotive in Czech Republic THE WITTE factory in Ostrov, North Bohemia, Czech Republic, which opened in 2016, specialises in the manufacture of door handle units and the associated technical modules in a production alliance with the factory in Nejdek, located 20 kilometres away.

In Ostrov, the main focus is on plastic injection moulding, lacquering and assembly. One main plant component is the highly automated central system for conveying plastic granulate to the injection moulding machines. It was supplied by the German motan Group and planned and assembled by its Austrian agent Luger GmbH. The variety of shapes, colours and functions of the exterior door handles and locking units produced by WITTE Automotive Czech plant is impressive.

They comply with existing crash safety regulations, are available with and without remote control as well as keyless ‘Passive Entry/Passive Go’ operation and coordinated with the specified car colour of each order.

The range is completed with the patented ‘anti-picking’ measures.

70 APRIL / MAY 2018

As the door and flap handles of a car are in the field of vision and reach of the user, they make a considerable contribution to the sense of quality of a car thanks to their design and tactile properties.

The handle modules are produced as ‘car sets’. A set is comprised of all door handles of a vehicle including the functions behind them. For reasons of strength, the structural parts are made of PA6 with 35% fibreglass and the covers of a PC/ABS blend. Only pre-coloured material is used. Production is currently carried out on 12 injection moulding machines and there are definite plans for 10 more.

A majority of the handles are produced as hollow bodies using gas injection technology. This requires that in each production cycle a material percentage of 30 to 40% of the injected plastic volume is forced into an overflow cavity, which is subsequently separated, collected and returned to the material flow after shredding.

“To aid surface quality, all materials, both virgin material and regrind, must

The machine profile Material drying The material types processed at WITTE are dried centrally before being transported to the machines. motan LUXOR dry air dryers of the ETAplus range are used. ETAplus combines the temperature adjustment with an additional air volume regulation. The system independently detects fluctuations in material throughput or altered material inlet temperatures in the drying system and automatically adjusts the air volume to the power requirement of the drying bin. In the event of production interruptions, the drying temperature for especially critical materials can be reduced to the standby temperature and thus prevents thermal damage to certain plastics due to overheating. >> pg 72 Supplied material is stored in four double chamber silos.

The filler lines are protected against incorrect filling via locking mechanisms

FIG 3: Overall view of injection moulding production, in the foreground work areas for manufacture of the injection-moulded parts

be dried to a residual moisture content of 0.1 to 0.15% (PA6) or 0.02 to 0.05% (PC/ABS),” explains Pavel Karas, head of department of injection moulding at the Ostrov factory. “Therefore, we only considered one system layout in which all processed types of plastic, including regrind, quantities are fed to the machines with dry air via a central drying system.”

As much as the drying system is the heart of the material supply system in

terms of application, the material feed on the injection moulding machine is so easy. A mixing unit was mounted on the machine to mix virgin material with regrind and an additive. Below the dosing unit there is a metal detector in order to separate any knife chips contained in the regrind.

All machine components, with the exception of the dosing units on the injection moulding machines, are

FIG 2: Example of a door handle module with integrated transmission/reception electronics to implement keyless access

activated and operated via the electronic modules specifically developed by motan for this purpose. www.motan-colortronic.com APRIL / MAY 2018 71

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Equipment

The machine profile

The LUXOR A range with the energy-efficient ETA-process and ETA plus drying technology comprises ten models with a dry air capacity of 80 to 2 400 m3/hr. They are equipped with stationary, insulated molecular filter cartridges with separate drying and regeneration processes, which generate a constantly low dew point for the process. All LUXOR A drying systems contain a LUXORnet control and use modern, flexible BUS technology. The system control communicates with the LINKnet master computer system, via which the complete system is monitored and controlled

Every LUXOR dryer can be flexibly combined with drying bin volumes from 15 to 2,400 litres. All drying bins are produced as standard in stainless steel, completely insulated and have an individual heater and temperature control. An important feature of the system is the special bin geometry, which influences the material flow through the hopper and thus the drying result due to its height / diameter ratio. ‘Dead’ zones, in which the material could be excessively dried and therefore damaged can be avoided, as can an excessively fast passage of the material through the middle of the bin. Determination of optimum dimensions is based on calculations and practical tests

The dosing module on the injection moulding machine in combination with a metal separator (blue intermediate station between the machine and the dosing unit)

Conveying The injection moulding machines are connected to the drying system via a machine-specific material line system (one separate pipeline per machine). The material line is designed for the transport of plastics with a high fibreglass content. For this, the deflection points were designed with wear-resistant glass tube elbows and

Material dosing on the injection moulding machines All injection moulding machines are equipped with a metal separator and the gravimetric GRAVILCOLOR dosing unit with three metal separators installed on top. New material and regrind are processed on the machines in an adjustable mixing ratio. The third component is an additive.

an outer coating to protect against splintering.

In order to maintain the drying status of the plastic granulate as well as possible up to the injection moulding machines, dry air is used as the conveying medium. In addition, only small material batches are conveyed to the machines and then the lines are completely drained.

Amcor launches first commercial container with LiquiForm technology AMCOR in the USA has put its gamechanging LiquiForm® technology to the test with the commercialisation of the first consumer package. In addition to reducing supply chain costs, LiquiForm technology has the potential to improve packaging consistency and lower the carbon footprint associated with filling and packaging.

Amcor partnered with Greenblendz, a Michigan-based co-packer and developer of private label, environmentally-friendly consumer products, to develop and commercialise packaging for the Nature’s Promise™ brand of hand soap. Amcor produced the 355ml PET bottle on a

www.greenblendz.com 72 APRIL / MAY 2018

proprietary Amcor-built machine powered by the LiquiForm process. The new machine is the industry’s first manufacturing unit to successfully use the LiquiForm technology.

LiquiForm technology uses the packaged product instead of compressed air to simultaneously form and fill containers. In this case, the hand soap essentially forms its own rigid PET container using the LiquiForm process. By combining the forming and filling into one step, the process eliminates costs associated with the equipment and energy of the traditional blow moulding process along with the handling, transport, and warehousing of empty containers.

www.amcor.com

Rapid Granulator ad '017 10-BLEED.indd 86

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Equipment

www.recycling.starlinger.com

Starlinger a finalist in recycling awards Innovative ideas drive the plastics industry not only in the area of production, but in recycling as well. And just like the movie industry has its eyes set on the Academy Awards, the plastics industry eagerly anticipates the Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE), where the most remarkable products and achievements in the field will be honoured with an award on 25 April. The Plastics Recycling Awards Europe will be awarded for the first time this year with the intention to emphasize the important role of recycled materials. Austrian Starlinger & Co. GmbH is proud to be among the finalists in the category “Best Technology

Innovation in Plastics Recycling” with its technology for the reduction of unpleasant odours during the recycling process. This technology, which was first presented at K show in 2016, turns smelly material like detergent bottles into odour-reduced pellets that meet even highest quality standards. Starlinger’s method works without the use of additives; the smell is not just masked, but permanently removed through eliminating the substances causing it. The procedure consists of 3 steps: material preparation in the SMART feeder, highly efficient degassing with the C-VAC module, and finally, optimization in the Smell Extraction Unit.

Boosting production during laser plastic welding MEDICAL technology makes particularly high demands on production technologies. The new LPKF WeldingQuipment laser welding systems are supplied with a calibrated working area, Soft-PLC, and the high performance LPKF ProSet 3D CAM software. ProSet 3D takes the CAD data for the clamping tool and the product, and uses this to determine optimal welding contours in only a few minutes – even with a fluctuating welding surface in the z direction.

Thanks to the calibrated working area, this data can be extrapolated to all LPKF systems using Soft-PLC – nothing extra is needed to set up the project. The welding system requires no additional setting up and the process parameters generated in this way can be used without any further modification on LPKF laser systems with calibrated working areas.

The LPKF WeldPro Light software takes the process data from ProSet 3D, and after a one-off machine calibration, can then transfer the process data without any problems.

www.lpkf.com www.lpkf-laserwelding.com

74 APRIL / MAY 2018

Trending worldwide - water bottles made of PC EXTRUSION blow moulding plants for Bekum’s BA series have been firmly established in the water dispenser bottles market segment for years. The BA 25 by Bekum is a marketable PC water bottles machine that combines high performance and efficiency. With a clamping force of 200kN and its compact footprint, it has a stable clamping unit and is highly wear-resistant. The BA 25 machine is designed for discontinuous accumulator operation as well as bottom calibration and uses parison spreaders with vertical adjustment. Modern controls and hydraulics allow the processor very accurate repeatable cycles for high efficiency production. The BA 25 system has also excellent plastification. Bekum extruders use special screw geometry for optimum homogenisation of the material. An energy-saving AC motor ensures that the material is melted gently at low rotational speeds. The patented spiral mandrel distributor head technology from Bekum allows uniform wall thickness over 360° of the water bottle.

The highly transparent PC containers are blown out in a special blow mould, which has multi-zone temperature control and magnetic quick-change inserts, with or without a handle. The Bekum singlestation blowers of the BA series achieve an undisputed output of over 160 containers an hour at a net weight of 750g. This high output rate is possible without compromising the high article stability as well as the crystal-clear transparency, even at demoulding temperatures of over 85°C.

www.bekum.com

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Books

Report on 3D printing software

76 APRIL / MAY 2018

THE 3D printing software market is characterised by multiple free and open source build processors, with one or two organisations catering to the industrial user with commercial offerings. In 2017, the landscape changed considerably: there have been several new entrants following acquisition of smaller start-ups with both established CAD/PLM developers and 3D printer manufacturers keen to carve out a share of this rapidly growing market.

The push to develop software that enables Design for Additive Manufacture for users looking to fully leverage the design freedoms offered by 3D printing is one of the key drivers of this growth.

Given these market trends, the new IDTechEx Research report 3D Printing Software 2018-2028: Technology and Market Analysis forecasts that the global market for 3D printing metals will grow at a CAGR of 22% and will be worth $966 million by the year 2028.

This report provides a detailed overview of the functions of different 3D printing software technologies including this includes scanning for reverse engineering, CAD, CAE, CAM and workflow management, as well as evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the most common file formats for 3D printing and their potential alternatives. Areas in which users’ needs remain unmet by current

technologies are highlighted.

This report forecasts the overall 3D printing software market to 2028, with indepth SWOT analyses of the major CAE, CAM and workflow management products available on the market today. The current state of the 3D printing software market is analysed, and long-range forecasts from 2018-2028 for revenue per annum segmented by commercialised CAE, CAM and workflow management product groups are evaluated. www.IDTechEx.com/3dpsoftware

Flexible, firm and light as a feather

Plasticulture sees dramatic growth

BECAUSE of the ban on imports of European plastic waste impeded

by China at the beginning of 2018, Europeans urgently need to find another solution. The EU commission, for example, is considering a plastics tax. An EU directive against lightweight plastic carrier bags has already contributed to a reduction of consumption in many countries.

Until 2030, all packaging in the EU ought to be reusable and made of recyclable materials.

“Manufacturers do not need to worry about demand”, says Oliver Kutsch, managing director of Ceresana. The market research institute has analyzed the European market for plastic films. “Included in this market are plastic bags and sacks but also packaging films, shrink and stretch films, agricultural films as well as other films such as construction films”, explains Kutsch: “This market is likely to grow to about 14 million tons until 2024.”

Packaging should be light, visually appealing, and microwavable; they ought to present the content well, help to increase the durability, and contain the intensity of flavour over a long period of time. Accordingly, the pressure on film producers to meet the continuously rising requirements regarding optics, handling and barrier properties, as well as conservation of resources and sustainability is high. Requirements increase also for agricultural and other films. In defining the individual products, all kinds, from wafer-thin films to thick, rigid boards, can be found.

The new study by Ceresana focuses on flexible films.

AMI’s Consulting division just issued a new report on the global agricultural film market analysing the latest trends in the use of greenhouse film, mulch film and silage film along with developments in technology, innovation and changing film formulation.

The three types of agricultural films, mulch film, greenhouse film and silage film, represent a major segment of polyethylene usage globally, valued at over 8 billion dollars. The total demand for these films accounted for some 6 million tonnes in 2016 with greenhouse film representing nearly half of it, followed by mulch film with nearly a third and just over 20% held by silage film. The market for greenhouse film is expected to advance at the same pace of growth as mulch film, at just over 8% per annum over the next five years, while the demand for silage film is forecast to grow at a moderate rate of just under 4%.

Around 70% of global demand and production of agricultural films is concentrated in Asia, mainly in China, where the growth rate continues to reach double digits. This growth is driven by increasing specialisation of the Chinese market which will impact growing exports of more sophisticated films inside and outside of Asia. Another contributing factor is upgauging of previously very thin films intended mainly for the local market, which are now required by the Chinese regulations to be thicker and stronger.

http://www.ceresana.com/en/marketstudies/packaging/plastic-films-europe/

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World News

AROUND THE WORLD

Massive PET recycling venture in California

A NEW venture in the USA, rPlanet Earth, plans to start up one of the largest PET recycling ventures on the planet later this year. Work is underway on rPlanet Earth’s first facility on a 28,000m² site in Vernon, California, which is expected to employ about 140 when the first line is operational and about 260 down the road when a second line is installed. The first phase alone will cost more than $100-million.

The company will be able to handle more than 70 million pounds of material annually with the first line and double that when the second line comes online.

“Our company is looking to change the way PET has been recycled to date,” said CEO Robert Daviduk said. “We are a company focused on material plastic waste anywhere throughout the economy.

We’re focused on PET, but clearly as a bigger-picture goal, I think all of us would like to see no plastics going to waste on the side of the road, in landfills, wherever else they might end up.”

Installation of a second line in Vernon during the next couple of years will make rPlanet Earth company the largest food-grade recycler of PET in the US and second largest in the world behind PetStar, added Daviduk.

(PetStar SA de CV operates a foodgrade resin recycling facility in Toluca, Mexico.).

BP predicts plastics bans will impact oil demand

BP plc has predicted that global demand for oil could be impacted by as much as 2 million barrels per day by 2040 due by governments’ efforts to regulate products, including bans of single-use plastics.

In its latest energy outlook unveiled 20 February, BP predicted that oil demand would continue to grow at about 0.5% annually through 2040.

According to the British press, commenting on the new outlook, BP’s chief economist Spencer Dale said the company believed that regulation against some types of petrochemicals, particularly single-use plastics, would increase in the coming years.

“As a result of that, we have less growth in non-combusted oils than we otherwise would have done,” Bloomberg quoted Dale as saying. This, according to Dale, is not limited to the United Kingdom, which has recently seen a wave of actions and bans across a number of industries on single-use plastics.

While most resins manufactured in North America use natural gas as a feedstock, many plastics in Europe are made from oil.

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WORLD NEWS-1.indd 78

Young, wild BASF presents new designer shoes in Milan

BASF presented its latest developments with Elastopan® (PU systems) and Elastollan® (TPU) with an expert team at SIMAC, the international machinery and technology trade fair for footwear in Milan, from 20-22 February. Visitors were able to see high-performance sole materials, groundbreaking shoe concepts and broad expertise in footwear.

Light and flexible soles – these are two central requirements for slippers – for which BASF has set a new benchmark.

With Elastopan® ULD (ULD = ultra-low density) a density up to 30% lower compared to conventional slipper systems

(from 280 to 200 kg/m3) – depending on the model – can be reached. This system is softer and more flexible, thus leading to an increased wearing comfort, and lighter at the same time. Despite its low density, the new material offers excellent processing properties thus ensuring more comfort not just when being worn.

At SIMAC, BASF also presented the latest design creations of students from Politecnico Calzaturiero. Under the motto ‘Young City Wild’, the prospective shoe designers developed unisex sneakers. ‘Blood Diamond’ by Diego Turrin was inspired by the diamond war

By Frank Esposito, ONE GOOD RESIN, www.plasticnews.com

DC Comics is doubling down on Plastic Man. The Stretchable Sleuth already is appearing as a member of new super-team The Terrifics and in June will get his own solo miniseries.

And for the first time, Plastic Man’s antics will be handled by a pair of female creators — writer Gail Simone and artist Adriana Melo. The upcoming six-issue series “is sexy and stretchy and I’m seriously hoping it offends ALL the best people!” Simone said in a 13 March news release from DC. Simone went further in describing Plastic Man. “He’s the jester, the joke, the stretchy weirdo,” she said. “He’s not credible. He’s not reliable. He’s … well, he’s Plastic Man. He’s like a stretchy Swamp Thing or the bouncy Batman,” she added. “Writing him is a goofy, snarky honour and I’m thrilled to be part of his rubber ribaldry.”

Simone added that Plastic Man, who’s been bouncing around the pop culture world since 1941, is “the original humour hero jock.”

Keep an eye out for Plastic Man # 1, coming to a comic shop near you in June.

Plastic Man has been bouncing around the pop culture world since 1941

www.basf.com

2018/04/13 11:50

and light in Sierra Leone. The model from Greta Concolato connects the urban landscape with the art of recycling.

The hybrid shoe from Marco Degan is a sneaker which can also be worn as a sandal or boot and consists of an innovative material mix. The prototype from Nicolò Guido divides the shoe into the two hemispheres of man and nature and the connecting middle section is designed as a hand grenade.

BASF have also launched a footwear app which is a consolidated platform of information

about BASF’s wide range of footwear products. It gives a quick overview of which products are suitable for which applications, shows ideal production and processing methods and presents the characteristics of the respective products in detail. Via the app, it is possible to ask experts questions quickly and easily. The app also provides interesting insights into successful customer projects and presents the latest trends about footwear. www.basf.com

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WORLD NEWS-1.indd 79

that performs differently during processing as well as recycling. It’s typically a shade of blue in thermoformed medical applications, and not typically found in the recycling stream, Standish explained.

“All we really did in California, we introduced a piece of legislation that really clarified their existing law,” APR executive director Steve Alexander said. “All we did was just reinforce the definition of what PET was for the purposes of the resin identification code in California.”

California emerged as an important market to make the distinction due to the state’s Rigid Plastic Packaging Container Law, which assesses fees to container makers based on the resin used, Alexander explained.

“There’s a huge financial incentive to label your product anything but a No 7, if you will, so that’s certainly a part of it. But there’s also the negative connotation of a 7 being less than optimally recyclable,” Alexander said.

PETG, he said, “wasn’t a 1, that’s all we were saying, and the legislature agreed with us.”

APR / MAY 2018

When is PET not PET? When it is PETG. To the typical consumer, the difference between PET and glycol-modified PET is simply a letter. But to a polymer scientist there’s a huge difference, especially when it comes to recycling.

That’s why the US’s Association of Plastic Recyclers worked for years to clarify that difference in California, culminating in the recent passage of a new law that defines exactly what constitutes PET. A workhorse of the container business, PET is the most recycled resin, especially in bottle bill states like California, where there is a financial incentive to recapture the material.

The resin identification code for years has labelled PET as a No. 1. But some PETG-container makers also have been putting a No. 1 code on their products. And that’s a problem because PET and PETG perform differently during the recycling process, explained APR technical director John Standish.

PETG flakes, when recycled, end up glomming on to PET flake to create clumps that disrupt processes and equipment.

“PETG is a copolymer, so it’s a polyester.

But it’s a different composition than the PET that’s used to make injection stretch blow moulded bottles, which are what a Coke bottle, a Pepsi bottle, a single-serve water bottle are made from,” Standish said.

The introduction of glycol to create PETG from PET creates a distinct material, one

At SIMAC, BASF also presented the latest design creations of students from Politecnico Calzaturiero

PETG 3D printer filament

2018/04/13 11:49

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World News

AROUND THE WORLD

BASF joins the World Plastics Council

BASF has joined the World Plastics Council (WPC), a global organization of key leaders in the plastics industry. The WPC promotes industry topics of global relevance like the responsible use of plastics, efficient waste management and solutions to marine littering.

“Doing business in a sustainable manner is an integral part of BASF’s strategy and has been a central inspiration already since its foundation. For example, using by-products of one plant as raw materials for another does limit waste generation and increase efficiency. This Verbund principle is part of BASF’s identity,” explained Raimar Jahn, President Performance Materials, BASF. “Additionally, we are involved in initiatives addressing global challenges and engaging entire value chains such as Operation Clean Sweep. We implement this international program designed to retain plastic pellets from getting lost in the environment,” said Jahn. “Joining the WPC is a way to be further involved in creating a world that provides a viable future with enhanced quality of life for everyone.”

According to WPC, the industry has partnered in many efforts to investigate and prevent marine debris around the world under the ‘Declaration of the Global Plastics Associations for Solutions on Marine Litter’.

This has been signed by 70 plastics associations in 35 countries. The most recent Progress Report lists 260 projects that have been completed or are in progress in various parts of the world.

Chinese recyclers shifting operations to elsewhere in Asia

PLASTICS recyclers in China, impacted by their government’s crackdown on imported scrap materials, still have interest in setting up operations in the United States.

But they are now more focused on finding locations in Asia that they will be able to get up and running more quickly, said Steve Wong, managing director of Fukutomi Co Ltd. Wong, who lives in Los Angeles and has recycling operations in Asia, has been a voice helping explain and decipher the impacts of China’s National Sword program on countries around the world that once heavily relied on that market.

He also serves as executive president of the China Scrap Plastics Association, which was at the recent Plastics Recycling 2018 conference in Nashville to continue exploring opportunities for the group’s members in the United States.

He believes China’s decision will ultimately be good for domestic recycling in that country as well as in other countries throughout the world, including the United States.

“To Chinese companies, they either have to invest in other countries or recycle materials in China or they just change their business.” Even though China does not import materials anymore, the country still has a great need for recycled plastics to make new products, he added. That means China will have to collect more of its own used plastics.

Another obstacle facing US-based recyclers is the fact that they face import duties if they send recycled pellets to China, while importers from other Asian countries are not subject to the same treatment.

Songwon’s Ulsan team after successful startup of the new DCPD phenol monomer production line

Songwon begins

large-scale manufacture of functional monomers in South Korea Ongoing technology development and upscaling of production HAVING started to develop functional monomers about two years ago, Songwon has now begun bulk manufacture at its production site in Ulsan, South Korea. These monomers provide resins and polymers with special functions, one of the most important being improvement of the physical and chemical properties of the final product. Applications include resins, sealants, adhesives and engineering plastics designed for use in coatings, the automotive sector and electronic packaging.

The first functional monomers manufactured in Ulsan are dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) phenol oligomers (known in the industry as ERM-6085 and ERM6140, for example, depending on softening point) and bisphenol

trimethylcyclohexane (BP-TMC).

DCPD functions mainly as an epoxy resin modifier in chain extending reactions and is primarily used in the manufacture of epoxy composites. The softening point and functionality of DCPD phenol resins can be widely varied and these products are therefore ideally suited to serve the growing market for special epoxy resins that exhibit high dielectric constants and low dissipation factors at high frequencies.

They are, for instance, used for wiring boards and packaging material that can meet the new 5G transmission standard requirements. www.songwon.com

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World News

Microplastics

found in 90% of bottled water

Plastic fibres in bottled water brands could be twice as high as those found in tap water THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced a review into the potential risks of plastic in drinking water after a new analysis of some of the world’s most popular bottled water brands found that more than 90% contained tiny pieces of plastic. A previous study also found high levels of microplastics in tap water.

According to The Guardian In the new study, analysis of 259 bottles from 19 locations in nine countries across 11 different brands found an average of 325 plastic particles for every litre of water being sold. Of the 259 bottles tested, only 17 were free of plastics, according to the study.

Scientists based at the State University of New York in Fredonia were commissioned by journalism project Orb Media to analyse the bottled water. The scientists wrote they had “found roughly twice as many plastic particles within bottled water” compared with their previous study of tap water.

According to the new study, the most common type of plastic fragment found was polypropylene.

The bottles analysed were bought in the US, China, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Lebanon, Kenya and Thailand.

Scientists used Nile red dye to fluoresce particles in the water – the dye tends to stick to the surface of plastics but not most natural materials.

(

The study has not been published in a journal and has not been through scientific peer review. Dr Andrew Mayes, a University of East Anglia scientist who developed the Nile red technique, told Orb Media he was “satisfied that it has been applied carefully and appropriately, in a way that I would have done it in my lab”.

A World Health Organisation said that although there was not yet any evidence on impacts on human health, it was aware it was an emerging area of concern. The spokesman said the WHO would “review the very scarce available evidence with the objective of identifying evidence gaps, and establishing a research agenda to inform a more thorough risk assessment.”

A second unrelated analysis, also just released, was commissioned by campaign group Story of Stuff and examined 19 consumer bottled water brands in the US. It also found plastic microfibres were widespread.

Abigail Barrows, who carried out the research for Story of Stuff in her laboratory in Maine, said there were several possible routes for the plastics to be entering the bottles.

“Plastic microfibres are easily airborne. Clearly that’s occurring not just outside but inside factories. It could come in from fans or the clothing being worn,” she said.

)

AROUND THE WORLD

According to the new study, the most common type of plastic fragment found was polypropylene

Mexican companies launch EPS recycling project PET recycling in Mexico is big business.

Not so much for expanded polystyrene recycling. That may be about to change. Three Mexican companies presented what they described as Latin America’s first national plan for the management of EPS waste in March, explaining that the so-called ‘mixed’ initiative has the approval and support

of the federal environment and natural resources secretariat, not to mention plastics industry association Anipac and chemical industry body CIPRES-Aniq.

The plan “establishes the procedures to allow society in general, processors and EPS producers from all corners of the country to join forces and exercise a correct and responsible use of EPS waste.”

Annual EPS consumption in Mexico is 125,000 metric tons, of which only

5-6% is recycled. Mexico has a distinct shortage of waste EPS collection points. The first one was opened eight years ago in Atlacomulco, in the State of Mexico, and the second opened in Mexico City in 2016. This year the plan is to open one in Monterrey and another in Guadalajara. In 2019, the plan is to open another six across the country. Among the objectives of the new initiative is the manufacture of new products.

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- passionate about the plastic industry.

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Supplier of:

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Diary PETNOLOGY AMERICAS 2018 THE Packaging Conference and PETnology join forces to present their first joint PET conference in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, from 25-26 June. This new joint conference has been created to meet the needs of the PET industry for open discussion on innovation, technology and business opportunities.

The one-and-a-half-day event will focus on technical, market and environmental presentations by top-level executives, insightful panel discussions along with a range of networking opportunities and exhibitions during the entire event. www.petnologyamericas.com

COMING UP

TOP MATERIAL SUPPLIERS DUE AT COMPOUNDING WORLD EXPO BASF, Borealis and Evonik are among the latest companies to book stands at the Compounding World Expo, which will take place at Messe Essen in Germany on 27-28 June. More than 70% of stands have already been taken at the exhibition, which is being organised by AMI and Compounding World magazine.

“We are delighted that BASF, Borealis, and Evonik have joined our fast-growing list of Compounding World Expo exhibitors,” said Andy Beevers, AMI’s director of events and digital publications.

“Visitors to the event will be guaranteed to meet an impressive array of world-leading suppliers of polymers, additives, compounds, machinery, equipment and related services,” he added.

Companies that have already booked stands include Azo, Biesterfeld, Brabender, Buss, Campine, Coperion, Dow Corning, Econ, Elix, Farrel Pomini, Fraunhofer, HPF, ICMA San Giorgio, Imerys, IMI Fabi, JSW, Kaneka, KraussMaffei Berstorff, Leistritz, Maag, Mitsui, Mixaco, Mondo Minerals, MPI Chemie, Omya, Polyplastic Compounds, Reverté, Schenck, Solvay, Unipetrol, Velox, Vertellus, Zeppelin and many more.

Admission to the Compounding World Expo and its conferences and seminars will be free of charge. Exhibition packages start at €2700 for a 9m² shell-scheme space plus unlimited exhibitor passes and extensive marketing support.

PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD EXHIBITION IN 2018 The Plastics Recycling World Exhibition in 2018 will be co-located with Compounding World Expo and will take place at Messe Essen in Germany from 27-28 June. Free online registration has opened.

By registering in advance, visitors will receive free admission to both the Plastics Recycling World Exhibition 2018 and the Compounding World Expo 2018, which will take place simultaneously in adjacent halls at Messe Essen and will feature more than 160 leading suppliers. They will also receive free entry to three conference theatres hosting technical presentations, educational seminars and business debates. In addition, there will be a networking party on the evening of 27 June.

Topics being covered in the free debates and presentations at Essen will include: market analysis; regulatory issues; developing the circular economy; improving the properties of recyclates; sorting and separation technologies; PET recycling; odour reduction; legacy additives; and the future for recycling plastics from packaging, vehicles and electrical and electronic equipment.

To book your free ticket, which is valid for both exhibitions over the two days, visit: https://plasticsrecyclingworld.eventkit.live/register 84

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5th annual Manufacturing Indaba to highlight sector’s impact on job creation Manufacturing sector proves to be job creation engine of SA THE 5th annual Manufacturing Indaba will be hosted at Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg from 19-20 June. The event will comprise a two-day conference and exhibition and is hosted in partnership with the Department of Trade & Industry (the dti), the Department of Science & Technology, the Manufacturing Circle and the NCPC-SA. The event is designed specifically for private and public company representatives to hear from industry experts as they unpack challenges and find solutions for growth across the manufacturing sectors and explore regional trade into Africa. The 2015 event will launch the IoT / Industry 4.0 Conference aligned to the Manufacturing Indaba as an official side event.

South Africa’s manufacturing sector remains one of the key contributors to GDP growth and direct employment, whilst other sectors – specifically the services sector – merely trigger a rise in employment as a result of the increased demand of a growing GDP. It’s therefore imperative for key industry players to acknowledge the direct and indirect impact that manufacturing growth has on boosting economy-wide employment.

Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies commented on the state of manufacturing, World Trade Organisation and the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP), in parliament that the manufacturing sector is fundamental in creating and securing jobs in the economy. He stated that despite the negative impact of digital innovations on manufacturing, positive spinoffs, such as linkages and growth in the service sectors that upheld jobs in the economy were observed.

“Though the sector has many challenges and the economy is not performing as well as it ought to be

(

performing, the performance in (the) manufacturing sector is clearly doing a lot better than it would have been if we hadn’t been doing the things we have been doing over the last few years especially the intervention in the automotive sector, clothing and textile, agro-processing, film and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and others,” stated Davies. *

)

South Africa’s manufacturing sector remains one of the key contributors to GDP growth and direct employment

While a significant job-generating engine to the economy, the manufacturing industry also has significant linkages to primary, secondary and tertiary economic sectors, thereby substantially driving certain aspects of South Africa’s economy in terms of employment, compensation, GDP, exports and capital investment. These influential linkages, deem restructuring of the South African economy a necessity towards providing greater support for the manufacturing sector.

Evidently, reindustrialisation, coupled with job creation, are critical factors in securing South Africa’s future economic success and the manufacturing sector is a significant driving force in bringing these elements into fruition.

Forming a central part of the 5th edition of the Manufacturing Indaba’s conference discussions is the sector’s fundamental contribution to job creation in South Africa, along with the plethora of opportunities that will subsequently transpire.

Anyone invested in or affected by the manufacturing industry, be it directly or indirectly, will gain considerable insight from attending this discussion.

www.manufacturingindaba.co.za

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High temperatureresistant grades of PA66 Charge air cooler inlet

Pipes Technologies Conference in Jo’burg

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ASCEND Performance Materials, the world’s largest fully integrated producer of nylon 6,6 resin, will introduce XHT, a new series of extreme heat-resistant Vydyne® at NPE. The new series will debut with two grades designed for demanding automotive applications and capable of withstanding prolonged exposure at 210 C and 230 C. Utilizing modifications in polymer and heat stabilization technologies, the Vydyne XHT series is an alternative to higher cost materials typically specified for these applications. It will provide OEMs and tier one suppliers more reliable parts in high-heat under-the-hood applications, like charge air coolers and air ducts.

“This is a step change in Ascend’s heat resistance portfolio,” said Scott Rook, Ascend’s vice president of nylon. “The XHT series helps meet the increasing demands placed on today’s vehicles and allows our customers to target several new applications.”

APR / MAY 2018

THE Pipes Technologies Conference makes its annual return to the Emperors Palace Convention Centre, Johannesburg on 24-25 May. The two-day conference will cover pipe systems and latest technologies used in infrastructure applications such as drinking water supply and distribution; gas transmission and distribution; drainage and sewerage; road and land drainage; cable protection; and district heating.

There is no doubt that pipelines lie at the heart of many a country’s infrastructure.

The economic convenience of pipelines as a form of transportation are evidenced by the fact that, of the over 3,5million kilometres of pipelines in the world, 75% is shared by three of the most developed countries in the world – the USA (65%), Russia (8%) and Canada (3%). Locally, Transnet controls almost 4,000km of pipelines, mainly in the oil and gas sector, and these add to the thousands more that transverse cities underground as they move water, sewerage and other material.

Topics to be discussed at the conference include development in production technology, technology in large-diameter pipes, inline inspection, maintenance and repair, trenchless technology, design, certification, regulations and standards expected on the technologies. On a larger and more commercial scale, the coming horizon of South Africa expanding exploration into gas as a source of energy has opened doors for players in the pipeline industry, as the expansion of pipeline transportation automatically translates to a bigger market for pipe products.

Designed for demanding automotive applications

www.ascendmaterials.com

www.vukanicomms.co.za/event/pipe-technologies-conference/

2018

AGRO-PR AGRO-PROCESSING WEST AFRICA 2018

2018

PRO-LABEL

2018

WEST AFRICA 2018

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Diary COMPLAST KENYA IN JULY THE Complast Kenya show, organised by Smart Expos & Fairs of India, is to be held at the Kenyatta Conference Centre in Nairobi, from 13-15 July. This is in part a sequel to the Complast show held in Sandton in November last year.

EXTRUAFRICA IN POTCH LOOKS AT ALL EXTRUSION TECHNOLOGIES THE annual ExtruAfrica conference/ exhibition takes place at North-West University in Potchefstroom from 31 July-3 August. Bringing together various extrusion technologies, for the food, snack, pet food, aqua feed and other sectors, the event includes a parallel training seminar. ExtruAfrica provides the platform for the gathering of strategic partners in total or parts of the extrusion value chain ‘between the farm gate and the end consumer’ say the organisers. www.extruafrica.org.za

COMING UP

MANUFACTURING INDABAS IN KZN, E AND W CAPE THE dates for the regional Manufacturing Indaba events have been announced. The KZN event takes place at the Durban International Convention Centre on 22 August; the Western Cape show will be held at Century City in Cape Town on 3 October; and the roadshow then culminates its SA tour with the Eastern Cape indaba at the Boardwalk Conference Centre in PE on 14 November.

Organised by the Department of Trade & Industry and Manufacturing Circle, the Manufacturing Indaba is now seen as a direct promoter of intraAfrican trade with the express aim of putting South African manufacturers in contact with new markets across Africa. www.manufacturingindaba.co.za

PROPAK WEST AFRICA IN SEPTEMBER PROPAK West Africa, due to take place at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, Nigeria, from 18-20 September, is set to be the largest edition of the event to date, with over 3,000 visitors expected and more than 150 worldwide brands represented. A wide range of brand groups participated at the 2017 show and are expected back this year, including Dangote, Nestle, Unilever, Lotus Food and Emerald Food & Beverage, as well as a contingent of equipment manufacturers and suppliers, including Kabra and others. Filmatic and Safrique of South Africa are expected to exhibit.

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Organization in full swing PLAST 2018, the International Exhibition for the Plastics and Rubber Industries, takes place at the FieraMilano facilities in Rho-Pero from, 29 May to 1 June.

PLAST 2018 will be the preeminent European event this year for the plastics and rubber industry, embracing the whole chain from raw materials to semi-finished and finished products, from machinery and equipment to support services. And, quite rightly, once again this year the fair enjoys the sponsorship of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development.

The international scope of this triennial tradeshow, now in its 18th edition, is confirmed by the impressive numbers of foreign exhibitors and visitors.

With three months to go before opening day, a total of 1,100 exhibitors have registered for PLAST 2018. Of these, 870 are direct exhibitors (one third of them foreign, representing more than 40 countries and growth of 21% in number and 24% in space allocation) and 230 are represented. A total of 52,000m2 of exhibition space has been assigned.

PLAST reflects the preeminent global

position of the Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery, equipment and moulds industry, which forms the core of the exhibition. Over 70% of national production – which hit a new all-time record value of 4.5 billion euros in 2017 according to figures from the trade association AMAPLAST, produced by 900 manufacturers employing some 14,000 people – is exported.

Italian technology (as well as that produced in Germany, Italy’s main global competitor in the sector – indeed Germany tops the list in terms of both foreign exhibitors and foreign visitors at PLAST) is purchased by converters all over the world who require high-tech capabilities to produce large volumes of quality products with optimal precision.

Again this year, PLAST will feature satellite fairs dedicated to three subsectors of excellence: RUBBER (in its third edition), 3D PLAST (focusing on additive manufacturing and related technologies, now in its second edition) and PLASTMAT (first edition, dedicated to innovative plastics). www.plastonline.org

Patent-pending technology for upgrading recycled PET

VERTELLUS, a leading global supplier of additives to the plastics and polymer industries, will introduce two innovative technologies for driving increased use of recycled polyester in nylon resins (creating alloys) and enhancing the benefits of recycled PET at NPE 2018, from 7-11 May. By enabling new alloys and compounds containing these recycled resins to deliver improved properties and processability, Vertellus’ new additive solutions will help compounders and OEMs boost sustainability and control costs without sacrificing performance.

The first new Vertellus technology to be highlighted is a novel compatibilizer for creating alloys of recycled polyester and nylon. This technology enables new materials with performance properties similar to those of virgin nylon, but with a significant cost advantage. Key properties are excellent impact strength, tensile strength and flexural modulus. Target Vertellus car parts applications for these polyester/ nylon alloys include office furniture, sporting goods, automotive parts and textile fibers.

Vertellus will also showcase a novel, patent-pending technology for upgrading recycled PET and, potentially, bio-plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA). This new additive is expected to deliver higher clarity and better performance at lower dosages. www.vertellus.com

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COMING UP

INTERNATIONAL NO-DIG SA IN OCTOBER THE 36th International Society for Trenchless Technology (ISTT) No-Dig South Africa Conference & Exhibition will be hosted by the Southern African Society for Trenchless Technology on 8-9 October at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in Cape Town.

The event is a unique opportunity for suppliers to showcase products and services at the only event in the African continent to focus on trenchless technology. A huge programme of new infrastructure installations, as well as extensive renovation to ageing underground services continue to be carried out across South Africa, particularly in the major conurbations.

As a result there is high demand for engineers, planners, contractors and operators to see first hand the products on display, to evaluate the benefits of using trenchless methods in underground pipeline construction and maintenance.

Among displays at No-Dig SA will be horizontal directional drilling equipment (HDD), pipe rammers, pipe bursters, pipe inspection, CCTV surveying, pipes and lining materials, cleaning equipment, consulting services – and much more. An integral part of the event is the conference programme which will include a newly updated Trenchless Masterclass presented by speakers from the ISTT. www.nodigsouthafrica.com

Clariant takes Chinaplas 2018 visitors on a futuristic drive Supporting significant OEM investment in electric vehicles CLARIANT is stepping up a gear for Chinaplas 2018 from 24-27 April in Shanghai, with an augmented reality electric car ready to immerse visitors in an inspiring tour of efficient and creative ways for the automotive industry to meet lifestyle trends and fulfil challenging requirements for higher performance, lighter weight vehicles and reduced emissions.

Climb aboard, peruse the exterior and get under the hood! Clariant gets behind the significant OEM investment and consumer interest in electric vehicles in China with solutions to the particular performance and safety challenges of Electro-mobility. Passengers and hotspot users will explore how its additives, masterbatches and pigments contribute sustainably to improving the functionality, safety and aesthetics of a multitude of plastics, coatings and textile applications.

Virtual interaction with highlighted products offers in-depth insight.

Among the featured innovations are: • Weight reduction and productivity boost for exterior parts: using Hydrocerol®

•

•

foaming agents for the production of running boards, manufacturers can achieve an exceptional 5-20% weight saving with no decrease in parts’ performance and a productivity increase due to shorter cycle times.

Long-lasting surface aesthetics and a healthier, odorless interior: maintain the aesthetics of Thermoplastic Polyolefins (TPO) interior parts while also reducing fogging and VOC emissions with the exceptional sulfur-free heat and light shield AddWorks® ATR 146.

Safer fire protection for vehicle plastics: Clariant’s Exolit® OP 1400, a highly stable non-halogenated phosphinate based flame retardant, offers excellent processing stability at low dosage to polyamides used in electrical and structural automotive parts. It is suitable for hot and humid environments and has

manufacturing indaba 19 – 20 JUNE 2018 SANDTON CONVENTION CENTRE, JOHANNESBURG

Our exciting format has the same professional finish and proven track record of previous years but we’re offering more value than ever before.

Get your free ticket giving you access to:

Get your free ~ 180+ leadingticket suppliers: figiving nd the perfect you partners to help you grow your business access to: ~ Three free conference theatres with technical presentations, ~ Two large exhibitions focused on plastics recycling and compounding

WHAT’S CHANGED? Manufacturing Indaba 2018 has a new home – the centrally located Sandton Convention Centre.

WHAT’S NEW? Launch of our aligned and increasingly relevant Industry 4.0 / Internet of Things Conference.

WHAT’S BIGGER? With a bigger venue than ever before, we’re able to introduce our Small Business Indaba Exhibition to help small manufacturers grow!

WHAT’S OUR FOCUS? Intra-African trade: our Country Pavilions will connect South African manufacturers with new markets across the continent.

training seminars & business debates

~ 70+ expert speakers: theexhibitions decision makers driving the - Twomeet large industry forward

focused on plastics recycling

~ Thousands of visitors: meet new business contacts to grow and compounding your network ~ One great location: Access the plastics industry based in 180+ leading Germany’s-industrial heartlandsuppliers: find

the perfect partners to help you grow your business

Get your free ticket today

>> www.go.ami. international/ cwe18-prwe18-register/

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- Three free conference theatres with technical presentations, training seminars & business debates

With more potential for new business and high visibility for 2018, early booking for Manufacturing Indaba is essential!

Exhibition bookings open

REGISTER TO EXHIBIT TODAY! www.manufacturingindaba.co.za

2018/04/12 15:34

producing high-quality LFT compounds

Diary

Pultrusion lines, peripherals for One-stop shop supplier for the production of long fibre reinforced thermoplastics

Clariant will feature an augmented reality electric car at its stand

HCJH uses the ProTec pultrusion line to produce a variety of LFT pellets with a variable polymer matrix and different fiber contents, which its customers convert for example into washing machine parts

www.sp-protec.com

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www.clariant.com/chinaplas

Automotive parts produced from LFT pellets include front-end modules

processing supplier covers moderate throughputs from 5 kg/h to 150 kg/h and drying temperatures from 60°C to 140°C. ProTec’s pultrusion lines are capable of manufacturing LFT pellets from many fibre-polymer combinations, even difficult to process pairings such as carbon fibre and polypropylene (PP).

APR / MAY 2018

been awarded the Clariant EcoTain® label for outstanding sustainability and best-in-class performance.

Low halogen controlled (LHC) colorants achieve the typical “warning orange” for high voltage charging cables and connectors, complying with the industry’s halogen-free standards.

Clariant’s PV Fast Orange colorants are part of a full range of LHC pigments offering excellent weather-fastness and heat-resistance for electric vehicle charging cables, charging stations and connectors.

PROTEC will be presenting pultrusion lines for economically producing highquality long fibre reinforced thermoplastics (LFT) at this year’s Chinaplas in Shanghai from 24-27 April. These lines are capable of fully automatically processing numerous materials and can be combined and networked at will with components from ProTec’s comprehensive materials handling range.

ProTec will also be showing its flexible RDM-40 resin dryer as a representative of the wide range available. This mobile auxiliary unit has an Industry 4.0-capable controller, is particularly efficient thanks to its energy-saving features and is easy to clean. The RDM series from this German one-stop shop plastics

• Official Distributor in Southern Africa for BASF

on TPU Elastollan® Thermoplastic Polyurethane

• Official Distributor in Southern Africa for Elastron on TPE, TPV Elastron® SEBS and EPDM/PP

• Official Distributor in Southern Africa for CGFSE on FSE® Fluoroelastomers and Perfluoroelastomers

• Distributor for Weifang on Weipren CPE • Suppliers of EPS, Various Grades • Engineering Polymers • Polyolefins • Reworked and Repaletised Materials ®

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Maximizing performance of PP

Impact Copolymers for injection moulding Make plastics clearer, better and faster

NX UltraClear PP, a polypropylene clarified with Milliken’s Millad® NX 8000 clarifier, enhances the aesthetics, clarity and quality of PP applications. This high-performance technology encourages the broader use of PP, which combines high temperature resistance with glass-like transparency, light weight and easy recyclability. Milliken’s ClearTint colorants are FDA compliant and provide bright, rich and transparent colors to PP applications.

The new performance modifier improves the impact resistance and melt flow properties of PP ICPs, enhancing their strength and support for cost-effective downgauging, respectively. The new Hyperform HPN nucleator maximizes stiffness, which also enables thinner gauges. Also on display, ClearShield UV absorbers for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) provide exceptional UV protection and improved colour stability to extend the shelf life of foods and beverages, personal care products and household cleaners.

Millad NX 8000 clarifier enhances productivity by enabling broader use of PP, whose lower processing temperatures increase production speeds in injection moulding. Similarly, Hyperform HPN nucleating agents’ ability to create a unique crystal orientation in PP and PE shortens cooling times and contributes to higher productivity. Both of these technologies and the new performance modifier are suitable for PP grades with high melt flow, which also facilitates faster cycle times.

MILLIKEN & COMPANY will feature its extensive portfolio of additive technologies for improving the clarity, performance and processing of polyolefins at NPE 2018. The company will also launch two new products: a unique performance modifier for injection-moulded polypropylene (PP) impact copolymers (ICPs), and the latest technology in its Hyperform® HPN family of nucleating agents, which is specifically designed to maximize stiffness in PP ICPs. Both of these novel technologies will significantly change the way PP ICPs perform, particularly regarding impact strength, stiffness and melt flow. By improving the physical properties of post-consumer recycled resins, the new performance modifier allows converters to take greater advantage of their cost and sustainability benefits.

Milliken will also showcase advanced technologies that address the plastics industry’s need for improvements in material clarity, performance and processing.

Hyperform® Nucleating agents and Milliken’s New Performance Modifier Offer PP and PE applications a unique balance of mechanical properties and enable a higher level of productivity

www.milliken.com

2018 Performance Polypropylene Cologne, Germany

11-12 April www.ami.international

Plastic Pouches Vienna, Austria

24-25 April www.amiplastics.com

Chinaplas Hongqiao, Shanghai, China

24-27 April www.chinaplasonline.com

Medtech Innovation Expo Ricoh Arena, Coventry, UK

25-26 April mtiexpo@dynamail.co.uk

ANTEC Orlando, Florida, USA

7-10 May www.4spe.org

NPE Orlando, Florida, USA

7-11 May www.npe.org

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Plastic Closure Innovations Berlin, Germany

22-24 May www.ami.international

Pipes Technologies Conference 24-25 May Emperors Palace Convention Centre www.vukanicomms.co.za PLAST 2018 Milan, Italy Rotomould Fiji

29 May-1 June www.plastonline.org 3-5 June www.rotomouldconference.com.au

Manufacturing Indaba 19-20 June Sandton Convention Centre www.manufacturingindaba.co.za

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Polymer Foam Pittsburgh, USA

19-20 June www.ami.international/events

PETnology Americas Atlanta, Georgia, USA

25-26 June www.petnology.com

Compounding World Expo 27-28 June Messe Essen, Germany www.compoundingworldexpo.com Plastics Recycling World 27-28 June Messe Essen, Germany www.plasticsrecyclingworld.eventkit Complast Kenya Nairobi

13-15 July www.complastexpo.in

ExtruAfrica NW University, Potchefstroom

31 July-3 August www.extruafrica.org.za

Manufacturing Indaba KZN 22 August Int’l Convention Centre, Durban www.manufacturingindaba.co.za Propak West Africa Lagos, Nigeria Plastic Pipes XIX Las Vegas, USA

18-20 September www.propakwestafrica.com 24-26 September www.pvc4pipes.com

Foam Expo Europe Hanover, Germany

16-18 October www.foam-expo.eu

Eurasian Composites 25-27 October Istanbul Expo Centre, Turkey www.eurasiancomposites.com Int’l Composites Congress 5-6 November Stuttgart, Germany www.composites-germany.org Manufacturing Indaba E Cape 14 November Boardwalk Conference Centre, PE www.manufacturingindaba.co.za PU Tech Africa 20-21 November Sandton Convention Centre expo@technobiz-asia.com Valve World Expo Düsseldorf, Germany

27-29 November www.valveworldexpo.de

2019 Propak Africa 2019 12-15 March Expo Centre Nasrec, Johannesburg www.propakafrica.co.za

Manufacturing Indaba W Cape 3 Oct CTICC, Cape Town www.manufacturingindaba.co.za

Africa Automation Fair 2019 4-6 June Ticketpro Dome, Northgate, Joburg www.africaautomationfair.com

No Dig South Africa CTICC, Cape Town

K Düsseldorf, Germany

8-9 October www.nodigsouthafrica.com

16-23 October www.k-online.com

2018/04/12 15:34

CLASSIFIED ADVERTS Advertisers:– Apr / May 2018 Advertisers: ACD Rotoflo Brenntag SA Cabletech Marketing Carst & Walker Chemfit Complast 2018 Compounding World Expo DemaPlastech DH Polymers Dream Weaver Trading Ferro GPS Plastics GreenTech Machinery Hestico Huarong Plastic Machinery Ipex Machinery Jenowill Manufacturing Indaba Maritime Marketing Masterbatch SA MBT MGMW Trading MJH Machine Tools Mould Base Nissei ASB Orion Engineered Carbons Pelchem Performance Colour Systems Pioneer Plastics Pipe Technology Conference Plastomark Powderplast POLYCO Propak West Africa Protea Chemicals Rajoo Engineers Rapid Granulator Rawmac Relloy Safripol SAPY Colours Servochem SES Skyland Masterbatch Sun Ace Venture Plastics Vishva Exim West African Group Zerma Africa

37 IFC Insert 49 15 87 88 IBC 89 39 57 21 09 53 55 40 03 88 01 24 13 68 23 59 65 63 41 31 35 89 27,29 51 45 85 19 61 73 71 47,75 05 77 17 83 67 81 11 69 43 OBC

THERMOFORMING, SHEET EXTRUSION, AND MATERIALS THERMOFORMING TECHNOLOGY

SAVE 90% of your electricity use with GN! • GN (Canada): machines for reduced waste and reduced energy • Thermoforming Moulds for GN and other thermoformers • ToolVu technology for productivity and NEW quality improvement on thermoforming machines • Complete lines for EPS foam trays and EPS cup moulding NEW

EXTRUSION TECHNOLOGY FROM AGRIPAK OF ITALY Mono & multi-layer extrusion lines for the production of: • ‘Cartonplast’ (twinwall/hollow profile sheet) • Multilayer sheet for packaging • Semi-foamed sheet for thermoforming

WE BUY PVC

MATERIALS FOR THERMOFORMED PACKAGING

• Sealing films for trays and top web for FFS machines • OPS, PP, PET sheet for general packaging • PP/EVOH/PP for high barrier containers

BRE INNOVATIONS Contact: Tim Forshaw (083 381 5253) or Phil Hopkinson (083 408 5253) or 021 671 5253 or mail to tim@bre.co.za

Recycle your plastic with us

We buy most forms of clean factory waste

Contact: Desiré Preston for more info Tel: 011 894 3520 | Cell: 083 774 6038 | Email: desire@jcl.co.za www.jcl.co.za

WE BUY CLEAN FACTORY WASTE AND SCRAP PVC B4 PLASTICS PIPE MANUFACTURERS 011 825 0449 : 082 829 3084 B4PLASTICS@GMAIL.COM 13 KESWICK ROAD, GERMISTON, EXT 3

To place a classified advert please Fax: 086 519 6089 or Tel: 021 712 1408 or E-mail: saplastics@iafrica.com

www.saplastics.co.za

Poly and the Poopy Heads – new kid’s book teaches recycling A NEW illustrated book encourages young children to think about how everyday things are made and if they can be recycled. Mechanical engineer Eric Larson of San Diego in the US wrote the basic story for ‘Poly and the Poopy Heads, a Story about Plastics and Recycling’, and retired technical industrial designer Hans Koopman of Kamloops, of British Columbia, did the

illustrations. Although in different locations, Larson and Koopman connected while each worked with DuPont Co’s engineering polymers business.

The story examines how things are made and potentially recycled and is “intended to teach children the importance of asking questions, especially when rules are being made by poopy heads”, the book says.

Larson drew inspiration from the whimsical depictions of Dr. Seuss.

The book has other colourful characters. Toss It Tommy and Lazy Larry, who throw everything away, everywhere, and brainless politicians Darling Debbie and Smiling Steve, are the ‘poopy heads’.

The book is targeted at children between the ages of 4 and 8.

• Deep Root Press of San Diego published “Polly and the Poopy Heads,” which is available in hardback or E-book formats for $8.95 through Amazon.com.

APR / MAY 2018

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Sport

A new continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composite (CFRTP) from Covestro is pushing boundaries. It can easily be manufactured in large quantities and is not brittle – unlike conventional synthetic resin composites

Time for a change of guard in the bicycle sector!

92 APRIL / MAY 2018

CFRTP composites from Covestro make mountain bikes safer RESTRICTIONS on synthetic resin composites, such as the mass production capability and intrinsic brittleness of the material, could soon be a thing of the past thanks to Covestro’s new lightweight CFRTP composites (continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic). The impact-resistant matrix material polycarbonate further increases safety – and the popular carbon look is also included. CFRTP composites also increase the costeffectiveness of production.

Experienced developer, Dr Niccolo Pini, founder and managing director of Next Composites GmbH in Otelfingen, Switzerland (a company of Ensinger GmbH), has kept up with the latest materials that the market offers. His latest highlight is a pedal crank made of CFRTP, the new high-performance composites in Covestro’s portfolio.

The part is not only extremely light and robust, but also looks great due to the carbon fibre optic. Thanks to the new manufacturing possibilities of Next Composites, it can be reproducibly and

automatically produced – with all the advantages for component quality.

Covestro CFRTPs – continuous carbon fibres impregnated with the high-performance plastic polycarbonate - offer enormous strengths thanks to the fibre reinforcement, but thanks to its thermoplastic matrix, it can also be processed mechanically and significantly faster than epoxy-based systems There are also considerable economic advantages in terms of posttreatment: traditionally manufactured composites made of synthetic resin and carbon fibre usually has to be laboriously treated with fillers, reground and polished in order to satisfy the aesthetic demands of the customers.

According to Pini, a ‘classic’ carbon frame passes through up to 70 pairs of hands in the course of its manufacture.

Approximately 120 working hours are required to bring the component to the retailer – and half of this time is needed for rework. With Covestro CFRTP, the component has a high-quality surface

finish and comes out of the machine practically ready for sale. And with a weight of 150 grams, the new crank is still incredibly light despite its loadbearing capacity.

The matrix material polycarbonate also offers clear advantages.

Thermoset materials like those often used in the manufacture of carbon fibre composites tend to be brittle and break easily, whereas polycarbonate is also able to withstand violent blows.

Another advantage is that the toughness of the plastic material means that metal inlays, which are commonplace with synthetic resin composites, can be largely dispensed with when processing Covestro’s CFRTP tapes. Dr Pini and his colleagues simply cut their threads into the moulded crank – ready. At present, they only need a single inlay and that too should soon be a thing of the past.

www.covestro.com

We make things better

Speak to us..

We know hot runners!

TEL: 011 462 2990

info@demaplastech.co.za

www.demaplastech.co.za

The Home of Size Reduction

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