CPL - June 2022

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JUNE 2022

THE HEAT IS ON Make sure your dryers run optimally this summer

How smart does SIZE REDUCTION have to be?

The latest ADDITIVES for post-consumer resins

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contents JUNE 2022 VOLUME 81 • NUMBER 3

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Russia is in the news these days for all the wrong reasons. In a report in the June 1967 issue of Canadian Plastics, Russia was featured for another wrong reason: we reported that Canada’s plastics and synthetic rubber exports to Russia, which had been tailing off in the 1960s from the highwater mark of $1,527,000 in 1961, actually fell to zero in 1966. Our report noted that this plummet in plastics materials exports was in stark contrast to Canada’s total exports to Russia, including wheat, which were rising steadily during the 1960s. “Total exports in 1961 were $24,276,000,” our story noted. “Last year the total was $320,605,000.”

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Number of the month:

30*

21

17

* Number of companies that have signed on to 50 per cent or more of the Canada Plastics Pact’s Golden Design Rules. (See pg. 6)

cover story

11 DRYERS: Beat the heat 4

Editor’s View: An old message that still resonates

5

Ideas & Innovations: Researchers use okra in the battle against microplastics

6

News: • Canada Plastics Pact targets ‘problematic’ materials, formats • Good Natured adds thermoforming capacity with FormTex purchase • Nova Chemicals, Enerkem take joint Edmonton project to pilot scale • Supplier News and People

28 Technology Showcase 29 Advertising Index 30 Technical Tips: The pros and cons of six injection molding materials

The summer months can bring challenges when it comes to drying resins, especially materials that are hygroscopic. Proper dryer maintenance in the spring can help avoid problems as the humidity rises.

features

17 SIZE REDUCTION: How smart do you want it?

Size reduction can be the low-tech outlier on the shop floor, and some processors like it that way. For other shops, granulators and shredders that communicate on a network, monitor performance, and report preventive maintenance data are just what they’ve been waiting for.

21 MATERIALS: A much-needed boost

A key element in making circularity a reality is ensuring plastics can be effectively recycled into materials that offer good levels of performance.

By overcoming quality issues, the newest additives for recycled resins can help.

26 EXTRUSION: In the pipeline

Manitoba-based startup Encoma has entered the HDPE pipe extrusion market with a little help from KraussMaffei.

Visit us at www.canplastics.com June 2022 Canadian Plastics

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editor’s view

Canadian Plastics magazine reports on and interprets developments in plastics markets and technologies worldwide for plastics processors, moldmakers and end-users based in Canada.

An old message that still resonates

I

’ll bet that a lot of Canadians who grew up in the 1970s and ‘80s, as I did, got their first unwitting taste of philosophy from the uncharacteristic French lyrics to a Rush song, circa 1978: plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, meaning “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

I was reminded of this expression the other day while perusing a back issue of Canadian Plastics from June 1959. The issue had a guest editorial written by Barney Danson, the owner of Toronto-based plastics machinery sales firm Barnett J. Danson & Associates Ltd., which later evolved into Danson Corp., one of Canada’s biggest processing machinery sellers in its day. The editorial argued for embracing new technology in general, and more specifically for increasing the use of automation in processing plants. I’ve been beating this particular drum for a while now – as have many others – so it was interesting to learn that it’s actually an old tune. “While a young industry, we are frequently inclined to believe our original equipment is still adequate, when in fact, it’s outdated,” Danson wrote. “Molders and extruders must not be hesitant about adopting new equipment and methods. Equipment incorporating increasing degrees of automation is being developed and improved. It increases productivity, quality, and profits while cutting rejects and costs.”

We’re no longer a young industry, but the other points in those sentences all ring true today – perhaps even truer, given such significant headwinds as bans on single-use plastics and “toxic” designations. Danson probably didn’t know it, but he was writing at the very beginning of a Golden Age for plastics – acknowledged ten years later in the famous line from The Graduate that

4 Canadian Plastics June 2022

“there’s a great future in plastics.” But even back then, it seems, the need to embrace the latest technologies was obvious – so, you can imagine how much more obvious it should be now, with Canada’s federal government and a million international anti-plastics activists all putting their thumbs on the scale against us.

Also applicable today, Danson encouraged smaller shops in particular to invest in the latest technologies to win contracts away from larger molders that were more established but also less flexible. “Small captive operations that are choosing the very best equipment in the industry are enjoying success out of proportion to their size and resources,” he wrote.

And Danson’s closing line could literally have been written today: “Encourage all of your people to develop methods and acquire equipment which will permit them to develop their abilities – and your profits – to the fullest.” Ask yourself, is there a better way to retain workers during the ongoing Great Resignation?

A good reason to treat Danson’s advice with some respect is because he was extremely savvy. After a successful career in plastics he had an equally successful national political career that ultimately saw him become Canada’s defence minister from 1976 to 1979. He then went on to help build the Canadian War Museum, and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada and then promoted to a Companion of the Order.

He was, in a manner of speaking, one of our industry’s most successful exports.

So, with things having changed but still remaining the same since 1959, processors should probably listen to him on this one.

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ideas & innovations

Researchers use okra in the battle against microplastics

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/nipaporn

W

hat do microplastics and the coronavirus have in common?

They’ve both spread prolifically to every corner of the planet, and they’re both extremely unwelcome. The difference is, there’s a vaccine against COVID-19, whereas an effective cure for microplastics remains elusive.

Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long, and one reason why they’re proliferating nearly everywhere is because they enter our water sources (including ocean water, estuary water, freshwater, and groundwater) by escaping wastewater treatment facilities, which in turn leads – as numerous studies have shown – to people throughout the world unintentionally consuming tens of thousands of particles every year. A recent study by OrbMedia analyzed 159 water samples, sourced from both tap water and bottled water in 14 countries, and found that a whopping 82 per cent of all samples contained tiny plastic particles, with an average of 4.34 plastic particles per litre of water. “Microplastics were in drinking water sources regardless of wastewater and debris infrastructure,” the study concluded.

And while microplastics themselves may not be hazardous to ingest, the substances that bind to them could potentially be toxic or harmful to the human body.

Microplastics are typically removed from water using two processes. The few that float are skimmed off the top, but the majority of microplastics are removed by adding flocculants – sticky chemicals that attract microplastics – to the water and waiting for them to form large clumps that sink to the bottom and can then be removed.

The problem is, these binding substances are potentially harmful to the body, and some of the substances used as flocculants, such as polyacrylamide, can break down into toxic chemicals under certain conditions.

But researchers at Tarleton State University in Fort Worth, Tex., might

When it comes to removing plastic microparticles from water, Tarleton State University researchers have shown that okra polysaccharides are at least as effective as potentially more harmful chemicals.

have found a better way: they’ve discovered that food-grade plant extracts from okra have the power to remove microplastics from wastewater.

JUST ADD OKRA

For the uninitiated, okra – also known as ladies’ fingers – is a flowering plant that’s used as a thickening agent in many cuisines, such as Gumbo, a stew from Louisiana; and it’s also a staple of cuisine in South Asia, where it’s called bhindi. According to Tarleton State University associate professor Rajani Srinivasan, who served as lead investigator for the project, the team was searching for non-toxic flocculant alternatives and found success with polysaccharide extracts from plants like fenugreek, cactus, aloe vera, tamarind, and the oft-slimy okra pod. It turns out that the same polysaccharides that cause okra to leave a sticky substance on your fingers when cutting and turn slimy when added to heat can also make great flocculants for cleaning water.

In the past, Srinivasan’s research focused on how extracts from okra and other plants could remove textile-based pollutants from water and microorgan-

isms. So, they decided to apply the same principles to microplastics. The researchers found that polysaccharides from okra paired with those from fenugreek could best remove microplastics from ocean water, whereas polysaccharides from okra paired with those from tamarind worked best for freshwater samples. Overall, the plant-based polysaccharides worked better than, or as well as, the traditional flocculant polyacrylamide, depending on the combination of extracts and water source. And importantly, the plant-based flocculants can be implemented in existing water treatment processes. “The whole treatment method with the non-toxic materials uses the same infrastructure,” Srinivasan said. “We don’t have to build something new to incorporate these materials for water treatment purposes.”

The scientists are now investigating how well other combinations of plant-derived polysaccharides will work on specific types of plastic microparticles, in water from a variety of sources. The process can be commercialized and used on a larger scale, Srinivasan believes, although to reach that magnitude, more field-scale experiments are required.

CPL June 2022 Canadian Plastics

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news

Canada Plastics Pact targets ‘problematic’ materials, formats

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/monticellllo

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n a bid to help companies adjust packaging design “to contribute to a circular economy for plastics packaging,” the Canada Plastics Pact (CPP) and some large brand companies have put together a list of so-called “Golden Design Rules” for both “problematic” materials to avoid – like PVC and polystyrene – and design changes to make in hard-to-recycle formats like flexibles and thermoforms.

Announced on April 13, the CPP’s commitments are voluntary, but members of the pact include some of the country’s largest consumer product makers and retailers, including Coca-Cola Co., Colgate-Palmolive, and Walmart Canada. The design rules have nine elements, include increasing value in PET recycling, removing problematic elements from packaging, increasing the recycling value in rigid HDPE and polypropylene, reducing “headspace” in packaging and eliminating plastic overwraps, as well as cutting back on virgin plastic used in business-to-business packaging.

According to the CPP, 30 Canadian companies – including 20 CPP partners – have already signed on to 50 per cent

or more of the Golden Design Rules. The new rules follow similar pledges from plastics pacts in other countries, including the U.S. earlier this year, to eliminate specific problematic materials.

The CPP is a multi-stakeholder, industry-led, crossvalue chain collaboration platform created in 2021 to tackle the nation’s plastic waste and pollution problem, and is part of a network of pacts around the world organized by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

CPL

Good Natured adds thermoforming Quebec-based Profecta Labels bought by label company Fortis capacity with FormTex purchase

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ancouver-based bioplastics maker Good Natured Products Inc. has acquired thermoforming company FormTex Plastics Corp. for $4.8 million.

FormTex, based in Houston, Tex., was founded in 1989, and produces custom plastic packaging for the medical, food, electronic, industrial, and retail end markets. The company operates seven thermoforming machines in 51,000 square feet of leased space on a 1.9-acre parcel, Good Natured said in a May 4 news release.

The combined company plans to supply extruded rollstock sheet from its Ex-Tech facility to FormTex, a move that “is expected to result in material positive financial synergies,” the news release said.

The deal is the latest in a series for Good Natured, which changed its name from Solegear Bioplastic Technologies Inc. in 2017. It acquired plastics sheet and film product maker Ex-Tech, of Richmond, Ill., in May 2021 for $14.1 million; and acquired Shepherd Thermoforming and Packaging of Brampton, Ont., in early 2021, in a move that added six thermoforming machines in 42,000 square feet of space.

CPL

6 Canadian Plastics June 2022

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uebec-based Profecta Labels Inc. has been acquired by Fortis Solutions Group LLC, a provider of high-impact printed packaging solutions, for an undisclosed amount.

Headquartered in St-Hubert, Profecta is a flexographic and digital manufacturer of labels and flexible packaging printing serving the industrial, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food and beverage markets. Products include pressuresensitive and shrink-sleeve labels, multi-ply coupon printing, extended booklet printing, pouches, folding cartons, label applicators, and variable data printing.

“We are excited to extend our footprint to Canada and partner with [Profecta owner] Pierre Roberge and his talented team to deliver additional solutions and capabilities to our customers,” Fortis president and CEO John Wynne said in an April 15 news release. “Pierre and I share similar business philosophies and we look forward to working together to build upon Profecta’s success.”

Fortis is based in Virginia Beach, Va., and is owned by private equity firm Harvest Partners LP of New York. The company has 17 locations – including in Montreal – and more than 1,100 employees.

CPL www.canplastics.com

news

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lastics recycler EFS-plastics Inc. has opened a new processing facility in Lethbridge, Alta., to increase access to recyclables needed to produce its 100 per cent post-consumer resin.

The 70,000-square-foot facility will increase EFS’ processing capacity by 10,000 metric tonnes per year, company officials said, which represents a 20 per cent increase. As of the first week of April, EFS now accepts #3-7 and #1-7 mixed rigid plastic bales from material recovery facilities (MRFs) located in the Western U.S. and Canada.

“This investment builds on the strong relationships that EFS has developed with Western MRFs since the Chinese National Sword Policy limited export of residential plastics in 2018,” said EFS president and CEO Martin Vogt. “This new location allows us to cut carbon emissions associated with transportation as we extend the impact of our highly automated, mechanical recycling operations.”

EFS was founded in 2007, and is headquartered in a 75,000-square-foot plant in Listowel, Ont., and also operates a 90,000-square-foot facility in Hazleton, Pa. CPL

Erema co-founder Georg Wendelin passes away

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lastics recycling industry pioneer Georg Wendelin, a cofounder, former managing partner, and long-time chairman of the supervisory board of Austria-based Erema Group GmbH, died on March 29 at age 84.

In 1983, Wendelin, together with Helmut Bacher and Helmuth Schulz, laid the foundations for the group of companies known today as the Erema Group when they built their first plastics recycling machine. Erema Group is currently one of the world’s biggest makers of plastics recycling systems. In 2019, Wendelin was awarded the Golden Decoration of the Republic of Austria in recognition of his work.

“With his pioneering spirit, his business acumen, and his respectful and appreciative management style, Georg Wendelin actively shaped the success of the company, attentively and proudly keeping track of how plastics recycling went from being a niche to a trend and how the Erema Group became the driving force behind the circular economy,” company officials said in a news release.

CPL

Photo Credit: Erema Group GmbH

Recycler EFS-plastics opens new processing facility in Alberta

LG Magna e-Powertrain joint venture breaks ground in Mexico

GM is the foundational customer for the new facility, Magna officials said in an April 19 news release, and it will play “a key role” in GM’s effort to build a North Americafocused EV supply chain.

The LG Magna e-Powertrain joint venture was first announced in late 2020, and is expected to fuel both companies’ growth in the EV industry.

CPL June 2022 Canadian Plastics

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Photo Credit: Magna International Inc.

L

G Magna e-Powertrain, a joint venture between LG Electronics and Canadian automotive parts maker Magna International Inc., celebrated the groundbreaking of its new plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, on April 19.

Scheduled for completion in 2023, the new facility will produce inverters, motors, and on-board chargers to support electric vehicle (EV) production for General Motors (GM).

The 260,000-square-foot plant will be LG Magna e-Powertrain’s first production base in North America and is expected to create around 400 new jobs.

“This new facility demonstrates the continuing growth of LG Magna e-Powertrain,” said Cheong Won-suk, CEO of LG Magna e-Powertrain. “The joint venture’s ongoing success will enable us to better support our customers with best-inclass components for the next generation of EVs, and help us to expand our presence in the fast-growing global EV market.”

The groundbreaking event was attended by executives from LG Magna e-Powertrain, LG Electronics, GM, and local government officials.

“In the space of just over one year, we’ve added an expansion agreement, identified a strategic location to support our customers, and are now in the process of realizing our plans,” said Tom Rucker, president of Magna Powertrain. “The building of a new facility is a true testament to the strength of this collaboration and commitment in delivering innovative solutions to customers to meet their challenges. It also reinforces our active participation in the electrification transformation, whether by eDrive subsystems or full systems.”

news

Canadian plastics industry veteran, Hall of Fame member Terry Browitt passes away

Photo Credit: Plastics Hall of Fame

T

erence (Terry) Browitt, a well-known association activist and materials distributor in Canada’s plastics industry, and a Plastics Hall of Fame member, passed away on March 23 at age 80 in Hawkesbury, Ont. Born in Nottingham, England in 1941, Browitt graduated from Queen Mary University of London with a degree in physics in 1962. After emigrating to the Montreal area later that year, he worked for Northern Electric Co., performing research and development work on plastic-insulated wire and cables; and then in 1966, cofounded Phoenix Blending Ltd., a compounding and recycling company. In 1976, Browitt founded Saint-Lazare, Que.-based resin and colour concentrate distributor Terinex International Ltd., and led the company as president until his retirement at the end of 2009, after which he remained involved as a director. Browitt’s son Paul has served as Terinex’s president since 2010.

In parallel with his working career, Browitt was also a longtime member and volunteer with several industry groups, including the U.S.-based Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA). He served as SPE president in 2001-2002 – becoming just the second Canadian to hold that post – and served on the CPIA board of directors, and as treasurer, from 2000 to 2009. He was also the chairman of the Quebec Plastics Pioneers organization for many years, and a member of the Plastic Pioneers of America since 2001. Browitt also acquired numerous awards over his career, including being named SPE Quebec Section “Man of the Year” in 1997 and 2015, and winning a CPIA Canplast award for industry volunteer work in 2003. And in 2015, Browitt was inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame.

CPL

Nova Chemicals, Enerkem take joint Edmonton project to pilot scale

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anadian firms Nova Chemicals Corp. and Enerkem Inc. are taking their chemical recycling technology to the pilot stage in Edmonton, Alta., with assistance from $4.5 million in funding from the Alberta Innovates Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction Economic Recovery Program.

The collaboration between the two firms dates back to 2020, when they first partnered to develop technology to turn non-recyclable and non-compostable municipal waste into ethylene, a basic building block of plastics.

In an April 13 news release, Nova and Enerkem officials said that this most recent round of funding enables the companies to continue construction of a pilot-scale reactor system that converts synthesis gas produced from used, nonrecyclable, and non-compostable plastics into feedstocks for virgin-grade plastics.

The project leverages the gasification expertise of Enerkem and Nova’s petrochemicals and plastic manufacturing experience “to position Alberta as a world leader in the development of a circular economy by diverting waste from landfills, creating value-added products, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” the release continued.

With the current plastics recycling rate in Canada at less than 10 per cent, the successful implementation of this technology in Alberta could reduce local CO2 emissions by approximately 165,000 tonnes of carbon waste per year, the companies said, while also diverting 230,000 tonnes of waste – including over 100,000 tonnes of mixed plastic waste – from landfills every year.

Material supplier Nova is headquartered in Calgary, and clean technology firm Enerkem – which produces biofuels and circular chemicals from waste materials – is based out CPL of Montreal.

St. Johns buys Mexican packaging converter Plásticos Uribe

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uebec-based flexible packaging supplier St. Johns Packaging Ltd. is acquiring flexible packaging converter Plásticos Uribe SA de CV, which makes flexible packaging products that are sold throughout Mexico.

The deal, for an undisclosed amount, marks the second recent purchase that St. Johns has made in Mexico.

“With the Greenfield plant we recently started up in León (Guanajuato, Mexico) and this acquisition of Plásticos Uribe, we’re investing not only to develop the local Mexican market, but also to strengthen our position in the U.S.,” St. Johns president and CEO Marc Leclair said in a May 9 news release. “By establishing a significant manufacturing presence in Mexico, our overall supply chain will be more robust and we’ll be a more reliable supplier for our longstanding North American market customers. We really look

8 Canadian Plastics June 2022

forward to working with Plásticos Uribe’s team of highly qualified and experienced employees.”

Plásticos Uribe is headquartered in Tlaquepaque, a suburb of Guadalajara.

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.-based St. Johns was founded in 1954, and makes flexible packaging for both the food and consumer product markets. Prior to its deals in Mexico, St. Johns’ most recent acquisitions were the January 2020 purchase of the assets of a blown film extrusion plant in Ho Chi Minh City; and the June 2020 purchase of Amcor Flexibles U.K. Ltd.’s Ilkeston Conversion facility, which expanded the firm’s packaging services to some of the leading baking companies in the U.K. and Europe. St. Johns currently operates manufacturing facilities in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the U.K., China, and Vietnam.

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AS CLI MATE PRO TECTION k-online.com/climate_ protection

Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce Inc. Your contact: Stefan Egge 480 University Avenue – Suite – 1500 Toronto, ON, M5G 1V2 Tel. (416)5 98-15 24 – Fax (416)5 98-18 40 messeduesseldorf@germanchamber.ca For Travel Information: LM Travel/Carlson Wagonlit Tel. (888)3 71-61 51 – Fax (866)8 80-11 21 ahoule@vovagelm.ca

news

SUPPLIER NEWS – Barrie, Ont.-based industrial equipment supplier Advanced Motion & Controls has been recognized as the only Platinum-awarded distributor in Canada for Universal Robots, a manufacturer of collaborative robots headquartered in Denmark.

– Putnam, Conn.-based materials distributor Foster Corp. has been named the North American distributor for Ascend Performance Materials’ portfolio of nylon engineered materials, including its nylon 6/6 products and long-chain and amorphous nylons.

– Shadow Automation Inc., based in Uxbridge, Ont., has been appointed as the Ontario sales representative for Rotalec, the distributors for MIR autonomous mobile robots.

– Chemistry developer Trinity Performance Ltd., headquartered in Conception Bay, Nfld., has named Mississauga, Ont.-based Andicor Specialty Chemicals Corp. as its exclusive Canadian distributor for its composites, plastics, and rubber materials; adhesive, sealants, and elastomers; and coatings and inks.

PEOPLE

Randy Schmitz

Kane Rasner

Walter Pesenti

Angela Elsey

Matthew Urban

John Burke

Matt Seaholm

Tim Glover

Glenn Anderson

– Auxiliary equipment maker ACS Group, headquartered in New Berlin, Wis., has named Randy Schmitz as vice president of operations.

– Wallace, Mich.-based blending and conveying equipment maker Advanced Blending Solutions LLC has named Kane Rasner as president.

– Pawcatuck, Conn.-based extrusion systems manufacturer Davis-Standard LLC has named Matthew Urban as capital equipment sales manager for the Thermoforming Systems LLC product line.

– Lebanon, Ore.-based extruder builder Entek Manufactuing Inc. has appointed John Burke as vice president of manufacturing, Tim Glover as vice president of machining, and Marvin Kuenzi as vice president of engineering.

– Detroit-based automaker General Motors has named Marissa West as president and managing director for GM Canada.

– Calgary-based material supplier Nova Chemicals Corp. has named Celeste Jones Baumgardt as vice president,

10 Canadian Plastics June 2022

Marvin Kuenzi

Joel Houmes

Marissa West

Pascal Lefèvre

Celeste Jones Baumgardt

Scott Beamer

Mehdi Keshtkar

Steve Maxson

corporate development; Mehdi Keshtkar as vice president, innovation; and Walter Pesenti as vice president, manufacturing excellence.

– Fraser, Mich.-based mold component supplier PCS Co. has appointed Angela Elsey as president.

– The Washington, D.C.-based Plastics Industry Association has named Matt Seaholm as CEO, and Glenn Anderson as chief operating officer.

– Cincinnati, Ohio-based pigment supplier Shepherd Color Co. has named Joel Houmes as research and development manager.

– Italy-based packaging machinery supplier Sidel Group has named Pascal Lefèvre as global vice president.

– St. Louis, Mo.-based packaging supplier TricorBraun has named Scott Beamer as chief financial officer.

– Machinery maker US Extruders, headquartered in Westerly, R.I., has appointed Steve Maxson as innovation and business development manager.

www.canplastics.com

dryers

BEAT THE HEAT

The summer months can bring challenges when it comes to drying resins, especially materials that are hygroscopic. Proper dryer maintenance in the spring can help avoid problems as the humidity rises.

By Mark Stephen, editor

S

pring is here at last. Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and plastics processors tend to start relying more heavily on the dryers that are standard pieces of equipment in most plants. “We’re coming into what we call ‘dryer season’,” said Mark Haynie, dryer product manager with Novatec Inc. “This is when the seasonal moisture is highest and regeneration air is the wettest.”

Which means the drying stakes are particularly high, since moisture is a key hurdle to achieving part quality – too much of it in the resin can cause a number of processing problems, including splay marks, irregular moldings, lower

mechanical properties, brittleness, bubbles, sink marks, and even part failure. And it doesn’t help that the two groups of polymers – hygroscopic and non-hygroscopic – both attract moisture from the surrounding environment, albeit in different ways. Hygroscopic materials – which include nylon, ABS, acrylic, PET, PBT, polyurethane, and polycarbonate – will actually absorb moisture onto their molecular structure if exposed to ambient air; and while non-hygroscopic materials – which include PVC, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene – don’t absorb moisture internally into the pellet, dampness still

tends to collect on the surface.

All of which is why many OEMs recommend that customers pay particular attention to dryer maintenance now, to detect and correct potential issues before they blow up into full-scale production problems as the summer humidity rises.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Like any piece of machinery on the shop floor, a dryer requires proper maintenance in order to perform to your expectations. But what, exactly, are the problems that you’re looking to ward off?

Although pellet drying is a relatively simple process, it’s occasionally a source June 2022 Canadian Plastics

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Failure to regularly clean and maintain the regeneration air filter can lead to desiccant contamination in the form of fines, dirt, or volatiles.

of consternation – no matter what the season – because the pellets, at times, just won’t dry. “If you’ve been following the resin supplier’s recommended drying guidelines, the cause of poor drying can always be traced back to four root causes: drying temperature, dewpoint, residence time, and airflow,” said Jason Sears, president of Dri-Air Industries Inc. Which makes these the areas that maintenance should focus on, by examining key dryer components that include process and regeneration heaters, airflow components, filters and blowers, and moisture-absorbing desiccant.

And just as drying a material correctly requires an understanding of dryer types and how they work, so too for maintenance. The most popular types of resin dryers include the older technologies of hot-air and dehumidifying desiccant drying, and the relatively newer dryer choices – mostly geared towards drying hygroscopic resins – that include straight compressed-air dryers, compressed-air units with a moistureremoval membrane, and vacuum dryers.

It’s a wide range, but most share some common features…and common potential problems.

SPRING CLEANING

Almost all dryers will provide drying

12 Canadian Plastics June 2022

temperatures up to 175°C or 350°F, but when drying at temperatures at the higher or lower end of the range, a cooling coil is required for desiccant-type dryers. Heat is largely a function of airflow, which means that loss of airflow equals a loss of drying heat. “If you lose airflow, it affects everything else, including how well the heat gets into the material,” said Jason Sears.

And poor airflow caused by clogged air filters is perhaps the most common dryer problem, period. “There are filters in both the process and regeneration air streams,” said Mark Haynie.

“The filters should be checked frequently – about every two weeks – and processors should always have an extra set of clean filters ready for changing.”

But there are exceptions depending on the quantity and quality of material that you process – with the big divide being between virgin resin and regrind, which can be dusty. “The filters on a dryer that’s drying mostly regrind will need more frequent cleaning and changing than the filters on a unit that’s drying virgin material – twice as often or perhaps more,” said Cam Wieland, service manager with Motan Inc. If excessive fines or particulate are present in the material being dried, the experts say, a dust collector can be added to the intake/

return air circuit to reduce the burden on the filter and extend filter maintenance intervals.

Another filter-related problem can occur when drying resins that release volatiles as they dry, such as PET, TPUs, flexible PVCs, TPV, and others. “When process air enters the aftercooler, volatiles coalesce into oily or waxy contaminants that can cause problems if they accumulate on the aftercooler heat exchanger or that can even foul the desiccant,” said A. J. Zambanini, drying product manager with Conair Group.

“Ideally, volatiles should be collected from process air using a demister filter and volatile trap, which is optional on most dryers and which must be regularly drained and cleaned. Otherwise, accumulated volatiles can interfere with heat transfer and airflow, clog desiccant wheels, and even pose a flammability risk.”

And remember to shut the dryer down before cleaning or changing the filters. “This is never convenient, but operation of the dryer without filters, even for a short period, can allow plastic dust to get into the heater and can lead to destroying the desiccant or even a fire,” Mark Haynie said. Filters are notorious for being overlooked, the experts say, but they really shouldn’t be, because they’re easy and inexpensive to replace. “New dryer filters are usually about $50 at the most, so it’s a miniscule investment to make to avoid a serious drying problem,” said Jason Sears.

A second potential problem is an air leak caused by hoses that have been crushed, delaminated, or bent in a way that not only restricts airflow but also compromises dryer performance by drawing wet ambient air into the drying circuit. “Air leaks anywhere in a drying system are bad, and the indicator is a loss of dewpoint – it’s no longer -40°, it’s now zero,” said Brian Davis, general manager of Maguire Products Canada Inc. Depending on the system and where the leak is, it’s either a minor or a major problem. “Most Wittmann dryers can tolerate minor air leaks,” said Connor McCormack, technical sales at Wittmann Battenfeld Canada www.canplastics.com

Photo Credit: Conair Group

dryers

dryers

Inc. “The biggest area of concern would be leaks between the desiccant bed and the material hopper. There are tools that can be used to check the pressure and calculate the cfm through the hopper, which gives a good idea if there’s a major leak or not.”

The best troubleshooting solution is to check your dryers to make sure hoses are undamaged, secure, and the connections are tight, and also that your doors and view windows have good seals and no cracks or leaks. And there’s a right way to do this. “A visual inspection is good, but it may not reveal everything,” said Cam Wieland. “Using your hand to feel for leaks or your ears to listen can help you find leaks that may not be visually apparent.”

And once you’ve found the leak, what you don’t want to do – at least as a longterm solution – is seal it with duct tape and forget about it. “I often see duct tape being used, and it never ends well – the tape will always come loose eventually,” said Brian Davis. “At the very least, make a note to replace the hose ASAP if it can’t be replaced immediately.” And don’t wait until a leak happens to check hoses – this is an area where it pays to be proactive. “Operators should regularly

14 Canadian Plastics June 2022

check and tighten all hose connections to stay ahead of any problems,” Davis continued. Finally, if the source of a leak isn’t coming from a hose or another obvious source, Davis added, there may be a leak in a loader that’s allowing moist air into the hopper.

DO CHECK DEWPOINT

Dewpoint is the temperature at which moisture in the air begins to condense, and dewpoint readings don’t just indicate a leak, they can also tell you how the dryer is running, and even help diagnose several other problems, including with desiccant. The dewpoint produced by a dryer isn’t directly tied to the dryness of the resin, but rather the dryness of the air produced by the dryer; but knowing the dewpoint can tell you that the dryer is probably operating up to its specifications. “The dryer should have an often-calibrated independent dewpoint monitor for continuous monitoring of the dewpoint to help you determine if it’s fit for the job,” Mark Haynie said.

Normal dryer operation should produce a straight-line dewpoint reading, and commonly recommended dewpoints fall between -29 °C and -46 °C

or -20 °F and -50 °F, the experts say, and these levels can be achieved only by passing the inlet air over or through a drying medium (desiccant or membrane filter). “A calibrated dewpoint monitor can be a great tool for doublechecking your dry air output,” said Connor McCormack. Otherwise, the dewpoint of the air will be whatever it is in the plant, which can get very hot indeed on humid summer days. Small fluctuations in dewpoint at desiccant changeover are acceptable, and you should see good dewpoint readings immediately after desiccant beds are switched, but dewpoint that rises rapidly before the desiccant cycle ends may indicate that ambient air is leaking into the closed-loop circuit and causing premature loading of the desiccant.

“Other possible causes of dewpoint fluctuation are incompletely regenerated or contaminated desiccant,” A.J. Zambanini said. “A dewpoint reading that’s elevated above your setpoint can indicate an inactive regeneration circuit or badly contaminated desiccant.”

DECODING DESICCANT

If you haven’t guessed by now, replacing worn-out or contaminated desiccant www.canplastics.com

Photo Credit: Conair Group

Regularly inspect all hoses for kinks and leaks, and make sure that all fittings are tight.

dryers

is a very big deal. “It’s probably the biggest dryer maintenance issue outside of cleaning filters,” Zambanini continued. In general, some experts say, the beads in a desiccant dryer should be replaced every two to three years, but that can vary. “I’m always being asked this question by my customers, but there’s really no hard and fast rule,” Brian Davis said. “It depends on factors like whether or not the resins are giving off plasticizers or other contaminants.” Presumably for this reason, some dryers don’t come with guidelines for how often to change desiccant; other brands do, however.

“Wittmann’s manuals recommend changing the desiccant every two years, but the reality is, it needs to be changed when the dewpoint isn’t being maintained to an acceptable level,” said Connor McCormack. “Everyone’s process is different – if you can run a system for four years without losing your dewpoint, go for it.”

So, it’s important to watch for the telltale signs of desiccant breakdown.

As just alluded to, one indicator is that (a) the dewpoint of the process air will no longer achieve the manufacturer’s suggested temperature, and (b) regular filter cleaning and replacement can’t fix the problem. “The final test is trying to crush some desiccant that’s been dried through the regeneration cycle,” said Mark Haynie. “If it crumbles between your fingers, it should be replaced.”

Scooping or shovelling all of that used desiccant from the dryer during replacement can be a labour-intensive job, but it’s not technically difficult.

“Desiccant replacement is fairly simple and generally the same for all desiccant bed dryers,” said Cam Wieland.

The main points to remember are to replace the old desiccant with new desiccant of the same type and quantity by checking the manufacturer’s recommendation for desiccant type – you don’t want to put absorbent deliquescent desiccant into a regenerative dryer, for example – and to follow the proper lockout procedures, such as turning the dryer off and allowing it to cool down.

And for desiccant wheel/rotor dryers, they don’t typically require regular changes of desiccant, but should this be deemed necessary, they too can be changed out. And this may be a good time to change out the whole rotor.

“Some customers do this because it’s easier to replace all the wear items at

one time,” said A.J. Zambanini.

Finally, along with cleaning filters, don’t procrastinate about changing the desiccant. “Changing the desiccant and filter for each dryer every springtime probably costs a total of $100 per dryer, which is far cheaper than making bad parts for just 10 minutes, so it’s an out-

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standing ROI,” said Jason Sears.

On a related note, equipment manufacturers usually include aftercoolers with all desiccant dryers, and aftercooler effectiveness can also play a part in your dryer’s efficiency and process stability, especially during the summer. “To work efficiently, desiccant likes cold air, and the aftercooler plays a big part in cooling the air down,” A.J. Zambanini said. “If you’re using a water-cooled dryer, make sure you have good flow and water temperature. It’s also a good idea to pull the coil periodically for a thorough cleaning.” Unfortunately, this isn’t always done. “Some processors go years without cleaning or changing the aftercoolers, and sometimes they don’t even know they have them,” Zambanini continued. “It can really hurt their drying efficiency.”

WARNING SIGNS

The good news for troubleshooting many of the problems discussed so far is that advances in technology mean that most modern dryer controls provide some kind of warning when something’s going wrong; some give very simple warnings with up and down arrows, while others will tell the operator exactly what’s going wrong and even offer instructions on how to fix it. “In either case, the warning indicates that some cor-

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rectional action is necessary,” said Mark Haynie. “So, customers should take advantage of this – simply acknowledging the warning and turning it off isn’t the correct procedure.” It’s a point that others stress. “Dryer controls have gotten a lot smarter over the past few years,” A.J. Zambanini said. “The data that’s now being collected can help troubleshoot issues much faster, even over the phone. In many cases, the systems can detect issues before they happen and alert you to the required maintenance steps.”

And while it doesn’t relate to maintenance, a last piece of the smart summer drying puzzle involves handling materials a bit differently than you might in colder, drier weather. “Changing seasons means that you can’t store gaylords that are halffilled with resin, from when a production run ends, for months in spring and summer without them gaining moisture, unless you’re in a climate-controlled plant,” said Brian Davis. So, don’t open resin bags that you don’t plan on using immediately; as a rule, the experts say, you should limit the amount of material that you keep outside a dryer, ready for processing, to about a 15- to 20-minute supply, in any season.

In the end, an ounce of prevention by overhauling your dryers in the spring is definitely preferable to the pound (or more) of cure it will cost you in the summer. “While the procedure for dryer maintenance doesn’t change from season to season, it becomes more important as the outdoor temperatures rise and dryer regeneration becomes more frequent,” said Jason Sears.

Efficient drying, including timely and thorough maintenance, will help ensure that your scrap rates don’t go up just because the humidity does.

CPL RESOURCE LIST Conair Group (Cranberry Township, Pa.); www.conairgroup.com; 724-584-5500 Dier International Plastics Inc. (Unionville, Ont.); www.dierinternational.com; 416-219-0509 Industries Laferriere (Mascouche, Que.); www.industrieslaferriere.ca; 450-477-8880 Turner Group Inc. (Seattle, Wash.); www.turnergroup.net; 206-769-3707 Dri-Air Industries Inc. (East Windsor, Conn.); www.dri-air.com; 860-627-5110 Maguire Products Canada Inc. (Vaughan, Ont.); www.maguire.com; 905-879-1100 Motan Inc. (Plainwell, Mich.); www.motan-colortronic.com; 800-991-9921 D Cube (Montreal); www.dcube.ca; 514-272-0500 Novatec Inc. (Baltimore, Md.); www.novatec.com; 410-789-4811 Wittmann Battenfeld Canada Inc. (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-group.com; 905-887-5355

16 Canadian Plastics June 2022 CPL_ChumaDyna_June22.indd CP_MoreProdLessScrap_Resize.indd 1 1

www.canplastics.com 2022-05-11 2017-02-22 3:07 3:22 PM PM

size reduction

HOW SMART DO YOU WANT IT? Hellweg’s GRANUmaster smart control touchscreen for granulators.

Size reduction can be the low-tech outlier on the shop floor, and some processors like it that way. For other shops, granulators and shredders that communicate on a network, monitor performance, and report preventive maintenance data are just what they’ve been waiting for.

By Mark Stephen, editor

Photo Credit: Hellweg Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG

I

nformation overload can be a real problem in the internet era.

We all know the feeling: stress brought on by consuming more information than we can digest and more than is needed to make decisions. And it can be a problem for plastics processors too, when reams of data coming at them 24/7 courtesy of smart factory technologies might make it hard to find the really important production information they’re looking for.

Which is why the idea of smart size reduction might seem like overkill. For many processors, granulators and shredders have tended to be low-tech outliers in the factory, oftentimes working separately from primary processing lines – you turn them on periodically, feed startup scrap and off-spec product into them for downsizing for reuse in a process, and then turn them off again. And no doubt a lot of shops like it that way and don’t want to mess with a good thing. So, even with increasing interest in Industry 4.0 and intelligent equipment diagnostics, the question remains: Given that size reduction is generally a price-sensitive market, how smart does your granulator or shredder have to be?

The answer, some experts say, depends on how important size reduction is to your production, which is usually signalled by whether or not the granulator or shredder is incorporated into a work cell. The million-dollar question is, do you want it to remain offline or – in keeping with Industry 4.0 – be brought online with ongoing operations? The answer to that largely depends, in turn, on what you do. For injection molders in manufacturing sectors that are data-intensive such as automotive parts and medical, or for blow molders and thermoformers for whom scrap generation is part of the regular manufacturing

process, or for recyclers whose entire operation revolves around size reduction, the ability to monitor size reduction operations in real time is valuable – and probably invaluable, especially for recyclers. “For larger shops that already have centralized smart factory production, it’s important to have connected granulators and shredders, otherwise they become the weak link in the process and can hamper production,” said Jonas Wästberg, CEO of Rapid Granulator Group.

But if the only function of the machine is to downsize scrap – if the granulator or shredder is, in short, a “necessary evil” – advanced controls might not be required.

INTELLIGENT SHREDDING

It’s important to realize that much of today’s size reduction machinery is already semi-smart. “For some time, granulators and shredders have been able to monitor some key factors, such as amperage, heat, and vibration using PLC-based systems,” said Dave Miller, general manager of size reduction with Conair Group. “This data will show when any of these factors start moving beyond normal baseline levels.”

Shredder controls, in particular, have been providing diagnostic information for years now. “Today’s shredders already come standard with PLCs,” said Greg Parent, the Canadian sales agent for Vecoplan LLC. “Ethernet connectivity is standard on our newer styles of shredder and is an add-on option for our older models. This allows for basic monitoring of the equipment, and also for our service department to remotely connect with the machine for troubleshooting or for making potential software changes or updates. Essentially, June 2022 Canadian Plastics

17

size reduction

Whether or not you need smart, connected granulators and shredders depends on the needs of your particular shop. If the only function of the machine is to downsize your scrap on an irregular basis, it might be overkill. all options are open – the customer simply needs to let us know what they need.”

For shredders equipped with PLC controls, the common things to monitor are motor amperage for the shredder shaft and hydraulic pressure in the feed mechanism that pushes material into the shredder. “When shredder blades are new, motor amperage is going to run in a baseline range, such as 30 to 40 amps,” Dave Miller said. “But if motor amps are consistently running a higher-than-baseline range – say 40 to 50 amps – it’s a good indication that either new blades or other maintenance is required.”

And when it comes to shredders being connected to other equipment, customers’ demands can vary. “Some want full integration with their plant-wide monitoring systems and others simply want access to information from one particular

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shredder, mainly the number of hours on a new set of cutters so they know when a rotation or change will be required,” Greg Parent said. A middle position is with a stacked shredder/granulator system – which puts the shredder on top of the granulator to decrease the load on the granulator – where the shredder communicates only with the granulator. “To prevent overfeeding in a stacked system, the shredder needs feedback from the granulator to gauge the load level on the granulator,” said Cole Cyr, project manager with Rotogran International Inc. “Readings from several sensors are used to keep the system in sync, including motor current sensors, temperature sensors, vibration sensors, and high-level bin sensors. This level of technology has been standard with Rotogran for years, and it typically satisfies most customers’ communication requirements between the shredder and granulator.”

GRANULATORS GET WITH IT

For granulators, meanwhile, PLCs are available now for control, but they don’t analyze data and predict outcomes based on what’s happening in the machine. “Controls can be added to stop and start a feed conveyor based on granulator motor amperage in order to maximize production, and some customers are asking for options or features that make the process more energy-efficient, but no one is asking me yet for the ability to collect and analyze data for its own sake or to be connected to a server,” said Bob Harrison, product manager, size reduction group with Universal Dynamics Inc. “But there are other granulator features available right now that I would describe as ‘smart’: ammeters to monitor knife wear, high-level indicators for the regrind transition bin that let you know if something is going wrong with the material conveying used to remove and convey the regrind, and temperature monitoring on high-capacity machines or hot applications like blow molded trim scrap.”

Italy’s CMG SpA granulators – tailored to tackle in-house blow molding scrap ranging from one-litre bottles to 500-litre tanks, and available in North America through Universal Dynamics – can be equipped with the Adaptive Motor Power proprietary motor control, which allows them to adapt to variations in container format, container thickness, the quantity of material, and temperature changes. “The granulator controls can manage material levels in the surge bin and are Industry 4.0-compliant,” Harrison said.

Germany-based Hellweg’s GRANUmaster smart control touchscreen is available on all of the company’s granulators from the beside-the-press 150 series on up, and record a variety of operating data useful for preventive maintenance: power consumption; rotational speeds; bearing temperatures; and operating hours of bearings, blades, screens, and drive belts.

This data can be communicated to a central computer via the OPC-UA interface included as standard. The granulator also can be monitored remotely or networked to communicate with upstream and downstream components. And the controller can be used to issue spare parts requests and even automatic requests for parts that wear out on a regular basis.

18 Canadian Plastics June 2022 CPL_PCS_June22.indd 1

www.canplastics.com 2022-05-11 1:20 PM

size reduction

Available as a package with its EcoPower and SmartPower injection molding machines, Wittmann Battenfeld’s Ingrinder system integrates an advanced granulator and sprue picker – which can be operated via the machine’s Unilog B8 control system – with the press itself. A Wittmann sprue picker with swivel drive removes the sprue directly during the injection process and passes it through an ejection chute integrated in the machine frame to a built-in and specially modified G-Max 9 granulator. The Ingrinder works best with smaller presses that run together with molds incorporating cold runner technology with a corresponding need for scrapping or recycling sprues, Wittmann Battenfeld officials said. Processors benefit from a more efficient grind, faster use of regrind, and less time for hygroscopic materials to absorb water. Also, depending on the machine model, users can see a 25 per cent savings in floor space compared with a work cell utilizing a granulator and a robot with guarding.

RECYCLERS RULE

So, for mold shops that produce very little scrap and simply toss it into bins and granulate it offline when they have time, there may not be value in a granulation system with sophisticated digital controls, sensors or alarms. On the other hand, the shops

that can benefit from smart controls on size reduction equipment either generate scrap consistently as part of the production process or actually deal with waste plastic full-time, such as high-volume film producers that run film lines at up to 4,000 pounds per hour and generate a lot of edge and trim scrap; blow molders that make tops and tails, and thermoformers that generate scrap in the form of “skeletons;” and recyclers.

Indeed, maintaining high throughput is the whole ball game in a recycling operation. Recyclers can’t afford unexpected downtime or having to take a key shredder offline for major repairs; for them, the experts note, smart controls that feature monitors and alarms are critical for tracking performance and keeping ahead of maintenance problems. “For recyclers, size reduction machines are the only production equipment on the shop floor, rather than in a side room for just scrap reclaim, so they really understand the importance, and value, of smart technology,” said Bob Harrison. Which is why recyclers were the original market for shredders with PLCs, and why they remain among the most receptive audience for the latest smart control features, monitors, and alarms for tracking performance. “We’re starting to receive more requests for more analytic data from the granulators that will allow our recycling customers to better manage the granulation process for maximum efficiency,” said

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size reduction

Cole Cyr. “Unlike granulators for processors, there’s a developing standard in the recycling sector around what technologies these machines should have. Rotogran recognizes that most recyclers view granulators as a primary piece of equipment and so we include smart controls that give customers access to as much information as possible.”

SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

For the non-recycler market, some granulator and shredder brands continue to get smarter via baby steps. Conair already has SmartServices, a cloud-based Internet of Things or Industry 4.0 solution for machine monitoring and data collection; and although its size reduction equipment doesn’t yet tie into it, the company is currently developing smart controls incrementally in a two-stage project. “The first phase, which is ongoing, is to equip our large central granulators with a small PLC that records data from internal sensors that monitor amperage, rpm, temperature, and vibration, all of which indicate how well scrap is being processed,” Dave Miller said. “The second phase is to develop the controllers for all granulators and shredders to the point where they scan real-time sensor data to actively predict or identify a problem – blade or bearing wear and other critical issues – and go on to recommend that plant personnel take corrective action. That type of genuinely smart granulator will be a huge advancement from where the industry is today.” Miller says that Conair has canvased its customers about the value of smart controls versus standard push button start controls, and about half have expressed interest. “Their main concern is cost,” he said. “Frankly, with HMI and PLC prices coming down, we don’t anticipate a big cost difference between a smart system and a standard control.”

Also in development is a sensor kit from Rapid Granulator.

Branded as the Rapid Smart node, it will offer a wireless connection up to 150 meters inside a factory, measuring temperature, energy, vibration, running time, and more, and connects up to 100 granulators or other devices per gateway. “The granulator data from each sensor will be useful for continual monitoring and as a preventative maintenance tool, and will also tie into other equipment on the line – such as the conveyor and/or the

20 Canadian Plastics June 2022

RESOURCE LIST Conair Group (Cranberry Township, Pa.); www.conairgroup.com; 724-584-5500 Dier International Plastics Inc. (Unionville, Ont.); www.dierinternational.com; 416-219-0509 Industries Laferriere (Mascouche, Que.); www.industrieslaferriere.ca; 450-477-8880 Turner Group Inc. (Seattle, Wash.); www.turnergroup.net; 206-769-3707 Hellweg Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG/C.W. Brabender Instruments Inc. (South Hackensack, N.J.); www.cwbrabender.com; 201-343-8425 Rapid Granulator Inc. (Leetsdale, Pa.); www.rapidgranulator.com; 724-584-5220 D Cube (Montreal); www.dcube.ca; 514-272-0500 Rotogran International Inc. (Bolton, Ont.); www.rotogran.com; 905-738-0101 Universal Dynamics Inc./Piovan Canada (Mississauga, Ont.); www.piovan.com; 905-629-8822 Vecoplan LLC (Archdale, N.C.); www.vecoplanllc.com; 336-447-3573 Greg Parent; 416-678-0154 Wittmann Battenfeld Canada Inc. (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-group.com; 905-887-5355 www.canplastics.com

Photo Credit: Wittmann Battenfeld

Wittmann Battenfeld’s Ingrinder system integrates an advanced granulator and sprue picker with the press itself.

robot – that connects to the granulator. The data can be either sent up to the cloud where the customer can log in and review it, or it can be viewed directly,” said Jonas Wästberg. “We’re currently testing this solution with select customers, and plan to launch it during 2023.”

With the benefit of some hindsight, smart, predictive capabilities on granulators and shredders is turning out to be the last piece of the smart plastics factory puzzle. “Unlike recyclers, plastics processors may rank size reduction at the bottom of their list of importance – well below the primary molding equipment – so it’s become, by default, the last piece of equipment to be brought into the smart production loop,” said Cole Cyr. Which is why smart equipment controls for granulators and shredders will be important for some types of shops, less so for others. “For the recyclers and the processors that need them, those controls will be available, but there will always be customers that want granulators they can just buy, turn on, and forget about,” Dave Miller said.

“For them, the small added cost of the controls isn’t justified because they don’t need those capabilities.”

In the end, not every molder is going to want or need granulators or shredders with digital data and networking capabilities. In combination with the other Industry 4.0 production data they’re probably already getting, it might just be too much information. But in this coming era of smart factories, at least size reduction equipment doesn’t have to be at the bottom of the class anymore.

CPL

materials

BASF’s new IrgaCycle range includes additive solutions that can help increase the percentage of recycled content in such end-use applications as packaging, automotive and mobility, and building and construction.

A MUCH-NEEDED BOOST

By Mark Stephen, editor

R

ecycled resins are an integral part of the circular plastics economy, which means they’re worth more these days than Elon Musk.

Manufacturers of goods ranging from automotive parts to housewares increasingly seek to incorporate recycled plastics in their applications to reduce costs, differentiate their products from those of their competitors,

and satisfy demands from retailers and consumers for sustainable products.

And a critical part of making circularity a reality is ensuring plastics can be effectively recycled into materials that offer good levels of performance. But this is also where it gets tricky. For the moment, the recycled materials resulting from mechanical recycling usually can’t compete with the quality of virgin polymers – with common prob-

lems including limited processability, odour, poor long-term thermal stability, and insufficient protection from weathering – which complicates the goal of manufacturing plastics in a closed-loop system. Additive technologies are likely to play a significant role, and additive suppliers are responding with new additives that boost these materials’ properties.

UNMELLOW YELLOW

The most common thermoplastic in the world, PET is also the most recycled plastic packaging material by far, and can be remelted as often as required and incorporated into virgin polymer.

But repetitive heating of recycled PET June 2022 Canadian Plastics

21

Photo Credit: BASF

A key element in making circularity a reality is ensuring plastics can be effectively recycled into materials that offer good levels of performance. By overcoming quality issues, the newest additives for recycled resins can help.

materials

Also targeting rPET, Avient Corp. (formerly PolyOne) recently released its Amosorb 4020R oxygen scavenger additive, part of the company’s ColorMatrix Amosorb range. Amosorb 4020R is designed to deliver full, consistent oxygen scavenging performance with 25, 50, and even 100 per cent rPET content, Avient officials said.

“This new solution also improves the aesthetics of recycled packaging in terms of haze and colour, including a reduction in the yellowing effect that may occur during recycling,” they said.

“In addition, the additive is compatible with many different rPET grades to help brand owners achieve their sustainability targets.” And by creating an active barrier against oxygen ingress, they added, the concentrate also protects the container’s contents and extends product shelf life. The additive can be used in both mono-layer and multi-layer containers, and is added to the melt via conventional pellet handling systems.

Avient’s ColorMatrix Amosorb 4020R is an oxygen scavenger additive specifically formulated to enable the use of up to 100 per cent rPET content.

(rPET) induces thermal degradation, impacting the material’s intrinsic viscosity and leading to yellowing, which affects the aesthetics and properties of the packaging. Ampacet Corp. recently introduced ThermProtect PET, a range of stabilizing masterbatches designed to enable the increased use of rPET

22 Canadian Plastics June 2022

without compromising on product appearance and quality. ThermProtect PET is suitable for injection molding, extrusion, injection stretch blow molding, and thermoforming processes, Ampacet officials said, and is the latest addition to the company’s R3 Sustainable Solutions product line.

The new IrgaCycle range of additive formulations from BASF is targeted to recyclers, compounders, and converters that want to incorporate a higher content of recycled plastics in all major applications. The IrgaCycle range includes formulated additives that can help increase the percentage of recycled content in several end-use applications such as packaging, automotive and mobility, and building and construction. The product line currently includes IrgaCycle PS 030 G, which enhances long-term thermal stability in rigid applications, mainly for recycled HDPE, polyolefins, and mixed polymers; IrgaCycle PS 031 G, which improves processing and longterm thermal stability of recycled LDPE and LLDPE for incorporation into films and related flexible packaging applications; IrgaCycle PS 032 G, designed for use with recycled polypropylene (PP) and polyolefin blends containing impurities; IrgaCycle UV 033 DD, which combines weathering stability with enhanced thermal and www.canplastics.com

Photo Credit: Avient Corp.

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

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materials

processing stability for reclaimed HDPE and PP blends for reuse in outdoor goods; and IrgaCycle XT 034 DD, which is said to improve the mechanical properties of polyolefin recyclates.

Specialty chemical supplier BYK recently introduced its Recyclobyk line of additives, designed to improve the quality of recycled resins, allowing new, high-quality applications, rather than downcycling them. The additives can be added to polyethylene (PE), PP, and PET sourced from battery cases, bottles, pails, and beverage crates – products that normally might not be recycled, the company said. The Recyclobyk line consists of two products: Recyclobyk 4372 is a mixture of light stabilizers, antioxidants, and co-stabilizers, and is aimed at recycling HDPE, LDPE, and PP for use in outdoor products; and it can also be used for recycling polyolefins for film applications. And Recyclobyk 4371, available in granular form, is a mixture of antioxidants and co-stabilizers, and is intended to be used with polyolefin blends, PP contaminated with other polymers, and mixed plastic from household or industrial waste streams. Recyclobyk 4371 preserves the melt flow properties and the longterm thermal stability of the material, the company said, which enhances its value for a range of applications.

Kraton Corp.’s Circular+ materials

24 Canadian Plastics June 2022

are multi-resin compatibilizers and performance enhancement additives for upcycling mixed and post-consumer and post-industrial resin recycling streams. According to Kraton officials, the C1000 and C1010 grades are useful to compatibilize rPET that may be commingled with PP, nylon, or miscellaneous fillers; and the modifier additive grades C2000 and C3000 are useful for blending with recycled HDPE or PP to enhance stress crack chemical resistance as well as impact toughness. The materials are all suitable for injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, and rotational molding, for applications including rigid and flexible packaging, automotive parts, consumer products, and building and construction. Typical addition levels for all of the Circular+ additives range from three to five per cent weight of the total formulation. In February, Kraton officials added, the C2000 and C3000 additives were approved as fully compatible with recycling of PP containers in Europe according to the RecyClass certification system.

A new liquid additive from Riverdale Global’s +Restore product line is designed to improve properties of PP and HDPE post-consumer resin. Tests using regrind have shown that virginlike properties can be obtained with 100 per cent recycled PP or HDPE, the company said. “Because the additive has an affinity for the base polymer, it

GET THE SMELL OUT

One reason why recycled material can’t always compete with virgin polymers is odour – the presence of contaminants or undesired substances in the recycled polymer can release a strong smell, lowering the quality of the resin and creating quality issues for products made with them.

Additives that include deodorizing technologies can help. Britec Solutions Inc. has developed its BTec REA360 regrind enhancing additive, which the company says improves physical properties, reduces odour, and enhances processing performance of regrind and www.canplastics.com

Photo Credit: BYK

BYK’s Recyclobyk additives allow for the manufacture of new products from items that normally might not be recycled, such as car batteries.

acts as a lubricant, enhancing melt flow,” said Jared Arbeter, Riverdale’s technical sales manager. “In addition, the +Restore molecule has a functional group that readily reacts with pigments, fibres, or fillers in the resin, while a different segment of the same molecule is designed to couple with the polymer; as a result, it forms a strong bond between resin and filler without compromising flexibility.”

Typical usage rates are in the 0.1 to 0.5 per cent range, Arbeter continued, and processors can use the +Restore additive to enhance the physical properties of virgin materials, though the most dramatic results are exhibited in recycling.

And Sukano Polymer Corp. recently launched its transparent Impact Modifier Masterbatches for plastic food trays, which allow processors to replace specialized co-polyester resins with rPET resins. Food trays manufactured with the masterbatch offer improved durability and toughness, enhanced impact resistance, higher rPET content, and shatter resistance without a loss in transparency, according to Michael Kirch, Sukano’s global head of research and development. “[It] allows transparent trays for cold, flash-frozen, and room temperature trays to be fully recyclable,” he said. “It also improves packaging safety by reducing the risk of shards that could contaminate packaged food and present consumers with sharp edges.”

materials

recycled resins. Available in liquid and pellet forms, the additive can be used by processors such as injection molders and blow molders with process scrap, and by recyclers that process mixedmelt grades and industrial feedstocks.

“Data supports that physical properties of regrinds and recycled resins are replaced to levels similar to that of virgin grades in both PP and PE at very low use rates of 0.1 to 0.5 per cent,” Britec officials said.

And the VMO additive line from Struktol is designed for modifying the melt flow of PP. Available as a masterbatch that can be easily incorporated into the polymer or compound, the VMO products include a neutralizer to reduce odour in the final compound.

“This VMO series can be very useful for manufacturers that want to reduce the amount of virgin or recycled PP of differing melt flow indexes [MFI] that they

keep on hand,” Struktol officials said.

“Having one type of PP resin of low MFI would allow for any number of higher MFI possibilities.” Struktol says the VMO series products have been designed to allow for some PE present in the PP, in some cases upwards of 35 per cent, adding that PE contamination is a common issue that PP recyclers encounter. The grades in the series – VMO 058, VMO 108, VMO 208, VMO 308, and VMO 408 – range in activity from low to high. Struktol says the range of activities is helpful for recyclers, as it allows for high percentage dosing in cases where weighing or dosing small quantities could be problematic.

In the end, some of the latest additives can produce higher value plastics that appeal to markets that might otherwise use recycled resin sparingly, if at all. Which is a huge step towards closing the circular economy loop.

CPL

RESOURCE LIST Ampacet Corp. Canada (Kitchener, Ont.); www.ampacet.com; 519-748-5576 Avient Corp. (Avon Lake, Ohio); www.avient.com; 440-930-1000 BASF Canada (Mississauga, Ont.); www.basf.com; 289-360-1300 Britec Solutions Inc. (Tyler, Tex.); www.britecsolutions.com; 903-707-7471 BYK Additives & Instruments (Columbia, Md.); www.byk-instruments.com; 301-483-6500 Kraton Corp. (Houston, Tex.); www.kraton.com; 281-504-4700 Riverdale Global (Aston, Pa.); www.riverdaleglobal.com; 610-358-2900 Struktol Canada Ltd. (Newmarket, Ont.); www.4struktol.com; 416-286-4040 Sukano Polymer Corp. (Duncan, S.C.); www.sukano.com; 864-486-1478

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June 2022 Canadian Plastics

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2022-02-02 8:41 AM

extrusion

IN THE PIPELINE Manitoba-based startup Encoma has entered the HDPE pipe extrusion market with a little help from KraussMaffei.

With QuickSwitch, Encoma produces multilayer HDPE pipes in different diameters from 25 to 63 millimetres or 1 to 2.50 inches on the same line.

By Mark Stephen, editor

26 Canadian Plastics June 2022

Photo Credits: KraussMaffei Extrusion GmbH

T

here’s a new extrusion shop in Manitoba that’s not only making HDPE pipes, but also a small piece of history as the first manufacturer in North America to use the QuickSwitch system from KraussMaffei Extrusion GmbH, which automatically adjusts pipe dimensions.

Encoma Ltd. is a family-owned firm that was founded in 2020, and originally produced multi-layer HDPE pipe for water, geothermal, cable, and under-floor heating applications at a 63,000-square-foot facility in Elm Creek, Man., about 50 minutes west of Winnipeg. And the firm has now entered the pipe extrusion market equipped with the KraussMaffei technology that enables plant operators to change pipe dimensions without retooling. The core component of each line is an adjustable calibration basket that can be set to new pipe dimensions at the touch of a button without having to stop the production line. QuickSwitch also ensures fine adjustment of the critically important parameters of pipe wall thickness and pipe centering.

And once saved, production data can be retrieved and adjusted at any time, which ensures exact reproducibility.

A GOOD FOUNDATION

Encoma is producing pipes with diameters ranging between 25 and 63 millimetres or 1 to 2.50 inches, for commercial, residential, and agricultural customers on the first of three lines to be installed at the Manitoba site. KraussMaffei www.canplastics.com

extrusion

installed a three-layer QuickSwitch line covering the entire production process from raw material to semifinished product handling. The downstream equipment is integrated into the control system and automatically adjusts as well, making readjustments unnecessary.

“For us as a newcomer in this branch of industry, it was extremely important to have a competent partner at our side who would be able to set up a turnkey plant on our premises and also provide training and support,” said Encoma plant manager Derek Hofer. And according to KraussMaffei, the waste produced during the “quick switch” period is limited to a cone-shaped piece of material, which improves efficiency and sustainability, particularly for hose production.

Encoma has already ordered two

Family-owned Encoma is making a small piece of history as the first manufacturer in North America to use the QuickSwitch system from KraussMaffei, which automatically adjusts pipe dimensions. more lines, including a second QuickSwitch line and a five-layer polyethylene of raised temperature (PE-RT) line specifically designed for underfloor heating pipes. The QuickSwitch line on order will extend the pipe maker’s dimensional range up to 168 millimetres or 6.6 inches. “We can now make a wide range of different pipes

for changing customer requirements, even in small quantities,” Hofer said.

Encoma’s product offering includes HDPE conduit with 82- to 50-millimetre or 3.25- to 2-inch pipe diameters, and an option for a co-extruded silicone inner layer to reduce friction; HDPE geothermal pipe manufactured from virgin PE-4710 material that the company says is guaranteed for life against rot, rust, and electrolytic corrosion; HDPE water pipe produced from PE-4710; and a PE-RT five-layer tubing branded as Heatflex for radiant heating, cooling, snow melting, and distribution piping. According to Encoma, its Heatflex tubing offers strength, temperature resistance, and long life without cross-linking.

The company also supplies pipe fittings, such as elbows, caps, tees, bushings, and couplings.

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June 2022 Canadian Plastics

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2022-05-13 9:35 AM

technology showcase

AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT

EXTRUSION

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Enhanced medical extruder line

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Novatec Inc./Maguire Products Canada Inc. (Vaughan, Ont.); www.novatecNow.com; 905-879-1100

INJECTION MOLDING Software upgrades use AI to ease labour burden

The latest updates to US Extruders’ MED-EX medical extruder are aimed at contract manufacturers that are operating in a high-mix, low-volume business as well as scaled, highvolume production.

One major key feature is the direct drive technology for precise speed control and quiet operation.

There is no gearbox or belt drive, which eliminates gear oil and airborne dust particles from belts, which is especially important when extruding in a controlled manufacturing environment.

To meet the increasingly stringent quality requirements within medical extrusion, the upgrades have virtual pressure measurement features that eliminate transducer and rupture disc ports in the barrel and reduce stagnation points where material can degrade.

US Extruders has also developed a custom “universal” barrier/mixing screw specifically designed for nylon 12, polyether block amide (PEBA), and TPU reflow compounds that are commonly used for multi-durometer catheter jacketing applications.

US Extruders (Westerly, R.I.); www.us-extruders.com; 401-584-4710

SOFTWARE

Mold monitoring system advances predictive, autonomous injection LS Mtron’s new proprietary software upgrades AI Molding Assistant and Smart Weight Control are designed to improve molding

the startup process, ensure part-weight reliability, and reduce waste in injection molding.

The AI that powers the AI Molding Assistant facilitates faster stabilization of the initial startup process, and can learn optimal conditions, allowing it to set up the best process with minimal operator intervention, to help molders compensate for a shortage of experienced technicians.

Like the AI Molding Assistant, Smart Weight Control is designed to remove variability from the molding process. It calculates weight differences between parts, and automatically alters molding parameters to offset issues that might arise because of injection pressure fluctuations or inconsistencies between resin batches. This system works even with compounds made of up to 100 per cent regrind to reduce part defects and conserve resin.

LS Mtron (Peachtree Corners, Ga.); www.lsinjection.com; 800-843-1672 Plastics Machinery Inc. (Newmarket, Ont.); www.pmiplastics.com; 905-895-5054

28 Canadian Plastics June 2022

Compatible with any brand of hot runner or mold, MoldMasters’ new SmartMOLD cloud-based software platform is designed to drive injection molding innovation by collecting real-time process data from sensors embedded within the mold, offering feedback and insights for enhanced productivity.

In addition to collecting sensor data, SmartMOLD software offers performance tracking, downtime tracking, scrap tracking, maintenance reminders, alerts, reporting, analytics, mold info, document storage, and more.

Real-time data is accessible 24/7 though Mold-Master’s desktop online portal or on the company’s mobile app, and users also have the freedom to pull data into existing ERP/ MES systems through APIs. Mold-Masters (Georgetown, Ont.); www.moldmasters.com; 905-877-0185 www.canplastics.com

technology showcase

MATERIALS High-temperature, vibrant colourants for health care

Avient Corp. has introduced its new Transcend Premier biocompatible healthcare colourants, available in a range of colours and formulated to offer ultra-high heat resistance and performance for medical applications.

The colourants are being launched in polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) resins, which can withstand up to 1,000 autoclave cycles and sterilization temperatures up to 150°C or 300°F. The resins also maintain dimensional stability while providing chemical resistance against the effects of harsh cleaning agents.

Transcend Premier healthcare colourants are tested to ISO 10993 standards, and can be customized with functional additives to enhance product performance. Low minimum order quantities of colourants are available.

Avient Corp. (Avon Lake, Ohio); www.avient.com; 440-930-1000

CPL_DecBuyGuide20_Wittmann1.indd 1 CPL_Wittmann_April22.indd 1

Visit www.canplastics.com for the latest news, stories, products, videos, photo galleries and industry events

advertising index Advertiser

Page

Website

Advance Women in Manufacturing

23

www.womenincanadianmanufacturing.com

Chillers Inc.

19

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Dyna-Purge Div./Shuman Plastics

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www.dynapurge.com

LM Travel

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Maguire

IFC

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Novatec

OBC

PCS Co.

18

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Plastic Process Equipment

IBC

www.ppe.com

Rotogran

27

www.rotogran.com

Vecoplan

15

www.vecoplanllc.com

Weima America

13

www.weima.com

Wittmann

29

www.wittmann-group.com

June 2022 Canadian Plastics

29

2019-11-20 2022-03-04 11:55 9:09 AM

technical tips

The pros and cons of six injection molding materials

By Jim Clifford, RJG Inc.

O

ne of the first decisions that has to be made when designing a new injection molded part is which material to use. The material (and additives) you choose has a huge impact on how plastic will flow through the mold, what the process will be, and the look and feel of the final product. Here are some pros and cons of six common injection molding materials.

1. POLYPROPYLENE

Polypropylene (PP) is one of the most popular materials for injection molding for a variety of reasons: it has a low melt viscosity even though it has a semi-crystalline nature, which allows it to flow extremely well; is relatively inexpensive; is very resistant to moisture; has good chemical resistance and impact strength; and is a good electrical insulator. There are a few shortcomings, however: it has a high thermal expansion coefficient, which means it’s limited in high-temperature applications; is susceptible to ultraviolet degradation; has poor resistance to chlorinated solvents; is difficult to paint due to poor bonding capabilities; is highly flammable; and is susceptible to oxidation.

2. POLYCARBONATE

Polycarbonate (PC) is one of the strongest, most durable materials, which makes it ideal for face shields, visors, and safety glasses; and similar to glass, it remains transparent even if colour is added. PC has great heat resistance properties and can be combined with flame retardant materials without material degradation; has high thermoplasticity; and is pliant, so you can form it at room temperature without it cracking or breaking. But the downsides include susceptibility to scratching, which is why it’s encouraged to apply some kind of scratch-resistant layer; and toxicity when

30 Canadian Plastics June 2022

it comes in contact with food due to its release of BPA during degradation.

3. POLYLACTIC ACID

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable plastic manufactured out of plant-based materials, and is mostly used for food packaging, bottles, film, and medical supplies. On the plus side, it constricts under heat, making it highly suitable for applications such as shrink wrap; melts very easily, making for shorter cycle times; and is safe for food handling and medical implants. But due to its low glass transition temperature, PLA is unable to contain hot liquids or other high-heat applications, even a hot car in the summer; is more costly than other options; and can be more difficult to colour.

4. ABS

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is a popular middle-of-the-road injection molding material due to its balanced combination of mechanical toughness, wide temperature range, good dimensional stability, chemical resistance, electrical insulating properties, and ease of fabrication. It’s also available in a wide range of grades and textures, including high-impact, heat-resistant, fire retardant, and high-gloss. On the other hand, it has poor solvent resistance and poor weatherability, although there’s a UV additive that can improve that problem; is a poor electrical insulator; and melts very easily (even when you don’t want it to).

5. POLYETHYLENE

Polyethylene (PE) is the most popular and commonly used plastic in the world.

It’s lightweight; has high chemical resistance, elasticity, and electrical insulating properties; low hardness, so it’s very ductile; and good impact strength. PE

also is water-resistant and durable with high weatherability; and depending on the thickness of the material, it can be transparent to opaque, making it suitable for packaging applications. The downsides are that PE isn’t environmentally friendly, taking a long time to break down; can’t be incinerated because it turns toxic; releases high greenhouse gas emissions of carbon dioxide during production; and sorting through the various types of PE to recycle is complex and therefore expensive.

6. POLYAMIDE

Polyamide (PA), also known as nylon, is a semi-crystalline polymer with a good range of properties. It’s tough – with tensile strength more than twice as high as ABS and higher than that of metal – and has a high melting temperature, good wear, and chemical resistance, so it’s a good option for strong mechanical parts. PA is also non-toxic, odourless, self-extinguishing, inert to biological erosion, antibacterial, anti-mildew, and has great weatherability. The cons are that it absorbs moisture, which can affect the electrical and mechanical properties, especially in thin-wall applications; requires UV stability due to its poor resistance to light; and can also be attacked by strong acids or bases, causing material degradation and making it unable to be used as an acid-resistant material.

In the end, no polymer is perfect in every way; the key is determining which qualities are important to you and which you don’t want.

CPL Jim Clifford is a consultant/trainer with RJG Inc., a Traverse City, Mich.-based training and consulting company that specializes in the injection molding industry. Visit www.rjginc.com for more. www.canplastics.com

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