EPPM 18.1

Jan/Feb 2016 Volume 18 | Issue 01

SOLVAY PIONEERS 3D PRINTING UNDER THE HOOD Cover Story | Page 10

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Volume 18 Issue 01

IN THIS ISSUE Pg 6 INDUSTRY NEWS

Pg 24 COMPOSITES

KraussMaffei’s acquisition and the Dow/ DuPont merger are arguably the biggest plastics industry stories to hit the headlines since last we met, while Petainer gives us a forecast for the year ahead.

Our Composites section takes on a predictably vehicular flavour with BMW and the America’s Cup featuring, while we share the exciting work Surface Generation has been doing in this arena.

Pg 10 COVER STORY: SOLVAY UNDER THE HOOD

Pg 26 MATERIALS AND MACHINERY ROUNDUPS

Solvay has been mastering its Sinterline Technyl 3D printing material for under the hood automotive applications. We quizzed Dominique Giannotta, Sinterline Programme Leader,v in this exciting exclusive.

We share the biggest materials and machinery headlines to hit our screens in 2016 so far.

Pg 12 ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING In EPPM’s first ever additive manufacturing spotlight, we discover a surgical device made with 3D printing that could transform suturing and get the latest from materials expert Somos and machinery pioneer Stratasys.

Pg 18 RECYCLING AIMPLAS shares its exciting LIFE EXTRUCLEAN project with us, which uses carbon dioxide as a decontaminating agent, while we round up all the latest in plastics recycling developments.

Pg 28 CHINAPLAS PREVIEW Our four-page CHINAPLAS 2016 special brings you an overview of the show we’re all looking forward to in Shanghai this April, as well as exhibitor previews from some of the big names in attendance.

Pg 34 EUREKA SERIES Sharklet Technologies has harnessed the microbe-resisting properties of a shark’s skin for plastics. We asked this exciting young company a few questions.

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Pg 20 INJECTION MOULDING Hardide Coatings and Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK share their views of the year ahead and what is going to give injection moulders the edge in 2016, while RP Technologies shares a great prosthetics story with us.

BPA Worldwide Membership

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ENGEL automotive

competence is standard

The automobile industry is shaping up for the future with intelligent technology. ENGEL will join your company on this journey: with competence, experience and visionary solutions for injection moulding. Whether your plastic components are to be safe, functional, lightweight or attractive, we at ENGEL will work with you hand in hand, allowing you to make sure your innovations are ready for series production even faster. For example, with our centre for lightweight composite technologies: Here ENGEL optimises new thermoplastic and reactive processes for your pioneering lightweight construction components.

www.engelglobal.com

From The Editor

Turn and face the strange Today’s strange and different can become tomorrow’s must-have and eventually ‘the norm’. This is a notion that’s reverberated in my ears while piecing together our January/February edition, not least because for the first time under my editorship we’ve published a section dedicated to additive manufacturing.

But first to our hugely interesting cover story, exploring how Solvay is

We’re already anticipating some big news to come from this massive event I mean, why wait until K?

pushing the limits of 3D printing with its resilient and heat-proof Sinterline Technyl material, which has been optimised for under-the-hood automotive applications. This theme continues throughout our additive manufacturing section which includes exclusive interviews with Stratasys and Somos, and a feature on the amazing work Alex Berry at Sutrue is doing to bring a device to rival surgeons’ fingers in suturing to market using 3D printing - proving the value of striking up a conversation with a stranger on a train. It pays to be nosy.

In recycling news, our friends at AIMPLAS are supporting a project that opens up new horizons for recycling agricultural films by using carbon dioxide as a novel decontaminating agent, while our injection moulding section features insights from the experts at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag and Hardide Coatings.

Naturally, as this magazine is destined for the bustling halls of CHINAPLAS 2016 in April, we’ve also put together a four-page special preview on the world’s second-biggest plastics and rubber show, which includes exhibitor previews, a look at the side events complementing the main show and the official word from organiser Adsale. We’re already anticipating some big news to come from the 30th edition of this massive event - I mean, why wait until K to make your big announcement? So make sure you’re following the CHINAPLAS newsfeeds on both EPPM.com and mideastplast.com for all the latest.

So, to those of you who have picked up your first EPPM in Shanghai, huãn yíng! And to those of you who are continuing your journey with the EPPM community into 2016 with us, huãn yíng huí lái! Hopefully I’ll see some of you there.

Rose Brooke, Editor

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INDUSTRY

KraussMaffei “will stay a German company” Dr Frank Stieler, CEO of KraussMaffei, announced that KraussMaffei will continue to be identified as German after it was announced it is to be acquired by ChemChina for €925 million.

K

raussMaffei will maintain its German identity after its purchase by ChemChina is complete, CEO Dr Frank Stieler has confirmed.

ChemChina, China National Chemical Corporation, has agreed to acquire KraussMaffei from Onex Corporation for €925 million (£717 million), maintaining KraussMaffei’s current locations and company structure, while expanding its growth potential and personnel.

“With ChemChina, we have found a strategic and long-term oriented investor who has been interested in our Company for many years,” said Stieler, CEO of the KraussMaffei.

State-owned ChemChina is the largest enterprise in China’s chemicals industry, ranking 265th on the Fortune 500 companies list, registering RMB 272.5 billion (€38.1 billion) in assets in 2013.

Perfect timing “This kind of owner brings certain advantages and benefits to the company,” Stieler told industry media on Monday January 11th 2016. “One of them is to have better access to the Chinese market.”

He described the deal as “perfect timing” for KraussMaffei, offering the company a better platform to do business in China “at a level that was not available to us before”.

“When you look at [ChemChina’s] industry portfolio, the chemical producer is one of the longest-term thinking players. They are used to operating their assets not for three years but 30 years. They understand that to grow, they need to invest and they know it’s not numbers, its technology, quality and management skills.”

It is this frame of mind ChemChina has applied to prior acquisitions and has established a roadmap to growth that requires European companies to maintain their centres where they are for management, research and development, and production.

“This acquisition is happening because they understand KraussMaffei is strongest at its current locations,” Stieler emphasised. “We go [into this deal] as KraussMaffei with strong confidence and comfort in our European business. We keep the company’s headquarters in Munich and resource and competences will stay in Europe.

“As a result of this, KraussMaffei will stay a German company.”

Continuing to grow Stieler went on to confirm that ChemChina wishes for KraussMaffei to maintain its own operations and management board, but added that the details of this side of the plans for the business are yet to be galvanised to best benefit KraussMaffei’s growth into the Chinese market. The CEO was unable to give a more concrete growth target than a “low double digit” percentage, as it is too early to divulge specific figures.

“We have planned wider growth,” he said, “we have an injection moulding facility and manufacturing facility built over the last years which has been operating at half capacity [and will expand] to full [capacity] this year ... Our strategy is to continue to grow our high quality product line.”

In the official press release announcing news of the acquisition, Stieler thanked Onex for its three years of support, enabling KraussMaffei to achieve a record performance in 2015. “With ChemChina, we have found a strategic and long-term oriented investor who has been interested in our company for many years,” he said. www.kraussmaffei.com

Sepro establishes Canadian daughter company

S

epro has announced that it is establishing its Canadian daughter company Sepro Canada in Montreal, which will run in parallel with Sepro America.

Along with the head office in France, Sepro America will provide sales and service support, automation engineering and training for the new entity.

“Since the 2007 creation of Sepro America, and the opening of Sepro

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Mexico a year later, we have seen our market share in these countries grow dramatically,” said Jean-Michel Renaudeau, CEO of Sepro Group. “The next logical step is now to establish a local presence in the other important North American market. In other words, we intend to be Canadian in Canada.”

Renaudeau explained that Canadian customers can enjoy quicker responses from a direct bilingual sales team and will still benefit from the

24/7 North American service hotline, and fast parts delivery from the Sepro America warehouse located near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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www.sepro-group.com

Dow and DuPont to merge

D

ow and DuPont have announced they will merge, forming one of the most powerful chemicals companies on the world stage.

The two businesses will converge, focusing on agriculture, materials science and specialty products, with the intention to spin into three independent, publically-traded companies.

INDUSTRY

material science leaders," said Liveris.

Breen added: "This is an extraordinary opportunity to deliver long-term, sustainable shareholder value through the combination of two highly complementary global leaders and the creation of three strong, focused, industry-leading businesses." www.dupont.co.uk www.dow.com

The deal - which was described in the official announcement as "highly synergistic" is anticipated to result in run-rate cost synergies of some $3 billion, which are anticipated to create around $300 billion in market value.

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Dow Chairman and CEO Andrew N Liveris will be named Executive Chairman of DowDuPont and Edward D Breen, Chairman and CEO of DuPont, will be CEO of the combined company.

Advisory Committees will be established for each of the separate businesses. Breen will lead the agriculture and specialty products committees, and Liveris will lead the materials science committee. These committees will oversee the respective businesses and will work with Liveris and Breen on the intended separation of the businesses into independent, standalone entities.

"This transaction is a game-changer for our industry and reflects the culmination of a vision we have had for more than a decade to bring together these two powerful innovation and

WWW.BUSSCORP.COM

Combined, the company will be named DowDuPont and shortly after the merger is completed, there is a plan in place to divide DowDuPont into three independent, publicly traded companies for agriculture, materials science and specialty products.

Each will be a focused business with enhanced global scale and product portfolios, focused capital allocation, and a distinct competitive position.

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30.06.15 16:12

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INDUSTRY

What European packaging trends are brewing in PET? Petainer has the main packaging trends for 2016 sussed - sustainability, sustainability, sustainability - and the company believes PET brings the solutions the brewing side of the market has been looking for.

Words | Nigel Pritchard, CEO, Petainer

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n recent years we have seen an increasing trend in PET packaging competing with glass, paper, cardboard cartons, metal and single-stage plastics industries. This is a trend we’re expecting to see grow during 2016.

This trend is in response to the growing shift in the market dynamic and regulatory landscape towards environmental sustainability, driven by environmental, social and economic factors.

This has many consequences for the packaging industry, including: a recognition that biological or organic packaging substrates that divert resources from food production may not be economically, politically or socially responsible; self-regulation by industry wherever possible throughout the supply chain, driven through innovation; the EU looking to strengthen the Packaging Waste Directive, with re-use continuing to have a higher priority than recycling; and individual governments seeking to complement or overtake supra-national measures, for example: the banning of BPA for food contact in various jurisdictions including France; and the German government looking at strengthening the positioning of refillables with improved labelling, increase in levies and expansion to other beverages other than just CSD and drinking water.

Brands are therefore looking for packaging that is economic; sustainable solutions that reduce material usage, and thereby cost, throughout each product’s lifecycle, and that are not only efficient but also essentially free from waste throughout the supply chain.

With advancements in blow moulding, resin and preform design technology, it is possible to produce innovative, lightweight PET packaging that improves environmental credentials whilst not compromising on performance, strength or appearance.

We expect to see the European brewing industry continue to swap heavy, returnable steel kegs, which are expensive to transport and frequently not returned, for one-way PET kegs for this reason.

One-way PET kegs are lighter to transport, space-saving, and the standard deposit required on a steel keg is obsolete. Lightweight one-way kegs can also be transported further, in higher volumes, at a lower cost, allowing producers to deliver new sales volumes to wider markets, with an improved profit margin, opening up new, global opportunities for brewers.

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The one-way kegs also support peak draught sales to enable larger brewers to size their metal keg fleets to fit base load volumes instead of peak volumes.

Another advantage of the one-way keg is that brewers are able to significantly reduce their carbon footprint. They are recyclable, and carry a 'no return' policy; the end user can simply recycle them, cutting down the hassle, cost, and environmental impact of returning them to the brewery. This means PET kegs could substantially reduce the environmental impact of the brewing industry.

PET is also transforming the packaging of smaller volume products across Europe. In almost every European country refillable PET plastic containers are used to some extent for at least one type of beverage. After use, containers are collected through deposit systems, returned to the brand owner to be sterilised and filled, and then re-distributed to the market.

But it’s not only environmental benefits that are driving the growth of this market in Europe; there’s a very real economic benefit that improves the total cost of ownership for retailers and product quality too.

The intricacies of PET technology allow many products to be effectively stored and perform as well if not better than in metal, steel, cardboard carton etc. packaging, meaning quality and taste is not compromised.

An extensive range of materials and barrier properties used, guarantees that consumers experience the best a product has to offer. An active oxygen scavenger in the Polyester Plus material prevents oxygen penetrating the product and reduces CO2 loss.

Pigments in the polyester guard the contents against infiltration of UV light and the degradation it can cause. Essentially, this means that quality and taste are not compromised compared to other types of packaging.

With on-going environmental, social and economic pressures driving companies across Europe to behave in a more sustainable manner, we expect to see a continued increase in the number of products packaged in PET plastic; meeting regulatory requirements, while at the same time potentially saving businesses money and improving product quality.

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www.petainer.com

COVER STORY

Under the hood: Pioneering the 3D-printed plastic car engine Solvay is pioneering 3D-printed plastic parts for automotive - specifically under-the-hood parts that must withstand a harsh environment as well as their metal counterparts.

Dominique Giannotta, Sinterline Programme Leader, Solvay Engineering Plastics, explained why both the technology and Solvay’s Sinterline Technyl are up to the task.

Words | Rose Brooke

From prototype to final part

Additive manufacturing is proving a powerful tool in automotive and Solvay, a worldleader in the field of polyamide 6 and 66, is harnessing its true potential in automotive.

Sinterline Technyl is Solvay's first powder range designed specifically for selective laser sintering, a process by which a product is built layer by layer from a powder bed with a carbon dioxide laser. This form of additive manufacturing is known to provide components with excellent mechanical properties suitable both for prototypes and even end-use parts.

The Belgian company is spearheading additive manufacturing research and development in automotive in particular as a principal materials sponsor for the Polimotor 2 all-plastic car project, which is pioneering polymer technologies for automotive and potentially re-thinking how vehicles are produced - bringing down waste, cost and emissions in the process.

"From what we can see, additive manufacturing is more and more deeply used by the automotive sector especially for the research and development steps at concept level and testing new developments, properties and designs, complementing the use of injection parts for final qualifications," said Dominique Giannotta, Sinterline Programme Leader, Solvay Engineering Plastics.

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Increasingly, selective laser sintering is being employed not only to produce functional prototypes, but enduse parts. This is where the flexibility and timesaving aspects of 3D printing come into their own, enabling affordable customisation of one-off parts which latterly could not be manufactured without great expense, time and material wastage.

The concept of the customisable car goes hand in hand with the notion that a contactless or electric vehicle needn't conform to the traditional car designs the world is used to, with a hood at the front concealing an engine, and the driver and passengers facing forward. Although not Giannotta's specialty, he admitted this idea is "no longer a dream".

Engineers and developers need to believe that it will open up the possibility to develop new parts with complex geometries and give them more flexibility.

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Giannotta and his team's focus is on the materials science under the hood, where part customisation is less of a concern and heat-resistance and strength performance are the key factors to consider - and additive manufacturing plays just as important a role under the hood as it does outside of it.

"We focus on parts with a high level of technical performance. The Polimotor 2, for example, is the kind of project where we push the boundaries," he said.

I think we need to dream more and I believe the Polimotor project has the scope to push the boundaries and make people think differently.

"I think the conception of an engine in plastic is something difficult to consider. You spend most of your time convincing people that yes it can work and yes you can replace many metallic parts thanks to stiff, heat stabilised polymers like polyamide replacing aluminium in some cases," Giannotta explained.

When testing new designs, additive manufacturing is a valuable tool to have, enabling product developers and engineers to try out different functional prototypes in a very short period of time without the risk of spending a lot of money.

In the case of the Polimotor 2, it is not just about functional prototypes, but the final part.

"In the near future, additive manufacturing will be much bigger than it is today if we focus on the final part we produce for the market, especially in automotive. This means you need to go through a total change of mindset because engineers and

Adopt and adapt Additive manufacturing is compared to injection moulding and there is currently a wide gap between the two technologies as far as production speeds are concerned, but an industry that has undergone such a leap in evolutionary terms might yet compete with traditional manufacturing.

In the meantime, the automotive sector must adopt and adapt.

Giannotta believes car design and manufacturing is a more difficult nut to crack than medical and aerospace, where he stated "the door is wide open" to additive manufacturing.

"In automotive," he said, "the first challenge is that you are producing millions of cars. But again, who knows if we are going to develop more customised cars where 3D printing will be strongly used for small production runs dedicated to each customer or customising your brand? The second [challenge] is when talking about the performance of parts under the hood. What we are working on is how to go from visual customer prototypes to functional prototypes, and then producing the final part using 3D printing. Jigs and fixtures is also a huge area of parts productions for additive manufacturing where performances and time saving for design and caption are key."

"Of course," Giannotta added, "we do not have a 100 per cent solution today, but I think we need to dream more and I believe the Polimotor project has the scope to push the boundaries and make people think differently.

developers need to believe that it will open up the possibility to develop new parts with complex geometries and give them more flexibility. This is what we are pushing with Sinterline, improving the mechanical and thermal performance with reliable printed parts," Giannotta explained.

"This means when you are designing a car, you can rethink it totally - and not just comparing additive manufacturing to injection technology. This is the challenge you have when in discussion with car manufacturers, how to think about using 3D printed parts from the beginning of the design process to allow you the maximum freedom of design while producing functional parts."

"We still face challenges to reduce pollution. I would really love for 3D printing to help find some breakthrough solutions and using this technology and new compounds, I hope some new solutions will come. We have to use all the opportunities available to us and we really believe that in 10 years we will find new applications we were not even thinking about today." www.technyl.com www.solvay.com

Giannotta acknowledged there are still limitations such as low production speeds limiting the technology's manufacturing capacity to short runs, but he hopes the Polimotor 2 project will contribute to demonstrating the potential for additive manufacturing playing a much larger role in the trend for metal replacement in automotive, which goes hand in hand with the trend for reducing vehicle emissions.

"At the same time, the temperature of engines gets higher and higher so the technicity of the plastic has to be high," he explained. "There are already solutions available on the market - some provide injection-moulded plastic parts with a very high level of mechanical and thermal resistance. I believe that 3D-printed parts will follow this same trend as 3D printing machines and materials improve."

Sinterline and Technyl are registered trademarks of Solvay.

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ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Exploring stereolithography with DSM Somos Vat photopolymerisation is the go-to 3D printing technology for creating very intricate prototypes and now even enduse parts. Somos, a materials science leader in the field of photopolymerisation resins, reveals a little more about how this intriguing laser technology is being used.

Words | Rose Brooke

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at photopolimerisation, which includes stereolithography and Digital Light Processing (DLP) is the perfect additive manufacturing option for high-detail prototypes and end-use part production thanks to complex geometries that can only be built using this precise method.

But the CAD file and the machinery are just two corners of the stereolithography triangle - you need the materials science to feel a real part in your hands. For over 25 years, Somos has brought sophisticated builds to life.

Marketing Manager for Somos Jasper van DietenBlom believes the company offers the best stereolithography materials on the market and that these are exciting times for vat photopolymerisation - and not just as a prototyping tool.

prototypes and are instead using the technology to make sophisticated parts.

“Because of the excellent surface quality of the parts created with our materials, you can get into indirect manufacturing for aerospace casting and injection moulding for short run production options. These are big growth areas where we already have a good presence and experience,” said van Dieten-Blom.

Transcending the hype Somos works closely with its customers, which include industrial designers, service bureaux and OEMs, giving the company a deeper understanding of the industry that transcended the hype surrounding desktop 3D printing, as it bubbled up in 2012 and cooled two years later.

Enabling and improving “Many new companies are launching machine platforms that use photopolymerisation to deliver innovative options for the additive manufacturing market. It’s very exciting for us because these companies are developing fantastic equipment options for the market,” he stated.

“These companies reach out to us to discuss materials,” van Dieten-Blom continued.

The team behind Somos works from the position that the material can be used on the very latest machinery for the most demanding applications, which is why the Somos portfolio - which includes the thermoplastic-like Somos NeXt, the transparent Somos WaterClear Ultra 10122, the high-heatresistant Somos PerFORM and Somos Element for investment casting - has formed business collaborations with market-leading machine manufacturers including EnvisionTEC and Prodways.

The automotive prototyping market, van DietenBlom explained, remains DSM Somos’ bread and butter, with prototyping for aerospace and consumer electronics taking a smaller share of the pie; but increasingly customers are moving away from using additive manufacturing for sophisticated

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The fastest way to innovate is everyone does what they are good at

“That undercurrent just steadily moved on,” van Dieten-Blom mused, adding that the main benefit for Somos post-hype is that more people know about the technology and therefore enquiries at the Somos’ stand at trade shows are more relevant.

“A year ago,” he said, “we had questions from students and people asking, ‘Can you print this? … do you sell filaments?’ and we would say ‘No. We supply the best liquid resins for vat photopolymerisation,’ and they look at you and still say ‘So no filament?’.

Those discussions are becoming less frequent, allowing our skilled people to have engaged conversations with customers about driving the industry forward.”

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From ‘Can you?’ to ‘Should you?’

Today, the question people ask themselves first is not ‘Can you print it?’ but ‘Should you print it?’, because to van Dieten-Blom, without adapting to this mindset, the technology will not improve quickly and the materials science may not meet the optimum needs of customers.

“We sell to three types of customer: distributors, OEMs and service bureax. OEMs have very narrow enquiries - pushing-the-envelope type solutions because they are focused on overcoming specific, technical challenges. Service bureaux want to cater to a broad audience, and are looking for good general-purpose resins that are stable and versatile.”

When innovating for the automotive sector, lightweighting is still the main driver and there is a push to develop improved heat- and and impactresistance. Van Dieten-Blom added: “We know this because market analysis shows which gaps there are in the market for us to target.”

In addition, sometimes individual OEMs will come with specific requests, where Somos gets involved and explores if developing a new material property set delivers a value proposition for a broader market.

“Only in very rare cases will we engage in projects where we develop something customer-specific.

Because we want to cover so many applications, regions and platforms we want to make sure what we develop serves a large portion of either our OEM customers or our service bureau customers.”

Materials for stereolithography cannot progress the technology alone. It rests with the machinery manufacturers, software developers and a discerning and ambitious user community to ensure the rate of development does not lose momentum.

“The fastest way to innovate is everyone does what they are good at,” said van Dieten-Blom. “There should be a mix of machine players, software players and materials players working together, which will be the fastest way to unlock new applications.” www.dsm.com/products/somos/en_US/home.html

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

BPF outlines 'Game Changing' 3D printing programme The British Plastics Federation (BPF) is hosting a special seminar dedicated to unravelling the potential additive manufacturing holds for plastics.

3D Printing – A Game Changer for the Plastics Industry? will take place on March 9th 2016 at BPF House in Central London.

The event costs only £149 + VAT to members of the BPF and £249 + VAT to non-members. www.bpf.co.uk/events/3d_printing_and_the_plastics_ industry.aspx Sprache: EN Format: 164x235+3mm

Inserat „EPPM“

Thema: Image

AS: 26.01.2016

The full-day event will include a comprehensive look at a number of exciting and engaging topics, including: ‘Overview of the 3D Printing Market’, ‘Key Materials Used in 3D Printing’, ‘Case Studies: 3D Printing in Automotive and Aeronautic’, ‘3D Printing for Injection Moulding: A Case Study’, and an analysis of ‘Future Trends in 3D Printing’.

The BPF has secured a number of expert speakers to present to delegates on the day, including representatives from Nottingham University, Digits2widgets, Laser Lines and Materialise.

This fascinating seminar is aimed at all of those within the plastics industry who are interested in finding out more about 3D printing, as well as those who are looking at the feasibility of implementing 3D printing into their businesses in the future.

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On the day, as well as benefiting from a whole host of captivating presentations, delegates will have the opportunity to network with their industry peers, which provides an excellent cost-saving solution for meeting potential business contacts.

3D Printing – A Game Changer for the Plastics Industry? will take place on March 9th 2016 at BPF House in Central London.

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ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

The future of suture?

From the beginning of surgical history, nothing has been able to come close to the accuracy and delicacy of a surgeon’s fingers to stitch wounds, but thanks to the speed and costeffectiveness of 3D printing technology, the first device to rival even the dexterity of human hands could be around the corner.

Words | Rose Brooke

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mazing stories can find you at unusual times and the Sutrue additive-manufactured endoscopic device found EPPM on a train journey to London one November afternoon. If a gentleman set down a Formlabs Form 1 3D printer on the table near your seat, would you pass up the chance to ask what he was doing with it? Even if you only have a passing interest in additive manufacturing, I am fairly sure many people would strike up a conversation just like I did, and luckily for our additive manufacturing feature, Sutrue Founder and Director Alex Berry was not only an enthusiastic conversationalist, but he had a genuinely ground-breaking story to share.

The Sutrue device is a mechanical stitching tool that has been designed and intricately prototyped and tested multiple times thanks to 3D printing technology.

As medical and surgical science has developed, the process of hand stitching the patient's body back together again has not advanced, as little can compare to the dexterity of a seasoned surgeon's fingers.

One such surgeon is Mr Richard Trimlett, Medical Advisor on the project and Surgical Tutor in Cardiothoracic Surgery and Consultant Adult Cardiac Surgeon at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London.

From Mr Trimlett's perspective, the Sutrue could be approached by the medical community from two angles. At the more basic end, in the case of a long wound such as those seen in abdominal and orthopaedic surgery, these long closures are usually delegated to more junior surgeons. With a Sutrue, a less experienced surgeon could close up a wound much more quickly than suturing by hand, making the operation safer and reducing the likelihood of the surgeon injuring themselves. Needle-stick injuries affect two million healthcare workers globally a year the Sutrue website claims, with 15 per cent of these injuries taking place during suturing.

At the other end of the spectrum, as operations increasingly move towards keyhole surgery and away from open surgery, there are still too few ways of passing a needle and thread through tissues, but the Sutrue enables the surgeon to suture endoscopically, closing the wound delicately with very small needles without the risk of infection and increased recovery times associated with open surgery.

"It's a device that can do surgery that keyhole surgeons can't and it can be a mass-market device for simple wound closures where they need to be done in a hurry or by someone relatively inexperienced," Mr Trimlett explained. "At the time being, we are stuck using a needle and thread, which may seem strange to people who have not had medical training that we are still using these sorts of tools, but in the speciality of cardiovascular surgery where we have an awful lot of data, a needle and thread is still giving us the best long-term results for making small joins in arteries and other delicate structures."

"With keyhole surgery," he continued, "if [we can get the Sutrue] to do what we want it to do then it has potential - which expands the remit of what you can do with keyhole surgery and make big open operations quicker and safer."

"Alex set himself a complicated task to take a relatively small needle and develop a device that would pass it safely through tissues and recapture it - and the reason why such a device doesn't exist already is because it's a difficult thing to do," he said. "There have been many iterations of this, but it's kept its momentum because we've been able to come here, test it, build it, and we've discussed what needs to be changed and it's printed with relatively short turnaround."

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Safer surgery

Testing, testing The Sutrue has undergone numerous iterations over the six years Berry has been developing it and without additive manufacturing, there is no way his work could have come this far without considerable expense. Apart from "a couple of Swiss companies that can machine you some incredibly small parts", the designer admits he would have nowhere else to turn if he wanted functional prototypes of the Sutrue.

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Being able to work in a visual language where you can both see what you’re talking about has been hugely beneficial. I think it has been a byproduct of this process but probably one of the most important things that I’ve learnt form this exercise.

While the intricate mechanism in the head of the Sutrue is 3D printed in metal on Concept Laser machines by ES Technology in Oxfordshire, thanks to the expert insights of Dr Chris Sutcliffe at the University of Liverpool, the plastic body and casing of the device is printed on 3D Systems 3D printers by PDR in Cardiff, with Berry tinkering on the Form 1 as he goes. When the prototypes are ready, they can then be tested by Mr Trimlett on various tissue types to discover its limits within the standardised realms of robotic surgical testing.

"Mr Trimlett's time is a lot more precious than your average person," Berry explained, "and the language we've developed has made it very succinct so there have been changes to the device that have come directly from Mr Trimlett's comments as opposed to me staring at a device from the practical user's perspective."

"The limiting thing is going to be the strength of the sharp needle as opposed to the device," Mr Trimlett noted.

So with Mr Trimlett's involvement in perfecting Berry's design on screen before sending it to be 3D printed, does the Sutrue stand a better chance of becoming a mainstay of the operating theatre?

The latest incarnation of the main parts of the Sutrue were 3D printed in late January when Berry came up with a different approach for getting the head of the device in position, while the intricacies of the moving parts have been given the most minute of tweaks over the years, perfecting the mechanism.

The aim of the Sutrue is to give the surgeon an equal if not improved ability to sew up a wound and to do this, the Sutrue features a robotic wrist-like movement at its head.

Too good to be (Su)true?

"As a law with equipment," the surgeon explained, "the early adopters will take it on and if they can make it work, you start to see them in theatres and appear in publications and it will be adopted across the board. If early adopters don't like it, it will sink and die like many other things that have been tried, but it's probably got a fighting chance."

"We can only do the best we can to present something we think may be useful and after that it's up to the medical community," Alex added. "It's a leap of faith in a sense, but at the same time, it's a solution. The first patent application to change a standard surgical needle was in 1914 - so people have been trying to do this for 102 years. There's got to be a reason for that." www.sutrue.com

"The theory is it will allow robotic suturing to be more simple," Mr Trimlett explained, "and it should be able to do something you can't currently do."

Exploring the boundaries of the Sutrue has only been made possible with additive manufacturing, both on a practical level and as far as exchanging ideas is concerned.

"I think some of the 3D printing tools we've been using particularly the CADCAM software - has allowed us to develop a language between engineers and medics, because often we use words in very different ways. Being able to work in a visual language where you can both see what you're talking about has been hugely beneficial. I think it has been a by-product of this process but probably one of the most important things that I've learnt form this exercise."

Berry added that over Sutrue's six-year development process, often his time to pore over design amends with Mr Trimlett has been limited to 10-15 minute meetings, catching him between appointments and operations.

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Stratasys FDM-based 3D printing solutions were applied to the enclosed, hollow structure of the Aurora unmanned aerial vehicle.

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Additive manufacturing in 2016: A hype-free zone?

Additive manufacturing is throwing off the shackles of hype, with in-flight parts, injection moulding tools and working prototypes proving their value in the supply chain. We spoke to Stratasys’ Simon Brandon.

Words | Rose Brooke

I

n 2013, 3D printing - which up until very recently had been better known as rapid prototyping - was going to change the world. 3D printing was the disruptive technology that would alter how we shop, how we consume and how we think about everything from our trainers to the very homes we live in, because 3D printing would make buying, fixing and customising as simple as selecting a file and pushing a button.

And then the world learnt that desktop 3D printers are expensive, tricky, glitchy and fairly restrictive unless what you need is a lurid green bust of Yoda in ABS with dubious surface finish.

Luckily, three years on we live in enlightened times.

The materials developers are bringing more sophisticated With Stratasys 3D printing, any design iterations to the manufacturing tools are easily accommodated in a matter of hours, products to market and the machinery developers are eliminating costly iterations further along the production process. producing printers that are faster, more intricate and capable of producing not just prototypes but end-use parts. One of the companies at the helm of the additive manufacturing ship as it steams through the 21st century is Stratasys.

"That's witchcraft!"

Marketing Manager for Stratasys in the UK, Scandinavia and Benelux Simon Brandon has witnessed this shift away from hype with amusement.

"If you look back three years, people would walk up to our stand at shows saying 'what's that?', 'what are you doing?', 'you printed that?', 'that's witchcraft'. Now everybody knows the hype - like it was Star Trek in real life and we can make things at home like guns - hasn't really happened," he said.

"In that time, the public have learnt about the real benefits of 3D printing in producing prototypes that aren't just a concept, they are real-world, functional, touchable models. But what excites me the most is over the past three years we've started seeing companies come in saying 'the 3D printer in our design shop is printing jigs and fixtures and they seem to be working rather well'. We're really seeing the tooling side of things start to grow."

Real-world applications More companies are taking advantage of the benefits additive manufacturing can bring to tooling all the time. Whale Pumps is one business that has utilised Stratasys 3D printing technology to produce injection moulding tools using Digital ABS, printing items in less then 24 hours at a fraction of a cost of the traditional metal tools. Managing Director Patrick Hurst believes additive manufacturing has shortened Whale's research and development process by up to 35 per cent, making huge time savings in the design and production stages, in addition to the cash clawed back in material and energy consumption.

"Now," Brandon continued, "people come up to the stand and say 'tell us about injection moulding', 'tell us about jigs and fixtures' and that's really exciting how traditional manufacturing is starting to see how real companies are adopting the technology."

"It's amazing how far we've come," he added.

Stratasys' profile has been rising, making appearances not just on the 3D printing show circuit, but its name has appeared in exhibitor lists for big manufacturing shows like NPE 2015 in Orlando, PLAST in Milan and K 2016 in DĂźsseldorf.

"Now, we're trying to show at events that there are some amazing things people are doing," Brandon said.

What the competition is using So as additive manufacturing finds its place in the greater manufacturing supply chain, is it being received more warmly by some industries than others? Brandon believes rather than labelling sectors such as automotive 'conservative', it a case of personalities and not sectors.

"There are traditional manufacturers and individuals who always seem to think there is one way of doing things. They might still think 3D printing is about toys or for designers to tinker with their ideas. Traditional manufacturers might not like the idea of a 3D-printed plastic prototype instead of a metal one, and that CNC milling is quite sufficient, but they are slowly getting the message, that a plastic prototype can be quite complex and that you can make it overnight and then adjust it and get a new one if it doesn't work," Brandon explained.

"This is what their competitors are already using - that's the message people are slowly getting. Automotive and aerospace are the key growth areas and when you look back to the Airbus story in early 2015 - 1,000 3D printed parts on a plane - people listened because 3D printing suddenly became real and they thought 'we need to invest in this'." www.stratasys.com

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RECYCLING

Recycling of plastic waste from packages containing hazardous substances The LIFE EXTRUCLEAN project coordinated by AIMPLAS claims to not only recycle contaminated plastic in a more efficient way, but produces recycled plastics that can be put to a greater number of uses.

Words | Rosa GonzĂĄlez Leyba, Extrusion Department, and Eva Verdejo AndrĂŠs, Sustainability and Industrial Recovery, AIMPLAS.

T

he most used plastic packaging for transporting hazardous substances are cans, jerrycans, boxes and compound packages consisting of a plastic container and a metal, cardboard or plywood external protection.

Some of these packages have more than one use and they can be reused in controlled conditions. Nevertheless, most of the packages are single-use and are discarded as hazardous waste, as some of their content has been absorbed by the plastic surface. At the end of the cycle, if waste management is not carried out correctly it could be a public health and environmental risk due to the threat contaminants pose to the food chain, aquifers or soils. For that reason, hazardous waste is strictly regulated in Europe and must be collected for processing by an authorised waste management programme.

In the case of plastic packaging containing hazardous substances the most adequate management is currently decontamination for recycling.

This decontamination process consists of a process known as 'triple rinsing and drying'. The plastic waste, after being ground, is passed through consecutive washes and drying processes using huge amounts of water and cleaning chemical agents that consume a lot of energy. Moreover, the process generates wastewater, which must be managed correctly.

Once decontaminated, the plastic is dried and it follows the usual recycling process by extrusion. The recycled plastic material has inferior properties to the original plastic packaging material, as the decontamination process reduces its properties.

Thus, the new recycled material can only be used in low added-value applications.

The most important aspects to consider when optimising the recycling process and searching for alternative methods for recycling hazardous waste-containing vessels are the reduction of the consumption of resources, the minimisation of environmental impact and the degradation of the plastic material in the process of decontamination.

Furthermore, due to the inert nature of carbon dioxide, the materials do not degrade as much, so the recycled material will show better properties and could have more applications than traditionally-processed recycled plastics.

The objective of LIFE EXTRUCLEAN is to remove the toxicity of plastic waste, producing a recycled material with adequate properties for the manufacture of packaging for the transport of hazardous substances, thus closing the life cycle of these packages.

The project has implemented the technology at a pilot plant scale, showing its efficacy in the decontamination of polyethylene that has been contaminated in a controlled way to demonstrate different contaminants present in hazardous plastic waste (solvents and phytosanitary products). In a second stage, which will be soon developed, a pilot plant-scale study will show the technology's efficacy on real plastic waste samples, before implementing the technology at an industrial scale.

Since the packages destined to contain hazardous substances have high requirements and they must be homologated, the last stage of the project will consist of the manufacture of packages with the new recycled material and their validation.

The LIFE EXTRUCLEAN project's mission is to implement a clean decontaminating and recycling technology for hazardous plastic waste, which consists of the use of carbon dioxide in supercritical conditions (sc-CO2) in the extrusion process.

In this process carbon dioxide is the decontaminating agent, capable of joining the melted plastic material and dissolving the different contaminants. The forced extraction of the gas together with the contaminants yields a decontaminated recycled plastic material.

The use of sc-CO2 as a decontaminating agent totally or partially eliminates continuous chemical washing, thus largely reducing the consumption of resources and the environmental impact of a traditional decontamination process.

LIFE EXTRUCLEAN is a European project from LIFE, funded by the European Union (LIFE 13/ENV/ES/000067), lasting from July 1st 2014 for two-and-a-half years. The project is coordinated by AIMPLAS and counts on the participation of a consortium formed by AIDIMA, ACTECO, ENPLAST and ARVET. www.aimplas.net

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RECYCLING

EREMA UpCentre opens doors to upcycling

Bulletin:

The new EREMA UpCentre has opened doors to the po ssibilities of upcycling to plastics proces sors. The inaugu 20th 2015 in Gu ration on Friday nskirchen, not November far from the co Ansfelden, Aust mpany’s headqu ria, generated arters in in te rest throughout value chain, with the plastics proc representatives essing from sorting co producers, recy mpanies, wash clers and plas ing plant tics processors EREMA’s UpCent attending the re demonstrate ceremony. s how plastics pr technology for ocessors can us the sampling of e COREMA recycling compo produce sampl e amounts in to unds, allowing them to nnes quickly an benefit from th d flexibly. Cust e knowhow of ER omers also EMA and partne r Coperion on-s ite. www.erema.at

waste b la ic t s la p t u c o Call t port ‘Labs published the re of Exeter have s how

ht the University re, which highlig Researchers at the journal Natu in landfill. r o’, fo to ed e in st st wa de community is c ifi should cut plastic nt ie sc ardon, e Re th and Erin scarded by , Andrew Watts much polymer di na bi Ur at 5.5 th io ric ct fa au Drs M highlighted the The researchers tic is as pl of es nn million to al glob ly as being generated scientific of a by-product ists, our nt ie sc s research. “A search relies day- to- day re e, disposable on cheap, durabl d Urbina. ne ai pl plastic,” ex to maximise “We are forced ch budgets value of resear on cheap ly and often re equipment disposable plastic s .” The study urge tal consequences en e m us on egl vir sin en e ce th noring res to redu which means ig ers to take measu nd fu d an ity un m the research com e. st wa www.nature.com tic as pl

Top presenters bound for inaugural Re|Focus

SPI: The Plastics Industry Tra de Association has revealed the session topics and top presenters for the hotly-anticipated inaugural Re-|focus Recycling Summit & Expo, which will tak e place on April 25th-27th 201 6 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orl ando, FL. The Engineering Educational Track is sponsored by the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Sustainability Division and will address key challenges that processors and brand owners might face in incorporating greater use of recycled content, and bet ter designing products for recycling. Presen ters include Steve Alexander, Executive Director of the Association of Pos tconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR), Sco tt Steele, President of Plastic Techno logies, Inc. and Lukas Bartek, Ma nager of New Business Developm ent at DuPont EMEA.

rcular i C w e N : C P eds Eu e ‘n l a s o p o r Economy p ion’ more ambit

the feels EuPC ’s on si is m om C European y om on r Ec new Circula be to s ed package ne tious. The more ambi proposal long-awaited ub re-s mitted was ber 2nd on Decem although 2015 and mes the EuPC welco e, it is ag new pack its level circular concerned is still e towards a y op it ur ar E cl il in l ga es of le mpani said: “We fa t to guide co ector Alexandre Dangis en e ci or ffi ef su er t no e th Dir C Managing ckage and w ns io is ov economy. EuP ised approach in the pa pr al on rmon new propos to see a ha bition of this ia.” am er it of cr l te ve le as d end-of-w an question the es eu m he , EPR sc sconverters. www.plastic on landfilling

A Schulman COP21 partnership transfo waste into high des rms ign Outside

of the COP21 comm ittee meeting in December, hu ndreds of innov ators gathered on a va st exhibition floor for the accompanying World Efficiency sh ow (December 7th-9th 2015). Leading supp lier of high-performanc e plastic compou nds, powders and resins A. Schulman was am ong them in partnership with Parisian desig n company Maximum , who are giving a new life to Schulman’s qu ality control and pu rge waste as furniture un der the slogan ‘Nothi ng Goes Wasted’. “W hen A. Schulman was approached by youn g Parisian designers with a project for the reu se of our quality co ntrol and purge waste, we immediately sa w a great opportunity to give a second life to our materials,” said Fabr izio Cochi Vice-Pres ident Specialty Powders A. Schulman EMEA. www.aschulman.co m

Copyright Maximum , via Facebook

www.refocussummit.org

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Introducing Buhler Sortex and NRT - two brands, one optical sorting solution. Whatever the plastic sort, Buhler Sortex and NRT have the solution, bringing together the best of both brands for a competitve solution from bottle to flake. Our partnership combines a comprehensive range of proven bottle and flake sorting machines with pioneering optical sorting technologies including In-Flight® sorting, PET Boost™, high resolution colour cameras and SmartEject™ to remove the most challenging polymer contaminants, colours and foreign materials with pinpoint precision from your recycled product. Turn to Buhler Sortex and NRT and maximise your capacities, recovery and profitability today.

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Innovations for a better world.

INJECTION MOULDING

Coatings technology provides solution for wear and corrosion in industrial tooling How do you increase the longevity of an injection moulding tool without compromising on finish quality? Hardide Coatings’ Co-Founder Dr Yuri Zhuk explains the advantages of nano-structured CVD coatings.

Words | Dr Yuri Zhuk, Technical Director, Hardide Coatings

T

ooling used in industry, especially for injection moulding or extrusion of plastics and other materials-forming techniques, is often complex in design. Manufacturing such tooling out of hard materials (tool steels, cemented carbide) requires expensive machining and finishing operations.

If an extrusion die suffers from wear or corrosion, it will produce a line on the extruded profile, which is not acceptable for many products manufactured by this technique and also results in interrupted production and additional downtime costs.

Machining the tools out of bulk hard materials can reduce wear but due to the complex shape of the tooling, machining fine features would be difficult and expensive. Alternatively, the tooling can be manufactured out of tough steel and a hard coating applied. Tough steel can be machined in intricate detail at reasonable cost, while the coating provides a hardened surface increasing the tooling life, cutting the risk of degradation to the finish quality, improving production and reducing the cost of replacing tools suffering from wear and abrasion.

Use of CVD coatings has been tested on a pelletising die plate, where the Hardide coating was applied inside the hundreds of extrusion holes and on both faces of the die plate. This proved effective against wear and abrasion with the die plate lasting three times longer when compared with an uncoated hardened tool steel die plate and the coated surfaces retained a good finish for much longer.

CVD coatings are crystallised from the gas phase atom-by-atom, producing a conformal coating that can coat internal and external surfaces and complex shapes. CVD takes place in a vacuum chamber reactor at a temperature of approximately 500°C. The coatings are a metallic tungsten matrix with dispersed nano-particles of tungsten carbide typically between 1 and 10 nanometres in size.

Nano-structured materials are known to possess unique toughness and crack- and impact-resistant features. For example, Hardide-T has proven this by withstanding 3000 microstrain deformations without any damage; this deformation will crack or chip most other thick hard coatings.

Engineering a solution to traditional methods Traditionally, thermal spray coatings, Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) and hard chrome plating (HCP) coatings have been used for industrial tooling. Although successful in some applications, each coating has limitations.

These patented coatings add value to components and reduce operational costs by saving downtime, increasing productivity and improving performance.

Thermal spray coatings can build a very thick and durable layer, but the resultant coatings are rough and porous in nature and often require grinding, which is not possible on intricate shapes. PVD coatings can produce an extremely hard layer with accurately controlled thickness but are very thin - typically less than four microns - and have limited loadbearing capacity. Both these coatings are applied in a line-ofsight technique, unsuitable for coating internal surfaces and other complex designs. Hard chrome plating combines wear resistance with some corrosion protection but its manufacture is in the process of being phased out under EU REACH regulations, which will restrict the process in 2017 as it utilises carcinogenic hexavalent chromium salts, and ever-tightening restrictions imposed by the US OSHA regulations.

Nano-structured tungsten carbide-based coatings such as those from Hardide Coatings are applied by low temperature CVD (chemical vapour deposition). Providing exceptional wear and corrosion resistance combined with toughness and ductility, these patented coatings add value to components and reduce operational costs by saving downtime, increasing productivity and improving performance.

Other key properties include resistance to acids (including HCl, H2S) and the absence of porosity. The porosity is typically less than 0.04 per cent while the coating completely covers the substrate without any through pores. Unlike sprayed tungsten carbide, Hardide does not use a cobalt binder which can be attacked by acids.

Nano-structured CVD coatings provide benefits

The ability of the CVD technology to coat complex shapes and internal as well as external surfaces with a uniform layer opens new potential applications for hard coatings on critical parts. This is essential on tooling for forming abrasive materials, including plastics, extruded wood-plastic composites, metal injection moulding, powder compacting and pelletising.

In tests on material forming tools the coating has been proven to reduce the tool wear. In several tests a three-fold increase in tool life was reported, the optimum surface finish of the working surface of the tool was maintained, and the production reject rate and downtime was reduced.

In materials-forming industries, challenging and abrasive environments put pressure on tooling, leading to failure of critical components, downtime and lost production. Hardide Coatings’ range of tungsten carbide CVD coatings provides an effective solution for these problems, ensuring extended life of tools while delivering reduction in downtime, costs and meeting environmental regulations. www.hardide.com

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INJECTION MOULDING

‘Watershed year’ for Sumitomo (SHI) Demag W

hen asked to sum up 2015, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK boss Nigel Flowers said it was the year the company “reclaimed its rightful place as the industry leader in injection moulding.”

Even though the business did not have any big product launches over the 12-month period, it has been steadfastly focused on packaging, precision and process atomisation.

"In early 2015, our new Chief Sales Officer Gerd Liebig outlined his priorities for the company, which clearly pointed to a focus on innovation in injection moulding being application rather than machine driven," said Flowers. "Gerd also indicated that Sumitomo (SHI) Demag needed to re-establish a clear identity in the market, which we are accomplishing."

Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has strategically realigned its European business to focus on the core competencies of high-speed, precision and application engineering. In the summer, production sites in Schwaig and Wiehe were consolidated and restructured to mirror these efforts. A new subsidiary was also established in Hungary, which Gerd Liebig described as the "market with the highest potential for growth".

Packaging and precision have been the key growth areas for the company, responding to rising demand for complete and complex manufacturing cells and the drive for increased flexibility to accommodate changing products.

"Euromap data provides a good benchmark for market performance and it’s interesting to see that automation in injection moulding continues to increase," Flowers explained, adding that around half of all machines sold by Euromap members are now equipped with robotic technology.

European demand remains strong, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag reports. Demand for moulding machines is up by 10 per cent year-on-year, with machines over 10,000kN continuing to be the star performers, reflecting a strengthening European automotive industry. Globally, Asia (including China) continues to show a strong demand despite recent economic reports, while South America has cooled.

Nevertheless, the year ahead looks positive, with the possibility of a machine launch in mid-to-late 2016.

"Behind the scenes, we continue to constantly develop our already strong range. For the packaging sector the EL-EXIS-SP helps to address the constant changes in packaging formats. There are continual improvements to price/performance ratio with the Systec SP, plus the adoption of eIMM technology is beginning to take hold in the mass market," Flowers stated.

But it is in process optimisation where Flowers feels the biggest strides are being made; giving moulders the confidence to experiment with different materials and formats with helpful workshops in the UK and Europe, further cementing Sumitomo (SHI) Demag as an intelligence leader as well as a machinery manufacturer. http://uk.sumitomo-shi-demag.eu

ENGEL ‘injects’ a little enthusiasm into injection moulding ENGEL Austria is hosting an exciting new event with a mission to build bridges between development and practice in injection moulding. “inject - the injection moulding forum” will take place for the very first time from March 8th9th 2016 in Schwertberg, Austria. The Germanlanguage event seeks to make the latest research findings accessible to the injection moulding industry and will encourage delegates to share their experiences.

The event represents a step in a new direction for the injection moulding machine manufacturer and system expert. Unlike the forum events focusing

22

on applications and technologies that ENGEL regularly holds in Austria and at its subsidiaries around the world, the new injection moulding forum will connect the basic development of injection moulding technology with the practical challenges faced on a daily basis.

Robert Brandstetter, ENGEL AUSTRIA Training Department Manager Schwertberg, Austria, said: “In ‘inject – the injection moulding forum’, we are creating a platform that will enable us to present new developments much earlier and in a way that allows them to be used every day.” www.engelglobal.com WWW.EPPM.COM

INJECTION MOULDING

Building the bebionic small

The success of the lifelike bebionic prosthetic hand raised demand for a smaller model. Prosthetics expert Steeper reached out to RP Technologies to tackle this brief ‘without limits’.

When prosthetic specialist Steeper required intricate prototype and production components for a miniaturised version of its bebionic prosthetic hand, the organisation turned to RP Technologies for its wide-ranging expertise, flexible engineering solutions and nolimits approach.

The bebionic is modelled on an accurate skeletal structure and is designed to provide true-to-life movements. It marks a turning point for prosthetics as it perfectly mimics the functions of a real hand via 14 different precision grips enabling amputees to engage in activities that would have previously been unmanageable.

Following the success of the bebionic, Steeper began to develop a miniaturised version, the bebionic small, and approached RP Technologies with the challenge. Steeper needed a supplier that could turn around complex parts without compromising on quality and could manufacture aluminium tooling and injection-moulded components under one roof.

RP Technologies was the perfect fit with a dedicated engineer looking after each project from CAD model to finished components, with both a tool room and mould shop within its West Midlands, UK, facilities.

With the miniaturisation of the original components, Steeper had to review the wall thickness on all 9 parts to ensure the components were suitable for injection moulding. One of the main concerns with thin wall sections was flow length over the larger components. The component mostly affected was the palm, which was specified to have TPE overmoulded to an ABS substrate. The problem arose because the TPE was so thin it didn’t carry adequate heat to form the chemical bond between the ABS and the overmoulding. Eventually, the engineers at RP offered a solution to meet Steeper’s specifications without compromising the component design.

small. Their fantastic communication, flexibility and technical solutions have meant that we’ve been able to produce an array of small intricate components that other moulders would have difficulty producing."

RP manufactured and supplied Steeper with a number of components for the testing and development process.

Once Steeper had approved the prototype components, the design was frozen and an order for over 500 production parts for all nine components was placed.

Paul Roe, General Manager at RP Technologies, said: "We’ve really enjoyed the technical challenges and our without limits philosophy has meant we’ve been able to supply complex components that fit the customer specification."

Ted Varley, Technical Director at Steeper, said: "RP Technologies has been a vital part of the development process for the bebionic

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www.rptechnologies.co.uk

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COMPOSITES

TeXtreme to help US defend America’s Cup T eXtreme carbon fibre technology could be the factor that helps the US defend what is arguably the world's most hotly-contested boating accolade.

Products reinforced with TeXtreme on average benefit from a 20 per cent overall reduction in weight compared to other carbon fibre materials on the market.

the lay-up time and realise significant cost savings.

At the same time, the materials have made it possible for us to reduce the overall weight of the boats," he said.

ORACLE TEAM USA - which is preparing to hold its title in the 35th America's Cup in 2017 - will continue its partnership with TeXtreme as its preferred carbon fibre supplier for producing composite parts for its catamarans.

"With TeXtreme we achieve benefits from a mechanical standpoint, in terms of strength and stiffness, as well as from a manufacturing perspective," remarked Tim Smyth, General Manager of Core Builders Composites, the New Zealand-based company that builds the team's boats.

"We aim to keep ORACLE TEAM USA as competitive as possible by remaining at the forefront of composite material development, helping to provide the team with the best possible conditions to win another title," said Andreas Martsman, VicePresident of Marketing & Sales at Oxeon, TeXtreme's mother company.

"We are pleased to renew our partnership with TeXtreme," said Grant Simmer, General Manager of ORACLE TEAM USA. "We receive outstanding support working with TeXtreme’s high quality materials, which allows us to build and develop the most advanced race boats. This will give our sailors a distinct competitive advantage in the America’s Cup."

Smythe and his team have compared numerous composite reinforcements and revealed TeXtreme was "the obvious choice".

"As a result of using the TeXtreme carbon fibre fabrics, we have managed to considerably reduce

KraussMaffei brings flexibility to composite development

A

new KraussMaffei RimStar Compact 4/4/4 has found a home at the National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol, UK, where it is serving to develop innovative production methods for composites.

BMW chooses Hexcel composite tech

H

excel's carbon fibre CFRP composite technology has been used to save weight and reinforce the metal shell of the B-pillar in the new BMW 7 Series.

Hexcel supplies BMW with preforms made of unidirectional carbon prepreg set in various orientations and combined with adhesive. The prepreg is made from Hexcel’s HexPly M77 resin system that cures in 1.5 minutes at 160°C.

The two mix-headed mixing and metering machine can process both epoxy resin and polyurethane (PUR) in high-pressure resin transfer moulding (HP-RTM) and enables short cycle times for lightweight components.

The NCC is the heart of the UK Composites Strategy, which aims to promote the composites industry in the UK. Particular focus is on the aviation and aerospace, vehicle manufacturing and renewable energy industries.

“The composites market is experiencing pronounced growth in the UK,” said Stephen Lambert, Reaction Process Technology Business Manager at KraussMaffei Group UK. “In vehicle manufacturing, the big OEMs are advancing lightweight construction development and the use of CFRP in structural components. The aviation industry is also very active.” www.kraussmaffei.com

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www.textreme.com

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Hexcel's fully-automated production line in Austria converts unidirectional prepreg into bidirectional preforms in seconds.

This unique, automated production cell makes B-pillar preforms for up to 500 cars each day allowing Hexcel to meet the high production rates required by automotive manufacturers and the high quality expectations of premium car manufacturers. www.hexcel.com

COMPOSITES

Surface Generation composites expertise tapped A utomotive and aerospace OEMs are constantly looking for the latest, most-innovative and most effective processes, and Surface Generation's composites expertise is being tapped to help manufacturers keep their lead.

forming processes, Surface Generation has opened the door to a very exciting new era in aerospace manufacturing." www.surface-generation.com

The developer of advanced carbon fibre processing technologies, based in Rutland, UK, is working alongside WMG and AGC AeroComposites (AGC) to develop new composite pressforming processes for automotive and aerospace manufacturers. The pressforming mould faces incorporate Surface Generation's patented PtFS technology for the production of high-performance thermoplastic composite components. By integrating Surface Generation’s active thermal management technologies into the mould face itself, WMG and AGC are able to continuously adapt heating and cooling levels for each mould area and process stage in real-time, with the expectation of improving both the quality and throughput of compression moulding applications.

The work is in support of the Composites Innovation Cluster’s Thermocomp project, which is seeking to develop short cycle time, high volume manufacturing processes that can be used by automotive and aerospace manufacturers for producing carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic components.

"PtFS provides automotive and aerospace manufacturers with a new level of sophistication in compression moulding. The ability to dynamically control the heat applied to each mould area throughout the cure cycle means manufacturers can quickly and cost-effectively upgrade existing production lines for thermoplastic composites and significantly reduce their cost of production," explained Ben Halford, Surface Generation Chief Executive. "As part of an integrated production line, PtFS makes it possible for manufacturers to achieve one minute Takt times for thermoplastic components."

28 SEPT - 29 SEPT 2016

"Aerospace manufacturers recognise that every gram counts when it comes to building lighter, more fuel-efficient aircraft, but traditional press forming processes are not economically viable for producing even medium volume complex shaped parts," said Dave Conway, Materials Technology Director at AGC AeroComposites.

"By incorporating its revolutionary PtFS process into conventional press

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25

MACHINERY ROUNDUP Blown away

Top coat

Leading Nordic film supplier Rani Plast of Finland is upping its largescale blown film capability with a new Davis-Standard line equipped with a 2.3-meter seven-layer Centrex IBC die. When completed, this will be the largest seven-layer blown film die Davis-Standard has built for any customer to date. The line, slated for installation in spring 2016, is being customised to meet Rani Plast’s specifications for producing both high barrier agriculture films and non-barrier conventional PE-based films.

BOBST presented guest converting companies with a programme dedicated to advanced laminating technology at its Open House in October, 2015. The programme included live laminating demonstrations of a BOBST CL 1000D laminator in a real production environment in the production plant of BOBST customer Clear Lam Packaging, near Chicago, IL, as well as seminar sessions relating the latest updates in the field of adhesive formulations and technologies.

“We thank everyone who attended for spending the day with us and we thank Clear Lam Packaging for graciously opening their doors to us and their industry colleagues,” said Todd Blumsack, Vice-President Business Unit Webfed, BOBST North America.

www.davis-standard.com

www.bobst.com

Ejector seat Weaving magic

Meusburger has launched DLC coated two-stage ejectors, which are long-lasting and perfect for food and medical applications. All two-stage ejectors from Meusburger are now available with DLC coated functional surfaces. Through the DLC coat the wear is minimised and the two-stage ejectors’ durability is significantly increased, resulting in a longer tool life and longer maintenance intervals. Thanks to the optimal dry-running properties of the DLC coated functional surfaces, the two-stage ejectors can be used without lubricant, this makes them particularly suitable for medical and food processing applications.

Starlinger has set a new benchmark for the weaving of plastic packaging materials with its heavy-duty tape fabric production system the FX 10.0. The system features 10 shuttles, a high operating speed combined with low energy consumption and an IQ (Indicator of Quality) never seen before on a loom for FIBC fabric. First presented at ITMA 2015 in Milan, the FX 10.0 is the latest model in Starlinger’s new FX loom series. Like its predecessor the FX 6.0, the new 10-shuttle loom for heavyduty fabric features innovative reed design and enhanced key components that ensure high quality and efficiency. www.starlinger.com

www.meusburger.com

Some Metal Goes Great With Plastic.

Bunting. Because Other Metals Don’t.

Whether injecting, blow-molding or recycling, get the metal out of your plastics with Bunting® metal detectors and separation equipment. Our strong, high-energy magnets, quality manufacturing and innovative designs that work in any plastics conveying system will help drive your business forward.

quickTRON™ 03R Metal Detector

LL A

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Eddy Current Separator

(Shown with Optional Splitter Box)

HISC

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High Intensity Separation Conveyor™

HISC™ High Intensity Separation Conveyor™

FF Series Drawer Magnet Pneumatic Self-Cleaning

Tel. +44 (0) 1442 – 875081 Fax +44 (0) 1442 – 875009 www.buntingeurope.com

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MATERIAL ROUNDUP

Pot luck Italian job

its bringing is ie to up Gabriel-Chem gy te pansion stra ving gi European ex ., A .M TE acquiring the boil by ss to the company acce n ia tr the Aus Re-branded atch market.

Italian masterb Bergamoe ie Italia, th m he l-C ie br Ga in colour, ny specialises based compa rbatch and bination maste additive, com n, as well tio pound produc m co l ca ni ch te m seating. tion and stadiu ement as flame protec Managing panies compl Group ie d: “Both com te d high en an m s m Gabriel-Chem cu co fo customer h Sommer ng et ro ab st is El of g or in ct ch nd Dire plex te nical dersta lutions for com rfectly - our un so g in nd fi to each other pe mes ise when it co ilosophy.” level of expert e corporate ph m sa e th hemie.com w llo fo ts en m www.gabriel-c ire requ

RPC Superfos’ dessert packagin g for Finland’s Valio Ei la cream puddin g has scooped a World Star 2016 award.

The accolade is the foremost internat ional packaging title overseen by the World Packaging Orga nisation. The pot features a spec ial release mec hanism allowing diners to serve the de ssert and sauce on a plate by turn ing it upside down an d squeezing it, giving it an enhanced consumer experie nce.

Per Sollenby, Sa les Director Food , RPC Superfos Region Nordic, commen ted: “The award sh ows that … th e RPC Superfos packag ing solution is an example of in ternational pack aging excellence. We ar e all very proud.” www.rpc-group.co m

How in-vent-ive KD Feddersen has provide d its support in the on-goi ng challenge to make autom otive parts lighter in weight by playing a key role in brin ging a new air vent product to the VW Touran. Key Plastics Löh ne used AKROMID B3 GF 4 RM -M to reinforce the longer-sla tted air vent for better stiffne ss.

The material is a blend of polyamide and PBT, combin ing the favourable properties of both polymers : the high degree of stiffne ss and low water absorption of PBT and the large processing window and excellent surface finish of the polyamide. The se properties were of key importance for the implementation of the new design with longer slats.

Fit the bill Good Duck, the latest babyPolyOne’s GLS TPE has been selected for The toys remain fully sealed ducky proof product from CelebriDucks. The rubber d thanks to PolyOne’s moul of h growt the to keep out water and prevent customised GLS TPE, which has been approved for food contact and medical applications, and PolyOne’s non-toxic colourants.

Morevover, the toy is made using blow moulding rather than two-shot injection moulding or rotomoulding to achieve a onepiece floatable toy that is also soft to the touch.

www.kdfeddersen.comv

www.polyone.com

Fashion forw a

rd

Stanyl and deliver

has been selected DSM’s Stanyl polyamide 46 A special lubricated grade of new generation of a of tem sys es within the timing for the low-friction slide sho Quadrant Creative ed petrol engine. Produced by energy-efficient turbocharg Tsubakimoto UK, by d gium, with systems supplie Molding and Systems in Bel n. DSM worked ptio sum con l drivability with fue bakimoto these engines help optimise very closely with Tsu t Stanyl tha ure and QCMS to ens ance form per all ets TW371 me DSM . and manufacturing criteria 20 by tion fric managed to reduce the and 371 TW nyl Sta h per cent wit gas and new grade will help meet . DSM ets targ particulate emission better n eve for ing is now search t will tha tion fric er low h wit s solution ons issi em help to further reduce CO2 from automobiles.

Clariant has launched Col orForward 20 trend guide 17, the 11th in for plastics carnation of processors. from the 20 the colour “ColorForwar 16 edition w d 2017 is ve e released a ColorWorks ry different year ago,” sa Designer at ColorWorks id Judith va mood is beco Europe, Merat n Vliet, ming a bit m e, Italy. “We ore fearful, the disconne believe the more introspe ctedness that ctive and re many people are some ex flecting ceptions of co seem to be feeling today. urse, but in ge softer, darker There neral the colo and even am urs are more biguous.” Ea palette presen ch trend them muted, ting customer e features a fi s with a creativ experience re ve-colour e presenting th e zeitgeists: data mining, loneliness c o m p l e x relations hip connections and escapism. www.clariant .com

www.dsm.com

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CHINAPLAS 2016

Shimmering Shanghai provides perfect backdrop for 30th CHINAPLAS The 30th CHINAPLAS is being hosted by China’s first city of innovation, Shanghai, where some 140,000 visitors will be able to explore the booths of 3,200 exhibitors and attend a wealth of complementary side events and seminars.

T

he stunning Shanghai cityscape will provide the perfect backdrop for CHINAPLAS 2016, where the world’s number two plastics and rubber event will celebrate its 30th outing from April 25th- 28th 2016.

CHINAPLAS 2016 FACTS:

More than 27 per cent of the 128,000 people in attendance at CHINAPLAS 2015 in Guanghzou came from overseas, underscoring its growing prominence as a global event.

Already the second-largest polymer trade show in the world, after only the triennial K in Germany, CHINAPLAS 2016 is expecting upwards of 140,000 attendees, including participants from an estimated 150 countries and regions.

• 240,000 m sq floorspace

In-keeping with the pace of China’s evolution from “factory of the world” to a growing innovator of advanced manufacturing technology in its own right, the show will have plenty on display to entice and educate visitors. For starters, more than 3,200 exhibitors will cover in excess of 240,000 square meters of exhibit space.

• 140,000 visitors expected • 3,200 exhibitors • 27 per cent overseas visitors • 16 themed zones • 3 concurrent events • Representatives from 40 different countries • 27 consecutive years of EUROMAP sponsorship • 60 per cent exhibition floor growth between 2010-2016 • 72 per cent visitor number growth between 2010-2016 • Takes place in China’s largest city

Hosted by the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, or SNIEC, in the Pudong region of the city, the event’s venue is both auspicious and conveniently central in Shanghai and organiser Adsale encourages delegates - both visitors and exhibitors - to experience the metropolis while at the show.

Those wishing to make their time in China a fact-finding mission can also take the opportunity to visit factories in surrounding areas, such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, which are leading manufacturing bases for sectors such as automotive, electronics and medical.

The scope of exhibits at the show is vast, covering all the major plastics materials and processing technologies, automation, 3D printing, ancillary equipment, additives, tooling, software, testing and measurement, recycling, finishing and decorating, and components. The materials, machinery and services on offer will cover all the major end markets including the latest in packaging, medical, automotive, electrical and electronics, building and construction, furniture, wire and cable, leisure and toys.

China remains a manufacturing powerhouse. It manufactures more than double the number of automobiles than the US and, according to recent data, ships 35 per cent of the world’s mobile phones, 85 per cent of its electrical appliances and half of its plastic pipe. Shanghai and its surroundings, as the cultural and economic powerhouse of China, is a centre for research and development for many of the world’s most influential, multinational companies, setting the scene for the scale and scope of the plastics innovations and opportunities on show at CHINAPLAS 2016.

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Trio of events embraces ‘Greenovation’ theme Greenovation for a Smart Future is the theme that pervades CHINAPLAS 2016 and three concurrent events will highlight this, complementing the wider event.

C

HINAPLAS is celebrating its 30th edition in 2016 and organiser Adsale Exhibition Services has planned to put a myriad of exciting activities together to share the excitement of this milestone.

Greenovation for a Smart Future is the theme for CHINAPLAS 2016 and three concurrent events will be held to further elaborate on this, namely the 2nd Medical Plastics Conference, the Industry 4.0 Conference and 'Design x Innovation'.

Medical plastics The global medical products industry has never been more dependent on plastics and rubber suppliers to help them meet today's healthcare needs. Over 90 different kinds of medical products have used polymers as their major components, including: drug-delivery systems; sophisticated diagnostic imaging equipment; surgical tools; prostheses and lifemaintaining implantable devices; pharmaceutical packaging; and various disposables such as tubes, infusion bags, catheters, and syringes. The medical sector is a lucrative yet challenging market for plastics, with manufacturers having to stay up to date on changing policies, the latest material requirements and new product developments.

In response to the rapid development of this area, CHINAPLAS 2016 will hold 'The 2nd Medical Plastics Conference' on April 25th-26th - building on the last edition in order to give visitors insights into new technology breakthroughs and the latest medical plastics developments and their applications.

Provisional topics include: automation technology for production upgrade, production technology for cleanrooms; medical grade polymer applications for disposables; pharmaceutical packaging solutions; innovative applications of 3D printing; and sterile barrier systems for medical packaging.

Industry 4.0 The concept of Germany-led Industry 4.0 has been taking manufacturing by storm since its introduction in 2014. It has laid down a roadmap for the 'Smart Factory' and complements the Chinese government's 'Made-in-China 2025' initiative to promote industrial automation in a bid to help Chinese enterprises to stay competitive on the global stage.

Adsale General Manager Ada Leung explained: "At present, China has been undergoing the economic transition, from the

stage of low-cost labour-intensive production to the researchintensive, high-end manufacturing. Coupled with the threats of labour shortages, rising labour costs, and the intense competition in the surrounding regions, Chinese companies are urged to transform and upgrade."

In this light, Adsale has teamed up with German mechanical engineering association the VDMA to organise the Industry 4.0 Conference. Leung believes the conference will not only give the audience a better understanding of Industry 4.0 in the context of plastics and rubber, but will help delegates envisage how to apply Industry 4.0 as a practical solution for the manufacturing sectors.

Taking place on April 26th-27th the conference will invite leading firms and expert speakers to share their Industry 4.0 knowhow and technologies, inspiring others to improve their productivity, production efficiency, product quality and automation.

The topics covered will include: Use of Industry 4.0 concepts

by Haier Inc; Industry 4.0 from the perspective of an injection moulding machine manufacturer by KraussMaffei; Individualised mass production by Arburg; and Inject 4.0 – solutions for a smart factory by ENGEL.

'Design X Innovation' Building on the success of 'Design X Innovation' at CHINAPLAS 2015, the event will take place once more in Shanghai in 2016.

CHINAPLAS has partnered with BASF to give a new perspective to visitors on how design and plastics technology can drive innovation that will enable plastics processors to be more sustainable and successful. The event showcases samples of the latest designs on outlook, structure and function designs inspired by high performance materials for different industries.

'Design X Innovation' will engage and inspire audiences with a multi-media and interactive gallery and array of activities, complemented by an open forum led by international experts.

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CHINAPLAS 2016

ARBURG

BASF co-hosts “Design x Innovation”

Arburg will present the Packaging version of a hybrid Allrounder designed especially for thin-walled applications in the packaging industry. The high-performance injection moulding machine from the Hidrive series offers high productivity and reduced energy consumption.

A 22-cavity stack mould is used for the IML application. Compared to a conventional 4-cavity mould, stack mould technology permits the use of a smaller machine. The hybrid Allrounder 570 H with a clamping force of 1,800 kN produces four 200 ml margarine tubs in a cycle time of around 3.2 seconds. The automated process is performed by a two-axis robotic system. It inserts two so-called butterfly labels on both the fixed and moving mould platens and removes the finished parts from the central block.

A great design can only be summoned from the drawing board or computer screen if there are the tools available to do it. This is the theme of BASF’s co-hosted “Design x Innovation” showcase at CHINAPLAS 2016. “Design x Innovation” will feature expert discussions and showcase new designs based on BASF’s highperformance materials for mobility, sports and leisure, as well as building and living segments. Andy Postlethwaite, SVP, Performance Materials Asia Pacific, BASF, said: “At CHINAPLAS 2016, we aim to bridge the gap between creative ideas, form and function to help our customers to bring great products to market.”

www.arburg.com

Hall E1, Stand G01

www.BASF.com

Hall N1, Stand B41

Colloids, the Makers of Masterbatch

Meusburger

Colloids has been producing high quality masterbatch and concentrates for the global thermoplastics industry since 1967 and serves the growing Chinese market from its ISO9001/2008-certified purposebuilt manufacturing plant in Changshu, Jiangsu Province China. Colloids is particularly well known for specialty and functional black masterbatches, in most polymers including engineering materials for demanding applications such as the automotive ‘under hood’ market. Colloids was one of the first masterbatch companies to gain ISO/TS 16949 accreditation. Its product range is highly valued in plastic processing sectors, supplying industries such as: automotive, petrochemicals, electrical, packaging, agricultural, white goods and consumables.

Meusburger is the leading manufacturer in the field of highprecision standard parts. More than 15,000 customers all over the world make use of the numerous advantages of standardisation and benefit from the company’s over 50 years of experience in working with steel. Offering an extensive range of standard parts, combined with high-grade products in the field of workshop equipment, Meusburger is the reliable global partner for making dies, moulds, jigs and fixtures.

www.colloids.com

www.meusburger.com

Hall E5, Stand A31

Hall N4, Stand J25

ENGEL KAIHUA Chinese injection moulding technology leader KAIHUA has announced it will be premiering a new process at CHINAPLAS 2016.

At the 30th CHINAPLAS in Shanghai - which is just east of KAIHUA’s headquarters in Changzhou - the 20 year-old company will be launching its Mucell injection moulding technology, which brings greater precision and creativity to the manufacturing technique, reducing part weight, cutting cycle time and improving part warpage and dimensional variation, making it ideal for automotive applications. www.china-kaihua.com

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Hall E5, Stand B31

ENGEL is showcasing an example of automotive lightweight design by manufacturing clutch pedals on an ENGEL duo 350 IMM with watermelt at CHINAPLAS 2016.

The ENGEL duo with its two-platen unit is a proven solution for this application. Its compact design with stable, lowfriction platen guidance on carriages ensures optimum platen parallelism and sensitive mould protection, guaranteeing a high level of operational safety and perfect part quality. ENGEL will present the full extent of its portfolio including: IMMs for rubber and thermosets; multi-component and multi- station IMMs; general purpose IMMs; conveying systems; handling equipment; and reprogrammable robots. www.engelglobal.com

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Hall E3, Stand E01

Milacron

Milliken

Milacron will be putting its ELEKTRON Series of all-electric injection moulding technology under the spotlight at CHINAPLAS 2016.

Designed for a full range of applications including cleanroom operations, the technology consumes 60 per cent less energy and 90 per cent less water than hydraulic injection moulding machines, providing exceptional part quality with excellent mould protection thanks to a stroke accuracy of 0.01mm, resulting in minimal rejects and maximum repeatability. Milacron will also be bringing the best in injection blow moulding machinery to CHINAPLAS 2016.

Even after more than 150 years, Milliken continues to lead the industry with the latest generation of clarifying and nucleating technologies that offer customers new ways to differentiate their products and achieve business and environmental goals. Milliken will highlight its Millad NX 8000 clarifier solution for thermoformed and extruded polypropylene (PP) applications at CHINAPLAS 2016. This ultra-clear resin is replacing more expensive, less functional and less sustainable materials. In addition, the company will exhibit Hyperform HPN nucleating agents that enable wider use of polyethylene (PE), an easily recycled plastic, in diverse packaging applications.

www.milacron.com

Hall E2, Stand D21

www.millikenchemical.com

Hall N2, Stand M21

Moldex3D

NDC Technologies

CoreTech System was founded in 1995 and since then has been providing its plastic injection moulding simulation solution Moldex series to the industry, with the current product Moldex3D being marketed worldwide. Moldex3D is proud to be exhibiting at CHINAPLAS 2016. Accompanying the growth of China’s plastics and rubber industries for nearly 30 years, CHINAPLAS has become a distinguished meeting and business and is widely recognised by the industry as the second-most influential exhibition in the world. Moldex3D cordially invites CHINAPLAS visitors to stop by the Moldex3D booth to learn about its latest and world-leading CAE simulation technology.

NDC Technologies will display its latest developments for accurate, reliable measurements across a wide range of sheet, film, pipe and tube applications at CHINAPLAS 2016. NDC’s new FilmPro universal infrared film gauge for the measurement of a wide variety of films, sheet products and organic coatings on film, and its OptiMike OM190 optical micrometer delivering accurate, non-nuclear, high resolution product measurement represent the company’s prowess in film and sheet measurement. In addition, the AccuScan 6000 Series 4-axis diameter and ovality gauge family’s newest member the AccuScan 6050 will showcase the latest in pipe and tube measurement solutions.

www.moldex3d.com

Hall E5, Stand F31

www.ndc.com

Nordson Nordson has intensified its focus on pelletising systems for the Asian marketplace - a theme it will continue at CHINAPLAS 2016. The company has recently revealed it is supplying 16 of its process-patented BKG brand CrystallCut pelletising systems for a mega-scale PET resin plant scheduled for startup this year by Jiangyin Chengold Packaging Materials Jiangsu Province. The CrystallCut process provides substantial energy savings in comparison with standard PET polymerisation systems by using the thermal energy of the molten polymer in PET pelletising for subsequent crystallisation. The system integrates underwater pelletising, drying, water filtration and direct crystallising at temperatures of up to 180 °C and crystallinity up to 40 per cent. www.nordson.com

Hall W2, Stand J01

Hall W1, Stand G41

Sepro Robotique Sepro equips all kinds of injection moulding machines, of all sizes and all brands, with cutting-edge robotic technology. Under the slogan ‘Your Free Choice in Robots’, Sepro offers the most extensive range on the market, including 3-axis, 5-axis and 6-axis robots, all controlled by the same user-friendly visual control system. From the Sepro office in Shanghai, Sepro has set up a complete customer service with a business management, regional sales representatives and a team of several technical support technicians to serve the Asian market. Sepro has been present in Asia since 1997 and also offers a service for its South East Asia customers from its base in Malaysia.

With more than 25,000 IMMs equipped around the world, Sepro is a wellrespected name in the plastic moulding industry for automobile industry, multimedia, phone, domestic goods, cosmetics, packaging, and medical equipment. www.sepro-group.com

WWW.EPPM.COM

Hall E4, Stand K61

31

EPPM Classifieds 45 Years in New & Used Machinery to the Plastics Industry Worldwide.

USI Cumberland 500-600 Drop Bin Granulator.

15kw Drive, 3 Rotor Blades, 2 Stator Blades, Open Rotor, 12mm screen

sales@rawmec.com 01992 www.rawmec.com 471796

Lindner S1000 P Shredder. Throat: 1000×1000, Drive: 18.5kw, Chain driven, 2 new Dead Blades, 52 new teeth 12mm screen

Our newest granulators & shredders: Used for all types of plastic, material, carpets, window frames & wood, bottles, PVC frames, foam, top & tails from moulding & CD/DVD cases.

• USI Cumberland 500-600 Granulator - Throat: 500x600mm Drive: 15kw • Lindner S1000 P Shredder - Throat: 1000×1000, Drive: 18.5kw • Rapid 80-45 KU Granulator - Throat 800×450, Drive: 37kw • Ramcaw DGS1500 Universal Single Shaft Shredder - Throat (mm): 1570×1400 Drive: 75Kw • Soplar S.A MM400/420 Granulator - Throat: 400 x 420 mm, 15kw Drive • Kween B MD-C6540 Granulator - Throat: 1036x650mm, Drive: 75kw • Shini SG2336 Granulator - Throat: 400x400mm, Drive: 7.5kw • Remcaw DGS1500 Single Shaft Shredder - Dia: 700mm Width: 1000mm • Remcaw DGH 700/1000 Granulator - Diameter: 700mm Width: 1000mm • Zerma GSC 300/600 Granulator - Throat: 300-600 Drive: 11kw

• Blackfriars 40-30 Granulator - Throat: 40-30 Drive: 17.5 Kw • Cumberland 2-84 Granulator - 7.5kw motor • Tria 42-20 Granulator - Throat: 420x200mm Drive: 3kw • Zerma GSC 30-30 Granulator - Throat size 300 x 300mm 7.5Kw Drive • Rapid 45-35 Granulator - 18.5kw Drive • Rapid GK1000 55Kw Granulator - Throat: 1000 x 600 mm Motor 55Kw • USI Cumberland 12-16 300 400 Granulator - Throat: 300-400 11Kw Drive • Getecha 440 400 Granulator - Throat: 400x440 18.5Kw Drive • Cumberland 30-23 Granulator - Throat: 300x230mm 4 Kw Drive • UPM 10-10 Granulator - Throat size 100 x 100mm 7.5kw Drive • USI Cumberland 38-60 - Throat: 380x600mm 75Kw Drive • Remcaw 35-65 Beast Shredder - 55kw motor, Throat 350x650mm • Rapid 158-K Sprue Granulator - Throat: 150 x 80mm Drive: 1.5Kw Motor • Rapid GK-158-K Sprue Granulator - Throat:

Download our full stock lists online

Rapid 80-45 KU Granulator. Throat: 800×450, Drive: 37kw, 6 new rotor blades, 2 new dead blades, Sound proof, Open/HD Rotor, 12mm screen

Remcaw DGS1500 Single Shaft Shredder Throat: 1570×1400mm, Rotor Dia: 475mm, Rotor Width: 1420mm, Rotor pcs: 102, Stator: 3, Power (kw): 75

150 x 80mm Drive: 1.5Kw Motor • UPM 12-16B Granulator - 12.5Kw Drive, Throat 300 x 400 mm • CMB ML220 Granulator - 4.6Kw Drive Throat 220 x 200mm • Polymer Systems 9-12 UPM Granulator - 7.5Kw Drive Throat 230 x 300mm • CMB MS20 Granulator - 4Kw Drive, Throat 200 x 210 mm • Cumberland 4-84 Granulator - 30Kw Drive Throat 410 x 380mm • UPM 10-10 Granulator - Throat size 100 x 100mm 8.5kw Drive • Tria 45-35 Granulator - Throat Size: 470 x 350mm 15Kw Drive • Remcaw RWT 4080 Shredder - 15 hours of work Motor Power: 37 kW • The Muncher Shredder - Twin shaft 11 kw • Gross Gaz 62 Single Shaft Shredder - Feed opening (mm): 600 x 800 • Carpet, Clothing, Cardboard, Foam, Paper Shredder Bailer - Carpet, Cardboard, Fibre Boards and more.

• Remcaw 35-65 Beast Shredder - 55kw motor, Throat 350x650mm

Recently Sold • Weima ZMK 30 S Shredder - Throat 1000x1400mm Drive: 2 x 18.5Kw • Remcaw RWT 4080 Shredder - Throat: 1410 x 800mm, Drive 37 kW • Bano Mac 630 Shredder - Throat: 600x750mm 15Kw Drive • Tria 45-35 Granulator - 11 kw motor • SG-3660 Sound-Proof Central Granulator - 950 Motor Power (Kw) (60Hz): 30 Rotor speed (rpm) • TRIA 50-30/XT Granulator - Throat: 300x550mm, 15kw Drive • Wittmann MC 34-60 Granulator - Throat size 350x600mm 16kw Drive • Weima NZ4S 310-600 Granulator - Throat: 310x600mm Drive: 22Kw • Blackfriars 40-40 Granulators - Throat: 400x400mm 22Kw Drive • Cumberland 40-30 Granulator - 11kW Drive Throat 400 x 300mm • Rapid GK700 Granulator - 18.5hp motor • Rapid GK1000 75Kw Granulator - Throat: 1000 x 600 mm Motor 75Kw

Rawmec EEC Ltd, Rawmec Industrial Estate, Plumpton Rd, Hoddesdon, Herts. EN11 0EE See our machines in action More info, machines & photos visit: www.rawmec.com or email: info@rawmec.com on our YouTube account EPPM_210x143_11-15.indd 1

Over 40 Years of Service

1700mm Kuhne Sheet Line. 1997. 70mm Extruder. Vented . 1600mm Die. 1700mm Kuhne 3 Roll Stack. Haul Off And Winder.

Type KF70E-4V/1700.

1000mm wide OMV 3 layer sheet line:120+ 120+45mm Extruders, 850mm Die, 1000mm Stack x 5 roll cooling rolls. Haul off and winder. Verbruggen upgrades

Tel: +44 (0) 1793 827666 Email: sales@transxl.co.uk Web: www.transxl.co.uk

1300mm wide Kuhne sheet extrusion line with K701E - 30D vented extruder, melt pump, 1200mm die head, 1300mm x 300mm chrome rolls, pump group, winder.

300mm x 250mm CMG edge trim granulator with 2 sets of nip rolls. 4 kw motor. Was running PET. Model S25/30 SEAE 2009

2870mm Welex Sheet Line: 114mm Extruder.

Screen Changer Co Ex Block. 2600mm Die 2870mm 3 Roll Stack 450 Dia Rolls. Haul Off, Guillotine And Winder

100mm Union single screw extruder. 35D vented with fan cooled barrel. Vacuum vent.

110kw dc motor and drive. Temperature panel 1987.

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75mm extruder 35D. Screen changer, 940mm wide flex lip die, 1000mm x 350mm calender, pump group, haul off. 1999

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EUREKA SERIES

Jaws-dropping patterns A microscopic pattern mimicking a shark’s skin has the power to inhibit bacterial growth. EPPM quizzed Sharklet Technologies to learn more about how this breakthrough could transform medical plastics.

Words | Rose Brooke

Microscopic patterns simulating the texture of a shark’s skin have the potential to transform how we keep bacterial growth on plastics at bay.

that are becoming increasingly resistant to standard cleaning fluids alone.

It comes as no surprise Sharklet has stirred up interest Sharklet Technologies was founded in 2007 and uses the within the medical community but Stevenson added there Sharklet micropattern to inhibit the growth of bacteria and is a vast potential for this innovation in the consumer other microorganisms on plastics. Dr Tony Brennan at the electronics marketplace.

University of Florida discovered and licensed the technology - which has six different patents from the US Patent Office - “We’ve had opportunities to bring Sharklet into other markets,” to develop medical devices and consumer applications. After he said. “Mobile accessories like screen protectors and mobile first encountering Sharklet at NPE phone cases seem like the perfect 2015 in the Startup Garage, EPPM place to have a big impact by wanted to learn more about this having cleaner surfaces. Any fascinating use of bacteria-repellant ‘high touch’ surface that sees patterns in plastics - particularly in We’re about six months away from interaction with hundreds of the medical field. people every day, like elevator being able to incorporate Sharklet buttons and subways railings, into almost every artificial texture “Almost every existing antimicrobial could benefit from Sharklet. We’re strategy uses some sort of extra we interact with on a daily basis. about six months away from being chemical or additive to help control able to incorporate Sharklet into bacteria,” Bryce Stevenson, Project almost every artificial texture we Manager, explained. “Sharklet interact with on a daily basis.” uses no additives because it is a modification of the structure of the base material. If a Sharklet For a startup, Sharklet exercises a great deal of patience, surface is used, we encourage normal cleaning procedures playing the long game within an industry that is fiercely to continue on the new surface. While the cleanings help regulated and highly-accountable. protect the surface at discrete times, Sharklet keeps the surface cleaner between cleanings. For medical devices, we “Medical device development takes a long time, even for large feel the additive-free nature of Sharklet is the best option for companies,” Stevenson stated. “We’ve also had to develop new something that is inserted into the human body.” manufacturing methods and processes to fabricate Sharklet surfaces. For a startup, we feel that we have come a long way Stevenson noted that the team believes Sharklet has the since 2007.” most potential to make a difference in the healthcare sphere, protecting patients from dangerous bacteria living in hospitals www.sharklet.com

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