EPPM 23.4

NOV/DEC 2021 | VOLUME 23/ISSUE 4

CREATIVE MINDS

ACADEMIA PRESENTS TINIUS OLSEN WITH A NEW TEST DRIVING RANGE

GLOBAL PRECISION EXHIBITED AUTOMOTIVE MATERIALS AT INTERPLAS.

BATCH OF THE DAY

EUROTEC SUMMARISES ITS RANGE OF MASTERBATCH ADDITIVES FOR DIVERSE APPLICATIONS.

NO TIME TO DRY

MAGUIRE EUROPE SALES DIRECTOR CHRIS CRITTENDEN ON THE ULTRA RANGE.

HEAD OFFICE

Carlton House, Sandpiper Way, Chester Business Park, Chester, CH4 9QE. Tel. +44 (0) 1244 680222 Fax. +44 (0) 1244 671074

Web: www.eppm.com C.E.O. duncan wood

EDITORIAL

editor rob coker robert.coker@rapidnews.com

PRODUCTION

head of studio & production sam hamlyn sam.hamlyn@rapidnews.com

ADVERTISING

head of media sales lisa montgomery +44 (0) 1244 952 372 lisa.montgomeryw@rapidnews.com senior sales executive gareth jones +44 (0) 1244 952 360 gareth.jones@rapidnews.com

PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS qualifying criteria UK and Europe - free, ROW - £249

FREE on iOS and Android devices subscription enquiries to subscriptions@rapidnews.com Address changes should be emailed to subscriptions@rapidnews.com European Plastic Product Manufacturer is published by Rapid Plastics Media Ltd. Each issue is distributed in print and digital format to 17,845 buyers and specifiers in the European plastic processing industry.

IN THIS ISSUE NOV/DEC 2021

5

FOREWORD

ENGEL’s Chief Sales Officer Dr Christoph Steger welcomed press and industry delegates to Fakuma 2021.

7

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Rob Coker has emerged from the comfort zone of remote working hungry for more live events.

8

AUTOMOTIVE

The road to tooling knowhow At Interplas, EPPM visited the booth of Portugal-based mould and toolmaker Simoldes Tools to discuss automotive applications with UK Commercial director Jorge Leitão.

10

Driving range Global Precision Sales Manager Darren Webb shares his knowledge of the materials and manufacturing processes involved in various automotive applications.

PEFC Certified This product is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources PEFC/16-33-254

www.pefc.org

BPA Worldwide Membership ISSN No - 2052-4811

Although small, one of the most eye-catching Interplas exhibits was a curious, vermiform exoskeleton on the Tinius Olsen booth.

14

20

17

Grag Slack, VP Global Sales at Flexicon Corporation, invites readers to compare the pros and cons of three conveying methods.

Effective conveying of plastic resins, additives and regrind

TESTING AND INSPECTION

Calibration and education EPPM spoke with Kistler’s Academy Director Peter Jäger to learn how an ISO 21001 certification can benefit the business, the trainee, and the customer.

22

No time to dry EPPM spoke to Maguire Europe Sales Director Chris Crittenden about the patented Ultra range of vacuum drying technology.

18

24

MATERIALS HANDLING

BLOW MOULDING

Handling the challenges

© November 2021 While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information contained within European Plastic Product Manufacturer is accurate, the publisher accepts no liability for information published in error, or for views expressed. All rights for European Plastic Product Manufacturer are reserved, and reproduction in part or whole without written permission is strictly prohibited.

MATERIALS SCIENCE, TESTING TECH AND CREATIVE MINDS

11

MASTERBATCH AND ADDITIVES

Woywod Kunststoffmaschinen Sales Manager René Günther introduces the company’s new virtual showroom for its PLASTICOLOR range of materials handling solutions.

24

Home blown Rob Coker spoke to Zdenek Vanek, CEO of Czech Republic-based blow mould manufacturer VBF, during Interplas.

Batch of the day

25

Eurotec summarises its wide range of masterbatch additives for applications as diverse as engineering plastics and packaging solutions.

26

CLASSIFIEDS EUREKA

WWW.EPPM.COM 03

COLUMN

FOREWORD A RETURN TO - SOMETHING LIKE - NORMAL

S

teger began by welcoming everyone to the company’s first onsite press conference for what, to him, felt more like 20 years than two. The last time Steger had addressed such a gathering was at K 2019, before all such meetings went virtual. “Thank God,” he said.

“We can now return to the real world here at Fakuma.”

Well-known for its ability to adapt to modern challenges, and for remaining abreast of the latest technological trends, ENGEL chose to maintain the digital element for this press conference, as EPPM joined hundreds of attendees in a virtual audience. “I'm only the sales officer,” Steger quipped, “so I have people here to support me in the event of any technical questions.”

He continued in an area more suited to his expertise by focusing on an economic overlook and market trends.

The current economic situation, he continued, was on the one hand positive and strong following the pandemic: “We have recovered much faster than we thought and the recovery is ongoing, of course. We’re also catching up with what we missed before, but this does not mean that we have exorbitant growth over proportional growth.

Nevertheless, there is a high

We have recovered much faster than we thought and the recovery is ongoing, of course

ENGEL’s Chief Sales Officer Dr Christoph Steger welcomed a host of press and industry delegates to the Austria-based injection moulding machinery manufacturer’s booth during Fakuma 2021. demand for injection moulding systems and the demand has been growing all around the globe. At the same time, we are also focusing on the right answers to the challenges that arise from climate change and the need for a circular economy for plastics, as well as for digitalisation – particularly in the automotive industry.”

These ranked highly on the ENGEL agenda during Fakuma 2021 thorugh both the tangible and virtual exhibits on display. “We have five machines at our booth,” Steger explained, “but we have also 25 machines and systems that we brought along that we can show on a virtual platform at our booth.”

Going on to discuss how well ENGEL is doing during this post-pandemic phase of recovery, Steger added: “We have been quite successful after the crisis … and we have made use of the crisis to prepare for this situation, to be ready. We can deal with this high demand [but] we don't know what the next six months will bring. We don't know how the world economy is going to change.”

Cautiosuly optimistic, Steger conceded that it remains difficult to provide a reliable outlook due to numerous risk factors that make it difficult to predict. As an example, he mentioned material and delivery bottlenecks, massive increases in raw material costs, and the cost of the semi-finished products required to produce machines.

“The pandemic is not behind us yet … further mutations of the virus could change everything and, for this reason, it's very difficult to provide a reliable forecast.”

WWW.EPPM.COM 05

The smart way to higher productivity.

Today, the plastics industry faces a rapidly increasing demand for smaller volumes of more product types. This requires a higher number of mould changes, decreasing the Overall Equipment Effectiveness and impacting your competitiveness. Reducing durations of downtime during mould changes is therefore essential.

By analysing your production cycles, Stäubli can recommend various efficiency improvements utilising your existing equipment.

Our Quick Mould Change Solutions are adaptable to your company’s strategy and future business plans.

Stäubli can support your ROI at every stage of the journey, whether it’s a short, medium or long-term investment. www.quick-mould-change.com

Stäubli (UK) Ltd - Phone: +44 1952 671918 - connectors.uk@staubli.com

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

From the comfort zone to the conference room

As awesome as virtual technology has become … there is very little that is sensory in online events

As I made my Interplas UK debut in late September, I was reminded of the buzz we get darting around from booth to booth, shaking hands, exchanging business cards and acquiring, first-hand, quality editorial content, face-to-face and straight from the mouths of the experts. The sounds of machines huffing rhythmically just above the undertones of thousands of separate conversations making up the ambient noise in a vast hall; the smell of warm plastic, and the ever-increasing bite of a blister on your foot because nobody has walked that far in a pair of shoes for a long time.

I became so resigned to shuffling around the house in socks, jeans and a Captain America T-shirt that I had to buy a new suit for the event as the others that had been dawdling in my wardrobe for nearly two years no longer fitted. It was good to get back out of that comfort zone, those four walls, and away from online webinars, conferences and virtual booths.

As awesome as virtual technology has become, and I’ve no doubt it will become ever-more awesome and integral to 21st century business, there is very little that is sensory in such online events. They’re too structured, scripted and rehearsed, with little room for spontaneity and little opportunity for introducing yourself to the speakers and other attendees. Sure, their sustainability and environmental virtues are their glowing USPs – and rightly so – but we remember the trips and the live events for the way they make us feel.

Now that the in-person trade fairs and conferences are returning and the travel bans are lifting, I’m volunteering for almost every event that I could possibly get to (sometimes forgetting that these things require budgets). I’ve spent long enough, thank you very much, tethered to a laptop. It’s time to focus on live action again. Call me oldfashioned if you wish, but the comfort zone is not for me.

Here, therefore, within this final edition of 2021, you will find content largely from the exhibitors at Interplas UK, including Portugal-based Simoldes Tools and Tinius Olsen, and at Fakuma, including Maguire Products and Kistler.

Keep an eye out for the EPPM Magazine media kit 2022, coming soon, on interplasinsights.com alongside some exciting new projects for the new year – and, hopefully, much more live event-related content than I have been able to provide since early 2020.

WWW.EPPM.COM 07

AUTOMOTIVE ROB COKER VISITED THE BOOTH OF PORTUGAL-BASED MOULD AND TOOLMAKER SIMOLDES TOOLS TO DISCUSS THE COMPANY’S MANUFACTURING EXPERTISE FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE MARKET.

T

THE ROAD TO

ling Knowhow

I

t was Thursday morning, 09:20, the final day of Interplas, and Jorge Leitão, UK Commercial Director, Simoldes Tools, was wiping down the bright white counter of the booth with a dust cloth. “Good morning”, he said, and asked if I can take a photograph of him and his team. The booth was decorated with various automotive parts hanging from wooden partitions.

“This is a front bumper,” he began, “manufactured by one of our customers for the new Mini John Cooper Works.” This, he said, is the highest-level component for the Mini brand and all the tools producing these parts have been manufactured by Simoldes Tools, including the grill, fog bezel

and spoiler. “Only the logo is incorporated from another manufacturer.”

These tools are currently in the UK and in production of the automobile itself. “The full assembly can have different materials, but the main one being polypropylene.

Some have polypropylene with a percentage of talc which can be 15 or 20 per cent, depending on the OEM’s choice.”

Talc, he continued, is an additive given to polypropylene – in this case – to reinforce it with greater rigidity after the moulding process.

Being 100 per cent polypropylene, the bumper is fully recyclable. “It is common,”

Leitão added, “for these to be made in a way that can be recycled and used in other products at end of life.”

I asked him to explain a little about designing and the mould making process for such an intricate set of parts. “This takes a lot of time,” he began. “When you see a car on the road, at least three or four years earlier, someone started to design and develop the components to produce the assembly.” When the design is ready, the toolmaker analyses the component to confirm that it can be tooled and that the tool can be manufactured or modified to make it feasible. “From there it goes to the milling process where it starts to take shape, then it goes into the press machine to produce the first plastic part.

It is often the case that we then add some improvements and corrections until we arrive at the final condition of the product, and we can then test it on the car. It is a long process with a few iterations along the way.”

The next automotive feature Leitão presented was a liftgate for a Nissan Qashqai. The ‘roof spoiler’, as he named it, looked like a single part but was in fact composed of a handful of assembled parts – some invisible – to make the complete set. “We’ve been involved with the customer on this project in the complete roof spoiler that makes part of the design and gives a certain look to this vehicle. The material used is a highly robust ABS PC selected to give the correct strength to avoid movement and distortion.”

The Portugal-based toolmaking business is dedicated mostly to the automotive sector, which provides around 95 per cent of its turnover. Although one of

8 WWW.EPPM.COM

When we talk about designing a tool, the knowhow of making it work so the customer has no problems when the tool is running in production for five to seven years will still need to exist

the reasons for exhibiting was to try to expand the remaining five per cent of Simoldes’ non-automotive tools business.

At this point, Leitão had not yet had the opportunity to leave the Simoldes Tools booth and explore other booths. “Perhaps I can find time,” he lamented, “to visit the other stands to see what can be found in a non-automotive business so we can share experiences and support, and perhaps expand into other sectors, as well as amplify our automotive expertise.

We are looking at medical, packaging, containers and pallet boxes, so, hopefully, I will find someone to speak with.”

For the purpose of my visit to the booth, I was happy to discuss automotive applications, and so Leitão led me to another wooden partition adorned with door panels manufactured for Jaguar. I counted seven separate parts but was assured that there were more. Each panel is a combination of several plastic parts that required independent tools. “After the tools are approved by the OEM,” Leitão continued, “they go to the customer and assembly can commence. In this case, numerous moulds had to have been made to make a single door panel.”

such a broad range of moulds?” I asked.

“Well, it takes time,” he confirmed, “as well as training. Simoldes Tools has been operating since 1959 and since then there has been an increase in business with new manufacturing plants not only in Portugal, but also in Brazil, Argentina and Germany.

We were faced with the need to teach young people and keep them, offer them jobs for life. A bench operator, for example, is not just a case of getting someone in and giving them work to do. They need to be taught and given the experience over years. Every year is a learning curve. The same happens with the tool designer. It takes time because it's not only about the 3D programs, it’s about what you put into building it, because what you are designing is how your tool will work. It will result in whether your component works or not. You need to know how many feed points there will be in the mould, and it will tell you if the mould can be properly filled or not.

All that knowhow takes years, and we’re always investing in new and young people because we want to teach them and keep them for many, many years. Some of my colleagues have been with Simoldes Tools for over 30 or 40 years, and it is important to have that.”

“What kind of skills and experience do the toolmakers need in order to create

To facilitate such dedicated training policies, agreements and associations

with academic institutions must form part of the business model. In both Portugal and Brazil, Simoldes Tools is preparing people for the tooling industry through sponsorship. But the demand for places is high. “Of course, there are not enough spaces for all the requests, so we have an internal school due to the high demand,” Leitão added.

I asked if it was important for Leitão that these skills are not lost or replaced by automation. “There will be, for sure, a revolution in the tooling industry.

There was much more manual work 20 years ago than there is today. Now you have an operator who can control two or three high-speed milling machines simultaneously, because everything is prepared in advance. The machines run themselves. But there is still a part of that which will be difficult to replace.

When we talk about designing a tool, the knowhow of making it work so the customer has no problems when the tool is running in production for five to seven years will still need to exist. It’s the same for bench operators, who have to assemble everything. It’s not like changing or replacing a component when the car is on the road. It’s about fine-tuning the component. All this will result – or not – in the performance of the end product.”

AUTOMOTIVE AT INTERPLAS 2021, EPPM VISITED THE GLOBAL PRECISION BOOTH WHEN A RANGE OF AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS CAUGHT THE EYE. THERE, SALES MANAGER DARREN WEBB DISCUSSED THE MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING PROCESSES INVOLVED.

A

DRIVING RANGE

chrome-plated grill – a prototype built for marketing evaluation – was machined from an ABS material that can accept a chrome-plated finish. Intended to replicate what the part would look like in the production stage, the single-cavity prototype was produced using a pre-production tool and did not therefore possess the complexity and durability required as its injection moulded counterparts, although it does have the same end result: a part made with the chosen material that can be used for crash tests in pre-production.

The grill has to have some mechanical properties in order to be able to support the weight of a lamp, but the only other real specification was for it to be able to have that high chrome finish, which you couldn’t possibly have on a polycarbonate composite part.

“A more functional automotive component would need to be more robust,” Webb said, “so a PC ABS or a nylon would have then been the preferred material. Likewise, for parts that require reduced friction, an acetal or oil-filled nylon offering better mechanical performance in that application would have been selected.”

Darren Webb (right) with colleague Gary Sylvester at the Global Precision Interplas booth

10 WWW.EPPM.COM

Another eye-catching feature on the Global Precision booth was a leatherclad gearshift with a polyethylene insert, which offered softness to the touch, although the OEM’s materials selection, Webb added, would have also been driven by mechanical characteristics rather than aesthetics alone.

An automotive switch gear was displayed that contained ABS and translucent polyethylene to allow LED light to pass through the icons. “These materials would have been selected because of their thermal capabilities and insulation properties,” Webb confirmed. “That is something that would be recognised as an industry standard in terms of materials. A design company or OEM manufacturing something like this will engage at an early stage with the tool maker and with the materials supplier to determine what characteristics and specification will drive the material selection.”

The materials supplier will then work with them to ensure they arrive at the right solution. “It’s very much a collaborative effort that results in a better product,” Webb continued. “That’s why we always try to engage with our clients as early as possible and work with them through that process rather than arrive at a point further along, in case of any negative effects in the quality of the part or the manufacturing process.”

What was most interesting was finding out whether plastics remain, and will continue to remain, as the ideal material for such automotive components. Webb confirmed that they are still the go-to materials for high-volume production in automotive applications, although he has seen very low-volume bespoke products manufactured for the highend and sports car sectors that utilise 3D printing technology or composites and carbon fibres. “These will be

Plastics are still the go-to materials for high-volume production in automotive applications determined by weight restrictions or by the manufacturing process,” he added.

“In injection moulding, there is a high investment in front end for tooling in order to make the parts cost-effective for the manufacturer, which is required for high volumes. With low-volume niche markets that produce perhaps just 50 vehicles a year, they can often utilise more expensive manufacturing processes.

So, you don’t have a tooling investment at the front end, which results in a part costing more but you can produce something bespoke to the application.

You see that a lot with some of the new 3D printing technologies where they’re able to print a component that can’t be manufactured through injection moulding because of its complexity or functionality.”

MASTERBATCH AND ADDITIVES EUROTEC SUMMARISES ITS WIDE RANGE OF MASTERBATCH ADDITIVES FOR APPLICATIONS AS DIVERSE AS ENGINEERING PLASTICS AND PACKAGING SOLUTIONS.

T

hanks to our Mastertec additive masterbatches developed with our vast knowledge and experience, we offer innovative solutions to the problems incurred by our customers during the process or to their needs for increased final product performance.

The variety of our products enables us to manufacture Mastertec additive masterbatches in 20 different polymer categories. Thus, we additionally aim to offer tailor-made products to our customers in additive masterbatches.

Mastertec provides good dispersion, low raw material and processing costs, processability easiness, zero extra trial and error for formulations, and innovative solutions.

Eurotec offers Mastertec AB as antimicrobial additive masterbatch, Mastertec UV as UV and UV-C resistant additive masterbatch, Mastertec HS as heat stabiliser masterbatch, Mastertec MQ as filtration improving masterbatch, Mastertec FR as inflammable additive masterbatch, Mastertec EC as electrically conductive masterbatch, Mastertec EM as metal detectable masterbatch, Mastertec LS as mould-release and process improving masterbatch, Mastertec SR as masterbatch for reducing abrasion resistance, and Mastertec TC as thermal conductive masterbatch.

Mastertec AB provides the perfect solution to medical, food contact, daily and public life applications. It blocks the spread of germs, moulds and algae and prevents degradation and malodour in

of the day the plastic material. On the one hand, Mastertec AB product inhibits bacterial activity >99% in dry mixtures prepared based on the usage rate. On the other hand, it has no negative effect on the material’s mechanical properties.

Mastertec UV retards the deterioration of the structure and appearance of plastic material exposed to UV light. It provides standard packages or custom designed solutions for UV resistance, weathering resistant formulations for all climatic conditions, UV-C radiation resistance for sterilisation in order to help reduce the risk of infection for surfaces and plastic objects. It’s suitable for household appliances, window and door systems, food packaging, medicine and surgery equipment, furniture, office equipment, and sports and recreation equipment.

Mastertec HS provides high heat resistance by retarding the deterioration of the structure and appearance of the plastic material under the effect of oxygen. It maintains the performance and colour of any polymer material and increases the material life. Heat stabilisers prevent the decline of the properties of mechanical, thermal, surface and optical products. eurotec offers heat stabiliser masterbatches suitable for many polymer bases for a customer’s specific applications.

Blends of stabilisers with different stabilisation mechanisms are the stateof-the-art today. They bring outstanding thermal ageing performance, retention of mechanical properties at elevated temperatures, and effective stabilisation packages that improve the base polymer performance to extremes. Mastertec HS

can be used for automotive, daily life, public life and industrial life products.

Mastertec MQ improves the filtration of surgical masks and makes the mask more protective. Masks are treated by electrical charging to achieve a good filtration, thus allowing the filtration feature to reach over 99 per cent. Special additives are needed to enhance the effect and stability of this electrical charge. As eurotec, we contribute to the enhancement of the filtration properties of surgical masks in these challenging times by developing special additive masterbatches. eurotec offers organic and inorganic type masterbatches with high flow homopolymer polypropylene.

Mastertec FR improves the plastic material's resistance to flammability. eurotec inflammable masterbatches are in compliance with legal regulations and comes available in halogen-free versions.

It provides ignition-resistant, low smoke and toxic gas types, and is being produced with suitable materials that meet international standards requirements.

Mastertec EC offers antistatic functionality and electrical conductivity to materials based on the usage rate. It prevents electrostatic discharge (ESD) by blocking the accumulation of electrostatic charges on the material. ESD provides protection of electronic equipment.

Among the qualities Mastertec EC brings to materials preservation are a lower risk of failure of electronic equipment, better storing of flammable/explosive materials, sensitive precise measurement and EMIRF shielding.

MASTERBATCH AND ADDITIVES Mastertec EM is used in food production processes and packaging processes to avoid plastic contamination. eurotec offers two types of metal detectable masterbatch versions – iron-based masterbatches provide an economic advantage, whilst steel-powder masterbatches make it possible to achieve brighter and glossier colours.

The smallest piece of contaminant can be detected when metal-detectable masterbatch compound is tested. Tailormade solutions are offered with all colour masterbatches and metal detectability combined in one product.

Mastertec LS improves the fluidity behaviour of materials and makes it easier to remove them from the mould in applications with problems in the injection process, making the process easier and more efficient.

Lubricants affect the rheology of the polymer melt in the desired way. As well as their direct results on melt rheology, substances commonly used as lubricants are in other ways beneficial to the properties of compounds and finished articles. For example, the lubricating action of these substances on machine parts and the mould results in finished articles with smooth, glossy surfaces, and the interfacial properties

The variety of our products enables us to manufacture Mastertec additive masterbatches in 20 different polymer categories

12 WWW.EPPM.COM

of certain products facilitate the dispersion of fillers and pigments.

Mastertec SR improves the conditions of use for the material and extends the component life by reducing the friction coefficient of materials and enhancing scratch and abrasion resistance. The abrasive wear of plastics occurs as a result of strong adhesive interaction, fatigue, macroshearing, abrasive action, thermal and thermo-oxidative interaction, corrosion and cavitation. Fillers are involved in these processes because mineral fillers are abrasive and cause wear of the mating surfaces, other fillers are used to reduce wear.

Mastertec TC offers thermal conductivity to materials based on the usage rate. Thermal conductive plastic materials will remove generated heat

away from components and provide longer lifetimes, as well as more reliable product performance. It provides design freedom, cuts down the cost with a single stage process, reduces weight, and provides corrosion resistance. eurotec produces thermally and electrically conductive and thermally conductive and electrically insulative masterbatch for demanding applications.

In addition to additive masterbatches, eurotec developed Tecolor masterbatches with high temperature resistance and tailored colours. With Tecolor, eurotec offers a wide range of colours, special designed masterbatch formulation, sustainable colour matching, colour sensitivity, cost effectiveness, supply consistency, and a fast and flexible service.

Webinars offer a multi-layered marketing outcome, enabling you to tell your story to a global audience, define your organisation as a thoughtleader and simultaneously deliver a healthy number of leads for your sales team to get to work on.

TO FIND OUT MORE CONTACT

Lisa Montgomery | t: +44 (0) 1244 952 372 | e: lisa.montgomery@rapidnews.com

www.interplasinsights/webinars

TESTING AND INSPECTION ALTHOUGH SMALL, ONE OF THE MOST EYECATCHING EXHIBITS AT INTERPLAS 2021 WAS A CURIOUS, VERMIFORM EXOSKELETON ON THE TINIUS OLSEN BOOTH. ROB COKER SPOKE TO MARTIN WHEELER, DIRECTOR SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, AND PROFESSOR MATT DICKENSON OF UCLAN TO FIND OUT MORE. Wheeler: When I heard what Matt was doing, I lit up because it gelled with Tinius Olsen and what we do. We love materials and materials testing. We love breaking, bending, twisting and seeing how they perform. We love helping youngsters to become interested in materials – that’s exactly what we're about. Matt’s work is about helping children with muscular illnesses, so the technology he's developed and the fact that he's trying to apply it in a way that would be affordable was just so appealing.

Dickenson: I’m dyslexic, so my school experience was not the best. But through public engagement we can inspire children to believe in what they can do.

For example, I was involved in a project called Primary Engineer, and the idea is that engineers will go into schools and talk about problem solving. They then pose a problem to the pupils who draw out plans and put rudimentary prototypes together. These would end up on my desk and I'd review which could be made possible. One year I had an entry from a girl called Christina who asked: ‘Why is there not a special jacket or shirt that children could wear that could help them be mobile?’. At the time, and from my perspective, I thought she meant an exoskeleton, of which there are millions – but not for children. Children will grow out of an exoskeleton quickly and that, from a manufacturer's perspective, would be expensive, so we wanted to introduce a technology that could empower families.

We started to look at 3D printing with fused deposition modelling (FDM), but there were many questions that needed answers and trying to do that alone would have taken a lot longer. What I predicted to take around 15 years has been achieved in just two due to the partnership with Tinius

14 WWW.EPPM.COM

MATERIALS TESTING CREATIV

Olsen. We've done some professional pilot studies and I've been able to connect with international contacts. As an academic, progress can be restrictive, but with an industry partner, it's all forward thinking.

Now, when I meet with the academic group, the conversations are all about what can be achieved rather than what can’t. That type of encouragement and support has been like a slingshot into a whole new perspective.

Standing on the Interplas booth today with a functioning exoskeleton is a bit overwhelming because of how far we have come – and we have no intentions of slowing down.

Wheeler: We produce the equipment used to test and analyse the materials – that is, all the tools you need to see how that material would perform. The research, which is more focused in industry, is important because it places you on much more solid ground regarding what you're trying to achieve. Research should be used as a tool to develop things further, and it is still important to run these tests, but what's more important is that we keep going.

Dickenson: I'm not chasing the money. I'm chasing a technology that will empower those who have little money. This is not likely to make any money, but it's going to help those who need help. This version is what we’ve nicknamed ‘Generation 1.5’.

The larger version has linear actuators attached. We noticed that by using actuators to power it required a lot of energy, so we knew we had to go back to the drawing board. This smaller system is more passive, but what we'd realised quickly, and without actually compromising the design, is that with something like this you can lean into it, much like you would

Generation 1.5’ with ASTM D 638 profile tensile test specimens – or ‘dog bones’

S SCIENCE, TECH AND E MINDS

What started off with the intention of helping children is now generating interest from other sectors

with a crutch. It’s orthotic, supportive.

When we use a crutch, we lean and that vector travels down the crutch, minimising stress on the leg. It’s the same principle with Generation 1.5 except this thing will wrap around the body, so, rather than using a linear actuator, we're trying to mimic muscular contraction.

Most exoskeletons will try to drive the joint through the use of huge, multiple bearings. So, if we mimic that point of contraction, we have a new type of actuation method, we just need to make it a little more sensitive. What started off with the intention of helping children is now generating interest from other sectors – construction, for example. There are so many potential applications as it encourages you to move more correctly.

This design would be constructed onto your body in such a way so that you would be unable to lift a heavy box incorrectly, for example.

At first, we thought about making this from aluminium, but the pricing would have been astronomical, so we looked to polylactic acid (PLA) and what we soon realised, through a lot of finite element analysis (FEA), was that it could support adult bodies, not just children’s bodies.

With the healthy ageing strategy, this exoskeleton could reduce the cost of healthcare and the risk of arthritis and other musculoskeletal ailments. Without 3D printing and these new polymers, we would be back to aluminium. The mechanics of copper-active PLA has so much going for it, and this is where the testing comes in.

We've been printing horizontally, which enables us to understand the material’s behaviour in different states. We wanted to establish the performance of this material so we're looking at internal meshing, which allows us to print the external circumference in antimicrobial PLA and the internal in a nylon mesh. To get to that position, we've had to test parts to make sure that when we make that next step we’ll be starting on solid ground.

Wheeler: That's an ASTM D 638 profile tensile test specimen – or ‘dog bone’.

Standard PLA’s failure rate is around 45 mega pascals. In its strong components, this increases to around 55 mega pascals. In some states it outperforms some metals for what we're doing. It’s phenomenal. It's everything that we hoped for and more.

Professor Matt Dickenson (left) and Martin Wheeler with the larger exoskeleton at Interplas

It’s all to do with understanding the material. The more you understand, the easier it will be to put on a human. Testing on children is not easily achieved, and the ethics behind testing on humans is something else completely. That's why Matt has been performing as much testing as possible and looking at healthy adults with the aim of being able to get to a comfortable position where we are reliably supporting the body.

Dickenson: When I read Christina's idea, I thought there's no way she came up with this ‘off-the-cuff’; there's too much detail, she had perspective, and she knew exactly what this should do. Her original drawing was basically a snake on someone's back, but I could see where she was going and it pushed me down a rabbit hole. I'm a firm believer in not stealing people’s ideas so I still contact Christina and her mother. It's really gone way past anything she drew but it is still important to acknowledge where these ideas come from.

The Tinius Olsen model 50ST testing system with its Horizon software underpins my testing with its tensile and flexural test capability. As a piece of kit, I use it to push materials and structures to their limits and beyond, understanding exactly how they will perform.

Martin’s colleague Shawn Byrd has also been very helpful. He encouraged me to join ASTM International to contribute with my experience and to tap into the many minds developing standards around exoskeleton technology. There is well over 100 members from all over the world sharing ideas to progress good standards around this technology. On a personal level, that is very thought provoking.

TESTING AND INSPECTION CHRIS VINCE, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, RADICAL MATERIALS, DISCUSSES THE NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION FOR UVC TESTING OF MATERIALS.

Radiation optimisation

U

VC radiation has been used for many years to disinfect water supplies, pharmaceutical products, general surfaces etc. The method is termed Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation, or UVGI. In recent times, there has been and will likely further be a dramatic increase in the use of such technology in areas such as transportation, retail, food processing and healthcare, with the aim of killing or inactivating bacteria and viruses on a wide range of products and materials. This is a marked change to the operating conditions of such products and materials and one which would rarely have been considered during original product specification and development.

Whilst UVA and UVB radiation will reach the earth’s surface as components of sunlight (along with infrared and visible light), UVC never does so as it is filtered naturally by the ozone layer. Many materials used are thus not designed to withstand UVC, which is higher in energy than UVA or UVB and potentially more damaging. UVC exposure can lead to significant material degradation if not designed for and the speed and extent of this degradation is still largely unexplored.

UVGI doses received in-service can be extremely unpredictable and their application and subsequent material testing is currently poorly standardised.

Due to the absence of UVC in sunlight reaching the earth, Standard accelerated weathering tests will, understandably,

16 WWW.EPPM.COM

focus on UVA and UVB and hence tend to filter out the higher energy UVC element. A conventional weathering test will tell a manufacturer or user very little about the effect of UVC on a particular material, and it can be a huge challenge to determine whether a material is fit-forpurpose based upon its degradation over repeated UVC exposure cycles.

ENTER MACHINERY As a consequence of the increase in UVGI, the poor standardisation and largely undocumented effect on material performance, a new range of dedicated UVC test machines have been developed.

These are not designed to administer UVGI, but to simulate and accelerate the UVC dosage of repeated UVGI cycles and hence be able to subsequently test the effect on defined material parameters and properties. A typical method of utilising such a machine would be to develop a simulation based upon the UVC cycles the material will be exposed to in service. For example, assume that one cycle of UVGI is equivalent to a dose of 1J/cm2. If this cycle was performed daily for a year, then if the UVC machine was set to an irradiance of 6mW/cm2, it would achieve a one-year equivalent UVC radiant dosage over just a 17-hour cycle. The effect of such a simulation cycle on defined material properties and parameters can then be assessed.

It seems clear that the already rapidly expanding use of UVGI will continue to

grow across an ever-widening range of industries and applications. Materials which were never designed for nor expected to be exposed to UVC are increasingly seeing such repeated exposures and often without the required testing or even knowledge of manufacturers. Published studies have shown some significant degradation of materials under UVC, which would likely reduce performance or, in the worst cases, potentially render the components totally unfit for service. The use of UVC irradiation for UVGI and subsequent testing is not currently well standardised and the utilisation of a dedicated UVC exposure test machine should be considered a powerful material analysis tool in assessing whether materials are still fit for purpose based upon new conditions of service or, if not, designing ones which are.

TESTING AND INSPECTION GERMANY-BASED TESTING, MEASUREMENT AND CALIBRATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST KISTLER HAS RECEIVED AN ISO 21001 CERTIFICATION AS A CERTIFIED EDUCATIONAL ORGANISATION. EPPM SPOKE WITH ACADEMY HEAD PETER JÄGER TO LEARN HOW THE CERTIFICATION CAN BENEFIT THE BUSINESS, AND HOW THE TRAINING CAN BENEFIT THE CUSTOMER.

CALIBRATION AND EDUCATION A product is no longer just a sensor or a testing and measuring device. Customers expect and request smart, state-of-theart one hand solutions. Whether this is a single sensor or a complete measuring system, providing the necessary calibrations, service, and training and consulting should come as standard.

Kistler is a company that prides itself in its strength as both a partner and a guide through these system solutions with a full range service and competent training in order to improve process control functions. The now certified Kistler Academy issues training that meets numerous quality requirements conducted by tutors with methodical/ didactic knowledge. So how does on go about engaging young people and customers with measurement technology?

OMNIPRESENCE “Everybody is in touch with testing and measurement every day,” Jäger said. “Buying a cup of coffee; refuelling your car; buying potatoes or sugar – everything you expect and everything you pay for requires testing, measurement and calibration. Who takes care of that? All nations have their national institutes and, if you track down what they do, you will find that they deliver the high-precision test and measurement standards system from accredited calibration laboratories that ensure you get exactly what you pay for. Kistler provides the whole range: sensors, accredited calibration services, spare parts, and consulting and training.”

He also revealed that Kistler has specialists in a diverse range of engineering applications, including the manufacture of crash test dummies,

medical equipment, and aerospace and aircraft technology. “We assist everywhere,” Jäger reaffirmed. “Testing and measurement is everywhere.

Calibration and metrological applications are everywhere, and that's where we can help and assist.”

Continuous education and training is necessary to keep operatives updated with changes on applicable norms that are altered or updated on average every two years. Ongoing new levels of expectation brought about by sustainability, environmental awareness, climate change and circular economy, for example, require a continuous update and learning. “Learning is a lifetime job,” he added, “and Kistler supports that in the field of test and measurement and metrology.”

ON COURSE The new and certified academy offers training courses in calibration, cutting force, fastening technology and force sensors, high-speed dynamics, pressure sensors, product monitoring, software and general technology, as well as special systems. All industries face these challenges, which request certain quality management standards, and that's what Jäger and his colleagues have endeavoured to include in the academy – thus completing Kistler’s entire portfolio.

Such a broad range of engineeringbased content must therefore require an advanced level of competence and expertise in its trainers. The ISO 21001 certification expects certain quality management requirements such as the proper curriculum for each didactic training method. “We can provide that,” Jäger continued, “and we’re going to enhance it further. I’m proud that I

can say we passed the audit without any deviation, which the auditor said was something very rare. The trainers I request from all fields of Kistler – depending upon the customer request – do have the relevant technical experience and, as head of the academy, I'm keeping records about their experience and I guarantee that they have some methodical didactical basic training on their systematic preparations for training courses. That's what we do and how we set up the academy and we’re successful so far.”

Calibration and metrological applications are everywhere, and that's where we can help and assist

MATERIALS HANDLING GERMANY-BASED ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT SPECIALIST WOYWOD KUNSTSTOFFMASCHINEN GMBH & CO. HAS LAUNCHED A VIRTUAL SHOWROOM FOR ITS PLASTICOLOR RANGE OF MATERIALS HANDLING SOLUTIONS. EPPM APPROACHED SALES MANAGER RENÉ GÜNTHER TO LEARN MORE.

Handling the Challenges What were the decisive factors that led Woywod to inaugurate a virtual showroom?

is invited to book an appointment for a guided tour, as well as receive great advice online.

Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, participation in international face-toface trade fairs was either hindered or otherwise cancelled. A virtual room for the presentation of products and devices suddenly became, of course, an incredible alternative opportunity.

What kind of materials handling machinery is on display?

Even after the pandemic, we will still strive to offer our customers and partners a tool with which they can always find out more about the Woywod product range, no matter where they are in the world.

Our new online showroom offers this opportunity, and it is always open.

What can your existing and potential customers learn from it?

The innovative thing about the showroom is, of course, the numerous information points within the exhibit, with information that has never existed before in this form. The many videos and pictures also have great added value. Everyone

The products of Woywod are synonymous with precision, quality, longevity and an optimal cost-benefit ratio

18 WWW.EPPM.COM

In the showroom we present numerous devices and systems that we offer our customers in the area of dosing and mixing as a solution. That is, dosing units, volumetric and gravimetric mixing stations, customer-specific products, hopper loaders, dryers and many accessories – all are available to view for free.

How do these products help converters improve manufacturing processes? Particularly in terms of productivity, quality, efficiency and sustainability?

With the PLASTICOLOR system, we offer a completely modular principle.

The individual components are designed so that they can be easily combined to create a customised system. This makes it possible to create efficient and scalable systems that are precisely tailored to our customers' needs.

The products of Woywod are synonymous with precision, quality, longevity and an optimal cost-benefit ratio. They are used by plastics processors and manufacturers of high-quality extrusion and injection moulding machines worldwide.

Does this new virtual showroom mean the end for Woywod’s presence at conventional in-person trade fairs, and if not, at which trade fairs can

we expect to see Woywod’s range of ancillary equipment live?

No, we want to continue to provide our customers with personal advice and support at trade fairs where you can see, touch and explore our products. We have already registered for Chinaplas 2022 in Shanghai, and Wire 2022 and K 2022 in Düsseldorf. The planning and preparations have begun and we are looking forward to welcoming all visitors.

Testing solutions for your devices and components Meet all your CFR21 compliance needs ● Tension, compression, flex ● Benchtop machines ● Custom grips ● Horizon software ● Melt Flow

www.tiniusolsen.com

rPET

01737 765001

100

Designed for recycling.

Made from recycling.

BENEFITS • Heat resistant • Fully recyclable • Thermoformable like PET

HOT CUPS · DAIRY PRODUCTS · INSTANT SOUPS · TO-GO MEALS · COFFEE LIDS

foodgrade without compromise

sales@tiniusolsen.co.uk

MATERIALS HANDLING GREG SLACK, VICE PRESIDENT – GLOBAL SALES, FLEXICON CORPORATION, INVITES READERS TO COMPARE THE PROS AND CONS OF THREE CONVEYING METHODS RELATIVE TO THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MATERIAL, ITS SOURCES AND DESTINATIONS, AND CONVEYING PARAMETERS.

EFFICIENT CONVEYING OF PLASTIC RESINS, ADDITIVES AND REGRIND

B

etween the point where you receive materials and where you mould or extrude them, lies a wide range of bulk handling equipment including silos, weigh batching and blending equipment, feeders, granulators, screeners, bulk bag dischargers and fillers, drum and box fillers and tippers, bag breaking stations, and a variety of storage vessels—all of which are typically interconnected using pneumatic and/or mechanical conveying systems.

Bulk plastic materials range from free-flowing pellets to non-free-flowing granules, regrind, flakes and dusty powders, to products that pack, cake, smear, melt or fluidise, including blends that tend to separate, and reinforced compounds containing carbon fibre, glass fibre, calcium carbonate, talc and other abrasive additives, presenting a myriad of bulk handling challenges. The ability to meet these challenges differs widely by conveying method.

CAPABILITIES OF PNEUMATIC VERSUS MECHANICAL CONVEYORS Dilute phase pneumatic conveying systems move bulk plastic materials that are suspended in a gas stream (most often air, but sometimes an inert gas) introduced by either a positive pressure blower upstream of material intake points, or by a vacuum pump downstream of material discharge points. Product is separated from the gas stream at the end of the line by filter receivers or cyclone separators or sent directly into process vessels.

These systems, which may be more complex than mechanical conveyors, can be integrated into process or production lines and will readily handle diverse products in the same equipment. Positive pressure pneumatic conveying is generally used to convey materials from a single source to one or multiple destinations, over relatively longer distances and with greater capacity than vacuum systems with similar size conveying lines. Vacuum systems allow easy pick-up of materials from open gaylords using wands, so are better suited to transport material from multiple sources such as storage vessels, process equipment, and rail cars to single or multiple destinations.

20 WWW.EPPM.COM

Flexible screw conveyors (also known as spiral, helix or centreless auger conveyors), consist of a flexible screw contained in a flexible or rigid tube that is driven by an electric motor. Materials of construction are specified according to application, with the screw fabricated of carbon or stainless steel, and the outer tube being of plastic or steel. It is a relatively simple design, and generally the most economical choice, with efficient performance, high reliability, and low capital and operating costs.

When properly engineered and tested, it will provide excellent performance across a broad range of applications.

There are also systems specifically designed to convey difficult-to-handle plastic materials that tend to pack, cake, smear, melt or fluidise, as well as fragile or brittle materials prone to breakage or crumbling, and reinforced compounds prone to damaging other types of conveyors.

Tubular cable conveyors (also known as drag or disc conveyors), consist of low friction polymer discs attached to a steel cable. The discs and cable are driven by a wheel at one end of the circuit, while a second wheel maintains the cable’s tension. The entire circuit is enclosed inside steel tubing. Tubular cable conveyors gently slide bulk solid material at relatively slow speeds through this tubing in the space between the discs.

A truly ‘modular’ system, tubular cable conveyors can have multiple inlets and outlets (which may be added or moved). The conveyor’s pathway may be horizontal or vertical or at nearly any angle.

MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS

component damage and downtime. Dilute phase pneumatic systems can handle abrasive materials, but may require periodic replacement of elbows, rotary valves and other components, requiring longer shutdowns.

Pneumatic conveying systems are best suited for dry, free-flowing to semi-freeflowing resins and additives. Specially engineered flexible screw conveyors are available for moving materials that might cause a pneumatic conveyor to plug or abrade, and a general-purpose screw conveyor to bind or seize. These uniquely designed conveyors have specially engineered screws and tight tolerances to efficiently handle a broad variety of non-free-flowing resins, additives and regrind. With their relatively slower convey line speed, tubular cable conveyors are highly regarded for their ability to gently move shape-sensitive, fragile or friable materials with minimal damage.

Flexible screw conveyors and tubular cable conveyors are the better choice when dealing with blended materials, because they prevent the separation of blends throughout the entire length of the conveyor, regardless of differences in flow characteristics or bulk density.

Extremely fine (submicron) powders are best conveyed with a flexible screw system because the amount of dust created by the process is minimal and requires little or no air filtration at the discharge point.

Abrasive compounds containing reinforcement or conductive additives pose unique challenges. With flexible screw conveying, the inner screw may need to be replaced periodically, but downtime is minimal. Tubular cable conveyors are more likely to suffer

MATERIAL SOURCES AND DESTINATIONS When materials are introduced from multiple sources, pneumatic conveyers or tubular cable conveyors are typically the better choice, since separate flexible screw conveyors may be required for each source, increasing cost. But since pneumatic conveyors require separate receiving equipment at every destination, such as filter receivers, weighing valves or rotary airlock valves, tubular cable conveyors can be the lower cost alternative when delivering to multiple discharge points.

For material in bags, drums or boxes, a vacuum conveying system with a pick-up wand can pull material directly from gaylords or other open containers. Moving material from trucks and rail cars is best accomplished with a pneumatic conveying system due to higher volume capacity.

CONVEYING PARAMETERS Where distances are short, either mechanical or pneumatic conveying may be feasible, but pneumatic units tend to be more expensive. As distance increases, the limits of a single flexible screw conveyor are reached and may require several conveyors in series.

Cleanability may also drive the conveyor choice, particularly where crosscontamination is a concern such as in extrusion of medical tubing. Flexible screw conveyors are easy to clean because they lack internal seals, crevices or joints that can trap particles or breed contamination. Simply reversing the screw rotation will evacuate residual material and allow the smooth interior surfaces to be flushed with air, water, steam or cleaning solution.

Wet or dry cleaning accessories can be attached to the cable of a tubular cable conveyor to minimise downtime between changeovers. The system may also be flushed with air, water, steam or cleaning solution. By contrast, a

pneumatic conveying system must be specially designed to decrease cleaning difficulty, with conveying lines broken into detachable sections, and supports that allow removal of heavy rotors from rotary airlock valves, increasing cost significantly.

It comes down to economics While the characteristics of each material and the requirements of the specific process may clearly dictate one technology over the other, both flexible screw and pneumatic conveyors are suitable for most bulk conveying applications, whereas tubular cable conveyor applications are somewhat limited.

The decision then comes down to economics, with flexible screw conveyors offering lower capital and operating costs, especially over shorter distances involving lower capacities. Pneumatic conveyors, although higher in initial cost and power consumption, offer greater cost effectiveness when conveying in higher capacities and/or over longer distances.

The initial tubular cable conveyor investment usually falls somewhere between the costs of a flexible screw conveyor and a pneumatic system.

In the final analysis, the specifier should consider an equipment manufacturer that offers all of the above conveying technologies and laboratory testing using the actual materials in question, in order to document which method will yield the greatest efficiency at the lowest capital and operational costs.

MATERIALS HANDLING MAGUIRE PRODUCTS SHOWCASED ITS PATENTED ULTRA RANGE OF VACUUM DRYING TECHNOLOGY AT FAKUMA 2021. EPPM SPOKE WITH CHRIS CRITTENDEN, SALES DIRECTOR, MAGUIRE EUROPE, TO DISCOVER HOW THE SOLUTION HELPS IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY AND SUSTAINABILITY.

How important is it for materials handling machinery manufacturers such as Maguire to maintain a presence at major trade fairs like Fakuma?

I would say it is crucial. Nowadays with so much going on online – having a real human side to the business is really important. In general, our experience of exhibitions over the last few years is that the type of people going to an exhibition are much more engaged. They’re coming to us with a problem, or wanting to solve a particular issue in their plant, so the sort of discussions and meetings we have are really progressive. Years ago, a trade fair was a little bit of a holiday; nowadays, the level is going up and up and you see that in everyone who is involved in these shows. They’re there for specific reasons such as building knowledge and improving their business. It’s crucial to be part of it and the quality of a show defines that.

How much interest does materials handling machinery generate at a live event when compared, for example, to an injection moulding machine?

Materials handling is just as important to the manufacturing process as any injection moulding or extrusion machine.

The whole process is only as strong as its weakest link, and materials handling control in general – blending, conveying, drying, etc. – needs to be right. If not, it’s like putting a band aid

22 WWW.EPPM.COM

on a broken leg. If you have control of your materials, as prices go up or down, you can do something about it. If you’re doing everything in an analogue or manual way, it’s hard to respond to those changes. A great example is in blow moulding where you would traditionally always see blends of three materials such as regrind, HD and masterbatch; increasingly nowadays, you see a standard of five or six materials where they’re looking to reduce costs and increase efficiency across the board in all areas of production.

How important is it for materials handling specialists to embrace digitisation and industry 4.0?

Again, this is pretty crucial. Nowadays, with more and more efficiency and integration of plant management systems, people want to see what’s happening in production. Depending on your process, 60-70% of your annual cost of operation is in materials. If you couple that with the drive towards circular economy and recycling, digitisation is crucial as long as you can acquire that data in a way that’s easy to see. Digitisation, from a general point of view, is massive. I think, going forward, it will show metrics concerning how different plants and systems are operating, and from that things should just become easier and easier in a process, giving them time to focus on what is new.

What is it that converters require most in vacuum drying technology and how does Maguire help improve productivity and quality?

Where people are looking at dryers, they’re looking for performance consistency. The Maguire dryer is based on our unique vacuum technology for the plastics industry, and what vacuum drying brings compared to desiccant, for example, is a much faster process – typically one-sixth of the time it takes to dry compared to older systems – and up to 90 per cent energy reduction. From the point of view of productivity and quality, we have a very digitised process, so we’re monitoring, at every stage of the process, through digital temperature gauges, vacuum probes, digital sensors, load cells – we’re watching live as the material goes through. At any time, if we don’t hit one of our key parameters, the system will automatically stop and alert the operator.

This is recorded too so the manufacturer will have a log of all that data. That isn’t the same with traditional desiccant systems, which only measure how dry the process air is. With our system, we’re using vacuum to remove the moisture, so we are monitoring by vacuum. If our system doesn’t reach the critical level to remove moisture, it immediately stops. It’s a much more integrated digital process.

And with that data-driven production process, manufacturers are looking to increase sustainability too?

Yes by virtue of using up to 90 per cent less energy, which results in a much smaller carbon footprint. That adds up over a year in a group of machines.

Drying time is much more efficient and you can begin production processes much faster. Polycarbonate, for example, can take up to three hours to dry, but with a vacuum dryer you can start within half an hour.

How does Maguire’s Ultra range of vacuum dryers assist converters in improving process control operations?

The thing to highlight here is because we monitor every part of the process on the touchscreen, you can see exactly what’s happening. This enables us to write various routines within the software and enable people to automatically start-up on Monday morning at six o’clock so that the system will be ready by seven o’clock. We can shut down an empty a dryer on Friday at five o’clock so the system can see the rate at which the material is consumed. Thus, we are able to shut down the loader and empty the heating hopper and the vacuum chamber so the process is completely finished. Another thing we can do is dynamic drying, wherein we can increase or decrease the amount of material available according to what the demand is. All these things allow us to improve a process in a much quicker and more responsive way.

How does the smart control technology enable an improved performance from the machinery operator?

We’re trying to make it so that anybody can run the machinery in a fairly simple way. The main thing is when purchasing people come to us, they’re motivated by the energy savings and other green credentials. From the operator’s point of view, they’re motivated by speed – say they switch from an ABS to a nylon, for example, you can wait 6-8 hours for a nylon to be ready. With a Maguire vacuum dryer, it could be an hour, so it’s very

quick and very simple for them to be able to switch from job to job.

We’re getting back to in-person trade fairs. Where can potential customers expect to see Maguire?

We have a lot of distributors globally, so we’ll be at Plast Eurasia in Istanbul in December, and many other regional and global events going into 2022 – either directly or with our partners on their booths. Likewise, we are increasingly supporting specialist sector shows like Caps and Closures or Wire.

Manufacturers of these parts utilise Maguire materials handling technology and we’re pleased to be able to join them at these events.

The whole process is only as strong as its weakest link, and materials handling control in general needs to be right

BLOW MOULDING ROB COKER INTRODUCED HIMSELF TO ZDENEK VANEK, THE CEO OF CZECH REPUBLIC-BASED VBF (VANEK BAYER FORMY) BLOW MOULD PRODUCTION, AT INTERPLAS 2021.

I

tried to focus as much as possible on connecting with Europe-based exhibitors during Interplas 2021 and was therefore pleased to introduce myself to the experts at the small but neat VBF booth after recognising the moulds and products for the blow moulding sector.

After the traditional exchange of business cards, Vanek began by explaining the intricacy involved in a mould used by Krones for beverage packaging. The bottle itself had a detailed, crystalline, glasslike appearance. “A lot of time went into designing it,” Vanek said. “I can’t tell you an exact number, but it is a lot of time.

The surface is then hand-polished, so that will add some more time, depending on the complexity of the mould.”

The same level of skill is of course required to create less intricate moulds, but the approach is always the same.

VBF would first design and then machine the mould in several stages, including the in-mould labelling stage, which forms part of the design of the mould and is performed by the machine. “It's all

24 WWW.EPPM.COM

automated,” Vanek continued, “this is not really possible to produce manually.

The machines work with high levels of precision, which allows us to go into such detail even with the carvings.” Finally, each mould is hand-polished to bring out the finish and detail.

Vanek then pointed out what he described as an “interesting piece” – a hose used in the automotive sector.

The plastic, polypropylene with ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), is graded for high temperatures, making it suitable for gases that pass through turbochargers. “The manufacturing method is quite interesting,” Vanek continued. “Because of its intricate shape, it requires a combination of vacuum moulding and blow moulding. It starts with a prefabricated plastic piece and vacuum moulding is used to extrude it to create the basic shape. Air is then pumped into the cavity and it expands to form the final shape.”

Blow moulding is most often associated with packaging plastics such as PET and so it was interesting to have been reminded that almost any plastic can be blow moulded. “It depends on the application,” Vanek confirmed. “Different plastics have different properties. You wouldn’t necessarily use the same plastics for injection moulding, but there is a wide variety of materials used for blow moulding, including PS, PP, PE, and PET. We manufacture moulds for multiple materials.”

Continuing with blow moulding for the automotive sector, Vanek produced an example of a technical mould. “It's within our capabilities to manufacture moulds up to two-by-two metres –

so, fairly big chunks of metal. This example was manufactured for a company that supplies the final product to almost all large European car manufacturers, such as Škoda, VW, BMW, etc. They use this particular mould to make air ducts for Mercedes and you can manufacture up to four parts in it.”

There is a Mercedes in my household – not mine, I should add, but I do drive it at weekends – so it was fascinating to learn that some of VBF’s expertise is included in it. We tend not to notice and take for granted such parts in our vehicles until you meet the person manufacturing them. “I think this is one of the things about blow moulding,” Vanek added.

“It's quite niche. The majority of industries obviously use injection moulding, but anything that has a cavity in it was likely blow moulded. It's always quite interesting to see when I go into a supermarket and see a bottle that our company supplied blow moulds for.”

VBF will also be exhibiting at K 2022.

CLASSIFIEDS

1

A LITTLE HELP

3D PRINTING INNOVATORS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE GIANTS COLLABORATE TO PUSH BOUNDARIES

3.

T FOR THE PL

AS TI

USTRY IND

Coming of age

THINGS HAVE CHANGED FOR EPPM AS IT NEW SIZE AND CELEBRATES A NEW TEAM TO NEW LOOK, MARK A MILESTONE YEAR. TURN TO PAGE SIMPLIFY TO MULTIPLY

HOW AVOIDING COMPLEXITIES IN BOTH PROCESS AND MATERIALS COULD BE KEY TO RECYCLING SUCCESS

G

IN PO

CS

To advertise here, or place display adverts in print or online

THE M EET IN

JAN/FEB 2019 | VOLUME 20/ISSUE

Materials

SMALL BUT MIGHTY

EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF MICRO INJECTION-MOULDIN G LATEST TECHNOLOGY THANKS TO THE

Contact: Lisa Montgomery + 44 1244 680222 Ext: 372 lisa.montgomery@rapidnews.com

@InterplasUK

Services

#InterplasUK

Machinery Software

USED. TESTED. ALL RIGHT.

STAND AND SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES LISA MONTGOMERY Head of Sales – Plastics Portfolio +44 1244 680222 Ext:372 lisa.montgomery@rapidnews.com

Purchase and sale: Injection moulding machines accessories and spare parts

NEC BIRMINGHAM, UK | 26 - 28 SEPTEMBER 2023 | www.interplasuk.com

Phone: +49 2173 8 950 790 www.mhborowski.de

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

600mm wide Gabler model D600 lid forming machine

40” Brown model B4042 thermoforming line

300mm Adler pelletiser with pneumatic nip

30mm IDE pillar mounted co extruder

1000mm Amut PET,PP & PS sheet extrusion line

SHEET LINES

THERMOFORMING

PIPE/PROFILE

PELLETISING

GRANULATORS

EXTRUDERS

67mm Leistritz twin screw compounding extruder

OVER 300 VIDEOS TO VIEW TRANSXL INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

Stand B4

. THORNHILL . SOUTH MARSTON . SWINDON . SN3 4TA . ENGLAND

40mm Leistritz twin screw compounding extruder

1100mm wide Kentya PP / PVC sheet extrusion line

180mm Sikoplast Conical Single Screw Extruder

50mm Betol single screw extruder with 25hp motor

710mm Edi R75 Die

50mm Welex single screw extruder

Be Social

MORE MACHINERY, MORE PHOTOS ON THE WEB WWW.TRANSXL.CO.UK

COLUMN

EUREKA How fast is the demand for lightweight materials in mobility growing and how is AIMPLAS contributing to the actions that help meet it?

The aeronautical sector pioneered the demand for lightweight materials such as composites to reduce weight and fuel consumption. This need has been transferred to other sectors such as the automotive, transport and railway industries, where the same objectives of efficiency, sustainability and safety are pursued.

AIMPLAS, in line with its commitment to companies and society, is developing materials with advanced properties to achieve more competitive, sustainable, safe and efficient products.

In which ways are these new thermoplastic composites innovative and how will they contribute towards sustainability in the mobility sector?

Most of the composites used in industry are manufactured from thermosetting resins due to their high performance.

However, the polymeric origin of these matrices does not allow them to be reprocessed, repaired and recycled. This fact slows down the growth of composite materials in sectors such as the automotive industry.

To overcome the disadvantages of thermosetting resins, the RECOTRANS project is developing a liquid thermoplastic resin with

26 WWW.EPPM.COM

CO-ORDINATED BY AIMPLAS, THE RECOTRANS CONSORTIUM USES MICROWAVES AND LASER WELDING TO OBTAIN RECYCLABLE COMPOSITES FOR THE TRANSPORT INDUSTRY. EPPM SPOKE TO ROCÍO RUIZ, R&D SUSTAINABLE AND FUTURE MOBILITY AT AIMPLAS, TO LEARN ABOUT THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT. Currently, the technology for integrating microwave and metal-composite laser joining into conventional RTM and pultrusion manufacturing lines studied in the project has reached TRL6 and is ready for industrial scale-up.

mechanical properties like those of thermosetting resins.

This development has made it possible to adapt the designs of metallic structures to thermoplastic composites, such as a car door, a truck cab suspension system and a train interior panel, thus reducing the weight of the structure by more than half. This challenge will allow for lower fuel consumption and greater autonomy in the battery of electric vehicles.

It is also important to highlight the use of materials at the end of their shelf life.

At AIMPLAS, and in particular in this project, we studied the recyclability of the thermoplastic composites, obtaining ABS TPCs with up to

70 per cent composite content by weight. As a case study, we obtained a 50:50 ABS/ TPC prototype door handle demonstrator and a 50:50 post-consumer ABS/TPC which has been integrated into the door structure.

How complex a process is it to integrate microwaves and laser welding to develop these new materials?

The challenge was not only technical, but logistical since each partner was from a different country. The coordination of Tecnoclad's core microwave and laser welding technology activities has been essential to ensure effective integration and overcome mobility issues during the pandemic.

What does this process mean for Europe’s plastics recycling industry and for the circular economy as a whole?

The RECOTRANS project contributes to the circular challenge by developing competitive thermoplastic composites that can be brought to market in a short timeframe.

How has the EU helped in establishing this new technique?

Through the current framework programme Horizon Europe, which proposes initiatives to achieve the objective of circular plastics through co-operation links between industry and academia, where AIMPLAS plays a fundamental role in transferring academic results to companies, without forgetting the role of SMEs, and promoting a stronger technology sector committed to society.

26 - 28 SEPTEMBER 2023

88%

of exhibitors said they made a sale directly related to Interplas.

92%

of visitors found a new supplier or technology they has not known of before.

Exhibit with us Interplas is back in 2023, bringing with it the opportunity for you to experience the UK’s largest plastics industry exhibition showcasing the full spectrum of plastics processing machinery, materials, software, services and ancillaries in one place.

It’s also the only plastics event in the UK where visitors can see working machinery LIVE on the show floor and where they’ll come to compare, contrast and buy.

With an expected 12,000+ attendees across the three-day event, as well as new features and an expanded floorplan, now is the time to position yourself as a company that can offer solutions, showcase innovation and offer expertise to an audience known for its quality and purchasing power.

PLATES

OUR PLATES LEAD TO YOUR SUCCESS Quality made in Austria 100% in-house production of plates Highly automated production lines for standard plates Highly trained personnel guarantee quality in the μ range Process reliability in your production Reduced plate warping during machining Less allowance needed for subsequent heat treatment More precise components We guarantee supply security Large stock of raw materials Over 30 material grades Standard plates are available directly from stock

Take a look behind the scenes with our video:

Order now from our web shop! www.meusburger.com