Canadian Plastics February 2010

CanadianPlastics www.canplastics.com

FEBRUARY 2010

What’s in the

CARDS? Our annual

INJECTION MOLDERS’ SURVEY results

ADDITIVES

Making PLA tougher

EXTRUSION

Medical tubing gets precise

RECYCLING

How to reclaim plastics

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contents

CanadianPlastics FEBRUARY 2010 VOLUME 68 NUMBER 1

LOOKING BACK...

Okay, it's not quite Confederation Day, but on December 1, 1971, the Society of the Plastics Industry of Canada became a fully independent association. For the 29 years prior to this — as the October 1971 issue of Canadian Plastics noted — SPI Canada had been just another section of the U.S.based SPI Inc. While it retained affiliation with SPI Inc., the move to independent status made SPI Canada responsible to its own board of directors and Canadian company members. SPI Canada later evolved into the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.

page 13

Number of the month:

$20.63*

* Average hourly wage paid to I/M machine oeperator in 2009 excluding benefits. (See pg. 9)

in every issue 4

Editor’s View No plastic sex toys please, we’re Canadian

5

Ideas & Innovations: Structural foam building blocks: A life-size take on a classic toy

6

News: • Enter the dragon slayer • Q&A with SPE Ontario president Phil Lem • People

8

Executive’s Corner HST brings benefits to the plastics industry

23 Technology Showcase 23 Plastics Data File 27 Advertising Index 27 Classified Ads 28 Design Ideas Health care around the world 29 View from the Floor Mold cooling: A river runs through it

page 9

page 17

cover story 9

INJECTION MOLDERS’ BENCHMARK SURVEY: What’s in the cards 2009 was no ordinary year. Stands to reason, then, that our latest Injection Molders’ Benchmark Survey is no ordinary survey. How are Canadian I/M shops handling one of the worst economic slumps on record? Find out inside, as we spotlight some of the damage done, and the strategies designed to make 2010 a year of recovery.

features 13 EXTRUSION: Medical tubing gets precise Demand for flexible tubing products used in miniaturized optics and microsurgery is on the rise. But for extruders looking to move into the medical tubing market, there’s a problem: higher levels of accuracy and ever-tighter tolerances make for more chances to fail. Improving process performance and reducing variability are keys to success.

17 RECYCLING: How to reclaim plastics With the “green” movement on the rise, recovering used plastic is big business. For entrepreneurs, post-consumer plastics can be gathered, cleaned and sold for profit on the open market. Plastics processors who use post-industrial scrap, meanwhile, can enhance product appeal.

20 ADDITIVES: Making PLA tougher Plastics are going “green” in a hurry, but they need help from biodegradable polymers to do it — and especially from PLA, the biggest of them all. But will nagging concerns about PLA’s toughness, melt strength and heat resistance prevent it from replacing petroleum-based resins? Not if additive suppliers can help it. Find out about the latest efforts to transform PLA into a processing powerhouse.

Visit us at www.canplastics.com www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 3

editor’s view

No plastic sex toys please, we’re Canadian I

guess it had to happen.

Given the veritable avalanche of bad press surrounding plastics lately — bag bans, concerns over chemicals in plastic baby bottles and food packaging, and Lord knows what else — it came as less than a shock to hear that the federal government is now being urged to impose a ban on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in...wait for it... adult toys. (For those unfamiliar with BPA, here’s a quick primer: it’s a chemical building block that’s used primarily to make polycarbonate plastic.)

This latest twist in the BPA debate comes courtesy of Carolyn Bennett, the Liberal MP for the Toronto riding of St. Paul’s. In a recent open letter to Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq, Bennett called for the ban, citing among other things a German study from 2000 that found that 10 “dangerous chemicals are gassed out of some sex toys.”

“I believe we all deserve to feel the products we buy are safe and that our government won’t shy away from legislation that protects us just because the topic of sex toys may make us uncomfortable,” said Bennett in the letter.

Okay, then, to modify Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s famous dictum, the state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation...unless plastics is involved.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not suggesting that Dr. Bennett was out of line in bringing this matter to the Minister of Health’s attention. As a public servant, she has a duty to speak out on behalf of Canadian constituents if she believes their interests are at stake.

(I’m also tempted to tip my hat to her simply for adding a dash of spice to what can otherwise be a very dry debate about BPA. Who says consumer advocacy has to be boring?)

On the other hand, it’s hard not to see this as further evidence of piling on. As most of us know, BPA has been under attack for several years now, despite the fact that — as the American Chemistry Council, the Canadian Plastics Industry Association and other organizations have pointed out — BPA hasn’t been shown to pose a health threat in the trace amounts in which it’s found in consumer products.

I’m not saying that I have a dog in the sex toy fight per se...but still, it was particularly satisfying when another interesting story about plastics caught my eye a few days later — satisfying because this one showed plastics in an uncharacteristically good light.

According to a report in the journal Science Translational Medicine, a cancer vaccine contained in a fingernail-sized bioplastic implant has been found to successfully eliminate potentially cancerous tumors when tested on laboratory mice at Harvard University.

Yes, you read that right. Far from causing cancer — as the loonier wing of the antiBPA brigade often suggests — plastics is shown to be an important element in a potentially groundbreaking new approach to treating the disease.

This particular treatment program is still in its infancy, but it could prove to be a game changer down the road for cancer patients. For those of us in the plastics industry, meanwhile, it shows once again the resilience of the material to which we owe our livelihoods; no sooner does it risk being bounced from the sex toy industry than it pops up at the farthest frontier of medical science.

Losing market share in adult toys but gaining a foothold in a potential cure for cancer?

If the trade off must be made, it’s not a bad one.

Mark Stephen mstephen@canplastics.com 4 Canadian Plastics February 2010 www.canplastics.com

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

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ideas & innovations

Structural foam building blocks: A life-size take on a classic toy

A

nyone who was a kid within the past 30 years — most of us, in other words — inevitably tried his or her hand at building a house with Lego blocks.

Cut to the present and a new technology has just been unveiled that uses a similar principle to create a system of structural foam building blocks designed to offer the building industry a simpler way of doing on-site construction.

Called the Ultimate Building Block, the system has been developed by a joint venture of Canadian manufacturers including Royal Mould Technologies Ltd., a moldmaker owned and operated by Angel Neira.

The system consists of an inner and outer wall, fastened together with centre connectors, that can be delivered to a construction site as a sub-assembled unit.

Here’s where the Lego connection comes in: the building crew can then assemble the walls almost as they would a set of giant Lego blocks, with only minimum training and supervision. For a building contractor, the advantages are obvious: reduced skill labour requirements, faster build time and a more competitive overall cost.

ADAPTABLE AND TOUGH According to Mike Draga, general manager of Royal Mould — which provided the tooling solutions for the project — the walls are produced by low pressure structural foam molding, with high pressure injection molding used to supply the connectors. “There are different size blocks and connectors available, to provide the industry with whatever size and thickness of walls they require,” he said.

Once in place on a construction site, Draga continued, this plastic “skeleton” is filled with concrete to form a solid outer structure. “The outer walls will have the capabilities of having a number of different finishes — such as brick, marble or stucco — tailored to suit the tastes

or requirements of each customer,” he explained. “The inner walls are designed in such a way that all the electrical, plumbing and HVAC channels/openings are molded-in, which eliminates the need to cut or drill through walls or sections.

Once installed, the inner walls are ready to accept the drywall, paneling or whatever finish is desired.”

In true Canadian fashion, the blocks have been designed to withstand the worst elements that Mother Nature can throw at them — including protecting the structure of the house from any water damage caused by flooding or other natural disasters — and also to satisfy the fussiest building code inspector. “In the construction world, the higher the R-value, the better your walls,” Draga explained. “Our blocks have a minimum R-value of R-40, which compares favourably with the average new home rating of R-24. This translates into improved energy efficiency.”

HARD WORK PAYING OFF Available right now, the system was over three years in the making — and that’s three years of blood, sweat and

research and development costs for all of the companies involved.

“The effort was worth it, though, as this turn-key approach — involving engineering, manufacturing, production and actual building construction — gives Royal Mould and our partners total control of the product, which is critical towards the goal of supplying a cost-competitive product globally,” Draga said.

Fortuitously, the project has come to fruition at just the right moment for Royal Mould itself, giving the company a creative shot in the arm and also a chance to get in on the ground floor as the North American housing market shows signs of recovery. “This venture allows our company to diversify and pursue opportunities in low pressure structural foam tooling solutions, into markets that are less competitive and that appear to offer stronger and more consistent returns in both the short and the long term,” Draga said. “Perseverance and continued research and development for new solutions in untapped markets is what will make or break any manufacturing business today.”

Royal Mould Technologies Ltd. (Toronto); www.royalmouldtech.com; 888-308-4868 www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 5

news

Enter the dragon slayer A

A new Ontario I/M shop takes on the biggest adversary of all bout 2,000 years ago, legend has it, St. George slew the dragon.

Cut to the present and Jim Wei is hoping for something similar against a dragon of a different sort: Chinese injection molders.

The owner and operator of Waterloo, Ont.-based Superi Inc., a company that helps North American firms establish automotive tooling and molding operations in China, Wei recently started a oneman injection molding shop called Victory Manufacturing.

Based out of the same Waterloo facility as Superi, Victory Manufacturing has 50,000 square feet of floor space and two injection molding machines — an Engel and a Nissei — at present. Wei’s objective is simple: to use his knowledge of Chinese manufacturers to beat them at their own game and bring some custom molding contracts back to Canada.

ACCENTUATING THE POSITIVE

SMALL SIZE MATTERS

The final pieces of the puzzle, Wei believes, involve being creative and flexible as an injection molder. Victory Manufacturing is currently involved in a project to replace metal with plastic in a popular consumer goods item. A mechanical engineering graduate, Wei has the background to serve as Victory Manufacturing’s head of research — as well as chief executive, web designer, mold set-up man and material purchaser — and also a lean, efficient operation that can adapt quickly to new technical challenges.

“Having a small shop is comparable to having a small boat,” he explained. “I can change direction quickly if I have to, and that flexibility is an important element in taking business away from China.”

Wei continues to spend a good deal of time in China on behalf of Superi, during which periods he has a skilled injection mold operator filling his shoes at Victory Manufacturing. Having seen the fabled Chinese economic dragon up close, he doesn’t fear it. “Chinese manufacturers have their own problems, and there can be real risks in doing business with them,” he said. “As more decision-makers come to understand this, more opportunities will open up for plastics processors here at home, including smaller shops.”

CPL

IMBC named CPSC’s Employer of Choice

The The Canadian Plastics Sector Council (CPSC) recently recognized IMBC (CPSC) Blowmolding Inc., of Orangeville, Ont., Blowmolding as its first-ever Employer of Choice. as “Congratulations to IMBC for demonstrating superior leadership and demonstrating promoting employee engagement,” promoting said CPSC board co-chair Joanne Rivard. said “Companies who invest in certification “Companies From left, IMBC’s Sandra Starr, Robert Starr, programs, even during difficult economic programs, Deanna Lyver and the CPSC’s Joanne Rivard. times, show they have foresight and that Photo Credit: Canadian Plastics Sector Council they value employee competence.”

The Employer of Choice award program was created in 2008 to recognize plastics companies who take steps to have their workers earn the CPSC’s Certified Plastics Practitioner (or Cert.PP) designation; IMBD currently has five Cert.PP employees.

Founded in 1989 by the president and owner Robert Starr, IMBC is primarily a custom extrusion blow molder, with 40 workers in its 70,000 square foot facility.

You’ve probably spotted the irony already: Superi Inc. helps companies shift production offshore, Victory Manufacturing tries to bring business back to Canada.

Wei certainly gets it, but he’s more excited by the advantages that small-scale outfits such as Victory Manufacturing could offer over competing Chinese molders. “We have no custom duties to pay, no sea freight or overland shipping costs and guaranteed delivery dates,” he said.

“Perhaps most importantly, customers of Canadian shops don’t have to order parts in the millions — we can produce small orders economically, which is not true of Chinese outfits.”

Another factor working to his benefit — as well as that of Canada’s many PEOPLE other smaller molders — is the recent rise in oil prices that make it harder for Windsor, Ont.-based Acrolab Ltd., North American companies to justify the a supplier of heat transfer and cooling cost of sending small-scale machining and systems, has named Peter McCormack tooling operations overseas. “Obviously, as technical sales manager. cost is key to keeping molding contracts from going out of the country,” Wei said.

Chroma Corporation has appointed “If we can keep our prices competitive, Mark Kaptur as senior account manthen — all else being equal — I think that ager for the Northeast Territory, includNorth American manufacturers are going ing Southeastern Canada. to want to do business here.”

6 Canadian Plastics February 2010 www.canplastics.com

Jim Wei on the shop floor.

Injection molding machine supplier Engel North America, of York, Pa., is appointing Mark Sankovitch as president and CEO, effective April 1, 2010. He replaces Steve Braig, who is leaving the company.

Cognex Corporation, a Natick, Mass.based supplier of machine vision systems, has named Robert Willett as president and chief operating officer.

news

&A Q

Q A

PHIL LEM

President, SPE, Ontario Section

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) is over 60 years old. How are you keeping the Ontario section relevant to an increasingly tech-savvy membership?

Culturally, we’ve been changing with the industry, particularly over the past five to 10 years. Right now, I’m trying to bring a younger membership to SPE Ontario. A lot of people are on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter nowadays, so it’s not a big shift for them to move to LinkedIn or other types of professional networking mediums, and this is what I’m trying to promote. Also, as the old days of meeting and greeting with clients are starting to fade, we’re trying to provide new incentives, in terms of exciting information sessions, to motivate people to actually come out and attend SPE events.

Basically, we’re trying to diversify from our traditional way of doing things. We’re shifting our newsletter from a traditional print magazine format to an electronic version. We’ve also set up the new Ontario chapter website, at www. speontario.com. The goal is to use it to provide free services to regional members — to allow them to post their resumes, for example, as well as to advertise career opportunities if they’ve been laid off or are otherwise looking for work.

Peter McCormack

Mark Kaptur

Mark Sankovitch

Stanmech Technologies Inc., a Burlington, Ont.-based supplier of assembly and sealing equipment, has appointed Anne-Marie Harte to the position of general manager.

Teknor Apex Company, a custom PVC compounds maker headquartered in

Q A

s are many professional organiA zations, the SPE is struggling to maintain a healthy level of membership. What are you doing to attract new members?

To increase members, the SPE’s national committee has created a program called Members-Get-Members, or MGM. Between now and May 1, 2010, when an existing member brings a new member into the organization, that new member receives a reduced membership fee of $109 instead of the standard fee of $144. The member who brought in the new recruit, meanwhile, gets to accumulate reward points. The points add up and can be cashed in for an upgraded membership status, or threemonth, six-month or one-year membership extensions.

Q

Anne-Marie Harte

New membership aside, what else is crucial for the future of the SPE? Without a doubt, we need support and sponsorship from the big players in the plastics industry. We’ve lost some of that support over the past few years. Hopefully, as the economy turns around in the coming years, they’ll consider supporting us again.

After all, they’re part of this industry too.

A

Rod Fischer

Bob Duren

James Nelson

Pawtucket, R.I., has named Rod Fischer as director of sales for the company’s vinyl division.

for the form-fill-seal division and James (Jamie) Nelson as technical manager of its extrusion systems business.

Packaging and converting equipment supplier Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corporation, of Lincoln, R.I., has named Bob Duren as business development manager

Intertape Polymer Group, a flexible packager based in Montreal, has named Bernard Pitz as chief financial officer. www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 7

executive’s corner

HST brings benefits to the plastics industry

By John Drysdale, CA, Brendan Moore & Associates

O

ntario and British Columbia will be harmonizing their provincial retail sales taxes with the federal GST on July 1, 2010. What this means is that both of these provinces will abandon their current retail sales tax structures and become participants in the federally-administered Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) that currently exists in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. This will result in the combination of the existing federal GST with existing provincial retail sales taxes in Ontario and BC to create a single sales tax of 13 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively. This change will have a significant impact on the plastics industry in both of these provinces.

The current retail sales tax structures in Ontario and BC apply retail sales tax on purchases of goods and services at all levels, from manufacturing to wholesale to retail. Although there are numerous sales tax exemptions available to manufacturers on production equipment, including those in the plastics industry, a significant amount of sales tax is still paid on many other goods and services, which then becomes incorporated in the cost of the goods they produce for sale. This increase in cost of the goods translates into increased prices and results in a competitive disadvantage at the national and international level.

THE VALUE OF VAT The proposed HST in Ontario and BC is a value-added tax (VAT).

VAT is considered to be an indirect tax, imposed on goods and services at each stage of production or distribution, starting from the purchase of raw materials to the sale of the final product. VAT is levied on the value added at the different stages of production or distribution and is ultimately included in the cost of the good or service to the final consumer. Because of the input tax credit mechanism available to organizations involved at each stage of the production or distribution process, VAT paid is recoverable by all parties other than the final consumer. This ensures that no sales tax is incorporated in the cost of the goods produced for sale.

The introduction of HST in Ontario and BC will ensure that there is virtually no inefficient cascading of tax, because only the final consumer will bear the burden of paying the resulting HST. Because this system results in absolute transparency at every stage of taxation, it becomes quite comprehensible and simple to administer.

It’s anticipated that a shift to HST in Ontario and BC will result in significant savings to the plastics industry because of the reduction in payment of otherwise non-recoverable sales tax on purchases made by companies in the sector. These savings can then be passed down to consumers in the form of lower prices 8 Canadian Plastics February 2010 www.canplastics.com

or used to make investments that create jobs and support other businesses in the community.

Experience in the Atlantic Provinces and other jurisdictions confirms that shifting from a retail sales tax structure to a VAT structure like the HST paves the way for increased capital spending on machinery, equipment, structures, new technologies and other productive assets. This additional business investment should lead to faster economic growth, more jobs, higher productivity, and increased global competitiveness.

BIG SAVINGS FOR BUSINESSES Administratively, as Ontario and BC integrate their existing sales tax with the federal GST, compliance costs will decline significantly. Under the present system of separate provincial and federal sales taxes, businesses are forced to deal with two different sets of tax rules, administrative authorities and compliance requirements. Tax filing and other regulatory costs will be significantly lower under the HST. The Ontario and BC governments estimate that over $600 million will be saved annually by businesses in Ontario and BC as a result of reduced compliance requirements under the HST. These savings will also be experienced by the plastics industry.

The shift to HST in Ontario and BC is a positive move for companies in the plastics industry. It will result in lower costs and lower administrative requirements, enabling these companies to compete more effectively on both a national and international level. It will, however, also result in significant operational and administrative changes to ensure that the existing retail sales tax systems are properly wound down and the new HST is properly implemented. These changes should be considered sooner, rather than later, to facilitate the transition on July 1, 2010.

CPL John Drysdale, CA, is a Principal with Brendan Moore & Associates in charge of technical knowledge and compliance.

With offices in Oakville, Ont. and Calgary, Alta., Brendan Moore & Associates is a professional service firm dedicated exclusively to providing Canadian sales tax solutions to North America’s premier organizations. They can be reached toll free at 1-877-568-0488, or emailed at inquire@brendanmoore.com.

injection molders’ survey

What the

CARDS REVEAL The annus horribilus of 2009 may finally be gone, but it’s definitely not forgotten — least of all by a hard-hit plastics industry. Our latest Injection Molders’ Benchmark Survey offers a backwards glance at some of the damage done, as well as a look ahead, hopefully to brighter days.

Markets served, buying intentions, investment policies — it’s all here. Let’s turn over the cards.

By Mark Stephen, editor

S

eems like every time the Canadian Plastics staff compiles the results of our annual injection molders’ survey, we have to preface it by mentioning all of the difficulties — high Canadian dollar, soaring resin prices, downturns in the auto sector — the industry had to face during the 12 months since the previous survey.

If you think it’ll be different this time around, you’re wrong. 2009 was a true annus horribilus — the most terrible economic year in a long time, in fact — and the survey results you’re about to read will

reflect that in many ways.

And yet...

Don’t be surprised if you come away thinking the industry resembles a cork in the ocean: push it down and it bobs right back up again. Aside from reflecting all the bad stuff, the 2009 survey results paint a picture of versatility, perseverance and bedrock optimism about better days ahead.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND INFO Almost 20% of respondents this year said that they worked in a shop with 50 or more

The The Injection Molders’ Benchmark Survey was emailed to 378 people at injection molding shops throughout Canada, with one survey going to one respondent per facility. We received 26 completed surveys, giving us a response rate of 6.87%. Because not everyone answered giving each question, the percentage values in the charts and tables might each be be given as a percentage of the respondents to that question, with the number number of respondents given in parentheses, for example (n=26).

employees, compared to 26% last year.

This could reflect the slight downtick in the number of respondents this year, or the downsizing and consolidation that has occurred over the past 12 months, or both.

Eight per cent of respondents worked in shops with more than 250 workers, compared to zero respondents working in such large shops in 2008. Obviously, then, at least some of the heavy hitters are still out there.

In 2009, 38.5% of respondents worked in a facility with one to nine employees, compared to 34% in 2008 and 21% in 2007. Meanwhile, approximately 30% worked in mid-sized shops with 10 to 49 workers. On average, the number of employees per shop was 46 — much higher than last year’s average of 30. Since it’s unlikely that the industry has seen a hiring boom in the past 12 months, we can safely conclude that more of the larger shops were represented this time around.

Compared to previous surveys, respondents had more molding machines at their facilities, too. Over 30 % reported having 16 or more machines at their plant, compared with only 12% with 16 or more in www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 9

injection molder’s survey

PURCHASING PLANS FOR 2010 (%)

AVERAGE MACHINE UTILIZATION RATE (%) 100

35 30

Yes No

80

25

60

20 40

15 10

20

5 0

31.8 < 39%

22.7

0

18.2

40-49% 50-59% 60-69%

22.7

4.5

70-79% 80-89%

0

0

90-100%

(n=22)

2008. More respondents this time around reported 16 or more units, in fact, than reported five machines or less (27%); a very different result than last year, when by far more respondents had five or fewer.

Again, it would be nice to think that this represents evidence of a lot of machine purchases over the past 12 months — nice, but almost certainly wrong. Given the difficult year just passed, it’s more likely further evidence of some new heavy hitters responding to this year’s survey.

Fifty per cent of respondents were with plants that had either an ISO or

BY THE NUMBERS 46 Average number of employees

$20.63

Average hourly rate paid to machine operator, excluding benefits

729,709.52

Average amount of resin consumed at plant (lbs.)

$3,687,500

Average total revenue in 2009 10 Canadian Plastics February 2010 www.canplastics.com

25

75

65.2 34.8

30.4 69.6 4.5 18.2 81.8

Injection Molding Machines

Auxiliary Equipment

Linear (3-axis) Robots

Articulated (6-axis) Robots

(n=24)

(n=23)

(n=23)

(n=22)

QS9000 standard, with another 5% reporting that one or the other certification was in process.

And as always, the majority of this year’s respondents were from Ontario (76%); the remainder were from Quebec.

This begs the question: is anyone else out there?

SERVING THE MARKETS Last year’s survey was the first in a long time in which automotive was not the main market served by the respondents.

Consumer goods were, with 28%. Either because of a resurgence of auto parts activity (possible, but unlikely) or a slightly different set of molders responding this year (more likely), automotive is back on top, with 27% of respondents saying they worked mainly in auto parts. Consumer goods came next (22%), followed by construction (18%), medical (18%), electronic (10%) and packaging (5%). The 18% of respondents working mainly in medical parts represents quite a bump, by the way: last year, less than half that many were serious medical parts molders. The anecdotal evidence that we all hear about the rise of medical parts molding seems bang on.

To the surprise of probably no one, the number of exclusive captive molders continues its steady decline, according to

the survey results; this probably reflects a decline in component requirements large enough to make captive manufacturing economical. This year, only 12% of respondents are doing primarily captive molding work — dead last. The largest number (40%) identified themselves as custom molders with some proprietary molding, followed by exclusive custom molding (24%) and exclusive proprietary molding (24%).

Here’s a surprise, though: almost 50% of respondents added new production lines to their operation in 2009, compared to only 28% in 2008. This time around, two thirds of these added between one and three new lines and the rest added between four and 10.

A DROP IN UTILIZATION RATES For respondents looking for a silver lining in their machine utilization rates, here it is: on average, there was no fall off from last year. In 2008, 34% of molders said their average utilization rate was at 39% or lower. Twelve months and one recession later, 31% reported a utilization rate of 39% or lower. Lest you think there hasn’t been a decline over the long term, however, less than 10% had utilization rates below 39% in 2006. Cut to the present again and just over 22% of respondents had a utilization rate between 40%

injection molders’ survey

NUMBER OF I/M MACHINES (%)

SAB

Number of Machines at plant

2009 (n=26)

2008 (n=33)

2007 (n=64)

16+

30.8

12

31

11-15

19.2

21

19

6-10

23.1

27

27

1-5

26.9

39

23

and 59%, 21% utilized between 60% and 79% and a mere 4% utilized above 80% of their machines.

For some of the respondents, it seems safe to say that this overcapacity is made more striking by troubles bringing in new business: for example, 31% said Ad/AB/CPL 1/22/10 10:07 AM Page 4 that less than 10% of the projects they quote on results in new work. It also seems true, though, that success can breed success: a higher percentage —

37% — said that 50% or more of quotes turn into new business.

If you expected lower utilization and sometimes lower levels of new business to hurt resin consumption, you’re right.

Based on averaging the survey responses — 14 respondents answered the question — Canadian molders ran through 729,709.52 lbs. of resin in 2009, a significant falloff from the 4.57 million lbs. consumed on average in 2008. Can the level really have dropped that much, or do we have a different set of respondents this year? The truth is probably a convergence of the two.

PURCHASES: GLIMMERS OF HOPE The increase in production lines hints at an uptick in manufacturing. Will this necessitate purchasing new equipment?

In a word...maybe. Only 25% of respondents said their shops plan on purchasing injection molding machines in 2010 — exactly the same percentage as answered

“yes” to this question last year. For equipment manufacturers, the silver lining is that 80% of those shops splurging for machines this year are planning on buying new, not used.

The markets for both new linear and new articulated robots don’t bode particularly well, either: sixty-nine per cent of respondents said they aren’t planning on buying new linear units, and a whopping

MAIN MARKET SERVED (n=22)

Consumer Goods 22.7%

Automotive 27.3%

Construction 18.2% 18.2% Medical

4.5% Packaging

9.1%

Electronic

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Servo robots with highly accurate positioning.

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Hot runner control systems, sequential valve gate systems, production monitoring systems and Mold temperature controllers (water and oil).

The most technologically advanced, closed loop, process cooling systems, Chillers with free cooling capability and thermolators for precise control of the process parameters .

For your solution, contact: Automatisation S.A.B. Inc, Varennes, Que. 450-652-9767 www.automatisationsab.com Plastic Automation, Toronto. 416-938-3648, email: pae.inc@rogers.com www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 11

injection molder’s survey

82% have no plans to buy new articulated units. The picture for auxiliary suppliers, by comparison, looks positively rosy: sixty-five per cent of respondents plan on buying new auxiliary equipment within the next year.

PEOPLE POWER So, will all the money that won’t be going into new equipment wind up being invested in other ways, such as research and development (R&D), for example, or employee training? Compared to last year’s results, yes. Almost 13% of respondents this year said that their shops had put more than 4% of annual budgeted expenses in 2009 towards employee training, compared with 3% who invested that much in 2008.

The pattern also holds true for product R&D: exactly 50% of this year’s respondents invested 4% or more of annual budgeted expenses on product R&D in 2009 — a higher number than in 2008 (28% of respondents) and 2007 (43% of respondents).

RAW DATA ON RAW MATERIALS

Our 2009 survey asked injection molders what what kinds of polymers they currently process at t their facilities. ommodity No surprise here: engineering and commodity rocessed at resins make up the bulk of what’s processed at espectively.

Canadian plants — 82% and 77% respectively. in their Sixty per cent are using specialty resins in their 008 and a big processes, an uptick from the 56% in 2008 and a big oreover, almost jump overall from the 39% in 2007. Moreover, almost 14% are processing bio-based and/or biodegradable resins; again, slightly more than last year (9%) and a lot more than two years ago (zero).

THINKING GLOBALLY? There’s a whole wide world outside Canada, and more survey respondents seem to be aware of that this year. Almost 20% said they send more than 75% of their product beyond the Canadian border — a significantly higher figure than in the 2008 survey — while 22% shipped between

50% and 75% outside Canada; the rest shipped from 49% to zero of their product outside Canada.

The number of respondents with a sales presence abroad seems to have grown, too. Fifty-five per cent don’t have an international presence, which sounds high — but fully 75% of respondents didn’t have an international presence in 2008. This year, 35% have a presence in the U.S., 15% in China, 10% in India (none of the respondents in 2008 had a Chinese or an Indian connection) and the rest in such disparate countries as England, Spain, Mexico and Italy.

Of those who do have an international presence, almost 18% have a manufacturing plant, 12% have a sales office and 6% are involved in a joint venture with a local firm.

NEAR-GREAT EXPECTATIONS Okay, here’s where the other shoe drops.

Seventy-seven per cent of this year’s respondents experienced a “significant” business slowdown in 2009. This comes as a shock to no one, of course, but it’s still a piece of very bad news. Here’s some good news, though: sixty-six per cent of the molders anticipate a recovery in 2010.

Wishful thinking? Next year’s survey should tell the tale.

CPL

VIEW SURVEY RESULTS ONLINE

www.pcs-company.com | P: 800-521-0546 | www.buyatpcs.com | F: 800-505-3299 | pcscanada@pcs-company.ca

12 Canadian Plastics February 2010 www.canplastics.com

The complete 2009 Injection Molders’ Benchmark Survey is available at: www.canplastics.com/survey/ archives/IMSurvey2009.pdf

extrusion

MEDICAL TUBING: Today, better health care equals more patients receiving invasive surgical treatment equals increasing demand for flexible tubing products.

GETTING A GRIP ON PRECISION

But if you’re an extruder looking to move into the medical tubing market, there’s more to the equation than this. Higher levels of accuracy and ever-tighter tolerances make for more chances to fail. The right formula for success? Improving process performance and reducing variability with high precision equipment.

By Mark Stephen, editor

I

n many ways, these are troubled times for North American extruders. The recession kicked the feet out from under the housing market, and among the fallen are a good many extruders of composite and plastic decking and siding.

But following the old adage that when a door closes, a window opens, there’s probably never been a better time to be involved in the extruded medical products market.

With increasing trends today — courtesy of ageing baby boomers — towards minimally invasive surgery, examination by miniaturized optics, or microsurgery using laser techniques, the demand for medical tubing continues to grow.

Interested processors should enter the market with their eyes fixed firmly on the potential hurdles. First, ever-tighter tolerances being set on tube dimensions make the field a tough one to break into, period.

Second, with the prices of medical plastic compounds heading ever higher, extrusion shops that want to remain in the black can’t afford to waste material on parts that don’t measure up. Unlike most extruded applications, quality — in the form of dimensional stability, tight tolerances and reduced variability — often trumps output in the world of medical parts.

Third, stringent quality demands on manufacturers courtesy of the health care industry make medical tubing, more so than almost any other form of plastics processing, a zero-sum game. Either do it to spec or kiss your manufacturing contract goodbye.

The good news? The equipment suppliers are stepping up to deliver new technologies designed to help processors hit higher levels of accuracy in tube extrusion the first time, every time. www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 13

extrusion

ON THE OTHER HAND...

Medical tubing may be a growing field, field, but it’s still far from the biggest market market for extruders — just ask Chicago-based research firm The Freedonia Group.

According to the company’s latest study on demand for extruded plastics in the U.S., market demand breaks down as shown at right.

Packaging 38% Construction 41% 9% Medical

12% Consumer Goods

EXCELLENT EXTRUSION When it comes to extruding medical tubing, there’s no chicken-or-egg type question about what comes first in order of importance; while all of the various parts of the extrusion process need to be operated under optimized and integrated conditions, the design of the extruder is an obvious make-or-break component for ProcessHeaters2-AB-CPL 1/13/10 2:47 PM achieving precision tube extrusion.

Especially since medical-grade PVCs and other materials often contain low levels of plasticizer and stabilizer, your grandfather’s

NEW

PRODUCT!

all-purpose extruder probably won’t cut it nowadays. This field requires custommade equipment.

American Kuhne has just unveiled its Ultra R/S extruder line, its most recent Page 1 development for the medical market.

According to Steve Mason, sales manager, the design includes a proprietary, hinged roller-feed assembly that is easily opened

by loosening two swing bolts, providing access for common service and maintenance. The scraper blade is also easily accessed for adjustments or removal. The casting of the machines is nickel-plated, and the hinged arm and hardened feed liner are stainless steel for abrasion and corrosion resistance. A second hinge opens to ease removal of the feed roll and bearings for service. Feed roll bearings feature special seals to minimize silicone contamination; spare feed rolls and bearings can be provided for quick rotation during material and color changes.

Each American Kuhne extruder, Mason continued, includes a Steward Barrier Screw designed specifically for the application. “The screws are designed to maximize pressure stability for the tightest possible dimensional tolerances, ideally plus or minus one per cent or better,” he said. “Also, they minimize melt temperature variation, ideally plus or minus one degree or less.”

The company, which can probably serve as a good bellwether for the grow-

BETTER CONTROL. LOWER COST. LESS SCRAP OPT-TROL™ Extrusion Control System Extrusion Control Plus Monitoring From One System ■ Auto-tuning controls pressure and temperature automatically ■ Pre-programmed before delivery for easy, plug-andplay installation

Operator Station

■ User-friendly, colour touch-screen operator station

Control Module

Process Heaters Inc.

■ Designed for new installations or retrofitting – up to 40 zones of control

Call toll free 1-877-747-8250 • Email: proheat@processheaters.ca • www.processheaters.ca

14 Canadian Plastics February 2010 www.canplastics.com

extrusion ing demand for medical tubing, reports that more than half of its recent orders from the medical market are for complete turnkey tubing systems.

TOOLING FOR TUBING A crucial component of the overall extrusion process for medical tube production is the die. Different sets of tooling are often used, with varying pin and bush dimensions to match the rheological characteristics of the chosen polymer at the defined output rate and line speed.

As with the extruder itself, bespoke equipment is crucial to performing competitively in the world of ever-tighter tolerances.

Guill Tool & Engineering has been involved seriously in the manufacture of extrusion tooling for medical applications for over 10 years. Unlike other areas of its business, however, demand for tubing has held steady over the past year. “This demand is, in fact, the only thing that’s remained steady during the recession,” said Bill Conley, the company’s sales manager for extrusion.

To further penetrate the market, Guill Tool recently made available its new Series 819 EZ MediFlow extrusion die, capable of producing tubing finer than a single human hair, Conley said, with minimum tolerances of 0.002 inches. “The new head and inline dies of the MediFlow system are specifically engineered for the tiniest applications required by today’s medical applications — including the latest minimally invasive arthroscopic surgical procedures.”

The tooling includes a spiral design for upstream thermal balancing to ensure an equal flow resulting in close-tolerances, thin-walls and multilayered products, Conley continued, as well as optimized deflectors for minimum chamber residence time.

While the growth of medical tubing applications is an obvious piece of good news for the plastics industry, it’s not without a significant challenge or two for tooling suppliers such as Guill Tool. “Materials for current medical extrusion applications have become very complicated, involving PEEK polymers, urethanes, engineered plastics and even biopolymers in some instances,” Conley explained. “As a result, tooling providers

have to be very careful of the viscosity of the material in multilayer medical tubing applications, and make sure that one layer doesn’t have too high a head pressure, which could distort all of the layers. For this reason, everything that our company designs is done with advanced flow analysis software, which allows us to calculate for fluid flow, pressure drop and heat transfer for all types of materials.” Guill Tool’s newest 1025 version flow analysis

software is available in single layer, multilayer, multiple stripes, co-extrusion, triple extrusion, as well as spiral and split flow designs, Conley added.

HANDLING HAUL-OFF “Processors can extrude a perfect tube, but if isn’t cooled properly or if the puller or cutter is out of alignment, the finished part risks winding up worthless,” Conley continued.

WEIMA’s shredding, grinding and briquetting equipment can help your company reduce both its landfill footprint and bottom line.

For a decade WEIMA America has been a market leader in size reduction technology. When it comes to shredding plastics, we’re known for building tough, reliable equipment that handles whatever you throw in it. Contact WEIMA today to learn more about our extensive line of size reduction equipment.

Call today 888-440-7170 www.weimaamerica.com // info@weimaamerica.com

www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 15

extrusion injection molding Here, then, is a last piece of the puzzle, but no less important than any other: the downstream equipment. The wrong downstream unit will quickly become the weak link in any medical tubing line by undermining product stability during haul-off.

With the precise requirements of the medical tubing market in mind, CDS — Custom Downstream Solutions recently launched their medical high-precision vacuum sizing tank. According to company vice president Antonio Pecora, the unit provides efficient filter water cooling while maintaining an enhanced heat transfer rate that stabilizes the tubing. “The cutting head sits on both X and Y axes, making it adjustable for running on different settings on the belt,” he explained.

“Operators can also move the cutting head out of the way completely and still have the option of using the haul-off.”

The stainless steel retractable water reservoirs allow for easy cleaning access, Pecora continued, reducing maintenance and downtime and increasing overall line productivity — the magic words in

today’s economic climate.

Conair is another equipment supplier with a recent offering for medical tubing extruders. The company’s MedLine puller/cutter uses servo-drive technology, inline gauges and advanced microprocessors to eliminate speed variation, and control and validate the all-important parameters of dimensional stability and tolerances that can make or break a tubing production run.

According to Dave Czarnik, senior tooling/process engineer with Conair, the MedLine unit periodically adjusts the outside and inside diameters to expand the tube at a point where — to take one example — a catheter would be attached to other medical equipment. “Servos also govern the gap between puller rollers to minimize slippage that can affect speed and dimensions,” he said. “The cutter portion of the MedLine can terminate the

Choose a Single Component or a Turnkey System!

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Photo Credit: Guill Tool & Engineering Inc.

Guill Tool recently made available its new Series 819 EZ MediFlow extrusion die, capable of producing tubing finer than a single human hair, with minimum tolerances of 0.002 inches.

tubing at exactly the right place to yield a nearly finished catheter tube.”

PERFECT PROCESS If you haven’t guessed by now, the key process parameters in medical tube production are dimensional stability and tolerances on all dimensions. Hitting these heights can be even harder for extruders than it sounds given the near microscopic tolerances of today’s cutting edge intravenous and cardiovascular tubes.

“The secret to successful medical tube extrusion comes down to consistent process control and a mastery of the tremendous number of variables at play,” said Guill Tool’s Bill Conley. “More than with almost any other plastic part, there has to be a perfect union between the tooling supplier, the equipment manufacturer and the processor.”

CPL RESOURCE LIST

American Kuhne Inc. (Ashaway, R.I.); www.americankuhne.com; 401-326-6200 Romark Technologies – Div. of Ontor Ltd. (Toronto); 416-781-5286 CDS — Custom Downstream Systems Inc. (Lachine, Que.); www.cdsmachines.com; 1-877-633-1993

Technology working for you.

16 Canadian Plastics February 2010 www.canplastics.com

WITTMANN CANADA Inc. 35 Leek Crescent | Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4C2 T (905) 887-5355 | Toll Free 1-888-466-8266 F (905) 887-1162 www.wittmann-canada.com

The Conair Group Inc. (Cranberry Township, Pa.); www.conairnet.com; 1-800-654-6661 Hamilton Avtec Inc. (Mississauga, Ont.); 1-800-5905546 Guill Tool & Engineering Co, Inc. (Warwick, R.I.); www.guill.com; 401-828-7600 Romark Technologies – Div. of Ontor Ltd. (Toronto); 416-781-5286

recycling

The

RECLAIMING

game

Actually, it’s far from a game — it’s a serious opportunity to cash in on the “green” movement. For entrepreneurs, post-consumer plastics can be gathered, cleaned and sold for profit on the open market. Plastics processors who use post-industrial scrap, meanwhile, can enhance product appeal by having a “Made with recycled materials” label slapped on their goods. However they do it, it’s being done now more than ever.

Here’s an inside look.

By Mark Stephen, editor hat font of knowledge known as “Wikipedia” defines plastic recy recycling as the process of recovering scrap or waste plastics and repro reprocessing the material into useful products, sometimes completely different in form from their original state.

Not bad insofar as it goes, but it skates over hidden depths of complexity and make-or-break decision-making for the companies involved.

The Wikipedia entry also mentions that, with a “green”-inspired push towards ever-higher levels of recycling combined with rapid growth in plastics consumption in the developing world, more and more people are throwing their hats into the recycling ring — and in this, the anonymous author is dead on. Witness, for example, the recent installation of a new plastics processing line at waste recycler Groupe RCM in Yamachiche, Que. For plastics processors, meanwhile, the pressure to become more environmentally friendly means that reclaiming at least

enough post-industrial plastic to attain the all-important “Made with recycled materials” label is now smart business.

The experts caution, however, against the pitfalls of a hasty leap into the recycling world — and for good reason. While it might seem too big an idea to fail, the Big Three automakers could tell you that bad planning can shoot down even the most bulletproof product concept.

IGNORANCE ISN’T BLISS In an industry as broad as plastic recycling, an understanding of the fundamentals is crucial in putting a fledgling company on the right path.

To begin, there are two types of plastic available for recycling, according to Bob Wolfe, president of Action International, a recycling consultant and equipment supplier. “The first is post-industrial, defined as scrap in the production process before it’s gone out of the factory for its intended use,” he said. “The second is post-consumer, defined as material that’s already

been used for its original intended use — for example, bottles from curb side pickup or used carpeting.”

For recycled material sellers, the design of a good recycling system depends on knowing the answers to three questions: what is your feedstock source, what is your desired end use or end product, and how much material do you want to recycle?

“It’s easy to say, ‘I see a lot of plastics in the gutters and I want to recycle it’, but this means nothing unless you identify the source of the plastic and determine how many pounds might be available in the future,” Wolfe said. “Not knowing enough about the source can be a fatal mistake, as a constant supply of raw material is crucial for the success of the business.”

Once the source or sources have been nailed down, the next steps are to know in what form the material will arrive and how clean it will be. “The recycler needs to determine whether it will be collecting loose parts in Gaylords, baled material, or purgings,” said Greg Parent, Canadian www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 17

recycling sales representative for Vecoplan LLC. “They also need to know the mix — which dictates how much contaminate they might have — as well as the sorting, separating and cleaning procedures; if you’re trying to separate PET and PVC, for example, it’s a different process depending on whether there’s a 50-50 mix or a 95-5 mix.”

And while it might seem to restrict future earnings, a recycler shouldn’t cast too wide a net when collecting the plastics. “Trying to recycle all types of plastics makes no more sense than recycling all types of metals,” said Bob Wolfe.

An understanding of the relative demand and market prices of the various plastics can save a lot of trouble. “PET is the most popular recycled material, followed by HDPE and then film; for a newcomer to the recycling industry, any of these materials would make a good start,” said Tim Hanrahan, CEO at Erema North America. “Nylon, on the other hand, can be a trickier material to work with, and is best left to the more experienced recyclers.”

The second big question involves end use. “If you want to sell the material on the open market — versus using it in a saleable product of your own — you need to explore whether you want to sell an intermediate product such as pellet or sheet, or a finished product,” Bob Wolfe said. “This decision has to be made early, because each has a different requirement on capital costs, operating cost and profit, and each requires a different operating technique.”

When selling on the open market, it’s necessary in some cases to satisfy requirements about quality and cleanliness levelled either by the FDA or equivalent local regulators. “If you’re trying to sell into the food industry, for example, there are very stringent requirements that have to be dealt with, particularly for start-up shops that haven’t yet proven themselves,” Wolfe continued.

Third, how much material does the company want to recycle?

Be warned: unless you’re planning to process the common materials like PET in large amounts, it might not be worth the trouble, period. “The bigger recycling outfits can churn out 30 million lbs. of PET annually,” said Tim Hanrahan. “By this scale, 20 million lbs. per year is probably the starting point for commercial viability. Five million lbs., which seems like a lot to most people, won’t begin to cut it.”

PROCESSORS DO IT TOO We’ve been dealing mainly with the concerns of start-up recycling outfits to this point — those that haven’t had any real experience with plastics, and are looking to sell the material on the open market rather than use it themselves. On the flipside of the recycling coin are the plastics processors who do want to incorporate more of their own post-industrial material. “Generally, these shops are looking to advertise their product as having a given percentage of recycled material, and they’ve learned that it can be hard to buy this material from someone else, at least in large quantities,” said Bob Wolfe.

If you’re thinking that it should be easier for a processor to get into this field than for a start-up, you’re right. “First, processors don’t need to worry about the source of their material, or what’s in it, because they are the source,” Wolfe continued. “They’re recovering the plastic from their own bins — from out-of-specification goods, purgings, or simply unavoidable scrap such as edge trims 18 Canadian Plastics February 2010 www.canplastics.com

THE PLASTICS RECYCLING 2010 CONFERENCE When: March 2-3, 2010 Where: Hilton Austin, Austin, Tex.

Resource Recyling Inc. has put together what may very well be the biggest plastics recycling conference ever. Plastics Recycling 2010 combines extensive and detailed industry assessments from the experts — including analyses of trends in Canada and the U.S., plastics collection issues, recycling market factors and legislative and policy considerations — with plenty of chances to network with industry leaders, clients, prospective partners, colleagues and vendors.

For more, visit www.plasticsrecycling.com

— and don’t have contamination issues on the same scale as with post-consumer scrap.”

Second, he continued, most processors already have the floor space, electrical outlets and access to water to set up a recycling unit. The chances are good, too, that they already have the necessary granulators and shredders. They may have to add metal detectors and safety guards to this equipment, Wolfe said...but then again, maybe not. “Since part contamination is probably not a big issue, the equipment might be fine as is,” he explained.

EQUIPMENT MATTERS Whether it’s fine as is or in need of an upgrade, recycling equipment has to be able to satisfy the unique, all-important calculus by which recyclers measure success: throughput. “Hitting a high level of throughput is unquestionably the big goal in plastics recycling, and it’s a different goal than is applied to pure processing,” said Mike Cyr, vice president of sales with Rotogran International.

This difference is reflected in the machinery, too. “Recycling equipment has to be able to take the punishment of having a wide range of possibly contaminated material stuffed into it,” Cyr said.

“Also, because most recycling machine operators aren’t technically savvy plastics professionals, the units have to be simpler to use than other processing equipment.”

The burden of having to handle some potentially unfriendly plastics brings an upside, though: the equipment suppliers have improved their game to meet the challenges. Take, for example, metal contamination — the nemesis of plastics recycling. “Magnets in the hopper throats of granulators and shredders aren’t foolproof ways of eliminating metal, because the metal builds up, which simply delays the problem of it entering the system,” Cyr explained. “Metal detecting is the better choice, and the technology is improving; for example, Rotogran offers a tunnel technology built into the conveyor that creates a magnetic field to divert metal at its smallest size.”

recycling New models of both shredders and granulators are now hitting the market, designed to keep pace with the evolving needs of recyclers. “There are many unique shredder features nowadays that are tailored to specific applications, such as a serrated ram to prevent thin material from jamming the ram and a ram comb to prevent round pieces from spinning in the chamber,” said Madison Burt, vice president of sales with Weima North America.

Specific developments include a new purging recovery system from Maguire that slices or planes lumps of plastic into small pieces and then the pieces into uniform regrind.

Also, Harmo is offering a new beside-the-press size reduction machine that can mix sprues and other post-industrial plastic with virgin material to satisfy applications that, as mentioned before, require a percentage of regrind to qualify for the allimportant “recycled” designation.

Don’t be surprised that all-new equipment suppliers are popping up, either — for example, PTI Recycling Systems LLC, a subsidiary of Plastics Technologies Inc., formed in 2009 to sell a compact, modular system to produce food-grade, recycled PET resin. “The decision to focus initially on PET recycling was an obvious one,” said Steve Hawksworth, PTI’s president.

“There are tremendous market opportunities for recycled PET because, unlike other plastic, it can be rejuvenated to higher quality through the recycling process.” The company’s base unit recycling system, Hawksworth continued, produces 10 million lbs. (4,500 metric tons) of recycled PET annually, and capacity can be doubled with an add-on module. “Our process involves grinding the plastic into powder, decontaminating it and then putting it back into pellet form, which is suitable for most packaging applications,” he said.

CPL

International Trade Fair No. 1 for Plastics and Rubber Worldwide

RESOURCE LIST

Action International Inc. (Vernon, Conn.); www.actioninternationalinc.com; 1-860-872-4660 Erema North America Inc. (Ipswich, Mass.); www.erema.net; 978-356-3771 DCube (Montreal); www.dcube.ca; 514-272-0500 Harmo Co. Ltd. / Automatisation S.A.B Inc. (Varennes, Que.); www.sab-groupe.com; 450-652-9767

k-online.de

Maguire Canada/Novatec Inc. (Vaughan, Ont.); www.maguirecanada.com; 1-866-441-8409 PTI Recycling Systems LLC (Holland, Ohio): www.ptirecyclingsystems.com; 419.867.5400 Rotogran International Inc. (Concord, Ont.); www.rotogran.com; 905-738-0101

Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce Inc. Your contact: Stefan Egge 480 University Avenue, Suite 1500 Toronto, ON, M5G 1V2 Tel: (416) 5 98 - 15 24 Fax: (416) 5 98 - 18 40 E-mail: messeduesseldorf @germanchamber.ca

Vecoplan LLC (High Point, N.C.); www.vecoplanllc.com; 336.861.6070 Greg Parent; 416-678-0154 Weima North America (Fort Mill, S.C.); www.weimaamerica.com; 1-888-440-7170

www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 19 kmd1002_86x256.indd 1

06.01.2010 15:56:45 Uhr

additives

Getting

TOUGH PLA Plastics can’t go “green” without a lot of help from biodegradable polymers — in particular, polylactic acid (PLA). But will nagging concerns about PLA’s toughness, melt strength and heat resistance keep it out of the spotlight as a replacement for petroleum-based resins?

Not if additive suppliers can help it. Find out about the latest efforts to transform PLA from processing pushover into tough guy on the block.

By Mark Stephen, editor

I

t’s a cliche acknowledged in every boxing movie from Requiem for a Heavyweight to Rocky V: in order to win, you have to get strong.

This is the challenge that biopolymers, the up-and-coming contenders in the continuing matchup of competing plastics materials, now have to overcome.

The green image attached to biodegradable polymers like polylactic acid (PLA) from leading biopolymer producer NatureWorks LLC, starch-based polymers and copolyesters make them attractive not only for single-use, short-lived packaging applications, but also for durable products like automotive, electronic and construction parts — and therefore, almost irresistible to plastics processors looking for new market opportunities.

Problem is, biopolymers are plagued with inherent weaknesses in physical properties, chief among them tendencies to be limited in impact strength, melt strength and heat resistance. PLA in particular is a problem. The best known and most commercially available biopolymer at present, PLA represents some 90 per cent of the market for bottles, packaging film and other disposable items, but remains in limited use because of persistent questions about performance.

“PLA has strong appeal in food packaging such as produce clamshells and deli trays, plus the potential for market pen20 Canadian Plastics Canadian Plastics lastics February lastics February 2010 2010 www.canplastics.com

etration in a wide range of other applications,” said John Moisson, president of biopolymer distributor Jamplast Inc. “Unfortunately, PLA struggles in durable applications as a replacement for materials like high-impact polystyrene, ABS and polypropylene.”

There are signs, though, that this might change — and soon. In the race to make biopolymers stronger faster, the vast majority of new additives and impact modifiers are targeting PLA in efforts to bulk up its processability and market appeal.

BATTLING BRITTLENESS Reduced brittleness in PLA is important both for end-use and for manufacturing, because brittle breaks during thermoforming, for example, raise the potential for small, shattered pieces of sheet to contaminate the packaging.

A special high-aspect-ratio precipitated calcium carbonate from Specialty Minerals, called EMforce Bio, is said to reduce PLA’s brittleness. A recent joint development program between Specialty Minerals and NatureWorks LLC found that using 20 per cent to 30 per cent EMforce Bio in PLA can improve toughness and impact resistance; during dart impact testing — a traditional method for evaluating the impact strength or toughness of a plastic film — a 30 per cent loading of EMforce Bio in PLA achieved dart

on

impact strength of 35 ft. per lb., versus 3 ft. per lb. for unmodified PLA. Specialty Minerals is currently evaluating EMforce Bio in other biopolymers such as PHA and thermoplastic starch.

The Sustainability Additives group of Arkema Inc. offers Biostrength coreshell impact modifiers to improve impact strength of PLA. According to Peggy Schipper, commercial development manager for Arkema’s functional additives unit, translucent Biostrength 130 additives are designed for clarity applications, while Biostrength 150 additives offer higher efficiency for opaque applications. A higher clarity impact modifier is close to introduction, Schipper continued.

Hinting at the strong demand for biodegradable products on the marketplace right now, Shipper also noted that although the current impact modifiers may not meet the compostability standards at higher use levels set by the American Society for Testing and Materials, many customers don’t seem to care. “They’re more concerned about getting the properties they need from a renewable-resourced resin,” she said.

In the longer term, she continued, as more polymer types are produced from renewable resources, polymeric impact modifier technology will likely become renewable-resource based and completely biodegradable.

Rohm and Haas’ Paraloid BPM-500 impact modifier is designed to improve the impact strength and tear resistance of PLA without sacrificing clarity. The additive uses nanoparticles that do not scatter light, the company said, achieving less than 10 per cent haze at a five per cent loading.

Compostability tests are in progress, said Rohm and Haas marketing manager Rob Martin, but the company doesn’t believe that the additive will affect compostability when used at low levels.

additives DuPont has also joined the fight against brittleness in PLA. The company’s Biomax Strong 100 for non-food contact applications and Biomax Strong 120 for food contact applications are ethylene copolymers that improve the impact strength and toughness of both amorphous and crystalline PLA. According to DuPont, cast sheets containing Biomax Strong exhibit improved cutting and trimming, can withstand repeated flexing and exhibit increased elongation at break.

Biomax Strong also acts as a processing aid by stabilizing PLA viscosity against thermal degradation and reducing torque, the company said; the additive marginally reduces clarity, and can be dosed directly during processing. Biomax Strong is not biodegradable, but at low loading levels should not affect the compostability of articles made with it, DuPont said.

MODIFYING MELT STRENGTH Melt strength is essential to good cell structure in a plastics part. Low melt strength, which can hinder extrusion, blow

molding and foaming, is another limitation of PLA. “PLA has inherently low melt viscosity, and is also vulnerable to thermal, oxidative, and hydrolytic degradation, which causes chain scission and a further loss of molecular weight and lower viscosity,” said Kirk Jacobs, head of Clariant Masterbatches’ additive masterbatches for North America.

The plus side: certain additives, when used in combination with chemical foaming agents, can reconnect short or broken PLA acid chains and restore them to a higher level. Additive masterbatches such as these are available from Clariant under the trade name CESA-extend, a synthetic molecule originally developed to restore the molecular weight of recycled PET and nylon, and now available in a PLA carrier. “The CESA-extend additive masterbatches reconnect the polymer chains and create a branched network that improves melt strength and increases tensile strength properties,” said Jan-Erik Wegner, a researcher at Clariant’s facility in Ahrensburg, Germany. In film applica-

tions, he continued, a robust melt strength gives the potential for increased film line speed and greater productivity due to fewer line breaks; in foam, greater melt strength allows development of smaller, more resilient foam cells. “CESA-extend opens up applications which have been difficult for PLA,” said Jacobs.

BASF’s Ecoflex reportedly adds melt strength and flexibility to PLA and other starch-based resins, and allows them to be used in blown film. Used most recently as an additive/modifier in Novamont’s Mater-Bi starch compounds, the result is an estimated 50 per cent to 70 per cent renewable content, according to Novamont new business developer Stefano Falco. The main applications for Mater-Bi are flexible, non-durable items such as bags, mulch film and food packaging, he added.

Also focused on raising melt strength in PLA is Arkema. The company’s Biostrength 700 acrylic copolymer is said to improve melt strength and enhances processability at levels of one per cent to four

www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 21

additives per cent. “In clear, thermoformed packaging applications, the additive improves melt strength for quicker line start-up, allows increased wall uniformity which improves package strength, and maintains properties of regrind so that it can be used at higher levels,” said Peggy Schipper.

“In the emerging market of foamed PLA, Biostrength 700 allows production of uniform, closed cells.” Because it is a nonreactive product, she continued, it offers consistent processing improvement, leading to less material waste.

Finally, Rohm and Haas is currently working on acrylic-based melt strength enhancers for PLA to improve fabrication performance.

RAISING HEAT RESISTANCE

ACE 2

Improving heat distortion or heat deflection temperatures to withstand higher processing and use temperatures for PLA are other areas of continuing development.

1/4/10 3:21 PM Page 1 PLA’s low heat deflection temperature — between 50° to 60°C — can cause PLA packages or bottles to deform during storage, Jamplast’s John Moisson said, as well

as cause sticky pellets in transportation and handling. “PLA has grown so far in applications that don’t require high use temperatures, such as refrigerated food packaging, but researchers are looking at ways to broaden PLA use by boosting temperature resistance into the 90°C range,” Moisson added.

Made from 95 per cent PLA, Spartech Plastics’ Rejuven8 Plus — initially developed for graphic art and printed applications — is said to work well in most thermoforming processes. “The unique alloy material has performance enhanced physical properties over standard PLA with impact properties similar to PET, and also raises the heat resistance properties to well over 70°C,” the company said.

DuPont’s Biomax Thermal 300, a heatstabilizing modifier for thermoformed packaging, ups the ante even higher. The Thermal 300 material is reported to be dimensionally stable up to 95°C. “Its introduction extends the use of PLA to applications beyond chilled-storage packaging,” the company said. “Now PLA thermoformed packages can be stored shelf stable,

shipped normally and even re-heated in the microwave without deformation.”

CPL RESOURCE LIST Arkema Canada Inc. (Burlington, Ont.) www.arkema-inc.com; 1-800-567-5726; BASF Canada (Mississauga, Ont.); www.plasticsportal.com; 1-866-485-2273 Clariant Masterbatches Division (Toronto); www.clariant.masterbatches.com; 1-800-265-3773 E.I. DuPont Canada Company (Mississauga, Ont.); www.plastics.dupont.com; 1-800-387-2122 Jamplast Inc. (St. Louis, Mo.); www.jamplast.com; 636-238-2100 Novamont North America (Ridgefield, Conn.); www.materbi.com; 203-438-5904 Rohm and Haas (Philadelphia, Pa.); www.rohmhaas.com; 1-877-288-5881 Spartech Plastics (Clayton, Mo.) www.spartech.com; 314-721-4242 Specialty Minerals Inc. (New York, N.Y.); www.specialtyminerals.com; 212-878-1800 Brenntag Canada (Toronto); 416-243-9615 Univar Canada (Toronto); 416-401-3340

INSIDE AND OUT ACETRONIC HAS THE RIGHT PRODUCT FOR YOUR MOLD AceTronic designs and manufactures all types of cables, customized to your application and budget for any type of hot runner control system.

Precision heaters for runnerless molds. Top quality, great service and short leadtimes – all at a competitive price!

Complete line of mold cleaners and degreasers, mold & metal polish, rust preventives, lubricants and greases. In stock and ready for quick delivery. Free samples to make testing easier!

7015 Ordan Drive, Units 6 & 7, Mississauga, ON L5T 1Y2 • 905-564-7227 • 1-800-803-8871 • www.acetronic.com 22 Canadian Plastics February 2010 www.canplastics.com

technology showcase

AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT

Intuitive touchscreen control for blending

A touchscreen control now available for Maguire’s Weigh Scale Blender provides the same intuitive access as the company’s widely used “thumbwheel” controller, plus fast response to operator inputs and an array of capabilities for meeting the requirements of processing jobs that are especially challenging.

The controller, which comes standard with a Linux operating system, incorporates a range of special capabilities that enable operators to adjust for processing machine vibration, differences in raw material bulk density and other variables.

The touchscreen controller stores up to 99 recipes, is equipped with Ethernet and USB ports and measures 7 inches by 9 inches by 3 inches (18 cm by 23 cm by 8 cm).

The unit can be set to deliver text in English, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. It’s available in a retrofit package for existing blenders, and comes with a five-year warranty.

Maguire Canada/Novatec Inc. (Vaughan, Ont.): www.maguirecanada.com; 1-866-441-8409

Controlled bulk material discharger

A new box-container dumper from Flexicon Corp. forms a dust-tight seal between the container and the equipment, tips the container and discharges bulk material through a chute at controlled rates.

Called Tip-Tite, the dumper accommodates Gaylords and other boxes, including truncated corner boxes, from 36 inches to 48 inches (915 mm to 1220 mm) on a side and 39 inches to 44 inches (990 mm to 1117 mm) overall height.

The container platform is raised by a single hydraulic cyl-

inder, creating a dust-tight seal between the top edge of a box (or rim of a drum) and the underside of the containment hood. Twin hydraulic cylinders then pivot the platform-hood assembly, with container intact, to 45, 60 or 90 degrees beyond horizontal, including a motion-dampening feature at the termination of container rotation.

An optional, gasketted, top discharge gate actuated by twin pneumatic cylinders provides a large opening with chute for the passage of non-free-flowing bulk solids that may otherwise bridge across smaller openings, and allows control of the material discharge.

Flexicon Corp. (Bethlehem, Pa.); www.flexicon.com; 610-814-2400 Cassier Engineering Sales Ltd. (Toronto); 416-298-1628 Bernard-Boe Inc. (Issaquah, Wash.); 425-392-2856

INJECTION MOLDING

I/M, automation all in one

Wittmann Battenfeld’s new Insider solution combines the injection molding machine and automation in a single system, including control and safety guarding.

By integrating the parts removal robot, conveyor and any other pre-or post-molding automation with the injection molding machine, the Insider offers up to 50 per cent less floor space than for conventional automation systems, improved material flow as parts can be removed from the end of the clamp unit which makes it easier to

Get free information from the companies that interest you most.

Contact the company directly using the telephone number, e-mail address or web site listed below

plastics data file ONE STOP SHOPPING

Innovative automation and auxiliary equipment — from autonomous work cells to central systems.

Products include Battenfeld injection molding machines, robots and automation, in-mold labelling, material handling systems including blenders, dryers and loaders, granulators, water flow regulators and mold temperature controllers.

Wittmann Canada, Inc., 35 Leek Crescent, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4C2; Tel. 1-888-466-8266; www.wittmann-canada.com.

MOLDING ACCESSORIES Unique design features of the Industrial Molding Supplies 43rd Edition Catalog make it easy to find and select the products best suited for your application. The catalog presents the entire IMS line of molding supplies, equipment and services including over 2,400 new products plus separate sections for Extruders and Mold Makers.

Industrial Molding Supplies 10373 Stafford Road, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023-5296; Tel. 1-800-537-5375; www.imscompany.com www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 23

technology showcase place several machines in line, reduced robot cycle time due to shorter strokes and immediate placement of parts on the conveyor, and the elimination of separate guarding saving money while meeting all safety requirements.

In addition, the fully integrated automation system allows visualization and setting and saving of robot data via the touch screen of the machine’s control system.

Custom designed and manufactured pre- and post-finishing auxiliaries can be integrated as desired.

The Insider is supplied as standard on machines up to 330 U.S tons.

Wittmann Canada Inc. (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-canada.com; 1-866-466-8266

EXTRUSION

System measures wear on extruder bores

KShow

A new measuring device from Krauss Maffei is designed to detect wear in the processing section of extruder barrel housing bores by measuring the inside diameter of each bore.

Ad 1/2 pg-AB-CPL 1/13/10 2:34 PM Page 1 The system, which includes measuring head equipped with an endoscopic camera, uses sensors to measure the actual bore diameter over the entire processing section length. During the measuring process the actual diameter of the bore is measured

every 5 mm, and this procedure is carried out three times in different positions in each of the two bores.

The result obtained is a representation of the inside diameter in the form of six tracks (three left, three right) and with an axial resolution of 5 mm.

The measuring results and the endoscopic findings are consequently combined to provide a professional report comprising of a graphic representation of the inside diameter, a description of the actual state of the checked barrel with pictures, as well as recommendations as to any further necessary actions.

Krauss Maffei (Florence, Ky.); www.kraussmaffei.com; 1-859-283-0200

MEASUREMENT Scale terminals offer easy integration The new IND131/ IND331 industrial process terminals from Mettler Toledo are designed for applications requiring fast

TURBO CHARGE YOUR BUSINESS WITH A VISIT TO K 2010!

BE PART OF THE OFFICIAL CANADIAN DELEGATION Canadian Plastics and Plastiques et moules is partnering with FEPAC (Federation of Plastics and Alliances Composites) to bring Canadians to the K Show as a whole group. This program will create a unique dynamic among participants, enhancing future collaborations and partnerships for a stronger Canada to compete in global markets.

We’ve teamed up with Carlson Wagonlit to bring you an unbeatable travel package: • SPACIOUS ROOM FOR 6 NIGHTS AT THE MARRIOTT COLOGNE (4 STARS +).

• ROUND TRIP AIR TRANSPORTATION FROM TORONTO or MONTREAL (departures available from other cities at a nominal surcharge)

• 4-DAY ADMISSION TO K2010 and EXHIBITORS CATALOGUE. • DAILY BUFFET BREAKFAST. Departure October 26; return November 2 $3650.00* (*double occupancy; single occupancy available for a surcharge)

To reserve your K 2010 travel package, contact :

• FIRST CLASS PASS FOR ALL TRAINS between Cologne and Düsseldorf and LOCAL TRAM from the main Düsseldorf train station to the K2010 site.

• WELCOME DINNER in local brauhaus.

• FAREWELL DINNER at the Marriott Hotel.

• EXPERT ASSISTANCE ON SITE provided by Carlson Wagonlit and FEPAC staff.

OTHER PACKAGES AVAILABLE INCLUDING A MIX OF BUSINESS AND PLEASURE.

André Houle, General Manager CARLSON WAGONLIT TRAVEL

24 Canadian Plastics February 2010 www.canplastics.com

Toll Free Tel: 1-888-378-7208; Fax 1-866-880-1121 Email: ahoule@voyagelm.ca

technology showcase data exchange with a process controller, and improved speed and efficiency by executing simple process control from the terminal. These terminals are compact, and easy to integrate and set up. Their versatile form factors make them an economical solution for quick, accurate, high-performance weighing for analog scales.

The IND131 and IND331 scale terminals deliver precision measurement data in a single, cost-effective package.

Each terminal features support for analog scale bases; ultra-fast A/D conversion rate and patented TraxDSP digital filtering; OLED (Organic LED) display readable in all light conditions; enclosures designed to match the application environment; support for a wide variety of options, including DIO, additional COM port and PLC interfaces; and choice of AC or 24 VDC power.

The design allows for multiple mounting possibilities.

Mettler Toledo Canada (Mississauga, Ont.); www.mt.com/CDN-2; 1-800-638-8537

MATERIALS UV-detectable copolymer for enhanced quality control

Rotogran 3-AB-CPL

2/13/09

2:09 PM

Page 1

Ticona’s new Hostaform MT 8U05 is a UV-detectable acetal

copolymer (POM) for enhanced quality control in the production of complex medical devices.

The new grade contains an additive that enables easy, reliable inspection of components with ultraviolet (UV) light, a common quality control method used for medical parts to help determine whether all components are present and properly installed.

Hostaform MT 8U05 complies with the requirements of healthcare authorities, including those of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and of the European Union relative to food compatibility. In addition, an FDA Drug Master File and an FDA Device Master File exist for this product; such files are required for medical and pharmaceutical applications.

The material is also biocompatible in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP Class VI) and of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 10993).

Ticona – Div. of Celanese AG (Florence, Ky.); www.ticona.com; 1-800-833-4882

FOR YOUR NEXT GRANULATOR GET THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS:

Canadian Built and Priced Right for Today’s Economy R

Rotogran granulators are internationally recognized for their superior design, efficiency, durability, and competitive pricing.

We are the size reduction specialists for the processing and recycling industry.

Our rugged equipment is precision manufactured to meet individual customer needs.

• Complete range from press side to central • The fastest change-over in the industry • Chamber construction second to none • Custom applications our specialty

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For your area rep. or quotation, please call: Tel: (905) 738-0101. Fax: (905) 738-5750 www.rotogran.com

26 years of manufacturing in Canada

www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 25

technology showcase

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Mold data management and storage solution The RedE Vault solution from RedE Innovations allows mold owners to securely store and manage mold data, manuals, repair logs, drawings and schedules directly on the mold, and allows 24/7 secure access to the mold data worldwide.

Using RedE Innovations data services and software, mold owners are able to manage mold data and provide a thorough status overview of multiple molds through the redevault.com secure website.

The user-friendly RedE Vault software comes with 8GB of memory, the ability to optionally encrypt files using the ASE256 encryption algorithm and an administrative option to determine each user’s data access permissions.

PCMExpo 1/2 Ad 1/13/10 2:27 PM Page 1 RedE Innovations (Madison Heights, Mich.); www.redevault.com; 1-888-789-1415

MOLD TECHNOLOGY

Enhanced hot runner line for multiple applications D-M-E Company has upgraded its popular Stellar 4000 micromolding hot runner product line.

The Stellar 5000 series now offers customers enhancements to the standard format for commodity material applications, and a high performance format for engineering and filled material applications.

The Standard 5000 series features a solid titanium point gate retainer for improved heat isolation and a shielded mini-coil heater that quickens heat transfer for commodity grade materials. For harder-toprocess applications and materials, the HighPerformance 5000 Series includes an embedded brass heater for optimized heat transfer with engineering grade materials and a thru-hole tip sub-assembly that offers superior wear resistance.

All Stellar 5000 round and rectangular multi-threaded nozzle assemblies feature high-performance gate detail geometry for application flexibility. Compression nozzles are also available for customized pitch designs.

D-M-E of Canada Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.dme.net; 1-800-387-6600

THE ONLY PLASTICS SHOW IN CANADA IN 2010

PCMEXPO

Plastiques, Composites et Moules Expo Plastics, Composites and Molds Expo

A tabletop show and technical seminars produced by

Canadian Plastics

plastiques et moules Supplément de la revue Canadian Plastics

Thursday, September 23, 2010 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Loews Hôtel Le Concorde Québec City, Québec

The publishers of Canadian Plastics and Plastiques et moules announce the launch of a tabletop show with technical seminars presented by exhibitors.

We are partnering with the industry association FEPAC (Federation of Plastics and Alliances Composites) whose Forum Canada conference and Awards Gala will take place the next day, at Loews Hôtel Le Concorde.

A jointly sponsored PCMExpo/FEPAC cocktail reception from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. after the tabletop show, will provide an excellent networking forum.

This one-day show provides an opportunity for you to market your products and services in a productive and constructive

26 Canadian Plastics February 2010 www.canplastics.com

sales environment. Meet over 200 potential customers in an approachable, buying atmosphere.

Cost effective. Exhibit space costs as little as $795 for a table.

To book your exhibit space or receive more information, contact your Canadian Plastics sales representative: Judith Nancekivell, Senior Publisher Tel: 416-510-5116 Email: jnancekivell@canplastics.com Brayden Ford, Sales Representative Tel: 416-510-5124 Email: bford@canplastics.com

advertising index Advertiser Acetronic Arburg Arkema Canada Inc. Automatisation S.A.B. Inc. Auxiplast FEPAC K Show K Show travel PCMExpo PCS Company Plastic Automation Process Heaters Inc. Rotogran International Inc. Vortex Valves Weima America Inc. Wittmann Canada Inc.

Page

Telephone

E-mail

Website

22 back cover 2 11 30-31 21 24 24 26 12 11 17 25 29 15 18

800-803-8871 860-667-6500 800-567-5726 450-652-9767 866-922-2894 450-641-5309 416-598-1525 866-880-1121 416-510-5116 800-521-0546 416-938-3648 877-747-8250 905-738-0101 785-825-7177 803-802-7170 888-466-8266

sales@acetronic.com usa@arburg.com polymers.canada@arkema.com info@sabgroupe.com info@auxiplast.com pfillion@fepac.ca messeduesseldorf@germanchamber.ca ahoule@voyagelm.ca jnancekivell@canplastics.com sales@pcs-company.com pae.inc@rogers.net proheat@processheaters.ca info@rotogran.com rbarragree@vortexvalves.com info@weimaamerica.com info@wittmann-canada.com

www.acetronic.com www.arburg.com www.arkema.ca www.automatisationsab.com www.auxiplast.com www.fepac.ca www.k-online.de www.plasticsandmoldsexpo.com www.pcs-company.com www.processheaters.ca www.rotogran.com www.vortexcanada.com www.weimaamerica.com www.wittmann-canada.com

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design ideas • health care around the world

INDIA: Insulation dosage system You’d be hard pressed to find a project with a more international scope than a new portable insulin dosage system: designed in the UK, with components from Europe and Asia, precision tooling carried out in Taiwan, final testing performed in Holland and intended for use in India.

Expected to dramatically advance diabetes treatment in India by offering quick and easy treatment in India by offering quick and easy insulin dosage, the system’s key component is a reusable plastic pen — no bigger than a marker — manufactured entirely from DuPont materials.

Project supervisor Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC), of Berkshire, England, selected DuPont’s Delrin acetal homopolymer resin for manufacture of the clutch tube and locking sleeve, and Zytel nylon resin for the drive shaft, inner housing, thumb pad and piston rod cap.

“For the intricate system of ratchets and gears in the pen’s delivery mechanism, Delrin delivers dimensional stability in combination with resistance to creep,” said IDC’s managing director, Stephen Knowles. “And since many mechanical movements must occur in an exact sequence, we chose Zytel for its combination of very high impact strength, elastic modulus and tensile strength.”

A final DuPont material, Crastin PBT polyester resin, is used for the pen’s dose dial and clip. These parts had initially been specified in Zytel, but testing revealed that the nylon would absorb too much moisture from India’s hot and sticky climate — bad news for dosing accuracy. “DuPont was able to ship us samples of Crastin to Thailand for testing within a week, and we found it to be the perfect alternative,” Knowles said.

E.I. DuPont Company (Mississauga, Ont.); www.plastics.dupont.com; 905-821-5193

AFRICA: Anti-malaria mosquito nets With dramatic stories of the wars, famines and political instability that plague many African countries getting the lion’s share of attention from TV news shows and newspapers, a relatively silent threat — malariatransmitting mosquitoes that kill upwards of one million people per year — tends to get overlooked.

Until now.

BASF is currently in the process of distributing thousands of its Interceptor insecticide-treated mosquito nets to small villages in malaria-endemic areas throughout the continent. quito nets to small villages in malaria-endemic Hung around beds at night, the nets use a unique textile-finishing product called Fendozin, which blends a proprietary BASF polymer with Fendona, a fast-acting BASF insecticide that impregnates and clings to the polyester fibers of the netting.

The Fendona insecticide is slowly released from the surface of the coating and rapidly knocks down, kills or repels mosquitoes as they come into contact with the net.

The net delivers this protection even after 20 washes.

Another requirement: the nets had to show good tensile strength to withstand extremely high pressure during baling — a process necessary to reduce the volume of the nets during shipment. According to BASF, the nets proved to be successful in a series of tests sponsored by the World Health Organization, an agency that recommends impregnated mosquito nets as a tool to battle malaria and which anticipates an annual demand for 60 million nets in the next two to five years.

BASF Canada (Mississauga, Ont.); www.basf.ca; 1-866-485-2273 28 Canadian Plastics February 2010 www.canplastics.com

NORTH AMERICA: Ventilation face masks When congestive heart failure or another type of respiratory distress strikes, immediate ventilation of the sufferer can mean the difference between life and death.

In this situation, it might seem as though patient comfort doesn’t matter very much — but it probably doesn’t hurt, either. That’s why the new generation of O2-RESQ ventilation face masks for the North American market, from Indianapolis, Ind.-based medical systems manufacturer Pulmodyne Inc., is being made with a soft, rounded cushion made from Teknor Apex’s Medalist elastomer.

U n l i k e other other elass t o m e r s and flexand ible plastics used tics in medical m a s k s , M e d a l i s t elastomers are odorless, odorless, latex-free elastomers and contain no phthalates, according to Lisa Charno, medical market manager for the company’s thermoplastic elastomer division.

The mask’s translucent seal is made of a custom-formulated Medalist compound. The soft, 37 Shore A elastomer is over-molded onto the transparent front portion of the mask, which is made of a rigid terpolymer material. Because the Medalist compound has a lower specific gravity than PVC, it yields more parts per pound of compound and makes possible a lighter, more comfortable mask seal.

Comfort aside, there’s a manufacturing advantage in using Medalist.

“Because Medalist compounds set up rapidly in the mold and exhibit good tear strength, they make it possible for the mask to be pulled off the mold core without tearing or stretching,” said Charno.

Teknor Apex Company (Pawtucket, R.I.); www.teknorapex.com; 401-725-8000

view from the floor

Mold cooling:

A river runs through it

By Jim Anderton, technical editor

T

hink cooling an injection mold is as simple as piping cold water through it? I once did, until two events changed my perspective. One was a temperamental 100-ton press that had to crank out six cavities worth of small PP auto parts to feed an assembly line. We were running the press overtime to keep up with the line, and margins didn’t allow much investment in new equipment (sound familiar, OEM suppliers?). So we did what anyone would do: shaved seconds off the cycle time.

When it came to the chill portion of the cycle, however, I hit a brick wall. To get all the cavities to deliver in-tolerance parts, there seemed to be no way to save time while the resin froze. Naturally, I took some graveyard shift downtime and began the experiments. Shortening the feed lines by moving the chiller closer had no effect; neither did dropping the set temperature, which was almost maxed out anyway. I “rodded” the mold, and scrubbed the channels like my Winchester 12-gauge, but couldn’t win a second; I even radiused the hose barb inner “steps” to try to smooth the coolant flow.

Nothing.

What eventually did work was a change to the coolant routing in the mold, but not for the reasons I suspected. I started by reversing the flow by switching the inlet and outlet (something I wouldn’t do unless the tubes were super clean) and began to see a little progress. On a whim, I split the flow into two circuits, feeding from the edges first and then from the centre. Now we saw real savings. Why? The answer only came to me much later, during a heat transfer course at the University of Toronto. I knew from the shop floor that the temperature gradient between inlet and outlet at the mold was important to the cooling cycle, but in the classroom the story was more complex.

Temperature was a parameter you measured, but heat is what you’re trying to remove. Guess what? They’re not the same thing. And the rate of heat removal in a tube heat exchanger (mold) is dependent on the temperature difference between the coolant and the metal wall of the gun-drilled mold channels, among other things. Cavities near the inlet side of the mold had the biggest temperature difference (we called it “Delta T”) and cooled the fastest. It was much slower on the outlet side because the coolant had warmed considerably by the time it reached the other side of the mold.

Reversing the flow direction only swapped the problem from one cavity to the other. Splitting the flow into two circuits, however, shortened the length and reduced the surface area of hot mold felt by cold inlet water because two inlets meant that each half circuit only chilled half the mold. Two circuits also split the mass flow rate of the cooling water, allowing better heat transfer, adding even more efficiency. And the cost was little more than a few quick connects, brass fittings

and some feed line.

So what did I learn? Your mold hold time will be determined by the freeze time of the last cavity to cool. Cranking up your chiller or adding capacity will help, but the lead-lag effect will still be there. Multiple, shorter circuits narrow that spread and save precious seconds, all else being equal.

Keep in mind, this strategy worked because the mold was symmetrical; try it with a family mold or odd shape and, as they say in the TV commercials, your results may vary.

It’s good to know your “Delta T” between inlet and outlet, but that’s not the same as knowing the cooling rates at each cavity. I’ll expand on this a little in the next issue of Canadian Plastics.

And by the way, if you decide to play with coolant routing, don’t forget to bring safety glasses, lots of rags and a mop and pail. (Don’t ask me how I know this.)

CPL

www.canplastics.com February 2010 Canadian Plastics 29

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