Canadian Plastics October 2010

CanadianPlastics www.canplastics.com

OCTOBER 2010

Biopolymers in auto parts How green can it get?

Colorants

Hot trends for 2011

Moldmaking Report

Unpacking our Benchmark Survey

Raw Materials Handling Dense phase vs. dilute phase — What’s right for you?

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contents

Canadian Plastics OCTOBER 2010 VOLUME 68 NUMBER 5

page 10

LOOKING BACK...

The November 1975 issue of Canadian Plastics detailed a plan by the Society of the Plastics Industry of Canada (SPI) to map out a timetable for converting processors, equipment suppliers and raw material sellers from the imperial to the metric system. The SPI's "metrication committee" had targeted November as its original deadline for getting the Canadian plastics industry switched en masse to metrics — but the industry wasn't buying it. The SPI's next step? A more flexible plan that could be modified to suit each specific application and company, and which had as its key plank a description of the benefits of conversion to metric.

Number of the month:

$23.00*

* Average hourly wage of a Canadian mold shop worker in 2010 — at least according to our annual Benchmark Survey. (See page 14)

page 6

page 18

cover story in every issue 4 Editor’s View: • Getting ready for the uptick 5 Ideas & Innovations: • Polymer fibres might hold the key to tissue regeneration 6 News: • Moldmakers lend skilled hands to Dieppe monument • Plastics recycler fills a big void • People 9 Executive’s Corner: • Skilled workers: North America’s most wanted 23 Technology Showcase 27 Plastics Data File 27 Advertising Index 28 Classified Ads 29 Design Ideas: • The latest on wheels 30 View from the Floor: • Power to the people

10 AUTOMOTIVE: Biopolymers get in gear

Bio-based plastics under the hood of your car? Five years ago, that would have been a joke. Today? Far from being funny, it's the new prime directive for a wide range of researchers, and potentially big business for material suppliers. Inside, find out how green auto parts are moving from seat cushions to radiator end tanks, and beyond.

features

14 MOLDMAKING REPORT: Unpacking our Benchmark Survey

We've closed the book on our second annual Moldmaking Benchmark Survey — now it's time to see what you told us. It's all here: manufacturing services, future business projections, hourly wage rates — in general, who's doing what with what on the Canadian moldmaking scene. Don't be the last to know.

18 RAW MATERIALS HANDLING: Dilute phase vs. dense phase conveying

Although there's basically only two forms of pneumatic conveying on offer — dilute phase and dense phase — it's still possible to pick the wrong one for your needs. Understanding the pros and cons of each mode will help you make the right purchasing decision every time.

PLUS: Spotlight on new technologies.

21 COLORANTS: What’s hot (and what’s not) for 2011

Brand owners live or die by zeroing in early, or not early enough, on what the popular consumer colors are going to be for the year ahead.

So if you're a plastics packager, you'd better understand these trends, too. Our colorants forecast can help. Forewarned is forearmed!

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

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editor’s view

Getting ready for the uptick

F

irst of all, don’t get the wrong idea; this is not another “Are you ready for the rebound?” column. We’ve all read a million of those by now — and yet, somehow, the rebound never really arrives.

The effects of the Great Recession are still with us: both Canada and the U.S. continue to shed jobs, for example. And no one knows for certain if we’re heading into a double-dip in the first half of 2011 — a question that might just hinge on whether the Bush administration tax cuts are allowed to expire in the U.S. So rather than pretend the worst is behind us and recovery is just around the corner, I’ll ask a simple question of my readers: are you ready for an uptick?

From the equipment and materials side, let’s assume you shut down some production lines during the slowdown. Can these abandoned lines be resurrected to handle new business, or will doing so take an investment in used equipment? And maybe — just maybe — the time is right for some new processing equipment. Now’s the time to decide.

Also, how’s your resin supply holding out? From the anecdotes I’ve been hearing, some processors were caught short on material during what seemed to be a sudden spurt of orders in the spring.

Speaking of which, there’s no time like the present to re-examine the price you’re paying. Can you get a better deal when ordering fresh supplies? And have you been fully briefed by your supplier on the latest resin offerings?

From the strategic side, survival can be summed up by four words: lean, mean and innovative.

Let’s take the last first. The march of technology hasn’t slowed down just because the economy has. If you’re making PET bottles, you can’t hide from the growing pressures for lightweighted prod-

ucts; if injection molding is your bag, making small parts for medical devices can yield big dividends. Beyond these, it’s both ironic and true that you can learn to be innovative by looking around you and seeing what kinds of products your competitors are making to help them grab those new contracts But innovation alone won’t suffice.

Here’s a piece of very old news: the pressures that all plastics processors and related companies are facing resemble those that drove the automotive industry to embrace the principles of lean manufacturing pioneered by Toyota. If you haven’t already, adopting lean principles to eliminate waste is going to be crucial going forward. (If you’re still here to read this, chances are you’re running a pretty lean shop already. But if you’re not yet Toyotalean, it may be time to consider it. A good ERP system can help.)

And “mean”? While, broadly speaking, Canadian shops are all in this together, competition is unrelenting, and each and every processor still needs to react quickly — ruthlessly so — to customer requirements, or risk losing that customer.

To strategize further, do the words “marketing plan” read like Greek?

Unless you’re very good, your recovery might not go far without one. On a related note, how does your company website look? The impression conveyed by too many websites is, “We don’t need this thing in our lives right now”. That won’t cut it anymore.

It might not seem important to mull over questions like these right now — and allow me to reiterate: I’m not saying the recession is over — but why wouldn’t you?

Think of yourself as a boxer taking stock between rounds; can you answer the bell as you are, or do you need some stitching up?

Whether we’re heading into a postrecession or a double-dip world, the answer matters.

Mark Stephen, editor

mstephen@canplastics.com

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

www.canplastics.com EDITOR Mark Stephen 416-510-5110 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: mstephen@canplastics.com TECHNICAL EDITOR Jim Anderton 416-751-5749 E-mail: jimeditorial@yahoo.ca ART DIRECTOR Andrea M. Smith PRODUCTION MANAGER Steve Hofmann 416-510-6757 E-mail: shofmann@bizinfogroup.ca PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER Phyllis Wright SENIOR PUBLISHER Judith Nancekivell 416-510-5116 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: jnancekivell@canplastics.com ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVE Brayden Ford 416-510-5124 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: bford@canplastics.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Diane Rakoff 416-510 5216 Fax: 416-510-6875 E-mail: drakoff@bizinfogroup.ca HEAD OFFICE 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto ON M3C 4J2. 416-442-5600, Fax: 416-510-5134 CANADIAN PLASTICS is published 7 times a year by BIG Magazines LP, a div. of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd., a leading Canadian information company with interests in daily and community newspa­ pers and business-to-business information services.

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ideas & innovations

Polymer fibres might hold the key to tissue REGENERATION

U

sing polymers to help regrow torn muscles and tendons? Sounds like something out of a late night sci-fi flick, or maybe Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein,” right?

Don’t be too sure.

A Canadian researcher is hoping that within 10 years, people will be able to rebuild tissue and speed the healing process through the implantation of biodegradable microscopic polymer fibres directly into in the damaged area.

Dr. Brian Amsden, a chemical engineering professor from Queen’s University, in Kingston, Ont., is currently developing a technique that places cells from a patient’s body on a polymer prosthetic that stimulates cell growth. After the cells have established themselves sufficiently, the prosthetic would be implanted in the patient’s body; the polymer would then biodegrade, leaving behind nothing but the patient’s own healthy tissue.

For Canada’s aging population — not to mention athletes of all ages — the implications could be very big indeed. “This research has “This research the potential to allow people in their 60s has the potential and 70s to live healthier lives and enjoy to allow people in greater mobility,” Amsden said. “And there’s no reason it couldn’t be used to their 60s and 70s to regrow tendons lost to athletic injury.”

CRUCIAL CRIMP PATTERN

live healthier lives and enjoy greater mobility.”

As so often happens with potentially big breakthroughs, Amsden’s technique is the result of a happy accident. Four years ago, Amsden was searching for better material to use as “scaffolding” for replacing damaged ligaments in the human knee, in particular the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), famed as the source of many a career-threatening sports injury. “We were using basic electrospinning, which is a process that employs an electrical charge to draw very fine — typically microscopic — fibres from a liquid,” he said. “We dissolved a caprolactone-lactide copolymer in a solvent, applied the electrospinning process, and wrapped the filament as it emerged around a rapidly rotating mandrel.”

So far, so good. What Amsden didn’t expect, however, was for the polymer fibres to shrink and form a crimp pattern when pulled from the mandrel — a pattern very similar to that found in the naturally occurring collagen in the ligament of the human knee.

“We had no idea that the electrospinning technique would result in spontaneous generation of crimp in the fibres,” he admitted.

“We realized very quickly, though, that we’d stumbled on a perfect crimping structure to act as a three-dimensional scaffold for seeding and growing collagen on damaged tissue.”

A NEW TWIST ON TISSUE ENGINEERING

Tissue engineering was first proposed in mid-1980s, and the use of polymers to help stimulate the process came about in the early1990s. It’s new, in other words, but not too new.

Bringing biodegradable polymers into the equation might just be the game-changer. “Ours is the only material currently being used that has similar properties to native ligament,” Amsden said. “The biodegradable polymer is stable enough to act as a scaffold to guide the cells, but not so stable that it won’t dissolve. Eventually, as the cells grow on the material and secrete their own proteins, they’ll break down and replace the underlying polymer. At the end of the process, nothing will remain but the patient’s own tissue.”

Although Amsden spearheaded the project, he hasn’t been working alone. Dr. Stephen Waldman, an associate professor with the department of mechanical and materials engineering at Queen’s, has collaborated on the research, as have scientists from the University of Western Ontario and the University of Toronto.

And as for any alleged similarities to Frankenstein’s monster? “I don’t see anything Frankenstein-ish about the project, because almost everything involved in it is you,” Amsden said.

“The only element that isn’t you is the polymer, which eventually disappears.”

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news

Moldmakers lend skilled hands to Dieppe monument T

Photo Credit: John Filimon

he Windsor, Ont. moldmaking community has played a pivotal role in making sure that the infamous Dieppe Raid of World War II — one of the darkest chapters in Canadian military history — will never be forgotten.

The one-day raid was a major offensive on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on August 19, 1942, involving 4,963 Canadians. None of the raid’s objectives were accomplished, and the human toll was staggering: approximately 3,365 Canadians were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. The fallout hit the Windsor community particularly hard. Of the area’s 553 Essex Scottish Regiment soldiers who took part, 121 were killed, and only 51 were still standing to be evacuated to England later that day.

Exactly 68 years later, on August 19, 2010, a memorial to the Essex Scottish Regiment was unveiled in Windsor’s Dieppe Gardens. The $60,000, 2.4-metre-high monument is made of black granite and features a cutout of a large maple leaf. It is aligned so that if the sun shines at 1 p.m. on August 19 — the exact hour that the regiment stormed the beach — it will cast a perfect shadow of that maple leaf on the ground below.

RALLYING AROUND The Windsor monument is a duplicate of a memorial dedicated in 2006 on Dieppe’s Red Beach, where the Essex Scottish Regiment landed. Members of the Windsor moldmaking community had worked on that project, and rallied again to help complete the new hometown monument.

“We approached the same moldmakers who had been involved four years ago, and nobody declined to participate,” said Ed Bernard, research and development manager at Windsor’s Crest Mold Technology Inc., who helped spearhead the project. “Everyone treated it as a top priority.”

The construction of the memorial — which was designed by local art student Rory O’Connor — took about 16 months. In total, there are 51 metal components affixed to the black granite, excluding stainless steel fasteners, and all were handled by local moldmakers. “The work on the components represents a lot of technical skills, including wire EDMing, drilling and tapping, diamond polishing and nickel plating,” Bernard said. “A particular challenge was machining the backs of the metal parts to match the various curves of the granite, and in the end, they all fit perfectly.”

For Bernard and others, their work on the Dieppe memorial went beyond a labor of love — it was more like a call to duty.

“Nobody approached this as just another business project,” Bernard said. “Despite the pressures that we’re all under, the moldmaking community still rallied without hesitation for a good cause.”

CPL nard of Ed Ber Middle an

d bottom

photos co

Top: The completed monument.

Middle: John Wood, a freelance designer and surface creator who handled the CAD management for the project, checks out some components.

Bottom: Close-up of the machined and polished Scottish Essex Regiment crest.

ur tesy

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news

Photo Credit: John Filimon

Plastics recycler fills a big void Some statistics can put you to sleep. Here’s one that should wake you up: less than 25 per cent of plastics packaging is recovered for recycling in Canada, compared with almost 60 per cent being recovered for paper packaging.

It’s a number that Martin Vogt, the winner of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association’s 2010 Newcomer of the Year Award, is trying to improve.

Vogt is the president of EFS-Plastics Inc., an Elmira, Ont.-based company that recycles mixed post-consumer plastic into pellets that are used to manufacture plastic bags, tool boxes, piping and other products.

In some ways, it’s the job he was raised to do.

Born in Germany’s Black Forest region, Vogt got his first exposure to the possibilities of plastics recycling at an early age: his father operated an extrusion and post-consumer plastics recycling Rotogran 3-AB-CPL 9/20/10 1:19 PMcompany Page 1that used the recycled plastics as a new source of raw material. Vogt started as a tool and die maker and then went back to school and studied mechanical engineering, specializing in plastics engineering.

OPPORTUNITY BECKONS

Martin Vogt with his CPIA Newcomer of the Year plaque.

Arrived in Canada in 2006, Vogt saw a paradox — and also an opportunity: eco-friendly Canadians were eager to recycle plastic material, but local businesses either weren’t responding or weren’t succeeding. “Nobody in Canada was successfully recycling post-consumer plastics, which is more difficult than recycling simple post-industrial plastic.

Almost all of the material was being shipped overseas,” he said. “The few companies that did attempt it here were unsuccessful because they didn’t use the right technology and didn’t understand how to make the business work. I knew from my background how to do it.”

It helps to be lucky, though, and initially Vogt wasn’t; the recession started just after EFS did, sending oil prices down and making its product less com-

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news petitive. The company hung on, and business began to recover early this year. It’s gotten better since: EFS recently received funding from Stewardship Ontario and Waste Diversion Ontario to develop new processing capacity for mixed and film plastics, and also received a contract to produce pellets used in the new “Tote for Life” shopping basket offered by the Sobeys supermarket chain.

Before: Collected post-consumer plastic.

After: The repelletized result.

GROWTH AND RECOGNITION Currently EFS recycles more than 7,500 tons of post-consumer plastic a year — sorting it by type, removing contaminants, cleaning it and then repelletizing it into PP and LDPE pellets.

Vogt wants to double that amount by the end of 2011, which will mean moving out of the company’s current 30,000-squarefoot facility — most likely into nearby Kitchener — and adding another production line.

The CPIA award contributed to what is turning into a very good year. “It was an honour to win the Newcomer Award,” Vogt said. “I was nominated by my customers, and didn’t know about this until I was informed that I won. I believe in dealing with my customers honestly, and I look on their nomination as proof that they know it.”

CPL

PEOPLE — Montreal-based thermoformer Marquez Transtech has appointed Steve Vuglac director of environmental control systems (ECS) design. Vuglac will be based at the company’s new Toronto office.

— Blown film system supplier Alpha Marathon Film Extrusion Technologies Inc., of Woodbridge, Ont., has named Paul Carter director of sales for Canada and western Europe.

—V ictoria Holt has been named president and CEO of Clayton, Mo.-based custom compounder Spartech Corporation.

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executive’s corner

Skilled workers: North America’s most wanted

By Gerald Shankel, Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International

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espite the shaky economy, scores of North American manufacturers are reporting a dire need for skilled labor.

It’s a claim borne out by industry surveys and studies.

According to a 2009 survey conducted by research firm Manpower Inc., for example, among the most difficult jobs to fill in North America are those of the skilled manual trades, with electricians, carpenters/joiners and welders as the most in-demand employees. And a report issued by consulting firm Deloitte and Oracle, also in 2009, concluded that among companies involved in skilled production (whose employees are machinists, craft workers and technicians), 51 per cent report are already reporting manpower shortages.

And it’s only going to get worse: the average age of a worker in today’s skilled workforce is 56 years old. The baby boomer generation of skilled workers is set to retire within the next five to 15 years, creating the need for an estimated 10 million new workers in America alone by 2020. This looming skilled-worker shortage is an unwelcome threat to our manufacturing base.

THE ROOT CAUSE The main cause of the looming shortage? Manufacturing has an image problem, especially among today’s youth. In the past, high school students could take a shop class and get a feel for working with tools, but today most don’t have that chance. Education priorities today rarely position manufacturing as a preferred career choice, and high school counselors and principals often fail to realize that manufacturing is a viable option for students.

Many of today’s youth also seem unaware that the tales of backbreaking labor and grimy working conditions are ancient history, and that modern manufacturers have embraced new technologies and involved workers in management and product development. Manufacturing positions today include exciting work with lasers and robotics. The introduction of CNC machine tools has changed the nature of the work of machinists — they now have to be computer literate and understand basic electronics and physics. Again, this is in direct contrast to lingering stereotypes.

BUSINESS AND EDUCATORS MUST PARTNER Reaching educators is key to improving the future skilled workforce. Partnerships between local manufacturers and educational institutions will encourage more people to enter the field and to employ more skilled workers in plants and factories. Manufacturers should consider offering field trips for local elementary and middle school classes; when students see a clean, modern facility full of sophisticated machinery, it might just leave them with a positive, lasting impression.

Employers should also foster ties with education officials in local communities. Donating equipment to local trade or voca-

tional schools to support manufacturing courses is one way. Another could involve manufacturers offering to advise instructors and counselors at community colleges or high schools on job opportunities available and in curriculum planning.

Additionally, provincial and state legislatures and schools and businesses should consider addressing the shortfall in skilled workers directly through vocational training and workforce development programs. One such initiative was recently launched in California. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled the “I Built It-Youth” campaign, a collaboration between the California Department of Industrial Relations and the California Department of Education to begin training California’s future skilled workforce to help rebuild the state’s often crumbling infrastructure.

Manufacturers should also tap into the knowledge of their aging workforces and institute programs or training initiatives that introduce high school students to careers in the trades. A machine shop in Newberg, Ore., for example, volunteered its machinists to act as advisors to instructors at local community colleges, assisting in teaching the newest machining techniques and helping with curriculum planning.

ENTER THE INTERNET Finally, it would be foolish not to exploit one of the great learning engines of recent history: the Internet. Fortunately, this is already being done. One of the most innovative new programs for giving young people a view of manufacturing opportunities is called “Max & Ben’s Manufacturing Adventures” — www.westerntc. edu/maxandben — a website where two 13-year old boys present their tours of local manufacturing facilities in video format.

The campaigns and programs described here — along with many others — can help change young people’s minds about manufacturing...but only if they hear about them. The manufacturing industry must use the media, in all of its shapes, to inform the public about its efforts.

In the end, young people need to be convinced that there is a high demand and great future potential — including the opportunity to own and operate your own business — that comes with a career in the skilled trades. The continued health of the manufacturing industry depends on this message getting through, and we’re running out of time.

CPL Gerald Shankel is the president and CEO of Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International, (FMA) a Rockford, Ill.-based professional organization dedicated to improving the metal forming and fabricating industry. FMA has more than 2,000 individual and company members throughout Canada and the U.S., and reaching into more than 40 other countries. Visit www.fmanet.org. www.canplastics.com October 2010 Canadian Plastics 9

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automotive

Green gets in

By Mark Stephen, editor

W

GEA

Biopolymers in auto interiors? New. In under-the-hood applications?

Very new. Automakers are going green by ordering up ever more bio-based polymer parts, and the materials are starting to deliver like never before. But are they strong enough and inexpensive enough to replace petroleum-based polymers? Good question...

ith environmentally friendly green products becoming today’s norm, it’s no surprise to see them being incorporated — via renewably-sourced biopolymers — into one of the most important aspects of daily life: our cars.

And yet a lot of people probably are surprised. “For years, many manufacturers regarded biopolymers as fine for disposable packaging applications, but not suitable for use in auto parts, and definitely not geared for under-the-hood applications” said Craig Crawford, president and CEO of the Ontario BioAuto Council, a provincially funded agency that provides support for biomaterials ventures and commercialization. “This view is changing, though, and the amount of biopolymers in auto parts is definitely growing.”

It’s hard to argue this last point. More and more automakers — including heavy hitters like Ford Motor Company, Toyota and Mazda Motor Corp. — are turning to biopolymers as a substitute for traditional petroleum-based plastics. It’s easy to see why.

Today’s consumers want to feel that they’re being good to Mother Nature, and car makers are anxious to tap into that by creating an image of sustainability, while also pursuing their own end of replacing metal wherever possible. Biopolymers are an obvious answer, marrying the chic of natural ingredients with the triedand-true weight savings of polymer-based plastics. And with

plastics currently making up approximately 10 per cent of the average vehicle, there’s definitely room for the use of bioplastics to grow. Add to this the fact that automobile companies are expected to begin imposing certain obligations for the supply chain to provide products that are environmentally friendly, and the door for biopolymers seems wide open indeed.

But it’s not quite that simple. Despite being among the most recycled consumer products in the world, cars aren’t comparable to single-use grocery bags — whatever goes into your car has to meet high quality standards of strength and durability. In short, car parts have to last. For many, the question is still unanswered: can biopolymers measure up?

THE INSIDE STORY For interior parts at least, the answer is a resounding yes. While increased usage of bio-based materials in plastics is still in the advanced research stage, biopolymers are already being used in some recent interior applications such as car seat cushions, carpeting and more. “Natural fibre-reinforced plastics are becoming the materials of choice for car interiors, from both the production and the economic points of view,” said Craig Crawford. “Recent technical developments for biopolymers for interior parts allow

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automotive

them to meet the quality standards of high degree of strength, low degree of damage from sunlight, good resistance to abrasion, high durability and high resistance to fire.”

A leader in green interiors is Ford. Late last year, Ford said it became the first automaker to use wheat straw as plastic filler, in the third-row plastic bins on the 2010 Ford Flex model.

Designed to replace the glass fibres commonly used to reinforce plastic parts, the material was developed by plastics compounder A. Schulman and Ontario’s University of Waterloo as part of the Ontario BioCar Initiative, a partnership between Canadian universities and companies interested in developing sustainable car materials. The bins might be a small component, but Ford anticipates saving about 20,000 lbs. per year of petroleum nonetheless, and also cutting CO2 emissions by 30,000 lbs. per year.

Glass fibre applications, in fact, are widely sighted for replacement by an array of lighter biopolymers. “Ford is examining the possibility of replacing glass fibres with natural fibre reinforcements made from cellulose, soy protein, hemp fibre, flax fibre and other bio-based materials,” said Debbie Mielewski, technical leader, Ford Plastics Research. “So far, lab test results have been promising, with the natural fibre-reinforced plastics showing up to a 30 per cent weight reduction, depending on the part.”

The company is also increasing the use of renewable and recyclable materials such as the soy and bio-based seat cushions and seatbacks on the 2010 Ford Taurus, the eleventh Ford vehicle to incorporate these. No wonder Ford claims to have more vehicle models with seats that use soy and other bio-based foams than any other automaker. Ford Mustang, F-150, Focus, Flex, Escape, Expedition and Econoline as well as Mercury Mariner, Lincoln MKS and Navigator also use the sustainable material.

Taking the idea of a greener automotive composite a step further, Ford is also working with the biodegradable plastic called polylactic acid (PLA), which is derived completely from the sugars in corn, sugarbeets, sugarcane, switch grass and other plants. Potential automotive applications for PLA are wide ranging, Mielewski said, from textile applications for vehicle carpeting, floor mats and upholstery to interior trim pieces that are injection molded.

All told, Ford saved an estimated US$4.5 million by using recycled materials in 2009, and diverted between 25 and 30 million lbs. of plastic from landfills in North America alone.

A big fish in the interior parts pond, Ford isn’t the only one testing the waters. In March 2009, Mazda began leasing its Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid vehicle, in which the car seat fab-

EAR

ric contains a high-heat-resistant PLA-based plastic called BioFront made by Japanese chemical company Teijin.

GETTING UNDER THE HOOD In some ways, under-the-hood parts are an automotive final frontier for biopolymers — an area where, only a few short years ago, virtually nobody thought they could go. This is about to change — and maybe sooner than you think. Biopolymers said to satisfy the high temperature requirements for under-the-hood parts are in use right now — and in at least one case, winning an award. (See sidebar on pg. 12.)

Arkema’s new Rilsan HT, for example, is described by the company as a plant-based polyamide that can replace metal in tubing for high-temperature auto applications. As much as 70 per cent of the material comes from renewable non-food crop vegetable feedstock. Also, the material is said to be significantly more flexible than previous polyphtalamide formulations, and to possess excellent thermoformability and fitting-insertion properties. “Because it can withstand temperatures of up to 150°C, Rilsan HT constitutes a viable alternative to the metal hoses usually used in car engines,” said Greg Poterala, automotive market manager, polyamides, with Arkema. “Peugeot and Volkswagen have already replaced the metal hoses found under the hoods of their cars with equivalent components made from Rilsan HT. Until now, this kind of application was unimaginable for a thermoplastic material.”

In April, Dutch chemical company Royal DSM N.V. introduced a high-heat-resistant castor oil-based polyamide engineering plastic for automotive applications called EcoPaXX. “As far as we know, EcoPaXX is the first high-heat-resistant engineering plastic which has more than 50 per cent bio-based origin, while achieving the same performance profile as its traditional counterpart,” said Nico Gerardu, member of the DSM managing board of directors and responsible for DSM’s performance materials cluster. “Automotive applications made with EcoPaXX are mostly in the engine compartment, and we expect to see the material made commercially available for vehicles in the first quarter of 2011.”

Alongside EcoPaXX, DSM also launched its Palapreg ECO composite resin, which contains 55 per cent renewable-based resources, for use in exterior auto panels. Several customers in the automotive industry are putting both Palapreg ECO and EcoPaXX through final approvals, DSM said.

Another exterior application currently in development has the Ontario BioAuto Council placed front and centre. “We’re working with Dow Chemical Company and BayerMaterialScience to develop a bio-based polyurethane (PU) load floor for SUV and van lift gates,” said Craig Crawford. “The design involves a honeycombed cardboard core with a bio-based PU top and bottom skin, reinforced with fiberglass fibres. We’re also exploring ways of replacing the fiberglass with natural fibres.”

CHALLENGES ON COST, PERFORMANCE These examples notwithstanding, there’s one point on which virtually every biopolymer researcher agrees: for the materials to achieve meaningful penetration of the auto parts market, they www.canplastics.com October 2010 Canadian Plastics 11

CPL Oct10 p10-12 Automotive.indd 11

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automotive

have to be able to compete with traditional plastics in the two big areas of price and performance.

“At the moment, a lot of biopolymers cost more and withstand less than the traditional petroleum-based polymers,” Crawford said. But there are indications that pricing, at least, might not be a problem for much longer. “The cost associated with bio-based chemicals and plastics has been less volatile lately than petroleum-based products. And in the longer term, they’re expected to become cheaper as the technologies mature and production achieves economies of scale,” Crawford added.

In the short term, however, biopolymer pricing is hurt by the well-established nature of the petroleumbased polymer supply chain. “Petroleum-based polymers have been used for years in high volumes, so manufacturing and supply chain efficiencies are very high,” said Rick Bell, marketing manager for DuPont Performance Polymers. “It’s a difficult structure to compete against.”

Equally daunting are performance issues relating to durability and processing — challenges that are spurring wide-ranging collaborations among researchers. For example, Ford’s Debbie Mielewski and her biomaterials group have teamed with the Ontario BioCar Initiative. What are they targeting? One big roadblock, first, is moisture absorption: natural fibre-reinforced plastics are more likely to absorb moisture over time, causing functional and durability concerns.

Other obstacles are odors — injection molding at high temperatures with a natural fibre-reinforced plastic can emit an undesirable smell — and decomposition: PLA is designed to decompose quickly, but Mielewski and her colleagues want to ensure it will last the lifetime of a vehicle before the decomposition process starts.

Ford isn’t the only automaker taking the proactive approach.

Mazda developed its own high-strength, heat-resistant bioplastic in 2006 as part of a consortium that included two universities, seven manufacturers and two research institutes. Made of 88 per cent corn, the bioplastic is being used in both interior and exterior body panels. The company used a new nucleating agent for crystallization and a compatibilizer compound to raise the strength and heat resistance of the plastic.

Next up for Mazda? The creation of an automotive bioplastic from non-food-based biomass, such as plant waste, which the company hopes to have ready by 2013.

STEPS TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY For biopolymers to pose a true threat to traditional plastics, a lot of hard scientific work still lies ahead — and part of the challenge, according to Craig Crawford, involves nothing less than shifting the emphasis of current biopolymer development.

“In the past, the priority in biopolymer research was, in a sense, short sighted: the goal was to improve biodegradability to make the materials more attractive to packagers,” he said.

“Material suppliers hoping to make the transition into auto parts markets will have to concentrate on improving durability and price-competitiveness.”

BIOPLASTIC STARS IN AWARD-WINNING UNDER-THE-HOOD APPLICATION A plant-derived radiator end tank found in some 2009 Toyota Camry vehicles has been given a big green thumbs up by the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).

Made from DuPont Zytel 610 nylon resin, the part marks the first use of DuPont renewablysourced plastic in mechanical components exposed to the hot, chemically aggressive underPhoto Credit: DuPont hood environment.

Developed through a joint project between DuPont and auto parts manufacturer DENSO Corporation, Zytel 610 contains 40 per cent renewable content by weight derived from the castor bean plant, and was touted as meeting industry requirements for heat resistance, durability and road salt resistance. The SPE agreed, and earlier this year selected the application to receive its 2009 “Most Innovative Use of Plastics” award in the environment category.

Production of the part for the global vehicle market began in spring 2009, and DENSO has announced its intention to use the material in a wide range of products to reduce the use of oil and of CO2 emissions in its processes.

While the jury is still out on when — and sometimes how — these nagging price and performance issues will be solved, we just might just look back on 2009 and 2010 as the point when biopolymers showed the first signs of becoming legitimate players in the auto parts world.

And if it’s taken a while — well, maybe that’s the way it should be. “We have to entertain the thought of bio-replacement in baby steps, looking at every aspect of a car that could be green,” said Ford’s Debbie Mielewski. “It’s the best way to get to where I hope to see the world of automotive plastics go: totally compostable, removing petroleum 100 per cent.”

CPL RESOURCE LIST A. Schulman (Akron, Ohio); www.aschulman.com; 330-666-3751 Arkema Canada Inc. (Burlington, Ont.); www.arkema.ca; 1-800-567-5726 DSM Engineering Plastics (Evansville, Ind.); www.dsm.com; 812-435-7500 E.I DuPont Company (Mississauga, Ont.); www.plastics.dupont.com; 905-821-5193 Ontario BioAuto Council (Guelph, Ont.); www.bioautocouncil.com; 519-827-1118 Ontario BioCar Initiative (Guelph, Ont.); www.bioproductsatguelph.ca; 519-824-4120, Ext. 56602

12 Canadian Plastics October 2010 www.canplastics.com

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CPL Oct10 p13 PolyOne AD.indd 13

16/09/10 1:41 PM

Moldmaking A tale of two

REPORT

SURVEYS

First time surveys have one drawback: there’s not much to measure your information against.

Things don’t really get interesting until the second go around, when you can start tracking changes over time. Here, then, is Canadian Plastics’ second annual Moldmaking Benchmark Survey. As the Great Recession lingers, how did our respondents fare compared to 12 months ago? Let’s go to the stats.

By Mark Stephen, editor

WHO, WHAT, WHERE Almost 100 per cent of this year’s respondents were located in Ontario: forty-one per cent in Windsor, 41% in the Toronto area, and the reminder in Quebec. Last year, 48% of respondents were in Windsor, 43% in Toronto, and the remainder in Quebec.

When asked how many employees work at their plant, answers varied from two to 110. Missing from this year, apparently, was the mega-shop that employed 250 in 2009. Almost 50% of this year’s respondents are with firms that employ at between 15 to 50 workers. The average respondent worked at a shop with 36 workers, compared to an average of 39 workers in 2009. The average hourly wage is $23.00 per hour, a very slight uptick from the 2009 average of $22.65 per hour.

The vast majority of respondents — 90% — said they manufactured molds and dies for injection molding applications. Fortyfive per cent also make compression transfer molds, 36% also make die cast molds, and 18% work on structural foam molds.

This compares with 85% making injection molds, 40% making die cast molds, 30% making compression molds, and 30% making structural foam molds in 2009.

Compared with 2009, the 2010 responses reveal a slight but noticeable shift in the manufacturing habits of the moldmakers.

Last year, 85% listed the auto industry as their top market, with 80% also having involvement in consumer goods and housewares. This year, those numbers have flipped — and then some.

Ninety-one per cent of respondents are involved in consumer goods and housewares, with 75% also working on automotive

molds. This might indicate that the well-known troubles afflicting the auto industry have finally filtered down the manufacturing chain, reducing the number of mold shops involved.

Fifty per cent of respondents this year also supply molds for packaging applications, and 50% supply molds for electrical applications. Another big shift: forty-one per cent of respondents this year make molds for medical applications, compared to just 30% involved in medial last year. Given the smaller number of respondents this year, it seems fair to extrapolate and say that more moldmakers are seeking, and finding, work in the growing medical device market.

Eighty per cent of this year’s respondents offer custom machining, compared with 100 per cent in 2009. Also, 80% offer mold cleaning and repairing, compared with 86% last year. Only 70 reported having an EDM facility this year, a falloff from 86% with EDM last year. Also for this year, 60% provide mold polishing, 40% offer CNC duplicating, and 30% perform engraving works. None of this year’s respondents have in-house mold testing or try-outs, compared with 26% who offered these in 2009.

BUSINESS: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE Asked for a prediction of business conditions in the next 12 months, 25% expected “good” conditions, 25% expected “fair” conditions, and 41% expected “poor” results. One lone optimist forecast an “excellent” year ahead, and nobody thought they were heading for a “bad” year. Compared to last year’s expectations, there’s no demonstrable change. While none predicted “excellent”

To view the full survey results, go to http://www.canplastics.com/survey/moldarchives2010.asp The survey, consisting of 33 questions, was emailed in July 2010 to 170 moldmakers across Canada in the Canadian Plastics database, as well as to members of the Canadian Association of Moldmakers (CAMM).

We received 12 completed surveys — less than in 2009, but hey, that’s the kind of year it’s been.

14 Canadian Plastics October 2010 www.canplastics.com

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WHAT MARKETS DO YOU SERVE? Areospace

Response Percent 16.7%

Response Count 2

Appliance

41.7%

5

Automotive Consumer goods, housewares Electrical / Electronic

75%

9

91.7%

11

50%

6

Medical

41.7%

5

Oil & Gas

8.3%

1

Packaging

50%

6

Sporting Goods

25%

3

Toys

16.7%

2

Other

8.3%

1

0

20

40

business in 2009, 21% hoped for “good” conditions, 36% expected “poor” conditions, and 5% predicted a “bad” forecast.

Asked for their average machine utilization rate for the past 12 months, one of this year’s respondents reported using almost all of their equipment. Almost 9% reported using between 80% to 89% of their machinery, 42% used between 70% to 79% of their machinery, 25% used between 60% to 69%, and the rest employed 50% or less. Compare this with 2009: almost 11% of respondents reported using between 90-70% of their machinery last year, roughly one half said they used between 69-50%, 22% used between 49-30%, and 17% reported utilizing less than 30% of their equipment.

Turning to quotations for new business, we get some good news. Fifty per cent of respondents this year said they quoted for “moderately” or “substantially” more business than in 2009, a

60

80

100

Response count: 12 Skipped question: 0

20% jump over the results of the same question last year. Thirtythree per cent of respondents this year said they placed the same number of quotes as last year, and 16% report a “moderate” to “substantial” quoting decrease compared to 2009. Last year, almost 40% of respondents reported a “moderate” to “substantial” quoting decrease since the year before.

So far, so good — but how many of those quotes result in new business? This year, 33% of respondents said that less than 10% of their quotes wound up winning the contracts — a decline from the 52% of respondents who reported the same success rate last year. Thirty-three per cent of respondents this year reported a success rate of between 11% to 20%, 16% reported between a 21% and 50% success rate, and another 16% are getting at least one half of the jobs they’re quoting for. Last year, 10% of the respondents reported a 50% or better success rate.

WHAT SERVICES DOES YOUR PLANT OFFER?

Response Percent 40%

Response Count 4

Custom machining

80%

8

EDM facilities

70%

7

Engraving

30%

3

In-house molding of parts

0%

0

CNC duplicating

Injection molding of parts

10%

1

Jigs and fixtures manufacturing

50%

5

Mold polishing

60%

6

Mold repair / cleaning

80%

8

Prototyping

40%

4

SLA modeling

20%

2

0

20

40

60

80

100

Response count: 10 Skipped question: 2

www.canplastics.com October 2010 Canadian Plastics 15

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PROJECTION FOR BUSINESS CONDITIONS IN 2011

WHAT TYPE OF PRESENCE DO YOU HAVE OUTSIDE OF CANADA?

Bad 0% Joint venture with a local firm 37.5%

Good 25% Fair 25%

Excellent 8.3%

Sales office 12.5%

None 37.5%

Poor 41.7%

Response count: 12

PURCHASING, TRAINING, R&D When it comes to buying new moldmaking machinery, the respondents were clear — and compared to last year, the results are promising for equipment vendors. Forty-five per cent of respondents this year are planning to buy new machinery within the next 12 months, compared with only 10% who were in a buy-

Manufacturing facility 12.5%

Response count: 12

ing mood in 2009. Even better, 80% of those shopping around this year are interested in new equipment. Forty per cent of these will be buying to add additional capacity.

Speaking of spending, there might be a slight uptick in the amount of money being invested in employee training, too. Fifty per cent of this year’s respondents reported allocating 2% of annual budgeted expenses for training; last year, 47% of respondents said that their shops devoted just 1% of annual budgeted expenses for training. Twenty per cent of respondents reported having no expenses at all set aside for training in 2009, compared with just 10% with nothing set aside this year.

And when it comes to safety, almost nobody is scrimping. Ninety per cent of respondents this year reported having a safety program at their facility — a welcome improvement from the 70% with safety programs last year.

FOREIGN RELATIONS Looking beyond our borders, almost 44% of respondents this year do not have a business presence outside of Canada, compared with 54% in the same situation last year.

Forty-four per cent have a presence of some kind in China, compared with 34% last year; 22% have connections in the U.S., compared with 15% last year; and 11% have a presence in India, which no one reported having last year.

Of the shops without an international presence, 66% have no plans to initiate one either, compared with 90% with no such plans last year.

CPL 16 Canadian Plastics October 2010 www.canplastics.com

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The Business Acceleration Event for Canada’s Plastics Processing Industry

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16/09/10 1:42 PM

raw materials handling

PNEUMATIC CONVEYING

Dilute phase vs.dense phase: What’s right for you?

By Mark Stephen, editor

S Photo Credit: Pelletron Corporation

It’s tough enough making a buck in today’s economy. The last thing you need is a headache from having installed the wrong pneumatic conveying mode for the job.

Dilute phase? Dense phase?

What’s the difference, and which is better for your needs?

Canadian Plastics spoke with some of the experts.

ome things are inherently confusing: the definition of “pie” comes to mind. Others shouldn’t be confusing, but still are somehow. Take pneumatic conveying. In theory, it’s simple, since there are really only two categories. If the conveyed material is suspended in air throughout the pipeline, the mechanism meets the definition of dilute phase conveying; if it’s conveyed at low velocity in a non-suspension mode, on the other hand, the system falls under the umbrella of dense phase conveying.

What could be easier?

The reality isn’t quite so simple, and there’s a lot of room for misunderstandings and flat-out bad choices. So how does a plastics processor make the wise pick? Step one is to understand some of the pluses and minuses of each conveying style. Step two is taking a look at the particular process specifications of your own shop that will tip your design choice toward one mode or the other.

DILUTE PHASE This method uses high gas velocities at low pressures. The conveying gas volume and velocity are sufficient to keep the material that’s being transported in suspension. The material is being conveyed in a continuous manner, and is not accumulating on the bottom of the conveying line at any point.

For dilute phase conveying, a relatively high conveying air velocity must be maintained. The typical velocity of dilute phase systems is in the range of 5,000 ft./min. to 8,000 ft./min. It’s not a constant velocity, though; there’s a pick-up velocity at the beginning of the conveying and a terminal velocity at the end, as well as acceleration throughout the length of the line.

PROS: Let’s start with your wallet. “Because dilute phase systems are relatively simple, the upfront investment costs are very economical compared to dense phase,” said Shawn Werner, chief engineer at Vortex Valves.

18 Canadian Plastics October 2010 www.canplastics.com

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raw materials handling

It gets better. “Almost any material can be conveyed in dilute phase suspension flow through a pipeline, regardless of the particle size, shape or density,” said Paul Solt of Pneumatic Conveying Consultants. “A dilute phase system is easy to maintain, as well. I have much less call to repair them than for dense phase systems.”

CONS: Turns out, there’s a price to be paid for all of that high velocity. “There’s a lot of degradation of the conveyed pellets that can occur during dense phase conveying because the velocity is so high, which results in the generation of dust and streamers,” said Heinz Schneider, president and CEO of Pelletron Corporation.

“Also, the use of dilute phase for abrasive products results in wear and tear of the conveying line and the pipe elbows.”

This high velocity can also show up on power bill. “Because of the higher power requirements of high velocity conveying, dilute phase is less energy efficient than dense phase,” said Shawn Werner.

DENSE PHASE Dense phase conveying takes several different forms, which makes it difficult to define neatly. For plastics processing, think of it as a system that moves material — ideally plastic pellets — with low velocity and high pressure through the pipes, with the pellets settling and accumulating on the bottom of the horizontal conveying line. The pellets are dragged along, and may flow in intermittent surges.

The typical velocity of dense phase systems is in the range of 400 ft./min. to 2,000 ft./min. As with dilute phase, there’s a pickup velocity and terminal velocity at the start and finish of the line, and acceleration throughout.

PROS: Lower velocity conveying translates into less wear and tear of material and the system. “There is almost no degradation of the material during dense phase — this is one of the qualities that it’s best known for,” said Shawn Werner. “For this reason, material that’s friable or that can easily smear is well suited for this system. And abrasive products also tend to fare better in dense phase because the velocity is lower.”

Energy efficiency is on everyone’s minds nowadays, and dense phase delivers — maybe. “Dense phase is advertised as more energy efficient than dilute phase, and generally this is true, if the system has been properly designed,” said Paul Solt. “The upper part of dense, just below saltation velocity, uses the lowest energy, but usually needs a compressor; and if the compressor isn’t properly matched to the usage a processor might not save any energy.”

CONS: Dense phase has a few built-in restrictions. First, it’s only possible if the air supply pressure is relatively high or the conveying distance is relatively short. “Even if a material exhibits the physical properties necessary for dense phase conveying, for low pressure or long distance conveying it will only be possible to convey a material in dilute phase,” Paul Solt said.

Also, in large-scale dense phase systems with large pipe diam-

eters and long distances, installation of special pipe supports and additional steel structures might be necessary to compensate for the pipe forces. “These factors can increase the installation and maintenance costs,” said Heinz Schneider.

MAKING A CHOICE So, now that the two modes are less mysterious, how do you select the better system for your needs? First, ignore the hype. “Since the introduction of dense phase conveying in the 1970s, there’s been an advertising war between the two modes,” said Paul Solt.

“Too many vendors sell one type of system or the other, and recommend that type for any material handling situation.”

Also, processors sometimes bring their own biases to the table.

“I’ve been approached by many processors asking for one particular conveying mode before they know, for example, the properties of the material to be conveyed,” Solt continued.

A good second step is to realize it’s not always an easy decision. “There’s no simple answer as to which conveying system is best for a specific application,” said Heinz Schneider. “The choice depends on a combination of factors, such as conveying distance, pressure availability, the characteristics of the material to be conveyed, and the processor’s own economic considerations.”

Let’s start with conveying distance, which is usually linked with pressure. Since conveying line pressure drop is almost directly proportional to distance, long distance conveying — around one mile — equates to high pressure, particularly if a high material flow rate is required. Turns out, we’ve just eliminated one system. “For dense phase applications, the use of high pressures over long distances isn’t very convenient,” said Shawn Werner.

“As a consequence, most long distance pneumatic conveying typically is handled in the dilute phase.”

A second — and very big — determinant is the properties of the materials to be conveyed. “If a customer tells me they want a conveying system, my first questions will be about the particle size and the density of their material,” said Paul Solt. “From that alone, I can tell which system to install. It simply doesn’t make sense to select either dilute or dense phase when the material is unknown.”

It’s worth repeating: Almost any material can be conveyed in dilute phase, either powder or resin; abrasive materials, however, tend to do better in dense phase because the velocity is lower.

Last, but definitely not least, is the question of money. “Many materials are in-between: moderately abrasive and capable of being handled by either dilute or dense phase,” said Shawn Werner. “In this instance, selecting one mode over the other can come down to life cycle costing. On one hand, the equipment will wear out faster in a dilute phase system, requiring replacement parts; on the other, dense phase systems have higher initial costs, but won’t require replacement parts at the same rate.”

CPL RESOURCE LIST Pelletron Corporation (Lancaster, Pa.); www.pelletroncorp; 717-293-4008 Pneumatic Conveying Consultants (Schnecksville, Pa.); www.powderandbulk.com; 610-437-3220 Vortex Valves (Salina, Kan.); www.vortexvalves.com; 785-825-7177 www.canplastics.com October 2010 Canadian Plastics 19

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raw materials handling

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: A quick look at some of the latest in raw materials handling equipment

Two new offerings: bulk bag and manual dump system, open chute box dumper Flexicon Corp. has introduced two new raw materials handling components.

First, a combination bulk bag and manual dump batching system (Fig. 1) weighs bulk materials that are discharged from bulk bags and/or manually dumped from sacks, boxes and other containers, and empties the batch into mobile storage bins.

A programmable controller with manual start button activates either of the flexible Fig. 2 screw conveyors to load the first ingredient into the central weigh hopper at maximum feed rate. Load cells supporting the hopper transmit weight gain information to the controller, which steps-down the feed rate to dribble prior to reaching the target weight. In the same manner, the controller starts and stops the second conveyor to load the second ingredient into the weigh hopper, and then activates the hopper’s slide gate valve to discharge the batch into mobile storage bins.

To assist with total evacuation of material, a telescoping tube maintains constant downward pressure on the clamp ring and bag spout, elongating the bag as it empties, while bag activators raise and lower bottom edges of the bag into a steep “V” shape, directing material into the bag outlet spout.

Second, an open chute box dumper (Fig. 2) is designed for discharging bulk solid materials from boxes, totes and other containers when dust containment is not a requirement.

The dumper accommodates Gaylords and other boxes from 36 inches to 48 inches (915mm to 1,220mm) on a side, and 39 inches to 44 inches (990mm to 1,117mm) overall height.

Twin hydraulic cylinders pivot the platform-chute assembly, with the container secured from sliding by transverse sidewall braces, to discharge angles of 45 or 60 degrees beyond horizontal, including a motion-dampening feature at the termination of container rotation.

The dumper is available with stainless steel material contact surfaces (shown), in carbon steel with durable industrial coatings, or in all-stainless construction to industrial and sanitary standards.

Flexicon Corporation (Bethlehem, Pa.); www.flexicon.com; 1-888-353-9426 Barnard-Boe Inc. (Issaquah, Wash.) (western Canada); 425-392-2856 Cassier Engineering Sales Ltd. (Toronto); 416-298-1628 Fig. 1

Dedusters reduce scrap rate, save money Pelletron Corp. has unveiled two new series of dedusters, both designed to reduce the scrap rate and increase profitability by removing dust, streamers, and other contaminants before injection molding, extrusion or drying.

The OS-DeDuster (shown) has an offset inlet and outlet for installation in existing pipes, without changing the pipe geometry. The design principle remains unchanged from the company’s original DeDuster series, with one exception: the OS-DeDuster has one elongated main wash deck, which allows for the elimination of the secondary wash deck used at the standard series.

The company’s RC-DeDuster, meanwhile, is a round model that offers a very low height profile. Raw material flows into an adjustable inlet funnel, which distributes the product evenly to the central conical wash deck. A high-efficiency fan generates wash air that pushes the air through holes and slots in the wash deck for efficient contaminant removal. Next, the material flows through a circular zone surrounding the wash deck and the contaminants are carried to the circular dust air channel by the cleaning air stream.

Finally, the dust particles are pulled in a cyclone or dust collector by an exhaust fan and separated from the air. The clean air is then returned to the RC-DeDuster.

Pelletron Corporation (Lancaster, Pa.); www.pelletron.com; 717-293-4008

Hydraulic material lift for lean manufacturing facilities Wildeck Inc.’s new V-Lift unit is a hydraulically operated, cantilever material lift designed for crowded manufacturing facilities that are shifting towards leaner operation.

The unit can be installed in either a shaftway or free-standing with optional structural framing, and incorporates features such as guide columns constructed of six-inch wide-flange structural steel, and a state-of-the art hydraulic ram with dual pistons for a smooth lifting motion.

The standard V-Lift carriage dimension is six feet by six feet, with a lifting capacity up to 3,000 lbs. Material can be loaded or unloaded in a “C,” “Z,” or 90-degree pattern.

Safety interlocks prevent the vertical reciprocating conveyer (VRC) from moving unless the gates are fully closed, and the gates are designed to open only when the carriage is at a designated level.

Additional safety features include mechanical stops for positive leveling with the upper deck, redundant overload protection to prevent the carriage from lifting if loaded to more than 120 per cent of its rated capacity, and velocity fuses that control VRC decent.

Wildeck Inc. (Waukesha, Wis.); www.wildeck.com; 1-800-325-6939

20 Canadian Plastics October 2010 www.canplastics.com

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20/09/10 3:38 PM

colorants

LEAPING into PROSPERITY Colorant suppliers are sensing a return of optimism among consumers; even those still gripped by the credit crunch want to imagine better times ahead. Underlying it all, though, is a deep desire for warts-and-all realism.

Brand owners and plastics packagers looking to tap into these desires had better get familiar with some of the new color trends for 2011.

By Mark Stephen, editor year, with the Great Recession in full groove, color suppliLandastersunderstated. predicted that most product hues would be soft, soothing Twelve months, and umpteen dubious economic forecasts, later? The recession may or may not be over, but suppliers are already offering colors for brand owners designed to reflect a slow return of optimism — tempered by uncertainty — and a craving for authenticity. Throw in the ever-present environmentalism, too.

The result? Expensive-looking silvers and bronzes, distressed effects, down-to-earth greens and mustards — and much more — are all coming your way.

(with a bit of caution)

WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT “In 2010, we predicted people would be looking inward, attempting to create a private, secure world for themselves,” said Cristina Carrara, a ColorWorks designer for Clariant Masterbatches. “For 2011, however, we believe consumers will be tired of feeling insecure and ready to emerge with a more optimistic outlook.”

Two of the central colors for 2011, color analysts agree, will be blue and green, along with variations thereof. The two are constants for almost any product line, year in, year out, and both hit current hot-button feelings. “For most people, blue has natural associations with serenity and equilibrium, and these feelings are especially valuable today,” said Linda Carroll, color insight manager with Ampacet “Consumers are looking for grounding during the recession — they aren’t quite panicked, but they’re cautious — and blue will play into that.”

But don’t expect to see your grandfather’s flat, old-fashioned blue on the store shelves. “Blues have been getting much more complex recently, with depths and subtleties that weren’t available even a few years ago,” Carroll said. “Midnight blue expressed with various undertones is growing in popularity as the key replacement color for black in a lot of consumer goods packaging.”

Greens are expected to remain very popular as well, due to the

Top Image Credit: Clariant Masterbatches

The “Obama colors”: STILL HOT His own approval ratings might be in a slide, but the colors associated with U.S. President Barack Obama’s wife and daughters remain popular almost two years after his inauguration.

If you don’t know anything else about contemporary American politics, you probably know that Michelle Obama likes to wear purple. It wasn’t entirely her own idea — the color was everywhere in Paris before she discovered it — but she gave it a definite boost, wearing purple outfits and accents to one Obama campaign event after another throughout 2008.

She didn’t wear purple to her husband’s January 2009 inauguration funnily enough, but younger daughter Natasha did. Older daughter Malia wore deep blue to the event, and Michelle herself donned a lemon-colored coat. The result?

All three shades — nicknamed the “Obama colors” — got hot, and have stayed hot ever since, filtering down from clothing to beauty and consumer goods. “The ‘Obama colors’ have been strong, important colors in the past year, and will continue to be so throughout 2011,” said Americhem’s Doreen Becker.

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colorants

obvious connection to all things environmental. But as the global environmental movement expands, so does the range of colors associated with it. “Any color that can be linked with recycling in the minds of consumers — such as earthy colors like russet and saffron — will be popular choices for brand owners in 2011,” said Doreen Becker, packaging market development manager for Americhem Incorporated. “Uniquely, it’s a development that has nothing to do with the recession, which is almost invariably a big determinant for most colors and shades this year.”

Just how important is the recession as an influence on color trends? “In the consumer goods world, colors don’t just reflect where consumers are right now, but also where they see themselves in the immediate future,” Becker said. “People want to start making money again, and colors associated with this will be hot picks in 2011: metal colors, silvers, brasses and bronzes, for example.”

FLAWED, NOT PHONY Sounds simple, but there might just be a hidden contradiction in play: people want to feel successful, color forecasters say, but not phony. Triggered in large part by a subprime mortgage crisis that saw a dramatic rise in mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures, the recession reinforced a popular perception that first took hold during the Enron days: that shady dealings are the new normal.

The backlash is filtering down into both beauty and consumer goods: today’s consumers want product brandings that seem authentic, not contrived.

“Contrivance, represented by a color such as gold, was a popular product look in an era of conspicuous consumption like the 1980s, but it’s a turn-off in many segments now,” said Linda Carroll. “Consumers feel manipulated enough in their daily lives; they don’t want product colors to reinforce that perception.”

Simply put, in cynical times like these, the flawed, warts-andall look is in. “Distressed finishes as a sign of authenticity will be a real packaging driver in 2011,” Carroll continued. “Brand owners can attain that distressed look in product and packaging

by using unique textural finishes and deliberate, imperfect blending of multiple colors.”

Grown-ups, it seems, aren’t the only ones searching for a little authenticity nowadays; believe it or not, children crave it too.

“Children have been flooded with bright primary colors for generations, but today’s children are more sophisticated,” said Doreen Becker. “They want colors that speak to their intelligence and their reality: more somber, adult colors, such as mustards and earthy tones.”

FADING FAVORITES Now that you know which colors and shades will be hot in 2011, the obvious follow-up question is: what’s not?

Pink, for one, in what amounts to a very large trending shift.

“There was a tremendous amount of pink in beauty and consumer goods packaging last year, particularly from Asia, with the result that it’s been over-used,” Becker said. “Companies that use pink as a brand color will retain it, but otherwise it will be in decline.

Americhem Incorporated is only offering one color theme that contains pink this year, for example, and only as an accent.”

Turquoise is expected to be another casualty. “Ampacet has had turquoise and teal variants in its color palette for the past few years, and it was in demand across the board, but we believe it will move out as a dominant trend color, with blue and green returning to separate identities,” said Linda Carroll.

Finally, orange seems to be trending out also, a victim of the by-now familiar scourge of over-commercialization — which would have been bad news to Frank Sinatra, who always claimed it as his favorite color.

CPL RESOURCE LIST Americhem Inc. (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio); www.americhem.com; 1-800-228-3476 Ampacet Canada Co. (Kitchener, Ont.); www.ampacet.com; 800-265-6711 Clariant Masterbatches Division (Toronto); www.clariant.masterbatches.com; 800-2653773

READING THE CLARIANT COLOR ROADMAP For years, Clariant’s annual ColorForward forecast has served as a roadmap for manufacturers of plastic products and packaging, outlining the twists and turns of color trends for the year ahead. The company’s research team assesses worldwide cultural influences and lifestyle trends, and distills their findings into four global color themes.

The results for 2011 are in. Clariant’s first theme is called “What a Wonderful World”, described as reflecting a growing sense of optimism across the planet. “The colors selected for ‘What a Wonderful World’ — including yellow, violet and blue — are designed to be bright and exuber-

ant, reflecting the spirit of other cultures,” Cristina Carrara said. “A fuchsia called ‘Bollywood’, for instance, is inspired by the musical cinema of India.”

Second is the “In-Fusion2” theme, a blending of technology with the human experience. “The colors we chose — like a neon-bright green and a vivid coral — suggest how hard technology is becoming an integral part of the human experience,” Carrara explained. “Some of the colors in this grouping are created by pairing a bright transluscent color and white in two-layer molded plaques.”

The third color theme, called “Speak Out”, derives from a move toward self-

expression through customization in everything from tattoos to cell phone ringtones. “This is an assertive color palette that includes a pink and a bright greenish-yellow,” Carrara said.

Clariant’s final global theme is “Forgotten Treasures”, intended to link to the past without losing a contemporary feel. “To show this juxtaposition, we use the ‘Enigma Fade’ gradation special effect, where one color blends into another through the use of a multilayer molding technique,” Carrara said. “One color in this theme features a rusty red softening into an antique rose, for example.”

22 Canadian Plastics October 2010 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase

AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT

Part cooling solution saves time, money, manpower A new rapid part cooling system from Dynamic Conveyor is designed as a fast alternative to air cooling by either natural or moving ambient air with fans.

In conjunction with a DynaCon modular conveyor system, a portable spot air-cooling unit can be added for rapid part cooling, providing instant cool air in the hottest environments, such as production lines, manufacturing processes and injection molding.

The system includes a duct structure that uses clear plastic to cover the conveyor, creating a tunnel above the conveyor belt to maximize the cold airflow over the parts.

Creating instant cool air up to 25 degrees below room temperature, the unit provides up to 60,000 BTU per hour, has a digital temperature control, and costs as little as $0.10 per hour to operate.

Dynamic Conveyor Corp. (Muskegon, Mich.); www.dynamicconveyor.com; 1-800-640-6850 Plastics Machinery Inc. (Newmarket, Ont.); 905-895-5054

Mobile leveler increases safety, productivity The PalletPal mobile leveler from Southworth Products Corp. allows workers to lift, transport and position up to 3,000 lb. loads.

Whether used for loading or off-loading pallets, picking orders, or for positioning materials at workbenches or production machines, PalletPal mobile levelers can significantly increase safety and productivity.

Low 52.5-inch overall height and dual-wheel steering provide unobstructed operator views and optimum maneuverability. Standard features on all models include infinite height adjustment, safety wheel/toe guards, and auto-stop release. Electric models have extended-duty cycles, battery discharge indicators, and integral battery chargers.

PalletPal Mobile Levelers are available in two basic configurations. The “Fork Over” handles skids and pallets with no crossbottom boards; the “Straddle” can handle pallets and skids with either open or closed bottoms.

Standard fork lengths are 42 inches for “Straddle” models and 45 inches for “Fork Over” units. Other fork lengths are also available.

Southworth Products Corp. (Grimsby, Ont.); www.trans-quip.com; 1-866-261-0251

INJECTION MOLDING

Wittmann Battenfeld returns to large machine market

The new MacroPower two-platen machine range from Wittmann Battenfeld marks the company’s return to large machine manufacturing.

An 800-ton unit was launched in April, a 1,000-ton machine will be available in October, and a 1,600-ton unit will be available in 2011.

The MacroPower line is designed to blend a small footprint, speed, modularity, precision and cleanliness.

The linear guide system of the moving platen ensures a clean mold space and maximum precision in mold protection.

The units reach high speed by means of fast movements, minimal locking and high-pressure build-up times.

Additionally, the units offer easy mold insertion from the rear of the machine. An extended safety gate stroke at the rear, combined with tie-bars kept at below-average length, allows insertion of bulky molds in most cases without a tie-bar-pulling device.

Battenfeld (Wittmann Canada Inc.) (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-canada.com; 1-888-466-8266

ROBOTS & AUTOMATION

Small version internal diameter gripper New from SAS Automation LLC, a smaller version of the company’s internal diameter gripper (IDG) 16-26-33 is designed for parts that are small, fragile, or that have an irregular shape.

The IDG grips and releases on command, and is well suited for manipulating breakable parts.

Unlike standard clamps, the IDG distributes force evenly over the entire contact area.

Standard features include jaws that exert 14 lbs. of force at 90 PSI; 1/8th-inch neoprene rubber cord stock inserts to ensure a secure grip; and a nose adapter that can easily be customized for locating or part stabilization.

SAS Automation LLC (Xenia, Ohio); www.sasautomation.com; 1-888-727-3628 Verick International (Brampton, Ont.); 905-458-7121

RECYCLING

High-throughput plastic reclamation, recycling The RG62 K from Vecoplan LLC is designed for processing large extruder purgings, reject parts, trim scraps, baled or loose film for reclamation and recycling.

The unit has a hopper in-feed opening of 63 inches by 80 www.canplastics.com October 2010 Canadian Plastics 23

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technology showcase inches, and allows up to 6.3 cubic yards of material to be handled at one time.

Once in the hopper, waste material falls into the cutting chamber and is pushed by a two-speed, 10-HP hydraulic feed-ram into the cutting rotor. The RG62 K’s rotor is 15 inches in diameter and has 45 40mm by 40mm cutting inserts bolted into valleys machined in the rotor surface. Each cutting insert can be rotated to four separate wear points prior to replacement, minimizing maintenance costs.

Once cut, material exits the cutting chamber through a heavy-duty industrial sizing screen. Screens are available with a variety of opening sizes that can be quickly and easily changed to control particle size.

The unit is available with drive motors ranging from 75 HP to 150 HP. Vecoplan LLC (High Point, N.C.); www.vecoplanllc.com; 336-861-6070 Greg Parent (Toronto); 416-678-0154

TESTING & MEASURING EQUIPMENT

The Extrusioneers

Spectrophotometer with full scanning capabilities Rubik‘s Cube® used by permission of Seven Towns Ltd. www.rubiks.com

Our SolutionS – YOur SucceSS!

EVOLUTION – The Next Generation EVOLUTION – the new generation of blown film technology impressively defines Reifenhäuser Kiefel Extrusion. The fusion of Reifenhäuser and Kiefel Extrusion enabled the use of each‘s key technical advantages to create a modular blown film system, with strengths that are reflected in every detail in the new EVOLUTION series.

Extruder, blown film die, air ring, collapsing unit, winder and automation systems are the outcome of a combination of all competencies and result in a unique solution: enhanced profitability, sustainable efficiency and an optimal customer solution thanks to the quality and strength of the Reifenhäuser Group.

27.10. – 03.11.2010 Düsseldorf • Germany Hall 17 • Stand A21 / C22 www.reifenhauser-kiefel.com info @ reifenhauser-kiefel.com

The new Spectronic 200 spectrophotometer from Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is designed to deliver fast, cost-effective, full-wavelength scan data and multistandard quantitative analysis for superior performance in low- and mid-level academic, food and beverage, wastewater and chemical laboratories.

The onboard controls and full-color display reduce bench space requirements and offer an intuitive navigation experience similar to a cell phone — an interface that’s easy to learn, even for inexperienced users.

For laboratories with established methods, protocols or SOPs, emulation modes mimic the Spectronic 20 and Genesys 20 for easy method transfer.

Results are displayed on a full-color LCD graphics screen with variable angle positioning, providing improved clarity of information display. Also, the USB ports support memory devices for method storage and connection to USB printers.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Dubuque, Iowa); www.thermofisher.com; 563-556-2241 Geneq Inc. (Montreal); 514-354-2511 Hoskin Scientific Ltd. (Vaughan, Ont.); 905-333-5510 (Vancouver); 604-872-7894

24 Canadian Plastics October 2010 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase

Infrared film thickness measurement gauges

SAB

NDC Infrared Engineering Ltd. has three new offerings for measuring sheet film: the revised FG710S NIR sensor, the TFG710SER (Extended Range) film gauge, and the OptiMike Shadow LED sensor.

The revised FG710S NIR sensor now has extended measurement capabilities to include voided BOPP films, as well as micro-porous battery separator film using a single sensor.

Unlike beta or X-ray sensors, the FG710S measures thickness, not mass, of voided film, resulting in flat film and rolls. A single gauge can be used for all types of film, including PET, PP, PE, PS, PVC, EVOH, PA, Surlyn, and PMMA. The new TFG710S-ER (Extended Range) film gauge has been engineered specifically for measuring a wide range of polyolefinbased films on lines10:07 where AM multiple ranges are proAd/AB/CPL 1/22/10 Pagethickness 4 duced. The sensor uses a patented design, achieving a new level in on-line measurement speed, accuracy and performance, even on films less than two microns thick. The gauges require no re-standardization, and can be fitted to standard scanning systems.

The new OptiMike Shadow LED Sensor allows direct, singlesided thickness measurement of plastic sheet, foam and rubber products. Unlike laser triangulation gauges, it is insensitive to surface characteristics, color, or porosity.

NDC Infrared Engineering Ltd. (Irwindale, Calif.); www.ndc.com; 626-960-3300 Intrepid Standard Technologies Inc. (Mississauga, Ont.); 905-278-8088

Enhanced digital caliper line Mahr Federal has introduced a new generation of its line of MarCal digital calipers.

Innovations include lapped guideways and a new reference system which retains the zero position setting, so that the unit is ready to measure whenever it’s turned on or the jaws are moved.

Also, a convenient reference lock protects the setting from operator error. In addition, the new calipers are energy efficient, providing up to 50 per cent longer battery life.

MarCal digital calipers are available with protection against dust and immersion to class IP67, and in a wide range of sizes and blade and anvil configurations.

Mahr Federal (Providence, R.I.); www.mahr.co; 1-800-343-2050

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES FOR PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENTS

Servo robots with highly accurate positioning.

Custom designed automation cells.

High-precision, all-electric injection molding machines, 35T–1,000T Environmentally friendly: no oil, no noise, energy-saving.

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 October 2010 Canadian Plastics 25

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technology showcase

MOLD TECHNOLOGY

HOT RUNNERS

D-M-E Company has expanded its line of mold components with the addition of Black and Gold interlocks in metric sizes, designed to provide accurate alignment and guidance of the mold halves during mold set-up and throughout mold operation.

The company offers four new metric sizes of top interlocks and six new metric sizes of side interlocks.

Instead of having to replace them in pairs, as traditionally required, processors can replace each independently, due to the precision manufacturing and tolerances in place.

The Black and Gold interlocks work with a variety of mold bases including D-M-E’s Quick Delivery Standards (QDS), a product line that allows customers to choose from more than 3,800 popular mold base combinations.

Customers ordering mold bases can also request to have the interlocks installed by D-M-E prior to shipping.

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

Mold Hotrunner Solutions Inc. introduces the new Rheo-Pro iVG, said to be the first internal valve gate on the market.

The compact design of Rheo-Pro iVG nozzles makes it possible to build “short stacks” or stack molds with a tip-to-tip length of only 285mm and a pitch or gate-to-gate distance of 63.5mm.

The new iVG back-to-back valve gate nozzle increases mold uptime and improves conventional manifold systems. Also, the valve-to-valve melt transfer through the mold-parting surface eliminates the traditional sprue bar.

The Rheo-Pro iVG is completely front-serviceable from the mold parting line. Every component, including nozzles, valve actuators and valve pins, can be accessed quickly by stripping the cavity plate onto the core side while the entire mold remains inside the machine.

Mold Hotrunner Solutions Inc. (Georgetown, Ont.); www.mhsinc.ca; 905-873-1954

Interlocks give accurate guidance of mold halves

Internal valve gate with compact design

CONVEYING TECHNOLOGY SPE Annual Christmas Celebration Friday, December 3, 2010 Stage West Theatre Restaurant 5400 Dixie Road, Mississauga ON

Buffet Dinner 6:30 Show 8:00 Dancing 10:30

$ 96.00 per person

Cocktail Attire FINAL DATE TO ORDER TICKETS NOVEMBER 1, 2010

For More Information Contact Penny Perdis fax: 905-820-6938 or pennyperdis@sympatico.ca

Slide gate with superior sealing capability A newly designed slide gate (SG2) from Lorenz Conveying Products features 3/8thinch thick top and bottom flanges for improved sealing capability by achieving increased pressure on the seals with greater torque on the plates.

This also allows the slide gate to be air purged for a fully pressurized body.

The design has no side ledges to collect material, and allows for space savings in tight quarters.

Fewer fasteners make it simpler to maintain, and the lighter design allows for simple handling and installation.

The company offers two-week standard delivery times on the slide gate.

Lorenz Conveying Products (Cobourg, Ont.); www.lorenz.ca; 905-372-2240

BLOWN FILM

Versatile air ring system A new system of air rings from Future Design Inc. allows for choices: a processor can start with a standard air ring and up-

26 Canadian Plastics October 2010 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase fit the same air ring at any time to a manual prof iling air ring. Any time after that, the same air ring can be up-fitted to a fully automated profiling air ring.

Additionally, both the manual and fully automated system can be fitted to oscillating and/or rotating dies.

The electronic control network of the profiling air ring has been designed to work in conjunction with various OEM-supplied gauge-monitoring systems. Systems in the field have been accredited with achieving point-to-point gauge variations of +/three per cent at rates of 24 lbs./inch of die circumference.

Future Design Inc. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.saturn2.com; 905-361-9978

ULTRASONIC WELDING

Semi-automated welding station for medical catheters A new semi-automated ultrasonic welding station from Herr­ mann Ultrasonics is designed for easy welding of catheters for

the medical market by a single operator.

The loading and unloading are accomplished at the operator station.

The operator loads the parts to be assembled in a fixture. The introducer hub nests in the fixture with the rest of the part hanging down; the dial-plate rotates to the weld station where the cap is ultrasonically welded onto the hub. The optional subsequent station on the dial plate places a precisely measured amount of lubricant into the hub, and the finished assembly is rotated around to the operator for unloading.

The welding station includes a 1,000-watt, 35 kHz, Herrmann Ultrasonics Dialog digital control ultrasonic welder. Built into the 12-inch color touchscreen controller is an industrial computer, running Windows XP, to facilitate the welding process control.

All welding processes are electronically controlled and programmed through the Dialog controller.

The machine’s footprint is 800mm by 900mm.

Herrmann Ultrasonics (Bartlett, Ill.); www.herrmannultrasonics.com; 630-626-1626

advertising index Advertiser Automatisation S.A.B. Inc. BDC Canon Communications (Plast-Ex) PCS Company Plastics Process Equipment, Inc. Piovan Canada PolyOne Distribution Canada Ltd. Reifenhauser Kiefel Extrusion Rotogran International Inc. SPE Ontario Vortex Valves Wittmann Canada Inc.

plastics data file

Page

Telephone

E-mail

Website

25 450-652-9767 info@sabgroupe.com 8 877-232-2269 17 416-572-7684 plastex@cancom.com 16 800-521-0546 sales@pcs-company.com 31 800-362-0706 sales@ppe.com 2 905-629-8822 trodrigues@piovan.ca 13 888-394-2662 24 978-412-9700 info@reifenhauser-kiefel.com 7 905-738-0101 info@rotogran.com 26 30 785-825-7177 rbarragree@vortexvalves.com back cover 888-466-8266 info@wittmann-canada.com

www.automatisationsab.com www.bdc.ca www.plastex.org www.pcs-company.com www.ppe.com www.piovan.com www.polyone.com www.reifenhauser-kiefel.com www.rotogran.com http://speontario.com/ www.vortexcanada.com www.wittmann-canada.com

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

Screw Refurbishing Services

“Don’t ever trash a screw without first checking with IMS!” Our full range of screw enhancements include Screw Rebuilding; Screw Modifications and replacement Non-Return Valves; New OEM-design Reciprocating Screws; Custom Designed Screws plus IMS Exclusive SPIRAL™-Flighted and Fliteless® Screws.

IMS Industrial Molding Supplies 10373 Stafford Road, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023-5296; Tel. 1-800-537-5375 www.imscompany.com/FeedScrews.htm

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.

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technology showcase

MATERIALS

Grades for PC, ABS, PC/ABS and acrylic overmolding Elastocon TPE Technologies Inc. has expanded its line of special STK series of overmolding thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) compounds and concentrates for overmolding onto PC, ABS, PC/ABS and acrylic. The company’s new STK 50 and STK70 grades have a Shore A hardness range of 45 and 67.

Benefits of the new grades, all of which can be injection molded, extruded, blow molded or compounded, are their high flow properties to make them suited for complex parts or components that require protection, good colorability, aesthetically

appealing surface finish and high impact resistance, even at low temperatures.

Applications can include — but are not limited to — boat and aviation products, recreational products, power tools, instrumentation and hand-held electronics where non-slip, soft touch ergonomics, UV stability and resistance to microbial growth and household products might be required.

Elastocon TPE Technologies Inc. (Rochester, Ill.); www.elastocontpe.com; 1-888-644-8732

classified ads MATERIALS

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

When purchasing your next Chilling System

CHECK US OUT! Plant wide chilling systems complete with pumping packages, filtration, system design incorporating existing equipment, installation and start-up.

Portable chillers air and water cooled with load sizing and chiller selection, double pumps, water by-pass valves and motorized valves for precise temperature control.

www.temperaturecorporation.com

877-513-8310

PROCESSORS/MOLD MAKERS

28 Canadian Plastics October 2010 www.canplastics.com

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design ideas • the latest on wheels

Smooth riding baby buggy

Shock-absorbing aircraft hubcaps If you’re wondering where the wheel is in this application, it’s the thing going behind a very important hubcap that’s been designed to help absorb the extreme stresses regularly placed on aircraft landing gear.

When aerospace systems supplier Crane Aerospace & Electronics developed a new tire pressure monitoring system for the landing gear of Boeing 777 aircraft, they knew they needed a material with high temperature resistance, chemical resistance and mechanical strength for use in the hubcaps.

They selected Victrex PEEK polymer.

“The special combination of properties in the PEEK materials allowed us to successfully displace metals, traditional composites and other plastics not only in this project, but also in a growing number of aerospace applications,” said John Walling, regional business manager for Victrex.

The PEEK material had the added benefit of allowing Crane to carve some weight out of the hubcaps — never a bad thing nowadays. “By specifying PEEK polymer, each hubcap now weighs less than 1.5 lbs.,” said Jeff Tonn, a design engineer at Crane. “With 14 wheels per plane, the weight reduction is considerable.”

A final advantage of the PEEK material, according to Walling, is that it can be easily fabricated into tight tolerance parts. “The hubcaps are injection molded, and a nominal wall thickness of 3.75mm is thick enough to protect the hubcap from high impact events,” he said.

Victrex USA Inc. (West Conshohocken, Pa.); www.victrex.com; 484-342-6001

A smooth, luxurious ride isn’t just for those of us old enough to drive anymore.

The new BABYZEN stroller, manufactured by French company Advanced Baby Concepts (ABC) and Scalea Innovation, has been designed to handle a lifetime of uneven pavements and potholes without disturbing Junior’s nap — thanks in part to a chassis that contains over 80 components molded from DuPont engineering polymers.

Ultra-flat when collapsed, and weighing under 10 kilograms, the BABYZEN incorporates DuPont Delrin acetal resin, Zytel nylon and Zytel HTN PPA for many of its functional and structural parts, providing not just shock resistance but also high strength and stiffness, low wear and low friction performance and good processability.

“Generally, those parts requiring functional performance such as abrasion resistance, low wear and low friction as well as high mechanical strength and rigidity are made with Delrin,” said Laurent Hanen, development consultant at DuPont Performance Polymers. “Components that required a greater emphasis on structural performance — brake pedals, swivels arms of the wheels, the seat-base, footrest and handlebar — are molded from Zytel or, in the case of some gears, Zytel HTN.” Available in 37 countries across North America, Europe and the Middle East, the BABYZEN had to pass a wide range of product safety tests before being unleashed on new parents — including being pushed over an irregular test surface 72,000 times at a speed of five km/hr.

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

Lighter in-flight trolleys Seems like everyone and everything is trying to loose weight these days — even airline trolleys.

LSG Sky Chefs, the world’s largest provider of in-flight services, recently partnered with cabin product designer Norduyn to create a new line of ultra-light in-flight trolleys that can help reduce aircraft fuel consumption and emissions.

The last piece of the puzzle was SABIC Innovative Plastics: the company’s UV-resistant Ultem resin is used for the extrusion profiles and door latch, and tough Noryl resin for the trolley frame and other components.

According to Thomas Kohler, LSG Sky Chief’s head of engineering, both the full- and half-size trolleys utilize Noryl resin in the frame and critical components to replace metal, slashing weight by up to 40 per cent and reducing the number of parts by a third. The Noryl material also provides non-halogenated flame retardance and enhanced safety with industry-leading flame/smoke/toxicity (FST) performance that meets Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 25.853 requirements.

The Ultem resin, meanwhile, was selected for external components due to its good resistance to UV light and ability to be custom-colored, allowing Norduyn and LSG Sky Chefs to offer trolleys in airlines’ brand colors. Also, the Ultem material meets FAR heat release standards.

The weight-savings tally? “A Boeing 747 fully loaded with these lightweight trolleys could cut weight by approximately 1,650 lbs., equating to a savings of approximately US$65,000 per year in fuel costs,” Kohler said.

SABIC Innovative Plastics (Toronto); www.sabic-ip.com; 1-800-323-3783 www.canplastics.com October 2010 Canadian Plastics 29

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view from the floor

Power to the people

By Jim Anderton, technical editor

H

ere’s a question: What is “power”?

Conventional parameters for shop floor electric circuits use terminology like “voltage”, “current” (sometimes called “amperage”) and “load”. At its simplest, think of these as similar to the flow of water in a garden hose.

The pressure available at the faucet is voltage, the rate of flow in litres per minute out the nozzle is current, and the restriction to flow from the nozzle or kinks in the hose is the load.

In our applications, of course, the load is really the conversion of electrical energy into useful work like melting and injecting resin. And in keeping with the garden hose analogy, it’s flow that really counts here, so current in amps is the parameter you’re really interested in for plant distribution. Fuses and breakers limit excess current, current determines the gauge and allowable length of wiring runs, and voltage is the push that drives current. If the current is low enough, there’s no danger. Ever see that demo

where the kid’s hair stands on end while he/she touches that big silver ball? There might be 50,000 volts on the surface of that ball, but minimal current. Touch a household 110V AC hot wire, on the other hand, and you can be killed by as little as 60-thousandths of an amp of current.

WHAT’S A WATT? So where does “power” fit in? We measure the amount of energy used by a simple load like a band heater by multiplying the voltage times the current in amps to give power measured in watts. How many watts used in an hour is a watthour, or kilowatt-hour for bigger loads, which shows up on your electricity bill. For the band heater example, however, look at the math again: for a fixed wattage of heater, doubling the voltage halves the current for the same wattage, which means smaller, lighter wiring runs. The key point is that the band heater’s output is measured in watts, which means it doesn’t care whether you use high voltage and low current or the other way around. Naturally there are limits, and the heater will have recommended ratings, but for purely resistive loads like band heaters you can easily guesstimate the bill for melting that resin But what about the other loads, like electric motors? AC motors are very efficient and reliable, but they impose both simple resistive loads and a more complex form of load with ugly names like “inductive reactance”. Motors are usually rated in horsepower (1 HP equals 746 watts), which is a quaint historical measure that’s really only useful in comparing motors. You often see ratings in “VA” on AC motors, which is a measure of apparent power, as opposed to reactive power, et cetera. Unless you have a power quality or serious load balancing issue, you don’t need to go there.

PERILS OF HIGH VOLTAGE From a shop floor perspective, there’s a safety issue, of course.

You can survive high voltage exposure with low currents, but what controls the current? Mainly the resistance of your body, which isn’t enough, unfortunately, to save you in a high voltage strike. And high voltages can spark, with resultant hazards.

So why not just use low voltage and high current to get the same wattage? That’s what Thomas Edison wanted, and if he’d has his way 100 years ago, today there would be generting stations every few kilometres to minimize the resistive losses in the low voltage, direct current lines. As it turned out, Edison lost the battle with George Westinghouse, who wanted high voltage AC distribution.

Good thing, too, because if we lived in a low voltage world, we’d probably be melting resin with steam boilers — and I, for one, am not shovelling coal!

CPL 30 Canadian Plastics October 2010 www.canplastics.com

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