Canadian Plastics November 2011

CanadianPlastics www.canplastics.com

NOVEMBER 2011

Resin Pricing

FORECAST The latest intelligence for 2012 p.10

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Injection molding work cells that work p.20

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Unpacking our 5th annual Extrusion Benchmark Survey p.16

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contents

Canadian Plastics NOVEMBER 2011 VOLUME 69 NUMBER 6

LOOKING BACK...

The April 1961 issue of Canadian Plastics broke the story of a new type of invisible plastic coating designed to prevent tarnishing on fine silverware. Commercialized by the Bakelite division of Union Carbide Canada after 10 years of research (for perspective, the Manhattan Project only took six), the "modified organo functional silicone" coating provided protection against the slings and arrows of salt, eggs, mustard, vinegar and other outrageous foodstuffs. It also had the less-obvious benefit of allowing silversmiths to finally coin the term "salted nut dish," which they couldn't do before because no piece of hollowware was salt-resistant.

page 16

Number of the month:

$17.10*

* Average hourly extruder operator wage, excluding benefits. (See pg. 16)

page 10

page 21

in every issue 4 Editor’s View: What the crisis should teach us 5 Ideas & Innovations: From coconut husks to car parts 6 News: • CPIA leads tour of Edmonton’s mega-recycling facility • Quebec honors its own at FEPAC gala • Plastics pioneer Barney Danson dies at 90 • News briefs, People 9 Executive’s Corner: Succession planning: Get the best of both worlds 24 Technology Showcase

cover story

10 RESIN OUTLOOK 2012: Good news, bad news

The Great Recession is over — we think — and, as molding orders finally get the green lights, global resin consumption is on the rise again. But with experts predicting volatile prices ahead, buyers shouldn't get too comfortable. The bright side? Our annual outlook can help you navigate the tricky waters to come.

features

16 EXTRUSION BENCHMARK SURVEY: The end of the tunnel?

Wondering how Canada's pipe, profile and tubing extruders are doing these days? Got a stake in whether or not they plan to pick up new equipment in the months ahead? Look no further.

Our fifth annual survey gives you an industry snapshot you won't find anywhere else.

25 Plastics Data File 25 Advertising Index 28 Classified Ads 29 Design Ideas: New adventures in auto applications 30 View from the Floor: Three major myths about quality

20 INJECTION MOLDING: Automating to succeed

From Antony and Cleopatra to gin and tonic, history is full of classic combinations. Take I/M machines and automation — the right pairing can lift your plastics processing into a whole new stratosphere. Inside, we look at some of the latest work cells that work.

Visit us at www.canplastics.com www.canplastics.com November 2011 Canadian Plastics 3

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editor’s view

What the crisis should teach us

I

n last issue’s editorial, I speechified about the value of the automotive sector, and manufacturing in general, to Canada’s economic recovery. While it probably felt like I went on forever, I was actually cramped for space and had to be brief.

This time around, I have to be even briefer (thanks a lot, “Season’s Greetings”), but I’ll add a coda to what I said then: The best thing the government — any government, in any Western country — can do to help an economic recovery is get out of the way.

This is at odds with the current Occupy Wall Street/Occupy Bay Street movements, which are demanding the abandonment of markets and the embrace of massive government intervention. But it helps to remember how both the North American recession and the European debt crisis started. In Europe, it’s a situation created by sovereign nations whose politicians borrowed trillions to pay for vote-buying programs that couldn’t be carried. In the U.S., it was a mortgage crisis brought on by a government that decided that everyone, no matter what their income level,

should own a home.

It’s important to keep this root cause in mind, because the politicos are doing it again with government green policies, where hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars are going to support energy projects that are the equivalent of bad mortgage loans. Think of the US$500 million flushed down the toilet in the Solyndra debacle in California, or the Ontario government’s push to have small-scale solar power plants replace large-scale generation without — whoops! — a plan to connect all these new solar panels to the provincial power grid.

However well-intentioned — and despite individual success stories — such “green corporatism” isn’t going to kickstart a national economy. Only traditional manufacturing can do that. And the longer we dally about getting back to real industries as the basis of real wealth, the more our industries get hollowed out, and the harder it becomes.

Mark Stephen, editor

mstephen@canplastics.com

Season’s Greetings

Wishing you a happy & prosperous New Year from

Mark Stephen Editor

Judith Nancekivell Publisher & Editorial Director

Brayden Ford Sales Manager

Jim Anderton Technical Editor

and the rest of your friends at

CanadianPlastics

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 416-510-5148 E-mail: janderton@canadianmetalworking.com 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 SALES MANAGER Brayden Ford 416-510-5124 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: bford@canplastics.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Anita Madden 416-442-5600, ext. 3596 Fax: 416-510-6875 E-mail: amadden@bizinfogroup.ca HEAD OFFICE: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto ON, M3B 2S9. 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 newspapers and business-to-business informa­ tion services.

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6 issues Canadian Plastics, plus Dec. 2011 Buyer’s Guide: CANADA: $69.95 plus applicable taxes.

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The contents of this magazine are protected by copyright and may be used only for your personal non-commercial purposes. All other rights are reserved and commercial use is prohibited. To make use of any of this material you must first obtain the permission of the owner of the copyright. For further information please contact Judith Nancekivell, 416-510-5116.

For reprints call RSiCopyright, Michelle Hegland, msh@rsicopyright.com USPS 745-670. U.S. Office of Publication, 2424 Niagara Falls Blvd., Niagara Falls, NY. 14304-0357. Periodical Postage paid at Niagara Falls NY USA. Postmaster: Send address changes to Canadian Plastics, PO Box 1118, Niagara Falls NY 14304-0357.

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4 Canadian Plastics November 2011 www.canplastics.com

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ideas & innovations

From coconut husks to car parts

thinkstockphotos.com

I

t might be the most novel use of a coconut since Gilligan and the Professor turned one into a radio.

In an effort to reduce the use of petroleum and make parts lighter and more natural looking, the Ford Motor Co. has teamed up with branded consumer product manufacturer Scotts Miracle-Gro Company to incorporate coconut fibres as a renewable feedstock in molded plastic parts for Ford’s vehicles.

The project draws on discarded coconut husks, also called coirs, a waste stream from Scotts’ soil and grass seed products.

Scotts mixes coconut coir into its “Turf Builder EZ Seed” grass seed mixes and its “Miracle-Gro Expand ’n’ Grow” planting soil; the natural fibres hold 50 per cent more water than plain potting soil. (FYI, the company goes through more than 70 million pounds of coir a year in its consumer products.)

Once the coconut coir comes to Ford, researchers combine it with plastic to deliver additional reinforcement to the part while eliminating the need for some petroleum. Along with making use of a renewable resource and saving someone the job of having to bury or otherwise get rid of the husks, the new part is anticipated to be lighter in weight, thereby offering that all-important fuel saving opportunity. “This is a winwin situation,” said Dr. Ellen Lee, a Ford technical expert on plastics. “We’re taking a material that is a waste stream from another industry and using it to increase the sustainability in our vehicles.”

But here’s a twist: While just about every other bioplastic application you can name has a primary goal of looking exactly like a traditional petroleum-based plastic part, the natural long fibres of the coirs will remain visible in the plastic. If that strikes you as a manufacturing flaw... well, Ford disagrees, claiming the parts “will offer a more natural look than typical materials.”

According to Ford, target applications of the coconut coir plastic parts include door trim, seat trim, storage bins, centre console substrates (an unseen part under the finish trim), and possibly underbody panels or exterior trim. Ford is currently testing the coirs for durability, and also to see if the natural flame resistant properties of coconut coir carry over to the manufactured composite.

While there’s no word yet on when the first commercial application will be ready,

the project is the latest in a long line of Ford product initiatives that derive from recycled or growing — and sometimes edible — materials. Since 2008, Ford has offered soy foam seat cushions and head restraints; the soy content is now up to 20 per cent and the remainder is traditional petroleum-based foam. The company is also working with wheat straw mixed into plastic, castor oil foam used in instrument panels, and recycled yarns on seat covers.

Gilligan and Co. might well be proud.

CPL

www.canplastics.com November 2011 Canadian Plastics 5

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news

CPIA leads tour of Edmonton’s mega-recycling facility On October 5, the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) co-sponsored a tour of the future.

Well, okay, one possible future: a fully integrated waste management facility where virtually every scrap of garbage is put to use, either as organics for composting, waste for recycling, waste for landfill or waste for conversion into ethanol.

Over 200 plastics industry members spent the day at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre (EWMC), North America’s largest collection of modern, sustainable waste processing and research facilities. Situated on 233 hectares of land, the EWMC encompasses an integrated processing and transfer facility, a materials recovery facility, a composting facility,

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a construction and demolition recycling operation, and a treatment plant. Founded in 2000, the operation is fast approaching its goal of increasing the city’s residential landfill waste diversion rate from 60 per cent to an enviable-even-inEurope 90 per cent. That impressive number is expected to be hit when a new $80 million preprocessing facility and biofuels plant, designed to handle virtually all non-recycled residual plastics, becomes operational by the end of 2014. Owned and operated by Enerkem Alberta Biofuels, the new plant will convert 100,000 tons of plastic waste into 36 million litres of biofuels annually. (How? After being dried, sorted and shredded, the feedstock will be turned into a gas in a gasifier, which uses air as a partial oxidation agent and/or oxygen-enriched air, with the oxygen enrichment level tailored to the desired composition of the synthetic gas. After that, the gas is cleaned and conditioned for use through a sequential conditioning system, and then converted into high-value, market-ready fuel by a sequential catalytic conversion process.)

The educational tour on October 5 — which demonstrated leading-edge waste management technologies from recycling to solid waste recovery — was sponsored by the CPIA, the American Chemistry Council and the Alberta Plastics Recycling Association. “This event highlighted the fact that there are now technologies in use in North America that allow us to treat waste as a resource,” said Greg Wilkinson, the CPIA’s president and CEO. “At the end of their life, plastics can have valuable future roles as an energy source or be reprocessed into other products. It’s too valuable a product to waste, and initiatives and partnerships such as this one are a prime example of what can and is being done to divert plastics and other materials from landfill.”

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news

Quebec honors its own at FEPAC gala The spotlight shone on some of the best and brightest of La Belle Province’s plastics industry at the annual Federation of Plastics and Alliance Composites (FEPAC) Honoris Innova award presentation on October 22 in Boucherville, Que. Over a dozen Québecois people and companies were honored in a variety of categories. The “Innovative Business Model” was presented to injection molder Deflex Composite Inc., of Saint Victor. The company recently completed FEPAC’s IMAC plastics composites initiative, aimed at helping small and medium-size enterprises transition to enhanced performance and sustained growth, and used what they learned to design and develop a new plastic composite spa bath.

Flexible packaging and lamination film extruder Balcan Plastics, of Saint Leonard, was selected for the “Innovation and Commercialization” award, in recognition of the company’s new 100 per cent recyclable garment film product, designed for the dry cleaning industry.

Taking home the “Product Innovation” award was Boisbriand-based extruder Plastibec, for its new R2i interior fauxwood

Plastics pioneer Barney Danson dies at 90 Plastics industry veteran and federal politician Barney Danson died in Toronto on October 17, at the age of 90.

A Lieutenant Colonel in World War II, he took part in the Battle of Normandy. Returning to Toronto, he founded the Barnett J. Danson & Associates Ltd. plastics machinery sales firm in the early 1950s. The company thrived, was renamed Danson Corporation Ltd., and by the mid-1960s was grossing $6 million annually. A longtime proponent of making equipment in Canada for use in Canada, Danson transitioned the company into manufacturing its own processing and auxiliary units, building extruders for Hartig under the name Danson/Hartig and granulators for Nelmor under Danson/ Nelmor. Over the years, the company also represented such leading machinery suppliers as Natco, Farrel and Metalmeccanica. Danson himself also served as the first president of the Society of the Plastics Industry of Canada, the forerunner of today’s Canadian Plastics Industry Association.

Danson left the industry in the late 1960s for a career in politics, and held a number of portfolios in the government of Prime Minister Trudeau, the last of which was Minister of National Defense of Canada. He was also decorated with Canada’s highest distinction and honor, the Companion of the Order of Canada; and France’s highest distinction and honor, the Chevalier (Knight) of the Order of the Legion of Honor.

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The “Innovative Procedure” award was claimed by East Farnam-based rotational molder Rotoplast, which recently began manufacturing a new high chair for babies made from 100 per cent recycled polymer.

Four companies basked in the glow of the “Sustainable Development” award. Extruder Groupe Royal Inc./Thermoplast, of Laval, won for its ECO line of PVC window products line; Premier Tech Aqua, of Riviere-du-Loup, won for its Ecoflo polyurethane septic system; mat manufacturer Mat Tech, of Granby, was recognized for its outdoor patio carpet made from 100 per cent recycled polymer fibres; and Terrebonnebased Interplast Packaging was selected for a new 100 per cent recyclable PET egg carton.

The individual of the hour was Gunther Weiss, president of Candiac-based precision injection molder Precimold Inc.; the founder of the 45-year-old company was presented with the “Lifetime Achievement” award.

In addition, a handful of Quebec companies were noticed in FEPAC’s “Tribute to Recyclers”: Cascades Inc., of Kingsey Falls; Enviroplast Inc., of Anjou; Plastrec Inc., of Joliette; Recyc RPM, of Saint-Damien; and Groupe RCM Inc., of Yamachiche.

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news

Bericap shifts container cap production from Germany to Ontario

Unique Tool & Gauge acquires Windsor, Ont.-based Gauge Rite Inc.

Cap and closure maker Bericap GmbH & Co. has shifted production of a specially designed child-resistant container cap from Germany to its North American facility in Burlington, Ont. The move was intended to shorten the order response time for the company’s VUN CR AF closure — and it’s succeeded, according to Peter Godins, industrial sales manager for Bericap North America. “Since moving VUN CR AF production to Burlington, we’ve been able to cut our order response time by about 70 per cent,” he said.

The two-piece screw cap closures, which measure 24 mms in diameter by 12 mms high, are made for aerosol containers sold by Sea Foam Sales Company, an auto additive manufacturer headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. Production in Burlington began earlier this year, Godins continued, with more than a quarter-million caps being manufactured daily. The top of the two-piece cap is high density polyethylene and the lower part is low density polyethylene.

One of the five largest beverage closure manufacturing companies in the world, Bericap GmbH & Co. is headquartered in Budenheim, Germany; with annual sales of nearly US$750 million, it has 20 manufacturing facilities in 18 countries.

Plastics tooling manufacturer Unique Tool & Gauge Inc., headquartered in Windsor, Ont., has acquired 100 per cent of gauge and fixture supplier Gauge Rite Inc., which is also located in Windsor. Terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.

Gauge Rite currently employs 10 people, and that number isn’t expected to change. The business will continue to operate under the Gauge Rite name in its current location as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unique Tool & Gauge.

“I’m excited about this acquisition. Our customers have been asking us to build gauges and, up until now, that business hasn’t really been part of our portfolio,” said Darcy King, president of Unique Tool & Gauge.

SUPPLIER NEWS — Processing equipment supplier Hamilton Plastic Systems Ltd., headquartered in Mississauga, Ont., has been appointed representative for Ontario and Western Canada for injection molding machine maker Negri Bossi Inc. — Hot runner temperature control system supplier Gammaflux L.P., of Sterling, Va., has reached a private label manufacturing agreement with Milacron LLC for Milacron to distribute the Gammaflux LEC and TTC controllers as auxiliary equipment options available with its line of injection molding machines. Milacron is headquartered in Batavia, Ohio.

PEOPLE

Jan Siebert

Friedrich Edlmayr

Rick Bertone

— G ermany-based processing equipment manufacturer KraussMaffei AG has appointed Jan Siebert as CEO, effective January 1, 2012. He succeeds Dietmar Straub, who managed the KraussMaffei Group beginning in April 2007.

Vincent Leone

Benno Kippes

Dave Whiffen

— PTi Extruders, an Aurora, Ill.-based manufacturer of highperformance sheet extrusion machinery, has appointed Patrick Johnsen as regional sales manager for Eastern Canada.

— Injection molding machine supplier Engel North America, headquartered in York, Pa., has named Friedrich Edlmayr as director of customer service for North America.

— Hot runner temperature control system supplier Gammaflux L.P., headquartered in Sterling, Va., has named Vincent Leone as executive vice president and chief operating officer; and Benno Kippes as managing director of Gammaflux Europe GmbH, the company’s Germany-based European business.

— Rick Bertone has been appointed technical sales representative for Mississauga, Ont.-based mold steel supplier Bohler-Uddeholm Limited.

—H usky Injection Molding Systems Ltd., headquartered in Bolton, Ont., has named Dave Whiffen as vice president, hot runners.

8 Canadian Plastics November 2011 www.canplastics.com

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executive’s corner

Succession planning: Get the best of both worlds

By Eric Gilboord, founder and CEO, Bizness Central

T

raditionally, succession management in a small business followed a set pattern: The older originators of the company spent years sharing their experiences and imparting their wisdom to mold their successors, and the successors continued to operate the business as it was run in the past. Usually, it was a safe measure.

Not anymore. New technologies, new needs, and new ways of approaching problems have taken over our business vocabulary.

As a result, you may find it necessary to fill in your knowledge/ experience gaps with outside expertise. This doesn’t mean ignoring the wealth of experience the older management group has to offer, but it does mean blending two different outlooks together: the older management that might be a little too comfortable with a particular style of doing business, and the younger management who are itching to reinvent the company.

The successful succession plan mixes the best of past practices with new approaches and opportunities to build for the future.

Whether you’re handing over the reins or taking them, here are some points to consider during the transition period.

7

Build your own profile within your industry by getting involved in industry associations. (Obviously, this one helps the associations too.)

8

Let go. Once you’ve decided to turn over management to the next generation, don’t second-guess yourself. Remember: They’ll make their own mistakes and enjoy their own successes, just like you did way back when.

CPL Eric Gilboord, founder and CEO of Bizness Central, is a speaker, columnist and author, with over 30 years’ experience in marketing, with the last 17 providing strategy, creative development and full marketing program implementation to over 300 small and medium-size businesses. Located in Toronto, he can be reached at 416-270-2466 or www.ericgilboord.com and www.biznesscentral.com.

1

Don’t put someone in charge just because they’re next in line.

Many successful businesses have survived adversity only to succumb to the lack of a strong new leader. And if the next-inline has to be put in charge, support him/her with a solid team.

2

Keep it professional. Business discussions belong in the boardroom, not the dining room. The last thing the new management wants or needs to hear is, “I’ve been doing this since before you were born.”

3

Commit ideas to paper. Many small businesses today are preparing sales and marketing plans by sourcing outside professional help, and also by incorporating the varying past experiences and new ideas of the staff. Maximize the information blend by writing everything down.

4

Understand where success and failure came from in the past by separating stories about the glory days from what actually happened. That first big order? It might have been more luck than expertise, and it helps to be honest about that.

5

Old customers might not fit into your new plans, but don’t abandon them until they’ve been replaced by new customers. A penny in the hand is worth more than all the potential orders in the world.

6

Transition older customer relationships to the new generation. Look for opportunities to match second generation customers with your new management team. www.canplastics.com November 2011 Canadian Plastics 9

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resin outlook 2012

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS A

s attendees arrived at the 16th annual Canadian Plastics Resin Outlook conference, you could almost feel the uncertainty. In 2009 and 2010, conference attendees knew they were in the midst of an almost unprecedented financial meltdown. This time around, no one knows what to expect — either in resin prices or the plastics manufacturing sector in general. And what the heck is going on with the U.S. economy?

Our speakers tried to make some sense of it all. The consensus?

Resin demand in general is ticking upwards and capacity is being introduced to handle it. But from polycarbonate to polypropylene to PVC, factors specific to each material, and the various markets they’re used in, will make for unique and specific pricing trajectories.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK David Tulk, senior macro strategist with TD Financial Group, outlined the full measure of uncertainty of today’s global economy. “The global economy will remain volatile into 2013, with shorter business cycles and a slower, more vulnerable rate of growth,” he said. “Downside surprises like the Japanese tsunami are now enough to tip growth into the negative.”

The big question: Will there be a double-dip recession? Well, Tulk said, it depends on the U.S. — but don’t bet too heavy against it. “Given the economic deceleration over the first half of 2011, we believe there is a 40 per cent chance of another recession in the U.S. within the next year, and the longer the turmoil continues the greater that chance becomes.”

The biggest problem, Tulk said, is that we haven’t been down this road before. “The standard economic models have all broken down, and policy makers have done things they’ve never tried before.” Such as? “The U.S. Federal government is trying to accelerate a very slow economic recovery into something much faster, but every time they fail they further erode consumer confidence,” Tulk explained. Until that confidence returns, he concluded, expect to see a very anemic U.S. economic growth of 2.6 per cent by the end of 2012.

Looking north, Tulk noted that Canada had a shallower reces-

By Mark Stephen, editor sion than the U.S., and certain areas — such as government spending and residential investment — have bounced back. Others, such as exports and business investments, are lagging, and Tulk expects them to continue lagging into 2013. “Unfortunately, there isn’t any one sector that can drive growth going forward, and we forecast a Canadian GDP growth of 2.8 per cent by the end of 2012,” he said. Unlike the U.S., the Canadian labor market has recovered all of the jobs lost during the recession, and then some. “This gives Canada a head start, and if the U.S. can avoid the worst case scenario, we should be okay,” he said. But — and you knew there was a “but” coming, right?

— Canada is still a small, open economy, and domestic demand can only sustain it for so long. “Seventy-five per cent of our exports are destined for the U.S., and we’ll go down with them if their economy fails again,” he said.

Absent that, Tulk concluded, the Canadian economy is very well positioned over the medium-term, offering real opportunities for manufacturers. “Now is the time for Canadian firms to look abroad, overcome the inertia of simply shipping things north/ south, and consider diversifying into new bases of economic power like Asia and India.”

POLYOLEFINS One of the most popular of today’s resins, polypropylene (PP) is used in everything from appliances to automobiles to diapers.

According to Peter Callais, a consulting associate with Townsend Solutions, consumption growth is happening everywhere. “Global PP consumption grew by 10.6 per cent in 2010, helped by the U.S. stimulus package that spurred automobile and appliance sales, and by restocking in the chain,” he said. But that’s not necessarily good news, since it will drive prices upwards. “Rising PP prices are shifting manufacturing to low-cost countries like Mexico, or to countries with lower feedstock costs,” he said. “Through to 2015, we expect a five per cent annual growth rate driven by the emerging markets. Leading the pack, China will boost its

thinkstockphotos.com

As the Great Recession recedes, global resin consumption is on the rise and new capacity is being added to handle it. But that doesn’t mean that life will get simpler for resin buyers, as prices will remain volatile.

10 Canadian Plastics November 2011 www.canplastics.com

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resin outlook 2012

consumption to nearly 31 per cent of PP, which is a 7.2 per cent growth rate.”

The recession accelerated closures and mothballing of plants in North America, Callais continued. “North American producers should expect to see further consolidations in the market, with more plant closures and buyouts,” he said. By 2015, 42 per cent of all forecasted global PP capacity growth will come from China and 13 per cent from India. During the next five years, Callais continued, the Americas, China and Africa will be net importers of PP, Japan and the Middle East net exporters.

Turning to polyethylene (PE), Callais noted that global consumption grew 10.3 per cent in 2010, bouncing back nicely from the recession. “All regions had positive PE consumption growth, with the strongest rates in China and India,” he said. Low linear density PE continues to capture market share from linear density material in the film market, although the latter commands almost 50 per cent of total demand and continues to grow in specialty areas like extrusion coatings. High density PE, meanwhile, is seeing growth in pipe extrusion and blow molding applications. “Unlike with PP, the Middle East and North America will be major PE producers going forward due to their feedstock advantages,” Callais said. “China, India and Africa will be net importers, Asia Pacific and the Middle East net exporters, and North America will balance between the two.”

So what should the industry expect going forward? “Don’t be surprised to see new investments in molding focused on PE replacing old PP molds in specific applications,” Callais said. “If a converter can choose between PE and PP, they’ll choose PE whenever possible.” Also, price volatility will remain in U.S., affecting regions that follow U.S. Gulf prices.

STYRENICS

AT A GLANCE

thinkstockphotos.com

A little background: The two key ingredients for making polystyrene (PS) are ethylene and benzene. What does this matter for pricing? “Ethylene supply is growing with the availability of light hydrocarbons, and the price remains less volatile than other basic Polyolefins Price volatility will remain in U.S., affecting regions that follow U.S. Gulf prices.

Peter Callais, consulting associate, Townsend Solutions

Styrenics PS is forecast to enjoy a modest growth rate of 2.9 per cent to 2016, and the rising costs of alternative materials are putting it in a better relative cost position.

Bob Dennett, senior consultant, Chemical Market Associates Inc.

feedstocks,” said Bob Dennett, a senior consultant with Chemical Market Associates Inc. “But swinging the ethylene slate to light hydrocarbons has impacted the availability of benzene because there is less high gas being made.” Benzene prices have escalated since 2009, he continued, hitting US$4.01 per gallon in September 2010. “The price has dropped since then, but will remain relatively high going forward,” Dennett said.

Globally, PS is forecast to enjoy a modest growth rate of 2.9 per cent to 2016 — modest because PS is under a lot of competitive pressure from other materials, capacity is limited to 1.9 per cent growth, and feedstock supply is tight and pricey. “With stronger global demand than capacity growth, operating rates will improve from 75 per cent to 80 per cent by the end of this time period,” Dennett said. “In North America it’s a different story, with only a 0.04 per cent annual growth rate forecast to 2016.”

And price? The cost of PS is getting higher due to tighter benzene supply, Dennett said, but there’s a silver lining. “The cost of alternative materials has increased even more, putting PS in a better relative cost position,” he said. “The cents-per-cubic-inch cost of PP increased by 230 per cent over the past 10 years, whereas the cents-per-cubic-inch cost of PS was 150 per cent. In relative terms, therefore, PS is becoming less expense and more competitive.”

As always with PS, there’s an environmental backdrop to the story, and it isn’t pretty. “A number of West Coast U.S. cities have passed bans on PS containers, and Canada is trying to replace PS containers with PET for recycling,” Dennett said. “Also, the U.S. Department of Health considers styrene as ‘reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen,’ which might hurt PS demand going forward.”

PET You might not have known it, but polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been relatively kind to converters in the past few years.

“The PET spread over raw materials was quite favorable for the converters,” said Giovanni Iadeluca, president of Selenis Canada.

“Some industry experts claimed that the margins were below reinvestment levels, some resin producers were operating with significant losses, and two PET producers announced they were looking to exit the business due to low margins.” A shake-up was inevitable. “Over the past 12 months, market consolidation has given rise to US$1.2 billion of merger and acquisition activities,

PET PET spread over raw materials used to be favorable for the converters, and led to a market shake-up. Prices will be volatile going forward.

Giovanni Iadeluca, president, Selenis Canada

PVC Demand for PVC continues to drag in the U.S., which may lead to higher operating rates for producers and an attempt to pass along costs to buyers.

Nylon Not much price relief in sight, either for nylon 6 or nylon 6/6 buyers.

Paul Blanchard, senior consultant, Chemical Market Associates Inc.

Polycarbonate Expect the price to hold steady at between US$1.60 and US$1.80 per pound until the end of 2012.

Paul Blanchard

Benjamin Morse, senior editor, Platts

www.canplastics.com November 2011 Canadian Plastics 11

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resin outlook 2012 and three players now serve 90 per cent of the North American market,” he continued.

The result for buyers? “The new market pricing will likely be no different than for other types of ‘raws’; buyers should look to ensure that volatility is traceable to raw materials with a margin that will allow reinvestment,” Iadeluca said. “Coming up with a pure pricing forecast is very risky because it can change by the minute. For the converters and buyers, the important thing is to have a business model that embraces that volatility.”

As with PET, environmental pressures are the toxic elephant in the room. “Unless the PET industry can positively respond to the critics who taint PET plastics as a poison, it may fade to irrelevance,” he said. “The key is to emphasize the recyclability of PET.”

PVC When it comes to polyvinyl chloride (PVC), it’s all about new construction; it remains the plastic of choice for the housing and commercial space industries, which is mainly bad news for converters. “Residential demand for PVC continues to drag in the U.S., as new single home sales and starts fail to show signs of improvement, and as multi-family housing improves but still remains below 2008 levels,” said Benjamin Morse, a senior editor at pricing analyst Platts. “Assuming for modest improvement towards the end of 2011, this still leaves the 2011 full year amount for single family housing at 410,000 units, an eight per cent drop from 2010 and below the prior bottom of 435,000

units reached in 2009.”

No surprise, then, that PVC demand is down lately. “Domestic sales to compounders and resellers is down by eight per cent, and is down by 14 per cent for fencing and decking, by three per cent for pipe extruding, by 18 per cent for siding, and by 24 per cent for windows and doors,” he said. The partial good news?

“PVC demand for molding is up by 10 per cent, and demand for wires and cables is up by seven per cent.”

This persistent weakness in the North American market has forced many producers to rely on exports. “Export volumes are increasing sharply, growing over 300 per cent between 2005 and 2010,” Morse said. “For 2011, export volumes are estimated at 1.374 million metric tons, and are on pace to reach levels seen in 2010.” The bottom line, Morse continued, is that PVC prices will be contingent on two things: economic growth and domestic demand. And neither looks good. In short, higher operating rates for North American PVC producers will continue, and — let’s face it — they wouldn’t be human if they didn’t try to pass those along to the buyers.

NYLON Thirty-seven per cent of all global nylon 6 demand is for the automotive industry, and as it roars back to life — North American operating rates for nylon 6 should average approximately 90 per cent into 2012 — producers and buyers should expect the material’s popularity to improve. But there’s a nylon 6 pricing problem

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resin outlook 2012

coming, according to Paul Blanchard, a senior consultant with Chemical Market Associates Inc. All nylon 6 is made with caprolactam, and the new nylon 6 demand — particularly in China — has tightened caprolactam supply, pressuring polymer prices upward globally. New caprolactam capacity will provide relief, but not soon enough to prevent both a potential nylon 6 shortage and high prices. “For buyers, there’s not a lot of relief in sight,” Blanchard said. “There might be some limited nylon 6 relief in North America going forward because of new nylon 6 production investments, but not much.”

For nylon 6/6, Blanchard noted that intermediaries face a constrained global supply of key precursor adiponitrile that supports high prices levels. But they may not be high enough to suit nylon 6/6 makers. “This year, the costs have escalated much faster than the prices, resulting in an erosion of margin,” he said. “In some cases, nylon 6 and 6/6 prices are reaching parity, which is very unusual; usually nylon 6/6 has a US$0.15 to US$0.20 price advantage.” The result? “A company like DuPont is now implementing a US$0.13 price increase in North America,” he noted.

Blanchard forecast nylon 6/6 operating rates in North America to climb to 80 higher by 2014. a situation ResinConf TksAd Octper 11cent CPLand10/11/11 2:50 “It’s PM not Page 1 that lends itself to low prices anytime soon,” he said. Pricing should remain tight — but if it comes down at all, thank China.

“Suppliers in China are without a basic source of adiponitrile, making it the most expensive country from which to buy nylon

6/6,” he said. “This means you’re getting a comparative bargain if you’re buying from either North America or Europe.”

POLYCARBONATE If there’s a vague “twilight of the gods” feeling hanging over polycarbonate (PC) these days, it’s understandable. “The optical media demand that caught PC makers short in early 2010 when megahit films Avatar and Twilight: New Moon were released on DVD is fading, the hope that Blu-ray recordables would save the market has proven unfounded, and other electronics are taking over that don’t require PC,” Blanchard said. “The great hope for PC is for vehicle windows, which could increase the global demand by about 40 per cent.” For the foreseeable future, though, whatever PC growth there is will be led by the electronics segment.

That’s not to say that PC is passé. A lot of new capacity is due to come on stream in Asia and the Middle East, including projects by Mitsubishi, Sinopec, Bayer, and Kayan. “Globally, recent demand has been very good, especially in the second half of 2011, resulting in a tight supply that allowed PC prices to rise,” Blanchard said. “But the markets are easing now, and the prices should also ease, helped by a combination of lower benzene costs and the new Kayan start-up in Saudi Arabia. We expect the price to hold steady at between US$1.60 and US$1.80 per pound until the end of 2012.”

CPL

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14 Canadian Plastics November 2011 www.canplastics.com

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extrusion benchmark survey

By Mark Stephen, editor

CANADIAN EXTRUDERS:

THE END OF THE TUNNEL? THE BASICS When asked how many employees worked at their plant, we received answers ranging from four to 300, with the average shop employing 68 people. Last year, the survey respondents ranged from five workers to 225, with the average shop employing approximately 52 workers. In 2009, there was a 66-worker average. It looks, then, as if the downsizing that must certainly have occurred during the Great Recession is slowly reversing.

Of this year’s respondents, 63.3% are involved in profile

BY THE NUMBERS

$17.10

Average hourly operator wage, excluding benefits

68

Number of workers at the average Canadian extrusion plant

68%

Machine utilization rate at the average extrusion shop

27.5%

Average annual amount of product shipped outside Canada

The 2011 Canadian Plastics Extrusion Benchmark Survey, consisting of 35 questions, was emailed to approximately 370 people at pipe, profile and tubing extrusion facilities throughout Canada, with one respondent being selected per manufacturing facility. We received 33 completed surveys.

thinkstockphotos.com

T

his time last year, we opened our fourth Extrusion Benchmark Survey by noting that the worst of the worst recession in living memory was behind us. Twelve month later, we still hope it’s true. But what do some of Canada’s extrusion shops hope... and what do they think? Do they see light at the end of the long, dark economic tunnel?

What product markets are they relying on to take them into the manufacturing landscape that lies beyond? And is new equipment part of their plans? These — and a lot more — are the questions the fifth annual Canadian Plastics extrusion survey tried to answer.

Wondering what shape Canada’s pipe, profile and tubing extruders are in as the Great Recession winds down?

Looking for info on buying intentions, markets served, machine utilization rates and more? It’s all here. Our fifth annual Extrusion Benchmark Survey gives you a snapshot of an industry at a crossroads that you won’t find anywhere else.

16 Canadian Plastics November 2011 www.canplastics.com

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extrusion benchmark survey

WHAT CATEGORY BEST DESCRIBES YOUR PLANT? extrusion, 31.8% in pipe extrusion, and 27.3% in tubing extrusion. In 2010, 75% were involved in profile extrusion, 25% in pipe extrusion, and 41% in tubing extrusion. Additionally, 26.1% of this year’s respondents said they’re involved exclusively in proprietary extrusion, 26.1% exclusively in custom extrusion, 13% in custom extrusion with some proprietary work, and 34.8% in captive with some custom extrusion. Last year, 33.3% of respondents said that they were involved exclusively in proprietary extrusion, 33.3% were involved in exclusively custom extrusion, 8.3% were involved in captive with some custom extrusion (almost 26% less than this year!), and 25% were involved in custom with some proprietary extrusion.

As with last year, the majority of respondents — almost 74% — reported that their shops are involved in the construction and/or building markets. This is actually a slight bump from last year, when 66% worked in these two markets — a continuing surprise given the ongoing weakness of U.S. housing starts. Also, 21.7% of this year’s respondents are extruding consumer goods (compared with 33.3% in 2010), 26.1% are involved in packaging applications (down from 33% last year), and 26.1% are doing automotive work (holding steady from 25% in 2010, but a big improvement over the 12% doing auto work in 2009. Seems like the auto sector continues its recovery.)

Here’s a surprise: Only 33.3% of those surveyed this year said their plant has either ISO or QS9000 certification — a big drop from the 67% with at least one of these last year. But as in 2010, the majority of respondents this year (69.6%) are located in Ontario; of the rest, 21.7% are in Quebec and the remainder (8.7%) from Alberta.

TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY When we asked our respondents to tote up the number of extruders at their plants, 33% said they have 15 or more machines, versus 70% with 10 or less last year. At the high end this year, our largest respondent reported having 70 extruders, compared with a high water mark of 34 last year. As with last year, the vast majority this year (69.6%) use single screw extruders (compared with 75% in 2010), with 34.8% using counter-rotating twin screw designs, and 13% using co-rotating twin screw designs — a slight fluctuation from the 16.7% with counter-rotating machines and 16.7% with co-rotating twin screw units in 2010.

Attention extruder suppliers: On average, 68% of the machines in respondents’ shops this year are five or more years old (some shops don’t have any machines less than five years old) — this is a big leap from the 49% that were five or more years old in 2010. Either this year’s respondents are really atypical, or there’s a lot of older equipment rattling around out there, just possibly due to be replaced.

But are the respondents in buying moods? In a word: No. A whopping 90.5% of respondents this year say they have no plans to buy a new extruder within the next 12 months, compared with 55% who did plan on buying last year — and maybe they did, which might be why they’re not interested now.

And here’s another indicator of the peculiar lay of the post-recession land: Fifty per cent of respondents this year said the equipment they planned on buying would replace old machinery rather than add capacity. In 2010, 80% was to replace old units and 20% for new capacity. Doing the math thusly, it seems our respondents in the brave new world of 2011 — well

Exclusively custom extrusion 23.1%

Captive with some custom extrusion 34.6%

Exclusively proprietary extrusion 26.9%

Custom with some proprietary extrusion 15.4% N=26

PAST PURCHASES (BY %) 100

Yes

No

80

81 73.3 60

53.3 46.7

40

26.7

20

19 0

Extruders

N=23

Downstream extrusion equipment

Auxiliary equipment

INTENT TO PURCHASE (BY %)

100

Yes

90.5

80

No

73.3 66.7

60

40

33.3 26.7

20

9.5 0 Extruders

N=21

Downstream extrusion equipment

Auxiliary equipment

www.canplastics.com November 2011 Canadian Plastics 17

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extrusion benchmark survey

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

past the supposed “recovery year” of 2010 — remain skittish about the likelihood of adding capacity in the months ahead.

The tight-fistedness continues when we look downstream. Almost 75% of respondents this year have no plans to purchase new downstream extrusion equipment within the next 12 months, compared to 55% who said they would do so last year. It gets a little better with the auxiliary stuff. Almost 70% of respondents this year plan on purchasing new auxiliary equipment within the next year.

Machine utilization rates seem to have held relatively steady over the past year.

The average machine utilization rate among respondents this year was 68%, up slightly from 62% in 2010. (And kudos to one very hard-working shop that reported a 100% utilization rate this year.)

THE PRICES OF DOING BUSINESS

In 2010, extrusion firms allocated an average of 2.5% of their annual budget

MARKETS SERVED BY YOUR PLANT N=26

Automotive 26.1% Consumer Goods 21.7% Construction / building 73.9% Electronic 21.7% Packaging 26.1% Other 21.7% 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

to employee training, and 5.5% to product research and development. How do those numbers stack up against current expenditures? The figures shifted, but not by much. On average, almost 2.6% was allocated to employee training in 2011, while money earmarked for product R&D rose to an average of 6.3% — still, this last number pales in comparison to the 9% average spent on R&D in

2008, our all-time survey best.

And how are the men and women on the shop floor faring? According to this year’s survey, the average operator wage, excluding benefits, is $17.10. If you’re the boss, you might not want to let that tidbit get out, as this figure is a fall-off from the comparatively generous average of $19.68 per hour paid in 2010.

(Granted, the 2010 figure was pretty high; the average hourly shop floor salary was $16.08 in 2009 and $16.67 in 2008.)

GOING GLOBAL (OR NOT) In this rapidly globalizing world, how are Canadian extruders faring when it comes to doing business, or even establishing a presence, on foreign soil?

Approximately 25% of survey respondents this year said their facilities ship 50% or more of finished products outside of Canada, exactly half of the 50% that reported doing so last year.

As far as setting up shop outside of Canada, 64.3% of respondents have a presence in the U.S. (up from 44% in 2010), 33% have a presence in Germany (up from a grand total of zero in 2010), 14.3% have a presence in China (up from 11.1% in 2010), and 7.1% have a presence in India (also up from zero last year).

Digging a little deeper, 75% of the respondents whose shops have a foreign presence are maintaining a sales office, 50% maintain a manufacturing facility, and 25% are warehousing. FYI, 20% reported having a joint venture with a local firm last year, compared with no one reporting a JV this year.

Of the extrusion shops without a foreign presence, 55.6% seem happy to keep it that way, reporting no plans to plant the company flag on foreign soil in the next 12 months. Sounds like a lot, until you compare it to last year, when a whopping 100% said they had no plans to enter these markets inside of the same period.

CPL



TO VIEW THE FULL SURVEY RESULTS, GO TO http://www.canplastics.com/ survey/archives/2011CPL PipeExtrusionSurvey.pdf

18 Canadian Plastics November 2011 www.canplastics.com

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injection molding

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achines Injection molding m orses of our might be the workh n’t do it alone. industry, but they ca n adds speed and io at m to au t gh ri e Th into Secretariat. e al sd ly C a g in rn tu efficiency, possible right now. s t’ ha w u yo ow sh Our case studies

By Mark Stephen, editor

An Ontario injection molder recently came this close to having an unnecessary, time-wasting manual operation in an auto part production line.

The molder — who wishes to remain anonymous — had just landed a contract to produce a small linkage component for a car door handle, and was considering molding in one standard horizontal machine and then manually inserting the part into a second unit for the overmolding.

But then cooler heads prevailed.

“We were brought in to provide a turnkey injection molding cell for the company during the tool design process, before the initial kick-off,” said Brad Lemieux, sales manager with En-Plas Inc. The finished cell, installed early in 2011, includes a 120-ton Nissei two-shot injection molding machine, a Yushin RC 150SLL servo robot with extended traverse stroke, and customized end-of-arm-tooling (EOAT). Each part is made from a combination of nylon and Santoprene. “The robot takes the first shot from the left or ‘A’ side of the mold, and then shuttles over to the right or ‘B’ side to pick the finished part. It then loads the initial part extracted from side A onto side B so the second material can be overmolded,” Lemieux said. “The good finished parts are then taken over to a

precise scale, where each part is individually weighed to a tolerance of .01 grams.”

It might sound simple, but it wasn’t; probably nothing that relates to a part approximately 7/8th of an inch long by 3/8th of an inch wide ever is. “This was a complex cell with a complex EOAT requirement,” Lemieux said. “The main challenges we faced in the design were associated with tiny part size and tight configuration of the cavities within the mold.”

With a cycle time of 38 seconds, the customer was well pleased with the cell, Lemieux continued, and ordered a second that was sent to a satellite operation outside Canada.

“We helped them find a better way to integrate the eight-cavity, two-shot multimaterial application, without running up extra costs by over-engineering the cell,” he said.

Yushin/En-Plas Inc. (Toronto); www.en-plasinc.com; 416-286-3030

thinkstockphotos.com

Small part, big solution

Yushin RC series robot (left), and a 120-ton Nissei two-shot injection molding machine (top).

Photo Credit: En-Plas Inc.

20 Canadian Plastics November 2011 www.canplastics.com

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injection molding

Accelerating production on brake pedal modules nal ternatio KSR In Credit: Photo

While a lot of manufacturers were hunkering down during the depths of the Great Recession of 2009, injection molder KSR International decided it was time to beef up its throughput of automotive brake pedal modules, electronic sensors, and electronic throttle controls by investing.

Almost three years ago, the Ridgetown, Ont.-based company first turned to Engel Inc. to supply it with overmolding work cells to speed up production of the 15 million pedals and sensor assemblies that it manufactures annually.

The process involves overmolding terminal pins inside of plastic connector housings, which then receive a circuit board. (In case you’re wondering, the pins are used for anything that has an angular motion, such as accelerator connector housings, throttle position sensors, and brake position sensors.) “Before installing the work cells, we were premolding a cluster of pins in a smaller process and then overmolding them in the main sensor housing,” said Joe Grasso, the company’s manufacturing engineering manager. “Now we’re able to remove that step. Our terminal pins come plated on a coil; we uncoil them, run them through a forming die, and then singulate them. While they’re singulated, we pick them up with a gripper on a SCARA robot, take them out of the forming die, and load them onto a staging nest.”

The parts, maded primarily from polybutylene terephthalate, are dropped onto a continuity tester after molding, to ensure there’s no bridging or other defects. “We have an

automated vacuum-form tray handler that spits out a full tray and sends out an empty one to receive the parts,” Grasso said.

The cell, which allows KSR to meet production requirements without an operator, is based on a 175-ton Engel vertical injection molding machine with an indexing table. “The table lets us load and unload product while the machine is running, to maximize throughput,” Grasso said. Because not even production cells are carved in stone, the system’s automation has evolved over the years. “The first cells used Engel’s ERC robots,” Grasso said. “We then changed our design and went with a different vendor, but migrated back to Engel’s new Viper cartesian robot, which is more robust.”

The Viper is designed to offer ultra-fast cycle times and low energy consumption, and is available in several models with load-bearing capacities ranging from 55 lbs. to 120 lbs. The KSR cells also use third-party automation from equipment supplier Edge Automation.

Currently, KSR has six of the vertical overmold cells in its Ridgetown facility; one each in its plants in Bahia, Brazil, and Yokohama, Japan; and one soon to be added in Hanover, Germany.

“The cells have made a big difference for us,” Grasso said.

“The typical cycle time is anywhere from 30 to 40 seconds, which is a substantial improvement from before. And prior to installing the cells, we were buying sensors from other companies. The cells allow us to bring the work in-house, which wasn’t possible before.”

Engel Canada Inc. (Guelph, Ont.); www.engelglobal.com; 519-836-0220 Edge Automation (London, Ont.); www.edgeautomation.ca; 519-457-9846

Foaming within injection molding Inc.

68 grams, and the cycle time for injection molding, handling and foaming the four components is 44 seconds. Second, a single Kuka six-axis robot with a Selogica control system removes the four molded parts and immediately transfers them inline to a Sonderhoff DM 402/403 mixing and dosing unit, placing each housing successively under the mixing head. Finally, FIPFG (formed-in-place foam gasket) technology is used to produce a soft elastic polyurethane (PUR) Photo C redit: Arb urg

Finally, inline foaming is a chore no more. A new fully automatic production cell from Arburg Inc. and Germanybased sealing systems supplier Sonderhoff interlinks injection molding with seal foaming to save time and costs for producing parts like auto headlamp housing covers.

In convention applications, the foaming process is kept separate from the molding, making it a classic downstream process step; premolded parts are kept in storage and then transferred to the foaming system at a later point by means of conveyor belts.

Arburg and Sonderhoff’s “mold-and-seal” cell uses a hydraulic Arburg Allrounder 570 S injection molding machine with a clamping force of 2,200 kN, and a four-cavity mold, in a three-step production process. First, glass fibrereinforced polypropylene (PP 35 GF) car headlamp housing covers, with sealing grooves, are molded; each part weighs

Continued next page

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injection molding

Continued from previous page

foam seal that’s foamed precisely to the contours. While the PUR bead is dosed by means of the fixed MK 600 mixing head, the Kuka robot moves along the freely-programmable contour geometry, which is adapted to the groove of the plastic part, ensuring the foam is applied evenly, even along complex grooves with tight curves.

The work cell offers a checklist of benefits: The residual heat of the molded parts further accelerates the curing of the PUR foam, reducing the overall curing time from somethwere north of 10 minutes to less than three; there’s no need for buffered or premolded injection molded parts, or for long curing or conveyor belts; the designed-forDummies (our term, not theirs) Selogica control system does away with the need for special programming expertise; and at approximately 50 square metres, the space requirement for injection molding machine, robotic system, dosage unit and curing belt is kept compact.

Arburg Inc. (Newington, Conn.); www.arburg.com; 800-221-0712 D Cube (Montreal); 514-272-0500 Dier International (Unionville, Ont.); 905-474-9874 The Turner Group (B.C. and Alta.) (Seattle, Wash.); 206-769-3707 Kuka Robotics Canada Ltd. (Toronto); www.kukarobotics.com; 416-585-2123

Making a good cell better Cashmere Molding needed to improve an existing production cell to meet a customer’s demand for increased capacity and low price on a part for a powered facial cleaning device...and got what it wanted with some technology upgrades.

The Woodinville, Wash.-based injection molder was manufacturing the handle enclosure on client Clarisonic’s Pro-Handle device, including an overmolded elastomer grip and an indicator lens in the form of a light pipe that had to be inserted into the cavity before molding.

When Cashmere started the project, it created two sets of molds, running substrates on a 140ton Negri Bossi press, placing the parts in a box, and then manually inserting them in an 80-ton Engel press for overmolding. For the front part of the handle, two lights were inserted in its front, as well as three small brass pins that hold the brush in — a total of four hand-loaded inserts. A family mold, the tool also produced one handle’s back portion, which also had a

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• Most Likely to be Recommended

Trust Berg to make every dollar count.

Hard earned, wisely spent.

Eco-positive, thermal management solutions www.berg-group.com System Design | Installation | Service * Independent study: Rogers BPPG, Research Group

22 Canadian Plastics November 2011 www.canplastics.com

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n LLC matio S Auto A S : it Cred Photo

injection molding

light pipe. “Production of the part wasn’t perfect — it was hampered by operator error when hand-loading the inserts, and by warping from post-mold shrinkage of overmolded material — but it was good enough for a certain volume of production,” said Mike Gadwell, one of Cashmere’s senior manufacturing engineers. “But as the Pro-Handle device caught on and volumes grew, the cost was high and the production was too low to meet the demand.”

Knowing they had to do better, Cashmere worked with their injection press suppliers and tool vendors. The result switched production from a two-cavity mold that required five hand-loaded inserts and a single-cavity mold for the overmolded grip to one two-shot Engel 300-ton machine with a four-cavity family tool that receives inserts placed robotically to produce finished parts.

SAS Automation LLC was charged with the goal of creating a customized EOAT application that could insert two of the light pipes and work within a twocavity transfer mold that requires the tooling to pick two inserts at once. Problem was, the mold had only 0.0015-inch clearance on either side to fit the inserts.

Cashmere and SAS hit on the idea of including numerous locating features within the tool, with three in each cavity, to help locate the end effector within the cavity. SAS also supplied a shuttle table with a built-in sensor that tells the robot if the light pipes are in position to be picked up by the EOAT. If so, the robot, a Wittmann W723 three-axis servo unit, grabs two of the light pipes, drops them into the press, goes to the ‘A’ side, installs them in the side of the tool, then goes over to the end effector on the ‘B’ side of the tool to pick four parts. The result is two complete products and two substrates ready for overmolding.

And as for the three brass pins, the redesigned cell handles those as a post-molding press-in insert.

How well has the cell worked? Cashmere has now carried over the concept for other parts, building three more two-shot tools that use exactly the same system. “It was a win-win situation for Clarisonic; they’re saving money and getting very reliable production,” Gadwell said.

SAS Automation LLC (Xenia, Ohio); www.sasgripper.com; 888-727-3628 Verick International (Brampton, Ont.); 888-783-7425 Wittmann Canada Inc. (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-canada.com; 866-466-8266

Y O UR PRO DUCTIV

CHECK L

ITY

IST

✓

Robots that are really fast and accurate Plus custom-designed automation cells that meet your toughest challenges

✓ Injection molding machines that are really precise

All-electric, 35T-1,000T. Environmentally friendly: no oil, no noise, energy saving.

✓

The best available hot runner controls

From a supplier with a 30-year reputation for innovation, robustness and quality.

✓ Chillers that save you money and improve productivity

Chillers with free cooling capability and thermolators for precise control of process parameters.

For YOUR productivity solutions, contact: Automatisation S.A.B., Varennes, Que. 450-652-9767 www.automatisationsab.com Plastic Automation, Toronto 416-938-3648 email: pae.inc@rogers.com www.canplastics.com November 2011 Canadian Plastics 23

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technology showcase

AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT Single zone, dual zone temperature controllers

The new Tempro plus D temperature controllers from Wittmann are designed to build on the company’s Tempro plus C series, and are available in either single zone or dual zone configurations to meet the varying demands of the users.

The Tempro plus D units employ a

AUTOMATED CONTRACT INJECTION MOLDING

Lights out up to 200 tons

Phone: (705) 375-0770 Email: sales@niigon.com

www.niigon.com

pressure-free fluid tank for the 90°C model, while the pressurized heating and cooling chamber units are available for temperature ranges of between 140°C and 180°C. The six-inch color TFT display coupled with a resolution of 640 pixels by 480 pixels creates a clear and sharp image, with an increase of 60 per cent viewing area over previous models.

Operating on a Windows CE platform, the control system also provides verticallyarranged menu buttons on the display, and horizontal direct function buttons that fade out automatically after a selectable waiting time, thereby maximizing the size of the main processing data fields to be displayed. And to ensure comprehensive process control, the Tempro plus D units feature an oscilloscope function, making it possible to record the respective run of the temperature curve and the history of pressure and flow rate.

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

Dryer control touchscreens now made standard

Novatec Inc. has now made color touchscreen controls standard on the medium and large models of its NovaWheel dryers, and monochrome touchscreen controls standard interface on smaller NovaWheel dryers up to 400 lbs. per hour.

The speed and easy operation of the company’s NovaTouch controls are designed to improve the performance advantage of NovaWheel dryers by providing a seven-day timer for auto on/off, filter maintenance alerts, a dew point sensor, loader control, a real-time clock with

battery backup, and an Ethernet communications option.

Additionally, the NovaTouch graphical interface allows operators control drying parameters with simple step-by-step commands that virtually eliminate wrong choices; the most complex setup now becomes a brief sequence of touches.

Novatec Inc./Maguire Canada (Vaughan, Ont.); www.maguirecanada.com; 866-441-8409 Barway Plastic Equipment Inc. (Vaudreuil-Dorian, Que.); 450-455-1396

INJECTION MOLDING New dimensions for packaging applications

With an injection unit offering injection rates of up to 700 mm per second, the new MX 650 series from KraussMaffei Corporation is a reliable machine that’s also designed to satisfy demands for high flexibility in mold variant management.

Available in tonnages from 650 and upwards, the MX units cope with different mold installation heights just as reliably as extremely heavy molds up to 13,500 kg. They attain highly precise platen parallelism and even clamping force distribution, which form the basis for process-reliable production, using large molds containing a large number of mold cavities. The new size rounds down the clamping force spectrum of the MX series below the MX 850.

Optional bracing of the centre platen on the machine bed relieves the pressure on tie bars and mold guides when stack molds are used, making the MX units suitable for the packaging industry in particular.

KraussMaffei Corporation (Florence, Ky.); www.kraussmaffei.com; 859-283-0200

24 Canadian Plastics November 2011 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase

EXTRUSION

Twin screw unit beats earlier models

The new twinEX 93-34 D extruder from Battenfeld-Cincinnati is designed to offer a 15 per cent performance increase over predecessor series from either of

the two machine manufacturers.

With a four-shaft drive, the processing unit is combined with an AC motor to yield a high torque and correspondingly high output.

The quality of the melt has also been improved. The longer preheating zone in the processing unit ensures even heating and gentle treatment of the material while offering reduced energy input. Moreover, the basic all-purpose screw with selfoptimizing Intracool core tempering and insulated barrel system can be optimized to meet a customer’s specific processing requirements.

But despite the longer processing unit, the extruder doesn’t require additional floor space, as the drive unit is mounted in a “U” configuration.

Other features include quick-release

plastics data file

locking mechanisms that allow for fast and simple servicing; and a control terminal with a large, intuitive touchscreen display that facilitates simple operation.

Battenfeld-Cincinnati/American Maplan Corporation (McPherson, Kan.); www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com; 620-241-6843

Extrusion mandrel features biocompatible coating An extrusion mandrel for manufacturing and forming catheter tubing that provides a smooth, slippery surface to permit faster production is now available from Applied Plastics Co. Inc. The company’s PTFE Natural

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

Wittmann Innovations

Mold & Die Components

Innovations — Wittmann’s quarterly newsletter — offers plastics processors detailed insight into ways to improve their businesses with news and application stories covering Robots and Automation, IML, Injection Molding Machinery, Material Conveying, Drying and Blending, Granulation and Temperature Control. It is available in print and on-line.

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

Utilize IMS’ extensive line of Mold & Die Components to guide and control your linear motion. Self-lubricated and aluminum bronze components increase longevity and decrease maintenance cost. Many products are in stock for quick delivery with the quality and pricing you have come to expect from IMS Industrial Molding Supplies.

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

advertising index Advertiser

Page

Telephone

E-mail

Website

AceTRONIC Arburg Arkema Automatisation SAB Berg Chilling Systems Inc. Canadian Plastics Basics of Plastics Workshop Canadian Plastics CanPlasticsTV Videos Canadian Plastics Resin Outlook Conference Cantec Polymers Inc. Erema North America Inc. IMS Niigon Technologies Ltd. PCS Company Plastic Process Equipment, Inc. PolyOne Distribution Canada Ltd. Slide Products Society of Plastics Industry — NPE Show SPE Ontario The Dow Chemical Company Vortex Valves Wittmann Canada Inc.

7 OBC 19 23 22 15 26 14 30 12 25 24 5 IBC IFC 6 27 12 13 9 18, 25

800-803-8871 860-667-6500 800-567-5726 450-652-9767 416-777-2221 416-510-5116 416-510-5110 416-510-5116 416-436-2323 978-356-3771 800-537-5375 705-375-0770 800-521-0546 800-362-0706 888-394-2662 800-323-6433 703-259-6132

800-441-4DOW 785-825-7177 888-466-8266

sales@acetronic.com usa@arburg.com polymers.canada@arkema.com info@sabgroupe.com bergsales@berg-group.com jnancekivell@canplastics.com info@canplastics.com jnancekivell@canplastics.com mike.lang@sympatico.ca erema@erama.com sales@imscompany.com sales@niigon.com sales@pcs-commpany.com sales@ppe.com

info@slideproducts.com exhibit@npe.org

rbarragree@vortexvalves.com info@wittman-canada.com

www.acetronic.com www.arburg.com www.arkema.ca www.automatisationsab.com www.berg-group.com www.canplastics.com www.canplastics.com www.canplastics.com www.erama.ca www.imscompany.com www.niigon.com www.pcs-company.com www.ppe.com www.polyone.com www.slideproducts.com www.npe.org http://speontario.com/ www.dow.com/ecolibrium www.vortexcanada.com www.wittmann-canada.com

www.canplastics.com November 2011 Canadian Plastics 25

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technology showcase Extrusion Mandrel is biocompatible and features a 0.5 dynamic coefficient of friction.

Designed for extruding small diameter catheter tubing, this silver plated copper wire with the PTFE Natural coating is supplied in continuous lengths on spools.

Allowing over 25 per cent elongation without flaking and failure, the mandrel is available in 0.010-inch to 0.080-inch diameter sizes with ±0.0003-inch tolerance, depending upon size.

Also, the anti-stick extrusion and forming mandrel is chemically inert and capable of withstanding up to 315°C (600°F) service.

Applied Plastics Co. Inc. (Norwood, Mass.); www.appliedplastics.com; 781-762-1881

CLICK ON...

CAN

PLASTICS TV

for interviews with industry experts, coverage of plastics industry events, and more!

New episodes every two weeks.

These 5-minute information packed videos are produced by the editors of Canadian Plastics. To view them, go to our web site,

www.canplastics.com and look in the upper right corner of our home page.

SponSored by:

CONVEYING EQUIPMENT Metal separators are integrated into vacuum, pressure pipelines

Designed for easy integration into either horizontal or vertical vacuum and pressure pipelines, the new PN series metal separators from Eriez remove metal contaminants such as steel, aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel and more from pneumatically conveyed plastic pellets and regrind.

Metal contaminants — even those encapsulated in pellets — are removed by means of a high-speed reject mechanism, which operates reliably at conveying speeds up to approximately 4,000 FPM without any interruption to the material flow. Contaminated material is discharged into a reject container and automatically emptied.

The modular design of the PN metal separators provides flexibility to adapt to different conveying methods. Options are available to accommodate high-temperature, abrasive and/or powdery bulk materials.

Eriez (Erie, Pa.); www.eriez.com; 814-835-6000

Pneumatic conveying to hard-to-reach locations A new bulk bag discharging system from Flexicon Corporation uses pneumatic conveying to transfer material from bulk bags to silos and other storage vessels.

Unlike most discharging systems that move material from bulk bags to smaller storage vessels and process equipment, this positive pressure pneumatic system is designed to fill bulk storage facilities

on islands or other locations that are unable to receive large volumes of bulk material by rail or bulk truck.

The discharger portion of the skidmounted system includes a cantilevered I-beam with electric hoist and trolley to lift and position bulk bags without the use of a forklift.

A spout-lock clamp ring forms a highintegrity seal between the clean side of the bag spout and the clean side of the equipment, while a telescoping tube maintains constant downward pressure on the clamp ring and bag spout, elongating the bag as it empties to promote complete discharge.

Flexicon Corporation (Bethlehem, Pa.); www.flexicon.com; 888-353-9426 Cassier Engineering Sales Ltd. (Toronto); 416-298-1628 Welco Expediting Ltd. (Calgary, Alta.); 403-279-8636 Barnard-Boe Inc. (Issaquah, Wash.); 425-392-2856

Close-coupled displacement pumps for better polymer metering

The compact new Monyo 1000 close-coupled positive displacement pump from Moyno Inc. is designed to offer greater versatility and performance advantages in polymer metering than competing products, especially where space is at a premium.

The pin-type universal joint is sealed and lubricated, providing long life with minimum maintenance.

Key features include a two-piece drive shaft that allows for easy assembly, maintenance, and mechanical seal access, and also eliminates the need for complete pump disassembly when servicing the mechanical seal; low-shear pumping action; smooth, non-pulsat-

26 Canadian Plastics November 2011 www.canplastics.com

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GeneralAds_8

RESHAPE THE FUTURE OF PLASTICS From the plastics of today to the engineered materials of tomorrow, our industry unites in 2012 to Break the Mold at The International Plastics Showcase. For the first time ever, professionals from around the world will gather in Orlando to uncover the latest tools and techniques needed to reshape the industry itself — and continue our impressive evolution.

Make plans now to participate in NPE2012 and see the latest in bio-renewable thermoplastics, injection molding, polymer nanocomposites, nanofibers and the green technologies that are changing the way we do business. Join tens of thousands of like-minded professionals to share success stories and explore solutions to the exciting challenges we face today and tomorrow.

The must-attend NPE2012 promises to deliver everything plastics — and your greatest opportunity to reshape your organization for maximum productivity.

Visit us online at www.npe.org.

The International Plastics Showcase April 1– 5, 2012 | www.npe.org Orange County Convention Center Orlando, Florida USA

GeneralAds_8.375x10.875".indd 1 CPLNov2011 p24-28 TechShow.indd 27

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technology showcase

ing flow; flow rates from 0.38 gpm to 320 gpm; and pressure capabilities to 350 psi.

Monyo Inc. (Springfield, Ohio); www.monyo.com; Peacock Industrial Process Equipment (Mississauga, Ont.); 905-813-8310 (Lasalle, Que.); 514-366-5757

MATERIALS

TPEs bite into burgeoning pet toy market

Pet products, including toys for dogs and cats, are estimated to account for as much as US$10 billion in sales per year. For plastics processors looking to tap into this

market, Star Thermoplastics has developed a new family of StarPet thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs).

The grades have been fully tested in the field; are non-toxic, “bite-proof,” colorful, and recyclable; and are currently being used by a variety of leading pet products manufacturers.

The TPEs are available in black or natural (or provided in colors of choice by Star Thermoplastics), and in a wide range of hardnesses or softnesses as required (30 to 65 Shore A).

Star Thermoplastics (Broadview, Ill.); www.starthermoplastics.com; 708-343-1100

classified ads MATERIALS

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

INJECTION MOLDER

Small Injection Moulding Company with fully equipped tool room and Moulds for sale.

Owner is retiring. All inquires will be held in the strictness of confidence.

Letters of confidentiality will be signed.

Please send inquires to: info@canplastics.com To place your classified ad here, contact: Brayden Ford, Advertising Sales Representative 416-510-5124 or bford@canplastics.com

28 Canadian Plastics November 2011 www.canplastics.com

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design ideas • new adventures in auto applications

Putting the “mod” back in roof module

Land Rover lightens up The all-new Range Rover Evoque was in the spotlight at the SABIC Innovative Plastics booth at Chinaplas 2011, underscoring the benefits of lightweight and environmentally responsible materials offered by the company.

The luxurious new cross-coupe, with its compact footprint and advanced technologies, is described

by Land Rover as a “step change in delivering reduced carbon dioxide emissions.” Use of SABIC’s materials, combined with efficient design and attention to detail, contributed to a 35 per cent overall weight reduction in the Evoque compared to Land Rover’s 2010 Range Rover Sport model.

According to Land Rover’s estimates, the Range Rover Evoque is capable of an “exceptional” sub-130 g/km carbon dioxide emissions level.

The automaker applied a range of advanced lightweight materials to make the Evoque the lightest Range Rover ever, barely tipping the scales at just under 1,600 kg. Land Rover incorporated several resins from SABIC for various applications to support improved fuel consumption and lower emissions, such as Noryl GTX resin for the front fenders, which reduces weight by 2.9 kg versus metal; Xenoy iQ resin, which contains significant percentage of upcycled post-consumer waste such as PET water bottles, for the pedestrian energy absorber; and Stamax long glass fibre polypropylene for the instrument panel and inner door modules.

SABIC Innovative Plastics (Toronto); www.sabic-ip.com; 800-323-3783

To update the famous maxim, when it comes to today’s auto parts, you can’t be too thin or too cool.

Case in point: a new 20-kg roof module with glazing and integrated solar modules developed as a prototype component and concept study by Webasto AG, and exhibited in an electric car at the recent IAA auto show in Germany. The module’s low weight owes primarily to a lightweight panoramic panel made from transparent polycarbonate Makrolon AG2677, developed by Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) for automotive glazing.

And as for cool? According to BMS, appropriately treated glazing made of Makrolon AG2677 enables infrared light and energy transmission values for dark colors that are at least as low as commercial thermal insulation pigments for glass. “Ventilation and air conditioning systems thus don’t need to work so intensively under the action of the sun’s heat, which cuts power consumption and extends the range that electric vehicles can travel,” said Dr. Sven Gestermann, key account manager for automotive glazing at BMS. Polycarbonate glazing also offers superior thermal insulation due to the plastic’s thermal conductivity, which is roughly five times lower than that of glass. In cold weather conditions, this increases the temperature of the internal surfaces of the polycarbonate glazing inside the vehicle significantly, which in turn cuts the energy needed to heat the vehicle and also improves comfort — another feature that helps boost the travel range of electric vehicles.

Bayer Inc. — Div. Of Bayer AG (Toronto); www.bayer.ca; 800-622-2937

Found: A good use for castor oil For years, castor oil was held to be the cure-all for a wide variety of ailments, and as such was ladled down the throats of a gazillion squirming children. Cut to the present and it’s just what the doctor ordered to reduce petroleum-based fossil fuel content in the instrument panel of the new Ford Focus.

“Working with BASF, we can now offer our North American customers the new Ford Focus with the industry’s first seamless soft-touch instrument panel that’s stronger, betterlooking, and better on the environment,” said Bari Brown, a Ford advanced product development engineer. “Castor oil from plants helps deliver sustainable interior foam that reduces petroleum use and improves vehicle craftsmanship. It’s beneficial both for the customer and Mother Nature.”

The new castor oil-based foam is more durable than previous materials, Brown continued, with at least a 36 per cent better tensile strength — a measure of the foam’s ability to hold its shape over time and use. Tear strength also is improved by five per cent, while elongation is reduced by almost 12 per cent.

“From a customer’s perspective, the vehicle’s instrument panel is softer to the touch,” Brown added. “It seamlessly contains the first-row passenger airbag, for a more appealing interior.”

BASF Canada (Mississauga, Ont.); www.basf.ca; 866-485-2273 www.canplastics.com November 2011 Canadian Plastics 29

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FAYMA 16 111

view from the floor

Three major myths about quality

By Jim Anderton, technical editor

Q

uality was once the ugly stepchild of manufacturing — poorly resourced and weakly understood around most operations, even those interested in OEM work. It’s different now, and, along with this interest, non-technical personnel have taken up the jargon and ethic on modern QA. That’s fine, but it leads to some misconceptions. Here are the three I encounter most often.

URE, WE MAKE QUALITY: 1“ SWE’RE ISO CERTIFIED”

Cantec

ISO is great, but compliance isn’t a direct measure of product quality. Common ISO certifications like 9001 mandate management procedures, not product quality. It’s possible for a manufacturer to produce parts that have poor form or function while still operating inside their ISO requirements by effectively documenting and monitoring their in-house procedures. I’ve seen compa/AB/CPD 09 11/20/09 3:24 PM Page 1 nies with shelves that literally sag beneath the weight of procedure manuals and full-time ISO compliance personnel, but that still ship poor quality. Having diplomas around doesn’t make you a processor of good parts.

UR SPC SYSTEM GUARANTEES 2 “ OQUALITY PARTS”

Does the use of statistics to control your process automatically mean that the customer gets quality product? No, for two reasons.

First, a process is “in control” based on upper and lower control limits for a target dimension or attribute. The math that determines where those limits are in relation to the target is less important here than the understanding that SPC controls consistency, not quality. If the attribute, for example, is the diameter of a hole, it can be very tightly controlled — maybe perfect — but if the hole doesn’t align with the part’s master assembly, it won’t matter.

Second, you’re simply begging for trouble when you give a spec-mad customer engineer control over every attribute, or too many, on a single part. I remember seeing a molded part that had a surface dimple designed to keep the parts from nesting in the Gaylord during the vibration of shipping, preventing clogging of the customer’s conveyor systems. This automotive part had the dimple dimensions tightly controlled according to the print, costing money and time. The molder, working under tight margins (as always with OE work), pays for this by doing less with attributes that really matter, or by raising the price.

"Whatever your thermoplastics needs may be, you can rely on Cantec Polymers to source the right products."

Cantec Polymers INC.

4 Lillibet Road, Toronto, Ontario M8Z 3S2

Tel: (416) 436-2323 Fax: (416) 237-1090 E-mail: mike.lang@sympatico.ca

“Earning your trust, one stripe at a time.”

URE, WE MAKE QUALITY: 3 “ SWE’RE A SIX SIGMA OPERATION”

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The problem here is that “Six Sigma” has come to mean a management process and a set of quality tools rather than its actual origin. True Six Sigma production operates with a reject rate of 3.4 per million or less, which can be difficult to achieve if you’re making nano-sized parts, or dead easy if the part’s attribute is wide tolerance or non-critical. Again, true manufacturing Six Sigma refers to statistics, specifically standard deviation from the mean. The “mean” is the average of all the multiple measurements for the attribute you’re watching. Hopefully that mean is exactly the dimension on the print, but it doesn’t have to be. One of the principles of Six Sigma control is that the reject rate is tight enough to account for a 1.5 sigma drift in the mean, in itself a warning that tight dimensional control doesn’t automatically translate into a quality part.

In the end, procedure manuals don’t create quality; nor, as W. Edwards Deming used to warn, can you inspect quality into a part. We need to be careful to make sure that “paper” quality is the same as production of parts that work well and fit right.

CPL

30 Canadian Plastics April 2010 www.canplastics.com

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