Canadian Plastics May 2013

CanadianPlastics www.canplastics.com

MAY 2013

The inside info on other CPIA AWARD WINNERS PICK & PLACE: Selecting the right robots & automation

LEADER of the YEAR

GERRY MALDOFF

Robert Schad talks about ATHENA AUTOMATION WINNIPEG PACKAGER finds its sweet spot

Plastic bag maker, plastic bag ban destroyer

2013 Show Preview

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May 14-16, Toronto See us at Booth 2013

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contents

Canadian Plastics MAY 2013 VOLUME 71 NUMBER 3

LOOKING BACK...

The March 1960 issue of Canadian Plastics reported on the inroads being made by reinforced plastics into the trucking industry.

The biggest convert to date was medium and heavy-duty truck maker Kenworth, which was collaborating with B.C.-based molder Pacific Plasti-Glass Development to design plastic motor covers and fenders for large diesel and logging trucks. Another example cited was the cabs for White Motor Company's new White 5000 trucks; the complete under-carriage was molded in one piece in one of the largest preform molds in the world, and then bonded with polyester adhesive to the other plastic cab sections.

"Driver comfort plus!!", our man enthused.

22

Number of the month:

100*

* Approximate length in feet of a new Nordmeccanica laminator currently being installed at Color Ad Packaging. (See pg. 24)

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Photo Credit: Sandra Strangemore

in every issue 4 Editor’s View: Surprise! Provincial jealousies overshadow a decent budget 5 News: • Branko Muich has been working at custom extruder Polyform Ltd. for 50 years.

You better believe he’s seen some changes • SPE honours industry leaders at ANTEC • People 10 Executive’s Corner: New federal budget business tax measures 36 Technology Showcase

cover story 12 CPIA LEADER OF THE YEAR: GERRY MALDOFF Lawyer turned flexible packaging president and CEO Gerry Maldoff was ideally suited to help orchestrate the lawsuit that kneecapped Toronto's proposed plastic bag ban. But it was only the latest in a long line of triumphs. PLUS: We profile more of the industry's best and brightest, as selected by the CPIA.

features 18 ROBOTS & AUTOMATION: Picking and placing the right configuration A good robotic system can save you a whole lotta operator trouble and open up a world of upstream and downstream efficiencies. So how do you select a good robotic system? Some of the experts weigh in.

22 DOING IT BETTER: Color Ad Packaging Winnipeg is best known for Portage and Main, the Guess Who, the Jets hockey franchise, and cold weather. But now that Color Ad Packaging has found its niche as North America's largest producer of preformed bags, as well as a leading supplier of pouches and roll stock, maybe it's time to add it to the list.

40 Plastics Data File

26 COMPANY PROFILE: Athena Automation hits the stage

40 Advertising Index

For hybrid injection molding machine and automation systems maker Athena Automation Ltd. — aka Robert Schad's new company — Act 1 was a years-long process of planning, building, deconstructing, rebuilding, and validating a new brand of equipment. Get ready for Act 2, as the machines enter the marketplace.

40 Classified Ads 46 Technical Tips: How to measure extruder alignment

31 PLAST-EX PREVIEW: What you need to know at a glance The when, where, and what's happening for the upcoming really big show.

Cover Photo Credit: Sandra Strangemore

Visit us at www.canplastics.com www.canplastics.com May 2013 Canadian Plastics

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editor’s view

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.

Surprise! Provincial jealousies overshadow a decent budget

P

ity the poor federal government. It’s tried to do right by the manufacturing sector with the recent 2013 federal budget, only to take heavy flak from the traditional Quebec vs. Ontario crossfire. The budget contains measures worth approximately $5 billion over five years to help Canadian manufacturers become more globally competitive. Central to the plan is a measure to provide $1.4 billion in tax relief to manufacturing companies investing in modern machinery and equipment through an extension of the accelerated capital cost allowance. More than 25,000 manufacturing and processing businesses have taken advantage of this initiative since it was first introduced in 2007, and the extension will run until 2017-18.

Other notable initiatives include renewing the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario with funding of $920 million for five years, starting on April 1, 2014; providing $200 million over five years for a new Advanced Manufacturing Fund in Ontario; providing $225 million to expand and extend, for one year, the temporary Hiring Credit for Small Business in the manufacturing sector; and enhancing Canada’s foreign trade zone policies and programs by reducing red tape, cutting costs, and improving access to existing programs.

But it seemed to some that the biggest winner is Ontario, which will get nearly $1 billion in additional funding over five years. Quebec Premier Pauline Marois’ government reacted furiously, with Quebec Finance Minister Nicolas Marceau calling the budget “economic sabotage” and Federal-Provincial Minister Alexandre Cloutier suggesting Ottawa had eliminated a tax credit much used in Quebec and instead shifted money to Ontario’s manufacturers. “While Ontario is getting $900 million for its manufacturing 4

industry, Quebec is getting peanuts,” Cloutier fumed. Quebec also led the chorus of objections and scepticism that emerged over a $300 million Canada Jobs Grant plan, a proposal that gives Ottawa more control over how provinces use $500 million a year in federal training funds. Quebec Labour Minister Agnes Maltais formally requested that Quebec be excluded from the new program. “We refuse to go 15 years backward,” she said.

The bickering continued when federal officials informed the Quebec government that Ontario is not getting a better deal from the budget. Quebec “should put old quarrels aside” and “stick to the facts,” Transport Minister Denis Lebel shot back. Not all of the $920 million earmarked for economic development in Southern Ontario over five years will go to the goods producing industry, Lebel observed, also noting that Quebec gets similar help.

Lost amid the back-and-forth, large segments of the manufacturing sector gave the budget a thumbs-up. “It positions manufacturing and exporting at the heart of Canada’s Economic Action Plan by focusing on practical steps that will enhance competitiveness, productivity, innovation, and business growth,” said Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters president and CEO Jayson Myers. The Canadian Association of Mold Makers, meanwhile, lauded the announcement of the Jobs Grant program, which aims to ease the growing shortage of skilled labour in Canada by providing upwards of $15,000 per person to train workers.

So there’s good news for our plastics manufacturers in the budget, reinforcing other recent promising developments such as reshoring and the growth of natural gas extraction in North America.

But the positives are getting lost amid the usual provincial jealousies. If that’s not Canada, I’ll never recognize it.

www.canplastics.com EDITOR Mark Stephen 416-510-5110 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: mstephen@canplastics.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 ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER 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 EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Tim Dimopoulos VICE PRESIDENT, CANADIAN PUBLISHING Alex Papanou PRESIDENT, BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP Bruce Creighton 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 information services.

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Mark Stephen, editor

mstephen@canplastics.com

Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

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news

Branko Muich

has been working at custom extruder Polyform Ltd. for 50 years.

You better believe he’s seen some changes.

I

n 1963, Lester Pearson was Canada’s Prime Minister, the Beatles were still in Liverpool, and Branko Muich started working at a new Toronto-based custom extrusion shop called Polyform Ltd. Fifty years later, Pearson and the Beatles are long gone, but Muich is still going strong at Polyform.

Short of actually building the plant, Muich has done just about every job possible for the company over the decades, from machine operator to salesman to plant supervisor to maintenance manager to die maker. Polyform’s technical sales representative Ziggy Pelc put Muich’s career in a nutshell. “We call him Mr. Polyform, the hardest working person at the company,” he said.

And, at 76, Muich shows no signs of slowing down.

What ravages of time? Muich on the Polyform shop floor in 1963 (left), and still going strong in 2013.

UP FROM COMMUNISM

Born in Croatia in 1937, Muich’s early life is a story in itself.

“The country was under communist rule when I was growing up. I was trained as a barber and then, at 17, was captured at the border trying to escape and jailed as a political prisoner,” Muich said. He was released and conscripted into the army as a telephone repairman, but still yearned for something better. “I got sick while in the army, was sent home to recover, and immediately escaped to Italy,” he said. “I spent two years living in that country in a refugee

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camp, where I learned a new trade: photography.”

He still wasn’t satisfied. The next step was emigration to Canada, and Muich still remembers the date of his arrival by ship: April 15, 1960. “I moved to Toronto, but there were plenty of barbers and photographers there, so I worked in a hospital by day and went to school at night,” he said. “A year later, I went to work for an aluminum extrusion manufacturer in Toronto called Custom Air.” Which is where Muich’s long career in plastics began. “Custom Air also did plastics extrusion, which I became familiar with,” he said.

“Through Custom Air, I also met two men named Thomas Nicholson and Alan Watts. They were planning to open a new custom extrusion shop called Polyform Ltd., and asked me to work for them.” But there was a catch. “Before they hired me, they sent me to George Brown College in my spare time to study plastics processing,” Muich said. “They wanted me to know enough to work on my own. That, plus my other trade skills, gave me a foundation to build on.”

BUSY YEARS

Polyform opened its doors in 1963, with a total of five workers and one extruder. From the start, business was good. “We bought a second extruder after six months and then added more, and for 15 years we had nothing

insiDe AnD oUt

but success,” Muich said. “I was a machine operator but also worked in sales, selling extruded channel and slider components.” One of Polyform’s claims to fame is being among the first — if not the first — companies in Canada to extrude PVC vertical blinds. “We began making blinds around 1973 for the Canadian and U.S. markets,” Muich said. “We thought we were on top of the world, but eventually lost the business to competition.”

By 1983, Watts had left the company, Nicholson had passed away, and Muich was the company’s general foreman and maintenance manager. The following year, when Polyform’s die maker quit, Muich shouldered that job as well.

“Working three jobs at once was a situation that probably wouldn’t happen today,” Muich said. “My work schedule became extreme — I still have a timecard from March 1987 that records an 82.5-hour work week.”

By 2002, when Muich turned 65, his career appeared to be winding down — only it didn’t. “I agreed to stay for a few months until the company found a replacement for me, but they never did and I’m still here,” he said. “I’m now the general handyman — making and repairing dies, repairing extruders, fixing leaks, and doing anything else they need me to do.”

Toshiba opens new Ontario technical centre

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Spaso Crngarov (fourth from left) and Toshiba Machine Company staff.

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Toshiba Machine Company Canada held a two-day open house on March 26 and March 27, to mark the opening of a new technical centre at its headquarters in Markham, Ont. “The centre is meant as a machinery showcase and also a place for customer mold trials,” said Spaso Crngarov, president of Goodwood, Ont.-based Industrial Solutions, Toshiba’s Canadian sales representative. “It’s another way for Toshiba to show its full commitment to the Canadian plastics processing market.”

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SUMMING UP

So from his vantage point of 50 years in custom extrusion, how does Muich regard the current landscape? “Today’s extrusion machines are bigger and better, and the electronic technology means the operators don’t have to know as much,” he said. “But as sophisticated as they are, the electronics can be a disadvantage in custom extrusion. An electronic controller will control my temperature but it has to be replaced every few years; and if the replacement doesn’t fit, it has to be retrofitted. I have instruments that are 50 years old and still controlling temperature, and this is all that I need.”

He’s seen some changes on the die making side as well, and, again, he doesn’t think they’re all for the better. “I spent years cutting thousands of dies with a bandsaw, and could use my experience and my instincts to calculate any changes that I thought necessary,” he said. “Now I have EDM to cut a die, which is an advantage because I don’t have to polish the die afterwards. But with a computer

SPE honours industry leaders at ANTEC

Dr. Benny Freeman

Tim Taylor

Dr. Robert Lochhead

Dr. Robert Gallucci

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) honoured four U.S. plastics industry heavyweights at the ANTEC 2013 event on April 22, 2013, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The International Award went to Dr. Benny Freeman, the Robert B. Curran Centennial Chair in Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas, for his research on polymers and polymer-based composite materials for low-energy gas and liquid separations.

Tim Taylor received the Business Management Award for his work in the chemical, oil, and gas industries. Taylor is an executive vice president at Phillips 66, and previously served as chief operating officer of Chevron Phillips.

The Education Award went to Dr. Robert Lochhead, chair of the Department of Polymer Science at the University of Southern Mississippi. Lochead is the author of 300 scientific papers and 22 polymer-based patents.

Finally, Dr. Robert Gallucci, chief scientist with SABIC Innovative Plastics, received the Research/Engineering Technology Award. The author of 39 technical papers, Gallucci also holds over 100 U.S. patents.

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program, the result isn’t always what I want, and I sometimes have to make changes when it’s done.”

And as for the extrusion industry in general, let’s not even go there. “It’s certainly not what it used to be,” Muich said. “I knew at least 20 different extrusion companies in Toronto when I was younger, and only two of them are still around now. It’s a much more difficult business today; extrusion companies just don’t have the same amount of control over their businesses anymore.”

Muich is philosophical about his own career, too.

“Working for the same company all my life has had good points and bad points,” he said “I don’t regret it, but I might have done better financially if I had accepted new job offers. But I’m loyal to Polyform and they’ve been loyal to me. The high turnover of workers today might not be happening if more companies did better jobs of looking after their employees.”

In the end, Muich clearly isn’t going to worry about the road not travelled. “I see myself as a successful man: I own my house, I own a cottage and a boat, I’ve been married to the same woman for 50 years, and have raised wonderful children,” he said. “I can afford to retire, but I don’t know what I’d do if I did. I’ve always believed in working hard, and it’s kept me healthy.”

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HASCO DLC Coating

HASCO continues to expand their ejector range with new products that have DLC coating.

The DLC coating is a metal-free, diamond-like carbon layer that is deposited by the PACVD.

Cyr takes charge at Rotogran The new face at the helm of Rotogran International Inc. actually isn’t a new face at all. After 21 years with the Toronto-based manufacturer of grinders, granulators, custom conveyors, and scrap handling systems, Mike Cyr is now the company’s owner. Cyr recently bought the company’s shares from founder Mike Mikellides. Cyr is also taking over as president and CEO, while Mikellides will stay on as an engineering adviser.

Other than that, Cyr said, it’s business almost as usual.

“Rotogran is going to continue to manufacture Canadianbuilt products, and will continue to resist the temptation to use offshore components in our equipment,” Cyr said.

“Also, we plan to open new markets by continuing to expand into the plastics recycling industry.”

Founded in 1982, Rotogran is currently located in a 20,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and employs 18 workers.

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— Plastic film and sheet extrusion mach­inery supplier Macro Engineering & Technology Inc., headquartered in Jim Stobie Mississauga, Ont., has named Jim Stobie to the new position of CEO.

Jim Holbrook

— Jim Holbrook has been named president of auxiliary equipment maker ACS Group, which distributes products under the brand names AEC, Sterling Products Inc., Cumberland Engineering, Colortronic Peter Armbruster North America, ACS Group Walton/Stout, Wabash, Carver, and Economizer.

— Cranberry Township, Pa.-based auxiliary equipment manufacturer The Conair Group has named Peter Armbruster as national sales manager, responsible for all sales regions and local independent sales agents in Canada and the U.S.

Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

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executive’s corner

New federal budget business tax measures

By Sergio Colantonio, KPMG LLP

T

he government’s 2013 federal budget has been tabled. Here are details on some changes to business taxes that you should know.

HIRING CREDIT FOR SMALL BUSINESS The budget proposes to extend for one year the temporary Hiring Credit for Small Business. In particular, the temporary credit will provide up to $1,000 against a small company’s increase in its 2013 Employment Insurance (EI) premiums over those paid in 2012 to employers with total EI premiums of $15,000 or less in 2012.

ACCELERATED CAPITAL COST ALLOWANCE FOR EQUIPMENT Currently, machinery and equipment acquired by a taxpayer after March 18, 2007 and before 2014 is eligible for a

temporary capital cost allowance (CCA) rate of 50 per cent on a straight-line basis, subject to the half-year rule, under Class 29. This temporary CCA is extended for two years, and will now apply to equipment acquired before 2016.

DISCLOSURE OF THIRD PARTY SR&ED PREPARERS The budget introduces a measure to require additional information on third party preparers involved in the preparation of a Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) claim and a penalty for incomplete or non-disclosure. More detailed information will be required to be provided on SR&ED program claim forms about SR&ED program tax preparers and billing arrangements. The budget proposes a new penalty of $1,000 also be imposed on each

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SR&ED program claim for which the information about the SR&ED program tax preparers and billing arrangements is missing, incomplete, or inaccurate. If a preparer has participated in the preparation of the claim, the preparer will be jointly and severally, or solidarily, liable with the taxpayer for the penalty.

ADDITIONAL SR&ED FUNDING The budget proposes the following additional federal investments for business innovation: • Providing $121 million over two years to invest in the National Research Council to help the growth of innovative businesses in Canada.

•P roviding $20 million over three years to a pilot project delivered through the National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program to help small and medium-sized enterprises access research and business development services at universities, colleges, and other non-profit research institutions.

• Providing funding of $5 million over two years to the Canada Revenue Agency to conduct more direct outreach with firsttime SR&ED program claimants.

• Providing funding of $15 million over two years to focus more resources on reviews of SR&ED claims where the risk of non-compliance is perceived to be high and the eligibility unlikely.

TAXATION OF CORPORATE GROUPS In previous budgets, the government announced that it would explore whether new rules to improve the taxation system of corporate groups was necessary. The budget announces that the examination of the taxation of corporate groups is now complete, and that moving to a formal system of corporate group taxation is not a priority at this time.

CPL Sergio Colantonio is an R&D tax incentives practitioner at KPMG LLP in Toronto. He is also the president of the Society of Plastics Engineers, Ontario Section. Visit www. kpmg.com for more information, or email Sergio directly at scolantonio@kpmg.ca.

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CPIA leader of the year

Photo Credit: Sandra Strangemore

GERRY MALDOFF

A plastic bag ban-slaying

By Mark Stephen, editor

Leader of the Year

M

ost of us would probably consider being a lawyer as a safeas-houses route towards economic security. Gerry Maldoff didn’t, and gave up practicing law for a career in plastics.

Turns out to have been the right move for him, and a net gain for our industry. And you can bet the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) thinks so too: they just named Maldoff, the president and CEO of Toronto-based plastic shopping bag maker Hymopack Ltd., as this year’s Leader of the Year.

A NEW CAREER AND NEW CHALLENGES A Montreal native, Maldoff graduated from McGill University Law School with his Bachelor of Civil Law in 1976 and Bachelor of Commerce Law in 1977, and moved to Toronto to spend the next several years practicing at a mid-sized downtown firm. But something wasn’t quite right. “I enjoyed the intellectual challenge of practicing law, but I had a young and growing family and wanted to create financial security for them by working in a business and building equity in it,” he said. In 1983, Maldoff’s fatherin-law Harvey Rosenbloom convinced him to join Hymopack, which was the Rosenbloom group of businesses. “It was the best of all situations: a job in a growing industry, in a family business that — because Harvey was located in Montreal — nonetheless gave me a degree of autonomy,” he said. “I didn’t know much about plastic bags or the plastics industry, but I learned about both quickly, in part from going out on sales calls with Harvey.”

Fast forward 30 years, and Rosenbloom and Maldoff have transformed Hymopack from a fledgling plastic bag maker into a leading North American manufacturer of carryout plas12

tic shopping bags. The company occupies 130,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space and employs 175 workers in a 24/7 operation. “Our targets are the major retailers, and we work with distributors for smaller accounts,” Maldoff said. It hasn’t always been easy, especially lately. “In the last five years, there has been tremendous consolidation on both the supplier and customer sides of the industry, and today there are only three major supermarket chains, two major department store chains, two major drug store chains, and three major hardware chains,” he said. “The result is a much more competitive marketplace in which only the strong, efficient, and cost-competitive will survive. Consistent reinvestment in new technology is critical to being a low-cost producer.”

In line with market changes, the industry has had to make umpteen other adjustments in the decades since Maldoff arrived on the scene. The bag of choice, originally the WaveTop bag, eventually gave way to T-Shirt bags, first in low and then in high density plastics. Alongside these changes, Maldoff has actively contributed to innovations and improvements in the manufacturing process to make plastic bags thinner and stronger. And in addition to managing Hymopack, Maldoff has been instrumental in supporting Dyne-A-Pak, Eastern Canada’s leading foam tray manufacturer; and Associated Paper Mills, Canada’s leading paper bag manufacturer.

BANNING THE BAN Historically, Maldoff has played an integral part of the CPIA Plastic Bag Committee, initially promoting the plastic bag

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Photo Credit: Sandra Strangemore

CPIA leader of the year

industry but working more recently to prevent or overturn restrictions on plastic bags in no less than 150 jurisdictions, lending both his advice and financial assistance to the cause. Perhaps most important to date, he played a crucial role in facing down the mother of all restrictions: the battle to reverse a proposed ban on plastic bags in Toronto. In case you hadn’t heard, in June 2012 Toronto City Council approved a resolution to ban single-use plastic carryout shopping bags effective January 1, 2013.

The move was the definition of a whim — undertaken with no notice, no opportunity for industry or public comment, and no report or study or recommendations by Toronto city staff on a potential ban — and Maldoff chaired the Plastic Bag Advisory Sub-Committee, which was responsible for the formulation and implementation of a multi-pronged strategy to reverse it.

He also provided assistance in the hiring of key consultants — including experts on government relations, public relations, and coalition building — to assist in strategy formulation and implementation. Key components of the strategy were the formation of an organization called the Canadian Plastic Bag Association, and that group’s launching of legal action against the City. Here, too, Maldoff was a driving force, putting his background in law to good use in interviewing and helping select an experienced legal counsel, and helping to hone the legal arguments. Finally, he was instrumental in designing an

effective fundraising plan that collected over $250,000 to manage the ban issue, and — through Hymopack — contributed financially to ensure all costs would be covered.

In the face of this legal challenge, City Council blinked, voting 38 to 7 to rescind the ban. With Goliath KO’d, Maldoff can relax and offer his post-mortem on the fight. “We discovered early on that many of the councillors had clearly been confused about what they were voting on, and that the decision as implemented was unlawful,” he said. “As we investigated further, it became clear that the majority of Torontonians were opposed to the ban — they want more effective plastic bag recycling, not limitations placed on plastic bag use. Since almost all bags are reused for organics collection and household waste, banning them would only have resulted in Torontonians having to purchase thicker, more expensive bags for these purposes, and the majority of the people knew it. The lawsuit was certainly helpful, but public opinion was against the ban, and I believe that was what really decided the issue.”

Maldoff is just as modest about being selected as the CPIA’s Leader of the Year. “Being respected by my peers is a source of real satisfaction, and receiving the award will be a tremendous honour,” he said.

And unlike Toronto’s bag ban misstep, there’s no need to reverse this decision.

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CPIA awards

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

“Honouring individuals who have made outstanding achievements and contributed enduring legacies to Canada’s plastics industry.”

ROGER KEELEY

DAVID STANFIELD

Keeley is general manager of the polyethylene division for Toronto-based Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd. A native of Vancouver, Keeley has been with Atlantic Packaging for over 25 years, and has held a number of positions, starting in sales. A bona fide salesman’s salesman, Keeley is a Certified Marketing Executive; a past president of the Canadian Professional Sales Association, which awarded him the Charles Barnes Accolade for meritorious service; and a former president of the Sales and Marketing Executives of Toronto, which awarded him the Uraski Award for significant contributions towards sales professionalism.

Closer to the plastics front, Keeley is a past chairman of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Plastic Film Manufacturers Association, a former director of the Packaging Association of Canada, a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Atlantic Packaging, and — in 1999 — a recipient of a CPIA Canplast Award.

Stanfield retired from Dartmouth, N.S.based Farnell Packaging Ltd. in March 2013, where he served as vice president of sales and marketing. A University of New Brunswick graduate, Stanfield started at Farnell in September 1977 and spent his entire career at the company, helping the family-owned shop grow from a seven-man operation into a 160-employee-strong international supplier of flexible packaging solutions. A former member of the CPIA’s Board of Directors, Stanfield was also the unofficial liaison for the CPIA’s Atlantic Board for many years. “I’ve always been a plastics industry man,” Stanfield said. “I like giving back and supporting the industry, and have always tried to build it up and promote it whenever possible, including during the times when we’ve struggled on the public relations front.”

CANPLAST AWARDS

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“Honouring individuals who have contributed time, energy, and expertise to improving the competitive and environmental performance of Canada’s plastics industry.”

TERRY ELLIOTT

GREG WILKINSON

Elliott is the general manager of color and additive maker Ampacet Canada Company in Toronto. He started his career at the polystyrene division of Polysar Energy & Chemical Corporation in the 1980s, before the company was bought by Nova Chemicals Company in 1988. “After the acquisition, I moved into the environmental products group, working with photodegradable and super-absorbent technologies, and eventually progressed through sales and moved into a market specialist role doing business planning for different Nova market segments, including polyethylene,” he said. “I also started my work with plastics industry associations during this time.” Signing on with CPIA’s Environment and Plastics Industry Council (EPIC), Elliott sat on the anti-litter subcommittee and the degradable subcommittee. In 1988, he was hired as director of sales and marketing for Ampacet in Canada — becoming general manager in 2006 — and also stepped up his volunteer work in the industry. “I was asked to sit on the Executive Committee of the Plastic Film Manufacturers Association of Canada in 1990, and have served as Chairman since early 2012; through that, I also have a seat on the CPIA’s Board of Directors,” he said.

Coming to Canada’s petroleum industry via a job with the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1986, Wilkinson transitioned to Nova Chemicals Company in 1989, and spent the next 20 years moving from Calgary to Boston to Pittsburgh on his way up to the position of vice president, public and government affairs.

During these decades, he became a familiar face to CPIA members. “My CPIA involvement dates back to the 1990s,” Wilkinson said. “I served on a variety of different committees and then joined the Board of Directors about nine years ago.” The next step was an even bigger one, as Wilkinson filled in as the CPIA’s interim president and CEO during 2011. A stint as president of Toronto-based consulting firm Third Oak Associates Inc. has been followed by Wilkinson’s move to Earnscliffe Strategy Group, Canada’s oldest independent public affairs firm, as a principal earlier this year.

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CPIA awards

T

JON PYPER Pyper has worked at The Dow Chemical Company for the past 27 years, with positions in financial services, purchasing, government affairs, and various senior marketing, product management, and sales roles within both chemicals and plastics businesses across North America. He currently serves as senior account executive, performance packaging, within Dow’s North American packaging, hygiene and medical, and polyethylene business.

On the industry association side, Pyper is a founder and past Chairman of the Plastics Energy Recovery Committee of the American Chemistry Council; Dow’s voting member on the CPIA’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee; and Chairman of CPIA’s Post-Use Resource Management Committee — formerly EPIC — from 2004 to 2012.

STEWARDSHIP AWARDS

“Honouring organizations that have contributed to the Canadian plastics industry’s stewardship and sustainability in post-use plastics recovery.”

WESTCOAST PLASTIC RECYCLING

EREMA NORTH AMERICA INC.

Founded in January 2008, Richmond, B.C.-based Westcoast provides a collection and recycling service for film and rigid plastics in Metro Vancouver and the surrounding region. Separated and compacted by either a hydraulic baler or industrial grinding machine, the repelletized product is shipped to North American and overseas remanufacturers.

Westcoast — which diverts an estimated four million pounds of plastic from landfills annually — has also won a Consumer Choice Award for “Best Recycling Centre and Services in the Vancouver Area” in 2011.

Manufacturing plastic recycling systems since 1983, Austria-based Erema — with North American head­ quarters in Ipswich, Mass. — is now the largest such equipment supplier in the world. “Erema is at the leading edge of plastics recycling, responsible for opening up new markets for recycled plastics, and bringing best practices from Europe and beyond to North America,” the CPIA said.

INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD NANDA NAGARAJAN Nagarajan is the business unit manager, metal-polymer hybrids, at Burlington, Ont.-based metallurgical nanotechnology developer Integran Technologies Inc. Nagarajan played an important role in developing Integran’s Nanovate NP “structural metal plating-on-polymer” technology, designed to raise fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles by enabling the cost-

Versatile machine for jars and small to medium size bottles.

“Honouring individuals who have contributed to the expansion of Canada’s plastics industry through technical advancements.” effective manufacture of lightweight parts for transportation applications, replacing a variety of heavier all-metal components while providing superior wear- and impactresistance. The technology can be applied to a broad range of high performance thermoplastics, such as polyphenylene sulfide, polyetherimides, polyamides, PEEK, and other traditional plateable polymers. Further benefits can include thermal management and EMI shielding.

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Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

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13-04-04 2:27 PM

robots & automation

PICK

A good robotic and end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) system can save you a whole lotta operator trouble and open up a world of upstream and down-­ stream efficiencies. All you have to do is select the configuration that suits your needs.

The experts weigh in with some suggestions.

R

epetition can be one of life’s great drags — watching your favorite sports team getting hammered night after night, for example. But in certain situations it’s ideal. Take plastics processing. The successful handling and manipulation of postmolded parts with a high degree of accuracy increases efficiency and bolsters bottom lines. By eliminating operator error and controlling upstream and downstream operations, a robotic automation cell can reduce cycle time, improve productivity, and bring a rapid return on investment.

ROBOTS 101 But there’s a big challenge at the outset: picking the right configuration for your needs. There’s obviously no one-size-fits-all robotic system, just as there’s more than one robotic configuration available. The simplest is a top-mounted, gantry-style (also called Cartesian, linear, or traversing) three-axis robot that uses the X, Y, and Z coordinate system. Scara robots generally possess four axes; their work envelope is determined by three joints and the wrist. An articulated arm robot can range from simple twojointed structures to systems with 10 or more interacting joints; a six-axis design is perhaps the most commonly used.

Your choice will be contingent on a range of variables. Number one with a bullet? The application — in short, what you’re trying to accomplish with the robot. Most industrial robot manufacturers agree on a few universals. “If your application requires only pick-and-place functionality, you probably only need a basic three-axis servo robot to place parts onto a conveyor or table for packaging or post-molding work,” said Jim Healy, vice president of sales and marketing with Sepro America Inc. “They are simple and easy to program.”

Need a slightly more complicated movement? “Linear threeand five-axis servo robots offer more flexibility and are close in 18

PLACE Choosing the right robots and end-of-arm tooling

By Mark Stephen, editor capability and flexibility to six-axis robots, but are more userfriendly and are faster for initial part extraction,” said Brad Lemieux, sales manager for En-Plas Inc. “In some cases, linear servo robots are used in conjunction with a six-axis robot, where the high speed linear servo robot extracts the part and hands it off to the robot, or places the parts onto a fixture where the articulating robot can do post-molding operations.”

Some applications call for the parts to be turned in the mold; there is also growing need for automation of insert loading and postmold downstream operations. At the same time, many molders are faced with shorter runs and want their automation flexible enough for quick retasking. All of these are good reasons to consider articulated six-axis robots. There’s no dodging it, however: six-axis robots offer the most versatility, but also the most complexity. “Typically, customers who buy six-axis units have their own automation department and an expert programmer on staff to implement many of the post-molding operations,” Lemieux said. But the landscape is changing. “Historically, linear tends to be easier to program, but the industry has been working to make the programming of articulated arm robots as simple as possible,” said Helen Feng, global industry segment manager for plastic with ABB Inc. Recently, Sepro introduced a line of six-axis articulated arm robots developed specifically for injection molding. “Processors who are already familiar with the control platforms we use for linear robots will find that little additional training is required to program multi-axis robots for injection molding,” Jim Healy said.

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE The work envelope — the volume of working or reaching space — is another factor to be considered, especially if the processing machine is in an area with either height or spatial restrictions.

Some rules of thumb? Scara robots provide circular work enve-

Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

CPL2013May p18-20 Robots Autom.indd 18

13-04-05 1:23 PM

robots & automation

lopes while taking up only small footprints on the floor. Gantry or Cartesians, which work from overhead grids, have rectangular envelopes and require large volumes of space in which to operate — the largest surface area requirement of all robotic configurations, in fact, since they take up as much space as the X-axis.

One of the biggest robotic challenges surrounding an application is the payload, defined as the maximum load that a robot can manipulate. The key question is, how big or small is your product? Sometimes, processors get the answer wrong. “We often find in a competitive situation that robot payloads are undersized, or sized specifically for one application only instead of with the freedom to fit future projects that might run on the molding machine,” said Rob Miller, president of Wittmann Canada Inc. Scara robots are well-suited for handling small parts, industrial robot makers say. “Because they work from a grid, gantry or Cartesian robots provide better accessibility to larger parts than other configurations,” said Stephane Bourdages, vice president of Automatisation S.A.B. Inc., which represents Harmo. A tip? A linear robot will always deliver its full payload capability over the length of its stroke, while the payload capacity with a six-axis model can change over the stroke, and the articulated arm may have lower payload capability at its maximum extension.

Cycle time is another consideration that can determine your

choice. Overall molding cycle time dictates how much a partremoval robot can accomplish before it has to get back in position for the next cycle. A longer molding cycle naturally allows time for downstream operations, while a shorter production cycle time may minimize what one robot can do. “Gantry-style robots can be very high speed, and the inside the machine time can be as little as two or three seconds,” said Helen Feng. “With articulated arm robots, the cycle time in the machine is usually longer, between four to five seconds. However, when a larger and more complicated part is molded with longer machine molding time, modern software can help reduce the extraction time by as much as 10 per cent.” There are other, creative ways to boost the results of six-axis robots. “For a high speed application with insert loading or inmold labelling, two small six-axis robots — one working on top of the platen and the other on the non-operator side of the machine — used in parallel to split the workload will be equally fast, if not faster, than a high speed gantry-style robot,” said Chad Henry, North American sales manager for Staubli Corporation.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT? Unmentioned until now is price — which, since nobody’s giving robots away these days, might just be the biggest factor. In the past, molders may have been reluctant to consider six-axis robots

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robots & automation because of the higher price tag, but that’s been changing as costcutting initiatives have made these models more affordable. “I’ve seen a 15 per cent to 20 per cent reduction in price for a six-axis robot in the past four or five years,” said Stephane Bourdages.

“Generally speaking, a six-axis is now cost-competitive with a standard gantry-style robot.” It’s a bit of a moving target, though.

“Three-axis robots are now very reasonably priced, and with the various servo technologies available to expand the work envelope, a typical three-axis robot is no longer typical,” said Rob Miller.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF EOAT A final piece to the robotic puzzle — especially for small part applications — is the selection of EOAT. Problem is, it’s too often treated as the final piece. “Even though EOAT is typically the last thing designed after the budget has already been spent, skimping on EOAT components will hamper the robot’s ability to hold, manage, and manipulate your small parts,” said John Westbeld, engineering manager at >SAS< Automation LLC. Many injection molders have met their parts-handling needs by building their own robot EOAT with off-the-shelf modular components, and are comfortable in their understanding of how to configure simpler EOAT with such standard components as vacuum cups, gripper mounting arms, and part/sprue pliers. But the DIY approach might reach its limit when dealing with complex, tough-to-handle parts that require EOAT systems with more sophisticated multi-function capabilities.

At this point, you might be wise to call a professional. “A custom-built EOAT can combine several functions that can operate simultaneously or in sequence, which a standard EOAT can’t do,” Westbeld said. “An example is a custom system designed to pick a molded part and then place steel inserts in the mold for the next part, eliminating excessive cycle time from having an operator manually place inserts in the mold and remove the molded part,” Westbeld said.

Putting together the right robotic system isn’t easy, but the result might just make repetition exciting.

CPL RESOURCE LIST ABB Inc. (Brampton, Ont.); www.abb.ca; 905-460-3000 Auxiplast Inc./Automatisation S.A.B. Inc. (Ste-Julie, Que.); www.auxiplast.com; 866-922-2894 >SAS< Automation LLC (Xenia, Ohio); www.sasgripper.com; 888-727-3628 Verick International (Brampton, Ont.); www.verick.com; 888-783-7425 Sepro America Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.); www.seproamerica.com; 412-459-0450 Industries Laferriere (Mascouche, Que.); www.industrieslaffiere.ca; 450-477-8880 Shadow Automation Inc. (Uxbridge, Ont.); 905-649-2652 Staubli Corporation (Duncan, S.C.); www.staubli.com; 864-486-5421 Wittmann Canada Inc. (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-canada.com; 866-466-8266 Ontor Ltd. (Romark Division); (Toronto); www.ontor.com; 416-781-5286 Yushin/En-Plas Inc. (Toronto); www.en-plasinc.com; 416-286-3030

Come visit us at Plast-Ex 2013 Booth 2463

20

Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

CPL2013May p18-20 Robots Autom.indd 20

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CPL2013May p21 Milacron AD.indd 21

13-04-04 2:41 PM

doing it better

COLOR AD PACKAGING finds its sweet spot

This Winnipeg flexible packager is just where it wants to be — between the mom-and-pops and the multinationals.

By Mark Stephen, editor

F

or any hockey fans working at Winnipeg-based flexible pack­ ­­aging manufacturer Color Ad Packaging Ltd., these are salad days. First, you’ve got the Jets back. Second, Color Ad’s business is booming.

Serving primarily confectionery, snack food, and beverage markets, Color Ad is North America’s largest producer of laminated preformed bags as well as a leading supplier of stand-up pouches and roll stock products. But it wasn’t always that way. Founded 12 years ago, the company started as a roll stock label manufacturer and increasingly branched into paper packaging structures in 2006, with the purchase of Winpak Technologies in Toronto.

“Color Ad was then making popcorn bags for all of North America after the Winpak purchase, which was, for the most part, a mature, low-end market,” said Chip Batten, Color Ad’s president and CEO. “The original owners ran into financial difficulty shortly afterwards, and the company looked for new financing or partnerships.”

SOPHISTICATED REBIRTH Color Ad’s rebirth began in 2011, when it was purchased by well-known Canadian entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist G. Raymond Chang. “We wanted to get into sophisticated packaging, and the new ownership allowed us to do that,” Batten said. “We aggressively pursued the high-end chocolate 22

(Top to bottom) The W&H Heliostar SL 10 gravure press.

The Color Ad shop floor.

The W&H Miraflex CM 10 flexographic press.

Photo Credits: Color Ad Packaging Ltd.

bag market — almost all of which was being manufactured in Germany at the time — and succeeded to the point where we now service about 80 per cent of that market in North America.”

Not that they’ve called it quits on the popcorn bags. “The traditional popcorn bag has become an effective marketing tool for advertisers, and we’re there to meet that need,” Batten said. “There was a time when we needed to account for a rather long lead time for these theatre

Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

CPL2013May p22-24 Doing Better.indd 22

13-04-04 2:41 PM

Vistez-nous / Visit us Booth #2331

PLAST-EX

Your allies in excellence for all types of injection molding and extrusion projects

A

uxiplast is the benchmark in the sale of new, used or refurbished equipment for the plastics industry. Our services also extend to installation, repair, start-up, training, measurement of screws and barrels, as well as supplying replacement parts. The Auxiplast team is able to transform your business by bringing innovative and sustainable solutions. We can help you with optimizing your equipment and processes, reduction and management of waste, reduction of energy cost and consumption of raw materials, controlling the quality

CPL2013May p23 Auxiplast AD.indd 23

of your finished products, and making effective use of your plant personnel.

We act as consultants and undertake a â&#x20AC;&#x153;diagnostic of performanceâ&#x20AC;? of your current operations, based on your figures and not ours. We come to your facility and evaluate the way you do things, following an analysis of your current situation. Using our knowledge and experience in the field, we suggest an improvement plan, concrete and specific, with the only objective of making you more competitive. Also note that the Auxiplast team travels anywhere

in the world to stay informed about what is best in terms of equipment for the plastics industry. We guarantee you that we have the experience and skills to optimize your operations. Put us to the test, as did thousands of customers since 1994.

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13-04-04 2:43 PM

doing it better

bags. However, advances in technology have allowed us to cut the turnaround time significantly over the past few years.”

The company is also planning to move into such areas as cold seal packaging — in which the use of pressure, not heat, creates the seal — and, towards this end, has recently placed sizeable orders for flexible packaging equipment, including a 10-color Heliostar SL 10 gravure press, a 10-color Miraflex CM 10 flexographic press, and three Triumph bag machines from Windmoeller & Hoelscher (W&H); and a Nordmeccanica laminator. “The Miraflex CM 10 flexographic press has a 48-inch working width, and is equipped with a color matching system, automatic wash-up system, and technology for impression setting and 3D plate topography,” Batten said. “The Heliostar SL 10 gravure press has a 48-inch working width, and is the first W&H gravure press in North America to be installed with automatic wash-up. The Triumph bag formers are versatile machines used in the production of a variety of square bottom bags.”

The Nordmeccanica laminator, meanwhile, will allow Color

PURGING PERFECTION

Ad to laminate three layers of substrate in one pass, mixing combinations of k Roll stoc g. rin paper, polyethylene, polytu ac uf man Color Ad ester, and oriented polyPhoto Credit:aging Ltd. Pack propylene. And the machine isn’t small, busting the tape measure at a whopping 100 feet long.

Add these new arrivals to the 16 bag making machines already on the Color Ad shop floor, and you get a sense of why the company is planning to expand its 250,000-square-foot facility. “Our current machine installations will take the remainder of the year, and the plant expansion is planned for 2014,” Batten said.

So what’s Color Ad’s end goal? Turns out they’ve almost reached it. “Our focus under new management was to become a quick, nimble turnaround company with capacity in flexible packaging, and we’ve found our sweet spot as a mid-range volume player with high quality, positioned between the mom-andpop shops and the major multinationals,” Batten said. “Business is excellent at the moment, and we expect to double our growth by 2014. Our customers understand the value we can bring, and now we have to step up and meet the new demand.”

Now if only the Jets could clinch a playoff spot...

CPL

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Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

CPL2013May p22-24 Doing Better.indd 24

13-04-04 2:42 PM

Vistez-nous / Visit us Booth #2331

PLAST-EX

A full range of auxiliary equipment

Extrusion systems for blown/cast film, blow molding, compounding and pelletizing, elastomers, extrusion coating/laminating, fiber, laboratory, pipe/profile/tubing, reclaim, sheet, wire & cable, wood fiber.

Drawer magnets, magnetic separation equipment, metal detectors

Extrusion dies, calibrators, and downstream equipment

Recycling equipment

3 and 5 axis robot with servomotor

Hot runner controls, sequential valve gating, mold temperature controls, production monitoring

Pressure and temperature sensors, rupture disks, temperature controllers, testing instruments Feeders, blenders, material conveyers, dryers, heating/cooling equipment, size reduction equipment

Rotary filtration systems and screen changers High-performance screws and barrels for injection molding and extrusion Low-cost granulators

Injection molding machines â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all electric servo from 35-940 ton; hydraulic from 200-500 tons

Compounding systems

Granulators, pulverizers, shredders

CPL2013May p25 Auxiplast AD.indd 25

In-line measuring, monitoring and control systems

Underwater pelletizers and centrifugal dryers

Low-speed granulators

...And YOU! Let us help you source the best equipment for your needs, and make you more competetive.

13-04-04 2:43 PM

company profile

ATHENA AUTOMATION

Robert Schad’s second act hits the stage

By Mark Stephen, editor

F

Ever wonder what one of the most storied names in plastics would do if he could start over from scratch? We’re in the midst of finding out, as Robert Schad’s hybrid injection molding machine and automation systems maker Athena Automation Ltd. enters the marketplace.

amed writer F. Scott Fitzgerald claimed there are no second acts in American lives. Lucky for him he wasn’t looking north of the border, because up here in Canada, plastics industry pioneer Robert Schad is well into Act 2, Scene 4.

For the past five years, the 85-year-old Schad — famed as the founder of Husky Injection Molding Systems — has been working virtually around the clock to develop a new line of hybrid injection molding machines and lights-out technology under the name Athena Automation Ltd. Repeating the Husky trick won’t be easy, but in the past two years especially, Schad and his 62 co-workers at Vaughan, Ont.based Athena have been making real progress: validating machines in production mode, and, as of 2012, selling the first units on the commercial market. In December 2012, a

new piece of the puzzle was put in place, as Athena announced a partnership with Italian packaging solutions specialist SIPA SpA to build a line of automated PET preform injection and blow molding equipment.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE At present, Athena offers 150 ton and 300 ton hybrid injection molding machines, and 150 ton and 300 ton PET machines with integrated robots; the complete line will be 100-400 tons. As Schad and Athena’s vice president of sales Jim Overbeeke tell it, a primary function of the Athena presses is to supply the marketplace with three advantages over conventional machines. First, simplicity of design. “We developed a very simple, basic platform that can be quickly customized

A 300 ton Athena hybrid injection molding machine (top), and Athena for SIPA XForm 150 machine with two-stage injection (bottom).

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company profile

for specific markets,” Schad said. “The machines offer excellent vides about the same specific energy consumption at a higher shot-to-shot accuracy, noise levels consistently around 70dB, and output,” Schad said.

The third must-have is a small footprint that gives maximum dry cycle times of about two seconds. They also come with a wide output per floor space. “Our goal is to range of options, such as an integrated, offer the largest daylight, with the benchspace-efficient side-entry four-axis robot mark on shut height and stroke, with the within the machine; a PET package; a closmallest footprint,” Overbeeke said. sure package; a stack mold carrier that can “Related to that, we’ve removed all hoses accommodate rotary cube molds; and the and cables from the floor and lifted each choice of water process systems.” machine six inches off the ground, to And the control system, Overbeeke allow for easy cleaning underneath.” said, is designed to reduce wiring comAthena’s new partnership with SIPA is plexity; allow modular expansion; and another sign that, after years of gestation, interconnect sub-systems such as main the company has reached the next stage controls, injection controls, humanin its development. In a move to create a machine interface, robots, and other comglobal product line and service organizaponents via a Powerlink protocol for realtion, SIPA will handle the sales, service, time communication. “There are only Robert Schad (left) and SIPA SpA head and integration of all Athena PET prethree levels to the control program, which G. Zoppas seal their partnership deal. form machines worldwide, on an exclumeans that any piece of information can be obtained by the operator in two taps on the touchscreen,” he said. sive basis. “There’s a perfect synergy between the two compaThe second goal — which won’t come as a surprise to those nies,” Schad explained. “In the smaller machine market — up to who know about Schad’s longstanding involvement in environ- 96 cavities — we think we’re leapfrogging the rest of the indusmentalism — is energy efficiency. “Our 150 ton hybrid machine try; SIPA manufacturers the larger machines, meanwhile, so it’s has been tested against a leading all-electric machine and pro- a very good combination. SIPA’s unique packaging know-how

Class is in session…

THe BasiCs oF PlasTiCs

A full-day workshop on the essentials of plastics processing.

BaCK BY PoPUlaR DeManD!

An ideal introduction if you’re new to the industry or would like a refresher.

Instructor Paul Waller, President of PlasticsTouchpoint, has over 30 years plastics industry experience and is a member of SPE Ontario board of directors. He has taught plastics processing seminars to companies around the world. The workshop covers: Plastics industry overview • Injection Molding • Extrusion • Blow Molding • Rotational Molding • Composites • Fabrication & Decorating • Biopolymers • Recycling & Sustainability Plastics industry expert Paul Waller, P.Eng., MBA

Wednesday, June 19, 2013, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning 203 Humber College Blvd (Hwy 27 & Finch Ave) Toronto, M9W 5L7

Cost: $199, including lunch and a course manual Organized by:

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Check http://www.canplastics.com/thebasicsofplastics/ for detailed information and registration, or call 416-510-6867

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WATCH FOR OUR OTHER SEMINARS: THE BASICS OF EXTRUSION, June 19, Toronto. Instructor: Paul Waller THE BASICS OF INJECTION MOLDINg, Nov. 20, Toronto, Instructor: Kip Doyle

www.canplastics.com May 2013 Canadian Plastics

CPL2013May p26-28 Athena.indd 27

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company profile

combined with our preform system will deliver real value to our customers.” Also, SIPA and Athena will come out with the first preform machine, a 32-cavity system, this summer, followed by higher cavity models.

GROWTH STRATEGY Located near Toronto Pearson International Airport, Athena’s 40,000-square-foot headquarters has everything you’d expect from Schad: solar panels on the roof that tie into the province’s feed-in tariff program, skylights, motion-activated LED lighting, geothermal heating and cooling, energy-efficient washrooms, and low-maintenance landscaping for the company’s employees.

But it’s about to be overshadowed — literally — when Athena begins a planned expansion. “We’ve purchased 20 acres of surrounding land, and will build an assembly and integration facility, to be finished as early as 2015, that will be four to five times larger than our current building,” Schad said. “We certainly require the space, but it’s also important for demonstrating to our employees and our customers that Athena is going to be around for the long term.”

Three key words in the above are “assembly and integration”.

One thing Athena won’t do, Schad said, is store pre-assembled machines before purchase. “We intend to build our machines justin-time,” he said. “This means shortening the building cycle —

which we’re in the process of doing — but in the end it’s a better way to build customer-specific machines. Successful processors allow for machine assembly time when placing an order, and we want to work with successful processors.”

Speaking of being successful, how does Schad assess Athena’s progress, five years in? “The company is approximately one year behind schedule, mostly because of patent considerations: we’ve developed 28 unique inventions, and filed over 50 patent applications,” he said. “On the other hand, I’m extremely happy with the staff we’ve put together, with the overall performance of our machines, and with the fact that we’ve solved some issues that have long hampered PET processing. All of these have been possible because Athena was started from scratch with the goal of designing a hybrid injection molding platform on a clean slate.”

That’s not to say there aren’t any hurdles left to overcome.

“Perhaps our biggest technical challenge, shared with every other injection molding machine maker, will be satisfying the industry’s ultimate demand for products — including multi-material parts — that come completely assembled out of the machine, rather than as post-molding operations,” Schad said. “Tomorrow’s processors will want everything combined in one simple system, and that’s what we’re working towards.”

Sounds like he’s already planning Act 3.

CPL

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Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

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Resin supply, demand and pricing forecasts

ON TARGET! Since resin accounts for up to two-thirds of your manufacturing cost,

you can’t afford to miss the mark.

Get the information you need by attending the

18th Annual Canadian Plastics Resin Outlook Conference Wednesday October 2, 2013 Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel, Toronto, Ontario Hear forecasts from experts on supply, demand and pricing for the major commodity and engineering resins: polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, styrenics, PET, nylon, polycarbonate, plus biopolymers, and recycled resin.

SpONSORS:

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Organized by Canadian Plastics magazine. Endorsed by the Canadian Plastics Industry Association A limited number of sponsorships and tabletop displays are still available.

For more information, contact: Judith Nancekivell, Tel: 416-510-5116, Email: jnancekivell@canplastics.com

www.canplastics.com/Conference/

CPL2013May p29 Resin Outlook AD.indd 29

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IF YOU’RE CHECKING THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF YOUR RESIN AS IT EXITS THE DRYING HOPPER,

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PLAST-EX TORONTO MAY 14-16 VISIT CONAIR IN BOOTH 2157 Don’t wait for trouble. The patented Conair Drying Monitor is an earlywarning system, alerting you to potential drying problems before they result in costly downtime. You also get valuable data you can use to fine-tune your system, saving energy while making more good parts.

• Multiple hoppers • Any brand • Web-connected Find out how the Conair Drying Monitor can put you on a pathway to profitability.

Call us at 800-654-6661 or email optimizedrying@conairgroup.com.

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Represented in Canada by: Dier International Plastics l Greg Reid l 416.219.0509 Industries Laferriere l Francois Laferriere l 450.477.8880 l Injection Molding, Quebec F M Mecanique & Energie l Jocelyn Fournier l 514.953.5307 l Extrusion, Quebec The Turner Group l Chuck Roehm l 206.769.3707 l British Columbia and Alberta 200 West Kensinger Drive l Cranberry Township, PA 16066 l 724.584.5500 l info@conairgroup.com l www.conairgroup.com

CPL2013May p30 Conair AD.indd 30

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plast-ex preview

What you need to know at a glance WHEN:

Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 10:00 am-5:00 pm Registration opens at 8:00 am

Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 10:00 am-5:00 pm Registration opens at 8:00 am

Thursday, May 16, 2013, 10:00 am-4:00 pm Registration opens at 8:30 am

CPIA PLASTICS INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP AWARDS & 70TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER Monday, May 13, 2013

2013 WHERE:

Toronto Congress Centre, 650 Dixon Road, Toronto, Ontario http://www.canontradeshows.com/expo/plastex13/ CO-LOCATED WITH: PackEx, Design & Manufacturing Canada, PTX Canada, ATX Canada, and Sustainability in Manufacturing

CAMM/FEPAC DINNER MEETING Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre

Doubletree Hilton Hotel Toronto Airport

6:00 pm reception, 7:00 pm dinner,

6:00 pm registration and cash bar, 7:00 pm dinner

655 Dixon Road, Toronto

801 Dixon Road, Toronto

followed by awards and guest speaker: Tom Deans, Ph.D. business speaker and author of Every Family’s Business.

• Fee: $175 for CPIA members and $225 for non-members.

Register at www.plastics.ca

Guest Speaker: Dennis DesRosiers, “Outlook for the North American Automotive Sector: Implications for the Tooling Sector.”

• Fee: $85 for CAMM/FEPAC members and $100 for non-members.

Register at www.camm.ca

Lunch&Learn Schedule Register at www.canontradeshows.com/ expo/plastex13 Tuesday, May 14

Al Waxman Room #2 RAPID PROTOTYPING — FASTER AND MORE AFFORDABLE

Growth and major players; the pros and cons of the five main technologies; the benefits of additive manufacturing; using additive manufacturing effectively.

Presenter: • Vincent Laithier, sales manager, Axis Prototypes.

RAPID PROTOTYPING SUCCESS STORIES

Real world applications of rapid prototyping in plastics pro­ cessing and moldmaking.

Presenter: • Eyal Geiger, engineering sales director, Proto3000 Inc. • Fee: $50

Wednesday, May 15

Al Waxman Room #2 PLASTICS RECYCLING — MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF POST-CONSUMER PACKAGING Presenters: • Anthony Georges, president, AMUT North America — Challenges of recycling shrink sleeve labels.

• Bill Parisi, project coordinator, EREMA — Innovation in processing of post-use and heavily printed polymers.

• Fee: $50

Thursday, May 16

Al Waxman Room #2 LIGHTWEIGHTING IN INJECTION MOLDING

Injection molding and automation supplier Engel will offer a joint presentation on lightweighting with Trexel, supplier of the MuCell microcellular foam technology.

Presenters: • Levi Kishbaugh, VP of engineeering, Trexel.

• Joachim Kragl, director of advanced injection molding systems and processing, Engel.

• Fee: $50 www.canplastics.com May 2013 Canadian Plastics

CPL2013May p31-33 Plastex Preview2.indd 31

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plast-ex preview

EXHIBITORS Absolute Haitian Absolute Machinery Corporation Ace tronic Industrial Controls Inc. — represents Continental, Carlo Gavazzi, Dalton, EPIC, Gefran, Harting, MDI, MEECH, Mold Control Systems, Progressive Components, RKC, Slide, Tempco, Thermetics Alp ha Marathon Film Extrusion Technologies Inc. American Kuhne Amsler Equipment Inc. Arya Chem Inc. Aux iplast Inc. — represents AEC, Bunting Magnetics, Colortronic, Coperion, Cumberland, Davis-Standard, Dynisco, Gneuss, Harmo-SAB, Maruka/Toyo, Mo-di-tec, NGR- Next Generation Recycling Machines, S.I.S.E. Zumbach Beaumont Technologies, Inc. Bekum America Corporation Berg Chilling Systems Blue Water Heater Inc. BMPS Inc.

Borche North America Brampton Engineering Inc. C.W. Brabender Instruments CAE Services Corporation Cambridge Materials Testing Ltd. Canadian Association of Moldmakers Cana dian Plastics magazine & Plastiques et moules Canadian Plastics Industry Association/CPIA Canaplast Ltd. Canuck Compounders Inc. Cassco Machines Chase Plastic Services, Inc. Chillers Inc. China PMP Mold & Plastic Co. Ltd. Cold Jet COMPUPLAST Canada Inc. Conair Group Crest Mold Technology Inc. Custom Downstream Systems / CDS Datacolor Delta Engineering DME of Canada

(as of March 22, 2013)

DMS (Die Mold Service Company) — Distributor for Almo, Bolexp, Boride, Cumsa, Exaflow, Heatlock, I-mold, ITC, Koolflow, NSK, Red E Vault, Slide, Strack Normalien, Trademark Oil, Tutco DWJ Black Masterbatch Dyna-Purge div. of Shuman Plastics E3 Systems Ltd. Ellwood Specialty Metals Engel Canada Inc. En-P las Inc. — represents CMG Granulator, Mokon, Nissei Plastic Industrial Co.Ltd., Thoreson-McCosh, Yushin Precision Equipment Co. Ltd. EREMA North America, Inc. Exxel Polymers Inc. FB Balzanelli Sri FD Plastics FEPA C / Federation des Plastiques et Alliances Composites Firing Industries Ltd. Fultech Service Future Design Inc.

BEST IN SHOW! AT BOOTH 2238

Reliable heateRs for your extruder and injection moulding machine

BedRos hot runner temperature control gives you up to 32 zones of control

Revolutionary new VeRteX pressure sensor delivers performance, durability, and environmental benefits.

For temperature, pressure and testing instruments, you can rely on Process Heaters.

Toll Free 1-877-747-8250 Email: proheat@processheaters.ca www.processheaters.ca

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Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

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Gamma Meccanica North America Gardner Publications Geco Lda Gordon R Williams Corp.

GP:50 New York Ltd. Green Box America Ham ilton Plastic Systems Ltd. — represents Movacolor B.V., Negri Bossi, Plastiblow, Shini Plastics Technlogy (Canada) Inc. Hasco Canada Inc. Heaters, Controls & Sensors Ltd Heraeus Noblelight Inc. Herbold USA Heritage Plastics Herrmann Ultrasonics, Inc. Hots et America — Distributor for Strack Normalien ICS Laser Technologies Inc. IMS Industrial Molding Supplies INCOE Corp.

Ingenia Polymers Corp.

Instron Integrity Testing Laboratory Inc. Kal-Trading, Inc. Kenrich Petrochemicals Inc. Kongskilde Industries Inc. Kreyenborg Industries Lab Integration Inc.

Les Compounds Felix Inc. Lindner America LLC Lorenz Conveying Products M&L Testing Equipment Inc. Macchi S.p.A. Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. Malion New Materials Co. Ltd. Micro Interface Design Milacron Canada Mold-Tech Canada Moretto Spa MPC Plating Nexeo Solutions Nissei ASB Company Oasis Alignment Services Inc. Orenda Automation Technologies PCS Company Penzola Solutions Piovan Canada Limited Plastics Protect Inc. Polyone Distribution Canada Ltd. Prayag Polytech PVT Ltd. Premier Fluid Systems Inc. Proc ess Heaters Inc. — represents Athena Controls Inc., Dynisco, Tempco Electric Heater Corp.

Producto Diemakers Supplies Ltd. Progressive Components

Rechner Automation Inc. Regloplas Rinco Ultrasonics RJG, Inc. Rocand Industries Inc. Rotogran International Inc. RTP Company Schmolz + Bickenbach AG Self Lube Shanghai Hanyu Import & Export Trade Co. Ltd Sorel Forge Inc. SPB Solutions Inc. Staubli Corp.

Strouse Sturdell Industries Inc. Sylvin Technologies Tantus Corporation UBM Canon Plastics Group Ultra Purge - Moulds Plus International USA University of Waterloo Vecoplan, LLC Vortex Valves North America Webtech Inc. Weima America, Inc. Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corp.

Wittmann Canada Inc. X-Rite Inc.

See us at Plast-Ex, booth 2325

www.canplastics.com May 2013 Canadian Plastics

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Advertorial

DO YOU KNOW WITTMANN? HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULD

When you buy from Wittmann, you’re buying not only high-quality equipment, you’re buying expertise and stability. It’s a family business, run by smart people who care. Rep agencies come and go – Wittmann is here to stay.

Whether it’s robotics, auxiliary equipment or injection molding machines, when you’re dealing with Wittmann, you’re dealing direct with the manufacturer – the people who designed it, assembled it, and tested it..

When you buy from a manufacturer rather than a representative, you have the assurance of knowing that if you contact Wittmann next year, they’ll still be selling the same product lines.

Do you know Wittmann has been manufacturing equipment in Canada for 28 years?

Trained staff is located in the Canadian facility to provide engineering, service and support for all of the company’s global product line. Collectively, the people at Wittmann Canada, and their exclusive agent in Quebec Anplast, have over 325 years of plastics industry experience.

Do you know that Wittmann Canada is backed by a global entity that’s been in business for 37 years?

Wittmann Canada is part of the Wittmann Group, including Wittmann Battenfeld, headquartered in Vienna, Austria. Founded in 1976 by Dr. Werner Wittmann to manufacture water flow regulators, the company has grown to have 1,550 employees worldwide in 25 countries and numerous agencies in many more countries. Sales in 2012 were Cdn$325 million. Dr. Wittmann and his sons Thomas and Michael are intimately involved in every aspect of the business.

The benefit for you, the customer in Canada, is the ability to take advantage of worldwide best practices, sourced through a local supplier. For example, if you’ve got a challenging materials handling application, chances are someone in the worldwide Wittmann organization has already seen and solved the problem.

Do you know the level of commitment the Wittmann Group is continuing to put into product development?

Over the past few years, the Wittmann Group has invested more financial resources into product development and innovation than ANY other machinery company in the plastics industry.

At Wittmann’s Competence Days in Kottingbrun, Austria in April the theme was “Power for the Future”. The event showcased innovative technology in injection molding machines from the 5-ton MicroPower right up to the 1000-ton MacroPower, along with robots and peripheral equipment.

Highlights included: • Micro Precision Injection Molding for Liquid Silicone Rubber • Variotherm- BFMOLD • Combimould • In-mold Internal Welding • Biocell – Green Molding • AIRMOULD gas injection process – with extremely large mold • CELLMOULD structured foam technology • Technical Insert Molding

Do you know you can tap into all of this innovative technology with a local phone call? And what’s more, a real person answers the phone. Quit playing “find-the-rep”; get your equipment right from the source!

CPL2013May p34-35 Wittmann ADvert.indd 34

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al

ng

May 14 - 16, 2013

CPL2013May p34-35 Wittmann ADvert.indd 35

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technology showcase

AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT

Ultra-low profile sifter fits tight spots The new ultra-low profile 40-inch diameter Flo-Thru Vibroscreen sifter from Kason Corporation has a flat dust cover that fits tight spots between storage and process equipment.

The sifter employs two imbalanced-weight gyratory motors mounted on opposing exterior sidewalls of the unit, instead of one motor positioned beneath the screening chamber, reducing overall height significantly. The design also allows vertical alignment of the top inlet and bottom outlet, causing on-size material to descend through the screen in a straight through path at high rates. Oversize material is ejected through a spout at the periphery of the screen.

The unit is intended for installation above or below storage vessels, bulk bag and drum unloaders, bag dump stations, blenders/mixers, and other process equipment, and can be installed with minimum alteration to existing layouts.

All material contact surfaces are of stainless steel with continuous welds polished to cGMP, 3-A, USDA and FDA standards.

Kason Corporation (Millburn, N.J.); www.kason.com; 973-467-8140

Stationary heat transfer fluid systems available up to 700°F Mokon announces the availability of the HTF ST series, a line of stationary heat transfer fluid systems, up to 600 kW and now available up to 700°F (371°C), designed to offer superior, energy-efficient performance for applications requiring higher heating capacities.

Mokon’s line of ST systems offers numerous advantages over comparable systems that employ steam, including significant cost savings, lower operating pressures, reduced energy consumption, and safer operation.

The HTF ST units are designed and built to 36

Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

CPL2013May p36-45 Tech Show.indd 36

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technology showcase

customer specifications, featuring lowwatt density electric heating mounted on a structural steel frame. The product line is completely pre-wired, and available in single and multiple-zone configurations with pumping capacities up to 120 GPM. Typical HTF ST systems feature digital PID electronic indicating control with solid-state relays; NEMArated electrical enclosure and UL 508A panel approval; an expansion tank; and water- or air-cooled high temperature pumps. Cooling circuits are available.

Mokon (Buffalo, N.Y.); www.mokon.com; 716-876-9951 En-Plas Inc. (Toronto); www.en-plasinc.com; 416-286-3030

EXTRUSION

Redesigned die for easier use, reduced downtime

FOR YOUR NEXT INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE,

GET SMART

“SMART MOLDING”, the integration of more than half a century of TOYO molding technology, skill and knowhow comes together in the Si-V Series SMART MOLDING NO. 1

New SYSTEM500 Control Unit Fully redesigned control hardware delivers higher speed and greater response, bringing control to a new dimension

SMART MOLDING NO. 2

Injection Unit High speed and high precision. Built-in high-performance digital load cell and low-friction guide mechanism for improved pressure and plasticity measurement.

SMART MOLDING NO. 3 Nordson EDI has completely re-engineered its popular EPC edge beadreducing extrusion coating die, yielding a more robust system designed for increased ease of use and reduction on downtime for width changes and cleaning.

The new EPC die offers rapid and accurate changes in width. A more robust support structure and drive mechanism for the deckle ensures a more stable and repeatable width adjustment system.

The deckle system is easier and faster to operate, with less adjusting movement required to make changes in width. The system provides coat width adjustments that can be manual or motorized.

Also, an easily inserted scraper removes buildup. A patent-pending system enables operators to quickly retract the deckle components and insert a simple brass scraper that cleans away the carbonized polymer that causes die lines in areas impossible to reach by conven-

Clamp Unit V-shaped toggle design and FEA designed Platens, jointly developed with the prestigious Kyoto University.

Need a Vertical Injection Molding Machine?

The new ET Series fully electric vertical rotary machine gives you continuous fast cycle, with a compact footprint, using the minimal amount of energy. It has the muscle and intelligence to deliver the pressure, speed and shot size necessary for your toughest molding requirements.

WE DARE YOU TO COMPARE. YOUR BEST BET IS TOYO All electric servo from 35-940 tons.

DIVISION INJECTION

SEE US AT PLAST-EX, BOOTh 2331

Distributor in Canada: 1 866 922-AUXI (2894) info@auxiplast.com www.auxiplast.com 2041, rue Léonard de Vinci Ste-Julie, Québec J3E 1Z2

www.canplastics.com May 2013 Canadian Plastics

CPL2013May p36-45 Tech Show.indd 37

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technology showcase

EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND YOUR NETWORK SPE Ontario Board of Directors invites you to our upcoming Events.

June 7 – Golf Tournament Royal Ontario Golf Club, 6378 Trafalgar Road, Hornby, ON Contact: Brayden Ford, 416-510-5124 or bford@canplastics.com

SPE wishes you a happy and safe summer!

See you in the fall!

For More Information Contact: Lely Chow Tel: 905-305-6355 lely.chow@onassignment.com Please register for events on-line at: www.speontario.com/upcoming-events

To become a proud member of SPE Ontario, register at: www.4spe.org/joinnow

tional shims. In the past, it was impossible to remove such buildup upstream of the lips without disassembling and removing the deckle components.

Finally, the die allows for the fast removal of the deckle system for “split and clean”. It’s now possible to open the die without completely disassembling the deckles at either end. Instead, the deckle assembly can be readily removed intact. Cleaning and maintenance of the die can take place while it’s still online, or the die can be taken offline. Nordson EDI supplies special die carts for offline maintenance.

Nordson EDI (Chippewa Falls, Wis.); www.extrusiondies.com; 715-726-1201

Melt pressure transducers meet the needs of general purpose applications Offering accuracy and repeatability in a valuepriced package, the new Echo series melt pressure transducers from Dynisco Instruments are designed for general purpose applications in plastics extruders.

The Echo transducers are based on a demon­ strated sensor design, and accurate to within ±0.5% over pressure ranges from 0–1,500 psi to 0–10,000 psi.

The quality of the Echo series is backed by a new comprehensive two-year warranty — double the warranty usually available on this kind of transducer.

All wetted parts are stainless steel for durability and corrosion resistance, and

Let Compact Mould help move your product from concept to shelf, fast – with 35 years of blow mould-building experience.

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For experience you can trust, visit compactmould.com.

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technology showcase

the diaphragm is coated with titanium aluminum nitride, a The Orifice Gate mechanically self-cleans on opening superior alternative to titanium nitride. stroke, has no pinch points or exposed moving parts for The Echo transducers provide the industry standard 3.33 safe operation, and is available in standard sizes from two mV/V, 4-20 mA and voltage signals designed to work with inches to 16 inches. Material construction options are also most pressure indicators. Optional thermocouple or RTD available. configurations are available to provide melt temperature.

Vortex Valves North America (Salina, Kan.); The Echo sensors feature a 1/2-20 UNF thread for instal- www.vortexvalves.com; 785-825-7177 lation in standard transducer mounting holes. Additional R ate Technology Systems (Mississauga, Ont.); mounting configurations are available. www.ratetechnologysystems.com; 905-607-3240 Dynisco Instruments (Franklin, Mass.); www.dynisco.com; 508-541-9400 Auxiplast Inc. (Ste-Julie, Que.); www.auxiplast.com; 450-922-0282 P rocess Heaters Inc. (Toronto); www.processheaters.ca; 877-747-8250 May 15 – 16, 2013, 9 am – 6 pm, Vaughan, Ontario Precision Mold Supplies Ltd. (Delta, B.C.); w ww.precisionmoldsupplies.com; 10 minutes from the Plast-Ex 604-943-7702

Athena Open House

RAW MATERIALS HANDLING Orifice gate for dry bulk solids handling

The Vortex Quantum Orifice Gate from Vortex Valves North America is specifically engineered to handle dry bulk solids in gravity flow, dilute phase, or vacuum conveying systems with pressures up to 15 psig (1 barg) depending on size, while eliminating design flaws associated with knife gates and butterfly valves.

Traditional slide gates and butterfly valves commonly allow packing of material, which prevents positive air and material shutoff. Unlike common knife gates and butterfly valves, the Orifice Gate is designed to handle dry bulk powders, pellets, and granules.

Knife gates rely on soft elastomeric seals, which erode or tear away in service; while butterfly valves incorporate discs that cause significant flow restrictions, thus impacting system performance and throughput. Both designs promote wedging and packing of materials, preventing positive air and material shut off.

See the latest injection molding systems running closures, packaging, and PET applications.

Discover a new line of hybrids featuring: • Speed • Low energy consumption • Reduced noise • Cleanliness • Reliablity and serviceability • Maximum output per floor space • Integrated side entry robot

More information at athenaautomation.com/openhouse For your convenience, please register online, or email us at events@atheanaautomation.com Athena Automation Ltd. 372 New Enterprise Way Vaughan, ON L4H 0S8 www.athenaautomation.com

www.canplastics.com May 2013 Canadian Plastics

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technology showcase

plastics data file Wittmann Innovations

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

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 above.

SOFTWARE

Powerful tool for measuring productivity Now available with two new features, Piovan’s Winfactory software system is a single solution designed to integrate both management and operative functions within a production plant, providing fundamental information for assessing productivity.

The new Energy Consumption Monitor is a module that measures effective energy use, both for individual machines as well as for specific manufacturing bays or cooling systems, and provides reports and diagrams

classified ads MATERIALS

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

To place your classified ad here, contact: Brayden Ford, Associate Publisher at 416-510-5124 or bford@canplastics.com advertising index Advertiser Absolute Haitian AceTRONIC Acrolab Ltd. Arburg Athena Automation Ltd. Auxiplast Inc. Basics of Plastics Berg Chilling Systems Inc. C.W. Brabender Instruments Inc. Canadian Plastics CanPlastics TV videos Canadian Plastics Resin Outlook Conference Compact Mould Conair DynaPurge FEPAC Gamma Meccanica North America Hasco Canada Inc. IMS

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Page 33 6-7 24 back cover 39 23, 25 27

Website www.absolutehaitian.com www.acetronic.com www.acrolab.com www.arburg.us

13 44 43

www.athenaautomation.com www.auxiplast.com www.canplastics.com/ thebasicsofplastics www.berg-group.com www.cwbrabender.com www.canplastics.com

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www.canplastics.com/conference

38 30 24 43 46

www.compactmould.com www.conairgroup.com www.dynapurge.com www.fepac.ca www.irecyclingsolutions.com

8 36

www.hasco.com www.imscompany.com

Advertiser Ingenia Polymers Corp.

K 2013 Show K 2013 Show Travel Lorenz Conveying Products Maguire Products Canada Maruka Toyo Milacron LLC Niigon Technologies Ltd. Nissei ASB Company PCS Company Piovan Canada Plastic Process Equipment, Inc. Process Heaters Inc. Progressive Components Rotogram International Inc. >SAS< Automation SPE Ontario The Shepherd Color Company UltraPurge Vecoplan, LLC Windmoeller & Hoelscher Wittmann Canada Inc.

Page 20 15 42 28 17 37 21 42 16 10 2, 41 11 32 47 5 45 38 38 44 19 28 34, 35

Website www.ingeniapolymers.com www.k-online.de www.lmtravel.ca/k2013.pdf www.lorenz.ca www.maguirecanada.com www.marukausa.com www.milacron.com www.niigon.com www.nissei-asbus.com www.pcs-company.com www.piovan.com www.ppe.com www.processheaters.ca www.procomps.com www.rotogran.com www.sasgripper.com http://speontario.com/ www.shepherdcolor.com www.ultrapurge.com www.vecoplanllc.com www.whcorp.com www.wittmann-canada.com

Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

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Advertorial

CASE STUDY:

Piovan at Greiner:

outstandinG

enerGy savinGs

By working with Piovan and installing a free cooling system, an injection molder of plastic packaging and technical components in Europe is reaping impressive energy savings.

Since its new cooling technology was installed towards the end of 2011, Greiner Assistec is saving on an annual basis 693,857 kWh of electricity, which equates to 70,000 Euro (approx. CAD$88,600) in operating costs.

Given the substantial quantities of processing machinery and of processed material, Greiner Assistec’s production process requires a significant cooling capacity. This is a crucial part in ensuring the firm meets its production output targets and manufactures high quality products that are built to last.

The original cooling system consisted of a number of centralized chiller units which produced the low temperature cooling water for the mold circuit, and other chiller units for the hydraulic motor circuit of the injection molding machines.

Greiner Assistec’s production plant is situated Slušovice in the Czech Republic , where temperatures range from -25°C to +35°C. However, for 80% of the year temperatures stay between 0°C and +20°C, while temperatures recorded above +26°C represent just 1% of the whole time. These climatic conditions enable cooling system operating costs to be optimized thanks to the Piovan process water cooling system, the most efficient on the market.

The total heat load of the molding process is more than 600 kW, covering the injection molding machine hydraulics and the dryer cooling load. An analysis of the annual electricity consumption

of the chillers came up with a figure of 1,135,220 kWh. The first stage of the project consisted of a joint assessment of the existing system’s operating conditions. Then, possible alternatives were considered using return on investment (in view of the expected energy savings) as the main evaluation criteria. It was concluded that the free cooling system was the best option, especially for the cooling circuit of the processing machinery hydraulic system. The free cooling system allows the cooling water (max. temperature 30°C) to be used all year round, with the heat load exceeding 66% of the total load.

For this project, an external free cooler model with automatic draining device was placed on the roof above the plant room containing the pumps and compressors. Doing this enables even more energy to be saved. This kind of set-up allows the cooling system to work correctly without having to use glycol-based anti-freeze substances. More energy was thereby saved with the removal of the existing plate heat exchanger, which was causing further heat loss of at least 3°C. Another technical benefit of the Piovan free cooling system is the adiabatic function. Basically, on days when the air temperature is high, the free cooler works in partial adiabatic mode (like a cooling tower), so the process cooling water will have a lower temperature than the air temperature. Given the high nominal power of the existing free cooler and the high number of fans, EC (electronically commutated) fan technology was used to control the operation speed and ensure immediate efficiency. This type of technology saves up to 50% of the electricity required to power traditional fans and around 15% of the electricity required to power fans with frequency converters (under normal chiller load conditions).

Free cooling technology can be used in developing new central process water cooling systems or to upgrade or enhance existing systems. Using a free cooling system in conjunction with other kinds of Piovan refrigeration technology (particularly the thermorefrigerators from the Digitemp range and the Ecosmart chillers) can lead to even more spectacular energy savings.

Free cooling technology is just one of the numerous solutions Piovan offers the plastics industry. The firm also produces highly efficient and environmentally sustainable dryers, plastic granule feeding/conveying solutions, dosing equipment and quality management tools such as supervision software.

www.piovanchillers.com Local sales and Service PIOVAN CANADA Ltd. Tel: 905-629-8822 info@piovancanada.com www.piovan.com

See us at Plast-Ex, Booth 2013

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AUTOMATED CONTRACT INJECTION MOLDING

Lights out up to 200 tons

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

www.niigon.com

technology showcase

showing real power consumption in watts per period of time.

Winfactory also offers an advantage specific to the plastics industry, by providing a field data that’s even more important than the energy consumption by manufacturing time. Used with Piovan’s Ryng production monitoring device to measure machine productivity, Winfactory is capable of calculating the hourly energy consumption per kilo of plastic granules processed — for plastics processing companies, this means having not only the kilowatt-hour value, but an even more specific knowledge of the consumption values in the form of a real-time indication of the watt-hour of electricity used per kilogram of material processed.

Once the operating parameters have been set, Winfactory can be used to manage the operating status of every individual machine and its associated material treatment process, from storage to distribution, from dehumidification to blending. It provides statistical analyses of the various manufacturing lots and material stock levels in real-time, allowing for the complete traceability of finished products, the projection of manufacturing efficiency, and the scheduling of maintenance work.

Piovan Canada Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.piovan.com; 905-629-8822

Be part of THE CANADIAN DELEGATION going to the K 2013 SHOW and SAVE! Canadian Plastics and Plastiques et moules is once again partnering with FEPAC and Carlson Wagonlit Travel to offer a group package to the K show from October 15 to 22.

WE TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING! 4 STAR+ LODGING in Cologne for 6 nights (Marriott) DIRECT FLIGHTS from Toronto/Montréal on Air Canada 4 DAY PASS TO K + EXHIBITORS’ CATALOGUE Daily BUFFET BREAKFAST – 2 NETWORKING DINNERS 1st CLASS TRAINS for travel between Cologne and Dusseldorf 2 EVENINGS IN DUSSELDORF (including private shuttle service) PROFESSIONAL ON-SITE ASSISTANCE PRIVATE TRANSFERS TO/FROM Frankfurt airport NAME CHANGES permitted up to 48 hours prior to departure Excellent opportunity to COMBINE BUSINESS AND LEISURE

All this for only $3,650.00 (per person, dbl. occ./all taxes incl.)

For details and a registration form, visit www.lmtravel.ca/k2013.pdf or call toll-free 1-888-378-7208

LM Travel / CWT is a Quebec permit holder.

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Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase

CLICK ON...

CAN

PLASTICS TV

Latest version of materials testing program New from Instron, the Bluehill 3 materials testing software, version 3.31, is designed to integrate with Instron’s TrendTracker software to create a powerful database with archiving and search capabilities.

The new software also offers features for improved control and data acquisition, simplified testing workflows, new results visualization options, seamless connectivity with Eurotherm controlled environment chambers and high temperature furnaces, and new application test methods.

These features specifically make advanced tests for plastics easier to start, run, and analyze.

Additionally, the TrendTracker plugin for Bluehill automatically exports Bluehill results to the TrendTracker database at the end of the test; the plugin includes a batch export feature that migrates years of existing Bluehill 2 and Bluehill 3 results into the database, making the data searchable overnight.

And the automatic strain rate control adapts to system compliance on the fly, simplifying the test setup workflow for standards like ISO 6892.

Instron Canada Inc. (Burlington, Ont.); www.instron.com; 905-333-9123

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:

TAKING OUR

ECORESPONSIBILITIES! Making a commitment. Acting on it.

Through its new national certification program, FEPAC and the plastics industry are playing a leading role in SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. North American manufacturers are reducing their carbon footprint and improving the global value chain. Under the new sustainable development framework, ECOLEADERS are enthusiastically supporting ECOPERFORMANCE, the model for the future…

WE ALL PROFIT FROM ECORESPONSIBILITY! Become an ECOLEADER now, visit www.ecoresponsible.net

www.canplastics.com May 2013 Canadian Plastics

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SHOP FLOOR

Flat air nozzle saves space and money The new Flat Super Air Nozzle from Exair Corporation produces a flat one-inch (25 mm) wide airstream with a strong blowing force of 9.8 ounces (278 grams) when mounted 12 inches (305 mm) from the target, and the unique design of the nozzle

makes it a good fit for both tight spaces and tight budgets.

The air nozzle maximizes entrained airflow while reducing noise levels. The airstream pulls in surrounding room air to produce a wide, forceful stream of high velocity, laminar airflow. Air consumption is 10.5 SCFM at 80 PSIG. The 75 dBA sound level is below the limits of the OSHA maximum allowable noise exposure standard 29 CFR 1910.95(a).

Force and flow may be easily adjusted by installing different shim thicknesses.

The Flat Super Air Nozzle is available in zinc aluminum alloy construction, suitable for rugged industrial applications. Applications include ejecting heavy parts and slugs, chip removal, part cleaning, drying, liquid blowoff, and cooling.

Exair Corporation (Cincinnati, Ohio); www.exair.com; 513-671-3322

MATERIALS

High performance formulations for prototyping enable faster time-to-market Telene SAS has developed a new family of high performance dicyclopentadiene (DCPD)-based monomer formulations designed to give molders the ability to either mold accurate geometry or to cast near net shapes that will be machined and/or finished afterwards.

The Telene 1800 series consists of two component systems, using the same monomers as more traditional, RIMoriented Telene grades, but based on a different catalyst which overcomes the sensitivity to oxygen or water.

Among other applications, these new grades have

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ULTRA PURGE CUSTOMERS TYPICALLY USE 2-3 TIMES LESS MATERIAL COMPARED TO OTHER PURGING COMPOUNDS 44

Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase

achieved success in the prototyping industry. As a result of their low viscosity (from 170 to 330 mPa.s) and highly adjustable curing time, the first two commercially available grades (Telene 1810 and 1811) allow for flexibility and ease in production, from simple hand pouring to low pressure machine casting.

Since the mechanical and thermal properties of the final polymer are designed to be very close to those of traditional RIM products, the 1800 grades enable the production of “actual properties” Telene pDCPD models for field tests and/or marketing presentations of parts featuring key elements of Telene DCPD high performance formulations such as high quality, paintable surface finish; and the ability to mold large and complex parts weighing 15 kg and more, 3D parts, and the overmolding of inserts.

Telene SAS/ZEON Chemicals L.P. (Louisville, Ky.); www.zeonchemicals.com; 502-435-3347

MOLD TECHNOLOGY

SND-style ejector sleeves offers 142 different size combinations DME Company has expanded its line of SND-style sleeves,

and the addition of these new lengths rounds out the company’s SND offering, providing a large breadth of product to meet mold designers’ requirements.

SND-style sleeves are now available with 0.375- to 1.25- inch head diameters and three- to 14-inch lengths.

Features include 142 size combinations available, hot forged heads for uniform grain f low and higher tensile strength, nitrided Outer Diameter (OD) and Inner Diameter (ID) for longer wear-resistance, nitrided inside bearing diameter, and a centreless ground and polished outer diameter. The sleeves are made of superior quality thermal hotwork die steel.

Benefits include uniform grain flow, and higher tensile strength; a lead-in taper design that allows interferencefree entry of the ejector pin into the sleeve; improved lubricity; smoother movement enabled by inside bearing diameter nitrided to 65-74 HRC hardness with an honed finish; and minimized wear through outside diameter nitrided to 65-74 HRC hardness and finished.

DME of Canada Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.dme.net; 800-387-6600

www.canplastics.com May 2013 Canadian Plastics

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technical tips

How to measure extruder alignment

By Timothy Womer, TWWomer & Associates LLC

I

s single-screw extruder alignment important? Is the Pope Cath-

olic? Alignment is crucial to prevent excessive wear and tear on the screw and barrel, screw breakage, heater crawl, additional drive load, and even die movement in extreme conditions.

In a nutshell, the barrel must be aligned to the driving mechanism, which is the drive quill of the gearbox. An alignment telescope is a great way for measuring the alignment of an extruder barrel relative to a gearbox drive quill. To accomplish this, targets are mounted in the gearbox drive quill so that the alignment telescope can be positioned exactly on the gearbox’s critical line.

Once the telescope has been positioned, it optically represents the gearbox’s drive quill centreline. Then measurements can be taken on work targets (or one work target which is moved to several different positions) in the extruder barrel to determine if the barrel is in alignment; deviations from the centreline can then be quantified, and technicians told exactly how much to move machine components to bring everything back into alignment.

Here are some tips, including pros and cons, for performing telescopic three-point and two-point alignments on singlescrew extruders.

THREE-POINT ALIGNMENT METHOD

A popular alignment process, wherein only one work target is normally used and is traversed through the barrel bore end-toend. No matter what form of barrel alignment is used, the three most critical points of alignment with the gearbox drive quill is the position where the barrel mounts are as follows: the mounting location of the barrel to the extruder feed housing, the barrel position located directly over the front barrel support, and the very end of the discharge of the barrel.

In some cases, when a very heavy overhung load (a large die,

46

a screen changer, et cetera) is mounted on the end of the barrel, checking a fourth critical location, between the barrel mounting flange and front barrel support, may be necessary. If the midpoint between these two locations is higher, it may be necessary to have a second mid-barrel support which will actually hold the barrel “down” to ensure perfect alignment.

TWO-POINT ALIGNMENT METHOD When performing a two-point barrel alignment, there’s no reference target in the front of the drive shaft. In this case, the barrel target is used as a reference target to position the scope in the true location of the drive quill. It’s not a particularly popular alignment method because it ignores any mounting error that may be present from the gearbox face to the start of the barrel mounting interface.

In the end, there are quite a number of capable extruder alignment technicians available with the proper equipment and techniques, but there are also a number offering an incomplete or even incorrect service. It’s best to question how they are going to perform the alignment before letting them take you down this road. Also, each extruder manufacturer has their own recommended alignment procedures, which should be followed in all cases. Don’t be afraid to check with them.

CPL Timothy Womer is a recognized authority in plastics processing and machinery with a career spanning more than 35 years. He has designed thousands of screws for all types of single-screw plasticating, and was inducted in the Plastics Hall of Fame in 2012. He runs his own consulting company, TWWomer & Associates LLC. He can be reached at 724-355-3311, tim@twwomer. com, or www.twwomer.com.

Canadian Plastics May 2013 www.canplastics.com

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the team that meets your targets. unmatched combination For over twenty years, Acetronic has helped Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moulders by providing unique products and unmatched service. During that time, Progressive became the leading innovator in mould component technologies.

Now, the alliance of these leaders means that Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moulders and mouldmakers will have better performing tools, within a customer-centric service network.

Tooling professionals aim for their moulds to have maximum productivity.

Now access partners who can help your goals be on target.

ceTR NIC

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RECEIVE A NEW CATALOG AT PROCOMPS.COM/ACETRONIC OR CALL 1-905-564-7227

Visit Progressive Components and Acetronic at Plast-Ex, May 14-16, in booth number 1863.

CPL2013May p47 Progr Comp AD.indd 47

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The broad perspective counts! For your production efficiency – and for our product range. That's why our large ALLROUNDER S machines are also available with servo-hydraulic drives.

ARBURG, Inc. 125 Rockwell Road Newington, CT 06111 Tel.: +1 (860) 667 6500 Fax: +1 (860) 667 6522 e-mail: usa@arburg.com

www.arburg.us

The right offer for every customer requirement. ARBURG for efficient injection molding.

Québec: D Cube · Montréal, QC · Phone: 514-831-6623 | Ontario: Dier International Plastics, Inc. · Unionville, ON Phone: 905-474-9874 | Alberta & British Columbia: Turner Group, Inc. · Seattle, WA · Phone: 206-769-3707

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