Canadian Plastics November 2014

Canadian Plastics www.canplastics.com

NOVEMBER 2014

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contents

Canadian Plastics NOVEMBER 2014 VOLUME 72 NUMBER 6

LOOKING BACK...

The January 1947 issue of Canadian Plastics described how a company that eventually became one of the powerhouse injection molding machine makers of all time got its start with buttons. Introduced to the market in 1946, the Van Dorn Midget Molder was the first injection press produced by the Van Dorn Iron Works Company of Strongsville, Ohio, a metal products maker looking to diversify after World War II. Custom-built for a button manufacturer that wanted a way to make buttons in-house, the small, manually operated machine was based on a design by Ren Morse (who went on to found IMS Company in 1949), and was priced at a whopping $750 FOB Cleveland. Van Dorn Iron Works is now called Van Dorn Demag, a brand of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery North America Inc.

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Number of the month:

$19.79*

* Average hourly wage paid to an extrusion shop worker in Canada. (See pg. 26)

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cover story 12 RESIN OUTLOOK: Note to self — Prices are volatile Resin makers ramped up production to handle post-recession demand, and now some materials have hit overcapacity. Others are in short supply. No one said being a resin buyer is easy.

in every issue 4 Editor’s View: Good and bad omens for 2015 5 Ideas & Innovations: Perfect strike with bowling pinsetter production

features 16 INJECTION MOLDING: Part Design 101 Designing injection molded plastic parts for appearance applications is a complex task involving many factors that address a list of requirements of the application. It's a tall order, but following a few basic rules will make the job a lot easier.

6 News: • New APMA head talks industry strengths, challenges • Papp Plastics partners with Inplax for Mexican auto parts JV • Supplier News & People

20 EXPOPLAST PREVIEW: Montreal calling Quebec's only plastics trade show is also Canada's only plastics trade show this year. Here's what you need to know at a glance.

10 Executive’s Corner: Stop making these four major sales mistakes

22 EXTRUSION BENCHMARK SURVEY: Pipe up!

Wondering about the buying intentions, markets served, machine utilization rates, and more, of Canada's extrusion shops? They told us, and we tell you, inside.

32 Technology Showcase 34 Plastics Data File 36 Advertising Index

27 DOING IT BETTER: Rotovac Group is on track From the wreck of plastics processor NS Technologies comes one of Canada's largest rotational molding and thermoforming companies. It won't make the same mistakes.

37 Classified Ads 38 Technical Tips: • Moving material in the stretch blow process

Visit us at www.canplastics.com Cover: ©Tyler Olson/Getty Images/Hemera, edited by M. Peligra

www.canplastics.com November 2014 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.

www.canplastics.com

Good and bad omens for 2015 T hanks to the annual invasion of editorial space by the “Season’s Greetings” message below, I find myself pressed for room. But I do have enough real estate to mention two recent developments that will impact Canada’s plastics industry more than a little. Call them bad news/good news updates as 2014 shuffles towards the door.

Bad news first. In early September, the Liberal government of Nova Scotia announced plans to permanently ban high-volume hydraulic fracturing for onshore shale gas in the province.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is cutting jobless rates and revitalizing regional economies across North America. But despite Nova Scotia’s increasingly severe demographic and fiscal woes, the powers that be decided to flip the bird at this potential $1-billion per year industry, and for no concrete reason: the process of unlocking natural gas deposits by fracking has been around for five decades — clearly, any risks relating to groundwater contamination and climate-warming methane gas leaks are manageable.

Nova Scotia’s decision is also bad for the plastics industry. The fracking boom has increased natural gas sup-

EDITOR Mark Stephen 416-510-5110 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: mstephen@canplastics.com

plies and transformed North American producers of resins such as PE, which are favored by lighter natural gas-based feedstocks, into some of the most cost-competitive producers in the world. And now there’s one less fracking jurisdiction available.

Now for what I believe to be the good news: CETA. Negotiations over the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union finally concluded successfully in late September.

The agreement is the biggest trade deal ever negotiated by Canada, dwarfing even NAFTA. As the smaller party by far, we stand to gain enormously from CETA — if the Canadian business community seizes the opportunity.

It’s a big if; there’s no guarantee that it will. But in theory, the agreement should create unprecedented economic opportunities for Canadian business in Europe, and vice versa. How much depends entirely on the private sector, of course, but I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and see you in 2015.

ART DIRECTORS Mary Peligra, 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 Greg Paliouras 416-510-5124 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: gpaliouras@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.

2014 SUBSCRIPTION RATES

6 issues Canadian Plastics, plus Dec. 2014 Buyer’s Guide: CANADA: 1 Year $71.95 plus applicable taxes; 2 Years $117.95+ taxes; single copy $10.00+ taxes.

USA: US$81.95/year FOREIGN: US$126.95/year B uyers’ G uide only : CANADA: $103.00 plus applicable taxes and $5.00 shipping USA & FOREIGN: US$103.00 plus $5.00 shipping.

Mark Stephen, editor

mstephen@canplastics.com

Season’s Greetings

Judith Nancekivell Senior Publisher

Mark Stephen Editor

and the rest of your friends at

CanadianPlastics 4

Greg Paliouras Associate Publisher

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Wishing you a happy & prosperous New Year from . . .

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Canadian Plastics November 2014 www.canplastics.com

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ideas & innovations

Perfect strike with bowling pinsetter production Photo Credit: Open Mind Works Inc.

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owling equipment technology has come a long way since the days when rodent-sized dinosaurs set the pins up for Fred Flintstone. One of the latest developments — heavy duty equipment used to arrange and re-set bowling pins — was innovative enough to snag three awards in the parts competition at the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Thermoforming Conference, held in September in Schaumburg, Ill. The system is manufactured by Berthoud, Colo.-based Associated Thermoforming Inc. (ATI), and includes a bowling pin resetter consisting of a pin elevator which collects pins and orients them before depositing them on a second thermoformed part, called the Durabin (pictured), with cavities to hold the pins.

The bowling pin resetter was co-designed and co-developed over several years by ATI and bowling products supplier QubicaAMF, with the goals of replacing metal with plastic to reduce downtime, maintenance costs, pin jams, and extend pin life.

The Durabin application, meanwhile, was particularly challenging due to the extreme draw ratios of the part, SPE said, which were overcome with ten individual custom-

designed plug assists. “Each plug assist has its own unique geometry CNC machined to optimize part wall thickness and material distribution; and varying plug assist heights and materials are used, as well,” SPE said. “Also two infrared thermal imaging line scanners are used in oven profile development and monitoring material behavior.”

The bowling pin resetter won the twin-sheet award and — as voted on by conference attendees — the People’s Choice award, while the Durabin won the vacuum forming award.

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news

New APMA head talks industry strengths, challenges

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anadian automotive parts makers are fully capable “Canada’s parts makers have the physical capacity to handle as much product as necessary, and generaof competing globally, but it’s still crucial to retain Canada’s existing auto assembly plants, according to tions of experience that provides a skill set — quantithe new president of the Automotive Parts Manufactative and qualitative — that underpins our competiturers’ Association (APMA). tiveness,” Volpe noted.

It all adds up to an unusual set of circumstances, But potential hurdles definitely remain. “A pressing concern is, how do Canadian manufacturers go to Flavio Volpe told Canadian Plastics. Volpe took the foreign markets and gain mandates for production?” helm of Toronto-based APMA in September, replacing Steve Rodgers, an industry veteran who was Volpe asked. One strategy, he said, is for Canadian Flavio Volpe appointed president of the group in 2010. parts makers to follow their customers southward — “The Canadian auto assembly business is robust, mature, as illustrated by Aurora, Ont.-based Magna International Inc. innovative, and has definitely rebounded since the recession,” breaking ground in September on a new plant in Tennessee.

Volpe said. “But parts makers now face the challenge of adapt- (Editor’s Note: also see the story on Papp Plastics and Distribing to the shift of the industry in North America towards the uting Ltd., opposite.) “A second option is to find ways to prosouthern U.S. and Mexico.” vide parts from the home plants in Canada while still remainSales by Canadian parts makers have indeed recovered to ing competitive on pricing and delivery,” Volpe continued.

Whatever strategy the parts makers choose, Volpe said, pre-recession levels, but according to data compiled by DesAPMA remains committed to helping keep Canada’s existing Rosiers Automotive Consultants Inc., neither shipments nor auto assembly plants — including the facilities operated by jobs have returned to the peaks hit in the early 2000s. five different auto makers in Ontario alone — up and running.

Parts makers need to build on their strengths to grow, “Our parts makers supply all over the world, but the overall said Volpe, who joins APMA after three years as managing story of our national automotive industry is told through the director of solar energy company Wirsol Solar Canada. Prior to that, he was chief of staff for Sandra Pupatello when she final assembly plants, which is why it’s critical to retain them was Ontario’s minister of economic development until 2011. here in Canada,” he said.

CPL

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Canadian Plastics November 2014 www.canplastics.com

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news

Papp Plastics partners with Inplax for Mexican auto parts JV

indsor, Ont.-based auto parts manufacturer Papp Plastics and Distributing Ltd. has formed a joint venture with Mexican molder Inplax S.A de C.V. The new joint operation — called Mex-Can Plastics SAPI de CV — is currently under construction in Querètaro, Mexico, with an opening date set for December 2014.

The new 60,000-square-foot factory will house a 60-ton crane and 12 injection molding machines with clamping force of up to 4,000 tons, including two-shot manufacturing capabilities. According to Papp Plastics, the new company will have the ability to supply Class A painted interior and exterior parts, injection mold development, and try-out services. Papp Plastics’ engineering and design team will provide support for the Mexican operation.

“After four years of market research and development, Papp Plastics has increased its presence in the Mexican automotive market,” the company said. “The Mex-Can Plastics plant is in a prime position to supply this high growth market [and] is strongly committed to producing world-class automotive assemblies”.

Established in 1991 and owned by George and Michael Papp, Papp Plastics is a Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier, molding automotive interiors and exteriors. Querètaro-based Inplax was founded in 1968, and has 20 assembly and 30 injection molding machines.

Photo Credit: Papp Plastics and Distributing Ltd.

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Left to right: Inplax owner Iker Forcèn, Michael Papp, and George Papp at the Mex-Can Plastics site.

Papp Plastics also operates a joint venture in Colombia that supplies bumpers for passenger vehicles in both Colombia and neighbouring Ecuador.

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news

PEOPLE — New Berlin, Wis.-based auxiliary equipment manufacturer ACS Group — which markets the AEC, Cumberland, and Sterling brands — has appointed Bob Andress Stephan Berz Bob Andress as vice president of operations.

— Italy-based hot runner supplier HRSflow has appointed Stephan Berz as vice president of HRSflow Automotive, responsible for the worldwide sales activities in the automotive sector.

— The Society of Plastic Engineers, headquartered in Bethel, Conn., has appointed its former president Russell Broome as its new managing director.

— Processing and auxiliary equipment supplier Auxiplast Inc., of Ste-Julie, Que., has promoted Jean-Philippe Côté to its internal sales/sales support team, Sophie Parent to its customer service team, and hired François SUPPLIER NEWS Godbout as a new member of its service team.

— Baltimore, Ma.-based auxiliary equip— Toronto-based material supplier ment supplier Novatec Inc. has hired Channel Prime Alliance Canada Jaime Gómez as vice president, market has added Washington Penn Plastic development.

Company to its product offerings.

— Xenia, Ohio-based automation techHeadquartered in Washington, nology maker SAS Automation has Pa., Washington Penn Plastic is a named Bob Lord as its sales and marketprovider of PP compounds and PE ing manager. products.

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Bleed

Trim

executive’s corner Live

Stop making these four major sales mistakes

By Ryan Caligiuri, Ryan Caligiuri International

W

e all make mistakes. But repeatedly committing serious blunders just isn’t an option for a successful salesperson. I work with sales professionals every day, and have seen four common mistakes in particular that need to be corrected, fast.

1) BEING UNPREPARED FOR A SALES MEETING

It’s your job to come to every sales meeting loaded for bear.

At the very least, your homework should have included examining the prospect’s website, searching for them on your search engine of choice, and digesting case studies in order to understand how they make money.

But why stop there? Go further by creating a list of questions that will help you get more insight on your prospect. Sample questions might include, “Why is your current service/product/technology/situation/issue no longer working for you?”, “What are you hoping will be different with us?”, and “What does success look like for you, your business, or this project?”

2) NOT FOCUSING ON THE CLIENT

Some sales professionals spend far too much time talking up the wonders of their own product offering. By doing so, they’re jumping directly into solution-selling before they can even identify the key challenges or reasons why they’re meeting with the prospect in the first place.

Don’t be that person. It’s fine to introduce yourself and establish your bona fides by touching on your services and which companies you’ve helped. After that, though, proceed directly into your questions about what the client needs.

Once you’re able to paint a complete picture of the client and its needs, you can begin to offer some solutions.

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3) TAKING “NO” FOR AN ANSWER

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If your first instinct when a prospect says no is to move on to the next sales call, you’re in the wrong profession. “No” usually isn’t the roadblock it seems — it’s an opportunity for a seasoned salesperson to uncover the prospect’s concerns by probing even deeper.

If you’re in accounting, say, and your prospect tells you they’re not interested, you need to respond with your trusty sample questions — something like, “How much does your current firm save you on taxes a year? I ask because our firm focuses heavily on ensuring our clients know all the ins and outs so that we can maximize their savings every year. One client, similar to you, saved ‘X’ amount last year because of what we did for them. Would you like to hear more?”

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4) N OT GETTING YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR

Chances are, you won’t get through to someone by simply calling and/or emailing once or twice. Following up is one of the most important factors in penetrating accounts and closing sales — it’s not about being the best or having the cheapest price, but about working the hardest to get in front of the client and communicate with them.

I usually take flack if I mention that I followed up with a prospect 47 times before they became a steady client. What many people see is just another sleazy salesman. What they don’t see is the creativity behind each follow-up, not to mention the results that eventually come from this persistence.

If you’re currently making any of these sales mistakes, the sooner you drop them like the bad habits they are, the better. You’ll be amazed at how much more successful you’ll become. CPL Ryan Caligiuri is the founder of Ryan Caligiuri International, a Winnipeg, Man.-based growth consultancy firm for small to medium-sized enterprises. Visit www.ryancaligiuri.com for more information.

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Once he reduced his energy costs by 55% after installing a VFD, savings in other parts of his business went into overdrive.

Once you start seeing the benefits from our incentives for installing premium efficiency motors and VFDs, you’ll want to look into making other areas of your business like lighting, compressed air and pump systems more efficient too. When you do, you’ll be joining companies like Air Liquide, Ropack Pakaging and Owens Corning who are already enjoying the savings that our programs deliver.

Take a look at their stories and our incentives at

saveonenergy.ca/canadian-plastics

Subject to additional terms and conditions found at saveonenergy.ca. Subject to change without notice.

OM Official Mark of the Ontario Power Authority.

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resin outlook

Rpreicseisna re

Note to se lf : Resin makers ramped up production to handle post-recession demand, and some materials are now hitting overcapacity. Others are in short supply.

No one said being a resin buyer is easy.

By Mark Stephen, editor

vo latile

T

o modify the old adage, sometimes bad news is better than no news. During the Great Recession, resin buyers at least understood that many of the old pricing rules no longer applied. Today no one really knows what’s going on, either with resin prices or the plastics manufacturing sector in general. Attendees at the Canadian Plastics Resin Outlook Conference in Toronto in October were hoping for some inside information on both. Here’s what they heard.

Polyolefins

One of the most popular of today’s resins, polypropylene is used in everything from appliances to automobiles to medical components to diapers. According to Scott Newell, vice president of polypropylene with Resin Technology Inc. (RTi), PP consumption growth is happening in all regions. “Through to 2015, we expect a five per cent annual growth rate driven by the emerging markets,” he said. “Leading

the pack, China will accelerate its consumption to nearly 31 per cent of PP, with a 7.2 per cent growth rate.”

And coupled with asset closures and the mothballing of plants in North America, the result is ever-higher operating rates.

“Producers are going to gain pricing power, which is almost never a good thing for buyers,” Newell said. “We expect that industry operating rates are going to continue to increase.”

And don’t expect new supply to come on-stream and relieve prices — at least not in the short-term. “There’s very little new PP investment to look forward to at the moment, and only one announced new build in PP manufacturing,” Newell said. “We’ll eventually see new investment, but not in the immediate future.”

According to Mike Burns, vice president of polyethylene markets with RTi, oil is the price driver for polyethylene, as per usual.

“After the surge in oil prices in 2009-2010,

A game changer called SHALE There’s a new force about to run rampant over the global petrochemical scene, and it might just knock your resin pricing sideways. We’re talking about shale gas development in the U.S., which has revitalized the country’s petrochemical sector. “From olefins, polyolefins and methanol to intermediates and downstream chemicals, capacities are set to soar,” said Joseph Chang, global editor with ICIS Chemical Business. “Beyond the U.S., shale gas will have a ripple effect across global petrochemical markets, as players adjust to a new, growing leader in cost position.”

As America’s ethylene and derivatives capacity jumps halfway

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to the moon, the country’s export of plastics will take off as well.

“Producers in the U.S. will enjoy a cost advantage and relatively high margins until about 2017, when the flood of capacity comes on,” Chang said. But there’s a catch: an unlikely chain of events will have to develop for the U.S. market to actually absorb this projected 38 per cent increase in ethylene capacity — events that include growing global economies, high oil prices, and capacity closures in other regions coupled with lack of expansions — and don’t be too surprised if things don’t break that way. What then? “Major overcapacity in the U.S. between 2017 and 2020 will mean lower prices for ethylene and derivatives for everyone,” Chang said.

Canadian Plastics November 2014 www.canplastics.com

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resin outlook

naphtha-based suppliers have just caught up to the resin price that provides a small margin,” he said. “The higher naphtha feedstock will create a floor for global resin prices, while regional demand will create the ceiling.”

PE prices should remain firm through to 2015, Burns said, due to strong demand and high oil prices. “North American suppliers can sell resin anywhere in the world for a profit, so there’s no need for them to reduce prices. Processors should expect as much as a 10 per cent increase in the next 15 months due to strong supplier determination to continue to improve margins,” he said. “North American feedstocks will continue to be disconnected from the resin price going forward.”

Resin capacities in 2016-18 are expected to increase from between 10 billion to 15 billion lbs, Burns continued. “Although most of this resin is expected to be exported, the North American resin markets should expect changes as over-supplied markets become a challenge. In the end, exports or disruptions will remain the processors’ greatest challenge.”

Styrenics

The immediate post-recession world was an unpleasant place for polystyrene. “Sales of PS in North America slipped in 2012 from 2011, a decline notable right across the board: in food packaging and food service sectors, electrical, and construction,” said Jeremy Rakes, polystyrene editor with Platts. But the downturn might be slowing. “Sales of PS in North America in 2013 were actually up by over one per cent from 2012, to 5.48 billion lbs; and production was also up over one per cent from 2012, to over 5.5 billion lbs.” If you think this is pushing prices higher, you’re right. “The PS market has been at or near record high prices throughout the year, driven primarily by higher feedstock benzene,” Rakes said. “As benzene supply becomes tighter, the pricing volatility in that market will continue, and will continue to impact PS pricing.”

An additional factor in pricing is the nasty reality that the market for PS has consolidated into just three main suppliers: Total Petrochemicals, Americas Styrenics, and Styrolution. And have you ever known consolidation to lead to cheaper prices?

“Spot prices for PS hit near-record highs early this year, and buyers shouldn’t expect relief anytime soon,” Rakes said.

It’s bad news for PS buyers — but that’s just par for the course with PS lately, as the material comes under ever-greater attack from environmentalists. “PS probably faces more market development challenges than any other polymer,” Rakes said. “And while PS has niche markets, such as the insulation foam and appliance sectors — which are difficult to infiltrate with substitute polymers — the PS market can’t rely on these product areas alone. It

has to keep market share in such segments as food packaging, which isn’t easy given that many food industry players are switching to PE, PP or PET containers.”

Future growth hinges on profitability, Rakes said, as well as on the capacity to recycle PS products. “Economically viable recycling programs would diminish the calls to ban goods made from PS,” he said.

PET

You might not have known it, but PET has been relatively kind to buyers in the past few years. “The PET spread over raw materials was quite favorable for the converters,” said Phillip Karig, a managing director with Mathelin Bay Associates LLC. The good news going forward? The situation isn’t going to change much.

“Global overcapacity will keep leverage on the PET buyers’ side for the foreseeable future,” Karig said. “In particular, China’s overcapacity in PET resin and some intermediates encourages Chinese producers to export PET at close to marginal cost.”

More than with most materials, PET pricing in North America for the past few years has been determined overseas — and that isn’t expected to change much, either. “While most NAFTA-area PET is produced locally, imports are plentiful and an important part of the supply chain for major water and carbonated beverage bottle producers and others,” Karig said. “Australia, India, Oman, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, South Korea, and Taiwan are regular exporters to Canada and the U.S., with China and —

Visit us at ExpoPlast Booth #511 www.canplastics.com November 2014 Canadian Plastics

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resin outlook

increasingly — Oman being especially prominent.” And in this instance, it’s good to be Canadian. “Canada has more favorable PET duty rates from a variety of countries than does the U.S.,” Karig said. And it’s even better to be a West Coast Canadian.

“Western Canada is more favorably positioned for PET imports from Asia than Eastern Canada,” Karig said.

If there’s a fly in the PET ointment, it might be that all of these foreign producers are growing weary of living in a buyers’ market. “PET producers may consider revising raw materialsbased pricing,” Karig said.

PVC

Polyvinyl chloride used to be all about new construction — but that might change, according to Jim Seidewand, president of Resin Technology LLC. “The construction market is projected to drop from 52 per cent of all PVC demand in 2007 to 45 per cent by 2017, due to multifamily housing starts and lack of residential development,” Seidewand said. And don’t expect the housing industry in North America to turn around anytime soon.

“In the U.S., housing starts are not expected to return to the 1.6 million level — which has traditionally been considered a good level for PVC demand — until 2017, assuming a raise in interest rates doesn’t act as a brake on housing demand,” he said. In Canada, Seidewand continued, an average of only 180,000 housing starts are forecast for this same period. “This sluggish market not only requires less PVC for exterior siding and windows,

but also hurts demand for municipal piping,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean that overall demand for PVC is on the downslope. “Global PVC demand will grow approximately four per cent between 2014-18 — but aside from China, the demand will be primarily in developing countries that have limited PVC production,” Seidewand said.

On the exporting side, the U.S. will remain a powerhouse.

“The U.S. has demonstrated the ability to consistently export between 5 billion and 6 billion lbs per year,” Seidewand said.

“And with nearly 1 billion lbs of new PVC capacity coming onstream in 2015, this export total can be easily maintained, and is a factor that will encourage the PVC industry to maintain pricing discipline in the NAFTA market.”

China is not expected to be a major exporter of PVC outside of Asia, Seidewand continued, and PVC resin margins in Asia are expected to remain low.

What’s it all mean for pricing? “Operating rates should stay near 85 per cent, with contract pricing down to US$0.40 per barrel,” he said. “Spot pricing could go back to the traditional lowerthan-contract levels.”

Nylon

Assisted by an improved automotive market, demand for both nylon 6 and 6/6 resins is up, according Paul Blanchard, director of engineering plastics with IHS Chemicals. “Automotive remains the largest end market for both types of nylon. Film is the second-

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resin outlook

largest market for nylon 6, while electrical/electronic ranks second for nylon 6/6,” he said.

High prices for benzene feedstock — spurred in part by the industry’s switch to lighter natural gas-based feedstocks — are expected to put pressure on nylon and other resins for the foreseeable future, Blanchard continued. “Benzene prices aren’t expected to come down dramatically,” he said.

Looking for one word to sum up the global nylon situation?

Try “long”. “The world is long on nylon 6, and we could be in for an extended period of overcapacity — possibly through to 2019 — with more material available than the global market requires,” Blanchard said. Much of that new capacity will be arriving in China in 2014-16, well ahead of global nylon 6 demand. Annual growth rates for the material from 2014-19 will grow to 5.4 per cent, Blanchard said, up from 3.2 per cent in 2009-13. And although nylon 6 margins currently are low, pricing “will remain high as producers try to recover lost margin,” he added.

The nylon 6/6 picture looks somewhat similar, Blanchard continued, with new capacity arriving in the Middle East from 201517. “Capacity additions for nylon 6/6 are less than in nylon 6, however, with only about 440 million lbs expected to be added in the next few years,” Blanchard said. The material has benefited from a resurgent global auto market, he continued, but annual growth rates now are expected to decline to 3.4 per cent from 201419, down from 7.1 per cent in 2009-13. “Operating rates for nylon 6/6 will improve, but will remain competitive,” Blanchard said.

Polycarbonate

Blanchard then turned to polycarbonate. Notwithstanding the unrealized hopes that PC would invade the Blu-ray recordables and electronics markets, he said, the industry continues to invest in product application development for long-term growth of the material. A lot of new capacity is coming on-stream in Asia and the Middle East, Blanchard said, but there’s a mismatch. “Capacity is currently misaligned with demand,” he noted. “The capacity is still in Western Europe and North America, and the demand is in Asia.”

It’s a misalignment that signals a strange transformation currently taking place in the global PC industry. ”Demand is growing globally but there’s a shifting pattern of demand and capacity; and the trade pattern is also shifting, which will run into lower utilization rates in a number of Western countries,” Blanchard said.

“There’s a major change coming in this industry, and North American suppliers feel pressured and would like to sell more.”

From the suppliers’ perspective, indeed, there’s probably too much PC capacity floating around already, which can make for a buyer’s market. “The global market for PC is awash in excess capacity, with most of that material located in Asia,” Blanchard said. And get ready for more, as Asia — which already accounts for almost 60 per cent of global PC demand — will add almost 2 billion pounds of new capacity through 2017. “That’s more than what’s needed to handle global PC demand growth, which is pegged at 4.5 per cent between 201418,” Blanchard said.

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injection molding

101

PART DESIGN

Designing injection molded plastic parts is a complex task involving many factors that address a list of requirements of the application. It’s a tall order, but following a few basic rules will make the job a lot easier.

T

hink it’s tough to put together a decent jacket-shirt-tie combo in the morning? Try mastering the complexities of designing an injection molded appearance part for production runs in the hundreds of thousands. It’s as difficult as it sounds. “Small details in part design can prove to have a huge influence over the lifetime of the production phase, and can make the difference between a part that runs trouble-free and a ‘problem child’ that needs constant adjustment and repair,” said Kip Doyle, president of moldingHELP.com.

The good news is that adhering to some basic part design rules will result in an appearance part that looks good, is easier to manufacture and assemble, and is typically much stronger in service. Here’s a brief look at some of the key factors to keep in mind.

STRESS In injection molding as in life, stress kills. Stress is, in fact, the main enemy of any injection molded plastic part. Here’s why.

When melted resin is forced into the mold, the molecules are pushed through each feature, bending, turning, and distorting to form the shape of the part. Turning hard or sharp corners exerts more stress on the molecule than taking gentle turns with generous radii. Abrupt transitions from one feature to another are also difficult for the molecules to fill and form to.

And as the material cools and the molecular bonds re-link the resin into its rigid form, these stresses are locked into the part, and can cause warpage, sink marks, cracking, premature failure, and other problems.

“While some stresses in an injection molded part are to be expected, you should design your parts with as much consideration for stress reduction as possible,” said John Bozzelli, president of Injection Molding Solutions. “Ways to do this

By Mark Stephen, editor

include adding smooth transitions between features, and using rounds and fillets in possible high-stress areas.”

GATES Each injection mold design requires a gate to allow the molten plastic to be injected into the cavity of the mold. Gate type, design, and location can impact the part packing, gate removal or vestige, cosmetic appearance of the part, and part dimensions and warping. There are two types of gates available for injection molding — manually trimmed and automatically trimmed — and perhaps the main factor to consider when choosing the proper gate type for your application is the gate design.

According to injection molding technology provider Quickparts Solutions Inc., the four most popular types are the edge gate, which is located on the edge of the part, is best suited for flat parts, and leaves a scar at the parting line; the sub gate, which is automatically trimmed, requires ejector pins, and leaves a pin-sized scar on the part; the hot tip gate, which is often located at the top of the part, is ideal for round or conical shapes where uniform flow is necessary, and leaves a small raised nub on the part surface; and the direct or sprue gate, which is said to be the easiest to design, has low cost and maintenance requirements, and leaves a large scar on the part at the point of contact.

Gate design is definitely not to be taken lightly. “Many problems are a result of part designers and tool designers underestimating and improperly predicting the impact of the decisions relating to the use of hot runner gates,” said Kip Doyle. “It’s an absolutely critical design element.”

WALL THICKNESS It’s hard to overestimate the importance of wall thickness to

Images at top: 1) Coring at rib intersections, 2) Boss strengthening technique, and 3) Uniform wall thickness can reduce or eliminate warping.

All images courtesy of Solid Concepts Inc.

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1

injection molding

plastic parts. “Choosing the proper wall thickness for your part can have drastic effects on the cost and production speed of manufacturing,” said John MacDonald, director of sales in Canada for Solid Concepts Inc. “While there are no wall thickness restrictions, the goal is usually to choose the thinnest wall possible, since this uses less material and reduces cost, cooling time, and cycle time.”

On average, MacDonald continued, the wall thickness of an injection molded part ranges from 2 mm to 4 mm (0.080 inches to 0.160 inches). Thin-wall injection molding can produce walls as thin as 0.05 mm (0.020 inches).

Not surprisingly, cooling time varies according to wall thickness, with a ripple effect on quality as the part cools.

“During the cooling process, if walls are an inconsistent thickness, the thinner walls will cool first while the thick walls are still solidifying,” said John Bozzelli. “As the thick section cools, it shrinks around the already solid thinner section, causing warping, twisting or cracking to occur where the two sections meet.” How do you avoid these problems? “Try to design with completely uniform walls throughout the part,” Bozzelli said. “When uniform walls aren’t possible, then the change in thickness should be as gradual as possible to avoid stress concentrations and abrupt cooling differences. Also, wall thickness variations shouldn’t exceed 10 per cent in high mold shrinkage plastics.”

And since the amount of shrinkage is polymer-dependent, resin should be chosen with care. But of course that doesn’t always happen. “All too often, the material selection process is rushed, and based mostly on choosing a material that has already been used for a similar part,” said Kip Doyle. “With thousands of variations of materials available, the designer must take time and do the proper research to make the best choice not only for the function of the part, but for the lowest overall cost in the long-run — which isn’t the same thing as picking the least expensive material.”

The material chosen should meet all functional requirements, Doyle continued, and also be easy to handle and process.

“Processability, in particular, is rarely given proper consideration,” he said. “Part designers don’t always consider the fact that a lower viscosity material that meets the functional requirements helps to reduce process variation.”

And whatever resin is ultimately selected for the part, the manufacturer’s process guidelines should always be followed for best results.

Other options for complex parts that need variations on wall thickness include using design features such as coring or using ribs. “Rib thickness should be less than wall thickness to minimize sinking effects, and the recommended rib thickness should not exceed 60 per cent of the nominal thickness,” said John MacDonald. “Plus, the rib should be attached with corner radii as generous as possible, and the height of a rib should be limited to less than three times its thickness.” It’s also better to use multiple ribs to increase bending stiffness than to use one very tall rib, he added.

DRAFT AND TEXTURE Most injection molded plastic parts include features that we’ve already encountered — such as outside walls and internal ribs — that are formed by opposing surfaces of tool metal inside a closed mold. To allow the part to break free as soon as the mold opens, the side walls of the mold are tapered in the direction of the opening, a process usually referred to as “draft in the line of draw”. The amount of draft required can depend on the surface finish of the mold. A smooth, polished tool surface usually allows the part to eject with less draft than a standard tool surface. The amount of draft required (in degrees) varies with the geometry and surface texture requirements of the part. “Allowing for as much draft as possible will permit parts to release from the mold easily,” said John MacDonald. “Typically, one to two degrees of draft with an additional 1.5 degrees per 0.25 mm depth of texture is enough to do the trick.”

On a related note, texturing — a process used to apply patterns to a mold surface — allows flexibility in creating the final appearance of your parts, and can also be used to camouflage gate marks or other part imperfections. Draft for texturing is somewhat dependent on the part design and on the specific texture desired.

According to Quickparts Solutions, when applying a texture to a part the CAD drawing must be adjusted to accommodate for this

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injection molding

surface variance. “If the texture is on a surface that is perpendicular or angled away from the mold opening, then no draft changes are necessary,” the company said.

“If the texture is on a parallel surface with the mold opening, however, increased draft is necessary to prevent scraping and drag marks during part ejection.” And remember, different textures have different impacts on the molded part. “The rule of

thumb when designing for texture is to have 1.5 degrees of draft for each 0.001 inch of texture finish depth,” the company said.

PARTING LINES There’s no getting away from part lines, which are the lines of separation on the part where the two halves of the mold meet. “While on simple parts this plane can be a simple, flat surface, it’s often a

Customization without compromise

complex form that traces the perimeter of the part around the various features that make up the part’s outer silhouette,” said John MacDonald. Part lines can also occur where any two pieces of a mold meet, he continued, including side action pins, tool inserts, and shutoffs.

“Parting lines cannot be avoided; every part has them,” MacDonald said. “When designing your part, remember that the melt will always flow towards the parting line because it’s the easiest place for the displaced air to escape.”

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Sharp corners greatly increase the stress concentrations that can lead to part failure.

“Sharp corners often occur in non-obvious places, such as a boss attached to a surface or a strengthening rib,” said John MacDonald. “The radius of sharp corners needs to be watched closely because the stress concentration factor varies with radius for a given thickness.” Rule of thumb? “At corners, the suggested inside radius is 0.5 times the material thickness and the outside radius is 1.5 times the material thickness,” MacDonald said. “A bigger radius should be used if the part design allows it.”

In the end, the old adage that the devil is in the details has rarely been more true than when designing a complex part. “Today’s molders are pushing the limits in so many ways — thinner, smaller, bigger, two-shot molding, insert molding — that there isn’t much room for error,” said Kip Doyle. “I always recommend that the part design phase involve a team of experts from all departments, and also that additional precautionary measures be taken — flow simulation, third party review, and prototyping — before cutting production steel.”

Because it’s a whole lot easier to avoid problems in the beginning than to change your design down the line.

CPL RESOURCE LIST Injection Molding Solutions (Midland, Mich.); www.scientificmolding.com moldingHELP.com (Battle Creek, Mich.); www.moldingHELP.com; 269-979-5616 Quickparts Solutions Inc. (Atlanta, Ga.); www.quickparts.com; 877-521-8683 Solid Concepts Inc. (Valencia, Calif.); www.solidconcepts.com; 888-311-1017 John MacDonald; 519-365-8499

18

Canadian Plastics November 2014 www.canplastics.com

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expoplast preview

CONFERENCES/SEMINARS AT-A-GLANCE Wednesday, November 19, 2014

EXPOPLAST 2014: Montreal calling

Quebec’s only plastics trade show is also Canada’s only plastics trade show this year. Here’s what you need to know at a glance.

E

xpoplast is back. With a near 40-year history as the dedicated resource to custom and captive molders in Quebec, the Expoplast plastics trade show features the top suppliers of processing machinery, auxiliary equipment, molds, molding components, materials, and services providers. And there’s a lot of them in “La Belle Province” — almost 650 plastics processing establishments, producing more than 26 per cent of all plastics goods made in Canada. Quebec plastics processors employ 21,336 people, according to the Institut de la statistique du Quebec, generate an annual payroll of $926 million, and spend approximately $2.6 billion per year on materials and supplies used in production.

Held every two years by UBM Canon, the latest edition of Expoplast takes place November 19-20 at the Palais des congrès in Montreal. And the timing seems good.

Overall manufacturing in Quebec grew for a third month straight in October 2014, with a 3.2 per cent gain to $11.6 billion. Adding to its strength, this time around the show continues its co-location with five other shows: PACKEX (packaging); Design & Manufacturing; Powder & Bulk Solids; ATX (automation); and Aerocon (aerospace and defense).

There were over 300 exhibitors in total in the six shows at UBM Canon’s last show in Montreal in November 2012, and a similar number is expected this year.

CPL WHEN: Wednesday, November 19, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thursday, November 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: Palais des congrès de Montreal — 1001 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montreal WEB: www.expoplast.org • Registration fee: Free for access to all shows, fees for conferences. here are several parking lots at or near the Palais des congrès, including: • Parking: T Quartier International de Montréal (QIM), 249 Saint-Antoine Ouest, 1,200 spots, $18 maximum for 12 hours; and Viger, 1025 rue Chenneville, 400 spots, $20 maximum for 12 hours.

20

GOING BEYOND M2M: INCREASING EFFICIENCY, SAFETY AND PRODUCTIVITY IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING 10:00-11:45 M2M and Beyond: Are you ready for the wireless revolution?

1:00-2:30 Technologies influencing the introduction of M2M on the factory floor 2:45-4:00 Resolving manufacturing issues as connectivity increases in an industrial environment PLASTICS WORKSHOPS PRESENTED BY SPE 1:00-1:30 Sèbastien Lavoie, Assistant Chief Economist, Laurentian Bank Securities “WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FOR 2014 AND 2015?”

1:30-2:00 Guillaume Cariou, Director, Studies and International Strategies, Mercadex International “INTERNATIONAL MOVES OF MANUFACTURING ACTIVITIES” 2:00-2:30 Robert Hunt, Sales Director, Trinity Resources Limited “PERFORMANCE MINERALS IN PLASTICS” 2:30-3:00 Martin Fournier, Project Engineer, Husky Injection Molding Systems “THE IMPORTANCE OF MELT STREAM MANAGEMENT IN PART QUALITY” 2:30-3:00 Marc Pouliot-Talbot, “FLOW SIMULATION: WHEN, WHY AND FOR WHOM?” 2:30-3:00 Denis Dufour, President, D Cube with EREMA “INTERAMA: RECYCLING EQUIPMENT FOR A GREATER PRODUCTIVITY”

Yo g

*SPE members: $75 for block of 3 conferences, $130 for all 6 conferences.

Non-members: $ 90 for block of 3 conferences, $160 for all 6 conferences.

Students: Free, with proof.

Thursday, November 20, 2014 INNOVATIONS IN 3D PRINTING: FROM DESIGN INTO MANUFACTURING 10:00-12:00 3D printing: The future of advanced manufacturing 1:00-2:30 Materials: Leading 3D printing into the future 2:45-4:00 Fully benefitting from 3D printing: Are you there yet?

TRANSFORMING PACKAGING TO INCREASE FLEXIBILITY AND REDUCE COSTS 10:00-12:00 Smart innovations changing packaging design 1:00-2:30 Sustainability and new materials and their applications for packaging economics 2:45-4:00 Improvements in automation to speed changeover times and reduce costs Full details and registration costs are available at: http://expoplast.plasticstoday.com/conferencesseminars In addition to the conferences, there will be free seminars on various topics presented by the exhibiting companies in the “Tech Theatre” on the show floor.

Interested in networking? Drop by the cocktail reception jointly offered by FEPAC and SPE Quebec; the event takes place at FEPAC’s booth #415 on Wednesday, November 19 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Canadian Plastics November 2014 www.canplastics.com

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8/29/14 10:51 AM 14-10-14 11:38 AM

extrusion benchmark survey

By Mark Stephen, editor

T

he Great Recession is long over, the dreaded double dip never materialized, and the automotive industry is booming. So all in all, it’s not a bad time to be a plastics processor. Whereas most of our previous Extrusion Benchmark Surveys were snapshots taken in periods of uncertainty, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect respondents to be in slightly better spirits this time around, right? But are they? Do they believe they’ve emerged from the dark economic tunnel? What product markets are they relying on to help them prosper in the future? And is new equipment part of that future? These — and a lot more — are the questions that our eighth annual survey tried to answer.

THE BASICS When asked how many employees worked at their plant, we received answers ranging from two to 300, with the average shop employing 69 people. Last year, the survey respondents ranged from five workers to 225, with the average shop employing approximately 72 workers. In 2012, there was a 68-worker average. It seems, then,

The Great Recession is long over, so how goes the war at Canada’s many and varied extrusion shops? We wanted to know, so we asked them. From buying intentions to markets served to machine utilization rates and more, it’s all here in our eighth annual survey.

that the downsizing that must certainly have occurred during the Great Recession has stopped, and employee numbers are now holding relatively steady.

Of this year’s respondents, 54% are involved in profile extrusion, another 54% in tubing extrusion, and 31% in pipe extrusion. In 2013, 77% were involved in profile extrusion, 54% were involved in pipe extrusion, and 31% in tubing extrusion.

Additionally, 28% of this year’s respondents say they’re involved exclusively in proprietary extrusion, 16% exclusively in custom extrusion, 31% in custom extrusion with some proprietary work, and 25% in captive with some custom extrusion. Last year, 46% of respondents said that they were involved exclusively in proprietary extrusion, 30% were involved in exclusively custom extrusion, 15% were involved in captive with some custom extrusion, and 9% were involved in custom with some proprietary extrusion.

As with last year, the majority of respondents this year — 68% — reported that their shops are involved in the construction and building markets. Actually, that’s a slight drop from last year, when

The 2014 Canadian Plastics Extrusion Benchmark Survey, consisting of 35 questions, was emailed to approximately 360 pipe, profile and tubing extrusion facilities throughout Canada, with one respondent being selected per company.

We received 59 completed surveys. Because not everyone answered each question, the percentage values in the charts and tables are given as a percentage of the respondents to that question, with the number of respondents given in parenthesis, for example (n=51). We thank all the participants.

almost 78% worked in these two markets — a continuing surprise given the ongoing weakness of the U.S. housing market.

Also, 40% of this year’s respondents are extruding consumer goods (holding steady compared to the 38% last year), 34% are involved in packaging applications (up from 30% last year), and 31% are doing automotive work (also holding steady from 30% last year, but a big improvement over the 12% doing auto work in 2012). It seems, then, that the auto sector recovery has held steady at least over the past two years.

Forty-nine per cent of respondents this year said their plant has either ISO or QS9000 certification — a respectable

©MarkBernard/gettyimages/Thinkstock

PIPE UP!

BY THE NUMBERS Average hourly operator wage, excluding benefits

$19.79

Average machine utilization rate

68%

Average number of workers

Le

69

“Yup, we’re buying a new ex‑ truder within the next 12 months.”

29%

©Akhararat Wathanasing/gettyimages/Thinkstock

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extrusion benchmark survey

80

bump up from the 36% with at least one of the two last year. And as in every other extrusion survey from every other year, the majority of respondents this year (51%) are located in Ontario; of the rest, 23% are in Quebec, 10% are in Alberta, 10% in B.C., and one shop each in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island.

WHAT CATEGORY BEST DESCRIBES YOUR PLANT?

70 (N=51)

(N=50)

Captive with some custom extrusion 25% Custom with Exclusively some proprietary custom extrusion extrusion 16% 31% Exclusively proprietary extrusion 28%

PAST PURCHASES (BY %)

Yes

60

No

50 40 30 20 10

VOTING WITH THEIR WALLETS When we asked our respondents to add up the number of extruders at their plants, 40% said they have 15 or more machines, compared with 27% with 15 or more last year. At the high end this year, our largest respondent reported having 47 extruders, compared with a high water mark of 70 last year. As with last year, the vast major-

ity (86%) use single screw 29 71 37 63 56 44 extruders this time around (com- 0 Auxiliary Extruders Downstream pared with 70% in 2013), with extrusion equipment equipment 29% also using counter-rotating twin screw designs and 9% using co-rotat- shops this year are five or more years old ing twin screw designs. These last two (and a large number of shops don’t have figures are virtually identical to the 30% any machines less than five years old) — with counter-rotating machines and 7% this is a big leap from the 49% of machines with co-rotating twin screw units last year. that were at least five years old last year.

Attention extruder suppliers: on aver- Either this year’s respondents are really age, 78% of the machines in respondents’ atypical, or there’s a ton of older equip-

BLEND IT BLEND IT BLEND IT BLEND IT IT COOL IT COOL IT COOL IT BLEND ITCOOL CONVEY ITBLEND ITCONVEY ITBLEND ITCONVEY ITBLEND ITCONVEY ITB

COOL ITFEED ITCOOL ITFEED ITCOOL ITFEED ITCOOL ITFEED ITC CONVEY IT

CONVEY IT

CONVEY IT

CONVEY IT

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EX

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extrusion benchmark survey

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

compared with only 38% that were not planning on (N=51) buying new extruders last Yes year. Maybe that’s the probNo lem this time around: it might just be that a lot of shops did buy extruders last year, in which case they’re not interested in acquiring any more going forward.

And here’s another indicator of the lay of the land: seventy per cent of the respondents this year who are planning to pick up an 29 71 40 60 51 49 extruder are doing so to add Extruders Downstream Auxiliary capacity rather than to extrusion equipment equipment replace old machinery. ment rattling around out there, just possi- That’s almost a complete inversion of the 65% who were buying in order to replace bly due to be replaced.

Ah, but are the respondents interested ageing units last year. Doing the math in replacing them? In a nutshell, probably thusly, it seems that at least some of our not. Seventy-one per cent of respondents respondents are confident enough in the this year said they have no plans to buy a health of their business to put their wallets new extruder within the next 12 months, on the line by investing for expansion.

INTENT TO PURCHASE (BY %)

The relative tight-fistedness continues when we look downstream. Sixty per cent of respondents this year have no plans to purchase new downstream extrusion equipment within the next 12 months, compared to 70% who said they would do so last year.

But it gets a little better with auxiliary stuff: fifty-one per cent of respondents this year plan on purchasing new auxiliary equipment within the next year.

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

The average machine utilization rate among respondents this year was 68%, down only slightly from a 72% average last year.

THE PRICES OF DOING BUSINESS In 2013, extrusion firms allocated an average of 3% of their annual budget to employee training, and 4% to product research and development. How do those numbers stack up against current expenditures? The figures shifted, but not by much: on average, a total of 2.5% was

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Drying Monitor 3 – extends capabilities to monitor multiple hoppers… even non-Conair hoppers

BOOTH 401

dryer control – delivers complete process visibility and control

New MW Dryer – the industry’s smallest wheel dryer

Conair didn’t invent drying, but some would suggest that we perfected it. From the first multicanister Carousel® desiccant dryer, which virtually eliminated temperature and dew point spikes in the 1960s, to the newest web-enabled, touch-screen controls of today, Conair has been an innovator in the art and science of polymer drying.

Conair commercialized one of the first dryers to use a solid-state desiccant wheel for more consistent, energy-efficient drying, faster start-up and less maintenance. We are still the only supplier with the patented Drying Monitor, which alerts you immediately when drying conditions change – not hours later like other systems.

2009

2012

ES-1 – single-stage EnergySmart system with TouchView™ control and precision Optimizer™ Mode

2013

Remote Control – web-enabled DC-T controls and Drying Monitor let you control your dryers from anywhere

2014

2015

These are just a few of the drying innovations Conair has brought to market in the last 50 years. No company has more knowledge or experience. If drying is critical to the quality and performance of the products you make – and it probably is – you owe it to yourself to talk with the DRYING EXPERTS at Conair.

MORE INNOVATION TO COME

1.800.654.6661 • 724.584.5500 • info@conairgroup.com • www.conairgroup.com www.canplastics.com November 2014 Canadian Plastics

CPLNov14 p22-26 Extrus Survey.indd 25

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extrusion benchmark survey

allocated to employee training in 2014, while money budgeted for product R&D rose to an average of 4.5% — still, this last number pales in comparison to the 9% average spent on R&D in 2008, our all-time survey best.

And how are the men and women on the shop floor faring? According to this year’s survey, the average operator wage excluding benefits is $19.79. If you’re the boss, you might want to spread that figure around to your workers, as it’s an increase from the $18.70 average excluding benefits last year — and partial proof that industry wages are on the rise. (For a little more historical perspective, the average wage was $18.98 in 2012 and $17.10 in 2011.)

GOING GLOBAL (OR NOT) In this brave new globalized world, how are Canadian extruders faring when it comes to doing business and/or establishing a presence on foreign soil? Approximately 25% of survey respondents this

year said their facilities ship MARKETS SERVED BY YOUR PLANT 60% or more of finished (N=52) products outside of Canada, Automotive 31% a decrease from the 44% that reported doing so last year.

Consumer goods 40% As far as setting up shop outside of Canada, 58% of Construction & building 68% respondents have a presence in the U.S. (up from 45% in Electronic 20% 2013), 14% have a presence in China (up from 9% last year), Packaging 34% 3% have a presence in India, and one shop each had a presOther 40% ence in Mexico, Germany, the U.K., Australia, and Japan.

Digging a little deeper, 52% 0 of the10 Of the extrusion shops 50without60 a for- 70 20 30 40 respondents whose shops have a foreign eign presence, 75% seem happy to keep it presence are maintaining a manufactur- that way, with no plans to plant the coming facility, 37% have a sales office, 26% pany flag on foreign soil in the next 12 have a joint venture with a local firm, and months. It’s not a big change from last 18% have warehousing. year, when 85% said the same.

CPL

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To view the full survey results, go to http://www.canplastics.com/ survey/archives/2014CPLPipeExtrusionSurvey.pdf

Suffering from plugged cast-ins?

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We’ll guide you smoothly through the entire conversion process.

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Canadian Plastics November 2014 www.canplastics.com

CPLNov14 p22-26 Extrus Survey.indd 26

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doing it better

ROTOVAC is on track From the wreck of plastics processor NS Technologies comes one of the largest rotational molding and thermoforming companies in Canada. It won’t make the same mistakes.

By Mark Stephen, editor

A

train wreck usually marks the end of the line. Listen to any of the billion old country and western tearjerkers about them, for example, and you won’t hear many lyrics about the cars getting refurbished and put back on the tracks.

But that’s exactly what happened at Rotovac Group Inc. The

Milton, Ont.-based rotational molder and thermoformer has revived formerly bankrupt Ontario plastics businesses with a new management team at the controls and a new direction in sight.

And this train has definitely left the station.

SURVEYING THE DAMAGE

Sold out of bankruptcy to Rotovac in March 2013, the businesses were part of Milton-based NS Technologies Group Inc., which had gone under a year earlier. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because NS Technologies had been on a $200 million expansion spree from 2008 to 2011, snapping up rotomolding, thermoforming, injection molding, and extrusion businesses around Southern Ontario like so many properties on a Monopoly board. The company’s last acquisition was me shows off so y le Shirlon Plastics Company, a Camss ro C Alan bins. lt and sand sa d e bridge, Ont.-based rotational ld o m roto www.canplastics.com November 2014 Canadian Plastics

CPLNov14 p27-29 Doing Better.indd 27

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doing it better

molder, in spring 2011. The party came to an end shortly after, when majority shareholder New Solutions Financial Corp., of Mississauga, Ont., sought bankruptcy protection in early 2012.

Which is where Alan Crossley came in. Crossley had an extensive management background in distribution, light manufacturing, and processing, and among other achievements had been responsible for setting up an Ontario-wide distribution network for lubricants made by Imperial Oil Ltd., a Canadian subsidiary of ExxonMobil Corp. As the other NS Technologies processing operations were wound down and the assets sold, Crossley and two other investors bought the company’s rotomolding and thermoforming assets. “NS Technologies had tried to be all things to all people, and wound up without a business focus,” Crossley said. “My partners and I took the parts that worked — rotomolding and thermoforming — and passed on the rest.”

But even the parts that worked didn’t work very well. “Frankly, NS Technologies was a train wreck when we bought it,” Crossley said. “The shop floor staff had worked for the company for years and was technically proficient, but demoralized. And the overall culture was indifferent, with some customers at times being treated almost as afterthoughts.”

RISE UP, RISE UP Several steps were taken simultaneously to turn the company — now operating under the new name Rotovac — around. One involved trimming enough fat to feed Ford Nation.

“The incumbent management at NS Technologies was not the right group of people to move the company forward, so we replaced them with our own hand-picked team,” Crossley

said. Crossley himself became Rotovac’s president in early 2014. “We also consolidated all of our purchase assets — which had been located at plants in Milton, Lindsay, and Whitby, Ont. — into the 40,000-square-foot Milton site, which made the best logistical sense: located about 50 kilometers west of Toronto, it puts us in the middle of Canada’s largest market and provides good access to U.S.based customers,” he added.

The next move involved doing partial penance. “I met with both current and former customers — some of whom had had bad experiences with NS Technologies — to help learn what that company’s strengths and weaknesses had been,” Crossley said. “A few of them welcomed the chance to vent at me, but once they got that off their chests, they were very helpful.” The verdict? “The customers had all been satisfied with part quality and pricing; the main complaints related to consistently missing agreed delivery deadlines and general poor customer service.”

The solution? “We put a series of measurements in place to improve our product delivery, including reinstating a quality management program that had been abandoned, and hiring a production specialist to redesign and reconfigure the work flow of the plant,” Crossley said. “As a result, our monthly on-time delivery rate hit 90 per cent in April 2014, and has been in the high 90 percentiles — sometimes hitting 97 per cent — ever since.”

Driving down the scrap rate was crucial to bumping up product delivery times.

“Through the quality management program, we’ve succeeded in recycling approximately 500,000 lbs of plastic as of September 2014,” Crossley said. “What would have been scrap parts previously are now reworked and reused, often in the original application.

Finally, we collect every piece of processed plastic not shipped out and send it to a domestic recycling processor who returns it to

Left, right, above and top: motivated again on the shop floor.

28

Canadian Plastics November 2014 www.canplastics.com

CPLNov14 p27-29 Doing Better.indd 28

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doing it better

Rotovac, for use in manufactured Rotovac currently has 25 products alongside, and in place employees, four vacuum of, virgin materials.” thermoformers — the largest A final step involved what capable of processing sheet 6 Crossley and the other managfeet by 11 feet — and four ers didn’t do. “We didn’t let Ferry rotational molders. “Our any of the staff on the shop revenue is split equally floor go,” Crossley said. between the rotational molding “They were demoralized and thermoforming businesses, which together make up about when we took the company Canadian Plastics The end resu 80 per cent of our revenue,” over, from having worked in lt: landscap ing/site pro Crossley said. a bankrupt firm and seeing a 1/2 pg 4c horizontal ducts.

The business plan going forprocession of molds being removed ward couldn’t be more different as customers cancelled their contracts. But their technical expertise and loyalty to the company were never in question, from the scattershot approach of NS Technologies. “We look at and their belief in the new direction of Rotovac has been key to ourselves as a producer of high-quality, short run custom products, and this will remain our focus. Our two processes enable our business turnaround.” us to manufacture a wide variety of plastic components for a diverse group of industries and applications, including the core THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME And what a turnaround it’s been. “Our customers took a leap of areas of landscaping/site products, recreational equipment, faith by staying with the company during the restructuring, and transportation, agriculture, and electronics,” Crossley said. they’re all surprised at how quickly Rotovac has become a reli- “Our goal is to pursue aggressive growth by emphasizing qualable partner to them,” Crossley said. “The word-of-mouth has ity, with a five-year target of tripling the size of the company’s been positive enough that some former customers have actually sales earnings.” contacted us, asking to place orders.”

It’s not a bad destination for a once-wrecked train.

CPL

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GREAT DEALS

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CPLNov14 p30-31 Auxiplast DPS .indd 31

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technology showcase

AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT Temperature control systems for cleanroom molding Circulating liquid temperature control systems for cleanroom applications are now available from Mokon.

The units can be installed inside or outside a cleanroom to meet the needs of many applications requiring accurate temperature control for the manufacture of critical components and products.

Featuring NEMA-rated panels and components, the products come standard with water and heat transfer oil systems, portable and central chillers, closed or open loop circuitry, stainless steel cabinets and components, sealed reservoirs and welded or silver brazed piping, non-marring casters or leveling feet or legs, sound and heat insulation, and remote set-point and re-transmission controllers and

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communication ports.

Mokon’s application and product engineers are available to provide assistance in the selection and sizing of all cleanroom process temperature control systems.

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

INJECTION MOLDING Combining the best of electric and hybrid technology

New from Absolute Haitian, the Zhafir Zeres series all-electric injection molding machine is equipped with an integrated hydraulic accumulator, designed to open up new possibilities for molders who prefer electric machines but need hydraulics to operate such functions as core pull.

St r u c t u rally identical to the company’s Venus II series, the Zeres displays the advantages of all-electric injection molding technology: precision, energy efficiency, independent parallel movement throughout the cycle, and easy maintenance.

Servo-electric drives for injection, mixing, and mold movement ensure a high level of dynamics. An integrated hydraulic accumulator with variable volume pump manages other functions, such as ejectors, nozzle, and core pull.

The standard design has an injection performance of up to 200 mm per second in machines up to 430 tons (once available) and 160 mm per second in the higher clamping force categories. The ZE/h high-speed version with injection speeds up to 300 mm per second is available as an option.

The machine is equipped with the latest generation Sigmatek control system with features such as flexible core pull sequences, and a two-state mold protection function as standard.

The new Zeres is available immediately in clamping forces of 45 to 259 tons, with larger model sizes to follow.

Absolute Haitian (Worcester, Mass.); www.absolutehaitian.com; 508-459-5372 Shadow Automation Inc. (Uxbridge, Ont.); 416-464-2070 Lutek Plastics Equipment (Dorval, Que.); www.lutek.ca; 514-421-8963

......stay connected with

Canadian Plastics November 2014 www.canplastics.com

CPLNov14 p32_37 Tech Show.indd 32

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technology showcase

Integrated, customized rotary table

Athena Automation Ltd. is introducing an integrated, servodriven rotary table option for its platform of hybrid injection molding machines.

Key features of the tables include integration into the moving platen with no loss of shut height, full ejector pattern allowing standard molds, mold services at the table surface via a stainless steel rotary union, and a choice of mold mounting patterns.

Specifications for the 300-ton machine include tie bar spacing of 825 by 825 mm (32.48 by 32.48 inches); a 1,030 mm (40.5 inch) table diameter; 5 metric ton ejector force; a mold weight capacity of 4,000 kg (8,800 lbs) with a 6-micron platen deflection; and one second for a 180 degree turn.

A prototype will be shown at the NPE 2015 trade show in Orlando, Fla. in March 2015.

Athena Automation Ltd. (Vaughan, Ont.); www.athenaautomation.com; 905-265-0277

EXTRUSION Individual layer foaming option to blown film co-extrusion lines

Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. has added the option of individual layer gas foaming to its barrier blown film coextrusion lines.

The blown system features individual layer foaming achieved with nitrogen gas injection through a proprietary feedblock.

The configuration of the line allows it to be operated with or without foam injection, permitting the film producer to easily switch between foamed films and conventional multilayer film production without changing machinery.

Macro’s blown film co-extrusion systems are used to pro-

cted with acecablez ......

duce high barrier films up to 11 layers and up to three meters wide using a variety of materials, including PA, EVOH, and PVdC. The films produced are most typically used in food and medical packaging applications. The individual layer foaming option allows processors to create a wider range of products by manipulating different foamed layer combinations within the co-extruded film structures.

Foaming can reduce weight, leading to raw material savings; can create favourable properties in the film, such as improving thermal and sound insulation; and opacity can be obtained without using fillers.

Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.macroeng.com; 905-507-9000

Compounds for improved consistency and mechanical properties RTP Company has expanded its line of conductive compounds to include those specifically designed for extrusion processes and applications, including vacuum hoses; ESD tubing; wire and cable; and geomembrane films used in a large range of applications in the industrial, automotive, pharmaceutical,

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www.acetronic.com www.canplastics.com November 2014 Canadian Plastics

CPLNov14 p32_37 Tech Show.indd 33

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FOR YOUR NEXT INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE,

technology showcase

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

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.

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34

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

and electronics markets.

These extrusion compounds can also be engineered to provide the needed conductivity (both surface and volume resistance), as well as the required mechanical properties (tensile strength, tear strength, abrasion resistance, and durometer and flexibility for elastomers). RTP Company can also incorporate other performance enhancements during compounding, such as RoHScompliant flame retardant modifiers and processing aids.

These properties can be incorporated into a wide range of both elastomeric and rigid resin systems, including PVC, TPU, TPE, PC, PE, PP, PS, and ABS. RTP Company (Winona, Minn.); www.rtpcompany.com; 800-433-4787

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.

Canadian Plastics November 2014 www.canplastics.com

CPLNov14 p32_37 Tech Show.indd 34

14-10-14 1:13 PM

technology showcase

3D PRINTING

ROBOTS & AUTOMATION

Thermoplastic material with superior aesthetics

Superior remote access capabilities for robot service

Stratasys Ltd. has introduced a new thermoplastic material option for its FDM-based production 3D printers: ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate).

In a move to further strengthen its customer service and support, Wittmann Battenfeld’s new TechConnect access system is designed to allow Wittmann technical support staff to

TRAINING & TECHNOLOGY for Injection Molders Hands-On Workshops

ASA is an all-purpose material used for the production of prototypes, manufacturing tools, and finished goods. Manufacturers in the automotive, electronics, commercial, sporting goods, and construction industries can benefit from the material’s strength and durability. Applications include jigs and fixtures, electrical boxes, recreational vehicles, and outdoor tools.

Compatible with the Fortus 360mc, 400mc, and 900mc 3D production systems, ASA thermoplastic surpasses the capabilities of ABS, offering UV resistance, so that parts will resist fading and remain durable against long-term exposure to direct sunlight. ASA offers a superior surface finish and good aesthetics. Compared to ABS, details such as printed text and other features are greatly improved by ASA’s matte finish.

Easy to use, ASA is a “green-flag” material that allows Stratasys Insight software users the ability to produce parts using default settings with a single click. Available in black and ivory, ASA is compatible with existing Stratasys SR-30 support material, and priced similar to ABS. Stratasys Ltd./Javelin Technologies (Oakville, Ont.); www.javelin-tech.com; 877-219-6757

Classroom Training

TURN On the the

RJG RJG Experience Experience

Process Control Systems

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Systematic Molding Toronto, Canada ~ $1,180 USD

Nov. 11-13, 2014

Participants leave RJG’s Systematic Molding class with an understanding of how to make data driven improvements to existing processes, as well as methods for effectively trouble-shooting processes using scientific/systematic approaches that provide lasting solutions instead of “Band-Aid” fixes.

www.rjginc.com/training/registration

www.canplastics.com November 2014 Canadian Plastics

CPLNov14 p32_37 Tech Show.indd 35

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technology showcase

advertising index Advertiser

connect directly to any 8 Series robot remotely, through a secure, wireless Internet connection that only requires a one-time configuration.

Once a customer initiates an Internet connection via WiFi or Ethernet cable — or even by tethering off a mobile device such as a cellphone or tablet — a member of the Wittmann Battenfeld support staff will be able to perform most of the primary functions necessary to adjust or troubleshoot the robot. These functions include the use of the robot’s VNC, the oscilloscope, the configuration tool, and the WinSCP. This versatile support tool does more than just troubleshoot, however: it also offers users factory assistance for optimizing their cycle times, workcell performance, software capabilities, training aids, and program reviews.

Wittmann Canada (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-canada.com; 905-887-5355

Page Website

AceTRONIC 32-33 www.acetronic.com Arburg back cover www.arburg.us Athena Automation Ltd. 18 www.athenaautomation.com Auxiplast Inc. 30-31 www.auxiplast.com Berg Chilling Systems Inc. 14 www.berg-group.com Canadian Plastics CanPlastics TV videos 38 www.canplastics.com Chillers Inc. 27 www.chillersinc.com Conair 24-25 www.conairgroup.com CPA Canada 7 www.channelpa.com DynaPurge 17 www.dynapurge.com Erema North America Inc. 36 www.erema.at Export Development Canada 19 www.edc.ca F.B. Balzanelli 6 www.fb-balzanelli.it Gamma Meccanica 20 www.irecyclingsolutions.com Harmo America Inc. 37 www.harmo-america.com IMS insert at 13 www.imscompany.com Ingenia Polymers Corp.

13 www.ingeniapolymers.com Maguire Products Canada 2 www.maguirecanada.com Maruka Toyo 34 www.marukausa.com NGR - Next Generation Recycling 8 www.ngr.at NPE2015 21 www.npe.org Novatec 23 www.novatec.com Ontario Power Authority 11 saveonenergy.ca/canadian-plastics Plastic Process Equipment, Inc. 9, 39 www.ppe.com Process Heaters Inc. 26 www.processheaters.ca Progressive Components 32-33 www.procomps.com RJG Inc. 35 www.rjg.com Shred Tech 10 www.shred-tech.com Struktol 5 www.struktol.com Vecoplan, LLC 29 www.vecoplanllc.com

INTAREMA® The new system generation from EREMA.

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36

Canadian Plastics November 2014 www.canplastics.com

CPLNov14 p32_37 Tech Show.indd 36

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technology showcase

RECYCLING

Handling bulky injection molded scrap

The A:GRAN series recycling machine from NGR is designed to process unwieldy waste plastics, including the bulky or thick-walled plastic parts that typically originate from scrap in injection molding.

The plastic waste is processed by a heavy duty shredder operating at low speed, for gentle size reduction and minimal loss of material properties. In this process, pneumatic rams push the material onto the shredder drum; after shredding, the material is fed directly into the extruder.

All the components are positioned in close proximity to prevent contamination, and make optimal use from heat of the shredding process. The compact design allows the machine to fit into the most stringent space restrictions.

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NGR Next Generation Recycling Machines Inc. (Norcross, Ga.); www.ngr.at; 678-720-9861 A uxiplast Inc. (Ste-Julie, Que.); www.auxiplast.com; 866-922-2894

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technical tips

Moving material in the stretch blow process

By Ottmar Brandau, Apex Container Tech Inc.

A

s bottles become ever lighter and thinner, it’s crucial that processors know how to transform preforms into bottles with as even a wall thickness as possible. There are some common methods of doing this, although some are quite different between single-stage and two-stage molding.

There are two major and three minor elements that processors can use to control wall thickness in the vertical axis: 1) the heating lamps in the oven system, their number, voltage, and position in two-stage; 2) injection speed and preform design in single-stage; 3) the pre-blow setting, both onset and pressure; 4) the oven fan setting; and 5) the mold temperature, especially for oblong bottles.

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In a typical two-stage machine, there are nine lamps organized in rows in one oven. Distance between these lamps varies between 13 mm and 19 mm. Many machines feature as many ovens as blow cavities, and some have more. Lamps are controlled by voltage regulators, often as a percentage value of the maximum of 220 V. In large cavity machines, it’s often better to run a smaller number of lamps at higher voltage, since this results in an emitted wave length that’s better able to penetrate the preform. Lamps should be adjusted so that the first lamp is just above the cooling shield that protects the necks from the emitted radiation. Once an operator has decided to move material — for example, out of the neck area and into the centre of the bottle via the lamps — he or she should always add heat to the preform areas that need to be thinned, while at the same time reducing heat by the same amount in an area that should be thicker.

In single-stage, the operator has control over the overall preform temperature by adjusting injection speed, hold and cooling time, and cooling water temperature and flow. However, temperature within the preform escapes the same type of control as we have in two-stage — it’s governed by preform wall thickness, cooling water flow in the core and cavity sections, and viscous heating. This last can create sections in the melt stream that are hotter than the surrounding material. Injection speed can be used to influence this behavior to some degree. In order to avoid hot preform gate areas, this area is machined thinner than the side wall thickness by a percentage to suit the application.

The pre-blow setting is another important setting to move material. Generally, the earlier the pre-blow pressure comes on while the stretch rod is moving, the more material is trapped in the shoulder of the bottle. If it comes on too early, however, the stretch may not engage firmly with the preform, ultimately causing uneven wall thickness in the circumference. Some

machines energize the pre-blow pressure by timers, others by position.

The oven fan speed is only available in two-stage molding, and can be used to cool the outside of the preform when the oven temperature is below the final preform temperature. This can change the overall heat profile in the preform, and is especially important to raise the temperature of the inner preform beyond that of the outer surface because the inner parts have to stretch up to 50 per cent more than the outer. In single-stage, this is already a given, because cooling surface and water flow in the core is mostly smaller compared to the cavity side, and therefore the inside of the preform is always warmer than the outside.

When running oblong bottles, warming the mold cooling water to up to 120°F can be a real advantage. As the round preform inflates evenly, it touches the short side of the mold first. If that mold is cooled to 50°F — as is common — the material freezes off, leaving a thick area (a “spine”) in the centre of the label panel that shrinks after de-molding, causing voids. In twostage, some machines are able to preferentially heat the preform area that will form the short side and/or cool the area 90 degrees to it, resulting in the cooler areas stretching less and pulling the warmer sides apart, for a more even distribution. In single-stage, machines with a conditioning station/aluminum conditioning rods are machined to only touch (and cool) the areas of the preform that will form the far sides of the bottle for the same purpose.

In conclusion, many conditions have to be met in order to get the best wall distribution in a PET bottle. As always, skilled operators are indispensable.

CPL Ottmar Brandau is the president of Apex Container Tech Inc. He can be reached at 705-429-1492, or apex@blowmolding. org. His latest book, “The Rapid Guide to Perfect PET Bottles,” can be ordered at www.blowmolding.org/shop.

Canadian Plastics November 2014 www.canplastics.com

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