Canadian Plastics September 2014

Canaddian Plastics www.canplastics.com

SEPTEMBER 2014

FROM > LESSONS PORTUGAL’S

NEW, IMPROVED MOLDMAKING INDUSTRY

FRESH IDEAS

the latest technologies for extending food’s shelf life

THEY SAID IT

industry leaders let loose in our special roundtable discussion

ARE BRINGING A WORLD OF INFORMATION TO DRIVERS. BUT WILL THEY TURN THE AUTOMAKERS’ WORLD UPSIDE DOWN?

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contents

Canadian Plastics SEPTEMBER 2014 VOLUME 72 NUMBER 4

LOOKING BACK...

Here’s a sentence from an article in the September 1988 issue of Canadian Plastics that could have been written today: “Canada has critical shortages in skilled trades like machinists, setup technicians, and moldmakers, and the situation is only going to get worse.” The '88 article examined the plastics industy's low profile among Canada's youth, and the efforts by SPI Canada (the forerunner of today’s Canadian Plastics Industry Association) to boost it by introducing plastics into school curriculums.

The first step? Donating hundreds of copies of a book called The World of Plastics to junior high schools.

24

Number of the month:

6*

* The number of participants in our industry roundtable.

(See pg. 20)

in every issue 4

Editor’s View: After some wobbles, CETA looks safe. That’s good

5

Ideas & Innovations: Chameleon-like polymer changes color in seconds

6

News: • Ontario moldmaker supercharges its CAD/CAM software • Magna sells five plants to Continental Structural Plastics • Supplier News and People

12 Executive’s Corner: It’s never too early to plan an exit strategy 33 Technology Showcase 42 Plastics Data File 44 Advertising Index 44 Classified Ads 46 Technical Tips: Detecting water flow restrictions in molds

14

31

cover story 14 AUTOMOTIVE UPDATE: Getting onto the information highway The epic mash-up between the fast-paced world of information and communication and the slow, deliberate world of vehicle manufacturing has produced the connected car, the next key step in the evolution of the automobile. But as new waves of technology revolutionize the experience of drivers and passengers on road trips, errands, and the commute to work, automakers and parts suppliers might just find their businesses turned upside down.

features 20 INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE: Changes, chances & challenges Canada's plastics processors and moldmakers went through the near-death experience of the Great Recession, and came out facing formidable new obstacles and also some new opportunities.

Our panel of heavy hitters tries to make sense of it all.

24 PACKAGING REPORT: Fresh ideas The latest technologies for extending food's shelf life.

PLUS: Did somebody just invent a totally new bottling technology?

30 MOLDMAKING: Portugal is on the rise (again) Once a moldmaking mecca, Portugal's famous tooling industry fell on hard times during the aughts. Cut to today and Portuguese mold shops are buzzing with activity and realizing sharp rises in product exports.

You'd better believe we can learn a thing or two.

Visit us at www.canplastics.com ©Cover image compiled using/Getty Images/Thinkstock

www.canplastics.com

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September 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 end­users based in Canada.

After some wobbles, CETA looks safe. That’s good

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t the risk of jinxing the whole thing, it looks like the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union (EU) has survived its near-death experience.

The pact was signed in October 2013 after four years of negotiations, and has the potential to break down most of the tariff walls between Canada and the 28-nation EU bloc and — not incidentally — add $12 billion annually to our economy. But just when it looked like smooth sailing ahead for CETA, trouble seemed to strike in late July, as Germany reportedly rejected the terms of the deal because the treaty’s investor protection provisions are not as strict as they would like. Others outside the German government called for the investorstate dispute settlements (ISDS) clause to be hived off the pact and dealt with nation by nation.

Major work remains on the path to ratifying CETA, mainly in Europe, but as I write these words in early August the safe money is once again on the deal going through. Negotiators have finalized a text of the 1,500-page agreement, the federal government has laid out a timetable for ratification, and the feds have also said that the ISDS clause is not a stumbling block and that Germany is firmly on board.

This will come as a disappointment to some in Canada. The Council of Canadians, for example, is critical of the pact, in particular to corporations being given too much leeway in other countries — the very issue that threatened the agreement late last month.

“What these investor-state deals do is give corporations the right to challenge domestic law, and we feel that is profoundly undemocratic,” said Maude Barlow, who heads the council.

With all due respect to the Coun4

Canadian Plastics September 2014

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cil of Canadians and CETA’s other opponents, I think they’re missing the gigantic forest for a few medium-sized trees. While it’s true that, in the absence of a publicly released text, important questions remain unanswered, there are enough broad-stroke details available to conclude the agreement offers a lot more pros than cons. The EU generates almost a quarter of global GDP and remains the planet’s single largest marketplace, with over 500 million consumers and some of the most advanced and successful companies in the world.

CETA will give Canada favored access to this $17-trillion economy. Once ratified, 98 per cent of tariffs on industrial goods will drop to zero; autos, ships, and certain other goods tariffs will be subject to a phase-in, but for almost everybody else tariffs will vanish overnight. The dominance of the goods trade should be of particular interest to the Canadian plastics sector, as the sheer size and importance of the EU’s market creates significant new opportunities for businesses to further expand and diversify their export markets.

CETA also includes the first regulatory cooperation chapter in any Canadian free trade agreement. For businesses that need to send specialists to support sales of products or equipment, or senior staff to support business operations on a temporary basis, both the EU and Canada will make temporary entry of intra-corporate transferees easier. These are genuinely progressive developments.

Regional and bilateral pacts of this scale are redefining modern global trade, and as a small but advanced economy, it’s vital that Canada not get left out in the cold. Deals like CETA tend to come along only once in a generation. We almost missed this one, but not quite.

Mark Stephen, editor

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 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 business­to­business information services.

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ideas & innovations

POLYMER changes color in seconds

©Joy Fera/Getty Images/Thinkstock

T

hink it’s hard to spot a chameleon in the wild?

Try finding a polymer that changes colors and still manages to satisfy the requirements of some of today’s most cutting edge commercial applications.

Scientists in China, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands are a step closer to the latter with the recent development of an unusual polymer that reversibly changes color within a second of being heated or cooled.

Polymers that change color are called thermochromic, and they aren’t new. Researchers have spent years learning how to apply the same color change process that occurs in chameleons to synthetic functional materials for a wide range of potential uses, from biological sensors to smart windows. But the resulting thermochromic polymers are slow to change color; have a narrow working temperature range; and cannot satisfy the requirements for wearable electronics, a mainstream direction in sensing — long-standing problems that have prevented widespread commercial use.

But all of that might change, and soon. A team led by Dr. Zhengzhong Shao of Fudan University in China has introduced peptide side chains — peptides are chain-like molecules made of amino acids — into a polydiacetylene base polymer to produce fibres that are strong and exhibit a rapid color change even at temperatures up to 200°C. How does it work? Heat disrupts the so-called coplanarity of the polymer by introducing more motion into the polydiacetylene side chains, and the resulting change in conjugation length changes the polymer’s color by affecting which wavelengths are absorbed. The presence of the peptide localizes the disruption and also acts as a stabilizing agent, re-establishing the conjugation and the original color as soon as the heat is removed. “The colorimetric response maintains a stable value even after scores of thermal cycles,” the team concluded in their report, which appeared in the June 2014 issue of Chemical Science magazine. “There is hardly any loss of sensitivity or color change with repeated use as long as the

organization from the peptide remains.”

But it’s not a slam dunk just yet. For one thing, if the temperature exceeds 200°C, the peptide is irreversibly damaged and the material no longer offers the requisite thermochromic properties — which is why the team is now looking into adjusting the temperature range at which the color change takes place. But if and when it’s perfected, the new polymer might just facilitate smart windows and other commercial applications that need to adjust to sunlight or heat exchange.

Color us impressed.

CPL

www.canplastics.com

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news

Ontario moldmaker SUPERCHARGES its CAD/CAM software

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upercharging is an old that allow us to maximize trick in the automothe software,” King said. tive industry for getting “We recently finished, and the maximum amount of the result is a program inside power from an engine. And of Cimatron that actually it works — just ask Cadilexceeds what the software lac, which has been offerwas designed to do.” ing supercharged models for years. The same basic prinGETTING ANIMATED ciple has just been applied Thanks to the upgraded to CAD/CAM software Cimatron system, Unique

by Windsor, Ont.-based Tool’s old ways of using Unique Tool’s CEO moldmaker Unique Tool & several software applicaDarcy King.

Gauge Inc. tions to handle different In a bid to improve efficiency and functions throughout the shop — not shorten delivery times, the 90 employee- to mention up to three steps of translastrong shop — which works directly tion and four or five mold iterations with some of the auto sector’s biggest per job — are ancient history. “Our names — installed Cimatron Elite man- customized version allows us to creufacturing software a few years ago. ate customer-specific standards in our “We wanted a complete design and catalogues, so when we get a job from a manufacturing software that could specific manufacturer we can pull that be used across all departments,” said catalogue and get a jump-start on the Unique Tool’s CEO Darcy King. “We design,” King said. “We can also anilooked at other software, but Cimatron mate the mold action in the design stage was the product best geared towards — it’s almost an advanced trial of the moldmaking and towards what we do mold, and it allows us to identify and here day in and day out. The Cimatron fix problems that would otherwise only team gave us excellent support during be discovered after the mold is on the installation, and helped us get over the shop floor.”

Additionally, the software permits learning curve very quickly.” multiple people to work on the same This might have been the end of the file at the same time. “This allows us to story...but it’s not. “A lot of mold shops speed up our delivery times, and gives use Cimatron, but we’ve taken the extra us more flexibility in utilizing our worksteps of adding hardware configurations

Complete mold design on Unique Tool’s customized Cimatron software.

Photo and image courtesy of Unique Tool & Gauge Inc.

force, since our designers can surface and our surfacers can design as needed,” King said. “We also have a 100 per cent automated mold base inside Cimatron that improves our productivity; we are at the point now where a designer simply drops a part into the mold base, hits a button, and it sizes itself up.”

In case you’re wondering, the folks at Cimatron have heard about it and are happier than Ford Nation at a ribfest. “Cimatron is excited by what we’ve done, and has told us that no other shop has developed the software to our level,” King said. “We’ve created what we believe is the perfect computer system to maximize the software’s ability, and it gives us a real edge.”

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Bioplastics maker Solegear gets $1.6 million government funding

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anadian bioplastics maker Solegear Bioplastics Inc. has received $1.6 million in federal government funding.

Vancouver-based Solegear received the funding through the Western Innovation Initiative (WINN), a program offered by Western Economic Diversification Canada. Designed to spur innovation and economic development, WINN helps small and medium-sized technology businesses commercialize their products, services, and processes.

“This is a big deal for us. It’s an honor to be recognized as an innovator by the Government of Canada, and the 6

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funding is going to help us accelerate our commercialization,” said Toby Reid, Solegear’s founder and CEO. “If you look at how critical innovation is to a thriving economy, programs such as WINN are vital for innovative businesses, like Solegear, that are in the process of scaling up. We look forward to deploying these funds and continuing our growth toward becoming a leading global supplier of next-generation, bio-based plastics.”

Founded in 2006, Solegear produces and distributes high-performance bioplastics made from annually renewable bio-based sources.

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www.canplastics.com

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news

Material suppliers to offer CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTRES at NPE2015

A

number of raw material suppliers will offer customer service centres at next year’s NPE2015 trade show in Orlando, Fla. According to the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), which produces the NPE show, nine companies have committed to purchasing space for the centres so far, and several more firms are in discussions with SPI to do so. The nine are The Dow Chemical Company, DSM Engineering Plastics, DuPont, Eastman Chemical Company, ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Formosa Plastics, LyondellBasell, PPG Industries, and Westlake Chemical Company.

The centres, accounting for over 62,000 square feet of floor space so

far, “will enable NPE2015 visitors to meet with current or prospective material suppliers in settings conducive to discussion, information exchange, and relationship building,” SPI said. “Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with supplier executives, salespeople, or technical experts appropriate to their interests. Many of the material suppliers will also be conducting private tours of the exhibit floor to showcase machines using their materials.”

NPE2015 is on track to become the largest NPE staging in years, SPI continued, and might just equal NPE’s largest event ever, NPE2000.

“Over 950,000 square feet of space has

already been secured, and the show is at 94 per cent of capacity,” SPI said.

“In addition, more than 350 exhibitors report they will be running equipment on the show floor.”

NPE2015 will take place Monday through Friday, March 23-27, 2015, at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center.

CPL

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September 2014 Canadian Plastics

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news

ARBURG’s Freeformer nabs Red Dot Award

BOREALIS buys out DuPont’s share of Belgium-based JV

I

njection molding machine manufacturer Arburg Inc. has won a Red Dot Award for its Freeformer additive manufacturing system.

Lossburg, Germany-based Arburg introduced the Freeformer last fall at the K 2013 show in Dusseldorf, Germany.

“Arburg has taken a new look at additive manufacturing from the perspective of a machine constructor, and has invested all its expertise in the preparation and processing of plastics into the development of the Freeformer,” Arburg said in a statement. “All that the Freeformer requires are a mains socket, 3D CAD data, and standard granulate. As with injection molding, the plastic granulate is first melted in a plasticizing cylinder. A special nozzle then applies the droplets layerby-layer onto a component carrier with three or five axes by means of high-frequency piezo technology.”

The Red Dot Design Award is an international product design prize given out by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany. There are prize categories for product design, design agencies, and design concepts. The latest Red Dot Awards were presented on July 7 in Essen. The Freeformer emerged as the winner out of 4,815 entries from 53 countries, and is the first product from Arburg to win the design prize.

Arburg is represented in Canada by Dier International Plastics Inc., of Unionville, Ont., and Montreal-based D Cube.

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hemical supplier Borealis AG has bought DuPont Co.’s two-thirds share in their Speciality Polymers Antwerp N.V. joint venture.

The terms of the buyout have not been disclosed.

Speciality Polymers Antwerp is located in Zwijndrecht, Belgium.

Under the terms of the deal, DuPont is allowed to sell ethylene vinyl acetate and acrylate copolymers produced at the facility.

“The acquisition of the full ownership of Speciality Polymers Antwerp is in line with our strategy to grow our polyolefin business in specific market areas,” said Mark Garrett, chief executive of Vienna-based Borealis. “Acrylate copolymers, which are part of a broader portfolio of specialty polymers produced at Speciality Polymers Antwerp, are an important building block for our value-added products sold into our core energy and infrastructure market.”

CPL

MAGNA SELLS FIVE PLANTS TO CONTINENTAL STRUCTURAL PLASTICS

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omposite technology provider Continental Structural Plastics Inc. (CSP) has bought five North American plants from Canadian auto parts maker Magna International Inc. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Under the agreement, Auburn Hills, Mich.-based CSP will acquire Magna plants in Lenoir, N.C.; Newton, N.C.; Salisbury, N.C.; Grabill, Ind.; and Saltillo, Mexico.

The acquisition will add more than 600,000 square feet of manufacturing space and more than 1,000 new CSP employees.

“This acquisition further demonstrates our commitment to become the global leader in lightweighting solutions,” said Frank Macher, chairman and CEO of CSP. “We are gaining 8

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significant heavy truck and consumer products expertise, as well as an expanded manufacturing footprint and a broad range of manufacturing and technical capabilities.”

Manufacturing equipment and technical capabilities included in the transaction include SMC compression molding machines ranging from 175 tons to 4,000 tons, horizontal presses, a prime paint line, robotic water jet machines, bonding applications and routing, and CNC routing.

Upon completion of the Magna acquisition, CSP will have a total of 14 plants in the U.S., Mexico, and France. The company generated revenue of US$600 million in 2013.

Magna is headquartered in Aurora, Ont. CPL

www.canplastics.com

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news

PEOPLE Joseph Serell

Frans des Tombe

Adam LaDuke

Vincent Carpentieri Al Washington

— Purging compound supplier Asaclean Sun Plastech Inc., headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., has appointed Joseph Serell, its current vice president, to the Sun Plastech Board of Directors.

— Toronto-based specialty chemical distributor Azelis Canada Chemicals Ltd. has named Frans des Tombe as its Canadian Plastics managing director.

1/2 pg — 4c Cranberry horizontalTownship, Pa.-based auxiliary equipment supplier The Conair Group has appointed Adam LaDuke as its associate regional sales manager, Vincent Carpentieri as its size reduction equipment sales manager, and Al Washington as its upstream extrusion sales manager.

— Lebanon, Ore.-based extruder maker Entek has appointed John Gillespie to the new position of director of engineering.

— York, Pa.-based injection molding machine supplier Engel North America has added five new staff members to its automation group. Thomas Bieber has been appointed automation systems manager, Steven Horn is the new automation project manager, and Stephen

John Gillespie

Thomas Bieber

Steven Horn

Campbell is the new project engineer. Engel has also hired mechanical engineer Brian Dombroski, and software engineer Robert Benner.

— Extrusion equipment manufacturer Graham Engineering, headquartered in York, Pa., has named Robert Deitrick as its vice president of global sales.

— Cincinnati, Ohio-based plastics processing equipment maker Milacron LLC has named John Gallagher III to the new position of chief operating officer for its melt delivery and control systems, fluid technologies, and finance and shared services operations.

— Extrusion blow molding equipment maker Plastiblow S.r.l., of Corsico, Italy, has appointed Frank Varuzza as sales development manager. He will be working closely with Plastiblow’s sales representative Hamilton Plastic System Ltd., of Mississauga, Ont. — Process control systems supplier RJG Inc., of Traverse City, Mich., has appointed Glenn Reid as its account manager for Canada, and Scott Molnar as its strategic account manager. Both are based in Toronto.

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news

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John Gallagher III

Frank Varuzza

Robert Benner

Robert Deitrick

Glenn Reid

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— Broadview, Ill.-based material supplier Star Thermoplastic Alloys & Rubber Inc. has named Randall Fortin as its chief operating officer.

— Pawtucket, R.I.-based material supplier Teknor Apex Company has appointed Shayne Meyer as sales repreMike LaGoe sentative for its nylon division.

— Fabricating equipment and industrial laser manufacturer Trumpf Inc., based in Farmington, Conn., has named Peter Hoecklin as its president and CEO, and Burke Doar as its senior vice president.

— Vecoplan LLC, an Archdale, N.C.-based manufacturer of size reduction equipment, has named Mike LaGoe as its director of project management.

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SUPPLIER NEWS — Dryer manufacturer Dri-Air Industries Inc., of East Windsor, Conn., has appointed Brampton, Ont.based Wesco Services as its Canadian sales representative. Wesco, run by Stephen Sawdon and his wife Catherine Sawdon, started in the plastics machinery representation business in 2009. Wesco also represents Incoe Corporation, Single Temperature Controls Inc., Boy Machines Inc., Cinpres Gas Injection Ltd., and Cito Products Inc. CORRECTION: A brief bio of Michel Iliesco that appeared on pg. 12 of the June 2014 issue of Canadian Plastics magazine incorrectly stated that he worked with Eco Enterprises Quebec (EEQ) to establish polystyrene recycling fees in that province. Mr. Iliesco actually lobbied against the EEQ in this matter. We regret the error.

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September 2014 Canadian Plastics

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executive’s corner

It’s never too early to plan an exit strategy

By Tom Deans

W

hen speaking with a friend who owns a successful manufacturing business awhile ago, I asked him when he planned on selling said business. His response echoed something that I’m hearing more and more from business owners in my audiences. “I can’t afford to sell,” he said. “If I did sell and took the proceeds to invest in this market, I couldn’t replace half my current salary.”

The obvious danger with this logic is, of course, that if unforeseen risk visited his business and caused it to fail, my friend would have neither his salary nor the equity he’s accumulated over the past 20 years.

But here’s the real problem. As is the case with so many other people, my friend has other shareholders — namely other family shareholders who aren’t working in the business and who want the sale proceeds now. His family dinners can best be described as food fights waiting to happen.

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What to do? Well, doing nothing is always a viable option, but the problem is that if the business owner does nothing for long enough he or she might just pass away before having done anything. And if that happens, where does the stock in the company go? Will it go to his or her estate, or to minority shareholders?

What usually unfolds is chaos, especially when family is left out of the planning loop. (Fortunately, financial advisors are doing a much better job these days of getting business owners to play the “what if” game. In fact, there is a brand new breed of advisor brandishing a tough-to-acquire professional designation known as the Certified Business Exit Consultant, or CBEC.) For this reason, asset allocation has always been the first fundamental of sound investing. As investors near retirement, advisors constantly rebalance portfolios away from equity to income. The business owner who allows his or her high salary to cloud their thinking about the dangers to their equity in their business doesn’t need to travel to Las Vegas to gamble — they’re already there. A good advisor will keep this risk in focus for their business owner clients, and work on divestiture strategies and timelines that meet the financial needs of business owners today, their retirement needs tomorrow, and the needs of surviving family after that.

A good advisor also reminds a business owner that the sale process seldom unfolds quickly. It took my family five long years to find the right buyer for our business, for example, and another four years after that to receive the full sale proceeds. Business owners in their 50s, 60s, and 70s often completely underestimate just how long, and how emotionally draining, the process of fully exiting the business can be.

You can (and likely will) draw a salary for many more years while actively pursuing your exit strategy. So do your homework now, by understanding that your high salary may be clouding your exit planning judgment…and carrying extra risk with it. And risk is like stress: when you think you don’t have any, you almost always have too much.

So ask yourself, what will you do today to start putting CPL your exit plan in motion?

Ju a

S

Tom Deans is an author, public speaker, and a fourth-generation business owner. He was president of his family-owned multi-national corporation for almost a decade. His book Every Family’s Business is the best-selling family business book of all time.

For more, visit www.everyfamiliesbusiness.com.

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M On M

automotive update

CONNECTED CARS Getting onto the

HIGHWAY

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J

ust as you can’t keep that dog and cat hair on your clothes from migrating into the car, dammit, the digital revolution isn’t stopping at your vehicle’s door either. Young — and young at heart — drivers want to stay connected behind the wheel, which is why vehicle manufacturers and technology companies are combining expertise to develop connected cars that are equipped with Internet access, a wireless local area network (LAN), and special technologies that tap into the Internet or wireless LAN and provide additional benefits such as automatic notification of crashes, notification of speeding, and safety alerts.

And as the rolling hot spot becomes the new normal, it’s creating both opportunities and challenges for the automotive industry and its parts suppliers.

PUTTING THE WEB BEHIND THE WHEEL These may be relatively early days for connected cars, but there’s no denying their place as one of the key next steps in the evolution of the automobile. The number of cars connected to the Internet worldwide will increase by more than

©Ulrike Hammerich&Artem Grishko/Getty Images/Thinkstock

The epic mash-up between the fast-paced world of information and communication and the slow, deliberate world of vehicle manufacturing has produced the connected car, the next key step in the evolution of the automobile. But as new waves of technology revolutionize the experience of drivers and passengers on road trips, errands, and the commute to work, automakers and parts suppliers might just find their businesses turned upside down.

By Mark Stephen, editor

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automotive update

Competence in composites: We have better solutions for making cars lighter

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sixfold in the next few years, from 23 million today to 152 million in 2020, according to research firm IHS Automotive. By 2018, the firm continued, one in five cars on the road will be “self-aware” — able to discern and share information about its mechanical health — and wireless and/or digital technology will be embedded in 88 per cent of new cars globally by 2025. North America is forecast to be the largest region for growth, moving from an estimated 100,000 units in 2025 to nearly 3.5 million units in 2035 or a 29 per cent worldwide share. Are we talking big money?

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You bet. This shift is expected to generate some major profits in the coming years, with global revenues projected to reach US$20 billion by 2018, according to a recent report from market analyst firm Juniper Research. That’s not chump change, and there’s more: the revenue and profit possibilities of the connected car go beyond the thousands of dollars automakers charge for these high-tech options.

By 2017, one-quarter of all automakers will earn money from e-commerce transactions drivers make from the car, according to a January 2014 study by the Center of Automotive Research.

Small wonder, then, that automakers are pouring billions into connected car development. In June 2014, General Motors, Volkswagen AG’s Audi luxury line, and Tesla each revealed plans to offer Web connections in their cars, including Wi-Fi hot spots for tablets and laptops. At the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, GM touted its 4G LTE-connected Chevys while Ford introduced more applications that work with its voice-activated Sync system, including those that allow drivers to activate a home security system from the car.

And new alliances are forming at speeds that put Survivor contestants to shame. Google Inc. announced a partnership with GM, Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co., and chipmaker Nvidia Corp. to bring the Android operating system to cars; and Apple is already working with BMW

Canadian Plastics September 2014 www.canplastics.com

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automotive update

AG, Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz, GM, Nissan Motor Co., Honda, and others to bring its iOS operating system to cars through devices such as the iPhone.

OBSTACLES AND OPEN ROADS

the Mario Andretti-like speed with which the information and communication industry is evolving. The potential problem, in a nutshell, is that the auto industry has adopted development times of three to five years for its products, and operates strictly within its model cycles; modern communication devices, meanwhile, can be obsolete within six months. “To be able to carry out a diverse number of conceivable functions in the longer term, the connectivity unit in the car must be updateable,” Paas continued. “To do this, either the communication unit will have to be replaced, and

But before automotive execs and OEM presidents start pricing new beachfront mansions in Maui, there are one or two grey areas that remain to be settled as the symbiosis of car and IT progresses. The first relates to product identity, and strikes at the heart of what it means to be an OEM — specifically, what networked mobility means for the existing superiority of OEMs, and whether they can maintain it in the face of the gazillion emerging technologies of the networked age. Simply put, if the tech Touring paid off big for Peter Frampton back in the 70s. Fast forward to today and companies get to define the terms of some of Canada’s high-tech auto parts makers are hoping to get noticed as the the connected car, automakers risk country’s first connected vehicle hits the road. losing control of their own cockpits Donated by Toyota Canada and assembled at the carmaker’s plant in Cambridge, and the revenue that will flow from Ont., the concept 2014 Lexus RX350 crossover was unveiled at APMA’s annual them. “The worst-case scenario for the conference in Windsor, and is the result of APMA’s Connected Car Initiative. automakers is going to a generic interTricked out with advanced features and technology from 13 companies — rangface where you plug your phone or ing from established players such as Magna International, Leggatt, and Platt iPad into the centre console,” said JerAutomotive to such up-and-comers as B.R.A.K.E.R.S., Early Warning Systems Inc., emy Carlson, a senior analyst with and Weather Telematics — the car is designed to put Canada’s auto sector squarely IHS Automotive. “They want to difon the autonomous vehicle map, according to APMA president Steve Rodgers. The ferentiate their cars. They’d rather not car features an Internet connection, wireless charging capability, side- and rearcompete strictly as value appliances.” view cameras with 360-degree One of two outcomes seems views, adjustable LED lighting, and possible, each based on conalcohol lock interface that prevents a sumer perception. In the first, driver from taking the wheel after the car itself becomes the mere one too many pops. “Additionally, carrier of mobile Internet-comtechnology from Weather Telematics pliant devices — the worst-case warns drivers of road conditions, scenario just mentioned, in including black ice, while a system which OEMs only provide their from B.R.A.K.E.R.S. alerts drivers to vehicles as wireless online emergency vehicles, flooding, access systems, with virtually collapstornado alerts, and bridge collaps no control over the transmitted es,” Rodgers said. contents and intended uses. In From June through September, the second outcome, the car the car was featured at a variety of international automotive trade shows and taken itself becomes a mobile Internet-com Internet-comto manufacturing plants in both Canada and the U.S. When not on tour, it’s housed pliant device and creates its own value at the University of Waterloo. And it’s not a one-off: APMA plans to launch similar perception via networking. For autofuture vehicle projects to incorporate a wider array of suppliers, emerging technolomakers, this is hugely preferable. “The gies, and automotive platforms to demonstrate autonomous capabilities. big advantage for OEMs is that, by “APMA’s connected vehicle program is meant to be a launch point for the using these proprietary software solupromotion of Canadian innovation and technology on a global scale,” Rodgers said. tions, they can largely retain control “The contributing members have the opportunity to demonstrate the value of their over the contents and services offered,” products and services to global vehicle OEMs and show the world the power of said Sebastian Paas, IT expert and Canadian ingenuity. Most importantly, the connected vehicle program will cultivate a partner with KPMG. “With open cluster of like-minded Canadian industry groups to further innovation in the source-based software, by contrast, connected transportation industry, which in turn has the potential to create new jobs they could only communicate using and other economic possibilities in Canada.” providers approved by them via the To modify Peter Frampton, the connected car really is coming alive. interfaces offered in the car.”

The second grey area centres around

ON TOUR APMA’s connected car is making the rounds

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automotive update

so must be no bigger than a conventional smartphone; or the unit acts in the vehicle as a mixture of router, radio, and telephone, and becomes updateable in the form of a renewable memory unit through flash updates.” How can automakers respond? Well, it might not be so hard after all.

“The primary concern of the OEMs is to have cars with a six-year lifespan that can be updated every year to keep them technically current,” said Steve Rodgers, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA).

“The solution is for the auto parts makers to show the

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OEMs how to make rapid changes to a vehicle’s CAN bus architecture and add new features and applications every year that will keep it competitive.”

ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? One big advantage for the car manufacturers and auto parts makers is obvious: IT corporations don’t know how to build complex automobiles, and the new arrivals on the auto industry scene have a steep learning curve ahead of them.

“Connected cars are a good opportunity for auto parts molders — including the Canadian shops — because a lot of these components can be manufactured locally, are a significant value-add, and are an area in which we can be competitive,” Rodgers said. “Many of the new companies coming into the connected vehicle technology industry are either small start-ups or come from the aerospace industry, and neither group is necessarily familiar with what it takes to build an automotive prototype or with what an OEM is looking for in a prototype.

In production alone, where per model around 8,000 individual parts have to be combined 2,000 times per working day, the experience of well-versed auto experts is indispensable.”

But it won’t be a cakewalk, either.

“As knowledgeable as they already are, established auto parts makers are going to have to become a lot more tech savvy in order to develop and maintain a clear understanding of the types of connectivity applications and features that consumers will want going forward,” Rodgers continued.

At present, then, it remains to be seen which companies and sectors will come out on top in the high-tech mashup that’s transforming vehicles into hot spots; ditto for whether the car manufacturers or the Internet providers will win the war for product identity.

Regardless, Canadian auto parts makers seem optimistic on the whole about the rise of the connected car, especially after the near-death experience of the Great Recession. “APMA’s member companies are definitely excited about the technologies and opportunities, and the ways to differentiate themselves, that connected cars provide,” Rodgers said.

Sounds like they’re more than ready to cruise the information highway. CPL

www.canplastics.com

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industry roundtable

CHANGES, CHANCES

CHALLENGES Canada’s plastics processors and moldmakers went through the near-death experience of the Great Recession and came out facing some formidable obstacles and some new opportunities.

Our panel of heavy hitters tries to make sense of it all.

Q

How would you sum up the current state of the plastics processing and moldmaking industry in Canada?

CB ➢ As far as resin demand goes, we’ve definitely seen a recovery since the recession, and are almost back to prerecession levels.

AB ➢ I see a slow, steady recovery from the recession underway, with trade going predominantly to the U.S. Plastics volumes in packaging are also growing steadily and trending towards flexible laminates replacing glass, metal, and paper, which has led to some investment in new machinery and equipment. The Canadian packaging industry is still heavily skewed towards small and medium-sized enterprises, however, and I suspect it is not as able to invest in research and development and new technology as the packagers in the U.S. Also, there is a shortage of highly skilled workers, and the industry will require a skills upgrade if it wants to focus on technology.

PF ➢ We’re coming out of the recession, but I don’t believe the industry has really recovered yet. Plastics processors in Canada might be very busy, but the profits haven’t returned — and are actually slipping for many companies. The situation is probably marginally better in Ontario than in Quebec because of the auto industry. In general, Quebec shifted to other markets starting 10 years ago, but we haven’t avoided challenges and problems.

CH ➢ There are indications that the Canadian plastics industry is slowly and steadily recovering from the recession. For example, the low water mark for shipments in the

20

last 14 years was 2009 — with approximately $15 billion in shipments — whereas shipments had recovered to approximately $19 billion by 2013, which is about 91 per cent of the high water mark of almost $21 billion set in 2006.

DP ➢ The moldmakers were in limbo during the recession, waiting for the OEMs to make their moves. With OEMs now ordering tools again, we think we’re going to go strong until at least 2020. Thanks to the Obama administration’s CAFE target plan for more fuel efficient vehicles, there will be a tremendous demand for more plastic auto parts going forward.

SR ➢ The auto parts makers and the moldmakers are both doing very well right now. We have achieved a significant recovery since the 2009 downturn, and the automotive industry has almost returned to record high positions.

Have plastics processors and moldmakers Q changed their business practices as a result of the recession? If so, how?

AB ➢ The Canadian plastics industry is almost certainly in catch-up mode, and needs to find resources to succeed.

Doing so requires increased investments in technology and training, and I’m not sure this is happening right now.

PF ➢ The first thing a company should do after a recession is reassess its business model, and many Canadian plastics firms have done this. As a result, most are much leaner and more heavily automated than before.

DP ➢ Most mold shops have gotten leaner and more efficient — including through lights-out operations — and are also working more closely with the Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers on

Canadian Plastics September 2014 www.canplastics.com

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S

industry roundtable

PARTICIPANTS

Chris Bezaire, Alan Blake, senior vice president, executive director, polyethylene business, PAC NEXT, Packaging Nova Chemicals Association Corporation of Canada

Pierre Fillion, CEO, Federation of Plastics and Alliances Composites

research. They are also collaborating with other mold shops for cost savings and cost avoidance.

SR ➢ Actually, I don’t believe most plastics processors and moldmakers changed very much as a result of the recession. The reality is, they were already under significant competitive pressure beforehand because of increasing competition from Asia — especially China and Korea — as well as other countries such as Germany. There’s no doubt the moldmakers have become leaner, more heavily automated, and more focused on the design and development of more complicated and sophisticated molds because of this pressure.

Which industry segments do you think offer Q particularly good opportunities for plastics processors and moldmakers going forward?

AB ➢ Preventing food waste is a hot topic for food packagers, and I expect to see continuing breakthroughs in extending product shelf life through antimicrobial packaging, modified atmosphere packaging, and smart packaging.

Unfortunately, the Canadian packaging industry risks lagging behind unless it can create collective scale and compete in research and development.

CB ➢ Innovations in food packaging are happening at a rapid pace, with thinner, smaller, and better designed packages. For resin suppliers, this is an incredible opportunity to develop materials that meet the needs of today’s consumers.

DP ➢ A big trend is obviously towards lightweighting in automotive parts, but also in aviation components. As long as the auto sector is doing well, moldmakers tend to stay away from the medical parts industry, which remains a niche market.

SR ➢ In order to achieve lightweight vehicles, more components are being combined together into one finished assem-

Carol Hochu, president and CEO, Canadian Plastics Industry Association

David Palmer, chairman, Canadian Association of Mold Makers

bly. Good examples would be the complex headlamp and tail lamp assemblies that feature LED lighting systems.

Aside from lightweighting, the other significant technology direction is the development of the connected car, which is creating innovative centre stack applications that can require some very unique molds.

What do you believe are the biggest challenges Q and/or problems facing Canada’s plastics processors and moldmakers?

AB ➢ Canada’s small and medium-sized enterprises need to create collective scale, train skilled workers, and invest in research and development. Increased government support would go a long way towards attracting new capital investment.

CB ➢ With the emergence of shale gas and other alternate energy sources in North America, Nova Chemicals has a large number of new capacity expansion announcements, and this construction activity has significantly driven a much higher need for skilled trades. And as the energy sector continues to thrive, hiring skilled trade and technical positions within the plastics industry overall will remain an issue.

CH ➢ The U.S. is the best prospect for growth for Canada’s plastics industry, so it’s essential to have a level public procurement playing field — for example, to establish a procurement policy that provides reciprocity of treatment for components used in large infrastructure projects. Related to that, we need to obtain a long-term Canadian exemption to the “Buy America” provisions. We also need a long-term planning horizon to recapture the technology and equipment necessary to compete globally.

DP ➢ The skilled labor shortage is only going to get worse, which is a tremendous challenge for the tooling industry. A close second problem is the fluctuation of the Canadian dollar.

www.canplastics.com

CPLSept14 p20-23 Roundtable.indd 21

Steve Rodgers, president, Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association

September 2014 Canadian Plastics

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industry roundtable

Fast FastCycles Cycles Precise PrecisePart Part Quality Quality

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Q

Is there is a process of reshoring underway from low-cost countries back to North America, or is this largely a myth?

CH ➢ The studies I have seen all indicate that reshoring is real and is gaining momentum. But an article in the Financial Post highlighted a problem: the shift in manufacturing is evident, but reshoring is less pronounced in Canada because few Canadian companies have taken advantage of global supply chains.

PF ➢ I believe reshoring is real. Plastics processors in Quebec are putting serious effort into bringing work back from China by getting leaner wall to wall. A good example is Mega Brands Inc. The company closed its toy plant in China last year, brought the production back to Montreal, and is now more productive than ever. I suspect many companies across Canada will use this as a blueprint for how reshoring can be done.

tainly creates better access to abundant lower cost supplies of natural gas. That said, I think all it will do for resin prices for now is keep them stable and at current levels.

Transparent partnership and collaboration coupled with good science and communication should help find common ground with environmentalists.

CB ➢ The emergence of natural gas development from shale oil and gas basins in both Canada and the U.S. has made the industry cost-competitive with the rest of the world, and is leading many producers to look for ways to increase production through debottlenecks of existing facilities and new construction of capacity. We believe that for the oil and gas industry to continue to grow and achieve long-term success, development must be done responsibly and sustainably.

Through its ability to access Q large quantities of natural gas from underground rock deposits, will

CH ➢ Opponents of fracking include OPEC, environmentalists, and some local communities and — as a new book by Canadian author Ezra Levant points out — their claims that the process causes problems like contaminated groundwater and earthquakes are easily debunked. The CPIA, the American Chemistry Council, and the Society of the Plastics Industry support fracking by calling for a comprehensive energy strategy that increases the production of domestic energy supplies while implementing balanced regulatory policies that protect our environment. But can we do more? Of course.

AB ➢ Canadian fracking is big news for the energy and chemical industries, and cer-

SR ➢ Fracking will have a significant impact on Canada’s chemical production industry, and is an excellent opportunity for Canada to significantly improve its overall competitiveness. We probably are not doing enough as an industry to counter the campaign of negative publicity at the moment, but I’m hopeful this CPL will change.

SR ➢ Reshoring from low-cost countries is definitively underway, but I think it’s largely a U.S. phenomenon. We aren’t experiencing the same amount of reshoring in Canada because high energy costs, skilled labor shortages, our stronger Canadian dollar, and the lack of new investment in automotive assembly operations are hurting us.

hydraulic fracturing (fracking) have a measurable impact on Canada’s chemical production sector? And is the plastics industry doing enough to counter the campaign of negative publicity being waged against fracking by environmentalists?

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CPLSept14 p20-23 Roundtable.indd 23

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packaging report

By Mark Stephen, editor

Y

ou know all those poor, hungry children you sometimes invoke to guilt trip your kids whenever they don’t want to finish their dinners? They exist alright, and one reason why is that over one billion tons of food goes to waste annually while still inside the packaging. In the industrialized world alone, retailers and consumers discard around 300 million tons of packaged food every year, ruined by high levels of bacteria and microorganisms.

It doesn’t have to be this way — and it might not be for much longer, as the packaging industry continues its relentless quest to extend the shelf life of packaged foods through more efficient packaging technologies. Much of the progress centres squarely around plastics, for the good reason that, according to some packaging experts, each pound of plastic packaging can reduce food waste by up to 1.7 pounds.

The food produce industry has known since forever that controlling the storage temperature and modifying the atmospheric conditions within the package are the two most important factors to maintain freshness and extend the shelf life of packaged foods, as the two act together to slow the metabolism and aging of the product.

Packaging suppliers can’t do much about the first part of the equation, but are they getting better at controlling the atmospheric conditions in the package? Does the house win in Vegas?

Take the concept of active packaging (AP), in which active food contact materials absorb or release substances to improve the quality of packaged food or to extend its shelf life. Some of today’s common AP concepts include oxygen scavengers and 24

By Mark Stephen, editor

The latest technologies for extending food’s shelf life.

antimicrobial releasing and/or containing systems. Oxygen scavengers are probably the best known and most widely used AP technology today, designed to remove residual oxygen from the headspace of the package and to achieve zero-permeation by incorporating a chemical absorbent into the packaging material or inside the package by means of sachets or labels.

Antimicrobial agents incorporated into packaging materials are becoming increasingly popular, however, and are used to control or to inhibit the growth of non-desirable microorganisms on the food surface, either by contact of microorganisms onto the internal face of the packaging material or slow diffusion of the antimicrobial agent from the packaging material to the food.

HITS AND MISSES So close to the cutting edge they practically bleed, bio-based materials have nevertheless met with mixed results in AP applications to date. As noted in a study published in the July 2014 issue of the Journal of Food Science, the development of antimicrobial packaging materials based on popular polylactic acid (PLA) polymers is expected to grow in the future with major focuses on enhancing food safety and quality. “At present, there are already some commercial products available in the marketplace, but the development of antimicrobial PLA films with improved physical and mechanical properties and antimicrobial activity is still a challenge due to the inherent brittleness and hydrophobicity of this polymer,” the report said.

Case in point? You might recall that snack food giant Frito-Lay’s bold and pioneering foray into PLA packaging for its Sun Chips brand in 2009 was brought to a loud halt just one year later by consumer complaints that the crackling sounds made by the bags were too noisy. The company quickly rolled out a quieter version of the PLA bag for Original Sun Chips, while other flavors were returned to the standard oriented polypropylene bag.

One of the freshest approaches in film technology is modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) — also known as gas flushing, protective atmosphere packaging or reduced oxygen packaging — which uses an optimal blend of pure oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen within a high barrier or permeable package to create a controlled environment that extends shelf life without requiring the addition of chemical preservatives or stabilizers. “Plastic films, foils, and other packaging materials that demonstrate specified gas permeability properties and/or water vapor permeability properties are selected for use,” said Nirav Desai, operations engineer with Haremar Plastic Manufacturing Ltd. “These high barrier substrates become MAP packages after they are formed into trays, lid stock or bags and filled with a select blend of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen environmental gasses.”

A carefully controlled MAP application achieves and maintains an optimal respiration rate to preserve the fresh color, taste, and nutrient content of just about any packaged food, from red meat to seafood to baked goods. And the longer freshness cycles permit grocers to eliminate fre-

©DutchScenery/Getty Images/Thinkstock

FRESH IDEAS

Canadian Plastics September 2014 www.canplastics.com

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packaging report

MICRO POWER Microperforation, in which films are pierced with grids of pin-sized holes, is another increasingly popular packaging technology, especially for bakery produce. “The perforations in the package allow the carbon dioxide created by respiration to escape and the same amount of oxygen to enter, thereby adding to the product’s shelf life,” Desai said. “The scale of the perforations is calculated based on the product volume, product weight, and the surface area.”

Laser perforation is a newer way to make these microholes. Typically, the laser operation can be mounted onto the rewinder as part of the film converting operation. “By altering the size and density of the microhole, packaging film with a specific flow rate can be adjusted for a specific produce product,” said Patrick Kerrigan, president of Alpha Poly Packaging Solutions. And

when the harvest condition is changed, resulting in a different physiological stress for the cut produce, the laser equipment can be adjusted to meet the new requirements on hole size and hole density.

In an industry in which change is the prime directive, the need to cut costs is one of the few constants. “Cost has always been a key factor in packaging, and one result is the trend towards downgauging, providing thinner films with comparable characteristics,” said Denis Lanoe, vice president of operations and general manager with Copol International Ltd. “It’s a challenge that involves investing in cutting edge equipment. For example, a new five-layer Windmoeller & Hoelscher cast line we recently installed can produce asymmetrical structures that have these premium raw materials in only one layer while still providing the same film performance.”

So parents in the know might want to modify their standard warning the next time the kids won’t finish their meals: There are hungry children around the world and plastics packagers are making major investments of time and money to keep food fresher, longer. So eat up.

CPL RESOURCE LIST Alpha Poly Packaging Solutions (Brampton, Ont.); www.alphapoly.com; 905-789-6770 Copol International Ltd. (North Sydney, N.S.); www.copolinternational.com; 800-668-2700 Haremar Plastic Manufacturing Ltd. (Vaughan, Ont.); www.haremar.com; 905-761-7552

MICROPERFORATED AND BIO-BASED? A new packaging concept passes muster

THE TEST: A study in the June 2014 issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture compared two packages for stem-free sweet cherries: a petroleumbased macroperforated bag currently used by retailers, and a new design that featured a PLA cup with a PLA peelable microperforated lid.

THE RESULTS: “After 27 days of storage at 1°C, the PLA package maintained the cherry firmness, compared with a 50 per cent reduction of firmness in the petroleum-based package,” the report said. “No fungal decay was detected in the cherries stored in PLA, while the other was non-marketable after 21 days. The PLA package allowed minimal weight loss (0.8 per cent), compared with a weight loss of approximately 16 per cent in the petroleum-based package. A consumer sensory evaluation showed that cherries stored in PLA packages were more acceptable for appearance, texture, and flavor.”

THE CONCLUSION: The new package “matched both the consumer demand for high-quality fresh fruit ready for consumption in convenient bio-based packaging, and the extended fruit marketability and consumer satisfaction desired by industry.”

Sweet.

©baibaz/Getty Images/Thinkstock

quent product rotation, removal, and restocking, which reduces labor and waste disposal costs.

The big catch with MAP technology is that packaging films have to be selected to match the specific characteristics and needs — in particular the respiration rates — of a particular food product. “Film permeability, water vapor transmission rates, and sealing characteristics need to be measured and tested at film selection and again at package converting and product fill stages, since the ability of a film to handle MAP performance characteristics may vary within each stage,” Desai said.

Source: Society of Chemical Industry

THE BLOWN FILM EXPERTS

ALPINE AMERICAN

• 5 Michigan Drive, Natick, MA 01760 • Tel: (508) 655-1123 • Fax: (508) 655-9337 • www.halpine.com www.canplastics.com

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many industrialized nations, the report said, growth potential in Asia-Pacific is still very high. “Consumption of bottled water is influenced by a variety of trends as well,” it said. “In many countries, there are organizations and initiatives that campaign for a reduction of consumption of packaged water for environmental reasons, regarding tap water as a cheaper and more environmentally sustainable alternative.”

On the other hand, it continued, an increasing number of consumers are discovering packaged water as an alternative to sweetened soft drinks. “Additionally, the quality of tap water does not fulfil required sanitary standards in many world regions, and has to be boiled before consumption in order to ensure sterility,” the report said. “This time-consuming process can be avoided by using bottled water.”

Ceresana’s report also notes the changes that are occurring within the market of rigid plastic containers. “PET containers have been gaining in popularity, especially in the business segments of carbonated soft drinks and bottled water,” it said.

“They weigh comparatively little, can be recycled, don’t break, and offer high clarity. At the same time, the gas barrier properties and protection against UV radiation they offer continue to improve. Besides PET containers, containers made from PP are also becoming more important.”

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t won’t exactly be a smooth and steady rise, but the global market for plastic containers is expected to hit 46.2 million tonnes by 2021, according to a new study from German research company Ceresana.

“Due to the flexibility of use in the most diverse applications, the market for plastic containers is highly complex and subject to a range of different influences,” the study said. “Factors that have to be taken into account are, for example, low per capita consumption on certain beverages markets in parts of Asia-Pacific or the dynamic urbanization and income development in that region. Moreover, governmental regulations may influence the market for certain types of beverages.”

The study notes that, within the market for packaging containers, some segments report a shift from traditional materials towards plastics. “At the same time, plastic containers also face an increasing competition by flexible plastic packaging solutions,” it continued. “Other trends such as convenience, increasing women’s employment, sustainability or lightweighting also have impacts on the market for plastic containers.”

While the market for lemonade is relatively saturated in

©HSNPhotography/Getty Images/Thinkstock

Global market for plastic containers to hit 46 million tonnes by 2021: REPORT

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Canadian Plastics September 2014 www.canplastics.com

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Packaged for performance Shortest cycle times, maximum output and highest process stability. Packed in a clean, solid and economical system. With hydraulic, all-electric and hybrid options. That is how the injection molding solutions of ENGEL packaging secure your productivity.

Through the entire range: from .04 oz. caps and closures to industrial containers over 300 lbs. Reliable. Global. Committed to partnership.

This is ENGEL packaging.

Packaged for performance. Through the entire range. From caps and closures to the industrial container. With ENGEL packaging.

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Did somebody just invent a

TOTALLY NEW

BOTTLING TECHNOLOGY?

T

here’s a new liquid packaging technology in town that might just revolutionize the way products such as soft drinks and juices are bottled.

Called LiquiForm, it uses consumable, pressurized liquid to form plastic containers, and is said to eliminate manufacturing steps and reduce cost and waste.

In traditional blow molding and filling operations, plastic preforms are blown into shape with compressed air and then filled and capped, often on separate lines at different sites. The LiquiForm process uses the contents of the bottle — soft drink, juice, shampoo or sauce — to “blow” the bottle shape. The result is a filled bottle, ready for capping and label-

ling. By combining the bottle forming and filling processes in one step, on a single line at a single site, the technology has the potential for significant energy savings as well as reducing handling and transport costs for such bottling giants as The CocaCola Company, PepsiCo, Schweppes, Unilever, and Heinz.

LiquiForm is the result of a joint venture originally established between multinational packaging leader Amcor and Sidel, a global provider of PET solutions for liquid packaging. The LiquiForm Group — the business development group representing the joint venture — has signed agreements with Yoshino Kogyosho, Japan’s largest plastic bottle

manufacturer, to further develop the process, and with bottled water supplier Nestle Waters to acquire their intellectual property in the technology.

“Although still at the developmental stage, the technology has the potential to address some key improvement areas for our customers in the years ahead,” said Mart Tiismann, president and CEO of the Sidel Group. “The LiquiForm technology is also the latest example of PET’s flexibility as the most sustainable beverage packaging material.”

The joint venture will issue licences allowing machine manufacturers to produce and sell equipment using the LiquiForm technology. According to analysts,

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50 Years of Drying Excellence

EXTRUDE EXTRUDE EXTRUDE EXTRUDE IT IT IT DRY DRY DRY DRY IT STORE ITD STORE IT STORE IT STORE IT IT IT IT IT Carousel® Dryer – eliminates temperature and dew-point spikes

1965

1973

1984

STORE IT

STORE IT

ConairNet – first computernetworked drying system

Challenger “canister” dryer – provides alternative to twin-towers

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ResinWorks – integrates central drying/conveying system

STORE IT

STORE IT

SlimLine™ –

Compressed-air EXTRUDE dryer for low-volume

EXTRUDE

EXTRUDE

EXTRUDE

every-day drying

S

Drying Monitor II – patented system now built into dryer control

1993

PowerMiser – first system to control regeneration cycles based on dew-point levels to save energy

1995

2004

Drying Monitor – first and only system to monitor conditions inside the drying hopper

2005

Carousel® Plus desiccant-wheel dryer – cuts energy use and simplifies operation and maintenance

2006

2007

EnergySmart™ – two-stage drying system cuts PET drying energy to as little as 0.069 kWh per kg

2009

ES-1 – sing EnergySm with Touch control and Optimizer™

Canadian Plastics September 2014 www.canplastics.com

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licence costs are expected to range from about US$100,000 for a small machine to US$1 million for a large machine.

Amcor believes the addressable market may be about 800 machines a year.

“LiquiForm represents a significant

opportunity for the consumer products industry by creating a step-change in efficiency and flexibility,” said LiquiForm Group president Ann O’Hara. “By partnering with respected equipment manufacturers as well as international

converters and leading consumer goods companies, we are set up to have the technology achieve its full potential.”

Full scale commercialisation of the LiquiForm process is currently targeted for 2018.

CPL

IT BLEND IT BLEND IT Above: A conventionalBLEND blow molding andIT filling operation. At right: BLEND The LiquiForm process.

IT COOL IT COOL IT COOL IT TCOOL CONVEY ITBLEND ITCONVEY ITBLEND ITCONVEY ITBLEND ITCONVEY IT BLEND IT Images courtesy of LiquiForm Group

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CONVEY IT

CONVEY IT

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CONVEY IT

VISIT CONAIR IT IT IT IT AT EXPOPLAST TGRINDIT ITGRIND ITGRINDIT ITGRINDIT FEED IT FEED FEED FEED MONTRÉAL, IT DRY DRY TDRY ITGRIND ITDRY IT IT GRIND IT GRIND GRIND NOVEMBER 19-20 DC-T TouchView IT IT IT

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7

EXTRUDE

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

2009

2012

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

dryer control – delivers complete process visibility and control

STORE IT

New MW Dryer – the industry’s smallest wheel dryer

2013

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

EXTRUDE

EXTRUDE

2014

2015

STORE IT

EXTRUDE

STORE IT

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.

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

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moldmaking

Portugal’s moldmaking industry is

ON THE(again RISE ) G

o back 30 years and many of Canada’s moldmakers and plastics processors probably had at least one or two Portuguese companies as go-to contacts on their rolodexes. With a centuries-old glass making tradition that crossed naturally over into creating molds for plastics parts in the 1940s, Portugal was a hotbed of moldmaking and exporting — until the Great Recession, competition from lowcost countries, and the sharp depreciation of the U.S. dollar against the euro combined to wreak havoc on the economy of the small, southwestern European nation. How bad did it get? By 2012, mold exports to North America reached a historic low of just two per cent of Portugal’s total.

But there are signs of a turnaround, due largely to new and emerging markets and to the mold industry’s own efforts to retool itself.

Almost six years ago, the sector’s local leaders, in close coordination with the Portuguese Ministry of Economy and Innovation, founded the private, non-profit Pool-Net Association to manage the Portuguese engineering and tooling cluster. Formally recognized as a legal entity by the Portuguese government in 2009, the cluster’s Below left: “Molds Event” goal is to drive innovation and coordinate

By Mark Stephen, editor

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attendees tour a facility in Marinha Grande. Below right and opposite page: Getting it done in Portugal’s moldmaking shops.

Canadian Plastics September 2014 www.canplastics.com

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moldmaking

CLUSTER BOOM A case in point was the signing of a cross-border cooperation pact between five European countries during the Molds Event. The alliance comprises Portugal’s Pool-Net, Spain’s AVEP, Italy’s Proplast, Austria’s Clusterland, and France’s Plastipolis. Tocha said he

E firms in the manufacturing supply chain that are engaged in industrial design, engineering and product development, prototyping, tooling, and plastic and metal parts production.

Cut to today and Portugal’s moldmaking industry is busy with work and realizing a sharp rise in product exports.

“Portugal currently exports over 90 per cent of production to 120 countries.

Europe is the main export zone, although exports to the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil are increasing. Last year, the North American market saw growth of more than 80 cent and now lies fifth in Portuguese mold and tool exports,” said Rui Tocha, Pool-Net’s general manager, who was interviewed by Canadian Plastics in June, during a four-day international “Molds Event” in Marinha Grande, Portugal’s tooling capital.

“Portugal has around 450 companies employing approximately 8,000 workers in the two main locations of Marinha Grande and Oliveira de Azeméis.”

For the majority of these companies, Tocha said, the automotive industry is the major market, accounting for approximately 70 per cent of production, although many are diversifying into sectors such as packaging, aerospace, and health care and medical devices. “To support migration into these niche markets, the cluster takes part in European collaboration networks,” he said.

expected the cooperation between the clusters to be “deep”, noting that member companies, universities, and research organizations will likely exchange students and trainees, share data, and show production and operations to foreign members. “Some of these associations have already been cooperating with each

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moldmaking

other for years, but the alliance provides increased access to countries into which their customers have already expanded operations,” he said.

A further goal of Pool-Net is to improve the technical skills of the

By working together under a collective brand that embodies know-how, technology, innovation, and quality, Portugal has increased its competitiveness and market share worldwide.

approximately 70 member companies.

“We want to maximize such core technologies as milling, turning, and EDM; and introduce new technological skills into these strategic areas with effective transfer of knowledge and optimization

“

“

of research and development results, with engineering topping the list,” Tocha said.

Portuguese firms are also pioneers in using new technologies which enable the use of in-mold labelling and decoration

or multi-component products, Tocha added. “Moreover, the use of ‘smart tools’ by the Portuguese moldmakers, which incorporate a wide range of electronic sensors, provides added value for international customers,” he said.

Six years into a 10-year plan, PoolNet’s integrated approach seems to be paying off in spades. “By working together under a collective brand that embodies know-how, technology, innovation, and quality, Portugal has increased its competitiveness and market share worldwide,” Tocha said. “The message we’re sending is that Portuguese tooling companies are global solution providers that can close the loop from design to final product.”

So for today’s Canadian moldmakers, it might just be time to steal a page or two from the Portuguese playbook: whether formal or informal, the connections and cooperation fostered by clustering can work wonders for your bottom line. And while you’re at it, consider adding a Portuguese shop or two to your contact management software — or your rolodex, if you’re a dinosaur.

CPL

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

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technology showcase

ROBOTS & AUTOMATION

HOT RUNNERS

ABB Robotics has increased the top payload of its IRB 1600 material handling robot from 8 kg to 10 kg.

The increased payload is available in both the 1.2 meter and 1.45 meter reach variants, and will allow the robot to handle larger parts and end-of-arm-tools with no sacrifice in accuracy and speed, achieving up to 50 per cent better cycle times than competitor robots of the same class.

The upgrade enhances the IRB 1600’s other advantages, such as solid protection for use in harsh environments (IP 67 and Foundry Plus 2), and the ability to be invert- or sidemounted on a shelf, wall or other existing structures. The compact 1.2 meter reach variant makes the robot more dexterous in confined spaces for improved reach and flexibility.

The IRB 1600 is also more energy-efficient, and provides lower noise levels than comparable models.

Additionally, ABB’s TrueMove technology assures that the robot will maintain the same path at all speeds, eliminating corner-cut paths.

ABB Inc. (Brampton, Ont.); www.abb.ca; 905-460-3000

Offering minimal footprint and plug-and-play compatibility with a wide range of systems, the new Intelligent Temperature Control System from DME is designed to make hot runner performance optimization more accessible than ever for plastics processors.

The centrepiece of the Intelligent Temperature Control System, the latest innovation in a new global line of advanced DME hot runner controller solutions, is a vibrant, 5.7-inch color touchscreen with a convenient fold-away mechanism that makes it easy for operators to enhance the injection molding performance of any hot runner system.

The controller is a highly modular system based on six-zone, 15A control cards with a maximum of up to 48 zones.

Configuration is available with either Star or Delta power supply, link switchable, with up to 63A per phase.

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

Increased payload for material handling

Intelligent Temperature Control System for enhanced operations

Big enough to innovate, small enough to cooperate!

It takes sophisticated technology to make plastics recycling sustainable and more efficient and to continuously improve pellet quality.

And it takes commitment to really be successful.

SIMPLY ONE STEP AHEAD

®

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Bleed

Trim

technology showcase Live

AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT

Weigh scale blender with upgraded software, new material dispense options With more than 50 dispense devices allowing for maximum interchangeability, the latest enhancements to Maguire’s weigh scale blender (WSB) are designed to enable plastics processors to switch dispense devices easily to accommodate ultra-fine ingredients, increase control over material consumption, and provide real-time third-party access to process data.

The newest addition to the wide range of devices available from Maguire for dispensing ingredients from the hopper bins of the WSB to the weigh chamber is the carousel valve, which mimics the action of a vibratory feeder to make possible accurate dosing of “difficult” ingredients at very low rates. The new device can dispense masterbatches and additives at rates of less than one gram per second.

Like the other dispense devices available for the Maguire WSB, the new valve has a modular interface that enables it

to be exchanged with another device.

The interchangeability feature means that a device used on Maguire’s giant MaxiBatch blender (pictured), with throughput up to 5,500 kg per hour, can also be used on its smallest unit, the 63-kg per hour Microblender.

Also, G2 software provides detailed material usage reports, displays alarms from anywhere in the network, downloads and updates recipes in specific machines from remote locations, and monitors inventory levels to provide alerts to reorder raw materials. The Version 5 increases the capability for “live” monitoring of material consumption by authorized parties.

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

Visit us at ExpoPlast Booth #511

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Desiccant wheel dryers for machine-mounting, low-throughput applications

The new MicroWheel dryers from Conair are designed to deliver the efficiency and precision of desiccant wheel drying in a compact configuration that can be mounted on the feed throat of a molding machine or extruder.

Thought to be the smallest wheel dryers available, they offer an alternative to compressed-air dryers and small twin-tower units, making them well-suited for medical processors and others running small quantities of expensive engineering resins.

Available in two basic models — the MW1 and the MW2 — the dryer can be easily programmed to deliver exactly the

Canadian Plastics September 2014 www.canplastics.com

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S

O

His decision to cut energy costs by 70% with LED high bay lighting was a great idea.

And a great start.

Once you start seeing the benefits from our incentives for installing high efficiency lighting, you’ll want to look into making other areas of your business like HVAC and compressed air 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.

CPLSept14 p33-45 Tech Show.indd 35

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technology showcase right amount of process air flow to dry the different resin volumes. Each model is available with several different hopper capacities. The MW1 units can support hoppers of 0.2-cubicfoot, 0.5-cubic-foot, and 1.0-cubic-foot capacity. Including the hopper, they range in height from 19.5 inches (495 mm) to 27.7 inches (704 mm) and the largest weighs 106 lb (48 kg).

The larger MW2 dryer is available with 1.0-cubic-foot and 1.5-cubic-foot hoppers; the heights of MW2 units are 27.7 inches and 38.5 inches (978 mm), and the weight of the largest unit is 144 lb (65 kg).

The control comes pre-programmed with 30 different recipes for various resins. Standard control features include a material protection management system that automatically reduces process air temperatures when return-air temperatures exceed setpoint; and real-time energy consumption monitoring that tracks the dryer’s power consumption, allowing users to fine-tune energy use while maintaining proper drying conditions. Factoring in electric rates, processors can calculate how much power is needed to produce any given quantity of parts The Conair Group (Cranberry Township, Pa.); www.conairgroup.com; 800-654-6661 Dier International Plastics Inc.; (Unionville, Ont.); www.dierinternational.com; 416-219-0509 Industries Laferriere (Mascouche, Que.); www.industrieslaferriere.ca; 450-477-8880

INJECTION MOLDING

Upgraded all-electric meets market conditions With the new Generation II, Zhafir Plastics Machinery — a division of Haitian International — has optimized and upgraded its Venus series all-electric injection molding machines, increasing the previous clamping force sizes of 400 to 4,100 kN to 3,000, 3,600, 4,500, and 5,500 kN. Tie-bar spacing on Generation II machines with clamping forces upwards of 2,300 kN has been significantly increased and adjusted to meet international standards.

There is a wide range of choice, up to eight injection units per clamping force. All Venus II motors have been specially developed for this series at Haitian Drive Systems to offer higher acceleration rates, significant energy savings, and fast reaction times. Additionally, there has been an increase to 200 mm per second in injection performance for injection units of up to 430 kN, and to 160 mm per second in higher models up to 3,350 kN. The new injection unit design is more compact, and offers greater stability and dynamics. The swivel-mounted injection unit permits a fast screw change and facilitates access for maintenance. A new type of central lubrication system works with a low-viscosity lubricant to offer oil savings of up to 20 per cent.

Also, the ejector’s quick-release coupling reduces set-up times and permits coupling inside 30 seconds.

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

EXTRUSION

Alpha machines now even more compact In contrast to their predecessor models, the revised Alpha single-screw extruders from battenfeld-cincinnati are now equipped with a new, extremely compact drive system, designed to offer the benefits of small dimensions and substantially reduced oil requirements. Thanks to the smaller drive unit and a redesigned sub-structure, the extruder has also become even more space-saving.

Other improvements in the alpha extruders include the

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technology showcase high-quality frequency converters built in for even more accurate regulation of screw speed and torque, and the temperature controllers. The latter stand out by their high precision, are equipped with a fast selftuning function, and have an integrated on/off function. The new alpha extruders are particularly user-friendly thanks to a warning light in traffic-light colors. The green light signals that the extruder is operating trouble-free, orange stands for conditions requiring the machine operator’s attention, and red indicates a need for immediate intervention.

The improvements cover all models of the standardized alpha single-screw extruder range. All other features of these processing machines have remained unchanged, so that they can also continue to be used as multi-purpose extruders or co-extruders.

They are available in the sizes alpha 45, 60, and 75 with either smooth or grooved feed zones. battenfeld-cincinnati USA (McPherson, Kan.); www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com/usa; 620-241-6843

Self-cleaning screen changer removes contaminants A new automated, hydraulically powered backflush system is designed to enable the V-Type screen changer from Nordson Kreyenborg to purge even heavy contaminant from the melt filter element while maintaining extrusion throughput, minimizing operator intervention, and avoiding downtime in constant-pressure processes like film and fibre extrusion or strand pelletizing.

With Nordson Kreyenborg’s V-Type screen changer, melt flow from the extruder splits into four streams for filtration in two pairs of screen cavities, then the streams rejoin with no significant change in melt flow. Each pair of cavities is mounted in a piston that positions both cavities so they can filter their respective melt streams, or removes one of them from the process to remove contaminant buildup by means of backflushing. In normal operation, polymer is flowing through all four cavities. While one of the cavities is changed, the other three remain in the process.

In addition to the two screen-bearing pistons, there are four hydraulically actuated displacement pistons that operate during backflushing. When the differential pressure across the screen changer increases to a pre-set level

because of contaminant buildup, the backflush sequence for all cavities will be started automatically. For each cavity, the corresponding displacement piston on the outlet side of the screen retracts, creating a reservoir of filtered molten polymer. This material is hydraulically compressed and discharged in reverse direction, back through the screen, carrying away contaminant for removal from the system. The sequence is performed for each cavity one after the other.

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

PLASTICS RECYCLING

Degassing capacity for heavily contaminated plastic waste With the new C-VAC module from Starlinger Recycling Technology, plastic waste from post-consumer material flows and industrial production can be recycled into high-grade secondary plastics suitable for direct further processing.

The degassing module C-VAC, which can be combined with any Starlinger recycling extruder, increases the degassing

WATER

TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER Control your process with THERMOCLINE • Easy to operate • Field serviceable • Custom design units available • 9-24 kW, 1-5 hp • Calibration to ISO 17025 • Toll-free tech support

Buy direct from the Manufacturer “Let’s Connect”

www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase

surface by 300 per cent compared to conventional degassing systems, thanks to rheologically optimised melt channels both to and from the degassing extruder. Degassing efficiency is thus vastly enhanced.

Next, in the water ring pelletizer, which features a patented cutting and drive concept, the melt is cut into pellets.

Characteristic of a design concept attentive to customer specifics is the option of several dosing units for the automatic admixture of other material flows and additives, such as colorants (masterbatch) or CaCO3 (powder).

At the end of the process, the finished granulate reaches the filling station. There an integrated throughput scale measures the actual output and regulates, in relation to the throughput, the dosage of the additives, thereby maintaining precise mixing ratios in the regranulate at all times.

The high granulate quality opens up new business opportunities for many recyclers. Whereas until recently “downcycling” — the use in low-grade plastic products — was virtually the only option for recycled post-consumer plastics, the regranulate produced on Starlinger lines is often being used as a substitute for virgin material.

American Starlinger-Sahm Inc. (Greenville, S.C.); www.starlinger.com; 864-297-1900

SOFTWARE

Packages for rheological testing Instron’s VisualRHEO is a versatile software package which manages and analyzes data from rheological tests, enabling the technician to have full control over gathering data including viscosity, Bagley and Rabinowitsch corrections, and non-Newtonian index calculations.

VisualRHEO is compatible with Windows 2000/ XP/Vista/7/8.1, and features real-time graphic display of the measured quantity; post-process graphs of rheological quantities (apparent and corrected values); password-protected operator access levels; export to spreadsheets, text files, and LIMS systems; test comparison and reference viscosity curves; and advanced database search.

For more advanced capabilities, Instron’s new VisualRHEO Advanced Analysis Package adds advanced fitting capabilities on rheological curves, using Polynomial, Power Law, Cross, and Yas-

INTAREMA® The new system generation from EREMA.

Efficiency at the fore.

High capacities have never been as easy to achieve as with the new INTAREMA®. Counter Current technology makes it possible. Because the extruder handles more material in a shorter time. And this means for you: constant, top throughput within a considerably larger temperature range. For more productivity, flexibility and process stability.

EREMA North America, Inc. 23B Old Right Road / Ipswich, MA 01938 (978)356-3771 / www.erema.net

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28440_CN_PL14

CHOOSE THE NUMBER ONE.

Canadian Plastics September 2014 www.canplastics.com

CPLSept14 p33-45 Tech Show.indd 38

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Molding the Future of Plastics

EXPOSITION:

November 19-20, 2014 Palais des Congrès Convention Centre | Montréal, Québec

Top Reasons to Attend!

Engage with leading plastics manufacturers displaying the latest in mold making equipment and components Educational opportunities and Free Tech Theater Optimum venue to find fresh ideas and network with industry peers

Your Connection to the Plastics Industry

“I loved the show, thought it was fantastic. We made several new contacts with companies that we think can help us but we also found several places where our products can fit—so it was a great show for me/us, can’t wait for the next one! Just an awesome show for us! Great job to the organizers and all the vendors that were there, fantastic show!”

28440_CN_PL14

—Dave Tribbett, indimension3

CONNECT WITH OUR COMMUNITY:

CPLSept14 p33-45 Tech Show.indd 39

Join your industry. Register today!

expoplast.org

14-08-14 1:33 PM

technology showcase

uda-Carreau equations, and showing related coefficients; elongational viscosity estimation, using Cogswell method based on Bagley-corrected shear viscosity data; wall-slip speed estimation, using Mooney method based on standard tests with different dies (same L/D but different diameters); viscosity dependence on temperature analysis, applying Arrhenius and WLF equations to multiple tests at different temperatures to obtain the viscosity-temperature relationship for each shear rate condition; and also performs the Flow/No-Flow analysis to estimate the limiting temperature condition for flowing.

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

RAW MATERIALS HANDLING

Polyurethane hose offers high flexibility for feeding extruders A permanently static dissipative polyurethane plastic pellet transfer hose that promotes workplace safety and withstands suction cycling when feeding plastic extruders is now available from Flexaust.

The FlexStat static dissipative hose is designed with a clear thermoplastic polyurethane that is reinforced with a rigid black external ABS helix and an embedded copper grounding wire to prevent static buildup. Featuring high flexibility and durability, this 0.040-inch wall polyurethane hose is highly abrasion resistant, making it well-suited for plastic pellet or powder transfer, and allowing it to withstand extreme suction cycling when feeding extruders.

A suitable replacement for heavy-wall PVC hose, the FlexStat static dissipative hose is available in one-inch to eightinch diameter sizes in standard 25 foot and 50 foot lengths, and can be supplied with or without cuffs. The hose is manufactured with FDA acceptable materials, has a smooth interior, and operates over a -40°F to 200°F range.

The FlexStat hose is priced according to size and length,

Process Optimization via SCIENTIFIC INJECTION MOLDING learn how scientific molding will change your business at this three day, hands-on seminar At this seminAr, you will….

Instructor: Kip Doyle of moldingHELP.com Course Content by Scientific Molding Pioneer – John Bozelli

• Learn to process and troubleshoot from “the plastics point of view” • Learn to document the process so that it can be repeated (Machine Independent Set-Up) • Learn how these principles can provide a common language for your technical staff • Participate in an on-machine lab demonstrating these concepts • Experience unique videos, animations and training aids – visualize the message

november 4-6, 2014 At wittmann Battenfeld’s facility: 35 leek Crescent richmond hill, on l4B 4C2 Fee: $1,675 (USD) per person Includes a comprehensive instruction manual, lunches, beverages and snacks. Free parking Register at: www.moldingHELP.com/trainingschedule

who should Attend:

• Process/Set-up Engineers & Technicians • Plant, Production Quality and Engineering Managers • Anyone that would benefit from a detailed knowledge of Scientific Molding

Organized by:

Canadian Plastics 40

For more information, call Judith nancekivell, senior Publisher, Canadian Plastics, 416-510-5116; Kip doyle, moldinghelP.com, 269-979-5616

Our Technical Partner for this event:

Canadian Plastics September 2014 www.canplastics.com

CPLSept14 p33-45 Tech Show.indd 40

14-08-14 1:34 PM

technology showcase

and samples are available upon request.

Flexaust (Warsaw, Ind.); www.flexaust.com; 574-267-7909

FOR YOUR NEXT INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE,

GET SMART

SHOP FLOOR TOOLS

Micrometers with new sensor technology Mitutoyo Canada is now offering enhanced versions of its IP65 Coolant Proof and MDC-Lite micrometer line with its new “Absolute” sensor technology.

This patented electromagnetic sensor is designed to offer improved measurement dependability by increasing resistance to harsh workshop conditions.

Highlighted features include the new electromagnetic “Absolute” sensor, which provides improved resistance to environmental conditions such as dirt, oil, and water that can cause false readings; a function lock system to prevent inadvertent setting changes; new ratchet thimble models that improve one-hand operability; and an anti-slip finish for an improved grip while taking measurements.

The micrometers will offer a long battery life of 2.4 years under normal operation, and SPC output models will be fully compatible with existing Mitutoyo data management accessories. These new micrometers will replace previous IP65 Coolant Proof and MDC-Lite models, and will be introduced at the same prices as those earlier tools.

Mitutoyo Canada Inc. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.mititoyo.ca; 905-821-1261

SENSORS

“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.

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

Level control made easy Made in Canada and well-suited for detection of plastic pellets and regrind,

DIVISION INJECTION

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

CPLSept14 p33-45 Tech Show.indd 41

September 2014 Canadian Plastics

41

14-08-14 1:34 PM

technology showcase

the new NormLine series of sensors from Rechner Automation Inc. is designed to be low-cost while also offering superior performance compared to standard capacitive sensors on the market.

The advantages include a recessed 20-turn potenti-

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.

ometer for a more precise adjustment to detect product level and to ignore dust buildup. The Normline DC models also have simultaneous NO and NC outputs, which saves the customer from having to stock two different models.

There is also a larger diameter M32 which offers the end user a 20 per cent greater sensing range with just a 2-mm larger diameter.

The NormLine series is available in standard sizes of M18, M30, and a larger diameter M32, and is ETL listed and conforms to cULus and CSA standards.

Rechner Automation Inc. (Milton, Ont.); www.rechner.com; 800-544-4106

R

MATERIALS

Polyamide 6 grades for auto exterior parts New from Royal DSM, UV-stabilized grades of glass

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

19th Annual Canadian Plastics Resin Outlook Conference SpONSORS TO DATE:

“Earning your trust one stripe at a

Cantec Polymers time.”

INC.

Organized by Canadian Plastics magazine. Endorsed by the Canadian Plastics Industry Association

Thursday October 9, 2014 The International Centre, Mississauga, Ontario

BONUS: Conference registrants may attend, at no extra charge, a half-day workshop on the afternoon of October 8th: Is Your Resin Supply Chain Value Focused? Linking resin supply to your company’s business strategy.

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

42

Canadian Plastics September 2014

CPLSept14 p33-45 Tech Show.indd 42

www.canplastics.com

14-08-14 1:34 PM

5 Reasons to Be There 1.

See the latest technologies in moldmaking components, hot runners, CAD/CAM/CAE, 3D printing, plastics auxiliary equipment, quality control, metalworking equipment, and more.

2.

Hear automotive market intelligence from dinner speaker Laurie Harbour and luncheon speaker Dennis DesRosiers.

Windsor MOld

Expo

3. Attend seminars.

4. Talk with experts who know their stuff.

5. Network with your peers.

META MET ME TAMANUFACTURING LLWORKING WORKING& W PRODUCTION EXPO

Hear automotive market intelligence from speakers: Laurie Harbour Harbour Results Inc.

Dennis DesRosiers DesRosiers Automotive Consultants

OctOber 23, 2014

CioCiaRo CluB, oldCasTle (WindsoR), onTaRio Windsor Mold Expo Sponsors:

MMP Sponsors:

Endorsed by: Registration for the show is free, but please pre-register at www.windsormoldexpo.com

CPLSept14 p33-45 Tech Show.indd 43

14-08-14 1:35 PM

technology showcase

fibre reinforced Akulon polyamide 6 grades for auto exterior parts are designed to eliminate the need for painting, making a major contribution to unit cost savings without compromising on quality.

DSM is initially introducing two new Akulon PA6 grades. The first, originally developed for exterior mirror bases, is highly glass-filled (50 per cent fibre), and yet it still yields parts with excellent surface quality and UV resistance. Trials in a number of different designs have

shown that even in complex designs a very good surface quality is achievable.

The second grade, intended for door handles, contains 30 per cent glass fibre reinforcement, and is particularly suitable for parts produced using gas-assist injection molding technology.

Both of the new grades are wellsuited for parts with complex shapes.

DSM Engineering Plastics Inc. (Birmingham, Mich.); www.dsm.com; 812-435-7500

M

Br

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Advertiser AceTRONIC Arburg Athena Automation Ltd. Bohler Uddeholm Canadian Plastics CanPlastics TV videos Canadian Plastics Resin Outlook Conference Chillers Inc. Conair Dieffenbacher DynaPurge Engel Canada Inc. Erema North America Inc. Expoplast FEPAC Harmo America Inc. Hosokawa Alpine American IMS

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Page 36-37 back cover 18 9 46 42 23 28-29 16 12 27 38 39 32 11 25 insert at 17

Canadian Plastics September 2014

CPLSept14 p33-45 Tech Show.indd 44

Website www.acetronic.com www.arburg.us www.athenaautomation.com www.bucanada.ca www.canplastics.com www.canplastics.com/conference www.chillersinc.com www.conairgroup.com www.dieffenbacher.com www.dynapurge.com www.engelglobal.com www.erema.at www.expoplast.org www.fepac.ca www.harmo-america.com www.halpine.com www.imscompany.com

Advertiser Ingenia Polymers Corp.

Math for Molders seminar Maruka Toyo NGR – Next Generation Recycling Machines Inc. NPE2015 Novatec Ontario Power Authority Plastic Process Equipment, Inc. Progressive Components RJG Inc. Schmolz + Bickenbach Canada Scientific Molding seminar Shred-Tech Toshiba Machine Company Canada Unique Tool & Gauge Inc. University of Waterloo Vecoplan, LLC Windsor Mold Expo

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www.canplastics.com

14-08-14 1:35 PM

f

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lo

MATH FOR MOLDERS Brush up your skills at this one-day workshop

Injection molding and Math? Why do you need it? Don’t be intimidated. Many people haven’t used the math skills needed to use Scientific Molding techniques since highschool! This class will sharpen those skills and build confidence in each student.

The knowledge gained provides a better math skills foundation for future training.

Presenter Thom Smith, Consultant/Trainer, RJG Inc., has over 20 years of experience in injection molding and is an expert in part design and troubleshooting.

COURSE HIGHLIGHTS: Calculating Area (for various shapes) • Clamp Tonnage Requirements • Ratios • Pascal’s Equation (to understand force, pressure and area) • Speed vs. Time • Group Activities for Solving Real Math Problems with Your Molding Process September 16, 2014 Humber Institute of Technology a& Advanced Learning 203 Humber College Blvd. (Hwy. 27 and Finch Ave. W.) Toronto, ON M9W 5L7

Cost: $206, including lunch, parking and a course manual Organized by:

Canadian Plastics

Following on the success of our Basics of Plastics Seminars

BONUS:

Check the Training Seminars section of www.canplastics.com for detailed information and registration, or call 416-510-6794

Register for Math for Molders and receive a 5% discount off RJG’s registration fee for their Injection Molding Essentials seminar, which takes place at this same location Sept. 17-18. details at:

CPLSept14 p33-45 Tech Show.indd 45

www.rjginc.com/courses/injection-molding-essentials-canada

14-08-14 1:36 PM

technical tips

Detecting water flow restrictions in molds

By Steve Johnson, ToolingDocs LLC

T

he 32-cavity mold that landed on our bench was covered in grime and was dripping water from every fitting. The work order said to get the mold cleaned, checked, and back to the molder ASAP. The good news was, since our shop had never seen or worked on this mold before, it would now benefit from fresh sets of eyes and new cleaning and repair methods.

TYPES OF OBSTRUCTIONS Water lines and bubblers can become coated with calcium and rust, restricting water channels and insulating them at the same time. Other restrictions can include small pieces of plastic and rubber, and broken off chunks of brass and steel.

Sometimes these potential clogs are either caught in filters or, hopefully, easily spotted after the mold is disassembled; some-

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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:

46

times, however, the restriction is inside a plate or cavity block, making discovery and removal difficult.

Production techniques to remove obstructions are limited to reversing the direction of water or air in hopes of dislodging them — which seldom works — or dissolving them by circulating an acid (usually sulfuric) or other type of cleaner through the water passages.

On the bench, molds are disassembled to individually check each component to locate the restriction, which is then removed. A popular bench test is to blow air through lines by hand with a nozzle while listening to the sound and feeling the amount of air coming out of the outlet line or fountain with the other hand.

COOLING IS CRITICAL During a production run, the cooling time in the mold often gets extended as a corrective action for product-related issues such as flash, burns, parts sticking, long gates or dimensional defects. Other defects and mold problems can be caused — or aggravated — by incorrect cooling through plating of the water line from calcium/rust build-ups or reduced water flow (GPM) through restricted water lines.

Cooling channels that digress slowly are often the last thing to check when the effects are finally realized in the part. When they are, process changes are implemented to override the effects of the reduced cooling. If a change works, the tool room may not be alerted that the mold ever had a problem, so the issue doesn’t get resolved when the mold gets pulled for preventative maintenance.

TYPES OF FLOW MEASUREMENT There are two types of water circuit checks. The first is a comparative analysis, where the water flow in GPM of one circuit is compared to a circuit of the same ID and configuration. For example, if you wanted to check the water circuits of a 16-cavity mold and the pattern was 4 x 4 or four rows of four cavities, you would then check each of the four rows,

one at a time, to determine if there was a restriction somewhere in the row of four cavities, demonstrated by a reduced GPM readout in one of the lines. On our bench manifolds, we installed a shut-off valve to reduce the inlet line pressure to 10 psi, which puts the GPMs in the centre of the flow meter gauge (1.5 GPMs).

This now becomes our test setting for the remaining water lines.

The second check involves the calculation of a Reynolds number to determine if the circuit has turbulent or laminar flow.

To find out if a water line or circuit has turbulent flow capability, install a flow meter (set up with quick disconnects) on a mold water line (checking only one line at a time) while in production at the press, so water temperature and additives can be factored in. Water temperature, additives ratio, viscosity, pressure, and water line size all affect GPM, and therefore turbulent flow. Generally, anything over 2.0 GPMs results in turbulent flow, but remember that a favorable comparative flow rate does not verify turbulent flow within a circuit.

WHAT DID IT ALL MEAN? Uneven plate cooling or hot spots from minor reductions of GPMs can have major consequences on the part and cycle time.

For instance, our mold had a GPM reading of 1.5 GPMs with 11 psi of water pressure through a ¼ line, and the circuit above it had 0.5 GPMs and the pressure spiked to 16 psi, meaning cooling efficiency had a restriction that reduced the GPM by 30 per cent, which could develop into issues in the future.

When we relayed this information to the molder, they told us they needed it back quickly, so we simply documented our findings for future reference. Because one of these days…

CPL Steve Johnson is the operations manager for ToolingDocs LLC, part of the Ohio-based PCIC Group of Companies. Contact ToolingDocs at 419-281-0790 or email info@ toolingdocs.com for more information.

Canadian Plastics September 2014 www.canplastics.com

CPLSept14 p46-48 Tech Tips.indd 46

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40

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High performance counts! 7.3 million cycles per year on an ALLROUNDER HIDRIVE: performance becomes high performance. This is what really counts in the packaging sector.

Whether it’s yoghurt tubs or closure caps. At the end of the day, production efficiency alone counts.

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

CPLSept14 p46-48 Tech Tips.indd 48

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This is precisely what we offer you. ARBURG for efficient injection molding!

14-08-14 1:37 PM