Canadian Plastics November 2015

CanadianPlastics www.canplastics.com

NOVEMBER 2015

Better ways to STOP EXTRUSION DIE BUILDUP A COLOSSAL FRACKING CONTROVERSY Is hydraulic fracturing good or bad?

FROM FAKUMA: The latest developments in INJECTION MOLDING

PUMPED! Falling oil prices mean lower resin costs.

Let’s get a little excited

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contents

Canadian Plastics NOVEMBER 2015 VOLUME 73 NUMBER 6

LOOKING BACK...

Number of the month:

12*

* The number of countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal signed

by Canada in early October 2015. (See pg. 6)

in every issue 4 Editor’s View: Will the economy turn upside down?

5 Ideas & Innovations: Polymer device could save the limbs of injured soldiers 6 News: • Trans-Pacific Partnership offers pros, cons for the plastics industry • Wittmann-Battenfeld expanding U.S. headquarters • Graham Engineering moves Rhode Island operations to Pennsylvania • People 10 Executive’s Corner: Five people who can kill your next project

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©Nikodash/Getty Images/Thinkstock

As Canadians settle in with a new Liberal majority government, we’re reminded of an article that appeared in the April 1994 issue of Canadian Plastics detailing a portion of Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s first budget after he won his own first Liberal majority. The budget set aside $140 million for new small business and R&D initiatives in 1994-95, and also allocated funding to establish two business/government working groups. The first group “will tackle such questions as financing and regulatory burdens,” the article reported; the second “will be business-led, and will look at forms of support most needed to help small businesses meet the demands of the new economy.”

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cover story 12 RESIN PRICING: Pumped!

If you’re a plastics processor, falling oil prices not only mean lower costs for resins and plastic components, but also lower gas prices, giving consumers more disposable income to buy your products. Congratulations — this is your reward for making it through the recession. The catch?

It helps to be able to predict your feedstock’s price trends.

features 16 HYDRAULIC FRACTURING: Much ado about fracking Hydraulic fracturing can open vast stores of cheap natural gas, to the benefit of North America’s chemical and plastics industry. The weird part is that, after more than 60 years, the process has suddenly become a lightning rod for controversy, and even outright bans. Here’s why.

22 INJECTION MOLDING: Fakuma frenzy Germany’s Fakuma trade show is the global industry event in the non-K years, and injection molding machinery makers used the occasion to drop a wealth of new technologies. Couldn’t be there in person to check it all out? We’ve got you covered with a look at some of what landed.

30 Technology Showcase 37 Classified Ads 37 Plastics Data File 37 Advertising Index 38 Technical Tips: • Melt index mysteries explained

25 EXTRUSION: Isn’t it time to stop drooling?

Die drool or buildup can plague any extrusion process. You can scrape and clean the die until your fingers bleed, but that’s only treating the symptom. Prefer to tackle the problem, instead? You’ll need to analyze three big areas in your extrusion line.

Visit us at www.canplastics.com www.canplastics.com November 2015 Canadian Plastics

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editor’s view

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

Will the economy turn upside down?

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hat with the federal election and a new NHL season getting underway, you can be forgiven if you didn’t hear about a recent milestone event: at some point in September 2015, the number of people aged 65 and over officially exceeded the number of children in Canada for the first time ever.

It’s a trend found throughout the developed world, as the global fertility rate has declined to 2.43 births per woman from a whopping 4.85 in 1970. As a rule of thumb, it takes 2.1 to keep the population on an even keel, so we’re barely hanging on and heading in the wrong direction, demographically speaking.

So why should we care if people aren’t sufficiently fecund? Well, according to an impeccably credentialed economist, the consequences will turn the business world upside down. In a recent paper for investment firm Morgan Stanley, Charles Goodhart — a pillar of the London School of Economics and a former top official at the Bank of England — argues that, because of the collapsing population, we are on the verge of a global turnaround in wages.

For the past 30 years, he writes, business profits have surged on the back of a demographic glut of labor: the baby boomers of the west augmented by the newly urbanized workforce of the global south, plus millions of women brought into the labor force. The abundant labor not only allowed business owners to keep wages relatively low, but also held down global costs and prices.

But the coming era of labor scarcity will shift the balance of power from employers to workers, Goodhart argues, kicking off a bidding war for employees that will drive wages ever higher.

Coupled with rising healthcare and ageing costs as people live longer, the wage boom will, in turn, drive fiscal expansion. In short, Goodhart writes, “we are going back to an inflationary world.”

4

China will face a double hit, Goodhart argues, thanks to the legacy effects of its one-child policy. The country was a big contributor to wage stagnation when it first entered into the global trading system, adding more than 500 million people to the working age cohort, and it compounded this impact with a manufacturing blitz that swamped the global markets with cheap exports. But as Goodhart notes, China’s workforce is already shrinking by three million people a year, and as its population continues to decline it will no longer be able to flood the world with excess savings.

Contrary to a lot of people, Goodhart doesn’t believe that robots will displace workers fast enough to offset the labor shortage. Nor does he believe that ageing nations such as Canada will be able to absorb enough immigrants to plug the jobs gap; or that India and Africa have either the economic or the manufacturing strength to repeat the “China effect.”

Goodhart’s theory also runs counter to a view held by many on the political left, which holds that economic growth in a free market system leads inevitably to greater concentrations of wealth among fewer and fewer people. It’s usually described as the rich getting richer.

According to Goodhart, however, it’s the poor who are about to get richer, and fast.

In the end, the birthrate decline and the ageing epidemic cited by Goodhart are statistical facts — everything that he believes will follow is just a socio-economic theory, albeit an informed one.

But it might not be a bad idea for business owners to keep it in mind going forward — especially since Goodhart’s prognostication has one takeaway in particular for employers. As Goodhart said in an interview after his paper was published, “companies have been making pots of money, but life isn’t going to be so cozy for them anymore.”

And on that less-than-cozy note, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

Mark Stephen, editor

mstephen@canplastics.com

www.canplastics.com EDITOR Mark Stephen 416-510-5110 Fax: 416-510-5134 mstephen@canplastics.com ART DIRECTOR Andrea M. Smith ACCOUNT COORDINATOR Cheryl Fisher 416-510-5194 cfisher@annexnewcom.ca PUBLISHER Greg Paliouras 416-510-5124 Fax: 416-510-5134 gpaliouras@canplastics.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Anita Madden 416-442-5600, ext. 3596 Fax: 416-510-6875 amadden@annexnewcom.ca VICE PRESIDENT ANNEX BUSINESS MEDIA EAST Tim Dimopolous 416-510-5100 tdimopoulos@canadianmanufacturing.com PRESIDENT & CEO Mike Fredericks mfredericks@annexweb.com 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto ON, M3B 2S9 416-442-5600, Fax: 416-510-5134 CANADIAN PLASTICS is published 7 times a year by Annex Business Media.

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ideas & innovations

Polymer device could save the limbs of injured soldiers

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n what might be the best military news since the United States Navy SEALS tracked down bin Laden, soldiers wounded by gunshots and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) may soon be treated with a polymerbased medical device that can literally save limbs by promoting new bone growth.

The research is being led by Matthew Becker, a professor of polymer science at the University of Akron in Ohio, and involves using a cylindershaped polymeric shell to stabilize the site of injury while the missing bone regenerates. Becker’s team of scientists from the University of Akron, the Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Texas A&M University received a US$6 million grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materials Command to fund their work in this limbsalvage technique.

The team’s recently completed twoyear pilot study involved the use of a biodegradable polymer scaffold that bridges the injured bone site, stabilizes the area of missing bone, and stimulates bone regrowth in it. The shell, which is the vital component to induc-

Matthew Becker holds a cylinder-shaped polymeric shell developed to help regenerate missing bones and save limbs.

Photo Credit: Lauren Collins, University of Akron.

hot-spot endures a traumatic IED or gunshot injury; he or she is then flown to Germany for a CAT scan to characterize the injury; then, while en route to the U.S. for the limb-saving procedure, a scaffold customized according

The recently completed two-year pilot study involved the use of a biodegradable polymer scaffold that bridges the injured bone site, stabilizes the area of missing bone, and stimulates bone regrowth in it. ing limb healing and patient recovery, is filled with decellularized collagen developed at the Houston Methodist Research Institute.

According to Becker, a real-world example of the procedure in use would unfold something like this: a soldier in the Middle East or any other military

to the patient’s CAT results is prepared for the limb surgery. “This could be a transformative advance,” Becker said, noting that the device and procedure have the potential to spare injured military members who have enough remaining bone and soft tissue from limb amputation.

Becker’s team developed the polymer-based scaffold while researchers at the Houston Methodist Research Institute conducted preclinical trials.

Texas A&M scientists, meanwhile, studied the biomechanics of the newly developed limbs in these studies. The polymer synthesis will be scaled up with the assistance of Akron-based material supplier Akron Polymer Systems; and the finished shells for use in humans will be molded by West Layaette, Ind.-based Cook Biotech, a medical technology company specializing in regenerative medicine.

And the technology doesn’t have to be confined to battlefield incidents.

The polymer scaffold “would have been a game-changer in civilian accidents like the Boston Marathon bombing,” Becker said.

Becker anticipates that initial materials will be ready for military trials in wounded soldiers by early 2016.

CPL

www.canplastics.com November 2015 Canadian Plastics

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news

Trans-Pacific Partnership offers pros, cons for the plastics industry

C

anada signed on to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal in early October, a landmark agreement that — if and when it goes into effect — will create the largest trading bloc in the world. And it’s already sparked controversy among a key segment of the country’s plastics industry.

More than five years in the making, the pact will reduce or remove tariffs and other barriers on sectors across the economy over the next 15 years and potentially give Canada increased and preferential access for goods, services, and investments in the Asia-Pacific region.

The 12-country TPP — which includes Canada, the U.S., Japan, Mexico, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam — represents a market of nearly 800 million consumers and almost 40 per cent of the global economy, with a combined GDP of about US$28.5 trillion. China was left out of the agreement, which supporters promoted as a counterweight to its growing influence.

The TPP agreement is expected to eclipse the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in economic importance to Canada, and includes two of the world’s three largest economies (the U.S. and Japan). The deal is bigger not only than either NAFTA or the European Union,

Plastics industry pioneer Doug Winter passes away

C

anadian plastics industry pioneer Doug Winter has died at 80.

Winter, who died on September 23, was involved in the industry for over 50 years, perhaps most prominently as the former owner of Toronto-based injection molder and moldmaker Universal Gravo-Plast Inc. After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1960 with degrees in business and engineering, Winter spent 18 years working for various raw materials firms. In 1978, he partnered with another investor to buy thermoplastic material supplier Aclo Compounders Inc., of Cambridge, Ont. Winter acquired Universal Gravo-Plast in 1986. In 2005, he sold the company and retired, but that didn’t end his involvement with the industry: he was elected president of the Canadian Plastics Pioneers organization in 2008, a position he held until his death.

In 1984, Winter received a Canplast Award from SPI Canada (now the Canadian Plastics Industry Association); and in 1989, the Society of Plastics Engineers presented him with an Outstanding Achievement Award.

CPL 6

Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

but nearly as big as the two combined; and could boost the access this country’s businesses are granted to Japan, traditionally a closed market.

The TPP deal must be ratified by parliaments in each country, which could take several years to complete.

The agreement is a win for the Canadian economy, the Conservative federal government and other supporters said at the time, but the compromise required to reach the deal

The TPP agreement is expected to eclipse NAFTA in economic importance to Canada. means that aspects of NAFTA pertaining to the auto sector will change — a pivotal issue for automotive parts molders.

The 6.1 per cent tariff on imported vehicles will be phased out, as long as they have 45 per cent content from the TPP region, which is lower than the current 62.5 per cent NAFTA regional content provision.

For this reason, the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) and Unifor, the country’s largest private sector union, warned in the months before the deal was finalized that it will mean job losses in Ontario. In September, APMA had joined with its Mexican and U.S. counterparts to draft a letter to Trade Minister Ed Fast to urge Canadian officials to reject any deal that would eat into the North American share of parts manufacturing. “An inadequate content rule for parts will dramatically impact our domestic parts manufacturing industry and the jobs that come with it,” the letter said.

But in a statement issued after the TPP deal was signed, APMA called the pact “reasonable.” “On one hand, prospects to supply vehicle assembly in foreign markets will open for large Canadian suppliers with multinational footprints and access to mobile capital,” the association said.

“On the other hand, small and medium-sized suppliers to Canada’s vehicle assembly supply chain will face new competitive pressure from large, multinational firms from TPP countries and further abroad.”

Before going down to defeat in the October 19 federal election, the Conservatives had also announced plans to provide the auto industry with more than $1 billion over the next decade to cope with the elimination of tariffs as a result of the TPP. There’s no word yet on whether the incoming Liberals will stick to that strategy. Toronto-based auto industry consultant Dennis DesRosiers said the $1 billion investment wouldn’t be considered huge in the always-costly car business, but it would help keep the Canadian industry afloat. “The name of auto policy everywhere in the world comes down to three words: cut a cheque,” DesRosiers said.

“This is a game where a billion dollars can be blown out the door on one project. This is $100 million per year, but without it we’re dead; with it we’re at least in the game.”

CPL

news

Wittmann Battenfeld expanding U.S. headquarters ittmann Battenfeld USA is undertaking a large-scale expansion of its headquarters in Torrington, Conn.

On October 5, the processing and auxiliary equipment maker purchased the adjacent building to its existing headquarters in Torrington. Construction will begin immediately, with a plan to move in by February 2016.

The new building, called “Plant II”, is a 50,000-squarefoot facility that will be occupied entirely by Wittmann Battenfeld’s material handling and auxiliaries division, headed by divisional manager Michael Stark. Of the 50,000 square feet, 7,000 is dedicated to offices for sales, engineering, and service, while the remaining 43,000 will be used for production and warehouse space for the division and for occasions when “Plant 1” requires additional storage space.

“This expansion will help facilitate what has been rapid growth in our material handling and auxiliaries division,” Stark said. “In particular, we have a pressing need to consolidate our growing inventory, which has been housed both in-house and at off-site locations; and we also need increased space for our injection molding division to house additional operating workcells for both demonstration and customer run-offs.”

As an offshoot of the expansion, Wittmann Battenfeld’s current headquarters building, which was expanded to 90,000 square feet in 2014, will be getting its own reno-

Photo Credit: Wittmann Battenfeld USA

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“Plant I”, the building on the left, is Wittmann Battenfeld’s original headquarters. The new building, “Plant II”, is on the right.

vations. New machinery and equipment will be added, and the company will incorporate some new steady production flow processes to better streamline operations, which will help shorten lead times and keep up with increased demand.

When the expansion is complete, the Torrington site will have approximately 150,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space in total.

CPL

Graham Engineering moves Rhode Island extrusion operations to Pennsylvania

Graham Engineering CEO David Schroeder in the York, Pa. facility.

Photo Credit: Graham Engineering Corporation

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xtrusion blow molding machine maker Graham Engineering Corporation is relocating its 26,000-squarefoot operations in Ashaway, R.I., along with its American Kuhne brand, to its 150,000-square-foot facility in York, Pa. “Continued growth in our extrusion business prompted this decision, a logical next step,” said David Schroeder,

CEO of York-based Graham Engineering. “We are simply outgrowing the Ashaway facility, which houses our extruder assembly, and these capacity constraints have the potential to impact future lead times.”

The integration will proceed into 2016. Graham Engineering said it will maintain a satellite office near

the present Ashaway location, and also said that “many” Ashaway employees will be given the opportunity to relocate to York.

Graham Engineering expanded its York facility by 35 per cent in 2013 while integrating its Welex sheet line assembly operations from Greenville, N.C. The company said it will continue to make capital investments and improvements to accommodate this latest growth.

The Graham Group acquired majority interest in extruder maker American Kuhne in 2012, followed by Graham Engineering’s acquisition of sheet extrusion technology supplier Welex in June 2013.

CPL

www.canplastics.com November 2015 Canadian Plastics

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news

Sabic dissolving Innovative Plastics unit, relocating to Houston

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audi Basic Industries Corp. (Sabic) is dissolving its Sabic Innovative Plastics unit in a move that will also see it close Sabic IP’s office in Pittsfield, Mass, and move to Houston, Tex. — what it calls “the heart of the U.S. petrochemical industry.”

Officials with Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based Sabic announced that the commodity products of the innovative plastics strategic business unit (SBU) will now be housed in the chemicals and polymers SBUs. The remaining innovative plastics solutions will fall under a newly created SBU called specialties. This business will serve as the exclusive home for Sabic specialty solutions. Along with the performance chemicals SBU, the portfolio of which was reallocated earlier, the innovative plastics SBU

will cease to exist.

Some of the 300 employees in Pittsfield will transfer to Sabic offices in the Houston area, the company said in a news release. The company is also evaluating Pittsfield’s Polymer Processing Development Center and its location.

The business that is now Sabic IP was originally established in Pittsfield in the early 1900s, when General Electric Co. bought the Stanley Electric Manufacturing plant there. GE began making phenolic plastic resins on the site in 1909. GE’s employment numbers in Pittsfield hit a peak at approximately 13,000 in the 1940s, and the business remained there after being sold to Sabic for US$11.6 billion in 2007.

“Exiting the Pittsfield site was

a logical yet very difficult business decision, knowing the important role our business and people have played in this community over the years,” Sabic vice president and acting CEO Yousef Al-Benyan said in the release.

“We are committed to a smooth transition for our people, and look forward to welcoming many of them to our Greater Houston area office.” Sabic has three locations in the Greater Houston area: City West, Sugarland, and Sugar Creek.

Officials added in the release that one of the drivers of the change is “the differing technology priorities of commodity and specialty businesses.”

The Pittsfield office will be closed during 2016, the company said, with the majority of the relocation to Houston to be completed by mid-year. CPL

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Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

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news

PEOPLE Paul Aucoin

Brian Bechard

Edward Breen

– Beaverton, Mich.-based Modern Machinery Inc., a supplier of thermoforming equipment, has named Paul Aucoin as its sales representative for Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritime provinces. Aucoin is based in Montreal.

– Wilmington, Mass.-based Trexel Inc., the exclusive provider of MuCell microcellular foam injection molding technology, has named Brian Bechard as its president and CEO. – Delaware-based chemical maker E.I. DuPont Co. has named Edward Breen as its interim chairman and CEO. He replaces outgoing chairwoman and CEO Ellen Kullman, who is leaving the company.

– The TPE division of material supplier Teknor Apex Company, headquartered in Pawtucket,

Ellen Kullman

Jeffrey Dickerhoof

Matthew Pekrul

Andrew Hier

R.I., has named Jeffrey Dickerhoof as senior marketing and sales manager in the Americas; Matthew Pekrul as market manager in support of sales to the North American transportation market; Andrew Hier as senior market manager for North, Central, and South America; and Gabriel Cruz as full-time agent for its Mexico division.

– Houston, Tex.-based material supplier Ingenia Polymers Group has named Robert G. (Bob) Hutchinson as its president and CEO for the Americas. Hutchinson is based in Toronto.

– York, Pa.-based Graham Engineering Corporation — which combines extrusion equipment makers Graham Engineering, American Kuhne, and Welex — has named Justin Kilgore as vice president of engineering.

Gabriel Cruz

Robert G. (Bob) Hutchinson

Justin Kilgore

www.canplastics.com November 2015 Canadian Plastics

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executive’s corner

Five people who can kill your next project

By Ryan Caligiuri, inVision Edge

T

here are certain people who can seriously harm an innovative business project, and I refer to them as “executioners”. They have the power to kill a project by disrupting momentum, discouraging other team members, and/or creating unnecessary tension. The challenge is to recognize who these people are and to manage them appropriately before they have a chance to hinder other team members — and maybe even derail your next project.

1. THE PESSIMIST This person is the first one to tell you how and why an idea won’t work. There can actually be value in his opinion insofar as it ensures that all perceived threats are recognized and dealt with, and any innovation team with a pessimist would be wise to give him an outlet and to pay attention to his concerns. But without a way of managing his comments, the pessimist can kill an idea stone-dead before it even has a chance.

In the innovation engineering community, we classify these threatening factors as “death threats” and, in all projects, we pay special attention to them and spend a significant amount of time eliminating them.

2. THE DETRACTOR Not to be confused with the pessimist, the detractor rarely has something valuable to contribute to the team and often criticizes the process, puts down ideas, and distracts the team. While the pessimist can have his opinions channeled constructively, detractors often don’t have very many things to add that are constructive in nature. The detractor has the power to discourage team members and kill momentum because of her own negative bias. Innovation isn’t easy — it requires focus, speed, and momentum, and someone who doesn’t have anything constructive to add can cripple the growth of the team. Ironically, one of the best ways to deal with a detractor is to reassure her that her contribution is important. This discussion needs to be positive and can’t come across like an attack. This can be difficult for a peer to do, so it may be easier for a team leader or facilitator to deliver the message.

3. THE KNOW-IT-ALL This person often has a great deal of experience in particular areas, so you can’t tell him anything he doesn’t already know. He can either help or hurt your innovation team. If you don’t manage him properly, he’ll intimidate anyone who doesn’t come to the table with his level of knowledge, 10

Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

which hurts the team by depriving it of diverse opinions.

This is where a facilitator can step in, by giving the knowit-all time to share his opinions while also asking others for theirs, which encourages diversity among the group. Every opinion is valuable, so giving equal time to everyone is incredibly important.

4. THE AGENDA-HOLDER This person comes to the table with an idea already firmly held in her mind, and wants that idea to develop in a fixed way. Although she’s often knowledgeable and passionate about her idea — which might actually be a good one — odds are her idea isn’t one that’s meaningfully unique. If she isn’t managed properly, she might begin to sell others on her idea as well, which damages the whole creative process. A team needs to have a chance to explore new ideas and come to their own conclusions on how to address the organization’s strategic mission. But they won’t get that chance if the agenda-holder keeps forcing her one idea on everyone. In the innovation engineering world, we manage this by using a tool called the “mind dump”, in which everyone on the team puts their initial big ideas down on paper. After that, we encourage them to leave those ideas on paper as back-up options while we all concentrate on new ideas.

5. THE UNWILLING This person could be anyone on the team, and he can appear at any moment, without warning. Perhaps he gives up at a certain point, disconnects from the team, and begins to show disdain for the process, thereby distracting and even discouraging everyone else. How do you manage him? Redirect him back towards the strategic mission, and remind him of how important the project is to the organization’s future. If he’s still not interested in taking part, consider replacing him with someone else who’s willing to contribute.

Now that you’ve been introduced to these five executioners of innovation, recognize them, prepare for them, and learn how to inspire them. Bringing out their hidden strengths might just transform killers into saviors CPL Ryan Caligiuri is an associate and innovation engineering practitioner with inVision Edge, a Winnipeg, Man.-based business strategy consulting firm. The company is also the leader of the Canadian Innovation Engineering Network.

Visit www.invisionedge.com for more details.

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cover story

By Mark Stephen, editor

PUMPED! 12

If you’re a plastics processor, falling oil prices not only mean lower costs for resins and plastic components, but also lower gas prices, giving consumers more disposable income to buy your products. Congratulations — this is your reward for making it through the recession. The catch? It helps to be able to predict your feedstock’s price trends.

Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

cover story

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©Nikodash/Getty Images/Thinkstock

ow important is the price of oil to a plastics processor?

That’s like asking how important a jumpsuit is to a late-period Elvis impersonator. Since the petrochemical feedstocks for most plastics resins are produced as byproducts of oil and natural gas processing, oil pricing is the key to resin cost. Which is why 2015 has been a very good year for companies molding, blowing or extruding commodity thermoplastics.

“Falling oil prices” is ruling the headlines these days, a paradigm shift from oil prices hovering around US$100 per barrel for the past few years supported by surging global demand, particularly in China.

Why? Look no further than the classic law of supply and demand. New oil sources have contributed significantly to the global supply. In Canada and the U.S., companies began using techniques like hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling to extract oil from shale formations. In fact, as noted in a recent paper by Chicago, Ill.-based market analyst Zacks Equity Research, the U.S. is currently the world’s biggest oil producer, overtaking Russia and even Saudi Arabia. “Moreover, resumption of significant Libyan production acted as a key factor in putting downward pressure on the prices,” the report noted. “Simultaneously, weak economic activities along with a shift to cheaper and cleaner alternatives have led to lower demand. Oil demand in Asia and Europe began to weaken particularly due to the slowdown witnessed in China and Germany.”

Between June 2014 and the second quarter of 2015, the price of crude oil plunged more than 40 per cent from over US$100 a barrel to under US$60 due to global oversupply.

And experts believe crude oil prices will remain relatively low for the next few years. North American production continues to increase, and inventories are growing. By all accounts, OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) intends to continue production at the current level of 30 million barrels a day — and while the effects of an overall slow-down of oil production in the second half of 2015 might tighten supply enough to support rising prices, a return to the bad old days of US$100 per barrel is about as likely as Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau grabbing a friendly beer together.

CRUDE CALCULATIONS While falling oil prices have created mayhem for industries like energy, the plastics industry is well positioned to capitalize on the situation, with everyone from toy manufacturers to Tier One OEMs expected to enjoy ample supply and lower pricing of important thermoplastics like PE — the world’s most widely used plastic — for the next few years. The correlation between PE prices to crude oil is 95 per cent, and generally a US$10 per barrel decline in oil translates to a four

cents per pound decline in PE prices. According to the most recent global polyolefins outlook by London, U.K.-based energy market analyst Platts, PE production is set to grow despite global surplus from 2017, with worldwide PE production expected to swell 37 per cent from current levels by 2024.

The situation is similar for the other major commodity polyolefin, PP: global PP surpluses are expected to increase from three per cent in 2014 to more than five per cent of global demand in 2017.

Adding to the scenario is the abundant production of natural gas in North America in recent years with resultant lower prices. Taking advantage of lower prices and higher ethylene yields, many ethylene producers have shifted their feedstocks from oil-based naphtha to natural gas liquids, ethane, propane, and butane. But this win for ethylene producers has resulted in reduced by-product production of critical inputs to the plastics market, namely propylene, benzene, and butadiene. Among the results are lower polymer costs.

Plastic resins are subject to price fluctuations beyond those arising from crude oil alone, including supply shortages and changes in the prices of natural gas and other petrochemical intermediates from which resins are produced.

And as a final contributing factor, now is a good time to be making plastic products, period. Although plunging oil prices may not lead to deep discounts on store shelves — since manufacturers are reluctant to trim their prices even as oil tumbles, particularly when it falls as fast and dramatically as it has in recent months — consumers will benefit anyway as they save money at the pump, leaving more in their pockets to spend on shopping. That’s particularly true for lowincome consumers who tend to feel the greatest relief from cheaper gasoline.

Which may help to explain why the North American appetite for plastics has reached an all-time high as Canada and the U.S. continue to recover from the Great Recession.

In the U.S., for example, domestic demand for plastic products grew by 6.5 per cent to US$267 billion in 2014, topping the previous high set in 2006, according to data from the Society of the Plastics Industry. www.canplastics.com November 2015 Canadian Plastics

13

cover story

Crude Oil Price Trend to 2020 2012 $150

$100 2016 $50

2000

2010

2020

This graph, based on crude oil pricing projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, predicts a shallow bottoming of oil pricing in the US$70-US$80 per barrel range through 2016 and most of 2017.

MAKING THE MOST OF IT Given all these moving parts, how does a resin buyer — in other words, most plastics processors — maximize the benefit of lower crude prices? First, understand that, while lower crude oil is pushing costs down, each polymer family is influenced by a different set of supply chain and market factors. As a result, price drops aren’t uniform, which means that some plastic prices will fall faster and drop more than others. “Each feedstock has a different correlation factor to oil that is influenced by supply and demand of the feedstock, the manufacturing process, and the region of the world where the product is produced,” said Paul Blanchard, director of engineered plastics at Houston, Tex.based market research firm IHS Chemical. “Not all plastics start with crude oil as their primary building block.

Although all plastics are made from fossil fuels, some are manufactured from natural gas, while others start with a crude oil. When the shale gas industry started drilling in North America, the natural gas price began to decline and

went through a price drop of its own. Plastics derived from natural gas have most likely already experienced a feedstock price advantage, while the oil-derived resins are just beginning to see the impact.”

In short, plastic resins are subject to price fluctuations beyond those arising from crude oil alone, including supply shortages and changes in the prices of natural gas and other petrochemical intermediates from which resins are produced. Once you understand a plastic’s origin, you can move to predict a feedstock’s price trends.

That said, oil is still the determining factor, and in a recent study, Blanchard and Matt Kaufman and Jim Dixon — both with Plymouth, Mich.-based consulting firm Advanced Purchasing Dynamics — recommend a threepronged strategy to take advantage of falling prices. First, conduct a “deep-dive” analysis of the resin spend, segmenting each major plastic by its type and family. “This includes understanding the price change frequency of each resin by supplier, examining the correlation between buy-side and sell-side resin prices, and reassessing the type of pricing mechanism used to negotiate for resins,” Blanchard said.

Second, build cost models, follow market publications, and track the monthly movement of indices and networks to gain the most market intelligence possible to arrive at the best pricing levels. “Be sure to look at the price change frequency of each resin/family by supplier and by timing — by the year, quarter, month, et cetera,” Blanchard said.

Third, make sure you communicate with key stakeholders, leveraging the knowledge and insight that purchasing professionals bring to the enterprise. “This includes impact on cost of goods, inventory — including on-hand, in-transit, and finished goods — buy-side and sell-side prices, and more,” Blanchard said.

In the end, and regardless of the feedstock, the bottom line for plastics manufacturers in general is adequate supplies of commodity resins at stable prices for the foreseeable future. Sounds a lot better to our ears than most Elvis impersonators.

CPL

How To Build A Better Cost Model In general, most experts predict that oil prices will continue to sell in a lower price band over the next two year versus the last two years. Which means it’s important to develop cost models and develop scenarios and predictive modeling. How? Here’s a few basic tips to keep in mind: ake sure you capture all of the inputs. Engineered resins can include colorants, modifiers such as talc and glass, and enhancers M such as flame-retardants and UV. There may be an additional manufacturing step for remixing, extruding, and pelletizing.

The size and scale of a resin manufacturing plant will vary depending upon the year it was built, the integrated feedstocks on site, the technology used, and the region of the world where it’s located.

Trade publications can be purchased in order to track both historical and current raw material price indices for each resin modeled.

Industry experts can also be an excellent source to make suggestions on your models or even help build them from scratch.

14

Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

Source: Advanced Purchasing Dynamics

Wikipedia is a great source of information to get started.

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hydraulic fracturing

Much ado about

FRACKIN

By Mark Stephen, editor

W

ith all the controversy swirling around hydraulic fracturing these days, you’d think it had just been unleashed from out of nowhere on an unsuspecting public — sort of like Godzilla descending suddenly on Tokyo to terrify thousands of fleeing Japanese.

But the truth is, it’s been around longer than a lot of us. Commonly called fracking, the process was first commercially introduced in the oil and gas industry way back in 1949, and involves pumping water, chemicals, and a proppant down an oil or gas well under high pressure to break open channels in the rock holding the oil or gas. The proppant can be a material such as sand, and is designed to hold the cracks open once they’re formed.

This allows oil or gas to flow to the well with less resistance, which increases the amount of material that can be recovered.

It sounds simple enough, but in recent years fracking has become a political hot potato of the first magnitude, compared to which the battle over the Keystone XL pipeline sometimes seems as friendly as a knitting circle.

France has banned the procedure, as has New York State.

Closer to home, the governments of both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have banned large-scale fracking operations; Quebec, meanwhile, enacted a fracking moratorium several years ago that prompted a NAFTA lawsuit against Canada by U.S. firm Lone Pine Resources. So after more than 60 years, why is the process suddenly such a big deal, dividing hundreds of thousands of people 16

Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

Hydraulic fracturing can open vast stores of cheap natural gas, to the benefit of North America’s chemical and plastics industry.

The weird part is that, after more than 60 years, the process has suddenly become a lightning rod for controversy, and even outright bans. Here’s why.

hydraulic fracturing Looking up at a hydraulic fracturing rig.

into two sharp camps of supporters and opponents, both claiming to have science on their side?

There are two reasons. First, until recently, the application of fracking was on conventional, vertical wells. But over the past decade or so, fracking began to be commercially applied to horizontal wells. This allowed more area underground to be accessed, which required ever greater amounts of water and fracking chemicals that were often being pumped down to pay zones beneath aquifers. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, new developments in drilling and extraction technology have opened the door for the capture of more than 2,000 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas — enough to take us, at current rates of consumption, well into the next century.

The second reason for all the controversy is that the marriage of fracking with horizontal drilling has enabled economic oil and gas production in North America’s many shale formations for the first time. And here, as they say, is the rub. One of the largest shale gas formations is the gigantic Marcellus Shale Basin, which lies underneath parts of New York, Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, western Maryland, and West Virginia — areas with large numbers of people who are unaccustomed to having oil and gas exploration carried out in their backyards.

In other words, a significant chunk of the American populace suddenly has a stake in the issue.

NG ©doranjclark/Getty Images/Thinkstock

GET CRACKING It’s because of the new underground vistas created by horizontal drilling that fracking has become particularly important to the chemical industry — and by extension, to plastics processors. The oil and natural gas recovered contain many of the vital raw materials that are used to manufacture plastics goods. Even better, the sudden tide of inexpensive natural gas and related feedstocks has transformed North America into one of the cheapest places on earth to make plastic. As a result, the petrochemical industry in both Canada and the U.S. has launched the biggest building spree it has seen in many years. According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the shale boom has already resulted in more than US$125 billion in investments in U.S. chemical facilities, with more on the way. These projects — consisting of new factories, expansions, and process changes to increase capacity — could lead to US$81 billion per year in new chemical industry output and 637,000 permanent new jobs by 2023, the ACC said. And more than half

of the investment is by firms based outside the U.S. In Canada, meanwhile, Nova Chemicals Corporation is also investing heavily, and has revamped its Corunna, Ont. cracker to utilize up to 100 per cent natural gas liquid feedstock from the Marcellus Shale.

Access to low-cost natural gas is one incentive; location is a second. Currently, most of the oil and natural gas processed in the U.S. is handled on the Gulf Coast, but bottlenecks are developing there, and there’s a big transportation cost savings to processing it close to the source in the Marcellus Shale, which is within a 250 mile radius of some 50 per cent of North America’s plastics processing industry.

The growing investments of the chemical makers have been matched, however, by growing opposition to fracking among others — opposition that has come to centre around three main issues. The first is the risk of contaminating water supplies with fracking fluids — and it’s the issue that tends to get the most attention. On the one hand, a report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that fracking “results in impacts on drinking water resources, including contamination of drinking water wells.” On the other, fracking proponents argue that there are thousands of feet of impermeable rock between the fossil fuel pay zones where fracking occurs and any aquifers, meaning there is really no chance for fracking fluids to migrate from the fracking location to the aquifer. In his 2014 book Groundswell: The Case for Fracking, Canadian author Ezra Levant took a state-by-state look at fracking in the U.S. “Though hydraulic fracturing has been used for over 60 years in Texas…records do not reflect a single documented surface or groundwater contamination case associated with it,” he writes. “Also, drillers have been fracking for oil in South Dakota since the Fifties, and for gas since 1970, and still the state reports ‘no documented case of water well or aquifer damage by the fracking of oil or gas wells.’”

In truth, competing studies have been commissioned by both sides, with some concluding that fracking could contaminate aquifers, and others concluding that there is virtually no possibility of this happening. In perhaps the most objective study, a task force commissioned by U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu found that “the likelihood of properly injected fracturing fluid reaching drinking water through fractures is remote.” And even if it does happen? A 2014 Yale University study estimated that shale gas production contributes over US$100 billion to U.S. consumers annually, through www.canplastics.com November 2015 Canadian Plastics

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job creation and lower gas prices providing relief in the form of lower heat and electricity bills. Compared to which, the study estimated that the cost of groundwater contamination could be US$250 million per year, which is a mere 1/400th the estimated benefit.

CARBON QUESTION

Opponents of fracking claim, secondly, that the procedure adds carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. This is an Canadian Plastics argument that supporters of fracking also dispute, because 1/2 pg 4c horizontal — as Levant points out in his book — “the U.S. has seen the No Booth Number most dramatic decline in carbon emissions of any country in the world over the past five years, and fracking is one reason for that.” Cheap natural gas, Levant and others argue, has resulted in many utilities swapping in cleaner burning natuS ral gas to replace coal.

The opponents, in turn, counter by saying that if the level of methane leakage from fracking operations is sufficiently high, methane’s contribution to carbon emissions will more than offset the benefit from replacing coal. A widely cited — and widely criticized — study by Robert Howarth, a professor of ecology at Cornell University, concluded that the leakhredding room ages rates were indeed so high that natural gas produced from V-ECO 900

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Third, there’s a subset of die-hard environmentalists who, it’s fair to say, don’t want to see any expansion in the usage of natural gas, period — even if it’s replacing coal — since the chemical is still a fossil fuel, and all fossil fuel consumption, they believe, should be replaced by green energy alternatives. In Canada, for example, both the Green Party and the David Suzuki Foundation have called repeatedly for a shift to renewable energy sources in direct proportion to the phase-out of fossil fuels; and not surprisingly, both are highly critical of fracking.

For the moment, the last word might just belong to chemical engineer and Wall Street Journal science writer Robert Rapier. “Ultimately, fracking is like so many other ways of producing energy — there is always a cost associated with it, and as a result we make trade-offs, which are acceptable to some, but not to others,” he writes. “Thus, fracking will continue to be embraced by some for the economic benefits and condemned by others for the environmental risks.”

To this latter group, then, it’s as dangerous as our old friend Godzilla.

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injection molding

FRENZY

Germany’s Fakuma trade show is the global industry event in the non-K years, and injection molding equipment makers took advantage of the 2015 edition to drop a wealth of new technologies. Couldn’t be there in person to catch it all? We’ve got you covered with a look at some of what went down at the show.

By Mark Stephen, editor

F

or most North American plastics processors, the Fakuma trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany is probably less of a big deal than the country’s other regular event, the larger K show in Düsseldorf; and definitely less accessible than North America’s biggest show, the triennial NPE in Orlando.

But since Europe sets the bar for new technology, you ignore Fakuma at your own peril. The show is held twice every three years, and floor space for the 2015 edition sold out seven months before the week-long show was staged in October. With more than 46,000 attendees showing up, you better believe it’s the highlight of the year for the exhibitors.

And that definitely includes the heavy hitters among injection molding machine makers — which is why many of them pulled out all the stops to unveil the latest in micromolding, IML, medical technology, and more.

FROM MICRO TO MACRO Arburg Inc. offered up a new micro production system based on an electric Allrounder 270 A, equipped with a new micro injection unit with two-stage injection. A clean-air module with 22

ionization is designed to ensure a constant, controlled production environment, Arburg said, and effectively prevents the adhesion of micro components in the working area. The micro injection unit is specially designed for precision control over short travel strokes in conjunction with high filling dynamics. It combines a choice of either a 15 mm or 18 mm screw for plastication (both of which can take standard pellets) and an 8 mm screw for injection. “This enables normal granule sizes, and therefore all common materials, to be processed problem-free, and the smallest shot weights can be achieved precisely and with short travel strokes,” the company said. During the show, the micro production system manufactured 4 micro counter wheels in a cycle time of 12 seconds. “Nine components weigh as much as a single granule of PBT material,” Arburg said. “The specially designed double-armed robot removes the sprue and the delicate 0.004 gram-light micro counter wheels simultaneously and sets them down carefully, separately, and according to cavity.”

Engel’s e-motion 80 TL, the largest model yet in its Engel introduced the e-motion all-electric, tiebarless e-motion TL series.

80 TL, the largest model yet in its Photo Credit: Engel all-electric, tiebarless e-motion

Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

Photo Credit: Arburg

FAKUMA

injection molding

TL series. The first 30 tonne model appeared at K 2013, and “Combining the advantages of a precise and accurate toggle a 50 tonne unit followed at last year’s Fakuma show. Fakuma mechanism with advanced user-friendly controls, the Magna 2015 ushered in an 80 tonne addition, which molded medical T 200 is a high-value injection molding machine,” the comparts in 16 cavities using GMP-compliant cleanroom produc- pany said. “Reduced heat generation results in longer life for tion during the show. Two new elements of the cell are a the hydraulic components and enhanced oil life, while the stainless-steel pipe distributor for cavity separation and a head load on the factory floor and cooling water consumption special robot gripper housing is reduced.” The T 200 unit also with smooth, easily cleanable surhas a quiet gear pump, Milacron faces, which allows use of stansaid, resulting in increased operadard grippers in a GMP environtor safety due to substantial noise ment. “Because there are no reduction. “Its toggle mechanism tiebars in the way, the mold is optimized for fast cycling and mounting platens can be fully reduced platen deflection, and its used up to their very edges,” servo motor design has increased Engel said. “This means that large reliability and lower maintenance molds can be mounted on relacosts,” the company added. tively small injection molding Wittmann Battenfeld commachines, which in turn keeps the pleted its new SmartPower series KraussMaffei’s upgraded CX hydraulic machines investment and operating costs with larger models. These energyhave an energy-optimized drive that requires low and enables particularly comefficient servo hydraulic 10 per cent less power. pact production cells, which is a machines, which recover braking Photo Credit: KraussMaffei particularly important metric in energy for barrel heating, were cleanroom molding.” Further introduced at Fakuma 2014 as benefits of tiebarless technology replacements for the hydraulic include fast tooling processes and HM series in sizes from 25 to 120 efficient automation solutions, tonnes. At Fakuma 2015, the line because the robot can reach the was topped off with models of cavities directly from the side 180, 240, and 350 tonnes, the last without having to work around of which made its debut at the show. The SmartPower 350 has any obstacles.

The Magna T 200 from Milacron is designed 800 mm by 720 mm tiebar spacfor energy efficiency and repeatability. ing, and the unit running at the ENERGETIC SAVINGS Photo Credit: Milacron show was producing organic KraussMaffei showed off the sheet components with a singleupgraded version of its CX cavity mold. The mold was hydraulic two-platen machines, whose drive has been energyequipped, in turn, with a hot runoptimized with an intelligent ner with needle shut-off, an edge memory management system that folding slider for in-mold forming requires 10 per cent less power. of the organic sheet, and a punch“Another significant savings ing die to punch out an aperture potential can be found in the new in it. “The automation system adaptive process control machine developed was custom-made for function, which allows the injecthis application, and came with a Wittmann Battenfeld’s SmartPower line was topped off station to feed the organic sheets tion molding machine to restart with models of 180, 240, and 350 tonnes.

Photo Credit: Wittmann Battenfeld cut to size, a heating station to quickly and to process even diffiheat the organic sheets with heatcult batches of material with high ing elements, a multi-functional gripper with a needle gripper proportions of recycled materials into premium quality comto pick up the heated organic sheet, and a suction unit for ponents,” said Hans Ulrich Golz, managing director of finished parts removal,” the company said.

KraussMaffei. “And even further savings can be found in the superior homogenization of the HPS screw, which enables, for example, the color masterbatch proportion to be reduced A “WORLD FIRST” AND MORE by up to 30 per cent.”

KraussMaffei’s sister company Netstal demonstrated what it Energy efficiency, combined with good repeatability, was called a “world first” by injection compression molding 425 also on offer with Milacron’s new Magna T 200 machine. gram margarine tubs in a stack mold with 4 + 4 cavities on a www.canplastics.com November 2015 Canadian Plastics

23

injection molding

280 tonne Netstal Elion hybrid machine. The cavities were partly filled in only 100 milliseconds, the company said, and the total cycle time — including IML — was 5 seconds.

According to Netstal, the low-pressure filling reduces stresses in the material and warpage, especially in lids. Weight reduction of up to 20 per cent through thin-walling is also said to be possible with injection compression. “This combination of injection compression molding on a stack mold is a complete novelty in the industrial production of packaging,” said Markus Dal Pian, Netstal’s vice president of sales and marketing.

In an exhibit that married extremely short cycle times for injection molding with precise automation, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag showcased its El-Exis SP 200. The high-speed machine produced four 125 ml PP gourmet containers and also completed their removal by a special handling robot in less than two seconds. The El-Exis SP 200, with a 25D 40 mm screw plus shear and mixing section, was also equipped with an important production efficiency module for cycle time optimization: the “ActiveAdjust” easy slide control system, which allows machine operators to select the most suitable control characteristic. “Individual machine movements, as well as acceleration and deceleration ramps, can be optimized to suit the requirements of the product being processed — including metering, the dynamics of the switch­

24

Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

over from injection to holding pressure, and mold opening and ejector movements,” Sumitomo (SHI) Demag said. “This optimization is key to boosting the production capacity and cutting the cycle times of high-speed applications, such as the exhibited production of gourmet containers, by between three per cent and five per cent compared with those achieved with standard settings.”

If you’re wondering, the next edition of Fakuma is scheduled for October 2017, which gives you just under two years to book your flight to Friedrichshafen. See you at the airport.

CPL RESOURCE LIST Arburg Inc. (Newington, Conn.); www.arburg.com; 860-667-6500 DCube (Montreal); www.dcube.ca; 514-272-0500 Engel Canada Inc. (Waterloo, Ont.); www.engelglobal.com/na; 519-725-8488 KraussMaffei Corporation (Florence, Ky.); www.kraussmaffei.com; 859-283-0200 Milacron Canada Corporation (Burlington, Ont.); www.milacron.com; 888-254-1919 Netstal (Florence, Ky.); www.kraussmaffei.com; 859-283-0200 Sumitomo (SHI) Demag/Plastics Machinery Inc. (Newmarket, Ont.); www.pmiplastics.com; 905-895-5054 Wittmann Canada Inc. (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-canada.com; 866-466-8266

extrusion

o t e m i t t i t ’ n s I

STOP G N I L O DRO

By Mark Stephen, editor

T

here’s almost no situation in the adult world in which drooling is a good thing. Try it on a first date, for example, and you probably won’t get another. It’s even less welcome in extrusion processing. Die drool — perhaps better known as die buildup — refers to the unwanted accumulation of material on the open face of extrusion dies. And too many processors have been putting up with it for too long.

Die buildup is related to stress at the die exit. Resin flowing along the die inner surface moves relatively slowly until it suddenly accelerates as it exits the die — an acceleration which causes stress within the melt, in turn causing low molecular weight polymer fractions and other components to separate and become deposited at the die exit. And it doesn’t matter if you’re extruding sheet, film, pipe, tubes, or profiles — if you’re using either an olefinic or thermoplastic elastomeric compound, it’s probably going to plague your process. Whether it’s the same color as the material being extruded or whether it appears as either yellow or red, buildup can create unac-

Die drool or buildup can plague any extrusion process. You can scrape and clean the die until your fingers bleed, but that’s only treating the symptom. Wanna tackle the problem, instead? You’ll need to analyze three big areas in your extrusion line.

ceptable machine-direction lines in the extrudate. Leave it unattended long enough and the buildup can break off and attach itself to the extrudate, resulting in additional aesthetic flaws.

Typically, processors spend a lot of time and labor removing die buildup through a variety of strategies: wielding mechanical scrapers, applying mold release or silicone to the die exit area, pushing the buildup onto the product for removal further down the line, and/or slowing down the line speed to lessen the buildup. Sometimes these methods work, and sometimes

they don’t, but most involve costly downtime. And you’re only treating the symptom. A better solution? Tackle the problem head-on by addressing the causes of die buildup.

The experts identify two main ways to do it, involving three big areas. “The best method is either to reduce die exit stress or to reduce the tendency for components to separate from the melt,” said Tom Cunningham, product and process development manager with Polymer Technology & Services LLC. “These may involve changes to the process, the material, or the die.”

A MATTER OF PROCESS The first step involves going right to the source — taking a close look at the physical condition of your extruder, especially the barrel and screw. Excessive screw wear or even moderate barrel wear can lead to reduced output, which necessitates a higher screw speed to maintain the desired rate. Trouble is, that higher screw speed leads, in turn, to additional frictional heat imparted to the thermoplastic, causing melt separa-

www.canplastics.com November 2015 Canadian Plastics

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extrusion

tion and die buildup. And at the other end of the temperature scale, sometimes lower die temperatures can create a cool layer of resin on the inner surface of the die that creeps slowly to the die exit and then separates from the bulk flow, also causing buildup.

So what to do? “Start by determining the true melt temperature and set the die body to that temperature,” Cunningham said. “You may have to check the melt temperatures by hand, since standard melt thermocouples are often wrong.

Also, the die exit surface can be significantly cooler than the die itself, so try checking the die exit temperature with a surface thermocouple.”

Cunningham also suggests using an air sweep, which is a wand contoured to the extrusion profile shape with holes drilled in it to distribute compressed air. “By pointing an air sweep

Resin made by one supplier can generate more extrusion die buildup than resin from a second supplier, even when the resins have the very same specifications. at the die exit, the sweep can direct any smoke and condensables away from the die, so they don’t oxidize and turn dark,” he said. “Nitrogen is also used to prevent oxidation, but take care not to blow too hard or to cool the die so much that it distorts the extrudate.”

MATERIAL PROBLEM Resin being the lifeblood of the extrusion process, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that the material being processed plays a large role in die buildup. “Each

thermoplastic is unique, and each can produce different sorts of die buildup, ranging from thick to thin,” said Mirek Planeta, president of Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. “Adding to that, processing aids are a big contributor to buildup. For example, in rigid PVC compounds, there are internal and external lubricants — typically lowmelting waxes — which can migrate out of the material matrix. Along with these constituents, plasticizers are added to make PVC flexible; these are

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extrusion

also prone to migration when critical shear rates are reached. Adding antioxidants to the formulation can help; they won’t prevent die buildup, but they can make any buildup that attaches to the product less visible.”

Reactor grades of olefinic polymers such as PP and LDPE are relatively trouble-free in isolation, the experts say, but can cause buildup problems if two or more are melt-blended. “PET — especially reclaimed PET — doesn’t mix well with PE, and in the high stress environment coming out of the die, it’s possible for the PE to pop out of the mix and adhere to the die,” Tom Cunningham said. “In such cases, using compatibilizers can help. Fluoropolymer processing aids can also be added in small amounts to reduce stress at the die exit.”

And while you might not think it,

resin from one supplier can generate more die buildup than resin from a second supplier, even when the resins have exactly the same specifications. “If die buildup occurs, switching to a similar grade from another material supplier can sometimes make the problem go away, for reasons relating to the elongational viscosity of the polymer — the resin with the lower elongational viscosity will likely have fewer problems with buildup due to lower stresses at the die exit,” Cunningham said. “Changing suppliers doesn’t always work, but it’s an option worth trying.”

A growing problem relates to the increased use of post-consumer materials. “I’ve seen more die buildup problems due to reclaimed, post-industrial resins than from any other type of material,” Cunningham continued. “The reason is that reclaimed scrap usually con-

tains low molecular weight fractions produced by thermal degradation during prior processing.” Additives that reduce degradation or chain extenders that repolymerize degradation components might be able to help. “If that doesn’t work, sell your reclaim to someone else,” said John Perdikoulias, vice president at Compuplast Inc.

DIE HARD Die design also plays an important part in the buildup problem. To modify the old adage about the silk purse and the sow’s ear, it’s almost impossible to prevent buildup in a poorly made die. To a certain extent, then, you’re at the mercy of your tooler from the outset. Usually by using die flow modeling technology, a good tooling supplier takes care to machine tips and dies to a determined specification, ensuring perfect

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extrusion

concentricity and alignment. Beyond that, certain die geometries are just less likely to attract buildup, period.

“Modified die exits that claim to decrease die buildup include a sharp square exit, sharp pointed exit, radiused exit, outward-stepped exit,

inward-stepped exit, and outwardflared exit,” Perdikoulias said. But there are cons that come with these pros. “While very sharp points generally give you less buildup, they’re also very easy to damage — and if you do, you’ll have the same problem with die

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lines as you would with die buildup,” said Mirek Planeta. “A solution is to have die edges welded from tungsten carbide, which is approximately two times stiffer than steel and therefore much less fragile.”

Coating die surfaces with a variety of available treatments can be a hit-or-miss strategy. “Fluoropolymers like PTFE have had only limited success in preventing buildup,” said Tom Cunningham. “More effective is the application of metallic coatings that incorporate fluoropolymers to the inside of the die to reduce stress at the die exit.”

According to some experts, indeed, leaving a fine surface coating on the die can be the key to the whole ball game.

“The biggest mistake most extrusion processors make is letting their dies oxidize by cleaning the die lips whenever they shut down a line,” Mirek Planeta said. “You should never clean the die lips. The polymer or the coating has to stay in the die and cover the die lips — to at least 1/16th of an inch thick — so that the die cannot oxidize.”

So is it possible for extrusion shops to finally stop all those drooling dies?

Not always, unfortunately. In rare cases, the experts say, if a processor is extruding a very specific product in which only one supplier makes the necessary material, and that material has a high elongational viscosity, buildup will probably be the trade-off they have to live with. Those situations aside, they continue, if processors have the right tooling and process parameters, and follow a few simple steps, they can eliminate buildup almost entirely from most applications.

And as for drooling on a first date?

Sorry, you’re on your own.

CPL RESOURCE LIST Compuplast Canada Inc. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.compuplast.ca; 905-814-8923 Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.macroeng.com; 905-507-9000 Polymer Technology & Services LLC (Murfreesboro, Tenn.); www.ptsllc.com; 615-898-1700

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technology showcase

AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT

Software platform for high-performance temperature and process control Milacron’s Mold-Masters brand has unveiled its new Adaptive Process System (APS) for its Mold-Masters melt delivery control technologies, designed to solve a number of issues commonly faced by injection molders, including the ability for the system to adapt to difficult engineering materials, high pressure, small shot size, high viscosity, and electrical environment variations.

The APS features a number of propriety technologies, including an adaptive auto-tuning heat control, as well as an adaptive motor control with auto-tuning for maintaining precise linear move-

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Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

ment. The APS’s ability to self-adjust speed to maintain 0.1F control accuracy, adaptive control low mass/high watt density nozzle, and auto-staged heating system is designed to ensure perfect parts every cycle.

Product highlights include short circuit protection, autoeven heat to ensure proper thermo expansion, auto-softstart and continuous GND fault detection, auto-TC slave and autopurge, and intelligence leak detection.

The new APS will now be used in Milacron’s entire core controls products, including hot runner controllers, E-Drive, sequential valve gate, SEVG, E-Multi, SmartMold, and any future controls developments.

Mold-Masters Ltd. (Georgetown, Ont.); www.moldmasters.com; 905-877-0185

Miniature rotary batch mixer is fast and accurate The new MX-1-SS model miniature rotary batch mixer from Munson Machinery Co. is designed to blend up to 28 litres of dry bulk ingredients, with or without liquid additions, in ratios down to one part per million with total uniformity in two to three minutes, regardless of disparities in the bulk densities, particle sizes, and flow characteristics of the batch ingredients.

The unit is equally efficient down to five per cent of rated capacity, making it suitable for accurately determining outcomes when scaled up to larger rotary batch mixers.

The mixer is constructed primarily of stainless-steel with brass components, while parts produced from other metals — such as the motor shaft — are shielded with stainless-steel. It’s also equipped with grounding lugs, and is powered by a gear-reduced, explosion-proof industrial electric motor which has a NEMA 7/9 junction box.

Proprietary mixing flights within the rotating drum gently tumble, turn, cut, and fold material, and evacuate blended batches through a stationary plug gate valve with no segregation or residual “heel” of material remaining.

Unrestricted access to all interior surfaces allows rapid cleaning and inspection.

Munson Machinery Co. (Utica, N.Y.); www.munsonmachinery.com; 315-797-0090 C on-V-Air Inc. (St. Hubert, Que.); www.con-v-air.com; 450-462-5959 CTEC Process Equipment Sales (Stouffville, Ont.); 905-640-4500

technology showcase

Adaptable multiple hopper drying system The AutoMate multiple hopper central drying system from Universal Dynamics Inc. consists of a hopper, heater, local control, and dry air supply/return manifold and stand, all designed to enable a range of configurations to satisfy user requirements.

Marketed as the “Modula” brand in Europe, the system is auto-adaptable with automatic control and adjustment of each hopper’s process temperature and airflow. The entire system is controlled using Focus-pro control, which is UnaDyn’s touchscreen control program.

A new AutoMate feature is the ability to automatically set airflow and central drying balancing for the individual drying hoppers, providing homogeneous thermal conditioning and low residual moisture levels. The entire central drying system can be optimized by adjusting central dehumidifying dryer unit performance in response to the cumulative system performance.

Universal Dynamics Inc. (Woodbridge, Va.); www.unadyn.com; 703-490-7000 E xtrusion Systems Inc. (Markham, Ont.); 905-474-1896 Patton Plastics (Mississauga, Ont.); www.pattonplastics.com; 289-232-5275 Piovan Canada (Mississauga, Ont.); www.piovan.com; 905-629-8822 Resource Polytec Inc. (Vancouver, B.C.); www.resourcepolytec.com; 604-454-1295

changes is Nordson Kreyenborg’s “power backflush” technology. When contaminant buildup causes the differential pressure across the screen changer to reach a pre-set level, the backflush sequence begins automatically, with hydraulic pistons compressing some of the already filtered molten polymer and discharging it in the reverse direction, carrying away contaminant for removal from the system.

In the V-Type screen changer, melt flow from the extruder splits into four streams for filtration in two pairs of screen cavities, with the streams then rejoining with no significant change in melt flow. Each pair of cavities is mounted in a piston which positions both cavities to filter their respective melt streams, or removes one of them from the process to filter contaminant by backflushing.

The process for changing screens is initiated when a predefined number of backflushes is reached. This triggers the outward movement of the screen-bearing piston so that the screen pack can be removed and a new filter element put in its place. Three of the cavities remain in the process while a new screen pack is installed in the fourth.

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

EXTRUSION

Automatic self-cleaning screen changer boosts output

The new V-Type screen changers from Nordson Kreyenborg are automatically self-cleaning, and can reduce the number of screen changes from several times an hour to only once a day.

The key to eliminating the need for frequent screen

www.canplastics.com November 2015 Canadian Plastics

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technology showcase

Co-extrusion crosshead for irrigation tubing Guill Tool has introduced its new series 824, a coextrusion crosshead for irrigation tubing with an emitter tool — manufactured from stainless-steel, and featuring a balanced flow design with spiral technology designed to improve flow characteristics at all extruder speeds.

Dual feed ports provide concentric compound flow, while the splits flow from one extruder to feed the inside and outside layers via a manifold assembly.

Series 824 is adaptable to all popular extruders on the market currently. Capacities include a maximum die ID of 1.875 inches, maximum core OD of 1.250 inches, maximum tip OD of 1.500 inches, and maximum emitter tool

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Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

OD of 1.18 inches.

The series 824 design allows the emitter insertion tool to pass completely through the crosshead ID. Gum space adjustment is performed with die nut rotation, while the Guill two-stage clamping mechanism allows easier concentricity adjustment.

Quick-change tooling and a tool kit for disassembly and reassembly are provided with the unit.

Guill Tool & Engineering Co. Inc. (Warwick, R.I.); www.guilltool.com; 401-828-7600

Modular strand conveyance system for range of materials Coperion Pelletizing Technology GmbH has unveiled a new automatic strand conveyance system (ASC) designed to handle a broad spectrum of materials, and to work in conjunction with the company’s two large strand pelletizers, the SP 500 HD (working width 500 mm) and the SP 700 HD (700 mm).

Modular and available in two sizes — the ASC 500 for throughput rates of up to 3.5 tonnes per hour (depending on the product), and the ASC 700 for up to 5 tonnes per hour — the ASC system automatically guides the extruded strands via a cooling water chute and downstream conveyor belt into the feed mechanism of the pelletizer.

An automatic mechanism facilitates the start-up operation, while any possible machine malfunctions caused by broken strands are avoided by the system’s ability to re-thread the strands. Compared to other processes, strand pelletizing ensures an extremely gentle treatment of the product, as it operates with much lower pressures.

The system features a new SK92 die head developed specially for high throughput rates. Homogeneous heating/cooling ensures completely uniform extrusion of the strands across the entire width of the extrusion die. The die head is distinguished by its optimum rheology and efficient heat transfer, making for maximum possible throughput while ensuring gentle handling of the product.

technology showcase

Combining the ASC with a Coperion extruder permits direct integration of the strand conveyance control into the control system of the extruder, which translates into an easier operation.

Coperion Corporation (Ramsey, N.J.); www.coperion.com; 201-327-6300

BLOW MOLDING

Managing CO2 and water loss in PET bottles AGR International has introduced a new capability to its Pilot Profiler blow molding thickness management system that now allows it to monitor shelf life for CO2 or water loss at the point of production.

By incorporating a version of the M-Rule container performance model, the Pilot Profiler now provides plant managers with a continuous status of the predicted shelf life performance, as well as the capability to proactively manage critical bottle parameters to maximize the shelf life of containers in production.

The Pilot Profiler system, installed within the blow molder, precisely measures material distribution — and any changes — on every bottle produced. Wall thickness data captured by the system is automatically entered into the M-Rule model. From this data, shelf life performance is continuously calculated and presented for individual bottles or user-defined subgroups.

The Process Pilot system can accommodate many types of environmental changes, as well as preform preparation and storage conditions that can occur.

Compensation can be made for temperature, moisture content, and minor Intrinsic Viscosity (IV) changes of the preform to maintain a consistent process, within the smallest process window.

To take the bottle management process one step further, full closed-loop control can be achieved by adding Agr’s Process Pilot automated blow molder control system option to the Pilot Profiler. This option uses the detailed thickness information captured by the Pilot Profiler and automatically performs blow molder adjustments to manage and maintain container material distribution at a specified thickness to within ~0.01mm.

AGR International (Butler, Pa.); www.agrintl.com; 724-482-2163

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Machine-mount bracket saves space A new option for Gammaflux’s G24 hot runner temperature controller is a machine-mount bracket, designed to move the controller off the floor to keep the production cell as compact as possible.

Saving floor space is a common desire for molders, especially those who employ cleanroom environments. The bracket also makes the Gammaflux controller a more permanent fixture of the molding machine.

Mold cables can be routed for the least possible impact on serviceability at a distance up to 55 feet (16.8 meters). The Gammaflux interface can be also be remotely controlled with a Virtual Network Computing (VNC) Ethernet connection. The www.canplastics.com November 2015 Canadian Plastics

33

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technology showcase

VNC connection remote controls the Gammaflux interface in a simple fashion, by replicating the screens and providing touch commands as though the operator was standing in front of the unit.

The complete set of G24 hot runner controller diagnostics and features can be available on the machine display by establishing a VNC link for a clean molding cell and Gammaflux-grade hot runner optimization.

Gammaflux (Sterling, Va.); www.gammaflux.com; 703-471-5050

CHILLING

Outdoor air-cooled condensers for portable, central chillers Designed as an addition to a central chiller and pump tank system that can be mounted remotely on top of or beside a building, Mokon’s new outdoor air-cooled condensers can offer a cost-effective solution to process cooling by locating the condensing coil outdoors.

The condensers effectively use the outdoor ambient air temperature to cool the refrigerant high vapor pressure in the chiller refrigeration loop. Standard condenser coils satisfy chiller capacities up to 125 tons.

Mokon’s green-friendly option to process chillers locates the air-cooled condensing coil outdoors. By selecting a remote condenser option, plastics processors can enjoy the benefit of moving both the heat and the sound generated outdoors, reducing indoor HVAC loading and noise levels.

Condensing coils are available in single or multiple circuit applications and multiple fan configurations. Venturi motor mounts and fan guards are epoxy-coated for corrosion protection, offering efficiency and minimum noise levels.

The condenser features coil support for ease of linear expansion of the condenser core, and side access panels for easy coil 34

Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

inspection and cleaning. Optional coil and casing coatings are available to provide maximum corrosion protection.

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

TESTING EQUIPMENT

Strain measurement tool meets wide range of standards Instron has unveiled its newest advanced video extensometer, the AVE 2, which is designed to conform to the most rigorous testing standards, such as ISO 527, ASTM D3039, and ASTM D638.

This second generation advanced video extensometer utilizes patented measurement technology in the fastest, most accurate non-contacting strain measurement device commercially available.

The fully-integrated device easily adapts to the normal fluctuations of environmental conditions in a laboratory, and is easily adapted to any testing machine on the market that uses a ±10v analog input (performance depends on the system). Designed to dramatically reduce errors from thermal and lighting variations that are common in most labs, the AVE 2 is the only device on the market to utilize the real-time 490 Hz data rate, while also achieving accuracy to within one micron.

Its versatility allows for testing under multiple environmental conditions, and it can be used for advanced strain measurement with Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The AVE 2 measures both modulus and strain to failure of almost any plastic, film, and composite material.

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

SOFTWARE

Integrating intelligent devices to create “smart factories” By allowing all devices and services to communicate with each other efficiently and independently — irrespective of the manufacturer, operating system, hierarchy, or topology — Beckhoff Automation’s new SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) PLC is designed to help processors create “smart factories”.

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technology showcase

By integrating the OPC UA client function blocks in the PLC, the PLC is able to exchange complex data structures horizontally with other controllers, or it can vertically call methods in an MES/ERP system via an OPC UA server — for example, to retrieve new production orders or write data to the cloud. This enables the production line to become autonomously active. In combination with integrated OPC UA security, this is a key step in the movement towards Industry 4.0.

The SOA-PLC also makes it possible to transfer data to the controller with a single communication: data values are no longer exchanged in multiple transactions, but instead handled as a single service with input parameters (the recipe) and output parameters (acknowledgement by the PLC).

And the implementation is very simple for PLC programmers: a PLC method (with any input/output parameters) is simply available as a service call in the OPC UA server, which is integrated in the PLC. Each OPC UA client can call

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Canadian Plastics November 2015 www.canplastics.com

this service with the IT security functions and authorization integrated in OPC UA while preserving data consistency, irrespective of the operating system. The calls to the PLC can also be initiated from other devices or services at the IT level or the cloud.

Beckhoff Automation Canada Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.beckhoff.ca; 289-627-1900

MATERIALS

Anti-counterfeiting service includes material formulation and consultation

PolyOne Corporation has drawn from covert, overt, and forensic techniques to offer a new service that enables manufacturers to efficiently protect their products from counterfeiting or unauthorized distribution.

Called Percept Authentication Technologies, the service includes formulation and product design advice that can assist manufacturers and brand owners in minimizing the potential risks and loss of revenue from counterfeits.

The spectrum of technologies can be tailored to a wide variety of polymers, processing conditions, and applications in numerous markets. Examples of products that can benefit from authentication include medical devices, prescription drug packaging, consumer electronics, packaging (for multiple markets), apparel and footwear, aircraft parts, aftermarket automotive parts, consumer goods, and toys.

PolyOne provides confidential, expert assistance with technology choice, design, usage, process, product, and specification development. These services help to shorten product development times, and maintain quality levels for products that require positive identification. As an added benefit, manufacturers also receive an extra layer of security that helps maintain supply chain integrity.

PolyOne Canada Inc. Distribution (Mississauga, Ont.); www.polyone.com; 905-405-0003

Tribology data for medical device material selection RTP Company now offers tribology data from an innovative new friction test designed to help designers of drug delivery devices select the best possible material for singleuse applications.

Using the new test method, RTP Company explored base

technology showcase

resins including PC, POM, ABS, PC/ ABS alloy, HDPE, and PBT. These resins were tested in a variety of combinations with friction reducing additives including PTFE, PFPE oil, and a selection of silicones, along with RTP Company’s own all-polymeric wear alloy, known as APWA Plus.

Testing the friction behavior in various combinations of resins and friction reducing additives (known as “friction pairings”) involves the measurement of the static and the dynamic coefficients of friction. The threshold representing the smallest delta between the two measurements is called the “glide factor”. Consistent, repeatable tests showed that the ideal friction pairings exhibited low static coefficient of friction (< 0.15) and a glide factor of < 0.015.

The data collected from these tests can be very valuable by eliminating the need for trial and error when choosing the

correct low friction thermoplastic. In addition, with proper material selection, single-use devices will perform more consistently without the need for external lubrication and extra processing steps, thereby decreasing manufacturing costs and time-to-market.

RTP Company (Winona, Minn.); www.rtpcompany.com; 800-433-4787

plastics data file Wittmann Innovations

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

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

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37

technical tips

Melt index mysteries explained

By Allan Griff, consulting engineer

M

elt index: in plastics processing, we buy materials, set conditions, and sell our products all based on this number, which has been around for over 50 years.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

First of all, melt index (usually called MI) is a measure of melt viscosity, but it’s the inverse of real viscosity — that is, a resin with low viscosity (soupy, easy flow) has a high MI, and vice versa.

Either term is a measure of how big the molecules are, which determines flow: the bigger, longer, and more branched molecules get tangled up more, and therefore they flow with more difficulty. The size of a molecule

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is sometimes referred to as molecular weight, so we can say that the higher the molecular weight, the higher the viscosity. And because viscosity is push over flow, this means that more force is needed to push them through a passage such as a die or screw channel. If viscosity is push over flow, its inverse, MI, is flow over push, or the amount of flow for a given amount of push. A low MI means that a resin that flows with more difficulty — and therefore needs more power — may run hotter, but yields a stronger product.

A melt indexer is a capillary rheometer, a tube in which the amount of flow is measured under specific conditions.

The size of the tube is standardized at 0.083 inches in diameter and 0.250 inches in length, but the conditions can be varied, so that different materials may have different test conditions.

Comparisons must be made at the same conditions.

For PE, by far the most common conditions are 190°C and 2.16 kg force, which correspond to Condition E in ASTM test D1238. For PP, the temperature is 230°C, and for some the load is increased to 21.6 kg, which is called the high load melt index, or HLMI. This is typically used for very low-flow materials, to reduce the test error and get more manageable numbers. Unfortunately, it has become common to cite the ratio of the two melt indices as melt flow ratio (MFR) instead of the two numbers.

This is an example of the disease that I call “ratiosis”: two very different materials can still have the same ratio — for example, if normal MI is 2.0 and HLMI is 20, and if normal is 0.3 and HLMI is 3. The ratio is 10 for both of these, yet they are very different.

The unit of MI is grams per 10 minutes, or decigrams per second. This unusual unit is often omitted, which doesn’t cause much problem because

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no one uses any other units. The basic problem with MI is that the test is slow — much slower than actual extrusion — and the viscosity of a melt is dependent on its speed of flow, as well as temperature and basic molecular characteristics. This dependence may be expressed as the power-law factor, which can vary between 1.5 and 4 (or the reciprocal, 0.25 to 0.67, depending on how the equation is written). For a resin with an MI of 1, the shear rate at the exit is around 2 reciprocal seconds, while in extrusion, the shear rates are about 100 in the screw channels, between 200 and 500 in the die lips, and well over 1,000 in flight-to-wall clearances where much frictional heat is generated. Thus, two materials with the same MI may behave quite differently in an extruder if their power-law factor is different.

It’s useful to know MI because it gives some indication of how much power is needed, and thus how much heat will be generated in extrusion, but a plot of viscosity versus shear rate (or even two or three MIs at different loads) is much better. Such information clearly shows why LLDPE needs more cooling, as its power-law factor is down below 2, while regular LDPE is around 2.5, which gives more flow for the push.

MI also is a measure of product strength (lower equals better), and environmental stress-cracking resistance (again, lower is better). Unfortunately, lower MI also means a greater tendency to show melt fracture, which is one reason why processing aids are sometimes used as an alternate or adjunct to blending with LDPE to allow a cooler melt and thus a higher production rate.

CPL Allan Griff is an independent consulting engineer and plastics extrusion expert based in El Cerrito, Calif.

Visit www.griffex.com, or contact him directly at algriff@griffex.com.

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