Plastics & Rubber Review, March-April 2017

TheSpecialistBusinessMagazine

Plastics & Rubber

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES @

CHINAPLAS 2017

REVIEW March-April 2017 | Vol.5 No.2

Arburg at the

CHINAPLAS 2017

New low bloom anti-scratch additives for plastics The cement sack of the future at CHINAPLAS

! h c t a W o t Events

INTERPACK

GERMANY Bangkok, Thailand

Plast ASIA 2017 New Delhi, India

Exhibitor registrations at a record level • Parallel event components also booked out • Support programme with SAVE FOOD innovationparc and conference as well as VDMA special topic Industry 4.0 interpack 2017 is recording the highest demand among exhibitors in its history of over 55 years.

By the official closing date of this outstanding international event for the packaging industry and related processing industries, exhibitors had booked about 20 per cent more space than was available at the exhibition centre with its 262,400 square metres in 19 halls. Around 2,700 exhibitors can therefore be expected again from 4 to 10 May 2017, coming from about 60 different countries. As before, another trade fair will be running in parallel, entitled components, special trade fair by interpack. It will feature products from supplier industries of the packaging sector. This event, too, is now fully booked, yet it will occupy more than twice as much space as in 2014, at its première.

Special topic: Industry 4.0 – in partnership with VDMA Where size and internationalism are concerned, interpack is a unique platform for businesses offering products and solutions in packaging technology and related processes as well as packaging media and materials for the various segments of this industry: food, beverages, confectionery and baked goods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, non-food consumer goods and industrial goods. The products and services presented here will be supplemented by several innovative specialist areas. Working together with the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), Interpack 2017 will put the focus on Industry 4.0, in particular.

The special show will take the form of a Technology Lounge at the VDMA stand, featuring examples of solutions in packaging machinery and process engineering and opening up new opportunities for applications in security, traceability, copying and counterfeit protection as well as in customised packaging.

SAVE FOOD innovationparc As before, SAVE FOOD will play a role at interpack 2017. A special show called innovationparc (Innovation Park) will be held, with packaging ideas and solutions designed to reduce food losses and waste.

They will include the winners of the international competitions for the SAVE FOOD Packaging Awards, held by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO). The prizes were awarded prior to interpack, and the winners are now set to compete with one other for the WorldStar Awards at the trade fair. The innovationparc will include a presentation forum which can be used by companies to showcase their ideas and solutions. As before, the innovationparc will be held in a high-quality marquee, situated between Halls 2 and 3.

The first day of the trade fair will also feature the third international SAVE FOOD convention, held in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). components trade fair now entirely in tandem with interpack Following the première of components, special trade fair by interpack, in 2014, the general idea of this trade fair has been substantially revised for 2017. Visitors will now find it at a central location within the exhibition centre, in Hall 18, a temporary lightweight hall, approximately 5,000 square metres in size. It is situated between Halls 10 and 16, complementing interpack for its entire duration.

Hundreds of companies from the supplier industries will each have their own stands, offering products in drive, control and censor technology, industrial image processing, material handling technology and other (machine) components. components will be freely accessible to all interpack visitors and exhibitors. Further details are available at www.packaging-components.com.

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Plastics & Rubber

REVIEW Vol.5 No.2 | March-April 2017 | New Delhi, India

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I n T h e P a g e s 4 Plast ASIA 2017, New Delhi & Interpack, Germany 6 Nylon – timelessly dressy and extremely attractive 8 Arburg at the Chinaplas 2017: 14 Sacmi PVS-3: the compact, flexible, high performance preform inspection solution 18 Freeformer produces aviation component made from original material 20 CHINAPLAS 2017 facilitates automotive industry towards lightweighting and smart manufacturing 24 Sacmi at Metpack 2017 26 The 3rd Medical Plastics Conference to promote innovations in medical industry 28 T-PLAS 2017: Strong showing of global innovations and solutions from an international line-up of companies 32 New low bloom anti-scratch additives for plastics 35 BASF and CHINAPLAS showcase innovative solutions 36 Sealing caps with electroplated look 38 Innovative technologies in CHINAPLAS 2017 40 The cement sack of the future at Chinaplas 44 Automation, material handling technology, temperature control and recycling 50 A pioneering event at Arburg: 53 ecoFITTOM®, the PVC -O fittings developed

by Molecor

Editorial: Reny, Sarvjit, Amrita (India), Vishwapreet (Australia), Anna (Sweden), Mike (UK), Liza (Singapore), Upi (Indonesia), Ying & Adrian (China). Public Relations Director: Winnie. Advisor: Rajiv Sanghavi. Production: Rakesh. Design, Art & Web Development: Diamond Infomedia. Publisher: Milinia Plus. Founded by: Late Mr N.S. Kanwar. B-2-B Group Publications: PRINTING REVIEW, Medical Device ASIA, autoASIA, Hotels & Culinary ASIA. Contacts: To advertise: advertise@plasticsandrubberreview.com, to submit a press release: editorial@plasticsandrubberreview.com, to subscribe: subscribe@plasticsandrubberreview.com, for general enquiries: info@plasticsandrubberreview.com. Head Office: D-182, PR House, Anand Vihar, 110092 New Delhi, India. Tel./Fax.: +91 11 22141542. Website: http://www.plasticsandrubberreview.com.

Published, printed, & owned by Milinia Plus, D-182, PR House, Anand Vihar, 110092, New Delhi, India and printed at Technical Press, D-182/C, Anand Vihar, 110092, New Delhi, India.

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Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 3

Extending an Hearty Welcome to 6th PLASTASIA-2017. After the tremendous success of GAIL-PLASTASIA-2016, the sixth edition will showcase the latest technology and machineries used in manufacturing of Plastics and Petrochemicals with participation from different parts of the world.

This event will be an excellent platform for exhibitors to publicise and display their products, innovation and services, build brand image and develop leadership in market position in the global areas. It will be an ideal stage for those who are interested to explore and acknowledge the most recent technologies and trends of the relevant market as well as exhibit a vast range of products and services related to the PLASTIC INDUSTRY. 6th PLASTASIA-2017 is perfectly timed for the continuing boom in plastics and rubber industry. As the petrochemical industry is a major contributor to PLASTASIA-2017’s growing economy, this event will give a great impetus to its further diversification and growth as well as highlighting the opportunities this region might offer. The event will attract key industry players and decision-makers from the corporate and public sectors in the region providing a strategic setting to forge business tie-ups and contacts.

Welcome to Interpack17 interpack is the essential event for the food, beverage, confectionery, bakery, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, non-food and industrial goods sectors. No other trade fair in the world presents the entire supply chain. At no other trade fair does the packaging industry provide all sectors with tailored solutions and innovative designs based on such a variety of materials, and it is, of course, THE event for the packaging industry.

Processing and packaging. Distribution, consumer protection and protection against product piracy. Protection against contamination, deterioration or damage and for proper handling – the challenges are huge and only an overall approach can meet the demands set by old and new markets, social change, evolving consumer habits and rapidly developing trends and ensure success across the board.

LEADING HOTSPOTS FOR YOUR INDUSTRY The new label interpack alliance spans all international events staged by Messe Düsseldorf under its Processing & Packaging portfolio.

The interpack alliance addresses the target groups of food, beverages, confectionery and bakery, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, non-food consumer goods and industrial goods in key emerging markets, focusing on different areas in each individual event.

For more information, please visit: www.plastasia.in or write to: sales@plastasia.in 4 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

In addition, successful special topics such as SAVE FOOD and components will also be represented at the trade fairs making up the interpack alliance.

Besides interpack itself – the flagship trade fair that gives this family its name – the interpack alliance includes: • upakovka (Moscow) • swop (shanghai world of packaging) (Shanghai) including -food pex (Shanghai), bulk pex (Shanghai), -pacpro (Shanghai) • pacprocess /components (Tehran) • pacprocess /food pex (New Delhi) • components (Düsseldorf) • food processing & packaging exposyum (Nairobi) • indopack (Jakarta) • process expo (Chicago)

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Nylon – timelessly dressy and extremely attractive

W

hen the first nylon stockings in the world went on sale in the USA in 1940, five million pairs were sold within a single day. The synthetic fibre had been developed from polyamide almost simultaneously in both the United States and what was at the time the German Reich, but the Americans were granted the patent because they had priority. Why the inventor Wallace Hume Carothers committed suicide even so – and what nylon, which took the world market by storm, has to do with the production of explosives. Nylon stockings - an essential

accessory for models and film stars: the patent application for production of the first synthetic fibre was filed in the USA 80 years ago.

“Hear Gilberte crossing her legs!”

Two friends, Bliss and Corey, next to a tape recorder. “I recorded it when she was wearing nylon stockings. It doesn’t work with silk stockings.” Bliss rewinds the tape and plays the same section over again: “Listen to the way the stockings rub against each other!” Corey listens closely – and so does the audience. Bliss is beside himself even though nothing can be heard by any stretch of the imagination.

A scene from François Truffaut’s 1968 thriller “The Bride Wore Black” that manages to amuse and irritate at the same time. The audience is quick to work out what is going on, however: Bliss is being introduced as a quickly aroused playboy – easy prey for the seductive “black

widow” who is avenging her murdered bridegroom (Jeanne Moreau in a classic role) and who will later push Bliss off the balcony of his skyscraper flat and see him fall to his death.

The tape recorder scene exposes Bliss as an enthusiastic fan of the erotic: although nothing can be heard, his imaginative powers get the testosterone flowing, because nylon textiles happen to be closely associated with sex appeal, particularly in the Swinging Sixties.

And nylon stockings happen to be especially attractive – extremely thin and transparent into the bargain, enclosing the legs like a second skin.

A German rhyming couplet puts it in a nutshell: “Eine Frau mutiert zur Nymphe, hüllt sie die Bein’ in Nylonstrümpfe” (“A woman becomes a nymph when she puts on nylon stockings”).

No-one found their predecessors, stockings made from wool and cotton, particularly tantalising, on the other hand. Silk stockings were more provocative, but their high price meant that they could not become a mass product, while they also lost their shape quickly and tended to ladder, i.e. they had to be replaced by a new pair very soon. Although erotic charm was all well and good, women in the late 19th century were more interested in textile fibres that were both hard-wearing and affordable – mainly for practical reasons. The chemical industry realised this: the idea of artificial silk was born.

Everything started with artificial silk The artificial silk era already began during the fin de siècle – first in France and then in England – with a semisynthetic fibre that was obtained from cellulose (a component of wood) and made a reputation for itself under the name viscose. Louus Bernigaud de Chardonnet (1839-1924), a pupil of Pasteur, had studied silkworms and had observed that the insects ate cellulose in the form of mulberry leaves and then produced a silk thread from it. In 1891, he succeeded in imitating this process in a laboratory.

In the following year, the two Englishmen Charles Frederick Cross (1855-1935) and Edward John Bevan (1856-1921) discovered how to produce a thicker, more supple fibre that they

called viscose. In 1910, the English textile company Courtaulds Ltd. set up the first viscose factory in America – the “American Viscose Company” – in Chester/Pennsylvania. The US company DuPont de Nemours, which had its headquarters in Wilmington/Delaware, tried to buy the factory in 1916, but Courtaulds was not interested in selling.

A joint venture was therefore established in 1920 between DuPont and “Comptoir des Textiles Artificiels” in Paris, from which DuPont Fibersilk Company emerged. In May 1921, the company produced its first yarn at the factory in Buffalo/New York. Three years later, the viscose fibre was given a new name: “rayon”, made up by combining the English word “ray” with the letters “-on” (from “cotton”). In March 1925, DuPont

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Fibersilk Company therefore started to operate as DuPont Rayon Company.

Rayon soon became unfashionable with both consumers and textile designers, however – and this was due, of all things, to its sheen. An alternative had to be found, a new artificial fibre with properties that could be exploited more effectively at the commercial level.

DuPont had high hopes of the in-house polymer research programme that was headed by Wallace Hume Carothers (1896-1937). In February 1928, the company bosses had tempted Carothers, who had a doctorate in chemistry, away from prestigious Harvard University (Cambridge/Massachusetts), where he had been appointed an instructor in organic chemistry at the age of only 30.

Although the introverted Carothers was only too glad to abandon the lecture hall, it took DuPont two attempts to obtain the services of the talented young man.

Carothers made his commitment to the company dependent on a guarantee that he would not be under pressure to achieve commercial success in the company’s “Experimental Station”. It is difficult to imagine that this promise was kept, since the aim was to find a substitute for rayon and this substitute was expected to be a huge success. It did, at any rate, take until 1934 before Carothers and his team were able to report that they had developed a polyamide as a completely synthetic chemical fibre, while four more years were to pass before it was ready to go to market.

Arburg at the Chinaplas 2017: A broad program for the production of plastic parts •Efficient injection moulding: From entrylevel machines to complex turnkey systems •Industrial additive manufacturing: Freeformer produces spare part for the aerospace industry •Industry 4.0: Arburg has over 30 years of experience in networked production

A

rburg has a number of innovative plastic processing solutions to present at the Chinaplas 2017, taking place from 16 to 19 May in Guangzhou, China.

Two automated hydraulic and electric Allrounders and the Freeformer for industrial additive manufacturing can be seen on the company’s own exhibition stand, A42 in Hall 5.1. These produce smartphone covers from LSR, medical technology connectors and spare parts for the aerospace industry.

Further innovative Allrounder applications featuring medical technology and LSR processing are presented by Hekuma (Hall 12.1, Stand J41) and Mehow (Hall 4.2, Stand D01).

“We have been engaged in the Chinese market for 25 years and are currently represented locally with our own locations in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen. In the interim, many of our customers have come to rely on Arburg’s comprehensive consulting, service and machine technology. We are very proud to support our customers and to grow along with them,” emphasises Zhao Tong, Managing Director of the Arburg organisation in China. “In Guangzhou we are presenting some interesting applications for medical technology, the consumer

industry and the aerospace sector with our entry-level electric and hydraulic machines from the Golden Electric and Golden Edition series, as well as the Freeformer for industrial additive manufacturing. In addition, visitors to our exhibition stand can also find out more about the Arburg host computer system (ALS) and Industry 4.0.”

Precise production of medical technology parts Arburg added the “Golden Electric” machine series with clamping forces from 600 to 2,000 kN to its range in spring 2016 with the aim of facilitating cost-effective entry into electric moulded part production. Like

8 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

their successful “Golden Edition” hydraulic counterparts, the new electric machines offer an excellent price/performance ratio thanks to consistent standardisation, e.g. a fixed combination of distance between tie-bars, clamping force and injection unit size.

An Allrounder 370 E Golden Electric with a clamping force of 600 kN is used at the Chinaplas 2017 to demonstrate that these machines are also suitable for the precise production of medical technology parts. The exhibit uses a 2-cavity mould from Wellmei i to produce Y connectors for intravenous drip therapy in a cycle time of 18 seconds. The finished

PC moulded parts are removed and set down by a Multilift Select linear robotic system.

Another Arburg machine for medical technology is on view at the Hekuma stand in Hall 12.1, Stand J41: A hybrid Allrounder 520 H uses a 64-cavity highperformance mould to produce pipette tips with a capacity of 200 micro-litres from PP in a cycle time of only around 4.8 seconds. The quality control and robotic systems are supplied by Hekuma. Weighing 0.35 grams each, the moulded parts are set down in trays of 96 units.

To find out more about Arburg’s

time of around 25 seconds. The parts weigh 21 grams. The mould is provided by Prover, while the LSR dosing unit comes from 2 KM. A Multilift Select robotic system performs the handling tasks.

Mehow, Stand D01 in Hall 4.2, is also presenting an LSR application. There, a turnkey system built around a hydraulic two-component Allrounder 470 S with a clamping force of 1,100 kN and two size 170 and 100 injection units produces wine bottle closures using a hard/soft combination (PC/LSR). Handling is performed by a six-axis robot in this case.

Industrial additive manufacturing with the Freeformer Although Chinese customers mostly use the Freeformer for product development purposes, at the Chinaplas 2017 Arburg is showing the potential of industrial additive manufacturing of functional parts.

medical technology options, visitors can also attend an expert presentation on 18 Mai at the Medical Plastics Conference being held alongside the exhibition.

Complex LSR processing As a pioneer in processing liquid silicon (LSR), Arburg has been presenting complex production solutions on a regular basis for over 40 years. The fact that entry-level hydraulic machines are also suitable for these tasks is demonstrated at the Chinaplas 2017 by a hydraulic Allrounder 420 C Golden Edition with a clamping force of 1,000 kN. Configured for LSR processing, the machine produces flexible LSR covers for the iPhone 6 in a cycle Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 9

Here, a Freeformer produces a spare part from PC for the aerospace industry.

Using 3D CAD data as a basis, the parts are produced from inexpensive qualified plastic granulates using Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF). The Freeformer is equipped with two discharge units as standard. This enables it to process an additional component in order, for example, to manufacture a part in different colours, with special tactile qualities or as a hard/soft combination.

Alternatively, it can be used to build structures from a watersoluble support material, enabling complex part geometries to be realised.

Industry 4.0: Host computer networks production Arburg has more than 30 years of experience in the IT networking of machines. ALS enables optimum production planning, the exchange of data between the machine and the peripheral equipment and full end-to-end traceability of products and process data. Visitors to the exhibition stand can see how the Arburg host computer system (ALS) can be used to record and archive the relevant process data online. ALS is also a key component for Industry 4.0.

The automation experts from Arburg China are extending their activities together with customers, focusing on Industry 4.0 and “Made in China 2025”.

Arburg is also due to speak on this topic on Wednesday 17 May at the high-level Industry 4.0 Conference hosted by Chinaplas organiser Adsale with the VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinenund Anlagenbau - German Machinery and Plant Manufacturers Association).

About Arburg A German family-owned company, Arburg is one of the leading global manufacturers of plastic processing machines. The product portfolio encompasses Allrounder injection moulding machines with clamping forces of between 125 and 6,500 kN, the Freeformer for industrial additive manufacturing and robotic systems, customerand industry-specific turnkey solutions and further peripheral equipment.

The company places the topic of production efficiency at the centre of all its activities, taking into account the entire value-added chain. The objective is to enable Arburg customers to manufacture their plastic products, whether one-off parts or high-volume batches, with optimal quality and at minimum unit costs – e.g. for the automotive and packaging industries, communication and entertainment electronics, medical technology or the white goods sector.

An international sales and service network ensures first-class customer support at the local level: Arburg is represented by its own organisations at 33 locations in 25 countries and by trading partners in more than 50 countries. The machines are produced exclusively at the parent company in Lossburg, Germany. Of a total of around 2,700 employees, about 2,200 work in Germany. About 500 further employees work in Arburg’s organisations around the world. In 2012, Arburg became one of the first companies to gain triple certification: in accordance with ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment) and ISO 50001 (Energy).Further information about Arburg can be found at www.arburg.com

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Nylon, neoprene, Nagasaki

Carothers and had also found a superpolyamide in January 1938.

Schlack’s development was based on just one raw material, in which both the amine and the acid component were present: e-caprolactam, the “inner” amine of aminocaproic acid. A snowwhite powder that looked similar to granulated sugar and that Schlack polymerised by melting it in a thick-walled glass tube, which he then left overnight in an oven at 240°C. The molecular rings opened in this process and formed high-molecular chains.

Since aminocaproic acid has 6 carbon atoms, the artificial fibre made from just one component was called “polymer 6”, which is processed by the melt spinning process – like nylon (“polymer 6-6”). The German polyamide had technical properties that were very similar to nylon. The thread was highly elastic and considerably more tear-resistant than natural silk.

There was no dispute about the priority of the American invention, however: I.G. received the nylon licence contract in May 1939.

“Polymer 6” was initially put solely to military use in Hitler’s Germany.

Parachutes were made from it at the I.G. factory in Landsberg an der Warthe during the Second World War. In the post-war period, it then became a synonym for the German economic miracle under the trade name Perlon.

The bleakest chapter of the nylon story is probably the fate of the man who invented the material: Wallace Hume Carothers never knew what name his fibre was, finally, given and he did not live to experience its triumphant success.

The scientist suffered from chronic depression and committed suicide on 29. April 1937, two days after his 41st birthday, in a hotel room in Philadelphia. The brilliant man, who invented not only nylon for DuPont but also neoprene, i.e. synthetic rubber, had already warned the company about “the regular recurrence of neurotic problems that have an adverse effect on my performance” during his interview for the job. Years before he committed suicide, he showed his staff member Julian Hill a capsule

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containing potassium cyanide, which he carried around with him attached to a watch chain.

Carothers’ morbidly melancholic temperament was obvious to everyone, but no-one thought that he was seriously considering suicide, because his creative powers and personal fame were at their height. On 30. April 1936, almost exactly one year to the day before his suicide, Carothers had been appointed a member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences; no other scientist who did research for industry had ever been given this honour before. It was not, however, in Carothers’ nature to sit back and enjoy his success, particularly in view of the fact that he was already expecting his powers to wane while they were still at their height: he is supposed to have told a friend that synthetic rubber and artificial silk were enough for one person’s life. It is also reported that he was afraid that he would never have another good idea again.

Carothers was spared the Second World War, particularly the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US Air Force on 6. and 9. August 1945 – a mission in which his employer was involved: from 1942 onwards, DuPont had participated in the Manhattan Project carried out by the US government in secret laboratories to produce weapons-grade plutonium, which the book about the history of the company that was so successful in making and selling nylon made no secret of, incidentally (Adrian Kinnane, “DuPont: From the Banks of the Brandywine to Miracles of Science”. Bad Homburg: Du Pont de Nemours (Germany)/ Westerngrund: Büttner Offsetdruck 2002, 60 pages).

By the way: How nylon got its name Carothers called his superpolyamide “fibre 66”. The

company management did not think this name had enough advertising appeal, so a naming committee was appointed that came up with almost 400 different suggestions. “Duparooh”, which was proposed by Ernest Knight Gladding (1888-1958), the head of the rayon department, did not convince a majority of the decision-makers. The acronym was considered to be nothing more than a joke, because it stood for “DuPont Pulls A Rabbit Out Of The Hat”. “Wacara” in honour of Wallace Carothers or “Delawear”, a combination of “wear” and Delaware, the US state in which DuPont produced the polyamide fibre, found too few advocates as well. “Dusilk”, “Rayamide” and “Silkex” were also rejected.

Gladding then proposed “Norun”.

That sounded good and suggested that the material did not ladder (“no run”), but this name was rejected again because it was not true. Without further ado, “Norun” was changed to “Nuron”, because “nu” sounds like “new”.

There was, however, a danger that it would be confused with a nerve tonic (“Neuron”). Gladding replaced the “r” by an “l” and the “u” first by an “i” and than by a “y” – and the word “nylon” was coined. A composition designed to sound good that did not really mean anything, even though claims were subsequently made about meanings on which the word was allegedly based. One of these interpretations is that “nylon” came from “New York” and “London”, because two chemists thought up the word on an intercontinental flight from one of the cities to the other. An alternative which is claimed is that DuPont chose the name “nylon” with the aim of provoking Japanese industry, which would be able to export less silk as a result of the new artificial fibre – this story says that “nylon” stands for “Now You’ve Lost, Old Nippon” ... (MW/GD)

for excellence Founded in Italy in 1978, MP3 boasts a modern and state-of-the-art facility in Bazzano, opened in 1998 and occupying an area of 80,000 m2, 45,000 m2 of which are covered.

The production capacity, the result of the most modern equipment in the field, is 72,000 tons/year.

Currently, 73% of our production is intended for export.

MP3 focuses on the development of management activities in order to be competitive in satisfying the most demanding logistics, qualitative and manufacturing requirements of its customers.

For this reason, since 2010 MP3 has been developing Lean Manufacturing techniques in its factory and offices.

PRODUCT Range PET PS PP PS / EVOH / PE PS / PE

PRODUCT Range

reels

sheets

A HISTORICAL PRESENCE IN THE RIGID FILM SECTOR, WITH A CONSOLIDATED RANGE OF PRODUCTS FOR THE FOOD AND TECHNICAL THERMOFORMING SECTORS.

Its decision to offer its services to some of the most important global industrial sectors including, for example, automotive, household appliances, health care, industrial packaging and food packaging, has led MP3 to become one of the European market leaders in the industrial thermoforming sector.

ILPA has also been involved in the recycling sector since 2010, when AMP Recycling s.r.l. was added to the chain of production, a company specialising in the recycling of PET coming from sorted waste collection. www.ilpa-amp.it

Diversification is one of its strengths together with a willingness to invest: over 130 million € have been invested since 1998 in modernising the Valsamoggia (Bazzano) facility, with the aim of improving product quality and customer service.

Quality certificates

COMPANY CERTIFIED ISO 9001:2008 Certificate nr. 50 100 2756

Being a leader in this sector has been a clear goal since the company’s foundation.

MP3 is continuing to work towards further consolidating the market share of its products in Europe and worldwide over the next three years, confident that it will be able to satisfy almost all requests thanks to its STRONG TECHNOLOGICAL SKILLS and INEXHAUSTIBLE DESIRE TO INNOVATE.

WWW.ILPA-MP3.COM MP3 srl VIA MUZZA SPADETTA, 36 40053 VALSAMOGGIA (BO), LOCALITÀ BAZZANO - ITALY TEL. +39 051 6715 811 - FAX +39 051 6715 907 - INFO@ILPA-MP3.COM

PS ABS ABS / PMMA

OUR RANGE OF OPERATING LINES HAS BEEN OPTIMISED OVER TIME (MORE THAN 30 YEARS’ IN THE INDUSTRY) TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE MAJOR PS, ABS AND ABS/PMMA SHEET THERMOFORMING MARKETS. THE QUALITY PHILOSOPHY WE HAVE DEVELOPED WITH OUR BIG CUSTOMERS IN THE FOOD SECTOR IS ALSO APPLIED TO THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR, LEADING TO THE HIGHEST DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE QUALITY. EVERY YEAR, WE INVEST IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND IN UPGRADES FOR THE EXISTING LINES.

Sacmi PVS-3: the compact, flexible, high performance preform inspection solution

P

resented at the last edition of the international K fair in Düsseldorf, this latest solution is winning over the market thanks to unique versatility and a capacity to ensure total quality control of the preform, directly on the line and at very high speed.

Performance, flexibility and, what’s more, equipped on request with the automatic centrifugal positioning unit which makes it ideal, in terms of compactness and efficiency, for the downstream installation of any injection press, new or existent. This is the innovative PVS-3 preform vision system, developed by Sacmi’s Automation & Inspection Systems Division and given its first market showing at the last edition of the international K fair in Düsseldorf.

Ten such machines have been installed and sold worldwide in just three months, from Spain to Vietnam; this demonstrates the market has been quick to respond to a solution that offers outstanding inspection rates of up to 72,000 preforms an hour and which can easily be installed both in-line with the press and offline. With regard to in-line operation, the upstream automatic centrifugal positioner is of particular interest; it enhances efficiency and is nicely compact, making investment decisions regarding existing lines easier. For offline installation the traditional roller positioner is also available, while the in-line solution can be equipped downstream with the innovative “soft drop” system that delicately sets down preforms exiting the vision system in octabins.

At the heart of the solution, beyond the flexibility and high output rate, lie – as is the Sacmi tradition – the outstanding inspection potential of the

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PVS-3: this spans from standard checks such as inspection of the preform mouth to the finish (especially the thread), the body and the bottom. Optional features include the exclusive, patented Sacmi “grille” method to intercept defects that can only be detected with polarised light, such as onmaterial stress, surface irregularities and watermarks etc.

As regards software, the PVS-3 installs the latest CVS 3000 64-bit version, developed entirely by Sacmi and shared by all the vision systems in the range; this ensures maximum interoperability between machines and, therefore, a fully integrated approach that Sacmi calls total quality control. In other words, a fully interconnected system capable of providing precious additional information on line efficiency and extending monitoring, also remotely, to every stage of production. Thanks to the

flexibility of the software platform, it’s also possible to equip the Sacmi PVS-3 with both black and white video cameras and ultrahigh resolution colour acquisition devices; the latter are designed for thorough inspection of preform colour.

Adding yet further value is Sacmi’s capacity to include all-round solutions, personalised according to the individual customer’s manufacturing requirements and the target market. Solutions that range from complete plant engineering design (injection presses, stretch-blow moulding and filling lines, robotized handling systems and Sacmi-built end-ofline systems) to a fast, efficient spare parts and after-sales service that is guaranteed by the Sacmi Global Network (the latter consists of over 80 manufacturing and service companies in 30 countries worldwide).

Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 15

Sacmi excellence for food & beverage packaging to be showcased in Düsseldorf

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he 200 m2 Sacmi stand at Interpack 2017 will be showcasing the very best technology available to the industry, from modular labellers to new Sacmi Packaging robots. Pride of place on the stand will go to the new CCM application for the manufacture of coffee pods and confectionery packaging (the stand will be shared with C&M Holding) The biggest European trade fair dedicated to packaging solutions, not only for the food&beverage industry but also the pharmaceutical, confectionery and cosmetics sectors, Interpack 2017 is set to take place from 4th to 10th May. The event will see Sacmi technology play a starring role on our stand of nearly 200 m2 (hall 4, stand 4G20), which will be shared with C&M Holding, the long-standing Sacmi brand that produces and markets confectionery packaging solutions.

The displayed solutions will, most importantly, include a new compression technology application for coffee pods.

Developed in the wake of an ambitious R&D project that saw the Group work alongside leading industry players, the Sacmi solution transfers all the advantages of this technology (in which the Group leads the world in the plastic cap manufacturing field) to the promising, dynamic coffee pods sector. The latter produces and sells over 30 billion plastic pods worldwide every year and is set to play a key role in the growth of the entire industry between now and 2020.

which, with compression, occurs at lower temperatures, gives energy savings that can top 30%.

Moreover, there is a complete guarantee of process repeatability as it is possible to manage each cavity independently and incorporate the advanced vision systems produced by the Group’s Automation&Service Division.

Applicable to both “proprietary” systems and the manufacture of compatible pods, the system ensures the lowest running costs on the market. Moreover, further innovative applications have recently been developed for the production of eco-compatible and self-seal pods.

From coffee pods to labelling solutions, a sector where Sacmi is right on the cutting edge thanks to modular solutions that combine reliability and productivity with maximum flexibility. For example, the renowned KUBE range (Sacmi’s new modular labellers) offer markets unique versatility and have won over a growing number of key bottling customers, especially in the wine sector. KUBE “plug&play”

The application exhibited at the fair is a 32-cavity CCM press. This offers the shortest cycle times in the industry (2.4-3.2 seconds as opposed to 3.8-5 seconds with injection technology) while the special plastic extrusion process 16 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

technology lets manufacturers work efficiently across multiple labelling technologies and systems - hot, cold, self-adhesive - with just one machine and with minimum label and/or format changeover times.

A key player when it comes to automated handling and endline solutions, Sacmi will, at Düsseldorf, be exhibiting a 4-axis pick&place “spider” robot with an integrated vision system for the insertion of flexible packages (doypack, pouches, pillow bags etc.) in American RSC boxes. This

is just one of many applications belonging to the extensive robotized solutions range developed and marketed by Sacmi Packaging. This is a great example of a Sacmi Packaging case packing system for flexible packaging, with pick systems that use up to 4 pick&place robots per line, giving speeds of around 300 packs/ min and outstanding efficiency.

With these ever-more advanced solutions, Sacmi is leading the way, in all its core businesses, towards the new frontier of integrated robotics.

5th - 8th JANUARY, 2019

Freeformer produces aviation component made from original material • Arburg Plastic Freeforming: Industrial additive manufacturing with qualified original materials • Freeformer: Functional parts for aviation, medical technology, telecommunication and more • Prototyping Center: Rapid production of prototypes

Lossburg. Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) and the Freeformer will be presented by Arburg in Hall 2, Stand 2-801 at the Rapid.Tech trade fair and user convention from 20 to 22 June 2017 in Erfurt (Germany). The industrial additive manufacture of functional components from the original material Lexan 940 (PC), which is approved for the aerospace industry, will be demonstrated.

in order to manufacture a part in different colours, with special tactile qualities or as a hard/soft combination, for example. In order to implement complex geometries, support structures can be used as the second component. Air ducts made from the original material PC Lexan 940 authorised for the aerospace industry will be produced at the Rapid.Tech 2017.

Small batches of nine functional components each will be produced in a build time of around 24 hours.

The advantages of the open system As the Freeformer and APF are open systems, the process parameters can be specifically optimised for the relevant application. Arburg has already used many sample parts to show

New support material from Arburg In addition to the water-soluble support material Armat 11, Armat 21, which is soluble in sodium hydroxide, is also available from Arburg from May 2017 onwards.

This support material, which is also used at the trade fair, can be processed with ease and is thermally stable. It has very good droplet formation and adhesion properties, as well as excellent edge definition in relation to the build material.

Individualisation of highvolume parts Above and beyond the additive manufacture of oneoff parts and small batches, high-volume parts can also be enhanced and customer wishes incorporated directly in the value

“Functional replacement parts, medical implants and functional spare parts are just three of the many areas for which our Freeformer and Arburg Plastic Freeforming are the ideal choice,” explains Eberhard Lutz, Arburg’s Director of Freeformer Sales in summary. “The new Arburg Prototyping Center with six Freeformers recently opened its doors at our headquarters in Lossburg and is now available for the manufacture of sample parts from qualified and certified original materials. This means that our APF experts can now respond even more promptly to customer inquiries and produce sample parts practically around the clock.”

Functional parts made from qualified original materials One major advantage of Arburg Plastics Freeforming (APF) is the option for processing the same qualified standard granulates as used for injection moulding. The Freeformer is equipped with two discharge units as standard. This enables it to process an additional component

18 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

how many areas of application can be served with the Freeformer, including: •individually adapted implants made from medical grade PLA that can be absorbed by the body after a defined period of time, • flame-proof PC/ABS connectors for the electronics industry, • assembly tools, grippers for automation and other equipment, e.g. from PA in combination with soft TPE, • an articulated rope pulley, the housing and fastening hook of which are made from robust BioPA (Grilamid).

chain by combining additive manufacturing, injection moulding and Industry 4.0 technologies.

Arburg demonstrated how such customer-specific individualisation of high-volume parts works in the Efficiency Arena at the K 2016 and the Hannover Messe 2017, based on the example of digitally integrated, spatially distributed production of “smart” luggage tags.

The Freeformer additively applied previously selected, one or twocolour graphic motifs in ABS to the tag.

Oct 24 – 26, 2017 Munich, Germany

euromold.

World Fair for Mold- and Patternmaking, Tooling, Design, Additive Manufacturing and Product Development.

» from design to series production «

Shaping tomorrow Experience the next level of product development and manufacturing technologies.

The whole process from idea to the product.

Book your booth www.euromold.com

Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 19

CHINAPLAS 2017 facilitates automotive industry

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s energy and environmental protection become increasingly important global issues, a lot of efforts have been put into lightweighting vehicles, as the reduced weight of a vehicle attributes a lot to the efficient use of energy. According to statistics, a 100kg reduction in car weight can translate into a 10% increase in driving mileage and a 15% to 20% decrease in power costs. It also helps reduce carbon emission. These factors drive the automotive industry on a quest for innovative materials and material systems that help make vehicles lighter.

New materials lead to lighter and stronger automobiles More than 1,500 exhibitors will gather at CHINAPLAS 2017 to present new materials, state-of-the-art equipment and advanced solutions to inspire the automotive industry and facilitate enterprises to explore possibilities on the journey towards lightweight and sustainability. Some of the exhibits are highlighted below.

Kraiburg Tpe (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. will introduce its UV/HF/SF series in CHINAPLAS 2017. The UV/HF/SF Series is targeted towards automotive exterior components requiring high UV resistance, perfect surface finish and high flowability. It is of easy flowing, exhibits excellent processing behavior, adheres perfectly to PP with perfect surface finish and is tested according to Volkswagen PV3930 for outdoor use. Typical applications include cowls, gaskets, roof rims, water deflectors, window encapsulations and other exterior automotive applications.

CGN Juner New Materials Co., Ltd. will introduce to visitors 65% continuous glass fiber reinforced polyamide 6 UD-tape which features high glass fiber content, high strength and modularity. The product can be applied in automotive components, such as foot pedals, seat frames, front-end frame, etc.

Polymer Science (Shenzhen) New Materials Co., Ltd. produces polyimide fiber with a wet spinning two-step production process. Compared on same molecular structure basis to the traditional one-step production process, it can increase heat resistance by nearly 100 degrees and double the strength. The company has overcome the difficulty of combining heat resistance and processability in the traditional process.

Smart Manufacturing Technology Zone to promote automotive industry In CHINAPLAS 2017, a “Smart Manufacturing Technology Zone” will also be set up on the show floor, presenting a wealth of cutting-edge exhibits from leading suppliers, including Siemens, Bosch Rexroth, Deltacimic Electronics, Enmair, Zhejiang Keqiang, Danfoss, Sodron, LNC, Dongguan STS, Star Seiki and more. Apart from robotic arms, automated systems, controllers, actuators and sensors that were featured in the previous editions of CHINAPLAS, visitors will have a chance to witness smart factory solutions. More cutting-edge technology can be found in the “3D Technology Zone”, where 3D printers, 3D scanners, 3D printing software and 3D printing services will be displayed.

What worth mentioning is that Autodesk Software (China) Co., Ltd. will launch its Moldflow simulation software, the most popular injection molding software used by plastics molding industry so far, of which accuracy and solution efficiency is higher. Mesh model building time can be reduced by 20% with improved quality. With pre-production injection molding simulation, potential molding risk can be identified and evaluated, 20 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

thus optimizing results.

Concurrent events to inspire automotive smart manufacturing Building on the success of the first “Industry 4.0 Conference” held last year in Shanghai, CHINAPLAS will once again join force with VDMA, the German Engineering Federation, to present the “2nd Industry 4.0

towards lightweighting and smart manufacturing solutions presented for different downstream industries including automotive, E&E, building and construction, leisure and lifestyle, etc.

Well known suppliers will gather in CHINAPLAS 2017 CHINAPLAS 2017 will be held in China Import & Export Fair Complex, Pazhou, Guangzhou, PR China. It will feature “intelligent manufacturing, high-tech materials and green solutions” with advanced plastics machinery, materials and technologies in an exhibition area of over 250,000 square meters, showcasing the best from more than 3,300 wellknown suppliers, including BASF, Clariant, Lanxess, Mitsui Chemicals, LG Chem, Polyplastics, Teijin, Jushi, Sumitomo Chemical, Arburg, Engel, HASCO, Synventive, Yizumi, Yudo, Runipsys, Autodesk and so on.

CHINAPLAS is expected to attract

Conference”. The first day of the conference (May 16, 2017) is themed “Automotive 4.0”.

Representatives from KraussMaffei and Engel will give presentations on smart manufacturing technology and 4.0 solutions for the automotive industry. Shanghai Volkswagen Co. Ltd. will bring smart manufacturing case sharing to audiences. In addition, the key to the realization of “Industry 4.0” and “Made in China 2025”, standardization, will also be discussed.

CHINAPLAS is once again copresent “Design x Innovation” with BASF, the world’s leading chemical company. The theme “Smarter Living” will be demonstrated through “Inno

more than 140,000 professional visitors from over 150 countries or regions. So far, a number of global leading OEMs and spare parts enterprises have already pre-registered for onsite visiting, including representatives from BYD, Nissan, General Motor, Honda, GAC Group, SAIC, Dongfeng Motor and Yanfeng etc.

A one-day pass costs RMB 30 and a four-day pass costs RMB 50. To enjoy free admission, please visit www.ChinaplasOnline.com/prereg to pre-register before May 9, 2017.

Subscribe to our social media channels and stay tuned!

We invite you to follow CHINAPLAS on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn where you can share your questions, connect with like-minded professionals and entrepreneurs, and get first-hand tips for visiting the show.

Gallery”, ‘Design Forum” and “TRIO”, with “TRIO” represents the cooperation between BASF, designers and brand owners.

Concept car RN30, an innovation that combines key solutions from the chemical industry with purposeful aerodynamic design and specialized highperformance technologies and jointly developed by BASF and Hyundai Motor Company, will be showcased in“Design x Innovation”.

Answers to the question how plastics can optimize aesthetics, functionality and performance, as well as creative solutions for smarter living, can be found at “Design x Innovation”. Participants will understand product design, structural and functional design from new perspectives through the Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 21

Fast-growing Vietnam soon to host Sacmi excellence The country’s most important food, beverage and pharma packaging fair.

Strong partnerships with leading local dairy players and over two decades of organised in-country presence put the Group in an excellent position to make the most of growth prospects on one of South-East Asia’s most dynamic markets 22 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

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ne of the most dynamic markets in South-East Asia, Vietnam is experiencing growing demand for advanced technological and plant engineering solutions for its steadily growing local beverage & packaging industry.

It is against this background, then, that Sacmi shall be taking part in the 13th edition of ProPak Vietnam, a key food, beverage and pharmaceutical packaging event (21-23 March 2017, Ho Chi Minh,

Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center). Located in the collective UCIMA (Italian Automatic machine Constructors’ Union) area, the Sacmi stand (n. K7) will offer the over 7,000 professional operators expected to attend (with many coming from surrounding nations) a great opportunity to see the very latest solutions for an industry that has already seen about thirty machines and plants installed since 1993, the year the Group opened its first local branch.

Once again, the key strength

the Group will be showcasing is the know-how developed in the compression technology field (as part of its all-round plant engineering solutions for the industry): container weight reduction (performance remaining equal) and efficiency increases that – in terms of energy and total running costs – can exceed 30%.

Containers and caps of outstanding quality – thanks to the intrinsic advantages of this technology – are the result of some of the shortest cycle times on the market and optimised energy consumption: the outcome is a totally ultra-clean process that lets producers move from pellet to container and on to quality control and robotized solutions for end-line and storage control. Capable of acting as a leader across different sectors and technologies, Sacmi also provides - alongside the compression presses - the IPS (injection preform moulding) platform: a preform production solution that is, following the launch of the new IPS 400, now even higher-performing and more flexible.

As negotiations for finalisation of TPP (the free trade agreement between 18 American and Asian countries) continue, Vietnam continues to be, for Italian businesses, one of the strategic areas with the highest growth and development potential. In 2015 alone, the packaging industry grew by another 3%, a trend that, according to analysts, will remain constant until 2020, when sales volumes reach 1.5 billion dollars.

Operative in the country for 25 years, Sacmi is, therefore, perfectly placed to make the most of that trend, thanks also to the efficient spare parts service and the farreaching after-sales assistance that accompanies customers throughout the working life of the machine and the plant.

Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 23

Sacmi at Metpack 2017 as the all-round partner to the metal graphics industry

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t Essen (Germany) the company will present the latest technological developments for crown caps and alumini­um caps plus integrated solutions for the manufacture of Maxi-P and twist off caps with PVC-free liners. Also on show will be the extensive range of Quality Control vision systems for the entire production process, from painted, lithographed sheet to final product.

Increasingly high-performance products, built using comprehensive integrated technological solutions that

provide all the quality and safety that modern industrial standards demand. This, then, is what Sacmi aims to present at Metpack 2017 [hall 1. 1E12], the international metal packaging fair being held in Essen, Germany, from 2nd to 6th May 2017: a broad range of metal cap manufacturing machines and Quality Control Vision Systems.

Several solutions will be showcased at this three-yearly German fair, where more than 7,100 visitors from over 100 countries will have a great opportunity to see all the latest

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from Sacmi on a dedicated stand. Taking centre-stage will be the PTC 600, the latest technological gem for crown caps, a sector in which Sacmi has led the world for over 50 years. Launched in 2016, the PTC 600 provides, compared to its successful predecessor, 30% more productivity (6,000 caps per minute compared to the 4,500 attainable with the previous version). Not also that, thanks to integration with the vision system, correct centering of the decoration is guaranteed (margin of error, ≤0.04 mm).

Equipped with an intermittent brushless motor drive, the machine operates in line with the new PMC 600, the liner application solution redesigned by Sacmi to match the increased productivity of the PTC: it also offers improved process quality thanks to better, more linear cap handling inside the machine.

Completing the crown cap range is the CCD, the cap embossing machine equipped to handle both decorated caps (with CVS Vision System to time embossing with decoration) and non-decorated caps.

Yet it is at product level that Sacmi

is really pushing back the barriers in the industry. Updated market data on the diffusion of tall aluminium caps in the wine sector – which broke through the 4 billion cap sales barrier some time ago – have driven the company to transfer the technology for moulding PVC-free doses directly from the pellet to a special machine for such caps (PMH): compared to traditional cut-from-sheet discs, this offers enormous advantages in terms of raw material consumption optimisation. Like all SACMI solutions, this machine integrates a vision system from the CVS range that carries out quality control of not just the moulded liner but also - thanks to the CVS360 module - the decoration on the side wall and inner/outer bottom.

The first company in the world to implement this technology in the wine industry, Sacmi successfully launched this solution 3 years ago, with high customer satisfaction ratings.

with great design.

Lastly, Sacmi will be showcasing the market’s most complete range of Metal Packaging Vision Systems, developed by the Group’s Automation & Inspection Systems Division. For example, the Sacmi stand will be exhibiting the all-new ULYSSE, the name given to the innovative MVS 200A “all-in-one” system. This differs from previous systems in that the calculation unit is inserted directly in the image capture unit, eliminating the electrical control panel and the relative wiring. The technological heart of ULISSE is the patented Chrometriq illumination unit, proposed in several configurations.

The basic set-up is for the inspection of can lids and can ends. A second configuration is suitable for the quality control of twist-off caps (this uses RGB and infrared light) while a third version (using RGB and ultraviolet light) is designed to inspect the outer side of easy-open lids: this also

provides effective control of postrepair varnish.

This easy-to-install Sacmidesigned solution - which retains the machine’s full calculation power, the characteristics of the illumination unit and the resolution of the image capture devices (up to 5 MP) - is flanked by a second solution, the iCan-70. The latter is designed to inspect beverage and aerosol lids with a diameter of up to 70 mm and is a more compact version that allows operation on two or more parallel lines. This solution allows manufacturers to identify any mineral oil residues, inspect the dimple and also inspect the rivet (thanks to a single ultra-HD video camera instead of the two that are needed with traditional systems).

Another all-new machine that will be on show at the fair is the DECOCAP 360-3D, the new inspection system for twist-off lid

exteriors that employs 5 video cameras: one camera inspects the decoration from above and the other 4 examine the side walls. In this case too, Sacmi illumination unit and software allow perfect 2D reconstruction of the 3D object, eliminating any distortion that might stem from perspective, the shape of the lid or surface reflectiveness.

Completing the available solution set is ECLIPSIM, the metal sheet inspection system that allows inspection of lithographed and/or varnished sheets with a precision in the order of 0.1 mm. The patented Chrometriq illumination system is also used to inspect varnished sheets, thus minimising false rejects or false acceptances. With ECLIPSIM, Sacmi has extended the quality control concept across the entire can/ cap component forming process, making us the perfect all-round partner for the metal graphics industry.

Meanwhile, as experts continue to debate the health risks caused

by PVC in liners, Sacmi has moved on to deal with what is already a reality in many companies and which might soon be the subject of a specific standard. The Sacmi Group is, in fact, putting forward a PMA for the manufacture of twistoff caps. In this case too, the key innovation consists of developing liners with a defined annular profile by moulding a PVC-free dose directly from the pellet inside the cap, a food industry revolution that is still only in its infancy.

Moreover, systems for the manufacture of modern Maxi-P standard caps (with a practical tab to open the bottle) have been highly successful. In this field, Sacmi proposes the PMV machine for application of the liner and the RCM to mould and apply the plastic ring with the tab directly on the shell: a solution that combines practicality Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 25

The 3rd Medical Plastics Conference to promote innovations in medical industry

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he medical industry is growing fast globally as economies develop, populations expand, societies age, and health care awareness increases. Global sales in 2015 soared to USD 1.1 trillion for the pharmaceutical industry, while medical devices sales reached USD 350 billion, according to PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, a leading global resource for processing and packaging. Furthermore, MarketsandMarkets, a global market research and consulting company, projects that the global medical plastics market will reach a USD 6.9 billion value in 2020, with an average annual growth rate of 7% from 2015 to 2020. However, to cope with challenges posed by much stricter government regulations, the medical industry is in need of technical innovations to produce safe and bio-compatible medical products, while maintaining profit growth.

The Medical Plastics Conference to return to Guangzhou with advance technologies and solutions Exhibitions on medical products and devices, as well as conferences on such, are not rare in China, but events specially dedicated to medical plastics are. With the aim of assisting manufacturers of medical device and consumables, as well as medical and pharmaceutical packaging companies to keep up with trends of medical plastics and their applications, the “3rd Medical Plastics Conference� will be held concurrently with CHINAPLAS. A myriad of edge-cutting and practical medical plastics products and solutions will be showcased in conference, guidebooks and as well as display cabinets in the high traffic Pearl Promenade.

Entering its third edition, the medical plastics conference 26 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

will show how drip chamber, with an integrated filter, can be produced using an Engel e-victory combi injection moulding machine in a single work step. This unprecedented level of integration significantly improves efficiency with lower operating cost and decreased contamination risk. It demonstrates a revolutionary way to manufacture multi-component hollow bodies with inlays on an injection molding machine in just a single work step.

covers topics comprehensively – from new materials applications, such as “Innovative High Heat Polycarbonate for Medical Device Manufacturing Industry” by Covestro to manufacturing solutions to best practices of end - user enterprises. Some of the heavyweight guests include KraussMaffei, who will talk about special cleanroom requirement for injection moulding machines and will feature Netstal turnkey solutions; Arburg will provide information on applications in the medical industry; Tianjin Plastics Research Institute will dig into breakthrough technologies of Bioplastics.

What’s more, guests from leading end - user markets will share their insights from their viewpoints. For example, Czuba Enterprises will talk about implantable device development - from product design, material selection to production; Bemis will share with audiences their practical medical packaging solutions.

“As the modern society expands the reach of its benefits to the most remote parts of our populated world, medical devices must be able to support healthcare delivery within the limitations of local infrastructures.

Designing ‘intelligent’ medical devices can significantly improve the product development lead time and reduce costs. For example, specialty implantable device that was designed by polymer chemists, plastics engineers and genetic bio-scientists is used as a virtual internal organ replacement, and is sometimes called an ‘artificial organ’,” said Mr. Len Czuba, President of Czuba Enterprises. Inc.

Cutting-edge exhibits inspire medical industry to grow profitably In addition to the “3rd Medical Plastics Conference”, visitors of CHINAPLAS 2017 will also be able to see in person the latest equipment and materials for the medical industry from more than 1,100 exhibitors, such as DuPont,

BASF, Maider, Momentive, Engel, Davis-Standard, Haitian and Yizumi.

Visitors can get inspirations and get to know the R&D progress of suppliers via the exhibits. Some of the exhibitors include the following.

Davis-Standard, LLC Expands Polymer Lab in Suzhou to Support Medical Tubing The lab features direct-drive 19mm and 24mm single screw extruders, each with a polymer melt pump, a sophisticated threelayer spiral flow tubing die, PLC line control with data acquisition, precision vacuum sizing tank for both rigid and flexible products, closed loop ID/OD control via an ultrasonic gauging system, a servo controlled combination puller/ cutting system, and a transport conveyer with single-zone air eject.

It also includes a single layer tubing line designed specifically for the production of FPVC tubing for IV & fluid delivery applications. Products ranging in size from 2mm OD to 10mm OD can be produced with an accuracy of +/- 50 micron at line speeds up to 100 meters per minute.

Engel Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. - Dip chamber molding in a single work step Pitched as a world premiere, Engel

Shenzhen Chinasound Industrial Ltd. - Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomer Polyurethane elastomer conforms to FDA/USP certification, with above level 3.5 resistances to yellowing, good compatibilities with human skin, human blood and tissues, allowing it to be made into blood transfusion tubes and micro, biodegradable, flexible artificial blood vessels that are compatible with blood.

PSG Plastic Service Group (Nantong) – Hot Runner Solutions Utilizing its advanced technology, the company offers effective and highly reliable solutions for production process to cope with the difficulties relating to pouring in hard-to-reach areas, lateral casting, close cavity spacing, wall thickness and dimensional stability: such as 0.5 g plastic pipette and powder inhaler that can automatically match two kinds of raw materials and dialyzer shell.

Kuraray - Hydrogenated Styrene Thermoplastic Elastomer Kuraray SEPTON™ makes extremely tough, transparent and flexible medical films, adhesives and tubings. As a PVC alternative, Kuraray SEPTON™ is replacing these products as a more environmentally friendly option.

Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 27

T-PLAS 2017: Strong showing of global innovations and solutions from an international line-up of companies • Six national pavilions and country groups • Untapped potential in the fast-moving plastics and rubber sectors products and services from the burgeoning plastics markets, with an industry-related focus on medical, automotive, lifestyle, packaging, electrical and electronics and bioplastics.

Strategic Presence This one-of-its-kind plastics and rubber trade exhibition fits perfectly against the backdrop of modest growth in Thailand’s economy in 2017. Thailand has seen an exponential growth in domestic spending in recent years, registering an average year-on-year growth of 3.3%. T-PLAS 2017 will feature 6 focus areas that reflect the various sectors’ contributions to Thailand’s thriving plastics and rubber industries.

Continuing on its successful streak as Thailand’s leading exhibition for the plastics and rubber sectors, T-PLAS 2017 is back with yet another edition to address the latest developments in the regional and international outlook of the plastics and rubber markets. Taking place from 20 – 23 September 2017, the biennial international trade fair for the plastics and rubber industries, T-PLAS, is set to be bigger than its previous edition.

Global Innovations Following the success of its last instalment, T-PLAS 2017 will once again look to deliver the optimum marketplace for international professionals and industry leaders from the plastics and rubber sectors to network and advance cross-border business connections. Six national pavilions and country groups will augment the show floor, with international exhibitors participating from Austria, China, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. The trade exhibition also aims to raise its profile with 5 influential seminars and conferences that will run alongside the exhibition and its many on-site product and service demonstrations.

“The healthy presentation of international participation truly amplifies the wealth of opportunities surrounding Thailand and the region. To highlight these growing sectors, T-PLAS 2017 is giving special emphasis to 6 focus areas that will go a long way in positioning Thailand as a plastic hub for the region,” said Mr. Gernot Ringling, Managing Director, Messe Düsseldorf Asia.

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“On this note, we are pleased to announce participation from leading companies in their sectors, including Wittman Battenfeld GmBh, Rickermann (Thailand), Starlinger Recycling Technology, Engel Austria, alongside first-time participation from many companies such as Genius Machinery Co Ltd and Plasco Engineering Inc, which is testament to the relevance of T-PLAS as the platform of choice to gain a strong foothold into Thailand,” he added.

Driven by the leading global exhibition for plastics, K, organised

by Messe Düsseldorf, Germany – T-PLAS organised by MDA will continue to address future challenges and identify opportunities within the regional plastics and rubber landscape.

The four-day exhibition will feature a wide-ranging line-up of front-line technologies and solutions from the plastics and rubber industries. T-PLAS 2017 will showcase

Medical Sector: With over 17,000 healthcare facilities, Thailand possesses one of the fastest growing healthcare industries in Southeast Asia. Thailand’s healthcare spending is expected to grow at 8%, and will reach US$18.7 billion in 2018, propelling the consumption for medical and pharmaceutical plastics.

Automotive Sector: Thailand’s automotive sector is on the rise. Gargantuan brands such as Honda and Mazda projecting sales to grow as high as 18% in 2017 alone. Furthermore, the Thai government plans to significantly increase tire production from 530,000 tonnes per year to more than a million tonnes in the coming years. These plans are in the pipeline to make Thailand more appealing for business expansion and foreign investment.

Lifestyle Sector: The fondness for errand running and online shopping, coupled with the nation’s steady economic growth, have boosted plastics demand for the next two years. Thailand’s online

cross-border shopping is estimated to grow by 84% in 2017. With online platforms and e-payment systems becoming increasingly reliable, and the growing usage of the internet, the e-commerce market will continue to flourish without a hitch.

Packaging Sector: Food and beverage packaging is growing exponentially. As demand for convenience continue to grow in Thailand, packaged food evolved from supermarkets to neighbourhood convenience stores all across Thailand. This has seen the rapid expansion of convenience stores, which are now close to 30,000, or a ratio of 1 store per 5,500 people. The packaging industries account for more than 48% of Thailand’s plastics consumption.

Electrical and Electronics Sector: Thailand witnessed a surge in the manufacturing of electronics and electrical appliances in recent years. Production for these sectors saw an increase of 7.4% from 2015. Electronics were the main exported product, combining with electrical appliances to make up 21% of total exports, resulting in a significant increase in plastics consumption for the respective industries.

Bioplastics Sector: Thailand is fast becoming one of the epicentres for the emerging bioplastics industry in Southeast Asia. The nation boasts numerous advantages in bioplastics manufacturing as they possess an abundance of sugarcane, an important component to

substitute for petroleum in the production of plastics. Efforts have also seen the Thai government investing more than US$60 million in bioplastics development in recent years.

To further enhance the regional focus and international outlook of the exhibition, T-PLAS will be co-located with PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2017, the 6th International Packaging and Printing Exhibition for Asia. The strategic parallel showing of the two exhibitions will sharpen the profile and enhance the relevancy of the two independent trade fairs as they bring together the best companies from the packaging, printing, plastics and rubber sectors.

About the Organisers

Messe Düsseldorf Asia is a subsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, one of the world’s leading trade fair organisers, responsible for organising more than 20 global No. 1 exhibitions in industries including plastics, printing and packaging, and medical and healthcare - specifically K, drupa, interpack, MEDICA, COMPAMED and A+A held in Düsseldorf, Germany. Since 1995, MDA’s portfolio of trade fairs in Southeast Asia includes the plastics and rubber sectors in Thailand (T-PLAS), Vietnam (PLASTICS & RUBBER VIETNAM) and Indonesia (INDOPLAS), the printing and packaging sectors in Thailand (PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL) and Indonesia (INDOPLAS, INDOPACK and INDOPRINT), the wire, cable, tube and pipe industries in Thailand (wire Southeast ASIA and Tube Southeast ASIA), the medical and healthcare industries in Thailand and Singapore (MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND, MEDICAL FAIR ASIA, MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA), the wine and spirits sector (ProWine Asia) and Workplace Safety & Health industries in Singapore (OS+H Asia), and the metal and steel trade sectors in Indonesia (indometal).

Space application is now open for T-PLAS 2017!

For more information on the exhibition, please visit www.tplas.com.

Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 29

FIP + 3D Print 2017: Arburg to present “smart” luggage tags • Industry 4.0 “live”: combining injection moulding, additive manufacturing and host computer system • Smart factory: product controls its own path through spatially distributed production • New business models: integrating customer wishes online and ordering of personalised products At the FIP + 3D Print trade fair in Lyon (France) to be held from 13 to 16 June 2017, Arburg will demonstrate a new pioneering Industry 4.0 application: “Smart” luggage tags will be produced according to the principle of spatially distributed production in the smart factory. The exhibit on the Arburg stand, D14/ E11 in Hall 2, will illustrate the flexibly automated, cost-efficient production of single unit-batches.

Injection moulding, industrial additive manufacturing and automation are combined for the customer-specific individualisation of high-volume parts and the process data recorded using the Arburg host computer system (ALS).

“The merger of the FIP and 3D Print trade fairs is an ideal opportunity for Arburg. We will present our broad product range for plastics processing to trade visitors – from the Allrounder injection moulding machines and the Freeformer for industrial additive manufacturing, through to automation solutions and our host computer system,” explains Marc Schuh, Managing Director of Arburg France. “In Lyon, we be showing a networked and flexible automated production sequence at spatially distributed locations. The trade visitors will be able to experience at first hand how mass-produced parts can be customised by combining injection moulding and additive manufacturing. Each individual part can also be seamlessly traced via

Practical example of Industry 4.0: At the first station, the highvolume “luggage tag” part is produced on a vertical Allrounder 375 V.

our Arburg host computer system ALS.”

Station 1: Injection moulding of high-volume parts At the first station, an individual turnkey solution, consisting of an Allrounder 375 V and a flexible, space-saving robotic cell with integrated six-axis robot, produces the “luggage tags” in high volumes.

The robot removes the finished moulded part and subsequently fits an NFC (Near Field Communication) chip. Integration of the chip means that the product can save and communicate information.

The recorded data includes the date of manufacture, cycle time, injection pressure and processing temperature from the injection moulding process and the visitor’s personal details, which are added later, as well as the process data from the additive manufacturing step.

Station 2: Personalisation of moulded parts In the next step of the flexible manufacturing process, the user selects a graphic motif for the design of the tag at an input terminal and has his electronic calling card (vCard) produced. The corresponding order data for the subsequent production sequence is transferred directly to the NFC chip of the luggage tag. Thus, the

30 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

part itself becomes a data storage device, identifying itself at the various stations and independently controlling its further production process. Each luggage tag is also assigned its own website in the cloud. Here, all process and quality data recorded by the Arburg host computer system (ALS) is archived.

Stations 3 and 4: Individualisation of luggage tag During the subsequent laser marking, the personal details such as name, address, phone number and vCard are added to the luggage tag in the form of a QR code. All of the part handling tasks are performed by an Integralpicker V. Subsequently, a Freeformer further individualises the luggage tag by additively applying the selected graphic motif in 3D from plastic at the second station. The high-volume product has been transformed into a personalised one-off product.

QR code or the NFC chip. This contains the individual URL address of the website for the respective product, enabling all process and quality data to be traced on a 100 percent basis at all times.

Flexible combination of 4.0 components Digital networking promotes transparency and consistency and facilitates the optimum utilisation of the complete production capacity, particularly with respect to smaller unit volumes and frequent product changeovers.

At the Arburg stand, visitors will experience how 4.0 components from Arburg can be combined on an individual basis to efficiently implement the flexible highvolume production of single-unit batches. Furthermore, Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) experts will provide information on the range of applications of the Freeformer for industrial additive manufacturing.

Station 5: Use of smart product for online actions At the last station, visitors learn how they can use their smart luggage tag to execute data-supported actions, such as the online ordering of brochures using the integrated NFC chip. Moreover, the contact details can be read out via the

Marc Schuh, Managing Director Arburg France.

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Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 31

New low bloom anti-scratch additives for plastics Croda, a speciality chemical company, have developed a range of stable anti-scratch additives for use in plastics. These additives reduce scratch width and visibility, while the superior stability results in reduced blooming on the surface. This combination of benefits makes them perfect for use in a variety of plastics, used in applications such as automotive interior parts. Croda welcomes participation in customer projects to further develop this area of expertise.

additives includes high stability products that work from within the formulation to enhance the surface properties of plastics.

They can withstand challenging processing conditions and give long term in-use performance in the finished parts. The low usage levels do not cause any detrimental effect on mechanical properties.

The range includes Incroslip SL and

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he use of plastics in the automotive industry is increasing as car manufacturers’ aim to lightweight their vehicles. According to Plastemart the global automotive plastics market is expected to grow at CAGR of 8 % until 2018 reaching $41.5 billion. However, plastics naturally exhibit high friction and can scratch easily when transported or in end-use, resulting in a growing need for anti-scratch additives in the market. However, some of the currently available antiscratch additives can cause visible blooming, haze, surface stickiness or odour issues. They can also affect the mechanical properties of the plastics.

Croda’s range of anti-scratch 32 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

IncroMold K for polypropylene impact copolymer and Incroslip G for polypropylene homopolymer applications. Croda’s team of technical experts are available to work with customers to choose the best product for them.

Croda’s technical expert, Martin Read Says “We have undertaken a significant project in the area of

anti-scratch so that we are able to advise our customers which product and addition level will give optimum performance in their formulation. We are continuing with this work and would like to engage further with our customers to continue this process and meet future needs in the area of anti-scratch for a wide range of plastics.”

Croda Polymer Additives set to boost amide manufacturing capacity

Croda Polymer Additives has announced plans to invest in the expansion of its amide capacity at their manufacturing site in Hull, United Kingdom. The expansion is in line with the group’s long term capital investment plan and will enable Croda to satisfy their customers growing demand for slip additives into polymers through to 2020 and beyond.

The Hull site is one of three fatty acid amide manufacturing plants in the Croda group with the others located in Gouda, Netherlands and Mianyang, China. The planned investment further cements Croda’s commitment to the polymers market and enhances its position as the market leader in this technology.

Mike Millington, Global Managing Director for the Croda Polymer Additives business commented “Anticipating our customer’s present and future needs is at the heart of what Croda stands for. The new capacity will allow Croda to continue to offer the highest level of service to our global customer base, whilst supporting our commitment to deliver quality and innovation through our product range”

Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 33

FLUID DYNAMICS ANALYSIS

S

ervices offered by Seebach GmbH Modern flow simulations are increasingly used to identify the root cause of filtration problems, and in the development of filtration solutions for custom applications. The main challenges addressed

by Seebach‘s modern flow simulation relate to the scientific characteristics of the fluids to be filtered and the filter media to be used.

The foundation of the Seebach approach is our extensive knowledge and experience in the filtration of non-Newtonian fluids which change their viscosity with applied shear.

Seebach has extensive experience in the simulation of fluid and media flow characteris­tics. Utilizing the simulation process we can optimize existing systems or design new systems optimized for specific applications.

Seebach has developed the possibility to describe the dynamics for classical fluids such as gases and liquids, and also for non-classical fluids such as polymers and resins.

34 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

BASF and CHINAPLAS showcase innovative solutions for smarter living, co-created with designers and brand owners • Extraordinary “TRIO” prototypes include robot hand, revolutionary bicycle tire, and others • Interactive virtual and augmented reality booth concept will enhance visitor experience • CHINAPLAS 2017: May 16-19 at China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou

as well as the advancement of Industrial Internet-of-things. The innovations to be showcased include the RN30, a new concept vehicle jointly developed by BASF and Hyundai Motor Company, which combines key solutions from the chemical industry with purposeful aerodynamic design and specialized high-performance technologies.

BASF and CHINAPLAS will showcase extraordinary prototypes for products that improve smarter living at the “Design x Innovation” event. They include a robot hand, an airless bicycle tire, a unique children’s toy set and a hybrid electronic device – all developed through collaboration between top designers and brand owners, and facilitated by BASF and using its advanced materials.

“We are proud to unveil the results of our collaboration with designers and brand owners, and demonstrate how our material solutions and technical competencies enable better design and function for products that contribute to smarter living.

By co-creating, we can develop products that have greater appeal and business potential,” said Andy Postlethwaite, Senior Vice President, Performance Materials Asia Pacific, BASF.

These co-creation projects have been named “TRIO” to reflect the cooperation between BASF, designers and brand owners. While BASF provides the material inspiration for the prototypes, the products are conceptualized by designers and brand owners. BASF, backed by its research and development, technology, engineering, and simulation competences, also helps to optimize and make joint innovations feasible for production, while lowering development cost and ensuring faster commercialization.

The projects will be unveiled at the Design Forums of the “Design x Innovation” event held concurrently at CHINAPLAS 2017. There, BASF will also showcase a range of innovations for smarter living, which helps meet regulations and market trends, such as demand for low volatile organic compound products and fuel efficiency in transportation, individualization in consumer goods, sustainable infrastructure in construction,

The “Design x Innovation” event at CHINAPLAS 2017 will be held at Booth 11.2A41, China Import & Export Fair Complex, Pazhou, Guangzhou, China from May 16-19, 2017. The Design Forums will also feature panel discussions with the designers and brand owners from the TRIO co-creation projects.

Additionally, interactive virtual and augmented reality booth activities will enhance visitor experience and appreciation of how innovative materials enable design and functionality.

interesting content in the next Design x Innovation jointly with BASF.” Details are available at the “Design x Innovation” official event website http://on.basf.com/Chinaplas2017 www.ChinaplasOnline.com/ DesignxInnovation Materials to be used in prototypes of TRIO projects including Ultramid® polyamide, Ultradur® polybutylene terephthalate and polyurethanes from BASF.

About CHINAPLAS As Asia’s No. 1 plastics and rubber show, the 31st edition of CHINAPLAS will continue to lead the development of China’s plastics and rubber industries by focusing on high-tech materials, intelligent manufacturing, and green solutions.

About BASF At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 112,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of more than Euros 70 billion in 2015.

BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS).

“This program marks the third year of collaboration with BASF on our unique Design x Innovation concept,” said Ada Leung, General Manager of Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd, organizer of CHINAPLAS. “The event has successfully increased industry’s awareness of the importance of design in product development and that plastics can make all design achievable. We very much look forward to offering more Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 35

Sealing caps with electroplated look

New decoration process for high-gloss metallic finishes Sealing caps in a radiant gold design coated using the Kurz CAP-tivate Luxury process / Photo: Kurz

L

eonhard Kurz has developed a new decoration method for plastic sealing caps, which enables true metal layers to be applied without electroplating. The patent-pending Kurz CAP-tivate Luxury process creates a high-gloss metallic finish that is very similar in appearance to electroplating. At the same time, it fulfills the very stringent chemical resistance requirements of, for example, the cosmetics industry.

While achieving a comparable decoration result to electroplating, this coating process is very different. Kurz CAP-tivate Luxury is a dry transfer 36 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

process that can be performed in-house during and immediately after the injection molding process, thereby eliminating the need for outsourcing. It is not subject to special environmental requirements, even when producing true chrome coatings.

The yield achieved with this decoration method is significantly higher than for electroplating, which makes it substantially more cost-effective, in particular for large production runs.

Unlimited design possibilities The Kurz CAP-tivate Luxury process can be used not only to produce a homogeneous metallic appearance, but also a wide variety of design finishes. It is possible to combine metallic tones and nonmetallized colors in an arbitrary manner, or to integrate corporate

design colors. Wood, carbon, marble and pearl designs or holographic designs, for example, can also be produced. Different gloss levels can be implemented as well, from a mirror-finish piano lacquer look, to a soft matte finish, right through to a striking brushed metal look. Besides being able to produce a wide range of visual finishes, it is also possible to appeal to the tactile senses. Kurz CAP-tivate Luxury can be used to generate surfaces with a soft touch effect or tactile structures.

When using this dry finishing process, switching designs is as simple as exchanging the foil roll, which provides a great deal of flexibility in design selection.

This decoration technique can therefore be optimally employed not only for large production runs, but also for small and custom runs.

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Innovative technologies in CHINAPLAS 2017 steers global

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s awareness and understanding of sustainability become ever more prevalent, the packaging industry is turning its focus towardssustainable packaging. Lightweight and green packaging has become the bandwagon for the packaging industry to get on in order to balance ecological, economic and social needs.To cater for the demand of the packaging industry’s development, CHINAPLAS 2017 will bring to packagingprofessionalsnew technologies, materials and solutionsfrom over the world to facilitate the migrationtowards lightweighting and sustainability.

CHINAPLAS 2017 will be held in China Import & Export Fair Complex, Pazhou, Guangzhou, PR China on May 16 – 19, 2017. It will feature “intelligent manufacturing, high-tech materials and green solutions” with advanced plastics machinery, materials and technologies all found in a 250, 000+ sq. meter exhibition area from over 3,300 renowned suppliers.

CHINAPLAS 2017 topresent lightweight packaging solutions from industrial leaders Lightweight plastic packaging requires less resin in the extrusion molding process, which is not only environmentally friendly, but also able to effectively reduce the cost of materials.Visitors willfind a vast variety of new materials thatfacilitate to lightweight packaging from leading suppliers such as Dow and UROLA. The enhanced expanded polyethylene (EPE) foam solution developed by Dowgives high level of cushion performance and abuse resistance. With tailored LDPE/LLDPE blends and exceptional processability, this new foam solution achieves new levels of down weightingand downgauging. Savings up to 15% can be made on raw material costs

in unit packaging while providing the same or better protective performance.

In addition, UROLAwill be displayinga ROTARY extrusion blown moulding machine which can produce bottles from HDPE (High Density Polyethylene).

Bottles producedhave a very high consistency,withweight reduction averaging to 5% and energy consumption decreased by 30%.

This technology produces minimum material wastesandoccupies very little floor space without compromise in surface finish, material distribution and consistency.

High barrier film and multi-layer co-extrusion technologyin With the growth in demand for domestic food packaging and agricultural films,the packaging industry needs a variety of high-performingand specialized packaging solutions, such as those that can maintain freshness ofperishable food and dairy products and extend shelf-lives of products.This trend calls for high barrier propertymaterials and advanced film manufacturing technologies.

BYKwill be launching its newlydeveloped unique additive BYKO2BLOCK-1200 in CHINAPLAS 2017. This additiveis based on platelet-forming modified clay and was developed especially for use in food packaging films. The separated platelets are distributed equally in the polymer matrix, thereby reducing the permeability to gases and water vapour. A small quantity of the additive can lead to a significant improvement in the barrier property while maintainingstable mechanical propertiesand transparency.

Moreover, itcan also improve heat deformability.

38 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

The POD technology, developed

by MACCHI SPA,which will be launched in CHINAPLAS 2017, allows for the production of better, thinner, stronger and cheaper multi-layer PE films. The five-layer structure materialshaveexcellent optical performance and can improve appearance and sealing properties. The secondary sandwich layer materials can provide higher mechanical strength and allow easy downgauging.

CHINAPLAS 2017 to showcase biodegradable plastics in a kaleidoscope of applications Featuring degradable property and regenerative raw materials instead of petroleum, biodegradable plastics have, within a short period, become the alternative for traditional plastics in the quest towards sustainable and green packaging. Biodegradable plastics aremainly utilized in plastic packaging film, agricultural film, disposable plastic bags and disposable plastic tableware; with increasing demands, biodegradable plastics have promising prospects. CHINAPLAS 2017 will showcase some significantadvances in this field.

Taikang POF(polyolefin) heat shrink films, developed byShandong Taikang Biodegradable Packing Materials Co.Ltd., will debut in the upcoming CHINAPLAS. It is currently one of the most advanced environmental friendly plastic packaging materials with higher tearing sound toughness and high anti-impact strength.

REVERDIA will showcase its biosuccinium succinic acid in CHINAPLAS 2017.Biosuccinium is the first non-fossil feedstock derived chemical building block that allows customers in the chemical industry to choose a bio-based alternative with a lower eco-footprint for a broad range of applications, from packaging to footwear.

Poly propylene carbonate(PPC),

packaging industry towards weight reduction and sustainability developed byJilin Boda Oriental New Material Co., Ltd.,is a biodegradable plastic resin of recycled greenhouse gas CO2, and is prepared by polymerization using carbon dioxide and propylene oxide. It can find uses in a wide variety of plastic markets to replace traditional resins such as PE, PP and PA,providing a new and comprehensive solution to sustainability and plastic pollution worldwide.

Professionals from upstream and downstream industriesjoin forcesfor thefuture of packaging industry So far, several leadingsuppliers frompackaging industry have confirmed to exhibit in CHINAPLAS 2017, including BASF, DuPont, Dow, Mitsubishi Chemical, Kingfa, Kuraray,Milliken, Clariant,NatureWorks,Arburg, Engel, Tech-long, Han King, Jinming, Jwelletc.Meanwhile, a vast number of leading end-user enterprises have pre-registered to visit CHINAPLAS 2017, including Danone, Coca Cola,P&G, Colgate, Amway, Essel Propack, Bemis, to name but a few.

In addition tothe cutting edge exhibits on the show floor, the organizer will also holdthree concurrent events:the “2ndIndustry 4.0 Conference”, “Design x Innovation” and the“3rd Medical Plastics Conference”. What is noteworthy is that the“Packaging 4.0 Technology Seminar” will be held in the“2ndIndustry 4.0 Conference” and it will bring advanced technologies in line with Industry 4.0 tothe packaging industry. Moreover, technical seminars such as “China Blister Industry TechnologySummit Forum”,“Barrie Property of Food Contact Materials Seminar”will also be presented for local and overseasvisitors, offering them a wonderful experience in an effective and efficient communication platform.

Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 39

The cement sack of the future at Chinaplas When it comes to safe and sustainable packaging for bulk goods, there is no overlooking the Starlinger AD*STAR block bottom valve sack.

Produced in a heat sealing process from coated polypropylene woven fabric, this sack outperforms all comparable products in terms of break resistance and durability and is also versatile, economical and environment-friendly.

T

he latter has been confirmed by a recent life cycle analysis, in which AD*STAR sacks scored better than either sewn cement sacks made from polypropylene tape fabric or paper cement sacks. This study, which compared AD*STAR cement sacks with cement sacks from China (sewn sacks made of recycled woven polypropylene tape fabric) and Saudi Arabia (paper), shows that AD*STAR sacks have the lowest greenhouse potential of them all. Also by other criteria such as acidification potential, ozone depletion potential, energy and water consumption, they were demonstrably the most ecofriendly.

“

A changeover to AD*STAR sacks for cement packaging would be of special interest to China,” says Hermann Adrigan, sales director of Starlinger, assessing the situation. “Not only would it ease the impact on the environment by considerably reducing CO2 emissions, but using AD*STAR sacks would enable the automation of the entire chain of cement filling and transport processes to a much higher degree. This would greatly benefit the ongoing modernisation on the Chinese cement sector.”

140 sacks per minute and more AD*STAR block bottom valve sacks are produced using a special heat sealing process on ad*starKON

conversion lines from Starlinger.

These lines achieve production speeds of 100 to 140 sacks per minute, operating on the basis of the heat sealing process patented

by Starlinger. ad*starKON conversion lines feature a wide range of product options: In addition to block bottom sacks with or without valve, as well as lined and BOPP laminated block bottom sacks, they can produce AD*STAR *carry bags and reicoSTAR block bottom sacks made of spunbonded fabric.

Quick, simple and almost entirely automated format changeover offers sack producers maximum flexibility for the production of varying sack sizes and designs.

About Starlinger & Co. Ges.m.b.H.: Starlinger is a Vienna-based engineering company with production sites in Weissenbach and St. Martin, Austria, as well as Taicang, China. As the world’s leading supplier of machinery and complete lines for woven plastic bag production, recycling and PET extrusion and refinement, Starlinger & Co. Ges.m.b.H. is a synonym for leadership in quality and technology in over 130 countries. Founded in 1835, the family-owned business has been exporting machines worldwide for more than 45 years with an export quota of over 99.5 %.

Branches in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, USA and Uzbekistan ensure quick and professional technical support and service.

40 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

WACKER’s New Electrically Conductive Silicone Rubber Dispersion for the Cable Industry WACKER, the Munich-based chemical group, presenteda novel electrically conductive silicone rubber dispersion at the 20th International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber K 2016, held last year. POWERSIL® 403 has been developed for manufacturing the outer conductive film on cable accessories for transmission and distribution cables. The product yields a conductive coating characterized by high elasticity, good mechanical properties and scrub resistance. This makes the dispersion suitable even for cable fittings to be installed via coldshrink processes. The product contains no aromatic compounds such as toluene.

I

n the transmission and distribution industry, cable joints and connectors are coated on the outside with an electrically conductive material. The purpose of this conductive film is to minimize the electric load on the insulating layer and, in so doing, ensure that the fittings can be operated safely for long periods of time. The conductive material is applied in a thin layer as a liquid dispersion, after which it cures to form a solid material. Cable accessories used in the transmission and distribution industry include cable joints and terminations.

The new POWERSIL® 403 silicone rubber dispersion likewise forms this kind of electrically conductive film. The two-component formu­lation contains addition-curing silicone rubber, which adheres well to the insulating silicone substrate while forming a flexible film. Elongation at break is roughly 650 percent for this formulation, and its tear strength is 20 newtons per millimeter. This means that a conductive film made from POWERSIL® 403 can

withstand extreme elongation – without cracking – such as occurs during the production and installation of cable accessories suitable for coldshrink processes.

Tiny carbon-black particles are what make POWERSIL® 403 electrically conductive. During the curing process, these particles combine with the silicone elastomer to form an abrasion-resistant, conductive layer of carbon black that is largely unaffected by the mechanical stress that can arise

during packaging, transport or installation.

The product also meets increasingly frequent demands for formula­tions that contain no aromatics and, as such, are more user friendly. POWERSIL® 403 is free of aromatic solvents such as toluene. The lowviscosity liquid can be easily applied by spraying, dipping or brushing. Its electrical properties also make the dispersion suitable for use in antistatic coatings for textiles.

Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 41

WITTMANN BATTENFELD with latest high-tech injection molding technology at the Chinaplas in Guangzhou

WITTMANN BATTENFELD will present latest injection molding technology for the plastics industry to trade visitors at the Chinaplas in Guangzhou, the largest plastics fair in the Asian region, at booth 4.1C01.

Asia is one of the most important markets for the WITTMANN Group next to Europe and North America. More than 10 years ago, WITTMANN opened a local production facility in that region in addition to its own sales organization. At its Kunshan production plant, robots, temperature controllers, material loaders and granulators are manufactured primarily for the Asian market.

At this year’s Chinaplas in Guangzhou, WITTMANN BATTENFELD will demonstrate its injection molding technology expertise with three machines from its PowerSeries. These are an all-electric machine from the EcoPower Medical series, a servo-hydraulic SmartPower COMBIMOULD machine and a MicroPower. One of the highlights will be the new UNILOG B8 control system. UNILOG B8 runs on the Windows® 10 IoT operating system; it continues to offer the proven features of UNILOG B6, but provides numerous additional functions and more user-friendliness.

A combination of soft keys and gesture command, the comfortable SmartScreen, on which two functions can be displayed and operated simultaneously with a split screen, and the “easy start” program of parameter setting via QuickSetup are just a few.

With an EcoPower SE 110/350 in the medical version, WITTMANN BATTENFELD will present its medical technology competence at the Chinaplas. In this complete clean-room production cell, equipped with a Laminar Flow Box supplied by Max Petek, Germany, a closing cap will be manufactured from LDPE in an 8-cavity mold. The parts fall freely onto a conveyor belt inside the clean room.

The second machine on display will be the COMBIMOULD version of a servo-hydraulic machine from the SmartPower series. This machine was shown for the first time at the K 2016 in Düsseldorf. The standard models of the SmartPower series are available with clamping forces ranging from 25 to 350 t, and since the autumn of 2016 now also as multi-component models.

On a SmartPower 180/525H/210L, a drinking cap made of thermoplastic and liquid silicon will be manufactured with an 8-cavity mold supplied

by ACH Werkzeugbau, using transfer technology. Parts removal and depositing will be handled by a W832 pro WITTMANN robot.

42 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

A machine from WITTMANN BATTENFELD specially designed for injection molding micro parts will also be shown at the Chinaplas. On a MicroPower 15/10 the company will show an opto-electronic application. A barrel holder made of POM will be produced with a mold supplied by Wittner, Austria. This component is a focusing device used mainly in cameras to hold the lenses in place or to focus them. The internal thread of the barrel holder is produced with the help of a threaded core operated directly via the ejector of the injection molding machine. This means that the threaded

core is unscrewed directly inside the mold, before it is removed by a WITTMANN W8VS2 robot specially designed for this machine model, then presented to a camera integrated in the production line and the machine’s control system for quality inspection, and finally deposited in a collecting box separated according to cavities.

The production process is realized under clean-room conditions achieved by means of a Laminar Flow Box inside the machine.

In addition to the abovementioned processing machines, WITTMANN BATTENFELD will demonstrate in a clear, easily understandable way how robots and peripheral appliances can be integrated into the new B8 machine control system. On an interactive display board, visitors to the fair will have an opportunity to test for themselves the advantages of this solution for the challenges of Industry 4.0, now also known as WITTMANN 4.0.

Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 43

Automation, material handling technology, temperature control and recycling WITTMANN at the Chinaplas

Booth 4.1C01 Again this year, WITTMANN will be presenting its state-of-the-art product range at the Chinaplas, to be held from 16 to 19 May in Guangzhou. Visitors to the most important plastics trade fair in Asia will once more have an opportunity to view an extensive range of robots and peripheral equipment. A few selected highlights are presented below.

Robots for the plastics industry The W818 model with 6 kg payload is particularly suited for installation on injection molding machines with up to about 200 t clamping force.

All main axes are equipped with motorized servo drives. Short parts removal times are vital especially for smaller injection molding machines, and the W818 fully meets this requirement. The robot comes with ribbed aluminum profiles in the vertical axis to minimize moved masses. The control cabinet is integrated. The model is also available as a W818S (with a subarm for sprue picking), a W818T (with a telescopic vertical axis) or as a W818TS (with both a telescopic subarm and a telescopic vertical axis). The robot will be shown at the Chinaplas 2017 in the last mentioned version, a W818TS. Applications for the W818 robot series range from simple pick & place tasks to complex production cells with sophisticated automation modules. Similar to the mechanical concept of the smaller W818 robot, the W828 also has a demolding axis on a fixed horizontal profile. Here too, the control cabinet is integrated. At the Chinaplas, the W828 model will be exhibited with servo-numerically operating

WITTMANN multi-purpose robots W818 and W828

additional B/C axes. The vertical axis has a maximum length of 1,400 mm.

The payload is 10 kg. W828 robots are ideal for installation on machines ranging from 200 to 400 t in clamping force.

WITTMANN segmented wheel material dryer From the company’s range of dry air dryers, the ATON2 F70 segmented wheel dryer will be showcased in Guangzhou, which is manufactured at the WITTMANN plant in Kunshan (China). It combines a constant dew point with extremely easy operation and minimal maintenance costs. The segmented wheel consists of many chambers loosely filled with desiccant balls. This type of filling provides excellent energy utilization and unsurpassed dew point behavior. A direct comparison with conventional wheel dryers reveals a substantial reduction in energy consumption for the segmented wheel dryer from WITTMANN. ATON dryers are available in several different sizes, with dry air capacities of 30 m³/h, 70 m³/h and 120 m³/h for material throughputs of up to about 70 kg/h.

At the Chinaplas 2017, a second dryer of this type will be presented in the BS/6 variant. This option allows the integration of a conveyor blower fan inside the frame under the dryer unit. The dryer and the conveyor can be set and operated individually for maximum flexibility and the greatest possible production reliability.

ATON2 F70 segmented wheel dryer

Material loaders

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t the Chinaplas 2017, the FEEDMAX S 3-net material loader will be on display, which offers all of the excellent attributes of its predecessor models, but comes with several additional interesting features as well.

The FEEDMAX S 3-net material loader is the optimal material loader 44 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

for flexible feeding of material quantities of up to 120 kg/h in continuous operation. A special feature of FEEDMAX S 3-net is its status display, which is visible from all directions and is known as ambiLED. It enables operators to read the status of the appliance from anywhere on the production floor.

The new net5 system control system is available as a special option for FEEDMAX S 3-net. It operates with the TEACHBOX basic, whose user interface enables the administration of up to 24 material loading stations, up to two vacuum circuits plus an additional full-fledged stand-by vacuum circuit, as well as up to four ATON dryers. It is also able to handle filter stations and discharge valves. Connected appliances are recognized automatically. They are visualized on a high-resolution 4.7� touch display.

FEEDMAX S 3-net with ambiLED and TEACHBOX basic

Material dosing with utmost precision

T

he GRAVIMAX G34 gravimetric blender to be shown at the Chinaplas can handle a hroughput of up to 200 kg/h. Its control system is equipped with a 32-bit, 1 GHz processor and a touch operating panel. This ensures high performance and a further improvement in dosing accuracy.

The proven stainless steel valves are suitable for metering any and all materials. They are ideally laid out for RTLS (Real Time Live Scale) operation, thus offering the highest possible degree of precision for every batch, by continuous weighing throughout the entire metering process.

WITTMANN GRAVIMAX G34 blender

Temperature controllers The TEMPRO basic C120 is an appliance with direct cooling and extremely compact dimensions. For the special needs of the injection molding industry, several equipment variants in terms of pumps and heating and cooling capacities are available. At the Chinaplas 2017, the medium-sized version TEMPRO basic C120M with a heating capacity of up to 18 kW will be showcased.

TEMPRO basic C90 and/ or TEMPRO basic C140

The pump can handle a maximum of 200 l/min. The desired pump rate can be set between 0.75 and 1.5 kW. In addition to abundant standard features such as the permanent automatic cooling water bypass, there are numerous options to choose from as well: a serial interface, external sensors, alarm contact and, finally, manual mold emptying with compressed air.

TEMPRO basic C90 and TEMPRO basic C140, also Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 45

present at the Chinaplas are indirectly cooled, single-circuit temperature controllers with upper temperature limits of 90 °C and 140 °C respectively. They offer pump capacities of 40 and 30 l/ min with maximum pump pressures of 3.5 and 5 bar. Their heating capacity is 9 kW.

WITTMANN TEMPRO basic C120 with 18 kW heating capacity

TEMPRO plus D is the name of the temperature controller series which represents the state of the art and is extremely easy to operate via its self-explanatory touch display. Numerous options make it possible to configure these appliances for virtually all applications found in plastics processing. An extensive choice of pumps, heating capacities and other options is available. Examples of this series to be shown in Guangzhou are a dual-circuit TEMPRO plus D160 and a single-circuit TEMPRO plus D180.

Recycling – production of valuable granulate A flexible, powerful and energy-efficient grinder with a belt drive and a completely new control system concept: that is the G-Max beside-the-press granulator from WITTMANN, which can be controlled from outside its protective housing. G-Max 12 and G-Max 33 are the names of the models from this new series in different sizes.

At the Chinaplas 2017, both these models will be exhibited for the first time in Asia.

G

-Max granulators are conventional besidethe-press granulators for grinding soft to mediumhard engineering plastics for injection molding machines with clamping forces of up to 400 t.

These granulators are compact, operate with low energy consumption and come with sound insulation for the cutting chamber, which reduces the noise level. They are powered

by IE2 motors for high energy efficiency. They have rotors

G-Max 12 beside the press granulator (left) with drive visualization and G-Max 33, the most powerful model of this series at present

with staggered knives and large cutting chambers. Depending on the model, granulating throughputs of up to 110 kg/h are possible.

An interface is provided for communication with the injection molding machine. The connection cable between the control unit and the granulator has a length of three meters, which enables controlling of the granulator from outside its protective housing.

46 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

G-Max 12 inside the protective housing of a production cell

G-Max control panel with ambiLED display signaling the operating status of the granulator

The screenless granulator models MINOR 2 and JUNIOR 2 Compact will also be on show at the Chinaplas.

JUNIOR 2 Compact is specially designed for granulating hard and brittle materials. A space-saving, low-cost appliance used directly next to the machine to granulate sprue, it is compact and offers all the benefits of a screenless granulator from WITTMANN: even granulate and no thermal degradation of the material. It reaches 20 kg/h in throughput and is ideal for injection molding machines with clamping forces of up to 300 t.

The MINOR 2 model is ideal for injection molding machines with a maximum of 110 t clamping force. It reaches a throughput of up to 12 kg/h, operates with a low noise level, prevents material jump-back and improves the quality of the granulate.

WITTMANN JUNIOR 2 Compact and MINOR 2

The WITTMANN Group The WITTMANN Group is a worldwide leader in the manufacturing of injection molding machines, robots and peripheral equipment for the plastics industry.

Headquartered in Vienna/Austria, the WITTMANN Group consists of two main divisions, WITTMANN BATTENFELD and WITTMANN, which operate 8 production facilities in 5 countries, including 33 direct subsidiary offices located in all major plastics markets around the world.

WITTMANN BATTENFELD focuses on the independent market growth in the manufacturing of state-of-the-art injection molding machines and process technology, providing a modern and comprehensive range of machinery in a modular design that meets the actual and future requirements of the plastic injection molding market.

WITTMANN’s product range includes robots and automation systems, material handling systems, dryers, gravimetric and volumetric blenders, granulators, mold temperature controllers and chillers. With this comprehensive range of peripheral equipment, WITTMANN can provide plastics processors with solutions that cover all production requirements, ranging from autonomous work cells to integrated plantwide systems.

The syndication of the WITTMANN Group has led to connectivity between all product lines, providing the advantage plastics processors have been looking for in terms of a seamless integration of injection molding machines, automation and auxiliary equipment – all occurring at a progressive rate.

In China, the WITTMANN Group is present with its own production plant in Kunshan, and a sales and service subsidiary in Shanghai, WITTMANN BATTENFELD (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., as well as offices in Shenzen, Tianjin, Chengdu and Changchun.

Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 47

A short chemistry lesson Polyamides are amines, organic substances consisting of acids and ammonia derivatives that form long, stable carbon chains via polymerisation. They have high melting points that make processing difficult. Carothers’ aim was therefore to develop a polyamide superfibre that had a melting point which was low enough to allow it to be spun in large quantities while it was also tough enough for textile applications, not least of all dry cleaning. An objective that Donald Coffman, one of Carothers’ assistants, succeeded in achieving first in May 1934. The formulation of the new substance was so expensive, however, that the search for an affordable substitute for rayon had to be continued. At the end of July 1934, Wesley Peterson synthesised a polyamide that was called “polymer 5-10” because of the five carbon atoms in its ammonia and the ten carbon atoms in its acid. Carothers thought he had reached his goal, but the DuPont bosses did not give their approval, because castor oil was one of the ingredients. At the time, the oil obtained from the tropical castor seed was a cheap product that was only used as a laxative which had a foul taste. The DuPont strategists were afraid that using castor oil for polyamide production would increase demand for and thus the market price of castor seeds to such an extent that business with the new artificial fibre was likely to become uneconomic very soon. Since the profits that the company was expecting to generate were high, the production costs had to be kept low, starting with the chemical ingredients. Carothers’ team was therefore sent back to the laboratory. After further months of systematic experimentation, Gérard Berchet, a recruit from the University of Colorado, finally produced the “polymer 6-6” (each of the two original compounds has six carbon atoms) from hexamethyldiamine and adipic acid on 28. February 1935. In Carothers’ opinion, the quality of it was not as high as the “polymer 5-10” and it needed to be worked on, but it found favour – at the latest after ammonia specialists at the DuPont factory in Belle/West Virginia developed a process for obtaining large quantities of the rare hexamethyldiamine from the common adipic acid.

More than 200 technical experts were then consulted, in order to optimise “fibre 66”, as it was named for the time being. First of all, it had to be produced from absolutely pure ingredients and be melted at a precisely controlled temperature, in order to avoid precipitation. This was followed by what is known as the melt spinning process: the hot polyamide melt is filtered and is pumped into a spinning die. The thread that is spun is “stretched” and cools down in seconds during this operation, which gives it tear strength. Then it is wound up consistently, coated with a material that protects it against mechanical stresses during textile production and, finally, dyed. At the time, the engineers faced new problems in each of these production operations – which made them more and more familiar with what they called a fickle fibre. Whereas they could only spin it for ten minutes at a time at the beginning, this figure had already increased to 82 hours by 1937. After the first batch had, finally, been produced internally in the “Experimental Station” and “fibre 66” had been given the new name of “nylon” (see “How nylon got its name”), DuPont spent USD 8.5 million on a special nylon factory in Seaford/Delaware. This factory started operation on 12. December 1939, when the Second World War was starting to led to restrictions on and – finally – the complete interruption of silk deliveries from Japan.

Toothbrushes before stockings The new superpolyamide was launched on the market in 1938 in a rather unspectacular product: the toothbrush supplied by Dr. West came with brushes made of nylon (subsequent trade name: “Tynex”), which replaced the brushes used until then, which were made from wild boar bristles. Advertising focussed primarily on a different consumer product, however, and one that aroused greater interest – the nylon stockings mentioned above. DuPont’s Vice President Charles Milton Stine (1882-1954) took advantage of the advance marketing for the New York World’s Fair to publicise the company’s own product. He announced that the “nylons”, as the transparent stockings were soon known everywhere, were “indestructible” legware, made from threads “as strong as steel, but more elastic than 48 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

any natural fibre”. The advertising failed to mention the fact that nylon stockings were not immune to laddering (“running”) either – which was, incidentally, the reason why one of the possible brand names originally considered (“Norun”) did not have a chance of being chosen (see “How nylon got its name”). Everyone was already talking about nylon when the World’s Fair was opened on Long Island on 30. April 1939 and it continued to make headlines as one of the highlights of the Fair: models presented nylon stockings from DuPont to the public on a large scale for the first time, while one of these models – “Princess Plastic” – was dressed from head to toe in clothes made from DuPont synthetic fibres. The 10.5-metre-high cast of one of the legs of the actress Marie Wilson (1916-1972) in a nylon stocking caused a sensation too.

DuPont did not forget to investigate demand before the nylon stockings went on sale.

Test sales were made, first of all, to the company’s own staff in Seaford, who had never been able to afford silk stockings and now were really keen to buy the more affordable nylons. The stockings were sold publicly for the first time at the Braunstein department store in Wilmington, where the company had its headquarters. Each customer was allowed to buy a maximum of three pairs – and they only got them if they had a local address. Outsiders were therefore forced to stay overnight in Wilmington in order to demonstrate that they had one of the coveted addresses and were thus permitted to buy some of the even more coveted nylons. All the hotels within the city limits were booked out as a result – and the shelves with the entire output of the Experimental Station were sold out within a very short time. The successful dress rehearsal was followed by a phenomenal premiere: DuPont announced that 15. May 1940 would be “Nylon Day” and launched the “stocking made from coal, water and air” (advertising copy) on the market on this day. The initial contingent of five million pairs, which were delivered to New York and Philadelphia, were sold out within hours, in spite of strict limitation to just one pair per customer. This was the start of an unprecedented success story: nylon changed consumption patterns all over Nylon stockings – an essential accessory for the world; women’s stockings became models and film stars: the patent application a mass product with which DuPont for production of the first synthetic fibre was generated profits of USD 3 million in only filed in the USA 80 years ago. (Source: istock/ 7 months.

Georg Marks) The economic success did not stop when nylon was only allowed to be produced for military purposes in 1942, the year that the USA went to war. The polyamide fibre was now used to make such products as parachutes (the amount of nylon needed to make 2,300 pairs of stockings was required for a single parachute), pilot’s uniforms, mosquito nets and hammocks. One war correspondent reported enthusiastically: “Termites ate a hammock made from natural fibres in a single night. The sleeping soldier fell into the dirt on the ground.

Termites did not find nylon hammocks at all appetising.” Nylon stockings were also produced, but only in very small quantities – as CIA bribes for European informants ...

After the end of the Second World War, DuPont started civil production of nylon again.

In 1950, five of DuPont’s ten production departments were involved in manufacturing artificial fibres or the chemicals required to manufacture them. Further military demand for nylon and rayon during the Korean War (1950-1953) required DuPont’s production capacities too. The company’s total sales exceeded USD 1 billion for the first time in 1949. They already amounted to 1.5 billion in 1953 and reached almost 2 billion in 1957. The company’s share of the global market for artificial textile fibres grew accordingly, from less than one per cent in 1950 to 34 per cent in 1967.

Nowadays, nylon is used to produce not only stockings but also bathing suits (vivana nylon), underwear (crepeset nylon), bags and carpets. The fibre’s versatility is less well-known in the non-textile field: nylon is suitable for use as a tear-resistant material for fishing lines, fishing nets, ship mooring ropes, tennis racket strings and even surgical sewing and implant material. In addition to nylon fibre, there is also nylon resin known as Zytel, which is a standard material for tooling and machines that is as light as it is resistant.

The success story that DuPont has written with nylon has not, however, been quite

as focussed or straightforward as this short historical outline might suggest. It was at any rate not clear right from the start where the journey would exactly end – it is a well-known fact that success cannot be planned. Although nylon is not a random byproduct, the fact that DuPont had an edge on the competition as a polyamide pioneer is not attributable solely to far-sighted corporate decision-making processes; some good luck was needed too. But let us explain things one at a time: Up to the end of the First World War, DuPont operated primarily as an explosives manufacturer. Its public image was damaged as a result, the company was criticised as being a war profiteer. The company bosses were keen to shake off the negative image and therefore began to switch production to consumer goods more and more. The aim here was not to abandon the company’s heritage entirely, however; instead of this, the goal was to develop “innocent” new product ideas on the basis of the know-how that had been acquired in the manufacturing of explosives. The objective was to extend the DuPont product family organically by carrying out research into related chemicals; Stine, who has already been mentioned above, held senior responsibility for this as head of the chemical department. A vision that produced practical results: explosives were followed by dyes and, finally, stockings – completely different products at first glance, but ones that are related in key areas at the chemical level. Customers were not, of course, aware of the chemical relationships, so the new nylons – backed by advertising campaigns – were exactly the right medicine to cure the company’s image problem: what could be a stronger contrast to ammunition supplies for soldiers than selling delightfully thin stockings to women?

Development in Germany at the same time Before – in 1938 – DuPont had been shocked briefly when a delegation from the company travelled to Germany to offer I.G. Farbenindustrie AG a licence for nylon – and was confronted with a development that had been made in Germany at the same time. Paul Schlack (1897-1987), a chemist at the I.G. factory AcetA in BerlinLichtenberg, had worked on polyamides independently of Carothers and had also found a superpolyamide in January 1938. Schlack’s development was based on just one raw material, in which both the amine and the acid component were present: e-caprolactam, the “inner” amine of aminocaproic acid. A snow-white powder that looked similar to granulated sugar and that Schlack polymerised by melting it in a thick-walled glass tube, which he then left overnight in an oven at 240°C. The molecular rings opened in this process and formed high-molecular chains. Since aminocaproic acid has 6 carbon atoms, the artificial fibre made from just one component was called “polymer 6”, which is processed by the melt spinning process – like nylon (“polymer 6-6”). The German polyamide had technical properties that were very similar to nylon. The thread was highly elastic and considerably more tearresistant than natural silk. There was no dispute about the priority of the American

invention, however: I.G. received the nylon licence contract in May 1939. “Polymer 6” was initially put solely to military use in Hitler’s Germany. Parachutes were made from it at the I.G. factory in Landsberg an der Warthe during the Second World War. In the post-war period, it then became a synonym for the German economic miracle under the trade name Perlon.

Nylon, neoprene, Nagasaki The bleakest chapter of the nylon story is probably the fate of the man who invented the material: Wallace Hume Carothers never knew what name his fibre was, finally, given and he did not live to experience its triumphant success. The scientist suffered from chronic depression and committed suicide on 29. April 1937, two days after his 41st birthday, in a hotel room in Philadelphia. The brilliant man, who invented not only nylon for DuPont but also neoprene, i.e. synthetic rubber, had already warned the company about “the regular recurrence of neurotic problems that have an adverse effect on my performance” during his interview for the job. Years before he committed suicide, he showed his staff member Julian Hill a capsule containing potassium cyanide, which he carried around with him attached to a watch chain. Carothers’ morbidly melancholic temperament was obvious to everyone, but no-one thought that he was seriously considering suicide, because his creative powers and personal fame were at their height. On 30. April 1936, almost exactly one year to the day before his suicide, Carothers had been appointed a member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences; no other scientist who did research for industry had ever been given this honour before. It was not, however, in Carothers’ nature to sit back and enjoy his success, particularly in view of the fact that he was already expecting his powers to wane while they were still at their height: he is supposed to have told a friend that synthetic rubber and artificial silk were enough for one person’s life. It is also reported that he was afraid that he would never have another good idea again. Carothers was spared the Second World War, particularly the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US Air Force on 6. and 9. August 1945 – a mission in which his employer was involved: from 1942 onwards, DuPont had participated in the Manhattan Project carried out by the US government in secret laboratories to produce weapons-grade plutonium, which the book about the history of the company that was so successful in making and selling nylon made no secret of, incidentally (Adrian Kinnane, “DuPont: From the Banks of the Brandywine to Miracles of Science”. Bad Homburg: Du Pont de Nemours (Germany)/Westerngrund: Büttner Offsetdruck 2002, 60 pages).

By the way: How nylon got its name Carothers called his superpolyamide “fibre 66”. The company management did not think this name had enough advertising appeal, so a naming committee was appointed that came up with almost 400 different suggestions. “Duparooh”, which was proposed by Ernest Knight Gladding (1888-1958), the head of the rayon department, did not convince a majority of the decision-makers. The acronym was considered to be nothing more than a joke, because it stood for “DuPont Pulls A Rabbit Out Of The Hat”. “Wacara” in honour of Wallace Carothers or “Delawear”, a combination of “wear” and Delaware, the US state in which DuPont produced the polyamide fibre, found too few advocates as well. “Dusilk”, “Rayamide” and “Silkex” were also rejected. Gladding then proposed “Norun”. That sounded good and suggested that the material did not ladder (“no run”), but this name was rejected again because it was not true. Without further ado, “Norun” was changed to “Nuron”, because “nu” sounds like “new”. There was, however, a danger that it would be confused with a nerve tonic (“Neuron”).

Gladding replaced the “r” by an “l” and the “u” first by an “i” and than by a “y” – and the word “nylon” was coined. A composition designed to sound good that did not really mean anything, even though claims were subsequently made about meanings on which the word was allegedly based. One of these interpretations is that “nylon” came from “New York” and “London”, because two chemists thought up the word on an intercontinental flight from one of the cities to the other. An alternative which is claimed is that DuPont chose the name “nylon” with the aim of provoking Japanese industry, which would be able to export less silk as a result of the new artificial fibre – this story says that “nylon” stands for “Now You’ve Lost, Old Nippon” ... (MW/GD) Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 49

A pioneering event at Arburg: Spectacular Technology Days 2017 Event

• Inspired: Over 6,700 guests attend the Arburg Technology Days 2017 • Comprehensive: Over 50 exhibits demonstrate trends in injection moulding and additive manufacturing • Practical applications: “Industry 4.0 in practice”, specialist presentations and factory tours Over 6,700 guests from 53 different countries once again made the Arburg Technology Days, held from 15 to 18 March 2017, the biggest in-house event in the industry. There was much more to be seen at the company’s 171,000 square metre headquarters in Lossburg (Germany) than at most trade fairs. The presentation included more than 50 exhibits in action, the Efficiency Arena under the motto of “Industry 4.0 in practice”,

50 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

turnkey injection moulding solutions, the new Arburg Prototyping Center for additive manufacturing with the Freeformer, as well as a special service area. Trade visitors also found further inspiration in specialist presentations and factory tours.

The Arburg Technology Days 2017 attracted over 43 percent of its visitors from abroad. The largest contingencies from overseas were

North America with over 170 visitors and China with around 125.

The largest numbers of European guests were brought along by the subsidiaries Switzerland (around 210), Czech Republic (around 180) and France (around 160).

“For our annual Technology Days, we do everything we can to ensure that our invited guests get a comprehensive insight into the Arburg product range, trends in plastics processing and innovative applications. The unique industry event involved a large number of employees and trainees. Our customers really appreciated the unique atmosphere, made great use if the opportunity to talk with our experts and, at the end of the day, took away some key ideas for their own production,” summarises Michael Hehl, Managing Partner and Spokesperson for the Arburg Management Team.

Highlight - the Allrounder 1120 H There was a great deal of interest among the public in the new hybrid Allrounder 1120 H, which extends product and services into a clamping force range of up to 6,500 kN. Visitors to the Technology Days 2017 had the opportunity to take a closer look at the new large machine with its new design and visionary

Gestica control system following its premiere at the K 2016 leading international trade fair. As part of an innovative turnkey solution, the exhibit produced ready-to-use folding step stools in an exclusive Arburg design. This involved producing eight individual parts using an eight tonne family mould in a cycle time of around 60 seconds and then assembling them ready to use in a combined set-up with a Multilift V 40, six-axis robot and assembly station.

“Industry 4.0 in practice” The Efficiency Arena was also very well received. Here, Arburg and a number of selected partners showed practical and pragmatic examples of the implementation of Industry 4.0. Customers were offered a host of different perspectives on how to implement Industry 4.0 and make their own production more efficient. A

pioneering practical example was the spatially distributed, digitally networked production of “smart” luggage tags in singleunit batches. An Allrounder injection moulding machine and two Freeformers for additive manufacturing were combined for this purpose. The Arburg host computer system (ALS) ensures end-to-end traceability for each individual part. Two ALS add-on modules were also presented: “Energy Visualisation” for orderbased allocation of energy data and “Material Staging Interface” for batch changes.

Other topics covered in the Efficiency Arena were the traceability from finished part to the original granulate, online monitoring for quality assurance purposes, systematic energy consumption records and the integration of peripheral equipment in the

Selogica machine control system.

Eight Freeformers in action A total of eight exhibits relating to Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) were on view, five of them in the new Arburg Prototyping Center. The focus here was on the industrial additive manufacturing of functional parts, either individually or in small batches - including grippers made from PA and TPE, mobile phone covers with optimised surfaces and parts made from a PC approved for use in the aerospace industry. In addition, flame-proof electronic parts and implants from medical-grade PLA were also presented. Another Freeformer in the Customer Center produced mechanically optimised rope pulleys from organic polyamide. The two exhibits in the Efficiency Arena individualised the “smart” luggage tags.

Diverse applications The broad range of injection moulding machines included pioneering machine and mould technology, a wide range of products and applications, as well as innovative processes for the efficient production of plastic parts.

In the medical technology area, Arburg showed five applications and different clean room concepts, including a GMP-compliant stainless steel electric Allrounder 370 A as a high-end injection moulding solution which produced long-term PEEK implants in a clean room environment.

The performance capabilities of the Hidrive series for the packaging industry were demonstrated by an Allrounder 570 H in a Packaging

Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 51

version specially configured for thin-walled parts. The production cell produced four IML tubs from PP in a cycle time of less than two seconds.

Arburg presented Fibre Direct Compounding (FDC) and Profoam physical foaming technology based on the example of two automotive applications. As well as reducing weight, these processes can also be used specifically to improve mechanical part characteristics and minimise distortion, as was demonstrated with a glass-fibre reinforced cable drive housing for power windows and a foamed base plate.

LSR/LSR wristwatches required complex manufacturing processes and set the standard for what can currently be achieved in the processing of liquid silicone. The associated turnkey system based on an electric two-component Allrounder 570 A that produced two-colour LSR wrist bands fully automatically. Assembly as a readyto-use wristwatch took place within the injection moulding cycle.

A highlight in the area of powder injection moulding was the world’s first MIM frame for smartphones. A hydraulic Allrounder 470 C Golden Edition processed feedstock from BASF to produce a green compact in an Arburg design with a thickness of only 1 millimetre and a length of 136 millimetres.

current customer projects were also presented - from the hydraulic Allrounder 520 S with Multilift Select to the hydraulic twocomponent Allrounder 920 S with six-axis robot and downstream station with Agilus robot.

Comprehensive programme of side events In the service area, visitors were able to find out about topics such as Industry 4.0, preventive maintenance and the current training offerings.

Over 2,000 participants attended the informative specialist presentations in German and English. Here, some of the company’s experts spoke about lightweight construction, Arburg Plastic Freeforming and turnkey solutions. External specialist presentations covered topics such as Industry 4.0 and the strong partnership that Arburg offers from the customer’s perspective.

Almost 1,500 visitors from Germany took the opportunity afforded by the factory tours to become familiar with machine production.

Furthermore, the company was also presented to all international groups visiting the Technology Days with their Arburg subsidiaries and trading partners in their respective national languages.

Spacious turnkey area The well-equipped turnkey area had everything, from simple pickers and linear Multilift robotic systems to a six-axis robot featuring the Selogica user interface and customised turnkey systems.

Highlights included the fully automated production of readyto-use step stools and LSR/LSR wristwatches, the “playing field” for robots in action and the new Multilift V 40 with a load-bearing capacity of 40 kilos. A number of 52 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

ecoFITTOM®,

the PVC -O fittings developed

by Molecor that will revolutionize the market

Molecor is a leader company specialized in the development of the latest technology applying molecular orientation for pipeline solutions (PVC-O), becoming the worldwide pioneer in innovation of PVC-O pipes manufacture, reaching unique cutting edge high-diameter pipes (DN800 mm) and high-pressure rating performance (up to PN25 bar). This revolutionary technology provides reliable and user friendly systems that widen possibilities for the global pipe business.

of raw material offering the best mechanic performance but with a significant reduction of the end-product

weight compared to other competing solutions: 50% reduction compared

to other plastics solutions and over 80% compared to ductile iron.

Plastics are rapidly penetrating into the piping market (water systems, large diameter sewerage or under-floor heating) replacing other materials. The corrosion of drinking water systems is a major issue that can alter the purity of the water, which can also affect the structural integrity of buildings bringing leaks, breaks, and pipe failures and finally may lead to tremendous water losses.

Therefore PVC-O is far more efficient than other competing solutions in terms of costs, raw material consumption and lighter weight, making easier its manipulation and installation.

The company has exceeded the technological limits and succeeded in producing PVC-O fittings and now is working on the technological industrialization of the product.

- Durability and recyclability of the end-product. Plastics are durable

ecoFITTOM®, the PVC-O fittings developed by Molecor, are presented as a cost-

efficient solution capable of improving the mechanical characteristics and long-term results obtained by fittings made from other materials.

The main objective of ecoFITTOM® is the development of a new high technological industrial process for the manufacturing of PVC-O fittings, offering a plastic solution for pipe unions where nowadays the only alternative is ductile iron fittings. The resulting product will revolutionize the pipeline business threefold: in terms of savings on raw materials, energy and the reduced impact on the environment (100% recyclable) and better technical performance.

materials that do not rust or corrode so it is exceptionally durable, used for instance in water supply and sewage pipes can last over 50 years.

But in addition to this, PVC-O is 100% recyclable, maintaining the same properties after the recycling process as the initial material. It can therefore be reintroduced into the PVC-O pipe production or used in many other applications (packaging, cable sheathing…).

- Reduction of CO2 emissions in all energy-consuming

activities along its lifecycle – i.e. extraction of raw material; processing of raw material; production of pipe system; product transport and installation; product use and waste. PVC-O manufacture supposes a 33% reduction of CO2 emissions in relation to ductile iron emissions.

After having been presented in the last K show in Düsseldorf, Germany, where the product managed to capture the interest and attention of the attendees to the fair; now ecoFITTOM® will be exhibited in Smagua, the most representative event of the sector developed in Spain. In this event the PVC-O fittings of Molecor have been awarded with the denomination Outstanding Technological Novelty. ecoFITTOM® addresses important challenges and has been designed fol-

lowing the last trends in Environmental Issues.

Based on the results obtained from several studies and texts ecoFITTOM® is defined as an eco-friendly product with the environment because contributes to the reduction of global warming by: - Optimization of natural resources consumption: PVC is a synthetic material derived from natural resources. 57% of PVC it is made out of chlorine, derived from common salt which is abundant on earth. Therefore PVC contributes significantly to saving oil and gas (non-renewable resources) in comparisons to other materials whose composition depends entirely on oil.

- Reduction of raw material needed. The patented molecular orientation process of PVC-O makes possible to manufacture using less quantity

The resulting end-product will exceed the common competing fittings in malleable cast and ductile iron that are currently available in the market by far regarding performance, cost and environmental advantages. The following table summarises the main advantages than ecoFITTOM® offers.

Plastics & Rubber Review | March-April 2017 | 53

PERFORMANCE • Plastic solutions: System with non-discontinuity, ensure water tightness, diminution of breakages, leakages and failures in comparison to other systems.

• Water quality: ecoFITTOM® is immune to corrosion and to chemical attacks from micro and macro organisms, the quality of the conveyed fluid remains unaltered, in compliance with health standards for water´s human consumption.

• Water hammer reduction up to four times less than other materials.

• Higher hydraulic capacity. PVC-O piping systems have between 15% and a 40% more hydraulic capacity than systems with pipes made from other materials and with the same external diameter.

• Molecular orientation process makes possible to manufacture PVC-O pipes with a greater internal diameter and flow section.

ENVIRONEMENTAL

SAVINGS • Less raw material needed. The excellent mechanical properties of PVC-O enable a significant reduction on the use of raw material compared to other products with the same physical requirements, reaching important material savings.

• The petrol consumption needed to manufacture the raw material is, therefore, lower than for other plastic conduits.

• The energy consumption needed in the manufacturing process is slightly lower than other PVC-O pipe manufacturing processes and considerably lower than other plastic pipes.

• No protection or coating is needed vs iron.

• Non heavy machinery is required, being this necessary only for diameters bigger than DN315 mm.

• High savings in production, installation and maintenance processes.

INSTALLATION

• Lightness. PVC-O pipes system is lighter and easy to install than other materials, no machinery is required to handle them. It is between six and twelve times lighter than ductile iron.

• Flexibility. PVC-O´s excellent elasticity allows the recovering of its initial shape even after being crashed or hit during its manipula• Product environmental footprint. tion eliminating risks of breakages The best known environmental parameter is the Carbon Footprint, or cracks and ensuring optimum performance once is buried.

TOM® pipes system has the eco-label Environmental Footprint • Joints Plug-in system. The efficient FVS Seal. socket design provides a robust • PVC is chemically inert, immune to rubber sealing ring and faster corrosion, or microorganism attacks, connection between pipes and maintaining the water quality for fittings, the Plug-in limit mark facilihuman consumption without tates installation and ensures their problems of migration or oxidacorrect assembly. tion that other materials have.

• Durability of the PVC-O against • 100% recyclable. It can be reused degradation, preventing leakage not only for new piping producof channeled water and ensurtion but for urban furniture, road ing a useful life of over 50 versus safety elements, window profiles, other materials 30 year useful life. soundproofing panels…

• Easy assembly since there is on • PVC-O pipes produce the lowest need of welded union. Its weight CO2 emissions throughout their life allows higher performance and cycle compared to other piping installation speed compared to solutions. the rest of materials.

• Sustainability. ecoFITTOM® preserve the environment considering aspects such as energy saving or sustainable use of natural resources, among others. More than 50% of PVC resin is made out of chlorine, derived from common salt, significantly contributes to non-renewal resources savings.

54 | March-April 2017 | Plastics & Rubber Review

Due to the high technical performance of PVC Oriented applied to pipes, and thanks to the knowledge of the industry, Molecor has developed the PVC-O fittings ecoFITTOM, an exclusive product worldwide.

Molecor will have available along 2017 elbows, couplings, sliding couplers, reducers and extensions in PVC-O; fittings with which the company will offer a totally innovative solution for the conveyance of water under pressure. They may be used for irrigation, drinking water conveyance, industrial uses, sewage water, infrastructure and fire protection nets, etc. among other applications. These fittings, compared to products made of other materials, present an important number of advantages.

Main uses of PVC-O pipes and fittings:

Our studies concluded that PVC-O exceeds and provides the highest added value when used for water management, and it will be the most profitable and convenient application: the high volume of the water market together with its excellent technical properties compared to other materials makes ecoFITTOM’s outcomes to be the most competitive solution in the market.

45° DN400 mm bend

DN315 mm to DN200 mm reduction

DN200 mm coupler

DN200 mm sliding coupler

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 756698

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