'Plastics & Rubber Review' (September-October 2014)

Vol.2 No.5 | September-October 2014 | New Delhi, India

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Breakthrough Automotive Exterior Design Features Specialty PolyOne Color and Additive System

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nnovative technologies from PolyOne Corporation have enabled Citroën to launch groundbreaking Airbump® exterior protective panels on the new C4 Cactus passenger car. Working closely with the Citroën design team, PolyOne developed a specialty OnColor™ Smartbatch™ color and additive system that allows the distinctive panels to meet stringent UV stability, appearance and durability requirements.

Vol.2 No.5 | September-October 2014 | New Delhi, India

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: INDIA: RS.2000 | OVERSEAS: US$100

I n T h e P a g e s 4 Amut Supplies To Petstar The Largest Plant Of Latin America 6 Starlinger recycling equipment for Nordic Plast

“We are thrilled at the opportunity to be part of this effort by bringing enabling technologies to the Citroën team as they pioneer new directions in automotive design,” said Christoph Palm, general manager, Color & Additives EMEA & India for PolyOne. The air-filled Airbump panels, manufactured from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), can compress up to 20 mm, and bounce back to shape in an instant. Citroën notes that this will reduce the cost of vehicle ownership by reducing damage due to everyday bumps and scratches, such as those from shopping carts or the doors of other vehicles.

10 Fakuma 2014: IML Technology

Added Palm, “By working with Citroën and its Tier I suppliers, we were able to develop an advanced solution that provides the panels with uniform, attractive, and durable color despite exposure to sunlight, heat, and detergents. TPU materials are rarely selected for a vehicle’s exterior, but by working together, we were able to overcome several material-related challenges. This type of collaboration exemplifies the way we help our customers innovate.”

24 Concept Laser to present unmissable innovations at

About Citroën

27 Micro Injection Molding with LSR

Citroën is part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, a leading manufacturer of automobiles. In 2013 the company sold 1,266,000 vehicles (PSA total: 2.82 million), with 41% of those sales outside Europe. PSA Peugeot Citroën employs almost 200,000 around the world, and has more than 14,500 researchers and engineers across four R&D centers.

About PolyOne

PolyOne Corporation, with 2013 revenues of $3.8 billion, is a premier provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions. The company is dedicated to serving customers in diverse industries around the globe, by creating value through collaboration, innovation and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Guided by its Core Values, Sustainability Promise and No Surprises PledgeSM, PolyOne is committed to its customers, employees, communities and shareholders through ethical, sustainable and fiscally responsible principles. For more information, visit www.polyone.com.

12 Access BOY injection moulding machines online 14 100 % Film Made from Post-consumer Waste: 17 New WITTMANN representatives for the Middle East 22 Arburg presents high-end exhibits at Plast Eurasia 2014 in Turkey

Euromold 2014 25 EuroMold 2014 increases its international focus in order to reach global markets

28 CHINAPLAS: High booth booking rate 32 Fakuma 2014 with Record Breaking Numbers 37 International Injection Moulding Conference – IIMC 38 Arburg to exhibit two Freeformers at the Euromold 40 Show Report: MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 42 MEDICA 2014 preview: 45 Big solutions, small portions 46 Thailand’s best-in-class trade fair for the plastics and rubber

Editorial: Reny, Sarvjit, Vishwapreet & Amrita (India), Anna (Sweden), Mike (UK), Liza (Singapore), Upi (Indonesia), Ying & Adrian (China), Arvi (Australia). Public Relations Director: Winnie. Advisor: Rajiv Sanghavi. Production: Rakesh. Design, Art & Web Development: Diamond Infomedia. Publisher: Milinia Inc. Founded by: Late Mr N.S. Kanwar. B-2-B Group Publications: PRINTING REVIEW, Medical Device ASIA, autoASIA, Hotels & Culinary ASIA, Electronics & Electrical ASIA, Beauty & Fashion World. Contacts: To advertise: advertise@ plasticsandrubberreview.com, to submit a press release: editorial@plasticsandrubberreview.com, to subscribe: subscribe@plasticsandrubberreview.com, for any other enquiries: info@ plasticsandrubberreview.com. Head Office: D-182, PR House, Anand Vihar, 110092 New Delhi, India. Tel: +91 11 22141542 | Fax: +91 11 22160635.

Published, printed, & owned by S. Singh on behalf of Milinia Inc. at , D-182, PR House, Anand Vihar, 110092, New Delhi, India and printed by him at Technical Press, D-182/C, Anand Vihar, 110092, New Delhi, India.

Views expressed in this magazine are of the contributors, authors and companies and not necessarily of the publisher and/or editors’ and they do not take any responsibility for the errors and/or accuracy of the information published in this publication. No part or design of this magazine can be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher, who reserves the right to use the information published in this magazine in any manner whatsoever.

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 3

Amut Supplies To Petstar The Largest Plant Of Latin America

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.Lic.Enrique Peña Nieto, the President of Mexico, the Board of Directors of Petstar and Coca-Cola Management participated in the opening ceremony held at Pet Star premises at Toluca, Mexico, on the 16th of July. The latest PET wash plant installed by AMUT has been shown to the large number of guests including top level managers involved in PET recycling business.

This plant represents a great success for AMUT as it is the second one supplied to Petstar company, who wanted to double its existing capacity, thus proving a high-trusting knowhow of recycling technology.

This line completes Phase 2 of PETSTAR, owned by Coca-Cola and other Mexican investors, that today represents the largest Bottleto-Bottle recycling plant in Latin America with an hourly net capacity of over 6.000 kg/h, handling 1.5 Billion PET bottles per year. The AMUT PET bottles recycling system is designed to convert postconsumer PET bottles into flakes suitable to be processed by an SSP (Solid-State Polycondensation) system. The flakes produced have a top purity quality and are suitable for Bottle-to-Bottle application.

The plant has driven a change in Mexico’s waste management sector by converting the postconsumer bottles into usable and valuable manufacturing input.

The nonbiodegradable nature of PET bottles has always caused a excessive waste disposal problem throughout Mexico but now they can be turned into second life. The consumption of virgin PET involved in bottle production is consequently reduced. The AMUT plant includes a bottle pre-washing, detection, grinding, washing, drying and a final flakes detection in one integrated system running a continuous process. AMUT patented washing systems grant the complete removal of impurity with a substantial saving of water and chemicals.

The patented Friction Washer, connected with a water-flow recirculation and filtering system, removes any type of polluting material from the PET flakes.

example for their parents and promote behaviors against pollution.

completely “tailor-made”, following customers’ needs and market trends.

AMUT PRESENTATION

AMUT is a reliable manufacturer of extrusion lines for foils, sheets, pipes, profiles, panels, edgebanding, extruders and others ancillary equipment. Solutions to produce WPC are also provided with the special series EasyWood.

AMUT is an Italian leading company with 56 years of great experience in plastics extrusion and recycling field.

AMUT has become a GROUP, with the opening of premises located in North America and in Brasil (AMUT WORTEX) and two special divisions: AMUT COMI, dedicated to the thermoforming industry and AMUT ECOTECH, producer of waste sorting and disposal equipment.

AMUT has a strong sales force, counting on Multilanguage-speaking Sales Managers and an extensive worldwide agents’ network.

The lines branded AMUT are

The AMUT system is continuous process, not based on batches, where washing process, water temperature, friction level and resident time are automatically controlled and monitored.

The supplying of this plant is part of a social responsibility program to eradicate child labour: a reimbursement is provided to those families who collect waste bottles giving them the possibility to send children to school. Furthermore, the motto of Petstar “Recycling is giving PET new life” wants to have an educative function: recycling attitude should start from childhood and children themselves can be an

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A high-specialised Division is dedicated to manufacture complete washing plants for PET bottles and HDPE containers, assuring a greater flakes purity suitable to Bottle-toBottle applications, and MINI PRF dry pre-sorting system.

AMUT has recently presented its DE-LABELLER, unique full-body shrink sleeve labelremoval system.

plastics|recycling

Starlinger recycling equipment for Nordic Plast’s new production unit in Latvia Latvian plastics recycling specialist SIA Nordic Plast, one of the leading polymer recycling companies in the Baltic states and part of the environmental management corporate group Eco Baltia, has installed a recoSTAR basic 165 VAC recycling line supplied by Starlinger recycling technology in their newly opened production unit in Olaine. Nordic Plast invested more than 2.5 million Euros in the new facility. The grand opening was celebrated last month.

well as heavily contaminated postconsumer waste. It has a production capacity of up to 1,300 kg/ hour and is used for recycling washed polypropylene big bags and washed polyethylene film.

Two main machine features are the water ring pelletizer that Starlinger recycling technology has especially developed for the processing of polyolefines, and the continuous rotation filter for the efficient removal of coarse impurities.

Nordic Plast specialises in recycling LDPE film and high density PE, and, since 2012, also polypropylene.

The final product are five types

of pellets which are used for the production of various products such as pipes, industrial containers, waste containers, boxes, polyethylene film, waste bags, and similar products.

After increasing the production capacity from an average of 320 tonnes to up to 550 tonnes of finished products monthly, Nordic Plast processes around 5,000 tonnes of waste material per year.

Between 40 and 50 % of the input material are polyethylene and HDPE scrap collected in Latvia. It is planned to increase the total volume to up to 8,500 tonnes.

About Starlinger recycling technology

(From left to right) Dace Samuša, Director SIA Nordic Plast, Maris Simanovics, CEO Eco Baltia Grupa, Tatjana Malez, Starlinger recycling technology, and Marius Maslauskas, UAB Plamika in front of the Starlinger recoSTAR basic 165 VAC during the grand opening in Olaine

“Nordic Plast has decided to install a recoSTAR basic 165 VAC recycling line after a long and very thorough examination of the equipment parameters and its full compliance with our requirements regarding the types and quality of the processed products,” said Dace Samuša, Director of SIA Nordic Plast. “Our final product – different kinds of polymer pellets – has always met the highest standards of recycled pellets. We wished to preserve the high quality in production also with the equipment we selected. We are very pleased with our choice as the quality of the end product is what we had expected”, she added.

The recoSTAR basic 165 VAC is designed to process input materials with up to 10 % humidity content as 6 | September-October 2014 | Plastics & Rubber Review

Starlinger recycling technology is a division of Starlinger & Co GmbH, world market leader in the field of machinery and complete lines for woven plastic packaging production.

For more than 25 years Starlinger recycling technology has been providing machinery solutions for the recycling and refining of a wide scope of plastics such as PE, PP, PA, PS, BOPP and PET. Starlinger PET recycling systems produce food-safe rPET and are approved for use in food applications by many brand owners as well as various national and international authorities. The worldwide sales and service support network and technical consulting service help customers to achieve optimum results in the manufacturing process.

Further information: Starlinger & Co. Ges.m.b.H. Sonnenuhrgasse 4, 1060 Wien, Österreich, T: +43 1 59955-0, F: +43 1 59955-180; E-mail: recycling@starlinger.com, www.recycling.starlinger.com

Study trip: China visits Lossburg • • •

High-ranking representatives of Chinese companies visit Arburg Week-long educational trip through Germany stops over in Lossburg Family-owned company in focus of interest

Helmut Heinson, Arburg’s Managing Director Sales (2nd from right), welcomed high-ranking representatives from Chinese companies in Lossburg, who visited German companies during a study trip.

In the context of a week-long educational trip eleven representatives of Chinese companies visited the Arburg headquarters in Lossburg.

In the context of a week-long educational trip organised by a media group whose publications include 100 specialist journals, eleven representatives of Chinese companies visited the injection moulding machine manufacturer’s Lossburg headquarters on 19 September 2014. Helmut Heinson, Arburg’s Managing Director Sales, welcomed the guests at the Customer Center and gave them a brief overview of family-owned company Arburg.

high level of vertical integration and process organisation at the injection moulding machine manufacturer.

The visit came about on the initiative of Zhao Tong, Managing Director of Arburg’s Chinese subsidiary in Shanghai. In addition to scientific institutions and the AMB trade fair, visits to selected machine manufacturers were also on the agenda.

One highlight of the trip was the visit to Arburg.

Arburg: a traditional family-owned company “After seeing our company, you will be extremely surprised,” Managing Director Sales Helmut Heinson promised when welcoming

the Chinese visitors. He gave them a brief overview of the Lossburg company, emphasising its global presence and high export rate of around 70 percent. “You see that we are extremely well positioned internationally,” said Heinson.

Arburg is represented by its own organisations in 24 countries.

The German machine manufacturer is present in China with three subsidiaries, in Hong Kong (since 1991), Shanghai (since 2004) and in Shenzhen (since 2006). In 2013, a warehouse was opened near Shanghai, significantly further improving the customer support in China and Asia.

The presentation of the company was followed by a plant tour, during which the Chinese delegation also learned about Arburg’s corporate philosophy. As Helmut Heinson, emphasised: “Arburg is and remains a family-run company.”

“This is what makes Arburg so interesting for the visitors,” explained Lucy Xiao, General Manager of Vogel Business Media (China) and organiser of the trip. The guests were also impressed with the

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About Arburg German machine manufacturer Arburg is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of injection moulding machines with clamping forces between 125 and 5,000 kN. This is complemented by robotic systems, customer- and sector-specific turnkey solutions and further peripherals.

An innovative additive manufacturing system developed in-house was added to the plastic processing range in 2013.

In keeping with its motto “Arburg for efficient injection moulding”, 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 the Arburg customers to manufacture their plastic products, whether one-off parts or high-volume production, in 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 guarantees first-class, local customer support. Arburg is represented by its own organisations at 32 locations in 24 countries and by trading partners in more than 50 countries. The machines are produced exclusively at the parent factory in Lossburg, Germany. From a total of around 2,300 employees, around 1,900 work in Germany. About 400 further employees work in Arburg’s organisations around the world. In 2012, Arburg became one of the first companies to gain triple certification: to ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment) and ISO 50001 (Energy).

Further information about Arburg can be found at www.arburg.com.

Fakuma 2014: IML Technology (In-Mould Labelling) For Food And Non-Food Applications Rapid, space-saving IML automation by Beck Automation Camera inspection system ensures more quality and security of supply in one highly dynamic system, provides the processor with an even higher level at which to secure his efforts to achieve high quality and an enhancement of efficiency in the IML process.”

IML technology in the reference class

Smart in its footprint: IML high-performance cell by Beck Automation

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t the Engel booth of the Fakuma 2014, Beck Automation presented a highly dynamic IML system.

The manufacturing cell consists of a fully electric injection moulding machine Engel e-motion 440/160 and a 2-cavity injection mould by Glaroform. The feed and removal system for in-mould labelling is to be considered a reference with regard to speed, footprint, availability and process security for IML automation. The system is equipped with an Omron high-grade camera inspection system for quality control of the containers produced, designed and integrated by Beck Automation.

The IML automation by Beck Automation is designed to be extremely space-saving and features a small footprint.

“This IML system is compact and yet very easily accessible, meaning user-friendly” explains Daniel Merki, Sales Manager at Beck. “Thanks to our construction principle and the various tests we run prior to delivery, we can keep the installation time on site at our clients very short. We don’t just talk about “just in time”, we mean it.” As usual at Beck Automation, this involves a high-speed application (total cycle: 2.9 seconds, intervention time 0.9 seconds).

Equipped with the latest in control and drive technology, the system is operated via a touch screen. The integrated remote access allows for dialling into the system from outside, in order to provide support to the user in a timely and cost-effective manner.

High QA level due to integrated camera inspection

The quality of the highly dynamic process is assured by a vision system. The high-grade FZ3 camera system comes from Omron in Japan. Engineering and integration are coordinated to the specifics of every application by Beck Automation. “The structure and number of camera inspection modules depend, among other aspects, on the control requirements of the packaging unit, cycle speed and the number of cavities”, explains Daniel Merki. It is the job 10 | September-October 2014 | Plastics & Rubber Review

of the Omron FZ3 vision system to identify defective parts. To accomplish this, 1 to n cameras and the necessary illumination are integrated into the IML automation.

The specific number of cameras needed is defined in detail by various factors: a) By the product that is to be monitored (shape, size, test criteria, etc) b) the quantity of products (number of cavities and cycle time) as well as c) place and time of the inspection within the process The preliminary clarifications and system definitions are extremely important and have a great impact on the cost structure and options or capabilities of such a system. Longstanding experience with IML applications and the specific systems integration

by Beck Automation offer IML users a reliable basis for expert consultation and support for the implementation of a processoriented solution. There is an option to expand the system shown by a QA module (Q-SORT LINE), which can be retrofitted at any time. Daniel Merki notes, “This separation of good and bad parts, and the subsequent stacking unit

As IML is a highly dynamic process, profitability is derived from the level of all system components.

In an initial step the labels are drawn in from the label hopper.

In a second step, the labels are placed on the cores and held with vacuum. The automated cores move into the cavities to transfer the labels. In this stage the labels are blown against the vacuum, electrostatically charged and thus placed and held in the cavities so they are form-fitting. This makes the level of process design and quality of the label key factors in process stability, reproducibility, unit quality and economic efficiency.

Swiss-made thin-wall technology

by Glaroform

Glaroform AG, Näfels (CH) is showing a high speed injection mould on a fully electric injection moulding machine Engel e-motion 440/160 with 2 cavities for a food container with a round-oval size of 500 ml. The mould features a proprietary hot runner system with a pneumatically operated valve gate nozzle. The moulded part is decorated at its side wall by IML. The mould is equipped with a conformal and high-efficiency cooling system, to guarantee a very rapid cycle time with simultaneous reproducible product quality. The conformal cooling also effectively reduces any warping in the part.

In order to also guarantee the very

About Beck Automation AG

Beck Automation AG of Oberengstringen, Switzerland, is a world leading provider of automation solutions for IML labels (In-Mould Labelling) in injection moulding technology. Beck Automation focuses consistently on decorating and labelling lids, cups, bowls and buckets for various industries.

Tailored to exacting customer specifications, process stable and efficient robot systems are built that are deployed around the globe. This consistent focus on IML guarantees that users get the finest state of the art in terms of quality, economic efficiency, effectiveness and durability.

Run by the second and third generation of the family, the company establishes and maintains long-term relations to market partners with a forwardlooking and predictable policy. This strategy secures the jobs of committed and experienced staff. A traditional structure, a tried and tested network of partners, and astute adaptation to changes form the basis for ongoing company development and inspiration on behalf of partners, customers and staff. Beck Automation has been in business since 1934 and in 2014 is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the company.

Camera inspection system for more supply stability: It is the job of the Omron FZ3 vision system to identify defective parts.

long service life of the moulds for which Glaroform is well known, the mould is manufactured with the latest surface coating processes for outstanding process stability and the highest precision within tight tolerances. The thin-walled product has an average wall thickness of 0.4 mm and features a part weight of approx. 11 g.

Product Communication with highquality labels

The labels used consist of a 60µ EUP orange peel film made of a material called Treofan by Viappiani Printing Segrate (Italy). The rounded oval shape of the food container

requires labels that are, on one hand, stamped out with a high degree of precision and on the other hand, ensure observance of the short cycle time due to a good electrostatic charge. The sheet offset process guarantees superb printing quality both for four-colour photographic images and Pantone colours. Viappiani can print IML labels in up to 8 colours, including varnish coating. This gives users access to a wide range of options to enhance their product communications at the POS with a visually high-value appeal and in this way emphasise features that may influence purchase decisions.

High-end look at the point of sale: Labels by Viappiani (image source: Viappiani)

Over 500 reference systems underscore the global significance of the company. Its Swiss headquarters delivers around 45-50 systems a year. In 2013, with 42 employees the firm of Beck Automation generated revenue of 12 million Swiss Francs (CHF).

Beck Automation …. moves labels!

For more information, please contact: Beck Automation AG,Neugutstrasse 19, CH - 8102 Oberengstringen, Schweiz | Switzerland | Suisse, Phone: +41 (0) 44 751 84 44, www.beck-automation.com

Daniel Merki, Sales Manager at Beck Automation: “The structure and number of camera inspection modules depend, among other aspects, on the control requirements of the packaging unit, cycle speed and the number of cavities”.

Thin-wall technology moulding for IML: Dual-cavity high-performance mould by Glaroform (image source: Glaroform AG) Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 11

Access BOY injection moulding machines online machines.

“With ProSeS, we have a powerful partner on our side, with whom all desires of our users in terms of production data acquisition and quality control can be realized,” says Franz-Josef Ludwig, BOY Head of Electronic Design. He adds: “The possibility of being able to interface with a BOY injection moulding machine while running around-the-clock production from anywhere is especially advantageous for the staff in a two or three shift operation. But this access is not limited to just the machine operators. Other departments like work planning, purchasing, calculation, etc. profit directly from the accessed data of the BDE system.“

About Boy

BOY injection moulding machine with ProSeS BDE-System

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t Fakuma 2014 in Friedrichshafen, the companies BOY – manufacturer of injection moulding machines with clamping forces up to 1,000 kN – and ProSeS BDE GmbH will present a common project, a perfect PDA system was demonstrated, which was connected to all exhibited BOY machines.

Solutions with modular system

The production data acquisition (PDA) covers three central fields of functions – production planning and control, quality control, and company cost accounting.

Depending on the operator´s preference, the separate segments of data acquisition can be individually adjusted and expanded at any time. The PDA system software from ProSeS BDE GmbH accesses the internal 12 | September-October 2014 | Plastics & Rubber Review

BOY Procan ALPHA machine control. Machine settings, operating parameters and production data like injection volume, temperatures, pressures, etc. can be collected and reused. This data can be queried via the machine’s IP address and can be used for the required PDA fields of functions.

PDA connection optionally available

Following the Fakuma, BOY will include the PDA option in its sales program. The modular components of the PDA system can easily be retrofitted to all BOY XS, A, and E-Series injection moulding

Dr. Boy GmbH & Co. KG is one of the leading worldwide manufacturers of injection moulding machines with clamping forces up to 1,000 kN. The very compact, durable machines work precise, energy-saving and therefore highly economical. BOY continually sets new standards in our industry with innovative concepts and solutions.

Since the company was founded in 1968, over 40,000 injection moulding machines have been delivered worldwide. The privately owned company continues to put special emphasis on engineered performance and high-class “made in Germany” workmanship.

For further information visit http:// www.dr-boy.de/.

BOY at Plast Eurasia / Turkey

BOY

– the specialist for injection moulding machines with clamping forces up to 1,000 kN – will be represented with its BOY 25 E at the Plast Eurasia plastics trade fair (December 4 – 7) in Istanbul. In booth 01.06.1903 of the local Turkish BOY distributor Polmak Plastik Kimya, the production of three-part wall hooks made of PP (cycle time 16 s) in a family mould will be shown.

Market level on equal footing

Turkey is an especially promising growth market in the plastics industry. A multitude of companies – which are settled in the high-tech sector like their European competitors – are quickly expanding. Also BOY expects a further increase of its market share through the renewed participation at Plast Eurasia.

Technically at the highest stage

The BOY 25 E will be impressive with its technical maturity. Equipped with an energy-saving servo drive, the design of this compact injection moulding machine (1,8 m² footprint) is based on the experiences of over 25,000 produced and delivered machines of this series.

The significant innovation to the BOY 25 E is the increase to 250 kN clamping force and the possibility of differential injection, which provides extremely high injection speeds.

Through further optimizations, a clear increase of the drive speeds and improved dynamics were achieved. The dry cycle time of the BOY 25 E is only 1,24 s – 178 mm (stroke) according to EUROMAP 6.

Compact automation-specific

A removal picker, which is fully integrated under the safety housing, provides for the evacuation of the sprue. The pneumatically driven picker is optionally available directly from BOY. (Picture: Removal picker) The cantilevered two platen clamping unit, which is shortened by 30 %, enables better accessibility and many automation possibilities.

About Boy Dr. Boy GmbH & Co. KG is one of the leading worldwide manufacturers of injection moulding machines with clamping forces up to 1,000 kN. The very compact, durable machines work precise, energy-saving and therefore highly economical. BOY continually sets new standards in our industry with innovative concepts and solutions.

Since the company was founded in 1968, over 40,000 injection moulding machines have been

delivered worldwide. The privately owned company continues to put special emphasis on engineered performance and high-class “made in Germany” workmanship.

For further information visit http://www. dr-boy.de/.

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 13

HERBOLD MECKESHEIM GmbH

100 % Film Made from Post-consumer Waste: a Challenging Application

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the production of film made from post-consumer waste, HERBOLD MECKESHEIM GmbH in cooperation with EREMA has designed a model plant for POLIGROUP in Bulgaria, in operation since September 2013. High quality film is produced there, partly with thicknesses down to 30 my made from plastic waste only.

This mix consists of LDPE film waste from agriculture as it is used in crop forcing or silage film. A further component comprises LLDPE film waste also coming from the agrarian sector, e.g. for wrapping bales. A third component is film from household waste arising in automatic sorting plants. Why this film mix? The principal material is LDPE from agriculture that, to a large extent, forms a homogeneous material with an unchanging melt flow index (MFI). The LLDPE improves the physical properties, and films from household waste are particularly well-priced materials available on the market.

Fig. 1: Herbold film washing line

Film from household waste is a different case. It is a mix of several different plastics. The real challenge here is the separation of unwanted plastics. In order to achieve this task Herbold is the only operator in the field of wet film recycling who opts for a separation by means of a hydro-cyclone separation step. Plastics that are heavier than water will be separated from plastics that are lighter than water. This process ensures that heavier plastic components can be separated from the polyolefin, which is the good material of a film washing plant.

A further advantage of the hydro-cyclone separation step is the high amount of water present in the water circuit, ensuring together with the revolving forces arising due to the hydro-cyclone, a very good washing result of the films. Deposits of organic substances, a frequent feature of film from household waste, are easily removed by washing. In contrast, films from supermarkets often have a high percentage of paper in the form of affixed labels. It is a real challenge to separate this paper from the film since these LLDPE films from supermarkets are ideal as a feeding material for recyclate used for the production of new film.

Fig. 3: Schematic diagram of a hydro-cyclone

With different film waste obviously a different demand is put on the single recycling steps. At first glance, agricultural film is highly contaminated; partly the degree of contamination attains almost 50%. This means that as many contaminations enter the film washing line as films. With agricultural film the main contamination is sand. But also pebbles, as well as small screws can be wrapped in the film. In order to separate this type of contamination from the film, downstream of the preliminary size-reduction step of the washing line a pre-washing unit, especially designed for this task is used with Poligroup. The advantage of agricultural film is that the material is always exactly the same raw material, with the same colour and the same properties.

Fig. 2: Contaminated agricultural film

The most important question is the one concerning the required quality of the end product. From this question the necessary recycling steps will depend.

Economically speaking, only certain waste can be used for recycling.

Operators increasingly turn to materials that are available on the market for a very reasonable price. That is one of the reasons why plant manufacturer and operator should work hand in hand. The more precise the specification of the input material is, the more cost-efficient the design of the plant can be since unnecessary process steps or room for misinterpretation can be avoided. The operator of a washing plant will also have to find a solution for the collection of film waste.

An existing collection and separation system is the ideal starting point.

Without such a system, a recycler of plastics waste can only use material flows that have been imported from countries where these materials are collected and recycled accordingly. Obviously, it is also possible to collect mixed post-consumer waste and to separate preliminarily as much organic matter as possible in order to obtain a plastic fraction.

That however, is the most expensive way and the quality of the recycled material will be affected.

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Fig. 4: Film flakes

system. With Poligroup, downstream of the HERBOLD washing line, the washed and recycled film flakes are then treated with the reliable plastics recycling technology from EREMA. The Poligroup plant system consists of a EREMA TVEplus® (throughput: 1,100 – 1,200 kg/h) with laser filter LF2/350 (fineness of filtration: 110 µm and the die-face granulating system HG 244.

Fig. 5: The well-proven basic principle of the TVEplus® technology is: the melt filtration is before the degasification of the extruder

The washing line at the Poligroup site transforms agricultural films and films from supermarkets into recycled material that will then be used for the production of bin liners, protective sheets and construction foils. It is not necessary to add new plastic material; the three new products are made up of 100% recycled plastic material from the HERBOLD film washing line.

Many basic conditions for the economic operation of a washing plant for plastics waste are set by the market such as the costs for the procurement and the transport of the input material or the attainable prices for the finished product. With an optimal machine configuration, the operator will be able to process a bad-quality input material or to obtain a high-quality end product. It is also extremely important to have well-trained personnel for the operation of the plant. It has also been proven several times that Germany can also be an economic location for the operation of such a plant.

The overall cost effectiveness of a washing line for the recycling of film is determined by the recycling costs. The greatest part of them is the energy cost. An economic, efficient plant design can reduce this part of the costs.

The power demand of the film recycling plant installed for Poligroup is some 0.8 to 1.0 MW per tonne produced end product which corresponds to 0.8 to 1.0 kW per kilo end product.

In the whole system, there is a high amount of circulation water that is continuously reused. As little as 1 to 2 m³ of fresh water per tonne input material are needed for the regeneration of the circulation water.

In order to guarantee a long-lasting operation of such a plant, issues such as maintenance and servicing have to be considered as early as the first design steps. Without a good and precautionary maintenance, the treatment of abrasive materials such as sand will not be possible.

The greatest attention has to be paid to wear-prone areas, they will have to be protected. Therefore, these wear zones are equipped with exchangeable anti-wear plates.

The decisive argument for the purchase of the HERBOLD Meckesheim washing plant, for Poligroup obviously has been the high variability of the plant. This pant can cope with highly contaminated film as well as with extremely thin-walled film. The prewashing unit and hydro-cyclone separation step that are part of the washing line are the outstanding construction features of the plant.

The plant according to its design provides washed homogeneous highquality film flakes that are ideal for further treatment in an EREMA extrusion

The extrusion system with the patented TVEplus® technology has especially been optimized for the treatment of materials that are difficult to process such as in the present case washed mixed post-consumer film waste with a high percentage of residual humidity between 8 and 12% and a high degree of contamination. Poligroup GmbH is thus able to recycle the PE washed film flakes (from LLDPE stretch agricultural film and LDPE industrial waste) into high-quality granulates.

At the core of the plant, on the multifunctional cutter compactor with patented air flush module, the material with still a small amount of residual humidity and remaining contaminations is optimally recycled. Cutting, homogenizing, heating, degassing, densifying, buffering and dosing – everything in one single step.

The well-proven principle of the whole TVEplus® system is the arrangement of the melt filtration BEFORE the degasification of the extruder with the two important advantages: one is that the minimal shearing impact during the melting process prevents a further size reduction of the contaminations before the filtration and thus increases the efficiency of the filtering process. Another advantage is the fact that contaminations due to their early removal from the recycling system cannot prematurely outgas and thus additionally reduces the accumulation of odours to a minimum in the produced regranulate.

The optimized threefold degassing process of the TVEplus® plant additionally ensures an efficient degasification of the filtered fusion. The thus produced regranulates are transformed by up to 100% into bin liners, protective sheets and construction foils by Poligroup GmbH. Nikolay Tomov, Production Manager with Poligroup GmbH, underlines further advantages of the EREMA system: “The system also stands out through its easy handling and long service life of the wear parts such as filter screen and pelletiser knives. Generally, one can say that this plant is really tailor-made just for our application. To sum it up, for us it means a maximum of efficiency. “ With the successful operation of the film washing line for Poligroup, Herbold has marked another milestone and strengthened their position as a leading manufacturer of hydro-mechanical recycling plants for film waste with throughputs between 500 kg/h and 3,000 kg/h.

Poligroup GmbH has an efficient recycling plant at their disposal, ensuring a well-priced resource supply for film production from film waste.

A close cooperation of the two companies ensures the information exchange between plant operator and plant supplier, crucial for the further development of plant technology and paves the way for the successful conclusion of future joint projects.

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 15

Change in Management at GOEBEL WITTMANN BATTENFELD presents Schneid- und Wickelsysteme GmbH new, flexible sandwich process Roberta Ghilardi takes over as interim CEO

Roberta

Ghilardi has been heading business operations at the Darmstadt-based mechanical engineering company GOEBEL Schneid- und Wickelsysteme GmbH since 1st August 2014. The previous CEO, Dr Ralf Enderle, will remain with the company. A new CEO will lead the company starting in 2015.

Roberta Ghilardi has a degree in engineering and has worked for IMS DELTAMATIC Group since 2000. As Head of Business Process Reengineering and Controlling, she is primarily responsible for the integration of new companies into the Italian mechanical engineering group. She has also successfully managed projects to optimise quality and processes. Roberta Ghilardi will conduct her duties as interim CEO at GOEBEL. After obtaining his doctorate from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at TU Darmstadt, Dr Enderle began his professional career at Maschinenfabrik GOEBEL GmbH in 1985. He first worked as an assistant before becoming the head of the design department for slitter rewinders.

He was later named Technical Director for the Paper and Films business unit. In 2001, Dr Enderle was appointed to the management of the newly founded GOEBEL Schneid- und Wickelsysteme GmbH and became its CEO in 2010.

GOEBEL Schneid- und Wickelsysteme GmbH is a leading provider of slitter rewinders for converting papers, plastic films and special materials. The Hessian company with a long tradition has been constantly setting standards in mechanical engineering for over 160 years. The range of products includes primary and converting machines, such as two-drum winders for paper and cardboard converting. These are developed and manufactured according to customer requirements at the production facility in Darmstadt, applying only the highest standards in terms of productivity, quality and precision.

As of 1st July 2013, GOEBEL Schneid- und Wickelsysteme GmbH has been a member of the IMS DELTAMATIC Group. The successful integration of the Darmstadt-based traditional company into the Italian group is a logical step in future-oriented corporate governance. The successful merger of these strong partners has created a company that is able to bring together synergies and put them to optimum use. The IMS DELTAMATIC Group is the international reference point in engineering and manufacturing of innovative machinery in various industrial sectors such as converting and automotive. v 16 | September-October 2014 | Plastics & Rubber Review

On a large machine from the MacroPower series, WITTMANN BATTENFELD demonstrated its newly developed sandwich process at this year’s Fakuma.

Sandwich technology is popular in the market primarily wherever thick-walled parts must be produced, or where regrind can be used as a filler. This technology has a long tradition at WITTMANN BATTENFELD and is now available for the MacroPower machine series.

In the engineering concept adopted by WITTMANN BATTENFELD, the main injection unit is placed in the standard position (H) at the center, the second injection unit in an angled position behind the main aggregate, in a Y configuration. This arrangement of the aggregates offers numerous advantages, starting with comfortable access to the nozzles and barrel from both sides, which makes maintenance easy and safe, and also facilitates barrel change. Material feeding with standard material loaders is also possible. Furthermore, the position of the second aggregate in Y configuration favors short flow paths. The horizontal position of the injection units keeps the overall height of the machine low, which ensures easy installation of automation equipment. In this way, low ceilings in production halls present no problems either for the “sandwich machine” from WITTMANN BATTENFELD. Thanks to the central position of the main aggregate, the machine can also be used for single-component tasks without having to be converted. All that is necessary is to switch off the second injection unit and deactivate it in the control system. The two aggregates can also be separated by a simple conversion process, thus making it possible to use the machine for standard multi-component applications. So the machine is a genuine allrounder, which can be flexibly adjusted to the injection molder’s specific requirements.

Foaming of the core component to produce extremely light-weight parts with an attractive surface, an application for which the sandwich process is frequently used, can also be integrated in this machine. For this purpose, WITTMANN BATTENFELD recommends its CELLMOULD® structured foam process developed in-house, including the complete hardware package.

As a special highlight, the newly developed sandwich nozzle should also be mentioned, which stands out by its simple structure – making it possible to clean the nozzle from the front for quick color change.

Moreover, the sandwich nozzle can be rotated by 180 degrees to offer a free choice of combinations between individual injection units and nozzle channels, and so the injection units for the main and core components can be exchanged without any problems.

At the Fakuma, “Lechuza” flower pots were manufactured from PP with foamed PP for the core component on a MacroPower 450/5100H/2250Y, using a single-cavity mold supplied by geobra Brandstätter, Germany. The parts were removed and deposited on a conveyor belt by a WITTMANN robot from the new pro series, a W843 pro.

PLASTEQ Trading LLC

New WITTMANN representatives for the Middle East

The WITTMANN Group

(from the left): Michael Wittmann, Managing Director of WITTMANN Kunststoffgeräte, Velemir Sarcevic and Hisham El Saadi, Managing Partners of PLASTEQ and Loic Rolin, Regional Sales Manager of WITTMANN BATTENFELD, in front of a MacroPower 800 at WITTMANN BATTENFELD in Kottingbrunn

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n August this year, the WITTMANN group signed an agreement with PLASTEQ Trading LLC to represent its products in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.

PLASTEQ has supplied the plastics industry in the Middle East for 10 years, primarily with extrusion machinery and peripheral equipment, and has acquired a good standing in the market during that period. In response to the continuous growth of the plastics industry in that region, PLASTEQ has now decided to extend its product portfolio by adding injection molding machines and technologies.

With the WITTMANN group, the company has found the optimal partner in this area. The possibility of having the complete product portfolio supplied from a single source

by WITTMANN, from injection molding machines all the way to automation and peripheral equipment, is certainly a great advantage in the market, according to Hisham El Saadi, Managing Partner of PLASTEQ. The greatest potential in this region exists in the area of automation, to improve the processes of local manufacturers, and in fields where there is still some pent-up demand, such as medical technology or the automotive

industry, both areas in which WITTMANN BATTENFELD is very well positioned. But PLASTEQ also expects good selling prospects for the WITTMANN product range in well-established industries, such as packaging or building construction.

The WITTMANN executives are also confident that with PLASTEQ they have found the right partner to expand their market activities in the Middle East. “PLASTEQ has made a good name for itself in the Middle East plastics industry.

We are glad to have found a representative for our products in this company with the necessary experience and competence to promote our products optimally in this region”, says Michael Wittmann, Managing Director of WITTMANN Kunststoffgeräte GmbH.

The WITTMANN Group based in Vienna/Austria is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of robots and peripheral equipment for the plastics industry. The WITTMANN product portfolio includes robots and automation equipment, automatic material loaders and material dryers as well as equipment for plastics recycling, mold tempering and cooling, and volumetric and gravimetric metering appliances.

WITTMANN BATTENFELD, a company of the WITTMANN Group with its headquarters and production facility in Kottingbrunn (Lower Austria), is a leading manufacturer of injection molding machinery and equipment for the plastics industry. The company is present in about 60 countries with its own sales and service companies as well as representative offices, thus offering optimal support to its customers in all matters concerning injection molding technology.

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 17

Tool makers and model makers as development partners

Integrated LED “Edgelight” signal lights from Hella on the Porsche Macan

Tool maker and model maker Hofmann Innovation as partner in the new “Edgelight” light design A completely distortion-free thick-walled PMMA body in 2K technology

“Edgelight” light module from Hella, made of PMMA, with high-quality thickness and external geometry with prism technology

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utomotive lighting is an interplay of function and design. It should be functionally outstanding and contribute to the unique look of a vehicle. For the new Porsche Macan, Hella developed a completely new rear lighting system with light strips for guiding LED light. The functional principle of these patented “Edgelights” for a strip-form signal light provides a new level of quality in light for the safety-related brake light function. Using this approach, the signal light can be integrated flexibly and in a space-saving manner into the outer skin of the vehicle body. An observer sees signal lights which have been smoothly integrated into the rear of the vehicle, and which give the Porsche Macan its distinctive appearance.

The heart of the brake light is a thick-walled part made of PMMA, which is the so-called light module or light strip. This part, which has a highly complex prism geometry and reflective qualities for light guidance, was developed in partnership with Hofmann Innovation in tool making and model making. The light module also required the production team at Hella to fulfil high standards in production quality. A thick-walled PMMA body in 2K technology which is absolutely distortion-free was needed here.

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New compact rear lighting look with “Edgelight” light design “Edgelights” are highly complex light strips for rear lighting systems.

In combination with other individual parts, “Edgelights” are part of the safety-relevant functioning of the brake lights in the rear lighting system of a vehicle.

The design for the Porsche Macan chosen by Hella consists of three component groups. In addition to the “Edgelight” light modules, the rear light component groups consist of other components usually found in rear lights. This includes lenses made of PMMA in four colours (red transparent, grey transparent, black opaque and light red transparent), which are injection moulded using 3-step technology. The heavily tiered external contour of the upper light lens is unusual.

Partnership from component development to series production Demanding parts require partnership over the entire life cycle. One-stop shopping is considered to be a strategic

method in this. Hofmann’s expertise is generally required as early as the initial development stages, and contributes to the design of series tools and production processes. “The light module is subject to high expectations in terms of design, surface look and function,” explains Friedrich Vosswinkel, Project Manager at Hofmann. At the same time, the customer expects a design which is optimised for plastics and which ensures process stability during production, and is completely distortion-free.” In this regard, Hofmann offers trial and pilot production in its state of the art technical centre in Lichtenfels.

Hofmann’s production specialists were sought-after discussion partners for the production team at Hella before SOP. Friedrich Vosswinkel: “The higher the requirements for a component are set, the more conservative the view of the production team concerning stable processes.”

PMMA manufacturing at Hella Hella manufactures the seriesproduction “Edgelights” from

High LED light yield: sectional view of the beam path as the functional principle of the patented “Edgelight” light strip

Friedrich Vosswinkel, Project Manager at Hofmann Tool Making: “The higher the requirements for a component are set, the more conservative the view of the production team concerning stable processes.”

transparent PMMA on turning tools, as multi-component parts, using a 2-step process. Each tool produces a left-hand and a right-hand component in each cycle.

They are pre-injected and finish-injected using 2K technology. Here, the challenge for production is in the correct geometrical forming and absolute cleanliness of the “Edgelights”. These requirements are essential to allow the light beams to shine with the desired intensity.

After cooling down, the light modules are delivered as individual parts to the rear light production facility.

Demouldability and no distortion as challenges In order to achieve the required light values, the thickwalled PMMA part, which is made of Altuglas HT 121 or Plexiglass 8N, requires the highest standards in the Component groups from Hofmann Innovation for the distinctive rear lighting system of the Porsche Macan.

2K process for the seams. A further decisive factor is the highly complex “prism geometry” for the entry and exit of the LED light.

As part of tool development, it was the task of the tool making company Siegfried Hofmann to develop a 3D contour which would allow maximum light output at the point of emission and at the same time be manageable from a production technology point of view. This applied not only to the manufacture of the series-production tools, but also to the demoulding characteristics of the light module in the tool, as well as the manageability of the process in terms of strict absence of distortion. “The function of the light module demands that the component be completely distortion-free, which is a challenge for us as tool designers, and for production at Hella”, adds Friedrich Vosswinkel.

Optional additional modules: Functional principle of the innovative “Edgelight” light strip for LED brake lights The basic principle of Hella’s patented light strips for a stripform signal light (vehicle with a strip-form signal light) / DE 102011117733 A1 / http:// www.google.com/patents/ DE102011117733A1?cl=de) is the entry of light from a LED diode strip in a PMMA body (“Edgelight”) with deflection and exact light bundling at the exit.

The light is fed into the massive “Edgelight” (light module or light strip) from LEDs mounted on a circuit board using collimator optics. Using deflection optics within the “Edgelights”, the LED light rays are reflected into the preferred direction and then finally, using output coupling optics, emitted in the required beam direction.

The pre-conditions for such thickwalled optics made of PMMA (Altuglas HT 121 or Plexiglas 8N) are high precision optical surfaces with a very good surface quality with the lowest possible distortion in the part. The geometry of the PMMA light strip is designed in such

a way that the light entering and exiting at both ends is as focussed as possible. The illumination effect of the rear lights is homogenous and bright.

Ways and methods of model making There are two types of model making in product development: rapid prototyping and industrial prototyping. Rapid prototyping means: for the rear lights of the Porsche Macan, Hella needed prototypes from Robert Hofmann in order to test them and for consultation and approval from their customer Porsche. This highly dynamic consultation process required constant adaptation to design wishes and modified functional requirements. These prototype parts, which are equivalent to series-production parts, are developed using model making methods. Initially they are built as individual components, and later as rear lights built into preproduction cars.

The methods included pouring of the “Edgelight” light modules with PMMA, and CNC milling of the light entry and exit geometries in order to achieve continuous improvement of the light parameters. EMU samples were made for the complete rear light module component group, using STL technology (stereo lithography), laser sintering for plastics, aluminium processing and vaporising of the reflectors.

In addition, vibration welding was used and testing materials supplied for the subsequent small batch.

With regards to small batch production, after the development and modelling phase, “Industrial Prototyping” comes into play.

Porsche needs demonstration vehicles from pilot production runs for presentation at trade fairs or for dealer presentations. These vehicles correspond to production vehicles in terms of function, but some model parts are used in them. In total, Hofmann delivered 300 sets of rear lights (right and left) before start of production.

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 19

SPI and Tooling U-SME Launch PlasticsU to Provide Online Machinery Training for Production Workers The Plastics Industry Trade Association and Tooling U-SME, a leader in providing workforce development and training to the manufacturing industry, announced Monday the launch of a new online training program aimed at closing the manufacturing skills gap in the plastics industry. Administered by Tooling U-SME, PlasticsU will serve the plastics industry by providing formal online training tailored specifically for the industry’s challenges and needs.

“Our industry has some of the best and brightest workers, operating top-of-the-line equipment and technology,” said SPI President and CEO William R. Carteaux. “Unfortunately, many of the technological advancements made recently are being held back by a growing manufacturing skills gap, which is why SPI partnered with Tooling U-SME to launch PlasticsU.” “The plastics industry will not realize its full capacity for growth and production unless companies take an active approach to workforce development. PlasticsU offers these companies flexibility and convenience to make this process easy.”

As recent as 2013, a vast majority of U.S. manufacturing companies reported being challenged by a moderate shortage of qualified workers for skilled production, as reported by SME. Volume alone is no longer the sole solution to increased productivity. Highly technical and specialized skills are required not only to meet increased demand, but to maintain growth into the future.

“By instituting a training program, companies can ensure they remain competitive today and into the future,” said Managing Director of Workforce and Education at SME, Jeannine Kunz. “Creating a welltrained workforce can help improve quality, cycle time, communications, reliability and safety, while reducing costs and downtime/ rework.”

Because SPI represents and supports such a wide range of the companies throughout the entire plastics industry, it partnered with Tooling U-SME to develop PlasticsU and provide a customized selection of courses and programs for areas specific to as many stakeholders as possible. With levels ranging from a basic introduction to the most advanced studies, courses include Interpreting Blueprints; Creating a Milling Program; Principles of Injection Molding; Measuring System Analysis; Rigging Inspection and Safety; and CNC Controls: GE Fanuc, Haas and Mazak.

To know more about PlasticsU and to sign up, visit http://www.plasticsindustry.org/plasticsu.

20 | September-October 2014 | Plastics & Rubber Review

SPI Continues Pursuit of Zero Waste with Launch of Capital Asset Management Services

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he Plastics Industry Trade Association (SPI) partnered with long-standing member company Meadoworks Wednesday to launch Capital Asset Management Services, a new program to support the plastics industry’s goal of eliminating waste while bringing new life to existing resources. By partnering with Meadoworks, a global leader in the selling of used plastics machinery, SPI is now able to deliver a single platform where manufacturers can appraise their assets, dismantle and remove obsolete equipment, and even find a new home for used equipment.

“The success of the entire plastics industry depends on the success of today’s manufacturing equipment,” said William R. Carteaux, SPI’s president and CEO. “As companies continue to grow, so too must the technology they use.”

“While participating in this program makes good business sense for today, it also helps ensure our competitiveness in the future,” he explained. Every time a company takes advantage of Capital Asset Management Services, a portion of the transaction goes back to SPI to directly support the association’s work in Washington, DC, as they

promote and defend the plastics industry while opening new channels and opportunities for global growth.

Participation in Capital Asset Management Services allows for the ability to buy and sell used equipment through a marketplace that is exclusively dedicated to the plastic processing industry. “The key advantage of this program,” said Brian Walsh, president of Meadoworks, “is that you don’t have to be an expert in asset management to benefit from expert knowledge. From the moment you decide to be a part of the marketplace, everything from valuation to marketing and eventually removal will be taken care of for you.”

The “trade in & trade up” concept is one that has largely eluded plastics processors because of the lack of a centralized marketplace.

Capital Asset Management Services fills this void and meet the needs of buyers and sellers around the world while simultaneously supporting the industry’s own sustainability initiatives.

To learn more about Capital Asset Management Services’ solutions and how to sign up, visit, http:// www.plasticsindustry.org/cams.

About Plastics Plastics are responsible for countless facets of the modern life we enjoy today. From health and well being, nutrition, shelter and transportation to safety and security, communication, sports, leisure activities and innovations of industry – plastics deliver bountiful benefits to you and your world. The men and women of the plastics industry make it all possible. In the United States, the plastics industry accounts for more than $374 billion dollars in annual shipments and directly employs nearly 900 thousand people.

SPI to Honor 2015 Innovation in Bioplastics Award Winner at NPE2015 For the first time, SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association and the SPI Bioplastics Council will announce the winner of the Innovation in Bioplastics Award at NPE2015 in Orlando, Fla. WASHINGTON - SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association and the SPI Bioplastics Council announced Monday that NPE2015, in addition to being the premier event of the entire plastics industry, will also host, for the first time, the winner of the 2015 Innovation in Bioplastics Award.

SPI and Council have submissions Innovation in Award since ofthe competiin September. next year’s winner gives the award an layer of prestige and the important role bioplastics sector will the future of the plastics try as a whole.

its Bioplastics been receiving for the 2015 Bioplastics ficially opening tion earlier Announcing at NPE2015 additional signifies that the play in indus-

“Bioplastics is just one of several innovative industry segments that offer the entire plastics industry the opportunity to position itself as the material of choice for the next several decades,” said SPI President and CEO William R. Carteaux. “Between the thousands of green jobs that bioplastics supports and continues to create and the day-to-day ingenuity displayed by bioplastics companies and their employees, this is an industry sector with its finger on the pulse of the plastics supply chain, and it makes sense to honor its finest contributions at next year’s convention.”

Past winners of the Innovation in Bioplastics Award include Avantium, which won the first award in 2013 for its development of polyethylene furanoate (PEF), a packaging material with superior barrier qualities that offered new opportunities to beverage makers. Teknor Apex won the 2014 Award for the development of Terraloy® PLA compounds that exhibit both high-impact and heat-resistant properties. Entries to the contest are judged on innovation, sustainability measures as well as marketplace impact.

“Growth in the bioplastics industry over the last decade has been exponential, and the industry’s continuous innovation along with its unique position among policymakers and consumers ensure that this will be the case

for some time,” said Gene Sanders, SPI’s senior vice president of trade shows and conferences. “As the industry comes into its own, the Innovation in Bioplastics Award continues to honor the best and the brightest that bioplastics has to offer, and we’re honored to be able to introduce this year’s winner at NPE2015.”

Companies can submit multiple entries for different bioplastics materials, products or processes, provided that they complete and submit a separate entry form for each innovation they submit. The award application can be found on the SPI Bioplastics Council’s website and entries will be accepted until Nov. 14, 2014.

Launched in 2008, the Bioplastics Council was created to provide a forum for the full bioplastics value chain to promote the development and growth of the bioplastics industry. Membership has grown steadily to comprise 16 of the nation’s largest bioplastics firms. Learn more about the group at http://www.bioplasticscouncil.org/. Award program inquiries should be directed to Tania Farries, manager, regulatory and technical affairs at SPI, at tfarries@plasticsindustry.org.

About SPI Founded in 1937, SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association promotes growth in the $373 billion U.S. plastics industry. Representing nearly 900 thousand American workers in the third largest U.S. manufacturing industry, SPI delivers legislative and regulatory advocacy, market research, industry promotion and the fostering of business relationships and zero waste strategies. SPI also owns and produces the international NPE trade show.

All profits from NPE are reinvested into SPI’s industry services. Find SPI online at www. plasticsindustry.org and www.inthehopper. org.

“From resin suppliers and equipment makers to processors and brand owners, SPI is proud to represent all facets of the U.S. plastics industry,” said William R. Carteaux, president and CEO, SPI. Our most recent economic reports show that the plastics industry as a whole is resilient, and has come through the recession significantly better than other U.S. manufacturing sectors.”

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 21

The hybrid Allrounder 720 H machine will be presented in a “Packaging” version at the Plast Eurasia trade fair.

Arburg presents high-end exhibits at Plast Eurasia 2014 in Turkey • In focus: energy-efficient, high-performance Alldrive and Hidrive machine series • Complex: IML bucket with handle produced in six seconds • Innovative: optical parts made from liquid silicone

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rburg will show two high-end exhibits at stand 1215 in Hall 12 at the Plast Eurasia, to be held from 4 to 7 December 2014. The performance capacity of the electric and hybrid Alldrive and Hidrive machine series for the demanding packaging and optics industries will be presented, as well as expertise in processing special materials such as liquid silicone (LSR).

“We will be exhibiting innovative applications at the Plast Eurasia 2014 to demonstrate the potential of our machines,” explained

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Engin Malcan, Managing Director of Arburg’s Turkish subsidiary. “For the booming packaging industry, we will be presenting a highperformance hybrid machine in a “Packaging” version that produces thin-walled IML products. The entire system will be delivered to a customer directly after the fair. We will be presenting a new application area for LSR with the production of an optical part on an electric Allrounder A. As an indication of their particularly energy-optimised operation, both exhibits bear the Arburg e² energy efficiency label.”

Complete IML bucket with handle produced in just six seconds The “Packaging” version (P) of the hybrid Allrounder 720 H is specially tailored to the needs of the packaging industry and is configured

for the manufacture of thin-walled articles using the in-mould labelling process (IML).

With a clamping force of 2,900 kN and size 1300 injection unit, the exhibit operates with a 2-cavity mould from Erkoc, producing labelled 1-litre buckets with handles.

The IML system from Roboplas picks up the labels, places them in the mould, removes the moulded parts from the movable side of the mould, attaches the handles and sets the finished buckets down on a conveyor belt. The entire cycle from the point where the labels are picked up to setting down of the finished buckets on the conveyor belt takes around six seconds.

“Packaging version”: high performance and speed In order to meet the high demands of the packaging industry, Arburg

At the Plast Eurasia, Arburg will demonstrate the production of optical products from LSR using the example of a lens, on an electric Allrounder 470 A.

offers a “Packaging” (P) version of the hybrid and electric Hidrive and Alldrive high-performance machines. These machines combine high productivity with reduced energy consumption and are characterised by a well-balanced combination of distance between tie-bars, clamping force and opening stroke. Moreover, they provide fast, precise, energy-saving mould movements (through servo-electric toggle-type clamping units), high plasticising performance (through barrier screws and servo-electric dosage drives), dynamic positionregulated screws and effective injection volume flows.

Innovative optical application: flexible lenses made from LSR The key to processing LSR is waste-free production with the non-recyclable material. Over the next few years, interesting further developments are expected in the application of this versatile material in the field of optics.

Arburg is showing one example of this at the Plast Eurasia on an

electric Allrounder 470 A with a clamping force of 1,000 kN and size 170 injection unit. Equipped with a 4-cavity LSR mould from Rico, the exhibit produces a lens from a new, highly transparent liquid silicone with a hardness of 60 Shore A. The cycle time is 40 seconds.

LSR: expertise and injection moulding technology from a single source Liquid silicone has been available for over 30 years now and Arburg has been involved in the development of LSR injection moulding right from the start. This means that Arburg can offer its customers reliable process expertise and individually adaptable injection moulding technology. With appropriate equipment components, Allrounders can be expanded to complete LSR system solutions for the automated production of silicone parts. As a system supplier in this field, Arburg is able to offer comprehensive consultation services through to the complete implementation of turnkey systems.

About Arburg German machine manufacturer Arburg is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of injection moulding machines with clamping forces between 125 and 5,000 kN. This is complemented by robotic systems, customer- and sector-specific turnkey solutions and further peripherals. An innovative additive manufacturing system developed in-house was added to the plastic processing range in 2013.

In keeping with its motto “Arburg for efficient injection moulding”, the company places the topic of production efficiency at the centre of all its activities, taking into account the entire valueadded chain. The objective is to enable the Arburg customers to manufacture their plastic products, whether one-off parts or highvolume production, in 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 guarantees first-class, local customer support. Arburg is represented by its own organisations at 32 locations in 24 countries and by trading partners in more than 50 countries. The machines are produced exclusively at the parent factory in Lossburg, Germany. From a total of around 2,350 employees, around 1,950 work in Germany. About 400 further employees work in Arburg’s organisations around the world. In 2012, Arburg became one of the first companies to gain triple certification: to ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment) and ISO 50001 (Energy).

Further information about Arburg can be found at www.arburg.com.

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 23

Concept Laser to present unmissable innovations at Euromold 2014

Oliver Edelmann, Vice President Global Sales & Marketing at Concept Laser: “An optimized exposure strategy improves both the level of quality and the build rate.”

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his year, Euromold will once again be an important showcase for 3D printing. Concept Laser has announced a whole bunch of product developments.

Innovations in various LaserCUSING technology fields will be presented to industry professionals for the first time in Frankfurt (Hall 11.0, Booth D66).

Multi-laser technology and a new machine design “The developed and optimized system technology highlights our expertise and pioneering work in all fields of laser melting system technology,” says Oliver Edelmann, Vice President Global Sales & Marketing at Concept Laser. The increase in productivity represents enormous progress according to the company. Multi-laser technology is to make its debut at the trade fair. Through the use of multiple lasers, this method promises much faster build rates. Concept Laser also announced that improvements have been made in terms of the build strategy for its LaserCUSING systems.

“An optimized exposure strategy improves both the level of quality and the build rate,” explains Oliver Edelmann. Exciting innovations with regard to machine design will also be showcased at this year’s Euromold.

New materials and improved real-time monitoring of the build process Developments in materials will also be a major theme at the trade fair. New materials for the aviation and the medical industry will be presented. Many new developments 24 | September-October 2014 | Plastics & Rubber Review

An intelligent exposure strategy and speed are the key when it comes to laser melting with metals.

How a melting surface is segmented and exposed via laser energy has a massive impact on the quality of the components.

have been made in this dynamic market environment in the past 12 months and these have been adapted for system technology. Concept Laser promises major improvements in real-time monitoring for the purposes of quality assurance. “Inline Process Monitoring” is one of Concept Laser’s strategic technological fields. Oliver Edelmann: “We will be taking a giant stride where process monitoring is concerned. This will improve quality massively.” Key industries and their demanding applications have made this innovative move possible. Here, we will have to wait and see what the company has up its sleeve.

EuroMold 2014 increases its international focus in order to reach global markets

EuroMold – the World Fair for Moldmaking and Tooling, Design and Application Development – is increasing the competitive ability and independence of German companies by means of a consistent international orientation – with a proportion of foreign exhibitors at approx. 50%, around 60 first-time exhibitors from abroad, and a majority of exhibitors representing the tooling & moldmaking and the rapid prototyping industries.

T

he 21st EuroMold, which is to take place at the end of November 2014 at the exhibition center in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, will again present itself as a globally positioned trade fair. From November 25 to 28, 2014, approximately 1,000 exhibitors from some 32 countries will meet around 50,000 international visitors from all areas of industry. This makes EuroMold by far the most international trade fair within its field. Furthermore, there are no comparable trade fairs with so many world premieres and examples of the most recent trends from across the entire sector.

At this year’s trade fair, the organizers are expecting the proportion of foreign visitors to be around 50%. As things currently stand, there will be approx. 40 first-time exhibitors from Germany and around 60 first-time exhibitors from abroad represented at the trade fair. The majority of the foreign first-time exhibitors will be made up primarily of Portuguese mold- and toolmakers, as well as companies from the Netherlands, Great Britain, France and China.

Mold- and toolmaking is thus the largest industrial sector represented at the trade fair, followed by rapid prototyping & tooling and the accessories and peripheral devices manufacturing industry. Alongside these, representatives from all other areas of the overall process chain are expected to be present, for example from the engineering, design, machine tooling and software sectors.

Eberhard Döring, Manager of the EuroMold trade fair, commented: “In contrast, other trade fairs that have a national focus bring together mainly German exhibitors and visitors, by no means displaying state-of-the-art technology and failing to offer these numerous opportunities to establish business contacts around the world that can be found at EuroMold. Within a global market, it is apparent that German companies enter new markets with international partners.

In this regard, EuroMold serves as the world’s only platform that has been established within its field for several years and can offer an incomparably broad variety of international companies from the entire industrial process chain.

Once again in 2014, companies will benefit from our international orientation within the global market.”

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 25

TCT Bright Minds Program Extends to EuroMold Education to take centre stage at Frankfurt Show

On the back of a hugely successful UK programme TCT Bright Minds will make its debut at EuroMold this year. The TCT Magazine + Personalize (TCT), 3D Systems Corporation (3D Systems) and Black County Atelier (BCA) have announced that they will partner with EuroMold organisers DEMAT to bring the innovative program to the heart of Hall 11 at the event that will see over 200 schoolchildren get real hands-on technology experience in Frankfurt/Main.

B

uilding on a successful UK programme that has been running at the TCT event for many years, the TCT Bright Minds UK programme sees a glass walled classroom built in the heart of the exhibition and throughout the show hundreds of schoolchildren have their chance to use CAD and 3D Printing technologies in a workshop setting. Black Country Atelier will run the classroom sessions with the equipment being provided free-of-charge by 3D Systems. For the EuroMold edition the range of technologies covered will include 3D scanning, a haptic based 3D mouse and 3D printers.

with us as the program expands into new territories. They have enabled us to have a real impact on a growing number of students and we are delighted to be able to work together with both BCA and 3D Systems again and continue to inspire the next generation of designers and engineers, this time in Germany.”

As 3D printing becomes an increasingly popular tool for teaching STEM-related subjects, the Bright Minds program incorporates a course developed by Black Country Atelier. Pupils will be able to apply real world design and curriculum.

Cathy Lewis, Chief Marketing Officer of 3D Systems, stated: “We are excited to partner once again with Rapid News, TCT and BCA on this powerful education initiative, and are delighted to bring it to Frankfurt with EuroMold organisers DEMAT. We are committed to bringing 21st century tools, programmes and technologies to students and schools across the globe and this program extension helps us further realize this goal.”

Duncan Wood, Chief Operating Officer at Rapid News Communications Group commented “The TCT Bright Minds UK programme has come of age in the last few years with hundreds of excited participants getting a real hands on experience of the technologies that TCT Show + Personalize specialises in. We think inspiring the next generation is important and the extension of this program into Germany at EuroMold in partnership with our friends at DEMAT GmbH is extremely exciting. I can’t thank our partners enough for their contribution to the initiative, and for continuing to work

Jing Lu, Director at BCA, added: “We are excited to bring 3D printing education to EuroMold.

3D design innovation skills are vital to industries globally and we look forward to working with local schools and colleges.”

Project Manager at DEMAT GmbH Frank Santo stated: “We as a society have the responsibility to bring our next generation close to new technical developments so that they can make the first and important experiences early.

Together with our cooperation partners The TCT Magazine, 3D Systems Corporation and Black Country Atelier we will offer our German pupils the chance getting in contact with latest 3D technology and technical

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innovations in this industry section professionally. We are very delighted to present and establish this educational event at EuroMold 2014 for the very first time and we hope this event may be the occasion 3D technology lessons can be held directly in German schools in future.”

The programme is designed for young students of High Schools and Secondary Schools in Germany. Each session will last approximately two hours and will also give all participants entry to EuroMold 2014.

German Schools wishing to participate should contact Jing Lu at BCA (jinglu(at) blackcountryatelier(dot)com) or Frank Santo at DEMAT GmbH (frank.santo(at)demat(dot)com) to register their interest and discuss how they can get involved. The places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

About TCT Magazine + Personalize

Inspire. Design. Make. With more than 21 years in the game TCT Magazine + Personalize is the de facto source of information and intelligence for 3D printing, additive manufacturing and product development technologies across the consumer, enterprise and industrial sectors. Through print, digital and live events TCT + Personalize delivers insight on how these cutting-edge technologies are being utilised from hackerspace through to aerospace. Follow TCT Magazine + Personalize online through social media and at www. tctmagazine.com

About Black Country Atelier

Black Country Atelier is a specialist provider of 3D printing services to education, including teacher training, curriculum development and long-term partnerships leading to accredited Awards and Qualifications in Digital Design and Manufacture. Working with industry experts, it creates world-leading classroom content designed to capture the essential skills and learning needed for a digital economy. Black Country Atelier works alongside teachers and students, both in-house and via its online platform, to build capacity and confidence in new areas of technology. More information on the company is available at www. blackcountryatelier.com About 3D Systems Corporation

3D Systems is a leading global provider of 3D content-to-print solutions including 3D printers, print materials and on-demand custom parts services for professionals and consumers alike.

The company also provides CAD modeling, reverse engineering and inspection software tools and consumer 3D printers, apps and services. Its expertly integrated solutions replace and complement traditional methods and reduce the time and cost of designing and manufacturing new products. 3D Systems products and services are used to rapidly design, communicate, prototype or produce real functional parts, empowering customers to create and make with confidence.

More information on the company is available at www.3DSystems. com

WITTMANN BATTENFELD at the Compamed

Micro Injection Molding with LSR efficiency, process reliability and speed. In this machine generation, the injection aggregate is of special interest. This innovative two-step injection unit, consisting of a screw and a plunger, with a shot volume ranging from 0.05 to 4 cm続, injects thermally homogeneous melt, with the result of premium-quality parts from absolutely stable production with short cycle times.

The machine on display comes as a full-fledged clean-room production cell, equipped with a rotary disk, parts removal handling device, integrated quality inspection by image processing, as well as a clean-room module, which produces class 6 clean air according to the ISO 146441 standard. The parts are all injected, quality-inspected and deposited inside the clean room.

MicroPower for liquid silicone application with cartridge dosing pump

From 12 to 14 November 2014, WITTMANN BATTENFELD will be presenting latest injection molding technology to interested trade visitors in hall 08b, booth F03 at the Compamed in D端sseldorf, the leading international trade fair for suppliers to the medical technology industry.

On a machine from the MicroPower series specially designed for injection molding of small and micro parts, WITTMANN BATTENFELD demonstrates its possibilities of LSR processing by showing lenses for medical devices being produced from highly transparent liquid silicone.

LSR is gaining more and more significance in the optical sector as well as in medical technology.

On a MicroPower 15/10, lenses will be manufactured on a 4 cavity mold supplied by Awetis, Germany, from 2-component liquid silicone rubber supplied by Momentive, Germany, with the material being conveyed by a dosing pump supplied by EMT Dosiertechnik, Germany, from two 1-liter cartridges to the injection unit.

The MicroPower stands out by its extreme cost-

MicroPower-injection unit with shut-off valve and static blender for the elaboration of liquid silicone

WITTMANN BATTENFELD WITTMANN BATTENFELD, a company of the WITTMANN group based in Kottingbrunn, Austria is a leading manufacturer of injection molding machines for the plastics industry. With its own sales and service companies as well as representations in about 60 countries, WITTMANN BATTENFELD provides optimal support to its customers in all matters concerning injection molding technology. Its innovative strength, highest precision and strong focus on maximum customer benefit make WITTMANN BATTENFELD a valuable partner for its customers.

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 27

Many global renowned firms such as Toray, Mitsubishi Chemical, Engel, Haitian, Milacron, Hasco, Yudo, Conair and ACS have confirmed their booth booking.`

CHINAPLAS: High booth booking rate reflects the optimism of industry outlook Sign of optimism in the outlook of plastics and rubber industries was found as exhibitors begin making their stand reservations for CHINAPLAS 2015, leading the show scale to break its past records. Apart from showcasing a perfect blend of International and China’s latest innovations covering the entire manufacturing processes essential to different sectors, a variety of concurrent activities addressing industries’ hottest topics such as automation, design for sustainability and medical plastics are also dedicated to the visitors.

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O

ver 3,100 companies from over 39 countries and regions are expected to participate in CHINAPLAS 2015.

Being Asia’s largest and the world’s second plastics and rubber trade fair, the show will be held on 20-23 May, 2015 at China Import & Export Fair Complex, Pazhou, Guangzhou, PR China. Occupying 25 exhibition halls, CHINAPLAS 2015’s gross exhibition area will exceed 230,000sqm, making it the biggest of its history. This highly internationalized show will gain the support from 13

international pavilions coming from Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, the UK, USA, PR China & Taiwan and on-site demonstration of their latest technologies is expected.

Ada Leung, Assistant General Manager of Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., the organizer of CHINAPLAS, said, “CHINAPLAS is one of the very few trade fairs to cover all of the manufacturing processes, from materials, technologies to services that are

The extraordinary diverse and versatile nature of modern plastics fuel designer’s boundless imaginations to create countless products that help society to meet many challenges and improve our quality of life.

essential to the plastics and rubber industries and their downstream sectors. The exhibition, serving as the one-stop platform, has appealed to both international and local buyers alike to source raw materials, machinery as well as the solutions for their entire processing lines, from high-end and sophisticated products to costeffective and volume production ones.”

The next edition of CHINAPLAS will exhibit innovative plastics and rubber technologies and a wide array of raw materials in line with policies and regulations and the latest trends under 11 theme zones, namely Extrusion Machinery zone, Injection Molding Machinery zone, Chemicals & Raw Materials zone, Auxiliary & Testing Equipment zone, Die & Mold zone, Film Technology zone, Plastic Packaging & Blow Molding Machinery zone, Rubber Machinery & Equipment zone, Chinese Export Machinery & Materials hall, Bioplastics zone and Semifinished Products zone.

Exhibitors reflect their optimism of industry’s future Ada Leung continued, “The booth booking for CHINAPLAS 2015 is overwhelming. We have already

recorded over booking of certain theme zones such as film technology and packaging.

Increased booking is also seen in extrusion machinery and auxiliary equipment zones. Besides several hundreds of new exhibitors, many of past exhibitors have requested for booth expansion.

The reservation status somewhat reflects the market trends in the plastics and rubber industries.”

According to the study from Freedonia, packaging will remain the largest single market for plastics processing machinery. Equipment utilized in the production of plastic packaging products will expand at the fastest pace through 2017, accounting for one-third of total sales revenue of plastics processing machinery, thanks to the growing demand for packaging products

and increasing food and beverage manufacturing activities due to rising living standards in developing countries. Consumer products and construction sectors will occupy the second and third places of sales revenue of plastics processing machinery. Injection molding equipment will continue to be the most popular product type of plastics processing machinery, accounting for close to two-fifths of global sales revenue in 2017, followed by extrusion machinery that is spurred by an increase in the global construction activities.

Film and sheet technology is another evolving area as domestic players are rallying their R&D efforts to develop their proprietary technology which was dominant by the developed countries. For examples, Jinming Machinery, a

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 29

successful China’s extruder maker, has partnered with BASF to jointly develop solutions for the coextrusion film industry for local market. The company also aligned with Xian Jiaotong University in China to co-develop an intelligent controller based on System on Chip, a core technology of the blow molding industry which has long been monopolized by a few advanced countries.

At the same time, the auxiliary equipment market is gaining momentum, with the world’s regulations in place to promote the “circular economy” and the “zero waste” policy for end-ofthe life products. In CHINAPLAS 2015, it is expected to see more recycling solutions at the fairground provided by global leaders and Chinese companies. Meanwhile, machine vision inspection system also enjoys benefit from the growth of automation market to underscore a huge potential in China. Being used in conjunction with the robots, the system is widely applied in automotive, electronics, telecommunications, aerospace and military for processing tasks that need high precision. Frost and Sullivan’s research indicates that the global market for industrial machine vision inspection systems generated revenue of US$4.37 billion in 2011 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1% from 2011 to 2016. China’s market alone will reach to US$618million (CNY 3.8billion) of sale in 2016.

Ada Leung added, “Apart from the expanded Machinery Zone, the Chemical Zone will also house around 800 chemical exhibitors, making it the world’s biggest of its kind. There are some new joiners from Middle East countries such as

UAE and Saudi Arabia to exhibit in the zone for the first time.”

Concurrent events move with the new trends, focusing on automation, design and innovation and medical plastics With the great success of last year’s concurrent activities, namely ‘The City of Tomorrow’ and ‘Green Conference’, the next edition will carry forward the same theme “Greenovation – Solution to Sustainability” through a variety of activities organized at the fairground. Known to shade insights of the industries, CHINAPLAS 2015 will bring the hottest topics such as processing line automation, applications of medical plastics and design for sustainability into the fairground in shaping a new era of manufacturing. A host of activities such as the showcase, demonstrations and conferences will be organized around these themes in concert with the new trends to help visitors staying at the forefront of the sectors.

BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, will join hands with CHINAPLAS to showcase a range of innovations by highlighting how plastics enables good product designs and innovation to improve our life at the show. Modern plastics not only have helped us meet many of society’s challenges from lifesaving technologies to sustainable living, but also empower designers with infinite imaginations to consistently create innovative products that shape a better world.

Industrial automation will be the area worth the industries’ attention.

The perils of rising labor costs, shortage of skilled labour and increasing competition from other emerging Asian countries have

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given the Chinese enterprises a nudge in switching the labour intensive operations to automated manufacturing. According to the latest findings released by International Federation of Robotics (IFR), China was the largest destination for industrial robots in 2013, purchasing 36,560, a fifth of the world’s total robots, with the annual growth rate of 60%. Many big corporations in China have already benefited from the move.

For example, Haier, the home appliances giant, has recently laid off around 10,000 workers this year to give way to robots for boosting their efficiency and productivity.

Midea, an air conditioning equipment maker, has been widely using robots in its assembly line since 2010. The company said automation has cut their labor cost

by US$1.28 million in 2013.

Medical plastics will be another area to experience an exponential growth, thanks to the aging population and the high demands of low cost access to the medical system in Asia countries and the developing worlds. According to the analyst firm NanoMarkets, the global medical polymer market will grow from US$2.3 billion in 2013 to over US$3.5 billion in 2018.

Healthcare spending in Asia Pacific

is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.5% over the next five years to reach US$2.21 trillion in 2018, says from another healthcare report by Frost & Sullivan.

Ada Leung added, “We are hoping the visitors can benefit not only from meeting the international exhibitors and their latest products in our show, but also the variety of concurrent events and activities that embrace the latest development and visions of plastics and rubber industry we bring into the fair”.

The entry tickets have two types, namely one-day pass (RMB 30) and four-day pass (RMB 50). Visitors who successfully pre-registered at www.ChinaplasOnline.com/prereg on or before 11 March, 2015 will enjoy free admission and receive visitor badge in advance. Besides, pre-registered visitors can also enjoy the function of “My Exhibitor” through official website and CHINAPLAS’ app. It helps visitors to select their own exhibitors from the exhibitor list and take note of each. The exhibitor list and app will be launched soon.

For more details, please visit the official show website at www.ChinaplasOnline.com.

About CHINAPLAS 2015

CHINAPLAS 2015 is organized by Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. and coorganized by China National Light Industry Council - China Plastics Processing Industry Association, China Plastics Machinery Industry Association, Guangdong Plastics Industry Association, Messe Düesseldorf China Ltd., the Plastic Trade Association of Shanghai and Beijing Yazhan Exhibition Services Ltd. The event is also supported by various plastics and rubber associations in China and abroad.

First introduced in 1983, CHINAPLAS is China’s only plastics and rubber trade show approved by UFI (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry).

CHINAPLAS has been exclusively sponsored by the Europe’s Association for Plastics and Rubber Machinery Manufacturers (EUROMAP) in China for the 26th time. CHINAPLAS is currently Asia’s No. 1 and the world’s No. 2 plastics and rubber trade fair.

New PRIAMUS Homepage

T-PLAS 2015 - International Trade Fair for the Plastics and Rubber Industries 26-29 Aug 2015, BITEC, Bangkok, www.tplas.com As Thailand’s best-in-class trade fair for the plastics and rubber sectors, T-PLAS is a unified business platform that signifies relevance of the robust growth and developments in the synergistic industries.

Strategically positioned in Southeast Asia’s largest plastics processing industry, the trade fair enhances its regional focus and provides an international outlook of the abundant strategic opportunities available for participating companies to springboard their foothold into the regional plastics and rubber markets.

With the participation of 200 exhibitors from 20 countries, T-PLAS delivers a highly relevant platform that features a full spectrum of solutions, including the latest machinery and equipment, semi-finished products, technical parts and reinforced plastics, raw materials to services for the plastics and rubber sectors.

Customer-friendly, clearly arranged and in a classic clear design – this is how the new PRIAMUS website presents itself. The main focus of this comprehensive technical, content-related and graphic re-launch is improved user guidance. At the same time there are many additional benefits through new modified contents and functions.

Targeting over 6,500 quality trade visitors, T-PLAS 2015 will continue on its successful path of serving a diverse customer base from a wide range of markets such as building and construction, mould and die, to electrical and electronics engineering.

Staging cycle: every two years

Besides the entire product range, an exclusive download and upload area has been created which allows the user to down or upload e.g. CAD data or other data contents from and to the server.

Organiser: Messe Düsseldorf Asia Pte Ltd

Also worth mentioning are the subject areas “Solutions” and “Sectors” which include specific application examples. This area will be updated and extended on a periodical basis in the future so that a frequent visit to the homepage will be definitely worthwhile.

Tel: +65 6332 9620; Fax: +65 6332 9655 / 6337 4633 Email: tplas@mda.com.sg

Last but not least the subject areas “Media“ and “Service“ offer detailed options.

PRIAMUS - The License to Fill - Injection Molding is our Passion!

Since many years we develop systems for the quality assurance in injection molding. Out of the many ideas evolved a product range which is worth to take a look at. This starts from cavity pressure and cavity temperature sensors on to digital electronics on the latest state of the art up to entire process monitoring, real-time and online control systems.

And it is no coincidence that the term “Cavity Temperature” for instance was created

by PRIAMUS many years ago. This could only be realized with a team of specialist who all together performed their task with passion. However, in the end it is only about one thing: To find solutions for the many problems which still exist in the global injection molding world.

It is therefore not a question to sell as many sensors as possible. It is also not a question to tell colorful stories. But it is solely about optimizing processes together with our customers in order to achieve a maximized financial benefit with the right technical solution.

We are looking forward to meeting you in person!

For more details, visit: www.priamus.com

For more information and space bookings, contact us:

Disposable liquid flow sensors offer new possibilities for medical devices

S

ensirion AG (Switzerland), the leading manufacturer of digital microsensors, is offering new disposable liquid flow sensor solutions for medical devices. The use of intelligent, compact and cost-effective disposable liquid flow sensors will change the field of drug delivery from the ground up and enable solutions to be provided which are safer, more reliable and more mobile for care in the hospital and at home.

The disposable liquid flow sensor LD20-2000T provides liquid flow measurement capability from inside medical tubing, such as an infusion set or a catheter, in a low cost sensor, suitable for disposable applications. Now drug delivery from an infusion set, an infusion pump or other medical devices can be measured precisely and in real time. Treatments will become more effective, as they become easier to monitor and control. Patient’s safety is improved by the automatic detection of failure modes like clogging, free flow, air bubbles, or leaks in the tubing connection.

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 31

Best Fakuma Ever

Fakuma 2014 with Record Breaking Numbers Shapes, functions, colours, Fakuma – with exactly 45,689 expert visitors from 117 countries and 1772 exhibitors from 36 nations, the Fakuma international trade fair for plastics processing has definitely found its way into the history books for technical industry events at the international level. Due to record numbers experienced in recent years thought to have reached their peak, the 23rd Fakuma evolved into an absolute winner last week in the field of plastics technology and attracted more expert visitors than ever before. Reaching levels that had certainly not been anticipated by anyone, although perhaps hoped for secretly, and in the end impressively confirmed, 33% of the officially counted 45,689 expert visitors came from foreign countries near and far, so that Fakuma has once again expressed its exceptional positioning and has even been able to top last year’s figure of 31% foreign visitors.

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A

nd thus it’s quite befitting that the spokesperson of Fakuma’s exhibitor advisory committee, Ulrich Eberhardt, was able to report strong figures for the industry sector on the one hand, as well as continuing satisfactory business developments on the other hand, and otherwise excellent acceptance of Fakuma as a globally recognised business platform for all of the players involved in the plastics industry. Beyond this, he

provided a brief insight into the secret behind Fakuma’s success, which he accentuated as “a marketplace for innovative solutions covering all aspects of injection moulding, thermoforming and extrusion, as a trend barometer for the industry and as a lastingly important trade fair for suppliers and users of plastics technologies.

At the same time, event promoter Paul E. Schall has succeeded in retaining Fakuma’s distinctive character, charm and charisma, as well as its very personal and relaxed atmosphere, despites its outstanding, globally significant market positioning”, explained Ulrich Eberhardt.

In reviewing Fakuma’s development in recent years it becomes apparent that, with the exception of the decline in 2009 due to the recession, exhibitor numbers, exhibition floor space, visitor numbers and foreign participation have demonstrated continuous growth. Available exhibition floor space at the highly modern Friedrichshafen Exhibition Centre has been fully booked out at Fakuma for years, and even reserve floor space in the foyers at the east and west entrances was occupied in 2014 in order to provide a few aspiring exhibitors who had been placed on the waiting list with the opportunity of presenting their

technologies, processes, products and services.

Important issues at Fakuma 2014 included the integration of functions with simultaneously improved energy and resource efficiency (for example by means of particle-foam composite injection moulding or finely structured thin-walled components), increasing use of 3D printing, as well as additive and generative processes for prototyping and production of small lot quantities, not to mention metal-plastic combinations, hybrid solutions and fastening/joining processes. As part of the Blue Competence initiative of the VDMA Expert Association for Plastic and Rubber Processing Machines, numerous exhibitors presented their latest developments, thus underscoring their intention and ambition to reconcile technology and environment to an ever greater extent. Beyond this, many exhibitors make targeted use of Fakuma as an adequate setting for unveiling their world’s firsts and innovations to international expert visitors, which is also indicative of Fakuma’s international significance.

The next, i.e. the 24th Fakuma will take place from the 13th through the 17th of October, 2015, naturally at the Friedrichshafen Exhibition Centre once again.

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Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. Individual Layer Foaming now an Option on Macro’s Cast Film Coextrusion Line Film and sheet extrusion systems supplier Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. (Canada) has added the option of including gas foaming into any layer of the multilayer film structures produced on its cast film coextrusion line.

Macro’s cast barrier film coextrusion system is used to produce multilayer film structures up to 11-layers and up to 3 m wide using a variety of materials including PA, EVOH and PVdC. The films produced are most typically used in food and medical packaging applications. “The addition of individual layer foaming broadens the possibilities of end-use applications”, states Andrew Erskine, Macro’s Marketing Manager. “Not only can foaming reduce weight and lead to raw material savings, but it can also create favourable properties in the film. By foaming one or more layers embedded in the coextruded film, thermal and sound insulation can be improved, flexibility and conformability can be enhanced, and opacity can be obtained without using fillers.” With the addition of foaming technology the applications for Macro’s cast barrier film line can be extended to thermoformed trays, insulation pouches, value-added lamination materials and stiffer, glossy films for shelf appeal.

ACTEGA DS GmbH Adhesion-optimized TPE Multi-component injection molding is increasingly gaining in economic significance as this technology not only enables integration of component functions during the injection molding process – it also shortens assembly and production times which immediately leads to less expensive manufacturing of parts.

So-called hard-soft compounds represent a high percentage of molded parts designed using multi-component technology, whereby material combinations are realized from technical thermoplastics (hard component) and thermoplastic elastomers (soft component). This process distinguishes between mechanical anchoring (rupture, undercut) and bonding compound (cohesion, adhesion). In a bonding compound, a soft component overmolds the surface of the hard component which softens enabling diffusion of the molecules in the boundary layer. This is responsible for the quality of such a bond.

The line can operate with or without foam injection, providing processing flexibility for the film maker to switch between conventional multilayer films and foamed films without changing machinery configuration. “Versatility is a driving motivation for us”, states Erskine. “Supplying systems with inherent flexibility helps our customers adapt to changing market demands. It also helps mitigate risk on their capital investment”.

As the demand for hard-soft compounds increases in medical technology accompanied by an increased prevalence of multi-component technology in this area, the demand for soft-elastic plastics with special adhesive properties is also on the up. Actega DS has succeeded in designing adhesion-optimized variants of the ProvaMed® TPE portfolio established on the market for medical and pharmaceutical applications. Evolving from a project, this innovation not only displays outstanding adhesion to a variety of plastics, including polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (ABS); it also complies with the relevant regulations and guidelines prevailing in this sensitive industry in terms of biocompatibility, toxicity and patient safety. What’s more, the adhesive properties have been improved to the extent that they are maintained even at continuous media contact and increased temperatures.

Macro recently installed a 7-layer cast coextrusion line in Europe that produces high barrier films with layer foaming in two of the seven layers and inline embossing to create an optimized product for the user’s end application.

The ProvaMed® portfolio is meanwhile firmly established in the medical technology market – only two years after the first official start. And the material has also qualified for the pharmaceutical market, e.g. in the area of seals and tubes.

Individual layer foaming is achieved with nitrogen gas injection through a sophisticated feed-block that distributes each layer of the melt flow. The feed-block’s design alleviates the need for a multi-manifold system that can add significant cost to the system.

Delta Engineering bvba

New development - New compact, fully automatic palletizer with integrated tray warehouse (DP240)

T

he DP240 palletizer can pack in trays from 800/600mm up to 1200/1200mm in all directions but also half trays. Thanks to a complete range of standard tools it can handle the most difficult bottles. It can make full height pallets up to 3.1m.

Delta Engineering was founded in 1992 by Danny De Bruyn and Rudy Lemeire, both engineers active in the production of plastic bottles.

Parkbos 1, BE–9500 Ophasselt, BELGIUM Tel +32 54 51 81 11, Fax +32 54 51 81 16 sales@delta-engineering.be, www.delta-engineering.be plastics & rubber review | september-october 2014 | 35

Waldorf Technik re-invents highflex® IML IML automation occupies extremely compact space and still offers this facility at approximately the same invest as systems that due to a restricted budget have merely possessed the capacity to reject the entire batch.

As an optional module for the highflex® IML se-ries, Waldorf Technik has now included entire packaging stations in its programme, with which vetted products can be packaged in transport containers or boxes, practically without human involvement. For many customers, this option may be a good response to the constantly spiral-ling price pressure in the packaging business.

I

n time for the Fakuma 2014, the automation specialist Waldorf Technik GmbH &Co. KG uses its innovative force to develop entirely new technologies for the production of pack-aging solutions in injection moulding. The classic highflex® IML comes with entirely new features, while barrier coating is set to revo-lutionise the whole field of food packaging.

The modern world of packaging is now incon-ceivable without inmould labelling, as the brilliant printing and cost-efficient flexibility of this decoration method is quite simply too attractive for a variety of print images. Instead of decorating the cup and lid in downstream printing processes, this method involves the insertion of printed foils into the injection moulding tool to create an integrated process in just one operating step and to deliver an attractively decorated cup or lid.

Unlike in alternative methods such as offset or silkscreen, post-printing and sleeving, the print image can be switched with practically no setup times, which makes it a particularly inexpensive procedure.

Waldorf Technik has worked assiduously over the last two years to develop and consistently expand its product segment of IML automation. Now the portfolio covers more than five different

standard series to meet an array of customer needs such as reduced invest, stack moulds, extremely compact space, systems for consumer goods packaging and also bulk packs.

Indeed, the traditional flagship at Waldorf Tech-nik, the highflex® IML robot has also been fun-damentally reworked in the second system gen-eration to add a variety of new features, also. For instance, it now occupies 30 % less space than before. The automation system is able to process cups and lids in all IML label geometries.

Furthermore, it is entirely at the discretion of the injection moulder to use the highflex® IML automation for tools with a variety of cavity numbers and cavity intervals – and all this with a mere 20-30 minute setup time between different products. In extreme cases, even the manufacture of products injected from inside and outside is possible using just one highflex® IML automation. This means that the system concept remains unique throughout the world – so far, all other manufacturers of IML systems can only offer restricted flexibility.

And whereas camera monitoring with ejection of individual bad parts has so far substantially in-creased both the size of invest and the system itself, the new highflex®

36 | September-October 2014 | Plastics & Rubber Review

The IML method is increasingly winning over admirers in export markets, also. Compared with IML users in central Europe, they appreciate it even more when automation and tools come synchronised in a one-stop solution.

This is why Waldorf Technik has now teamed up with Roth Werkzeugbau GmbH to offer its international customers automation on a double bill with first-class thin-wall tools.

And soon the fanbase will have the opportunity to experience all this at first hand during a variety of events scheduled for this autumn.

A world première will be on show at the Fakuma in Friedrichshafen, for instance: a 100 % circumferentially decorated cup with rounded base edges, manufactured in a process that is simple for the operator and realised using a highflex® IML robot from the standard programme.

Another highlight will be the presentation of bar-rier coating as an industrial method of equipping injection moulding receptacles with unbeatable barrier properties at low cost. The first industrial system with a cycle time of less than four se-conds is already installed on the market; project planning for systems with up to 64 cavities is also underway with international customers.

What is so special about barrier

coating? This method permits the combination of benefits offered by glass jars (for instance the outstanding gas and water vapour barrier, taste preservation, protection against the migration of outside sub-stances into the food and such like) with the advantages of cost-efficient plastic packaging (un-breakable, does not splinter, stackable, compact space requirements and good for logistics).

For instance, coffee in a capsule form remains fresh and preserves its aroma, even without sophisticated secondary packaging.

Fresh products also keep their attractive look. The shelf life of all kinds of food products is extended significantly compared with current plastic solutions. In turn, this enables food manufacturers to produce substantially more efficient batch sizes, thus saving logistic costs in restocking retail shelves.

Unlike the other methods of manufacturing plas-tic barrier containers available today (e.g.

EVOH deep drawing), barrier coating provides packaging designers with a hitherto unseen level of freedom when it comes to the forms. The coating process fits seamlessly into the container geometries, so even entirely asymmetrical forms and receptacles with ribs or stacking edges can be made into barrier packs with no difficulty at all. And the costs are unbeat-ably low, as the barrier layer is a mere 0.1 mi-crometres and hence comes with practically no material expenditure at all. All this means that the method has a promising future that may well just revolutionise the market of food packaging.

Waldorf Technik develops and builds high-performance automation systems for injection moulding companies worldwide. The core com-petencies centre around projects in the field of packaging and medical consumer items with short cycle times.

International Injection Moulding Conference – IIMC

IKV invites experts to the international conference on December 2-3, 2014 in Aachen

T

he Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) in Industry and the Skilled Crafts at RWTH Aachen University is organising its first international conference on the latest developments in the field of injection moulding technology. The International Injection Moulding Conference, or IIMC, will be held on December 2 and 3, 2014

lenses, while also substituting the heavier glass. In such applications, the demands made on precision – of the process, the machine technology and the tooling design – are very high indeed. On the topic of process combinations, the challenge is to combine the lightweight potential of the plastic material with the high mechanical strength properties of reinforcing materials and structures, also focusing on highly automated process control systems for injection moulding.

The conference is addressed to national and, in particular, international executives and senior experts in design, development, part and mould construction, application engineering, production and quality assurance.

Speakers come from KraussMaffei, Lanxess, Momentive Performance Materials, Osram, Voss Automotive, all in Germany, and from Engel Austria, Austria, Groupe Plastivaloire, France, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Japan, and Trexel, USA. A lecture on innovations in automotive series production has been requested at BMW. Speakers representing the research fields come from the Institute of Automotive Engineering (ika), RWTH Aachen University, from the Hochschule Pforzheim University and from IKV. The conference language is English.

For more details about conference: www.iimcaachen.com, www.ikv-aachen.de or www. ikv-akademie.de

in Aachen. National and international experts from the injection moulding sector will speak about applicationrelated developments, and will present research results and innovative examples from series production in industry.

The focus of the conference will be on injection moulding technologies and their process combinations in the automotive sector. There, the reduction of emissions is one of the prime development targets, which is why the IKV conference will concentrate on two key technologies: firstly, the injection moulding of optical components for lighting applications, and secondly, the combining of processes to enable greater functional integration. Both topics will look at the latest developments in lightweight plastic design.

The injection moulding of optical components offers outstanding design freedom and thus the possibility of using plastics to create new designs for headlamps and

About IKV IKV, the Institute of Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen University, is Europe-wide the biggest research and education institute engaged in the field of plastics processing enjoying outstanding reputation. More than 300 staff are employed in finding solutions to problems connected with processing, materials technology and part design in the plastics and rubber industries.

IKV’s close contacts with industry and science, together with its outstanding facilities, enable cutting-edge research in plastics technology and ensure that students benefit from a comprehensive, practically oriented course of study. Plastics engineering graduates from IKV are thus sought-after experts in industry. In organisational terms, IKV is divided up into the four specialist departments of Injection Moulding, Extrusion and Rubber Technology, Part Design and Materials Technology, and Composites and Polyurethane Technology. The Institute also takes in the Centre for Analysis and Testing of Plastics, and the Training and Further Education department. IKV is run by an Association of Sponsors, which currently has a membership of more than 230 plastics companies from all over the world. Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hopmann is Head of the Institute and Managing Director of the Association of Sponsors. He also holds the Chair of Plastics Processing at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University.

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 37

Arburg to exhibit two Freeformers at the Euromold •

• •

Arburg Plastic Freeforming (AKF): industrial additive manufacturing process Freeformer: efficient production of functional parts from standard granulates Euromold 2014: Arburg presents current development progress regarding the AKF process

Industrial additive manufacturing: with the Freeformer and Arburg Plastic Freeforming (AKF), functional parts can be produced efficiently from standard granulate, without the use of a mould.

38 | September-October 2014 | Plastics & Rubber Review

Arburg

was represented at the Euromold for the first time last year, where it impressed trade visitors from the mould construction, design and product development sectors with its newly developed Freeformer. From 25 to 28 November, Arburg will demonstrate the potential of Arburg Plastic Freeforming (AKF) for the industrial additive manufacturing of fully functional plastic parts with two Freeformers at the Euromold 2014 in Hall 11, Stand D25.

The two Freeformers at the Euromold 2014 will be equipped with a three-axis component carrier and two stationary discharge units. This is the version which has been enquired about by most of the potential customers to date. The exhibits will demonstrate how functional components can be additively manufactured from standard granulate based on 3D CAD data.

Arburg will present the additive manufacturing of a two-piece sliding lock at the Euromold 2014.

Here, the second Freeformer discharge unit is used for the construction of supporting structures, which can be easily removed at a later stage.

Two-component application with supporting structure

The second discharge unit can be used for an additional component in order to e.g. produce a part in different colours, with special tactile qualities, or as a hard-soft combination.

Brand new for the Freeformer is the option of building up water-soluble structures from a special supporting material. This makes it possible to achieve unusual or complex component geometries. An application of this type will be demonstrated by a Freeformer at the Euromold 2014 based on the example of a spare part made from ABS – in this case a two-part sliding lock which is used in the Allrounder injection moulding machines. The supporting structures can subsequently be removed in a water bath.

As an alternative, a supporting structure can be built up in the same material as the component itself. A thinned out interface layer with specifically generated predetermined breaking points enables the supporting structure to simply be broken off mechanically later. This option is preferred for components with free-standing structures and clearly defined edges.

New AKF process for broad product range

Arburg Plastic Freeforming (AKF) will be explained based on various animations. With AKF, inexpensive, conventional plastic granulates are the base material – one of the advantages compared to other additive manufacturing processes. As with injection moulding, the granulate is first melted in a plasticising cylinder. A stationary discharge unit with a special nozzle then applies the plastic droplets layer-by-layer onto the component carrier using high-frequency piezo technology at a specified duty cycle of 60 to 200 Hertz. Depending on the nozzle used, the diameter of the plastic droplets generated under pressure is between 0.18 and 0.3 millimetres.

The moving component carrier is positioned so that each drop is deposited at the precise point calculated in advance. During cooling, the tiny droplets automatically fuse together. The desired three-dimensional component is thus created layer by layer. The construction chamber of the Freeformer offers space for parts with maximum dimensions of 190 x 135 x 250 millimetres. At the Euromold, a wide variety of products that can be produced with additive manufacturing using the Freeformer will be presented. This includes components with complex geometries, hard/soft combinations and fully functional replacement parts. The experts from the Freeformer team will also be on hand to answer trade visitors’ individual questions.

Automatic data processing

The 3D CAD data for the parts being manufactured (STL files) are processed offline on a PC. A special software generates the necessary

manufacturing data via slicing. Once the Freeformer control system has received this data, which determines, e.g. the axis movements, production can begin. Operation is extremely simple, no special programming or processing knowledge is required.

Environmentally and user friendly

One great advantage of working with the Freeformer is that no dust or emissions are generated and no additional infrastructure is therefore necessary. No extraction units or cooling water are required. The system is thus also perfectly suitable for use in an office environment. All that is required are a mains outlet, 3D CAD data and conventional plastic granulate.

Production efficiency for one-off parts and small, multiple-variant batches With the Freeformer, Arburg has expanded its industrial production offering for plastics processing. While customers have long been able to rely on the company’s injection moulding expertise and therefore on the efficient mass production of plastic parts, the same now applies to the cost-effective additive manufacturing of one-off parts and multiple-variant small-volume batches.

About Arburg

Arburg, a German machine construction company, is one of the leading global manufacturers of injection moulding machines for plastics processing with clamping forces between 125 kN and 5,000 kN. Robotic systems, customer- and sector-specific turnkey solutions and further peripherals round off our product range.

In keeping with its motto “Arburg for efficient injection moulding”, the company places the overarching topic of production efficiency at the centre of all its activities, taking into account the entire value-added chain. The objective is to enable the Arburg customers to manufacture their products in optimal quality 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 guarantees first-class, local customer support. Arburg is represented by its own organisations at 32 locations in 24 countries and by trading partners in more than 50 countries. The machines are produced exclusively at the parent factory in Lossburg, Germany. From a total of around 2,300 employees, around 1,900 work in Germany. About 400 further employees work in Arburg’s organisations around the world. In 2012, Arburg became one of the first companies to gain triple certification: to ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment) and ISO 50001 (Energy).

Further information about Arburg can be found at www.Arburg.com.

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 39

show|report

MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 records strong growth in 2nd instalment, sets focus on 2016 edition

Encompassing a diverse and vibrant marketplace for the rapidly growing medical technology sector, MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014, jointly organised by Singapore Precision Engineering and Tooling Association (SPETA) and Messe Düsseldorf Asia came to a close on 11 September amidst resounding approval from visitors and exhibitors. Powering ahead from its successful inauguration in 2012, the 2nd edition of MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA achieved strong growth, returning with 200 leading exhibiting companies from 20 countries.

With the significant increase in Asia in the number of downstream medical manufacturers and enhanced manufacturing capabilities on the back of global growth in the medical device sector, Asia represents exciting opportunities for companies keen to tap into the region. This increased focus on the region by medtech manufacturers has spurred national pavilion participation from Austria, China, Germany, Japan, and Singapore at MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014, contributing to the increased internationality of the exhibition, drawing 6,218 quality trade visitors, of which 35% came from the region. “We are pleased with the success of MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014. The second edition has not only seen a significant increase 40 | September-October 2014 | Plastics & Rubber Review

in the number of exhibitors but also a very good mix of Singaporean and international companies.

Visitor numbers have also been very positive, and we are greatly encouraged by the interest shown,” shared Jeremy Fong, Chairman, SPETA. Addressing the challenges of accessing Asian markets, with its differing market characteristics, MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA serves as the central meeting place in Asia for the medical manufacturing industry to enhance capabilities and insights and to establish key business networks, providing the critical launch pad into Asia and particularly, the ASEAN region. Gernot Ringling, Managing Director, Messe Düsseldorf Asia, said “MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA plays a significant role in bringing the latest medical manufacturing processes and technological capabilities to the fore, providing medtech manufacturers the opportunity to discover a suite of manufacturing solutions and develop business connections necessary to grow their business successfully in the region.” Enhanced business opportunities abound at MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014

Committed to advancing the manufacturing capabilities of the medtech industry, MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 provided the ideal platform for medtech manufacturers and industry players to engage in meaningful trade and collaborative discussions. For Sunningdale Tech, a leading Asian tooling, plastics injection moulding and precision assembly company, MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 was a very important exhibition to showcase their capabilities. “We’ve had many people come to us with their designs and discussions to mass produce, and we’ve engaged with many interested customers”, said Simon Tan, Senior Vice President. IVAM, a German association of micro technology and micro-nanotechnology companies and the organiser of a medical device symposium at the inaugural edition of MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA, returned to the exhibition this year as a pavilion organiser as it aimed to foster better business relations between Southeast Asian companies and Germany.

“80% of our members produce

show|report products for the medical technology sector, and that is why we are here because we want to support our members to do business in Asia, as well as help Asian companies do business in Germany and Europe,” said Dr Thomas R. Dietrich, Chief Executive Officer. He added, “Our experience this year has been very good, and we have seen plenty of regional Asian visitors, particularly from Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea, making this a good hub for German companies to start their business in Asia.”

Exploring the next evolution of medical manufacturing with co-located conference Further bolstering the medtech experience at the exhibition was the concurrently held MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 conference, themed ‘Reaching New Horizons in Medical Manufacturing’ which attracted 154 delegates over three days. A renowned panel of 15 international speakers came together to discuss the present and future of additive manufacturing in medical applications, exploring how additive manufacturing is causing a paradigm shift in medical manufacturing with wide-ranging topics covering many aspects including legal and policy implications, established and exciting future applications, clinical trends, new technologies, and the evolution of processes and materials.

Delivering the keynote address was internationally renowned speaker Professor Stuart Williams, Director, Bioficial Organs Program, University of Louisville, USA. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to see the interaction from people all over the world coming to Singapore to learn about the world-class state of the art capabilities here,” he said. Speaking on the exhibition, he added, “This is a great opportunity to explore the many manufacturers and instrument developers at this exhibition – it’s an overwhelming breadth of technology that you see from the medical device manufacturing sector.” The conference culminated in an insightful learning journey which saw delegates embark on visits to two additive manufacturing centres here - the NTU Additive Manufacturing Centre and the NYP Additive Manufacturing Innovation Centre.

Next Edition of MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA The next edition of MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA will take place from 31 August – 2 September 2016 in Singapore.

Trade visitors can expect a bigger and more dynamic exhibition showcasing even more medical technology players and a diverse line-up of regional visitors. -EndFor more information, please visit www.medmanufacturing-asia.com or contact: Zarina Ann Muhammad Marketing Communications Manager Messe Düsseldorf Asia Tel: +65 6332 9624 Email: zarina@mda.com.sg Desmond Cher Senior Marketing Communications Executive Messe Düsseldorf Asia Tel: +65 6332 9652 Email: desmond@mda.com.sg Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 41

MEDICA 2014 preview: Conference program with many highlights – providers with many innovations “Seeing that in previous years the new forums integrated into the trade fair had been initiated successfully and the internationalisation of the points in the program with many Englishspeaking presentations had been promoted, e.g. through the MEDICA TECH FORUM and the relaunch of the MEDICA HEALTH IT FORUM, this year’s conceptual focus is on the continuation of the live-cell therapy for the conference program started in 2013.” With these words, the trade fair director Joachim Schäfer summarised the crucial changes to the MEDICA 2014 – World Forum for Medicine (12 – 15 November).

The further development of the program particularly concerns the

MEDICA EDUCATION CONFERENCE. For this reason, the German Society for Internal Medicine (DGIM) was acquired as a partner. It has a network of 23,000 members in the fields of science, medicine and health services on a European-wide basis.

The motto of the content orientation of this year’s conference is “Science Meets Medicine” and provides a thematic integration between the conference program and what the trade fair offers. This is because medical advancement is often closely associated with technical developments.

Heart catheters, synthetic joint replacements, modern medical imaging would not be established standards nowadays without

42 | September-October 2014 | Plastics & Rubber Review

networking technical expertise and medical user knowledge.

The four days of the MEDICA EDUCATION CONFERENCE are dedicated to each area of focus respectively. Planned topics for this include infection and inflammation, telemedicine and robotics, cancer of the intestinal tract, as well as interventional medicine (surgical intervention).

With reference to the MEDICA conference program, other highlights include the 37th German Hospital Conference, as the leading event for the directors and management of German hospitals or also international conferences that were started last year, i.e.

DiMiMED (military medicine) and MEDICA MEDICINE SPORTS +

CONFERENCE (preventive and therapeutic sports medicine).

This year, the MEDICA PHYSIO CONFERENCE, which is organized

by Thieme and the training centre FiHH, is new in this year’s program with treatment-oriented lectures for the professional scene of physiotherapists. The main topic here being focused upon: Pain treatment and sports physiotherapy.

Innovations for the entire treatment process With topical information in connection with MEDICA presentations of the exhibitors and the MEDICA conference program, significant trends also convey numerous forums that

are integrated in the trade fair.

These include MEDICA HEALTH IT FORUM and MEDICA TECH FORUM (developments in the field of high-tech medicine) in addition to, among other things, the MEDICA PHYSIO FORUM (on professional questions of physiotherapists) as well as the MEDICA ECON FORUM, which was successfully initiated by the Messe Düsseldorf and the “Techniker Krankenkasse” (TK, a German health insurance company), on issues regarding benefit assessment and funding of innovations, primarily from the standpoint of patients and those who bear the costs.

In turn, as the world’s largest and leading market platform (again with around 4,600 exhibitors), the MEDICA will be used by medical technology suppliers to present the entire spectrum of new products, services and procedures to raise efficiency and quality in outpatient and in-patient care on almost 116,000 square meters of booked space.

Focuses of the MEDICA trade fair include: Electromedicine/medical technology (more than 2,500 exhibitors), laboratory technology/ diagnostics, physiotherapy/ orthopaedic technology, commodities and consumables, information and communication technology, medical furniture and specialist furnishings for hospitals and doctors’ offices.

A central strength of the MEDICA is that it not only deals with solutions for individual medical specialist disciplines, but for the complete “workflow” of patient treatment.

In reference to product developments, the advancements made, for example, in imaging technologies are impressive. Today, ultrasound devices of the best class offer a resolution and, at the same time, contrast with a penetration depth that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago.

There are already some systems that even have built-in “anatomic intelligence” consisting of an integrated database with anatomic structural models. In this way, better balance can be achieved if the transducer does not sit entirely right. Advantages also result in the creation of tomographies. As a result, an image quality is achieved that is even suitable for the high requirements of cardiology.

Automation and digitalisation in the operating theatre As a further crucial trend in light of the innovations of the MEDICA exhibitors, the advancement of digitalization and automation in the operating theatre can be accounted for. Altogether, information and medical technology continue merging with each other more and more. In operating theatres equipped with the state of the art and so-called hybrid operating rooms (with equipment for medical imaging “on the spot”), surgeons can fall back on a continuously growing number of systems that are able to facilitate intervention and patient monitoring in addition to even being able to assist in the process.

imaging and a defined planning and marking of the “target area” before operation. Medical technological equipment in the operating theatre is increasingly networked with one another and can exchange required information among each other or between the hospital operating system for intervention or for creating documentation. The various equipment can be centrally controlled by (touchscreen) panels that are easy to operate.

Marching on:“Wearables” Furthermore there is already a conceptual approach on how data glasses (“Google Glass”) could optimally support surgeons in connecting to patient monitoring systems on the head-up display, showing the most important vital signs.

By the way, wearables: Advancements in the field of sensor systems, material development, energy storage, and chip technology are motors for growth belonging to this diagnosis and communication “all-rounder” used

close to the body. The spectrum of current technology developments ranges from a chip-sensor bandaid to determining specific body parameters by connecting to a smartphone app, all the way to an application for use in the ear that is already ready for market. Thereby, heart frequency, core body temperature and oxygen saturation can be determined.

The Wearable Technologies Show being held in hall 15 communicates to MEDICA visitors a selection of wearables that possess a lot of market potential from a medical perspective.

Together with the supplier trade show, COMPAMED and its more than 700 exhibitors (12 – 14.

November 2014/ halls 8a + 8b), the MEDICA is occupying the entire Düsseldorf fairground. The target audience of both events exclusively include experts in the field.

Opening times: 10:00 am - 6:30 pm, Saturday 10 am - 5:00 pm (MEDICA only).

Systems that are established include those that are computerbased and navigate surgeons very precisely, controlling incision, on the basis of data of medical Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 43

Freeformer: “Best Innovative Exhibit” • • •

MSV 2014: gold medal for Freeformer New system for additive manufacturing presented in the Czech Republic for the first time Minister for Trade and Industry presents award

About Arburg German machine manufacturer Arburg is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of injection moulding machines with clamping forces between 125 and 5,000 kN. This is complemented by robotic systems, customer- and sector-specific turnkey solutions and further peripherals. An innovative additive manufacturing system developed in-house was added to the plastic processing range in 2013.

Gold medal for the Freeformer at the MSV trade fair: Jaroslav Novak (right) and Dr. Daniel Orel from Arburg Czech Republic with the “Best Innovative Exhibit” award.

A

t the 56th International Engineering Fair in Brno, the MSV 2014, the Freeformer was presented to the Czech trade visitors for the first time. With great success: the new industrial system for the additive manufacturing of functional plastic parts was awarded the gold medal in the category “Best Innovative Exhibit”.

“We’re delighted that our Freeformer was awarded the gold medal. We will share this success with our existing and new customers,” said Jaroslav Novak, Managing Director of Arburg’s subsidiary in the Czech Republic. The competition is sponsored by the Czech Association for Industry and Trade and the Czech University, and adjudicated by an international panel of judges. This year, 24 exhibits were nominated, of which five received awards.

Jan Mládek, Minister for Trade and Industry, presented the award for the Freeformer in the setting of a gala evening on 29 September 2014.

Industrial additive manufacturing The Freeformer and the additive Arburg Plastic Freeforming (AKF) process, which celebrated their world premiere at the K 2013, convinced the panel of judges and the trade visitors in Brno alike.

The capability to process inexpensive, commercially available 44 | September-October 2014 | Plastics & Rubber Review

standard granulates and to produce fully-functional components based on 3D CAD data without a mould is unique. As with injection moulding, the granulate is first melted in a plasticising cylinder. The plastic droplets are then applied in layers onto the component carrier using a stationary discharge unit featuring a special nozzle. The desired three-dimensional component is thus created layer-by-layer.

The range of products which can be manufactured additively with the Freeformer includes components with complex geometries, hard/soft combinations and fully functional replacement parts. Brand new for the Freeformer is the option of building up water-soluble structures from a special supporting material. This makes it possible to achieve unusual or complex component geometries.

In keeping with its motto “Arburg for efficient injection moulding”, 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 the Arburg customers to manufacture their plastic products, whether one-off parts or high-volume production, in 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 guarantees first-class, local customer support. Arburg is represented by its own organisations at 32 locations in 24 countries and by trading partners in more than 50 countries.

The machines are produced exclusively at the parent factory in Lossburg, Germany. From a total of around 2,350 employees, around 1,950 work in Germany. About 400 further employees work in Arburg’s organisations around the world. In 2012, Arburg became one of the first companies to gain triple certification: to ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment) and ISO 50001 (Energy).

Further information about Arburg can be found at www.arburg.com.

Big solutions, small portions

New Minpack 12 packaging machine by Sacmi Filling In a packaging market characterised by high

ultra-clean execution that includes a tunnel in overpressure of sterile air

competitiveness and ever-greater demand for

to protect the product filling phase and the sanitation of the lid film by new

flexibility, productivity and time-to-market, Sacmi’s

generation high performance UV lamps. Also, the dosing unit body is heated

FFS division has been awarded an order for a

by recirculation of hot water to ensure the product is always in the suitable

Minpack 12 packaging machine from the biggest

filling conditions.

European producer of spreadable cheese.

Last but not least, all the construction materials are specifically intended for The machine forms, fills and seals single 40g

use in a food environment.

portions of herb-flavoured spread cheese starting from a single- or multi-layer plastic film reel, with an

All this means greater versatility and a broader application range, thus

output of 21.000 containers/hour and is characterised

ensuring a rapid return on investment.

by outstanding flexibility: for example, it is possible to dose the same product in 4 different flavours

The packaging machine, which can be seen at Sacmi Filling’s plant

simultaneously or vary the cutting configuration

in Sorbolo (PR) during the Cibustec 2014 exhibition period, has been

directly via the operator panel.

developed and built to take maximum advantage of SACMI’s extensive experience in this field and to respond to ever-greater customer demand for

Other machine characteristics worth noting are the

greater user-friendliness, flexibility and lower running costs.

Plastics & Rubber Review | September-October 2014 | 45

p l a s t i c s & r u b b e r f a i r

Thailand’s best-in-class trade fair for the plastics and rubber sectors to return as T-PLAS in 2015 • Introducing T-PLAS - International Trade Fair for the Plastics and Rubber Industries • Co-location with PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2015

bring emerging industry trends centrestage and further highlight the fastgrowing markets of Southeast Asia’s plastics, rubber, packaging and printing sectors.

T-PLAS is part of Messe Düsseldorf Asia’s comprehensive portfolio of trade fairs focused on the Southeast Asian region, which includes 14 wellrecognised trade fairs. T-PLAS is supported by the No. 1 global trade fair in the plastics sector, K, organised by Messe Düsseldorf.

T-PLAS 2015 will continue on its successful path of serving a diverse customer base from a wide range of markets such as building and construction, mould and die, to electrical and electronics engineering.

Space application is now open for T-PLAS 2015! For more information on the exhibition, please visit www.tplas.com or contact: Ms Lee Ai Ling, Tel: (65) 6332 9644, ailing@mda.com.sg

F

ormerly known as TIPREX, launched in 2006, the trade fair has been rebranded to T-PLAS to signify its relevance to the robust growth and developments in the plastics sector, enhance the regional focus and international outlook of the event, and to highlight a unified business platform for the plastics and rubber industries.

The rebrand to T-PLAS, will see the trade fair co-locate with the well-established event PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2015, emphasising the global market synergy of the plastics, rubber, packaging and printing sectors. T-PLAS and PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2015 will take place at BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand, from 26 to 29 August 2015.

Mr Gernot Ringling, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf Asia said: “The T-PLAS brand underpins Messe Dusseldorf Asia’s expertise in delivering a highly relevant platform that features a full spectrum of solutions, including the latest machinery and equipment, semi-finished products, technical parts and reinforced plastics, raw materials to services for the plastics and rubber sectors. T-PLAS 2015 is also strategically positioned as Thailand is home to more than 4,000 plastics processing companies, making it Southeast Asia’s largest

plastics processing industry.”

Thailand also features a robust local presence of factories of global car and electronics manufacturers, and has the ambitious goal of being the regional leader in the production of bioplastics.

More significantly, Mr Ringling added that T-PLAS substantiates an inevitable evolution of Messe Dusseldorf Asia’s plastics and rubber trade fairs to deliver a meeting place with a strong local flavour and global appeal. “This ensures we provide participating companies with strategic opportunities to springboard their foothold into the regional plastics and rubber markets.”

The co-location of T-PLAS and PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2015 will sharpen the profile and enhance the relevancy of the two independent trade fairs, “particularly with rising demand in the rigid plastic packaging and flexible plastic packaging markets,” he said. Both trade fairs will also come against the backdrop of the AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) in 2015 – the economic integration of the region under a single market and production base.

Held biennially, the combined depth and offerings of T-PLAS and PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL will

46 | September-October 2014 | Plastics & Rubber Review

About Messe Düsseldorf Asia MDA is a subsidiary of Messe Düsseldorf in Germany, one of the world’s leading trade fair organizers, responsible for organizing more than 20 global No. 1 exhibitions in industries including plastics, printing and packaging, and medical and health care 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: for 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 (INDOPACK and INDOPRINT), the wire, cable, tube and pipe sectors in Thailand (wire Southeast ASIA and Tube Southeast ASIA), the medical and health care industries in Thailand and Singapore (MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND, MEDICAL FAIR ASIA, MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA) the Workplace Safety & Health sectors in Singapore(OS+H Asia) and the metal and steel trade industries in Indonesia (indometal).