Strictly-Extrusion

Worms, in April 2009 – For KIEFEL Extrusion it’s certain that technology from Germany is in greater demand than ever before for the economical production of high quality films. Although strong demand prevails, processors who are willing to invest cannot satisfy this demand as banks are not fulfilling their task of providing credit. For KIEFEL, therefore, the NPE 2009 International Plastics Showcase (June 22 – 26) is taking place at the right time. In the view of CEO Edgar Gandelheidt, a signal will go out from Chicago that will provide the plastics industry with a new pulse.

KIEFEL Extrusion is represented as part of a joint participation of the entire Brückner group with an increased stand area of 6,500 ft² in the South Hall / Booth 18039. Supported by colleagues from Worms, visitors will meet, among others, Jim Ciolino, President of KIEFEL Inc., as well as Steve DeSpain, Vice-President Sales and Marketing. The German specialist in blown film extrusion lines uses the NPE as a platform to present recently developed innovative line features. In contrast to other suppliers in the machinery industry, the company shows the flag again (after 20 years at NPE), also when times are difficult.

Among the novelties that will be presented in Chicago, there will be a focus on a blown film diehead that handles low volumes of sensitive materials particularly gently under conditions of low volume and pressure. PERFECT COOL® VARIO will also be presented. The KIEFEL technicians have developed this cooling system in order to consistently master large throughput combined with high bubble stability and optimum film strength.

The numerous tailor-made lines in use worldwide show that KIEFEL Extrusion always has an open ear for customer wishes. The machinery producer now offers increased service to its customers; under the management of KIEFEL’s technical director Dr. Jochen Hennes, customers have the possibility to allow production to be optimized while running under operating conditions. The recent move of KIEFEL Inc. into sister company KIEFEL TECHNOLOGIES facility in Hampton, NH, is also seen as a benefit with the improvement in customer service in the background. As the US subsidiary of KIEFEL Extrusion GmbH, by locating there it is now possible to serve the customer both faster and more purposefully than before – in access to service enquiries, replacement parts and much more.

KIEFEL Extrusion GmbH has done its homework and is well prepared to come out of the worldwide financial crisis stronger than before. The NPE in Chicago will be an important barometer of how extensive the poor mood will become and whether it will become permanently entrenched. Edgar Gandelheidt is however optimistic: “Each investment decision made today will already achieve an additional advantage over the stumbling competitors tomorrow and the period during the crisis always comes before the next upswing!”

Mattec Corporation, the world’s leading supplier of real-time production and process monitoring systems in the plastic’s industry, will be demonstrating ProHelp® EPM, Release 7.7 at the NPE Show in June, 2009. This release is now shipping.

This release contains a number of enhancements related to lean manufacturing, including the following:

• ProHelp EPM’s PCMIU software now contains a Visual Manufacturing Display in the PCMIU. The PCMIU is a software application that runs on a standard computer and allows the machine operators to easily enter scrap, select downtime reasons, and even to call for help. (See attached picture.)

• Takt Time Color-Coding. Takt time is the maximum time allowed to produce a product in order to meet the customer’s demand. In a lean manufacturing environment, it is the machine’s pace time. Users can now see a color-coded cycle time and a color-coded Takt Time for all machines in the facility. (See attached picture.)

• Kanban Scheduling. ProHelp EPM now offers two types of Kanban Scheduling, one that facilitates the manual billboard scheduling that is common in many factories and another that performs all of this scheduling electronically.

• Japanese Language Support. ProHelp EPM is now available in English, Chinese, Czech, German, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish. (See attached picture.)

“We’ve had a lot of success selling into Japanese Manufacturing environments in recent years” said Brian Thiel, Mattec’s Development Manager. “These enhancements are a direct result of input from those customers.” Mattec previously announced that 2006, 2007, and 2008 have been the best years in the history of the company.

For more information: Brian Thiel, 1-800-966-1301, [email protected]

Rigid connection vs flexible hose

Bangkok, Thailand, April 24 2009 - The co-extrusion of profiles and tubes provides the extruded product with individual-required features. From the tooling side, the co-extrusion process can be done either with a rigid steel connection or with a flexible heating hose.

Drawbacks of rigid connection

The rigid screwed-on connection is a common way to connect the co-extruder with the main extruder. But it has its drawbacks: Rigid connections have a multiplicity of connection elements, which normally need to be individually heated, insulated and controlled. And in most cases the co-extrusion of profiles has to be flexible, i.e. a wide range of different co-extruded profiles must be produced. The co-extrusion tooling determines the point of co-extrusion which can differ depending on the design and shape of the profile, and the tooling system itself. The rigid steel connection is basically fixed to one position and arrangement.

With a rigid connection there is always the danger to to damage the tooling while pushing and adjusting the co-extruder in order to find the right position. Many extrusion dies get damaged during this “push and pull adjustment”.

However, the rigid connection has an advantage when it comes to high temperature and pressure. Here the rigid steel construction shows almost no limits.

Flexible connection in robust design

The flexible connection considerably simplifies tool change and maintenance. The number of connection elements is reduced to a minimum. The co-extruder can be placed and connected in several different positions, either from the side, top or even bottom. And it is much easier for the operators to connect the co-extruder after cleaning or re-positioning. In addition: Very often the co-extruder are smaller in size with a lighter base frame with the tendency to vibration. The flexible heating hose can compensate possible vibrations of the co-extruder.

The inner pressure hose of such a flexible hose is made from PTFE with a maintenance-friendly outer jacket made from PA. The custom-made hoses can be operated at up to 250°C at a maximum pressure of 210 to 275 bar. They are available in various lengths with different kind of connection fittings.

More information:

[email protected] | www.strictly-extrusion.com

tel 02-334 1507, 02-402 6212 | fax 02-334 2071 
T.Preakkasamai, A.Mueang, Samutprakarn 10280, Thailand   

In response to an increase in the worldwide demand for consumer-friendly drawtape-style trash bags, CMD will demonstrate the Model 1270GDS Global Drawtape Bagmaking system in Booth S12028 in the South Hall at Chicago’s McCormick Place during the International Plastics Showcase (NPE), June 22-26, 2009.  Nearly 2,000 companies will exhibit on 1 million square feet (93,000 square meters), more than a third of them coming from outside the United States. Approximately 75,000 plastics professionals from 120 countries are expected to attend. The event is produced by SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association.

The CMD Model 1270GDS produces drawstring-style trash bags at high production speeds of up to 183 meters per minute (600 feet per minute) with flexible take-off options for rolled or folded bag dispensing and now features optional print-to-seal registratation for the high-speed production of printed bags or film.  The system incorporates patented technology and delivers advanced converting methodology with cost, time and space-saving design.  The small footprint saves floor space, improves process reliability, and allows easier operation.  A reduced height makes film thread up easier.  The entire system is sized to fit in a conventional ocean freight container for economical, and more environmentally-friendly shipping.

Consistent, high product quality is assured with retainable menu settings and seal-to-perforation registration.  The Ethernet-based system allows for remote troubleshooting and programming.  A large, color touch screen and centralized line control simplify operation.  Easy-access hinged guards with windows and interlocked switches make the CMD Global Drawtape System easy and safe to operate. The flexible, modular design and sturdy tubular frame make it both durable and easy to move.

The Global Drawtape System can be configured with the Model 0330HSW Global High Speed Winder and will produce drawtape style bags on a roll, banded for retail merchandising.  Making its debut at NPE 2009, the Global High-Speed Winder has a patented, unique design offering unparalleled process efficiency.  Easy operating and maintenance features include interior courtesy lighting and heavy-duty casters for easy machine positioning.  Wound bags may be connected to each other by perforations, or each bag separated and overlapped onto the previous bag.  This servo-driven machine produces coreless rolls at up to 30 cycles per minute and is especially designed for the high-cycle production of small-count rolls without limiting line speed.  Low-roll counts provide new package and product-count choices for additional sales distribution opportunities. The system can include optional roll banding – a sustainable packaging alternative that eliminates the need for outer packaging. The robust system enhances scrap control, improves uptime and also features a reduced-static process for easier-to-open bags.

CMD designs and manufactures high-performance equipment for the plastic converting industry, including PDI^® pouchmaking systems and patented, high-speed rotary bag and film converting lines. Custom engineering, process validation and machine optimization services are offered from the 43,000 sq. ft. dedicated Technology Center. CMD serves a global marketplace through a network of sales and service associates worldwide.  Equipment is manufactured to exacting standards at Appleton, Wisconsin, USA, facilities.  More information is available at www.cmd-corp.com.

Thanks to intensive research and development work Gneuss Kunststofftechnik in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany have been successfully able to optimise their SFXmagnus and RSFgenius range of pressure and process-constant Melt Filtration Systems for foam insulation board, as used in the building industry. Thanks to a special surface treatment and the completely encapsulated design, corrosion resistance has been increased greatly.

„Manufacturers of products such as foam sheet for food trays and cups as well as foam boards for various insulating uses were convinced of the decisive advantages of our Filtration Systems from the very beginning” explained Daniel Gneuss. For over 20 years, Gneuss Rotary Filtration Systems have gained widespread acceptance in this industry as in addition to the reliable filtration of foreign particles, the pressure constant operation also ensures an absolutely constant foam structure in the final product. This consistent foam structure is of major advantage in downstream processes and is therefore a “must”. The manufacture of extruded foam insulation boards (XPS) for the building industry is also an interesting application for these high quality systems. However in contrast to other foam processes, there is in this case the issue of corrosion caused by the flame retardants, which places specific requirements on the design of the screen changers.

Matching the design to the specifics of the application…..

Thanks to their better mechanical and insulating properties, XPS insulation boards are used increasingly in the building industry as a replacement for EPS boards. The XPS boards are usually manufactured on an extrusion line with two extruders in cascade orientation. The first or primary extruder principally plasticises the material and disperses additives and the blowing agent whilst the secondary extruder cools the material efficiently. In this configuration, the location of the Melt Filtration System in the transfer section between the primary and secondary extruders has been found to be best suited for this application.

…and at the same time fulfilling the requirements

Because of the specifics of the foam extrusion process, the screen changer must fulfil several requirements at the same time:

• In spite of the low viscosity of the polymer / blowing agent mix and melt pressures of up to 300 bar at the exit of the primary extruder, the Filtration System must operate leak free.

• Fully automatic operation and the avoidance of operating errors is as important as the uninterrupted, consistent melt pressure, even during filter element changes in order to ensure that no changes in the foam structure take place.

• Short residence times are essential, in order to prevent activation of the flame retardants, which are added to the polymer melt in order to comply with building industry standards.

Both the well–known SFXmagnus and RSFgenius Melt Filtration Systems from Bad Oeynhausen, with their pressure and process constant operation ensure the removal of foreign particles from the melt, without negatively influencing the sensitive foam extrusion process. Additionally, the RSFgenius ensures a time span between screen changes of several months, (even on highly contaminated material) thanks to its integrated self–cleaning system.

Now Gneuss can offer these systems with long term corrosion protection thanks to a special anti corrosion treatment of the steel used for the manufacture of the screen changers. In this way, all the advantages of the Rotary Filtration Systems are available for the building industry suppliers, even where highly corrosive materials are processed.

In Russia for example, a market with a strong demand for foam insulation board 14 Filtration Systems have been installed alone in this market sector in recent years.

The success of the Gneuss Melt Filtration Systems is largely due to their process- and pressure-constant operation, which ensures the processor a constant, uniform product quality coupled with a high level of automation. These advantages are particularly important, when recycled material is used, which is due to the growing cost pressure increasingly the case.

In many cases, highly flammable gases are used as blowing agents: the Gneuss Filtration Systems offer a further advantage compared with conventional systems. With the Gneuss systems, there is no sudden, large scale and uncontrolled foaming of the material and correspondingly no sudden, large scale and uncontrolled gas release during screen changes. This provides a major improvement in operating safety.

For further information, please contact: Andrea Kossmann, [email protected]

from www.azom.com

JM Eagle, the world’s largest manufacturer of plastic pipe, today announced the introduction of Eagle Corr PE (Dual Wall). Combining a corrugated exterior and a smooth interior for maximum hydraulic efficiency in a high-density polyethylene pipe, Eagle Corr PE (Dual Wall) can be used in a variety of…

from MarketWatch (press release)

The ECO2 Environmental System cleans post-consumer plastics, without the use of water, at a substantial cost savings versus traditional methods (the “Process”). This Process is licensed from Honeywell and the Department of Energy on an exclusive basis …

from Reuters
BR) said on Wednesday it would concentrate all its extrusion operations in Belgium at a single site in Hooglede-Gits. The company said in a statement it would move activities there from its Detajoint subsidiary in Dottignies, which employs 20 staff. …

Extrusion Dies Industries, LLC (EDI) and ITW Dynatec have reached a worldwide agreement to market turnkey hot melt adhesive coating stations combining ITW Dynatec’s melting and fluid delivery equipment with EDI’s slot die systems, the companies announced today.

The agreement makes available to operators of coating and laminating processes a single, fully integrated system whose performance is guaranteed by the partner companies. The system can be designed to apply virtually any hot melt material over the full range of viscosities and at temperatures from ambient to 500 deg. F. (260 deg. C.). Depending on equipment parameters and the type of application, the system can coat at speeds exceeding 2,000 feet (610 m) per minute on wide widths, and in coat weights down to 0.5 mil (0.013 mm) or less. Coat weight accuracy can be maintained within +/-1%.

“The turnkey hot melt coating station is more accurate than other slot die or roll coating systems, making possible raw material savings that are especially valuable in these challenging times,” said Mike Budai, ITW Dynatec’s laminating and coating manager. “Key factors in this accuracy include the PLC control which regulates the entire coating station, the sophistication of ITW Dynatec’s melting and delivery technologies, and the precision and consistency of EDI’s slot die system.”

The EDI portion of the coating station is a self-contained unit, called the Modular Coating System (MCS), that incorporates mechanisms for fine adjustment and repeatability and includes an innovation for coping with the gels, or solid particles, that occur in hot melts, noted Dennis Paradise, EDI’s vice president of sales and marketing. “EDI has a die with a motorized rotating rod in the lip area that causes gels to pass through the narrow die lip opening rather than lodging there and generating streaks,” Paradise said. “This makes it possible to achieve coat weights well below the conventional lower limit for hot melts of 1.0 mil (0.025 mm).”

Station Includes All Components for Melting, Delivering, and Applying Hot Melts

The joint turnkey coating station program builds on the versatility of the partners. ITW Dynatec is a longtime leading supplier of adhesive application systems and supplies equipment to every industry that employs hot melt adhesives. EDI’s engineering expertise enables the company to custom manufacture each slot die coating system in accordance with application requirements.

A basic component provided by ITW Dynatec is the Dynamelt™ M-Series adhesive supply unit, or melter, which is a self-contained system for melting the adhesive and pumping it to the applicator. The system includes a PLC controller with user-friendly HIM interface. Various melt rates, hopper capacities, and pump rates are available. The Dynamelt features a patented Melt-On-Demand™ Hopper which melts only the adhesive required and virtually eliminates adhesive char. Another adhesive delivery method used with this turnkey system is Dynatec’s DM55 DynaDrum™ Bulk Adhesive Melter. The DM55 Drum Unloader features inflatable seals which accommodate various drum diameters, and removable platen faces allowing for field retrofit.

ITW Dynatec’s Gemini™ Automatic Hot Melt Hose delivers the adhesive from the melter to the applicator. The patented Gemini™ Automatic hose has dual heater and temperature sensors that keep the coating line up and running in the event of a hose failure. If a hose fault occurs, Gemini switches to its back-up circuitry and an illuminated control box flashes, alerting the operator to change the hose during scheduled line-down time.

The applicator, EDI’s Modular Coating System (MCS), includes the die or coating head with adjustable lip opening and a robust, adjustable support for positioning the die lip with respect to the web; idler rolls; and a precision backing roll. These components are unitized within a steel frame whose crossbars maintain straightness during operation and adjustment.

“The die support or positioner plays a critical role in controlling the number one variable in slot die application of hot melts—the angle of attack of the die with respect to the backing roll,” said Paradise. “A series of coarse and fine adjustments makes it possible to establish a precise and repeatable slot die setup.”

Turnkey Coating Stations for a Wide Range of Applications and Industries

Slot dies must be custom-engineered to fit the application. “The manifold, or internal flow channel, of every die must be designed and precision machined to accommodate anticipated throughput and the unique rheology, or flow characteristics, of the adhesive,” Paradise said. “The resulting control of flow behavior is one of the great advantages of slot die coating over conventional systems like spray or roll coating. Another is that slot dies are closed systems that maintain the hot melt fluid at a consistent temperature and distribute it uniformly across a precisely defined width.”

Hot melt adhesives are thermoplastics, normally applied at an elevated temperature, which solidify as they cool. EDI and ITW Dynatec recommend their turnkey system for use across the range of hot melts, including pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs), amorphous polyalphaolefins (APAOs), ethylene-vinyl acetates (EVAs), polyamides, polyurethanes, UV-curable acrylates, and various elastomers. Anticipated end-use industries include medical and healthcare products, nonwovens, packaging, tapes and labels, web converting, and woven textiles.

from thomasnet.com

Targeting pure water applications in semiconductor, photovoltaic, institutional and bio-pharm markets, PP-Pure(TM) pigmented high purity polypropylene piping system offers size range of ½-12 in., suited for large facility expansion projects. Piping is available in 150 psi SDR 11 pressure rating…