U Polymer - PAR - Unitika Ltd

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-23, NPE 2000 News Wrap-Up: High-Volume Thermoplastics
NPE 2000 offered up new HMW-MDPE and HMW-HDPE film and molding resins with enhanced mechanical properties, plus new VLDPE resins, a hexene LLDPE with improved stiffness/ strength balance, and an LDPE ...

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-24, New Polymer Uses Sunlight To Arm Itself Against UVDamage
Using sunlight to protect against sunlight-that's the unusual concept behind GE Plastics' new Lexan SLX polymer. This clear, high-gloss resin was commercialized for Class A auto body panels and other ...

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-24, Renewable PLA Polymer Gets "Green Light" For Packaging Uses
Polylactic acid, first synthesized a half-century ago, has finally arrived as an alternative to PET, HIPS, PVC, and cellulosics in some high-clarity packaging roles. PLA is being used in candy wrap, o...

Plastics Technology, 2007-02-01, "As Good as New" Chain Extender Restores Reclaimed Resins
A new additive can re-link polymer chains in reclaimed PET, nylon, and polycarbonate to revive degraded properties.

Plastics Technology, 2007-02-02, The Impact of Processing Aids on PLA Extrusion Performance
The interest in extruding PLA (Polylactide resin) is growing for several reasons. These include the fact that the polymer comes from a renewable resource and that it is a degradable, environmentally f...

Plastics Technology, 2007-02-27, New Specialty Polymers Improve Fuel-Cell Economics
Recently formed alliances of fuel-cell start-up companies and engineering-polymer suppliers are already bearing fruit. Their research is coming up with new ion-conducting plastic films for use in Prot...

Plastics Technology, 2007-03-29, Polystyrene Ionomer Extrudes More Easily
Total Petrochemicals in Houston has invented what it calls a "breakthrough resin technology," believed to be the fi rst commercial styrenic ionomer. Previous commercial thermoplastic ionomer...

Plastics Technology, 2010-08-02, Injection Molding PLA Bioplastics: Validating Moldability for Paper Mate Pens
...A bioplastics, it became necessary to validate the injection molding process for a high-profile consumer products launch. Since Mirel is a new polymer with different properties and processing characte...

Kunststoffe international, 3D Printing with Pellet Extruded Plastics on Metal
Additive manufacturing processes count as future-oriented manufacturing techniques. Numerous studies and award-winning demonstrators underline the interest of the industry. Nevertheless, up to now there are only a few plastic-based applications with significant quantities. Today, screw-based additive manufacturing is a ‧solution for the economic and technical challenges and has the potential for series production. The debate surrounding the conditions for cost-effective and scalable additive man...

Kunststoffe international, Absorption of Water by Molded Plastics
What does the simulation of a diffusion process have to do with the simulation of a temperature field? Simply put, they share the same differential equation. This property can be exploited in such a way that diffusion processes can be simulated with the aid of finite element programs. Such numerical simulation vividly reveals how such processes take place and how water absorption can influence the design of molded plastics. A body will expand as a result of a rise in temperature. This is a well-...

Kunststoffe international, Almost like Human Bone
One awkward movement during football training and a cruciate ligament can be torn. The traditional treatment for such injuries, involving the use of metal implants, has a number of disadvantages, especially for the patient. To support an improved process for patient healing, Evonik has developed three bioresorbable polymer composites with ceramic additives that simulate the human bone. For more than 30 years, bioresorbable polymers have been used in orthopedic surgery for medical devices such as...

Kunststoffe international, An Impact Way beyond its Small Market Share
Although fluoroplastics only make up a very small part of the overall plastics market, they are an indispensable component of many applications. These materials play a central role in today’s megatrends of digitalization, clean-energy generation and modern mobility concepts. In fluoroplastics, the hydrogen atoms of the main carbon chains are completely or partially replaced by fluorine atoms. Because these carbon-to-fluorine bonds are very stable, fluoroplastics exhibit a special combination of ...

Kunststoffe international, Delivering Efficiency Even in Harsh Environments
Across many industry sectors, the quest for enhanced performance of applications and cost-efficiencies is on. In addition to these traditional requirements, societal and environmental trends, such as the need to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and maintaining a healthy and active ageing population, are important needs that must be addressed as well. Due to its high-performing properties polyetheretherketone thermoplastic polymer is being used more and more frequently in many products. In c...

Kunststoffe international, Different Viscosities Combined in a ‧Material-Friendly Way
The challenge of compounding a rubber-bitumen mixture was to bring the raw materials together in a way that was gentle on the material despite their very different viscosities. The material is to be melted, mixed, ‧dispersed, homogenized, degassed and discharged under controlled temperature conditions in a consistently high quality and viscosity. With the planetary roller extruder, Entex has transferred the manufacturing process from a batch process to a continuous process. From its inception to...

Kunststoffe international, Diverse Shapes and Applications
Styrenics can be polymerized using different technologies and it can be modified with a range of copolymers. The resulting plastics offer a wide range of properties allowing to customize them for different applications. ‧Because of this range of properties they are suitable for many industries. Strong demand is for example driven by the automotive industry, healthcare and the packaging industry. Styrenic polymers are amongst the economically most important plastics. They combine benign processin...

Kunststoffe international, Drivers of Electromobility
The transformation from the combustion to the electric engine entails several imponderabilities for the plastics industry. In part, electric drives have completely different material requirements which are becoming specifically evident with the increasing use of appropriate vehicles. The following article presents an overview of the most important changes. With the move towards electromobility, the automotive industry is facing a radical change. In the transition period, manufacturers will stron...

Kunststoffe international, Easier to Reach the Destination
Weight reduction is one of the major requirements of automotive components. Regardless of the vehicles in which they are used. One of the lightest materials that can be considered is polypropylene (PP). With the right reinforcements, it is also suitable for demanding vehicle components. This is demonstrated by its use in ‧vehicles such as the NIO ES8. The industry is undergoing transformation on a scale not seen for decades. Trends such as connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles, powertrain elec...

Kunststoffe international, Food Safe Post Consumer Recyclate
Plastics are among the materials most widely used for food contact applications. While there is pressure to use recycled plastics in packaging in order to combat plastic waste, certain conditions must be met before food packaging can be considered safe. The criteria for what is commonly referred to as “food safe” essentially aim to ensure that substances are not be transferred from the packaging to the food in quantities that could endanger consumer health. The composition of the food must remai...

Kunststoffe international, Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polyphenylene Sulfide Made Weldable
Especially in the automotive industry, high-performance polymers are increasingly replacing assemblies made of metal and conventional engineering plastics, but their properties often present new challenges for joining technology. With novel laser system technology, even demanding materials can be joined. Thanks to their superior properties, such as high heat and chemical resistance, low weight and dimensional stability, high-performance polymers are increasingly replacing assemblies made of meta...

Kunststoffe international, Green Shape Changers
Shape-changing structures (smart structures) are able to change their shape in response to external stimuli. The change of shape is self-induced and requires no artificial energy input. In view of the increasing demand for efficiency and resource conservation, shape-changing (smart) materials offer a sensible approach to integrating functionalities into a component without giving rise to additional energy and material costs. Even greater sustainability is achieved if the components are produced ...

Kunststoffe international, Influences on Microdamage Strain Limits
The quality of a part design or a strength proof depends to a large extent on how well the material property in question meets the design conditions. For this paper, information about the influences exerted on the strain limits of “microdamage”, as a criterion for mechanical material failure, was compiled from the literature, evaluated and prepared for application as far as possible. Strength testing of thermoplastic parts proves to be quite simple if it is strain-based and if micromechanical d...

Kunststoffe international, Less Is Often More
As part of an energy-saving project, the companies Ejot and RK Kutting looked at mold temperature control in a series application, paying particular attention to mold hoses. The strategic use of thermal insulation effectively reduced heat losses from the overall system and shortened the warm-up time by 40 %. The insulation also provides reliable protection against contact burns. Processing of thermoplastic materials is energy intensive and is accompanied by power losses, especially in the form o...

Kunststoffe international, Maintaining Clarity Long-Term
Transparent plastics are used in medical technology for disposable articles such as catheter accessories, blood/plasma separators, thorax drainage sets, and medical filter and device housings. Since they are being exposed to increasingly aggressive solvents, disinfectants and drugs (for example new cancer drugs), these plastic articles have to be comprehensively tested for their chemical resistance. Plastics in medical technology must be resistant to environmental effects throughout their servic...

Kunststoffe international, Medical Applications of Additive ‧Manufacturing
Anyone who introduced additive manufacturing (AM) in a company 15 years ago was a visionary. Anyone who did not do so ten years ago fell behind the early adopters. Anyone who still is not using additive manufacturing today is losing their edge over the competition. What this technology is considered capable of today and how it can be applied in many areas of application is shown (representative) by this expert’s view of medical technology. Additive manufacturing (AM) is bringing about increasing...

Kunststoffe international, Metal Substitution with Improved PA
Replacing metal with polyamides (PA) in components can not only reduce weight and costs, but also offers ‧developers greater design freedom. However, this requires materials with improved mechanical properties. A new PA6 series with greater stiffness and strength meets these requirements, not only as a substitute for metals but also replacing PA66 in components. With their very good mechanical properties and cost efficiency, polyamides (PA) 6 and 66 are widely used in the automotive sector and...

Kunststoffe international, Paying Attention to Layers in-between
Continuous Compression Molding (CCM) technology can be applied to multilayer solutions and is referred to as Continuous Compression Molding Multilayer (CCMM). In addition to the usual benefits of CCM it offers further advantages over competing technologies. In packaging applications, compression technology makes it possible to use minimal quantities of barrier material, thus combining excellent performance with low raw ‧material costs. The Continuous Compression Molding Multilayer (CCMM) process...

Kunststoffe international, Polymer Materials
Polymer materials, including synthetic polymers, have a bad reputation. These image problems do not just arise from the current environmental debate but also have earlier origins. In the past, too, polymer materials were subject to unjustified criticism. This often stemmed from non-scientists and frequently betrayed a lack of scientific knowledge. Plastics have a massive image problem. They are often seen as a symbol of environmental pollution. In addition, they are still considered by many cons...

Kunststoffe international, Protective Coat for Electronics and Body
Cordless, mobile, networked devices promise comprehensive in vitro diagnostics. However, for applications in biological surroundings, the toxic electronic components must be carefully encapsulated. Therefore, cost-effective coating materials were examined regarding their interaction with biological systems. In medical technology, an Internet of Medical Things is used, in which medical products are networked by means of new communication structures and systems. The integration of cost-effective e...

Kunststoffe international, Quickly and Gently around the Bend
Consider this paradox: sensitive PET is particularly demanding when being processed because it undergoes rapid thermal and mechanical degradation, yet when PET preforms are being produced scant attention is paid to designing the all-important hot runner to suit the individual product. Much more often, a manufacturer will use several cold halves and a hot one and produce articles weighing from 6 to 40 g. Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and mold specialist MHT conducted a resear...

Kunststoffe international, Reactive Extrusion of TPU
The simple replacement of petroleum-based components with renewable ‧alternatives in a well-established reactive extrusion process is a promising route to more environmentally friendly thermoplastic polyurethane ‧elastomers (TPU). However, this requires a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between chemical reactions and material flow within an extruder, as well as a thorough understanding of the effects of heat and shear on polymerization and melt processing. Driven by the strategy ...

Kunststoffe international, Recycling that Gets under the Skin
Process technologies for manufacturing multilayer and multicomponent products offer great potential for using reprocessed plastic wastes even for plastic parts that are subject to strict requirements for surface quality, product protection or consumer safety. The key: to place the recycled material in the interior while the surface is made of virgin material. Engel has developed a variant of sandwich injection molding that allows high proportions of recycled material to be used even with complex...

Kunststoffe international, Replacing Metal in the Gearbox
Anyone seeking to replace a metal component by a plastic one, to reduce the number of component parts from eight to three and simultaneously cut both the weight and manufacturing costs needs to take great care to ‧ensure that all specifications are met – especially if the component is used in a hot gearbox and is subject to high mechanical stress. For developing a new shifter fork, GK Concept and its customer Koki Technik were awarded the 2019 GKV/TecPart Innovation Prize. When drivers of a manu...

Kunststoffe international, Semi-Crystalline, and yet Thermoformable
Ultra high performance polymers such as polyaryletherketones (PAEK) are typically not thermoformable for thick gauge applications because of their semi-crystalline nature. Specially developed PEKK grades now allow processing in this method. These can be used to produce large semi-crystalline PAEK parts with large wall thickness exhibiting extreme mechanical, chemical and flame retardant properties. Polyaryletherketones (PAEK) are used in technically challenging industry sectors, e. g. aerospace...

Kunststoffe international, Strong in Medicine and Sanitary Applications
In recent years, society’s view of plastics has shifted. The actual material advantages have been overshadowed by the plastics waste debate. Uncommon times, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, remind society of the outstanding contribution of plastics materials. Polyethylene is particularly strong in medical and hygiene applications. Polyethylene (PE) has replaced and continues to replace more traditional materials, (i. e. glass) as it relates to sterile fluid holding containers. Obvious reasons for...

Kunststoffe international, The Invention of Plastics Recycling
The reuse of plastics waste began also with the industrial production and processing of polymer materials in the early 1950s. At first it was limited to single-variety production wastes. In the course of a few decades, ‧processes were successfully developed to recondition even strongly contaminated and used plastics wastes into high-quality secondary raw materials. Plastics have been a whipping boy ever since “marine litter“ was discovered. The general media report almost daily about the materi...

Kunststoffe international, The Role of Chemistry in Plastics Recycling
Today plastics recycling is usually only classified as being either mechanical or chemical. This view ‧ignores the fact that the main difference between the two is whether physical or chemical reactions are taking place. However, precise differentiation is crucial for any assessment of the possibilities and limitations of plastic ‧recovery processes and whether materials are actually being recycled or merely their raw materials recovered. Plastics recycling has been enjoying a considerable boom ...

Kunststoffe international, The Switchover Problem and its Consequences
The switchover process from the injection phase to the holding pressure phase is frequently the cause of ‧reduced part quality in injection molding. An alternative process control concept aims to remedy this by completely eliminating the switchover process. For this purpose, the cavity pressure curve is predetermined and controlled for the entire filling process. The application of the speed-controlled injection phase and the pressure-controlled holding pressure phase has already reached a high ...

Kunststoffe international, Turning Old into New
Due to their good feed characteristics and self-cleaning properties, twin-screw extruders enable even contaminated post-consumer polystyrene to be depolymerized continuously and efficiently. This opens up a promising recycling route in terms of industrial implementation via renewed polymer synthesis to produce plastic granules with a quality approaching that of virgin material. Polystyrene is used to produce a wide variety of food packaging and also for thermal insulation in construction. Especi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, 30 Years of Playmobil: Investing in the Future
Sports and Leisure Investing in the Future 30 Years of Playmobil. This year, geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co. KG celebrates the 30th birthday of its highly successful toy range. Headquartered in Zirndorf, Franconia/Germany, this toy manufacturer had the right idea at the right time, combined with sophisticated plastics processing technology and a clever marketing strategy, that enabled it first to take pole position among German toy manufacturers and then to conquer children's play rooms all...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, 3D Simulation: How Accurate are Warpage Predictions?
Simulation How Accurate are Warpage Predictions? 3D Simulation. Warpage predictions are an important factor in injection moulding simulations in order to avoid expensive and time-consuming corrections to the injection moulding tool. On the other hand, false predictions can result in high costs and a considerable loss of time. For this reason, it is very important indeed to identify the factors that govern the reliability of a warpage prediction. Tom Bröcher Jakobsen Steen Hermann Henriksen Rei...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, A Comparison of Temperature Control Systems: Optimum Thermal Design of Injection Moulds
Special Optimum Thermal Design of Injection Moulds A Comparison of Temperature Control Systems. Optimum ther-mal design of moulds is an important prerequisite for economic manufacture of high-quality injection moulded parts. The engineers responsible for part and mould design need to strike a compromise between the level of the mould costs and the cycle time reduction that can be achieved. A major German supplier to the infocom indus-try has conducted research into current technology. Carsten B...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, A Home Game for the Italian Plastics Industry: Rendezvous in Milan
A Home Game for the Italian Plastics Industry: Rendezvous in Milan Plast 2003 will be held in the Fiera Milano exhibition grounds from May 6th to 10th. Primarily because of the high numbers of visitors from abroad, it is the second most important plastics show in Europe after K in Düsseldorf. The Italian plastics industry is seizing the opportunity in Milan to demonstrate its innovative prowess to the experts. German plastics manufacturers are still the most important target export group for...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, A Substitute for Metal: Polyetherimides (PEIs)
Trend Report: High Performance Plastics> Polyetherimides (PEIs) A Substitute for Metal. Amorphous polyetherimides (PEIs) are characterised by their high temperature resistance in combination with dimensional stability. This mix makes them appropriate for galvanic coats or applications formerly carried out with metals. The main focus of new developments is on reducing weight for both aircraft and railway applications. Peter Catsman In 1982, GE Plastics commercially introduced polyetherimides (P...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, A Wider Area of Application: Compounders and Pelletisers
A Wider Area of Application: Compounders and Pelletisers Three trends are shaping development in plastics compounding: new polymerisation plants now require compounding and pelletising systems for outputs of up to 80t/h, flexible compounding machines are needed for the growing number of plastics that have to be modified for specific applications, direct processing of compounds into semi-finished or finished products is continually gaining importance. Werner Wiedmann The machines mainly use...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Adding Value through Quality and Technology
Adding Value through Quality and Technology Innovating with Multi-Functional Systems Michael Kömpf, Munich/Germany Taking an holistic view of customer orders and thinking in terms of parameters that influence processes are the foundations of success at the plastics engineering company RKT GmbH (Rodinger Kunststoff-Technik). By adopting this approach, the company has evolved from being a small mould-making operation to an international, innovative injection moulding processor specialising i...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Additives
Additives Trends and Perspectives Walter Hohenberger, Villach/Austria Additives have become an irreplaceable constituent of plastics. They increase the added value of plastics by improving their processability, stability, and appearance, plus a great deal more. They therefore increase the cost-benefit ratio in overall terms. The trend in additives is towards easy-to-handle, environmentally-compatible products. Tailor-made solutions are providing evidence of closer customer proximity on the...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Additives: Custom-engineered Plastics
Custom-engineered Plastics Additives. Whether flow behaviour, colour or hardness – the properties that characterise a plastic are determined by additives that become more application-specific every year. Small amount, large effect – the action of additives can be summarised with these words. For years, manufacturers have striven for continuous improvement of their products, matching flame retardants, pigments and stabilisers more and more exactly to the requirements of customers and the market. ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Additives: Tough and Heat-resistant: New Silicone Particles for Thermosets
Thermoplastic Elastomers Tough and Heat-resistant: New Silicone Particles for Thermosets Additives A new generation of nanoscale silicone and core-shell particles is revolutionising the modification of heat-resistant thermosets. Even small additions of the new particles significantly increase the impact strength and fracture toughness of reactive resins and other plastics. Jochen Ebenhoch Highly crosslinking reactive resins, such as hot-curing epoxy resins, bismaleimide resins or cyanate resins ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Adhesives: What Do Adhesives Accomplish in Practical Processes?
Composite Materials What Do Adhesives Accomplish in Practical Processes? Adhesives. Thermoplastic natural fibre-reinforced composites are gaining increasing market share. A frequently discussed problem is the adhesion between the natural fibres and the polyolefin matrix. A great deal of study has been carried out on the basic principles, but what an adhesive is actually able to do in practice in the various composite processes is barely known. Natural fibres in composites are nothing new. The a...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Ageing Test: Assessing Ageing Quantitatively
Composite Materials Assessing Ageing Quantitatively Ageing Test. The demands made on the ageing properties of a plastic will depend very much on the particular application. In military applications, components may have to continue functioning reliably even after several decades. Consequently, it will frequently be necessary to examine the ageing behaviour of a material very closely. Because, in most cases, it is almost impossible to predict or individually research natural ageing conditions, any...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Airbag Module in PA 6 Recyclate
Airbag Module in PA 6 Recyclate Pilot Project at Opel Ulrich Rick, Thomas Jenny and Uwe Ruster, Rüsselsheim/Germany According to the current proposal of the EU End-of-Life-Vehicle Directive, the recycling rate for end-of-life cars is to rise from the current 75 % by weight to 95 % by weight in 2015. The suitability of PA 6 GF recyclate for the passenger airbag housing on the Opel Astra was proven in a pilot project under the conditions employed in final testing, and the material cycle thus...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Airbus to Fly with PPS
Airbus to Fly with PPS Plastic Composites replacing Aluminium in the Wings Henning Küll, Frankfurt am Main/Germany Glass-fibre reinforced laminates with polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) as the matrix material are being used to substitute aluminium in the wing section of the Airbus A340-500 and A340-600 - a development that is set to continue in the light of the cost and weight savings. Around 40 % of the components for the Super-Airbus A380 scheduled for 2004 will probably be made of fibre-rei...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, All-rounders: Industrial Gases in Plastics Processing
Gas Technology Industrial Gases in Plastics Processing All-rounders. Industrial gases such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide offer interesting varied uses for injection moulding, extrusion and polyurethane technology. The range of applications extends from foaming through cooling right through to material displacement. Ursula Resgren Andreas Praller There are various ways in which industrial gases can be used in plastics processing. For one thing, they are used in the manufacture of foamed prod...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Antireflection with Moth-Eye Structures
Antireflection with Moth-Eye Structures Injection Moulding of Functional Microstructured Surfaces Benedikt Bläsi, Freiburg/Germany, Kai Aufderheide, Hiddenhausen/ Germany, and Steven Abbott, Wantage/UK Special injection moulding processes allow the production of two-side structured plastic parts. The replication of functional submicron structures involves cyclic temperature control, stampers and in-mould film lamination. Microstructured surfaces can perform a wide range of optical or mec...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Application and Recovery: Plastics in Electric and Electronic Appliances
Application and Recovery: Plastics in Electric and Electronic Appliances With their versatile and highly adaptable properties, polymers are ideal construction materials for electric and electronic appliances. Both the tremendous complexity of the corresponding waste generated as well as the strict regulations of the European WEEE directive call for a new approach for the establishment of an eco-efficient waste management. Klaus Vorspohl, Ingo Sartorius The market for electric and electroni...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Attractive and Robust
Attractive and Robust Protective and Decorative Films based on Polyamides Michael Beyer and Jörg Lohmar, Marl/Germany Films in semi-crystalline polyamide 12 are noted for their high transparency and scratch resistance. With classical or modern designs printed on them, they provide highly-stressed sports articles, such as snowboards or skis, with protection and with an attractive appearance. A large number of new processes have been developed over the past few decades for surface decorati...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Automotive Conference: Lightweight Construction as Magic Phrase
Automotive Magic Phrase: Lightweight Construction Automotive Conference. The automobile is more than ever the number 1 technology driver for plastics. This was also confirmed by the experts at this year’s VDI-K “Plastics in Automotive Construction” held in Mannheim. Foremost among the forward-looking topics covered in their papers were lightweight construction and process stability. Wolfgang Kircher The history of plastics in the automobile is as old as the automobile itself. It began with in...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Automotive Glazing: Clear Prospects
Automotive Engineering Clear Prospects Automotive Glazing. A trend towards large-area, three-dimensional plastic glazing made of robust, weight-saving polycarbonate is emerging in the automotive industry. GE Advanced Materials is working on the development of state-of-the-art glazing systems in cooperation with system suppliers and vehicle manufacturers. While the side and vent windows on present-day saloon cars have tended to become smaller so as to permit higher door panels, bigger tailga...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Babylonian Confusion?
Babylonian Confusion? Compatibility Problems in the CAD Environment Ernst Schmachtenberg, Aachen/Germany, Christian Janßen, Velbert/Germany, Thomas Seul, Essen/Germany The exchange of geometry information in networks helps to reduce development times. This type of communication poses unthought-of challenges for users, since the CAD data are often faulty or unreadable due to incompatibility between the different software systems. The following article provides some tips on how to make data ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Back to Nature
Back to Nature Trends in Development and Markets of Biodegradable Materials Harald Käb, Berlin/Germany Products made from biodegradable materials (BMs) are slowly but surely gaining a foothold in the market. While packaging made from BMs can already be found on the shelves of major supermarket chains in England, the Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland, in Germany they are still awaiting the results of a pilot project on biodegradable packaging. These new polymers are also establishing thems...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Barrier Properties: Permeability of Polymer Alloys
Blends Permeability of Polymer Alloys Barrier Properties. Polymer alloys can be used to optimise the barrier properties of polymers and are therefore promising materials for improving fuel barrier properties for the automotive industry. This article describes the advantages of alloy technology in relation to permeability properties. Benoît Brulé The materials considered in this study were commercially available alloys marketed under the trade name Orgalloy. The name stands for a complete range ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Beer Bottles - A New Market for Polyester
Beer Bottles - A New Market for Polyester Brigitta Otto and Michael Streng, Frankfurt/Germany The market for PET for packaging is set to grow to approximately 11.4 million t by the year 2008. It is predicted that some 427,000 t/year will go on the production of beer bottles. Beverages in PET bottles (PET = polyethylene terephthalate) are booming. An increasing number of drinks producers are opting for the lightweight and unbreakable alternative to the heavy glass bottle, not only in the ca...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Biodegradable Film: For the Sake of the Environment
Packaging For the Sake of the Environment Biodegradable Film. Renewable raw materials are of particular interest for the production of biodegradable plastics if the property profile of conventional plastics can be properly simulated. Films of polylactide copolyester blends and cellulose blends are able to meet this challenge. Initial successes are also becoming apparent in the development of biodegradable self-adhesive tape. During the oil crisis at the beginning of the 1970s, growing environ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Biodegradable Materials
Biodegradable Materials A Status Report Johannes Schroeter, Rosenheim/Germany In the last decade of the 20th century, deliberate use was made of a property of plastics that had hitherto been considered a drawback: biodegradability. On the one hand, biodegradability creates access to a cheap method of disposal, namely composting. On the other, it enables a materials cycle to be built up that imitates Nature. This will probably prove to be the most important aspect of the technology. Stone...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Biodegradable Products: Nature-Compounds
Biodegradable Products: Nature-Compounds Biodegradable plastics can replace conventional plastic products in short-lived applications such as fast-food packaging. Novel materials that have been optimised for extrusion and injection moulding meet practical requirements for ease of processing and functionality. Biodegradable plastics that are made from renewable raw materials and can be thrown into organic-waste bins are a “natural” way of conserving resources and cutting costs. They are parti...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Biologically Degradable Plastics
Biologically Degradable Plastics A Market with Potential? Frank Reckert, Paderborn/Germany For the past ten years the field of processing so-called "green plastics"" can be called a niche in the plastics industry. Expectations on this new range of materials and products have so far been only partially fulfilled in the course of increasing environmental awareness both on the part of consumers and on the processing plant side. A reason for this may be on the one hand the raw ma...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Bond Reliably: The Right Adhesive
Joining Technology The Right Adhesive Bond Reliably. The property profile of polymeric materials also affects the bonding or joining method employed. Classical methods such as welding are often not suitable, so that bonding technology is gaining in importance. In order to achieve a successful bonding, however, certain basic prerequisites must be met. Gudrun Weigel With about 15 wt.-% in new car models, plastics represent the second largest materials group in the automotive sector and show a...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Bonding of Plastics
Bonding of Plastics An Overview Werner Gruber, Korschenbroich/Germany Bonding technology is growing particularly in importance for lightweight designs. The use of two-pack adhesives will continue to increase in the future. Elastic PU adhesives and PU hotmelts are forecast to grow at the fastest rates. To date, the use and growth of plastics has been and still is linked to the demands on the part of the processors to be able to join these materials during processing by suitable techniques...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Bonding of Plastics
Bonding of Plastics Applications, Training, Trends Otto Diedrich Hennemann, Bremen/Germany Bonding is a joining process that enables high added value to be created. For confidence in the bonding of plastics to be boosted, there is a need to develop adhesives even further, among other things. Plastics Processors will also have to train skilled employees in the future. This will allow the possible applications of this joining technology to be fully exploited in fields with a promising future...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Bonding PEEK
Bonding PEEK Pre-Treating the Surface Increases Bond Strength Carsten Weiß and Helmut Münstedt, Erlangen/Germany, Horst Sandner, Hofheim a.T./Germany Bonding of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) remains unsatisfactory because of the poor adhesive properties between it and the polymer material. However, the bond strength can be greatly increased by various types of pre-treatment. Heat-resistant thermoplastics are difficult to bond if their surfaces have not been treated beforehand. The reason...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Broad Spectrum
Broad Spectrum Krauss-Maffei's Duroplast Forum Well Visited About 400 visitors, almost half from foreign countries, found Krauss-Maffei Kunststofftechnik's Duroplast Forum in Munich/Germany at the end of May unusually appealing. In addition to the machine demonstrations there was a symposium with altogether 20 lectures presenting a cross section of today's thermosetting polymer technology. In 1998 Krauss-Maffei took over Fahr Bucher Service GmbH, Gottmadingen/Germany, with all ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Calcium Silicate as a Functional Filler: Wollastonite – a High-performance Filler
Additives Wollastonite – a High-performance Filler Calcium Silicate as a Functional Filler. It is only in the last 30 years that the plastics industry has discovered the mineral, wollastonite, which was previously used mainly in the ceramics industry. The more refined wollastonite powders have gained considerably increased importance as reinforcing materials for plastics. Bettina Nolte-Ernsting For a long time now, fillers have ceased to be a simple means of extending plastics compounds to redu...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Calculation Model: Modelling the Solids Feed Section in Grooved-feed Extruders
Calculation Model: Modelling the Solids Feed Section in Grooved-feed Extruders Used in combination with barrier screws, grooved, forced-conveying feed sections are regaining their importance. With modern metal cutting machine tool machines, helically grooved feed bushings can also be economically produced. Jürgen Miethlinger To design solids feed sections with tapering, rectangular, axial grooves, the equation proposed by Rautenbach and Peiffer [1, 2] is normally used for dimensionless mas...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Campus - The World Standard for Plastics
Campus - The World Standard for Plastics Ralf Tüllmann, Marl/Germany, Rainer Kurzknabe, Geneva/Switzerland, Bahman Sarabi, Leverkusen/Germany, Knut Laumen, Kelsterbach/Germany, Gerhard Maurer, Ludwigshafen/Germany, and Erwin Baur, Aachen/Germany The true value of Campus lies in the fact that it can incorporate standards with test conditions that are so narrowly delimited as to permit full comparability. Campus has thus established itself as a universally-valid standard for plastics testing. ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Carbon Nanotubes
Carbon Nanotubes High-Strength Reinforcing Compounds for Composites Bernd Lahr, Dublin/Ireland, and Jan Sandler, Hamburg/Germany A novel "carbon fibre" is the stuff of fantasy for American scientists: the tensile strength of carbon nanotubes is reputedly high enough to allow a "space lift" to be made from a polymer nanotube composite that could transport materials and personnel to space stations orbiting the Earth. Far removed from this vision, nanotubes exhibit outstandi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Case Study (4): Hot-Runner Solution for a Spectacle Case
Tooling Hot-Runner Solution for a Spectacle Case Case Study (4). The question of whether a high-quality designer surface can be obtained in injection moulding depends on a variety of factors. The design of the part, the choice of polymer, the mould concept, the gate system and the injection moulding process all have an effect on the surface quality. The project described here gets to the bottom of the interrelations. Dirk Paulmann Injection moulded plastic parts are now replacing metals and o...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Case Study: Hot-Runner Solution for an Electronics Coil
Tooling Hot-Runner Solution for an Electronics Coil Case Study. What points have to be observed in designing the hot-runner system for producing an electronic part of glass fibre-reinforced PA? This article is the first of a six-part series on practically tested solutions, which will run until the end of the year. Dirk Paulmann A modular hot-runner system allows the system to be adapted to specific production requirements while at the same time keeping lead times short. By viewing the project in...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cast Polyamides for Small Series: Goodbye Injection Moulds
Rapid Prototyping Goodbye Injection Moulds Cast Polyamides for Small Series. From a technical standpoint, prototypes of cast polyamide are fully comparable to mass-produced PA parts and can be produced in sufficient quantities rapidly. For even small lots, the “NylonMold” production process developed by rpm GmbH offers convincing evidence through favourable competitive factors such as low costs, short production cycles and high product quality. The rpm (rapid product manufacturing) GmbH combine...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cause and Remedies: Brittle Fracture in PBT
Engineering Plastics Brittle Fracture in PBT Cause and Remedies. Injection moulded PBT parts suffer brittle fracture on a sporadic basis in practice, with generally only a few parts being affected. Nevertheless, the damage suffered by the processor may be immense. The latest studies show that a key initiator of this quality impairment is thermal overheating, both during polymerisation and during processing. Mark Völkel Depending on the type of plastic and the application involved, finished in...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Characteristic-value functions: The Mechanical Fingerprint
Characteristic-value functions: The Mechanical Fingerprint The mechanical properties of plastics are conditioned by a large number of influencing variables, and the property profile of an individual plastic, as a function of temperature, time and media influence for example, is almost as complex and unique as a human fingerprint. Ernst Schmachtenberg, Oliver Schröder, Kai Kuhlmann To ensure that efficient product designs are achieved in plastics engineering, it is essential to have recours...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Characteristics and Costs in Equilibrium
Characteristics and Costs in Equilibrium Measurement of the degree of gelation of PVC window profiles Heino Klingenfuß and Anton Zahn, Würzburg/Germany Using Oscillating Dynamic Differential Thermal Analysis (ODSC) the degree of gelation can be measured anywhere on a window profile. Using the results PVC formulations and their processing as well as the design of extrusion dies can be improved. A lifetime of more than 50 years is expected from a plastic window made of PVC-HI. The mechanic...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Coating Carpets
Coating Carpets Lower Energy Consumption and Improved Recyclability compared with Latex Composites Jürgen Miethlinger and Alfred Mayr, Lenzing/Austria The extrusion coating process permits composite carpets to be produced in a single operation. The only brief, unilateral thermal stressing that prevails preserves the pile fibre and ensures good dimensional stability over the entire carpet structure. Final widths of 4 and 5 m can be achieved on an extrusion coating plant thanks to the variab...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Coinjection of Thermoplastics and Elastomers
Coinjection of Thermoplastics and Elastomers Technical and Economic Aspects of a New Coinjection Technology Christoph Lange and Thomas Hungerkamp, Munich/Germany The production of composites by coinjection moulding is state of the art. High-precision, modular injection moulding machines and innovative mould technology now allow crosslinking elastomers to be injected in combination with thermoplastics. The economic efficiency of these new polymer/elastomer composites depends critically on...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Coloured PPVC Films: Colour Makes the Difference
Additives Colour Makes the Difference Coloured PPVC Films. The influence of coloration on the weathering resistance of plasticised PVC films was studied. While UV stability is significantly improved by the addition of carbon black, this increases surface temperature at the same time, leading to high plasticiser losses. So under what circumstances is coloration an advantage and what colours should be used? Martin Bonnet Plasticised PVC (PPVC) is one of today’s best known and most researched mate...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Colourfast Window Profiles
Colourfast Window Profiles Heat-resistant Combinations of ASA and ABS Florian Hennenberger, Ludwigshafen/Germany For more than 40 years now, impact-modified PVC has been doing outstanding service in the construction industry for profile production, particularly for window frames. Nevertheless, there has recently been an increasing call for alternative plastics for this application. The styrene copolymers ASA and ABS are possible candidates. More than half the windows in Germany are curre...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Combined Process: Foamed Parts with Excellent Surface Quality
Combined Process: Foamed Parts with Excellent Surface Quality The aim of applications engineering must be to combine two special processes in such a way that the combined process can be technically mastered under practical conditions, that the advantages of both processes are exploited and that the user, in an ideal case, gains an added benefit. An impressive example is the combination of Monosandwich and MuCell processes. Jörg Dassow In injection moulding, many special processes often com...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compact and Reliable
Compact and Reliable Production Integration and Process Reliability in Laser Welding Stefan Hierl, Erlangen/Germany When a method of joining materials is being chosen, ease of automation and process reliability need to be considered in addition to process engineering. What possibilities does transmission laser welding of polymers offer here? Transmission laser welding adds an innovative dimension to the range of methods available for joining plastics. Its specific characteristics render ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Competing Materials
Competing Materials Materialica 2000 Presents a Complete Overview of Materials and Processes Following on from the first two successful events in 1998 and 1999, Materialica, the International Trade Fair for Innovative Materials, Processes and Applications, will be held for the third time, together with the Materials Week Congress, from September 25-28, 2000 at the new exhibition site in Munich. Because of the significant increase in the numbers of exhibitors and visitors, Materialica 2000 ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Component Design: Creep Resistance - A Characteristic Value for Creep Behaviour
Special Creep Resistance – A Characteristic Value for Creep Behaviour Johannes Kunz Component Design. A characteristic value denoted creep resistance is proposed for quantifying the creep behaviour of plastics in simple terms. This is defined as the ratio of the tensile creep moduli at 1000h and at 1h. Under static or quasi-static load, the visco-elasticity of plastics is manifested through a steady reduction in material stiffness. This leads to creep (retardation) under a constant level of...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compostable Material: Thermoformed Packaging Made of PLA
Compostable Material: Thermoformed Packaging Made of PLA Polylactides (PLA) represent a new group of thermoplastics for packaging applications obtained from renewable resources. In extensive tests, the functional and thermoforming properties of PLA were compared with those of other polymers. Luc Bosiers, Sven Engelmann Polylactides (PLA) represent a new group of thermoplastics for packaging applications obtained from renewable resources. PLA’s properties make it suitable for various thermo...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compounding: Maximising Use of Machine Potential
25 Years of KTP Maximising Use of Machine Potential Compounding. The energy consumption of twin-screw extruders can be determined in advance by simulation calculation. This allows full torque utilisation, so that compounders can maximise use of available machine performance potential. Because of their excellent mixing properties and flexible construction, co-rotating, twin-screw extruders are commercially and technically the most important machine concept for compounding thermoplastics. However,...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compounding: The Intelligent Alternative
Extrusion The Intelligent Alternative Compounding. Bimodal polyolefins pose a new challenge to compounding lines. The two components, comprising long and short chain molecules, with widely different viscosities, must be homogenised to produce a uniform pellet stock, free of fish eyes. The novel ZSK-NT combination opens up new routes to this difficult compounding task. First melting is carried out in a specially designed twin-screw kneader, and the melt is then transferred to a second twin-screw ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compounds and Blends Made to Measure
Compounds and Blends Made to Measure Made to Measure Materials through Compounding and Blending Philipp Werner, Kurt Napientek, Hamburg/Germany Luvocom products with tailored material solutions based on modification of high tech plastics from Lehmann & Voss & Co. have been established on the market for 18 years. Thorough know-how in the field of high-performance polymer blends has extended the available range of material parameters. Thus in addition to using classical compounding with addi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compounds and Masterbatches
Compounds and Masterbatches Trends at K 2001 Matthias C. Hund, Neustadt/Weinstraße, Germany The large number of exhibitors at K 2001 offering compounds or masterbatches underlines the importance of these industries. They are used for turning commodity polymers into tailored systems. This article picks out certain features and trends from the wide variety of available information. At first glance, the division of responsibilities appears quite simple: polymer manufacturers produce the bas...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compounds and Masterbatches: Revival of Research and Development?
Compounds Revival of Research and Development? Compounds and Masterbatches. Once again, over 80 exhibitors presented compounds and masterbatches at the K 2004. The selected strategies of the individual companies are as varied as the challenges facing the industry: tailoring the properties of plastics to their respective applications. For the first time, several global players were not present in Düsseldorf, while family-run companies emphasised that participation in the K-fair was meaningful...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compounds: Flame Proofing and Light Stabilisation of Polypropylene
Compounds: Flame Proofing and Light Stabilisation of Polypropylene Many plastic applications would be impossible without halogenated flame retardants. However, many flame retardants, particularly brominated ones, cause difficulties in processing and reduce the product’s long-term stability. A specially designed additive system permits polypropylene parts to be both UV resistant and flame retardant. Jürg Zingg, Robert Diemunsch For years, flameproofed polymeric materials have been gaining ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compression Moulding: Highly Precise and Fully Automated
Trade Fair Report Highly Precise and Fully Automated Compression Moulding. In the area of compression moulding and technology, the innovations presented at K were to be found in the details. Thus, presses are becoming ever more precise and the processes have now evolved from the development stage to series application. Dieffenbacher GmbH & Co. KG presented a plant for the so-called LFT-D-ILC process, which compounds continuous strand-reinforced thermoplastics in line by the direct method. Fir...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Concave Structures for the First Time
Concave Structures for the First Time Thermoplastic Tape Placement: Reversible Adhesion Solves First Layer Problems Guido Beresheim, Peter Mitschang and Manfred Neitzel, Kaiserslautern/Germany The serial production of components made from fiber-reinforced composites by the tape placement process has so far been prevented by a failure to solve the problem of the first layer. For this reason, IVW has developed a process that both permits the first laminate layer to be applied onto the mold a...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Construction Industry: Panes with Sunscreen
Panes with Sunscreen Construction Industry. Transparent single-wall and twin-wall polycarbonate panes lead to a 25–40% reduction in the level of heat generated indoors by sunlight. At the same time, they are notable for their high light transmission. The construction industry has recently started using newly developed single-pane and twin-pane polycarbonate glazing to act as transparent sunscreens. These provide high thermal insulation combined with outstanding light transmission in intense sun...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Consumer Protection: Migration Models for the Assessment of Plastic Products
Consumer Protection: Migration Models for the Assessment of Plastic Products The migration of substances from plastics into foods or into the indoor air is a key issue. New software programs provide support in estimating substance migration and help save time and costs. The wide range of properties offered by the plastics that are familiar today is based, firstly, on the different fundamental structures of the polymer matrix and, secondly, on a wealth of relatively low-molecular additives, i...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Consumption Stabilises: Low-density Polyethylene (PE-LD/LLD)
Trend Report: Commodity Plastics Low-density Polyethylene (PE-LD/LLD) Consumption Stabilises. The methods used for the processing of low-density polyethylene have been well-established for many years and can be described as fully developed. Coextrusion processes have continued to gain importance for the manufacture of blown and flat film. This is an ideal way to combine the properties of different PE products. Total Western European PE-LD/LLD consumption grew in the period from 2001 to 2004 by ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Continued Strong Growth: PET in Beverage Packaging
Trend Report: Engineering Plastics PET in Beverage Packaging Continued Strong Growth. The raw material of PET has undergone a change. Modified product grades now permit even faster injection moulding cycles and higher cycling rates in bottle production. In addition, the grade of PET (in combination with different barrier materials) and the bottle design have been aligned to the bottled product. Kajetan Müller Frank Welle Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is continuing to show high growth in th...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Continuous Monitoring of Quality Parameters
Continuous Monitoring of Quality Parameters Inline Monitoring in the Extrusion Process Using Ultrasonics Ingo Alig and Dirk Lellinger, Darmstadt/Germany, Richard Lamour and Jürgen Ramthun, Leverkusen/Germany An ultrasonic technique for inline measurement of the velocity and absorption of longitudinal waves during the extrusion process was developed. For PS it was possible to differentiate between the different melt-flow indices. For the PE/glass bead composite a significant dependency of b...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Continuous Production of Polymer Nanofilms
Continuous Production of Polymer Nanofilms Georg Hinrichsen, Berlin/Germany, Andreas Hoffmann, Bötzingen/Germany, Thomas Schleeh, Luxembourg, and Christian Macht, Berlin/Germany By means of spontaneous film formation, continuous ultrathin polymer films with a thickness of between 10 and 100 nm and a width of more than 10 cm can be produced at speeds of 1 to 10 m/min. A laboratory line for the continuous production of nanofilms is presented and a first characterization of the films produced i...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Conveying, Dosing and Mixing
Conveying, Dosing and Mixing A Survey of the State of the Art Thorsten Schroer and Johannes Wortberg, Duisburg/Germany To prevail on the market, plant manufacturers and plant operators in the plastics producing and processing industry must be able to utilise existing potential for cost saving. Even the choice of processes and equipment for conveying, dosing and mixing can form the basis for successful production. Product cycles on the plastics processing market are becoming shorter, as d...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cooling Time Reduction by Foam Injection Moulding: It Can Be Done Faster
Cooling Time Reduction by Foam Injection Moulding: It Can Be Done Faster Production time influences unit costs directly. A reduction in the production cycle time represents a cash saving. Processors can achieve this aim in principle by using foam injection moulding. This article presents the potentials of the process and the reasons for its improved efficiency over conventional non-foam injection moulding. Walter Michaeli, Sasan Habibi-Naini, Erhard Krampe If appropriately employed, the ch...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cosmetics Packaging: Optical and Haptic Aesthetics
Packaging Optical and Haptic Aesthetics Cosmetics Packaging. The ionomer Surlyn combines the luxurious appearance and transparency of glass with the creative potential and performance advantages of high-quality plastics. Thanks to this combination of properties, the material is increasingly the preferred material for containers for cosmetics and body-care products. The unique combination of optical and haptic aesthetics made possible by Surlyn, along with the service benefits of the material,...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cosmetics Packaging: Trend towards Transparency
Special Trend towards Transparency Cosmetics Packaging. Elegant cosmetics tubs, pots and tubes, seductive bottles and closures – the playground of designers. Transparent thermoplastics with high chemical resistance provide them with the leeway they need for implementing their ideas. Claudia Tillmanns The purpose of packaging is to differentiate the contents from those of the competitors’ products. The trend towards presenting contents in an attractive sales package is part of the aesthetics. Tr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cost-effective Modifier for Tailor-made Properties
Cost-effective Modifier for Tailor-made Properties Karlheinz Hausmann, Geneva/Switzerland, Bernard Rioux, Paris/France, and Manfred Schinken, Bad Homburg/Germany A new family of ethylene-acrylate copolymers is suitable for improving the impact strength of engineering plastics and as a universal carrier material for masterbatches. The new grades, produced in a tubular reactor, are economical to use and offer high functional efficiency, a combination welcomed by compounders and processors alik...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Costs and Benefits: Recycling Plastics from Electrical and Electronic Products
Recycling Recycling Plastics from Electrical and Electronic Products Frank E. Mark Costs and Benefits. Plastics recycling can only be economic if the resulting recyclates are attractive to the market. For this to be the case, they must meet certain minimum specifications at a price that is significantly below that of the virgin material. Conservation of resources, avoidance of landfill disposal and minimisation of environmental impact are the main objectives in the treatment of waste plastics ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cross-linked Polyethylene: The Right Pipe System
Building The Right Pipe System Cross-linked Polyethylene. Pipes made of peroxidically crosslinked polyethylene (PE-X) have the material properties necessary for industrial piping. Pipes made of this polymer have been used for decades for heating, drinking water, long-distance heating and gas supply. Whether installed in buildings or underground, PE-X meets the requirements for a universal material suitable for industrial pipes for air/vacuum, water, refrigeration, inert gases, solids and indust...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Crosslinking Instead of Glassy Transition
Crosslinking Instead of Glassy Transition Determination of Degree of Curing in Fibre-reinforced Composite Parts Wolfgang Stark, Joachim Döring and Heinz-Ulrich Walentowski, Berlin/Germany In processing fibre-reinforced composites, the curing reaction can be significantly retarded if the temperature and reaction time are not optimally set. In such situations, complete curing is sometimes impossible under practically relevant conditions. It is difficult for processors to recognize or detect ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Custom-tailored Engineering Materials: Polyphenylene Ether (PPE)
Trend Report: Engineering Plastics> Polyphenylene Ether (PPE) Custom-tailored Engineering Materials. Modifications with various engineering resins and reinforcements as well as additives permit polyphenylene ether to be employed as an engineering material for any required application. Even elastic products can be produced in this way and have recently become available for use as wire and cable insulation. Edward N. Peters Mukund Parthasarathy The amorphous thermoplastic poly-2,6-dimethylphenyl...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cutting Costs
Cutting Costs Use of Regrind in Injection Moulding Klaus Uske, Ludwigshafen/Germany To obtain a better assessment of the risks and possibilities of using regrind, a series of trials with PBT and polyamide 6 was carried out. Some results of these trials are discussed here. Regrind is generated in thermoplastics injection moulding as a result of the granulation of sprues or reject parts into particles just a few millimetre in size. In this form, the regrind can be recycled back into the in...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cycloolefin Copolymer (COC): Appearance Counts
Special Appearance Counts Cycloolefin Copolymer (COC). Not only marketing and packaging experts but also designers and product developers all place high requirements on materials. When it comes to transparency, COC – cycloolefin copolymer – fulfils stringent requirements for medical applications, food and drugs packaging, optical parts or films, and toner binder. Bernd Sparenberg Compared with the majority of polyolefins, which have only similar monomers lined up next to each other, cycloolefin...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cycloolefin-Copolymers (COC)
Cycloolefin-Copolymers (COC) Thomas Weller and Detlef B. Schulz, Frankfurt am Main/Germany Cycloolefins are a new class of engineering polymers that have recently become available. The first industrial scale plant came on stream at the end of 2000. This should give an additional boost to their market growth. Manufacturers, Capacities, Production Amorphous transparent polymers with a cycloolefinic structure (COC, COP) are functional materials with special properties that make them suitable...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Decorative Surfaces in the Automotive Interior
Decorative Surfaces in the Automotive Interior PU for Instrument Panels and Door Side Trim Polyurethane cast and slush-moulded skins show low fogging and low emissions. In addition to their own particular advantages, therefore, they particularly meet the automotive industry's requirements for interior trim parts. A wide variety of decorative materials are used in the automotive interior. They include PVC or TPO films and sheets, PVC or polyurethane skins as well as leather or textiles....

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Defect-Free Microstructures
Defect-Free Microstructures Forming of Textured Surfaces - an Application for Servoelectric Injection Moulding Machines Christian Gornik, Harald Bleier and Willibald Warta, Kottingbrunn/Austria The use of surfaces as functional elements, and not only the increasing degree of miniaturisation, is contributing to the growing importance of micromoulding. To produce trouble-free micro moulded parts, a precisely working injection moulding machine and a special process management are important fa...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Demand Continues to Rise: Polystyrene (PS)
Trend Report Commodity Plastics Polystyrene (PS) Demand Continues to Rise. Polystyrene still ranks among the quantitatively most important thermoplastics and after PE, PP and PVC is invariably in fourth place. Pushed by price pressure and price volatility, there is some movement on the polystyrene market, and the industry continues to consolidate. In addition product and procedure innovations will have high value nevertheless. Hans-Dieter Schwaben Consumption of PS in Europe decreased somewh...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Demanding in Profile
Demanding in Profile Tailor-Made Polyamides for the Automotive Industry Barbara Möller and Evelyn Allert, Niederzissen/Germany, and Bernd Matschiner, Tornesch/Germany The morphology of elastomer-modified, unreinforced polyamide 66 can be modified to produce tailor-made solutions in respect of mechanical, thermal and processing properties. Parts based on this demanding material mainly find application in the automotive industry. Polyamides (PAs) continue to grow in importance for the auto...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Design of Radial Spiral Dies
Design of Radial Spiral Dies Walter Michaeli, Boris Rotter and Peter Blömer, Aachen/Germany Radial and spiral mandrel dies offer many advantages over conventional axial designs. The IKV has devised a computational method for designing them reliably that compares well with real life results. Spiral mandrel dies are used almost exclusively for creating tubular melt flow in blown film extrusion. They are also becoming more common in other fields, such as blow moulding and pipe extrusion. Thei...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Design of Single-screw Extruders
Design of Single-screw Extruders Simulation Is Not Easy Walter Michaeli and Andreas Imhoff, Aachen/Germany Correct dimensioning of the screw is a vital factor for the cost and quality of extruded products. Designing single-screw extruders is only possible if a large number of simplifications and assumptions are made. Most machine manufacturers have specific know-how in certain areas of application when it comes to selecting the screw geometry. This well guarded knowledge is part of a compa...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Desktop Manufacturing and Biofunctional Processing
Desktop Manufacturing and Biofunctional Processing New Applications in Tissue Engineering Rüdiger Landers and Rolf Mülhaupt, Freiburg/Germany, Hendrik John, Marl/Germany The new tools of desktop manufacturing are set to unlock the door to completely new application areas, especially in medicine. Three-dimensional dispensing in a liquid medium ("3D plotting") allows to fabricate complex objects, pipes and non-wovens according to CAD specifications. Many different kinds of material m...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Details of Economic Development: High-density Polyethylene (PE-HD)
Trend Report: Commodity Plastics High-density Polyethylene (PE-HD) Details of Economic Development. The development of the key applications for PE-HD, such as pipes, tapes, hollow articles and packaging, has shown little change in the last few years. Western Europe's share of global PE-HD capacities has decreased as a result of investments in the growth markets of Asia and Eastern Europe. In the period between 2001 and 2004, PE-HD consumption in Western Europe went up by 3.3% to 5.2 millio...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Development and Trends: Plastics – a Mature Industry?
Market and Management Plastics – a Mature Industry? Development and Trends. Plastics are predicted to show continued growth and innovation. Experts envisage that, in future, this will be driven not by new polymers, but by the custom design of supramolecular structures and integrated solutions within the plastics supply chain. Franz Brandstetter The plastics world is currently characterised by falling margins, globally standardised production technologies and growing capacity surpluses. The domi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Development History of Plastics: Growth through Changing Times
PE103251 Special Growth through Changing Times Development History of Plastics. Plastics are markers of social change and pacesetters for technological progress. This emerges clearly from a review of their development, which started before the 20th century and has been characterised by steady growth. It all began with galalith, celluloid and thermosets, while today polyolefins and other thermoplastics are the high-volume sellers. The growth opportunities for plastics today still appear to be al...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Development Strategy and Environmental Protection: DuPont - Growing with Engineering Plastics
Special DuPont: Growing with Engineering Plastics Development Strategy and Environmental Protection. The Performance Materials platform of DuPont plans to step up global growth of its engineering plastics business. This strategy will be supported by investment in: research and development targeted at future areas of application, application developments close to market and plants and acquisitions. The “Performance Materials platform, one of the five organisational platforms of DuPont, recorded...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Development Trends: Composites for Aircraft
Transportation Composites for Aircraft Development Trends. The benefits of fibre-reinforced composite technology in aircraft construction are leading to increased substitution of the currently used aluminium alloys. In the future, however, weight savings and improved performance alone will not decide on the success of this plastics technology, but also cost reductions for materials and manufacturing as well as better environmental compatability. Jürgen Brandt Klaus Drechsler Klaus Schmidtke ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Die Optimisation: Flexible Die Walls
Die Optimisation: Flexible Die Walls Flexible die walls that can be adjusted to requirements are already to be found in some applications. Flow-channel walls that can be adjusted particularly during production can lead to potential savings and offer new process-engineering possibilities. Heinz Gross There must be few plastics processors who have not wished at least once that they could change the geometry of a flow channel during running production in order to quickly and cost effectively ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Dimensional Stability and Impact Strength
Dimensional Stability and Impact Strength (PC+ASA) Blends for Automotive Body Panels Martin Weber, Heiner Görrissen and Reinhard Jakobi, Ludwigshafen/Germany Blends based on polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic ester (ASA) are noted for their good weatherability and processing stability. A new product with improved flowability and toughness has been developed for the field of automotive body panels. Applications in the field of automotive body panels (title photo) constit...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Direct Compounding: New Directions in Plastics Processing
Special New Directions in Plastics Processing Direct Compounding. Process steps that normally occur separately during compounding at the resin supplier and during processing at the producer of semi-finished or finished goods are combined in direct extrusion and in the injection moulding compounder. The additional effort and expense incurred by the processor are considerable and must be offset by cost savings for the raw materials as well as by the benefits resulting from increased flexibility a...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Do it yourself: The Latest Additives and Masterbatches
Do it yourself: The Latest Additives and Masterbatches Cost pressures and efficiency drives are increasingly leading processors to apply masterbatches instead of purchasing ready-made compounds. The polymer manufacturers encourage this trend because it allows them to divorce themselves from compounds required in unprofitable batch sizes. Developments in materials and test methods are opening up new horizons. Matthias C. Hund, Norbert Grünewald The world masterbatch consumption is currently...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Drafting Tolerances for Moulded Parts
Drafting Tolerances for Moulded Parts Software Tool Helps Predict Tolerances Bahri Kiraz, Treuchtlingen/Germany The specification and observation of drafting tolerances is a permanent topic of discussion between customers, developers and producers. When metal parts have to be replaced by plastic parts, different tolerances must be provided for. The software program TolPro makes it easier to predict tolerances. Some Designers of moulded thermoplastic parts are often still influenced by th...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Driving the Automotive Industry: Engineering Elastomers
Trend Report Crosslinking Plastics Engineering Elastomers Driving the Automotive Industry. Within the elastomer-manufacturing industry, there is increasing concentration and focus on product groups. Regardless of this, the trend towards relocating production of standard products within the expanded European Union continues to advance. In the future, China and India will also increasingly emerge both as markets and production locations for engineering elastomer products. Werner P. Lauhus The Eu...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Dynamic Frictional Data
Dynamic Frictional Data New Findings for Describing the Processes in the Extruder Feed Zone Walter Michaeli, Jochen Hennes and Stefan Quadflieg, Aachen/Germany A special test apparatus allows pressure coefficients and coefficients of friction of plastics pellet stock to be measured for the first time in a dynamic state. The results obtained are relevant for practical purposes, since the pellet stock is in motion in the feed zone of extruders. New findings on the frictional properties of bu...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Ecoefficiency: Plastics in Politics and Practice
Ecoefficiency: Plastics in Politics and Practice The market for products made of biologically degradable materials is still at the beginning of its development. Market mechanisms and basic legal conditions will solely determine whether this new group of materials is penetrating the market. Ingo Sartorius Innovative new developments and advances are the basis for stabilisation and preservation of the competitiveness of European industry. They make i.a. relevant contributions to environmenta...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Ecological Beneficial Composites
Ecological Beneficial Composites Reinforcing PMMA Thermosetting Resins with Flax Fibres Gunter Hieber, Schorndorf, Robert Kohler and Rainer Alex, Reutlingen/Germany Especially high quality materials can be produced using domestic natural fibres. Therefore existing procedures and formulations are being adapted to the requirements of natural fibres. It has thereby been possible to achieve the characteristics profile of glass fibre reinforced plastics and sometimes to even exceed it. Especi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Economic Compounding: Nanocomposites
Economic Compounding: Nanocomposites Trials on different compounding machines have shown that they are suitable for producing high-quality nanocomposites. The experience gained in the trials can be reliably transferred to production machinery and specified application properties can be obtained economically on an industrial scale. Sabine Schönfeld, Frank Lechner In the production of nanocomposites, far more difficult processing challenges have to be overcome than in the production of compo...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Economical in Long Series
Economical in Long Series Centrifuged FRP Pipes with Thermoplastic Matrix Max Ehleben, Wolfsburg/Germany, und Helmut Schürmann, Darmstadt/Germany A newly developed procedure based on centrifugation technology makes it possible to manufacture continuous fibre-reinforced precision pipes with thermoplastic matrices. The centrifuged pipes are almost free of eccentricity and have outstanding internal and external surfaces. They are therefore particularly suitable as drive shafts, bearings or hyd...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Economical Production of Barrier Film
Economical Production of Barrier Film The Innovative Films Market Calls for Flexible Machine Concepts Jochen Hennes, Worms/Germany, and Tony Rüegg, Lachen/Switzerland The property profiles of high-grade barrier films are becoming increasingly complex. Extrusion lines must be able to process a greater variety of materials than ever before. This makes enormous demands on the machine components. The ability to supply individual films quickly is nowadays more important than ever, which is wh...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Economical Production of PU Parts
Economical Production of PU Parts State of the Art of Polyurethane RRIM Technology Karl-Heinz Dörner and Hans Joachim Meiners, Leverkusen/Germany, Hans-Joachim Ludwig, Sulzbach/Germany The RRIM process provides the polyurethane industry with a technology for meeting the automotive industry's basic demands of cost and weight reduction together with high quality standards. PU RRIM parts can now be produced at competitive prices with high process stability. The RRIM (reinforced reaction...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Editorial: Cooperation in Russia
Editorial Cooperation in Russia Following intensive research of the Russian trade journal market and after numerous talks and discussions, we have now signed an agreement with the Russian magazine, "Polymer Materials". Since April, this trade journal has included a special editorial section from "Kunststoffe" in Russian, geared to the interests of Russian readers. Published monthly, "Polymer Materials" is one of Russia's leading trade magazines for the plastics in...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Editorial: Light and Versatile
Light and Versatile Just in time for the start of the new millennium, plastics packaging has become the leading packaging material, pushing paper/paper board/cardboard to second place. Correspondingly, the packaging segment is the main consumer of plastics and the main customer of the plastics producing industry. If machinery and equipment used for producing plastics packaging materials were to be included in this balance sheet, the significance of this particular area of application for our e...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Editorial: Securing Margins
Securing Margins Is this just an experiment or is it an inevitable consequence of the Polymer Age in which we now live? Since 27 May, polypropylene (PP) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) have been quoted on the London Metal Exchange (LME), which means that, for the very first time, plastics are being traded at the LME on an equal footing with non-ferrous metals like aluminium, copper and tin. Both plastics producers and ultimate consumers alike are able to conclude forward contracts in...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Efficient Project Development
Efficient Project Development Polyarylamide Compounds for Cycle Brake Housings Wolf Sanner, Rheinberg/Germany, Robert Olz, Bad Urach/Germany, Vito Leo, Brussels/Belgium, and Thomas Halcour, Kerpen-Sindorf/Germany Light weight, a balanced strength profile, an excellent surface finish and very good slip properties are the most important requirements for cycle brake components. Calculations and extensive laboratory and practical tests confirmed the suitability of polyarylamide (PA MXD6) compo...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Elastomers
Elastomers Economic Situation and Observed Trends Werner P. Lauhus, Münster/Germany World consumption of synthetic rubber is expected to grow at +2.9% per year by 2005. Of this, China expects to see the biggest growth at +8.4%. In 2000, the synthetic rubbers with most growth in demand were EPDMs, owing to the increased consumption of technical rubber goods, and butadiene rubber, because of increased use in tyre applications. Germany is one of the world’s biggest technology motors in the ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Elastomers: Flexible and Customised
Trade Fair Report Flexible and Customised Elastomers. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are now indispensable for applications ranging from everyday items to underhood components. On the "rubber line", trade visitors were able to assess the merits of special developments in synthetic rubbers, which account for by far the largest proportion of elastomers. The automotive industry remains an essential driving force for the market. After years of strong growth, thermoplastic elastomers – a grou...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Electrical Engineering: Plastics Go Electric
Electrical Engineering Plastics Go Electric Electrical Engineering. In the globalised electrical industry, plastics are having to meet increasingly stringent, country-specific requirements. Flame-retardant modification plays a key role here. Karl-Michael Reinfrank Ralf Neuhaus Requirements for plastics in electrical engineering are becoming increasingly stringent. At the same time, the market is regulated by a multitude of different standards, which means that very special, flame-retardant-modi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Electrically Conducting Compounds: New Functional Material for the Automotive Sector
Automotive - Functional Materials New Functional Material for the Automotive Sector Electrically Conducting Compounds. Electrically conducting components used in the automotive sector, are generally made in complicated multi-stage processes. An alternative is offered by a new material in which a low-melting alloy is incorporated along with copper fibres into a thermoplastic matrix. Electrically and thermally conducting components are becoming more important in the automotive sector. Electrica...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Electronic Components and Displays: Intrinsically Conductive Polymers
...oods incorporating PEDT. Producing Conductive Coatings from PEDT There are basically two different possibilities for producing conductive coatings from the monomeric EDT: either the monomer can polymerise during application via in-situ polymerisation or prepolymerised polymer dispersions, solutions or formulations thereof can be employed. In-situ polymerisation produces coatings of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) with high conductivities of over 500 S/cm. However, in-situ polymerisation is a c...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Electronic Markets for Plastics
Electronic Markets for Plastics E-Commerce Increases Market Transparency Tina Canic, Groß-Umstadt/Germany Everyone can win: the buyers, the suppliers and naturally also the electronic markets. Since the beginning of 2000 four German markets have been bringing the Internet trade with plastics up to speed. They use the Internet to illustrate proven business models on-line and to develop new business models. Opinions on electronic markets switch between euphoria and scepticism. Surely they ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Engineering Plastics as a Growth Market
Engineering Plastics as a Growth Market DuPont Anticipates Double-digit Growth Rates for Sales and Earnings Even after the strategic realignment at DuPont, engineering plastics will continue to be one of the company's core businesses. With world wide sales of around $ 2 billion, DuPont is the market leader in this field. Its portfolio covers polyamides, polyesters (PBT and PET), polyacetals, polyimides and liquid crystalline polymers (LCP). After its withdrawal from the energy business...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Engineering Plastics: Products for Innovative Processes
Trade Fair Report Products for Innovative Processes Engineering Plastics. Product developments tailored to innovative production processes were a noticeable trend in the engineering plastics sector at the K2004 plastics trade fair. Product developers are increasingly focusing on the implications of legislation such as the EU End of Life Vehicle Directive (ELV Directive) and the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive). The engineering plastics group is not clearly ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Escalators Made of Plastics
Escalators Made of Plastics Specially-Tailored Polymer Blend Conquers this Aluminum Domain Eckhard Erlenkämper, Leverkusen/Germany, Horst Beicher, Krefeld/Germany, and Andreas Lange, Bad Salzuflen/Germany Ever since the end of the Sixties, escalator steps have been made of aluminum by pressure die-casting. All attempts to produce the steps in plastic to date have failed on account of the stringent requirements imposed on the dimensional stability of the component and hence on the material ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Even Smaller: Adhesive Layers on a Molecular Level
Surface Finishing Adhesive Layers on a Molecular Level Even Smaller. Adhesion promoting layers for polymer films are already leaving the oft-discussed scale of nanotechnolgy and approaching the next smaller dimension. Molecular monolayers of adhesion promoting amino and amido groups captivate not only because of the minimal amounts of material involved, but even more so because of the minimised costs for the entire process. Peter Palm Panayotis Cocolios Liquid adhesion promoting primers hav...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Evolution, Not Revolution
Evolution, Not Revolution Prototyping at Euromold: Optimisation of Existing Processes C. Bonten, C. Janßen and T. Seul, Essen/Germany Euromold 2001 clearly showed that in the field of rapid prototyping the innovative focus of equipment manufacturers last year is more on optimising than on developing new processes. Fig. 1 shows that demand for models and prototypes remains unbridled. The clouds of alchemy surrounding rapid prototyping are clearing, with many visitors showing that they are...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Exhaust-Air Purification in Laser Technology
Exhaust-Air Purification in Laser Technology Catalytic Exhaust Gas Treatment Reduces Emissions in the Laser Processing of Polymers Jens Bliedtner, Jens Haupt, Hartmut Müller and Harry Schreiber, Jena/Germany Unlike metals, polymers and composite materials undergo profound physical and chemical changes under the effect of a laser beam. Equipment concepts that take into account mutual interactions ensure an optimum and stable process that can also be automated. The laser processing of orga...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Exhibition Preview: North American and Canadian Products at K 2004
USA-Special North American and Canadian Products at K 2004 Exhibition Preview. In Düsseldorf, more than 140 U.S. American and Canadian Companies will present their innovations for the first time to an European specialist audience. The editors of the magazine Plastics Technology have assembled a selection of the most important developments. With this thematically structured preliminary report you can effectively prepare your visit at the K show. Injection Moulding News from includes all-electr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Expanded Boundaries
Expanded Boundaries Newly Developed PPS Grades for Injection Moulding and Extrusion Benny Mermans, Kallo-Beveren/Belgium The advanced polymer polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) has now succeeded in overcoming critical technological hurdles. New injection moulding alloys and extrusion grades are extending the traditional applications of this previously highly specialized material, and opening up new applications. Polyphenylene sulphide, properly called poly(thio-1,4-phenylene), has a relatively...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Expansion Injection Moulding: Amazingly Thin
Injection Moulding Amazingly Thin Expansion Injection Moulding. According to the state of the art, thin-wall injection moulding requires the injection unit to be supported by a hydraulic accumulator. But without a hydraulic accumulator greater precision is achieved in the process technology, energy consumption is lower and amazingly thin walls can be produced. The new state of the art is called "X-Melt", the expansion injection moulding process developed by Engel. It is all made possibl...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Expectations and Performance: The Importance of Numerical Simulation
Special The Importance of Numerical Simulation Expectations and Performance. The use of simulation to design moulds and products has become an indispensable part of plastics processing. Complete simulation will still remain a long-term dream but the first steps along this path have already been taken. Walter Michaeli Stefan Hoffmann In view of the high quality requirements that plastics products have to meet and the pressure to cut development costs, the rationale for using simulations in th...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Export Champion: Changeover Completed
Trade Fair Report Changeover Completed Export Champion. Already at the K2001 Taiwan was the largest Asian exhibitor – the following excerpt from the machinery program of K exhibitors from Taiwan is to show how the country of the cheap supplier of plastic products developed into the serious supplier of plastics processing machines. Already for some years the Asian continent has been the largest consumer of plastic in the world and also in plastic production Asia has presently taken over the lead...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, FE Method: Design Concept for Stacked-type Spiral Dies
Extrusion Design Concept for Stacked-type Spiral Dies Michael Cretu, Hans-Gerhard Fritz FE Method. A new model-based design concept for stacked-type spiral dies is based on flow simulation, and allows correct design of the distribution system based on optimisation criteria. The design concept has been verified by experimental studies. Flat spiral dies are mainly used in pipe and tubular film extrusion. Because of its many advantages, this die concept has shown strong growth in the field of mult...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fewer Production Stages, Shorter Cycles
Fewer Production Stages, Shorter Cycles Decorated Large Moulded Parts Made by the One-Shot Process Carsten Brockmann, Bötzingen/Germany Jochen Mitzler, Munich/Germany The one-shot process is the latest buzz phrase in decorative plastics processing. Its goal is to produce decorated moulded parts in a genuine one-shot process on horizontal injection moulding machines - without the laborious processing stages that have previously been needed by the laminating adhesive method. The steadily g...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fillers: Improved Properties and Processing
Trade Fair Report Improved Properties and Processing Fillers. The trend that was obvious during the past decade continued at this year’s K-Show. The consequences of the increased price of energy, especially oil, together with developments regarding the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar, have had a significant effect on all materials, but especially the filler industry because of the very high freight costs in relation to the value of the product. Increasing transportation costs, in particular, pr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Film Extrusion: For Flexible Packaging
Film Extrusion: For Flexible Packaging “Evolution Following Revolution” was the motto chosen by Windmöller & Hölscher for their last open house. Having presented a fairly spectacular double-deck air ring at K 2001, this time they were exhibiting developments and improvements in extrusion technology. Windmöller & Hölscher, manufacturers of machines for flexible packaging, served up a series of recent developments at their open day in Lengerich near Osnabrück/Germany last May. Around 450 visit...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Film Extrusion: PET Extrusion without Pre-drying?
Extrusion PET Extrusion without Pre-drying? Film Extrusion. The degassing technology represents a realistic alternative to pre-drying or at least a useful addition to it. Studies show that the processing of undried granules is possible on a single-screw extruder with the aid of degassing. Walter Michaeli Torsten Schmitz The market for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) over the last few years has been characterised by rapid growth. Everyone seems to be talking about the material and, not too lo...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Filter Cups Made from Polyamide: Transparency for Water Filters
Engineering Plastics Transparency for Water Filters Filter Cups Made from Polyamide. Modern filter systems would be inconceivable without plastics. The transparent filter cups in water filters made by Carbonit Filtertechnik are produced from Grilamid, a thermoplastic polyamide 12 that absorbs virtually no water and is approved for food and drinking-water contact applications. Peter Westerbarkey Engineering plastics play a key role in professional filter systems. They allow the greatest possible...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Flame Retardants
Flame Retardants Trends and Innovations Jürgen Troitzsch, Wiesbaden/Germany More stringent international fire protection requirements in the construction sector as well as in rail transport, automotive engineering and the electrical industry, coupled with a rise in plastics consumption, are making for sound growth in the flame retardant sector. New flame retardant systems are facilitating plastics processing, and the trend towards halogen-free systems is continuing unabated. Contrary to ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Flame Retardants: Flame-retardant Epoxy Resins
Transportation Flame-retardant Epoxy Resins Flame Retardants. While phosphorus-based flame retardants in epoxy resins often showed inadequate processing and material properties, recent work has succeeded in developing phosphorus-containing resins, curing agents and additives with significantly improved properties. Based on an organophosphorus compound, halogen-free, flame resistant epoxy resin systems can now be produced with good mechanical properties. There is no let up in the trend towards u...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Flame Retardants: Growing Demand
Additives Growing Demand Flame Retardants. Increasing internationalisation and more stringent fire-protection requirements are opening up promising markets for flame retardants and flame-retardant plastics. Halogen-free products will benefit in the electrical sector thanks to the forthcoming introduction of the EC Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. The trade fair K2004 served as an indicator of the general growth in demand for plastics and the increasing use of flame-reta...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Flame-retardant Curing
Flame-retardant Curing Halogen-free Flame Retardant Modification of Epoxy Resins Hauke Lengsfeld and Volker Altstädt, Bayreuth/Germany, Stephan Sprenger and Rainer Utz, Hamburg/Germany Flame retardants have until now been introduced into the epoxy resin systems via the resin itself or as additives. However, recent developments use combinations of reactive organophosphorus curing agents, which already have built-in flame retardancy. Advanced composites based on glass, carbon and aramid fi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Flexible and Inexpensive
Flexible and Inexpensive Inline Blending with Long Glass Fibre PP Concentrate Manfred Bär, Raamsdonksveer/Netherlands, Peter Egger, Schwertberg/Austria and Robert Tesar, Tamworth/Great Britain Granules in long glass-fibre reinforced PP (PP-LGF) have been widely used for many years. They can replace GMT, other engineering thermoplastics such as glass fibre reinforced PA or PBT, and even metals. Market demand has so far been primarily for PP with a glass fibre content of 40% or higher. PP c...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Flexible Quality Assurance
Flexible Quality Assurance Portable Tool for Measuring Parts and Assemblies Ralf Steck, Friedrichshafen/Germany Tolerances are tight in automotive engineering - both in technical terms and when it comes to finances and time. As a system supplier for roofs and sunroof and door systems, Meritor LVS also has to operate within the tight constraints imposed by the automobile manufacturers. The company, a subsidiary of the US Meritor, uses a SilverArm from Faro for the quality assurance of produ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fluid Injection Technique: Manufacture of Multilayer Media Lines
Injection Moulding Manufacture of Multilayer Media Lines Fluid Injection Technique. Gas-assisted and water-assisted injection moulding technique allow channels to be formed in the molten regions of an injection moulded part by displacing the molten core into cavity regions that are at first unfilled or are additionally opened. New possibilities for reducing costs and producing innovative plastic hollow bodies can be achieved by combining this process with multicomponent injection moulding. Wal...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fluid Injection Technique: Understanding Residual Wall Thickness
Injection Moulding Understanding Residual Wall Thickness Fluid Injection Technique. The material distribution is one of the most important criteria when using the fluid injection technique. The residual wall thickness has a significant impact on the mechanical properties of the hollow plastic part and, for fluid conduits, directly establishes the area of the flow cross section. In addition to the process parameters and part geometry, the material properties of the polymer used play an importan...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fluoropolymer Prevents Flow Instabilities
Fluoropolymer Prevents Flow Instabilities New Measuring Technique Provides Clues about the Mode of Action in the Extruder Martin Schwetz, Armin Merten and Helmut Münstedt, Erlangen/Germany The extrusion of PE-LLD at high throughput frequently results in surface roughness. Through the addition of processing aids based on a fluoropolymer, this undesirable effect can be reduced. A new measuring technique can provide clues as to the mode of action of such additives. Flow instabilities during...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Foaming: Automatic Gasketing in a Five-second Cycle
Foaming: Automatic Gasketing in a Five-second Cycle Fully automatic application of gaskets directly onto the part by the FIPFG process is less costly than conventional gasketing technology, because it reduces manufacturing times and eliminates warehousing costs. A new automation concept allows automotive suppliers to seal 1.9million headlamp backcaps per year with only one employee. Peter Fischer, Dieter Koch In the processing of chemical gasket systems, a very important factor is the qual...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Food Packaging: PET Sheet without Predrying
Food Packaging: PET Sheet without Predrying One of the leading Scandinavian manufacturers of packaging materials continues to expand. On its new flat-sheet line, even temperature- sensitive materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate are processed into high-quality thermoformed sheet. Færch Plast GmbH of Holstebro/Denmark produces 1billion plastic trays for food packaging a year. Thanks to its latest investment in a flat-sheet extrusion line from Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik GmbH, Ba...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, For All Eventualities
For All Eventualities Lubricants for Engineering Plastics Eric Richter, Gersthofen/Germany Lubricants can improve the processing properties of engineering plastics exposed to high thermal stressing during processing in many different ways. They frequently act as problem-solvers in respect of flow and demoulding behaviour, as well as with regard to dispersion and nucleation. Engineering thermoplastics have been used as key structural materials for many years now. Accounting for approximat...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Friction Behaviour of Thermoplastics
Friction Behaviour of Thermoplastics Test Method to Determine the Friction Coefficient between Plastics and Moulding Surfaces René Muschalle, Guimarães/Portugal The friction behaviour of plastics in contact with the surfaces of injection moulds is a key factor that must be considered in designing the ejection system. As part of the "Mouldfriction" programme at the University of Minho, Guimarães/Portugal, a test apparatus was developed that simulates the conditi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, From the Idea to the Product
From the Idea to the Product Examples of a Consistent Development Process Ernst Schmachtenberg, Rainer Dahlmann, Oliver Pfannschmidt, Markus Glissmann, Sven Prollius and Jochen Töpker, Aachen/Germany In the course of part development, complex and interlinked problems are frequently encountered which have to be worked through on a step-by-step basis. The huge variety of problems that arise and the links that exist between them are set out on the basis of specific examples taken from differe...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fuel Cell for Alternative Propulsion
Fuel Cell for Alternative Propulsion The Demands Made on the Plastics Frank Reil, Frankfurt am Main/Germany Drive assemblies powered by fuel cells have the potential of becoming the alternative to the combustion engines of today. It is logical that completely new criteria will then apply to the materials used for such applications. The special demands made by fuel cells are satisfied above all by engineering plastics. Our mobile society is based on vehicles powered by combustion engines....

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Full House: Innovative Systems Prove an Attraction
Market Innovative Systems Prove an Attraction Full House. A high-powered programme, an attractive setting and a clear upwards trend in the number of participants – the VDI’s annual Injection Moulding conference is on the way to achieving its aim of becoming an institution. Wolfgang Kircher The number of participants at the annual injection moulders' conference in Baden-Baden each Spring is generally a good barometer of the economic climate. If a large number of injection moulding experts m...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Functional Compounds
Functional Compounds Properties and Applications of Magnetite/Plastic Compounds Peter Duifhuis, Rotterdam, Bernd Weidenfeller and Gerhard Ziegmann, Clausthal-Zellerfeld/Germany The mineral, magnetite, is of key importance for the iron and steel industry. Its role as a functional filler for plastics, however, is relatively new. Thanks to its outstanding properties, this filler has already gained ground in many applications, right through to the automotive industry. The increasing use of p...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Functional Filler: Precipitated Calcium Carbonate in PVC
Additives Precipitated Calcium Carbonate in PVC Functional Filler. Environmentally unfriendly lead (Pb) stabilisers are being replaced by systems with a low heavy metal content. With a functional filler, application-specific properties of PVC window profiles containing alternative stabiliser systems can be optimised. Marijan Vučak Hein-Dieter Stöver PVC processors use a wide variety of different additives. They include stabilisers and co-stabilisers, lubricants and polymeric auxiliaries ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Functional Plastics: Materials Research as Technical Investment
Market and Management Materials Research as Technical Investment Functional Plastics. "The future belongs to the technopolymers and special polymers that will probably be produced in smaller quantities, but are essential for humanity to advance", Paul J. Flory (Nobel Prize winner 1974). Jürgen Stebani Plastics are starting to age. Most of the resins belonging to this material class that we encounter every day are, in the meantime, over 50 years old. This does not mean, however, that pl...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Functionality is the Key Factor
Functionality is the Key Factor Plastics Drive Medical Progress Martin Weller and Peter Eyerer, Stuttgart/Germany The ever increasing functionality of medical products and, in parallel with this, the mounting complexity of such articles are making a significant contribution towards raising the value added in the use of plastics for medical applications. This, in combination with the enormous pressure on costs in the health care sector, is providing the driving force for innovative developm...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Gas Phase Fluorination: Reducing Plasticiser Migration
Additives Reducing Plasticiser Migration Gas Phase Fluorination. Plasticisers have special importance in producing PVC. They can be used to adjust the properties of PVC over a wide range from hard to leathery soft. The plasticiser migrates from the PVC and accumulates on the surface. Plasticiser migration from PVC can be significantly reduced by pretreatment with gas phase fluorination. Sindy Mosch Carsten Rehwinkel Bernd Möller Since the beginning of mass production in the last century plastics...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Gas-assisted Injection Moulding: Accurate Determination of the Injection Points
Gas-assisted Injection Moulding: Accurate Determination of the Injection Points In the process design of gas-assisted injection moulding process, the positions of the melt and gas injection points have a decisive effect on the subsequent part quality. Part two of this three-part series uses an FE simulation to illustrate the effect of melt distribution on the gas bubble profile, and shows a way to determine the optimum injection location. Helmut Potente, Hans-Peter Heim, Helmut Ridder Befo...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Gas-assisted Injection Moulding: The Cross-section is Crucial
Gas-assisted Injection Moulding: The Cross-section is Crucial The gas-bubble cross-section has a crucial effect on the growth of the gas bubble in a gas-assist part. For successful application of gas-assisted injection moulding, it must therefore be clear how process parameters affect the developing cavity. Part 3 and end of the series. Helmut Potente, Hans-Peter Heim, Helmut Ridder Two preceding articles on gas-assisted injection moulding (GAIM) described the geometrical influences of the...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Gas-assisted Injection, Temperature Control, Foaming: Industrial Gases as Aids During Injection Moulding
Injection Moulding Industrial Gases as Aids During Injection Moulding Gas-assisted Injection, Temperature Control, Foaming. The use of nitrogen or carbon dioxide for injection moulding applications provides noteworthy economic and technical benefits and, for these reasons, continues to grow. This article describes areas where the potential for industrial gases can be developed further. Ursula Resgren Andreas Praller The range of possible applications for industrial gases in injection mouldin...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Good Growth Prospects: Ticona Sets its Stakes on Engineering Plastics
Special Ticona Sets its Stakes on Engineering Plastics Good Growth Prospects. An increasing number of key industries are substituting engineering plastics for conventional materials. At the same time, an ever-greater number of composites are being used. Ticona is intending to profit from both trends, which are set to become even more pronounced over the years to come. The focal points of the company's activities are constant process optimisation and the development of new products and marke...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Good is Not Enough: From Initial Idea to Successful Product
Innovation Management From Initial Idea to Successful Product Good is Not Enough. The chances of success for innovations and thus long-term economic growth are basically determined by favourable underlying economic and political conditions. It is particularly important for the marketing units of the companies to recognise which way technological developments are going and to correctly appraise the market opportunities. Stefan Marcinowski Chemical innovations make our life more pleasant and c...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Grooved Feed Sections
Grooved Feed Sections Design Variants for Single-Screw Extruders Beata Kowalska, Lublin/Poland Extruders with grooved feed sections have greater throughput and more stable conveying characteristics than those with smooth barrels with a comparable screw geometry. A survey of different designs of grooved feed sections is given here. They fall into two basic types: Those with a fixed geometry and those whose groove geometry can be varied during the extrusion process. The design of the feed ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Growing Profitably: BASF: "Offering Customers Clear Advantages"
Special BASF: "Offering Customers Clear Advantages" Growing Profitably. By clearly focusing on the business model of the future, reducing fixed costs and concentrating on profitable segments in partnership with customers, BASF plans to achieve continued successful growth in its plastics business. The aim is to earn a premium on the cost of capital. BASF intends to push ahead with the strategic development of its plastics business. This was made clear by Dr. John Feldmann, the BASF AG bo...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Growing with the Electronics Market: Liquid-Crystal Polymers (LCP)
Trend Report High Performance Plastics Liquid-Crystal Polymers (LCP) Growing with the Electronics Market. Electronics applications are still the driving force behind the consumption and development of liquid-crystal polymers. As parts get ever smaller but at the same time more complex, increasing demands are made on the material grades used. In many cases, LCPs offer the most efficient solution here thanks to their extraordinary range of properties. Birgit Staub Stefan Greulich Since the end o...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Growth Market for Powder Injection Moulding
Growth Market for Powder Injection Moulding Opportunities for Processors Frank Petzoldt, Bremen/Germany The injection moulding of metal and ceramic powder materials (powder injection moulding - PIM) has become established as a competitive technology for precision parts. PIM's success results from the high freedom of shaping allowed by plastics injection moulding technology combined with the wide choice of materials offered by powder technology. This leads to a dynamically growing marke...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Guest Editorial: “Constant Innovation is a Key Requirement”
Guest Editorial “Constant Innovation is a Key Requirement” With a share of roughly one-third, Europe will remain a major contributor to global production of plastics into 2010 and beyond. Dr. Günter Hilken, head of the Business Unit Polycarbonates at Bayer MaterialScience and chairman of PlasticsEurope Deutschland, commentates on the current situation and the forecasts for growth in the plastics industry. Dr. Günter Hilken on the future of plastics production in Germany, Europe and the world ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, HALS Light Stabiliser: Light Stabilisation and More
Additives Light Stabilisation and More HALS Light Stabiliser. In addition to the primary stabilising action of HALS compounds, secondary effects often play a key role in selecting the best stabiliser for a given application. The lower the interaction with other additives or substances in the processing or end-use environment, the better the stabilising and processing properties can be. Alban Glaser Simon Schambony The range of oligomeric HALS (Hindered Amine Light Stabilisers) compounds is almo...