P O W E R E D B Y T H E O F F I C I A L I N T E R N AT I O N A L P R O V I D E R S O F FA K U M A S H O W DA I L I E S
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A robot moves medicine cannulas in the new e-victory 160 on display at the Engel Holding GmbH booth.
Asia continues driving
sales growth for Engel
By Steve Toloken
PLASTICS NEWS STAFF
The number seven seems to be
special for European plastics ma-
chinery makers at the moment —
injection press giant Engel Holding
GmbH said Oct. 15 that sales this
year will likely go up 7 percent, the
same increase that rival Wittmann
Battenfeld GmbH projected a day
earlier for its 2014 global sales.
Engel, which is the world’s
largest injection molding machine
maker based on sales, told a news
conference at Fakuma 2014 in Ger-
many that expansion in Asia is dri-
ving the jump this year, after its
sales were down a nominal 1.5
INSIDE
FRIDAY
17, OCTOBER, 2014 ● PLASTICSNEWS.COM
KraussMaffei
Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel
thinking small
(machines)
By Bill Bregar
PLASTICS NEWS STAFF
KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH is targeting small-ton-
nage machines at Fakuma — including the rollout of its re-
worked CX press, boasting lower energy use, and a space-
saving design.
KraussMaffei also is rolling out its new Adaptive Process
Control system (APC) that adjusts the changeover point from
injection to pack-and-hold, and the hold-
ing pressure.
KM’s sister company Netstal-Maschi-
nen AG is demonstrating high-speed
KRAUSSMAFFEI molding of thin-wall medical and pack-
Hall: A7 aging.
Stand: 7303 Hans Ulrich Golz, president of injection
molding machinery at the KraussMaffei
Group, said innovations made to the CX
machine make it operate 15 percent faster,
use 10 percent less energy and run 30 percent quieter.
A new telescoping sprue picker is designed for plants with
low ceilings. The robot is completely integrated into the ma-
chine’s protective enclosure.
Three CX presses are running at KraussMaffei’s stand,
See Machines, Page 12
Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel
percent in its last fiscal year. vidual regions,” Neumann said, in a
“This 7 percent now comes main- news release.
ly from our activities in Asia,” Engel Russia, for example, has seen de-
CEO Peter Neumann told journal- mand drop in half this year be-
ists. “For sure also our cause of the crisis in
factories in Austria, they Ukraine, but positive de-
are running close to 100 velopments are expected
percent utilization or
ENGEL in the next six months,
even a little more.” Hall: A5 Christoph Steger, Engel’s
That would put sales Stand: 5204 chief sales officer, said at
for Schwertberg, Austria- the briefing.
based Engel at 1 billion Russia was Europe’s
euros in the fiscal year third-largest market for
ending in March, up molding machines last
from 935 million euros in the 12 year, with 1,500 units sold, Engel
months ending in March 2014. said.
A telescoping sprue picker robot works in a newly redesigned CX
“All told, the global markets con- Europe’s second-largest injection injection molding machine at the KraussMaffei booth.
tinue to be stable, even though po- press market, Turkey, is showing
litical conflicts have weakened indi- See Engel, Page14
VISIT THE
EUROPEAN PLASTICS NEWS /
Production with a smile Added production PLASTICS NEWS STAND TO
Company shows off Styrolution adds WIN AN iPAD AIR!
humanoid robot that capacity in Germany,
Stand: FW24
inspects parts PAGE 4 U.S. PAGE 7
2 ● PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014

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Evonik debuts a new compound

Plastics News photos by Caroline Seidel

By Keren Sall
PRW
Evonik Industries AG presented
a new specialty molding com-
pound with which it plans to ex-
ploit the growing demand for au-
tomotive glazing.
The new material, called Plexi-
glas Resist AG 100, offers weight
Uwe Löffler, director of business development at Evonik Industries AG, stands savings, freedom of design and
next to a windshield made out of a new specialty molding compound. the possibility of functional inte-
gration — reducing recess depth
and assembly costs. Uwe Löffler,
director of business development
at Evonik, claims the new com-
pound is the first acrylic special-
ty molding in the world for this
application. The material, he
added, offers “unparalleled bril-
liance and clearness.”
Plexiglas Resist is impact modi-
fied and has up to 30 times the
breaking strength of mineral
glass. “Our developers have also
succeeded in significantly reduc-
ing the reversible haze that oc-
curs in standard impact-modified
products at very high and very
low temperatures,” Löffler said.
The new specialty compound
can be processed by injection
molding, compression molding,
or by extrusion with subsequent
sheet thermoforming.
Löffler believes Plexiglas Resist
AG also comes up trumps as the
subsequent hard coating pro-
vides a number of technical ad-
vantages increasing the already
good abrasion resistance further.
Unlike other thermoplastics,
such as polycarbonate, which
must undergo a two-step coating
process to achieve UV and
scratch resistance, the new Re-
sist is inherently resistant to UV
light and weathering and there-
fore re-
quires a sin-
gle coating
EVONIK only. “Also
driving in
Hall: A4 the rain is
Stand: 4117 far less
noisy with
PMMA glaz-
ing, com-
pared to the use polycarbonate,”
Löffler said.
The material meets all the re-
quirements for automotive glaz-
ing, and, importantly, has also un-
dergone and passed all tests to
comply with the standards stipu-
lated in the United Nations ECE
R43 homologation program.
Evonik believes the lower car-
bon footprint of Plexiglas will
convince automotive companies
to use the material. At the end of
a car’s service life, Plexiglas can
be completely recycled and
reused in other transparent appli-
cations.

‘Also driving in the

rain is far less noisy
with PMMA glazing,
The broad perspective counts!        compared to the use
polycarbonate.’
    !"#$%  & ' &(    &
Uwe Löffler
  &  %) % *+   ,  %  Evonik Industries AG

n
chshafe
Friedri =(-81.3-=
  -
  ' @?-3-
1* 
>?

+%

A windshield manufactured out of

Evonik’s new specialty compound
called Plexiglas Resist AG 100. The
'

new material offers weight savings,

ARBURG, Inc. freedom of design and the possibili-
-./ 0 ty of functional integration — reduc-
!   1234--- ing recess depth and assembly
56-7843944:4/33 costs.
;56-7843944:4/..
(% 5<' %
 PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014 ● 3

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Sepro sees success with five-axis robots

Plastics News photos by Caroline Seidel

By Bill Bregar Jean-Michel Renaudeau echoed
those remarks.
PLASTICS NEWS STAFF
“To be a successful molder to-
French robot maker Sepro Ro- day, you need to produce complex
botique expects to generate 78 parts, on short cycles and with ex-
million euros in 2014 sales — 17 ceptional quality. You need to
percent more than 2013 — as Se- make frequent mold changes with
pro’s five-axis robots win new as little downtime as possible. And
customers, executives said at you need to do all this economical-
Fakuma. ly with fewer skilled employees,”
Sepro is showing nine robots he said. “Even molders who are
on its stand, and another five at not operating under these condi-
machinery partner companies, tions today recognize that this is
the brands Sumitomo Demag, the direction the industry is mov-
Haitian, Billion, JSW and another ing and they are eager to invest in
private label arrangement Sepro technology that they will need in
did not identify. the years to come. This is what is
Sepro’s five-axis robot, called driving demand for five-axis ro-
the 5X, is a Sepro three- bots.”
axis beam robot with a Historically, you
rotating, two-axis wrist needed an articulating-
from Stäubli Robotics. SEPRO arm, six-axis robot to
Sepro introduced the Hall: A1 handle many of those
5X line at the last Faku- type of complex part-
Stand: 1203
ma, in 2012, and it has manipulation tasks of
become the company’s the 5X. But the beam-
fastest-growing new robot arrangement —
product over the past used by decades in the
few years, according to Marcus plastics industry — offers faster
Klaputek, international sales movement into the molding
manager. space, Sepro said.
The 5X can be easily adapted Of course, Sepro offers the
to different molds and machines, Stäubli six-axis robots as well, A five-axis robot shown on the Sepro Robotique booth on Oct. 15.
by changing the movement path dubbed the 6X.
using the controller, instead of At Fakuma, two six-axis robots
the traditional way of making lots are teaming with three five-axis
of mechanical adjustments. The robots in an iPad relay. Sepro
wrist moves to position the part also is showing its Success 7, the
for post-molding work such as smallest in the general-purpose
flaming or vision inspection. robot line, paired with an S3 ser-
“Even if customers don’t have vo-driven sprue picker to manip- Left: Jean-Michel
an immediate need for this type ulate jumbo plastic building Renaudeau, left and
of robot, they are buying a five- blocks. Marcus Klaputek at
axis robot to give them this flexi- All the robots run on Sepro’s the Sepro booth.
bility,” Klaputek said in Sepro’s controller, including the 5X and
Fakuma news conference. 6X. Right: The head of
a five-axis robot on
display at the Sepro
‘To be a successful molder today, you need to booth.

produce complex parts, on short cycles and with

exceptional quality.’
Jean-Michel Renaudeau
Sepro Robotique

DuPont materials used in wide range of applications

By Frank Esposito junction with automotive suppli- to make the instrument can be al-
PLASTICS NEWS STAFF ers Tristone Flowtech Group of most 40 percent renewable.
Frankfurt and Teklas Kaucuk AS Poppe said the new grade can re-
Materials made by DuPont Co. of Istanbul. place metal because of its resis-
are making inroads with products Circuit breakers and electrical tance to gamma radiation and its
Ernst Poppe, ranging from auto coolant pipes switches are among target prod- five-year shelf life.
technical service to circuit breakers to surgical de- ucts for a new grade of Rynite- Other new product grades
manager of vices. brand PET. Poppe said Rynite can highlighted by DuPont at Fakuma
DuPont Co., A new grade of Zytel-brand ny- replace thermoset resins in those include a Hytrel-brand copoly-
holds a biopsy lon 6/12 can provide 60 percent applications by offering recycla- ester used in optical fiber cables
punch made out weight savings in auto bility as well as similar and two new food-contact resins.
of DuPont coolant pipes, said performance. The ma- A new grade of Zytel 6/10 nylon is
Sorona EP. Ernst Poppe, DuPont’s terial also is non-halo- being used in beverage dispens-
Plastics News photo
by Caroline Seidel
performance polymers DUPONT genated. ing tubes, while a new Rynite PET
technical service man- In the medical mar- grade is aimed at ovenable trays
ager, Oct. 15 at Faku- Hall: B4 ket, instrument maker and bowls that can withstand
ma. The grade — which Stand: 4200 DTR Medical of temperatures of up to 200° C.
has been nominated for Swansea, England, is DuPont ranks as one of the
a Society of Plastics En- using DuPont’s Sorona- world’s largest producers of
gineers award — will brand biopolymer in a chemicals and specialty plastics.
be used in pipes for small cars. single-use biopsy tool for taking a The firm employs about 70,000
Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont tissue sample from a patient. The worldwide and posted sales of al-
developed the new pipes in con- glass-filled grade of Sorona used most $36 billion in 2013.
4 ● PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014

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Plastics News photos by Caroline Seidel

Production
with a smile
Humanoid robot quick
at inspecting parts
By David Vink equipped with an Engel linear part-
EUROPEAN PLASTICS NEWS handling robot, which molds an
ABS demonstration part bearing
Everyone knows robots can im- the names of the three partner
prove production and quality. But companies in a single-cavity mold.
no one says they can’t show a little The tool was built by Ehle-
personality while they’re working. bracht’s Elektra subsidiary in Chi-
For a production cell at Fakuma, na.
pi4_robotics GmbH’s humanoid ro- The Engel robot places the parts
bot takes center stage, inspecting on a conveyor belt. A pi4_worker-
parts made by Berlin-based injec- bot 10.3 humanoid robot then iden-
tion molder Ehlebracht Plastics tifies the random location of the
Technology and coated by parts on the conveyor belt with a
Linköping, Sweden’s Impact Coat- pi4 vision system integrated in the
ings AB. gripper of its two arms, and places
The partners helped create the them precisely into the Plasticoat
cell, which is producing plasma va- plasma treatment unit.
por deposition (PVD) chrome-deco- When they’re finished there, the
rated parts humanoid robot takes the parts for
Ehlebracht Managing Director inspection, and packages them in a
Heinrich Prinz Reuss said the com- thermoformed tray. A pi4_workerbot at the Ehlebracht booth on Oct. 15.
pany makes a number of parts that
are plated after molding, but it does manual operation takes no longer
not have its own plating facilities. Robot company than 10 minutes.
“There are relatively few such
companies in Europe providing
growing Peter Högfeldt, marketing manag-
er at Impact Coatings AB, described
plating services for plastic parts Matthias Krinke is the man be- the company’s process as “lean
and as a newcomer in supplying hind the smiling robot. PVD vacuum metallization, some-
customers with plated parts we He started pi4_robotics in 1994 thing that makes us different from
soon realized that we can’t contin- “with 2,000 Deutschemarks as a others.
ues this way forever, as one-man show in my liv- “There is feedback on a finished
it can mean sending ing room, but it wasn’t part within minutes,” he said. “It
parts 300 to 500 kilome- until 2010 that I had the can take weeks with conventional
ters away for plating,” first generation of hu- production and by then you may
he said. “And then there PI4_ROBOTICS manoid robots devel- have lost 20,000 parts — so it re-
is also the issue of tradi- Hall: A1 oped.” duce scrap costs considerably.”
tional Chrome 6 plating Now the Berlin-based It is also lean because lead
no longer being consid-
Stand: 1205 company has 50 employ- times can be reduced and prod-
ered as an ecologically ees, and he’s seeking 12 ucts can be shipped the same
accepted process these more. day as production starts up,
days.” The robots have been running in Högfeldt added.
The integrated process shown at commercial use on a 24/7 basis for From left, Ehlebracht director Heinrich Prinz Reuss, Matthias Krinke from In Germany, Ehlebracht has 32
Fakuma overcomes that problem the past two years, and Krinke says pi4_robotics and Peter Högfeldt of Impact Coating. injection molding machines with
since the metallization takes place his company already has a contract 20-300 tonnes clamping force in
alongside the injection molding ma- to supply one company with 50 hu- gles as you want,” Krinke said, “al- perforation, flaking, stains and Enger, another 19 in Berlin with
chine. And the partners — along manoid robots. though there is a restriction in that chrome specks in terms of the plat- 100-1,300 tonnes clamping force.
with that smiling robot — are taking He said the robot in the Ehle- a very large number of angles starts ed quality. Otherwise, it can also Elsewhere, there are 29 ma-
advantage of a Fakuma spotlight to bracht cell is unique because of the to affect cycle time.” detect missing parts, scratches, chines of 30-550 tonnes in
stimulate interest and get feedback. “Inspectoid” automatic visual in- The equipment can recognize de- cracks, other faults and contamina- Michalovce, Slovakia, and 70
“We had a good audience already spection system — “the first world- fects down to 0.1 millimeters in up tion. with 40-1,000 tonnes in the Shen-
on the first day of the fair with high- wide for inspecting chromed parts, to 10 test zones for parts sized up Krinke said the humanoid han- zhen and Suzhou plants in China.
quality people with high-quality with the Inspectoid M1 unit being to 150mm x 210mm x 150mm dling system can be scaled up to The company reported 2013
functions showing interest,” he absolutely new.” weighing a maximum 3 kilograms. handle a large number of parts, for sales of 82.1 million euros for the
said. The Inspectoid system is fed with The types of defects recognized in- example from multicavity molds, plastics technology and Elektra
The process starts with a hy- 3-D data for the parts to be inspect- clude sink marks, streaking, mold through use of multiple grippers. lighting systems business units.
draulic Engel Victory VC330/60 Eco- ed, including complex ones, and it errors, blisters, pores, burning in The robots can also be leased, and The plastics technology group
drive injection molding machine can accordingly check “as many an- terms of molding quality, as well as changeover from fully automatic to has 1,006 employees.

Collaboration leads to bioplastic touch screen housing

By Keren Sall
PRW
Corbion Purac NV’s collaboration with Tai-
wan-headquartered compounder Supla Co.
Ltd. and Taiwan electronics producer Kuen-
der & Co. is paying dividends, with the debut
of what it claims is the world’s first bioplastic
touch screen computer housing.
Made for Kuender in high gloss white, it
shows improved impact resistance, high heat
resistance and good scratch resistance, and
will be available starting Jan. 1. The material
has high dimensional stability allowing for
tight tolerances during processing.
Corbion Purac’s marketing director tics include an air filter box and interior trim lene, and nylons.
François de Bie said Supla was in the process parts for the automotive industry from Röch- A range of packaging and serviceware ap-
of setting up a 10,000 tonne PLA polymeriza- ling Automotive. plications, including single-use thermo-
tion factory in China to supply the The injection molded parts formed hot drink cups made by Huhtamäki
material for this high-end Kuender boast heat resistance up to 140° C, Oyj and lids produced by WinGram Interna-
application amongst others. impact resistance, UV resistance, tional Co. Ltd. and full stereo-complex trans-
“Supla has compounding facili- CORBION high gloss, improved colorability parent film from Innovia Films Ltd. are also
ties and now is in the process of PURAC and dimensional stability, enabling displayed.
backward integration into poly- them to withstand the demanding In addition to final applications, Corbion
merization. It will use our high Hall: B4 conditions in today’s engine com- Purac is presenting its PLA resin and com-
quality lactides to make PLA Stand: 4207 partment. pound partnerships, which include Zhejiang
resin,” he said. Gorinchem, Netherlands-based Hisun Chemical Co. Ltd. and Supla, for neat
Other applications showcasing Corbian Purac believes this makes PLA resin, and Biotec GmbH and FKuR Kunst-
the broad range of characteristics and prop- PLA a good alternative to most polyesters, as stoff GmbH for high-heat food serviceware
erties that can be achieved with PLA bioplas- well as ABS, polyolefins such as polypropy- compounds.
 PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014 ● 5

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Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel

BASF targets coffee and
automotive connoisseurs
By Keren Sall weighs only 2 kilograms. The component made of Ultradur
PRW backrest is made of a UV-stable B4040 G6, which keeps the two
nylon 6 compound Ultramid B3ZG8 body shells apart. The PBT ma-
BASF SE is using polybutylene UV, specially developed by BASF, terial is dimensionally stable in-
terephthalate (PBT), which is for applications of this type. dependent of the ambient cli-
normally used to manufacture The second BMW i3 product mate and provides the
high-end electronics, in a food on display is a large integral necessary buckling resistance.
Coffee capsules made from PBT on display at the BASF booth.
consumer packaging product.
It unveiled the grade, which
was optimized for the produc-
tion of airtight coffee capsules
that retain aroma, at the Faku-
ma show, with first prototypes Mold-Masters
of the product.
The coffee capsules, designed
Hall A5
for Coffee Capsules Solution Stand 5205
(CCS GMbH), an independent
Munich-based supplier, will be
sold by a big retail discounter
at the end of November in
France, Belgium and the Nether-
lands.
BASF’s engineering plastic Ul-
tradur B1520 FC combines good
barrier properties against mois-
ture and oxygen, while contain-
ing aromas, without a need for
any additional complex coat-
ings.
DROP IN,
BASF
says this
distin-
guishes its
CONNECT,
BASF
Hall: B4
Stand: 4304
Ultradur
capsules
from other
injection
GO
molded
capsules,
which are usually packaged in-
dividually, as well as from mul-
      
tilayered thermoset capsules.
Ultradur B1520 FC, with its automotive applications with economic
food-contact certification, is
also suitable for thin-walled in- pricing and fast deliveries across the entire globe.
jection molded packaging for
cosmetics and food products. +

 
 
 
 
 



The PBT is now available in
commercial quantities in six dif-

 
  
 
 

ferent colors in suitable master-
batches created by BASF Color + Field replaceable heaters to reduce downtime
Solutions.
On the automotive front, +
 

 






 
BASF presented a new TPU
grade Elastollan AC 55D10 HPM + Sequential valve gate control available
(High Performance Material) for
cladding the Citroën C4 Cactus
with so-called Airbumps. The
project is the culmination of
many years of development
work between the French auto-
motive manufacturer, the sup- Always Innovating.
plier Rehau of Switzerland and
BASF.
Airbumps are large air-filled
cushion bumpers in contrasting
colors. They are fitted on the
sides as well as on the front and
rear of the vehicle, protect the
car exterior from impact and
scratches and give the vehicle its
distinctive look.
Two innovative components
from the BMW i3, the electric ve- moldmasters.com
hicle from the BMW AG, are also
presented on the BASF stand. Rely on our global support network for fast service and parts.
The front seat with an injec- North America 1-800-387-2483 | Europe 49 (0) 7221 5099-0
tion molded and unpainted struc-
tural seat component backrest is Mold-Masters and the Mold-Masters logo are trademarks of Mold-Masters (2007) Limited.
made of nylon that has a visible © 2014 Mold-Masters (2007) Limited. A Milacron Company. All rights reserved.
surface. The hybrid component
6 ● PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014

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Kistler upgrades production software for transparency

Plastics News photos by Caroline Seidel

David Eldridge ing zero-defect production. Many
EUROPEAN PLASTICS NEWS molders are finding that this is
becoming a customer require-
Growing demand for documen- ment.
tation in injection molding pro- “More and more end customers
duction is behind the next gener- are specifying cavity pressure
ation database released at technology,” Vaculik said.
Fakuma 2014 by Kistler Group, Whereas version 1.0 of the CDC
the Winterthur, Switzerland- provided simple storage of data
based provider of mold cavity from each production run, ver-
sensor technology. sion 2.0 has a lot more analytical
Kistler has released version 2.0 tools.
of its CoMo DataCenter (CDC) The CDC system links all the
system, which provides not only CoMo injection systems used by
an overview of the status of each the molding company, across dif-
injection molding machine, but ferent production sites. Kistler
also the option for production says it seamlessly combines
monitoring and process analysis process and quality-related pro-
across an entire operation, in- duction data for both live and
cluding on mobile devices. completed orders in one data-
“The production manager can base. This provides unlimited
even see how production is going comparability of data which an-
from his iPhone while he is on va- swers the growing need for docu-
cation,” joked Robert Vaculik, mentation and traceability of pro-
who became head of Kistler’s duction data.
plastics business in January. “But Vaculik has 20 years of experi-
we need this transparency, be- ence in plastics processing, with Cavity pressure sensors on display at the Kistler Group booth. Kistler supplies sensors and systems to three mar-
cause the trend is going this way the last five years as develop- kets: automotive, medical and electronics.
in manufacturing.” ment manager at Montaplast
Kistler supplies its sensors and GmbH in Morspach, Germany. charge signal from the sensor is
systems for three key “The experience he transmitted directly to a contact
markets, all of which has acquired in pro- element in the tooling insert via
demand this trans- cessing and the coordi- the charge-bearing spacer sleeve
parency: automotive, KISTLER nation of international without any need for a cable.
medical and electron- projects in the USA, Kistler says this installation
ics. Hall: A3 China and India is in- makes for easy handling of the
Carmakers focus Stand: 4304 valuable to Kistler and mold insert for maintenance
strongly on the benefits emphasizes its posi- and repair work. In addition,
of low defect part rates tion as a truly global the design and manufacturing
that the Kistler technol- player,” said Kistler of the mounting bore is also
ogy provides, which translates when it announced his appoint- simpler with the charge-bearing
into improved manufacturing ment. spacer sleeve, as the spacer
cost control. Vaculik says that his career sleeve is screwed into place at
For device makers in the med- background in injection molding the sensor itself and therefore
ical sector, a document trail is companies is proving valuable in does not need to be attached
the most important thing. his new role heading Kistler’s separately to the mold insert.
“They need to be 100 percent plastics business. Kistler says it has the “right
sure the part quality is reliable,” “I come from injection molding, Robert Vaculik, head of Kistler Group’s plastics business, has 20 years of sensor for every kind of process.”
Vaculik said. so I know what the customer experience in plastics processing. He was at the Kistler booth at the Faku- Vaculik said it has even devel-
Kistler’s mold cavity pressure needs are. I put this knowledge to ma trade show on Oct. 14. oped a sensor for the resin trans-
monitoring technology helps con- use in our approach to the mar- fer molding (RTM) process. Every
trol the injection molding ket and in our product develop- all of Kistler’s technology and base was redesigned to show a RTM mold used in production of
process, enabling the molding ment,” he said. software easy to use. Hence the simple overview at one level, but the BMW i3 and i8 electric and
company toward a goal of achiev- A major focus for him is making interface of the new CoMo data- allowing the user to easily drill hybrid cars have Kistler cavity
down into the data if needed. sensors, he said.
The system is quick to install Kistler Group employs 1,250
and there is also no need to man- people and achieved sales of
ually link interfaces from differ- CHF 285 million in its 2013 fi-
ent machines, so users can get nancial year. Its global footprint
started right away. includes 28 sales and produc-
In another example of Kistler’s tion companies, plus tech cen-
response to customer needs, it ters on every continent, and
has developed cavity pressure more than 30 agencies.
sensors with exchangeable ca- Oliver Schnerr, head of sales
bles. If the sensor cable is dam- in Kistler’s Industrial Process
aged during injection molding, it Control (IPC) division, was
can now be replaced on-site by managing the plastics business
the user quickly and easily, says before the handover to Vaculik.
Kistler. This provides greater Schnerr has continued to over-
flexibility for the operator and see the sales management of

Rethinking Technology saves costs in terms of spare

parts.
An exchangeable cable is avail-
able for Kistler’s Type 6183C
In the largest know-how network for extrusion technology we pressure sensor with a 1-millime-
think different to develop true innovations – for clear competitive ter front, and recently the com-
pany has made it available for
advantages in the production of high-quality blown films, cast the Type 6182C with a 2.5 mm
films, sheets, monofilaments, strapping tapes, nonwovens and front.
In another arrangement, the ba-
WPC products. sic type of this sensor can also be
mounted with a charge-bearing
spacer sleeve fitting to the specif-
Visit us in hall A6, stand 6206 and online on www.reifenhauser.com ic requirements of each individ-
ual injection molding tool. The
the IPC division from the com-
pany’s Japan site. Schnerr’s
role is to develop the sales or-
ganization on selected sites in
Asia in order to strengthen ac-
tivities in the respective mar-
kets.
Vaculik said that Kistler is
still doing well in China, despite
reports of its economy slowing.
Asia is not a new region for
Kistler, but the group continues
to seek ways of expanding its
sales there and in other re-
gions.
 PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014 ● 7

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Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel

Styrolution adds production
capacity in Germany, US
By Frank Esposito ● An HPV (human papillo- to be introduced into the chest and
PLASTICS NEWS STAFF mavirus) sampler to detect cervical abdominal cavities — from Hakko
cancer and other illnesses from Del- Corp. of Osaka, Japan. The trocar
Styrolution GmbH has added phi Bioscience of Scherpenzeel, the uses Terlux-brand methyl
production capacity at plants in Netherlands. The sampler uses No- methacrylate ABS.
the United States and Germany and vadur-brand ABS. Styrolution officials said that all
is promoting the merits of its trans- ● The EZ Trocar surgical tool — of these materials offer a combina-
Mark Beitz, Styrolution GmbH’s president of business management for
parent styrenic resins. which allows surgical instruments tion of aesthetics and functionality. styrenic specialties in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Frankfurt, Germany-based Styro-
lution recently began making NAS-
brand styrene methyl-methacry-
late (SMMA) resins at its plant in
Decatur, Ala. The firm had made
that material in Indian Orchard, cx.kraussmaffei.com
Mass., until closing its plant there
earlier this year.

We have made our smallest

In Ludwigshafen, Germany, Sty-
rolution this month launched pro-
duction of NAS and of Zylar-brand
styrenic copolymers at a unit that
previously had made ABS and ASA
resins. The Ludwigshafen site has
annual capacity of about 25 million
pounds. No SMMA capacity num-
ber for Decatur was available.
one top of the class.
Previously, Indian Orchard had
been Styrolution’s only global NAS
production site.
“Customers want supply flexibili-
The new CX.
ty, so it’s important to have a back-
up plan by having two facilities,”
Mark Beitz
said Oct. 14 at
Fakuma. Beitz
STYROLUTION serves as Sty-
rolution’s vice
Hall: B4 president of
Stand: 4107 business man-
agement for
styrenic spe-
cialties in Eu-
rope, the Middle East and Africa.
On the new product side, Styro-
lution has launched new grades of
Zylar and of its Clearblend-brand Come and meet us at our
styrene acrylic copolymer. Both booth 7303/7304 in hall A7.
grades are transparent, but remain
strong with good impact strength,
officials said.
“We have the best clarity you
can get,” Beitz said, “along with
good chemical resistance, high
flow and short cycle times.”
The new grades are being used
in products ranging from refriger-
ator drawers to water filters. Oth-
er applications include toys, ap-
pliances, office accessories and
consumer goods.
So far in 2014, Beitz said that
Styrolution’s customers have
been mostly optimistic, in spite
of low economic growth in the
U.S. and a flat economy for Eu-
rope. “They’re willing to try new
things,” he added. “Medical is
growing and automotive and
household are doing OK.”
Other applications focused on
by Styrolution at Fakuma include:
● The AxoTrack vascular ac-
cess system, a virtual needle
technology from Soma Access
Systems of Greenville, S.C. This
real-time needle tracking system
uses Zylar-brand styrenic copoly-
mer.
● White medical tubes that act as
stabilizers for filter elements from
Microspec Corp. of Peterborough,
N.H. The tubes use Styroflex-brand
styrenic copolymer. Engineering Passion
8 ● PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014

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VIEWPOINT BILL BREGAR Crain Communications

1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit, Mich. 48207

Eurozone economy tied to Germany

Tel. 313-446-6000 www.plasticsnews.com

Executive Vice President/Director of Corporate

Operations/Group publisher K.C. Crain

Chairman Keith E. Crain

Treasurer Mary K. Crain
akuma 2014 is full of in-

F
President Rance E. Crain
jection molding and au- Merrilee P. Crain (1942-2012)
tomation. You have the
big machinery players, Fakuma on-site staff
the KraussMaffeis, Ar- Plastics News publisher Brennan Lafferty
Plastics News editor Don Loepp
burgs and Engels. But Fakuma Plastics News senior reporter Bill Bregar
is really a great opportunity to Plastics News senior reporter Frank Esposito
meet the smaller automation Asia bureau chief Steve Toloken
companies, European firms that
European Plastics News editor David Eldridge
have tremendous expertise —
European Plastics News contributing editor
the ones that get lost in the gi- James Snodgrass
gantic K show.
There are companies like Max PRW features editor Keren Sall

Petek Reinraumtechnik, over at Correspondent David Vink

stand A7-7503. This is the com-
Photographer Caroline Seidel
pany that makes those clean
rooms mounted on top of an in- Show daily production staff
jection molding machine, that Plastics News news editor Rhoda Miel
create a clean area just in the Plastics News assistant managing editor
molding area. (They make Jeremy Carroll
Plastics News art director Jessica Jordan
portable walled clean rooms Staff reporters Catherine Kavanaugh,
too.) At Fakuma you can meet Kerri Jansen
Max Petek himself, a colorful, Editorial cartoonist Rich Williams

stylish entrepreneur.
PLASTICS NEWS DIGITAL & MARKETING
You see Max Petek units on 313-446-5869
presses at machinery exhibits Senior director of integrated marketing
and digital strategy Pam Gillies
during trade shows all the time.
Brand strategy manager Kim Winkler
But the company that makes Digital marketing manager Sarah Plante
them does not exhibit at the K Marketing coordinator Nadine Purdy
show. Too big, Max says! Integrated marketing intern Brooke Cancilliari
But I’m not going to talk Audience development manager Julie Brown
about technology in this Faku- Debates about a minimum euros, or $25). I was ready to Tell customers you can’t give Senior audience development specialist
Elise Coyle
ma Show Daily column. You are wage are about politics as much move to Zurich to work at Mc- them any discount. That would Reprint account executive Alicia Samuel
seeing plenty of that yourself at as economics. Chancellor An- Donalds! But Swiss voters over- be deflationary.
Messe Friedrichshafen. Instead, gela Merkel’s Christian Democ- whelmingly rejected what ● Finally, the Wall Street Jour- PLASTICS NEWS RESEARCH
313-446-5869
let’s look at some German and rat approved the new policy in would have been the world’s nal had this headline recently: Research director Kelley Trost
eurozone economic news. a power-sharing agreement highest minimum wage. “Europe auto recovery looks Research analyst David Hutton
Am I an economist? No, with the Social Democ- So I continue to write about shaky.”
PLASTICS NEWS EVENTS
I cover plastics machin- ratic Party. A year ago, plastics machinery … In a report from the Paris auto 313-446-5869
ery! But Germany is an Merkel campaigned ● The European Central Bank show, the newspaper reported Events director Nicole LaPointe
important economy that against a nationwide is taking a pause from addition- that European car sales are ex- Conference director Joseph Pryweller
is the engine of Europe. minimum wage, claim- al stimulus measures, even pected to rise modestly this year-
And Germany is much ing that it could hurt though the eurozone recovery after six years of declines. Unfor- PLASTICS NEWS ADVERTISING
330-608-0231
more than an economic German competitive- has weakened. Inflation hit a tunately, the recovery is now
Display ads: dhershfield@crain.com
powerhouse. Germany, ness. But in Germany’s five-year low of just 0.3 percent looking weaker than hoped. One Classified: erich@crain.com
perhaps reluctantly, has coalition-style govern- in September. That’s danger- reason: the crisis in Russia and Regional managers
become kind of like ment, the Christian De- ously close to deflation — when Ukraine has weakened consumer Linda Hickey (New England, Northeast)
America in world events mocrats agreed to the prices for goods and services confidence in Western Europe. 330-576-6536 cell 330-592-4857
lhickey@crain.com
— too big and successful minimum wage in a deal go down. Nicht so gut. And obviously, Russian car sales Gary Judy (Southeast, mid-Atlantic)
Bregar
not to take a leadership with the SDP, as one of ECB president Mario Draghi have plunged. 410-819-0511 gjudy@crain.com
position in politics, economics the party’s conditions to help- has pointed out actions the Throw in higher costs to Ed Rich (Ohio, Eastern Canada) 330-869-0375
erich@crain.com
and the tensions of Russia and ing Merkel stay in power for an- bank has taken in the second build electric vehicles, to great- John Hickey (Western) 260-437-8502
the Middle East — even if it costs other term. half of 2014, such as lowering ly lower carbon dioxide emis- jhickey@crain.com
Germany jobs, as in the sanctions Before, German unions and interest rates on bank deposits sions under government man- Benelux, France & Scandinavia
Arthur Schavemaker/Kenter & Co.
against Russia. business groups set different with the central bank and start- dates, and the key automotive tel. 31-547-275005, arthur@kenter.nl
There are lots of things going minimum wages for each sector ing programs for lending and market faces headwinds in Eu- Greater China Lago Poah Yang
on: of the economy. private-asset purchases. rope. tel. 86-21-6027-6715,
● German lawmakers ap- In the United States, of ECB officials will wait to see if On the positive side, the Jour- lagopoah.yang@bridgemedia.com
Germany, Austria, Switzerland
proved the country’s first mini- course, we have the opposite of those stimulus moves help lift nal reports that global sales will & Eastern Europe
mum wage in July. The wage is a coalition government — both the eurozone economy. And the keep growing, offsetting uneven Randy Krings/ EuroMedia Connect Ltd.
growth in Europe. tel. 49-611-5324-416, pn@emcmedia.de
set at 8.50 euros per hour, and sides hate each other and ECB is scheduled this month to
India representative Bhupal Potdar
it begins Jan. 1. refuse to work together. So begin buying bonds and asset- Still, you can’t help wonder- tel. 91-98211-51035, bhupalpotdar@gmail.com
For perspective, 8.50 euros America’s minimum wage has based securities, or bundled ing: Will the autobahn-loving, Italy representative Fabio Potesta
equals $10.75, much higher not increased since 2009. bank loans. performance-car driving Ger- tel. 39-10-5704948, info@mediapointsrl.it
Japan representative Yutaka Mogi/Tandem Inc.
than the U.S. federal minimum It could be worse — in ECB’s inflation goal is just un- mans buy electric cars? tel. 81-3-3541-4166, y.mogi@tandem-inc.com
wage of $7.25, and slightly Switzerland, they proposed a der 2 percent. So buy some ma- Classified sales manager Ed Rich
above the United Kingdom rate whopping minimum wage of 22 chinery at Fakuma and help Bregar is a Plastics News se- 330-869-0375 erich@crain.com
of 6.50 pounds. Swiss francs an hour (around 18 turn things around! Exhibitors: nior reporter. Classified sales representative Stacy Benoit
313-446-0446, sbenoit@crain.com
Advertising sales coordinator
Debbie Hershfield
Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel

Administrative assistant Lindsay Crawford

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES: PLASTICSNEWS.COM MATERIAL Production manager Diane Carver

Production supervisor Andy Spanos
INSIGHTS Billing representative Jason Hogan

PLASTICS NEWS NOW

Credit department Mary Moceri
Editor Don Loepp
reports from the Executive VP, operations William A. Morrow
Steve Toloken’s Fakuma report features pi4_robotics GmbH’s Executive VP, dir. of strategic operations
Fakuma trade fair, Chris Crain
humanoid robot. pi4_robotics partnered with Berlin-based discussing Jushi VP production and manufacturing Dave Kamis
Chief Information Officer Anthony DiPonio
injection molder Ehlebracht Plastics Technology and Sweden’s Group’s plans to Founder, (1885-1973) G.D. Crain Jr.
Impact Coating. open a U.S. plant. Chairman (1911-1996) Gertrude R. Crain
 PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014 ● 9

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We changed our sales strategy and

Plastisud Foboha exhibits as a unified brand went into key account management.
This means, for many of our key ac-
counts, there will be one face for the
eyes global By James Snodgrass
EUROPEAN PLASTICS NEWS
Foboha brand, harness-
ing its 40 years of pres-
ence in the sector. It has FOBOHA
well known for over 40
years now. Since March
this year, our other part-
customer, more or less, globally. So
we have key accounts sitting in Chi-
na, in Switzerland, as well as in our
expansion Foboha GmbH, the Germany-
based molds division of Swiss
components maker AdvalTech
also changed its sales
account management
structure, working to-
Hall: B3
Stand: 3212
ners within the Adval-
Tech group, within the
mold business — which
headquarters in Germany. And from
there we have one manager, Han-
sjörg Keusgen, the head of sales,
By James Snodgrass Holding Ltd., is exhibiting at Faku- ward having a single used to be AWM in who is coordinating all this.”
EUROPEAN PLASTICS NEWS ma as a unified entity for the first point of contact for all Switzerland and OITZ in Müller says that this change in
time, thanks to a brand restructur- its key customers. China — are all under sales strategy will benefit smaller
Plastisud SAS, the French mold ing program. Foboha’s Martin Müller said: the same name, ‘Foboha.’ customers, who can now enjoy the
manufacturer, is looking to serve AdvalTech’s various molding “The focus for Fakuma is to intro- “We now have one face for the personal service that had only been
the needs of an increasingly glob- brands are now unified under the duce our new branding. Foboha is customer, globally, more or less. enjoyed by larger customers.
al customer base. The company
acquired the American mold mak-
er Integrity Mold & Die Ltd. in
2013 and now has integrated it
into the business as Plastisud Inc.
Plastisud’s global sales and
marketing director, Philippe
Mafille, explained: “The main ob-
jective was to be able to service
our molds in North America. We
have a lot of molds running there,
it’s 25 percent of our business.
And we have 250 molds running
there.
“So we wanted to be able to
make refurbishments, repairs and
modifications in North America
rather than having to send the
mold back to Europe.”
The American acquisition is a
toe-in-the-water for a planned
global expansion. Mafille contin-
ued: “It’s the first test in order to
grow, to be more global. We have
in mind now to be more global
and to have
acquisitions
in different
parts of the
PLASTISUD world. Then
Hall: B3 we will be
Stand: 3217 able to ser-
vice molds in
Latin Ameri-
ca and Asia.
Our customers are global. We are
shipping molds all over the world
and we have to be able to service
the molds.”
Plastisud’s objectives for Faku-

WELCOME TO
ma are to meet with existing cus-
tomers and catch new customers.
But it isn’t exhibiting any molds.
Mafille explains that this is be-
cause of the nature of Fakuma.

THE HOT ZONE

The company specializes in big
molds that require injection
molding machines with clamping
forces of 400- or 800-tons. But the
press manufacturers tend only to
exhibit these machines at bigger
shows like K, Chinaplas and NPE.
Mafille says the company,
VISIT US AT BOOTH 4408, HALL B4
which specializes in the packag-
ing, closures and medical mar-
kets, sees two trends in flexible
packaging: multilayer-with-barri-
er and lightweighting. “But in my
eyes, it’s a little more complicat- Now there is a plastic that can take the heat. Up to 260o C. Diablo technology
ed,” said Mafille, “and we choose is giving engine designers a lighter, more flexible way to create components
to go with lightweighting. We go
with a natural mold design but for efficient cars. Let’s talk about creating tomorrow’s engines today.
with very high accuracy so we
can reduce the thickness. With
precision we can get very thin. www.dsm.com/hotzone
“The other activity we have in
this category is injection com-
pression. We can reduce weight,
we can reduce thickness, lower
melt flow index, lower clamp ton-
nage but have the same charac-
teristics. Customers keep the
quality of the part, but they get
the part cheaper.”
10 ● PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014
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Milacron highlights multiple brand integration
David Eldridge
EUROPEAN PLASTICS NEWS
DME
Fakuma 2014 gives Milacron LLC an ideal opportu-
Hall: A2 nity to show how its ever-growing portfolio of brands
Stand: 2317 are working together in the injection molding sector.
From three stands, Mold-Masters, Ferromatik Mi-
lacron and DME are discussing new developments, in-
cluding Milacron’s 2014 acquisitions: Kortec Inc.,
based in Rowley, Mass., and Tirad s.r.o., based in
Zeletava, Czech Republic.
Ferromatik Milacron is showing a complete system
centered on an F 280 injection molding machine with
Kortec’s coinjection technology married with an E-
Multi injection unit from Mold-Masters to produce a
FERROMATIK multi-layer fruit cup. The outer two layers are molded
MILACRON in clarified polypropylene, while the barrier middle
Hall: B3 layer is EVOH.
Stand: 3203 In the coinjection process, both melts are prepared
in the injection units and are then overlaid across the
hot runner, using the closing needle technique to so-
lidify it into a barrier packaging inside the mold.
The EVOH layer is very thin: approximately 20 mi-
crons, said Sven Engelmann, head of applications and
systems at Ferromatik Milacron, who showed the
three-layer construction to journalists.
The barrier layer accounts for only 7.5 percent of
the total shot weight of 22 grams, but it provides a
MOLD- shelf life of 6 to 9 months, said Russell Bennett, vice
MASTERS president of sales and marketing in the Kortec busi-
Hall: A5 ness.
The 280-tonne machine used in the demonstration
Stand: 5205 is a hybrid unit, with electric plasticizing and clamp-
ing. The fruit cup is molded in a cycle time of 3.5 sec-
onds in a four-cavity mold from Nypro, in
Clinton, Mass.
Another demonstration on the Ferro-
matik Milacron stand is a fully automat-
ed production cell with an F 120 hybrid
press producing disposable syringes
with needles inserted. Mold maker Zahoran-
sky Formenbau GmbH of Freiburg, Germany, is the
major partner for this application, which eliminates
the need for glue.
Mold-Masters says its E-Multi portable injection
units, which are used by molders for two-shot injec-
tion molding on their existing machines, is the most
complete range it has ever shown. There are now a to-
tal of 12 models, double the number at the product’s
launch in 2010.
Other Mold-Masters products are also attracting
business in the automotive sector. The company’s
sales of Fusion Series G2 nozzles for hot runner sys-
tems has more than doubled this year, said Enrique
Moya, automotive market manager. Sales have been
made to customers in Germany, Portugal, Italy, Spain,
United States, Brazil, China and South Korea, he said.
Moya said: “One of the best features is fast color
change. In some applications like door panels, the col-
or change can be done in less than 15 shots.”
Moya said Mold-Masters has introduced 15 new
features into the Fusion G2 nozzles and is planning an-
other 10 features over the next year.
One development will be electrical actuators,
which the company plans to introduce in 2015. Ad-
vantages of these are their accuracy, repeatability
and cleanliness, Moya said.
Growth in Mold-Masters’ automotive business has
Ferromatik Milacron collaborated with multiple
brands to create a complete system centered
on a F 280 injection molding machine.
led to
Ferronmatik
an expansion Milacron photo
at Milacron’s facility in
Coimbatore, India. Staffing levels have increased from
around 200 to 250 this year, with 15 people taken on
to undertake work using simulation and analysis soft-
ware.
Hans Hagelstein, president of Mold-Masters Eu-
rope, said: “India is a fast growing market, also in
packaging. So we are thinking about investing more
there in the future.”
Staffing is also increasing at Tirad’s custom mold
base plant in Zeletava, Czech Republic, where a new
production area is being constructed. Radek Dvorek,
business manager for Europe at Tirad, said the num-
ber of employees could increase to about 140 from
about 100 when Milacron acquired the company in
May.
Dvorek said the expansion will increase production
capacity by 25 percent from the current 300 plates
per month. The new building is scheduled for comple-
tion in April or May 2015.

Plastics found in
Lake Constance
By David Vink
EUROPEAN PLASTICS NEWS
While Fakuma 2014 exhibitors
and visitors occupy themselves
with topics like molding of micro-
sized plastic parts, the presence
of micro-scale plastic particles
several kilometers away in Lake
Constance, Europe’s third largest
freshwater lake, is occupying the
minds of politicians and research
institutes, if not also environ-
mental activists and the general
public.
The ISF institute for lake re-
search, belonging to state of
Baden Württemberg’s office for
the environment, measurement
and nature protection, is located
along the lakeshore in the village
of Langenargen.
Micro-plastics search has been
added to one of ISF’s more con-
ventional tasks — using ad-
vanced techniques to map the
structure of the lakebed. This
alone is no easy task, and it illus-
trates the difficulty of identifica-
tion and dealing with possible
micro-plastic particles, due to
the sheer size and depth of the
lake.
The lower and upper parts of
the lake have average depths of
13 meters and 101 meters, with
corresponding maximum depths
of 40 meters and 253 meters.
With its 545-square-kilometer
surface, Lake Constance has a
volume of 48.4 cubic kilometers.
ISF trawled the lake with its re-
search vessel Kormoran in Octo-
ber 2013 to see what it would
find. ISF chief Gerhard Schröder
said previous trawls had not
been aimed specifically at micro-
plastic particles. Florian Fauer, a
researcher from the EPFL envi-
ronmental laboratory at ETH
Lausanne Technical University in
Switzerland, was on board and
took surface water and sediment
samples close to the shore.
Fauer has some justification in
expecting to find some micro-
plastic presence, based on expe-
rience elsewhere. He explained:
“Researchers were alarmed after
analysis of the beaches and wa-
ter of Lake Geneva in 2012. Micro
plastic remains were found in all
samples.”
Aside from expanded poly-
styrene particles, the scientists
found rigid plastic parts, plastic
membranes, parts of anglers’
lines, as well as remains of hy-
giene and cosmetic products.
These were at similar levels as in
the Mediterranean, and ETH had
intended to study fish as well for
micro-plastic particles.
This is a clear sign that con-
cerns about macro-sized and mi-
cro-scale plastic particles in the
world’s oceans should equally
extend to inland freshwater wa-
terways and lakes, with Lake Gar-
da in Italy said to be another vic-
tim.
PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014 ● 11
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Bayreuth University photos
Fauer’s colleague, Luiz Felippe
de Alencastro, says: “We are also
studying the possibility that ab-
sorbed hydrophobic pollutants
on the surface of this plastic can
also be liberated into the stom-
achs of birds and fish.”
Although the Austrian lakeside
at the eastern end is much short-
er, this has not prevented Austri-
an politicians claiming in Novem-
ber 2013 that 40 percent of the
lakebed under Lake Constance’s
water is covered with plastics
waste. This was stated by SPÖ
party members of the Austrian
parliament’s upper house in Vi-
enna, Stefan Schennach and
Ewald Lindinger, to an upper
house EU committee. The research ship Max Honsell, above, has started looking for micro-plastic
particles in Baden Württemberg rivers and lakes and that will also include
Following the October 2013
Lake Constance. Christian Laforsch, right, shows examples of micro-plastic
trawl by ISF, Franz Untersteller,
particles fished out of the Neckar river.
who is both a member of the
Baden-Württemberg parliament targeted way and draw the right according to density in a so-
and minister at the LUBW envi- conclusions — nationally and in- called MPSS Munich Plastic Sedi-
ronment, climate and energy ternationally”. ment Separator developed by
ministry, wrote a letter in No- According to Laforsch, the Bayreuth University and the In-
vember 2013 to the parliament’s plastic particles found on Lake stitute for Water Chemistry and
president Guido Wolff on behalf Garda come mainly from con- Chemical Balneology at Munich
of Thomas Maryein and other sumer goods and packaging, Technical University. The
green party members, calling for reaching the lake surface water Bayreuth University researchers
the parliament to pay attention directly or through wrong dis- will then “identify and quantify
to micro-plastic particle analyses posal, where they “rot” and be- the micro-plastics present with
by Munich Technical University come micro-plastic particles. different spectroscopic meth-
and Bayreuth University re- Samples taken from Baden ods.” MPSS can extract plastic
search teams. Württemberg’s waters and sedi- particles down to several mi-
LUBW has meanwhile an- ment will be first separated out crometers.
nounced on Aug. 8 the start of a
project to take samples in Rhine
and Neckar rivers and Lake Con-
stance, in order to investigate the
extent of micro-plastics presence.
This will involve another ship,
the Max Honsell, and is aimed at BLUecoMPETENCE
publication of the results by au-
tumn 2015. Professor Christian
adds value…
Laforsch of Bayreuth University
is assisting in the project.
Minister Untersteller stated:
“Plastics have made a positive
change in many areas of our
lives, but plastics have, as do
everything, a second aspect that
increasingly causes problems for
us. Plastics have an extremely
long decomposition time of sev-
eral hundred years. Many plas-
tics that have got into the envi-
ronment can still be found there
today. We are leaving the coming
generations a life long and un-
pleasant inheritance, the risks of
which we can hardly estimate“.
In the August 2014 announce-
ment, LUBW said an investiga-
tion on Lake Garda, Italy, had
shown micro-plastics presence in
sediment, which “made those re-
sponsible in Europe sit up and At Fakuma 2014 the Blue Rider will
take notice, as it had been previ-
introduce you to the world of functional integration.
ously assumed that micro plas-
tics was rather more a theme for Want to know more?
the oceans.”
Untersteller continues, “As we http://plastics.vdma.org
take these facts very seriously
from the political side, we have
commissioned LUBW to investi-
gate Baden Württemberg waters
for presence of micro-plastics. an initiative of
When we have established
knowledge here we can deal in a
12 ● PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014

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Hasco gets into

Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel

augmented reality
David Eldridge out and dimensioning of locking
EUROPEAN PLASTICS NEWS cylinders.
Hasco’s surprising use of digi-
Mold makers may be used to tal tech is only one part of an ex-
seeing cores and pins on the exhi- tensive brand relaunch that aims
bition stand of a supplier — but to communicate the group’s fo-
not augmented reality that looks cus on quality products and sup-
like it comes from a science fic- port for customers.
tion movie. “This shows that we are not
Hasco Hasenclever GmbH has a just innovative on products, but
treat for visitors to its Fakuma also on how we communicate,”
2014 stand, where it is showing Paulmann said.
mold parts in a way never done In August, Hasco’s hot runner
before. division concentrated its produc-
Holding a tablet close to a 2-D tion capacities at the company’s
drawing of a mold activates an Guntramsdorf site near Vienna,
augmented reality app, which Austria, having previously split
makes a 3-D image of the mold work with its Lüdenscheid facili-
spring into life. Move the tablet ty.
around the drawing and the visi- “The mold base division makes
tor sees a 3-D view of the mold. 85 percent of our [sales] and this
Tap on one part and up comes core activity will stay in the Lü- Dirk Paulmann, executive vice president of Hasco Hasenclever GmbH, shows off an augmented reality 3-D model of
more information about that denscheid headquarters,” said the inside of a machine.
mold feature. Paulmann. “But in hot runners, if
Magic Lens is an augmented re- nozzle production is in one place ing days. The company’s new Z160 and low height for use in thin plates;
ality communication tool that and manifold production is in an- The company’s headquarters Z161 series thread adapters re- and Z8021 adaptor for coupling
Hasco launched at Fakuma fol- other, it doesn’t make sense.” in Lüdenscheid is its center for place the short fixing thread in different diameter cooling sys-
lowing development by Hasco moved pro- application technology compe- the ejector base plate with a long tems between the mold and tem-
Austrian software com- duction to a single loca- tence, staffed by technicians with inside thread and ensure reliable perature control unit.
pany Imagination Com- tion to help optimize many years experience of hot transmission of the ejection Hasco’s hot runner division is
puter Services GmbH. HASCO manufacturing work- runners from the automotive, force. launching the Z3281 multimod-
Magic Lens will be Hall: A2 flow. It assembles the electronics, white goods, packag- The adapters are protected ule, which can control individual
used primarily for com- Stand: 2202 hot runner systems di- ing and medical technology mar- against rotation by a special col- gates using two to six nozzles in
munication at trade rectly after they have kets. lar geometry, and can be mount- one unit. The TechniShot nozzles
shows, but Hasco has been machined in the At Fakuma, Hasco’s mold base ed without protruding beyond screw into the single-part distrib-
also created a smart- milling centers. Then division is promoting innovations the ejector plate. The size range utor and ensure leak-free opera-
phone app for its cus- the hot runner nozzles in temperature control, which it is coordinated with the thread tion.
tomers to use any time, said Dirk are fitted to the systems before says enable the cost-efficient sizes of the Z02 series ejector The nozzle heating units can be
Paulmann, executive vice presi- they are packed and sent to the manufacture of injection mold- rods. individually controlled to give a
dent of sales and business devel- customers. ings. Its work on risers for mold Other new products include: uniform temperature profile over
opment at Hasco, based in Lüden- The company says the tightly units has led to new develop- Z1814 series spacers for the sim- the entire flow path, from the en-
scheid, Germany. The app has scheduled process allows fast de- ments, including wider risers ple adjustment of the heel block try of the melt through to the noz-
functions for material selection, livery times. The hot runner divi- with suitably adapted ejector on mold slide units; A4300 perma- zle gates. The Multimodule is also
the conversion of hardness val- sion can build systems with a packages that have been specifi- nent magnets to secure mold in- suitable for use with engineering
ues, DIN/ISO tolerances for shafts simple manifold geometry and up cally designed to avoid deflection serts; Z9642 diverting element for plastics that have a narrow pro-
and holes and a tool for the lay- to four nozzles in just five work- in cavity plates. cooling circuits, which has a very cessing window.

Machines EcoStar 8/8 with a pump output

Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel

Continued from Page 1
molding a small crown wheel
gear; a two-component key fob,
with electronics molded into the
part; and a two-component fan
setting wheel.
Two AX presses also are on dis-
play, molding a container for
soap sticks and a MuCell foamed
cover for appliances.
Golz said KM is now making the
all-electric AX’s in larger sizes —
450-tonnes and 550-tonnes.
KM officials are calling the APC
machine function “cruise control”
because it compensates for fluc-
tuations in the injection molding
process. APC is included on all
KM machines. The technology
adapts to changes in machinery
functions or difficult raw materi-
als, such as mixtures that include
recycled plastic.
The “get small” theme extends
to KM’s polyurethane processing
machinery. At Fakuma, the com-
pany is introducing its smallest
PUR metering machine, the new
of eight liters per minute. The ma-
chine uses a new Siemens KTP
400 control system with a touch
screen display. KM is targeting
the EcoStar 8/8 for smaller
foamed parts such as automotive
arm rests and small insulating
pads for soundproofing in cars.
KM also is introducing the ther-
moplastic resin transfer molding
process to produce a car’s B-pil-
lar reinforcement, dubbed T-
RTM. The machinery maker is
working to develop the process
with Volkswagen AG and BASF
SE.
The use of a thermoplastic ma-
trix of nylon, instead of ther-
mosets, reduces costs, cuts
weight by 30 percent, allows
mass production and permits re-
cycling, KM said.
Netstal is molding ultra-light
polystyrene petri dishes in an
eight-by-eight cavity mold made
by Schottli AG. The cycle time is
3.7 seconds.
Another Netstal press is a
polypropylene, rectangular food
container molded with in-mold la-
beling, on a 4.9-second cycle. Fakuma attendees look at the newly redesigned CX injection molding machines at the KraussMaffei booth on Oct. 15.
 PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014 ● 13

SHOW
D A I LY

Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel

PolyOne takes on LED
lighting applications

Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel

By Frank Esposito
PLASTICS NEWS STAFF

PolyOne Corp. is making in-

roads into LED lighting applica-
tions with its Therma-Tech-
brand material technology.
Automotive suppliers in par-
ticular “all need weight savings
and performance,” Holger Kron-
imus said Oct. 14 at Fakuma.
Kronimus serves as general
manager for PolyOne’s engi-
neered materials business in Eu-
rope, the Middle East, Africa and
India.
Other PolyOne customers
now want the same performance
that Turkish auto parts supplier
Mars Otomotiv received by us-
ing Therma-Tech technology in
high-brightness LED housings
for off-road vehicle lights. Mars
Vice President and General Manager Heinrich Lingnau holds a biotube at was honored by the Society of
the A. Schulman booth on Oct. 15. Plastics Engineers in late 2013
for the application, which used a PolyOne Corp. general manager Holger Kronimus shows off PolyOne’s
thermally conductive nylon. LED lighting for heavy vehicles.

A. Schulman discloses Turkish auto supplier Ayfar Oto-

motive also worked on the pro-
ject.
“One of the advantages to
There are other challenges to Pune, India, makes specialty sol-
be met when doing material re- id concentrates, as well as liquid
placement work, according to color and additive formulations.

PPS deal at Fakuma Therma-Tech is that it has no

limits on base resin,” engineered
materials Europe marketing di-
Kronimus.
“We’re doing a lot
of design work with
POLYONE
Development labs and
a sales and customer
service center also are
rector Anne Hippert said Oct. 14 our customers,” he located at the site.
By Frank Esposito ing to masterbatch solutions di- at the show. “It provides no rust, said. “Some of them Hall: B5 The firm’s second
PLASTICS NEWS STAFF rector Frank Roederer. The plant light weight and design free- have been in metal new plant is in Istan-
Stand: 5316
makes masterbatch concen- dom.” and have never bul, Turkey, where de-
Materials maker A. Schulman trates for the film market and Materials made by Avon Lake, worked with poly- mand from the Turkish
Inc. announced a specialty com- fills a geographic gap for Schul- Ohio-based PolyOne often can mers before.” plastics market is
pounding deal during Fakuma. man, Roederer said Oct. 15. provide 7 to 10 percent weight In the last year, growing 10 percent
Under the deal, Fairlawn, Ohio- Roederer added that Schul- savings when replacing other PolyOne — which ranks as per year. The new plant can run
based Schulman will man has “a fantastic plastics in auto parts, she North America’s largest com- higher-value products and more
produce, sell and dis- opportunity” with its added, and 20 to 30 percent pounder and concentrate maker specialty materials than Poly-
tribute Ecotran-brand new Innovex-brand when replacing metal in those — has opened two new interna- One’s first plant there, Kronimus
compounds based on masterbatch, which is applications. tional plants. A new plant in said.
polyphenylene sulfide A. SCHULMAN a nucleating agent
(PPS) resins made by Hall: B1 used in the production
Initz Co. Ltd. of South Stand: 1112 of food trays made
Korea. The deal covers from expanded poly-
Europe, the Middle styrene. The material
East, Africa and the
Americas.
offers weight reduc-
tion and improved di-
,QQRYDWLRQHQ
Initz is a joint venture mensional stability.
between SK Chemicals Schulman has made 10
Co. Ltd. of South Korea acquisitions in the last 1HXH 9DNXXPIRUPPDVFKLQHQVHULH GHU %DXUHLKH 7 "
(66 percent) and Teijin four years, including two
Ltd. of Japan (34 per- firms based in Europe —
cent). Perrite Group of War-
Adding PPS com- rington, England, and
pounds to Schulman’s Elian SAS of Oyonnax,
portfolio is “a mile- France. More such deals
stone” that provides may be in the firm’s fu-
Schulman with “a unique Lingau ture.
selling point,” Horst Klink said “We’re always trying to extend
Oct. 15 at Fakuma. Klink is the growth through acquisition if we
firm’s engineering plastics di- can find a strategic fit,” Lingnau
rector in Europe, the Middle said, “and Europe is part of the
East and Africa. game.”
Schulman will make the PPS Also at Fakuma, Schulman has
compounds at three locations been spotlighting grades of its
worldwide, including one in the Schulamid-brand nylon com-
U.S., said Heinrich Lingau, gener- pounds, Ronfalin-brand polycar-
al manager and vice prisdent of bonate/ABS compounds, Schulake-
Europe/Middle East/Africa on ton-brand aliphatic polyketone
Oct. 15. compounds and Cotene-brand
Schulman’s European busi- coating powders.
ness also is benefiting from the Schulman employs 3,800 at 43 '6H‰ODFK ƒ 7HO     ƒ )D[     ƒ ZZZJHLVVWWWFRP
addition of a former Ferro Corp. global sites and posted sales of Please visit us at the Fakuma Hall A1/Stand 1435
plant in Castellon, Spain, accord- $2.1 billion in its 2013 fiscal year.
14 ● PLASTICS NEWS, October 17, 2014

SHOW
D A I LY

Sumitomo Demag

Plastics News photos by Caroline Seidel

highlights speed
and energy savings
By Bill Bregar million euros.
PLASTICS NEWS STAFF Although executives at sever-
al other major injection press
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plas- manufacturers at Fakuma said
tics Machinery GmbH is making business has increased this
the energy sipping servo-hy- year, Renners said Sumitomo
draulic drive a standard feature Demag has experienced steady
on its Systec series of injection sales in a year of some consoli-
presses in clamping forces rang- dation.
ing from 50 to 1,500 metric tons “It’s totally stable,” he said.
in the standard version. Sumitomo Demag has more
In the past, that was available than a 20 percent share of the
only as an option. market for all-electric injection
Sumitomo Demag is showing presses, Renners said. He said
the Systec Servo press at Faku- the number of years for a return
ma. The servo-hydraulic drive on investment on an all-electric
combines a frequency-con- press has gone down steadily,
trolled high-performance engine to about three years today.
with a hydraulic pump, which And the Japanese/German A Fakuma attendee looks at an automotive center console on display the Engel booth.
gives up to 60 percent company also has be-
lower energy con-
sumption than stan-
dard hydraulic press- SUMITOMO
come much more
competitive in high-
speed packaging, Ren-
Engel
es, Christian Renners, DEMAG ners said. Continued from Page 1
chief sales officer, Hall: B1 During Fakuma, the positive signs and India is “slowly
said at a Fakuma machinery maker is waking up again,” Engel said.
Stand: 1105
news conference. showing its packaging “China, the USA and Mexico con-
Systec Servo press- expertise by produc- tinue to be Engel’s fastest-growing
es also offer shorter ing PP food contain- markets,” Steger said.
cycle times. ers with in-mold labeling on a Engel said packaging and med-
At Fakuma, Sumitomo Demag 200-ton El-Exis SP press, with a ical industry investments are
ran a Systec Servo with 210 tons high-speed part removal robot strong among its customer end
of clamping force to make a nut- from Polymac Robotics BV. Cy- markets, while automotive is mixed
cracker. But not just any nut- cle time for the four-cavity mold — overall reinvestment continues
cracker — a high-tech compos- is less than 3.5 seconds. Otto to decrease slightly, but interest is
ite-reinforced one. First, an Hofstetter AG made the mold. high in innovation intensive areas
organic composite sheet is pre- At the news conference, Ren- like automobile lightweighting and
heated and inserted into the in- ners showed a slide that tracks plastic composite molding.
jection mold. Once formed to Sumitomo Demag’s evolution in The 7 percent growth estimates
the desired shape, the sheet is closure molding. In 2007, the from Engel and Wittmann Batten-
back-injection molded with a company molded closures at a feld, both Austrian firms, is signifi-
polypropylene honeycomb. At trade show on a 4.5-second cy- cantly better than the 3 percent in-
the same time, a metal clip gets cle. The cycle got faster every crease in plastics and rubber
inserted into the tool, to crack year, to K 2013, when the com- machinery sales projected for this
the hardest nut. pany ran closures on a 96-cavity year for German manufacturers by
Renners said Sumitomo mold on a 1.9-second cycle — the German machinery trade asso- Automotive parts are molded at the Engel Holding GmbH booth.
Demag has more than 115,000 which officials claimed is a ciation VDMA.
injection presses installed world record. Engel told journalists it has a duo 550-ton injection molding ma- was targeted at the teletronics mar-
around the world. The compa- Renners said to get sub-2-sec- steadily gained market share in Eu- chine with an integrated viper 20 ket, where space and precision
ny, which employs 3,000 people ond cycles of closures takes rope, increasing from just under 20 robot, and incorporating both its molding are important.
at four production locations in very close cooperation between percent of the injection press mar- Engel foammelt process (using the “The trend toward ever higher
Germany, Japan, China and the the machinery maker, tooling ket in 2007 to a little over 30 per- Mucell foam technology) and vario- productivity per square meter of
United States, builds about provider and material supplier. cent last year. thermal injection molding to make factor space is continuing,” said
5,000 new machines a year, he “We are in a high altitude, and At the fair, the company was a center console for a car from Heinz Rasinger, vice president of
said. Annual sales are about 600 the oxygen is very thin,” he said. touting a number of new products polycarbonate/ABS. Engel’s teletronics business. “The
and technology, and seemingly “For the first time, this will en- electronics industry also has ex-
making efficiency the word of the able us to produce thin-walled tremely high demands as regards
Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel

week at its stand. parts with very high-quality sur- precision.”

The company, for example, intro-
duced a new line of standardized
“pick and place” robots designed to
work with smaller machines. The
new “e-pic” line of robots requires
half the energy of linear robots of
the same size, Engel claimed.
It also introduced an improve-
ment to its “flomo” line of flow con-
trollers that allow for automated
adjustments of water used in mold
temperature control, unveiled a
new design for one of its duo line of
injection molding machine with im-
proved ergonomics, and it gave its
viper robot line a technical
makeover to better adopt its new
CC300 control unit.
One aspect of machinery on dis-
The new Systec 210-430 Servo machine on display at the Sumitomo play is combining different process
Demag booth. technologies. The company is using
faces and excellent fine structure
reproduction at the same time in a
single injection molding step,” said
Franz Füreder, vice president of au-
tomotive business at Engel.
The variothermal process came
from French manufacturer Roctool.
While the booth was displaying an
automotive part, Engel believes it
can be used in appliances and
household products.
It expanded the tonnage range of
its e-motion tie-barless technology,
unveiling a 50-ton all-electric drive
e-motion 50 TL, which was making
a plug housing from fiberglass-
reinforced PBT/ASA at the booth.
Engel said the smaller machine
has a one-piece machine frame to
make the machine lighter and more
compact, and said the technology
The Schwertberg, Austria-based
machine maker was using Fakuma
to give its tie-barless technology a
25th birthday party.
Engel introduced the tie-barless
injection molding machine at K
1989, and said it’s been one of the
company’s biggest revenue
streams, with more than 60,000
units sold.
That’s in part because the tech-
nology allows smaller, less energy-
intensive machines to mold a job
that typically would require a larg-
er machine with tiebars, Engel said.
As an example, at the show the
company was molding a pipe fit-
ting on an 80-ton Victory model tie-
barless machine, but it said typi-
cally a 150-ton machine would be
needed.
 JAN. 13-14, 2015

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