Nova Chemicals opens Centre for Performance Applications in Calgary

The polyethylene business of Nova Chemicals Corporation has opened its renovated Centre for Performance Applications in Calgary, a facility designed to expand on Nova’s former Chemicals Technical Centre as a hub for PE resin testing and applications development.

The Performance Applications centre includes a recently completed new wing, much of it dedicated to customer collaboration.

A range of new equipment and upgrades has been installed at the Centre, Nova said, including a suite of conversion equipment and physical and analytical test lab equipment. “Conversion capabilities help meet a range of customer trial requirements, from collation shrink to adhesive lamination and vertical form fill seal,” Nova said in a statement.

Investments were also made in rigid plastics molding capabilities. “A new SACMI compression molder and Sumitomo Demag injection molding press together fully replicate caps and closures’ manufacturing processes, while a state-of-the-art caps and closures lab uses a suite of industry-leading “in-use performance” equipment to measure closure performance under real-world conditions,” Nova said. “An upgraded rotational molder provides improved reliability, data quality, process control and ergonomics.”

“The Centre allows us to deliver even greater value to our customers and to the PE market,” said Carrie Richards, marketing director of Nova’s chemicals polyethylene business. “Our goal is to help our customers succeed. This newly expanded facility enables us to collaborate and innovate to help our customers bring better-designed, better-performing products to market more quickly.”

Nova is headquartered in Calgary.