Technology Showcase (October 01, 2005)
Canadian Plastics
Materials...
Materials
Ampacet Tackles, Odour Issues in Food Packaging
Interactions between rigid plastic packaging and the food and beverages contained within can often result in unpleasant odours or tastes for the consumer.
That’s why Ampacet Corp. in Tarrytown, N.Y., has introduced its Organoleptic Friendly Masterbatches program to help plastics processors create the right resin formulation for their packaging applications.
In the first step of the program, Ampacet creates an Organoleptic masterbatch. Next, it conducts in-house molding to test for processability. Finally, the firm enlists the services of an expert taste-and-odour panel to evaluate how the packaging may affect the contents.
Ampacet Canada Co. (Kitchener, Ont.)
www.ampacet.com; 800-265-6711
Techmer Lehvoss Launches High-Temperature Products
The new LUVOTECH HT Line of fibre-reinforced thermoplastic resins from Techmer Lehvoss Compounds LLC are designed for applications where heat resistance is essential.
These new materials can withstand temperatures reaching 450F. LUVOTECH TLC800009 is an electrically conductive material made with a polymer base that is inert, and will not contaminate foods, chemicals or other materials it comes into contact with.
For improved wear resistance, Techmer Lehvoss recommends LUVOTECH TLC90039, which has internal lubricants. LUVOTECH TLC80010 also features wear resistance, but this internally lubricated compound also conducts electricity and resists temperatures up to about 500F.
Techmer Lehvoss Compounds, LLC (Clinton, Tenn.)
www.tlcompound.com; 865 425 2121
Basell Debuts High Melt Metallocene-Catalyst-Based Pp
New high melt flow grades of Basell’s metallocene-catalyst-based polypropylene (PP) resins are now commercially available under the firm’s Metocene brand.
Targeted for melt blown fibre extrusion applications, these Metocene flakes grades have melt flow rates of 500, 1,200 and 1,800 g/10, respectively.
“This new generation of metallocene catalysts permits the production of low viscosity, high melt flow resins directly in the polymerization reactor without the need for peroxide coating or an additional visbreaking step by the converter,” said David Fischer, technical leader of Basell’s Metocene business unit.
Basell Canada Inc. (Sarnia, Ont.)
www.basell.com; 905-273-8800
Blown Film
Ndc Rotary Scanner Offers Fast Measurement of Blown Film Bubble
NDC Infrared Engineering in Irwindale, Calif., has introduced a line of rotary scanners designed for blown film systems.
These products allow fast measurement of the blown film bubble — as fast as a complete scan per minute, depending on the bubble diameter — to significantly improve the feedback time for a gauging system to generate a polar plot for the bubble profile.
Scanners for blown film with bubbles as large as 2.7 metres in diameter are available.
To ensure the best possible measurement, the rotary scanner is installed below the collapsers and above the front line of the blown film system.
It includes NDS’s Telescopic Probe Positioner with the rotary scanner to make sure the measurement sensor maintains a proper measurement position in relation to the bubble, even if the bubble’s position, or diameter, changes.
Intrepid Standard Technologies (Mississauga, Ont.)
www.process-control.com; 905-278-8066
Extrusion
Intellichange System Allows Fast Pipe Dimension Changes
Cincinnati Extrusion has developed a fast, simple and comfortable method for changing pipe dimensions in extrusion lines.
The IntelliChange System is about five per cent cheaper and can reduce downtime of each pipe dimension change by some 90 minutes, compared with conventional sets of dies for standard pipe extrusion lines.
IntelliChange is available in two sizes. Each allows for four different pipe diameters, ranging from 40 to 90 millimetres (mm), and 90 to 160 mm; and standard wall thickness gauges ranging from 1.8 to 32.1 mm.
The complete system includes a dual spiral mandrel pipe head, a set of dies, an adjustable calibration unit and a dual-chamber vacuum tank with rotating calibration discs. A haul-off with an automatic adjustment system, and a standard saw with a centrally located clamping fixture are included.
Moldmaking
Rjg Boosts Accuracy of Piezoelectric Sensors
RJG Inc.’s mold-mounted Lynx Piezoelectric cavity pressure sensors are more accurate and easier to use than other piezoelectric cavity pressure sensors, according to RJG.
Accuracy has been enhanced through unique linearization algorithms, which are embedded in each unit, and also by the sensors’ low noise signals.
With built-in calibration — the sensor model and sensitivity information is known automatically — the sensors are made for plug-and-play installation. When the mold is moved from machine to machine, the sensor identifies the mold, simplifying the start-up of new jobs.
Included with the sensor is a detachable cable, and because the case is permanently attached to the mold, the connectors are not easily contaminated.
RJG Inc. (Traverse City, Mich.)
www.rjginc.com; 231-947-3111
Compact Multi-Tip Bushings Increase Productivity
Fast Heat Inc., in Elmhurst, Ill., has released two new multi-tip bushings for hot runner injection molding of small parts, which can reduce costs and increase productivity.
Models MT32D and MT45D in Fast Heat’s Precision series provide gating of up to four cavities, even when closely pitched, and make it possible for multi-cavity models to be very compact in construction.
Additionally, tips, heaters and thermocouples can be replaced without replacing the entire bushing.
The heater in each bushing also distributes heat more uniformly to the tips, and more effectively to the gates than with previous models.
Close- and large-pitch cavity configurations are also permitted. The maximum pitch for the MT32D is 20 millimetres (mm), with minimum pitches of 12 to 17 mm. The MT45D has a maximum pitch of 32 mm, and a minimum pitch of 20 mm, regardless if there are two, three or four tips.
Chevrier Instruments Inc.; 800-522-1226 (Montreal, Que.)
OHS Canada; 888-809-7050 (Richmond Hill, Ont.); 888-475-9224 (Laval, Que.)
Tru-Temp Electric Heat Ltd.; 780-444-7500 (Edmonton, Alta.)
Auxiliary Equipment
Rotex Pellet Screener Removes Off-Size Material
Using a horizontal gyratory/reciprocating motion, and an exclusive dual velocity drive with a positive replacement stroke, Rotex Inc.’s plastic pellet screeners remove oversized pellets and longs without trapping desirable pellets.
The long stroke and gyratory motion spreads pellets evenly across the full width of the unit for efficient removal of fines and oversize material. Because the device contains no vertical components, longs remain flat on the screen deck. A double pass option is available for screening pellets twice.
With an installed height as low as 27 inches, Rotex Plastic Pellet Screeners come in 1,500, 3,000, and 5,000 PPH and up to 30,000 PPH capacity models.
Rotex Inc. (Cincinnati, Ohio) www.rotex.com; 513-541-1236
Colotronic Conveyor System Resistant to Abrasive Materials
The CSK5-H hopper loader from Colotronic North America Inc. has a rugged modular construction that works without
filters.
Made of stainless steel with an electro-polished finish, and of toughened glass, the hopper loader guarantees minimum abrasion and corrosion when processing abrasive materials.
The clear glass loader body lets an operator monitor the types of material going in. Available in time-fill or volume conveying configurations, it also comes with a hardened material check valve for abrasion resistance.
CSK5-H has a five-litre hopper loader capacity, includes a pneumatic valve, ZKW output, 24 VDC voltage and offers a maximum material temperature of 160C.
Romark Technologies Corp. (Toronto, Ont.) 416-923-3782
AEC Beefs Up Bd Series With Eight-Component Blenders
AEC Inc.’s new BD Series Blender, the BD900, is an eight-component blender, which achieves a homogeneous blend quality thanks to a diamond design slide gate metering assembly.
It differs from AEC’s six-component blender because it has a riser section below the material hoppers to allow for two additive feeders to dispense additive ingredients into the weigh hopper. These feeders are funneled into the weigh hopper with the other six ingredients from the standard slide gate and can process between 10 to 2,500 lbs. of material per hour.
Included is a menu-driven interface screen for complete control and monitoring of batch blending, with three modes of recipe entry. It can store up to 50 recipes.
AEC Automation Controls Inc. (Wood Dale, Ill.)
www.aecinternet.com; 630-595-1060
Waltow miniature cartridge heater for small spaces
Watlow Electric Manufacturing Co., St. Louis, Mo has added a miniature version cartridge heater to its existing line of Firerod cartridge heaters. The 1/8-inch Firerod features a helically wound resistance wire that produces higher watt densities and contributes to longer service life in space-restricted applications.
This makes the heater ideal for such applications in the aviation, packaging, freeze protection and gas chromatography industries.
Zesta Engineering Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.watlow.com
800-755-5418
