Strictly-Extrusion

The world’s largest supplier of plastic pipe systems will be created by the acquisition of the Pipe Systems business of Glynwed International of Birmingham, U.K., by Etex of Belgium. Etex will add Glynwed’s range of high-pressure pipes for water, gas and industrial uses to Etex’s own medium-pressure line and irrigation pipe. In North America, Glynwed owns GPS Inc., which makes thermoplastic valves; Ipex, which make thermoplastic pipe and fittings; and Eslon Thermoplastics, which produces PVC and CPVC pipe and fittings.

Madison Capital Partners, USA will move production of Beringer screen changers, pelletizers and jet cleaners from Marblehead to Beringer´s sister company Dynisco Extrusion in North Carolina. Parts and service for Beringer equipment will remain in Marblehead. This marks the second time in five years that Dynisco has moved screen-changer jobs out of Massachusetts.

A new solid-state-relay (SSR) monitor is designed specifically to prevent runaway overheating of extruder barrel heaters. The new monitor from HBControls Inc., USA ,lets the extruder PLC know that a problem has occurred and cuts off power to the runaway heater. The new monitor costs about $40.

A compact gas-separation unit for generating pure compressed nitrogen is newly available to plastics processors. Pacific Consolidated Industries of Santa Ana, USA, has appointed Alliance Gas Systems of Chesterfield Township to distribute the Nitrogenie unit and develop plastics applications. Such uses could include high-output cooling of extruded profiles and gas-assist injection molding. Alliance is working with a processor of plastic lumber to increase output using nitrogen cooling. The high-pressure Nitrogenie generates nitrogen at 5 to 40 cu ft/min and pressures from 150 to 6500 psi.

Klockner Pentaplast of America has agreed to purchase the single rigid PVC film calendering line owned by Alloyd Co., the largest custom thermoformer of light- gauge plastics for packaging. It also produces blister-packaging machines and sealing equipment.Alloyd started calendering for captive use in 1997 and shut down that operation on Jan. 31. Klockner Pentaplast is already the largest producer of rigid packaging films in the U.S.

A new inverter rotates film rolls weighing up to 60,000 lb, double the load handled by the largest model previously built by Pentalift Equipment Corp., USA. It uses direct-drive chains and has a new safety brake that prevents rolls from dropping in case of a power failure by locking the unit mechanically. Although this is possibly the largest roll inverter on the market, Pentalift is already working on one to handle 90,000-lb rolls for a client in Indiana.

Britton Group, UK has installed a new three-layer co-extruder and solventless laminating unit at its Louth plant in a £1,5 million investment. The film line is from Macchi and will produce general purpose films as well as materials for lamination on the new Simplex SL laminating machine. This unit, which handles materials up to 1,3 m wide, is designed to produce high specification double laminates using a solventless adhesive process.

A new developed dual-fly-knife sheeter cuts flexible PVC, HDPE and LDPE webs up to 0.06-in. thick for in-line extrusion and lamination. Model SDFK from Maxson Automatic Machinery Co., USA, offers cut lengths from 11 to 2000 in. with reported accuracy of ±0.015 in. The device delivers sheet using a belt tape with a proprietary surface that won’t scratch. Speed is up to 300 ft/min.

CS Hyde Co., a maker of PTFE- and silicone-coated tapes, fabrics and belting, has added two new product lines: cast acrylic rod and tubing. They are aimed at furniture frames and knobs, electrical/electronic components, sight gauges, outdoor lighting, pneumatic- conveying tubes, signs and displays, food canisters and pressure vessels. Contact the company at (847) 265-6903 or www.cshyde.com.

Rauwendaal Extrusion Engineering Inc. and Paulson Training Programs announced that they have formed a partnership to offer a wide range of high quality training programs for the plastics industry. Paulson and Rauwendaal will offer extrusion training from operator level to advanced engineering topics and will also cooperate in the development of next generation training programs to be the global resource for extrusion and polymer processing training.
Rauwendaal Extrusion Engineering is known worldwide for its expertise in extrusion, compounding, statistical process control, and training. Future new course titles will include: Statistical Process Control in Injection Molding and Extrusion, Troubleshooting the Extrusion Process, Mixing & Compounding, and Extrusion Downstream Equipment.