Strictly-Extrusion

Continued development in films have put the pressure on many converters to handle thinner and more lightweight films. These films are more difficult to handle than their thicker predecessors and can easily wrinkle and pucker throughout the line. If the web is not properly handled the problem intensifies at the corona treater.
Material handling in and out of the corona treater is critical. Too much tension and SNAP!, the web breaks. Too little tension and the film will wrinkle or pucker, uneven treatment will result and the surface treatment process will amplify the wrinkling and puckering issues.
To help alleviate this problem Enercon has developed the ELF- Enercon low friction roll. The ELF’s light-weight design significantly reduces momentum and inertia. The roll turns more freely than conventional rolls which adds to production stability, especially during starts and stop. The ELF’s low friction capabilities and Enercon’s proprietary roll coatings are an ideal combination for surface treating lightweight film.
The ELF is available for new treating stations and in many cases can be retrofitted onto existing stations in the field. For more information on the ELF and other tips on handling lightweight webs in and out of the corona treater, converters can visit www.enerconind.com/pr/elf.html

A new wood composite was developed with PVC and olefinic polymers by OPT consultancy services, India. The wood present in the matrix will be 50%. This composite will have more strength than that of wood. The environmental properties are far superior than that of the wood.
1. Paper matrix developed with olefinic polymers with a filler loading of 3-4% by OPT consultancy services. The paper will give equivalent writablity like paper and excellent environmental properties.
2. From waste materials to useful products such as wood composite, paper matrix possible for the processors in todays environment policies.
Info: Tel. +91 98431 97934

CPI Plastics Group Ltd. is expanding its eon-brand, wood-substitute profile business and relocating a recently acquired film and bag operation. CPI will lease a new facility late this year in Mississauga to add eon capacity and will relocate its head office into an adjoining area. CPI also said it will move the Mid-America Bag operation it acquired last year.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) today announced its fourth quarter and full year results for 2002. Profits for the full year are SR2.844bn (US$758.4m), a 60% increase over the 2001 profits. It revealed quarterly profits of SR806 million (US$214.93 million). Total sales for the year were SR34bn (US$9.06bn) compared with SR29bn (US$7.73) in 2001, an increase of 18%. Production in the year rose to 40.6 million metric tons compared with 35.4 million metric tons in 2001, an increase of 14.7%.

Commenting on SABIC’s financial results, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mohamed Al-Mady said: “An increase in sales volumes and the stability of petrochemical prices have contributed to these encouraging financial results, and I expect this trend to continue for the first quarter of 2003. The acquisition of DSM Petrochemicals, our restructure, our business transformation project (FANAR), and the closure of a number of major long-term contracts have all helped played a role in these successful results.

Our 25th anniversary year has seen SABIC undergo tremendous change as we continue towards our vision of becoming a leader in the global petrochemicals industry. I would like to thank all SABIC employees, the Chairman of the Board, and all Board members for their ongoing support.”

Enercon is pleased to announce the promotion of Mario Leonardelli to Vice-President Engineering. In his new position Leonardelli will guide Enercon’s engineering team in developing solutions to meet the requirements of end users while seamlessly integrating Enercon equipment into OEM equipment. Leonardelli’s acceptance of this position allows him to blend his responsibilities as OEM Product Manager with the additional duties of engineering management. He will now take an active roll in directing the company’s engineering efforts for both OEM and end user surface treating orders.

From February 2003 on a total of 20,000 lamps in white-translucent Makrolon® will be illuminating the new double-decker wagons of the Dutch State Railway. The zigzag placement of the lamps in the upper decks differs greatly from the otherwise conventional concept. Not only the design - conceived exclusively for the double-decker wagons – is unusual, manufacture and material too meet the highest requirements.

An essential quality criterion in the selection was the high fire protection requirements applying to the materials used in the area of public transport. Not only fire and smoke development but also dripping in the case of a fire must be reduced to a minimum. Furthermore, the materials used must be able to resist attempts at deliberate damage unscathed. And finally the fixtures must be suitable for the at times very high temperatures during the lighting and heating period. For these reasons, only polycarbonate could be considered as material for the new wagon lighting. Due to the good value-for-money they represent, the PC sheet Makrolon® mono longlife white 2130 was selected, made by the Darmstadt company Makroform. The white-translucent polycarbonate sheet excels primarily in terms of the extreme resistance to fracturing, displays a very high temperature resistance and conforms to DIN 5510, the German Industrial Norm for preventative fire protection in rail vehicles. It is also equipped with a uv-resistant coating.

The design of the lighting in the Dutch train wagons was developed by the Dutch State Railway in keeping with the interior decor: The light fixtures in the upper deck, where First Class is accommodated, are arranged in a zigzag while the light fittings in Second Class, on the lower level, are linear. The technical concept and manufacture of the lamp parts, each a metre long, is the responsibility of the firm Cristallux, based in Waldachtal/Germany which has been making lamps for the highest of requirements for many years. A total of five different lamps are available: two convex and two concave elements as a set for the zigzag and a straight component for the linear system. The finished trim panel was integrated into the total lighting system by the specialists from SBF Spezialleuchten Wurzen GmbH.

In the manufacture of the lights, a number of technical challenges had to be overcome. On the one hand, an extreme undercutting of the four millimetre thick sheet was necessary. On the other hand, Makrolon® mono longlife white 2130 has a comparatively small thermoforming temperature window ranging between 185 and 200 °C. Cristallux overcome this challenge through a modification of conventional vacuum moulding. Finally, the lighting fixtures and frames, which are manufactured separately, are welded together using ultrasonics.

“The joint work was very successful”, emphasises Dr. Volker Benz, Manager technical support, Makroform. “The innovative lighting system for the new wagons of the Dutch State Railway only became possible as a result of the combination of high-performance Makrolon® materials with the processing technology experience of the company Cristallux and finally the perfected light engineering from SBF. Only in this way could the desire of an aesthetically pleasing and at the same time highly functional lighting system be ideally catered for.“

The Turkish flexible packaging industry is able to deliver both on quality and value, according to research from PCI Consulting. The sector is also outstripping the rest of Europe in growth terms. In a report of its findings, PCI consultant Paul Gaster said the perception among European packers and retail groups is that the best Turkish converters can now match the high level of product quality and service offered by their European competitors. He said they were also able to better many competitors on price. Gaster added this was the case particularly on medium specification products such as OPP/OPP laminates which account for valuable business in confectionery, dried foods, biscuits and baked goods packaging.
In just 30 years Turkey’s flexible packaging industry has grown to become one of the top ten in Europe. The industry generated sales of €380m in 2001 and is growing at around 10% a year, four times higher than the average rate in Western Europe. Further, it has a strong home market, which is growing at 8% a year, modern plant and equipment and export growth of between 10-12% a year.

The JEC Composites Show will take place from 1st to 3rd April 2003 in Paris. In Hall 1/Stand M 14 Clariant’s BU Plastic Industries will present innovative flame retardant systems. This year’s presentation will focus on the use of Exolit® AP, a highly effective, halogen-free range of additives based on ammonium polyphosphate (AP), for flame retarding unsaturated polyester and epoxide resins.
In contrast to conventional filler flame retardants, only low addition rates of Exolit, sometimes in combination with aluminium trihydrate (ATH), are required to meet the most stringent fire regulations. The low level of loading results in good processing characteristics and finished articles with low specific gravity and excellent mechanical properties.
Exolit AP 740 and AP 750 are two high performance additives for polyester intumescent coatings and epoxy resin-based gel coats. These modifications of Exolit AP achieve high fire resistance times even at low film thickness. The film foams and insulates the still unignited underlying material (intumescence). Since the process takes place directly on the surface of the material, emissions are significantly reduced.
Modifications, synergistic mixtures and specialist formulations enable Exolit AP to cover a wide range of applications. As flame retardants for unsaturated polyesters and epoxide resins, these additives are used primarily in the building, electrical and rail vehicle sectors. Suitably formulated coatings or plastics components in buildings, transport facilities thus offer maximum safety in preventative fire protection according to DIN 4102, UL 94 V-0, UL 94 5V and DIN 5510.
As all flame retardant systems in the Exolit range, the new AP-based products are halogen-free and environmentally friendly. In fires, smoke density is significantly reduced and additional corrosive gases are not generated, two further advantages which distinguish Exolit as a future-proof flame retardant particularly in the light of whole of life product assessment.

Booth # 4172 will offer CMM visitors the widest look at the future of surface treating. The new Plasma3™ atmospheric surface treater is breaking ground in long lasting treatments and advanced surface morphology. It is ideal for specialty applications requiring stringent surface specifications, improved hydrophilicity and hydropobicity functionality and precise surface coating performance. Atmospheric plasma has also been proven as an effective alternative to some flame applications.
Converters with more traditional applications will be interested in Enercon’s Universal-roll treater outfitted with Enercon’s Low Friction (ELF) rolls. The ELF rolls make facilitate smooth web handling of lightweight substrates.
From narrow to wide to ultrawide Enercon has a system for every line. The CMM exhibit will feature the revolutionary ThermaGlide™ concept for ultrawide systems. This new proprietary technology virtually eliminates electrode warping on ultrawide lines.
All of the surface treaters are powered by Enercon’s ultra-reliable line of power supplies. The latest in IGBT technology and advanced computer interface capabilities make these power supplies the industry standard.
Visitors to Enercon’s booth will also have the opportunity to test their surface treating knowledge with a fun interactive challenge.

Formable polycarbonate films that incorporate EMI/RFI shielding capability have been developed by Bayer Plastics together with Acheson Colloids Co. Shielding is imparted to Makrofol and Bayfol PC films by printing them with Acheson’s conductive ink (Electrodag SP-405) or by dispersing the ink into a coextruded cap layer on the sheet. The sheet can be used for film insert molding (FIM), whereby the formed shielding is inserted in an injection mold and melt is injected behind it. This approach is said to be more cost-effective than conductive paints or coatings for use in cellular phones, laptop computers, and automotive or medical parts.