Strictly-Extrusion

Davis-Standard’s manufacturing facility in Erkrath, Germany, offers an extensive range of custom pipe and profile systems for specialty applications worldwide. Demand is strong for systems capable of processing all thermoplastic materials, including TPR as well as cosmetic tubing lines for mono, two and five-layer barrier structures and wood composite window frame and window sill lines. Davis-Standard recently sold a two-layer cosmetic tubing line to a customer in Italy and installed four wood composite window frame and window sill lines with Euro Blue™ single screw extruders in South Africa. Cotton swab stick and dip tube production lines with capabilities up to 5,000 sticks per minute have been sold to customers in Europe, Asia and South America.
Davis-Standard also supplies medical tubing lines including a star-lumen tubing system for processing medical grade flexible PVC or polyurethane compounds tubing with internal star-shaped profiles at outputs of 70 meters (230 feet) per minute. The company currently has two FEP and PVC medical tubing lines available for customer trials at its laboratory.

Wayne Machine & Die Company (www.waynemachine.com) manufacturer of the Wayne Yellow Jacket® Line of plastic, silicone and rubber extrusion equipment has announced the offering of exclusive territory franchises outside North America for local manufacturing, distribution, sales and service of the complete line of laboratory, pilot plant and production single and twin screw extruders, dies and downstream equipment. Wayne Machine plans to spread the technology and extrusion machinery expertise, developed over the past 47 years, and create a truly global brand that is manufactured locally by qualified licensed partner firms and customized to local requirements. The extrusion equipment is used to produce blown and cast film, compounding, co-extrusion, fiber, fiber optic sheathing, wire insulation, cable coating, monofilament, pelletizing, rod, sheet, medical and industrial tubing and other extrusion processes. Licensees will set up Yellow Jacket Brand extrusion equipment based laboratories for customer demonstration and testing purposes. All worldwide territories are available, including but not limited to China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Asian Sub-Continent, Eastern and Western Europe, Middle East, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America and other territories. License includes technology transfer, start-up assistance, engineering support, manufacturing rights, plant design assistance, Yellow Jacket® trademark usage, marketing assistance and ongoing support.

Environmentally-aware consumers in Belgium can shop with good conscience at Delhaize supermarkets thanks to the introduction of fully compostable packaging for selected fresh produce.

The supermarket chain is testing NatureWorks® PLA, 100 per cent nature-based packaging, as an alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics for a range of food containers and bags in its Aalst store.

In-store prepared salads, and organic and traditional breads are among the foods being sold in NatureWorks PLA packaging. Currently, transparent delicatessen salad trays and the window on bread bags used by its bakeries are made from the natural material. Stickers and posters are ensuring that shoppers are aware that the packaging can be commercially composted.

NatureWorks PLA (polylactide) is completely derived from annually renewable resources. The technology used to produce the material harvests the starch stored in these annually renewable resources (eg corn) into natural plant sugars. The sugar is then fermented into lactic acid which is used to create a clear plastic known as polylactide. NatureWorks PLA containers decompose in industrial compost according to standard EN13432.

Philippe Henri Heymans, Delhaize, comments: “The Delhaize company wants to insure that its activities have a minimum impact on the environment, and NatureWorks PLA packaging is one of a range of on-going initiatives being introduced to shoppers in Belgium.

“NatureWorks PLA is a great step forward in helping us to replace traditional plastic materials with an environmentally-friendly alternative without having to raise prices”, continues Philippe Henri Heymans. “To the naked eye, there is no difference between the NatureWorks PLA containers and those used previously; and they offer the same high quality in terms of hygiene and food safety. We are looking forward to assessing the response of our shoppers between now and the end of this year.”

Dennis McGrew NatureWorks PLA adds: “NatureWorks PLA is 100 per cent natural, derived from constantly renewable raw materials. As an extra bonus for environmentally-conscience consumers, the production of NatureWorks PLA uses 20 to 50 per cent less fossil fuel than traditional plastic. We are delighted to see the benefits of NatureWorks PLA packaging reaching more and more people in Europe.”

UK profile, pipe and tube manufacturer VPE has installed two new extrusion lines as it experiences growth along with sister company Verplas, which supplies the ventilation market.
The EURO 728,000 investment, which also includes factory services and a new power supply, increases the Dorset company’s number of extrusion lines to eight. The larger line is a 90mm twin Kraus Maffei extruder with integrated downstream controls and feedstock provided by a twin station gravimetric feeder from Colormax to handle blends of materials and recycled product. The line has capacity for profiles up to 320mm wide by 130mm deep but the principle products will be ventilation ducting VPE manufactures for Verplas. VPE managing director Ken Armstrong said that Verplas products had achieved significant growth in recent years and further growth was planned. Baston supplied downstream equipment for this line and also the 60mm Boston Matthews extruder VPE has installed. The smaller line includes a swarfless guillotine and saw combination purchased specifically for the medium-sized profiles used extensively in the leisure home and general industrial markets which VPE supplies.

Rosehill Polymers has built an extrusion line at its Sowerby Bridge plant in the UK to manufacture a TPV for use as a granular infill and topping for synthetic grass pitches and multi-use games areas. The project has taken more than two years to complete at a cost of EURO 2.2m. The investment covers material storage, extruder, ovens for online vulcanisation, cooling system and a series of different sized granulators. The company has already supplied its granulated TPV to a synthetic turf manufacturer in Spain for use in high specification projects. New FIFA regulations regarding synthetic pitches are being prepared and when adopted Rosehill said it expects to take full advantage of the new market conditions. The company claims its product has advantages over other materials used in these applications, such as recycled tyre rubber and EPDM.

After a period of growth in eastern Europe, Gealan Fenster-Systeme, Germany, now intends to turn its attention to western Europe. The window profile manufacturer has founded a new subsidiary, Gealan Sarl, at Chevigny-Saint-Sauveur / France, to lift its own profile on one of the leading European markets for PVC windows.