Strictly-Extrusion

A blown film line built by Battenfeld Gloucester for a Latin American company is claimed as one of the biggest in the world. The line, for three-layer coextruded MD/LLDPE geomembranes, has a 2•2 m die and a 25 m tower. It produces 7 m wide film from 500 - 2,500 microns gauge at more than 1,200 kg/hour.
The die, one of the largest ever built by Battenfeld Gloucester, was designed specifically for geomembranes with particular concern to eliminate dead spots and prevent overheating to avoid negatively affecting the properties of the LLDPE - specified to increase the elasticity of the web.
The three extruders in the line are Battenfeld’s Contracool air-cooled units. The B extruder, used for the core of the web, has a 203 mm diameter 36:1 L/D screw, and the A and C extruders for the inner and outer skins have 89 mm screws, also 36 D. Use of such relatively long screws increases the mixing efficiency and homogeneity of the melt and reduces process heat.
Both skins of the web need texturing for greater traction when they are installed, so Battenfeld Gloucester added a system to pump nitrogen into the A and C extruders. When the nitrogen exits the die in the outer and inner layers, it disrupts the melt flow and creates a controlled texturing of the skins. The line can also produce film with non-textured, smooth edges which aids the welding of the geomembranes to each other.
Other special components include the unfolder, secondary nip and winder. The Model 196C winder is designed for geomembranes with a 7•31 m wide spindle. It can be programmed to operate at speeds of 1 to 10 m/min. The largest roll that can be wound is 900 mm, although the company generally winds rolls 400 to 500 mm in diameter.

Danish pultrusion specialist has launched a translucent window profile made by pultrusion in glass reinforced plastic (GRP). It showed the profiles for the first time at the Fensterbau Frontale 2006 window system fair in Nuremberg. The new profiles provide slender frames and a high degree of insulation, through elimination of thermal bridges, minimising heat lost, condensation and fungi development. Peter Kidmose Jensen, thermal insulation technical solution manager at Fiberline, said the new window system “has long life, also under the most severe climate conditions and requires practically no maintenance”. From the outside, the design of the system ensures that fixed and opening windows cannot be distinguished from each other; the company said they can also be combined with Fiberline’s translucent GRP façade elements. The new GRP window/façade system was designed in close cooperation with the architects and professor Jan Søndergaard of the Royal Danish Academy of Arts.

Xaloy Inc has expanded its product line for the plastics industry with the acquisition of Dynisco Extrusion LLC, Hickory, North Carolina, US.

The former owner of Dynisco Extrusion, Dynisco LLC, Franklin, Massachusetts, is continuing to operate as an independently owned global leader in pressure and temperature measurement and control products as well as testing equipments for the plastics industry.

The acquisition of Dynisco Extrusion adds gear pumps, screen changers, cleaning ovens and water ring pelletizers to Xaloy’s line of high-performance screws, bimetallic barrels and heat-transfer rolls used in extrusion processes.

Following the acquisition, Xaloy is consolidating sales and service of all of its extrusion equipment in a new business unit, Xaloy Extrusion, based in Hickory, North Carolina. Randy Pearson, the former president of Dynisco Extrusion, heads the new Xaloy unit.

Manufacturing, laboratory, spare parts and other operations in North Carolina and Heilbronn, Germany, are included in the acquisition. The Heilbronn operations, now co-located pn a Dynisco site, will be moved to a nearby location in Germany at a later date.

Davis-Standard, LLC recently moved into a new office in Shanghai, China to support the company’s existing and potential business in the growing Chinese marketplace. The Shanghai location will provide localized customer service and support to customers throughout China and other parts of Asia while building relationships with sales representatives, government institutes and associations. This office will also be responsible for coordinating and implementing parts and components sourcing in the region, and participating in influential tradeshows and seminars. Davis-Standard’s key personnel at this office include Andrew Sun, business manager, China; Edward Zhang, business development and sales/sourcing representative; and Susan Guo, business assistant.
This office represents all Davis-Standard, LLC product lines within the company’s Extrusion Systems and Converting Systems business groups. Products offered include equipment for blown film, cast film, extrusion coating, laminating, laboratory, sheet, pipe, profile and tubing, elastomer and wire and cable processes.

MonoSol has acquired Greensol of France, after a long period of collaboration in the water soluble films market. The acquisition consolidates MonoSol’s expansion from its US base into Europe. In 2004, it bought UK company Aquafilm.Ines Naude-Filonniere, president of Greensol based in Sens, will work with MonoSol on marketing initiatives, and Laurent Colliot, Greensol’s sales manager joins MonoSol as regional sales manager. Colliot said: “We have a long history developing successful commercial applications for water soluble films. The packaging of detergents in PVOH unit-doses is just one example – this format now accounts for more than 15% of the European detergent market.” He added that he sees good market potential for MonoSol’s newest developments, the M-8900 acid resistant water soluble packaging film and the F-100 edible packaging film for ingredient dosing.

Thyssen Polymer, one of the major German window profile producers, exhibited at the Fensterbau Frontale 2006 window system fair in Nuremberg this week under a new name – Inoutic. The change of name was necessary as the company is no longer part of the Thyssen Krupp group; it was acquired by Belgian-based Deceuninck three years ago.Inoutic demonstrated several new products, including Titanium Plus window with a decorative surface in a choice of three aluminium tones, made from 100% post consumer PVC. Other innovations included: windows with glued window panes using the glass as a construction element, so allowing thinner profiles and novel illumination design options; ventilating but burglar-proof window systems; and design concepts breaking away from flat to wavy surface profiles to match architects’ building design features.

Permit us to remind you that the International Congress will be on April 5th and 6th, and we hope you already had reserved this date in your calendar. The detailed programme of the congress can be accessed at: www.wpc-nfk.de.

This website will give you an overview about implementation and importance of the event. Forty speakers from 16 different countries, 30 poster presentations and 30 exhibitors elucidate the newest applications of natural fibre reinforced composites in automobile construction, in the furniture industry, competing with conventional materials such as plastics or wood.
At the press conference the newest methods and products of leading companies will be introduced.

The Symposium in Kassel expects to host more than 300 guests from many countries. The organisers are renowned globally for their scientific experience with wood and natural fibre composites and their application, and the Symposium is drawing many knowledgeable experts to share their perspectives and experiences in this fast growing industry.

Representatives of leading companies will be presenting the newest results and developments during the two-day meeting in Kassel, which promises to be this years most informative conference in the field of wood and natural fibre composites. A book of approx. 500 pages, containing all lectures and poster presentations, will be distributed to the participants at the start of the Symposium. Please inform us which participants are of special interest to you, we would be happy to arrange individual meetings for you.
For additional information regarding the location of the hotels and driving instructions/public transportation please consult our website: www.wpc-nfk.de

The ‘Cologne Triangle’ by architects Gatermann + Schossig is a striking yet slender 103 m- (338 ft)-tall office
tower wrapped in glass that seems to defy traditional laws of aerodynamics and transparency. The tower’s south façade, which is subject to particularly demanding wind load and solar requirements, is double glazed to incorporate laminated glass with DuPont™ SentryGlas® Plus structural interlayer.
Josef Failer of glass laminator Flachglas Wernberg said: “The south façade of the Cologne Triangle owes its great transparency and feeling of lightness, combined with outstanding post-breakage strength, to an entirely new pointfixed glazing system incorporating 2,500 m2 (26,910 ft2) of laminated glass with SentryGlas® Plus, which looks almost ‘frameless’ to the eye. “Using this new-generation architectural laminated glass construction with SentryGlas® Plus interlayer (Flachglas Wernberg has trademarked its new
laminated glass product SiglaPlus®), we have successfully met the structural strength requirements of the architects, the engineers and the local building authorities - including stringent requirements for wind load performance - with a solution that is about 20 percent thinner than traditional laminated glass.
“The outstanding post-breakage performance of SentryGlas® Plus structural interlayer is key to the success of the laminated glass in The Cologne Triangle’s south façade In addition to its rigidity, DuPont’s structural interlayer also contributes to the transparency of the façade because of its excellent edge stability, which means no delamination and no discoloration.”
The glazing consists of 6 mm (0.2 in) fully-tempered Pilkington Optiwhite® glass + 1.52 mm (0.060 mil) SentryGlas® Plus + 8 mm (0.3 in) fullytempered Optiwhite® glass.
Gatermann + Schossig principal, Professor Doerthe Gatermann, said: “The tower takes the form of a triangle with three curved sides. Our concept was to create a contemporary building for the city of Cologne. The city authorities love the very modern form of an ethereal glass tower, and they hope that it will become a new Cologne landmark.” She continued: “The Cologne Triangle’s unusual glass form means that city dwellers and visitors alike still have uninterrupted views of our city’s majestic cathedral, which lies just across the river; it has also enabled us to create an office tower that is highly energy efficient. The glass façades use the sun’s energy to help heat the building in winter.
“As well as providing significant structural strength to the glass façade and helping the Cologne Triangle to obtain planning permission in the face of demanding wind load requirements, the laminated glass with SentryGlas® Plus used in the south façade is intrinsically clear; people inside the office building also benefit from remarkable views over the cathedral and the city.”
This is one of the first installations of a laminated glass façade with SentryGlas® Plus on a new building in Germany - and in Europe. In 2004, Flachglas also used a two-sided supported façade using SentryGlas® Plus for the 5,000 m2 (53,820 ft2) refit of a corporate headquarters in Hamburg, working with façade engineer Strabag AG.

Borealis has launched Borstar® HE3490-IM, a unique polyethylene (PE) grade specifically for the injection moulding of PE100 pressure pipe fittings. This solution
provides the fitting manufacturers with a better alternative to the extrusion materials which they currently use – a material that combines the higher pressure performance of a PE100 material with the processing friendliness of a PE80. The whole value chain from fittings manufacturer to pipe producer, contractor and pipeline owner will benefit from the greater consistency in overall quality and performance achieved with this grade.
Eurostandard produces specialised fittings for pressurised gas and water pipelines. Commenting on their experience of using the new Borstar grade, Giuseppe
Fontanazzi, Technical Director Eurostandard, says: “Borealis has succeeded in developing a material which combines good flow characteristics with excellent
strength. Borstar HE3490-IM is enabling us to mould complex, intricate PE100 fittings more efficiently and cost-effectively than before thanks to the shorter cycle times and less scrap. At the same time we are seeing clear improvements to the consistency in quality in areas such as the fitting openings and the surface finishing on the products we deliver to our customers.” Borstar HE3490-IM offers a wide range of production- and end-product advantages.

• Shorter cycle times: Borstar HE3490-IM can be injected at lower temperatures in comparison to conventional PE100 extrusion grade materials. The lower melt temperatures allow considerably shorter cycle times to be achieved, delivering cost benefits to the fittings manufacturer.
• Less scrap: Industrial trials have shown that scrap rates can be reduced dramatically on fittings with intricate design. This reduces the complexity of the moulding and inspection schemes, which translates into improved production efficiency and cost-effectiveness for the manufacturer.
• Improved mechanical properties: For small and complex fittings, considerable improvements to mechanical properties in the critical areas such as intersections and flow-front interfaces can be achieved enhancing the performance of the finished fitting.
• Improved surface finish: Due to the easy-flow properties of Borstar HE3490-IM, the surface quality of fittings is greatly improved when compared to fittings manufactured from conventional PE100 materials.
• Less warpage: Less ovalisation and warpage of the fittings results from the lower molecular weight of Borstar HE3490-IM, leading to greater consistency
in quality and more reliable, better performing finished fittings.
• Easy processing: Borstar HE3490-IM processes like a PE80 material but the fitting performs as a PE100 product, which is exactly what manufacturers
of fittings have been searching for since the introduction of PE100. Borstar HE3490-IM has been developed using Borealis’ recently launched proprietary
Borstar PE 2G technology, a multi-modal process that enables the molecular tailoring of PE to provide added value solutions. Borealis has more than 40 years experience in providing advanced polyolefin solutions for the manufacturing of pipe and fittings systems. With deep understanding of the value chain and a focus on customer needs, Borealis continues to provide value creating, innovative polypropylene (PP) and PE solutions for the pipe industry.

Synflex, the manufacturer of thermoplastic hoses and tubing, has been sold by parent group Saint-Gobain to Eaton, the US automotive supplier. Synflex has approximately 450 employees at three facilities in the US and a facility in Gembloux, Belgium. The Eaton group is already a major supplier of fluid connectors to automotive customers in North America and Europe. Craig Arnold, senior vice president and president of Eaton’s Fluid Power Group, said: “The acquisition of Synflex will provide Eaton with an expanded range of thermoplastic hose and tubing products for customers in a broad range of fluid conveyance applications, including the transportation, oil and gas, material handling, and utility industries.” Synflex is being sold by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics for an undisclosed price. In 2005 its sales were about $120m.