Strictly-Extrusion

The patented dual spider heads for PVC pipe extrusion by American Maplan (AMC) are designed for higher production rates and improved pipe physical properties and are among the most technically advanced currently offered to the PVC pipe market. The AMC dual spider design produces high quality products with optimum efficiency, with the die heads capable of producing pipe diameters from 16-1300 mm in all classes from only five heads.
One of AMC’s most recent designs, the RD 1-7 head produces pipe from 15-175 mm with maximum output of 1000 kg/hr (2200 lb./hr.). To accomplish this product range using single spider dies would require three different heads. The RD 1-7 has five heating zones, whereas a typical die set has three.
The head design produces less back pressure, which provides benefits such as higher throughput rates, excellent wall thickness control, overweight reduction, im-proved physical properties of the finished pipe, lower barrel and screw wear and a wider range of pipe sizes from each RD head.
‘The RD 1-7 head is an ideal small diameter head for PVC pipe,’ according to Mike Wallen, VP for special projects at AMC. ‘It runs 0.5 inch to 6 inch IPS, C900 and sewer. Designed to attach to a standard pipe adapter or to the Maplan triple wall block for foam applications, the RD 1-7 has much to offer.’
American Maplan also provides optional accessories for the dual spider heads including carts for pipe head support, thermal die centering and the quick die change system.
American Maplan Corporation, Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik (Germany) and Battenfeld Extrusion Systems Ltd (China) utilize their synergies to develop process machineries, dies, screws and downstream equipment that provide a Total Extrusion Solution for the price and performance needs of the customer.

The Pentalabel® (formerly Pentaprint®) product line of shrink-label films has been extended to include Pentalabel® E749/52 AS7 polyester film for full-body shrink-sleeve labels, specifically designed for narrow-neck containers. This is the second film introduction for the new family of high-shrink polyester films with multiple shrink characteristics. Pentalabel® E749/52 AS7 combines high-shrink properties with little to no machine-direction (MD) shrinkage to produce a finished label that does not have the ’smile’ typically seen with polyester films. These films remain extremely uniform across the container, in particular the bottom portion of the container. The high-shrink force properties of the film allow the film to shrink properly around narrowneck containers. Klockner Pentaplast is the first global supplier of this film.
The new Pentalabel® E749/52 AS7 films are engineered for 78% shrink properties and are ideal for narrow-neck requirements. The high-performance surface characteristics of the film further enhance printability and allow a myriad of graphic schemes to be utilized. As with all Klockner Pentaplast shrink films, this new Pentalabel® film offers excellent gauge control, lay-flat properties, ink adhesion, and seaming ability. The Pentalabel® films are suitable for flexographic and gravure printing processes.
‘This new high-shrink Pentalabel® PETG shrink-label film is developed to meet customers’ requirements for uniform shrinkage and brilliant graphics for narrow-neck containers,’ comments Jim Mullen, Klockner Pentaplast’s manager of shrink-label films. ‘Along with our existing vinyl and polyester shrink-label films, we continue to provide innovation for our customers by offering the broadest selection and most cost-effective solutions in the industry.’

The Films Business of ExxonMobil Chemical announced plans to significantly increase production of specialty oriented polypropylene (OPP) films in LaGrange, Georgia.
The company will upgrade the LaGrange facility to increase its North American capacity for multi-layer white OPP films. The multimillion dollar investment will allow the company to satisfy the rapid growth in demand for specialty OPP films, such as OPPalyte™ white opaque film for candy cold-seal applications, OPPalyte™ WOS-2 and STW white opaque films for ice cream novelty applications and Label-Lyte™ films for wet glue and pressure sensitive labeling. ‘Our focus is to use technologies developed and refined by ExxonMobil Chemical over the past 35 years to produce packaging and labeling films that others cannot,’ said Paul Payne, global manufacturing manager for the Films Business. ‘It is what converters and leading brand owners have come to expect from our company, and we are committed to delivering on this expectation.’
ExxonMobil Chemical’s white opaque OPP films, each specifically tailored for targeted applications, have earned a reputation for outstanding performance that continues to fuel growth in the confectionary and ice cream markets. OPPalyte HM film, to be produced on the upgraded facility at LaGrange, utilizes a proprietary multi-layer technology to achieve exceptional cold seal adhesion. The company’s OPPalyte WOS-2 and STW films use proprietary multi-layer designs to provide optimal performance on multilane packaging machines commonly used for ice cream novelties.
This current upgrade is a continuation of ExxonMobil Chemical’s strategy to invest in specialty assets for its OPP films business. Since 2002, the company has added two new state-of-the-art orienters, a new coater and two new metallizers in its affiliated worldwide OPP film manufacturing facilities. Additionally, the company continues to upgrade existing assets like at LaGrange.

Plastics pipes group Uponor achieved its long-term financial targets in 2006, the company said in its announcement of full-year results. Consolidated net sales at the company, which has been going through a lengthy restructuring, were €1.16bn, up by 12.2% from €1.03bn in 2005. Sales growth was good in all regions apart from North America, where the rise was modest due to weak demand in housing construction during the second half. Like-for-like operating profit improved by 16.8% to €143.7m. This was mainly due to the increased sales, higher sales prices compensating for higher raw material costs and the improved production cost structure resulting from the restructuring programme. Chief executive Jan Lång said: “We achieved our long-term financial targets, published in 2003, during the 2006 financial year and made good progress in implementing our strategic agenda.” He said the company expects overall construction activity in 2007 to slow down slightly in the main markets.

PE film, bag and pallet cover manufacturer Polythene Industries is in new ownership after the business went into administration on 31 January. Joint administrator Paul Whitwam of Leeds-based BWC Business Solutions informed that the business had been acquired by trade buyers through an off-the-shelf company, Polythene Industries (UK). It is continuing to operate from premises on the Speke Hall Industrial Estate, Liverpool. The sale of the business included all processing machinery, the materials and products held in stock and the order book. The previous management, including managing director David Rawle, have left the company, but the remainder of the staff, numbering over 60, have transferred to the new company. Whitwam said Polythene Industries had a turnover of some £12m. It had experienced a difficult time since September 2006, losing customers and running at high wastage levels. Polythene Industries was once owned by the PVC Group. That company continued to have a stake in the business and is one of the creditors, according to Paul Whitwam. After its present on-going assessment of the existing business, which is understood to have a capacity of 10,000tpa, Polythene Industries (UK) says it will make a statement setting out its future plans.

Tuffstrut, a subsidiary of C&C Marshall, has purchased the PVC cable duct producer Bendex from the Epwin Group. Tuffstrut said manufacturing operations are being relocated from Bendex’s Irlam site, in Manchester, to C&C Marshall’s site in Hastings. Page would not comment on specific staff numbers but did confirm that there had been redundancies at Bendex. Bendex was bought by the Epwin Group in 1998 for £4.5m.

Barrier film will continue its strong growth in the US market over the next few years, retaining its position as the largest segment of the specialty film industry, according to a report by the Freedonia Group. The US research group expects barrier film demand to reach a value of $3.74bn in 2010, representing a 5.5% annual increase from its 2005 level of $2.87bn. Growth will be driven by strong demand for barrier film in meat packaging, necessary for maintaining an optimum atmosphere inside the pack. The overall market for specialty film is forecast to reach $7.30bn in 2010, a 4.8% annual rise from $5.78bn in 2005. Conductive film will experience strong growth of 6.9% per year, taking demand to $541m in 2010. This will be fuelled by a resurgent US electronics industry, according to Freedonia.

Linpac Materials Handling has completed the acquisition of Allibert-Buckhorn from Myers Industries for an undisclosed sum. Allibert-Buckhorn’s business is focused on returnable packaging, principally stacking and nesting containers and bulk boxes. It complements Linpac’s own activities in materials handling equipment and related services. The two businesses will continue to operate separately in the immediate future, but Linpac says the forging of the two into a single entity has already begun and will continue as a matter of the highest priority. The combined operation will be headquartered at the Allibert-Buckhorn site in Nanterre, France with immediate effect. Linpac Materials Handling’s managing director Laurence Tanty has been appointed managing director of the combined business.

Belgian PVC group Tessenderlo is refocusing its Plastic Pipes & Fittings business unit in a move which will boost operations in both western and central Europe. Hans Telgen will become managing director of the business, which is being renamed Plastic Pipe Systems. Telgen, who is currently director of Tessenderlo’s Dutch subsidiary Dyka, will take up the new role from 1 April. Tessenderlo said: “The business unit is seeking to focus even more on offering global solutions in the future, and thereby continue to improve customer service further.” A strategy review has been finalised for the pipes business, which will initially lead to Tessenderlo building up its operations in western Europe, especially in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the UK. It said synergies between the various locations will be strengthened and the range of products will be expanded. The company is also planning to accelerate development of the business unit’s operations in central Europe, based on its existing plants in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Roplasto Fensterprofile, one of the smaller German PVC window profile and sheet producers, has filed for insolvency in Cologne on 12 January. Approximately 70 employees at the company headquarters plant in Bergisch Gladbach (pictured) now face an uncertain future, with 30 of them having already been required to leave the company on 16 January. Roplasto has been trying to compensate a flat building construction market in Germany market through a network of 15 European subsidiaries, purchase in May 2005 of the extrusion business of Plastmo in Central and Eastern Europe, establishing PVC profile extrusion in both Wroclaw, Poland and Moscow, Russia. The local branch of the IG BCE mining, chemical and energy industries trade union said that both IG BCE and the works council “had been surprised” when the threatened insolvency was announced by the management in mid January. IG BCE said it had agreed to 64 redundancies in 2004 in order to ensure continuation of the Bergisch Gladbach facility, accusing Roplasto of having invested in Eastern Europe while neglecting the Bergisch Gladbach site. It claims further that although the insolvency administrator, Hans-Gerd H. Jauch of the Goerg legal firm, is already having discussions with a possible British investor, the investor does not intend to keep the Bergisch Gladbach operation.