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Optical Components Made with Utmost Precision

- Extrusion of Injection Molding MaterialsOptical components can already be made with the utmost precision by injection molding processes. However, the necessary quantities and the imposed requirements keep rising all the time. All kinds of production technologies are needed for optical components in the lighting and automotive industries as well as in medical engineering. In order that promising products may be mass-manufactured in the future, the underlying production processes will need to be highly efficient.Polyoptics GmbH, Kleve, and Kunststoff-Institut Lüdenscheid (KIMW-F) have together embarked on the “CRoCoMold Project” with a view to developing an alternative production process for thin-walled optical components. Continuous compression molding (CCM), a combination of extrusion and melt embossing which so far has mainly been used to produce simple packaging from free-flowing polymers offers substantial development potential here. The project, part of the Federal government’ “Innovative SMEs” program, will further develop the process so that it can be used for precision polymer optics, such as lenses and optical attachments.▲ Compression-molded lenses from the CRoCoMold project (ⓒpolyoptics)The project’s brief is to develop the plant concept from the aspects of material properties and the necessary process regulation and control. This means it also needs to address the melting behavior of the polymers and the required heat input during the molding process. New inline heating systems and molds are being designed to achieve tighter tolerances and more efficient mold ventilation. On the machine side, design changes are being made to integrate the heating and mold concepts.Project Background▲ The project partners will use a CCM 24 machine from Sacmi to produce planar lensesfrom PMMA polymer pellets (ⓒpolyoptics)The first step was to define the product and quality requirements for the machines and manufacturing processes: products intended for the optical industry must be free of defects, blowholes, flow and tie lines, ejection marks and flash. A CCM machine (type: CCM 24) from Italian company Sacmi Imola S.C. was eventually selected for the project. It can be fitted with up to 24 molds.For the new application, the project partners decided to stick with the injection molding materials hitherto used for such products as that would avoid the need for protracted new approvals and new acquisitions as far as possible. Polyoptics and KIMW-F considered several candidate PC and PMMA materials for use in the CCM process and ultimately opted for Plexiglas 6N, 8N and 8h and Altuglas V825T.Initial TrialsThe project partners collaborated closely with Sacmi on initial trials to establish the suitability of different extruder designs for extruding PMMA materials on the CCM machine. These practical tests confirmed that PMMA could be processed by CCM.With the aid of an enhanced temperature-control system, all three PMMA materials were processed under various process parameters with a view to establishing the best ones for the existing mold. The trials revealed that the nozzle, the cutting and transport unit and the mold itself all had to be optimized. The CCM’s cutting and transport unit was accordingly replaced in several stages. A controller for both components was programmed to match the movements of the blade and the transport unit with those of the molds. This coordination is essential for cutting, transporting, molding and ejecting the plastics. The technical enhancements to the CCM machine greatly improved the quality of the molded PMMA parts, but cut marks were still visible on their surfaces.Lense Made by Continuous Compression MoldingCompression-molded lenses from the CRoCoMold project (©polyoptics)The next phase of the project was to design and build molds for 5-mm-thick planar lenses. The new test molds proved suitable and the project partners used them to produce optical lenses from PMMA by means of continuous compression molding (CCM).Further testing consisted in varying the composition of the cutting blade to determine the optimum parameters for it. These tests revealed that the macro shape of the blade has a strong influence on the surface finish of the lenses.To further enhance lens quality, KIMW-F also examined the cooling concept behind the CCM molds. To this end, it conducted different trials at various mold temperatures to determine the impact of different concepts on surface quality. The results showed that heating the mold greatly improves the surface finish of the lenses. The finish can be further enhanced by manipulating the contact temperatures between the blade and the mold containing the melt.Part quality and process reliability were analyzed by conducting GPC analyses on the material. No deterioration in the PMMA was detected. This meant that the process control system was ready for up-scaling to series production.Trials on thin, thermally insulating CVD coatings showed that optimization of the coating thickness and the coating process for the mold material is necessary for improving lens quality.ConclusionThe project and the successful production of optical lenses confirmed the possibility of processing PMMA by the CCM process. Process capability was demonstrated by optimizing the quality of the parts and constantly monitoring them with various analyses and measurements.*The research and development project was funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) under funding initiative “Innovative SMEs – Research for Production” (funding number 02P15K021/ 02P15K020) and supervised by the Karlsruhe Research Center (PTKA).Source: Kunststoffe

Aeyoung Park 2018-10-05

Recyclability revolution in high-barrier films

In an exclusive from our sister title Packaging Europe, Amcor sets out to transform the circular capability of flexible packaging with the launch of a new polyolefin barrier film – a platform technology for packaging a huge variety of products.The culmination of several years’ R&D and a major step toward achieving Amcor’s pledge to develop all its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025, this innovation appears to have reached the El Dorado of flexibles: a polyolefin-based substrate that can be used for ambient and retort high-barrier applications – and can be recycled. Amcor spoke exclusively about the launch with Packaging Europe’s Tim Sykes.Today, many products are protected by high barrier packaging that is not easily recyclable due to their multi-material structures. A good example is retort pouches, which today use polyester, aluminium and polyolefins as base materials to achieve protection and deliver high-barrier performance. Due to different melting points, polyolefins, PET barrier films and aluminium cannot be recycled together, and their recycling requires pure feedstocks. Evidently, a purely polyolefin alternative that would be recyclable through existing waste streams would be a game changer. But could industry find an alternative that matches the barrier and heat resistant performance of multi-material laminates?Amcor’s answer to this question is: yes, it can.“Our breakthrough innovation is a high-barrier OPP film with SiOx (silicon oxide) coating that has met the challenges of delivering outstanding performance for barriers, sealing, and withstanding high heat processing, such as retort and heat sterilisation,” Luca Zerbini (VP of sustainability, marketing and innovation for Amcor’s Flexibles business in EMEA) revealed to Packaging Europe. “This new polyolefin film will be a building block to develop flexible packaging for a huge variety of products, from ready-meals to wet pet food, coffee to nuts and snacks.”At a time when many players on the flexibles market are investing in monopolymer innovation, the importance of this development lies in its range of high-performance applications. Many of the solutions the industry has brought to market have been medium- to low-barrier solutions, unsuited to retort applications, or often developed as bespoke solutions for particular applications. Amcor has taken a different approach, by working on a platform that can be applied across a whole range of packaging contexts. The ambition is bold: nothing less than transforming the whole industry.The new platform will be available in three basic grades: ambient medium barrier, ambient high barrier and retort high barrier. According to Amcor, the retortable grade is offering barrier performances of <1cc oxygen and <1g moisture after converting and retort (numbers which align with the top performing non-recyclable barrier films currently on the market, for instance PET barrier films). The figures for the ambient high-performance grade are below 0.1 cc oxygen and 0.1 g moisture.“No other polyolefin film on the market approaches these properties,” commented Andrea Della Torre (senior R&D director, EMEA). “This film is a true breakthrough for high barrier and retort pouches, and is a huge step forward toward meeting our own, and our customers’ sustainability commitments.”

Aeyoung Park 2018-10-04

Cosmo Films launches BOPP based heat resistant films

- Cosmo Films launches heat resistant filmsCosmo Films, a global leader in speciality films for flexible packaging, lamination and labeling applications as well as synthetic paper introduces BOPP based heat resistant (HR) films. The films have been engineered to work as printing layer replacing BOPET film in multilayerlaminates for various packaging applications in both food and non-food segments.The new heat resistant films are clear, non-heat sealable and both sides treated films with excellent printability and go mostly for reverse printing. The thermally stable films have excellent slip properties and good machinability and therefore work well on high speed FFS packaging machines. Available in 15, 18, 20 microns; the films are well suited for both adhesive as well as extrusion lamination and offer good lamination bond.The company has also launched a barrier version of the film. The transparent BOPP based barrier HR film has excellent oxygen barrier properties and offers OTR of less than 100cc/m2/day. The film has good grease resistance that comes in handy for oily snack food packaging; which is a big application area of this film.Speaking on the development, Mr. Pankaj Poddar, CEO Cosmo Films said, “Homogeneous structures are becoming increasingly preferable as recyclability of multilayer packaging becomes need of the hour. Polypropylene structures or even Polypropylene plus Polyethylene structures are better placed from recyclability perspective because they belong to the same polymer family. Cosmo Films with more than 100 years of collective OPP experience now stands in an advantageous position to develop specialized polypropylene films aimed at a sustainable future”

Aeyoung Park 2018-09-21

What we learned from talking to processors about Industry 4.0

K 2016 was all about Industry 4.0. Nearly every machinery company was touting the promise of the fourth industrial revolution.But we've been wondering for a while: Which processors are using Industry 4.0 technology? What's been the cost, in time and capital? Are there real benefits?Last week's special report on Industry 4.0 took a comprehensive look at those questions.Until now, most of the stories you've been seeing about plastics manufacturing and Industry 4.0 have quoted machinery company officials. This report was different. Our concept was to focus on processors who are using the technology. We spread a wide net, and our team talked to molders and extruders in North America, Europe and China.The Industry 4.0 movement may have started in Germany, but it's spread across the globe in the past few years.Initially, I was figuring that we would find interesting companies through our contacts in the machinery sector. I thought the machinery suppliers we've been quoting on Industry 4.0 for the past two years would put us in touch with customers that are beta testing their technology.But in far more cases, we found processors who were trailblazing the path on their own. Often, their key allies are suppliers of ERP, MRP and MES systems. (For those of us who need a reminder, those acronyms stand for enterprise resource planning, material resource planning and manufacturing execution systems.)One thing we've discovered: There's no single strategy for implementing Industry 4.0.Do processors need to hire an Industry 4.0 expert or a team of experts to make this work? Not really. It's more a matter of combining all the expertise and all the tools that they already have at their disposal. You've likely already got the software and the hardware, since modern factories are loaded with controllers and sensors.The processors we talked to for our special report had teams of bright people on staff already, and for most, the shift to Industry 4.0 has been gradual. It's more of an evolution than a revolution. There are some exceptions, as some companies have built new factories with a specific goal of optimizing everything for Industry 4.0.I predict that at K 2019, we'll hear more about Industry 4.0 from processors themselves, and we'll learn more about the best practices and benefits from the few that have jumped into the technology pool with both feet.And all the companies that have just dipped their toes in the water will realize what they've been missing.

Aeyoung Park 2018-09-03

Shini - How to control the moisture of plastic materials effectively

- Shini's effective moisture controller for plastic materialsDuring plastic injection molding, the influence of moisture on quality of plastic material is great, which not only may result in plastic cracks, whitening, air bubble, but also degrades the plastics and decreases the performance. Therefore, it’s necessary to control the moisture of plastic materials in injection molding.There are many factors affecting the moisture of plastic materials in the process of drying that mainly include the drying temperature, airflow and time, dew-point temperature and environment. Drying temperature varies with different materials, which is critical for complete drying of the plastics. Insufficient temperature will lead to poor drying effect or prolong the drying time, while too high of the drying temperature will decompose the material and decrease the mechanical-physical properties. Although the greater the drying airflow, the better the drying effect, it requires large consumption, and there’s slight difference between actual minimum airflows required by different materials for drying. The common airflow is 1.5~3.5m3/ (kg.hr), and specific requirements please refer to the table of physical properties for different materials; Dew-point temperature ≤-20°C that can completely dry ordinary plastics, and the lower the dew-point temperature of the dry air, the better the drying effect.As to control the moisture in plastic materials effectively, it is necessary to choose suitable drying equipment first of all. On the market, in the aspect of equipment, there are the common hot-air dryers, partial hot-air dehumidifying dryers and hot-air dehumidifying dryers; in the aspect of materials, the moisture required by different plastics is different due to the multiple varieties. Thus, the suitable choice of drying equipment should be made in accordance with the requirements of plastic materials and products. For plastics without strong hygroscopicity, such as: PP, PE, PS, PVC and PPS that have no requirement for the moisture, the common hot-air dryer can be adopted to reduce the cost. For medium hygroscopic plastics, such as ABS, PMMA, PC, POM and PBT that require the moisture ≤0.05%, the partial hot-air dehumidifying dryers can be adopted. For strong hygroscopic plastics, such as PA, PET and PES that require the moisture ≤0.02%, the hot-air dehumidifying dryers are required for complete drying.Secondly, as to prevent plastics from moisture regain after drying. When the floor mount drying equipment is used, the dried materials require low dew-point drying hot air for the conveying, and shut-off suction box to avoid moisture regain. The materials left in the pipe with heat insulation, and the materials are not easy to become hygroscopic when it at high temperature state. When selecting the storage hopper to mount on the IMM, the hopper should be chosen based on the output, and don’t store the materials in the hopper too long as to avoid the moisture regain or mount the hot-air dryer to prevent moisture regain due to material temperature decrease. For occasions that require less moisture amount, the hot-air dryer still needs to option with the hot-air recycler or replenish the dehumidifying air for the drying.In conclusion, suitable drying equipment should be chosen based on plastic variety and product to reach effective control of the moisture in the material.ⓒ SHINI Source: CPRJ International

Aeyoung Park 2018-09-03

Renewlogy Converting Landfill-Bound Plastics to Fuel

- Capable of accepting mixed and dirty plastic feedstock, Renewlogy’s process results in low-sulfur fuel for a high-energy payback with zero toxic emissions▲ Renewlogy’s recycling technology has a modular and small footprint, allowing them to be co-located with plastic waste sites.A recent study from the University of Georgia looked at the global impact of China’s ban on plastic waste imports. Since reporting began in 1992, China has accepted about 106 million metric tons of plastic waste, which accounts for nearly half of the world’s plastic waste imports. The study estimates about 111 million metric tons of plastic waste is going to be displaced because of the import ban through 2030.Recycling centers across the country are having to cut back on the plastics that they accept. This means the recycling industry needs innovation now. And that’s where a company like Renewlogy comes in to play.Renewlogy (formerly PK Clean) is an innovative business converting plastic waste back into fuel products. Priyanka Bakaya, CEO of Renewlogy, founded the company at MIT in 2011. Chemical recycling takes mixed plastics streams and contaminated streams and gives an opportunity to recycle it.Renewlogy has made the process more economically viable compared to others in the plastics-to-oil market, she says. One way is through its continuous automated approach versus a batch process. Batch requires a cool down and reheating of the conversion system. But the continuous process maintains a consistent temperature. And factor in the automated approach, it can also reduce labor costs as well.“Previously, companies were using a batch process, which wasn’t efficient,” Bakaya says. “From our origin, we developed a proprietary continuous automated approach, which makes it much more cost effective.” The company’s demonstration facility in Salt Lake City is the first-of-its-kind designed to operate continuously in the U.S. at commercial scale. Renewlogy is capable of accepting mixed and dirty plastic feedstock. Renewlogy’s process results in low-sulfur fuel, high energy payback and zero toxic emissions.The company’s business model is to build its Renewlogy systems at recycling facilities across the country. A new facility is under construction in Nova Scotia. And Renewlogy was recently awarded a grant from the Arizona Commerce Authority toward setting up a facility in Phoenix. The company plans to invest its grant directly into getting its Phoenix operations up and running at a facility that already processes waste. Because Renewlogy’s facilities have a modular and small footprint, they can be co-located with plastic waste sites.“We’re working on a number of facilities that will be deployed over the next couple of years, Bakaya says. “Our hope is to keep up with demand and get as many out there as possible.”Hefty EnergyBag InitiativeDue to the China restrictions, Boise, Idaho residents were told earlier this year that they no longer could put their plastic #3 through #7 in their recycling bin. But thanks to Dow and Keep America’ Beautiful Hefty EnergyBag campaign, residents are given an orange bag to collect these plastics. As part of the program, Renewlogy is the recipient of all the #3 through #7 plastics collected through the program in Boise. Renewlogy processes the materials into high value fuels. Other surrounding areas are looking to launch the program in their cities too.Bakaya says the orange bags are delivered to the MRFs where they are loaded on a truck and sent to Renewlogy’s chemical recycling process.“In terms of community involvement, it’s a lot higher than expected,” she says. “Residents are reading about the turbulence in recycling markets, so it gets them excited to be involved with a program like this that is part of the solution.”Ocean PlasticsRenewlogy is also getting involved in helping with the ocean plastics crisis. “There’s been a lot of media attention around the problem with ocean plastics and companies are trying to figure out how to address this issue,” Bakaya says.Renewlogy's ocean system is a small and mobile version of its large chemical recycling system, and is powered by solar energy. The systems target ocean-bound plastics in developing countries, and create incentives for local waste pickers to collect scrap plastics that otherwise have low value. The system can produce fuels such as diesel, as well as materials that serve as the building blocks to make new plastics. Renewlogy has partnered with non-profit Plastic Ocean Project, who have been using Renewlogy's conversion unit for converting marine plastic waste into fuel over the past few years.“Once plastics are collected from the ocean, they are very difficult to recycle,” she says. “We developed our technology to find a solution for hard-to-recycle plastics, and it’s incredible to be able to convert these microplastics from the ocean into a clean fuel.” Renewlogy is currently rolling out its Renewlogy Oceans initiative in major rivers across the world, starting with the Ganges River in 2019.Source: Plastics Technology

Aeyoung Park 2018-08-31

Twice the production in half the delivery time

– Strong demand for the all-electric PX series from KraussMaffei– Expansion of production capacities at the Munich and Sucany, Slovakia locations – Strategic purchasing of Plamag GmbHThe new all-electric PX series from KraussMaffei is shaping up to be a success story. Due to the tremendous demand, KraussMaffei has increased its production capacities at the Sucany, Slovakia and Munich locations. The strategic purchase of Plamag GmbH gives a boost to component manufacturing. Customers all over the world are benefiting from high flexibility and short delivery times.Demand that surpasses expectations"The market launch of our all-electric PX series at K 2016 was a smashing success. Our customers appreciate the high precision and flexibility in configuration, production and retrofitting," explains Dr. Hans Ulrich Golz, President of the Injection Molding Machinery segment of the KraussMaffei Group. In the first year following sales approval, demand has already exceeded the expectations placed on the series. This led to a quick response on KraussMaffei's part—production capacities were doubled for the PX series at the Sucany, Slovakia location, which is currently following a double-shift production schedule. Going forward, there are plans in the works to produce the PX series at the Munich location as well. KraussMaffei is also boosting production by strategically purchasing Plamag GmbH in Plauen, Germany. Plamag has been producing essential components for the new PX series since the middle of 2017 and overseeing spare parts business. "Overall, we are in a position to address our customers' needs and decision-making framework even more efficiently as well as achieve our ambitious growth objectives step-by-step with the all-electric PX series," adds Golz.The all-electric PX series from KraussMaffei is currently available in five different sizes in a clamping force range from 500 to 2,000 kN. With the release of the PX 25 and PX 320—the two sizes presented at the Competence Forum in June this year—KraussMaffei is expanding the range of the series by adding a new minimum clamping force size and a new maximum. The planned launch for both is the 2018 Fakuma trade show.Up-and-coming all-electric injection molding machinesCurrent market figures demonstrate that there is strong demand right now for all-electric injection molding machines. "Our current numbers paint a very positive picture of our market situation, specifically in Europe and the US. The advantages of all-electric injection molding machines become apparent when you look at energy consumption and precision specifically. These machines are setting trends for the future," says Golz. The PX series gives KraussMaffei an outstanding market position and provides the company with the chance to maintain this growth over the long term.

Aeyoung Park 2018-07-11

Volvo pledges 25 percent of plastics to be recycled content by 2025

▲ Recycled plastics and fibers from discarded fishing nets and other marine ropes is used in the center console of the demonstration XC60 T8 hybrid.Automotive giant Volvo Car Group is pledging that by 2025, 25 percent of the plastics used in its cars will come from recycled sources.The company unveiled a specially-built version of its XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid SUV on June 18, noting that it looks and performs exactly the same as its normal version, but it uses recycled content for many of its parts."Volvo Cars is committed to minimizing its global environmental footprint," said Hakan Samuelsson, president and CEO. "Environmental care is one of Volvo's core values, and we will continue to find new ways to bring this into our business. This car and our recycled plastics ambition are further examples of that commitment.The special XC60’s interior has a center console made using renewable fibers and plastics recovered from discarded fishing nets and other maritime plastics. The flooring carpet uses recycled nylon and its seat fabric comes from recycled PET bottles.The foam from old Volvo car seats is used in the sound absorber under the hood.Volvo Car Group▲ Volvo created a demonstration XC60T8 hybrid with recycled plasticsto compare to its standard vehicle.“We already work with some great, forward-thinking suppliers when it comes to sustainability,” said Martina Buchhauser, senior vice president of global procurement at Volvo Cars, but added that the company needs to access more recycled material for more parts, “if we are to make our ambition a reality.”The Chinese-owned, Sweden-based carmaker urged automotive suppliers to work more closely with car manufacturers to develop next-generation sustainable components, particularly ones that contain more recycled plastics.The recycled-plastics XC60 was revealed at the Ocean Summit during the Gothenburg Volvo Ocean Race stopover.The race’s focus on sustainability centers on a partnership with the United Nations Environment Clean Seas campaign, focusing on the call to action, "turn the tide on plastic."Volvo’s announcement is the latest in a series of decisions to address current environmental issues. Last month, the carmaker committed to removing single-use plastics across all its premises and events by the end of 2019.In 2017, the company announced a commitment to electrify all new Volvo cars launched after 2019, which would include hybrid-powered vehicles. In May it added to that pledge by saying that it aims to have fully electric vehicles make up 50 percent of its global sales by 2025.

Aeyoung Park 2018-07-05