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Plastics Engineering September 2016

Plastics in Automotive: Lightweighting with Composites

Heating up Under the Hood • Innovation • Anticipating K 2016 00 Cover_Layout 1 8/19/16 5:41 AM Page cvr2 01-05 contents_editorial 8/19/16 8:51 AM Page 1

CONTENTS ■ ■ VOLUME 72 NUMBER 8 SEPTEMBER 2016

FROM SPE Preparing to reflect, and to forge ahead By Wim de Vos 6 Digital processes, interconnectivity, Industry 4.0 and fast-changing information technology are reshaping our industry. At the upcoming K Show, we will pause to review the landscape while looking ahead to assess where we are heading, as SPE prepares to enter its 75th anniversary year in 2017.

DESIGN NOTES Sustainable Eyeglasses from Down Under, with a German Flair By Robert Grace 8 Australia’s Dresden Optics is aiming to produce low-cost, stylish, recycled- eyewear but a strong nod to German design and 8 manufacturing quality

Plastics in Automotive: Material Advances COVER STORY Power Drive By Patrick Toensmeier 12 The desire to reduce vehicle weight is accelerating the development and use of high-performance for underhood applications

Automotive Composites: Mass Reduction for Mass Production By Peggy Malnati 22 Reinforced plastics are lowering weight, improving handling and performance, and boosting safety for passenger cars

12 K 2016 Preview Gearing Up for the World’s Largest Plastics Show By Jon Evans 28 To whet your appetite, we offer up a small sampling of the vast array of innovative products and technologies that await the 200,000 visitors to K 2016 in Düsseldorf from Oct. 19-26

New Developments in Blow Molding By Nancy D. Lamontagne 34 In early October, attendees will gather in Atlanta for SPE’s Annual Blow Molding Conference. Get a sneak peek at some the advances that will be on tap.

About the cover: In this issue we turn a bright LED headlight (such as the one pictured on the cover) on how advanced materials are reshaping the automotive industry. (Photo courtesy of Bigstock; cover designed by SPE MarComm Team.) 22

www.plasticsengineering.org | www.4spe.org | SEPTEMBER 2016 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | 1 01-05 contents_editorial 8/19/16 8:51 AM Page 2

Driving PA66 Performance in Automotive

Ascend Vydyne® PA66 is used in more than 75 automotive applications, delivering unsurpassed performance, combined with weight and cost savings. Asc Vydyne® PA66 allows OEM and Tier designers and engineers lead to deliver optimal system performance with: expe to m •High dimensional stability and mechanical strength •Long-term thermal resistance ® Hydrolysis Resistance •Chemical resistance Radiator end tanks must •Enhanced hydrolysis resistance have excellent heat and hydrolysis •Excellent creep and fatigue properties resistance as well as strong ® •Good tribological properties dimensional stability. New Vydyne delivers “best-in-class” thermal and hydro-ageing •High and low temperature impact resistance performance to provide superior hydrolysis resistance for demanding automotive cooling system components. Emission systems ̄ High-temperature Performance Interior ̄

̄ Air bags Powertrain ̄ ̇ Safety systems

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© 2016. ASCEND PERFORMANCE MATERIALS and VYDYNE are trademarks of Ascend Performance Materials Operations LLC. These trademarks have been registered in jurisdictions throughout the world, including the United States of America and the European Community. 01-05 contents_editorial 8/19/16 8:51 AM Page 3

Ascend Performance Materials is the world’s largest fully integrated producer of nylon/PA66 resin and a global leading supplier of nylon 66 *ber to the airbag and tire cord industries. With more than 60 years of PA66 materials expertise, Ascend is strategically focused to help automotive manufacturers innovate and optimize their designs to meet future regulatory, technical and cost requirements.

Hydrolysis Resistance E/E Performance for Severe Environments

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Charge air coolers in fuel-efCcient turbocharged engines demand Heat Stabilized Performance robust thermal ageing performance For transmission covers, oil pan covers and air intake to meet design and operating conditions. manifolds new heat stabilized Vydyne® New Vydyne® PA66 HT-series grades R862H provides the appropriate provide high levels of resistance to prop- balance between functionality erty degradation after long-term exposure and economics with its eco- to this challenging environment. friendly recycled content. ord Eco-friendly Performance Access the Latest For fans and shrouds, new Vydyne® R860 is an ‘eco-friendly’ reinforced Technical Information PA66 compound with post-industrial Download the free Vydyne® PA66 automotive recycled content that delivers the right balance between performance and economics. presentation at ascendmaterials.com/pa66auto for more in-depth technical and application information.

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cost-effective, innovative products.

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS

Technical Paper: Joining Technologies How to Select the Right Process for Joining Your Underhood Parts By Craig Birrittella 38 A variety of technologies exist to execute the welding and joining of plastics parts. In this article, Branson Ultrasonics helps you to determine which one is right for you.

CONSULTANT’S CORNER Plastics — It’s All About Molecular Structure By Jeffrey A. Jansen 44 Get a quick primer on some key aspects of polymer chemistry — from polymerization, intermolecular bonding, molecular weight, and the differences between crystalline and amorphous structure 28 PLASTICS MAKE IT POSSIBLE Plastics Sustainability, through the Lens of Natural Capital Costs By The American Chemistry Council 50 A new study by UK consultants Trucost PLC reveal that in some key applications, plastics offer broad environmental advantages over competitive materials. We crunch the numbers for you.

INSIDE SPI Assessing the Brexit Impact, plus The FLiP Files By SPI: The Trade Association 54 SPI’s Michael Taylor takes a hard look at what the UK’s potential exit from the European Union might mean to the U.S. plastics industry. See also the latest person to be profiled in SPI’s Future Leaders in Plastics (FLiP) files.

38 The Dawn of Commercial By Stanley R. Rosen 58 Industry veteran Stan Rosen reflects on how the thermoforming industry got its start some 80 years ago, and what developments have helped shaped the modern-day thermoforming sector. DEPARTMENTS Industry News Market Place 64 80 Industry Patents Editorial Index 72 By Dr. Roger Corneliussen 82 Upcoming Industry Advertisers Index 76 Events 84 Energy-Saving Tip 64 78 By Dr. Robin Kent

4 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | SEPTEMBER 2016 | www.4spe.org | www.plasticsengineering.org 01-05 contents_editorial 8/19/16 8:51 AM Page 5 06-07 From SPE_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/22/16 7:17 AM Page 6

FROM SPE Preparing to reflect, and to forge ahead

By Wim de Vos

ime flies by. The pace of innovation quickens. Product careers 20-30 years ago as cycles shorten. Time to market accelerates. And every chemical or mechanical day our plastics industry helps to advance these evo- engineers. In the future, lutions. more of our industry’s lead- The digitalization of processes continues and even virtual tech- ers are likely to come from Tnologies can help us to speed up or skip certain steps in the old an information technology product development processes. Time indeed goes so fast that background. The key it seems as if NPE 2015 was only yesterday and the K 2013 show aspects of Industry 4.0 are only last month, but K 2016 is already upon us. information, knowledge No wonder the theme of this year’s K Show is Plastics Indus- transfer and networking. try 4.0. Whilst information technology emerged at first to help Not surprisingly, SPE pro- support some of our industry’s functions, IT now is taking over vides these same aspects — some of our key functions, and playing a central role in both our although SPE’s knowledge manufacturing and business processes. transfer and networking currently have a different perspective. This also has and will continue to impact the types of people This brings us to how SPE will support the plastics industry we need to run the processes in our factories. We used to need of tomorrow. And tomorrow = next year. In 2017 SPE will cel- chemists, polymer engineers and mechanical engineers to ebrate its 75th anniversary — marking three-quarters of a start up new machines, do new trials and run our operations. century of excellence in supporting the plastics and polymer Human interpretation and manual adjustments always made industry and its individuals. The Oct. 19-26 K Show in Düssel- a difference. This, for sure will not be the case tomorrow. dorf is a starting point for us to begin our reflection of the past Our industry will need IT people to run our processes — 75 years and to assess what lies ahead. whether to simulate product or mold design, calculate prop- This offers us an opportunity to reflect on those volunteers erties, set up machine and leaders who made what SPE is today. We will acknowledge parameters or such. All but not dwell on the past. We mostly want to reflect what our this knowledge will be organisation should be in the next 75 years! supplied by intelligent We want to have a dialog with you about our common databases and software, future, how our industry will evolve, what resources it will which will adapt and require, what kinds of knowledge will be needed and how it will update our systems and be transferred. Most of all, we want to learn how can SPE con- processes on a continu- tinue to be your go-to resource for finding whatever you need ous, 24/7 basis. The in the polymer and plastics industry. From the K Show onward, search for talent will shift we will be featuring our SPE logo in a Futuristic 75, which will from finding the best remind us that SPE needs to remain the vehicle for this indus- chemist or engineer to try for at least another 75 years. employing the cleverest SPE — our past, our present, your future. IT process person. ______This is a paradigm shift. Please help us to reflect and to prepare for the future. Share your Today, many of our plas- thoughts about the association, its history, and our industry’s tics companies are led by future, in the Industry Exchange section of SPE’s online forum The SPE CEO Wim de Vos CEOs who started their Chain: http://bit.ly/SPE_at_75

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DESIGN NOTES

Sustainable eyeglasses from Down Under, with a German flair

By Robert Grace

ack Piper and his colleagues at Dresden Optics Pty. Ltd. The company’s co-founders – Bruce Jeffreys and Jason in Australia want to put a new face on the business of McDermott – describe themselves as frustrated glasses- eyeglasses. At the same time, they believe strongly in wearers. Because, they note, glasses are annoying. “You lose environmentalJ stewardship and a circular economy. And so them, you break them. You scratch them. You forget them. they’re doing their modest bit to drive that concept forward They’re fragile, expensive and hopelessly inconvenient.” – one set of recyclable glasses at a time. Jeffreys and McDermott decided to do something about it. They conceived the idea for a new type of eyewear com- pany in late 2013 and opened their first shop in July 2015. They were attracted to a craft excellence and to the German approach to both design and manufacturing. “We admire how Germany has maintained its traditions, yet has a hyper- modern, progressive edge,” they said. Hence, the adoption of the name Dresden Optics (after the German city of Dres- den) for a startup company in the Sydney suburb of Newtown. The founders’ one rule when first assembling its new team, explained Piper, the firm’s head of research and development, was that no one was allowed to be from the optics industry. Piper – the Canberra-born son of United Nations officials – has lived all over the world, earned a structural engineering degree from the University of Sydney and did his honors research in water storage solutions for drought-stricken vil- lages in the mountains of Nepal. “Despite having no experience in manufacturing or plas- tics,” he said recently, “we were determined to do it our ourselves. The more we learnt about various methods of manufacturing, the more we realized how much fun we could have with injection molding. In our ignorance we assumed that once you had a mold you could just throw anything you liked in there so we started mucking around with recycled Dresden Optics offers a single style of eyeglass frame, with interchangeable parts. It prides itself on its vast array of col- plastics and bioplastics and realized that though anything ors – some are one-of-a-kind because they choose not to might be a bit strong, there was a lot out there that we could fully purge the injection press between runs. get away with.”

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The Dresden team’s vision was to create simple yet stylish glasses cases.” instead of a classic screw hinge, the frustrating eyeglasses that were very durable, lightweight, inexpensive weak point on most glasses, Dresden frames have a plastic and made locally. The injection molded plastic frames – made hinge ‘pin’ that allows one to interchange any parts without from Swiss compounder EMS-grivory’s grilamid TR90 nylon the need for tools, and the arms and frames can be pieced – are fully recyclable. together in any combination. The firm currently makes its Dresden also has been experimenting with making eyeglass hinge system from a bio-based copolyester called Ecozen, frames from recycled plastics recovered from the fol- which it sources from SK chemicals in South Korea. lowing diverse sources: low-density milk bottle The firm already is selling glasses made from the above- lids, high-density polyethylene keg caps, and noted types of recycled plastics and, by working with takeaway containers – all from newtown cafés and brewers; companies such as compounder Duromer Products Pty. ltd., recycled PET (rPET) from a local recycler; and recycled nylon- they continue to work to achieve 100 percent recycled content. 6 ghost fishing nets from a Byron Bay marine debris collector. Separately, Dresden is thrilled with its recent success with They’ve also explored using a castor-oil-based bioplastic from using discarded fishing nets, washed up on the beach in arn- Evonik. hem land on the country’s northern coast. “Our ghost net The company trusts that when consumers who buy a pair nylon-6 frames are fantastically strong at the weld lines,” said of their low-cost, recycled-plastic frames will be willing to trade Piper, “despite [the waste plastic] having floated around the off a little in product durability to be part of the environmental Pacific for years on end.” solution. Over the coming year, Piper said, the firm plans to launch “Taking out the technical jargon,” Piper said, “our durability a number of “ranges,” but unlike others in the eyeglass industry, standards are all about that unfortunate basketball to the all will be of the same style. “What’s new with each range is face in the school yard.” He noted that playing with many recy- instead the material and story behind them. … There is so cled materials brings a few challenges, and that Dresden is much to be recycled with so many stories to tell,” Piper notes. still searching for the right additive to increase the strength He explained that his company’s eyeglass system is built of the weld lines in the frames made from recycled lDPE milk around a single frame style in four sizes in a vast array of col- bottles and HDPE keg caps. it has partly addressed the strength ors. customers find the best fit in the color combos that they problem by blending polypropylene with the polyethylene, choose. all parts are interchangeable. but that makes end-of-life a bigger challenge. The project began with Dresden asking Sydney-based indus- So Dresden has set up a closed-loop system with Melbourne- trial design firm Vert to research australians’ face shapes and based Replas australia, which can successfully recycle such sizes and test frame styles via 3D-printed prototypes. One mixed plastics into useful products such as outdoor furniture classic favorite has become Dresden’s universal frame. From and decking. Over the past 20 years, Replas has grown from there, they realized that frame sets could easily be customized a waste collector and mixed-plastics recycler into one of the with interchangeable parts. The result was four frame country’s leading plastic product manufacturers in its own sizes and four lengths of arm, to accommodate different fits. right. The system allows customers to customize their look by Piper says that, “So far we’ve produced fully recyclable changing out frame and arm colors and materials. as for the glasses, even replacing the hinge with a plastic pin, so that interchangeable lenses – supplied by Zeiss Vision care, a local with our take-back program all our glasses at the end of their arm of the century-old german optics pioneer – Dresden life – along with our industrial waste – will be turned into cuts them in-store to allow for additional flexibility, function-

Dresden sources its used plastics from many sources – from LDPE milk bottle lids (above left) and HDPE beer keg caps, to PP takeaway food containers and nylon 6 fishing nets (above right). Sydney-based automotive supplier Astor Industries molds the frames (above middle).

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DESIGN NOTES

prescriptions on the road. the dream,” Dresden says, “is to have a mini DiY granulator and injection molder recycling people’s waste into glasses frames along the way.” And, speaking of waste, Piper noted that the company’s leaders realized very early on what a negative impact they could have on the environment if they were to manufacture plastic frames irresponsibly. “this realization drove our man- ufacturing process and today one of the first things you’ll notice when you walk into our shops is that the colors never end. “On our first day of manufacturing,” he recalled, “we couldn’t believe how much material was wasted in purging machines from one color to the next, so instead of stubbornly sticking to a set color range, we started capturing all the transitions between each color. the result is an endless color range with unique pieces that might never be repeated.” “to us,” the company notes on its website, “quality doesn’t mean perfection down to the last micron or shade of Pan- Jack Piper, head of Dresden’s R&D, sorts beer keg caps that tone. Yes, we’ve got 16 regular colors in our range. But the firm plans to recycle into eyeglass components. The between every run, we’re looking forward to some happy firm’s goal is to eventually make all its products from 100% recycled resin. accidents.” “the plan,” Piper noted, “is to bring Dresden to all major cities around Australia by next year, with our trailer on the road bringing eye health services and Dresden specs to Aus- ality and convenience. it makes its plastic lenses from PPG tralians living in more remote communities. then it’s industries inc.’s CR-39 allyl diglycol carbonate . onwards! it’s an exciting unknown, but we’re dreaming of Dresden has teamed up with manufacturing partner Astor L.A., Vancouver, taipei, Barcelona, just to get started. 2017 industries, an injection molder and plastics plater in western will be running at a million miles an hour and the liberty of sydney that previously focused almost exclusively on making our mobile trailer means we really can be anywhere.” car parts. But with Australia’s auto industry shrinking fast, “We’re on a mission,” declares the firm. Regardless of how the firm was happy to branch out into the molding of eye- things play out, it would be fair to say – with tongue only wear. partly in cheek – that Dresden Optics is a company with a Dresden itself, meanwhile, has what it calls a “hobby” vision. benchtop injection molding machine – from U.s.-based Medi- um Machinery LLC – in its newtown workshop. it’s there, the firm says, that “we’ve brewed up experimental frames on ABOUT THE AUTHOR the spot – one-offs made from milk bottle lids, A 35-year B2B media veteran, Robert Grace was the plastic ocean waste, or even plastic keys from a discarded founding editor of Plastics keyboard. We’ll give anything a try.” News in 1989. An ardent this past spring Dresden signed leases on space in sydney design advocate, he struck for two more retail shops. Once these are up and running, out on his own in 2014 and Piper said he hopes to build one of the Precious Plastic founded RC Grace LLC machines – referring to the do-it-yourself (www.rcgrace.com), a consul- machine created and offered for free online as an open- tancy through which he source design by Dutch entrepreneur Dave Hakkens (see offers a variety of services – http://bit.ly/Precious_Plastic). from content creation, free- “We’ve built a trailer that will take eye health services and lance editing, marketing and thousands of Carl Zeiss prescription lenses to rural Australia PR, event organizing, and where these services are very limited, to test eyes and fulfil business development.

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COVER STORY

Power Drive

Weight-reduction goals accelerate the development and use of high-performance thermoplastics for underhood applications

By Pat Toensmeier

Ford used materials substitution to trim 800 lbs off this Focus, in a project co-funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Photo credit: Ford

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aterials substitution is gaining traction in an increasing num- ber of critical automotive areas, as OEMs take advantage of evolving technologies to achieve ever-higher Mlevels of component performance. Many advances are focused on groundbreaking applications in engines and powertrains. OEMs are tapping the properties of a new generation of high-performance engineering resins to replace met- al and some polymers in engines, transmissions and other powertrain components with thermoplastics that withstand harsh end-use con- ditions, notably heat.

An important factor influencing this is ongoing efforts to Regulatory initiatives and global sales also narrow differ- reduce vehicle weight. Regulatory initiatives such as the ences in automotive development and, in a manner of CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) program in the U.S. speaking, level the playing field when it comes to material and the Euro 6 exhaust gas standard in the European Union requirements. are pushing OEMs to design vehicles for greater fuel effi- “Traditionally, European automakers have held a lead in ciency, with the ultimate aim of reducing carbon emissions. innovation due to the regulations they deal with, but U.S. As a result, automakers in North America, Europe and Asia automakers are catching up,” says Scott Schlicker, power- are refining designs to comply with these and other man- train market segment manager at BASF. The result is that dates by reducing component weight, sometimes only by a most high-performance automotive thermoplastics, no mat- few grams or ounces. ter where they are developed, have broad global applicability CAFE standards call for 54.5-mpg fuel ratings in cars and for auto OEMs whose needs are increasingly the same. light-duty trucks by model year 2025. This figure is an aver- In addition to the properties of lightweighting, heat resist- age for a carmaker’s fleet rather than a goal for each model, ance, and acoustic and vibration management, OEMs are and is based on mileage tests under ideal conditions. The specifying new-generation thermoplastics with other prop- actual figure most vehicles achieve, analysts say, will be erties in mind. These include: around 36 mpg. • Part consolidation. While a traditional benefit of plas- Predictably, weight reduction creates tradeoffs in per- tics, in underhood and powertrain applications it formance, especially under the hood. Small engines, for potentially eliminates bolt-on components—usually of example, are fuel efficient, but have less power, and con- metal—that add weight to a vehicle, as well as costly sumers do not want underpowered cars. OEMs, notably in secondary finishing and installation steps during fabri- Europe, get around this by turbocharging small engines to cation. boost horsepower. This increases engine compartment heat, • Rapid process cycles. Since many thermoplastics are along with noise and vibration. As a result, for passenger injection or blow molded, parts can be made faster, comfort resin suppliers are formulating thermoplastics to more precisely and, importantly, more economically resist high underhood heat, as well as control NVH (noise, than if cast in metal and finished to spec. vibration and harshness) acoustics generated by tur- • Sustainability. Most thermoplastics, even those with bocharging. glass or carbon fiber reinforcements, are recyclable and The ability of thermoplastics to meet such multiple require- can be reused in lower-performing parts, whether in ments is especially important as automakers add universal automotive or other industries. engines and powertrains that are designed for use around • Standardization. Major resin producers with global the world, rather than particular countries or regions. operations maintain they can supply materials any-

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COVER STORY Power Drive

where in the world with consistent specifications and Polimotor, the concept has been around since the early costs for universal engines, powertrains and other com- 1980s. The brainchild of Matti Holtzberg, president of Com- ponents. posite Castings LLC of West Palm Beach, Fla., Polimotor 2, as The ongoing developments in high-performance ther- the current design is called, seeks to develop a polymer-rich, moplastics—many of which will be on display in October at 2,000cc (122-cu.-in.) engine that weighs 138 to 148 lbs, or K 2016 in Germany—are giving automakers the tools they some 90 lbs less than a standard metal production engine need to rethink ways in which engine and powertrain com- of the same size. ponents can be designed for diverse needs. The fuel-injected Polimotor 2 is a four-cylinder, 16-valve, double-overhead-cam engine. Holtzberg says it will gener- ate 280 hp in a racing version and 180 hp in a street model. Resurgent Polymer Engine He plans to install the racing engine later this year in a Stohr Resin supplier DuPont has said that eliminating 110 lbs of WF1 Sports Racer, which is manufactured by Dauntless Rac- vehicle weight would reduce CO2 emissions 5 grams/km ing Cars of Vacaville, Calif., and test performance in races (0.6 mi.) and raise fuel efficiency by up to 2%. sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America. In the U.S., this would generate major benefits in lower Holtzberg selected the Stohr WF1 because it is lightweight carbon emissions and fuel consumption, based on car and and configured for four-cylinder engines. Making extensive light-duty truck sales. Figures developed by the Automotive use of carbon fiber in its construction, the car weighs just News Data Center show the tally for vehicle sales in 2015 at 780 lbs and has a 97-in. wheelbase. just under 17.5 million, up 5.7% from 2014, and a 15-year The Polimotor engine, despite some reports, is not entire- high. ly made of plastics. Metal parts include the crankcase, So imagine the environmental impact if another 90 lbs camshaft, pistons, cylinder sleeves and cylinder bores. was extracted from the engine alone. However, the engine block, cam block and oil pan are fab- This is one goal of an ongoing project to develop a com- ricated with an undisclosed thermoset resin in a special mercially feasibly polymer-rich automotive engine. Called process Holtzberg developed. He declines to provide details

Polimotor 2, developed by Matti Holtzberg, is a plastics-rich engine that weighs 90 lbs less than comparable metal engines. The Polimotor 2 engine will be installed and tested in a Stohr WF1 racecar. Photo credit: Solvay Photo credit: Dauntless Racing Cars

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but likens it to without heat and pres- sure. The thermoset components are reinforced with an undisclosed loading of S-glass fiber, which he says works better in the application than carbon fiber. As many as 10 parts are made mostly with thermoplas- tics and other materials supplied by Solvay Advanced Polymers, including a fuel runner and plenum fabricated with 3-D printing. “We are involved with the Polimotor 2 engine to introduce polymers and processing techniques that have become avail- able in the last five years,” says Brian Baleno, Solvay’s global automotive business development manager. Solvay in effect inherited the Polimotor project from Amo- co, whose engineering polymers business it acquired in late 2000. Amoco had worked on earlier Polimotor versions, sup- plying such material as Torlon -imide (PAI) resin. Baleno says that the experience Solvay gains in supply- ing materials for Polimotor 2 parts will encourage “outside-the-box thinking” in the auto industry when it comes Red areas are prime targets of turbocharged engine parts to applying high-performance thermoplastics and similar molded of high-heat thermoplastics from BASF. materials to weight-reduction goals in engine applications. Photo credit: BASF The project is generating interest. Holtzberg is building an engine for an undisclosed German OEM and fielding inter- est from automakers elsewhere, including North America. The Solvay materials and components include: (PPA) and Tecnoflon PL855 fluoroelastomer for, respec- • AvaSpire AV-651 CF30 (30% carbon-fiber reinforcement) tively, a water inlet/outlet fixture in the cooling system polyaryletherketone (PAEK) for three injection molded and a chemical- and heat-resistant seal for the device. sections of the external dry-sump modular oil pump The fixture retains tensile strength and seal integrity housing. Each section weighs 0.2 lbs They replace an after exposure to ethylene glycol at 275°F. Functional aluminum housing that weighs 0.42 lbs PAEK provides temperature range is -40 to 392°F. strength, stiffness and fatigue resistance, and withstands • Ryton XK-2340 (40% glass fiber) polyphenylene sulfide oil temperature of 284° F and internal pressure cycling (PPS) to mold an 18-in. fuel rail and Tecnoflon VPL 85540 of 2.8 to 5.5 bars. fluoroelastomer for its seven O-rings. The PPS offers a • KetaSpire KT-820 CF30 (30% carbon fiber) poly- balance of high-temperature chemical resistance and etheretherketone (PEEK) for an 18-in. oil scavenger line dimensional stability, while the O-rings have low cold- on the dry-sump modular oil pump. The part is extrud- temperature flexibility and fuel compatibility. The fuel ed from a stock shape then machined to spec. PEEK’s rail weighs 25 to 30% less than a welded steel assem- dimensional stability holds tolerance during machining, bly. while its high modulus and fatigue resistance withstand The 3-D-printed parts are a fuel intake runner fabricated continuous use at 464°F. The material also resists auto- from KetaSpire KT-820 (10% carbon fiber) PEEK, and a plenum motive fluids. chamber made by selective laser sintering (a form of 3-D • Torlon 7130 (30% carbon fiber) PAI for three cam sprock- printing) using Sinterline Technyl polyamide 6 powder with ets, two of which are 4 in. dia. and one 2 in. dia. The a 40% loading of glass beads for dimensional stability. sprockets assure precise timing control, and resist high The PEEK fuel intake runner withstands high underhood torque, extreme temperatures and vibration, fluids, dirt temperatures generated by turbocharging the engine. It and road salt. They weigh 75% less than stainless steel reportedly outperforms molded polyamide (PA) resin in this sprockets, and are molded in net shape and machined. application, and weighs 50% less than the aluminum run- • Amodel A-8930 (30% glass fiber) HS polyphthalamide ner used on previous Polimotor versions.

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The sintered PA6 plenum chamber can be used with tur- Ecoboost engine. The LCF components save 4 lbs per engine, bocharged metal engines and resists 250°F, though the he reports, and provide a per-component mass savings of Polimotor 2 engine will generate heat in the 150 to 200°F 23% for the front cover and 33% for the oil pan. range. The value of the composite parts can be enhanced by Solvay is also looking to apply its expertise in high-heat component integration during molding and reduced man- plastics to electric vehicles. “High-temperature materials will ufacturing steps compared with aluminum. allow electric cars to operate at higher temperatures, which Among grades BASF has developed for high-heat auto- means they can get greater power density in batteries and motive applications is Ultramid Advanced N polyphthalamide, extend their range,” Baleno says. a line of reinforced (short- or long-glass fibers) and unrein- forced compounds including flame-retardant grades. During a pre-K conference in June in Germany, BASF offi- New Materials Save Weight cials said the Advanced N line of PPA exceeds the properties Several years ago the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) of conventional PPA—glass-transition temperature is 125°C, launched and co-funded the Multi-Material Lightweight Vehi- double that of standard grades, and constant mechanical cle (MMLV) project with Ford and engineering and prototype properties are maintained up to 100°C. The grades are specialist Vehma International. The goal was to develop a reportedly easier to mold, with short cycle times and wide vehicle that achieves significant weight reduction by mate- processing windows. rials substitution. The heat-resistant properties of the PPAs meet the needs The result was a Ford Fusion modified with substitute mate- of such turbocharged engine parts as integrated charge air rials including thermoplastics that trimmed more than 800 coolers, air intake manifolds and turbo ducts, where air input lbs from the car’s original curb weight of almost 3,500 lbs. and output temperatures range from 170 to 210°F. The latest MMLV initiative involves DOE working with BASF BASF noted at the conference that Ultramid Advanced N and molder Montaplast of North America Inc. to develop resins could be used “to design lighter, smaller and stronger advanced composite powertrain components. components for challenging environments where other BASF, says Schlicker, formulated a long-carbon-fiber (LCF) materials reach their limits.” These include “structural parts PA66 composite called Ultramid XA-3370 to replace a cast alu- near [an] engine and gearbox in contact with hot, aggres- minum front cover and structural oil pan on Ford’s 1.0L GTDI sive media and different fuels.”

BASF’s Endure PA66 is used in an air-intake spacer to replace A charged air cooler inlet uses heat-stabilized Vydyne aluminum (left). The spacer has molded-in holes that create PA66 from Ascend to withstand high operating turbulence for better mixing and temperature control. temperature and pressure. Photo credit: BASF Photo credit: Ascend Performance Materials

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COVER STORY Power Drive

Schlicker says that BASF has developed injection moldable In development is a PA66 grade that withstands 3,000 PA6, PA66 and PA66/6 grades for the high pressure and tem- hours of aging exposure at 210°C. A patent search is under perature that turbocharger components must withstand. way, Jeszke says, and the material is “on the horizon for us.” Depending on the base polymer and stabilization system, grades Ascend’s expertise in polyamide formulations extends to resist heat aging to 220°C and have high burst pressure and related requirements for underhood parts. Vydyne R533H weld strength. Ultramid Endure PA, for example, withstands is a PA66 grade tailored to resist calcium chloride, a road constant-use temperature of 220°C and peaks to 240°C. salt used in some countries including northern parts of the In one application an OEM used a grade of Endure PA66 U.S. and Canada in place of sodium chloride. Calcium chlo- to redesign an air-intake spacer on a turbocharger. The new ride can cause premature cracking in PA parts under load or part, which replaces aluminum, has molded-in holes that pressure. create air turbulence for better mixing and temperature The company also supplies a highly filled grade of PA66 control. called R550H to replace metal in engine mounts. Jeszke says BASF also supplies Endure PA blow molding grades. this has a 40 to 65% loading of barium sulfate, dense Notable among these, Schlicker says, is D5G3BM, a heat- that prevents underhood noise from being transmitted to a stabilized, 15% glass fiber-reinforced PA66 with continuous- passenger compartment. It can also be used in transmis- use temperature of 220°C and peak to 240°C. Intended for sions to dampen the noise of shifting gears, and even in engine pipes and ducts, benefits include high melt stability, power seats to silence the inflation of a lumbar support. The which maintains parison length and wall thickness during material isn’t less heavy than metal, he remarks, but is qui- blow molding, and acoustic properties. eter, and so appeals to high-end car manufacturers. The first use of grade D5G3BM, Schlicker notes, is on an DSM Engineering Plastics, meanwhile, commercialized engine with a heat-resistance requirement of 200°C. He Arnitel HT copolyester elastomer for flexible blow molded declines to identify the part or OEM but says the applica- charge air ducts. The material allows cost-efficient, one-step tion will be at the K show. production of parts with a single resin, rather than the mate-

Tailoring PA Properties , of course, are dominant in underhood appli- cations. Phil Jeszke, automotive segment leader at Ascend Performance Materials, a global nylon supplier, says 1.3 bil- lion lbs of PA66 is used worldwide in 80% of underhood, engine-cooling and powertrain components. Since 2009, he adds, demand has more than doubled. These applications are, consequently, major R&D areas for Ascend, especially as they pertain to turbocharged engines. “As we map this space and identify performance requirements, we develop different property retention char- acteristics,” Jeszke says. Recent developments include glass fiber-reinforced Vydyne PA66 grades heat stabilized for such parts as radiator end tanks that withstand 1,000 hours of aging exposure at 125 to 130°C, or resist 2,000 or 3,000 hours at 115 to 125°C. Other critical materials include H series Vydyne resins for air ducts on charge air coolers, a turbocharger component that reintroduces cooled exhaust gas to an engine. Jeszke

says these grades, R530, R535 and R550 (the last two num- A new grade of Arnitel HT copolyester elastomer from DSM bers indicate glass-fiber loading), resist 190 to 210°C exposure allows one-piece blow molding of charge air ducts, with on the inlet side of a charge air cooler and 170 to 190°C on improved parison control. the outlet side. Photo credit: DSM Engineering Plastics

18 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | SEPTEMBER 2016 | www.4spe.org | www.plasticsengineering.org 12-21 Cover Story Toensmeier_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/19/16 9:12 AM Page 19

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COVER STORY Power Drive

rial combinations common to many such parts. DSM says the grade reduces production cost by 50% and weight by up to 40% compared with conventional ducts. Arnitel HT withstands continuous operating temperatures of 180°C and peaks to 190°C. It combines elasticity and mechanical strength, and provides high chemical resistance, the company said in announcing the resin in June. Ducts can be 3-D suction blow molded in one piece with an almost 50% reduction in wall thickness versus standard ducts. The first commercial use of the resin is for an undisclosed duct produced by Cikautxo of Spain.

Noise Abatement Turbocharged engines and smaller engine compartments mean effective management of NVH acoustics plays a grow- ing role in design. Dow Automotive Plastics is addressing this with a foam hood liner material that combines low density—15 grams/liter—and low weight with sound-damp- Specflex PUR foam from Dow is designed for NVH acoustic ening properties. Called Specflex, the system is designed management in hood liners and engine parts. for a range of acoustic needs, says Esther Quintanilla, Euro- Photo credit: Dow Automotive Plastics pean marketing manager for interior and underhood. Specflex foam can be applied to the underside of a hood, typically as a part of a multilayer thermoformed structure, on top of an engine, on the back wall of the engine com- partment, applied to a transmission tunnel as an insulator, Specflex, which can be foamed into 1-meter-sq. (3.3-ft.- or used in carpet and dashboard systems. sq.) blocks, offers consistent properties no matter where The material replaces melamine and polyolefin foams and sections are cut—from the top, middle, bottom or sides of other options. In addition to acoustic properties, the PUR foam a block. “Since every cut can constitute a different part of a has reduced amine content and thus lower emissions than hood liner, it’s important that performance be the same most conventional foams, as well as good flow and fast cure. throughout,” Quintanilla says. Specflex is a three-component, water-blown system con- Foam formulations are customizable to end-use specifi- sisting of Dow’s Voranol 4701 polyether polyol, isocyanate cations. and catalyst. The polyol is tailored for semi-flexible molded Dow is working with OEMs to qualify Specflex foam for foam and consistent properties. global use.

20 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | SEPTEMBER 2016 | www.4spe.org | www.plasticsengineering.org 12-21 Cover Story Toensmeier_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/19/16 9:13 AM Page 21

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AUTOMOTIVE COMPOSITES Automotive Composites: Mass Reduction for Mass Production Reinforced plastics lower weight, improve handling and performance, and boost safety on passenger cars

By Peggy Malnati

“ ightweighting” is the mantra du jour in the automotive of design, material and process technologies that reduce industry these days, especially for those designing and mass on anything from wiring harnesses to seat structures producing parts. As the industry passes the midpoint to chassis components is growing. It’s a good time to be phase-inL of the much stricter fuel-efficiency and tailpipe involved in automotive plastics and composites. emissions standards of 2025, OEM interest in and support As is so often the case, replacing heavier materials with com- posites to reduce mass isn’t the only benefit that automakers and their tier suppliers gain. Generally, they also benefit from far greater design freedom (including parts consolidation with reduced assembly time and costs, and carryover savings in inventory storage/tracking and warranty claims); elimination of corrosion (and occasionally the paint and primer that pro- tect against it); increased damage resistance (and often improved crashworthiness); lower noise/vibration/harshness

New sizing chemistry for tougher hol- low glass microspheres and a new form of glass roving combined to lower specific gravity (SG) for sheet- molding compound used to compres- sion mold up to 21 painted exterior body panels on GM’s 2016 model year Chevrolet Corvettes. Molder Continental Structural Plastics devel- oped the unique sizing and special 1.6-SG SMC compound, which is said to make the material competitive with aluminum at any production volume. (Part photo courtesy of SPE Automotive Division; vehicle photo courtesy of General Motors Co.)

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(nVH) for a quieter ride; and lower tooling and part-produc- a typical SMc recipe involves use of resin – in this case, tion costs. unsaturated supplied by aOc llc of collierville, another indirect benefit is so-called “mass decompounding.” Tenn. – as well as additives, chopped fiberglass, and mineral By reducing the weight of a hood or decklid/liftgate, for exam- fillers (usually calcium carbonate, or cacO3). lower-density ple, other mass can be removed from the assembly by going grades of SMc often have some portion of cacO3 replaced by to lighter hinges, latches and struts, helping cut mass and costs hollow glass microspheres, which are more costly and require further. The applications that follow are good examples of the more care during compounding and molding because they are many benefits that come from mass reduction by using com- sensitive to process conditions and can crush. cSP researchers posites. Each part was a finalist, category winner, or grand believed that if they could reach a density of 1.2 Sg with their award winner in the 2015 SPE automotive innovation awards SMc, they could directly compete cost wise against aluminum, competition. while offering the benefits of much lower mass, elimination of rust/corrosion, better energy absorption in low- and high- speed crashes, and far greater design freedom ― a boon to Improved adhesion while saving mass designers on cars sporting the kinds of compound-curve With all the pressure to cut weight from vehicles, much time styling that epitomizes corvettes. and effort are focused on finding ways to trim a few grams to given the sensitivity of the microspheres, cSP researchers a kilogram of mass from auto parts. However, a re formulated, sought a tougher, higher performance product (which they lower-density grade of sheet-molding compound (SMc), eventually sourced from 3M co. of St. Paul, Minn.), and they formulated and compression molded by continental Structural also set out to improve interfacial adhesion with the matrix. Plastics (cSP) of auburn Hills, Mich., has reduced mass an after much trial and error with a scanning electron microscope average of 9 kg (20 lbs.) on a total of 21 exterior body-panel and different sizing chemistries, cSP developed a formulation assemblies for 2016 model year chevrolet corvette sports cars in-house that not only greatly improved part performance, but from Detroit-based general Motors co. Reportedly, this was also offered visibly better matrix adhesion under the accomplished without lowering mechanical performance or microscope. necessitating process or tooling changes. The new tough class a grade, which cSP calls Tca Ultra lite, has a specific gravity (Sg) of 1.2, a value the company says is 28% lighter than its Tca lite 1.6-Sg, mid-density grade, and 43% lighter than conventional 1.9-Sg SMc. cSP also reports that the formulation is equally appropriate for painted, class a applications such as the corvette painted body panels, as well as for non-visible structural applications.

Injection molded long-glass PA 6/6 and barium sulfate have replaced stamped and painted steel for an engine-com- partment partition wall on 2015 Hyundai Genesis luxury sedans. The composite partition wall reduced mass by 20%, and improved sound damping by 8 dB while also reducing part count and assembly time, and eliminating paint. (Part photo courtesy of SPE automotive Division; vehicle photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor group.)

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As an added bonus, that work helped researchers better are required. Better still, CSP claims its numbers show that understand long-standing issues with paint adhesion on TCA Ultra Lite saves money vs. aluminum even at production certain SMC parts. The problem, it turned out, wasn’t the volumes as high as 350,000-400,000 vehicles per year. strength of the bond between paint and part surface, but rather between the matrix and microsphere surface. By strengthening the latter, the former was improved as well, Damping sound at lower weight leading to better part bonding with paint and adhesive. Still Engine-compartment partition walls help keep engine noise another formulation change that helped reduce mass without out of the passenger compartment for a more comfortable loss of mechanicals was switching to ME1975 fiberglass, a ride. In addition to good NVH values, such parts also need new multi-end glass roving from Toledo, Ohio-based Owens stiffness and strength, the durability to last 161,000 km Corning that is specifically formulated for use in unsaturated (100,000 miles), and thermal stability to 160°C (320°F), since polyester SMC where high strength and corrosion resistance they are mounted near the exhaust system. A composite engine-compartment partition wall has replaced stamped steel on 2015 model year Hyundai Genesis luxury sedans from South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group. The steel part offered good stiffness, strength, dimensional stability and sound insulation, but was heavy and needed paint to prevent corrosion. Injection molded neat plastic was cost effective, but had poor NVH values, dimensional stability, stiffness, and strength. Researchers experimented with combinations of polymer (Kopla KDX 1065 PA 6/6 resin from South Korea’s Kopla Co. Ltd.), reinforcements and fillers to improve performance of

Ford Motor Co. last year intro- duced a hollow-spoked, all carbon-fiber-reinforced com- posite wheel as standard equipment on its 2016 model year Ford Shelby GT350R Mustangs. Australia’s Carbon Revolution Pty. Ltd. makes the single-piece wheel using a pro- prietary resin system via resin . Replacing aluminum with composite not only reduced mass but also lowered rotational inertia, and improved steering, accel- eration and braking. (Part photo courtesy of SPE Automotive Division; vehicle photo courtesy of Ford Motor Co.)

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the plastic option. They compounded combinations of short sold with full warranty coverage. The single-piece, painted and long glass fiber with several mineral fillers (barium wheel is made by infusing a dry carbon fiber preform with a sulfate (BaSO4), iron oxide (FeO), and wollastonite (calcium proprietary resin system via the resin transfer molding (RTM) inosilicate/caSiO3). The formulation with the best balance of process. mechanicals, nVH, and weight featured 15% long-glass fiber System supplier, material processor, and tooling supplier and 50% BaSO4. The patent-pending application is supplied carbon Revolution Pty. ltd. of Waurn Ponds, australia, does by nVH Korea using tools supplied by Hyundai. not only does say it uses a high-Tg resin to meet extreme track performance the new part reduce mass by 20% without increasing costs, where brake-rotor temps can reach 900°c (1,652°F). This but it also improves sound damping by 8 dB while reducing necessitated use of a novel ceramic thermal barrier applied part count and assembly time, and eliminating the cost and via plasma arc to the inner barrel surface and back of the environmental issues of paint. spokes. The polymer also provides high yield stress and elongation, and abrasion and weathering resistance. carbon Revolution designed the closed-cell, foam-filled spokes for Reduced mass, improved handling maximum stiffness at low weight, while aluminum lug seats if you’ve been around the automotive industry for a while, and backer plates are slip-fit (via c-clips) around the you’ve seen many attempts to make composite wheels on composite for a robust joint after machining bores into the passenger cars work ― with lots of development effort and wheel. The manufacturer even embeds a radio-frequency marketing promise, but few commercial successes. However, identification chip in each wheel to record and track that’s changing with a new wheel introduced last year by manufacturing and quality history. Replacing aluminum Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford Motor co. as standard equipment with a composite reduced wheel weight by 27 kg (59.5 lbs) on its 2016 model year Ford Shelby gT350R Mustang. The per car and lowered rotational inertia by 40%, thereby pro- product is said to be the first high-volume, original-equipment, viding faster, more responsive steering, and improved carbon fiber-reinforced composite wheel designed to meet all acceleration and braking. OEM requirements and quality standards, and produced and

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sequently welded these flanges to the rocker during injection Hybrid rocker improves crashworthiness molding, thereby eliminating the need for structural adhe- at lower weight sives. The part reportedly proved to be a very efficient, A plastic/metal hybrid floor rocker reinforcement on 2015 energy-absorbing crash-box structure, reducing intrusion lev- model year Jeep Renegade sport-utility vehicles from FCA US els during U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 214 LLC of Auburn Hills, Mich., removed 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of mass testing for dynamic side-impact protection. Furthermore, not from the body-in-white, lowered direct costs by about 10%, only is the plastic/metal hybrid rocker reinforcement capa- and also contributed tooling savings vs. the earlier all-steel ble of being e-coated (electrophoretic/anti-corrosion coating), solution. Less than half the weight of the incumbent design, but it is easy to assemble to the vehicle’s body-in-white and the part’s optimized honeycomb geometry uses SABIC’s is said to offer comparable performance to high-strength Noryl GTX 910 modified polyphenylene ether/polyamide 6 steel. Given that there are 10-12 similar reinforcement junc- (MPPE/PA6) alloy and is integrally attached to two steel tions on a typical vehicle, there is an even greater opportunity flanges. System supplier Proma Group of Caserta, Italy, sub- to trim 5.4-8.2 kg (12-18 lbs) of mass from the body-in-white by using the same technology. Learn about the latest in automotive composites at SPE’s 16th annual Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) from Sept. 7-9, and the 46th annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala on Nov. 9, both in the Detroit suburbs (see http://speautomotive.com).

A plastic/metal hybrid floor rocker reinforcement from FCA US LLC on 2015 model year Jeep Renegade SUVs removed 1 kg of mass from the body-in- white and lowered direct costs by about 10%. It also proved to be a very efficient, energy- absorbing crash-box structure during U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 214 testing for dynamic side- impact protection. (Part photo courtesy of SPE Automotive Division; vehicle photo courtesy of FCA US LLC.)

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K 2016 preview: Gearing up for the world’s largest plastics show

By Jon Evans

nnovation will be the word on everyone’s lips at this year’s K 2016 trade fair, taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany, from Oct. 19-26. “Innovative products are the most important asset in a competitive environment,”I says Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, president and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, which organizes and manages the K fair. “Only those who can offer new technologies that bring real benefits to their customers will be able to hold their own against strong competition.”

K 2016 — the world’s largest plastics fair — will feature 3,200 exhibitors from 60 nations and more than 200,000 visitors over 8 days

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Covestro expert Roland Wagner observes the manufacture of a small component in Covestro´s new 3D printing laboratory at its headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany. Photo courtesy of Covestro LLC.

Meanwhile, speaking at the company’s recent K 2016 pre- In its first K fair since being spun-off from Bayer AG and view, Covestro LLC CEO Patrick Thomas said, “Our main changing its name, Covestro will be presenting a whole host objective is to drive energy efficiency, improve people’s lives of new plastic materials, including materials for three-dimen- and create value, while at the same time reducing our own sional (3D) printing. These will include various types of plastic use of fossil resources. But developments of this kind are filament for a form of 3D printing known as fused filament impossible without intensive and targeted innovation.” fabrication, in which the plastic filaments are melted before As the premier trade fair for the plastics and rubber indus- being laid down in a desired pattern. The filaments range try, the triennial K fair has always been a prime venue for from flexible thermoplastic (TPU) to high- companies to unveil their latest innovations. But K 2016 strength . will place a major focus on four innovative themes of par- In addition, Covestro is able to offer TPU powders for ticular importance for the future development of the global another form of 3D printing known as laser sintering, in plastics industry – new materials; lightweight solutions; which the powders are laid down in a desired pattern before resource efficiency; and industry 4.0. being solidified with a laser. Laser sintering is conventionally These themes will feature heavily in both the Innovation used with metal powders, but TPU allows it to produce Compass, which will bring together some of the innovative more flexible products, such as soles for shoes. technologies being developed by the plastics industry, and The company also is actively developing a whole range of the Science Campus, which will showcase the latest plastic new materials for 3D printing, with the aim of expanding research being conducted by universities and research insti- beyond the around 30 or so materials that are currently avail- tutes. The four themes will also feature in a special show able. To this end, the company recently opened a new 3D called ‘Plastics shape the future”, which through panel dis- printing laboratory at its headquarters in Leverkusen, Ger- cussions and multiple media will explore how plastic many. “We want to work with leading partners in the process innovations will help to solve tomorrow’s challenges in func- chain to further advance these developments,” said Julien tional, aesthetic and sustainable ways. Other issues such as Guiu, who leads the company’s global 3D printing activities. marine litter will also be addressed during the show. “These include formulators, 3D printer manufacturers, soft- As usual, however, the more than 3,000 exhibitors from five ware companies, service providers and of course OEMs.” continents, spread over the 19 halls of the Düsseldorf exhi- Other companies will be presenting alternative approach- bition center, will be the main draw of K 2016. But here, too, es for expanding the range of materials available for 3D the four themes will feature heavily, as revealed in the K printing. For example, Wacker Chemie AG will debut the 2016 preview information that several companies have first ever industrial 3D printer specifically designed for sili- already put out. cones, which are widely used for medical applications.

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Known as the ACEO Imagine Series K, it employs a drop-on- materials is a solution to some of the biggest challenges of our demand printing method developed by Wacker, in which time – finding a replacement for finite fossil resources such as objects are built up by depositing individual droplets of sil- oil and gas and closing material cycles.” Covestro will market icone on a surface and then hardening them with UV light. these polyols under the name Cardyon and already is work- Producing medical devices is currently one of the fastest- ing on ways to produce other plastic materials from carbon growing applications for 3D printing. “In these types of dioxide. Its ultimate aim is to dispense with crude oil as a feed- applications, silicones can display their favorable properties stock in plastics production almost entirely. particularly well,” said Bernd Pachaly, head of Wacker’s sili- cones research and responsible for the ACEO team. “Silicones are heat resistant, flexible at low temperatures, transparent and biocompatible.” In addition to offering this printer for sale, Wacker also is allowing customers to order 3D-printed silicone parts, by uploading their own designs in a web shop. These parts will then be produced in Wacker’s new 3D printing technol- ogy center, known as the ACEO campus, at its main site in Burghausen, Germany.

BASF’s Ultrasim simulation tool can predict the behavior of polyurethane systems during foaming in both open and closed molds. Photo courtesy of BASF.

In contrast, other companies will be highlighting their efforts to replace crude oil with biological material. For example, BASF will be presenting ecovio EA, its new bio-based and com- postable closed-cell foam material. With similar properties to BASF’s ecovio EA is the first expandable, closed-cell foam expanded , BASF is marketing ecovio EA for use as material to be bio-based and certified compostable, and is transport packaging for high-value or delicate goods. particularly suitable for transport packaging. The foam is made from a mixture of the widely used Photo courtesy of BASF. biopolymer (PLA), derived from starch, and the biodegradable BASF polymer ecoflex. BASF then produces it by combining granules of ecovio EA with the blowing agent As well as unveiling new materials, Covestro also will pres- pentane in an innovative foaming process. Even though ent an entirely new approach to manufacturing plastic ecovio EA is perfectly stable and durable under normal envi- materials, by using carbon dioxide as a raw material. This fol- ronmental conditions, BASF says it will break down in just five lows its opening in June of a new production plant for polyols, weeks in an industrial composting plant, turning back into bio- which are used to produce polyurethane foams, at its site in mass, carbon dioxide and water. Dormagen, Germany. By taking advantage of a novel catalyt- Meanwhile, Wacker will be presenting novel ways to ic process, this plant will use carbon dioxide generated by a enhance the physical properties of bio-based materials. It will neighboring chemical company to produce about 20% of the be introducing its new Vinnex family of additives for bio- polyols. plastics such as PLA and its Genioplast thermoplastic silicone “We have to change the way we look at carbon dioxide, and additives for wood plastic composites (WPCs). Wacker says we will,” said Thomas. “Using it as an alternative source of raw that its Vinnex polyvinyl acetate-based additives can make PLA

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Engel’s novel injection molding technology uses fiber-rein- Covestro is now making polyols for polyurethane foams forced thermoplastics to produce plastic components with using carbon dioxide as one of the feedstocks at its plant in walls that are just 0.6mm. Photo courtesy of Engel. Dormagen, Germany. Photo courtesy of Covestro LLC.

easier to process, whether by extrusion, injection molding or energy-efficient technologies. The plastics industry already even 3D printing. For example, Vinnex 2526 can optimize melt has made great strides in energy efficiency, with modern and bubble stability during extrusion, while Vinnex 8880 can plastic processing machinery now using 20% to 50% less enhance the flow properties of melted PLA during injection energy than 10 years ago. To their credit, however, com- molding and 3D printing. panies are still finding room for improvement. The primary role of Wacker’s new Genioplast additives is Battenfeld-Cincinnati, which recently adopted the motto lubrication, thereby allowing the wood fibers that make up to ‘driven by innovation’, will be showcasing several new 75% of WPCs to bond with plastics such as polyethylene, extruders at K 2016, all of which are designed to maximize polypropylene or during extrusion molding. energy efficiency. For example, the company’s new single- But Wacker’s novel additives can also enhance the WPCs’ screw extruder solEX NG 75 for the production of polyolefin physical properties, conferring higher impact strength and flex- pipe offers a completely redesigned barrel-screw combi- ural toughness and making them more resistant to weathering. nation that allows lower melt temperatures, reducing energy This move to replace crude oil with carbon dioxide and bio- costs by about 15%. logical material as feedstocks can be encompassed under “With the design of the new NG series we again prove our the resource efficiency theme, but many exhibitors are tak- innovativeness,” says Grant Flaharty, Battenfeld-Cincin- ing a more direct approach to this theme by introducing nati’s chief sales and marketing officer. “We have succeeded

Covestro’s prototype electric car includes holographic films that allow the headlamps and rear lights to be incorporated directly into the chassis. Photo courtesy of Covestro LLC.

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in developing an extremely powerful and energy-efficient ideal for producing tough but light cases for handheld processing unit that has not yet been seen on the market electronic devices. in this form.” Lightweight engineering is particularly in demand by the Arburg will be presenting its new Allrounder Golden Elec- automotive and aerospace industries, and this need often is tric injection molding machine, along with 26 others. The met by replacing metal with plastic materials. Royal DSM will Allrounder Golden Electric is an entry-level electric machine be displaying its expanded range of ForTii high-performance that employs several innovative technologies for reducing polyphthalamides (PPAs), which it is marketing to automotive energy demand, including highly efficient servo motors and manufacturers as an alternative to the die-cast metal parts cur- energy recovery during braking. The company also promis- rently used in the fuel system, chassis and suspension. The es to unveil more new technologies at K 2016. company claims that replacing die-cast metal with its ForTii TheAllrounder Golden Electric machine series made its PPAs, which can be reinforced with glass fiber and maintain debut in March. “This was their mechanical strength at the first product innovation temperatures above 100°C, can for this year, but by no What are you looking for at the K show? lead to cost and weight savings means the last,” says Michael Tell us what you hope to achieve, and what of around 50%. Hehl, managing partner of would make it successful for you. Join the BASF will also be launching a Arburg. new PPA portfolio under the With touchscreens, easy- discussion in the Industry Exchange section Ultramid name. Called Ultra- to-use control systems, of SPE’s online forum The Chain: mid Advanced N, this portfolio on-board sensors and wire- http://bit.ly/K_Show_goals comprises unreinforced PPA, less monitoring, these and together with PPA reinforced many other machines presented at K 2016 also embody the with glass fibers and flame retardants. With outstanding industry 4.0 theme. This theme reflects the manifold effects chemical and heat resistance and low friction and wear, of digital technology on the plastics industry, and its name BASF says that its Ultramid Advanced N range can be used refers to the fact that these effects have been likened to a for automotive components that are near the engine and the fourth industrial revolution. gearbox and in contact with hot oil and fuel. As well as being easier and more convenient to use, the lat- “Ultramid Advanced N is BASF’s response to the rising est machines also generate a huge amount of data. In demands on plastics that are employed today under increas- conjunction with advanced tools for analysis and model- ingly challenging operating conditions,” says Melanie ling, these data can help to make the plastics industry even Maas-Brunner, senior vice president, performance materi- more efficient, in terms of costs, time and energy. For exam- als Europe at BASF. ple, BASF will be showcasing its Ultrasim simulation tool Novel plastic materials are not just being used to replace for predicting the behavior of polyurethane systems during existing metal parts in conventional gas-powered vehicles, foaming in both open and closed molds. This allows proces- though, they are also helping to usher in the next generation sors to spot potential problems with the design and of motoring. At K 2016, Covestro will be displaying a proto- manufacturing of a component before a mold is made, type electric car, developed in close collaboration with design reducing development times and costs. students and partners in the automotive industry, that incor- Many of these new machines also allow plastic prod- porates a range of advanced plastic technologies. These ucts to be produced with less material than ever before, include: a seamless, homogenous front end to reduce drag; fitting squarely within the lightweight solutions theme. holographic films that allow the headlamps and rear lights Engel will be demonstrating an injection molding technol- to be incorporated directly into the chassis; and wrap-around ogy that uses fiber-reinforced thermoplastics to produce glazing made from transparent polycarbonate to provide plastic components with walls that are just 0.6mm thick and enhanced visibility. yet can still sport sophisticated surface decorations. By The innovations on display at K 2016, which three years ago integrating three processing technologies, this technology attracted 218,000 attendees, have the potential to transform can transform, overmold and decorate fiber-reinforced much more than just the plastics industry. More event thermoplastic preforms in a single step, and could prove details are available at http://www.k-online.com.

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FOAM BLOW MOLDING Coming Soon to Atlanta: New Developments in Foam Blow Molding

By Nancy D. Lamontagne

oam blow molding will be a trending topic at this year’s upcoming conference, Wolfgang Meyer, president of the Annual Blow Molding Conference, which features a vari- company, will give a presentation aimed at helping attendees ety of industry presentations on packaging, medical and understand the effects of foam blow molding on mechani- industrialF applications, machinery and design innovations, cal properties. and materials and processing. At this SPE event, held in Meyer explains that companies already familiar with blow Atlanta from Oct. 3-5, several speakers will discuss how molding can add foaming capability without much difficult- foam blow molding technology has matured in the last few ly. “There is always a training or learning curve, but foam blow years and how various approaches can help save money and molding is similar to other multilayer processes that are materials. state-of-the-art today.”

Triple-layer foam W. Müller USA Inc. supplies customized extrusion heads for blow molding machines. One of the company’s retrofitting packages allows converters to add triple-layer foaming capa- bility to their existing blow molding machines. At the

At the conference, Wolfgang Meyer of W. Müller USA will Bottles produced with W. Müller’s triple-layer foaming tech- compare the loading capability of foamed and non-foamed nology (right, and inset) retain many of the physical proper- containers. Courtesy of W. Müller USA. ties of non-foamed bottles (left). Courtesy of W. Müller USA.

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Meyer points out that consumer packaging companies that maybe we couldn’t in the past. I’m hoping that our talk have the greatest interest in foam blow molding, but may not will create some interest in EBAs and help dispel the myth always have an immediate project or a number of projects that using EBAs is highly complex.” that would use a foam blow molding system continuously. Bobrov, who works with iD Additives as a consultant, However, the industrial packaging sector, which is also show- explained that EBAs come as a pelletized masterbatch prod- ing interest in this technology, may see even more benefits uct that any converter can add to its blending process from foaming. without additional equipment or sophisticated process mod- “The return on investment is faster if foaming will save ification. “It can be treated as a regular material because the more weight per container,” explained Meyer. “Foaming a polymer vehicle is usually very friendly to the materials used 100-milliliter bottle does not produce as much weight savings as a matrix,” he said. “In addition, EBAs are Food & Drug as foaming a 5-gallon container, but for the 5-gallon container Administration-compliant, and both the agents themselves the issue of load carrying capability is much different than on and the decomposition products are very neutral. This a 100-ml bottle.” makes EBAs very suitable for all kinds of food packaging, During his talk, Meyer will discuss some of the company’s including hot-filled, deep-freeze and refrigerated containers.” studies on the load properties of foamed blow molded During the presentation, Bobrov plans to discuss the products. “Everyone seems to quickly get excited at the essentials of polymer selection and principals of formulating material savings available with foaming, but they always EBAs for a given application. He points out the importance want to know more about the load capacity,” said Meyer. “We of understanding the temperature of decomposition for felt the need to investigate this and provide some informa- the foaming agent in order to match it to the temperature tion about how foamed structures compare to solid profile of the polymer matrix used in the product. The structures.” decomposition products of an EBA are another important fac- He plans to talk about how wall density and other param- tor. Materials such as PET that are sensitive to higher eters such as compression affect the load capacity of blow moisture content will work better with a metal bicarbonate molded foamed products. While some load capacity is lost blowing agent because the alkyl salt decomposition products with foaming, the amount that is lost depends on the degree will absorb the water vapor. of compression and other parameters that are permissible In terms of blowing process parameters, the pressure of in a specific product. the blowing agent and the timing for using it are key. “Hold- To help companies better understand the benefits of ing the air back a little bit longer can give the opportunity for foaming, W. Müller USA’s parent company in Germany is the cells to form before blowing starts, yielding additional working with European and global companies to conduct improvements in lowering density,” said Bobrov. sample runs with customer molds for different bottle weights, etc. They are also working with resin suppliers to fine-tune resins. In addition, W. Müller has worked on improving the mix- ing system in the extrusion head and the way that the foaming gas is injected into it. “Since we can disperse the nitrogen gas independently of screw speed, etc.,” Meyer said, “we believe that this automatically produces better dispersion and, thus, finer cell structure.”

Foaming agents At the conference, Nick Sotos, president of iD Additives Inc. and Sergey Bobrov, president of Poly-Werk LLC, will discuss extrusion blow molding converting processes that use endothermic blowing agents (EBA). EBAs are bicarbonates of alkali, transitional and/or post transitional metals that decom- pose at wide range of temperatures to yield metal salt, carbon dioxide and water vapor. EBAs that produce fine, extra fine, and microfine cells are available from iD Additives. “The main hurdle to adoption of EBAs is that people think This cross section of a foamed container’s wall shows the the process is too complicated,” said Sotos. “We’ve come a microfine cell structure that can be achieved using blowing long way with our product mix, and we’re able to do things agents from iD Additives. Courtesy of iD Additives.

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FOAM BLOW MOLDING

Bobrov said that more and more companies are exploring “One of the things we’re trying to get across during the opportunities to reduce their carbon footprint, reduce aux- talk is that our clients from a few years ago were ground- iliary cost of operations, and improve recyclability of their breaking because we didn’t have very much evidence to products. “In addition to offering these benefits, using EBAs show the success of the technology,” said Dominey. “How- also greatly improves manufacturability of blow molded ever, now MuCell foaming technology is becoming a more containers, thus reducing cost of operations that improves mature technology that can be used in new application profitability,” he said. “EBAs can be used to produce very light, areas.” very strong articles in an environmentally friendly, very easy One of those groundbreaking clients was Unilever, which to use way.” applied the MuCell technology to blow molding its Dove body wash 250 ml bottle. “Unilever publicized its testing and decision-making process, which has given the MuCell extru- A maturing technology sion technology as applied to blow molding a great deal of Simon Dominey, vice president of MuCell Extrusion LLC, creditability,” said Dominey. will provide an update on foaming technology for blow Through testing, Unilever found that consumers could not molding. MuCell’s foaming process is based on directly differentiate between foamed and non-foamed bottles injecting atmospheric gas in its supercritical state. This very manufactured with blow molding. “Our technology can stable process provides uniform and repeatable product reduce the quantity of material and provide the cost sav- density and part weight that can increase stiffness at equiv- ings without any visible functional difference,” said Dominey. alent part weight or decrease part weight at equivalent “With downgauging, a company might save 5% on materi- stiffness. al but will still need to compensate for how a lighter, thinner bottle feels when the consumer picks it up. With the MuCell technology, a company can save 20% material, and the bottle feels the same as one that is solid.” Dominey will also talk about Kyoraku Co. Ltd. of Japan, which incorporated MuCell technology into its own process for making automotive ducts. “Kyoraku put a lot of effort into duct design and maximizing the benefit they can get from the foaming technology,” said Dominey. “They use the fact that the foaming process makes the plastic thicker and stiffer to make a very rigid duct that uses significant- ly less polymer. For the automotive industry, it is a real win-win because they want to save weight as much as pos- sible to improve gas mileage.” Kyoraku’s success is an example of how well the MuCell technology works in automotive applications, he added. Many approaches for making cars lighter, such as convert- ing steel to aluminum, increase costs while foaming can help make car parts lighter while also lowering cost. The Kyoraku application also exemplifies how the MuCell foam- Kyoraku Co. Ltd. of Japan, incorporated MuCell’s foaming technology into its own process for making automotive ing technology can be used as an enabling technology. ducts. Because the foaming process makes the plastic thick- “Companies can get a straightforward savings by letting us er and stiffer, they can make a very rigid duct that uses sig- guide them, or they can also apply their own knowledge and nificantly less polymer. Courtesy of Kyoraku Co. Ltd. get even more out of the technology,” Dominey said.

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October 9 - 12 | The Peabody - Memphis, his, Tennessee Where PPackaging & Innovation vation Meet

Monday AM: MMaterials als aand Processing Monday PM: Coating anda Barrier

Tuesday AM: Business and Regulatory Issues Tuesday PM: Networking

Wednesday AM: Bio and Advanced Converting Wednesday PM: Traceability and Packaging

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Co-located with AIMCAL Web Coating & Handling Conference 38-43 Branson Ultrasonics_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/19/16 9:33 AM Page 38

TECHNICAL PAPER Joining underhood automotive parts: A primer for choosing the right process

By Craig Birrittella, Automotive Segment Manager, Business Development, Branson Ultrasonics, a business of Emerson

t has been more than 25 years since polyamide (nylon) We have seen, for example, high-performance polymers was first used in place of cast aluminum to mass produce such as PPS and PPA replace metal in assemblies that are clos- an air intake manifold in the United States. Since then, er than ever to the engine combustion area. Here again, replacingI metal components with plastics in automotive success has been the result of a team approach simultaneously under-the-hood applications has become a continuing trend. evaluating materials with higher thermal resistance, the pro- In recent years, key technology drivers, led by fuel efficien- cessing requirements of such materials, and part design. cy and emissions reduction, have presented tougher challenges, Given such complex challenges, when considering plas- demanding innovative design solutions that rely on advances tics joining solutions, it is important to understand the in engineered polymers and processing (see Table 1). advantages and limitations of a wide range of joining tech- Success so far has been a result of the industry redesigning nologies. Of equal importance, a “process neutral” approach parts and assemblies for plastics, and not simply replacing met- should be adopted at the outset of the design phase and al components one by one. Design teams have had to engage maintained while evaluating the many available technolo- resin suppliers and processing equipment suppliers at early gies. Plastics joining solutions providers should be engaged stages of development to optimize all aspects of part design, early to help determine the best fit for the application. resin material and processing. This will dramatically improve the design, manufacturability and functional perform- ance of the application, Ultrasonic Welder and will reduce the risk of costly redesigns, rework Automotive Under-The-Hood Technology Drivers Challenges of prototypes, and sched- uling delays caused by a lack of information about Technology Fuel Emissions Safety Environmental Cost Drivers Efficiency plastics joining technolo- gies. Following is an overview Solution Light- Smaller Higher Power Global Recyclability of certain plastics joining Trends weighting Footprints “Density” Production technologies deployed in under-the-hood applica- Solution Metal to Part Complex Advanced New / Advanced tions that involve Needs Plastics Consolidation Geometries Resins / Fillers Processing engineered and high-per- formance polymers. We New Higher Higher Processing Functional then present a sample Resistance to Resistance to Precision / Quality / Improved Challenges T hermal / Chem Impact / Wear Consistency Longevity Aesthetics application to illustrate the thought process used to determine the most Table 1: Technology drivers, new challenges. All images and tables courtesy of Branson Ultrasonics appropriate solution.

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Vibration welding uses heat energy generated when one part Infrared welding uses energy that is radiated by gray body is held stationary while the other part is moved in a linear, emitters mounted on a movable platen. It is a non-contact back-and-forth motion. The heat generated initiates a con- process in which the parts to be joined are brought close to trollable meltdown at the interface of the parts. Vibration the emitter platen (approximately 1 mm) as energy is welding requires that the part interface accommodate the absorbed at the weld interface. The parts are then pressed relative motion inherent in the process. Typical motion is 1 together, achieving a bond that is controlled during meltdown. mm in each direction for 240 Hz welding and 2 mm in each Infrared emitters are typically either glass bulb or metal foil direction for 100 Hz welding. (Fig. 4). To optimize energy absorption in the weld area, the Figure 2 shows an air intake manifold made from PA6 emitters should have an output energy profile that accom- GF30. While the geometry is complex, the parts are designed modates the absorption efficiency profiles of the many so that there is a part-to-part orientation that will accommo- plastics used (Fig. 5). Medium wave emitters have this char- date the linear motion required by the process. Jagged weld acteristic and are best for plastics joining. flash and particulates are typical by-products of vibration welding. “Flash traps” are designed into the parts (Fig. 3) to con- tain the flash produced during the weld. However, in some designs, part geometry does not always allow for this method of flash containment.

Figure 2: Vibration welded air intake manifold. Inset, Direction of linear motion of top part relative to bottom part. Figure 4: IR metal foil emitter assembly. Follows the shape Fand contours of the weld interface.





Flash trap  captures particulates during weld process 



                   

Figure 5: Metal foil energy emission (red/green) and PA6 GF30 Figure 3: Typical vibration weld joint. absorption efficiencies (black) over a range of wavelengths.

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TECHNICAL PAPER Plastics joining options under the hood

Clean vibration technology (CVT) combines IR preheating (Fig. Laser welding uses energy typically generated by one or 6) followed by a vibration weld cycle. The preheat step more 980 nm laser sources to heat the parts during the weld enables the combined process to bypass the dry friction cycle. Several techniques exist that deliver the laser energy phase in traditional vibration welding, which generates the from its source to the plastic parts, including simultaneous, common particulate and jagged flash (Fig. 7). In CVT welding, quasi-simultaneous, and trace welding. All techniques the flash produced is clean and compact, similar to that of deploy the concept of through transmission welding, in IR welding. Figure 8 shows a fluid reservoir requiring a her- which the parts are clamped together as the laser energy is metic seal, high strength and a clean weld joint. Geometry transmitted through one part and absorbed by the sec- constraints did not allow for the option of flash traps so weld ond part at the mating interface. The absorbed heat is aesthetics were also important. conducted across the part interface, thus achieving a con- trolled melt in both parts. Laser welding accommodates highly complex parts, achieves high-strength welds, and in the case of simulta- neous laser welding, has very fast cycle times. The resulting weld joint has very little flash and virtually zero particulate. No relative motion or high-temperature heat sources are required during the weld process, so parts with delicate internals are often candidates for this technology. Laser welding requires parts with good dimensional tolerances and also requires one part to have a higher transmission/absorp- tion ratio (at 980 nm) relative to the other. This is usually accomplished by using selective colorants in the parts. Figure 9 shows a laser welded electronic control module that has delicate internals and a very thin wall, creating Figure 6: IR emitter for CVT application. Contoured metal foil matches part shape. very little room for a weld joint.

Figure P7: Left, Typical vibration weld flash from PC/ABS test specimen. Right, CVT weld flash from same PC/ABS test specimen.

Figure 8: Fluid Reservoir. PA6 GF25. Clean weld, hermetic seal required. Figure 9: Control module PBT.

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Hot gas (convection) welding uses the energy in electrical- ly heated air that is directed out of an array of nozzles mounted on a movable platen. It is a non-contact process in which the parts to be joined are brought close to the air nozzle platen (<1 mm) for a preset amount of time while the heated air is directed toward the weld joint area. The parts are then pressed together, thereby achieving a control- lable welded joint. Instead of using heated air, exhaust gas from natural gas or methane combustion may be used as the heating medium. This reduces the amount of oxygen in the hot gas, which reduces heating time. The hot gas weld- ing process has advantages similar to IR welding, but it requires a consumable gas if the natural gas or methane Figure 10: Coolant manifold approach is used. This process requires very tight dimen- sional tolerances of the parts.

Other technologies are, of course, available for plastics join- an overall technology evaluation for any application. ing that remain viable for a number of under-the-hood To illustrate the process of determining the most appro- applications. These include hot plate welding, spin welding priate plastics joining solution for a particular application, and ultrasonic welding. While these processes are not consider the coolant manifold shown in Figure 10. Assume described in-depth here, they are also an important part of for a moment that the part shape has yet to be finalized and

Table 2.

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TECHNICAL PAPER Plastics joining options under the hood

that the following information is known: • Required material: PA66 GF30 Keys to good decision making • Part size: 175 mm x 175 mm x 125 mm • Production volume: approximately 175,000/year 1. Maintain a solid understanding of the latest advance- Special requirements include: Strict avoidance of partic- ments in plastics joining technologies and polymer ulate break-off inside the part that would contaminate science. fluid. Hermetic seal. Burst pressure of 14 bar (200 psig) 2. Maintain a “process neutral” approach and consider minimum. a variety of joining technologies during the design Table 2 demonstrates a decision matrix of relevant points phase. Be open to using whatever is shown to be the to consider in the left column with color codes in each col- most effective solution for your application. umn indicating whether the corresponding joining technology 3. Evaluate the key variables that will determine your is viable. In addition to color coding, select comments are best solution, including material to be used, size included in certain areas for clarification. and complexity of part design, production vol- The analysis shows four viable processes, given the design ume/cycle time, weld cleanliness and aesthetics, and requirements as long as the comments in yellow boxes are expertise and support of equipment suppliers. satisfied. Material testing should be done with any process 4. Involve all stakeholders early in the design process, considered to further vet out any challenges. A plastics join- including resin suppliers and processing equipment ing equipment supplier should have lab equipment to test suppliers. each process and be willing to weld test samples and assist with weld strength testing to help in the optimization process. If multiple processes are able to meet the requirements, as in the example above, one must also consider production criteria. The four viable processes all meet the yearly capac- ABOUT THE AUTHOR ity requirement, so a number of production considerations Craig Birrittella is the Automotive Segment Manager, like these can help focus the selection: Business Development for Branson Ultrasonics, a busi- What is the capital budget for the program versus the • ness of Emerson. cost of equipment needed? During Birrittella’s 20-year Is the takt time of the process consistent with the pro- • career at Branson, he has duction plan? received a US Patent for a If one process is much faster than needed, is there • lens that adapts laser ener- another application that can be run in the same gy for uniform welding, and machine? has focused on a variety of If more capacity is desired (say for safety stock produc- • technical areas, from vibra- tion), is a multicavity tool an option? tion, clean vibration, infrared, and laser welding For optimum results, it is important to not make a tech- to application development, nology decision based on whether your company has and custom machine and experience with an appropriate technology. Being open to tooling design. new technologies and methods helps ensure the most effec- Birrittella has served Bran- tive solution gets chosen. son in a variety of capacities, including mechanical In summary, four overarching considerations can guide you engineer, engineering manager, director of plant oper- to determining the best plastics joining technology for your ations, product manager and director of global product application, and thus help you achieve success in solving the management, before assuming his current position. tough challenges the automotive industry faces.

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CONSULTANT’S CORNER

Plastics – It’s All About Molecular Structure

By Jeffrey A. Jansen senior Managing Engineer & Partner, the Madison group

he characteristic properties exhibited by plastics are are formed through a process known as polymerization, in the direct result of the unique molecular structure of which monomer molecules are bonded together through a these materials. taking that a step further, the variation chemical reaction that results in a three-dimensional network twithin the properties demonstrated by different plastics aris- of long individual polymer chains consisting of smaller repeat- es from diversity in their structure. Plastics are polymers of ed units. very high molecular mass. to enhance their properties, they there are two basic types of polymerization reactions — often contain additives, such as fillers and reinforcements, addition and condensation. addition polymerization is the anti-degradants and stabilizers, flame retardants and plas- formation of polymers from containing a car- ticizers. However, the underlying attributes of a plastic bon-carbon double bond through an exothermic addition material are determined by the polymer. reaction. significantly, this reaction proceeds without the loss of any atoms or molecules from the reacting monomers. common materials produced through addition polymeriza- Polymerization tion include polyethylene, polypropylene, poly(), Polymers are macromolecules that are based on a structure and polystyrene as represented in Figure 1. built up, chiefly or completely, from a large number of similar in contrast, condensation polymers are formed by a step- structural units bonded together. Often called chains, the wise reaction of molecules with different functional groups. polymer consists of repeating units, similar to links. Polymers the reaction is endothermic and produces water, or other

Figure 1. Addition reaction mechanism showing styrene monomer polymerizing into polystyrene.

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Figure 2. Condensation reaction mechanism showing the polymerization of a polyamide from a diacid and a diamine.

small molecules such as methanol, as a byproduct. Common condensation polymers. Comparing polymers produced via polymers produced through condensation reactions include the two different mechanisms, addition polymers are gen- thermoplastic , polyacetal, polycarbonate and erally chemically inert due to the relatively strong polyamides as represented in Figure 2. carbon-carbon bonds that are formed. Condensation poly- Addition polymers form high-molecular-weight chains rap- mers tend to be susceptible to hydrolytic molecular idly, and tend to be higher in molecular weight than degradation through exposure to water at elevated temper- atures, through a mechanism that resembles the reversion of the initial liberalization reaction. By using different starting materials and polymerization processes and techniques, polymers having different molec- ular structures can be produced (see Fig. 3). The fundamental differences between the properties of these different types of polymers are attributable to the varying functional groups within the molecular structure. These differences include mechanical, thermal and chemical resistance properties. As such, it is important to select the correct type of plastic based upon the requirements of the application.

Intermolecular Bonding As indicated, polymerization results in the formation of mul- tiple individual polymer chains made up of repeating units. A key aspect of polymeric materials is that the chains are entangled within each other. The individual chains are not covalently bonded to each other, but instead rely on inter- molecular forces, such as Van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonding, and dipole interactions, to keep the chains from disentangling. This results in a structure that is similar to a bowl of spaghetti noodles (Fig. 4).

Figure 3. Polymers contain a wide variety of functional Figure 4. Polymer chains consist of a high number of repeating groups, responsible for the diversity in physical properties. units, and are entangled to form a spaghetti-like structure.

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CONSULTANT’S CORNER Plastics – It’s All About Molecular Structure

impact resistance, but will demonstrate reduced strength Molecular Weight and stiffness. through the polymerization process, materials of relatively Because of the structure of the molecules, polymeric mate- high molecular weight, macromolecules, are produced. a key rials have different properties compared to other materials, parameter of a polymer is its molecular weight. Molecular like metals. specifically, the relatively high molecular weight weight is the sum of the atomic weights of the atoms com- and long polymer chain length result in entanglement, and prising a molecule. For example, the molecular weight of the lack of covalent intermolecular bonds facilitates polymer polyethylene is calculated by multiplying the molecular weight chain mobility. this combination of entangled mobile chains of the repeating ethylene functional group times the number results in viscoelasticity. of units comprising the chain. thus, for polyethylene (Fig. 5), Viscoelasticity is the property of materials that exhibit where the repeating unit contains two carbon atoms and both viscous and elastic characteristics when undergoing defor- four hydrogen atoms, the molecular weight is 28n, where n mation. Viscous materials, like honey, resist shear flow and represents the number of repeating segments. Most com- strain linearly with time when a stress is applied. Elastic mate- mercial polymers have an average molecular weight between rials, such as a steel rod, strain when stressed and quickly 10,000 and 500,000. return to their original state once the stress is removed. Vis- Higher molecular weights are associated with longer molec- coelastic materials have elements of both of these properties ular chains, and this results in a greater level of entanglement. and, as such, exhibit time-dependent strain. this has important implications, as higher-molecular-weight there are three main factors that will affect the viscoelas- grades of plastics will have superior mechanical, thermal ticity of a plastic part — temperature, strain rate, and time. and chemical resistance properties compared with lower- Because of this, plastics are temperature, strain rate and molecular-weight grades of the same material. time sensitive. temperature is the most obvious of these it is important to remember that the polymerization factors. Polymers exhibit a comparatively high level of change process is a chemical reaction, and while carefully controlled, in physical properties over a relatively small temperature there is some inherent variation. this results in polydispersity, range. as the temperature is increased, the polymer chains or polymer chains of unequal length. Because of this, com- are positioned further apart. this results in greater free vol- mercial plastics have polymers with a molecular weight ume and kinetic energy, and the chains can slide past one distribution. simply put, molecular weight distribution rep- another and disentangle more easily. resents the relative amounts of polymers of different as strain rate — the speed at which load is applied — is molecular weights to comprise a given specimen of that increased, the polymer chains do not have enough time to material. Unlike molecular weight, the relationship between undergo ductile yielding, and they will disentangle through molecular weight distribution and end properties is not uni- an increasingly brittle mechanism. this is why plastics are form. For example, in comparing two similar materials with much more susceptible to impact failures than they are over- different molecular weight distributions, in general the mate- load failures, which occur at more moderate strain rates. rial with a wider distribution will exhibit better ductility and the inherent viscoelastic nature of polymeric materials produces movement within the polymer chains under con- ditions of applied stress. this results in time dependency within polymeric materials. Because of this molecular mobil- ity, plastic materials will exhibit differences in their long-term and short-term properties due to the application of stress over time. this means that the properties of a plastic material, such as strength and ductility, are not static, but will decrease over time. this often leads to creep and stress relaxation within plastic materials.

Crystalline/Amorphous Structure Figure 5. The repeating unit of polyethylene consists of two another fundamental characteristic of polymeric materials carbon atoms with pendant hydrogen atoms. is the organization of their molecular structure. Broadly,

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plastics can be categorized as being semicrystalline or amor- phous. Understanding the implications of the structure, and specifically, the crystallinity, is important as it affects material selection, part design, processing and the ultimate anticipated service properties. Most non-polymeric materials form crystals when they are cooled from elevated temperatures to the point of solid- ification. This is well demonstrated with water. As water is cooled, crystals begin to form at 0°C as it transitions from liquid to solid. Crystals represent the regular, ordered arrangements of molecules, and produce a distinctive geo- metric pattern within the material. With small molecules, Figure 6. Structural representation of semicrystalline and amorphous polymers. such as water, this order repeats itself and consumes a rel- atively large area relative to the size of the molecules, and the crystals organize over a relatively short time period. However, because of the rather large size of polymer mol- Amorphous polymers have an unorganized, loose struc- ecules and the corresponding elevated viscosity, ture. Semicrystalline polymers have locations of regular crystallization is inherently limited, and in some cases, not patterned structure bounded by unorganized amorphous possible. Polymers in which crystallization does occur still regions. While some modification can be made through the contain a relatively high proportion of non-crystallized struc- use of additives, the extent to which polymers are semicrys- ture. For this reason, those polymers are commonly referred talline or amorphous is determined by their chemical to as semicrystalline. Polymers, which because of their struc- structure, including polymer chain length and functional ture, cannot crystallize substantially are designated as groups. amorphous (Fig. 6). The ordered arrangement of the molecular structure asso-

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CONSULTANT’S CORNER Plastics – It’s All About Molecular Structure

Figure 7. DSC thermogram six showing a melting endotherm for a semicrystalline polymer and a glass transition for an amorphous material.

ciated with crystallinity results in melting when a sufficient temperature. temperature is reached. Because of this, semicrystalline Aside from the time and temperature dependence, other polymers such as polyethylene, polyacetal and nylon will key properties of polymeric materials are determined by undergo a distinct melting transition, and have a melting their semicrystalline/amorphous structure. Some general- point (Tm). Amorphous polymers, including polystyrene, izations of characteristic properties are listed in Table 1. polycarbonate and poly(phenyl sulfone), will not truly melt, but will soften as they are heated above their glass transition temperature (Tg). This is represented by the differential scan- ning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms (Fig. 7). The difference between semicrystalline and amorphous molecular arrangement also has an implication on the mechanical properties of the material, particularly as they relate to temperature dependency. In general, amorphous plastics exhibit a relatively consistent modulus over a tem- perature range. However, as the temperature approaches the glass transition temperature of the material, a sharp decline occurs. In contrast, semicrystalline plastics exhibit modulus stability below the glass transition temperature, which is often subambient, but show a steady decline between the glass transition temperature and the melting point (Fig. 8). Due to their viscoelastic nature, time and temperature act in the same way on polymeric materials. Because of this, the changes within the material as a function of time Figure 8. Graphical representation of the changes in modulus can be inferred from the stability of the material versus characteristic of semicrystalline and amorphous polymers.

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Plastics continue to be used in increasingly diverse and of the plastic resin, it is essential that the correlation between demanding applications. Given the cost of product failure, molecular structure and performance be understood. The it is very important that the right material be chosen specif- difference between success and failure can hinge on the ically for each situation. Because the base polymer implications of molecular weight, molecular weight distri- determines many of the critical performance characteristics bution, and crystalline/amorphous structure.

Semicrystalline • Distinct and sharp melting point ABOUT THE AUTHOR • Opaque or translucent Jeffrey A. Jansen is senior • Better organic chemical resistance managing engineer and a • Higher tensile strength and modulus partner with The Madison • Better creep and fatigue resistance Group, a Madison, Wis.- • Higher density based provider of consulting • Higher mold shrinkage services to the plastics indus- try. He is an expert in failure analysis; material analysis, Amorphous identification and selection; • Soften over a wider range of temperature and aging studies for plastic • Transparent and rubber components. A • Lower organic chemical resistance senior member of SPE, • Higher ductility Jansen also is a past chair- • Better toughness man of SPE’s Failure Analysis & Prevention Special • Lower density Interest Group.

Table 1.

Consistent Color Distribution Minimize Decrease Cycle Time Improve Appearance

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PLASTICS MAKE IT POSSIBLE Plastics and Sustainability: A Look Through the Lens of Natural Capital Costs

A new study by consultants Trucost shows the broader environmental advantages of plastics over alternative materials.

By American Chemistry Council (ACC)

Note: This article continues the series of updates in Plastics Recent Advances Engineering from Plastics Make it Possible®, an initiative spon- sored by America’s Plastics Makers® through the American We already know that plastics are replacing traditional mate- Chemistry Council (ACC). rials, due in large part to their favorable strength-to-weight ratio that allows them to do more with less. We see that in f a new material were found today that could reduce numerous previous studies and market sectors. environmental costs compared to existing materials by nearly four times, imagine what a positive, disruptive Packaging – A study in the U.S. shows that if we were to forceI that would be. In the presence of such a force, tradi- replace plastic packaging with alternatives, we would dra- tional materials would progressively be set aside in the name matically increase the amount of packaging material. of corporate and planetary sustainability. Alternatives would require four and a half times as much Well, a new study provides insights for corporate decision material by weight and increase the amount of packaging makers, policy makers and environmentally minded people used by nearly 110 billion pounds yearly. into just how disruptive plastics are from an environmen- tal perspective. Building Materials – Plastics can help save a whole lot of Disruptive, that is, in a good way. energy over the lives of our homes and buildings. The ener- gy saved by using plastic materials compared to alternative materials is approximately 467.2 trillion BTU of energy a year – that’s enough to meet the average annual energy needs of 4.6 million U.S. households.

Vehicles – Lightweight plastics and plastic composites com- prise 50 percent of today’s vehicles by volume yet only 10 percent by weight, due to their strength-to-weight ratios. Reducing vehicle weight can significantly improve fuel effi- ciency, reducing both financial and environmental costs, while improving performance. As Ford Motor Co. notes: “Few innovations provide a more wide-ranging performance and efficiency advantage than reducing weight. All factors of a vehicle’s capabilities—acceleration, handling, braking, safe- ty, efficiency—can improve through the use of advanced, lighter materials.” But despite measurable advances in these and other areas, the often-accepted narrative around plastics is: they are Figure 1. more wasteful and have greater environmental impacts than

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traditional materials. Is this true? While every material has environmental costs, how do plastics actually compare to alternatives?

New Study To answer this question, the American Chemistry Council commissioned an independent study by the environmen- tal consulting firm Trucost PLC in London that looks at the broad environmental costs of using plastics in consumer goods compared to other materials. This July 2016 study builds on a 2014 study, also by Tru- cost, commissioned by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called, “Valuing Plastics: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry.” That study found that the “total natural capital cost of plastic used in the consumer goods industry is estimated to be more than $75 billion per year.” The cost comes from a range of environmental impacts such as effects from marine litter and the loss of valuable ALL THE resources when used plastics are sent to landfills rather than recycled. RIGHT RESINS.RESINS. What the 2014 study did not ask is: compared to what? Trucost’s new study, “Plastics and Sustainability: A Valuation FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS. of Environmental Benefits, Costs and Opportunities for Con- tinuous Improvement,” provides that perspective. The A capacity for leadership. report’s authors call it the largest natural capital cost study In what matters most to you. ever conducted for the plastics manufacturing sector. The new study expands upon the initial study by includ- WhenWhen it comes to PETT Resin,, DAKDAK Americas ® ing transportation as part of the life cycle of products and has justjust whathat youyw arearou e lookingooking for...Innovativefl orr...Inno...Innovative packaging. Indeed, the study’s broader scope actually PETPET Resinsesins fromfrR om pioneering researchesearr ch and increased the estimated environmental cost of plastics from development,vde elopment,, state-of-the-ar state-ostate-of-the-artt technologies $75 billion to $139 billion per year. Most notably, it compares the environmental cost of using and marketmarkketet know-how.know-ho All fromfr.ww-ho om one of the plastics in consumer products and packaging to the cost of largestargest producersprl oducers ofof PET Resins world-wide.w rld-wide.o replacing plastics with alternative materials. DDAKAAKK Americas’Americas’ broadbrooadad line of Laser + ® PET The findings? When compared to alternatives, the new Resinsesins givegivR youye ou exceptional flexibility in study found that the environmental cost of using plas- meeting youryour design and productionproduction goals.goals. tics is four times less than the costs of other materials. Substituting plastics in consumer products and packag- FromFrom tradetrade leading productsproducts and technical ing with alternatives that perform the same function would serservicevice to recycling,recycling,g,, to sustainable raraww increase environmental costs from $139 billion to $533 bil- materials,, wewe contincontinueue to demonstrate lion annually (Figure 1). notnot just our recordrecord of innovation,innovation,, but our steadfast commitmentcommitment to youyou and to the Disruptive Findings industry.industryindustryy.. Today,TTooda d aayyy,, tomorrow,tomor wortomor ,wortomor andnd wellwa ell into the These results disrupt the commonly accepted narrative future.....efutur DAKD. AAKK Americas. around plastics—the assumption that traditional materials have less environmental impact. In fact, these findings stand dakamericas.com | 1.888.738.2002 that assumption on its head. One of the likely reasons for these findings, as mentioned above, is the comparable strength-to-weight ratio of plas- tics. Alternative materials such as glass, tin, aluminum and paper can be viable alternatives to plastics in many con-

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PLASTICS MAKE IT POSSIBLE Plastics and Sustainability

sumer goods applications. But a greater amount of these alternative materials typically is needed to accomplish the same objective. Similar to the findings in the packaging study above, this new study finds that alternatives require four times more material by mass on average (Figure 2). A good example: when Planters® replaced its glass jar for dry roasted peanuts with a recyclable plastic jar, the new label announced: “84% less packaging than glass jar by weight!” The company claims that the switch will result in a 25% reduction in trucks on the road to ship the same amount of nuts, along with saving millions of pounds in packaging and shipping materials. In other words, using more material typically translates into higher environmental costs. As it turns out, plastics are extremely efficient materials. Because they are both strong and lightweight, they allow us to do more with less in the 16 market sectors reviewed in the study … and in just about every aspect of modern living. Figure 2.

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increasing the use of lower-carbon sources of energy upstream, adopting lower-emission transport modes, devel- oping even more efficient plastic packaging, and increasing recycling and energy recovery to help address ocean litter and conserve resources. To help reduce plastics leakage into the marine environment, the study also highlighted the importance of expanding infrastructure globally, particularly in Asia where other studies have deter- mined 75% of marine litter originates. The study also called for enhanced environmental lead- ership by the plastics industry, noting that the industry has “direct influence, or indirect influence via its supply chain management practices, over a significant share of the envi- ronmental costs of plastic use in consumer goods sector, and other sectors. Thus the industry is well positioned to play an enhanced leadership role in driving improvements in the environmental performance of the plastics value chain.” Figure 3. This study represents the clearest and most comprehen- sive picture to date of the relative environmental costs and benefits of plastics compared to alternative materials. And Now What? by providing a path forward to further reduce these rela- tive costs, the study provides insights for corporate decision Even though plastics have significantly less impact on the makers, policy makers and environmentally minded people environment than alternatives, the study identifies numer- into how these disruptive materials can further contribute ous opportunities to reduce that impact. These steps include to sustainability.

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INSIDE SPI

How Will the Brexit Impact the U.S. Plastics Industry?

By Michael Taylor, Vice President - International Affairs & Trade SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association

he vote by 52 percent of the European Union to set the terms United Kingdom to leave the of its withdrawal, a negotiation European Union—the so-called which some expect may take two BritishT exit (Brexit)—has sent shock- years or more. waves across global financial markets Until the U.K. officially withdraws and ushered in a period of uncer- from the EU, it should be treated tainty for manufacturers on both as an EU member state in trade for sides of the Atlantic. The vote could purposes of tariffs and other tech- further undermine growth within nical matters. Eventually, however, Europe and potentially around the the U.S. trading relationship with globe. Given the size of the U.S. economic relationship with the UK will experience increased costs and red tape after Europe, the U.K. decision may have significant ramifications they have completely withdrawn from the EU. For U.K. man- for the American plastics industry. ufacturers exporting into the European Union, EU standards The U.S. commercial relationship with the U.K. and EU and regulations are expected to continue to apply for those combined is the U.S.’ largest in the world, representing about goods to be eligible for sale, but much as they would nor- 40% of the global economy. Trade of U.S.–EU manufactured mally apply to U.S. exports, rather than to exports from EU goods reached $836 billion in 2015, and cross-border invest- member companies. ment equaled more than $5 trillion. Many U.S. companies Regarding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Part- with EU operations have headquarters in London, and about nership (TTIP), a major trade treaty currently being negotiated, 17% of U.S.-manufactured exports to the EU are destined it is clear that the Brexit vote will be a drag on the progress for the U.K. of the deliberations. Prior to the vote, it was apparent that The U.K. is the ninth largest export market for the U.S. plas- the differences separating the United States and EU in the tics industry, representing more than $1.3 billion dollars in TTIP talks were larger than the areas of shared objectives goods in 2015, and our eighth largest import market, with and perspectives. With the U.K. and EU now preparing to more than $249 million dollars in goods in 2015. While the enter into a multi-year withdrawal negotiation, there are day-to-day operations of businesses in the United Kingdom, serious questions as to whether the TTIP talks can result in European Union or the United States may not be directly a truly meaningful and comprehensive agreement or even impacted by the Brexit immediately, all businesses engaged any deal at all. In addition, the loss of the UK voice within in the transatlantic market should prepare for the changes the EU will likely make it even more difficult for a deal to be that are inevitably coming. struck. On a positive note, there is the possibility of a U.S.- It’s expected that what the Brexit means for manufactur- U.K. free trade agreement, but this opportunity would still ers in the United States and their partners in Europe won’t be years away at this point, and only be a fraction of the size be fully known for years. Soon the United Kingdom will begin of an ideal TTIP agreement with the entire EU. negotiations with the EU under Article 50 of the Treaty of the All this said, although it is a significant event with notable

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economic consequences, the Brexit vote is unlikely to usher But the causal relationship between political and eco- in a recession. It is very clear that all of the key players stand nomic uncertainty and negative market and trade ready to intervene in the financial markets vigorously to buoy consequences is well established. The Brexit will most like- their economies as required. Specifically, in the U.S., the Fed- ly have impacts akin to past Eurozone crises, at least in the eral Reserve likely will cut interest rates rather than raise short term. It will shake financial markets and consumer them, counterbalancing any negative investment conse- confidence, cause a majority of business decision-makers quences the Brexit might have in the near-term for U.S. to hedge and serve as an unwelcome drag on economic stakeholders. growth and demand.

The FLiP Files: Katie Masterson The FLiP Files is a blog series spotlighting tee, and the Equipment & Moldmakers young professionals that are active in SPI’s Leadership Summit. I manage, along with Future Leaders in Plastics (FLiP), a group other young professionals on SPI’s staff, for plastics professionals under the age the Future Leaders in Plastics (FLiP) group. of 40. For our fourth entry, we spoke to Has anyone in the industry mentored Katie Masterson, who works for SPI in you? Washington, D.C. I was fortunate to work with Jackie Dalzell when I first started at SPI, who was always Where do you work and what’s your willing to share her knowledge and passion title? for the industry with me. Although she has I work at SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade since moved on, she still is a great mentor Association, where I am Senior Program and friend. Manager, Industry Affairs for the Equip- I also have to note my Equipment Council ment Council. and CES leadership, as they are always will- ing to answer my questions and help foster Tell us a little about what your my knowledge of the industry. They are a organization does. wealth of knowledge with their tenure in the SPI represents and advocates for the industry. I’m lucky to work for such a group. full supply chain of the plastics indus- try. We help members be more Describe in one sentence what you do on successful in their businesses. We pro- an average day. vide programs, education and My typical day varies, but can consist of CES conferences and councils and commit- report follow-up, reporting definition dis- tees that bring the supply chain cussions, committee and subcommittee calls together to solve industry issues. and web meetings, reviewing economic reports, program man- agement planning for SSA or FLiP, meeting prep, writing update How did you find yourself working in the plastics indus- reports for committees, etc. try? One thing I love about my job is when an issue arises that When I graduated, I was interested in working in the D.C. members would like us to address, we must look at the prob- area for a smaller company or a nonprofit and was getting lem and come up with a plan to help address it. So it’s a lot of a lot of leads with associations. (There are a lot of associa- problem solving with no instruction manual, which I love. tions in the D.C. area!) I started my career at the American Society of Interior Designers, where I worked on continuing What do you like most about working in the plastics education, specifically in the online learning environment. I industry? was ready for a new challenge and joined SPI in 2012. I saw It’s an industry filled with enthusiastic people who are pas- SPI as a good next step in diversifying my association man- sionate about what they do. It’s a privilege to work for such a agement skills and knew I would be surrounded by peers I group and hard not to catch the passion. could learn and grow from. Some of the programs I manage are the Committee on What’s one thing about your personal life that you feel Equipment Statistics (CES), and the Safety Standards & Awards has been changed by having a career in plastics? Program (SSA). I also assist with other Equipment Council I’ve become an advocate for plastics. If a peer or friend says activities, such as the Machinery Safety Standards Commit- something un-factual about plastics, like “don’t buy that one

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Rur Sast. Rur Sresent. Your Future.

4spe.org The celebration starts in Booth 11 E21 54-57 Inside SPI_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/20/16 10:57 AM Page 57

INSIDE SPI

The FLiP Files: Katie Masterson

because it’s plastic, get the glass bottle because it’s more What’s one plastic product you couldn’t live without? ‘green’,” I know how to productively counteract that com- My contact lenses. I love my glasses too, but it’s crazy that ment with facts like, “Well, plastics are recyclable and it took a curved piece of plastic you place on your eye can make less energy to ship this to this location,” etc. the world beautiful and crisp. People can easily be reminded that plas- tics are needed in many facets of our everyday lives and bring a lot of good.

What are the major challenges you see facing the plastics industry today? How do you think the industry can overcome them? As of 2015, millennials are the largest generation in the workforce and will be taking over baby boomers’ positions and leadership roles as the baby boomers retire. I think ensuring that my genera- tion is prepared for this transition is a challenge the industry is facing. FLiP’s Mentorship Program and more internal succession planning at plastics compa- nies will help ease this transition. The transition to a largely millennial work- force is coming quickly and I am sure my generation is ready for the challenge, but we know we need our predecessors’ guidance to help ensure our success and the success of the industry.

Why do you think someone from your generation should consider a career in plastics? Because there are a lot of opportunities. I was at Wittmann Battenfeld USA for Manufacturing Day 2015 and their Pres- ident, Dave Preusse, highlighted to the students that there were over 30 differ- ent job types at their facility from marketing, to accounting, to engineers and technicians. I think that’s a great point. It’s rare that people know exactly what they want to do for a career, but if they know about opportunities the plas- tics industry has to offer, they may consider it down the line.

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THERMOFORMING

The Dawn of Commercial Thermoforming

By Stanley R. Rosen

hermoforming is the process of heating a thermoplas- The firm first demonstrated its machine at the National tic sheet and using vacuum or compressed air to form Plastics Exhibition in 1952 in Philadelphia (Fig. 1). Modern Plas- the sheet to a mold and later trim to size each individual tics magazine in May 1952 noted: “This booth attracted more Tcavity. Several firms during the 1930s and 1940s designed continuous attention than any other exhibit.” The process and built proprietary machines that were used to thermo- appealed to many attendees due to the low cost of the equip- form small quantities of plastics products. None of this ment and tooling when compared to injection molding. equipment was ever sold to processors in the plastics indus- Within a very short time, machinery competition arose: J.E. try. Kostur - Comet Corp. (Chicago), David Zelnick - Atlas Corp., now The U.S. Army Relief Map Division, whose chief was E. Bow- the Zed Corp. (Rochester, N.Y.), and Bow Stratton’s Auto-Vac man (Bow) Stratton, developed a practical method of vacuum Corp. (Bridgeport, Conn.) all built well-engineered 3-D topographic maps during World War II. When formers. These machines used cut sheets and required a rel- the war ended, the army vacuum former was upgraded and the atively long heating cycle as the oven contained only top Industrial Radiant Heat Corp. of N.J. was created to promote and heating elements. The formed shot was trimmed using knife- sell this equipment. like steel rule dies in presses adapted from the printing or

Figure 1: Industrial Radiant Heat Corp. of New Jersey introduced this thermoforming machine — the first such model to be offered widely for sale — at the 1952 NPE trade fair in Philadelphia, where it attracted substantial attendee interest and spurred a number of competitors to enter the market.

58 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | SEPTEMBER 2016 | www.4spe.org | www.plasticsengineering.org 58-63 Rosen Thermoforming_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/19/16 9:41 AM Page 59

shoe-making industries. Every new thermoformed component required its own mold and this expense was amortized over the total number of parts purchased. Customers placing ini- tial small orders to market-test this new process needed to minimize the cost of each mold. Molds were built using a model or a wooden pattern to vacuum form individual plastics cavities. Liquid epoxy or plaster was poured into these cavities and cured to create an inexpen- sive mold. Both cavity materials are poor heat conductors, resulting in a very slow thermoforming cooling cycle. Inefficient machines and molds when combined with low volume orders tended to restrict new machinery sales and reduce technical innovation during this early peri- od. In 1954, retail merchandising started to shift from traditional clerk assistance to Unmatchednma hed experctU experexpertiseisethed consumer self-service. This trend intro- duced a change in product packaging in plaplastics-joining-joining tsictsin ttechnologyhnologec-joining yhnolog favoring heat-sealed plastic blisters on Branson, a busine s of Emers Emer is t wustrson, fworlded or itide it unma hedcts cards mounted on peg board displays. e-joininialsertma isetxperg Wise y. inhen e Brvolvou earlanson y in thearl This package gave thermoforming sup- evde lopment pr ysseoc ou ha, ha acvou tsece industs adin-leyro g suppor fg ort pliers a huge new market. Newly designed , prginsteials tertgn, maside tertgn, , prginsteials pr applicagypinotot, det, evions lopment, DOE, roll-fed thermoformers and heat-efficient 3D mode , and prglin oduc ion.toduc aluminum molds were quickly designed to supply the rapid increase in volume for pr apprr-neutsseocOur oacal offoac tinerh, hnologecg y options that include blister packaging. For the next four to five lasonicarult vser, taibr, ion, hot pla spin wet and morgldine, e, , also mee weans years, most of the thermoforming techni- able tar re eco ommend the be t hnologecst y solution fforor your specific needs. cal development aimed to improve existing f our racIn of tgant, hnologhnologece y options ha allo ed us tws o ser e thevo machine designs. industviomotaut y in a wwre v tiearide y of applica , incionst :gludin The industry was not yet ready to pay • rInst ument panels and under the hood the cost to solve the problem of trimming • heewan-Cle adlilded or tgadli liht lensegail sht parts in-line from a continuous thermo- formed web. In the late 1950s, Dow • garL e or small par sst Chemical, Maryland Cup and an ingen- • imple or cS x ggomple sierteomex ious inventor, Gaylord Brown of Beaverton, • speed prh-gHi ttoduc ion and aut stoma emsysted Mich., collaborated to mass produce plas- In addition, Branson’s global r offecsourelobal ys wer laorld-cou qualitsla ,ys tic cups and lids. Their endeavor resulted in successfully building a continuous sheet and teicvser ec, hnical suppor f a sint locagor tle ion or mult ionaltina forming and trimming inline system for ions.taoper food and drink containers. .cssonicaransonultbr omom • 203-796-0400 Brown Machine Co.’s thermoformer o@brinf sonicaransonult om.cssonic indexed a continuous sheet through a multi-stage oven into a pressure-forming press, and the web then moved on to a free-standing trim press. The trim press re- indexed the web into a punch and die © Branson Ultrasonics Corporation 2016. where individual cavities were trimmed The Emerson logo is a trademark and service mark of Emerson Electric Co. and packed. The older model roll-fed vac-

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Don’t Miss the Year’s Most Innovative Use of Automotive Plastics at the 46th-Annual SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Gala.

Submit your innovative plastics nominations today to the oldest and largest recognition event of its kind in the automotive plastics industry. Learn more at: http://speautomotive.com/inno and http://speautomotive.com/awa.

58-63 Rosen Thermoforming_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/19/16 9:41 AM Page 61

THERMOFORMING

ities were manually steel-rule die cut. The Brown thermo- former’s capabilities enabled some tooling to be converted from vacuum to pressure forming, and machine operators became more expert at their jobs using the power of pressure forming. In 1965, Jack Pregont, president of Prent Corp. in Janesville, Wis., urged Gaylord Brown to build an inexpensive, roll-fed pres- sure former with an inline steel rule die press (Fig. 2). It was a great success, as it mainly eliminated manual die cutting and soon larger, more sophisticated models followed. Almost all thermoforming machinery companies now build similar machines for the industry.

Figure 2. In 1965 Brown Machine developed this inexpen- sive, roll-fed pressure former, which ushered in the mod- ern thermoforming era. This machine, with its in-line steel ABOUT THE AUTHOR rule die press, produced thermoformed parts that emerged Stanley R. Rosen has spent half a century as a mechanical from the machine trimmed and ready to be shipped. engineer, designing thermoforming machines. He found- ed the Mold Systems and Hydrotrim companies in Valley Cottage, N.Y. Those firms spe- uum formers operated at 2-5 cycles/min., compared to the cialized in the design and Brown pressure former that operated at 20+ cycles/min. A mold building of thermoform tool- and die for the Brown thermoformer and trim press cost ing, sophisticated laboratory more than a new commercial vacuum former. When produc- thermoforming machines, ing 100 million lids the tooling cost per unit is negligible, but a and large hydraulic die cut- 100,000-unit blister order could not support the cost of this effi- ters. Rosen was elected cient machine and its tooling. chairman of the board of the Roll-fed thermoforming split into two branches: large, well- Society of Plastics Engineers’ capitalized food packaging suppliers, and the smaller custom Thermoforming Division, and thermoforming firms that served a wide variety of businesses. has been honored as SPE’s Several custom firms purchased Brown thermoformers and Thermoformer of the Year. bought water-cooled, multipurpose master mold bases that He is author of the book cycled at the intermediate speed of 8-12 shots/min. An in-line “Thermoforming: Improving guillotine shear was used to cut-off each shot, and then the cav- Process Performance.”

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www.plasticsengineering.org | www.4spe.org | SEPTEMBER 2016 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | 61 58-63 Rosen Thermoforming_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/19/16 9:41 AM Page 62

th DON’T MISS THE 18 ANNUAL SPE AUTO TPO CONFERENCE Record Sponsorship & Exhibits, 75 Technical Presentations, and Record Attendance GOLD & EXHIBITOR Forecast. Conference Showcases the Importance of Engineered Polyole n Materials

The 18th-annual SPE TPO Automotive Engineered Polyole ns Conference

returns on Monday, Oct. 3rd and runs for 2½ days. Exhibitor set-up is on Sunday, Oct. 2nd, at noon. Sunday includes special workshops starting mid-afternoon with a reception to follow — all happens at the Troy Marriott in the northern Dr. Sassan Tarahomi, IAC suburbs of Detroit. This year’s program “TPOs Delivering Performance” promises to set all kinds of records with the largest sponsorship/exhibition in the event’s history and a professional technical program highlighting the latest global developments in TPO and engineered polyole n materials. This year we’ll have ve industry leaders as our keynote speakers who were specially selected to bring you the latest news about our ever-changing industry. Betsy Jackson, TPO Conference Executive Chair & Exterior Product Engineering Director, General Motors Rob Morgan, Vice President, Advanced Composites Inc. Bernard Rzepka, CEO, A. Schulman Tom Pilette, Global Vice President Product & Process Development, Magna

Laurie Harbour, President & CEO, Harbour Results Inc. Since 1998, the SPE TPO Automotive Engineered Polyole ns Conference has highlighted the importance of rigid and exible thermoplastic polyole ns (TPOs), thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), and thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) throughout the automobile — in applications ranging from semi-structural composite underbody shields and front-end modules to soft-touch interior skins and bumper fascia. Engineered Polyole ns have been the fastest-growing segment of the global plastics industry for more than a decade owing to their excellent cost / performance ratio. This event has become the world’s leading automotive engineered polyole ns forum and typically draws over 800 key decision makers and some of

the world’s foremost authorities on transportation polyole n applications, economics, and market trends from 20 countries on four continents who are interested in learning about the latest in rigid and elastomeric TPO as well as TPE and TPV technologies. As such, it continues to provide outstanding networking opportunities with key members of the automotive TPO, TPE, & TPV supply chain, and the opportunity to learn about designing lighter, less costly automotive components using the latest technologies and applications for these versatile materials. The sponsors registered for the 2016 TPO Conference as of August 10, 2016 are listed on the following page. 58-63 Rosen Thermoforming_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/19/16 9:42 AM Page 63

2016 SPE TPO AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERED POLYOLEFINS CONFERENCE SPONSORS:

PLATINUM & EXHIBITOR

GOLD & EXHIBITOR GOLD & EXHIBITOR I

® Sunday includes special workshops starting mid-afternoon Formosa Plastics w

T ADVANCED MATERIALS the event’s history and a professional technical program highlighting the latest global developments in TPO and engineered

EXHIBITOR

ChemroChemro

MRC Polymers Engineered & Sustainable Resins

 vulcanizates (TPVs) throughout semi-structural composite underbody shields and front-end modules to p a decade owing to their excellent cost / performance ratio. This event has become the automotive engineered polyole ns forum typically draws over 800 key decision makers and some of

world’s foremost authorities on transportation polyole n applications, economics, and market trends from 20 countries o four continents who are interested in learning about the latest in rigid and elastomeric TPO as well as TPE and TPV ADVERTISING outstanding networking opportunities with key members of the automotive & TPV supply chain, and the opportunity to learn about designing lighter, less costly automotive components u latest technologies and applications for these versatile materials. T 64-71 Industry News_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/20/16 11:30 AM Page 64

INDUSTRY NEWS

Science Campus at K 2016 to connect research & industry

Having met with a positive response at K 2013, the Science resource efficiency; Plastics Industry 4.0; new materials and Campus at K 2016 in Düsseldorf, Germany, Oct. 19-26 will lightweight engineering, as well as on scientific training in further intensify the dialogue between research and indus- macromolecular chemistry and plastics technology. Scien- try in an enlarged area and with an increased number of tists of K 2016’s Innovation Circle and teams from their participating scientific organizations. Supplementing the pre- institutes will prepare the key themes and present them in sentations of universities and colleges, institutes and different formats. sponsoring organizations, the Science Campus will focus on Expected to have a lasting impact on market development the four key themes defined by the K 2016 Innovation Circle of the sector in the coming years, these themes will not only – a panel made up of experts from science and representa- be the focus of the Science Campus at K 2016 but will also be tives of K’s Exhibitors Council. reflected in the presentations of the exhibitors, the special The Science Campus enables exhibitors and visitors at K show “Plastics Shape the Future” and the Innovation Com- 2016 to gain a concentrated overview of scientific activities pass. and findings in the plastics and rubber sector and promotes At K 2016, more than 3,200 exhibitors from 60 nations will an exchange of experience between companies and univer- present their latest developments in the fields of machinery sities. The participants at the Science Campus will be presenting and equipment for the plastics and rubber industry, raw pioneering materials and technologies and responding to the materials and auxiliaries, semi-finished products, technical central challenges of polymer technology. parts, and reinforced plastics products. The eight-day fair is The discussion and communication will focus on the key expected to attract some 200,000 trade visitors from all over themes: innovation drivers of global change focusing on the world. www.k-online.com.

New styrenic TPE grades offer seal integrity

PolymaxTPE introduces two styrenic TPE grades engineered 010 and P32-011, can replace TPV elastomers in a variety of to deliver low-compression-set performance expressly for applications that require high resilience for seal integrity, gasket and seals application. These two new grades, P32- including gaskets, seals, valves, home appliances, and food packaging. What makes these new products stand out is their low compression set at elevated temperatures. Compres- sion set is the measure of a material’s ability to recover from deformation. The lower the percentage, the better the mate- rial resists permanent deformation under a given deflection and temperature range. “The development of new TPEs with low compression set for the seal industry reflects the focus of PolymaxTPE on R&D and its strategy of working proactively with customers”, not- ed Dr. Martin Lu, chief technology officer of PolymaxTPE. The two new grades score further points for their excellent tear strength, cold temperature flexibility, low odor, stability at high temperatures, and weather resistance. The raw mate- rials used to manufacture these two grades are compliant with food-contact regulations. These materials can be used in stand-alone injection molding, extrusion applications, or New styrenic grades target gaskets and seals. bonded with polypropylene substrates. Graphic courtesy of PolymaxTPE www.polymaxtpe.com.

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SABIC to demonstrate “Chemistry that Matters™”

SABIC will showcase to K show visitors how “Chemistry that insulation. With its inherent high impact resistance, clarity Matters™” is addressing global trends and the challenges in and durability, LEXAN™ sheet helps to maintain safety and a key industries with solutions to help create a better future for clear view in indoor applications. everyone. With a strong emphasis on sustainability, SABIC www.sabic.com. says that at this year’s event it will high- W light its strong, collaborative approach WorldwideW Machines Molding Leader in Injection orldwide Leader in Inject with customers to jointly develop and orldwide Leader in Inject produce global solutions, from con- More value. More features. cept to realization. “Striving for a sustainable future More productivity. means looking at business practices differently and being able to turn chal- HPM Model HST2 Full Line of Hybrid Machines lenges into opportunities that add ToggleToggle Clamp MachineryM frfromom 65 to 3500 U.S. TTonsons lasting business value,” said Abdul- rahman Al-Fageeh, Executive Vice President - Polymers. “Our new organ- ization brings us closer to customers, enabling us to offer sustainable solu- tions to the entire value chain and move further toward our vision to be ion Mold a preferred world leader in chemicals.” SABIC will feature new, sustainabil- ity-enabling materials and technologies it has developed. With the focus on key $GPGƂVUGPG$ ƂVƂVU StandarStandardd FeaturFeatureses Include

industry segments such as packaging, ing Machines • Reduces enerenergygy consumptconsumptionion • Hybrid “Servo Pump” construction, healthcare, transporta- up to 80% technology tion, consumer goods and electronics, SABIC will display specific applications, • HPM Command ContrControlol System • Bimetallic barrbarrelel and such as renewable packaging, fuel-effi- • High speed toggle decreaseseasesdecr hardenedharrdened scrscrewew cient transportation solutions, and cycle ttimesimescycle • Dual corcoreses and air blast easily constructed, reusable buildings. • Backed by the HPM ThrThree-Yearee-YYearear • SPI Robot Interface Stand visitors can gain deeper knowl- Golden WWarrantyarranty and support • 480 voltage edge about these technologies through thrthroughoutoughout North America on • ANSI/SPI 151.1 interactive, digital content. the machine, softwarsoftwaree and parts, • Mount & leveling The striking design of the stand will therthere’se’’ss no betbetterter value in machine pads feature interior and exteriors walls con- tthehe industryindustry.. • FrFreeee delivery to structed of SABIC’s LEXAN™ sheet, customer location which is 50% lighter and 250 times more impact-resistant than glass. These materials help to reduce trans- port and labor costs, facilitate easy and fast installation, and provide excellent UV and fire resistance. The UV-pro- HPM NORNORTHTH AMERICA CORPORATIONCORPORA RPORAATIONTION 1193 Pole Lane Road, Marion, OH 43302 tected outer surface offers long-term Tel:Tel: 740.382.5600 Fax: 740.382.2008 weatherability and its multiwall struc- www.hpmmachinery.comwww.hpmmachinery.com ture provides profound thermal

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INDUSTRY NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS

Semiconductor material wins patent allowance in China

SmartKem, UK-based developer of the truFLEX® semicon- strengthen our existing position within the Chinese display ductor platform for the manufacture of flexible displays and sector with our ground-breaking semiconductor platform.” electronics, has had notification of The primary target applications include new wear- patent allowance for its able technologies, mobile devices, automotive, semiconductor material in embedded, and transparent displays, but the tech- China. This is a key market nology is a key enabler for the many products that for the roll-out of its tech- are helping to build the Internet of Things, such as nology platform with display gesture and touch control, fingerprint recog- manufacturers across Asia. nition and wide range of sensor Steve Kelly, CEO and applications. founder of SmartKem, said: “The global market for OLED and “Successful collaboration flexible OLED are set to is crucial in helping China to grow rapidly in the become a key stakeholder next two to three years and competitor in the global and we are very much OLED display industry. focused on the indus- “As the Chinese trialization and OLED industry matures, SmartKem's truFLEX® semiconductor platform commercialization of China’s capabilities in both tra- helps to enable flexible displays and electronics. our truFLEX® organic ditional and flexible OLED production will only Photo courtesy of SmartKem semiconductors to increase as it turns its focus to designing and enhance and further developing its own products rather than manu- strengthen our position facturing someone else’s. There is a clear in this sector. Patent commitment to encourage high-tech research and develop- allowance in key territories within Asia such as China is an ment and there are benefits in place to incentivize innovation important milestone in achieving wide-scale market adop- and high technological standards. Our new patent allowance tion of our technology platform,” Kelly continued. places SmartKem in an excellent positon to consolidate and www.smartkem.com.

Clariant unveils new tools for stretch-blown PET bottles

Clariant announces availability of new blow-molding tools and the broad, flat panels were not as representative of the that can help customers evaluate how Clariant color and addi- shapes that producers of liquor bottles and other beverage tive masterbatches perform in real-world applications. The containers are looking for today.” new single-cavity tool, which is intended for reheat stretch The tooling can be used to evaluate not only color, but also blow molding of clear or colored PET polyester resins, pro- performance-enhancing additives and barrier properties, as duces a 12-oz (355-ml) round bottle with a long neck and curved well. Prusak says that the way plastic materials stretch to cre- sides. The design is intended to reflect current design trends ate a bottle’s shape can vary depending on the color and other for liquor bottles, but can also be used to evaluate wine, soft- ingredients in the compound. A resin/masterbatch combina- drinks and other food and beverage containers, too. tion that works well in one shape can develop cosmetic flaws “This new mold includes the details that customers told us or unacceptable physical properties in another. This is why it they wanted in prototype tooling,” explains Peter Prusak, head is so important to produce shapes that more accurately mim- of marketing for Clariant Masterbatches North America. “The ic the actual end-product containers. tooling we’ve had in the past produced flask-shaped bottles, www.clariant.com.

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Covestro PC sheet helps new pedicab roll

Frustrated by equipment malfunctions and lack of options, Ben Morris, chief pedicab officer, Coaster Pedicab, set out to create the pedicab he believed the market was missing. Using feedback from its mechanics, professional drivers, pas- sengers and the management team, the company began developing the next-generation pedicab. When they were finished, all that remained of the previous vehicle’s standard design was the three-wheel concept. With the design set, the team began its search for the ideal material to bring it to life. Lightweight and formable Makrolon® SL polycarbonate sheet from Covestro LLC fit the bill. Gauge selection, color and tint definition, fabrication, form, fit and function were all key driv- ers for this unique application. Makrolon SL polycarbonate sheet helped to remake this “Other possible materials could not satisfy the needs of pedicab. Photo courtesy of Covestro. this demanding application,” said Justin Bruce, chief operat- ing officer of Coaster Pedicab. “Fiberglass was too heavy, and other plastic materials prototyped could not withstand the In addition to the material advantages provided by the abuse a pedicab endures. Makrolon® SL polycarbonate sheet, polycarbonate sheet, Coaster Pedicab also benefited from on the other hand, offers lighter weight, greater durability, the support offered by Covestro’s technical experts. “Cove- higher impact strength and a brighter, cleaner look. stro has a long history of supplying polycarbonate sheet to Makrolon® SL polycarbonate sheet is used for the pedi- the transportation industry,” said Celeste Dunn, segment cab siding and canopy, which provide structure, protection manager for transportation, polycarbonate sheet, for MS from the elements and a backing surface for applying adver- Global AG, a Covestro company. “Working with Coaster Pedi- tisements. There are currently three models of Coaster cab resulted in an outstanding end product that exceeded Pedicabs on the market – Pro, Luxe and Luxe All Weather – everyone’s expectations.” all of which use Covestro’s polycarbonate sheet. www.covestro.com.

CUSTOM-ENGINEEREDCSCUST TPE Whether manufacturing products from the consumer, automotive or indus- trial mamarkets: THERMOLAST® K TPE compounds provide optimal flexibility andd adhesionadhe i to variousva substrates…why not create the difference with KRAIBURG TPE?

KRAIBURG TPE Corporation Phone: 1 678 584-5020 E-mail: [email protected] -americ www.kraiburg-tpe.com

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INDUSTRY NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS

Infrared systems said to save time, money

Heraeus Noblelight plans to showcase at the K 2016 show how its optimally matched infrared systems help to form plastic automotive parts so efficiently that significant savings in time and energy result. In the same vein, global car parts supplier Faurecia has reduced cycle times by 20 seconds in the forming of dashboards by using infrared emitters from Heraeus, while car manufacturer Bentley relies on IR tech- nology to ensure perfect fitting of roof liners in its luxury car bodies. Faurecia uses carbon infrared emitters to form the dash- board of a car under heat, and coat it with a sound-proofing layer. Previously, the heat had been provided by a combi- nation of metal foil emitters and steam, but this method was proving incapable of meeting the desired increased pro- duction speeds and was identified as the limiting factor in the overall production process. The plant was significantly improved by fitting carbon medium wave emitters. Carbon emitters transfer large amounts of energy very quickly, such Automakers and tier suppliers are putting infrared systems that the company was able to dispense with the costly steam to good use. Photo courtesy of Heraeus Noblelight that had been used for pre-heating. The components to be molded are now heated directly in their molds. As a result, Faurecia was able to increase the heat-up rate by 16% and a suitable heat source, as the new adhesive needed to be reduce the heating stage through-put time by about one- heated to an activation temperature of 65°C to maintain the third from the previous time of 60 seconds. process stage cycle time. The solution to the problem was Roof liners for Bentley cars consist of three components: provided by a custom-built, trim-handling system incorpo- a carrier fabric, an adhesive and a decorative leather facing rating infrared emitters. Here, the carrier fabric is first sprayed piece. Ideally, this combined structure should maintain its with adhesive and the leather cladding is precisely fixed in a integrity for the life of the vehicle. When Bentley introduced vacuum press. The infrared system then brings the adhesive a new adhesive, which allows a fivefold increase in the bond up to the required 65°C in less than three minutes. strength of the materials being joined, it then had to look for www.heraeus-noblelight.com

Songwon stabilizer targets automakers

Songwon recently launched its latest product for the auto- Commenting on the new product, Thomas Schmutz, motive industry. The South Korean firm developed the new leader for Global Technical Service & Application Develop- Songxtend® 2124 stabilizer specifically to meet the stringent ment, said: “Songxtend® 2124 demonstrates our drive to demands of the automotive industry where weight and cost support the automotive industry. With this new addition, reduction are dominant factors. Songwon now offers a full range of stabilizers for unfilled, Songxtend® 2124 stabilizer improves the long-term ther- talc- and glass-filled PP. Providing a cost-efficient alterna- mal stability of the short- and long-glass-fiber-reinforced tive to the existing products available, Songxtend® 2124 polypropylene used in interior applications for molded already has enabled one of Songwon’s global customers to parts, and can match the LTTS performance of 1000 h and reduce costs in its glass-fiber-reinforced PP application while beyond at 150°C. The new stabilizer contributes to making exceeding 1000 h at 150°C, providing long-term thermal it possible for molded parts to be thinner and lighter while stability.” still having similar mechanical properties as unfilled parts. www.songwon.com.

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INDUSTRY NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS

Arizona Instrument introduces new moisture analyzer

Arizona Instrument LLC announces the Computrac® Vapor Pro® XL (VPXL) – its latest in a long line of accurate, reliable and easy-to-use moisture analyzers. The Vapor Pro® XL is a chemical-free, moisture-specific alternative to Karl Fischer titration. It features an upgraded heater, which increases the upper limit for testing temperatures to 300°C and allows for improved control over testing temperatures. The VPXL is also compatible with multiple sizes of sample vials and is equipped with stepped temperature testing capabilities for enhanced method development. From plastics to petroleum products, pharmaceuticals to chemicals, the VPXL is a good fit for a wide variety of applications. The Vapor Pro XL is can be used in accordance with ASTM D7191-10: Standard Test Method for Determination of Mois- ture in Plastics by Relative Humidity Sensor, and ASTM D7546-15: Standard Test Method for Determination of Mois- ture in New and In-Service Lubricating Oils and Additives by AI has rolled out its latest moisture analyzer. Photo courtesy of Relative Humidity Sensor. Arizona Instrument LLC www.azic.com.

Conair to highlight vacuum-conveying system at K

The patent-pending R-PRO™ dense-phase vacuum-conveying system developed by Conair to minimize pellet fracturing, “angel hair,” and equipment wear caused by conventional dilute-phase conveying, will make its first appearance at a European trade show when K 2016 begins in October. Other innovations on display will include a new FLX-128 Plus con- veying control, which now can be set up to operate the R-PRO system, a new Mobile Drying/Conveying (MDC) system with standard color touchscreen control interface, and several examples of equipment from Conair’s new MedLine® range of clean-room-ready auxiliaries. The Resin Protection Conveying System (R-PRO™) is a new approach to vacuum conveying. Pellets move at slow speeds in dense slugs of material. This can be compared to conven- Conair says its latest system offers ‘a new approach to vacu- tional, high-speed, dilute-phase conveying, where pellets smear um conveying. Photo courtesy of Conair against the sides of aluminum tubing, deforming and creat- ing long streamers or “angel hair” that can clog the system. Consisting mainly of standard vacuum-conveying compo- nents, R-PRO results in slower flow and less resin damage even be retrofitted to existing systems, Conair says. without limiting throughput. It is cost-competitive and can www.conairgroup.com.

70 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | SEPTEMBER 2016 | www.4spe.org | www.plasticsengineering.org 64-71 Industry News_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/19/16 10:02 AM Page 71

Registration Is Now Open! Successful Plastic Part Design – Doing It Right The First Time!

October 25-26, 2016 Portland, Oregon USA |McMenamins Kennedy School

• One track of Injection Molding design (2 full days) • Alternate track on thermoforming design (1 day) & composites design (1 day) • Networking events (food & live music!) • Tabletop exhibits • Sponsorship opportunities

Who should attend:

• Injection, thermoforming and composites part designers • Plastics process engineers • Sales engineers • 5HVLQVSHFLȴHUV • Set-up personnel • Design managers • Industrial designers

Leave this event with valuable and practical part design fundamentals that you can successfully apply right away for these three plastics processes!

• Injection Molding • Thermoforming • Composite Molding

Presented by: The SPE Product Design and Development Division (PD3) Hosted by: The SPE Columbia River Section | Learn more: http://www.spe-pd3.org Supported by: The SPE Thermoforming Division Ed Probst, Conference Chair | [email protected] | 414-476-3096 72-75 Patents_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/19/16 10:53 AM Page 72

INDUSTRY PATENTS

By Roger Corneliussen

ethylene alpha olefin copolymers, propylene alpha olefin Cheaper Carbon Fiber Composites copolymers, propylene ethylene copolymers, styrene poly- U.S. Patent 9,365,685 (June 14, 2016), “Method of Improv- mers or ionomers. These materials do prevent long-term ing Adhesion of Carbon Fibers with a Polymeric Matrix,” ballooning for packaged gassing cheeses while preventing Frederic Vautard, Soydan Ozcan and Felix Leonard oxygen diffusion. Paulauskas (UT-Battelle LLC, Oak Ridge, Tenn., USA). Epoxy carbon-fiber-reinforced composites are known for their outstanding mechanical properties and low density. However, they are expensive and difficult to process, mak- Portable Pyrolysis ing broader application to consumer markets too expensive. U.S. Patent 9,365,775 (June 14, 2016), “Waste Recycling Sys- Furthermore, the mechanical properties of cheaper resins tem,” Gaylen La Crosse, Jeremy La Crosse and Michael Galich do not match that of high-performance epoxy resins. Vau- (YAGS LLC, Evanston, Ill., USA). tard, Ozcan and Paulauskas functionalized carbon fibers These days, the volume of plastics discarded by consumers with partially cured epoxy or amine-sizing agents. Epoxy- is enormous, leading to ever-growing landfills. Recycling is reactive groups include hydroxyl (OH), carboxyl (COOH) and becoming more popular but separation, selection and trans- amino (NH2) groups. These fibers can be used in vinyl poly- portation continues to be a challenge. Pyrolysis is promising mers as well as condensation polymers with good results. but catalysts are expensive and transportation is, still, a Amine groups can covalently bond with a variety of poly- problem. La Crosse, La Crosse and Galich developed a mers, including , polyesters, acrylics, nylons, portable reactor system for pyrolysis that can easily be scaled polyether ether ketones, , polyvinylalcohol and up or down and is operated without a catalyst. This system . consists of two reactor sections connected to a condenser. The waste is heated at pressures less than atmospheric pres- sure to 500 to 800˚ C to convert the waste hydrocarbons to gaseous hydrocarbons. The product is transferred to con- Breathable Film for Cheese Packaging densers forming liquids. Char is removed in the second U.S. Patent 9,365,687 (June 14, 2016), “PVDC Formulation reactor. Candidate industries include paper mills, waste rub- and Heat-Shrinkable Film,” Dimitris Gkinosatis (Flexopack ber tires, and animal and agricultural . S.A. Plastics Industry, Koropi, Greece). Special foods such as gassing cheese products require special packaging that release carbon dioxide gas that caus- es package ballooning. At the same time, oxygen permeability Rotomolding Large Structures must be low enough to prevent oxidation. The majority of U.S. Patent 9,370,882 (June 21, 2016), “Cost-Effective and heat-shrinkable film uses (PVDC) Efficient Air Circulation System for a Vehicle having Roto- resins to stop oxygen diffusion, which also prevents carbon molded Body Assembly,” Nigel Giddons and John William dioxide diffusion. Gkinosatis developed a special polymer Taylor (Tata Technologies Pte. Ltd., Singapore). blend consisting of a PVDC copolymer, ethylene vinyl acetate Effective vehicle air circulation and ventilation systems copolymer, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), epoxidized oil and oth- require custom-fabricated duct work. This means increased er additives. Their material contains less than 2 wt% ethylene manufacturing costs for tooling and installation as well as vinyl acetate copolymer with 40 to 50 wt% vinyl acetate per maintenance. A low-cost molding system that does not weight of PVC content, 0 to 2 wt% silica, talc and other mate- require elaborate assembly is needed. Giddons and Taylor rials such as silicones, high-density polyethylene or developed a cost-effective and efficient air circulation system tetrasodium pyrophospthate. In addition, multilayer film is for vehicles formed by . The rotational developed with a PVDC layer. The other layers may contain molding can be multilayered and includes foam layers for

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functional improvements. The foam is created as separate enhoefer and Lappe developed a storage and conditioner for layers within the cavity formed by the inner and outer sol- preforms with a tempering space before molding. The pre- id plastic skins. The foams layers are formed so as to leave forms can be treated and heating so that the condition, a continuous, air-filled cavity within and throughout the body including temperature, is substantially constant for mold- walls. The rotomolded body assembly consists of lower and ing. The preforms needs to be kept in storage at least 15 upper bodies that are joined or fixed together after mold- minutes and the final preform temperatures should not vary ing. Candidate resins include polyethylene, polyamides, more than 2˚ C. polypropylene and their copolymers or blends.

Strain Hardening Nanocomposites Conditioning Preforms U.S. Patent 9,358,730 (June 7, 2016), “Dynamic Strain Hard- U.S. Patent 9,358,719 (June 7, 2016), “Apparatus and Method ening in Polymer Nanocomposites,” Pulickel M. Ajayan and of Producing Plastics Material Containers,” Konrad Senn, Brent Joseph Carey (William Marsh Rice University, Hous- Florian Wickenhoefer and Ulrich Lappe (Krones AG, Neu- ton, Texas, USA). traubling, Germany). Polymeric nanocomposites often lack stiffness or strength Blow molding containers require forming preforms and, which cannot be easily enhanced. Ajayan and Carey later, blow molding the containers. Sometimes, there is a enhanced stiffness by 50 to 30% with a dynamic stress. considerable lag between preform fabrication and the final These composites consist of a polymer matrix and nanofillers blow molding step. This results in degraded preforms lead- with an interphase between matrix and fillers. Stiffness and ing to preforms with different properties during blowing, strength of the composite can be increased permanently in resulting in defective containers and discards. Senn, Wick- response to the applied stress. It also increases the storage

annual blowmolding conference

BLOWMOLDINGMWOLB GDINLOM

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INDUSTRY PATENTS

modulus, decreases the loss modulus and loss tangent. In stretch the film by 75% in the longitudinal direction. This these cases, the applied stress rearranges the interphase. material is a two-layer, coextruded film from linear low den- This stress can be mechanical dynamic, static or cyclical sity polyethylene (LLDPE) and low density polyethylene stress. The nanofillers include carbon nanotubes, graphite, (LDPE) with ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), ethylene butyl acry- carbon black, nanofibers and nanoparticles. The polymers late (EBA) or ethyl methacrylate (EMA). range from polyethylene to polyimides, as well as elastomers.

A Better Polypropylene for Capacitors Stretch Film U.S. Patent 9,353,203 (May 31, 2016), “Process for the Prepa- U.S. Patent 9,358,760 (June 7, 2016), “Prestretched Agricul- ration of Polypropylene with Improved Productivity,” tural Stretch Wrap Film,” Michael Huyghe (Combipac BV, Wolfgang Neissl, Dietrich Gloger, Thomas Horill, Martina Hardenberg, Netherlands). Sandholzer and Gregory Potter (Borealis AG, Vienna, Aus- Prestretched agricultural stretch wrap films have a num- tria). ber of drawbacks, including air and water penetration and Polypropylene is the material of choice for film capacitors strength. The adhesion between layers is often poor, per- because it lacks polar groups that orient under electrical mitting oxygen diffusion and degradation. Huyghe developed stress. However, in case a Ziegler-Natta catalyst is used in a prestretched agricultural stretch wrap film for baling grass, polymerizing the resin, considerable amounts of polar maize, sugar beet pulp, malt, straw or household refuse. residues, such as chlorine, aluminium, titanium, magnesium This film is produced by prestretching a coextruded poly- or silicon remain. Thus the resin must be cleaned by wash- ethylene blown film with two layers. This film must retain ing, which is time consuming and costly. Neissl et al an elongation capability in the longitudinal direction of at developed a sequential polymerization process using at least least 310% so that a force of less than 6 N is required to two polymerization reactors connected in series with a

Connect | Engage | Learn.

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Ziegler-Natta catalyst. The first reactor is a slurry reactor and the second stage is a gas-phase reactor with fluidized Increasing Polyethylene Melt Strength bed. The result is a resin with very low catalyst residue that U.S. Patent 9,346,897 (May 24, 2016), “Peroxide-Treated Met- does not require a final washing step and can be used direct- allocene-based Polyolefins with Improved Melt Strength,” ly to form capacitors. Lili Cui, Ashish M. Sukhadia and Vivek Rohatgi (Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP, The Woodlands, Texas, USA). Many applications of polyolefin films such as linear low density polyethylene are large-scale applications such as Medical Implants agriculture. However, large-scale processing is a problem U.S. Patent 9,345,806 (May 24, 2016), “Manufacture of Med- because of the low melt strength of polyethylene resins. Cui, ical Implants,” Claudio Tonelli, Piero Gavezotti and Ritalba Sukhadia and Rohatgi developed ethylene-based polymers Lamendola (Solvay Solexis SpA, Bollate, Italy). with good melt strength for blown film processing without Extensive investigations have been undertaken over degrading properties. These resins are produced by treat- many years to find materials that will be compatible with ing a metallocene-catalyzed resin with peroxide. The base body fluids. Fluorochemicals are useful but they tend to resin is mixed with the peroxide compound at the melt pro- diffuse into tissue when contacted with body fluids. Tonel- cessing temperature from 120˚ to 300˚ C. The base resin li, Gavezotti and Lamendola produced medical implants may be fluff, powder, granulate, pellet, solution, slurries or by reacting a mixture of nonfunctional, monofunctional emulsions. A resin masterbatch of the peroxide can be mixed and bifunctional perfluoropolyethers with hydroxyl ter- with base resin after melting with good results. minal groups. The high functionality developed a network that prevents chemical extraction by biological fluids. Exam- ples include fluorinated polyurethane polyethers and fluorinated polyesters.

Materials Database

Access ‘tons’ of materials in the world of plastics! For more details: 4spe.org/materialsdatabase

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UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS

Oct. 25-26, 2016. successful Plastic Part Design - the SPE CONFERENCES Fundamentals revealed Site: McMenamins Kennedy school, Portland, Or Sept. 20-22, 2016. VinYltEc 2016 Contact: Ed Probst Site: Woodbridge renaissance Hotel, iselin, nJ Tel.: 414-476-3096 Contact: Mark lavach Email: [email protected] Tel.: 610-878-6985 Website: www.4spe.org/events Email: [email protected] Nov. 9, 2016. 46th sPE automotive innovation awards Website: www.4spe.org/events competition & gala Site: Burton Manor, livonia, Mi Sept. 20-22, 2016. 12th thermoplastic Contact: Jeffrey Helms Elastomers tOPcOn Tel.: 248-459-7012 Site: Hilton Fairlawn Hotel, akron, OH Email: [email protected] Contact: Viv Malpass Website: www.4spe.org/events Email: [email protected] Website: www.4spe.org/events Dec. 6-7, 2016. cyclitech 2016 Site: newport Beach Marriott, newport Beach, ca Sept. 26-28, 2016. sPE thermoforming conference Contact: carine roos [email protected] Site: renaissance schaumburg convention center Hotel, Email: Website: www.4spe.org/events schaumburg, il Contact: lesley Kyle Feb. 26-March 1, 2017. international Polyolefins Email: [email protected] conference Website: www.4spe.org/events Site: Houston, texas Contact: chuck crosby Oct. 2-5, 2016. automotive tPO conference Tel.: 713-469-2394 Site: Detroit-troy Marriott Hotel, troy, Mi Email: [email protected] Contact: sassan tarahomi Website: www.4spe.org/events Tel.: 218-455-3981 Email: [email protected] March 21-22, 2017. thermoset conference scottsdale, ariz. Website: www.4spe.org/events Site: Contact: shelane nunnery Email: [email protected] Oct. 3-5, 2016. annual Blow Molding conference 2016 Website: www.4spe.org/events Site: crown Plaza revina, atlanta, ga Contact: ron Puvak May 8-10, 2017. antEc® anaheim Email: [email protected] Site: Hilton anaheim, anaheim, calif. Website: www.4spe.org/events Tel.: 203-775-0471 Email: [email protected] Oct. 9-12, 2016. FlexPackcon Website: www.4spe.org/events Site: the Peabody, nashville, tn Contact: Donna Davis Email: [email protected] SPE E-LIVE® WEBINARS Website: www.4spe.org/events Sept. 22, 2016. “Plastic insert Joining Failure” Oct. 20, 2016. “Fatigue” Oct. 16-18, 2016. Polymer nanocomposites conference Nov. 10, 2016. “thermoplastic Elastomers” Site: lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa (all webinars begin at 11:00 a.m. U.s. Eastern time, Contact: Patrick Kelley unless otherwise noted) Tel.: 570-202-4503 Contact: scott Marko Email: [email protected] Tel.: +1 203-740-5442 Website: www.4spe.org/events Email: [email protected] Website: www.4spe.org/Events/webinars.aspx

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UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS

Nov. 10-11, 2016. International Conference on OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS Sustainable Bioplastics Site: Alicante, Spain Sept. 21, 2016. Plasticity Forum London Tel.: +1 650-268-9744 Site: RSA House, London, England Email: [email protected] Tel.: +(852) 9020-3949 Website: bioplastics.conferenceseries.com Email: [email protected] Website: www.plasticityforum.com Dec. 15-16, 2016. PPES (Plastics Processing Exhibition SPE-Partnered Event Series) 2016, 3rd ed. Site: Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Center Sept. 26-29, 2016. CAMX: The Composites and Advanced (BITEC), Bangkok, Thailand Materials Expo Tel.: +66 2-933 0077 Site: Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif. Email: [email protected] Tel.: +1 801-512-2547 Website: www.plasticsprocessing-expo.com Email: [email protected] Website: www.thecamx.org March 7-8, 2017. The Medical Plastics Conference SPE-Partnered Event Courtyard by Marriott Brussels Hotel Contact: Kinga Gradalska Oct. 19-26, 2016. K 2016 Tel.: + 44 (0) 208 253 9640 Site: Messe Düsseldorf Fairgrounds, Düsseldorf, Email: [email protected] Germany Website: www.4spe.org/events Tel.: +49 211 4560-7600 SPE-Partnered Event Email: [email protected] Website: www.k-online.com

# Injection Molding: get the right motor Actions: 67 While the motors of hydraulic injection molding machines • Examine all the motors used in the injection molding are the largest energy users in the complete system, much machines. progress has been made in controlling this over the past 20 • Produce a list of the motor/pump types used and find out years. These developments mainly concern slowing the what the options are for retrofitting new motors and motor down when hydraulic oil is not needed or reducing the control systems to reduce energy use. need for oil by other methods. In some cases, this means that • Consider retrofitting older machines with electric screw new hydraulic machines are not far away from achieving all- drives (if available) to reduce the peak power needed and electric standards of energy use. downgrading the main motor (if possible). Consider retrofitting older machines with servomotor However, there are still many older machines in service that • pumps/fixed speed pumps use old technology (fixed speed pump/fixed volume pump) and these have very high energy demands. Fortunately, motor and control system developers have produced a wide range of solutions using variable-speed motors, variable-volume pumps and now servo motors with fixed speed pumps. These Dr. Robin Kent — ©Tangram Technology Ltd. are available for many older machines and can dramatically (www.tangram.co.uk) reduce energy use if retrofitted to older machines.

Note: Dr. Robin Kent is the author of Energy Management in Plastics Processing, published by Plastics Information Direct, and managing director of Tangram Technology Ltd., consulting engineers specializing in energy management in plastics processing. [email protected].

78 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | SEPTEMBER 2016 | www.4spe.org | www.plasticsengineering.org 76-79 Events_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 8/19/16 10:01 AM Page 79 80-84 Market Place_editorial 8/19/16 1:55 PM Page 80

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EDITORIAL INDEX Society of Plastics Engineers AOC LLC ...... 23 iD Additives Inc...... 35 EDITORIAL STAFF American Chemistry Council ...... 50, 51 Industrial Radiant Heat Corp...... 58 Editor-in-Chief Arburg ...... 32 Kopla Co. Ltd...... 24 Briana Gilmartin Arizona Instrument ...... 70 Krones AG...... 73 Managing Editor Ascend Performance Materials....15, 18 Kyoraku Co. Ltd...... 36 Robert Grace Madison Group ...... 44 Atlas Corp...... 58 Contributing Editors Auto-Vac Corp...... 58 Maryland Cup...... 59 Dr. Roger Corneliussen BASF ...... 13, 16, 29, 32 Messe Düsseldorf ...... 28, 61 Jon Evans Dr. Robin Kent Battenfeld-Cincinnati ...... 31, 32 MuCell Extrusion Inc...... 36 Borealis AG...... 74 NVH Korea ...... 25 Marketing & Communications Sue Wojnicki Branson Ultrasonics ...... 38 Owens Corning ...... 24 Brown Machine Co...... 59, 61 PolymaxTPE ...... 64 Branding & Design Carbon Revolution Pty. Ltd...... 24 Prent Corp...... 59 Liz Martland & Kim Wakuluk Chevron Philllips Co. LP ...... 75 Replas Australia ...... 9 Art Director Clariant ...... 66 Royal DSM ...... 32 Gerry Mercieca Coaster Pedicab...... 67 SABIC...... 25, 65 Publisher Combipac BV ...... 74 Sill Industries ...... 58 Steven Ottogalli Comet Corp...... 58 SK Chemicals ...... 9 2016–2017 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Composite Castings LLC ...... 14 SmartKem...... 66 Conair Group ...... 70 Solvay Advanced Polymers ...... 15 President Scott Owens Continental Structural Plastics...... 23 Solvay Solexis SpA...... 75 Covestro LLC ...... 29, 31, 32, 67 Songwon...... 68 CEO, SPE Dauntless Racing Cars ...... 14 SPE ...... 6, 22-26, 34, 61, 76 Willem De Vos Dow Automotive Plastics ...... 20 SPI: The Plastics Industry President-elect Dow Chemical ...... 59 Trade Assn...... 54, 55 Raed Al-Zu’bi Dresden Optics Pty. Ltd...... 8-10 Tangram Technology Ltd...... 78 Senior Vice President DSM Engineering Plastics ...... 18 Tata Technologies Pte. Ltd...... 72 Thierry d’Allard DuPont ...... 14 Trucost PLC ...... 51 Vice President Duromer Products Pty. Ltd...... 9 UT-Battelle LLC...... 72 Brian Landes EMS-Grivory ...... 9 Vert ...... 9 Engel ...... 31 Wacker Chemie AG ...... 29 Vice President Jaime Gómez FCA US LLC ...... 25 William Marsh Rice University ...... 73 Flexopack SA ...... 72 Wittmann Battenfeld USA ...... 57 Vice President Rodney Joslin Ford Motor Co...... 12, 16, 24, 25, 50 W. Müller USA Inc...... 34 General Motors Co...... 22 YAGS LLC ...... 72 Vice President Heraeus Noblelight ...... 68 Zed Corp...... 58 Monika Verheij Hyundai Motor Group ...... 23, 24 Zeiss Vision Care ...... 9 2015–2016 President Dick Cameron

Plastics Engineering (ISSN 0091-9578) is published monthly, except bimonthly in July/August and November/December, by Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., a Wiley Company, 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030 USA. The magazine is compiled and edited by the Society of Plastics Engineers, Editorial and Business Office, 6 Berkshire Blvd., Suite 306, Bethel, CT 06801 USA. Telephone +1 203-775-0471, Fax +1 203-775-8490. SPE Home Page: www.4spe.org. Communications should be sent to the Editor. Send address changes and undeliverable copies to the Circulation Manager at the SPE address given above. Send subscription orders and claims for non-receipt to Wiley Subscription Services at the Wiley address given above. SPE members receive the magazine as a benefit of membership. Subscription rate for nonmembers is $151 for 1 year; add $100 per year for subscriptions outside North America. Single-issue price is $20. Plastics Engineering is printed by Dartmouth Printing Co., a Sheridan Group Company. Copyright 2016 by the Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Plastics Engineering, 6 Berkshire Blvd., Suite 306, Bethel, CT 06801 USA. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Plastics Engineering is indexed by Engineering Information Inc. Neither Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., nor the Society of Plastics Engineers, nor Plastics Engineering is responsible for opinions or statements of facts expressed by contributors or advertisers, either in the articles published in Plastics Engineering or in the technical papers that are presented at the meetings of the Society. Editorials do not necessarily represent the official policy of Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., or the Society. Display and classified advertisements are included as an educational service to readers of Plastics Engineering. Advertising appearing in Plastics Engineering is not to be taken as an endorsement, expressed or implied, of the respective company’s processes, products, or services represented in the ad. Printed in the U.S.A.

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AD INDEX

Aaron Equipment Company www.aaronequipment.com/sniff ...... 81 Allgrind Plastics www.allgrind.com ...... 80 ADVERTISING SALES ANTEC 2017 antec.4spe.org ...... 52 FOR PRINT AND ON LINE DIGITAL Arizona Instruments www.azic.com/vpxi ...... 27 ADVERTISING SALES in Ascend Performance Materials www.ascendmaterials.com/pa66auto...... 2-3 Plastics Engineering magazine Atlas atlas-mts.com ...... 33 please contact: Battenfeld-Cincinnati www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com/usa ...... 19 BASF construction.basf.us ...... 43 Global Sciences Sales Director Branson www.bransonultrasonics.com ...... 59 Dan Nicholas Conair www.conairgroup.com/support ...... Cover 4 Connect With SPE www.4spe.org ...... 20, 83 Tel: +1-716-587-2181 Coperion K-Tron www.coperionktron.com...... 17 [email protected] DAK Americas www.dakamericas.com ...... 51 Dover Chemical Corporation www.Doverchem.com/LGP-11 ...... 21 Sr. Account Manager Entek www.entek.com ...... 7 Print & E Media Advertising HPM North America Corp. www.hpmmachinery.com ...... 65 Roland Espinosa IMS Company www.imscompany.com/G4 ...... 49 Tel: +1-201-748-6819 Instron www.instron.com...... 57 E-mail: [email protected] J.P. Curilla Associates Email: [email protected] ...... 80 Japan Steel Works www.jswcompounding-usa.com ...... Cover 2, 80 John Anderson & Associates www.plasticsjobsearch.com ...... 80 Kraiburg TPE Corp. www.kraiburg-tpe.com ...... 67 Product and news releases for Perstorp www.perstorp.com/plasticizers ...... 53 Plastics Engineering can be sent Plastic Flow www.plasticflow.com...... 80 directly to [email protected] Plastic Process Equipment, Inc. www.ppe.com ...... 11, Cover 3 Polyhedron Laboratories, Inc. www.polyhedronlab.com ...... 80 Process Design & Technologies www.processdesigntech.com ...... 80 Rheo-Plast Associates, Inc. www.rheoplastusa.com...... 80 SAM North America www.sam-na.com • Email: [email protected] ...... 80 Shepherd Color www.shepherdcolor.com ...... 47 SI Group www.siigroup.com...... 61 111 River Street SPE at K Show 4spe.org ...... 56 Hoboken, NJ 07030 USA SPE Auto TPO www.auto-tpo.com ...... 62-63 SPE Blow Molding Conference www.blowmoldingdivision.org...... 73 SPE Career Change www.4spe.org/careers ...... 77 SPE FlexPackCon www.4spe.org/flexpackcon2016 ...... 37 SPE Got Membership? www.4spe.org ...... 79 SPE Materials Database www.4spe.org/materialsdatabase...... 75 SPE Medical Plastics Conference www.medicalplastics-conference.com ....69 SPE Technical Journals www.4spe.org ...... 81 SPE The Chain thechain.4spe.org ...... 74 6 Berkshire Blvd., Suite 306 SPE Plastic Part Design Conference www.spe-pd3.org ...... 71 Bethel, CT 06801 USA SPE Innovation Awards www.speautomotive.com/inno ...... 60 www.4spe.org Struktol www.4struktol.com ...... 25 Tangram Technology www.tangram.co.uk ...... 80 Turkish Machinery www.turkishmachinery.org ...... 5

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