T H E J O U R N A L O F August 2018

A publication of the Blow Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers 3-D Takes Aim at Traditional Tooling Page 8

IN THIS ISSUE: LiquiForm makes forming, filling a single step Page 12 Jumbo offers challenge to rotomolding Page 16 Sizing up the impact of tax changes on blow molding Page 37 th 34th Annual th 34th Annual PITTSBURGH34th Annual PITTSBURGH34th Annual PITTSBURGH PITTSBURGH Blow MoldingPITTSBURGH Conference & Exhibits Blow Molding Conference & Exhibits Blow Molding Conference & Exhibits Blow Molding Conference & Exhibits “Innovating, educating and sustaining the future of Blow Molding” “Innovating, educating and sustaining the future of Blow Molding” “Innovating, educating and sustaining the future of Blow Molding” “Innovating, educating and sustaining the future of Blow Molding”

Trübner Trübner

Trübner Trübner Trübner

Trübner October 8-10, 2018 October 8-10, 2018 October 8-10, 2018 October 8-10, 2018 August 2018 th T H E J O U R N A L O F 34th Annual th 34th Annual PITTSBURGH34th Annual PITTSBURGH34th Annual PITTSBURGH PITTSBURGH Blow MoldingPITTSBURGH Conference & Exhibits KHS Corpoplast GmbH Blow Molding Conference & Exhibits Blow Molding Conference & Exhibits Blow“Innovating, Molding educating and Conference sustaining the future of & Blow Exhibits Molding” 12 “Innovating, educating and sustaining the future of Blow Molding” Contributors “Innovating, educating and sustaining the future of Blow Molding” 5 Meet the experts who talk technology, trends and taxes. “Innovating, educating and sustaining the future of Blow Molding” Editor’s Corner “Innovating, educating and sustaining the future of Blow Molding” 6 For JBM, it’s vital to enlist seasoned experts to provide input and guidance on technical matters. By Robert Grace View from the Top Graham Engineering Corp. 7 Do you need a little motivation to attend the 34th Annual Blow Molding Conference? Here you go. By Geoff Ward Tech Matters 21 8 A look at how 3-D printing is turning traditional tooling on its head. By Kevin Nerem Stratasys 12 LiquiForm’s latest technology combines container forming and filling into one step. Trübner By Ashish Saxena Trübner 16 Accumulator-head blow molding takes on rotomolding. Trübner By Andrew Hobson Trübner Trübner Innovation Focus Trübner 19 PET Technologies launches blitz on the Americas. October 8-10, 2018 By Robert Grace October 8-10, 2018 21 Graham Engineering reinvents the rotary wheel. By Karen Hanna October 8-10, 2018 8 October 8-10, 2018 23 Building a consumer from OceanBound plastic. By Robert Grace October 8-10, 2018 On the cover: Stratasys’ Fortus 450mc 25 Proco cobot systems package blow molded . system and a blow mold created via By Bruce Geiselman fused-deposition modeling

AUGUST 2018 3 August 2018

Material Matters

27 Milliken touts joint projects for pharma and sports bottles. JBM By Robert Grace

Patent Report 30 Lifetime Products’ EBM process integrates colors and patterns in large parts.

Recollections: A Look Back 32 Don Peters has lived the history of blow molding. By Scott Steele

Megatrends: A Look Forward 34 Health-conscious products, smart packaging, personalization 27 lead the way in packaging trends. By Ron Puvak

Tax Reform 37 Sizing up the impact of tax changes on the blow molding industry. By Michael Devereux II

Industry News 40 SPE chapters seek nominees for upcoming awards. By Robert Grace

Councilor’s Report 41 A changing of the guard. By Brian Spence 37

THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING Robert Grace PUBLISHED Editor The Journal of Blow Molding is published BY THE BLOW MOLDING DIVISION Tel. 330-289-9488 as an informational and educational bulletin for Blow Molding Division members of the OF THE SOCIETY OF PLASTICS ENGINEERS [email protected] Society of Plastics Engineers and the blow molding industry at large. No part of this Angie DeRosa Produced by publication may be reproduced in any form or PENINSULA Managing Editor by any means without prior written permission PUBLISHING, LLC Tel. 234-466-0200, ext. 201 of the publisher. Content in this publication 302 N. Cleveland Massillon Road, Suite 1 [email protected] is believed to be accurate and in no Akron, OH 44333-9303 can the publisher, publication producer or editorial contributors be held liable for injury Tel. 234-466-0200 Marvin Brown Designer to persons, warranty claims or damages to [email protected] equipment or facilities resulting from the Tel. 234-466-0200, ext. 202 Ron Shinn editorial or advertising content presented, nor [email protected] has the publisher validated the performance or Editorial Director capabilities claims presented Tel. 234-466-0200, ext. 200 Have an idea for a story? in this publication. Printed in the U.S.A. [email protected] Contact us at [email protected]

4 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING Contributors

ing Professionals. On Page 34, he delves into plastic Industry Experts Talk packaging trends. Contact him at rpuvak@contract- packaging.org.

Taxes, Tech and Trends Ashish Saxena is VP and GM of LiquiForm Group Michael Devereux II is a partner and director of LLC in Norcross, Ga., which is manufacturing, distribution and a wholly owned subsidiary of plastics industry services with Muel- Amcor. Saxena discusses the first ler Prost LC, St. Louis, which spe- commercially available bottle cre- cializes in professional tax, audit, ated with the technology on Page accounting and consulting services. 12. He will speak in depth about He discusses the effect of the Tax the technology, which forms and Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 in the fills in one step, at the “Impact of Tax Reform on the Blow 34th Annual Blow Molding Con- Molding Industry” on Page 37. ference in Pittsburgh. Contact him at ashish.saxena@ Contact him at [email protected]. liquiformgroup.com.

Andrew Hobson, USA technical manager for Pet Brian Spence, a product development engineer All Manufacturing Inc., is a blow molding expert who with Silgan Plastics, Chesterfield, Mo., succeeds has worked in the plastics indus- Scott Steele as councilor of the Blow Molding Divi- try for 28 years. On Page 16, he sion. Spence has 15 years of technical experience delves into the technical world of in blow molding. He introduces himself in his first jumbo accumulator-head blow column on Page 41. Contact him at brian.spence@ molding for large plastic parts. silganplastics.com. Hobson also will be speaking on the topic at the 34th Annual Blow Scott Steele is the former long-time president Molding Conference, to be held and a founding member of Plastic Oct. 8-10 in Pittsburgh. Contact Technologies Inc. in Holland, him at [email protected]. Ohio. In early 2017, he launched his own consulting firm, SWS Con- Kevin Nerem is a senior application engineer sulting LLC in Perrysburg, Ohio. of tooling and manufacturing for He is an expert in reheat stretch Stratasys Ltd. in Eden Prairie, Minn. blow molding and holds 13 U.S. He was promoted in 2017 from patents. An SPE member for 30 application engineer to his current years, he has held chair and direc- role, in which he assists custom- tor positions for the Blow Molding ers with the integration of additive Division. His retrospective on industry veteran Don manufactured tooling and manu- Peters appears on Page 32. Contact him at facturing applications. On Page [email protected]. 8, he explores how 3-D printing is reshaping the blow molding industry. Contact him at Geoff Ward received his bachelor’s degree in [email protected]. mechanical engineering from the University of Iowa in 1991. In 2002, he joined Agri-Industrial Plastics Co. Ron Puvak is managing direc- in Fairfield, Iowa, where he is currently the director of tor of the Contract and quality. Ward joined the board of Association. He has maintained a directors for the Blow Molding Division of the Soci- role in the packaging industry for ety of Plastics Engineers in 2007, and he is currently 40-plus years. In 2003 and then in the chair-elect. In “View from the Top” on Page 7, he 2010, Puvak received recognition provides insight into the 34th Annual Blow Molding as a Certified Packaging Profes- Conference. Contact him at geoff.ward@ sional via the Institute of Packag- aipcompany.com. •

AUGUST 2018 5 Editor's Corner

Seeking Some Advice Robert Grace from the Experts

Unless you’re familiar with the magazine publishing So, when Peninsula Publishing LLC — which also business, chances are you’ve never heard of an founded Plastics Machinery Magazine — agreed “editorial advisory board” and don’t necessarily know or to assume responsibility for all aspects of JBM, its care what such a body might do. But these entities often leaders were keen to retain access to the publication’s play a key role, especially for technical publications technical expertise. That gave rise to the editorial such as SPE’s The Journal of Blow Molding. advisory board (EAB), which serves as a sounding The editorial team of Peninsula Publishing LLC, board for technical matters for JBM’s full-time editorial which assumed responsibility for producing the team. The EAB members point out interesting content of JBM beginning with the February 2018 industry developments, suggest possible stories for issue, collectively has decades of plastics consideration and, critically, cast a close eye and publishing experience, but over submitted technical articles to it is broad-based experience, help ensure that each is technically extending well beyond just accurate and addresses those blow molding. questions most important to Nothing can replace the seasoned readers who the insights of people who make up JBM’s audience. have toiled for all or most of This takes time, of course, their careers in a given sector or and so we are pleased to discipline. recognize the EAB members for again That’s why it’s vital to enlist seasoned volunteering to help make this publication experts to provide input and guidance on technical the best it can be, with a view to benefiting all in the matters related to blow molding. And JBM is fortunate industry. And they, as much as anyone, understand to have just such a lineup, with its current editorial the value that an independent technical magazine can advisory board consisting of the following: deliver. • Dave Brooks, manager of polyolefin innovation Brooks notes: “Working for a large manufacturer of with Lancaster, Pa.-based Graham Packaging Co. blow molded consumer containers, JBM helps provide • Todd Hogan, a research scientist in the me with valuable insight into new technologies and Packaging & Specialty Plastics unit of Dow Chemical breakthroughs happening in the market.” Co. in Midland, Mich. And Spence adds: “As a blow molding engineer, • George Rollend, a senior technical marketing I use technical publications to help stay aware of manager for PET resin and fiber the latest competitive technologies. The Journal of producer DAK Americas LLC in Chadds Ford, Pa. Blow Molding is the only trade magazine specific • Brian Spence, a product development engineer to our part of the plastics industry. The level of with maker Silgan Plastics in Chesterfield, detail provided on blow molding-specific materials, Mo. (Spence also recently became Councilor of SPE’s products and machinery is not seen in other Blow Molding Division, and has contributed his first publications.” written column in that role to this issue of JBM.) Each issue, these experts offer insightful Until the end of 2017, a hearty group of comments and suggest further questions for us to volunteers, including Eastman Chemical Co.’s Cal take back to the original authors to help hone the final Becker, worked in their “spare time” to pull together article into a solid technical piece. We appreciate their and publish the Blow Molding Division’s magazine input, and we wanted to publicly share our gratitude (previously called Blow Molding Quarterly). They did for them with you, our readers. • an admirable job, but take it from us — publishing a magazine is not a part-time enterprise. Robert Grace is the editor of JBM.

6 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING View from the Top

Attending ABC Is Geoff Ward as Easy as 1-2-3!

How many reasons do you need to attend an listen to our sessions on recruiting and our future industry conference? Are three enough? It is often workforce. said that one good takeaway makes a conference ABC is also a trade show. With 53 exhibit spaces worthwhile, but if I can get three (or more!), I know it long sold out to A-list sponsors, this is a one-stop was a great event. shopping venue for anyone looking to make contacts With that in mind, I invite you all to the 34th Annual throughout the industry supply chain. You could have Blow Molding Conference (ABC), to be held Oct. 8-10. walked two full days at NPE2018 and not had time to get the direct access to all of these companies, and we To register, go to: bit.ly/ABC2018_register. Our board, along with our conference coordinator, Deirdre have them all together in one hall. Turner, is finalizing the plans for an event that will bring ABC is also a networking convention. The ABC you value at many levels. Our small but mighty portion isn’t just for engineers — business leaders throughout of the plastics industry is set to convene in Pittsburgh the industry will be there. Bring your business cards and for the third time this decade, and we are truly excited make those contacts you’ve been trying to secure, or about the program we’re putting together. ABC 2018 finally meet those people you only know through email. is much more than just a technical conference and Maximize your networking potential and keep track of here are a few of the reasons why. the conference with our Whova networking app that includes attendee lists, speaker OK, yes, ABC is a technical abstracts and more. Join us for our unique conference. Our technical program is packed with a wide range of presentations dining experience that the Pittsburgh venue covering the latest innovations in provides, a riverboat cruise with beautiful technology relevant to the blow molding views of the city and the evening skyline. industry. Learn about the latest in machines, The Steelers are in town! That’s right, it’s football automation, inspection, simulation, modeling and season in one of the great football cities in the U.S. much more. Whether you are a Steelers fan or not, what a great chance to sneak away a day early and catch a game of ABC is also a technical seminar. We continue to build on our popular “101 sessions” where blow one of the iconic franchises in the NFL. molding fundamentals across multiple topics are The mission of the SPE Blow Molding Division taught directly by industry experts. If you are new to is “to promote, communicate, and disseminate the industry, this is a great opportunity to pick up the knowledge relating to the art and science of blow basics on a variety of technical subjects that can help molding technology.” Nowhere does this mission you with your daily work. For industry veterans, this is come together better than at the ABC. For those your chance to encounter areas outside of your daily of you who have attended in the past, I thank you work and grow your breadth of knowledge. for contributing to the success and growth of our conference. For those who have not, we look forward ABC is also a business conference. Our programming goes beyond technical content, with to you contributing to our continued success and value to be found in timely discussions about key growth. To all of you, please plan to attend; I also issues that are tailored to our industry. Come listen to encourage you to invite a colleague, supplier, our keynote speaker, TricorBraun’s Becky Donner, talk customer or anyone else, for that matter, to join you. about e-commerce and how it will affect the future of See you in the Steel City. • packaging. Come listen to equipment manufacturers such as Kautex talk about the Internet of Things and Geoff Ward is director of engineering and quality for their vision of how it will impact our manufacturing Agri-Industrial Plastics Co. He is chair-elect plants. If you are a recruiter or hiring manager, come of the SPE Blow Molding Division.

AUGUST 2018 7 Tech Matters — Tooling Stratasys photos

Polycarbonate (PC) blow mold made from the Prototype bottle molded in PET. With fused-deposition modeling (FDM) process no wear or deformation, an FDM tool can produce hundreds, even thou- sands, of molded parts. 3-D Printing Offers New Route for Mold Makers Fused-deposition modeling reduces cost, turnaround times

By Kevin Nerem, met its criteria for near-production quality. In one other senior application engineer project, Stratasys worked with a molder that used For- of tooling and manufacturing tus PC tooling to blow mold PET bottles. Due to time Stratasys Ltd. constraints and the desired quantity of the prototypes, the molder stopped the testing after making 800 This article was adapted from a Stratasys process guide that pieces. Inspection revealed that there was no wear, applied fused-deposition modeling (FDM) to the process of distortion or dimensional change to the FDM-pro- extrusion blow molding (EBM), including both continuous duced tool. The molder concluded that an FDM blow and intermittent parison molding. mold could produce thousands of parts, if desired. Stratasys now has developed a number of insights 3-D printing provided a lifeline for a container into the best ways to replace traditional tooling with blow molder hoping to reduce the time for prototyp- FDM-produced tooling. ing near-production-quality parts POLYMER PROCESSING SOLUTIONS. from several weeks to less than five Tool Design Tailored to your exact needs. days. To do so, the molder turned Stratasys supplies a number of printers to Stratasys for help. that can be used in mold making. In addition Whether your company makes automotive parts, packaging to the Fortus 400mc, they include the newer For the project, the molder or consumer products, Davis-Standard’s custom designed used a Fortus 400mc printer Fortus 450mc, as well as the smaller Fortus from Stratasys to create tooling 380mc and the bigger Fortus 900, which can industrial blow molding machinery is built for productivity. for a 6-inch-tall, 3-inch-diameter print molds as big as 3 feet by 2 feet. Versatile accumulator head systems offer shot-to-shot An FDM-produced blow mold requires only (152.4mm-by-76.2mm) bottle. consistency, cycle-to-cycle precision, and excellent parison Using PC resin for the tool cav- minor modifications on standard tool design. It ity and a machined aluminum mold incorporates the pinch-off, flash pocket, cooling control for both polyolefins and engineered thermoplastics. base, the Fortus printer produced system and mounting plate typical of a standard prototype blow molds via FDM blow mold. However, in a tool created via FDM, Visit davis-standard.com to learn more. in only two days — including the vents are not added. Since the mold is some- design phase. The bottle was blow what porous, air trapped between the molded A Fortus 450mc molded in BP Solvay Fortiflex HP resin and tool surface is vented through the 58, an HDPE resin. In all, the entire process took less body of the tool. than five days, and the molder said that the prototypes In using FDM printing, a tool’s design must be davis-standard.com tel +1 860-599-1010 8 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING POLYMER PROCESSING SOLUTIONS. Tailored to your exact needs. Whether your company makes automotive parts, packaging or consumer products, Davis-Standard’s custom designed industrial blow molding machinery is built for productivity. Versatile accumulator head systems offer shot-to-shot consistency, cycle-to-cycle precision, and excellent parison control for both polyolefins and engineered thermoplastics. Visit davis-standard.com to learn more.

davis-standard.com tel +1 860-599-1010 Tech Matters — Tooling modified to add a sloped, raised rib around the to use a standard mounting plate with cooling lines. contour of the cavity. This rib acts as a compression seal between the mold halves, which provides clean Hybrid Tool — Block Insert shutoff and good pinch-off of the parison. In testing, A hybrid tool with a block insert pairs a rectangular a 0.125-inch-wide (3.2mm) rib that is 0.06 inch high FDM insert with a pre-fabricated aluminum mold base. (1.5mm) performed well when blow molding HDPE. The In making one, mold makers should allow at least 0.5 rib has a slope, as shown in Figure 1, on its outer edge. inch (12.7mm) around the periphery of the mold cavity. These specifications may vary with part size, resin selec- For example, a 6-inch-tall, 3-inch-diameter tion and molding parameters, and therefore, adjust- (152.4mm by 76.2mm) bottle would have two rectan- ments may be needed. gular mold halves that measure 7 inches by 4 inches by The mold cavities should be oriented so that the 2 inches (177.8mm by 101.6mm by 50.8mm). mold face (parting surface) is perpendicular to the Z- To make the tool, mount the FDM inserts in a axis. Although this vertical orientation will add time to machined aluminum mold base that has a rectangular the build, it provides the best surface characteristics for cavity with the same dimensions. To minimize the cost the mold cavity and yields the best shutoff between the and time needed to make the mold bases, establish an mold halves. FDM molds should be constructed using inventory of standard sizes and design the FDM insert normal build parameters, except in instances when to fit within one of these standards. mold makers opt for multiple contours along the cavity Note that this design option may result in stress walls. Increasing the number of contour paths dimin- fractures. The aluminum mold base restrains the PC ishes porosity in the mold to produce a better part. insert as it expands during blow molding; to avoid In addition to PC, the Ultem family of amorphous fractures, molders should increase the duration of the thermoplastic polyetherimide (PEI) resins can be used cooling cycle. to make molds. While expensive, the materials provide long tool life. However, ABS and polyphenolsulfone Hybrid Tool — Contoured Insert (PPSF) are not suitable for blow mold tooling. ABS can- This type of tooling offers the advantages of not withstand the temperature and pressure of blow reduced material consumption and mold build time. molding. PPSF is strong but retains too much heat, It also reduces molding cycle times because the insert which causes blow molded parts to stick to the tool. retains less heat. To date, hybrid tools with contoured FDM inserts have performed best. Manufacturing Options In this option, an FDM insert that follows the To make its 6-inch-by-3-inch bottle, the molder contours of the molded part is paired with a pre-fabri- opted for a hybrid tool. In cated aluminum mold base (Figure all, the molder was faced 2). For the face of the insert, mold with three options: design- makers should allow at least 0.25 ing the tooling using only inch (6.4mm) around the periphery FDM printing, creating a of the mold cavity. hybrid tool with a block Unlike the rectangular insert, insert or making a hybrid each FDM insert will have a con- tool with a contoured insert. toured back side (Figure 3). Follow- Selecting the best option ing the contours of the molding required balancing the surface, the molder should create a Figure 1: A rib is added to the tool design. The specifications of the blow rib follows the contours of the mold cavity. surface that is offset by at least 0.25 molding machines, the inch (6.4mm). needs of the molded part and personal preference. As with the rectangular inserts, mold makers should have aluminum mold bases that are appropri- FDM Tool ate for the standard sizes of molded parts. These mold A tool built by FDM can be designed like any bases should have a rectangular cavity that holds the machined mold, with the exception of venting and the FDM insert. Because the insert is contoured, the area addition of the perimeter rib. Cooling channels may be between the back side of the FDM insert and the alu- constructed in the FDM tool, but it is simpler and faster minum cavity will have an air gap.

10 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING Cooling System Hybrid tools use standard cooling-channel design and incorporate the cooling system in the Stratasys photos aluminum mold base. Tools made entirely from FDM may have the cool- ing system in the PC tool or the mounting plate. To reduce cycle times, cooling lines can be supplemented with compressed air blown Figure 2: FDM hybrid tool with contoured Figure 3: CAD illustration of a onto the face of the tool insert mounted in a machined mold base contoured insert after ejection of the molded part. If the tool is not pinching off the parison or if there To minimize cycle times, FDM-produced tools or is too much flash, the molder can add a shim between inserts are made hollow with coolant flooding the in- the PC cavity and the aluminum mold base. ternal chamber. Although no design specifications are Even though the cooling cycle is lengthened, the PC available, research on flood cooling is ongoing. cavity temperature will continue to increase, and mold- ing parts will begin to stick to the tool. When this hap- Preparing the Tool pens, the molder should open the tool and allow it to re- After building the FDM tool, mold makers must turn to operating temperature. Optionally, compressed remove all support structures, mask off the parting air can be blown on the tool to accelerate cooling. surface and any sharp corners and blast the cavity After the prototype parts are blow molded, the with plastic blast media using a pressure of 60 pounds molder needs to remove pinch-off material and flash. per square inch (psi) to 90 psi. Bead blasting elimi- The prototype blow molded parts are now complete nates all labor for sanding and filling while protecting and ready for review. dimensional accuracy. This procedure saves hours of manual labor and will produce a tooling surface that Conclusion molds near-production-quality parts. The faces of the Using these guidelines, FDM can overcome the tools will not need any machining or handwork. The obstacles to prototyping, namely time and cost. Deliv- untouched surface provides good shutoff and minimal ery time of molded prototypes can be slashed by 50 flash. The final step is to mount the PC cavity in a pre- percent to 75 percent and the cost of the prototype fabricated aluminum mold base. tooling is reduced by 50 percent to 60 percent. Since tooling made via FDM replaces conventional Blow Molding with the Printed Tool tooling with only minor design and process changes, Prototype blow molding with PC molds requires this prototyping technique is easily incorporated within only one change to the process. Since the PC cavities any blow molding operation. Near-production-quality retain heat, the cooling cycle must be extended. Be- prototypes and compatibility with a broad selection of cause the duration will vary depending on the tool, as blow molding resins make FDM an ideal choice for any well as on the part and resin being molded, trial and blow molding project. Both quick and affordable, FDM error will determine cycle time. expedites product and process analysis and customer Molders should start with a cooling cycle that is design approval. • five times longer than that for a metal blow mold. If molding is successful, they should decrease the dura- For more information tion and repeat, continuing to reduce the cycle time Stratasys Ltd. until the molded part begins to stick. They should then Eden Prairie, Minn. return to the last successful molding cycle and begin 800-801-6491 (Option #4), www.stratasys.com blow molding the prototype parts.

AUGUST 2018 11 Tech Matters — Packaging HIGHEST QUALITY MACHINERY AND SERVICES IN THE INDUSTRY LiquiForm Forming/filling Technology Goes Commercial By Ashish Saxena, VP and GM equipment, which showcased its KHS FormFill 1-440-498-4000 Call LiquiForm Group LLC technology powered by LiquiForm at the most recent BLOW MOLDING DIVISION www.plasticsmg.com Visit Drinktec in Munich. The company presented its LiquiForm, the technology that combines demonstration system during Drinktec for the growth [email protected] Email container forming and filling into one step, has market of still water. In its current test environment of Connect achieved a new milestone with its first molded 40,000 bottles per hour, the FormFill technology only needs about 25 percent of the installation bottle launched by Amcor Rigid Plastics in • Brokerage partnership with Greenblendz, a developer space of standard stretch blow molder/ • Certified Appraisers of private-, environmentally friendly blocks when blowing and filling beverages. • Consignment consumer products based in Auburn This new machine can be integrated • Extensive sourcing network Hills, Mich. LiquiForm is a wholly owned into existing packaging processes. Frank • Factory planning & design subsidiary of Amcor Rigid Plastics. This Haesendonckx, head of sales and technology • Liquidation consultation technology eliminates costs associated Amcor Rigid Plastics at KHS and the person responsible for • Marketing Representation with the equipment and energy required by the project, said that the company regards • Merger & Acquisitions traditional extrusion blow molding for HDPE, FormFill as part of a turnkey system and is • New & Used quality equipment or traditional injection stretch blow studying the effects on downstream • New Construction consulting A bottle for Nature’s Promise processes. • Technical Expertise molding for PET. hand soap, produced on a pro- 2008 GRAHAM GEC SBG 700 BLOW MOLDER, 6 X 100 MM The product is hand soap packaged prietary Amcor-built machine As the inside skin of the containers in a 12-ounce PET bottle and branded using LiquiForm technology cools faster in the FormFill process Nature’s Promise. This bottle was than with standard blowing, thanks to Plastic Machinery Group’s 72,000 square foot warehouse includes 60 ton lifts, 35 ton cranes and produced on a proprietary Amcor-built machine that is the direct filling, KHS is able to produce containers of 2500 amp service. It is the ideal environment to showcase our quality inventory. Call us for a tour! powered by the LiquiForm process. This new machine greater stiffness with the same wall thickness as achieved is the industry’s first to use the LiquiForm technology. through standard blowing. Therefore, there is further We have come a long way, and we are thrilled materials savings in the preforms. Design details such about the progress we have made in validating the as logos also can be processed better. “This increases technology. We also are very encouraged by the the scope for individualization,” Haesendonckx said. activities of our licensees (Amcor, KHS Corpoplast, KHS has a goal of commissioning its first FormFill rotary Krones, Sidel and Yoshino) who are among the world’s machine as a prototype this year, and then it will be leading makers and processors, prepared for the market. Its technology already has all focused on developing solutions on their own. been tested for half-liter, 1-liter and 1.5-liter PET bottles, A great example of the licensees’ progress is KHS, and the company is experimenting with the use of PP or 2000 CINCINNATI T800 DUAL 1997 GRAHAM DUAL 22 LB HESTA HLD 700 3-LAYER an international manufacturer of filling and packaging PE containers for filling liquid soap and detergent. 10 LB BLOW MOLDER BLOW MOLDER BLOW MOLDER

KHS Corpoplast’s FormFill equipment, which uses LiquiForm technology to form containers as it fills them, only needs about 25 percent of the space of stretch blow molder/filler blocks. KHS Corpoplast GmbH

2012 EREMA COAX 101E CINCINNATI T1100 DUAL 1999 CINCINNATI-MILACRON PELLETIZING LINE 15 LB BLOW MOLDER 1.5 LB BLOW MOLDER

BLOW MOLDING I I INJECTION MOLDING EXTRUSION I GRINDERS I SHREDDERS

PLASTICS MACHINERY GROUP 5455 PERKINS RD. BEDFORD HTS., OH 44146 WWW.PLASTICSMG.COM 12 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING HIGHEST QUALITY MACHINERY AND SERVICES IN THE INDUSTRY

1-440-498-4000 Call BLOW MOLDING DIVISION www.plasticsmg.com Visit [email protected] Email Connect

• Brokerage • Certified Appraisers • Consignment • Extensive sourcing network • Factory planning & design • Liquidation consultation • Marketing Representation • Merger & Acquisitions • New & Used quality equipment • New Construction consulting • Technical Expertise 2008 GRAHAM GEC SBG 700 BLOW MOLDER, 6 X 100 MM

Plastic Machinery Group’s 72,000 square foot warehouse includes 60 ton lifts, 35 ton cranes and 2500 amp service. It is the ideal environment to showcase our quality inventory. Call us for a tour!

2000 CINCINNATI T800 DUAL 1997 GRAHAM DUAL 22 LB HESTA HLD 700 3-LAYER 10 LB BLOW MOLDER BLOW MOLDER BLOW MOLDER

2012 EREMA COAX 101E CINCINNATI T1100 DUAL 1999 CINCINNATI-MILACRON PELLETIZING LINE 15 LB BLOW MOLDER 1.5 LB BLOW MOLDER

BLOW MOLDING I THERMOFORMING I INJECTION MOLDING EXTRUSION I GRINDERS I SHREDDERS

PLASTICS MACHINERY GROUP 5455 PERKINS RD. BEDFORD HTS., OH 44146 WWW.PLASTICSMG.COM Tech Matters — Packaging

A Brief History LiquiForm was developed in 2004 and systematically validated through a series of pre-planned phases from individual component design to various layouts, such as single-station lab, inline and rotary multi-station pre-production equipment layouts, including controls and process development. LiquiForm further expanded the development to explore fluid- handling know-how and product package interaction with an emphasis toward rigid container applications. Figure 1: LiquiForm’s impact on polymer properties is similar to that of air blowing. More recently, we have been able to provide a demonstration of the latest LiquiForm process and to date, all air-blow resins that capabilities of the technology using a broad range of we have tried have performed well. liquids, materials, packages and processing systems. For HDPE, several commercially available injection The development activities have been complemented and extrusion grades work; certain molding grade by the work of our licensees. At NPE2018, we were HDPE resins are more amenable to the traditional two- able to exhibit samples of containers formed from PET step process and all testing to date has used off-the- and HDPE, all produced on our lines of lab equipment shelf resin. The impact on polymer properties is similar in Saline, Mich. We formed the containers in different to that of air blowing (see Figure 1). shapes, sizes and weights (ranging from 200 milliliters to 1 gallon) using various types of liquids (water, tea, Operational Efficiencies soap, shampoo, detergent, cleaners and conditioners) LiquiForm converts the conventional blow-fill with viscosities ranging from 1 to 10,000 centipoise (cP). process into one process, with one machine and LiquiForm also has successfully formed containers under one operation. It replaces the energy-intensive two- cold, ambient and hot-fill conditions ranging from 10 step process. No longer does a processor need two degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) to 87 degrees machines or a high-pressure (HP) air compressor. Celsius (189 degrees Fahrenheit). The technology uses the liquid product instead of compressed air to form a rigid , a The Essence of LiquiForm process that affords more sustainable and efficient Although we have to be very careful with the operations as compared to traditional blow-and-fill technical information we disclose, we can discuss technology. We’ve eliminated HP compressed air from certain details. If the technical information is not the process, reducing energy consumption, space included here, it is because it is proprietary. Any requirements, equipment, maintenance and service interested parties can feel free to contact us via the costs. This also eliminates the need to handle, store information listed at the end of this article, and we will and transport empty bottles. do our best to address any questions. Imagine the traditional layout of a typical blow molding facility making home and personal-care Resin Selection products, where the blow molding production area Several commercially available resin grades work would include an HP air-compression system along one for PET and HDPE. In PET, regular grades work and no wall, then dedicated lines for PET and HDPE. In the limitation has been observed so far for cold, ambient example of PET, this traditional layout would include and hot fill. There are no special requirements for the preform infeed, the injection stretch blow molding

14 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING machine, then a station for 24mm with features including and loading, with no high-definition texturing fewer than three workers: the and a wraparound. The high material handler, the operator definition is achieved because an and a person for packing. From incompressible liquid stretches there, the traditional layout the material into the nooks and would include the filler-dry area crannies of the mold a lot better with pallets and unloading, the than compressible air. empty bottle unscrambler and Containers formed with conveyor, and an aligner, with liquid have demonstrated at least one person for empty superior package definition and bottle handling. material distribution compared to The LiquiForm process containers formed with air. In other takes the PET or HDPE preform into significant findings, the process results a one-operator, single-stage station. in no degradation or contamination of From there, the filled bottles go the liquids as measured by both certified to capping, labeling and packing. independent labs as well as some major We expect that the process will consumer product goods companies. be available from our licensees as Similarly, testing has shown that there part of affordable manufacturing is no degradation of the polymer and systems that provide a lower total that top-load strength and engraving cost of ownership (TCO) to market capabilities are significantly improved stakeholders. Consumer brands LLC illustrations LiquiForm Group compared to current technologies. also are being drawn to LiquiForm’s flexibility and simplicity and its ability Conclusion to reconfigure supply chains and move packaging The work continues in earnest on this innovative closer to the market, which results in favorable process. Our technical know-how is growing each cost and carbon footprint reductions. day in formulation, raw materials, product design and process. The proofs of concept developed to date Unique Process Footprint include more than 110 packages for products such The real trick to LiquiForm is its unique process as water, iced tea, soap, laundry detergent, surface footprint that makes shaping the hot plastic possible cleaner, motor oil and shampoo. Container sizes have before the heat energy in the preform is removed by ranged from 200 ml to 2,000 ml, and shapes/types cold liquid. Water, for example, has 23 times the thermal have included swirl, oval, faceted, off-center neck, conductivity of air. LiquiForm’s proprietary process solves high-aspect-ratio flasks and engraved elements. this heat-exchange challenge. Once the heat-exchange The materials that have withstood proofs of challenge is solved, the liquid behaves pretty much concepts to date are: PET; HDPE; 100 percent post- like air and shapes the plastic. We would like to argue consumer PET; 30 percent post-consumer PET; and 70 that it shapes better than air, and we are seeing a lot percent HDPE with 30 percent LDPE. The weight of of evidence of this — more consistent wall thickness, containers ranged from 8.5 to 92.6 grams in neck-finish superior definition, the ability to stretch polyolefins sizes of 24, 26, 28, 33 and 38mm. Viscosities ranged from (HDPE, PP, etc.). Each container that is formed via the 1 cP to 10,000 cP. These results were based on proof-of- LiquiForm process has a unique process footprint, and concept experience to date and do not represent the for each cycle we collect up to 10,000 data points. This limits of the process. • process footprint can be repeated with great precision to produce containers with consistent and high quality. For more information In the example of the Nature’s Promise container, LiquiForm Group LLC the challenge was to create a 12-ounce Boston Ann Arbor, Mich. Round bottle molded from PET with 50 percent 734-478-2850, www.liquiformgroup.com post-consumer recycled content with a neck finish of

AUGUST 2018 15 Tech Matters — Industrial Application Blow Molding Gets Supersized Accumulator-head technology takes on rotomolding Pet All Manufacturing Inc. photos

Pet All Manufacturing introduced its Can Mold Jumbo system

By Andrew Hobson, USA technical manager One U.S. customer, for example, purchased three Pet All Manufacturing Inc. Jumbo machines equipped with 14-foot platens to blow mold large outdoor products. This is a significant Thanks to new technology from Pet All development, and we can envision blow molded Manufacturing, accumulator-head blow molding is panels for homes and temporary housing for use now a serious challenger to rotational molding for after natural disasters. Access to clean water is a making extra-large hollow parts. This development huge issue around the world and tanks for storing considerably expands the possibilities for part clean water are in great demand. There also is an designs, including multilayer options not possible via ever-increasing need for chemical storage for farming rotomolding. and industrial applications. Pet All Manufacturing The point is that there are introduced its Can Mold myriad opportunities for Jumbo series of machines blow molding for such during NPE2018. They applications. offer shot sizes of up to 700 kilograms (kg) (1,543 pounds) What We’ve Achieved and head tooling with a In accumulator-head diameter up to 2,000mm blow molding, a large part is (78.7 inches). The platens generally defined as having can be configured for wide been made from a shot larger and/or long parts. Until now, 1,000-liter horizontal tanks than 50 kg (110 pounds) and there have been very few being able to hold more than machines this large, and those have been mostly one- 1,000 liters (264 gallons). Pet All has surpassed that by off specialty machines. Typically, rotational molding introducing the largest accumulator-head system in the has been the main method for making very large world, capable of producing parts with a volume of up hollow parts because rotomolding machines are easier to 25,000 liters (6,604 gallons). Depending on the head to scale up in size than blow molding machines. size, the machine can produce as many as six layers.

16 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING The biggest of these machines comes in at typically can accommodate different sizes of molds over 40 feet tall, making space availability a serious and sometimes multiple molds, depending on the consideration for any potential buyer. Secondary machine and part size. The molds are then shifted into operations and the warehousing of parts — which an oven where they spin on the machine arms to heat must be moved with an overhead crane — also require and distribute the resin in the mold cavities. The molds significant space. then move to a cooling station that employs either Building these machines requires larger machining water spray or large fans. There, they continue to spin equipment. For this, we’ve partnered with Asian until they are stable enough to demold. From there, OEMs. Because these partners are used to dealing operators typically use a hoist to partially disassemble with such large machines and machining equipment, the mold to extract the parts. we did not encounter any unique problems during Typical cycles times can be 45 to 60 minutes for production. The machines ship in high cube large parts. A huge advantage of rotational molding containers. is that you can mold square corners as well as very complex geometries. This cannot be done in blow Rotational Molding vs. Blow Molding molding. The process is, however, labor-intensive. To Whether to choose blow molding or rotational increase production, multiple molds are needed. Also, molding has been a question traditionally answered material choices are somewhat limited. by taking into account the size of the part and annual At its most basic level, accumulator-head blow production quantities. Let’s consider the differences molding uses plastic pellets that are loaded into an between the two processes. extruder (or extruders on multilayer models) via hoppers. Rotational molding uses resin that is directly The resin is then plasticized and fed into accumulators to placed into the mold cavities. The mold is closed using build up for the next shot. The accumulators feed resin 2018-030_Plastics Machinery USA_KN .pdf 1 19.06.2018 10:59:40 a hoist and is mounted on the machine’s arms, which into the head (the market offers numerous head designs)

The KBS series Whether fuel tanks, large canoes or complex containers, the modular all-rounders come with high output rates and can be tailored to individual requirements. Visit: www.kautex-group.com

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Contact: [email protected] · T +1 908 253 6002 Kautex Machines Inc. · 25 Columbia Road · North Branch · NJ 08876

AUGUST 2018 17 Tech Matters — Industrial Application to produce a parison. The parison typically is round and • Tooling costs. Historically, rotational molding is extruded down between the mold halves that are tools are less expensive than blow molds. But if you mounted on platens. The mold closes on the parison, need to build multiple rotational molds in order and air is introduced into the part to expand the parison to meet required production quantities, this cost to fill the mold cavity. advantage disappears quickly. The remainder of the cycle time is devoted • Handling scrap. In blow molding, it is relatively to stabilizing the parts for demolding using water simple to grind up the parts and flash and add the to cool the material back into mold cavities. Vital Statistics the resin stream. Sometimes the air By contrast, most inside the part is Can Mold Jumbo model 1000L 20,000L rotational molders exchanged with Dimensions (feet) 29.5 by 14.8 by 17 72.2 by 52.5 by 41 send the parts out outside air to help Weight (tons) 33 441 to have the material cool the part from Clamping force (kilonewtons) 800 7,200 processed so they the inside, as well. Number of extruders 3 4 can use it again. A part take-out Maximum output (pounds per hour) 1,102 3,968 device removes Current Activity the part from the Maximum mold size (inches) 55.1 by 62.9 161.4 by 173.2 Pet All is press when the Maximum daylight (inches) 102.4 299.2 installing its 1000L mold opens and Maximum head tooling model, the second diameter (inches) 21.25 70.86 presents the part smallest in the Dry cycling energy use to an operator for Jumbo line, in its (kilowatts per hour) 180 600 flash trimming. new Technology On very large Center in Michigan. parts, the cycle time can be 15 to 20 minutes. On This machine has a three-layer head and will be smaller parts, the cycle time can be as quick as 2 to 3 available for viewing this fall. We will have a sample minutes. 1,000-liter tank mold and may sample customer molds With multilayer head options, regrind and post- on request. The 1000L designation denotes in liters consumer resin can be used in the inner layers with the volume of the largest part that can be molded on virgin resin and colorant on the outside and/or inside the machine; the maximum parison weight is 33 kg layers. Blow molding part design, mold design and (72.8 pounds). construction are critical steps, though, as radii and For comparison, the largest standard model in the blow-ratio issues need to be considered to mold line, the 20,000L, has a four-layer head, can mold a acceptable parts. part with a 20,000-liter (5,283-gallon) capacity and has There are several key advantages of blow molding a maximum parison weight of 700 kg (1,543 pounds). vs. rotational molding: For the electronic and hydraulic systems, we used • Resin options. Blow molding can use a much components sourced from Moog, Siemens, Yuken, wider range of resins. There also is the matter of Rexroth, Omro and Festo. material costs. For rotational molding, the raw Clearly, there are many factors, including material material cost is about 15 to 22 cents per kilogram selection, part design and annual volumes, to consider more expensive than blow molding grades. On a 500- when deciding between blow molding and rotational kg (1,102-pound) molded part, that is a difference of molding. With the Can Mold Jumbo Series of around $75 just in material costs. accumulator-head blow molding machines by Pet All • Color matching. Rotational molding does not Manufacturing, size is one factor that can be taken off use a screw and to heat and homogenize the the table. • resin and additives, so good colorant dispersal is harder to achieve. In blow molding, the screw and For more information barrel melt and blend the resin and additives before Pet All Manufacturing Inc. they are fed into the accumulator so that colorant is Markham, Ontario easily dispersed throughout the parison and parts 905-305-1797, www.petallmfg.com have a more uniform look.

18 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING Innovation Focus

PET Technologies GmbH photos

PET Technologies’ APF-Max 8 all-electric PET reheat stretch blow molding machine can pump out 14,000 bottles an hour. PET Technologies Launches Blitz on the Americas By Robert Grace, editor Austria, headquarters specifically for the U.S. market. JBM That series was not displayed in Orlando, however, since the first such unit had already been sold to a PET Technologies GmbH, a 19-year-old Austrian Ukrainian customer and the second and third units maker of blow molding machines and blow molds, is have been committed to customers in Russia. But turning its sights squarely on the Americas as it aims to Tsallagov touted its benefits nonetheless. broaden its already wide commercial base. The APF-Max is the company’s fourth generation The company, which does all its manufacturing of PET reheat stretch blow molding machines. The in the Ukraine, said it has sold some 600 machines basic model in the series is a four-cavity machine and 10,000 molds in more than 40 countries, but, that can be easily upgraded to six or eight cavities until recently, it has not focused on the Americas. That is all changing now, according to export director Vladimir Tsallagov. PET Technologies — which began as a maker of blow molds — hired Chicago- based Sopro Machinery in late 2016 to serve as its exclusive distributor in the U.S. and Canada. It has participated in some Pack Expo and Expo Pack shows in the U.S. and Mexico in recent years and has quietly sold a few machines into the Americas, but only now is starting to aggressively pursue the market. The company made its NPE debut in early May at NPE2018 in Orlando, Fla. It followed that up a few weeks later by participating in Expo Pack México. Tsallagov said in an interview at his NPE2018 stand that the company On the NPE2018 floor, from left: Vladimir Tsallagov, director of export for PET designed its latest range of all-electric, Technologies; Tim Smith, an on-site service manager with Clasmade, a customer reheat stretch blow molding machines, of PET Technologies; the owner of Clasmade, Harold Bailey; and PET Technologies the APF-Max series, at its Neunkirchen, owner Aleksandr Suvorov stand in front of an APF-3002 blow molding machine.

AUGUST 2018 19 Innovation Focus with the addition of several more ovens to the PET Technologies sold the four-cavity machine heater, he said. The biggest model can produce up at its booth at Expo Pack México to Mérida, Mexico- to 14,000 bottles per hour and blow containers with based bottle blow molder Remsa Plasticos. And capacities ranging from 200 milliliters to 3 liters. It Clasmade LLC, a customer in Arizona, bought the two- can accommodate preform neck sizes ranging from cavity APF-3002 model that was at the firm’s NPE2018 18mm to 48mm. stand, installed it and started it up in late June to mold The compact, flexible APF-Max is designed to drinking . allow quick changeovers between preform types and Tsallagov added that a custom blow molder in uses a short-wave, near-infrared (NIR) heating system, Ontario is running a pair of four-cavity, APF-6004 which Tsallagov said makes preform heating more models; a firm in South Carolina is using a semi- efficient. automatic UPF-30 machine to blow mold wide-mouth Due in part to low labor costs in the Ukraine, ; a Brazilian blow molder is running an APF-30 he said the machines — which are shipped as two machine to make 30-liter Petainer-brand beer ; modular pieces that can be bolted together at their and several semi-automatic PET Technologies destination — are very cost-competitive. A four-cavity machines are running in South America, in places such model, with molds, can be delivered to any port in as Argentina and Suriname. • North America for a price in “the mid-$200,000s,” he said. For more information PET Technologies opened a 43,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Chernihiv, Ukraine, a few Sopro Machinery LLC West Chicago, Ill. years ago and this past January opened an adjoining 630-473-0458 16,000-square-foot, two-story office complex, https://sopromachine.com, www.pet-eu.com Tsallagov said.

The Industry Leader in Extrusion Blow Mold Tooling

Extrusion Blow Mold Tooling Machine Components Services Provided Head Tooling Blowpin Calibration Stations Tooling Design

Blowpin Assemblies Parison Knife Assemblies Mold Sampling/Qualification

Recirculating Air (optional) Mold Interlock Hooks Cycle Time Reduction Strategies

Blowpin Holders; (all styles) Breaker Plates Machine Retrofits

Stripper Plates (air cooled optional) Choker Bolts & Blocks Extrusion Head Repairs

Transfer/Take-out Tooling Extrusion Head Parts Modifications/Repairs

128 Sunrise Center Dr., Thomasville, NC 27360 (336) 474-0980 /www.triadpp.com / [email protected]

20 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING Innovation Focus Graham Reinvents the Rotary Wheel — with 26 Stations

By Karen Hanna tions; as the wheel spins, blow pins are inserted and JBM staff air is injected, forming two separate columns of twin containers, married at the necks. There’s some unconventional math behind the Before accepting a new stream of melt, the mold sophisticated engineering of Graham returns to the bottom position, where it takes Engineering’s newest rotary wheel line advantage of gravity to eject the bottles. in China: One is greater than 12. Rob Schroeder, Graham Having replaced 12 shuttle Engineering’s business machines with just one line development director for blow — a 26-station rotary wheel molding, said the number machine with four mold of stations per wheel is cavities in each station — inversely related to the size Graham Engineering has of the part: The bigger the helped a confectionery part, the fewer the stations. manufacturer achieve “We had to engineer production of up to it so that we could put 46,800 bottles an hour. 26 stations on a hub,” Each station of the Howland said. That continuous-extrusion system was achievable because produces four bottles — 104 Graham Engineering Corp. Guangzhou plant’s monolayer in all — and the wheel bottles come in at 2 inches around Graham Engineering’s 26-station turns 7.5 times a rotary wheel machine has four and 3.5 inches tall. minute. cavities in each station. The wheel radius is 47 inches. “That’s the largest The line employs cam-actuated clamping, number of cavities that we’ve put on a single wheel,” which is more repeatable and precise than the systems said Scott Howland, a strategic account manager for used by the old 12-shuttle, hydraulic setup. Running the company’s blow molding systems division. on a small electrical motor, the system also is more The so-called Mega 26 line, installed in Guangzhou energy-efficient, a point Haines drove home with earlier this year, has a footprint of 25 feet by 50 feet. an analogy: Consider, she said, the efficiency of a While taking up less space than some comparable “waterwheel vs. a bucket brigade.” lines, it’s definitely a big deal for Graham Engineering, While shuttle machines expend large amounts of which previously has produced wheels with as many as energy for acceleration and clamping, the wheel uses 22 stations, including two in Pittsburgh. The new line only 1 kilowatt hour for every 7 or 8 pounds of material makes 1 million-plus bottles a day. it produces. It all starts at about the 6 o’clock position. There, Thanks to inertia, that waterwheel keeps on spinning. at the bottom of the wheel, twin 120mm extruders “Basically, once you start that wheel up, after 15 with a 28:1 L:D ratio spray a continuous stream of melt minutes of warmup and running, you can basically walk into the mold, like water from a hose. Compared with away from it,” Schroeder said. gravity-fed extrusion, the process provides better But production of the bottles themselves isn’t control over the parisons, which are captured from the the only efficiency the Guangzhou blow molder has base, and then the top, as the mold halves close. This achieved since upgrading how it does business. In fact, prevents the wobbling that can be caused by gravity- since the replacement of 12 lines with one, everything fed extrusion, VP and CMO Gina Haines said. upstream and downstream has gotten easier. According “That’s one of our many, many points of control, to Haines, Graham Engineering worked with the blow which leads to a higher degree of precision,” she said. molder and other equipment suppliers to integrate Each of the 26 molds has four cavities, into which automation at every stage, from pellet to . the melt stream is directed. Inside the mold, the pari- “That was one of the big things when we first sons are oriented in twin dumbbell-shaped configura- talked to these people is that labor costs have

AUGUST 2018 21 Innovation Focus continued to skyrocket in China,” Howland said. In the case of the Guangzhou system, in which each While the 12 shuttle machines fed bottles into station handles only two parisons at a time, that three separate downstream lines, the current setup ensures a meticulous look at each bottle’s features keeps everything contained in one line and requires a as it’s being made. It’s precise — and, as Schroeder much smaller space — just about 15,000 square feet in pointed out, that’s by design. all. A spin-trimming machine cleaves the twin bottles “If you have 12 machines along a line and one from each other, and robotic packing and inspection goes down, it’s no big deal, but if you have one have replaced manual operations, Haines said. machine along a line, it’s a big deal,” he said. Even mold changes are relatively simple, taking For rotary-wheel users, this precision can even just a shift or two, Schroeder said. In general, Haines allow for lightweighting, as blow molders can optimize said, changes of standard molds take 15 to 20 minutes and control the bare minimum of necessary plastic, per wheel station — a speed that can be cut down to all while making completely uniform, quality parts. just about 5 minutes for Graham Engineering’s Quick Graham Engineering officials acknowledge the rotary Change molds, which have no water lines or knockouts wheel isn’t for everyone — it simply doesn’t make that have to be disconnected. sense for short runs and small volumes—but for big- And, the repeatability and predictability of the time users, such as the blow molder in Guangzhou, wheel’s turns, as well as mold opening and closing, the Mega line is the “lowest-cost-per-unit platform,” make it more suited to hands-off operations. Howland said. • “We’re mechanical. Every time we close the mold, it’s exactly the same, every time,” Howland said. For more information “Consistency, from bottle to bottle, it’s always the same.” , York, Pa. The company’s proprietary Navigator software Graham Engineering Corp. 717-505-4813, www.grahamengineering.com monitors 100 points in a mold station, Haines said.

22 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING Innovation Focus

Building a Consumer Bottle from OceanBound Plastic By Robert Grace, editor organized efforts to collect and process waste plastics JBM within 30 miles of coastlines at risk for marine debris, in countries such as Haiti and Mexico. In such places, Primal Group, an investment company focused on most garbage and scrap end up in the ocean. effecting positive environmental change, approached Envision partners with nonprofit organizations in HDPE recycler Envision Plastics last year and threw these countries to collect post-consumer HDPE before down a challenge. it ever enters the ocean. Envision then buys the mate- Primal wanted Envision to help it create a 9-ounce rial and ships it to its plants in Reidsville, N.C., and bottle for Primal’s start-up ViTA brand of natural hair- Chino, Calif. care products. The bottle would be made entirely Envision’s process incorporates gas from Envision’s OceanBound Plastic, a 100-percent- chromatography and its patented Deodorized Resin recycled resin made from waste plastic that was at risk process, which removes all absorbed chemicals, creat- of entering the ocean. And to further raise the stakes, ing an odor-neutral post-consumer resin (PCR). Primal also wanted the bottle to have a metallic finish. During its analysis for the project, Primal consid- Challenges for the Colorant ered other resins, including . But it said it Primal wanted its shampoo and conditioner found these to be less environmentally friendly when bottles to have a silver pearlescent finish. scored against its sustainability metrics, including “The inspiration for our metallic look was a time factors such as energy consumption, greenhouse-gas capsule from the future,” Patel said. emissions and recyclability. Because it’s a high-viscosity polymer, Envision’s Primal recognized that even plastic resin made OceanBound Plastic required from sustainable resources still adds to the problem further engineering to fully develop of plastic pollution. Ocean preservation is of special the desired effect. importance to Primal, which cites data that the oceans Normally, a lower-viscosity, help to generate half of the world’s oxygen and store extrusion-grade polyolefin would 54 times more carbon than the atmosphere. be deployed in making a master- “From ViTA’s conception as an idea, sustainable batch of the colorants, but Primal packaging was defined as one of our core brand val- insisted that the finished bottle con- ues, alongside a commitment to developing beauty sist entirely of OceanBound plastic. products from the future, inspired by nature and Primal and Envision worked delivered by plant science,” said Prem Patel, Primal’s with Techmer, a material design VP of operations. company, to create a custom Primal takes on projects that meet its internal Primal Group compound that would provide the economic, social and environmental criteria. In Brazil, reflective finish on the bottle made it operates a 3,000-acre plantation of neem trees, from OceanBound Plastic. which are known for their medicinal properties and With proprietary compounding equipment supply a key ingredient in the company’s hair-care and specialized engineering, Techmer managed to product line. develop the colorants without shearing the metallic For the bottle project, which began in earnest in particles. August 2017, Envision partnered with two companies Classic’s team reported that the final compound, — Techmer PM to produce the compound for the a combination of pigments and OceanBound Plastic, colorant, and Classic Containers to extrusion blow molded extremely well, on par with a typical bottle. mold the bottle. Classic officials said they can process the Techmer ma- terial efficiently and produce bottles within their What is OceanBound Plastic? company’s normal processing window, which is Envision — a subsidiary of Atlanta-based vital to producing a bottle at the desired Consolidated Container Co. — price point.

AUGUST 2018 23 Innovation Focus

While the required silver-pearl appearance was For its part, Primal said: “The award is a testament ideal for this design and served to mask the inherent to our wider commitment to a more sustainable future color of the OceanBound Plastic, Techmer is confident for our planet, with one of our aims being to stop plas- it can produce similar products in a wide spectrum of tic waste from entering the ocean food chain where it colors. would remain for over 400 years, destroying one of the world’s most valuable natural resources.”• Honoring a ‘Breakthrough Process’ The ViTA bottle represents the first metallic-looking bottle made entirely from PCR. In May, the Charlottes- For more information ville, Va.-based Coalition (SPC) Classic Containers Inc. recognized the achievement by naming it as its 2018 Ontario, Calif. “Innovator of the Year for Breakthrough Process.” 909-930-3610, www.classiccontainers.com The ViTa bottle initially helped to divert 1,000 Envision Plastics pounds of HDPE from the ocean, and the company Reidsville, N.C. hopes to divert more as the product continues to sell. 336-342-4749, http://envisionplastics.com In 2017, Envision set a goal of recycling 10 mil- lion pounds of HDPE through its OceanBound brand Primal Group of Companies Miami within two years. “We have already recycled 5 million 786-292-5256, www.primalgroup.com pounds,” said Envision VP Tamsin Ettefagh, “and we are excited to work with more companies like Primal Techmer PM Group and Techmer PM that recognize the quality Clinton, Tenn. of the resin and its adaptability to a large number of 865-457-6700, www.techmerpm.com packaging needs.”

GDK machine design highlights: Custom Made / Compact performance / Low energy consumption / Easy maintenance / Servoelectric drives used / Horizontal shuttle movement / Single or double station / Wide machine range – product sizes from 5 ml up to 30 liters / Top class components used (Exlar, OMRON, SMC etc.) GDK - Extrusion blow molding machine producer since 1992 GDK spol. s r.o., Czech Republic, 362 14 Kolová 181, e-mail: [email protected], www.gdk.cz

24 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING Innovation Focus

Proco Cobot Systems Package Blow Molded Bottles By Bruce Geiselman filled pallets. When palletizing is complete, an alarm JBM staff sounds, and the operator pulls the pallet out and places another pallet in the magazine. The pallet can At NPE2018, Proco Machinery demonstrated two be removed by pump-truck or forklift. newly redesigned collaborative robot systems for The automated system can handle both slip sheets packaging blow molded bottles. and trays in 44-inch-by-56-inch or 40-inch-by-48-inch Proco’s Half-Cube Palletizer system stacks blow configurations. molded bottles onto pallets, and its Robo Packer It can pack packs bottles into individual cases. Both systems products neck “These systems are being have attracted broad interest because of demand for up or neck down. designed in such a way that they greater efficiency and automation, said Siva Krish, complement the production line and provide simplified operation, Proco VP of sales. Robo Packer a smaller footprint and enhanced “These systems are being designed in such a way Proco’s other efficiencies.” that they complement the production line and provide newly rede- Siva Krish simplified operation, a smaller footprint and enhanced signed product Proco Machinery efficiencies,” Krish said. “These collaborative robotic displayed at systems reduce the handling of the container and pro- NPE2018, the vide an excellent return on investment.” Robo Packer collaborative robot case packer, is an automated system for packaging blow molded bottles Half-Cube Palletizer in . Proco’s Half-Cube Palletizer consists of a six-axis The Robo Packer is centered around a UR10 col- collaborative robotic arm, an infeed conveyor, a pallet laborative robot from Universal Robots, which is the lift magazine and same robot used for the palletizer. It works a pick-and-place alongside humans, requires no special guard- magazine that holds ing and needs minimal training for new tasks. either slipsheets or The system costs 50 percent less than automa- trays, all of which are tion solutions using conventional robots, Krish mounted on a com- said. mon subframe. The Robo Packer basic system is It has a maxi- equipped with a six-axis robotic arm, infeed mum height of conveyor and a conveyor, all mounted 55 inches — the onto a common subframe, which in turn is fit- same height as the ted with leveling pads and casters. half-cube packaging “The cell is a complete system with a configuration com- frame, with light curtains, with safety features, monly used in U.S. with an infeed bottle conveyor and an infeed blow molding opera- box conveyor,” Krish said. “It has all the bells tions. Safety equip- and whistles that you require for a packer to ment includes light work efficiently.” curtains or doors The cell can be wheeled into position, set with interlocks. JBM up and put into production quickly. The Robo The mobile Packer can be programmed to pack bottles system is fitted with Proco’s Half-Cube Palletizer features a six-axis with their necks up or down in a case using ei- collaborative robotic arm. leveling pads and ther row-by-row or full-layer packing methods. casters so that it can be rolled into position, set up and In situations where a standard configuration doesn’t quickly put into production. meet a customer’s needs, Proco’s engineering team The only manual operations involve placing trays can develop a custom system. or slip sheets in the magazine and hauling away the An alignment system ensures the box is in the

AUGUST 2018 25 Innovation Focus

The Proco cell provided a solution despite tight

JBM space, demanding changeovers and the customer’s need for an 18-pack configuration for each line. The customer reduced its labor needs, going from three people to one person per shift for both lines at a major cost reduction. The customer saw a return on investment in about 15 months. Packing configurations can be altered quickly by entering information into the unit’s PLC to change specifications like bottle size, bottle orientation and bottles per row. “The system configures itself automatically to do it,” Krish said. “Everything has been preprogrammed, and we have developed the software to take care of all the needs of the customer.” The Robo Packer uses a UR10 collaborative robot from Univer- The PLC contains preloaded information about sal Robots to package blow molded bottles into cartons. frequently requested packaging patterns that can be proper position, and a mechanism spreads the box selected with the press of a button. In some cases, an open to ensure it is square prior to packing. operator might need to change the end-of-arm tool- For one recent customer, Proco installed Robo ing (EOAT). Packer cells for packaging wide-mouth canisters at a The redesigned Robo Packer has quick-release rate of 30 bottles per minute for each line. tooling, which speeds changeovers when packing dif- ferent bottle types or configurations. “All they need to do is remove the lock, pull the tooling off, put the new set of tooling in, push the lock button, and the tooling stays there,” Krish said. The Robo Packer also is available with new, Effective • Efficient • Economical patent-pending EOAT tentatively called Sleeve Fit. The EOAT, which holds the bottles while they are packed in a , is covered with a sleeve containing a blend of polymers designed to reduce friction. The result is operators can pack more bottles into each car- ton because they don’t need as much space between bottle rows. ose Drop Proco introduced the first version of the Robo D -In le P Packer in 2017. However, a redesigned version, which g u has an aluminum frame instead of steel, was new for n r

i g e NPE2018. The lighter metal means the machine is S easier to move within a plant. In addition, the redesigned version has a new con- trol panel with a larger screen and enhanced capabili- ties that allow for greater programming flexibility. The ability to easily switch packaging configurations with Great for a push of a button is one of its major enhancements, Blow Molding Krish said. • FDA Compliant • Works with ANY RESIN For more information Proco Machinery Inc. www.idadditives.com Mississauga, Ontario 708.588.0081 905-602-6066, www.procomachinery.com

26 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING Material Matters

Milliken Touts Joint Projects for Pharma, Sports bottles

By Robert Grace, editor JBM JBM

Specialty chemicals and additives supplier Milliken is collaborating with blow molding machinery makers and processors to develop innovative products. At NPE2018 in Orlando, Fla., it showed off its work with Jarden Plastic Solutions and Italian machinery maker Sacmi Group. In a collaborative project, the companies used Sacmi’s compression blow forming (CBF) process and equipment to produce a lightweight, HDPE pharmaceutical bottle for an unidentified manufacturer; Milliken contributed an additive. At its NPE2018 stand, Sacmi produced a 3-ounce bottle using a Jarden-owned, 20-station CBF machine and tooling. Without a loss in performance in regards to transmission of light and moisture, the thin-wall bottle uses 28 percent less plastic than standard designs, according to Milliken. The additive — dubbed UltraGuardSolution by Milliken — also improves the bottle’s barrier characteristics, the firm noted, while the CBF process provides more uniform wall thicknesses. Using the CBF process, which requires less energy and generates less scrap than other techniques, produces strong and light bottles, according to Vincent Wang, left, marketing and communication leader for Milliken’s chemical divi- sion, and Herrin Hood, the company’s global marketing director for additives, show off Sacmi. some bottles made from NX UltraClear-branded PP resin. The pink and green shampoo bottles were produced using W. Muller GmbH extrusion heads, and the blue sports More Sustainable Bottles bottle was produced by Czech machinery maker GDK spol. s.r.o. “Our collaboration with Sacmi and Milliken represents a major step lighter bottles offer drug companies a new way to forward for sustainable pharmaceutical packaging,” reduce environmental impact while maintaining or said Todd Zillmer, director of design, engineering improving the necessary barrier performance. Jarden and development for Jarden. “These thinner, is developing a wide array of bottles — both standard

AUGUST 2018 27 Material Matters

Jarden Plastic Solutions and Sacmi Group have collaborated to produce a light-

Milliken & Co. weight, HDPE pharmaceutical bottle.

CBF combines compression molding and blow forming into one process. Sacmi said its patented process offers numerous advantages for pharmaceutical companies. First, it notes, “CBF delivers consistent wall thicknesses, avoiding thinner areas that can allow for faster permeation of water vapor and oxygen. This near- perfect consistency, together with the high-performance properties of Milliken’s barrier technology, permits cost-effective lightweighting without compromising protection.”

Put a Colorful Cap on It While the pill bottle itself was an opaque white, it sported a clear, colorful and customized — using Sacmi’s compression blow cap made from PP containing Milliken’s Millad NX forming machines and Milliken’s barrier-enhancement 8000 clarifier and ClearTint colorants. These additives technology. We are fully committed to these can achieve deep, rich shades or create a light tint that innovations, which are changing the game for plastic masks residual bottle production.” haze. Milliken said its additive can be incorporated Vincent CBF delivers consistent into HDPE as a masterbatch to create a passive Wang, Shanghai- wall thicknesses, avoiding barrier. This combination alters the crystal orientation based Asia thinner areas that can allow to inhibit the passage of moisture and oxygen. In marketing and for faster permeation of water effect, a permeant molecule must move through a communication vapor and oxygen. This near- perfect consistency, together maze of linear crystals that encircle the side walls of leader for with the high-performance the bottle — a process that significantly slows down Milliken’s properties of Milliken’s permeation. chemical barrier technology, permits Depending on the specific geometry of the division, noted cost-effective lightweighting bottles and the resin design, the additive can increase in an interview without compromising the barrier properties of HDPE by 20 percent to at NPE2018 protection. 60 percent, leading to significant lightweighting that the rise of Sacmi Group opportunities. Without the additive, the company e-commerce is explained, HDPE typically forms large, spherulitic a factor when crystals that allow the passage of oxygen and it comes to bottle caps. Products that are shipped moisture. Milliken said it worked with a leading to consumers require excellent impact resistance, pharmaceutical company to obtain regulatory and caps must fit perfectly to avoid leaking. When approval on a material formulation with improved molded, caps of different colors tend to shrink at barrier performance. different rates. But, he said, Milliken’s additives help

28 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING to ensure more consistent shrinkage properties, an attractive alternative to PC in baby bottles and regardless of color. PET-glycol and PVC in personal-care and detergent Separately, Wang noted there’s a strong shift in bottles. Using NX UltraClear PP, blow molders also Asia toward clear PP bottles from opaque HDPE for can achieve a glossy finish, integrate handles and packaging household chemicals and detergents. soft-­touch features, and create complex designs, These are often extrusion blow molded and, even Milliken said. • though PP resin is much less expensive than PE in Asia, the clear PP bottles still command a premium price. For more information GDK spol. sro Czech Out This Sports Bottle Kolová, Czech Republic In addition to its work on the pill bottle, 420-353-331-391, www.gdk.cz Milliken highlighted a collaborative project with Czech machinery producer GDK, showing off the Jarden Plastic Solutions possibilities of extrusion blow molding with a stylish, Greer, S.C. clear sports drink bottle using PP clarified with 864-879-8100, www.jardenplasticsolutions.com Milliken’s Millad NX 8000E. At the show, GDK ran the Milliken & Co. machine used to produce the bottle — a GM 751.E, Spartanburg, S.C. a single-station, energy-efficient electric blow molder 864-503-2020, www.milliken.com with a compact footprint. The 3.4-ton machine can Sacmi Group produce bottles with capacities of up to 1.5 liters. Des Moines, Iowa Milliken claims that the clarity of the resulting 515-276-2052, www.sacmiusa.com material — known as NX UltraClear PP — makes it

AUGUST 2018 29 Patent Report

EBM Process Integrates Colors, Patterns in Big Products Large blow molded products, such as kayaks and paddleboards, don’t have to be bland. With an extrusion blow molding (EBM) process proposed by Lifetime Products Inc., Clearfield, Utah, they can sport multiple colors — and even unique patterns of solid and blended colors. Plastics produced in the process, described in a recent patent application, can even be chopped and reused, to pleasing effect, according to the company, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office which blow molds outdoor furniture, sheds and sporting goods such as boats and basketball hoops. The company suggests extruding multiple layers, each of a distinct color or blend of colors, either simultaneously or nearly simultaneously, then blowing the layers together to form a multilayer parison. The layers should be made from the same material — it cites HDPE — so that molding conditions, such as pressure and temperature can be kept constant. Lifetime Products says an extruder with multiple accumulator heads can be used, and it cites Krupp Kautex models as examples. Some embodiments employ extruders with material accumulator heads. The application notes that molders can use two or more blenders to maintain independent material feed paths. The application acknowledges that trials employing the process produced some surprising A diagram of Lifetime Products’ dual-color results, with the colors sometimes bleeding together EBM process and creating new colors. Among other combinations, Lifetime Products used yellow and blue, blue and molders often steer away from multicolor molding white, and red and yellow in its trials. because of concerns that recycled material produced “While such variations may be largely random from process regrind has too many color irregularities within a particular instance of a product, these random and is, thus, unusable; however, it cites an example of variations may also be repeatable to some extent in products made in the EBM multilayer process, in which another instance of the same product if the same color “a significant portion of regrind can be used to obtain combination is used,” the application states. It notes good aesthetic and economic results.” For even better that color blending causes some of the irregularities, results, molders can use additives, such as calcium but others can result from variations in extrusion screw compounds. speed, feed rates, temperature and accumulator-head Patent application 20180071969; published pulsations as the plastic exits the head to form the March 15 parison. A major, predictable cause of color variation is material stretching. Higher concentrations of color The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, has proposed a tend to pool at the lower end of the parison, which is way to use bio-based materials as a replacement extruded first and subject to less stretching than the top. for petroleum-based PET in containers and bottles. The application asserts that such color variations The materials – furanoate (PEF) can be aesthetically pleasing. It notes that blow and PEF copolymers – typically exhibit

30 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING less crystallinity and less entanglement than PET, containers from blowing stations to filling stations, which crystallizes at faster rates. And, processors, produces higher throughputs than previous including carbonated drink inventions, according to a patent filed byKrones AG, manufacturers, have struggled Neutraubling, Germany. to match the barrier, thermal The clean-room-compatible equipment includes at and mechanical properties of least two blow molds arranged PET when using PEF. on a circumferentially driven To overcome these challenges, the company blowing wheel, a preform suggests pre-conditioning preforms made with PEF heater and at least one or PEF copolymers prior to stretch blow molding by rotary transport device for the preforms and another exposing the preforms to water or air with at least for finished bottles. The transport devices use a drive 50-percent humidity, at a temperature greater than or shaft to drive an arm, equipped with grippers, tongs equal to ambient temperature. or clamps. A turntable and star wheel also can be Patent application 20180154570; published June 7 employed. To reduce the transport devices’ mass and, thus, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Co., Cincinnati, has the moment of inertia, patented a preform and process it says simplify the the support structure way -in-bottle containers are molded. of the arm and hub Such containers, often used in of the rotary system packaging for personal-care products can be designed with such as cosmetics and soaps, include one or more recesses, an interlock mechanism that maintains according to the pressure and ensures the bag collapses patent. as the product within it is consumed. To minimize the Existing methods have required special heating and forces and stresses cooling considerations to protect the interlock as the that have hampered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office bottle is formed. prior inventions, the Krones’ equipment to transport P&G’s invention calls for injecting a resin into a Krones design employs preforms from molding stations mold cavity to form the outer layer of a preform and more than 50 rollers to to blowing stations is the interlock stem and head, then leaving the outer move along the rail and clean-room-compatible. layer and interlock stem and head in the preform rotate relative to a that surrounds the rail. “By mold. The first core is then replaced with a second distributing the rollers along the whole perimeter and core that forms a second cavity, into which a molder the whole length of the cage, optimal force absorption may inject a second dose of resin to form the preform’s is possible in all directions,” the patent states. inner layer and interlock. To meet clean-room requirements, only linear “As a result, the inner layer is connected to the bearings that require no lubricant may be used. The outer layer via the interlock, without requiring any cage may be made of a plastic, such as PEEK, that is modifications to the oven used to heat the preform in resistant to the sterilization agent. Rails and guides the converting process to form the final bag-in-bottle are made of stainless or coated steel. According to container,” the patent states. “As such, the preform of the patent, the rollers and cage are easy to clean with the present invention does not require shielding (such foam and sterilize with gaseous hydrogen peroxide. as cool air flow, radiation shield, and the like) of the Patent 9,969,117; issued May 15 • bottom of the preform in the oven.” The inner and outer layers can be made from the Patent information: same or different thermoplastics, including both virgin Patents and patent and recycled materials. applications can be viewed Patent 9,981,407; issued May 29 at www.uspto.gov Have you applied for or received a Proposed equipment to transport preforms patent? Contact [email protected] from molding stations to blowing stations, and

AUGUST 2018 31 Recollections: A Look Back Don Peters Has Lived the History of Blow Molding

By Scott Steele, principal The Plastics Sales Service Lab (later renamed Plastics SWS Consulting LLC Technical Center, or PTC) housed processing equipment and was charged with creating and supporting new HDPE is the king of blow molding, with U.S. annual applications for the polymers being invented. At this consumption of 5 billion pounds. time, Peters wanted to advance in his career and took The combination of the melt strength of HDPE and a job in the injection molding department at the newly the stiffness and toughness of enlarged lab. He considered the articles made from it built This series of articles tracing blow returning to the farm, but he the blow molding industry. molding’s history continues with the found the opportunity in plastics Don Peters is a board developments that led to the material to be more interesting. member emeritus for the Blow that still dominates the industry today. “Ironically, six months after I Molding Division and has went to work in plastics, I had the lived the history of blow molding. He is a World War opportunity to go back home and take over a retiring II veteran and joined Phillips Chemical Co., which was relative’s really good farm. I would have, but plastics was a subsidiary of Phillips Petroleum Co., fascinating. It was then and has been in 1952 as a lab technician in R&D. His ever since.” path to a career in plastics is a history His first boss, John Scott, was a lesson in itself. Peters believes he was pioneer and a creative risk taker. Peters slated for the invasion of Japan as an related that when he joined the lab in infantry medic after his unit successfully 1958, Phillips had already converted a recaptured Bataan, Philippines, in early small plunger injection molding machine

1945. “The A-bomb and the subsequent Blow Molding Division into a machine that could blow mold surrender of Japan probably saved my 10-ounce bottles and quart bottles. life,” he said. Phillips then converted a larger machine Peters was headed for a career on to make 3-gallon cans, an early example the family farm and went to Oklahoma of the industrial products that followed. A&M for a degree in soils science. Upon Now, 60 years later, readers might Don Peters graduation, he found that rural Kansas think it was a simple matter to turn an was not the best setting for a young man to meet the injection molding machine into a blow molding machine. right lady. He left for the big city to pursue whatever However, at that time, the reciprocating screw had not career he could find and to meet the right person. This been invented. An operator had to load a heated barrel was a time of intensive R&D in the U.S. petrochemical and wait for the polymer to melt via conduction. The industry as the incredible influx of talented men machines were far from the high-speed units of today, returning from the war got educated and entered the and plunger machines do not mix very well. workplace. Phillips built its first reactors to make Marlex HDPE J. Paul Hogan and Robert L. Banks were the and went online in 1956. Hoechst and others started inventors of PP and the low-pressure process to make producing HDPE within a few years. Plax Corp. played linear PE. In 1951 at Phillips, Hogan and Banks were a role in building the market. Early products made trying to make higher-octane gasolines and introduced with Phillips HDPE resin were baby bottles that could new catalyst combinations. In one experiment, the be steam-sterilized and were nearly unbreakable, resulting product showed unique properties, which is a unlike their counterparts. The bottles were cost- story that parallels the discovery of LDPE related in the competitive and quickly went from hospitals to homes. February issue of JBM. The first linear carbon material Even though this new, wonderful material — HDPE Hogan and Banks discovered was PP, but HDPE quickly — was primed for success, it did not happen easily. followed. Around 1958, Phillips was sitting on a huge inventory Phillips saw the potential for HDPE and built the of the material because there simply was not enough world’s first commercial facility dedicated to materials, demand in place to convert all of the resin. The applications and plastics processing development. situation was resolved through a chance meeting of a

32 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING Phillips salesperson with the Wham-O toy company. The PTC became the model for a development center HDPE was the ideal candidate for making its new which has been replicated by all of the major raw toy, the Hula-Hoop. When the toy exploded in sales, material suppliers. Wham-O was making some 20,000 Hula-Hoops a day A member of the Plastics Hall of Fame, Peters is and quickly depleted the entire stockpile of resin. probably the most prolific inventor on our board. He The Hula-Hoop is credited by many with being a credits about half of the roughly 36 U.S. patents on turning point in the Phillips plastics business, because it which his name appears to the development of moving showed the material’s potential to not only replace glass mold sections. He is quick to credit the contributions of and metal, but also to make new and innovative products his peers. Peters has the unofficial record for nominating that were not possible prior to the discovery of plastics. the most people for the Hall of Fame and other industry Out of the lab grew many firsts. Liquid-soap awards. He recently nominated Max McDaniel for his bottles, bleach bottles, fuel tanks, die shaping, internal catalyst work; McDaniel was the newest Chevron Phillips cooling, plastic beverage caps and moving mold inductee at NPE2018. sections are all innovations fostered or co-developed Our story has another happy ending. Peters did with the team in Bartlesville, Okla., the longtime home meet his wife, June, in 1956, while working at Phillips of Phillips. In the early years, Phillips did it all. It had to R&D, and has two children, Scott and Nancy. His son invent materials and the processes and machines to is a physician and is carrying on the family history of mold them. Peters said that Phillips got into the plastic ushering in new products — he has delivered over 5,000 molding businesses as a favor to customers and co- babies in 31 years. • developers. Someone had to be the pioneer and lead the way to establish new applications. Scott Steele, principal of SWS Consulting LLC The PTC also trained a generation of product in Perrysburg, Ohio, is past councilor of the developers and processors who came to Bartlesville in Blow Molding Division. busloads in the early years. Inspired by the success of HDPE, Phillips’ corporate R&D department launched the Orbet process in the 1960s, which ushered in Purging is not always orientation for blow molding that eventually led to the PET carbonated soft drink bottle business. The story of black and white. orientation will be a topic for a future article. Peters’ career highlight came when he led a co- development effort with Texas Tennessee Industries TTI, which later became Igloo Products Corp. In the mid- 1960s, the company wanted one-piece, blow molded with integral handles to replace two-piece lids on its thermoformed ABS coolers, but it could not envision a way to make them. Peters could, so he built moving You need mold sections to solve the problem. He remained an account technical service engineer at Igloo through 1995. Peters’ inventions led to many articles about and subsequent patents for blow molded parts with highly • Fast, efficient changeovers — irregular shapes. He said that the current four-handle color, resin, and tooling Gatorade coolers are the grandbaby of his original • Eliminate black specks and streaking invention. He still gets a kick at the end of sporting championships when the ceremonial dousing of the • Reduce scrap to lowest rate coach takes place. “The Gatorade dumping always • Safe for accumulator heads gives me satisfaction because the integral handles never fail, and they are highly stressed at times.” REQUEST YOUR FREE SAMPLE Now called the Chevron Phillips PTC, the center today is an ambassador for the industry, sponsoring 800-803-6242 | www.PurgexOnline.com visits by schoolchildren, hosting conferences and See Purgex at the Annual Blow Molding Conference inspiring young people to enter the plastics industry. October 8-10, 2018 - Pittsburgh

AUGUST 2018 33 Megatrends: A Look Forward

Uncovering the Trends in Plastic Packaging Health-conscious products, smart packaging, personalization lead way

By Ron Puvak, managing director Contract Packaging Association

The global packaging industry is dynamic, innovative and growing. Smithers Pira1 forecasts the industry will grow 3.5 percent per year until 2020, with sales reaching $997 billion by 2020. Trying to anticipate the next opportunity can be daunting. Studying some of the macro trends can offer insights into how plastic packaging manufacturers, including blow molders, need to adapt to meet the needs of a rapidly changing market.

Societal Trends molded containers. On the other hand, bottled Some of the factors that will affect packaging water, a growing, $13 billion business, uses blow include an aging population, growing urbanization, molded bottles almost exclusively. diminishing availability of resources and the growth of Internet 4.0 technologies. Additionally, consumers Personalization have changing expectations for their packaging. Product personalization is not a fad, but a reality They are demanding packaging that is sustainable, for a “me” generation of consumers. The beverage transparent and exciting to use. The continuing market offers a prime example: Keurig did not make challenge will be to responsibly produce safe, coffee better but rather tailored it to meet individual desirable packages that are visually appealing and preferences. It is a challenge, as well as a real have functional benefits such as the extension of opportunity, to change from manufacturing traditional product . mass quantities to delivering a unique experience personalized to each consumer. Healthful Foods and Beverages Consumers want foods and beverages that Meal Kits promote health and wellness. Reflecting that Meal kits have hit the marketplace with a lot of demand, even soda giant PepsiCo has a 2025 fanfare, but the question is whether they can deliver sustainability agenda on that expectation. Are we seeing that features ambitious a shift in the way we buy groceries? health and wellness Grocery providers are expanding goals. The trend also is into this exploding market, giving evident in the market for consumers the opportunity to easily dairy alternatives. There Inc. Blue Apron buy everything needed for a complete has been a 15 percent meal that can be prepared quickly compound annual growth with no waste. rate in the plant-based Blue Apron has captured 64 Blue Apron meal kits dairy alternative category, percent of the meal-kit market, including non-GMO, plant-based alternatives to but consumer studies indicate almost 75 percent milk, yogurt and coffee creamers. In many cases, of consumers want grocery stores to develop meal those foods are being sold in flexible packaging, kits. Research by Field Agent reveals that U.S. sales rather than in rigid plastic packaging such as blow for meal kits have skyrocketed to $5 billion. This has

34 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING prompted more companies, including Amazon, Kroger could open up for blow molders. For example, brand- and even Coke, to jump into the market. One early name manufacturers of bottled water and soda typically success story for grocery-store meal kits is Chef’d, use in-house blow molding operations. Makers of which rolled out kits to 1,500 grocery stores this year. private-label and store-brand beverages, however, may All these products will require consumer-friendly, need outside bottle suppliers to package their products. sustainable packaging. Active and Intelligent Packaging Private and Store Brands Active and intelligent packaging is an area that has The demand for store-brand and private label shown immense growth in the past several years. It is a products has exploded, leading to burgeoning growth general term that is often hard to define, but pertains in that sector; estimates peg store-brand sales at $120 to better shelf life, anti-counterfeiting measures and billion. Kantar Retail’s2 grocery research team predicts new communications opportunities. the private-label food and beverage market in the U.S. One trend that may fuel growth in intelligent to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 2.95 packaging is online grocery shopping, which is here percent through 2020. This is a market to watch as to stay. Data recently released by the Food Marketing the demand by millennial shoppers for private brands Institute and Nielsen3 show that by 2022, consumers continues to grow. These shoppers do not have the could be spending $100 billion a year on online same loyalty to traditional brands and are looking for groceries. By 2024, almost 70 percent of consumers something new and exciting. Even Amazon has its own will buy groceries online. Many brands and retailers branded food market, having recently introduced its are looking for ways to ensure they are ready for this first Wickedly Prime private-label food products. consumer shift. As private labels and store brands capture market With the rise in e-commerce, food-delivery share from brand-name manufacturers, opportunities channels have become more complex. That can subject

AUGUST 2018 35 Megatrends: A Look Forward products to challenging conditions; blow molders will 50 percent of consumers preferred using NFC to need to offer containers that are more robust to hold up retrieve information. Smart packaging with digital chips during shipping. Additionally, consumers are expecting also can provide other consumer benefits. For example, a safe, fresh product to be delivered in the same for a time, the packaging for Lucozade, a brand of condition as if it were purchased at a grocery store. beverages sold in the United Kingdom, included Detection technology built into packaging, a computer chip in the base that functioned as a alerting the consumer to product viability, may be the contactless payment card for the London Underground. difference between a product that is spoiled and one Looking out at a three-to-five-year window, that can be safely consumed. In the new online world, what can we expect? The continuation of the mass this protection will be required. This is something personalization trend and the use of digital technology that at least one major international blow molder is will drive demand for flexible manufacturing equipment already providing through smart labeling technology. that can create packages of almost any volume and In 2017, Amcor Ltd., Melbourne, Australia, launched size. Manufacturers will see more frequent changes its MaxQ technology, which prints in packaging formats than in the unique codes on its bottles at past. This will lead to much shorter industrial speeds. This allows brand production runs and more small-scale owners to promote digital consumer manufacturing. engagement and protect against Sustainability will go to the next counterfeiting, among other benefits. level with renewable feedstocks, Ensuring that a product has not and nanotechnology will improve been counterfeited has been a focus package performance. Active and of many major brands. New labeling intelligent packaging will become the technologies can help in this effort. norm, allowing for better traceability, Digimarc technology makes the Martens Brouwerij and consumer entire package look like a bar code Digitally printed PET beer bottles have communication. Consumers will to a scanner, thus speeding the images of characters from a TV show continue to demand a wider check-out process. But to meet the that interact within a smartphone app. selection of products that support need for product transparency and health and wellness, and they will protection, mobile devices also can read these codes. also continue to explore private brand options that This will allow brands to provide consumers with more excite and delight. detailed information than a standard label can supply. In all, packaging will continue to be a dynamic Technologies also provide opportunities to and innovative field with more potential still to be communicate directly with consumers and provide a unlocked! • new type of product experience. One example is new beer packaging offered by Belgium-based Martens References Brouwerij. The digitally printed PET bottles have 1 Smithers Pira, “The Future of Global Packaging images of characters from a TV show that interact Market and Technology Forecasts to 2020.” within a smartphone app. When two bottles are 2 Kantar Retail’s grocery channel research team, put next to each other, the app displays a dialogue presented at a recent Efficient Collaborative Retail between the characters. Marketing conference, Orlando, Fla. Other types of packaging that interact with 3 Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Nielsen’s the consumer use near-field communication (NFC) release of the second-year findings of its “Digitally technology, which allows two electronic devices Engaged Food Shopper” study at the 2018 FMI to communicate when they are in close proximity. Midwinter Conference in Miami. Diageo, Rémy Martin and Ferngrove Wines introduced liquor bottles using NFC technology. For more information With predictions that digital interactions are Contract Packaging Association expected to influence 64 cents of every dollar spent in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. retail stores globally each year, or $2.2 trillion, this is a 630-544-5053, www.contractpackaging.org big trend to follow. Some surveys have shown that

36 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING Tax Reform

Impact of Tax Reform on the Blow Molding Industry By Michael Devereux II, CPA, CMP respect to the qualified trade or business; or the sum Mueller Prost LC of 25 percent of the W-2 wages plus 2.5 percent of the unadjusted basis, immediately after acquisition, of all The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is the most significant qualified property. tax overhaul in the U.S. since 1986. Manufacturers will With this new deduction, owners of flow-through see a drop in overall federal income tax liabilities as entities, where the income attributable to the entity a result. The following is a summary of provisions that is domestic qualified business income, will see a have the greatest impact on the blow molding sector. top marginal tax rate of 29.6 percent (top rate of 37 percent less the 20 percent deduction). Drop in Tax Rates The act reduced tax rates for corporations and Research Incentives individuals. It eliminated the graduated tax rates for C The R&D tax credit is governed by IRC 41, corporations in favor of a flat 21 percent tax rate. The which was not changed. However, the credit’s value change was effective Jan. 1, 2018, so C corporations increased by 21.5 percent when Congress reduced having a tax year-end other than Dec. 31 must pay the the top corporate tax rate, thanks to a little-known higher, graduated rates for the first part of the year, provision, IRC 280C. with the flat, 21 percent rate applied for the remainder IRC 280C requires taxpayers to reduce their of the tax year. research expenditures by the amount of the research Flow-through companies (S corporations, partner- tax credit claimed. Therefore, if a company incurred ships, LLCs and sole proprietorships) are also likely $1 million of research expenditures in calendar year to see a decrease in their effective tax rate. The top 2017, resulting in a $100,000 tax credit, it must reduce individual tax rate decreased from 39.6 percent to 37 its $1 million research expense by the $100,000 tax percent, and the threshold at which the top rate is ap- credit. Under pre-tax reform law, the resulting tax plied increased by almost $130,000. increase would be $35,000 (assuming a 35 percent marginal tax rate). Claiming the credit is still beneficial, Pass-through Deduction though, since you would have a $100,000 tax credit Owners of flow-through companies are directly to offset the $35,000 of additional tax, as well as the responsible for their companies’ tax liabilities. The additional $65,000 of federal tax liability. income, deductions and credits flow through to the However, in 2018 and thereafter, the top corporate owners’ tax returns. The act introduced a section, tax rate is 21 percent. Therefore, if a blow molder Internal Revenue Code (IRC) 199A, which allows for has the same facts in 2018 ($1 million of research flow-through companies’ owners to claim a deduction expenditures, resulting in a $100,000 tax credit), IRC equal to 20 percent of the domestic qualified business 280C would increase its tax liability by $21,000, with a income. $79,000 federal tax benefit. However, the deduction is limited to whichever The results may not be the same with a flow- is greater: 50 percent of the W-2 wages paid with through entity. Under the new law, processors are likely

AUGUST 2018 37 SectionTax Reform Name to receive the benefit of the new flow-through deduction of 20 Example Showing the Increased Value of the R&D Tax Credit percent of qualifying income, Pre-Tax Reform Post-Tax Reform resulting in a top marginal tax Qualified Research rate of 29.6 percent. Expenditures $1,000,000 $1,000,000 Let’s assume the same facts as above for an S corporation Gross Tax Credit $100,000 $100,000 owned by one individual. By claiming a $100,000 tax credit, IRC IRC 280C Election 65% 79% 280C would increase the owner’s tax liability by $29,600, resulting in Net Tax Benefit $65,000 $79,000 a $70,400 federal tax benefit. Taxpayers that file their returns in a timely manner through Dec. 31, 2022, with the provision phasing out may elect to claim a reduced tax credit, with no change by 20 percent each year between 2023 and 2026. to their research expense amount. This election must Further, bonus depreciation is now available for be made on an originally filed tax return, including both new and used equipment. [This change is likely extensions. By making this election, the taxpayer to benefit companies that are merging with or buying subtracts the product of its gross credit and the top other businesses, because those buying businesses corporate tax rate from its gross credit to arrive at a that are structured as asset deals may take bonus “reduced” credit. depreciation on the portion of the purchase price Let’s assume the same facts as above. In making attributable to the bonus-eligible fixed assets.] the election under IRC 280C, the taxpayer subtracts In addition, the IRC 179 depreciation limit the product of its gross credit of $100,000 and the increased to $1 million for tax years beginning after top corporate tax rate of 21 percent ($21,000) from its Dec. 31, 2017, up from $510,000. IRC 179 allows for gross credit ($100,000), resulting in a reduced credit of taxpayers to deduct the cost of eligible property in $79,000. the year the asset is placed in service, as opposed This election is available to C corporations and to recovering the cost over its life. The provision is flow-through entities. Both will see an increase in the meant for small taxpayers, as the benefit is phased benefit of claiming the R&D tax credit. C corporations out over a threshold amount. The maximum IRC will receive the same benefit whether they make the 179 amount of $1 million begins to phase out election under IRC 280C or not. However, flow-through once eligible purchases exceed $2.5 million, with entities may see added benefit by making the election the benefit completely phased out once eligible to claim the reduced tax credit. purchases exceed $3.5 million. Moreover, taxpayers will be limited in their ability to deduct research expenses in 2022 and beyond. Research expenditures paid or History of Available Bonus Depreciation Percentage incurred in tax years beginning after Dec. 31, For Qualifying Assets Placed in Service 2021, will have to be amortized over five years Bonus (15 years for any research performed outside Start Date End Date Percentage Available on: the U.S.). While potentially temporary, this 9/11/2001 5/5/2003 30% New Property could have a significant impact on both federal 5/6/2003 12/31/2004 30% New Property and state tax liabilities. 1/1/2005 12/31/2007 0% New Property 1/1/2008 9/8/2010 50% New Property Capital Expenditures 9/9/2010 12/31/2011 100% New Property Industries with significant capital 1/1/2012 9/27/2017 50% New Property expenditures are likely to benefit from changes 9/28/2017 12/31/2022 100% New & Used Property made to provisions governing the purchase of 1/1/2023 12/31/2023 80% New & Used Property capital assets. 1/1/2024 12/31/2024 60% New & Used Property 1/1/2025 12/31/2025 40% New & Used Property In a retroactive provision, the act allows 1/1/2026 12/31/2026 20% New & Used Property for 100 percent bonus depreciation for eligible 1/1/2027 N/A N/A property placed in service after Sept. 27, 2017,

38 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING Accounting Methods limitations on the ability to deduct business interest The act will give small and medium-size taxpayers expense, limitations on the ability to utilize net more options regarding accounting methods. Historically, operating losses generated in 2018 and thereafter, most manufacturers have been required to use the entertainment expenditures, state and local tax accrual method of accounting. Further, manufacturers deductions and more. with greater than $1 million in average annual gross receipts over the prior three tax years have been required Looking Forward to account for their inventories in a traditional sense. Congress asked the Treasury Department And the uniform capitalization (UNICAP) rules require to provide additional guidance to taxpayers for certain direct and indirect expenditures to be included in calculating their tax liabilities. Much of this guidance inventory or otherwise capitalized. will come in the form of notices and Treasury The act establishes an average annual gross regulations between now and the 2019 filing season. receipts test for taxpayers to apply, regardless of the Complicating the process, the Office of Management industry or type of entity. The new provision allows and Budget will be allowed to provide input on this companies with less than $25 million in average annual guidance for the first time since 1983. Those in the gross receipts over the prior three years to change blow molding sector should review this information to the cash method of accounting, exempts them when making projections for 2018 and beyond. • from the requirement to account for inventories and exempts them from the UNICAP rules for tax years For more information beginning after Dec. 31, 2017. Mueller Prost LC St. Louis Alternative Minimum Tax 314-862-2070, www.muellerprost.com The act eliminates the corporate Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2017, and makes the corporate AMT credit refundable over the next five tax years. While the individual AMT was not eliminated, the individual AMT exemptions were increased and the threshold at which the exemptions are phased out has been increased for tax years from Jan. 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2025. The new AMT exemption amounts for individual taxpayers are as follows: • $109,400 for married taxpayers filing jointly or surviving spouses; • $70,300 for single taxpayers; and • $54,700 for married taxpayers filing separately. Further, the amount of alternative minimum taxable income at which the exemptions begin to phase out has been revised as follows: • $1 million for married taxpayers filing a joint tax return or surviving spouses; and • $500,000 for single taxpayers and married taxpayers filing separate tax returns. As such, individual taxpayers, including those who own flow-through entities, will be less likely to be subject to the AMT.

Quality Mold Manufacturing since 1984 Other Provisions Numerous other provisions of the law are likely to www.creativeblowmold.com impact blow molders’ income tax liabilities, including 816.525.4220

AUGUST 2018 39 Industry News SPE chapters seeking nominees for upcoming awards By Robert Grace, editor Prototype parts also are eligible. JBM Act fast — nominations are due Aug. 30. You can email all of your nominations to Teri Chouinard at Several chapters of SPE are looking for entries and [email protected]. See further instructions at: bit. nominations for upcoming awards. ly/ACCE_nominations. • The annual Automotive ACCE has announced the Composites Conference and first keynote speaker, John Exhibition (ACCE) — jointly Viera, global director, sustain- sponsored by SPE’s automo- ability and vehicle environ- tive and composites divisions mental matters for Ford Motor — has issued a call for nomi- Co. nations for its seventh annual • SPE’s automotive divi- innovative parts competition. sion is calling for nominations The conference will take place for its 48th annual Automotive Sept. 5-7 in Novi, Mich. Innovation Awards Competi- Any registered conference tion and Gala, the oldest and participant (speaker, sponsor/exhibitor or attendee) largest recognition event in the automotive and plas- may nominate original equipment or aftermarket com- tics industries. Nominations are due by Sept. 15. posite parts on passenger vehicles, light trucks and The event, to be held Nov. 7 in Livonia, Mich., will heavy trucks available for sale anywhere in the world. recognize winning parts in 10 categories, along with the teams that developed them. Each will receive a “Most Innovative Use of Plastics” award and, ad- ditionally, the division will present a “Grand Award” to the winning team from among all category award ROCHELEAU winners. For more information about the awards, go to http://speautomotive.com, or access the nomination form here: bit.ly/SPE_Auto_Gala. • SPE also is welcoming nominations for SPE RS-90 honored service members and fellows of the society. THE HIGH-VOLUME HYBRID- TECHNOLOGY PACKAGING SOLUTION Deadline for submissions is Oct. 1, 2018. Fellows are honored for their contributions in the Now in our 80th year, we’re proudly introducing the latest flagship to our line-up fields of plastics engineering, science or technology, of fully customizable blow molding and or in the management of such activities. Sponsored by automation systems an SPE division or special interest group, candidates must be SPE members for at least six consecutive years. Honored service members are recognized for their long-term, outstanding service to, and support of, the society and its objectives. Sponsored by at least one section, division or special interest group, honored service member candidates also must be members of the society for at least six consecutive years. The election committee considers eligible candidates on the basis of the impact of their achievements as well as written sponsorships from SPE members. For more information, go to: bit.ly/SPE_Fellows ROCHELEAU TOOL & DIE CO., INC. or bit.ly/SPE_Honored_Service. Tel: 978-345-1723 - www.rocheleautool.com •

40 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING Councilor’s Report

Changing of Guard at Brian Spence Blow Molding Division

I would like to introduce myself as the new changing of the guard as SPE President Raed Al- councilor to the Blow Molding Division. At recent Zu’Bi’s distinguished term came to an end. Taking over council meetings, held in conjunction with ANTEC and for Raed is our new president, Dr. Brian Grady. NPE2018, I stepped into this role as the second term of Brian shared his thoughts on the state of the my predecessor, Scott Steele, came to a successful end. society and the role of the SPE Foundation. He also Each councilor can serve for up to two consecutive communicated his list of priorities, which include terms; during Scott’s terms he deftly represented enhancing the ANTEC experience, committing to SPE’s the interests of the division in front of the society’s global presence and working on membership retention. leadership. He has left a tough act to follow, but I In addition to Brian, several new executive board will continue to act in the division’s interest and will members were seated during the last ANTEC in surely be talking with Scott as I become more active in early May in Orlando. Dr. Raymond Pearson (VP — council. Thank you for your friendship and guidance, technology and education), Scott Eastman (VP — Scott. I look forward to many years of continuing to sections) and Dr. Brian Landes (president-elect). serve together in the SPE. For those who do not know me, I joined the board Finances & Executive Strategy of the Blow Molding Division five years ago. Since The society’s finances were discussed in detail at then, I have filled several positions. I sat as co-chair the last council meeting, and the 2017 audit process of the marketing committee as we restructured the was reported complete with no findings of issue or board. After that, I served as co- concern. Of note was the decision to chair of the communications and The process of blow rebook a significant income source networking group until I started molding has provided for four as deferred over a 10-year period at my term as councilor. generations of my family. As such, the recommendation of the auditors. In my full-time capacity, I work it is important that I further the The 2018 budget was presented as for Silgan Plastics as a product interests of the industry that has previously approved. Items having development engineer in our provided so much for my family a significant impact included the commercial development center. and the many friends I have made installation of a new technology I greatly enjoy working at Silgan throughout my career. platform (which underpins the and would like to thank them for society’s digital infrastructure and affording me the opportunity to serve as a volunteer in recently redesigned website). Also of note are non-dues the SPE. revenues garnered through corporate sponsorships and Looking back, I can count 15 years of technical other programs. I expect these opportunities to grow in experience in blow molding. I became involved in importance over the coming years. Wrapping up finance the industry because of family ties. My father, uncle discussions, it was noted that the 2018 ANTEC was and grandfather all spent most of their careers as projected to generate significant profit for the society. blow molding , and all retired from their Following the finance discussions, we heard from respective businesses with fond memories of the CEO Patrick Farrey, who spoke about his strategy for industry. The process of blow molding has provided for the society. He presented the new SPE organizational four generations of my family. As such, it is important chart and reviewed future activities and strategic that I further the interests of the industry that has actions that include establishing the Plastics For Life provided so much for my family and the many friends event as a major industry award. He also stressed the I have made throughout my career. I am enthusiastic importance of SPE as a people-centric organization. about my service in the SPE and at Silgan Plastics. I Patrick outlined the current chapter support look forward to the years to come. model. This includes the services available to chapters At my first council meeting, I saw another through SPE headquarters. The current strategy does

AUGUST 2018 41 Section Name not provide chapters with needed resources at a branding changes on the SPE website, in Plastics cost beneficial to both parties. The new model will Engineering magazine and at ANTEC. The refreshed be based on a menu of competitively priced services look is clean and uncluttered, with a focus on which a chapter can choose to take advantage of, streamlining our methods and messages. or not. A significant part of the new strategy is a It is important to note that the changes made commitment that the quality of services provided will are not only visual. Significant overhauls have been meet or exceed what we can expect from third parties. executed on the society’s technology platforms to address issues that had been outstanding for some Exciting News in Education time. Renewing membership on our old site could be The VP of technology and education also shared cumbersome at times, and has now been made much news of great interest. easier and more reliable. This shift in appearance and SPE has partnered with Virginia Tech on an functionality will be indicative of the level of service additive manufacturing course. The technical review our division can expect from HQ moving forward. I of the coursework will be ongoing throughout 2018, recently renewed my membership on the new website and the initial course offering is scheduled for 2019. to test the system and can attest that it is much This has been broadcast as an opportunity for SPE to improved over what we had just a few months ago. create value for members while providing technical You can expect our society to continue to adapt oversight in a dynamic area for plastic professionals. into a more modern and responsive body over the I am eager to see how this partnership plays out and coming years. I look forward to sharing the journey to learn how our division can support this type of with each of you. • collaboration on a society-wide level. Brian Spence, a product development engineer with The SPE Brand Overhaul Silgan Plastics, Chesterfield, Mo., is councilor of the You will have noticed the recent and complete Blow Molding Division.

T H E J O U R N A L O F Bekum America 29 www.bekumamerica.com Creative Blow Mold Tooling 39 Contact your sales representative to learn more about advertising in www.creativeblowmold.com the only industry publication focused on the blow molding industry. Davis-Standard 9 www.davis-standard.com J.A. LEWELLEN JEFF WILLIAMS FGH Systems 22 Northern Ohio & International New England & Mid-Atlantic www.fghsystems.com T: 234-466-0200 ext. 300 M: 860-559-0310 GDK Blow Molding Machines 24 M: 330-524-3359 [email protected] www.gdk.cz [email protected] iD Additives 26 GARY LINDENBERGER www.idadditives.com TONY EAGAN South Central U.S. KAUTEX 17 Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, T: 281-855-0470, ext. 13 www.kautex-group.com Canada & Europe M: 281-744-7610 Maguire Products Back Cover T: 234-466-0200 ext. 301 [email protected] www.maguire.com M: 330-212-8300 Pet All Manufacturing 35 [email protected] JAMES PARADA www.petallmfg.com Production Manager Plastics Machinery Group 13 MARK MALLOY T: 234-466-0200 ext. 302 www.plasticsmg.com Midwest & Western U.S. M: 216-288-6118 Purgex 33 T: 847-752-8338 [email protected] www.purgexonline.com M: 224-234-8275 Rocheleau Tool & Die 40 [email protected] www.rocheleautool.com SPE Blow Molding Division 2, 43 www.blowmoldingdivision.org PENINSULA 302 N Cleveland Massillon Rd., Suite 1 Akron, OH 44333 Triad Precision Products 20 PUBLISHING, LLC (234) 466-0200 www.triadpp.com

42 THE JOURNAL OF BLOW MOLDING th PITTSBURGH ® 34 Annual BLOW th MOLDING PITTSBURGH ® 34th Annual BLOW Blow Molding Conference & Exhibits MOLDING PITTSBURGH ® 34th Annual BLOW Blow Molding Conference & Exhibits MOLDING th PITTSBURGH ® 34 Annual October 8-10, 2018 PITTSBURGH BLOW® Blow34 Annual Molding Conference & Exhibits MOLDINGBLOW th MOLDING October 8-10, 2018 PITTSBURGH ® Blow34th Annual Molding Conference & Exhibits BLOW “Innovating, educating and sustaining the future of BlowPITTSBURGH Molding” ® Blow34 Annual MoldingOctober Conference 8-10, 2018 & Exhibits MOLDING BLOW “Innovating, educating and sustaining the future of Blow Molding” MOLDING Blow MoldingOctober Conference 8-10, 2018 & Exhibits “Innovating,Blow Molding educating andOctober sustaining Conference 8-10, the 2018 future of Blow & Molding” Exhibits October 8-10, 2018 “Innovating, educating andOctober sustaining 8-10, the 2018 future of Blow Molding” “Innovating, educating and sustaining the future of Blow Molding” “Innovating, educating and sustaining the future of Blow Molding” Put these dates in your calendar now!! Register Today!Put these dates in yourSponsorship calendar Opportunities: now!! Register Today!Put these dates in yourSponsorship calendar Opportunities: now!! Register Today!Put these dates in yourSponsorship calendar Opportunities: now!! Register Today!Put these dates in yourSponsorship calendar Opportunities: now!! Register Today!Put these dates in yourSponsorship calendar Opportunities: now!! Register Today! Sponsorship Opportunities: Register Today! Sponsorship Opportunities: Conference Venue & Accommodations: Conference Venue & Accommodations: Conference Venue & Accommodations: Conference Venue & Accommodations: Conference Venue & Accommodations: Conference Venue & Accommodations: Conference Venue & Accommodations: � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � BLEND CONTROL 1 Every material dosed by weight. AUTOMATIC REGRIND USAGE 2 Unique Regrind option automates regrind usage settings as regrind levels fluctuate. MASTERBATCH & ADDITIVE CONTROL 3 Control only doses color and additives to the Natural amount of the blend. C

M COST REDUCTIONS 4 Reduce Masterbatch usage by up to Y 30% compared to volumetric methods.

CM VIBRATION MANAGEMENT MY 5 Vibration controlled allowing blender CY to mount directly on throat. CMY PROCESS CONTROL K 6 Better mix density = better parison control = faster startup / less bottle weight variation.

INCREASE REDUCE Your Materials Control Your Production Costs

GET IN TOUCH WITH US TODAY TO FIND OUT Visit Booth #16 HOW WE CAN INCREASE YOUR MATERIALS October 8-10 CONTROL AND REDUCE COSTS. Pittsburgh, PA.