British Plastics & Rubber - Latest News

Major UK investment for printing firm will ‘support local economy'

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

February 3, 2012
Leading industrial printer manufacturer Linx Printing Technologies is proposing to invest more than £6m in a purpose-built headquarters in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire.

The major new development at Compass Point Business Park will unify the seven separate buildings Linx currently occupies in Burrel Road, St Ives, into a single facility employing 250 people.

Linx is one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial printers for coding and marking of packaging and products, and celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2012.

The site would comprise research and development laboratories, manufacturing and assembly areas, customer training facilities, offices, and storage and distribution areas occupying approximately 41,000 sq ft.

Jennifer Honeycutt, Linx Managing Director, says: "This is testament to our confidence in the continued growth and vitality of Linx, our commitment to the development of our associates, and support of the local economy.

"At a time when the perception is of a contraction in British manufacturing, Linx is here to stay. Our new facility will give us state-of-the art product development, manufacturing, training and service facilities that will allow us to compete at the highest level in our global markets."

A planning application has been submitted to Huntingdonshire District Council and if approved, Linx hopes to transfer from its current HQ in Spring 2013.

A rigid boost to plastics recycling

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

February 2, 2012
WRAP has announced that the UK's capability to recycle plastic packaging has been given a further boost this week with funding provided to recycle an additional 15,000 tonnes of rigid plastic packaging at ECO Plastics' facility in Lincolnshire.

The £1.15million loan from WRAP will enable ECO Plastics to extend its existing bottle sorting and processing facility, to now recycle a total of 150,000 tonnes of plastics annually. The investment complements the joint venture that the business formed with Coca-Cola Enterprises last year and will mean that its Hemswell facility is now better able to process rigid plastic packaging such as tubs, pots and trays, as well as plastic bottles.

Over the next three to five years, WRAP aims to support higher recycling rates for all plastics packaging, but in a way that allows quality to be maintained so that the best environmental and economic outcomes can also be achieved. WRAP aims to increase the UK's capacity to recycle its rigid plastic packaging by 100,000 tonnes per year through the Mixed Plastics Loan Fund.

Environment Minister, Lord Taylor said: "I'm delighted to see this investment in ECO Plastics. It will increase the amount of plastic that gets recycled by 15,000 tonnes, helping to protect the environment and save businesses money by cutting back on their use of raw materials. The recycling industry is growing and we're working to help companies gain a foothold in this exciting new marketplace which will help us become a zero-waste economy."

Marcus Gover, Director of the Closed Loop Economy programme at WRAP said: "Recycling is a great British industry and this funding represents a further confidence boost. Getting the right reprocessing infrastructure in place is crucial to turning the developing interest in mixed plastics collections from local authorities into a reality. I'd encourage anyone with an interest in recycling plastic packaging to check the criteria of our Mixed Plastics Loan Fund."

Jonathan Short, Managing Director of ECO Plastics said: "The processing of non-bottle rigid plastics packaging is the next logical step in UK plastics recycling infrastructure. But it is vitally important that we don't run before we can walk - the processing infrastructure must be in place before we encourage further non-bottle rigid plastics collection across the UK. Even after this investment, current collections far outweigh the available processing capacity, which remains a serious risk to the whole industry.

"We support WRAPs vision to see this growth occur in the medium term, allowing companies like ECO Plastics to develop markets for the non-bottle plastic recyclate. It is an essential ingredient for a successful industry."

The facility based in North Lincolnshire will employ an additional 12 local people, creating sustainable jobs in addition to further developing the UK's green economy with home grown processing and manufacturing - turning 'waste' into resources.

We need to do more with our WEEE, according to Labour MP

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

February 1, 2012
There needs to be greater control of waste electrical and electronic items (WEEE) on household recycling sites. That's according to Labour MP Alan Whitehead who last week (26 Jan) visited EnvironCom's new WEEE re-use facility in Edmonton, North London.

The Southampton MP, who is co-chair of the Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group which looks at how the UK meets its environmental commitments, toured the facility and learnt first-hand how doing the right thing with WEEE, which includes re-use where possible, creates more value right across the industry. However, many producer compliance schemes don't support this view, which results in mountains of WEEE waste being recycled without understanding its re-use potential.

Commenting at the EnvironCom facility, Alan Whitehead said: "National government, local authorities, manufacturers and retailers all have a responsibility to the public and the environment to ensure they are doing all they can to sustain the life of our unwanted electricals, thus preventing thousands of tonnes of this valuable resource simply going straight to being recycled, ending up in landfill or being illegally exported overseas.

"It is quite clear that here in the UK we now have the capability to give our unwanted electrical items a new lease of life, which benefits the whole supply chain. But some parts of the industry are not seeing the true benefit of re-using WEEE waste. It's obvious that more needs to be done to address this in order that all recyclers are able to operate in the same, responsible way and within the law."

Sean Feeney, CEO of EnvironCom comments: "We are delighted that Alan chose to come and visit our new re-use facility and see for himself that with the right attitude and the right technology, it is possible to do the right thing with WEEE.

"But in order to achieve this there needs to be a level playing field across the industry, with tighter controls on WEEE at household recycling sites in favour of those producer compliance schemes and recyclers that support re-use."

Indian promise for Luxus apprentice

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

January 31, 2012
Alex Clarke, a senior graduate apprentice with independent technical plastics recycler Luxus, has been tasked with managing the company's presence at the British Plastics Federation's (BPF) trade mission to India next month.

For Luxus the aim of the mission is to establish a strategic partnership with a plastics compounder, enabling it to open up new automotive markets for its high performance thermoplastic compounds.

With the support of the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to help research potential businesses, Alex has so far identified six compounders able to both produce material samples to the required technical standard and who possess the right criteria for a long-term future partnership.

Pete Atterby, Managing Director, Luxus, said: "It‘s vital that we give our apprentices the best opportunity for success, as we reply on their talent for the future of the business. That's why we have chosen Alex to project manage this important joint venture project.

"India has benefitted from unprecedented growth recently with demand for polymers rising sharply, largely fuelled by its automotive industry. We believe that outside Europe, India offers a key market for our expanding export business.

"As we move towards National Apprentice Week next month, we hope to encourage more apprentices, both non-graduate and graduates to consider plastics manufacturing as a future career. The Luxus Academy offers opportunities for both graduates and non-graduates right across the business. In 2012 we are looking for at least two new apprentices to join us."

Alex Clarke, Luxus, said: "I'm looking forward to meeting potential businesses first hand to see how best we can capitalise on this trip. Luxus has provided a great start to my career in the plastics industry. Being involved in key strategic decisions for the business offers both demanding and exciting opportunities."

Image: Luxus Apprentices from left to right: Gemma Richardson, Alex Clarke and Joseph Hesketh

Bottles of guidance for increasing recycling rates

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

January 30, 2012
A new technical guide that aims to help local authorities increase plastic bottle recycling rates has been launched today by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme).

With demand for PET and HDPE recyclate soaring, WRAP says local authorities have a significant opportunity to boost overall recycling rates by focusing on collections of plastic bottles.

Linda Crichton, Head of Collections at WRAP, says the growth in plastic bottle recycling has been remarkable over the past 10 years.

"Back in 2000, only around 12,000 tonnes of plastic bottles were recycled in the UK - it's now nearly 20 times that amount," she says. "We're also seeing rapid growth in domestic infrastructure to reprocess plastic bottles, some of which are even producing recycled food grade materials. Around half of the plastic bottles collected for recycling are now reprocessed in the UK."

She adds that maximising the capture of plastic bottles at the kerbside could be a way for local authorities to reach towards the targets to recycle 50 per cent of household waste in England and 60 per cent in Scotland by 2020.

New communications materials, focusing on the collection of plastic bottles, have also been published today to help local authorities in England and Scotland engage residents in any service changes.

The guide can be downloaded here. A second technical guide and supporting communications materials focussing on the collection of rigid household plastic packaging is due to be published by WRAP in the spring.

British scientist helps to develop high-flying tyres

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

January 27, 2012
A scientist at Birmingham-based Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has been recognised for his work in developing a new tread compound that could increase the tyre life and reduce operating costs for airlines around the world.

James O'Callaghan, 26, from Erdington, received the Sue Panteny Award from the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.

While developing the new compound, James studied one-day a week for a polymer technology degree at Staffordshire University, which, after three years, he passed with first class honours last summer.

The new compound reduces the heat build up of the tyre and increases its abrasive resistance. Following extensive internal testing, Dunlop Aircraft Tyres will initiate controlled trials across various aircraft across Europe before deciding whether to incorporate it into new products.

"I'm delighted that another one of our employees has been recognised for their pioneering work," said Ian Edmondson, chairman, Dunlop Aircraft Tyres.

"We work in a competitive marketplace and it is through continual innovation that we will remain at the forefront of the aircraft tyre industry.

"Tyre manufacturers face constant pressure to improve performance and reduce aircraft operators' costs. James' work shows how we continue to lead the way in this field.

"I congratulate James on his first class honours degree and on securing this fantastic recognition from the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining."

Polymera makes investment in new WPC facility

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

January 26, 2012
Polymera, Inc., producer of wood and natural fiber polymer composite compounds, have announced the addition of a new WPC compound capacity at their central Ohio facility, said to have cost £60 million.

The 160,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility, located in central Ohio, houses a state-of-the-art, fully automated manufacturing system for wood/natural fiber polymer composite compounds. The company states it has the flexibility to provide varying material formulations utilising a wide spectrum of raw materials per customer specifications.

"Polymera is addressing a need for WPC compound that simply has not been available in the industry, until now," stated Polymera's Vice-President, Herb Hutchison. Polymera can provide technology assistance in addition to the WPC compounds. "Our objective is to help extrusion, injection and compression moulding companies that would like to enter the WPC market but cannot justify the very large investment in upstream blending and material handling systems.

Merablend is a wood/natural fiber polymer composite material for injection moulding, extrusion and compression moulding applications that targets processors interested in entering the WPC market by offering multiple material options such as varying fiber loadings in High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Polypropylene (PP) base polymers. Merablend WPC compounds can be used for both interior and exterior applications, in a variety of markets.

Polymera will be participating in the April 1-5 NPE2012 in Orlando, Florida, exhibiting in booth number 27045.

PolyOne Highlights Specialty Polymer Solutions at Interplastica 2012

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

January 25, 2012
PolyOne Corporation, a global provider of specialised polymer materials, services and solutions, is exhibiting its high-performance product offering of colorants, additives, and specialty engineered materials at during Interplastica 2012 (Stand 8.1/B02).

The plastics industry in Russia has considerable potential for growth, with applications continuing to develop in packaging, healthcare, automotive, infrastructure and other markets.

PolyOne states its broad portfolio of capabilities and material solutions formulated to help customers meet performance and profitability objectives makes it a good choice for Russian plastics processors and OEMs.

To create a luxury package, say PolyOne, processors can work with them to select Gravi-Tech high-density compounds for the cap, GLS TPE materials for cap liners, and colorants and additives for maximum aesthetics and performance in the cap and container.

Also exhibiting at Interplastica is ColorMatrix, the newest member of the PolyOne family following its acquisition by PolyOne in December 2011. Attendees to Interplastica can learn more about the innovative colorant and additive solutions offered by ColorMatrix at its stand, FE69, in the hall forum.

Image: PolyOne Corporation

Husky announces sale of Injectoplast to Alpla

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Husky Injection Molding Systems today announced that it has signed an agreement to sell Injectoplast, the former closure injection moulding operation of KTW, to Alpla Holding GmbH.
Injectoplast was a division of KTW, a closure mould maker that Husky acquired in early 2011. At the time of the KTW acquisition Husky announced that it would be divesting Injectoplast due to potential conflicts with its existing injection moulding customers.
Husky has stated that following the completion of a thorough process, a deal has been signed with Alpla Holding GmbH. The deal is anticipated to close before the end of the first quarter of 2012.

Quick Mould Change Roadshow a Success

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
January 24, 2012
Connection solutions specialist, Stäubli, has announced the successful completion of its UK-wide tour to demonstrate its quick mould changing technology.
The tour, which was undertaken in the company's purpose-built demonstration vehicle, provided visitors with interactive displays and a ‘hands on' opportunity to review the latest mould connection and clamping technology for plastics companies.
Colin Meekings of Koito Europe Ltd, said of the tour: "Although Koito already use a range of Stäubli products, the QMC Demonstration Vehicle provided samples and information of the complete range of products including the use of animations and videos. This has helped us to understand the full range of products in greater detail and where we can utilise these for future improvements."
The demonstrations included a number of applications featuring the latest Stäubli technology used to speed up mould changing, including pre-heating, temperature control, core pulling, tool changing, sequential injection as well as mechanical, hydraulic and magnetic mould clamping systems.
Nick Glover, Injection Moulding Technician, Magna Intier, said: "The QMC van was a very practical and worthwhile experience. Having products to hand helped understand the benefits for both hands on and managerial personnel."
"Having the QMC demonstration vehicle visit gave a great opportunity for all staff at Hozelock to view the latest Quick Mould Change solutions from Stäubli, which has lead to further opportunities to improve our efficiency during tool changes."
The audio visual aspects of the roadshow were popular with Tim Neale, Technical Manager for Hozelock, who said: "The demonstration vehicle was very well equipped and it was very beneficial having presentations from Stäubli utilising product samples and videos"
After the success of the tour in 2011, Stäubli is hoping to run the demonstrations once again in 2012.

Packaging firm celebrates 8727 accident free days

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
January 23, 2012
Linpac Packaging announced a new record for its health and safety success by racking up more than 8,700 lost time accident free days in its manufacturing and sales and distribution sites across Europe, South America and China.
As of December 31, 2011, the food packaging company had achieved a total of 8727 lost time accident free days for over 3000 people employed by the company throughout its 18 manufacturing sites and numerous sales and distribution facilities.
John Jones, Group HR and HSHE (Human Resources and Health, Safety, Hygiene and Environment) Director at Linpac said: "The dramatic decline in accidents and incidents over the past three years has fed through straight to our bottom line for our investors but best of all we are keeping our people safe."
Mark Reynolds, Group HSHE and Energy Manager,added: "We began by gradually moving away from the idea that Linpac Packaging simply had to deliver statutory requirements throughout the world to meet its targets, to a position where every Linpac employee is fully aware of their roles and responsibilities to protect themselves and others. We have driven our core strategy of continuous improvement to ensure that all accident, incidents and near misses are fully investigated and closed out through a seven step programme which is subsequently communicated to, and adopted by all our sites worldwide."
Linpac Packaging has transformed the company's safety record by delivering a rigorous strategy that encourages behavioural change and their mandatory 30-second risk assessment programme, which quickly identifies hazardous situations. "This pre-task risk assessment is now embedded into the safety ethic of the whole work force," said Mr Reynolds.

SPE names new Chief Executive Officer

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
January 20, 2012
The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) has appointed Willem (Wim) De Vos as its new Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Susan Oderwald, who left SPE in December.
"In our worldwide search for a new chief executive officer, we were delighted to find in Wim a 20-year veteran of the plastics industry who is already active in and understands our Society, has a truly global perspective, and brings outstanding management experience at a time when SPE is focused on growth," said Russell Broome, SPE's 2011-2012 President.
"His expertise in extending business activities into emerging markets and his global network in the plastics industry will be of enormous value in carrying out SPE's mission of strategic growth."
Willem De Vos comes to SPE after serving as CEO of the Vitalo Group, a global supplier of plastic packaging and thermoformed products. Previously he managed compounding and processing units of Recticel, an international producer of polyurethane automotive components. He entered the industry in 1991 with technical and sales positions at Eurocompound, a supplier to the textile and automotive industries.
Mr. De Vos holds an engineering degree in polymer chemistry from Industriële Hogeschool CTL in Gent, Belgium, and an executive MBA from the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School.

UK company takes on polar challenge

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
January 19, 2011
A UK company is supplying polyurethane bellows for a project undertaken by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) to explore a buried Antarctic lake.
The specially designed bellows manufactured by Kidderminster-based Beakbane will play a crucial role in the pioneering project, which involves drilling down through the ice to the lake and collecting samples via probes from the lake water and the sediments on the lakebed.
The bellows must stay flexible down to -35 degrees Centigrade, be tough enough to withstand the journey to Antarctica and withstand exposure to Hydrogen Peroxide vapour.
The bellows, which are 5m long, with an external diameter of 300mm and an internal diameter of no less than 205mm are made in six sections. Each section is cut from clear polyurethane sheet and thermally formed. The sections and two 500mm end flanges are then assembled and joined together using high-frequency welding.
Beakbane pays particular attention to the integrity and clean finish of the welds as it is important that there are no crevices or dirt traps where bacteria could escape the sterilisation process and contaminate the lake water in the sampling process.
Kevin Saw, the mechanical engineer who heads the NOC design team, said that the NOC selected polyurethane as the best candidate material for the bellows, as not only did it meet the temperature and performance requirements, it could also be clear."
"This was not 100% necessary but if you are doing something that hasn't been tried before in an extreme environment it's good to be able to see what's going on.
So far Beakbane has supplied two bellows, which are now on test at the NOC. "They are currently in a refrigerated container which we are maintaining at -30 degrees, which is a bit colder than we actually need," said Kevin Saw. "They have been in there for a couple of weeks now and have remained perfectly flexible. We have compressed and extended them and they perform exactly as we expected. We have had no problems with them at all."
Beakbane's managing director Mike Southwell commented: "It is very exciting to be involved in such a ground-breaking project. Our great strength is our ability to produce bespoke products that suit our customer's precise requirements, but this is probably one of the more exotic challenges we have faced so far."

New year, new investment for plastics recycling company

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
January 18, 2011
Regain Polymers, a UK plastics recycling company based in Castleford, West Yorkshire, has announced ambitious growth plans backed by a £1m-plus investment in additional capacity and the acquisition of a competitor.
The additional capacity involves the purchase of a state-of-the-art twin-screw extruder, to be installed at the Castleford plant in March 2012. According to the company the new line will increase extrusion capacity by 40% to over 45,000 tonnes per annum.
To further support its growth and future plans, the business has also acquired Express Recycling & Plastics Ltd of Rainham, Essex, a recycler specialising in the separation and reprocessing of rigid end of life plastics. According to Regain, the increased geographic market spread this acquisition brings to Regain will greatly improve its ability to attract raw materials for both recycling plants. Express Recycling & Plastics Ltd has been renamed Regain Recycling & Plastics Ltd.
Speaking of the new acquisition, Ian Porter, Managing Director of Regain Polymers, said: "We are actively seeking opportunities to expand our business and this new venture will increase both our capabilities and capacity to supply the market."
Mark Roberts, Technical Sales Director, stated: "We believe this combination of investments to be one of the most significant developments in the UK recycling market for many years. Our strategy is one of growth, and these investments will give us both the technology and capacity needed to ensure that we are well placed to achieve this in 2012".

Plastic clip jars spice up product image

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
January 17, 2011
Bart Spices, one of the UK's leading ingredients suppliers, has selected the 350ml size Clip Jar from RPC Bramlage for a specialist gourmet spiced sugar produced for a leading food retailer.
Part of RPC Bramlage's standard range and available in four sizes - 50ml, 125ml, 200ml and 350ml - the Clip Jar offers a modern and robust plastic pack that echoes the look of the traditional glass storage jar.
RPC states the clarity of the PET enables products to be easily visible and together with the jar's distinctive design help to create a high quality image and strong on-shelf impact and appeal. According to the company, individual branding can be achieved through quality decoration including top labelling of the lid and full colour printing.
The jar is said to be lightweight, easy to handle and shatterproof, offering consumers valuable convenience and safety benefits in the kitchen. A further advantage, according to RPC, is that the jar is re-usable.
A metal clasp and hermetic seal are said to ensure product quality and freshness are maintained.
"For this project, we wanted to help our customer create an effective on-shelf presence with an attractive, added-value pack," explained Joanne Love, Assistant Brand Manager of Bart Spices.
"The Clip Jar from RPC Bramlage combines aesthetics and practicality to deliver an ideal packaging solution."

A fruity innovation from UK packaging firm

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
January 16, 2011
Buckinghamshire-based Baltimore Innovations has announced it is adding to its portfolio of specialty packaging with the launch of food-safe fruit pouches.
The Fresh-R-Pax "Fruit Pop" Pouch, which will make its European debut at the Fresh Conex show in Berlin, is made with food-safe absorbent technology that is said to allow processors to pack ripe fruit.
The new packs are said to be easy to open, tamper evident, and offer extended shelf life relative to other alternative in the market.
"Customers have been asking us to develop a way of packing fresh cut fruit into single-serve portions, with extended shelf life. At the same time they've asked us to keep the solution economically attractive. We've been working on this new Fruit-Pop pack for a few years, and we're now happy that it ticks all three boxes," said Matthew Valentine, Managing Director, Baltimore Innovations.
The new "Fruit Pop" Pouches are ideal for target markets such as; kid's snacks, school lunches and convenience stores. For more information click here

More plastics recycling a key 2012 focus, predicts Axion Consulting

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
January 13, 2011
Increasing UK plastics recycling tonnages will be a key focus for 2012 as the sector continues to extend pioneering work done on PET and HDPE bottles recycling, predicts Keith Freegard, Director of Axion Consulting, one of the UK's leading resource and recovery specialists.
With UK plastic bottle recycling rates nudging 50% for drink and dairy bottles, Keith believes that further investment in technology and equipment to extract a wider range of materials from mixed plastic collections offers major potential for improvement.
"To get even higher bottle recycling rates, UK Plc has to find viable technologies to deal with mixed rigid plastics, films and the inevitable residuals," asserts Keith. "Kerbside collection data points to a huge untapped source of rigid, non-bottle packaging items becoming available as local authorities offer collections of more household plastics, as well as an often-ignored, high volume of post-consumer films."
While full mixed plastics collections are very popular with local authorities, they can only realistically be initiated when processing infrastructure is in place, otherwise recovery of the materials that are currently targeted will actually decrease.
Greater emphasis on rigid post-consumer plastic packaging and films could also lead to more ‘co-ordinated' approaches in overcoming challenges presented by these more difficult-to-recycle waste streams.
"Today's primary sorting Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) and bottle-sorting Plastic Recovery Facilities (PRFs) were developed in response to PET and HDPE recyclate demand," continues Keith. "Next-generation infrastructure must be capable of extracting value from other rigid plastics and films if we are to achieve higher overall plastic packaging recycling targets."
New investments must complement continued growth in annual bottle recovery and be capacity-matched to the inevitable rise in other rigid and flexible plastics generated from existing plastic recycling infrastructure.
"People are realising we need to tackle more difficult waste streams. One solution would be to build more integrated ‘resource parks' where varied and mixed waste streams can be processed in complementary ways," explains Keith. "For example, residual materials from sorting commingled waste streams can be used as an energy source to provide local heat and power for adjacent washing and reprocessing units."
However, such novel ways of dealing with plastic and other waste streams would require fundamental changes to how Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) assess and handle their infeed and output waste streams.
Keith adds: "2012 will see increasing importance placed on MRF optimisation, including the use of sophisticated modelling, sampling and analysis services like those provided by Axion. Accurate and representative measurement of inputs and outputs is vital to highlight where plant control responses are needed to optimise operational efficiency, maximise profits and ultimately recover the valuable resources that would otherwise be discarded."

Engel UK headquarters ‘packed' for open day

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
January 12, 2011
A packaging day held at Engel UK's headquarters in Warwick yesterday attracted more than 80 people from across the industry.
The day, which was held as part of the Engel Moulders' Group series of events, covered the latest trends in packaging injection moulding and demonstrated a number of innovative processes on a range of Engel machines.
Graeme Herlihy, Managing Director of Engel UK, said: "It's fantastic. We are delighted and it makes it worth while putting these things on if people are going to respond like this."
Demonstrations included the production of a 2k thin-wall ice cream lid with in-mould labelling on an all-electric e-motion machine, IBMP blow-moulding technology in collaboration with Cantoni of Italy, as well as a 72 cavity closure mould from Portola producing sports bottle caps on a 5.5s cycle.
Also running was a state of the art test mould from Agentdraw, which featured conformal cooling for faster cycle times, Engel Flomo water flow control, electric needle valve gate technology from Ewikon and mould instrumentation technology from Kistler.
In a speech Mr Herlihy said that he could confidently predict that the 2011/12 financial year was going to be a success story for the group, with the current figure of around £24.5 million in machine deliveries beating their existing record by approximately 50%.

Techsil announce agreement with UV curing equipment & adhesives specialist

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
January 11, 2011
Warwickshire-based Techsil Ltd has announced an agreement with UV equipment specialist Hönle and their subsidiary company, adhesives experts, Panacol to become distributors of Hönle's world leading UV curing equipment and Panacol's UV and LED curing adhesives to markets in the UK and Ireland.
Paul Hughes, Managing Director of Techsil, commented: "It is felt that Techsil's long and successful business of supplying and developing adhesive and sealant solutions to the leading manufacturers fits perfectly with Hönle and Panacol's product ranges and strategic positioning. We look forward to a long and rewarding relationship."
Adhesive expert Panacol offers an extensive product range from structural adhesives through conductive adhesives to UV adhesives. As UV technology is a fast growing sector, Panacol has recently further developed their successful Vitralit range. This innovation combines improved curing characteristics with an even higher resistance to moisture and temperature changes.
UV specialist Hönle, has optimised their high-tech curing equipment which ranges from classic UV curing units to innovative UV LED solutions - which are naturally perfectly adjusted to Panacol adhesives. Hönle's UV curing equipment includes point sources as well as units for a larger area, and hand lamps as well as units for fully automated productions lines.
Hönle and Panacol offer perfect bonding solutions for a wide variety of substrates such as plastics, glass, and metals and their products are used extensively in many sectors such as: electronics, medical equipment and disposables, glass bonding, and optics.

All-electric injection moulding technology to be displayed at Plastindia

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
January 10, 2012
Injection moulding machine manufacturer, Netstal, has announced it will be demonstrating its ELION all-electric range of machinery at the upcoming Plastindia 2012 show.
The machines will be producing a thin-walled drinking cup made at a cycle of less than 3.3 seconds using a 4-cavity mould from the Swiss mould-making specialist Glaroform.
"Our aim is to steadily reduce the production costs by achieving shortest possible cycle times, a low energy consumption and an optimised product weight", says Markus DalPian, Manager of Netstal's Business Unit PAC.
Netstal state the cup is a packaging product made from a polystyrene of Total Petrochemicals. It is decorated with a label while the injection moulding process is in progress, via IML (In-Mould-Labelling). A handling unit from Swiss manufacturer Beck inserts the labels in the mould and subsequently removes the finished products. The plastic material feeding appliance is supplied by Motan and the cooling device is from Messrs ef-cooling of Switzerland.
The system on show at Plastindia is a combination of machine, mould, automation and further periphery ready for production, and is one that Netstal claim is a typical example of the company's experience in supplying comprehensive solutions on a turn-key basis.