e-Weekly News Briefs June 4-8

3D Plastics the U.S. molder for the ProScope

Custom injection molder 3D Plastics Inc. (Newberg, OR) was chosen as the U.S. manufacturer of the ProScope HR for Bodelin Co., which acts as the distributor of the high-resolution handheld microscope. Originally manufactured in Japan, the ProScope HR connects to a computer for clear microscopic images. It reached such high sales levels in the U.S. that it became necessary to manufacture locally, explained Joe Batty, sales manager for 3D Plastics.

Bodelin obtained the manufacturing rights from the Japanese company, but the firm would not give them any of the information needed to manufacture the product. “Both the electronics and the plastics had to be reverse engineered by Bodelin,” said Batty. “The tools to mold the 12 plastic components were built by Stevens Tool and Die in Wilsonville, OR, and currently 3D is in its fourth production run for the ProScope HR. It was a great experience working with someone who wanted to manufacture everything in the U.S.”

Only one component—the lens—is purchased offshore. The ProScope HR brings flexibility and excitement to the learning process and is reportedly easier to use than conventional microscopes. 3D Plastics was founded seven years ago by Lee Dundas Jr. and Kelly Dundas. The Dundas name has been prominent in the plastics industry since Lee Dundas Sr. founded Quality Plastics in 1966. That business was later purchased and finally closed by another injection molding company. 3D’s facility has nine injection molding machines ranging from 22 to 310 tons and serves the electronics industry with molded closures and housings, and the industrial sector, which Batty said is a growing market for the company.

Huntsman to open polyetheramines plant

The Huntsman Corp. announced mechanical completion of its first Asia Pacific polyetheramines plant and expects to introduce feedstock to the plant in mid-June with commercial operation starting by the third quarter.

Huntsman and its engineering contractor, Jacobs Engineering, achieved mechanical completion of the 15,000 tons per year Jeffamine(R) polyetheramines plant, after an 800,000 man-hour construction process without a single lost-time incident. Huntsman’s total investment in the project, located at Jurong Island, Singapore, is approximately $40 million. Polyetheramines have multiple uses, including in epoxy curing, polyamide preparation, or as a feedstock for polyurethane precursor, polyol.

“The Singapore plant, which will complement Huntsman’s polyetheramines facilities in Conroe, TX, and Llanelli, Wales, will serve as a key platform as we continue supporting our customers’ global growth, particularly in the rapidly growing Asia Pacific region,” said Don Stanutz, president of Huntsman’s Performance Products division. “Already the leading polyetheramines producer in the world, completion of the Singapore plant will further increase Huntsman’s capacity and give us a more global and flexible asset base for the manufacture and marketing of these sought after specialty products.”

Arkema expands EVA, acrylic lines

Polymer producer Arkema (Paris, France) is enhancing its range of high-content ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) with the introduction of a new Evatane grade. Following R&D work, the company soon will commercialize this material that combines 40% vinyl acetate content with a low melt flow index below three. “These two parameters are difficult to combine,” says Frédéric Vartician, general manager of the company’s functional polyolefins business. “The new grade, blended with other products, will help produce a cable with sound mechanical properties and good oil resistance.”

Arkema has also added a frosted acrylic sheet for decorative design purposes to its traditional acrylic sheet range. Altuglas Frosted comes in three shades: clear, white, or black. The company says the satin-like surface adds a note of “icy” freshness to applications requiring illuminated surfaces. The material resists scratching and finger marks while requiring minimal care.

Names in the News

Circulating liquid temperature control systems manufacturer Mokon (Buffalo, NY) has appointed a new representative for its U.S. Central and Midwest sales regions. Powell, McGee and Associates (Shoreview, MN), which specializes in equipment, supplies, and tooling for the plastics industry, will handle this area for Mokon.

Private-equity firm Bear Stearns Merchant Banking has added Phil Yates, former chairman and CEO of Graham Packaging, as a new senior advisor. Under Yates’ watch, Graham’s sales rose from $500 million to $2.5 billion.

Process cooling system manufacturer, Frigel North America (Lake Zurich, IL) has hired Terry DeVoy as a regional manager responsible for the western U.S. Devoy spent the last 11 years in sales for auxiliary supplier ACS Group, with time prior to that at Bunting Magnetics.

Automotive parts supplier Delphi (Troy, MI) has named Walter Guertler as the new global gas engine management systems sales director. He joins Delphi from Siemens VDO Automotive and replaces Gary Bertolini who has retired after 37 years with General Motors and Delphi.

Briefs

Basell (Hoofddorp, Netherlands) has launched a new high-density polyethylene (HDPE) grade targeting extrusion blowmolded household chemicals and cleaning products containers. Hostalen ACP6031D is said to have a combination of stiffness and environmental stress-cracking resistance that conventional uni- or bimodal-based HDPE grades do not offer.

Compounder K&A Plastics (Krefeld, Germany) has taken over the compounding activities of Solvadis-Group (Solingen, Germany). All Solvadis staff now works at K&A’s main plant in Krefeld. Hans-Peter Angenendt, managing director, says the acquisition has helped J&A grow in specialty technical plastics.

Testing equipment maker Tinius Olsen (Horsham, PA) has introduced a new three-station deflection temperature-under-load and Vicat tester, HDT306, to complement its existing six-station tester range. Marketing Manager Wayne Hayward says the new device fills a gap in the company’s plastics testing line of equipment for companies looking for inexpensive and low-volume testing machinery.

The improved GRZ2016 is offered from SAS Automation (Karlsruhe, Germany) for getting better grip on parts and sprue removal. Equipped with removable screws, it offers production plants the ability to interchange the existing jaws for various size jaws. Richard Petz, general manager at the company, says the challenge to customize the application of a part and sprue pliers led to the development of the unit.

An injection molded golf-shoe cleaner mounted on the floorboard of golf cars is able to withstand rough treatment and the rigors of cold-weather storage, according to developer Carolina Engineered Products (Greenville, SC). The SoftSwipe cleaners are 18-cm diameter disks with molded-in rods that clean mud, sand, and grass from non-metal spikes or cleats when golfers scrape their shoes against them. The company switched from standard PVC to Flexalloy vinyl elastomer from Teknor Apex (Pawtucket, RI), says Wes Jolly, product development manager at Carolina Engineered Products, because of added benefits that this material gives compared to standard thermoplastic elastomers or flexible PVC.

A new Dyne Test Starter Kit, to test the surface tension of polymers and extruded polymer fibers, is available from Jemmco LLC (Mequon, WI) by contacting the company at its website: www.jemmco.com.

Finnish manufacturer of conductive carbon black compounds, Premix Oy (Rajamäki), has introduced a cost-effective conductive nylon 6 based on concentrate. Pre-Elec PA1411 can be diluted up to 50% with different nylon 6 grades and still obtain surface resistance values of less than 107?. The company says this should help processors cut raw material costs and give more freedom to modify the properties of end products.

Rofin-Sinar Laser (Hamburg, Germany) has extended its product range by establishing a new high power DQ series of Q-switch solid state lasers for material removal and cleaning of various materials.

Daplen EF341AE grade thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) compound is being used in what is claimed to be the world’s first fully integrated fender module. It was tailored to meet the specifications set by German vehicle producer BMW for its X5 car. According to Klaus Maureder, application marketing manager at compound producer Borealis (Vienna, Austria), the material gives improved production cost, safety, high-quality aesthetics, and enhanced environmental performance. Maureder says the TPO fender is the most complex and highly integrated class A body application in production so far.

Antonio Vennettilli, sales manager at packaging equipment producer ELBA (Magnago, Italy) says demand for equipment to produce stand-up pouches is growing in markets like Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and South Africa that are concerned about packaging waste. In the area of T-shirt plastics bags for shoppers, the biggest demand for such processing equipment is coming from emerging markets in Eastern Europe, Russia, and CIS countries, he says.

Global Plastics Bulletin Board

Polymer producer Dow Corning (Midland, MI) is offering two free, 90-minunte Internet technical Webinars on Improved Filler Dispersion for Enhanced Performance of Plastics and Rubber for processors in June. Both English-language online seminars are hosted by information provider SpecialChem.com (Paris), while the Webinars are conducted by materials reinforcement technical service representatives from Dow Corning. Manfred Gloeggler presents the first event on Wednesday, June 20 that has been set up to offer times convenient for attendees in Asia and Europe while Scott E. Miller conducts the second one on Wednesday, June 27 at times said to be best for attendees in North America and Europe. More information is available at: www.specialchem4polymers.com.

Auxiliary supplier AEC, along with rep agencies M. Vliem & Associates and Premier Equipment Sales, will be hosting an Open House at the AEC Technical Center in Flint, MI on June 21, 2007 from Noon until 7 pm. In association with MAPP, AEC’s product specialists will discuss, show, and inform visitors about their equipment, its maintenance, and how to handle day-to-day business challenges. Product sessions will cover Whitlock Material Handling, Blend & Reclaim, Heat & Cool, Nelmore Size Reduction, and Automation. If you would like more information, contact E.J. Stratman or Nichole Saccomonto of AEC at (847) 273-7700.

Weekly futures activity from the LME

Futures trading of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and polypropylene (PP) on the London Metal Exchange (LME) for the shortened trading week of May 29-June 1 saw a low price for LLDPE of $1190/tonne set on Wednesday, May 30, and Thursday, May 31, for June buyers. LLDPE’s high of $1240/tonne was reached on Tuesday, May 29, for August sellers.

For PP, a low price of $1180/tonne was reached on Wednesday, May 30, and Thursday, May 31, for June buyers. The high of $1245/tonne was reached on Tuesday, May 29, for August sellers.