Web Exclusive: NPE2009 wrapup

Our extensive post-NPE2009 coverage continues here in this web exclusive. Visit "NPE Central" at our Plastics Today site for the coverage from our September issue.

Rapid prototyping
Objet Geometries debuts Connex350 3D printer
Objet Geometries (Rehovot, Israel) launched its Connex350 3D printer at NPE2009, the company’s second rapid prototyping system that allows product developers and manufacturers to simultaneously print multiple materials with different mechanical properties. Modeled after Objet’s Connex500, which the company said is the only other printer in the world with multiple-material capability, the Connex350 features the same “revolutionary” technology as its predecessor.

Like the Connex500, the Connex350 uses Objet’s patented PolyJet Matrix Technology, which the company says yields high-quality multimaterial models with unprecedented levels of detail and accuracy that closely emulate the look, feel, and function of end products.

The system achieves multimaterial printing by jetting two distinct Objet FullCure photo-polymer model materials in preset combinations from designated nozzles. The dual-jet process combines these multiple materials to produce mixed parts and to create one-of-a-kind composite materials known as Digital Materials, that have preset, user-defined combinations of mechanical properties—a feature available only on Connex systems.

The combination of rubberlike, flexible material and rigid material allows users to print models for a wide variety of applications, said Objet, from coating and shock absorbers to living hinges and gaskets. The Connex350 reportedly allows perfect simulation of overmolded parts, saving time and money, and the resulting models are extremely durable with exceptionally smooth surface finish. Objet Geometries, www.objet.com/Connex350


Blowmolding
Transition from PC to PET addressed
Stretch blowmolding machinery manufacturer Sipa (Vittorio Veneto, Italy) brought a new unit to NPE that it predicts will benefit from the outcry of BPA and the resulting transition from polycarbonate (which contains BPA) to PET. The new unit is a two-cavity inline machine for processing bottles sized up to 40 liters. Also at the stand was a small rotary stretch blowmolding unit, SFR6, which was sold to GK Packaging in Plain City, OH. Sipa, www.sipa.it

Eurotherm, Bekum team up on new controls
Bekum America Corp., one of the world’s leading manufacturers of blowmolding machinery, worked with Eurotherm (Sterling, VA) to integrate the latter company’s new Optima Plus PC-based operator interface. “Processors increasingly are asking for control over every aspect of the process,” noted Steve London, Bekum’s executive VP, citing energy use as just one of the outputs expected. With the new control, a user not only can run the blowmolding machine but also controls the leak tester and other auxiliary equipment, added Eurotherm’s Steve Schroeder, business development manager–plastics. The control has the look and feel of a standard Bekum but includes more intelligence for improved repeatability and reliability. Bekum handles the sequence and screen software itself at its plant. Bekum, www.bekumamerica.com; Eurotherm, www.eurotherm.com

W. Amsler has 5000-bottles/hr output in a 400-ft² stand
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) stretch blowmolding machinery (SBM) supplier W. Amsler (Richmond Hill, ON) brought two machines to NPE2009 for the first time in its history, selling one before noon on the first day of the show. Custom blowmolder Dahl-Tech (Stillwater, MN) took delivery of the L-25 stretch blowmolding (SBM) line directly from McCormick Place, bringing its stable of PET SBM machines to three. The lines join 12 Uniloy extrusion blowmolding units, according to Mark Dahlke, Dahl-Tech VP of manufacturing.

Heidi Amsler, sales and marketing manager for W. Amsler, said the L-22 and L-25 systems in its booth gave the 20-by-20-ft stand a possible throughput of more than 5000 bottles/hr. W. Amsler’s lines offer throughputs from 1800-24,000 bottles/hr, with systems over 10,000 bottles using a rotary design. At the show, the company was stretch blowmolding jars that utilized a spin cutter to remove the top. W. Amsler Equipment Inc., www.amslerequipment.net

R&B Plastics comes to market with rotary, shuttle, and wheel systems
During NPE2009, R&B Plastics Machinery (Saline, MI), which supplies large-output rotary, shuttle, and wheel-style blowmolding machines in addition to single-screw extruders, revelead that at the time of the show, it was currently building two blowmolding machines back at its Saline facility to fulfill customer orders. Al Hodge, VP of sales at R&B, expected the machines, a hydraulic wheel and a rotary line for Consolidated Container and Sun Products, respectively, to be completed by late July.

The company shared a booth with its partner, tooling supplier Monroe Mold (Monroe, MI). The supplier of blowmolds and trim tooling was promoting its RSM (rapid shuttle mold) system, wherein its builds aluminum tools in one week, with bottle samples possible only two days after tool build. Monroe, which like R&B is owned by Talon Co., also supplies tools in stainless steel and beryllium copper, among other materials. R&B Plastics Machinery, www.rbplasticsmachinery.com

Kautex emphasizes packaging, nonautomotive fuel tanks
In a relatively bleak capital-equipment market, Germany’s Kautex Maschinenbau (Bonn, Germany) shared glimmers of hope in extrusion blowmolding (EBM) at NPE2009. Managing director Andreas Lichtenauer said the company missed its sales target of $100 million in 2008, but the $90.82 million it achieved was only slightly off 2007 ($93.06 million) after steadily climbing from $66.27 million in 2004. Services continue to occupy an increasing share of total revenue, accounting for $30.5 million in 2008, nearly double 2004’s $16.5 million. Service revenue, which includes spare parts, retrofit, and training, actually eclipsed machinery sales in the U.S. in 2006 and 2008, while nearly outpacing them in 2007 as well. The company has worked to decentralize its service function, which includes only direct technicians, with warehouses and spare parts now in New Jersey, Germany, and China.

After abandoning the market under its previous owners, Kautex, which underwent a management buyout in 2007, continues its push to reenter the packaging sector. Lichtenauer said that by the end of 2009, Kautex wants at least 30% of its business to come from packaging, including industrial bulk containers, drums, jerry cans, and the like. In 2004, packaging made up less than 10% of its business.

On the packaging front, Kautex shared work it’s done in France with consumer-goods giant Procter & Gamble to build out an extrusion plant that uses Kautex’s KLS 1400D system to blowmold shampoo bottles in a 2x16-cavity mold.

Outside packaging, the company anticipates more activity for nonautomotive fuel tanks, with each year recently bringing new emissions regulations for everything from lawn mowers to boats to off-road vehicles. The company discussed sales of machines designed for just such applications, delivering a six-layer-capable KBS241-CoEx to Agri-Industrial Plastics (Fairfield, IA) with a KBSmart120 delivered to Japan. That system, which features robotic manipulation of parisons and throughput of 670 kg/hr, has been optimized for 50-liter fuel tanks. The company already delivered a KBSmart60 for the production of Suzuki motorcycle gas tanks.

The company is also working on a fuel tank of a different variety, helping a Norwegian customer develop vessels to store natural gas and nitrogen for alternative-fuel vehicles. Working under pressures of 200 bar, the vessels would replace metal versions with blowmolded Lupolen high-density polyethylene from LyondellBasell wrapped with carbon fibers in a secondary step for a tank weighing 12 kg compared to 40 kg. Kautex Maschinenbau, www.kautex-group.com

W. Müller, Bekum team with moldmaker for fade effect
Blowmolding extrusion head manufacturer W. Müller continued its collaboration with extrusion blowmolding machine supplier Bekum and moldmaker Fidelity Tool & Mold at NPE2009. This time, the collaboration, which previously resulted in the multiparting line technology alliance, brought a color-fading technology to McCormick Place. The technology has already been applied in the marketplace, including on some well-known consumer goods, but is now available for broader use. Bekum’s booth displayed the technology using a W. Müller extrusion head and Fidelity tool that allows monolayer systems to create a very subtle color-fade effect on bottles, with the die rotated to control thickness. The technology can be retrofitted to existing machines. Bekum America Corp., www.bekumamerica.com; Fidelity Tool & Mold Inc., www.fidelitytool.com; W. Müller USA Inc., www.mullerheads.com

Uniloy, B&W tout energy efficiency
You want energy savings? The all-electric single-station machine UMS 4E.S reportedly uses no energy once the blowmold is closed. Uniloy Milacron Germany and the machine’s designer B&W Blowmoulding Systems (Grossbeeren, Germany) displayed the all-electric blowmolding machine during NPE2009 at the stand of B&W’s U.S. partner, FGH Systems Inc. (Denville, NJ). Compared to a hydraulic system, B&W and Uniloy say their system cuts energy consumption related to machine movements by 70%. The companies report that energy is only required to close the mold and to weld the parison, so that once the mold is closed, power consumption is zero. During the blow process no energy is needed to keep the mold shut, with the same concept applicable to other machine movements, like calibration and carriage.

Clamp force is produced by direct drives in the UMS 4E.S so that kinetic energy is directly transferred into the platens without additional mechanical systems or levers. The electric drives that replace the hydraulic cylinders fit into the existing machine concept, with the system’s base remaining as is. In addition, since the mold installation data are unchanged, processors with the same UMS 4 machine model can interchange tools between hydraulic, hybrid, or all-electric machines.

The UMS 4E.S, which has a clamp force of 40 kN and max daylight of 150 mm, features a W. Müller centerflow extrusion head and a Baumüller torque motor for the grooved barrel extruder type ENN 50/24. Omitting the gearbox not only improves the efficiency and performance of the motor but also reduces the number of wear parts, according to the supplier. The system also boasts lower noise levels (max 69 dBa thanks to electric drives) and a smaller footprint (reduced 22% by integrating the control cabinet into the extruder base frame.)

The concept was new to NPE but not to the plastics world, with a a hybrid UMS 16H.S machine introduced at K 2007. B&W and Uniloy say the next step will be a 12-ton all-electric machine set to launch in 2009.

Uniloy Milacron North America (UMNA; Tecumseh, MI) promoted its 16-cavity reciprocating-screw blowmolding machine at NPE2009, publicizing the sale of the first two such systems just prior to NPE2009 to what it called a major household chemical manufacturer. The systems are the largest clamp size reciprocating blowmolding machines UMNA has ever built, with one unit capable of producing 16 850-ml high-density polyethylene (HDPE) rectangular fabric softener bottles per cycle—output Uniloy claims is faster than a wheel or shuttle machine with 10%-25% less energy usage. At present, the customer is operating both machines at a rate of 7200 containers/hr. Uniloy optimized the container and mold design, dropping the 39g weight by 10% while reducing the cycle time from 12 to 8 seconds.

In addition to offering information on the largest clamp size reciprocating machines that UMNA has built, the company extended the lower range of its reciprocating blowmolding machines, with the new Uniloy UR65. Designed for customers that need low- to medium-volume productivity, reduced energy usage, and a lower capital investment, the first UR65 was delivered to a custom molder in South America, with Uniloy noting that packaging production needs vary widely around the globe.

UMNA also used NPE2009 to promote its R2000 systems—neck-to-neck reciprocating-screw blowmolding systems that reportedly nearly double output without increasing machine size. The first two R2000s are in production at a dairy in Russia, producing white 100-ml, HDPE, liquid-yogurt containers at a finished weight of 6.5g and rate exceeding 20,000 containers/hr. Uniloy used its in-house container and mold design capabilities to create a new 100-ml bottle that cut raw-materials usage by 30%. FGH Systems Inc., www.fghsystems.com; Uniloy Milacron, www.uniloy.com

Techne takes Advance, System stateside
Italy’s Techne Technipack Engineering SpA (Techne; Bologna) ran its Advance ADV4-150 extrusion blowmolding (EBM) machine at NPE2009. The Advance debuted at the 2007 K show, where it produced 250-ml cosmetic bottles from 5+5-cavity tooling for hourly production of 8930 containers. In Chicago, the Advance ran a 20-cavity tool for the production of 250-ml personal-care bottles. Techne says the Advance has an average energy consumption reduction of 35% over a fully hydraulic counterpart.
In addition to the Advance, Techne’s booth included a hydraulic single-shuttle System 10000-S900 that was using a three-cavity tool to produce 2.5-gal three-layer coextruded canisters. Techne says the machine utilizes the Veltech fast-cooling system to boost throughput and is built in a way to maximize throughput relative to its footprint. The company says the system’s clamping force allows it to produce complex, multilayer containers in multicavity tools. Technipack Engineering SpA, www.techne-it.com

Davis-Standard aims to help blowmolders take control
Davis-Standard LLC (Fulton, NY) displayed its recently introduced Maco 6500RSE blowmolding control system at NPE2009, updating the Maco 6500RS launched in 2005. The control, which is available for retrofit, offers a number of enhancements, including faster screen updates. The user interface has been upgraded to Wonderware 8.0 and Windows XP Professional and communicates with the PLC over two separate servers instead of one, so that setpoints are sent over one server while values are transmitted across the other. Other upgrades include multiple languages, an upgraded log to track operator changes, a statistical process control tracking 34 parameters/cycle, recipe saving, and a heat soak feature that requires the system be above the low temperature alarm for at least 2 hours before the extruder and head-tooling programming-hydraulics will run. The PLC and operator station both now have an uninterruptible power supply, and as with the Maco 6500RS, the system has a closed-loop synchronous shoot/fill, adaptive speed control, and PLC ladder logic that can be viewed in real time. Davis-Standard LLC, www.davis-standard.com

PTI introduces foamed PET bottles, recycling plant in a shipping container
Plastic Technologies Inc. (PTI; Holland, OH) introduced what it called a lightweight foamed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle/jar blowmolding process at NPE2009. The oPTI is based on Trexel’s MuCell microcellular foam technology, and PTI says it will provide food and beverage brand owners a broader range of PET container aesthetics and performance capabilities, including white or silvery colored bottles made without additives and unique surface feel to minimize slipping. PTI says this process results in more prominent blowmolded surface details, enabling decorations like embossed logos to stand out better. Since no additives are used to achieve the color effect, white foamed bottles can mold into transparent bottles after remelting and subsequent processing. In addition to white, silver, blue, and green, a variety of pastel colors like amber, yellow, and pink are also possible. Containers can be made from slightly translucent to opaque depending on desired aesthetics and performance.

On the performance side, since the foam process adds stiffness, lightweighting of up to 5% is feasible without significant loss of performance. The technology also produces bottles that have significant light-barrier characteristics, with up to a 95% reduction in transmitted light possible.

To make the bottles, nitrogen is injected into melt through the barrel on a modified preform molding machine, creating a single-phase solution of polymer and gas. As cavity-fill pressure is dropped below nucleation pressure during the injection cycle, foam is produced, and as the foam cells expands, the gas is diffused into bubbles. Processing conditions control cell growth in the finished preforms, which can be blowmolded on conventional, unmodified blowmolding machines.

Of interest going forward: Initial evidence indicates that at higher gas levels, foam containers can withstand hot filling without excessive shrinkage, potentially putting hot-fill containers in the realm of possibility.

PTI also launched a compact, modular system to produce food-grade, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET). Launched by PTI subsidiary PTI Recycling Systems, the platform is intended to bring the LNOc rPET production process to the global marketplace. For the past two years, LNOc resin has been produced for commercial use in the U.S. by Phoenix Technologies (Bowling Green, OH).

The equipment requires less than 2500 ft² of space and can produce 10 million lb (4500 tonnes) of rPET, with the ability to double capacity through an add-on module. Plastic Technologies Inc., www.plastictechnologies.com

Thermoforming
Improved precision on the Quad
Brown Machine LLC (Beaverton, MI) introduced its Quad Series thermoformer, which it says comes fully equipped with a variety of premiums. The cornerstone of this line is a new forming station that provides thermoformers with more precise and consistent thermoformed product than previous systems, said the company. With up to 260 tons of holding force and 150 tons of coining force, the new forming station ensures virtually zero deflection—0.0035 inch—across the entire mold area. “Once you have closed the machine there is almost no deflection, so that material is not moving,” explained Jim Robbins, VP marketing.

“This new design is to meet the market needs for PP and barrier products,” he continued. “Currently there are five of these Quad Series machines in the field, one that is producing 250,000 lids/hr in a 50x60 forming bed with 132 cavities, for cups.” The Quad Series form station design (with patent-pending features from Brown) combines continuous thermoforming technology with stamping (coining) technology to produce detailed parts quickly and consistently. The system is also available with Brown’s patented roller-screw third-motion technology that improves material distribution, reduces starting gauges, and provides a greater process window. That results in better parts, faster, and with less scrap material, said the company. Brown Machine LLC, www.brown-machine.com

New advancements from GN Thermoforming
Meeting the growing demand for thermoforming of APET packaging, GN Thermoforming Equipment (Chester, Nova Scotia) introduced new forming technology, DX Series Thermoformers, that target PET. They include servo-controlled movements to provide an energy-saving system requiring a maximum of 12 kW/hr under production conditions. Estimated energy savings calculated on a typical hourly cost of $CA 0.12 per kW is $CA 3000 per year running five days with 8-hour/day shifts. The savings are exponential when running production 24/7.

The DX Series has an advanced cutting system that provides increased cutting capacity. The maximum cutting knife length for the 3021DX is 8.5m, and for the 3625DX the maximum cutting knife length is 10.5m, which is more than the previous equipment.
“Traditionally, when cutting PET in thin-gauge thermoforming, the linear knife length was reduced,” said Ray Larade, sales representative for GN. “We’ve beefed up the knife by working with our suppliers to get a better steel for PET to increase cutting capacity, and now it cuts PET like butter.”

The DX Series, which includes the GN3021DX and GN3625DX, was designed with reinforced cast beams to provide rigidity required to maintain consistency across the cutting surface when cutting APET and RPET materials. The DX Series also runs quiet, and provides more tonnage for cutting PET. “We’re cutting PET like an OPS now,” said Larade. “With more PET coming into play, we’ve adjusted our equipment for these market trends.”

Larade also pointed out GN’s new Tool Specific Heater platen that allows quick tool changes (within 10 minutes) and increased cycle speeds up to 30%. The hot plate focuses the heat and air much more directly on each cavity for optimum clarity and material distribution, Larade explained. “This represents a dramatic increase of forming air supply. Additionally, if you want to speed up the cycle for larger volumes, we offer a customized hot plate,” he added. GN Thermoforming Equipment, www.gnthermoformingequipment.com

New tilt technology from Thermoforming Systems
Thermoforming Systems LLC (Union Gap, WA) promoted its new Tilt Technology with the FT 3500, developed to accommodate the growing midsized trim-in-place machine market primarily for polypropylene processing. The machine forms and trims parts up to 5.91 inches (150 mm) deep in a single station with a forming area of 30.51 inches (775 mm) by 17.72 inches (450 mm).
The TLS patent-pending Tilt Technology is a synchronized dual-servo-toggle-driven design that provides a rugged, high-speed forming platform for a reliable and repeatable thermoforming process, said Dale Irwin, VP sales and marketing. Thermoforming Systems LLC, www.tslusa.biz

Automation
Better robots, same price
“We brought 11 robots and sold six,” said Ronald Bryant, equipment sales manager at robot manufacturer Yushin America Inc. (Cranston, RI), who called NPE “fantastic for my company.” He said the company’s RCII range of servodriven top-entry robots, introduced at NPE, would replace its established RA models at the same price point but with 15% higher speeds. The RCII robots are available for horizontal molding machines with 80-650 tons of clamp force.

The manufacturer showed off its cleanroom robotics’ capabilities at the show by running a lubricant-free YAII Series robot in a room at its stand, with particle measurements clear for all to see. Yushin, www.yushinamerica.com

Robot helps with three-piece resealable closure for cans
A three-piece resealable closure designed for aluminum cans highlighted work by two German companies, moldmaker Foboha and automation supplier Hekuma (Eching). The closures were part of Hekuma’s NPE display. Neither firm would disclose much information about the specifics of the manufacturing of the closures, but they have a three-piece design that includes two plastic pieces and a can’s metal top. The closures are being introduced now in Europe on Burn-brand energy drink cans, and in the U.S. on cans for Monster-brand energy drink.

Two Foboha spin stack molds are in operation for the project, with the molding still being done at that moldmaker’s headquarters in Germany, and automation from Hekuma used to handle pre- and postprocessing automation for the closures. Ball Packaging Europe is the molds’ owner, and has dubbed the new closures as its Ball Resealable End (BRE) project, with the design already winning Can of the Year and Best in Metal design awards. Hekuma, www.hekuma.com

Like a video game for your robot
New from Sepro America LLC (Pittsburgh, PA) at NPE was its Visual 2 robot control, with a superfast scan rate as fast as 100 milliseconds. Easing the operator interface is a joystick and a 10-inch touch-sensitive color LCD screen. With the joystick a user can actually steer the robot to fine-tune its movements. Jim Healy, VP sales and marketing at the company, said the Visual 2 is as easy to learn to use as a video game, with intuitive graphics and fast response times. The control can drive up to 16 axes and offers options ranging from simple pick-and-place modules to direct programming of complex routines. Sepro America, www.seproamerica.com

Low- and reduced-profile conveyors
The new low-profile conveyor line from Dynamic Conveyor Corp. (Muskegon, MI) can fit into tight spaces, with pedestal leg supports keeping the width to a minimum. Available in modules as short as 6.5 inches, these high-impact PC conveyors have 100-lb load capacities while remaining lightweight for easy assembly and portability. Both the variable-speed and single-speed energy-efficient 25W motors offer speeds of up to 80 ft/min and are quiet and maintenance-free.

Also new are reduced-profile modules, reducing the standard 8-inch profile height to 4.5 inches. Available in straight, incline, decline, or feed-end modules, they are interchangeable with the standard modular conveyors. A new over/under box-filling system is accurate up to 0.3 oz on the automated system that allows for unattended operation of filling boxes by cycle count, weight, or weigh count. Empty boxes are filled on the bottom conveyor, weighed, and raised with an electric lift assembly to the top conveyor, saving space by using a smaller footprint. Dynamic Conveyor Corp., www.dynamicconveyor.com

Box/tote conveyor

Using an energy-saving method for conveying boxes or totes, Harvard Factory Automation (HFA) introduced the 2280 powered-roller conveyor. A revised extrusion profile and side guiding provide versatility, and the conveyor can be configured to run continuously or to provide additional energy savings by being oriented for zoned zero pressure accumulation. The 1.9-inch-diameter steel rollers are mounted on 3-inch centers, and the conveyor comes with either heavy-duty steel support stands or extruded aluminum leg supports. Harvard Factory Automation, www.hfaconveyors.com

Mold/diemaking and rapid tooling
R& D/Leverage helps build brands
Mold manufacturing for R&D/Leverage (Lee’s Summit, MO) isn’t what it used to be. With the company’s entry into the world of brand-building for its OEM customers, the company has taken a giant leap forward in changing the culture of moldmaking and how OEMs look at mold manufacturing. The company recently introduced world-class package design and product design, all under one roof. Since the company’s announcement about a year ago, R&D/Leverage has become a full-service plastic packaging solution company, providing conceptual designs to retail and consumer audits, prototypes, and unit tool development to full production molds.

“We’ve anticipated the future of our industry and created a holistic approach to integrated plastic packaging solutions that is unlike any other,” said Rex Luchtel, CEO of R&D. “In partnering with our customers, we deliver powerful brand-building packaging that creates retail excitement, absolutely delights consumers, accelerates time-to-market, and moves the sales needle.”

In anticipation of growing demand for one-stop, cutting-edge product design and mold manufacturing, R&D and Leverage created interlinked resources to develop real-world, readily manufactured packaging solutions that help sell products and accelerate time-to-market. Markets the company serves includes food and beverage, home and personal care, healthcare, and others.

R&D/Leverage recently introduced a new closure technology using a consumer-friendly design for easy dispensing of viscous and chunky food products such as salsa. The company also developed a new consumer package design that matched the profile curve of a butter knife to that of the jar that typically holds thick products like peanut butter or mayonnaise, to allow for easy scooping of the product down to the last bit.

It is this type of innovation in partnership with Leverage (an integrated industrial design firm) that has made R&D more than a moldmaker and opened up a world of opportunities. “Today, R&D Integrated Solutions represents a complete solutions package,” said Alan Tolley, managing director, R&D UK. “Working in partnership with our customers, we provide the sales, technical, manufacturing, and aftersales support required in the present competitive marketplace.” R&D/Leverage, www.rdleverage.com

Mold craft unveils Quick Change mold design
Mold Craft Inc. (Willernie, MN) revealed an innovative concept in mold design called Quick Change at NPE2009. The Quick Change concept was designed to allow for flexible productivity at reduced costs. The design innovation provides faster production changeovers, thereby reducing press downtime at a fraction of the cost of multiple molds.

“The custom design can hold single or multiple cavities offering a 5-minute changeout of the cavity set,” stated Justin McPhee, VP of engineering at Mold Craft. “This is where the real benefits of adaptability and flexibility are realized.”

McPhee explained that with Quick Change, the mold base stays in the press and the Quick Change cavity set or dummy plates are quickly and easily changed out for molding of different and unique parts. “This combination of reduced production downtime, reduced labor for changeover, and reduced tooling investments will result in significantly improved profits for our customers,” he added.

The Quick Change mold base is fully hardened stainless steel with water cooling in each plate. The proprietary two-stage ejector system is activated through the standard ejector cycle to strip and eject the parts and runners. All components are fully hardened including gibs and wear plates for long-lasting production. The runner shutoff feature allows one or two Quick Change inserts to run simultaneously. The Quick Change cavity set is also fully hardened, water-cooled, 420 stainless steel with self-contained ejector system. The precision parting line guide pins and bushings reduce A-side-to-B-side mismatch within 0.0002 inch. To complement its two-stage stripper system, Mold Craft also offers a Quick Change System with standard ejection.

Optimal pplications for for the system include short production runs of multiple parts where the Quick Change cavity sets can be quickly and easily replaced. This concept allows for gained production time, less downtime, lower labor costs, and reduced tooling costs. “Mold Craft has about a hundred Quick Change cavity sets working in the field,” said Tim Bartz, VP of Mold Craft. “The two-stage Quick Change base costs $33,000, which includes a prehardened stainless dummy block for single-cavity operation. The actual Quick Change cavity sets are reasonably priced by quotation of cavity detail.” Mold Craft Inc., www.mold-craft.com

Tool steel calculator charts machine time savings
To allow moldmakers to compare drilling time of PX5 and P-20 or 4140, mold/die steel supplier International Mold Steel Inc. (Florence, KY) introduced its online calculator at NPE2009. Before using this calculator, the user is directed to read the time savings of PX5 shown on a Makino Wave Test Cut (provided by Makino). Also offered are suggestions to ensure a conservative estimate of total machine savings.

“Gundrillers have told us that not only is PX5 three times faster to gun drill, but also the accuracy is also much better,” said Mike Buckley, IMS’s technical sales manager. “The average drill is 0.001 inch in standard P-20. In PX5, there was virtually no wandering, despite the impressive speeds at which it can be drilled. This calculator helps any mold shop determine production savings in a snap.”

Another tool IMS introduced to help moldmakers do their jobs quickly is its new Takeda equipment for making the squaring of blocks for mold bases easy and fast. “It’s revolutionized the squaring of blocks,” said Paul Britton, national sales manager, Mold Products Div. “What used to take 3-4 hours we can do in 20 minutes with PX5, and hold a 0.0008-inch square.” The company also added a gun drill to provide additional services.

Also, IMS now carries Toolex 33 and 44 from Sweden. Toolex 44 is comparable to 45 Rockwell C material and requires no heat treating. It can be used instead of H-13, and has just been introduced for the first time for plastic injection molds, Britton explained. International Mold Steel Inc., www.imsteel.com

Ritemp expands globally
Ritemp Technologies Pty. Ltd. (Australia) announced that growing market acceptance of its patented mold cooling technology, first introduced in 1999, has created the opportunity to expand its presence globally. The company has developed marketing and sales organizations in Canada (SWM & Assoc.) and in Mumbai and Bangalore, India through its technology partner Unimark. In January 2008, Matrix Technology Specialists became its Asia technology partner. Supporting Matrix in injection mold design, particularly for thin-wall and inmold labeling applications and in the personal care market, is StackTeck, which has been a technology partner since December 2007. At NPE2009, Ritemp announced that it is in the final stages of negotiations with a strategic partner in Europe, to be released soon. Ritemp Technologies Pty. Ltd., www.ritemptechnologies.com

MicroTek Finishing brings new process to the U.S.
MicroTek Finishing (Hamilton, OH) introduced a new service to mold manufacturers in the U.S.—the Micro-Machining Process (MMP), developed by the Swiss company BestinClass. This surface-finishing technology is unique in its ability to select which elements of surface roughness will be removed and which, if any, will be left intact, explained Tim S. Bell, operations manager for MicroTek, which has the North American license for MMP. This selectivity allows MMP to create surfaces that are optimized for specific applications such as stamping, cutting, extruding, and injection molding. MicroTek claims that MMP-treated molds improve cycle time and reduce fouling, resulting in increased productivity and mold life.

Bell stated that MMP produces perfectly controlled surface states through a repeatable and traceable industrial process by combining a unique formulation of aggregates and catalysts with proprietary mechanical and physical processes developed in-house by BestinClass. He further explained that MMP removes minimal material from the surface, sometimes up to 40 µm, but typically only 1-10 µm. MicroTek Finishing, www.microtekfinishing.com

Midland Technologies displays slide assemblies, components
Midland Technologies Inc. (Rogers, MN) promoted its 500 Cam-Action Series that offers a full array of mechanical and hydraulic cams that operate “like workhorses,” said the company, repeatedly performing side actions to pull core pins or details out of parts being molded. The heavy-duty construction consists of prehardened H-13 steel with an Alpha surface coating. Base and horn pins are manufactured using hot work die steel, melanited for lubricity. The 500 Cam-Action Series come in four mechanical (up to a 2-inch stroke) and four hydraulic (up to a 4-inch stroke) sizes with metric sizes also available. Other features include top or bottom mounting, precalculated clearances for thermal expansion, and cylinder couplings for hydraulic cams. Midland Technologies Inc., www.midlandtechnologies.com

Mold temperature control
Mokon expands line, shifts to earth-friendly refrigerant
Temperature-control system supplier Mokon (Buffalo, NY) expanded its line of Hydrotherm circulating-water temperature-control systems at NPE2009, raising heating capacities up to 24 kW. The addition means the line is now available in standard heating capacities from 3-24 kW, ratings from 208-600V, pump sizes from ½-3 hp, and flow rates from 15-60 gpm. The additional 18- and 24-kW systems feature a slightly larger cabinet to allow for higher capacities, as well as an energy-saving automatic high-low heat selection. Stainless steel is used for surfaces that are exposed to moisture, including the pump, heater canister, and pump-suction manifold.

The system at NPE featured an E+ Energy Savings Package, including an insulated heater canister that reduces heat loss by 60%; a 4-20 mA PID control that matches output to process demand; SCR switching for faster response and extended heater life; and a ventilated cabinet to extend electrical component life.

The product has hybrid-epoxy powder-coated cabinetry and uses low-watt-density heating elements and a two-pass stainless-steel heating canister via a flow diverter, reportedly resulting in small holdup volume, turbulent flow, and water being channeled over the heating elements for enhanced heat-transfer efficiency and extended heater life. UL-labeled electrical, the subpanels and systems meet NFPA 79 electrical standards for industrial machinery. An extended warranty, covering three years on the system and five years on the microprocessor control and safeties, is standard, with lifetime coverage on seals, piping, and the canister.

Mokon also announced that it now offers R-407C refrigerant for its line of Iceman portable and central chiller systems. R-407C is considered an environmentally friendly refrigerant with no ozone-depleting properties. The company says R-407C has similar properties and pressure ratings to R-22, as well as one of the lowest Global Warming Potential (GWP) values. The refrigerant has been accepted in Europe for many years, and the U.S. government has mandated the phaseout of R-22 by January 2010. Mokon, Buffalo, NY; www.mokon.com

No wasted water with fluid cooler
The closed-loop Hydra fluid cooler from Advantage Engineering Inc. (Greenwood, IN) uses a low-pressure sump pump to distribute water over the evaporative media without wet areas or water wasting associated with misting systems. When the ambient temperature drops below the desired process fluid temperature, the cooler automatically switches to dry mode, and the system can maintain fluid temperatures low enough to provide hydraulic and condenser cooling even at ambient temperatures above 95°F.

The Maximum Series portable chillers use digital scroll compressors to modulate chiller capacity from 20%-100%, utilizing axial and radial compliance to allow the fixed scroll to move in both axial and radial directions to maximize efficiency. This compliance also allows unexpected debris or liquid to be safely discharged without damaging the compressor. By controlling the amount of time the compressor is in the unloaded state, energy savings are achieved compared to traditional portable chillers that use hot gas bypass for capacity modulation. Advantage Engineering Inc., www.advantageengineering.com

Chiller control staves off freezing
A new control system from Berg Chilling Systems Inc. (Toronto, ON) allows the water temperature from chillers to be as low as 34°F without glycol or freezing issues. Berg’s new blown-film cooler uses a replaceable, inexpensive demister pad to prevent condensation issues that are especially difficult in humid climates. Berg’s portable chillers now have low-noise, high-efficiency fans on indoor air-cooled, packaged portable condensers. Berg Chilling Systems Inc., www.berg-group.com

Cooling units add up the energy savings
Ideal for applications where a common temperature is used on multiple machines, Frigel’s (East Dundee, IL) Turbocor variable-speed centrifugal technology and oil-free magnetic bearings are used in what the company says is its most energy-efficient product to date, the Ecoflex centralized modular chilling station. The flexible, expandable units use cooled water from the company’s Ecodry system and can be linked together as needed for higher capacities. The unit on display offered 90 tons cooling capacity in a third the size of a traditional chilling station, and also uses 70% less refrigerant gas, thanks to plate heat exchange technology.

Replacing the Ecodry EDG is the Ecodry EDK adiabatic liquid cooler, which features an enhanced V-shaped adiabatic chamber for better airflow, humidification, and reduced air pressure for even more energy and water savings. The brushless fan motors are said to decrease operating expenses 41% over AC motors. Frigel, www.frigel.com

Coolers, chillers run more efficiently
A patented high-pressure atomizing system on the new Hybrid Series adiabatic fluid coolers from Thermal Care Inc. (Niles, IL) uses water vapor to cool warm summer air, generating 85°F temperatures (as opposed to more than 90°) year-round in most locations. Since it atomizes water instead of misting, there is no need for replacement of drift filters, and the inlet air temperature can be lowered without any moisture on the coils.

A new line of portable chillers, the NQ Series, feature all-aluminum, corrosion-resistant micro-channel condensers that require a smaller refrigerant charge and are between 4 and 11 dbA quieter than the company’s legacy product lines. RTD sensors have replaced thermocouples for increased accuracy and temperature, and a stepper motor-driven valve is used for hot gas bypass, which offers more precise control than a solenoid valve. For better control, a color touch-screen Panasonic PLC system combines a control, operator interface, I/O, and networking capability into one unit, which has the ability to change parameters as ambient conditions change to optimize performance. Thermal Care Inc., www.thermalcare.co

Sensors and process control
RJG pushes process control technically and geographically
RJG (Traverse City, MI) brought out nifty new software for hot runner balancing, plus new sensors, and because not every mold is sensor-equipped, software that monitors them anyway. With Balance Viewer software in RJG’s eDart process control, and pressure or temperature sensors in the mold cavities, cavity fill times are computed that directly reflect fill imbalance—and the difference is shown visually. Reduce the tip temp for the high bars and raise it for the low ones until they balance. You can also check the balance of filling and packing, pressurizing, and mold temperature. Odd behavior in a balanced tool can set off a warning that won’t be masked by automatic control adjustments.

RJG’s new temperature sensors include a 1-mm flush-mount miniaturized K-type cavity unit available with machinable or nonmachinable tips, and a 1.5-mm spring-loaded miniaturized K-type sensor that can be mounted behind the cavity surface so no witness marks are on the part; plus, it’s removable for easy maintenance. And since proper installation is so critical to a sensor, RJG’s Flush Mount Sensor Press Fit Insert provides a complete 4-mm pocket for a flush-mount sensor with all the critical dimensions already taken care of. Choose location, drill a clearance hole, bore the inside pocket, cut a cable channel, press-fit the insert, and you are a genius installer. RJG, www.rjginc.com

Automatic hot runner balancing
Cavity pressure during injection molding is, according to the Kistler Group (Amherst, NY), the critical process variable for evaluating part quality, and it is also the most informative variable for balancing hot runner molds. So at NPE2009 the company was talking about the new MultiFlow option that, added to Kistler’s CoMo Injection process monitoring system Type 2869B, adds automatic hot runner balancing to CoMo’s process monitoring.

CoMo Injection with MultiFlow measures pressure in each cavity of a hot runner mold from injection through compression and hold pressure to the cooling phase. It analyzes the pressure curves during injection and holding, automatically calculates new setpoint temperatures for each hot runner nozzle, and transfers the new setpoints to the HR control. Balancing the hot runners is automatic at startup and through production, and the CoMo Injection system continues to monitor the quality of all parts produced and automatically separating rejects. Kistler Group, www.kistler.com

Hot runner controls feature prominently
Among the new technologies Priamus System Technologies (Brunswick, OH) has added to its arsenal of process monitoring and control systems, hot runner control features prominently. Noting that each nozzle in a HR system can react differently in use, particularly after reassembly, Priamus Fill hot runner balancing technology now includes automatic analysis of each nozzle’s sensitivity based on flow behavior in the individual cavity as nozzle temperatures are changed. One then can see at a glance how they differ and take action.

Since adjusting nozzle temperatures may not be enough to achieve cavity balance, particularly in slow-acting HR systems, another control algorithm has been added to Priamus Fill that compensates for differing flow by automatically adjusting the time delay to open the nozzles. Priamus notes that this is particularly useful in the ever-increasing field of liquid silicone molding, where flow differences to be balanced are even more pronounced than with thermoplastics.

Whether or not there are hot runners, process variations would diminish greatly if material viscosity did not change during a production run. Calling viscosity the main criterion for a constant process, Priamus at NPE2009 showed how to monitor viscosity automatically in the mold cavity by detecting, monitoring, and documenting the rise of pressure and temperature signals during the injection process and analyzing them for viscosity variation. As with all its recent software products, this tool allows detection of more than one viscosity, allowing monitoring of a multicavity mold or several areas of a large part. Priamus System Technologies, www.priamus.com

Linear position sensors replace proximity sensor arrays
Had any show visitor thought that all the progress in sensor technology is taking place inside molds, a stop at MTS Systems Corp. in McCormick Place’s South Hall changed that. For one thing, Matt Hankinson, the company’s technical marketing chief, pointed to a number of injection molding machines in nearby booths, on which you easily could see the MTS sensors in action. The Temposonics linear-position sensors the company makes have led the charge to displace the arrays of proximity sensors that once dominated position sensing on injection systems. One MTS sensor will generate up to 20 simultaneous position outputs along the sensing element, a feature that makes them ideal for injection and many other types of machinery.

Thanks to that multiposition capability, two MTS Temposonic units can measure the position of the clamp, the injector, the tiebar, and the ejection unit—the four critical movement axes on the machine—with only two units. And now they can do it faster. MTS was showing off its new fast-rate option, which allows measurement updates every 100 ms by shortening the cycle time for a measured value. The control can read absolute position values at an update frequency up to 10 kHz, synchronized with an external clock. Hankinson said the improved performance of the Temposonics sensors can substantially increase productivity and thus decrease costs. MTS Systems Corp., www.mts.com

Precise control for less cost
Eurotherm (Leesburg, VA) is promising just that with its new EM-3c control system for small extruders. According to the supplier, the efficiencies realized by using Microsoft’s Windows CE.net operating system mean the control system is available at costs up to 30% less than earlier PC-based versions. It is based on the established Maco Compact System platform and can be used for extruder temperature and pressure control, or control of the complete line. Eurotherm, www.eurotherm.com

Software
IQMS’s online forum gives users a voice in software’s direction
IQMS (Paso Robles, CA) is asking the experts—its users—how its EnterpriseIQ ERP software can be improved, launching a Community Server that acts as an online user group where IQMS licensees can submit changes to the program that are voted on by other users. If the modifications are accepted, they are then implemented by the company. Randall Flamm, IQMS president, told MPW that in the past, the company has offered multiday user group events, during which IQMS customers would travel and in a conference setting submit potential changes for the system. Flamm says the new “agile software” approach allows for an “ongoing user group that can be active all year long” for changes that occur at “the speed of light, instead of the speed of an airplane.”

If a current customer doesn’t want to accept the change that has been pushed forward by the group, it can opt out of it, and Flamm said before any modifications are implemented, IQMS verifies they will not have a deleterious effect on upstream or downstream systems. Glenn Nowak, VP of IQMS, said the Community Server, which has undergone a soft launch before being pushed out to its 500-plus customers, has already generated interest from existing clients. “[Community Server] is solving the everyday business issues of our customers,” Nowak said, adding that the community of users has put forward tweaks to the program that IQMS had not anticipated but are of value. IQMS, www.iqms.com

Accuracy, speed define recent Moldflow release
Autodesk Moldflow 2010, the latest version of the well-known molding simulation software and optimization tool, and now a part of Autodesk’s total solution package called Digital Prototyping, was previewed at NPE2009, a month before its commercial availability. Autodesk (Waltham, MA) says Moldflow 2010 now offers native support for Autodesk Inventor and a variety of other CAD models to improve integration with the product design and development process.

Samir Hanna, VP of digital factory/industrial design within Autodesk’s Manufacturing Industry Group, says this second release of Moldflow 2010 is more accurate than ever. Improved meshing technology for 3D models enables more accurate predictions of plastics designs and processes. For example, the software provides better mesh quality in thick-to-thin transition areas, in corners, and at the edge of a part. “Customers can troubleshoot and optimize plastics parts from the start of the improvements to product design cycle all the way to the manufacturing process,” says Hanna.

Besides integrating multi-CAD support in Moldflow Insight, the new version has been made faster overall. Also, Autodesk says this is the first plastics simulation software to leverage cutting-edge graphics processing unit (GPU) technology from NVIDIA Corp. for distributing analysis calculations across a GPU’s hundreds of processor cores. CAE analysts can create designs and analyze more variations in shorter time, cutting the time to the final digital representation while improving the part’s design. Autodesk–Moldflow, www.moldflow.com

Assembly and decorating
System competes against inmold, thermal transfer
Making its debut at a show was the patent-pending Stealth Screening dry-offset printing system from Carey Color (Sharon Center, OH). Claimed to be three times less expensive than inmold decorating but producing as high or better-quality graphics, this technology results from refinements in CO2 lasers and laser ablation processes. Girard Moravcik, president/CEO at the company, said the digital imaging system is able to create half-tone dots three-dimensionally and also has control of the dot shoulder to do below-surface imaging to control dot gain. He says offset-like vignettes to 0% are now attainable.
The new unit confronts three problems associated with traditional dry-offset printing by eliminating wet-trapping of inks and increases print contrast for a continuous tone look; ink contamination is done away with; and the usual rosette pattern of dots is also eradicated so there is no overlapping of dot patterns. Carey Color Inc., www.careyweb.com

Supplies
Bunting expands magnet lines
Bunting Magnetics Co. (Newton, KS) brought a new pneumatic continuous-cleaning HF Drawer Magnet designed to fully extend magnetic cartridges outside the housing, allowing the magnets to be self-cleaned while product is still flowing. This product has a standard two-row model but is available with three- and four-row trays as well.

The company also expanded its magnetic-separation ValueMag line to include magnetic cartridges, plate magnets, grate magnets, liquid line traps, two-drawer grate-in-housing magnets, and sight-glass magnets. Bunting Magnetics Co., www.buntingmagnetics.com

If you haven't already checked it out, you can find the rest of our extensive NPE2009 wrapup coverage here. —[email protected], [email protected]