Düsseldorf: Undeterred by rail strikes in Germany and protests in France, exhibitors and attendees made their way to Düsseldorf and the K as the show opened its brightly lit exhibition halls this morning under rainy skies. Fortunately the local train service is not part of the intercity rail disruptions, and the U-Bahn cars heading to the fairgrounds were full. PlasticsToday, Modern Plastics Worldwide, and Injection Molding Magazine are all in attendance as well, as we report for the official English-language K Show Daily. We'll also be bringing the news straight to you from K as it happens via our K Channel on PlasticsToday.com and in each day's NewsFeed newsletter, so stay tuned throughout week.

From the show floor (Oct. 27)
Davis-Standard: Adding a valued customer base and proprietary technology in a sought-after market, Davis-Standard LLC (Pawcatuck, CT) has entered into a binding purchase agreement with medical tubing extruder supplier Harrel Inc. (Norwalk, CT). Jim Murphy, president extrusion systems Davis-Standard (16A43), told the KSD that the deal is expected to be finalized and Harrel moved out from its Norwalk facility to Davis-Standard’s Pawcatuck headquarters by the end of November, pending shareholder approval from Harrel. Read more here.

Arburg: No layoffs, continued investment and a 50% increase in orders compared to last year: the executive team from injection molding machine manufacturer Arburg (Stand 13A13) had plenty of good news to share yesterday in a press conference held in CCD Süd.” From Arburg’s point of view, there is only good news to report,” said Michael Hehl, managing partner and spokesperson for the company’s management team. The company is operating again at full capacity, he added. Read more here.

Husky: Never in the Husky history have so many new products been introduced as at K 2010, and for the first time at a Husky stand the new products include all-electric injection molding machinery. Read more here.

Engel: Speaking at his company’s K 2010 press conference yesterday, Dr. Peter Neumann, CEO of the of the Austrian-based Engel-Group made it clear that this global supplier of injection molding machinery and automation systems did not let the 2009 economic crisis go to waste. As a result, the Group is enjoying a 60% growth in sales this year over 2009. Read more here.

Windmöller & Hölscher: A new die design tailored specifically for polyolefins is allowing Windmöller & Hölscher (W&H) to churn out tissue film at an output of more than 1000 kg/hr from its stand in Hall 17 Stand A59. The 5-layer 400-mm Maxicone P die is being fed from a Varex blown-film extrusion system at the base of a more than 15m-high tower. Read more here.

Assocomaplast: What better way to headline the expertise and know-how of Italian technology than by showing the tops in racing cars? Designed and built by motoring consultancy specialist Dellara (Varano de’ Melegari, Italy), the aerodynamic vehicle weighs only 650 kg thanks to its revolutionary design, says Francesco Ravanetti from the company’s commercial department. Read more here.

Solvay: The Solvay Group, headquartered in Brussels, announced plans to develop a new renewably sourced polyamide in cooperation with Mitsubishi Gas Chemicals. The work is initially focused on development of a polymer for durable applications with a heat deflection temperature of 270°C for glass-filled compounds. Read more here.

Telles: Already offering processors bioplastics for injection molding, sheet extrusion, and film extrusion, Telles (Stand 5D10-6) has expanded the range of conversion technologies covered by its Mirel polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) to thermoforming. Approved for food-contact applications, Daniel Gilliland, director of business development, and Debra Darby, director of marketing communications, told the KSD that PHA’s high-temperature durability gives the new thermoforming material immediate entrée into applications like hot-drink lids, with a working temperature of 212°F and heat distortion of 240-250°F. Read more here.

Cencorp: Quasi-simultaneous welding entails guiding a laser beam along the entire weld path multiple times using a high-speed scanner to deliver superior weld characteristics for plastic components. A classic example of this approach is XPRS Welding Technology exhibited at the K Show by Cencorp. Read more here.

Meech International: A high-voltage generator lies at the core of an inmold labeling (IML) pinning system that employs the static principle to fix labels in the injection tool. Debuted at K by Meech International (Stand 11B60), the 994 IML high-voltage generator works in conjunction with the recently introduced Meech Hydra miniaturized inmold labeling pinning system specifically designed for molding of small products such as cream cheese containers. Read more here.

Zeon: Zeonex and Zeonor cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) resins from Zeon (Stand 6E4) boasting high moisture barrier and ultralow extractables are ideal for applications such as vials, bottles and tubes for medical and biopharmaceutical primary drug packaging applications, including blood tubes. Read more here.