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Earning three Ameristar packaging awards in two years, Placon, an innovative designer and thermoformer of custom and stock packaging for the retail, medical, and food markets, is continuing to earn high marks for its creative, economical, and safe packaging designs.

With a 20% overall reduction in the size of its footprint, packaging previously manufactured in PVC is now designed with Placon’s EcoStar® brand of post-consumer recycled PET rollstock. The 100% recyclable packaging now contains a minimum of 50% (up to 100%) curbside-collected post-consumer content from recycled PET bottles and thermoforms.

Collaborating closely with Hypertherm, a leading U.S.-based designer and manufacturer of advanced plasma metal cutting systems, Placon designed creative, overt methods of tamper detection into the Hypertherm’s packaging, allowing suppliers and consumers to authenticate a genuine Hypertherm package from a counterfeit product.

The clear plastic clamshell has a secure 360-degree seal with a Placon patented retaining snap feature on the inside of the lid, holding the graphic card securely in place. When the clamshell is filled, the hang-hole area is ultrasonically welded, affixing the lid to a perforated area on the base of the thermoform. Once opened, the perforated area is broken off of the base, permanently affixing itself to the interior of the lid, “trapping” the graphic card. 

The unique tamper-evident design allows consumers to see the “broken” hang-hole tab area alerting them that the package has been tampered with. The feature also makes it difficult for counterfeiters not only to repackage the clamshell but to re-purpose the graphic card as well. Attempts to slide the graphic card out of a package with a broken seal will result in ripping the card, rendering it unusable, the company explains.  www.placon.com

Plastics processors who use the EarthSmart^TM Adiabatic Cooling Towers from Conair can reportedly reduce water and energy consumption and prevent contamination of process fluid, while maintaining stable leaving fluid temperatures, even in hot weather. Process fluid circulates in a closed loop through tubing in the tower, so it is isolated from contamination and evaporation. Eleven models are available to handle nominal flow rates from as little as 45 gal./min. (170 L/min.) to up to 510 gal./min. (1930 L/min.) of process fluid (35% ethylene glycol).

The process circuit is closed-loop, the company explains. All of the evaporation and water consumed in the adiabatic process is external to the process loop, so process-fluid contamination—and unwanted build-up in mold-cooling channels—is eliminated. The closed process loop also allows an ethylene-glycol mix to be used in place of water, which helps prevent freezing during cold weather.

An application-specific programmable logic controller (PLC) and electronically commutated motors—standard on the EarthSmart towers— ensure minimal electrical power is used during the process. Smart-fan technology varies speed to minimize energy consumption when the tower is under partial load. The PLC also precisely controls when the adiabatic process is required to maintain accurate leaving fluid temperature, reducing water use, the company adds. www.conairgroup.com

PDC International Corp., a world leader in the development and manufacture of shrink-sleeve applicators and sleeve labeling systems, has introduced a Shrinksealer that is rich in features and wide in applicability.

The newly re-engineered 65 Series was developed for continuous production environments. The equipment is said to be ideally suited for shrink-sleeve labeling, which involves full-height body sleeve labels with primary graphics. Used this way, the sleeve label can extend over the cap, with a horizontal perforation for tamper evidence on jars, bottles, and other containers.

The machinery also performs tamper-evident banding around the upper portion of a container and its closure, and applies full-height safety seals for vitamins and similar products.

The 65 Series machines operate at 50 to 175 cpm (containers per minute), with maximum speeds dependent on package dimensions. Sleeve diameters range from 0.375 to 3.25 inches (10-83 mm), and sleeve heights range from 0.625 to 8 inches (15-200 mm). All 65 Series Shrinksealers use PDC’s patented blade assemblies. Manufactured from extreme-service tool steels for maximum wearability, toughness and edge profile uniformity, they operate dust-free, and prevent the “hairs” that plague spinning knife devices, the company adds.

The robust PDC blade assembly translates directly into less frequent downtime and longer intervals between blade replacements. Also, unlike spinning knives, PDC blades can be repeatedly re-sharpened, and most are double-edged. Double-edged blades are reversible, so a single set provides double the value, and both edges can be re-sharpened repeatedly.

PDC blade assemblies reportedly deliver excellent package appearance with fewer rejects. They are compatible with all major sleeving and labeling films, including PVC, PET, PETG, PLA, and OPS. Very thin gauge material (30 to 50 microns, depending on speed and container configuration) can also be used. 

Other standard high-value features of the 65 Series include full safety enclosure, heavy duty mechanical construction, Allen-Bradley PLC control, an HMI Touch Screen, keyed run/jog switch, and upstream photo-eyes. Systems also have motorized material unwind, and material-out sensors. Optional system features include barcode scanners, splice detection, imprint verifiers, power transformers, motorized height adjustment, and servo band feed. www.pdc-corp.com

A diversified portfolio of new flexible PVC compounds for indoor construction products exhibits up to 90% lower emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than a comparable standard PVC, while also enabling manufacturers to address other pressing regulatory issues, reports Teknor Apex Company.

The new compounds are based on three innovations by Teknor Apex: (1.) additive formulations designed for low VOC emissions; (2.) non-phthalate plasticizers, including types that generate lower VOC emissions than conventional plasticizers; and (3.) “bio-based” plasticizers derived from renewable plant byproducts, including versions with low VOC emissions. Depending on how these innovations are combined, compounds are available with reductions in VOC emissions ranging from 37 to 90% (see table). Those that contain alternative plasticizers enable manufacturers to address market requirements for eliminating phthalates, and those with bio-based plasticizers also provide a substantial reduction in the overall carbon footprint of PVC.

The new compounds are additions to Teknor Apex’s well-known Apex® product range, with the exception of those with bio-based plasticizers, which fall under the recently introduced BioVinyl™ brand. The company suggests these products for extruded, calendered, coated, and molded applications for institutional and residential indoor building and furnishing products. Some examples are office partitions, furniture trim, window treatments, baseboards, and flooring. Custom formulations of the low-VOC compounds are available.

Because half of the PVC polymer is derived from seawater and typical plasticizer loadings are 30%, the substitution of bio-based plasticizers for conventional phthalates makes possible a significant reduction in cumulative energy demand (feedstock and production) with BioVinyl compounds, in comparison with many non-PVC plastics, the company adds.  www.teknorapex.com 

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Thermoforming Division has announced a call for entries in its annual Parts Competition, showcasing the latest advances in thermoforming design and application. The submission deadline is August 15, 2014.

The parts entered in the competition will be on display during the 23^rd SPE Thermoforming Conference^®, which will be held September 15-18 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel in Schaumburg, Illinois, USA. Awards for winning parts will be presented at the Thermoforming Awards Dinner on Tuesday, September 16, at the hotel. Competition entrants may submit parts in several categories, depending on the type of thermoforming operation:

Roll-fedcategories include Industrial, Medical, or Food.

Heavy-gauge categories include Vacuum Form, Pressure Form, and two new categories: Twin Sheet and TPO.

Combined:For this new entry option, entrants may submit parts composed of recycled material (minimum 40% recycled content) representing Value Added Assembly and Innovation.

“SPE has expanded the 2014 Parts Competition to better represent the changes that are taking place in the thermoforming industry,” said Steve Zamprelli, 2014 Parts Competition chair. “The new categories will showcase advances in the re-purposing of materials and ingenuity.” Guidelines for Competition entrants and the required product entry form are posted online at thermoformingdivision.com/parts-competition/guidelinesentry-form/. All product images and descriptions must be emailed to Steve Zamprelli at s.zamprelli@formedplastics.com by the August 15 deadline.

Full information on the Parts Competition and the Thermoforming Conference is available at www.thermoformingdivision.com or by contacting Lesley Kyle at 914-671-9524 or at lesley@openmindworks.com.  

Ampacet Corporation, a leader in the global production of color and additive masterbatch, has announced it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire Allied Color and Additives (ACA), headquartered in Mitcham, Australia. ACA specializes in color and functional additive masterbatch for the Australian and New Zealand markets. (Closing of the acquisition was anticipated to occur in July, as of press time.)

“We are delighted to be moving forward with bringing the capabilities of Allied Color into our fold,’” says Ampacet president and CEO Robert DeFalco. “Continued expansion in the Asia-Pacific region has long been part of our growth strategy.”

Privately-held ACA employs 40 and operates manufacturing facilities in both Australia and New Zealand. “This acquisition will serve to further strengthen the high level of products and services ACA customers have come to expect over the years,” says Anthony Sewell, Allied managing director. “Ampacet’s commitment to product innovation and customization, as well as unprecedented customer service, have long been our mission. Ampacet excels in those areas and our customers will welcome Ampacet’s commitment to their success.”

With 22 manufacturing sites located in 15 countries, Ampacet Corp. is a global masterbatch leader offering the broadest range of custom color, special-effect, black, white, and specialty additive masterbatches for molding, and a multitude of other processes and applications. Headquartered in Tarrytown, New York, USA, Ampacet employs more than 1900 people worldwide and operates technical and color development centers and manufacturing sites throughout the Americas, Asia, and Europe.  www.ampacet.com

S&E Specialty Polymers LLC, a leading producer of specialty plastic compounds, reports that it continues to invest in strategic upgrades to support increased customer and market needs for new and improved compounds. As such, the company announced it has expanded its processing capabilities by adding an all-new materials compounding line at its headquarters in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, USA. The new line, being commissioned now, consists of a new Entek 53-mm co-rotating twin-screw extruder with specialty feeders and other auxiliary equipment.

To further help process new resins and compounds, S&E also purchased three additional sets of customized twin screws to support faster change-outs when running different materials. “We invested in the new screw sets to run an expanded portfolio of products and increase our processing flexibility”, said Duane Shooltz, president of S&E. 

The new compounding line will allow S&E to significantly increase line capacity and in some cases, more than double its throughput rate for some materials. It will help the company keep up with current demand and extend production of some of its current brands, including TufPrene™ TPE compounds, TufFill™ polyolefin compounds, and several other products, including custom concentrates.

In addition, the new line will help S&E expand its current tolling capabilities to 15 million lbs. (6.8 million kg) per year. S&E is uniquely equipped to handle a customer’s tolling needs in a wide variety of polymers and products, including PVC, PVC alloys, TPOs, TPRs, and flame-retardant and UV-based concentrates. www.sespoly.com

Novomer Inc., a sustainable materials company pioneering a family of high-performance polymers and other chemicals from renewable feedstock such as carbon dioxide, has announced the commercial introduction of Converge^® polypropylene carbonate (PPC) polyols for use in polyurethane formulations targeted at adhesive, coatings, sealants, elastomers, and rigid and flexible foams. The company’s initial product offerings—1000 and 2000 molecular weight grades—are manufactured at a multi-thousand-ton commercial-scale toll facility in Houston, Texas, USA.

“This product introduction is a significant milestone in the commercial development of this breakthrough technology,” said Peter Shepard, chief business officer for Novomer. “Our successful scale-up and product launch validates the robustness of our manufacturing technology and the strong interest we’ve received from a wide range of applications in the polyurethanes market.” The Converge trade name was selected because these polyols represent the unique convergence of performance, costs, and sustainability.

Converge polyols are designed to replace conventional petroleum-based polyether, polyester, and polycarbonate polyols. They are based on the co-polymerization of CO₂and epoxides, and the resulting products contain more than 40% by weight CO₂. The use of waste CO₂ as a significant raw material yields a product with an extremely low carbon footprint. In addition, since waste CO₂ is significantly lower in cost than conventional petroleum-based raw materials, Converge polyol manufacturing costs are reportedly favorable compared to those of conventional polyols when produced at full commercial scale.

In terms of performance, the polyols have a unique polycarbonate backbone which increases the strength and durability of polyurethane products. Incorporating these new polyols into existing formulations yields foams with higher tensile and tear strength, and increased load bearing capacity; adhesives and coatings with improved adhesion, cohesive strength, and weatherability; and elastomers with greater tensile and flexural strength. 

In addition, the high CO₂ content enabled by Novomer’s proprietary technology produces polyols with a calorific content (heat of combustion) that is 40-50% lower than conventional polyether, polyester, and polycarbonate polyols. This inherent feature is especially important in polyurethane applications that must meet strict flammability requirements.

The new Converge polyols are available globally. So far, the materials have found successful commercial use primarily in CASE (coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers) applications. Novomer continues to work closely with several major companies on new applications for various segments of the polyurethanes industry. www.novomer.com 

In the global competitive plastics marketplace, with the re-shoring of manufacturing increasing, what can give products the edge that closes the deal? Three factors are key: customer appeal, quality, and economics. In the world of polyolefin materials, intelligent compounding can aid all three of these criteria and put factories on the fast track to success. Noru Tsalic of AMI Consulting will be addressing the Polyolefin Additives 2014 conference on these quantitative and qualitative aspects of the industry in October in Cologne, Germany. Cristina de Santos, market analyst at AMI, will follow this talk with an outline from a 2014 study on the opportunities for polyolefins in Africa.

Some of the latest technical research will be presented at Polyolefin Additives 2014. For example, Norner has produced PP with an extended service life in contact with extractive media, and the Indian Oil Corp. has analyzed the interaction of acid scavengers with primary antioxidants. Tosaf Compounds has looked at quality control in masterbatch related to migrating additives, and Wells Plastics is involved with oxo-biodegradable technology. In Spain, the University of Alicante continues to work with natural plant extracts, including sage as an antibacterial and antioxidant in bio-based polyethylene composites.

Current advances in polyolefin materials and applications also will be discussed. Borealis is looking at whether the additive industry can keep up with new demands. Clariant International has a fresh approach of differentiating additives for each application sector. Songwon of Korea has studied the conservation of polyolefin properties during melt conversion. Everspring Middle East has new developments in stabilization, and Adeka in Japan has studied selecting the right hindered amine-based light stabilizer package for each application. In addition, Addivant is pushing additive blends for product differentiation and value creation.

There are product innovations in polyolefins in construction applications, such as the work of BASF in improving anti-UV functionality in roofing membranes. The cables company Kabelwerk Eupen is focusing on research into flame retardants, with similar work on nanomaterials in progress in Iran at Parsa Polymer Sharif. 

Fillers can be functional and add properties to a compound such as flame retardancy, and can also be used to reduce material costs. Alpha Calcit has reviewed the use of minerals as fillers, and ExxonMobil Chemical has processing aids that permit high filler loading with better dispersion. UHMW silicones from Dow Corning Polska are also used as processing aids in polyolefins and can add flame retardant and surface property benefits too, while 3M has focused on processing aids for widening the processing window for multilayer blown film extrusion. And the influence of additives on the compounding process will be the subject of a review by Coperion.

The annual AMI European forum Polyolefin Additives 2014, October 28-30 in Cologne, Germany, will showcase the potential for innovation in plastics products for thermoplastics processors, compounders, and product designers. www.amiplastics.com

Solvay Specialty Polymers has announced the introduction of a new high-stiffness grade of KetaSpire^® polyetheretherketone (PEEK) that provides 50% greater modulus/stiffness than standard neat PEEK grades. Despite its higher stiffness, the new grade, KetaSpireKT-825, retains the elongation and toughness that is comparable to that of neat PEEK resin for structural applications in transportation, electronics, semiconductor, and oil and gas.

KetaSpire KT-825 utilizes a proprietary additive and compounding technology that allows the unique combination of high stiffness, excellent ductility, and relatively low specific gravity of 1.35, compared to 1.30 for neat PEEK. The new grade bridges the performance gap between unfilled PEEK and traditional glass fiber-reinforced or carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK grades, according to Jamal El-Hibri, principal scientist for Solvay Specialty Polymers.

Unfilled PEEK offers ductility, good impact resistance, and isotropic properties, but often lacks sufficient stiffness and strength, while reinforced PEEK grades are typically the opposite: very strong and stiff materials but comparatively brittle. “KT-825 combines the ductility and toughness attributes of neat PEEK with the increased stiffness of reinforced grades while retaining the desirable low anisotropy in resin properties along the flow and cross flow directions,” explains El-Hibri.

The heat deflection temperature at 1.84 MPa of KT-825 is 10°C higher than standard unfilled PEEK. Meanwhile, the modulus of KT-825 is 50% greater than that of the natural resin at temperatures below the glass transition temperature (T_g) of PEEK (150°C). At temperatures above the T_g, the tensile and flexural moduli are two times that of unfilled PEEK. As a result, KT-825 is a more robust material than unfilled PEEK for use in applications that approach or slightly exceed operating temperatures of 150°C.

While the tensile strength of KT-825 is unchanged from that of standard unfilled PEEK, the flexural strength is about 10% higher. From a rheological standpoint, the company says the new compound is easily processed due to a melt viscosity that is similar to that of a 30% glass fiber-reinforced PEEK compound (e.g., KT-820 GF30). In its natural (uncolored) state, KT-825 has a uniform light beige appearance that is much lighter than natural PEEK grades currently available on the market.

Testing in accordance with the UL-94 vertical burn procedure demonstrates that KT-825 is capable of meeting UL V-0 flammability resistance requirements at a thickness of 0.8 mm, providing an advantage over other commercial neat PEEK grades, which do not meet the UL 94 V-0 flammability rating requirements at this thickness. Neat PEEK grades are typically rated V-0 at 1.5-3.2 mm; however, published literature indicates that neat PEEK does not demonstrate robust V-0 performance at 1.5-mm thickness.

As an added bonus, KT-825 achieves a 70% higher dielectric strength relative to neat PEEK. Dielectric strength per ASTM D149 at a thickness of 3.2 mm is 26.0 kV/mm for KT-825, as compared with 15.2 kV/mm for neat PEEK. This makes KT-825 particularly suited for applications where a combination of high mechanical properties and a high degree of electrical insulation is needed.

The new compound can be processed by conventional methods, including injection molding and extrusion. It also has excellent film-forming characteristics for melt-extruded films down to a thickness of approximately 50 microns (0.05 mm). Targeted application areas include automotive and aerospace, due to a continuing demand for materials that offer a high stiffness-to-weight ratio, as well as structural applications in mobile electronics, where a good balance of stiffness and toughness are required along with a low specific gravity.

Initially, the natural grade KT-825 NT is being made available; however, black and other colors are available upon request. The semi-commercial product is available for sampling and pilot-scale production, the company adds.  www.solvay.com