Machinery news from Interplas '93.

With 1274 exhibitors from 30 nations, Interplas '93 in Birmingham, England, remains one of the world's premiere plastics exhibitions and was the largest onelast year. As far as news goes, it was mainly a hardware show. But in that sphere, we found plenty of interesting developments to report in injection molding, extrusion, compounding, blow molding, thermoforming, and urethane foams. Here's a summary of what was hot in Birmingham in November. Some developments were covered in detail last month and will be omitted or mentioned only briefly here.

INJECTION MOLDING

We reported on one of the most intriguing injection molding exhibits last month.Battenfeld demonstrated a novel patented process for in-mold painting of thermoplastic parts. It uses pelletized thermoplastic coatings developed by Evode Powder Coatings of the U.K. and Battenfeld's coinjection system. The equipment will be marketed here by Battenfeld of America and the coatings by Evodex Powder Coatings, a joint venture between Evode and Dexter Corp. in Birmingham, Ala.

As we also reported last month, Battenfeld introduced vertical models in its "Plus" line of small injection presses. The vertical units will become availablein the U.S. later this year.

Battenfeld announced several improvements to its BK-T toggle series. The 198-tonner shown at the show has 8% greater distance between tiebars, a new platen guide system to ensure parallel travel, and modified hydraulics for reduced noise and energy consumption.

Plans to launch a new line of small, competitively priced machines early this year were announced by Sandretto of Italy. The hydraulic "Micro" series will include presses of 33,55 and 88 tons, each with a choice of three injection units.

A new high-speed, 150-ton Mach-II injection press from Metalmeccanica (a Sandretto subsidiary) was demonstrated molding PS thin-wall containers in a four-cavity mold with a 3.5-sec cycle time. Sandretto is making the Metalmeccanica machine available in the U.S. for certain high-speed applications.

In other news, Sandretto introduced a new SEF 100 controller with closed-loop operation on the clamp and injection unit. Sandretto's Mega T series of large presses has been extended to 1300 tons. In addition, Sandretto reportedly is building its first two-component injection press for a British automotive molder.

A new "Euro" line of toggle injection molding machines was on hand from Victor Taichung of Taiwan (represented here by Fortune International). Ranging from 110to 275 tons, these machines have been completely redesigned with larger tiebar spacing and shot capacities. Other features include bimetallic barrels, oil-freeclamping system, and Victor 7000 controls with improved software and better diagnostics. The 198- and 275-ton models have a dual-range screw drive that is switchable between high speed/low torque and low speed/high torque. New 25- and 35-ton toggle machines were introduced by Boston Matthews (rep. by Gemini Inc.). Key features of these two-tiebar presses include proportional hydraulic control of speed and pressure, 10.6-in. tiebar spacing, and nearly 8 in. of opening stroke. Price of the BM 35 is around $28,000.

A new generation of GS Series toggle presses was on hand from Toyo Machinery & Metal Co. (Maruka U.S.A.). New features include improved energy savings and software updates, such as new graphic display of injection and a screen showing all parameters on one page.

The HL series of tiebarless machines has been extended to both larger and smaller sizes by Ludwig Engel of Austria. The new 192-ton ES 750/175 HL unit hasstandard platen dimensions of 32.3 x 20.5 in., roughly equivalent to those of a 550-ton tiebar machine. The press was shown with a new Engel ERC-13 high-speed servo robot. With the tiebarless design, robotic takeout is

simpler because     there is no need for movement along the x-axis. Both
machine and robot new      32-bit RISC-based (reduced instruction set

computer) CC-100 controller. On the small end, Engel's new 22-ton HLS "Slim Line" tiebarless machine is priced around $30,000. The ES 80/20 HLS has a platen size of 18.5 x 15 in. and EC-88 controller.

A new "external" gas injection alternative that applies gas to the outer surfaceof the plastic part during the cooling phase was on hand from Gas Injection Ltd.of the U.K. Its primary purpose is sink reduction.

NEW INJECTION CONTROLS

A new DSP controller based on a RISC processor was introduced by Netstal of Switzerland. Key features include 1-millisec scanning speeds, a simple and clearuser screen, and flexible and easy programming by means of pull-down menus. DSP control is available on Netstal's HP Series machines in either

standard or      Graphtrack version, the latter permitting on-screen graphical
manipulation of   profile curves for injection speed and hold pressure on by

means of a trackball. Closed-loop "Procan" multi-microprocessor controls with graphic displays are nowbeing supplied on the Boy 22 M (24-ton) press. Also new to the 22M is closed-loop electronic pressure and volume control at the hydraulic pump, which is said to increase speed, precision, and energy savings. A totally new machine frame design reportedly provides ease of access. The same mechanical design is used on a new 22D model, formerly known as Dipronic, with digital control. New from Krupp Formaplast is a 72-cavity system equipped with thermal gates (rather than valve gates) for molding preforms up to 3 liters. The thermal gatesare said to result in a high-quality gate area that is free of crystallization  and shrinkage.

INDUCTION MOLD HEATING

An unusual mold-temperature-control system from REPS Ltd. of England (supplied here by Injection Molding Industries) uses low-frequency induction-heating coilsbuilt into the backplate of the mold, as well as a valving system to inject cooling water and an electronic controller to regulate both. The induction coilsare intended to provide only "background heating"--i.e., facilitating quick startups with minimal scrap and counteracting mold heat losses to ambient air, which helps maintain consistent mold temperature.

Induction coils, which directly heat the metal and allow preheating to take place outside the machine, are claimed to be maintenance-free, with an expected life of four to five years. Mold temperature is regulated by means of temperature probes within the mold near the cavity surface and controlled, full-flow pulses of cooling water of varying duration. This pulsed cooling is directed into three or four individually controlled cooling zones with separate cooling circuits. (This full-flow pulsed cooling sounds similar to a system supplied here for many yearsby Cito Products, Inc., Watertown, Wis.) The REPS system reportedly can control different parts of the tool at different temperatures within a tolerance of |+ or -~2 |degrees~ F in a mold temperature range of 68-392 F.

BLOW MOLDING

Low-scrap "3-D" blow molding of complex industrial parts with multi-axial curvature was one theme at the show. Battenfeld's new BFB2-25T (27.5-ton) extrusion blow molder from Battenfeld includes a tiebarless C-frame clamping system that permits ready access to the mold by a robotic parison manipulator. The C-frame clamp provides unrestricted freedom of movement to the multi-axis robot, which sequentially inserts portions of a parison into different mold segments, which open and close independently of each other.

At the show, Battenfeld demonstrated its 3-D system in combination with sequential coextrusion ("SeCo") of different materials, which permitted one-shotblow molding of industrial parts with hard and soft sections.

A similar theme was sounded by Krupp Kautex, whose new KBS-2 series has a redesigned clamp for seamless 3-D molding of technical components. The KBS-2 clamp makes the complete mold area fully accessible from all sides, allowing unrestricted placement of parison manipulators all around the clamp area.

MORE BLOW MOLDING NEWS

We reported last month on a unique dielectric leak tester that measures providesinstantaneous detection of pinholes of any size in any size container, and even can detect incipient defects in the form of stress cracks. The new Plasma systemcomes from Blow Molding Controls Inc., an office of an English firm newly established in Glendale, Wis.

New from Battenfeld was a twin-station HKD series extrusion blow molding machinefor making small and mid-sized containers with a single finishing station. The machine guides and transports products from both clamp stations to the one finishing station, thereby requiring one unit of downstream equipment, such as aleak tester and wide-neck cutter, is needed per machine.

Battenfeld also showed a new 3-liter version of the BFB1 series for extrusion blow molding amorphous PET (APET) bottles. The BFB1-3 made 700-ml detergent bottles weighing 45 g in two cavities at around 900/hr.

A new "clean-room" range of injection blow molding machines is available from Jomar Corp. Features include built-in HEPA filter and isolated production area of the machine, remote control of up to 10 machines, SPC reporting, and cavity-pressure control.

A new double-station BW 3000 DE blow molding machine from B&W Kunststoffmaschinen (rep. by FGH Systems) was equipped with a three-layer coextrusion head. It was demonstrated blowing HDPE containers with a recycled center layer occupying 60% of total wall thickness.

Automa S.p.A. of Italy extended its Plus series of extrusion blow molding machines with the AT 07 and AT 07D (single- and double-station) models for containers up to 1 liter. The Plus series is claimed to combine high outputs with flexibility to meet special requirements such as coextrusion. The machines are available in four-head and coex triple-head versions. Standard outputs reach3000-4000 1-liter bottles/hr. Early next year Automa plans to complete the

series with models for 5- and 10-liter containers.

A new Uniloy UC 750 extrusion blow molding machine was on hand from Johnson Controls for producing containers up to 750 ml. Key features include an improvedcast-aluminum clamp, dry-cycle rate of 1.4 sec, and choice of one to three parison heads.

STRETCH-BLOW MACHINES

Reported last month was a new high-volume reheat-stretch-blow system from Bekum capable of 4500 PET bottles/hr. Software is being developed for one-button

changeover from PET to PP processing setups.

In addition, new stretch-blow machines from Krupp Corpoplast include the B-22 for 2000 PET bottles/hr. The new machine is said to feature fast changeover and high repeatability. At the large end of the range, a B-330 model for

33,000 bottles/hr is planned.

EXTRUSION & COMPOUNDING

As we reported last month, Sano now offers an automatic profile control system for blown film. The system is based on a flexible-lip air ring from Germany's Octagon Process Technology. The Octagon system is also available from Addex Inc. Paul Kiefel GmbH has come out with an ultrasonic IBC control system. In the pastyear, the company also introduced a 100-mm extruder and a cavity-transfer mixingelement. Kiefel has also started to build rotating die platforms capable of holding five extruders--up from a previous maximum of four.

For coextrusion, HydReclaim introduced a microprocessor-controlled, loss-in-weight blending and extruder control system. It combines the company's Model 470 blenders for the outer layers with a Model 270 in the center. This month, a touchscreen version of the controller--which governs weight per length of individual layers--is slated for release. In the past, notes

HydReclaim president Bill Moller, only monolayer control was available.

LCI Corp. (formerly Luwa) introduced its IQ Series of microprocessor-based, menu-driven controllers for extrusion gear pumps. IQ 1000 provides closed-loop control of pump speed and controls extruder speed based on a target inlet pressure to the pump. The IQ 1000 also controls gear-pump discharge and performsdifferential pressure monitoring. Recipe storage capabilities, automatic startupsequencing, and alarms are also among the standard features.

The higher-end IQ Series 2000 adds three heat/cool temperature-control zones andmelt-temperature monitoring to the Series 1000 features. Options include serial communications ports, a modem for remote troubleshooting, and a data-storage package with SPC/SQC functionality.

LCI has also developed its first gravimetric blender called Smart Blend. It is intended for rates up to 3000 lb/hr and for as many as five ingredients. LCI puts the blender's accuracy at 0.25% by weight. Price of a package including theblender and gravimetric extruder control is around $25,000.

GEAR PUMPS, SCREENCHANGERS

LCI has rolled out two new lines of gear pumps with metallurgical improvements: the ES Series for up to 6000 psi and the EH Series for up to

10,000 psi. Both pumps handle viscosities up to 20 million cp and process temperatures to 840 F. As an enhancement to its back-flushing screenchanger, Kreyenborg & Co. (rep. by LCI) has introduced a "candle filter" version. According to managing director Udo Kreyenborg, breaker plates with candle filters offer three to six times the surface area of conventional screen packs. The result, he says, is a smaller pressure drop even at higher rates and finer filtration levels--20 microns for gels, for example. LCI's v.p. Sam Lavin says that candle filters, which protrudefrom the breaker plate, have been used in large-volume fiber and compounding applications before but not in a recycling screenchanger. Kreyenborg also introduced new screenchanger controller, dubbed the Automatic Cycling System. Running on a 486 PC, the controller's graphical operator interface depicts screen positioning, pressure curves, and backflush frequency. It also provides recipe storage and can integrate control of gear pump and pelletizer.

John Brown's Beringer Div. has added a second pump to its backflush screenchanger for recycling. Beringer's Don McNamara reports that the new pump doubles the screenchanger's cleaning capacity, allowing it to do the same work at half speed or run at double the rate. And contrary to what might be expected,McNamara adds, the second pump actually decreases head pressure because it creates a larger contaminant-free area on the screen.

Meanwhile, Gemini Plastics Machinery Ltd., plans to sell its British-made continuous screenchangers in the U.S. from a new office in Towaco, N.J.

TWIN-SCREW COMPOUNDING

Virtually all the compounding news related to corotating twin-screw extruders. Last month, we reported on a new line of such machines from U.S. Extrusion Inc. In addition, APV Chemical Machinery introduced its new MP19 series of lab machines for easy scale-up to pilot-plant applications. These bench-mounted, 19-mm extruders have segmented barrels and typical throughputs of 4.4-20 lb/hr for engineering resins and up to 26.4 lb/hr for masterbatches.

Also new is APV's MP-TC corotating series. Available in 30- and 40-mm sizes and with barrel lengths between 25:1 and 40:1, these units are aimed at small production batches and R&D. The MP-TC features a clamshell barrel for easy cleaning--and also allowing you to interrupt processing for a look inside the machine. Rates range up to 77 lb/hr for the 30-mm model and 165 lb/hr for the 40-mm unit. The company says both machines permit "simple scale-up" to a full-size APV machine.

Berstorff showed some upgrades to its ZE-25 extruder. The barrels now feature a separate C-clamp for each section to speed screw reconfiguration. A new gearbox offers 15% more power. Also new is PC-based data-acquisition software called MDEfor monitoring temperatures, pressures, screw speed, power, and other

parameters. The MDE displays process information in real time and also stores itfor historical trending purposes.

THERMOFORMING

Irwin Research & Development Inc., Yakima, Wash., demonstrated an integrated thermoforming and trimming machine, the Micro F/T. It features an a-c brushless servo design, a quick-change tooling package and Irwin's product-retrieval

system--which needs only a single motion to eject product from the platens and nest it in a stacking magazine. The Micro Phase

II computer provides machine control and optional networking capability.

The Micro F/T has a press rating of 80,000 lb and a max. draw depth of 5 in. either upward or downward; it accommodates molds up to 24 x 20 in.

Besides a combination pneumatic/servo-electric thermoformer, Cannon Shelly of the U.K. (represented here by Cannon USA, Mars, Pa.) showed off a new PC-based control system. As an option, it can display digital images of parts and molds, ending any confusion or mismatches during changeovers. These "visual work

orders" are created with a digital camera and stored in the computer along with process recipes and traditional historical process data.

URETHANE FOAMS

Another English firm, Cannon Viking (represented by Cannon Viking (represented by Cannon USA, Mars, Pa.), unveiled a commercial system for producing flexible polyurethane slabstock foam blown with only liquid C|O.sub.2~, not CFCs or VOCs.According to sales engineer Michael Cranshaw, C|O.sub.2~-blown foam can be made at densities down to about 0.94 pcf with properties similar to those of CFC  foams.

Dubbed CarDio, the system meters the liquid C|O.sub.2~ from pressurized canisters and premixes it at 4 phr with polyol just before a conventional mixinghead. A stream of pressurized air optimizes nucleation of the foam.

Next, a proprietary and specially angled lay-down device addresses the foam's propensityto froth too vigorously. Because the foam expands so rapidly,

Cannon runs the   system at lower speeds and in shorter lengths than
conventional blowing         methods--it operates at about 1 meter/min and
needs a plant length of only 20   meters. CarDio retrofit kits include the
C|O.sub.2~ metering, premixing, and    laydown devices as well as all

controls.