Vision - PP - AKG Polymers

Kunststoffe international, Less Granules Stock Means More Quality
.... For each shot, the smallest rod-shaped light guide, with a length of 15 cm, was tested in each case. Immediately after demolding, they are placed in a test station with LED light source by a robot. A Radiant Vision Systems (model IC-PMI8; manufacturer: Konica Minolta Sensing Europe B. V., Nieuwegein, Netherlands) measures the change of the correlated color temperature, CCT). Correlated Color Temperature ‧Confirms the High Light-Guide Quality The CCT describes how the human eye perceives the li...

Kunststoffe international, Paying Attention to Layers in-between
Continuous Compression Molding (CCM) technology can be applied to multilayer solutions and is referred to as Continuous Compression Molding Multilayer (CCMM). In addition to the usual benefits of CCM it offers further advantages over competing technologies. In packaging applications, compression technology makes it possible to use minimal quantities of barrier material, thus combining excellent performance with low raw ‧material costs. The Continuous Compression Molding Multilayer (CCMM) process...

Kunststoffe international, The Role of Chemistry in Plastics Recycling
...016. This has been driven, on one hand, by players such as the Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation, which at the 2016 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, drew attention to the inadequate collection and recycling of plastic waste and formulated a vision for a closed loop recycling economy for polymers and, on the other hand, by numerous alarming images of plastic waste in rivers, the oceans and on what were once idyllic beaches. The topicality of the issue is intensifying the challenges that the ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Additional Quality Control: Integrated Quality Testing for PET Bottle Production
...rmany, and AgrTopWave, Munich/Germany, Butler/USA, have concluded a contract on two inspection systems for measuring the material distribution in PET bottles. Thanks to the considerable material savings, most applications pay back within a year. The Vision Preform Inspector (VPI) is already used by some customers in Europe and North America in conjunction with SIG Corpoplast stretch blow moulding machines. This high-speed online system carries out 100% testing of the preforms before they enter t...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Adjusted Geometries
... made empirically and at much greater length. This method yields optimum part geometries over much shorter development periods, which in practice guarantee maximum tank volumes and easier production. The method presented here is by no means a vision of the future, but can already be used today. However, a prerequisite for using it successfully is that all persons involved in the development process realise the potential that the simulation offers, and that they are prepared to critically questio...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Automation Plant for Textile-decorated Interior Trim: Rapid Handling, Neat Trimming
...ining are always supplied in pairs. With the laser beam the material overhangs are trimmed off and the belt cut out, including the cuts that are reformed in the subsequent application. "We distributed the rimming. All parts in the range of vision are trimmed ultrasonically. The not visible parts, for the B and C columns the largest part, are laser treated to save cycle time", says von Prondzinski. Production Reliable Cut Accuracy is Crucial The requirements on the quality of the work de...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Back to Nature
...is need. In addition, there is an opening here for effective differentiation from competitors in product marketing. BM packaging is increasingly moving into the market’s field of vision in Germany as well, thanks in no small part to the pilot project in Kassel. Pilot Project in Kassel Tests the Consumer The pilot project in Kassel is jointly supported and financed by industry, the Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection, Nutrition and Agriculture and the agency Nachwachsende Rohstoffe FNR e.V...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Boost for the Economy: Becoming More Competitive through Co-operation
... R&D facilities (Fig. 2). Currently, 321 companies are partners in the cluster, which is supported by a committee of 12 company representatives for strategic control and alignment. Methodology behind the Kunststoff-Cluster The vision of the Kunststoff-Cluster is the creation of an active network. Its main functions are the promotion, initiation and coordination of co-operation between companies and technology institutions in the plastics segment (Fig. 3). The KC method is based on an informatio...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Carbon Nanotubes
...the tensile strength of carbon nanotubes is reputedly high enough to allow a "space lift" to be made from a polymer nanotube composite that could transport materials and personnel to space stations orbiting the Earth. Far removed from this vision, nanotubes exhibit outstanding properties in other properties that are far superior to those of the increasingly more commonly employed carbon and glass fibres. Discovered as recently as 1991 by S. Iijima [1], nanotubes will soon be appearing ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cards are Trumps – Chip Card Bodies for the World Market
...d the company has been very successful, too, turning in a profit by its second financial year in 2001. Start-up Difficulties Quickly Eliminated Behind any successful company there is often an entrepreneur with a clear concept and corporate vision, someone who is also ready to take risks. The founder and present Chairman of CircleSmartCard (CSC), Dr. Reinhard Proske, is very familiar with the chip card scene. He spent ten years at Wilden as Managing Director of Wilden Kunststofftechnik, and lat...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Convertible Roofs: Targeting the Fresh-air Fanatics
...top for the Mercedes-Benz Sport Coupé followed. At the IAA 2001, Webasto Board Chairman Franz-Josef Kortüm announced: “With complete roof modules, we will continue to expand our position as market leader for roof systems.“ This vision corresponds clearly with the growing modularisation of automaking. Along with Webasto, the American-based ArvinMeritor, Inc. formulated at the same time plans to equip complete roofs of metal, glass or plastic with headliners, complete electronics, lighting and pas...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Desktop Manufacturing and Biofunctional Processing
...esses, such as stereolithography, in which layers are built up by means of laser-induced photopolymerisation of acrylic and epoxy monomers, require very large monomer quantities. A new office stereolithographic process (Perfactory), developed by Envision Technologies GmbH, Marl/Germany, offers new prospects for, e. g. acrylates in dental and bone-cement chemistry. It was first presented at this year's Hanover fair and utilises much less acrylic material, without the design being affected. Th...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Development and Trends: Plastics – a Mature Industry?
...he polymer age, innovations were principally driven by new chemical entities. The future of polymers will be determined by customised design of supramolecular structures and by integrated solutions within the plastics supply chain. The fascinating vision of being able to precisely tailor the desired properties through design of the polymer structure is becoming closer to reality from year to year. With less well-known, inexpensive building blocks and efficient technologies, and with intelligent ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Expectations and Performance: The Importance of Numerical Simulation
...ll the fascinating aspects of simulation, realistic thinking should prevail, since we will probably never ever succeed in achieving truly complete and exact 1:1 simulation of our world. Nevertheless, it is precisely this that remains a spur and a vision. Dedicated to Prof. em. Georg Menges on his 80th birthday. References 1 N.N.: Informationen – Wissen.de, URL: http://www.wissen.de, 2003 2 Marquardt; W.; Dahmen, W.: Kompetenzzentrum Computational Engineering Science (CCES), Aachen 2003 3 Menges...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Foretaste of K 2001
...gineers, raw materials manufacturers and processors in the sector since 1952. At the last K in October 1998, 265 000 experts from over 100 nations attended. This year's K, the 15th, takes place from 25 October to 1 November under the motto "vision - innovation - business". Not only will trade visitors be attending, but also interested parties from the major application areas (automotive engineering, packaging, electrical engineering, electronics, communications, construction, medic...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fuel Cell for Alternative Propulsion
...we assume that the remaining 83 % of the global population has the same energy consumption as we do, because the entire worldwide oil supply would then be used up in less than 10 years (Source: Bewag). The industrial use of fuel cells is no longer a vision of the future driven purely by thoughts of environmental protection, it is an outstanding opportunity to get a grip on the world's energy problems. And this does not only apply to the field of vehicle engineering, but also to all other are...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Functional Integration: Packaging Design Between Economy and Creativity
...e easily be launched under strong umbrella brands. Most brand articles and also trade marks strengthen product brands besides their enterprise brands. After Henkel emphasised the strategic columns brands and technologies, the enterprise redefined vision, values and design. Henkel used the slogan “Henkel – A Brand like a Friend” as its umbrella brand. Pragmatic Interaction with Market Architecture. Enterprises generally deal pragmatically with their brand architecture. For example, there is no r...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, In-Mould Pressing: Large Automotive Windows Made from Plastic
...screw design and the surface finish of the screw, cylinder and mould are also optimised for processing PC. What Does the Future Hold? On the production machine described with a 2-platen module and a clamping force of 20000kN, the vision of using large plastic PC windows for side and rear vehicle windows and also roof module can become a reality for the first time. IMPmore is a new special injection-compression moulding technology that permits economical, stress-free manufacturing of PC windows...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Injection-compression Moulding: Plastic Car Windows on the Advance
Injection-compression Moulding: Plastic Car Windows on the Advance Small car windows made of plastic are already being manufactured on the production line. Until now, the economical production of large plastic windows has remained a vision for the automotive industry. A new injection-compression process, IMPmore, has opened the door to the manufacture of large vehicle windows of polycarbonate. The development has come about as part of a three-way project between Battenfeld Spritzgießtechnik,...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Interior Trim Parts made of Plastic: Common Ground between Automotive Technology and Design
...operties such as combustibility, inflammability, strength, behaviour with change of climate and colourfastness as well as the fulfilment of safety regulations for the vehicle interior. Wilden AG works in this environment and classes its automobile division as the most important growth carrier next to its core business, medicine. A set of examples proves the achievements of Wilden AG as a supplier of high-quality interior solutions to the automobile industry. Accelerator pedal plate for the Pors...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Interview: "Innovations are Required to Make our Vehicles Attractive!"
... with paints or other surface coatings – both make an important contribution to customer satisfaction throughout the entire service life of a vehicle. Kunststoffe: Futuristic studies of the cars of the future feature plenty of unhindered vision for the car driver of tomorrow. What potential do you see for transparent plastics like polycarbonate in future BMW models? Stauber: When plastics are used for automotive glazing, a number of aspects have to be taken into account: First of all, there are ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Interview: "Success Through Global Technological Expertise"
Interview The circle closes – even if in a round-about way: The then Balda GmbH sold its camera production to China in 1985, bidding good-bye to this division. Balda is now a stock market-listed company split into three business groups: Infocom, Automotive and Medical. Through the field of mobile telephony, it has made a return to cameras in the form of camera phones. Clemens Doriat, one of the editors of Kunststoffe, met Ralf Ackermann, the member of the Board of Management of Balda responsible...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, IT Supported Collaboration: Towards the Real Time Enterprise
...iately to the points of application. The processes used by Brose GmbH & CoKG provide an example. Hubert Österle, Enrico Senger Brose GmbH & CoKG with headquarters in Coburg/Germany is an enterprise in the automobile supplier industry with the divisions window regulators, latch systems, door systems and seat adjusters. The Brose entrepreneurial group has a prominent market position in window lifter systems and is European market leader in seat adjustments. At present about 7000 employees at 2...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Laser-sintering Technology: Series Production in Miniature
... production process which will allow us to process remakes and repeat orders rapidly. On this point too, the laser-sintering process renders valuable service on a daily basis”, says Dr. Hessel. Visions and Production Volume For Phonak, the complete digitisation of hearing-aid technology with the aid of state-of-the-art processes is both a strategic approach and a future vision at one and the same time. The first key step has now been completed with the implementation of the company’s computer-...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Life Cycle Costing: Making Sustainability of Plastics Measurable
... and products does not go far enough. The experience gained from over 220 eco-efficiency analyses shows that not only the ecological but also the economic effects over the entire life cycle must be examined. Markus Piepenbrink Andreas Kicherer The vision of a sustainable development, in harmony with the future, is most certainly the major challenge of this century. It is largely accepted that economic, ecological and social objectives are factors of equal importance in this respect. A key crit...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Machine Vision: Inspection of Continuous Webs During Production
Testing Inspection of Continuous Webs During Production Machine Vision. Optimisation of quality during the production process has not yet been exhausted. Absolutely reliable recognition of defects on the surface of continuous webs has become essential for reliable and stable processing. Claudia Neradt Continuous webs may consist of various materials such as plastic, metal, paper or fabric that may also be laminated together. They find application in the most varied of industries, e.g. automot...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Materials in Competition
Materials in Competition Visions for Materials, Processing, Disposal and Evaluation Peter Eyerer, Stuttgart/Germany A vision for mould-finished products has been discussed for some years. If for different reasons this field has been in the periphery of product development for some time, a new innovation intensive period is now expected. The contribution illustrates specific instances of the realisation of ambitious goals. Materials are part of product development. Components, products an...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Materials Recycling
...kins. Future Concepts It is nowadays possible to break down all kinds of composites, to decoat them, to remove metals and to give thermoplastics the properties of virgin material with the aid of special additives and additive systems (Fig. 1). The vision of putting all plastics into a single stream and subsequently sorting them automatically is still some way off. The recycling of thermosets is nowadays virtually impossible if it is to be economically viable. For what unsolved problems is it l...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Measuring the Optical Quality of Films
...mbly, such as in automotive interiors. Any colour differences perceived here have a negative effect on the overall impression of quality. That is why colorimetry is taking on increasing importance in production. In colorimetry, by analogy with human vision, so-called standard colour values are determined indirectly depending on the measurement process by means of standardised assessment functions for red, green and blue. In the case of opaque products, such as pigmented plastic films or coated a...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Minutes of a Development Record: From Zero to the Road in Seven Months
...n experts made use of the opportunity to build the complete outer skin of the car of classA surface quality as a CAD model. At EuroMold 2002 the new version 3.2 of the CAD module for surface modelling was finally officially presented. Thus the vision of the partners became reality – a spectacular sports car was produced in record time ready to drive. From zero to the road in seven months. The Author Robert Mahr, born in 1961, is director of marketing at Tebis AG; robert.mahr@tebis.com Manufac...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Pedestrian Safety
...y declared to implement appropriate safety measures on all new vehicles by July 2005. This affects the vehicle front, particularly head protection for contact with the bonnet and protection of the knee and lower leg on impact with the bumper. The “vision car” (title photo) from Bayer at the K 2001 trade show in Düsseldorf/Germany illustrates typical contributions that raw materials suppliers can make here. Bayer, with its well-established, detailed understanding of materials, and extensive exper...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Personal Expertise: Trends and Visions in Injection Moulding
Personal Expertise: Trends and Visions in Injection Moulding Whenever there is talk of making injection moulding production economically viable, constructional and engineering aspects have to take a back seat. In the highly competitive landscape of tomorrow, all-embracing expertise in process engineering will be absolutely vital because cost cutting and design requirements will be the future drivers of development. Hans Wobbe Three years ago, in an article entitled “Trends in injection mou...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Plastic as an Optical Medium: Plastic Optics with a High Functional Integration
...ion. Surface defects, bubbles and inclusions (specification to DIN 10 110) are caused by the starting material, the mould and the injection moulding process. Up to a defect size of 0.16mm, defects of this type can be detected by an eye with perfect vision, otherwise it is necessary to use aids (magnifying glass, microscope). Since these defects cannot generally be avoided, 100% inspection of the optics is necessary, either visually or with the aid of special inspection systems. Different depolar...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Plastic Bodies
...ssary improved stiffness. Also any differences in coefficient of thermal expansion must be compensated. An adhesive bond represents the best compromise here. For hybrid designs, careful attention must be paid to recycling. It is advisable to make provisions for economically appropriate recycling at a very early stage. FRP in the Frame Structure Structural parts are parts that are taken into account in crash management or represent part of a safety cell. FRP (fibre-reinforced polymer) structura...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Plastics in the Automotive Industry: Symbiosis between Design and Function
... – and in particular, plastics. Plastics combine many unique possibilities with regard to design and function [1]. Manfred Rink Even after more than 35 years, the full-scale realisation of a "plastic car" like the one Bayer presented as a vision at the K'67 Plastics Fair is still a long way off. Nevertheless, in the last five years alone, the average proportion of plastics in a mid-class vehicle has risen from 12 to 15%, and the tendency is still on the up. Only light metals are inc...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Plastics Processing in the Future
Plastics Processing in the Future Trends and Visions Walter Michaeli, Aachen/Germany The K 2001 Plastics Fair - the biggest exhibition of its kind in the world - will not only illustrate the vast and fascinating potential of the plastics sector, it will also be an occasion to celebrate. Even though there may be a few dark clouds in the sky due to various recessionary trends, they should pass over before long because basically the outlook for the industry in the longer term is very bright i...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polycarbonate (PC)
...0 kt (value: approx. EUR 5.8 bn); Wachstum = Growth Fig. 5. Stacks of optical data carriers – CD production at Warner Music in Alsdorf/Germany Fig. 6. Watercooler with 5-gallon water bottle of polycarbonate Fig. 7. Good vision and optimum eye protection with protective goggles made of polycarbonate Fig. 8. At the heart of a modern heart-lung machine is a blood oxygenator, which enriches the blood with oxygen and removes carbon dioxide Table 1. Polycarbonate manufacturers worldwide in 2001...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Possibilities with Plastics: Sports Applications
...sorbers guarantee that eyes are protected from strong UV radiation. The importance of ski goggles becomes obvious if one considers that when skiing nearly 80% of all falls with injuries result from individual skiing errors due to reduced vision and perception. Unwanted misting of the ski goggles can be avoided for instance using double glazing that separates the icy wind and the moistened, warm interior air (Fig.2). Additionally, the inside of the ski goggles can be given an anti-fogging coating...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Process Reliability through Full Automation
...moulding machine; - Leonard Kurz GmbH & Co. KG, Fürth/ Germany: foil insertion device; - Neureder AG, Oberding-Schwaig/Germany: robot automation; - Kist Maschinenbau GmbH, Dresden/ Germany: cleaning equipment; - Intego GmbH, Erlangen/Germany: vision control system; - Grässlin Automatisierungssysteme GmbH, St. Georgen/Germany: automation systems; - SRD Maschinenbau GmbH, Enger/ Germany: labelling machines; - Branson Ultraschall GmbH & Co., Dietzenbach/Germany: ultrasonic welding. According to the...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Remote Control in Production: Vision or Reality
Blow Moulding Vision or Reality Remote Control in Production. The basis for a reliable and effective control of machines through teleservice systems is a reference architecture common to all manufacturers. Such an architecture will be developed in a group project including partners from industry, research and development. Michael Hermann The use of teleservices or generally of on-line services still does not find broad acceptance on the part of product manufacturers. The teleservice systems dev...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Seizing the Opportunities for Structural Change
...ut also high social competence in relationship management. Companies that want to survive in innovation competition therefore require a clear concept of a future that will become increasingly uncertain from the market side. This requires a long-term vision of the future of the markets and for the own company (Fig. 2). Companies without vision will not be capable of meeting high expectations, or implementing large projects [3]. The vision is based on a clear recognition of the value-generating gr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Shopping the Modern Way
...nt will then use electromagnetic waves, everything must be metal-free - and a plastic shopping cart suitable for this purpose must first be developed and manufactured. Thus in 1997 a team of specialists from several countries began implementing this vision. The initiator of the project was Carte 2000, Sydney/Australia, an enterprise specialising in supermarket logistics concepts. The European Design Group of the material manufacturer DuPont, Great Britain, was responsible for the conception of t...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Sulphone Polymers: Clear Vision
Special Clear Vision Sulphone Polymers. Transparency, the property with a future, is opening up undreamt-of possibilities for designers. For example, amorphous sulphone polymers with their high performance profile, are dominating ever more attractive market segments - and no end is in sight. Wolf Sanner Frank Eversmann Modern industries such as automotive engineering, electrical, electronics, medical technology, aerospace and plumbing are increasingly replacing metals and glass with high-tempera...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Testing Technology: Inline Measuring and Testing
...rked together and can be controlled by means of a serial/parallel interface or an autonomous user interface. Optical distortion in plastic discs or plastic web goods are detected by the new surface inspection system from Isra Vision Systems AG. It is suitable for quality control of windscreens, TV screens and computer monitors, mobile phone displays, flat screens, etc. High-speed cameras combined with a new very bright lighting identify very small defects, even with only weak contrast at very hi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, The Future Role of the Plastics Producers
...d on an analysis of the current situation and forecasts for the future. Plastics producers have a number of strategic options open to them, which are conditioned by their starting position and their individual interpretation of corporate objectives (vision) and corporate tasks (mission). The nature of the corporate model that is adopted by plastics producers for tackling the competition in future will thus vary accordingly. The Global Market Worldwide production of plastics is continuing with ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, VDI-K Automotive Congress: Progress in Smaller Steps
...use he believed that cars were just a temporary fad. And even automobile pioneer Gottlieb Daimler believed that he would only sell around 5000 vehicles because there would be no more chauffeurs left after that. Wittig’s vision for plastics applications in the vehicles of the future include: - emission-free plastics, - films replacing painted surfaces, - all-round glazing made from plastics with scratch-resistant coatings, - self-cleaning surfaces, - protection against vandalism, - improved a...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Welcome to the Future
... Project: Injection Moulding in the Year 2017 Davide Bonfadini, Brescia/Italy "Mother Project" is the name of a long-term research project being carried out in Italy. The partners in this project have allowed themselves to be guided by a vision, a vision of developing and manufacturing an injection moulding machine with an entirely new concept. Read on . . . The project, which was launched in 1999, is currently in the development phase: In co-operation with the university of Turin,...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, What Customer Focus Really Means
... in processing productivity through savings on processing and shaping costs - Shorten cycle times and enable smaller lot sizes through automation - Open up new applications through novel properties and functions These targets must stem from a joint vision of the future that everybody can work towards. The key sources of ideas must be the users or processors of plastic products. Therefore, one way to secure the future of the plastics industry is know and to interpret the trends occurring in the m...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, ”The Electrical is not Better in Everything, but it is a Viable Alternative”
...ore refined? If we look at the drive technology, basically no, but indirectly, such systems will become more susceptible through greater integration in the peripherals. What is your personal vision for the drive system of the future? It would be highly desirable to have direct drive systems capable of rotational drive when rotation is needed and translational drive when translation is needed. That would be the most direct benefit. We would not have any intermediate elements that have to change ...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-04-09, News
K 2007 Invitation for Exhibitors The theme of the K 2007 in Düsseldorf/Germany is ”Turning Vision into Business”. The international plastics and rubber business will hold their most important technical trade show worldwide from 24 to 31 October, 2007. Invitations for exhibitors will soon be sent to interested firms and individuals all over the world. The deadline for all enterprises that intend to take part in this trend setting trade show is 31 May 2006. As the organisers, the Düsseldorf exhibi...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-05-10, News
... released. According to the press release, Fabrel Lotos uses his own capital and entrepreneurial know-how for long-term investment in medium-sized industrial and service companies with no intention to resell his shares. Dynisco/Xaloy: Extrusion Division Sold. Dynisco LLC, Franklin/USA, has sold the Extrusion Components Division (melt pumps, screen changers etc.) to Xaloy Inc., Pulaski/USA. In the future, Dynisco plans to concentrate on its core business of measurement and controls technology ...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-09-27, Film Extrusion: More and More Layers
...lity a preventing creasing during roll changeover. Kiefel, one of the leading suppliers of winding systems since the acquisition of Wintech Winding Technology AG, Reichenburg/Switzerland, and the winding technology division of Christian Maier GmbH & Co, Heidenheim/Germany, has taken a different approach. The Perfect Cut System has been introduced as a decisive new development in which the knife is accelerated outside the roll and then guided by a groove in the drum. Kiefel avoids a starting edge...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-09-27, Situation Report: Engineering Plastics in the Chinese Market
...ngpin, L.: Chinese Plastics Industry Facing the World. In: China Plastics Industry Market Report, Adsale Exhibition Services, October 23, 2004. 3 Zheng, K., Secretary General of China Engineering Plastics Association: Current status and future vision for the engineering plastics industry in China, China Plastics & Rubber Journal, February/March 2006. 4 Zheng, K.: Engineering Plastics User in Rapid Development Period. China Chemical Reporter, July 6, 2006. 5 China market research and related mult...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-09-28, A Personal Opinion: Has Injection Moulding been Fully Exhausted?
... statements do describe developments correctly, but I sometimes have the impression that they serve more as a fig leaf. No convincing explanations are given as to why there are no longer any real breakthroughs in machine technology. Have we lost our vision, or has injection moulding technology really reached the end of the road? Inspiring Solutions, but no Breakthrough True, some innovative processes such as expansion injection moulding (“X-Melt”) or inline compounding have come onto the market...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-09-28, Development Trends in Automation: Robots and Humans: A Good Team
...low manual input. These prerequisites are fulfilled by the easy exchange of coded toolholders, the use of flexible gripper elements or automated gripper couplings with coding (Fig.7) and, not least, by vision systems (inspection systems, optical testing systems). This ensures product exchange just in time at a reasonable cost. Since the parts to be exchanged are coded via the program, the plant can even be retooled by semi-skilled staff. Image Processing is not a Substitute for Process Capabili...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-02-13, Process for Quality Moulds
... The automation of manual routine activities through the deployment of modern IT solutions and consumables permeates the entire process chain. Integration consists in interconnecting all data and processes from the tender phase to provision of first samples. The concept also provides for continuous development of new general tool technologies. Synchronous Processing Design and production planning are based on the CAD/CAM program NX and the data management software Team Centre Engineering and T...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-03-15, From Family Saloon to Transporter
...he swapping of different vehicle elements. The "So-On" concept model has different modules for the basic chassis to suit various customer needs, e.g. passenger areas for transporting people or structural elements for transporting goods. The vision behind the modularity is that, in the future, car dealers will fit out the vehicle to customer specification or to suit seasonal conditions – an example of lifestyle design at acceptable manufacturing and operating costs. "We believe that t...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-03-15, More Lightweight Construction for the BMW 3 Series Coupé and Convertible Models
...s. There two six-axis robots fully automatically mount the required add-on parts in the side panel in less than 80s. With the aid of a camera system each component is checked for completeness and the information is passed to staff via the vision subsystem of the plant control system. Before being shipped to the assembly plant in Regensburg the side panels have to be primed with a conductive primer so that no problems arise during electrostatic painting at the factory. For this purpose the compon...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-05-14, Everything in a Continuous Flow
...the Decoline production system, Balda is inaugurating a new, cost-effective manufacturing method and the possibility to address the requirements of different customer segments with greater flexibility. We are a decisive step closer to our vision of one-piece flow manufacturing with the technology embodied in this integrated inline production process." It is not only the mobile phone market that demands many models in different variations and quantities today – short cycle times, high quality...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-05-14, Off the Reel
... for materials; henning.rost@polyic.com. User PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG Tucherstr. 2 D-90763 Fürth / Germany Tel. +49 (0) 0911/20249-0 Fax +49 (0) 0911/20249-8001 www.polyic.com Fig. 0. Printed RFID tags Fig. 1. Still a vision: yoghurt pots "tagged" with PolyID Fig. 2. Structure of an organic field-effect transistor (OFET) Fig. 3. PHT reaction: triads in polyalkylthiophenes (PHT) Fig. 4. PHT reaction: original McCullough route Fig. 5. PHT reaction: Rieke route Fig. 6. PHT reaction: McCull...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-07-18, Resorbable Implant Containing Medication
...es the bladder muscle activity by blocking the corresponding muscle receptors. The effectiveness of these orally administered substances is dose-dependent and limited because of systemic side effects such as dry mouth, increased pulse rate, impaired vision or indigestion, or mental impairments [5, 6]. The consequence at present is premature termination of therapy in up to 30% of the cases. To increase therapeutic success, direct introduction of dissolved oxybutinins to the bladder in the form o...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-07-18, Untrammeled All-Round Vision
Untrammeled All-Round Vision Foam Injection Molding Visual field measurement is a standard examination at the optometrist’s. The heart of the Octopus Perimeter instrument employed for this is a semi-spherical concave dome. The production process, especially the injection molding and coating, has to satisfy high quality requirements. Patrick F. Schneider Perimetry is the systematic measurement of the visual field in eye medicine (ophthalmology). Goal of the examination is to determine on one ...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-08-14, Focus on the Environment
...eved total sales of EUR 8.38 billion, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of EUR 1.274 billion and a net profit of EUR  547 million. Performance Materials generated sales of EUR  2.8 billion, making it the DSM division with the strongest sales in 2006 (Fig.1). After the presentation of the business figures, Jos Goessens, Business Group Director DSM Engineering Plastics introduced the "Vision 2010" corporate strategy. According to this, DSM EP wants to ...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-08-14, Turns Waste into Gold
...ts Open House to mark the official opening of a new plant extension, Erema Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH introduced a large PET bottle recycling machine. The event also included a technical symposium. What started in 1983 with a vision and the foundation of a small enterprise was finally bursting at the seams. Following completion of a large-scale expansion project to remedy the situation, the Upper Austrian company, Erema, celebrated with an Open House event. On May 10, the...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-08-14, Vision Works – Today and Tomorrow
"Vision Works – Today and Tomorrow" Bayer Material Science At K2007, Bayer MaterialScience, true to its motto "Vision Works – Today and Tomorrow," is focusing on innovation themes. At the pre K press conference, the company took stock of its economic situation, while looking to the future. In keeping with the corporate strategy, all its activities in future will focus on further improving its customer relationships, expanding its market position, increasing growth by innovati...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-10-21, Creating Transparency, Boosting Added Value
...r Center of Competence Airbag & Electronic Systems at Takata-Petri, explains: "Since introducing the Hydra MES, we have boosted our productivity by 10 to 20 percent, with a return on invest of less than two years." MES Solution with Vision Not only the large number of positive results but also the constant expansion of the platform shows that Takata-Petri is using the integrated MES to the full. Additional modules have been implemented for the collection of the process data and working...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-10-21, Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCPs)
...eadily raise the levels of safety and comfort of its vehicles. Automotive subcontractor Hella, Lippstadt, Germany, for example, is using Vectra LCP from Ticona for two new applications. Its radar-based lane-change assistant (LCA) has brought the vision of accident-free driving one step closer. Using two 24-GHz radar sensors, the system can promptly identify other road users behind and beside the driver’s vehicle and issue a warning – irrespective of time of day, soiling or weather conditions. A ...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-10-21, Perfect Eyes
... surface inspection systems is the type in which the camera delivers the data to a computer located in a control cabinet. The major advantage of these systems, which also includes the Smash surface inspection system (manufacturer: Isra Vision AG), is their high flexibility and performance, which particularly comes to bear at high web speeds when many defects occur. Because this technology does not place any moving parts in the way of the production line, the susceptibility to failure is minor. A...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-12-17, German-Chinese Synergies
...tian, the Chinese manufacturer of injection molding machines, has set out to conquer the world market including its premium segment. Management’s new two-brand strategy leaves no doubt as to the seriousness of their purpose. Clemens Doriat Our vision of ourselves is to lead the world market in terms of piece numbers as well as sales," says Zhang Jianzhang, Board Chairman for Haitian International Holdings Ltd. The first part of this target has already been reached, according to company i...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-01-15, Tireless Assistants
...ith only one controller, the respective numerical axes of each robot can be logically linked and moved in coordination. In other words, the two robots in the system can be controlled independently with just one controller. This facilitates division and allocation of numeric axes to subprograms of a sequence, more coherent program design and safe operation of peripheral systems with several numerical movement axes. Two additional functions in the R8 control offer further advantages. "SmartRem...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-02-29, Design and Lighting Technology
...ew vehicles in Europe must be equipped with daytime running lights. Based on the principle that ”light attracts attention”, vehicles equipped with daytime running lights are perceived more readily as vehicles (especially by the peripheral vision) and their approach speed assessed more reliably. Along with design features at the front of the vehicle intended to provide protection for pedestrians, daytime running lights are verifiably one of the most effective safety measures. In the 12-cylinder A...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-02-29, Integrated Folding Transparency
...le and PVC. Amongst other things it sets itself apart from these by being almost completely transparent. On top of that, by the use of innovative folding techniques, it can be opened transverse to the direction of travel. Dependent upon the concrete vision of the automobile industry the component concept could not only be used for compact cars, but also mid sized vehicles and station wagons/MPVs (Multi Purpose Vehicle or minivan) or other vehicles. A focus was placed on a design optimized for pl...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-06-16, A Company of Vision
A Company of Vision Recycling In the middle of April, Erema, the Upper Austrian supplier of plastics recycling plants, celebrated 25 years of success. What started with the courage and idea of three plastics engineers then, is regarded today as the virtual global standard for compounding thermoplastic waste to generate high-quality secondary raw materials. Gerhard Gotzmann Precisely on the day of the anniversary, an Erema 1716 T-HP type recycling plant (photo this page) had been scheduled fo...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-06-16, From Vision to Technical Reality
From Vision to Technical Reality Optical Electronics Electrically conducting and semiconducting organic materials are paving the way to a completely new technology and innovative products. Organic electronics is slowly emerging from the laboratory stage. Although the first products are approaching market readiness, there is still significant development work to be done before some of the many visionary ideas can be implemented. Timo Meyer-Friedrichsen Organic electronics, also known as poly...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-06-16, On the Way to Printed Electronics
... an Electronic Product Code (EPC), an RFID label capable of replacing the optical barcodes on goods in supermarkets. PolyIC has become a member of EPCglobal – a global organization dedicated to standardizing RFID. It won't be long until the vision of an transponder label on your yogurt cup has been realized. Of course, the aim here is not to displace conventional silicon electronics, but instead to move into new markets where low prices and high volume are more important than top technologic...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-06-16, Prospects for Micromechatronic Systems
... three-dimensional electronic subassemblies allow and in fact encourage the implementation of highly integrated systems. As a result of this new areas of application can be opened up in already existing markets. In order to successfully turn the vision of new series products into reality it is necessary to have detailed process knowledge so that the growing requirements of the various sectors and the more difficult conditions of new installation locations can be met. Especially in the field of p...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-06-16, Sensor-Equipped Automobile "Thinks" Along with Driver
...med response and do not even allow such situations to occur. Standard airbags and/or intelligent seat belt systems already protect the driver and passengers in the event of a collision. Thanks to radar-based lane-change assistance systems, the vision of accident-free driving will soon be one step closer. For instance, using two 24-GHz radar sensors, the lane-change assistance system from Hella KGaA, Lippstadt, Germany, is able to detect other motorists behind and next to an automobile and warn ...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-06-16, The Versatility of Films
...ders. In this context, tube and cast film extrusion, uniaxial stretching technology, the double-bubble process, plus various laminating and coating processes were described. In the field of downstream equipment, Martin Lehmköster, Isra Vision AG, Darmstadt, Germany, discussed the possibilities and limits for the detection and automatic classification of film faults (Fig. 2). Dr. Alexander Knüttel of Isis sentronics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany, presented today's possibilities for contactless meas...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-08-14, Plastics Remain on Growth Course
...in Germany still use up to 20 l of heating oil per m2 and year. It is, however, possible to reduce this amount drastically. Thanks to innovative solutions based on plastics, a threeliter house is possible today and even the one-liter house is not a vision of utopia. If a residential unit in an older building is insulated through the use of plastics to achieve a consumption of 4.5 l per m2 and year, this saves 1,900 l of heating oil and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by about 75 %. Transportati...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-10-17, COsub>2/sub>– Climate Killer or Plastics Feedstock?
...chemicals, fuels for transport and industry (Fig. 6). Conclusion It was certainly much too early when the quoted patent applications were filed [10], and also Nobel Prize winner George A. Olah was far ahead of his time when he postulated his vision of a methanol economy [12]. But the latest economic and ecological changes have been so dramatic that we can expect these ideas to resurface, and hopefully to be reconsidered without prejudice. Storage of carbon dioxide in the bowels of the Ea...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-10-17, Western Companies have no Monopoly on being Plagiarized
...e, whether in China or in Germany. In my opinion, these criteria have to be adapted to the particular cultural background. Kunststoffe: What criteria are those? Franz: To treat employees with a sense of responsibility, show innovative energy, have a vision and implement it quickly and efficiently. Decisive for this is employee motivation. You can only produce a high-quality product if it convinces your employees; only then do they do top-quality work. Engineers and developers are convinced by id...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-06-16, Mirror, Mirror on the Door
...agna Mirror Systems, a subsidiary of one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers Magna International Inc. The mirror specialists develop and produce, among other things, interior and exterior mirror systems, electro-chromatic glass, actuators, vision systems and door handle systems. “Magna Mirror Systems is a globally active supplier in the automotive sector and one of the largest manufacturers of automotive mirror systems in the world”, explains Ralf-Peter Hericke, manager of the injection ...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-07-16, Every Kilogram Saved May Cost a Bit More
...r fibers. Polymers have the ability to form fiber-shaped structures for self-reinforcement without generating additional costs. Many problems can be solved simply with clever processing. Kunststoffe: What is your personal vision – even though it may be unattainable for years? Steinbichler: It would be wonderful to build a vehicle in the future that weighs 50 or 60 % less, or to incorporate energy storage systems with which a range of 200 kilometers could easily be achieved. But I am skeptical ab...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-07-16, Hardeners “with a Switch” Improve Rotor Production
...he limits of what is possible. Enercon is already investigating whether, based on the E-126, 8 MW of output can be achieved. Other designers are currently considering 10, 12 or even 15 MW. The target for 2020 is 20 MW. It is precisely this vision which the European project UpWind, which started in 2006 and will run until 2011, is following. UpWind is the most important project for European research cooperation in the field of wind turbine development. The new giants are intended in particular fo...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-10-14, Boosting Throughput – Increasing Flexibility
...d keep this knowledge on a systematic basis. Many of the manufacturers of inspection systems have recognized this problem and are offering solutions that make it easier for users to learn from mistakes. Film inspection. Isra Vision AG, Darmstadt, Germany markets a tool under the name of ''''Enterprise Data Mining'''' which compresses the data recorded by inspection systems and presents it in an enhanced manner. This permits the selective optimization of production. Intelligent links can then be ...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-10-14, For the Third Industrial Revolution
...dges by laser sintering or fusing, for example. This can be done not only on standard commercial machines (from EOS) or modified standard machines (from Bremer Goldschlägerei Wilh. Herbst GmbH & Co. KG (Bego), Bremen, Germany, or envisionTec GmbH, Gladbeck, Germany) but also on the micro systems referred to above. At present, in the wake of the digitization of dental technology laboratories, there has been a marked increase in demand for small, generative production units for the rapid productio...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-10-14, Networks as the Key
...n areas. Interestingly enough, thermosets are also being used to a greater extent in new applications, as a substitute for aluminum die ings. Interplay of the Individual Components For the user, it is the application (with the vision of a new or extended functionality) that features in the foreground, which means that the focus is frequently more on the further development of the process technology. The machine, mold and material are ultimately only vehicles for achieving this. For the converter...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-11-19, Every Kilo Counts
...aluminum lightweight shock absorbers. A substitution of metallic materials up until now used in other suspension components with polymers is also being considered. The study by ZF Sachs, the Powertrain and Suspension Components division of the ZF Group, includes a complete suspension strut with integrated wheel carrier (Fig. 3). The weight saving is partly achieved through the use of lighter materials in place of steel components in piston rods, internal damper parts and modular assemblies as we...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-04-20, On the Threshold of Industrial Application
...trument, and will take THz technique from the proof of principle to the application. Fig. 1. a) First stage of a THz spectrometer for inline measurement of the compound melt at the extruder end, detail: measurement nozzle b) vision of compact THz sensor head (all images: THz Systems Group, fig.1a: in collaboration with SKZ) Fig. 2. a) Water absorption in selected polymers, determined gravimetrically. b) THz measurement technology can determine the water content non-destructively with high sensit...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-08-19, From Megatrends to Business
...transport sector. In these future global trends, Bayer MaterialScience sees great opportunities to successfully expand its own business with energy-efficient innovations. The company's plans for its exhibition display at K2010 are based on this vision. Under the slogan “From Megatrends to Business”, it will focus there on sustainable solutions and developments in the areas of climate protection, technology, mobility, living and health. Facts and Figures “Bayer MaterialScience has made a suc...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-08-19, Polycarbonate – How a High-tech Material Conquered the World and Continues to Do So
...r wavelengths and a smaller reading/writing laser beam diameter. These technological advances are only possible because even nanoscale structures can be molded into PC surfaces with very high precision. Current Applications and Future Visions The market is huge and the potential applications more varied than ever. Besides the established applications for PC, Bayer MaterialScience is constantly researching new ways to make products more (energy-) efficient, safe or economic with PC. So polycarbon...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-09-24, An Industry on Tenterhooks
...l mold closing drive. In a trade show demonstration, an e-cap 3940/420 T produces closure caps from PE-HD on a 96-cavity mold from Schöttli AG in a cycle time of less than 3 s. In addition, direct quality control takes place via a Q-Vision system. Engel is also presenting a new small electrical injection unit, which is available for screw diameters 15, 18 and 20 mm, in two drive options in each case, with injection speeds up to 330 mm/s (Standard) and 550 mm/s (High). The optimized screw geometr...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-09-24, Mobile and Networked Control
...egrated amplifier, and also for explosion hazard areas. With its Extrusion Pressure Monitoring (EPM), Gneuss is responding to new or revised recommendations and standards for the pressure safeguarding of extruders. Hall 9, booth A38 Vision Engineering Microscope in Interplay with Software With Vifox, Vision Engineering Ltd. of Emmering, Germany, presents imaging software for the Mantis Elite-Cam stereomicroscope (Fig. 11). The program allows objects like samples or components to be documented, i...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-11-25, No-Hassle Tooling for the Premier League
...of toolmaking? Nix: I am not concerned about the future of toolmaking in Germany. But we must continue to be fast and flexible. Zipp: I have a promising vision with great opportunities for toolmakers as well as injection molders: From his toolmaking partner, the plastics processor receives “no-hassle” molds with short delivery times – technically mature, fast-cycling, processcompatible, easy to handle on all modern injection molding machines with sensors, and operated with pleasure by welltraine...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-10-17, Bioplastics
...cing the PLA cups is certified according to EU sustainable biofuels guidelines. The company is strongly engaged in bioplastics for packaging. More than five years ago, automobile manufacturer Toyota published its vision of biobased plastics in automobiles and has been implementing it consistently since then. Toyota is planning to substitute significant amounts of fossil plastics in this art and manner. In models such as Prius (Fig. 3), its new hybrid SAI or Lexus 200, the interiors already consi...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-11-18, Structured Light Exposes Surface Defects
It is not only the daring surfers off the coasts ofMexico and Hawaii or in the Caribbean who are in search of waves. Staff at INB Vision AG in Magdeburg, Germany, are also driven by this obsessive search for waves, though not in the aquatic sense. They use structured light projection and newly developed software to detect wave formations in the form of minute bulges or recesses on a variety of diffusely reflecting surfaces. The automotive industry strives to achieve as high as possible an impres...

Kunststoffe international, 2012-02-24, Success Factors in the 21st Century
...t requirement documentation is facing extinction. Hardly any development projects today start with a concrete deion of the actual requirements, even though product success without a concrete deion of the product vision is not possible. It is essential in the preparation of a project to lay a solid foundation in the form of a product development document: What are the really important requirements for the new product? Which of these requirements compete with each other and how should they be weig...

Kunststoffe international, 2012-04-20, Color Diversity
...stry takes its cue from the fashion industry, the furniture industry looks at the automotive industry and the fashion industry searches for that elusive “zeitgeist”. In short, each thinks it has found the ultimate wisdom and propagates its color vision. But in all of this, what always gets forgotten is that the applications being compared are completely different: automotive paints, fabrics, and plastics receive their color from different substances. For example, textile dyes cannot necessarily ...

Kunststoffe international, 2012-06-25, To Bond or Not to Bond
...en very creative exploiting the almost unlimited flexibility offered by plastics such as cellulose acetate to come up with new designs for eyewear frames. And nowadays the glasses bought by the vast majority of people with poor vision are fitted with plastic lenses; only one in five persons still opts for glass lenses for which at one time there was no alternative. The lenses either are pressed into a frame or a wire or nylon loop which has been wrapped around the milled edge of the lens attache...

Kunststoffe international, 2012-10-15, Caught Between Efficiency and Functionality
...olly new application areas, e.g. for pigmented and clear-coated films. Highquality color cameras can detect shades and defects and can monitor color changes over the entire period. One such system is Colorscan3D from Isra Vision AG, Darmstadt, Germany, which recognizes the tiniest of black specks, e.g. on pharmaceutical PVC film. The system also detects inclusions in films or coatings. Particularly interesting is the detection of contaminants and residues on highly demanding optical films. Lowco...

Kunststoffe international, 2012-11-26, Scratch-Resistant and Anti-Reflective
...r example. They can be moved as necessary out of the light and the information becomes readable or clear again. It does not work this way with the instrument cluster cover glass in vehicle interiors. When the sun shines, it dazzles and impedes clear vision of the dashboard instruments (Fig. 1). The only solution to this lies in the cover material itself. For example, glass finishing specialist Flabeg Deutschland GmbH, Nuremberg, Germany, has for many years now been preventing interfering refle...

Kunststoffe international, 2012-11-26, Why 3-D Printing is Boosting Product Development
...d of a transition to online driven “personal manufacturing”. Business models such as the crowdsourcing platform Quirky, where a community rates and permutes product ideas, are finding ever more followers and copy cats. Although it is still a vision in waiting, the increasing abilities especially of 3-D printing – smaller machines and greater material choice meaning an overall improvement in prototyping capability with falling prices – could rapidly turn this vision into reality. 3-D Printing Tec...

Kunststoffe international, 2013-04-19, Automatic Corrections and Calculations
...GenOpt. We would also like to express our gratitude to Lifocolor Farben GmbH & Co. KG, Lichtenfels, Farbenwerke Wunsiedel GmbH, Wunsiedel, as well as Sabic Deutschland GmbH for providing the materials. A vision of the future of polymer compounding: the simultaneous manufacture of variously colored compounds with a single extruder (figures: SKZ) Fig. 1. Determining the effect of concentration changes in additives using inline co...

Kunststoffe international, 2013-04-19, Injection Moldings for the Compost
...l may cost per kilogram in which formulation.” How Do You Reduce the Material Price? An end price of EUR 2.50/kg could help this vision to make a breakthrough, if the prices on the raw materials markets can still be calculated at all. “If the cigarette industry dies, the problem will disappear in any case,” says Peter Steinl complacently about the cost calculation – referring to the fact that most of the available CA is used for ci...

Kunststoffe international, 2013-08-19, From Dream to Value
...They claim that the promising designs from many participants indicate chances for this technology, not only in the area of health and care, but also in sports and leisure, as well as for manual labor. Investments of Vision Bayer MaterialScience plans to achieve value-creating business with these examples, in the future. “If we fail to invest in innovations for tomorrow, others will provide their materials for these applications. The fastest will win the race,” says Thomas. Solar Impulse is an ai...

Kunststoffe international, 2014-01-23, Trend Report: A Sector with Plenty of Potential
...educes the formation of condensation. The company has specifically developed what it calls the Centro MAC air calibration system, which guides film with tacky, sensitive surfaces contactlessly on air cushions. Kdesign also presented the K-Vision AC contactless profile measurement system. Octagon Process Technology GmbH, Würzburg, Germany, presented the Eco screwfeeder, which supports full gravimetric metering of small quantities at an affordable cost. It is ideal for functionally upgrading cheap...

Kunststoffe international, 2014-02-20, The Insert Technology: Precise Prediction of the Deformation of Inserts
...draulic injection molding machine (manufacturer: Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH, Kottingbrunn, Austria) are performed in order to validate the developed simulation method. An optical analysis method using a high-speed camera (type: Phantom; manufacturer: Vision Research Inc., Wayne, New Jersey/USA) has been chosen to measure the insert deformation during the injection molding (Fig. 2). The camera was placed in front of the injection molding machine in such a way that the insert molding process could b...

Kunststoffe international, 2014-06-17, Flexibility and Economy
...pposed to friction methods, no particles are generated with laser transmission welding, no additives are introduced into the components, and the welded seam widths fulfill the highest optical demands – also with welds in the immediate field of vision (Fig. 2).With increasing demands on weld quality, and for sensitive components, laser transmission welding has achieved a preferred position. Important and decisive arguments for laser welding are the project-specific costs, which can be lower by as...

Kunststoffe international, 2014-07-22, When Every Second Counts
...zing on the model EC135 are made from this modern material (Title figure). "Glass would not be suitable, mainly for safety reasons. In case of an accident – say, collision with a bird – glass would break up into small pieces and impair vision", Hornung explains. "Plexiglas eliminates this danger. Only the area of impact would then be damaged." Besides, the sheets can be formed perfectly to shape and give the pilot an all-around view – an important aspect in spherical-shaped helicopter canopies.T...

Kunststoffe international, 2014-08-19, "Establishing a Footprint in Europe Was Essential to Accelerate Growth"
... our products to over 70 countries around the world, and over half of our sales are outside of the United States and the Benelux region where we manufacture. We have been successful in transforming our business to date by having a clear vision, being open to change and having an organizational culture that embraces the relentless pursuit of continuous improvement, innovation and productivity. This culture will be our basis going forward as we continue to transform into an increasingly more sig...

Kunststoffe international, 2015-02-28, Vision 2030
...nd optimize the production of plastics in such a way that new, high-quality products with a high recycling content can be made from them. This is how sustainability works in a closed loop.Why does this closed loop not work now and what is your vision for its realization?Feichtinger: In order to secure the necessary material streams also for future generations the portion of recycled material in products has to increase dramatically. In terms of technology this is already possible, but the indust...

Kunststoffe international, 2015-05-21, 150 Years of BASF
...coal gas factory in Mannheim, Germany, to make the use of the coal tar that was a byproduct at his company. As early as 1861, he started producing fuchsin, a red dye, and aniline, the starting material produced from coal tar. From this, he had a vision: one company that would manufacture the entire supply chain, from raw materials and auxiliaries, via precursors and intermediates, through to dyes. On April 6, 1865, Engelhorn then founded the joint-stock company "Badische Anilin- & Sodafabrik," B...

Kunststoffe international, 2015-09-18, A Major Opportunity and the Response to the Smart Factory
Industry 4.0 is the buzzword. For some people, everything seems to be 4.0; for others, this topic is just hype. For injection molding machine manufacturer Engel, Industry 4.0 is a vision of the future – albeit a future that has already arrived in some areas. For years now, many processors have already been using products and solutions that substantially improve productivity, efficiency, availability and flexibility in manufacturing through the systematic utilization and networking of data. Now E...

Kunststoffe international, 2015-09-18, Precise Reproduction on Bulged Freeform Surfaces
...es of various brands worldwide. With the aid of aspherical mirrors, they project all the information relevant to driving, such as the current speed or essential warning notices, onto the windscreen and therefore directly into the driver’s field of vision – contributing significantly to driving safety.In order to display this information on the windscreen free of distortion, high-precision, accurately molded surfaces are required. During manufacture of the mirrors, it is particularly important th...

Kunststoffe international, 2015-11-23, From Design to Volume Production
...s a central control element. On the other hand, smart phones and tablets with intuitive control (gesture control) on the touch display have become part of the everyday experience of the majority of the population. This was the starting point for the vision of the designers and engineers at Mercedes-Benz AG, Sindelfingen, Germany. But straightforward transfer of cell phone technology was not an option for reasons of driving safety. Continually reading the traffic situation and reconciling it with...

Kunststoffe international, 2015-11-23, It’s the Inner Values that Count
...terconnect production machines and associated processes completely, primarily with a view to boosting the efficiency of process optimization, procurement of operating equipment and planning of maintenance intervals and to conserve resources. If this vision is to be realized, new concepts will be needed for injection molding machines and their molds. In practical terms, this means computerizing injection molds along the lines of "Moldmaking 4.0". Molds that fail to meet customer expectations on p...

Kunststoffe international, 2015-12-17, Advanced Single-Unit Production
...ents of the "Industry 4.0" concept is to archive data and provide information for the optimization of production related to each individual part, in order to enable single unit parts, in an optimum case.Fuchs Engineering provides with its VisionEngine image processing system a test concept that is much more than just a machine vision system. Allowing for integration into the production master computer, quality testing can dynamically be adapted to the respective test piece. In this case, this me...

Kunststoffe international, 2016-02-17, Ancillaries and Machine Networked in Cooperation
...n," adds Udo Gaumann, Manager Core Engineering Materials at Takata AG, Aschaffenburg, Germany.Live Demonstration of the Industry 4.0 Pilot ProjectMotan-colortronic, KraussMaffei and Netstal also presented a way of implementing the Industry 4.0 vision in injection molding production. They showed specific practical examples of smart communication between the ancillary equipment and machines. In developing an OPC-UA interface, motan-colortronic has become the first ancillary supplier to communicate...

Kunststoffe international, 2016-03-08, Using Simulation to Accelerate the Time to Application
...g the process if this has a dominant influence on the flow. The simulation models implemented here are not limited to the anionic polymerization of ε-caprolactam, but any reaction mechanism can be added or substituted as desired.Vision for the FutureThe intent is for the simulation models to do more than simply improve understanding of the process. The objective is also to combine the computations with other simulation programs – the open source code makes this possible. This means for example t...

Kunststoffe international, 2016-04-08, Linear Robots with Brains
The vision for the smart factory is that the various components of the production cells will be permanently self-optimizing – distributed intelligence is a prominent feature of "Industry 4.0". For injection molding operations, this means that the focus is widening from just the molding machines to the entire production cell, including the automation. A new generation of linear robots is now capable of reacting to external influences in real time. Engel Austria GmbH, Schwertberg, Austria, set the...

Kunststoffe international, 2016-07-20, Accurate Determination of Preform Color
...le gain in added value for the user that generates a rapid return on investment. WThe Author is Managing Director of Intravis GmbH, Aachen, Germany. With more than 20 years of experience in the plastics packaging industry, the company offers turnkey vision inspection systems in the production of preforms, closures, bottles, labels and decoration.ServiceDigital VersionA PDF file of the article can be found at www.kunststoffe-international.com/1413416German VersionRead the German version of the a...

Kunststoffe international, 2016-07-20, Industry 4.0 – The Phantom of Production
... Klotz (© Hanser/H.Zett)Dr. Karlhorst Klotz (© Hanser/H.Zett)Dr. Karlhorst Klotz (© Hanser/H.Zett) Industry 4.0 will be the talk of K 2016. But we won’t actually be able to put our hands on it anywhere. Because this keyword describes more of a vision than a technology, and more of a direction to be followed than a product that can be bought. The ultimate aim is to produce high volume numbers in a cost-efficient, yet also flexible manner, i. e. to marry the efficiency of series production with t...

Kunststoffe international, 2016-07-20, Ultra-Strong and Media-Tight
...ed joints of die-cast aluminum motor pump housings have been coated with PlasmaPlus to prevent corrosion. On the basis of this success, Plasmatreat went on to invest in the research and development of plasma polymer coatings with other functions.Vision and ChallengeWhilst the use of PlasmaPlus technology soon became standard for bonding and painting processes, its use in hybrid injection molding remained a vision until very recently. Leonhard Enneking, who for ten years has been 2-component spec...

Kunststoffe international, 2016-10-17, Custom-Made Networking Increases Efficiency
... with Intelligent Key Performance IndicatorsAnother example for "Integrated Production": While DataXplorer gives a detailed glimpse into an individual process with its high-resolution signal paths, for K 2016 KraussMaffei is presenting a vision of the future with another new analysis tool, showing how added value can be generated with data from a company’s production process. The goal is to make use of the wealth of data already being provided by state-of-the-art injection molding machines to mi...

Kunststoffe international, 2016-11-30, Continuously toward Industry 4.0
...e, 10/2016) are networked by data technology to ensure consistent production quality.Intelligent Line Management (ILM) from the Brückner Group of Siegsdorf, Germany, provides an integrated solution which, instead of the otherwise usual machine vision, emphasizes process vision and supports its operating concept with an increased number of assistance systems. Besides the previously used energy monitor, there are additional tools for inline measuring and directly influencing film values, such as t...

Kunststoffe international, 2016-11-30, Smart Production: Science Fiction Becomes Real
...loud or in less risky locations. It is also not yet clear just how autonomously the smart units or factories will really operate. This is something that has not yet been resolved for self-driving automobiles either. Anyone harboring such a vision, however, does not need their head examined but shows that they are driving the technology forward in a beneficial direction. Dr. Karlhorst Klotz karlhorst.klotz@hanser.de

Kunststoffe international, 2017-02-23, "Greater than the Sum of Each Part"
...satisfied for the moment, or will you round out the amount you have invested to a billion with your next acquisition?Dempsey: We continue to be very interested in adding great companies to Barnes Group that are aligned with our vision of creating superior value for our customers. We are always seeking to expand our capabilities both organically through innovative new product development and through strategic acquisitions. We are excited about the plastic injection molding area and believe there ...

Kunststoffe international, 2017-02-23, All Elements at a Glance
...tractive manufacturing and can be embedded in the part by virtue of the multi-axis traversing movement of the positioning system.The integration into the production process of operations that are usually performed manually is part of the vision of designing completely automated production lines with integrated post-processing together with an increase in the functionalities that are currently feasible. Both examples point towards the future use of material extrusion processes in an industrial en...

Kunststoffe international, 2017-03-27, Mirror-Finish Painting in the Mold
...g would have started before the coating cavity had been completely filled," says Moch.It demonstrates the competence of the plastics processor Weidplas that Steffen Reuter and his team did not avoid the problems. According to Reuter, "Our vision of manufacturing high-gloss parts faster and more reliably than is possible with wet coating was a strong driving force. We saw the many advantages of the new ColorForm process in combination with polyurea flow coating. They can be subdivided into three ...

Kunststoffe international, 2017-05-22, Scheduling 4.0 for Factory 4.0
Implementation of a factory 4.0 concept in the plastics processing industry requires "scheduling 4.0". Two management experts explain that this term does not just describe a vision but is already a reality at a well-known injection molder of pond accessories. In the best case, the extra revenue from this essential exercise can finance a company’s own 4.0 strategy. Today we are on the threshold of a new automation phase in industry, for which the buzzwords "factory 4.0" or "industry 4.0" have bee...

Kunststoffe international, 2017-07-19, Bottle Inspection in the Sensitive Area
...e in constant exposure to air even after the primary packaging has been opened. This requires packaging with additional safety functions. They are important for the flawless quality of the contents and must withstand thorough quality inspection. Vision inspection is very suitable for this task – factors such as lighting, camera positioning and object tracking are essential in order to be able to accurately determine defects or deviations within plastic containers. The pharmaceutical packaging in...

Kunststoffe international, 2017-07-19, Disquiet before the Storm
...tteryLong-standing experience of rapid, revolutionary changes is not always sufficient maintained Prof. Stefan Bratzel from the Center of Automotive Management GmbH & Co. KG, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, right at the start of the conference. In his vision of the future, customers will want to use vehicles instead of owning them, be driven instead of driving themselves, and be powered by electric drives instead of combustion engines (Title figure). Besides automotive manufacturers, other companies...

Kunststoffe international, 2017-08-21, Double-Layer Operation
...avis are now providing the world with a first glimpse of a control circuit link between a visual inspection system and injection molding machine.The most important product properties of the closures are continuously analyzed by the vision system and transmitted to the injection molding machine in the form of data packages. The Euromap 82 interface, which was defined as the standard interface for communication between injection molding machines and peripheral equipment (robots, handling systems),...

Kunststoffe international, 2017-09-20, Today’s Vision of the Future
Industry 4.0 is an omnipresent topic in every sector. The Industry 4.0 vision has already emerged as a distinct reality in the injection molding sector. The focus is on consistent digitization, leading to enhanced product quality and increased cost-efficiency. Injection molders are equipped with Kistler systems for process monitoring and control in order to meet the requirements for digital networking. According to the definition given by Germany’s Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VD...

Kunststoffe international, 2017-11-29, Professional Bias towards Complexity
...fftechnik (SK), Bielefeld, Germany, a traditional injection molding company that had emerged from the insolvent IBS Brocke Group. This, a supplier of rather simple plastic parts, the new EKT was not supposed to be anymore. With a new strategic vision, the German private entrepreneur Dieter Eifler acquired SK, and transformed it into a high-tech company for high quality and technologically demanding injection molded plastic parts. With a strong and promising connection to the traditional compan...

Kunststoffe international, 2017-12-21, Brilliantly Inspected
... inspect the films or material surfaces with two different lighting concepts simultaneously, even at extremely high speeds, for example in order to detect defects with different optical properties using the same camera. Inspection with COPIsra Vision AG is now offering an entirely new inspection option that is based on the fast switching capability of individual LEDs or groups of LEDs within a lighting system. Starting with the methods for measuring the haze and gloss of a film established in th...

Kunststoffe international, 2018-02-21, Assuring Composite Quality
...re usually identified using reflection systems. The monitoring of trim widths in the production of material strips, such as tows or rovings, on the other hand, is usually performed by transmission systems (Fig. 1). For challenging applications, Isra Vision’s systems combine up to five inspection channels to monitor the product quality in all details. In particularly sensitive cases, especially in aeronautical engineering, even the height of topological defects is measured inline with the aid of ...

Kunststoffe international, 2018-03-09, Keeping a Sense of Perspective
It is familiar to every eyeglass wearer: Just a tiny spec on the glass ruins your vision. And there may even be a safety risk if car headlamps scatter the light in the wrong direction. The manufacture of optical parts by injection molding is therefore a serious and demanding task affecting the entire process chain. Be it ambient lighting in living rooms or blinkers made up of rows of LEDs, playing with light is becoming ever more challenging and represents an important growth market for plastic...

Kunststoffe international, 2018-07-17, Setting the Direction Digitally
...rsonalized products. The ability to extend the transport system throughout the entire book production line – all the way from digital printing to shipping – generates additional synergies for an overall system design in line with the vision of Industry 4.0. WThe Author works in marketing at B&R Industrie-Elektronik GmbH, Bad Homburg, Germany.ServiceDigital VersionA PDF file of the article can be found at www.kunststoffe-international.com/6002019German VersionRead the German version of the artic...

Kunststoffe international, 2018-08-14, You Buy with Your Eyes
...developed a creative packaging concept for well-known decorative cosmetics brands. This benefited from the properties of ABS Novodur P2MC/P2H-AT, such as impact strength, chemical resistance and high gloss.DuPont’s plastic range also includes a division for the attractive cosmetic packaging market. Its Surlyn ionomer has been particularly popular with packaging designers for years. The packaging made from it is crystal clear. For example, the black-pigmented glass bottle of the latest perfume "G...

Kunststoffe international, 2018-09-19, A UFO Lands in the Home
... are increasingly no longer provided with elaborate, expensive basements. Instead, there is a utility room that directly adjoins the living area. Since the building technology is thereby pushed back into the residents’ field of vision, it is worthwhile designing the technical system as an aesthetic unit, not just functionally as in the past. In transforming the old box-like product into the elegant water-softening unit, Grünbeck worked together with the Austrian design agency Kiska. Its designs ...

Kunststoffe international, 2018-11-09, "With System Integration, Fewer Errors Occur"
...of the production process. Mr. Carvani, which way is the development of Flexflow going?Carvani: The servo-electric valve gate control for hot runner nozzles is a revolution that has only just begun. My vision is not just to present a hot runner solution but also a process-overlapping technology that delivers a fully integrated and functionable solution. Also under the aspect of digitization and automation?Carvani: From my point of view, it would be ideal to be integrated completely into the sett...

Kunststoffe international, 2019-07-04, Aroma-Tight and Cost-Effective
...ration. For rapid removal and individualized decoration, an automation module with IML unit is employed. An integrated inline testing system ensures that the aroma barrier layer is reliable. For this purpose, Lapp Tec employs a vision inspection system (type: IMDvista BTIR, manufacturer: IMD Ltd., Brügg, Switzerland). The system permits continuous inline process testing with integrated ejection of reject parts. It makes barrier layer visible, so that defects can be identified. A 100 % control is...

Kunststoffe international, 2020-04-08, Protection and Attractive Design
...lycarbonate. Structured surfaces can be useful to create intuitive design with tactile features for patients with impared vision, or to simply create an attractive appearance. With modern technology several other design and communication elements are possible to integrate in device housings. For example, integration of LED technology can permit direct communication between the device and the user. For LED covers, it is important to have a high light transmission to make the LED light as visible ...

Kunststoffe international, 2020-05-05, As Flexible as Required
... moves into the open injection mold, it picks up six finished lids on one side while simultaneously inserting six new labels for the next injection molding process. During this process, the IML machine inspects the lids with a vision system for quality assurance before stacking them. During the stacking process, the machine also separates the next six labels in order to place them on the main shuttle arm for the next insertion pass into the injection mold (Fig. 1). Nino Zehnder points out the ...

Kunststoffe international, 2020-08-11, Exciting Design instead of Exciting Manufacturing
...food contact (FC) classification, as is the case for Ultradur B4520 FC, a polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) supplied by BASF. In contrast, various polyamides (PA) such as the Ultramid Deep Gloss or Ultramid Vision family from BASF are suitable for automotive interiors. With the aid of the process presented here, it is possible to reproducibly manufacture marbled molded parts in different patterns on standard injection molding machines fitted with novel nozzle inserts and special dosing technology...

Kunststoffe international, 2020-08-11, Inline Quality Monitoring and Data-Based Quality Prediction
...iciently accurately, the highest-resolution sensor in this model series was chosen, with 21 megapixels. The entire camera system was integrated into the existing process both in terms of hardware and software by Mabri.Vision GmbH, Aachen, Germany. The molded parts are photographed immediately after removal, while they are still in the robot’s grip. Therefore, the handling robot sends a trigger signal to the camera control. Afterwards, the molded part is fed to the assembly line via an automatic ...