Third Quarter 2019 | Volume 38 | Number 3 A Journal of the Thermoforming Division of SPE IN THIS ISSUE: • New Developments in CPET • In-Situ Crystallization of PEKK • 2019 Thermoformer of the Year What’s Old is New
Third Quarter 2019 | Volume 38 | Number 3
A Journal of the Thermoforming Division of SPE
IN THIS ISSUE:
• NewDevelopmentsinCPET
• In-SituCrystallizationofPEKK
• 2019ThermoformeroftheYear
What’s Old is New
2 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
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SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 3
nDepartmentsChairman’sCorner|4
ThermoformingintheNews|6-9
UniversityNews|10-11
Thermoforming&Sustainability|34-37
nFeaturesThermoformingonTheChain|12-15
FromAtoC:DevelopmentsinPET|16-22
EffectsofVacuumTimingandBackPressureonWallThicknessDistribution|24-27
ThermoformingandIn-situCrystallizationofKepstan®PEKK|30-32
nIn This IssueAwards&Recognition|40
InMemoriam|42
A JOURNAL PUBLISHED EACH CALENDAR QUARTER BY THE THERMOFORMING DIVISION
OF THE SOCIETY OF PLASTICS ENGINEERS
www.thermoformingdivision.comEditor
Conor Carlin(617) 771-3321
SponsorshipsLesley Kyle
(914) [email protected]
Conference CoordinatorLesley Kyle
(914) [email protected]
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly® is published four times annually as an informational and educational bulletin to the members of the Society of Plastics Engineers, Thermoforming Division, and the thermoforming industry. The name, “SPE Thermoforming Quarterly®” and its logotype, are registered trademarks of the Thermoforming Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher, copyright holder. Opinions of the authors are their own, and the publishers cannot be held responsible for opinions or representations of the authors. Printed in the U.S.A.
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly® is reg-istered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (Registration no. 2,229,747). x
Third Quarter 2019 | Volume 38 | Number 3
Cover photo courtesy of Illig Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG
4 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Chairman’s Corner
EricShort
WelcometotheConferenceEditionof
Thermoforming Quarterly.Traditionholdsthatthisissuefeaturestwomajoritems:theofficial“ThermoformeroftheYear”announcementandourDivisionscholarshipwinners.I’mabigfanofboth–wecelebrateanoutstandingindividualfromourprofessionalranks,andwecongratulateourstudentswhoareseekingfuturesinplastics.Injustafewshortweeks,wewillallhavetheopportunitytorecognizethesefolksatourconferenceinMilwaukee.Thisyear’seventisjam-packedwithhigh-qualitytechnicalcontent,industryplanttours,hands-onsessions,andevenavisittotheHarleyDavidsonmuseumwherewewillhostouropeningreception.
2019isalsoa“K”yearwhereover250,000peoplewillvisittheMesseonthebanksoftheRiverRhineinDusseldorf,Germany.Eventhoughtheplasticsindustryfacesadifferentsetofmarketconditionsthanthreeyearsago,theKFairoffersanopportunityforattendeestogetasenseofhowglobalourbusinessis.Onp.24,weofferabriefoverviewofthermoformingOEMcompaniesincludingmachinerymanufacturersandtoolmakers.AttendeescanalsonotethatSPEwillhaveaboothinHall12,StandE04.
ThisissuefeaturessomenewresearchfromGermanywhereagroupof3companiescollaboratedtodeveloprecycledcPETforthermoforming.BytakingmixedAPETflakesandadditives,materialscientistswereabletomanipulatetheextrusionandthermoformingprocesstodevelopthermallystablematerialforfoodtrays(seepp.16-22).Inanotherinterestingdevelopmentforhigh-heatapplications,France-basedspecialtychemicalsandadvancedmaterialsArkemahascreatedaunique,tunable,amorphousPEKKmaterialthatcanbe
crystallizedin-situ(seepp.30-32).Potentialapplicationsincludeareaswhereextremetemperatureresistanceisrequired,suchasaerospaceorchemicalprocessing.
Weareallmorethanawareoftheongoingdiscussionaboutplasticsandtheenvironment.OureditorreportsfromGrandRapidswherethePlasticsIndustryAssociation(PLASTICS)hostedtheir4thannualRe|Focusconference(seepp.34-37).Topicsincludednovelusesforpolyethyleneinasphalt,design-ledthinkingforend-of-lifematerialsmanagement,andupdatesfromseverallong-termstudiesonrecyclingplasticsinthecurrentinfrastructure.AsaDC-basedorganization,PLASTICSprovidedinsightintolegislationatboththestateandfederallevels.Aswastobeexpected,therewerenoeasyanswerstoaverydifficultproblem.SPEcontinuestoprovideaforumforkeytechnicalandscientificdiscussionsonthisimportanttopic.Asacommunity-basedgroup,however,itiscriticaltotheorganization’svitalityandsuccessthatindividualsgetmoreinvolved.Startadiscussiononline,hostaseminaratyourcompanyoratyourlocalschool,orengagewithyouremployeesabouttheneedtopromoteresponsiblemanagementofplasticmaterials.
Thisissuealsocontainsobituariesfortwoofourformercolleagues,WalkWalkerandJimArmor,bothofwhomcontributedmanyvolunteerhourstoourDivision.Let’sraiseaglasstotheminMilwaukee.
Assummercomestoacloseandwelookforwardtothebusinessendoftheyear,IencourageeveryonetovisitMilwaukeeinSeptember.Whenourindustryconvenestocelebrateourfutureandourpresent,wecandogreatthingstogether.Seeyousoon.|
Chairman’s Corner – Q3 2019
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 5
www.vulcanplastics-na.com www.vulcanplastics.com
VULCAN PLASTICS
6 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Thermoforming In The News
Tooling Tech Group Buys Assembly Equipment Maker Alpha IntegrationMay30,2019—MajormoldmakerToolingTechGrouphaspurchasedAlphaIntegrationInc.,acompanyinMurfreesboro,Tenn.,thatprovidescustomautomatedassemblyandinspectionequipment.
ToolingTechannouncedtheacquisitionMay30.Termswerenotdisclosed.
AlphaIntegrationemploysabout45people.ThecompanywillcontinuetooperateoutofitsMurfreesborolocationwhileitsbusinesspracticeswillbeintegratedintotheoverallToolingTechGroupoperations.
AlphaIntegrationdevelopsandmanufacturesassembly,materialhandling,dispensing,sorting,testing,weldingandfasteningsystemsfortheautomotive,cosmetic,electrical,constructionandlifesciencesindustries.
Thisisthefourthacquisitionsince2018forToolingTech,whichisownedbyNewYorkprivateequityfirmGenNx360CapitalPartners.Foundedin1982,ToolingTechmakescompressionmolds,blowmolds,rotationalmolds,thermoformingtoolinganddie-casttoolingandmetalstampingdies.
BasedinMacomb,Mich.,ToolingTechemploysabout600peoplein12U.S.locations.Thecompanyisthesecond-largestmoldandtoolmakerinNorthAmerica,accordingtoPlasticsNewsranking,with$185millioninsales.
Ayearago,ToolingTechacquiredautomotivemoldmakersCenturyToolGroup,whichincludedtwoMichiganoperations:CenturyTool&GageCo.andCTGBel-KurAutomation.
ToolingTechservesarangeofindustriesincludingautomotive,appliance,lawnandgarden,agricultural,aerospace,marineandoff-roadvehicles.
“Alpha’sexpertiseinintegratingavarietyofprocessesintoautomatedassemblyandtestsolutionscomplementsourexistingcapabilitiesandenhancesourabilitytoserveourexistingcustomerswhileenablingustoreachnew
marketssuchasthemedicalandcosmeticssectors,”saidLeeChilders,CEOofToolingTechGroup.“Thisisaveryexcitingtimeofgrowthforourcompany.”
AlphaPresidentMatthewPhillipssaidhelooksforwardtoworkingwiththeToolingTechGroupleadershipteamtosupportexistingcustomersandgainnewones.“PartneringwithTTGprovidesusmoreflexibilitywithincreasedresourcesandcapacity,aswellasawealthofindustryknowledge,”Phillipssaid.
Investment Firm Buys a Stake in Thermoformer Anchor PackagingBy Jim Johnson, Plastics News
June26,2019—Oneofthenation’slargestthermoformersistakingonaprivateequitypartnerinamovethecompanysaidwillhelpaccelerategrowth.
AnchorPackagingLLC,basedinSt.Louis,saidJune26thatTheJordanCo.istakinganunspecifiedstakeinthefamily-ownedfirm.
TheHermannfamily,whichhasownedthecompanyfor56years,willretainanownershipstake,thecompanysaid.
AnchorisrankedNo.9onthelatestPlasticsNewslistoflargestthermoformersinNorthAmerica,withsalesof$350millionin2017.That’supfrom$315milliontheyearbefore.
Anchorsaidthecompanyhasbeenabletotriplesalesduringthepast15yearsthroughorganicgrowth.Theinfluxofcapitalfromtheinvestmentfirmwillhelpfueladditionalgrowth.
“Nowwearetalkingabouttransformativegrowth—broadeningourgeographicreachthroughadditionalmanufacturingfacilities,newandcomplementaryproductlinestobetterserveourcustomersandnewmaterialstoofferourcustomers,”AnchorCEOJeffreyWolffsaidinastatement.
Thecompany’soperationscurrentlyareconcentratedinArkansaswithanadditionallocationinArgentina,accordingtoAnchor’swebsite.
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 7
Anchorusespolypropylene,polystyrene,polyethyleneandPETtomakepackagingforfood,consumer,householdcare,andagriculturalproducts.Thecompanyalsomakescupsandlids.
“Anchorhasbeen,andcontinuestobe,afamilybusiness”ChairmanRobertHermannJr.saidinastatement.“WeareexcitedtopartnerwithTheJordanCo.tohelpfuelAnchor’scontinuedgrowthandincreaseourtrajectory.TheJordanCo.possessesmanyofthesamevalues,ethics,andlong-termorientationthathasbeenahallmarkofAnchor.”
Termsofthedeal,expectedtocloseinJuly,wherenotreleased.
“Weplantoinvestfurtherinthebusinesstosupportorganicgrowthandcontinuednewproductdevelopment”,saidMikeDenvir,apartneratJordan,inastatement.
Jordanlists30currentinvestmentsonitswebsite,includingAmericanFreight,adiscountfurnitureretailerandBojangles’restaurantchain.
AMB Acquires UK food Packaging BusinessJune27,2019—ItalianpackagingproducerAMBSpahasacquiredTDX(Europe)Ltd,aUK-basedmanufacturerofPET,rPETandlaminatedrigidfilmsforthefoodandpackagingindustry,tocreateapan-Europeanleaderintherigidandflexibleplasticsfilmandpackagingmarket.
ThecombinationofUdine-basedAMBandTDXcreatesaone-stop-shopofferingofproductsandservices,fromtoolingandconceptdesign,productspecification,printdesignandapplication,allowingthegrouptodelivernewproductsandservices.
Together,AMBandTDXwillhavefoursitesacrossEuropeplusanetworkofinternationaldistributionwarehouseswith430employees.Thecombinedbusinesseswillturnoverinexcessof€150million($168m).
GilesPeacock,chiefoperatingofficerofAMB,whichcelebratesits50thanniversarythisyear,said:“ThisisahighlycomplementaryacquisitionthatwillhelpAMBwidenourEuropeanfootprinttobemorelocaltoourclientsinNorthernEurope.Wehavealwayshadaclear
vision,andpartofthevisionistocreateagroupthatcanofferacompleteend-to-endprocessforfoodpackagingcustomers.”
MarkPrinn,managingdirectorofTDX,added:“WeareexcitedtojoinforceswithAMBandbelievethispartnershipwillsignificantlyaccelerategeographicexpansion.Thetwocompaniesworkingtogetherinpartnershipwilltrulydeliveraone-stop-shopthatwillcreatestrongopportunitiesworldwideandwelookforwardtoworkingtogether.”
Sustainability andfoodsafetywillcontinuetobecoretotheactivitiesofthenewpartnership.
TheacquisitionofTDX(Europe)includesitsproductdesign,prototypeandtoolingbusiness.Whilecontinuingtoserveitsexistinglocalandglobalcustomerbase,thedesignandtoolingbusinesswillofferaddedvalueservicestoexistingAMBcustomersbyenhancingAMB’scapabilitytooffercompletepackagingsolutions.
BrunoMarin,thechiefexecutiveofAMB,said:“Weseethisasourfirstmajorstepinournewgrowthplans.50yearsofAMBhasbroughtustothispointthroughinnovation,talentedpeopleandunwaveringfocusonourdefinedvision.”
AMBinstalleditsfirstmultilayercoextrusionlinefortheproductionoffoodpackagingin1988andsincethenhasrampedupcapacitywithPETco-extrusionlinesand7-and9-layerblownfilmlines.ItwasalsothefirstcompanyinEuropetostartwater-basedproductioninsteadofsolventin2014.
ThecompanyopeneditssecondproductionplantinUdinein2017,whichgaveitstrongerconnectionstotherestofEurope.
Paccor Acquires EDV Packaging SolutionsBy Tony Corbin, PackagingNews.co.uk
July25,2019—EDVdeliversproductswhichrequiregreaterprotectionagainstoxygenmigrationandcoffeecapsulesmadefrompolypropylene,aswellasmadeoutofadvancedbiocompostablematerials.Theacquisition
8 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
advancesPaccor’spositioninrigidbarrierpackagingapplicationsglobally.
EDVcombinesitstechnologywithacompleteprojectmanagementservice,rangingfromproductconceptiontoproductionandwiththedeliveryoffullsolutionstocustomers.Ithasalsodevelopedprocessesfortheefficientmanufacturingofbarrierapplicationssuchascoffeecapsulesmadefrompolypropylene,aswellasadvancedbiocompostablematerials.EDVisalsoaleaderinrigidbarrierapplicationsforready-mealsandtheworld’sthirdlargestproduceroffruitbowls(forproductssuchas,compotes).
“WeareveryhappytowelcomeEDVPackagingSolutionsasanewmemberofthePaccorworldwidefamily.Overthepastyears,EDVhasachievedveryimpressivegrowthandprofitability.WearehappytomergeforcesinordertojointlycapturefurtheropportunitieswithinEuropeandoutsideofit,”commentedAndreasSchütte,chiefexecutive,Paccor.
Paccorbelievestheacquisitionwillallowbothgroupstoleadtheinnovativechangeinmanufacturingsustainablepackagingandtobecomethegloballeaderforrigidbarrierapplications,withEDVbecomingPacoor’sCenterofExcellenceforthermoformedproductsrequiringhigheroxygenprotection.Furthermore,Pacoorwillalsoenterthefast-growingmarketforcoffeecapsulesinEurope.Atthesametime,EDVhasgainedastrongpartnerforthefurthersupportofitsmarketgrowthinEuropeandbeyond.
“After30yearsofhardworkgrowingafamilybusinesstobecometheleadingEuropeanoperatorofrigidbarrierpackaging,itisanexcellentopportunityforustobeapartofthebiggerPacoorfamily.Thisisanupscaletobecomeaworldwideplayerinthisfast-growingsegment,”summarisedKokePursals,presidentofEDV.
EDVPackagingSolutionswasfoundedin1972andhasbeengrowingsuccessfullyinEuropeforthelastfourdecadesandgraduallymakinganimpactonUSandAsiamarkets.
Kohlberg Closes on Bemis Healthcare Packaging Europe Acquisition, Merges with NelipakBy Don Loepp, Plastics News
August9,2019—Aspromised,NelipakCorp.Inc.isgrowinggloballyunderitsnewownership.
InJuly,investmentfirmKohlberg&Co.LLCacquiredthemajormanufacturerofcustomplasticpackagingforthehealthcaresector.Atthetime,MountKisco,N.Y-basedKohlbergannouncedithadplanstoleveragethebusinesswith“sizeable,globalacquisitions.”
KohlbergmadegoodonthepledgeAug.8,whenitcompletedapreviouslyannounceddealtobuyBemisHealthcarePackagingEuropefor$394million—thenimmediatelymergedtheunitwithNelipak.
ThecombinedcompanieshavefootprintsinbothNorthAmericaandEurope.Productsincludeflexibleandthermoformedpackaging.
“ThiswillsignificantlyenhanceNelipak’scapabilitieswiththeadditionofflexiblepackagingalternativesforourglobalcustomers,”MikeKelly,presidentandCEOofNelipak,saidinanewsrelease.
KohlbergpickeduptheBemisHealthcarebusinessasaresultoftheyear’spackagingmegamerger:AmcorLtd.’s$6.8billionpurchaseofBemisCo.Inc.TheEuropeanCommissionaskedthecompaniestodivesttheEuropeanhealthcarebusinessbecauseofcompetitionconcerns.
IndustryveteranPeterSchmittcalledtheNelipakdealanexampleofamajor“remapping”ofthesterilemedicalpackagingmarket,drivenbyAmcor’sdeal.
“Nottoolongago,thereweretwomajorpubliccompaniesinbothfoodandmedicalpackaging:AmcorandBemis,”
Thermoforming In The News
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 9
saidSchmitt,managingdirectorofMontesinoAssociatesLLCinWilmington,Del.“Indeed,theysplittheassetsofAlcanwhenAlcan’spackagingdivisionwasdivested.Nowtheyaremerging.”
BemisandAmcorgrewsignificantlywhentheysplittheformerAlcanPackagingbusinessin2010,whichhadbeenownedbymetalsandminingfirmRioTintoplc.
ButwhenBemisandAmcoragreedtomerge,competitionauthoritiesintheUnitedStatesandEuropeaskedthetwotodivestbigchunksoftheirmedicalpackagingbusiness—andprivateequityfirmspouncedontheopportunity.
First,Wayne,Pa.-basedTekni-PlexInc.,whichisownedbyGenstarCapital,boughtthreemanufacturingplantsfromAmcor’sFlexiblePackagingbusinessunitfor$215milliontobroadenitsportfolioofsterilizablemedicaldevicepackaging.ThatdealincludedthreeU.S.plants.
NowKohlberg-backedNelipakhasdonethesamewiththreeBemisplantsinEurope.
Schmittsaidtheprivateequityfirmsarebuildingaportfolioofpackagingcompaniesfocusedonlyonmedicaldevicesorhealthcare,notfood.
“Thequestionis,willAmcorbeabletofocusonbothfoodandmedical,anduseitssizeandbrandstrengthtogrowitsposition?OrwillthisnewmapofstrongandgrowingsterilemedicalpackagingcompaniesledbyprivateequitychallengeAmcorinthemedicalarena?
“Additionalconsolidationappearstobelikely.Addtothattheuncertaintyofbothtradewarsandapossiblerecessionandwewillseesomeinterestingmovesinthefuture,”Schmittsaid.
Nelipak’smedicalpackagingoperationsaregrowingwiththeadditionofBemisHealthcarePackagingEurope.
Nelipak by the NumbersPriortothemerger,Nelipak,whichhasbeeninbusinessfor60years,employedmorethan800atsevenproductionsites.InadditiontoitsheadquartersinCranston,R.I.,thecompanyhadplantsinWhitehall,Pa.;Phoenix;Humacao,PuertoRico;SanJosé,CostaRica;Galway,Ireland;andVenray,theNetherlands.
Withanestimated$90millioninsales,NelipakHealthcarePackagingrankedNo.25amongNorthAmericanthermoformers,accordingtothelatestPlasticsNewsranking.
TheBemisHealthcaredealaddsthreemoreplantsand600employees.Thethreeplants,inLondonderry,NorthernIreland;Clara,Ireland;andBrigg,England,representedtheentiremedicalpackagingbusinessofNeenah,Wis.-basedBemis,andhaveacombinedannualsalesofaround$170million.
Kohlberg Highlights SynergiesKohlbergofficialshighlightedhowcombiningthetwobusinessesgivesNelipakglobalscaleandawiderrangeofplasticpackagingproducts.
“OurrecentacquisitionofNelipakrepresentedaplatformforgrowthandconsolidation,”SethHollander,apartneratKohlberg,saidintherelease.“TheBemisacquisitionprovidesauniqueopportunitytocreateglobalscaleanddiversificationacrosscomplementaryproductofferings.”
RogerPrevot,operatingpartneratKohlberg,added:“Thiscombinationprovidesattractiveopportunitiesforrevenuegrowthfromcross-sellingandgeographicexpansion.Mikeandhisteamwillbebetterequippedtoservethecompany’scustomersasacomprehensivepartnerfortheirpackagingneeds.”
KohlbergboughtNelipakfromMilwaukee-basedMasonWellsonJuly2.
Nelipak’sproductsincludethermoformedtraysandblistersusedtoproductClassIIandClassIIImedicaldevicesandpharmaceuticalsaswellastraysforsurgicalprocedures,suchasorthopedicandcardiacimplants,andhandlingdrugs,suchasauto-injectors,pre-filledsyringesandvaccines.|
10 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
University News
2019 SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
Samuel Bliesner, Tulane UniversitySamuelBliesnerreceivedhisB.S.
degreeinChemicalEngineering
fromFloridaStateUniversityinMay
2015.
Duringhisundergraduatecareer,
Samservedasaco-opattheDuPontsiteinRichmond,
Virginia,performingresearchintheKevlar®businessarea.
ThisworkexperienceintroducedSamto,andsparkedhis
interest,inthepolymersindustry.
Upongraduationin2015,SamreturnedtoRichmondas
acontractedreliabilityengineerintheDuPontKevlar®
pulpbusinessarea.AfterashorttimeinindustryR&D,
SamdecidedtopursuehisPhD.Heiscurrentlybeginning
hisfourth-yearofgraduateschoolatTulaneUniversity’s
DepartmentofChemicalandBiomolecularEngineering.
UndertheguidanceofDr.JulieAlbert,hisresearchfocuses
oncontrolofsemicrystallinepolymerthinfilmmorphology
viasolventvaporannealing.Hiscareerinterestsinclude
industryresearch,intellectualpropertylaw,andconsulting.
Haven Bontz, Pennsylvania College of TechnologyHavenisaseniorstudyingfor
aB.S.inPlasticandPolymer
EngineeringTechnologyand
expectstograduateintheFallof
2019.SinceMay2017,hehasheld
aninternshipwithConsolidatedContainerCompanyin
OilCity,Pennsylvania,wherehehasexecuted5splansand
performedprocessvalidations.
Antonia Chin, Kettering UniversityAntoniaisaseniorstudying
chemicalengineeringatKettering
UniversityinFlint,Michigan.Sheis
completingherthesis,conducting
researchonplasticizers.Antonia
firstencounteredthecoatings
industrythroughaco-opwithBASFwheresheassessed
paintqualityonautomobiles.Afterobservingthemyriad
ofthingsthatcangowrongwiththefinalproduct,
AntoniawantedtolearnmoreandinternedatPPGin
thedispersionsandpigmentsevaluationlab.Duringher
timethere,sheworkedonU.S.DepartmentofEnergy
testmodelsfordispersionqualityusingdifferentresin
technology.Thisexperiencehasfueledherdesireto
becomeacoatingsengineer.
AtKettering,Antoniaservesasthevicepresidentof
StudentGovernmentandpresidentoftheInternational
Club,andhasheldvariousleadershiprolesinthePlastics
EngineeringClub.Lastyear,Antoniaparticipatedin
the2018SPEThermoformingConferenceRCCarRace
Competition.
Lexington Peterson, Pittsburg StateLexingtonPetersonisajunior
atPittsburgStateUniversityin
Pittsburg,Kansas.Sheisadouble-
majorinplasticsengineering
technologyandpolymerchemistry.
Thissummer,Lexingtonis
employedinasustainability-orientedREUprogram
(ResearchExperiencesforUndergraduates,fundedbythe
NationalScienceFoundation)attheUniversityofMaine.
Duringtheschoolyear,Lexingtonisactivelyinvolvedinthe
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 11
SocietyofPlasticsEngineers,SocietyofWomenEngineers,
AmericanChemicalSociety,HonorsCollegeAssociation,
StudentGovernmentAssociation,PhiKappaPhi,andthe
StudentSustainabilityFundCommittee.Shealsoworks
part-timeasalabassistantattheKansasPolymerResearch
Center.
Nathan Rader-Edkin, Pennsylvania College of TechnologyNathanisaseniorstudying
PlasticsandPolymerEngineering
TechnologiesatPennsylvania
CollegeofTechnologyin
Williamsport,Pennsylvania.HecurrentlyservesasSPE
StudentChapterPresident,andpreviouslyservedas
secretary.NathanisalsothecurrentchairofSPE’sNext
GenerationAdvisoryBoard(NGAB).Hegraduatedfrom
PennsylvaniaCollegeofTechnologyin2015withan
AssociateofScienceDegreeinBusinessManagement.
Thissummer,Nathanisworkingasamoldinginternwith
theManufacturingDevelopmentEngineeringteamof
theapplianceunitatTEConnectivity’sheadquartersin
We are experts in all types of thermoform tooling including vacuum form, pressure form, heavy-gauge, thin-gauge, and twin-sheet thermoforming. Our thermoform tooling engineers have the experience to help you design and implement tooling to produce any variety of thermoformed plastic components. Thermoforming Moldsn Heavy- or thin-gauge, twin-sheetn Pressure formn Vacuum form
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Harrisburg,Pennsylvania.NathanexpectstograduatewithaB.S.inPlasticsandPolymersEngineeringTechnologiesinDecember2019.|
12 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Thermoforming on The ChainAreyouonTheChain?
Industry Practice
Ifnot,you’remissingoutonsomegreatinformationexchangeamongthermoformers,sheetsuppliers,toolmakers,andotherindustryexperts.Weofferasummaryofthemostfollowedthreadsinthepastquarter.Questionsandresponsescomefromallovertheworld:US,Canada,Australia,SpainandMexico.
YoucanaccessTheChainaspartofyourSPEmembershipbenefits.Simplylogintoyouraccountatwww.4spe.org,clickon“Conversations”,andjointhediscussion.
What do you call it? And how do you fix it?Thread started by Ed ProbstPosted 04-02-2019 17:23 Pleaseseetheattachedpicture.Almosteverythermoformerhasseenthiscondition-foldsofexcessmaterial.Ihavetwoquestions:
1. Whatdoyoursetupormachineoperatorscallthiscondition?
2. Whatarethefirst3thingsyoursetupstaffdoestoreduceoreliminateit?
Posted 04-03-2019 08:37
FunpostEd. Wecallitwebbing.
1. lowerheat/screentheheater2. slowvacuumtiming3. slowmouldplattenspeed
Thisisassumingtheflatareaaroundthemouldisrequiredandyoucannotaddanyfeaturestostretchthewebsout(buildaframearoundit).Wesometimesaddwebstretcherplatestotheoutsideofthemouldtopullthewebsout.I’massumingithasnoabilityontheequipmentforputtinganassistinandalltheotherengineeringandmodernequipmentbellsandwhistleswehavegottenusetousing.
Todd Shepherd ShepherdThermoforming
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Posted 04-03-2019 09:06 Irefertoitaswebbing.Useasmallersheetifpossibleandaplugassist. Kevin Harris, ThermoformingSupervisor, DraderMFG
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Posted 04-04-2019 09:47 Fromthematerialpropertyviewpoint,thishappenswhenmeltstrengthislow.UsinglowerMFR(highermeltstrengthmaterial)material,loweringtemperature,coolingthisareawithairpriortoforming,reducingplugspeed(allowinganunformedportiontocool),oraddingmorevacuumholesmayhelp.Ifpre-stretched,increaseballoonheight.Interestingly,Iheardofthisissueinalargedeepdrawnpartjustrecentlywhenthematerialsupplierwaschanged.
Amit Dharia, Ph.D.
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 13w w w . g n c a n a d a . c o m
Are you still producing too much waste? Do you want to reduce production costs?
If yes contact us [email protected]
GN800Form/Cut/Stack model
14 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Posted 04-05-2019 08:54 Wecallitwebbing.Wewouldbuilda“moat”aroundthepart.Inessence,wewouldmakesomethinglikeaframeabout1”to1.5”highacoupleinchesaroundthepartcreatingthe“moat”.Thereisusuallysometrialanderror,butitworksverywell.
Rick Turman, ReliableFormedPlastic
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Posted 04-06-2019 12:47Thatwebcanbeveryproblematicwhenitcomestostackingandpackagingthepart.Wehadandstilldealingwithissuesregardingwebbinginapartwhichallstartedwhenwechangedthesupplierofourfilm.Narrowerrollstostretchoutthefilmmayhelpbutyouhavetoaccommodateforthethickness.Hereisapictureofourwebbingaswell.
Bruce Fakoory VFPackagingLtd
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Posted 04-08-2019 12:57
Achangeinsuppliercouldmeantwothings-thechangeinrawmaterialorextrusionconditions.Bothcouldhaveunexpectedeffectsonforming.NotallABSgradesarethesame,notallHDPEarethesame,notallPETgradesarethesame.Further,notallsemi-finishedgoodsmadefromthesamePETarethesame.Astheysay-Itispossibletoproduceabadpartfromgoodsemi-finishedstockbutimpossibletomakeagoodpartfromabadsemi-finishedproduct.Experiencedthermoformerscanalwaysmakeprocessortoolchangestomakeitworkbutfixingmaterialproblemsbychangingtheprocessoftenhaveconsequences.Itisbettertounderstandthedifferenceinkeymaterialproperties.Unfortunately,thereisnotmuchthethermoformerscandoexcepttellingthesheetsupplierthattheresomethingdifferent.Inthecaseofwebbing,theprimarycauseislowermeltstrengthorlowmeltelasticity,andmismatchTDandMDorientation.Whenmeltstrengthislow,onecanreducethetemperature,increaseplugspeed,orincreaseorientation.
Themeltstrengthandmeltelasticitychangeswhenthematerialhasdegradedduringextrusionorwhenexcessiveregrindisadded.Itcouldalsochangeiftheresin(e.g.comonomertypeorcontent,viscosityormolecularweight,molecularweightdistribution,fillertypeorsizing)oradditive(e.g.carrierinCC)packagehaschanged.TechnoformThermoformabilitytestcandeterminesubtledifferencesinthesheetbeforeforming.Iwouldsuggestthermoformerstoatleasttotrythistestmethod.Knowingmaterialresponseisfarbetterandcheaper.
AmitDharia,Ph.D.
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Clarity IssuesThread started by Philip Shelton (June 20, 2019)
Posted 8 days ago MyclientiscurrentlyformingaroundlidofØ200x12mmontheirpressureformingmachine.TheissueissuepresentsitselfwhenhechangesfromPVCtoPET.TheformedPETlidisdominatedbyamilky,lessopaqueappearanceasyouwillnoteontheimage.WhenformingPVC,thelidhasgoodclaritywithnoevidenceofthemilkydiscoloration.Sheetthicknessis0.33mm.Forobviousreasons,theyarewantingtogetawayfromPVCasitdoesn’tfitinwiththeirrecyclingplans.
Thoughtsplease.Regards, Phil
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Posted 7 days ago Youwilllikelygetmanysimilarrepliesonthis.Theteastainingisthede-nesting/mouldreleaseagentinthematerial,supplierissueyou’llneedtoalertthem,hopefullyyouhaveotherPETmaterialyoucanruntocomparewithtoproveyourpoint,Themilkyfrostedlook,somecanberelatedtotheteastainingbutcanalsobetoomuchheatandyoucrystallizingthePET(whitenswhenthishappens,turnupyourheatersmoreanditshouldworsen).BackoffyourheatersfromwhatyouareatwiththePVCandseeifclarityimproves.
Todd Shepherd, ShepherdThermoforming
Industry Practice
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 15
Posted 4 days ago BelowwhatIwouldcheck:1)ThePETsheetlookslikeithastoomuchsiliconeforde-nesting.Iwouldtrywithadifferentsheet.
2)Toomuchtemperatureortoomuchheating/pressuretimewillgivethishazinessappearance.Trytodecreasethetemperature5°Candlooktheclarityinspiteofthewell-formedshapedofthepart.Then,iftheclaritygetsbetter,pushtheformingpressureupuntilyouhavetheperfectformedpart.
3)OnthiskindofflatlidwithundercutontheperimeterIusetomadeatrickwiththe“Baffle”plate.Thetrickistoocooldowntheflatareaswhereyoudon’tneedtoformtrickythings,andgivemoreheattotheundercutperimeter.It’sriskybecauseyouhavetocutthebaffleplatebutIcanletyouknowif1)and2)doesn’thelp.
Hopeithelps, KindRegards Federico Blanco, PROMACORSA
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Posted 6 days ago Hello, Phillip.Inmyopinion,thesheetmusthaveabsorbedhumidityandwhenthesheetisheatedbeyondTgtemperature,thewatervaporisreleasedtotheoutersurfaceofthesheet,hence,itbecomes“cloudy”.Otherpossiblecausecouldbewatercondensationifthetoolistoocoolandambienthumidityhigh.Amoldconditioningequipmentcouldeliminatethecondensationissue(itcouldbeassimpleasanairconditioningunitblowingcool/dryairtothemold).MaybeaThermoregulatortocondition-heatthetoolcouldhelptokeepamorestabletemperature.
Ihopethiscouldbeofsomevalue,bestregards.
Juan Carlos Balmaceda CAJAPLAX
Posted 6 days agoBothPETandr-PVChasaboutsimilarTg.PET(70C)andPVC(77C).Bothareformedinarelativelysimilartemperaturerange.PVC110C-140C,PET120C-140C.PEThassecondaryorcoldcrystallization.Ifnotprocessproperly,thiscrystallinitywillshowupashazeorwhiteness.Ifnotdriedpriortoprocessing,PETwilldegradeviahydrolysis.AsmallamountoflowmolecularweightcomponentssuchasmoistureormonomerwilllowerTgandenhancethecrystallizationrate.Orientationandresidualthermalstressesinthesheetwillalsocausecrystallizationuponforming.Iwouldchecktheprocessingtemperatureandmoisture.Iseemanydentsandseemslikeithaseithersomecontaminationormoisture.
Amit Dharia, Ph.D.
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Posted 5 days ago Hello Phillip,Icouldn’thelpbutcommentonyourlaststatement,that“forobviousreasons,theyarewantingtogetawayfromPVCasitdoesn’tfitinwiththeirrecyclingplans.”TheonlythingobvioustomeinreadingthisthreadisthatthereisalackofeducationabouttherecyclabilityofPVC,asnooneseemedtochallengethisassertion.ThereseemstobeamassivemythandmisinformationthatisoutthereaboutPVCbeing‘difficult’or‘impossible’torecycle,andthatcouldnotbefurtherfromthetruth.EducatingyourclientontherecyclingofPVCmaybeanothernon-technicalsolutiontotheproblem.Ifyoudesire,pleasehaveyourclientcontacttheVinylInstitutetodiscusspost-consumerPVCrecyclingthatisalreadyoccurringacrossthecountryandtheworld.Wecanhelpyourclientcontactanyofthe100+recyclingcompaniesinNorthAmericawhoarerecyclingvinylmaterials.Alternatively,wemayalsobeabletoworkwiththemonidentifyinggrantfundingtopilotrecyclinginfrastructurethatmightplacethemasasustainabilityleaderfortheirefforts,ratherthantofocusonmaterialreplacement.Hopethisspurssomeadditionalthoughtsaroundthisissue,andperhapssomegooddiscussion.
Best regards, Domenic DeCaria, TechnicalDirector,VinylInstitute|
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16 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Thermoforming 2.0
TherecyclingofbottleflakesderivedfromPETbottlecollectionsystemsasimplementedandpracticedinGermany,AustriaandSwitzerland,forexample,hassofarfocusedmainlyontransparentandmonochromePETflakes.Thesecanberecycledrelativelyeasilyintotransparentfoodpackaging.However,multicoloredPETflakes(Titlefigure)aresuitableonlyforinferiorapplications,becausetheycannotbere-pelletizedandextrudedasreproducible
PET: From A to CUpcycling of Mixed APET Bottle Flakes into Thermally Stable rCPET Food Trays
Enhancing mixed bottle flakes by turning them into extrudable recycled crystalline polyethylene terephthalate (rCPET) was the goal of a joint development project looking to close the gap in the PET recycling system. By successfully producing a sheet made from recycled material suitable for high-quality applications such as thermoformed food trays, Gneuss, Sukano and Illig have demonstrated that this approach is indeed possible.
homogenousPETduetotheirdifferentcolors.Asaresult,inthefirstquarterof2019inGermany,forexample,multicoloredPETflakeshadamarketvalue(500to700EUR/t),roughlyonlyhalfthevalueoftransparentPETpelletsmadefromvirginmaterial(1100EUR/t),orrecycledtransparentPETpellets(1300EUR/t).
Thiscost-benefitadvantageledtoanovelcollaborationamongGneussKunststofftechnik(BadOeynhausen,Germany),anextrusiontechnologycompany;Sukano(Schindellegi,Switzerland)anadditivemanufacturer,andIlligMaschinenbau(Heilbronn,Germany),amanufacturerofthermoformingsystemsforthermoplastics.Asinitialtestresultsshow,thetreatmentofAPETwastematerialscancloseagapinthecurrentrecyclingsystem.TheprojectdemonstratedthatitispossibletoenhanceamixtureofAPETbottleflakes–thatuntilnowhashadonlyamarginalreusablevalue–tomakereproducible,thermallystablerCPET(seeBox),whichcanbeextrudedandre-formedintofood-gradepackaginginathermoformingprocess(Fig.1).
Afurtherconsiderationintheprojectplanningwasthediscussionaboutthemigrationofpotentiallyhazardoussubstancesfoundinaluminumfoodtrays.Thermoformed
Thermally stable rCPET food trays made from multicolor APET bottle flakes (© Illig)
Figure 1. Process overview: from multicolor APET bottle flakes to CPET for oven-safe food trays (source: Illig, Gneuss)
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 17
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From large to small size inline machines, Cut-in-place machines, to custom thermoforming lines and systems for the processing of all types of thermo-formable plastics, including PET, PLA, PS, PP,EVOH, OPS, HIPS, EPS, PE, PVC, PC, PE, HDPE and many more….O.M.G. can provide a cost effective solution for your everyday challenges!!
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18 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
andoven-safefoodtraysmadeoutofrecycledmaterialscouldbeagoodalternative.Afurtheradvantageofthermoforminginthisprocessisthecost-effectiveproductionofhighvolumesofthin-walled,andthusresource-friendly,thermoformedpartsthatcanbemadeinashorttime.
Homogeneous Melt with MRS Extrusion
ColoredA-PETbottleflakeischaracterizedbywidevariationsincolor,molecularweightandcontaminationlevels,duetotheirpreviouslifecycle.ThisiswhereMRStechnology(MRS=multirotationextruder)comesin.Inasingle-screwextruderwithaspecialdegassingzoneandsatellitescrewsarrangedaroundthemainscrew,thereisacontinuousexchangeofmaterialbetweenthesatellite
screwsatmoderatevacuumconditionsof25mbar(Fig.2).Thankstotherapid,continuoussurfaceexchangebetweenthemainscrewandthesatellitescrewsundervacuum,thesurfaceexchangeofthepolymermeltisgreatlyincreased,whichallowsforanextremelyefficientdevolatilizationanddecontaminationofthepolymermelt(Fig.3).
Thermoforming 2.0
Thepolymermeltishomogenized,providingexcellentmaterialsheetpropertiesforthermoforminginalaterstepthankstotheveryevenlyandconsistentmolecularweightdistribution.Moreover,theextremelyefficientmixingprocessintheMRSsectionfacilitatestheevendistributionofadditivessuchasanucleatingagentintothepolymermelt.Thisprocedureofdistributingtheadditiveequallyintothematerialhastheaddedbenefitofconsistentcrystallizationofthematerialsheetinthedownstreamthermoformingprocessandcanthusbepredictablycontrolled.
BecausetheMRSconceptmakesitpossibletoavoidthermalpreconditioningofthematerialpriortoextrusionthuseliminatingtheotherwisetypicalthermalstresscausedbycrystallizationanddrying,theprocesschainduringtheprocessingofthepolymerisveryshort.Thepolymermeltisprocessedgently,preservingexcellentphysicalandvisualpropertieslikehightensilestrengthandimpactresistance,transparencyandalowyellownessindexrating(inthecaseoftransparentsheets).
Notonlytheextruderitself,butalsomeltfiltrationisofparticularimportanceforthesheetqualitywhenprocessingrPET.ThatiswhytheGneusssheetlineincludesaprocess-constant,fullyautomaticbackflushfiltrationsystem.TheRSFgeniusrotaryfiltrationsystemreliablyandefficientlyremovescontaminantssuchassolidparticlesfromthepolymermelt.Forpermanentprocessmonitoring,anonlineviscometermeasurestheviscosityandthusservesasaquality-assuranceinstrument(Fig.4.)
DownstreamfromtheMRSextruderunit,anrCPETsheetcanbeproducedonasheetextrusionlineanduseddirectlywithaninlinethermoformingmachine,orwounduponarollforlaterofflineuse.
Figure 2. Multi rotation extruder system with satellite screws arranged around main screw (© Gneuss)
Figure 3. Surface renewal for the decontamination of plastics: the MRS technology is 100 times more effective than conventional single-screw technology thanks to its satellite screws (source: Gneuss)
Figure 4. The timeline of the dynamic melt viscosity shows an increase from around 800 to 1000 Pas as a result of the addition of 1% rPET IV enhancer (© Gneuss)
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 19
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FOR SOLID SHEETThe Model 45 doesn't require a 3rd motion or airbox. A smart SASH (Servo Adjust Shut Height) monitors an ac-curate measuring system to maintain the newly designed platens at +/-.002" �atness.• Air cylinders operate the sheet clamp frame. • The bottom platen drives the plugs.• Option: can be ordered 52'' wide.• Max. product depth 5''• Shut height 30''• Sheet width 48''• Sheet line 53.5''
20 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Thermoforming 2.0
Additives for Color and Crystallization
ThepropertiesofthePETbottleflakematerialisintentionallymodifiedintheextruderbyintroducingadditives.TherPETIVenhancerfromSukanoelongatesthemolecularchainofthepolymerandbydoingsoincreasesthemolecularweight(Fig.5).
Theadditivealsoimprovesthemeltviscosity,whichbenefitstheprocessingoftheplasticatalaterstage.Asforthesheetextrusion,theadditiveextendstheprocessingwindow,increasesprocessingspeed,andimprovesthematerialsheetquality.Moreover,theadditiveensuresahigherimpactresistanceoftheplastic.
Withthistreatment,PETiscomparabletovirginAPETinitsphysicalproperties,withthedisadvantageofitsnon-transparency.Becauseofthis,itisnotsuitablefortransparentpackaging.However,anoven-saferCPETtrayisnormallyopaqueduetoitshighconcentrationofcrystallites.Becauseofthis,itmakessensetocolortherAPETpreparedintheMRSextruderwithamasterbatchandtotransformitintoasheetsuitableforthermoformingusingacrystallizationagent.SukanousesitsownrPETcrystallizationmasterbatch,whichobtainsgoodcolorresultswiththermallystablecolorpigments.
Sukanodevelopsnearlyeverycolorthemarketdemands.However,themosttypicalcolorsarewhite,beigeandblack.BlackisatypicalcolorusedinrCPETtrays,whichisalsothemostwidelyusedcolorintheproductionofCPETtraysmadeofvirginmaterial.Aradar-camerasortingsystemdevelopedbyFraunhoferresearchersanddubbed“BlackValue”canidentifyandsortblackrCPETandCPETfoodtrays,aswellasallothercoloredplastics,inrealtimeandinlargequantitiesinthestreamoffallingflakes[1].
Thenucleatingagentacceleratesthecrystallizationrateoftheplastic,makingtheformedrCPETtraysoven-safe:Theirformremainsstableforatleast20minat200°C.Moreover,thenucleatingagentisalsokeyinthelatterstagesoftheproductionchainincontrollingthecrystallizationprocessduringthermoforming,whichimprovestheproductionstabilityofthermoformingthetrays.
rCPET Food Trays
GneussMRSextrusiontechnologymeetstherequirementsofvariousfoodsafetyregulatorsworldwideincludingtheFDA,EFSA,Invima,Senasa,Anvisaforhotfillapplications,andforroomtemperaturestorage.Similarly,Sukano’srPETadditivesaresuitableforfood-gradepolymers,ensuringthatanrCPETmonofilmiswell-suitedforpackagingthathasdirectcontactwithfoods.
Duetotheincreasedmigrationathighermicrowaveandoventemperatures,thesheetsusedtoformrCPETfoodtraysaregenerallymadewithaco-extrudedfunctionalbarrierofvirginmaterialsforprotectionagainstcontaminantsinthesheet.Equally,inthefinalstagesoftheproductionoffoodtrays,thethermoformingsystemsfromIlligalsocomplywithstricthygienerequirementswiththeirintegratedCleantivity™conceptforhygienicallycleanproduction.
Extrusion of the Sample Sheets with Different Additives
Forthejointseriesoftests,GneussfirstproducedasheetwithoutadditivesasacontrolsamplefromabatchofAPETbottleflakes.Thiswasfollowedbyfourmoremonofilms,whichhaddifferentadditiveconcentrationsthroughgravimetricdosing(devicetype:Guardian,gravimetricbatchblenderfor6components;manufacturer:Processcontrol,headquartersBirstein,Germany).Allfivesheetswere530mmwideand0.5mmthick.Anonlineviscometermonitoredthemeltviscosityduringsheetextrusion,whichasexpectedincreasedwiththeadditionoftheIVenhancer(Table1).However,theincreaseinintrinsicviscosity(IV)waslesspronouncedforsheet4comparedtosheet3at0.01dl/g,whileafurtherincreaseinIVenhancerdosagebythesameamountincreasedtheintrinsicviscosityby0.10dl/gto0.83dl/g(sheet5).Futuretestingneedstobeconductedtoexplaintheunexpectedloweffectofthelowdosage.
Process-Controlled Thermoforming Technology
Fortheproductionoftrays,amulti-dimensionalradiantheaterisrequired.ThisisnecessarybecausethecrystallizationofPETsheetcanonlybecontrolledbyprecisionzonaltemperaturecontrolinboththelateralandlongitudinaldirections.ThetooltechnologyisalsodesignedspecificallyforthePETprocessasatwo-stepformingtoolwithheatedcavitywalls(Tg<Ttoolcavitywall<Ts)inthefirstformingtoolandcooledcavitywallsinthesecondtool(Ttoolcavitywall<Tg),whereTgstandsforglasstransitiontemperatureandTsforcrystallitemelting
Figure.5. Chain-growth polymerization mechanism using the rPET IV enhancer (© Sukano)
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 21
Figure 6. Oven tests at 200°C for 20 min: rCPET trays (from left to right: rolls 2, 3, 4, 5); upper heater at 250°C; upper and lower heating, lower heater at 270°C (© Illig)
Figure 7. rCPET food trays made from material sheet 5 before and after the oven test at 270°C on upper and lower heater (© Illig)
temperatureofPET.Inthefirststage,thetrayisgivenitsform,receivingthermalenergyforsufficientcrystallizationthroughcontactwiththeheatedtoolcavitywalls.Thetoolopensandthepreformedductiletraysaremovedalongbythematerialtransportintothesecondcavitywithcooledtoolcavitywalls.Thetoolclosesandinthesecondformingsteptheplastichardensundercontactwiththecooledtoolcavitywalls,maintainingitsshapewhilethecrystallizationprocessiscompleted–theformedtraysarenowoven-safe.
Striking a Balance between Forming Accuracy and Thermal Stability
Fromthefivematerialsheettypes,IlligproducedfoodtraysontheirIC-RDK80thermoformingmachineusinganinternaltesttoolwith2+2cavities.Duringtheentireseriesoftests,thefirsttoolcavityofthetwo-stepformingprocesswasheatedto160°Candthesecondtoolcavitywastemperature-controlledto20°C.Theonlyexceptionwasformaterialroll1,thesamplematerialrollmadeof100%bottleflakes,forwhichtheformingtoolsweretemperature-controlledto20°C.Thetemperaturesettingoftheupperandlowerheatinginthemachinevariedfrom245to290°C;allotherprocessparametersremainedconstant.
Thelevelofdefinitionoftheformedtraysservedasanimportantqualityindicatorasmeasuredbythevisibleimpressionsmadebythevacuumholesonthesurfaceoftheformedtrays.IncontrasttothermoformingrAPET,whenthermoformingrCPETtheformingaccuracydecreasesinproportiontotheamountofheatadded.Thisisbecauseincreasedcrystallinityincreasestheviscosityofthematerialsheet.Thismeans,awell-definedformedtraycanbeanindicatorforalowlevelofcrystallizationandthusforpoorthermalstabilityoftheformedpart.WhenapplyinganadditiveinthemanufacturingofamaterialsheetforthepurposeofformingrCPETfoodtrays,itisthereforeessentialtostrikeahealthybalancebetweenanacceptabledegreeofformingaccuracyandthermalstability.
Table2clearlyshowsthattherearehardlyanydifferencesbetweenthematerialrolls2,3andalso4intermsoftheirdefinition.Fromanupperandlowerheatertemperatureof270°C,theonsetofcrystallizationseemstoreducethedefinitionoftheformedpart.TherCPETfoodtraysfrommaterialroll5arenotwelldefinedattheselectedtemperatures.With92%PETbottleflakes,testroll5hasthelowestpercentageofrawPETcomparedtothenucleatingagent.
Oven Tests in Packaging Lab
Theoventestsat200°Cfor20minwerecarriedoutinIllig’spackaginglab.Oneoventestwasconductedimmediatelyafterthermoformingandasecondtestwascarriedoutafteran18-hourstorageoftheformedfoodtraysataroomtemperatureof22°Ctodeterminetheinfluence,ifany,ofapossiblepost-crystallization.Thisprovedhowevertobenegligible,asnodifferencesweredetected.
Thethermoformedfoodtraysfromthesamplematerialsheet(APETwithoutadditives)wereasexpectednotthermallystable,sothatnovisualevaluationwaspossible.Thecomparisonoffoodtraysformedfromthesheetswithadditivesshowedthatatatemperatureof270°Cofboththeupperandlowerheaters,allfoodtrayshadahighdimensionalstability.Thefoodtraysformedfrommaterialroll5werematteinappearance,whichcanbeexplainedbyhavingthehighestconcentrationofthenucleatingagent.
22 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Apparently,asthepercentageofnucleatingagentincreases,sodoesthethermalstabilityofthefoodtrays.Thiseffectisespeciallynoticeableatatemperatureof270°Cofbothupperandlowerheaters(Fig.7).
Conclusion: Potential for High-Quality Applications
Dependingoncustomerrequirements,aconcentrationoffivepercentofthenucleatingagentfromSukanomayalreadybesufficienttoobtainhigh-quality,oven-saferCPETfoodtraysfrompreviouslylow-valueAPETbottleflakes.Moreover,asthepercentageofrPET-IVenhancerincreases,sodoesthefoodtray’simpactresistance,whichshowspotentialforhigh-qualityapplicationsofthermoformedrCPETcontainersintherefrigerationanddeep-freezesector.
Withthegrowingdemandforrecycledpellets,inordertomeetminimumrecycledcontentrequirementsinthefinalproducts,theavailabilityoftransparentrecycledPETisbecomingincreasinglyscarce.OneindustrythatmakesuseofmulticolorPETflakesisthestrappingindustry,turningthePETflakesintopackagingstrapping.OneofthereasonsmulticoloredPETflakesareusedforthispurposeisbecausetherearenorestrictionsintermsoffoodsafetyregulations.ThereisasurplusofmulticoloredPETbottleflakesonthemarket,butcurrentlytheyareutilizedonlyinalimitedcapacity.Thejointdevelopmentprojectconsideredeconomic,legislativeandtechnicalrequirementsanddemonstratedthattherecyclingofmulticoloredAPETblendsintonewhigh-qualityproductsisindeedpossible.
Upcyclinginsteadofdowncycling–upgradingtherecycledplasticintofood-graderCPETistechnicallyeasytoimplementandfillsagapinthePETrecyclingsystem.ThermallystablerCPETfoodtraysasahigh-qualityfinalproductareonlyoneofmanypossibleapplications.
Amorphous and Crystalline PET
Polyethyleneterephthalate(PET)collectedfromusedbottlesthathavebeenshreddedintobottleflakesisusedastheinitialrawmaterial.Generally,adistinctionismadebetweenamorphous(APET)andcrystallinepolyethyleneterephthalate(CPET).APETisknownforitshightransparency,whileCPEThastheadvantageofbeingheatresistant,apropertythatenablesformedparts(e.g.thermoformedfoodtrays)towithstandoventemperaturesofupto200°Cwithoutdeformingundertheheat.
Thermoforming 2.0Table 1. Material rolls with different additives (source: Illig)
Material roll number
Percentage of multicolor APET bottle flakes
Black nucleating agent
IV enhancer IV [dl/g]
1 100% (control sample)
- - 0.70
2 95.0% 5% - 0.69
3 93.0% 7% - 0.72
4 92.5% 7% 0.5 % 0.73
5 92.0% 7% 1% 0.83
Table 2. Forming accuracy for the thermoforming tests of the sample material rolls (control sample and rCPET) at different temperatures of upper and lower heaters (OHZ/UHZ) (source: Illig)
Material roll number
245°C 250°C 260°C 270°C 280°C 290°C
1 - - - Good - -
2 Good Good Good Sufficient Sufficient Poor
3 -* Good Good Sufficient Sufficient Poor
4 Good Good Very good Sufficient Sufficient Poor
5 Sufficient Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor
- Trays not formed * Propensity of material sheet to stick is too high.
Table 1. Material rolls with different additives (source: Illig)
Material roll number
Percentage of multicolor APET bottle flakes
Black nucleating agent
IV enhancer IV [dl/g]
1 100% (control sample)
- - 0.70
2 95.0% 5% - 0.69
3 93.0% 7% - 0.72
4 92.5% 7% 0.5 % 0.73
5 92.0% 7% 1% 0.83
Table 2. Forming accuracy for the thermoforming tests of the sample material rolls (control sample and rCPET) at different temperatures of upper and lower heaters (OHZ/UHZ) (source: Illig)
Material roll number
245°C 250°C 260°C 270°C 280°C 290°C
1 - - - Good - -
2 Good Good Good Sufficient Sufficient Poor
3 -* Good Good Sufficient Sufficient Poor
4 Good Good Very good Sufficient Sufficient Poor
5 Sufficient Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor
- Trays not formed * Propensity of material sheet to stick is too high.
Table 1. Material rolls with different additives (source: Illig)
Table 2. Forming accuracy for the thermoforming tests of the sample material rolls (control sample and rCPET) at different temperatures of upper and lower heaters (OHZ/UHZ) (source: Illig)
Authors
Sven Engelmann is Head of Product Division PB 2 & Head of Packaging Technology at Illig Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG, Heilbronn, Germany; [email protected]
Christoph Stoye is Packaging Developer at Illig Maschinenbau; [email protected]
Georg Sposny is Technical Editor Corporate Communications at Illig Maschinenbau; [email protected]
Dr. Carl-Jürgen Wefelmeier is Head of Business Unit Sheet at Gneuss Kunststofftechnik GmbH, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany, [email protected]
Andrea Kossmann is Marketing Manager at Gneuss; [email protected]
Daniel Ganz is Global Product Manager at Sukano AG, Schindellegi, Switzerland; [email protected]
Nicky Klammt is Senior Account Manager at Sukano; [email protected]
Janine Wyss is Marketing Communications Manager at Sukano;
References
[1]SchwarzeKunststoffesortenreintrennen,https://www.kunststoffe.de/fachinformationen/technik-trends/artikel/schwarze-kunststoffe-sortenrein-trennen-1422484.html|
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 23
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24 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Lead Technical Article
Effects of Vacuum Timing and Back Pressure on Wall Thickness DistributionHarlie Sadler, Pennsylvania College of Technology
Abstract
Vacuumbleeddwell(VBD)andbackpressuresettingshaveasevereeffectonwallthicknessdistribution(WTD)intheroll-fedthermoformingprocess.Thisspeculationisproveninatwo-phaseexperimentalprocess,consistingoftwoprocessvariables,measureddifferenceinWTD,anddesignandexecutionofadesignofexperiment(DOE)todeterminetheamountofinfluencethatthevariableshaveonpartthickness.
Introduction
WallthicknessDistribution(WTD)isasignificantfactortoconsiderwhilethermoforming,whetherinthinorheavygaugeprocessing.Becauseofthis,itisimportanttobeabletomeasureandcomprehendtheeffectthatvariableshaveonWTDinapart.Thoughanoptimizedcyclemaybeachieved,afractionofasecondchangeonanytimersettingscancausedifferencesorproblemsinarunningcycleprocess.ThereasonthatWTDissoimportantinthethermoformingprocessisbecauseduringprocessingthereisalargeamountofbiaxialorientationthatisprovoked,whichimprovesthemechanicalpropertiesofthepart,whichenablesthethicknessofthefinalparttobereducedwithoutcompromisingthefinalproduct’sproperties[1].ButifthereistoomuchWTDthereisasignificantimpactonmechanicalpropertiesevidencedbyalargerangeofthicktothinsectionsthroughoutthepart.
Onceacycleisoptimizedwithappropriateoventemperature,changesinVBDandbackpressure(otherwiseknownasvacuumventing)canbeintroducedtoobservethedifferenceinWTD.Thoughtheheatingprofileofthesheethasagreatimpactonpartfeatures,theseothervariablesareequallyimportanttothequalityofparts.
Completingatwophaseprojecthasprovenjustthat.VacuumBleedDwell(VBD)andbackpressurehavesignificantimpactonthedistributionofmaterialoncethe
sheetisatthepropertemperaturetobeprocessedinamold.PhaseIwillshowtheimpactofeachvariablechangeonthepart;whereasPhaseIIshowstheinfluenceofthevariableonalikeprocess.
Materials
HighDensityPolyethylenematerialhascharacteristicsthatmakethermoformingrelativelydifficultwhencomparedtootheramorphousmaterials.Temperaturesettingsmustbesethigherthanotherpolymers,meaningthesheetmustreceivemoreenergytobeabletoprocess,whichinturnmeanshigherinternalprocessingcosts.Forexample,fora.125-inchsheet,asusedinthisexperiment,thecoretemperaturemustreachabout280degreesFahrenheittoappropriatelyformanacceptablepart,whereasa.250-inchsheetofHIPSwouldonlyrequireacoretemperatureof240degreesFahrenheittoformproperly[2].
TheothermaterialranbutwasnotmeasuredforwallthicknessdistributionwasHighImpactPolystyrene.Asstatedabove,amorphouspolymersaremucheasiertothermoform,becausetheydonotrequireasmuchenergytoheatupthesheet,andasthesheetisbeingformeditdoesnoteasilytearorcausewebbing.HDPEisamuchstrongermaterialwhencomparedtoHIPSbecauseofthehighstrengthtodensityratio[3].
Results and DiscussionOverview
ThefirstpartofthisprojectwastooptimizeanHDPEcyclefor15and12seconds,asa19secondcyclehaspreviouslybeenoptimized.Thiswasanimportantpartoftheprojectasreducingcycletimecansavecompaniesmoneyinthelongrun.
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 25
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26 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Lead Technical Article
Figure 1: Thickness vs. Cycle Time
Figure1showstherelationshipbetweencycletimeandpartthicknessatthebottomcenterofeachpart.Itisclearthatascycletimedecreases,sodoesthepartthickness.Thicknessatthe15secondcycletimeisonly5%lessthanthe19secondthickness,andthe12secondcycletimethicknessis8%lessthanthe19secondcycletime.
Figure 2: Average Weight vs. Cycle Time
Figure2showstherelationshipbetweentheaveragepartweightsandcycletime.UnlikeFigure1showingtherelationshipbetweenthicknessandcycletimes,thisgraphisquitetheopposite.Ascycletimedecreases,theaverageweightofapartincreases.Thoughtheweightdifferencelookssignificantinthegraph,the19secondcycleisonly4%lessthanthe12secondcycle,andthe15secondcycleis2%lessthanthe12secondcycle.
Onepossibleexplanationisthatmorematerialisbeingpushedtothesidesofthepartratherthanthebottom,wherethemeasurementsinthisprojecthavebeentaken.
Phase I
PhaseIofthisprojectshowsjusthowthetwovariables,VBDandbackpressure,affectwallthicknessdistributiononapart.Again,allthicknessmeasurementsmadeinthisprojectweretakenatthebottomcenterofthepart.Asseeninthegraphbelow,Figure3,thereisadirectrelationshipbetweenVBDsettingsandthethicknessofthepart.
Figure 3: Thickness vs. Vacuum Bleed Dwell
Figure3showsthatasVBDincreases,thethicknessofthepartalsoincreases.Thistrendisconstantbetweeneachofthecycletimes.Thereasonisbecausewhenthetimesettingissettoalowertime,thevacuumisinitiatedbeforetheplugisintroducedfullyintothesheet.Thiscausesthebottomsectiontobequitethinnerthandesiredthickness(beingtheseconddatapointoneachlinewithinFigure3).Thisisnotdesiredfortworeasons:athin-bottomedpartcaneasilybedamagedandthatthewallsofthepartarethickerthannormal.
Ontheotherhand,asvacuumtimingisdelayed,theplugcanaccuratelydistributematerial.Whenthevacuumcomesontoolate,however,theplugiscompletelyindexedintothesheet,causingathickerbottomthandesired.Ingeneral,whenthebottomthicknessisthickerthanusual,thismeansthatthematerialisgettingtakenawayfromthesidesoftheproduct,creatingathick-bottomedandthinwalledpartthatisout-of-spec.
WhileVBDisproventohaveadirectimpactonwallthicknessdistribution,theresultsfrombackpressurearenotasassuring.ThisisprovenbyFigure4below.
Figure 4: Thickness vs. Vacuum Venting
WeseethatasVBDincreased,thewallthicknessincreased.Astheunitsincrease,thethicknessbothincreasesanddecreasesbetweenthedifferentcycletimes.Thoughthereisnoconstantchange,itisobviousthatvacuumventing
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 27
doesmakeadifferenceasthelineforeachcycletimehasmuchdifferencewhengoingacrossthegraph.TheimpactofvacuumventingisfurtherexplainedinPhaseIIoftheexperiment.
Phase II
PhaseIIofthisexperimentwasstrictlytofocusontheDOEthatwasperformed.Thisphasewascompletedusingthe12secondcycletimeafterfindinganoptimizedcycleinphaseone.TheDOEvaluesforVBDwere1450and1750milliseconds,andthevacuumventingvalvesettingsfrom0and6(0beingvalveclosed=maximumbackpressure;6beingvalve100%open=zerobackpressure).ThesevalueswerechosenfortheDOEtorepresentbest-andworst-casescenarios.ADOEwasperformedtocalculatethecorrelationandtheimpacteachfactor,vacuumbleeddwellandvacuumventing,hasonpartthickness.Inaddition,themeasurementlocationsforPhaseIIofthisexperimentweredifferentthanPhaseI.
InPhaseI,allmeasurementsweretakenatthebottomcenterofthefinishedpartsafterproduction.InPhaseII,strictlybasedonWTD,notjustonemeasurementwastakenonthefinishedpart.Instead,theWTDwasmeasuredaroundthewholepart,fromtheoneside,tothebottom,andtotheotherside.Thisallowsmultiplemeasurementsonthepart,andinturntakingthemaximumthicknessofthepartandsubtractingitfromthethinnestsectionofthepart.ThisallowsasuperbWTDmeasurementthatcanbeusedtocompleteaDOEforthisphase.ThefollowinggraphsarefromtheDOEexperimentspreadsheetthatshowsthecorrelationandtheeffectivenessofthevariablesintheprocess.
Figure5usescalculationsfromaDOEthatshowwhichfactorsaffectordon’taffectthethicknessofthepartduringprocessing.ThegraphclearlyshowsthattheFactorA(VBD)hasamuchgreateraffectonwallthicknessdistributionwhencomparedtothevalueofFactorB,(vacuumventing).ThismeansthatwhenchangingVBDinthecyclethewallthicknessdistributionhasagreater
change,andwhenvacuumventingischangedinthecycle,itisnotaseffective.
Duetotheinformationgiveninthisgraph,therewasonlyaneedforonegraphtobecreatedtoprovehowthesettingofVBDaffectsthewallthickness,andatwhatvalues.Whenthevacuumventinggraphvs.WTDwascreatedtherewasnotmuchofachange,whichinreturnhelpsverifytheinformationinthefirstgraphinPhaseII.
Figure 1: Effect vs. VBD Setting
Figure6isarepresentationofwhatthelevelofeffectivenessoftheVBDsettingshasonWTD.ThefirstpointistoexpressavalueforalowVBDsetting,1450milliseconds,anditshowsithasahighimpactontheWTD.WhereastherightpointisthevalueforthehighVBDsetting,1750milliseconds,andithasasmallervalue,thushavingasmallerimpactonWTDwhileprocessing.
Conclusions
Asvacuumbleeddwellincreasesintime,thethicknessofthebottomcenterofthepartalsoincreases.Whenvacuumventingincreases,thereisnodirectcorrelationtothethickness.Decreasingcycletimedecreasestheaveragethicknessoftheparts.
Acknowledgements
ChrisGagliano,PennsylvaniaCollegeofTechnologyKirkCantor,PennsylvaniaCollegeofTechnologyPrimexPlastics
References
1.McKelvey,David&Menary,G.H.&Martin,Peter&Yan,Shiyong.“ThermoformingofHDPE”15thAIPConferenceProceedings,AmericanInstituteofPhysics,2017.2.“Thermoforming:DeterminingtheRightTemperatureforThermoforming”,Plastics Distributor & Fabricator,2018.3.Helmke,Rob.“CommonPlasticsforThermoforming”,Plastics Ingenuityblog,2014.|
28 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 29
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30 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Innovation Briefs
Thermoforming and In-situ Crystallization of Kepstan® PEKKBy Roderick Reber III, Arkema, King of Prussia, PA
Polyaryletherketones(PAEK)areafamilyofultra-highperformancesemicrystallinethermoplasticmaterialsknownfortheirextremestrength,chemicalresistance,lowflammability,andhighusetemperatures.ThePAEKfamilyincludesPEK,PEEK,PEKK,PEEKKandPEKEKKamongothers.IntheirsemicrystallinestatePAEKshaveamongthebestchemicalresistanceandHeatdeflectiontemperatures(HDT)ofashighas240°C.However,thefastcrystallizationrateofmostPAEKsmakesthemdifficultorimpossibletothermoform,especiallyinapplicationsrequiringthickgaugeordeepdrawratios.
1.TheincreasedketonecontentresultsinastifferbackboneandsubsequentlyahigherTg.PEKKhasaTgof160-165°forPEKKversusabout145forPEEK.
2.PEKKisacopolymerconsistingofterephthaloyl(straight)andisophthaloyl(kinked)moieties.Byvaryingtheratioofthesetwounits,theT/Iratio,itispossibletocontrolthemeltingtemperature,crystallizationrate,andoverallcrystallinityofthepolymer.PEKKcopolymersrangefrompseudo-amorphouswithlowmeltingtemperatures(305°C)tohighlycrystallinewithextremelyhighmeltingtemperatures(365°C+).
ByusingaPEKKcopolymerwiththeoptimumT/Iratio,itispossibletoextrudeanamorphoussheetthatwillcrystalizeslowlyenoughthatitcanbeformed,butquicklyenoughthatitcanbecrystalizedonaheatedmoldwithin
areasonablecycletime.ThisIn-processcrystallizationisacommonpracticeformanythingaugematerials.ForexamplePETisroutinelythermoformedandcrystalizedduringtheformingprocess.ThetunablecrystallizationrateofPEKKopensanewwindowtoutilizetheextremeperformanceofasemicrystallinePAEKinathermoformingprocess.
Figure2showsthecrystallizationhalftimeofthePEKKcopolymerwithasuitableT/Iratioforthermoforming.Theprocessforthermoforming+crystallizationisrelativelystraightforward,thesheetisheatedtoatemperaturerangeaboveitsTgwhereitsoftens,butcrystallizationoccursveryslowly.Inthistemperaturerange,thesheetcanbeformedtodeepdrawratioswithawideenoughprocesswindowbeforethesheetbeginstocrystalizeandsubsequentlystiffen.Ifthemoldisheatedtoatemperaturewherecrystallizationoccursmostquickly,thepartwillquicklybegintocrystalizeandturnopaque.Formanythermoformersaccustomedtofullyamorphousmaterials,itmayseemcounter-intuitivetouseamoldtemperaturehotterthantheformingtemperature,butoncecrystallizationbeginstooccur,thesheetundergoesadramaticstiffening.
We have demonstrated this process on both laboratory and production scale equipment on sheet
thicknesses from 250 µm through 3 mm (10 mil – 1/8”). The overall cycle time varies, but the rate
limiting step with thick gauge sheets is heat transfer through the sheet itself. The process time for thick
gauge sheets can be reduced significantly by using a matched mold.
With the simple addition of a heated mold, almost any standard thermoforming equipment can be used
to thermoform semicrystalline Kepstan ® PEKK parts. The mold temperature required for this process
may be slightly outside of the standard processing window, but is accessible with a suitably designed oil
or electrical heating system.
Thermoformed semicrystalline Kepstan ® PEKK sheet can be used for the most demanding applications in
aerospace, chemical processing, industrial equipment, or anywhere else where extreme temperature
resistance is required.
Arkema recently announced a major expansion of Kepstan ® PEKK capacity with a brand new, world-scale
production unit at our Mobile, Alabama site. For more information on in-process crystallization of
thermoformed Kepstan ® PEKK, please contact Arkema directly. www.kepstan.com
Figure : PEKK chemical structure terephthaloyl (left) and isophthaloyl (right)Figure 1: PEKK chemical structure terephthaloyl (left) and isophthaloyl (right)
Figure : crystallization half time for a suitable PEKK grade.Figure 2: crystallization half time for a suitable PEKK grade.
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 31
32 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Innovation Briefs
Figure 3: Thermal imaging of thermoforming process
Figure : WAXD of thermoformed part
Figure : Thermoformed part showing clear differentiation between crystalline and amorphous segments
Figure 4: WAXD of thermoformed part
Figure 5: Thermoformed part showing clear differentiation between crystalline and amorphous segments
Part removed from oven 1 minute of forming partial crystallization
4 minutes of forming, nearly complete crystallization
Figure : Thermal imaging of thermoforming processFigure : Thermal imaging of thermoforming process
Figure : Thermal imaging of thermoforming process
Figure : WAXD of thermoformed part
Figure : Thermoformed part showing clear differentiation between crystalline and amorphous segments
Todemonstratetheunusualtemperatureprofileusedinthisprocess,werecordedtheprocesswithathermalcamera.Infigure3itisclearthatthepartisactuallyhotterattheendoftheformingprocessthanwhenfirstremovedfromtheoven.
Toconfirmcrystallizationhadoccurred,wideanglex-raydiffraction(WAXD)wasperformedonthesegmentofthesheetincontactwiththemoldaswellasasegmentofthesheetthathadnotbeenformed.Figure4showstheformedsectiondeveloped29wt.%crystallinity,almostidenticaltoavaluemeasuredonaninjectionmoldedpart.Thecrystallineareawillhaveincreasedstiffness,ahigherHDT,andimprovedchemicalresistance.
Wehavedemonstratedthisprocessonbothlaboratoryandproductionscaleequipmentonsheetthicknessesfrom250µmthrough3mm(10mil–1/8”).Theoverallcycletimevaries,buttheratelimitingstepwiththickgaugesheetsisheattransferthroughthesheetitself.Theprocesstimeforthickgaugesheetscanbereducedsignificantlybyusingamatchedmold.
Withthesimpleadditionofaheatedmold,almostanystandardthermoformingequipmentcanbeusedtothermoformsemicrystallineKepstan®PEKKparts.Themoldtemperaturerequiredforthisprocessmaybeslightlyoutsideofthestandardprocessingwindow,butisaccessiblewithasuitablydesignedoilorelectricalheatingrequired.
ArkemarecentlyannouncedamajorexpansionofKepstan®PEKKcapacitywithabrandnew,world-scaleproductionunitatourMobile,Alabamasite.Formoreinformationonin-processcrystallizationofthermoformedKepstan®PEKK,pleasecontactArkemadirectly.www.kepstan.com.|
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 33
There is no substitute for the experience we’ve gained by
rolling up our sleeves and working through improvements
at every stage of thermoforming technology for over six
decades. From process design through putting high-output
machinery on the floor, innovation is in our DNA.
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34 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Thermoforming & Sustainability
TheRe|FocusSustainabilityandRecyclingSummitistheflagshipenvironmentalconferenceforPLASTICS,theplasticsindustry’stradeassociation.May2019markedthe4thannualgathering,heldinGrandRapids,Michigan,anddrewover200delegatesfromaroundtheworld.WithkeynotespeakersfromAvedaandNationalGeographic,theeventcoveredtechnical,political,andsocialdevelopmentsrelatedtoplasticsinmanyformsandmanyarenas.Thecontinuedscrutinyoftheplasticsindustryinjectedasenseofurgencyintotheproceedings.Manyspeakersandpanelistspresentedupdatesandnewdevelopmentsgearedtoward“managingtheunmetneedsofplasticwaste.”Theeventalsoshowcasednewinnovationsinsustainableplasticsmanufacturing,with5awardsadjudicatedbytheSPESustainabilityDivision.
The Alliance to End Plastic Waste
Muchinkhasbeenspilledinthemonthsfollowingtheannouncementoftheformationofaglobalconsortiumtoaddressplasticwasteintheenvironment.Acadreofblue-chipmultinationalcompanieshavecommitted$1.5billiontoinvestineducation,infrastructure,innovation,andclean-up.SeveralspeakersfromAlliancemembers,includingDow,ChevronPhilipps,Eastman,Sabic,andLyondellBasell,mentionedtheircompany’sroleintheproject.Sofar,360proposalshavebeenreceived,with5initialprojectsidentified:thecreationofaglobalinformationplatformtosharedata;strategicpartnershipswithcitiestomanageurbanwaste;fundingviaCirculateCapitaland2ndMuse;collaborationwiththeUnitedNations,inparticularwiththeUN’sSustainableDevelopmentGoals(orSDGs);andthe“RenewGanga”riverclean-upprojectincollaborationwithRenewOceans.
AlthoughthefocusoftheAlliance’sclean-upprojectsisinSouthEastAsia,themembercompaniesaremostlybasedintheUSandWesternEuropewhereR&Dprojectscontinueapace.SpeakersfromDow,Eastman,andSabicoutlineddifferentapproachestomanagingthornyproblemsofmixedplasticsrecycling.Dr.BrianWaltherofDowexplainedhowhisteamthinksaboutit:complexchemicalarchitecturesarerequiredduetothecomplexityofmixedpolymerstructures,
Re|Focus 2019By Conor Carlin, Editor
e.g.,multi-layerbarrierfilms.Themixtureofpolarandnon-polarmaterialscreatesinherentincompatibility.Areductionininterfacialtensionisthereforerequiredtoimprovecompatibility.Dow’sportfolioofcompatibilizersincludespolymermodifiers,olefinblock-copolymers,andcopolymeralloys.Thislastcategory(underthetradename“Elvaloy®”)ofprocessingaidscanbeusedtoincreasethedrawabilityofPET/PEwastestreams.Inonecasestudy,WaltherillustratedhowElvaloy®boostsviscositylevelsinPETthermoformsmakingiteasiertoreprocessahigherpercentageoftheminapplicationswherebottlesandthermoformsarerecycledtogether.Thishasimportantimplicationsforrecyclingprogramsthatarereconsideringwhetherthermoformedcontainerscanbeacceptedintheirstreams.
LyondellBaselisinvestinginaportfolioapproachthatincludesverticalintegrationthroughtheacquisitionofmechanicalrecyclers,developmentofmolecularrecyclingtechnology,andthecreationofanewbio-basedproductfamilycalledCirculen.ArecentcollaborationwithSamsonite,aluggagemanufacturingcompany,resultedinanewsuitcasefamilymadefrom100%PCRPPfortheoutershelland100%PCRPETfortheinteriorfabric.TheproductiscurrentlyonlyavailableinEuropeandisreportedtosellforapremiumoverstandardluggage.(Samsonitealsohasalineofsoftfabricsuitcasescalled“Eco-Nu”featuring100%PCRPETfrombottles.)Asaglobalcompany,LBpresenteddatashowingstarkdifferencesbetweentheUSandtheEUwhenitcomestorecyclingplastics.DuetoextensivelandfillbansintheEU(andconversely,therelativelackofregulationintheUS),theEUcurrentlyrecyclesorincinerates73%ofplasticsvs.25%intheUS.Aswaspointedoutelsewhereattheconference,asignificantchallengeforUSrecyclingisthesmorgasbordoflegislativerequirementspreventinganytypeofuniformapproachthatbedevelopedandenforcedacrossstatelines.
Eastmanpresenteddetailsonitspursuitofadvancedrecyclingtechnologiesthroughacarbonrenewalapproachthatconvertsend-useproductsfrommixedplasticsbacktocarbonandhydrogenmolecules.Byfocusingonpolyester-basedpolymers,thecompanyseekstomakeDMTandethyleneglycolatcommercialscale.Accordingtocompanyfigures,theyare2-3yearsawayfromcommercialization.
Sabicannouncedthelaunchofanewlineof“upcycledcompounds”designedtoextendthelifeofPETbottles.TheLNPELCRIN™iQportfolioofpolybutyleneterephthalate(PBT)resinsisderivedfromrPET,essentiallytakingasingle-
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 35
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36 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Thermoforming & Sustainability
usepolymerandtransformingitintoadurablepolymer.Thisreducestheneedforvirgin,fossil-basedPBTwhileenhancingcircularityeffortsforPET.Alifecycleanalysisshowsthatbetween19%-66%ofthenewcompoundisrenewablecontent.Thecompanyhasalsodevelopedrenewablenaphthafrom2ndgenerationcellulosicfeedstocks,i.e.,materialsderivedfromwastesorresiduesandthatdonotcompetewithfoodproduction.Becausetheirexistingsteamcrackersweredesignedwithadegreeofflexibility,animalandvegetableoilscanbecrackedwithoutmodification,thusmaximizingcurrentassetsandavoidingtheneedforamajorcapitalinvestmentinalowvolumeapplication.SabicusestheISCC+certificationprocesstoensurethetraceabilityoffeedstocksandtoprovethechainofcustodyalongthesupplyroute.TheISCCsystemreliesonamassbalanceapproachtoaccountingwhichgenerallymeansthatforeachtonofcircularfeedstockfedintoacracker(displacingfossil-basedfeedstock),atonofoutputcanbethereforebeclassifiedascirculari.
Addressing the Challenges of Recycling
MaterialsRecoveryfortheFuture(MRFF)isaprojectfundedbytheAmericanChemistryCouncilandmanagedbyResourceRecyclingSolutions,aconsultancy.In2016,thegroupreleasedareport“…showingthatautomatedsortingtechnologiesinusetodaycanbeoptimizedtocaptureflexibleplasticpackaging,potentiallycreatinganewstreamofrecoveredmaterialswhileimprovingthequalityofotherrecyclingstreams.”iiThiswasnotable,inpart,becausethemajorityofMRFsintheUSareusingsortingtechnologiesthatweredevelopedbeforethearrivalofsomanydifferenttypesofpolymer-basedpackaging.Cardboard,glass,aluminumandpaperweretheprimarypackagingmaterialsatthedawnoftheMRFera.NestlePurinaisaresearchpartnerintheMRFFconsortium.DianeHerndon,VPofCorporateSocialResponsibilityforthecompany,presentedanoverviewofanewpilotprogramthatseekstobuildonthe2016projectfindings.ThevisionoftheMRFFpartnersistoensurethatflexiblepackagingisrecycledatthecurbsideandadequatelysortedatrecoveryfacilitiessuchthat–critically–thosemembersofthesupplychaincancapturevaluefromit.Inotherwords,shortofaprofitmotive,therewillnotbeanincentiveforrecyclerstoinvestinthenecessaryequipmenttoseparateflexiblefilmsfromfibers.Ofcourse,giventheimpactofChina’sNationalSwordpolicyandtherecentpassageoftheBaselConvention,(nottomentionthesightofcontainersfullofwasteplasticbeingshippedfromSouthEastAsiancountriesbacktoEurope
andCanada),contaminationlevelswillhavetodeclineindevelopedmarketsinordertosatisfymarketdemands.Still,therearemanyfactorsintheUSwhichaffecttheeconomicfeasibilityofflexiblepackagerecyclingincludingcapitalexpendituresinnewsortationequipment,manuallaborcostsatMRFs,andregionaldisparities,especiallyinthecaseoflandfilltippingfeeswhichheavilyinfluencerecyclingmarkets.YetasHerndonpointedout,improvedsortationnotonlyreducescontaminationoffiber-basedmaterialsleadingtohigherprices,italsocreatesanew“rFlex”baleofpolymer-basedmaterials.Developingthisnewclassofbaleandmonetizingitisthegoalofthe2019pilotprogramwhichisbeingrunatJPMascaro&Sons,alargeintegratedMRFinBerksCounty,PA.
Legalize It (or Regulate It)
ShannonCrawford,DirectorofStateGovernmentAffairsforPLASTICS,providedasummaryofcurrentandpendinglegislation.AnincreasingnumberofstategovernmentsaretakingtheircuesfrombothEuropeanUnionregulationsandUnitedNationseffortstodealwithplasticswaste.ThepassageoftheBaselConvention,scheduledtobeimplementedin2021,willrequirepriorinformedconsentfromrecipientcountriesbeforeplasticwastecanbeexported.Eventhoughthishasinternationalconsequences,themajorityofbillsintroducedintheUSaredrivenbylocalinterestsatstateandmunicipallevels.436billshavebeenintroducedinstatelegislaturestoregulatepackaging,and618localrestrictionsareineffect,with194morerecentlypassedorunderconsideration.iiiBagsarethesinglemostaffectedproduct,withEPSitems,straws,andcutleryalsobeingbanned.
Toaddressthesedevelopments,PLASTICSisintroducingtheRECOVERACT(“RealizingtheEconomicOpportunitiesandValueofExpandingRecycling”).TheactisdesignedtoboostinvestmentintheUSrecyclingsectorthroughEPAgrants,state-runprograms,andmunicipalentities.CrawfordwascautiouslyoptimisticthatthebillwillsoonhaveasponsorinCongress.Yetinhercalltoactiontotheaudience,itremainsclearthatprivatesectorinvestmentintechnologyandequipmentisdesperatelyneedednow.Whenoneconsidersthatthevalueofwastefeedstocks–16MMtonsworth$5.2bn–havenotbeenfullyappreciatedbyUSmarkets,itseemsthatoursystemherefacesanimminentreckoningfrombotheconomicandregulatoryforces.Perhapsthemarketsignalsareslowlybeingrecognized:theCalRecyclegrantprogramreceivedrequestsfor$33MM,butcouldonlyfund$11MM.
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 37
Enlightenment & Alignment
NationalGeographichasdoneasmuchasanyentitytoincreasethevisibilityoftheglobalscourgeofmarinedebrisandplasticspollutioninouroceans.Theiriconicmagazinecoverhasinspiredchangearoundtheworld,withmyriadinitiativesunderwaytocleanupriversandseasandtoreducetheamountofsingle-useplasticsthatreachestheocean.ValerieCraig,VPofOperatingProgramsfortheNationalGeographicSociety,presenteddetailsonmultiplenewprograms.Craigstruckanoptimisticnote,despitethedireimagesfromHaiti,Vietnam,Indonesia,andothercountrieswhereinfrastructureislackingorabsent.Forinstance,Manila,capitalofthePhilippineshas17jurisdictionsforwastemanagement.Shestressedthatwhileplasticsarenotinherentlybad,theymustbepreventedfromenteringanddestroyingnaturalecosystems.Thiscanbedonebyidentifyingpointsofintervention,oneofwhichisatthematerialsdesignphaseofproduction.Wesimplycannotcontinuetodeveloppackagesthatdonotconsiderend-of-lifeconcerns.ThispointwasechoedbySusanGraf,directoroftheMRFFprojectwheremulti-layerspoutedpoucheswerespecificallycalledoutasproblematic.Brands,inparticular,mustdomoretoensuretheirdesignersarefullyequippedwiththeknowledgeandtoolstoincorporatedesignforenvironment(DfE)principlesintoprototypesandultimatelyintonewcommercialpackages.Continuedworkonthe“How2Recycle”labelsshowspromiseinthisregardandalsoservesasanexampleofhowtoharmonizeinformationandreduceconfusionforconsumers.MelissaCraig,SeniorManagerforPackagingSustainabilityatUnilever,statedthathercompanywillhavetheselabelsonalloftheirproductsby2021.
Thescaleofthechallengeremainsdaunting,however,andallpanelistsattheclosingplenaryemphasizedtheobstacleswefaceintheUSgivenourfragmentedrecyclinglawsandsystems.Thisisperhapsthesinglebiggestimpedimenttooverallrecyclingprogress,afactnowrecognizedbyPLASTICSastheyseektodrivefederallegislation,butwheretheyalsofacecompetitionintheformofotherlobbyinggroups.Beyondpackaging,forexample,recycledHDPEpipeisanidealreplacementforconcrete,unlessyouhappentoworkintheconcreteindustry.
AquotefromEnricoSiewert’spresentationcapturedthestatusquoneatly:“Wheneconomicself-interestsarealignedwithpublicpolicyandsocialconsciousness,theworldchanges.”Theclockistickingformanyeconomicself-
intereststhesedays,withsociallicenseforplasticsinthecrosshairsofbothpublicpolicyandsocialconsciousness.Yettheopportunityforrecycledplasticsisreal,ifjustoverthehorizonintermsoftechnologyandinvestments.ProjectionsbyMcKinseysuggestacompoundannualgrowthrate(CAGR)of7-17%forchemicalandmechanicalrecyclingthrough2050iv.Itisincumbentonallofustoensurethatalignmenthappensintheshortterm.
i SourcesincludeISCCandSabicwebsitesii www.materialsrecoverforthefuture.com/research-resultsiii “IndustrySolutionsforAddressingPlasticsWaste”, presentationdeliveredatRe|Focus2019byS.Crawfordiv McKinsey&Company,“HowPlasticsWaste RecyclingCouldTransformtheChemicalIndustry”, December2018|
38 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
SPE Council Summary
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SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 39
12th EUROPEANTHERMOFORMINGCONFERENCE
2020
MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND DO NOT MISS THE ONLY EVENT THAT IS DEDICATED TO EUROPE’S THERMOFORMING INDUSTRY.
The European Thermoforming Division invites you to the 12th European Thermoforming Conference to be held in Geneva from 18th to 20th March 2020.
Further information about this event may be obtained from Yetty Pauwels at Society of Plastics Engineers, Thermoforming Europe DivisionTel. +32 3 541 77 55, [email protected]
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
n Keynote Presentations
n Technical Sessions Thin & Heavy Gauge
n Workshops
n Exhibition
n Networking Events
n Parts Exhibition
Who should attend? Thermoformers, OEM’s, Machinery & Tooling Producers, Film and Sheet Suppliers, Resin Producers, Recyclers … Venue: Starling Hotel in Geneva welcomes you.
THERMO-
FORMING
FOR A GREEN
FUTURE
18–20 MARCH 2020 | GENEVA | Switzerland
40 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
SPE News
AnativeofBrainerd,Minnesota,Mr.HaglinisagraduateandHallofFameinducteeofBrainerdHighSchoolandearnedhisbachelor’sdegreeinManagementfromtheCollegeofSt.ScholasticainDuluth,Minnesotain1987.Upongraduatingcollege,Mr.HaglinbeganhisprofessionalcareerinsaleswithAcrometalCompanies–LARCODivisioninBrainerd,waspromotedtoPlantManagerandquicklydemonstratinghisversatility,businessacumenandkeeneyeforopportunity,wasentrustedwithidentifyingpotentialacquisitiontargetsforhisemployer.
In1993,Haglineyed-uponesuchcompany:asmallthermoformingbusiness-ShovelLakeIndustries(Remer,Minnesota)-whichamongitsmodestproductofferingmanufacturedoutdoorairconditionercovers,withannualrevenuesofapproximately$650,000.Afterin-depthanalysisofthecompany’smarginperformanceandgrowthpotentialprovedtoogoodtopass-up,Haglinandhiswife,Ellen(neeDarkow),who’vebeenmarriedsince1988,madetheboldmoveofacquiringShovelLakeIndustriesthemselves,securedfinancingthroughalocalbank,andinthesummerof1993foundthemselvestheownersofathermoformingbusiness.
Astheacquisitionwascompleted,thenascententrepreneurschangedthecompanynametoMid-StatePlasticsandinMay1994,purchasedlandintheBaxterIndustrialPark.ByAugust1994,astheirnew,12,000sq.ft.facilitywasbuiltandfullyoperational,theHaglin’sdecidedonceagaintochangethebusinessname,thistimeaddingamorepersonalizedtouchbycombininglettersoftheirlastnames–HagLINandDARkow–tocreateLINDARCorporation,whichgracesthebusinesstothisday.
Intheensuing18years,LINDARhassincegrownto175employeesandoperatesnine(9)roll-fedmachines,eight(8)sheet-fedformers,six(6)CNCrouters,four(4)roboticrouters,one(1)labellineandone(1)extrusionlineinitsstate-of-the-art,165,000sq.ft.manufacturingfacility,drivingannualrevenuesexceedingthe$35millionmark.
ThroughouthisyearsatLINDAR’shelm,Mr.Haglinhasmaintainedastrategicfocusondiversificationofitsmanufacturingcapabilities,productofferingandcustomerbase,alongsidewhomLINDARhassteadilygrownand
2019 Thermoformer of the YearThomas Haglin
Awards & Recognition
prosperedthroughoutthepast25years.ItwasthisdesiretodiversifythatledMr.HaglintopartnerwithDanielandDavidFosseofInnovativePackagingtocreatetheIntecAlliance,whicheventuallywasfullyabsorbedintotheLINDARbusiness.
Priortoestablishingthispartnership,LINDAR’smanufacturingcapabilitiesrevolvedprimarilyaroundheavy-gauge,sheet-fedthermoformingforitsOEMcustomerbase;theIntecAllianceconnectedLINDARwithanewmarketopportunity:aproprietary,thin-gaugeroll-fedfoodpackagingproductlinenowmarketedundertheLINDARbrandname.
ConcurrentwiththerapidgrowthofLINDAR’sproprietaryfoodpackagingproductline,Mr.Haglinmadeasignificantinvestmentinroll-fedthermoformingequipment,andcurrentlyoperatesnine(9)machines,numerousroutersandancillaryequipmenttosupportitsfoodpackagingbusiness.Further,in-housegrindingandrecyclingoftrimmed,unusedandscrapmaterial,widespreadusageofbio-basedmaterialsandproprietaryextrusioncapabilitieshelpaddressenvironmentalsustainabilitywhileoptimizingmanufacturingcost-effectiveness.
Ashehasbuiltaworld-classthermoformingbusiness,andconsistentwithhisdeeplyengraineddesiretogiveback,Mr.HagliniscloselyconnectedandinvolvedwiththeBrainerdLakesarea,servingthecommunityinnumerousways.
Furtherunderscoringhiscommitmenttohishometowncommunity,in2012,Mr.Haglinacquiredthethen-LakelandMoldCompany(nowAvantech)inBrainerd,Minnesota,apre-eminentsupplieroftoolingfortherotationalmoldingandthermoformingindustries.Withadesiretokeepjobsinthecommunity,providecontinuedcareeropportunityforemployees,andaddaqualifiedtool-buildertohisbusinessportfolio,Haglinhassincemadeasignificantinvestmentinanew,state-of-the-artmanufacturingfacilityintheBaxterIndustrialPark(openedin2016),CNCmachiningequipmentandhighlyskilledpersonneltodrivetheAvantechbusinessforward.|
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 41www.kiefel.com
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42 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
In Memoriam
Remembering A Long-Time Board Member: Jim ArmorJimArmorjoinedSPEasamemberoftheThermoformingDivisionin1960.Hebeganhiscareerintheplasticsindustrybysellingthermoplasticsheetin1961.In1965,JimandMiloHansonstartedAlchemPlasticsinCalifornia,andfacilitiesinGeorgia,Texas,NewJerseyandMissourifollowed.Thecompanythenbeganco-extrudingmultilayersheetinHIS,ABS,PolyethyleneandAcrylicABSsheet,andtheorganizationsubsequentlydevelopedintoamajorsheetextrusioncompany.
AlchemPlasticswassoldtoSpartechPlasticsin1980,andJimstayedonaspresidentofAlchem/Spartechuntil1984.In1985,JimstartedAgileEnterprises,anextruderofAcrylic,PolystyreneandPropylenesheet,andheldthepositionofPresidentuntil1987.JimthenbecamePresidentofAlplastic,arollfedthermoformerandsheetextruder,whereheremaineduntilthecompanywassoldin1991.HethenjoinedPrimexPlasticsasWesternRegionalManagerandNationalMarketingManager.HelaunchedArmor&AssociatesinJune1998andsoldthermoplasticsheet.
JimwasactiveintheThermoformingDivisionformanyyearsasalong-timeboardmember,andChairoftheMaterialsCommittee.HedeliverednumerouspresentationstoSPEgroupsonvariousplasticsheetthermoformingapplications.JimwasnamedOutstandingBoardMemberin2003,andEmeritusBoardMemberin2018.HewasalsoamemberofThePlasticsPioneersinCalifornia.
JimresidedinHuntingtonBeach,California,withLinda,hiswifeof59years.|
Remembering Past SPE Thermoforming Division Chair: Walt WalkerPastSPEThermoformingDivisionChair,Walter“Walt”JamesWalker,passedawayonJuly2.
WaltWalkerworkedforthe3MCompanyfor16yearsandlaterretiredastheChiefOperatingOfficerofPrentCorporation,wherehespent28yearsofhiscareer.PrentCorporationisathermoformmedical,electronics,andconsumerpackagingcompanylocatedinJanesville,Wisconsin.
Overtheyears,WaltservedontheSPEThermoformingDivisionBoardofDirectorsandintheroleofDivisionChairmanfrom2006-2008.WaltwaspresentedwiththeSPEThermoformingDivision’sLifetimeAchievementAwardin2008.HealsoservedontheBoardofGovernorsoftheSocietyofthePlasticsIndustry(nowPlasticsIndustryAssociation)forthreeyears.
WaltwasveryengagedinhislocalareawhereheservedontheboardsoftheNoonRotaryClub,BlackhawkTechnicalCollege,andKANDUIndustries.WalthadafantasticsenseofhumorwithjustatouchofthatsharpIrishwit.Waltissurvivedbyhiswife,Barb,hischildrenandmanygrandchildren.|
In Memoriam2019
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 43
W h e t h e r c i r c u l a r e c o n o m y , d i g i t a l i z a t i o n ,
I n d u s t r y 4 . 0 , l i g h t w e i g h t c o n s t r u c t i o n ,
m o b i l i t y , a d d i t i v e m a n u f a c t u r i n g , n e w
m a t e r i a l s o r o t h e r f u t u r e - o r i e n t e d i s s u e s
o f t h e w o r l d w i d e p l a s t i c s a n d r u b b e r
i n d u s t r y : Yo u w i l l e x p e r i e n c e i n n o v a t i v e
s o l u t i o n s a t K 2 019 . T h e f a s c i n a t i n g
f o r u m f o r i n n o v a t i o n s a n d i n v e s t m e n t s .
T h e i n d u s t r y ’ s m o s t i m p o r t a n t
b u s i n e s s p l a t f o r m . A p p r o x i m a t e l y 3 , 2 0 0
i n te rn a t i o n a l e x h i b i to r s o f fe r y o u th e l a te s t
i n r e s e a r ch a n d d e ve l o p m e n t . We l c o m e !
w w w . k - o n l i n e . c o m / t i cke t i n g
The World’s No. 1 Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber
For show information: Messe Düsseldorf North America Tel. (312) 781-5180 _ [email protected]
www.mdna.comFor hotel and travel arrangements: TTI Travel, Inc.
Tel. (866) 674-3476 _ [email protected]
H o m e
o f I n n o v a t i o n .
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kmd1902_IV_92,7x20,32_USA.indd 1 03.07.19 09:34
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Chain Rails Pin Chain Pins & Bushings
THERMOFORMER PARTS SUPPLIERS 3818 Terry Diane; Beaverton, MI 48612
www.thermoformerparts.com BUSHINGS HEATERS & T/C QC CLAMP FRAMES LUBRICATION
Have an idea foran article?
Article length: 1,000 - 2,000 words.
Look to past articles for guidance
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Format: .doc or .docx
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with appropriate credits.
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Send all submissions to:Conor Carlin, Editor [email protected]
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FEB 15 Spring MAY 15 SummerAUGUST 01 Fall Conference Edition
NOVEMBER 15 WinterPost-Conference Edition
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with minimum 300dpi resolution.
44 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
Board of Directors
MACHINERY COMMITTEEJamesAlongiMAACMachinery590TowerBlvd.CarolStream,IL60188T:[email protected]
StevenClark(Chair)MonarkEquipmentPOBox3354533S.GarfieldRoadAuburn,MI48611T:[email protected]
BrianGoldenSencorpWhite400Kidd’sHillRoadHyannis,MA02601T:[email protected]
TravisKiefferPlasticsUnlimited,Inc.3031stSt.N.W.Preston,IA52069T:[email protected]
BrianWintonPTi2655WhiteOakCircleAurora,IL60502P:630-585-5800E:bwinton@ptiextruderscom
MATERIALS COMMITTEEJulietGoffKalPlastics2050East48thStreetVernon,CA90058-2022T:[email protected]
RogerP.Jean(Chair)SimonaPMCPOBox16052040IndustrialDriveFindlay,OH45840T:[email protected]
PhillipKarigMathelinBayAssociatesLLC11939ManchesterRoad#148SaintLouis,MO63131T:[email protected]
IanMunnochMSAComponents,Inc.6556CountyRoadKPMazomanie,WI53560T:[email protected]
MattO’HaganLyondellBasell7674ParkMeadowLaneWestBloomfield,MI48324T:[email protected]
LauraPichonEx-TechPlasticsPOBox57611413BurlingtonRoadRichmond,IL60071T:[email protected]
EdProbstProbstPlasticsConsultingP.O.Box26365Wauwatosa,WI53226T:[email protected]
EricShortSIMONAPMC2040IndustrialDriveFindlay,OH45840T:[email protected]
DanSprolesSprolesBusinessConsulting5210CantonStreetSouthBend,IN60071T:[email protected]
PaulUphausPrimexPlastics4164LakeOconeeDriveBuford,GA30519T:[email protected]
PROCESSING COMMITTEEJimArnet(Chair)HagansPlasticsCo.121W.RockIslandRoadGrandPrairie,TX75050T:[email protected]
RobertBrowningMcConnellCompanyP.O.Box450633Atlanta,GA31145T:[email protected]
EvanGilhamProductivePlastics103W.ParkDriveMt.Laurel,NJ08054T:856-778-4300,[email protected]
BretJoslynJoslynManufacturing9400ValleyViewRoadMacedonia,OH44056T:[email protected]
StephenMurrillProfilePlastics65S.WaukeganLakeBluff,IL60044T:[email protected]
JayWaddellPlasticsConcepts&Innovations1127QueensboroughRoadSuite102Mt.Pleasant,SC29464T:[email protected]
SteveZamprelliFormedPlastics,Inc.297StonehingeLaneCarlePlace,NY11514T:[email protected]
DIRECTORS EMERITILolaCarere302SableTraceCt.Acworth,GA30102-7617T:[email protected]
RichardFreemanFreetechPlasticsInc.2211WarmSpringsCourtFremont,CA94539T:[email protected]
SteveHasselbachCMIPlastics222PepsiWayAyden,NC28513T:[email protected]
DonaldHyltonMcConnellCompany646HolyfieldHighwayFairburn,GA30213T:[email protected]
RogerKippRogerC.KippConsulting3COwensLandingCourtPerryville,MD21903T:[email protected]
GwenMathis6S.SecondStreetSELindale,GA30147T:[email protected]
Why Join? It has never been more important to be a member of your professional society than now, in the current climate of change and global growth in the plastics industry. Now, more than ever, the information you access and the personal networks you create can and will directly impact your future and your career. Active membership in SPE – keeps you current, keeps you informed, and keeps you connected. Visit www.4spe.org for details. The question really isn’t “why join?” but …Why Not?
SPE Thermoforming Quarterly 45
ChairEric Short
Chair ElectSteve Zamprelli
FinanceJames Alongi
Technical Committees
ProcessingJim Arnet
MaterialsRoger Jean
MachinerySteve Clark
SecretaryPaul Uphaus
OPCOMExecutive Committee
TreasurerEd Probst
Assistant TreasurerJames Alongi
AARCJim Arnet
ANTECMatt O’Hagan
Student ProgramsMatt O’Hagan
CouncilorJay Waddell
2019 Conference Milwaukee, WIBrian Winton & Steve Zamprelli
Conference CoordinatorConsultantLesley Kyle
OpenMindWorks
Prior ChairBret Joslyn
RecognitionJuliet Goff
CommunicationsEvan Gilham
Membership/NominatingLaura Pichon
Magazine EditorConor Carlin
NetworkingJim Arnet
WebsitePhil Karig
Students & Educational Facilities
Matt O’Hagan
Conference Communication
Lesley Kyle
PublicationsPaul Uphaus
2019 THERMOFORMING DIVISION ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
Thermoforming Division Membership Benefitsn Accesstoindustryknowledgefromonecentrallocation:
www.thermoformingdivision.com.n SubscriptiontoThermoformingQuarterly,voted “PublicationoftheYear”bySPENational.n Exposuretonewideasandtrendsfromacrossthe
globe.n NewandinnovativepartdesignattheParts
Competition.n Opendialoguewiththeentireindustryattheannual
conference.
n Discounts,discounts,discountsonbooks,seminarsandconferences.
n Formanagers:workshopsandpresentationstailoredspecificallytotheneedsofyouroperators.
n Foroperators:workshopsandpresentationsthatwillsendyouhomewithnewtoolstoimproveyourperformance,makeyourjobeasierandhelpthecompany’sbottomline.
Jointoday!
Upcoming SPE Thermoforming Division Board Meetings
September 8 • Milwaukee, Wisconsin(Co-located with the Annual Conference)
February 20-22 • Point Clear, AlabamaFor more information, contact Lesley Kyle:
[email protected] or 914-671-9524
46 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
nAdvancedExtruderTechnologies.................................31
nBrownMachinery............................................................33
nCMTMaterials.................................................................28
nGNThermoformingEquipment....................................13
nIllig...................................................................................38
nInnovativeLaminations...................................................35
nIwrinResearch&Development.....................................19
nKiefel............................................................................... 41
nMAACMachinery............................................................46
nO.M.G.SRL......................................................................17
nPremierMaterialConcepts.............................BackCover
nProfilePlastics.................................................................43
nPTiExtruders........................................ InsideBackCover
nSekisuiPolymerInnovations.............. InsideFrontCover
nSELF.................................................................................46
nSenoplast.........................................................................11
nSolarProducts.................................................................11
nToolingTechnologyGroup............................................11
nToolvision........................................................................ 23
nThermoformerPartsSuppliers.......................................43
nTSL...................................................................................25
nVulcanPlastics...................................................................5
These sponsors enable us to publish SPE Thermoforming Quarterly
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48 SPE Thermoforming Quarterly