These items were reported by Plastics News correspondent Michael Lauzon from Plast-Ex '95, held May 1-4 in Toronto. Gammaflux LP of Sterling, Va., showed its upgraded temperature control system for hot-runner molding.
The Series 9500, launched early this year, has faster response to rapidly detect leakage or shear problems. It features individual microprocessor control for as many as 128 zones.
A computer interfaces with the microprocessors and generates graphics on a 91/2-inch, color touch screen.
Brampton doubles machining capacity
Brampton Engineering (1983) Inc. recently doubled its blown film die machining capacity with the installation of a second computer numerically controlled machining system at its Brampton, Ontario, machinery plant.
It recently began offering a blown film collapsing frame with tendency-driven nylon rollers designed to reduce maintenance.
The rollers are on-powered, stainless-steel shafts that help eliminate roller clogging.
Distrubutor develops uses for compounds
Canada Colors and Chemicals Ltd. of Don Mills, Ontario, is developing applications for metal-filled thermoplastic injection molding compounds.
Potential uses include thermally or electrically conductive parts that are made flame retardant by powdered metal, according to Dennis Merlin, the firm's manager of applications for distribution plastics.
The distributor represents compounder Mortile Industries Ltd., which makes the metal-filled resins at its Scarborough, Ontario, facility.
Canada Colors recently became sole Canadian distributor of Sarlink thermoplastic elastomers from DSM Thermoplastic Elastomers Inc. of Leominster, Mass.
Simco/Ramic Corp. develops Optisort
Simco/Ramic Corp. of Medford, Ore., is developing high-speed systems to sort vinyl bottles and flake from PET.
Its current systems sort natural and colored high density polyethylene, PET and polypropylene. The firm claims its Optisort reduces unwanted material by 98 percent in a single pass.
Its standard systems can process 5,000 pounds per hour. Simco/Ramic recently sold an 8,000-pound-per-hour system to IEM Plastics in Reidsville, N.C.
Nonscanning system updates each second
Adaptive Technologies Inc. of Frederick, Md., showed off its nonscanning web measurement system that provides updates at one-second intervals.
The system features full web measurement in machine and cross directions simultaneously using as many as 144 scanners based on solid-state, beta radiation technology.