Acrilex adds marble, granite sheet colors
Acrilex Inc. has introduced marble- and granite-colored acrylic sheets.
The new series is aimed at point-of-purchase displays, lighting, signs, fixtures and other applications where complex, decorated shapes are desired. The Jersey City, N.J., firm offers 12 standard colors in the series but can customize colors and transparency.
Acrilex said the sheets are shatter-resistant and weigh less than the natural materials they simulate, providing cost savings. They are formulated to resist fading during long-term exposure to ultraviolet light.
Tel. 800-222-4680, fax 201-333-1237, e-mail [email protected]
IDI Composites touts its latest BMC grade
Industrial Dielectrics Inc. said its IDI Composites International unit developed a new bulk molding compound formulated for automotive use.
BMC Grade A103 provides long-term dimensional stability and very low emissions under high temperatures. The thermoset resin also resists corrosion and creep, and has a very high strength-to-weight ratio.
Those properties make Grade A103 well-suited for headlamp reflectors, which are created in a vacuum metalization process. The polyester-based BMC outperforms thermoplastics in that application, according to Noblesville, Ind.-based IDI Composites.
Tel. 317-773-1766, fax 317-773-3877, e-mail [email protected]
Ingenia introduces white masterbatches
Ingenia Polymers Inc. has added a durable white masterbatch to its lineup.
The Houston firm said Ingenia Polymers 1008 is designed for applications in which weatherability is paramount. A special, durable grade of titanium dioxide helps the masterbatch outperform standard white products while cutting the loadings for hindered-amine light stabilizers, according to the company.
Ingenia said its new masterbatch performs well in polyolefin films, polyolefin injection molding and blow molding.
Tel. 800-991-9000, e-mail [email protected]
Nissei all-electrics boast improvements
Nagano, Japan-based Nissei Plastic Industrial Co. Ltd. passed the 100,000 mark for injection press shipments on Jan. 19.
The history-making press was an all-electric Elject NEX50 - and Nissei also announced major changes to that line of machines. Nissei moved from its 90,000th machine to 100,000 in less than three years, as the company reports strong overall demand in 2003 and 2004 and steady demand for the Elject NEX series, which debuted in mid-2003.
Nissei started making injection presses in 1957.
Turning to NEX changes, Nissei announced a model change for its NEX presses, to boost precision, stability and speed. Changes include: clamping force feedback control for automatic clamping-force correction, faster injection speed and response and a new version of Nissei's TACT controller.
Nissei engineers developed automatic correction of clamping force to realize a ``direct-pressure'' type of toggle mechanism. With a toggle mechanism, the clamping force initially set can change over time because of thermal expansion of the mold and tie bars as they get hotter. Also, actual clamping force is unknown, and adjustment cannot be carried out during continuous production.
The new design solves those problems, Nissei said.
Also, low-inertia servomotors now employed on NEX machines enable injection speed on presses from 33-121 tons. For example, injection speed on the 55-ton NEX is about 1.5 times as fast as the previous machine. Nissei is targeting thin-wall molding with the innovation. NEX comes in 10 sizes, from 16.5 tons to 507 tons.
The company's U.S. headquarters is Nissei America Inc. in Anaheim, Calif.
Tel. 714-693-3000, fax 714-693-7777, e-mail [email protected]
Software offers fast extrusion calculations
Miami-based SofCalc Inc. introduced ExtruWiz software, which does 31 fast calculations of plastic extrusion and flexible packaging equations on Windows, Macintosh and Palm-based platforms.
Engineers, machine operations and sales people can do calculations such as weight, yield, price per area, production rate and roll diameter.
ExtruWiz also has an extrusion troubleshooting chart and a database with more than 1,100 definitions of terms for plastics and flexible packaging. It works in English or Spanish, and in standard and metric systems.
Tel. 305-903-9191, e-mail [email protected]