Cerestech presents 'green' resin blends
Cerestech Inc. has introduced resin and starch blends that deliver high property retention with a reduced carbon footprint.
Cerestech of Montreal said its Cereloy is based on unique technology from the Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal, the University of Montreal's Engineering School.
Cereloy uses starches from corn, wheat and tapioca and is suited to film, bags and injection molding products. Products have incorporated as much as 30 percent of thermoplastic and starch blends while maintaining properties, according to the company.
The first commercial product based on Cereloy is a blend of linear low density polyethylene and Cereloy to make can liners. Several other Cereloy grades for film and injection molding also are being launched.
Tel. 514-893-2089, e-mail [email protected] cerestech.ca.
Thoreson-McCosh installs Siemens PLC
Auxiliary equipment maker Thoreson-McCosh Inc. replaced its 25-year-old machine control system, a proprietary circuit board, with one using microprogrammable logic controls from Siemens Energy & Automation Inc.
Thoreson-McCosh was able to reduce its engineering time and increase the flexibility of its equipment to accommodate the degree of customization in its products. The Siemens Simatic S7-200 controllers also makes it easier to maintain, troubleshoot and do diagnostics.
Thoreson-McCosh manufactures dehumidifying dryers, hot- air dryers, blending systems and vacuum conveying equipment.
``We did not have a PLC in use on our equipment,'' said Jerry Muntz, vice president of engineering. ``We were using a proprietary board that we developed in the early 1980s. It had evolved over time, and we were working on its third generation when we switched over to the Siemens PLCs.''
Under its old control method, Thoreson-McCosh did not have any historical data to help with preventive maintenance. Also, the machines could not be networked together.
Electro-Matic Products Inc., a supplier of automation components and services in Farmington Hills, Mich., recommended the Siemens Simatic S7-200 to Thoreson-McCosh.
Thoreson-McCosh is based in Troy, Mich. Siemens is in Norcross, Ga.
Tel. 770-871-3993, e-mail mary .ryals @siemens.com.
Water-based MoldWiz keeps molds clean
Axel Plastics Research Laboratories Inc. has developed a water-based mold release effective for compression and resin transfer molding.
MoldWiz WB-2700 is a 10 percent active product that contains no hazardous materials, according to the Woodside, N.Y., firm. In one case for an aluminum-filled epoxy compression tool, spraying every three to five parts gave a cleaner mold and good release, Axel said.
In an RTM case history, the MoldWiz product replaced a two-component release system in a setup with aluminum molds processing epoxy and vinyl ester resins.
Tel. 800-332-2935 or 718-672-8300, e-mail [email protected]
Price-Driscoll creates low-cost product line
Price-Driscoll Corp. of Waterford, Conn., has a new line of mold releases, mold cleaners and rust preventives.
The Value Line series is designed for high performance at economical prices. They are formulated with a nonflammable solvent and contain no methylene chloride.
The series includes silicones, paintable silicones, food- and medical-grade nonsilicones, fluoropolymer dry film and zinc stearate dry powder. Among the new products is Gentle Clean mold cleaner, suited for solvent-sensitive plastics, and Rust Armor rust inhibitor.
Tel. 800-442-3575, fax 860-447-3557, e-mail [email protected] .com.
VectorJet technology laser marks acetals
Sabreen Group Inc. of Plano, Texas, claims its VectorJet laser marking technology gives unprecedented ``dark-on-light'' contrast, line edge detail and marking speed on acetals and other types of plastics that are difficult to laser mark.
Acetals now can be used on a far broader range of applications, Sabreen said, even those that require reliable machine vision and micromarking for product security and traceability.
Tel. 972-250-4664.
Cool Polymers grades offer EMI absorption
Cool Polymers Inc. has introduced advanced thermally conductive thermoplastics for heat sinks and thermal management applications.
The Warwick, R.I., company said the injection molding materials, unlike metal, don't amplify electromagnetic interference and can be as much as 50 percent lighter than aluminum. They also provide greater design flexibility, the firm said.
The E series grades of CoolPoly are electrically conductive and provide inherent EMI and radiofrequency absorption. D series grades are electrically insulative and produce no signal interference or magnetic coupling, the firm said.
In addition to providing the materials, Cool Polymers offers injection molding services. CoolPoly compounds provide equivalent heat transfer to aluminum parts in typical electronic power and air flow environments. Target markets include electronics, mobile products, medical imaging, appliance and automotive.
Tel. 888-811-3787 or 401-739-7602, fax 401-732-6119, e-mail [email protected]
Shopping assistant aids store's patrons
Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. is deploying a hand-held portable shopping assistant, branded easyShop, in about 100 of its 389 stores in New England and Atlantic Coast states.
Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop joined Modiv Media Inc. and Motorola Inc. to launch the next-generation Motorola MC17.
The mobile computer, housed in a polycarbonate/ABS blend, lets shoppers find items, check pricing, identify complementary products and speed up checkout.
Each sleek unit has a PocketBrowser from Motorola subsidiary Symbol Technologies Inc. of Holtsville, N.Y., that integrates bar-code scanning, radio-frequency-identification tag reading and mobile printing. List price is $995.
The MC17 has programmable keys, a transistor liquid crystal display and rechargeable lithium-ion battery with eight-hour capacity.
Tel. 631-738-2400, fax 631-738-5990.