Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Plastics News China
  • Rubber & Plastics News
logo-pn-color
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • End Markets
    • FYI Charts
    • LSR World
    • Multimedia
    • NPE2021
    • K Show
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • Special Reports
    • Top materials of injection molders
      Recycled PET use by product category
      US PET, flexible packaging desintations
      Global fluropolymers additives market: CAGR
    • Exhibitors back NPE cancellation: ‘We couldn't take that risk'
      NPE2021 canceled as in-person event
      NPE reviews its options as pandemic prompts exhibitor to exit
      Machine builders meet pressing needs for plastic in 2020
    • Sponsored By ENGEL Machinery
      Tailored maintenance for injection molding machines and robots
      Sponsored By ENGEL Machinery
      Improve maintenance efficiency with e-connect.monitor
      Sponsored By ENGEL Machinery
      Maximum precision for lowest shot weights
      Sponsored By ENGEL Machinery
      Even more cost effectiveness for small precision parts
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • What Keeps You Up At Night
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Videos
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • CEO Issue
    • Best Places to Work
    • Processor of the Year
    • Rising Stars
    • Women Breaking the Mold
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • Heavy Metal
    • One Good Resin
    • BRICS and Plastics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Watching, and hoping, for progress in 2021
      COVID-19 stories dominate 2020 headlines
      Plastic Globes ask: Was there a lighter side in 2020?
      Compounders write a business survival story in 2020
    • Kickstart: Celebrating the 'dumb material that I love to use so much'
      Kickstart: Recycling is complicated, even when you want to do it
      Kickstart: Unilever calls for 'living wage' pay in supply base
      Kickstart: Electric cars, recycling and warm mittens
    • Heavy Metal: Coronavirus edition, plus the work of working from home
      Don't put off succession planning
      What's a good gift for your cobot? Batteries?
      Here's some big ideas to mull over the holidays
    • Covestro volunteers build ramp for Ohio veteran
      Chase expands giving campaign in 2020
      McDivitt will showcase Ascend's COVID-19 work on CNBC's Mad Money
      Move over, Plastic Man: Here comes Plastic Woman
    • There was no choice but canceling NPE still a big deal
      The business case for producer responsibility
      Think divided government stalls plastics legislation? Think again
      ACC, NAM eye economic priorities in Biden presidency
    • Just how big is thermoforming in North America?
      Changing names for compounders embracing corporate branding
      Diversity the key to outperforming the market
      A timeline of the industry's COVID response
    • There was no choice but canceling NPE still a big deal
      Watching, and hoping, for progress in 2021
      The business case for producer responsibility
      Compounders write a business survival story in 2020
    • Perspective: Plastics manufacturers — a surprising contribution to sustainability
      Plastics industry business owners: Listen to your future workforce
      Perspective: ‘Fake news' of a different sort?
      Perspective: Making products in the USA is good for the planet
    • Modernizing recycling infrastructure will benefit businesses as well as the environment
      Mailbag: Oil-plastics connection is overstated
      Mailbag: Plastics recycling not cost-effective
      Mailbag: Price increases hurting North American PE buyers
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
    • Maintenance can ensure efficient blender operation
      Dosing: Perfect for adding color
      Blending vs dosing: What you need to know
      Going low or high: Comparing volume
    • Colors and custom compounds
      In the laboratory: Compounding solutions
      Recycling content: Resins going ‘green’
      Compounding: Glass and other fillers
    • Dryer maintenance: Don’t err with air
      Dryers: Options for a shop’s process
      Dryer installation: Going central?
      Resins: Hygroscopic or non-hygroscopic
    • Electric injection molding presses: Efficiency is key
      Hydraulic injection molding machines
      Proper maintenance can prevent downtime
      Hybrid injection molding machines
    • Purging Hot runners: Open or closed methods
      Purging extrusion machinery
      Purging extrusion blow molding machines
      Purging: Chemical, abrasive and non-abrasive
    • Controls, special applications boost production, profitability
      Robot maintenance key for smooth operation
      High-speed robots: A rapid way to increase efficiency
      Robots: Every shape and size
    • Maintenance: Key for efficiency
      Shredders: Plastic in pieces
      Safety first for size reduction
      Granulators: The right fit
    • Video: Structural foam molding
      Structural foam molding: Flexibility for processors
    • Mold inventory: How many molds does a shop have?
      Molds: Innovation
      Mold changeover: Saving time and money
      How molds work
    • Labor: Apprenticeships may provide answer
      Internships: Solving the skills gap in-house
      College training, programs
      Lean Six Sigma: Transforming business operation
  • Events
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Ask the Expert
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
    • 2020 Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
    • Polymer Points Live - February 2021
      Polymer Points Live - January 2021
      Polymer Points Live - December 2020
      Polymer Points Live - October 2020
    • Plastics in Healthcare 2020
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Plastics in Healthcare
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
  • Resin Prices
    • All Resins
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Rankings
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Data Store
  • Directory
  • More+
    • Classifieds
    • Digital Edition
    • Newsletters
    • Sponsored Content
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • White Papers
    • Sponsored By Mitsubishi
      Innovative new technology from Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation helps reduce emission footprints
      Canon Virginia, Inc.
      Sponsored Content By Canon Virginia, Inc.
      Canon Virginia Inc. brings collaboration to the table
      Sponsored By CDS MACHINES
      Facing medical equipment shortages during COVID-19 outbreak?
      Sponsored Content By Canon Virginia, Inc.
      Transform your molding capabilities with the Canon Shuttle Mold System
    • Sponsored By Conexiom
      Use Sales Order Automation to free up time for CSRs to focus on customers, not manual entry
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
October 27, 2008 02:00 AM

PLASTEC MIDWEST/PLASTICS USA/ROSEMONT, ILL.

Bill Bregar
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    Plastics News' senior reporter Bill Bregar picked up these new product announcements at Plastec Midwest/Plastics USA and other trade shows that ran concurrently Sept. 23-25 in Rosemont, Ill. The shows, all produced by Canon Communications LLC, included Assembly Technology Expo, Medical Design & Manufacturing Midwest, Electronics Assembly Show, National Manufacturing Week and the Green Manufacturing Expo.

    Stäubli introduces new range of robots

    Stäubli Corp. debuted its heavy-payload range of TX200 articulating-arm robots, which can handle loads up to 286 pounds, with a reach as far as 8.25 feet. Stäubli ran a prototype at the Assembly Technology Expo.

    The big, six-axis robots can move at 41 feet a second.

    ``It's one of the largest Stäubli robots that we've manufactured to date that is of an all-enclosed construction,'' said David Arceneaux, development and marketing manager.

    TX200 robots can handle large automotive parts such as door panels and bumper fascias, Arceneaux said at the company's booth.

    The large robots can be mounted to the side of an injection press, or sit on top and reach down to remove the parts.

    Stäubli's robotics division is based in Duncan, S.C.

    Bosch Rexroth shows new motion products

    Bosch Rexroth Corp.'s Linear Motion and Assembly Technologies group showed several new motion products at its booth at National Manufacturing Week:

    * BKK bridge modules can span long, unsupported lengths. They are designed for extremely high torsional stiffness, to minimize deflection in uses where the module is not fully supported, such as Y axes for gantry systems.

    * VKK feed modules bring high load capacity and low moving mass to Cartesian or gantry motion systems that include vertical axes or horizontal actuators.

    * The eLine compact modules are available with both belt and ball screw drives, aimed at medical, packaging and small handling applications.

    * The modular TS 5 assembly conveyor transports loads weighing up to 660 pounds. On the energy-efficient drive system, a ``king shaft'' powered roller design requires no lubrication. The TS 5 can be configured to transport goods either on a work-piece pallet or directly on a continuous roller conveyor.

    * The camoLine provides a modular, building-block-style design for applications such as material handling, pick-and-place robots, palletizing and inspection.

    Bosch Rexroth Linear Motion and Assembly Technologies is based in Charlotte, N.C.

    Sodick Plustech adds LSR machines to line

    Sodick Plustech Co. Ltd. of Yokohama, Japan, now offers liquid silicone molding capability to its V-Line of two-stage injection molding machines. The company also offers models with super-high-speed injection of 1,500 millimeters per second, according to Len Hampton, national sales manager at Plustech Inc. of Schaumburg, Ill.

    Sodick Plustech calls the LSR machines the Sil-Pro Series. Clamping forces range from 5.5-242 tons on the horizontal Sil-Pro machines, and 22-165 tons on the vertical presses.

    Instead of a reciprocating screw, Sodick Plustech presses use a V-style plasticizing unit that separates the functions of melting and injection. An electric-driven screw, mounted at an angle on top of the injection barrel, plasticizes the resin and feeds the melt into an injection chamber, where a hydraulic cylinder pushes a plunger forward to seal off the system.

    There is no backflow. The V-Line is equipped with a patented back-flow prevention and bypass nozzle. The feeding screw front-loads the plunger cylinder with a fresh supply of new melted resin for each injection, giving ideal melt quality, the company said.

    Hampton said the machines use a small, lightweight plunger for injection, giving a very quick response of just 0.007 second from stop to maximum speed.

    Express prototypes created by new resins

    Express Pattern Inc., a rapid prototyping service bureau that also makes short-run investment casting patterns, exhibited at Design & Manufacturing Midwest.

    The company, based in Vernon Hills, Ill., showed prototypes created from new resins for stereolithography: DSM Sonos WaterClear, a clear material; and DMX-SL 100, a durable resin that creates detailed and accurate parts.

    Partners Tom Mueller and Dave Flynn co-founded Express Pattern in 1999.

    Wisconsin-based Xten reaps various honors

    Xten Industries LLC, a custom injection molder and contract manufacturer in Kenosha, Wis., was named to the list of Future 50 Companies by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, for companies that show strong growth in sales and employment.

    Xten also announced that Inc. magazine ranked the company as No. 3,134 on its list of the 5,000 fastest-growing U.S. private companies. The list is ranked according to the percentage of revenue growth from 2004 through 2007. Xten reported a growth rate of more than 110 percent.

    Xten exhibited at the Plastec Midwest show.

    Transducers Direct trumpets lower cost

    Transducers Direct showed its new TD1000/1100 series of pressure transducers, used for hydraulic systems on machinery. They are fully digital, in a patent-pending design.

    Redundant sensing elements means TD1000/1000 transducers come with a backup, so they can operate longer, said Rob Matthes, president of Transducers Direct in Miamiville, Ohio.

    Another feature: an IP-69K rating seal is available, allowing the transducers to withstand a high-pressure wash-down.

    The TD 1100 can handle four times over rated pressure. The TD 1000 is two times over pressure.

    Matthes said the goal of Transducers Direct is to provide high-quality transducers at a lower price. For example, the company offers a line of very thin digital displays, priced as low as $80. Prices start at $195 for its melt pressure transducers.

    Matthes said the company makes some products and uses private-label suppliers for others.

    Teknor TPEs come with tech resources

    Teknor Apex Co. rolled out its Medalist program, aimed at providing thermoplastic elastomer compounds to medical-device manufacturers, along with a body of tools and information for designers and processors.

    Teknor Apex, of Pawtucket, R.I., exhibited at MD&M Midwest.

    ``While Teknor Apex has long supplied medical-grade compounds, the comprehensiveness of the Medalist range and the technical resources that accompany it will enable customers to use our program as a single source of elastomers,'' sales director Andy Claytor said.

    The initial range covers 33 compounds. Shore A hardness covers a broad range, from 5-86. Clear, translucent and opaque formulations are available.

    ``All 33 Medalist compounds have been tested for compliance with ISO 10933-5 cytotoxicity standards and are free from animal-derived materials, vinyl, phthalates, latex and additives not directly required of medical applications,'' said Lisa Charno, medical market manager.

    Dukane touts iQ line's fast data processing

    Dukane Corp. introduced its iQ line of ultrasonic plastic welders, which the company claims has the fastest data-processing rate in the industry.

    That means the iQ will process the weld data — power, distance, force, frequency and time — twice as fast as older-series equipment, with a higher weld consistency and accuracy.

    The produce line includes 40/30-kilohertz models that have a low-mass precision slide designed for delicate, tight-tolerance, small applications. The company also offers 20-kHz presses with the Dukane Ultra rigged H-frame support for high-force applications.

    Dukane, of St. Charles, Ill., also showed its iQ series software, which has Ethernet capabilities for remote access from anywhere in the manufacturing facility.

    The company also introduced a Dual ServoWeld spin welder for welding circular parts that have a tight-tolerance requirement for both the orientation between the parts being welded and the overall final welded assembly height. A second servomotor replaces the pneumatic Z-axis drive that was Dukane's earlier spin welder.

    Dukane also has a lean work cell for manual assembly of plastic parts, using ultrasonic welding, spin welding or heat staking.

    Dyna-Purge trumpets compound's savings

    The Dyna-Purge Division of Shuman Plastics Inc. in Buffalo, N.Y., introduced its improved Dyna-Purge SF purging compound.

    The purging compound works faster and requires less material than other commercial purging compounds, claimed Tim Cutler, Dyna-Purge business manager. It lowers purging costs up to 46 percent compared with hybrid mechanical/chemical and 40 percent vs. mechanical abrasive brands.

    Under the product introduction, Dyna-Purge is offering a free 10-pound sample.

    Vero USA combines mold-design software

    Vero USA Inc. of Wixom, Mich., has integrated Visi Flow into its Visi series of software for mold design.

    Visi Flow enables the user to design a part from scratch and or make changes to existing parts, design molds, analyze the part and the mold, and transfer the data to manufacturing, using the same software.

    Vero said traditional three-dimensional flow simulation has been too expensive and runs too slowly, even on powerful computers.

    Visi Flow simulations run extremely fast to make 3-D mesh models, even on standard desktop or laptop computers, the company claims.

    A patent is pending on the proprietary hexahedral 3-D mesh, which allows analysis of complex part geometry.

    Microscopy college releases schedules

    The College of Microscopy doesn't have a football beam, but McCrone Group Inc., a maker of high-powered microscopes, has announced its 2008 and 2009 course schedules.

    McCrone Group, based in Westmont, Ill., runs the college in a 40,000-square-foot teaching facility with state-of-the-art equipment, laboratories and a 140-seat auditorium.

    Some of the classes are predictable, like sample preparation and scanning electron microscopy. But others are designed for law enforcement — fiber identification and the microscopical identification of white-powder unknowns, for example.

    At the trade show, McCrone demonstrated a plastics application. A microscope was set up to view a cutaway sample of a seven-layer film, showing the composition of the film and layer thickness.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    logo-pn-color
    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber & Plastics News
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Plastics News China
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Tire Business
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • What Keeps You Up At Night
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
        • Polymer Points Live
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • FYI Charts
        • Current FYI
      • LSR World
      • Multimedia
        • Videos
        • Galleries
        • Podcasts
      • NPE2021
      • K Show
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • Special Reports
        • CEO Issue
        • Best Places to Work
        • Processor of the Year
        • Rising Stars
        • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • Heavy Metal
      • One Good Resin
      • BRICS and Plastics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Plastics in Healthcare
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
      • Industry Events
      • Livestreams/Webinars
      • Ask the Expert
      • Polymer Points Live
      • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
      • 2020 Caps & Closures Library
      • Plastics in Healthcare Library
      • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
    • Resin Prices
      • All Resins
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Rankings
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Data Store
    • Directory
    • More+
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified
      • Digital Edition
      • Newsletters
      • Sponsored Content
      • Processor of the Year submissions
      • White Papers