connecting with coupling agents latest developments in pelletizers ...

January 2013
BUBBLING UP: NEW FOAM FORMULATIONS
CONNECTING WITH COUPLING AGENTS
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN PELLETIZERS

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contents
PAGE 5
PAGE 13
PAGE 23
PAGE 37
PAGE 45
05 Industry news
The latest compounding industry news including international acquisitions and
alliances, plus new investments and plant openings.
13 Coupling agents make new connections
Coupling agents and compatibilizers are fi nding new roles in composites and
blends that are fulfi lling emerging applications. Pat Toensmeier reports.
23 Pelletizing systems: cutting edge technology
Mikell Knights speaks with leading suppliers of pelletizers to fi nd out about how
their latest product developments meet changing market demands.
37 Blowing up: advances in additives for foaming
Jennifer Markarian examines the latest innovations in additive and masterbatch
technologies for foamed plastics applications.
45 Optimising foamed polyolefi n formulations
John Krist and Emanuel van der Ven of Sabic describe the optimisation of PE
foam formulations using DOE plus validation on production lines.
57 New products: additives
60 Compounder of the month: IPC
62 Dates for your diary
coming next issue
❙ Thermally-conductive compounds ❙ Materials handling systems ❙ Additives for polyolefi ns
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www.compoundingworld.com January 2013 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 3

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Americhem acquires
Infinity Compounding
Global masterbatch supplier
Americhem has acquired
Infinity Compounding, a
producer of filled and reinforced
engineering thermoplastics
based in Swedesboro,
New Jersey, USA. The deal
was completed on 28 December
2012.
The acquisition expands
Americhem’s activities, adding
technical compounding to its
core business of colour and
additive masterbatch manufacturing.
Rick Juve, CEO of Americhem,
said: “This move
broadens the technology base,
opens new markets and
expands geographical reach
for both organisations”.
Carlos Carreno, president
of Infinity Compounding,
added: “As part of the
Americhem Group, Infinity
Compounding will be able to
offer new products and
technologies to our customers
including best-in-class colour
capabilities. We are also
excited about Americhem’s
global manufacturing and
marketing reach, in particular
China, which is already a growing
market for Infinity.”
UK masterbatch maker Wells
Plastics has received a
E1.8 million follow-on
investment from private equity
house Key Capital Partners
and its current shareholders.
Wells plans to use the funding
to invest in new machinery to
Americhem is diversifying into technical
compounds with the acquisition of Infinity
Inifinity Compounding’s
Carreno is excited about
Americhem’s global reach
Infinity will continue to
operate independently with its
existing management team.
The company serves the
medical, electrical/electronics,
business machine, disk drive,
industrial, aerospace and
military sectors.
It operates five compounding
lines at its Swedesboro
plant with a total capacity of
around 2,200 tonnes/year.
Carreno told Compounding
World that the company plans
to add another compounding
line in the third quarter of
2013, bringing an additional
600 tons of annual capacity.
Infinity’s product ranges
includes: Instruc structurally
reinforced compounds, Inlube
internally lubricated compounds,
Inelec electrically
conductive resins, and Incolor
pre-coloured resins.
Americhem is a privately
owned company with masterbatch
plants in the US, the UK
and China. Its sales and production
in 2010 were estimated at
US$190 million and 30,000
tonnes. The company’s main
markets are automotive,
building products, fibres, PET
bottles and general moulding.
❙ www.americhem.com
❙ www.infinitycompounding.com
Wells Plastics plans expansion
increase its production
capacity by around 25%.
It says that one of the
drivers for its growth is
increasing demand for its
Reverte oxo-degradable
additive masterbatches which
have experienced a 20% rise in
sales over the past 12 months.
Key Capital made its initial
investment in Wells in
February 2011. The masterbatch
maker employs more
than 40 people and has a
turnover of E12 million.
❙ www.wellsplastics.com
news
PolyOne
moves into
composites
PolyOne has acquired
Glasforms, a manufacturer
of glass and carbon fibre
reinforced polymers and
advanced composite
products. It paid US$34
million for the company
which had revenues in
excess of US$50 million in
fiscal year 2012.
The purchase marks
PolyOne’s entry into the
advanced composites
market. Glasforms
manufactures standard and
custom profiles, tubes and
panels using pultrusion,
filament winding and
continuous resin transfer
moulding processes.
Its products are used in
demanding applications in
the electrical, energy,
transportation, healthcare,
and defence markets.
“Our acquisition of
Glasforms marks yet another
important milestone in
PolyOne’s transformation,
as we further broaden our
specialty solutions portfolio
to include these new and
adjacent technologies and
applications,” said Stephen
Newlin, chairman, president
and CEO of PolyOne.
Glasforms will continue
to operate from its Birmingham,
Alabama site. The
company employs approximately
300 people, and its
founder and president,
Peter Pfaff, will continue in
his leadership role along
with other members of the
management team.
❙ www.polyone.com
www.compoundingworld.com January 2013 | compounding world 5

6
news
Invista buys Dutch compounder
Polyamide 66 producer Invista
has acquired VSL SiloLogistic’s
compounding and recycling
operation located at Born in
Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands.
The deal was completed
on 21 December 2012.
Invista will use the plant to
produce its engineering
polymer brands, including its
Torzen PA 66 resin. It plans to
mainly manufacture primebased
compounds at the Born
site, but the facility also has
the capacity and capability to
produce high-quality recycled
products.
Kurt Burmeister, executive
NFM picks
Jan van
Bakergem
US-based extruder
manufacturer NFM has
appointed Jan van Bakergem
as global managing
director for compounding
systems. He took up his
new role on 7 January.
Van Bakergem was
previously global industry
director petrochem at Mac
Process, and he was CEO
and president of Coperion’s
North American operations
from 2003 to 2009.
NFM reports strong
sales growth for its TEM
compounding systems
primarily in the US
market. It now plans to
increase its market share
through global sales and it
has been increasing its
manufacturing capacity.
❙ www.nfm.net
vice president at Invista
Engineering Polymers said:
“Europe is a critical region for
automotive manufacturers and
other global decision-makers
within the industry. The Born
site’s expertise, location,
employee values, and position
as a trusted compounder
made them the right fit for our
company.”
Invista, which claims to be
the world’s leading producer of
PA 66, was acquired by Koch
Industries from DuPont in 2004
and it re-entered the engineering
plastics market in 2009
following the expiry of a
Burmeister. “We continue to
see opportunities to leverage
contractors’ capacities,
locations and competencies
while simultaneously extending
our reach through this
acquisition.”
The Born plant has
approximately 30 employees
and they will all transfer to
Invista. The facility has been
compounding and recycling PA
for around 20 years. It was
operated by VSL SiloLogistics,
which is primarily focused on
logistics services for the
chemical and food industries.
❙ www.invista.com
Epsan increases compounding
capacity with Coperion line
Epsan Plastic has added a new
twin-screw extruder at its
plant in Bursa, northwestern
Turkey. It increases its total
polyamide compounding
capacity from 15,000 to 22,000
tonnes/year.
The new line is based on a
Coperion ZSK 58 Mc18 twinscrew
extruder, taking Epsan’s
total number of Coperion
machines to five. In addition to
its plant in Bursa, the independent
polyamide compounder
also operates a separate
production facility in the
nearby town of Gemlik.
Epsan distributes its PA 6
and PA 66 compounds under
the Eplamid, Eplon and Epimix
brandnames to customers in
Europe and North America.
The company’s global sales
director, Arda Efe said: “The
capacity increase will help
five-year non-competing
clause in the acquisition
contract. In 2011 it announced
that it was planning to add its
own compounding capacity
either through acquisitions or
investing in new plants.
The company uses a
network of toll compounders
to supply PA 66 grades and it
says that it will continue to use
these companies alongside its
newly acquired in-house
production.
“Our business model now
includes internal compounding
production as well as contract
manufacturers,” explained
Epsan has added a new Coperion compounding line at its Bursa
plant in Turkey
Epsan to focus more on fast
growing Asian markets as well
as strengthen our position in
existing ones”.
Established as a plastics
trading firm in 1978, Epsan
began PA compounding in
1998. It now employs around
100 people worldwide and
produces a range of formulations
including flame retardant,
reinforced, stabilized and
coloured grades.
The main target markets
for Epsan include the automotive
and the electrical and
electronic sectors.
❙ www.epsan.com.tr
compounding world | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

8
news
ECHA considers cadmium ban
The European
Commission has
asked the European
Chemicals Agency
(ECHA) to examine
the case for expanding
REACH restrictions
on cadmium to
cover all plastics
materials. Annex XVII
of the chemicals
legislation currently list
16 specific plastics materials
where cadmium is restricted.
The ECHA is asking for
evidence to help identify the
impact of this potential
expansion. Comments from
interested parties need to be
submitted by 11 February 2013
Demand for graphene is
predicted to grow at 40% per
year from US$9 million in 2012
to reach US$126 million in
2020, according to a new
report from Lux Research. The
study says that this growth is
less than some of the hype
surrounding the “wunderkind
material” might suggest,
drawing potential parallels
with the commercialisation of
carbon nanotubes.
It forecasts that the bulk of
the market will belong to
graphene nanoplatelets, used
mainly in composites and
energy storage applications.
Despite being a hot research
area, the commercialisation of
graphene films will be delayed
by a large number of technical
and economic challenges, says
the study.
“The rocky history of carbon
nanotubes shows that a
European
users of
cadmium in
plastics
should
contact the
ECHA quickly
using an online questionnaire
which can be accessed at
http://bit.ly/ECHACd.
The 16 resins covered by
existing restrictions on the use
of cadmium as a colorant
include PVC, PUR, LDPE, PET,
PS, PP and XLPE. However,
there is an exemption for
LDPE masterbatch.
research and patent boom
along with impressive
technical performance is far
from a guarantee of commercial
success,” said Ross Kozarsky,
Lux Research senior
analyst and the lead author of
the new report. “Major
challenges like high costs,
processing issues, and
Further restrictions apply to
the use of cadmium as a
stabilizer in PVC compounds
used in a range of applications
including: packaging materials;
office and school supplies;
furniture fittings; apparel and
clothing accessories; floor and
wall coverings; textile fabrics;
imitation leather; gramophone
records; tubes, pipes and their
fittings; swing doors; road
vehicle components; steel sheet
coating; and wiring insulation.
For any colorant and
stabilization applications which
escape the above limitations,
there is still a limit of 0.1%
cadmium metal by weight in
finished plastics articles. The
Graphene growth could fall short
Despite being hyped a “wunderkind material”, Graphene still
faces hurdles to commercial success
competing materials loom
large,” he added.
The report, which is entitled
‘Is Graphene the Next Silicon
... Or Just the Next Carbon
Nanotube?’, identifies XG and
Vorbeck as leading players
among the graphene nanoplatelet
start-ups.
❙ www.luxresearchinc.com
restrictions do not apply to
articles “coloured for safety
reasons”.
Some cadmium compounds
are still used as pigments in
plastics, and industry associations
say that suitable
alternatives may not be
available for certain applications,
such as colouring
engineering plastics. They
include cadmium zinc sulphide
yellow, cadmium sulphoselenide
red and cadmium
sulphoselenide orange.
Further background information,
including the full Annex
XVII document can be read at:
http://bit.ly/CdPDF.
❙ www.echa.europa.eu
Clariant
sells off
divisions
Clariant is selling off three
of its non-core businesses
to the US private investment
firm SK Capital for a
total of CHF502 million
(E405 million).
The deal includes
Clariant’s Textile Chemicals,
Paper Specialities and
Emulsions businesses. It is
expected to be completed
by the end of the second
quarter of 2013.
The company announced
in early 2012 that it was
considering options for
these business lines. It is
still carrying out the review
process for Leather
Services and Detergents &
Intermediates.
❙ www.clariant.com
compounding world | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

10
news
UMass Lowell inaugurates new
Technovel lab for compounding
The University of Massachusetts
Lowell has officially
opened the new Technovel
Compounding Laboratory as
part of its US$80 million Mark
and Elisia Saab Emerging
Technologies and Innovation
Center.
The Compounding Laboratory
was funded through
UMass Lowell’s partnership
with Technovel, the Japanese
manufacturer of compounding
extruders. It features two
Technovel lab-scale lines, one
based on a Micro twin-screw
extruder and the other built
around the company’s novel
Quad four-screw design. Both
extruders have screw diameters
of 15 mm.
Technovel’s Micro twinscrew
intermeshing co-rotating
machine, which can
operate at speeds up to 4,400
RPM, boasts a high-torque
drive system and a pressureresistant
barrel. The modular
screw can be configured for an
L/D ratio of 45:1 or 60:1.
The WDR Quad extruder
features four parallel intermeshing
co-rotating screws for
the improved mixing of
UMass Lowell graduate student Melissa Egan demonstrates the
equipment in the Technovel Compounding Laboratory
materials. It provides longer
retention times, lower heat
generation and improved
venting, according to Technovel.
Part of the University’s
Plastics Engineering Department,
the new Compounding
Laboratory will be used to
develop innovative formulations
including bioabsorbable
polymers and nanocomposites.
The Emerging Technologies
and Innovation Center also
includes a high bay for plastics
processing with the ability to
run large-scale injection
moulding and blown film
extrusion. In addition, it
features facilities for nanotechnology
and biomedical
materials R&D.
The 84,000 ft2 (7,800 m2 ),
four-storey Emerging Technologies
and Innovation Center
was officially opened in
October and was formerly
named and dedicated to
benefactors Mark and Elisia
Saab in December.
Mark Saab graduated from
UMass Lowell in 1981 with a
degree in plastics engineering.
He is president of Advanced
Polymers, a manufacturer of
medical device components
which he co-founded with his
wife Elisia Saab and is now
part of Vention Medical. The
couple live in Lowell and have
become the largest individual
donors to UMass Lowell.
“I have always felt strongly
about giving back to UMass
Lowell and being involved in
the plastics engineering
program. I’m grateful for the
specialized education that has
led to my success and I want to
help today’s students discover
the path to their own future,”
said Mark Saab.
“The faculty, students and
staff of UMass Lowell’s
Plastics Engineering Department
cannot thank Mark and
Elisia Saab enough for their
continued and extremely
generous support,” said
Professor Robert Malloy,
department chairman. “Their
support for this building will
take our ability to conduct
materials and manufacturing
research to a new level”.
❙ www.technovel.co.jp
❙ www.uml.edu
Arsenal Capital invests in Dash Multi-Corp
New York-based private equity
firm Arsenal Capital Partners
has acquired Dash Multi-Corp,
a US manufacturer of formulated
polyurethane, vinyl
plastisols, specialty coatings
and recycled rubber products.
The St. Louis, Missouribased
company has annual
sales of more than US$100
million. Concurrent with its
acquisition by Arsenal Capital
from its founder and owner
Marvin Wool, Dash’s coated
fabrics operations will become
a separate entity owned by
Marlen Textiles.
Dash’s MarChem plastics
and chemicals business
produces polyurethanes, vinyl
plastisols, specialty coatings
and adhesives used in a variety
of processes ranging from
medical device moulding to
niche flooring applications.
In 2012, Arsenal also
invested in IGM Resins,
Plasticolors, Evonik’s Colorants
business and Fluoro-
Seal Holdings. Its previous
investments in the sector
include Genovique, IDQ,
Novolyte, Sermatech, Velsicol,
and Vertellus.
❙ www.arsenalcapital.com
❙ www.dashmulticorp.com
compounding world | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

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Silanes and other coupling agents or compatibilizers
can be used to molecularly bond organic polymers and
inorganic fi llers and reinforcements. In addition, they
can function as surfactants and dispersion agents, as
anti-agglomerates, or as adhesion promoters.
Such properties make the additives indispensable in
a range of established formulations, but recently they
have been applied to new and evolving applications with
their own performance needs. As a result, the chemistry
and use of coupling agents is moving beyond
conventional workhorse applications and into markets
that are increasing the versatility and variety of grades
available.
These applications include areas such as:
● improving the properties of recycled materials,
barrier packaging and advanced composites;
● the formulation of new versions of copolymers and
terpolymers by compounding normally immiscible
resins;
● meeting environmental rules for non-halogenated
fl ame retardants and low-VOC (volatile organic
compound) processing;
● the cost-effi cient production of price-sensitive parts
through formulation changes;
● and efforts to improve rolling resistance in tyres as a
fuel economy measure.
These developments could, experts believe, promote
a degree of innovation in coupling agents that the
compounding industry hasn’t seen in some time. “With
Coupling agents | additives feature
Coupling
agents make
new connections
Coupling agents and compatibilizers
are fi nding new roles as the
requirements for thermoplastic
composites and blends evolve to
fulfi l emerging applications.
Pat Toensmeier reports
the amount of work that is underway to blend materials,
the interest in coupling agents as modifi ers is increasing,”
says Jose Torradas, senior technical consultant for
DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers. “The number
of applications and market segments [they make
possible] is growing signifi cantly all over the world.”
The materials that DuPont supplies are good
examples of the evolving state of coupling agents and
related modifi ers. The company has produced two main
product lines in this area for some time, Fusabond and
Elvaloy, which are described as “compatibilizing resins.”
Fusabond is based on maleic anhydride-grafted
polyolefi n copolymers, while Elvaloy, a broader product
line, comprises polyethylene (PE) terpolymers — PE
and reactive comonomers and epoxy groups — and
ethylene acrylate copolymers.
When added to compounds at various loadings (3.5 to
www.compoundingworld.com January 2013 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 13

DuPont’s
Fusabond
polymer
modifi ers are
used as
coupling agents
in fl exible pipe
and other
end-uses
This blow
moulded
polyolefi n
agrochemical
bottle for Brazil
uses a DuPont
Fusabond
coupling agent
14
additives feature | Coupling agents
7% is typical), the materials raise or help maintain
select properties of commodity and engineering
thermoplastics, and also compatibilize streams of
mixed recyclate.
Fusabond A560, for example, improves adhesion
between glass reinforcements and polyamide (PA) 6 and
66 resins, owing to its maleic anhydride group, which
reacts with PA and ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH).
DuPont says this can increase the notched Izod impact
strength of glass-reinforced PA by 30 to 50%. A560 also
contributes to reduced melt viscosity in highly fi lled
compounds and to retention of tensile strength,
modulus and heat-deformation temperature.
In addition, Fusabond grades reportedly work well as
coupling agents in highly fi lled polyolefi ns. One
important area is formulations with fl ame-retardant
mineral fi llers. Here the use of Fusabond as an additive
enhances fi ller dispersion, improving compound
homogeneity, elevating fl ame-retardant loadings and
maintaining tensile strength and elongation-at-break
properties.
One Fusabond grade, M603, is
touted as a compatibilizer for
PE-based recycling streams and
production of polymer lumber. In the
latter, M603 strengthens the
composite and reduces moisture
absorption by cellulose fi bres in
the compound. Torradas says
that the grade can also be used
with polymer lumber materials
that are not fully dried, saving
compounders time and money.
In another reclaim application,
Torradas says M603 can improve
the in-house recycling of PA or
EVOH during the injection
moulding or blow moulding of
PE-based barrier containers,
where scrap is reintroduced as a structural layer. The
grade links the normally immiscible major (up to 90%
PE) and minor (PA or EVOH) components to improve
dispersion, along with elongation, toughness and other
mechanical properties in containers.
Meanwhile, compounders use Fusabond’s compatibilizing
and dispersion properties to reduce the cost of
commodity products such as PP containers, while
maintaining mechanical properties. Calcium carbonate
(CaCO ) is used in these containers for rigidity. Accord-
3
ing to Torradas, a “small amount of Fusabond”
increases CaCO loading, reducing PP use and saving
3
the compounder money, without affecting properties.
Elvaloy grades are for neat and glass-reinforced
polyesters — polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and
polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). The PTW grade is a
soft E-nBA-GMA (ethylene/n-butyl acrylate/glycidal
methacrylate) terpolymer that bonds to and disperses
consistently throughout polyester. It is especially
compatible with glass and so toughens reinforced PBT.
Elvaloy AC has similar properties in glass-reinforced
polyesters, but as a copolymer it increases melt fl ow
over terpolymer versions, thereby improving processability.
DuPont tweaks the chemistries of these resin
modifi ers to meet the coupling agent needs of evolving
and emerging applications, and to create enhanced
formulations with otherwise incompatible polymers and
fi llers. “There are fewer new polymers and more
interest in blending what’s available,” Torradas says in
explaining this trend.
Another company using resin chemistry as the basis
for coupling agents is Chemtura. John Yun, technology
manager at the company, says Polybond coupling
agents are comprised of polyolefi ns and their deriva-
tives, which are grafted with reactive
functional chemical groups such as maleic
anhydride and acrylic acid. The additives
are primarily for blending non-polar
polymers like PP, PE and their derivatives
with polar fi llers, such as glass
fi bres, CaCO
, talc, mica, natural fi bres
3
and others.
The coupling agents achieve this,
Yun adds, by carrying polar functional
groups along the non-polar polymer
backbone. “This nature of bipolarity in
Polybond coupling agents gives rise to
affi nity at the interface of polymers
and fi llers,” he explains. “The
functional groups form covalent bonds
or secondary bonds while the polymer
part imparts physical entanglement
COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

BORONID ®
FILLER
The new ESK BORONID ® Boron Nitride filler enables
highly thermal conductive and electric insulating polymers
without any compromise for processing and tool life.
ESK Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG
Max-Schaidhauf-Straße 25
87437 Kempten, Germany
www.esk.com, info@esk.com

DuPont’s
Fusabond
Grade M603 is
used to
compatibilize
PE-based
recycling
streams in
Brazil
16
additives feature | Coupling agents
of polymer chains driven by the thermodynamics during
the mixing process.”
As a result, PP, PE and polyolefin derivatives achieve
enhancements in such mechanical properties as
tensile, flexural, impact and adhesion strength in
applications like multilayer film and coatings.
According to Yun, Chemtura is supplying these
coupling agents for five major applications: PP with
short and long glass fibres; PP and PE filled with
natural fibres such as wood flours, cellulose, starch and
others; PP filled with mineral fillers like CaCO , talc and
3
colour pigments; adhesive layers between printing ink
and PP in flexible packaging; and PP/PA blends.
Yun identifies evolving applications for which
Polyblend additives have a fit. One is dispersion of
colour pigments in automotive and home appliances.
Another is flexible packaging for heavy-duty goods comprising
a woven PP layer and an ink-print layer. Here
the Polybond coupling agents improve adhesion
between the ink layer and woven PP. The third is wire
and cable compounds with more than a 70% loading of
halogen-free flame retardants. To regain the compromised
mechanical properties such a formulation
creates, Polybond compatibilizes the flame retardant
with the polymer, in the process restoring elongation
and tensile strength.
Yun notes that recycling is another important
application, especially in lines where PA can mix with
and contaminate PP scrap. “A small addition of
Polybond coupling agents makes [both materials]
compatible and maintains PP integrity,” he says.
Other materials getting a closer look by some
compounders are titanates (Ti) and zirconates (Zr), both
organometallics. Kenrich Petrochemicals, which sells
liquid Ti grades under KR or LICA brand names, and
liquid Zr additives as NZ and KZ brands, has promoted
the materials for years, claiming they offer advantages
that coupling agents such as silanes do not. Ti and Zr
reportedly compatibilize polar and non-polar polymers,
and react with all organic and inorganic materials.
Conventional silanes, in contrast, work with many
reinforcements and mineral fillers, but according to
Kenrich they have less effect on materials such as
CaCO , carbon black, carbon fibre and graphene.
3
Ti and Zr are also thermally stable catalysts, says
Kenrich president Salvatore Monte. This means they
can repolymerize a macromolecule in an extruder’s
polymer melt to rebuild molecular weight — a process
Monte likens to reactor-based metallocene catalysis.
Among the advantages of Ti and Zr when added to
thermosets, is a curative function that provides
methacrylic, acrylic, amino and mercapto moieties that
react with UV light, free radicals, peroxides, sulphur and
other curing agents to increase cross-linking and other
functions, Monte says.
In compounding, loadings of 0.2 to 0.4% by weight
are typical for unfilled polymers when Ti and Zr are
used as adhesion promoters, catalysts or process aids.
Loadings range from 0.35 to 0.7% by weight when they
are used with mineral fillers, pigments and fibres.
Monte says that information about applications is
restricted by non-disclosure agreements. Recently
developed grades, however, show the types of benefits
Kenrich provides with its organometallic chemistry. One
grade for unsaturated polyester converts the MEKP
(methyl ethyl ketone peroxide) curing reaction to
endothermic from exothermic to eliminate micro-bubble
formation in parts. New coupling agents for
advanced composites are formulated for carbon and
aramid materials.
The additives even have use in recycling. “Because
the titanates are in situ catalysts in the melt, they
regenerate scissored molecular chains and rebuild
mechanical properties,” Monte explains. “They will also
copolymerize, so whereas not more than 5% PP can be
blended with high-density PE without having delamination
and compatibility issues, [Kenrich] coupling agents
will allow a 50/50 PP/HDPE blend that in effect acts as a
new polymer.”
This of course means recycling has to be a melt
process, which Monte acknowledges adds cost. But as
he notes, these coupling agents “will become more
viable when the use of recycled commodity plastics
become part of a sustainability culture in large markets
such as automotive.”
Silane formulations are also being tweaked for new
and evolving needs. The dual functionality of silanes,
evident in their ability to achieve molecular bonds
between organic resins and inorganic substrates, gives
compounding world | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

Titanate and
zirconate
additives from
Kenrich react
with inorganic
and organic
materials
including
graphene, a
model of which
is shown here
18
Coupling
agents are
used to
improve silica
dispersion in
tread stock as
tyre manufacturers
comply
with rolling
resistance
label rules
(Photo:
Michelin)
additives feature | Coupling agents
formulators a powerful platform on which to add
functionality. As a result, silanes are often the “go to”
additives when properties enhancement is required in a
various applications.
“Some of the trends in silanes follow the larger
mega-trends in the marketplace,” says Travis Hein,
technical account specialist for Xiameter silanes at Dow
Corning. For example, “People are looking to silanes to
help them make ‘green’ materials.” Applications here
include solar cells, where organic coatings are used to
treat the polysilicon cells. “The silanes help ensure
good adhesion and long-term durability of the coatings,”
he notes.
“I think the trends you will see in silane coupling
agents will involve adding multiple functionalities to
provide a combination of benefi ts such as improved
dispersion and water repellency,” Hein adds.
One new area in which silanes fi nd increasing use is
tyre manufacturing, where they couple silica with tyre
rubber. There are are several benefi benefi ts to
this, but a major advantage advantage is
reducing “rolling resistance” in
cars and trucks as part of a
regulatory regulatory effort effort to minimize
fuel consumption. The idea is
that decreasing the amount
of energy absorbed by tyres
will reduce vehicle fuel use.
Europe recently started a
tyre-labelling program to
inform consumers about
the rolling resistance of
tyres prior to purchase, and
the US is expected to
eventually implement a
similar program.
Sulfi do-brand silanes from
Xiameter are among the additives used or evaluated for
this application. “Increasing silica levels and effectively
reducing the amount of carbon black [in a tyre] reduces
rolling resistance and improves fuel effi ciency,” Hein
says. The silane is also necessary because although
silica improves tread stock properties, the chemical has
low compatibility with elastomers, weakens the rubber
matrix and can thus reduce tread life.
Loadings of Xiameter silanes for this and other
applications can be as low as 0.1% by weight to 10%,
though Hein says general levels are in the 0.5% to 3%
by weight range.
Another additive supplier working on formulations
that reduce rolling resistance is Cray Valley. The
company uses two basic chemistries: low glass-transition-temperature
(Tg) polybutadiene (PBD) oligomers
(tradename Ricon) and high-Tg-temperature styrene
maleic anhydride (SMA) copolymers (tradename SMA).
These materials — “our starting points,” says Jeremy
Austin, business development manager — permit the
company to graft appropriate chemistries onto the
molecular backbone of each and start building
functionality.
The choice as to whether to use low-Tg-temperature
PBD or high-Tg-temperature SMA in a formulation is
usually determined by the resin or fi ller it will interact
with. Elastomeric polymers generally work better with
the low-Tg backbone, while engineering thermoplastics
such as PA and polyester function well with a high-Tg
backbone.
The approach is paying off in rolling resistance. “We
have seen up to a 30% improvement,” says Todd
Speece, Cray Valley’s marketing director. He believes
this reduction in rolling resistance will contribute fuel
savings of 3 to 5% in a vehicle.
The additives that Cray Valley is working on
with several undisclosed customers are in
testing, though Speece expects one or two
grades to be commercial later this year.
The company is not only looking to
reduce rolling resistance but improve
tyre grip and handling as well.
“Historically, you could only improve
one property at the expense of the
other two,” he remarks. “But in the
past several years we’ve learned
enough about properties enhancement
to improve [rolling resistance
and grip] without affecting [handling].”
Speece says the technology is
applicable to all vehicles including
trucks. The program could be a
COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

THE ESSENTIAL TRADE FAIR FOR THE PLASTICS MARKET.
SECTORS PRESENT AT THE EVENT:
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Monday to Friday | 11am to 8pm
Anhembi | São Paulo-SP | Brazil
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Renovated and deemed the biggest fair in Latin America, FEIPLASTIC comes to transform the market
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Dynasylan
Silfin coupling
agents from
Evonik Degussa
are used in
silane moisture
cross-linking of
these PE-X
pipes
20
additives feature | Coupling agents
game-changer for major tyre companies that use it to
differentiate their products from those of competitors,
and for small manufacturers that already produce
outstanding tyres and will use the label program for
greater market visibility.
Either way, the rolling resistance program could
shake up the tyre industry, thereby giving coupling
agents from Cray Valley, Dow Corning, Struktol (also a
silane producer) and others a major role in the ratings
competition, albeit behind the scenes.
One area Cray Valley works in is non-halogenated
flame retardants, where grades permit high loadings of
mineral fillers and hydrated flame retardants, reducing
resin use and boosting flame resistance, with little
trade-off in mechanical properties. Austin says the
company took a flame-retardant grade of PP with a 30%
loading of CaCO and increased that to 55% “without
3
giving up a lot in mechanical properties.” The decline
was “only by a single-digit percentage.”
Recent developments from Struktol include RP 28, a
compatibilizer and blending aid that improves the
incorporation of regrind or recycled material in a wide
range of polymers. The additive is said to deliver
improvements physical properties and processability. It
can also be used as an alloying agent for engineered
plastics, providing improved dispersion of the discreet
phase polymer as well as mechanical bonding characteristics
that can result in better physical performance.
Struktol has also introduced TR 451, which it
describes as a special combination product for
improving the incorporation of fillers into polyolefin
compounds. Studies show that it allows higher loadings
of CaCO in PP without sacrificing processability or
3
performance. Alternatively, compounders using treated
fillers may be able to switch to untreated fillers in
combination with TR 451 to reduce overall costs. In
addition, the additive can provide viscosity reduction,
mould release and consistent processing.
Compounders and end-users want as much
versatility as possible from additives. One recent trend
cited by Kerstin Weissenbach, senior technical manager
at silane producer Evonik Degussa, is added functionality
in coupling agents. The company developed two
product lines to meet this need: Dynasylan Oligomers
for wire and cable, moisture-cured cross-linked PE and
mineral-filled polyolefins; and Dynasylan Silfin for wire
and cable, pipe and other thermoplastic applications.
Dynasylan Oligomers improve coupling functionality
as well as reduce alcohol release, and thus VOCs,
during compounding, which is a plus for compliance
with environmental regulations. The materials also
have a high degree of hydrophobicity, which is especially
suited for applications like wire and cable, where
external layers must resist water and other forms of
moisture.
Dynasylan Silfin grades are described as easy-todose
liquids with all ingredients for grafting and
cross-linking polyethylene. The materials contain vinyl
silanes and initiators, cross-linking catalysts and
additives such as antioxidants, metal deactivators and
processing aids.
Weissenbach says that these materials meet the
needs of compounders who want additives that widen
process windows, thereby helping to reduce scrap and
keeping production costs down; help comply with
environmental workplace rules; and of course meet
their needs for coupling agent functionality.
To achieve these and other benefits, Evonik Degussa
is “pushing the boundaries of applications,” she
remarks. In the future, coupling agents will play a
greater role with other additives in building properties
and expanding performance in new and traditional
applications.
Weissenbach says that her company’s coupling
agents are already used in such areas as alternative
energy (wind turbines), corrosion protection and in
replacement of environmentally suspect materials, and
that developments will continue as users seek to
optimize their processes.
An observation that all makers of coupling agents
will doubtless agree with.
Click on the links for more information:
❙ www.dupont.com
❙ www.chemtura.com
❙ www.4kenrich.com
❙ www.xiameter.com
❙ www.crayvalley.com
❙ www.struktol.com
❙ www.evonik.com
compounding world | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

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NEW IN
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Pelletizer manufacturers have been busy developing
new products and technologies to meet the evolving
requirements of the compounding sector.
They include systems designed to reduce energy
consumption and improve process control and quality
levels. Other innovations have been introduced to
increase the speed of machine start-ups, product
changeovers and maintenance operations. In addition,
pelletizers are being developed to successfully handle
increasingly complex formulations, including high fi ller
loadings, high-temperature polymers or sensitive
bio-based materials.
Over the following pages, we look at the latest
developments and news from a range of suppliers,
including Automatik, Bay Plastics Machinery, Berlyn,
BKG, Coperion, Davis-Standard, Econ, Gala and
Reduction Engineering Scheer.
Automatik Plastics Machinery recently rolled out its
Sphero 50, an upgraded version of the smallest model
in its Sphero line of underwater pelletizing systems.
The unit processes a range of polymers, masterbatches,
compounds and technical plastics at fl ow rates from 70
kg/hour up to 600 kg/hour, says Andreas Voemel, who is
product manager for the line.
Pelletizers | machinery feature
Pelletizing systems:
cutting edge technology
Mikell Knights
speaks with leading
suppliers of pelletizers to
fi nd out about their latest
product launches and
the changing market
demands that they are
designed to meet
The system’s components, including the Centro 50
pellet dryer, process water system, hydraulic unit and
electric control cabinet, are all mounted on a solid
mobile frame. This helps to minimize the footprint while
keeping all components accessible for maintenance and
adjustment. Other relevant components, including
start-up valves, die-plates, water basins and drives, are
suspended from a T-bar on the mobile frame.
A new cutter head is designed to provide better
Above:
Automatik’s
latest Sphero
50 underwater
pelletizer has
its components
mounted on a
mobile frame
Below: Automatik’s Primo
200E strand pelletizer
features a large
cutting width
www.compoundingworld.com January 2013 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 23

BPM’s new
XVAK vacuum
air knife
system dries
15-25 strands
24
machinery feature | Pelletizers
alignment of the blades with the die-plate as well as
optimizing the pellet flow inside the cutting chamber.
These changes help to ensure the production of consistent
high-quality pellets, says the company.
An ergonomic design approach allows for easy
cleaning and quick changes of the die-plate, blade
carrier and blades, adds Voemel. The Sphero 50 joins
six other models in the Sphero line which deliver
throughputs up to 32 tonnes/hour.
Automatik, a subsidiary of the gear pump and
filtration system maker Maag (which itself recently
became part of Dover Corporation), has also enhanced
its Primo line of single-side dry-cut strand pelletizers
with its new Primo 200E that features a large cutting
width. The cantilever-style model is suitable for the
production of thermoplastic compounds, additive
masterbatches or colour concentrates at throughputs
up to 1.5 tonnes/hour.
The model features cutting tool sets for hard,
abrasive, soft or flexible plastics, all of which use a
special geometry with a very short unguided length
between the feed rolls and the cutters. This enables
optimum straight cutting of hard or soft strands. The
feed geometry does not subject the strands to pretensioning
prior to cutting.
The ‘low-deposit’ cutting chamber is easy to clean,
and overall retooling time is claimed to be quick and
simple. With its 200 mm operating width, the Primo
200E is the largest in the product line which also
includes the Primo 60E and 120E.
Another recent development from Automatik is its
EBG belt conveyor system for pelletizing highly-filled or
high-temperature polymers as well as sensitive
biopolymers or compounds containing natural fibres.
The belt system supports and conveys the material
from the die to the dry cut pelletizer automatically.
“We cool the material with air while it is on the belt,
then we cut the polymer while it is at 150 to 200oC, generating high-quality pellets with no dust, fines or
waste,” says Joachim Scheurich, product manager for
dry cut systems. Special high-flow air nozzles cool the
belt and material from above. A water spray or water
bath are also offered as options.
Automatik supplies the EBG in two model sizes, the
EBG 250 with a maximum throughput of 1 tonne/hour,
and the EBG 450 with 2 tonne/hour maximum throughput.
Each unit can be ordered with belt lengths of 3, 5 or
7 metres. Automatik has built these special units for
about 18 months and there are approximately 30
installations in the field processing glass-filled nylons,
WPCs and carbon-filled high-temperature polymers.
❙ www.automatikgroup.com
Bay Plastics Machinery (BPM) says that it is advancing
the control of its strand pelletizing lines, moving from
turn-knobs and speed-pots, via closed-loop systems with
PLC controllers, through to recent additions to its
advanced Digital Pellet Length Control (DPLC) technology.
The DPLC system relies on software algorithms and
control of the feed rollers and rotor motors to determine
cutter speed. “The PLC adjusts the lower speed roll to
maintain pellet length,” says Jason Forgash, executive
vice president at BPM. If the extrusion line speed
changes, a user enters the desired pellet length through
the control panel and the system adjusts the pelletizer
accordingly. The company says that the DPLC can deliver
material savings by dialling in the process more quickly,
and reducing waste of polymers during start-up.
The closed-loop DPLC system now has an optional
control feature that measures the pressure of the
polymer in the die, then uses that reading to control the
operating speed of the pelletizer. Die pressure tracking
adjusts the pelletizer speed in real-time. Users
requiring pellets of varied lengths can reset the pellet
diameter and length mid-process.
BPM is now looking to take the control a step
further, enhancing the system to allow for a
pellet-per-gram spec to be entered,
with machinery adjustments executed
automatically.
In a related development, the company
is working with a customer on the design of a system to
read the output of the material feeders to control the
extruder. The pelletizer will track the extruder rate and
follow it step-for-step.
DPLC costs approximately US$2,000 plus the cost of a
dual drive to control the pelletizer, and can control lines
with up to 250 strands. Even lines running just five to ten
compounding world | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

Pelletizing & Pulverizing Technology
BKS Belgium
Rue Jean Koch 4
B-4800 Lambermont
Belgium
Phone: +32 8731 0906
E-Mail: pelletizing@bks.be
Internet: www.bks.be
contact
Strand Pelletizing
l Precision grinding of cutting rotors
l Maintenance, Repair and Refurbishment
of cutting rotor assemblies
l New cutting rotors in several materials
and designs, bed knives etc.
Under Water Pelletizing
l Re-sharpening of UWP knives and
Surface grinding of die-plates
l Repair and Refurbishment of die-plates
l New die-plates and UWP knives
Pulverizing
l Precision grinding of discs and segments
l New discs and segments in different
materials and designs
l Special wear resistant coatings
BKS Malaysia
No.12, Jalan High Tech 5
Kawasan Perindustrian High Tech
43500 Semenyih, Malaysia
Phone: +60 3 87 23 36 29
E-Mail: sorna@bks.com.my
Internet: www.bks.com.my

BKG has been
focusing on the
design of more
energy efficient
pelletizing
systems
26
machinery feature | Pelletizers
strands can see a return on investment, says BPM.
DPLC was conceived as a way to improve the
processing of recycled materials, which tend to be
crammed into an extruder due to their low-bulk density.
The cramming can cause surging out of the die, which
in turn creates processing fluctuations during pelletizing,
says Forgash. In addition to low bulk density
materials, it can also be used for high-performance
polymers, compounds and pigments.
BPM has also introduced a new low-cost version of
its vacuum air knife system. The new XVAK series is a
low noise pelletizer that controls 15-25 strands. The
system effectively dries strands from a water bath or
water spray.
❙ www.bayplasticsmachinery.com
Berlyn ECM, a supplier of lab-scale and production
systems using company-built extruders and underwater
or strand pelletizers is adding its first hot-face
pelletizer model to its product line. The air-cooled
hot-face cutting approach targets processors using
material that should not come in contact with water.
Polymer is pelletized on the face of a waterless die
that is then transferred by air to a cooling table. The
hot-face die is offered individually or as part of a system
with throughputs from 500 to 6,000 lb/hour (230 to
2,700 kg/hour) says Jay Cassidy, vice president of sales.
In 2004, Cassidy and several other partners purchased
the extrusion and pelletizing product line from
Berlyn Extruders, where he worked before the company
went out of business. The company offers complete
systems including the extruder, screen-changer,
continuous filter and pelletizing die, with a choice of
water bath/air knife/hot face cutting. Berlyn ECM
creates a single, customised
control system based on a
Eurotherm Maco, Siemens or
Allen Bradley platform.
Berlyn ECM has developed
a web strand process for a customer that produces 19
strands held together by a web of material stretching
from one strand to the next. “They did not want the
operator to have to babysit the line, so we created the
web strand which eliminates web dropping,” says
Cassidy. The trial application was a success. Berlyn
ECM can build web stranding systems for customers
with projects requiring up to 50 strands.
Berlyn ECM is updating its standard die-face plate
technology to a more wear-resistant design. The new
die-face plate moves away from a clad face plate
configuration, which partially covered the die face, to a
solid carbide matrix material that is used across the
entire die face.
❙ www.berlynecm.com
Bruckmann & Kreyenborg Granuliertechnik (BKG) has
focused on delivering energy savings with the development
of its special insulated die-plate design and its
rethinking of the water circulation system for its
underwater pelletizing systems. Each development
aims to deliver energy savings up to 33% compared
conventional components, says Ralf Simon, BKG’s
managing director.
The insulated die-plate is designed to process
high-temperature resins in an underwater pelletizing
system where die-plate temperatures often reach 350
to 380oC, while the water temperature can hover
between 60 to 90oC, explains Simon. In order to
minimize heat loss and maintain good thermal
distribution between the die and die face, high-temperature
steels are used for the die-plate surface and
special materials are specified to insulate the hot die
body from the cold cutting surface.
BKG says that the design reduces the risk of
die-hole freeze-off, which can occur with heat loss and
poor temperature distribution. The problem generates
increasingly irregular flow in the die as more holes
close, while at the same time the die holes that remain
open experience higher pressure and varying material
flow velocity. This can lead to serious problems for
downstream processes, says Simon.
With its special systems, BKG says that the hydraulic
pressure used to hold the blades in contact with the
die-plate surface is kept as low as possible to reduce
wear and energy losses.
The company is also optimizing the water filtration
and recirculation system of its underwater pelletizers to
reduce energy consumption. “We have eliminated some
of the water pumps that we normally install for water
filtration, and we have improved the insulation of the
system,” says Simon.
BKG reports growing sales of underwater pelletizing
compounding world | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

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Images courtesy of: Automatik Plastics Machinery, ExxonMobil Chemical
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systems for processing bio-based resins, with around
10 lines supplied in the past two years. It is also
supplying equipment for the pelletizing of compounds
featuring natural reinforcements. These include around
20 lines for processing wood-plastic composites
capable of handling filler loadings of 40% or more.
Another area of growth is the pelletizing of hightemperature
resins, with “three or four commercial
lines” installed over the past two years, including a
polysulphone line in the Far East.
BKG’s CrystallCut underwater in-line PET crystallization
system is now being widely used for the
production of spherical pellets for PET bottle production.
The single-step technology was introduced eight
years ago as an alternative to strand pelletizing. “This
shows a change occurring worldwide for PET pelletizing,
and it is even being seen in Western Europe,”
reports Simon. The spherical pellet yields approximately
8% higher bulk density than conventional shapes.
❙ www.bkg-de
Coperion has several developments in strand pelletizing
underway following its purchase of Pell-Tec in
January 2012. The relationship between the two
companies goes back to 2002, when Pell-Tec began
delivering strand pelletizers to Coperion, says Michael
Schuler, Pell-Tec’s CEO.
Coperion produces its UG line of underwater
pelletizers at its main facility in Stuttgart, Germany, and
will keep the Pell-Tec manufacturing operations in
Niedernberg, Germany. Both operations
are sharing process know-how
and investigating approaches that can
support and advance their respective
technologies, says Schuler.
Pell-Tec is adjusting the throughput
capabilities of its pelletizer line to
exactly match the production rates of
Coperion’s new MC18 twin-screw
compounding extruders. The intention
is to offer a complete system including
the compounder and pelletizer where
the customer does not worry about
interfaces or interlinking the controls.
Pell-Tec is also developing two
high-throughput strand pelletizing models
designed to match Coperion’s ZSK 70, 82
and 92 extruders. The new SP500HD and
SP700HD are heavy duty designs featuring
working widths of 500 mm and 700 mm
respectively.
The SP700HD unit is designed to handle
materials with high filler contents. It is offered
Pelletizers | machinery feature
with drive power ranging from 30 to 45 kW delivering
the ability to pull 150 strands of 3 mm diameter at rates
of 5,600 or 6,300 kg/hour.
The SP500HD comes with drive power from 22 to 37
kW and the ability to draw 125 strands at throughputs of
4,500 or 5,000 kg/hour. Like the 700 model, the heavy
duty unit has upsized bearings and bearing joints, a
more robust cutter and a more rugged puller.
In the field of engineering plastics, Pell-Tec’s
customers are moving towards higher loadings of glass
fibre in polyamides. Schuler says that compounds with
50-60% glass loadings are being produced to meet
demand from the automotive and aircraft industries for
parts that withstand heat and dampen vibration. They
present pelletizing challenges as they are very
stiff, very tough to cut and very
abrasive. The heavy duty design of
the new SP units has been developed
to meet these challenges.
The new strand pelletizers will
feature an automated water-assisted
strand conveyor that catches the
strands at the die then guides and
supports them to the cutting knife.
Instead of a quench tank, the strands
are cooled and handled through a
combination sluice- and- watercooled
conveying system. The
sluice and conveying belt
restrands broken polymer
strands automatically. The system
is useful in high-throughput
operations with many strands,
where strand breakage can
Pell-Tec’s new SP500HD
strand pelletizer matches
up with specific Coperion
ZSK extruders
The latest
strand
conveyor from
Pell-Tec is
designed to
overcome
strand
breakage
problems
www.compoundingworld.com January 2013 | compounding world 29

Above:
Davis-Standard
has improved
the product
throughput of
its X series of
pelletizers
Right: Davis-
Standard’s
MicroDie
technology for
small pellet
production is
being upgraded
30
machinery feature | Pelletizers
happen often.
The new conveyor design
provides cooling similar to a
quench tank while minimizing
operator involvement. involvement. This creates
an opportunity opportunity for one one operator to
monitor multiple lines. Sluice Sluice strand
conveyors have previously been been available
from Pell-Tec, but only for smaller pelletizing units with
working widths of 300 mm.
Pell-Tec also now offers a new FlexSize option on its
strand pelletizers that allows users to vary the length of
the pellet produced without exchanging gear wheels. It
is particularly aimed at masterbatch projects running
500-600 kg/hour, but it is an option for all pelletizer
models.
❙ www.coperion.com
❙ www.pell-tec.com
Davis-Standard has further improved the capabilities of
its X series of pelletizers by offering new and retrofi t
debottlenecking kits. These are designed to improve
product throughputs of its Universal Pelletor line by up
to 25% or more, while maintaining the same equipment
footprint and high pellet quality.
The die-plate boasts the ‘next generation’ of hole
patterns, says Charles Crumb, business group manager
of extrusion pelletizing systems. The size, shape and
placement of the die-plate orifi ce holes have been
improved, allowing 4 to 5% more holes in a given
die-plate.
“Hole location must be such that the heel and the
toe of the cutting blade sees exactly the same amount
of resin from one end to the other in order to achieve
uniform cutting blade and uniform die-plate wear,”
says Crumb. Davis-Standard has developed special
location formats to optimize the hole patterns in the
die-plate design. The company builds its own die-plates
and offers tailored die hole geometries and patterns for
different materials, viscosity ranges and applications.
The X series new or retrofi t machines with the
optimized die-plate pattern are an option for the
company’s Universal Pelletor line which is designed to
operate as an underwater, water-ring or air-ring
system. This design can run with the cutting knife in
contact with the die-plate face or in gap mode, depending
on the polymer, to greatly improve knife and
die-plate life.
Davis-Standard is also creating a new hard-face die
made to handle highly-fi lled material formulations,
targeting compounding applications that
generally run at rates under 40,000 lb/
hour (18,000 kg/hour).
In addition, the company’s
MicroDie technology for small pellet
production is being upgraded. Crumb
says that the new design offers
improved cleanability, reduced
pressure drop, enhanced geometry,
improved insulation and optimised
orientation of the heating media to the orifi ces.
Davis-Standard is also improving an option that
doubles the life of the cutting knife assembly. The blade
material, blade position, blade geometry and the
alignment of the blade to the die face help to extend
knife life while trimming maintenance costs and
downtime.
❙ www.davis-standard
Econ’s newest underwater pelletizing unit, the EUP50,
is a lab-scale model built to handle high-performance
polymers. It is designed as an alternative to strand
units for product development or small batch production
applications, including those involving hard-tohandle
materials.
The EUP50 has a throughput ranging from 2 kg/h to
100 kg/h, which is relatively low for an underwater
pelletizer says Alexander Datzinger, sales manager at
the company’s headquarters in Austria. He adds that
the unit can handle fi ller loadings up to 80%, which can
cause problems with strand pelletizers. Its patented
thermally insulated die-plate also helps when processing
high-performance compounds such as fi lled PEEK,
fi lled PTFE or LCP.
The die-plate design is the same as that used on
Econ’s larger models. This separates the die-plate from
the nozzle to provide thermal insulation and deliver a
range of benefi ts. These include quick and easy
COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

start-ups, while a very wide range of materials can be
processed without any freezing at the die-plate.
Econ describes the EUP50 as a compact, mobile and
fully integrated unit that is particularly suited to small
batch production with frequent material and colour
changes. For, example it can be used to produce
masterbatch with specifi c carrier resins in relatively low
quantities. Cleaning is both quick and effi cient; the
integrated centrifugal dryer can be cleaned out in a few
minutes, claims the company.
The EUP50 and the larger EUP150 model are now
offered with an optional PLC controller, which costs
around 10-15% extra compared to a conventional
control system. In addition, Econ has added continuous
band water fi ltration as an option for all of its underwater
models. The system continuously fi lters out fi nes
and contaminants in the circulating process water,
eliminating the need to clean the tank at every product
change.
With the addition of the latest model, Econ’s EUP
underwater pelletizers are now offered in seven standard
sizes covering throughputs from 2 to 6,500 kg/hour.
❙ www.econ.eu
>compounding & extrusion >materials handling >service
Pelletizers | machinery feature
Gala has developed its Heat Flux die-plate to Econ’s EUP50
allow its underwater pelletizing systems to
underwater
handle temperature-sensitive materials more effi ciently. pelletizer is
The special die-plate is designed so that it insulates the designed for
heated body of the die-plate from the process water development or
contacting the die face. It has demonstrated energy cost small batch
savings of up to 70%, as well as increased production
production
>>The advance into a new performance dimension of compounding technology. The new
ZSK Mc 18 twin screw extruder of Coperion, formerly Werner & Pfl eiderer, is the most productive
high performance ZSK of all time. With a specifi c torque of 18 Nm/cm 3 it stands for
considerable throughput increases with improved product quality and the widest processing
window on the market – to provide you with a unique technology advantage. That’s what
we mean when we say “confi dence through partnership”. >>www.coperion.com

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effi ciency as a result of improved pellet quality and
uniformity.
“It is not a material of any kind that insulates the die,
rather, it is an insulating cavity designed in the style of a
double- or triple-pane of glass,” says John Roberts,
director of sales and marketing at Gala Industries in
Eagle Rock, Virginia. “The cavity within the die provides
the insulation from the water and will not rob the heat
from the die-plate.”
The cavity design also minimizes pressure drop
while maintaining a uniform temperature on the heated
side of the die-plate, reducing the potential of polymer
solidifi cation in the die face. The trick is to make the
die-plate robust and fl exible enough to handle the
constant thermal cycle that a die-plate goes through
and not destroy the insulation properties or the integrity
of the die-plate for long- term performance.
Gala says that its conventional die-plate designs can
process most grades of highly engineered materials,
but the Heat Flux die-plate opens an entirely new arena
of engineered materials and generally higher-temperature
or high-performance material formulations to its
pelletizers.
Pelletizers | machinery feature
The company has also launched a
new fully automated underwater
pelletizing unit that processes
a wide range of materials at
rates up to 15,000 kg/h
while maximizing blade
and die face life. Its
Electronically Adjustable
Pelletizer (EAC) joins
Gala’s line of automated,
spring-loaded and manually
adjustable underwater
pelletizers. It features a servo
stepper motor that is positioned,
adjusted and monitored by PLC.
The cutter blades can be positioned in increments
down to less than 0.001 inch (0.025 mm). “We know,
through the use of pelletizer automation and monitoring,
that spinning cutter blades in an underwater
pelletizer are subject to a force that can draw the blade
into the die face, potentially increasing blade and die
face wear on certain applications,” says Roberts. “A
processor might assume that they have to push the
The Heat Flux
die-plate from
Gala can handle
temperaturesensitive
materials more
effi ciently

Reduction
Engineering
Scheer’s new
conveyor
improves the
temperature
distribution
across strands
Gala’s EAC
system helps to
maximize the
working life of
the blade and
die face
34
machinery feature | Pelletizers
blades to hold it to the die face but in some applications,
linear force from the turning blades actually
draws the blades forward.”
The design of the EAC brings absolute control of
blade position. The PLC allows the user to set the
blades adjustment amount and frequency, thereby
maintaining an optimal blade-to-die-plate distance during
operation.
An optional integrated blade position measuring
system alerts the user when a blade change is required.
PLC control also allows a user to move the cutting
blades briefl y into contact with the die-face then away
as a self-cleaning ‘die-kiss’ step that prevents material
build-up. The PLC can store hundreds of recipes.
EAC is currently being used on systems processing a
wide range of materials, including glass-fi lled polymers,
bio-resins, hot-melt adhesives and high-temperature
resins, says Roberts. It features a rotational
clamp that allows operators to close, clamp and lock
with one hand instead of two.
Another new product from Gala is the Melt Conditioning
Device which cuts up the blocks of scrap
polymer diverted onto the shop fl oor during process
start-up. It has a pneumatically operated cutter blade
that is positioned underneath the material diverter
valve of an extruder in order to slice the melt blocks
into smaller pieces for ease of handling. An
operator can set the cutting frequency of the blade.
❙ www.gala-industries.com
Reduction Engineering Scheer reports commercial
projects for its Flash-off conveyor, a
strand pelletizing conditioning system that was
introduced in 2011. It features a special
temperature compensation section
designed to make each strand thermally uniform, from
surface to centre, for clean cutting.
The conditioning system section shrinks the
temperature difference between the skin of the strand
and its molten centre, which can be up to 150oC across
an unconditioned pellet fresh from a water bath or
spray nozzles, says Chris Case, vice president, market
development.
Several commercially installed units are being used
to improve the pelletizing of glass-fi lled PA 66 with
black pigment, a common formulation used by the auto
industry. The lines are producing temperature-uniform
strands, eliminating the shrink voids, angled cuts,
jagged edges and fi nes typically generated with strands
having a wide skin-to-centre temperature difference.
“A good spot for cutting a strand is 10oC below the Tg
of the polymer,” explains Case. “At that point the strand
has the ability to keep its shape through the cutting
process while remaining warm enough to generate the
fewest number of fi nes.”
Cutter wear may be reduced, as the overall strand
temperature is warm, making it is easier to cut.
Processors of the glass-fi lled pigmented polyamide are
discovering that reducing fi ne generation, dust and
angled cuts in the fi nal product yields a cleaner
pelletizing system that runs longer with fewer housekeeping
issues. It also reduces the need for a special
equipment to separate fi nes, says Case.
Friable polymers that offer good clarity, such as PS
or PMMA, could yield an optical defect or chip and break
if fi nes or angled cuts appear in the product.
The Flash-off system is offered with a water bath or
water tray, with vacuum or blowers, and in lengths of 3,
5 and 7 metres.
❙ www.reductionengineering.com
COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

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Foaming offers several benefi ts to polymer processors
and is used in a wide variety of applications, including
automotive and packaging products. Primarily, foaming
is used to reduce weight, which saves material costs.
Less weight can also lead to fuel savings, for example in
light-weight vehicles or in lighter packaging to transport.
Foamed plastics can also provide insulation to
increase energy effi ciency. So it is no surprise that foaming
is gaining interest as a sustainable technology
because of its ability to bring fuel and materials savings.
Polymers can be foamed by injecting gas directly into
the melt using a physical blowing agent, or by creating a
gas in the melt using a chemical foaming or blowing
agent (CFA). Blowing agents can also act as processing
aids in the melt to improve throughput, as viscosity
reducers to improve fl ow and reduce moulded-in stress,
and to improve mould fi lling and reduce warping.
Processes for direct gas injection, such as Trexel’s
MuCell microcellular process, have been growing in
use. Several new process technologies for physical
foaming were discussed in Compounding World’s
August 2012 article on ‘Expanding interest in lightweight
parts’ (see http://bit.ly/CWfoam).
These new technologies include Wittmann Battenfeld’s
direct nitrogen injection technology, R&D
Factory’s water injection system, and Trexel’s and
Mazda’s core-back expansion moulding technology. In
addition to these process improvements, developments
Polymer foams | additives feature
Blowing up: advances
in additives for foaming
Jennifer Markarian examines the
latest developments in additive and
masterbatch technologies for
foamed plastics applications
in additives for both chemical and physical foaming are
also progressing.
Chemical foaming agents
The most commonly used CFA is azodicarbonamide
(ADCA or AZO), an exothermic CFA that produces
nitrogen on decomposition. There are also other
exothermic CFAs and endothermic CFAs, such as
carbonates that release carbon dioxide. Exothermic
CFAs have a high gas yield, which maximizes density
reduction. Endothermic CFAs typically produce a
smaller cell structure, which can improve physical
properties and surface appearance. Blends of both
types are also used.
CFAs are added during extrusion or moulding of the
fi nal part either as a powdered additive or as a masterbatch.
Although CFA technology is well-established,
customers and suppliers continue to look for further
improvements in density reduction, physical properties,
www.compoundingworld.com January 2013 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 37

Clariant’s
Hydrocerol CFA
formulations
allow much
smaller cells
– for example,
the average
cell size shown
on the right is
91 microns
compared to
181 microns for
the traditional
formulation on
the left
ColorMatrix
says its
Excelite liquid
foaming agent
creates very
smooth PVC
sheets suitable
for digital
printing
38
additives feature | Polymer foams
quality of appearance, and cost savings.
“In the past, foaming has been often used as a
‘band-aid’ for moulded parts with thick walls and
diffi cult fl ow paths, but now we see optimization of
chemical foaming usage in automotive and other
markets as a substantial cost and raw materials
reducer,” says Peter Schroeck, technical director of
Reedy International. “New patented processes are
taking advantage of the easy implementation of
chemical foam in composites and glass fi lled polymers
and are achieving substantial performance and process
improvements while inching closer to lofty Corporate
Average Fuel Economy goals,” he adds.
Reedy, which supplies endothermic and endothermic/exothermic
blends, recently introduced Safoam
PN-40E, an endothermic chemical nucleating and
foaming agent compatible with both styrenics and
olefi nics. The new product has improved bubble size
and gas retention, which can result in improved fl ex and
compression in thermoformed parts, says the company.
Clariant Masterbatches discussed its improved
Hydrocerol CFA masterbatches in a presentation at
AMI’s Polymer Foam 2012 conference held in Newark,
New Jersey, USA, in October. Frank Neuber, applications
development manager at the company, explained
that the new masterbatches use carrier systems that
create earlier polymer fusion onset. This enables better
distribution in the mix, improved cell-wall integrity, and
improved improved encapsulation of the gas that is generated to
create a better foam structure.
In addition, Clariant has optimized nucleation to create
smaller and more uniform cells that allow
the use of additional CFA to achieve greater
density reductions without signifi cant loss of
physical integrity or appearance. Processors Processors can
incorporate best practices, such as using accurate
feeding feeding systems, ensuring consistency between shifts,
incorporating stabilizers stabilizers when adding regrind, and
using a consistent resin to further further improve their
cost savings. These practices are not always always used,
said Neuber, but they can have a positive effect.
Clariant works with customers on their shop
fl oors to improve practices and optimize
processing conditions to obtain the best possible foaming.
These new Hydrocerol masterbatches are optimized
for specifi c resins, processes, and applications. The
goal is to create the most effective foam cell structure
to maximize both density reduction and physical
properties and surface appearance, says Kirk Jacobs,
product line director for additives at Clariant Masterbatches
North America.
Different resin types and grades perform differently
in the foaming process and thus require not only
compatible carriers but different types and levels of
blowing agents, nucleating agents, and other additives,
notes Neuber. The end application also needs to be
taken into account. For example, thin-walled, thermoformed
cups require very small cell sizes.
Several new Hydrocerol CFA masterbatches are now
commercial, including products for: automotive
applications involving TPO, PP, and nylon; thermoformed
polystyrene packaging; injection-moulded
polyolefi n closures; and fl exible fi lm and tube polyolefi n
packaging. In extrusion blow moulding (EBM) applications,
Hydrocerol masterbatches are being used
successfully in non-appearance parts such as vehicle
ductwork. Appearance-sensitive EBM applications in
food and personal-care packaging require better
surface aesthetics, and Clariant is working with several
customers on masterbatches fi ne-tuned for these
applications.
ColorMatrix, a subsidiary of PolyOne, supplies
COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

40
additives feature | polymer foams
Chris R&P Compounding is targeting
Vistamaxx PBE at a variety of
applications including
footwear
improving foam properties
Exxonmobil chemical’s metallocene-catalyzed Vistamaxx propylenebased
elastomer (pBE) is finding use in foaming applications. chris r&p
compounding of guangdong province in china recently developed a
special formula for foaming with Vistamaxx pBE that uses existing
equipment but creates foams with improved properties.
Vistamaxx pBE has a semi-crystalline structure of propylene and
ethylene that contributes to making foams softer, with better elongation,
more flexibility, and better slip resistance than ethylene vinyl acetate
(EVA) and polyolefinic elastomer (poE) alternatives, says chris r&p. The
Vistamaxx pBE-based foams are also more weather resistant than Epdm
rubber and lower in cost than polyurethane and rubber-based alternatives,
adds the company.
chris r&p has used Vistamaxx pBE successfully in a range of
products, including footwear, toys, and sporting goods.
❙ www.exxonmobilchemical.com
liquid foaming agents, including what it says is the
world’s first liquid foaming agent for pVc sheet. The
Excelite product creates a finer, more consistent cell
structure within the extruded polymer to create a
smoother surface finish. This aesthetic quality is
important in applications such as digital printing, says
Bjoern Klaas, director of new product and technology
development at the company. liquid foaming agents,
like liquid colorants, bring improved dispersion, highly
accurate dosing, and reduced waste, notes Klaas.
Arkema recently introduced a patent-pending cFA in
a masterbatch designed for foaming its polyvinylidene
fluoride (pVdF) resins during extrusion (eg wire and
cable jacketing, profiles, pipes, film, sheet) or injection
moulding. “For years, no foaming agent was available
that could make a consistent structure with fully-closed
cells in pVdF, and pVdF applications were primarily
served with solid products rather than foamed products,”
notes dave Seiler, Americas business manager
and global advisor for fluoropolymers at Arkema.
The new technology, however, yields a closed-cell
foam structure that maintains the barrier, chemical,
and temperature resistance of pVdF resins with the
light-weighting and cost-saving advantages of foam.
Foamed wire and cable jacketing, for example, is not
only lighter weight and lower cost than solid jacketing,
but has an improved, lower dielectric constant, is more
flexible, and is easier to strip, claims Seiler. other
foamed applications, such as foam-core pVdF piping,
are in development.
Nucleating and coupling agents
particles such as calcium carbonate and talc can be
used to nucleate bubble formation in chemical foaming
applications. direct gas extrusion systems can use
mineral particles as passive nucleators or endothermic
cFAs as active nucleating agents. in general, nucleating
agents act to reduce cell size and increase cell density,
which helps maintain physical properties and thus allow
further weight reduction. Smaller cell sizes typically
lead to improved surface finish and thermal insulation.
in polypropylene (pp) foam, talc acts as both a
reinforcing filler and a cell nucleator. Studies investigating
talc as a nucleator of cell formation found that a
microcrystalline talc morphology performs better than
the more conventional macrocrystalline, lamellar
morphology, explains dr gilles meli of Imerys Talc.
meli and his team presented this work at the Society
of plastics Engineers Foams 2012 conference held in
September in Barcelona, Spain. meli explained that the
energy barrier required to initiate heterogeneous
nucleation depends on the surface geometry of the
nucleating site. microcrystalline talc nucleates cells
more effectively because it is has a higher surface area,
which enables it to entrap more gas, thereby generating
a higher number of nuclei. pp foam containing microcrystalline
talc displayed cell density more than two
times higher than that of pp foam containing lamellar
talc, reported meli.
Applied Minerals’ dragonite halloysite, a natural
aluminosilicate clay with a hollow tubular morphology,
provides effective reinforcement and nucleation
because of its high aspect ratio and surface area.
dragonite’s surface area is 65 m2 /g or higher, compared
to about 10-20 m2 /g for typical talc and approximately 5
m2 /g for calcium carbonate, notes dr chris deArmitt,
the company’s cTo.
in a presentation at Ami’s polymer Foam 2012
conference, deArmitt showed that using halloysite to
nucleate cell formation improved production speeds by
30-40% in a foamed extruded HdpE sheet. in addition,
the formulation required 30% less endothermic blowing
agent, and it improved mechanical properties and
surface finish compared to an existing commercial
compounding world | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

compound used by the customer.
In foamed, injection-moulded PP parts, nucleation of
cell formation with halloysite can be used to maintain
mechanical properties while further reducing density.
“Halloysite differs from other nucleating agents, such
as talc and calcium carbonate, in that it both nucleates
bubble formation in foaming and nucleates crystal
formation in foamed and unfoamed applications. Crystal
nucleation restores the strength and modulus properties
that can be lost due to foaming,” claims DeArmitt.
While these results were obtained by adding
separate masterbatches of Dragonite and the formulated
foaming agent, Applied Minerals is now working
on loading its hollow Dragonite tubes with a CFA to
create foam nucleation, crystal nucleation, and
reinforcement from one additive. Since the tubes have a
15-nm sized hole, bubbles released from the tubes
would be small, which should further improve mechanical
and insulative properties.
Nucleating agents are also used with physical
blowing agents. Interfacial Solutions, an independent
R&D service provider, presented a study at the AMI
Polymer Foams 2012 event that compared supercritical
STRUKTOL® TR 063A
Polymer foams | additives feature
carbon-dioxide foaming with talc and several different
nanoparticles as a nucleating agent. Researchers found
that, as expected, cell size decreases and cell density
increases with smaller nucleating agents. Researchers
also found that a maleated polyethylene coupling agent
with a nanoclay created a more stable foam, but an
acrylate terpolymer coupling agent did not, possibly due
to poor compatibility.
Coupling agents can be used in foam formulations to
This Multifunctional Additive is a
POWERFUL LITTLE PELLET
Increased Productivity
Longer Flow Lengths
The high
surface area of
Applied
Minerals’
halloysite can
bring benefi ts
to foamed
plastics
Our newest Intelligent Additive Solution is specifically designed to improve the processability of filled or reinforced
nylon compounds. Added during compounding or at the molding machine, processors will see:
To find out more about our additives or to request a sample,
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GREEN POLYMER
CHEMISTRY 2013
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help disperse filler particulates and blowing agents,
which helps improve cell size and structure. Coupled
filler particulates reduce the tendency of particulates to
act as a failure point in bubble formation.
Melt-enhancing additives
Good melt strength is necessary for producing and
maintaining a foamed cellular structure. Melt strength
can be improved with high molecular weight acrylic
polymers that act as foam cell stabilizers, such as
Dow’s SureCel and Arkema’s Plastistrength. Arkema
also offers Biostrength acrylic polymers for PLA.
In polyester resins, processing causes chain scission
and CFAs can cause further degradation, leading to
reduced melt strength. Melt-enhancing additives
counteract chain scission by knitting chains back
together. For example, BASF’s Joncryl functional
additives contain reactive epoxy functional groups that
create chain extension and branching. Clariant Masterbatches’
CESA-extend can be used in combination with
its CFAs to repair broken polymer chains and improve
melt strength. Titanate and zirconate coupling agents
also catalyze chain building and branching, notes
Salvatore Monte, president of Kenrich Petrochemicals.
Material selection trends are driving increased use of
melt-enhancing additives for improving foaming. First,
the use of post-industrial and post-consumer recyclate
is growing, and additive suppliers are seeing more
projects looking at increased levels of regrind or
recyclate. These reprocessed materials typically have
experienced some degradation, causing melt strength
loss that is detrimental to the foaming process. Second,
in foamed film and sheet extrusion, improved melt
strength may be needed to enable downgauging and
prevent the thinner web from breaking during extrusion.
Clariant Masterbatches’ CESA-extend, for example, is
finding use in improving melt strength in thin-gauged,
foamed PET sheet. Finally, poor melt strength is an
inherent problem in some biobased materials, such as
Polymer foams | additives feature
PLA, and suppliers see increasing interest in meltenhancing
additives for these resins as they grow in use.
More information
The proceedings for the Polymer Foam 2012 conference
are now on sale at: http://bit.ly/PFoam2012. AMI’s
Polymer Foam 2013 conference will be held in Europe
in the final quarter of this year. For more information
contact Dr Sally Humphreys, sh@amiplastics.com,
+44 117 924 9442.
Click on the links for more information:
❙ www.appliedminerals.com
❙ www.arkema.com
❙ www.basf.com
❙ www.clariant.com
❙ www.colormatrix.com
❙ www.dow.com
❙ www.imerys.com
❙ www.interfacialsolutions.com
❙ www.4kenrich.com
❙ www.reedyintl.com
Interfacial
Solutions
carried out
tests on
nucleating
agents using a
Leistritz 27 mm
twin-screw
extruder

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The foaming of thermoplastic polymers is a process
with a huge number of parameter settings and
variables. For materials development and research
programmes, many tests are needed to get an understanding
of material properties and foaming behaviour.
Executing all these tests is hard to do on production
lines with outputs larger than 100 kg/hour. Therefore,
there is the question whether tests executed using a
small laboratory line at 10-20 kg/h can be representative
for production on commercial lines.
A Design Of Experiments (DOE) can be used to
minimize the number of experiments and to obtain
statistical information about accuracies. DOE is a
mathematical approach to obtain as much possible
quantitative information as possible out of a test matrix
with the least number of possible tests. The results of
these experiments at a laboratory scale are discussed
in relation to practical experiences and production
using commercial lines.
The laboratory scale tests were used to study
physical foaming processes with variation of parameters
such as cell stabilizers, nucleating agents and
blowing agents. Different foam resins were also
compared during these tests, including Ultra Melt
Foaming polyolefi ns | technical paper
John Krist and Emanuel van der Ven of Sabic describe
the optimisation of polyethylene foam
formulations by design of
experiments and validation
with production results
Optimising foamed
polyolefi n formulations using
DOE and practical processes
Strength (UMS) grades.
The processing and performance of the relatively
new UMS resins was validated in practice and related to
the properties of the end product. These properties
were compared with the properties of products
produced with regular foam grades.
The work addressed the following main questions:
(1) What are the most important parameters for the
production of foam with UMS grades?
(2) Does DOE supply useful information to build a model
and what are the most infl uential parameters for the
foaming process?
(3) How can these parameters be applied in practice?
(4) What are the advantages for the market of these
UMS grades?
Setting up the design
A classical approach of experiments would be based
upon “one variable at a time” (OVAT).
For polymer foaming, a vast range of parameters can
be applied. Therefore, parameters such as output, die
pressure and temperature settings are kept constant.
Only basic things are changed, for example: nucleating
agent at 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0%; blowing agent at 6, 10
www.compoundingworld.com January 2013 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 45

Figure 3: A lab
extrusion line
with an annular
die was used to
produce the
foamed LDPE
sheets
46
technical paper | Foaming polyolefi ns
Figure 1: Example of OVAT experimental
set up with 36 experiments
Figure 2: DOE of two materials and three factors. Sabic LDPE 2202UMS and 2102TX00
grades (left and right respectively) are analysed using a total of 32 experiments
and 13 %; and cell stabilizer at 1, 2 and 3 %. With this
example, 36 experiments are needed for each material
with OVAT (Figure 1).
Using DOE instead of OVAT provides several
signifi cant advantages:
● OVAT provides no statistical information (accuracy/
deviations);
● OVAT does not work in the presence of interactions;
● DOE provides more information from the same
amount of experiments (deeper insight).
When the DOE set-up is used, the total amount of
tests for two materials is 32 experiments, or 16 per
material (Figure 2).
Laboratory experiments and results
A laboratory single-screw foam extrusion line with an
annular die and a maximum capacity of 20 kg/h was
used to produce foamed LDPE sheets with 3 mm
thickness (Figure 3).
Two foaming grades were compared: Sabic LDPE
2102TX00 and 2202UMS. The sheets were produced with
10 kg/h output and with optimised (lowest) temperature
settings for each combination of factors and or
materials.
As already mentioned, a set of 32 experiments was
set up for the two foaming materials (Table 1). By
changing the full the range of parameters for blowing
agent, nucleating agent and cell stabilizer, the resulting
densities and cell sizes were observed, as well as a
wide range of corrugation levels.
Several models were calculated using the data
generated by the experiments to analyse density,
corrugation and cell-size. Some statistical details of the
obtained models are shown in Table 2 with the overall fi t
statistics R2 and Q2 being the most important.
In general, the properties R2, Q2 and R2Adj should
be as high as possible and close to each other. The key
fi gure R2 increases when more terms are added, R2Adj
has an optimum and is used to signal a suffi cient model
whereas Q2 is cross-validation based and signals the
robustness of the model.
Figures 4 and 5 show the relative contribution of each
factor and interaction for density of foams. Besides this,
the fi t performance is illustrated by a graphical representation
(the observed vs predicted plot).
In the observed vs predicted plot. a straight line is
shown together with all measured points clustered
around that line. A good model will have all the points
COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

grouped closely around the line and spread equally over
the whole range.
Contour plots give a graphical overview of the
studied response as a function of the variables. Figures
6, 7 and 8 are contour plots visualizing the behaviour of
density, corrugation and cell-size of the experimental
foam-sheets.
Densities achievable with LDPE 2202UMS can be
lower than the densities obtained using a more typical
PE grade, however the grade is more sensitive to
parameter settings. Model inaccuracy and less perfect
laboratory settings give values differing from practical
achievements.
Foaming polyolefi ns | technical paper
Table 1: The DOE set-up
Name Abbreviation Unit Type Use Settings
Material Mat Qualitative Controlled 2102TX00; 2202UMS
Cell-Stabilizer Stab Qualitative Constant Stearamide
Stabilisation level stlev % Quantitative Controlled 1 to 3
Nucleating agent Nuc % Quantitative Controlled 0,5 to 4
Isobutane Iso % Quantitative Controlled 6 to 13
Figure 4:
Observed vs
predicted plot
and coeffi cient
plot of the
property
density
showing the
relative
contributions
of each factor
including
interactions
Figure 5:
Coeffi cient plot
for cell size
and waves
showing the
relative
contributions
of each factor
including
interactions
Table 2: Statistical key fi gures for density, number of
waves and cell size
R2 R2 Adj. Q2 RSD N DF
Log (density t0) 0.94 0.92 0.89 0.049 32 24
waves 0.80 0.78 0.71 4.02 32 27
cell size 0.83 0.80 0.76 0.35 32 27
This model shows the UMS grade to be better
performing in terms of corrugation with fewer waves.
The total area where wave-less sheets can be produced
is larger. Also here model inaccuracy needs to be taken
into account, as with the normal grade a few spots
without waves could also be produced.
www.compoundingworld.com January 2013 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 47
▲

48
technical paper | Foaming polyolefi ns
Figure 6: Contour plot of density at t0 as a function of the two relevant variables
and material. Left Sabic LDPE 2102TX00 and right Sabic LDPE 2202UMS
Figure 7: Corrugation expressed as number of waves formed. Left Sabic
LDPE 2102TX00 and right Sabic LDPE 2202UMS
Figure 8: Realized cell-sizes in 3 mm foamed sheets. Left Sabic LDPE
2102TX00 and right Sabic LDPE 2202UMS
For the response density, a model equation is given
expressing the behaviour and its dependency on
different parameters. This also gives the opportunity to
predict or calculate values for regions not covered by
the experiments.
log(density) = C 0 + C 1 {Mat} + C 2 [Nuc] + C 3 [Iso] +
C 4 [Iso] 2 + C 5 {Mat} * [Nuc] + C 6 {Mat}*[Iso]
Waves and cell-size give similar equations:
property = C 0 + C 1 {Mat} + C 2 [Nuc] + C 3 [Iso] + C 4 [Iso] * [Nuc]
What happens in practice?
After studying the design of experiments and its results,
one can ask the questions: “What’s in it for me in
practice” and “Is the prediction of the model correct”.
Do the UMS grades really lower product densities? Do
they really give fewer waves and what about the cell
structure?
The UMS grades have been commercially available
for two years and are mainly used for the physical foaming
process with blowing agents such as CO and 2
isobutane.
In order to monitor and evaluate the results in
practice, samples were extracted from commercial
foam extruders and analysed. The results for the
2202UMS grade were compared with a regular PE grade
or Sabic foam grade 2102TX00.
The following properties of the samples were analysed:
1. Foam density
2. Average cell size (stereo microscope)
3. Cell structure (SEM analysis)
4. Compression stress (ISO 7214)
5. Resilience (ISO 3386-1)
Processing with UMS resin
In practice, the 2202UMS grade typically replaces a
regular grade with a comparable MFR and density. The
UMS material is currently running on a commercial
basis using single, double and tandem extruders. The
recipe is mainly based on PE, talc and glycol mono
stearate (GMS).
For example, after starting up the foam extruder
with 2012TX00 and stabilizing the process settings and
validating the product properties, the grade is replaced
by 2202UMS. If the machine settings are left unchanged,
then the production density typically remains
the same and the dimensions of the product become
smaller. This is because the cell size decreases.
The machine settings need to be changed to make
the most of 2202UMS, and there are two main options:
increasing the production effi ciency to reduce cost of
production, or improving the product quality to create a
premium product.
Increasing product effi ciency
In practice, it is possible to cool down the cooling zones
and the head zones of the foam extruder much more
than the regular temperature profi le without getting
frozen PE particles in the head or die build-up. If this is
combined with adding more blowing agent, it is possible
to maintain the machine pressure in the extruder more
or less steady. Both adjustments (cooling down and
adding blowing agent) will give a lower density for the
end product.
Another parameter that needs to be adjusted is the
dosage of nucleating agent. Because of the fi ner cell
structure that is created by 2202UMS for a given recipe,
it is necessary to lower the amount of nucleating agent.
COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

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Table 3: Foam density for 0.8 mm packaging sheet
Grade End density (kg/m3 )
Regular grade 20
2202UMS 18
This is done to make the cells comparable with the
starting product (Note: this finer cell structure differs
from lab-trials with stearamide, where slightly larger
cells were seen). After adjusting the formulation, the
settings need to be further optimized to create a stable
production.
Because of the lower product density, another
important side effect was noticed, namely an increase
of the line speed.
While running for a longer period with 2202UMS, it
also became evident that in most cases the number of
web breaks on a sheet foam extrusion line was reduced
Foaming polyolefins | technical paper
Table 4: Foam density for 11 mm packaging sheet
Grade End density (kg/m3 )
Regular grade 22
2202UMS 20
Table 5: Average cell size
Grade Average cell size (mu) Min. (mu) Max. (mu) Foam density (kg/m3 )
Regular 2370 1300 3425 22
2202UMS 2250 1180 3233 20
Conductive Carbon Black
• electrical conductivity
• easy-dispersion
• high purity
For electronic packaging, fuel hoses,
fl ooring, power cables and accessories,
conveying belts, ATEX applications.
www.timcal.com
compared to the regular grade.
So 22002UMS offers the following opportunities to
improve production efficiency in practice: a density
reduction of approximately 5-15%; an increase of the
line speed of approximately 3-13%; and, a reduction in
web breaks, especially for sheet foam products with
relatively thin thickness between 0.5 and 3.0 mm
Improving product quality
The finer cell structure obtained with 2202UMS also
gives opportunities in building and construction applications
where cell structure influences the thermal
Graphite & Coke
• thermal conductivity
• electrical conductivity
• lubrication
For seals, water-meters, heat sinks, geothermal
pipes, LED light sockets, primers for electrostatic
painting, gas barrier properties.
Polymers

Figure 9:
Assessing cell
size via stereo
microscope
52
technical paper | Foaming polyolefi ns
conductivity of the material.
Another potential opportunity for this grade is to
help fulfi l certain fi re classifi cations. In Europe, new fi re
classifi cations (Single Burning Item) are currently
generating interest in the foam industry. By reducing
the material density while maintaining the other
properties, it is possible to improve the results in this
new European fi re test.
The ability of 2202UMS to reduce the waves or
corrugation in physically foamed sheet material has
been proven in practice. For certain application and
product densities, it is even possible to reduce the
number of waves to zero. However, because of the other
foaming behaviour of 2202UMS, it is also possible to
maintain the number of waves at a fi ner cell structure.
The various product properties obtained using
2202UMS are covered below, including foam density,
cell size and structure, compression stress, and
resilience.
Foam Density: Tables 3 and 4 show the results of the
foam density for packaging sheet materials with a
thickness of 0.8 and 11 mm respectively. A comparison
is made between production with a regular grade and
with 2202UMS. Both products had comparable cell size
and cell structure. The recipe contained PE, isobutane
and talc. The product was cured to stabilize the growing
process and degassed. In this situation it was possible
to reduce the density of the regular product by approximately
9-10%. These results are in line with results
achieved at different locations.
Average cell size: The average cell size was
measured with a stereo microscope. A typical picture is
shown in Figure 9, while statistical data is published in
Table 5. The product produced with the regular grade
had a density of 22 kg/m3 , while the product produced
with the UMS grade had a density of 20 kg/m3 . In this
situation, the number of waves in the end product was
comparable, while the average cell size was reduced by
5% even with the density reduction of 9.8%. It is likely
that an increase of the density of the foam produced
with 2202UMS would make the cell size even fi ner. This
is because reducing the blowing agent will lead to an
increase of pressure, resulting in fi ner cells.
Cell structure: The cell structure was measured via
SEM microscopy. Figure 10 shows a typical cell
fragment of regular foam, while Figure 11 shows a
typical cell-fragment of foam produced with 2202UMS.
Not only is the average cell size smaller for the foam
produced with 2202UMS, but also the cell walls are
more homogeneous and thinner.
Compression stress: The compression stress was
measured according to ISO 7217 and the results are
compared in Table 6. The foams had a thickness of
approximately 11 mm, and the foam density of the
product produced with grade 2102TX00 was 21.1 kg/m3 Figure 10: cell fragment of regular foam Figure 11: cell fragment of foam produced with 2202UMS
COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com

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compared to 20.3 kg/m3 with 2202UMS. Although it has
a lower density, the foam produced with 2202UMS
shows higher compression stress. This compression
stress is 5-20% higher, depending on the compression.
Resilience: The resilience has been measured
according to ISO 7217 / ISO 3386-1. The product is
compressed at 10, 25 and 70% of its original thickness.
This test is repeated four times, and the difference
between the original compression stress and the last
compression stress is calculated. The lower the difference,
the better the resilience of the material. In Table 7,
a regular foam with a density of 22 kg/m3 is compared to
foam produced with grade 2202UMS with a density of 20
kg/m3 . In this situation, the average resilience for the
product based on 2202UMS shows improved values after
four compressions.
Evaluation, discussion and continuation
Laboratory tests, with small output ranges of around
10kg/h, can be used to evaluate different materials with
regard to the foaming process. Models can be established
for density, number of waves and cell size.
The analysis of the density shows that it depends
mainly on the nucleating agent and isobutene concentration.
The choice of resin shows a lesser, but still
significant influence. Low density values are achievable
using 2202UMS.
After some years of development and commercial
use, it has been show that Sabic’s LDPE UMS grades
provide the PE foam industry with good opportunities to
improve processes and products.
The theoretical benefits of 2202UMS are demonstrated
in the design of experiments. These benefits
correlate well with the results shown in practice. The
grade can be used to increase production efficiency or
improve product qualities. In some situations, it is
possible to achieve both.
Some of the advantages of the UMS grades that have
been demonstrated at different production sites in
Europe are listed below. These are compared to the use
of regular PE grades:
l Lower product density
l Increased line speed
l Less web-breaks in case of physical foamed sheet
l Better processing window
l Lower average cell size (even with lower density)
l More homogeneous cell structure
l Better compression stress
l Better resilience
Currently, the PE foam industry is mainly using the
UMS grades to increase production efficiency. However,
the grade can also be used to optimize product
properties, for instance through controlling the thermal
Foaming polyolefins | technical paper
Table 6: Compression stress
Grade Stress@10% Stress@20% Stress@50%
(N) (N) (N)
2102TX00 80 150 525
2202UMS 95 170 550
Table 7: Resilience
Grade Stress@10% Stress@20% Stress@50%
(Index) (Index) (Index)
Regular 100 100 100
Regular after 4x compression 32 63 96
2202UMS 100 100 100
2202UMS after 4x compression 38 78 97
conductivity or fire behaviour of the foam. Improving
product properties with lower product densities is a
desirable goal for the foam industry.
This DOE work is going to be expanded with research
into the influential factors of production with UMS
grades and GMS. This will give a more complete model
and will have a better fit with practice. Further developments
of UMS grades are a logical continuation of the
achievements so far achieved.
Company and author notes
Saudi Arabic Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) is a
global polyolefin producer with more than 40 years of
LDPE foam experience. Its Global Foam Technology
Centre is located in Geleen, the Netherlands.
John Krist (above) is staff
scientist for Sabic Technology &
Innovation, responsible for the
company’s Global Foam
Technology Centre.
Emanuel van der Ven (below)
is responsible for technical
marketing for foam, masterbatches
and geoliners at Sabic.
The authors thank DSM
Resolve for help in analysis of
the models and critical evaluation
of the paper, the Sabic
Foam Technology Centre and IKV
laboratories for the foam trials.
❙ www.sabic.com
References
[1] New developments in high melt strength polyolefins for foaming; Blowing
Agents and Foaming Processes 2008; Krist and Sengupta; 20-21 May 2008
[2] How to choose a Polyolefin grade for Physical Foaming, Important
parameters for the Physical Foamability of Polyolefins; Blowing Agents and
Foaming Processes 2005; Henk Ruinaard
www.compoundingworld.com January 2013 | compounding world 55

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masterbatches
biocides
Polymers and additives | products
ampacet provides black magic effect
Ampacet has launched
Nuanced Blacks, a new range
of effect masterbatches it says
are based on black accentu-
minerals
trinity offers talc alternatives
Trinity Resources of Canada
has introduced two new
mineral reinforcing fillers
based on pyrophyllite
(hydrous aluminium silicate).
Altiplus and Altibright are
being marketed as alternatives
to talc and kaolin.
The company says that the
pyrophyllite fillers are
macrocrystalline platelets
with a high aspect ratio and
the same monoclinic crystal
structure as talc. They are
produced from a large
deposit located in Conception
Bay South, Newfoundland,
Canada.
The mineral’s properties
are said to include high dry
and wet brightness thanks to
their low levels of iron oxide
and other mineral impurities.
The excellent optical
properties of Altiplus and
Altibright makes them ideally
suited for natural and colour
sensitive systems, says the
company.
In addition, the additives are
said to provide high levels of
stiffness, impact and dimensional
stability together with
chemical resistance, thermal
stability and low electrical
conductivity.
Altiplus grades are
supplied in sizes ranging
from 2 to 10 micron median,
while the Altibright grades
with 95-96 Y brightness
values come in 1 and 2
micron median sizes. Target
applications include compounds
based on polyolefins,
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Distributors have been
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additional agents being
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to tackle
forgers
Gabriel Chemie has launched
a new additive masterbatch
that is designed to combat
the counterfeiting of
thermoplastic products. Its
Maxithen ProTec4 contains
individual codes in the form
of security pigments that can
be verified using a special
detector.
It is possible to use
different codes for different
manufacturing runs. This can
be used for quality control
purposes or to protect
manufacturers against false
compensation claims.
Gabriel Chemie describes
the security pigments as
inert, inorganic, and highly
temperature resistant
substances.
❙ www.gabriel-chemie.com
Fast acting, durable antimicrobial masterbatch
Safe-Touch is an antimicrobial
masterbatch from US-based
PolyFusion that is claimed to
provide fast action and long
active life-time. It is based on
organo-functional silane
technology.
According to the company,
ated with subtle plays of colour.
The new products include
Apocalyptic Purple, Passion
Crush, Machined Green, Hush
when evaluated in accordance
with the ASTM E2149:10
dynamic contact protocol, it
requires a one hour test
timeline compared with 24
hours for ion exchange and
phenol-based products. CFU
reductions of 99.99% are said
Hush Gold, Shadowed Brown
and Blued Mood.
Linda Carroll, Ampacet’s
Color Insight manager, says:
altiplus is a bright mineral with a high aspect ratio
to be typical when using the
additive at 1-2% loading levels.
PolyFusion says the
Safe-Touch product is available
as a pellet or powder and is
compatible with most commodity
and engineering
polymers. No special handling
“There’s a new colour story
on black that embraces
changeability and mystery”.
❙ www.ampacet.com
precautions or process
changes are required.
The company adds that it
is targeting the additive at
thermoplastic applications
where control of environmental
bio-burden is paramount.
❙ www.polyfusionllc.com
www.compoundingworld.com January 2013 | compounding world 57

ll & Seilacher family of companies, with representation in
zation with over a century of specialty chemical expertise,
ssing products under the brand name STRUKTOL ® – a name
erformance. Struktol manufactures chemicals for the plastics
silicone emulsions, products used in latex processing, and
rdants.
ves business is by no means typical or ordinary. Chemistry
nt Additive Solutions, Struktol products are designed to
tomers. Our technical specialists, R&D chemists and
tive solutions for the ever-changing polymer industry –
h increased productivity, better quality parts and lower
nce, Struktol Customer Service initiatives have become
This month’s free
brochure downloads
Simply click on the brochure cover or link to download a PDF of the full publication
TEB0047/2012
BKS: pelletizing technologies
Quality Control
BKS re-sharpening procedure consists of:
Identification.
Worksheet and procedures in our computer
system with unique order number.
De-mounting, cleaning and analyze.
If repair or extra work is needed, quote for
approval/release (to be agreed).
Re-sharpening according OEM specifications.
Maintenance and replacement of bearings,
seals etc.
Complete measurement report saved in our
computer system and shipped with every
delivery of the re-sharpened cutting rotor.
For more than 25 years BKS is a leading supplier in
various businesses such as Plastics, Recycling, etc.
BKS stands for top quality in standard and tailor made
solutions.
The workshop of BKS is located in Lambermont Belgium.
Our team of experts and the use of up-to-date machinery
offer you grinding, modification and sharpening into as
new condition of all your precision knives.
Strict controls assure a very high and constant quality.
Know-how, experience, machinery and our permanent
search for top quality and precision are anchors for BKS.
We guarantee that our products and services will comply
above your expectation.
BKS s.a. - n.v.
Rue Jean Koch, 4
B-4800 Lambermont
Tel : +32 87.31.09.06
Fax : +32 87.31.43.27
Email : bks@bks.be
Site : www.bks.be
BKS, more than just machines, People with Know-How
PELLETIZING
ELLETIZING
AND
PULVERIZING
ULVERIZING
TECHNOLOGIES
www.bks.be
This brochure covers the
services offered by BKS
including the sharpening,
maintenance, cleaning and
repair of strand and die-face
pelletizer systems and their
components. BKS also
supplies new wear parts.
➤ Click here to download
Leistritz: ZSE Maxx extruders
ZSE MAXX SERIES
LEISTRITZ EXTRUSIONSTECHNIK GMBH
refreshing
extrusion
technology
This 12-page brochure
covers Leistritz’s state-ofthe-art
ZSE MAXX twinscrew
extruders in great
detail. These high-torque,
high-volume machines have
been developed to deliver
improvements in
productivity, throughput and
quality.
➤ Click here to download
Struktol: additives for plastics
Intelligent Additive Solutions for
Today’s Thermoplastic Industry
This brochure from Struktol
covers its wide range of
additives for thermoplastics,
including products for
superior viscosity control,
improved mixing and fi ller
dispersion, plus reduced
friction and plate out.
➤ Click here to download
Entek: extrusion solutions
Extrusion Solutions for
Compounding
This brochure focuses on
Entek’s extrusion solutions
for compounding. It covers
the company’s E-Max
twin-screw extruders, its
ability to offer complete
turn-key systems, and its
comprehensive spare parts
service.
➤ Click here to download
DuPont: Engineering Design
ENGINEERING DESIGN
October 2012
Efficiency and reliability – achieving Ideal Production
The latest edition of DuPont’s
Enginering Design publication
features the company’s IMHP
mould pressure technology
and discusses thermal ageing
performance of its latest Zytel
PA grades. Plus, a case study
of the development of Knoll’s
new Generation offi ce chair.
➤ Click here to download
Steer: twin-screw extruders
STEER GENERATION NEXT
CO-ROTATING TWIN-SCREW EXTRUDERS
BRANDS * SPECIFICATIONS * APPLICATIONS
If you would like your brochure to be included on this page, please contact
Claire Bishop. claire@amimagazines.com. Tel: +44 (0)20 8686 8139
S
12
EXTRUDERS.STEERWORLD.COM
This six-page brochure from
Steer has specifi cations and
target applications for its
wide range of twin-screw
co-rotating extruders,
including the Alpha, Omega,
Omicron and Mega Series
machines.
➤ Click here to download

+44 (0) 117 311 1534
+44 (0)117 311 1534
Download the programmes for
these forthcoming conferences
Simply click on the brochure cover or link to download a PDF of the full publication
Polyethylene Films 2013
Bottle image courtesy of:
ExxonMobil Chemical Company
Images courtesy of: Bold text
for company name
Polyethylene
Films 2013
The international marketing, business and technical conference for
the polyethylene film industry
HEADLINE SPONSORS
February 5-6, 2013
The Shores Resort & Spa,
Daytona Beach, Florida, USA
SPECIAL OFFER: Save $200 if you register before December 14, 2012
Organized by:
Also sponsored by: Media supporter:
Applied Market
Information LLC
Pipeline Coating
Pipeline Coating 2013
International conference on pipeline protection, coating technology, materials and markets
18-20 February 2013
Austria Trend Hotel Savoyen,
Vienna, Austria
Images courtesy of: Bredero shaw and shawCor, Canusa systems and Wasco Coatings Group
sPECIAL OFFER: Save €110 if you register before 14th December 2012
Sponsored by:
Organised by:
Applied Market
Information Ltd.
Media supporters:
Pipes in Infrastructure
Images courtesy of: Wavin GmbH and Hobas Rohre GmbH
Pipes in 2013
Infrastructure
Market trends, new products and technical developments in plastic pipes
for infrastructure applications
9-11 April 2013
Hotel Nikko, Düsseldorf
Germany
* + 19% German VAT
SPECIAL OFFER: Save €100* if you register before 8th March 2013
Organised by:
Media supporter:
Applied Market
Information Ltd.
Companies attending the
previous Polyethylene Films
conference accounted for
more than 3 billion lbs of PE
resin usage. Don’t miss this
essential industry event
when it returns to Florida’s
Daytona Beach on 5-6
February 2013.
➤ Click here to download
fax back to +44 (0) 117 311 1534
AMI is holding the fi fth
international Pipeline
Coating conference on 18-20
February in Vienna, Austria.
This event, which attracts a
large global audience,
covers the latest
developments in pipeline
protection and coating
technologies.
➤ Click here to download
Fax back to +44 (0)117 311 1534
AMI is holding the Pipes in
Infrastructure 2013
conference in Düsseldorf,
Germany, on 9-11 April.
Check out the programme
which covers market trends
and technical developments
in plastic pipes for
infrastructure applications.
➤ Click here to download
Fax back to +44 (0)117 311 1534
Grass Yarn & Tufters Forum
The Grass Yarn
& Tufters
Forum 2013
18-20 February 2013
Maritim Hotel, Cologne,
Germany
* + 19% German VAT
Images courtesy of: Dow Chemical Company
speCIaL offer: Save €210* if you register before 18th January 2013
Organised by:
Applied Market
Media supporter:
Information Ltd.
Masterbatch Asia
Stretch & Shrink Film
STRETCH & SHRINK
FILM 2013
th 10 ANNIVERSARY
CONFERENCE
The business conference & exhibition for
the stretch & shrink film industry
16-18 April 2013
InterContinental Hotel,
Berlin, Germany
* + 19% German VAT
SpECIAL OFFER: Save €150* if you register before 8th March 2013
Organised by:
Sponsored by: Media supporter:
Applied Market
Information Ltd.
The Grass Yarn & Tufters
Forum is the international
conference covering trends
and developments in the
artifi cial grass market. The
seventh such event is being
held in Cologne, Germany
on 18-20 February and its
infl uential programme
includes FIFA.
➤ Click here to download
AMI’s 10th international
conference on Stretch &
Shrink Film will take place
in Berlin, Germany, on 16-18
April 2013. The programme
includes detailed market
analyses, plus the latest
materials, processing and
application developments.
➤ Click here to download
To see our full line-up of more than 25 plastics industry events
over the next 12 months, please visit www.amiconferences.com
The 10th anniversary
conference will be
a celebration of the
success of the stretch &
shrink film industry over
the past ten years
Trends and developments
heaDLIne sponsor
MConference
subtitle
ASIA 2013
MASTERBATCH
New opportunities and expanding markets
18-20 March 2013
Marina Bay Sands Hotel,
Singapore
Images courtesy of: Automatik plastics Machinery, ExxonMobil Chemical
SpECIAL OFFER: Save USD300 if you register before 15th February 2013
Organised by:
Sponsored by: Media supporter:
Applied Market
Information Ltd.
The Masterbatch Asia
conference returns to
Singapore on 18-20 March
and will take place in the
spectacular Marina Bay
Sands Hotel. This brochure
has full details of this year’s
line-up of expert speakers.
➤ Click here to download

compounder of the month
Innovative Polymer Compounds (IPC)
Location: Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, Ireland
Date founded: September 2008
Chairman: Alan Looney
Ownership: Privately owned
No. of employees: Seven
Current capacity: 350 tonnes
Profi le: Innovative Polymer Compounds is dedicated solely to materials for use in the
medical device sector, working with designers, extruders and moulders from
concept through to production. It carries out compounding in a purpose-built
Class 100k clean room facility located at the heart of the world-class medical
device cluster in Ireland. The company is certifi ed to the ISO 13485 medical
device quality standard as well as ISO 9001. The Kilbeggan plant features a
Leistritz twin-screw extruder equipped with K-Tron loss-in-weight feeders, plus
a choice of Automatik strand-cut or Gala underwater pelletizers.
Product line: Innovative Polymer Compounds processes a wide range of polymers for medical
applications including PEBA, PA, TPU, PEKK, PEEK, PP, PE, PC and PC/ABS. It
carries out its own in-house colour matching using US-FDA approved pigments
to Munsell, Pantone, and RAL colour standards.
Strengths: Innovative Polymer Compounds specialises in meeting rapid lead times and
has the ability to produce small lots in support of medical R&D activities. The
company also focuses on delivering the highest levels of material consistency
and quality backed up with excellent customer support.
Website: www.i-p-c.ie
Forthcoming features
The next issues of Compounding World magazine will have special reports on the following subjects:
February
Thermally-conductive compounds
Materials handling
Additives for polyolefi ns
March
Additives for PET
Twin-screw extruders
Natural fi bres and fi llers
Editorial submissions should be sent to Andy Beevers: abe@amiplastics.com
For information on advertising in these issues, please contact
Claire Bishop: claire@amimagazines.com Tel: +44 (0)20 8686 8139

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Compounding World – Dec
Compounding World’s
December edition covers the
processing of hightemperature
plastics,
developments in lab-scale
compounding, the selection of
fl ame retardants for
polyamides, and trends in
renewable polymers and
additives.
➤ Click here to view
Pipe and Profi le – Nov/Dec
This edition of Pipe and Profi le
Extrusion is packed with
reports on wood-plastic
composites (WPCs), materials
handling systems, cross-linked
polyethylene (PEX) for pipe
applications, and PVC
plasticizers.
➤ Click here to view
Injection World - Nov/Dec
The November/December
edition of Injection World has
in-depth features on machine
setting procedures,
automotive applications,
machinery market trends,
renewable polymers, and hot
runner developments.
➤ Click here to view
Injection World – October
Injections World’s October
issue is fi lled with features on
the latest trends in caps and
closures, advanced medical
device applications, moulding
multi-layer optical parts, plus
innovations in thin wall
packaging.
➤ Click here to view
Compounding World – Nov
The November issue of
Compounding World boasts
special features on clean
compounding for medical and
other demanding applications,
developments in carbon black,
the latest mixing technologies,
and new materials testing
equipment.
➤ Click here to view
Film and Sheet – Dec/Jan
The December/January issue of
fi lm and Sheet Extrusion has
special articles on melt
fi ltration systems, recycling
machinery, bag-making and
converting equipment, plus new
markets for sheet extruders.
➤ Click here to view
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dates for your diary
Global exhibition guide
29 Jan - 1 Feb Interplastica, Moscow, Russia www.interplastica.de
22-25 February GAIL Plastasia, Bangalore, India www.plastasia2013.com
6-7 March Plastec South, Orlando, FL, USA www.plastecsouth.com
6-8 March Plast Bulgaria, Sofia, Bulgaria www.plast.bg
12-15 March Plastimagen, Mexico City, Mexico www.plastimagen.com.mx
12-15 March Pro-Plas Expo, Johannesburg, South Africa www.proplasafrica.co.za
3-5 April Plastex Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan www.plastex.ite-uzbekistan.uz
3-6 April Tiprex, Bangkok, Thailand www.tiprex.com
10-11 April PlastTeknik, Malmo, Sweden www.easyfairs.com
10-12 April Plastic Japan, Tokyo, Japan www.plas.jp/en
7-10 May PlastPol, Kielce, Poland www.plastpol.com
14-16 May Plast-Ex, Toronto, Canada www.plast-ex.org
20-23 May Chinaplas, Guangzhou, China www.chinaplasonline.com
20-24 May Feiplastic, Sao Paolo, Brazil www.feiplastic.com.br
6-8 June Plastics Printing Packaging Tanzania www.pppexpo.expogr.com
16-23 October K 2013, Düsseldorf, Germany www.k-online.de
AMI conferences
29-31 January Thermoplastic Concentrates, Coral Springs, FL, USA
18-20 February The Grass Yarn & Tufters Forum, Cologne, Germany
25-27 February Wood-Plastic Composites, Vienna, Austria
5-7 March Cables, Cologne, Germany
12-14 March PVC Formulation, Düsseldorf, Germany
18-20 March Masterbatch Asia, Singapore
19-21 March Green Polymer Chemistry, Cologne, Germany
7-8 May Bioplastics Compounding & Processing, Miami, FL, USA
14-15 May Polymers in Cables, Miami, FL, USA
14-16 May Polymer Sourcing, Vienna, Austria
3-5 June Masterbatch, Frankfurt, Germany
4-6 June End of Life Plastics, Cologne, Germany
13-14 June Fire Retardants in Plastics, Denver, CO, USA
For information on all
these events and other
conferences on film,
sheet, pipe and
packaging applications, see
www.amiplastics.com
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