Machinery Update May\June 2018

www.machineryupdate.co.uk MACHINERY UPDATE 5
PPMA matters
Plastics debate
needs to move
beyond bans
Rulmeca half page (270x87) Machinery Update_Layout 1 03/03/2017 10:54 Page 1
Rulmeca
WE’VE BEEN AROUND FOR OVER 50 YEARS
Conveyor
rollers
Andrew Mint
CEO PPMA GROUP OF ASSOCIATIONS
(INCORPORATING PPMA, BARA AND UKIVA)
Welcome to the latest issue of Machinery Update where,
amongst our regular sections and four exhibition
reviews, we include a two page analysis of how the
plastics debate is impacting our sector (see pages 12-13).
Plastics are the new enemy, right? Well I don’t fully buy into
that argument and not just because I spent nearly 20 years in
the polymer business. No one should defend excess waste and
environmental contamination, but the mass media and public
perception of ‘just use less plastics’ is, as we all know, not such
a black and white argument. At the risk of being beaten by the
environmentalists, I am going to make a very controversial
comment: plastic is a marvellous material!
Polymer technology (which effectively creates all plastics)
has transformed the lives of virtually everyone on this planet,
ensuring we have safe medicines and food to name but two
applications. Our lives would be poorer without plastics, and
making them the modern-day demon is not a solution.
It is incumbent on all of us to
swim against the tide in the
current emotive plastics debate
The media’s ‘anti-plastic’ campaign is undoubtedly successful
– my own daughter recently berating me for drinking plastic
bottled water, for instance. Hopefully the recently announced
world-leading UK Plastic Pact (see page 7) will go some way to
moving the debate beyond calls for an out and out ban.
However, there is virtually no positive reporting on the
innovations happening in this area, and the wonderful progress
being made in research of alternative substrates. For me, the key
is progressive further R&D on sustainable polymers.
This however, is not necessarily a quick fix that Joe Public wants.
So, how does the development of new materials impact machinery
manufacturers? The answer is simple, in that we need to work with
the plastics manufacturers to ensure that the wonderful machines we
build and sell can handle the next generation of plastics materials in
the same way as they can now. Most sustainable/bio-degradable
polymers are naturally derived (starches, celluloses, natural
biopolymers) and these materials are generally more hygroscopic
than their synthetic counterparts and so they are likely to absorb
more water. This could maybe lead to a drop in production line
speeds, which is clearly not desirable for anyone.
Only by working alongside the plastics manufacturers
and converters at an early stage can we minimise this risk. n
Rulmeca offers a comprehensive range of high
quality rollers and components for conveyors,
constructed from aluminium, mild steel, stainless
steel and high resistance technopolymers.
Rulmeca drum motors provide the ideal drive
solution for belt conveyors and associated material
handling equipment. They are versatile, energy
efficient and hermetically sealed for hygienic
operations and wash-down applications
(IP66/IP69) in food processing, packing operations
and logistics.
Contact our experienced Rulmeca team to discuss
the most suitable product for your application.
Call Rulmeca UK on 01536 748525
www.rulmeca.com
Rulmeca UK LTD
Brunel Road,
Earlstrees Road,
Earlstrees Ind. Estate,
Corby, NN17 4JW
E. uk@rulmeca.com
Moving ahead.
DrUM MoTors