International Elite of Sports Medicine Meets for the 10th Medica Medicine + Sports Medicine in Düsseldorf

Focus on innovative procedures and technologies for professional and health sports

This year in mid-November, the international elite of sports medicine will meet in Düsseldorf for the tenth time at the Medica Medicine + Sports Confrence, which is part of the world’s leading medical trade fair medica. The conference held in English will allow renowned experts from the fields of applied sports medicine, sports science, physiotherapy or, for example, technical fields to come together to discuss innovative approaches in prevention, therapy and recovery in professional and health sports across their respective disciplines, in the Congress Center Düsseldorf (CCD Süd) on Wednesday and Thursday, 16 and 17 November (Medica 2022 will be held from 14 to 17 November).

One topic will be the ongoing necessity of the discipline of sports medicine worldwide to address the effects of the Covid pandemic in multiple ways. On Wednesday, 16 November, Prof. Alexandra Nieters, head of the research group at the Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI) at the University of Freiburg Medical Center, will for the first time present the results of a comprehensive post-Covid study with more than half a million cases. One of her previous studies has already proven that at six to 12 months after even a light, acute Sars-Cov-2 infection, the impact remains high even for young and middle-aged adults. There are remaining negative effects on general health and the ability to work. However, after recovering from an infection, many people feel more reassured concerning a possible new infection. But is this optimism really justified? Nieters will offer at least hints at the answers to this important question. As yet, there is in any case no reason not to be vigilant. Whether a Covid-19 infection can cause health risks and chronic performance issues for athletes will be made clearer by Manuel Widman, from the department of sports medicine at the University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Tübingen. He will present the first results of the “Cosmo-S” study. This is intended to help evaluate the personal health risk that comes with a Sars-Cov-2 infection in sports and when engaging in athletic activities again. Cardiologist Prof. Andreas Hagendorff, head of the echocardiographic laboratories of the University of Leipzig Medical Center, suggests a new diagnostic approach from a cardiological perspective, based on his experience in the daily treatment of sufferers of Covid, which could help the world over for decisions of when to “return to play”. Hagendorff will further explain his approach during a lecture at the conference. Prof. Rembert Koczulla, chief physician at the centre for pulmonology at the Schoen Clinic in Berchtesgadener Land and professor at the University of Marburg, is the leading coordinator of the “Long/Post-Covid” treatment guideline. In Düsseldorf, he will present the latest recommendations from the perspective of pulmonology.

Sport is vital for prevention – at work, in the hospital, in daily life

The pandemic has caused an alarming further decrease in the athletic activity of a large part of the population. The importance of sports in prevention, health literacy and athletic activities at the workplace are therefore among the topics of the conference, and will be presented on the afternoon of Wednesday, 16 November. For example, Prof. Dieter Leyk, head of the Research Group Epidemiology of Performance at the Sport University Cologne, will answer the question of how to motivate adults with a sedentary lifestyle to be more active. An “active” hospital, as Prof. Johannes Zwerver, Sport & Exercise Medicine, University of Groningen, Netherlands, presents it, assesses patients’ fitness levels upon admission, upon entering surgery and ideally after discharge home, for example.

Wearables as a key technology for evidence-based diagnostics

Wearables, technological items carried on the body, are regarded as a key to adapt medicine and sports to the individual. How well are we prepared for this development? From the view of PD Dr Moritz Schumann, Section Molecular and Cellular Sport Medicine at the Sport University Cologne, the spread and marketing of wearables throughout the health sector should be obliged to follow scientific advice. Schumann is the co-coordinator of a network to establish internationally binding standards for wearable technology and his lecture focuses on evidence-based diagnostics and standards for the validation of wearables. In the following conference presentation on Thursday morning, Yannis Pitsiladis, professor at the University of Brighton and member of the Medical Commission of the International Olympic Committee, will show how professional sports further the use of wearables. Prof. Björn Eskofier, professor at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität in Erlangen-Nürnberg, will present the future roadmap for using technology in professional sports – from sensors to digital twins.

Continual measuring of blood sugar could revolutionise training

To individualise training programmes for top athletes, there are many vital and performance parameters to draw from. Continuous monitoring of glucose through smart patches has been used for a while now in the medical field when treating diabetes. But today, it already has the potential to change training and diet plans completely: “Continuous glucose monitoring for everyone” is the title of the corresponding lecture by Dr Lutz Graumann, Rosenheim, who by the way tests his thesis on himself. In the following “Shark Tank”, young entrepreneurs – similar to the eponymous television show (known as “Höhle des Löwen” (cave of the lion) in Germany) – will compete against each other with digital innovations. Among them are ‘Supersapiens’ and ‘Hello Inside’ that successfully integrate apps based on continuous blood sugar monitoring into professional sports and daily life. Further contributions show digital markers for performance management, future technologies for training for football and long distance running, as well as monitoring health via the voice.

New findings for the optimisation of training, sleep and diet are part of the programme

Individualisation within professional sports and in training programmes is the focus of session 6 on the afternoon of Thursday, 17 November, at the Medica Medicine + Sports Sonfrence. The contributions show how genetic markers and molecular blood markers or metabolites can be used for individualisation within sports. As for individualised sleep management for top athletes, sleep expert Dr Sarah Jakowski covers this topic in her report. She is researching sleep behaviour, sleeping patterns and individual sleep management strategies in junior and top athletes. One current issue is the role of sex. In her article “Sportswomen are much more than just small sportsmen”, Prof. Petra Platen, sports medicine specialist at the Ruhr University Bochum, demands that female-specific characteristics like the menstrual cycle should receive greater attention when planning training and competitions. Right now she is conducting a scientific study together with the German Athletics Association (DLV). Speaker Prof. Mara Konjer, vice president of sports development for the DLV, shows the importance of (un)equal treatment of male and female athletes in her study as an important determining factor for the participation and national success in international women’s sports.

The individualisation of sports medicine has multiple facets, many of which will be addressed by the Medica Medicine + Sports Confrence and its around 30 speakers. Among the partners of this 10th edition of the conference, which has been accredited as an advanced training programme by the German medical board, are: DGSP (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sportmedizin und Prävention), the German society of sports medicine and prevention, dvs (Deutsche Vereinigung für Sportwissenschaft), the German association for sports science, WISS (Bundesinstitut für Sportwissenschaft), the federal institute for sports science, FIMS (Federation Internationale de Medecine du Sport), EFSMA (European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations, EiM (American College of Sports Medicine), Sport Speaker, WT Wearable Technologies Group. Among our industry partners are Kinexon, SmarTracks, Supersapiens, bioniq.

All of the details on the Medica Medicine + Sports Confrence are available online at: https://www.medica-tradefair.com/MMSC.

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Innovative Production Cell for Food & Beverage Can Lids

Together with its project partners, Upper Austrian company Elmet has developed an innovative production cell. The system manufactures four different covers for beverage and food cans, which have been dubbed as „smart caps“. Smart cap is a collaborative project by Elmet, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, Shin-Etsu, and Mettler Toledo. In the form of Elmet‘s smart shot E and smart mix TOP 7000 Pro systems, two of thecompany‘s technological flagships are used in the production cell. The system will be presented for the first time at K 2022 at the exhibition booth of Elmet‘s partner Sumitomo (Hall 15, Booth D22). The leading business platform for the plastics and rubber industry takes place in Düsseldorf from October 19 to 26, 2022.

In the 26 years since it was founded, Elmet has become a global player in the development and production of high-quality equipment for manufacturing silicone parts. Partners from all over the world utilize the know-how from Upper Austria for developing innovative systems. Most recently, Elmet has collaborated with three project partners to develop a production cell that manufactures four different lids for beverage and food cans. The accuracy of the injection process is ensured and documented by a weighing cell. A laser marks the finished smart caps to ensure optimal traceability.

Leading Elmet technology twice over

Lids for food & beverage cans are manufactured by an Elmet injection mold, featuring an all-electric smart shot Evalve-gate cold-runner system. Its technological high-end counterpart in material provision is the Elmet smart mix Top 7000 Pro dosing system, responsible for precise and reliable dosing of material to the Elmet injection mold. A Sumitomo linear handling device removes the parts from the mold and transfers them to the weighing cell made by Mettler Toledo. Every single part is weighed there. The result is stored in a database and also displayed graphically to demonstrate the process accuracy of the system. After the weighing process, the silicone parts are marked by laser to ensure hghest possible traceability. After lasering, the parts are placed on a conveyor belt.

The interaction provides the magic

The new system is not only innovative in terms of the perfect symbiosis of technology-leading Elmet elements. The magic of this innovation unfolds in the interaction between the high-tech contributions from the four partner companies. The combination of high-precision dosing (Elmet smart mix Top 7000 Pro), the all-electric injection-molding machine (Sumitomo IntElect), and the electric valve-gate cold runner (Elmet smart shot E) enables a previously unachievable level of accuracy in the reproduction of part weights. The special four-cavity injection mold from Elmet injects four different can lids made of liquid silicone (LSR) from partner company Shin-Etsu. The silicone lids produced serve as coverings for customary beverage cans that have been in use for decades, such as those for soft drinks,energy drinks and various alcoholic beverages. A separate cavity also producescovers for customary food cans made of sheet steel, which protect the contents from insects, for example, and keep the opened cans fresh in the refrigerator.

Elmet smart mix TOP 7000 Pro

The dosing system is a new development from the Austrian company. Development work focused on reducing the unit‘s footprint to 1,150 x 790 millimeters. This makes the system the smallest liquid-silicone dosing system for 200-liter container units on the market. Compared to its predecessor, the smart mix TOP 5000 P, the smart mix top 7000 Pro features a completely new pump system, which now only contains approximately one third of the liquid silicone in the system, making it much easier to clean. This characteristic is very important, particularly for use in the medical and pharmaceutical fields, where the pump unit is dismantled and cleaned each time the material changes, in order to prevent mixing of different types of liquid silicone. Apart from the new pump unit, an optimized follower plate geometry also helps reduce the amount of residual material. The new system boasts a material utilization level of up to 99.6%. Drums are changed fully automatically to increase ease of use and keep the amount of training to a minimum. Use of special seals made of FDA-compliant materials also predestines the smart mix TOP 7000 Pro for medical applications

Teamwork at the global player

Not only know-how from Elmet can be found in the sophisticated system. „Only when combined with the all-electric ijection-molding machine from Sumitomo, the weighing system from Mettler Toledo, and the liquid silicone (LSR) from Shin-Etsu does the unique system become a total work of art that we are all really proud of,“says a delighted Harald Wallner, CEO at Elmet. The system can be seen for the first time at the Sumitomo booth at K 2022 in Düsseldorf, Hall 15, Booth D22.

Elmet smart shot E with smart scontrol

The all-electric Elmet smart shot E valve-gate cold-runner system guarantees precise filling of every single cavity in a reliable process. Settings for the cold runner are entered on an 18.5“ display of the external smart control unit. Thanks to servomotors, it allows needle adjustments in increments of two thousandths of a millimeter. Needle regulation is carried out in real time and monitored continuously by the system. The innovative arrangement of the mini servomotors enables nozzle spacings of 44 millimeters. Pneumatic components, on the other hand, are a thing of the past. This saves energy and facilitates ingenious cable management with industrial plug connections, which allows cleaning work to be performed on the cold runner without any qualified electrical personnel.

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Arburg Greenworld: Arburg Presents Sustainable Plastic Parts Production

With its communications drive “There is only a Plan A”, Arburg is dedicating itself strategically and operationally to the important global issues surrounding sustainability, the circular economy and CO2 reduction at K 2022. This multifaceted topic will be highlighted in a very focused way in the arburg greenworld pavilion in the VDMA Circular Economy Forum. In addition, a wide range of sustainable solutions will be on display at the Arburg stand “13A13”.

In the arburg greenworld pavilion, visitors will find out, for example, how plastics can be separated by type and returned to the cycle with the help of digitalisation. Both there and with several exhibits at the stand, Arburg will be demonstrating live how All rounders process various PIR and PCR recyclates with process reliability.

A prime example: “Greenline” anchors made of bioplastics
In the arburg greenworld pavilion, an electric Allrounder 370 A produces “Greenline” anchors from Fischer, one of the market leaders for fastening systems and “Black Forest neighbour” of Arburg. The machine is equipped with the recyclate package and Arburg’s new “aXw Control RecyclatePilot”, which ensures a stable shot weight by means of adaptive process control. The anchors are made of PA6.10, which consists of 50 per cent renewable raw materials. The sprue is deposited directly in a mill and the regrind is fed straight back into the process as post industrial recyclate (PIR) and reused. The give-away is thus a shining example of a successful circular economy.

Practical applications for PIR and PCR processing
At the main stand 13A13, a hybrid Allrounder 1120 H produces housing halves that are finished off with other components to create aesthetically pleasing, high-quality tool cases. The centre section, handle and the closing clips were pre-manufactured at Arburg in Lossburg on Allrounders from a post-industrial recyclate (PIR) on the basis of PET films. An electric Allrounder 470 A, equipped with the Recyclate Package and the new “aXw Control RecyclatePilot”, produces the same handles live at K 2022 from post-consumer recyclate (PCR) on the basis of PP.
Other sustainable applications:

• A networked, compact turnkey system is based on a vertical Allrounder 375 V with a six-axis robot and Arburg Turnkey Control Module (ATCM) and produces a bicycle tool from recycled PA66/6 (GF50).
• A hydraulic Allrounder 270 S compact produces tweezers from PPS recyclate, the sprue is fed back into the process.
• An electric Allrounder 720 A with the new injection unit 1300 produces IML cups from PP monomer material. The plastic is biomass-balanced and ISCC-certified.

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Mondi Invests in New Research and Development Centre at Mondi Steinfeld

• New €5 million R&D centre at Mondi Steinfeld, Germany, to meet customers’ growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions
• Facility to strengthen customer collaboration, insight and knowledge transfer
• When completed, will include pilot lines for both plastic- and paper-based solutions as well as an analytical laboratory and a customer experience centre

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, is investing around €5 million in a new research and development (R&D) facility at Mondi Steinfeld, in Germany. This investment will support customers by helping them to develop solutions that achieve their sustainability goals.

Construction of the facility has commenced, and when completed, will include pilot lines for both plastic- and paper-based solutions, from coating, film extrusion and printing to filling lines for multiple products. The centre will also have an analytical laboratory as well as a floor dedicated to a customer experience centre, which will provide an open environment to meet and collaborate with customers at an early stage in the development of new innovations.

The R&D centre will bring together experts with extensive knowledge of different materials and packaging types. Extrusion coating, aqueous coating and siliconisation will be available, as well as various printing machines. Filling lines for different materials, including both horizontal and vertical filling, forming and sealing equipment will allow customers to conduct trials without interrupting their own running production. The facility also enables Mondi to work with its customers to develop pilot-scale solutions on site and to accelerate the process from idea to a scaled solution.

Elisabeth Schwaiger, Head of R&D and IP Flexible Packaging at Mondi, says, “This R&D centre demonstrates our hands-on approach to developing sustainable packaging solutions at Mondi. We look forward to working with our customers, combining their knowledge with ours to meet their sustainable packaging goals. The investment helps to contribute to our own Mondi Action Plan 2030 sustainability goals, specifically our target to make 100% of our products reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.”

The research and development centre will open its doors at the end of 2023 and will complement Mondi’s other research and development centres such as the recycling and food safety laboratories in Frantschach, Austria.

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Milliken & Company Achieves Eco Vadis Gold Rating

Milliken & Company, a diversified manufacturer committed to sustainability, is proud to achieve a gold rating on its 2022 Eco Vadis assessment. Eco Vadis is a trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, providing detailed insight into environmental, social and ethical considerations across 200+ purchasing categories and 160+ countries. Milliken’s score places it in the top 7% of more than 90,000 organizations rated by Eco Vadis.

“Milliken relies on our core values, including sustainability and integrity, to drive our purpose and growth,” says Halsey Cook, president and CEO of Milliken & Company. “The Eco Vadis assessment benchmarks our work and guides our improvements to help us build a healthy future.”

Eco Vadis reviews sustainability policies, actions, and results in four main themes — environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement — using methodology built on international sustainability standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the United Nations Global Compact and the ISO 26000. Milliken’s performance is measured at the enterprise level, meaning the score and subsequent gold rating reflects the company’s efforts across its complete textile, chemical, floor covering, and healthcare businesses.

“Comprehensive third-party reviews like the Eco Vadis assessment help us understand how we are doing, what refinements we can make, and ultimately inspire us to achieve new heights in our sustainability journey,” said Kasel Knight, general counsel and head of sustainability at Milliken.

“Milliken customers want sustainable suppliers, and it is a key consideration for them as they review their own environmental, social and governance (ESG) profiles,” said Cindy Boiter, EVP and president of Milliken’s Chemical Business. “A gold Eco Vadis rating helps Milliken showcase the value it can bring to the table, not only as an innovation partner but as an ESG and sustainability partner as well.”

To learn more about Milliken’s sustainability journey and review the company’s latest corporate sustainability report, visit sustainability.milliken.com.

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The New Compact Injection Moulding Machine, Engel E-Mac

The flexible all-electric machine for standard applications

Utilise your production floor space to the max – with our next generation e-mac. Minimum footprint combined with maximum flexibility in terms of the machine configuration and extensive ENGEL application expertise guarantee you the perfect one-stop system solution for your requirements at an attractive package price.

You will also benefit from the unbeatable advantages of an all-electric injection moulding machine by ENGEL: absolute cleanliness and perfect repeatability of the injection moulding process ensure consistently high quality of the parts you produce. And the outstanding energy efficiency saves you money in terms of production costs.

Increase your output per unit of space

The new ENGEL e-mac: compact on the outside, huge on the inside We have made our e-mac series even more compact, allowing you to optimally utilise your production floor space: a significantly shorter clamping unit – of course with the same maximum opening stroke – and a smaller footprint on the non-operator side make the new e-mac the machine with the smallest footprint in its class. This gives you more space for additional machines or peripheral equipment. Inside our new e-mac we have created even more space: extended tie-bar spacing – the largest in this machine segment – offers space for larger tools and enables ergonomic working.

Configure your new e-mac to perfectly suit your requirements

Full scope of options in an attractively priced package Compact machine – massive choice: no matter whether you are looking for automation, temperature control, service, or smart application solutions for your production, you have a full choice from our complete ENGEL range. Equip your e-mac with exactly the options you need for your applications, benefit from our comprehensive application know-how and get the optimal complete solution for your production from a single source.

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