KRAIBURG TPE TO UNVEIL BREAKTHROUGH INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS IN CHINAPLAS 2022

The recognized TPE manufacturer will be showcasing its breakthrough TPE series for automotive interior and exterior applications, and THERMOLAST H TPEs for medical and healthcare devices. Also on show will be its latest TPE series for consumer electronics and food contact packaging applications.
All over the world, the demand for essential goods including automobiles, consumer electronics, packaging, and medical are evolving to meet new trends that focus on sustainability, safety, and functionality. These are further aided by new innovations in materials, designs, and technology. 

KRAIBURG TPE, a global TPE manufacturer of high-quality, innovative, and custom-engineered TPEs is keeping pace with the demand for advanced material solutions, especially for high-growth industries. The company will be exhibiting its latest TPE compounds and applications at the 35th edition of CHINAPLAS 2022. 

Driving material innovation in automotive parts
KRAIBURG TPE’s automotive TPE series fits the criteria for safe, durable, and high-quality automobile parts. For the automotive exterior, the compounds feature superior thermal stability, UV resistance, and good weathering. The compounds exhibit excellent adhesion to a broad range of thermoplastics including PP, PP+30% glass fiber, SAN, ASA, PMMA, PC/ABS, and nylon allowing for design innovation and flexibility of parts processing with multi-component injection molding. 

 For automotive interior applications, the TPE compounds offer many other material advantages, including abrasion, chemical, and scratch-resistance, dry and visually appealing surface with optimized touch as well as vibration-damping. KRAIBURG TPE’s low odor and low emission compounds are also ideal for interior automotive parts as they satisfy automotive interior VOCs and SVOCs market criteria. 

In addition, the selective TPE series’ lightweight properties are ideal for diverse automotive applications. They offer a homogenous surface, provide excellent compression set value, and can be processed cost-effectively using established injection-molding machines and extruders. KRAIBURG TPE’s compounds also meet OEM approvals from major global automotive standards and have passed the Kalahari and Florida testing standard.

Steering towards global sustainability 
Besides driving innovation, KRAIBURG TPE’s compounds are recyclable, driving further support for environmental efforts globally in the automotive industry. 

Healthcare and medical devices
KRAIBURG TPE will be unveiling its new THERMOLAST H product line in CHINAPLAS 2022, targeting healthcare and medical device applications exclusively within the Asia Pacific market.  KRAIBURG TPE’s THERMOLAST H compounds are free from toxic substances and contain neither latex, PVC, phthalates, nor heavy metals. 

Furthermore, the compounds comply with ISO 10993-5, GB/T 16886.5, and other relevant medical standards. KRAIBURG TPE’s THERMOLAST H meets global food regulatory standards such as China GuoBiao (GB) GB4806, FDA-Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 21, and Commission Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011. Moreover, it complies with RoHS and REACH standards and is sterilizable with autoclave 121°C and EtO.

With good adhesion to PP and PE, haptics, and compression set, THERMOLAST H is suitable for applications such as closures, flexible connections, medical tubing, syringe gaskets, catheter connectors, mouthpieces, and more; as well as for applications requiring soft-touch features such as grips, switches, and mats. 

Enhanced ergonomics for consumer electronics and food contact packaging
KRAIBURG TPE’s innovation has also made headway in wearable technology applications such as watch and wrist bands, headphones, ear tips, game consoles, wireless automatic sensors, car phone holders and chargers, virtual reality (VR) devices, remote controls, and more.

The compound series are designed to deliver desired properties such as soft-touch feel, abrasion, oil, and chemical resistance along with skin-safe contact properties.  

KRAIBURG TPE’s compounds provide manufacturers with benefits such as ease of coloring, impact resistance, and the ability to create hard-soft touch combinations to achieve innovative designs or functional elements.

Meanwhile, in consumer food packaging, the compound series offers excellent organoleptic properties to help maintain food and beverage flavor. The low migration feature also makes the compounds the material of choice for all food types including fatty food contact applications, especially for food packaging. Such applications include squeeze bottles, closures, seals, valves, and other food packaging solutions.

#Breakthrough #ChinaPlas2022  #Manufacturer #Highquality #Automotive

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First plant-based ink from Ricoh enhances graphics and packaging print sustainability

Brand owners and printer manufacturers can further reduce their environmental impact with Ricoh’s plant-based ink – the first of its kind for mainstream graphics and packaging print.

The ink is a derivative of the oil-based ink created for the décor printing sector as part of Ricoh’s collaboration with German equipment manufacturer Olbrich. It has been developed to deliver excellent rub resistance and set-off performance for corrugated brown and whiteboards, as well as carton boards.

The plant oil component creates a sustainable and environmentally friendly ink that it is:

• Quick-drying, as no heat is required to fix or dry the ink. The oil penetrates porous substrates leaving the pigment near the surface. This reduces energy consumption and eliminates the need for the whole drying system.
• Odour-free with improved food compatibility, as no monomers are used
• Biodegradable and supports deinking.
• Not water-based so no biocides are required to keep the ink usable.

The print heads are easier to clean and less likely to clog as ‘open time’ is much longer. This helps enhance jetting reliability, performance, and printhead life. Low ink consumption is also enabled as the same optical density is achievable using 50% less ink.

Graham Kennedy, Director Industrial Printing, Graphic Communications, Ricoh Europe, says: “Brand owners and printer manufacturers are increasingly focused on reducing their environmental impact and applying sustainable practices wherever possible. With our new plant-based ink they can seamlessly introduce positive changes that make a big difference without impacting their high-quality printing results.”

#Richocollaboratewitholbrich #ink  #enivornmentfriendly #sustainableprint

http://www.ricoh-europe.com/

SABIC collaborates with China’s Dongfeng to produce lightweight truck-mounted toolbox with novel plastic-composite hybrid solution

SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, today shared that it has collaborated with Dongfeng Motors, one of the largest truck manufacturers in China, on the development of a novel plastic composite hybrid solution to produce a strong lightweight truck-mounted toolbox. The application is made with a combination of SABIC’s STAMAX  resin, a long glass fiber polypropylene (PP), and continuous glass fiber composite laminate inserts via a single overmolding process. The finished part is lighter by up to 30 percent compared to a similarly designed part in steel, and the use of the solution allows Dongfeng to benefit from resulting production efficiencies.

“This plastic composite solution is a great example of how SABIC helps automotive customers expand design options and simplify production so they can achieve their goals,” said Abdullah Al-Otaibi, general manager, ETP & Market Solutions, SABIC. “By combining two different materials, our solution improves both performance and processability. Now that this composite technology is validated and in mass production with Dongfeng, we see many other automotive applications that could benefit and we are excited to help manufacturers seize those opportunities.”

In addition to truck tool boxes, automotive applications for this hybrid solution with STAMAX resin can potentially include tailgates, seating, front-end modules, and battery housings for electric vehicles.

The use of this plastic composite solution can enable manufacturers to not only reduce weight, but also lower carbon emissions, control costs through production efficiencies, and achieve higher performance.

Design and Performance Optimization

SABIC’s hybrid solution combines STAMAX resin with thermoformed composite inserts made of unidirectional (UD) glass fiber-reinforced PP tape from China-based Qiyi Tech, a company dedicated to the development and production of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite materials.

The laminate inserts are pre-heated before being placed in the tool and over-molded with STAMAX resin in a single operation. The inserts add stiffness and strength to critical areas of the part, enabling the use of thin-wall geometries that can reduce weight.

Compared to steel, the conventional material for truck toolbox applications, SABIC’s plastic composite hybrid solution expands design options, enables the consolidation of parts, and avoids secondary operations that can add costs and prevent high-volume production.

The plastic composite solution reduces the weight of the toolbox by approximately 30 percent (4 to 6 kg) without sacrificing the stiffness, toughness, or strength required for this utility application.

STAMAX resins feature 10-25 percent lower density than some competitive materials for weight-out. Their properties include high stiffness and impact strength, excellent structural performance, and easy flow for thin walls.

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Exciting podcast on the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

 Arburg goes on air with podcast episode 134 as part of the podcast series “AI in Industry”. The episode entitled, “KI bei Arburg und die Rolle des Basismodells”, looks at the exciting topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in mechanical engineering. In the 35-minute German-language podcast, Werner Faulhaber, Development divisional manager at Arburg, talks to moderator, Robert Weber, and provides deep insights into the potential that AI offers the world of injection moulding.

Werner Faulhaber explains that combined with a “smart” control system and “Machine Learning”, AI is making injection moulding “more intelligent” step-by-step. He discusses the developments Arburg is working on and how plastic processors can use this technology to create new business models in the future.

“Machine Learning” is changing the world of injection moulding

The podcast discusses why it is not enough to just gather data: you also need the process expertise and domain knowledge. Werner Faulhaber explores the use of AI to develop master models using experience and data collected over the years on the process, material, and machinery. The customer could then sharpen the provided master model “on Edge” and thus optimize their processes.

The in-house development Gestica control system, the Arburg host computer system, and the “arburgXworld” customer portal give Arburg an advantage here. Moreover, the machine will increasingly be able to optimize itself in the future and continue improving by means of so-called “Machine Learning”. Application examples are given in the interview. These include automatic programming of robotic systems, targeted malfunction remedying, and a spare parts system with “intelligent” image processing.

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Borealis and ADNOC Consider Borouge Listing

Borealis AG (Borealis) and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) are considering a potential initial public offering (IPO) of a minority stake in their joint venture Borouge. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, Borouge is a leading provider of innovative, value-creating plastics solutions.

Borealis and ADNOC will provide further material updates as and when appropriate.

www.borealisgroup.com
www.borealiseverminds.com
www.adnoc.ae
www.borouge.com

All4Labels launches inspirational global showcase for wine & spirits

All4Labels Global Packaging Group has announced the launch of its new global business strategy to sustainably develop the wine & spirits sector starting with a dedicated marketing campaign, which is designed to shape consumers’ experience through unique, precious, and sustainable labels and packaging. This will take form in an inspiration project of a global itinerant showcase — called ‘Motherland’ — which will display the unique essence of each product and its local heritage through eye-catching design.

In the coming months, All4Labels will be producing eight special label concepts on bottles of wine & spirits from Argentina, France, Italy, South Africa, Mexico, Russia, China, and Germany. These countries represent the locations of the group’s blue-chip sites that are specialized in the wine & spirits segment, and each will feature a product that is typical of the local market.

Created together with its newly launched packaging design division, All4Graphics, each label will seek to embody the natural beauty and traditions of the region of origin, while implicitly demonstrating All4Labels’ technical and innovational capabilities. The labeled bottles will be unveiled at dedicated local events starting with a kick-off in Cape Town, South Africa, on February 9, 2022.

The showcase is an opportunity to address the importance of building an open environment with meaningful relationships throughout the entire value chain, and All4Labels is working closely with a group of leading partner companies to share this ethos. Motherland will also highlight the value of All4Labels Smart + Secure GmbH that would embed smart features such as Brand Security with QR fingerprint, Gamification, and Traceability in order to support the customer experience through analytics.

“We are embarking on this campaign to highlight our presence as a main player in the wine & spirits market and to show our high premium solutions,” said CEO of All4Labels Adrian Tippenhauer.“Motherland will demonstrate in very real terms how All4Labels is pioneering innovation with bold creativity, high quality and sustainable packaging solutions for local and global wine & spirits brands.”

The goal for All4Labels is to enlarge its presence in this developing market. Guido Iannone, All4Labels CSO said, “Wine & spirits have been a core focus for the All4Labels sales strategy for a long time, and we have developed an extremely high level of technical expertise in label production with exceptional finishes and embellishments for premium brands. We are now using this expertise to drive new growth opportunities for us, for our partners, and our customers.”

All4Labels is committed to producing labels and packaging in the most efficient and responsible way. Massimiliano Martino All4Labels CTO said, “Motherland was produced using innovative materials and technologies to reduce the carbon footprint by 80% compared to the conventional way of producing premium labels. We have developed and deployed an embellishment process that avoids waste while ensuring an exclusive tactile and visual effect.”

“Conscious of the new digital era where metaverse is evolving into a new reality we will explore how a virtual world can impact on people’s behaviors. With some real applications All4Labels can link bottles to an NFT marketplace, to show how advanced avatars could revolutionize virtual engagement,” added Paola Iannone, VPMarketing and Communication at All4Labels.

The Motherland campaign will continue over the coming months demonstrating the global footprint and local knowledge of All4Labels along the way. Supplier partners in the project include Avery Dennison, Fedrigoni Self-Adhesive, Leonhard Kurz, H+M, Estal, Actega, Nilpeter, Omet, HP Indigo, and Luxoro.

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