Novachem has released an interactive directed-learning game for the operation, maintenance and repair of injection moulding machines.

Novachem has released an interactive directed-learning game for the entertainment and education of those responsible for the operation, maintenance and repair of injection moulding machines. The online-style arcade game puts the player in the cockpit of a spaceship whose mission is to purge an injection molding machine of resin residuals that remain on cylinder walls and screws after the barrel is run empty. The game incorporates key product attributes, and if the player cannot dislodge the residue fast enough, they face an inactive period of 'downtime.' In addition, a stealthy 'boss' button transforms the game into a Novachem Data Sheet.

'Purging may be more important today than ever due to high energy costs, collapsed production schedules and marketplace competition.

In order to convey the business benefits of purging with InstaPurge, we wanted to demonstrate it in a novel way.

So we created InstaEliminator to entertain as well as educate,' comments Frank Winner, Partner and Vice President of Novachem.

Players who exceed the point challenge are eligible to receive a free deluxe baseball-style cap.

Novachem has released an interactive directed-learning game for the entertainment and education of those responsible for the operation, maintenance and repair of extrusion and blow molding machines.

Novachem, manufacturer of SuperNova high performance chemical purging compounds, has released an interactive directed-learning game for the entertainment and education of those responsible for the operation, maintenance and repair of extrusion and blow molding machines. The online-style arcade game puts the player in the cockpit of a spaceship whose mission is to purge an extrusion or blow molding machine of resin residuals that remain on cylinder walls and screws after the barrel is run empty. The game incorporates key product attributes, and if the player cannot dislodge the residue fast enough, they face an inactive period of 'downtime.' In addition, a stealthy 'boss' button transforms the game into a Novachem Data Sheet.

'Purging may be more important today than ever due to high energy costs, collapsed production schedules and marketplace competition.

In order to convey the business benefits of purging with SuperNova, we wanted to demonstrate it in a novel way.

So we created NovaBlaster to entertain as well as educate,' comments Frank Winner, Partner and Vice President of Novachem.

Players who exceed the point challenge are eligible to receive a free deluxe baseball-style cap.

Plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment should be recycled only in the UK where higher grade polymers can be produced for re-use for the European market.

Plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment should be recycled in the UK where higher grade polymers can be produced for re-use in new products for the European market, rather than exported abroad, claims a leading plastics recycler. Axion Recycling's commercial director, Roger Morton asserts that UK companies can provide the sustainable and responsible alternative for re-processing this material, instead of it being shipped thousands of miles to China, only to end up in lower-grade applications. The environmental standards of these labour intensive dismantling and sorting operations have been brought into question by recent BBC news articles highlighting some of the worse cases.

His comments come as DTI consultation ends over the UK implementation of the WEEE Directive, due to come into force from July 1 next year.

The Manchester-based plastics recycler says its technically-advanced processes for producing high grade polymers from WEEE waste are a more sustainable and responsible alternative than exporting it to the Far East.

It is currently seeking more supplies from primary WEEE treatment plants to progress its pioneering recycling techniques on a commercial scale following recent successful trials with electrical and electronic equipment manufacturers.

'We are looking for potential suppliers to progress our work further on a production tonnage scale,' said Morton.

'The expertise, capability and facilities exist here in the UK to extract high grade polymers for recycling back into new products for home markets.

This is a far more sustainable and responsible alternative to exporting it.' Rather than rely on 'cheap labour', Axion uses efficient processing methods and novel separation technology to produce high quality polymer compounds.

Axion claims these are of higher quality than Far Eastern equivalents, and crucially meet the demanding specification for re-use in new goods for the European market.

Axion is currently testing plastics from primary WEEE processors at its state-of-the-art Salford recycling facility to assess the likely yield and commercial viability of producing high grade polymers from the plastic fraction of dismantled electrical equipment.

Benefiting from recent GBP 3 million investment, the new plant is one of the most advanced recycling facilities in Europe.

Fully operational from early next year, the facility converts co-mingled contaminated plastic waste into high quality polymer compounds.

Full output production capacity will be 14,000 tonnes per year.

Morton added: 'For electrical manufacturers, using high quality polymers recycled in the UK is important in terms of protecting the reputation of their brands.

Our on-going successful trials with manufacturers, such as Brother Industries, have proved that we can now meet exacting brand-leading material property specifications and produce a quality product which is virtually indistinguishable from a conventional, virgin-polymer component.' He said: 'Being UK-based, we can provide the necessary audits and assurances that the producer's responsibilities under UK legislation are being met, including environmental standards and Duty of Care for waste.' The forthcoming WEEE Directive will have a significant impact on the UK electrical and electronics industry as producers and importers face strict new compliance rules for collection, recycling and recovery of waste equipment.

The regulation aims to promote recycling, minimise waste and reduce disposal to landfill and incineration, as well as stimulate development of more environmentally-friendly products.

To further enable miniaturization in electronic components a fine diameter chopped strand reinforcement allows ultra-thin high-performance thermoplastic parts.

Owens Corning announced at the USA Composites and Polycon 2006 exhibition the global launch of its latest reinforcement development, MicroMax fine diameter chopped strand - a 'game-changing' product allowing for ultra-thin high-performance thermoplastic parts. MicroMax reinforcements offer reduced part wall thickness of up to 40% compared to parts made with standard glass fiber inputs and will provide a positive aid for the continuing trend to miniaturize advanced electronic components as well as bring further performance enhancements. Compared to parts made with standard glass fiber filaments, MicroMax reinforcements also deliver the following.

* 30% higher tensile and flexural strength.

* Reinforcement filaments with diameters of 6 and 7 microns - up to 50% thinner than standard filaments.

* Reinforcement solutions for parts down to 0.15mm thickness.

* A 35% improvement in weld line strength.

* The possibility to reduce reinforcement loading without compromising part strength or stiffness.

* Lower outgassing resulting in cleaner mold surfaces and improved part aesthetics, reduced risk to active components, less mold wear and longer mold life.

To be featured in its presentation at the show (Booth 801) October 18-20, St.

Louis, Missouri, USA), MicroMax reinforcement technology is one of a number of significant new developments signaled by Owens Corning when it acquired the composites business of the Asahi Fiber Glass Co in Japan earlier this year.

'Demand from the marketplace has progressively driven the downsizing of electronic components, particularly those for handheld devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants and digital audio players,' said Owens Corning Asia Pacific marketing director Bijoy Mohan.

'At this point the industry has reached a size threshold beyond which smaller and thinner parts cannot be realized using standard reinforcements as they are unable to achieve the flow and dispersal required.' Owens Corning senior engineer, Hiromasa Suzuki, added: 'MicroMax technology is an innovative and timely development to overcome that barrier.

Its combination of extremely small filament diameter and special proprietary binder not only gives it the necessary flowability but also imparts higher mechanical strength to a molding and contributes to smoother part surfaces.' While such thin products were previously possible, MicroMax chopped strand provides OEMs and molders with a solution that allows them to avoid using prohibitively high-cost specialty thermoplastics that would otherwise be needed to achieve required part strength and stiffness without reinforcement.

A further advantage for molders is that MicroMax reinforcements lets them continue to use the resins they are familiar with such as Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP), Polyamide (PA), Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS), thereby maintaining production continuity and cost control.

MicroMax reinforcements, which is being produced at the company's Ibaraki plant in Japan, has already had a limited offering in the Japanese marketplace where it has received a very positive response from molder customers actively engaged in producing parts for electronic applications.

Now fully commercialized, the benefits and advantages of MicroMax reinforcements will be accessible to customers throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.

* About Owens Corning - Owens Corning is a world leader in building materials systems and composite solutions.

A Fortune 500 company for more than 50 years, Owens Corning people redefine what is possible each day to deliver high-quality products and services ranging from insulation, roofing, siding and manufactured stone veneer, to glass composite materials used in transportation, electronic, telecommunications and other high-performance applications.

Since the company's founding in 1938, Owens Corning has become a market-leading innovator of glass fiber technology with sales of US$6.3 billion in 2005 and 20,000 employees in 26 countries.

Three high performance glass fibre thermoplastic reinforcements offer lower outgassing, enhanced hydrolysis resistance, superior strength and fatigue resistance.

At the international Composites and Polycon 2006 show in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Owens Corning introduced three new products to its PerforMax high performance thermoplastic reinforcements' portfolio, which offer lower outgassing, enhanced hydrolysis resistance and other mechanical properties, such as superior strength and fatigue resistance compared to similar competitive products. Following are the product highlights, which will allow a new generation of technological advances in automotive, electronic and appliance/plumbing applications.

PerforMax LG chopped strand has been designed specifically for small electronic and electrical components such as SMT connectors, LED and relay housings to reduce outgassing.

This is key, as the industry has exhausted most possibilities for outgassing from polymer matricies and additives.

Key attributes of PerforMax LG chopped strands include the following.

* 25 percent lower outgassing than competitive reinforcements in polymers such as PA (polyamide) 6, PA 6.6 and PA 4.6, resulting in cleaner mold surfaces and better part surface aesthetics, because of a lack of deposits which form on mold surfaces and block vents.

* Using Loss On Ignition (LOI) as a measure of performance, PerforMax LG has an LOI of 0.17% as compared to an LOI of 0.5% presented by standard reinforcements.

* Reduced risk of damage to active components during assembly.

PerforMax HR chopped strand is tailored for applications exposed to fluids and high temperatures, such as parts used for plumbing, heating and ventilation and automotive under-hood components.

Engine cooling conditions have become increasingly severe as automakers push the limits of engine design to achieve higher performance and greater fuel economy.

This has resulted in engines running hotter, a problem which until now was only combated by adding new chemicals to coolant mixes - creating further challenges for traditional polyamides and reinforcements.

The PerforMax HR reinforcements deliver: * A 15% improvement in retained mechanical strength when compared to competitive hydrolysis-resistant chopped strand products.

* Superior hydrolysis resistance reducing the risk of polymer breakdown by moisture and chemicals in high temperature environments.

* Long-term, high-temperature fatigue resistance; making it also suitable for electronic applications.

* Grades compatible with PA and PPS polymers.

* Parts that exhibit less than half the long-term fatigue values of those using competitive glass fiber reinforcements_providing the ability to eliminate higher cost additives which were necessary to prevent long-term high temperature fatigue of parts subject to increasingly tough conditions PerforMax SP chopped strand is specifically designed for reinforcing 'Super Engineering Plastics' and is an ideal complement to the superior property profiles of LCP, PPS, PEI, PES and PEEK polymers in the most harsh and demanding electronic, automotive and plumbing applications.

These reinforcements deliver the following.

* A 40% lower outgassing, resulting in cleaner mold surfaces and improved final part aesthetics, and fewer defects and reworking with LCP, PES, PEI, PPS and PEEK.

* Temperature performance exceeding 400 deg C while maintaining high fatigue resistance.

'With the launch of these and other new high performance thermoplastic applications, Owens Corning has begun delivering on its promise of breakthrough products through the combination of complementary technologies following the company's acquisition of the composites business of Japan's Asahi Fiber Glass Company in May this year,' said Owens Corning senior engineer Hiromasa Suzuki.

'What the Owens Corning and Asahi technical teams have done, is to address the outgassing issue in respect to the sizing of the glass fiber reinforcement.

This has involved changes at the molecular level to deliver significantly lower outgassing than competitive products, and clear, game-changing technological advantages to the design engineers, compounders, molders and OEMs who make up the value chain.' * About Owens Corning - Owens Corning is a world leader in building materials systems and composite solutions.

A Fortune 500 company for more than 50 years, Owens Corning people redefine what is possible each day to deliver high-quality products and services ranging from insulation, roofing, siding and manufactured stone veneer, to glass composite materials used in transportation, electronic, telecommunications and other high-performance applications.

Since the company's founding in 1938, Owens Corning has become a market-leading innovator of glass fiber technology with sales of US$6.3 billion in 2005 and 20,000 employees in 26 countries.

Ensinger has launched its new line of x-ray opaque XRO series, thermoplastic rods with Tecason P MT XRO.

Ensinger has launched its new line of x-ray opaque XRO series, thermoplastic rods with Tecason P MT XRO, in different colours and in diameters ranging from of 1 to 2 andfrac12; inches (25,4 - 63,5 mm). This new material meets some of the new challenges created by minimally invasive and image guided surgery. A radio opacifier is added to the standard line of coloured PPSU extruded rods for orthopaedic sizing trials and other instrument devices allowing for clear visibility of the component on fluoroscopy and x-ray.

Tecason P MT XRO has been tested to the requirements of ISO 10993 for external communication devices intended for less than 24 hour contact with tissue, bone and dentine.

Tecason P MT XRO (andbdquo;x-ray opaque') is a technical plastics with extraordinary resistance to common sterilisation techniques, giving additional safety in medical applications.

The material also possesses high thermal resistance, excellent mechanical properties and toughness.

Tecason P MT XRO can be easily and accurately machined with standard tooling.

The material is available in many standard colours which allow easy differentiation of instrument sizes.

Preferred fields for Tecason P MT XRO are medical, food and precision technology.

Typical applications are surgical instruments, instrument handles, implant trials and sterilisation trays.

When Endress + Hauser, a global leader in measurement instrumentation, was developing its new Indumax H CLS54 conductivity sensor, it chose Victrex Peek polymer for the housing because of the material's ability to meet the extreme demands of the food industry. The sensor is used for inductive conductivity measurement of liquids in the food and beverage industry as well as the chemical industry. According to Andrew Ragan, Product Manager, Victrex USA, 'The outstanding chemical resistance of Victrex Peek polymer to all common solvents, acids and bases ensures that the sensor can be used in direct contact with aggressive media.

And, because Victrex Peek polymer conforms with FDA requirements for repeated food contact, it is safe to use in the food and beverage industry.' The sensor's Victrex Peek polymer housing is completely free of all joints and gaps for optimum hygiene.

'Its high surface quality ensures easy cleaning and prevents the deposition of particles, or contamination of liquids,' says Ragan.

'Because Victrex Peek polymer has a continuous use temperature of 260C (500F), the sensor can be sterilized for more than 60 minutes at 150C (302F) and 5 bar without any degradation.' The Indumax H CLS54 sensor operates in continuous use temperatures ranging from -10C (14F) to +125C (257F).

'The polymer's excellent mechanical properties and low creep give the sensor a compressive strength of 12 bar at both room temperature and temperatures exceeding the given steam pressure,' explains Ragan.

The sensor can also be used in vacuum applications.

The ability to injection mold the sensor housing has automated the production process of the Indumax H CLS54.

By encapsulating the sensor in Victrex Peek polymer the need for seals was eliminated.

Custom formulation of the thermoset monomer Allyl Diglycol Carbonate is rapidly growing as a replacement for glass in instrument display window and data capture system applications.

The use of a Fosta-Tek Optics custom formulation of the thermoset monomer ADC (Allyl Diglycol Carbonate) is rapidly growing as a replacement for glass in a number of instrument display window and data capture system applications, the company has reported. The combination of high optical quality, excellent chemical and gamma radiation resistance, low material cost, and ease of fabrication make cast ADC optical sheet a natural choice for an increasing range of products, including medical devices and high-end scanning systems. 'Fosta-Tek Optics' ADC cast thermosetting optical sheet has been used for display window and data capture applications for some time because of its excellent optical properties,' said Danielle Provencher, ADC coordinator for Fosta-Tek.

'But recently we've seen a rapid upswing in the use of this material as the preferred replacement for glass in a number of market areas, ranging from ATM displays and Barcode scanners to medical and industrial instruments, navigational instruments, oscilloscopes, outdoor workstations, security sensors and touch screens.' ADC (CR-39TM) was originally developed as a replacement for glass in prescription ophthalmic lenses and currently holds over 50% of the prescription lens market, Provencher added.

With a transmission value of 92%, haze as low as 0.3-0.9%, and excellent chemical and gamma radiation resistance, it is sometimes referred to as organic glass because its optical properties are so close to those of mineral glass.

Unlike extrusion or injection molding, the thermosetting process generates very little birefringence in ADC sheets, allowing for quality imaging.

Plus, its Abbe Value of 59 is close to that of glass (60) and higher than any other optical plastic material (Birefringence, or double refraction, is the decomposition of a ray of light into two rays when it passes through certain types of material, causing polarization or a 'double vision' effect.

Abbe Value is an indicator of light dispersion or chromatic aberration).

'Excellent chemical and solvent resistance make ADC especially suitable for medical and lab environments,' said Provencher.

'The optical and mechanical properties of ADC sheet are unaffected by long term exposure to virtually any organic chemical, including ketones, alcohols, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, and to cleaning solvents and alkalis.' 'Lower material costs and more flexible fabrication also give optical ADC sheet the edge over glass,' Provencher said.

With precision laser cutting, ADC can be manufactured to specific shapes and sizes without the high costs typically associated with customizing glass.

ADC materials can be cast in thicknesses from 0.030' to 0.250' and cut to sizes up to 25' squared.

Provencher added: 'One of the greatest advantages of cast resin material over its glass counterpart is the difference in relative weight.

With a specific gravity of 1.3, the ADC material weighs only half as much as glass, making it an excellent option for portable devices.' Anti-glare finishes are cast directly into the window, making ADC a superior solution to a variety of lighting issues found in today's brightly lit medical environments without losing the superior resolution of the window.

A secondary thin film can be applied to the ADC material for applications requiring an anti-reflective coating to further enhance transmission.

Dyes are available in a wide range of colors, providing peak transmission values at specific nanometer ranges to optimize readability of displays.

* About Fosta-Tek Optics - Fosta-Tek Optics specializes in the design and manufacture of polymer-based optical components and coatings for OEM customers.

A one-stop shop for the design and manufacture of optical components, Fosta-Tek is a leading North American source for military, safety and consumer lenses, as well as a range of industrial optics.

Fosta-Tek's innovative chemical coatings and integrated molding operations provide economical solutions for high volume requirements.

Privately owned and headquartered in Leominster, MA, the company is ISO 9001:2000 Registered and serves a diverse customer base in industrial, consumer, medical, automotive, homeland security and military markets.

Ultra-high-performance family of amorphous polymers answers the need for cost effective injection moldable resin that combines melt processability and high mechanical properties.

GE Plastics has launched 'Extem' thermoplastic polyimide (TPI) resins, a new family of amorphous polymers that provide exceptional performance, while eliminating the drawbacks of semi-crystalline materials, imidized thermosets, and competitive amorphous thermoplastics. GE's Extem resins deliver a powerful combination of melt processability and ultra-high thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties. They meet growing industry demand for easy-to-produce parts that can withstand ever-higher temperatures and harsh chemical environments, and remain stiff and dimensionally stable in extreme temperatures.

In addition, GE's Extem resins are inherently flame-retardant without the use of halogenated additives that can pose an environmental risk.

'GE's new Extem resin line represents a huge leap in cost-performance designed to help our customers grow their businesses,' said Brian Herington, general manager, High Performance Polymers, GE Plastics.

'Until now, customers needing an ultra-high-performance plastic were forced to choose between expensive imidized thermosets with high processing costs or high-performance semi-crystalline resins.

New Extem resins help solve these challenges through top-of-the-line extreme performance, cost-effective processing, and the elimination of such secondary operations as post-molding curing or crystallization.

We've radically changed the game with a new, much needed polymer technology that we think will go a long way to help our customers compete, grow, and succeed.' Herington added that GE Plastics expects today's introduction of GE's new, world-class Extem resin to open up new application-development opportunities in such industries as semiconductor wafer handling, defense, oil and gas processing, aerospace, high-performance fibers, electronics, and automotive.

* Extem resins provide the following properties.

Continuous use temperatures up to 230 deg C.

Glass transition temperatures up to 310 deg C.

High stiffness and creep resistance under load, typical of high strength amorphous polymers.

Excellent resistance to a wide range of chemicals, including added resistance to chlorinated solvents over existing melt processable polyimides available today.

Inherent flame retardance without the use of halogens.

Melt processable on traditional extrusion and molding equipment.

Ultra high mechanical properties as molded, no post-curing or thermosetting needed.

Compared with existing materials, GE's Extem resins provide a comprehensive array of outstanding high-performance properties.

Unlike high-end semi-crystalline polymers that exhibit poor creep resistance and dimensional stability under load at elevated temperatures, Extem resins deliver excellent creep resistance and stiffness under these conditions.

Further, semi-crystalline materials are always opaque, whereas GE's unfilled Extem resin grades are inherently transparent for greater design versatility.

While providing excellent performance, imidized materials such as polyamide-imide (PAI) and other TPIs are costly and must be machined from fully imidized stock shapes or melt processed.

They must then be cured for up to two weeks to eliminate brittleness and to enhance physical properties.

GE's Extem resins offer true thermoplastic melt processability with ultra-high performance as molded to provide more cost effective, ultra-high-performance, and eliminate the need for post-curing, thereby offering processing productivity to customers.

* About GE Plastics - GE Plastics is a global supplier of plastic resins widely used in automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics, transportation, performance packaging, building and construction, telecommunications, and optical media applications.

The company manufactures and compounds polycarbonate, ABS, SAN, ASA, PPE, PC/ABS, PBT and PEI resins, as well as the LNP* line of high-performance specialty compounds.

GE Plastics, Specialty Film and Sheet manufactures high-performance Lexan sheet and film products used in thousands of demanding applications worldwide.

In addition, GE Plastics' dedicated Automotive organization is an experienced, world-wide competitor, offering leading plastics solutions for five key automotive segments: body panels and glazing; under the hood applications; component; structures and interiors; and lighting.

As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and services that are integral to a successful Games.

Plastics coatings and a high-temperature polymer now comply with the requirements of regulation 21 CFR 175.300 for resinous and polymeric coatings of the FDA, USA.

As a direct response to customer requirements, Victrex plc has announced that key grades of its recently introduced VICOTE Coatings and its high-temperature product VICTREX PEEK-HT polymer now comply with the compositional requirements of regulation 21 CFR 175.300 for resinous and polymeric coatings of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States of America. Based on VICTREX PEEK polymer, a linear, aromatic, semi-crystalline material that is widely regarded as one of the highest performing thermoplastics in the world, both VICOTE Coatings and VICTREX PEEK-HT grades are now FDA-compliant and can be used in food processing and related industrial applications, to make articles or components that will come into repeated contact with food during processing. VICOTE Coatings are a new range of high performance coatings that deliver durability and long life to end use applications such as cookware and food processing parts.

This is due to their excellent high temperature performance, excellent wear and scratch resistance along with a host of other design and manufacturing benefits.

VICOTE Coatings are already being implemented in a number of food processing and cookware applications, in Europe, Asia and the United States.

The latest VICOTE Coating grades to meet the stringent FDA compliance standards, VICOTE 708 and 709, are available in 10 and 50 micron particle sizes, and address the specific requirements of demanding high-temperature environments.

'We launched VICOTE Coatings earlier this year to fill the performance gap found in many existing coating technologies,' said Andrew Storm, manager of Victrex's Global Ventures Business.

'It is a great choice for engineers looking to improve the overall wear and life of their applications.

When you compare it to the traditional Fluoropolymer coatings, customers have the potential to extend the life of their application by between 50 and 200%.' One of Korea's leading rice cooker manufacturers, Cuckoo, is already using VICTREX PEEK-based VICOTE Coatings to deliver improved abrasion and corrosion protection in its range of premium rice cookers.

In Europe and the US, Taconic, a specialist in engineered products for the food industry, has selected VICOTE Coatings for use in its food processing belt products for aggressive food cooking environments where excellent wear, release and mechanical properties, and excellent temperature performance are required.

VICTREX PEEK-HT addresses the needs of higher temperature applications and has been the material of choice in demanding industrial applications for a number of years.

VICTREX PEEK-HT already complies with EU Food Contact Regulations and is currently used in the oil and gas industry where aggressive stresses and chemicals and high temperatures of greater than 200 deg C and pressures of 138Mpa are prevalent.

VICTREX PEEK-HT has a higher glass transition temperature and melt temperature than VICTREX PEEK, delivering longer-term durability, strength and reliability.

These improved performance benefits at even higher temperatures can be easily translated into opportunities in the food processing market in applications such as appliance parts, equipment bearings, seals, precision cutting blades, and energy-efficient pumps.

'The move to gain FDA food contact compliance for VICTREX PEEK-HT is further evidence of the company's proactive strategy to engage with customers and end-users to develop new applications for the Victrex range of high performance polymers,' said Mark Maddern, global product manager for Victrex.

'Now our customers can be assured that applications based on VICTREX-PEEK HT will not only pass the stringent high-temperature testing prevalent in the food industry, but also has the essential FDA food contact compliance.' Maddern concluded, 'In common with existing VICTREX PEEK grades that are food contact compliant, the new VICOTE and VICTREX PEEK-HT FDA food contact compliant grades will offer a number of advantages over competitive materials.

Providing more cost-efficient design of intricate parts, longer life and increased durability at high temperatures will result in a reduction of process downtime for our customers.'

Based on a polyetherimide resin, a film's high temperature and flame resistance, low moisture absorption and excellent dielectric properties electrrical/electronics applications.

For electrical/electronics (E/E) manufacturers that previously faced the dilemma of choosing between the high cost of specifying polyimide (PI) to achieve desired performance, or downgrading an application by using lower-performing polyethylene napthalate (PEN) or polyester (PET), there is now a solution. New Ultem 5000B film from GE Plastics offers excellent high performance coupled with cost-effectiveness. Based on GE's Ultem polyetherimide (PEI) resin, this material's high temperature and flame resistance, low moisture absorption and excellent dielectric properties make it an excellent candidate for E/E applications such as insulating tapes and laminates, diaphragms and voice coils for loudspeakers, high temperature bar code labels and flat flexible heaters.

Ultem 5000B film is available in black and amber and in gauges 25mm-750mm.

'This new GE film is what the market has been waiting for,' said Max Cattani, GE industry manager for high-performance E/E films, Europe.

'Ultem 5000B film gives E/E manufacturers a combination of high performance and cost-effectiveness- reducing the need to overspecify materials or compromise on properties.

And this new grade is highly versatile in terms of processing and range of potential applications.' * The following are the key high-performance properties of Ultem 5000B film.

Flame retardance: UL-94 VTM-0 listed compared to VTM-2 for standard grades of PET and PEN.

RoHS/WEEE compliance for environmental regulations.

Lower moisture absorption vs PI and Aramid Paper, enabling the film to be used in motors or generators in high-humidity environments.

Thermal class H allowing Ultem 5000B film to be used in higher-temperature insulating systems.

Better dimensional stability than PET and PEN, making the lamination process easier.

The new GE film offers a wide choice of processing, including thermoforming, drilling, die-cutting, cold-forming, laminating, metal sputtering, and ultrasonic welding.

It is heat-sealable to itself and other materials.

In contrast, PI standard grades cannot be thermoformed and Aramid Paper releases dust during some processes.

* About GE Plastics - GE Plastics is a global supplier of plastic resins widely used in automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics, transportation, performance packaging, building and construction, telecommunications, and optical media applications.

The company manufactures and compounds polycarbonate, ABS, SAN, ASA, PPE, PC/ABS, PBT and PEI resins, as well as the LNP line of high-performance specialty compounds.

GE Plastics, Specialty Film and Sheet manufactures high-performance Lexan sheet and film products used in thousands of demanding applications worldwide.

In addition, GE Plastics' dedicated Automotive organization is an experienced, world-wide competitor, offering leading plastics solutions for five key automotive segments: body panels and glazing; under the hood applications; component; structures and interiors; and lighting.

As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and services that are integral to a successful Games.

A polyamide thermoplastics is finding increasing use as replacement for metal in assemblies that have traditionally been made of metal and rubber.

Stanyl polyamide 4,6 (PA46) from DSM Engineering Plastics is finding increasing use as replacement for metal in assemblies that have traditionally been made of metal and rubber. Designers gain new design freedom as well as reduced production costs by using Stanyl as the rigid component in such applications as automotive strut mounts, electromechanical anti-vibration and anti-shock mounts, energy-absorption components and exhaust hangers. 'Replacement of metal with thermoplastics began decades ago,' said Paul Habets, application developments manager Stanyl.

'But, there are significant challenges when selecting the right material for applications with rubber components.

Manufacturing requires high heat for vulcanisation, and many of the traditionally rubber-to-metal components require very high stiffness and strength.

In a rapidly growing number of applications, Stanyl meets or exceeds the mechanical and thermal performance needed for the rigid element in these products.' Stanyl exhibits properties ideal for applications that marry a strong substrate to a relatively soft or compliant element: excellent creep resistance, high stiffness and strength, combined with heat resistance to withstand both vulcanisation and application environments, including automotive under-bonnet uses.

The material can handle continuous use temperatures as high as 200 deg C with transient peaks of up to 250 deg C.

Stanyl also provides good chemical resistance, particularly to grease, gasoline and oil.

Compared to metal, Stanyl is up to seven times lighter, and it is more easily formed into complex shapes.

Compared to other engineering thermoplastics, Stanyl offers excellent weld line strength and fatigue resistance.

Stanyl exhibits unmatched toughness and ductility compared to aluminium.

Charpy impact values remain at a high level, even at temperatures below 0 deg C.

Stanyl offers potential cost reduction by eliminating production steps, including the grinding, degreasing, machining and other operations generally required for metal components.

Stanyl provides excellent adhesion to rubber using conventional primers and adhesion systems.

Finally, Stanyl offers both high wear resistance and compared to metals (even after surface treatment or polishing) a lower coefficient of friction.

* Crystallinity is performance key with Stanyl - many of the engineering properties of Stanyl derive from its molecular structure.

Stanyl reflects a 70% crystallinity, far above PA6 and PA66 at around 40%.

This extraordinarily high crystallinity results in the following.

High heat resistance Toughness Excellent chemical resistance Little loss of properties from 80-250 deg C (176-509 deg F) * About DSM Engineering Plastics - DSM Engineering Plastics is a business group forming part of DSM's Performance Materials cluster.

DSM Engineering Plastics is a global supplier of Stanyl PA46 and Akulon 6 and 66 polyamides, Arnitel TPE-E, Arnite PBT and PET polyesters, Xantar polycarbonate, Yparex extrudable adhesive resins, and Stamylan UH Ultra High Molecular Weight PE.

These materials are used in technical components for electrical appliances, electronic equipment and cars, in barrier packaging films as well as in many mechanical and extrusion applications.

Stanyl, a high-heat polyamide 4,6 (PA46) resin from DSM Engineering Plastics, is adding a new market segment, fibre and film to its existing broad portfolio.

Stanyl, a high-heat polyamide 4,6 (PA46) resin from DSM Engineering Plastics, is adding a new market segment, fibre and film, to its existing broad portfolio of injection moulded, high-tech and high-heat engineered applications. As with injection moulded designs, Stanyl-based fibre and film benefit from the material's unusually high crystallinity and resulting extraordinary mechanical properties, as well as its high melting point. In fibre and film, Stanyl adds a new side: it can be soft and supple.

'Stanyl brings new potential for designers by offering a family of materials that offers high performance, high temperature resistance and high wear and abrasion resistance,' said Dan Bishop, Stanyl global marketing manager.

'It provides mechanical properties beyond those of such standard engineering materials as PA 6 and PA66.

And it does so at lower cost than more exotic materials, such as PPS, PEEK, aramid and fluorinated polymers.' Processing of Stanyl into filament or sheet can be accomplished with standard equipment running at temperatures slightly higher than conventional materials.

Because Stanyl does not cross-link under heat, the material presents processing advantages as well.

It does not gel or build up in equipment internals, even when subjected to long dwell times in mixers, injection screws and extrusion dies.

In fact, the viscosity of Stanyl becomes lower with heat ageing, making it in effect self-cleaning, avoiding the periodic line stoppage and tear-down required to clean out gels formed by other PA types.

Fibre applications include staple for felted products - its affinity to water makes it ideal for papermaking blankets - as well as industrial yarns for airbag seam thread, abrasion-resistant garments and protective composite fabrications.

Filament uses include such diverse applications as professional hairbrushes, and as rubber reinforcement for v-belts, automotive hose and tire tread and carcass uses.

It has shown excellent performance as automotive air-bag thread, a highly demanding application.

During inflation of the airbag, seams are severely stressed by the explosion.

The stitch holes in the seam open, and the hot inflation gasses flow out, causing intensive short-term heating of the sewing thread.

A high tenacity multifilament yarn has been commercially available since 1996 from Polyamide High Performance (Wuppertal, Germany) under the trade name Stanylenka yarn Film applications include a range of high-heat products, from gaskets to stamped bearing surfaces, to dielectric and solderable sheet for electronics, all of which take advantage of the material's heat or abrasion resistance.

Stanyl film additionally provides an excellent barrier to chemical permeation.

'The high crystallinity of Stanyl provides high performance for all properties that correlate with crystallinity,' said Jippe van Ruiten, global research and technology application development technical service manager, Stanyl Fibre and Film.

'This includes abrasion resistance, friction, modulus, creep, resilience and resistance to hydrolysis.' Stanyl's high amide content gives the material a higher affinity for moisture than other PAs.

Overall there is a balance between a higher tendency to pick up moisture and a lower volume of the amorphous phase due to higher crystallinity.

In textile applications this results in significant enhancement of tactile properties and moisture management.

Rotex Europe has announced the installation of the first MS Screener in Europe.

Rotex Europe has announced the installation of the first MS Screener in Europe. Sold and installed in The Netherlands to a very important company (which prefers to keep its anonymity) in the Agro Processing field, the MS Screener is the perfect solution to all screening requirements at high temperatures and large volumes. The MS Screener provides unsurpassed screening performance when exact separations and high efficiencies are required, and maximises product recoveries at material temperatures up to 200andordm; C.

Specifically designed to screen fine products at high capacity, the MS Screener provides excellent screening performance due to equal feed distribution to all screen decks, uniform bed-depth across the entire screen surface and a reduction in screen blinding, due to the use of durable declogging balls.

The stacked, multiple-deck, tray access design allows for individual screen access without the need to remove all decks.

A patented Lift- Rail system enables easy installation and removal of the screen frame.

Access and maintenance are simple with single decks being able to be changed in ten minutes - with all 12 decks changed in just two hours.

The screen deck is sloped to an angle of six degrees, which maximises screen efficiency and meets demanding product specifications.

An easily accessible external drive cartridge allows continuous operation at temperatures up to 200C and is designed for 200,000 hours of service.

The MS Screener utilises a support shaft suspension system with industrial U- joint bearings and no maintenance, low torsion centre springs.

An optional floor-mounted suspension stand is available for installations without overhead support.

Abrasion-resistant steel construction and 'rockbox' landing areas allow for repeated impact on high-wear surfaces.

The MS Screener incorporates a new silicone seal system that press fits into place without adhesives.

The seal is universal throughout the machine providing exceptional sealing between screen decks on fine separations.

A unique sleeveless brush system on the discharge doors eliminates traditional connecting sleeves for quicker screen deck access.

Integral vent connections enable enhanced dust control on dustier materials.

This newly designed product demonstrates that the food industry remains a key market sector for ROTEX EUROPE, in addition to mineral, chemical and plastic applications.

The full range of screening equipment includes Rotex screeners, Apex Screeners, Megatex screeners, Direct Drive screeners and feeders and the new MS Screener