Husky Returns to Gulfood Manufacturing Showcasing Technologies, Solutions and Services Enabling Regional Packaging Producers to Achieve Sustainability and Circularity

Husky Technologies, a pioneering technology provider enabling the delivery of essential needs to the global community, is returning to Gulfood Manufacturing in Dubai, UAE from November 7-9. Husky’s booth, located in Hall 2, Stand B 2-4, is showcasing the company’s latest technologies, solutions and services designed to enable regional food and beverage packaging producers to increase sustainability while achieving growth, flexibility, differentiation and world-class production capabilities.

“As we celebrate our 70^th year in business and close to 20 years serving the Middle East, we are excited to be exhibiting at Gulfood Manufacturing and are now even more resolute in our commitment to enabling producers to be more competitive in this dynamic and growing region,” said Wassim Labban, Husky’s Vice President, Rigid Packaging, EEMEIA, SEA, ANZ. “In today’s global economy, there is an immediate need to address the challenges of evolving markets while driving sustainable practices. At Gulfood Manufacturing, we are presenting how we are responding to this demand by delivering essential innovations that enable the circular economy, in this region and around the world.”

Investing in the production of sustainable packaging molding solutions has long been a top priority for Husky. The company has been at the forefront of developing a diverse range of technologies, solutions and services that enable producers to operate more sustainably while delivering circular packaging that has a lower carbon footprint.

Highlights will include:

• Husky’s latest generation platform of proven HyPET systems tailored for the production of up to 100% recycled PET that include a purpose-built drying solution, optimized energy management, enhanced melt control, automated mold cleaning, integrated part quality inspection, and more.
• Lightweighting solutions to enable producers to effectively reduce the amount of virgin resin in each complete package, including closure, preform and bottle, minimizing carbon footprint while lowering material, production and shipping costs.
• Decades of packaging expertise and part design experience to enable producers to meet new and upcoming circular packaging regulations by facilitating the successful conversion from alternate packaging materials to durable, reliable, and infinitely recyclable PET.
• The adoption of world-class manufacturing processes that reduce energy consumption, minimize variability, and optimize operational efficiency. This includes Husky COMPLETE, the industry’s only complete, connected, end-to-end production solution modelled to transform variability into stability throughout every stage of PET preform production, including Husky’s Advantage+Elite real-time proactive, predictive, and transparent monitoring solution that reduces the variability risk associated with running higher percentages of post-consumer resin.

https://www.husky.co/

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Asahi Kasei to Significantly Expand Coating Capacity for Lithium-ion battery Sepa- Rators

Düsseldorf, Charlotte and Tokyo, 31 October 2023 – Asahi Kasei will invest in additional equipment for coating Hipore TM lithium-ion battery (LIB) separators. New coating lines will
be installed at existing Asahi Kasei LIB separator facilities in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, with start-up scheduled in succession from the first half of fiscal year 2026.
Through this investment the company establishes the capability to supply coated separa- tors for batteries equivalent to 1.7 million electric vehicles.

Asahi Kasei supplies two types of HiporeTM wet-process LIB separators: a polyolefin microporous base film membrane and a coated membrane separator produced by applying ceramic and other coatings to the base film. As one of Asahi Kasei’s “10 Growth Gears” (GG10) businesses identified to lead the next phase of growth in the company’s medium-term management plan for fiscal year 2024 with a theme “Be a Trailblazer,” the separator business is a focus of proactive investment for capacity expansion to meet the significant increase in demand for electric vehicle applications.Overview of the expansion:
Investment: Approximately ¥40 billion1,2 (1 EUR = 158.80 Yen, approx. 252 million EUR, closing rate as of Oct. 30, 2023, of the European Central Bank)
Locations: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Hyuga, Miyazaki, Japan; Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, South Korea3
Coating capacity: Approximately 700 million m2/year
Scheduled start-up: Successively from the first half of fiscal 2026

Regarding the investment, Hiroyoshi Matsuyama, Senior Executive Officer and President of the Environmental Solutions Strategic Business Unit at Asahi Kasei, mentioned: “Expanding Hipore TM operations globally to keep pace with the electric vehicle market is an important milestone for our separator business. We are happy to support the growth of our customers abroad, and with the help of our established global locations, we can do that quickly by investing in existing infrastructure and then expanding further with new greenfield sites as needed to meet regional demand.”

Asahi Kasei will continue investing to build its LIB separator supply infrastructure for automotive applications to meet growing demand, especially in North America where significant expansion of electric vehicle production is forecasted. The expansion announced today will raise Asahi Kasei’s coating capacity for LIB separators to approximately 1.2 billion m2/year, enabling the supply of coated separators for batteries equivalent to 1.7 million electric vehicles. This will contribute to building robust LIB supply chains in North America, Japan, and South Korea, with highly functional and durable wet- process separators for automotive applications. Asahi Kasei will continue to study proactive investments, including the establishment of new HiporeTM membrane manufacturing facilities to further enhance its supply infrastructure for the North American and Japanese markets.

About the Asahi Kasei Corporation:
The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its founding in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber businesses, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every era. With more than 48,000 employees worldwide, the company contributes to a sustainable society by providing solutions to some of the world’s toughest challenges through its three business sectors: Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its Material sector, comprised of Environmental Solutions, Mobility & Industrial, and Life Innovation, includes a wide array of products, from battery separators and biodegradable textiles to engineering plastics and sound solutions. Asahi Kasei is also dedicated to sustainability initiatives and is contributing to reaching a carbon-
neutral society by 2050.
www.asahi-kasei.com

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Ultrapolymers has expanded its polyolefins portfolio with the expandable PP grade Moplen EP490H. Developed by LyondellBasell as a special basic type for foamed applications, it allows a reduction in the use of materials and thus the CO ₂ footprint in a wide range of applications. In addition, the very good mechanical properties enable mono-material solutions that can be reused or fed directly into the polyolefin recycling cycle after use. This heterophasic copolymer, which offers many properties that were previously only achievable with expandable polystyrene, proves to be an optimal choice in terms of sustainable packaging.

The main applications of Moplen EP490H are extruded foamed films, profiles and sheets, thermoforming and extrusion blow molding, for example rigid packaging for food and consumer goods. The material combines higher foamability than any conventional polypropylene with good rigidity, high impact strength at room and low temperatures, good dimensional stability as well as very good resistance to creep and good resilience.
With its very good deep-drawing properties, Moplen EP490H offers the packaging industry expanded options for developing lightweight, material-saving and therefore environmentally friendly mono-material solutions. Thanks to the good thermal insulation and temperature resistance as well as the high water and chemical resistance, containers for hot meals and drinks are also among the possible applications. The fine and evenly distributed cell structure results in a significantly smoother surface with significantly better aesthetics than when using conventional polypropylene. Due to their high dimensional stability and durability, corresponding products offer an attractive, reusable alternative to expandable polystyrene. The possibility of manufacturing from ISCC PLUS-certified raw materials and the good suitability for recycling make further contributions to greater sustainability.
Moplen EP490H is manufactured with a phthalate-free catalyst, is plasticizer and BPA-free and has the relevant food regulatory approvals. Ultrapolymers supplies the complete PP formulation including the endothermic blowing agent Polybatch BA 9090 and the nucleating agent Polybatch CFPP 0260 NU.
Business Development Manager Hermann Diem says: “With the new Moplen EP490H, we can now offer a material that, thanks to its good foamability, enables particularly sustainable solutions in the area of ​​lightweight packaging. Based on our decades of experience with polyolefins, our customers also receive comprehensive application technology advice from molding design to product-specific recipe creation and tool design to starting the production process.”

www.ultrapolymers.com

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Asahi Kasei to present diversified material solutions for EV batteries and circular economy at Fakuma 2023

Japanese technology company Asahi Kasei will showcase diversified material solutions for safe and compact EV batteries, improved connectivity and lightweighting, as well as circular economy at Fakuma, the world’s leading trade event for industrial plastics processing, from 17 – 21 October 2023 in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Thermoplastic composites for EV battery applications

This year, Asahi Kasei will put a special focus on its broad range of materials for lightweight, compact, and safe electric vehicle battery solutions. The company is currently developing a new continuous glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic, LENCEN, and will present it for the first time at the European trade show Fakuma. This composite material is formed by stacking layers of continuous glass fiber textiles with polyamide 66 (PA66) films. Due to its tensile strength, high heat resistance, and impact properties similar to metal, this material improves collision safety and weight reduction of EV batteries.

In addition, the company will showcase a carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic unidirectional tape (CFRTP-UD tape) that utilizes both recycled continuous carbon fiber and the company’s LEONA polyamide resin. Boasting a higher strength than metal, this CFRTP-UD tape can be applied to automobile frames and bodies, further enabling the recycling of end-of-vehicle-life parts into different, new automobile parts.

Asahi Kasei will also showcase cooling pipes for EV battery packs made of the modified polyphenylene ether (m-PPE) XYRON, as well as 2170 cell trays based on the m-PPE particle foam SunForce.

Solutions for improved HMI and glass replacement

AZP is a transparent polymer that overcomes the disadvantages of conventional optical plastic materials. Featuring a close-to-zero birefringence equivalent to glass as well as a superior designability, this material allows high transmittance and low color distortions at all viewing angles. Clear images without luminance variations, color distortion and blurring can be achieved in polarized optical equipment such as AR/VR headsets and head-up-displays (HUDs). The premium quality appearance is also maintained when looking at the display through polarized sunglasses.

Bio-based feedstock and new recycling technology for PA66

Asahi Kasei will display a bio-based and biodegradable cellulose nano fiber (CNF). This material is made from cotton linter and features a high heat resistance and network-forming ability. CNF-reinforced polyamide shows a thixotropic behavior, making it highly suitable for 3D printing applications in terms of easy printing, dimensional accuracy, smooth appearance, and mechanical performance. Furthermore, CNF has superior material recyclability compared to glass fibers.

Cleaning the equipment after processing the plastics in an efficient and cost-effective manner is a major challenge for many companies. Asaclean is the worldwide leader in commercial purging compounds. Asaclean purges are optimized for injection molding, extrusion, film and sheet, blow-molding, and blown-film applications. Its benefits include faster changeovers/reduced downtime, effective removal of color/carbon contamination, reduced screw-pulls, lower scrap/reject rate, increased productivity, and greater cost savings.

The company will also present its comprehensive solutions for establishing a sustainable life cycle for PA66 utilizing bio-based feedstock and a new technology for chemical recycling. Together with Japanese partner company Microwave Chemical, the company is working on a new technology for chemical recycling of PA66. The process utilizes microwaves to depolymerize automotive airbags and other PA66 parts and directly obtain the monomers hexamethylenediamine (HMD) and adipic acid (ADA), which is expected to be accomplished at high yield with low energy consumption. The monomers obtained can then be used to manufacture new PA66.

https://fakuma.asahi-kasei.eu/.

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At Fakuma, Hellweg Maschinenbau will be presenting a selection of its pioneering, digitally controlled grinders for efficient, energy-saving plastics recycling at booth A1-1005 in hall A1. These include the MDSi 340/150 Smart Control machine-side grinder with fill level monitoring, the MDSi 600/300 Smart Control Plus central grinder and the MDSGi 1500/600 as a representative of a newly developed series of wet grinders with forced feed which have particularly low power consumption.

The MDSi 340/150 Smart Control machine-side grinder is the highest power model of the series with drive powers of 1.5  kW to 4 kW for grinding capacities of 10 kg/h to 80 kg/h. Its primary application is to save raw materials by enabling the recirculation of even the bulkiest sprue stars, spiders or ladders directly beside one or more injection molding machines. Material can be fed in by chute, feed hopper or conveyor belt, and discharged by suction. A film edge strip feeder is available as an option.

Hellweg’s 300 series central grinders combine a compact design with high performance. Thanks to the sturdy machine housing and the high moment of inertia of the massive, solid rotor they enable powerful grinding of thick-walled moldings, sheets, sprue cakes, pipes and profiles and, when using the special BR rotor, even single-stage shredding of solid lumps from production start-ups. The MDSi 600/300 Smart Control Plus version on display at Fakuma features power consumption analysis to optimize economy and automated lubrication with Bluetooth monitoring to minimize maintenance effort.

Hellweg will be presenting the new MDSGi 1500/600 wet grinder featuring a forced feed system for film recycling to visitors as a 3D printed model due to its considerable weight of around 25 metric tons. In addition to its rugged, durable design typical of this manufacturer, it offers an unprecedentedly good ratio of throughput to energy consumption, enabling very low operating costs. Its cutting geometry is also outstanding, producing flakes of consistently optimum quality, as well as a particle size distribution and geometry which are perfect for further processing with a very low proportion of unusable “fines”.

Smart Control for Optimized Operation

All these systems feature Hellweg’s in-house developed digital Smart Control System which captures parameters such as power consumption, motor speed and bearing temperatures, as well as blade, screen and V belt status. Because the control system is capable of continuously optimizing the relationship between motor load and throughput, it ensures particularly economical operation while requiring little input from operators. Smart Control is generally available for all models and sizes of Hellweg’s systems, starting from the 150 series machine-side grinders for granulating small parts and sprues up to the 600 series heavy duty grinders designed for the toughest applications.

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Covestro expands capacity for TPU films in Germany

• Capacity at Bomlitz site expanded
• Investment in the low double-digit million Euro range
• Global demand for TPU specialty films on the rise

At the inauguration ceremony for Covestro’s new TPU film capacity at the Bomlitz site in Germany (from left to right): Klaus Bammann (Site Manager and Head of Operations at the Bomlitz site in Germany), Tobias Kordt (Managing Director of Epurex Films GmbH), Aleta Richards (Global Head of the Specialty Films Business Entity), Thorsten Dreier (Chief Technology Officer) and Michael Bödiger (Head of Operations of the Specialty Films Business Entity)
Covestro has expanded its production capacities for thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films in the Platilon® range, as well as the associated infrastructure and logistics in Bomlitz, Lower Saxony, Germany.
This site of Epurex Films, a wholly owned subsidiary of Covestro, houses research & development, application development and production for the semi-finished products. The company has invested a low double-digit million Euro amount in the expansion of the center of excellence for TPU-Films.
The new capacity is intended to meet the growing global demand for multilayer TPU films. They are used in automotive interiors and construction, among other applications. Breathable, water-impermeable specialty films have also proven their worth in wound care and outdoor clothing.

“With this capacity expansion, we are strengthening our Bomlitz site and our position as a leading supplier of technical specialty films,” said Dr. Thorsten Dreier, Covestro’s Chief Technology Officer, at the inauguration. “At the same time, we are investing in promising technologies and applications and creating new jobs.”
For Aleta Richards, global head of the Specialty Films business entity, the expansion offers opportunities to respond even better to individual customer needs and offer more sustainable products. “For some time now, we have also been developing customer-specific solutions with films made from alternative raw materials, as we are also seeing increasing demand in this area. The development and production of partially biobased products is therefore to become a new focus at the Bomlitz site.”
Covestro is fully geared toward the circular economy and aims to become climate-neutral by 2035. In 2022 the Bomlitz site has switched its power supply completely to green electricity. Epurex Films is one of Covestro’s three competence centers for specialty films in Germany, along with Leverkusen and Dormagen.

About Covestro: Covestro is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components. With its innovative products, processes and methods, the company helps enhance sustainability and the quality of life in many areas. Covestro supplies customers around the world in key industries such as mobility, building and living, as well as the electrical and electronics sector. In addition, polymers from Covestro are also used in sectors such as sports and leisure, cosmetics and health, as well as in the chemical industry itself. The company is committed to becoming fully circular and is striving to become climate neutral by 2035 (scope 1 and 2). Covestro generated sales of EUR 18 billion in fiscal 2022. At the end of 2022, the company had 50 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 18,000 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).

www.covestro.com

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