Programs Announced for Free Conferences at Cleveland Plastics Expos

The programs have been announced for the four free-to-attend conference theaters at the AMI Plastics World Expos, which take place on November 13-14 in Cleveland, OH, USA .

More than 100 industry experts will speak in the four theaters that are focused on plastics recycling, compounding, extrusion and testing. The two-day conference programs feature a selection of technology talks, keynote presentations, training seminars and business debates.

“The free conference programs are always a major draw at the Plastics World Expos in Cleveland and provide a fantastic opportunity for attendees to explore key industry trends and emerging technologies”, said Andy Beevers, events director at AMI.

A wide range of hot topics and innovative technologies will be covered in the conference sessions, including: PFAS challenges; graphene opportunities; market trends; AI for new product development; regulatory developments; enhancing bioplastics; factory digitization; upcycling plastic waste; computer simulation; the future for plastics packaging; process optimization; boosting recycling rates; applications in electric vehicles; and lots more.

The 100+ speakers include senior representatives from companies such as Accredo Packaging, ADS Pipe. Amcor, American Chemistry Council, AMI, Ampacet, Blue Diamond industries, EFS Plastics, Keller and Heckman, KW Plastics, Revolution Company, Routsis Training, Teknor Apex, TerraCycle, Valeron, WM and many more.

The conference theaters run alongside four focused exhibitions – the Compounding World Expo, Plastics Recycling World Expo, Plastics Extrusion World Expo and Polymer Testing World Expo – which feature more than 370 leading suppliers of machinery, materials and industry services.

https://na.compoundingworldexpo.com/

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Enabling food security and Empowering India’s food processing sector:

UFlex at World Food India 2024

UFlex Limited, India’s largest multinational flexible packaging and solutions company, is participating in World Food India (WFI), organized by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI). This prestigious event promotes investments in the diverse Indian food processing sector. The event is being held at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, 18 with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) as the national event partner. The event serves as a valuable global platform, with India emerging as a key player in the food processing industry.

UFlex is committed to innovation and sustainability and is showcasing its sustainable flexible packaging solutions at World Food India 2024. UFlex will exhibit its pioneering efforts in recycling multilayer plastics to help address the problem of plastic waste pollution. The company will also present its modified atmosphere packaging technology, designed to extend the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables, thus reducing food waste. Additionally, UFlex will feature its enzyme-based biodegradable flexible packaging solutions.

In addition, UFlex leadership participated in two key sessions.

Mr. Jeevaraj Gopal Pillai, President, Flexible Packaging and New Product Development and Director- Sustainability, UFlex Limited, participated in a round table: FMCG: Employment and Investment Catalyst for India’s Economic Growth.” He highlighted how UFlex is at the forefront of developing sustainable packaging solutions for the FMCG sector, addressing regulatory compliance, and enhancing India’s export potential in the global market. He stated, “At UFlex, we are committed to driving innovation in packaging solutions for the FMCG sector by developing packaging structures that incorporate recycled content, substituting aluminum foil in multilayer plastics, and re-engineering designs based on the ‘more for less’ principle. We also believe in collaboration, actively sharing our technology for recycling multilayer plastics with stakeholders to create a more sustainable future.”

In another key session, Mr. Amit Shah, Joint President – Flexible Packaging Business, UFlex Limited, shared insights on “Emerging Innovation and Sustainable Developments in Flexible Packaging for the Processed Food Industry.” He emphasized, “The flexible packaging industry is a key driver of the Indian economy, ensuring affordable packaged products for consumers. As we move toward circularity, our focus at UFlex is on sustainable packaging, integrating recycled content and innovative solutions to combat plastic waste. With our FDA and FASSI-approved PET offering containing 90% PCR content and PE currently under approval, UFlex is moving beyond the conventional 3Rs approach to focus on circularity, with investments in state-of-the-art technology for the manufacturing of PCR based substrates.”

Shri Chirag Paswan, Hon’ble Minister of Food Processing Industries, unveiled a coffee table book titled “Celebrating Growth: The Rise of India’s Food Processing Sector”, in which UFlex is featured prominently. The book underscores UFlex’s significant contribution to promoting sustainable and innovative solutions in the food processing and flexible packaging industry.

UFlex displayed a range of eco-friendly flexible packaging solutions at WFI 2024 Visitors are invited to explore UFlex’s range of eco-friendly flexible packaging solutions for the food processing industry at Hall 14/B 09 during World Food India 2024. This event presents a valuable opportunity for industry partners and attendees to discover the features and benefits of UFlex’s innovative, sustainable packaging technologies.

www.uflexltd.com

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ENGEL Presents eco-flomo XL at Fakuma 2024: More Power for Demanding Cooling Processes

ENGEL unveils the latest model of its successful temperature water manifold: the eco-flomo XL. This larger version of the proven eco-flomo is designed for production environments requiring significantly higher volumes of cooling water, making it ideal for large-scale applications in plastics processing.

Higher Flow Rates for Maximum Efficiency

Compared to the standard version, the eco-flomo XL offers substantially higher flow rates, making it optimally suited to the needs of larger production facilities. While the original eco-flomo system is designed for applications with lower to medium cooling demands, the eco-flomo XL now supports effective cooling with flow rates of up to 100 l/min, making it perfect for very large moulds and high production volumes. It features a 2-inch inlet and 1-inch circuit connections, ensuring improved process stability and increased energy efficiency by eliminating flow restrictions.

Long-Standing Expertise as the Basis for Innovation

ENGEL’s commitment to optimising temperature control processes is based on over 15 years of intensive research and development in this field. Recognising that temperature control errors remain one of the most common causes of scrap in injection moulding production – and that cooling accounts for over 40% of total energy consumption – ENGEL has continuously developed its product platform for integrated, electronically monitored process temperature control. This wealth of experience and dedication to improvement is clearly reflected in the eco-flomo XL.

Flexibility and User-Friendliness

The eco-flomo XL is available with multiple circuit options, providing high flexibility for adapting to different production environments. Its robust construction, featuring a brass manifold, ensures a long service life and easy maintenance. Additionally, the seamless integration with existing ENGEL control systems, such as the CC300, enhances operational convenience and ease of use.

Optimised Control and Monitoring

An additional key feature of the eco-flomo XL is its enhanced monitoring and control of temperature circuits. By accurately measuring and displaying flow rates and temperature differentials for each individual circuit on the machine’s display, operators gain a clear overview of the entire cooling process. This allows for the early detection of deviations and enables quick corrective action to maintain consistently high production quality.

Live Demonstration at Fakuma 2024

Visitors to Fakuma 2024 can experience the benefits of this new temperature control system at ENGEL’s Expert Corner. ENGEL experts will be on hand to provide detailed insights into the eco-flomo XL’s functionality and specific applications.

www.engelglobal.com

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Integrated Production State-Of-The-Art Machinery And Comprehensive R&D

Interview with Lech Skibínski, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at KGL S.A., Poland:

MPIM: KGL is one of the leading manufacturers of thermoformed packaging in Poland and a major player in the European packaging industry. Which fields of the packaging sector do you mainly serve?
Lech Skibínski, KGL: We have a strong focus on the FMCG sector and our customers come, among others, from the confectionary, the meat and HoReCa (Hotels/Restaurants/Catering) segments. A business with sharp rising sales is cups for beverage and dairy products. Packaging refinement (i.e. with pads or printing) is another production branch that significantly extend our possibility to serve the markets. Certifications, such as the BRC (British Retail Consortium), are the basic prerequisite for us to be successful in these areas.

MPIM: When did KGL’s success story begin?
Lech Skibínski, KGL: KGL is not only about the production of film and packaging. Not everyone knows that we started our business as a distributor of polymers (granules) over 30 years ago in 1992. To this day, this is a very important part of our business. We are a leading supplier of plastics mainly in Poland, but we also successfully deliver them to countries in Central Europe such as Czech republic, Slovakia and Hungry, as well as to the Baltic countries. We serve over a thousand customers of various sizes operating in all major areas of the economy, such as construction, automotive, household appliances, food, cosmetics, toys and many more. It is one of our priorities to maintain our position of a reliable partner, also for medium and small companies. Especially these companies often need the distributor’s support in solving process problems, adopting new technologies and accessing raw materials from international manufacturers.

SML: There are not many companies that are active in both areas: PET and PP thermoforming. How did this come about and what are the advantages?
Lech Skibínski, KGL: The fact that we are present in both areas, PET and PP, is the result of a strategic decision that we took many years ago. The strategy of offering complementary products is rewarded by our customers a hundred percent. Generally, it would be difficult to maintain the position of one of the biggest players on the market without selling packaging made of various types of raw materials. In a large part of our business, KGL acts as a service company for its customers. Accordingly, we accept our customer’s decisions regarding their choice of raw material from which a commissioned product will be made, in the same way as when they choose a raw material for their own use.

MPIM: KGL plays a pioneering role in the development of new packaging solutions. How important is product development for the growth of your company?
Lech Skibínski, KGL: The development of the product portfolio is a key factor in running a business in a future oriented way. The role of R&D in KGL has always been a crucial, but recently, due to the dynamically changing legal conditions and a highly competitive market, this aspect has become even more important. All processes at KGL, be it the production of film, packaging, production tools or regranulates, are created with the support and supervision of an extensive technological and laboratory department. A key part of our Research and Development Center is our modern and well-equipped laboratory, where we can carry out a wide variety of tests and measurements. We are constantly improving our technology and production processes in order to further raise quality and to limit the impact of our products on the environment.

MPIM: KGL manufactures the sheet for its thermoformed products on its own extrusion equipment, and you design and manufacture the tools for the thermoforming process yourself. What are the advantages of an integrated production, from the granulate to the finished packaging solution?
Lech Skibínski, KGL: Thanks to our “from granules to packaging” strategy, we can offer our customers a number of benefits. Since our production process does not depend on the need to cooperate with external companies, we have comprehensive control over our production and our delivery times. Such a business model provides security and also gives us the ability to keep all kinds of research and development work secret. Which in turn facilitates the development of new types of film and packaging products. Generally speaking, in a highly competitive market, this approach allows us to maintain and increase our competitive edge.

MPIM: You were one of the first companies to launch thermoformed products with a foamed PP material structure as an alternative to EPS packaging. What advantages do these products offer and how challenging was it to establish these products on the market?
Lech Skibínski, KGL: EU regulations like the single-use plastics directive and the ban on the use of EPS (expanded polystyrene) packaging have accelerated the development of innovative packaging products. KGL took advantage of the new regulations and introduced fully recyclable packaging made of XPP polypropylene foamed film for take-away meals to the Polish market. KGL, in cooperation with SML, has developed a technology for the production of polypropylene foamed structures with a significantly reduced density compared to solid structures. Foaming is carried out on an extrusion line equipped with a device in which the inert gas is effectively mixed with the molten plastic. Reducing the density of the film through foaming means reducing the unit weight of the packaging. The new products are perfectly in line with KGL’s pro-environmental commitments, which include, among others, abandonment of multi-material structures and reduction of packaging weight.

MPIM: KGL and SML has been partnering for more than 10 years. Recently you finalised the contract for the 6th and 7th SML extrusion sheet line. What is important to you in a long-term partnership like this and particularly in joint product development?
Lech Skibínski, KGL: SML is a key partner of KGL. The relationships developed by our companies pay off in everyday cooperation and we are very satisfied with it. As part of the cooperation between the R&D teams of our partners from Austria and KGL, we have managed to develop unique material structures (including foamed PET and PP), which KGL successfully places on the market both in the form of film and packaging products. An important element of the success of our partnership is constant and open communication based on trust. We know if a new technology is created at SML, that potentially fit into our business, we are one of the first to have a chance to get acquainted with it and test it. Such situations have occurred many times in the past. For us, SML is also the first choice when it comes to extrusion technologies. Personally, I think that in the future we will be able to expand our cooperation to other technologies.

MPIM: The packaging market is constantly changing. In which direction will the market for thermoformed products develop in the near future?
Lech Skibínski, KGL: As a conscious market participant, KGL fits in with the view that the circular economy in the plastics industry will soon become a reality. The market will be dominated by entities that will be able to adapt to the requirements of market regulators, related to limiting the use of polymers derived from fossil raw materials and maximizing the use of secondary raw materials. KGL already meets the needs of those customers, for whom the fight against climate change is important. Our business development strategy is based on maximizing the use of recyclates for our films and packaging products. This approach requires the use of equipment and machines, that will be able to process recyclates into quality products. The strategic decision that KGL made many years ago – to choose SML as the supplier of extrusion lines – today perfectly fits to our endeavour to offer innovative products to the market.

www.sml.at

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D.R. Joseph Reveals Auto-Gauge Air Ring with Innovative Approach on Lower Lip Control and Component Modularity

The TDK-500 is the new automatic gauge control air ring introduced by D.R. Joseph Inc, world leaders in Internal Bubble Cooling and air flow control systems. The new air ring, now available to blown film producers is designed to be used with the company’s InstaGauge auto thickness control system which also will be introduced this fall. The unique design equips the TDK-500 with a host of innovative features which boost versatility and provide a faster control response with higher resolution than current offerings.
The TDK-500 air ring is a result of six years of development which drew from DR Joseph’s 30+ years of internal bubble cooling (IBC) controls design experience, 30+ years of air ring design experience from Techflow Design of Mississauga, Canada, and 30+ years thickness measurement experience from Kündig Control Systems of Ruti, Switzerland. The combined experiences created innovations which focused on making an auto gauge control air ring easier to install, easier to operate efficiently and much easier to modify and maintain.

The new dual-lip TDK-500 has four important innovations while retaining the high performance expected from dual lip air rings:
1) Instant setting lower lip adjustment technology (patent pending Tech flow) which completely eliminates the traditional threaded mechanism. Operators can find and secure the perfect lower lip adjustment in a matter of seconds. The adjustment includes a scaled indicator for SOP purposes. This intuitive design eliminates the intimidation factor of managing bubble stability because operators can quickly “test” the entire setting range within 10 seconds. Anyone who has struggled with the endless rotating of the lower lip adjustment can appreciate the instant nature of this setting.
2) Affecting change to the film for consistent gauge control is made more difficult when high performance is also a requirement. The TDK-500 isolates the primary lip cooling from the gauge control adjustments made using the secondary lip cooling air streams.
This keeps the bubble locked consistently to the forming cone for all conditions. The innovated part of this design is the constrained zone design (patent pending Tech flow). The air flow from each control zone constrained in an independent channel that extends to just before the secondary lip exit. This eliminates zone cross mixing and provides a more direct and effective control response to the film.
3) Instant access for cleaning the lower lip exit technology (patent pending DRJ) allows the operator to release the locking feature without tools and safely lift the secondary and cooling collar assembly to a designed cleaning position within the air ring in less than 60 seconds. IBC hardware need not be removed. Optional weight reduction is available for easier lifting is available from a 3D printed polycarbonate cooling collar (patent pending). Additional 3D printed components are still under development.

4) Instant lip set swapping technology (patent pending DRJ) allows the primary and secondary lips to be removed and replaced without tools and without lifting the entire air ring off of the die. A time and cost saving measure which expands the versatility of the air ring. For instance, an operator can change the lower lip geometry to provide a custom air flow impingement angle or to handle lower blow-up ratios within 5 minutes (excluding the time required to remove the IBC exhaust stack).
Again, the TDK-500 is a high performance dual-lip design established from years of experience for the widest range of materials including ultra-low melt strength materials.

https://www.drjosephinc.com/

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