GE not to attend K-show in Düsseldorf
Interview with Golnar Motahari Pour, President, Europe GE Advanced Materials

GE decided not to attend the Plastics Fair. Furthermore the company announced that GE Plastics has, since the beginning of the year, been amalgamated with GE Advanced Material. This begs the question as to whether GE is turning its back on plastic in the long term or whether these decisions represent an entirely new starting point in their approach to their customers. We spoke with Ms. Golnar Motahari Pour, President Europe GE Advanced Materials. ....read more!

Recognise opportunity and utilise it consistently

An interview with Dr. Erwin Bürkle and
Dr. Dietrich Hunold of Krauss-Maffei, Munich/Germany about current trends in the injection moulding industry and the opportunities of combating cost pressure with innovative technologies. ....read more!

Husky banking on China
Asian Pacific
Technical Centre set up in Shanghai

Husky has been active in China for more than 20 years. Now the company has decided to erect a visible testimonial to the strong growth in this market in the shape of an 11 500 m2 Technical Centre and heating channel construction. We visited the Centre shortly before its completion. ....read more!

Plastics in Automotive Industry meets in Mannheim

The annual conference and exhibition „Plastics in Automotive Engineering“ is scheduled to open its doors on 24th and 25th March in Mannheim/Germany. Using specialised contributions from automotive manufacturers and suppliers, the conference provides information on current plastics applications relating to the inside and outside of the automobile as well as trends and technological developments relating to glazing, simulation, acoustics and construction techniques. Another important feature of the event is the integrated specialist exhibition. Last year more than 70 manufacturers of basic materials exhibited their wares; plastic components featuring in volume production, innovative prototypes along with forward-looking case studies. To whet your appetite ahead of this year‘s exhibition we present a preview of some of these exhibits. www.vdi.de
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One Module for All Antennae
New Automotive Application for Plastics / Metal Compound Technology

Top of the range vehicles today are kitted out with an average of approximately ten antennae and the trend is rising: estimates indicate that there could be up to 16 in the future. Providing of course that systems for monitoring and automatically regulating vehicle distance or warning sensors to avoid minor damage when reversing come to be used. ....read more!

Keep the weather outside
Solvay Engineered Polymers installs profile extrusion line at Automotive Applications Development Center

Solvay Engineered Polymers completed a multi-material profile extrusion line at its Automotive Applications Development Centre in Auburn Hills. The installation is a production-capable extrusion system that will be dedicated to the development of thermoplastic elastomer materials that are appropriate to replace thermoset rubber in weather seal applications for the automotive industry. First of its kind, the production-scale system from Davis-Standard will help customers evaluate costs, equipment, and materials in converting applications from thermoset rubber. ....read more!

Powerful Lightweight
Start-up of high-precision SMC presses at Peguform

Dieffenbacher, Eppingen/Germany have successfully started up several high-precision SMC presses with pressing forces between 8,000 and 25,000kN for the Peguform Group, a long-standing client of Dieffenbacher. All presses are equipped with a high-speed drive and include active, high-precision parallel motion control for IMC techniques. ....read more!

Drive me crazy
Call it a driving machine, funmobile or skateboard with seats - the Smart Crossblade is a car like no other

The Smart Crossblade is the first automobile to feature external bodywork sections made entirely from plastic. In our November/December 2003 issue we reported on the welding technique used by 3M to meet the exacting demands of a vehicle which is open to the elements. This time we shall be focussing on the polyurethane systems that have marked the arrival of BASF subsidiary Elastogran on the scene as far as the Smart Crossblade is concerned. ....read more!

Two-Component Technology more Operator-Friendly
Drinks Holders for the Porsche Cayenne

The drinks holder sits unobtrusively in the centre console of the Porsche Cayenne. However, behind the movable shutter there are some handy practical features. The drinks holder can accommodate drinking utensils of different sizes securely and can, if necessary, be fitted with a handle to convert to a storage compartment. Meeting these requirements calls for sophisticated design and complex production technology. ....read more!

Some Like it Hot!
Husky unveils new series of Thixosystems at Open House

After six years and $10 million in development, Husky Injection Molding Systems of Bolton, Ontario/Canada has produced a new series of injection moulding machines that will take magnesium moulding to a new level. At an Open House on October 10, 2003 Husky showed three machines producing a variety of parts. While the first applications of this technology were in the three ‘C’s’ (camera, cell phone, computer), automotive applications will be the next focus. ....read more!

Millturn works its magic
CNC machining centres for the machinery manufacturers

What have plasticisers, the Airbus chassis and Formula One racing car crank shafts got in common? Answer: They are all made on CNC machining centres from WFL of Linz in Austria. And having seen WFL equipment being used by almost all of the major plastics machinery manufacturers like Arburg, Engel or Battenfeld that we have visited we wondered how a medium sized Austrian company like WFL was able to take on the might of Far Eastern machine tool manufacturers. ....read more!

Read more about several products for the automotive industry
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