December 20161

Ontario Spectator

Spectatorthe Newsletter of the Ontario Section of SPE December 2016

6900 Industrial Pkwy, Alliston Ontario, Plant 1Time: 12:45 pm to 2:00 pm

Sorry – This event is sold out

With 4000 employees the Honda Alliston plant is Canada’s first Japanese OEM assembly plant. This state of theart facility manufactures the Honda Civic in Plant 1, and the Civic and CR-V in Plant two.

NOTE: You will be asked to show government issued photo ID when checking in at the Plant 1 Security. Safetyglasses and headsets will be provided. All tour guests must wear long pants, closed toe and closed heel shoes.Open toe or open back shoes and shorts are not allowed in the plant.

Honda Canada Plant Tour – 26th January, 2017

As hard as we try to produce zero scrap and mold the perfect part with every shot, it’s nearly impossible andextremely difficult to do without the proper tools—defects are bound to pop up eventually. In this presentation,Dan will cover the biggest molding challenges in the industry and how to address them, how to plan for successup front while building a process, and the differences between Decoupled II and Decoupled III molding tech-niques. Attendees will leave with concrete examples of how to improve their processes and their part quality.

Dan Clark, National Sales Manager at RJG, Inc.Dan Clark has over 20 years of injection molding experience, including material handling, operations, shippingand receiving, set-up, and process engineering. He found his passion for training when he became involved intraining personnel in robust processing techniques. Dan joined RJG in 2008 as a Consultant/Trainer. Hisresponsibilities included teaching RJG Systematic courses, Decoupled Workshops, and Master MolderCertification courses. He progressed into managing the Midwest region where he assisted companies in imple-menting training and technology to improve their product throughput by lowering scrap, cycle times, and labor(to name a few things). Dan recently took on the role of National Sales Manager, where he can implement whathe has learned across the Unites States and Canada.

*This will be a Lunch and Learn event, details to be announced.

How to Combat Common Molding Challenges and Create Quality Parts

16 February 2017

December 20162

Ontario Spectator

DECEMBER PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Looking Forward to 2017!This is the time of year to lookback and celebrate our successesand look forward to more in theNew Year. SPE Ontario isexcited looking forward to2017. Our industry is facingnumerous challenges and withour experience, knowledge and

hard work we will overcome them to protect andgrow our industry in North America.

Networking is becoming even more important thanever. We have many technologies that keep us fromreal human contact, and SPE Ontario will be thereto provide opportunities to meet and learn for allour members. In late January we will visit the HondaPlant in Alliston. Unfortunately the tour is alreadysold out, but don’t worry, we will have a lunch andlearn on February 16 with Dan Clark of RJGentitled ‘How to Combat Common MoldingChallenges and Create Quality Parts’, a surpriseactivity in early spring and of course our verypopular golf tournament in June.

We will keep all of you informed of our activities…stay tuned! Visit our website www.4spe.org

On behalf of the SPE Ontario board of directors...we want to wish you a very Happy HolidaySeason… may 2017 be a year to celebrate!

Looking forward to seeing you in the New Year!

Renee Morin,President SPE Ontario

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Ontario Spectator4

December 2016

Recent developments in pigments are redefining the rolethese materials play in plastics well beyond that ofappearance. The latest versions of these additives increas-ingly address such needs as process efficiency, wastereduction, sustainability and regulatory compliance.

Some colorants and pigments are even touted asessential components of “green” building design, for thesynergies they provide in the reduction of energy useand thus the carbon footprint of structures ranging fromsingle-family houses to apartment buildings and officetowers.

These and other developments stem from ongoingadvances in formulation chemistry – someserendipitous – and from enhancements in deliverytechniques that promote increasingly precise levels ofuse and thus, in many colorants and pigments, a finertailoring of properties.

Designers, compounders and end-users, as a result, canincreasingly work with color additives that are not onlykey to product aesthetics, but to manufacturingproductivity and functionality.

Following are representative examples of recentdevelopments in these areas, many of which were ondisplay at the K 2016 trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany,in late October.

‘YInMn’ = True BlueShepherd Color Co. is commercializing a vivid bluepigment that was discovered by researchers at OregonState University seven years ago. The material, whichShepherd is licensing from the university, is called“YInMn Blue” and will be used in pigments (andcoatings) for plastics.

The name derives from its chemical content, whichincludes yttrium, indium, manganese and oxygen. Unlikemany bright blue pigments, the material is extremely sta-ble, probably owing to its accidental discovery after aresearcher heated manganese oxide to about 1,200°C(or 2,192°F) to test its electronic properties.

Importantly for its use as a pigment, tests by an OregonState research team led by chemist Mas Subramanianfound that YInMn Blue has high ultraviolet absorbanceand high reflectivity in the near-infrared regioncompared with conventional cobalt blue pigments.

Additionally, according to information from theresearch team, the pigment has a crystal structure inwhich the chromophore that produces its intense blueis in a trigonal bipyramidal site, which means that thecolor can be tuned by adjusting the ratio of indium tomagnesium.

This means that in building design the pigment can beused to formulate dark blue roofing that stays cooler insunlight than conventional blue roofs, thereby creatingenergy benefits. So-called “cool roofs” that use darkblue colors to reflect solar heat are design features ofnew and retrofit buildings. They limit the amount of

Colourants & Pigments Get More Versatile What you see isn’t all you get when it comes to new grades of pigments,

which meet a range of needs beyond aestheticsBy Pat Toensmeier

continued on page 5

Chemist Mas Subramanian inspects sample of YInMn Blue, apigment with high UV absorbance and IR reflectivity developed byhis university research team and licensed to Shepherd Color.Courtesy of Mas Subramanian, Oregon State University

FEATURE ARTICLE

heat that is absorbed by roofs and enters structures, thuseliminating the need for excess air conditioning as wellas costly roof-deck insulation or attic venting systems.

The optimum color for a cool roof is white, which mightnot be a problem for commercial buildings, but home-owners prefer darker colors such as blue that resemblethe black or dark grey of conventional roofing shingles.

Exposure tests conducted by Shepherd Color show thata standard blue roof generated much more heat than aroof colored with the YInMn Blue pigment – 191°Fcompared with 168°F. The tests also demonstrated thatthe total solar reflectance of the pigment was more thanthree times greater than that of a conventional darkblue pigment.

Most residential roofing shingles are asphalt, butpolymer alternatives fabricated from recycled plasticsare growing in popularity for their low weight andeconomy, and could become one of many importantmarkets for the pigment.

Cool-roof design is integral to initiatives in the UnitedStates such as Energy Star from the EnvironmentalProtection Agency, the U.S. Green Building Council’sLEED certification program, and California’s Title 24building code.

Lead-Free EnhancementsWhile the YInMn pigment represents one extreme onthe development scale – a new formulation with excep-tional properties – most additive enhancements aregeared toward incremental advances in pigments andcolorants that meet immediate needs.

One example is PV Fast Yellow H4G, an organic yellowpigment from Clariant Corp. that replaces leadchromate-based materials. Lead chromate pigmentshave been banned from consumer plastics in Europe

since 2015, and users elsewhere are under pressure tofind nontoxic alternatives, especially for toys, food-contact applications, and other consumer products.

Clariant describes the material as having two to threetimes greater color strength in polyethylene and PVC asconventional lead chromate yellows, and adds that incombinations with inorganic pigments H4G achieves aclose match to the color and opacity of lead chromates.

The material has good opacity, as well as lightfastnessand weather resistance. It has high dispersion, and canbe used for indoor and outdoor applications with poly-olefins, styrenics, thermoplastic elastomers andpolyurethanes. The impact of H4G on part warping isminimal, and the pigment is suitable for such applica-tions as crates, caps and closures. The material is alsoFDA, EU (10/2011) and GB 9685 compliant for foodcontact in the U.S., Europe and China, respectively.

Clariant, meantime, has set ambitious sustainabilitygoals. The company seeks to improve the value ofcolorants and pigments in a number of ways: increasingthe use of renewable raw materials; resource savingsfrom improved production processes; devising high-process-efficiency formulations; longer productlifecycles; and greater recyclability.

By 2025, Clariant wants to reduce energy consumptionand carbon emissions by 30% per metric ton of pigmentproduced; achieve 35% reductions in greenhouse gasemissions, water consumption and waste; and reducewaste water by 40%.

Wire and cable is a major user of color. One concentratesupplier, the Color Division of Teknor Apex Co.,

continued from page 4

December 2016

5Ontario Spectator

continued on page 6

Consumer product makers rely on colorant advances to highlighttheir packaging from competitors. Courtesy of Clariant

Among the sustainable raw materials in use by Clariant is succinicacid, which is synthesized from natural sugars and added toquinacridone pigments. Courtesy of Clariant

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December 2016

FEATURE ARTICLE

continued from page 5

recently received UL certification that a series of 14 newgrades for wire and cable and other electronics arehalogen-free and acceptable for use in halogen-freecompounds.

The pelletized concentrates use ethylene-vinyl acetate(EVA) and PE as carrier resins. The materials can beused with either EVA or polyolefin-based, halogen-free,flame-retardant compounds.

They were developed with customer input. Compliancewith halogen-free requirements in compounds is a keyrequirement for applications in North America, amongthem public transit, marine and military installations, aswell as office buildings and automotive.

Flexible Carbon BlackRegulation and sustainability influenced the recentdevelopment of carbon black masterbatches by CabotCorp. At K 2016, the company showed an expandedrange of universal masterbatches for use with a variety ofpolymers. New to the Plasblak line are UN2015,UN2017 and UN2019. Together with a previous grade,UN2010, the materials are formulated with low levels ofimpurities to meet European Union food-contactrequirements. UN2019, additionally, complies withFDA regulations for U.S. food-contact applications.

The line includes three grades for non-food applicationsthat meet a growing need for greater levels of recyclatein raw materials in Europe and elsewhere. UN2014,

UN2016 and UN6289 are described by Cabot as cost-effective masterbatch options.

All of these masterbatches achieve high jetness (ordegree of blackness) and tinting strength at lowaddition rates. The company adds that just onemasterbatch grade can be used effectively with anumber of engineering resins, among them ABS,polyamide and polyoxymethylene.

Other new or enhanced grades include Black Pearls 630,a specialty carbon black that balances jetness with bluetone, and adds color without a tradeoff in dispersibility.The pelletized grade, which originated from an effort tofine-tune the properties of another carbon black, saysGeorge Haines, global segment manager, is primarily forgeneral-purpose moldings of consumer goods, electronicparts and automotive components.

Cabot has certified more than 20 specialty carbon blackgrades using International Carbon Black Associationand other standards. The objective is to show thatcertified grades comply with an update to the EU’sREACH regulations that further limits the use ofpolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in applications withprolonged or frequent skin contact. This, in addition toits work in demonstrating masterbatch compliance withFDA and EU food-contact rules, means customers canbe certain that materials they specify from Cabot “meetperformance and regulatory compliance needs,” Hainessays.

Cost-Effective LiquidsLiquid pigments are a small proportion of the coloradditives market, but offer benefits over pellets andpowders, says Paul Maguire, president of RiverdaleGlobal.

Chief among these are: greater accuracy in metering;minimal – even no – waste during operations and thuslittle, if any, waste-disposal concerns; efficientdispersion in compounds; cleaner machine-sideoperations and storage; no worker exposure topigments; and cost savings over dry versions.

Riverdale supplies an innovative liquid pigment systemcalled Pump-in-a-Drum (PIAD). Using a peristalticpump and gravimetric dispensing system designed bysister company Maguire Products, which buildsauxiliary processing equipment, the company suppliessingle pigments in sealed containers that compounders,molders and others connect to compounders, moldersand others connect to machines for automaticdispensing. continued on page 7

UL certified 14 new wire-and-cable colorants from Teknor Apex foruse in halogen-free compounds. Courtesy of Teknor Apex Co.

FEATURE ARTICLE

December 2016

7Ontario Spectator

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Using a single pigment in the dispenser maximizes colorstrength, brightness and uniformity, Maguire says. Thesystem can, as a result, achieve full color effects at lowerletdown rates than with conventional liquid pigments.

When a container is empty, Riverdale replaces it. Thecompany returns used containers to a central or satellitefacility and cleans and refills them for reuse with aprocessor’s exact color formula.

“We mix color in the container using an in-housecoloring system,” Maguire explains. “There is no wastedmaterial.” Containers usually come in 5- and 30-gal.sizes. Samples come in 1-gal. containers, and specialtotes in a 200-gal. size.

Leftover material – typically 1 to 3% of content – isreused, which saves money. The PIAD’s color-deliverytolerance is within 0.1%, which prevents over-coloringand helps reduce costs.

Overall, users can save 20 to 40% on color costs alonecompared with conventional liquid pigments.

Maguire says Riverdale is adding satellite facilities toimprove turnaround time for pickups and deliveries. Upto 20 are planned in the U.S. Satellites are also slatedfor Europe and China. In some cases, refillingoperations can be set up next door to a customer, orwithin a plant.

continued from page 6

Future developments include addition of a softwaretracking system, now in beta testing, which providesinformation about color formulations and howefficiently dispensing systems and pigments are used,along with compliance information and traceability ofcomponents. This type of collection is not unusual forgravimetric blenders that meter dry colors, but is“relatively unusual” for liquids, according to Maguire.

Reprinted with the permission of Plastics Engineering magazine.

A self-contained system from Riverdale Global automaticallymeters liquid pigment into process machines. Courtesy ofRiverdale Global

Ontario Spectator8

December 2016

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Ontario Spectator9

December 2016

UPCOMING EVENTS

EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGEAND YOUR NETWORK

26th January 2017Honda Canada Plant Tour

6900 Industrial Pkwy, Alliston Ontario, Plant 1Alliston Ontario

Plant Tour: 12:45 pm to 2:00 pm________________________________________

16th February 2017How to Combat Common Molding Challenges

and Create Quality Parts Dan Clark, RJG Inc.

Details to be announced._____________________________________

8-10th May 2017Antec

Anaheim California________________________________________

16-18th May 2017Plast-Ex

Toronto Congress Centre ________________________________________

2 June 201751st Annual Golf Tournament

Pipers Heath Golf Club,5501 Trafalgar Rd, Hornby (Milton), ON

Details to be announced.

www.brenntag.caQuality Products, Superior Service… Coast to Coast

World Market Leader inChemical Distribution and Logistics

Providing market experts in the Plastics Industry

Pigments • Additives • Resins • Fillers • Plasticizers

Arkema ........................................................................................................................................ Page 10

Brenntag ...................................................................................................................................... Page 10

Chase Plastics ..................................................................................................................................Page 2

Compuplast ....................................................................................................................................Page 2

CPIA ............................................................................................................................................Page 10

EMC .............................................................................................................................................. Page 3

L.V. Lomas Ltd. ..............................................................................................................................Page 3

Univar Canada................................................................................................................................Page 2

Sponsors

December 2016

10Ontario Spectator

SPEctator 2016/2017 Advertising Rates

2016/2017 Rate for 4 Issues $500 (pro-rated)

For more information or to place an ad, please contact:CHRIS BUTRYN, Advertising, SPE Ontario

cbutryn@gmail.com416-432-2792

The SPE is a non-profit plastics industry association, and therefore relies on member support for The Spectator, the newsletter of the Ontario chapter.

The Spectator is sent to over 400 plastics industry professionals, and viewed by over 10,000 people on the SPE Website.

Through these mediums we are able to inform our membership of monthly meetings, industry news, our annual Christmas dance, our annual Minitec, University Night, and our golf tournament, as well as other activities within the plastics industry.

This also offers a valuable opportunity for advertisers. A consistent advertising campaign in our newsletter will put your company’s name before thousands of professional engineers and other decision-makers in the plastics industry. The benefits can be substantial.