news
FKuR commissions third Berstorff bioplastics line
German bioplastics manufac- turer FKuR has installed a third compounding line from KraussMaffei Berstorff. At the heart of the new line is a ZE 75R UTXi twin-screw compounder with a maximum capacity of 1,000 kg/hr. FKuR’s existing two lines are based around ZE 50 UTXi extruders. The new line includes raw
materials handling systems, a customised compounding section based around the company’s high-free-volume R-series screw design, and a product packaging system. It is designed for high flexibility to allow it to cope with the very different formulations and filler contents used at FKuR. KraussMaffei Berstorff
Laurel opens plant for its bio-fillers
Laurel BioComposite has opened its new 2,000 m2 facility at Laurel, Nebraska, USA, and announced the completion of the first 3,200 tonnes/year line for its Bio-Res PE compounds. Bio-Res compounds are
produced using the by-products of distillers’ grain and are intended to be blended with traditional polymers as a filler to replace non-renewable content. Renewable contents of up to 40% can be achieved. ❙
www.laurelbiocomposite.com
www.compoundingworld.com
FKuR’s complete new KraussMaffei Berstorff line includes materials feeding and bagging systems
biopolymer compounding specialist Lars Denedde said that this is a growing market into which the company has already delivered 10 custom lines. “The global production of biopolymers increased from
249,000 tonnes in 2009 to about 1,160,000 tonnes in 2011 and experts expect the figure to quintuple to about 5,780,000 tonnes by 2016,” he said. ❙
www.fkur.com ❙
www.kraussmaffeiberstorff.com
Sirmax adds new capacity in Poland
Italy-headquartered Sirmax has commissioned a new Coperion ZSK 70 twin-screw extruder at its plant at Kutno, Poland, increasing capacity by around 8,000 tonnes/year. The new line, which will
be used to produce glass- fibre-reinforced PP com- pounds for the automotive and appliance industries, takes total capacity at the facility to 40,000 tonnes/year. According to Sirmax, the Kutno plant, which manu- factures mineral-filled Isofill and glass-reinforced Isoglass PP compounds – has seen consistent growth since it was set up in 2006. ❙
www.sirmax.it
Mitsui invests in automotive PP
Japan’s Mitsui Chemicals has announced significant further expansions of its PP automo- tive compounding operations in the US and Mexico to meet anticipated future demand from the recovering North American automotive industry. The company is adding a further 21,000 tons of capacity at its Advanced Composites facility in Ohio in the US. Capacity at the Advanced Composites Mexican operation will be raised by a further 13,000 tons. These expansions are due on stream in the final quarter of 2014. Taken together with
previously announced expansions that are due to be
completed by the end of this year, the new moves will take the capacities of the US and Mexico units to 289,000 and 83,000 tons/year respectively. “The planned augmentation
will strengthen Mitsui Chemicals’ current top class
position in the North American market and thereby make it better able to contribute to the global strategies of automobile manufacturers,” said Akio Ayukawa, managing executive officer at Mitsui Chemicals. ❙
www.mitsuichem.com
Mitsui’s new compounding investments are driven by growth in North American car production
November 2013 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 7
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