NEWS
US plastics machine deliveries rise 15% year-on-year in Q1
Deliveries of plastics machinery in North America grew by more than 15% in the first quarter of 2018, compared to the same period last year, but fell compared to the most recent quarter. An early estimate of deliveries of primary plastics equipment exceeded US$333 million in the first quarter. This was 15.1% higher than the US$290m in Q1 of 2017, but 11.7% lower than Q4 of 2017.
Röchling adds sheet
capacity Röchling Maywo has increased output of thermoplastic vacuum formable sheet and foil at its Bad Grönenbach site. The company has invested €5 million to expand the site by almost 10,000 sq m – which incorporates a ware- house and production hall covering 5,000 sq m. The move has also created 25 jobs. The company’s
thermoformed sheet is used in a number of applications, including ceiling or wall cladding in trains and coaches, and workpiece carriers – made of electrically conductive plastics – in the electronics industry. �
www.roechling.com
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“Shipments of plastics machinery tend to be lower in the first quarter relative to other quarters due to seasonality,” said Perc Pineda, chief economist at the association. “Still, the US economy was off to a good start in the first quarter. Plastics equipment ship- ments data are in sync with healthy corporate profits in the manufacturing sector, including the plastics industry.” The delivery value of injec-
tion moulding machinery increased nearly 23% in Q1 compared to the fourth quarter of last year, while that of single-screw extruders fell 14.6% during the same period. Twin-screw extruders – including both co-rotating and counter-rotating machines — fell 27.1%. The US total export value for plastics machinery in the first quarter was US$404m, a 7.7% decrease from the previous quarter, but 6.9% higher than a year ago.
Plastics machinery
imports decreased 12.8% in the first quarter to nearly US$830m. From the first quarter of last year, machin- ery imports rose 5.7% (to nearly $785m). The U.S. continues to
have a trade deficit in plastics machinery, which was almost $426m in the first quarter – a 17% de- crease from the fourth quarter last year, but 4.6% higher than a year ago. �
www.plasticsindustry.org
Macchi shows blown film line at NPE – then sells it to customer
Macchi of Italy says it was the only company showing a blown film line at the recent NPE show in the USA. At the exhibition, it showed a five-layer POD line – comprising two 55mm extruders, two 65mm extruders and one 90mm extruder.
During NPE, it produced a five-layer stand-up pouch following close cooperation with Dow Chemical, which developed the material for the application. It took Macchi around two weeks to build the line at the show. Such a short installation time was possible because each line had earlier been installed and tested under real production conditions at its workshop. Macchi said it was able to make the
FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | July/August 2018
Macchi says no other company showed a blown film line at NPE
structure with a thickness of 75 microns – rather than the usual 90 microns. “The five-layer structure allows the converter to choose the resins with the best features,” said the company. “Instead of using extensive blending, it is possible to use the most
suitable material – such as high melt strength polymers for intermediate layers. This increases the stiffness of the whole structure, which reduces its thickness.” After the show, the line was delivered to Versa-Pac, a customer based in Ohio. �
www.macchi.it
www.filmandsheet.com
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