PROCESSING | THERMOFORMING
materials using thermoforming, highlighted a recent automotive project during NPE. Fynotej, a manufacturer based in Mexico City
Above: EconCore’s ThermHex technology is used to make PP honey- combs and sandwich materials
barrier variant of polyvinylidene chloride (PVdC) coating to a film structure made from layers of polyethylene (PE). Multiple layers can be applied to create different coating thickness weights. As coating weight increases, so do barrier attributes. This grade is the latest example of Tekni-Film’s SBC thermoformable film capabilities. It also offers 120-, 150-, 180- and 210-gram coating thicknesses, as well as other custom solutions.
Forming on show A number of suppliers were present at recent exhibitions, including both NPE and Plast. CMT Materials, for example, which develops thermoforming plug-assist materials, showed its range of Hytac syntactic foams at NPE. The materi- als were also featured at the booths of several leading thermoforming machine manufacturers including: Germany-based Illig, Kiefel, and Gabler; Italy-based Wrapping Machinery and OMG; and US-based Sencorp, Brown Machine Group, and Irwin Research & Development. Illig, for instance, used an RKDP 72 thermofor- mer to run a 6-up tool for PET tray production at 42 cpm, while Kiefel demonstrated PP K-cup produc- tion on a KTR-6 thermoformer with new tooling from Bosch-Sprang featuring Hytac XTL plugs. Conor Carlin, sales and marketing manager for
Right: At NPE, GN showed a common-edge- cut tool that was developed for its GN800 by a Romanian toolmaker
CMT Materials, noted that the increased growth for the company’s products was largely focused in food packaging applications in Europe and Asia, with material shifts away from PS to PP and new multilayer films. “These more complex polymers require more sophisticated plug assists beyond our basic epoxy-structured materials,” he said.
Automotive honeycomb EconCore of Belgium, whose ThermHex technology is used to make polypropylene (PP) honeycombs and sandwich
26 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | June 2018
www.filmandsheet.com
that makes automotive non-wovens and industrial carpets, is EconCore’s first North American licensee to focus on automotive applications. It went into production earlier this year with a range of honey- comb sandwiches for automotive interiors, includ- ing the trunk space. The products, branded Fynocore, have a PP honeycomb core with skins – thermally bonded in-line – in either solid PP sheet or with a non-woven surface finish. They combine low weight with high performance and aesthetics. “Fynocore products combine our expertise and
experience in non-wovens with EconCore’s ThermHex honeycomb technology,” said Daniel Kalach, VP of manufacturing at Fynotej.
American debut Also at NPE,GN Thermoforming Equipment showcased its GN800 thermoformer for the first time in North America. It offers many standard features in order to meet manufacturers’ needs, including a forming capabil- ity of 5in above and below the sheet line, in-mould- cut capability, auto-grease, heavy-duty bearings in the toggle system, and high-efficiency solar heaters. A top priority is to improve productivity and
ensure that customers produce the most finished parts per pound of sheet. Over the years, GN has perfected common-edge-cut tooling technology for its contact-heat series of thermoformers. Common-edge tooling offers the ability to form a series of square or rectangular trays in a row or multiple rows while eliminating all web between the edges of the products. The GN800 is designed to work with minimal thicknesses of plastic materials and – in combina- tion with the common-edge system – can increase finished part output per pound (kg) of material. At NPE, the company demonstrated a common-
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