NEWS


Germany expects 15% drop in machine sales


Orders for German plastics and rubber machinery are likely to keep falling until the end of year, says the trade body that represents manufacturers. “The weak demand is


affecting all markets equally – but the European domes- tic market in particular,” said Ulrich Reifenhäuser, chairman of the board of the VDMA’s plastics and rub- ber machinery association. “Major markets such as China and the US are also weakening, though we see glimmers of hope at a lower level in Mexico and India.” From January to August


this year, incoming orders fell by 16%. Because all


organisation’s managing director, said this would mean revising sales fore- casts downwards. “The expected lowest point in terms of incoming orders has not yet been reached,” he said. “We have to be prepared for a 10-15% drop in sales this year.” He said orders could


Kühmann: “We have to be prepared for a 10-15% drop in sales this year”


existing orders have now been processed, this is directly reflected in sales – which fell 7% over the period, he said. Thorsten Kühmann, the


improve towards the end of the year as central banks cut interest rates.


“Due to the lag in


production, it will take until the middle of next year for this to be reflected in sales,” he said – estimating that 2025 sales may fall by as much as 5%. � www.vdma.org


PA66 used in high-current switch


Efen, a German manufac- turer of electrotechnical devices for energy distribu- tion, has used a PA66 from Lati for its E3 series of high-current switches. The compound, Latamid 66 H2 G/25-V0HF1, is reinforced with 25% glass


fibre and includes halogen- free, red phosphorus-free flame retardants, ensuring operational efficiency and environmental safety. With a CTI (Comparative Tracking Index) rating of 600V according to IEC 60112 standards, the material


provides maximum protec- tion against tracking currents, says the company. The compound has UL94 V0 classification down to thicknesses of 0.75mm – and as thin as 0.4mm in its V0HF1X version. � www.lati.com


Medical grade PVC


is bio-based TekniPlex Healthcare claims it is the first company to develop medical-grade, bio-based PVC compounds that are ISCC Plus-certified. It says the compounds – including plasticisers – are equivalent to traditional medical-grade PVC in terms of chemical composition, functionality, and regulatory viability. The compounds can


reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared with conventional PVC resins, and around 60% relative to traditional PVC plasti- cisers, says the company. They can be used as a drop-in replacement for a variety of injection moulded PVC compounds used in components that are composed of medical grade plastics. “This is a significant step forward in healthcare materials science sustain- ability,” said Meg Henke, global head of product management at TekniPlex Healthcare. � https://tekni-plex.com


Microplastics research reports first results


A research project to understand the potential effects of microplastics on human health has completed its first stage.


Plastics Europe, which launched the


five-year Brigid study in 2022, says it found microplastics in 95% of human faecal samples, with an average of 3.3 microplastics per gramme of stool. It said there was no identifiable


www.injectionworld.com


correlation between the consumption of plastic-packaged foods and the number or type of microplastics in a stool sample. However, a new hypoth- esis emerged indicating a potential correlation between the method of food preparation and the presence of microplastics. The most common polymer types were PE, PET, and PP, and the most


common particle shape was fibre. “The finding that packaged food consumption does not influence the amount of microplastics in stool challenges common assumptions,” said Virginia Janssens, managing director of Plastics Europe. “This potential link highlights the need for further research.” � www.plasticseurope.org


November/December 2024 | INJECTION WORLD 5


IMAGE: MESSE DÜSSELDORF/TILLMANN


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