PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2012

TRADE SHOW REVIEW 34 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 04/12 www.petpla.net A success by many measures This year’s NPE saw a significant increase of 26% in visitor numbers from 43,125 at the most recent event in 2009 to the current total of 55,359. Also setting a new record for interna- tional participation was the number of exhibit- ing companies from outside the United States, approximately 40% of the total. PETplanet was there to visit companies with PET-related exhibits. We also seized the opportunity to interview some of the leading lights of the PET world. In this and in the next issue of PET- planet insider, there will be a full round-up of all the new products we saw in Orlando. Penn Color debuts PET Essentials American company Penn Color introduced its line of PET Essentials at the National Plastics Expo in Orlando, along- side its existing range of Pennacle colorants. Penn Color says that its Pennacle range, which was launched in the mid-2000s, offers a number of features that make it easier to use than traditional additives. It features a proprietary and commercially confidential technology, a modified carrier resin package, that does not need to be pre-dried, even in bottle grade. The company’s novel technology, which was originally developed for polyester fibre and has been adjusted to be suitable for single-stage and two-stage blow-moulding appli- cations, is claimed to eliminate problems of delamination and screw slippage, maximises IV retention and is compatible with all PET resins. It is already being used for water, beer, milk and dairy, and CSD products. Penn Color further states that, while Pennacle colorants do not have oxygen barrier qual- ity themselves, they are completely compatible with oxygen barriers and do not detract from their effectiveness. Its white PET masterbatches have high TiO2 content and no carbon. The PET Essentials line includes several standard products, suitable for nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, wines and spirits, food and beverage markets, and special effect colours for cosmetic and personal care packaging. Its current customer base is primarily in North America but it also has an operation in The Netherlands, which started offering PET products and masterbatches in 2011. Penn Color is based in Doylestown, Pennsylvania and has been a producer of colour concentrates and pigment dispersions for plastics for nearly half a century www.penncolor.com Agr provides an inside view Agr International introduced its Pilot Vision in-the- blowmoulder vision-based inspection and quality manage- ment system for PET containers. The system is designed to work in conjunction with high-speed reheat stretch blowmoulding equipment to provide detection of randomly occurring defects during the production of PET bottles. The company says that the increased use of non-virgin materials has contributed to growing incidences of con- taminants, black specs and un-melted material and have led to the need for 100% inspection to keep them out of the production stream. It has an operating speed of up to 100,000 b/h and it is compatible with a wide variety of models and brands. Open architecture allows for simulta- neous management of up to six cameras in multiple loca- tions, typically: preform inspection in the oven area; bottle seal surface; bottle base; and complete sidewall inspec- tion of bottles up to 16 inches tall. Camera and imaging components are sealed to prevent damage from fluids and moisture and active cooling is also available for high tem- perature operation. The system has multiple adjustable ROI tools, digital image filtering, zone scaling and the abil- ity to capture and hold a large set of images for evaluation or setup purposes. Operation, monitoring and control is by high-resolution touch screen user interface. Pilot Vision is available either as a standalone system or as part of Agr’s Process Pilot automated blowmoulder management system. www.agrintl.com Alps launches new leak tester The new Speed-Glider from Air Logic Power Systems LLC (Alps) is a multiple-station continuous-motion linear container leak tester intended for inspection speeds up to 250/300c/m (15,000 to 18,000c/h). The company says that its new machine offers hole size sensitivity compara- ble to a four-station rotary leak tester, and speed capac- ity similar to an eight-station rotary unit but at lower cost. Positive container handling and control is achieved by the use of a precision timing screw for each container type. Alps asserts that this method means that the equipment can be used on customers’ existing tabletop conveyors, that it minimises jams and false rejects, and prevents untested containers from being passed due to sensor errors or fallen bottles. www.alpsleak.com