ICE event has Eastern promise

A vast potential market is open to the Western companies exhibiting their latest technology at next month’s ICE Asia event. A good blend of domestic and international exhibitors will take part in the exhibition. Those from Europe and the US include major suppliers such as BMB, Polytype, Davis-Standard, Erhardt+Leimer, Meech International, and Herbert Olbrich.

Also exhibiting will be supplier of drying equipment for various applications Bekaert Solaronics (stand B12), whose offering includes the Miniflex, Miniflex2, Webflex, MasterCassette, MonoCassette and the Webmate, based on a special golden reflector said to ensure the highest energy efficiency. Monocassettes are used in the envelope industries, to dry the water-based glue of envelopes, and to dry ink when the paper width is limited. Compared with traditional hot air blowing dryers, Bekaert glue drying systems for envelopes are said to give: energy savings, lower maintenance costs, less heating around the machine, and easy power control. The Miniflex, Miniflex 2, WebFlex and MasterCassette are designed to be integrated in flexo printing machines for intermediate and final drying, also when space is limited. For final drying of varnish coating, the more powerful MasterCassette is normally used.

Swiss specialist in hot and cold perforation and fibrillation Burckhardt (stand G09) manufactures perforation rings, tools and machines to customer request. Its latest development – the HotSpeed perforation unit – was engineered upon multiple requests for the perforation of PP bread bags. With a speed of 300m/min and temperature of 400°C the HotSpeed is claimed to accomplish the job “in a perfect, quick and user-friendly way”. The company’s in-house lab offers perforation services up to a width of 1,580mm for consulting projects, product development, pilot runs and pilot production, and contract perforation. The Burckhardt system can be mounted in most fibrillation lines and the roller does not have to be dismounted for the change of fibrillation bars.

Innovations in web tension control and web guiding from FMS (stand B11) will include ultra-compact force sensors and the new 309-Series of digital electronics. The F202 and FA202 “ultra-slim and cost-effective” designs provide a new option for accurate web tension mounting on machines where wider sensor designs do not fit. An accuracy rating of 0.3% and 10 times overload protection are said to ensure precision and durability. The new EMGZ309 Series digital amplifier with integrated EtherNet/IP and other Ethernet-based field buses feature fast data rates (with cycle times of =2ms) that enable real-time tension control over the bus. Used in combination with the highly compact force sensors, they are said to be ideal for machines with limited installation space.

IST Metz (stand G03) will be presenting its new BLK-6 UV concept to improve energy efficiency considerably and offer a high degree of productivity for lower operating costs. Innovative technological ideas that facilitate a high standard of efficiency include the newly developed IPS control generation and the UV online sensor. The IPS concept builds on the classic functions of a control system, adding intelligent options such as remote service and monitoring. All BLK-6 units are fitted with the new UV online sensor as standard. This miniature sensor, directly integrated into the surface of the reflector, measures the UV radiation efficiency before showing it in the operating display. The new URS inlay reflectors, the ELC electronic power supply, and the proven FLC quick-change lamp concept also play an important role in the performance of a UV system.

NDC (stand B07) gauging and control systems can be used for measuring both total thickness and barrier layer thickness in the plastics industry. The systems have passed the quality system attestation of ISO9001:2000, CE BS EN standard, as well as the EMC, low voltage standard. NDC systems feature eight types of sensor, including non-radioactivity IR sensors and worldwide patented non-nuclear IR sensors for both total thickness and barrier layer such as EVOH and PA. The company’s TDI (Total Distributed Intelligence) system has 15 language displays, touchscreen interface and is said to be easy to install and operate.

PSA Technology (stand C13) manufactures winders and slitter rewinders for films, laminates, coated materials, paper, aluminum or nonwovens. Close collaboration with customers and suppliers enables the company to design, develop and build “challenging and complex” machines to meet special requirements. Types include automatic unwinders, fully automatic winders with inline slitting, fully automatic short roll winders, semi and fully automatic slitter rewinders, and automatic core cutters for winding to the point of fully automatic packaging solutions.

Spooner Industries (stand E07) designs and engineers advanced, high performance air drying and web handling technologies including air flotation dryers, air impingement dryers, conveyorised dryers, flat bed through air dryers, air turns and coolers. Spooner’s air flotation dryers ‘float’ the coated web on dynamic cushions of air, achieving contact-less and crease-free operation. Typical applications include; flexible packaging, barrier coatings, adhesives, magnetic media, labels and tapes. Under a new agreement with Anguil Environmental systems, Spooner also provides pollution abatement technologies including regenerative thermal oxidisers, recuperative thermal oxidisers, direct-fired oxidisers and catalytic oxidisers, adsorption systems, rotor concentrators, energy recovery systems and solvent recovery systems. Spooner’s Technical Service Division provides machine surveys, energy audits, refurbishment, training and optimisation, spare parts and other services.

The Stopstatic.com division of Alpha Innovation’s (stand G01) patented static string technology is claimed to represent a dramatic improvement over traditional anti-static products such as electric bars, brushes and tinsel, because its small profile allows installation in tiny gaps where static develops between machines and substrates. The ion360 ionising rod system, used by 3M, Kodak and Alcan Packaging, provides a full 360 degree field of static elimination that makes all sides of the rod effective regardless of the web speed or high static voltage, it is claimed. This eliminates declining performance and the need for cleaning or calibration.