Expansion of footprint in Singapore will localize Ultem resin production in Asia, increasing global production by 50%; recommissioning of Noryl resin manufacturing operations in Bergen op Zoom expected to increase global production more than 40%.

Getting the 8,000-ton machines from Austria to the Infiltrator Water Technologies plant in Kentucky was a logistical challenge.

At the IWT site in Winchester, new manufacturing facilities had to be built to house the large machines. As 29 truckloads of machine parts were arriving from Austria, the 59,000-square-foot building expansion went forward. A 150-ton overhead crane was installed to move molds in and out of the machine and was also used to help assemble the new press.

Special shipping and ground transportation arrangements were needed to move the machine from Austria to the United States and even within Austria. The platens were transported to and from the St. Valentin manufacturing facility along the Danube River on barges. “Each machine was fully assembled and tested prior to shipping and then disassembled to be shipped to the United States,” said Jim Moran, business development manager at Engel North America.

The decision to recommission the Bergen op Zoom Noryl resins facility provides customers with a second source of PPE resins globally, and affirms Sabic’s commitment to the European market and global customers who specify their material solution needs from Europe. When operational, the Bergen op Zoom facility is expected to add more than 40% global capacity over a 2017 baseline.

Engel was recently awarded a gold sustainability rating by EcoVadis, which relies on data from more than 90,000 evaluated companies and global supply chains to rank companies.

In the meantime, Sabic expects incremental manufacturing process improvements at the Selkirk, New York, and Mt. Vernon plants to provide increases in Noryl PPE resin and Ultem PEI resin production by the end of 2018. The resulting supply gains will be used to meet growing demand and improve lead times for customers.

Sabic has announced projects in Asia and the Netherlands designed to increase global capacity for two of its high-performance engineering thermoplastic materials, Ultem polyetherimide (PEI) and Noryl polyphenylene ether (PPE) resins. To increase capacity for Ultem resins, Sabic plans to expand its existing footprint in Singapore where it currently has compounding operations. The planned new production facility in Singapore is expected to go online in the first half of 2021. The company also plans to recommission operations at its Bergen op Zoom PPE resin plant in the Netherlands by the end of 2019 to produce (PPE, the base resin for its line of Noryl resins and oligomers.

“Increased customer demand, especially in Asia, prompted the further capacity expansion plans,”, said Ernesto Occhiello, Executive Vice President, Specialties, Sabic. “While interim capacity gains for both Ultem and Noryl resins have been achieved, global demand for both product lines has increased significantly, and Sabic is planning to expand its capacity to support our customers’ growth aspirations. We will continue to focus efforts to deliver the right capacity, in the right global locations, at the right time to support our customers’ needs.”

Engel said it received the purchase order in November 2020 and completed handover of the first machine in February 2022. The second machine, a replica of the first, was delivered this month.

Ultem resins are currently produced in two locations, Mt. Vernon, Indiana, and Cartagena, Spain. The planned operations in Singapore will localize supply for customers in Asia, reducing lead times, especially for shorter qualification cycle applications. When fully operational, the Singapore facility is expected to increase capacity by 50% over a 2018 baseline. “With the addition of Singapore, Sabic will be the only petrochemical company with the ability to produce the high heat resin in Asia, the Americas and Europe, a significant advantage for the company’s customers,” Occhiello noted.

Engel said it is increasingly receiving requests for custom solutions in the extremely high clamping force range. Clamping forces of 10,000 tons and more are possible. Machines of this size can process individual shot weights of several hundred kilograms or pounds and achieve two-ton-per-hour material throughput.

“We have made significant investments in new equipment, and this will allow us to produce our products more effectively and efficiently,” said Bryan Coppes, vice president of engineering and R&D at Infiltrator. “It is the new capabilities and opportunities for continued product development that are truly exciting. This new equipment will allow us to continue to bring new and innovative products to market and meet and exceed our customers' needs.”

Stephen has been with PlasticsToday and its preceding publications Modern Plastics and Injection Molding since 1992, throughout this time based in the Asia Pacific region, including stints in Japan, Australia, and his current location Singapore. His current beat focuses on automotive. Stephen is an avid folding bicycle rider, often taking his bike on overseas business trips, and is a proud dachshund owner.

Engel added in the news release that it shares a commitment to sustainability with ADS, which claims to recycle more plastic than any other company in North America.

Two injection molding machines with a clamping force of 8,000 tons each have now been delivered by Austrian injection molding machine maker Engel to the Infiltrator Water Technologies (IWT) plant in Winchester, KY. IWT took delivery of the first Engel duo 130000/130000H/8200 combi US machine, the largest machine ever built at Engel’s St. Valentin facility in Austria, in February of last year. A second machine, a replica of the first, arrived at the facility this month. IWT, a subsidiary of Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS), produces water management products.

The duo injection molding machines each have two 85,000 cm³ injection units, which allow for injecting a total shot weight of 270 lb (122 kg). Despite the clamping force and shot size, the machines have a relatively small footprint — 96 ft. (29.3 meters) long and 37 ft. (6.4 meters) wide — enabled by Engel’s two-platen design.