Its product properties make the new grade the material of choice for large and complex applications in the household and electronics industries and contributes to improving their carbon footprint. Large parts for air conditioning devices, vacuum cleaners and coffee machines are just some examples of targeted applications.

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.

Mike Ellis, Global Business Manager for Husky Hot Runners and Controllers, said: “Fast and effective colour-change processes are essential for our customers, and we are continuing to see an upward trend in colour-change applications. Our collaboration with Chem-Trend and the integration with our Altanium Mold Controllers addresses this critical market requirement and enables our customers to achieve more efficient and effective colour-change performance.”

Graziano Pestarino, Global Account Manager for thermoplastics solutions at Chem-Trend, added: “We know a lot is at stake for processors if the right purge compound and process are not used in colour changeovers amounting to significant time and cost. By combining our years of expertise in the field and our latest advancements in purging technology with that of Husky … plastics manufacturers stand to reap immense benefits of productivity and control previously unachievable.”

Chem-Trend and Husky aim to significantly enhance operational margins by increasing equipment and labour uptime. The collaboration reported an 85 per cent reduction in scrap and an 80 per cent increase in mould cleaning efficiency following early trials.

Novodur P4XF exhibits high flowability – the melt volume rate (220 °C/10 kg) is at 60 cm3/10 min (ISO 1133). This allows customers to optimize their production tools for faster manufacturing by reducing the number of injection gates for large parts and by increasing the number of cavities in multi-cavity tools.

The joint approach is based on the process for using Chem-Trend’s Ultra Purge brand of purge compounds, which is designed specifically to reduce colour-change time and carbon formation in hot runner systems.

Artur Sokolowski, Sales Director Household and Electronics EMEA, comments: “Novodur P4XF is truly amazing. For large parts, it is an excellent alternative to many other materials. Depending on what materials customers are using today, they will experience faster cycle times, shorter cooling times, lower warpage, higher stiffness, higher surface quality and scratch resistance and less dust attraction/ electrostatic charge. In addition, less injection pressure allows for smaller injection machines when using Novodur P4XF.”

Ineos Styrolution has debuted a new ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) grade as part of its Novodur family of ABS specialty copolymers. The new material grade, Novodur P4XF, excels with a high flowability and at the same time offers an attractive balance profile between flowability and impact strength.

The team devised a new guided procedure made easily accessible to operators within the Husky Altanium Mold Controller operator interface. The instructions outline a simple, yet highly effective approach to setting up and performing the colour-change process explicitly for moulds with hot runner systems.

Husky Injection Molding Systems, Ltd. has announced its collaboration with Chem-Trend on a system solution that creates repeatability during the critical colour-change process to offer a faster, more accurate, and optimised approach for operators.

Material of choice for large housing applications in household and electronics industries; perfect fit for thin-walled applications; high flowability for easy processing and ultimately faster production.