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Hand-held triboelectric device—‘Tribopen’
International news Clean round the bend The Post-Formable Crodalux epoxypolyester powder coating developed at the Hall Green, Bi~ingham, factory of Croda paints, overcomes an inherent problem of spraying powder. Due to the Faraday’Cage effect, the coating into comers is, at best, thin, at worst, nonexistent. Consequently manufacturers are inclined to apply excessive powder to ensure adequate ~net~tion into comers. This invariably results in an overcoating of Rat parts. Typically, Aat surfaces can have a powder thickness of 250 p, when only a fifth of this is required. Powder costs are thus unnecessarily high -but have to be reluctantly accepted. To coat both sides when flat then form the comer is the obvious answer. But the coating has to stretch on the outside and compress on the inside wirhour cracking. This is what the new Crodalux epoxy-polyester Post-Formable powder coating achieves. It will withstand a zero T bend without damage. On one specific application, the coating is applied to flat, 0.5 mm thick, mild steel, pre-treated with iron phosphate. The coated, cured sheets are passed to the next production station and shaped. Up to twelve bends per unit are formed, al1 with a minims bend of 90”. Typical bend radius is 0.5 mm. Some of the bends are within 5 mm of the unit edges.
The fiat sheets receive a uniform powder coating of 40 pm. Previously the thickness fluctuated between zero and 250 pm. Consequently the ‘coat-flat’ technique has halved powder costs. An additional, unexpected benefit to the user was the saving of storage space. Pallets could only hold 24 pre-formed units - but 1000 flat sheets. The new Crodalux Post-Formable coating was developed within six weeks of the customer calling in Croda Paints. ‘We had to work very closely with the customer’, said Peter Hewitt, the Technical Service Manager for powder coatings. ‘Bending without cracking required careful and prolonged monitoring of film thickness and cure protile. Cure temperature and time were particularly critical. So, too, of course, was the formation of a very special powder.’
Hand-held triboelectric device - ‘Tribopen’ This simple, hand-held device is developed by the Ford Motor Company and the University of Southampton designed to aid primary sorting of certain groups of plastics. The Tribopen Series 2 will differentiate between two polymer groups having only a single head and is
the size of a fat pen. The Tribopen Series4 will differentiate betweenfour polymer groups by collecting and analysingthe triboelectric chargegenerated on its headswhen usedon a plastic sample.It is the sizeof a pocket torch. The devicescost relatively little and are simpleto operate. They have a selfcontained rechargeablepower supply, built in electronicsand a simple LED display. The operator simply brings the head of the device into contact with the unknown plastic, sweepsit acrossa smallpart of the plastic surfaceand the resulting polymer group is indicated by the LEDs on the Tribopen end cap. The Tribopen Series 2 currently distinguishes between poiyethyleneipolycarbonate,polyethylene/polyamide,polyethyleneJABS, polypropylene/polycarbonate, poIypropylene/poIyamide, and polypropylene/A~S. The Tribopen Series4 is currently designedto segregate unknown plastics or plastic coatingsinto polyethylene(PE),po~ypropyl~e ac~lonitrile butadiene styrene w? (ABS) or polyamide (nylon) (PA). The complete systems are designedto be independent, hand held, easy to use indoors or outdoors and have a rechargeablebattery life of up to 30 hours. Sockets are provided for recharging and/or external power supply and for data output to info~ation storageand control devices, The Tribopen is manufacturedunder licenceby Fluid Flim DevicesLtd.
Export accolade for Lloyd’s Register
A 0.5 mm mild steel sheet coated with Crodalux Post-Formable powder. The powder stretches on the outside and compresses on the inside (without cracking) when the metal is bent 6261-306§/96/020~11-07
Q 1995 ElsevierScience
t.td
Lioyd’s Register (LR) has won the Queen’sAward to Industry for Export Achievements 1995. LR, the world’s premier classificationsociety, sets and monitors internationally recognized standardsof safety and quality to industry throughout the world. The Award acknowledges LR’s achievementin expanding its overseas operation by constantly developingand improving its links with foreign countries, through its local office network (more than 260 worldwide), frequent visits and delegationsto governments and companiesabroad and international market researchwhere necessary.It is also recognition of LR’s sustained growth over the past three years (the period assessed in the applicationsin its three main areasof shipping, offshore and land-basedindustry.
Materials & Design Volume 16 Number 2 1995
111
The fiat sheets receive a uniform powder coating of 40 pm. Previously the thickness fluctuated between zero and 250 pm. Consequently the ‘coat-flat’ technique has halved powder costs. An additional, unexpected benefit to the user was the saving of storage space. Pallets could only hold 24 pre-formed units - but 1000 flat sheets. The new Crodalux Post-Formable coating was developed within six weeks of the customer calling in Croda Paints. ‘We had to work very closely with the customer’, said Peter Hewitt, the Technical Service Manager for powder coatings. ‘Bending without cracking required careful and prolonged monitoring of film thickness and cure protile. Cure temperature and time were particularly critical. So, too, of course, was the formation of a very special powder.’
Hand-held triboelectric device - ‘Tribopen’ This simple, hand-held device is developed by the Ford Motor Company and the University of Southampton designed to aid primary sorting of certain groups of plastics. The Tribopen Series 2 will differentiate between two polymer groups having only a single head and is
the size of a fat pen. The Tribopen Series4 will differentiate betweenfour polymer groups by collecting and analysingthe triboelectric chargegenerated on its headswhen usedon a plastic sample.It is the sizeof a pocket torch. The devicescost relatively little and are simpleto operate. They have a selfcontained rechargeablepower supply, built in electronicsand a simple LED display. The operator simply brings the head of the device into contact with the unknown plastic, sweepsit acrossa smallpart of the plastic surfaceand the resulting polymer group is indicated by the LEDs on the Tribopen end cap. The Tribopen Series 2 currently distinguishes between poiyethyleneipolycarbonate,polyethylene/polyamide,polyethyleneJABS, polypropylene/polycarbonate, poIypropylene/poIyamide, and polypropylene/A~S. The Tribopen Series4 is currently designedto segregate unknown plastics or plastic coatingsinto polyethylene(PE),po~ypropyl~e ac~lonitrile butadiene styrene w? (ABS) or polyamide (nylon) (PA). The complete systems are designedto be independent, hand held, easy to use indoors or outdoors and have a rechargeablebattery life of up to 30 hours. Sockets are provided for recharging and/or external power supply and for data output to info~ation storageand control devices, The Tribopen is manufacturedunder licenceby Fluid Flim DevicesLtd.
Export accolade for Lloyd’s Register
A 0.5 mm mild steel sheet coated with Crodalux Post-Formable powder. The powder stretches on the outside and compresses on the inside (without cracking) when the metal is bent 6261-306§/96/020~11-07
Q 1995 ElsevierScience
t.td
Lioyd’s Register (LR) has won the Queen’sAward to Industry for Export Achievements 1995. LR, the world’s premier classificationsociety, sets and monitors internationally recognized standardsof safety and quality to industry throughout the world. The Award acknowledges LR’s achievementin expanding its overseas operation by constantly developingand improving its links with foreign countries, through its local office network (more than 260 worldwide), frequent visits and delegationsto governments and companiesabroad and international market researchwhere necessary.It is also recognition of LR’s sustained growth over the past three years (the period assessed in the applicationsin its three main areasof shipping, offshore and land-basedindustry.
Materials & Design Volume 16 Number 2 1995
111