Extrusion-Pipe & Profile

In a sign that global investment is picking up in the plastics sector, Taiwanese compounding extruder supplier Sino-Alloy Machinery Inc. (Taoyuan) has scored a number of successes of late in delivery of equipment to Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East.

When a heat exchanger begins to fail or becomes problematic, it may be indicative of various problems ranging from inappropriate mechanical design to unforeseen chemical reactions. But, is it better to replace or to repair a heat exchanger?—By American Power Services (Erlanger, KY)

Swiss extruder manufacturer Maillefer has chosen a new CEO, promoting Peter Roos to the position. His predeccesor, Pentti Hätälä, recently turned 65 but will continue as the chairman of the board of the Maillefer Group. 

Even though manufacturing activity at U.S. firms slowed up a bit compared with January, the latest data from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM; Tempe, AZ) showed February was the seventh successive positive month. The hope is that the activity will filter into other sectors; the fear is that current activity may be largely due to replacement of depleted inventories.

As Chinaplas opens in Shanghai this April, China will more than likely be celebrating its impending emergence as the world’s second-largest economy after the United States, expecting to have edged slightly ahead of Japan when the final 2009 GDP numbers come in.

The launch of our Extrusion Expert series of webinars in January generated great feedback and a long list of questions. Here we share with you not only the questions your competitors and peers asked, but also the answers to those. It’s an extrusion information overload.

New test results confirm JM Eagle’s PVC pipe meets industry standards, and the company releases evidence in support of alleged  fraud and a kickback scheme.

Italy's plastics processing machinery manufacturers expect an upturn in the first half of 2010, and it's one they could certainly use after last year's slide. In figures provided by Assocomoplast, the trade group representing about 160 of the country's leading suppliers of processing machinery and molds, total production fell last year by about 25% compared to 2008, with the drop in sales also hitting about 25% for both the export and domestic markets.

JM Eagle and its former parent company, Formosa Plastics Corp. (USA), are at the center of a new “qui tam” (whistleblower) lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, CA by Phillips & Cohen LLP, a law firm specializing in such suits. The suit seeks millions of dollars in damages from JM Eagle and Formosa Plastics Corp. for allegedly supplying “substandard” PVC water and sewer pipe to various states, cities, and municipalities from 1995-2005.

This manufacturer of plastics processing machinery has extended its new range of conical profile extruders with the lower-output KMD 43 K/P, designed to offer processors a flexible, low-maintenance, compact machine that also is said to offer an excellent price/performance ratio.