Recent Court Ruling Supports Momentive’s Protection of Intellectual Property
Momentive Performance Materials Inc. (Momentive) announced today that a criminal court in China reached a ruling that supports Momentive’s protection of its intellectual property. The ruling determined that four former employees committed trade secret infringement by misappropriating Momentive’s proprietary textile-enhancer and antifoaming technologies and using the information to produce and sell competing products. The sentencing included prison time and fines for the individuals, a fine for the company they created, and an order to immediately confiscate the infringing products and production equipment. In addition, a civil court in China ordered the company and its principal to pay damages to Momentive. Moreover, a former employee related to this incident was also previously convicted of trade secret infringement by a court in Korea and sentenced to time in prison.
Momentive has a long history of innovation and takes protecting its intellectual property seriously. The company has and will continue to vigorously enforce its intellectual property rights around the world, including cooperating with law enforcement on criminal investigations. By protecting the company’s innovative solutions, customers can trust the consistent high-quality products they purchase under the Momentive brand.
To learn more about Momentive and its products, visit www.momentive.com
LyondellBasell Completes Acquisition of Mepol Group
LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB) has completed the acquisition of Mepol Group, a manufacturer of recycled, high-performing technical compounds located in Italy and Poland. Mepol S.r.l. and its subsidiaries Polar S.r.l. and Industrial Technology Investments Poland Sp.z.o.o, will be subsidiaries in LyondellBasell’s Advanced Polymer Solutions (APS) business unit.
LyondellBasell’s APS segment produces and markets compounding solutions, such as polypropylene compounds, engineered plastics, masterbatches, engineered composites, colors and powders and is a global leader in compounding solutions.
“The acquisition is forward-thinking and aligned with our commitment to a circular economy,” said Torkel Rhenman, executive vice president Advanced Polymer Solutions of LyondellBasell. “With Mepol’s deep expertise in recycled compounds and LyondellBasell’s strategy and scale, we see significant opportunities to accelerate the growth of our APS business by leveraging macro trends in circularity and creating solutions for everyday sustainable living.”
LyondellBasell is building a leadership position to address the rapidly growing demand for circular and renewable solutions with innovative products and technologies through its integrated value chain approach. The company is committed to produce and market at least 2 million metric tons of polymers from recycled or renewable-based sources annually by 2030, to meet its customers’ needs.
Jones Day and Wardynski & Partners served as LyondellBasell’s legal advisors on the transaction. Special Affairs S.r.l. served as Mepol Group’s financial advisor and Gitti & Partners acted as its legal advisor.
ISRA VISION Honored for Outstanding Supplier Services in the Field of Glass
ISRA VISION GmbH was honored by the Chinese company Hunan Shaohong Special Glass Co., LTD. (Shaohong) with “The Best Supplier Award”. With this award, Shaohong honors the outstanding services and delivery times of the company in the field of glass.
“We are very pleased about the award,” says Tomas Lundin, Managing Director of ISRA VISION GmbH and President of the Machine Vision Solutions Division. “Our aim is to always offer our customers the best possible service. The award underlines our high quality standards and spurs us on to continuously optimize our performance.”
Shaohong is active in the field of thin glass and produces TFT-LCD substrate glass, which is used in display manufacturing. ISRA VISION supplies the customer with the Flat Panel Master System (FPM), an inspection system that checks the glass quality and ensures that defects such as bubbles, stones or scratches can be detected and corrected during the production process. In this way, ISRA VISION supports the customer in meeting the high requirements of display manufacturing and in continuously improving production quality.
X-Rite Appearance Solution Now Measures and Visualizes Effect Finishes Used in Plastics, Fabrics, and Structured Coatings
X-Rite Incorporated and Pantone LLC, global leaders in color science and technology, announce new capabilities to the MA-T12 multi-angle handheld spectrophotometer and the PANTORA desktop software that enable automotive, electronics, and durable goods customers to measure and visualize a broader range of materials, including plastics, leather, fabrics, and structured coatings. The new updates make it easier and more affordable to capture and digitize color and appearance characteristics of complex materials using one measurement device. With this solution, customers can transform a physical material into a digital twin or virtual prototype for remote visual approval, minimizing the need to ship samples between design teams, suppliers, and partners.
“The use of effect finishes and textures to improve a product’s aesthetic appeal have expanded beyond automotive paints to vehicle interiors,” said Matthew Adby, Product Management Director, X-Rite. “The new capabilities in the MA-T12 and PANTORA enable automotive manufacturers to measure, visualize, and control color on both interior and exterior components using one handheld device. It eliminates the need for multiple devices and can be used anywhere from the design center to the assembly floor, streamlining the digital design and quality control process.”
The MA-T12 measures effect finishes and complex materials with 12 angles of measurement and a calibrated camera. This allows manufacturers to verify color, sparkle, coarseness, and surface texture. MA-T12 measurement data and PANTORA software’s new SVBRDF (Spatially Varying Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function) capabilities enable users to create accurate digital representations of complex materials that include color, effect finishes, and surface structure.
In addition to effect paints, the combined solution now characterizes a range of materials used across automotive, electronics, and durable goods. This includes:
Plastics and Injection Molding – Digitally communicate how a molded or textured plastic material looks to meet tolerance and reduce variances in appearance that lead to added rework and cost. This creates a more sustainable process with less waste and downtime.
Leathers and Fabrics – Measure and visualize natural or embossed leather and textured fabrics for precise virtual prototyping and improved quality control.
Powdered Coatings – Accurately visualize the color and appearance of applied textured powder coatings to a final product and track product variances for remote approval.
The combined MA-T12 and PANTORA solution supports digital workflows to accelerate the design to manufacturing process. Designers can use the solution to visualize product designs and digitally communicate color and appearance requirements across a global supply chain. Manufacturing partners can now measure and compare production parts to ensure they are within tolerance and remotely assess variations. Final inspection and quality control professionals can measure and capture all aspects of an assembled good or vehicle.
For further information, please visit www.xrite.com
Zerma: New ZRS Series Pipe Shredder for Larger Diameter Pipes
Zerma has developed a new ZRS series pipe shredder to process plastic pipes with a diameter of up to 2.2 meters and a length of up to 7.0 meters.
The pipes are fed in horizontally via an enclosed feeding trough. To ensure safety the machine is switched off during loading and the area is secured by a light-grid ensuring the machine cannot be started with people or loading equipment in the area. As soon as the heavy-duty hydraulically operated cover is closed and locked the shredding process starts automatically. The pipes are pressed by a strong hydraulic pusher against the two rotors which are arranged vertically and rotate in the same direction. Once the pusher completes the forward stroke it will retract, the shredder switches off and a new loading cycle can start. The feeding hopper can accept various sizes of pipes, even cascading multiple pipe diameters, optimizing the production process and increasing the overall performance of the pipe shredder.
The rotors have a diameter of 1.3 meters and a width of 2.6 meters and are driven by a powerful gear combination consisting of two gearboxes with 55 kW motors each.
The ZRS series pipe shredder can shred pipes with different diameters and wall thicknesses as well as pipes that are nested in one another. The machine has a control panel with separate operator panel that allows the user to monitor and control the operation. This operator panel offers an intuitive touch screen user interface, allowing complete control and monitoring of the process to maximize productivity.
This newest model in the ZRS pipe shredder series will be put into operation at a North American pipe manufacturer.
“Possible Applications of Ai for Special Purpose Engineered Solutions” With Tha
After a first successful project in 2020, HEKUMA and the Augsburg University of Technology (THA) will now again start a project-related cooperation. This time, the aim is to investigate possible applications of artificial intelligence for the optimization of requirements management for special purpose engineered solutions.
Within the scope of the project, both symbolic and sub-symbolic AI methods will be considered under the leadership of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Honorary Doctor of ONPU Thorsten Schöler (THA, Institute for Resource Efficient Data Transmission and Processing HSA_ired) and Dr.-Ing. Christoph Legat (HEKUMA).
Symbolic approaches, for example based on ontologies or knowledge graphs, use logical reasoning to uncover implicit knowledge in data and thus transform it into explicit knowledge.
In a different way, sub-symbolic AI methods, such as neural networks and deep learning, use so-called training data and algorithms to detect and learn patterns and relationships in data. This mechanism of detecting regularities can be used, for example, to identify anomalies or classify the condition of a machine.
In the joint project between HEKUMA and the THA, both approaches are being investigated and evaluated to find out which methods and their combination are best suited to improve requirements management for special purpose engineered solutions, especially in the early project stage. Either way, it is believed that the application of artificial intelligence in requirements management can help increase efficiency and quality.
This project, which is to be intensified in the coming months, achieves an optimal transfer of knowledge and exchange between science and practice and thus promotes innovative solution finding. It is planned to present the results to a broad professional audience at internationally renowned conferences, thus stimulating further discussions.
All those involved are looking forward to the successful continuation of the collaboration and are keen to see the results of the project.
Since March 14th This Year, Kai Gottwald has Joined Dr. Stephan Gneuss as Director of Gneuss GmbH
Gneuss GmbH, in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany has appointed Kai Gottwald as Company Director.
Kai Gottwald has already been CFO with statutory authority (Prokurist) for 16 years. Now, he will join the two family entrepreneurs, Dr. Stephan Gneuss and his brother, Daniel Gneuss. Prior to his career at Gneuss, Kai Gottwald spend many years as assistant to the financial board at an automotive supplier.
Kai Gottwald explained: “During the past years, I was as CFO able to witness and influence the growth of Gneuss GmbH and I am now delighted to continue to expand the leading role of company as a company director, together with the two managing directors, Daniel and Stephan Gneuss”.
Gneuss is well known for its innovative and leading technologies in polymer recycling and has been one of the market leaders in its field for 40 years.
BEST LINE Systems from BST Set New Standards in Quality Assurance
First-class performance for first-class production results: BST helps its customers optimize performance and processes in a wide range of application areas every day, without sacrificing quality. BST, a leading full-service provider of quality assurance systems for the web processing industries, introduces the BEST LINE product series. Under the motto Performance3, this product Line presents four technologically advanced products that set new standards. The FRAMEGuide Pro, regi star 20 Pro, iPQ-Check Pro, and TubeScan Pro systems all have one thing in common: they combine maximum precision, increased efficiency, and stronger dynamics into uncompromising quality.
The highlight of the FRAMEGuide Pro web guiding system is the newly developed high-performance drive: With repeat accuracies of ±10 μm, it ensures highly precise control results in every application.
When maximum quality is the goal, “very good” performance is insufficient; this is where the BST products of the BEST LINE series come in: The high-precision quality assurance systems FRAMEGuide Pro, regi star 20 Pro, iPQ-Check Pro, and TubeScan Pro enable performance that far exceeds industry-defined benchmarks thanks to enhanced functions. The intelligent, new key features ensure even greater control and inspection accuracy in the Pro models of the established BST systems, ensuring flawless precision in web processing production processes across industries.
FRAMEGuide Pro: Revolution in high-precision applications
The highlight of the FRAMEGuide Pro web guiding system is the newly developed high-performance drive: With repeat accuracies of ±10 μm, it ensures highly precise control results in every application – an invaluable advantage in applications requiring maximum precision, such as in battery and fuel cell production or the pharmaceutical industry. The compact FRAMEGuide Pro can be optimally and flexibly integrated into all machine layouts due to its lowest possible overall height, with fixed and moving frames arranged at the same level. Optional motorized sensor adjustment adds flexibility and ensures maximum efficiency in web guiding.
regi_star 20 Pro: Maximum measuring accuracy with RSC matrix camera sensor
The second high-performance star in the BEST LINE has been specially developed to produce safety and function-relevant end products in the organic, photovoltaic and printed electronics industries. With its high-precision scanning and control algorithms, the high-resolution RSC matrix camera sensor regi_star 20 Pro detects even minimal deviations in the smallest dot mark fields, enabling ultra-precise measurement accuracy of up to 2 μm. In conjunction with the FRAMEGuide Pro, regi star 20 Pro provides unrivaled control comfort and precision at the highest level for every measurement, allowing users to significantly optimize their production processes immediately and in the long-term.
The innovative inspection system TUBEScan Pro provides maximum performance when used in cutting and converting machines for packaging printing and labels, and detects defects even faster and more reliably.
iPQ-Check Pro: Print defect detection at high speeds
The BST iPQ-Check Pro high-precision system is one of the printing industry’s leading inspection systems, providing maximum precision in print defect detection even at high speeds and very wide webs. With a maximum resolution of up to 16 K, it inspects web widths of up to 2.90 m. The detectable print defect size is 0.02 mm², and this quality standard is guaranteed even at web speeds of 600 meters per minute. Like the standard iPQ-Check model, iPQ-Check Pro can be easily integrated into any machine due to its extremely compact design. As a smart tool for quality management, iPQ-Check Pro combines uncompromising print image inspection with high-precision web monitoring across the entire print format, thus sustainably improving print quality.
With its high-precision scanning and control algorithms, the high-resolution RSC matrix camera sensor regi_star 20 Pro detects even minimal deviations in the smallest dot mark fields, enabling ultra-precise measurement accuracy of up to 2 μm.
TubeScan Pro: High-Precision Inspection System for Flawless Print Quality
TubeScan Pro is another high-speed talent in the field of print inspection: the innovative inspection system of the BEST LINE provides maximum performance when used in cutting and converting machines for packaging printing and labels, and detects defects even faster and more reliably. Even with web widths of up to 550 mm and speeds of up to 500 meters per minute, high precision is maintained with resolutions of up to 0.1 mm. The integrated press control system actively positions detected errors at the target position for error correction, ensuring perfect print quality while reducing waste. For optimum cooperation with the press, TubeScan Pro can be integrated precisely into the SMARTData workflow.
The BST iPQ-Check Pro high-precision system is one of the printing industry’s leading inspection systems, providing maximum precision in print defect detection even at high speeds and very wide webs.
Sustainable Water Management in the Face of Climate Change
Lighthouse project for energy-efficient irrigation system with durable and robust SIMONA PE 100-RC Line pressure pipes
Climate change is associated with extreme weather conditions such as heat waves and droughts. Such events also have an impact on agriculture: the proliferation of droughts causes severe soil damage and crop failures. Against this backdrop, innovative solutions in support of the economical and efficient supply of water for the cultivation of arable land are being welcomed with open arms at a political level. The Ministry of the Environment, Nature and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia recently funded the “Bedburg-Pütz Irrigation Project” with up to 5.6 million euros. The sprinkler system featuring optimised irrigation management is intended to provide sufficient water for the fields, especially in dry summer periods, and thus ensure good harvests. Environmentally friendly installation as well as the durable and robust properties of the underground piping system are as essential to the overall concept as the irrigation technology itself. Hard-wearing PE 100-RC Line pressure pipes engineered by SIMONA were the natural choice. They were laid by IFK GmbH using the cost-effective and minimally invasive ploughing method.
Those managing the project opted for PE 100 RC-Line pressure pipes. The extruded polyethylene pipes combine the benefits of durability and efficient handling.
Potatoes, carrots, onions and the like – even field vegetables tend to “feel the heat” in summer. What may seem innocuous actually turns out to be a significant threat to food cultivation. As a result of climate change, with ever warmer and longer-lasting hot spells, the soil is drying out and crops are facing the challenge of water shortage. As a consequence, harvests may be significantly impaired or crops may fail entirely. With this in mind, farmers from North Rhine-Westphalia have recently joined forces to form a public association aimed at implementing an efficient irrigation system for their fields, featuring optimised control and watering technology.
The ploughshare with the displacer is the so-called leading edge when it comes to underground installation: it loosens the soil so that the pipe can be pulled into it.
Comprehensive, cross-regional distribution of water
The project in Bedburg-Pütz represents a modern approach to climate change adaptation. Thanks to optimised irrigation management and improved distribution technology, the irrigation system supplies the fields in the Bedburg region with water throughout the year in a manner that is both economical and efficient. This also includes the area surrounding the Garzweiler open-pit lignite mine. In the context of open-pit mine dewatering, the groundwater was removed down to a depth of 260 metres by means of pumps. Irrigating the above-mentioned crops with the help of the public water network, availability of which remains limited, would be challenging and extremely expensive. With this in mind, the water needed for irrigation is to be pumped from the southern section of the 2,400-hectare association-managed area in Bedburg to the open-pit mine in the north via a network of water pipes spanning a length of approximately 20 kilometres. During dry periods, therefore, water supply is assured not only for crops grown in Bedburg but also for those cultivated in neighbouring areas. In addition, water distribution featuring optimised irrigation management offers a number of options for future expansion in support of climate-friendly regional supply. At the same time, it provides the basis for greater diversity with regard to cultivation, thus adding value for the farms and incentivising other downstream processing companies to settle in the region.
A key feature of the construction project in Bedburg-Pütz: the laying operation included several pipe sections comprising up to 60 pipes that had been welded directly to each other to create the extensive pipeline system.
Durable pipe systems
In future, 2,500 hectares of arable land are to be irrigated with around 1.5 million cubic metres of water per year. For this purpose, the project includes the construction of six deep wells and a pipeline network spanning around 20 kilometres. The latter is made up of highly durable and robust PE 100-RC Line pressure pipes manufactured by SIMONA AG, one of Germany’s leading producers of semi-finished thermoplastics and pipes. Durability is one of the key features of the single-layer pressure pipes made of extruded polyethylene. PE 100 pipes boast a service life of more than 100 years. Another benefit is their internal and external corrosion resistance, which ensures maintenance-free operation. The smooth internal pipe surfaces reduce pressure losses over the entire service life. In addition, the PE 100-RC pipes offer increased resistance to slow crack growth and high resistance to point loads. Thanks to their low weight, installation is simple, fast and cost-effective, even with long pipe lengths. Added to this is their high flexibility, which helps to prevent fractures of the pipe in the event of pressure surges or ground settlement. The polyethylene pipes comply with DIN 8074 in respect of dimensions and tolerances, in addition to meeting the quality requirements of DIN 8075. Last but not least, the polyethylene pipes are recyclable and thus resource-friendly, which further underlines the eco-friendly focus of the Bedburg-Pütz construction project.
Faster, more environmentally friendly, more cost-effective: applying the ploughing method, even long pipe sections can be laid in a short space of time and with significantly less environmental impact.
Cost- and resource-friendly installation method
When it came to installing the pipes, the choice was made to lay them by means of the ploughing method. Salzburg-based IFK GmbH is a specialist in this field: cables and pipe systems are inserted directly into the ground using a plough. Applied since the 1960s in Germany, the method has been steadily refined and is particularly suitable for arable land and wetlands, along roads and paths as well as in forests and woodlands. The state-of-the-art ploughing method combines the benefits of outstanding environmental compatibility and superior cost-effectiveness. It is the perfect choice when it comes to laying long lengths of pipe in a short space of time – faster than with an excavator. In addition to reducing construction time and causing less disruption to traffic, this procedure also comes with a lower risk of accidents, is cable- and pipe-friendly, and usually allows the surrounding vegetation to recover quickly because of the “minimally invasive” (similar to a zip) displacement of soil. The cost savings, e.g. compared to construction with a trencher or excavator, are considerable.
The plough consists of a ploughshare, the laying box as well as a winch which is hooked up to a towing vehicle. At the starting point, the ploughshare is inserted into the ground – along the specified route – to the desired depth; in Bedburg-Pütz it was 1.7 metres deep. The towing vehicle pulls the pipe laying unit – together with the ploughshare and pipes – towards it by means of a winch. The ploughshare loosens up the ground as it is drawn forward, and the pipes are thus pulled into the ground. The soil then closes up over the pipe again and can also be compacted if necessary. In Bedburg-Pütz, several hundreds of metres of pipe were laid as welded sections. Since February 2023, eleven kilometres of water pipeline, featuring PE 100-RC Line pressure pipes, have already been laid for the eastbound line. A further nine kilometres of SIMONA pressure pipes for the westbound line are to follow in June 2023. They serve as water pipelines for the sprinkler systems. Construction work is scheduled for completion in August 2023.
A long section of the newly laid pressure pipes leads north to the Garzweiler open-pit lignite mine, the objective being to supply the fields there with sufficient water throughout the year.
State funding for lighthouse project
The rationale behind the irrigation of arable land for the purpose of ensuring the regional supply of the Ruhr region and the Rhine corridor – with up to 10 million consumers – is to guarantee the cultivation of food in the long term. With this in mind and given the choice of a state-of-the-art installation method and extremely durable and robust pipes, the Ministry of the Environment, Nature and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia rates the project as a so-called lighthouse project in the context of climate change adaptation and is funding the construction of the irrigation system with up to 5.6 million euros.
In March, Röchling Industrial took over the SMC specialist Compotech AG, Weinfelden, Switzerland, retrospectively as of January 1, 2023. From July 1, 2023, the company will be called Röchling Industrial Weinfelden AG.
Röchling Industrial Weinfelden AG in Weinfelden, Switzerland: The SMC specialist specializes in the manufacture of large-format molded parts made of glass fiber reinforced composites and fits perfectly into the Composites division of Röchling Industrial.
Röchling Industrial is thus consistently pursuing the path of renaming its now 43 worldwide locations according to the uniform pattern from Röchling Industrial and adding the location name.
“The reason for the name change is to make visible the strategic focus of all activities on the industries in which we serve our customers,” says Franz Lübbers, Member of the Röchling Group Board of Management and responsible CEO for the Industrial division, explaining the decision to merge all Industrial subsidiaries to be named uniformly worldwide.
In this way, Röchling communicates the industry orientation of the Industrial division to the market on the one hand and creates a uniformity that connects all locations and employees on the other.
“With the renaming of Compotech, the idea of synergy becomes particularly clear. The products and the material and application know-how of the new Swiss colleagues are an ideal complement to our activities, especially in the field of rail vehicle construction,” emphasizes Florian Helmich, COO Röchling Industrial.
Röchling Industrial Weinfelden specializes in the production of large-format molded parts made of glass fiber reinforced plastic. The components manufactured using the SMC pressing process are further machined on CNC machining centers. The high-quality painting, bonding and assembly of whole kits are also part of the offer.
The new location is already integrated into Röchling Industrial’s Composites product line. Together with the locations in Haren/Germany, Nancy/France and in Cleveland and Mount Pleasant in the USA, it forms a unit that produces SMC molded parts, pultruded profiles and pressed sheets, wound components up to precisely machined and assembled modules with a unique know-how for fiber-reinforced composites.
“With the new name of Röchling Industrial Weinfelden, we are signaling to the market that Compotech is now included in a powerful group with a unique range of composite products and services that offers customers real added value,” says Uwe Kassens, Director Europe Composites responsible for the activities for composite materials at Röchling Industrial.
