Hubergroup Print Solutions announces price increase

As the costs of raw materials, transport, labor, and energy continue to rise, Huber group Print Solutions now reacts with a price increase for all global regions. The price increase applies to all segments, i.e., to sheet-fed/UV and web offset as well as flexo and gravure products, and will vary by product. Local contacts will inform customers about the concrete effects and be available for questions at any time. The ink manufacturer emphasizes that it is working hard to minimize price increases for customers by using its global supply network, examining other sourcing methods, and utilizing alternative raw materials. Nevertheless, a price increase is unavoidable.

Heiner Klokkers, CEO of Huber group, states: “The situation on the raw material market is not easing, but instead continues to worsen. The printing ink industry is severely affected by the increased costs for transport and raw materials such as pigments, resins, or solvents. To ensure that we can continue to supply our customers with high-quality products in the future, it is unfortunately unavoidable that we reflect the increased procurement costs in the prices of our products.”

http://www.hubergroup.com/

Drupa invites participation in international Global Trends survey

How has the global printing industry changed? What impact has the pandemic, supply and resource shortages and shifts in demand had on the industry? These and many more questions are illuminated by the 8th Global Trends Report. For this purpose, the world’s leading trade fair for printing technologies is activating its renowned international drupa expert panel and at the same time inviting other interested print service providers and manufacturers along the entire value chain to participate in this worldwide industry panel. The results are expected to be published in autumn as the 8th edition of the drupa Global Trends Report.

The survey is aimed specifically at executives and experts from print service providers and the machinery/supplier industry. Registration as a panelist is possible until 31 March the survey will take place in April. All participants will receive the full version of the drupa Global Trends Report as well as benefits in the run-up to and during drupa 2024.

“In view of the continuous change and further developments in the print and packaging industry, current, representative market data and assessments of global industry participants are more relevant than ever,” explains Sabine Geldermann, Director Print Technologies Messe Düsseldorf. “The drupa Global Trends Report is a valuable tool for highlighting market dynamics and the corresponding impact on investment plans and growth potential. With this in mind, we cordially invite manufacturers and print service providers to register in order to provide an overall picture of the industry.”

Drupa has been surveying international print service providers and suppliers since 2013 in order to shed light on the industry and global megatrends, market potential, and innovations in all key areas of the print industry. Messe Düsseldorf has commissioned the independent market research companies Print future/UK and Wissler & Partner/Switzerland to conduct the trend surveys.

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Perstorp and Project Air renew EU application for major green chemistry investment

Sweden’s leading chemistry group Perstorp, and partner companies Fortum and Uniper, today submitted a EUR 97 million application to the EU Innovation Fund for Project Air. This unique project aims to build a production facility for sustainable methanol in Stenungssund, Sweden, which could reduce global CO2 emissions by 400,000 tonnes, equivalent to approximately 1% of Sweden’s territorial emissions.

The ambition is to already 2026 achieve large-scale production of sustainable methanol, which in turn can be used in making chemical products with thousands of applications, enabling an improved climate footprint in several value chains. The project is possible thanks to an innovative usage of biogas, hydrogen from electrolysis and residue streams, as well as carbon dioxide recovered from Perstorp’s own facilities, to produce the methanol. This means the project will utilize carbon atoms that would otherwise become CO2 emissions.

“The chemicals industry is a key player in the sustainable transformation of society. Making Project Air a reality is an urgent priority for Perstorp, our customers, and partners as it creates increased availability of sustainable chemical products throughout our value chains,” said Jan Secher, President and CEO of Perstorp. “This project is a unique opportunity, but also a challenge for Swedish industry and energy policy. It is one of several industrial transformation projects seeking to use biogas as raw material, and Sweden should take steps to stimulate a sufficient supply for these purposes.”

Perstorp believes that Project Air with a modified application is well-positioned to receive support from the EU Innovation Fund, but the company is also investigating alternate modes of future funding. The total investment in Project Air is expected to be 236,3 million euros.

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Up to 99% carbon footprint reduction from new INEOS Styrolution bio-attributed styrenics

INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, has introduced today new NAS ECO and Luran ECO sustainable drop-in solutions based on a mass balance process certified by ISCC PLUS.

The products are based on styrene being produced using renewable feedstock that is not in competition with food production, such as kitchen waste and wood waste.

The carbon footprint reduction for the new products varies between 77% and 99% when compared to the respective fossil-based products, depending on the amount of renewable feedstock used to produce a material.

The new materials, Luran ECO and NAS ECO have identical physical and mechanical properties as their fossil-based counterparts Luran and NAS, enabling a direct replacement for customers seeking to step up their sustainability efforts.

Eike Jahnke, Vice President of Specialties EMEA, comments: “These new solutions expand our portfolio of mass balance-based specialty styrenics products. Together with our previously introduced Styrolux ECO and Styroflex ECO families, we can now offer our customers sustainable drop-in solutions for four of our specialty product families.”

Production of the new materials will be in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

Luran and NAS are transparent styrenics specialty materials offered by INEOS Styrolution.

Luran is a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) featuring a well-balanced property profile ranging from good transparency and excellent chemical resistance to high stiffness, extraordinary heat resistance as well as very good dimensional stability. These make them a material of choice for a variety of household and cosmetics packaging applications.

NAS is a stiff, amorphous styrene methyl methacrylate (SMMA) copolymer for demanding applications requiring excellent transparency such as water tanks, displays, food containers, or boxes. NAS features an outstanding water-clear appearance, an extremely low haze as well as a good thermal and chemical resistance. The optical properties of NAS are on a similar level as PMMA, while NAS has a density and processing advantage compared to acrylic solutions.

http://www.ineos-styrolution.com/

RedSnow Beauty in season

On South Korea’s Jeju Island, January and February are blooming times for a much-revered flower. Clariant harnesses its secret for healthy-looking and resilient skin.

“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold.” The quote by the Greek philosopher Aristotle is close to two and a half millennia old. But countless modern-day visitors to Mount Hallasan seem to agree. Each year, they flock to the volcanic island of Jeju, some 80 kilometers off the coast of mainland South Korea to explore and extensively photograph the winter wonderland surrounding South Korea’s highest mountain.

The island of Jeju draws visitors year-round and usually sees its first snow of the season in late November. However, the last crisp winter days of late January and early February offer a particularly charming spectacle. That is when bright spots of red and dark pink dot the snowy landscape in and around Hallasan National Park. The sight comes courtesy of Camellia japonica, a hardy shrub that wears its fleshy green leaves all year but only puts on its floral dress for a few weeks at the end of winter.

Moreover, Clariant has shown in extensive in-vitro and ex-vivo tests how RedSnow can block aryl hydrocarbon receptors in skin cells. These are usually triggered by certain airborne pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals with particles smaller than ten or even 2.5 microns. This way, RedSnow can help prevent the production of free radicals that cause oxidative stress to the skin. In addition, it helps reduce the activation of MMP-1 genes and increases collagen production. All of this means that RedSnow can help protect the skin not just from irritation, but also premature aging caused by pollution in urban and outdoor environments.

What speaks to customers

Anti-pollution skincare is a hot topic, especially for affluent consumers in megacities across the region. Environmental factors such as airborne pollutants are a great concern since they are harmful to health and skin and can cause skin irritation as well as premature aging. RedSnow is Clariant’s answer to this growing issue.

Since 2016, Clariant’s Active Ingredients business unit has partnered with BioSpectrum, a Korean manufacturer renowned for its active ingredients derived from plants on Jeju. Camellia japonica is one of several plant species BioSpectrum and Clariant harvest there. All are sourced in accordance with the island’s special status as a world heritage site and national park. Some products are even made from by-products of pruning.

As a result, RedSnow combines much of what today’s consumers look for in an active ingredient: more sustainable, traditional, and scientifically proven effectiveness. A delicate flower conquering a harsh environment may also be the perfect metaphor for the resilience of beauty.

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Dow recognized as a Three Star winner for its environmentally sustainable packaging solution

Dow (NYSE: DOW) has been recognized as a Three Star winner for its all- polyethylene (PE) stand-up pouch – winning the Singapore Packaging Awards 2021, AsiaStar Awards 2021, and WorldStar Awards 2022.

Dow’s all-polyethylene (PE) stand-up pouch: Recyclable with outstanding

Dow’s all-PE stand-up pouch was developed in collaboration with value-chain partners to be designed for recyclability right from the start. The sustainable packaging solution, made with one raw material – polyethylene, offers the same convenience and performance that multi-material pouches offer, with the added benefit of complete recyclability in existing streams. Other material properties include excellent toughness, enhanced shelf appeal, and reduced plastic weight.

Dow has partnered with brand owners to introduce this sustainable packaging solution to various industries in Asia. These brands include Liby, a leading laundry brand in China, which has collaborated with Dow to produce fully recyclable packaging for its laundry pods using Dow’s INNATETM TF Polyethylene Resins for Tenter Frame Biaxial Orientation (TF-BOPE).

Amorepacific, a global beauty company from South Korea, has also adopted Dow’s INNATETM TF-BOPE for its liquid products under luxury cosmetic brand Sulwhasoo, clean beauty brand Primera, as well as the derma cosmetic brand illiyoon.

The development of Dow’s all-PE stand-up pouch is part of its sustainability targets and commitment to close the loop by enabling 100% of its products to be sold into packaging applications to be reusable or recyclable by 2035.

“We are honored to be recognized for our efforts in sustainability. Being awarded a Three Star Winner acknowledges Dow’s commitment to leverage our advanced materials science capabilities to create valuable products with minimal environmental impact,” said Wu Chang, technical service and development director, Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, Asia Pacific. “We strive to continue establishing value-chain collaborations with industry leaders to create more sustainable packaging solutions, and work towards achieving a cleaner environment together.”

Singapore Packaging Awards 2021

The Singapore Packaging Star Awards, organized by the Packaging Council of Singapore (PCS), an industry group under the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF), is a prestigious national award that honors companies for their innovative and creative packaging designs and material use. The awards recognize packaging excellence in four commercial award categories – Sales & Display Product,

Environmentally Sustainable Packaging Product, Transportation & Protection Product, and Point of Sale. Dow has won under the Environmentally Sustainable Packaging Product category – which honors companies who have developed packages designed with special considerations for environmental impact during the entire product lifecycle.

AsiaStar 2021

The AsiaStar Award is organized by the Asian Packaging Federation, a non-profit organization established in Japan that unites the packaging interests of all trade and industries across the region under one cooperative umbrella. The award looks at six commercial categories – Consumer Package, Transport Package, Eco-Package, Point of Purchase Package, and Packaging Material & Components. Dow has received the award under the Eco-Package category, which recognizes the brand’s efforts in designing packaging with the environment in mind.

WorldStar Awards 2022

The WorldStar Awards is a global packaging competition led by the World Packaging Organization, which aims to illustrate the continual advancement of the state of packaging design and technology and creates a living standard of international packaging excellence from which others may learn. There are 16 main award categories under WorldStar Awards, which include E-Commerce, Electronics, Packaging Materials, and Components, amongst others.

Dow’s all-PE stand-up pouch won the award under the Packaging Materials and Components category, enabling high production speed of its 100% recyclable solution for a flexible stand-up pouch that was not possible before. This solution was created with Dow Singapore Pack Studios – a packaging expertise center that enables collaboration across the value chain to ideate conceptual packaging designs to develop scalable, innovative packaging solutions. With the recent wins, Dow continues to strive to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy through its products and partnerships.

www.dow.com

Medical & Healthcare TPEs’ Adhesion & Processing Characteristic

The demand for high-performance engineering plastics such as thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) has expanded due to recent advances in healthcare and medical equipment. TPE compounds also satisfy the expectations of manufacturers in terms of production and cost-efficiency.

TPEs bond easily when processed either through overmolding or co-extrusion with most commonly used structural plastics, eliminating the need for additional adhesives and allowing for faster and more cost-effective processing.

One of the main areas of growth for TPEs is overmolding. Many product designers are utilizing TPEs to add a “soft touch” to a rigid material. KRAIBURG TPE, a global TPE manufacturer of a wide range of TPE products and custom solutions for multiple industries, offers the THERMOLAST H series HC/AP, developed specifically for healthcare and medical device applications in the Asia Pacific. The HC/AP series compounds have a hardness range of 30-90 Shore A and can be used in a variety of applications due to their wide range of hardness from soft to semi-rigid.

Especially for medical and healthcare applications, KRAIBURG TPE’s HC/AP series of TPE compounds can be over-molded to produce comfortable, non-slip, and abrasion-resistant handles, grips, and buttons. Through multi-component injection molding and extrusion, the THERMOLAST H HC/AP series has good bonding with polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) resins, allowing for flexibility in product designs. As such, the compounds can be over-molded to alter the surface feel, improve aesthetics, and cushion against vibrations.

All-round material solutions

Good haptics, soft-touch properties, and elasticity improve function and design, allowing medical device manufacturers to be more creative with their product applications. KRAIBURG TPE’s HC/AP compounds have a good compression set and are thus fitting for sealing and closure applications. Furthermore, the compounds can be sterilized in an autoclave at 121°C or with ETO (gas); and have good thermoplastics processing and flowability, stretching the possibility for more medical part designs.

The HC/AP series compounds are safe for use in medical applications and meet standards such as cytotoxicity ISO 10993-5, GB/T 16886.5, biocompatibility testing according to ISO 10993-5 and GB/T 16886.5, as well as a number of international food contact and medical standards.

Other properties such as good chemical resistance, good sealing, and no cytotoxic potential, as well as the ability to be colored into various chromatic effects, present KRAIBURG TPE’s HC/AP compounds as all-round material solutions for the medical and healthcare segments.

#TPes’ #thermoplastic elastomers #healthcare #medicalequipment 

www.kraiburg-tpe.com