• Using Remote Inventory Management Systems to Enhance Supply Chain Performance.
  Mark Charles, Adopt-Fit Ltd, United Kingdom
• Is the Personnel Qualification Necessary for the Promotion of a new Technology like Adhesive Bonding?
  Dr. Andreas Groß, Prof. Dr. Otto-Dietrich Hennemann, European Centre for Adhesive Bonding Technology, IFAM, Germany
• 2-Component Spray Application System Walther Pilot RatioMaster.
  W. Kaspers, Walther Spritz- und Lackiersysteme, Germany

When applying adhesives emission of chemical substrates will occur. Examples are solvents, softeners, colophony emissions, biocides, isocyanates. Some of these compounds vanish within some hours and should only be considered for industrial hygiene purposes. Other compounds with low vapour pressure are emitted during several weeks influencing indoor air quality. For indoor air measurement, only active tube sampling will give reliable results. Product emissions can be tested using stainless steel or glass test chambers which are flushed with very clean pre-conditioned air. Results will be influenced strongly by the time between adhesive application and sampling, as well as the analytical method in use. Only laboratories with an established and well-working quality assurance system can be assumed to deliver correct and reproducible results. Use of EN 45.001 accredited methods may indicate this way of working. Air monitoring is possible for almost all relevant emissions from adhesives if you use well-established and reliable but sometimes sophisticated methods.

One of the benefits of the FEICA co-operation is keeping track of the ever-changing legislations and regulations. The current trend points towards a global harmonisation of requirements with examples in UN Model Regulations, ISO Standards, global harmonisation of classification, labelling, safety data sheets, placarding, and transport documentation. This will have consequences for the modus operandi of FEICA, with increasing international co-operation with associations from the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia etc.

SPC is a quality assurance tool that is available to assist manufacturing to reduce in-process batch-to-batch variation. Both the customer and the manufacturer benefit from the in-process measurement of variation of batch-to-batch variation, since statistical measurement of variation leads to the identification of root causes and the development/implementation of corrective actions.

Pressure sensitive adhesives have a permanent adherent surface. Today the most used packaging system is blocks covered with silicone paper and a corrugated box on top and bottom, which are delivered in sizes ranging from 0,5 kg to 10 kg. The waste disposal and manual handling of these packaging cause extra costs. Sandvik has created a new system to produce plates of PSA covered with PE foil which easily can be remelt in the melting box without any costs for waste disposal. The system is based on a Rotoformer with steel belt cooler. The unit is able to produce pastilles, strips and plates with short times for conversion.

The continuous processing of hot melt and pressure sensitive adhesives is rapidly becoming a more effective and efficient method when compared to conventional batch processing techniques. Twin screw extruders allow flexibility in changes in formulation and development of new formulations in a simpler process. This is due to the reduction in residence time in the extruder to produce a small sample, when compared to the larger residence time and the fixed inventory of material required in a batch mixer. Another important factor is the ability of the extruder to handle high viscosities and also large differences in viscosity. The twin screw extruder systems uses modular screw elements which allows flexibility in design and alteration of the various mixing stages in terms of the intensity and residence time possible.

The new, profitable technology for application of hot melt adhesives will be presented. The melt-on-demand technique has several advantages, e.g. careful melting of the adhesives, faster production preparations, no overstraining of the adhesive, exact control and measurement of temperature, avoidance of smoke and odour formation, and application at high viscosities, even of difficult adhesives. The new adhesive application tool Dynafiber UFD is a fiberised spray system delivering patterns of 4 micron and larger. UFD is completely different in that it fiberises the adhesive perpendicular to the direction the web is moving, therefore creating much better pattern blending.

Remote Inventory Management is the process of using technology, both hardware and software, to automatically manage bulk inventories at remote locations (i.e. customer sites). This information allows the customer/supplier partnership to eliminate many costly, non-value-added activities. For instance, system users have put inventory determination, ordering and expedited transportation transactions into obsolescence. In fact, using remote inventory technology today does not automatically guarantee a supplier will raise the bar on the competition. Customers today are evaluating suppliers based on their plans of implementing and integrating inventory information into corporate systems to achieve process cost reductions. This presentation will explore the process cost savings opportunities of using remote inventory management systems and how chemical companies are using the tool to help re-engineer the supply chain.

By this integral promotion of a technology (demonstration centres, consulting and R&D-activities, qualification of the performing level, qualification of the manager level) the knowledge concerning Adhesive Bonding will be firmly established. Potential users are put in a position to use the Adhesive Bonding Technology independently and with that to open new markets. So this innovative joining technology can be used expertly and successfully. This aim only can be reached with the help of qualified personnel. This proceeding therefore is one model for a promotion of a technology and can be easily applied to other technologies and fields.

PILOT RatioMaster was designed as a new type device for 2-components dispersion adhesives applications. It ensures material feed to the spraying gun with correct mixing ratio. The pump drive is controlled by the atomising air of the spraying gun using a flow indicator. It’s principle is based on coupling two peristaltic pumps. So the mixing ration depends entirely on the diameters of the two pumping tubes. This leads to the following advantages: l High safety of application – excellent bonding as well as optimum reaction times, l Smooth feeding of the components, l Easy handling and maintenance – only a few wearing parts, l Low investment costs, l Quick set-up and high flexibility.