Extrusion International USA 3-2020

31 Extrusion International 3/2020 Flat Die Systems Help Meet Urgend Need for Sheet and Coated Fabrics that Protect Against COVID-19 The surging demand for devices that protect against COVID-19 includes sheet and coated fabricswhosemanufacture calls for flat die systems that in pre-pandemic days often had quite different uses, reports Nordson Corporation. “Our company’s EDI ® Ultraflex™ sheet extrusion dies have been put into service for producing PVC, acrylic, and polycarbonate shields, face guards, sneeze guards, and barriers,” said Patrick Meinen, global product line manager, “and our Premier™fixed- lip slot dies are nowused for coating fabrics andfiltermembranes specifically intended to protect against COVID-19.” Some examples of current COVID-19-relatedorders for Nordson’s flat die products are: • Sheet Dies for PVC Face Shields. Palram Americas Inc., Kutz- town, PA, has ordered a newUltraflex sheet die, plus additional Nordson Polymer Processing Systems www.nordsonpolymerprocessing.com lips for diversifying the thicknesses available on its existing Ul- traflex dies. The extrusion lines involved, located in the United Kingdom, USA, and Israel, are for producing various gauges of PVC for clear face shields and protective barriers. A longtime specialist in PVC and polycarbonate sheet for construction, safety and security, home and garden, and other uses, Palram now offers a line of “COVID-19 Solutions” that includes diverse products for use in public environments (www.palram.com/us ). At the same time, another customer that normally specializes in building products has also ordered additional lips for its EDI sheet dies in order tomanufacture clear PVC face shields. • Slot Dies for Filter Membranes. Three dies ordered on a rush basis by one customer are for coating filter membranes which the company says will be used in medical applications to curb the spread of the virus. “While there continues to be a strong demand for personal pro- tective equipment used in clinical settings, there is nowalso an ur- gent need for shields and barriers to facilitate the opening up of workplaces, retail establishments, and public spaces after weeks of lockdown,” said Patrick Meinen. “This has required the use of flat dies, bothnewand converted fromother applications, for the manufacture of clear sheet.” The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) announced that its Machinery Safety Standards Committee has released a new AmericanNational Standards Institute-accredited safety standard for Plastic Sheet and FilmMachinery. Available for sale at a reduced price for PLASTICSmembers, ANSI/ PLASTICS B151.5-2020, „Safety Requirements for Plastic Film and Sheet Winding and Unwinding Machinery“ sets the latest indus- try standards for plastic film and sheet winding, slitter rewinding and unwindingmachinery. “Helping to provide for the safety of plastics industry person- nel is one of our hallmarks,” stated PLASTICS President and CEO Tony Radoszewski, CAE. “Our ANSI Standards Program ensures this standard will minimize hazards to personnel by establishing safety requirements for the manufacture, care and use of these machines.” The ANSI/PLASTICS B151.5-2020 has an expanded scope, ad- ditional definitions, and performance levels. Forty-six members representing all aspects of the plastics industry participated in its creation, as part of the PLASTICS Machinery Safety Technical Committee. “The wide variety and sizes of plastic film and sheet Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) plasticsindustry.org winding machines complicates any stan- dard detailing their safety requirements,” explained Jennifer Jones, Director of Indus- try Standards at PLASTICS. “Combinations of parts, production meth- ods and operating conditions in our indus- try are virtually infinite,” she explained. “PLASTICS addressed the situation in our updated standard by establishing a meth- odology to pinpoint important areas: elimi- nating common hazards; establishing standard designs for com- petitors with similar manufacturing operations; safeguarding machines with uncommon designs for technical or operational reasons; andwarnings in instances where the total elimination of hazards may not be technically or operationally feasible.” The document is available for purchase at: Access .plasticsindustry.org/PLASTICS/Store/_Home.aspx or www.ansi.org New Safety Standard For Plastic Sheet and Film Machinery Face Shield