Extrusion 8-2020

22 Branche Intern Extrusion 8/2020 The contagious virus has prompted many establish- ments to install clear, protective shielding, such as this polycarbonate sheet that helps separate bus drivers from their passengers Machinery maker Reifenhauser converted an extrusion pilot R&D line to produce nonwovens used in per- sonal protective equipment, such as medical coveralls ➠ Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. www.ChinaplasOnline.com 13 - 16 April 2021, Shenzhen (PPE), clear shielding, ventilators, nasal swaps, virus test kits and vials, small bottles for hand sa- nitizer, and the like. Glo- bal auto makers convert- ed some of their produc- tion lines to make complex medical ven- tilators. Materials firms adjusted accord- ingly, as well, to try to keep up with de- mand. In one of the highest-profile cas- es, employees at Braskem Americas in late March worked 28-day shifts at two U.S. plants, with teams sleeping in the factories for a month, to make the poly- propylene needed to make PPE. The drastic, COVID-inspired change in human behavior, with all the self-isolat- ing and sheltering in place, led to a boom in e-commerce, including online grocery shopping and food delivery. This, in turn, vastly boosted de- mand for effective packaging for such items. When it comes to packaging, the pandemic has shone a bright light onhygiene con- cerns, causing packagers to consider material choice with cleanability and consumer safety at the forefront. There are hundreds, if not n Since early 2020, the global coronavi- rus pandemic has disrupted the normal rhythms of nearly every aspect of busi- ness and life unlike anything any of us has seen. In China, companies can now consider 'post-pandemic' scenarios, but many others elsewhere are still firmly in the grip of the virus. The plastics industry has felt the convul- sions of this as much as any other sector, but it responded quickly and admirably. The impact on plastics-intensive end markets has been varied. The automoti- ve and construction industries were among those that felt the squeeze. Pa- ckaging and healthcare, on the other hand, have witnessed a surge in busi- ness, as their vital products and services filled key needs across the spectrum. The environmental backlash against sin- gle-use plastics withered – at least tem- porarily – as health-care facilities and dai- ly services such as restaurant takeaways opted for the safety of inexpensive, use- and-dispose products over the prospect of needing to sanitize and sterilize po- tentially infected items. Many plastic product makers quickly shifted their focus to making items to help address the pandemic – face masks and other personal protective equipment CHINAPLAS 2021: Plastics Industry Responds Impressively to the Pandemic thousands, of examples, but here are just a few that help to illustrate the industry’s innovative response to this unexpected challenge. PTI Engineered Plastics of Macomb says healthcare already counted for some 70% of its business before the pande- mic, but it still was negatively impacted, since many of the products it made were used in elective surgeries and procedures that were widely postponed due to CO- VID. So the firm adapted and developed and manufactured a face shield with a visor strap. It estimates it has donated about $1.1 million worth of masks so far. Machinery maker Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. KG converted a pilot blown-film ex- trusion line at its R&D technology center to make nonwoven materials for medical gowns and protective gear. The pandemic also spurred huge de- mand for clear plastic sheeting, with ri- gid partitions being installed at every- thing from retail check-out counters, banks and restaurant dining areas to public transportation, to help minimize drivers’ contact with passengers. Plasko- lite LLC earlier this year devoted its 10 plants to making thin, glycol-modified PET (PETG) sheet for face masks, churn- ing out enough to make 3 million masks a week at one point.