Extrusion International 6-2018

18 Extrusion International 6/2018 INDUSTRY NEWS Market Study: PVC Pipes Plastic pipes increasingly replace pipelines made of aluminum, concrete, cast iron, copper or steel: Due to their low weight and resistance against corrosion and chemicals, the volume of the plastic pipes market grows almost everywhere. The importance of the individual application areas varies significantly in regard to the different pipe types and materials. The most important PVC pipe applications are sewage disposal, potable water supply, and cable protection. Ceresana has already analyzed the global market for plastic pipes several times. Now, the research analysts present a PVC pipes market report for the first time. Ceresana ex- pects the total productionof PVCpipesmanufacturers to increase by, on average, 3.7%per year until 2025. The Study in Brief: Chapter 1 provides a description and analysis of the global mar- ket for PVC pipes – including forecasts up to 2025. Chapter 2 examines the 16 major countries in more detail: Rev- enues, demand, production, as well as import and export are evaluated. In addition, demand for PVC pipes of each country is split by application areas. Ceresana www.ceresana.com/en/market-studies/industry/pvc-pipes/ Chapter 3 deals with the application areas of PVC pipes within the individual regions and countries: data on demand develop- ment, split by the several world regions. The appli- cations sewage, drinking water, cable protection, agriculture, industry, and other applications are ex- amined. Chapter 4 provides com- pany profiles of the largest manufacturers of plastic pipes – clearly arranged ac- cording to contact details, revenues, profit, product range, pro- duction sites, and profile summary. Dedicated Accessories for ACF Thermoforming Machines Thepositive sales reports showthat ACF series is the right solu- tion demanded by the market nowadays because it satisfies the various exigencies of thermoformers from all over the world. This consolidates ACF as the top-of-the-range model among AMUT-COMI thermoformingmachines. AMUT-COMI continues to invest to upgrade ACF series efficiency and versatility. New accessories have been specifically conceived to suit ACF model mainly to cover the end-line automation steps: stacking systems, handling and packaging solutions. All of these acces- sories are in-house designed and manufactured. Their perfor- mances and skills are well enhanced by EASY, the smart HMI. The EASY software has been developed in-house by AMUT-CO- MI engineers to ensure that all parts of the machine harmoni- ously interact. AMUT - COMI SpA www.amutcomi.it The chosen strategy is pursuing a fully tailored approach to of- fer machines mainly aimed to final items features: from thermo- forming process up to packaging systems. AMUT-COMI stacking systems: Up Stacker model: max speed of 60 cycles/min (speed depend- ing onmaterial, type of mould and stacking sequence). Down Stacker – IVB model: for a very quick change of stacking tools and with a max speed of 45 cycles/min. Pick and place robots – ERXmodel: max speed around 38 cycles/ min and proposed in two versions, one with two axes and one with three axes. ERX robots performA-B or A-B-C stackingwith or without items rotation. Visual control systemof the product quality can be also provided. EASY LIFT- Automation system for handling thermoformed products: The conveyor belt receives the items from the thermoforming machine at an adjustable height and down to a level of 800mm. This facilitates the working conditions of the operator and the integration of automatic packaging systems. EASY LIFT is avail- able in two models: one with 90°-discharge conveyor and one with longitudinal discharge conveyor. Easy lift