The parent company’s Members’ Assembly approves the consolidated financial statement and renews the appointments to the Board of Directors. The Group continued to enjoy exceptional financial and asset solidity. Revenues exceeded pre-COVID averages, with Tiles posting the best result ever and all sectors reporting good performance

Consolidated revenues of more than 1.53 billion euros, up almost 40% on 2020, with sales and orders returning to pre-COVID levels. These were the key facts that emerged from the SACMI Imola Members’ Assembly held on Saturday 14 May, which approved the Group’s Consolidated Financial Statement and proceeded with the renewal of the Board of Directors.

From an economic perspective, SACMI confirms its exceptional financial and asset solidity, with net equity reaching 773 million euros and the net financial position touching +97 million. Ebit and Ebitda also progressed impressively in 2021, reaching 82 and 145 million euros respectively.

The year 2021 was characterized by a sharp increase in revenues – thanks to strong order flows – and record-breaking performance, especially in Tiles, which saw a remarkable 99% increase in machine sales; Whiteware also performed well thanks to a generalized market recovery and the finalization of numerous projects that had been put on hold by the COVID emergency.

Advanced Materials posted highly satisfying results, both in the traditional Refractories and Metal sectors and in emerging areas, especially those linked to the manufacture of components for the lithium-ion batteries that are driving global growth in electric mobility.

Similarly, Rigid Packaging saw orders recover more than proportionately, despite the ongoing impact of the health crisis, especially on the metal closures and vision system fronts; likewise for Beverage, with Africa and the Middle East remaining the leading purchasers of complete plants. Packaging & Chocolate also bounced back convincingly. This was largely due to a strengthening of the product range and the development of solutions able to accommodate new eco-sustainable primary packaging and wrapping materials.

In terms of markets, SACMI strengthened its sales position in all the world’s main areas as investment levels spiked across Europe and the Americas. Despite very strong competition, SACMI also performed well in Asia, confirming its role as a key technology provider both in the traditional ceramics and packaging sectors and in emerging areas such as components for the electrical automotive sector, Carbon and advanced ceramics.

Throughout 2021, the focus was on supplying technologies and production processes that are environmentally sustainable, a goal that’s playing an increasingly strategic role in business decisions. “Governance, skills, and a sense of belonging to the company are all vital factors in responding to change”, stated the President of SACMI Imola, Paolo Mongardi. He also pointed out that the extraordinary results of 2021 stemmed from “SACMI’s ability to hold its course in heavy seas, ensuring continuity of production and excellent levels of customer service throughout the health crisis”. Investment in skills training remains as important as ever: in addition to the 17,000 hours of technical and language training and 6,700 hours of safety training provided in 2021 alone, the company is pushing ahead with the Academy, the SACMI training hub both for internal staff and stakeholders. Moreover, projects with schools, universities and research facilities continued apace, with active partnerships now exceeding 100; lastly, since its founding, the Group has now filed more than 5,000 patents.

Note also that 2021 saw SACMI increase its workforce to 4,720, over 1,100 of whom are employed by the parent company. SACMI maintains one of the lowest staff turnover levels on the market (just 1.6% in SACMI Imola), a clear sign of employee loyalty.

Despite military conflict in Europe, spiraling energy and raw material costs and severe procurement problems, the first few months of 2022 have seen SACMI move forward with determination. As President Paolo Mongardi points out, the company “aims to continue investing in innovation and skills. This will largely concern the new professions and enabling technologies needed to accomplish digitalization and the green transition, ensuring the company has all the tools it needs for a second century of success”.

Multi-Touch roll stack is good for our feet

The sustainable plastic floor boards made of CERAMIN by CLASSEN for healthy living are recently being produced on a complete extrusion line with a Multi-Touch roll stack from battenfeld-cincinnati Germany GmbH. CLASSEN, based in Kaisersesch / Germany, is the inventor and manufac-turer of these innovative, PVC-free floor coverings with the “Blue Angel” seal of quality. CERAMIN is produced from polypropylene as base materi-al. It is pollutant-free, 100 percent recyclable and produced with recycled materials. The sturdy, durable floor coverings based on CERAMIN offer all the advantages of plastic flooring for private residences as well as for pub-lic and industrial buildings. The floors are dimensionally stable, abrasion- and water-proof, warm to the touch and resistant to UV light.

Conventional plastic floors based on soft PVC have the disadvantage of poor recyclability and are subject to criticism due to their pollutive ingredi-ents such as chlorine, stabilizers, phthalates and other plasticizers. This is why the CLASSEN Group has developed CERAMIN as a material for the carrier boards of PVC-free floor coverings. In detail, CERAMIN boards con-sist to 60% of a natural mineral filler material, to 39% of polymers based on polypropylene, and to 1% of environmentally friendly and health-compatible additives. The carrier boards in plastic floors from CLASSEN are covered with a protective undercoat as well as a primer and decorative layer with a soft-touch surface finish to make human feet feel comforta-ble.

In the production of the main component, that is, the 2-to-5-mm-thick board, it is of course vital that the board is absolutely even, has a clean, ripple-free surface and complies with extremely narrow strength toler-ances. This is important for further processing as well as for its later use as floor covering. In the battenfeld-cincinnati line, the impeccable quality standard of the CERAMIN board with high filler content is primarily due to the Multi-Touch roll stack. Due to continuous contact between the board and the rolls, this device ensures perfect conditions for calibration and cooling.

The two lines now installed at CLASSEN are equipped with two twin screw extruders from Leistritz Extrusion GmbH, based in Nuremberg/Germany, which are connected to the dosing unit and ensure perfect homogenizing of up to 8 t of melt per hour. Downstream, these are connected to an automatic flat-sheet die, through which the melt film proceeds into the 2.6 m-wide Multi-Touch roll stack. Here, pre-calibration takes place in a two-roll stack, before the board passes through several more rolls for recalibration. In this way, the surface of the board is continuously in con-tact with the roll surfaces over a considerable period of time, with the result of perfect dimensional stability and excellent visual attributes. The haul-off is followed by a size cutter. The complete line is controlled by BCtouch UX, which is integrated in the customer’s PDA system. In a sec-ond processing step, the boards are laminated as described above with the various layers of film and thus provided with a decoration chosen from a large, diversified range of patterns.

www.battenfeld-cincinnati.com

www.classengroup.com

German plastics and rubber machinery industry readjusts forecast for 2022

Order intake in the German plastics and rubber machinery industry in the first quarter of 2022 fell significantly compared to the same period last year (- 27 percent). In the same period, turnover grew by only 3 percent compared to the previous-year period.

Shortage of materials slows down production and impacts turnover
On the one hand, this was down to a base effect, as the first quarter of last year was exceptionally good due to high demand in the packaging and medical sectors, and the other factor at play is that it is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to quickly process the high number of pre-orders and convert them into sales. “First and foremost, there is the poor availability of materials,” explains Thorsten Kühmann, Managing Director of the VDMA Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association. In addition, as a result of the Ukraine war and the strict zero-covid policy in China, many factors such as logistics problems and greater uncertainty in the market are having a negative impact on business.

Readjustment of 2022 forecast
Consequently, the trade association will no longer adhere to its original forecast of the beginning of 2022, when a growth figure of 5 to 10 per cent still seemed realistic for the current year. “Due to the ongoing developments on the procurement market, we only expect a sideways movement or, in the best case, a slight increase in turnover for 2022 – despite full order books. We expect a development of zero to 2 per cent,” is how Kühmann describes the outlook.

Working closely with luxury yacht shipbuilder Van der Valk Shipyard, Refitech designed and supplied a series of detachable carbon fibre poles to support the sun awnings of the yard’s latest model, the BeachClub 660 Flybridge. This not only adds ease of handling and aesthetics of the carbon look, but has the additional benefit of corrosion resistance, an important quality in the salty environment of a seagoing luxury yacht.

‘Our BeachClub 660 Flybridge features numerous deck sockets that are integrated in different areas of the yacht,’ explains Valentijn Roos, Project Engineer at Van der Valk Shipyard. ‘The sockets are positioned in such a way that both the front deck and the cockpit deck of the yacht can be protected from direct sunlight. They allow for the poles of the sun awning to be set up quickly and easily when the yacht is moored or anchored. And of course they can be easily disconnected and stored, when the yacht is underway. Further, as we want to maximise the living area on our yachts, room for storage is limited. Therefore the two taller awning poles were produced in a 2-piece version, enabling them to be stored in a compacter space’.

‘In close collaboration with Van der Valk’s engineering department, we produced a combination of three client-specific inserts that fit into carbon tubes,’ adds Bas Nijpels, Sales Engineer at Refitech. ‘The inserts are CNC-milled out of stainless steel and POM (Polyoxymethylene), a high performance thermoplastic that is ideal for precision parts requiring high stiffness, low friction, and dimensional stability, as well as corrosion resistance. Two male inserts mount the poles into the deck sockets, while the combination of male and female inserts give the client the option to unscrew the 2 meter lang front poles into two 1 meter sections in order to be easily stored.’

‘We came across Refitech a few years ago when we needed a carbon plate for one of our yacht designs and found those on Carbonwebshop.com, Refitech’s web shop for standard carbon components,’ continues Valentijn Roos. ‘In December 2021 we contacted them again to help us build an awning for the sundeck of our latest yacht, the BeachClub 660 Flybridge. We already had some experience with carbon components and wanted to use it for this project because of its strength and low weight. However, we were under a lot of time pressure, as the yacht was to be showcased at the 2022 Dubai Boat Show that took place in March. Luckily Refitech lived up to our expectations in every aspect. Communication was quick and easy, as we are based on the same industrial estate. And they came up with a design that fits perfectly into the luxurious design of this beautiful yacht, and in time for the boat to be shown at the Dubai show. We’ll definitely will work with them again in the future.’

The BeachClub series was launched by Van der Valk Shipyard in early 2019 and won them the prestigious World Yachts Trophies award Cannes Yachting Festival in September of that year for ‘Most Innovative Yacht’ in the 45ft to 64ft category.

There is a lack of higher quality recyclates, more consistent input streams and standards

Prof. Endres, the plastics industry is often the subject of criticism. What is needed for people to appreciate the material?
We must show that our daily lives are inconceivable without plastics and make it clear that plastics make a key contribution to a sustainable economy. Plastics are indispensable for achieving our climate targets and significantly reducing our carbon footprint. One way to achieve this goal is to use resources such as energy with increasing efficiency, and another is to establish a circular economy. Moreover, improved recycling technology represents a crucial tool towards achieving these goals. This task is huge and extremely multi-faceted, but it can be handled.

Which areas show the greatest challenges at present?
It’s a triad: we don’t have enough higher-quality recyclates yet, nor enough input streams, and there are still not enough standards in this field. All of these challenges are closely related; starting with the market: there is currently already a high demand for high-quality recyclates, but it cannot be met. Let’s take a look at the automotive industry as an example and assume that in the future there is a quota of 25 percent recyclate per vehicle. Today, the share of plastics per vehicle is around 300 kilograms. This means that 75 kilograms of recycled material would have to be used in the future. Last year, about 2.6 million vehicles were built in Germany; it was a very bad year because of the Covid pandemic. So already for this number, almost 200,000 tons of high-quality recyclate with constant colour quality and delivery guarantee would be needed for instance just to be able to meet the quotas in this one industry sector. Another example is the bottleneck of white or transparent recyclates.

How do you obtain the input streams required to generate sufficient quantities of consistent recyclate quality?
This is a huge task. These input flows are still a strongly limiting factor, especially in the post-consumer sector. This is because today’s users cannot yet rely on receiving sorted material in sufficient quantities with a longer-term delivery guarantee. Of course, a better sorting of plastic waste is necessary to obtain single-variety material. But it is also a matter of improving the various recycling processes. Their degrees of maturity are currently still very different.

Which one is the most matured?
The mechanical processes are already established. For the physical processes, during which the plastic is dissolved out of other substances by means of a specifically effective solvent, the first industrial plants are available. The chemical processes, in which the plastics are depolymerized or broken down even further into hydrocarbons still need to be improved, particularly in terms of energy efficiency and yield. However, they also have some fundamental advantages. The quality of their recyclates is high, achieving colour purity and consistent material performance. Such recyclates also obtain approval much more easily for critical applications, such as the food sector. Simply put, the higher the recyclate quality, the higher the technical effort involved, and therefore the cost.

What is your degree of progress in terms of setting rules and standards within recycling?
Both are enormously important, and at all levels. There are already approaches – still very rudimentary ones however – on how to characterise input flows. These were essentially developed by the dual systems. In addition, we need standards for defining the resulting recyclate qualities. For example, it must be specified which volatile substances may still be present, how this is to be measured exactly, and who is responsible. Currently, the idea is that if there is nothing to worry about in the input stream, there is nothing to worry about in the recyclate. We also need to have standards for colours. Every recyclate needs a trade name to ensure you get the same product the next time you order it. In addition, all recyclates lack information on long-term properties or specific parameters for processing or crash simulations. All this is not very difficult to realise, after all, manufacturers of virgin material are demonstrating that; they supply a great deal of information and specific parameters for each product.

What contribution are individual processes making towards sustainability?
That is not so easy to say. Basically, chemical recycling could generate large quantities of high-quality recyclate. Conversely, mechanical recycling is much more sustainable in most cases, since energy and resource input is significantly lower, and the polymer structures are also preserved. It is also difficult to determine which actors in the recycling value chain are credited with the sustainability benefits achieved in each case, for example the input supplier, the recycler or the user of the recyclate. In chemical recycling, for example, the carbon is recycled but not the actual material. In addition, the user does not get the physically recycled carbon, but receives a mass-balanced certificate which, to top it all off, has to be purchased. If users waive the certificate, they receive the same material, but minus the certificate.

Photopolymer resins allow the printing of extremely delicate high-precision components in industrial grade quality. The C1 system from AM Solution – 3D post processing technology is an excellent post processing tool for the automated removal of support structures. It meets not only the strictest industrial standards but also fulfills all requirements regarding process stability, consistency of the results, efficiency and traceability.

Photopolymer resins permit the high-quality printing of a large variety of precision functional components, design objects with extremely fine structures and the most complex prototypes. In the past the manufacturers had difficulties fulfilling the industrial standards for the post processing of 3D printed components. To date the removal of support structures was a manual operation. This is not only an expensive process that produces inconsistent results, but it also carries the risk of damaging the components.

A way out of this dilemma is the new C1 system from AM Solutions – 3D post processing technology. This division of the Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH specializes in offering automated industrial solutions for the post processing and surface finishing of 3D printed components. The compact plug-and-play machine, specially developed for the automated post processing of 3D printed photopolymer components, just needs a 230 V electrical outlet. The machine controls contain various processing programs that allow the support removal from components with different shapes. In addition, the users can tailor their processing programs to their specific needs. The C1 system can handle 3D printed components with sizes of up to 340 x 440 x 170 mm (L x W x H).

A precisely adapted compound ensures perfect post processing results
For the post processing operation the components are placed in a basket that in turn is dipped into an immersion bath filled with compound that is precisely adapted to the printing material. After the respective processing program has been called up, the process starts. This is based on chemical, thermal and mechanical effects. The effective interplay of these three mechanisms ensures that the support structures can be reliably removed without

affecting the dimensional integrity of the components. This is even the case with extremely delicate components with geometrically complex shapes and very thin walls. Compared to other systems available in the market, this process is significantly faster.

For the development of the compounds AM Solutions – 3D post processing technology could take advantage of Rösler’s comprehensive know-how and the company’s chemical lab. With this approach suitable processing compounds could be developed for any photopolymer. Contrary to the extremely volatile and combustible isopropanol, usually used for this purpose, the compounds utilized by AM Solutions are not hazardous and must, therefore, not be classified and labeled as such per EG standard no1272/2008 (CLP).

Monitoring of the process parameters ensures stable and cost-efficient operations The C1 system was equipped with various design features that guarantee process stability and minimize operational costs. This includes a sensor-controlled monitoring of the compound fill level: As soon as the level drops below a preset value, new compound is automatically replenished from a special container in the system. An integrated, removable skimming (overflow) screen allows the discharge of removed, gelatinous support material from the compound. This increases the usable life of the compound significantly. Moreover, an integrated sensor monitoring the degree of contamination signals when a compound exchange is needed. It ensures that such an exchange does not take place too early or too late. This saves costs and guarantees a consistently high processing quality.

Industry 4.0 – ready for the digital manufacturing environment
Like all post processing systems from AM Solutions – 3D post processing technology the C1 can be easily integrated into digitized manufacturing networks. Key process parameters such as temperature, processing time and the degree of contamination of the compound are continuously recorded with a data logger and can be stored through an USB interface. Industrial demands regarding quality control, process consistency and traceability can, therefore, be fully met for the post processing of 3D printed components.

www.solutions-for-am.com.