This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Un nuevo centro tecnológico del plástico para el mercado español

TCTP is aimed at improving the competitiveness and technological development of the companies in the sector of processing of thermoplastics

A new technology centre for the plastic for the Spanish market

15/05/2005

In an increasingly global context with a steady growth of the competition at all levels, with demands for increasingly shorter delivery times, highest quality requirements and lower prices, the Spanish economy is facing the challenge of moving towards a model of growth should be based on knowledge and innovation technology, as key factors of differentiation with regard to competitors in low cost countries. Soon proceed a project in special Spain, what's different and what little accustomed we are to this type of investment: a technological centre of plastic, called TCTP who with Demag five injectors and other types of equipment will provide a new service to the plastics sector.

At end of the month of may will be submitted to the market (administrations, moldistas, transformers, partners tecnológicos…) Spanish plastic a new technology centre project. According to its makers, will begin its activity at end of the month of June, with the ultimate goal of making the official opening of the TCTP (after operating), in the month of September.

In the initial project of TCTP there is a clear idea: its makers believe that you have entities with high capacity of technological innovation will be a key and decisive factor for continuity of existing businesses, minimizing the impact of relocationsas well as favouring the introduction of others with high technological content.

Wenceslaus Chaves walls, Director General of the technological plastics Centre (TCTP) and Tomás Romero Reyes, the President responded to the questionnaire:

Why do I need a technology centre?

With the difficult situation currently facing several sectors of manufacturing, especially the plastic automotive components, where each day more needs to be done against:

Emergence of competitors of low-cost, in the so-called emerging countries.
Allocations of projects in terms of clear not feasibility from the financial economic point of view.
Prices , in many of the awards, covering only the direct costs.
Obligation to participate with a percentage on the amount of investment.
Terms of payment "abusive".
Obligation to sign "contract life" through which allowed annual reductions in the price during the life of the product.

TCTP is aware of the situation and aware of the limitations present in the State of the art of the involved technologies, offering to companies in the sector, human resources with the highest qualifications and experience (more than 20 years in the sector)as well as the teams most innovative (fruit of the collaboration agreements established with the involved technologies, all of them were world of the same leading suppliers).

Also, TCTP is proposed to create a stable infrastructure for the plastics processing sector, through which can channel the needs of the sector, r & d activities should be coordinated and the knowledge generated to be transferred to companies.

The technological centre of plastics is located in the polígono industrial de Valls (Tarragona) and covers an area of 3,800 square meters, extensible in additional 1,800.

In the initial project of TCTP there is a clear idea: its leaders consider that you have entities with high capacity of technological innovation will be a key factor to ensure the continuity of existing companies

What services it will offer?

For the development of its activity, the technological center of plastics will have the following areas:

Engineering of moulds: This service will be by mission to contribute to the development of new tools for design and manufacture of moulds and parts, as well as participate in collaboration with our area (d) technology, with the universities (UPC and Rovira Virgili) and with the multinational suppliers of plastic materials.
I + D + i : the center of technology of plastics, has an advanced system design and development, supported in the most innovative technologies CAx (computerized help tools) that assist in the optimization of the "time to market" for the launch of new products to marketand the reduction of costs in the excellence in quality
Mould testing laboratory– equipped with innovative equipment, and ready to advise on injection multicomponent, bi-componente, injection assisted with gas and injection on textile
Laboratory metrological: TCTP through the collaboration agreement signed with the German company Carl Zeiss guarantees the optimization of the process of validation, both of the mould and the piece, to the manufacture of automotive components through more efficient follow-up to dimensional, from the design phase to the production, through to the final validation of the customer.
Digitization: as an essential part in the process of advanced development, have an optical scanning system with which we will work with our clients in the reduction of the time for design, development and manufacture of thermoplastic parts.
Physical-chemical laboratory: consistent with one of the objectives of collaborating with the companies in the sector, in the phase of validation of injection processes, it is clear that one of the key elements in this process are used thermoplastic materials.
Laboratory of simulation reológica: as a result of the technological cooperation agreement, signed by Moldflow and the Centre, the sector of manufacturers of automotive, in particular components, and the transformation of plastic industry in general, have more innovative simulation tools to avoid the problems that have appeared at the beginning of the manufacturingassociated with designs and ineffective developments.
Thermography: as a complementary tool for the process of analysis of potential causes of problems identified during the validation process for mold/part, have a system of analysis Thermographic monitoring with which to study the process of cooling the mold and the piecevalidate the design and realization of the cooling circuits and detect causes of possible deformations and contractions in the pieces.

In addition, we will offer training appropriate to the needs of companies, after the completion of the corresponding diagnosis of their situation.

With that equipment has?

For injection, we have five Demags. More specifically, the models Ergotech maXX of 3,000 t (set to one); Ergotech Multi 1,300 t (with four groups of injection), Ergotech System 650 t (sprayer), Ergotech-Exis S of 350 t (fast cycle) and Ergotech IntElect of 100 t (totally electric). All machines are equipped with the most innovative robots Wittmann.

In addition, Moldflow, Carl Zeiss metrology software mentioned teams and other workstations within the area of engineering and the characterization activity.