Guill Tool & Engineering, a leading designer and manufacturer of extrusion heads, dies and tooling for the plastics industry, has developed innovative technologies that enable manufacturers of hose, tube and pipe to comply with California’s Proposition 65 environmental law – as well as the European Union’s RoHS and WEEE standards for electrical and electronic products – while achieving substantial production cost savings.
Proposition 65 – the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 – seeks to reduce the exposure of California residents to toxic chemicals known to cause cancer, and those that cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Under this strict law, whose enforcement has been stepped up in recent years, the state’s businesses are required to warn Californians about significant amounts of a long list of toxic chemicals contained in the products they manufacture and sell, or that are released into the environment. The same law also prohibits California businesses from knowingly discharging significant amounts of listed chemicals into sources of drinking water.
Under the EU’s RoHS – for Restriction of Hazardous Substances – electrical and electronic products sold in the European Union (EU) may not contain lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), hexavalent chromium (CrVI), polyrbrominated biphenyls (PBB) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE). WEEE – for Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment – mandates the treatment, recovery and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment.
Designing Tooling for Compliance
In recent years, Guill Tool has brought its innovative design capabilities to the assistance of a wide range of hose, pipe and tube manufacturers to enable them to meet these environmental standards while at the same time achieve substantial cost savings.
One such instance occurred when a major U.S. garden hose manufacturer turned to Guill Tool to help it comply with Proposition 65 while keeping production costs under control.
Garden hose presents a number of environmental problems. First, the tubing itself may contain unacceptable toxic materials that may be ingested, for example, by children drinking water directly from the hose. Second, the toxic materials from the tubing can also leach into the ground and pollute public drinking water.
One of the many solutions Guill developed is specific to the manufacturer’s requirements: A crosshead was designed that produces hose using an “ABA” construction – with the inner layer composed of less expensive regrind material, surrounded by two very thin layers of virgin polymer.
The Design’s Broad Application
The tri-layered solution to meeting Proposition 65’s tough requirements is just one of many alternative solutions for all types of pipe, hose and tubing across many applications, including large tubing designed to move substantial amounts of water for drip irrigation, or in other environmentally friendly applications.
Guill is working with many global plastics manufacturers to help them achieve cost-effective compliance with Proposition 65 and the EU’s RoHS and WEE standards. In addition to technology design, Guill also assists in selecting the most appropriate, environmentally friendly materials to use for the products.
“As California, other states, and governments around the world accelerate their efforts to minimize the effect of contaminants on the environment and on individuals, Guill will continue to be at the forefront of efforts to help plastics producers to conform with environmental requirements while at the same time maintaining production cost control, “ said Bill Conley, Guill’s Sales Manager.
About Guill Tool & Engineering
In addition to crossheads, Guill Tool manufactures a wide range of other products for the plastic and rubber industry, including tips, dies, and breaker plates using state-of-the-art computerized CNC machining and EDM equipment.
Engineering services using the latest CAD systems are available for custom designing extrusion tooling products: crossheads, tips, clamps, flanges, air wipes, forming rolls, spiderless inline dies, dies, swing gates, breaker plates, special equipment and sizing dies.
Guill Tool received ISO certification in 1995 — the first major extrusion tooling company worldwide to meet those international standards. The company has long been recognized as one of the leading established designers and manufacturers of custom extrusion tooling for all types of applications including: wire, cable, fiber optics, medical tube, wood composites, automotive tube, plastics compounding, custom applications, rubber, profile, industrial pipe, hose & tube, blow molding, food and packaging.
The company also encourages and provides education and training for the extrusion industry with plastic and aluminum model heads, fully illustrated operating manuals for step-by-step assembly and disassembly, training videotapes, as well as classes on the care and cleaning of extrusion tooling.
Founded in Rhode Island in 1962 by A. Roger Guillemette, the company was established as a job shop supplying tips, dies, crossheads and replacement parts to the wire and cable, plastics and rubber industries in New England and eventually across the USA, Canada and worldwide.
For further information about meeting the requirements of California’s Proposition 65, or for a free evaluation, technical product sheets, general information, or for the name of a representative in your area, please contact Guill Tool & Engineering Co., Inc. 10 Pike Street, West Warwick, RI 02893 (USA), Tel: (401) 828-7600, Fax: (401) 823-5310 or email: websales@guill.com.