polyolefins

Fundamentals of Polyethylene – Part 6: PE Performance

Don’t assume you know everything there is to know about PE because it’s been around so long. Here is yet another example of how the performance of PE is influenced by molecular weight and density.

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Your Business

Prices for PE, PS, PVC, PET Trending Flat; PP to Drop

Despite price increase nominations going into second quarter, it appeared there was potential for generally flat pricing with the exception of a major downward correction for PP.

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Prices Up for All Volume Resins

First quarter was ending up with upward pricing, primarily due to higher feedstock costs and not supply/demand fundamentals.

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sustainability

Austrian Recycler's Mission to Recycle PET Takes It Beyond Bottles

Mission PET supplements bottle-to-bottle capability with alternative applications for recycled PET.

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Processing Plant Tour

Compounding

Engineering Resins Compounder Expands to Take on More Scrap

Polymer Resources responds to sustainability push by upgrading plant with grinding and shredding equipment to take on both postindustrial and postconsumer reclaim.  

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plant tour

Back in the Family Business

In its 45th year, Precision Molded Plastics has carved out a technology and market niche, growing not just when opportunities arise but when they make sense, after its leader changed careers to keep the family business from changing hands.

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Packaging

Breaking the Barrier: An Emerging Force in 9-Layer Film Packaging

Hamilton Plastics taps into its 30-plus years of know-how in high-barrier films by bringing novel, custom-engineered, nine-layer structures resulting from the investment in two new lines.

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Technology in Depth

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Five Ways to Increase Productivity for Injection Molders

Faster setups, automation tools and proper training and support can go a long way.

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Biopolymers

PHA Compound Molded into “World’s First” Biodegradable Bottle Closures

Beyond Plastic and partners have created a certified biodegradable PHA compound that can be injection molded into 38-mm closures in a sub 6-second cycle from a multicavity hot runner tool.

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New Blown-Film Cooling Technologies Set to Debut at NPE2024

Cooling specialist Addex to roll out new auto-profiling air ring for rotating dies, and new single-plenum air ring.

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Solutions

Screw Design Tips to Boost Productivity

In this collection of articles, two of the industry’s foremost authorities on screw design — Jim Frankland and Mark Spalding — offer their sage advice on screw design...what works, what doesn’t, and what to look for when things start going wrong.

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best practices

Fundamentals of Polyethylene – Part 5: Metallocenes

How the development of new catalysts—notably metallocenes—paved the way for the development of material grades never before possible.

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Polyethylene Fundamentals – Part 4: Failed HDPE Case Study

Injection molders of small fuel tanks learned the hard way that a very small difference in density — 0.6% — could make a large difference in PE stress-crack resistance.

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Molding Your Future
Cranes, Conveyors, Racks, Loaders, Accessories
Improved Stainless 420 ESR
Specialist injection molding automation solutions
Latest Issue

Latest Issue

Essential Reading

What You Need to Know About the Design and Operation of Maddock Mixers

Designed properly, all entering solid polymer fragments and certain types of PE gels entering the Maddock mixer can be trapped and dispersed into the matrix resin. But many are not properly designed. Here’s what to look out for.  

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best practices

Fundamentals of Polyethylene – Part 3: Field Failures

Polyethylene parts can fail when an inappropriate density is selected. Let’s look at some examples and examine what happened and why.

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Commodity Resins

The Fundamentals of Polyethylene – Part 2: Density and Molecular Weight

PE properties can be adjusted either by changing the molecular weight or by altering the density. While this increases the possible combinations of properties, it also requires that the specification for the material be precise.

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The Fundamentals of Polyethylene – Part 1: The Basics

You would think we’d know all there is to know about a material that was commercialized 80 years ago. Not so for polyethylene. Let’s start by brushing up on the basics.

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Hot Runners

How to Start a Hot-Runner Mold That Has No Tip Insulators

Here's a method to assist with efficient dark-to-light color changes on hot-runner systems that are hot-tipped.

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Unraveling the Science and Myth Associated With Moisture Analysis— Part 1

The first task in moisture measurement is to purchase an instrument that is based on sound fundamentals. Then, before it goes into use, method development must be undertaken for all polymers that are going to be processed in the plant.  

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Insert molding automation
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Latest News and Products

NPE

Blown Film Lines Are Fully Customized

Systems can be furnished for single- to nine-layer for barrier applications.

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Plasticizer-Free Proprietary Long-Chain Nylons

NPE 2024: NYCOA highlighting proprietary NXTamid L as a sustainable replacement to nylons 11 and 12.

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Borealis Completes Acquisition of Integra Plastics AD, Expanding Recycling Capacity

Integra plastics uses optical sorting to capture value in postconsumer waste polyolefins.

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NPE

Interactive Training for Injection, Extrusion and Other Processes

Paulson has four in-booth stations demonstrating its various training solutions.  

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Completely Connected Molding

NPE2024: Medical, inmold labeling, core-back molding and Industry 4.0 technologies on display at Shibaura’s booth.

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Machine Series Debuts for Chen Hsong

Chen Hsong has three injection molding machines in its booth, including 2-platen, hybrid and a next-generation line with improved platen and toggle design.

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Automated Injection Molding Process Adjustments

Shibaura says its S-Concept represents an AI technology capable of making real-time process adjustments.

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Extrusion

Enhanced Temperature Controls for Hot Runners, Extrusion and Packaging

NPE2024: Athena introduces expanded hot-runner controller with up to 120 zones, plus updated panel-mount “universal” temperature/process control.

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We Love Powders NPE
Orbetron new for 2024 micro twin screw feeder
Processing additives for Plastics recycling stream
NPE2024: The Plastics Show