The Role Barrel Temperatures Play in Melting
You need to understand the basics of how plastic melts in an extruder to properly set your process and troubleshoot any issues. Hint: it’s not about the barrel temperature settings.
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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.
Read MorePrices Up for All Volume Resins
First quarter was ending up with upward pricing, primarily due to higher feedstock costs and not supply/demand fundamentals.
Read MoreAustrian Recycler's Mission to Recycle PET Takes It Beyond Bottles
Mission PET supplements bottle-to-bottle capability with alternative applications for recycled PET.
Read MoreProcessing Plant Tour
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.
Read MoreBack 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.
Read MoreBreaking 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.
Read MoreTechnology in Depth
iNOEX Celebrates Forty Years of Intelligent Measurement and Control Solutions at NPE2024
iNOEX’s expanded product portfolio highlights the importance of automated technology for the plastics extrusion industry.
WatchPHA 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.
Read MoreNew 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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KNOWLEDGE CENTERS
Gain in-depth knowledge in processes, products and technology from industry experts
Trending
- Understanding the Effect of Pressure Losses on Injection Molded Parts
- Finding Efficiencies in How Components Work Together
- Improve Production Rates Via Screw Design — Barrier vs. General Purpose vs. Melt Uniformity
- Maximize the Cooling Capacity of Your Extrusion Line
- Processing Megatrends Drive New Product Developments at NPE2024
- Four Industry 4.0 Tech Adoption Insights from Indiana Plastics Manufacturers
- How To Design Three-Plate Molds – Part 4
- Real-Time Production Monitoring as Automation
- Unraveling the Science and Myth Associated With Moisture Analysis — Part 2
- Prices of All Five Commodity Plastics On the Way Up
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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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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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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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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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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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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Latest News and Products
Coca-Cola’s Redesign of Small PET Bottles Pushes Lightweighting Below Prior ‘Floor’
Coca-Cola thought it had reached the limits of lightweighting for its small PET carbonated soft drink bottles. But a “complete redesign” led to a further 12% reduction.
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Delrin Partners with Entec and Channel Prime Alliance
Through this partnership, Entec and Channel Price Alliance will distribute all grades of Delrin acetal to customers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
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Next-Generation Additives Including Rice Bran Wax, Stabilizers, Flame Retardant
NPE 2024: Clariant is showcasing alternatives to fossil-based carbon waxes and additions to its AddWorks portfolio of stabilizers.
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Crosshead Die for Elastomers Adjusts Easily
NPE2024: Mechanically actuated gum space adjustment requires only ordinary socket wrench.
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'Hybrid' Die Design Eliminates Weld Lines, Cuts Stagnation
NPE2024: Newest extrusion tool retains benefits of previous design and adds features to boost quality.
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PHA-Based Compounds for Compostable Film Packaging
NPE 2024: CJ Biomaterials launches two Phact PHA/PLA compounds for blown, cast and MDO film applications.
Read MoreRobotic Speed and Precision on Display
Sepro’s S5-25 Speed and 5X-25 robots work together in an interactive NPE2024 display to show the company’s range of automation capabilities.
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Additives for Boosting Performance and Sustainability of PE and PP Packaging
NPE 2024: Milliken’s UltraGuard 2.0 boosts barrier performance in HDPE and LLDPE while Hyperform HPN 58ei improves properties of PP FDA-approved sheet and thermoformed packaging.
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