March 1999 Issue
March 1999
Features
Featured articles from the latest issue of Plastics Technology
Wood is Good for Compounding, Sheet & Profile
Extruding composites of wood and plastic has long been a "black art" practiced by a few specialists. But in the past year, this "hidden" market has burst into the sunlight as new producers and new applications sprout up all over.
Read MoreThey Sure Don't Make Them Like They Used To
It first hit me at the K'98 show in Germany last October. All the innovations aimed at electronics, packaging, construction, and consumer products couldn't touch the excitement generated by the real star of the show: automotive.
Read MoreMelt Oscillation Molds Better Parts
An updated Scorim process oscillates the melt back and forth inside the mold with more flexibility and fewer machinery modifications. Here's a look at how the "new" Scorim can enhance both part strength and cosmetics.
Read MoreNow Metal Detection Combines Super Sensitivity And High Throughput
If you want ultra-sensitive removal of tramp metal from plastics at very high throughput rates, you are fighting the laws of physics. A simple fact of nature is that the level of sensitivity of a metal detector is inversely related to the material throughput rate going by it, says Rick Vavra, materials and logistics manager at GE Plastics in Mt. Vernon Ind.
Read MoreWhat You Can Learn from Shot Profiles
Want to know more about your molding process? Need a better way to diagnose problems? There's no better tool than the electronic 'signature' provided by process-monitoring curves of cavity pressure and other variables. Here's a sampling of seven real-world molding issues as revealed through shot profiles.
Read MoreMicrocellular Foam Promises Big Savings in Injection Molding
Automotive parts supplier Injectronics Inc. in Clinton, Mass., will soon be the first injection molder to use a new microcellular foam technology developed by Trexel Inc., Woburn, Mass.
Read More'Non-Denting' Ceramic Coating Gives PVC Sheet a Smooth Ride
Over the past four years, vinyl sheet extruders have proven the value of using nip rolls with a thick, "non-denting" ceramic coating developed by American Roller Co., Bannockburn, Ill. Four processors have installed the multi-layer ceramic rolls, producing clear, rigid PVC sheet with greatly reduced maintenance and downtime.
Read MoreTPO and PP Advances Benefit Auto Parts and Food Packaging
Polypropylene and PP-based TPO elastomers were the star players of two recent conferences on polyolefins. "TPOs in Automotive '98," sponsored by Executive Conference Management, Plymouth, Mich., featured the latest materials, modifiers, and stabilizer additives for hard and soft interior and exterior automotive applications. "SPO '98," sponsored by Schotland Business Research, Inc., Skillman, N.J., highlighted developments in high-flow PP for thin-wall injection molded packaging.
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