April 2001 Issue
April 2001
Features
Featured articles from the latest issue of Plastics Technology
Metallocene PP & PE Weld Strongly to Each Other
Multilayer film applications such as packaging and diapers are just two areas that could benefit from spot welding (instead of gluing) polyethylene to polypropylene. Normally these two resins show poor adhesion to each other. But two years of research at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and at ExxonMobil Chemical in Houston show that metallocene-catalyzed polyolefins can weld to each other with bond strengths much greater than are possible with conventional Ziegler-Natta catalyzed polyolefins.
Read MoreThe Next Big Thing
The Eighties and much of the Nineties were about living large. Now it's cool to be small. Remember how SUVs and TV screens inflated to gargantuan proportions? Today, the macho thing is to have the tiniest cell phone in town.
Read MoreCan Your Sheet Lines Meet New ANSI Safety Standards?
The new standard relates to the design and use of the take-off equipment. Its biggest impact will be to require older sheet roll stacks to be extensively rebuilt or replaced in order to meet new emergency nip-opening requirements.
Read MoreYour Business In Brief - April 2001
Ashland Buys Neste PolyesterAshland Inc. has agreed to purchase Neste Polyester of Finland.
Read MoreStretching the Limits of Film Innovation
The four partners who started FlexTech Packaging Inc. in Cincinnati three years ago all came from high-profile jobs with big packaging companies like James River and Jefferson Smurfitt.
Read MoreMicromolding Sizing Up the Challenges
Molding multiple parts from one pellet's worth of plastic is a challenge that growing numbers of molders want to tackle. It is driving development of new technology in injection machines, tooling, parts handling, and inspection.
Read MoreNew Runner-Design Concept Boosts Quality & Productivity
Why 'naturally balanced' multi-cavity molds sometimes refuse to fill evenly is a mystery that eluded solution—until now. A simple concept called the MeltFlipper allows molders to increase cavitation and maximize output of quality parts.
Read More