February 2001 Issue
February 2001
Features
Featured articles from the latest issue of Plastics Technology
Your Business in Brief - February 2001
BP & Solvay Swap Resin BusinessesBP of the U.K. and Solvay of Belgium have agreed to several major transactions to realign their respective polymer businesses.
Read MoreRapid Prototyping: Pretty Soon, You Won't Be Able To Get Along Without It
Bigger, faster, more accurate machines and more durable materials threaten to make "RP" indispensable for product and tool development. Molders also find RP models aid accurate price quoting. Next up: ‘rapid manufacturing' of production parts.
Read MoreMedical Tubing Coextrusion Brings A New Level of Care
Coextrusion is on the increase in tubing for medical uses, with more layers, more exotic materials, and much thinner walls. These require unprecedented levels of dimensional accuracy and flaw detection.
Read MoreIn the Cold and Dark, TPE Molder Helps Turn the Power Back On
Storm clouds that gathered over Quebec in January 1998 held the proverbial silver lining for an innovative molder in the town of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
Read MoreGet in the 'Zone'
Have you ever wished you had a secretary to page through each issue of PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY and earmark just the articles related to your job? Well, here's a "virtual" alternative. It's on our website (www.ptonline.com), and we call it the "Zones." It's part of our website's new look that's designed to deliver the information you want more directly.
Read MoreNew Software Makes 3D CAD Easier To Learn, Use and Afford
You can now can leapfrog the previous obstacles of cost, complexity, and a long learning curve.
Read MoreKeep Machines Running in Top Form With New Software ‘Wizards'
Help has arrived for overworked plant managers, process technicians, and maintenance personnel. It comes in the form of three new Windows-based "Smart Manufacturing" software modules from Hunkar Laboratories, Inc. in Cincinnati. Hunkar's Smart Manufacturing philosophy is based on the principle of pre-emptive problem solving, which translates into "Fix it before it's broke."
Read MoreTooling Advances Let Rotomolders Make New Kinds of Parts
Sixteen-foot-long dump-truck bodies weighing over 1100 lb and the new ability to make hollow parts with internal ribs and other solid sections are just two of many striking new developments in rotomolding technology. Last month, we reported on several machinery innovations that were presented at the annual fall conference of the Association of Rotational Molders (ARM). This story examines recent advances in tooling, materials, and additives.
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