January 2012 Issue
January 2012
Features
Featured articles from the latest issue of Plastics Technology
Extrusion Process Eliminates Assembly of Medical Catheter Shafts
Putnam Plastics Corp., Dayville, Conn. (putnamplastics.com), has developed new extrusion technology that replaces manually assembled medical guide catheter shafts with a single, three-layer component.
Read MoreCentral Drying Made Simple
Recent advances in technology have made the concept of drying in a central location—as opposed to right at the machine—more advantageous for certain kinds of processing operations.
Read MoreWhy Multi-Cavity Molds Fill Unevenly
Balanced filling is critical for making identical parts, achieving high CPKs, holding tight tolerances, and getting “good” data from design of experiments.
Read MoreNorth American Debut of Special Heat-Resistant Nylon
WEB EXCLUSIVE: BASF Corp., Engineering Plastics, Wyandotte, Mich., introduced to North America its Ultramid Endure line of heat-resistant nylons at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit early this month.
Read MoreOrient PVC Pipe Without Water
Spanish pipe maker Molecor Tecnologia will be displaying at NPE 2012 in Orlando, Fla., a new method to orient PVC pipe that is somewhat akin to film-orientation technology.
Read MoreCoca-Cola Joins Race for 100% Biobased PET Bottle
One of the more unusual aspects of the sustainability drive in the plastics industry (see NPE Sustainability article this month) is the way giant beverage companies are taking an active role in spurring development of biobased plastics for bottles.
Read MoreNPE 2012: The Big Picture--Themes for Growth at the Big Show
In the March issue of Plastics Technology we will report on new technology to be unveiled at the giant show, which for the first time will be held at the Orlando Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., April 1-5, 2012.
Read MoreLab Investment Pays Off For Major Tube & Profile House
Teel started a testing laboratory in 2010 to support quality assurance and new product development and to troubleshoot manufacturing issues as they arise.
Read MoreHere Comes the Sun...To FIlm Processing
Toray Plastics (America), Inc., last year completed the construction of a $2 million, 44-kW solar photovoltaic (PV) farm on its 70-acre campus in North Kingstown, R.I.
Read MoreWant to Slash Energy Costs? Learn How to Measure & Manage Them
Price pressure from consumers and rising energy costs have increased the importance for molders to reduce energy consumption, measured in kWh/kg of resin processed.
Read MoreModular Conveyor Boosts Productivity and Profits for Toothbrush Manufacturer
Automation in plastics processing can involve sophisticated, high-tech manufacturing cells specialized for a particular application (see NPE feature this month ). Or it can involve much simpler, off-the-shelf solutions that offer the user flexibility to configure—and reconfigure—an automation system according to the job and plant layout.
Read MorePrices Have Dropped
2011 was a difficult year for recycled plastics, mostly because of the unpredictability of the Chinese market, which soaks up a lot of U.S. material, mainly on the West Coast. “We are so tied to China,” says one broker. “If people think China isn’t going to take a particular material, then prices go down.”The end of a year can be a little confusing, as well, where pricing is concerned.
Read MoreSABIC Opens Specialty PP Compounding Plant
WEB EXCLUSIVE: SABIC Innovative Plastics, Pittsfield, Mass., recently opened a specialty polypropylene compounding operation at its Bay St.
Read MoreSelf-Cleaning Screen Changer Helps Recycle Dirty Scrap
Two different recyclers have discovered a way to process highly contaminated scrap without substantial losses in economy and productivity.
Read MoreSome Resin Prices Bottom Out, Others Are Still Falling
With the start of the new year, commodity resin prices, except for PVC, appear to have bottomed out.
Read MoreOn-Site: Custom Molder Pursues the Dream of Proprietary Products
“Every custom molder thinks he needs a proprietary product,” says John Currier, president and co-owner of the injection molding firm his father founded, Currier Plastics in upstate Auburn, N.Y.
Read MoreKureha Starts U.S. Production of Biodegradable PGA Resin
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Last year, Kuraha PGA LLC, began commercial production of its new Kuredux PGA (polyglycolic acid) high-barrier, biodegradable polymer at a plant in Belle, W.Va.
Read MoreStudy May Boost Prospects For Single-Screw ‘Elongator’
Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., weighed in at last year’s SPE ANTEC with a paper discussing results of experiments they conducted on a novel elongational mixing device developed by Randcastle Extrusion Systems
Read MoreCut Material Waste With Accurate Gauge Measurement
Gauge control done right can save you big money on materials and improve quality to boot.
Read MoreGetting Into LSR--Part IV: How LSR Tooling Is Different
Building molds for rubber molding, and specifically liquid silicone (LSR ) injection, can be very challenging.
Read MoreNew Acetals Star in Gears, Pipes & Hoses
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Ticona Engineering Polymers, Florence, Ky., recently showed off new applications for two of its newest Hostaform acetal copolymers.
Read MoreSustainability Will Change Your Business
Do you have a sustainability officer yet? You might need one. It's probably even more likely that your customers have one, and you will have to pay attention to them if you want to continue to supply them with plastic parts or products.
Read MoreCustom Automation Is the Answer to Global Competition
Here it is in one sentence: Unit costs can be reduced through customer-specific automation.
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