June 2005 Issue
June 2005
Features
Featured articles from the latest issue of Plastics Technology
Total Mold Business Index for May 2005: 50.4
Activity levels for North American mold makers were mostly better in recent weeks, but supply-related issues (materials prices and supplier delivery times) were also more pronounced.
Read MoreStructural Plastics Meeting Showcases Sophisticated Molding
Top awards in the parts competition at the Society of the Plastics Industry's Structural Plastics Div. annual conference are reserved for new or unique materials or processing approaches.
Read MoreMIDs Make A Comeback
3D molded interconnect devices were supposed to be the 1980s' breakthrough for plastics in electronics—but they flopped. New processes that make market entry faster, simpler, and less costly have recharged MIDs' prospects.
Read MoreHow to Address Cooling System Woes
Anyone who operates a molding plant knows three things it cannot run without: raw material, electrical power, and cooling water.
Read MoreLarge Two-Platen Presses Gain Speed and Flexibility
An improved line of large two-platen injection presses offers new sizes plus greater speed, educed maintenance, more operator-friendly design, and added flexibility for a range of molding requirements.
Read MoreUsed Car Windshields Are Reborn As Carpet Backing
Two years ago, the Kaiser Permanente hospital chain challenged its two institutional carpet suppliers to come up with a carpet containing no PVC.
Read MoreComposites: New Rapid Molding Technologies and Unusual Reinforcements at Paris JEC Show
New molding technologies seen at the JEC Composites Show in Paris in April promise dramatically faster cycles than are achievable with autoclaves or RTM. One novel technique rapidly heats and cools a thin tool by "floating" it on a flexible bladder—similar to a water bed—that is flooded with heat-transfer fluid.
Read MoreTake Good Care of Your Extrusion Pressure Transducers
Eight tips on installing and maintaining melt-pressure sensors in your extruder will help them last longer and give you fewer problems.
Read MoreRetail Sales Data Indicate Future Demand for Plastics Products
Through the first five months of 2005, retail and food-service sales are up 7% compared with the same period last year.
Read MoreNews in Small Injection Presses, Robots, Gas Assist and IML
Advancements in hydraulic presses and servo robots were unveiled by Arburg GmbH at its annual Technology Days conference and technical exhibition in March at its headquarters in Lossburg, Germany.
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