April 2009 Issue
April 2009
Features
Featured articles from the latest issue of Plastics Technology
How to Solve Uneven Clamping
Of the hundreds of variables involved in injection molding, clamping mechanisms and platens often get less attention than they deserve.
Read MorePricing Update - April 2009
A short, sharp rebound in the first quarter called an abrupt halt to the long slide in commodity resin prices.
Read MoreBetter Purging Saves Money, Material and Time
How much money can a better purging compound save even a small molder?
Read MoreInternal Benchmarking: Setting Targets
Last month, we discussed how to graph your plant’s “process energy fingerprint.” Now we’ll show you how to make use of that information.
Read MoreOutlook - April 2009
Despite the high hopes that prevailed at the beginning of 2009, it is increasingly apparent that a self-sustaining recovery in the U.S. economy will not get under way until 2010.
Read MoreWe Take You to the Show in Style
This year, you may need to make better use of your time at NPE than ever before.
Read MoreInjection Molding Biopolymers: How to Process Renewable Resins
U.S. injection molders are still pretty green when it comes to processing the new crop of renewably sourced biopolymers. These biologically derived polymers made from PLA, PHA and starch-based resins are attracting growing market interest as materials with no ties to petrochemical-based thermoplastics.
Read More'Piggable' Paint Recirculation Is Key to Efficient Color Changes
When an automotive molder wanted to upgrade from primer painting to multi-color coating, a big concern was costly downtime and material waste during frequent color changes.
Read MoreNovel Melt Blending Technology Commercialized in Micro- and Nanolayer Films
The first two commercial devices have been installed to melt blend two or more polymers using a structured fluid-dynamic mixing process known as “chaotic advection.” This process creates unusual micro-scale and nano-scale phase morphologies that potentially can optimize extruded film properties using fewer materials and extruders than with highly layered coextrusion.
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