October 2001 Issue
October 2001
Features
Featured articles from the latest issue of Plastics Technology
Nanocomposites Broaden Roles in Automotive, Barrier Packaging
Nanocomposites are gradually gaining acceptance in the mainstream of global plastics processing. These polymer compounds, containing relatively low loadings (under 6% by weight) of nanometer-sized mineral particles, are beginning to show up in polypropylene and TPO-based automotive exterior claddings, barrier beer bottles, nylon packaging films, polyethylene pipe and wire/cable coatings, and more.
Read MoreTroubleshooting Melt Fracture in Profile, Tubing Extrusion
A troubleshooting timeline is essential to help you quickly identify problems and their causes. Here we'll describe such a timeline and how to use it to solve one common problem—melt fracture in tube and profile extrusion.
Read MoreThings Have Changed
"I live in New York." When I travel, that sentence always brings a reaction from out-of-towners—often positive, sometimes less so.
Read MoreLocation - October 2001
If you were going to mold or extrude plastics, would you set up shop in the middle of Wyoming?
Read MoreYour Business in Brief - October 2001
Dow Buys Celotex Insulation BusinessDow Chemical Co., Mid-land, Mich., last month made a major addition to its building-materials business with the purchase of Celotex Corp.'s rigid polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam insulation products for residential and commercial markets.Celotex Corp. will retain use of the Celotex name, but Dow has acquired former Celotex product brands including Tuff-R, Super Tuff-R, Sturdy-R, Thermax, Hy-Therm, Celo-Vent, and Tuff-Wrap.
Read MoreK 2001: A Big Show for Additives
Plastics additives don't normally get star billing at trade shows, but this month's K 2001 exhibition (Oct. 23 to Nov. 1) in Dusseldorf, Germany, is different.
Read MoreAC Variable-Speed Drives Raise Molding Productivity
A more economical approach than either all-electric servo drives or special hydraulic pump packages is offered by Magnum LLC, Garden Grove, Calif. It is one of several firms that retrofit AC induction pump motors with variable-speed drive systems in place of the usual fixed-speed pump motor.
Read MoreHoles in the Screw Flights Boost PS Foam Output
Unusual tapered openings through the flights of a deep-channeled cooling screw can raise the output of extruded polystyrene foam sheet and planks by as much as 70%. So says the inventor of the patented Turbo-Cool screw, Jim Fogarty, president of Plastic Engineering Associates Inc. in Boca Raton, Fla. Turbo-Cool is believed to be the first screw to use cross-flight holes, which Fogarty says contribute better mixing and heat transfer while using less energy.
Read MoreThe Right Way & The Wrong Way To Add Materials Conveying Capacity
Whether you're expanding your current plant or consolidating operations and moving equipment from one location to another, you will need to make sure that your material-handling system delivers the productivity you expect.
Read MoreK 2001 Shows Off New Hot Runners & Controls
Smaller pitch distances, fewer leaks, more uniform temperature profiles, and easier-to-use controls are themes to be found in displays of new hot-runner products at this month's mammoth show in Dusseldorf, Germany. Here's a rundown of news revealed before show time.
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