January 2024 Issue
January 2024
Digital EditionFeatures
Featured articles from the January 2024 issue of Plastics Technology
Catheter Specialist Finds Sweet Spot Serving Small, Medium-Sized Concerns
Medical-component specialist LightningCath has carved a niche meeting the needs of small to medium-sized entrepreneurs with complex catheter designs … quickly.
Read More70 Years...Still Going Strong
Plastics Technology is closing in on its 70th anniversary. Here are some of Editorial Director Jim Callari’s observations to commemorate the occasion.
Read MoreIs a Gear Pump Right for Your Single-Screw Operation
As with everything else, there are pros and cons, but more of the former. They provide processors higher rates while decreasing the temperature of the extrudate while enabling downgauging.
Read MorePlastics Processing Activity Drops in November
The drop in plastics activity appears to be driven by a return to accelerated contraction for three closely connected components — new orders, production and backlog.
Read MoreTemperature Control: What You Need to Know to Comply With New Cooling-Fluid Regs
Beginning the first of this year, 12 states are following EPA bans on potentially damaging cooling fluids. Chiller suppliers have adjusted equipment designs to accommodate the new regulations. Here’s what all this means to processors.
Read MoreThe Experience Curve and Well-Trained Process Technicians
Pairing external big picture training with internal job-specific instruction can help your process technicians meet quality expectations as well as production targets.
Read MoreHow to Optimize Your Molds and Hot Runners for Processing Bioresins
Demand for bioresins is growing in molded goods, particularly as a sustainability play to replace fossil-fuel based materials, but these materials are not a drop-in replacement for traditional materials. Molds and hot runners need to be optimized for these materials.
Read MoreHow to Design Three-Plate Molds – Part 3
There are many things to consider, and paying attention to the details can help avoid machine downtime and higher maintenance costs — and keep the customer happy.
Read MorePrices for All Volume Resins Head Down at End of 2023
Flat-to-downward trajectory for at least this month.
Read MoreThe Fantasy and Reality of Raw Material Shelf Life: Part 2
For the vast majority of thermoplastics, the stability of the materials can be stated in years, not months. But there are exceptions where shelf life can be a serious issue.
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