PT Blog

Running on an Arburg press, Foboha says its reverse cube, which spins the top and bottom portions of the tool in 90° increments in opposite directions, was built in response to more demand from the customer, Bosch.

Talk of the “circular economy” has pervaded K 2019, and while there may be some greenwashing taking place, many of the exhibitors are announcing real-world tangible efforts to keep end-of-life plastics out of the environment and change where they come from originally. 

In this video, NGR shares information on how it views its new liquid-state polycondensation technology as a means to boosting PET recycling while material manufacturer DSM made a pledge to offer a sustainable alternative for all its products by 2030. 

—Lanxess announced that it is breaking ground in deploying artificial intelligence (AI) in the development of customized high-performance plastics through its collaboration with AI company Citrine Information. Glass fiber sizing is a major area of focus to allow customization and reduce time to market.

—DOMO is now offering the Economy brand of 100% recycled nylon 6 compounds as well as Economy Air—recycled nylon 6 with recycled carbon fiber for automotive, aircraft and medical devices. When its acquisition of Solvay’s nylon 66 is completed early 2020, it will offer similar sustainable products. DOMO also has collaborations on both mechanical and chemical recycling.

While the halls were full at K 2019 on its opening day, the order logs of many of its injection molding machinery suppliers were not. Uncertainties in trade, fueled by the United Kingdom’s prolonged dithering on the question of Brexit, as well as on-again-off-again trade deals with pivotal plastics players Canada, Mexico and China; have been acknowledged by the market players. 

Under the overarching theme of Pushing Boundaries for a Sustainable and Digital World, Covestro’s CEO Markus Steilemann, addressed a sizable media group the day before K 2019’s official start. This was followed by a tour of Covestro’s booth with innovations in automotive; E&E; construction; health and medical; furniture; and sports & leisure.