PT Blog

2020 is already starting off with new technology and innovations to minimize waste in the environment. Dow Chemical is working with Houston-based waste-optimization specialist Avangard Innovative (AI) on producing Dow’s first post-consumer resin PCR-based products in North America. 

Expect to see debuts and expanded specialty portfolios of materials for a broad range of medical/healthcare applications at the upcoming (February 11-13) MD&M West in Anaheim, Calif. Among material suppliers to launch new products at the world’s largest medical design and manufacturing event are:

 ▪  Polyplastics (U.S. office in Farmington Hills, Mich.) will feature its new Duracon PM Series of POM (polyoxymethylene) for drug contact and delivery applications.

Specialty chemicals manufacturer Bruggemann (U.S. office in Newton Park, Penn.) and Germany’s Fraunhofer LBF Institute have joined forces to successfully tackle one of the seemingly insurmountable problems of plastics recycling. During their lifetime, plastic articles are subjected to thermal and photo oxidation, which can create enough damage to prevent them from being recycled into high-quality products.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF, Darmstadt, have developed new stabilizer systems to improve the properties of polyolefin recyclates. These  stabilizers reportedly are capable of reducing the effects of previous damage to such an extent that recycled materials become suitable for processing into sophisticated molded products. In its ongoing development, Fraunhofer LBF is collaborating closely with Bruggemann, a manufacturer of additives for engineering plastics. Bruggemann will also be responsible for production and worldwide distribution of the novel additives.

Entering its 30^th year, the Molding Conference has long offered attendees the chance to hear from thought leaders in injection molding regarding best practices and fundamentals for the process, as well as insights into cutting-edge technologies that are reshaping that process. Now for the first time, attendees can see those fundamental tenets and state-of-the-art tech applied in real-world parts, which they can evaluate and judge.

As part of Molding 2020 (March 17-19; Lombard, Ill.), Plastics Technology, the event organizer, has created the first-ever Hot Shots injection molded part competition. Numerous entries have already been submitted for the first-time competition—the winner of which will be announced at the conference after voting by attendees—and if you have a part that you think deserves recognition, there’s still time to enter the contest. Simply fill out the form at this site for consideration to enter the competition—the deadline to submit is January 31.

A big component in working toward a circular economy involves brand owners—a topic we will look more closely at this year. 

RB, maker of consumer brands including Mucinex and Enfamil, is partnering with international recycling provider TerraCycle. The launch of the free recycling program comes at an especially relevant time—as the weather gets colder, we find ourselves in peak cold and flu season. About 79% of all households in the U.S. buy cold, cough or flu products at least once a year, and the plastic packaging for these products leaves the planet with approximately 55 million lbs of non-recyclable plastic every year, the companies stated.