Exhibitors and presenters at the plastics show emphasized 3D printing as a complement and aid to more traditional production processes.

Say “manufacturing automation” and thoughts immediately go to the shop floor and specialized production equipment, robotics and material handling systems. But there is another realm of possible automation — the front office.

Join Wittmann for an engaging webinar on the transformative impact of manufacturing execution systems (MES) in the plastic injection molding industry. Discover how MES enhances production efficiency, quality control and real-time monitoring while also reducing downtime. It will explore the integration of MES with existing systems, emphasizing compliance and traceability for automotive and medical sectors. Learn about the latest advancements in IoT and AI technologies and how they drive innovation and continuous improvement in MES. Agenda: Overview of MES benefits What is MES? Definition, role and brief history Historical perspective and evolution Longevity and analytics Connectivity: importance, standards and integration Advantages of MES: efficiency, real-time data, traceability and cost savings Emerging technologies: IoT and AI in MES

Second quarter started with price hikes in PE and the four volume engineering resins, but relatively stable pricing was largely expected by the quarter’s end.

Mold maintenance is critical, and with this collection of content we’ve bundled some of the very best advice we’ve published on repairing, maintaining, evaluating and even hanging molds on injection molding machines.

In a time where sustainability is no longer just a buzzword, the food and beverage packaging industry is required to be at the forefront of this innovation. By adopting circular packaging processes and solutions, producers can meet regulatory requirements while also satisfying consumer demand and enhancing brand reputation. Join Husky to learn more about the broader implications of the circular economy — as well as how leading brands are leveraging this opportunity to reduce costs, increase design flexibility and boost product differentiation. Agenda: The cost and operational benefits of embracing circularity Key materials in circular packaging — including rPET and emerging bioplastics How to design a circular food and beverage package Strategies for selecting sustainable closures to future-proof packaging solutions Optimization and streamlining of production processes for enhanced efficiency How Husky Technologies can enable your sustainable success

Discover how artifical intelligence is revolutionizing plastics processing. Hear from industry experts on the future impact of AI on your operations and envision a fully interconnected plant.

Sustainability continues to dominate new additives technology, but upping performance is also evident. Most of the new additives have been targeted to commodity resins and particularly polyolefins.

When I worked for a Precious Plastic project in the UK we tested injection moulding (at 220C for polypropylene) into polycarbonate moulds inside a steel liner, that worked just fine. PEEK is significantly more temperature and pressure resistant that PC though! My co-founder designed a no-touch tool for COVID made from recycled LDPE injected into printed Nylon moulds. Those moulds lasted hundreds of injections at around 170C. I don't think they ever failed. Check the team out at Relic Plastic.

The American Injection Molding (AIM) Institute, a subsidiary of Beaumont, is bringing updated Mold Maintenance courses in-house to its new Mold Maintenance Center of Excellence classroom at its Erie, Pennsylvania, headquarters. The AIM Institute acquired the training assets from Steve Johnson, owner and founder of MoldTrax, in July 2023, with classes previously conducted in Ashland, Ohio.

Multiple speakers at Molding 2023 will address the ways simulation can impact material substitution decisions, process profitability and simplification of mold design.

Plastics Technology’s Tech Days is back! Every Tuesday in October, a series of five online presentations will be given by industry supplier around the following topics:  Injection Molding — New Technologies, Efficiencies Film Extrusion — New Technologies, Efficiencies Upstream/Downstream Operations Injection Molding — Sustainability Extrusion — Compounding Coming out of NPE2024, PT identified a variety of topics, technologies and trends that are driving and shaping the evolution of plastic products manufacturing — from recycling/recyclability and energy optimization to AI-based process control and automation implementation. PT Tech Days is designed to provide a robust, curated, accessible platform through which plastics professionals can explore these trends, have direct access to subject-matter experts and develop strategies for applying solutions in their operations.

In this collection of content, we provide expert advice on welding from some of the leading authorities in the field, with tips on such matters as controls, as well as insights on how to solve common problems in welding.

This month’s resin pricing report includes PT’s quarterly check-in on select engineering resins, including nylon 6 and 66.

Despite price increase nominations going into second quarter, it appeared there was potential for generally flat pricing with the exception of a major downward correction for PP.

In this three-part collection, veteran molder and moldmaker Jim Fattori brings to bear his 40+ years of on-the-job experience and provides molders his “from the trenches” perspective on on the why, where and how of venting injection molds. Take the trial-and-error out of the molding venting process.

During my days as a structural package designer, when designing a new bottle, the last step for our department was to produce the CAD drawing of a new design. Then it went over to Engineering, who would tweak our CAD to produce the tooling drawing. Then we were ready to "cut steel," i.e. have the molds made for the blow-molding machine. That last step took months, and cost five figures.

Join this webinar to explore the transformative benefits of retrofitting your existing injection molding machines (IMMs). Engel will guide you through upgrading your equipment to enhance monitoring, control and adaptability — all while integrating digital technologies. You'll learn about the latest trends in IMM retrofitting (including Euromap interfaces and plasticizing retrofits) and discover how to future-proof your machines for a competitive edge. With insights from industry experts, it'll walk you through the decision-making process, ensuring you make informed choices that drive your business forward. Agenda: Maximize the value of your current IMMs through strategic retrofitting Learn how to integrate digital technologies to enhance monitoring and control Explore the benefits of Euromap interfaces and plasticizing retrofits Understand how retrofitting can help meet new product demands and improve adaptability Discover how Engel can support your retrofitting needs, from free consultations to execution

Featuring a four-bench operation, the new classroom can accommodate the training of up to eight technicians in Mold Maintenance, Troubleshooting & Repair, and Hot Runner Troubleshooting & Repair. It can also teach up to 12 technicians simultaneously in the Mold Component Welding, Polishing & Repair, and Mold Texture Repair courses.

The obvious route to make the inserts would be to cnc them out of aluminium. Their geometry let you do this as one-sided milling from pre-sized blocks.In 48 hours, with a decent cnc machine, you would get a much better surface than the prints can provide. If it is about prototyping, then standard abs will work, if it is about production run of 10000 bottles, the superior surface finish of cnc milled aluminium would be desireable. The 3d printing technology here is cool, but I dont really see a benefit to use it to make these inserts.

While the melting process does not provide perfect mixing, this study shows that mixing is indeed initiated during melting.

Learn about sustainable scrap reprocessing—this resource offers a deep dive into everything from granulator types and options, to service tips, videos and technical articles.

technotrans says climate protection, energy efficiency and customization will be key discussion topics at PTXPO as it displays its protemp flow 6 ultrasonic eco and the teco cs 90t 9.1 TCUs.

The aim of this presentation is to guide you through the factors and the numbers that will help you determine if a robot is a smart investment for your application. Agenda:  Why are you considering automation? What problems are you trying to solve? How and why automation can help Crunch the numbers and determine the ROI

Introduced by Zeiger and Spark Industries at the PTXPO, the nozzle is designed for maximum heat transfer and uniformity with a continuous taper for self cleaning.

Ultradent's entry of its Umbrella cheek retractor took home the awards for Technical Sophistication and Achievement in Economics and Efficiency at PTXPO.

Join Engel in exploring the future of battery molding technology. Discover advancements in thermoplastic composites for battery housings, innovative automation solutions and the latest in large-tonnage equipment designed for e-mobility — all with a focus on cost-efficient solutions. Agenda: Learn about cutting-edge thermoplastic composites for durable, sustainable and cost-efficient battery housings Explore advanced automation concepts for efficient and scalable production See the latest large-tonnage equipment and technology innovations for e-mobility solutions

Processors with sustainability goals or mandates have a number of ways to reach their goals. Biopolymers are among them.

The way they do it is by not cutting steel at all. Instead they use a universal mold shell, then they 3D-print an insert that goes inside the mold.

In this collection, which is part one of a series representing some of John’s finest work, we present you with five articles that we think you will refer to time and again as you look to solve problems, cut cycle times and improve the quality of the parts you mold.

To solve this, a research team led by Max Rodriguez, PepsiCo Senior Manager of Global Packaging R&D, turned to 3D printer manufacturer Nexa3D. The company used their NXE 400 Printer, an ultrafast machine "capable of printing at injection molding repeatability and tolerances, making it the fastest and most accurate production 3D printer in its category," the company says. It also costs just $60,000.

The Mold Maintenance Center of Excellence features a variety of equipment and technologies, including ultrasonic cleaning, media blasting, waterline cleaning, TIG and laser welding, electrical diagnostics of hot runners, leak detection, manifold cleaning and ultrasonic polishers.

Successfully starting or restarting an injection molding machine is less about ticking boxes on a rote checklist and more about individually assessing each processing scenario and its unique variables.

In this collection of articles, two of the industry’s foremost authorities on screw design — Jim Frankand and Mark Spalding — offer their sage advice on screw design...what works, what doesn’t, and what to look for when things start going wrong.

Plastics Technology covers technical and business Information for Plastics Processors in Injection Molding, Extrusion, Blow Molding, Plastic Additives, Compounding, Plastic Materials, and Resin Pricing. About Us

Mike Sepe has authored more than 25 ANTEC papers and more than 250 articles illustrating the importance of this interdisciplanary approach. In this collection, we present some of his best work during the years he has been contributing for Plastics Technology Magazine.

Take a deep dive into all of the various aspects of part quoting to ensure you’ve got all the bases—as in costs—covered before preparing your customer’s quote for services.

Formnext Chicago is an industrial additive manufacturing expo taking place April 8-10, 2025 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Formnext Chicago is the second in a series of Formnext events in the U.S. being produced by Mesago Messe Frankfurt, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, and Gardner Business Media (our publisher).

When, how, what and why to automate — leading robotics suppliers and forward-thinking moldmakers will share their insights on automating manufacturing at collocated event.

That was in the '90s, and today you can have steel cut for a new bottle mold in about 4 weeks. However, Pepsi has figured out how to get that time down to just 48 hours, and with a cost savings of up to $10,000. It's staggering.

Current course offerings at the Mold Maintenance Center of Excellence include Mold Maintenance, Troubleshooting & Repair, Hot Runner Troubleshooting & Repair, Mold Maintenance Strategies, Mold Component Welding, Polishing & Repair and Mold Texture Repair, with Glenn Keith working as an instructor of Mold Maintenance. An Open House for the new center will be held on April 22 at 4 pm.

While prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

Mixed in among thought leaders from leading suppliers to injection molders and mold makers at the 2023 Molding and MoldMaking conferences will be molders and toolmakers themselves.

As a former package designer, I'm torn on this. I think it would've been so cool to be able to produce new bottle runs and design changes for small batches—new bottles for the World Cup and other major events. And I'm super-impressed with the technologies harnessed here. But then I start thinking wait…don't we have a plastic bottle problem?

August 29-30 in Minneapolis all things injection molding and moldmaking will be happening at the Hyatt Regency — check out who’s speaking on what topics today.

AIM’s new Mold Maintenance Center of Excellence offers hands-on, at-the-bench training for mold maintenance technicians. Source: American Injection Molding (AIM) Institute

Gifted with extraordinary technical know how and an authoritative yet plain English writing style, in this collection of articles Fattori offers his insights on a variety of molding-related topics that are bound to make your days on the production floor go a little bit better.

While the major correction in PP prices was finally underway, generally stable pricing was anticipated for the other four commodity resins.

Students at the Mold Maintenance Center of Excellence have to opportunity to partake in hands-on instruction. Source: American Injection Molding (AIM) Institute

Across all process types, sustainability was a big theme at NPE2024. But there was plenty to see in automation and artificial intelligence as well.

Thousands of people visit our Supplier Guide every day to source equipment and materials. Get in front of them with a free company profile.

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released final figures for NPE2024: The Plastics Show (May 6-10; Orlando) that officially make it the largest ever NPE in several key metrics.

Hi Greg,The 3DP texture (stair stepping effect) can be significantly reduced through an automated post processing operation, which polishes the 3DP parts to a smooth finish.  Visual comparison of bottles blown with this post process and polished metal tooling shows comparable bottle clarity and significant improvement on the stair stepping appearance.  The post process takes 2-3 hours and it is fully automated.  We are in the process of making production quality molds, which can potentially increase the output of the 3DP molds to up to 100,000 bottles, through mechanical electroplating.  This will also help in improving the surface quality, while still keeping the cost of the tooling relatively low.Rain’s write up is the best one I’ve seen on this technology.  It is poignant, as it comes from an ID’s POV.  IDs come from a Design Thinking approach.  Engineers as myself approach it from a Systems Thinking POV.  We intersect on the need at some point to prototype and test.  I developed this solution with this need in mind.  I am very glad to see that this solution is appreciated by the ID community.Rain, this technology along with others that my team and I are engaged in is geared towards our sustainable efforts ad well as innovation, so please don’t be torn by this solution.Thanks,Max R.

Join KraussMaffei for an insightful webinar designed for industry professionals, engineers and anyone interested in the manufacturing processes of PVC pipes. This session will provide a comprehensive understanding of the technology behind the production of high-quality PVC pipes: from raw material preparation to final product testing. Agenda: Introduction to PVC extrusion: overview of the basic principles of PVC pipe extrusion — including the process of melting and shaping PVC resin into pipe forms Equipment and machinery: detailed explanation of the key equipment involved — such as extruders, dies and cooling systems — and their roles in the extrusion process Process parameters: insight into the critical process parameters like temperature, pressure and cooling rates that influence the quality and consistency of the final PVC pipes Energy efficiency: examination of ways to save material and energy use when extruding PVC pipe products

AIM Institute’s Director David Hoffman says his organization had a vision for The Mold Maintenance Center of Excellence almost immediately upon acquiring the assets. “We wanted to carry on the legacy that Steve had put together by creating top-notch mold maintenance courses where the lecture area resides alongside our state-of-the-art hands-on bench area,” Hoffman says. “This way, the students don’t ever have to leave the shop environment, which is where they are most comfortable.”

Core Technology Molding turned to Mold-Masters E-Multi auxiliary injection unit to help it win a job and dramatically change its process.

This Knowledge Center provides an overview of the considerations needed to understand the purchase, operation, and maintenance of a process cooling system.

Additive technology creates air pockets in film during orientation, cutting down on the amount of resin needed while boosting opacity, mechanical properties and recyclability.

The Beaumont subsidiary has opened the Mold Maintenance Center of Excellence classroom at its Erie, Pennsylvania, headquarters.

People have messed around with this before, but the problem has been durability and cost. A 3D-printed ABS insert is nowhere near as strong as steel, and you can blow-mold maybe 100 bottles before the insert fails. Hardly worth your time and money, particularly since the PolyJet 3D printers required cost $250,000, the Digital ABS material you print with runs $422 per kilogram, and the prints can take three days.

In the case study it is clear from the photos that the bottle's surface telegraphs the 3D printing texture. Ok for protos, but in production? Also, blow molding is a low pressure operation- I doubt these inserts could withstand injection molding temps and pressures. Still, very cool.

While prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

Resin drying is a crucial, but often-misunderstood area. This collection includes details on why and what you need to dry, how to specify a dryer, and best practices.

After successfully introducing a combined conference for moldmakers and injection molders in 2022, Plastics Technology and MoldMaking Technology are once again joining forces for a tooling/molding two-for-one.

Across the show, sustainability ruled in new materials technology, from polyolefins and engineering resins to biobased materials.

For material, the team used a polymer called xPEEK147, made by Henkel Loctite. xPEEK147 is tough, thermally stable and has high dimensional stability, and rings in at just $308 per kilogram.