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

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.

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.

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

As a result of decreased demand due to tightened monetary policy, the semiconductor industry experienced a significant downturn last year. In recent months, however, reported increases in revenue and profitability among the major players have led to renewed optimism. The latest report of the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics expects 2024 to be a rebound year, with a projection indicating a 13% increase in the market size. How do you see the evolution of this industry in the next 12 months?

We welcome partners as long as they have the same philosophy or the same business direction. We want to move forward with partnerships; we are not negative with partnerships at all, but it’s difficult to find good partners. There was an offer we got from a customer. There was some specific performance they wanted to achieve in their product, but they were not able to find a supplier who can achieve that performance so that’s why they came to us. We developed samples and now that company is evaluating them. We have no infrastructure to test that sample, so our customer is doing that. So apart from the PIM, we are seeking North American companies who have a manufacturing sales site because, considering our scale, we do not have enough human resources to build a new site outside of Japan to do some sales or manufacturing. The Fabless business is sometimes described as a success model, but I think there is a different answer. For example, we are more like TSMC, whereas the US company that has a big sales network is Nvidia, but we are capable of doing designs as well.

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.

I think that is the take of some economic analysts and I agree with this sentiment but I think boosting the semiconductor industry can definitely push the GDP of Japan, though I am not sure it will make a drastic change to the economy in general because Japanese semiconductor companies are big players in the world market. I think what we have to pay more attention to is the side effect, or halo effect, brought by semiconductors because if the semiconductor industry is boosted, then there will be more workers and then more orders for related businesses, and those businesses could flourish. For example, now TMSC is building a factory in Kumamoto and making a huge investment. Of course, there will be some boost in manufacturing activities there. In addition, there will be more active businesses around residential areas, including food and even recreation businesses. I think what is happening in Kumamoto has synergies for other businesses, so we have to understand these synergies as well. Not just the semiconductor business, but the surrounding businesses. So, I think domestic demand will determine the future of the Japanese economy, whether it’s going to be bright or not. But if we just go as subcontractors, we cannot maintain a position as a leading country and that could be a start of a decline.

The Worldfolio provides business, industrial and financial news about global economies, with a focus on understanding them from within.

Well, perhaps the simple answer is increasing sales. But when I look at the company, I believe that a company that doesn’t seek the happiness of its employees should not exist. To make that happen, I want to find a new business to support this philosophy. In five years, PIM will no longer be a new business, so I want to find the seed of the next new business. It’s only been one year and eight months since I joined his company, but it has 55 years of history and we have the founder and also the second generation. The founder had a tagline, which is “a new business incubator” to describe our company. So we shouldn’t be just a player, but we should be an incubator that develops businesses. I think that elevates our profile. I believe this is the mission of the company and that’s why we have to go niche. So, to achieve this tagline, we need to find a new business seed and perhaps that is something different from the growth of the company. I think by doing so, it raises our profile and also the customer will have higher expectations of us, so that’s the branding I want to do in the next five years. Unfortunately, I cannot say I’ve found the seed for the next business yet.

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.

Talking about these exciting fields, which are progressing, your PIM business uses a new manufacturing method that combines metal, fine ceramic powder, and organic binders to produce sintered products with exceptional precision and processing resistance. A key challenge is achieving mass production of high precision components from materials with extremely high melting points, such as titanium, for example, and the environmentally friendly PIM binder technology eliminates the use of hazardous solvents, contributing to sustainable and safe production. Atect’s PIM technology is further applied to address challenges in heat dissipation for electronic devices, showcasing its versatility across the industry. Achieving high dimensional accuracy is crucial in PIM. Could you elaborate on the specific technological aspects or innovation in the context of Atect’s PIM process that contribute to the production of sintered products with exceptional precision and processing resistance?

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.

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

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.

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

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.

And a second thing. Of course, more people started to work because of the increased number of businesses and more people means more food, so more business for sanitation and inspections. I think it’s the same in France and other Western countries, but a lot of hygiene is required for the restaurant industry, so I think that there is a chance for expansion in the hygiene businesses. So, I want to look at things from a different perspective.

The new additive is being targeted to both unfilled and filled PLA resins, where improved performance is needed. CAI sells the additive in solid powder form to compounders and processors who can add it at the extruder throat. Typical end-use application include single use cups, spoons, forks, coatings on coffee cups, transparent cold cups, deli containers and clamshell salad boxes.

Actually, our Chinese subsidiary is not active right now because before the time of President Trump, the Japan-China relationship was very good. So the subsidiary was not necessary and without it we were able to do business successfully. We often visited China, Taiwan, and South Korea, like every other month. Now it’s possible to have direct sales with local sales companies in China. So having a subsidiary isn’t something very big, especially in the Chinese market. We perceive China as a big market and a customer base.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

I have one final question for you, which will be personal. Your company is celebrating its 55th anniversary. Let’s imagine that we come back five years from now, for your 60th anniversary and we interview you again. What would you tell us? What are your dreams for this company and what goals will you have accomplished over the next five years?

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.

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

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

When we look at your company’s history, you mentioned the importance of diversifying your activities and it’s interesting to see that at the start of your company you made buttons for clothes, for example, you worked on the development of submarines, made objects from plastic molds, and now you’ve diversified your activities around three main pillars, which are the semiconductor industry, sanitation testing equipment, and more recently, the power injection molding (PIM) business. Among these three different businesses you are involved in, which one would you regard to have the most growth potential? And are there any other businesses or fields you would like to incorporate into your portfolio in the years to come?

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.

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.

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

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

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

I think the speed of the increase in advancement of technology will not stop, but the demand will increase linearly. From the perspective of an equipment manufacturer like ourselves, we, of course, make an investment, but our supply increases step by step, like a ladder. There is always something like a five-year cycle of excessive supply and a drop in supply, but compared to ten years ago, the semiconductor industry has learned a lot. So if the 13% growth you mention is close to the world’s GDP, then perhaps that prediction will be accurate, I believe. If that 13% is an excessive number, then things might not be as bright as predicted, but I’m certain that there will be growth in the semiconductor business. Of course, the increase or decrease could be different in each region.

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

Boston-based CAI Performance Additives is now marketing here what is said to be a unique flow improver for use with biodegradable PLA and other biobased polyester resins. Flow Improver ST-PA210 has been shown to increase melt flow index, enhance dispersion, and improve compatibility.

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 July 2022, the US and Japan decided to launch a new joint international semiconductor research hub and agreed to work in a collaborative research effort for the next generation of semiconductors. The US also enacted the CHIPS and Science Act in August 2022, investing roughly USD 280 billion in new funding to boost research and semiconductor manufacturing in the United States, with the dual aim of strengthening American supply chain resilience while countering China at the same time. Do you think international collaboration is necessary for the advancement of Japan’s semiconductor sector? And how does this trend impact your business directly?

We cannot expect some big leap in all the business groups, but perhaps certain groups, such as the sanitation testing equipment business. We provide Petri dishes to some other countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, but the volume is low, so it doesn’t make a big difference to our sales, even though we are big in the Japanese market. But demand for the sales of sanitation testing, especially with food, is increasing. That’s not the case just for us, but for other competitors, too. Right now, on your table, you have two bottles of water, but you see two different types. I think if society grows to a certain point, people will start to seek more diversity in products and foods, so different preferences. In that case, the volume remains the same, but there is more variety, a high mix volume, which involves more inspections. Now, Japan as a society is mature, and the population is declining, but even though it is declining, we still want to make our lives richer. So more types of foods come in lower volume, but that requires more inspections and testing and the suppliers diversify their services for the customers’ satisfaction. That’s why we can expect a growth in the sanitation testing equipment business.

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

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

It’s impressive to see how in each area that you invest, you are able to become indispensable to some extent. Developing such a variety of businesses as you do requires a lot of different types of skills and knowledge very specific to each business. When we interview other key players of each industry, they always emphasize how finding local partners in overseas markets in order to collaborate and co-develop some products is essential to access these international markets by leveraging their expertise and that’s what you did also in the different fields that you have invested in. You mentioned you are working with other companies to leverage their expertise and you also talked about a joint venture for one of your businesses, for example. So what role do these partnerships play within your business model and are you searching for new partnerships, especially in these overseas markets that you are targeting?

Japanese manufacturing is at an exciting time. Although the last few years have seen large supply chain disruptions due to COVID, the Japanese government launched a strategic measure to revive its industries. Japanese makers of semiconductor materials have a combined 50% share of the global market and are set to experience significant benefits from industry, ongoing development and innovation in connectivity, communication, the automotive industry, and data centers, all of which indicate growth of the semiconductor industry. Known for its R&D and advanced technology, Japanese firms have maintained a competitive advantage. Combined with a weakened yen, some experts believe that the situation presents a unique opportunity right now. Do you agree with this sentiment and what are the main advantages of Japanese makers in chip and semiconductor materials in this current macro environment?

I think that the collaboration trend is not something very new to the semiconductor industry, to be honest. If you look at manufacturers such as Tesla and Toyota, they have vertical integration. Unlike them, the semiconductor industry has a tradition of the division of work, so a lot of different companies have their own strengths and those companies work together to form the supply chain and deliver products to the customers. That’s why I have to say that collaboration in the world is not a new trend for the semiconductor industry because now TSMC is having a lot of success and also Samsung is trying to catch up with them. And so in the semiconductor industry, it’s the division of work that’s a successful business model and I think that this model will accelerate. We are the manufacturer of transportation materials and we also don’t have a vertical integration system; we employ a division of work program so we work with different companies which have different strengths. So I think we need to value this type of business model and we can work together with different companies. If I look at this model from a different perspective, it is a system that employs excessive dependence. If there is a big change in the demand, that creates more resilience and resistance because we have a group of companies to achieve the business. So I think the semiconductor industry has a good relationship amongst the companies. If I look at the business models employed by Nvidia and TSMC, from my perspective, I have to describe it as being like a single leg style because they do just one thing. I wonder if this is really okay to focus on just one thing because they spend all their resources, their money, on just one business. I think it’s better to develop new business for a well-balanced management.

I think what differentiates us from other competitors is that our compound technology uses different types of ceramics and now we are kind of enhancing some solvents with something like additives. For example, if 0.1% or 0.2% of carbon is added to iron, then that makes the iron harder and more fragile. So that is a kind of enhanced solvent material. Adding something like 100 PBN could make a big difference in the performance of the materials and we have a lot of recipes for that. For example, for aluminum nitrite, we have a sample benchmark and it has a great impact on heat exchange and also heat dissipation. Researchers around the world produce aluminum nitride, but for the property of heat dissipation we have the world’s leading recipe, though we haven’t been able to mass produce this yet. Perhaps we need to continue working on our equipment, but once there is a large demand, we can be ready. We have assembled an office for joint research and development to pursue kaizen. So if there’s something we can do, let’s say a drastic innovation like a change in the binder that we use to be more environmentally friendly, we are seeking better materials, perhaps plant-based ones. So we work on R&D. Once we get information about new materials, then we try to evaluate. Plastics are actually hated by the world right now, but plant-based materials or resins are disposable and work better for carbon recycling, so now we are continuing to search for and try the materials. We are committed to reducing the environment load. That is not something startling or flashy but that is our unique initiative that differentiates us from other companies and we can also deliver that nice message to customers and society. So the innovations are actually something quite low profile, troubling and time consuming.

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

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.

NPE2024: Live demos of updated RGS controller are among the highlights at its Wisconsin facility that will house the ‘new’ color R&D lab.

So there are two stories I want to share with you. The first one is something very shocking to me. About 30 years ago, a Japanese company launched a factory in Taiwan and Taiwanese government officials were there at the launching ceremony. The president of that company gave an address to the people of Taiwan, saying that they want to contribute to the Taiwanese economy so that there would be great success there. And now, 30 years later, the chairman of TSMC came to Taiwan and gave an address with the same message to Japan. So, now our positions have been reversed. Japan is in a good position but now the positions are reversed. Compared to the past, we are still declining, so we have to accept that reality. We should not get carried away too much.

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

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

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.

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

And the second group to consider is the PIM business and we expect perhaps an exciting, big league, growth. For the MIM (metal injection molding), there are a lot of players in the business, but with ceramic injection molding, there is a big player who can cover 100 million items per month of capacity. That’s a big player, but there are a few mid-sized players like us that can cover some areas that the big players cannot, like small and medium-sized loads, say 10,000 or 100,000 per month. Actually, we have some offers from customers for joint development so if we can mass produce some of the items, I think that could push our sales and profit drastically but now we have invested more on the metal side so perhaps it’s time to restructure our equipment mix.

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.

The next area we are looking at is Japan because now we have hubs near Hokkaido, Kyushu, Kumamoto, so now we are looking at what’s happening there, especially in the semiconductor industry.

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.

Produced by China’s Starbetter Chemical Materials, for which CAI Additives is the sole distributor in North America, this flow agent is based on a unique polymeric chemistry, versus traditional wax or ‘oily’ lubricants, and has been shown to be highly compatible with PLA, according to CAI Additives CEO Richard Marshall.

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.

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.

In the 55 years since it was first established, manufacturing company Atect Corp. has produced buttons for clothes, made objects from plastic molds and even worked on the development of submarines.

You just mentioned the USA and also overseas. You have had operations in Korea since 2006, in China since 2010, and about 40% of your sales are through exports of your products globally. So where are you planning to go specifically to further expand internationally? What specific location do you have in mind?

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

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“I like to think of it more like good medicine in that it is dosed at low loadings but is highly functional. This, without the brute force lubricity seen in the traditional lubricants. So, like medicine, it is effective with minimal adverse effects, such as loss of mechanical properties along with no risk of waxy residues,” said Marshall. Flowability of PLA with dosage of 1-2% of ST-PA210 has been shown to dramatically increase, according to Marshall.

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.