WATSON's Arrest - injection part

Cahill explains, “Some sections of the wheel need to be very thick, and vinyl ester tends to have thermal issues during heating on thick parts. Epoxies traditionally take a long time to cure — 60-90 minutes or down to 10 minutes with ‘snap-cure’ epoxies. For this, we use an epoxy that cures in 10 minutes or less, so it’s really aggressive and can meet automotive cycle times.”

The injection machine and all associated peripheral equipment are directly connected to a central control system that displays an overview of all critical process- and equipment-related parameters. A linkup to a central computer is also provided to ensure traceability of materials, process data, and other product information.

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.

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.

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

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

The space thus created can be utilized for mounting of the injection mold via side entry rather than the conventional method of lifting the heavy mold using a large overhead crane high over the injection machine and lowering it in from above for subsequent bolting to the mold platens. With side entry, the mold can be installed via overhead crane from a much lower height. This was one of the requirements at the processor due to height restrictions within its plant.

To meet impact test requirements, A&P’s net shape, continuous carbon fiber braided fabric preforms were introduced into the spokes of the wheel, and account for about 10% of the part’s overall weight. “It’s all about optimizing the braid architecture, so the fibers align exactly with the load they are going to see to maximize structural and cost efficiency,” notes Pam Schneider, COO at A&P. The biggest challenges, Braley adds, were working out the fiber orientation and figuring out a process to make sure the braid stayed in place during compression molding.

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

Ultimately, Mathew says, “we saw considerable strength improvements by adding [braided preform] inserts, but we were still seeing problems with the vinyl ester,” leading the teams to switch to higher performance, higher cost epoxy for both IDI’s chopped carbon fiber SMC (Ultrium U660) and A&P’s hybrid triaxial braided insert.

A high-performance CFRP wheel manufacturer for nearly 20 years, Dymag is now part of a broader effort to reduce their cost and migrate them into volume vehicles.

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.

Eliminating the need to contact each supplier for every individual quote, a new CRM for automotive supplier Axiom Group tracks past quotes as well as industry history to generate fast, reliable RFQs and more.

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.

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

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

For the first wheel iterations, the Vision Wheel team began by laying up continuous fabric by hand over mandrels. “The process was successful,” Mathew says, “but we realized that with that process, you can’t make millions of wheels a year. It’s tedious with long process cycles. We wanted to migrate and move to something that’s more focused on volume and mass production.” In addition, Vision Wheel needed to find composite materials that would pass stringent automotive test requirements.

Further, the SM3600-TP was more than just a stand-alone injection machine. It came together with a state-of-the-art large KUKA six-axis robot and other peripheral equipment, all of which in combination completed a total turnkey production cell for non-automotive parts and components.

With many benefits for numerous potential applications, including in the burgeoning electric vehicle market, Celanese’s Zytel Bonding Technology achieves stronger bonds than overmolding or welding.

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

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 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.

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.

In close and open cooperation with the customer, Chen Hsong was able to deliver a competitive solution to the customer aligned with its needs. Chen Hsong technical personnel worked together with the customer’s staff onsite during installation and start up. This successful delivery of a large machine will most probably will result in more orders in the near future according to Chen Hsong.

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).

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

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.

ESE Carbon Co.’s new carbon fiber wheel uses tailored fiber placement and custom presses to minimize waste and improve scalability.

“Everything is done here in the U.S., with capacity at the end of 2021 for 8,000 units per year,” he says. The next goal is to increase local capacity in the company’s Alabama facility to at least 50,000 units per year. The company is also working towards ISO 9001, 14001 and TUV certifications for its facility. “Long term, we plan to build a factory capable of a million units per year,” he says.

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

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.

“We didn’t want to reinvent the wheel,” Mathew says. Vision Wheel looked at other carbon fiber wheel designs that were being developed — “they’re usually formed over a mandrel or some kind of foam core, making them look bigger than normal, or less contoured, or more plain than typical aluminum wheels” — and decided they wanted to mimic the complexity of a forged aluminum wheel as much as possible. For the first wheel, the company took the aluminum wheel used on the Shelby GT Mustang and mimicked the style using composites.

A particular challenge for composites, he adds, is passing temperature requirements — specifically in the supercar and powersports markets, where larger brakes and faster speeds can cause increased temperature on the wheels. “The tests are very robust, and it’s very difficult to get a composite material across the finish line,” he says. However, as more composite wheels are developed, new testing requirements are being developed by standards organization SAE International for composite wheels specifically, he notes.

Chen Hsong’s delivery of the large tonnage machine to an end user in Europe also represents a coup in that the machine is made-in-China. Normally, European molders might be expected to shun such equipment. In this case, however, the German processor initially installed a 178-tonnes clamping force JM178-ai-SVP/2 eight months’ prior to taking delivery of the SM3600-TP machine. Through this initiative, the molder’s machine operators were able to get accustomed to Chen Hsong machines and became receptive to wider deployment within the organization.

Compared to other carbon fiber composite wheel offerings, mass manufacturability of these wheels is the most obvious advantage. “There are other advantages that aren’t as evident,” Dudley notes. “For example, we’re not style limited.” Mimicking the aluminum Shelby GT wheel from the start wasn’t the fastest way to develop a wheel, he concedes, but starting with a high-performance, complex design first means that Vision Wheel now has the confidence to design to a variety of styles, geometries and performance qualifications.

Ready to roll. The first direct-to-consumer wheels went on the market at the end of 2021. Next steps for Vision Wheel include scaling up production to serve OEMs directly. Photo Credit: Vision Wheel

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.

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.

The first direct-to-consumer wheels Vision Wheel is selling include a 20- x 9.5-inch Mustang wheel and a 15- x 6-inch UTV wheel, with consumer prices expected to be less than $2,000 per wheel. The wheels are said to be 40% lighter than an aluminum wheel, and 60% lighter than steel. For performance cars and UTVs, this can contribute to higher performance and speed; in EVs, the lightweighting can contribute to better efficiency and range. The carbon fiber also helps with noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), Dudley adds, which is especially beneficial for the passenger EV market.

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.

To keep material costs low, IDI and Vision Wheel first began looking at using an SMC comprising low-cost, fast-cure vinyl ester and a combination of chopped glass and carbon fibers. “We wanted to find the lowest cost solution that gave us the required strength,” Mathew says. About three years of development and iterations followed, leading to the use of all carbon fiber SMC to meet stiffness requirements in the wheels.

One company seeking to change this paradigm is Vision Wheel (Decatur, Ala., U.S.), which has been manufacturing custom forged and cast aluminum wheels for more than 40 years in the passenger automotive, performance and specialty vehicle and utility terrain vehicle (UTV) markets. Under the name Vision Composite Products, the company debuted its first carbon fiber composite wheel at the CAMX exhibition in Dallas, Texas in October 2021, where the wheel was a finalist for a CAMX Award.

The carbon fiber SMC, Cahill says, almost met part requirements on its own. However, the discontinuous fiber composite was not strong enough to carry the highest stresses on the outside of the wheel on the spokes. About three years ago, it was decided that some amount of continuous fiber needed to be added into the mix, and so Cahill and IDI turned to braided material specialist A&P Technology (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.). Previously, IDI and A&P had worked together on a one-step process to co-mold A&P braided fabric into IDI SMC parts — specifically, they’d worked on a powered composite surfboard using A&P’s QISO fabric.

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

It was a difficult process, Mathew admits, and required many iterations, and a lot of back and forth between the finite element analysis (FEA) models and physical prototypes, tweaking the models according to how the prototypes were performing in reality.

Vision Wheel is targeting the first two markets first, and by the end of 2021 began selling its first direct-to-consumer wheels. “For the performance and powersports markets, light wheels equal higher performance,” and these vehicles tend to be produced in lower volumes, so these were obvious first steps, Mathew notes. The goal, though, is to begin scaling up production to the point where Vision Wheel can sell wheels to automotive OEMs for use on high-volume EV platforms. “That’s the true market we want to hit, because the volume is going to be there and the automakers are all moving in that direction,” he says, noting that Vision Wheel has begun preliminary discussions with several OEMs in this field.

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.

Through its affiliate Chen Hsong Europe, Hong Kong-based injection molding machine builder Chen Hsong has successfully delivered and installed a large two-platen press with 3,600 tonnes of clamping force at a customer in Germany. The Supermaster SM3600-TP features numerous optional specifications that fulfill the exacting demands of the customer.

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.

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

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

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

Vision Wheel debuted its first carbon fiber composite wheel at CAMX 2021, claiming its low-cost, high-volume process can be scaled up for performance vehicles, UTVs and — ultimately — passenger EVs.

Vision Wheel also manufactures 100% composite wheels without metallic lug nuts or other connecting components, and, Mathew adds, their materials and process are relatively low cost compared to others on the market. “Up to now, carbon fiber wheels have mainly only been used on high-dollar value supercars and racecars because of the costs to produce them. We’ll be able to enter [our wheels] into the market with a mid-value vehicle. That’s where we feel that the market can really expand,” he says.

The main barrel and hub of the wheel are made from IDI’s SMC in a compression molding process, and the spokes are co-molded with A&P’s braided preforms in one process step. Given the trademarked name Carbon Fiber Forged — “We wanted to give the image that these are replacing forged aluminum wheels,” Mathew says — Vision Wheel is keeping the specifics of its process close to the vest for now. “We can make a wheel in minutes instead of hours,” Mathew claims.

Design freedom. Vision Wheel’s first direct-to-consumer wheels will be available for custom supercars and UTVs, but the company claims it can design to a wide variety of sizes and specifications to meet customer needs. Photo Credit: Vision Wheel

SMC + braided preform. After several years of development and testing, Vision Wheel’s current design combines SMC reinforced with continuous braided fiber in the spokes. Photo Credit: IDI Composites

Needless to say, with such an impressive item of processing machinery as part of its molding assets, the German customer wishes to remain anonymous so as to not give up any of its competitive advantages derived through operating the injection press. But it seems certain that this won’t be the last Chen Hsong injection press to find its way to Germany. At the recent K Show in Düsseldorf, Chen Hsong received positive feedback from plastic processors who visited the company’s booth. All signs point to further success in Europe and beyond.

The result is a two-piece wheel concept — a choice made for ease of manufacture, Mathew says — with the barrel or rim manufactured as a separate piece that is then assembled to the combined hub and spokes. Vision Wheel has various barrel tooling sizes that can be reused for many different wheel designs, while designs and tools for the spokes and hub are likely to be modified to meet the aesthetic requirements for each vehicle type and OEM.

For IDI, the work with Vision Wheel highlights the use of co-molded SMC and A&P Technology’s braided preforms, and Cahill notes that IDI sees potential to transfer these materials to other EV applications — such as battery covers and other structural components — and other markets. He adds, “Wheels are very difficult to make, in terms of durability, fatigue and impact requirements. There are many factors that go into the materials and the manufacturing method. Given the high production capability, and the fact that we can co-mold discontinuous and continuous fibers to optimize the part and meet cost and time factors, there’s interest in other areas like urban air mobility [UAM] and unmanned aircraft components as well.”

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.

Alan Dudley, engineering manager at Vision Wheel, explains that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements for wheels — tests for measuring minimum fatigue, impact, radial impact, etc. — were developed with the breaking points of aluminum and steel wheels in mind. “Plastic wheels do not fail in the same manner as aluminum wheels. When an aluminum wheel fails on impact, you see a crack in the spoke or other places, and it’s easily determined. With composites, it’s difficult to tell the severity of the crack — it can be surfacing, or delamination, or one of several things. But does it constitute a failure? That’s harder to determine.”

Lightweight, high-performance carbon fiber composite and metal-composite hybrid wheels have graced many a racecar or other high-performance vehicle in recent years, but high material costs and low-volume manufacturing methods have generally limited their market demand to the most premium cars. However, as more OEMs develop electric vehicles (EVs), demand may increase for lightweight wheels on production vehicles — if they can be built with lower cost materials at high volumes while still meeting stringent requirements.

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

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

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.

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.

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

For the wheel application, “the answer ended up being a more orthotropic and tailored material, in terms of orientation and directional reinforcement, that could be used to supplement the SMC in specific regions where the stresses were getting too high,” explains Mike Braley, VP of application development at A&P.

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

With it acquisition of DuPont’s engineering resins, Celanese’s resin solutions for automotive electrification, e-mobility and consumer electronics are plentiful.

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.

“The two major goals were to reduce the material cost and the cycle times,” explains Kevin Cahill, director of technology and application engineering at IDI Composites. “These are two things IDI was very familiar with, given our background in SMC [sheet molding compound] and other compression molded materials.”

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.

Of all the trends you can see at NPE2024, this one is BIG. Not only is the auto industry transitioning to electrification but there are concerted efforts to modify the materials used, especially polymers, for interior applications.

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.

This new wheel is about nine years in the making, according to John Paul Mathew, COO of Vision Wheel. In 2010, several attempts were being made in the market to develop lighter, carbon fiber-based wheels, he says, and Vision Wheel CEO Roger Minor had the idea to develop a carbon fiber wheel that was not only lighter, but that could be manufactured in high volumes for the passenger vehicle market. “We have this vision that at some point the aluminum [wheel] market will be overtaken by carbon fiber,” Mathew explains.

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

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

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

“We have three markets we’re trying to attack: Performance track vehicles, powersports and — ultimately — OEM passenger electric vehicles,” Mathew explains.

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.

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.

Achieving high-volume, low-cost composite wheels. Wheel manufacturer Vision Wheel sees high potential for carbon fiber wheels in future electric and high-performance vehicles. Working with partners IDI Composites International and A&P Technology, the company has developed its first composite wheels using what it says are a high-volume process and low-cost materials. Photo Credit: Vision Wheel

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.

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

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.

With advocacy, communication and sustainability as three main pillars, Seaholm leads a trade association to NPE that ‘is more active today than we have ever been.’

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.

Stephen has been with PlasticsToday and its preceding publications Modern Plastics and Injection Molding since 1992, throughout this time based in the Asia Pacific region, including stints in Japan, Australia, and his current location Singapore. His current beat focuses on automotive. Stephen is an avid folding bicycle rider, often taking his bike on overseas business trips, and is a proud dachshund owner.

In an effort to learn about new process techniques and materials that may be used to meet these requirements and Vision Wheel’s plans for high-volume production, the company got in touch with the Institute for Advanced Materials and Process Innovation (IACMI, Knoxville, Tenn., U.S.) and Purdue University’s Composite Manufacturing and Simulation Center (CMSC, West Lafayette, Ind., U.S.), and from there were introduced to material supplier IDI Composites International (Noblesville, Ind., U.S.).

A key selling point of the Supermaster SM3600-TP is reportedly its “extractable platen technology” that was implemented to enable easy mold changes. In this concept, the machine has three tie-bars of extended length and one of standard length (the upper tie-bar on the operator side). During normal operation, the moving platen moves within the range as limited by the length of the shorter tie-bar. However, when a mold change is required, the moving platen can be retracted back as far as the extremities of the three longer tie bars, thereby leaving one corner of the moving platen detached from the shorter tie bar.