“When you have to farm things out to third parties, you’re only asking for issues with delivery and excuses why something can’t be done.”

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

Nowadays, many of those new requests make use of the company’s now extensive injection molding capabilities, including new sizes of totes and a line of molded plastic glassware. “If you ask me: have I ever made a drinking glass before — the answer would be no. Do I feel that the drinking glasses that we’re going to be coming out with are going to be exceptionally good and very well received? Absolutely.”

Over the years and owing in part to Green’s desire for maximum control, US Merchants vertically integrated everything from graphic and package design to thermoforming and thermoform die manufacturing to shipping and logistics with his own fleet of trucks. “Our business started to grow, and not just in packaging,” Green says, “but now we offer a nice menu of items that a manufacturer or retailer can select from, be it packaging or logistics or transportation or buying the product and reselling it, which a lot of manufacturers like. We’re really a turnkey solution for them.”

Allegheny Performance Plastics specializes in molding parts from high-temperature resins for demanding applications as part of its mission to take on jobs ‘no one else does.’

Chinese compounding giant Kingfa is upbeat on the prospects for plastic compounds with recycled content: By 2025 it aims to have in place one million tonnes/year of capacity in China and overseas for processing post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins. Key consumers of these materials include the automotive and appliance sectors.

Another guiding principle for Green and his wife, Marie, who is also his business partner since the tennis shop, is to use that reputation for attention to detail and quality to secure order commitments prior to taking on new jobs or new markets. “Our formula, my wife and mine, has not changed since we started our business with our little tennis store,” Green says. “We don’t really do anything unless we have a commitment. Typically, a customer of ours will come to us and say, ‘Can you make…?’”

The resulting vertical integration propelled by this mindset extends into some unexpected areas. To wit, the company’s original 245,000-square-foot facility in Ontario, California, includes a carpentry shop that designs, builds and installs all the office furniture for all of US Merchants’ facilities. Outside the shop, an “Arizona Project ‘22” poster hangs, marking its recent work to fully furnish the company’s newest outpost. US Merchants sent its own carpenters to the new facility where they took measurements for all its furnishings before coming back to California to build all the desks, shelving and more, and then return to Arizona to install it. When it’s not building furniture for the company, the carpentry shop also designs and constructs trade show booths for US Merchants, as well as store point-of-purchase displays.

When Plastics Technology visited US Merchants’ original Ontario facility where those first seven injection molding machines are still molding totes, the packaging/logistics side of the operation was packing up everything from skateboards and boots to batteries and bags, with finished pallets marked for delivery to New Zealand, Japan, China and destinations beyond. Forklifts navigated a towering maze of shrink-wrapped pallets ready to be loaded onto trucks, including Green’s own. The full scope of the operations is a bit overwhelming, but it all makes sense to Green. “To an outside person,” Green says, “it looks very convoluted, but the truth of the matter is it’s like a jigsaw puzzle — everything fits into place.”

US Merchants’ Ontario, California, injection molding facility features 46 1,200-ton LS Mtron injection molding machines. Photo Credit: US Merchants

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.

Automation is a must-have for molders of pipettes. Make sure your supplier provides assurances of throughput and output, manpower utilization, floor space consumption and payback period.

In the foreground, rows of shrink-wrapped pallets ready for delivery. In the background, US Merchants in-house thermoforming lines. Photo Credit: Plastics Technology

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

As US Merchants’ business has grown, so has its capabilities, driven by Green’s intense interest in maximum control over everything that can impact his business. “You could say I’m something of a very controlling individual,” Green says. “I always felt that we need to control our own destiny. When you have to farm things out to third parties, you’re only asking for issues with delivery and excuses why something can’t be done.”

In terms of sustainability measures, monomaterial structures are already making good headway and will evolve even further.

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.

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.

With compounding capacity exceeding 2.5 million tonnes/year positioning the company as the largest plastics compounder globally, Kingfa has traditionally maintained a strong presence in the automotive sector; new capacity in compounding plants in Vietnam and Poland will augment its global supply chain for automotive as well as support other key industries such as electrical & electronics and appliances. Capacity doublings are also on the cards for Kingfa’s Indian and Malaysian compounding assets.

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.

You need to pay attention to the inherent characteristics of biopolymers PHA/PLA materials when setting process parameters to realize better and more consistent outcomes.

In the hallway leading to the conference room, the walls are decorated with two of Green’s formidable collections: sports memorabilia and patents for his packaging and product display concepts that are now ubiquitous at retailers, including the warehouse club stores that he grew alongside starting in the 1980s.

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.

US Merchants’ newest Glendale, Arizona, facility covers nearly 640,000 square feet and will have 69 LS Mtron presses when fully commissioned.

“We don’t make mistakes because we’re trying to cut corners to make a larger margin. If I give you a better price, it’s coming out of my margin, never out of the quality of the product.”

Working closely with Steve Gwon and his machinery distribution company E Solution Inc., Hirate and US Merchants soon switched over to LS Mtron injection molding machines. Eventually, Gwon and Hirate would help US Merchants not only source machines but molds, hot runner controllers, auxiliaries, robots, chillers, material handling systems, gantry cranes, mold tilters and more. Beyond sourcing, they also gave the rookie molder advice on everything from part design and employee recruiting to laying out and commissioning new plants.

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

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.

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).

Sales into auto applications increased by 15% in 2022, of which compound sales for new energy vehicles (NEVs) were up 100%. Kingfa estimates that upwards of 40 kg of its plastic compounds are used in the typical Chinese NEV compared with 30 kg for an internal combustion engine (ICE) car. Kingfa also offers a variety of PP, ABS, PC, and PC/ABS grades with recycled content of 30% to 50% for automotive applications.

At the end of the three rows of machines at the Ontario injection molding facility, some totes and other molded products are marked NCM (nonconforming materials) and will be scrapped. Khemlani notes NCM represents less than 1% of the company’s output, with the parts in question not meeting US Merchants rigid and rigorous standards, which are another core tenet of Green’s business philosophy.

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

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.

Today, US Merchants operates seven facilities in California, with additional sites in Virginia, Texas, Canada and Arizona, as well as a planned expansion into the U.K. The company has standardized on LS Mtron injection molding machines, and it credits the Korean press maker and several other vendors with helping it transition from a molding newbie to an old plastics hand.

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

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.

Beyond Plastic and partners have created a certified biodegradable PHA compound that can be injection molded into 38-mm closures in a sub 6-second cycle from a multicavity hot runner tool.

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.

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

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

Now the owner of hundreds of injection molding machines, Jeff Green speaks frankly about his company’s molding knowledge when he acquired his first presses in 2014. “We didn’t know anything about injection molding,” Green says. “I knew as much about injection molding as you know about flying a 747 airplane.”

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

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.

Beginning in retail himself in 1979 with a tennis store in Beverly Hills dubbed with the pun-intended name — The Merchants of Tennis — Green grew into the wholesale business at a time in the early ‘80s when warehouse club chains were just getting started. One of Green’s patents is for the Pallet Program he devised as a means for those retailers to turn pallets of shrink-wrapped and boxed-up goods into ready-to-go, point-of-purchase displays with nothing more than a box cutter.

Back in 2014, one of those manufacturers requested something that wasn’t on the menu, asking US Merchants if it could make it a better 27-gallon storage container. “I do have engineers in my packaging and machine area that understand what injection molding is and they said to me, ‘Jeff, this product requires different equipment than what we currently have,’ and so I said, ‘Will you look into it and let me know what the cost is,’ and I went back the very next day to the customer and said, ‘If you give me a commitment…’ — because we don't do anything unless we have a firm commitment — and that customer gave me a commitment, sight unseen. I guaranteed that the product would be better than what they were currently selling. I went ahead and I bought some equipment, and that’s how I got into the injection molding business.”

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.

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

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

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

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.

Specifically, Green and US Merchants credit Shingo Hirate, president of equipment distributor Hirate America Inc., Anaheim, California, with helping the company understand what would be needed to get started in injection molding. Green and Larry Khemlani, US Merchants VP of Operations, met Hirate while walking a plastics trade show, and Hirate’s willingness to get into the nuts and bolts of starting a molding business from scratch won him a new and prodigious customer. US Merchants would order four full molding machine cells from Hirate shortly thereafter and then another three in quick succession.

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.

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.

Kingfa has also established polymerization capacity for several advanced engineering plastics including partially bio-based polyamide (20,000 tonnes/year), LCP (6,000 tonnes/year), and PPSU/PES (800 tonnes/year), together with 40,000 tonnes/year of associated compounding capacity. With this portfolio, the company can supply compounds spanning the gamut of performance requirements.

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.

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

The company’s 2.46 million tonnes of compounds shipped in 2021 incorporated 182,000 tonnes of PCR material, including PP, PE, ABS, and PC compounds for appliance, automotive, and packaging applications, with PCR production capacity already pegged at 400,000 tonnes/year. To serve this capacity with high-quality feedstock, Kingfa has established a network of 500-plus recyclers across China.

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.

A showroom displays just some of the totes, containers and shelving US Merchants produces at molding facilities across the U.S. Photo Credit: Plastics Technology

Kingfa is also working toward expansion of base resin capacities by starting up new polymerization plants for ABS (300,000 tonnes/year) and polypropylene (300,000 tonnes/year) this year, on top of 180,000 tonnes/year of new bioplastics capacity. An additional 400,000 tonnes/year of PP polymerization capacity is slated for startup in 2025, when overall PP resin capacity will have reached 1.2 million tonnes/year.

Jeff Green, president and CEO of US Merchants, grew his business alongside the warehouse club stores that emerged in the ‘80s. Photo Credit: US Merchants

In June 2023, US Merchants opened a facility in Glendale, Arizona, covering nearly 640,000 square feet, which will have 69 LS Mtron presses when fully commissioned, including 2,500-ton and all-electric machines. A second facility is coming to Houston, and the company will be opening its first international molding facilities in Montreal and the U.K. The molding operation we tour in Ontario, which was purchased in 2017, has 46 1,200-ton LS Mtron presses divided into three rows.

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

“I can give a customer a delivery date,” Green says, “and I know that I can meet that date. Why? Because we control the entire process. We do all that in-house and we control it, so I know that if I give somebody a promise, I’m going to be able to deliver because we do everything in-house.”

True to the adjective in its name, Dynamic Group has been characterized by constant change, activity and progress over its nearly five decades as a medical molder and moldmaker.

“I don’t say I have the best standard in the world, but we live or die by what our standard is, so we don’t cut corners. That doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes — we make mistakes like everybody else. We try to learn from our mistakes and not let them happen a second time, but we don’t make mistakes because we’re trying to cut corners to make a larger margin. If I give you a better price, it’s coming out of my margin, never out of the quality of the product.”

In less than a decade in injection molding, US Merchants has acquired hundreds of machines spread across facilities in California, Texas, Virginia and Arizona, with even more growth coming.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

In automotive and other applications, “the hidden risk factors of PCR must also be addressed,” said Dennis Wang, Kingfa’s Global Director of Auto Materials, at Chinaplas 2023. “These include wide molecular weight distribution, metal ion residues, and reactive hydroxyl groups. Technologies such as metal passivation and end-capping can be employed to resolve these issues.” Wang estimates that the three major European auto brands and three major OEMs in Japan will require about 400,000 tonnes of PCR annually by 2025.

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.

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.

“My personal belief is quality stands the test of time,” Green says, “and so we as a company don’t cut any corners. I believe that making the highest quality product in the industry, you have the longest staying power.” With its molded products, that ethos extends to the removal of any flash and, if need be, to avoid warp and produce a tote that closes cleanly and securely off the press, longer cycle times.

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

The Chinese mega-compounder also plans to expand plastics recycling capacity to one million tonnes/year in China and overseas by 2025.

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.

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.

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

“This is where companies like LS Mtron and E Solution have really made a difference,” Green says, “because these people are professionals and experts, and we’ve kind of put ourselves in their hands to help us and direct us in the right direction.”

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.

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.

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.

In a second-story conference room at US Merchant’s Beverly Hills, California, corporate headquarters, I’m seated across from Green at a glass-top table. I’ve just met the president and CEO of US Merchants, but his assessment of my aviation abilities is accurate. Nowadays, Green does know injection molding, and what he’s always known is retail, from sourcing, packaging and merchandising to shipping and logistics.