Since conventional molding is very sensitive to even small shifts in viscosity, many MFI specifications are needed to run the wide range of part designs.

Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” This, however, is exactly what the plastics industry is doing when it comes to running post-consumer-recycled (PCR) materials. We are trying to solve the problem of material variation with the same thinking that created the problem. We are developing a recycling infrastructure designed to deliver narrow viscosity variation, which leads to unnecessary complexity, higher material cost and loss of material integrity – and is only marginally effective.

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.

The joint announcement with MCAM builds upon Celanese’s sustainable product offerings by initiating development of a recycled content option of the Celanese Hostaform/Celcon POM product that will be marketed as POM ECO-R. MCAM will conduct recycled feedstock collection, separation, and processing, while Celanese will provide the formulation, product technology, and production capability. Celanese expects to offer its POM ECO-R solution with up to 30% recycled content.

Celanese Corp. and Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials (MCAM), a global manufacturer of high-performance thermoplastic materials in the form of semi-finished products and finished parts, have announced a joint collaboration to further develop mechanical recycling solutions for both post-industrial and post-consumer sources of polyacetal (POM) copolymer. The aim is to meet requests from customers seeking recycled content options and carbon dioxide reductions while maintaining product consistency, quality, and performance.

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

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.

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.

Celanese and MCAM plan to work together to assess options to convert waste streams into marketable, end-product formulations so that Celanese can offer its customers sustainable options for scrap or end-of-life waste with assurances of closed-loop material reuse.

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

There is a way to efficiently manage MFI variation and make consistent-quality parts. The solution is to adapt automatically to viscosity changes as they occur. The injection machinery OEMs are developing adaptive processing technologies for the decoupled molding process that index transfer, velocity and packing pressures to compensate for viscosity changes. These technologies are highly effective, but the complex interactions between decoupled control parameters make it challenging to compensate for wide viscosity shifts, like we see in PCR.

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

Recyclers work hard to remove variation, with limited success as noted above, despite extensive efforts to carefully identify supply sources, elaborate strategies to test/segment/blend material streams, big investments in sorting and separation technology, using additives to modify viscosity and properties, and even reprocessing multiple times to achieve the desired result. These steps are complex, expensive, require high energy use, and in many cases damage the integrity of the polymer. We have a choice: We can continue to pour resources, time, and money into technology that is marginally effective at reducing MFI variation, or we can embrace proven technology that can efficiently run variable-viscosity materials. I think the choice is easy – let’s stop over-complicating the recycling infrastructure; let’s accelerate our transition to running PCR with processing technology designed to manage material variation.

The quality-management guru W. Edwards Deming once said, “You don’t need to change – your survival is not mandatory.” As a plastics industry, we are in a battle for survival, so let’s join forces to make the needed changes.

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

“MCAM has invested significantly in enabling closed-loop opportunities for post-industrial and post-consumer POM waste streams. In partnership with raw material supplier Celanese and its extensive capacities, we can now offer a wide range of new opportunities to our customers to achieve their own sustainability goals, support CO2 reduction, and work toward a climate-neutral economy,” said Markus Wehinger, Business Manager, MCAM Recycling Solutions.

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.

A new low-pressure injection molding process has aroused interest among molders and machine suppliers. In his second article on iMFLUX, the inventor of the process explains how it is evolving to support the overall industry goal of self-correcting molding processes that can compensate for common causes of variation to maintain consistent part quality.

In November 2020, Celanese introduced a sustainable polyacetal product offering known as POM ECO-B, a mass-balance, bio-based option that allows customers to realize a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in their end-use products and advance toward renewable content goals. While POM ECO-B is commercially available now, not all customers or industries are ready to adopt bio-mass balance that comes with its carbon dioxide footprint reduction benefit.

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.

My question to you, and the industry as a whole: Are we addressing the issue the right way? In my opinion, no. Instead of trying to narrow or eliminate variation, the right approach is to embrace technology that will allow running PCR materials with widely varying viscosity. This will greatly simplify the recycling infrastructure and processes, will make it more cost-effective, and will accelerate the transition to a circular economy. This article focuses on injection molding, but I believe the same basic principles apply across most if not all of plastics processing.

Besides speed and quality advantages, the low-pressure iMFLUX process is said to enhance sustainability—easing use of recycled and biobased materials, saving energy, reducing scrap, and adding lightweighting potential. See what molders say about these “green” benefits.

For the past 30+ years we have accepted an approach to processing plastics that cannot handle viscosity variation, and even relatively small variations can lead to bad part quality. While this has worked reasonably well for many years with virgin materials – since feedstock can be closely managed and polymer manufacturing processes have been perfected over time – we no longer have those luxuries as we transition to running PCR. We will need innovation designed to manage viscosity variation.

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

We are at a critical juncture. As we build recycling infrastructure, we have a chance to minimize complexity, reduce capital cost and accelerate scaling in all phases of the supply chain. If we act now, we can realize this simplification – fewer material specifications, increased available supply, and lower material costs.  If we wait, we will be stuck with a recycling infrastructure designed to deliver the complexity we created over the past 30+ years.

“Embrace variation” – That contradicts all normal thinking about processing plastics. But the only thing that’s “normal” about recycled plastics is variability, and that requires a processing philosophy that assumes variation and is geared to deal with it.

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.

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.

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.

“Celanese is a leading, global producer of acetal copolymer, and our industrial-scale manufacturing capabilities for POM are ideally suited for helping customers in a range of industries — such as medical, automotive and consumer goods — to meet their strategic environmental goals,” said Tom Kelly, Celanese Senior Vice President, Engineered Materials. “Offering both bio-based POM content, which can be uniquely produced from waste products via bio-methane or from CO2 emissions, and recycled POM through a collaboration with MCAM, elevates the broad usability of POM as an ideal engineered material that can help our customers achieve their sustainability goals.”

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

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.

Confronting the PCR challenge is not easy. Changing our thinking, adopting new technology, collaborating across major stakeholders to build critical mass behind new solutions are definitely not easy. It is my hope that this one change in thinking – the need to embrace variation rather than fearing it – is something the industry can rally behind. In my view, this is one of the most important enablers to a circular future for plastics, and for the injection molding industry it is within reach if we act now.

The implications are big: If we choose to pursue narrow-viscosity materials, the added complexity will slow our transition and add cost. If we choose to embrace wider-viscosity materials, we can transition faster and reduce material cost. For perspective, if we avoid adding just 10¢/lb in costs to the supply chain, this equates to $100,000 in annual savings for a typical 500-ton molding line; an average factory would save about $20 million annually; industry-wide, the savings would be tens of billions per year.

For extrusion blow molders, challenges of price and availability of postconsumer recycled resins can be addressed with a variety of multilayer technologies, which also offer solutions to issues with color, processability, mechanical properties and chemical migration in PCR materials.

This is not new thinking. We embrace variation in our lives every single day and we innovate to manage that variation. The modern automobile, for example, manages variation in road conditions, the actions of other drivers, and even weather conditions. We now have cars that assist you to maintain your lane, avoid hitting the car in front of you, stop the car before you back over your neighbor’s child, and perform tough tasks like parallel parking or backing up a trailer. Soon we will have fully autonomous driving vehicles. In our homes we manage temperature, lighting, sound, airflow, and even the smell of the place. We embrace and even enjoy the inherent variations in our living environment.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

A Boston recycler invested in a turnkey shredding, granulation and elutriation system to expand its plastics reclaim business.

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

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

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

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 an injection molding operation we manage many types of variation as well. We manage humidity with dryers, environmental temperature variation with HVAC systems, cooling water with chillers and TCUs, cavity-to-cavity variation with hot-runner and mold designs, and shot-to-shot machine performance with sensors in the machine and mold. For plastic resins, however, we don’t manage viscosity variation. Instead, we ask the resin supplier to control variation to a minimum level. In fact, we spend extra money to buy materials that vary as little as possible because this leads to more stable processes. Why?

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

FIG 2 A visit to a supermarket yielded 50 injection molded parts whose MFI ranged from around 3 to about 100 with an average of about 20.

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 examples in the accompanying table illustrate how effective the iMFLUX technology in adapting to a large viscosity shift, while also maintaining consistent part quality. In these examples a complete material transition is made quickly over a period of six to 10 shots, which would generally lead to shorts, flash, dimensional and/or aesthetic issues with standard processing technology.

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

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

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.

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.

FIG 1 Samples of eight typical injection molding grades of recycled PP found that MFI within a sample varied by ±24% on average, far more than most injection processes are designed for.

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.

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.

Today, more than ever, granulation is an important step in the total production process. Our expert explains a few of the many common traps to avoid when thinking about granulators

“We are developing a recycling infrastructure designed to deliver narrow viscosity variation, which leads to unnecessary complexity, higher material cost and loss of material integrity – and is only marginally effective.”

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.

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

At iMFLUX, we offer an alternative processing technology that uses low, constant pressure, and an auto-viscosity-adjust (AVA) feature that automatically adapts to viscosity changes (Fig. 4). The Green Curve, as we call it, fills the mold with a single constant-plastic-pressure phase – there is no clumsy transfer from fill to hold; there is no high-pressure spike; there are fewer complex interactions between processing variables. This simplified approach enables our AVA feature to measure and adapt to viscosity changes in real time, even with extreme shifts in viscosity. It is a “universal” process that is agnostic to material viscosity changes. Most major machine makers offer an iMFLUX solution on new and used electric, hydraulic and hybrid machines.

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

We recently took a snapshot of eight typical injection molding grades of recycled polypropylene (rPP), and found viscosity (MFI) varied ±24% on average – a 20 MFI material, for example, would range from about 15 to about 25 – far more than most processes are designed to run (Fig. 1). These samples included rPP produced by both mechanical and solvent-based recycling methods and were high-grade specifications that would typically be used for precision-molded products. In other words, these were highly curated recycled resins designed to minimize variation – yet they still varied widely.

FIG 3 Conventional decoupled molding fills by velocity and then transfers to a packing or holding pressure. This produces a high-pressure spike and requires a narrow viscosity range to maintain consistent part quality.

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.

PCR varies widely in MFI because the plastics we recycle vary widely. To demonstrate this we randomly tested 50 injection molded PP parts from the grocery store. Their MFI ranged from about 3 to about 100 with an average of about 20 (Fig. 2). The wide range of MFI is driven by the way we injection mold plastics – the decoupled molding process – whereby we fill by velocity and then transfer to a packing or holding pressure (Fig. 3). This method requires a lower-MFI material when a part is easy to fill and a higher MFI when a part is hard to fill. Since this approach is very sensitive to even small shifts in viscosity, many MFI specifications are needed to run the wide range of part designs we create. This wide range of MFI material then becomes feedstock for recycling, and it then becomes the recycler’s job to segment these materials into a manageable range of MFI specifications.

The world is counting on us to move quickly to find innovative solutions that deliver true circularity. The consumer wants to know that when a plastic part is recycled, it will be transformed to an equal or higher purpose – efficiently, affordably, and as many times as possible. They do not want just more PCR park benches or flower pots – they want precision packaging, medical devices, appliances, automotive parts – they want recycled plastic parts that make their everyday lives better. We need to offer solutions that make plastics not just a good choice, but a superior choice when it comes to environmental impact.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Should we expend so much time, energy and expense in trying to make PCR process like virgin resin – with limited success? Or, the author proposes, we could accelerate plastics recycling more cost-effectively by adopting technologies designed to accommodate and correct for the inherent variability of PCR. (Images: iMFLUX)

FIG 4 The iMFLUX “Green Curve” works by filling and packing the mold in one step, using a low and constant plastic pressure. The heart of the process is a proprietary control system that eliminates flow hesitations, packs the part as it fills, and reduces pressure loss within the mold. This allows plastic to flow much slower than in conventional processing techniques and results in lower pressure, faster cycles and the ability to adapt in real time as molding conditions (like viscosity) vary. Advantages include improved OEE, greater material selection flexibility, improved quality, ability to reduce tonnage, lightweighting and flexibility in running sustainable materials – especially highly variable recycled materials.

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.

Gene Altonen has been the chief technology officer of iMFLUX in Hamilton, Ohio, since 2015. He is the inventor of the iMFLUX core technology, and leads the iMFLUX R&D organization. Gene has spent his entire 30-year Procter & Gamble career developing new packaging solutions, including numerous injection molding technology innovations. Prior to the iMFLUX launch, Gene was a P&G Research Fellow, leading major technology developments in the company’s Injection Molding Capability organization. He holds more than 50 patents and has at least 35 patent applications pending. For more information about iMFLUX, contact 513-973-2042; info@imflux.com; imflux.com.

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

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