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

In terms of volume, HDPE is the third-largest commodity plastic material in the world, after polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene.

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

Polyimide-based chemistries were also developed further during this period. Thermosetting polyimide was first created in the lab in 1908 by Marston Bogert and Roemer Renshaw. Commercialization came much later when in 1953 Walter Edwards and Robinson Maxwell at DuPont filed a patent for polyimides based on pyromellitic acid. The product became known as Vespel and still stands as one of the highest performing polymers known. However, the initial chemistries were crosslinked materials. In the late 1970’s and into the late 1980’s the imide chemistry was reimagined in thermoplastic form beyond the realm of Torlon. Perhaps the best-known example of this was polyetherimide (PEI), first developed by GE Plastics (now SABIC), and commercialized as Ultem in 1982 after nearly a decade of development by a team led by J.G. Wirth.

S&P Global’s Chemical Economics Handbook – Polyethylene Resins, High-Density (HDPE) is the comprehensive and trusted guide for anyone seeking information on this industry. This latest report details global and regional information, including

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

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

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.

Obtain the data you need to make the most informed decisions by accessing our extensive portfolio of information, analytics, and expertise. Sign in to the product or service center of your choice.

This new global engineering materials contender combines Lanxess’ high-performance materials business with DSM’s engineering materials business.

However, as with all of these high-performance materials, melt processability within the framework of today’s molding machines becomes the issue. An amorphous polymer with a Tg of 310°C (590°F) is likely to have a minimum processing temperature of 410°C (770°F), very close to the maximum temperature achievable for most molding machines. Consequently, commercial grades for this product line, known commercially as Extem, tend to top out at about 270°C (518°F).

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

Future growth in world HDPE consumption will be driven by the status and progress of regional economies, continued substitution of HDPE for traditional materials (e.g., glass, wood, concrete, paper), and avoidance of obsolescence of HDPE in some traditional applications. This latter factor will be more evident in the developed regions of the world where continued improvements in polyolefin processes and catalyst technologies should allow for the production of very broad ranges of products and grades that will increase HDPE’s utility in the marketplace. HDPE will also experience competition from traditional materials such as other existing thermoplastics as well as from emerging polymers brought into the marketplace via new technologies such as metallocene catalysts.

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.

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.

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

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.

Not all high-performance polymers came late in the historical development. As was previously mentioned, polyamide-imide, commercially known as Torlon, was first developed at DuPont in the mid-1950s before being commercialized by Amoco in the early 1960s. (Today, it’s a product of Solvay.) And nylon, first created in the 1930’s, can arguably be viewed as the first engineering thermoplastic. But the majority of the polymers that we rely on today for outstanding performance were introduced in the period between 1965 and 1985.

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.

Demand in Southeast Asia and mainland China is driven by film and sheet applications, whereas demand in the United States and Western Europe is driven by blow molding applications for HDPE resins.

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.

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.

This was not well understood when PPS was first developed and caused considerable confusion when the materials were first submitted to Underwriters Laboratories for relative thermal index (RTI) testing. RTI ratings are based on property losses due to oxidation during long-term exposure to elevated temperatures. Typically, a polymer will exhibit a set of baseline properties before aging, which then decline over time when specimens are placed in ovens set at various elevated temperatures. The relationship between aging temperature and the time required to produce a certain loss in initial properties is characterized in an accelerated time frame to produce the RTI values that appear on the UL yellow card.

Construction and other consumer and industrial applications are influenced by business cycles and fluctuate in tandem with the economy because of the exposure of HDPE applications in construction, such as in piping.

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.

One member of the high-performance family that was developed in this same time period actually has its roots in chemistry developed in the late 19th century, and is worthy of some special treatment. This is the class of materials known as liquid-crystal polymers (LCP). These materials do not appear to fit into the generalized categories of amorphous and semi-crystalline, and they provide some unique characteristics that will be discussed in our next installment.

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

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

PPO was a promising new high-performance thermoplastic, but it could be made useful only by mixing it with a humble commodity resin.

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

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.

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.

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 1978, the first samples of poly(etheretherketone), or PEEK, were produced at ICI and within three years a full catalog of commercial grades was introduced under the trade name of Victrex. This extended the heat resistance of high-performance semi-crystalline polymers even further. This material, in semi-crystalline form, had an unprecedented melting point of 343°C and a Tg of 143°C. Subsequent innovations in this chemistry produced poly(etherketone), or PEK, with a melting point of 373°C and Tg of 160°C, and culminated in a material with the formidable abbreviation PEKEKK, a polymer with a Tg of 170°C and melting point of 387°C, comparable to that offered by zinc die-cast alloys.

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).

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.

Two decades of extensive chemical innovation (1965-85) brought new high-performance engineering materials such as BASF’s Ultrason polysulfone in the mug at left and Victrex’s PEEK in the undersea oil/gas pipe at right. (Photos: BASF, Victrex)

Union Carbide commercialized polysulfone under the trade name Udel in 1965. Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and 3M also filed patents for this chemistry at about the same time. This elevated the upper limit of the glass -ransition temperature (Tg) for amorphous polymers from 150-155°C for polycarbonate to 185-190°C while also introducing a high degree of hydrolysis resistance. Polyethersulfone and polyphenylsulfone, developed in the early to mid-1970s, extended the thermal capabilities of high-performance amorphous thermoplastics to 215-220°C. Of course, Torlon exceeded all of these materials in heat resistance. But the challenges associated with processing and the need for extended post-bake routines to achieve optimal performance kept this a niche material.

The HDPE industry is in a growth mode, with supply and demand continuing to increase strongly in 2022–2027. Demand will continue to be dominated by Asia, primarily mainland China. Northeast Asia alone is forecast to consume more than one-third of the total global consumption in 2027. Historically, traditional established economies such as North America, Western Europe and Japan produced HDPE. The recent growth of the polyethylene industry has resulted in the shifting of production centers to regions with feedstock advantage (like the Middle East) or those with a prominent domestic demand base (such as mainland China).

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.

In 2021–2022, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted demand for HDPE around the world apart from in mainland China, which reported a positive growth rate.

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.

World HDPE consumption is driven by mainland Chinese demand, which accounted for more than one-third of world consumption in 2022. Mainland Chinese polyethylene demand represents robust growth, whereas mature markets like the United States, Europe and Japan will either remain flat or grow at a comparatively small rate. The United States is characterized by increased supply in the global environment, whereas mainland China continues to drive Northeast Asian demand for the product.

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

As the development of new polymers moved into the so-called modern era, the history of these developments becomes more prosaic and the stories are less colorful and not as well documented. This is probably due to movement of the research from creative and inspired individuals working independently to large chemical companies with well-structured R&D programs. At the same time, polymers developed after 1965 tend to be those that we associate with high performance.

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

Film and sheet applications lead the demand for HDPE globally, followed by blow molding applications. Blow molding, injection molding and film and sheet together account for more than two-thirds of the world market for HDPE, most of which is for packaging (excluding blow-molded fuel tanks).

When the first PPS samples were submitted, they were molded at conditions that did not produce full crystallization. When placed into the ovens crystallization resumed, resulting in anomalous increases in strength and stiffness instead of the expected orderly decline in these properties. Subsequently, the crystallization behavior became better understood and new samples were prepared using the mold temperatures needed to achieve a stable structure. PPS offers some of the highest RTI values available in the industry, with many grades achieving ratings of 200-240°C. The polymer also offers outstanding chemical resistance and is flame retardant without the use of additives. Philips exited the PPS business in 2014, selling the product line to Solvay.

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.

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.

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

Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) was first produced in 1967 by Edmonds and Hill while they were working at Philips Petroleum, reacting dichlorobenzene with sodium sulfide, as shown in the accompanying figure. Commercialized as Ryton, the initial grades were based on a branched polymer and relied on relatively high levels of fillers and reinforcements. Later grades were based on a linear polymer that also offered a lighter natural color. PPS was the first of several high-performance semi-crystalline polymers that required the use of mold temperatures higher than those achievable with hot water to achieve an optimal level of crystallization.

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

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.

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 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.

An amorphous polymer, PEI matches the Tg of the high-heat sulfone polymers while offering a fully developed imide structure that does not require the arduous post-mold baking routines needed for polyamide-imide. While the initial PEI materials still had Tg’s that were 65°C below those of PAI, this gap has been narrowed by innovation. Today, it is technologically possible to produce a polymer with a Tg of 310°C (590°F).

S&P Global’s Chemical Economics Handbook – Polyethylene Resins, High-Density (HDPE) has been compiled using primary interviews with key suppliers and organizations, and leading representatives from the industry in combination with S&P Global’s unparalleled access to upstream and downstream market intelligence and expert insights into industry dynamics, trade, and economics.

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

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.

Is a two-year-old hygroscopic resin kept in its original packaging still useful? Let’s try to answer that question and clear up some misconceptions.

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.

Blow molding and injection molding are the dominant end uses in Western Europe and North America. Consumption of HDPE in these end uses in Japan is considerably less. As a percentage of total HDPE consumption, film usage in Japan and Other Asia is nearly twice as large as the share of film in either the United States or Western Europe.

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

The majority of the polymers that today we rely on for outstanding performance — such as polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylsulfone and PPS — were introduced in the period between 1965 and 1985. Here’s how they entered your toolbox of engineering of materials.

Subsequently, a number of adaptations of polyimide chemistry were adapted to the world of thermoplastic materials. The processing conditions are very demanding, requiring high melt and mold temperatures and high pressures for injection molding. If the material is capable of crystallization, a post-bake routine of several hours may be required to achieve the optimal level of crystallinity. In addition, while melt temperatures must be elevated, these materials can be prone to crosslinking if exposed to processing temperatures for an extended period of time. Therefore, residence times in the melt need to be kept short.

PPO was a promising new high-performance thermoplastic, but it could be made useful only by mixing it with a humble commodity resin.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael Sepe is an independent materials and processing consultant based in Sedona, Ariz., with clients throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He has more than 45 years of experience in the plastics industry and assists clients with material selection, designing for manufacturability, process optimization, troubleshooting and failure analysis. Contact: (928) 203-0408 • mike@thematerialanalyst.com

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

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.