HD7165L can help enable converters to produce blown MDO-PE films with 60-70 percent HDPE for enhanced stiffness and high heat resistance when compared with films with a lower percentage of HDPE incorporated. Output rates in excess of 400 kg/hr are possible, while bubble stability is maintained.

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

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

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.

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

MDO stretch ratios as high as 7:1, with very high stiffness (1% secant modulus as high as 200 ksi) can be achieved. HD7165L offers optical haze less than 10% and gloss higher than 60%. Where used as a print web of a PE-PE laminate,  HD7165L offers high heat resistance, stiffness, and printability.

Cost- and time-savings are tied to specific projects and requirements “For one-off trays made on the printers, turnaround times are about two days versus two to three weeks done traditionally,” Howard points out.

Companies including packaging suppliers continue to leverage the agility of 3D printing to open new opportunities for themselves and for customers.

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.

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

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.

Thermoformer supplier Harpak-ULMA’s nationwide 3D-printing service permits rapid iterative customization of tray dimensions and detailed design features.

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.

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.

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.

ExxonMobil’s new grade of HDPE is formulated to support transition to mono-material packaging for easier recycling. Photo Credit: ExxonMobil

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).

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.

Customers can utilize this service at the Centers to easily, quickly, and cost-effectively customize their tray designs to meet specific marketing needs and preferences.

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

Take a deep dive into all of the various aspects of part quoting to ensure you’ve got all the bases—as in costs—covered before preparing your customer’s quote for services.

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

It’s the first of the company’s three Centers equipped with 3D printing capabilities, Kevin Howard, associate engineer tells us. “We have the proven ability to provide same day or overnight tray samples ensuring that 3D printing services are available to all customers nationwide.”

One of the latest is Harpak-ULMA, which now offers a nationwide 3D printing service tailored for thermoform tray package prototyping.

“Adding additional 3D printing capabilities in the western and southern Customer Experience Centers will be based on customer demand,” adds Howard.

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.

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

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.

Prototyping costs are drastically slashed. “Costs have been about 1% to 4% of traditional methods,” he says. “For complete thermoformer tooling, lead times and costs are about half.”

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.

Don’t assume you know everything there is to know about PE because it’s been around so long. Here is yet another example of how the performance of PE is influenced by molecular weight and density.

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

Standard prototyping to develop customized trays is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and results in long lead times and significant costs. This may prohibit prototyping for smaller businesses or companies with limited budgets.

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

Customers also have the option of in-person collaboration at Harpak-ULMA’s Customer Experience Center at its Taunton, MA, headquarters.

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.

"Our new 3D printing-enabled package prototype services eliminates barriers, shortening the prototyping process from weeks to months to hours with commensurately lower costs," notes Joshua Allen, Harpak-ULMA's marketing director. "It also facilitates quick and inexpensive iterations. Feedback from testing and evaluation is easily incorporated into successive prototypes. That kind of iterative approach leads to better final products.”

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.

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.

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.

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

“They can opt for sample trays/tooling before committing to a final design,” Howard says. “Our goal right now is to accept as many requests as possible in hopes of scaling this department throughout the year.”

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.

“This week alone we’re developing prototype tooling for two customers,” says Howard. “We anticipate the growth will be exponential this year as our sales and marketing departments get the word out to prospective and returning customers.”

“These printers produce durable, high-quality samples with little to no visible layer lines. We also have a pair of Bambu X1-Carbons by Bambu Lab, a fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer that prints thermoplastics such as ABS, PETG, and nylon to name a few. Most trays done thus far on the FDM printers have been made of polylactic acid (PLA) and PETG.

In blown MDO-PE film applications, HD7165L offers uniform orientation, gauge stability, and low gels for easy processability. Compared to a market reference HDPE grade, HD7165L delivers better shear thinning behavior and extrudability, higher melt strength for bubble stability, and gauge uniformity.

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

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.

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

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.

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

3D printing dramatically reduces waste associated with legacy prototyping methods, which makes it more environmentally friendly.

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.

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.

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.

Tobe Packaging’s breakthrough was to create its Ecolefin PE multilayer film that could be applied with a specialized barrier coating.

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 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

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

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

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

Howard acknowledges that commercialization progress has been “slow but steady. We spent the first few months working on purely internal projects. We had a soft launch mid-February and full launch in March.”

Harpak-ULMA's 3D printing service for tray package prototyping offers merchandisers unmatched flexibility and versatility in prototyping — whether customization requirements call for adjusting dimensions, adding intricate features, or including branding elements.

You would think we’d know all there is to know about a material that was commercialized 80 years ago. Not so for polyethylene. Let’s start by brushing up on the basics.

“The workhorse of our 3D printing systems are a pair of Form 3L systems made by FormLabs. These are large-format stereolithography (SLA) printers that use photopolymer, UV-activated resin,” he says. “Thermoforming molds will be produced using FormLabs’ Rigid 10K resin, capable of short-run thermoforming. Most have been clear resins.

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.

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.

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 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

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

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.

ExxonMobil announced it has developed a new high density polyethylene (HDPE) grade for machine direction orientation film (MDO) applications. Designed for recyclability (contingent upon availability of film collection programs), HD7165L can help converters create mono-material laminates to replace multi-material laminate structures, such as food packaging.

Rick Lingle is Senior Technical Editor, Packaging Digest and PlasticsToday. He’s been a packaging media journalist since 1985 specializing in food, beverage and plastic markets. He has a chemistry degree from Clarke College and has worked in food industry R&D for Standard Brands/Nabisco and the R.T. French Co. Reach him at [email protected] or 630-481-1426.

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

Harpak-ULMA remains flexible to customers' needs. For example, the company has responded to requests that go beyond thermoformed trays.