PEEK replaces aluminum in aerospace fuel housing - plastic mold for aerospace/PEEK replaces aluminum in aerospace fuel housing

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PEEK replaces aluminum in aerospace fuel housing - plastic mold for aerospace

Author：gly Date: 2024-09-30

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

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.

The blow molder is not a brand-name machine but a custom system built to Sussex’s unique specifications at a local machine builder with a global reputation. It has two accumulator heads—one for each cavity—and an 80-ton clamp.

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 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.

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.

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

“Buying a pure two-barrel or two-shot machine, you’re getting into a very specific, very custom piece of equipment that might not have the versatility to run another mold in the future or be able to be reconfigured,” adds Scott Jones, Innotech’s v.p. of engineering.

The result was a cell in which the process starts with injection molding four TPE soft grips in a 120-ton press. A six-axis robot extracts the grips with end-of-arm tooling that also picks up two in-mold labels and places all of them in two aluminum blow molds—one grip in each mold half—in an adjoining press.

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

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

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.

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.

At Sussex IM, compact cells of side-by-side injection and blow molding machines “assemble” reusable water bottles with insert blow molding and automated transfer, trimming and leak testing.

As the industry tries to ramp up recycling, there are several innovative sorting solutions in the offing—ranging from enhanced optical sorting technologies and chemical tracers to advanced solutions based digital watermarks and artificial intelligence.

When Sussex IM approached blow molding again, five years ago, it decided to focus only on specialty niche applications. For the sports bottles, Sussex approached it in its accustomed fashion—with a do-it-ourselves attitude and an urge to automate.

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

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

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

Productive Plastics has created an extensive collection of 3D printed manufacturing aids that sharply reduce lead times.

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.

A collaboration between show organizer PLASTICS, recycler CPR and size reduction experts WEIMA and Conair recovered and recycled all production scrap at NPE2024.

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.

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.

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

Sussex IM CEO Keith Everson (right) and Kyle Kopp, v.p. of manufacturing, in front of the trimming and leak-testing station of the automated injection and blow molding cell that produces sports water bottles with IML.

Plastics processors are finding applications for 3D printing around the plant and across the supply chain. Here are 8 examples to look for at NPE2024.

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

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).

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

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.

In the Innotech molding cell, a six-axis Kuka robot inserts the metal components to be overmolded using electromagnets in the robot tooling—in the mold, pins hold them in place. Before the mold closes, cameras inspect the inserts, ensuring they’re in position and halting the cycle if they’re not.

So, when Sussex needed to make a hollow-bodied object with solid attachments of a different material, it adopted blow molding as just another secondary operation to injection molding, and engineered the automation to link them together efficiently.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

The bigger investment and lead time on a dedicated two-shot machine would be a different story. “Maybe a pure two-shot machine has some features that we’re giving up on,” Koehler says, “but there’s enough pros to the approach we took that with 20/20 hindsight I’m still pretty comfortable with the decision.”

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Designed to form a component that would hold headlights in place, the mold was intended to produce a front-end automobile bracket. Instead of parts however, the tool’s real output was problems.

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

The Mold-Masters e-multi auxiliary injection unit was installed on a new 500-ton all-electric Toshiba (now Shibaura) injection molding machine (left in photo).

The approach Innotech took was to purchase an e-Multi and a new 500-ton all-electric Toshiba press (now supplied by Shibaura Machine Co.), pairing them with a specialized multi-material mold that puts a spin on traditional 2K designs that use a rotary table.

The concept of joining two materials in the mold—in-mold assembly—was already familiar to Sussex IM, which has experience with a wide variety of multi-shot injection molding techniques. Extrusion blow molding, however, is very different from injection molding, a likely reason why there aren’t a lot of shops that do both. Fortunately, Sussex IM had a history in blow molding—and some long-time employees who remembered that experience.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Innotech’s goal was to automate the cell as much as possible, with one operator loading metal inserts into a nest for the robot. That same operator inspects and packs good parts within the cycle time with ample time for all three tasks.

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

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.

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

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.

Adds Kyle Kopp, v.p. of manufacturing, “In-house automation expertise gives us total control. We build systems for our people and our style of operations, so our people find it more intuitive and learn it quicker. Doing automation in-house also makes it easier to optimize and fine-tune. This gives speed to market by allowing us to react faster.”

Mike Sepe has authored more than 25 ANTEC papers and more than 250 articles illustrating the importance of this interdisciplanary approach. In this collection, we present some of his best work during the years he has been contributing for Plastics Technology Magazine.

The 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

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.

A customer request for multi-material molding presented a market opportunity and potential financial peril: How do you add two-shot without also overextending yourself from an investment perspective?

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

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.

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

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

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

“Value-added operations are one of the criteria for distinguishing between shoot-and-ship molding—where a part is ejected from the mold and essentially goes straight into a box—and engineered molding. One of the most efficient procedures in plastics manufacturing involves integrating downstream operation to the molding cycle. While we have control of the part, through robotics and fixturing, we can effectively reorient, inspect, test, decorate, machine, assemble, and package.”

Consumer-product brand owners increasingly see advanced chemical recycling as a necessary complement to mechanical recycling if they are to meet ambitious goals for a circular economy in the next decade. Dozens of technology providers are developing new technologies to overcome the limitations of existing pyrolysis methods and to commercialize various alternative approaches to chemical recycling of plastics.

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.

Spectrum Plastics Group offers customers two technology hubs — one for extrusion, the other for additive manufacturing — to help bring ground-breaking products to market faster.

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

The new process has led to lower inventory, less labor, lower scrap and greater product quality. “When we do insert transfer molding,” Jones says, “we create work in process, and this totally eliminates that. The quality is a lot better. With transfer, you get into mold-fit issues with first shot into the second shot, and a lot of quality concerns. So there’s a lot of advantages to doing it this way in one machine.”

An articulating mold and versatile auxiliary injection unit helped this molder rethink its tried-and-true approach to insert molding.

The six-axis robot waits by the blow mold for a second robot to remove the bottles for leak testing and trimming. This view is looking over the injection press, whose tiebar is seen at bottom.

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

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

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

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.

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

Other injection molders might be attracted to the idea of blowing hollow-bodied objects with grips, handles, or other attachments incorporated via an insert-molding approach. But a word of caution is in order. Notes Kopp, “There are aspects of the process that can be challenging when you combine multiple technologies. Making it all function within cycle time consistently is not easy. It’s challenging, but we work very hard to eliminate variables.”

Sussex IM has 100 robots and several collaborative robots (cobots), the latter used to transfer products between operations. The firm also has a 3D printer that allows it make custom plastic components for jigs, fixtures, mandrels and robot grippers, as well as prototype parts.

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

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

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.

The two sports-bottle cells currently run 24/5, but Everson sees other applications beckoning for this dual-molding approach and its nearly full-wrap IML capability. One factor is the growing popularity of refillable water bottles versus single-use PET bottles. Another is the untapped potential in products such as wipes containers and medical products (Sussex is ISO 13485 certified).

Rudy Koehler, Innotech president, considered the project at hand as he weighed what technology the company would utilize, including the alternatives of new two-shot molding machine or a standard press with an auxiliary injection unit. “Let’s say we have a two-shot application seven years from now, and the one that we have now goes away,” Koehler says, “and we don’t know if we’ve got the replacement work. We can take the e-Multi off; we can sell it; or we can put it on another machine.”

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

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 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

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

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 prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

After blow molding, the TPE grips are bonded to the bottle body (LDPE or PP) and in-mold decorated (eliminating the subsequent pad-print operation). A secondary robot removes the two bottles and transfers them to another station, where the bottles are automatically trimmed, leak tested and passed to a wairint conveyor system. Lastly, an operator gives a quick visual check, adds a unique multishot cap assembly, product information tag, and UPC code label, and packs the bottles for retail distribution. This is all done within the blow molding cycle.

The first shot of talc-filled PP from the main barrel encases the inserted steel reinforcement, which is located in a high-stress area of the assembly. Next, instead of a rotary table spinning the mold for the second shot, the mold has a rotating core built into it. When the platens open, the mold’s core rises out of the base and rotates 180°. The trim parts are right- and left-hand, and in the four cavity mold, the two lower cavities are filled with the first PP shot, and spun into the upper position, where the TPV seal is overmolded using the e-Multi mounted on the stationary platen.

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.

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.

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

An example of such compact cells are the two lines making reusable water bottles (“sports bottles”) in a variety of sizes and color configurations, using paired injection and blow molding machines. According to Everson, these bottles formerly were made only in Asia. The original procedure was to injection mold TPE soft grips, which were hand loaded into fixtures, from which a robot would place them in the blow mold. After molding, the bottles were trimmed and pad printed.

“Back in the late 1980s,” recalls Everson, “we reached a fork in the road: go automated or do just manual jobs. We chose automation and to do it internally. We hired a full staff of seven automation engineers and technicians to build custom automation for specific programs. Post-mold operations are a big niche for us, so we build several million dollars worth of automation each year. If we had to buy that outside, it would cost twice as much, take twice as long, and work half as well.”

An injection molder of trash cans, pallets, totes and other plus-size components, Rehrig Pacific’s machine fleet is composed of larger tonnage presses whose size makes material changes at the feed throat a potentially dizzying exercise.

The same six-axis robot and EOAT that transfers the TPE grips from injection to blow molds also picks and places in-mold labels in the blow molds.

When Sussex IM took on this application, it had the advantage of prior experience with extrusion blow molding. “About 25 years ago, we had five machines making seasonal point-of-sale decorations—pumpkin heads, Christmas trees, candy canes,” Everson notes. “Then we got out of it. Most of that business went to Asia.”

Kopp notes that Sussex automation engineers pride themselves on designing compact workcells that perform multiple operations within a small footprint: “By streamlining the assembly process, we can eliminate unnecessary touchpoints, minimize excess handling of WIP items, and actually yield significant energy savings. These are discrete pieces of the sustainability puzzle that may be overlooked in conventional thinking.”

Sussex IM is an injection molder and contract manufacturer with broad competence in secondary operations—degating, barcoding, pad printing, digital ink transfer, in-mold labeling and decorating (IML, IMD), digital watermarking, laser etching, sonic and vibratory welding, functional testing, and even retail packaging. To make all that efficient, the company is also committed to automation. As it states on its website (sussexim.com), this combined focus is integral to the company’s philosophy:

When a class A trim-component program for full-sized GM trucks came up in 2018, the job was not unlike many other multi-material jobs Innotech had fulfilled with transfer molding. This time, however, an advanced tool technology from a Quebec-based moldmaker and the potential to apply an e-Multi auxiliary injection unit from Mold-Masters led the company to a new overmolding strategy.

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.

The class A trim component Innotech has been molding since mid-2020 is positioned at the front edge of the truck’s front door. Apart from the molded plastic, it comprises a stamped decorative metal element and a steel reinforcement.

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.

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

Six-axis robot delivers inserts and removed finished parts from the two-shot mold with cores that advance and rotate between shots.

Sussex IM was started in 1977 as Sussex Plastics Inc. The current CEO, Keith Everson, has been with the firm almost all of that time, during which, Sussex has grown to a $70 million operation that employs 500 people and houses 70 injection machines from 25 to 955 tons—plus two blow molders—at two facilities in Sussex, Wis., that total 210,000 ft2. Its activities are divided almost equally among four market sectors: consumer goods (including cosmetics packaging), healthcare, agriculture, and industrial. Sussex also has a small proprietary Sussex Brands division, which makes Mr. Lid food-storage containers (mrlid.com).

Inject a substrate, insert it into a different tool and overmold—lather, rinse, repeat. For most of its 25 years, that’s how Innotech Precision Inc. in Toronto handled overmolding, using a transfer method requiring two molds, two machines and a good bit of labor input.