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

“We are excited to announce the addition of Intertech to the TriMas family of businesses,” said Thomas Amato, President and Chief Executive Officer of TriMas. “We look forward to supporting Intertech’s management team and leveraging the TriMas Business Model to accelerate the growth of products used in medical and health-related applications. The addition of Intertech, combined with TriMas’ December 2021 acquisition of Omega and our existing presence in pharmaceutical & nutraceutical applications, expands our product offerings into the Life Sciences market, which we believe has attractive long-term growth characteristics.”

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

Feeder performance is crucial to operating extrusion and compounding lines. And consistent, reliable feeding depends in large part on selecting a feeder compatible with the materials and additives you intend to process. Follow these tips to analyze your feeder requirements.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI — TriMas announced March 1 that it has acquired Intertech Plastics, an innovative solutions provider of complex, precision injection molded components, expanding its product portfolio and capabilities for applications in the medical end market. Intertech will become part of TriMas Packaging, effective immediately.

From the die, the tube entered Conair’s MedVac vacuum-sizing/cooling tank. The vacuum creates pressure inside that tube that helps stabilize dimensions and prevent cooling water that might drool out of the tank’s feed opening from affecting the critical surface finish of the tube. An ultrasonic gauge inside the tank monitors the 0.4-mm wall thickness, while a Zumbach Electronics 3-axis OD laser gauge, positioned downstream from the tank, provides closed-loop dimensional control and displays the tube for concentricity adjustments. The data from these gauges are used to control puller speed and vacuum to maintain critical dimensions. A vision system is also incorporated into the line, detecting gels and surface imperfections and communicating with the quality mode to automatically separate good vs. bad tubes in-line.

The line at MD&M also utilized several other pieces of equipment from Conair’s clean-room-ready MedLine product family. All MedLine products have been specially sized, configured, documented and supported for use in cleanrooms and other controlled environments. Each extruder was equipped with a Conair MicroWheel MW1-0.2 dryer. Featuring a 5.6-l (0.2 ft³) hopper, the dryer is said to be suited for processes that don't need the capacity of a large dryer and hopper, but still need the efficiency and reliability of Conair's desiccant-wheel drying technology. One of the dryers was fitted with a MedLine MiniLoader. This self-contained unit has its own vacuum motor to draw resin from machine-side storage. The straight through tube loader body ensures smooth flow, even with the small quantities typical of medical molding.

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.

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.

TriMas manufactures a diverse set of products primarily for the consumer products, aerospace and industrial markets through its TriMas Packaging, TriMas Aerospace and Specialty Products groups. Our approximately 3,500 dedicated employees in 12 countries provide customers with a wide range of innovative and quality product solutions through our market-leading businesses. Our TriMas family of businesses has strong brand names in the markets served, and operates under a common set of values and strategic priorities under the TriMas Business Model. TriMas is headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, MI.

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 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

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

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.

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

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released final figures for NPE2024: The Plastics Show (May 6-10; Orlando) that officially make it the largest ever NPE in several key metrics.

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

The extruders showcased were part of D-S’ signature MEDD (Medical Extruder Direct Drive) machinery line. The MEDD extruder utilizes direct drive technology for more efficient operation as well as greater materials flexibility, a replaceable feed section liner, interchangeable barrel assembly and a Windows PLC control system.

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

Conair’s MedLine EP1A-03 portable air-cooled chiller provided chilled water to the TCUs. The chiller features an easy-to-clean RAL-9003-white painted housing, and nonferrous internal components (evaporator, pump, reservoir and piping) to resist corrosion. It has a compact footprint with easy-to-access interior, and a control that provides precise temperature control along with extensive diagnostics.

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

You can better visualize the melting process by “flipping” the observation point so the barrel appears to be turning clockwise around a stationary screw.

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.

The tubing then passes through a Conair MedLine puller/cutter. The puller portion of the unit consistently pulls the tubing down the line during sizing and cooling. The rotary-knife cutter slices the tube precisely to the specified length. Cut lengths were then carried away on a Conair medical takeaway belt conveyer. Once on the conveyor, cut pieces that don’t meet quality standards—based on the OD/ID gauge readings and the inline machine-vision—can be removed from the production stream with a puff of compressed air.

“We have been pleased to work with and carefully select TriMas, as we transition Intertech into its next phase of development,” said Noel Ginsburg, Intertech’s founder and majority shareholder. “We look forward to TriMas’ support and investments to enhance Intertech’s growth well into the future.” Jim Kepler, Intertech’s President and shareholder, along with the Intertech leadership team, will stay on with the Company and will report to Fabio Salik, President of TriMas Packaging. “We look forward to Jim and the broader Intertech management team’s future contributions to TriMas,” concluded Amato.

For the full year 2021, TriMas reported net sales of $857.1 million, an increase of 11.3% compared to $770.0 million in 2020, driven by organic sales growth, including approximately $29.4 million of customers’ stocking orders in TriMas’ Aerospace group, acquisition-related sales and favorable currency exchange. The company reported operating profit of $95.1 million in 2021, compared to an operating loss of $88.3 million in 2020. This increase was primarily the result of the company's third quarter 2020 pre-tax, noncash goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment charges related to the effects of the pandemic in its Aerospace segment. Adjusting for Special Items, 2021 adjusted operating profit was $112.8 million, an increase of 12.6% compared to $100.2 million in the prior year period.

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

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

The Company reported fourth quarter 2021 net income of $12.8 million, compared to $23.7 million in fourth quarter 2020, primarily as a result of a fourth quarter 2020 change in recognized tax benefits that did not repeat in fourth quarter 2021. Adjusting for Special Items, fourth quarter 2021 adjusted net income was $20.1 million, a 21.9% increase compared to $16.5 million in the prior-year period.

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 units in Conair’s new line of Thermolator temperature controls (TCUs) supplied temperature-conditioned water to the line. One TCU is used to match the extruder feed-throat temperature to ambient conditions so that condensation does not occur and degrade the pre-dried resin. The other TCU supplies tempered water to the sizing/cooling tank to control heat removal from the tubing.

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.

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.

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

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.

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).

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.

But at last week’s MD&M West 2017 show in Anaheim, four suppliers teamed up to display a coextrusion line running a 1.4-mm diaTeflon fluoropolymer (FEP) catheter tube throughout the exhibit. Check out the video below to see the line in action.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Designing cooling rolls is complex, tedious and requires a lot of inputs. Getting it wrong may have a dramatic impact on productivity.

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.

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.

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

To support its tubing customers, D-S has a medical lab line in a cleanroom environment at its Technical Center in Pawcatuck, Conn. This line features two MEDD extruders and associated downstream equipment located in a climate-controlled “clean room” environment. Customers are able to test new resins, make parts for proof-of-concept, and conduct downstream R&D prior to making large capital equipment investments. The line is said to be extremely versatile and set up to run multiple resins, with all components monitored and controlled by the EPIC III control system.

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.

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

TriMas reported fourth quarter net sales of $209.0 million, an increase of 11.1% compared to $188.2 million in fourth quarter 2020, as a result of organic growth, including the impacts of customers’ stocking orders in TriMas’ Aerospace group and increased demand in TriMas' Specialty Products group, and acquisition-related sales. The company reported operating profit of $17.6 million in fourth quarter 2021 compared to $18.4 million in fourth quarter 2020. Adjusting for Special Items primarily related to realignment and acquisition-related diligence and transaction costs, fourth quarter 2021 adjusted operating profit was $24.5 million, an increase of 16.4% compared to $21.1 million in the prior year period, primarily as a result of higher overall sales and improved profit margin within the Aerospace and Specialty Products segments, partially offset by increased input costs, primarily in the Packaging segment, in fourth quarter 2021.

Intertech, founded by Noel Ginsburg in 1980, consists of two manufacturing facilities located in Denver, Colorado, which specialize in custom injection molding with advanced manufacturing capabilities for products used in medical applications, as well as products and assemblies for consumer and industrial applications. Intertech’s medical-related product offering, manufactured in a dedicated ISO 13485 certified facility with a Class 8 controlled environment and MedAccred accreditations, includes highly-engineered and tight tolerance components used in vascular access and in vitro diagnostic applications. In a separate facility, Intertech manufactures injection-molded products for food, wellness, hospitality and e-commerce logistics applications. Intertech has invested in innovation efforts to commercialize sustainable resin technology, including the use of biopolymers and plant-based resins in specific packaging applications. Intertech previously operated as a private, family-owned company, and generated approximately $32 million in revenue in fiscal year 2021.

The main body of the catheter was an FEP delivered by the primary 3/4-in. Davis Standard (D-S) extruder. A second D-S 3/4-in. extruder pumped equally spaced embedded white FEP stripes filled with barium sulfate for x-ray opacity.

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.

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

Baystar's Borstar technology is helping customers deliver better, more reliable production methods to greenhouse agriculture.

TriMas’ acquisition of Intertech represents TriMas’ sixth acquisition in the packaging market since early 2019, and its second with products, injection molding manufacturing capability and customer approvals in the medical technology end market. This acquisition is consistent with TriMas’ core strategy to allocate capital and available capacity to build out its packaging platform. TriMas will discuss additional details related to this transaction on its fourth quarter and full year 2021 earnings conference call later today.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

In fact, the MedLine puller/cutter has a scrap/QC mode that accepts all three inputs (from the wall-thickness gauge, the laser OD gauge and the cameras) and automatically sets a length offset so the cutter ‘knows’ when the defective piece will reach it. Then the cutter can be programmed either to cut tubing differently from good product or not cut at all, or it can change the way defective section is handled by the conveyor.

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

The company reported full year 2021 net income of $57.3 million, compared to a net loss of $79.8 million in 2020. Full year 2021 adjusted net income was $80.6 million, a 17.0% increase compared to $68.9 million in 2020.

At the show, material streams were combined in a cross-head co-extrusion die supplied by Guill Tool & Engineering so that the barium-filled material forms four stripes that are embedded at 90° intervals around the circumference of the tube. Both the D-S extruders and die package featured streamlined designs to minimize residence time, owing to FEP’s tendency to burn.

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

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.

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.