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.

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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.

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

The PIM-SHOOTER Model-150A offers a mold size of up to 7 x 5 x 5 in. with a shot capacity of 1.25 cu. inch volume or 21 grams weight. The machine can handle ABS, PE, PP, PS, ACETAL, EVA, and TPE plastics and has a footprint comparable to one of those can smashers people bolt to their walls.Although users will still have to get molds made to use the machine, the ability to pop out a small run of plastic objects without waiting multiple hours for a desktop 3D printer to finish a single print could make the LNS Technologies’ offering a useful tool for trial runs of products or offer greater capacity to small manufacturers and colleges.From the Kickstarter page:So what our machine offers is a way for individuals, small businesses or even large companies to use low cost aluminum molds to produce their own prototype partsff.  Or they can even make moderate production runs of a custom plastic product. In addition, this machine makes it convenient to test various plastic resins and to confirm that a part can actually be molded.Below you’ll find the Kickstarter video for the PIM-SHOOTER Model-150A.” frameborder=“0” allowfullscreen=“yes”>Sources: Kickstarter, LNS Technologies

From the Kickstarter page:So what our machine offers is a way for individuals, small businesses or even large companies to use low cost aluminum molds to produce their own prototype partsff.  Or they can even make moderate production runs of a custom plastic product. In addition, this machine makes it convenient to test various plastic resins and to confirm that a part can actually be molded.Below you’ll find the Kickstarter video for the PIM-SHOOTER Model-150A.” frameborder=“0” allowfullscreen=“yes”>Sources: Kickstarter, LNS Technologies

The PIM-SHOOTER Model-150A offers a mold size of up to 7 x 5 x 5 in. with a shot capacity of 1.25 cu. inch volume or 21 grams weight. The machine can handle ABS, PE, PP, PS, ACETAL, EVA, and TPE plastics and has a footprint comparable to one of those can smashers people bolt to their walls.Although users will still have to get molds made to use the machine, the ability to pop out a small run of plastic objects without waiting multiple hours for a desktop 3D printer to finish a single print could make the LNS Technologies’ offering a useful tool for trial runs of products or offer greater capacity to small manufacturers and colleges.From the Kickstarter page:So what our machine offers is a way for individuals, small businesses or even large companies to use low cost aluminum molds to produce their own prototype partsff.  Or they can even make moderate production runs of a custom plastic product. In addition, this machine makes it convenient to test various plastic resins and to confirm that a part can actually be molded.Below you’ll find the Kickstarter video for the PIM-SHOOTER Model-150A.” frameborder=“0” allowfullscreen=“yes”>Sources: Kickstarter, LNS Technologies

LNS Technologies is looking to fill the gap between AM and injection molding for small runs of plastic parts by offering a desktop plastic injection molding system. Already fully funded via Kickstarter, the company plans to sell its system for $1,500, which is cheap for nearly any injection system that isn’t fueled by Play-Doh.The PIM-SHOOTER Model-150A offers a mold size of up to 7 x 5 x 5 in. with a shot capacity of 1.25 cu. inch volume or 21 grams weight. The machine can handle ABS, PE, PP, PS, ACETAL, EVA, and TPE plastics and has a footprint comparable to one of those can smashers people bolt to their walls.Although users will still have to get molds made to use the machine, the ability to pop out a small run of plastic objects without waiting multiple hours for a desktop 3D printer to finish a single print could make the LNS Technologies’ offering a useful tool for trial runs of products or offer greater capacity to small manufacturers and colleges.From the Kickstarter page:So what our machine offers is a way for individuals, small businesses or even large companies to use low cost aluminum molds to produce their own prototype partsff.  Or they can even make moderate production runs of a custom plastic product. In addition, this machine makes it convenient to test various plastic resins and to confirm that a part can actually be molded.Below you’ll find the Kickstarter video for the PIM-SHOOTER Model-150A.” frameborder=“0” allowfullscreen=“yes”>Sources: Kickstarter, LNS Technologies

Although users will still have to get molds made to use the machine, the ability to pop out a small run of plastic objects without waiting multiple hours for a desktop 3D printer to finish a single print could make the LNS Technologies’ offering a useful tool for trial runs of products or offer greater capacity to small manufacturers and colleges.From the Kickstarter page:So what our machine offers is a way for individuals, small businesses or even large companies to use low cost aluminum molds to produce their own prototype partsff.  Or they can even make moderate production runs of a custom plastic product. In addition, this machine makes it convenient to test various plastic resins and to confirm that a part can actually be molded.Below you’ll find the Kickstarter video for the PIM-SHOOTER Model-150A.” frameborder=“0” allowfullscreen=“yes”>Sources: Kickstarter, LNS Technologies

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Additive manufacturing (AM) is great for plenty of applications, but it does have some disadvantages when it comes to certain areas. Industrial 3D printers may be able to build enough parts in one batch, thanks to a large build envelope, to make mass manufacturing worthwhile, but desktop AM systems are less useful for such applications.

Below you’ll find the Kickstarter video for the PIM-SHOOTER Model-150A.” frameborder=“0” allowfullscreen=“yes”>Sources: Kickstarter, LNS Technologies

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).

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.

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

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.

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).

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.

So what our machine offers is a way for individuals, small businesses or even large companies to use low cost aluminum molds to produce their own prototype partsff.  Or they can even make moderate production runs of a custom plastic product. In addition, this machine makes it convenient to test various plastic resins and to confirm that a part can actually be molded.Below you’ll find the Kickstarter video for the PIM-SHOOTER Model-150A.” frameborder=“0” allowfullscreen=“yes”>Sources: Kickstarter, LNS Technologies

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.

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.