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Not all PBT’s are created equal—particularly those used for demanding automotive applications, such as optimized combustion process swirl control actuators, part of the air management systems in combustion engines responsible for controlling the air supply to the intake module and, at the same time, ensuring sufficient air turbulence. Such actuators help to optimize combustion processes and so play a key role in ensuring that the engine is highly efficient, which…

The pandemic had an unexpected effect on this year’s thermoforming parts competition organized by the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Thermoforming Division. “The number of entries [in the biennial event] doubled from our last competition in 2019,” said Competition Chair Travis Kieffer. There was nothing surprising about the quality of the parts entered, however, which were “top notch,” in Kieffer’s estimation. You can be the judge, as you scroll through…

Dr. John Beaumont of Beaumont Inc. gave the keynote presentation at Molding 2021: “Threats to the U.S. Injection Molding Industry’s Global Competitiveness.” “Thanks for a great and well executed show last week in Chicago! What a great show last week and thanks for inviting to both give a talk and hanging out on the show trade floor for all 3 days. We had a blast.” That was one enthusiastic response…

It sounds too good to be true — and you know what they say about that — but researchers claim that by judiciously applying a trio of existing technologies, plastics can be produced using less energy at equivalent, or even less cost than alternative technologies. A study published in the latest issue of Science makes the case. A trans-Atlantic research team from ETH Zurich in Switzerland, RWTH Aachen University in Germany, and the University of…

Addressing new standards in haptics, Smooth Touch TPE compounds debuting from Kraiburg TPE at Germany’s Fakuma show are a perfect fit for the design and packaging markets, according to the supplier. Optimal slip is another characteristic provided by the soft surface of the Smooth Touch TPEs. Because of their adhesion to polyolefins, the TPEs are suited for multi-component injection molding. The compounds also meet the requirements of international standards for…