Blog

Polyolefin elastomers (POEs) are widely used as impact modifiers in automotive components such as bumpers, and the rise of alternative powertrains, in China in particular, is driving demand for lightweight solutions employing these materials. Simultaneously, competitive priorities are compelling automakers to reduce costs. A recent collaboration between polypropylene and POE supplier ExxonMobil Chemical and Chinese compounder Kingfa aims to answer these challenges. This collaboration, as well as a collective demand from…

Photo Credit: SABIC I recently had a discussion with Tommy Oh, design & engineering manager, Sensing Solutions, for Sensata Technologies Korea, which across the global Sensata enterprise provides the majority of the company’s production capacity of burn-in test socket (BiTS)—used to stress-test integrated circuit (IC) chips. Although Sensata R&D teams focused on BiTS design are located in both the U.S. and Japan, the main R&D site for BiTS is in…

An early “scoop” of mine was a 1975 report on the first use of a microprocessor in plastics machinery controls—for, of all things, a filament winder for composites. As I approach my 50th anniversary with this magazine in a couple of months, I may be permitted to indulge in some some reminiscences. When I think back on that stretch of time, one of the things that stands out for me…

Although it represents only a fraction of plastics consumption, poly(lactic acid), or PLA, is gaining traction as brand owners chase sustainability credentials. Created using lactic acid from the fermentation of sugars, PLA typically is described as biodegradable. And it is, technically speaking, but only under strict industrial composting conditions. While it may degrade in natural environments, the process can take many, many years. Fortunately, science marches on, and researchers in…