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A lot can go wrong with temperature measurement during plastics processing and, by extension, the quality of your finished product. Even if you do everything by the book, errors can originate from ambient conditions. A new white paper from Optris explains how non-contact infrared (IR) temperature measurement technology can help to overcome these challenges. Plastics processors make products in various dimensions, thicknesses, textures, colors, and embossed patterns, notes the white…

Even as polymer 3D printing is increasingly being used for production, tooling remains a major application for 3D printing in the plastics industry. Exhibitors at the 2022 Plastics Technology Expo (PTXPO) were showcasing several examples of 3D printed tooling for injection molding. For mold inserts, 3D printing can aid in rapid prototyping, production molds with conformal cooling channels and mold repair. 3D printing can also be used to produce mold…

Two new grades of mechanically recycled ABS, featuring either 50% or 70% recycled content, promise to match the properties of prime materials and are the focus of a partnership intent on optimal molding of the materials. The grades — Terluran ECO GP-22 MR50 and MR70 — from Germany’s Ineos Styrolution are based on post-consumer waste electrical and electronic equipment and will be available in black. The materials are aligned with the…

With the addition of a silo system and new extruders, representing a $2 million spend, Tosaf Inc. said that it has completed the current round of capital investments in its Bessemer City, NC, plant. The global developer and manufacturer of additives, compounds, and color and white masterbatches for the plastics industry, thus far, has invested more than $20 million in the US facility. The silos were installed to take advantage…

Following on from its announced plan to construct an advanced recycling plant in Texas, TotalEnergies has now entered into a long-term commercial agreement for the supply of post-consumer recycled (PCR) raw material to be used as feedstock in the production of circular polymers for durable applications. The French resin supplier will team up with Belgium’s Vanheede Environment Group to secure a stable supply of PCR raw material from the latter’s…

Sugar cane can grow to a height of 10 feet in 12 months. Independent research by plastic market and technology expert MLT Analytics (MLTA) indicates that usage of polyethylene and polypropylene derived from renewable resources such as sugar cane, non-edible plants, and biogenic fats and oils has the potential to grow equally fast. Bio-polyethylene market leader Braskem exported almost 150,000 tonnes of bio-PE in 2021, headed by bio-HDPE and bio-LDPDE…