Patio doors get a boost with new production, designs
The Ply Gem-brand vinyl product called Perspective is manufactured with new technology at a Virginia plant.
Your Tour Guide to Plastics Technology’s 2023 Events
With the second successful PTXPO going on as I write this, processors that engage with Plastics Technology might want to plan for our some or all of our next activities. Let me please act as your tour guide. Top Shops 2023: Executive Editor Tony Deligio heads up this annual benchmarking survey of injection molders. As he put it in a recent blog on the ptonline.com website, “It’s one thing to have…
Largest Injection Molding Machine in Switzerland Arrives from Munich
It took 22 trucks to move the MX 4000 injection molding machine from KraussMaffei headquarters in Munich to Bremgarten, Switzerland, where container manufacturer Georg Utz AG took delivery of the behemoth. With a clamping force of 40,000 kN, it is reportedly the largest injection molding machine on Swiss soil. Installation and setup of the production cell, which includes a two-story automation system, took 12 weeks, said KraussMaffei. The MX 4000 replaces…
Six Essential 3D-Printing Design Tips
Additive manufacturing (AM), aka 3D printing, has evolved at a pace rarely seen in the manufacturing world. More material options and new secondary processes have expanded applications for 3D printing, while Industry 4.0–driven innovations have increased accessibility by making it easier than ever to design for additive manufacturing (DfAM). Printers, too, have improved substantially, with larger build volumes and greater precision. Leveraging the technology still requires special considerations to which…
Gerdau Graphene Launches “First” Graphene-Enhanced PE Additive Masterbatch for Extruded Packaging and More
In July of 2022, I reported on how within a year’s time, we had reported on new entrants in the arena of graphene additives for thermoplastics and their benefits derived from graphene’s mechanical properties: reduced weight and friction, more efficient lubrication, and higher thermal and electrical conductivity, as well as increased barrier properties against liquids and gases, and protection from weathering oxidation and UV light. They included NeoGraf Solutions and…
Biden Administration Sets Bold Biotech Goals
There’s a lot to comb through in the Biden administration’s plan to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing in the United States, as laid out in a report released on March 22. The headline item for our industry, though, is that it wants to “displace more than 90% of today’s plastics” within 20 years with recyclable-by-design polymers formulated with bio-based feedstocks. Say what you will, but the 61-page “Bold Goals for U.S.…
Industry sees Biden bioplastics goal as serious signal
Industry analysts and bioplastic executives had a lot to say about the Biden administration’s “bold goal” for the U.S. to replace 90 percent of fossil-based plastics with biopolymers in 20 years.
Domo Breaks Ground on Polyamide Compounding Plant in China
Domo Chemicals, a leading manufacturer of engineering plastics, has broken ground for its new polyamide (PA) compounding plant in Haiyan, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China. The new plant will produce Technyl PA grades and is expected to be in full operation by the end of the first quarter of 2024. It represents a significant investment of around $15 million by Domo Chemicals and covers a total site area of 40,000 square meters. …
Louisville Slugger Embraces New Technology to Improve an Old Pastime
The crack of a baseball bat is a sound that has been heard for centuries, signaling to fans that summer is here or rapidly approaching. The classic nature of a baseball bat, however, doesn’t mean that it is immune to the charms of new technology. Louisville Slugger, which has been making bats since 1884, is embracing 3D printing as a tool for the design and manufacture of aluminum and composite…
Official says Norfolk Southern fire likely started in rail car containing resin
The fire that led to the Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, likely started in a rail car containing plastic resin, a government official said last week. In testimony before a U.S. Senate committee, Jennifer Homendy said that “the combination of the plastic pellets in the 23rd car and the hot axle of that car likely started the initial fire.” Homendy is chair of the National Transportation Safety…