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A project to convert passenger jets to cargo planes during the Covid pandemic, using thermoplastic window plugs instead of metal, will be on display at KraussMaffei’s booth at NPE2024 in Orlando, FL, from May 6 to 10. The two-year partnership between KraussMaffei and the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University used KraussMaffei’s FiberForm technology to  produce a 20% lighter alternative to the previous 590-gram metal plugs. Organosheet…

In a significant global expansion, Costa Rica–based CRDC Global Ltd. yesterday opened its first RESIN8 construction materials production facility in Australia. The firm’s patented, low-carbon technology uses shredded, mixed plastic waste as a component to make more sustainable concrete.  Founded six years ago by Canadian native Donald Thomson, CRDC (which initially stood for Center for Regenerative Design & Collaboration) uses a process that accepts any type of plastic waste (resins…

MGS, a global supplier of tooling and contract manufacturing services to medical device OEMs, touts a new milestone in its ambition to become a best-in-class toolmaker to healthcare innovators — the completion of upgrades to its Lynge, Denmark, engineering facility. Winther Mould Technology was acquired by MGS in 2023 and renamed MGS Lynge. The transition from traditional moldmaker to a best-in-class European toolmaker involved strategic investments in processes, equipment, and technology…

Custom mobile robotic systems from factory automation supplier Muller Technology will be launched at NPE2024 in Orlando, FL, from May 6 to 10. Muller’s new Mobile Manipulators (MoMas) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) elevate traditional downstream automation with the ability to run 24/7 while reducing OSHA recordable events, the company said. The MoMa combines the functions of an AMR and a cobot, with a vision-based end-of-arm tool. MoMas can operate…

Celanese has announced global availability of its new Zytel XMP70G50 polyamide (PA) material at Chinaplas 2024, which ends its run today, April 26, in Shanghai. This innovative material is set to redefine automotive chassis and structural component design with its unmatched balance of strength, light weight, ease of processing, and fatigue resistance. Zytel XMP70G50, a PA 66 resin reinforced with 50% short glass fibers, is tailor-made for injection molding and…

Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle and a ton of other consumer product producers are getting dragged through the trash heap over a new report claiming they are the “…world’s biggest known plastic polluters” (to quote the Washington Post). Utter nonsense. I’ll completely overlook the glaringly obvious fact that Coca-Cola is not polluting with plastic, but rather it is the consumers of Coke products that are polluting. I’ll just go with the premise…

In the race to mainstream advanced recycling (aka chemical recycling), there inevitably will be losers and winners. Late last week, we reported on Encina abandoning plans to build a $1.1 billion advanced recycling plant in Pennsylvania, bowing to community opposition because of environmental and health concerns. Just about two years ago, it looked like Brightmark was on the losing side when it scrapped plans to build a $680 million advanced…

Earth Day’s focus this week is on the planet versus plastics, with organizers stating their goal for the Earth to reduce plastic use by 60% by 2040. There’s little doubt that we are in a plastic waste crisis. Driven by our quick consumption culture, which has only increased since online orders skyrocketed during the pandemic. More than 350M metric tons of plastic waste is generated per year. Without any changes…

We all know that the past couple of years have not been the best for many plastics manufacturers. We have also written about how we see that changing in 2024 and beyond, although stubborn inflation and high interest rates remain as headwinds for the industry. A bit of good news may be that the industry is performing better than overall US businesses when it comes to retaining a trained workforce.…

Following a unanimous vote by the Northumberland Borough Council to oppose the construction of a chemical recycling plant by Encina on the banks of the Susquehanna River in Point Township, PA, Encina Development Group announced yesterday that it would abandon building the facility on that site. The proposed $1.1 billion plant initially was welcomed by former Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the state legislature, but opposition began to grow over…