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Ananth Seshan calls himself an evangelist for the application of Industry 4.0 using advanced artificial intelligence technologies at small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). The buzzwords in that short sentence typically don’t resonate with SMEs because of the perceived cost and complexity of implementing smart manufacturing technology. And that’s where the evangelism kicks in. The CEO of 5G Technologies Ltd., Seshan has spent the better part of three decades helping…

A novel polymer blend developed by researchers in England combined with 3D printing could revolutionize cataract surgery. A photopolymerizable resin containing 2-phenoxyethyl acrylate, poly (ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate, and a photoinitiator was used to fabricate a prototype device, similar to a non-refractive intraocular lens (IOL), via stereolithography in a proof-of-principle study at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK. The process has the potential to accelerate design and manufacture of…

Hillenbrand, Net Impact, and Coca-Cola announced the winners of the second annual Circular Plastics Challenge, a global competition that builds awareness and promotes innovation in plastics sustainability and circularity. A key goal of the annual challenge is to mobilize the next generation of plastics-industry leaders with a real-world circularity problem, enabling them to put their experience and classroom knowledge to work on solutions. Participants each year include undergraduates, graduate students,…

A transnational collaborative project in Europe is investigating the extraction of heavy metals such as lead from PVC recyclate and reintroducing the materials into their appropriate recycling streams. Initial trials begun in 2021 have now evolved into a pilot phase, with industrial-scale production anticipated by 2030 at the earliest. The three companies participating in this project are described as key players in the PVC value chain. French company Kem One…

Finnish compounder Premix Oy officially opened an office at the site of its first US plant on May 3, just outside Charlotte, NC, to produce electrically conductive (EC) plastic compounds and masterbatches.  In an interview at its NPE stand, Premix Group Managing Director Hanna Ristola said the new facility has been in the works for the past two years. It will begin production in early 2025 with two compounding lines capable…

Few fresh polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) railcar offers were made available to the spot market during NPE week, but the short-staffed PlasticsExchange trading desk did fill a number of relatively urgent truckload needs the week of May 6, reports the resin clearinghouse in its Market Update. Historically, resin pricing is pressured when the plastics industry convenes at a major conference, as transparency is enhanced and competitive situations are created.…

News that the Biden administration is raising tariffs on a raft of imports from China, including electric vehicles (EVs), prompted a flurry of speculation. Much of the chatter revolved around whether this was a move to burnish President Biden’s anti-China credentials in the lead-up to the 2024 US presidential election. On the face of it, this does appear to be the case. China surpasses Japan as world leader in vehicle…

Celanese Corp., which is still digesting its 2022 acquisition of DuPont Co.’s Mobility & Materials unit, remains laser-focused on improving the sustainability not only of its wide range of engineering polymers but also on its manufacturing processes.  The $11 billion cash purchase of DuPont’s specialty plastics business has given the Dallas-based Celanese “the broadest portfolio of engineering thermoplastics in the industry right now,” said Tom Kelly, the firm’s senior vice…

Specialty additives by Canada’s GreenMantra Technologies helped an Illinois high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe manufacturer incorporate a broader range of recycled content and increase production speed by 25% — a success spotlighted at NPE2024 in Orlando. Timewell Drainage Products, which incorporates post-consumer (PCR) and post-industrial (PIR) waste into its stormwater and agricultural pipes, used GreenMantra’s Ceranovus PN to improve processing. GreenMantra’s additives are made from waste plastic using its patented molecular…

There was something for — almost — everyone from ExxonMobil at Chinaplas in Shanghai last month. One highlight was a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) solution for machine-direction-oriented (MDO) blown film. Grade 7165L is a core component of pouches designed for recyclability, imparting stiffness to the structure. “7165L was designed specifically with MDO in mind, and we also bring our Exceed mLLDPE [linear-low-density PE with metallocene catalysts] material into the structure. They combine to…