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There they go again. A trio of state lawmakers in California have introduced legislation to ban the use of plastic bags altogether by grocery stores and other outlets that sell food. At a press conference in Sacramento, CA, last week, Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas; Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica; and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda; said it was time to “expand California’s single-use plastic bags ban to combat the state’s persistent…

BASF has started divesting its shares in two joint venture companies in Korla, China, because its partner “appears to be implicated in gross abuses” of Uyghurs, report Seeking Alpha and multiple media outlets. The joint ventures are located in the Xinjiang region in northwest China, which is home to many ethnic minority groups and notably the Uyghurs, which the Chinese government accuses of being separatists and even terrorists or terrorist…

A shared vision for using thermoplastic manufacturing to produce more durable and sustainable carbon bicycle frames has led Dieffenbacher, the Germany-based manufacturer of turnkey composite systems, and REIN4CED, the Belgian developer of a new, patented impact-resistant composite material, to announce a strategic partnership. Traditional carbon used in high-end bicycle frames is light, strong, and stiff, but highly impact-sensitive. REIN4CED resolved brittle fracture issues by adding small amounts of steel fibers…

Hampered by uncertainty among small and medium customers like job shops, as well as a draconian regulatory environment, the German machine tool industry is bracing for a 3% reduction in production this year, according to the German Machine Tool Builders Association (VDW). Machine tool production in Germany is predicted to fall to €14.8 billion this year, down from a record volume of €17 billion in 2018-2019.  This projection comes on…

The 2024 edition of the JEC Composites Innovation Awards has kicked off with the naming of three finalists per category. The awards ceremony will take place in Paris on Feb. 8. Here we profile the successful entries in the Circularity & Recycling category. Building a closed-loop ecosystem for carbon fiber Company: Fairmat (France) Partner: Hexcel Corp. (France) Image courtesy of Fairmat Description: Fairmat’s AI-driven and robotic technology creates 100% recycled…

Silicone injection molding specialist Silcotech North America has been experiencing blockbuster growth — 15 to 20% annually over the past two years, according to the company — and there’s no end in sight. To keep up with demand, it announced at the co-located Plastec West and Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) West event in Anaheim, CA, the purchase of two new injection molding machines.  The two new Arburg machines include a 110…

A consortium led by sustainable technology innovator Sonichem has been granted nearly £600,000 ($750,000) in funding from Innovate UK’s Resource efficiency for materials and manufacturing (REforMM) program. The funding will accelerate the development of Sonichem’s proprietary ultrasound technology and the production of renewable, cost-effective alternatives to petrochemicals commonly used in the production of plastics and composites used by the automotive industry. The CARMA (carbon-neutral agroforestry-derived resins to materials for automotive…

The phrase “cream of the crop”, which originates from the dairy practice of skimming the cream—the richest part— off the top of milk is used to describe something that’s the best. Like these articles at PlasticsToday, which drew the most reader interest throughout January, according to website metrics. The month’s Top 10 represent a diversity of topics and markets across the breadth of the plastics industry including resin pricing, a…

As the new energy vehicles (NEVs) take a great leap forward, driving range is also increasing simultaneously, from more than 500 km (310 miles) to up to 1,200 km (745 miles). For every 100 kg of weight reduction in an NEV, the driving range can be increased by 10 to 11%, while the costs of battery and daily wear and tear can be reduced by 20%. Therefore, lightweighting has become…

In the world of plastic injection molding, scrap can cripple a company’s ability to turn a profit. Part defects can be caused by a multitude of molding factors, but speed and time settings associated with molding processes are among the biggest contributors to production failure. This article outlines various settings that can lead to molding defects. Understanding these effects can help processors make the appropriate adjustments to bring a process…