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Japan’s DIC Corp. has developed a plateable polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) compound, in collaboration with Japanese firms Tsukada Riken Industry Co. Ltd. and Yoshino Denka Kogyo Inc. Using the newly developed DIC.PPS MP-6060 Black compound in combination with plating technologies will enable the mass production of electroless and electro-plated PPS on existing plastic-plating production lines without the need for a special etching process, according to DIC. Plateable PPS enables the use…

Charter Next Generation (CNG), a leading provider of sustainable films, announced January 23 that it has expanded its GreenArrow portfolio with a new line of cavitated polyethylene (PE) films. Developed in collaboration with VOID Technologies (VOID), the new recycle-ready films meet the rapidly growing demand for flow wrap and confectionery applications. Using VOID’s patented VO+ PE Voiding Agent Masterbatch and Machine Direction Orientation (MDO) film processing, CNG has successfully developed…

BioGear Company: Fuko srl (Italy) Partner: Turtle srl (Italy) Image courtesy of Fuko Description: BioGear is a helicopter landing gear blending carbon- and flax-fiber-reinforced composites, achieving a 60% weight reduction over traditional metal counterparts. BioGear not only enhances emergency landing response but also prioritizes both efficiency and environmental impact. BioGear combines recycled carbon fiber and flax-based composites, weighing only 6.9kg (40% of the original). Meeting CS.27 specifications and exceeding emergency…

If your career is somewhere within the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) constellation and you live in Memphis, TN, or Augusta, GA, I have a piece of advice — move! Those two metro areas are ranked among the worst places for STEM professionals, according to data from WalletHub, a personal finance company and serial supplier of listicles to the media. WalletHub said it applied 21 key metric points, including per-capita…

Mechanical plastics recycling production surpassed 54 million tons globally in 2022 and is projected to near 55 million tons by 2030, according to a new report from AMI Consulting. Over 36 million tons of recyclate was produced in 2022 as a result, according to the report “Mechanical Plastics Recycling — The Global Market.” The report notes “vast opportunities” within the industry, as the global recycling rate of commodity plastics is expected…

Menlo Park, CA–based Novoloop has announced the construction of a pilot plant in India to trial its process for manufacturing chemically upcycled thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) from post-consumer plastic waste. The facility will eventually process 70 tonnes/year of waste TPU by the end of 2024. Novoloop’s Lifecycling process has already been employed to produce test quantities of virgin-quality, high-performance TPU for use in prototype Run on Clouds sports shoes by Swiss sports brand…

The Chinese automotive market gradually regained momentum in 2023, with the performance of new energy vehicles (NEVs) particularly eye-catching. Amid the trends of “reverse joint ventures” and “exporting technology,” Chinaplas organizer Adsale asks what are the materials and processing technologies needed for the NEV sector to bring a safer, more comfortable, and sustainable experience? According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China’s automobile production and sales…

The preeminent polymer gathering dedicated to polyolefins — the 2024 SPE International Polyolefins Conference — will be held Feb. 18 to 21, 2024, in Galveston, TX, in a hybrid format. It brings together producers, suppliers, marketers, application developers, regulators, and thought leaders in the polyolefin industry from around the world. 900 people attended last year The in-person conference will be at the Galveston Island Convention Center, which hosted last year’s event…

KraussMaffei has appointed Sinochem’s Chi Zhang as its new CEO and Ralf Benack as head of Extrusion EMEA, amid a host of recently announced leadership changes. Zhang, formerly chairman of KraussMaffei’s supervisory board, took over the role on Jan. 10. In his more than 20 years with Sinochem, Zhang held multiple leadership roles. Since the end of 2022, he was chairman of China National Chemical Equipment Co., which owns the…

Rotomolded fuel tanks made of acetal, produced via Gemstar Manufacturing’s Robomold robotic rotomolding technology, have been identified as a highly viable alternative to fluorinated fuel tanks in the wake of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to halt the production of fluorinated coatings for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers due to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination. Gemstar has commercialized several EPA-certified acetal fuel tanks made with its unique Robomold robotic rotomolding process…