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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…

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.

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…

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…

The upward swing of commodity resin pricing continued in February, with higher prices reported for three materials. North American polypropylene resins prices saw the biggest hike, jumping an average of 8 cents per pound. That increase reflected a 7-cent increase in prices for polymer-grade propylene (PGP) feedstock, with PP makers gaining 1 cent in margin improvement as well. PP prices had jumped up 11 cents in January, matching a similar…

Advances in robotics and automation are coming at an opportune moment. The plastics industry, and manufacturing in general, continue to wrestle with a labor shortage. A well-known study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute predicts that as many as 2.1 million jobs in manufacturing could go unfilled by 2030. With unemployment at its lowest level in more than 50 years, it seems unlikely that the prediction will shift much in the…