Articles

Extrusion 22 Oct 2020

Processing Market Expands for Third Straight Month

New orders, production and employment sustain continuous industry expansion. With a reading of 52.9 in September, the index climbed each month in the third quarter.

sustainability 22 Oct 2020

Nova Chemicals Becomes Lead Corporate Sponsor for the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup Initiative

The Nova Chemicals sponsorship will help bring two more marinas into the GLPC Initiative, bringing the total number of marinas participating to date to 13.

Medical 21 Oct 2020

Bridging the Gap Between 3D Printing and Traditional Manufacturing

At Essentium, both 3D printers and materials receive starring roles.

sustainability 20 Oct 2020

Merging Sustainability and Innovation at Sealed Air

Ron Cotterman, vice president of innovation and sustainability at Sealed Air, talks about the company’s recent investment in Plastic Energy, an advanced recycling company.

close up on technology 19 Oct 2020

Innovative Recycler Sets Sights on PET Thermoforms

Green Impact Plastics becomes first to focus on thermoforms in tray-to-tray recycling venture.

processor's edge 16 Oct 2020

Despite COVID-19, ERP Software Keeps Molder Working—Even from Home

ERP platform’s remote access, real-time operations overview, and transparency into production output and customer demand help custom molder weather coronavirus.

Extrusion 15 Oct 2020

Shopping for a Barrel? Consider the Full Cost of Ownership

Beyond just the “invoice price” of a barrel, processors should consider factors like the composition of the inlay, quality of the backing material, straightness, concentricity, machining imperfections and packaging/handling, to understand the true cost of owning a barrel.

Feeding & Blending 14 Oct 2020

How to Ensure Reliable Feeder Performance When Handling PCR

Processors are being challenged to incorporate more recycled material into their products. Yet there are both economical and technical obstacles to achieving this objective—feeding among them. The design of your feeding equipment and the advantages that it will offer to your process will be more important than ever.

Engineering Resins 13 Oct 2020

Materials: Annealing Tips for Polyamide-imide, Part 7 of 7

PAI is a material capable of achieving levels of performance that even semi-crystalline engineering polymers like PEEK, PPS, and PPA cannot. But you have to be willing to work for that performance, and the annealing process is an essential part of this.