Jan H. Schut
Recycling Is Hot: Lots of New Plants Trying Out New Technologies
With virgin resin so expensive, there’s plenty of recycling action—from PET bottle-to-bottle plants to new projects aimed at agricultural film, carpets, and auto-shredder residue.
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Weak Demand Softens Prices
Although a number of resins saw price increases in January, weak domestic markets hurt suppliers’ prospects to implement hikes in February and March.
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Several 'Firsts' in Expandable Bead Molding
EPS molding machine builders have been busy in R&D. The driver is strong growth in EPS shape molding, especially large parts like fish boxes and insulated concrete forms (ICFs) for construction.
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What's Ahead for 'Green' Plastics: Look for More Supply, More Varieties, Better Properties
Major chemical companies are investing big bucks in new plants and technologies to produce plastics from annually renewable sources, not from petrochemicals.
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Prices Creeping Up
Commodity resin prices are moving upward, slowly and mainly in small steps, owing to market resistance to the much larger increases announced by resin suppliers.
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K 2007 Extrusion: Extrusion Outputs Go Through the Roof
Dramatic production demonstrations of cast and blown film set throughput records on the show floor in Dusseldorf.
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Your Business Pricing Update - January 2008
Last year saw significant increases in prices of commodity thermoplastics, driven by unprecedented energy and feedstock costs.
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K 2007 Compounding: New Approaches to Mixing, Pelletizing
In addition to the news reported in our September K Show preview (see Learn More), previously unrevealed developments in Dusseldorf include several ingenious devices designed to save energy, reduce wear, and safeguard compounded material properties.
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Bottle-to-Bottle PET Recycling Uses Silicone Modifier
A new low-cost approach restores the properties of recycled PET bottle flake to produce new food-grade preforms and pellets.
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Your Business Pricing Update - December 2007
Rising monomer prices and strong export demand helped lift prices of all commodity resins as well as some engineering, thermoset, and foam materials. PE prices upPolyethylene prices moved up last month as suppliers pushed to implement Nov. 1 increases of 5¢/lb.
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Foamed PLA Shows Promise In Biodegradable Meat Trays
Foamed food trays made of polylactic acid (PLA) resin, the corn-based biopolymer, have a commercial toehold in Europe and are undergoing market tests here.
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Extruders Made in China: They're Coming Here Now
Low-priced Chinese-built extruders have arrived in North America to make pipe, sheet, film, and profiles. Some customers find them a good buy; others don’t. Here’s what you need to know.
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