best practices
Plastics Technology Year in Review: Your Favorite Reads of 2024
A year-end review of the top stories showcasing industry trends, advancements and expert insights. Revisit the articles that captured the attention of the plastics community.
Sarah Barnett
Senior Content Marketer, Products Finishing, Plastics Technology, MoldMaking Technology
Optimizing Pack & Hold Times for Hot-Runner & Valve-Gated Molds
Using scientific procedures will help you put an end to all that time-consuming trial and error. Part 1 of 2.
Read MoreHow to Configure Your Twin-Screw Barrel Layout
In twin-screw compounding, most engineers recognize the benefits of being able to configure screw elements. Here’s what you need to know about sequencing barrel sections.
Read MorePart 2 Medical Tubing: Use Simulation to Troubleshoot, Optimize Processing & Dies
Simulation can determine whether a die has regions of low shear rate and shear stress on the metal surface where the polymer would ultimately degrade, and can help processors design dies better suited for their projects.
Read MoreMedical Tubing: Use Simulation to Troubleshoot, Optimize Processing & Dies
Extrusion simulations can be useful in anticipating issues and running “what-if” scenarios to size extruders and design dies for extrusion projects. It should be used at early stages of any project to avoid trial and error and remaking tooling.
Read MoreAnnual Benchmarking Survey of Injection Molders Released
Plastics Technology Top Shops Benchmarking Survey provided both unanimous responses and divided results, but pervasive throughout is the sense of an industry still grappling with the aftermath of 2020’s global pandemic.
Read MoreThree Key Decisions for an Optimal Ejection System
When determining the best ejection option for a tool, molders must consider the ejector’s surface area, location and style.
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Important Factors and Approaches to Estimating Residence Time in Injection Molding
Residence time can have a dramatic impact on part quality and production efficiency but determining its value can be tricky. Use these methods and formulas to accurately measure residence time and enable it to inform everything from scheduling jobs to optimizing a process.
Ensuring Repeatability: The Key to Effective Injection Molding Automation
One of automation’s key promises is repeatability: the same movement to the same location, time and time again. But to achieve that, all elements involved — robot, machine, EOAT, mold — must be in and stay in alignment.
Read MoreStarting or Restarting an Injection Molding Machine — What Works Best?
Successfully starting or restarting an injection molding machine is less about ticking boxes on a rote checklist and more about individually assessing each processing scenario and its unique variables.
Read MoreWhat to Look for in High-Speed Automation for Pipette Production
Automation is a must-have for molders of pipettes. Make sure your supplier provides assurances of throughput and output, manpower utilization, floor space consumption and payback period.
Read MoreWhat to Know About Your Materials When Choosing a Feeder
Feeder performance is crucial to operating extrusion and compounding lines. And consistent, reliable feeding depends in large part on selecting a feeder compatible with the materials and additives you intend to process. Follow these tips to analyze your feeder requirements.
Read MoreRunning Hot: Solutions for High-Temperature Injection Molding Cells
Here are some best practices for setting up and maintaining high-temperature injection molding processes, including sourcing and maintaining suitable water- and oil-circulating systems.
Read MoreInjection Molding: Focus on these Seven Areas to Set a Preventive Maintenance Schedule
Performing fundamental maintenance inspections frequently assures press longevity and process stability. Here’s a checklist to help you stay on top of seven key systems.
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Fighting Dust and Noise in Regrind Operations
Mayhew Basque Plastics implemented lower speed granulators to deal with challenging materials.
Matt Stonecash
Associate Editor, Plastics Technology Magazine
Using Data to Pinpoint Cosmetic Defect Causes in Injection Molded Parts
Taking a step back and identifying the root cause of a cosmetic flaw can help molders focus on what corrective actions need to be taken.
Read MoreRevisiting the '5 M's' of Molding
All injection molding ultimately comes down to the “Man, Mold, Machine, Material and Method.” But those key aspects can be viewed differently if you’re auditing mold changes before startup or troubleshooting changes for an already validated process.
Read MoreUse These 7 Parameters to Unravel the Melt Temperature Mystery
Despite its integral role in a stable process and consistent parts, true melt temperature in injection molding can be an enigma. Learning more about these seven parameters may help you solve the puzzle.
Read MoreDiagnosing Defects: Determine True Root Cause Before Adjusting a Process
Common defects can have common causes — flash equals worn mold shutoffs, right? Except when they don’t. Trust your eyes, but verify the root cause before adjusting a process.
Read MoreFundamentals of Polyethylene – Part 6: PE Performance
Don’t assume you know everything there is to know about PE because it’s been around so long. Here is yet another example of how the performance of PE is influenced by molecular weight and density.
Read MoreFundamentals of Polyethylene – Part 5: Metallocenes
How the development of new catalysts—notably metallocenes—paved the way for the development of material grades never before possible.
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Get the Most From Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites Parts
There are five specific areas that designers and manufacturers need to consider to realize the potential of these unique materials.
Polyethylene Fundamentals – Part 4: Failed HDPE Case Study
Injection molders of small fuel tanks learned the hard way that a very small difference in density — 0.6% — could make a large difference in PE stress-crack resistance.
Read MoreFundamentals of Polyethylene – Part 3: Field Failures
Polyethylene parts can fail when an inappropriate density is selected. Let’s look at some examples and examine what happened and why.
Read MoreUnderstanding the Effect of Pressure Losses on Injection Molded Parts
The compressibility of plastics as a class of materials means the pressure punched into the machine control and the pressure the melt experiences at the end of fill within the mold will be very different. What does this difference mean for process consistency and part quality?
Read MoreImprove Production Rates Via Screw Design — Barrier vs. General Purpose vs. Melt Uniformity
I’m looking for a few good molders to help trial a new screw design, and share data and results for a future article to prove the benefits of a melt uniformity screw.
Read MoreAPR Expands Design Guide for Plastics Recyclability With Polypropylene Categories
Six new packaging categories will be eligible for third-party validation of compatibility with North American recycling programs.
Read MoreAvoiding Common Cosmetic Defects in Molded Parts
Identify familiar flaws and then work to eliminate them with these mold and part design tips, and process considerations.
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