best practices
Improve The Cooling Performance Of Your Molds
Need to figure out your mold-cooling energy requirements for the various polymers you run? What about sizing cooling circuits so they provide adequate cooling capacity? Learn the tricks of the trade here.
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Cooling the Feed Throat and Screw: How Much Water Do You Need?
It’s one of the biggest quandaries in extrusion, as there is little or nothing published to give operators some guidance. So let’s try to shed some light on this trial-and-error process.
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A Simpler Way to Calculate Shot Size vs. Barrel Capacity
Let’s take another look at this seemingly dull but oh-so-crucial topic.
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Formulating LLDPE/LDPE Blends For Abuse–Resistant Blown Film
A new study shows how the type and amount of LDPE in blends with LLDPE affect the processing and strength/toughness properties of blown film. Data are shown for both LDPE-rich and LLDPE-rich blends.
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How to Get Rid of Bubbles in Injection Molding
First find out if they are the result of trapped gas or a vacuum void. Then follow these steps to get rid of them.
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Understanding Strain-Rate Sensitivity In Polymers
Material behavior is fundamentally determined by the equivalence of time and temperature. But that principle tends to be lost on processors and designers. Here’s some guidance.
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Creating a Capable Process Using Process Capability
Know your Cp from your Cpk and how parts can meet dimensional specifications but still not be “capable.”
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How Screw Design Can Mitigate Gels in PE Films
Gels are a constant issue in production of PE films using single-screw extruders. Gels can create quality issues via optical flaws, and they can cause the film to break on blown or cast film lines. There are numerous origins for gels, and the mitigation method depends on knowing the gel type.
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How to Set Up Mold Protect on Your Injection Machine
Set the start position for mold protect where anything in the mold could be subject to damage.
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Follow These Tips to Maximize Purging Efficiency
Commercial purging compounds offer dedicated solutions to your equipment cleaning needs, but some can be more effective in cleaning the ‘dead areas’ in certain screws and tooling. Follow these tips to choose the right one for your application, and make sure to follow the right protocol when shutting down for long periods.
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