Biopolymers
Wood-Plastic Composites: Weathering Quality Issues
Exterior wood-fiber composites like decks and rails haven't lived up to some of the early claims of long, maintenance-free life.
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K 2004 Wrap-Up on Additives: Problem-Solving Additives Tackle New and Old Challenges
The latest K show was rich in additives that can ease processing and end-use problems of thermoplastics and thermosets.
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Beyond Decking: Wood Composites Branch Out
Extruded decking still drives the embryonic wood-filled plastics market. But injection and compression molded wood composites are coming on strong, and extruded profiles are moving toward more complex millwork shapes.
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Wood-Filled Plastics: They Need the Right Additives for Strength, Good Looks, and Long Life
Wood-plastic composites, or WPCs, are already a 1.3-billion-lb market and are growing at 20% annually.
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They've Been Working on the Railroad
Composite RR ties could finally be on their way to becoming the next big thing in plastic lumber. They are attracting interest from makers of marine pilings, another category of structural wood replacements.
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Purified Cellulose Fibers Show Promise In Reinforced Thermoplastics
Purified cellulose fibers could be the next lightweight reinforcements for thermoplastics.
Read MoreNPE 2000 News Wrap-Up: Compounding
Compounding news at NPE included a wealth of new batch and continuous machines to mix in high loadings of wood flour, glass fiber, carbon black, and more exotic fillers.
Read MoreNPE 2000 News Wrap-Up: Extrusion
At this year’s NPE, new processes to put wood flour into plastic were virtually everywhere—several even start with undried flour.
Read MoreNPE Newsfinder: Compounding and Mixing
For the second straight NPE show, the focus in compounding is on twin-screw machines that deliver more speed and torque—thus more output—than ever before. No fewer than six suppliers of twin-screw compounders are showing such machines. There’s something to see in in-line systems as well. And there’s plenty of news in PVC mixers and pelletizing equipment, too.
Read MoreNPE Newsfinder: Extrusion
NPE will show higher outputs of practically everything, as advances in grooved feeds, servo drives, screw torque, mixing screws, dies, and downstream cooling, cutting, and handling make everything run faster.
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