Materials
Specialty Thermoplastic Compounds Push the Envelope in All Directions
At least eight new developments are pushing specialty thermoplastic compounds into higher levels of performance and opening up new areas of potential applications.
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How to Turn Auto Shredder Waste Into 60 Million Lb of Plastic Pellets
While much of the world is studying the possibility of getting any economic value out of auto shredder residue—for example, as fuel for cement kilns or power plants—Europe’s second largest scrap-metal reclaimer cranks out polyolefin and polystyrene pellets made from shredder residue at 20,000 to 100,000 lb/hr, or about 40 million lb/yr.Galloo Plastics, the recycling unit of the Galloo Group in Halluin, France, has been so successful at supplying automotive markets with its black PP compounds that it built a second auto shredder residue (ASR) recycling plant this year next to the first, inside its huge scrap yard.
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New Robotics From JEC 2004 Speed Up Composite Molding Process
Modifications to the common core pin can be a simple solution, but don’t expect all resins to behave the same. Gas assist is also worth a try.
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Lava-Based Fibers Reinforce Composites
Reinforcing fibers spun from basalt lava rock were one of the more unusual developments exhibited at the JEC Composites Show in Paris in April.
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Thermoplastic Polyesters: It's Time to Know Them Better
There’s more to TP polyesters than you think. You may know PET, PBT, and PETG—but what about PCT, PCTG, PCTA, and PTT? If you’re not sure what they are, how their properties compare, and who sells them, we have the answers—and lots of new developments to report.
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Recycled PET/PE Alloys Show Promise In Monofilament, Pallets, Pipe
Alloys of polyethylene and recycled PET were the highlight of the annual SPE Global Plastics Environmental Conference (GPEC) in Detroit in February.
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Lightweight TP Composite Takes the Driver's Seat
A lightweight version of Azdel glass-reinforced polypropylene sheet is gaining ground in a host of new automotive applications.
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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.
Read MoreAutomotive Innovation Trend-Setting Technologies Garner SPE Awards
Paintless in-mold film decorating and carbon-fiber composites are making inroads in appearance and structural parts. Blow molding is finding new interior applications. And long-fiber thermoplastics are cutting weight and cost on the inside and outside of new passenger vehicles.
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Disposable Packaging Goes 'Natural'
A compostable "natural" composite developed by EarthShell Corp. is likely to have a broad impact on disposable packaging markets, company sources say.
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