July 12, 2024DSC Tools for PCR BlendsTo increase the amount of recycled content in plastic products, quality assurance of recyclates must improve. Some manufacturers attempt to characterize the PCR in-house, and DSC tools will be crucial. Read more
June 15, 2024Understanding Thermoplastic Elastomers: Versatile and RecyclableThermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are unique materials that combine the elastic properties of rubber with processability. These polymers exhibit elastic behavior due to thermo-reversible cross-links and phase separation. Read more
May 30, 2024Self-Healing Polymers for Food PackagingSelf-healing polymers can revolutionize the packaging industry by significantly enhancing product durability, safety, and reliability. Read more
May 29, 2024Strategies for Managing Solar Panel WasteThe difficulty in handling solar panel waste lies in managing the large amount of waste, retrieving valuable materials, and controlling toxic substances. Read more
May 28, 2024Life Cycle Assessment: From Packaging into Paving BlocksResearch explores the environmental impacts of transforming multilayer metalized plastic packaging (MLP), commonly used in consumer goods, into paving blocks (PVBs). Read more
May 20, 2024Extrusion Troubleshooting – Key Drivers (Part 1 of 3)Extrusion Troubleshooting becomes crucial to ensure high productivity, effectiveness, quality, and profit. All in a frame of the promising outlook of 4.7% market growth by 2032. Read more
May 13, 2024Hybridizing Epoxy Composites with Egg Shell PowderRecent advances have shown that natural and waste-derived fillers, like eggshell powder (ESP), can greatly enhance the properties of composite materials. Read more
May 6, 2024Golden Design Rules: Reducing Virgin Plastic Use in B2B OperationsMinimizing the utilization of virgin plastic in business-to-business (B2B) plastic packaging represents a crucial stride toward tackling pollution. This strategy, advocated by The Consumer Goods Forum’s Golden Design Rules, has the potential to yield substantial environmental and economic advantages. Read more
April 29, 2024Elevating PEEK Composites with Glass FiberPEEK glass fiber composite crystallization undergoes a critical transformation when subjected to conditions of high undercooling and intense shear. Read more
April 18, 20244D Printing Fundamentals4D printing is an evolution in the manufacturing process that incorporates the dimension of time into 3D printing. Read more
April 17, 2024Dual-Curing: A Game Changer for Additive ManufacturingDual-curing represents an innovative approach that enhances control over the final properties of parts through a multistage curing process. Read more
April 16, 2024Energy Management Systems – The Gas BillMost plastics processing sites use gas simply for space heating but some processes use gas as part of the process, e.g., rotational molding. Where gas is used for hot water only then this is generally relatively constant over the year. For space heating, the gas use load will be related to the weather conditions (how cold it is) and the weather is then a ‘condition’ driver for gas use. Read more