Product Color Trends as Seen by Color Research Futurists
As in past years, we often hear from major colorant & additive masterbatch and compounds suppliers—such as Americhem, Clariant and PolyOne, as to what future color trends are on the…
Algae-Based Renewable Polymers Research On-Track for UC San Diego
As part of an $80 million initiative of the Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office supporting 36 projects in bioenergy R&D, a team of University of California (UC) San Diego…
Graphene Nanotubes Augment the PVC Plastisol Industry
Within the last two years, I have reported on Tuball carbon and graphene nanotubes from Luxembourg’s OCSiAL (U.S. office in Columbus, Ohio), the world’s largest manufacturer of single-wall carbon nanotubes. This…
Lower Prices for PP, PS, PE, PET; Flat for PVC
With ‘starring roles’ for PP and PS, prices of commodity resins were lower starting in 2019, with the exception of PVC, which stayed flat. For this month, and possibly February,…
Costa Rican Startup Makes Cement Blocks with Recycled Ocean-Bound Plastic
A new initiative in Costa Rica seeks to make a big difference in diverting ocean-bound plastics off the shorelines and from entering the ocean. The Center for Regenerative Design and Collaboration…
The Automated Molding Shop Is Here; Are You Ready?
Molding 2019 has an entire track dedicated to automation, and for good reason. From 2013 to 2017, the annual sales volume of industrial robotics increased 114 percent, with the U.S. achieving…
Finland’s VTT Becomes R &D Partner in International Think Beyond Plastic
Finland’s VTT (vtt.fi) technical research center has joined Think Beyond Plastic as an R&D partner. The collaboration was announced at the New Plastics Economy Investor Forum, held in Frankfurt, Germany on December…
How Chillers Work
Anatomy of a Chiller The function of a process water chiller is to make cold water to cool a mold or other process equipment. As heat transfers from the process…
Reduce Energy Costs with More Efficient Chiller Technology
Most plastics processors with central process cooling systems don’t think much about that equipment, but they think a lot about their energy bills. And cost reduction initiatives usually focus on…
RPC Launches Cup Recycling Initiative
RPC Tedeco-Gizeh, the UK’s sole manufacturer of plastic vending cups, is launching an initiative to help customers recycle their used cups into second-life products. The company is working with its sister…
