Non-destructive determination of Vicat softening point directly on the product One important characteristic of plastics is the Vicat softening point, which is determined according to ISO 306. The measurement takes several hours. In contrast, the new QuickSoft system from Coesfeld GmbH (Dortmund) takes approximately
A provocative question about all-electric injection moulding machines is: are they really better than conventional machines or are they just more expensive? The first such machines were manufactured in the early 1980s by a Japanese company, a world leader in CNC and servo motors. The solution quickly caught on in Japan, with injection moulding machines now accounting for the majority of sales. The US is also an important market, although the rate of penetration is lower than in the US.
Water-assisted injection moulding is the latest way to produce hollow or semi-hollow objects. The process is similar to gas-assisted injection moulding in that only part of the mould cavity is filled with plastic and the slurry is then pressed into the mould cavity with water (or high-pressure inert gas in the case of gas-assisted moulding), thus producing a hollow product. The great advantage of water assisted technology (WIT) is that it cools the material directly from the inside.
When designing injection moulded objects, it can be useful to predict shrinkage and burial. Various programs are available for this purpose, which can be used to 'predict' the size, deformation and other properties of objects made from the material from the full set of properties. The amount of data describing the behaviour of materials and the input to models is increasing and the content is becoming richer.
Rotational moulding can produce large hollow bodies with relatively cheap tooling. The bodies have a nice surface finish and high stiffness relative to their mass even without finishing. If a polymer containing a foaming agent is filled into the mould, the wall of the product will have a foam structure.
Transparent aroma barrier packs for enteral feeding solutions Enteral feeding solutions are designed to feed patients who cannot be fed traditionally directly through the gastrointestinal tract. The suspended bag serves as a nutrient container, which is connected to the tube through a tubular transfer system. A built-in feeding tube provides a direct connection to the gastrointestinal tract, with a pump delivering the nutrient as needed.
Reinforced plastics (composites) are becoming increasingly important in the construction of private houses, roads and bridges. The poor economic situation felt worldwide has had a strong impact on both the civil and military aerospace industries and there is no sign yet of the improvement that is already being felt in the automotive or consumer goods sectors. The crisis has also had a negative impact on the use of reinforced materials, and this can only be offset by exploring new areas of application.
Hungary The plastics industry in Hungary has been expanding steadily since 1993. In the last 5 years, production has increased by 271 Ttpa4 and consumption by 331 Ttpa4.
Planned European standards Based on an agreement between the European Commission and the Council, a Recycling Forum was set up, with Working Group B of the four working groups responsible for market development and standardisation. The inaugural meeting presented the ideas and proposals of European plastics associations (e.g. APME, plastics producers; EuPC, plastics processors).
