Dow, a pioneer in metallocene technology that revolutionised polyolefin polymerisation, has developed postmetallocene catalysts and technology to produce olefin block polymers (OBCs) that extend the applications of thermoplastic elastomers to higher operating temperatures.
The main raw material for the production of polyolefin films is PE-LLD, whose newest types, synthesized with metallocene catalysts, allow a wide range of variability and predictability in the molecular structure of the polymer, including the length of the side chains. This strongly influences the properties of the polymer and the films made from it. In the following, we will describe how these properties are affected in commercially available ethylene/α-olefin copolymers with short side chains and what can be expected when using PE-LLDs with extremely long side chains.
The diversity of plastics and their wide range of properties is determined not only by the base polymer, but also by the additives used. The range of additives is expanding and they are increasingly able to help produce a "tailor-made" product that best meets the user's needs.
Representatives from European plastics processors, machinery and control manufacturers came together to discuss the development potential of injection moulding and the barriers to progress. The production of higher value-added products that will remain in Europe requires new thinking and even closer partnership between the players in the sector.
The automotive industry is rapidly adapting new processes, driven by the need to reduce costs but also by the demand for aesthetically pleasing parts. The monosandwich process is a simplified version of multi-component injection moulding, which can be used to provide a sophisticated outer coating on low-cost core material, and thus produce high-quality parts more cheaply than before.
Rapid prototyping technologies have recently expanded, allowing them to be used to economically produce small series products. As an indication of the expansion of applications, the market for rapid prototyping products and services is growing by more than 10% per year.
Rotational moulding is used to process 1 million tonnes of plastics worldwide every year, due to the limited range of raw materials and products available for the technology. Experts predict healthy growth of over 4% per year for the sector in the coming years.
With IML - in-mould labelling, box lids and labels with more attractive printed images can be produced at the same time as the product is manufactured. Although the use of IML is expanding, many converters are still reluctant to adopt the technology.
Many injection moulding professionals think they know this area well, as they routinely maintain and repair tools on a daily basis. Still, it doesn't hurt to listen to good advice from a ne-wise toolmaker.
The range of plastic materials is now so wide that choosing the right material to meet the requirements of a given application economically requires considerable expertise and design work. The most important properties of the different types of plastics typically differ from one another, and knowledge of these properties is a good starting point for optimising material selection.
One company, which has been supplying water to a German industrial region for 120 years, has opted for PE pipes based on good experience, and even renovates old cast iron pipes by installing PE pipes. Tests on pipes buried in the ground for decades have proven their realistic life expectancy based on estimates. Estimating the service life of pipes made of newer pipe materials on the basis of the usual sustained hydrostatic pressure would require several years of testing, and new methods are being developed to predict the service life of the pipe.
PET is not immune to the general increase in raw material prices, but the PET market still looks set to expand. Driving this development is the packaging of soft drinks, milk and dairy products. In beer packaging, PET has tended to be used for low-cost, short shelf-life beers.
Although plastics can be coloured and their surface quality often meets the requirements, in many cases a surface layer of a foreign material - paint, varnish, adhesive, shading or scratch-resistant coating - must be applied after moulding. These coatings often adhere poorly to polymers, so the surface of the plastics must be prepared before application.
On 1 June 2007, REACH, the EU's new chemicals regulation, came into force to bring transparency and regulation to chemicals used in the EU and to limit as far as possible their harmful effects on humans and the environment. The system is a tough task and imposes considerable costs on those involved. Although „polymers” are not covered by the law, plastics manufacturers and processors are not exempt from its consequences.
In this structure, the material decomposes relatively quickly above 300 °C due to the labile NH bond. If, for example, a phenyl group is used instead of H, it becomes much more stable the material becomes more stable. In semi-finished product production, a modified, doped version is therefore produced (Celazole PBI). Celazole PBI is therefore currently the most heat resistant special engineering plastic on the semi-finished products market.
