In order to set up the injection moulding technology for a new product, the expert recommends carrying out „short-stroke” chi experiments.
Some plastics absorb moisture from the air, which can lead to processing problems and deterioration of the product. The processing technology for a particular type of raw material also involves strict adherence to drying parameters.
In addition to optimising the production process in the injection moulding plant, using the right tooling can also save a lot of money. Above all, this means the continuous maintenance of existing tools. However, tool manufacturers are also trying to reduce the energy demand of processing and increase productivity with a number of new innovations.
Developed countries can only remain competitive with low-wage countries if they increase their productivity while maintaining high quality through new technologies. German and Swiss researchers have developed new ways of bonding metals and plastics to save labour.
For the medical, pharmaceutical and laboratory industries, sterile devices are supplied from manufacturing plants in her-metic packaging. Sterilisation of these is usually carried out in a separate step. More recently, machine manufacturers are offering processing machines and complete production cells that work under sterile conditions from moulding to packaging, eliminating the need for separate sterilisation.
Magnetically detectable polyamide 6 compound A known problem in the food processing industry is that during transport on conveyor belts or processing on machines containing plastic parts, for example, small particles of plastic can sometimes be fragmented and end up in the food. These contaminants not only impair the quality of the food produced, but are also considered dangerous because of their adverse health effects.
Some plastics can only be varnished or glued after increasing the surface polarity or after applying an adhesive layer. The oldest method of surface activation is the crown-sinking treatment, which is nowadays being followed by an increasing number of newer processes. One of these is plasma treatment in a controlled atmosphere, which is effective and inexpensive.
In the USA, the second most important form of food packaging is now the foil-bag. To further promote this, film manufacturers and packaging technicians have developed several innovations.
Laser cutting, laser welding, laser marking - these are technologies that have become fully accepted today. What is new is the additive that allows both laser welding and laser marking. Software is also available to processors for setting up the laser marking conditions.
The automotive industry has always been at the forefront of technical development, and this is also an advantage for the plastics industry. Today, the focus of development is on reducing weight for more efficient fuel use and maximising the use of materials in car tyres. The car of the future is the all-electric e-car, the development of which is supported by government programmes.
Recent requirements in the refrigeration industry for insulating materials that can be used for impeccable cooling include long life and energy-efficient operation.
The price of standard plastics increased significantly (in the range of 10.1-22.1%) between December 2010 and May 2011 (*) and then decreased significantly, with the exception of PE-HD, which was between 3.2% and 9.6% lower than a year earlier (**). In December, it decreased in the range of 0.6 and 3.0 % (Table 1).
Automotive lighting and electronic components manufacturer Hella is to invest more than €6 million to expand its factory in Mohelnice, near Brno, in the Czech Republic. After the expansion, Hella Autotechnik will produce five million lighting units in 2012. The number of employees will be increased by 100 to 300.
Graphene, which is actually a graphite monolayer made up of a single carbon atom, was identified in 2004 and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2010 for its isolation. Since then, research into its properties and applications in composites has become even more extensive.
There are two main ways to reduce the flammability of plastics: by mixing in compounds of flame retardants or fillers, or by using substances that form a foaming-caking layer at the combustion temperature, thus sealing the combustible material from the oxygen that feeds the combustion. Both types of flame retardants are expected to be non-damaging to the environment. A new idea is to try to make the protective layers more effective by spatially relaxing them.
Partly to reduce the depletion of oil reserves and partly to reduce CO2 emissions, there is a strong push to develop plastics based on renewable sources, usually biomass. At present, they account for only about 1% of the world's plastic production, but their range is already quite large. We give a non-exhaustive overview of these and their manufacturers.
Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the bioplastics (because it comes from a renewable source), it is biodegradable (because it is compostable). Its use is mainly recommended for the packaging industry, but new applications are also being sought. These could include PLA bags for biomass collection and composting with it, or regenerative medicine technology, which would need polymers with a predetermined lifespan in living organisms. A team of researchers has investigated the degradation of PLA and its derivatives in in vitro and in vivo experiments.
