Lyondell-Basell (LYB) has introduced a new type of LLDPE (low-density polyethylene) to its Plexar range, which can be used as a tack-mediating layer for multilayer films.
The Ampacet company has released a range of master colouring mixtures called the Kaleidoscope Collection, which can be layered to create a range of intermediate colours.
Polyacetal (POM) and polyketone (POK) are aliphatic, semi-crystalline, thermoplastic engineering plastics. Their strength, abrasion resistance and dimensional stability make them popular for high-performance applications, but their structure and properties differ significantly.
With an investment of more than €100 million, Borealis is implementing a new polypropylene production technology for recyclable polymer foams. The new plant in Burghausen will be operational in the second half of this year in the second half of this year.
The article details how new plastic base and recycled materials are transforming the car industry. The car industry is one of the biggest users of injection moulded plastic parts, especially bumpers, exterior panels and interior components. Plastics not only meet the necessary mechanical and durability requirements, but also increasingly sustainability demands.
In the field of sustainability, including the use of renewable raw materials, there is a lot of research into the use of natural, plant-based fillers and reinforcing materials in the plastics industry. The aim is also to ensure that these materials are not used to the detriment of food.
Valerian Materials was founded to commercialise the results of research at the University of Minnesota into bio-based alternatives to fossil-based polyurethanes, where they are working to make materials needed for modern society more sustainable.
The main application for flexible films is packaging, and predominantly single-use. For this reason, film developments will be heavily influenced by the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR), adopted in November 2024, which set requirements for recycled content and recyclability. To achieve the latter, manufacturers prefer packaging containing a single polymer. Thus, additives play a major role in achieving different properties.
The important function of packaging films is to protect the wrapped product from external influences, especially oxygen and moisture, but it is also important that valuable gases and odours do not escape from the product. Currently, 2.5 Mt of flexible films are produced globally for packaging purposes. 59% of this is polyethylene based. The main application is meat packaging.
FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication), one of the most commonly used 3D printing technologies, delivers products with a surface that is usually clearly visible from the striations caused by the printing of layers one after the other.
The question often arises as to why the dimensions of workpieces change over time. The phenomenon is called post injection moulding shrinkage and can have several causes. This article reviews the causes of post-mould shrinkage, which can be related to the glass transition temperature (Tg) of polymers.
The paper discusses the effectiveness of carbon fibre reinforcement in 3D-printed polymers, highlighting that its benefits depend largely on the polymer material used. Researchers at Utah Valley University examined four common printing materials: polypropylene (PP), polyamide 6 (PA 6), polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(ethylene terephthalate glycol) (PETG).
Innovations in 3D materials aim at two goals: higher performance and sustainability. Arkema and the French company Authentic Material Qilin have developed a new material. Qilin combines Arkema's Rilsan PA11 and Pebax TPE granules with a reclaimed leather waste material developed by Authentic. The new 3D material's primary market is the manufacture of sophisticated aesthetic products such as luxury goods and electronic components.
Corrugated wall pipes are available in a wide range of shapes - from simple conduit pipes to protect electrical cables to huge sewer pipes. One manufacturer of the latter is Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS), which played a major role in the construction of the new Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, Florida.
Two UK companies, Cygnet Texkimp and Viritech, have developed a technology to recover continuous carbon fibre from fibre-coiled hydrogen storage tanks as part of the Ford-led FCVGen2.0 consortium.
For the first time, the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) is giving Design for Recyclability for RFID labels, to Avery Dennison, a manufacturer and marketer of pressure-sensitive adhesives (e.g. self-adhesive labels), among many others.
According to VinylPlus, PVC recycling rates in Europe will fall again in 2024. In the EU-27, plus Norway, Switzerland and the UK, around 725,000 tonnes of PVC waste were recycled in the whole year, a decrease of around 2%. This represents around 25% of the total PVC waste generated in Europe.
Legislation is increasingly pushing the plastics industry to improve the sustainability and recyclability of its products. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme has the stated aim of promoting the recycling of packaging materials. This scheme makes it mandatory for manufacturers to take financial responsibility for the management of packaging waste after use.
This article explores the potential of enzymatic degradation as a sustainable alternative to conventional recycling methods for the treatment of plastic waste.
The article examines the current status and future potential of polyamide 66 (PA 66) recycling, highlighting innovative solutions from leading companies. PA 66 is widely used, for example in the textile industry, with global production amounting to nearly 4 million tonnes per year.
In addition to electromobility, there is another area where the EU's planned phase-out of PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) is currently virtually unfeasible.
Not for the first time in the history of the EU, and not for the last, environmental regulations are being introduced that appear to contradict each other, or are in fact contradictory. In the case of the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 packages, the aim is to switch to electric cars and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Plastics can improve crop productivity as agricultural films, impermeable tarpaulins, semi-permeable membranes for controlled nutrient replenishment, irrigation systems and hotbeds. As in industry, sustainable alternatives are coming to the fore in agriculture. According to the delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2770, relevant polymers should achieve a degradation of 90% in soil 48 months after the end of their use. The Regulation also regulates degradation in water.
The molecular structure of polyesters allows for a variety of mechanical and chemical recycling options. Macrocycle is pioneering the recycling of PET using cyclic oligomers with its ring-opening polymerisation process, which is currently under development.
AGS Technology uses its in-depth experience in injection moulding of recycled engineering materials for automotive and heavy machinery parts to process recycled engineering materials into new parts using a unique method that eliminates unnecessary steps. The method has been used by the company for decades, and sales have been rising for the last five years because customers are confident in the consistency, value and sustainability of injection moulding parts in this way.
Specim's FX50 camera operates in the mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) range from 2.7 to 5.3 μm, corresponding to a wavenumber range of 4000 to 1880 cm-1. This enables the sorting of different materials, e.g. in the field of plastic recycling. A not insignificant proportion of plastic products are coloured black for a variety of reasons, e.g. because black pigments can mask surface defects, but also because they increase light stability.
Domo Chemicals has opened a refinery in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland, to recycle air bags used in cars. This is difficult for a number of reasons: firstly, the bag contains a silicone rubber coating in addition to polyamide, so the materials have to be separated, and secondly, silicone rubber is cross-linked, so it cannot be processed in a slurry form. A further difficulty is that silicone rubber has a very low glass transition temperature (below -100 °C), so it is difficult to shred in a glassy (brittle) state.
According to the US-based Plastics Industry Association, uncertainties around tariffs caused machinery sales for the first quarter of 2025 to fall to around $252 million, a year-on-year decline of almost $51T4T, and $181T4T from the previous quarter.
In 2025, a major investment, a polypropylene plant with a production capacity of 438 thousand tonnes per year, will be completed in Poland. The project is backed by the Grupa Azoty industrial group. A subsidiary for PP production has been created under the name Grupa Azoty Polyolefins.
The Tecpart conference in Heilbronn, Germany, on 18 September 2025, will highlight where the plastics processing markets in Germany are heading. As Germany is one of our key industrial partners and markets, it is good to pay attention to the trends that the invited speakers will review.
Geopolitical tensions are affecting the German economy, commodity prices and other areas. Below are a selection of forecasts from two German institutes, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the Ifo Institute for Economic Research. These data are important for the Hungarian plastics industry because Germany is one of our most important export markets.
From 8-15 October 2025, the Düsseldorf Plastics Exhibition will be the biggest event for plastics professionals this year. Many exhibitors are already ready to showcase their products. Engel will be present in Pavilion 15.
Transmission cables are usually made up of interlocking aluminium (sometimes copper) segments, but in conventional cables the central load-bearing element is steel, which is insulated from the outer sheathing of the cable. The solution described in this article replaces this central steel element with a carbon fibre-based composite produced by pultrusion.
The article discusses in detail the phenomenon of prepreg adhesion, highlighting its fundamental importance in modern manufacturing processes. Prepreg adhesion describes the inherent „stickiness” of partially cured composite materials with fibre reinforcement before they have fully solidified.
As the molecular weight of the polymer increases, the chain length increases, and when the polymer chains reach a sufficient length, they start to entangle and interlock.
