I was sick as could be last week so I did not make any posts. I will resume the normal schedule today.
Author: weeklypellet
Acetal Copolymer -vs- Homopolymer
*Updated with additional information on 8/30/2016
Acetal, also known as poyoxymethylene (POM), is a very commonly used thermoplastic material that we are all familiar with. Everyone in the industry has a story of the time when someone ran some acetal at too high a temperature and had it degrade filling the plant with formaldehyde. However, not everyone is aware that there are actually two different versions of acetal on the market, copolymers and homopolymers.
I see a lot more copolymer being used than homopolymer at injection molders which puzzles me. This might be because the homopolymers tend to come at a premium price. Sometimes, however, you get what you pay for. A brief history of acetal might explain why homopolymer is more expensive and also why you should consider using it
Weekly News Digest 8/8/2016
Relative Temperature Index is the Best Measure of Heat Resistance
In specifying materials for certain applications, we might need to know what kind of heat resistance that the material has. This is a vague concept at best. What do we mean by heat resistance? Can the heat resistance of a material be altered with additives or fillers?
Let’s delve into a few of these issues and I will show you where to find the best indication of heat resistance of plastic materials as well as give you some guidelines that you can use for picking materials.
Continue reading “Relative Temperature Index is the Best Measure of Heat Resistance”
Weekly News Digest-August 1, 2016
BASF reports considerable decline in sales for 2016
Perhaps plastics are not so bad for the environment after all
Dyna Purge introduces new purging compound for polypropylene color changes
Great bargains are available in the PP/PE market
Star Plastics opening compounding facility in China
PolyOne acquires Gordon Composites and Polystrand
Chevron opens pilot PE plant in Oklahoma
Imports continue to drive down PP pricing
When Plastics Need Memory
When we speak of memory in plastic materials, we are talking about a plastic parts ability to return to its original shape after it is deformed in some way. More specifically, we are talking about a part being able to return to its original shape after being held in a flexed position for an extended period of time.
The question is, what makes a material have good memory and what materials are best used for applications that require this property?
News Digest Week of 7/18/2016
Plastics remain material of choice for inject-able drug packaging
Chase Plastics sets up Mexican subsidiary
Spot PE and PP prices firming up
DuPont starts up mega-compounding plant in Shenzhen China
Austrian family tries to live without plastics for one year to prove health benefits
Sonoco ramping up production of plastic cans
Polymer based flexible hose market to reach 500 million kg by 2020
DSM’s EcoPaXX provides high hydrolysis resistance for automotive cooling systems
If you want to know why you should not use hydrolysis resistant nylon, read here
Understanding Nylon and Moisture
Nylon is one of the oldest and most commonly used thermoplastics but there still seems to be a lot of confusion about properly drying nylon and in general about how nylon is affected by moisture. Moisture in the raw material causes many processing issues and part failures and the affects that moisture has on molded parts seems to confound people as well. I hope in this article to clear some of this up.
Weekly News Digest Week of 7/11/2016
Polypropylene based compound eyes TPU market in gearshift knob application
Electric bike turns to PBT/ASA alloy for battery housing
Amcor closing Ohio based bottle preform production plant
Milliken touts polypropylene additives at K2016
Solvay expands PPS portfolio for food packaging
“Rivet” Graphine proves it’s mettle
SABIC shows new high flow polypropylene for packaging applications
What if I Don’t Have the Right Color Concentrate?
We all know that you should always try and run a color concentrate with a carrier resin that matches the material that you running it in. But what if you don’t have the right color concentrate?
Continue reading “What if I Don’t Have the Right Color Concentrate?”
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