Plastics Engineering articles from April 2008

Plastics Engineering archives from April 2008

Packaging takes the heat: hot foods test the limits of containers.(NORTH AMERICA)
April 1, 2008... Heat is generally the enemy of plastics, especially resins used in commodity packaging. So a balancing act is required in the design of attractive, inexpensive food and beverage packaging that can also resist the temperature demands of hot-fill...

Plastics welding: the choices widen: the many ways to weld plastics include well-established technologies such as heat staking, hot-plate, ultrasonic and vibration welding, recently adopted methods like infrared and laser welding, and technologies looking for applications, such as microwave welding. You'd think that would be enough; you'd be wrong.(EUROPE)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's still a minority technology, but since its industrial introduction in the late 1990s, laser welding has proven itself an elegant joining method for plastics. Its advantages are numerous: energy input takes place...

Filling and reinforcing with natural fibers.(LATIN AMERICA)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Efforts to increase resin performance and reduced raw-material costs are leading researchers and resin producers to evaluate reinforcements and fillers derived from natural fibers and other biomass. Tests show that...

Packaging: environmental sustainability drives new developments.(NORTH AMERICA)(Cover story)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The packaging industry is in the midst of a revolution, driven by increased demands for environmentally friendlier and sustainable packaging alternatives. And the plastics industry is directly affected in many ways....

Self-healing materials: self-healing polymers have the potential to enhance and extend the functionality of plastics. The technology also offers an interesting alternative approach for improving material durability.(EUROPE)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When developing structural materials, engineers must consider two fundamental design concepts: damage prevention and damage management. The latter forms the basis of self-healing materials and is also the foundation...

Thermoforming pellets.(industry PATENTS)(Erca/Formseal)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Patent 7,311,513 (December 25, 2007), "Installation for Producing Objects by Thermoforming Pellets of Thermoplastics Material," Dominique Schwab and Timothy Cooper (Erca Formseal, Les Ulis, France). Thermoforming pellets rather than a...

Molding swimming pools.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Patent 7,311,867 (December 25, 2007), "Method of Rapid Mold Development for Swimming Pools, Spas and Ponds," Raymond J. Cronise IV, Theodare F. Baudendistal, and Richard E. Black Jr. (The RTR Group, Inc., Fayetteville, Tennessee, USA). ...

Knee-brace molds.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Patent 7,311,866 (December 25, 2007), "Method for Creating a Mold for a Knee Brace and a Knee Brace," Jeffrey B. Stearns and Juan B. Paez (EBI, L.P., Parsippany, New Jersey, USA). Composite knee braces require the use of...

Coffee bean fillers.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Patent 7,311,864 (December 25, 2007), "Articles of Manufacture Made From Coffee Bean Residue and Methods for Making Such Articles," David Chi-Ping Chow and Eaman Ochun Tang (Walnut Creek and Rowland Heights, California, USA). Coffee...

Organic thermistor.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Patent 7,314,583 (January 1, 2008), "Organic Positive Temperature Coefficient Thermistor Device," Yukie Mori (TDK Corp., Tokyo, Japan). Organic positive temperature-coefficient thermistors are used in overcurrent/overheating...

Pin extruder.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Patent 7,316,500 (January 8, 2008), "Pin Extruder," Reinhard Uphus (VMI-AZ Extrusion GmbH, Hanover, Germany). Pin extruders are used for conveying polymers, especially rubber, including natural rubber. Typically, the pins are attached...

Injection-molding nozzles.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Patent 7,316,560 (January 8, 2008), "Tool Insert for the Initial Cut of a Hot Passage Nozzle for an Injection Molding Machine," Michael Goinski (Incoe Corp., Troy, Michigan, USA). In injection molding, melt is injected into the mold by...

Polyethylene blends for piping.(industry PATENTS)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Patent 7,317,054 (January 8, 2008), "Melt-Blended High-Density Polyethylene Compositions With Enhanced Properties and Method for Producing the Same," Joseph M. Starita (Corrugated Polyethylene Pipe, Ltd., Marysville, Ohio, USA). The...

Polythiophene/polystyren e sulfonate blends.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Patent 7,317,048 (January 8, 2008), "Variable Resistance Poly(3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene)/Poly(styrene sulfonate) for Use in Electronic Devices," Chi Zhang (E.I. duPont de Nemours and Co., Wilmington, Delaware, USA). ...

Building filters in-situ.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Patent 7,318,472 (January 15, 2008), "In Situ Filter Construction," Kevin W. Smith (Total Separations Solutions, LLC, Houston, Texas, USA). During pumping, oil is often filtered through gravel packs to remove particulates. Some 40% of...

Supercritical polymerization.(industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Patent 7,319,125 (January 15, 2008), "Supercritical Polymerization Process and Polymers Produced Therefrom," Palanisamy Arjunan, Simon X. Zhang, and Charles Cozewith (ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc., Houston, Texas, USA). There is an...

SPE Council elects new officers.(EUROPE: SPE NEWS ROUNDUP)(Society of Plastics Engineers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... At the recent SPE Council meeting in Savannah, Georgia, USA, three SPE officers were elected for 2008-2009: Paul Andersen, President; Jon Ratzlaff, Vice President; and me--Ken Braney--Senior Vice President. Paul Andersen has served as SPE...

New dates for EUROTEC.(EUROPE: SPE NEWS ROUNDUP)
April 1, 2008... Dates for SPE's inaugural EUROTEC Conference have changed to September 27 to October 3, 2009. The event will still take place at the Princesa Sofia Gran Hotel in Barcelona, Spain. Details on how to submit papers, become a speaker, or provide...

2008 European events.(EUROPE: SPE NEWS ROUNDUP)(Conference news)
April 1, 2008... SPE Europe will be present at many exhibitions and conferences this year. If any members are attending the events listed below, please visit our stand. Yetty Pauwels from the European office will be there to welcome you. * Plastics for the...

Industry events.(EUROPE)(Calendar)
April 1, 2008... APRIL 9-10, Plastic Materials in Plant Engineering Site: Munich, Germany Website: www.tuev-sued.de/akademie 10-11, Polymer Rheology & Extrusion Short Course Site: Brussels, Belgium Website: www.speeurope.org ...

SPE conferences.(NORTH AMERICA: industry EVENTS)(Calendar)
April 1, 2008... May 4-8. Plastics Encounter@ANTEC[TM] 2008. Site: Midwest Express Center and Milwaukee Hilton City Center Hotel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. For further information, contact Lesley Kyle, +1 203-740-5452; email antec@4spe.org. June 9-11....

SPE seminars.(NORTH AMERICA: industry EVENTS)(Calendar)
April 1, 2008... May 4-8. Plastics Encounter@ANTEC[TM] 2008. Site: Midwest Express Center and Milwaukee Hilton City Center Hotel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Contact: SPE Event Management, +1 203-740-5432; email seminars@4spe.org. Aug. 18-19. SPE's...

SPE meetings.(NORTH AMERICA: industry EVENTS)(Calendar)
April 1, 2008... Apr. 22. Detroit Section. Site: Best Western Sterling Inn, Sterling Heights, Michigan, USA. Subject: Automotive Engineering Plastics AutoEpcon. Contact: Pat Levine, +1 248-244-8993; email p.levine@yahoo.com; fax +1 248-244-8925. ...

Other upcoming events.(NORTH AMERICA: industry EVENTS)(Calendar)
April 1, 2008... Apr. 29-30. Color Technology Short Course. Site: Livonia, Michigan, USA. Contact: Sandra Tanner, Coatings Research Institute, Eastern Michigan University, 430 W Forest Ave., Ypsilanti, MI 48197 USA; +1 734-487-2203; fax +1...

Letter to the editor.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... To the Editor: I respectfully request that a clarification be published regarding "Green Polymers Are Big Business in Latin America," page 25, first column, last paragraph, January 2008: the author writes, "... Braskem, Latin America's...