Month: January 2020

In the first part of this blog, we discussed how automation and renewability are revolutionizing the plastic injection molding industry. In this second part, we’ll explore the final two top trends that have made a significant impact on how manufacturers use plastic molding technologies to ensure precise, practical parts manufacturing processes: the employment of high-performance materials and reinforced plastics. 

High-Performance Materials

Makers in sectors like the automotive industry are utilizing durable, temperature-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials instead of steel to increase the longevity of components, reduce weight, and improve overall fuel efficiency. Sophisticated technology has evolved over the past few years that allows plastic makers to mold metals, ceramics, and carbides, in addition to plastics. While ceramics and carbides have generally been regarded as being formed through heat or pressure, they can now be molded using an injection molding process. These technologies create a mold from dense materials, including Tungsten Carbide, that manufacturers never thought would be a contender for molding. These materials feature superior properties like high-temperature stability, wear resistance, and electrical insulation.

Reinforced Plastics

As the name suggests, plastic composites are formulated by injecting fibers into them, including carbon-based fiber, glass, aramid, and so on. These reinforced plastics are becoming adequate replacements for metals across various sectors like aerospace, automotive, construction, power, marine, and nano-material industries.

Plastic composites are an appealing trend for mold makers, as these materials exhibit low weight and high strength. Per-product costs are also reduced in various applications without compromising on strength or durability. In applications in the automotive or aerospace industries, a reduction in weight can increase the value of the final product via a more efficient fuel economy and enhanced aerodynamic properties.

To Plastics, and Beyond!

As trends in plastic injection molding continue to “take shape” and adapt to economic demands in 2020, an increasing variety of industries can benefit from a partnership with trusted experts in the plastic injection mold industry. Plastrac is proud to be one of them! For more information on cost-effective, cutting-edge technology solutions for your manufacturing needs from design to finished product, contact us today!

We look forward to helping you and your organization turn ideas into high-quality commodities.

The plastic injection molding market has been steadily evolving and expanding in recent years. Since its inception, it has become one of the most commonly-used plastic formation techniques utilized across a variety of industrial applications today, including automotive, consumer goods, electronics, construction, packaging, medical applications, and more. 

Several growth drivers are resulting in a rise in the demand for injection-molded plastic items. In the first part of this blog, we’ll take a look at a few of the top trends propelling the progress and innovation of the plastic injection molding industry.

Automation

Automation has created a groundbreaking influence on practically all industries worldwide. Robotics has long since been a disrupting innovation in the manufacturing sector, and if surveys are any reliable indication, its impact in the injection-molded plastic industry is expected to be immense. Automated tools and robotics have transformed the dynamics of the manufacturing sector, as they are quick, accurate, and adaptable, ultimately translating into efficient production.

In 2019, designing software like SolidWorks and MoldFlow from Autodesk included updates that improved plastic part and injection mold designs, as well as facilitated the overall manufacturing process. Improving upon the design quality and accuracy ensures lower costs and future savings in rework undertakings. Other developments in these programs include the ability to simulate melted plastic flows during the molding process to better predict manufacturing defects. This simulation allows designers to evaluate and modify component manufacturability and make necessary adjustments early on in the design stage, resulting in cost-savings along the way.

Renewability

Following noble trends of eco-friendliness and sustainability, injection-mold industry players are always striving to develop bio-based, recyclable products. Lots of companies have implemented a prototype of such products, from soybeans, flax, corn, etc. which are gathering industry acclaim. China’s new National Sword policy banned plastic waste from being imported. As a result, plastic mold manufacturers and their contemporaries are now generating a responsible plan for the proper handling and disposing of plastic scrap in an environmentally-conscious way. 

In the next part of this blog, we’ll explore two more significant trends driving the plastic injection molding industry. For more information about our products, contact us today!

There’s no denying the increasingly significant impact that plastics, especially injection molded plastics, have demonstrated in recent years. And according to Global Market Insights Inc., a global market research and management consulting company, that trend is expected to continue well into the new decade. In fact, the organization predicts that the North America injection molded plastic industry is slated to achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8% as we approach the year 2023. 

Here at Plastrac, we manufacture material blenders and loading machines to add efficiency to plastics molding machines, and we understand the industry has constantly been evolving and expanding. Now, let’s take a look ahead at some of the developments to watch for in 2020.

Enhanced Software

Keep an eye out for improved technology updates that will make creating mold designs easier and faster than ever before. Not only will this result in greater accuracy and quality of design, but it can also help to lower costs and advance the overall manufacturing process. 

Increased Recycling Initiatives

For more than two decades, many developed countries, including the US, sent much of their plastic waste to China instead of recycling it stateside. However, China has since banned plastic waste from being imported, leaving manufacturers and mold makers with the responsibility to dispose of their waste and scrap plastic in an environmentally-friendly manner. 

High-Performance Materials

The use of more durable and resistant materials will continue to increase over the next few years as well. Since many industries, including the automotive sector, are turning to plastics to replace steel components, there will be a need for materials that can withstand rigorous temperatures and resist corrosion. Not only will manufacturing these components from plastics increase their lifespans, but it will also help to lower their weight, leading to improved fuel efficiency.

Reinforced Plastics

A number of industries that rely on plastics, such as aerospace, construction, and marine sectors are experiencing a growing trend for reinforced plastics. The composite materials are typically mixed with fibers like glass and aramid, and generally exhibit low weight and high strength — precisely what these industries need to ensure their manufactured products are resilient, and in some cases, more aerodynamic. 

For more information on growing plastics trends in the industry, or to inquire about our sophisticated but easy-to-use plastics blending and loading solutions, contact us today. 

In our last blog, we stepped back in time to the mid-1800s, to the roots and first inception of plastic. While people from the era may have understood that the discovery was a significant breakthrough, it’s likely that few truly foresaw that this new material would go on to undeniably saturate our world and become an essential part of our everyday lives. 

At Plastrac, we’ve played an integral role in the plastics industry for nearly 25 years. And as the plastics revolution continues, we’re still here, designing and manufacturing material blending and loading systems for our clients around the globe, all right here in the US. Let’s pick up where we last left off — in the early 1900s, when the development of new technology helped to further evolve the revolutionary material known as plastic. 

The “New” Plastic

The year was 1907. Across America, cities were rapidly adopting the new technology known as “electricity.” In his search for a synthetic substitute for shellac, which was a natural electrical insulator, Leo Baekeland invented his new material, Bakelite. As it turns out, Bakelite wasn’t just a superb insulator, but it was also quite durable, resistant to heat, and could be mass-produced. In fact, Bakelite could be shaped or molded into just about anything, which provided nearly endless possibilities. However, the work of Baekeland and his plastics predecessor John Wesley Hyatt had attracted attention from new research programs that sought to further develop and advance the soon-to-be ubiquitous material.  

The Surge of Synthetics

During World War II, the need for military success necessitated a vast expansion of the plastics industry in the US. The country needed to preserve natural resources, so the production of synthetic alternatives became a priority. And those alternatives were only made possible by plastics. Learn more in the video below:  

There was nylon, invented as a synthetic silk by Wallace Carothers. Nylon would go on to be used for ropes, helmet liners, body armor, and parachutes for our soldiers. There was also plexiglass, used in aircraft windows and developed as an alternative to glass. In fact, because of World War II, plastics further demonstrated their adaptability and overall worth to mankind all over again. And it’s no surprise that during that period, plastics production increased 300%. 

But it didn’t just stop there. 

In our next blog, we’ll take a look at how, and why, this plastic surge continued well after the war, taking the place of other traditional materials like wood, glass, and even steel. For more information, or for questions about our materials blending and loading systems, contact us today. 

While they have roots dating back to the mid-1800s, over the last five decades, plastics have completely changed the way we live, work, and play. In fact, they have become an essential part of our lives. Although this material came from humble beginnings all those years ago, it has helped humanity accomplish unfathomable achievements, even playing a significant role in sending the first man to the moon, and so much more. After reviewing the infographic below on four uses of plastic, continue reading to learn more:

At Plastrac, our material blenders and loading systems have provided the plastics industry with efficient and dependable solutions for almost a quarter of a century. But we also have a true passion for plastics and their countless benefits. So, let’s take a look at the role plastics has played over the years — from a simple derivative of cotton fiber turned polymer almost 150 years ago, to the myriad uses in components from cars to spaceships, and everything in between. 

What’s in a Word?

For centuries, the word “plastic” merely meant “bendable, easily shaped, or pliable.” In fact, it’s only recently (relatively speaking) that the term has become a name for a category of materials called polymers. In 1869, a gentleman by the name of John Wesley Hyatt was trying to find a substitute for ivory. During those times, the game of billiards was quickly growing in popularity, and it had begun to place a strain on the supply of natural ivory. Hyatt found that if he obtained cellulose, which was simply derived from cotton fibers, he could treat it with camphor and create a material that could be molded into a variety of shapes that could mimic natural substances such as horn, tortoiseshell, and yes…ivory.

A Far-Reaching Impact 

To call this discovery revolutionary is an understatement of the greatest proportion. This breakthrough had far-reaching effects that would ripple throughout humanity for nearly the next century and a half, and counting. Back then, the discovery suddenly meant that productivity and manufacturing would no longer be limited by the constraints of nature. For instance, there was a finite supply of materials like wood, bone, horn, tusk, and ivory. But now, we humans could create our own materials, and would no longer be as reliant on those only found in nature.   

And not only that, it was a boon to the environment as well. Plastics were hailed as the material that save the lives of innumerable tortoises, elephants, and other animals who were harvested for raw materials. Indeed, plastics were about to help the entire world and protect it from humanity’s increasing need for resources. And while these newly created materials called plastics were saving the earth from destruction, they also freed people from the social and economic limits that accompanied a scarcity of natural resources. All of this made wealth more attainable and widespread across the US and beyond. 

And that was just the beginning. 

In our next blog, we’ll take a look at the further development of plastics in the early 1900s and the continuation of the plastic revolution. For more information or to inquire about our line of gravimetric and volumetric blending equipment and material loaders, contact us today.

With the recent anniversary of the first humans to step foot on the moon, Plastrac has been reflecting on the innovations plastic has provided to the world. If it wasn’t for the plastic in materials in Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s equipment, Apollo 11 may not have achieved their wonderful feat. Check out this infographic about plastic’s role in space exploration, and then continue reading to learn more about the historical benefits of plastic processing in Apollo 11’s moon landing. 

The Astronaut’s Equipment of Apollo 11

Durable materials were needed for the astronauts’ gear, which is why scientists and engineers used polycarbonate plastic. Helmets were vital in protecting the astronauts on their journey and made with high-optical quality plastic. Their visor contraptions were a plastic shell composed of three eyeshades and two visors. The inner visor was made from ultraviolet stabilized polycarbonate plastic and the outer visor was responsible for filtering light and rejecting UV and infrared rays. The visor was essential in protecting the astronauts, especially in the event of micrometeoroids or falling off of a lunar surface.

The Plastic Seating for the Astronauts

The engineers of Apollo 11 created lightweight technology for the sake of fuel efficiency. Less fuel and easy ability to lift off of the ground was very important. This was achieved through — you guessed it — plastic! Polyurethane-silicone plastic in the memory foam seats allowed the astronauts to not only be comfortable but allow the spaceship to work to its best ability. Clearly, plastic played an integral role in the astronaut’s successful journey to the moon. Take a look at this video for a quick recap of plastic’s role in getting Apollo 11 up there.

Technological Advancements Today

Plastic processing continues to be pioneering technological advancements today. In February of 2019, the first integrated recycler and 3D printer were installed at the International Space Station. It transforms plastic products into feedstock, which then prints new products. In fact, triumphant advancements are being made each and every day. 

With over fifty years of experience in plastics processing, Plastrac is committed to providing our clients with high-quality solutions for plastics processing. To learn more information, contact us today.

No matter what types of products you make, there’s no denying that color plays an essential role in brand recognition and the perception of quality. Achieving an accurate, consistent blend allows manufacturers to work as efficiently as possible by decreasing the number of scrap parts produced and also reducing manufacturing costs. 

At Plastrac, we understand the importance of color consistency and the challenges associated with it. That’s why we offer our Auto-Disc™ technology, to meet all your blending requirements while helping to not only cut costs and save time, but to meet your exact color specifications. Let’s take a look at why color consistency matters for your product.

Why Color Consistency?

From products to marketing campaigns, color consistency needs to be treated with care and given the significance that it deserves. The proper color consistency can provide several benefits, because it:

• Reaffirms perception of quality
• Builds trust between consumers and your company
• Improves recognition and recall for consumers
• Helps you stand out from the competition 
• Adds value to your product and company

The Challenges of Color Consistency

Regardless of your products, creating acceptable parts throughout the run is crucial. For many parts and pieces produced by plastics manufacturers, achieving this color consistency throughout the entire run and from one order to the next can be a difficult process, becoming a thorn in the side of many companies. Many times, they struggle to create products with consistent coloring, especially when it comes to mating parts in an assembly where they need to match. 

At Plastrac, our blending systems allow you to achieve the highest blend accuracy for even short production runs by synchronizing in real time with your molding machine or extruder. With Auto-Disc™, our disc based metering systems provide a homogeneous and reliable blend for your products, regardless of what they are. 

For more information on our products or to find out how Plastrac can help with your injection molding applications, contact us today.