724-584-5500
Filter By
Filter
Subscribe to Our Newsletter & Stay Updated
-
Trends in Blow Molding and Their Impact on Auxiliary Equipment Decisions
The blow-molding process represents a relatively small segment of the plastics industry as a whole – compared to injection molding or extrusion, at least – but when it comes to the manufacture of rigid packaging, it is extremely important. The projected growth rates for the overall packaging market are all...
-
How to Reduce the Burden of Plastic Scrap and Maintain Product Quality
A certain level of scrap or unacceptable parts is inevitable in any process. Whether it is the 3.4 occurrences per million units envisioned by Six Sigma quality adherents or a much higher percentage, it represents a drain on productivity and profitability, and keeping it to the absolute minimum possible should...
-
Why Plastics Processors Need to Worry about Angel Hair and How to Overcome its Problems
It sounds mystical, ethereal and beautiful. In reality, however, it is anything but. Angel hair is the term used to refer to long “hair”-like strands of plastic that are created when certain resins move at high-speeds through vacuum-conveying tubing. Which resins? Mainly soft materials like polypropylene, polyethylene and, especially, linear...
-
How to Overcome the Top 5 Challenges in Plastics Manufacturing
How are you managing the costs of production in order to deliver plastic products at a price that is both attractive to your customer and profitable for you, the processor? In order to deliver products that customers need, every plastics processor faces the imperative of combining the following aspects of...
-
Extrusion Processing: The Basic Guide to Using Auxiliary Equipment
What is extrusion processing? Extrusion is a continuous form of plastics processing that takes place in a grouping of equipment called an extrusion line. Unlike injection molding or similar processes that rely on repeated “cycles” of mold-filling and part-extraction, extrusion is a process that is ideal for producing products continuously,...
-
How Color Feeders Can Improve Quality When Coloring at the Machine
Along with correct dimensional and mechanical properties, processors know that good color properties rank among the top factors in customer acceptance of a plastic product. Color is often an integral part of the identification and branding scheme of a product, and may, in some cases, be the determining factor in...
-
How to Build Better Resin Conveying Systems with the Right Vacuum Loaders and Receivers
Whether you’re a small injection molder or extruder with ten or 12 machines, or huge producer of high-volume appliance or automotive components, you face three big questions if you want to convey resins, regrind, and powders to the production equipment in your plant. The 3 Questions to Answer when Building...
-
Top 10 Challenges in Heat-Exchange and Temperature Control for Injection Molding
Why are cooling systems so important in plastics injection molding operations? Plastic injection molding relies on a process of heat transfer: A heated screw assembly at the head of a molding machine accepts raw material, usually resin pellets or regrind, and adds heat to the resin until it softens into...
-
How Centralized Resin Drying Systems Work and When You Need One
There’s a lot going on throughout the floor of a plastics plant—primary processing machines, such as injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, or other machines. Then there’s the material, which is often stored at machine-side locations. There are the auxiliaries needed for temperature control and cooling, including water supplies, pipe or...
-
Injection Molding Processing: The Basic Guide to Using Auxiliary Equipment
What is injection molding? Injection molding is the most widely used form of plastics processing worldwide. The process involves the injection of heated, liquefied plastic into a temperature-controlled mold under high pressure. After the plastic fills the mold, it cools and solidifies into finished part(s) which can be easily removed...
By sszakelyhidi 
By Rich Shaffer 
By Nick Paradiso 
By Alan Landers 
By Ernie Preiato 
By Jim Fisher 
By A.J. Zambanini 
By Chris Weinrich