ICYMI: May Roundup
May was a busy month, especially with the buzz coming out of the Extrusion Conference. Here’s a quick look at the top articles from May you might have missed.
Source: Lubrizol, Plastics Technology, Sodick, ENTEK
May was a busy month, especially with the buzz coming out of the Extrusion Conference in Boston to kick things off. From new materials and process tips to sustainability wins and pricing updates, the month delivered plenty of insight for processors across the board. If you’ve been too busy keeping your lines running to keep up with the latest reads, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a quick look at the top articles from May that your peers were reading and sharing.
10. A Processor's Guide to Making World-Class Multilumen Tubing
Process innovation is pushing catheter design to the limit. Here are Lubrizol’s tricks of the trade.
This “hybrid” tooling solution combines a metal Mantle tool with consumable FIM inserts that enable an undercut feature. Source: Additive Manufacturing Media
9. How 3D Printing Supports Toolmaking Workforce at This Multiscale Molder
At more than a century old, General Pattern has seen multiple evolutions in its 大象传媒 — the latest of which is the embrace of additive manufacturing technologies for mold tooling and beyond.
8. June 2025: Prices for the Five Commodity Resins Flat to Down
This overall resin pricing trend could continue into the start of the third quarter.
Karl Anderson (left) and Doug Pauley (center), of Nebraska’s Central Community College (CCC), alongside Tony Deligio of Plastics Technology at PTXPO 2025. Source: Central Community College
7. Open Press/No Operator: Plastics Processing and the Skills Gap
Order for parts? Check. Material…machine…mold? Check…check…check. Operator? Operator…?
6. The Recycling Collaboration That Is Making Circular Film a Reality
Nova Chemicals and Novolex are commissioning a large mechanical recycling facility for film to film.
5. What You Need to Consider Before Adding a Compounding Line to Your Operation
Material volume, extruder size, facility space and power, and vendor expertise drive equipment choice.
4. MPM’s Second Act: Keeping Injection Molding, Moldmaking in the Midwest
Larry Austin’s 35 years at a highly successful injection molding company inform much of what he does and doesn’t want in his second act in plastics owning an injection molding company.
Injection molding simulation can help isolate the causes of warpage, and help molders minimize the number of variables they may investigate during a physical DOE. Source: The Madison Group
3. When Injection Molding Simulation Can Be a Great Troubleshooting Tool
Injection molding simulation can serve as a powerful tool not just for design but also for ongoing production optimization.
2. How Compression Ratio Impacts Extruder Performance
Let’s investigate how compression ratio affects performance of an extruder processing LLDPE.
1. Polymer Science for Those Who Work With Plastics: Why Entanglements — Not Just Molecular Weight — Drive Plastic Performance
Ever try running your fingers through tangled hair? Yeah … that’s not fun, but that’s what happens at the molecular level when polymer chains reach the right length. They wrap around each other, intertwine and … get stuck — and those tangles are the real reason plastics perform the way they do.
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ICYMI: March Roundup
Still catching up post-PTXPO? Whether you attended the show or not, there were bound to be some must-read articles that may have slipped past you. Catch up on what you missed.
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Medical Tubing: Use Simulation to Troubleshoot, Optimize Processing & Dies
Extrusion simulations can be useful in anticipating issues and running “what-if” scenarios to size extruders and design dies for extrusion projects. It should be used at early stages of any project to avoid trial and error and remaking tooling.
