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It’s been a long time since I talked to you about an exclusive feature on the Plastics Technology website (ptonline.com). We call them Knowledge Centers, which are, in essence, websites within our website, or “microsites,” where technical content on a very specific subject is compiled in an easy-to-navigate way. When we rolled out this feature more than 10 years ago, we had five of them. Now there are 11.

You get to Knowledge Centers by pointing your browser to ptonline.com. Once you get there, hover your mouse over Knowledge Centers on the far right of the top navigation bar. A drop-down box will open with a list of all the Knowledge Centers housed on the site. Make your choice and dig in.

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Each Knowledge Center offers best practices, tips, troubleshooting advice and more on the topic covered, presented in a non-commercial way. There are plenty of videos and links to additional content within each. Each one also includes the opportunity to engage with the supplier that provided the content via an “Ask the Expert” link.

The Knowledge Centers on the Plastics Technology website are:

 •  Blending and Dosing: Have questions on how blenders work? About options among various blending technologies? What about controls? Maintenance? Troubleshooting? It’s all here.

 •  Conveying: Assess various conveying systems, learn about controls, design, economics, and download white papers from this Knowledge Center.

 •  Drying: Learn the basics of drying, how to evaluate the types of dryers, dryer controls, maintenance, tips on drying PET and biopolymers. You can download white papers on central drying here.

 •  Feeding: The focus here is on feeding solutions in compounding, examining feeder operating principles and fundamentals, feeding economics and controls.

 •  Injection Molding: Learn about molding fundamentals, the types of presses in the market, automation tips, troubleshooting, material choices, applications.

 •  Process Cooling: Just launched in September, here you can find out about process-cooling basics, how to choose and operate a cooling system, and get access to a handy glossary of commonly used heat-transfer terminology.

 •  Profile Extrusion: Find out about the basics of profile extrusion, the types of equipment and materials used, links to technical articles, troubleshooting tips and a glossary of terms.

 •  Power Quality: Tap into savings that might not be obvious by learning how diagnose power-quality problems to keep electrical devices from malfunctioning, failing prematurely or shutting down altogether.

 •  Purging: Get info on purging compound basics, troubleshooting, and tips on purging for injection molding (including hot runners), blow molding, extrusion, and compounding.

 •  Size Reduction: To granulate or shred? What are the equipment options for each? What are the economics of size reduction? Get answers to these questions and also access technical articles, tips on service and lots more in this Knowledge Center.

 •  Training: Having a difficult time finding skilled employees? You have alternatives: One of the best is freeing your company from the skilled-labor job market by training your own experts. That exact strategy is being used right now by the most successful plastics processors in the world. Find out your options here.

At Plastics Technology we are committed to helping you raise your game in the global processing market. Please take advantage and check out the information in these free Knowledge Centers. All it takes is a little time. I think you’ll find it time well spent.