best practices
Shopping for a Barrel? Consider the Full Cost of Ownership
Beyond just the “invoice price” of a barrel, processors should consider factors like the composition of the inlay, quality of the backing material, straightness, concentricity, machining imperfections and packaging/handling, to understand the true cost of owning a barrel.
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'10 Things We’re Seeing in Machine Shops Right Now'
Metalworking shops and plastics plants make for interesting comparisons of their responses to the COVID-19 challenge.
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How to Know When Your Process is Ready to Make Acceptable Parts
Focus on six key metrics to help you determine when a process is lined out and stable enough to start production.
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Five Ways SPC Can Improve Performance
Statistical process control (SPC) can help plastics processors determine the factors responsible for product quality variation and provide a roadmap for improving the production process.
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Understanding the Effect of Polymer Viscosity on Melt Temperature
Every processor should get hold of the viscosity curves for the polymers they use or contemplate using in their operations, and learn how to read them.
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Materials Part 6 of 7: Annealing Tips for Thermoplastic Polyurethanes
TPUs form physical, rather than chemical, crosslinks that can be broken by reheating. Formation of these crosslinks can be sped up by annealing, which improves a variety of properties.
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Follow These Purging and Preventive Maintenance Tips for Your Screws and Barrels
Processors can extend the life of equipment and improve productivity by coupling a preventive-maintenance program for their screws and barrels with routine use of chemical purging compounds..
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Tooling: Back to Basics On Die Springs--Part 2
Follow these steps for proper die-spring selection and installation.
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How and Where Twin-Screw Extruders Fit in Recycling
When utilized in a thoughtful way, the corotating intermeshing twin-screw extruder can transform recycled materials into value-added products and parts. Here’s what you need to know, and some real-world examples of the technology deployed for both post-industrial and post-consumer recycling.
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