best practices
ASTM Standard To Support Sustainable Plastics
Plastics committee is developing a standard to support a circular economy for plastics.
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Back to Basics on Mold Venting (Part 1)
Here’s what you need to know to improve the quality of your parts and to protect your molds.
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How to Achieve Simulation Success in Molding, Part 3: Inputs, Reports and the Analyst
Ultimately the success of this virtual, digital software falls to the real-world, analog humans requesting and completing the analysis.
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How to Configure Your Twin-Screw Extruder: Part 3
The melting mechanism in a twin-screw extruder is quite different from that of a single screw. Design of the melting section affects how the material is melted, as well as melt temperature and quality.
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Roll Cooling: Understand the Three Heat-Transfer Processes
Designing cooling rolls is complex, tedious and requires a lot of inputs. Getting it wrong may have a dramatic impact on productivity.
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Five Quick Steps Toward Better Blending
Rising costs of resins and additives, along with higher demands for quality and use of regrind, place a premium on proficient blending. Here are some steps to get you there.
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Got Streaks or Black Specs? Here’s How to Find and Fix Them
Determining the source of streaking or contamination in your molded parts is a critical step in perfecting your purging procedures ultimately saving you time and money.
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The Importance of Hot Nozzle-Tip Mating Against a Cold Sprue Bushing
Done improperly, the result is a cold slug in the nozzle/sprue and a production stop. But there is a better way.
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Getting into Plastics Additive Manufacturing? Avoid these Six Common Errors
There are a lot of 3D printing technologies out there, and it’s not uncommon for processors new to additive manufacturing to get tripped up. Here are some typical snafus, along with advice on how to avoid them before you start making parts.
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Why Shoulder Bolts Are Too Important to Ignore (Part 2)
Follow these tips and tricks for a better design.
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