best practices

From Extruder to Pelletizer: What Happens in Between Influences Quality

There’s a lot more to strand pelletizing than dunking material in water and hoping for the best. Here’s some advice on taking out some of the guesswork.

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Hot Runners

Troubleshooting Material Burning In Hot-Runner Systems

Burns in hot runners can be misleading and hard to diagnose correctly. Follow these tips to track down the root cause of your problem.

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plant tour

On-Site: A Big Molder’s Technical Engineering Plus a Small Company’s Customer Service

That’s the formula for rapid growth at a new/old firm serving medical, military, and aviation markets.

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Air-Ring Upgrades Get Film Processor Quickly Up to Spec

PolyExpert’s trials lead to installation of three new air rings and one digital IBC control to speed changeovers and reduce scrap.

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TOOLING: How to Vent Mold Details

Principles to follow in venting bosses, ribs, pins, cores, slides, and lifters.

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best practices

EXTRUSION: Another Technique for Controlling Melt Temperature

Flight widths are almost always designed at 10% of the screw diameter. But they can be optimized to reduce melt temperature and perhaps boost output.

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INJECTION MOLDING: How to Specify an Injection Molding Machine

In part two of a three-part series, the focus is on the injection unit.

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best practices

MATERIALS: The Problems with Single-Point Data

Engineers who are used to working with metals are surprised that plastics cannot operate as close to their yield points as can metals. The yield point is not enough to tell you how the material reacts to stress.

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Keep Your Screen Changer In the Flow

The screen changer plays an essential role in generating quality extrudate. Here’s what you need to know to keep it functioning properly.

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plant tour

Switch to Bioplastic Helps Molder ‘Go Green’

Labcon opts for surgarcane-derived HDPE to make its packaging more earth-friendly.

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