Postprocessing
SPE Automotive Awards Highlight Materials and Processing Advances
What’s new in plastics on cars?
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Headlines for the Next 50 Years
Ever wonder what it would be like to get tomorrow’s newspaper today? After reviewing the most important technical developments of the past 50 years in our October issue, we asked industry experts to help us imagine the biggest headlines in plastics from now to 2055. What we got was a mixture of predictions of what will happen and a wish list of what should happen.
Read More50 Ideas That Changed Plastics
Very few readers of this issue can remember, or even imagine, what it was like when an injection molding machine did not have a screw, but only a smooth-bore plunger.
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Dye Sublimation Printing: Durable Color Decoration for 3D Parts
Dye sublimation, a dye-transfer process that got its start in the 1960s for use in textiles, has advanced in recent years to provide wear-resistant, full-color surface decoration of flat objects like mouse pads and tiles.
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Graphical Analysis Helps Find and Fix Ultrasonic Welding Problems
Using Real-Time Weld Graphs to Achieve Process Repeatability and Control Limits in Ultrasonic Welding
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Composite Coating Makes Glass Fibers Less Aggressive in Sliding, Turning Parts
Fiber-reinforced and mineral-filled compounds are not always compatible with use in dynamic applications, where parts slide, rotate, pivot, or move across each other. "When a glass-filled part rubs against a metal surface or even a similar glass-filled surface, rapid abrasion takes place," says George Osterhout, v.p. of Dimension Bond, a Chicago-based supplier of a specialized coating service that can address this problem."The reason for the abrasion is minute ends of the fiber reinforcing materials protruding from the surface of the filled part," adds Osterhout.
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Plastics Welding: Laser and Infrared Systems Expand Capabilities
A breakthrough in laser welding of three-dimensional parts that eliminates traditional clamping systems was among several innovations in welding and joining highlighted at two recent shows—last month’s Plastics USA in Chicago and this month’s K 2004 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
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New Approach to IR Welding Bonds More Engineering Plastics
Kubota Research Associates (KRA), a U.S.-based research and development firm, has introduced an advanced method for through-transmission infrared (TTIR) welding of sensitive plastic parts.
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In-Mold Labeling: Electrostatics Are the Way to Go
Applying a static charge to hold the label in the injection mold eliminates the need for vacuum ports that addsignificantly to the cost of making and maintaining the tool.
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