U.S. Manufacturers Are Making One Thing - Profits!

By Allison Linn

The last few years have been tough on many Americans who work in the manufacturing industry, but they haven't been nearly as tough on the manufacturers’ profits.
U.S. manufacturers have seen a steady uptick in profits since bottoming out in late 2008, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
After-tax profits for U.S. manufacturers totaled $159.7 billion in the second quarter, according to the Census Bureau. That’s nearly triple what they were in the second quarter of 2009, when corporations were just starting to emerge from the deep economic blows of 2008. The data is seasonally adjusted. 

Clink on the title post for the link to the complete story.

Research Leads to Enhanced Kit to Improve Design and Processing of Plastics

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has developed a world-leading pvT (pressure-volume-temperature) and thermal conductivity test kit.

The kit is based on more than nine years of extensive research at NPL. It can be used to help improve the design and processing of plastics, including the injection molding process used to make specialized polymers and everyday plastic items such as CDs

NPL's equipment can measure the thermo-physical properties of polymers. It can help improve the injection moulding process by allowing designers to find the exact pvT and shrinkage properties of a material. Although plastics are the main material tested, other more unusual materials such as soap and even chocolate have also been analysed.

The pvT instrument operates at pressures ranging from 200 bar to 2500 bar, and is the only equipment in the world that can test materials at ultra fast cooling rates of up to 280 °C/min and down to temperatures approaching −100 °C. NPL found that at higher pressures polymers can conduct heat up to 20% more efficiently, leading to faster cooling rates and shorter cycle times.

A thermal conductivity measurement facility is also incorporated into the instrument. Research on the thermal conductivity properties of polymers such as HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) is vital to manufacturers and it was found that they can increase their production rates and gain a higher profit by filling a polymer with glass - as this cools faster, reducing the time that the polymer needs to stay in the mold. The less time the polymer stays in the mold, the faster the output rate of products.

Angela Dawson a Higher Research Scientist for NPL's Materials Division, said:

"pvT testing kits are essential for improving design and processing of ubiquitous, everyday plastics and for more specialized polymers with advanced applications. NPL is the only laboratory where manufacturers can send materials for testing using this advanced equipment and this work has improved the reliability and accuracy of measuring pvT data."

Provided by National Physical Laboratory

Additive Manufacturing of Polymer-based Blood Vessels

It sounds like something from a science fiction movie but researchers at Europe's largest application-oriented research organization, Fraunhofer, say they are developing an additive manufacturing technique suitable for making blood vessels from polymers.

To read the complete article click on the title post.

We found this article to be interesting!

There seems to be some good news for manufacturers in the United States. Plastics News has recently published an article that states the return of manufacturing to the US will accelerate as companies take into account the full costs of outsourcing to China and strategic advantages of making products closer to consumers in North America.

To read the full article please click on the title post above!!!

We would like to dedicate this post to those who lost their lives on 9/11/2001

Governor Cuomo today unveiled the 9/11 remembrance flag that will fly at Ground Zero and in Albany. The forty yellow stars represent the victims aboard Flight 93. They are, as you can see, wrapped around a pentagon, and two columns representing the towers.

Plastics Additives

Making things out of plastics is like playing a game with molecules. The aim is to re-organize them into new shapes without their changing color, sticking to the mold, or doing anything that could spoil the finished article. Additives help with all these problems. Below is a list of common used additives in injection molding.

Antistatic Agents: Help to prevent the build up of static electric charge.  Plastics are generally insulating and so have the capacity to build up static charges on the surface which greatly disturb processing procedures and can be an issue for hygiene and aesthetics.

Blowing Agents:Form gases in the plastic to produce a foam material.  The blowing agents form gases by breaking down on heating at a pre-determined temperature and form a foam structure within the plastic's polymer matrix.

  

External Lubricants: To prevent damage to plastics or the mould during processing. Applied to the material or directly to the machine to allow processing without damage.

Fillers/Extenders: Natural substances used to improve strength and lower the cost of the material. Usually mineral-based, fillers/extenders literally increase the overall "bulk" of the plastic.

Flame Retardants: To prevent ignition or spread of flame in plastic material.  Plastics see substantial use in critical construction, electrical and transport applications which have to meet fire safety standards either by mandatory regulations or voluntary standards.  Flame retardants are added to plastics to meet these requirements. 

Heat Stabilizers: To prevent decomposition of the polymer during processing. Processing usually results in temperatures well above 180 deg celsius, which without the addition of heat stabilisers would result in the plastic material literally falling apart.

Impact Modifiers: Enables plastic products to absorb shocks and resist impact without cracking. Particularly relevant for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP) materials.

Internal Lubricants: Used to improve processability of plastics by increasing the flowability. Internal lubricants improve the melt flow of material by lowering the viscosity and heat dissipation.

Light Stabilizers: Used to inhibit the reactions in plastics which cause undesirable chemical degradation from exposure to UV light.

Plasticizers: Used to make plastics softer and more flexible.

Reinforcements: Used to reinforce or improve tensile strength, flexural strength and stiffness of the material, often fiber-based.

 

Antennas in Your Clothes? New Design Could Pave the Way!

 

John Volakis, Director of the ElectroScience Laboratory, holds a prototype communications antenna embroidered into cloth. (Credit: Photo by Al Zanyk, courtesy of Ohio State University.)

The next generation of communications systems could be built with a sewing machine. To make communications devices more reliable, Ohio State University researchers are finding ways to incorporate radio antennas directly into clothing, using plastic film and metallic thread. Click on the title post for complete article.

Link to Article in Plastic News Magazine

Looks like this may be good news on many fronts!


Click below to go to article.


Truck suppliers cheer fuel rules

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