End Markets

Packaging

Your Business Outlook - January 2009

Domestic output of injection molded packaging decreased by 6% in 2008, and the decline accelerated as the year ended.

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Packaging

Get a Handle on Stress-Cracking In HDPE Bottles

One of the first applications for blow molded HDPE bottles was the replacement of glass for bleach packaging.

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Medical

Medical Tubing: Tinier Than Ever And Much More Complex

Medical tubes are becoming ever smaller and thinner while adding new features like high-tech material combinations, more wire braiding/wrapping, and heat-shrink sheathing for strength and kink resistance.

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Automotive

U.S. Molder/Moldmaker Banks on Tandem Tooling

Erwin Quarder Inc. in Grand Rapids, Mich., a mold maker and injection molder of automotive and medical parts, thinks it has found the next big thing in tooling.

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MIDs Make A Comeback

3D molded interconnect devices were supposed to be the 1980s' breakthrough for plastics in electronics—but they flopped. New processes that make market entry faster, simpler, and less costly have recharged MIDs' prospects.

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New High-Performance Nylons For Automotive, Electronics, Packaging

Nylon producer Ems-Grivory America in Sumter, S.C., is reaching beyond its traditional product range to bring out new partially aromatic nylons that bridge the gap between standard engineering thermoplastics and high-performance specialty polymers.

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Nylon Oil Sump Gets Its Start in Trucks

Integrated nylon oil sumps for a new line of trucks made by Mercedes-Benz have begun to roll down German autobahns, paving the way for a potential torrent of conversions from aluminum, steel, and thermosets to thermoplastics.

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Compounding

Strength and Beauty - New Nylons Bring Both To Under-Hood Parts

Usage of polyamides in U.S. under-hood parts could double in the next decade if nylon 6 and 66 follow European trends toward large panels that not only protect but beautify the engine compartment.

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Metal Replacement Accelerates In Under-Hood Parts

Plastics are making new inroads in valve covers and air-intake manifolds on U.S.-built vehicles.

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Process Cooling