Materials
Coming Up: LSR That Sticks to More Thermoplastics
A next-generation self-adhesive LSR will bond to additional engineering thermoplastics.
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Commodity Resin Prices Up, Engineering Resins Steady
Strong year-end demand, somewhat tighter supplies of polyolefins, and a spike in feedstock prices with the possibility of more to come for PS, PVC and PP, have already brought higher prices to commodity resins, and continuing upward pressure will likely generate further hikes. Meanwhile, despite strong demand in the automotive market, prices of the four largest-volume engineering resins have been flat or slightly lower.
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Melt Flow Rate Testing—Part 6
Once degradation has been established, the discussion inevitably turns to how it happened. It might be expected that the answer to this question is widely known. Not so. The good news is that the influences that cause polymer degradation during processing are few.
Read MoreTop 5 material technology developments of 2013
Throughout 2013, we saw myriad launches of a diverse range of new materials, with a cluster of introductions coming at K 2013. For this reason, selecting the 鈥渢op five materials鈥 was nearly an impossible task, so we decided to expand the list a bit by categorizing the new material developments by applications that are seeing increasing activity.
Read MoreMelt Flow Rate Testing—Part 5
There are two points in the manufacturing supply chain where a determination of average molecular weight (MW) is important. The first is when the material is first received by the molder. The second is after molding.
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Mid November Commodity Resin Prices Flat to Soft
Prices of the four major commodity thermoplastics are projected to be a bit lower or remain flat (especially in the case of PE) as the year comes to an end.
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High-Gloss, Piano-Black SAN Exterior Pillars Cut Weight & Cost
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Jaguar Land Rover鈥檚 new Range Rover Evoque features high-gloss, piano-black A, B, C, and D exterior pillars made from a specialty SAN grade, Luran HH120 SPF50, from Styrolution.
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PE, PS Prices Higher But Steady
But indications for the remainder of the year are for flat to slightly lower pricing for all four commodity resins
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Melt Flow Rate Testing—Part 4
Few molders perform the test in-house. Of those that do, most don't understand why they are doing it or what they are measuring.
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Natural Gas Boom: What Will It Mean for Plastics Processors?
Plentiful shale gas promises to keep domestic polyolefin production costs among the lowest in the world. Whether (and when) you will see savings is debatable.
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