sustainability

How to Turn Auto Shredder Waste Into 60 Million Lb of Plastic Pellets

While much of the world is studying the possibility of getting any economic value out of auto shredder residue—for example, as fuel for cement kilns or power plants—Europe’s second largest scrap-metal reclaimer cranks out polyolefin and polystyrene pellets made from shredder residue at 20,000 to 100,000 lb/hr, or about 40 million lb/yr.Galloo Plastics, the recycling unit of the Galloo Group in Halluin, France, has been so successful at supplying automotive markets with its black PP compounds that it built a second auto shredder residue (ASR) recycling plant this year next to the first, inside its huge scrap yard.

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Postprocessing

Lasers Now Clean Molds and Parts

They drill, cut, weld, polish, engrave, and print.

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Solving Gravimetric Blender Problems

Gravimetric blenders offer plastics processors considerable savings.

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nanocomposites

Thermoplastic Polyesters: It's Time to Know Them Better

There’s more to TP polyesters than you think. You may know PET, PBT, and PETG—but what about PCT, PCTG, PCTA, and PTT? If you’re not sure what they are, how their properties compare, and who sells them, we have the answers—and lots of new developments to report.

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Postconsumer

Can’t Sell Your New Recycling Concept?

Put It into Production Yourself!

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Recycled PET/PE Alloys Show Promise In Monofilament, Pallets, Pipe

Alloys of polyethylene and recycled PET were the highlight of the annual SPE Global Plastics Environmental Conference (GPEC) in Detroit in February.

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Postconsumer

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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Extrusion

They've Been Working on the Railroad

Composite RR ties could finally be on their way to becoming the next big thing in plastic lumber. They are attracting interest from makers of marine pilings, another category of structural wood replacements.

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Postconsumer

How to Use Those Fancy Ultrasonic Welding Controls

You know how to set a timer, but newer ultrasonic welders also offer control by energy, collapse distance, and absolute distance. Do you know when and how to exploit these options to make better welds?

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Postconsumer

'Collar Joining' Method Makes Plastic-Metal Hybrids

 A mechanical method for joining plastic and metal to create hybrid automotive front-end assemblies has been developed by BASF AG in Germany.

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Plastics Size Reduction