InnoPlast Solutions 33rd Conference on BioMass to Recycled Feedstocks

Planet-Friendly Plastics: BioMass-to-Recycled Feedstocks; the New Petroleum

WELCOME to InnoPlast Solutions 33rd Conference; 14th on Re-Invention of Plastics!

Date: March 12 (Wed) – March 13 (Thu) 2025

Location: Caesars Palace: Las Vegas

Agenda Includes:

Day-1:

Reduce/Eliminate Fossil-Feedstock

Biobased PE and PP

Biobased PET

Bio-Plastics; 1-Presentation Each on PEF, PHA, PLA, Nylon 6, Nylon 66 etc

Day-2:

Preserve/Respect Material Value and Safety

C-Emissions/Wastes for Building-Blocks

Recycling Advances for PE-PP-PET

To REGISTER, contact InnoPlast at 973-801-6212 or CLICK the link:

https://innoplastsolutions.com/conference/planet-friendly-plastics/

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share :Wear is a common failure mode for plastic gears.

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Wear is a common failure mode for plastic gears.

It affects the transmission error and the resulting NVH, and in its final stages leads to a complete failure of the gear.

Wear control is therefore a standard step in a rating procedure of a new design of a plastic gear pair, or in an optimization process of an existing one.

Contact conditions between two meshing gears are very complex. There is:

⚙️ changing rolling-sliding ratio,

⚙️ load sharing (affected by the load-induced contact ratio increase),

⚙️ change in the direction of friction.

These complex conditions are challenging to replicate by any tribological test. Wear factors generated by gear-on-gear tests prove to provide the most reliable wear prediction calculations.

A quick overview of a gear meshing process :

The theoretical path of contact for the involute gears has the shape of a straight line. The gears start to mesh in point A; this is point A1 on the flank of drive gear and point A2 on the flank of the driven gear. In the meshing area A-B, two pairs of teeth are in contact, wherefore the transmitted load is divided between them. Point B is the highest point of single-tooth contact for the driven gear. In the area B-D, the total load is transmitted only through one pair of teeth hence the contact pressure and the stress in the material increases. Point D is the lowest point of single-tooth contact for the driven gear; at this point the next pair of teeth comes into contact and the load in the area D-E is again transmitted via two pairs of teeth. Meshing ends at point E; this is point E1 on the flank of the drive gear and point E2 on the flank of the driven gear. The load on a single tooth is not constant during meshing along the path of contact.

Rolling and sliding motion are present between the surfaces in contact. When the gears mesh from A to C, the flank part A1C1 on the drive gear meshes with the flank part A2C2 on the driven gear. Due to the different lengths of the flank parts in contact, specific sliding occurs between the surfaces in contact. Analogously, the same happens in the meshing part from C to E, except that when passing through the pitch point C (also kinematic point), the direction of sliding is reversed. In theory, there is no sliding in the pitch point C, only pure rolling; in reality however, due to tooth deflection, sliding also occurs in point C. The direction of sliding and the frictional force are reversed when passing through the pitch point C. On the driven gear, the direction of sliding always points towards the pitch point C, so the kinematic line is usually clearly visible on the worn gear surface.

source:Damijan Zorko

ENVALIOR ANNOUNCES NEW PPS COMPOUNDING FACILITY IN EUROPE

Envalior launches new PPS compounding facility in Uerdingen, Germany.

New facility supports growing demand for Xytron™ in Europe and the Americas.

To better serve growing customer demand in Europe and the Americas, Envalior – a global leader in sustainable and high-performance engineering materials – announces that it will invest in a PPS (Polyphenylene Sulfide) compounding facility in Europe.

Envalior’s PPS material Xytron™ combines a strong set of properties, including excellent chemical and hydrolysis resistance at elevated temperatures, extremely stable heat aging performance up to 240°C, very good and stable electrical properties at elevated temperatures, low moisture absorption with high dimensional stability, and inherent flame retardance that meets UL94 V0. 

Since 2016, when Xytron™ entered the market, the PPS material has built a strong track record across OEMs and tier customers. The new facility will provide local supply and additional services to customers in Europe while also supporting the Americas with more diverse supply options.

“Xytron™ is now widely recognized as one of the most high-performance, innovative, and sustainable PPS brands in the market. We are observing increased demand for Xytron™, particularly from customers in Europe and the Americas. Our strategy focuses on increased convenience and better service, including increased agility for new product development and technical support, enhanced sample availability, shorter lead times and improved security of supply," said Angela Zheng, Global Business Manager for Xytron™ at Envalior.

Xytron™ PPS production in Uerdingen, Germany is expected to begin in the second half of 2025. 

source: Envalior

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share: Sulzer launches PyroConTM to enhance plastic and biomass waste reduction

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Sulzer’s new PyroCon technology rapidly cools the gases emitted during pyrolysis, a process that heats and liquefies plastic without oxygen, limiting harmful pollutants. The resulting pyrolysis oil can be used as a fuel or refined to produce valuable chemicals. PyroCon's rapid cooling (quenching) of the pyrolysis gases prevents further chemical reactions and potential product degradation, improving quality and yield for the circular economy and helping to reduce plastic waste.

Drawing on its success at Indaver’s Plastics2Chemicals plant in Belgium, and the legacy of its plastic waste projects at Quantafuel (Denmark) and Carboliq (Germany), Sulzer is proud to add PyroCon, its new rapid condensing technology for biomass and plastic pyrolysis, to its portfolio of chemical technology solutions.

Improving quality and yields:

PyroCon addresses key critical operational challenges including anti-fouling technology, low maintenance design, flexible capacity and feedstocks, ranging from polyolefins (PP/PE) and polystyrene (PS) to bio-mass waste residues. The solution is further designed to allow optimal reaction control for pyrolysis processes by rapidly quenching pyrolysis products, leading to increased yields.

Promoting a circular economy :

PyroCon optimizes superheated vapor condensation through unique liquid recirculation in a compact design capable of handling up to 600°C vapor inlet temperatures, joining other Sulzer Chemtech solutions that are essential to promoting circularity for solvents, chemicals, and plastics. “We are continually striving to improve efficiencies and create value for our clients,” said Tim Schulten, President of Sulzer Chemtech. “Our new PyroCon technology effectively ensures the integrity of the plastics and bio-waste pyrolysis process, making it a valuable technology for sustainable waste management and energy recovery.” 

source:Sulzer

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics Recycling Routes

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

The increase in the usage of carbon fibres has led to the production of a significant amount of waste.

This has become a global issue because valuable carbon fibre waste ends up in landfill.

Recycling this huge amount of waste is one of the best ways to reduce this environmental impact while meeting global demand for this material in industrial applications.

The commercially viable CF recycling methods can be broadly categorized into mechanical, thermal, and chemical recycling.

Mechanical Recycling: Mechanical recycling is the physical process that breaks carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) into smaller pieces

Thermal Recycling: When waste material is subjected to high temperatures (450–700 ◦C) under controlled conditions, the frivolous material gets burned away and only the desirable fibers are obtained.

Chemical Recycling: In this technique, the CFRPs are crushed into smaller pieces using mechanical means which are then treated with chemicals which leads to the decomposition of the polymer matrix, leaving the desired carbon fibers as residue.

Want to learn how this waste can be turned into opportunity? Read whitepaper on recycled carbon fiber now: https://lnkd.in/djWi5p_4

source:Composights.com

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:Spiral Flow Test

 Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

So, you do your spiral mold test and conclude that Polymer B has a lower viscosity.....

Maybe not !

When spiral flow is conducted "the old way", i.e. under essentially controlled pressure, the flow stops necessarily at freeze-off. So the ranking of spiral flow length may reflect the thermal conductivity of your material much more than its viscosity. A lower viscosity grade with 50% GF may freeze faster than a higher viscosity grade with only 20%GF.

If you want your spiral flow test to correctly reflect the viscosity ranking, you must mold the spirals under strict constant filling rate and switchover to ZERO packing.

In my experience, few people do this correctly...

source:Vito leo

INOXAP commissions India’s first Ultra-High Purity Electronic Grade Nitrous Oxide Plant

India’s largest industrial gases manufacturer, INOX Air Products (INOXAP), has announced the commissioning of India’s first Ultra High Purity (UHP) Electronic Grade Nitrous Oxide Plant with a capacity of 1700 Tons Per Annum (TPA) at Manali, Chennai. The state-of-the-art facility would produce UHP Electronic Grade Nitrous Oxide with an exceptional 6N (99.9999%) purity level, adhering to tightly controlled specifications for ensuring minimal contamination. The Plant’s capabilities make it a transformative solution for the electronic, semiconductor and solar industries,while ensuring superlative quality for the final product. With ready availability of Nitrous Oxide, a critical input for the solar and semiconductor segment, the commissioning of this Plant strengthens the gases and chemicals supply chain for the electronics industry through import substitution.

As an industry-first, INOXAP’s Nitrous Oxide Plant is a pioneering move, which showcases its intent to stay ahead of the curve in order to augment the high-tech sectors. Aligned with the goals of India Semiconductor Mission, the Plant aims at driving advanced manufacturing and fostering self-reliance in high-tech sectors. The Plant also depicts INOXAP’s commitment to sustainability and energy-transition.

Sharing his views on the commissioning of the plant, Siddharth Jain, Managing Director – INOX Air Products said, “The commissioning of India’s first Ultra-High Purity Nitrous Oxide plant is a strong testament of INOXAP’s capabilities of creating powerful assets and solutions that create tremendous value for its stakeholders. We are committed to make our country self-reliant while building a strong supply chain for essential gases for the electronics, solar and semiconductor segments. We are constantly evaluating opportunities to invest towards building product offerings for next-gen technology sectors which will define India’s future economic growth trajectory.”

Nitrous Oxide’s unique properties contribute to the precision, efficiency, and environmental sustainability of processes crucial for creating the electronic devices. Nitrous Oxide plays a critical and multi-faceted role in the electronic devices industry, particularly in gas-phase chemical deposition for the production of solar PV cells and semiconductors (chips, circuits, and transistors). It reacts with Silane or other silicon precursors to create high-quality oxide films, used as electrical insulators in microelectronic transistors. It also serves as an oxygen precursor for silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, low-k dielectric thin films and metallic oxides.

source:Inox Air products