polymerguru

In my experience of deploying continuous process improvement, I’ve seen one truth repeat itself: small changes in cycle time create massive changes in organizational success. Consider a real-world example from a Fortune 500 distribution center. The facility struggled with a 12-hour lead time from order receipt to shipping. When we applied Manufacturing Cycle Time (MCT) and Manufacturing Cycle Efficiency (MCE) analysis, the data revealed that only 35 percent of production time was true value-added work. The rest was waiting, unnecessary movement, or inefficient scheduling. Through Lean tools like value stream mapping, Kaizen events, and standard work design, we cut average lead time from 12 hours to 8 hours. That 4-hour reduction meant faster customer fulfillment, increased throughput capacity, and a remarkable financial impact, more than 3.2 million dollars in annualized savings through reduced overtime, lower inventory holding costs, and fewer expedited shipments. The return on invest...

Sustainability is not just skin deep – it often begins underground: in our cities' pipe systems. This also applies to the production of PVC sewage pipes. At K 2025 in Düsseldorf (October 8–15), KraussMaffei Extrusion will present a new 3-layer pipe head that allows the safe and stable processing of up to 100% recycled material. The company is thus sending a clear signal for greater resource conservation in pipe manufacturing while also meeting the growing demands of the circular economy. New patent-pending flow system Reliable processing of up to 100% recycled material in all three layers Significant savings in material costs Sustainable response to the growing market for PVC sewage pipes Two years of development for a new standard: The KM-3L RK 42-HP is the result of a completely new development – not a further development of existing concepts, but a pipe head that has been redesigned and simulated from scratch. With a processing range of 400 to 1,200 kg/h and a diameter of 110 to...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Why Design & Simulation Matter in Extrusion Systems In extrusion technology – whether die heads, extruders, blown film, cast film, or MDO units – the quality of design defines the performance of the entire system. A well-engineered design supported by advanced simulation tools (flow analysis, thermal, and structural simulations)ensures: ✔️ Uniform melt distribution inside die heads → consistent film thickness ✔️ Optimized screw geometry → higher throughput with lower energy consumption ✔️ Controlled cooling and stretching → improved film properties in MDO and cast film lines ✔️ Reduced trial-and-error → saving cost and accelerating time to market Design without simulation is guesswork. Simulation without deep process knowledge is incomplete. 🔑 Combining both is what leads to efficient, reliable, and sustainable extrusion systems. Innovation in extrusion design is not about adding complexity – it’s about applying engineering inte...

OQ, an energy investment and development company, and diversified global manufacturer #Milliken & Company today announced the introduction of a new clarified random copolymer for injection molding applications. OQ utilized Milliken’s #Millad®NX®8000 ECO additive solution to debut its Luban RP2251T #injectionmoldinggrade that has a superior aesthetic appearance and can be processed at significantly lower temperatures, enabling converters to generate #energysavings and improved #productivity due to reduced cycle times. This innovation enables converters to reduce energy consumption and achieve higher productivity, directly contributing to sustainable manufacturing and #packaging solutions that meet evolving global needs. “From product development to full commercialization, we are proud to collaborate with #OQ to introduce their first injection molding grade made with our Millad clarifying agent,” said Maria Di Nolfo, Europe Sales Director at Milliken. “We are eag...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Removing yellow stains from fabric with blue light Sweat and food stains can ruin your favorite clothes. But bleaching agents such as hydrogen peroxide or dry-cleaning solvents that remove stains aren’t options for all fabrics, especially delicate ones. Now, researchers in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering report a simple way to remove yellow stains using a high-intensity blue LED light. They demonstrate the method’s effectiveness at removing stains from orange juice, tomato juice and sweat-like substances on multiple fabrics, including silk. Our method utilizes visible blue light in combination with ambient oxygen, which acts as the oxidizing agent to drive the photobleaching process,” says Tomohiro Sugahara, the study’s corresponding author. “This approach avoids the use of harsh chemical oxidants typically required in conventional bleaching methods, making it inherently more sustainable. Yellow clothing stains are caused by squalene and ole...

Today's KNOWLEDGE share: PET Vs PETG: THE MAIN DIFFERENCES A basic formula for making polyesters, like PET and PETG, is the combination of acid monomers plus glycol monomers. In the case of PET, the acid is usually DMT (dimethyl terephthalate) and the glycol is ethylene glycol. These two monomers are the building blocks of the final long-chain polymer: polyethylene  terephthalate. For creating PETG, the same monomers are used, except some ethylene glycol (30-60%) is substituted with a different glycol monomer, CHDM (cyclohexanedimethanol). So it’s not that PETG has significantly more or less glycol than PET, it just has a different type of glycol. Therefore, the -G in PETG represents the chemical modification of the typical PET structure with CHDM glycol units, or “glycol-modified” for short. The key impact of this glycol modification from a physical standpoint is that semi-crystalline PET gets transformed into amorphous PETG. Let’s quickly review what crystallinity has to do...

  Today's KNOWLEDGE Share 🧠 Can we already 3D print human bone – and can it ever match the real thing? 3D printing has opened incredible doors in medicine: 🖨️ Custom implants, 🧬 Patient-specific guides, 🧫 Even bioprinted tissues. And now we ask: Can we 3D print bone? The idea sounds magical design a defect-specific structure, print it, implant it, and let it heal. But as exciting as it is, we need to ask: 👉 Can a printed bone truly replace what biology has perfected over millions of years? The answer isn’t simple — because real bone isn’t just a shape. It’s a living, dynamic tissue made of: • Haversian canals • Cortical and trabecular architecture • Biomechanical gradients 🦴 Natural bone is never just a block of material. 3D printing brings us closer in terms of geometry — but structure, remodeling, and biological function remain major challenges. 💬 Here’s the issue: How do we make printed bone as hard, elastic, and biologically responsive as real bone? What “glue” holds ...