polymerguru

𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐄 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐏𝐄 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐔𝐑 𝐟𝐨𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬? Polyurethane (PUR) foams are often used in soft applications in cars. While they offer excellent resilience and very low density, they are difficult to recycle and often produce trimming waste during processing. In a technical article recently published in Plastics Insights and Kunststoffe magazines, our TPE product management team presented results from an investigation into how TPE behaves when PP+TPE components enter the recycling stream. Two scenarios were examined, ranging from 2% to 8% recycled TPE in PP compounds.   Results showed: • Only minor reductions in heat deflection temperature • Limited decreases in flexural strength and modulus • A significant increase in impact strength as TPE content rises • No measurable change in flowability during processing The results suggest that many PP components c...

  𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗪𝗟𝗘𝗗𝗚𝗘 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗖𝗦, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗴𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁. Did you know there are ceramic materials that are stronger than metals? Or others that are as transparent as glass? Technical ceramics (or high-performance ceramics) are engineered, inorganic, non-metallic materials characterised by extreme hardness, high-temperature resistance, wear resistance, and excellent electrical insulation. Often used as superior alternatives to metals and polymers, they are deployed in demanding industries such as automotive, electronics, and medical technology. ceramitec, a professional and biannual trade fair, opened its doors last week in Munich. This was an opportunity to observe who produces and processes these high-performance materials, and where they are ...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Additives (e.g. plasticizers, stabilizers, antioxidants, colorants) are essential for tuning plastic’s performance , yet their lack of chemical bonding to the polymer matrix enables their migration over time. This phenomenon impacts material properties, regulatory compliance, and environmental exposure. For instance, the diffusion of species such as phthalates or bisphenol A can have relevant environmental and human health impact. Molecular dynamics simulations make it possible to understand additive diffusion mechanisms in diverse systems with multiples molecular structures, polymer morphologies and environmental conditions. These computational workflows accelerate the design of durable, compliant, and safer polymer materials. Use case: Additive migration in packaging films at the interface with food simulants ➡️ Chemical system size: 60,000 atoms ➡️ Components: Cellulose, poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA), adhesive additives, and residual monomers...

  𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗙𝗨𝗟 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 🍾 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗽 🚧🏭 We often blame operators, staff, or systems when things go wrong… 👉 but have we looked at the top level? --- 💡 🔍 The Reality 👉 Just like a bottle… the narrowest point is at the top ✔ Decisions flow from leadership ✔ Culture is set at the top ✔ Priorities are defined at the top --- ⚠️ 🔹 When Issues Occur in an Organization ❌ Poor quality ❌ Missed targets ❌ Low morale ❌ Process inefficiencies 👉 These are often symptoms… not root causes --- 🎯 🔹 The Real Root Cause 👉 Leadership gaps ✔ Lack of clear direction ✔ Weak systems & processes ✔ Poor communication ✔ Ignoring ground realities --- 🔹 What Strong Leaders Do ✔ Go to Gemba (shopfloor) 🏭 ✔ Listen to employees 👂 ✔ Build strong systems 📊 ✔ Enable teams, not blame them 🤝 --- 💡 🔑 Key Insight 👉 Employees don’t fail systems… 👉 systems (designed by leadership) fail employees --- 🚀 Final Thought Befo...

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗪𝗟𝗘𝗗𝗚𝗘 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝟮𝟰𝟬𝟬 𝗯𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀? In injection moulding, we often talk about pressure as a number, but rarely about what it really signifies. Our injection moulding machines are capable of safely and reliably maintaining a pressure of 2400 bar throughout the process over the long term. And when you translate that into real‑world equivalents, the magnitude becomes striking. 2400 bar corresponds to the pressure you would experience at 24000 meters below sea level, this is far deeper than any ocean trench. It is also 1000 times the pressure of a car tire or 400 times the burst pressure of a Coca‑Cola can. All this, controlled precisely and repeatably, every single cycle. For me, this illustrates the true engineering behind injection moulding: managing extreme forces while maintaining micron-level accuracy. It shows how much material understan...