| Hot Topics
Bioplastics for medicine: sustainability and quality in harmony
The healthcare field produces lots of medical plastic waste. The idea of designing medical products with sustainability in mind is certainly not new. However, medical-grade plastic materials must meet strict regulatory requirements, often prompting the aspect of sustainability to take a back seat.
Plastics industry meets Metaverse: igus presents products in virtual reality
Studies show that we are up to nine times more likely to remember something we have experienced in virtual reality. This knowledge can also be interesting for the plastics industry. With the iguversum, igus has created a digital space in which the manufacturer's products can be discovered. In the future, engineering projects will also be carried out there.
Performance meets circularity: fibre-reinforced plastics become recyclable
Recycled plastics are often less efficient than new plastics. But they can be upgraded - namely by using fibre composites. In turn, they make the plastics difficult to recycle. The All-Polymer project shows how both are possible: high-performance materials and a closed cycle.
| Industry Voices
Walmir Soller
CEO Braskem Netherlands BV & Vice President Olefins/Polyolefins Europe and Asia
Read more
| Young Professionals
A true all-rounder: with two apprenticeships to become a turnkey expert
Oliver Fuss has completed not one, but two apprenticeships at Arburg: first an apprenticeship as a mechatronics technician and then as a process mechanic for plastics and rubber technology. Now he works in the turnkey division, where fully automated manufacturing cells are designed and built.
Digitization, automation, networking: "We have the whole wide bandwidth!"
Twenty-year-old Yannick Herzog trained as an electronics technician for automation technology at Arburg and now works in the company's printed circuit board production. Since August 2021, he has been responsible for SPI and AOI for quality control of printed and assembled PCBs, respectively, in a production line. These are used in the control systems of the Arburg machines.
Training in the plastics industry: technical college and companies get trainees fit for the job
At 16, did you already know where you wanted to go on your professional journey? With the range of choices available to young people today, it can be difficult to make a decision at first glance. That's why it's beneficial to be taken by the hand and introduced to different professions. Wentus GmbH from Höxter sets a good example.
| Industry News
LyondellBasell and KIRKBI invest in APK to develop recycling technology
The two companies LyondellBasell and KIRKBI signed an agreement to make an investment in the company APK. APK has developed the unique solvent-based Newcycling® process, which separates the different polymers of multi-layer packaging materials and produces recycled materials with a high degree of purity suitable for new packaging materials.
Read more
Covestro to build its largest TPU site in China
The company Covestro will build its largest Thermoplastic Polyurethanes (TPU) site in Zhuhai, China. The TPU site will be built in three phases. The first phase will be completed in late 2025 and the final phase in 2033.
Read more
Borealis Borcycle™ C chemical recycling provides circular solutions for crosslinked polyethylene for the Wire & Cable and Infrastructure sectors
The company Borealis is using its Borcycle™ C chemical recycling process to recycle crosslinked polyethylene (PE) types into recycled polyethylene. The EverMinds™ approach provides innovative and viable solutions to recycling challenges in the Wire & Cable and Infrastructure industries.
Read more
From the sea into the tunnel: KraussMaffei customer Oldroyd uses 100% sea plastics for its products
What do a tunnel and hiking boot have in common? Both have a membrane that prevents the ingress of rain. In the case of the tunnel, the Norwegian company Oldroyd is an expert for the membrane and its injection-molded fixing product. It uses CX machines from KraussMaffei and 100% sea plastics.
Read more
Neste, Uponor, Wastewise Group and Borealis enable chemical recycling of hard-to-recycle plastic waste into new high-quality plastic pipes
Neste, Uponor, Wastewise and Borealis have successfully produced pipes made of cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) which was based on feedstock gained from chemically recycled post-industrial waste plastic from PEX pipe production, using an ISCC PLUS certified mass-balancing approach. The partner companies believe this project is among the first implementations of chemical recycling of PEX.
Read more
LANXESS and TotalEnergies to cooperate on sustainable styrene
Specialty chemicals company LANXESS and French energy group TotalEnergies have entered into a cooperation on the supply of biocircular styrene. Unlike conventional styrene, the raw material used by TotalEnergies is based on tall oil, which is derived from a tree resin and is a by-product of pulp production.
Read more
Covestro: New ultra-durable material solution for healthcare and life sciences
Both healthcare and life sciences applications – ranging from drug delivery devices, wellness and wearable devices, to single-use containers for biopharmaceutical manufacturing – all have one thing in common. They must be tough and durable and able to withstand everyday use while maintaining their structural integrity.
Read more
SABIC enables Scientex in developing worlds first PP flexible food packaging using PCR ocean bound plastic
SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, collaborates with Scientex in the packaging value chain to enable the manufacturer to develop material for the world’s first flexible food packaging made based on advanced recycled OBP, using SABIC® certified circular polypropylene (PP). The material is being used in a premium brand noodles packaging sold in Malaysia.
Read more
Ice Ice Baby! Sustainably packaged with Styropor® Ccycled™ by BASF
Imballaggi Alimentari, an Italian based company specialized in the production of ice cream packaging, has launched the Remaxigel boxes made of Styropor® Ccycled™. The boxes made of EPS (expandable polystyrene) boast excellent performance and were primarily designed for artisanal ice-cream shops.
Read more
Covestro and Lanxess cooperate to produce more sustainable raw materials with reduced CO₂ footprint
Chemical companies Covestro and LANXESS are cooperating in the energy-intensive production of basic chemicals at their Lower Rhine sites in Germany and make them more climate friendly. LANXESS procures chlorine, caustic soda and hydrogen from the ISCC PLUS-certified sites of Covestro in Leverkusen and Krefeld-Uerdingen.
Read more
Suraj Logistix adopts innovative solutions for a more sustainable cement packaging
Woven sacks are made of a single polymer family and are therefore already quite easy to recycle. Sustainability requirements for packaging products have increased worldwide and at the same time the need to develop better packaging products to protect the packed commodity has also gained further importance.
Read more
Full speed ahead: Sumitomo (SHI) Demag expands fast-cycle all-electric platform
Engineered specifically for high volume packaging, medical and automotive applications requiring the highest processing precision in the fastest cycle time, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag is accelerating its global expansion of the IntElect platform.
Read more
BASF and StePac partner to develop sustainable packaging for shelf-life extension of fresh produce
BASF SE and StePac Ltd. have joined forces to create the next generation of sustainable packaging specifically for the fresh produce sector. Supplying StePac with its Ultramid® CcycledTM, a chemically recycled polyamide 6, BASF will provide its partner greater flexibility to advance contact-sensitive packaging formats to a higher sustainable standard within the circular economy.
Read more
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag joins the R-Cycle Community
With 80.000 all-electric machines in operation around the globe, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s strong focus is on the sustainable and resource saving operation of injection molding machines in the plastic processing industry.
Read more
ENGEL launches Pay per Use
ENGEL breaks new ground in injection moulding machine distribution. Blazing a trail for its industry, the machine manufacturer now offers its customers a pay-per-use model on top of classical machine purchases. This helps processors to reduce their investment risk while at the same time boosting flexibility in production.
Read more
Innovation venture of Covestro awarded: Niaga® wins Circular Economy Prize
Niaga®, an innovation venture of Covestro, is the winner of the 2022 European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Community Circular Economy Prize in the Digital Products Passports (DPP) category. The EIT Circular Economy Community awards relevant start-ups and SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) with significant new solutions accelerating the circular economy.
Read more
SABIC debuts new copolymer resin for PV connectors, delivering highest CTI level to support emerging 1.5KV systems
SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, launched today a breakthrough polycarbonate (PC)-based copolymer resin, well-suited for photovoltaic (PV) connector bodies, that meets stricter performance and regulatory requirements for emerging 1.5Kv solar systems.
Read more
Dow launches the world's first recyclable silicone self-sealing tire solution
The company Dow has announced the launch of the world's first recyclable self-sealing silicone solution for tires. The new silicone sealant technology, called SiLASTIC™ Self-sealing Silicone, is designed to form a self-sealing layer on the inside of a tire.
Read more
