The staffers of Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing told you about innovative products, introduced you to fascinating people and kept you informed on news in the plastics business in 2020. Here are the 10 most popular stories of the past year produced by our staff. We look forward to continuing to serve our readers in 2021.
1. Charlie Martin spoke to us for our interview feature, “In Other Words.” The industry veteran, president and GM of Leistritz Extrusion has 36 years of experience in the field and has rooted his expertise in hard work.
https://plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com/21142759/
2. Italian blow molding machine maker Alphamac entered the U.S. market in 2020. The company was founded by a team of blow molding technology veterans headed by Moreno Minghetti, and is represented in the U.S. market by Jackson Machinery.
https://plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com/21131675/
3. Milacron is focused on enhancing control systems that turn data into information that can guide the company’s injection molding machine users to more efficient processes. It continues to upgrade its M-Powered suite of observational, analytical and support services, and has integrated iMFLUX control software into its own controller for use with M-Powered.
https://plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com/21144797/
4. Automation, versatility, more efficient use of resin and the promise of improved recyclability were among the highlighted attributes of stretch film lines that took the floor at K 2019. Brückner spotlighted its line’s ability to produce film using less raw material, while SML touted the flexibility of its upgraded PowerCast XL stretch film line.
https://plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com/21116206/
5. Words like “science-fiction,” “Star Trek” and “impossible” come up a lot when talking about micromolding. But pushing the frontiers of manufacturing is a way of life for molders for whom the difference between passing and failing might be no greater than the width of a split hair.
https://plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com/21152936/
6. More than 50 years ago, JJ Graffin developed his first weigh-filling machine in his mother’s garage. His company, Serac, specializes in the design and manufacture of liquid filling and capping machines, as well as blow molding equipment. He spoke to PMM for an “In Other Words” feature.
https://plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com/21119593/
7. Kraton launched CirKular+ compatibilizers, which can be used with post-consumer and post-industrial plastic recycling streams, bioplastics, and in a combination of virgin and recycled plastics.
https://plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com/21154580/
8. The coronavirus pandemic affected the plastics industry in many ways, both positive and negative. We rounded up news of how plants across the globe found ways to adapt and began producing essential products to fight the virus.
https://plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com/21131516/
9. NDS Inc., which makes stormwater-management and irrigation products, installed thermal blankets from Shannon Global Energy Solutions to protect workers from hot extruder surfaces. The company got a bonus benefit: energy savings.
https://plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com/21117114/
10. Peter Lorenz has taken the millwright business his parents built in their garage in Canada to become a leading manufacturer of pneumatic conveying and bulk handling systems for the plastics, food and chemical industries. The foundation of the company’s success is a line of well-built components readily available through Lorenz’s catalog.
