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As 2020 comes to a close, SPE would like to wish its members, partners and other industry professionals a safe and happy holiday season. As we reflect on the past year for the industry, we would like to provide the readers of the newsbrief a look at the most accessed articles from the year. Our regular publication will resume Wednesday, Jan. 6.
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Federal bill seeks to hold plastics industry responsible for dealing with waste
Plastics Today
From Feb. 19: Banning various single-use items made from conventional plastics hasn’t really worked. It’s only created demand for more, less eco-friendly single-use products, such as those made from biodegradable materials that either must be left in the open environment or sent to landfills. Recycling works only to the extent that recyclers can get their hands on the most readily recyclable plastics such as PET or HDPE.
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.SPE CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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Date |
Event |
More Information |
Feb. 5, 2021 |
Intellectual Agreement Fundamentals - Week 1 |
Registration |
Feb. 7, 2021 |
WEBINAR: Formulating Thermoplastics with Non-Halogen Flame Retardants: An Introduction |
Registration |
Feb. 12, 2021 |
Intellectual Agreement Fundamentals - Week 2 |
Registration |
Feb. 19, 2021 |
Intellectual Agreement Fundamentals - Week 3 |
Registration |
Feb. 23, 2021 |
International Polyolefins Virtual Conference |
Registration |
Feb. 26, 2021 |
Intellectual Agreement Fundamentals - Week 4 |
Registration |
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Promoted By
RJG, Inc.
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Promoted By
Chroma Color Corporation
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'Deceptively simple' process could boost plastics recycling
Science Daily
From March 11: Plastics are a victim of their own success, so inexpensive, easy to use and versatile that the world is awash in plastic waste. Now researchers from the University of Houston have reported a new method of producing polyolefins — made from hydrocarbons and the most common building block of plastics — structured to address one of the biggest stumbling blocks to plastics recycling.
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There’s only ONE plug assist material for thermoforming worthy of the title: "Next generation of HYTAC® B1X." And that's HYTAC® XTL… by CMT Materials. Low density and ideal frictional characteristics means less material wasted during start-up. When your next project requires fine detail and scratch-free thermoforming, reach for HYTAC®-XTL.
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New plastic can be recycled multiple times without losing original properties
Plastics Today
From Aug. 26: A new type of plastic developed by a team of researchers from the U.S., China and Saudi Arabia reportedly can be broken down into its monomer constituents to make new batches of the plastic that retain its original properties. The only drawback, say the researchers, is that the polymer would need to be separated from other materials before going through the recycling process.
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China's ban on single-use plastics won't work
Plastics Today
From Jan. 29: China has jumped aboard the “ban” wagon—big time. The country announced last week that it will start phasing out single-use plastics (SUPs) this year, beginning with the elimination of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam takeout boxes, plastic swabs and products such as cosmetics containing microbeads. Caterers will be prohibited from using plastic straws; in certain major urban areas, plastic bags and tableware also will be banned. By the end of 2020, China will be a non-plastic wasteland.
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COVID-19 sparks renaissance of single-use plastics
Plastics Today
From June 24: Many states as well as countries around the world have taken great pains to eliminate plastic drinking straws and stirrers from the waste stream, including through regulations and outright bans. Plastic retail bags haven’t fared so well, either, with bag bans proliferating globally. Plastic was expected to “lose its share of the global foodservice single-use product market to paper and other more eco-friendly materials through 2024,” according to a study update from the Freedonia Group, “Foodservice Single-Use Straws, Bags Boosted by COVID-Related Suspension of Bans.
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The unfortunate politics of plastics in a pandemic
Plastics News
From July 2: It was late March when I received an email from The New York Times requesting comment on the moves to delay plastic bag bans due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. I was out of the office in Arizona on a trip with my dad to attend a couple of spring training baseball games when out of left field came this email. While spring training was canceled, the debate over plastics was not.
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Promoted by HP 3D Printing
In this business climate, there are many advantages to a "pay-as-you-go" business model when the focus is on outcomes. Capital expenses are transformed into operating expenses, spread over time. Paying on a usage basis puts the focus on your business results rather than equipment or transactions. HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solutions are reinventing design and manufacturing. From accelerating design cycles, to printing full-color functional parts, to running efficient volume production with repeatable part quality.
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Conor Carlin pushes sustainability through SPE position
Plastics Machinery Magazine
From Oct. 21: Conor Carlin is managing director for Illig North America, and was recently named VP Sustainability of SPE. He spoke with Plastics Machinery Magazine editor Ron Shinn about his 20-year career in the plastics industry and how SPE is encouraging sustainable practices.
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With Kautex packaging die heads 100% color change can be
achieved while saving up to 75% in time and materials.
RapidXchange technology allows to reduce the purging process by up to 75% through rheologically optimized flow channels.
The groundbreaking results were achieved in comparison with uncoated heads in mono-layer applications.
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Bergen International Foamazol™ 1001 & Foamazol™ 1002 Chemical Foaming Agents formulated for Polycarbonate and high temp polymers in extrusion, structural foam & injection molding; provide density reduction, and sink mark removal & warp reduction in injection molding. Foamazol™ 1002 is formulated to NOT produce any moisture, eliminating brittleness due to polymer degradation
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Thousands of industry professionals subscribe to association news briefs, which allows your company to push messaging directly to their inboxes and take advantage of the association's brand affinity.
Connect with Highly Defined Buyers and Maximize Your Brand Exposure
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The Canon Shuttle Mold System runs two molds on a single molding machine. While one part is cooling another part is being made. By transforming cooling time into production time – you get up to double the productivity and reduced process costs. Explore how it compares to the traditional single-mold method.
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What to do if you got laid off or furloughed
Plastics Today
From May 20: Coronavirus-related unemployment claims in the United States are approaching 40 million. Our plastics industry has been more fortunate than many, but there are still quite a few of our brothers and sisters who became a statistic. This week’s blog is for those people, many of whom I have spoken to or exchanged notes with over the past few weeks.
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From surgical caps to N95 masks, demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) remains high. Our Branson™ ultrasonic welders cut, seam and bond non-woven synthetic materials with precision and repeatability—increasing PPE production and providing the necessary levels of hygiene. Tell us more about your application: go.emersonautomation.com/branson-consult-an-expert [go.emersonautomation.com].
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Thousands of industry professionals subscribe to association news briefs, which allows your company to push messaging directly to their inboxes and take advantage of the association's brand affinity.
Connect with Highly Defined Buyers and Maximize Your Brand Exposure
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Plastic Globes find humor in all things plastic
Plastics News
From Feb. 12: Plastics has problems. Here's an outside-the-box solution: harness the power of brand influencers. Everyone is always talking about how we need to spread the word about the great career opportunities in plastics. What if we could convince Taylor Swift to become a mold maker? Or Justin Bieber to pursue a Six Sigma black belt?
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