The Design Analyst, Part 117: The science and mythology of 
measuring moisture content in plastic 
materials—Part 1

Misinformation continues to take hold in the plastics industry on how to determine the amount of moisture in your resin. It’s time once again to set the record straight.

Look, it’s bipartisanship, 
right where it’s really needed

This has been the country that prospered by leading change.

No matter where an American stands between the far-left and far-right extremes of national politics, the recent atrocious public behavior of many U.S. citizens, and far worse, their elected representatives, is cause for serious concern. Already well established, partisan bickering escalated rapidly after the passage of the healthcare reform bill into gross incivility, even including violence, something we formerly saw only in news reports from elsewhere.

Outlook 2010: Baby needs a new pair of shoes, and much more, too

Plastics processors live in interesting times. Unstable prices for plastics, steel, energy, and other inputs; difficulty finding good employees; competition from every corner of the earth; attacks on plastics from NGOs and other groups, as well as from some legislative bodies: There are enough issues in play to keep a processor occupied 24/7.

The Design Analyst, Part 117: The science and mythology of 
measuring moisture content in plastic 
materials—Part 1

Misinformation continues to take hold in the plastics industry on how to determine the amount of moisture in your resin. It’s time once again to set the record straight.

Clamshell package doubles as storage box

A German toothbrush manufacturer has turned to Zahoransky (Todtnau-Geschwend, Germany) for a fully automated solution to package interdental brushes. The high-quality, reusable clamshell pack being produced is designed so that it can also be used as a storage box.

Organize to optimize molded 
component development

Engineers often get the blame, but not the control, over a product. Having a process in place can help avoid the costly issues this conundrum presents.

Contract manufacturer/molder buys customer's business

Custom molder, toolmaker, and contract manufacturer Precimold (Candiac, QC) has completed the purchase of the Search & Rescue lighting division EJE Trans-Lite (EJETL) from one of its clients, Rutter Inc. of St. John's, NL, for which it had been molding all the plastic components for the past 12 years.

One metal replacement application you should avoid

Offering an alternative to heavy metal cuffs, the law enforcement version of the zip tie is making crowd control a slightly simpler matter.

Injection molded handcuffs are already taking hold in the law enforcement market. Jim Reaves, CEO of Milspec Inc. (Asheville, NC), maker of Cobra Cuffs, says the molding material “allowed us to provide a product that is virtually unbreakable and quickly becoming the premier disposable restraint in the market today.” Being foldable helps, too.

Organize to optimize molded 
component development

Engineers often get the blame, but not the control, over a product. Having a process in place can help avoid the costly issues this conundrum presents.