As we say goodbye to another year, while looking ahead on what's on the horizon (hello again, NPE), it's always a good time to reflect on the year that was. From the Aston Martin recall due to counterfeit plastic material to the talk of Lego embracing bioplastics, the most-read articles covered the gamut and the globe.
So here they are, the top 10 most-read articles of 2014 on PlasticsToday.
10. Will 3D printing of cores & cavities be disruptive to moldmaking?
3D printing articles generated quite a bit of interest, including this blog article written by Clare Goldsberry about the usage of 3D printing, aka additive manufacturing (AM), to build cores and cavities to enable the injection molding of the actual parts.
9. Slippery coating inside plastic packaging enables viscous liquids to slide easily
A cool new technology for plastic packaging was also featured in the most-read stories for the Packaging Channel. And with good reason: it's new, innovative and could help solve a very annoying problem that we all face as consumers.
8. President Obama tells companies to pay suppliers faster
This is a blog article written by Clare regarding a new initiative by the Obama Administration to ensure that small businesses get paid more quickly. Under QuickPay, the federal government is required to pay small contractors quickly - within two weeks.
7. Sorry, Mr. Customer - your non-conforming parts are your fault
The Aston Martin recall appears on our top 10 list three times! This is an analysis by Clare of the situation.
6. Counterfeit plastic material at the heart of another vehicle recall
And this blog article from Clare looked at the big picture issue of counterfeit plastic materials.
5. Lego investigates shift to bioplastics
Doug Smock attended the Innovation Takes Root, a conference sponsored by Nature Works in Orlando, FL and while there, he found out that Lego expects to convert to bioplastics as part of a long-term sustainability program.
4. Infiltrator Systems installs world's largest low-pressure injection molding machine
Number four on our list is a very big story, literally.
3. Slideshow: The birth of cool wearable medical devices
In 2014, we brought you several slideshows. This one from Norbert Sparrow covered wearable medical devices, which featured such leading-edge technologies as a bendable material that can be applied to the skin like a Band-Aid to monitor vital signs to an assistive listening device camouflaged as costume jewelry.
2. The inside story on the hands-free crutch that keeps Harrison Ford up and about
A combination of Harrison Ford and a hands-free crutch got your attention.
1. Aston Martin in massive recall: Chinese counterfeit DuPont polyamide to blame
And the most-read story on PlasticsToday in 2014 is about (no surprise here) the Aston Martin recall. This one is the breaking news story written by Stephen Moore.
