The SPE Library contains thousands of papers, presentations, journal briefs and recorded webinars from the best minds in the Plastics Industry. Spanning almost two decades, this collection of published research and development work in polymer science and plastics technology is a wealth of knowledge and information for anyone involved in plastics.
B. Kulshreshtha, A. Dhoble, D.A. Zumbrunnen, May 2005
A continuous chaotic advection blender was used to controllably develop in extrusions a variety of morphologies in PP/EPDM and PP/LDPE blends. Impact toughness was enhanced by 760% with the addition of 20% EPDM by a blend consisting of numerous interconnected layers. Smaller but significant improvements to impact properties were also obtained for PP-LDPE blends. Enhancements were greater than those derived from droplet morphologies typically obtained with conventional compounding equipment.
In recent years, a wide variety of morphologies in immiscible blends at fixed compositions have been formed in chaotic advection blending devices. To clarify how particular morphologies arise, computational simulations have been performed and compared to findings with a continuous chaotic advection blender. Simulations are in good qualitative agreement with experiments. Hole formation and melt redistribution among layers and shear during processing interact to give blends with dual continuous phases, fibers, and droplets and other morphologies.
C. Mahesha, D.A. Zumbrunnen, Y. Parulekar, May 2005
A continuous chaotic advection blender (CCAB) has been used to orient clay platelets prior to extrusion steps. Methods allow extrusion of nanocomposites with oriented platelets so clay loading can be reduced and properties can be enhanced. Extrusions can be of a variety of forms such that profile parts or high barrier films can be produced. Micrographs of the nanocomposites are presented and related to processing conditions.
This paper describes a spreadsheet based method that quantifies the performance of an educational program and its various courses against the ABET criteria. Inputs to the spreadsheet are: student learning outcomes for each course, cross index tabulation of these outcomes to ABET criteria, student scores, and credit hours of courses. This approach identifies the strong and weak points of each course as well as the whole program. This method becomes an integral part of a continuous improvement plan.
This paper presents an investigation on the design and optimization of plastic milk crates using the finite element method (FEM) with the aim of reducing the mass and simplifying the shape of a standard milk crate. The paper also explores the possibility of manufacturing such milk crates using recycled High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) instead of virgin HDPE or virgin polypropylene (PP) to make it more cost effective.
Amorphous nylon 6 nanocomposites with various clay contents and dispersion degrees were prepared by direct twin-screw extruder compounding. The nanocomposite structures were examined with XRD and TEM. The effects of clay exfoliation and content on microcellular extrusion foaming of amorphous nylon 6 nanocomposites will be presented. Apart from their nucleating role in bubble nucleation, nanoclay particles also promoted the volume expansion ratio of nylon foams. The role of clay particles on diffusivity will be discussed critically.
This work generalizes D-N and Schwarz schemes for elliptic equation to Stokes and injection molding problem and constructs the non-overlapping and overlapping sub problem. It divides the original problem into several sub problems and distributes them to different processor to solve simutaneously. This method can accelerate the 3-D flow simulation involving large scale calculation.
Wall thickness is a vital design decision that affects structural performance, material utilization, and processing costs. Simple flow and bending analyses are developed and validated against sophisticated 3D finite element analyses for use in early product development. The simple analysis indicates the desirability of 1) simultaneous wall thickness and rib design, and 2) adding ribs to the design to increase stiffness as needed. Finally, calculus is applied to solve for optimal flow length to wall thickness ratio as a function of material costs and machine rates.
Shrinkage occurs asymmetrically during the cooling stage of an injection molding cycle. When this happens, especially in box and cup shaped injection molded parts, an air gap forms, drastically reducing heat transfer rates into the cavity steel. In order to verify the gaps existence and volumetric size, an injection mold is modified with componentry to quantify the separation from cavity steel.
Air gap influence on cooling in cup shaped parts is an undocumented phenomenon, requiring additional analysis and quantitative measurement. As an enhancement to a previous investigation, the heat transfer behavior of a plastic part is analyzed by using a finite-element model that incorporates shrinkage, and resulting gap, from PVT estimates. The heat loss of a part without an air gap and one with an air gap are contrasted to determine the significance of the air gap on cooling.
Robert Gallucci, Mark Sanner, Paul Sybert, May 2005
Blends of polyetherimides usually form phase separated mixtures with polycarbonate or polycarbonate esters, however recent work shows surprising miscibility when a polycarbonate ester with a high percentage of resorcinol derived ester linkages is used. The transparent blends have lower color, improved melt flow and increased practical toughness compared to an unblended polyetherimide. Additionally, three component blends of resorcinol based polycarbonate ester, polyetherimde and polyester also demonstrate miscibility.
Natalie Artzi, Moshe Narkis, Arnon Siegmann, May 2005
EVOH/clay nanocomposites were prepared via a dynamic melt-intercalation process using a Brabender plastograph or an extruder machine. A model of clay fracturing and an onion like delamination was suggested. EVA-g-MA or LLDPE-g-MA were added as compatibilizers of EVOH with clay, at various concentrations. Clay-containing Ny-6/EVOH blend is a unique system, in which chemical reaction in addition to hydrogen bonds formation between the EVOH/Ny-6 components in the blend was found to take place.
Paul Miller, Igor Sbarski, Thomas Gengenbach, Tom Spurling, May 2005
Controlled surface oxidation of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is commonly used in manufacturing of microfluidic devices since it is a very effective method of both bonding PDMS components together, and altering the surface properties of PDMS. The stability of these modified surfaces is crucial in determining the lifetime and reliability of the device. This paper investigates the stability of UV/ozone modified PDMS surfaces using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Paul Miller, Thomas Gengenbach, Igor Sbarski, Tom Spurling, May 2005
Adhesive joints were prepared between polycarbonate (PC) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). This paper presents an x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) investigation into the chemistry of adhesion between the adhesive and PDMS. UV pretreatment of the PDMS surface proved essential in obtaining strong adhesion.
The Chemiluminescence (CL) technique has been shown to be an accurate method to detect the formation of polyene sequences in the degrading PVC compounds. This part 2 of the paper analyzes the functions and performances of different classes of thermal stabilizers and co-stabilizers, i.e. mixed metal carboxylates, mercaptides, organic and inorganic HCl absorbers, phosphites and antioxidants by their CL. The ways of formulation of well rounded stabilization are offered.
Composites of poly (methyl methacrylate) and carbon nanofibers were prepared in a chaotic mixer, and electrical conductivity and quality of dispersion were compared with those produced in conventional mixers. The threshold for electrical conductivity was about 1.5 wt. % for materials prepared in a chaotic mixer, while those produced in batch and continuous mixers were not conductive up to a loading of 4 wt. %. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the presence of carbon nanofibers delayed thermal degradation of the polymer.
David O. Kazmer, Kathryn Garnavish, Ranjan Nageri, May 2005
The hesitation effect is well known to adversely affect the appearance of molded products. In this paper, the effect of hesitation on aesthetics and dimensional properties is investigated via a design of experiments varying the materials, melt temperature, coolant temperature, injection velocity, and oscillatory time. Analysis and molding validation indicate that hesitation is related to solidification of the melt front rather than changes in melt shear stress.
David Kazmer, Vijay Kudchadkar, Ranjan Nageri, May 2005
Injection molding has been limited by the lack of direct flow and pressure control of the polymer melt at multiple points in the mold during the molding cycle. A selfregulating melt pressure valve has been developed whereby the outlet melt pressure is proportional to the control force on the valve pin. This paper validates the capability to provide melt pressure control proportional to the supplied pneumatic pressure without melt pressure transducers.
A design for a self-regulating pressure valve is analyzed using a 3D flow analysis that utilizes independent shear and elongational viscosities for the polymer. The regulator is derived from a low force valve design that enables the outlet pressure to be directly regulated by a provided force on a valve pin without need for pressure sensors or a closed loop control system. Analytical and experimental results indicate an excellent level of response and consistency given the simplicity of the design.
Selection of set-points is of vital importance to the quality and economics of manufacturing processes. However, most recipes are developed from recursive trial and error interpreted via prior human experience. A new analytical procedure based on the Extensive Simplex Method is presented that derives the global process window for an arbitrary number of process parameters and quality specifications that requires minimal process experimentation. The methods are applied to an injection molded component with width, length, and flash specifications and shown to provide excellent results.
Kim McLoughlin Senior Research Engineer, Global Materials Science Braskem
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Kim drives technology programs at Braskem to develop advanced polyolefins with improved recyclability and sustainability. As Principal Investigator on a REMADE-funded collaboration, Kim leads a diverse industry-academic team that is developing a process to recycle elastomers as secondary feedstock. Kim has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Cornell. She is an inventor on more than 25 patents and applications for novel polyolefin technologies. Kim is on the Board of Directors of SPE’s Thermoplastic Materials & Foams Division, where she has served as Education Chair and Councilor.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Gamini has a BS and PhD from Purdue University in Materials Engineering and Sustainability. He joined Penn State as a Post Doctorate Scholar in 2020 prior to his professorship appointment. He works closely with PA plastics manufacturers to implement sustainability programs in their plants.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Tom Giovannetti holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Tulsa and for the last 26 years has worked for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. Tom started his plastics career by designing various injection molded products for the chemical industry including explosion proof plugs and receptacles, panel boards and detonation arrestors for 24 inch pipelines. Tom also holds a patent for design of a polyphenylene sulfide sleeve in a nylon coolant cross-over of an air intake manifold and is a Certified Plastic Technologist through the Society of Plastic Engineers. Tom serves on the Oklahoma Section Board as Councilor, is also the past president of the local Oklahoma SPE Section, and as well serves on the SPE Injection Molding Division board.
Joseph Lawrence, Ph.D. Senior Director and Research Professor University of Toledo
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Dr. Joseph Lawrence is a Research Professor and Senior Director of the Polymer Institute and the Center for Materials and Sensor Characterization at the University of Toledo. He is a Chemical Engineer by training and after working in the process industry, he has been engaged in polymers and composites research for 18+ years. In the Polymer Institute he leads research on renewably sourced polymers, plastics recycling, and additive manufacturing. He is also the lead investigator of the Polyesters and Barrier Materials Research Consortium funded by industry. Dr. Lawrence has advised 20 graduate students, mentored 8 staff scientists and several undergraduate students. He is a peer reviewer in several journals, has authored 30+ peer-reviewed publications and serves on the board of the Injection Molding Division of SPE.
Matt Hammernik Northeast Account Manager Hasco America
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Matt Hammernik serves as Hasco America’s Northeast Area Account Manager covering the states Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. He started with Hasco America at the beginning of March 2022. Matt started in the Injection Mold Industry roughly 10 years ago as an estimator quoting injection mold base steel, components and machining. He advanced into outside sales and has been serving molders, mold builders and mold makers for about 7 years.
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How to reference articles from the SPE Library:
Any article that is cited in another manuscript or other work is required to use the correct reference style. Below is an example of the reference style for SPE articles:
Brown, H. L. and Jones, D. H. 2016, May.
"Insert title of paper here in quotes,"
ANTEC 2016 - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA May 23-25, 2016. [On-line].
Society of Plastics Engineers, ISBN: 123-0-1234567-8-9, pp. 000-000.
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Note: if there are more than three authors you may use the first author's name and et al. EG Brown, H. L. et al.
