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JANUARY 2022 BLOW MOLDED BUMPER GETS REAR RADAR ASSIST OUTLOOK FOR 2022: THE VERDICT IS IN Many experts cite reasons for optimism PLUSINSIDE PLASTICS ENGINEERING VOLUME 78 NUMBER 1 JANUARY 2022 10 Circular Economy CONFAB TO ADDRESS POLYOLEFIN REUSE Speakers at SPE’s International Polyolefins Conference will examine emerging technologies for recycling and sustainability. Forecast NEW YEAR, OLD CHALLENGES Plastics will deal with recent concerns like supply chain disruptions and inflation, as well as persistent issues like sustainability in 2022. 18 22 GET YOUR OWN! Plastics Engineering keeps plastics industry professionals informed of the latest news and in-depth reporting on state-of-the-art and emerging technologies that impact the R&D and processing of plastics products. This is the magazine every plastics industry professional NEEDS to read. 4spe.org/Subscribe 4 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR COVER STORY GUARD Companies develop first blow molded SUV bumper with park-assist sensors. www.plasticsengineering.org | JANUARY 2022 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | 139 | DEI DIALOGUES Most people know what DEI stands for; here’s a look at what it means. 26 | Automotive MOVING FORWARD New materials and other automotive composite technologies highlight recent ACCE gathering. 9 | Data Points U.S. discards millions of tons of food every year despite benefits of plastics packaging. 21 | Blow Molding ABC 2021 RETURNS SPE Blow Molding Division conference roars back with a robust slate of presentations and awards. 47 | Calendar 48 | Ad/Editorial Index INSIDE PLASTICS ENGINEERING VOLUME 78 NUMBER 1 JANUARY 2022 40 | New Product News 34 6 | Set Point Surging demand forecast for vehicle radar; Malstra buys OMV machinery of Italy. 38 | SPE News 30 | Automotive IMAGINED AND CREATED 50th SPE Auto Innovation Awards highlight the indelible impact of plastics on component development. 30 PRESSURE POINTS Winning parts in annual thermoforming competition highlight advances in process capabilities and materials. 2 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | JANUARY 2022 | www.plasticsengineering.orgPatrick Toensmeier Editor-in-Chief (203) 777-1474 ptoensmeier@4spe.org Michael Greskiewicz Director, Sales & Advertising (203) 740-5411 mgreskiewicz@4spe.org Ryan Foster Art Director (203) 740-5410 rfoster@4spe.org Sue Wojnicki Director of Communications (203) 740-5420 swojnicki@4spe.org Editorial & Publishing Staff President Jason Lyons CEO Patrick Farrey President-Elect Bruce Mulholland Vice President – Chapters & Secretary ScottEastman Vice President – Business & Finance / Treasurer James Waddell Vice President – Professional Development Pavan Valavala Vice President – Sustainability Conor Carlin Vice President – Member Engagement Lynzie Nebel Vice President – Publications Raymond Pearson Vice President at Large Paul Martin Past President Jaime Gómez SPE 2021-2022 Executive Board Contributing Editors NANCY D. LAMONTAGNE ndlamontagne@gmail.com Nancy D. Lamontagne reports on science, technology and engineering. Topics she covers for Plastics Engineering include thermoforming, blow molding, medical plastics, packaging, and education and career development. ROBERT GRACE bob@rcgrace.com Robert Grace has been in B2B journalism since 1980. He covers design and business for Plastics Engineering and is editor of SPE’s Journal of Blow Molding. Professional memberships include the Industrial Designers Society of America. JENNIFER MARKARIAN technicalwritingsolutions@comcast.net Jennifer Markarian focuses on technology. A chemical engineer, she began her career in product development with Mobil Chemical’s polyethylene group. She is also newsletter editor for SPE’s Palisades-New Jersey Section. MATT BECHTEL mjb@matt-bechtel.com MattBechtel has been covering product and technology developments for Plastics Engineering, along with regulatory issues that affect materials suppliers, converters and brand owners. www.plasticsengineering.org | JANUARY 2022 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | 3 PEGGY MALNATI peggy@malnatiandassociates.com Peggy Malnati has over 30 years’ experience covering plastics, composites and automotive. She has organized technical conferences for SPE and served as board member and communications chair for SPE’s Automotive Division. GEOFF GIORDANO geoffgio@verizon.net Geoff Giordano has been a contributor to Plastics Engineering since 2009, covering a range of topics, including additives, infrastructure, flexible electronics, design software, 3D printing and nanotechnology. FROM THE G ood plastics design is essential to innovative product development, as well as to quality-of-life advances and progress in virtually every application that affects the comfort and well-being of individuals and society. But it’s counter-productive when otherwise good designs and products that have important and life-changing effects on people also contain flaws that need to be recognized and resolved. One such flaw is gender bias, a persistent design concern in many products and a topic that Plastics Engineering discussed at length in a June 2021 cover story by Contributing Editor Robert Grace. One aspect of this issue, automotive safety and the crash-test dummies used to qualify vehicle designs, resurfaced recently in a Dec. 3 Fast Company article by Maria Kuhn. Kuhn survived a horrific collision caused by a driver who jumped his lane and crashed into her car. She opens the article by noting that “More than 1,300 American women die annually from preventable injuries in car crashes.” She blames this statistic on “Inadequate and male-centric design and testing practices,” as well as inactivity by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which she describes as a “reactive regulatory body [that] often only acts when forced.” Earlier last year, on Aug. 26, Kuhn co-wrote an article for Fast Company in which she reported that, according to the NHTSA, “10,420 women died from motor vehicle crashes” in 2019 and “over 1 million sustained injuries.” (A total of 36,096 people were killed on U.S. roads and highways in 2019, including 25,634 men and 42 “unknown people,” the NHTSA said.) Kuhn and co-author Hana Schank wrote in August that “While men are more likely to cause crashes, women are more likely to die in them.” In his article, Grace cited vehicle design as one glaring example of gender bias. In an interview for the article, he quoted Brazilian-born activist Caroline Criado Perez as saying that women are 47 percent more likely to be seriously injured in an auto crash than a man and 71 percent more likely to be moderately injured. The mortality rate from car crashes, she added, is 17 percent higher for women than for men. Criado Perez, Kuhn and many others state that one reason for the disparate injury and mortality figures, is that vehicles and notably the crash-test dummies used to test their safety are almost exclusively designed to reflect the physical dimensions of men, not women. This almost always means that the vehicles and the crash- test dummies will be far more sensitive to the comparatively robust physique of men than of women, a distinction that often leads to disastrous results for the latter in auto accidents. As Grace learned in other interviews for the article, the problem of gender bias in design extends to a range of products—construction equipment (safety boots, helmets and harnesses), COVID-19 personal protective equipment (face shields, eye goggles and booties) and even virtual reality headsets, which tend to make women motion sick far more often than men due to differences in eye function between the sexes that aren’t reflected in headset design. When products and the life-changing innovations they provide are brought to fruition by plastics design, it’s important for designers to recognize the range of physical differences between users that will affect product integrity and personal safety for some if anything goes wrong. Good design is universal in its applications, product enhancements and appeal to diverse groups of people. It should not, however, be automatically considered a one-size-fits-all-type exercise. Many products can benefit from design adjustments, however minor, that meet the needs of large numbers of users and which should factor into product conception and development. The new year is the traditional time for resolutions. Eliminating gender bias is one area that plastics designers should add to their professional wish list and resolve to achieve. The potential market for such a change is huge—one half of the world’s population at least. PAT TOENSMEIER Editor-in-Chief ptoensmeier@4spe.org DESIGN FOR LIFE 4 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | JANUARY 2022 | www.plasticsengineering.orgI ’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but the past few months really take the cake! For the record, I am not: a liberal, a snowflake, an ill-informed, anti-white male working to destroy SPE, an enemy of democracy, or a supporter of discrimination. Yet I have been called all of those, and more, by people who disagree with SPE’s recently stated commitment to the tenets of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). To be fair, negative knee-jerk reactions to ideas which are not clearly understood can be expected. I take the blame for perhaps not communicating clearly what are SPE’s intentions. (I can’t condone, or understand, the aggressive cancel-culture approach that some have taken in expressing their disagreement, but I digress.) So perhaps it would be useful to explain, in more detail, what exactly it is that SPE is trying to accomplish. More than a year ago, I and the SPE Executive Board recognized (or, more accurately, “admitted”) a simple truth about our Society and our industry—it’s predominantly made up of later-career white males. This does not make SPE unique. There is ample data that show employment in all science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) industries does not reflect the overall makeup of the U.S. population or the makeup of the general workforce. People who identify as Black or Hispanic, and women are all underrepresented in the STEM workforce. And professional societies which represent those industries, like SPE, mirror that underrepresentation. So, SPE’s leaders made the not-so-bold decision that the Society should do what it could to bring more people from underrepresented backgrounds into the plastics industry workforce and, hopefully, membership in SPE. Given the current and projected shortfalls of people to fill the open positions in our industry, this seemed like a worthwhile goal. Plus, SPE’s Foundation has already been doing this work through a variety of outreach programs, like PlastiVan, after- school STEM clubs in predominantly inner-city schools, scholarships, grants and more. But, how to begin? We looked around the SPE leadership team and recognized that if SPE wanted to effect real change, and we do, we needed the support/input/guidance of a more diverse group of leaders. Leaders with personal and professional experience in creating equitable opportunities for people from a wider variety of backgrounds. People, quite frankly, who don’t all look like me. People who have not had the same opportunities I was afforded. People with very different professional pathways from mine. People, leaders, with a passion for SPE’s vision. I asked for volunteers to support SPE’s DEI journey, and many answered the call. The response was overwhelming. These amazing individuals, with whom I had not before had the opportunity to know or work with, now make up the SPE DEI Advisory Board. Through their leadership, SPE will strive to create a Society and an industry in which everyone is respected and valued and has equal opportunities to develop, advance and be heard. Our goals are lofty. We intend to foster an industry-wide dialogue about DEI. We’ll demonstrate the business case for diversity. We’ll consider how corporate social responsibility statements are addressing DEI, and what that means for everyone in the supply chain. We’ll discuss the language of DEI, making these conversations hopefully less awkward or intimidating. We’ll explore the inherent biases we all have, and together learn how to be more mindful, inclusive and open to others. Here’s what SPE won’t do. We will not support any actions which negatively impact one group in support of another. This is not about “lowering the bar.” This is about “rising tides lifting all ships.” In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, affirmative action practices led to the unintended consequence of reverse discrimination, whereby certain majority groups (then, white males) were discriminated against in favor of minority or historically disadvantaged groups. That’s about the same time that many of today’s later-career white males in the plastics workforce were beginning their careers. Some of the language around DEI can sound similar to that of affirmative action, at least to those of us negatively impacted by reverse discrimination 35 years ago. And that can be scary. In 1990, I was a detective with the Illinois State Police, having worked my way up starting as a street cop in 1983. Promotion then was based solely on a written test, with the highest score promoted first followed by the second highest, and so on. I scored first on that exam out of hundreds of candidates. My sergeant stripes seemed in the bag! Before I received the call, the state implemented new rules around affirmative action. White males, it was decided, would not be promoted until there were an equal number of minorities in each rank. Consequently, people deemed “less qualified” by the state’s own testing system were promoted before me. I languished, number one on the list but still unpromoted until 1993, when I changed careers and left a career which gave me no chance for advancement. I can look back on that time now and recognize that when one door closes, another opens. But I can also recognize that the concepts we are discussing around DEI can feel to some like a return to those hurtful practices of the past. It is my steadfast promise that SPE will not support anything that diminishes one group to advance another. But I will do everything in my power to support equality of opportunity, diversity of participation and inclusivity of contribution for all. Join us in our journey. All points of view and ideas are welcome. Watch what we’re doing at www.4SPE.org/DEI. Or send me your thoughts at CEO@4SPE.org. PAT FARREY CEO, SPE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN SPE, AND IN LIFE www.plasticsengineering.org | JANUARY 2022 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | 5The demand for automotive radar is projected to grow rapidly and sustainably at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14 percent for the foreseeable future. Conventional vehicles are increasingly equipped with radar systems to enhance safety. Once autonomous vehicles become commonplace on roads and highways, they will rely almost exclusively on radar for navigation and accident avoidance. This is the outlook of a report released in November by IDTechEx titled “Automotive Radar: 2022-2042.” The consulting company, which is based in Cambridge, England (U.S. office is in Boston), says that rapid technical advances in automotive radar are making the technology more sophisticated than ever. At the same time, consumer acceptance of ADAS (advanced driver- assistance systems), of which radar is a key component, is growing, creating demand for capabilities in all cars that were originally confined to high-priced luxury cars. The report finds that more than 50 percent of new cars shipped around the world come equipped with multiple radars, which are becoming key enablers of future mobility modes including vehicles with limited levels of autonomy. Additionally, 41 percent of new vehicles shipped globally have automatic emergency braking as a standard feature, and an additional 15 percent or so offer it as an option. “In the vast majority of cases,” the report’s author writes, “automatic emergency braking relies on radar’s sensing capabilities. The safety benefits that this feature brings is making it increasingly mandated by safety bodies and will be one of the driving factors in the adoption of radars going forward.” In fact, the active safety features of automotive radar have proven to be effective. According to the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), they have reduced rear-end collisions by 45 percent in that region. “The safety benefits are leading to a push from regulators and safety bodies, such as Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Program), to get automatic emergency braking fitted to all new vehicles.” A look at these regulatory initiatives is included in the report and is one of the factors driving the forecast of strong growth for automotive radar. SURGING SALES OF AUTO RADAR SEEN IN NEW AND EVOLVING VEHICLES SET POINT Thermoforming and extrusion machinery company OMV Machinery S.R.L. of Verona, Italy, has been purchased by MalStra LLC of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., from Wifag/Poly- type Holding AG of Switzer- land. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The new company name is OMV Technologies LLC, with headquarters in Florida. OMV’s manufacturing opera- tions will continue in Verona, and all personnel are being retained. Plastics packaging industry veterans Mark Strachan and Brooke Maltun own MalStra and lead OMV. Strachan, who is CEO of OMV Technologies, has almost 40 years of expe- rience in sheet extrusion, roll- fed thermoforming and inline extrusion thermoforming. He is a former two-term board chairman of SPE’s Thermo- forming Division. Maltun, cur- rently vice president of sales for Star Plastic Design Inc. of Los Angeles, will be president of OMV Technologies. Plans include continuing to build machines and tooling in Italy and beefing up oper- ations there and in the U.S. OMV will open an extrusion thermoforming lab, product development lab and training facility in Florida. In addition, all U.S.-based parts and ser- vice will relocate from Poly- type America’s location in New Jersey to Florida. Interviews are underway and the company will hire person- nel in the U.S. Global demand for ADAS radar varies by function, but it could become standard as more car buyers use it. Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot has an activation button on the S-Class steering wheel that allows drivers to engage it in heavy traffic. Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz continued on p. 8 MALSTRA BUYS OMV MACHINERY OF ITALY 6 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | JANUARY 2022 | www.plasticsengineering.orgSPE’s Thermoset Division reports that Prof. Tim A. Osswald, director of the Polymer Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, will be the first keynote speaker at the annual TopCon event this year. TopCon takes place May 17 and 18 at the Monona Terrace and Convention Center in Madison. Osswald’s address is titled “Thermosets: A Historical and Future Perspective.” He will discuss the history and development of the composites industry and look at the future of thermosets through the emerging 3D printing field and hybrid structures. Osswald is also Honorary Professor of Plastics Technology at the University of Erlangen- Nuremberg in Germany and the National University of Colombia. His research includes polymer processing modeling and simulation, engineering design with plastics and composites, and sustainability in plastics manufacturing. He has served as the chief English language editor for the Journal of Polymer Technology and as Americas editor for the Journal of Polymer Engineering. Osswald has published more than 300 peer- reviewed conference and journal articles as well as 15 books that have been translated in five languages. He has served as an expert witness in polymer engineering litigation and is on the advisory boards of multiple companies. He currently advises the president of Colombia on the creation of a ministry for science, technology and innovation. TopCon 2022 will feature technical presentations and exhibits highlighting advances in materials, processes and equipment for electrical, automotive, off-highway, appliance, aerospace, building and construction, oil and gas, and other industries. For more information see https://spethermosets. org/topcon/ Tim A. Osswald Armand Ajdari has been named chief technology officer at Arkema. He reports to Thierry Le Hénaff, chairman and CEO, and is a member of the group management committee. With more than 30 years of research and development in international environments, notably within the Saint-Gobain Group, Ajdari brings a knowledge innovation, scientific culture and experience in technological and commercial relationships with key partners to his position. He received a PhD in theoretical physics from the Pierre et Marie Curie University in Paris and an engineering diploma from the École Polytechnique. Ajdari spent 15 years in multidisciplinary research activities at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. He joined the Saint-Gobain Group in 2007, where he held different positions, including senior vice president of R&D in the Innovative Materials sector. Since 2017, he had been executive vice president of R&D at Saint-Gobain. ARKEMA NAMES AJDARI CTO Armand Ajdari OSSWALD TAPPED AS TOPCON KEYNOTE www.plasticsengineering.org | JANUARY 2022 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | 7Next >