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MAY 2022 MARINE WASTE GETS NEW LIFE AUTO COMPONENT DESIGNS GO GREEN OEMs and suppliers seek lower carbon emissions PLUSHIFILL N functional mineral filler for plastics and elastomers offers superior weatherability versus other mineral fillers.INSIDE PLASTICS ENGINEERING VOLUME 78 NUMBER 5 MAY 2022 10 Automotive AUTO INITIATIVES GO GREEN OEMs and suppliers collaborate to reduce the carbon footprint of car parts. 16 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 GAINS A small Seattle business is helping to recycle discarded fishing nets into useful products. COVER STORY 2022 TRENDY Awards Most Improved Magazine www.plasticsengineering.org | MAY 2022 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | 132 | As I See It BUILDING STANDARDS Materials expert Debra Wilson sees work by standards groups as vital to success in sustainability. 9 | Data Points Pros and cons of additive manufacturing/3D printing. 20 | Conference Preview GO DIGITAL, WORK BETTER SPE Topcon presentations will highlight benefits of simulation and data analytics for extrusion. 47 | Calendar 48 | Ad/Editorial Index INSIDE PLASTICS ENGINEERING VOLUME 78 NUMBER 5 MAY 2022 41 | New Product News 8 evolve as new plants start-up of current capacity in 28 5 | Set Point University of Akron slates undergrad polymer degree; PIA seeks new CEO. 38 | SPE News GREEN FOAM, GREATER PROFIT Thin-sheet PE process from Alemo cuts carbon emissions, energy use and materials cost. 24 ANTEC COUNTDOWN In-person event in Charlotte, N.C., will have something for everyone June 14-16. 36 Conference Recap ROUGH ROAD TO THE PROMISED LAND Polyolefins Conference highlights the challenges of achieving sustainability in plastics. 2 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | MAY 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 has been reporting on the plastics industry for more than 20 years, covering a range of technology topics. She is also the newsletter editor for SPE’s Palisades-MidAtlantic Chapter. CATHY NESTRICK Cathy Nestrick is the former vice president and general counsel of Berry Global Group Inc., a Fortune 500 manufacturer and marketer of plastics packaging and engineered materials. She is the founder and co-host of Parity Podcast, which focuses on accelerating gender equality. www.plasticsengineering.org | MAY 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 J une is a good month to schedule “me time.” One of the best places this coming June for combining technology and networking with R&R after what was, for many of us, a long, cold winter, is Charlotte, N.C. That’s where SPE will stage its first in-person ANTEC conference in three years, shaking off the fetters of the pandemic and bringing people together in the Charlotte Convention Center for much needed education, networking and socializing, the foundations of successful business relationships. ANTEC was virtual in 2020 and 2021, of course, owing to COVID, which is ongoing, but seems manageable. People and organizations have in the past two years learned how to stay safe in the pandemic, and more live events in the plastics industry are planned now than at any time since 2019. Later this year the K show, the largest and most influential trade show in plastics, is scheduled as an in-person event in Düsseldorf, Germany, a sign that mighty efforts are underway to return the industry to normalcy after more than two years of restrictions. This edition of ANTEC is a bit later in the year than usual—June 14 to 16. Most conferences have been in March and April. And it will be a bit shorter and smaller. Sixty-nine technical papers will be presented over a day and a half compared with the usual complement of well more than 100 or so in pre-pandemic times. But this doesn’t mean that the event will lack value or networking opportunities. The topics slated for presentation are broad and represent the leading edge of developments in plastics and composites, additives, processing technologies, applications, recycling and sustainability, and many other areas (see also story on p. 36). SPE makes full use of its members’ extensive knowledge and expertise in plastics when it comes to screening and selecting papers for the technical sessions. As a result, only the best of new research and developments are chosen for ANTEC. There will additionally be 75-plus hours of technical sessions available on demand after ANTEC concludes. These are papers that meet the standards of selection but were too numerous to include in the technical sessions. The presenters themselves represent a diverse and talented cross- section of experts: people who have been in the industry for some time; people new to the industry; and graduate students who will soon enter the industry. A review of who they are and their affiliations (see www.4spe.org for the full schedule) shows they are active in many endeavors. They will arrive in Charlotte from around the world—North America, mostly, but also Europe, the Middle East, the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan and South Korea. Clearly, it’s a diverse group that will share innovative and insightful views into how the world is making groundbreaking advances in plastics and related materials. Many of the younger presenters may, in time, become future movers and shakers in the industry. There will, as well, be plenty of opportunities to meet the leaders of SPE and the pros who work behind the scenes to make sure that ANTEC and SPE run flawlessly. All of them will be at the conference and very visible at the June 14 opening day reception and the June 15 awards luncheon. None of them will pass up an opportunity to meet and welcome an attendee. An added benefit of this year’s ANTEC is that it will be co-located with Plastec South, a new event presented by Informa Group that combines six trade shows at the Charlotte Convention Center. ANTEC attendees will have an opportunity to check out the equipment, materials, services and other products on display there. June is a great month in which to travel. Charlotte is a fine destination. The wealth of knowledge alone that will be available from the technical sessions makes ANTEC attendance an investment that’s too good to ignore. For the record, the price of attendance is $599 for SPE members and $799 for nonmembers. From June 4 on, the late rate/onsite registration rate will be $200 more for both types of attendees. The returns will be well worth the investment in attendance, travel and time. So do yourself, your business and your colleagues a favor. Enjoy some “me time” in Charlotte, June 14 to 16, at ANTEC. You deserve it. PAT TOENSMEIER Editor-in-Chief ptoensmeier@4spe.org ANTEC IS BUSTIN’ OUT IN JUNE 4 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | MAY 2022 | www.plasticsengineering.orgThe Plastics Industry Association is looking for a new CEO to succeed Tony Radoszewski whose turbulent 30-month reign atop the trade association ended in late March. The Washington, D.C.-based group severed ties with Radoszewski on Friday, March 25, and notified staff and the public about the change the following Monday. The trade association, which goes by the name PLASTICS, has declined to elaborate on what sparked the change. Nor does it seem to be in a hurry to fill the vacant CEO position, preferring instead to take time reviewing potential candidates. PIA board chairman, Tad McGwire, who also is owner and CEO of Industrial Heater Corp., told Plastics News on March 28: “At this point, I would just phrase it that he’s no longer with PLASTICS. We’re grateful for Tony’s efforts. He led the organization during a very difficult time. As of today, we’re in great shape.” On April 14, however, McGwire told Plastics Engineering in an email, “Our board of directors has formed a CEO search committee which has already met and is moving forward with a sense of urgency. There is not, however, a hard timeline, as we want to be sure we select the right person for the job. The position of CEO at PLASTICS comes with a significant portfolio of responsibilities that includes multiple constituencies and a global reach. We are excited about the future of the association and are seeking leadership that will reflect and build on that enthusiasm.” Radoszewski’s departure happened following a significant amount of staff turnover and after some difficult pandemic-related challenges that caused the Plastics Industry Association last year to cancel its triennial NPE trade show in Orlando, Fla.—the single biggest source of PLASTICS’ funding. In 2019, before Radoszewski took the reins, PLASTICS was already suffering some high- profile member defections, including Dow Inc., S.C. Johnson & Son Inc., PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Plastics processing giant Berry Global Inc. also declined to renew its membership when it expired at the end of 2021. McGwire said in late March that the association had not named an interim CEO and he indicated that the existing executive leadership team would manage the group’s affairs for the time being. That group includes Glenn Anderson, vice president of industry and member relations, MattSeaholm, vice president of government affairs, and Wayne Popham, chief financial officer. Radoszewski, who lives in Texas and never relocated to Washington, previously had served for more than 13 years as president of the much smaller Plastics Pipe Institute. After an extensive search by a recruitment firm, PLASTICS named him as its new leader in summer 2019, and he assumed the post three months later. Former plastics machinery executive Bill Carteaux led the group from 2005 till his death in December 2018 after a long battle with acute myeloid leukemia. Patty Long, an eight- year PLASTICS veteran and its chief operating officer, stepped in following Carteaux’s death and served as the group’s interim president and CEO until Radoszewski took the helm. Radoszewski then oversaw a major shake- up of PLASTICS’ senior management ranks in December 2019, which included seeing Long, three vice presidents and a human resources official all terminated and escorted unceremoniously out of the building. Kim Holmes, the group’s foremost sustainability expert, chose to leave PLASTICS in November 2019 to head her own consulting firm in Portland, Ore. She had been the face of the association’s sustainability efforts for nearly seven years. There have been other significant staff departures more recently, as well. Since just late last year, those leaving PLASTICS included: Chief Economist Perc Pineda, who joined in 2017 and was also a member of its executive leadership team, as well as the staff heads of the Equipment Council and the Processors Council, and a top government affairs lobbyist for the West Coast. A former PLASTICS staffer said: “Bill Carteaux wasn’t perfect, but he spent years building a culture of collaboration, and Tony didn’t share those values. So, staff found themselves working in a very different environment than the one they had signed up for.” The same ex-employee suggested that, while the challenges related to cancelling NPE2021 were largely unavoidable, “poor communication before, during and after” the episode only exacerbated the situation and strained relationships with some key member companies. PLASTICS rolled out a 2021 to 2023 strategic plan that focused on four pillars: advocacy, communications, engagement and sustainability, or ACES. Some members say they are frustrated at the lack of visible progress with these goals. One former high-level staffer observed that, particularly for a broad, multifaceted organization such as the Plastics Industry Association, “Being a CEO is not a spectator sport.” Radoszewski did not respond to requests for comment. SET POINT PLASTICS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION BEGINS SEARCH FOR NEW CEO Tony Radoszewski www.plasticsengineering.org | MAY 2022 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | 5The University of Akron (UA) is the first public university in Ohio to offer an undergraduate degree in polymer science and polymer engineering. The Bachelor of Science in Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering degree program begins in the fall 2022 semester as UA’s first undergraduate degree with a focus on polymers. Previously, such polymer degrees at UA were available only to master’s and doctoral students. The program is ideal for students interested in technical solutions to sustainability, materials science, processing, soft-matter physics and biomaterials, university officials report. It will also provide more students from around the world with the skills necessary to be polymer scientists and engineers. “This degree was established to augment our strength in polymers and material science and provide educational opportunities for the full spectrum of students,” says Dr. Craig Menzemer, dean of the College of Engineering and Polymer Science. “Polymers have long been entwined with the Akron community and the University of Akron has served as an international leader in polymer graduate education. This was an obvious next step for the college.” Undergraduate students will build a strong foundation in polymer chemistry, polymer physics and polymer engineering with opportunities to specialize in sustainability, processing or biomaterials. They will learn analytical techniques and design with access to the 25 polymer-related research labs in the School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. Polymer science and engineering is a versatile field of study with expert professionals working at the intersection of chemistry, physics, biology and engineering to develop material solutions to some of the world’s most challenging problems. Industry partners who hire UA graduates support this new program offering. “We often hire undergraduates with pure chemistry and chemical engineering backgrounds and train them to become polymer professionals,” says Nishad Dhopatkar, research associate at Avery Dennison. “While such a practice has its benefits, the learning curve and full onboarding tend to be very gradual. Moreover, not all the positions need a MS or AKRON TO OFFER UNDERGRADS BS DEGREES IN POLYMER STUDIES SET POINT Tomra, a global specialist in reverse collection and high-tech sortation of used plastics containers and recycled material, has published a white paper on its 50th anniversary in business that details how to achieve greater performance from Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs. EPR programs, which have been gaining regulatory traction in recent years, are designed to accelerate the shift towards a circular economy, where resources are reused repeatedly to maximize their value. The white paper, “EPR Unpacked—A Policy Framework for a Circular Economy,” which can be downloaded from the company’s web site (www. tomra.com), examines EPR schemes for packaging waste and serves as a detailed guide for policymakers who design or develop EPR schemes, offering a multifaceted perspective and practical insights to help achieve greater performance. EPR is intended to ensure that producers and manufacturers take responsibility for the full lifecycle of their packaging—from design to waste collection and recycling, and final disposal. Since EPR compels producers to provide dedicated funding for the lifecycle of their packaging, this policy principle can incentivize sustainable packaging design and management based on the waste hierarchy to achieve greater environmental outcomes. The white paper explains five design UA graduate student conducts experiment in polymer science course. Beginning this fall undergrads can study for a BS degree in polymer science and polymer engineering at the campus. Courtesy of University of Akron DESIGN WHITE PAPER GUIDES POLICYMAKERS IN EPR PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT continued on p. 8continued on p. 8 Tomra White Paper details ways in which regulators can develop effective EPR programs. All photos courtesy of Tomra 6 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | MAY 2022 | www.plasticsengineering.orgSTILL ON A TEAR: PMT REBRANDS FOUR COMPANIES INTO ONE Plastic Molding Technology LLC (PMT) of El Paso, Tex., has rebranded the four plastics businesses it acquired last year into one company. In an announcement at the Medical Design & Manufacturing West expo in Anaheim, Calif., April 12, PMT Group CEO Michael Engler said the move unites the company’s four locations under one brand and improves its ability to act as a solutions provider for customers. The rebranded company retains the legacy name Plastic Molding Technology and brings a broad set of engineering expertise and capabilities to the market in several areas: injection molding, thermoforming and extrusion, and tooling. PMT acquired four businesses in 2021 with the objective of building an integrated plastics business sector, said Engler. These are: Plastics Design & Manufacturing of Centennial, Colo.; Pikes Peak Plastics in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Altratek Plastics in Longmont, Colo.; and Plastic Molding Technology in El Paso. PMT now offers 250,000 square feet of molding, forming and tooling space across four locations. The company specializes in insert molding, overmolding and two-shot molding with engineering-grade materials and is equipped with 100 horizontal and vertical molding machines ranging from 20 to 500 tons. PMT also provides heavy-gauge thermoforming, pressure forming and vacuum forming, along with six lines for custom profile extrusion. The company leverages in-house tool building to cut lead times for customers, and provides turnkey secondary operations including painting, decorating and assembly. “[W]e infused additional capital to expand infrastructure, implement more automation and install new electric molding machines to increase capacity,” said Engler. “These acquisitions not only provide synergy within our current customer base, but across our related portfolio companies, including Interconnect Solutions Co.” This last is a Fountain Valley, Calif., producer of custom overmolded cable assemblies, encapsulated PCB and circuits, molded strain reliefs and overmold tooling. PMT is active in medical, telecommunications, aerospace and defense, renewable energy, electronics, automotive, electrical and transportation industries. The company, a global supplier of high-barrier protective packaging and products with recycled content, has announced a multimillion-dollar production expansion for addition of post- consumer recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) capacity at its Beaver, W.Va., plant. The expansion will increase the company’s sustainable grades in consumer health, pharmaceutical and food packaging markets through the addition of an extrusion line and two thermoforming machines. The equipment will deliver a combined total of 15,000 metric tons of rPET/PET capacity annually. Klöckner is a major user of PCR material, with more than 20 percent of its product volume made from the recyclate. The addition is part of U.K.-based Klöckner’s ongoing North American expansion plans. West Virginia has committed local grants and incentives for the expansion, which will add 60 jobs to the facility. Commercialization of the first thermoforming line is slated at the end of 2022. The extrusion addition will be completed in mid-2023, and installation of the second thermoforming line, along with a new production hall capable of additional capacity expansion, is scheduled for the end of 2023. “The expansion responds to continued demand for sustainable options from our food packaging, pharmaceutical, consumer and label film customers,” says ScottTracey, chief executive officer. “The extrusion line will support production of sustainable products such as kp Next recyclable pharmaceutical blister films and Smartcycle recyclable label and consumer packaging films. The thermoforming machines will produce kp Elite mono-material protein trays, which are made using up to 100 percent rPET and are easily recycled.” KLÖCKNER PENTAPLAST PLANS EXPANSION OF WEST VIRGINIA RPET CAPACITY CORRECTION Due to an editing error, the caption and credit for the March issue cover photo that also appeared on p. 12 of the cover story were incorrect. The caption should read: “A medical device component overmolded by MTD has six micro electrodes, each meticulously hand loaded with the leads attached.” The credit for the photo should be “Courtesy of MTD Micro Molding”. The error was corrected in the digital version on the Plastics Engineering/SPE web site. A PDF document with the correction is available by request: ptoensmeier@4spe.org www.plasticsengineering.org | MAY 2022 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | 7Next >