March 2024 Blow Molding Blog
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March 4, 2024
New Masterbatches Give Plastics Extraordinary Electrical Properties
New Masterbatches Give Plastics Extraordinary Electrical Properties
Israeli based company Nemo Nanomaterials developed an innovative technique for combining single-walled carbon nanotubes with polymer mixes. The company’s NemoBLEND masterbatches can give plastics extraordinary properties such as electromagnetic shielding or electrical conductivity. in the past such properties were challenging to realize due to nanoparticles’ tendency to exhibit a natural inclination to form agglomerates. However, With NemoBLEND masterbatches a range of plastic products can now be imparted with extraordinary electromagnetic shielding or electrically conductive capabilities. The new materials have great potential in several applications including flexible piping, cables, metal part replacements, crates, sockets, and more. Currently, NemoBLEND masterbatches are available in four polymer carriers including Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE), Polystyrene (PS), and various polyamides (PAs). Additionally, the materials are compatible with several processing methods including injection, extrusion, and thermoforming. The masterbatches can also be combined with pigments and thus offer manufacturers the ability to create products in a variety of colors. Read more about this topic here.
March 19, 2024
Unilever Boosts Efficiency by 3D Printing Tooling for Blow Molds
Unilever Boosts Efficiency by 3D Printing Tooling for Blow Molds
Unilever reduced the production costs and time of their plastic packaging by 3D printing tooling for blow molds using Formlabs SLA 3D printers and Rigid 10K Resin. Unilever mentioned that before the adoption of this new technique, the design process for a simple plastic bottle went on for months, which made it difficult to bring products to market before competitors. Blow molding is a common manufacturing process used to produce many types of packaging including food containers and cosmetic packaging. The process works by inflating a molten plastic tube inside of a mold until it takes on the desired shape. One of Unilever’s major partners, global packaging producer Serioplast, used 3D printing to produce prototypes but did not 3D print the final products themselves because the packaging was not considered sufficiently reliable to be sent to customers. Apparently, Serioplast had to wait 6-12 weeks to get a sample design out to Unilever. To save time and money the company implemented SLA 3D printing, which can build a mold in 2 days. And they also started using Rigid 10K Resin, recommended by Formlabs because of its many properties that are optimal for blow molding. Implementing these two changes boosted efficiency and reduced costs significantly for Unilever. Learn more about this topic here.
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