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CONTENTS ■ ■ VOLUME 73 NUMBER 9 OCTOBER 2017

AROUND SPE ANTEC® 2018 to Add Technical Marketing Track ANTEC® 2018 will feature new content focused on technical 4 marketing. This new track, developed by Joe Golba and Mark Spalding, will be organized into sessions focused on specific topics.

THE SUSTAINABILITY IMPERATIVE The Cascading Materials Vision By Steve Russell, American Chemistry Council 6 The ACC and several plastics and chemical companies have joined an initiative by the World Wildlife Fund that aims to promote an effort to reclaim and reuse materials.

6 ACC has joined with WWF on a COVER STORY 'Cascading Materials Vision' E-commerce is Driving Major Changes in Package Design By Robert Grace 8 Experts see a need for brands to adopt a more holistic, systems-based approach to e-commerce packaging, to reduce waste and improve customer experience

SPOTLIGHT ON DESIGN INTERNATIONAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2017 IDEAS Celebrate Design and Innovation By Robert Grace 16 IDSA’s annual design competition offers a showcase of products and concepts – from the cool and trendy to the socially responsible.

THE BUSINESS OF DESIGN Hand and Glove: Inserting Design into Business 8 E-commerce packaging By Mark Dziersk demands a systems approach 24 The Chicago-based managing director of McKinsey & Co.-owned Lunar Design shares his views on the trend that has more businesses buying and integrating design firms into their operations.

AIRCRAFT DESIGN TRENDS Design for Manufacture is Ready for Takeoff in Aircraft By Jennifer Markarian 26 Faster, more efficient processing technologies, integrated part design, and materials with optimized properties aim to reduce manufacturing costs and improve performance.

About the cover: Italy’s Dainese SpA says its Mugello R D-Air® protective suit – winner of a 2017 Gold IDEA from IDSA – includes 25 new technical features and five patented innovations that make it the most advanced safety system for professional motorcycling 16 IDSA's 2017 awards showcase ever produced. Photo courtesy of the Industrial Designers Society of America both innovation and plastics

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CONTENTS

DIGITAL DESIGN Making It (Very) Real By Pat Toensmeier 30 Advances in virtual prototyping software stress ultra-realistic design renderings, shorter development cycles and rapid returns on investment.

DESIGN FOR DISASSEMBLY Good Design Improves Product Life and Recyclability By Nancy Lamontagne 36 Considering end-of-life disassembly during the design process can greatly aid repair, reuse and sustainability efforts.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN 40 Research hints at how Research Indicates Millennials Want Durable, Natural Products millennials view sustainability By Kiersten Muenchinger 40 A University of Oregon study shows younger consumers find four material design strategies indicate a product’s overall sustainability— durability, naturalness, degradability and rawness.

COLORS & FINISHES What’s the Bright Idea? By Geoff Giordano 44 Recent product introductions show that new colors and finishes combine vibrancy and sustainability.

SPE: OUT & ABOUT Spotlight: Plastic Design Northeast 2017 By Conor Carlin 50 This summer’s meeting near Boston of SPE’s Product Design & 44 There's a host of new colors Development Division (PD3) explored a variety of product design and and finishes hitting the market process considerations.

DEPARTMENTS Industry News Industry Patents In this roundup of recent By Dr. Roger Corneliussen 56 developments, we report on 62 news about Porsche, Industry Events Braskem, Wim de Vos, Ashai Kasei, AIM Institute, Eastman 66 Chemicals, Krones & Erema, Tekni-Plex, EconCore & Diehl Market Place Aircabin, ELIX Polymers, 68 Total Corbion, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, and TTG turn- Editorial Index ing Brown. 70 50 SPE's PD3 meeting explores Energy Tips Advertisers Index design & process considerations 59 By Dr. Robin Kent 72

2 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | OCTOBER 2017 | www.4spe.org | www.plasticsengineering.org 01-03 contents_editorial 9/19/17 12:39 PM Page 3

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AROUND SPE

ANTEC® 2018 Program to Include New Technical Marketing Track No paper will be required for presentations in these new sessions

n addition to the traditional highly technical program, therefore must not include confidential company informa- ANTEC® 2018 will feature a new “Technical Marketing” tion. track. This new track, developed by Joe Golba and Mark “Mark Spalding and I believe much interest, excitement, and Spalding,I will be organized into sessions focused on specif- value will be generated by the Technical Marketing sessions ic topical areas. and we encourage participation,” says Joe Golba, ANTEC These sessions are intended to be a forum where new Advisory Committee member. “The presentation deadline is

products, processes, and services can be effectively shared Dec. 15, 2017, so there is still plenty of time for people to pre-

Mark Spalding and I believe much interest, excitement,“ and value will be generated by the Technical Marketing sessions and we encourage participation... The presentation deadline is Dec. 15, 2017, so there is still plenty of time for people “to prepare to showcase their new products, processes, and services... Mark Spalding Joe Golba

with ANTEC attendees in a timely manner. Candidates for pare to showcase their new products, processes, and services these sessions should represent new offerings with market and make the new Technical Marketing track at ANTEC 2018 entry having occurred in the last two years or in an advanced a key ANTEC feature.” stage of development with commercialization planned in the SPE ANTEC 2018 will take place next May 7-10 at the near future. Older products and processes will be considered Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. For more as long as they bring value to ANTEC attendees. details or to submit a presentation please go to No paper will be required—only a presentation that will be www.4spe.org/antec. subject to review and approval by the ANTEC Advisory Com- mittee. These presentations are to be directed at a technical audience and are expected, for example, to tell a story that includes the problem the new technology is solving, the economic benefit, and the ease of implementation. Especially important is data and analysis that support the claims and benefits for the new technologies being presented. The Technical Marketing presentations will be published in the ANTEC 2018 conference proceedings and

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06-07 ACC Cascading Materials_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 9/19/17 12:23 PM Page 6

THE SUSTAINABILITY IMPERATIVE Cascading Materials Vision is the Path to Doing More with Less Several major organizations have signed on to this initiative by the World Wildlife Fund aimed at helping the environment

By Steven Russell American Chemistry Council

hat unites multinational brand companies, Amer- the 10 principles range from more sensible public policy to ica’s chemical and plastics makers, and the World product design integrated with materials recovery to solu- Wildlife Fund (WWF)? tions that adapt to future change. WA vision. specifically, a vision of doing more with less to the guiding principles are designed to inform decision- protect the planet. making that will expand the availability and use of high-quality secondary materials and influence all relevant sectors toward Cascading Materials Vision achievable, sustainable, and inclusive solutions that address spearheaded by WWF and announced this summer, the Cas- the systemic issues that prevent the creation, trade, and use cading Materials Vision aims to extend the lifespan of our of secondary materials. in other words, once materials are planet’s natural resources. the program’s purpose is to help in commerce, keep them in commerce and out of landfills, businesses reclaim used materials in an effort to protect landscapes, and oceans. Keep those molecules in play. natural resources. the endgame is to create markets that increase the reuse Vision Signatories of materials to reduce waste. this vision of a global system the signatories represent a significant swath of leading of efficient materials management is built around a “cas- brands, environmental non-profits, policymakers, materi- cading” reuse of materials, based on a common framework als makers, and management solution providers, including: of guiding principles for industry and other stakeholders. • American Chemistry Council (ACC) • the American institute for Packaging and the Environ- ment (AMEriPEn) • Ball Corp. • the Coca-Cola Co. • E.i. du Pont de nemours and Co. • European Bioplastics e.V. • Keurig green Mountain inc. • the Materials leadership Council • McCormick & Co. • McDonald’s Corp. • nestle s.A. • Ocean Conservancy • Pathway21 • royal Caribbean Cruises ltd. • the recycling Partnership Billions of single-use plastic bottles are one of the most visi- • target Corp. ble examples of why better materials reuse is vital. • World Wildlife Fund for nature

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Global Dilemma primarily by using less material in the first place. Plastics The Vision intends to address a global problem, namely a enable lighter car parts so that we can drive farther on a growing population that threatens to tax the planet’s limit- gallon of gas, more effective insulation to save on energy ed resources. This negatively impacts the environment and use, and packaging that uses less material than alternatives represents a lost opportunity to reuse those resources. and leaves a lighter footprint on the planet. These problems are worsened by systemic barriers, such as The plastics industry already contributes to the Vision of the lack of quality controls, unsophisticated trading mech- doing more with less, as calculated in a recent report by anisms (such as those for commodities), and poorly designed London-based Trucost plc, which shows the “environmen- public policy. tal cost” from plastics in consumer goods and packaging Increasing the use of secondary materials could reduce applications is nearly four times less than those costs would this impact. be if plastics were replaced with alternative materials. Once used, plastics and other materials can and should be Chemical and Plastics Makers reused when feasible. When they cannot, they should be Why are chemical and plastics makers involved? Primarily recycled or converted from energy-rich molecules into ener- because this vision could help build on the sustainability gy. contributions of the products of chemistry, including plas- However, large amounts of used plastics are entering our tics, while reducing their environmental costs. landscapes and oceans today. And the benefits that plas- “Businesses want to be part of the solution and use more tics provide are severely diminished when plastics aren’t secondary materials, but systematic barriers make acquisi- used and disposed of responsibly. tion and sourcing difficult at the quantity and quality needed,” By increasing reuse and recycling, plastics can further con- according to the WWF. “Through alignment and collabora- tribute to sustainability while having diminished impact on tion, the Cascading Materials Vision strives to engage the planet, especially its waterways and oceans. stakeholders across both private and public sectors to minimize such barriers.” Next Steps ACC’s president and chief executive officer Cal Dooley By signing the Cascading Materials Vision, companies and agrees. organizations commit to following its guiding principles in “Through this collaborative framework, ACC and its mem- future endeavors. WWF notes “there are many ways in which ber companies look forward to working with stakeholders the principles can be applied, and results are measured along the value chain to more efficiently use resources to based upon the specifics of a given project.” reduce the environmental impacts of our operations and To help realize this vision, ACC will work to drive aware- products, and to pursue initiatives that conserve materials ness and acceptance of the guiding principles among and resources, and reduce waste through reuse and recy- policymakers and throughout the chemical/plastics value cling,” Dooley said after the program was announced. chains, among other steps. WWF will track what signatories Participating in this initiative should create a common set plan to do and help organize those efforts. of sustainability goals throughout the chemical/plastics val- Success is not guaranteed. But with some of the world’s ue chain, leading to products and materials management leading organizations already committed to the Cascading systems that are as resource-efficient as possible. By linking Materials Vision, the chances for establishing a global sys- design with reuse and recycling initiatives, supporting strate- tem that better protects our natural resources are already gic secondary markets, and taking a systems approach to improving. materials management, stakeholders can better understand how present––and future––materials use affects both people and the environment. This should help mitigate impacts ABOUT THE AUTHOR of materials use, increase recovery of materials, and create Steve Russell joined the American Chemistry shared value throughout the economy. Council in 1995 and is currently vice president of ACC’s Plastics Division, where he leads programs, scientific research and public outreach Plastics and Resource Efficiency on the sustainability of plastics. In previous The Vision’s framework and principles place value on opti- roles, he has participated in the development mizing resources, such as using materials for their most of chemicals management and product stew- demanding and advantageous application before focusing ardship programs and policies in the U.S. and Europe. He has also served on a federal advisory on their reuse. committee on chemicals policy. Russell earned For example, plastics often enable us to use resources a BA degree from the University of Kansas and a JD from California West- like materials and energy more efficiently than alternatives, ern School of Law, and he lives in Washington, D.C.

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COVER STORY

E-commerce Drives Package Design, Market Strategy Changes Brands need to adopt more of a holistic, systems approach to e-commerce packaging, to reduce waste and improve customer experience

By Robert Grace

E-commerce is booming worldwide. The number of global, cross-border online consumers will more than triple to near 1 billion in 2020, compared with 309 million in 2014, according to an Accenture/AliResearch report. But this growth also poses challenges for brands, which need to find sustainable, cost-efficient ways to deliver personalized service to customers across the world, without flooding the planet with tons of excess packaging.

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he e-commerce revolution is upon us. and with it comes packaging-related challenges of epic proportions. But many players in this space are only just beginning to realize the implications. TThe function and purpose of packaging for products designed to fight for consumer attention on a crowded store shelf are fundamentally different from those that are bought online and then go from the factory to a fulfillment warehouse before being delivered directly to your door. Brands need to understand how the physical, in-store experience dif- fers from the digital on-screen experience, and adjust their sales, marketing and packaging strategies accordingly.

While still relatively modest compared to in-store retail, aging stakeholders,” they surveyed 208 individuals respon- there is no denying that e-commerce is booming and will sible for packaging decisions at companies that manufacture continue to grow. From 2016 to 2020, the global e-commerce consumer goods, food and beverage, industrial, consumer market is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth health products, and electronics. rate of 19.4 percent, according to Research and Markets. The results were eye-opening: a major player trying • 95 percent of respondents say that packaging impacts to help drive change in the online purchase experience. this space is st. Peters- • 72 percent report packaging needs are different for e- burg, Fla.-based Jabil inc. commerce than store purchase; Jabil bought plastics • 86 percent say improved e-commerce packaging is the molder and contract responsibility of the brand; manufacturer nypro inc. • 96 percent think about the worst-case scenario when of Clinton, Mass., for $665 million in July 2013, greatly boost- choosing e-commerce packaging, but only 54 percent ing its packaging and healthcare businesses. With 2016 test for it; corporate revenue of $18.4 billion and facilities in 28 coun- • 92 percent see opportunities for packaging innovation in tries, Jabil has global reach, and its Packaging solutions modern technology; Division is positioning itself at the forefront of this packag- • Top technologies driving packaging innovation include ing revolution. radio frequency identification, or RFiD (46 percent), in a blog post earlier this year, the company commented sustainable packaging (44 percent), and internet of on the digital buying experience: “The customer makes the Things (40 percent); selection in a 2D world and doesn’t have the ability to touch • 40 percent report cost reduction of materials will enable or feel the product before making the purchasing decision. packaging experiences that previously were too add to that the considerable wear and tear a product endures expensive; before it ever arrives, and the experience is turned upside • 49 percent say users share experiences for online down.” purchases via social media, including pictures and comments related to packaging. Key Trends Revealed although the actual purchasing process is important for This past spring, Jabil retained a third-party firm, Dimensional e-commerce, the customer experience doesn't end there. Research, to conduct a packaging trends survey on the shift in fact, the physical experience begins when the consumer from traditional retail to e-commerce channels. For the study, receives the shipment containing the product, the survey titled “Trends in E-Commerce Packaging – a survey of Pack- noted, adding:

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COVER STORY Power Drive

“When thinking about the packaging factors that affect the customer's experience after an online purchase, a majority of respondents believe that the package condition upon arrival had the largest impact. But other factors, such as the ease of opening the package, extensive secondary packaging content, cost-effective shipping and ensuring instructions are not lost within the packaging also affect the customer experience. Seventy percent of the professionals believe that good packaging could create a memorable customer experience, while 71 percent agree that poor packaging could ruin the customer experience.”

Brands Are Slow Off the Mark Christine McDermott, chief marketing officer of Jabil Pack- aging Solutions, said in a recent telephone interview: “The Christine McDermott Joe Stodola brands seem to be in denial about where this is going and how this is impacting what they’re doing. Almost every one of them is saying their e-commerce business is going to grow, but they’re not taking the steps necessary to create the opportunity for a better experience for their customers.” Which of the following behaviors are you seeing among you e-commerce buyers? Her colleague, JPS chief commercial officer Joe Stodola, says, “We started talking about how e-commerce packaging had to be different almost two years ago. Till recently, most firms have been so focused on competing about what they put on the [store] shelf, that they’re not putting a lot of R&D into e-commerce. We’re just starting to see it move. We have programs moving now, but they’re in their infancy. “When a package arrives at your home, we’re doubling down on scrap," says the Chicago-based Stodola, who joined Nypro in 2001 and transitioned to Jabil after the acquisi- Figure 1: Convenience and sustainability consistently rank high tion. "The corrugate box is usually way too big, and then as major consumer factors. Source: “Trends in E-Commerce Packaging – A Survey of Packaging they put a pillow pack on top of it and tape it up. Liquids will Stakeholders” (May 2017) usually also have multiple additional layers of wrapping, to contain any potential leaks.” Do any of these drivers influence your buying The Issue of Shipping Damage community to purchase online rather than in-store Consider, says David Jones of Rieke Corp., that the failure rate of products shipped with pumps or trigger sprayers can be as high as 6 percent. Some- times the closure will come loose from the bottle’s screw top causing leakage, or the actual pump head will crack. These things usually happen in transit. To limit such damage, online retailers tend to apply adhe- sive tape to try keep the head in place and jam protective Figure 2: This captures some of the challenges facing brick-and- mortar retail stores paper or air pillow packs such as Bubble Wrap around the Source: “Trends in E-Commerce Packaging – A Survey of Packaging container in an oversized cardboard box. Those retailers Stakeholders” (May 2017)

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then recharge the consumer-goods brand owners an amount per package for each such remedial action. This is an additional cost that cannot be ignored or absorbed for much longer, notes Jones, who is the UK-based global vice president of corporate development for Rieke, a maker of highly engineered dispensing pumps closures and rigid packaging for various end markets. These add-on costs can pretty much wipe out the brand owner’s profit margin. “There’s no chance the online channel is going to take a hit on that,” he said in a recent telephone interview. More importantly, says Jones, such shipping-related damage creates a very negative experience for the online consumer. The 96-year-old Rieke, which serves the food and drink, health, beauty and home care, and pharmaceutical sectors, has been part of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based TriMas Corp. since 2001. Its in-house designers and engineers in Rohnert Park, Calif., just north of San Francisco, have been working to address this issue and Jones says the firm expects to be able to make “a game-changing announcement” soon. Jabil and Rieke are taking to heart some of the advice offered by packaging consultant Matt Dingee. After earning a bachelor’s degree in packaging science from Michigan State University in 2008, Dingee worked as packaging engineer at both Pepperidge Farm and Campbell’s Soup Co. before co-founding his own firm, OnPoint 2020, in Lansing, Mich., in December 2016.

Addressing a New Reality He stresses the need for companies to understand their channel and their strategy and “to think of this like a totally new world” instead of doing as so many companies currently do, which is just package up what they already make and ship it. Dingee stresses the heightened importance of shipping and of the customer experience in the e-commerce arena. “With e-commerce, shipping is now in the forefront of the consumer’s mind, because they either have to pay for the shipping or be aware that you’re paying for the shipping,” he said in a recent telephone interview. “Consumers now sometimes make a purchase based on the shipping.” A lot of

so-called “abandoned carts,” or terminated online transac- Typical in-transit damage includes (top to bottom): closure tions at the check-out stage, often occur because the back off, causing leakage; shroud breakage; skewed nozzle, customer is not happy with either the cost of shipping or causing leakage; and trigger body breakage.

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COVER STORY Power Drive

speed of delivery. Getting Personal Brands often also need to figure out how to deliver their This factor lends greater importance to the secondary and products efficiently in smaller unit numbers. Many are used tertiary packaging than pure in-transit functionality. Popu- to only doing bulk, pallet-size shipments from their plants to lar subscription services such as Dollar Shave Club include brick-and-mortar stores that sell their products. “That’s a a newsletter with their shipments. Or consider adding, for big shift for companies,” he says. example, a personal touch like a handwritten note from the There are various factors to consider when making this fulfillment center, engraved initials, or special insert that's shift, Dingee notes. relevant to that consumer, suggests Dingee. Such personalization—this attempt to “delight the cus- Understanding Dimensional Weight tomer”—is increasingly important in helping to create brand For retail, a soup can, for example, is highly efficient; it’s loyalty with a fickle consumer base. round, and production and filling is fast and automated. But There also is the flip side of the consumer experience, in the small distribution environment, the rules are differ- and it can be highly damaging to a brand. “It’s important for ent. Shipping firms such as Federal Express and United Parcel consumers to not feel negative about the fact that they’re pol- Service are creating the luting the environment by ordering items through the mail,” rules. They basically charge says Jabil’s McDermott. Members of the younger genera- you for dimensional (DIM) tion, in particular, are not shy about expressing their outrage weight instead of what it and shaming brands by posting videos online showing ridicu- actually weighs (unless lous examples of overpackaging and wastage. you’re shipping something really heavy, like a bowling ball). “A lot of things have head space or lost volume area, like with a soup can you’re losing all the corners. When you multiply by many cans, you’re losing a lot of space,” and you’ll be paying to ship air. This causes companies to reassess, and pushes them toward things like flexible pouches, because such Matt Dingee form factors are more efficient from a primary packaged volume point of view. Flexible pouches with fit- ments “will be huge,” he predicts. Another major factor in e-commerce revolves around customer experience. “There’s a lot of neuroscience around the reward cycle,” says Dingee. Just check out the number of “unboxing” videos that are online. “If you see others being delighted by the experience, your anticipation builds as you wait for your box to arrive. When you open it, and it’s just a so-so brown box, it’s not that exciting. But if a brand can add a personal touch or creating a unique way of configuring it on the inside— The failure by brands to optimize their product packaging for some unique brand touch—it rewards the anticipation that e-commerce has led to cringe-worthy examples of has been building since they bought it.” overpackaging and material waste. Photos courtesy of OnPoint 2020

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Stodola adds: “I’m amazed, to be honest, that there has- n’t been more an uproar about e-commerce shipment [waste]. To survive, you have to move to this personalized experience. The next generation of buyer—likely classed as a millennial—is more keen about online, and more keen about sustainability, and they’re not as brand loyal as the Baby Boomer generation is.”

Introducing ‘Devicification’ Jabil Packaging has its own approach to addressing the sustainability issue. They call it a “devicification” strategy. Stodola explains that devicification “involves moving more of the valuable parts of the packaging to a durable [device], and then you go to a more shippable, reusable product. Once received, the shipped component then can be docked with the durable component for using or dispensing.” Erich Hoch, chief executive officer of Jabil Packaging Solu- tions, has stated: “We invented the word ‘devicification’, but in a world of rapid change sometimes a new word is needed to describe a new and exciting phenomenon … Thanks to the proliferation of [Internet of Things] technologies, connected devices offer the opportunity to tap into a rich stream of data and develop breakthrough value-added offerings— from auto-replenishment and delivery, to entirely new business models.” Think of a pump delivery system, adds Stodola. “Create a Jabil’s “devicification” strategy involves moving the more durable docking station, which allows you to downgrade the valuable parts of the packaging to a durable device that the consumer keeps at home and reuses, and which can serve as a consumable packaging, which requires less additional func- “docking station” for refilling the shipped, consumable tionality. Put more function in the durable, which is meant product. The durable also has the potential to be connected to survive more than one use. You can also put connected via the Internet to enable user-friendly auto-replenishment of technologies in the durable, which helps to add convenience regularly used products. Photo courtesy of Jabil Packaging Solutions to your life.” The next-generation package concept, says McDermott, is to connect those devices, so the consumer is directly engaged with the brand. The product can replenish auto- mega-deal to acquire organic grocery chain Whole Foods matically, and removes the retailer from the mix. The brand, sent such shock waves through the $781 billion U.S. grocery meanwhile, is creating brand loyalty, and a powerful engage- market. Amazon paid nearly $14 billion in June for Whole ment with the customer that keeps them coming back. It Foods, which immediately gained a massive number of ware- also gives them powerful data on how their products are houses and fulfillment centers through the deal from which being used, where they’re being used, and the value that it can dispatch its goods. Additionally, Amazon’s voice-con- they bring. trolled Alexa app will allow busy consumers to place online “There are tremendous opportunities around this devici- orders for goods, including tonight’s dinner. fication model, and that becomes amplified through the “I think the impact of the Amazon-Whole Foods deal will connection,” she says. be profound. The ability to deliver ready meals is probably enhanced,” Stodola says. The Amazon-Whole Foods Effect Dingee agrees, and raises another aspect. Whereas brands This sort of approach, and the idea of auto-replenishment fight for shelf space and positioning on retail store shelves, of desired consumer goods, is one reason that Amazon’s online they need to deliver highly popular products that will

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COVER STORY

appear on the first page or two of search results. This, he been a movement around packaging of ‘just use less,’ so hopes, “should encourage companies to be more diverse” we’ve gone thinner, the closures on bottles have gone short- in their offerings. “You don’t want to be listed on Amazon er (less thread engagement), and your plastic bottles have on Page 50, and hope that you’ll succeed.” become like blown bags. These are amazing thin-walling So, what does the future hold? And what role are pack- technologies.” age designers and engineers likely to play in it? But in the future, he says: “I think it has to be more direct- More holistic thinking is needed, declares Stodola. “There’s ed at systems thinking. It’s a packaging engineer’s job to

Droning on: E-commerce Takes to the Skies

here is another aspect of e-commerce that may seem Amazon is doing a lot of drone testing in the U.K., because very futuristic, but which is getting a lot of atten- the regulations there are more forgiving than in the Unit- tion—drones. These unmanned flying devices are ed States. The U.S. regulations are lagging the rest of the Tbecoming more commonplace and are finding use in ware- world, he says, but there is a strong push to figure out how houses, for example, to “go vertical” and to help move to make drone management safe and to create the nec- small packages around the fulfillment center, says Joe essary regulations. Stodola, chief commercial officer of Jabil Packaging Solu- “In China,” Dingee points out, “they’re taking a different tions. approach to drones. They’re designing drones to carry Matt Dingee, president and co-founder of packaging tons of products, from the fields or from the manufactur- consultancy OnPoint 2020, acknowledges “there are some ing sites into the city centers. They’re developing these cool things happening” when it comes to drones. At the mega-drones, if you will, which are kind of like glorified moment, he adds, most intelligence suggests that “the airplanes but they are unmanned. brands in the best position will be the ones that can deliv- “It’s definitely coming,” he claims. “It’s just a question of er the most compact package in the 5-pound weight. who’s going to win? Who’s going to break through?” Designing around that constraint would really help you to be ready for the drones, when they do come.” — By Robert Grace

It may seem like the Jetsons, but it’s only a matter of time before drones start delivering packages to your door. Photo credit: Tatiana Chekryzhova / Shutterstock.com

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COVER STORY execute, but I think it’s a brand owner’s job to set the direc- “ tion. We look for the place to pivot into a brand, to give them We as packaging engineers a solution that solves a unique problem that stock packag- need to do more with ing won’t solve. That’s how we’ve grown our business.” material sciences and process Atlantic's New Research Facility technologies so that we can put the Others also are sensing an opportunity to play a role. Wilm- ington, N.C.-based Atlantic Packaging in August opened an appropriate protective layers in the 80,000-square-foot facility in Charlotte, N.C., that it calls the plastic, to become Packaging Solution Center. The 950-employee, 16-facility company says the new, $10 part of the package, million facility is focused on e-commerce product packag- “ — Joe Stodola ing and “will establish a new model in the packaging industry, one with a science-based approach to eliminate the guess- work to create industry-wide shipping standards.” It has a packaging lab for testing flexible materials as well maintain product integrity without the need for so many as packaging lines that will feature equipment automation. preservatives and non-organic substances. One of the main features at the facility is a “multi-axis trans- This challenge also creates real opportunities for small- portation simulator” that can duplicate the vibrations and er, independent entrepreneurs, says Stodola, noting that impacts that a package might encounter in transit, says the very high-speed, high-volume nature of the brands’ busi- Atlantic President Wes Carter. ness means it literally can take years for a brand to execute a packaging format change. “The thing about volume is it’s Innovation Opportunities like moving a battleship.” “There are so many opportunities for packaging engineers New-product innovators, on the other hand, “can think to achieve innovation gains through alignment to new dig- about these changes easier than the brands can,” he says. ital technologies,” says Jabil’s McDermott. “Consider, for “The thing about startups is they can consider this in their example, the use of 3D printing to test models before going value proposition from the beginning.” to mold. The opportunity for the engineer to be the hero in Regardless, says Stodola, “We’ve got to challenge everyone a lot of this innovation work is really tremendous, and it’s in the chain of custody for a package to think in terms of growing every day.” new systems. And those systems need to be capable of ship- Dingee also believe designers can play a key role. He says ping via an e-commerce channel.” that few executives are likely yet to be demanding e-commerce-ready package designs, which means “there’s an opportunity for designers to take the initiative and really ABOUT THE AUTHOR elevate [the discussion] by suggesting that here’s a design Robert Grace began his business journal- that will really work with e-commerce, and here’s some of ism career with Crain Communications the rationale.” It’s up to that person to demonstrate how to Inc. in 1980 in Akron, Ohio, and worked for Crain for seven years in London, Eng- ship the product, and why that would cost less than other land, before returning to Akron in 1989 as options, while also explaining the excitement that the brand the founding editor of Plastics News. He could create with the consumer as a result. Taking such an also served as PN’s associate publisher, initiative can raise that designer’s credibility and value with- conference director, and business devel- in the company—and “that’s a cool place to be, in my opment director. In May 2014, he launched opinion,” says Dingee. RC Grace LLC (www.rcgrace.com), and in Adds Stodola: “We as packaging engineers need to do July 2016 became managing editor of Plastics Engineering. He is stepping down from that post after this issue, but will more with material sciences and process technologies so continue to write for the magazine. Contact him at that we can put the appropriate protective layers in the plas- [email protected]. tic, to become part of the package,” thereby helping to

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INTERNATIONAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2017 IDEAs Celebrate Design and Innovation IDSA’s annual design competition offers a showcase of products and concepts – from the cool and trendy to the socially responsible

By Robert Grace

he Industrial Designers Society of America’s 37th annual International Design Excellence Awards – presented Aug. 19 in Atlanta – lived up to their name this year, with the largest number of international number of entries ever. And, as Talways, plastics played a key role in a huge number of the products featured.

"We had representation from all over the world,” said IDSA Board of Directors Chair Emeritus John Barratt, president and CEO of Seattle-based design firm Teague. "The level of competition is extreme. It’s an incredible achievement to win.” The IDEA 2017 competition attracted more than 1,650 entries this year from 54 countries on six continents, and the Herndon, Va.-based trade association handed out a total of 141 honors — 25 gold, 52 silver, and 64 bronze. In all, 53 percent of the entries came from Asia; and 35 percent from the United States. China accounted for 27.5 percent of the entries, South Korea 21 percent, and Taiwan another 3.5 percent, lending a distinctly Asian flavor to the gala awards ceremony at Woodruff Arts Center's Rich Theatre. IDEA 2017 Jury Chair Owen Foster, director of the Aether Global Learning think tank and co-founder of the SHiFT Design Camp, led more than two dozen global design experts in judging categories covering products, experiences, strategies and more – including two new categories this year: consumer technology and branding. On-site jurying was held in May at the newly renamed Henry Ford Museum of American Inno- vation in Dearborn, Mich. IDSA announced the Bronze winners on June 29, and then revealed the Gold and Silver winners at the Aug. 19 ceremony.

Rise of The Tiger Speaking to the strong Asian presence in this year’s competition, Foster said he believes the high number of entries represents a desire by that part of the world to gain more recognition for their innovation prowess and to gain influence in the design world. “Especially China,” he said in a post-event interview, “they’re looking for an identity. Korea went through this years ago … And we’re also seeing young Asian designers coming to America to finalize their education with the skill sets being taught in their home countries, but then their thought process and design thinking or creative problem solving [skills] coming from the U.S. And they look at design competitions as a way to test themselves.”

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One of the bigger and more popular categories in the past Careful Materials Integration three years of the IDEAs has been the consumer technology sec- Another observation from Foster, based on the IDEA entries tor, which earned three gold and three silver winners this he helped to judge, is that people are becoming more refined year – more by far than any of the other 19 categories. in how they use various materials. In better designs, the mate- “You’re starting to see more companies evolving away from rial choices—be they plastics, metals, glass, or wood—are just making the box, and trying to incorporate true user expe- becoming more intelligent, and are being applied more rience and pure design detail. Microsoft is a perfect example,” thoughtfully to create the desired details. Foster noted. “They racked up a lot of “Anyone can mass-produce things,” said awards this year because they were con- Foster, who is the former chair of the Indus- centrated on the small details that make trial Design Department at Savannah College beautiful design. They went beyond just of Art and Design. “But the ones that stand trying to cram more technology into the out are the ones that understand the mate- same box, and instead paid close atten- rial, understand how it matches another tion to such things as ‘How do you touch material, and how they can create details it? How does it adjust? Does it have this and moments that have stopping power.” stream of brand identity that’s allowing While many entrants this year did push us to move to the forefront?’,” Foster the envelope with their design choices, Fos- said. ter suggests that such efforts in future will “You’re also starting to see more Working with design studio fusepro- soon become the norm. “Stop trying to play ject, IDSA completely redesigned and mature design process or design solu- safe,” he advised, especially for students. rebranded the IDEA trophy this year, tions from students. They’re starting to as puzzle-like, interlocking blocks. “Allow the education to push industry just as understand that not everything is in a much as industry pushes education.” And classroom, he said.” Some of the more with the advances we’re seeing in manu- impressive students are getting out into the world, interacting facturing and processes, etc., will lead to “a seamless with those likely to be affected by their product or solution, and integration of technology and material – not just something “live the design” rather than just going by what someone else put into something else. And that’s where I’d like to see it is telling them, or what they can find on Google. “That’s where [go].” I think we’re going to start seeing students push industry,” he Following are a curated selection of 2017 IDEA winners, in predicted. which plastics played an important role.

Makeblock Neurons Gold/Children’s Products and Plastics Innovation Award The Washington, D.C.-based Plastics Industry Association (aka “PLASTICS”) – a long- time supporter of the IDEAs competition – worked with IDSA to create a new category this year, called the Plastics Innovation Award, aimed at “recognizing the most creative, innovative and best plastic application design.” An internal committee of PLASTICS staff judged the entries. The group said it will highlight the winner with a graphic display at its big NPE 2018 trade show in Orlan- do next May 7-11. (IDSA also will serve as a sponsor of the IDEA design center at NPE, which will be in the south hall of Orange County Convention Center). Winner of the inaugural Plastics Innovation Award was Makeblock Neurons, a pro- Chinese designers created this electronic, grammable, electronic building-block platform for STEM (science, technology, building-block STEM education tool. engineering and mathematics) education. The product – made of unspecified plas- All photos courtesy of IDSA. tics and silicone rubber – also won a gold award in the Children’s Products category. The companies involved were a pair of Shenzhen, China-based firms – IU+Design Co. Ltd. and Makeblock Co. Ltd. Makeblock, a 4-year-old startup known for its work in STEM education and do-it-yourself robot- ics, says: “Users can connect different blocks with its Pogo pin and pairing the blocks with the intuitive flow-based programming application. Makers of all programming levels can build innovative gadgets with ease.” The Neuron electronic device incorporates an intuitive flow-based Makeblock software application for programming and offers more than 30 kinds of blocks to fulfill different functions. Honors specifically went to IU+Design's Jiye Shen, Shenghui Jia and Junyao Li and the Makeblock R&D center's Yiyue Zheng and Pu Liu.

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INTERNATIONAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Microsoft HoloLens Gold/Consumer Technology and Best in Show Created by the Device Design unit of Microsoft Corp., HoloLens is billed as the first, self-contained, untethered holographic computer that embeds content and applications into physical surroundings to see, place and interact as if holograms are part of the physical world. This mixed reality is enabling new ways to create, communicate, work and play. Foster said of the HoloLens: “Every detail was thought out. When you touched it, you appreciated it; when you saw it, you went ‘Ahhh’. It was integrated so well, as to be almost seamless.” Weighing 1.28 pounds, the headset consists of a fabric and foam construction for the fit system, and a flexible nylon and silicone shell that hides and protects a tightening slider mechanism that allows accurate alignment to the eyes. Microsoft said the HoloLens material choices are driven by functionality: making the device light and comfortable while managing heat dissipation, protecting precise components and providing critical structure. Microsoft stepped up its design game with the HoloLens VR headset. The shells of the device that come in contact with the user are overmolded in silicone to provide a comfortable touch surface. Thermal channels are made from molded magnesium, providing rapid heat dissipation and structural rigid- ity. Sensors and optics are connected together and maintain tight tolerances via a CNC magnesium bar. The optics are protected by a hard-coated polycarbonate visor with additional coatings to reduce reflections and fingerprints while molded to provide optical clarity. The optics themselves are made from machine polished optical quality glass with nano- imprinted diffractive optical waveguides to accurately bring holographic images to the user.

Vectra WB360 3D Whole-Body Imaging System Gold/Medical and Health Parsippany, N.J.-based biotechnology firm Canfield Scientific Inc. worked with HS Design Inc. of Gladstone, N.J., to develop what it calls “the world's first 3D whole-body imaging solution.” The system – dubbed Vectra WB360 – is designed primarily for dermatology. The system images nearly the entire skin surface in macro-quality resolution with a single capture. The integrated software allows clinicians to map, measure and track pigmented lesions and to record and monitor distributed skin diseases. The new, equipped with 92 carefully positioned cameras, produces a three-dimensional image of the entire body, precisely replicating body shape and skin features. Plastics-related components of the system include: • Plug-assisted thermoformed (vacuum and pressure formed) Kydex acrylic-PVC external housings • PC/ABS Injection molded pod housings with aluminum base plate • Injection molded PC/ABS pod external housings HS Design says this whole-body imaging system • PC/ABS injection molded equipment boxes for white light flashes makes for a better patient experience. • Custom 35-durometer silicone gaskets for pod face alignment • Custom closed-cell Polyurethane foam gasket material for pod sealing • Custom closed-cell PTFE foam gasket shock absorbers and gap fillers; and • Cast acrylic diffuser material. Suppliers included thermoformer Kenson Plastics Inc., injection molder Midwest Mold Services Inc., and compression molder Wepco Plastics Inc.

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Dream Ring Gold/Social Impact Design and Curator’s Choice Award Design volunteers with the IDEAfree unit of advertising and marketing communications agency Havas in Seoul, South Korea, won two top honors for their concept of an inexpensive, eco-friendly feminine hygiene product, called Dream Ring. It won the only gold award in the Social Impact category, and also earned the coveted Curator’s Choice honor, from juror Marc Greuther, chief curator at The Henry Ford. The product has been designed initially for use in developing countries – initially Africa – where girls may give up going to school because they don't have access to cheap and sanitary menstruation pads. One pad can cost as much as a day's salary, forcing females to use newspaper, rags, fabric or even mud when menstruating. The safe, non- toxic silicone ring is reusable and available in three sizes; the sugar cane vinyl cup is disposable, needing to be replaced on average only twice a day. The team said: “We designed the product to keep functions of a menstrual cup, but in shape as a silicone ring. Using hygienic sugarcane vinyl that is eco-friendly, we can provide the product consistently and at a low-cost. Since water is not clean in Africa, washing and reusing product may cause infections. Women can dispose used part of the product and replace it with the new one every time.” Bioethanol made from fermented sugarcane waste molasses is a key ingredient to making the type of vinyl used in this product. Unlike other types of vinyl that are made from fossil fuels such as petroleum, sugarcane vinyl does not use any plas- ticizer, and is free from any harmful chemicals such as endocrine disruptors. Above: The Dream Ring aims to boost personal freedom and self-esteem Sugarcane vinyl also is thicker and more tear-resistant than other types of vinyl, and among girls and women, initially in can naturally decompose after being disposed. Africa. (L-R): Havas Seoul employees The concept is not yet in commercial production. Credits go to Joon Kwon, Jihye Jihye Hong, Seoyoon Lee, Chanhee Kang Hong, Insup Yoon, Chohee Oh, Seoyoon Lee, Chanhee Kang and Usuk Li. celebrate their double win with a selfie.

Worx Switchdriver Gold/Home and Bath Suzhou, China-based Positec Group Ltd. – maker of the Rockwell and Worx tool brands – earned top honors in the Home & Bath category for its proprietary Worx-brand 20-volt, cordless Switchdriver for driving screws and drilling holes. What sets it apart, says Positec, is the method in which it accomplishes that goal. Worx Switchdriver is the only drill-driver in the market today with two revolving ¼-in. chucks. This allows the user to drill a pilot hole with one chuck, and drive the screw with the other chuck. This back-and-forth rotation is engaged by pressing a button, which speeds assembly work. The user simply rotates from one chuck to the other without stopping to change bits. The $99 Switchdriver has a two-speed gearbox with no-load speeds of 0–400 and 0–1,500 revolutions per minute, features an 11-position electronic clutch, and has a maximum torque rating of 310 in.-lbs. The compact tool weighs only 3 pounds (with battery), and a built-in LED The revolving chucks on this Worx drill-driver help light illuminates the work area when the trigger is pressed. simplify the user experience. The firm uses glass-filled nylon for the housing, a thermoplastic elastomer for the grips, and powdered metal for the gears. Five designers for Positec Group's tool unit in Suzhou earned the honors – Fangyong Wang, Gang Xu, Haibo Zhou, Wenjin Huang and Qiaohua Tao.

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INTERNATIONAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Mugello R D-Air Gold/Sports, Leisure and Recreation Developed by Italian protective wear manufacturer Dainese SpA in collaboration with the MotoGP motorcycle racing legend Valentino Rossi, the Mugello R D-Air® protective suit is said to include 25 new technical features and five patented innovations that make it the most advanced safety system for professional motorcycling ever produced. One of the most critical parts of any suit during a crash event is its construction, with each cut and stitch becoming a potential point for failure. Dainese created the Mugello R using its “3R Design” concept, which aims to reduce, reposition and remove cuts and stitches from acci- dent-prone areas. It also seamlessly integrates all external hard parts into the suit. As a result, this product features a completely re-engineered suit architecture that reduces the number of components and subsequent constructions in the suit by more than 13%, to 324 from 374 from previous versions. Among the suit’s more unique characteristics is its incorporation of the latest evolution of the D-air® system – an electronically activated airbag that automatically deploys in case of acci- dent, with airbag coverage now extended to the lower rib cage. It also is the first suit ever to incorporate the patented Intelligent Emergency Lighting System, an LED strip that is automatically activated when the rider falls and reduces the risk of being hit by following riders. The knee and Italy's Dainese SpA takes elbow constructions also have been completely re-engineered, with the latter including an opti- high-tech to another level mized slider shape and a quick-release system. in the construction of this Mugello R D-Air consists mostly of 0.9mm kangaroo leather, but also includes textile elasticated protective motorcycling suit. inserts in the inner area of the limbs that are made of 3D knitted polyamide and polyurethane (PU) fibers that guarantee fit, comfort and abrasion resistance. The elasticated inserts around the crotch are made of the same fibers, though woven instead of knitted. The bag component of the airbag is made of PU-laminated 3D-woven polyester fabric, such that the two parallel surfaces of the bag are kept flat and tensed by hundreds of transverse wires, increasing impact resistance and coverage. Several parts of the suit are built with Kevlar aramid fiber textile backing to further increase abrasion resistance.

Blink Gold/Student Designs Turkish native Belfug Sener developed the Blink smart at-home monitoring device for measuring vital signs and performing medical tests during her studies at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. Now pursuing her Master of Fine Arts degree in integrated design at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies, Sener says the aim of her product is to empower self- care and to encourage individuals to monitor their health more pro-actively by enabling them to easily and reliably collect basic medical data. The compact Blink device guides the user, collects the data, reports it to a physician and enables feedback from the physician. It meas- ures blood pressure and body temperature and can be used to perform blood, urine and saliva tests. With an easy interface and profiling, it is easy to use for each member of family. It is simple, user friendly, multifunctional, sensitive and hygienic. The Blink medical self-mon- Sener proposes using ABS for the front and itoring device is compact back covers and cartridge storage units. Other and easy to use. It was developed by Belfug Sener components include an LCD screen, micro pho- (above left), shown here tometric sensors, fingerprint and thermometer with her CCS professor sensor, and lithium-ion battery. Sooshin Choi.

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Logitech K780 Gold/Consumer Technology Dutch firm Feiz Design Studio worked with Logitech International SA to create the Log- itech K780 multi-device, Bluetooth-enabled, wireless keyboard, which can be used for inputting using your smartphone, your tablet or your PC. The K780 delivers comfortable silent typing, switching easily between devices. The makers claim the K780 is the first fully equipped computer keyboard with a 10- key numerical pad for use with smartphones and tablets. The design is based on the interlocking of two formal elements, the keyboard and an integrated “device-cradle,” which can cradle a tablet, smartphone or other device at a user-desired reading Logitech's ultrathin, wireless key- angle. board provides a built-in cradle for The full-rubber cradle provides more stability even for the largest tablets, while elim- multiple devices. inating the possibility of scratches. The keyboard also uses ergonomically friendly round keys. Logitech uses injection molded ABS for and cradle, and Mylar-brand biaxially oriented, “stretched” PET for the bottom. Poly- One Corp. of Avon Lake, Ohio, helped develop the novel-looking speckled rubber. Feiz said it capitalized on the aspect of the size and proportions of the ‘device-cradle' to house the bulkier components such as the batteries and the PCB to manifest an ultra-thin keyboard profile enhancing the ergonomics of typing.

Q-Collar Gold/Sports, Leisure and Recreation Designers at Priority Designs in Columbus, Ohio, say the Q-Collar is the world’sfirst technology to use the body’s natural phys- iology to protect against mild traumatic brain injury caused by concussive events. It developed the C-shaped device on behalf of Westport, Conn.-based Q30 Sports Science LLC, which does business as Q30 Innovations LLC. Taking a page from the science known as biomimicry, the Q-Collar addresses the problem from the inside out by mimick- ing a natural defense used by woodpeckers. The collar applies slight pressure to the neck which mildly increases blood volume in the brain to create a cushion that reduces slosh. Initial research on the collar has shown significant reduction in changes to the brain caused by concussive impacts. No previous method of protection has been able to show more than 5 percent reduction in evidence of brain damage, but jugular compression thus far has shown a remarkable 83 percent reduction. Available in nine sizes, the Q-Collar is made from silicone urethane elastomer, with a stainless-steel insert. In constant contact with the skin, Priority Designs optimized the outer material for comfort in the con- toured shape, material durometer, and texture. It’s weather resistant for very warm or very cold temperatures, waterproof and easily wash- Priority Designs borrowed a concept from nature to able. devise this innovative device that helps to minimize Credits go to Jamison Float, James Lua, Kevin Vititoe, Sherry Jones and concussions. others on the Priority Designs team.

See all of this year’s IDEA winners at www.idsa.org/awards/idea/gallery. IDEA 2018 will open for entries on Jan. 2, 2018. Jury Chair Michael Kahwaji, senior design manager at Whirlpool Corp., will lead a panel of experts. See www.idsa.org/IDEA for the latest information. This year’s jury chair, Owen Foster, will speak at SPE’s Nov. 6-8 Design in Plastics conference in Detroit – www.4spe.org/designinplastics – as will Jamison Float of Priority Designs, who will discuss the use of biomimicry and the development of the award-winning Q-Collar.

2017 jury chair Owen Foster

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THE BUSINESS OF DESIGN Hand and Glove: Inserting Design into Business More companies are buying up design firms as they seek to leverage the advantages of design thinking across a variety of diverse businesses

By Mark Dziersk Lunar | McKinsey & Co.

crazy thing happened just over two years ago. The Whoosh, and the Lunar staff has been catapulted into an company I work for, Lunar, a familiar face on the orbit of Wharton, Michigan, and Harvard MBAs. This has design landscape for more than 30 years, was inserted us into problem-solving situations as varied as Aacquired and joined the intensely business-minded man- moving huge volumes of people through places, and from agement consulting giant McKinsey & Co. What has followed helping the mining industry to reconfiguring entire portfo- since has been equivalent to getting a street-smart MBA in lios of products in medical, consumer goods, advanced how design can leverage strategic business thinking. industries, and technology. What we have learned is that when design is incorporat- What has happened to Lunar is an exciting reflection and ed into traditional consulting advice—in areas it has evolution of change in not just the design world, but also the previously been absent—an even bigger impact is made business world as a whole. So, what does this have to do with possible. And it happened very quickly. the plastics industry?

Members of Lunar’s leadership team at the US National Design Awards Gala accepting the 2014 Product Design Award, a few months prior to Lunar’s acquisition by McKinsey & Co. (L-R): Mark Dziersk, Gerard Furbershaw, Ken Wood, Jeff Salazar, John Edson, and Jeff Smith.

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The plastics business shares much in common with many other businesses, not least of which is the potential disruption by new and unquiet thinking. That is to say, “design thinking” methods. Think of examples such as Uber to the taxi industry or AirB&B to hotels. Consider the words of the late design visionary Michael Westcott, who was the president of the Design Manage- see the 2017 number. I wonder if any companies doing ment Institute, about the “business of design.” Michael had business in plastics manufacturing or application will be always been a design thinker ahead of the curve and used among the new acquirers. it to consult businesses for growth and impact. Here’s an The practice of design embodies super-effective meth- excerpt of what he wrote about inserting design into business ods for both solving problems and looking around corners practice: to see what might be next, what might be possible. Any “What I discovered was that my design education prepared me business can benefit by adding this to the toolkit. Michael saw to ask better questions, listen and observe in ways that usually that, as have a number of other design visionaries. led to reframing the problems that clients thought they wanted To paraphrase my friend and colleague Dick Powell, found- to solve. I found that organizations typically defined too narrowly ing partner of the hugely respected, London-based firm their needs for a product or a service or a piece of communi- Seymour Powell, “Business concerns itself mostly with ask- cation by starting with what is and with what their customers said ing why? It’s great at questioning opportunity to mitigate risk. they wanted, rather than using a more creative problem defi- Instead, business should ask itself, Why not? And look toward nition and solution approach to look at what if. These perfecting the art of what’s possible in a smart way, in order experiences and the skills to synthesize, design, prototype, iter- to succeed.” ate, and deliver results are common to many designers, but are This truth may have always been self-evident to say Ray- fast becoming the most important competencies for many mond Loewy or Henry Dreyfuss or Walter Dorwin Teague enlightened organizations that share a common imperative: when during the midcentury they gave form to the modern- Innovate or die. day practice of design, but somehow for a whole generation, “Because of this innovation imperative and the fact that some we moved away from it. That has changed once again. of the most valuable companies on the planet (Apple, Google, Starting with the slow recovery after the dot-com crash of Samsung, GE) have made design a core competency in their busi- 2000 and fueled by the vision and sublime execution embod- nesses, design thinking has now captured the attention and ied in the work of design-led companies like Apple, Herman the imagination of many CEOs. This represents a truly exciting Miller, Google, and others, in 2017 we find ourselves staring opportunity to define a new future for design. An opportunity to at this fact. turn design from an interdepartmental stop in the process of Inserting design into business thinking will be a key factor product development and communication into a core compe- in a company’s success from now on. The real question for tence for business that drives innovation, fuels start-ups, helps me is, who’s going to be the first in the plastics industry to define strategy and solves problems large and small. Design exercise this leverage? thinking is helping many companies move beyond the linear thinking that has shackled business to 20th-century industrial norms.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR ‘CEOs identify creativity as the number one leadership com- Mark Dziersk is the vice president of design petency of the successful enterprise of the future.’ —2010 Global for Lunar|McKinsey and managing director CEO study, IBM Global Business Services. of Lunar in Chicago. Lunar (www.lunar.com) A brilliant piece of predictive analytics written well over five is one of the world’s top strategic design and engineering firms. Dziersk has earned years ago. Sadly, and way too early, Michael has since left us, more than 100 U.S. product design and but his thinking has not. And what a prophet he was. engineering patents and garnered numer- Consider this, from the “Design in Tech” report ous awards. Since 2001, he has been an (http://bit.ly/DesigninTech2016) that John Maeda, former adjunct professor for the Master of Prod- uct Development Program at Northwestern president of the Rhode Island School of Design and a former University in Evanston, Ill., and in 2005 was principal at Kleiner Perkins, compiles annually: Since 2004, a founding member of the Design Council some 42 design companies have been acquired by busi- of the School of the Art Institute of Chica- nesses wanting to own a little some of the magic. A staggering go. He will be speaking at SPE’s Nov. 6-8 Design in Plastics 2017 conference in Detroit about “Leading Innovation in a Time of Acceleration.” 32 of these occurred between 2015 and 2016. I can’t wait to

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AIRCRAFT DESIGN TRENDS

Design for Manufacture Is Ready for Takeoff in Aircraft Faster, more efficient processing technologies, integrated part design, and optimized materials aim to cut production costs and boost performance

By Jennifer Markarian

he challenge for designers is to make aircraft lighter about how their product offerings match up against con- while also improving performance and reducing costs. sumer preferences and their competitors’ offerings,” notes New manufacturing technologies for plastics composites, Griffing. “In addition, airlines spend a great deal of time think- Tsuch as out-of-autoclave processing and additive manufacturing about their branding. Manufacturers that can quickly ing, offer solutions. design and produce unique colors, shapes, textures, or other “Manufacturers are striving to improve fuel economy, opti- features can increase both their original equipment and after- mize part cost and weight, and ensure that designs are robust market sales.” and easy to maintain. Both recurring and non-recurring (tool- “Everything from the Internet of Things and in-flight con- ing, testing, factory set-up, etc.) costs can be affected by tech- nectivity to hyper-personalization and modern-hospitality nology improvements,” says Jim Griffing, technical fellow with materials and finishes impacts aircraft interior design,” adds 777X Materials & Processes, a division of The Boeing Co. Jeannine Kray, color and material resource specialist at For passenger airplane interiors, design also is guided by Teague, a 91-year-old design consultancy based in Seattle. airline marketing trends. “Airlines are constantly thinking In addition to color and texture in plastics and composites,

Boom Supersonic will use Stratasys 3D printers to produce thermoplastic parts for its aircraft. Courtesy of Stratasys

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designers are exploring translucent materials for light-emit- maintenance, adds Armin Klesing, global business manager ting parts, such as illuminated signage. Materials must also for aerospace and composites at Solvay’s specialty polymers perform consistently throughout the parts’ lifecycles, says business unit. Manufacturability is also important, says Kray. Klesing, noting there is growing adoption of materials suitable for automated processes that can make parts more Performance & Manufacturability quickly with less labor. Cost and consumer trends are part of the equation, but in the Polymeric composites, both thermoset and thermoplastic, aircraft industry, meeting performance and Federal Aviation are growing in use, with structural components designed to Administration safety requirements are the primary goals of any take advantage of their properties. design. Being able to manufacture and assemble the parts are “In their early adoption, a fiber composite would often be also crucial considerations for the design team. For example, put into a structure simulating a metal design (i.e., ‘black designers must “mind the gap” and consider how the edges, metal design’) with fiber reinforcement spread uniformly seams, and trims of parts will fit into the final assembly, notes throughout. A ‘load-directed design’ alternative is to place the Kray. fiber reinforcement in individual layers to improve properties Designs are often built around existing materials and where they are needed. A further evolution of composite part processes, which have been proven and have lower risk, but design is ‘design for manufacturability’,” explains Rob designing for the future requires balancing a deep knowledge Blackburn, head of applications engineering in Cytec Solvay of established systems and a willingness to consider new sys- Group’s composite materials business unit. tems, says Kray. She notes that partnerships between design- “Design for manufacturability can improve production ers and manufacturers early in the design process can create rates while maintaining performance and safety. There is opportunities and mitigate potential manufacturing prob- more focus on this because OEMs are pushing for faster rates lems. of manufacture—building 50 to 60 aircraft per month instead “All materials that can meet the performance require- of the current rate of 12 to 15.” ments, usually constrained geometrically by other parts in Manufacturing rates can be improved by using automation, the area, are considered,” says Griffing. “Final material selec- quicker-curing resin formulations, and other innovative mate- tion is determined by multiple factors, including cost, rials and processes. weight, process capability, lead time, and aesthetics (when “There is greater acceptance of out-of-autoclave (OOA) parts will be seen by passengers). Often, after a material technologies that can bring more complex structures togeth- and process is chosen, engineers further optimize parts for er in a single molding process,” says Blackburn. weight and cost.” For example, the Irkut MS-21 wing structures, developed For interior cabin components, thermoplastic materials and manufactured by AeroComposit, use Solvay’s liquid resin that can be used to manufacture functionally integrated, cus- infusion OOA technology. tomer-centric designs are of increasing interest. Original Designing for manufacture with thermoplastic composites equipment manufacturers (OEMs) also want materials that also offers the potential to reduce or replace mechanical fas- retain properties longer and better resist damage to reduce teners with unified joints. This approach both integrates parts

Solvay’s liquid resin infusion out-of-autoclave technology is used in the Irkut MS-21 wing structures, developed and manufactured by AeroComposit. (Left): Dry fiber placement is used to manufacture a wing spar. (Right): The integrated component is measured after cure. Images from http://russos.livejournal.com/1307364.html

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AIRCRAFT DESIGN TRENDS Power Drive

for faster assembly and increases strength by eliminating In addition to part consolidation, 3D printing offers the ben- holes that would weaken fiber-reinforced parts. efit of made-to-order parts without expensive custom tooling. OEMs can offer interior parts, such as close-out panels, AM Removes Design Constraints unique trim, or customer logos, customized to meet a cus- Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, takes tomer’s branding standards, explains Griffing. design for manufacture to a new level by removing many of the Significant effort is under way to further develop AM traditional constraints on design. processes. Improved process control is imperative for moving “3D printing changes the way we can think about structur- from prototyping to production. al and part optimization, ‘undercuts,’ backside integration, “We need to be able to ensure reproducibility and have material yield, weight reduction, and more,” comments Kray. process control,” says Albers, who is the lead investigator of “With AM, you can ‘print’ a whole assembly instead of an America Makes program working on a qualification pro- assembling parts. There are huge opportunities for intricate gram for aircraft interior components using the Stratasys designs, improved functionality, and light-weighting,” says Dr. Fortus 900mc platform for fused deposition modeling (FDM) Tracy Albers, president and chief technology officer of Avon and Ultem™ 9085 polyetherimide (PEI) resin from SABIC. In Lake, Ohio-based Rapid Prototype and Manufacturing LLC addition to rp+m, partners include Stratasys, Lockheed (rp+m).“ Additive manufacturing relieves many of the bounds Martin, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the of traditional manufacturing—but that’s not to say it’s without National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita bounds,” she adds. State University. Advances in the reproducibility of FDM (a Part of learning how to use AM includes designing parts type of fused filament fabrication [or FFF] 3D printing optimized for this manufacturing process, for example, to process created by Stratasys) in the past few years have obtain the best possible surface quality. improved reliability enough to make qualification feasible, AM has long been used for making prototype parts as part explains Albers. of the aircraft design process. Ultem 9085 was chosen as a starting point because it is “These prototypes allow us to evaluate form, fit, and some commonly used in aerospace applications, but Albers antici- aspects of function,” says Griffing at Boeing. “We also use pates other materials being qualified in the future. “This pro- them to evaluate how parts will interface with one another. As gram is important because it will not only prove a process for more polymers become available and as mechanical properties and surface finish improve, our use of additive manufacturing to validate design ideas will increase.” Outside of prototyping, use in commercial parts is beginning, and 3D-printed polymeric parts have already been qualified as “fly-away” parts that are certified and installed in production aircraft. Boeing, for example, has about 50,000 3D- printed parts flying on Boeing commercial, space, and military products. “These parts have bought their way onto our vehicles through reduced weight or cost. Often, weight and cost are improved by combining several conventionally manufactured parts into a single additive-manufactured part. In addition, additive manufacturing has enabled us to manufacture geometries that are not feasible with conventional methods. As an example, a duct with integral turning vanes can be built as a single part with additive manufacturing, but must be an Boeing holds a Guinness world record for the largest solid 3D- assembly of several pieces if manufactured using subtractive printed item – a wing trim and drill tool used to build Boeing’s processes,” says Griffing. 777X airplane. Using additive manufacturing cut the time to New polymers for AM and processing advances will make the carbon-fiber composite tool from about three months increase the opportunities for fly-away part manufacture, he to 30 hours. A still frame from an infrared video shows the tool suggests. being printed. Image courtesy of Boeing

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Ultem 9085 on the FDM platform, but it will lay the ground- work for virtually any material and any platform. We have Hybrid Molding worked very hard to define a process that is repeatable and will act as a template for future qualification efforts.” Technology Speeds The project is about halfway through, says Albers, who Manufacture expects physical testing and analysis to be completed by the end of 2017, with the qualification documentation released in new hybrid molding technology developed by early 2018. polyaryletherketone (PAEK) manufacturer Victrex In June 2017, Stratasys announced the availability of the aims to combine the strength of continuously equipment being used in this qualification project—a new Areinforced composites with the design flexibility and edition of its Fortus 900mc Production 3D printer with speed of injection molding for aerospace parts. Using specialized hardware and software designed to use Ultem standard injection molding equipment, thermoplastics 9085. Stratasys also announced a technical partnership with can be overmolded onto Victrex™ AE250 pre-formed Boom Supersonic, a Denver-based start-up, to use 3D composite inserts. printing to help reduce part costs with the aim of making Victrex and aerospace processor Tri-Mack Plastics supersonic travel affordable enough for commercial flights. Manufacturing Corp. formed a joint venture, TxV Aero Boom will use Stratasys FDM-based Fortus 450mc and F370 Composites, in early 2017 to accelerate the technolo- 3D printers to produce thermoplastic parts. gy’s development, and it is developing data to support A key benefit of additive manufacturing is the ability to cre- understanding of optimizing bond strength through ate “new-to-the-world designs” that allow for customization design and processing conditions. and functional integration, adds Brian Alexander, head of The joint venture will be located at a center of excel- additive manufacturing at Solvay’s specialty polymers busi- lence being built in Rhode Island this year. Current proj- ness unit. Commercial production of 3D-printed parts today, ects include interior and structural parts. Most are tar- however, is limited by the size of the build chamber, process- geting replacement of machined titanium and alu- ing speed, and the lack of material choice, as well as the need minum, although some involve replacing parts currently to develop a database of knowledge and experience, sug- made with thermoset composites, according to a Victrex gests Alexander. statement. “Currently, machines are closed systems with limited ability to change processing parameters or materials,” he says. Solvay is working with machine manufacturers to create processes that are more open and can be optimized for different materials, including Solvay’s polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) for FFF, and PEEK and polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) powders for selective laser sinter- ing (SLS). Whether using additive manufacturing or improvements to traditional manufacturing methods, collaboration between aerospace designers and material and machine manufacturers is pushing the envelope to achieve new levels of manufacturability and part performance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jennifer Markarian is a contributor for Plastics Engineering and other industry publications. A Penn State chemical engineer, she began her plastics industry career with Mobil Chemical’s polyethylene group in product development and technical service and, after seven years with Mobil, started a freelance technical writing and editing business, Technical Writing Solu- tions LLC. An SPE member since 1999, she serves as newsletter editor for SPE’s Palisades- VICTREX™ AE250 composites enable the production of New Jersey Section. She can be reached at continuously-reinforced PAEK-based components. [email protected]. Image courtesy of Victrex

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DIGITAL DESIGN

Making It (Very) Real

Advances in virtual prototyping software stress ultra-realistic design renderings, shorter development cycles and rapid returns on investment

By Pat Toensmeier

esign software is rapidly moving beyond the utili- variety of design changes in real time. tarian process of rendering concepts and qualifying The main benefits of the programs, known as virtual pro- properties through material specification and analy- totyping software, are that they speed modifications to Dses of mold design and manufacturability. A new generation designs and customer acceptance, thereby significantly of programs allows product developers to additionally cre- reducing development cycles and time to market, all at a low- ate realistic three-dimensional computer renderings of er cost than with conventional computer-aided design and designs and analyze them using lighting, background images, manufacturing (CAD/CAM) software. animation, and virtual reality. The software also allows developers to try out mold Coupled with cloud-based Internet access and increased designs, manufacturing and assembly processes—and even digital mobility, these programs give designers, engineers, factory layouts—to determine which combination of fac- and original equipment manufacturers worldwide the tors are most cost-efficient before investments are made in opportunity to simulate product use and also propose a cutting steel or configuring production lines.

Virtual prototyping software renders realistic design images, which aid in product development and customer acceptance. This drone was designed with Luxion’s KeyShot 7 software. Courtesy of Luxion

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Improving Success Rates Critically, the report maintains that the “benefits of virtu- Virtual prototyping software (VPS) has been available for al prototyping far outweigh the startup cost and setup in the some time. Initial users were major global original equip- long run” by providing “a risk-free, low-cost environment that ment manufacturers (OEMs) that had the deep pockets to allows designers to consider hundreds, if not thousands, of justify investment in the software and train personnel in its iterations of the same design.” use. Online publication UX Magazine, which covers “experience Efforts have intensified in recent years to expand VPS to design,” or the quality of a user’s product experience, noted mainstream users. Suppliers compare the investment to in an article1 that as much as 90 percent of product devel- that of conventional mid-range CAD/CAM systems. Based on opment has a chance of failing financially. Half of those feedback from some suppliers, versions can cost as little as interviewed for the article said their companies spent $50,000 $1,995 per user for a “perpetual license” without maintenance or more per month on product development, and 70 percent support. Depending upon features like animation, map- said it took at least seven months to build a product. With this ping, mold design, manufacturability, and plant layout, the in mind, “it’s quite costly to fail” in product development, the cost can climb as high as $14,000. article notes. The cost, however, is secondary compared with the return One solution, though, is to place more bets on product on investment (ROI) the software provides. The ability to rap- development by making multiple smaller bets through rapidly prototype designs while still in digital formats and make id prototyping. These multiple bets significantly increase changes based on engineering, ergonomic, aesthetic, and oth- the chance of success. er criteria can improve the ROI companies achieve in product Tom Chi, co-founder of Google X and founder and emer- development––especially with the increasing complexity of itus partner of Prototype Thinking, says in the article that many designs. trying 20 different approaches in product development can A study published in 2016 by consultant Aberdeen Group, increase the chances of success to 64 percent from 5 percent, titled “Accelerating Development with Virtual Prototyping,” and experimenting with 50 different approaches lifts the found that in the past three years, many companies have chance of success to 92 percent. “It’s almost like you can’t fail,” been developing complex products for demanding applica- he adds. tions and doing so with limited development resources. Successive prototyping experiments, however, will not “[C]ompanies said the pressure to launch products soon- totally eliminate failure. This is because the success curve er, decrease their product costs, and improve their product asymptotically approaches 100 percent and so will never quality and performance [was] causing them to rethink reach that figure. their product development method,” the report says. “By breaking up product development into multiple small- “Leading companies have turned to using a virtual proto- er bets rather than one large bet,” the UX article concludes, typing solution … that enables [them] to move nimbly “prototyping offers [an] organization multiple opportuni- through [the] product design process without spending a ties to determine the most promising routes to success and large amount of overhead.” allocate resources accordingly. Compared to the cost for developing an entire digital product in one go, rapid prototyping is an order of magnitude cheaper.” The twin issues of development cost and ROI raise another point in which advanced design software plays a role––the transformative nature of manufacturing. “We see great disruption in manufacturing; size is no longer a sustainable advantage [for companies],” Scott

Above: A conceptual rifle, designed for Akula Ballistic on KeyShot 7, features a reinforced polyamide chassis. Courtesy of Edon Guraziu Right: New materials added to KeyShot 7 include Cloudy Plastic, which replicates the look of colored PC and ABS. Courtesy of John Seymour

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DIGITAL DESIGN

Reese, vice president of cloud products and operations at Autodesk, said during a software conference in Boston in 2015. His remarks highlighted the growing capabilities of software and its evolving ability to allow ever-smaller teams of designers to develop products with minimal investment and correspondingly faster ROI. “Three people with funding can disrupt an industry,” he said.

Realistic Renderings Representative examples of new and enhanced virtual prototyping software can be seen at various vendors. One such is Luxion, a developer of advanced 3D rendering and light- Watch the gap. This concept for an autonomous urban air taxi, ing technology, which recently released KeyShot 7, the latest designed with Fusion 360, is enhanced with a city background version of its design and animation software. in daylight. Courtesy of Autodesk and Phil Eichmiller KeyShot 7 is the company’s biggest update so far, says marketing director Josh Mings. Features include: • the Configurator, which allows users to display a broad array of model and material variations in real time for design review; • a materials library with new and updated plastics and metals that include “Cloudy Plastic,” which simulates light-scattering particles to replicate polycarbonate and ABS; • enhanced texture-mapping capabilities; • a new list that increases the HDRI (high dynamic range Designer Reza Pa used Fusion 360 to develop his concept of a images) environmental updates for background future racecar. Courtesy of Autodesk and Reza Pa imaging of designs; • real-time renderings of virtual reality scenarios that can be accessed through Oculus Rift and HTC Vive goggles; and • a customizable user interface. Mings says that KeyShot 7 imports more than 40 3D file formats and operates with more than 20 3D modeling applications without a plug-in. Plug-ins are available to extend software connections. “We have plug-ins for 12 OEMs and third-party providers,” he notes, among them Autodesk, PTC, RINO, 3D Systems, Solidworks, and Delcam (the latter two of which are owned by Dassault Systèmes). Other features include animation, which improves how customers see product designs interact with intended settings. The software is compatible with additive manufacturing (also referred to as 3D printing). “We have relationships with Stratasys and 3D Systems and can export KeyShot files to their printers,” Mings says. Autodesk’s Fusion 360 software allows background imagery to Developer Dassault Systèmes provides VPS capability be added to renderings. under its 3DExperience brand, notably in Solidworks (SWx) Courtesy of Autodesk and Michael Provost

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The developers of Solar Impulse 2 used software from Dassault’s 3DExperience suite to design, build and qualify the solar-powered aircraft, which completed a circumnavigation of Earth in 2016. Courtesy of Anthony Quintano

injection molding software. Lofti Derbal, senior Solidworks portfolio manager, says SWx added a number of features this year to improve part development. These include: • a 3D interconnect for rapid, seamless incorporation of proprietary data from Creo (software developed by PTC), Catia (Dassault), SolidEdge and NX (both from Siemens), and Inventor (Autodesk); • powerful modeling tools for surface features; • Visualize Boost, which delivers fast render speeds, imports animation and motion studies, and supports virtual reality headsets; • expanded capabilities for design of electronic parts; and • broader data management and collaboration features. Derbal says that among the additions to SWx 2018 is an integrated CAM feature based on CAMWorks from HCL Geometric, which automatically transfers design changes to CAM-generated toolpaths. The interoperability of Solidworks, whether in importing geometries from other software or in seamlessly translating SWx-designed parts to other programs, is a feature that improves its usefulness in product development, Derbal remarks. Solidworks software also has an embedded additive manufacturing function that transfers 3D files to printing hardware and communicates with printers. Siemens also develops software, including Digital Twin, a program that is downstream from design, but neverthe- less relevant to product development. With Digital Twin, a company can, Siemens reports, “link the virtual and real production worlds through the simula- tion of machines and plants.” For example, if a company is

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DIGITAL DESIGN

Shape of Things to Come generative design represents one evolution of software that could soon be available on a commercial scale. Current software uses explicit design, in which a developer draws a proposed part he or she has in mind and, with tweaks and fine-tuning from the program, comes up with a finished product that resembles the original concept. generative design, in contrast, works with a developer entering a list of performance requirements for a product. An algorithm in the software then calculates what design, material(s), and other features will work best, and develops a finished product. The renderings—there could be hundreds, or thousands— will likely be radically different in appearance than a developer expects, but viable. The concept has been experimental for about a decade. Autodesk, with its Dreamcatcher Autodesk’s Dreamcatcher software uses generative design to project, is one software vendor working in this area. Autodesk develop products based on end-use specifications, rather than is adding Dreamcatcher to its netfabb 2018 software for 3D- concepts. The results can be unexpected, as with this chair printed parts. design. Courtesy of Autodesk Should generative design become a staple of product development, it could usher in a new, challenging, and exciting era of product development, one that would disrupt building a factory or debating how best to rearrange a plant design and possibly turn concerns such as success-failure or a production line for maximum productivity, Digital Twin ratios and rOI upside down. software will demonstrate the most efficient design before money is invested. Reference The software uses a range of data input developed from 1 UX Magazine, “Calculating the rOI of Digital Prototyping,” July 11, Siemens’ Point Cloud Factory Scans to accurately simulate fac- 2016 tory layout, machine use, worker activity, and other considerations. The result is the design of productive, cost- ABOUT THE AUTHOR efficient operations. At a Siemens conference in Boston in 2015, executives high- Pat Toensmeier is a Hamden, Conn.-based lighted several examples of benefits that Digital Twin provided freelance writer and reporter with more than 35 years of business journalism experience, end-users. A Maserati assembly plant in Italy was digitally much of it with Modern Plastics and Aviation designed and trialed with the software before ground was Week. Over the years, he has specialized in broken on the facility. Automaker BMW used the software to writing about manufacturing, plastics and reconfigure an assembly plant in Austria, which led to a chemicals, technology development and applications, defense, and other technical reduction in electricity use that saved the automaker $6.7 mil- topics. Contact: [email protected]. lion annually.

In your operations, are you benefiting from the increased sophistication of advanced CAD/CAM and prototyping software? Do you see virtual and augmented reality as playing a role in future product development? SPE members can login to The Chain Q: and join the discussion in Industry Exchange online forum at: https://thechain.4spe.org/industryexchange

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The Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE®) is announcing its 47th-annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala, Most Innovative Use the oldest and largest recognition event in the automotive and plastics industries. This year’s Awards Gala will be held Wednesday, of Plastics Awards November 8, 2017 at the Burton Manor in Livonia, Mich. Winning part nominations in 9 different categories, and the teams that developed them, will be honored with a Most Innovative Use of Plastics award. A Grand Award will be presented to the winning team from all category For more information, go to http://speautomotive. award winners. An application that has been in continuous use for com/innovation-awards-galato 15 years or more, and has made a significant and lasting contribution to the application of plastics in automotive vehicles will be honored with a For more information on the Society Hall of Fame award. of Plastics Engineers, visit www.4spe.org. Innovative Part Competition Categories: • Aftermarket • Hall of Fame • Body Exterior • Materials Sponsorship • Body Interior • Process, Assembly & Opportunities • Chassis/Hardware Enabling Technologies • Electrical Systems • Powertrain This annual event typically draws over 700 OEM • Environmental • Safety engineers, automotive and plastics industry executives, and media. A variety of sponsorship packages - including tables at the banquet, networking receptions, advertising in the program book, signage at the event and more are available. Contact Teri Chouinard of Intuit Group at [email protected].

2016 Sponsors

VIP Reception & Afterglow Sponsor Main Reception Sponsor Wine & Flowers Sponsor Student Program Sponsor

Gold Sponsors Silver Sponsor Advertising Sponsors

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Bronze Sponsors

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DESIGN FOR DISASSEMBLY Good Design Improves Product Life and Recyclability Considering end-of-life disassembly during the design process can greatly aid repair, reuse and sustainability efforts

By Nancy D. Lamontagne

anufacturers across a wide swath of sectors, from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s industri- automotive to consumer electronics, are looking al design program aims to educate future product designers to make their products more environmentally about incorporating sustainability into a product’s design. friendly.M Designing products that are made to last and easy “Many environmental problems are created because of to recycle at the end of their lives is an important aspect of poor decisions during the design phase of product develop- this endeavor. ment,” says William Bullock, professor and chair of that

Today’s electronic devices, like this robotic vacuum cleaner, are made of an array of materials and parts. Designing devices so they can be disassembled can simplify repairs and make broken components easier to recycle. Courtesy of Fictiv

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36-39 Lamontagne Design for Disassembly_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 9/19/17 12:55 PM Page 37 program. “We work to make sure“ students in the program are Ultrasonic welding is often used to fasten plastic compo- aware of how intelligent decisions in the design phase can nents together. However, welding makes it almost impossible reduce problems that occur at the end of a product’s useful life.” to take them apart later. Evans says that using temporary fas- teners like screws or snap-fits makes it easier to take components apart. Breaking the product down into modu- Fixing their own electronics lar components that fit together can be beneficial for both assembly and disassembly. Material selections also mat- teaches about the need to ter. Plastics that are more brittle or have some type of filler make their products easier to are harder to disassemble without breaking or damaging the product. deconstruct for recycling “Often, designing for disassembly is an afterthought,” he and repair. says. “In the early stages of development, the focus is on getting the product to work and then scaling up manufacturing. As the product matures during multiple versions, then dis- — William Bullock assembly [is] thought about more. However, there are some products designed for disassembly from the very “Two years ago, Bullock, together with Joy Scrogum, coor- beginning.” dinator of the university’s Sustainable Electronics Initiative, and The experimental Ara smartphone developed by Google Martin Wolske, research scientist and lecturer at the univer- is one example of a product designed specifically for disas- sity’s School of Information Sciences, launched a program sembly. It features components that snap together, allowing called the Gadget Garage where students can access the each one to be easily swapped out when a part breaks or a tools and workspace needed to repair their electronics and newer version is available. Although the Ara project didn’t receive help finding parts online. make it to market, other companies are showing interest in

“Fixing their own electronics teaches about the need to the concept, including Facebook, which filed a recent patent make their products easier to deconstruct for recycling and for a “modular electromechanical device.” The Nintendo

repair,” says Bullock. “While many people think it is easier to Switch, a gaming console launched earlier this year, is anoth- get rid of a broken phone, the Gadget Garage also shows the er example of a modular electronic device. It features two students that a phone with a cracked screen, for example, is controllers that snap onto each side of a tablet-like display. repairable and can be kept out of the waste stream.” The controllers can alternatively be used “ by holding one in Industrial design students also learn to consider using each hand. materials that last longer and are easy to recycle. For some products, biodegradable plastics or those made from renewable resources like plants are environmentally friendly options. If a product can be easily “We want them to think about whether a product can be disassembled, then when a made from a renewable material that can be continuously recycled,” says Bullock. “If a product goes into the landfill, then part of it breaks down or needs the enormous amount of energy and materials involved in repair or upgrades, that can be that product’s manufacturing is lost.” handled much easier, thus Extending Product Life extending the life Dave Evans, chief executive officer of Fictiv (www.fictiv.com) in San Francisco, says the company often receives questions of the product. from customers about designing for disassembly. As a man- “ — Dave Evans ufacturing company, Fictiv helps companies with early stages of product development and manufacturing. The company works to give engineers knowledge that can be used dur- Evans thinks that more manufacturers will be looking at ing every stage of the product development life cycle, modular design for electronic products, especially if con- including end-of-life considerations such as disassembly. sumers show interest. “Companies are more and more conscious of building a “From a business or economic aspect, a modular product greener product, which includes being able to easily recycle might not always be in a company’s best interest because it it,” Evans says. “If a product can be easily disassembled, could keep customers from spending money on an entire- then when a part of it breaks down or needs repair or ly new product when part of it breaks,” Evans says. “However, upgrades, that can be handled much easier, thus extending if consumers demand sustainable product designs with the life of the product.” modular components, companies will tend to follow.”

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DESIGN FOR DISASSEMBLY

Simplified Assembly Aids Disassembly design that product so that it still accomplishes its same function with only 10 parts,” explains Dewhurst. Nick Dewhurst, executive vice president of Boothroyd Dewhurst says designing a product that has fewer parts Dewhurst, says examining how a product is assembled can and is easier to disassemble for repair can save money in var- help with designing for disassembly. Boothroyd Dewhurst’s ious ways. For example, it will cost more to have a service Design for Assembly (DFA) product simplification software person remove 30 screws from a door panel than unfas- helps design teams understand opportunities to simplify a tening four snap-fit elements. Reducing part count also product’s design in the early stages of development. reduces the suppliers needed, the amount of inventory on- “If a product is designed to have 50 parts, it will be a lot hand, and the amount of material flowing through factories. more difficult to disassemble to get at the parts that have val- The company’s DFA software has brought its users signif- ue in reuse or value in recycling than if time was taken to icant savings through design simplification. For example, a manufacturer of slot machines used it to redesign one of their popular series of machines. As a result, the machine’s part count went from about 800 to 500 and assembly time was reduced by 50 percent. This saved time and money involved with inventory and reduced the number of assembly line sta- tions needed. A service technician reported that it took only about one-fifth of the time to disassemble the new machine for repair compared to the old version. “Disassembly is not something design engineers are usually thinking about,” says Dewhurst. “They typically focus on designing a product to make it function. However, including people who work with disassembly, end-of-life tasks and life cycle management on product development teams can help make sure these aspects of product design are kept in mind from the beginning.”

Boothroyd Dewhurst’s Design for Assembly (DFA) software ABOUT THE AUTHOR was used to redesign this slot Nancy D. Lamontagne is a Chapel Hill, N.C.- machine (left). The software’s based freelance writer with more than 15 years analysis, combined with team of experience writing about science, technol- research, revealed the ogy, and engineering. Over the past seven machine’s lower die-cast door years, she has contributed Plastics Engineering articles on a variety of topics, including ther- (top) could be made using plas- moforming advances, blow molding tic injection molding (lower right), which combined many technology, innovations in medical plastics, parts together to reduce the door’s weight. It also deter- packaging trends, and education and career mined combining side rails mounted to the cabinet with the development in the plastics industry. Contact door maintained functionality and cut down the subassem- her at www.nancylamontagne.com bly to four parts from 33. Images courtesy of Boothroyd Dewhurst

How much emphasis do you put on product disassembly and potential disposal at the product design and development stage? Do you discuss end-of-life options for your product and its components? We urge SPE members to login to The Chain to Q: discuss this issue further in Industry Exchange online forum at: https://thechain.4spe.org/industryexchange

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Turning Hard-to-Recycle Plastics into New Products ven with the best design, many products will still contain parts that are difficult to recycle with traditional methods. EcoStrate developed a process that allows Ethe creation of composite plastic products from 100 percent post-consumer, high-polymer content scrap materials that are difficult to recycle. Earlier this year, the company was recognized with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Indus- tries 2017 Design for Recycling Award for their process, which can be used to manufacture traffic signs, indoor signs, and flooring from plastics reclaimed from used electronics, textiles, and other scrap. Each new product created by Arlington, Texas-based EcoStrate is also recyclable. “Our process doesn’t require the level of cleanliness or sorting that many others do,” says Hayley Sherga, vice president of business development and sales at Eco Strate. “Our lower cost also lets us compete in end markets better to support an end-of-life solution to our products.” EcoStrate (www.ecostrate.net) is using its technology to create flooring for the PepsiCo Inc. headquarters in Plano, Texas, and is incorporating PepsiCo’s postconsumer packaging from various pick-up programs into this process. “We are scaling up and partnering with large players who see our technology as adding value and improving access to existing and new markets,” says Sherga. “Lucki- EcoStrate can produce signs like this one from difficult- ly, we have some leaders at the table, and we are open to to-recycle materials. Courtesy of EcoStrate hearing from more.” Consumer demand for products that incorporate recycled materials will ultimately determine the success of companies with better-designed end-of-life solutions, says there is a need for more—and stronger—programs that Sherga. Although there is an Environmental Preferred reward those who purchase products made from recycled Purchasing program that encourages federal purchasers materials or that are designed with end-of-life recycling in to buy environmentally preferable products, Sherga says mind.

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SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

Research Indicates Millennials Want Durable, Natural Products Study shows millennials find four material design strategies indicate a product’s overall sustainability – durability, naturalness, degradability, and rawness

By Kiersten Muenchinger University of Oregon

here are several materials-based design strategies of millennials, the largest demographic in the U.S., we may we can use to create more sustainable products. For want to choose materials that make our products more example, we can choose materials that we know will durable and materials that are considered natural, and tell Tmake a product last longer, materials that are recyclable, or our customers that those are choices we’ve made. materials that are local to obtain and process. Seven qualitative design strategies have been used for the Not all the choices we make as engineers will be noticed last 20 years as guides to help design more sustainable by our customers, however. If we want to grab the attention products. These strategies are to choose materials that are

Figure 1: Ten polymer cups are clockwise from left: PP; PLA; POM; HIPS; PS; PETG; HDPE (petroleum); PMMA; HDPE (sugar); and copolyester. Cup photos courtesy of Kelsey Foo

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Figure 2: Sustainability strategies that drive perceptions of Sustainability (SUS) and Worth (WRTH) found in Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Durability is indicated by its pair in the Kansei analysis as Delicate or DEL.

1) abundant, 2) non-toxic, 3) natural, 4) minimal and minimally so they are perfectly suited for understanding how people processed, and to minimize waste by using 5) recyclable have assimilated the complex, misunderstood, nascent materials, 6) extending the product’s life, and 7) minimizing issues of sustainability with which we engineers currently the impacts of disposal1,2. These qualitative strategies are grapple. all based in materials selection. They were developed prior Kansei analyses require human subjects to rank where a to quantitative, single-figure life cycle assessments, like Sus- thing––whether it’s a whole product, like a mobile phone, or tainable Minds (2008), and they help designers target a product feature, like a button on the phone––falls on a lin- sustainability plans at the earliest stages of the design ear scale between two verbal descriptors of the thing. For process. example, to see if a product is per- In a typical design process, it is most advantageous to ceived as being durable, subjects target strategies that design- are asked to rank the object on a ers consider most numeric, one-to-seven unit scale appropriate for the from delicate to durable. I analyze product under develop- the results from one to 200 millenni- ment. All the strategies al participants for statistically significant may not be applicable responses regarding their attitudes or and they may even com- understanding about sustainability. pete with each other in a While some of these studies have includ- given product. For products ed metals, woods, and polymers, the most being developed for the mil- recent study solely used polymer objects to lennial market, or looking to elicit ratings from the test participants. A set attract the attention of mil- of 10 drinking cups, similar in size and shape to lennials, the strategies to a disposable coffee cup, were injection molded for the target are those to which mil- study. Each cup in a set of 10 was made from a different poly- lennials relate. mer, including: polystyrene (PS), polymethylmethacrylate Over the past 10 years, I have been asking millennials (PMMA), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) made from petro- how they emotionally relate to the sustainability of products leum stock, polyoxymethylene (POM), polypropylene (PP), in their lives. I run Kansei engineering analyses to discover polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified (PETG), polylac- which of the seven sustainability strategies are the most effec- tic acid (PLA), high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), copolyester, and tive for consumers to understand. Kansei analyses quantify HDPE made from sugar stock. the emotional connections people have to product features, Because the cups are similar in form, but different in

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AIRCRAFT DESIGN TRENDS Power Drive

material, the differences between the polymers are more makes sense. Using the durability of a product as a marketing apparent than other plastic products may be. Differences in tool, however, is uncommon for many products. If the prod- transparency and color are relatively obvious, but subtle uct is targeted for construction or industrial applications, the differences in heft, tactile softness, and audible timbre when product’s toughness, ruggedness, or durability is strongly placed on a table top are also present. used as a marketing point. But lifestyle products or even The statistical analysis of the ratings (a multilevel confir- products for the industrial center of the home––the matory factor analysis, or MCFA) is not affected by these kitchen––are not frequently marketed as products with material differences, and it finds the most influential sus- longevity, even if they have tough surfaces or coatings. tainability strategies. The results of this test show that Designing and marketing lifestyle products as durable prod- millennials find four material design strategies—and only ucts should connect with the millennial market. four—to be indicative of a product’s overall sustainability: Natural is a hot marketing buzzword for current con- durability (extending the product’s life), naturalness, degrad- sumer products, but predominantly in consumables. From ability (minimizing the impact of disposal), and rawness potato chips to shampoos, “natural” appears on labels and (minimal processing) of the product. Four other strategies: ingredients lists. What natural really means isn’t clear. It expense (abundance), luxuriousness (processing), valu- could mean plant-based or bio-based. It could mean ingre- ableness (extending the product’s life), and rareness dients that are vernacularly used and recognized. Regardless (abundance) drive perceptions of the worth of the product. of a tighter definition, the naturalness of the materials that Neither recyclability or toxicity had a driving effect on the per- make up many other types of consumer products can be ception of a product’s sustainability or worth. more effectively used as a marketing tool. Even in this study Durability is easy for the product development engineer of all plastic cups, in a time when plastic products don’t to understand. Choosing materials that will perform under come to mind as easily as bamboo products do when con- given product conditions for an appropriate time period sidering natural products, the naturalness of the polymer

Figure 3: Average data from Kansei study. Study participants have stronger emotional connections to the sustainability strategy when their responses are closer to 1 and 7. Mid-range responses, or those around 3.5, indicate lower emotional connection.

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materials was important to the millennial participants. rawness and naturalness would be interesting to further Degradability and durability need to be balanced by appli- define in future studies. cation and environment. Degradability may be the single-use Interestingly, the recyclability of the product does not fac- counterpoint to a durable product. Millennials are concerned tor into the sustainability-consciousness of the participant at about the toothbrushes and water bottles found floating in all, which is remarkable considering efforts to strengthen the North Pacific Gyre, so focusing on degradable materials municipal recycling programs, label products, and teach choices for single-use or short-use products is the most elementary school children how to lessen their impact on the direct way to use this sustainable design strategy. Mean- earth. while, chemists and materials engineers are actively engaged Another surprise is that toxicity also does not factor into in degradability of polymers for product end-of-life scenarios, participants’ sustainability-consciousness. My guess for both from composting to depolymerization. The design strate- of these issues is that the experience of millennials is that gies for durable products will increase to include degradable their attentive efforts to recycle have not saved the earth from options within the next 10 years. environmental destruction yet, and that their health has Raw is the antonym of processed. What millennials see in not been directly compromised by their products, so these a raw product is also unclear, particularly with all the high- issues don’t seem like drivers of their experience with sus- ly designed consumer products we use daily. I think of cell tainability. phones, and whether in a cell phone it would be minimal fea- For long-lasting products, the most directly sustainable tures, like buttons, that would make the product seem design strategies that will reach millennial consumers are rawer, or minimal textures used on each of the surfaces. focusing on durability and naturalness. Engineers should Again, this study with polymer cups indicates rawness as a work more with their marketing colleagues on how the mate- driving factor of the sustainability of the product. How to rials used in the product make a high-quality, durable, make products appear raw is a conundrum to me, and both sustainable product. The naturalness of a product could be targeted through highlighting materials selections like sugar- based high-density polyethylene, corn- or potato starch-based Join the Discussion in polymers, or composites of cellulosic fibers with polyethylenes or polypropylenes. Detroit Data on the next generation of products that market the naturalness of these materials will drive how best to use this iersten Muenchinger will be part of a panel dis- strategy in the foreseeable future. cussion exploring this topic in greater depth at SPE’s Nov. 6-8 Design in Plastics 2017 conference References Kat the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Joining her 1 Graedel, T.T., Allenby, B. R. (1995). Industrial Ecology. Englewood will be Dr. Gary Wnek, a professor of both Engineering Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 2 Lewis, H., Gertsakis, J. (2001). Design + Environment: A Global and of Macromolecular Science & Engineering at Case Guide to Designing Greener Goods. Sheffield: Greenleaf Pub- Western Reserve University, and Mike Maczuzak, lishing Limited. founder and CEO of SmartShape Design in Cleveland, Ohio. Together they will explore the “importance of the synergistic interface between design and engineering,” with a strong focus on sustainability and packaging. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kiersten Muenchinger is an Associate Professor Learn more at www.4spe.org/designinplastics and the Head of the Department of Product Design at the University of Oregon. Muenchinger researches and teaches the intersection of materials, manufacturing and design with an emphasis on sustainability tactics and metrics. Her current research utilizes Kansei engineering principles to measure how consumers perceive the sustainability of materials. Her work in experimental sustainable design has been exhib- ited with the Green Product Award, Germany, ShowPDX, Portland and Salão Design, Brazil. In 2016, Kiersten was a Fulbright scholar at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Kiersten was the Industrial Designers Soci- ety of America’s (IDSA) Young Educator of the Year in 2011, and one of the Design Intelligence 30 Most Admired Educators for 2015. Before joining UO, Kiersten was a design engineer with IDEO, Ford, Fitch, and Walt Maczuzak Wnek Disney Imagineering. Contact her at: [email protected]

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COLORS & FINISHES What’s the Bright Idea? New colors and finishes combine vibrancy and sustainability

By Geoff Giordano

rom basic to bold, the latest palette of plastics colors particularly from LED sources, on the perception of plastics and finishes offers brand owners even more flexibili- colors — a key focus of the SPE Color and Appearance Divi- ty in employing easy-to-process aesthetics into their sion's 2017 RETEC in Milwaukee this fall. products.F This year’s crop of colors features spot-on representa- Metals and Minerals tions of concrete; lustrous shades of blue, lavender, green, In response to recent strong customer interest in “imperfect” and other elegant hues; intensely abstract collisions of light colors, Gabriel-Chemie Group, headquartered in Gumpold- and shade; and even a bio-derived line of colorants intend- skirchen, Austria, engineered a series of onyx, marble, and ed to break down completely after consumer use. oxidized effects that replicate the unique occurrences of Meanwhile, designers, engineers, and suppliers are grow- nature. ing increasingly cognizant of the effects of illumination, “The challenge was to create imperfection by using mod-

Gabriel-Chemie is taking a page from nature for its latest series of colors and effects, including:GC Black White Camouflage, GC Concrete Grey, GC Magma Red, GC Oxidized Copper Gold, GC Rusted Silver. Courtesy of Gabriel-Chemie Group

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Silberline’s smooth black pearlescent finishes are in high demand for automotive interiors and appliances. Courtesy of Silberline Manufacturing Co.

ern, high-standard machinery, to kind of ‘destroy’ polymer Overcoming processing limitations, such as flow and weld homogeneity and colors, causing impressive marble effect lines, was a concern in creating these effects. impressions,” explains Gerald Just, head of sales. “Using “We combine our product line and commercial experi- state-of-the-art equipment and materials to create imper- ence to assist formulators and designers in creating fection is kind of difficult.” cost-effective solutions for injection molded parts,” Drusda He says injection molding is the optimal process for “cre- says. “Manufacturers are able to reduce the number of pro- ative and outstanding marble effects. Parameters and duction processes and environmental impact when making conditions depend on the design and structure of the mold- plastic parts with metallic pigments.” ed parts.” At Avon Lake, Ohio-based PolyOne Corp., a collaboration In the realm of replicating aluminum, Silberline Manu- with Merck has resulted in colorants that produce vivid 3D facturing Co. of Singapore has answered the need for “fine, effects — one of a pair of efforts to provide glossy metallic bright effects” that offer high coverage with its new pig- finishes. ments LT 12931, LT 12932, and LT 12425, according to “Our collaboration with Merck on IM3D technology first technical service representative Jeff Drusda. came about because we wanted to respond to demand Carried in SILVET E1 technology, “these aluminum pig- from our packaging customers to increase perceived prod- ments are produced via Silberline’s advanced milling uct value as well as differentiation at point of sale,” explains techniques,” Drusda explains. “SILVET E1 is a PE wax/resin sys- Denis Keller, PolyOne’s senior marketing manager in Europe tem that allows easy incorporation of aluminum flake into for color, additives and inks. “Since its introduction, IM3D has many polymer types.” also begun sparking interest among automotive and elec- The product line is available in granule delivery form. tronics manufacturers." “Silberline’s formulation group was tasked with creating IM3D, which stands for in-mold 3D effects, “gives the fine, bright aluminum effect pigments with high opacity. His- appearance of embossed depth, even though the exterior torically, this is a challenge since smaller aluminum flake surface is flat and smooth,” Keller says. “It relies on a patent- tends to be much darker than medium- and coarse-effect pig- pending Merck technology that can be incorporated ments. The high coverage requirement also needed to be into existing injection molding production lines.” addressed to create silver-dollar pigments with similar opac- More precisely, IM3D relies on overmolding of extruded ity to traditional cornflake pigments.” mass-colored film and/or preform, which is placed into an The automotive and appliance sectors in particular are injection molding tool and overmolded with a transparent clamoring for smooth metallic finishes, he notes. resin. There are no flow lines with this process, and mold “Much of this effort stems from paint-replacement initia- inserts create the pattern in the perform/film. While IM3D is tives and environmental concerns to reduce raw material currently limited to the injection molding process, it will usage and remove solvents from manufacturing process- work with any transparent resin, including clarified PP, SAN, es. Trim, handles, cases, and panels are designed with PC, and more. in-process colors to complement not only painted items, but Meanwhile, PolyOne also introduced ultra-glossy metallic also stainless and brushed steel components.” Impress colorants specifically for blow-molded beverage and

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COLORS & FINISHES

PolyOne’s IM3D, short for in-mold 3D effects, gives the appearance of embossed depth, but the exterior surface is flat and smooth. It relies on a patented Merck technology that can be incorporated into existing injection molding production lines. Right: Ultra-glossy metallic IMPRESS colorants by PolyOne create a brilliant sheen without creating flow lines, which can be an issue with highly loaded metallic effect colorants. Courtesy of PolyOne Corp.

personal care product packaging. of high-performance pigments for products and plastics “impress effects create a brilliant sheen without using business development. “Brand owners have a few sec- metallic ingredients and without creating flow lines, which can onds for consumers to differentiate between the various be an issue with highly loaded metallic-effect colorants,” options for the packaging of cosmetics, shampoo, food, notes PolyOne’s sandrine reboux, marketing manager in detergent, and more. Our tailor-made products give the Europe for color, additives, and inks. “the technology isn’t designers what they want and our customers the ability based on conventional mica but rather a mix of innovative to make them.” raw materials.” these effect pigments are suitable for masterbatch and impress effects, which can be processed on standard injection molding, according to Michael Willis, technical man- blow molding machinery, is limited to stretch blow molding ager for sun chemical’s plastics applications lab. applications, according to reboux, so it is mainly focused on bottles for beverage and cosmetics products. she adds, “the chrome effect is stable and will depend on the shape of the bottle and the stretch ratio.” For both products, PolyOne notes that key players in cosmetics, electronics and automotive markets are either developing products for commercial launch in the near future or actively evaluating these technologies.

The New Blacks Just when you thought you could get, in the immortal words of spinal tap, “none more black,” come innovations from sun chemical corp. of Parsippany, n.J., in this classic color. sun chemical’s black pearl finish, on the market for less than a year, exhibits “high jetness, luster, and sparkle,” the company says. While there are black pearl colors on the market, “in many cases, these pigments are not truly black,” writes Jonathan Doll, leader of effects pigments research, in a recent article. “Most of them can be described as gun-metal gray.”1 Sun Chemical’s black pearl, in the panel on right, shows an sun’s products ”need to shine in the rigid and flexible intense sparkle effect compared to the typical black pearl on left packaging markets,” according to scott Heitzman, manager panel. Courtesy of Sun Chemical

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“Optimal processing methods are typically low or minimal “We’ve sampled a few customers, and we’re trying to dis- shear conditions,” he advises. “These (materials) need to cover what is the motivation for our customers being be incorporated without damaging the particle size, distri- interested in it: is it because it is recycled or because it is low- bution, or aspect ratio.” cost. Maybe it is a little bit of both. The automotive industry Beyond the black pearl, sun Chemical recently introduced is always a big driver for using recycled products.” a variety of sunMiCa Fuse golds and Whites, as well as The benefits of ECOBlack for manufacturers is that it costs Benda-lutz COMPal aluminum flakes, Heitzman notes. sun- about 70 percent what a low-cost carbon black masterbatch MiCa Fuse is supplied either in dry form or a preparation for would cost, and it is a seamless replacement for customers a concentrated form for masterbatch manufacturers. and, who are molding or extruding their products. “a Fanchon pigment yellow 184 was added in response to leg- Beyond those advantages, “the process of producing 1 ton islation surrounding heavy metals,” he adds. of recycled carbon black eliminates 1 ton of oil and 1.4 tons Meanwhile, the ECOBlack line by Modern Dispersions is a of CO2 emissions that would stem from typical carbon black carbon black sourced from suppliers that recycle tires, says production.” Jan Kozma, vice president of sales and marketing. “lots of companies have been trying to recycle tires and More Shades of ‘Green’ reclaim carbon black,” he notes, “but up until now, the qual- another firm answering the increasing call for sustainable ity has been marginal at best. now the technology seems to products is Holland Colours Europe BV of The netherlands, be doing a much better job of cleaning the carbon black up which rolled out The natural Collection, a bio-based series from the other contaminants, so it has much more utility in of colors for cosmetic packaging and other commercial different applications — almost performing as if it were a applications. prime carbon black.” “Over time, many packaging companies have adopted Kozma says Modern Dispersions is in the early stages of goals to become sustainable and good stewards of the employing ECOBlack, which likely will find uses in industrial Earth,” acknowledges Julie gibbons, marketing and com- packaging and films, trash bags, certain types of drainage munication specialist. “Consumers have also become pipe, and molded items for cars. increasingly demanding in knowing how and where their con-

Technical Journals

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For more than 30 years PE&S has been one of the most highly regarded journals GOHȴHKWQL

Special issues are compiled by distinguished guest editors, containing proceedings of symposia on the topics: polyblends, mechanics of plastics JQLGOHZUHP\ORSGQD

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Sun Chemical’s new SunMICA Fuse Golds and Whites provide impact using non-dusting, highly loaded wax spheres. Courtesy of Sun Chemical

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COLORS & FINISHES

Holland Colours Europe BV of the Netherlands created The Natural Collection for cosmetic packaging and other applications. Courtesy of Holland Colours Europe BV Sun Chemical’s Fanchon Yellow 184 expands the company’s product range for heavy metal replacement. Several grades are available, including zinc-free versions that provide customers options to meet stability and temperature requirements. Courtesy of Sun Chemical manufacturers’ suggested processing guidelines and temperatures for PEt packaging resins and requires no drying.”

Reference sumables are made and their life cycle after use. Because of 1 Doll, Jonathan; Hollman, aaron; and andreas, adam. “new these factors, Holland colours americas saw the need to pearlescent pigment offers stylists with new formulating opportunities for powder and liquid coating.” European coatings introduce a colorant line made from fully renewable Journal, December 2015. resources.” Finding a broad color selection of non-petroleum-based pigments “was a challenge,” she explains. “But, by utilizing our long knowledge of custom blending, we have been able to ABOUT THE AUTHOR create a nearly full palette of aesthetically pleasing col-

orants.” Geoff Giordano has been a contributor to the natural collection colorants are processed in the Plastics Engineering since 2009, covering a same fashion as the company’s other Holcobatch and Hol- range of topics, including additives, infra- structure, flexible electronics, design coprill products. software, 3D printing and nanotechnolo- “the line is low-dosing, low-dust, free-flowing, and offers gy. He has served as editor-in-chief of easy processing,” notes field technician James spehar. “the numerous industry magazines and is naturals collection can be optimally processed with both one- founder and chief creative officer of content marketing firm Driven Inbound. He and two-step injection molding equipment and also extru- can be reached at sion equipment,” he continues, and the line’s parameters “are [email protected] designed to be used within polyethylene terephthalate resin

48 | PlastIcs EnGInEErInG | OctOBEr 2017 | www.4spe.org | www.plasticsengineering.org 44-49 Giordano Colors & Finishes_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 9/19/17 12:53 PM Page 49

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SPE: OUT & ABOUT

Spotlight: Plastic Design Northeast 2017

This meeting near Boston of SPE’s PD3 Division explored a variety of plastic product design and process considerations

By Conor Carlin

hat should design engineers do when they Defining the design and performance requirements, along know a plastic element is needed in the with a project timeline, will allow all members of the value product?” chain to collaborate successfully and minimize risk. “Do it “WQuestions like this one were posed at a two-day event in right the first time” proved to be a key theme throughout Boston hosted by the SPE Design & Development Division the event. (PD3) this summer. The division welcomed 40 industry insid- ers to explore plastic product design considerations for the A Vast Materials Universe medical and analytical instrument industries. With a sizable There are real challenges when it comes to selecting the contingent from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, right material for a given job. According to Flaherty, there both academia and business were represented. are some 846 companies that supply polymers and plastic materials. Each supplies numerous families and grades of Design Parameters plastics. The MatWeb.com material property data website has Ed Flaherty, application development engineer for plastics more than 12,000 grades from which to choose. How does distributor Nexeo Solutions, based in The Woodlands, Texas, a designer select the right one? led a conversation about the strength of medical plastics A suggested first cut at segmenting materials is based on industry, its overall size (estimated at $20 billion in 2016, separating amorphous from semi-crystalline polymers. There including pharmaceutical packaging1), the employment are benefits and limitations with opportunities and the design possibilities. Flaherty is part each, and some blends can split of a global team at Nexeo dedicated to assisting original the difference. Foundational equipment manufacturers and molders alike with complex considerations, including chem- specification solutions early in the design process. ical resistance, durability and With many product, packaging and industrial designers clarity requirements, provide a in the audience, he offered an open-ended topic for dis- secondary level of qualification. cussion: what should design engineers consider once they As plastics distributors like to realize a plastic component is required for a product? say, “There wouldn’t be so many Medical device designers are typically moving outside their materials if there weren’t so expertise when they have to investigate specialized topics many specific niche applica- like the chemical compatibility of engineered resins. As such, tions.” engaging in early supplier involvement is a critical first step. Glenn Beall, SPE fellow and ______distinguished member, offered the elegantly simple acknowl- 1 http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/medical-plastics-market Nexeo’s Ed Flaherty edgment that because plastics

50 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | OCTOBER 2017 | www.4spe.org | www.plasticsengineering.org

50-55 Carlin PD3 Conference Report NEW_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 9/19/17 2:00 PM Page 51 processing is relatively new, it should be considered a work When it comes to “ in progress. Specialized knowledge such as tribology, in which solid data on plastics-to-plastics resistance is mini- machined parts, mal, offers opportunities for deeper study. Abrasion, friction and wear are not easily measured or molded thermoplastic parts quantified. Supplier data sheets typically have test results that were done under ideal conditions, but this does not can be cost-effective when always help the designer or processor who is operating under real-world circumstances. Any changes to a mate- the part cost and volume are rial, such as adding fire retardant or pigment, will alter the specifications. The onus is on the user to test the materi- the equivalent of al in conditions that mimic the application as closely as “ possible. $50,000 or more. Because many applications in the medical device industry involve human contact, sterilization techniques should be understood in the context of plastics material choice. The And, though using air-conditioned trucks can control shrink- following sterilization techniques were reviewed: age, it is not an effective remedy. • Autoclave (used for most reusables, in-package, high volume) Tribology • Ethylene oxide (most widely used for disposables; Tribology is the study of friction, wear and lubrication. Gen- highly compatible with most plastics; toxic residuals erally speaking, plastic-on-plastic wear data are more difficult must be managed) to find than plastics-on-metals data. Cliff Watkins of • Gamma irradiation (fastest growing technique) PolySource delivered an in-depth presentation on tribolo- • E-Beam (lower cost, rapid turnaround time; product gy and introduced some heuristics to help manage an area size limitations) where it can be difficult to separate the signal from the noise. Sliding pairs of materials are measured using contact pres- Material Processing sure and sliding speed (PV = load/projected area * velocity). Material viscosity, drying requirements, processing windows, Independent variables include frictional heat, changes in shrinkage, abrasion and corrosion effects, and recyclability CoF over time, wear debris, and noise (e.g., squeaking). The are among the critical elements of polymer material pro- operator must manage creep, melting point and minimize cessing. Designers must take these into consideration when dust in order to generate quality data. reviewing design features such as draft angles and under- Bearings and conveyors are two areas where this data can cuts. be helpful. Moving aluminum-can blanks over plastics con- Understanding the effects of mold flow will help the design- veyors, for example, can generate aluminum dust. If this is er understand the mechanical properties of the material an environment with water, aluminum oxide, otherwise which, in turn, will help create process specifications (e.g., known as sandpaper, is generated. This would hinder prop- psi requirements for mold filling), the effects of melt-flow er conveyance. impact machinery, and technology requirements. There is no single test, however, and there is a lot of noise Low flow rates (0.2 – 10.0) require higher injection pres- in data. According to Watkins, 12 tests of one sliding pair sure. At the same time, viscosity, molecular weight, impact are recommended for the best signal-to-noise ratio. resistance, shrinkage and chemical resistance all increase. High flow rates (25.0 – higher) typically result in ease of fill- Understanding Color’s Complexities ing. Conversely, viscosity, molecular weight, impact and How do you define “white” when there are 50,000 shades? chemical resistance all decrease. While a spectrophotometer is required for color matching, Designers are advised to create a check list for specific sometimes a color request can result in a change of mate- application and environmental concerns at the beginning rial because certain materials cannot be made in certain of the project. Temperature (avoiding mold temperature dif- colors. Materials like polycarbonate will suffer from ultravi- ferential), stresses, strain rate, chemical exposure, olet light degradation. Acrylic is used for UV resistance, both flammability, UV exposure, and tolerances should all be disas a base material and as a protective film. Aliphatic ther- cussed at the outset to avoid expensive redesigns or part moplastic polyolefins also were mentioned as a solution for failure. parts that will be exposed to UV. Flaherty shared an anecdote about a processor in the When discussing clarity, how clear is clear? What is the Northeast who shipped parts to a customer in the South- difference between terms like ‘clear’, ‘transparent’ and west only to find that the material had warped during transit. ‘opaque’? There are two main factors used when discussing

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SPE: OUT & ABOUT

clarity, light transmittance and haze, both measured as a Elastomers: Definitions & Uses percentage. The higher the percentage of light transmit- Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are softer polymers that tance, the clearer the material is to the human eye. Acrylic, can be repeatedly stretched without permanent deforma- for example, has light transmittance of 92 percent while tion. They are true thermoplastics in the sense that there is polycarbonate is 88 percent. From the designer’s perspec- no need for curing or vulcanizing. TPEs contain hard and tive, however, it is critical to know that that PC is more ductile soft segments and they can be processed through conven- and impact resistant than acrylic. These factors can influ- tional techniques. In many applications, mainly in automotive ence the final choice of material. and medical industries, TPEs will replace rubber. They can also replace PVC (though usually at a higher cost) Specialty Compounds in applications where plasticizers in PVC migrate. Other ther- Resins and fillers are used in combination to achieve dif- moplastic olefins, including EVA, TPU, SBC (styrenic block ferent material characteristics. Properties such as high copolymer), COPE (copolyester elastomers) and PEBA (poly- specific gravity, tensile and flexural strength, dimensional ester block amide) are in the elastomer category. Repeated stability and thermal conductivity are just a few of the key steam sterilization can, however, drive material selection to areas where additives can change material properties. TPVs (thermoplastic vulcanizates) only, as other TPE mate- There are many types of fillers, including glass, carbon rials will not stand up to heat/steam. fibers, mica, clay and PTFE. Anti-static, dissipative, and shield- ing compounds may impact surface resistivity. Process Selection To provide an example of how compounding material can Michael Paloian, founder and president of New York-based affect specific devices, Flaherty discussed a dispensing tip Integrated Design Systems Inc., reviewed the primary for fluids. If there is a charge on the surface of the pipette, processes in part plastic part production: injection molding; less material will flow into the analytical device. Conductiv- pressure formed injection; gas-assist injection molding; vac- ity allows capacitance-based liquid-level detection for uum infusion; rotational molding; structural foam; pressure automated pipetting systems. Compounds, therefore, are forming, and twin-sheet thermoforming. Designers should used to increase conductivity. use part size as an initial indicator of what processes can or Additives for wear resistance such as PTFE, silicone, graphite, should be investigated. High-volume, small, complex parts carbon fiber, molybdenum disulfide, aramid and polymer alloys lend themselves to injection molding, whereas very large are now commonly used, but not necessarily understood by parts with low volumes will work better using thermoform- designers. PTFE offers large reduction in coefficient of friction, ing or rotational molding. but it is not yet available for healthcare applications. A new Paloian presented a series of slides that illustrated an blend of PFPE/PEI (perfluoropolyether/polyetherimide) has attempt to relativize a given plastic process by part costs, been used instead. Another real-life example of changing poly- geometric complexity, material selection and precision. He mer properties through additives is when a product has to stressed the importance of understanding the limitations slide in a catheter but it is sticking. In this case, an additive like of certain process on tolerances. Injection molding proved siloxane can help. to be the most effective, though designers were cautioned not to limit themselves by ignoring other techniques. Conversion from Metals to Plastics Polyurethanes and nylons are most commonly used with Many metal assemblies can be replaced by a single plastic reaction injection molding (RIM), for example. When used molding. When it comes to machined parts, molded ther- for larger parts, there can be some overlap with thermo- moplastic parts can be cost-effective when the part cost and formers. RIM will require some secondary operations, but volume are the equivalent of $50,000 or more. Cast metal the chemistry has evolved and improved over the past 20 parts such as those made from aluminum or zinc die cast- years, leading to new, niche applications. ings are an excellent target for plastics. Plastics are most competitive in colored, complex parts that weigh less than Do It Right the First Time 1 pound and that are produced in runs of 150,000 or more. While some might consider it common sense, the consult- Overall part size is also a good indicator of when plastics ants presented a litany of examples where poor planning will present significant weight savings compared to various and lack of supplier involvement resulted in part failures or metal-based options. extended lead times and, ultimately, disappointed customers.

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Though it usually takes more time and requires a higher Thermoforming equipment is generally flexible to allow budget, doing it right the first time leads to less failure and for different sheet, or blank, sizes. Large part sizes are eas- less pain later. Designers should understand what is criti- ily accommodated, though there is an ultimate constraint cal to quality. Which dimensions are going to be measured found in the size of the extruded sheet. Custom extruders by the user when the parts come into the buyer’s facility? can produce material up to 80 inches wide by 192 inches This will help reduce unnecessary steps during production. long, but not every processor has the ability to handle such Designers also must consider downstream concerns such materials inside their plant. as manufacturability, mold quality, labor content during pro- “If you can extrude it, you can form it,” said Probst. The duction, vendor quality control, number of vendors, and extrusion process offers several inherent benefits, includ- secondary operations. For example, many jobs are trans- ing the ability to make custom colors and finishes. Pressure lated from sheet metal where tolerances are very different forming, in particular, can offer exceptional cosmetic ben- from plastics. Designers have to be very clear that drawings efits where the surface finish can be better controlled by and specifications are relevant and correct for the process the mold surface. The pressure on the sheet from ranges chosen. from 15 to150 psi and will require a pressure box. How do designers plan for technological change or obso- Unlike the majority of roll-fed, thin-gauge parts such as lescence? They can design in certain elements like adaptor cups and deli containers, heavy-gauge parts are typically not plates or other flexible elements such as localized inserts in designed to be stackable, though there are exceptions, such molds, mounting brackets, or simple bosses that allow for as dunnage trays. Designers should consider that while injec- changes. tion molding is a melt-flow process, thermoforming is heating and forming, not molding. Focus on Thermoforming This means you can’t get parts that are 4 feet by 4 feet at Ed Probst, chair of PD3, kicked off the event’s second day 0.015 inches thick, so expectations have to be managed at by providing some historical context for thermoforming: “As the outset. Heating sheet reduces stress inherent from the disco was ending, pressure forming was starting.” Early extrusion process, though formers must be aware that sheet examples of pressure forming included a patent by Skydex orientation plays a role in shrinkage. A good thermoformer for two hemispheres coming together and the iconic Air Jor- will specify the orientation of the sheet in order to design dan shoe soles, which were twin-sheet formed. Designers and the tool accordingly to account for shrinkage. processors figured out how to custom-tune the absorption of energy to minimize shock to the human foot. These break- The Economics of Thermoforming throughs spawned an industry of personal protection and Following the previous day’s discussions about which process led to the growth of twin-sheet applications. is best suited to part design, Probst and Steve Zamprelli, SPE Thermoforming Division’s secretary and vice president of sales at Formed Plastics Inc. in New York, reviewed considerations for performance and costs. Generally speaking, as parts get bigger, the advantages go to thermoforming. Tool costs in particular are a major driver when calculating price per part. Machined or cast aluminum, steel and other options, including composite materials such as syntactic foam, can be used as tool materials, depending on volumes, size and complexity. Mold temperature control is typically standard in mid- to large-volume parts. Non-temperature-controlled tools are also used, though they may lead to warping and wider tolerance ranges. Most thermoformed parts are made locally due to shipping costs. This helps to explain the lack of imported thermoformed parts from China or other for- eign countries. Though thermoforming cannot match the tolerances of injection molding, most thermoformed parts are not required to perform same the function (e.g., gears, pins or bushings). The polymer material needs to flow in injection molding, so wall thickness is sometimes thicker than what can be achieved Example of twin-sheet TPU thermoformed part. in thermoforming. There is more flexibility in thermoform- Courtesy of Skydex ing in terms of using different starting gauges to reduce

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SPE: OUT & ABOUT

L-R: Bob Carrier of C&K Plastics shows examples of large-part thermoforming, while PD3 also put other parts on display at its event. Photos by Conor Carlin

weight and wall thickness. operating room technology, where parts can be formed as As a heuristic, Probst offered that when planning for part small as 0.040 inches. dimensions (from a machined aluminum tool), designers Key markets of interest for thermoformed parts include should account for +/- 0.015 inches on first the 12 inches of material handling (dunnage trays), personal protection (ener- part, then add 0.001 inch for each additional inch. If a cast gy-absorbing pads), and transportation, where weight aluminum tool is used, the parts will be +/- 0.030 inches for reduction is a major driver of design innovation. Nowhere the first 12 inches, with 0.001 inch for each additional inch. was this clearer than in some of the recent prize-winning Aluminum tools are used in thermoforming where steel parts in the annual SPE Thermoforming Parts Competition is used in injection molding, primarily due to the lower pres- that also won “Plastics for Life” awards from the society. sures found in thermoforming. And because aluminum is easier and faster to machine than steel, it can be amortized more easily over lower volumes. Bob Carrier, president of C&K Plastics in Metuchen, N.J., ABOUT THE AUTHOR and Conyers, Ga., and Rich Freeman, CEO of Freetech Plas- Conor Carlin is the Boston-based sales and marketing manager for CMT Materials Inc., a tics in Fremont, Calif., offered an impressive show-and-tell company specializing in lightweight composite series with insightful design stories. Freeman, who contin- materials for applications in plastics, packaging, ues to sponsor the Industrial Designer Society of America’s aerospace and buoyancy markets. He began his Student Thermoformed Parts Competition, works with design plastics industry career in 1998 with Sencorp Inc., a leading maker of thermoforming and pack- schools and their students helps develop future demand aging equipment. He has served on the SPE for our industry and its products. Thermoforming Division’s board of directors for “Design sells,” said Freeman, and it has opened up a wide eight years, and in 2007 took over as managing range of thermoformed products — from housings for editor of division’s Thermoforming Quarterly publication. He also recently was elected SPE’s VP of marketing and communications. telecommunications switches to dental laser housings to

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Porsche to Offer Lightweight, Carbon Fiber Wheels

orsche’s new 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series will be the wheels weigh about 8.5 kilograms less than standard alloy first car ever to feature braided carbon fiber wheels wheels, a weight reduction of 20 percent, Porsche says. as an option, the German carmaker recently “Lower rotating masses mean more spontaneity both in Pannounced. acceleration and braking,” says a statement from the luxu- Combined with a protective layer of clear lacquer, the ry car manufacturer. “The result is increased driving dynamics and driving pleasure.” The new wheels are manufactured entirely from carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP). This polymer consists of carbon fiber fabric assembled from 200 individual components and braided carbon fiber, the component used for the rim base. This braided carbon fiber, Porsche says, is made using the world’s largest carbon fiber braiding machine with a diameter of nine meters. Once the wheel center is braided into the rim base, the assembled wheel is injected with resin and pre-hardened at high pressure and temperatures. Porsche says its braided carbon fiber wheels cut weight by 20 percent vs. alloy wheels. www.porsche.com

Green Plastics Come to Pet Food Packaging

idwest Pet Foods Inc.’s Earthborn Holistic® Ven- Indiana-based Midwestern Pet Foods. “In addition to under- tureTM pet food line will use sustainable packaging scoring Midwestern Pet Foods’ commitment to sustainability, produced by Peel Plastics Products Ltd. Peel’s pet consumer response to our new PlantBag has been over- foodM bags use the environmentally friendly I’m GreenTM poly- whelmingly enthusiastic.” ethylene from Braskem, a São Gustavo Sergi, Braskem’s renewables Paulo-based petrochemicals giant and director, notes that the use of this sus- biopolymers producer. tainable PE is a move toward a broader The I’m Green PE is a bio-based resin use of renewable packaging materials comprising ethanol, a renewable and in North America. sustainable resource produced from “North America is gaining momentum Brazilian sugarcane. This polyethylene in terms of its use of sustainable green is a drop-in substitute for oil-based PE. PE,” Sergi says. “It is encouraging that Because the sugarcane uses carbon North America is catching up to other dioxide and releases oxygen, Braskem regions of the world with visionary com- says it has a negative carbon footprint. panies such as Midwestern Pet Foods Midwest’s use of the bio-based PE in and Peel Plastics taking the lead to a its food bags represents 3.09 tons of more sustainable consumer lifestyle. CO2 captured from the atmosphere. Stay tune, you will only see more of “We’re excited to incorporate the PlantBag® in the all-new these launches in the coming months and years.” Earthborn Holistic Venture line,” says Jeff Nunn, president of www.braskem.com/site.aspx/plastic-green

56 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | OCTOBER 2017 | www.4spe.org | www.plasticsengineering.org 56-61 Industry News_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 9/19/17 12:47 PM Page 57

De Vos Named CEO of Belgian Materials Company Campine

illem De Vos, the former head of SPE, was recent- ence, financial manage- ly named chief executive officer of Campine NV, a ment knowledge, and a Belgian company that makes flame-retardant mas- global business perspec- Wterbatches for plastics, antimony oxides, and PET catalysts. tive,” according to a Campine also recycles lead batteries. statement from Campine. De Vos, who left SPE at the end of June to return to the As previously reported, plastics and chemical industry, succeeds Geert Krekel. De Patrick Farrey replaced De Vos has been an independent member of Campine’s board Vos as the CEO of SPE in of directors since May 2015. this summer. “[De Vos brings] deep operating and leadership experi- http://www.campine.biz

Wim de Vos

Asahi Kasei to Open Plastics Operation in China

sahi Kasei (China) Co. Ltd., the Shanghai-based sub- on automotive applications. sidiary of Japan’s Asahi Kasei Corp., is opening a plastic Asahi has plastics compound manufacturing and sales compounds factory in Changshu, Jiangsu, China, to facilities in Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, the United Aaddress growing demand for automobiles in that country. States, Mexico, and Germany. Asahi claims the demand for “We will continue to examine lighter vehicles, as well as envi- additional avenues for further ronmentally friendly materials, is optimization of our plastic com- driving the demand in that region. pounds manufacturing network The new factory is part of the in China, including the possibility parent company’s “Cs for Tomorrow 2018” initiative, which of toll compounding,” according to a statement from Asahi aims to advance a strategic global expansion of its engi- Kasei. neering plastics business in the material sector, with a focus http://www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Krones, Erema Enter into PET Recycling Collaboration

rones AG, a German machinery and processing com- to the finished factory.” pany, and Erema Engineering Recycling Maschinen und The proposed collaboration will contribute toward the Anlagen GmbH, an Austrian recycling machinery pro- “circular economy,” the companies claim, closing the loop ducer,K have teamed up to plan and design polyethylene plastic between plastics production and recycling. recycling lines and factories. “Thanks to this alliance with Krones, we can now provide The partnership, the two companies say, will offer clients our customers with expanded engineering expertise and from beverage and PET recycling industries an optimized upsized capacities for planning PET recycling factories,” say line or factory. an Erema statement. “The accumulated corporate experience and the product www.krones.com and www.erema.com portfolios of Erema and Krones complement each other to optimum effect: Erema, as the world’s market leader in the manufacture of plastic recycling systems, contributes the expertise required for PET processing, and Krones is the world’s leading manufacturer and turnkey vendor of filling and packaging technology,” according to a joint statement. “Krones’s product portfolio, however, com- prises not only machines and lines for filling and packaging beverages and liquid foods, but also machines for producing PET bottles, plus modules and lines for the recycling process. The collaborative agreement will also focus significantly on planning entire factories, which Krones is already offering to beverage bottlers and PET recyclers from Erema and Krones aim to capitalize on the bottle-to-bottle trend that is seeing the feasibility study stage all the way through recycled PET being finding use as food-grade packaging materials.

American Injection Molding Institute Launches Certificate Program

he American Injection Molding Institute introduced a The principles, he says, were developed to “deal with the new injection molding certificate program as a way to diverse challenges of injection molding; a molder should be encourage molders to apply diverse techniques. able to move beyond a predetermined process methodolo- T“This program was designed to not only teach molders gy and react creatively to each new mold, product, and how to set up and transfer processes between molding polymer, each of which contribute their own unique chal- machines, but also how to be more creative and become lenges. This requires an in-depth knowledge of the complex better at troubleshooting,” says John Beaumont, founder interactions of the molding process with the polymer, mold and president of the Erie, Pa.-based AIM Institute and Beau- design (including its melt delivery system), and part design. mont Technologies. “Our students are guided to apply critical These are essentially the four pillars of injection molding.” thinking to determine the root causes of molding issues and The program consists of a week of classroom and lab to address these directly rather than applying less robust instruction. Participants then return home for five weeks of symptomatic fixes.” homework and online reviews before returning for a sec- Jason Travitz, lead course developer and instructor, cre- ond week of hands-on learning and two days of final exams, ated the program based upon principles used during his AIM says. 20-year injection molding career. http://www.aim.institute/

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Eastman Chemical to Expand Malaysian Copolyester Site

astman Chemical Co., headquartered in Kingsport, materials,” says Burt Capel, vice president and general man- Tenn., says it plans to expand its copolyester resin manager of Eastman’s specialty plastics business. “This investment ufacturing site in Kauntan, Malaysia. The firm anticipates further solidifies Eastman’s commitment to the Asia-Pacif- Ecompleting the expansion during the first quarter of 2018, ic region and to providing our customers around the world which will reportedly boost the company’s glycol-modified with the highest-quality materials in the market.” polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) capacity by 20 percent. Eastman’s Malaysia site produces the SpectarTM and Eas- “This expansion positions Eastman to meet the increas- tarTM copolyester brands. ing global demand we’re seeing for our copolyester www.eastman.com

# Energy Dashboards 77

Previous tips have discussed reporting energy costs (Tip #57) production volume and is not a reliable indicator of any and the problems with Specific Energy Consumption underlying changes in energy management. Do not include (kWh/kg) as a performance measure (#58). These focused on this on the energy dashboard. If you must include an SEC management reporting, but there is a need in every company value then use a “rolling average” over at least six months. for a simple “energy dashboard” to provide everybody with Reporting is an essential part of monitoring and targeting, an overview of energy performance. and what gets reported gets done. The energy dashboard is This should not be a management report with many an essential part of this. numbers but should be a visual report to allow staff to instantly see trends and the actions being taken. A well- designed dashboard will drive continual improvement, give Actions: everybody the same information and maintain enthusiasm • Energy dashboards should be visual, attractive and for progress in energy management. communicate progress—there are many resources Energy dashboards should display: available on the internet to show you how to do this.

• Energy use (target and actual) • Make the dashboard easy to update. A complex • Deviation from target energy use dashboard will fall into disuse. The energy manager should be able to update the dashboard by simply • Cumulative energy use performance inputting a few numbers or, even better, it should happen • Projects and savings delivered to date (if you are unhappy automatically from the operational results. about reporting financial details then report in terms of CO2 saved) • Distribute and display the energy dashboard widely. There is always a temptation to include the monthly SEC (kWh/kg) on a dashboard, but the monthly SEC depends on ©Tangram Technology Ltd.

Note: Dr. Robin Kent is the author of Energy Management in Plastics Processing, published by Plastics Information Direct, and managing director of Tangram Technology Ltd., (www.tangram.co.uk), consulting engineers specializing in energy management in plastics processing. Contact him at [email protected].

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Tekni-Plex Begins Production at New Chinese Plant

ekni-Plex inc.’s new manufacturing facility in suzhou, ventional therapies china, is up and running. the 140,000-square-foot plant and surgical appli- has already begun manufacturing silicone extrusion cations. ttubing for catheters, feeding tubes, drug delivery, and peri- the suzhou plant staltic pump applications for tekni-Plex’s natvar, colorite represents a $15 million investment from tekni-Plex to sup- and action technology business units. port the growing demand from pharmaceutical and medical the new facility features three class 100K cleanrooms to device companies in the asia-Pacific region. accommodate the production of this medical-grade tubing, Headquartered in Wayne, Pa., tekni-Plex makes packag- as well as a class 10K cleanroom dedicated to the compa- ing materials, medical compounds, and medical tubing for ny’s natvar pharma-grade tubing. the medical, pharmaceutical, personal care, household, in early 2018, the company expects to begin production industrial, and food and beverage industries. of its microextrusion tubing used in neurovascular inter- www.tekni-plex.com

EconCore, Diehl Aircabin Team Up for Aircraft Modules

concore nV and Diehl aircabin gmbH have teamed up “We are both looking forward to taking this development to develop next-generation aircraft interior modules by forward to create mono-material thermoplastic honeycomb thermoforming and functionalizing sandwich panels that could be very effi- Emono-material sandwich panels in a sin- ciently one-shot thermoformed and gle step, the two companies announced. functionalized into final aircraft interior Econcore, a Belgian company that spe- modules.” cializes in thermoplastic honeycomb czarnecki said in a recent statement technology, and Diehl, a german aircraft that Econcore’s continuous production cabin lighting producer, produced a pro- technology has proven to be cost-effec- totype of an aircraft stowage unit. this tive for packaging, logistics, automotive, unit was recently presented at the com- and ground transportation applications. posites Europe 2017 exhibition in “We believe that the aerospace indus- stuttgart. Diehl Aircabin and EconCore are develop- try will also welcome such a solution,” he this new technology combines Econ- ing aircraft interior modules based on says. “We also believe that, with costs concore’s honeycomb production technology thermoplastic honeycomb. trolled by our fast, low-energy consuming, with a special grade of polycarbonate that in-line integrated process, the fire-smoke- can withstand fire, smoke, and toxic materials. toxicity-qualified honeycomb technology could be extended “We are very happy to be working with such an innova- to a wider range of applications, including railway trans- tion-driven leader in the aerospace industry as Diehl aircabin,” portation.” says tomasz czarnecki, Econcore’s chief operating officer. www.econcore.com

Total Corbion Now Offering PLA Made from Sustainable Sugarcane

ioplastics maker total corbion Pla, headquartered in pany’s existing luminy Pla resin portfolio, total corbion gorichem, the netherlands, has added polylactic acid announced. made from sustainably sourced sugarcane to its prod- “a reduced carbon footprint and the multiple end-of-life solu- uctB portfolio. the eco-friendly Pla has been certified by the tions that Pla offers are key reasons why many brand owners london-based nonprofit Bonsucro, which promotes sustain- convert from traditional plastics to Pla bioplastics,” says François able sugarcane production. de Bie, senior marketing director for total corbion. the newly certified Pla will be promoted along with the com- www.total-corbion.com

60 | Plastics EnginEEring | OctOBEr 2017 | www.4spe.org | www.plasticsengineering.org 56-61 Industry News_046854 IndustryNews.QXD 9/19/17 12:47 PM Page 61

ELIX Polymers Introduces ABS, PC/ABS Range for Auto Applications

LIX Polymers, the Tarragona, Spain-based producer of PC/ABS scored a 1 on the scale, the lowest risk level. acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polycarbonate- “Until now, in many instances, fabrics or grease had to be ABS resins, has developed a range of specialty grades of added afterwards to reduce squeak and rattle,” says Fabrian EABS and PC/ABS to reduce the squeak produced when plastic Herter, industry manager for automotive at ELIX. “However, parts come in contact with other plastic parts, leather, PVC foil, this involves additional costs and manual labor––and there- and other materials. fore is not ideal. Now, thanks to these new ELIX grades, we The new grades were tested by several automotive origi- are able to offer a more competitive solution when compared nal equipment manufacturers, ELIX says, using testing to other resins that are currently available. This new devel- machines from Ziegler Instruments. The tests were conduct- opment is the result of our close partnership with leading ed using a 10-point scale in which 10 is the highest risk level OEMs. Together, we identified the need to address this issue, for noise produced by friction. They also performed the tests and we were able to develop tailor-made solutions. This at different forces, including 10N and 40N, and at different approach is fully in line with our strategy to focus on special- speeds, including 1 mm/s and 4 mm/s at a variety of tem- ty added-value materials.” peratures. According to ELIX, the new grades of ABS and www.elix-polymers.com

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Brings its Oxygen Absorber to the U.S.

okyo’s Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. Inc. has introduced aromas with the need for sachets or packets. its oxygen-absorbing technology for flexible packaging MGC says the technology is ideal for retort packaging appli- to the U.S. market. The company claims the technolo- cations and can be used with products such as sauces, soups, Tgy can more than double the shelf life for some food products. sauces, dips, protein bars, prepared meals, processed fruit, Mitsubishi embeds an iron-based absorber as film layer and wet pet foods. in the pouch and says it can be combined with any barrier The company manufactures the absorber in Japan and is film. It is said to create an atmosphere within packaging in finally introducing it in the United States after succesful use which oxygen concentration is reduced to 0.1% or less, while elsewhere since 2000. extending and protecting original food flavors, textures and www.mgc-a.com

Thermoforming Technology Group Changes Name to Brown Machine Group

hermoforming Technology Group of Beaverton, Mich., The new name, the company says, comes with a stylized B has changed its name to Brown Machine Group, the logo. company announced recently. “Besides the quality of our machinery, what sets us apart is our TThe new name, the company says, represents its legacy in people, including the depth and breadth of experience of our engi- the thermoforming industry. It also supports its strategy of neering and design team,” says Bob Gordert, director of sales for accelerated market growth. Brown. “When you combine that expertise along with our in- “We will continue to build on the strengths of the indi- house tooling capabilities and our highly qualified teams of vidual product brands in our portfolio, while leveraging process engineers and service technicians, we are able to offer their unique qualities company-wide to provide our cus- an unparalleled turnkey solution. This teamwork allows us to tomers with a broader and better service offering across the step in at any phase of a project to help customers diagnose, board,” says Bryan Redman, president and chief executive optimize, and get to peak efficiency faster than anyone else.” officer of the newly named organization. “By combining Brown Machine Group, a thermoforming technology our expertise and services, we are positioning ourselves company, is owned by private equity firm Tenex Capital Man- to be of maximum value to our customers as problem agement. Its product lines are manufactured by Brown Machine, solvers and innovators. We are extremely excited about Lyle Industries, Nalle Automation Systems, and EPCO. the future.” www.brown-machine.com

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INDUSTRY PATENTS

Our Regular Roundup of Notable Patents

By Roger Corneliussen

Recycled PET tomers. Grafting occurs by Friedel-Crafts alkylation of U.S. Patent 9,695,313 (July 4, 2017), “Recycled Polyethylene solutions in special reactors. Terephthalate Compositions, Fibers and Articles Produced there- from, and Methods for Producing same,” Hubert J. Booth, Christopher Eric Bradley, Daniel Ray Johnson and James Henry Keen, Jr. (Columbia Insurance Co., Omaha, Neb.). Edge-Gated Injection Molding Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resins are very useful U.S. Patent 9,694,525 (July 4, 2017), “Edge-Gated Injection Mold- but recycled resins are not satisfactory for fiber extrusion ing Apparatus,” Payman Tabassi and Kenneth Jacob (Mold-Master because of streaking and breaking problems. Booth et al (2007) Ltd., Georgetown, Ont., Canada). produced recycled PET resins suitable for fibers by recrys- Edge-gating is used in injection molding manifolds for tallization and adding small amounts of virgin resin. The large, complicated structures. However, thermal expan- process consists of mixing pellets of post-consumer mate- sion and molding component movements cause distor- rials, heating, melting, recrystallizing, and drying. Five wt% tions and misalignments resulting in defective moldings or more virgin PET resins are added. The final pellets can and process readjustments. Tabassi and Jacob developed be extruded to form fibers free from streaking or undesir- an edge-gated system for injection molding having an able fracture. injection manifold assembly with special biasing components including nozzle seals to counter these changes. Each nozzle seal is connected to the melt outlet and automatically shifts to keep proper alignment during each Grafted Polyolefins cycle. U.S. Patent 9,695,288 (July 4, 2017), “Graft Engineering Thermo- plastics with Polyolefins, “Yong Yang, John R. Hagadorn and Ozone Treatment Andy H. Tsou (ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc., Baytown, U.S. Patent 9,694,521 (July 4, Texas). 2017), “Ozone Adhesion Process Most polyolefin products have limited useful tempera- for Insulating Container Man- ture ranges because of low heat-distortion temperatures ufacture,” John French, Paul caused by low crystal melting temperatures and "soft- Nugent, Francis Laxamana and ness." One approach to improve processability and Argel Adarlo (Yeti Coolers LLC, Austin, Texas). toughness is blending with engineering thermoplastics or An insulating container usually consists of a layer of reinforcing with fibers. Blending leads to stability and insulation attached to the container surface. The problem uniformity problems. Yang, Hagadorn and Tsou over- is the difficulty of bonding the insulation to a nonreactive came this problem by grafting polyolefin copolymers to surface. French et al. improved adhesion of an insulating engineering thermoplastics. The engineering thermo- foam to a molded polymeric container through use of plastic has at least one phenylene group in the polymer ozone gas for functionalization of molded polymeric sur- backbone and the polyolefin is a vinyl/vinylidene-termi- faces. The ozone gas is produced by an ozone generator nated polyolefin. This includes polypropylenes, ethylene- producing a gas containing 5 to 7.5 percent ozone and propylene copolymers, polyisobutylenes, polydienes, 92.5 to 95 percent oxygen. After molding a polymeric propylene-based elastomers or ethylene-based plas- shell, the ozone gas is injected into the cavity and flushed

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from the cavity several times by an inert gas such as nitro- mers and 5 to 70 wt percent of a poly(carbonate-siloxane) gen, helium, or argon followed by foamed insulation copolymer with 10 to 25 wt percent siloxane content. This application. resin can be used for thermoformed, extruded, honeycomb, laminates, coated or metallized structures.

Thermal Conductors U.S. Patent 9,688,897 (June 27, 2017), Polyamide Composites “Carbon Nanotube Composite Mate- U.S. Patent 9,688,844 (June 27, 2017), “Polyamide Resin-Type rial and Thermal Conductor,” Kenji Composite Material and Method for Producing same,” Jun Hata and Seisuke Ata (National Insti- Mitadera (Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. Inc., Chiyoda-ku, Japan). tute of Advanced Industrial Science Low-density, fiber-reinforced resin composites with a and Technology, Tokyo, Japan). high stiffness are widely used in machines, electronics, Increasing the processing speed of semiconductor vehicles and aerospace. However, there is demand for devices increases generated heat requiring more efficient improved impact resistance, elastic modulus, resistance to heat dispersion. Conductive fillers such as carbon fibers warping, dimensional stability, heat resistance, recycling, are effective but nonuniform dispersion is a serious prob- moldability, and productivity. Mitadera developed lem. Hata and Ata found that coating carbon fibers with xylylenediamine polyamide fiber composites and mold- carbon nanotubes creates a stable three-dimensional ings for high temperatures and high humidity with a high conducting network. This network then can be incorpo- elastic modulus, reduced warping, improved recycling, rated into a polymer matrix with a stable uniform disper- better moldability, and productivity than for thermosetting sion. The resulting carbon fiber content ranges from 15 to resins. This polyamide composite material consists of a 50 wt percent of the composite. The carbon network is fibrous material impregnated with a polyamide resin formed by gas phase crystallization along with a graphiti- where at least 50 mole percent of diamine is xylylenedi- zation at 2,300˚ to 3,200 ˚C which is then dispersed in the amine and having a number-average molecular weight polymeric matrix. Fluorocarbon elastomers are the pre- (Mn) of 6,000 to 30,000 gm/mole, and containing a compo- ferred matrix because of the affinity between fluorocar- nent of a diamine molecular weight of less than 1,000 bons and carbon nanotubes. gm/mole.

Improved Polycarbonates Transparent Materials U.S. Patent 9,688,855 (June 27, U.S. Patent 9,688,001 (June 27, 2017), “Method of Manufactur- 2017), “Polycarbonate-Polysilox- ing Transparent Resin Composition,” Akiyoshi Kobayashi, ane Copolymer Compositions for Shigeyuki Fujii, Takafumi Sameshima and Hiroshi Shimizu (Toshi- Mobile Phone Housing Applica- ba Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, Japan and HSP Technologies tions,” Ramon Groote, James Franklin Hoover, Robert Dirk Van Inc., Tsukuba-Shi, Japan). De Grampel, Mark Adrianus Johannes Van Der Mee, Remco Polycarbonate resin is excellent in transparency, dimen- Wirtz, Jian Yang and Junhua Zhang (Sabic Global Technologies sional stability, and resistance to impact used in automo- B.V., Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands). biles, electronic devices, and houses. However, it shows Polycarbonates are useful in a wide variety of applica- poor surface hardness and resistance to ultraviolet light. tions at least in part because of their good balance of Kobayashi et al developed a method for producing a properties, such as moldability, heat resistance and impact transparent material, by mixing polycarbonates and properties. However, polycarbonate materials with acrylics continuously with a twin-screw extruder or a sin- improved low-temperature impact resistance, chemical gle-screw extruder with a shear processing section. The resistance and good aesthetics are still needed. Groote et transparent resin is produced by kneading the molten al developed polycarbonate materials with 30 to 95 wt per- resin mixture in the shear processing portion with 500 to cent of one or more bisphenol A polycarbonate homopoly- 4000 rpm rotation.

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INDUSTRY PATENTS

oped RF weldable tubing based on polyolefins. The tubing Carbon Sorbents consists of an inner layer including a polyvinylidene fluo- ride (PVDF) copolymer or an ethylene alpha-olefin copoly- U.S. Patent 9,687,812 (June 27, 2017), “Method for Making Car- mer that may include a grafted polyethylene. The tubing bonaceous Sponge-Like Sorbent,” Sherif Shawki Zaki Hindi and may also have a gas barrier layer sandwiched between the Attieh A. Alghamdy (King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi outer layers including a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) Arabia). copolymer or an ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer. Fly ash is one of the residues generated by coal com- RF welding allows the energy to be concentrated at the RF bustion, and is composed of the fine particles that are driv- active layer without heating the entire wall. en out of the boiler with the flue gases. Worldwide, more than 65 percent of fly ash produced from coal power sta- tions is discarded in landfills and ash ponds. Fly ash recycling is important because of increasing landfill costs and Precision Molding the need for sustainable development. Hindi and U.S. Patent 9,682,497 Alghamdy produced a carbonaceous sponge-like sorbent (June 20, 2017), “Light by mixing carbon-rich fly ash with a polyvinyl acetate emul- Irradiation Molding Apparatus and Light Irradiation Molding sion binder. This mixture is pressed into a sorbent block, Method,” Fumio Kurihara (JSR Corp., Tokyo, Japan). dried, and cured with infrared radiation. The radiation Precision molding without degradation requires preci- degrades the resin to form a cyclic aromatic binder. sion heating with radiation rather than the usual heating methods. However, this requires transparency in the molding system. Kurihara developed a light irradiation molding based on transparent rubber molds. In this sys- Stronger Laminates tem, a very small light beam moves thorough the system, U.S. Patent 9,683,100 (June to sequentially melt and resolidify the plastic point to point 20, 2017), “Assemblies as needed. This enables precision molding of a large and Containing Polyetherke- complicated-shaped molded article with a high melting toneketone Tie Layers,” Christopher A. Bertelo and Gregory S. temperature. For this precision, the 0.78 to 2 micron light O'Brien (Arkema Inc., King of Prussia, Pa.). beam needs to have a small heating focus. Candidate The increasing use of laminates needs improved delam- molding resins range include polyolefins, engineering ination resistance during prolonged use. Bertelo and thermoplastics, and biodegradable resins with the usual O'Brien found that effective tie layers between the layer additives and reinforcements. are critically important for stability. They used amorphous polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) to tie together laminate layers. Such assemblies may be prepared by coating the sub- strates with amorphous PEKK and, then, pressing and Removing Parting Lines heating the assembly. These laminates may also be U.S. Patent 9,682,499 (June 20, 2017), “Induction Molded Com- formed by coextrusion. The tie layers range from 0.01 to ponents and Method of Induction Forming Components for 10 mm thickness. Mold Parting Line Minimization,” James Wagner (Harmac Med- ical Products Inc., Buffalo, N.Y.). Injection molding complex parts with converging melt flows leads to parting lines. Such lines are usually tolerat- Radio Frequency Welding ed, but in some applications, parting lines are a problem. U.S. Patent 9,682,526 (June 20, 2017), “Radio Frequency Weld- Wagner developed a molding system in which the parting able Multilayer Tubing and Method of Making the Same,” line is positioned between forming dies with internal ribs Christian Julien (Meissner Filtration Products Inc., Camarillo, and protrusions. This enables the parting line to be remelt- Calif.). ed by induction heating and reshaped. Together the dies Flexible polymer tubing that is weldable using radio fre- form an elliptical rib having an elliptical-shaped curved quency (RF) radiation is needed in medicine. Julien devel- surface for reshaping the parting line.

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Innovative 3D Printing that can react after the first polymerization. Examples U.S. Patent 9,676,963 (June 13, 2017), “Methods of Producing include a UV-curable (meth)acrylate blocked polyurethane Three-Dimensional Objects from Materials having Multiple Mech- (Part A) containing blocked polyurethane oligomers for anisms of Hardening,” Jason P. Rolland, Kai Chen, Justin Poelma, Part B. James Goodrich, Robert Pinschmidt, Joseph M. DeSimone and Lloyd M. Robeson (Carbon Inc., Redwood City, Calif.). A three-dimensional (3D) printing is capable of forming ABOUT THE AUTHOR complex structures by computer-controlled deposition of Dr. Roger Corneliussen is Professor Emer- itus of Materials Engineering of Drexel powders and solidification, but the structures are limited University in Philadelphia. He has been by simple powders and solidification. Rolland et al devel- an SPE member since 1962 and an active oped a three-dimensional, two-phase structure by first member of the Philadelphia Section, serv- depositing a transparent porous carrier structure (Part A) ing as president and national councilman for several years. The above patents are and filling the structure with a light polymerizable liquid selected from the 100 to 400 plastics- (Part B). The first structure is polymerized with light to related patents found by reviewing 3,000 form the 3D structure and later the internal material (Part to 7,000 U.S. patents published each Tues- B) is polymerized by a second irradiation. Part A includes day. Readers can review the complete list of plastics-related patents by week at acrylics, vinyls, epoxies and imides. Part B includes www.plasticspatents.com. epoxy/amines, or mixtures of monomers or prepolymers

ANTEC® ORLANDO The Plastics Technology Conference

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INDUSTRY EVENTS

Feb. 20-21 – SPE Thermoset 2018 Conference SPE & PARTNERED CONFERENCES the alexander indianapolis, ind. 2017 contact: len nunnery tel.: 630-777-6656 Oct. 15-18 – SPE FlexPackCon 2017 Email: [email protected] saddlebrook resort and spa, tampa, Fla. Web: www.4spe.org/thermoset contact: Donna Davis tel.: 281-834-2036 Feb. 25-28 – SPE International Polyolefins Conference Email: [email protected] Hilton Hotel north Web: www.4spe.org/flexpackcon Houston, texas contact: robert Portnoy nov. 6-8 – SPE Design in Plastics 2017 tel: 713-829-8799 college for creative studies, Detroit, Mich. Email: [email protected] contact: Bob grace Web: https://spe-stx.org/international-polyolefins- tel.: 330-289-9488 conference/ Email: [email protected] Web: www.4spe.org/designinplastics March 14-16 – 11th European Thermoforming Conference nov. 8 – SPE 47th Automotive Innovation Awards Hotel Marriott Park Dinner & Gala rome, italy Burton Manor, livonia, Mich. contact: Yetty Pauwels contact: Jeffrey Helms tel: +32-3-541-7755 Email: [email protected] tel.: 248-459-7012 Web: www.e-t-d.org Email: [email protected] Web: http://speautomotive.com/innovation-awards-gala March 27-29 – 2018 SPE TPO Shanghai shanghai Marriott city center SPE MEETINGS shanghai, china contact: sassan tarahomi tel.: 586-434-9126 nov. 13 – Plastic Film Manufacturing Machinery Email: [email protected] avery Dennison plant tour – Mentor, Ohio Web: www.4spe.org/tposhanghai Joint meeting with sPE cleveland & akron sections contact: Dan crist May 1 - SPE Auto EPCON tel.: 440-227-5424 Detroit Marriott troy Email: [email protected] troy, Mi Website: www.akronspe.org contact: scott Marko tel.: 203-740-5442 Email: [email protected] SPE & PARTNERED CONFERENCES 2018 Web: www.4spe.org/autoepcon18

Jan. 23-24 – JEC-SPE Composites in Competition May 7-10 – ANTEC Orlando 2018 Sports Forum Orange county convention center Hilton long Beach, long Beach, calif. Orlando, Fla. contact: scott Marko contact: scott Marko tel.: 203-740-5442 tel.: 203-740-5442 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Web: www.4spe.org/compositesinsports Web: www.4spe.org/antec18

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EDITORIAL INDEX

AeroComposit...... 27 Krones AG ...... 58 Society of Plastics Engineers AirB&B ...... 25 Lockheed Martin Inc...... 28 Amazon Inc...... 13 Logitech International SA ...... 23 EDITORIAL STAFF American Chemistry Council ...... 6-7 Lunar/McKinsey & Co...... 24-25 American Injection Molding Institute ...... 58 Luxion Inc...... 30-34 Editor-in-Chief American Institute for Packaging and the Makeblock Co. Ltd...... 19 Sheri Kasprzak Environment (AMERIPEN) ...... 6 Materials Leadership Council ...... 6 Apple Inc...... 25 McCormick & Co...... 6 Managing Editor Arkema Inc...... 64 McDonald’s Corp...... 6 Robert Grace Asahi Kasei (China) Co. Ltd...... 57 Meissner Filtration Products Inc...... 64 Atlantic Packaging ...... 16 Microsoft Inc...... 20 Contributing Editors Autodesk ...... 32-34 Midwest Mold Services Inc...... 20 Dr. Roger Corneliussen Boeing Co. (The) ...... 26 Midwest Pest Foods Inc...... 56 Jon Evans Boom Supersonic ...... 26 Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. Inc...... 61, 63 Dr. Robin Kent Boothroyd Dewhurst ...... 38 Modern Dispersions ...... 47 Braskem...... 56 Mold-Masters (2007) Ltd...... 62 Marketing & Communications Brown Machine Group ...... 61 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Sue Wojnicki C&K Plastics...... 53 Science and Technology ...... 63 Campine NV ...... 57 National Institute for Aviation Research at Branding & Design Canfield Scientific Inc...... 20 Wichita State University ...... 28 Liz Martland & Kim Wakuluk Carbon Inc...... 65 Nestle S.A...... 6 Case Western Reserve University ...... 43 Nexeo Solutions ...... 50-51 Art Director CMT Materials Inc...... 55 Ocean Conservancy ...... 6 Gerry Mercieca Coca-Cola Co...... 6 OnPoint 2020 ...... 11, 14 College for Creative Studies ...... 43, 66 Pathway21...... 6 Publisher Columbia Insurance Co...... 62 Peel Plastic Products Ltd...... 56 Lisa Dionne Lento Dainese SpA ...... 22 Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS)...... 19 Dassault Systèmes ...... 32 PolyOne Corp...... 45-46 Diehl Aircabin GmbH ...... 60 PolySource...... 51 2017–2018 EXECUTIVE BOARD Dollar Shave Club...... 12 Porsche AG ...... 56 President Eastman Chemical Co...... 59 Positec Group Ltd...... 21 Raed Al-Zu’bi EconCore NV ...... 60 Priority Designs ...... 23 EcoStrate SFS Inc...... 39 Prototype Thinking...... 31 CEO, SPE E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co...... 6 Q30 Innovations LLC ...... 23 Patrick Farrey ELIX Polymers ...... 61 Rieke Corp...... 10 Erema Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd...... 6 President-elect Anlagen GmbH ...... 58 Sabic Global Technologies BV ...... 28, 63 Brian Grady European Bioplastics e.V...... 6 Seymour Powell ...... 25 ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc...... 62 Siemens ...... 33 Vice President - Business & Finance Federal Aviation Administration...... 28 Silberline Manufacturing Co...... 45 Jeremy Dworshak Federal Express ...... 12 SmartShape Design ...... 43 Feiz Design Studio ...... 23 Solidworks...... 33 Vice President - Divisions Fictiv ...... 37-38 Solvay S.A...... 26-29 Jason Lyons Formed Plastics Inc...... 53 SPE ...... 57 Freetech Plastics ...... 53-54 SPE Color and Appearance Division ...... 44 Vice President - Events Gabriel-Chemie Group...... 44 SPE Design and Development Division ...... 50-55 Jaime Gómez Google Inc...... 25, 37 SPE Thermoforming Division ...... 53 Google X ...... 31 Stratasys Ltd...... 28-29 Vice President - Marketing & Harmac Medical Products Inc...... 64 Sun Chemical Corp...... 46-48 Communications Havas ...... 21 Target Corp...... 6 Conor Carlin Herman Miller...... 25 Teague...... 18, 26 Holland Colours Group BV ...... 47-48 TekniPlex Inc...... 60 Vice President - Sections HSP Technologies Inc...... 63 Thermoforming Technology Group...... 61 Monika Verheij IBM Global Business Services...... 25 Total Corbion PLA...... 60 Industrial Designers Society of America Tri-Mack Plastics Manufacturing Corp...... 29 Vice President - Technology & (IDSA) ...... 18-23, 54 TriMas Corp...... 11 Education Integrated Design Systems Inc...... 52 Uber ...... 25 Brian Landes IU+Design Co. Ltd...... 19 United Parcel Service...... 12 Jabil Packaging Solutions ...... 9-16 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ...... 36 Vice President - Young Professionals JSR Corp...... 64 Victrex ...... 29 Sergio Sanchez Kenson Plastics Inc...... 20 Wepco Plastics Inc...... 20 Keurig Green Mountain Inc...... 6 Whole Foods Market Inc...... 13 2016–2017 President King Abdulaziz University ...... 64 World Wildlife Fund ...... 6-7 Scott Owens Kleiner Perkins ...... 25 Yeti Coolers LLC ...... 62-63

Plastics Engineering (ISSN 0091-9578) is published monthly, except bimonthly in July/August and November/December, by Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., a Wiley Company, 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030 USA. The magazine is compiled and edited by the Society of Plastics Engineers, Editorial and Business Office, 6 Berkshire Blvd., Suite 306, Bethel, CT 06801 USA. Telephone +1 203-775-0471, Fax +1 203-775-8490. SPE Home Page: www.4spe.org. Communications should be sent to the Editor. Send address changes and undeliverable copies to the Circulation Manager at the SPE address given above. Send subscription orders and claims for non-receipt to Wiley Subscription Services at the Wiley address given above. SPE members receive the magazine as a benefit of membership. Subscription rate for nonmembers is $219 for 1 year; add $100 per year for subscriptions outside North America. Single-issue price is $20. Plastics Engineering is printed by Dartmouth Printing Co., a Sheridan Group Company. Copyright 2017 by the Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Plastics Engineering, 6 Berkshire Blvd., Suite 306, Bethel, CT 06801 USA. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Plastics Engineering is indexed by Engineering Information Inc. Neither Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., nor the Society of Plastics Engineers, nor Plastics Engineering is responsible for opinions or statements of facts expressed by contributors or advertisers, either in the articles published in Plastics Engineering or in the technical papers that are presented at the meetings of the Society. Editorials do not necessarily represent the official policy of Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., or the Society. Display and classified advertisements are included as an educational service to readers of Plastics Engineering. Advertising appearing in Plastics Engineering is not to be taken as an endorsement, expressed or implied, of the respective company’s processes, products, or services represented in the ad. Printed in the U.S.A.

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AD INDEX

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Azo www.azo.com...... 33 Global Sciences Sales Director Coperion www.coperion.com ...... 17 Dan Nicholas Tel: +1-716-587-2181 www.doverchem.com Dover Chemical Corp...... 5 [email protected] Hitachi [email protected] ...... 15 Sr. Account Manager IMS Company www.imscompany.com/G6...... Cover 3 Print & E Media Advertising

J.P. Curilla Associates Email: [email protected] ...... 68 Roland Espinosa Tel: +1-201-748-6819 Japan Steel Works www.jswcompounding-usa.com ...... Cover 2, 68 E-mail: [email protected]

John Anderson & Associates www.plasticsjobsearch.com ...... 68

Kingfa www.kingfa.com ...... 39 Product and news releases for Plastics Engineering can be sent Plastic Flow www.plasticflow.com...... 68 directly to [email protected] Polyhedron Laboratories, Inc. www.polyhedronlab.com ...... 68

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Rheo-Plast Associates Inc. www.rheoplastusa.com ...... 68 111 River Street SAM North America www.sam-na.com • Email: [email protected] ...... 68 Hoboken, NJ 07030 USA

SPE ANTEC Orlando 2018 www.4spe.org/antec18 ...... 65

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SPE Technical Journals www.4spe.org ...... 47 6 Berkshire Blvd., Suite 306 SPE Thermoset Topcon www.spethermosets.org ...... 55 Bethel, CT 06801 USA www.4spe.org Tangram Technology www.tangram.co.uk...... 68

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— Helping Molders Since 1949! — 00 Cover_Layout 1 9/19/17 12:18 PM Page cvr4

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©2017 Ascend Performance Materials Operations LLC. The Ascend Performance ance Materials and VVydyneydyne marks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Ascend Performance Materials Operations LLC. Although the information and recommendations set forth herein (hereinafter “Information”) are presented in good faith and believed to be correct as of the date hereof, Ascend Performance Materials Operations LLC makes no representations or warranties as to the completeness or accuracy thereof. The full disclaimer of warranty and liability can be found at ascendmaterials.com/disclaimerr..