Ticona, the engineering polymers business of Celanese Corporation, is hosting a free Technology Day for molders interested in resolving part quality issues. The seminar will be held from 8 to 5 p.m. on May 21, Tuesday, at its headquarters in Florence, Ky. Developed by RJG Inc., the international leader in injection molding training, technology and resources headquartered in Traverse City, Mich., the seminar is designed to give molders key systematic processing strategies and advanced processing technologies that will allow them to consistently manufacture the highest quality parts.

According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research "Solution Styrene Butadiene Rubber (S-SBR) Market for Tire, Polymer Modification, Footwear & Others — Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth and Forecast, 2012 - 2018," global S-SBR demand was 550.0 kilo tons in 2011 and is expected to reach 1,062.0 kilo tons in 2018, growing at a CAGR of 9.98% from 2012 to 2018. In terms of revenue, the market was valued at USD 1.5 billion in 2011 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.27% from 2012 to 2018.

Blown film processors can increase output by as much as 10% to 20% plus reap additional benefits with new Pre-Nip Chiller Spreaders from Pearl Technologies, Inc. Offered to processors who experience blocking or have low ceiling heights, pre-nip chiller spreaders from Pearl are custom designed to mount at the top of the tent frame. They require only 8” of vertical space on the collapsing frame — in many cases, all that is needed is to remove the top two slats or rollers for installation.

Advances in formulation and compounding technology have enabled Teknor Apex Company to develop a family of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) for wire and cable that are RoHS- and REACH-compliant while meeting stringent criteria for flame retardance, the company announced recently. Teknor Apex will feature the compounds in its exhibit at Interwire 2013 (April 22-25, Booth 406).

Cereplast, Inc., one of the leading manufacturers of proprietary biobased, compostable and sustainable bioplastics, is pleased to announce that the Italian plastic bag Application Decree has been published in the Official Journal, and sanctions for non-compliance with the legislation will be enforced effective May 27, 2013. Management estimates, based on certain provisions, that Cereplast's total addressable opportunity today for Italy alone exceeds $50 million.

Solar Impulse — an ultra-lightweight, solar-powered plane, capable of flying day and night — is set to take Flight Across America with the help of diverse material innovations and technologies from Bayer MaterialScience. The plane will start its cross-country flight in San Francisco, stopping off in Phoenix and Dallas before landing in Washington, D.C., and then onto its final destination, New York City.

Energy efficiency will be the big issue for ENGEL at Feiplastic 2013, which takes place in the Brazilian city of São Paulo from 20th to 24th May. Using four exhibits and four different manufacturing concepts, ENGEL will demonstrate how made-to-measure system solutions raise productivity and cut unit costs. The company will also be unveiling its new all-electric ENGEL e-mac series in South America.

Blown film extrusion plants can now reduce airborne contaminants by as much as 80% with a new patented Saturn Evacuation System (SES) from Future Design Inc. and extend cleanings from every six weeks to quarterly, or longer. Future Design, now in its 35th year, specializes in air ring technology. The SES comprises a small air ring that fits any air ring or die that is constructed of aluminum and fits between the die and the primary cooling ring.

Hilex is honored to receive the 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers Environmental Division's Award for Plastics Recycling Technologies and Applications. The award recognizes innovations in plastics recycling solutions and overall commitment to sustainability, both of which are seen in Hilex's Bag-2-Bag recycling program. Mike Sullivan, Director of New Product Development, said it best when asked his response to Hilex receiving the award: "Our innovative Bag-2-Bag program is a collaborative effort with our customers and reinforces our responsibility and dedication to the environment."

Three New Technology Forums at the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) ANTEC® 2013 conference will provide insights on bringing innovations to market, explore unique polymers with built-in capabilities for responding to their environment, and present new developments in medical materials, SPE announced recently. ANTEC 2013 will take place April 22-24, 2013 at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A.

When Samtec Inc. was designing and developing its SEAM/SEAF Series of high speed, high density connectors, it turned to Ticona, the engineering polymers business of Celanese Corporation, and its family of liquid crystal polymers to resolve a processing and assembly challenge. Samtec, which had sampled several competitive materials with little success, worked with Ticona to identify two solutions from a family of halogen-free, high-performance polymers — Zenite® 6130LX for the SEAM Series, which is the mate to the SEAF Series that is injection molded with Vectra® E135i.

Foster Corporation, one of the leaders in custom polymer compounds for medical devices, now offers nano-reinforced composites for minimally invasive devices, such as catheters, with reinforcement loadings up to 30% by weight. Nano-reinforced compounds with high filler loadings provide substantial increase in physical properties of the base resin while maintaining processability in thin wall components.

Transparency Market Research has released a new market report titled "Automotive Plastics Market by Product (ABS, PP, PU, PVC, PE, PC, PMMA, PA), by Application (Power Trains, Under the Hood, Electrical Components, Chassis, Furnishing), Bio-based Opportunity (PLA, PHA, PCL, PBS) — Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 - 2018," which observes that the demand for automotive plastics which was reported at USD 15.1 billion in 2012 is expected to be worth USD 32.9 billion by the end of 2018.

K-Tron will introduce a new MT16 Micro-ingredient feeder at Interphex 2013, held April 23-25, Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York City, Booth 2473. The new micro-ingredient feeder includes several design upgrades to increase accuracy and performance, including a design feature that allows interchangeable feeding modules. K-Tron's micro-ingredient feeder line has been expanded to include interchangeable MT12 mm and MT16 mm twin-screw feeding modules, or MS12 mm and MS16 mm single-screw feeder modules.

Crops aren't just for food, fiber and fuel. Researchers at the University of Florida are making new industrial applications possible for them as well. They've developed a method to turn sugarcane bagasse — the crushed-stalk waste product of sugar production — into succinic acid that can be used to make pharmaceuticals, protective coatings and compostable bags. The process uses no food crops or petroleum as raw materials.

Cereplast Inc., one of the leading manufacturers of proprietary biobased, sustainable bioplastics, recently announced that the Cell-O-Core® Company is manufacturing its Cello-Green™ brand compostable drinking straws using Cereplast Compostable 7003. The Cello-Green brand Bio Straws are disposable with food waste — no separation is required — and will fully biodegrade in a municipal composting facility in 180 days or less.

Klöckner Pentaplast's line of SmartCycle® post-consumer recycled (PCR) content polyester films produced in North America has been granted a "Certificate of Verification" by NSF International, an independent, third party, not-for-profit organization. The certificate verifies the recycled content claims of kp's line of SmartCycle® polyester films produced in North America and allows customers who use these films to be confident that the PCR-content claim is true and valid.

Rinco Ultrasonics, one of the leading manufacturers of ultrasonic welding equipment, has recently been awarded a U.S. patent for its PPS0145 film sealing technology for ultrasonic film sealing of flexible packaging. The patented PPS film sealing technology, with its interlocking tooling design, elevates ultrasonic welding to a new performance level, enabling users to increase seal strength, improve aesthetics, and broaden the processing window versus competitive ultrasonic sealing and heat sealing processes.

CCL Industries Inc., one of the world leaders in specialty packaging solutions for the consumer products and healthcare industries, announced that it has signed a binding agreement to build a new plastic tube manufacturing and decorating plant in Bangkok, Thailand in partnership with Taisei Kako Co., Ltd., one of the leading Japanese producers of specialty plastic containers for the personal care and pharmaceutical markets headquartered in Osaka.

Dow Corning, one of the global leaders in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation for the healthcare industry, recently announced Dow Corning® QP1 liquid silicone rubber (LSR) grades that give medical device manufacturers and fabricators broader material choices for intricate devices and components. This family of eight translucent silicone elastomers has been developed for short-term and non-implant and insertion applications.