Performance Plastics: A Publication of The International Association of Plastics Distribution is published bimonthly by the International Association of Plastics Distribution^® (IAPD), 6734 W. 121st Street, Overland Park, KS 66209 USA. IAPD members receive this bimonthly magazine as part of their membership dues. Subscription for non-members is $90. Third class postage paid at Shawnee Mission, Kansas, additional mailing offices and foreign mailing in accordance with Publications Agreement No. 40683057. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to IAPD, 6734 W. 121st Street, Overland Park, KS 66209 USA.

This is the official publication of the International Association of Plastics Distribution and carries news and announcements concerning the IAPD. The association and Performance Plastics: A Publication of The International Association of Plastics Distribution are not responsible for content or opinions other than those relating to association activities.

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Performance Plastics: A Publication of The International Association of Plastics Distribution is printed on paper with 10 percent post-consumer recycled content.

IAPD • phone (913) 345-1005 • fax (913) 345-1006 • www.iapd.org

President’sMessage

by Craig Saunders
IAPD President

s I write this, we are coming up on the one-year anniversary of the global COVID-19 crisis. In some ways it seems like it’s been much longer than 12 months since we heard the shocking news as major event after major event canceled, from the NCAA basketball tournaments to the Olympics and more.

On a more somber note, as time progresses, it is getting increasingly more difficult to find people who have not been impacted by COVID-19. My heartfelt condolences go out to all who have lost family and friends to the virus.

Editor’sPerspective

by Susan Avery, CAE
IAPD CEO

f you’re looking for a new year’s resolution that will benefit you and the performance plastics industry, I suggest you consider finding a volunteer opportunity within IAPD. IAPD’s offerings to its members are only possible through a collaboration between paid staff and a large network of member volunteers. We need your expertise!

What is in it for you? Let’s take a look at some of the many benefits of volunteerism.

Advance the performance plastics industry

The performance plastics industry is large and represents hundreds of materials and applications. IAPD as an association represents the performance plastics supply chain, from distributors and fabricators to manufacturers and manufacturer representatives to resin companies, as well as associated products and services companies. Some IAPD members are large multi-national organizations, others are small family businesses. Many IAPD members have a reputation for their expertise in certain vertical markets, others specialize in replacing other materials with performance plastics.

Articles reporting on plastic products are prepared from information furnished by members of the IAPD and non-member magazine advertisers. The information provided is deemed reliable but is not verified. It should not be assumed that the publisher has reviewed or tested any of the products. For more information, contact companies by visiting their websites.

Arkema Inc. and Polymer Engineering Company Ltd. to blend Kynar Flex^® PVDF with rubber

Arkema Inc. and Polymer Engineering Company Ltd. have developed the capability to blend high performance Kynar Flex^® PVDF with various types of rubber. The combination of a thermoplastic fluoropolymer with rubber materials allows melt processing through chemical compatibilization and vulcanization. The capability to create various fluoropolymer and rubber combinations results in products that have a range of properties provided by each respective component.

Kynar Flex PVDF fluoropolymers impart high chemical resistance, resistance to swelling, UV resistance, high heat stability, high contact angle and good release properties. Rubbers can impart a range of other favorable properties such as impact strength, flexibility, strain recovery, electrical resistance, lightweight, softness and compressibility. The final combination of properties can be tailored by the selection of the base fluoropolymer and the rubber, or combinations of rubbers, which will determine overall cost and performance.

Policam Sound block sheet reduces traffic noise

Increased traffic and rapid development have contributed to a noise pollution problem, especially for commercial and residential areas near highways, railways and bridges. Noise barriers made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA, also known as acrylic) or polycarbonate sheet can reduce noise level and improve the quality of life for those living near these areas. Barriers made from polycarbonate or acrylic sheet offer maximum levels of glazing performance where transparency or tailored light transmission along with high impact strength is vital.

EnvironmentalCorner

by Drew Schwartz

here’s a good chance that you’ve seen the well-publicized images of plastics in the ocean and related horrific photos of ocean life impacted by plastics. You may have to justify your livelihood in the performance plastics industry to friends and relatives who have absorbed this anti-plastics messaging for years, if not decades (or, depending on their generation, most of their lives).

Being in the performance plastics industry, we know that the durable plastics we manufacture and distribute are different from the consumer-grade plastics that usually end up in oceans. We can talk about the many ways in which performance plastics are a means to an end for otherwise unattainable environmental goals. For example, thanks to the use of performance plastics instead of metals in automobiles and aircraft, there is a need for less fuel because the cars or airplanes are lighter and more fuel-efficient.

Although there are many innovative projects that try to remove plastics from the ocean, they haven’t been able to do so in a significant way. There has to be another approach, a way to prevent these materials from getting into the oceans in the first place.

SpecialFocus

by Pete Daumeyer

omputer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machinery is everywhere. CNC fabrication of plastic shapes is becoming more common in the performance plastics industry. We are seeing more routers everywhere, and soon most distributors will have at least one router somewhere in their organization. Many distributors already have several routers in different locations.

But what about other fabrication equipment? Besides cutting a 2-dimensional shape out of a sheet of acrylic, what are some machine shops or part manufacturers doing with performance plastics? What different machinery are they using to turn that rod, blank or plate of polymer into a finished part?

Most machine shops simply mill or turn parts. Most of the machines are CNC, but there are still “manual” mills and lathes in use. Manual machines usually have some type of computer control, however, and the measurements are still precise. Let’s take a closer look at the machinery.

SpecialFocus

by Dave Rothbard

oday, there exists a desire — from either a creative or a business perspective — to manufacture products with rigid thermoplastic, using a process commonly referred to as plastic fabrication. This term describes a variety of procedures and processes. This article focuses on describing the process of the joining/welding of rigid thermoplastics using hot air tools, specifically hot air portable extrusion welders. There is another popular fabrication process using hot air hand tools that lends itself to certain situations and applications, but that’s a subject for future consideration.

Variables

The three main variables that must be controlled in the portable extrusion welding process are heat, speed and pressure. The process involves a handheld or automated robotically held extrusion welder that uses a welding rod. This welding rod is drawn into the welder, macerated, melted and screw-extruded into a weld bead (commonly referred to as “the melt”). The bead exits the welder into a profile created by a polytetrafluoroethylene (thankfully shortened to PTFE) welding shoe attached to the front of the tool. At the same time, hot air (commonly referred to as the pre-heat) is blown onto the substrate being welded. Just enough force is exerted, by physically pushing and/or using the weight of the welder, to interlock the molecules of the melt and the preheated substrate while they are both in a melted state, creating a molecular bond upon the cool down of the material. It is important that the cool down process occurs uniformly so as not to create a vacuole (void) inside the weld bead due to the thermal expansion properties of heated thermoplastic and subsequent contraction upon cool down.

SpecialFocus

by Leah Dockter

utt fusion of thermoplastic sheet, also known as heated element butt welding, has become a standard practice for many plastic fabricators as a result of the unmatched high quality of the welded joints. While sheet materials such as polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are commonly found in fabricated structures, a variety of other materials are emerging or becoming more popular in applications that benefit from sheet butt fusion.

When using a butt welding machine, sheet material is positioned against a setting bar that also serves to aid in alignment. After the sheet is set into position onto each side, it is clamped in place and the setting bar is replaced by an anti-stick coated heating element. The machine tables press the sheets against the heating element under controlled pressures for the melting/heating cycles. Upon completion of the two-stage melting/heating cycle, the machine tables open, the heating element moves out of its position and the tables come together again, pressing the melted sheet together under a pressure ramp to the full welding pressure. When this high pressure welding/cooling cycle completes, the clamps release the material and the welded sheet can be removed.

The following graph explains the general sheet butt welding sequence (the butt welding pressure ramp):

SpecialFocus

by Susan Mattine

he growth in demand for extruded acrylic has been exponential over the last decade. Stronger yet lighter than glass, extruded acrylic is the go-to choice for fabricators who want a durable-yet-cost-effective material for a variety of applications.

If you are just getting started with extruded acrylic, you may find it challenging to cut, even with a great router from a trusted manufacturer. These five easy tips can make the entire cutting process easier for you.

1. Source the proper material

Source the extruded acrylic from a reputable vendor. Do your research thoroughly! See what other fabricators are using or call a CNC technical expert for advice.

SpecialFocus

by Paige Bowen

hen people hear the word custom, they usually think expensive. Their mental calculator starts adding up charges for design time, prototypes, tooling, molds, etc. Yes, a custom project can cost more than purchasing something off the shelf, but that’s only looking at part of the equation. In some cases, having a tank custom fabricated may even save you money.

What does it mean to have a plastic tank custom fabricated? As the user of the tank, you dictate its size and shape. More importantly, you make the decisions about how many and the placement of the fittings and connections required for your tank. By being able to design the tank to the exact specifications of your space, layout and needs, not only will you have a tank that fits perfectly in the available space, you will save money by not having to retrofit the surrounding area to fit your tank.

SpecialFocus

by Kenan Smith

he correct tooling makes all the difference in the world for production performance. High-quality, precision tooling is designed to withstand demanding tasks and helps increase production and efficiency. The correct tooling ensures quality and extends the life of your equipment.

The right tooling or the best tooling?

The right, or best tooling option depends on your application and needs. For instance, if you’re going to be producing a long run and are using a tool that runs 24/7, longevity and finish quality would be most important to you. If you’re running a short run, or using an expensive material for a high-end product, then you would want a tool that is designed to offer the best finish quality, even though it may not last as long.

A number of factors should be considered when determining which tooling is right or best for you and your application — and it’s not something that should be taken lightly.

PlasticsWatch

WashingtonUpdate

by Ari Storch, IAPD’s Washington Office

e were all hoping that when the calendar changed from December 31, 2020 to January 1, 2021, we would be able to leave the worst of last year behind us. Unfortunately, 2021 appears to be more of the same, at least in Washington, D.C.

With the inauguration of President Joe Biden, the same party controls Congress and the White House. However, there is a 50-50 split in the Senate, which has not happened since 2001. Legislating in the COVID era has been challenging, but with control of both legislative bodies we anticipate President Biden will take aggressive action over the next two years. The next election will be the midterms in 2022; historically, the President’s party does poorly in midterm elections.

Chris Kietzke was named chief marketing officer, executive shareholder, for Professional Plastics. In his new role, he is responsible for the strategic direction and leadership of the company’s marketing efforts, including eCommerce tools.

Kietzke joined the company in 1984 and has held a variety of positions in sales, marketing and management. His significant contributions include the company’s entry into the polymides market, opening its Texas and Asia locations and establishing effective international marketing tactics. He was instrumental in the development of its CRM software and launched the company’s first eCommerce website, both of which he still oversees and continues to adapt in line with the evolving market. In addition to his chief marketing officer role, Kietzke will also continue in his capacity as executive director of Asia, as well as his advisory role as a corporate board member and executive shareholder.

“Chris is committed to the future growth of the company and will continue to expand and enhance our marketing and eCommerce efforts in his new role,” said Dave Kietzke, Professional Plastics CEO and chairman of the board.

Fabrication Services Showcase con­tains paid listings of companies with fabrication services, products and machinery that cater to the plastics distribution industry. IAPD does not endorse or make recommendations in regard to the companies supplying their services. For details and pricing information to include your company in this Fabrication Ser­v­ices Show­case, contact Sean Moore, IAPD’s Sales Executive, at (913) 345-1008 or email smoore@iapd.org.

Vortex Tool Company, Inc. designs and manufactures a wide variety of standard and custom high-performance router and insert cutting tools for the woodworking and plastics industries, and provides retipping and sharpening services for all makes and models. www.vortextool.com, phone (800) 355-7708.

Fabrication Services Showcase con­tains paid listings of companies with fabrication services, products and machinery that cater to the plastics distribution industry. IAPD does not endorse or make recommendations in regard to the companies supplying their services. For details and pricing information to include your company in this Fabrication Ser­v­ices Show­case, contact Sean Moore, IAPD’s Sales Executive, at (913) 345-1008 or email smoore@iapd.org.

CNC Equipment

Sawing, trimming, drilling, polishing, measuring or 3D
processing — no matter what techniques are involved, Stiles has the CNC technology to get it done. Their machining solutions can be custom-configured to your specific needs. From productivity and high precision, to energy and material savings, Stiles provides proven CNC options for plastics processing. For more information, contact info@stilesmachinery.com or visit www.stilesmachinery.com.

Vortex Tool Company, Inc. designs and manufactures a wide variety of standard and custom high-performance router and insert cutting tools for the woodworking and plastics industries, and provides retipping and sharpening services for all makes and models. www.vortextool.com, phone (800) 355-7708.