Features
Canadians at K 2019: Oh, Canada!
by Canadian PlasticsCanadian companies may not have been among the most numerous exhibitors at the K 2019 trade show in Düsseldorf in October, but they made an impact. From the Great White North direct to western Germany, here’s a look at some of the made-in-Canada developments and technologies unveiled at the big show.
Smells like progress: Making sustainable polymers from fragrant molecules
by Canadian PlasticsBritish researchers have developed a technique for extracting molecules found in the essential oils of a wide variety of plants to produce organic polymers to replace plastics made from petrochemicals.
Compounding rewards: CPIA Leader of the Year Bill Dickson
by Canadian PlasticsThe founder and president of Cambridge, Ont.-based material supplier Canuck Compounders Inc., Bill Dickson has been dedicated to sustainability since long before it was cool.
World-first surgery uses Aussie biopolymer in heart valve implant
by Canadian PlasticsA U.S. patient has successfully received a polymer heart valve jointly developed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and medical device company Foldax Inc.
Nova Chemicals just got even more sustainable
by Canadian PlasticsWith the new position of director of sustainability filled by Sarah Marshall, the Calgary-based polyethylene resin maker is walking the walk when it comes to advancing the circular economy.
Danish automation supplier OnRobot comes to North America
by Canadian PlasticsThe end-of-arm tooling maker for collaborative robot applications has opened a new R&D office in Los Angeles as part of its push into the U.S. and Canadian markets.
The right way to convey powders
by Canadian PlasticsFor plastics processors, conveying powders involves a completely different set of challenges compared to pellets. Here’s how to handle them.
You’ve been friended by the latest size reduction equipment
by Canadian PlasticsWith the cost of materials going up and maintenance budgets going down, it’s critical that shredders and granulators be as user-friendly as possible. New designs can help transform your size reduction process from headache to hassle-free.
A cool comeback in conformal cooling
by Canadian PlasticsIndustry veteran Pat Zaffino and his team are back in business with a game changing conformal cooling technology for injection molds.
Building schoolrooms from plastic waste in West Africa
by Canadian PlasticsConceptos Plasticos, a Colombian non-profit group, has partnered with UNICEF to collect plastic waste in the West African country of Côte d’Ivoire and turn it into modular plastic bricks to build classrooms.
Straw maker Stone Straw fights back with bioplastic straws
by Canadian PlasticsTraditional plastic straws are an endangered species nowadays, which is why this well-known Brantford, Ont.-based extruder is making the move to an eco-friendly plant-based alternative.
PET Technologies says aloha to Hawaiian water bottler
by Canadian PlasticsAs part of its push into North America, the Austria-based maker of blow molding machines recently sold an APF-6004 automatic stretch blow molding unit for PET bottles to Hawaiian bottled water supplier Waiākea Water.
Customer Relationship Management software gets smart
by Canadian PlasticsA new machine learning solution from Montreal-based AxiPolymer Inc. is designed to boost the effectiveness of CRM software.
GreenMantra Technologies: Waste not, want not
by Canadian PlasticsBy transforming post-consumer plastics into value-added polymers and waxes, this Brantford, Ont.-based clean technology company is offering processors a whole new world of specialty materials.
Polymers give early warning signs of stress
by Canadian PlasticsResearchers from Switzerland’s University of Fribourg and Japan’s Hokkaido University have devised a polymer with a sensor molecule that glows when it’s stretched, signalling that mechanical stress is building towards a catastrophic part failure.
A new chapter begins for En-Plas
by Canadian PlasticsAfter 31 years in the same plant, well-known machinery sales firm En-Plas Inc. has moved into a new, more efficient headquarters in Toronto.
Montreal researchers create plastic from lobster shells
by Canadian PlasticsMcGill University researchers have developed a new chemical process that could turn lobster, shrimp, and crab shells into biodegradable plastic.
Bendable, conductive polymer film for consumer electronics also has healthcare potential
by Canadian PlasticsPurdue University researchers are working to use a new polymer film, which could make smartphones more bendable, to create tailor-made sensors that could non-invasively monitor glucose levels, heart rate or other biomedical metrics.
Techflow Design & Manufacturing is moving on up
by Canadian PlasticsThis Ontario-based blown film machinery and plastic extrusion equipment maker has a good reason for expanding into a new, larger facility in Mississauga: business is booming.
Here’s a first: BASF is making products with chemically recycled plastics
by Canadian PlasticsThe German chemical maker is breaking new ground in the circular economy with plastic waste as a source of raw materials.