Features
PATRICK PLASTICS isn’t going it alone
by Canadian PlasticsDoes this Markham, Ont.-based custom injection molder draw strength from belonging to a global electronic manufacturing services company? You bet. But it owes its success to its own hard work and customer service.
Is the drive to meet the 2025 CAFE standard running out of gas?
by Canadian PlasticsAmericans have spoken, and the 54.5 mpg corporate average fuel economy target is off the table. But the Environmental Protection Agency might get the final say.
Say hello to your little friends
by Canadian PlasticsCollaborative robots are inexpensive, versatile, and easy to program. And by working safely alongside human operators, they can revolutionize the way you handle small-batch manufacturing and ever-shortening product cycles.
ARC de TRIUMPH
by Canadian PlasticsFrom aerospace engineering to high finance to plastics packaging is quite the career arc. But when Amir Karim returned to Quebec and joined family-owned Polykar Industries after a successful stint on Wall Street, he didn’t know his best business days were still to come; or that his career trajectory would propel him into the ranks of the elite, as the Canadian Plastics Industry Association’s 2016 Leader of the Year.
The Book on plastics
by Canadian PlasticsWhen it comes to running Peterborough, Ont.-based custom molder G.B. Book Plastics Ltd., the brother/sister team of Bill Book and Cathy Cremers has always been on the same page.
Flexstar Packaging reinvents itself
by Canadian PlasticsRecapitalization, new technology and new hires, a plant expansion, and green initiatives are all part of this Richmond, B.C.-based company’s growth strategy.
ROTATIONAL MOLDING: Big machines, small hassles
by Canadian PlasticsWhat’s it like working in a plastics processing sector where short-run production is the norm and foreign competition is almost nonexistent? Just ask a rotational molder.
3D PRINTING: The multi-material future is here
by Canadian PlasticsMulti-material 3D printers have arrived. But so have challenges to wide-scale adaptation, beginning with the machines’ hefty price tags.
MY3DAGENCY.COM wants to revolutionize short-run & prototype production
by Canadian PlasticsWhat do TV star Jason Priestley, cake toppers, and yogurt containers have in common? They’ve all been 3D-printed in stunning detail by this innovative Toronto-based startup. And they might just be the tip of the additive manufactured iceberg.
Power Failure!
by Canadian PlasticsRising electricity prices, courtesy of Canada’s most ambitious green energy plan, are threatening to turn out the lights on Ontario’s plastics processors.
INTEX TOOLING TECHNOLOGIES is cutting into the market
by Canadian Plastics Coming out of the Great Recession, Canada’s manufacturing sector looked like scorched earth after a massive forest fire. But scorched earth sometimes encourages new growth. In post-recession Southern Ontario, one group of entrepreneurs surveyed the landscape and saw opportunity.…
Much ado about fracking
by Canadian PlasticsHydraulic fracturing can open vast stores of cheap natural gas, to the benefit of North America’s chemical and plastics industry. The weird part is that, after more than 60 years, the process has suddenly become a lightning rod for controversy, and even outright bans. Here’s why.
Universal Gravo-Plast is getting a reboot
by Canadian PlasticsNew ownership is reinventing a familiar fixture of Canada’s plastics processing scene.
Ontario extruder cuts into the market for wood railroad ties
by Canadian Plastics Just because something grows on trees doesn’t make it inexhaustible. Take wood. It doesn’t just grow on trees, it is the tree. But people still want to use less of it if possible. A prime example is wooden railroad…
The energy-efficient chemical supplier (and how to become one)
by Canadian PlasticsEnergy costs are on the rise in Ontario, and chemical manufacturers are huge consumers. So now is definitely the time to get serious about finding new and efficient ways of using your electricity. The good news? There’s a wealth of experts and incentive programs at hand to help you along.
CAVALIER TOOL & MANUFACTURING is sticking to the basics
by Canadian Plastics We’ve all heard it from time to time — “So-and-so was born to do this job”. Unless you’re talking about Prince Charles, however, odds are it’s just a throwaway line. But with Brian Bendig, the president of Windsor, Ont.-based…
Polymer device could save the limbs of injured soldiers
by Canadian Plastics In what might be the best military news since the United States Navy SEALS tracked down bin Laden, soldiers wounded by gunshots and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) may soon be treated with a polymer-based medical device that can literally…
Overcoming common MEDICAL TUBING problems
by Canadian Plastics Close might be good enough when tossing a hand grenade, but it won’t cut it in critical applications like medical tubing. Which is why medical extruders can’t afford to overlook even the smallest process flaw. And there’s a host…
Canada’s first family of blown film is back with Cyber Plastic Machinery
by Canadian PlasticsFounders of equipment maker Future Design have returned to the industry.
Lessons from Portugal’s improved moldmaking industry
by Canadian Plastics Go back 30 years and many of Canada’s moldmakers and plastics processors probably had at least one or two Portuguese companies as go-to contacts on their rolodexes. With a centuries-old glass making tradition that crossed naturally over into creating…