Letter from the Chair I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who participated in our recently held SPE Decorating & Assembly Division Topical Conference (TopCon) that was co-located with the In-Mold Decorating Association and its IMDA Symposium – either through attending and/or exhibiting. The conference took place in early June in an exciting location – Franklin, … [Read more...] about Association News
Articles
Q&A: Screen Printing for Cylindrical Containers
Screen printing is a natural choice when it comes to printing on plastic parts – particularly for cylindrical containers. However, other processes – such as digital and flexo printing – are gaining in popularity as the market shifts, technology advances and customer needs change. For instance, the increase in demand for containers with photorealistic images has created a niche … [Read more...] about Q&A: Screen Printing for Cylindrical Containers
Evaluating Appearance of Decorated Parts
Decorated plastic parts are everywhere in consumers’ lives. They are an important part of people’s cars, phones, homes and packaging for many of the products consumers purchase. Because the appearance is so important, plastic parts are subject to high standards, not only for the function of the parts but also for the appearance. Recent postings to the Society of Plastics … [Read more...] about Evaluating Appearance of Decorated Parts
Thermoplastic Materials for UV Inkjet and Laser Marking
Noncontact digital processes, such as inkjet printing and laser marking on plastics, are modern technologies that offer numerous advantages compared to analog process, e.g., pad and screen printing. Digital processes are cost-effective and allow for decorating and printing of fully assembled products at the end of operations, resulting in better inventory management. One … [Read more...] about Thermoplastic Materials for UV Inkjet and Laser Marking
Inkjet Decoration of Plastics: A Bright Future
It’s hard not to notice that the world is going digital, and that increasingly applies to manufacturing – including industrial printing and decoration. Leading market forecaster I.T. Strategies estimated the global digital industrial and production print retail revenues to print providers growing from just over $35 billion in 2017 to more than $42.5 billion in 2021. This … [Read more...] about Inkjet Decoration of Plastics: A Bright Future