Adhesion problems across the plastics industry are prolific. Bonding of 2D and 3D products, plastic-to-plastic, plastic-to-metal and plastic-to-composite, can be nearly impossible without pretreatment. However, pretreatments alone do not solve the problems without accurate measuring and understanding the surface conditions of the substrates. Many companies use dyne solutions … [Read more...] about Inspecting Surface Quality of Polymers – New Test Device
Quality
Correlating Ultrasonic Weld Quality with Melt Layer Thickness
by Alex Savitski, Ph.D.; Leo Klinstein, Kenneth Holt, Hardik Pathak, David Cermak Dukane IAS, LLC Ultrasonic welding of thermoplastics is widely used by many industries to fuse together two parts in a short time without introducing additional consumables such as fasteners, adhesives or solvents. The process is fast, economical and easily automated, and it is commonly … [Read more...] about Correlating Ultrasonic Weld Quality with Melt Layer Thickness
Minimizing Contamination in a Production Environment
by John Kaverman, Pad Print Pros, LLC Minimizing contamination, rather than eliminating it, is a more realistic expectation because contaminants are everywhere. My mission for this article was to write about eliminating contamination, but as I thought about it, I realized that minimizing it is a more realistic expectation. Why? Because contaminants are everywhere: in and on … [Read more...] about Minimizing Contamination in a Production Environment
Quality Control Technologies
by John Kaverman, president, Pad Print Pros LLC As US-based companies strive to become leaner and processes for decorating plastic products become increasingly more automated, many decorators are looking for quality control technologies that can fit seamlessly into their existing systems. The determining factors in deciding whether to employ any of these technologies are, … [Read more...] about Quality Control Technologies
Basic Test Methods for In-Mold Labels and Label Materials
AWA has drafted a basic list of test methods for in-mold labels. It is not intended that the tests be strict and definitive, but they may be used as a basis for further adaptation and customization to build a full understanding of the critical parameters that companies are required to address when converting, supplying or using in-mold labels. In this excerpt, testing for … [Read more...] about Basic Test Methods for In-Mold Labels and Label Materials