In this issue:

• Specific Gravity of Plastics
• How to Find Alternative Plastics
• Questions & Answers with Suhas Kulkarni
• China RoHS Seminar
• Free Plastics Webinars

We're pleased to have Michael Sepe join us to help explain plastics properties over the next few Resin Blend Newsletters. This month, we take a look at specific gravity of plastics.

Also, if you missed the Scientific Molding webinar with Suhas Kulkarni, don't fret! We've captured the questions asked by attendees and their answers below. We'll keep you posted when Suhas presents his next webinar!

Warmest wishes,
The IDES Team

Specific Gravity of Plastics
by Michael Sepe

Pocket Performance Specs for Thermoplastics provides twelve key properties for thousands of resin grades.  Each property reported in the book can play a very important role in selecting plastic materials – especially if one understands a few basics and use scenarios for comparing.  We plan to begin a series of reviews of this handy reference guide by stepping through each material property to fully understand how to get the most out of it.  This month, we’ll begin with Specific Gravity.

Specific gravity of plastics is one of the few properties where a single number provides an adequate description of a property. This is not to suggest that specific gravity does not change with temperature, but the effect is relatively minor until the material reaches the softening or melting point, and it is seldom a determining factor in part performance.

Read the full article here.

How to Find Alternative Plastics
by Ben Howe, IDES

Have you ever been asked to improve your part's performance? Or perhaps the plastic material you've been using doesn't exist anymore. Or you've been asked to cut costs yet again.

Here are some common reasons why you may need to find alternative plastics from time to time:

• Material Discontinued or Renamed
• Part Performance Improvement
• Part Requirements Have Changed
• Current Supplier Can't Deliver
• Reducing Part Cost

How can you find an alternative plastic to solve answers to these problems? This article discusses reasons, obstacles and tips for finding alternative plastics.

Read the full article here.

Questions and Answers with Suhas Kulkarni

On April 13, 2007, IDES and Suhas Kulkarni gave a complimentary webinar on "A Scientific Approach to Processing for Injection Molding."

Recently we posted answers to several injection molding questions posed by participants who attended his webinar - some questions include:

• What is the difference on appearance between crystallized part and uncrystallized part out of the same material?
• Why do nylon or PBT materials drip even with proper drying?
• For a family with parts of different weights, is the pack and hold calculation process the same?
  

View all questions and answers here.

China RoHS Seminar

At the China RoHS Forum, Symphony Consulting will provide you with deep insight into China RoHS requirements, answer your questions, and create a forum where you can interact with one another to learn about "best practices" and strategies for compliance. They have lined up four experts that will lead the discussion with their unique perspectives on RoHS for this Forum discussion.

Free Plastics Webinars

View full schedule

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