Whether you're a material supplier or a buyer, finding alternatives is becoming increasingly important. Companies are working to consolidate the resins that they buy, looking for lower-cost alternatives or replacing discontinued materials.

For both buyers and sellers, the Prospector Alternatives search module can help you quickly locate alternative resins.

Follow the links below to learn the specifics of how it can help you!

Info for resin buyers  |  Info for resin suppliers

Not contented to rest on their laurels, the engineers and designers at IntelliPack are continually working to improve their machines, making them more efficient, lighter, more rugged, and less costly to build.

IntelliPack relies heavily on contract manufacturers to supply all of the parts for its machines and equipment. “We design, market, assemble, sell and support,” says George Bertram, Vice President of Engineering. Most of their parts acquisition takes place through the MFG.com online marketplace. Bertram took on the procurement task in addition to his duties as VP of Engineering.

“With 4,000 items on the bill of materials, it was a pretty daunting task,” Bertram admits. “I started doing it the old fashioned way – sending out RFQ’s to companies I knew – but with no staff, it was just too much. There had to be a better way.”

At about that time, one of the consulting engineers working with IntelliPack told Bertram about the MFG.com online marketplace. He investigated, and decided to give it a try. “At first I just started posting RFQs for some parts to see how it all worked. It was really easy to do. Then we started getting dozens of quotes – from shops that I would never have found on my own.”

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Prices for virgin, branded resins continue to skyrocket. Although we may see brief periods of relief, the long term trend is upward. After all, most plastic feedstocks are derived from non-renewable resources. IDES is helping combat this situation with our Plastics Marketplace. The marketplace contains listings for millions of pounds of resin available on the secondary market.

Plastics sellers can post listings for the materials they offer on IDES’ web site. Sellers include molders, resin distributors, suppliers and brokers. Injection Molders are finding the service exceptionally helpful. In the past, their excess resin was either sent to the landfill or they worked with one or two recyclers. Now, a molder can list excess inventory, regrind, purgings or scrap and make it available to thousands of potential buyers. The results thus far have been impressive. One molder sold 60,000 pounds of ABS within two weeks at a very competitive price. Resin distributors are also finding the marketplace to be a great place to list aged inventory.

The site is very easy for buyers to use. Different materials can be found within seconds and with a single click, a request can be sent to the seller. All negotiations are made directly between the buyer and seller.

Visit The Plastics Marketplace™ to see all available listings

Building the perfect automobile is every design engineer's dream. But to make this a reality, every part has to perform. No compromises. No failures. That's where the plastics in the automotive industry can make the difference.

This conference will cover the following issues:

• Plastics in engine compartment / exterior and the interior of the vehicle
• Hybrid technologies for automotive plastics applications
• Smart materials: Polymers, Additives, Modifiers
• Safety, environmental challenges and legislative issues pertaining to plastics being used in automotives
• Composite plastics for greater functionality in auto parts
• Finished plastics auto parts with innovative colour effect additives
• Use of innovative plastics
• Adopting low-cost solutions in the selection of automotive plastics
• New methodologies in computer aided analysis for the automobile plastics components
• Recycling of scrap plastics in automobile and auto parts
• International chemical requirements for plastics in automobile and auto parts
• Raising the capability of small & medium size auto plastics parts manufacture
• Quality Control criterion of automotive plastics parts
• Industry associations role in promoting plastics to be used as a automobile and automotive part
• Development and application and spread for CAE technology
• How to improve the usage of plastic mould raw material
• Developing trend of plastic mould and how to choose and apply the related manufacturing equipments 
• Import and export status for plastic mould and how to improve localization 
• Frequent problem and solution for automotive plastic components.

Learn more!

This Symposium aims to explore the development and use of Biopolymers, particularly with respect to the commercial uptake and applications for the Packaging sector. It will bring together Professionals from participating commercial and industrial organizations that are already in production of Bioplastics, or intending to ride on the immenient wave of Bioplastics production with Experts from the relevant Scientific research fields.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get updated on the latest advancements in biotechnology and processes. Come, meet and network with industry peers, material producers, suppliers, processors, converters, machinery and technology providers and the end-use value chain.

Learn more!

Join Michael Sepe, renowned materials expert, for an hour-long webinar as he introduces the New World of Material Selection:

In 1980 there were 4300 commercial choices in the world of plastic materials. Today there are over 75000 and the growth rate shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. In addition, the global marketplace has forced those tasked with selecting materials to focus on the importance of availability where the product will be manufactured. A technological solution that cannot be purchased close to the action is not a solution at all.

How does today’s design engineer cope with this explosion of information and the rapidly changing playing field? The task is made easier if you focus on the fundamentals of understanding material properties. With this as a foundation, you can build up to a commercial solution for any application. Without this stable starting point, the process becomes a maze of trade names and material property snapshots that leave everyone holding their breath and crossing their fingers as the first parts come off the mold.

Reserve your seat today!