In this issue:

• Specific Gravity of Plastics
• Free, Downloadable Articles on Plastics
• The Plastics Store™ Now Includes Online Training
• How to Find Alternative Plastics
• Upcoming Plastics Webinars

In this issue of the Prospector Resin Blend we're pleased to announce that The Plastics Store™ now includes free downloadable articles on plastic materials and some very cool online training courses from Paulson Training.

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.

Free, Downloadable Articles on Plastics

The Plastics Store™ now includes access to free articles for dowload about various topics in the plastics industry, including:

• Switching from Metals to Plastics
  This article identifies basic steps and requirements to conduct an efficient, successful conversion to plastics, reviewing the metal - replacement design process from concept to production.
• An Introduction to Plastic Color Theory
  A brief overview of how objects are colored, and how we as observers perceive their color.
• BASF Plastics SnapFit Design Manual
  This manual will guide you through the basics of snap-fit design.

Download all 3 articles for free today!

Do you have any Design Guides or Case Studies that belong on our free download page? If so contact Josh Dorrell.

The Plastics Store™ Now Includes Online Training

The Plastics Store™ now features several useful online training programs from Paulson Training.

Browse the new training items 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.

Upcoming Plastics Webinars

View full schedule

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