ARTICLES

  • Bio-based polymers currently comprise less than 1% of the total global polymer market. Significant consumer demand combined with increasing legislation such as plastic bag bans and global warming initiatives, are driving increased market opportunity for bio-based plastics. However, wide-scale commercialization of some of these technologies is being limited by significantly higher costs when compared to traditional, petroleum-based plastics, and in some cases, by product quality. The development of commercial routes to new, bio-based feedstocks, has, in turn, accelerated the development of biobased polymers. Read more in Despite increasing demand and development of biobased plastics, costs and product properties vary
  • BOPP film capacity is expected to increase by over 2.5 mln tons in the period 2011-2016, bringing total global capacity to nearly 11 mln tons, with potential to continue growing at a strong rate of 6-7% pa. The strongest growth is likely to continue to be in India and China, followed by the MENA regions. The high growth regions have seen a shift after being dominated for a long period by North American companies. Also, after several years of negligible increases, growth is returning to Western Europe. Read more in Return of growth predicted in Europe’s BOPP film market, with global demand being led by Indian subcontinent
  • Water is in short supply in many geographic regions necessitating building of reservoirs with waterproof linings.  Waste products are being put into landfill and geomembrane liners are in use to protect the environment from harmful leachate. To know about waterproofing from production technology and materials through to performance and applications, read Demand for construction and civil engineering work necessitates intelligent waterproofing selection
  • Demand for plastics processing machinery is on a steady growth path. Sales growth will be driven by an acceleration in plastic product manufacturing coupled with a favorable fixed investment global environment. Plastics processing machinery production will grow the fastest in the Asia Pacific region through 2015. Developing nations will be driving force in demand, with construction, consumer and institutional products to be fastest growing markets. Extrusion equipments will post strongest gains. The North American plastics capital equipment market has seen robust growth in 2012, with orders for injection molding machines, blown-film lines, auxiliary equipment, thermoforming equipment, and hot runners all up. Read more in Global demand for plastics processing machinery to rise 6% pa through 2015, driven by growth in Asia Pacific
  • Plastics components allow for a great deal of design flexibility as well as product and functional differentiation, in phone designing. They allow for lightweight products that are visually attractive to customers. Phone manufacturers are using an increased amount of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate and ABS-PC blends for the phone housings as both are attractive materials for exterior components due to their strength and aesthetic appeal. The mobile phone market offers opportunities for a large variety of plastic resins including ABS, PC, nylon and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Read more in Use of molded plastics components in smart phones is expected to grow by 27% in next four years
  • New platinum-doped polymers hold promise for making white OLEDs, and can convert more energy to light than other OLEDs now under development. That is because the addition of platinum to the polymer makes accessible more energy stored within the polymer molecules. Read more in Platinum-rich polymers hold promise for white organic light-emitting diodes and more efficient solar cells