http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog The Plastics Group of America manufactures, compounds, recycles, and distributes a complete line of thermoplastics to meet the needs of molding, extrusion and blow molding processors. en-us Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:04:56 EST info@plasticsgroup.com info@plasticsgroup.com http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/04/27/tpg-adds-new-equipment-to-enhance-product-quality/ Plastics Group of America recently added two significant pieces of lab equipment to its facilities that will optimize the quality of the products it can provide to its customers. The first is a Perkins Elmer DSC 6, a sophisticated machine that provides exacting thermal analysis. This machine will allow TPG to more accurately analyze incoming feedstocks for purity, insuring a higher-quality finished product for its customers. The second is a GregTag/Macbeth spectrophotometer. Utilizing spherical geometry, this sophisticated color computer will provide TPG with superior color matching capabilities, ultimately enhancing our color quality control. Both new pieces of equipment underscore TPG’s commitment to providing its customers with the exceptional products backed by equally exceptional customer service. Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:04:56 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/04/27/tpg-adds-new-equipment-to-enhance-product-quality/#18 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/04/14/tpg-enhances-operational-efficiency-with-sages-mas-200/ Starting in May, 2010, Plastics Group of America will be utilizing Sage’s MAS 200 software, dramatically impacting our operational efficiency. Sage MAS 200 ERP system will provide TPG with enhanced inventory control functions, enabling the company to manage inventory far more efficiently. The system will provide TPG with real-time updates on what it has in stock, enabling us to offer customers up-to-the-minute answers about product availability. This system will also enable us to better track actual usage of formulation components to determine true expenditures for each product we manufacture. It is just one more example of TPG’s commitment to providing exemplary customer service and support. Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:04:01 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/04/14/tpg-enhances-operational-efficiency-with-sages-mas-200/#17 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/04/07/the-advantages-of-going-green/ There was a time when utilizing recycled plastics was only good for the environment. Guess what - with advancements in processing and the increasing costs of of virgin materials, it now turns out that it might be good for your wallet as well. Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:04:31 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/04/07/the-advantages-of-going-green/#16 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/03/18/let-tpgs-engineering-group-help-with-your-project/ The Plastics Group of America has an in-house engineering staff waiting to simplify your next compounding project. They can assist you with every phase of your enterprise, including: Matching a material to your application to insure the best possible results Providing color matching to achieve the tone you’re seeking Offering in-house testing to make sure that your product achieves its target specs Assisting you with material processing, machine setup and mold design Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:03:13 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/03/18/let-tpgs-engineering-group-help-with-your-project/#13 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/03/04/at-tpg-smaller-quantity-orders-are-always-available/ While many of our competitors refuse to process orders in smaller quantities, TPG is happy to handle orders of any size, from 50 to 500 to 5,000 pounds and more. Unless there’s a custom color involved, we don’t do minimums. So if you’re looking for a manufacturer with an extensive inventory of standard products offered at reasonable prices, give us a call. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:03:05 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/03/04/at-tpg-smaller-quantity-orders-are-always-available/#14 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/02/23/tpgs-logistics-department-saves-everyone-money/ Our logistics department has accumulated an extensive list of trucking companies. We continually contact them for their best rates for shipping and freight. We use that information to provide our customers with the best possible pricing when they have a shipment that has to go. TPG has also developed a proprietary program that also meticulously tracks results – we want to know who is offering the best combination of on-time delivery, price and efficiency. This improves both our bottom line and that of our customers. Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:02:16 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/02/23/tpgs-logistics-department-saves-everyone-money/#15 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/02/11/going-greener/ At Plastics Group of America, we have been striving to be more environmentally friendly by increasing our production of PCR plastic content. We can now custom compound product with a specific post-consumer content, and, we can make it to specs that are ISO-certified. We are one of the few manufacturers who offers both in-house compounding and testing, and our testing facility is ISO 17025 certified. And our compounding expertise enables us to utilize a number of PC items in our compounding, including soda bottle caps, agricultural film, flower pots and trays, and stretch wrap. TPG is simply trying to its part to make sure that our kids have a planet to live on. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about our PCR production capabilities or if you have an application that would require this kind of applied expertise. Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:02:04 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/02/11/going-greener/#12 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/01/27/npe-moving/ While this commentary might be a bit late in coming, we really can’t see any downside to NPE moving to Orlando for its next 2 shows (unless your brother-in-law is a teamster in Chicago). Anyone who has displayed at recent shows in Chicago has realized what a pain booth setup and takedown there had become to deal with. Rather than making a challenging experience easier, their extra charges and strict regulations had the opposite effect. And anyone who has attended is equally familiar with the high cost of visiting the show and entertaining a client in the Windy City. We think that Orlando will work hard to retain the business and will offer a far more cooperative and cost-effective venue. Competition breeds quality – if Chicago wants the NPE show back, a lot has to change. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:01:53 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2010/01/27/npe-moving/#11 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/12/07/the-true-value-of-color-matching/ Too often, management at molding facilities do not understand that unless you're trained in blending and/or color matching, it's not a simple procedure. If you're going to do it in-house, someone needs to learn the ropes, and, you also need to take a very close look at the alleged "savings" you're realizing by handling this function in-house – more often than not, you may discover that you're not really saving money at all. Here’s why: first, assuming that you have blenders, there's a significant cost associated with those pieces of equipment and their maintenance. Second, it costs you money to store and handle the color concentrates and additives. And third, it's a fact that many standard color concentrates lose their color intensity when added to a filled feedstock. This is called "bleaching," and it means that you need to increase the amount of color concentrate to try to achieve a color match. This costs more money and it also is dangerous; adding too much concentrate tends to degrade the physical properties of your resin. Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:12:11 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/12/07/the-true-value-of-color-matching/#10 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/11/11/adding-strength-to-polypropylene/ If you have mixed color unfilled polypropylene scrap and would like to reuse it for another application but need to increase its physical properties, specifically its strength and stability, we can help. Applications like this are right up our alley. We can compound your scrap with a mineral filler to give you the properties you seek. The type and percentage of mineral would be determined by what properties you are looking for. The only limitations you may run into would be color and the final Melt Index of the compounded material. The Melt Index may go lower when we add the mineral filler, but this can be adjusted. The color you can get will be determined by the feed stock polypropylene (for instance, it is difficult to get a light color from a dark feed stock). Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:11:01 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/11/11/adding-strength-to-polypropylene/#9 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/10/30/if-you-need-a-list-of-industry-acronyms-pdq/ For anyone who works in the industry yet occasionally gets confused by 2-, 3-, and 5-letter acronyms like LLDPE, The Plastics Group has a number of online resources that can help you. On our web site, you'll find pages that will enhance your knowledge of industry terms including a list of Common Acronyms for the Plastics Industry. We also offer Physical Property Data Sheets on our Polifil® and reprocessed line of resins. You'll also find current Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all our products should you need product safety data. We also provide additional tools to help you including Common Terminology and Conversion Factors. We update these listings regularly, but, if you can’t find what you’re looking for among these reference materials, call us at 401-765-1000 and we promise to get you an answer to your question immediately. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:10:25 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/10/30/if-you-need-a-list-of-industry-acronyms-pdq/#8 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/10/13/2-more-myths-about-glassfilled-polypropylene/ Myth: Using glass-filled materials will rapidly wear out molds and molding machines. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:10:57 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/10/13/2-more-myths-about-glassfilled-polypropylene/#7 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/10/07/getting-polypropylene-or-a-similar-polymer-to-adhere-to-metal/ Olefins, like polypropylene and polyethylene do not adhere to metals particularly well because of the non-polar nature of their base molecules. To significantly improve their ability to bond to metals, simply add polar copolymers. This can be done either in the reactor or by compounding with polymers with polar side-groups like acid copolymers such as EVA, EMA, and EMAA. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:10:32 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/10/07/getting-polypropylene-or-a-similar-polymer-to-adhere-to-metal/#6 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/10/02/2-myths-about-glassfilled-polypropylene/ Myth: The surface appearance of parts molded from glass-filled PP is very poor. Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:10:30 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/10/02/2-myths-about-glassfilled-polypropylene/#5 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/09/28/the-truth-about-voids-in-polypropylene-products/ Truth be told, if the product wall thickness is larger than 0.125, voids are likely to occur. When molten plastic is extruded, the outside cools first, frozen in place. Then the inside begins to cool and crystallize, shrinking about 15% in the process. If the outer wall is sufficiently strong, it cannot sag inward, and a void forms spontaneously on the interior, with voids tending to locate at wall intersections and in the thickest sections. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:09:36 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/09/28/the-truth-about-voids-in-polypropylene-products/#4 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/09/22/practical-alternatives-to-polystyrene/ The primary shortcoming of polystyrene is a low softening temperature – it will sag and distort at about 200 degrees F, lower than the boiling point of water. Since many foods are water-based, heating to boiling or steaming will destroy the container. Worse yet, the polystyrene will partially dissolve in fatty foods, contaminating the food with plastic.Here are two material types that can handle most microwave and heated food applications: Polythylene terephthalate (PET) and Polypropylene (PP). Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:09:54 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/09/22/practical-alternatives-to-polystyrene/#3 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/09/16/looking-for-a-complete-guide-for-identifying-and-testing-plastic-resins/ If you need to know if a resin is flexible or rigid, clear or opaque, bondable, scratch-resistant, or reactive with other chemicals, then we have a terrific resource for you – the Resin Kit™. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:09:10 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/09/16/looking-for-a-complete-guide-for-identifying-and-testing-plastic-resins/#2 http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/09/08/heres-a-cold-hard-fact-about-nylon-resins/ When companies utilize nylon resins to make products by injection molding, they need to be aware of one element that can impact the strength of their finished product – the low moisture content of air in the winter. To address this challenge, some processors simply subject the parts to moisture after molding, either through submersion of the parts in a water bath, or by aging the parts in an area with artificially increased humidity (this can achieved by a humidifier or simply by having some open water sources in the storage space). Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:09:27 EST http://www.plasticsgroup.com/blog/2009/09/08/heres-a-cold-hard-fact-about-nylon-resins/#1