Here at EPPM we are proud of having an increasingly active Twitter account, encouraging more of our subscribers to join in the debate via the micro-blogging site, but one of the main reasons we use Twitter so frequently is to publicise some of the biggest stories of the year.
The number of clicks a story gets from a link posted on Twitter is a great indication of what is piquing our community's interest, because it's a very active and conscious thing to follow a link that has popped up on the social media site. Maybe the reader stumbled upon the story by using hashtags or perhaps they saw the story retweeted by one of their followers, even if they don't follow EPPM magazine themselves.
So here's the first part of the Top Ten most popular plastics headlines of 2014 according to Twitter. Enjoy this trip down memory lane, or the opportunity to read up on the stories that got the EPPM reader community talking.
DuPont
10. Re-writing the rule book
DuPont is enabling OEMS to produce more lightweight, more sustainable vehicles by replacing metal car components with plastic. EPPM sat down with Hans-Hermann Kirner, DuPont's Key Account Manager for performance plastics in the automotive industry, at Fakuma 2014 in Friedrichshafen. The meeting followed the company's news that two leading automotive fluid specialists chose DuPont Zytel nylon resins for rigid and flexible coolant pipes. EPPM wanted to explore the shift from metal to plastic in automotive production.
Interplas
9. Rapid News Communications Group concludes Interplas acquisition
Rapid News Communications Group has announced it has concluded the purchase of Interplas from Reed Exhibitions UK. Interplas is the UK’s largest plastics industry exhibition and the only UK event to cover all of the manufacturing processes, technologies and services within the plastics industry. Under the management of Rapid News since 2011, the event has undergone a remarkable turnaround with visitors, exhibitors and floorspace all increasing during both the 2011 and recent 2014 editions.
Replica 3DM
Replica 3DM facial reconstruction work using additive manufacturing.
8. 3D printing the surgical revolution
Managing Director of Salisbury-headquartered Replica 3DM Matthew Sherry spoke to EPPM in August about the company's leading work in the field of surgery. The company has been operating for around two years and uses patient data sent from NHS trusts, which is then transformed into digital 3D reconstructions to be 3D-printed for surgical guides.
Fakuma 2
The Ancient Greeks, who had been working on behalf of Moretto all week.
7. Moretto presents Eureka at Fakuma
In a lively and engaging Fakuma press event, Moretto revealed with some pride its Eureka plastics material conditioning system. The Eureka drying system consists of three elements: X MAX, OTX drying hopper and the FLOWMATIK. It was developed over a 13-year period of simulation, experimentation and testing as an advanced conditioning system for engineering thermoplastics.
6. PolyOne metal replacement innovations bring home prizes
Collaborating with customers to replace metal in LED lights has earned PolyOne recognition at the inaugural Polymers and Plastics Innovation Awards, presented by the Society of Plastics Engineers Benelux Division.
