January has come to an end, which means the plastics industry is well underway riding the increase in trade that heralded 2018’s start. Happy New Year to all our readers – here’s a rundown of your favourite stories from the trade this month.
Activist investor bought out of Clariant by SABIC
Clariant
The biggest shock to kick off the year was the SABIC buyout of White Tale at Clariant. The stock trade could be another twist in the tale of the HuntsmanClariant merger…
When is Plastic Avoidable?
Steak
A vacuum-packed steak has a lifespan of 16 days, while a normal tray/lid give it just 6-days' shelflife. Imagine the waste if there was no plastic packaging at all.
The hubbub and furore against plastics has been tangible in January, with politicians and the media firing a broadside on all things waste packaging. After the death of the baby whale in the BBC’s Blue Planet II, plastic pollution has come to the fore…
Plastics Trends for 2018...
Space
We’re no Mystic Meg, but we like to think our fingers are on the plastics pulse. Here’s a clump of predictions for 2018 (the year of the Yellow Earth Dog for Chinese Zodiac watchers)…
Stratasys enjoy sweet taste of success 3D printing for Rotterdam Chocolate Factory
The metal replacement parts for chocolate packaging lines.
Nom-ber four on the most-read is one for the Wonka’s – a tasty treat from Stratasys. It 3D printed line replacement parts for the Chocolate Factory in Rotterdam. 3D printing and chocolate? Surely the next step is print-at-home Belgian praline truffles?
FANUC expands intelligent drilling tech...
Fanuc Robodrill
Fanuc Robodrill
Finally, the fifth is for the FANUC fans. Milling and drilling has new automated applications after FANUC released it’s a-DiB5 series. It may look like a drilling CNC, but this release has machine learning capabilities and interactive networked interface, with the robot specialists latest servos.