Plastics News Highlights The Polymers Center's Nesting Program  Check out our recent article in Plastics News about our new Nesting Program. We are excited to open our facility to companies interested in expanding into the US market. Our expansion, set to be complete in December, includes 12,000 sq/ft and six new offices - five of which are being set aside to home any company wishing to make our location their domestic office. Contact us to learn more.

New Strand Pelletizer Added To Our Lab

In May 1848, Henry Bewley, of the Gutta Percha Company of London, patented a process for making flexible syringes and tubes of gutta percha. He described the process as one that involved “filling a suitable mold with a substance in a granular state,” after which he would “subject these molds to a heat sufficient to liquefy the gutta percha, which on subsequent cooling will be found to retain the exact shape or figure of the molds.” [1] His company went on to make various molded and, later, extruded products, including wire coating for submarine cables. One example of his molding process is a coat of arms, pictured below, that resembled “the choicest carved or gilded oak, rosewood, or mahogany,” but was not fashioned by a skilled artist. Instead, it was manufactured “by merely pressing the ungainly lumps into a mold.” With such a mold, thousands of identical products could be manufactured “without the usual expense of artist work.” [2]

Daniel Mueller, an Application Engineer at Arburg started up The Polymers Center’s new Arburg Allrounder 520A a couple weeks ago. Also in attendance were Mike Loden and Matt Loden from Aptar Lincolnton.

Pelletizing Low Durometer Material with The Polymers Center’s New Econ Lab Unit EWA10 - Underwater and Air Pelletizer

Arburg’s motto is “Wir sind da,” by which they mean, “quality, reliability and personal proximity.” 

The Polymers Center is excited about the addition of a Microex Cast and a Microex Blown machine to our Extrusion Lab.

Burlington Medical Collaborates With The Polymers Center To Improve Performance Of Radiation Protection Products.

Testing On Our Instron 3366 This one stretched a long way on our Instron 3366 Testing Frame.