Sectors, plastics industry

In USA the yearly man-hours employment producing all plastic products by all processes is estimated at 650 million, second to motor vehicles at 845 million. Following plastic products (in millions) are aircraft at 570, commercial printing at 560, newspapers at 475, meat at 460, metal structural products at 350, and computers at 325. The USA plastics Industry is growing and creating jobs faster than the other manufacturing sectors. 

As in many sectors of industry, plastic components that replace metal components are increasingly numerous. 

Fat- and oil-soluble dyes are used on a large scale in a wide variety of industrial sectors. The main fields of application are the coloration of products in the mineral oil and plastics industries, as well as of wax products (e.g., candles, shoe polishes, floor polishes). 

As is evident from the conducted studies, the majority of problems within this sector are veiy typical of the plastic industry in general. These include the need to improve reinforcement, durability, fatigue resistance, adhesion, reduce water absorption, etc. In addition to these problems are some issues which are only related specifically to medical applications such as toxicity and biocompatibility. These issues make this research an exclusive field in which the publication of findings is... 

The increase in the use of plastic materials in all sectors of industry and in everyday life, as well as the reduction in the lifetime of most plastic products, have led to a continuous increase in the generation of plastic wastes. Figure 1.7 illustrates the distribution of solid wastes by sector in Western Europe for 1996. The total volume of waste was 2.6 x 109 tonnes, although the total post-user plastics waste accounted for only 1.7 x 107 tonnes, i.e., only 0.6 wt% of the solid waste was plastic materials. 

The plastic industry, like other sectors, also seeks to minimize waste production. For this, rationalization systems have been developed (hot channels removing carrots and channels supplying materials for injection, software preventing the wrong parts being made especially at startup, etc.) or systems for immediate recovery and immediate recychng after grinding in front of the press. 

The Composites Institute, a division of the Society of Plastics Industry, Inc., estimates that composite shipments in 1998 were 1.63 billion kg and have increased 53% (K. Walshon, Society of Plastics Industry, Composites Institute, Personal communication, Oct. 1999) since 1991. Table 4.10 shows the distribution of composite shipments according to industry sectors and indicates that the largest shipment percentage is to the transportation and construction sectors. Corrosion-resistant applications account for only 11.8%. 

US Environmental Protection Agency. (2005). EPA Office of Compliance Sector Notebook Project, Profile of the Rubber and Plastic Industry, 2nd edition. Chapters I, II and III [online]. Available from http //www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/ assistance/sectors/notebooks/mbber.html [Accessed 20 February 2007]. 

The Plastics Industry All Sectors, Including Machinery and Equipment... 

THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY ALL SECTORS, INCLUDING MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT... 

Nowadays plastics are used within most sectors of industry, the predominant sectors in terms of tonnage being packaging and building / construction (Figure 1.3). 

This book aims to present methods for dealing with environmental issues in the plastics industry. The concept of Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) can help to better understand the opportunities and challenges facing this industrial sector as well as the limits to possible forms of action. The industry can act towards improving the environment while at the same time maintaining a competitive edge. 

The final Chapter 7 presents several case studies which demonstrate approaches for implementing LCE. The development and production of plastics products in several sectors of industry are outlined and dissensed in the light of the material covered in the previous six chapters. 

EPA Office of Compliance Sector Notebook Project. Profile of the Rubber and Plastics Industry. 

Case Styrene Emissions from Composite Manufacture A sector of the plastics industry presently nnder review by the EPA is that of composites. When final, the regulatory action by the agency is expected to reduce related air emissions by 14,500 tons per year (a reduction of 65% over... 

The PDL Handbook Series is aimed at a wide range of engineers and other professionals working in the plastics industry, and related sectors using plastics and adhesives. 

The ground is laid for industrial use of man-made cellulose fibers for reinforcing a series of thermoplastics. Specific recipes, including processing aids, stabilizers, color master batches, etc., remain to be developed for possible applications in various sectors of the plastics industry. 

In late 1992, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc (SPI) s Polymeric Material Producers Division (PMPD) recommended that its member companies begin to convert to the use of internationally accepted standards developed by ISO and lEC for determining the properties of plastics and to routinely supply data on product datasheets and advertisements, using the preferred ISO/IEC standards, by June 1994. This strategic move was in response to the growing needs of various market sectors, led by the automotive industry. 

Globalisation means that the plastics industry s major customers, such as the automotive and packaging sectors, want the same plastics formulations to be available, with the same uniform quality, whether in Asia, Europe or North America. Customers want additive suppliers to offer similar standards of technical service in all continents. 

Europeans are enthusiastic about hydrocarbons like cyclopentane as blowing agents, and have not had too many problems with their flammability. Replacing 10% of the pentane by isobutane is said to allow the production of foams with improved insulation and mechanical properties and lower material costs. US manufacturers have observed the success of the European hydrocarbon policy and its safety record (despite fears about flammability) and are also beginning to use pentane. Several producers in South America, Australia and much of Asia have already moved to hydrocarbons, which are sold by petrochemical companies and their subsidiaries. Market share held by hydrocarbons is over 50% in some sectors of the foamed plastics industry. 

Ciba is a leading global player in the fine chemicals and additives world, with an extremely wide range of products for the plastics industry and other applieation sectors. The plastics additives cover most of the categories discussed in this report, with particular depth and strength in stabilisers. The company also has many interests outside plasties such as coatings, water and paper treatment, and home and personal care products. Ciba Specialty Chemicals is valued at around CHE 100 billion. Research and development expenditure in 2003 amounted to US 227 M. 

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