Sales Job Opportunities
NOVACHEM has opportunities available for Inside Sales Representatives. We're located in Bridgeport, CT and do virtually all of our sales over the telephone. Our reps contact production and...
View ArticleWelcome to HYBRID™ Purging
For a long time there have been two basic classes of purging compounds for plastics processing equipment - chemical purging compounds and mechanical purging compounds. Each class offers advantages and...
View ArticleIt Ain't Necessarily So!
Now comes another story wherein one of the fundamental tenets of the "Plastics vs. the Environment" conflict turns out to be not so much of a sure thing. These interesting instances of elegant theories...
View ArticlePurging Tip of the Week: #33
Deciding when to purge a system that runs 24/7 can be difficult. Waiting until the contamination is so bad that you just can’t keep making good product is probably not the best plan. To keep...
View ArticlePurging Tip of the Week: #32
Sometimes, due to excessive contamination or the requirements of a Preventive Maintenance program, you just have to tear down a piece of equipment. Split a die, pull a screw, open up heads…all...
View ArticlePurging Tip of the Week: #31
When purging extruders that normally run with screen packs in place, be sure to discuss with your purging compound supplier whether the purging material will be able to pass through the screen mesh...
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Is the Giant Pacific Plastic Garbage Patch Imaginary?
Were we to give credence to the media reports describing the purported pollution of the North Pacific Gyre by plastic debris, we'd probably think you could walk from Oregon to Japan on the trash. But...
View ArticlePurging Tip of the Week: #30
Many mechanical purging compounds increase effectiveness by incorporating fillers or abrasive resins. These ingredients cover a range from quite gentle “polishing” agents to quite aggressive scouring...
View ArticleThe Sage of Omaha says: "Plastics!"
In case you're bearish about the prospects for the plastics processing industry, be advised that Warren Buffett would appear to disagree. It seems that Berkshire-Hathaway (via its CTB, Inc. subsidiary)...
View ArticlePurging Tip of the Week: #29
Occasionally, it can be difficult to find a way simply to introduce a purging compound into the production system. Especially in large equipment, the feed system may be fully closed from the supply...
View ArticlePurging Tip of the Week: #28
Here are some hints for purging high temperature resins (those processed at more than 600ºF (315ºC) – including polysulfone, PEEK, poly-ether-imide, many fluoropolymers and others).Never let them drop...
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Purging Barrier Screws
An email from "Mike" asks, "Color changes on a machine using a barrier screw are always very difficult. Why is this?"Here's our theory of what's happening, Mike. In a barrier screw design (like the one...
View ArticleThings May Not Be As They Seem
Since we are hearing of late so much about bioplastics in their various forms, it's interesting to contemplate a recent study by Dr. Amy Landis and her colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr....
View ArticlePurging Tip of the Week: #27
Purging compounds are available in several basic classes – chemical, mechanical (sometimes referred to as physical) and hybrid. Chemical purging compounds actually affect the polymer molecules of the...
View ArticlePurging Tip of the Week: #26
On small extruders or molding machines it is usually easiest to load purging material directly into the throat after unbolting and setting aside the hopper. For larger systems it will often be...
View ArticlePlastic Plantations?
There would seem to be no reason for the polymer industry to discriminate among feedstocks. Hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons, and any viable source of same will serve our purposes. It is as yet "early...
View ArticlePurging Tip of the Week: #25
Plunger-type molding machines are old designs and have become quite rare but a few are still in service. Purging procedures for these machines are similar to those for reciprocating screw machines...
View ArticlePurging Tip of the Week: #24
Certain high-temperature materials (notably polyether-imides’s such as Ultem®) will adhere very tenaciously to internal machine surfaces if allowed to cool below the melt range of the material. To...
View ArticlePolymer Cleaning (of a Different Sort)
A firm in England, Xeros, Ltd., has developed a "nearly" waterless washing machine where the process involves tumbling soiled clothes with Nylon pellets (and just a bit of water). (They look like...
View ArticlePurging Tip of the Week: #23
If the purging process calls for changes in system temperatures, great care is needed if the production material is heat-sensitive. You could degrade residual production resin and badly contaminate the...
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