Canadian Plastics

Ben Smith.

Two British Columbia firms with connections to the plastics sector have received tariff-related funding from Canada’s federal government.

In plastic pipe extrusion, maintaining precise outside diameter (OD), wall thickness and dimensional stability is essential for meeting increasingly stringent product specifications. At the same time, manufacturers are under constant pressure to improve production efficiency, minimize material consumption and reduce overall operating costs. One area that has remained largely unchanged for decades, however, is the calibration process.

Two in five surveyed Canadian exporters to the U.S. report selling products affected by the proposed 50% U.S. tariffs on some CUSMA compliant goods, according to a new survey from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). Among those affected, over three-quarters (77%) reportedly expect their revenues to drop if new tariffs take effect, finds the organization’s research. More than one in three (35%) expect revenues to fall by at least 50%.

Fraser, Mich.-based mold components supplier PCS Co. has become the exclusive plastics industry supplier of the APSX-PIM tabletop injection molding machine, manufactured by APSX. The all-electric press is designed to produce production-quality molded parts without the cost or lead time of a traditional molding press, according to the company. The APSX-PIM bridges prototyping and short-run production by using the same injection molding process employed on larger production machines.

Image Credit: University at Buffalo Barcode readers are great at quickly identifying groceries and other products. Could a similar idea work at industrial recycling facilities to make sorting different plastics quicker and more cost-effective? The answer, according to a University at Buffalo (UB) research team, is yes – which is why they’re currently developing a system that creates “three-dimensional transient thermal barcodes” that could rapidly identify plastics moving on conveyor belts.

Injection molding is one of the most efficient manufacturing methods for producing high volumes of plastic components. But that efficiency only holds when the process runs consistently and predictably. When quality issues appear, they rarely show up as a single obvious cost.

Global packaging leader TricorBraun has opened a new warehouse facility in Laval, Quebec, marking a significant expansion of the company’s distribution network in Canada. In an Aug. 10 press release, company officials said the strategic move positions inventory closer to businesses throughout Quebec, reducing delivery times, improving product availability, and providing greater supply chain flexibility.

An illustration of THDBT (tetrahydroxy deoxybenzoin triazole) filler aggregates at the molecular level. In this “slow chaos” state, there are fewer vibrational pathways available for heat transport, resulting in lower thermal conductivity. Image Credit: “Materials Horizons,” with permission from the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Talking Points ExxonMobil and Grupo Plastilene have collaborated to enhance the performance of locally produced thermoforming films in Colombia by implementing Tube Water Quench (TWQ) blown-film technology. This innovation allows Grupo Plastilene to produce high-performance films that match imported structures, improving optical clarity, mechanical strength, and barrier performance. Grupo Plastilene integrated TWQ extrusion technology from Windmöller & Hölscher to improve deep-draw applications.