Prejudices Against Plastics - A Break on Innovations? Expert Interview Video Series with Dirk Moses - Technoform & Herwig Juster FindOutAboutPlastics.com (Part 3/3)

Part 3 of our expert talk with Dirk Moses from Technoform.

Hello and welcome to this polymer expert interview series with Dirk from Technoform, diving into the world of sustainable polymer solutions. 

It is a three part video series and today we continue with the third and last part:

💡 Prejudices Against Plastics - A Break on Innovations?💡

In this video, we get to the bottom of the prejudices against plastics and reveal the truth behind the negative headlines. 

Dirk and his team at Technoform talk about the unfair bias that the plastics industry has experienced in recent years.

Despite the widespread assumption that plastics are a bad choice for the environment, data reveals a different reality: 'Plastics make up only a tiny fraction of the materials used worldwide and therefore contribute minimally to the carbon footprint. In contrast, other materials such as cement, metal, ceramics and concrete cause the majority of CO2 emissions'.

We discuss the various aspects of the carbon footprint of plastics and emphasize the importance of taking a holistic view of the manufacturing process and the service life of products. We show how plastics can make a positive contribution to the environment through their longevity and efficiency in disposal.

Despite the challenges and the long time it sometimes takes for innovative plastic solutions to be accepted by customers, Dirk and his team are optimistic about the future. 

They have already developed successful plastic solutions for cooling battery systems and see an increased focus on recycling and sustainability as future trends. Also, Dirk sees the future of polymer-based solutions as indispensable, especially in areas such as technical components, packaging and transport as well as construction materials. Plastics offer unique properties such as design flexibility, thermal insulation, mouldability and chemical resistance, which make them irreplaceable for many applications.

Watch the video below or here. The Podcast version can be found here.

Check out the other two interviews too:

Part 1: Plastics & Sustainability - A Contradiction?

Part 2: Sustainable Plastics Solutions For The Automotive Sector

Get in touch with Technoform here. 

Thanks for reading & watching!

Greetings, 

Herwig 

Interested in my monthly blog posts – then subscribe here and receive my high performance polymers knowledge matrix.

!NEW! Ultra and High Performance Polymer Selection - new online course coming soon - join the waiting list

New to my Find Out About Plastics Blog - check out the start here section

🎤My Polymer Expert Talks Podcast

📹My YouTube channel

My personal website

My dedicated site for Polymer Material Selection

New Polymer Material Selection Tool - Plastics Pricing Dashboard using Tableau

Hello and welcome to this post in which I present to you the plastics pricing dashboard I created with the business intelligence tool Tableau (is part of the Salesforce.com suite of tools). It will support you during the material selection phase as an engineer, as well as a support tool for plastics purchasers and for everyone interested in the development of polymer pricing. 

The Polymer Selection Funnel - information gathering phase and cost considerations

Figure 1 shows the Polymer Material Selection Funnel and cost considerations are a relevant aspect during the information gathering phase for optimal polymer selection, which is the base step before starting with step 1 - Material Selection Factors. 

Figure 1: Polymer Selection Funnel and the information gathering phase which contains cost considerations. 

Plastic cost contribution to the final product costs can range from 50% up to 80%. If we are designing a technical part, cost contribution is around 50%, and in case we design an injection moulded consumer product, cost contribution is in the range of 80%. Having access to pricing data and understanding the dynamics behind, allow you to make better decisions along the material selection funnel steps. 

Additionally, the shape of the part is fixed by the design and not by the weight. Therefore, having plastics cost data per volume instead of cost per kilogram is more useful. In the pricing dashboard both representations are shown: cost per kilogram and cost per volume. 

What does the plastics pricing dashboard contain and how is it built up?

The tool Tableau allows me to organize polymer (engineering) data for material selection by interactive dashboards. 

Figure 2 presents two pricing charts of commodity and engineering polymers pellets. The following polymers are covered: ABS, PA 6, PA 6.6, PBT, PC, PE-HD, PE-LD, POM, PP, and PS. The data sources can be found here.

Figure 2: Plastics Pricing Dashboard - overview of the two pricing charts. 

The left one contains the average price in EUR per kg over the period of one year (July 2023 till June 2024). The right one contains the average price per liter over the same period of time. By clicking on one of the plastics, for example ABS, only ABS in color "blue" can be seen and all the others are shown in light grey color. 

On the bottom of the dashboard, the average sales price and the density of the same polymers is plotted (Figure 3). Additionally, there are two filters. The upper filter allows you to select polymers which have a certain density only. And the second filter allows you to select certain price levels. This in turn allows you to narrow your search and analysis. 

Figure 3: Plastics Pricing Dashboard - average sales price vs. density.

Time to try the dashboard out

Now it is time to check out the dashboard here or immediately below. 

Furthermore, it is possible to download it as a picture, PDF, powerpoint slide or as a Tableau workbook. 

I will update the dashboard in quarterly time steps to keep this selection tool as accurate as possible and will include more information such as ethylene (important for C2-pricing), propylene (important for C3-pricing), and other base chemicals important for plastics pricing as well as other plastics. 

I am curious about your feedback on this tool and feel fre to leave a message below or by using the contact form.

Check out my other dashboards here, which are part of my Tableau capstone project series: 

Plastics Environmental Sustainability Dashboard

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis Data of Engineering and High Performance Polymers 

As well as polymer material selection tools: 

Polymer Material Selector V1.1

Thanks for reading and #findoutaboutplastics

Greetings,

Herwig 

Interested in my monthly blog posts – then subscribe here and receive my high performance polymers knowledge matrix.

!NEW! Ultra and High Performance Polymer Selection - new online course coming soon - join the waiting list

New to my Find Out About Plastics Blog - check out the start here section

🎤My Polymer Expert Talks Podcast

📹My YouTube channel

My personal website

My dedicated site for Polymer Material Selection

Literature:

[1] https://plasticker.de/preise/preise_monat_single.php?submit=x&form=Granulat&werkstoff=ABS&dauer=12

Sustainable Plastics Solutions For The Automotive Sector - Expert Interview Video Series with Dirk Moses - Technoform & Herwig Juster FindOutAboutPlastics.com (Part 2/3)

Expert Interview with Dirk from Technoform - part 2: sustainable plastics solutions for automotive

Hello and welcome to the second part of our expert Interview with Dirk from Technoform.

Here you can check out part 1: Plastics & Sustainability - A Contradiction?

The automotive industry offers enormous potential for the use of high-performance polymers in the context of sustainability. Dirk uses an example to explain how plastic components enable the optimisation of battery packs for high-voltage batteries and how plastics enable the effective decoupling of components.

However it is not just the automotive industry that benefits from the advantages of plastics technology. Additionally, we discuss how high-performance polymers such as Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) can be used in the treatment of corrosive liquids and gases to save considerable amounts of CO2. These polymers not only offer a long service life, but also other advantages along the value chain, such as lower weight and easier assembly.

Dirk Moses (Technoform) and Herwig Juster discussing the application of thermally conductive PPS for corrosive liquid treatment.

Another topic we discuss is the replacement of metals with plastics. While metals remain indispensable, there are applications in which plastics can be an efficient alternative.

For example, recycled plastics can replace metals in certain applications and at the same time create added value by utilizing the benefits of plastics technology.

Immerse yourself with us in the world of sustainable plastics innovations and discover how Technoform and other companies are helping to shape a greener future. 

Watch the interview now: 

Stay tuned for the last episode:

- Prejudices about plastics - a brake on innovation?

Get in touch with Technoform here. 

Thanks for reading & watching!

Greetings, 

Herwig 

Interested in my monthly blog posts – then subscribe here and receive my high performance polymers knowledge matrix.

!NEW! Ultra and High Performance Polymer Selection - new online course coming soon - join the waiting list

New to my Find Out About Plastics Blog - check out the start here section

🎤My Polymer Expert Talks Podcast

📹My YouTube channel

My personal website

My dedicated site for Polymer Material Selection

Plastics & Sustainability - A Contradiction? Expert Interview Video Series with Dirk Moses - Technoform & Herwig Juster FindOutAboutPlastics.com (Part 1/3)

Expert interview with Dirk Moses from Technoform: Plastics & Sustainability - a contradiction?

Hello and welcome to this polymer expert interview series diving into the world of sustainable polymer solutions. It is a three part video series and today we start with our first video:

🌱 Plastics & sustainability - a contradiction? 🌱

I visited Technoform in Lohfelden, Germany to explore the link between plastics & sustainability. In this video I find out how Technoform has been researching sustainable solutions since 2015, from the use of renewable resources to the introduction of innovative separation technologies. Dirk Moses and his team are setting standards, from overcoming skepticism about bio-based materials to making effective use of production waste.

Since the Sustainable Development Goals were set in 2015, Technoform, solution provider for customized plastic profiles, has been exploring measures to enable sustainable plastic solutions. 

From the use of renewable resources to the introduction of innovative separation technologies along the value chain.

We learn how Technoform has tackled the challenges of the thermoplastic market, from initial scepticism towards bio-based materials to the effective use of production waste and the development of single-variety recycling methods. These strategies not only have an environmental impact, but also contribute to the quality of the products.

Dirk Moses and his team are committed to avoiding production waste and are working on solutions to save resources and reduce environmental impact. 

By utilizing post-industrial plastics and calculating the CO2 equivalents of their raw materials, they are leading the way in the industry and helping to shape a sustainable future.

Get an insight into the world of plastics innovation and discover how Technoform and companies can make an important contribution to conserving our resources while improving the quality of their products.

Watch the video now here:

Stay tuned for two more episodes:

- Sustainable plastics solutions for the automotive sector

- Prejudices about plastics - a brake on innovation?

Get in touch with Technoform here. 

Thanks for reading & watching!

Greetings, 

Herwig 

Interested in my monthly blog posts – then subscribe here and receive my high performance polymers knowledge matrix.

!NEW! Ultra and High Performance Polymer Selection - new online course coming soon - join the waiting list

New to my Find Out About Plastics Blog - check out the start here section

🎤My Polymer Expert Talks Podcast

📹My YouTube channel

My personal website

My dedicated site for Polymer Material Selection