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Find out about plastics - #FOAP by Herwig Juster



Hello and welcome to Find out about Plastics, Polymer Engineering, and Leadership! If you want to grow your practical knowledge in polymer engineering and leadership, you’re in the right place. My aim with this blog is to train you how to succeed in the world of polymer engineering and plastics industry– whether that be through blogging, publications, coaching or something else altogether.

Let’s get started!

• Polymer Consulting - Let us turn obstacles into opportunities

• The Plastics Industry & Why Plastics Are The Solution, Not The Problem

The Plastics Industry – How Is It Organized & What Are The Key Success Factors

My Quote Selection of Chemical and Polymer Business Leaders

Strategic Sales and Marketing in Plastics Industry: My 2x3 Matrix Approach

Decision Making in the Plastics Industry – Avoid the Survivorship Bias Trap

Plastics Industry – The 6 Strategic Principles For Business Leaders

Plastic Compounds: 5 Key Considerations for Formulating Optimal Thermoplastic Compounds

Major Benefits of Plastics for the Environment

How Plastics Protect Our Climate and Environment: Insulating Materials

• Polymeric Material Selection

Polymeric Material Selection: A Critical Factor In Making Successful Plastics Parts
 “Data is the new plastic” - Data algorithms in ….. Plastic Materials Selection
5 Tips For Choosing The Optimal Polymer Resin Supplier
Material Selection Guide based on Mechanical Properties

Property Ranking of Thermoplastics [Infographic]
Material Selection Considerations for Electric Vehicles (EV’s) - Thermal Management Systems

Plastic Part Failure – Part 1: Reasons

Plastic Part Failure – Part 2: The Antidote

Why Plastic Parts Fail & How to Prevent Failure [Infographic]

Polymer Material Selection for Electric Vehicles (xEVs) - Introduction to New Online Course

10 Considerations for Polymer Material Selection (YT video)

The Big Six - Polymer Filament Selection for Desktop 3D Printing (YT video)

Tips to Improve the Polymer Material Selection Process

Polymer Material Selection For Household Applications - 8 Important Polymers (YT video)

Polymer Material Selection For Automotive - Car Interior Applications (YT video)

Thermoplastic Standards as Support for Polymer Material Selection

Polymer Material Selection For Medical Device Applications - Polyolefins (YT video)

Polymer Material Selection For Automotive - Car Exterior Applications

Polymer Material Selection For Automotive - Fuel System Applications

Polymer Material Selection For Automotive Applications 

Polymer Material Selection For Electronic Applications

Relative Comparison of Material Properties for Visible Part Applications (Polymer Material Selection Tool)

Polymer Material Selection For Building & Construction Applications

Polymer Material Selection I Material Data - ASTM/ISO vs Real World

Polymer Material Selection: Pre-Selection of Thermoplastics

EVs - 6 Important Areas for Polymeric Materials I Polymer Material Selection

Consideration of Continuous Heat Exposure I UL 746B I Polymer Material Selection

Graphical Data For Optimal Selection I DMA I Polymer Material Selection

Polymer Blends I How to Select Them I Polymer Material Selection

Improve the Dimensional Stability of Semi-Crystalline Resins I Polymer Material Selection

Improve the Flow, Chemical Resistance, and Wear of Amorphous Resins I Polymer Material Selection

Filler vs. Reinforcement I High Strength Thermoplastics I Polymer Material Selection

Replacing Polyamide by Polypropylene - How to Do it I Polymer Material Selection

Polymer Price - The Most Important Material Property?

Difference: Design Properties vs. Inherent Properties I Polymer Material Selection

Pre-Selection of Thermoplastics 

Polymer Material Selection for Beverage Bottles: PET vs rPET vs bio-PET

Polymer Material Property Data I My 5 Favorite Online Sources 2022

Trouble-Free Polymer Injection Moulded Parts I 5 Important Design Rules

Engineering Biopolymers - How to Select Them? 

Dimensional Stability of Polymer Based Parts after Processing: 3 Considerations

Polymer Material Selection: What are PTFE free alternatives for friction and wear compounds?

Polymer Material Selection: Defining the Part Requirements as Common Starting Point

Polymer Material Selection: How Can the Flow and Chemical Resistance of Amorphous Polymers be Improved?

Polymer Material Selection Funnel Example - Baby Bottles (Consumer Packing Example)

Polymer Material Selection Funnel Example - Water Pipes for Plumbing (Building & Construction Example)

Polymer Selection Funnel Example - Vacuum Cleaner Canister and Canister Holding (Example Electronics Consumer Goods)

Polymer Selection Funnel Example - Yoga Mat (Example Sporting Goods Market)

Polymer Selection Funnel Example - Radar transparent plastics for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (Radar and Lidar)

Polymer Selection Funnel Example - Back Seat Housing with Handles of A Motorbike (Transportation Market)

Designing Parts With Polymers - Material Selection Checklist [Free Download]

New Polymer Material Selection Tool - Plastics Pricing Dashboard using Tableau

Polymer Selection Funnel Example - Panhandle (Consumer Goods Material Selection)

High Performance Thermoplastic Selection - Introduction to High Performance Polymers (Part 1)

High Performance Thermoplastic Selection - Polysulfides (Polyphenylene sulfide - PPS), Polysulfones (PSU, PESU, PPSU), and Polyarylates (PAR) [Part 2A]

Polymer Selection Funnel Example - Smartphone Front Bezel  (Consumer Electronics Material Selection)

• Metal-2-Plastic Conversion in Automotive

Metal-2-Plastic in Automotive - How to do it (incl. Youtube Training Video)
Metal Replacement with Polyarylamide (PARA) for Single-Use Surgical Instruments
Metal replacement with High Performance Polymers: How to Design for Equivalent Part Stiffness?

Replacing Magnesium Die Casting with Engineering and High Performance Plastics

Example of metal replacement with engineering thermoplastics

Sustainable Materials - Comparing the Melt Energy of High Performance Polyamides vs. Metals

• Engineering and High Performance Polymers and Design Properties for Plastics Engineering

The Secret of High Performance Polymers: Why They Can Handle High Heat and Harsh Chemicals?
Introduction to the World of High Performance Polymers [Youtube training video; German]
High performance polymers used in children buggies
Fluoropolymers As Enabler For Megatrends: From Resource Efficiency To Digitalization
10 Fluoropolymer Facts for Designers & Engineers
Design Properties for Engineers: HDT @ 1.8 MPa Values for High Performance Polymers
Creep Strength and Toughness of High Performance Plastics
High Performance Polymers: Suitable for Low Temperatures?
Design Properties for Engineers: Weldline Strength of High Performance Polymers
Design Properties for Engineers: Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion (CLTE) of High Performance Polymers
Design Properties for Engineers: Chemical Resistance of High Performance Polymers
High Heat Plastics (HHP) Demystified incl. Cheat Sheet
Design Properties for Engineers: Tensile Properties of High Performance Polymers
Design Properties for Engineers: Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) of High Performance Polymers
Design Properties for Engineers: Flexural Properties of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: Thermal Conductivity of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: Transition Temperatures (Tg, Tm, CUT) of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: Price Performance Ratio of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: Electrical and Dielectric Properties of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: Fire Behavior (UL 94) and Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI) of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers - Compression Stress of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: Water and Moisture Absorption of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: Fuel and Oil Resistance of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers – Processing Temperatures of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers – Tribological Properties of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: 7 Key Properties vs. Density of Unfilled High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: Key Properties vs. Density of Filled High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers – Residence Times of High Performance Polymers (Injection Moulding)

Design Properties for Engineers: Hot Runner System Suitability of High Performance Polymers

Aliphatic and Aromatic Polyketones – Introduction, Performance Comparison and Applications

Design Properties for Engineers – Comparison Property Data of Polyphthalamides (PPAs)

Design Properties for Engineers: UL RTI vs HDT of Commodity, Engineering and High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: Mechanical properties of PCR, PIR, bio-based, and mass balanced plastics

Design Data for Plastics Engineering: Selected Properties of Natural Fiber Based Polymer Compounds

Design Properties for Plastics Engineering: Key Electrical Properties of Selected Engineering and High Performance Polymers for E-Mobility

Design Properties for Polymer Engineering: Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) of Unfilled Engineering Polymers 

Design Properties for Polymer Engineering: Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) of Reinforced Engineering Polymers

Plastic Part Design Properties for Engineers - Water Uptake of Aliphatic Polyamides

HDT @ 1.82 MPa Filled and Unfilled Thermoplastics

Plastic Part Design Properties for Engineers - CTE/ CLTE of Polymers, Mineral Fillers and Metals

Design Properties for Engineers: Chemical Resistance of Plastics - An Overview for Material Selection

Plastic Multipoint Design Data: Specific Heat Capacity as a function of Temperature

Plastic Multipoint Design Data: Creep Strain of Amorphous and Semi-Crystalline Polymers

Plastic Multipoint Design Data: Brittleness as a Function of Temperature

Plastic Multipoint Design Data: Shrinkage of Amorphous (ABS, PC) and Semi-Crystalline (PA 6) Polymers as a Function of Wall Thickness and Fillers

Design Properties for Engineers: Hydrolysis Resistance of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: Radiation Resistance of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: Outgassing Behavior of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Engineers: Ionic Contamination of High Performance Polymers

Design Properties for Polymer Engineers: Weather and UV Resistance of Commodity and Engineering polymers (styrene copolymers and PMMA)

Design Properties for Engineers: The ABCs of Polyarylamide (PARA; MXD6)

Design Properties for Engineers: Polycarbonate Blends (Styrene and Polyester) and Their Thermal-Mechanical Properties

Design Properties for Polymer Engineering: Comparative Tracking Index (CTI) after heat aging and moisture treatment (PA 6.6, PBT, and PPS)

High Heat Plastics Selection: Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP) - Decreasing Wall Thickness, Increasing Tensile Strength?

Design Data for PolyArylAmide (PARA; MXD6) Selection: Mechanical Properties as Function of Temperature and Humidity

Design Properties for Engineers: Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion (CLTE) of Glass Fiber Reinforced High Performance Polymers as a Function of Temperature

Design Data for Polymer Engineers: Creep Performance of High Performance Polymers (ISO 899; Multipoint data)

Design Properties for Engineers: Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) of Ultra Performance Polymers (PBI and PBI blends)

The ABC of High Performance Polymers - YouTube Playlist [German]

Subscribe to my monthly updates and receive the "High Performance Polymers Knowledge Matrix"

• Guest interviews

Guest Interview: Max Funck from PlastFormance

Guest Interview: Paolo Negri – Founder and Owner of Isotattica

Guest Interview: Doug EOM – POKETONE Technical Support Engineer from Hyosung Chemical

Guest Interview: Bianca Gubi – Product Manager Circular Economy at ENGEL Austria GmbH

Guest Interview: Alexander Lehner-Jettmar – Technical Sales Engineer at Biesterfeld Interowa GmbH & Co KG

Guest Interview: Michaela Schopp - Product Manager at Henze BNP AG: "Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) can offer a fluorine- and micro plastic-free replacement for the filler PTFE"

Guest Interview with Lucas R. Pianegonda, Managing Director and Lead Plastic Expert at Gradical: "Form a better world – with plastics"

Guest Interview with Harrison McVeigh Carroll, Business Manager for the Plastics and Packaging Industry at Pivot Search

• Regulatory Affairs (training videos)

Regulatory Affairs for Plastics - Electrical Engineering & Electronics (Part 1)

Regulatory Affairs for Plastics - Medical Technology (Part 2)

Regulatory Affairs for Plastics - Drinking Water (Part 3)

Regulatory Affairs for Plastics - Automotive (Part 4)

• Review of key engineering plastics (incl.Youtube Video):

Polyamide 6 and Polyamide 6.6
ABS
Polycarbonate

• High Performance Polymers in Electrification: A Must-Have Or A Nice-To-Have

Part 1: Batteries
Part 2: Traction Motors
Part 3: Autonomous Driving

• Polymer Solutions for Electric Mobility (E-Mobility)

Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) – The Conquering of Electric Car Parts

Material Selection Considerations for Electric Vehicles (EV’s) - Thermal Management Systems

Polymeric Materials in Automotive: The Increasing Importance of Plastics for EVs and Autonomous Driving

EMI Shielding for EVs: Thermoplastic Compounds vs. Coatings – What is Better?

Polymers For E-Mobility I Electrical Design Properties I Part 1

Polymers For E-Mobility I Electrical Design Properties I Part 2 - Flammability Ratings

Polymers For E-Mobility I Electrical Design Properties I Part 3 - Comparative Tracking Indices (CTI)

Polymers For E-Mobility I Electrical Design Properties I Part 4 - Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)

Polymers For E-Mobility I Electrical Design Properties I Part 5 - Applications

• Rule of Thumbs in Polymer Engineering 

Rule of Thumb for Injection Moulding - " What happens in the cavity..."

How to Reduce Environmental Stress Cracking - Rule of Thumb for Plastic Part Design & Material Selection

How to Approximately Access the Weld Line Strength - Rule of Thumb for Plastic Part Design

The 5P’s – Rule of Thumb for Plastic Design and Processing Operations

Rule of Thumb for Plastic Part Design: Increase HDT & Modulus With Fillers

Rule of Thumb for Plastics Injection Moulding: Usage of Regrind

Rule of Thumb for Plastics Injection Moulding: 20% Material Viscosity Variation over Time

Rule of Thumb for Plastic Parts: 4 Factors Impacting Plastic Part Performance

Rule of Thumb for Polymer Material Selection: Key Properties of Long Fiber Thermoplastics (LFTs)

Rule of Thumb for Polymer Processing: The Importance of Melt Uniformity in Injection Moulding

Rule of Thumb for Polymer Engineering: The Polymer Product Pentagram

Rule of Thumb for EMI Shielding of Plastic Parts in E-Mobility

Rule of Thumb for Polymer Material Selection: The Big 5 for Fast Decision Making

Rules of Thumb for Oxidative Stability of Polymers

Rule of Thumb for Plastic Part Design: The Rule of 10 in Part Costs

Rule of Thumb: Investing and Scaling Up Polymer Production Plants

Rule of Thumb in Plastics Design: Selection of Maximum Short-Term Operating Temperature

Rule of Thumb for Plastics Injection Moulding: Weld Line vs Meld Line

Rule of Thumb for Plastics Part Design – Ribs

Rules of thumb for  Polymer Design on Injection Moulded Parts

Rule of Thumb for Thermoplastic Material Design: 3 Effective Ways to Achieve ESD properties

Rule of Thumb: Long Fiber Plastic Processing - How to Not Make Long Fibers Short

Rule of Thumb - Residence Time and Temperature Profile of Engineering Polymers

Rule of Thumb - Thin Wall Moulding of Engineering Polymers

Injection Moulding of POM - Checking Thermal Degradation (Rule of Thumb)

Rule of Thumb in Polymer Engineering: Connection between Glass Transition and Melting Temperature

Rule of Thumb: Dealing with Weld lines in Polymer Injection Moulding

Rule of Thumb in Polymer Engineering: How Economy of Scale Can Lower Costs

Rule of Thumb in Polymer Injection Moulding: Fast Estimation of Cooling Time

• Injection Moulding Troubleshooting and Processing (training videos)

Burnt marks / Diesel effect

Sink Marks

Black Specks

Moisture Streaks

Weld Lines

Resin Moisture After Drying (Support Table)

Processing Engineering Thermoplastics: PBT and its crystallization behavior

• How to read thermoplastic technical datasheets (TDS) - training videos

Part 1: Physical properties and Mechanical properties

Part 2: Impact properties and Thermal properties

Part 3: Flame properties and Processing conditions (Injection Molding)

• Bio-based polymers, sustainability and circular economy of plastics

Bio-Based Polyamides – Part 1: PA 5.6 and 5T (Chemical Structure, Production, Properties, Applications, Value Proposition)

Bio-Based Polyamides – Part 2: Short and Long Chain Aliphatic Polyamides (PA 6, PA 11, PA 6.10, PA 10.10)

Bio-Based Polyamides – Part 3: Sustainability Facets (bio sourcing, LCA, certifications) and Example Polyamide 6.10

Bio-Polyamides Part 4: Application of Bio-Polyamides in Different Industries

Bio-Polyamides - Part 5: Performance Review of Short- and Long-Chain Aliphatic Homo- and Copolymer Bio-Polyamides

Biopolymers – Difference Between Bio-Based Content vs. Bio-Based Carbon Content

Composting Biodegradable Polymers – Helpful Standards

Eco-profiles of Polymer Resins – Global Warming Potential

Global Warming Potential (GWP) vs. Thermal Properties of Thermoplastics

Sustainability in the Plastics Industry I Overview and Definitions (YT video)

Sustainability in the Plastics Industry (blog post) 

Design Properties for Engineers: Mechanical properties of PCR, PIR, bio-based, and mass balanced plastics

Design Data for Plastics Engineering: Selected Properties of Natural Fiber Based Polymer Compounds

Engineering Biopolymers - Using the 3P-Triangle to Select Them

How To Turn Thermoplastics Carbon Neutral Or Even Carbon Negative? Here Is An Effective Way

Mass Balance Approach for Plastics (ISCC) - A Concise Overview

Virgin vs. recycled glass-fiber PPS: How much can the carbon footprint be lowered?

Sustainable Materials - Comparing the Melting Energy of High Performance Polyamides vs. Metals

Sodium-ion Batteries - How Plastic Waste Helps to Produce Carbon Anodes

Plastic Part Design for Recycling - The Important Role of Part Marking Codes

How Plastics Protect Our Climate and Environment: Insulating Materials

Global Warming Potential (GWP) Reduction of Engineering and High Heat Plastics - Example PPS and PBT

Practical Examples on Sustainability from Plastics Industry: Polyamide-based plastic waste recycling - the new DIN SPEC 91481 standard, PA 6 textile-to-textile recycling, and bio-based High Temperature Polyamides (PPA)

Total carbon footprint (TCF) of consumers: what role do plastics play?

• Plastic identification - training videos

Part 1: 3 simple methods

Part 2: identify polyolefins, polyamides, polycarbonates and high heat plastics

Part 3: identify plastic compounds with IR-spectroscopy

•  Polymer Part Design Checklist

• Plastics Additives - a concise introduction

The Important Role of Additives: Enhancing Polymer Properties for High Performance Applications (Part 1)

The Important Role of Additives: Enhancing Polymer Properties for High Performance Applications (Part 2)

The Important Role of Additives: Enhancing Polymer Properties for High Performance Applications (Part 3)

The Important Role of Additives: Enhancing Polymer Properties for High Performance Applications (Part 4 - Example of Common Agents and Polymer Compounding)

• Injection moulding and tooling: This post shows a method on how to speed up the injection mould quotation process by using the following formula:

Filling simulation + Pareto principal = Successful quoting process
Here is the link incl. video

• For getting practical knowledge about leadership in engineering environments I recommend my leadership series:

Leadership in Engineering - Part 1: Required skills 
Leadership in Engineering - Part 2: Working Principles
Leadership in Engineering - Part 3: Systems theory & compensatory feedback effect

Plastics Industry: Using the Laws of the Fifth Discipline as Management Success Enabler (Leadership Series)

Plastics Industry – The 6 Strategic Principles For Business Leaders

• One of my favorite topics and absolut essential nowadays: the plastics industry in times of the New Economy (Digital Plastics Industry):

The Rise of B2B Platforms in Plastics Industry: Which One Will Dominate the Market?

Second Wave of Digitalization: From Plastics Machine Manufacturer to Platform Provider?
Polymer Chemistry meets A.I. – Finding and Developing New Polymers with Target Properties in the 21st Century
“Data is the new plastic” - Data Algorithms in….Plastics Injection Moulding
"Data is the new plastic" - Data Algorithms in ....Plastic Materials Selection
European (Plastics) Industry and its struggle with Industry 4.0
Plastics Industry: Level up your Digital Game! – 5 Ideas to get your Digital Plastics Revolution started (Digital Plastics Revolution Series – Impactor 1)
Why the New Economy reshapes the plastics industry and what you need to know for helping reshaping it too!
Cyber physical production systems (CPPS) in plastics industry - Part I: A general overview
Cyber physical production systems (CPPS) in plastics industry - Part II: How injection moulding machine manufacturer will change polymer processing
Digital Leadership in the Plastics Industry – A chance to speed up innovation?

• HDPE plastic bag degradation experiment 

HDPE Plastic Bag Degradation - Start of the experiment 2021

HDPE Plastic Bag Degradation - The Experiment Update 2022

• I created infographics showing different aspects of plastics industry:
  

High Heat Plastics (HHP) Demystified incl. Cheat Sheet
The Organic Chemical Industry - 95% wt Based On Just Only 7 Raw Materials
Polymeric Materials for Automotive Applications
Polypropylene Roller Coaster
Jack Welch and his uprise in GE Plastics
A mind sharpener guide for plastics engineers, product developers, industrial managers & business developers

• Plastic Standards and Codes

Plastic Part Marking – Overview Codes and Standards

Summary of Long-Term Testing Standards of Thermoplastics for Polymer Material Selection

Summary of Testing Standards for Polymer Material Selection

• I created also online calculation tools

Residence Time Calculator for Injection Moulding
Cooling Time Calculator
Clamping Force Calculator
Composite Density Calculator

• Monthly Plastic Market Updates

December 2020 / January 2021

• Find out about the past years by looking at my year reviews which highlights the most viewed blog posts:

2023: My End Of The Year Review 2023 and Outlook 2024

2022: Find Out About Plastics - My End-Of-The-Year Review 2022 and Outlook 2023

2021: My Annual Review 2021 and Outlook for 2022

2020: Find Out About Plastics Blog – The Top 10 Most Watched Posts in 2020
2019: Top 5 Most Viewed Find Out About Plastic Blog Posts in 2019
2016: 2016 in the rear-view mirror
2015: Most viewed blog posts in 2015

• Publicly Traded Materials Stocks - Performance and Outlook

2022 

2021 

2020

2019

Take the time and browse through the achieve.
Just one more thing – if you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to get in touch. I will respond to just about every single message I receive from FOAP readers and I would be glad to help you in whatever way I can.
Head over to my LinkedIn page  now and say hello :)
All the best and success!
Herwig


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