SPE Product Design and Development Division

Reducing Plastic Waste Through Artificial Intelligence
2023-10-16 08:00 - 2023-10-17 17:00 (America/New_York) | Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel, 300 South Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, United States
In this event, we will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization are revolutionizing the plastic industry, offering robust solutions that can effectively mitigate plastic waste and optimize its usage through increased recycling. By harnessing the power of intelligent algorithms in conjunction with advanced technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and geolocation, waste collection in urban areas can be significantly improved and optimized.
Find out more here
Smart bins, integrated with AI capabilities, will be highlighted as they play a pivotal role in sorting materials at their source, maximizing the recycling potential of plastics and other materials. Moreover, state-of-the-art recycling plants are now incorporating cutting-edge technologies such as image sensors, various sensors, and machine learning algorithms, resulting in enhanced efficiency and precision in the sorting process. This facilitates a more accurate categorization of materials, contributing to effective waste management. Digitalization technologies will be discussed, highlighting their potential in enhancing the traceability of products. By enabling efficient identification of material composition, these technologies play a crucial role in streamlining the recycling process.
Additionally, generative design algorithms will be explored, showcasing their ability to create innovative products and packaging designs that minimize the use of plastic and materials, while still meeting performance specifications. During the event, we will discuss the latest advancements in these technologies and delve into the challenges and opportunities surrounding their implementation. Furthermore, we will explore the potential impact of these innovations on plastic waste handling.
This event serves as a platform for knowledge exchange and sharing insights on these cutting-edge solutions, highlighting their significance in the ongoing fight against plastic waste.

WEBINAR: Plastics Weathering - From Basic Principles to Recent Developments in Technology and Standardization Registration
2023-10-04 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York)
Products based on plastics can degrade by the effects of the environment. This webinar addresses the basic principles of polymer degradation caused by the effects of weather. The main environmental stress factors are solar radiation, heat, and moisture. Testing of the environmental durability can be done under natural conditions; however accelerated laboratory testing offer the potential of acceleration. Today xenon-arc instruments (full solar simulation) and fluorescent UV instruments are the main technologies used to test the weathering stability of plastics. Modern test instruments offer control of the simulated environmental parameters, but also measurement of specimen properties, such as the surface temperature. International weathering standards are the base for reproducible testing. Recent standardization efforts focus on better parameter control and on more realistic simulation of environmental degradation effects.
Plastics can degrade when exposed to environmental stress – some faster than others. This webinar addresses the basic principles of polymer degradation under the synergetic impact of solar radiation, heat, and water.
The online seminar will show how weathering testing of plastics can be performed under natural conditions, but also in the most common laboratory weathering instruments:

Filtered xenon-arc (full spectrum solar simulation, including UV)
Fluorescent UV (UV only)

3 Challenges of Testing Plastics
2023-09-28 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
The world of plastics is constantly evolving, with new applications such as high-performance polymers, additive manufacturing, and bioplastics continually emerging to transform the field. Common to all applications – old and new – is the importance of mechanical testing that ensures manufacturers are producing quality products. In this webinar we’ll be discussing the specific challenges of testing plastics, the importance of repeatable and reliable mechanical testing results, and what you can do to improve your results.
Topics:

Overview of recent changes in key standards
Factors that influence test results – solutions and troubleshooting tips
How to increase laboratory efficiency and throughput to improve test times

"Design For..." PD3 Webinar Series - "How Part Design Issues Get Misclassified"
2023-09-21 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
Access the webinar HERE.
Presenter: Vikram Bhargava
Topic: “How Part Design Issues Get Misclassified as Material, Tooling, and Processing Issues”
-For a plastic part or assembly to perform as expected, proper consideration needs to be given by the design engineer to the material selection, tooling, processing, and, obviously, the design itself. In many instances, design errors are misclassified as tooling, processing, and material issues. Design errors are sometimes even blamed on customer abuse. Many real-life examples will be used to identify the real issues resulting in failures – improper design. This will be enhanced with a detailed explanation of the ultimate cause for the failure.
Location: Microsoft Teams
(If you are interested in attending the webinar, please fill out the Contact Us form)
About Vikram:
Vikram Bhargava was nominated a Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers 2000 in recognition for his
innovation in, and work on educating engineers in proper plastic part design.
He is a founding member and Past Chairman of the Product Design and Development Division. He has
been active in the PD3 since it was a SIG, and Injection Molding Division since the eighties, including being its secretary. He has presented dozens of papers at the ANTEC starting in 1999. At least, one of his presentations was identified as one of the “Best of ANTEC.” He has written for the Plastics Engineering Magazine and
conducted many free webinars for the SPE – attended by hundreds. He has published dozens of highly sought after White Papers on all aspects of plastic products.
He retired as the Director of Mechanical Engineering Services at Motorola Solutions in Holtsville, NY
heading an international group of professionals. He has over 40 years of experience in product design,
development, manufacturing and management, especially in plastics. He is a sought-after trainer and has
trained thousands of engineers and suppliers in the proper design and manufacturing of plastic parts and
assemblies in the US, China, Canada, Taiwan and India and companies such as Motorola, Google, Nvidia, Hunter, etc. He is the author of a book on Holistic Product Design published by Hanser in Dec 2017.
He is continuing to consult professionally for various organizations as well as a free service to budding
entrepreneurs. He holds 21 US and International patents.
Vikram has successfully led many Six Sigma projects and is a certified Motorola Six Sigma Black Belt and trainer.
He has a BSME from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India.
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bhargavavik/
Book: https://www.hanser-fachbuch.de/fachbuch/artikel/9781569905807
Website: https://vikpedia.org/
White Papers and Webinars: https://dfmpro.com/?s=vikram+bhargava

ANTEC® 2023
2023-03-27 14:00 - 2023-03-30 14:00 (America/Denver) | Hilton Denver City Center, 1701 California Street, Denver, CO, 80202, United States
SPE is hosting ANTEC® 2023 at the Hilton Denver City Center, Denver, CO from March 27–30, 2023.
ANTEC® 2023 will showcase the latest advances in industrial, national laboratory, and academic work. Learn about new findings and innovations in polymer research, products, and technologies. At ANTEC® 2023, there will be multiple opportunities to spend time with colleagues at SPE-hosted meetings, receptions, networking luncheons, and SPE Chapter networking events.

In-Plant Recycling and Reclaim of Plastic Scrap for Improved Sustainability
2023-01-17 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | The Polymers Center of Excellence, 8900 Research Dr., Charlotte,, NC, 28262, United States
Producers of extruded/molded products have three main options when dealing with their own internal scrap 1) reuse it, 2) sell it, or 3) dispose of it. For all three, some type of re-processing is usually beneficial. In this course we will review the logistics, economics, and processing technologies typically used for extruded/molded products, with the main focus on the in-house recovery of scrap that is then fed back into the raw material stream—an important first step in your plant’s sustainability journey. Join us as we listen to Dana Darley, Business Development Manager at Vecoplan LLC, discuss the process by which we recover our waste to reduce our environmental impact and improve the sustainability of our raw materials.
The goals of the program are to provide the information required to process scrap material for efficient disposal, transport, or re-sale, to evaluate the economic justifications for bringing scrap reprocessing capabilities in-house, and to review the processing technologies required for the introduction of scrap material back into the primary production lines.
About the Speaker
Dana Darley manages business development and complex applications for the Plastics Division of Vecoplan LLC, a leading manufacturer of size reduction, separation, and recycling systems. Holder of two US patents, Dana earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University and has been involved in the design, development, marketing, and sales of plastics processing and recycling equipment for over 40 years.
Where
The Polymers Center of Excellence, Inc., 8900 Research Dr., Charlotte, NC 28262 or via Zoom.

RSVP
Please contact Daeng Hawkins to register: dhawkins@polymers-center.org or phone, +1 704.602.4100
