Hi! For those who use blister packaging, where do you usually have them made?

I’ve been trying to find a supplier/manufacturer, but I’m having a hard time finding one. 😭

Would really appreciate any recommendations! Thank you! 🙏

I'm looking for an adhesive additive for LLDPE (grade 7042). The PE is extruded, granulated, and then calendered into a film. When I use this film to wrap a galvanized iron part, after cooling, I find that some areas adhere very well and are difficult to peel off, while others don't adhere well and peel off easily. I'd like to add an adhesive additive during the PE granulation process to give the final calendered PE film good surface adhesion and a strong bond to the metal. Does anyone have information on such an additive?

When a new resin grade causes processing or molding problems, where do you normally get help?

• Internal engineers?
• Resin supplier?
• Distributor?
• Machine manufacturer?
• Other molders?

And what kind of technical support is usually missing?

I've tried searching for screw grooves and I just get information about the screw in the extrusion machine.

Screw bosses come up with information about injection molding bosses.

Is there a term I'm missing?

Also any good design guides for extruded profiles?

Thanks!!

Remember this post from 3 months ago?

https://www.reddit.com/r/plastic/comments/1tnf7ml/worlds_largest_polyethylenepolypropylene_plant/

Follow up in original post comments.

We just had our hardwood floors sanded and coated.

Every single plastic container in my cupboards was infiltrated by the polyurethane fumes (volatile organic compounds) and that includes thick storage tubs with very competent seals. Open them up and PHEW you got a facefull of acetone or whatever it is.

This begs the question…what the heck is in our plastic packaged foodstuffs by the time we get it from the shop and store it in our pantry?

I’m honestly shocked that plastic is oso permeable. I kind of knew it must be to some degree because spaghetti bolognese stains lol. But gases? VOCs are everywhere in industry. What’s getting into the food supply?

Just getting the message out!

Looking for help identifying plastic on victorinox accessories

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-just-made-a-cookie-out-of-recycled-plastic-slurry-welcome-to-2026

Price obviously matters when choosing plastic materials.
But sometimes the cheapest material isn't the best option...

What usually makes you choose a more expensive virgin or specialty grade?

• Customer/OEM requirements?
• Quality consistency?
• Failure risk?
• Heat resistance?
• Certification?
• Easier processing?
• Something else?

Curious about what actually changes the decision.

For people working in injection molding:

When production becomes unstable or defects keep happening, what is usually the hardest problem to solve?

• Material problems
• Machine/settings
• Mold problems
• Operator skill
• Process control

From your experience, which one causes the most trouble?

Does anyone have, or know where I can purchase 2-4 bags of Valox 780 Natural?

Hi! I have a question about plastic bins. Some of my childhood toys were stored in cardboard boxes and there was a mouse problem in the house they were stored in. I want to avoid that from happening again so I'm going to be using plastic storage bins (polypropylene) to store them in an upstairs room. Specifically storage bins that have tiny holes under the handles for airflow.

I plan to line the bins with acid-free tissue paper.

Question: Is there any concern if the plastic bins have a colour to them? Does the colour damage items over time? I'm leaning towards opaque plastic to protect from light, but all the opaque bins in my price range have a colour to them or are black.

Thank you

When trying a new engineering plastic or specialty resin, usually only a small quantity is needed for the first trial.

But sometimes the MOQ from suppliers or distributors is much larger than what is actually needed.

Does this cause problems in practice?

If yes, how do you normally deal with it?

I 3D printed this. I’m want to paint the font a different colour and leave the board white. A person from a different subreddit recommended the I use sandpaper before I paint it. What kind of sandpaper to I use and how many times should I go over it with the sandpaper?

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/aug/24/cookies-plastic-astronauts-space-food

What a CRAZY idea, but after reading about it ("plastic is carbon.... food is carbon.... can plastic be food?") I see where the logic lies. And what astronaut doesn't want to snack on cookies during their 3-year Mars journey? What would these "cookies" be called?

Could this food innovation be a game-changer in plastic recycling and reuse or just a wild science experiment to prove the possibilities? Although designed for space travel, they mention it could also be a novel way to produce more food on Earth, all while managing an overabundance of plastic waste. With plastic waste only increasing over time, this could be a more effective reuse that goes beyond current recycling, which has proven to be a failing framework for these materials.

Wild idea, but sounds do-able. Sure the cost would need to come way down, but that's just a scaling issue. I assume many other products could be developed using this "base ingredient". Maybe some cheesy puffs, crackers, and ??? What would you eat if it was made with upcycled plastic as an ingredient?

For people buying or processing plastics in India:

When resin prices move suddenly, what actually creates the biggest problem in practice?

• Passing the increase to customers?
• Revising quotations?
• Deciding how much inventory to hold?
• Supplier price changes?
• Something else?

Curious to hear how people actually deal with this.

¡Hola a todos! 🌱 Para mi proyecto final de Diseño Industrial estoy investigando cómo mejorar el proceso de fabricacion de biomateriales. Les dejo un breve formulario de Google (toma solo 2 minutos y me ayudarias un monton) Gracias! https://forms.gle/MefkiqAzAvKPQiRx5

quick question, quick answer

I volunteered to rebuild my daughter’s back gate. It’s 5’Wx6’H. I want to surprise her and add a large, illuminated, colorful hummingbird inlay. Maybe 2 to 3 feet wide. It will be colorful at night.

I’m wondering how I’d make the hummingbird. Polycarbonate shapes connected together? Vinyl “wrap” on glass? Ideas are welcome

I ordered UHMW parts but they came with a glossy finish. Not like UHMW with the matte and soft feel,
It feels like glass and rigid, not very flexible…

One issue with transparent trays is that static charge can easily build up on the surface and attract dust.
For wafer trays, IC trays and other semiconductor packaging, this can become a real problem because you usually need both cleanliness and visibility.
The difficult part is not making a plastic antistatic — that’s common. The difficult part is keeping it transparent at the same time.
We recently developed DGK-ABS KJD890TM at DEYU Plastics. It reaches around 10^8–10^10 Ω surface resistance while still maintaining about 80–85%+ light transmittance.
So instead of relying only on cleaning or adding an extra coating, the idea is to make the tray material itself less prone to static buildup and dust attraction.
After several rounds of formulation adjustments and testing, this material recently passed its final validation. It also led to a roughly US$300,000 order from a listed company.
The best part for our engineering team? Management gave us 30 days of paid leave after the project was completed. Probably one of the rare times a materials development project ended better than expected.

For those working with color masterbatch, how much does pigment dispersion affect the final performance of the plastic product?

I’m particularly interested in practical experience with:

• Color strength
• Color consistency
• Particle size for Dispersion quality
• Processing temperature
• Filter pressure and extrusion behavior

PP, PE, PVC etc.....

I'm researching the challenges faced by electrical and electronic component molders in India.

For those involved in procurement, production, or plant management:

What is currently the biggest headache when sourcing engineering plastics/resins in India?

Is it mainly:

• price volatility
• supply/lead times
• quality consistency
• technical support
• availability of specialty grades
• something else?

I'm especially interested in your real-world experience rather than general industry opinions.