Top 50 innovations 1955-2005: Plastics Technology's web poll.In addition to our poll of selected long-time industry veterans (p. 70), we posted a similar questionnaire questionnaire, n a series of questions used to gather information. questionnaire, n a form usually filled out by patients that provides data concerning their dental and general health. on our website for more than a month. We asked visitors to our website to pick the 10 most important technological developments of the past 50 years. Our editors provided a list of possible choices to vote for and invited respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. to write in their own choices. We received 40 replies, 28 of them from the U.S., two from Mexico Mexico, city, Mexico Mexico or Mexico City, Span. Ciudad de México (Méjico), city (1990 pop. 8,236,960; 1991 met. area est. 20,899,000), central Mexico, capital and largest city of Mexico. , and nine from outside North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. . Nineteen of them (48%) were plastics processors, plus 15 machinery or materials suppliers, four consultants, and one from a plastics end-user (job) end-user - The person who uses a computer application, as opposed to those who developed or support it. The end-user may or may not know anything about computers, how they work, or what to do if something goes wrong. company. Fifteen of the respondents (38%) had more than 20 years' experience in plastics and another 10 (25%) had more than 10 years. Twenty-six respondents had experience in injection molding injection molding n. A manufacturing process for forming objects, as of plastic or metal, by heating the molding material to a fluid state and injecting it into a mold. , 16 in extrusion, 10 in compounding, eight each in blow molding molding, in architecture, furniture, and decorative objects, a surface or group of surfaces of projecting or receding contours. A molding may serve as a defining element, terminating a unit or an entire composition (e.g. and RIM/polyurethanes, six in composites, five in thermoforming, and three in rotomolding. Here are their choices, along with the numbers of votes. INJECTION MOLDING Top 6 Innovations No. of Votes Reciprocating screw 17 Hot runners 15 Flow simulation 12 Microprocessor controls 11 Real-time process & production monitoring 10 Takeout robots 10 EXTRUSION Top 4 Innovations No. of Votes Twin-screws 15 Barrier screws 11 Automatic thickness control for flat film/sheet 7 Foam extrusion 6 BLOW MOLDING Top 2 Innovations No. of Votes Parison programming 6 Injection-blow molding 6 THERMOFORMING Top 2 Innovations No. of Votes Rotary machines 4 In-mold trimming 3 COMPOUNDING Top 2 Innovations No. of Votes Underwater pelletizing 11 Twin-screw kneaders 8 POLYURETHANES Top 4 Innovations No. of Votes RRIM/SRIM 6 RIM 5 Internal mold release 5 High-resilience foam 5 COMPOSITES Top 2 Innovations No. of Votes Carbon fibers 8 Pultrusion 5 MATERIALS Top 7 Innovations No. of Votes Polypropylene 9 Metallocene PP/PE 9 Polycarbonate 9 HDPE 8 Super-high-heat thermoplastics 8 Long-fiber TPs 8 TPEs 7 ADDITIVES Top 4 Innovations No. of Votes Nanocomposites 10 Wood/plastic composites 9 Hindered phenolic antioxidants 5 Silane coupling agents 5 OTHER TECHNOLOGIES Top 4 Innovations No. of Votes Ultrasonic welding 10 Rapid prototyping 9 Volumetric/gravimetric blenders 7 Desiccant dryers 6 |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion