Packaging award winners, image from dupont.com

MITnews recaps “The Future of Manufacturing and the US” conference, which emphasized the importance of innovation from the manufacturing sector. MITnews highlights the fact that the US added 50,000 manufacturing jobs in January alone, and big manufacturers like Ford continue to move overseas plants back home.

Plastics News announces the DME Plastics University Scholarship Program, which will offer $1,000 awards to students enrolled in plastics manufacturing-related programs. This incentive is one of many intended to boost the number of skilled workers in the plastics industry.

The Brookings Institute discusses how location impacts manufacturing plants and the industry as a whole. In the report, “Locating American Manufacturing: Trends in the Geography of Production,” Brookings examines the advantages of clustering.

US manufacturers, image from brookings.edu

It’s no secret that American manufacturing has struggled since the late 1990s. We’ve seen massive layoffs and a growing trend to outsource jobs overseas—with some companies moving more than 90% of their manufacturing to countries in Asia or South America. But there is hope on the horizon. Over the past two years, the manufacturing industry has regained some of its former strength and added more than 400,000 jobs here at home.

The White House has turned its focus towards domestic manufacturing. In his State of the Union Address earlier this year, Obama advocated that insourcing would stimulate economic recovery. Companies like Ford, Honda, General Electric, Caterpillar and Intel have already moved plants back to the US, and the current administration encourages other American companies to follow suit.

“To create an economy that is built to last,” Obama announced, “we must ensure that the next generation of products are not only invented here, but manufactured here as well. Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Companies that choose to invest in America, they get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. Does that make any sense? It’s time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas.”

To encourage insourcing, the Obama administration proposed tax incentives for companies that return jobs to American workers. The White House also introduced the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, intended to accelerate innovation by investing in manufacturing technologies. By bringing together industry, educators, and federal and state agencies, the network aims to

• Bridge the gap between basic research and product development
• Provide shared assets to help manufacturers access cutting-edge capabilities and equipment
• Educate and train students and workers in advanced manufacturing skills

With a united effort to reshore, it looks like the tides will turn for American manufacturing. Based on a recent survey, economists predict that one third of American companies worth $1 billion or more will bring back manufacturing plants that moved overseas during the past two decades. The outsourcing trend may be losing steam as our technology improves and domestic manufacturing becomes a more viable option.

Check out UniTherm’s American-made insulation jackets that help manufactures save significantly on energy costs.

Plastics News reports that in California a controversial pro-plastics lesson has been removed from a new statewide curriculum on the environment. After the EPA looked over the proposed curriculum, the section titled “Advantages of Plastic Shopping Bags” was replaced with recycling statistics in an 11^th grade textbook.

image from flickr

ICIS News announces that researchers at technology company Siemens have developed an alternative to ABS plastic. The new material—made with 70% renewable content—is the result of a three-year project funded by the German Research Ministry and was successfully used to make a vacuum cleaner cover.

image from icis.com

GreenBiz examines the Sustainability Leadership List, which recognizes environmentally-conscious companies each year. But because some criticize the results, they also discuss plans for the Global Initiative for Sustainability Ratings that would develop a standardized method of measuring and ranking sustainability performance.

Plastics Today recognizes Dignity Health, the founding sponsor of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, as one of the first hospital groups in the country to start using pigment-free patient plastics. This California-based healthcare organization is a leader in sustainability efforts to reduce hospitals’ impact on the environment by adopting innovative alternatives.

The “grid” encompasses all the networks that carry electricity from the plant where it is generated to the homes and office buildings where we consume it. Smartgrid.gov refers to our current grid as an “aging infrastructure” set up to handle only simple energy demands.

For the past 100 years, utility workers have had to go out to gather much of the data needed to provide electricity — reading meters, looking for broken equipment, measuring voltage, and so on. And most of the devices utilities use to deliver and manage electricity rely on manual or analog systems. Now, the electricity industry is taking great strides to modernize the process.

A smart grid system digitizes data collection and also acts on information about consumer behavior — similar to the way Google learns your online searching habits and Netflix knows your movie preferences. Each device on the network has hi-tech sensors to gather data and automation technology that allows the utility company to adjust and control each individual device or millions of devices from a central location.

In addition, a smart grid system can

• Detect faults and isolate outages
• Restore electricity quickly and strategically after power disturbances
• Reduce management costs for utilities, lowering power costs for consumers
• Reduce peak demand, which will also help lower electricity rates
• Enable active participation by consumers in demand response
• Integrate large-scale renewable energy systems
• Integrate customer-owner power generation systems
• Operate resiliently against physical and cyber attack

Who supports the smart grid?
In 2007, Congress passes the Energy Independence and Security Act, which supports the DOE in leading and coordinating a national grid system. Such a system would involve upgrading the current system or replacing it altogether. Smartgrid.gov advocates that a modern grid be constructed “from the bottom up to handle the groundswell of digital and computerized equipment and technology dependent on it.”

In 2009, the Obama administration allocated $3.4 billion in grants as part of a stimulus package to help utilities develop and implement technologies such as smart meters, digital transformers, and automated power monitoring and management systems.

We have seen smart grids deployed on a smaller scale in cities like Austin (2003) and Boulder (2008), and several areas in Europe and Canada are currently working towards large-scale smart grid systems.

Smart grids are designed to give consumers more control over their energy use. Imagine monitoring and managing electricity just as you do your bank account. Smart grids will provide a clear and timely picture of how much electricity you use and when it costs the most to run.

To learn more, download the DOE’s Smart Grid System Report, and check out unitherm.com for more ways to take control over your energy expenses.

Natural Insulation
Although it’s a hot topic now, energy efficiency—insulation in particular—is nothing new. Since the beginning of time, the Earth and its inhabitants have found remarkable ways to regulate temperature. Atmospheric gases gather in the ozone layer, water surrounds land, mammals grow fur and store body fat, birds are born with feathers, and early on, humans discovered heat-trapping material like wool.

We have always put extra effort into shielding ourselves from the elements. Early humans built their homes out of natural insulators like grass, leaves, straw, mud, ice, and mountainsides. And landscaping wasn’t always about aesthetics—trees planted near houses provided precious shade and insulation.

While keeping extreme temperatures out, people also came up with ways to generate heat within. Some buildings in the Roman Empire and ancient Korea used empty spaces in floors and walls to conduct air heated by furnaces. By 1700, Russian engineers began developing water-based systems to circulate heat.

Synthetic Insulation
With the advent of modern heating systems came the need for better insulators. After all, gas and electric systems don’t come cheap like heat from a wood-burning furnace, and they create conditions that need to be regulated in order to work properly.

In 1930, Dale Kleist, a researcher at the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, made one of those lucky mistakes that so often leads to a monumental discovery. While trying to seal two plates of glass together, he accidentally shredded the glass into tiny fibers with a high-pressure air hose. Thus, fiberglass was born and soon found its most common form in blanket insulation.

Meanwhile, manufacturers began to realize the benefit of insulating not just their buildings but their heat sources as well. This helped protect workers and equipment, save energy, and improve overall efficiency.

Custom Insulation
We’ve come a long way since adobe huts and igloos. Today, engineers use R-values (the measure of thermal resistance) to quantify and compare the insulating capability of different materials. In this way, they can combine the most effective insulators and create premium insulation.

Visit unitherm.com to learn more about custom insulation systems.

UniTherm has been supplying insulation jackets in the plastics industry for over 30 years, and with each new product and custom service, UniTherm strives to address a specific processing need. With this innovative mentality, UniTherm can provide opportunities for greater efficiency, as it has with its new product called QuickCool.

QuickCool is an insulation jacket with an additional feature—it is designed to open easily so that machines can quickly cool as they are prepared for different processes. QuickCool wraps completely around the barrel and insulates as well as UniTherm’s other jackets, but it has high-temperature straps on the inside to hold it in place while the top flap opens to release heat when necessary. Otherwise, the top flap velcros tightly to the rest of the jacket to keep machines working at high efficiency with minimal heat loss. This way, barrels and heater bands are always easily accessible without having to remove the entire jacket, and machines can reach and maintain different desired temperatures as needed.

QuickCool closed to insulate

QuickCool open to release heat

Barbara Arnold-Feret, custom molding expert and new addition to UniTherm’s sales team, calls QuickCool a “flexibility enhancer.” QuickCool, she explains, “offers all the advantages of insulation along with the ability to change temperatures quickly. It allows great flexibility for molders looking to cool their machines for whatever reason, including material changes.” No longer do custom molders need to worry about insulation encumbering their access to the machines or their ability to switch processes involving different materials. “It is especially convenient when working with polyolefins and perfect for molders that make a little of everything,” says Barbara.

In fact, a custom molder with 3,000 molds running short runs with PolyPro and ABS installed QuickCool blankets on its machines and found that the product allowed them to cool from 550˚F to 350˚F in the time it took to change the mold.

UniTherm has been supplying insulation for over 30 years, and the Research and Development team continues to explore new energy-efficient solutions. They are excited to offer a product that will not only save energy but also adapt to the alternating processes in custom molding.

Plastics News reports that the shortage of nylon 12 has led the auto industry to seek alternatives resins to use in fuel lines, connectors, tubes, and other key components. Molders and resin makers have offered a variety of possible alternatives, and automakers have established a system to begin testing.

The Huffington Post addresses the current the job market as US Congressional Candidate Stacey Lawson proposes a plan for creating jobs and rebuilding our middle class. Lawson stresses that we can by reclaim the American dream by “restoring the high-wage jobs that are the foundation of a sustainable economic recovery,” and she lays out 7 priorities to help us get there.

Clean Technica overviews the Department of Energy’s voluntary energy savings specifications designed to help building owners, operators, and manufacturers develop minimum performance requirements. The DOE recently released new specifications for lighting troffers and parking lot lighting, which could reduce energy use by 40%.

image from cleantechnica.com

Industry Intelligence announces a new compostable bioplastic film that extends the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by up to five days. The new film, developed by Sira-Flex Resolve, creates an ideal atmosphere to better preserve stored food.

image from flickr, courtesy of I-5 Design & Manufacture

And in a free webinar, Design World discusses how Design for Manufacturability (DDM) eliminates many restraints associated with conventional manufacturing. The webinar examines how DDM can create plastic parts, layer-by-layer without machining, molding, or casting.

If you like the Weekly Wrap Up, follow our blog to receive more updates and industry news every Friday.

It’s true. We offer a lot of general advice about how manufactures can save energy, and we have a great deal of data showing the results of different energy-saving strategies, but each facility operates differently, and in most cases, energy plans must be tailored to fit the facility. Your measurements govern how you manage and guide your strategic course of action.

That’s why DIY approaches are so beneficial for facility owners and managers—they offer adaptable tools that bring you closer to remedying a problem or operating more efficiently.

We can all agree that energy prices are high and machines consume huge amounts of energy, ergo operating machines is an enormous expense (the third largest, behind materials and labor, to be exact). But let’s take a step back. Before you seek out solutions, it’s important to know exactly how much energy the machines in your facility are consuming.

That’s where the Power Sight PS 2500 comes in to play. Experts at your energy company use this handheld meter to measure and log energy output. But if you don’t want to hire a professional, you can easily do it yourself. Here’s how:

1. Connect the PS2500 to your computer via Bluetooth. This will allow you connect wirelessly, install Power Sight software, and sync the PS2500 with your computer.
2. Check the settings in the electrical panel. Identify the relays, the power source supplying them, and the direction of power to ensure accurate measurements.
3. Connect the PS2500 to the machine using the voltage, amperage, and natural clamps. When all three are attached, the machine will connect to the computer.
4. Run the test. Initiate the test using the keys on the PS2500. Data logging parameters can be set within the software. The meter will measure and log energy output until you discontinue the study. You can use the Remote Control option and control the meter completely from your computer.
5. Create a report. Save the data uploaded your computer, and the Power Sight software will generate a report. From there you can compare, summarize or compile the data as you like.

image from summittechnology.com

Armed with facility-specific data about energy consumption, you can take an active approach to managing your energy costs. Like the idea, but bogged down with a countless other to-dos? Click here for a customized energy report from UniTherm.

I remember seeing for the first time the trendy “Save the Planet” tees cropping up in clothing lines of popular retail stores. Years later, it turns out that going green more than a fashion trend. It is a compilation of personal and political choices that continues to build momentum worldwide.

We can see big impacts, too, when we look at the sum of our efforts. That’s why government and corporate entities promote going green, leading by example and initiating challenges to get others involved.

Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge

Last year, President Obama and former President Clinton issued the Better Buildings Challenge and extended the challenge to industrial plants for an even greater impact. Because buildings consume about 20% of all the energy used in the US, the initiative’s long-term goals include

• Updating American buildings to make them 20% more energy efficient
• Saving American businesses nearly $40 million in energy costs

With the help of energy efficiency products, services, technologies, and partnerships, several industrial partners have stepped up to the challenge—3M has 78 participating plants, Alcoa has 30, Nissan has 3, and GE has 125 million sq. ft. of plant space (to name a few).

But you don’t have to be a big name with copious plant space to make a difference. Think of it this way—as a little guy, your carbon footprint is already smaller so you don’t have to make such extravagant changes. Every little bit counts.

To join the Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge

1. Assess your building portfolio to determine energy efficiency opportunities and publicly pledge an organization-wide energy savings goal for the next 2-5 years.
2. Announce and initiate a showcase project on 1 facility (retrofit, retro commissioning) and develop an organization-wide plan to achieve your energy savings goal.
3. Share your experiences with energy efficiency solutions, your organization-wide energy savings, and the energy performance at individual facilities for recognition.

In return for your commitment, the Department of Energy agrees to support you via expert technical assistance, connect you to a network of allies, and provide you with national recognition. Win-win-win.

What are you doing to green your building? The Better Buildings Challenge is just one way you can contribute to the social movement. Incentives are abundant, and the payoffs reach far and wide. For starters, you can insulate your equipment to conserve energy and maximize efficiency, and when you start seeing the savings, you can move on to other areas like HVAC and lighting for a complete energy-efficient overhaul.

The Economist says we have entered a third industrial revolution. With the advent of additive manufacturing and the refinement ofrobots, we can glimpse the future of factories. As manufacturing goes digital, we see new processes emerging that are vastly different from the 20^thcentury assembly lines.

image from economist.com

MIT discusses whether increasing complexity in engineered systems warrants a new approach to safety and testing. MIT professor Nancy Leveson claims that our modern, ever-evolving systems are more vulnerable to accidents, and she advocates a holistic, sum-of-its-parts approach over traditional safety engineering practices.

available at amazon.com

The Huffington Post poses the question, is Obama getting serious about manufacturing? Huff Post says that if the government acknowledges manufacturing as a stable and productive industry—a “uniquely important sector”—that support can benefit the broader economy and build a stronger country.

GE discusses the “robust renaissance” of manufacturing “fueled by new technologies, software, innovation, and lower energy costs” and posts a great infographic highlighting industry growth and the power of insourcing.

Envision Plastics announces the partnership between Alpha Packaging and Arla Foods, a partnership aiming to eliminate landfill waste with a zero-carbon facility. To launch the sustainability strategy, Alpha Packaging will produce milk bottles with 50% recycled material. Arla Foods recruited Alpha to mold and handle the bottles on site with two goals in mind: consuming the lowest amount of energy possible and creating the most environmentally advanced dairy in the world.

image from envisionplastics.com

Metal Architecture says that reducing factory footprints is not only environmentally friendly, but economically smart as well. Building owners who focus on decreasing carbon emissions and reaching LEED standards enjoy numerous benefits: improved image and marketability, greater employee engagement, higher renter rates, and more incentives.

We hope you enjoyed our first edition! Keep checking in for more industry updates from the top news sources.