Plastic Film, Stretch Film, Cling Film, Plastics Extrusion, Plastics Forming, Polymer Science
Request Expert
Expert is a Chemical Engineer with 30 years experience in the plastics industry. He is an accomplished plastics extrusion, forming, testing, and end-use engineer. His expertise in extrusion process/product engineering includes a thorough understanding of polymer chemistry and how it relates to the extrusion, forming, final properties, and end use of the polymer. An experienced filmmaking and pipe extrusion process engineer, Expert has a thorough working knowledge of the chemistry of most polymers and materials -- and how that chemistry relates to extrusion processability and the final physical properties of blown and cast films, extruded pipe, extrusion coatings, molded and thermoformed articles, and fibers made from those polymers.
He is an expert in thermoplastic blown and cast film. Expert has designed numerous polyethylene polymers for use in stretch wrap, shrink wrap, food wrap and food packaging, masking films, duct tape, and other film structures. He has expertise in continuous extrusion of thermoplastic pipe made from polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, CPVC, ABS, polyvinyl difluoride (PVDF), and Nylon. He has worked with the entire spectrum of polyethylene and some other polymers, from their fundamental chemistry to their manufacture, and to their sale, conversion, and performance in the final product.
Expert has developed polyethylene products useful in stretch film, shrink film, food wrap and food packaging, masking films, duct tape, and other film packages. He has successfully assisted numerous customers in making useful film products out of polyethylene and other polymers, such as ethylene-methyl acrylate, polypropylene, PET and related polyesters, nylon, ethylene vinyl alcohol, ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylene-propylene copolymers, butadiene-styrene copolymers, and maleic anhydride-grafted copolymers. He completely revamped the antioxidant and neutralizer additives in LLDPE products to achieve better processing, color, and shelf-life performance. He has earned in great detail the blown film and cast film processes used to produce polymer films. Expert is also versed in polymer extrusion coating, molding, thermoforming, and fiber processes. He has solved a long-standing, elusive polyethylene pellet wetness issue. Analytical skills and interest in meteorology combined to lead him to the realization that atmospheric moisture was condensing on cold pellets inside railcars mainly in springtime, causing the wetness.
Expert led a team of four in 2014 and 2015 to identify and discover 12 shortcomings in the heat sealing of polymer bags. This included running experiments to test hypotheses, and ultimately instituting a set of patentable improvements to greatly improve the quality of bag seals made on existing bagging equipment. These improvements come without an increased cost to the manufacturer and without slowing the speed of manufacture. The improvements were arrived at using hard science and mathematics. Any company that is struggling with the quality of polymer bag seals (polyethylene, polypropylene, all polymers, etc.) will benefit from this work. He can provide expertise in the classroom or via direct implementation.
Via phone interview, Expert assisted a client in improving polyethylene cast and blown film cling to various substrates.He has worked on-site for years helping a client manufacture plastic pipe and fittings. This work involved setting the extrusion equipment at optimum conditions for processing the various polymers and converting those polymers into high quality plastic pipe and fittings. Work also involved selection of the polymers themselves and their additive packages that contribute to the highest quality products.He worked with attorneys in a legal matter as an expert witness regarding polyethylene shrink film. Expert bridged gaps in their knowledge of the variables that affect the shrinkage of PE film -- variables such as the root chemistry of the polymer, the extrusion and forming techniques of the polymer film, the shape of the objects being shrink-wrapped, and more. Expert was contacted by, and worked with, the owner of a company that produces bubble wrap. Their polyethylene bubble wrap was of inferior strength. He coached and taught him the PE chemistry changes that must be done to improve the strength of the film. The owner now purchases different PE resins to achieve the needed chemistry and resulting film strength.He worked with defendant attorneys on another legal matter as an expert witness regarding polyethylene stretch film. He helped build a strong case in terms of patent non-infringement and patent invalidity. The plaintiffs dropped the case before the court date. Expert worked closely with an overseas stretch film producer. Via email, phone, and a 5-day on-site visit, he taught the company how to produce first rate stretch film. Through chemistry changes to the polyethylene and through extrusion operation improvements, the company's stretch film quality underwent dramatic improvement.