PMM Insight: A Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing Podcast
Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing brings you our podcast! We deliver a quick roundup of three impactful stories on Machinery Minutes every Monday, and commentary and interviews on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. Find more of our content at plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com.
Episodes
On this week’s Machinery Minutes podcast:
- Arburg is leaving the additive manufacturing market, 12 years after introducing the Freeformer series of 3D printers.
- Dan Weissmann played key roles during the evolution of plastic beverage containers as well as the plastic closure for hot-fill packaging.
- At the K Show next month, KraussMaffei is showing how to use its ColorForm technology to apply a thin polyurethane surface direct...
What you'll learn on this PMM Insight podcast episode, a commentary by Editor Ron Shinn:
- After more than two years of negotiating, talks for a worldwide treaty to end plastic pollution collapsed.
- There has been a great deal of innovation built on and because of the advances made in plastics. The industry needs to keep pushing the limits and capabilities of the material.
- What next? Countries should d...
On this episode of Machinery Minutes:
- Expanded steel and aluminum duties may slow investment and complicate equipment imports, warns PLASTICS chief economist Perc Pineda.
- If you share manufacturing data — with customers or suppliers — you share risk. Whether buying new machinery or making deals for raw materials or parts deliveries, processors should scrutinize their partners’ approach to cybersecurity in the same...
What you'll learn on this episode of Machinery Minutes:
- Retaining a cybersecurity expert in advance can help with negotiating a ransom payment, recovering lost data and getting a business up and running after an attack.
- Jason Sears, second-generation owner of Dri-Air Industries, learned the business from his Hall of Fame father, Charlie. He has pushed the company’s technology forward.
- Manufacturers su...
On this episode of PMM Insight, Editor Ron Shinn and Senior Reporter Karen Hanna discuss cybersecurity:
- Any given company has a 50-50 chance of being hacked, and manufacturing companies are among the most commonly targeted.
- Small companies are as much at risk as bigger companies.
- It is important to always segregate IT systems from operational technology systems.
These are the stories you will hear on this Machinery Minutes podcast episode:
- Peter Gardner, president of LS Mtron Injection Molding Machine USA, is retiring. During his tenure, the South Korean machinery manufacturer’s share of the North American market has risen from a negligible amount to an estimated 10 percent.
What you will learn in this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:
- North American shipments of injection molding and extrusion equipment in the second quarter of 2025 were up 0.7 percent from both the previous quarter and the same quarter of last year.
- Currier Plastics has always excelled at adapting to changing times. It will be honored with the Recognition of Excellence Award at the Annual Blow Molding Confe...
What you'll learn on this PMM Insight podcast episode, a commentary by Editor Ron Shinn:
- The new tax and spending law reinstates 100 percent deduction of the cost of capital equipment purchases in the year the purchase is made and accelerates deductions for manufacturing buildings.
- Research and experimental or development costs can now be deducted in the year the costs were incurred.
- A tax expert sai...
These are the stories covered in today’s Machinery Minutes podcast:
- Plastics processors say they have plenty of unused capacity immediately available if manufacturing picks up.
- Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corp. has acquired Addex, Inc., a supplier of blown film extrusion equipment.
- Kautex is relaunching its KEB series of extrusion blow molding machines, which debuted in 1968.
Here are the stories covered in this week’s Machinery Minutes podcast:
- Mold making in the U.S. is an up-and-down business. Mold shops are expanding services, consolidating operations and embracing automation and smart manufacturing.
- Canadian based Nova Chemicals has opened a linear low-density polyethylene mechanical recycling plant in Connersville, Ind. The company hopes to prove the consistency and viability of ...
These are the stories covered in today’s Machinery Minutes podcast:
- Yaskawa America plans to build a state-of-the-art robotic manufacturing facility at its Franklin, Wis., campus. This marks the first time Yaskawa’s high-volume industrial robots will be manufactured on U.S. soil.
- R&B Plastics Machinery specializes in building blow molding machines and extruders that are more customized for the customers’ needs than many...
On this episode of PMM Insight, with Editor Ron Shinn and Senior Reporter Karen Hanna:
- Mold makers continue to face tough competition from foreign competitors and are seeing higher costs due to tariffs.
- New technologies such as sophisticated design software, additive manufacturing and robots and other automation help mold makers stay competitive.
- Artificial intelligence is the latest technology mold ma...
On this episode of Machinery Minutes:
Mold makers are taking on intricate projects requiring precision that was unattainable just a few years ago, and they are employing a variety of new manufacturing tools to get the job done.
LS Mtron employed retractable tie bars to help Stanford Manufacturing fit two large presses under a low roof.
M&J Recycling has added a system to capture and reuse energy during shaft reversals to its...
On this episode of Machinery Minutes:
- Meet Geoff Foster of injection molding company Core Technology, whose non-profit provides free STEM camps for middle schoolers.
- Additive manufacturing technology maker Stratasys has acquired “a collection of assets” from Nexa3D, which shut down in December.
- Shini USA introduced three new film pelletizers designed for precise cutting and uniform pellet size.
What you'll learn on this PMM Insight podcast episode, a commentary by Editor Ron Shinn:
- We are in an era of manufacturing transition, from huge numbers of lunchpail-toting workers streaming out of the factory gate at the end of their shift to an era of fewer workers making more goods.
- What will it take to succeed in the new era? Embracing Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing; following sustainable practices; us...
On this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:
- As the national conversation on manufacturing expansion and reshoring continues, we want to know: Do you have excess capacity available to take on new business right away?
- Learn about the advantages of joining the PLASTICS Committee on Equipment Statistics.
- Dri-Air has added two new models to the low-throughput MD dryer series that debuted at NPE2024.
In this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:
- Hoffer Plastics and Rocheleau Tool & Die, both third-generation family-owned plastics businesses, are thriving and remain committed to staying independent and honoring their heritage.
- The historic HPM brand, known for injection molding machines, has been officially retired by Yizumi, the Chinese firm that acquired its assets in 2011.
- Blow molding machinery maker Bekum Ameri...
What you'll learn in this PMM Insight podcast, with Editor Ron Shinn and Senior Staff Reporter Karen Hanna:
- Merger and acquisition activity in the plastics industry is slow, but private equity companies are still buying.
- The first step in selling a business might not be the one you expect.
- A buyer's commitment to employees frequently plays a big part in a seller’s decision.
What you'll learn on this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:
- Managing mergers and acquisitions: Whether you're buying, selling or keeping your business in the family, we spoke with experts who have tips to ensure the best outcome for all stakeholders.
- Yaskawa America announces expansion: With a $180 million investment, the company will consolidate Illinois and Wisconsin operations in Franklin, Wis., and move...
On this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:
- Shipments of injection molding and extrusion machinery in North America fell 17.5 percent in the first quarter from the previous quarter and 4.6 percent year over year, according to the Plastics Industry Association's Committee on Equipment Statistics. What's weighing on the market?
- Learn how Wittmann's space-saving Insider Package machine cells helped ITW Deltar Fasteners make...
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