Extrusion International 2-2023-USA

33 Extrusion International 2/2023 January Retail Sales Analysis Issued The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released “Retail Sales off to a Good Start in 2023?,” an economic analysis of January retail sales and the impact on the plastic industry, authored by Chief Economist, Dr. Perc Pineda. Dr. Pineda writes, “If the econ- omy continues to stay strong, and consumers remain engaged, plastic product shipments could increase as plastics and plastic products are part of household consumption. However, with the U.S. economic outlook continuing to evolve, a single data point does not reflect an underlying growth momentum in the economy. The U.S. economy is adjusting from a robust 5.9% post-COVID-19 growth rate in 2021 to long-run sustainable growth.” The full report on the PLASTICS blog page: https://www.plasticsindustry.org/blog/ retail-sales-good-start-2023%3F Committee on Equipment Statistics Report Issued PLASTICS released the Committee on Equipment Statistics’ (CES) re - port for the fourth quarter of 2022, authored by Chief Economist, Dr. Perc Pineda. “The U.S. economy pulled through in the second half of 2022,” writes Dr. Perc Pineda. “The increase in plastics machinery ship - ments in the fourth quarter speaks to the importance of plastics manu - facturing and the stable demand for plastic and plastic products in the economy last year. As expected, the increase includes shipments of backlog production resulting from supply chain problems in previous quarters.” The full report on the PLASTICS blog page: https://www.plasticsindustry.org/ blog/plastics-machinery-shipments-ex- hibit-2022-fourth-quarter-increases Newly Developed DURACON ® POM Products at MD&MWest and Pharmapack Europe The Polyplastics Group showcased its expanded port - folio of high-performance acetal materials for the medi- cal and healthcare market at the Medical Design and Manufacturing (MD&M) West show in Anaheim, Calif. and at Pharmapack Europe in Paris, France, both this February. The company highlighted its newly developed DURACON ® POM (polyoxymethylene or polyacetal) PM series for drug contact and delivery applications. The DURACON ® PMseries complements the company’s TOPAS ® COC (cyclic olefin copolymer) product, a high- purity material for a range of medical applications which has served the industry for decades. “The new offering strengthens our position beyond our flagship material, TOPAS ® COC, and now delivers a strong suite of products to meet the needs of end users and manufacturers in the healthcare field,” said Timothy Kneale, Executive Direc- tor for TOPAS COC at Polyplastics USA, Inc. The DURACON® POM PM Series meets medical regu- latory compliance requirements including ISO 10993 and USP Class VI biocompatibility/cytotoxicity, FDA Drug Master File (DMF) and Device Master File (MAF), and EU 10/2011 and FDA food contact 21 CFR 177.2470. These materials adhere to strict quality management systems including conformity to the VDI 2017 medical- grade plastics standard. They also provide full traceabil- ity of processes and products, and production manage- ment based on GMP principles. As the world’s leading POM manufacturer, Polyplastics provides uniform qual- ity with global supply and service. DURACON ® POM’s excellent slip and wear properties permit lower friction and thus greater design freedom. The materials also show superior heat and moisture du - rability compared to competitive medical grades. The DURACON ® PM series is usable under hot steam and Ethylene Oxide (EtO) sterilization conditions. Polyplastics offers medical device manufacturers ex - tensive data on the long-term reliability of its materials. Customized data on extraction, moldability, durability, slip and wear, and other key attributes is also available. Polyplastics Co., Ltd. www.polyplastics-global.com https://topas.com