Page 52 - Plastics News January 2026
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TECHNOLOGY NEWS
fit with local customers. Besides operation efficiency, the digital transfor-
mation benefits traceability in the supply chain.
The other important aspect of this strategic re- Chain of custody of materials is secured using
orientation is aiding resiliency in the face of reg- blockchain and more refined tracking systems,
ulatory complexities and trade barriers. As more but is particularly relevant to the high-value uses
sustainability standards are introduced in differ- of plastics, in the example of medical and aero-
ent parts of the world, manufacturers are now space. This increases transparency, which im-
more inclined to produce to local compliance proves customer confidence, thus, the company
levels and customer expectations. These mac- can operate at high standards in the industry.
roeconomic and policy changes are the context
in which the future trends in the production of Material Innovation: Beyond Commodity Poly-
plastics will be achieved. mers
Digital Transformation and Smart Manufactur- Polymers that dominate the plastics market in
ing the past are polyethylene and polypropylene,
which are low-priced and flexible commodity
The implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies plastics. However, technology of plastic materi-
is speeding up the work towards smart manu- als is expanding the range of what can be done
facturing of plastic systems. Digitalization makes with the plastics. The manufacturers and the
it possible to monitor equipment in real time, material scientists are developing engineered
predictively maintain it, and base decisions on plastics that are of high performance includ-
data. Connected sensors, built-in analytics, and ing stronger, high resistance towards heat and
cloud-based provide the manufacturers with chemical stability, which enables the plastics to
data never seen before in the output perfor- replace the metals and ceramics in the structur-
mances, product consistency, and the volume of ally demanding fields.
resources used.
These novel materials in plastics include high-
Intelligent factories decrease downtime since the performance thermoplastics, including poly-
failures are detected before they happen. Hav- ethetheretherketone (PEEK), liquid crystal poly-
ing sophisticated analytics, manufacturers are mers (LCPs), and enhanced elastomers which
able to optimize production schedules, reduce have superior mechanical and thermal perfor-
scrap rates, and dynamically tune parameters mances. Its materials are also increasingly be-
of processes. Digital twins, simulated physical ing used in the automotive under-the-hood sys-
systems, and integration enable the simulation tems, electrical contacts and high performance
of a production scenario to enable engineers to and life-cycle-sensitive medical devices.
test modifications without interfering with an op-
erational system. These capabilities represent a Also becoming popular are nanocomposites
new era in the production of plastics in which and bio-based polymers. These plastics are na-
nimbleness and accuracy can be used as core noscale fillers, e.g., graphene and carbon nano-
competitive advantages. tubes, that may have an unbelievable strength-
52 PLASTICS NEWS January 2026
