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cooperation with Plenco customers, the lab often develops
and tests product variations specific to customer concepts
thus providing a finished resin that meets their specific
requirements.
TheMaterialsLabutilizes abroad rangeof equipment and
test instrumentation to provide full developmental and
technical support for ourmaterials customers. Compression,
transfer, injection, and injection-compression presses
mold test specimens for data reports, prototypes, and
troubleshooting.
Test equipment is capable of measuring mechanical
strengths at temperatures from minus 40 degrees to 285
degrees Celsius, glow-wire testing to 960 degrees Celsius,
dielectric strength up to 60,000 volts, alongwithmany other
tests related to ISO, JIS, UL, andother standards.
Because the two labs and Plenco’s commitment to quality
assurance are so broad and so important to every Plenco
employee,
PlastiScope21
will present this story in two parts.
Part One will provide a general description of Plenco’s
research and development capabilities in the Resin Lab, and
Part Two in the October 21 e-newsletter will describe the
work of theMaterials Lab.
Directing the labs to work hard at improving Plenco
product capabilityhasbeen aprevailingobjective. MikeBrotz
told
PlastiScope21
, “Our labs develop higher properties for
existing products, not necessarily new products, but better
products. That’s how a variety of Plenco products have
evolved.”
He cited the application of new reinforcing fibers and
minerals used in combinationwithPlenco resins for improv-
ing physical, electrical and heat resistance. “The labs have
found over time numerous new filler materials to be quite
cost-effective
–
providing improvedmolding compounds at
an acceptable and sustainable cost.
The labs alsodeveloped reformulatedproducts intended to
be sold at lower prices. “Our labshavedone a lot of research
and development to provide lower cost formulas that met
customers’ general performance requirements, but at a
significantly lower cost,”Mike said. This has been a key to
Plenco’s product acceptance over the years.
Environmental requirements likewise led to product
innovationsbyPlenco labs. “As anexample,manyof our resin
customers needed to reduce VOC emissions from their
processes tomeet the new, more restrictive EPA air quality
standards. Our labs successfully collaborated with Plenco
engineering todevelop formulas andmanufacturingmethods
that provide cost-effective, extremely low free phenol
products thatmet our customers’ requirements.”
Woven throughout Plenco’s history has been a strong
and vibrant thread of customer service at every point of
their commercial relationship with Plenco. The Materials
Engineering Lab is certainly a prime example. Plenco’s 16-
FourQuestionsFor TedMorrison
ResinLabManager
Q.Whendid you joinPlenco?
A.
I StartedasheadofAnalytical Services in June1983.
Thismeant I was in charge of all testing, measurement,
and methods development in the lab. Over time this
led to involvement in all aspects of the Resin Lab,
fromCustomer Service to developing new quality tests,
to developing new production controls. I took over as
manager of the resin labwhenPhilWaitkus retired inJuly
of 2005.
Q.Wherewere you educated?
A.
I studied for my Ph.D. inAnalytical Chemistry at the
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee under Professor
Calvin Huber. My research involved the use of active
electrode surfaces to make substance specific electro-
chemical detectors. Themost significant part of thiswork
was fundedby theElectricPowerResearch Institute, and
involvedmeasuring trace amounts of chlorine in natural
waters.
Q.What product appshavecome from theResinLab?
A.
Our patented non-hexa curing agent is one example.
This is a solid resol (single stage) resin with cure
characteristics that are unique enough that Plenco was
able to obtain a patent as a new polymer composition.
This special resin can be used in many applications to
replace some or all of the hexa, which is the usual
cross linker. It is especially useful in aqueous slurry
applications (because hexa dissolves in water and is
rinsed away), and for sand coating applications.
Q: Howdo you ensureproduct quality?
A:
Qualityassurance isacorevalueatPlenco.TheResin
andAnalytical Labs have carefully studied themanufac-
turing process and learned which parameters must be
controlled by proprietary processes in order to control
the end result. Nearly every aspect of resin production
originated in the lab.Wehavespecificcontrol procedures
for determining the molecular weight of novolac resins
andsolid resols (the two formsof our resins).All of these
controls rely on regulation of the process, rather than
constantly taking intermediate samples.
(Continued onPage 11)
