Are you ready for new legislation in plastics manufacturing? EWI can help.

By James Cruz

Articles about the negative impact of polymers on the environment are becoming more and more prevalent. Everything from tracking plastic concentrations in our oceans to the effects of plastic on our soil. This has led to a correlated shift in public sentiment towards single-use plastics literally coming out of vogue.

As public perception and opinion of plastics evolves, the call for legislation to protect the environment from plastic pollution evolves with it. Many countries are enacting curbs or all-out bans on single-use plastics. The United Nations also amended the Basel Convention to include language on handling plastic waste. Approximately 180 countries signed that legally binding amendment in 2019 – with the United States being one noticeably absent participant. In Europe, the United Kingdom is set to enact two legislative taxes – the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) which tax manufacturers of products for their behaviors around plastic packaging and product content. These taxes have very direct and real impact to those manufacturers’ bottom lines which, naturally, will be passed on to consumers.

In the US, there has been a smattering of bills around the country aimed mostly at eliminating plastic shopping bags and water bottles. This is in spite of the fact that the US ranks second in gross usage of plastics in the world (and first when considering per capita usage). There is also legislation currently under consideration to ban certain plastics for use in federal parks.

On the other hand, many folks think that plastics are here to stay and are calling for better methods to recycle and an increased focus on considering the full lifecycle of plastic components from the design phase of the products.

Depending on the price of crude oil, it can be cheaper to make new plastic than recycle, so detractors reason that legislation prohibiting or taxing the use of plastics is the only way to save the environment from its harmful impacts.

While it’s difficult to see exactly where this debate will land, EWI is committed to working with our customers to find the best technical solutions for their plastic manufacturing needs. That includes everything from investigating weldability of new, environmentally friendly, recycled plastic grades to reviewing designs to help reduce the volume of plastic in components to supporting efforts to transition packaging away from plastic to paper-based products.

Please let us know how we can help you meet your needs. Click here or call 614.688.5152.

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James Cruz, EWI Business Development Director, can reached at [email protected].

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We are pleased to welcome Jabil Energy Storage to EWI membership. The company specializes in collaborative design, development and value engineering within all ESS power ranges. Power engineering competences in design and manufacturing include hardware design and manufacturing, re-design for UL certifications, and valued engineering (VAVE) and manufacturing.

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Want to contact an EWI expert about a project? Call 614.688.5152 or click here.

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By Henry Cialone
President & CEO, EWI

It’s inescapable. Walk into a board meeting. Meet with a potential customer. Read the business news. ESG has emerged as a hot topic in manufacturing (and elsewhere), so I want to talk about it.

But first, so we’re on the same page, let’s spell it out.

At its core, ESG is a framework for evaluating efforts companies undertake in three specific areas:

• Environmental (E): Includes energy usage, waste discharge, resource allocation, and other factors related to how companies affect (and may be affected by) the environment. 
• Social (S): Includes the internal relationships companies have with their employees and the external relationships companies have with their suppliers, customers, and broader communities. This also encompasses a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in staff, leadership, and suppliers.
• Governance (G): Includes the policies and practices companies use to make decisions, ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, and manage overall business operations.

How EWI “Does” ESG

ESG formalizes a structure for thinking about how companies do business — and I’m proud to be able to say that EWI has long had a focus on initiatives in all of these areas….

To read the full article, click here.

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EWI is pleased to offer a 3-day class in “The Fundamentals of Welding Engineering” twice this summer. This abridged version of EWI’s traditional, week-long survey course will be offered June 21-23 and August 16-18 at Buffalo Manufacturing Works, home of EWI’s New York lab-and-training facility.

This concise introduction to welding technology will cover a range of topics including welding processes, welding metallurgy and weldability, weld design and testing (including mechanical testing and NDT), and qualifications and procedure review. Participants will also have the opportunity for hands-on learning in both the welding and additive manufacturing labs. Professional development credit hours and a course certificate will be granted to all attendees who complete the course.

“The 3-day version of this class is perfect for professionals who want a thorough overview of welding technology but do not have the time to take a week away from work,” says Randy Dull, EWI Principal Engineer and course director. The traditional 5-day, comprehensive class will next be held in the fall, October 17-21, at the EWI headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.

For more details about EWI’s “Fundamentals of Welding Engineering” offerings, click here.

To view a complete schedule of all upcoming EWI training courses, visit ewi.org/events.

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In early May, EWI was pleased to take part in COSI’s Big Science Celebration. Held outside the Columbus-based Center of Science and Industry (COSI), the free festival showcased cutting-edge technology and amazing phenomena to promote science literacy and careers in STEM fields to young people. At the EWI booth, our associates were able to share their love of solving problems through applied technology and to give festival goers a taste of how much fun a career in STEM can be!

The drizzly weather didn’t dampen the spirits of the EWI volunteers or the hundreds of kids, teenagers, and parents who stopped by our booth to play hands-on with our technical toys. Although we couldn’t bring out our robot because of the weather, we were able to demonstrate our 3D printer and its cool metal-printed parts. Visitor learned the concepts of additive manufacturing firsthand as they watched our machine create components to be used in manufacturing and production.

It was great to see so many young individuals interested in how EWI applies new technologies to manufacturing challenges, and we were all excited to share our stories with the next generation. Based on the enthusiasm of the crowd, it looks like there is plenty of talent to ensure the future of engineering and manufacturing professionals in the years to come.

[Images courtesy of Capture 22 Photography]

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To view the paper, please submit the form above.

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Want to contact an EWI expert about a project? Call 614.688.5152 or click here.

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If you or your staff is looking for professional training in robotics, welding engineering, sheet metal forming, or Autodesk PowerMill® for robotic additive manufacturing, the EWI Skillform Center has a course opportunity for you this summer. Sign up now to expand your capabilities or earn continuing education credit:

• Robotic Basics: A Hands-on Workshop
  June 1, 2022 | EWI/Buffalo Manufacturing Works, Buffalo, NY
  A one-day introduction to industrial robot and cobot platforms that covers fundamental applications, safety, and tooling, and includes practical activities in the EWI robotics learning lab.
• Autodesk PowerMill® for Robotic Additive Manufacturing
  June 13-17, 2022 | EWI Headquarters, Columbus, OH
  Provides in-depth, hands-on classroom session exploring the Autodesk PowerMILL® additive manufacturing toolkit accompanied by DED additive manufacturing equipment demonstrations.
• Fundamentals of Welding Engineering (condensed 3-day course)
  June 21-23, 2022 | EWI/Buffalo Manufacturing Works, Buffalo, NY
   An overview of welding technology and engineering, organized into modules covering processes, welding metallurgy and weldability, design and testing, and qualifications and procedure review.
• Fundamentals & Applications of Sheet Metal Forming
  July 19-20, 2022 | EWI Headquarters, Columbus, OH
  An introduction to common sheet metal forming practices and fundamentals of material formability, lubrication, forming equipment and tooling in detail.
• Fundamentals of Welding Engineering (condensed 3-day course)
  August 16-18, 2022 | EWI/Buffalo Manufacturing Works, Buffalo, NY
  An overview of welding technology and engineering, organized into modules covering processes, welding metallurgy and weldability, design and testing, and qualifications and procedure review.

To see a list of upcoming courses on the EWI training schedule, click here.

For further information about all courses offered by the EWI Skillform Center, visit ewi.org/services/production-services/training-classes.

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Are you getting the most from your company’s machine shop in terms of performance, profitability, and productivity? EWI Machine Services can work with you to identify snags and inefficiencies, develop fixes, and implement the improvements necessary to get your shop running at maximum utility.

When the EWI machine shop shifted from an internal assistive department to a full-service R&D division, we added new production equipment and process enhancements to provide our clients with faster, streamlined shop services.

But beyond these enhancements, we developed the EWI Machine team, a group of machining specialists that deliver process expertise and experienced-based solutions directly to machining shops to help them improve their own resources. If your shop is challenged operationally or financially, EWI Machine Services can perform and onsite visit to evaluate your processes and resources, create a concrete plan for improvement, and guide you through full implementation.

Don’t let delays, bottlenecks, breakdowns, and outdated processes affect your bottom line. The EWI Machine team can help. To talk to a team member, click on the button below or contact Nate Hudepohl, Senior Technician, at [email protected] or click the button below.

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EWI and Design Software International (DSI) are joining forces to host comprehensive, hands-on training for the programming and development of robotic directed energy deposition wire arc additive manufacturing processes. Autodesk PowerMill® for Robotic Additive Manufacturing is 5-day course that will guide attendees through the additive manufacturing tools available in Autodesk PowerMill Ultimate software, including the generation of real machine code and live demonstrations on EWI’s Navus large-scale robotic gantry DED system.

Other course highlights include:

• Additive toolpath generation using automated feature construction
• Methods to adapt toolpath to geometries unsuitable for automation
• Robot simulation and dynamic machine control
• Process development and parameter control
• Real-life practical examples

Attendees will earn a PowerMill Additive Essentials certification and learn to identify and troubleshoot challenges when applying directed energy deposition additive manufacturing technology.

“DSI and Autodesk have had a lot of success with robotic DED additive in recent years but noticed many of our customers face the same steep learning curve to get new parts into production,” said DSI President Jon Caliguri. “Our course offering with EWI will help innovators accelerate their timeline to adopt large-scale metal AM.”

“We are thrilled to be able to host the inaugural course session in our robotic DED lab and look forward to offering the course on a regular schedule in the future,” said Dennis Harwig, EWI Senior Technology Leader for Arc Welding and Directed Energy Deposition.

The first training session will be held June 13-17 at EWI in Columbus, Ohio. To register or learn more about the course, click below:

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For more information about courses taught by the EWI Skillform Center, visit ewi.org/services/production-services/training-classes.

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