In Ohio, Procter & Gamble Co. showcased its Imflux process and explained how the technology’s ability to manage very large swings in viscosity makes Imflux ideal for running recycled plastic, biomaterials, and materials with colorants and additives. Imflux is a huge improvement for the molding process as it can make real-time adjustments for viscosity changes, making it a much more stable process. While P&G developed Imflux in 2013, they have been very secretive about it until now because they wanted to ensure they had patent protection for the injection molding process. They now plan to license the technology outside of P&G and its own packaging supply base to a wide variety of markets.
Gene Altonen, chief technology officer of Imflux, told Plastics News, “For bioresins, which can be shear- and heat-sensitive, the self-adjusting flexibility, and the ability to run a very wide range of melt flow indexes, means Imflux can help a biomaterial work for many more applications.”