NEWS


North American machine deliveries decline in Q2


North American deliveries of plastics machinery fell in the second quarter of the year, though new orders were on the rise. The Plastics Industry


Association’s Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES) said that shipments reached around. US$236 million — down 7% year-on-year, and nearly 15% since Q1. Year-on-year, deliveries of


twin-screw and single-screw extruders fell by 60% and 35%, respectively, while those of injection moulding machines grew nearly. 5%. Since Q1, twin-screw deliver- ies grew 25%, but there


were declines for single- screw extruders (22%) and injection moulding (16%). The continued weakness in deliveries reflects the normal lag between new orders and deliveries for capital equipment, said the organisation. “An order is recorded when the custom- er commits to the equip- ment, while the shipment occurs later, after engineer- ing, production, testing, and delivery,” said Perc Pineda, chief economist at the organisation.


In US plastics machinery


trade, exports reached US$756m and imports


US$276m, for a US$480m trade surplus — a 24% increase from a year earlier. “The combination of


strong orders and modest shipments could be inter- preted as a sign of strength- ening pipeline demand rather than immediate weakness in market condi- tions,” said Pineda. “The lag between orders and shipments helps explain the softer shipment numbers.” The second-quarter CES survey showed a cautious near-term outlook but more confidence over the next 12 months. For Q3, 35% of respondents expect im- provement, while 35% antici- pate deterioration (com- pared with 32% and 20%, respectively, in Q1). Over the next 12 months, 39% expect conditions to improve, while 28% anticipate deterioration. This suggests continued


Primary plastics machinery shipments Source: PLASTICS Committee on Equipment Statistics


near-term uncertainty but stronger longer-term expectations, consistent with the increase of new orders in Q2, said CES. � www.plasticsindustry.org


Maag buys die maker Cloeren


Maag Group, which is owned by Dover Corpora- tion, has signed a defini- tive agreement to acquire US-based Cloeren, which produces extrusion dies and other equipment. The strategic acquisition will add complementary extrusion technologies to Maag’s plastics processing technologies, the company said.


Cloeren designs and manufactures custom- designed extrusion slot dies and feedblocks primarily for polymer and plastics applications. It is based in Orange, Texas near North America’s petrochemical and energy export hub, with additional manufacturing locations in Marshall, Texas; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Micheldorf, Austria. “Cloeren is a strategic fit for us and will enhance our capabilities in extrusion applications,” said Ueli Thuerig, president of Maag. �www.maag.com � https://cloeren.com


New ASTM aquatic environment standard


ASTM International has officially approved a new standard. Designated as D8646, it calculates


and reports how longesignated as D8646, to calculate and report how long it takes for non-floating biode- gradable plastics to completely break down in cold aquatic environments. “Stakeholders across industry, academia, government, and regulation need a reliable science-driven stand-


4


ard to estimate complete biodegrada- tion times for plastics intended for aquatic use,” said Ramani Narayan of the Department of Chemical Engineer- ing and Materials Science at Michigan State University. However, running biodegradation


tests at low temperatures is often impractical because the slow reaction rates drive up both time and cost, said Narayan. The new standard provides a


FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | September 2026


testing and reporting methodology. According to Narayan, the new test method applies fundamental reaction kinetics principles to experimental aerobic biodegradation data from ASTM and ISO standard test methods to estimate time required for complete polymer carbon removal by microbial metabolism at the lower temperatures typical of aquatic environments. �www.astm.org


www.filmandsheet.com


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