Purpose & Overview:
This seminar provides an overview of vinyl products in the plastics market. Specific technical information is provided with respect to the manufacture and characteristics of vinyl resins, additive raw materials, formulations, processing, testing and the myriad of end-use requirements. These include PVC pipe, siding, roofing, flooring, wire & cable insulations and other construction products. Other uses include automotive, appliance, food & medical, decorative and leisure products, such as "ultra-soft" fishing lures.

Vinyl plastics may be processed by virtually all of the techniques employed in the plastics and rubber industries. This includes "hot compounding," dryblending, plastisols, organosols and solutions, as well as extrusion, molding calendaring and laminating.

Supplemental materials include technical references for further reading and lists of agencies for standardized testing and safety, health and environmental issues..

Who should attend?
Attendees should include anyone interested in the design, manufacture, marketing and sales of vinyl plastic products, as well as raw materials intended for use in formulated vinyl compositions. An introductory knowledge of mathematics, physics and chemistry, especially organic, are recommended prerequisites.

About the Instructor: Leonard Kruskopf
Mr. Krauskopf is retired from Exxon Chemical Company, where he most recently held the position of Research Associate in the Basic Chemicals and Intermediates Technology Department. He has more than 50 years experience in vinyl and related technologies, 35 years with Union Carbide Corporation and over 15 years with Exxon. In both companies his primary role was Manager of Marketing Technical Services for Plasticizers.

His experience includes product development in calendered rigid vinyl film and sheeting, solution cast films, and the full range of processes, product and applications that utilize flexible PVC. In addition, he has experience with the applications of silane coupling agents for fillers in various plastics and elastomers and has worked with the applications of silicone and organic rubbers. He holds patents in his areas of technical expertise, and has published more than 20 technical papers and chapters. Most note-worthy are on the subject of plasticizers, published in Encyclopedia of PVC; Plastics Additives and Modifiers Handbook; Handbook of PVC Formulating; and the Journal of Vinyl Technology.

He is a Fellow Emeritus member of the Society of Plastics Engineers, where he continues to serve on the Vinyl Division Board of Directors and the Technical Program Committee. He serves on the Advisory Board and the Board of Reviewers for the Journal of Vinyl & Additive Technology (JVAT), published by the SPE. He is also a member of the American Chemical Society, and a past member of ASTM and the Executive Board of Directors, and the Technical Committee of The Vinyl Institute.

Mr. Krauskopf holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Rutgers University. He served 2 years on active duty in the U.S. Army (1951-53) and was honorably discharged with the rank of Sargeant.

Seminar Content:
Introduction • Course objectives & overview • Market overview • Technical overview • Historical highlights
Applications
Formulating and Raw Materials • Omnibus formulas • Vinyl resins • Modifier polymers • Fillers • Plasticizers • Stabilizers • Lubricants • Pigments & colorants • Miscellaneous additives
Example Formulations and Costing • Calculating formula costs • Rigids • Semi-rigids • Flexibles • Ultra-flexibles • Wire & cable • Floor coverings • Food & Medical • Plastisols & foams • Coatings & adhesives
Processing • Dryblending & hot-compounding • Extrusion & molding • Calendering • Plastisols, organosols & solutions • Laminating, thermoforming, post treating & printing
Properties and Testing • Units of measure & statistics • Chemical • Solvency & compatibility • Physical • Mechanical • Thermal • Stability • Electrical • Rheological
Safety, Health and Environmental • Regulatory agencies • Resource organizations
General References
Glossary of Terminology