SPE COURSE: Crystal Nucleating Agents: Faster PP Cycles with Improved Dimensional Stability

  Course

Crystal Nucleating Agents: Faster PP Cycles with Improved Dimensional Stability

  June 8, 2026
  2:00 to 3:00 PM ET.
  Online

Crystal Nucleating Agents: Faster PP Cycles with Improved Dimensional Stability

  Summary

This course targets materials scientists, process and product engineers, and business professionals across the polypropylene value chain, including resin producers, compounders, additive suppliers, converters, and end users. Participants will develop a practical understanding of how crystal nucleating agents accelerate polypropylene crystallization and increase crystallinity, resulting in improved performance and reduced cost. The course also examines the impact of nucleating agents on processing behavior, supported by case studies illustrating their effects on cycle time, shrinkage, and warpage.

 

If you can't attend one or several sessions live, or if you want to review some concepts, the recordings will be available after each session.

  Who Should Attend?

This course is designed for professionals across the polypropylene value chain who want to improve PP performance, productivity, and sustainability through nucleating agents, including:

  • Materials scientists and polymer engineers
  • Process and manufacturing engineers working with polypropylene
  • Product and application engineers
  • Resin producers and compounders
  • Additive suppliers and technical sales teams
  • Quality, reliability, and continuous-improvement professionals
  • Business and technical professionals responsible for cost, sustainability, and performance decisions

  Why Should You Attend?

Polypropylene performance and productivity are strongly influenced by crystallization behavior. Crystal nucleating agents provide a powerful and cost-effective way to accelerate crystallization, increase crystallinity, and improve part performance. This course explains how nucleating agents work in polypropylene and how they can be applied to reduce cycle time, improve dimensional stability, and lower overall manufacturing cost.

  Everyday Problems You’ll Address

  • Why are PP cycle times longer than expected?
  • What causes warpage, internal stress, or inconsistent shrinkage in molded PP parts?
  • How can stiffness, heat resistance, or clarity be improved without changing resin grade?
  • How can productivity be increased while reducing energy consumption?
  • When should alpha vs. beta nucleating agents be considered?
  • How can additives support both performance targets and sustainability goals?

  What You’ll Learn

You will gain practical insight into crystal nucleation in polypropylene, including:

  • How nucleating agents influence PP crystallization kinetics and crystalline morphology
  • The relationship between crystallinity, cycle time, mechanical properties, and dimensional stability
  • Differences between nucleating and clarifying agents
  • How nucleating agents affect stiffness, tensile strength, HDT, clarity, and gloss
  • The role of beta nucleating agents in developing differentiated PP products
  • Practical guidelines for selecting and using nucleating agents based on processing and performance goals

  Why This Course Matters

Crystal nucleating agents are one of the most effective tools for improving polypropylene performance while reducing manufacturing cost and environmental impact. This course matters because it equips participants with practical knowledge to shorten PP cycle times, improve part quality and dimensional stability, enable down-weighting, reduce energy use, and support sustainability initiatives—without major changes to resin or equipment.

  Registration Information

SPE Premium MemberFREE
SPE Members$49
SPE Student Members$25
(Student but not a student member? Join SPE for free to get program discounts!)
Nonmembers$249

  Workshop Packs

Strengthen your team’s skills and take advantage of group savings with an SPE Workshop Pack.
Go here for Workshop Pack information and registration.

 
1 Sessions
 
Level: Intermediate
 
Total Hours: 1 Hour
 
Streaming access on desktop and mobile browsers

  Instructor

Philip Jacoby
President
Jacoby Polymer Consulting
  LinkedIn

Dr. Philip Jacoby received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. He was a Senior Research Associate with Amoco and BP-Amoco in the Polypropylene Product Development group for more than 26 years. He holds 13 US patents and several international patents covering various polypropylene products, with emphasis on the use of Beta Nucleation in polypropylene. While at Amoco he developed a new business involving the production and sale of microporous PP breathable/waterproof film, and he authored six US patents on this technology.

He joined Mayzo, Inc. (an additive and release coat supplier) as VP of Technology in October, 2002. While at Mayzo he developed an entirely new business based on the production and sale of Beta Nucleant masterbatches for use in polypropylene. He also authored several additional patents. He has also written numerous technical articles involving PP technology, and authored a book entitled “Beta Nucleation of Polypropylene”. He is a past president of the Southern Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), and a former board member of the Thermoforming Division of the SPE. He retired from Mayzo in March, 2014, and now does independent consulting.

Specialties: Polyolefin technology and product development. Polypropylene structure-property relationships.

  Questions? Contact:

For questions, contact Iván D. López.

This educational program is provided as a service of SPE. The views and opinions expressed on this or any SPE educational program are those of the Speaker(s) and/or the persons appearing with the Speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc. (SPE) or its officials, employees or designees. To comment or to present an opposing or supporting opinion, please contact us at info@4SPE.org.

Refund Policy

Full refund 30 days prior to the event start date. Please contact customerrelations@4spe.org for assistance with registration.

Copyright & Permission to Use

SPE may take photographs and audio/video recordings during the conference, pre-conference meetings and receptions that may include attendees within sessions, networking areas, exhibition areas, and other areas associated with the conference both inside and outside of the venue. By registering for this event, all attendees are providing permission for SPE to use this material at its discretion on SPE's websites, marketing materials, and publications. SPE retains ownership of copyright to all photographs and audio/video recording obtained at this event and attendees may request copies of any material in which they are included.

Anti-Trust Statement

  1. No discussion among members, volunteers, or staff, which attempts to arrive at any agreement regarding prices, terms or conditions of sale, distribution, volume, territories, or customers;
  2. No activity or communication which might be construed as an attempt to prevent any person or business entity from gaining access to any market or customer for goods or services or any business entity from obtaining services or a supply of goods;
  3. No activity or communication which might be construed as an agreement to refrain from purchasing or using any materials, equipment, services or supplies of or from any supplier; or
  4. No other activity which violates anti-trust or applicable laws aimed at preventing unfair competition.
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