ANTEC 2026 and the SPE Applied Rheology Chapter bring top innovators to Pittsburgh from March 9–12 to discuss technical progress in plastics.
The event blends scientific rigor with real‑world process improvements, giving attendees the tools they need to elevate productivity, reduce waste, and deepen understanding of materials and processes.
You can also read: Rheometer: 5 Keys for Optimal Selection.
ANTEC 2026 delivered a rare concentration of peer‑reviewed research, applied engineering solutions, and expert‑led sessions. Throughout the event, participants explored topics ranging from injection molding and extrusion to rheology, simulation, sustainability, and advanced materials. In addition, the program encouraged attendees to connect these disciplines and understand how they shaped modern plastics processing.
As a result, engineers walked away with practical insights that improved processing windows, strengthened quality control, and guided better material selection. Meanwhile, academics gained valuable exposure to real industrial challenges, which ultimately helped them align research priorities with the evolving needs of the plastics industry.
ANTEC 2026 brought together engineers and researchers to share advances in rheology, simulation, and plastics processing.
One standout presentation, “Viscoelastic Constitutive Modeling for Flow Simulation in Injection and Compression Molding Based on Log Conformation Methods,” took place on March 11 from 1:30 to 2:00 PM. Lutz Pauli from SIGMA Plastics Services Inc. introduced cutting-edge modeling work that significantly increased the accuracy of flow simulations. He showed how engineers could better predict elastic stresses, orientation states, and deformation behavior during molding. His method broke long-standing numerical barriers and opened new possibilities for simulating complex polymers and highly filled compounds.
Rheology directly drives operational efficiency in plastics processing. More specifically, when teams understand viscosity curves, shear-thinning behavior, and viscoelastic relaxation, they set melt temperatures, shear rates, and packing conditions to achieve stable, predictable flow. Therefore, plants reduce scrap, shorten cycles, and minimize energy consumption.
On one hand, rheology tells you how the material wants to behave; on the other hand, simulation tells you how to design the process around that behavior.
Additionally, cooling frequently accounts for 50–80% of the total injection molding cycle. As a result, even small improvements in melt behavior, temperature distribution, or relaxation times deliver significant capacity gains. In practice, better rheological interpretation consistently results in fewer defects, fewer adjustments, and more efficient material utilization. For example, a documented case study shows how rheology-based decisions reshape profitability: correcting air entrapment through improved venting and optimized parameters cut cycle time by approximately 35% and reduced scrap from 65% to below 1%. Ultimately, these improvements emerged from a deeper understanding of flow behavior inside the cavity.
On one hand, rheology tells you how the material wants to behave; on the other hand, simulation tells you how to design the process around that behavior. When combined, they offer powerful predictive capability that transforms development and production.
In addition, simulation tools model filling, packing, cooling, shrinkage, and warpage with increasing accuracy. Consequently, engineers evaluate gate positions, runner balance, cooling circuits, and shear profiles before steel is cut. Because processors and manufacturers simulate early and often, they prevent defects, optimize cycle timing, and eliminate costly retooling. Ultimately, these benefits accelerate time‑to‑market and increase manufacturing reliability.
The log‑conformation formulation developed by Becker, Rauthmann, Pauli, and Knechtges provides a major breakthrough in viscoelastic simulation. Their work introduces an eigenvalue‑free implementation of the log‑conformation method.
Key technical insights include:
These technical advances unlock a new generation of CAE tools that combine detailed rheological inputs with high‑fidelity viscoelastic modeling, giving processors unprecedented insight into how polymers behave inside molds.
ANTEC 2026 brought rheology, simulation, materials science, and industrial practice together in one focused venue. Attendees met experts, compared workflows, and benchmarked tools. Many returned to their plants with knowledge that immediately improved performance.
Whether participants solved scrap issues, designed molds, tested materials, or ran simulations, ANTEC provided the skill set needed to raise quality and efficiency across the plastics supply chain.
To read more: An eigenvalue-free implementation of the log-conformation formulation
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