Research Collaboration Could Reshape Injection Molding

As Ralph Colby peers at the microscope image in front of him, he thinks he can make them out — “shish kebabs,” as polymer scientists call them. Nobody knows for sure what they are, but these shapes that appear at seemingly unpredictable times when certain plastics cool have a big impact on the overall properties of plastics. It's not a big deal when a plastic fork breaks, but if a bearing cage on an airplane were to break, it could put people in danger.