By Greg Washburn and Joshua Belisle · Edited by Dana Gardner
Published August 9, 2024 · Reviewed by Greg Washburn · September 14, 2026
Summary
Why verify and trace resin before it reaches the machine?
Verifying and tracing material protects margins and answers customer complaints. Sending the wrong material to a process machine causes material loss and downtime, and a traceability record lets you determine whether a product problem started in the process or in the material. Once required mainly by medical and other sensitive molders, these features are now used by a growing range of processors.
This is becoming increasingly important to all types of processors. It used to be that only medical and some other highly sensitive molders required these specialized features. Increasingly, more and more molders realize that there is a fine line between profit and loss – so they are doing anything they can to avoid material loss and machine downtime. Having the wrong material sent to a process machine can wreak havoc on the profit margin. Furthermore, if a valued customer has an issue with a product, you can trace that problem back to determine whether the problem occurred in the process or in the material.
Various levels of sophistication are available. See Verification, Validation and Traceability of Materials and discuss the advantages and range of cost with your systems designer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who needs material verification and traceability in plastics processing?
Medical and other highly sensitive molders were once the main users of material verification and traceability features. Increasingly, processors of all types are adding them, because avoiding material loss and machine downtime from the wrong material reaching a press has a direct effect on the line between profit and loss.
How does material traceability help with customer quality complaints?
When a valued customer reports a problem with a product, a record of the material used lets you trace the problem back. That record helps determine whether the issue occurred in the process or in the material itself, instead of leaving both possibilities open.
What levels of material verification are available?
Material verification, validation and traceability come in various levels of sophistication, with costs that vary accordingly. Review Novatec’s Verification, Validation and Traceability of Materials page and discuss the advantages and range of cost with your conveying system designer before choosing a level.
About the Authors
Vice President of Operations, Novatec
Greg Washburn is Vice President of Operations at Novatec and has been with the company for more than three decades. He is involved in all phases of engineering design and product manufacturing, giving him a broad perspective on how resin drying and conveying equipment moves from engineering concept through production and into real-world processing environments. Greg holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and an MBA from Loyola University Maryland. His experience spans engineering, manufacturing and operations across Novatec’s material-handling technologies.
Technology Manager, Novatec
Joshua Belisle is Technology Manager at Novatec, where his work focuses on simulation and technology development for resin drying. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Engineering Business from the University of Virginia in 2023 and joined Novatec that same year. Joshua uses simulation tools to investigate previously difficult-to-measure aspects of the drying process, helping Novatec better understand airflow, heat transfer and other variables that influence resin-drying performance.
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