At this year’s Polymer Testing World Expo, Bob Donohue of ZwickRoell will take attendees inside one of the most essential — yet often overlooked — areas of polymer characterization: melt flow testing. His session explores how “smarter plastometers” are reshaping reliability, safety, and ease of use in the lab.

Bob, could you start by telling us a bit about your background and your role at ZwickRoell?

I have a B.S. in Systems Engineering from the US Naval Academy. I've been working in materials testing for over 30 years and currently I am the Industry Manager for Plastics & Composites at ZwickRoell North America.

Without giving too much away, what’s the main takeaway you want attendees to leave with from your talk?

Even though melt flow testing is a fundamental test of plastics that has been around for many decades, there is an exciting recent development that makes the performance of these tests much easier, more reliable, and even safer.

Why is this such a timely topic for the industry right now?

The need for melt flow testing has only grown in recent years, due to accelerated product development and growth in recycled plastics. This, combined with the challenge to find and keep lab personnel willing and able to run these labor-intensive tests, calls for a more automated test system.

What specific challenges does your presentation aim to address for attendees?

The melt flow test, while simple in principle, is actually difficult to perform consistently according to the prescribed standards. The use of "smarter plastometers" is a breakthrough step in removing operator influence from these tests - the fundamental goal of any laboratory.

Can you give us a quick preview of something surprising or particularly interesting you’ll be discussing?

The ability of the smarter plastometer to make real time evaluations and adjust the test procedure accordingly, this is not possible with traditional melt flow testing machines.

Who do you think will get the most value from attending your session?

Since melt flow testing is so fundamental to characterizing polymers, anyone that has an interest in the quality of incoming material, product development, or process control of polymer production would benefit from this presentation.

What shift in perspective do you hope attendees walk away with after your presentation?

I hope attendees will realize that there are new testing capabilities being developed and they will imagine how their organizations can benefit from these new technologies.

What personal experiences led you to focus on this particular topic?

As my focus is on Plastics, I spend a lot of time around labs and melt flow testing in particular. I know how challenging this testing can be so it's rewarding to see better solutions being deployed.

And finally — beyond your session, what are you most excited to see at this year’s expo?

I'm always eager to see anything new out there as well as get a feeling of the overall environment and trends coming.

🧪 Don’t miss Bob Donohue’s presentation, “Improved Melt Flow Testing with Smarter Plastometers,” at the Polymer Testing World Expo — part of the Plastics World Expos North America, taking place November 12–13, 2025, in Cleveland, OH.