polymerguru

Prescott's Manufacturing Inc.'s new line of sterile knob covers for surgical microscopes are made of Radel® R-5100 polyphenylsulfone ( PPSU ) resin from Solvay Advanced Polymers, LLC, for exceptional autoclavability and toughness. The high-performance thermoplastic also delivers more efficient and faster processing than the incumbent thermoset material. The knob covers are extensions of the microscope handle and are used to manipulate the microscope during surgery. The reusable covers come in repeated contact with medical personnel and must be sterilized after each procedure. Radel PPSU resin withstands repeated autoclaving - up to 1,000 cycles - while maintaining its toughness and impact resistance. "We evaluated a range of resins and found that Radel PPSU was superior in terms of autoclavability," said Philip Schloesser, Engineer for Prescott's Manufacturing. By tapping into its expertise in injection molding, Prescott's hoped to gain impr

A student at Germany’s Offenbach University of Art and Design, Alice Gruhle, has designed an innovative lamp, namely “Polymorph” lamp by taking its inspiration from origami and Lego™ concept. This “Polymorph” lamp, that can be easily adapted into different sculptural shapes, is formed from diamond-shaped modules made from 6mm-thick polypropylene ( PP ) sheets by using an injection molding process. Then the injected molded PP modules are linked together in order to allow folds at the joint. The first lamp prototype has been created with 150 modules, creating a cocoon-like hanging lamp. This innovative lamp concept has already won a competition at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach. It has also been featured in several German design magazines and has been showcased at the latest Euromold exhibition.

All over Europe, electrical and electronic scrap is the waste stream showing the highest growth rates. Since electronic equipment contains the most varied kinds of materials, the recycling of such waste involves high demands with respect to separation and sorting processes. The German plant manufacturer MeWa builds state-of-the-art recycling plants for large international waste management companies. In the United Kingdom MeWa realised a plant where old refrigerators, computers, vacuum cleaners, Hi-Fi systems, and other kinds of electrical waste are processed on two separate lines. For the recycling of high-quality plastics such as ABS ( acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ) or PC ( polycarbonate ) and of printed circuit boards MeWa uses three VARISORT N sorting systems made by S+S. "The decision to use E-Schrott Elektronic Waste S+S systems was based on the high output quality of these VARISORT systems. Only absolutely pure fractions can be sold at a good price in today&

At this year's plastics trade show in Düsseldorf (October 27 to November 3, 2010) the Fraunhofer ILT is presenting the TransTWIST laser-based plastics welding machine at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft stand (E91) in Hall 3. In live demonstrations the researchers will show how two transparent joining partners made of plastic can be lap-welded using laser radiation. In conventional laser welding a suitable radiation absorber is normally applied to the underlying joining partner. This is time consuming and costly. Furthermore, the appearance of the component or weld is affected by the color of the radiation absorber. In order to be able to weld transparent plastics without any seam marks, the researchers at the Fraunhofer ILT have developed a laser machine for welding plastics. In a lap joint configuration transparent polymers are welded without the addition of infrared absorbers. This eliminates the need for elaborate pretreatment, saving process time and costs, and represe

The German company Dettmer Verpackunger, i.e. DeLo, which is specialized in flexible packaging systems, has designed an innovative deep-freeze packaging for frozen potato products that is entirely made from a copolyester material stemming from renewable resources. The company has in fact chosen the Bio-Flex™ F2110 grade from the German material producer FKuR to produce the new packaging. This material is a blend based on poly(acid lactic) and does not contain any starch or starch derivatives. It provides the high mechanical properties required for deep-frozen applications such as high impact resistance and dart drop strength at low temperature. Furthermore it complies with the EN 13432 standard. This new deep-freeze bio-based packaging has been chosen by the American company Mc Cain for its “Bio Harvest” products line.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has completed a two year study which examined the scale of U.S. natural gas reserves and the potential of this fuel to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. Undertaken by the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), the study concluded that natural gas will play a leading role in reducing GHG emissions over the next several decades. The findings, summarized in an 83-page report , were presented to lawmakers and senior administration officials in Washington. “Much has been said about natural gas as a bridge to a low-carbon future, with little underlying analysis to back up this contention. The analysis in this study provides the confirmation — natural gas truly is a bridge to a low-carbon future,” said MITEI Director Ernest J. Moniz in introducing the report. The study found that there are significant global supplies of conventional gas. How much of this gas gets produced and used, and the extent of its impact on greenhouse gas reductions

The German ceramics materials specialist OxiMaTec GmbH has been the winner of the 2009 EuroMold Gold Award fort its innovative ceramic/plastic composite-based components that have been designed for automotive light-emitting diode (LED) headlamp housing. These components, which are produced by Graveurbetrieb Leonhardt, a specialist in ceramics pressing, sintering, machining and injection molding, have a hybrid structure based on a high-heat ceramic functional part overmolded with a thermoplastic material. As a result the new headlamp housing exhibit high temperature resistance and allows eliminating wear problems. The ceramic takes care of heat dissipation while the thermoplastic provides elasticity and impact resistance.