polymerguru

Sainsbury's has launched the latest additions to its successful Taste the Difference range premium flavourings in a custom 43.5ml PET bottle manufactured at RPC Containers Blackburn. The bottle, produced for Food Innovation, is being used for a new range of premium food extracts for home baking and flavoring. Its impressive clear appearance highlights the vibrant colours of the contents. PET combines ease of use with safety it is lightweight and shatterproof, making it ideal for use in the kitchen. Kevin Rushton, Senior Partner at Food Innovation, added "The excellent clarity of the bottle means these high-quality extracts are clearly identifiable on the shelf." "We know there's a growing market for home baking products such as these, and consumers who buy the range are looking for quality. It was important, therefore, that the packaging from RPC matched that ethos." Sainsbury's are the first to market with an own-label home baking

To protect exterior truck components from harsh environments, LANXESS has developed Pocan C 1202 blend of polybutylene terephthalate ( PBT ) and polycarbonate ( PC ). It has been used on uncoated radiator grille of the FM series FMX construction truck. The PBT blend features UV stability and chemical resistance. Volvo Trucks Corporation fitted the model with a new front section, while the (180x35x4)cm radiator grille is produced by Germany-based Gerhardi Kunststofftechnik GmbH, a manufacturer of plastic components for vehicle interiors and exteriors in Europe. The relevant molds are cascaded; latching lugs and mounting domes are reproduced while excellent flow behavior causes negligible distortion. The company is also offering PBT blends that can be used in truck panels, moldings, wind deflectors, pillars, bumpers, etc.

The Department of Energy has confirmed that the South American country holds more natural gas trapped in shale rock than all of Europe does, a 774-trillion-cubic-feet (tcf) bounty that could transform the outlook for Western Hemisphere supply and that could be the third largest in the world. The production of this gas involves horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, unconventional techniques that revolutionized gas markets, opening up 100 years of new supplies. While shale exploration in Argentina is still in its infancy and it is early to determine exactly how much gas can be tapped economically, the country's technically recoverable shale reserves would be worth over USD 3 trillion at today's U.S. futures markets prices, reported Reuters news agency. "In the richest area of Argentina’s Neuquén Basin of, at least one third or half of the reserves could be economically viable based on current prices," explained the energy consulting firm Advanced

Eden Energy Ltd has announced the wide applications of carbon nanotubes and nanofibers in various industries like electronics, automotives where they are mixed with rubber and plastics and used in manufacturing of vehicle tyres etc. Initially they encourage nano tubes and fibers utilisation in batteries followed by plastic and rubber industries where they improve the tensile strength and shelf life of rubber. Eden has also developed new pyrolysis technology along with university of Queensland which produces carbon nanotubes and nanofibers from natural gas and significant advantage of not producing carbon dioxide as an unwanted by-product. First Sale of Eden's Nano-Carbon Fibers to a Battery Manufacturer for Commercial Application: Eden Energy Ltd ("Eden") has made its first commercial sale of its carbon nanotubes (CNT) and carbon nanofibers (CNF) to an industrial battery manufacturer. The sale followed the testing by the battery manufacturer of the suitability of

Ensinger recently launched a series of highly loaded thermoplastic carbon fiber composites. Components made of this composite material offer high mechanical strength alongside excellent heat distortion properties. Stock shapes made using the new TECATEC product series comprise a thermoplastic matrix and a woven fabric of carbon fiber bundles. This combination ensures the achievement of significantly higher tensile and flexural strength compared to fiber reinforced extrudates. The lightweight materials also offer good chemical resistance and are radiolucent, making them ideally suited for external fixation devices and surgical instruments.  TECATEC PEEK CW50 makes use of the matrix polymer VICTREX® PEEK ™, which is compressed with laminated woven carbon fabric mats. A special coating on the fabric helps to reduce the number of faults. A carbon fiber fabric component of 50 per cent ensures extremely good torsional stiffness and minimal tendency to warp even after multiple

LANXESS is in process of developing a new blow-moldable, gasoline fuel-resistant polyamide 6 ( PA6 ) grade for high-performance tanks. Used as a replacement to high-density polyethylene ( HDPE ) and other metal-based tanks (such as aluminum, steel or multi-layer plastic composites), PA6 is compliant with EPA regulations and suppresses fuel permeation in blow-molded tanks effectively. Tanks made of multi-layer plastic composites contain a polar layer of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) as a permeation barrier. Making these layers by means of co-extrusion blow molding process is a complex and costly task too. Steel and aluminum tanks do not give design freedom. LANXESS experts are also looking for a possibility to make the new polyamide tank material which is resistant to E85 fuels too. PA6-based fuel tanks can find their application in motorcycles, cars, boats, combustion machines, mobile power generators, and more.

Carbon fibre supplier SGL Group of Germany announced in its latest financial report in November that, despite a recent recovery in demand, the market for carbon fibre continues to face temporary overcapacities due to the numerous delays in new aircraft projects, delayed investments in wind energy, as well as declining demand in sports and consumer applications. “This has resulted in an increased competitive environment with temporary negative impact on prices and volumes,” relates SGL. “The recent increase in demand, however, has led to prices stabilising, albeit at still unsatisfactory levels. Further price increases are necessary in 2011,” the report notes. The company also says that in recent months it has improved the structure of its precursor supply with the addition of two independent production sites. Long delays in Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner programme have contributed to the supply and demand imbalance. Boeing announced in January that it expects delivery of the f