polymerguru

BASF has made bio-based Polytetrahydrofuran 1000 (PolyTHF® 1000) available for the first time. The company is now providing this intermediate to selected partners for testing various applications in a large scale. “The bio-based PolyTHF 1000 is identical in quality to the petrochemical-based product,” said Andrej Brejc, Director Renewable Diols from BASF’s Intermediates division, adding, “The opportunity to expand the range of products and applications made from renewable raw materials allows us and our partners to further explore the long-term market acceptance of this innovative technology.” PolyTHF is derived from 1,4 butanediol (BDO), which BASF has produced under license from Genomatica. BASF is one of the world’s leading providers of PolyTHF. It is primarily used to make elastic spandex fibers for a large variety of textiles, including underwear, outerwear, sportswear and swimsuits. PolyTHF 1000 is mainly applied as a chemical building block for thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU),

NetComposites, in collaboration with Tilsatec and FORMAX, has developed an innovative, highly aligned flax-based tape and non-crimp fabric.The new material is suitable for thermoset composite applications and will give improved properties over conventional woven natural fiber-based composite materials. It has a higher stiffness per unit weight than glass fiber. The material is suitable for a range of applications including automotive, sporting and consumer goods. Variants with thermoplastics, such as PLA and polypropylene, and bio-based pre-pregs are also being developed. The development of the highly aligned flax has been supported by the UK’s Composites Innovation Cluster. Source:  NetComposites  

Owens Corning, one of the leading global producer of glass fiber reinforcements for composite systems, launched new  HydroStrand® 258 glass-fiber chopped strands for polyamide (PA) resins . The product provides excellent dry-as-molded properties in a wide range of PA formulations, as well as outstanding performance in glycol resistant PA 6,6 formulations. It enables designers to reduce vehicle weight to improve fuel economy without sacrificing performance. Typical applications in automotive include oil and fluid pump housings, oil pans and powertrain parts. HydroStrand® 258 product is designed to help grow businesses through enhanced performance and productivity benefits, like all Owens Corning’s innovations,  Further to excellent dry-as-molded mechanical properties, the product delivers up to 22% increase in impact strength when used in impact modified grades. It increases the potential to integrate automotive functions and be flexible in designing efficient parts.  With e

The theme for this year's 2-day conference on "Polymers & Plastics in Medical Devices" is to bring the participants up to speed on the newest trends and technical advances in the field of Medical Devices as it relates to Polymeric Materials. The conference includes the following presentation: Selection and Evaluation of Plastics for Cardiovascular Applications Bioabsorbable, High-Modulus Polyester based Materials for Orthopedic Applications Latest Update on UHMW Polyethylene for Implants Flexible Tubing Development & Applications with Styrene-Butadiene Copolymer (SBC) Resins Plastic Catheters Today: an Interventional Radiology Surgeon's Perspective Trends in Plastic Processing & Materials for Medical Equipment Closures High Performance Plastics for Hip-Retractor Application (vs Metals) FiberLive: a High-Strength, Fully Absorbable Composite Material for Implants Choices in Medical Device Coatings Natural Fibers & Composites in Fab

Toray Plastics (America), Inc. announces the introduction of new bio-based lidding films. LumiLid® bio-based, dual-ovenable lidding films are manufactured with Toray's proprietary sustainable resin blends, which are made with more than 50 percent renewable feedstocks. Bio-based LumiLid films were created to lessen the impact on the environment, as they use fewer petroleum resources while they are being manufactured, and to meet the needs of environment-conscious end users and consumers. In addition, like all LumiLid films, these are solvent-free and may alleviate end-users' concerns about solvent retention, as well as enhance the films' sustainability profile. The new LumiLid films are designed for frozen, wet and dry food, and dairy applications. They are FDA-compliant for use with oven temperatures of up to 400°F for 30 minutes. LumiLid films are also Interstate Milk Shippers (IMS)-certified, so they offer another level of assurance for dairy customers. "The next ge

To expand its current offer to the composites industry, Arkema is launching the Polystrand® range of products in Europe, featuring a full range of glass-reinforced thermoplastic tapes and prepregs. These high performance materials are giving access to lightweight, recyclable and structural composites, for the automotive, transportation, energy, consumer and construction markets. Arkema is willing to bring ready-to-use materials to Composites molders, such as reactive thermoplastic resin for RTM and Infusion (Elium®), structural adhesives for composite-composite and metal-composite assembly (AEC Polymers®) and now thermoplastic tapes and prepregs for thermo-compression, thermo-stamping and lamination (Polystrand®). Polystrand® tapes are continuous glass fibers impregnated by various polymers, such as polypropylene, polyamides and fluoropolymers. These tapes have outstanding properties in terms of stiffness, strength and impact resistance, as compared to traditional compounds. They can

The theme for this year's 2-day conference on "Polymers & Plastics in Medical Devices" is to bring the participants up to speed on the newest trends and technical advances in the field of Medical Devices as it relates to Polymeric Materials. The target audience is Medical Device producers, Molders of Sub-Assemblies, Plastic & Additive suppliers, Equipment & Prototype Designers, Regulatory professionals, Sales, Marketing, and Business Development leaders throughout the entire supply chain of the Health-Care industry. The conference has been structured to provide ample opportunity for networking to encourage the sharing of new ideas and concepts throughout the value chain. The following 4 sessions in the conference will bring latest developments of polymers in Medical industry in recent years. Implants: CardioVascular, Orthopedic, and Vision-Care Disposable Plastics: Catheters, Tubings, & Diagonostics Durable Plastics: Housing & Component