polymerguru

Royal DSM, one of the global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials, has launched an innovative new high performance material based on Stanyl® polyamide 46. This new material, Stanyl HGR1, reduces frictional torque in automobile engine timing systems and will provide OEMs with a very cost-effective tool for reducing fuel consumption. Automobile makers are constantly trying to improve the torque they can obtain from their engines, so that they can reduce engine capacity - and hence fuel consumption - without loss of mechanical performance. (Torque is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, and in engines it is closely related to horsepower.) Their strategy includes reducing frictional torque, which is the negative force caused when a rotating object moves against another surface. Part of the frictional torque arises in engine timing systems when the timing chain moves over an element that keeps it under tension. This chain tensioner is often

  NatureWorks  and Metalvuoto announced a new generation of high barrier Ingeo-based flexible substrates designed to keep processed foods fresh on store shelves. While Ingeo film has been used for years in fresh food packaging, this is the first application for longer shelf life foods that are increasingly packaged in flat, stand up, or squared bottom pouches. The introduction comes in response to a strong interest from the flexible packaging market in packaging simplification, with brands looking to move from complex multilayer laminates to simpler packaging solutions without compromising shelf life. The Metalvuoto film allows using a two-layer pouch with performance matching that of three-layer pouches. Fig. 1: This New Ingeo-based Film from Metalvuoto Provides High Oxygen and Water Vapor Barrier Properties Which are Ideal for Shelf Stable Food Packaging. Gianni Costanzo, Metalvuoto Executive Director, explained, “Until now, the flexible packaging industry has grown up around

Metabolix, one of the advanced biomaterials companies focused on sustainable solutions for the plastics industry, announced that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with CJ CheilJedang Corporation (“CJ”) for a strategic commercial manufacturing arrangement for specialty PHAs, including the Company’s newly launched amorphous PHA (“a-PHA”). Under the non-binding MOU, the companies have agreed to work together toward the successful conclusion of definitive agreements under which CJ will fund, construct and operate a 10 kilo ton PHA production unit at CJ’s Fort Dodge, Iowa facility based on Metabolix’s PHA technology. Under the contemplated definitive agreements, Metabolix will buy the specialty PHAs produced at the Fort Dodge facility from CJ, and market and sell the materials to its commercial customers. The companies also expect to define a framework for longer term expansion of the collaboration for larger scale PHA production and related commercial activities. I

Prince® Global Sports is raising the bar once again with its newest squash collection featuring TeXtreme® technology. Prince practically set the squash world on fire when it entered the squash market for the first time in 1984, and the company has continued to innovate ever since in developing industry-leading racquets with proven game-changing capabilities. Prince has introduced a completely new line of squash racquets, with five of the new models incorporating groundbreaking TeXtreme® technology into the head of the racquet. TeXtreme® is an innovative, light and ultra-strong carbon fiber material with superior stability that delivers increased power and greater precision control for squash players. “Prince is excited about the development of the new TeXtreme® collection. We’re confident this line of racquets will help us to continue not only meeting the needs of every squash player at every level, but more importantly helping all players play better squash,” says Jon Ballardie, VP o

You can now get your very own custom 3D printed sitar with genuine strings, frets and bridge from 3DLI. Professionally tested, these sitars provide great tonal quality and resonance characteristics. The 3DLI team was requested by the Mat Creedon School of Music to 3D print this sitar as an exploration of sound. “We were interested to pursue this challenge to validate that a stringed musical instrument as unique as a sitar could be 3D printed whilst maintaining its distinct sound quality and tonal qualities” 3DLI team. The sitar body was reverse engineered and drawn in CAD (computer aided design) software. This model was then  3D printed  into individual body parts and welded together to provide the strongest bond, while maintaining the wall thicknesses and hollow cavities of the original sitar. 3DLI also used traditional bridges, frets and strings, required to create the distinct quality of the sitar buzz. Source:  3DLI  

In 200- and 400-meter sprints, an athlete’s control through the track’s curve can add or subtract crucial milliseconds — the difference between being crowned champion and taking second place. For gold-medal-winning American sprinter Allyson Felix, commanding this variable is just one of the many challenges integral to repeating her 2012 success. To address the challenge ahead of Rio, Felix entered into an unprecedented collaboration with Nike, comprising design and engineering research, with the aim of creating a new spike built specifically for the races’ requirements. Fig. 1:  Nike The Nike Zoom Superfly Flyknit unites extensive scientific analysis from Nike’s Sports Research Lab (NSRL) with computational design by the company’s designers and pixel-level stitch placement by its Flyknit engineers. Combining this data with perception testing by Felix and additional feedback from her coaches, the collective team precisely adapted the spike’s key elements of strength, fit and flex

Solvay Specialty Polymers , among the leading global suppliers of high-performance thermoplastics, announced that its fatigue-resistant, biocompatible Zeniva® polyetheretherketone (PEEK) resin helped Instratek fabricate the radiolucent implant component of its ToeTac™ Hammertoe Fixation System. A Houston-based developer of medical devices for extremity surgery, Instratek launched the ToeTac™ single-use kit in December 2015 for the operative repair of hammertoe deformities. “As our team investigated candidate materials for the ToeTac™ implant, we found Solvay’s Zeniva® PEEK was the only polymer that met all of our performance specifications,” said Lance Terrill, director of engineering at Instratek. “Not only was this high-performance material ideal for our clinical application, but Solvay’s comprehensive PEEK material testing package and superior customer service were also important factors in the success of this project.”  The ToeTac™ implant incorporates two threaded ends for fi