Polymer Industry News

LM Glasfiber in research project on wind turbine blade laser sensory system

LM Glasfiber, the independent manufacturer of wind turbine blades, is entering into a three-year research project supported by the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation to develop laser-based wind sensory systems as an integrated part of future wind turbine blades.

The project, which is a joint venture with Risø DTU and NKT Photonics, aims to improve the load control of the wind turbine in operation thus enhancing the efficiency of the turbine and improving its overall reliability.

“LM Glasfiber is working on several projects to improve the efficiency of the blades and consequently the overall energy production from the wind turbine. An important part of this is developing ‘intelligent’ blades that measure the wind and either adapt to the current wind conditions or supply data to the wind turbine control system,” says Lars Fuglsang, LM Glasfiber Research Director.

Integrating so called LIDARs (Light Detection And Ranging) into the blade will be an extension of LM Glasfiber’s previous wind turbine blade monitoring technology and the potential for improved yield is impressive, LM Glasfiber says. It is expected that the energy production may be increased by up to 5% over the wind turbine’s 20-year life time.

“Whereas current blade monitoring technologies measure the loads on the blades, integrating LIDARs into the blade enables us to measure the exact wind conditions to which the blades are exposed. So basically, this means that instead of looking in the rear-view mirror and realising what the blade has been exposed to, we will be able to measure the wind real-time and either have the blade or the wind turbine react on this right away.”

It is expected that a prototype of the new application of the LIDAR technology in wind turbines will be available in 2012. LM Glasfiber says it expects to be able to supply its customers with LIDAR-enabled intelligent wind turbine blades by 2014.

#Greenerd delivers huge hydraulic compression moulding presses to sheet moulder

Greenerd Press & Machine Company, Inc. announced on the 5th of December they have recently delivered and installed three massive 4,000-ton Gib-Guided hydraulic compression moulding presses to Ashley Industrial Moulding, a processor of sheet moulding compound located in Oelwein, Iowa. The presses, which feature Allen Bradley controls, provide comprehensive feedback and control over the entire production process, which allows Ashley to improve part quality, reduce cycle times and expand their business.

The 4,000-ton compression moulding machines were built in Tianjin, China, by Tianjin Tianduan Press Co. Ltd, with whom Greenerd has an exclusive North American alliance. Each combined frame Gib-Guided press weighs about 500 metric tons and was assembled using quality American-made parts that were imported to China from the U.S. for the press’ vital operational components. The giant presses tower 34 feet above and 11 feet below the shop floor. They are the largest compression moulding machines Greenerd has ever delivered, the biggest presses that Ashley has operated and possibly the largest compression moulding press installation in North America.

The machines feature Allen Bradley® Industrial PC Versa View 6181P-12TPXPH with Win XP Software with touch screen controls that provide recipe storage, trending, diagnostics and EtherNet communication. The controls allow the operator to access feedback on each part in a run, troubleshoot any problems and adjust tonnages and speed as necessary, identify the most efficient way to produce a part and reduce cycle times. The controls also provide Ashley with something they’ve never had before – the ability to serialize each part, which opened up new business opportunities for the company. In addition, the Ethernet communication will allow Ashley to monitor production in its Iowa plant from its Indiana headquarters.

“We are extremely pleased about this project,” said Mr. Tim Dining, President of Greenerd Press & Machine Company, Inc. “I am proud to say we met the challenge through every phase, from design through to production and installation, which is a testament to our large press capabilities.”

From China to Iowa, Not an Easy Trip
Delivering the massive presses was indeed a logistical challenge. After they were disassembled in China, the hydraulic presses took up 60 percent of an ocean freighter. They were then shipped on three barges up the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Dubuque, Iowa, where they were delivered to Oelwein on 53 semi-trailer truck loads. They were then re-assembled and installed onsite by Greenerd technicians.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with how this purchase and delivery went,” commented Scott Pflughoeft, Vice President of Manufacturing at Ashley. “Greenerd had all three presses assembled, installed and in production in just 60 days. They stayed on site fine-tuning the programming and making adjustments until everything was running smoothly. ”


About Ashley Industrial Molding
Ashley Industrial Molding (AIM) is a custom moulder and painter of plastic products and assemblies. AIM is a leading manufacturer of quality SMC compression moulded and RIM processed components for the agricultural, industrial, construction, forestry and military markets.

About Greenerd Press and Machine Company Inc.
Greenerd is the sole representative for sales, marketing, service and installation of Tianduan product in North America. Founded in New England in 1883, Greenerd has designed and built thousands of high-quality custom and standard hydraulic presses since 1934. Machines include an extensive line of Hydraulic Presses in all sizes and configurations. A complete line of Arbor Presses is also available. Greenerd Presses are made to withstand the rigors of around-the-clock production and deliver many years of service.
Greenerd Presses are available as standard machines or can be designed for custom applications by expert engineers with extensive application experience.

#Angstrom awarded funding from NIST

30 December 2009

Angstron Materials Inc, a producer of nano graphene platelets (NGPs), has been awarded US$1.494 million from the US Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop processes for mass-producing chemically modified NGPs for applications in the aerospace, energy, defence, automotive and telecommunications markets.

Part of NIST’s Technology Innovation Program (TIP), the award will be matched by other funding sources.

TIP selected Angstron based on its capability to accelerate development of nano graphene, an advanced material considered critical to potential growth in US manufacturing.

“We’ll also be able to help industries that currently need and use carbon nanotubes, but would benefit from higher performance and a lower cost,” says Dr Bor Jang, CEO and Co-Founder of Angstron, based in Dayton, Ohio, USA.

NGPs can be used in the aviation sector to protect against lightening strikes or in fuel tanks. The material can be modified to become semi-conducting or insulated when needed. Angstron’s work supports other aerospace needs such as integration of NGPs in thin films or coatings for EMI shielding, electrostatic spray painting, and conductive adhesives as well as composites and thermal management applications. Work is also underway to integrate NGPs in several energy storage and conversion products, such as high-capacity lithium-ion batteries, high-capacity supercapacitors, fuel cells, wind turbine blades, lubricants and solar cells.

The ability to chemically functionalise NGPs in a continuous, cost-effective manner is the next step to broad implementation of this material.

“We are actively looking for partners interested in jointly developing methods to incorporate NGPs into products that require critical performance features and could provide a competitive advantage in today’s global market,” says Jang.

Angstron’s project goals under the award will focus on two primary objectives:

o to develop methods for mass-producing functionalised NGPs through the development of scalable surface treatment procedures for both pristine graphene and graphene oxide platelets; and

o to develop an in-depth understanding of the relationships between processing, shape and structure changes and performance in NGPs and NGP-containing devices or composites for both functional and load-bearing applications.

Available in a wide range of geometries, NGP products are reported to be easily surface functionalisable for polymer and common solvent applications and offer high loading potential for nanocomposite applications.

#Carbon fiber composite sail for trimaran

The trimaran of the BMW ORACLE Racing team that has departed San Diego for Valencia, Spain, in preparation for February's 33rd America's Cup Match is said to be 20% faster than when the previous boat was launched more than a year ago due to the use a a new carbon fiber composite fixed-wing sail. The new wing sail is based on two main components: the main element and the flat element. The main element is one single piece that rotates around the mast step. Eight individual flaps rotate around the trailing edge of the main element. Both elements are separated by a small gap and linked together by nine main hinges. The wing is primarily constructed from carbon fibre and aramid fiber (Kevlar™). BMW ORACLE Racing says manufacture of the wing-sail took 40,000 man-hours to complete.

#Lightweight PET bottles for water

Nestle Waters has introduced a new version of its Eco-Shape poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottle, which is claimed to be one of lightest 0.5 liter bottle available in the market. The new bottle weighs an average of 9.3 gms and contains 25% less PET than the previous model. This new bottle is currently rolling out in the US for several spring water brands. It allows Nestle to reduce its use of thermoplastic material by 80m pounds annually while reducing its carbon footprint. The company has also developed a new cap for its new Eco-Shape bottles. This new cap weighs only one gram.