polymerguru

Ford Motor Company's biomaterial researchers have engineered a patent-pending formula to use renewable soy oil to improve rubber car parts and make them more environmentally friendly. By using renewable soy oil as a 25 percent replacement for petroleum oil, Ford researchers more than doubled rubber's stretchability and reduced its environmental impact. Soy-based rubber parts such as radiator deflector shields, air baffles, cupholder inserts and floor mats are under consideration for future Ford vehicle programs. "Ford is focused on finding innovative ways to make our vehicles more eco-friendly," said Cynthia Flanigan, Ford technical leader in elastomeric polymers. "Soy-based rubber has win-win potential as it provides superior stretchability and serves as a renewable resource that helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions from raw materials." Beyond soy oil The scope of Ford's recent rubber research, which was funded in part by grants from...

The total sunk-in capacity for biopolymers in 2009 was around 500 million lbs. These include polylactide acid [PLA] (NatureWorks, Galactic, Hycail BV); polyhydroxyalkanoates such as PHAs, PHB, and PHBH (Biomer, Procter&Gamble); polymers based on bio-based PDO (DuPont); cellulose polymers (Innovia Films) 1 ; epoxy polymers from bio-glycerol; and starch polymers and blends (AkzoNobel [National Starch Chemical] and several other players). NatureWorks (Cargill Dow) is the major commercial player with a PLA capacity of 280 million lbs 2 ; and Novamont is the major producer of starch polymers and blends, with a capacity of 120 million lbs. 3 The total capacity of biopolymers is expected to reach 1.3 billion lbs, if Braskem's 400 million lbs/year of bio-polyethylene production and Braskem's/Nova Zymes's 400 million lbs/year 4 of bio-polypropylene production materializes in Brazil. At these levels, the biopolymer's share of the total global production o...

A tapered vessel mandrel showing a helical winding, the transition and a circumferential winding. Band colors indicate the winding angle. © Seifert and Skinner & Associates, Inc. Seifert and Skinner & Associates, Inc. (SS&A) has introduced ComposicaD™; as announced on the 07th of July 2010. This software generates winding patterns for any filament winding machine. Modules and packages in the ComposicaD lineup allow winding for: • pipes and tubes; • tanks and vessels; • any figure of revolution; • pipe tees and elbows; • spars; • other geometric shapes. The software was designed from the ground up to be completely user friendly, making it quick for the part programmer to make parts. The software is uniquely focused at the part level, not at the individual layer level, where much of today’s existing software is focused. Many filament winders make a range of products – pipes or tanks that vary only in the overall length or diameter. Using ComposicaD, the p...

The Taiwanese company Asus has developed two models of notebooks that feature an innovative design. These new laptops which are commercialized under the trade name Asus Bamboo Series have been designed by the Pegutron design studio in Taïwan and have already won a 2009 iF-design award. In fact they include an innovative housing made from Moso bamboo i.e. phyllostachys pubescent by using an In-Mold Decoration (IMD) technology. This plant has been chosen because it is sustainable and very strong, easy and quick to grow, and because it requires very little water, helps reduce CO2 and is fairly pest resistant. Furthermore bamboo can withstand the high pressures (i.e. more than 3,600 kg/cm2) during processing. The bamboo-based surfaces cover not only the chassis but also the wristrests and even touch pads.

In collaboration with the German material producer Lanxess, the German automotive part manufacturer Mann+Hummel has designed a cost-effective thermoplastic alternative to die-cast aluminum-based fuel filter housings. The new fuel filter housing and its lid are made of Durethan™ DP BCF 30 X H2.0, a 30% glass and carbon reinforced polyamide-6 ( PA-6 ) grade from Lanxess AG. The parts are injected molded and welded together. The Durethan™ DP BCF 30 X H2.0 material has been chosen because it is an electrically conductive material that does not require any secondary finishing contrary to die-cast aluminum (which requires milling, grinding and drilling for instance) and simplifies subsequent assembly. It also offers enhanced design freedom and greater weight reducing potential. Furthermore this PA-6 grade exhibits high anti-static properties and its high electrical conductivity prevents static from building up in the filter due to the media flowing through it for instance. Las...

For under-the-hood (UTH) applications (turbochargers, air ducts) in automotives, DSM has introduced two high-heat resins - Stanyl Diablo OCD2300 and Akulon Diablo, using polyamide ( PA46 ) material. The resins aim at providing reduced weight and high-temperature sustainability for a longer time. The grade limits thermal oxidative breakdown, and thus make Stanyl Diablo withstand temperature of upto 230°C for more than 3,000 hours. Akulon Diablo is used in air/fuel systems, which may be subject to temperatures of up to 210°C while continuously in use (over 230°C for shorter periods). The addition of both resins brings forth metal replacement options for UTB applications and meets the needs of the supply chain for air ducts. Akulon Flex PA6 is specifically tailored for flexible ducts and Arnitel TPE for clean air ducts. It can be used as a single-source solution for all ducts, end caps and resonators.