polymerguru

  📢It's Story-Time!📢 Meet the creator of the world's first carbon fiber monocoque mountain bike: Chris Hornzee-Jones! In the early 90s, Chris moved from the UK to California to work in aerospace composites, in his baggage there was a love of cycling, including a fascination with human-powered vehicles. The lot came together in a sketch that morphed into a prototype that evolved into an extraordinary, original off-roader that was eventually sold back to the UK under the Lotus brand. The frame of this bike is a true monocoque, made in one piece. Attempts by others in the early days had all been of two pieces (or more) joined together. Its shape may or may not have been inspired by Chris’s interest in dolphins, which he’d studied in the Bahamas. Internal cable routing keeps the lines clean. The chainstays came in for special carbon attention too, because of that Softail element: the sides use high-grade aerospace material called Intermediate Modulus Carbon, and along the top and...

  Bottle manufacturer Yiwu Midi Technology, Zhejiang has selected Ultrason® P 3010 from BASF to produce reusable to-go mugs for the market launch of its new business segment. Because of its durability, high-temperature resistance and design versatility the BASF polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) offers a unique combination of lifestyle attributes and sustainability for high-quality to-go cups that are lightweight, shatter-proof, and fashionable: Ultrason® P 3010 maintains the flavor of e.g. coffee without any impact on taste or odor. It does not show any discoloration by contact with hot or cold liquids like coffee, juices, soft drinks, or tea. Lesser Packaging Waste At the same time, the BASF thermoplastic polymer contributes to less packaging waste as the mugs can be reused many times and thus support a circular economy: The chemically resistant Ultrason® P 3010 easily withstands cleaning agents as well as the high temperatures in dishwashers and is even sterilization-p...

  The BMW iX5 Hydrogen is currently undergoing a demanding program of testing in extremely challenging weather conditions. It is all part of final winter testing for the car on public roads and at the BMW Group’s testing center in Arjeplog, northern Sweden. The integrated functional testing and validation of the fuel cell system, hydrogen tanks, peak power battery, and central vehicle control unit have confirmed that this additional CO2-free mobility option can also be relied on to provide sustainable driving pleasure with high levels of comfort and unrestricted performance in extreme sub-zero temperatures. The tests close to the Arctic Circle see the BMW Group pressing ahead with its development process for the BMW iX5 Hydrogen. The company will produce a small series of the model later in the year and is also committed to helping expand the network of hydrogen fueling stations. “The winter testing under extreme conditions clearly shows that the BMW iX5 Hydrogen can also deliver f...

PUR composites are produced with rigid thermoset resins, as opposed to elastomeric or thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). “Composites manufactured from these PU resins have superior tensile strength, impact resistance, and abrasion resistance compared with composites based on unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins,” PUR composites are also said to be attractive for their processing advantages. Cure times are much faster than for polyester spray-up—about 20 min versus 2 to 4 hr in non-automotive applications, notes Bayer’s Snyder. PUR spray processes are also much less labor-intensive than polyester spray-up, which requires rolling out the glass to remove air and ensure complete wet-out. In automotive parts, PUR SRIM takes 30 sec to 2 min vs. 2 to 10 min for polyester and vinyl ester SMC, says Terry Seagrave, Bayer’s market channel manager for NAFTA automotive business.   Get more information here:  https://lnkd.in/eNSCjwbj

Ethanol is versatile: The alcohol which we are familiar with in alcoholic beverages can also be used as an organic fuel.  In Europe, bioethanol is mainly manufactured from starch-rich cereal crops (wheat and corn) as well as from concentrated sugar beet juice, i.e. from plants grown locally. Bioethanol (not to be confused with biodiesel) is either used as a pure fuel or as an admixture to normal petrol. Double usage: The starch-rich components of the plants are used to make ethanol while the protein-rich components are used to make valuable animal feed. Download PDF Copy of this Study:  https://lnkd.in/e4dcy8qa

  📢It's time for our segment Endless Possibilities!📢 A fiberglass staircase manufactured for the Museum of The Future! The Museum of the Future, a new addition to Dubai’s skyline by architects Killa Design, engineers Buro Happold and contractor BAM International, opened on Feb. 22, 2022, and features a large percentage of composite materials within its interior construction! For example, @Advanced Fiberglass Industries manufactured 230 double-curved interior panels, a unique double-helix DNA structure staircase that scales the full seven levels of the museum, and 228 glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) oval-shaped light structures for the museum’s car parking area. Lightweight, quick-to-install, durable and highly formable fire-retardant composites provided the optimum material solution for the torus-shaped Museum’s double-curved interior panels, that were decorated with a raised calligraphy design featuring quotes from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice p...

Genomatica and Asahi Kasei announce a strategic partnership to commercialize renewably-sourced nylon 6,6 made from Genomatica’s bio-based HMD (hexamethylenediamine, also abbreviated as HMDA) building block. Asahi Kasei looks to this partnership to support its goal to be first-to-market with a more sustainable nylon 6,6 for the automotive and electronics industries, based on plant-based HMD, and to accelerate the achievement of its corporate sustainability objectives. Genomatica’s Sustainable HMD HMD is a key component of nylon 6,6 (also known as polyamide 6,6) and multiple other types of nylon, with a global market of 2 million tons per year. Conventional HMD is made starting from fossil fuels, such as crude oil or natural gas. Renewably sourced HMD made with Genomatica’s technology is derived from renewable feedstocks, such as plant-based sugars, and can improve the sustainability of the many materials made from it. Genomatica develops complete, integrated process and manufac...

  The Indian hydrogen economy has received a boost with the Transport Ministry launching a new pilot project to study and evaluate a fuel cell Toyota Mirai on Indian roads and assess its performance in the country’s climatic conditions. This is according to The Print, with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles holding promise in the transportation sector due to their adaptability whilst also being highly regarded as a zero-emission fuel for vehicles. Should this study and assessment be successful it could see an influx of hydrogen technology and vehicles on Indian roads creating further demand for the clean energy carrier and investment opportunities in India. India has also been progressing its hydrogen economy in the past year and this adds to the existing potential the country has to become a key player in the global value chain. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways India, said, “Green Hydrogen can be generated from renewable energy and abundantly available biomas...