Notebook casing with bamboo aspect

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.

Fuel filter housing made of conductive PA-6

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. Last but not least it provides weight saving compared with die-cast aluminum and good resistance to gasoline, diesel and the new biofuels.

PA high-heat resins extend "Under The Hood" functionalities

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.

Mizkan Americas Meets Hot Fill Needs With Amcor's Long Neck Powerflex™ PET Bottle

Mizkan Americas, Mt. Prospect, Ill., a leading condiment manufacturer, has started using 16oz long neck Powerflex™ polyethylene terephthalate (PET) hot fill bottles from Amcor Rigid Plastics, a leading producer of PET packaging, for its Buccaneer Blends barbecue sauces. Mizkan recently moved from ambient fill bottles to hot fill containers for the Buccaneer Blends line - a product acquired by Mizkan during the purchase of World Harbor Sauces & Marinades, Auburn, Maine, earlier this year.

"To ensure product quality, we decided to switch from the ambient fill to the hot fill process," said Dave Rotunno, Director of Marketing for Mizkan. "Amcor's Powerflex bottle handles the hot fill process and offered the best solution to meet our manufacturing needs." The long neck PET bottle is finding increased use as a hot fill option in this food category, according to Amcor. The rest of the former World Harbors' line of sauces and marinades are bottled in ambient fill PET containers.

Amcor's Powerflex bottle features a patented panel-less design which takes hot fill (185°F) bottle options to a new level. Amcor's structural design eliminates the panels, and unlike competitive containers, provides a large, completely smooth rib-less label area. Amcor used design and manufacturing techniques to create a patented bottle that absorbs vacuum via a specially designed base. A unique diaphragm within the base draws upward as the liquid cools. It has the geometric characteristics to enable the inverted cone-shaped diaphragm to deflect upward as the vacuum is created.

Unlike conventional hot fill PET alternatives, PowerFlex bottles are easier to label since they don't have sidewall vacuum panels. Packers don't have to worry about mislabeling, that is; missing the vertical bars in applying labels. Nor do they have to deal with the ripple effect that occurs when labeling over panels.

The stock Powerflex bottle has a 38-mm finish and features a screw-top closure and a tamper-evident, plastic heat-shrink neck band. The long neck bottles deliver significant performance and cost advantages including portability (no breakage), light weight, recyclability, and reduced transportation costs. Consumers are drawn to the attractive, lightweight, and unbreakable features of the PET bottle compared to traditional glass containers.

Hot water tank for ovens made from PPS

In collaboration with Ticona and K.D. Fedderson, the German kitchen appliance manufacturer Miele Inc. has developed a new oven function for its high-performance ovens range available under the trade name H5000: these new Miele ovens are equipped with a special hot water tank that automatically takes in the right amount of water and dispenses it as jets of steam into the oven cavity. This new function, namely “moisture plus” is said to provide improved results in baking and roasting. This newly-developed hot water tank that has to withstand high temperature of up to 220°C has been made from a 15% glass fiber reinforced poly(phenylene sulphide) material i.e. Fortron™ MT9115L0 DW from Ticona by using an extrusion blow molding process. This PPS grade has been chosen because it complies with the FDA requirement and with the European 2002/72/EC directive for food contact application. Furthermore it exhibits high dimensional stability and minimal water absorption even under high thermal stresses. As for the extrusion blow molding process, it allows to eliminate the need for the subsequent welding of component that is necessary with injection molding.

Lasers throw vital beams on thermoplastics

To ease up and automate the processing of raw materials used in automotive, aviation and aerospace industries, Fraunhofer researchers are now using laser technology. The infrared laser melts the surface of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic components. When compressed at fluid stage and then hardened, the result is a strong and stable bond. During the tape placement, carbon fibers are integrated into long strips of resilient thermoplastic resin. Multiple laminate layers are stacked on top of each other by means of lasers. Tape strips cool down and fuse with each other quickly.

Not only small components, even bulky components made of fiber-reinforced plastic can be joined together strongly. Laser-made components can find their applications in the form of airplane fuselages, load-bearing structures for cars, components of boat hulls, rocket tanks, aircraft components and rotary blades.

Thin-walled LEDs for mobile phones

he Japanese plastic converter Nissei Industries Ltd. has produced the thinnest low-profile side view light-emitting diodes (LEDs) specially designed for thin-profile mobile phones. This ultra-thin LEDs are 0.4mm high and are made from a 22% mineral filled, light-stabilized, high-reflectivity polyphthalamide (PPA) material supplied by the Belgian material producer Solvay Advanced Polymers i.e. Amodel™ A-4422 LS WH118. This grade allows to fill very thin walls and runs in high-cavity molds up to 264 cavities. It has a fast crystallization rate and offers higher flow, faster cycles, lower flash and greater overall performance than conventional glass fiber reinforced polyamide-9T materials. The PPA ultra-thin LED reflector cups are injection molded onto the lead frame by Nissei Industries and supplied to a Taiwanese packaging company that produces LEDs for the mobile phone industry.