Hexagon Composites to Supply High Pressure Fuel Tanks to Daimler AG

Hexagon Composites ASA's wholly-owned subsidiary, Ragasco AS has signed a new major, multi-year contract with Daimler AG for the supply of high pressure containers. The contract covers the delivery of fuel tanks for natural gas to the next generation of today's Mercedes-Benz B-class. Ragasco AS is already supplying high-pressure containers in composite to today's Mercedes-Benz B-Class, an eco-friendly car that has been well received by the market.

The new contract, which is signed with Daimler, ensures a base of production volume for Ragasco beginning in the second half of 2012 and will contribute to the future goal to provide high-pressure products produced in an automated production line. Ragasco expects this production to become an integral part of the company's fully-automated production line for propane containers.

The new contract with Daimler supports the trust established through the development and delivery of high-pressure containers to other Mercedes models and platforms in recent years, and it confirms Ragasco's leading position in the industry. Containers in composite from Ragasco weigh only 30-35% of traditional CNG containers made of steel.

Bus seats

SABIC Innovative Plastics and
Franz Kiel GmbH & Co KG
“We worked with SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Starflam resin because it matched our material needs, up to and including molding and design flexibility”, says Mr. Mill, Leader of Development of Franz Kiel GmbH.

Kiel chose XGen Starflam resin to make bus and tram seats for public seating.

When a bus or tram passes through tunnels, legislation requires the use of flame retardant
materials passing the DIN5510 flame retardancy standard. Other requirements of this application were stiffness and material ductility as well as good chemical resistance against aggressive cleaning agents. A big benefit is the possibility to color XGen Starflam PF1004 Z270, thereby potentially circumventing costly painting processes.

The molded bus/tram seat each weighs approximately 3 kilograms. All these requirements could only be met by the newly developed ECO FR 20 percent GF filled PA6 grade, XGen Starflam PF1004 Z270 resin.

XGen Starflam PF1004 Z270 resin is the first eco flame retardant PA 6 that passes the DIN5510 test while maintaining very good aesthetics. Furthermore, the resin can be molded in existing molds typically designed out for unfilled amorphous resins.

XGen Starflam resins have outstanding properties for applications, which require heat resistance, chemical resistance, toughness and electrical properties.

They are widely used in an extensive range of injection molding applications, such as connectors, thermal breaks, wheel trims and cooling fans.

In addition to general-purpose grades, XGen Starflam resin can be modified to improve specific properties by utilizing glass fiber, minerals, heat stabilizers and impact modifiers. XGen Starflam grades are available in PA6, PA6.6 and PPA.

XGen Starflam resin offers
• Excellent chemical resistance
• High strength
• Good processability - high flow and fast cycling • Heat resistance to 249 C
• Flammability rating of UL 94 V-0 @ 0.76mm • Low temperature ductility to -40 C
• Good dimensional stability
• Low thermal expansion
• Good electrical properties
• Recycle capabilities

Details at
kiel-sitze.de

First biomethane filling station in central and eastern Europe

Wastewater treatment firm Zalaviz opened the dispensing point in the town of Zalaegerszeg, in south-western Hungary. The firm uses the gas produced from organic sources to propel its own vehicles and they also plan that town's buses may take advantage of this fuel in the future.

This week, two new filling stations have widened the environment friendly facilities in the country. Besides the biomethane filling station, Hungary’s first charging station for electric vehicles was opened in Budapest.

Moreover, the European Union supports the Sustainable and Innovative European Biogas Environment (SEBE) project which studies the scope of sustainable biogas production in the continent.

SEBE is carrying out a venture to determined biogas possibilities, policies and frameworks needed to make it a successful renewable energy provider in Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and also Hungary.

A revolutionary helmet that won't turn heads

In what could be the biggest innovation in motorcycle helmet design since the introduction of the expanded polystyrene foam liner, a UK-based technology partnership has developed a new construction that mimics the human skull’s own protection mechanism.

According to the developer of the new “SuperSkin” technology, Dr Ken Phillips, head trauma is the cause of more than 80% of motorcycle accident fatalities. A key factor in these deaths is rotational head injury, serious damage to the brain structure caused by rapid transfer of rotational force to the brain during impact between the helmet shell and surfaces such as the road.

Phillips looked to nature’s own construction of the head when trying to come up with a solution. His SuperSkin concept mimics the “skull and skin” structure of the human head, which allows the skin to slip over the surface of the hard skull to absorb rotational energy.

“While we cannot prevent road accidents altogether, by creating a helmet that replicates a much stronger version of the human skull and skin that protects our brains, we can go a long way to saving innumerable lives,” says Phillips.

Phillips turned to UK-based product design and development company Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC) to turn his concept into a working helmet design.

“Traditionally, motorcycle helmets have been rigid in design. We needed to introduce a dynamic element of movement to dramatically reduce the rotational impact which often causes life-threatening injuries,” says IDC managing director Stephen Knowles.

In the SuperSkin design the hard helmet shell is covered with an outer flexible membrane that is able to stretch and slide over the shell surface to minimise the rotational forces transmitted to the brain.

IDC’s engineering team developed a 1mm-thick thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) membrane that sits on a specially formulated non-drying polymer gel lubricant. The membrane, which is thermoformed to the shape of the helmet shell, can stretch by up to 700%, allowing it to absorb high levels of energy during accident impact.

The remainder of the helmet construction is conventional. The hard shell can be produced in either composite or injection moulded thermoplastics; the liner is formed from expanded polystyrene.

The design has undergone testing at the UK-based Transport Research Laboratory and in the biomechanics department at the Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, France. The results found that the maximum rotational speeds experienced in an accident with the SuperSkin design are one quarter of that measured with standard helmets, while rotational acceleration is reduced by two-thirds. As a result, risk of brain damage is reduced by around 67.5%.

The SuperSkin technology is being incorporated into two new helmets – open face and full-face variants - produced by Lazer Helmets of Belgium. Prices range from €170 to €230. The helmets can be supplied in the natural translucent finish of the membrane or painted using flexible paint.
Meanwhile, Philips, through his company Phillips Helmets, is working with IDC to develop additional applications for the SuperSkin technology in areas such as horse riding.

Gas Diffusion Layer Made of Carbon Fiber Fabric for Fuel Cells

Owing to the increasing demand of fuel cells, Toho Tenax has developed an improved gas diffusion layer (GDL) using carbon fiber fabric that is meant to be used in fuel cells as an electrode component. The innovation is claimed to perform high-speed roll-to-roll processing. In the absence resins, unlike paper-based GDLs (carbon fiber sheets impregnated with resins), the improved GDLs show better water permeability, lower contact resistance (uniform textile surface obtained by spinning, weaving, and carbonizing), flexibility and strength. The new GDL will be available in 260µm and 320µm thicknesses; the development of 200µm ultra-thin fabrics is underway. This improvement in carbon fiber fabric can enhance performances of mobile devices, stationary power supplies and fuel cell vehicles.

Cereplast Partners with Sezersan to Bring Bio-Based Twist Film Packaging to the EU Market

Cereplast, Inc., a leading manufacturer of proprietary bio-based, compostable and sustainable plastics, announced that it has partnered with Sezersan Ambalaj (Sezersan), a subsidiary of Asc Group in Turkey, to produce bio twist films made from Cereplast Compostables® resins. The first-of-its-kind, patented product will serve as wrap packaging for a variety of food products distributed throughout Europe.

The Sezersan bio twist film will be manufactured using Cereplast Compostables® 7003 bio resin, designed to provide high strength, toughness and process ability for products. Under the terms of the multi-million dollar agreement, Cereplast will begin monthly shipments of 100 to 150 metric tons of bio resin in December 2010. The new bio twist film has substantial form memory capability (dead-fold behavior) and is heat sealable. The film is also thinner than other twistable product and may be made into opaque or semi-transparent, film-like material. The bio twist film will be used as packaging for a variety of brands in the food industry in Europe.

"We are honored to partner with Sezersan and be the first to market with bio twist films which offer an environmentally sound alternative for their clients' packaging needs," said Frederic Scheer, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Cereplast, Inc. "Companies are increasingly looking at bio-plastics as an alternative to petroleum-sourced plastics in order to meet growing consumer and industrial demand for economically and ecologically sound, 'green' products."

"Cereplast bio resins will help us cater to consumer demand for an environmentally sound substitute for petroleum-based plastic packaging," said Mehmet Asc , President and CEO of Asc Group. "As one of the largest twist film producing companies in Europe, we are committed to listening to the concerns of our clients and to finding ways to improve our product offerings. Cereplast resin allows us to provide an environmentally intelligent alternative to traditional plastic products, helping to make the world a healthier place. We are excited to be the very first to offer this solution in our robust industry."

Cereplast, Inc. is actively producing bioplastic resins for use in products including tableware, cutlery, toys, healthcare and hygiene products, bottles and containers, bags, packaging, gift cards, printed displays, straws, pipes, conduits, and many other applications. This year, Cereplast is on track to ship 16 million pounds of bio-plastic resins to customers around the world, an increase of 400% from last year, in response to surging consumer and industrial demand for economically and ecologically sound, "green" products.

Chennai evaluates to run its bus service on CNG

In order to reduce the emission levels and operational costs, the government-owned Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) intends to powered is bus fleet by compressed natural. Consequently, the company recently held meetings with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to determine the proper infrastructure to supply the fluid.

"We are keen on shifting to CNG to bring down emission levels of our buses. It would also reduce our fuel expenditure. We had elaborate discussions with IOC, but they said they were not in a position to supply CNG now,'' reported transport official to The Times of India.

IOC executives stated they are planning the construction of an LNG terminal at Ennore. "We signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation early this month to set up a Rs 3,000-crore facility,” he added.

On behalf of Petroleum Conservation Research Association, V Sivakumar explained: "Delhi government was able to control pollution there by converting diesel-operated buses into CNG-run vehicles. Though the capital expenditure to set up the infrastructure for CNG will be high, it would give 1.5 times more mileage than diesel. It will also increase the operational efficiency of the vehicle."