Sandia's first 3D printed wind turbine blade mold wins national Technology Focus Award

We’ve reported before on the pioneering 3D printing work of Sandia National Laboratories, one of the Department of Energy’s main research and development facilities. Sandia has been working on improving energy technology, with a particular focus on sustainability, and 3D printing has become a key focus. 3D printed solar panels were explored last year, and the lab has been researching 3D printed wind turbines for a while now. Sandia recently won the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer’s national 2018 Technology Focus Award, for developing the first wind turbine blades fabricated from a 3D printed mold.

Wind energy is one of the most promising sources in terms of sustainability and reliability, but the turbine technology used is still imperfect. The size of the average turbine blade means that testing and prototyping can be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. 3D printing could solve this issue due to its improved design flexibility and speed of production when compared to conventional casting methods.

To fabricate the turbine blades, Sandia teamed up with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a leader in the field of 3D printing, as well as TPI Composites, the nation’s largest independent manufacturer of wind turbine blades. "The wind department at Sandia has expertise in designing blades, but our group doesn’t work with additive manufacturing," said Sandia researcher Josh Paquette. "This project was an opportunity to combine expertise from two laboratories and an industry adviser that could immediately bring this knowledge into the private sector."

Using 3D printing technology enables the prototyping phase for new turbine blades to be drastically shortened. Conventional methods for making a mold were incredibly time-consuming and labour-intensive, and each new prototype mold would take around 16 months to complete, before the blade could eventually be built and tests carried out on it. 3D printing the mold instead has cut this time down to just three months.

The wind turbine that was fabricated by Sandia and partners was a relatively small one, 13 meters (42.6 ft) in length. Sandia led the design phase of producing the blade, which included an assessment of the feasibility of using additive manufacturing. TPI were consulted about the mechanical parameters, and performed the structural CAD design required to successfully mold the blade. ORNL then 3D printed the mold in several sections, in just two weeks. The final assembly and manufacturing of the blade itself was carried out at TPI.

The collaborative, digital approach enabled total production time to be reduced by over a year. In future, this will lead to a reduction in costs and create opportunities for engineers to design more freely and test their ideas more extensively. The kind of risks that could now be taken will allow for more innovation and more potential improvements in energy efficiency.

The winners of the Technology Focus Award were honored on April 25, 2018, at an award ceremony at the Federal Laboratory Consortium’s national meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sandia received the award for its collaborative approach to solving a pressing industry problem. Sandia was also given the FLC’s Excellence in Technology Transfer Award for advanced nanomaterial window films, which could save consumers billions in energy costs each year.

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Korean Researchers Develop New Underwater Adhesives with Superior Toughness

A Korean research team, affiliated with UNIST has presented a new type of underwater adhesives that are tougher than the natural biological glues that mussels normally use to adhere to rocks, ships, and larger sea critters.

Innovative Tougher Underwater Adhesives

This has attracted much attention as a technology that surpass the limits of conventional chemical-based adhesives that significantly lose adhesion capability when exposed to moisture or when reused.

This breakthrough has been led by Professor Hoon-Eui Jeong in the School of Mechanical Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering and his research team at UNIST.

According to the research team, stable adhesion between surfaces under wet conditions is highly desirable for many practical applications, particularly in the bioengineering and medical fields, where most surfaces are wet.

However, limitations in complicated surface treatment and expensive protocols restrain the extensive use of these natural protein adhesives. Furthermore, they are typically permanent adhesives, and therefore, have limitations for application as a reversible and reusable adhesive.

Wet-responsive and Flexible Hydrogel Adhesives

Professor Jeong solved such issues using the simple hydrogel microstructures alone. In the study, the research team presented a wet-responsive, shape-reconfigurable and flexible hydrogel adhesives that exhibit strong adhesion under wet environments based on reversible interlocking between reconfigurable microhook arrays.

• The microhooks of the adhesive were designed to exhibit a unique structural configuration with protruding heads
• The adhesion between the interlocked microhook arrays is greatly enhanced under wet conditions because of the hydration-triggered shape reconfiguration of the hydrogel microstructures 
• Furthermore, this water-responsive shape change was reversible and the microstructure can recover its original shape and size upon water removal by drying

“These adhesives take the form of thin flexible films with bioinspired mushroom-shaped micropillars uniformly spread on the surface of microstructure,” says Hyun-Ha Park in the Ph.D. program of Mechanical Engineering, the first author of the study.

“When the interlocked arrays are exposed to water, a notable volume expansion of a corresponding shape transformation of the hydrogel microhooks occurred by the swelling of the hydrogel, resulting in significantly increased wet adhesion both in the shear and normal directions.”

Efficient Route to Strong and Reversible Wet Adhesion

The research team notes, “In contrast to other wet binding systems, the current interlocking mechanism does not involve any complicated surface treatment or chemical moieties, thus allowing for a simple yet efficient route to strong and reversible wet adhesion in a cost-effective manner.”

“The surface of the conventional chemical adhesives softens or dissolves when exposed to moisture or water, which can lead to a significant decrease in adhesive bond strength or loss of adhesion over time,” says Professor Jeong.

“This wet-responsive and reversible hydrogel interlocking adhesive can serve as a robust and versatile wet adhesive for a broad range of applications which require stable and strong adhesion under diverse wet conditions,” Professor Jeong adds.

Source: UNIST

TPE Compounds Gain Popularity as More Feasible Option in Medical Applications

Recent regulatory and market drivers, including cost pressures, are generating a material choice debate about polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and rubber materials, according to Colorite, a Tekni-Plex business unit specializing in custom medical-grade compounds. 



TPE-replaces PVC
Many companies are trying to proactively address new regulatory dynamics, both in the United States and in many other global regions. Pressure is being applied by healthcare systems that are already implementing strategic initiatives for phthalate-free patient environments. TPEs are being viewed as a replacement for PVC in applications where phthalate- or plasticizer-free materials are desired. Globally, IV therapy producers are among the first in the medical device industry to transition from PVC to TPE materials. 

TPE-replaces Thermoset Rubbers
TPEs also are replacing thermoset rubbers (silicone, polyisoprene and butyl rubber) used in elastomeric medical applications such as septa, stoppers and syringe plungers. The drivers for rubber replacement are improved processing, cost effectiveness and low extractables. 

TPEs – For better Performance
More recently TPEs also have been used to improve ergonomics, protection and/or function. 
TPEs are ideal for overmolding which provides a softer touch and improved ergonomics (such as grip) for a variety of surgical tools and devices. 
This can improve instrument control and fatigue reduction during long procedures for medical professionals. 

Colorite’s Cellene® TPE Line
Colorite’s Cellene® line of TPEs are suitable for a wide variety of uses in medical devices, packaging and other regulated markets. Cellene® compounds are formulated to be silicone, latex, phthalate, halogen and PVC-free using FDA-compliant raw materials to meet USP Class VI and ISO 10993 standards.

Source: Colorite, a Tekni-Plex 

Solvay’s Advanced PEEK Filaments Enable High-performance 3D Printed Parts Simulation

Solvay further established itself as one of the emerging leaders in specialty polymers for additive manufacturing (AM) with the news that high-performance KetaSpire® PEEK AM filament will be the first polyetheretherketone polymer included in e-Xstream engineering’s Digimat® simulation software due for launch in June 2018. 

Specialty Polymers for Simulation 3D Printing Platform:

Christophe Schramm, business manager for additive manufacturing at Solvay’s Specialty Polymers global business unit, said:

“KetaSpire® PEEK’s inclusion in Digimat® represents Solvay’s latest step toward becoming the industry’s leading resource for successfully applying advanced polymers in 3D printing processes. Solvay is building on its long-standing partnership with e-Xstream engineering to quickly expand the number of specialty polymers available for simulation on the Digimat® platform, and ultimately enable our customers to ‘print it right the first time’ when using Solvay’s high-performing thermoplastics.”
Digimat® for 3D Printed Parts:

Part of the latest edition of Digimat® 2018.1, Digimat® for Additive Manufacturing will enable designers and engineers to accurately predict warpage and residual stresses of 3D printed KetaSpire® PEEK parts as a function of additive manufacturing processes, such as fused filament fabrication (FFF). With Digimat® for Additive Manufacturing, users can further optimize their process and minimize part deformation before 3D printing their parts. Digimat® 2018.1 is due for global release this June, but Solvay customers can contact Solvay today to benefit from the new dataset describing KetaSpire® PEEK’s material laws.

KetaSpire® PEEK AM Filament:

Widely regarded as one of the highest-performing thermoplastic polymers, KetaSpire® PEEK AM filament offers superior mechanical strength and chemical resistance for 3D-printed parts. 

Source: Solvay

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NO TUITION FEES! - Join the MSc in Biofabrication in Germany!

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As the blog owner, I would like to personally invite all of you to join a webinar, taking place in April 25, about a MSc in Biofabrication at the Bayreuth University, in Germany. As an international student, you won't have to pay any tuition fees for the programme. Read more: https://bit.ly/2J1HSRa 

This is a great opportunity for those members who are interested in kickstart their careers with an state of art Master’s of Science in Biofabrication, the emerging technology currently shaping the future of Medical Engineering. I highly recommend anyone to join. Register now and don't miss this opportunity of studying for free in Germany. We have limited places: https://bit.ly/2J1HSRa 

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Nestlé Pledges to Make All its Packaging Recyclable & Re-usable by 2025

Nestlé has recently announced its ambition to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or re-usable by 2025. Its vision is that none of its packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfill or as litter. Nestlé believes that there is an urgent need to minimize the impact of packaging on the environment.

Aiming 100% Sustainable Packaging

Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider said:
"Plastic waste is one of the biggest sustainability issues the world is facing today. Tackling it requires a collective approach. We are committed to finding improved solutions to reduce, re-use and recycle. Our ambition is to achieve 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025."

The company focuses on three core areas: 
Eliminate non-recyclable plastics
Encourage the use of plastics that allow better recycling rates
Eliminate or change complex combinations of packaging materials

Need of Circular Economy

Recognizing the need for developing a circular economy, Nestlé is committed to:
Playing an active role in the development of well-functioning collection, sorting and recycling schemes across the countries where we operate;
Working with value chain partners and industry associations to explore different packaging solutions to reduce plastic usage, facilitate recycling and develop new approaches to eliminate plastic waste;
Labeling our plastic product packaging with recycling information to help consumers dispose of it in the right way;
Promoting a market for recycled plastics by continuing to increase the proportion of recycled plastics in our packaging

Preventing packaging material ending up as waste, including in seas, oceans and waterways is one of the key reasons behind Nestlé’s pledge.

Source: Nestlé

Lightweight carbon fiber rail bogie frame wins JEC 2018 Composites Awards in Paris

The recycled carbon fiber bogies will now undergo extensive tests on the Institute of Railway Research £3.5 million test rig at the University of Huddersfield

RAIL vehicle bogies made from recycled carbon fibre could lead to major savings for operators, with a 50 per cent reduction in weight meaning a huge reduction in track wear and energy and maintenance costs. Now, a research team at the University of Huddersfield will carry out exhaustive tests to ensure that the concept can fulfil its potential.

The University is home to the Institute of Railway Research (IRR). It has joined a consortium that includes ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd, which has developed cost-effective means of recovering carbon fibres from manufacturing waste and end-of-life components, and Alstom Transport, a rolling stock vehicle manufacturer and maintainer and the Sensors and Composites Group, University of Birmingham. The consortium chose Magma Structures as their preferred manufacturer. Magma has produced carbon composite masts for some of the world's largest superyachts and specialised carbon pipes for the highly-regulated offshore industry.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) launched a vehicle dynamics competition, and the optimised lightweight carbon fibre bogie frame project was a winner, so that £1.25m of funding was made available to design and manufacture a prototype bogie for a rail passenger vehicle. The University of Huddersfield's IRR helped with its specification and it will be constructed by Magma using recycled carbon fibres from ELG.

It will then be tested by the IRR in the first half of 2019, using its sector-leading facility named HAROLD (Huddersfield Adhesion and Rolling contact Laboratory Dynamics rig). The process will take several months and will include a fatigue test consisting of a million simulated load cycles.

"This is the first time that recycled fibres have been used for a bogie frame," said the Institute's David Crosbee, a rail vehicle dynamics expert who will be lead engineer for the test phase of the project.

The use of carbon fibre as opposed to steel will have advantages that include reduced maintenance costs and weight reduction, meaning lower track access charges, he added.

"We will be characterising the frame's stiffness and using the results of our tests to validate the design" said Mr Crosbee.

"The process will culminate in a full bogie assembly running on the Institute's roller rig and we will finish with some dynamic testing."

Other potential benefits of carbon fibre are also being investigated. The team from the Sensors and Composites Group based at University of Birmingham will be installing fibre optic strain/temperature sensors into the carbon fibre structure of the bogie, providing embedded condition monitoring.

The optimised lightweight carbon fibre bogie frame project has been named winner of the rail category in JEC 2018 Composites Awards in Paris. Magma Structures Technical Director Damon Roberts accepted the award on behalf of the consortium and said: "Rail operators are seeking to reduce costs associated with track damage, and the time and financial burden of regularly maintaining train carriage bogies and suspension units. The use of recycled carbon fibre is a key aspect of this design, and not only helps to make composite material solutions an attractive choice, but brings the benefit of reducing waste. The frame has benefits including weight reduction of at least 50% and reduced track wear and maintenance. High-volume manufacturing techniques are used to reduce the overall cost of the composite solution."