DYNAPIXEL

 📢Saturday Spotlight!📢 DYNAPIXEL tool!

Cikoni is trying to solve a recurrent problem in the composites industry: the high costs of the tools and molds that are necessary for every fiber composite manufacturing technology and for every new geometry to be built.

This is where the reconfigurable DYNAPIXEL tool system comes in. By means of a discretization of the tool surface with actuated pins, rapid prototypes or customer-specific components can be created without recurring tooling costs. An elementary constituent for the efficient use of the tool is a closed digital process chain. The DYNAPIXEL software uses script-based generation of support points directly in CAD and the seamless transfer of this data to the control

software of the DYNAPIXEL tool. This also enables the fast, adaptive production of components.

DYNAPIXEL also uses a silicone membrane, which can be used as a laminating surface and with molding processes up to 180°C. For double-diaphragm forming, you would enter the CAD data, let the software actuate the mold geometry, apply a vacuum to draw down the silicone surface on top, laminate the composite plies, close the matched mold with a second membrane and complete the cure.

Surface finish has not been a driving issue because DYNAPIXEL was developed as a tool to speed R&D. Cikoni's goal was to produce additional molds and design iterations without much additional cost. "Once you freeze the part design, you would then switch to CNC-machined metal molds. You can also use this as a performing tool", says Farbod Nezami, one of CIKONI’s co-founders.

Source: CompositesWorld

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New polymer membrane tech improves the efficiency of carbon dioxide capture

Researchers have developed a new membrane technology that allows for more efficient removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from mixed gases, such as emissions from power plants.

"To demonstrate the capability of our new membranes, we looked at mixtures of CO2 and nitrogen, because CO2/nitrogen dioxide mixtures are particularly relevant in the context of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants," says Rich Spontak, co-corresponding author of a paper on the work. "And we've demonstrated that we can vastly improve the selectivity of membranes to remove CO2 while retaining relatively high CO2 permeability."

"We also looked at mixtures of CO2 and methane, which is important to the natural gas industry," "In addition, these CO2-filtering membranes can be used in any situation in which one needs to remove CO2 from mixed gases—whether it's a biomedical application or scrubbing CO2 from the air in a submarine."

Membranes are an attractive technology for removing CO2 from mixed gases because they do not take up much physical space, they can be made in a wide variety of sizes, and they can be easily replaced. The other technology that is often used for CO2 removal is chemical absorption, which involves bubbling mixed gases through a column that contains a liquid amine—which removes CO2 from the gas. However, absorption technologies have a significantly larger footprint, and liquid amines tend to be toxic and corrosive.

These membrane filters work by allowing CO2 to pass through the membrane more quickly than the other constituents in the mixed gas. As a result, the gas passing out the other side of the membrane has a higher proportion of CO2 than the gas entering the membrane. By capturing the gas passing out of the membrane, you capture more of the CO2 than you do of the other constituent gases.
A longstanding challenge for such membranes has been a trade-off between permeability and selectivity. The higher the permeability, the more quickly you can move gas through the membrane. But when permeability goes up, selectivity goes down—meaning that nitrogen, or other constituents, also pass through the membrane quickly—reducing the ratio of CO2 to other gases in the mixture. In other words, when selectivity goes down you capture relatively less CO2.

The research team, from the U.S. and Norway, addressed this problem by growing chemically active polymer chains that are both hydrophilic and CO2-philic on the surface of existing membranes. This increases CO2 selectivity and causes a relatively little reduction in permeability.
"In short, with little change in permeability, we've demonstrated that we can increase selectivity by as much as about 150 times," says Marius Sandru, co-corresponding author of the paper and senior research scientist at SINTEF Industry,

Another challenge facing membrane CO₂ filters has been cost. The more effective previous membrane technologies were, the more expensive they tended to be.

"Because we wanted to create a technology that is commercially viable, our technology started with membranes that are already in widespread use," says Spontak. "We then engineered the surface of these membranes to improve selectivity. And while this does increase the cost, we think the modified membranes will still be cost effective."

"Our next steps are to see the extent to which the techniques we developed here could be applied to other polymers to get comparable, or even superior, results; and to upscale the nanofabrication process," Sandru says. "Honestly, even though the results here have been nothing short of exciting, we haven't tried to optimize this modification process yet. Our paper reports proof-of-concept results."

The researchers are also interested in exploring other applications, such as whether the new membrane technology could be used in biomedical ventilator devices or filtration devices in the aquaculture sector.

The researchers say they are open to working with industry partners in exploring any of these questions or opportunities to help mitigate global climate change and improve device function.

Source:Journal Science

My Presentation On Composite HYDROGEN/CNG/LPG CYLINDER MANUFACTURING will be held on 25th April 2022

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world's first carbon fiber monocoque mountain bike

 📢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 bottom fiberglass is used with a Kevlar surface for impact protection.

In Chris' own words: “This mountain bike was built like the proverbial brick shithouse and is very, very robust.”

He still finds time to ride his very own model regularly, when he’s finished working for clients around the world who enlist the world-class expertise of his Brighton-based wind turbine design company, Aerotrope.

A true composite legend!

Source: Article "Mountain bike history: world’s first carbon monocoque mountain bike" written by Jamie Darlow.

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BASF’s High Temperature-resistant PPSU-based Reusable To-go Mugs

 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-proof without losing its excellent mechanical properties or visual appearance.

Thus, reusable to-go mugs made of Ultrason® can be part of a reuse and multiple-cycle system that saves valuable resources and avoids packaging waste as targeted in the Single-use Plastics EU Directive 2019/904.

Ultrason® P 3010 is a medium-viscosity injection molding and extrusion grade with temperature-independent properties spanning a wide temperature range from -30 to +180°C. It is food contact compliant in the US, the EU, and China.

“Many to-go mugs on the market are either made of single-use materials, are not resistant to hot liquids or are made of easily breakable glass, or of steel which lacks design freedom”, says Georg Graessel from Global Business Development Ultrason® at BASF. “Our PPSU with superior toughness and chemical resistance is a high-performance and sustainable alternative to such materials. It gives our customers more freedom in design and provides consumers with long-term usage so that people can enjoy their daily cup of take-out coffee with pleasure and quiet conscience.”

Stand Out Design and Two Air Vents

The slightly honey-colored tint of Ultrason® and its good processability allow the mugs to stand apart from those available in the market today. The mugs by Yiwu Midi Technology have two air vents, an additional straw opening, and a handgrip ring made of silicone, making them practical in use and elegant in appearance at the same time. Ultrason® P 3010 can be easily manufactured in combination with other materials like silicone.

“The take-out coffee culture in China is increasing but especially younger people are more and more aware of the influence of their lifestyle on the environment”, says Xiong Han, general manager at Yiwu Midi Technology. “When we decided to expand our bottle business to the manufacturing of to-go mugs, our search for a partner was easy: We have been working with BASF for a long time and know that Ultrason® is an excellent material for baby bottles. It offers us the perfect combination of performance, safety and design. And because of its long-term resistance and multifunctionality, we were able to develop reusable to-go mugs that can contribute to a more sustainable way of life with less packaging waste.” BASF supported Yiwu Midi Technology along the whole process from product development to manufacturing via injection stretch blow molding.

Source:BASF

BMW to complete final testing of the iX5 Hydrogen near the Arctic Circle

 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 full performance in temperatures of -20°C and therefore represents a viable alternative to a vehicle powered by a battery-electric drive system,”

In these test runs on the ice and snow around Arjeplog, the BMW iX5 Hydrogen is busy demonstrating how reliably, comfortably, and powerfully its hydrogen fuel cell drive system can already meet the mobility requirements of everyday life. After racking up hundreds of sessions on test rigs and in-depth field testing on the road.

The drive system onboard the BMW iX5 Hydrogen teams fuel cell technology with an electric motor using fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology. The hydrogen uses as an energy source is stored in two 700-bar tanks made from carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP). The fuel cell converts the hydrogen into electric power, generating an output of 125 kW/170 hp. Plus, the electric motor can add the energy stored in a power battery to the mix. This battery is charged either through energy recovery or from the fuel cell. All of this means that a system output of 275 kW/374 hp is available when the driver decides to explore the upper reaches of the car’s dynamic abilities. The only emission released by the fuel cell is water vapor. And its waste heat is harnessed particularly efficiently to warm the car’s interior.

The drive, energy storage, and control systems all pass the ultimate test of endurance in the wintery surrounds of Lapland. Added to this, specially prepared ice surfaces and snow-covered roads offer the perfect conditions to test the integrated application of all the drive and chassis systems.

The combination of fuel cell and peak power battery gives the BMW iX5 Hydrogen a globally unique drive system. Its technology has the potential to add another pillar to the BMW Group’s drive system portfolio for locally CO2-free mobility.

Source: BMW Group

Polyurethane Composites: New Alternative to Polyester and Vinyl Ester, Trend

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