Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:Reducing curvature radius

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:

Have you ever really understood why curved parts have a systematic tendency to warp as depicted here, reducing the curvature radius ?

The nature of "mold constraints" in molding leads to a "thickness shrinkage" systematically higher than the in-plane part shrinkage. This classical problem is well known in the composite molding world, and referred to as "spring forward" deformation. In the case of fiber filled materials the lack of fibers in the Z direction is the driving mechanism.

The moment you mold a part with any curvature, the law of Physics will create this type of deflection. When parts have a "corner" shape, this is called "corner effect", and has very little to do with cooling problems, contrary to common belief.

Source:Vito Leo
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#plastics #fiber #composites #mold #shrinkage #thickness

Amcor to Launch First Premium Wine Bottle Made from 100% Recycled PET

Amcor Rigid Packaging (ARP) is excited to partner with Ron Rubin Winery for the launch of BLUE BIN, the first premium wine packaged in a 750mL bottle made from 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) plastic.

Lighter and Shatterproof:

PET allows BLUE BIN’s bottles to have several environmental advantages when compared to traditional wine packaging, including a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and other environmental impacts.

Additionally, PET wine bottles are lighter and shatterproof, allowing wine enthusiasts to enjoy BLUE BIN at places they previously may not have been able to, including at the beach, by the pool, camping and other outdoor activities.

Glass bottles account for 30% percent of wine’s carbon footprint – the single largest environmental impact across the value chain of the product. A wine bottle made from PET is 85% lighter than one made from glass and has one-third the Greenhouse Gas emissions.

Thin Glass Layer Preventing the Wine from Touching rPET

In search of a planet-friendly alternative that allows consumers to enjoy the wine they love with less environmental impact, Ron Rubin Winery conducted a two-year assessment of wine packaging to develop a premium wine for eco-conscious wine lovers. The BLUE BIN bottles feature Plasmax technology, a thin glass layer preventing the wine from ever touching the rPET, fully protecting the taste and quality.

“Plasmax is a thin, glass-like oxygen barrier on the inside of the bottle. This protective barrier holds the wine, while the PET bottle holds the shape,” says Jonathan Jarman, Amcor Rigid Packaging marketing manager for spirits and wine. “This is truly a transformational moment for the North American wine market, ushering in an era where the product’s sustainable packaging is valued and celebrated as deeply as the product itself. We are proud to work with Ron and his team to bring BLUE BIN to customers across the country.”

BLUE BIN is produced and bottled by Ron Rubin Winery, a company with a long history of bottling sustainable, premium wine. The BLUE BIN name is a nod to where the recycled material comes from to produce the 100% rPET bottle.

For more than 30 years, Ron Rubin Brands has been driven by a desire to leave the world a better place, with beverages that carry certifications as testament to their mission. Ron Rubin Winery is a SIP-Certified (Sustainability in Practice) brand, Certified California Sustainable Vineyard & Winery and one of only thirty-three Certified B Corporation wineries in the world.

BLUE BIN is available now in four 2022 vintage varietals: Vin Rosé, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Source: Amcor/Omnexus-Specialchem

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#pet #rigid #packaging #wineindustry #bottle #rpet #co2reduction #amcor

Researchers Develop Spirulina-based Plastics that Degrade as Quickly as a Banana Peel

A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has developed new bioplastics that degrade on the same timescale as a banana peel in a backyard compost bin.

These bioplastics are made entirely from powdered blue-green cyanobacteria cells, otherwise known as spirulina. The team used heat and pressure to form the spirulina powder into various shapes, the same processing technique used to create conventional plastics. The UW team’s bioplastics have mechanical properties that are comparable to single-use, petroleum-derived plastics.

The team published these findings June 20 in Advanced Functional Materials.

10 Times Stronger and Stiffer than Other Spirulina Bioplastics

“We were motivated to create bioplastics that are both bio-derived and biodegradable in our backyards, while also being processable, scalable and recyclable,” said senior author Eleftheria Roumeli, UW assistant professor of materials science and engineering. “The bioplastics we have developed, using only spirulina, not only have a degradation profile similar to organic waste, but also are on average 10 times stronger and stiffer than previously reported spirulina bioplastics. These properties open up new possibilities for the practical application of spirulina-based plastics in various industries, including disposable food packaging or household plastics, such as bottles or trays.”

The researchers opted to use spirulina to make their bioplastics for a few reasons. First of all, it can be cultivated on large scales because people already use it for various foods and cosmetics. Also, spirulina cells sequester carbon dioxide as they grow, making this biomass a carbon-neutral, or potentially carbon-negative, feedstock for plastics.

“Spirulina also has unique fire-resistant properties,” said lead author Hareesh Iyer, a UW materials science and engineering doctoral student. “When exposed to fire, it instantly self-extinguishes, unlike many traditional plastics that either combust or melt. This fire-resistant characteristic makes spirulina-based plastics advantageous for applications where traditional plastics may not be suitable due to their flammability. One example could be plastic racks in data centers because the systems that are used to keep the servers cool can get very hot.”

Creating plastic products often involves a process that uses heat and pressure to shape the plastic into a desired shape. The UW team took a similar approach with their bioplastics.

“This means that we would not have to redesign manufacturing lines from scratch if we wanted to use our materials at industrial scales,” Roumeli said. “We’ve removed one of the common barriers between the lab and scaling up to meet industrial demand. For example, many bioplastics are made from molecules that are extracted from biomass, such as seaweed, and mixed with performance modifiers before being cast into films. This process requires the materials to be in the form of a solution prior to casting, and this is not scalable.”

Not Yet Ready to Be Scaled Up for Industrial Usage:

Other researchers have used spirulina to create bioplastics, but the UW researchers’ bioplastics are much stronger and stiffer than previous attempts. The UW team optimized microstructure and bonding within these bioplastics by altering their processing conditions — such as temperature, pressure, and time in the extruder or hot-press — and studying the resulting materials’ structural properties, including their strength, stiffness and toughness.

These bioplastics are not quite ready to be scaled up for industrial usage. For example, while these materials are strong, they are still fairly brittle. Another challenge is that they are sensitive to water.

“You wouldn’t want these materials to get rained on,” Iyer said. The team is addressing these issues and continuing to study the fundamental principles that dictate how these materials behave. The researchers hope to design for different situations by creating an assortment of bioplastics. This would be similar to the variety of existing petroleum-based plastics. The newly developed materials are also recyclable.

“Biodegradation is not our preferred end-of-life scenario,” Roumeli said. “Our spirulina bioplastics are recyclable through mechanical recycling, which is very accessible. People don’t often recycle plastics, however, so it’s an added bonus that our bioplastics do degrade quickly in the environment.”

Co-authors on this paper are UW materials science and engineering doctoral students Ian Campbell and Mallory Parker; Paul Grandgeorge, a UW postdoctoral scholar in materials science and engineering; Andrew Jimenez, who completed this work as a UW postdoctoral scholar in materials science and engineering and is now at Intel; Michael Holden, a UW master’s student studying materials science and engineering; Mathangi Venkatesh, a UW undergraduate student studying chemical engineering; Marissa Nelsen, who completed this work as a UW undergraduate student studying biology; and Bichlien Nguyen, a principal researcher at Microsoft. This research was funded by Microsoft, Meta and the National Science Foundation.

Source: University of Washington/Omnexus-Specialchem

PetroChina Guangxi to License LyondellBasell’s Differentiated PE Technology

 LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB) announced that PetroChina Guangxi Petrochemical Company will license LyondellBasell’s polyethylene technology at their facility located in Qinzhou City, Guangxi, P.R. of China.

Preferred Technology for EVA/LDPE Plant Operators:

The newly licensed technology will comprise of LyondellBasell’s high-pressure Lupotech process technology which will be used for both a 100 kiloton per year (KTA) Autoclave and a 300 KTA Tubular line. Both production trains will produce mainly low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA). Furthermore, an additional 300 KTA Hostalen “Advanced Cascade Process” (ACP) line for the production of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) will be built at the same site.

“This latest award from PetroChina Guangxi Petrochemical Company continues the long tradition of collaboration with LyondellBasell, as with this award almost 6,000 KTA of capacity has been licensed to the PetroChina group. With the selected polyolefin technologies, PetroChina Guangxi will be able to compete in the market and be able to produce benchmark resins to support people’s everyday lives,” said Neil Nadalin, director Global Licensing and Services at LyondellBasell. Nadalin added, “The newly added lines will include our latest generation high-pressure Lupotech technology as well as our multi-modal advanced cascade (ACP) HDPE technology enabling PetroChina to produce state-of -the art polyethylene products.”

Decades of experience in high-pressure application design makes the LyondellBasell Lupotech process the preferred technology for EVA/LDPE plant operators. High reliability, unmatched conversion rates and effective process heat integration are key attributes of the Lupotech process, designed to ensure this technology’s on-going energy efficiency. More than 15,000 KTA of LyondellBasell high pressure LDPE technology has been licensed by LyondellBasell in over 80 lines around the world.

Manufactures HDPE Resins with Good Mechanical Properties:

The Hostalen ACP process technology manufactures high performance, multi-modal HDPE resins with an industry-leading stiffness/toughness balance, impact resistance, high stress cracking resistance and process advantages are used in pressure pipe, film and blow molding applications. The PetroChina HDPE plants will commence operations using Avant Z 501 and Avant Z509-1 catalysts to produce a full range of multi-modal HDPE products.

New licensees take advantage of LyondellBasell’s in-house expertise of continuous production improvement, product development according to the latest environmental regulations, and our know-how in high pressure design, by optionally joining our Technical Service program.

In addition to the Hostalen ACP, Lupotech T and Lupotech A process technology, the LyondellBasell licensing portfolio of polyolefin processes and catalysts includes:

Spherizone – The breakthrough multi-zone circulating reactor provides a unique and innovative platform to manufacture polypropylene products with novel architecture and enhanced properties.

Spheripol – The leading polypropylene (PP) process technology with more than 33 million tons of licensed capacity. With globally recognized quality grades featuring leading monomer yield and investment costs to make it the technology of choice.

Avant – Advanced Ziegler-Natta, including non-phthalate, chromium and metallocene catalysts for entire range of polyolefin production.

Source: LyondellBasell/Omnexus-Specialchem

SunGas Renewables Announces Beaver Lake Renewable Energy, a Green Methanol Facility in Central Louisiana

 SunGas Renewables Inc. (“SunGas Renewables”) today announced the formation of Beaver Lake Renewable Energy, LLC (“BLRE”), which will construct a new green methanol production facility in Central Louisiana. A wholly-owned subsidiary of SunGas Renewables, BLRE is expected to generate from the facility nearly 400,000 metric tons of green methanol per year for marine fuel while creating more than 1,150 jobs during construction and more than 100 local jobs during operation.

Green methanol produced by BLRE is expected to be used to fuel A.P. Moller – Maersk’s (“Maersk’s”) fleet of methanol-powered container vessels and will utilize wood fiber from local, sustainably-managed forests. The methanol will have a negative carbon intensity through sequestration of nearly a million tons per year of carbon dioxide produced by the project, which will be executed by Denbury Carbon Solutions.

SunGas Renewables anticipates BLRE will invest approximately $2 billion to construct the project at the former International Paper facility in Rapides Parish. The BLRE facility is expected to begin construction in late 2024 with commercial operations commencing in 2027.

“As the only state in the Gulf South with a climate action plan, Louisiana is a global leader in the energy transition, and companies like SunGas Renewables have taken notice,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “I applaud SunGas Renewables for pursuing this massive investment that would create quality, high-paying jobs in central Louisiana for our talented workers. If it moves forward, this project will be another milestone in our efforts to grow and diversify our economy. The state will continue to support the company’s efforts to bring it to completion.”

Emma Mazhari, Head of Energy Markets at Maersk, said, “A.P. Moller – Maersk is excited to be partnering with SunGas Renewables, which is pioneering a truly large-scale pathway to green methanol with its Beaver Lake Renewable Energy facility. We would like to thank SunGas Renewables for showing great leadership and for its commitment to the green transition of energy. This is helping Maersk to deliver valuable services to our customers and is aligned with our aim to reach net zero greenhouse emissions by 2040. Together, as pioneers in the field, SunGas and Maersk are driving a much-needed transition in a heavy pollution industry. We hope that work can be accelerated further in the years to come.”

“Using biomass from sustainably managed forestry along with carbon capture allows our project to generate green marine shipping fuel while simultaneously removing carbon from the atmosphere. This new low-carbon marine fuel facility also helps strengthen communities and create sustainable economies right here in Rapides Parish, Louisiana,” said Robert Rigdon, CEO of SunGas Renewables. “As we continue our mission to make a meaningful impact in the energy transition, we look forward to collaborating with all our project partners and the State of Louisiana to construct and operate this important project. This incredible effort happening right here in Pineville will be an innovative and industry leading low-carbon energy solution that will help fuel a better world.”

In late 2022, SunGas Renewables announced a strategic green methanol partnership with Denmark-based Maersk, the world’s second largest container shipping company, to produce green methanol from multiple facilities around the country. Maersk is a leader in decarbonizing marine shipping by using green methanol to fuel its new and growing fleet of methanol powered container vessels. The BLRE project is SunGas Renewable’s first facility to produce green methanol for Maersk. SunGas Renewables chose Central Louisiana for the BLRE project due to its long history of sustainably managed forests, available infrastructure to support the facility, and strong local and State support.

Source:SunGas Renewables

#methanol #co2reduction #maritime #carbonnegative #greenmethanol #sustainable

A wearable ultrasound scanner could detect breast cancer earlier

The new device, which can be incorporated into a bra, could allow more frequent monitoring of patients at high risk for breast cancer.

When breast cancer is diagnosed in the earliest stages, the survival rate is nearly 100 percent. However, for tumors detected in later stages, that rate drops to around 25 percent.

In hopes of improving the overall survival rate for breast cancer patients, MIT researchers have designed a wearable ultrasound device that could allow people to detect tumors when they are still in early stages. In particular, it could be valuable for patients at high risk of developing breast cancer in between routine mammograms.

The device is a flexible patch that can be attached to a bra, allowing the wearer to move an ultrasound tracker along the patch and image the breast tissue from different angles. In the new study, the researchers showed that they could obtain ultrasound images with resolution comparable to that of the ultrasound probes used in medical imaging centers.

“We changed the form factor of the ultrasound technology so that it can be used in your home. It’s portable and easy to use, and provides real-time, user-friendly monitoring of breast tissue,” says Canan Dagdeviren, an associate professor in MIT’s Media Lab and the senior author of the study.

MIT graduate student Wenya Du, Research Scientist Lin Zhang, Emma Suh ’23, and Dabin Lin, a professor at Xi’an Technological University, are the lead authors of the paper, which appears today in Science Advances.

A wearable diagnostic

For this project, Dagdeviren drew inspiration from her late aunt, Fatma Caliskanoglu, who was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer at age 49, despite having regular cancer screens, and passed away six months later. At her aunt’s bedside, Dagdeviren, then a postdoc at MIT, drew up a rough schematic of a diagnostic device that could be incorporated into a bra and would allow for more frequent screening of individuals at high risk for breast cancer. 

Breast tumors that develop in between regularly scheduled mammograms — known as interval cancers — account for 20 to 30 percent of all breast cancer cases, and these tumors tend to be more aggressive than those found during routine scans.

“My goal is to target the people who are most likely to develop interval cancer,” says Dagdeviren, whose research group specializes in developing wearable electronic devices that conform to the body. “With more frequent screening, our goal to increase the survival rate to up to 98 percent.”

To make her vision of a diagnostic bra a reality, Dagdeviren designed a miniaturized ultrasound scanner that could allow the user to perform imaging at any time. This scanner is based on the same kind of ultrasound technology used in medical imaging centers, but incorporates a novel piezoelectric material that allowed the researchers to miniaturize the ultrasound scanner.

To make the device wearable, the researchers designed a flexible, 3D-printed patch, which has honeycomb-like openings. Using magnets, this patch can be attached to a bra that has openings that allow the ultrasound scanner to contact the skin. The ultrasound scanner fits inside a small tracker that can be moved to six different positions, allowing the entire breast to be imaged. The scanner can also be rotated to take images from different angles, and does not require any special expertise to operate.

“This technology provides a fundamental capability in the detection and early diagnosis of breast cancer, which is key to a positive outcome,” says Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of MIT’s School of Engineering, the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and one of the authors of the study. “This work will significantly advance ultrasound research and medical device designs, leveraging advances in materials, low-power circuits, AI algorithms, and biomedical systems.”

Early detection

Working with the MIT Center for Clinical and Translational Research, the researchers tested their device on one human subject, a 71-year-old woman with a history of breast cysts. Using the new device, the researchers were able to detect the cysts, which were as small as 0.3 centimeters in diameter — the size of early-stage tumors. They also showed that the device achieved resolution comparable to that of traditional ultrasound, and tissue can be imaged at a depth up to 8 centimeters.

“Access to quality and affordable health care is essential for early detection and diagnosis. As a nurse I have witnessed the negative outcomes of a delayed diagnosis. This technology holds the promise of breaking down the many barriers for early breast cancer detection by providing a more reliable, comfortable, and less intimidating diagnostic,” says Catherine Ricciardi, nurse director at MIT’s Center for Clinical and Translational Research and an author of the study.

To see the ultrasound images, the researchers currently have to connect their scanner to the same kind of ultrasound machine used in imaging centers. However, they are now working on a miniaturized version of the imaging system that would be about the size of a smartphone.

The wearable ultrasound patch can be used over and over, and the researchers envision that it could be used at home by people who are at high risk for breast cancer and could benefit from frequent screening. It could also help diagnose cancer in people who don’t have regular access to screening.

“Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, and it is treatable when detected early,” says Tolga Ozmen, a breast cancer surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital who is also an author of the study. “One of the main obstacles in imaging and early detection is the commute that the women have to make to an imaging center. This conformable ultrasound patch is a highly promising technology as it eliminates the need for women to travel to an imaging center.”

The researchers hope to develop a workflow so that once data are gathered from a subject, artificial intelligence can be used to analyze how the images change over time, which could offer more accurate diagnostics than relying on the assessment of a radiologist comparing images taken years apart. They also plan to explore adapting the ultrasound technology to scan other parts of the body.

The research was funded, in part, by the National Science Foundation, a 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, the Sagol Weizmann-MIT Bridge Program, and MIT Media Lab Consortium Funding.

Source:MIT News

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Today's KNOWLEDGE Share: Hybrid tailored fiber placement!

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:

Hybrid tailored fiber placement! 

Tailored Fiber Placement (TFP) is an embroidery-based tow-steering process that enables complete control over fiber placement and directionality in a composite preform. During the process, continuous tow is stitched to a backing material using numerical control. The result is highly engineered composite structures that take full advantage of the anisotropic nature of fiber reinforcement. 

This cost effective process is driven by high stitching speed on one hand and multiple laying heads on a machine. In comparison to other textile technologies the expensive loss of materials is kept to a minimum because of the near net shape production of the product. 

ZSK STICKMASCHINEN TFP machines are capable of manufacturing preforms from synthetic fibers as well as mineral, natural and hybrid fibers, using natural threads and support materials. This picture shows some hybrid natural and mineral fibers footplates with copper wire to dissipate electrostatic charges and a footplate made with palm tree and one with volcanic rock fibers: the advantages of TFP in wastes reduction and fiber path optimization meets sustainable and functional fibers. 

Source:#managingcomposites #thenativelab

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#hybrid #composites #compositestructures #fiber