Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : CARBON FIBER ADVANCEMENTS

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

CARBON FIBER ADVANCEMENTS

In the early 1970s, it was discovered that heating pitch (petroleum or coal based) would produce a high carbon organic precursor that could be used to produce carbon fibers. Pitch-based carbon fibers deliver superior modulus and thermal conductivity but come up short in tensile strength and compression strength as compared to PAN-based carbon fiber.

Continuing research and development on these novel carbon fiber materials in the years that followed led to the innovations that we see today. Carbon fibers from all three precursor types are commercially available today but PAN dominates with well over 90% of carbon fibers being produced from this precursor.

source:Hexcel-Tom Haulik

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share :Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) 3D PRINTED LATTICE STRUCTURE

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

MTDL used TPU lattice structures to create a compressible, tactile experience on this handheld device. One of the primary benefits of lattice structures is their ability to reduce material usage while maintaining mechanical integrity. By carefully designing the geometry of the lattice, we can optimize for load distribution, shock absorption, and even thermal management. This leads to significant weight reduction, a crucial factor in many applications and industries.

One of the most popular materials is thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a flexible and durable polymer known for its elasticity and impact resistance. TPU is particularly useful in applications requiring cushioning, such as protective gear, footwear, and soft robotic components.

The future of 3D printed lattice structures looks promising as advancements in materials and printing technologies continue to evolve. With ongoing research in bioresorbable materials, customized medical implants could become even more effective. Additionally, improvements in multi-material printing may allow for functionally graded structures that optimize performance in ways previously unimaginable. As additive manufacturing becomes more accessible, lattice structures will likely play a critical role in shaping the next generation of lightweight, high-performance products.

see this video: https://lnkd.in/gRn8Ti_7

source:MTDL

Avient unveils shelf-life extender and oxygen scavenging additive for PET packaging

Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, announces the launch of ColorMatrix™ Amosorb™ 4020L, an advanced shelf life extender oxygen scavenging additive produced specifically for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle packaging. This new additive offers brand owners and converters a cost-effective solution to enhance the shelf life and recyclability of their PET bottles.

ColorMatrix Amosorb 4020L is developed to provide long-lasting shelf life performance, attractive bottle aesthetics, and outstanding recyclability. This non-nylon-based additive is compatible with recycled PET (rPET), making it an excellent option for brands looking to incorporate higher levels of recycled material (up to 100%) in their packaging.

"We are thrilled to introduce ColorMatrix Amosorb 4020L to the market," said Dr. Antonello Decortes, Global Product Manager at Avient Corporation. "This new additive technology represents a significant advancement in our commitment to offer extended protection against food spoilage in PET bottle applications. By also providing exceptional bottle clarity and recyclability, we are helping our customers meet market expectations and achieve their sustainability goals while reducing environmental impact."

This new oxygen scavenging additive is created for long-shelf life packaging applications such as condiments, sauces, juices, and beverages, including certain alcoholic drinks. It can be used at a wide range of dosage levels, providing flexibility to achieve the desired shelf life requirements.

Avient Corporation is dedicated to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements for product safety. ColorMatrix Amosorb 4020L meets direct food contact regulatory requirements in major markets.

source:Avient Corporation

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : CARBON FIBER

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

CARBON FIBER HISTORY:

Commercially available carbon fibers are based on one of three precursor materials --> rayon, PAN (polyacrylonitrile) and pitch. Early research in each of these carbon fiber types dates back to the late 1950s. Rayon, converted into a carbon fiber, was found to deliver the strongest and stiffest material for its weight that had ever been produced.

By 1963, Curry Ford and Charles Mitchell were granted a patent for making fibers and cloths by heat treating rayon to temperatures up to 3000 °C. These were the strongest carbon fibers commercially produced to date and led to the entry of carbon fibers into the “advanced composites” industry.

Research in converting more efficient precursors was occurring simultaneously in both Japan and the U.K. Akio Shindo of the Government Industrial Research Institute in Osaka, Japan made fibers in his lab with a modulus of more than 140 GPa, about three times that of the rayon-based fibers produced in the U.S.

In 1963, scientists in the U.K. also patented the process for producing even higher modulus PAN-based carbon fibers. The secret behind these quickly improving carbon fibers was the access to pure PAN which is the polymeric backbone that provided an excellent yield after processing.

source:Tom Haulik-HEXCEL

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:Toray launches IR reflecting polyester film for windows

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Toray Launches a 50-Micrometer-Thick Version of PICASUS Nano-Multilayer Window Film Boosting Heat Shielding by 40%

Toray Industries, Inc., today announced that it has launched a 50-micrometer-thick version of PICASUS™ IR (see note 1) film for windows. This nano-multilayer film delivers exceptional transparency and heat shielding.

A push for energy-saving solutions and rising summer temperatures have boosted demand for high-performance heat-shielding window films. Demand is particularly robust for films delivering superior heat shielding and high transparency, as they preserve the aesthetic appearances of buildings and views within rooms while ensuring clear visibility for automobiles.

Toray refined its proprietary nano-multilayer technology, which can layer hundreds to thousands of ultra-thin polymer layers, to develop PICASUS™ IR, and deployed it for factory-installed automotive front windshields and sunroofs.

Toray developed a 50-micrometer film type for PICASUS™ IR for aftermarket building and vehicle applications. This 50-micrometer standard type offers significantly better transparency and heat shielding than conventional heat-shielding window films. Furthermore, the nano-multiple polymer layers deliver exceptional adhesion between each layer, making it easier to rework during installation than commercial products with the same level of heat shielding.

To meet the demands for improved heat shielding performance, Toray is expanding the lineup with a high heat insulation type that maintains high transparency while enhancing heat shielding by 40% compared to the standard type. (note 2) Customer evaluations of this high heat shielding type are also becoming more prominent.

Comparisons of standard and high heat shielding films as stated in the picture.

PICASUS™ IR applications encompass diverse new and existing buildings. This film also matches the high transparency standards of automotive windshields and provides excellent radio wave transparency, overcoming 5G communication issues associated with some metal sputtering technologies, thus ensuring driver safety and comfort.

Toray will keep leveraging its core technologies of synthetic organic and polymer chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology to pursue R&D into groundbreaking materials that can transform the world in keeping with its enduring commitment to delivering new value and contributing to social progress.

Notes

1. PICASUS™ is the collective name for polyester films that leverage Toray’s proprietary nano-multilayer technology. The PICASUS lineup includes metallic luster films that uniformly interfere with and reflect light from visible to near-infrared rays, films that can cut blue light from displays without coloring them, and dichroic films that selectively reflect specific colors.

2. Toray evaluated heat shielding with the Total Solar Energy Rejected index, which measures the film’s ability to block the sun’s radiation.

source:Toray

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : The LEGO introduces tires made from recycled fishing nets and engine oil

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Lego Introduces Sustainable Tires Made From Recycled Ocean Materials:

The Lego Group has unveiled a new, eco-friendly initiative by incorporating a sustainable material for select Lego tires, sourced from recycled fishing nets, ropes, and engine oil. This move is part of the Lego’s ongoing commitment to reducing its environmental footprint and making its products more sustainable.

According to the company, the new material is crafted by repurposing discarded ropes and fishing nets from ocean vessels. These are combined with recycled engine oil, effectively reducing the need for virgin fossil fuel-based ingredients. Initially, this material will be used in seven Lego tire pieces, each containing at least 30% recycled content. 

The new tires already appear in Lego sets, and the company said they are indistinguishable from the ones fans are familiar with. Lego anticipates that by the end of 2025, these tires will be included in approximately 120 different sets, with plans to expand the use of recycled content across additional tire styles in the future.

Over the last five years, Lego has invested significant time in developing and testing this new recycled material to ensure it meets our high standards for quality, safety, and durability. The tires are just one of many options they’re working on to make our products more sustainable & it’s encouraging to see something this innovative making it into their sets.

The new tire material, known as rSEBS, is part of Lego’s comprehensive strategy to transition its products to more sustainable materials. Lego has emphasized that there is no single solution to sustainability, which is why the company is exploring a variety of approaches to reduce its environmental impact and incorporate more renewable and recycled materials. 

To date, Lego has tested over 600 different materials for its bricks and other elements. Other key sustainability initiatives include:

Bio-polyethylene (bio-PE): Since 2018, Lego has used bio-PE, a flexible and durable plastic made from Brazilian sugarcane, in certain elements like minifigure accessories and botanical pieces. Today over 200 elements are made from bio-PE, with more than half of Lego sets containing at least one of these sustainable components.

Recycled artificial marble (arMABS): Starting in 2024, transparent Lego pieces, such as lightsabers, windscreens, and windows, will include 20% recycled content derived from artificial marble commonly used in kitchen countertops. The company aims to have more than 900 different arMABS elements in production, with these elements appearing in more than 85% of Lego sets once fully transitioned.

eMethanol: Lego is collaborating with industry partners to acquire e-methanol, a material produced by blending renewable energy with CO2 from bio-waste. This innovative material will be used to create ePOM, which is expected to feature in Lego elements, such as wheel axles, in the near future.

source:LEGO/ Plastics Today

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : BASF Launches Biomass-balanced Polyethersulfone (PESU) Grade

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

World's first biomass-balanced polyethersulfone (PESU):

To all industries relying on high-performance thermoplastics, BASF is now offering the world’s first biomass-balanced polyethersulfone (PESU). Ultrason® E 2010 BMB contributes to substituting fossil resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing the use of renewable feedstock. This unique PESU enables customers in industries as diverse as household and catering, automotive, electrics and electronics (E&E), healthcare as well as water and sanitary to differentiate their products from the competition. It also helps them to achieve their sustainability goals - all without compromising on the material’s performance, quality or the need to invest extra money into new processing lines.

For biomass-balanced (BMB) Ultrason® E 2010, fossil raw materials are replaced by renewable feedstock at the beginning of production. The renewable feedstock comes from organic waste: the corresponding amount is attributed to the Ultrason® grade via a mass balance approach which is certified according to ISCC PLUS (1). The resulting BMB grade has a lower product carbon footprint (PCF) compared to the standard BASF material (2) by using renewable feedstock and 100% green electricity in a resource-efficient process in the production plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

BASF also offers its Ultrason® customers transparency by providing PCF data to support them in evaluating the PCF of their own products. This benefits many applications used in daily life like reusable bottles for adults and babies, microwave dishes and appliances, but also automotive fuel parts, medical devices, E&E connectors and consumer electronics.

In addition to these sustainability advantages, Ultrason® E 2010 BMB is a drop-in solution: The BASF PESU is identical to the standard grade in properties, quality, and certification for e.g., food and water contact. As a result, customers do not have to re-qualify their applications made of Ultrason® E 2010 BMB or adapt their existing manufacturing processes for injection molding or extrusion: They can rely on the same high performance to which they are accustomed to. “BASF is the first company to offer biomass-balanced polyethersulfone”, says Erik Gubbels from Global Business Development Ultrason® at BASF. “With this addition to our innovative Ultrason® portfolio we want to enable our customers’ green transformation towards more circular solutions – and this as early as possible on their journey to meet their sustainability targets.” 50% of the fossil raw materials required for the manufacturing of Ultrason® E 2010 are replaced by ISCC PLUS certified bio-circular feedstocks which results in an attributed amount of 39% to the final Ultrason® E 2010 BMB grade.

Reliable calculation and third-party certification for proven lower PCF:

BASF has developed a digital application to calculate the cradle-to-gate PCFs for its sales products, including Ultrason®. The PCF comprises all product-related greenhouse gas emissions that occur until the BASF product leaves the factory gate: from the purchased raw material to emissions from operations and the use of energy in production processes. Options for reducing PCF include the usage of green electricity in the production or attributing renewable materials via a biomass balance approach. In this approach, the fossil feedstocks at the beginning of production are replaced by biomass-based resources. The renewable amount is then attributed to specific products at the end of the manufacturing process by means of a third-party certified method: This independent certification confirms that BASF has replaced the required quantities of fossil feedstock for the biomass-balanced product that customers buy with renewable feedstock according to e.g., ISCC PLUS requirements.

Ultrason® is the trade name for BASF’s product range of polyethersulfone (Ultrason® E), polysulfone (Ultrason® S) and polyphenylsulfone (Ultrason® P). The high-performance thermoplastic is used to manufacture water filtration membranes, stylish, durable and safe household and catering applications as well as lightweight components for the automotive and aerospace industries. Ultrason® brands can substitute thermosets, metals and ceramics in many applications because of their extraordinary property profile.

source: BASF