polymerguru

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share What are the Pros of 3D Printing? 1. Flexible Design 3D printing allows for the design and print of more complex designs than traditional manufacturing processes. More traditional processes have design restrictions which no longer apply with the use of 3D printing. 2. Rapid Prototyping 3D printing can manufacture parts within hours, which speeds up the prototyping process.This allows for each stage to complete faster.When compared to machining prototypes,3D printing is inexpensive and quicker at creating parts as the part can be finished in hours,allowing for each design modification to be completed at a much more efficient rate. 3. Print on Demand Print on demand is another advantage as it doesn’t need a lot of space to stock inventory, unlike traditional manufacturing processes.This saves space and costs as there is no need to print in bulk unless required. 3D design files are all stored in a virtual library as they are printed using a 3D model as eit...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Enhanced flexural properties of aramid fiber/epoxy composites by graphene oxide: The reinforcing effect of graphene oxide (GO) in enhancing the flexural strength and flex modulus of aramid fiber (AF)/epoxy composites were investigated with GO-AFs at a weight fraction of 0.1-0.7%. The flexural strength and flexural modulus of the composite reached 87.16 MPa and 1054.7 MPa,respectively, which were about 21.19% and 40.86% higher than those of the pure epoxy resin. In addition, the flexural properties and interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of composite reinforced by GO-AFs were much higher than the composites reinforced by AFs due to GO improved the interfacial bonding between the fiber& matrix. Graphene possesses many remarkable properties, including high Young’s modulus (1100 GPa),superior fracture strength (125 GPa),large surface area (2630 m2/g).Due to these excellent properties, graphene and its derivatives, in particular grapheneoxide (GO) ,have found i...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share  Acrylic (PMMA) vs. Polycarbonate (PC)  : Acrylic offers greater tensile strength than polycarbonate, typically around 80 MPa, compared to polycarbonate at 60-70 MPa. That means it can stretch a bit more before breaking. Similarly, acrylic wins the battle for flexural strength at 115 MPa vs. 90 MPa for polycarbonate, set a heavy object on unsupported sheets of each and PC will give way first (but not by much). Both polymers are quite impact resistant, but where acrylic comes in around 17 times that of glass, polycarbonate boasts a whopping 250x increase. However, polycarbonate is more prone to scratching than acrylic, but as many eyeglass wearers know, coatings are available to avoid this common problem. There's little difference in transparency between acrylic and polycarbonate (92% light transmission for acrylic vs. 88% for PC). Glass straddles the two at 90% transparency. Leave these two polymers outside for a few years, however, and you’ll have no p...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share A local temperature increase in excess of 100°C is absolutely a realistic number for the thin high shear layers in Injection Molding. Because this high T will last often less than a second (filltimes are short, the cold steel mold is extremely close), such high melt T will not necessarily result in a very visible quality loss, like discoloration. This high shear-heating also happens in your barrel if you push RPM and backpressure up. However, testing for melt T plunging a thermocouple on the purged melt will hardly measure a significant change in average temperature, because the very hot layer is extremely thin (small overall volume fraction). Despite the small volume involved in possible degradation, significant issues may arise, like VOC (volatile organic compounds) degassing, which will mess with your process and parts. The message is : be aware that due to the low thermal conducivity of plastics, heating will be very localized (adiabatic) and will be dif...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share The BOTTLE4FLEX project: developing 100% recyclable food packaging: The European Union’s Circular Economy Strategy stipulates that all plastic packaging in the European Union must be 100% recyclable by 2030. This is a particular challenge for food-contact packaging. Recycling flexible PET packaging is tricky because it is made up of layers but in Spain, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) is the only type authorised for post-consumer recycled content for food packaging. AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, Covinil and Eroski took up this challenge by launching the BOTTLE4FLEX project which aims to develop 100% recyclable flexible skinpack packaging using rPET. 'Skinpack' is the type of clear packaging which clings closely to the product, so that consumers can actually see what they are thinking of buying while producers and distributers get the benefit of cost-effectiveness and flexibility. Unfortunately, these advantages ...

Envalior and Ford Motor Company received the "Most Innovative Use of Plastics" award in the "Materials" category at the 53rd SPE Automotive Innovation Awards. Ford redesigned an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Cold Tube and diffuser, incorporating Xytron™ PPS thermoplastic material, to enhance fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and improve durability. The award celebrates the partnership between Envalior, Ford, Sogefi, and Viking Plastics, with each contributing to the development, molding, and supply chain of the innovative EGR assembly. Livonia, MI, DECEMBER 5, 2024 – Envalior, in collaboration with Ford Motor Company, has been honored with the Most Innovative Use of Plastics award in the "Materials" category at the 53rd Annual SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition & Gala. This highly regarded event, held at Laurel Manor in Livonia, Michigan, celebrates groundbreaking achievements in automotive plastics. The award recognizes the development of...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Jiangsu Suoteng Offers Dicumene as a Non-toxic, Synergistic Flame Retardant Jiangsu Suoteng offers Dicumene (DMDBP), a non-hazardous, carbon-based initiator with excellent performance. It is mainly used for polymer cross-linking or grafting reactions at higher temperatures.  Solution for Halogen-antimony Systems and Halogen-free Alternatives: In recent years, the flame retardant industry has seen growing demand for dicumene. It is known for its high stability, safe use, and good environmental performance. Dicumene is primarily used as an initiator, grafting agent, and flame retardant synergist in engineering plastics, flame retardant polyolefins, and other applications. As environmental regulations become stricter, traditional flame retardants are facing restrictions due to low efficiency, large dosages, and environmental concerns. This has led to a shift toward greener, more efficient, and low-toxicity flame retardants. Dicumene, as one of the earliest free...