polymerguru

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share: Packing Pressure: The final (true not apparent) density of a molded polymer is not packing pressure dependent. Your packing pressure will allow you to compensate for shrinkage by compressing the melt in the cavity. As a transient, you will indeed increase the melt density as you pack. But at the end of the process, after ejection and cooling, the part density will be controlled by the polymer thermodynamics, not by the process. So packing will change the part volume, the weight, the thickness along the flow, and dimensions in general, but not the material density. Well, to be very precise, in crystalline materials pressure may influence crystallization (one way or the other in fact) leading to relatively small density variations. But if we look at amorphous materials for the sake of simplicity, disregarding voids and associated apparent density, the actual material density will be the same near or far from the gate, with a lot or very little packing ! Sourc

Today's KNOWLEDGE share: PET Vs PETG: THE MAIN DIFFERENCES A basic formula for making polyesters, like PET and PETG, is the combination of acid monomers plus glycol monomers. In the case of PET, the acid is usually DMT (dimethyl terephthalate) and the glycol is ethylene glycol. These two monomers are the building blocks of the final long-chain polymer: polyethylene terephthalate. For creating PETG, the same monomers are used, except some ethylene glycol (30-60%) is substituted with a different glycol monomer, CHDM (cyclohexanedimethanol). So it’s not that PETG has significantly more or less glycol than PET, it just has a different type of glycol. Therefore, the -G in PETG represents the chemical modification of the typical PET structure with CHDM glycol units, or “glycol-modified” for short. The key impact of this glycol modification from a physical standpoint is that semi-crystalline PET gets transformed into amorphous PETG. Let’s quickly review what crystallinity has to do with p

Solvay announces the new names of the future independent publicly traded companies that will result from its planned separation into two industry leaders: SOLVAY and SYENSQO. The new names will be effective upon completion of the planned separation of Solvay, which is on track to be completed in December 2023, following the satisfaction of customary conditions. SOLVAY: Sustainable Solutions for Essential Needs SOLVAY, the new name for EssentialCo, will carry on the legacy of mastering the elements that are essential for a sustainable world. It links back to its founders who mastered the soda ash process by achieving a technological breakthrough, which has enabled many other disruptive innovations and was a major step forward in terms of sustainability. SOLVAY will focus on providing society and generations to come with sustainable solutions meeting their most essential needs such as purifying the air we breathe and the water we drink, preserving our food supplies, protecting our health

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share: COTTONIZATION: MAKING HEMP AND FLAX FIBERS INTO THE BETTER COTTON These days it’s hard to imagine that fabrics were ever made out of anything other than cotton or synthetic fibers, yet it wasn’t too long ago that hemp and flax-based fabrics — linen — were the rule rather than the exception. Cotton production has for centuries had the major disadvantages of requiring a lot of water and pesticides, and harvesting the cotton was very labor-intensive, making cotton rather expensive. In order to make separating the cotton fibers from the seed easier, improved versions of the cotton gin (‘cotton engine’) were developed, with the 19th century’s industrial revolution enabling a fully automated version. What makes cotton attractive is the ease of processing these fibers, which are part of the seed pod. These fibers are 25 mm – 60 mm long, 12 μm – 45 μm fine fibers that can be pulled off the seeds and spun into yarn or whatever else is needed for the final product, m

Hydrogen powered record breaker, the BMW H2R, to be unleashed at Goodwood. The new BMW 5 Series will be seen in action for the first time in the UK at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2023. Taking to the hill too will be the ground-breaking BMW H2R Record Car alongside the new BMW iX5 Hydrogen. The new and exclusive BMW M3 CS will tackle the famous 1.16-mile course whilst the Festival will also provide a stage for the BMW 3.0 CSL – the most exclusive automobile BMW M has ever produced. Visitors will be able to see the latest models from BMW’s exciting range, including the new BMW i7 M70 xDrive, BMW XM Label Red and BMW M2. All-electric drive arrives in the BMW 5 Series Saloon for the first time. The BMW i5 eDrive40 offers up to 361-mile range whilst the BMW i5 M60 xDrive delivers scintillating performance with 0-62mph in 3.8s. The new generation of the world’s most successful business saloon will be seen on the hill in the ‘First Glance’ category and on display in the Stable Yard and

Swiss sustainable lightweighting company Bcomp has announced the application of its natural fibre composite technology, ampliTex™, in the new Volvo EX30. This landmark project will see Bcomp’s flax fibre composites offered as an optional trim for the dashboard, and doors of the EX30. The collaboration follows Volvo Cars Tech Fund’s Series B investment in Bcomp last year. While Bcomp’s natural fibre composites have been well-proven in demanding motorsport applications like Formula 1, Formula E, and SuperFormula, this is the first production vehicle to reach consumers. The highly innovative Volvo EX30 is an all-electric small SUV that combines safety, sustainability, cutting-edge tech, and Scandinavian design. Drivers can choose from four distinct interior ‘rooms’, two of which embrace the natural aesthetic of ampliTex™ trim panels: the Mist and Pine rooms. Bcomp had worked with Volvo Cars previously, in 2018, for the Volvo Ocean Race Recycled Plastics Demonstrator Vehicle. This was foll