polymerguru

SEGULA Technologies has set up the Z-WasTEK project with the aim of developing technologies for producing sustainable #carboncomposites . Currently, parts made from composite materials have one major drawback: they are difficult to recycle and repair. The Z-WasTEK project, subsidised by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Basque Government, addresses this problem by combining the use of a “3R” resin (which enables materials to be reprocessed, repaired and recycled) and the development of digital programmes to define the best way of repairing parts. For #SEGULA , the project consists of two main points: firstly, the design of software for inspecting curved parts through the acquisition, management and interpretation of sensors. By performing a high-precision scan on curved parts, this software makes it possible to obtain information on points showing cracks and, after repair, to check whether the finish is correct. SEGULA has also developed a 3R #composite repair tec

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Be very cautious when using Melt Flow Index for material comparison in Injection Molding. MFI is actually measuring a very low shear-rate viscosity and when comparing two materials, you are not even comparing at same shear-rate (the test is constant load based). If shear-thinning is very different, moldability may be completely off from apparent MFI related conclusions (see picture). The normalized very short dies used for MFI also lead to a very significant contribution of extensional viscosity to MFI values, which doesn't really help either... When it comes to Injection Molding, make sure you have a comprehensive set of data describing shear viscosity vs. shear-rate and temperature. Entrance effects in capillary tests may also inform you about extensional viscosity importance. Source:Vito leo Follow: http://polymerguru.blogspot.com #plastics #injectionmolding #plasticindustry #sherarviscosity #meltflowindex

Millions of cocoa pods are harvested annually, while the beans and pulp go to make chocolate, their husks are thrown away. Researchers reporting in ACS #SustainableChemistry & Engineering show that cocoa pod husks could be a useful starting material for #flameretardants . Renewable Replacement for Petroleum-based Substances: It’s estimated that about 24 million tons of leftover cocoa pod husks are produced yearly. #Wastehusks have been explored as a source of carbohydrates and sugars, but they also contain lignin, a tough #lipidpolymer found in many #woodyplants . And lignin could be a renewable replacement for some substances typically derived from petroleum, such as flame retardants. While most methods to produce lignin have centered on hardwood trees, some scientists have processed other plant materials that would otherwise go to waste, such as rice husks and pomegranate peels. Nicholas J. Westwood and coworkers wanted to see if high-quality lignin could be extracted from coc

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Lithium Ion Battery Do we need to depend on Lithium-ion batteries for Electric vehicles for a decade or more? Climate changes have happened rapidly throughout many regions in the recent decade. On one side the deforestation takes place steadily in many regions and the natural resources are draining out a lot. Each country is losing its share of forest land every year drastically. On the other side, the sudden interest among Electric vehicle manufacturers made the world depend on lithium-ion batteries more than expected a decade ago. Some EV manufacturers are holding licenses for such minerals in the US for the lithium extraction for the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery cells. The world needs many materials for the production of an EV battery. Mining and deforestation happen at the same time everywhere that is not safe for the environment that we humans aim to create for future generations. Mining at depth will make the earth weaken as well as the wat

TotalEnergies and Borealis celebrate the start-up of their Baystar joint venture’s new 625,000 metric ton-per-year Borstar® polyethylene (PE) unit - which more than doubles the current production capacity at its site in Bayport, Texas. The new $1.4 billion (€1.3 billion) unit completes the partners’ integrated petrochemicals venture, which includes the expanded Bayport PE facility, and the ethane cracker at the TotalEnergies Platform in Port Arthur, Texas. The new PE unit, referred to as Bay 3, increases the site’s total production to over one million tons per year, which includes two legacy #polyethylene production units. Bay 3 features the state-of-the-art proprietary Borstar® 3G technology #licensed in North America for the first time. Borstar technology delivers advanced value-added polymers with enhanced sustainability by enabling light-weighting and the incorporation of greater amounts of post-consumer recycled materials in a variety of end products, serving the energy, infrast

DELO has developed DELO DUALBOND BS3770, a flexible electronics adhesive that permanently seals sensor housings airtight and thus reliably protects components such as image sensors. DELO DUALBOND BS3770 meets the stringent requirements of the #semiconductor and #automotive industries and helps drive innovation in autonomous driving. Meet Stringent Industry Demands: The autonomous driving trend comes with ever-stricter safety requirements. Therefore, reliable components such as image sensors are installed in LiDAR and #RADAR systems. Sensor housings on PCBs must be hermetically sealed throughout their entire service life in order to maintain their function permanently without interruption. However, previous solutions for hermetically sealing the housing and filter glass are reaching their limits due to these stricter requirements, failing to withstand the tests of the automotive industry, according to standard AEC-Q100. DELO has developed DELO DUALBOND BS3770, a special #electronics

  Today's KNOWLEDGE Share What temperature and pressure is typical in RTM? As a reference, out-of-autoclave prepregs are cured at 100-150C and 1-3 bar.  Again, the resin system is decisive. With epoxy ones, the most common ones, the curing temperature will be at 70, 80, or 90 degrees.  The good thing is you can play with the activity of the resin.  A very reactive resin means that it actually creates an exothermic reaction. So even if you have the tool at 70 degrees, it probably means that the system is at 100 degrees. It's curing quicker and at a higher temperature. Still, you don't need to heat up your tool to that temperature because the composite is doing the work.  About pressure: When looking at Light RTM, we are looking at a couple of bars, but when we are looking at the High-Pressure RTM, we can be looking at 5, 6, 7, or 8 bars of pressure.  Source:The Native Lab Follow: http://polymerguru.blogspot.com #composites #rtm #epoxy #fiber #prepreg #pressure #temper