Plastics Fabrication News

A large portion of the world today has no access to clean water, energy, and food. As global population is expected to grow to 8.3 billion by 2030, so will demand for basic resources grow. Access and availability may be one step closer to meeting demand, thanks to an Associate Professor at Nanyang Technical Institute in Singapore. He's created a "wonder material" that can generate hydrogen, desalinate water, and form the basis of photovoltaic cells. Multi-use titanium dioxide nanofibers are fabricated onto patented flexible membranes to achieve the mechanical properties needed for various applications.

By having five machines of various sizes, Biomedical Polymers has the flexibility and capacity to produce high-quality medical plastics. We cater to high-end medical and IVD customers, who demand the quality provided by our ISO Class 8 clean room facility. See examples of our outstanding work and expertise.

For over 75 years, Rogan Corporation has been the innovative leader in full turnkey Contract Manufacturing / Injection Molding for liquid silicone rubber molding, multi-shot molding, conventional molding, insert molding, decorative molding, in-mold decorating, compression molding, full value added assembly, kitting, and packaging.

Request a "Widget" illustrating Rogan's Bondable LSR overmolding capabilities.

While the research and development are in their preliminary stages, a team from the University of Maryland has created silicon beads that self-assemble along a strong and conductive carbon nanotube string. Their "nano beads on a string" structure controls the beads, keeping them connected and crack-free for a potentially more robust Li-ion battery.

Researchers from the U.S. and Korea report a paintable electronics method that could herald lower cost, more environmentally friendly electronics. They've developed lyotropic liquid-crystalling conjugated polymers that have good mobility and assembling properties. The fabrication process uses helical polymers with a slippery quality so they align in a single direction when brushed onto a surface.

A scientist at Michigan Technological University has come up with a new twist on antimicrobial materials. His hybrid of minerals and metals is showing promise against a number of pathogens, including listeria, E. coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. The method embeds nanoparticles of copper into vermiculite, a common filler in plastics.

R&D Mag reports that German researchers have soaked up inspiration from nature and devised a synthetic hybrid material that imitates the spicule structures of sea sponges. The highly flexible material has the ability to transmit light waves, even when bent. The material has a 90% mineral content and includes a protein from siliceous sponges.

Malish Plastics, an extruder of custom profile, tubing, and pipe, has announced completion of the second phase of a major capital re-investment program aimed at upgrading the company's profile extrusion capabilities. This upgrade comes on the heels of major upgrades to Malish's Pipe and Tubing lines. Contact us.

Crescent Plastics has broken new ground in the development of a wood grain look for thermoplastic profile extrusions. Utilizing a unique process and specialized materials, they have formulated a wood grain pattern that imprints directly into the plastic.

While PET is an inexpensive and strong material, its non-reactive surface makes adhesion to other materials challenging. A team from A*STAR Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology devised a plasma treatment method to prepare PET to accept solar cell coatings during roll-to-roll manufacturing. The diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge technique offers an open-air route to clean PET sheets.

By pushing up the alignment rate from the standard 80% to a new record of 97%, a new device is promising near perfect alignment of nanofibers. The machine boasts a precision design in the collector that enhances efficiency. While the lab version is available now, an industrial machine is planned for launch in the near future.

In this TED video, a 19-year old Dutch engineering student offers a plan to clean the world's oceans of plastic pollution in the next five years, at a profit. Anchoring sifters to the ocean floor will allow currents to drive waste into miles of collection booms to be captured for recycling and revenue production.

If you find this subject interesting, subscribe to the IHS GlobalSpec e-Newsletter, Environmental Technology.

When his daughter was stricken with a MRSA infection, a Virginia Polytechnic Institute scientist realized a conventional diagnostic test requires three days. In his own lab, he created a culture test based on optical fibers and polymer coatings that confirms results in hours, not days.

For more on this subject, subscribe to IHS GlobalSpec's e-Newsletter Medical Equipment Design.

If you are having problems finding a hard chrome plating supplier that can handle complex part geometries, small to extremely large items, ID/OD plating, or other issues, Hartchrom Inc. is in the business of solving those issues for you. Learn more...

Mold sprays for plastics, rubber, foams, waxes, food grade, and other materials in processes such as injection, compression, transfer, pour cast, thermoform, blow, extrusion, and foam molding. Acrolab offers competitive pricing and same day shipping. Contact Us.

This ASTM specification provides for the identification of recycled post-consumer HDPE molding and extrusion materials, from specified sources, in pellet or chip form so that supplier and user can agree on the acceptability of lots. Post-consumer HDPE materials include blow molded household chemical containers; blow molded milk, juice, and water containers; and materials from the spunbonded process.

For more information on IHS standards, visit us here.

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