It is well-known that rapid prototyping techniques such as laser sintering have become commonplace as methods for making short-run manufacturing parts. Hearing aid shells are probably the best-known...

The Electrical/Electronics (E/E) end-use market is the world's 3rd largest plastics sector behind packaging and building/construction. Apart from mechanical properties, the electrical behavior of...

Smart polymers find applications spanning the gamut from the high-tech, the sophisticated, the novel, right through to the mundane. An ever increasing spectrum of smart polymers based on various... (4 Member Reactions)

Processing costs can bring a broad contribution to lower prices through many ways, by lowering machine run costs, labour costs, direct investments, energy and utility consumptions, finishing costs,...

A growing consumer influence is, somewhat surprisingly, affecting material trends in the healthcare industry. Hospital managers, healthcare groups, and the general public are considering the...

The solar power market has been growing rapidly in the past decade as a result of widespread awareness about the limited nature of petroleum-based resources, their negative impact on the environment... (4 Member Reactions)

The material recycling of plastics exhibits many advantages as compared to other kinds of similar processes. These require lower costs and offer possibilities to apply conventional techniques and...

European Bioplastics and the European Polysaccharide Network of Excellence EPNOE published a jointly commissioned study on bio-based plastics. The developments in the past five years in emerging...

Recent advancements in the Polyurethane Long Fiber Composite Injection (LFI) process have resulted in a dramatic increase in its commercial interest for producing a wide range of products including...

PolyOne Corporation introduced its OnFlex™ BIO Series Compounds based on natural renewable sources on October 2008. This renewable material utilizes Merquinsa's Pearlthane® ECO TPU...

Direct property losses by fires are roughly 0.2% of the gross domestic product and the total costs of fires are around 1% of the gross domestic product. Therefore, it is important to develop... (6 Member Reactions)

Moldmakers and molders looking to find an alternative to traditional tool steels should seriously consider using aluminum. Aluminum tooling offers a myriad of benefits namely, it is easier to cut and... (2 Member Reactions)

Recent high-profile bridge collapses have brought attention to the need for a major infrastructure overhaul in many countries, but the global economic downturn means far less money is available even...

Dr. Erol Harvey, MiniFAB CEO and Professor of MicroTechnology at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne Australia with a PhD in Plasma and Laser Physics, has successfully combined a... (2 Member Reactions)

The author reviews the winners and highly commended students in the Design Innovation in Plastics 2009 student plastics design award. The theme of 'Sustainability' brought 77 entries from which the... (3 Member Reactions)

Unlike thermoplastics, thermosetting resins cannot be melted or reshaped because on heating their thermal decomposition and degradation occurs. Though they are widely used in a variety of applications... (2 Member Reactions)

Plastics functionality is required in electrical and electronics (E/E) end use applications. North American demand (40% globally; Europe, 35%; Asia, 25%) for the core five engineering plastics...

To meet the needs of an aging population and new trends in health care, the medical device industry has undergone a number of changes in the types of devices produced and the materials selected. For... (3 Member Reactions)

Smith Optics is a leading OEM in sunglasses, goggles and helmets. Smith Optics launched a new product line named Evolve, aiming at offering more sustainable solutions to the sports market. The...

Today's appliance designers must conquer many conflicting challenges. The products that they develop must differentiate themselves from the competition while simultaneously achieving similar...