Materials

Experts at the United Nations estimate that food production will need to be increased by 70% by the second half of the century. But how? “Indoor farming” is one solution. According to this concept, food is planted where it is needed - for example in the city centre, or on King George Island in the middle of Antarctica...

Galleria Mellonella probably says little to most people; larva of the greater wax moth can perhaps give a hint of what it is; caterpillar is understandable to all. This caterpillar, however has a very special ability, accidentally discovered by an Italian biologist: it digests polyethylene. After having placed some...

In New York City - ranked among the top 10 loudest cities in the world - noise is a constant. The din in restaurants soars over 90 decibels, and subways rushing across the city register more than 80 decibels. Since end of March and running through August 2, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum offers a serene and silent escape...

At the VDI Plastics in Automotive Engineering congress (Mannheim, March 29-30, 2017), PolyOne introduced Smartbatch Fabric FX colour and additive concentrate. This masterbatch helps manufacturers to efficiently injection mould attractive parts that appear to be covered with textile. In addition, “fabric graining” and colour can be tailored to...

The new special polyamides for the extrusion market are the next frontier for RadiciGroup Performance Plastics. Today the Radilon product range, as well as technopolymers that offer improved resistance to high temperatures (Radilon A HHR and Radilon XTreme) and reinforced materials for metal replacement (Radilon A RW and Radilon S URV high…

The 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, Stratasys announced the new advanced material FDM Nylon 12CF, a carbon fibre-filled thermoplastic strong enough to replace metal components in a range of applications. The first high-performance composite material to replace a range of metal applications available for Stratasys FDM…

Toray Industries on March 17 announced its policy decision to enhance the production capacity of Alcantara, a luxury made-in-Italy material manufactured and sold by its subsidiary Alcantara. The company plans to invest approximately 300 million euros in a phased manner over the next five years in response to the trend in demand to...

As announced in November 2016, Basf is investing more than 200 million euros globally to increase its production network for plastic additives. An important step is an investment to build a new plastic additives plant at its Caojing site in Shanghai, China. This world-scale plant, with an annual capacity of 42,000 tons, will produce antioxidants…

Solvay announces at JEC World 2017 (March 14-16) the launch of its innovative thermoset prepreg resin system SolvaLite 730 specifically developed for high volume automotive applications. This next-generation material, formulated with Reichhold Advalite resins, offers an...

Specialised in the development and production of thermoplastic composites, Xenia has recently introduced a new family of materials reinforced with hybrid fillers composed of carbon and glass fibres mixtures. Fibreglass, since decades universally known as reinforcement due to its mechanical properties and carbon fibre, that...

Akboru Elektrik, a leading supplier of lighting systems for pools, hot tubs and gardens, selected Therma-Tech thermally conductive polymers from PolyOne to replace aluminum for heat sinks in LED swimming pool lighting. Collaborating with PolyOne enabled Akboru Elektrik to make a transition from metal to polymer that increased the expected...

Victrex and Tri-Mack Plastics Manufacturing Corporation have established a joint venture, TxV Aero Composites, to accelerate the commercial adoption of polyketone (PAEK) composite applications within the aerospace industry, through the manufacture of parts utilising new and innovative processes. The multi-million dollar investment includes the...

The next edition of Chinaplas, scheduled on May 16-19 in Guangzhou, will give extensive attention to applications for the automotive industry and to the 3D printing for the medical field. In recent years, the percentage of plastics used in a car has become one of the essential...

Ampacet has recently developed two new ranges of masterbatches in order to help processors to optimise the production and delete products shrinkage and warpage. These phenomena can occur in particular during injection moulding and blow moulding. Shrinkage is the dimensional reduction brought about by the decrease in...

Saic General Motors (SGM) has launched in China its new-generation Buick GL8 and GL8 Avenir luxury multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs), which sport the world’s largest polycarbonate rear quarter window, moulded from Sabic’s Lexan resin. SGM is offering five trim levels of the popular GL8 model, which has been a mainstay of the Chinese market since...

Plexiglas is one of the world's best-known plastics brands and enables a wide range of design options, from lighting to architecture, shopfitting and much more. Evonik now presents outstanding and pioneering examples of its use on the website. “Inspiration has always been at the heart of the Plexiglas brand. That is why we now...

The requirements in the field of electronics and telecommunications are ever more stringent with the progress of technological development that characterizes this industry. From the miniaturization of circuits at high operating temperatures and the integration of functions to the obvious cost containment requirements to keep pace with...

Innovation on the plastics market: materials manufacturer Covestro has begun delivery of a novel product based on carbon dioxide. The first tanker left the company’s Dormagen site near Cologne, Germany, on December 6. Covestro has now officially started production in the plant it inaugurated in Dormagen this past summer...

Founded in 1997, Color Tech is an Italian company specializing in the production of compounds and masterbatches. For about twenty years it has been responding to the needs of plastics processors with a personalized and flexible service under the experience of Marco Montagner and his sons Mauro and Andrea. Color Tech offers a very wide range of…

The leading science and technology company Merck will refine and market its innovative 3D plastics technology together with PolyOne in a strategic collaboration. PolyOne is a global leader in polymer materials, colorants and services. Together, the two companies want to develop this pioneering in-mould 3D (IM3D) technology and establish it in end-…