Compared to other Plexiglas formulations, bio-based Rnew-maker Altuglas says it has greater melt flow and lower processing temperatures. Its properties, including impact resistance and chemical resistance, can be tailored, and it can be first extruded, then thermoformed with a high degree of detail, as shown here.
(Source: Altuglas International)
Cool slide show, Ann. I particularly liked seeing the BASF materials being used in food packaging applications. All you have to do is take a walk (I live out in the country and it's still a problem) and it's an eye opener to see the cups, bottles, and fast food trash littering the sides of the road. Given that it's harder to change people's behavior (although I can't understand littering, but that's a totally separate issue), it's comforting to know progress is being made on creating products that will be a bit easier on the environment.
Beth, that can be dissiapointing (littering, I mean). I learned not to leave a trace at an early age.
I am fascinated by the range of material solutions to this problem. Of course, the other problem being addressed is the feedstock. Reducing out dependence on oil is another useful result.
A green plastic films manufacturer stopped by the PackExpo booth of my company about four years ago, with some sample preformed bags. They wanted to test their bags on our equipment. We were happy to run the test right there.
The bags were incredibly stiff and "hard" compared to regular LDPE packaging material. This material sounded like cellophane when handling it (lots of LOUD crackling crunching noise). The material was also very, very fragile. It had no stretch, no give. Stress it just a bit, and it rapidly tore.
It was green (made from corn), and would degrade readily, but it wasn't very usable for packaging. There's still a lot of work to be done in the field to make a usable green material for packaging.
Beth, I also live in the country and I also see plastic litter on the roadside. In fact, I carry a trash bag, pick it up and bring it back to recycle. I can't understand littering, either: I used to go backpacking and the rule I learned is make it look like you were never there. At least if plastic trash is biodegradable it won't take an extremely long time for the plastic to break down and become harmless constituents of the ecosystem.
TJ, thanks for that input. I heard from several manufacturers of bioplastics and/or recyclable plastics (the BASF Ecoflex/Ecovio peanuts bag is both) that they had spent considerable time and effort getting feedback from users to overcome exactly the unpleasant characteristics you described. The BASF peanuts bag, for example, is not noisy like cellophane when you manipulate it and that specific problem was cited as one they had worked to overcome. So things have changed quite a bit in four years and these materials now exist--I've seen them--but they haven't yet been adopted in quantities that make them visible to end-users.
And of course, making so-called green materials from food crops, especially corn, is now a no-no.
These may have been the same bags that Frito Lay introduced for their Sun Chips in 2010. They were so noisy and had a such a bad feel that the Sun Chip sales actually fell about 10% during the year that they were on the market. It would be great to see a non-noisy solution that would be bidegradable.
Tim, you are correct, it was the same material. In the instance I described, the bags in question were pre-formed to run on the type of machinery that packages sliced bread.
Can you imagine that material when making your kids' lunch sandwiches?
Chuck, that appears to be lettuce or some other leafy vegetable. The thin film is mulch, which you put down around your crop plants to help keep down weeds and retain moisture in the soil. Many people use large sheets of black petro-based plastic, which is highly effective but does not biodegrade quickly and can leave harmful residues. I'm a gardener, not a largescale farmer, but I suspect it's put down before or during planting not after and holes punched through for the plants.
Inspired by the hooks a parasitic worm uses to penetrate its host's intestines, the Karp Lab has invented a flexible adhesive patch covered with microneedles that adheres well to wet, soft tissues, but doesn't cause damage when removed.
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego are designing a robotic arm that takes inspiration from the loose, flexible, yet very strong structure of the armored plates on a seahorse's tail.
Researchers at the Missouri University of Science & Technology have designed a new nanoscale material that can transmit light faster than the 186,000 miles per second it usually takes to travel through air.
It has often been said that as California goes, so goes the nation. This spring, the state's wind power is setting energy generation records and solar energy generation is expected to rise sharply during the second half of 2013.
The latest model of Liquid Robotics' Wave Glider autonomous, unmanned marine vehicle (UMV), the SV3, is reportedly the world's first hybrid wave- and solar-power-propelled unmanned ocean robot.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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