GE Plastics has come up with a way to turn post-consumer plastic waste, chiefly PET bottles, into PBT-based polymers. Not simply a recycling effort, GE spent two years developing a manufacturing process that chemically upgrades the post-consumer waste, turning it into a feedstock suitable for making PBT-based polymers. GE claims the process saves both energy and reduces COČ emissions compared to traditional PBT manufacturing. The new eco-materials come in two versions: Valox iQ is a PBT-based polymer derived from 85 percent post-consumer waste. Xenoy iQ is an alloy of polycarbonate and PBT-based polymers, the latter also derived from 85 percent post-consumer waste. The materials don't trade-off properties in return for their environmental advantages. In fact, GE developed them initially for Japanese auto component makers, among them DENSO. Potential applications include demanding uses such as automotive connectors, lighting bezels, energy absorbers and body panels. For more information on GE's PBT-based polymers, go to http://rbi.ims.ca/4933-534.
Inforbix is leveraging its CAD and product data access technology to power up a free iPad app that lets mobile users search and access engineering data.
Unlike his friends in engineering programs, blogger Jon Titus had little need for calculus except in a few of his college physical-chemistry labs and classes.
In the wake of the Chevy Volt fire investigations, sales are down, and General Motors' (GM) CEO Dan Akerson is blaming the downturn on a spate of bad publicity.
Thanks to embedded electronics, medical devices are getting smaller and smarter than ever. Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are now able to call physicians. MRIs, CT scanners, and ultrasound machines are gaining mobility. And the venerable Band-Aid may soon be able to detect illnesses ranging from fevers to heart arrhythmias. On February 21, join Design News senior editor Charles Murray for a wide-ranging discussion, "Embedded Angles for Medical Products," which will explore the latest developments in medical electronics. The discussion will examine advances in medical device technology and offer an inside look at the embedded electronics behind it.
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