Plastic

Hull UK based Floreon has won the US Plastics Industry Association’s ‘innovation in bioplastics’ award for its plant-based, flame retardant, halogen-free polymer. Called Therma-Tech is a PLA (polylactic acid) with a UL94V-0 flame-retardant rating – electronic and electrical are two of the company’s intended markets. “Winning this award is testament to the relentless innovation and commitment of the entire team ...

PLA – poly lactic acid – is a 3d printable polymer that can be made from maize and is biodegradable. Except, it is seldom publicised, that it is only biodegradeable in industrial-scale high temperature processes, and will last of years in the open environment. Now researchers at the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute have engineered a designer enzyme – hyperthermostable PLA hydrolase ...

Broanmain Plastics will be showing recent prototype-to-production projects at the Southern Manufacturing & Electronics exhibition in February. The company offers tool design and various plastic moulding and finishing technologies on a single site in Surrey. One of the projects was a motion sensor housing (right) for Cucumber Lighting Controls, which was seeking a UK-based moulder. “Manufacturing components on UK shores ...

MBA Polymers UK has launched a recycled ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) feedstock for injection moulding in electronics, automotive and consumer industries. ‘ABS 4125 UL’ is UL certified and contains ≥95% post-consumer recycled content, derived from the waste electronics sector. It is already being exported to the USA and Hong Kong. “UL accreditation verifies the quality, safety and sustainability of recycled ...

Carton packaging for small electrical goods has a lower carbon footprint than plastic alternatives, according to Pro Carton, the European association for carton and cartonboard manufacturers, which is highlighting a report written by the bio-economy unit of the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE). Cartonboard is an industry name for non-corrugated cardboard or packaging card. The research compares the cradle-to-grave carbon ...

German company Trinamix has turned to near infra-red spectroscopy to create a mobile sensor that can, at the push of a button, distinguish the similar nylons PA6 and PA66 for recycling. The polymers have similar properties, are used interchangeably in numerous applications, and are virtually impossible to distinguish with the naked eye. At the same time, separating them to create single-grade ...

3D printed plastic parts can be accurately nickel plated if the plastic is pre-doped with catalyst before printing, according to scientists from Waseda University, Japan. It is an alternative to a conventional technique, where a plain plastic object is dip-coated with catalyst after manufacture, and then immersed in an electroless metal-plating solution. To improve adhesion, a roughening or etching step ...

BCL Enclosures of Yorkshire is offering the BC range of hand-held cases for measuring instruments, wireless communication devices, and control and data recording devices. BC2 has a belt/pocket clip and integral PP3 battery compartment with a removable cover and clip-in terminals as standard. Four internal location pegs and sockets hold a PCB in place without the need for further fixings. ...

Pennsylvania-based Greene Tweed is offering a thermoplastic to connector makers that can operate above 460°C. PEK (left) and 3000 XT connectors (right) Called Arlon 3000 XT, is is said to provide thermal stability, chemical resistance, low moisture absorption, low wear and high impact resistance. It is “the world’s first and only cross-linked, semi-crystalline polyketone and delivers superior high-temperature performance over other ...

The British International Education Association (BIEA) launched its third annual youth STEM competition at a conference at the Royal Institution on the 15 January. This year’s competition is titled “STEM (Stop) the tide of plastic pollution”. EW reporter Alex McCarthy attended the conference to find out how the organisation plans to encourage more young people into STEM. The afternoon was ...