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RENEWABLE RAW MATERIALS
Upswing in Green – Bioplastics are flourishing
Styrofoam made from algae, bags made from potatoes and clothes made from milk that decompose into compost after use: Bioplastics are not only environmentally-friendly, but they can also be economically advantageous. «Despite the crisis in 2009, manufacturers of biodegradable plastics were able to demonstrate moderate growth in this past year», explains Oliver Kutsch, president of Ceresana Research. According to a new study by this market research institution the positive trend continues: Until 2012 the world’s approximately 80 producers of bioplastics plan to double their production to more than 300,000 tonnes per year. These still present less than one percent of the total plastics market – but they are two-digit growth rates.
LABORATORY AND PILOT LINES, R&D FACILITIES
Developing for the future at Nordson
Investigating suitable application technology. In the state-of-the-art adhesive laboratories customers have the opportunity to test under production conditions
Investing in a new coating facility always represents a certain risk. Will the new technology really bring the desired advantages? Will the consumer appreciate these opportunities and pay for them accordingly? Or need additional procedural steps be taken into consideration in order to possess a product that guarantees sales in the market? Whoever wishes to have these issues clarified precisely in advance, cannot but present his end customers with products ready for mass production in order to enable them to test the quality.
Interview with Christina Fuchs
Sales Manager Europe Web Coating Systems, Nordson Engineering GmbH – Web Coating Systems Group
Which issues (trials, tests) can be clarified in your laboratory?
A large quantity of tests is of course made in order to secure fulfilment of requirements of the coating and laminating processes and assure the customer that the system configuration provided will meet his demands. Apart from that product development is carried out for and with our customers. Absolute discretion and nondisclosure are a matter of course for us.
Proof of Concept for Innovations in Coating and Printing Technologies
Interview with Thomas Kolbusch, Vice President, Coatema Coating Machinery GmbH
What kind of laboratory lines do you provide? Coatema provides laboratory lines for coating, printing and laminating piece goods and flexible substrates. Aside the classical application and printing systems also various pre- and finishing treatments, drying technologies, UV-cross-linking systems, calenders and nanoimprint procedures can be integrated into the predominantly modular lines. All lines can be configured both for clean room as well as with protective atmosphere. Coatema laboratory lines are present in Europe’s leading research institutes, especially in high-tech areas such as flexible electronics, membranes, batteries, fuel cells, solar, Prepregs etc.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES
Spooner Anguil helps reduce carbon footprint and safeguard
UK manufacturing future
Many industrial processes use solvent based paint, ink and coatings in their manufacturing process. When these solvents dry, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted, which are damaging to the environment and can be harmful to health. Legislation such as the Solvent Emission Directive in the EU and Clean Air Act in the USA means that something must be done to remove or destroy the VOC prior to exhausting any process air to the atmosphere.
EVENT REVIEW
«Improving Adhesion by Means of Functionalizing Surfaces Using Atmospheric Pressure Plasma»
From June 9–10 seventy-one participants met at the Potsdam Seminaris hotel for the fifth workshop organized by the forum of atmospheric pressure plasma users (ADP-forum). It dealt with improving adhesion by means of functionalizing surfaces using atmospheric pressure plasma technologies. The workshop was complemented by a small, fine exhibition. During the breaks as well as in the evening at the ADP-forum’s get-together there was plenty of opportunity to deepen understanding in one-to-one conversations and to network.
ADHESIVES – VARNISHES – PRINTING INKS
Permanent Self-Adhesive Hydrogels
Self-adhesive hydrogels are three-dimensional hydrophilic water-swellable polymeric materials in form of polymeric films characterized in dry and in water-swollen state by tack, peel adhesion and shear strengt. They are crosslinked polymeric structures containing either covalent bonds produced by the simple reaction of one or more comonomers, chemically crosslinked using conventional at room temperature reactive crosslinking agents, thermal reactive crosslinkers or crosslinked by the use of UV radiation in the area between 200 and 400 nm. The hydrogen bonds, based on a dipole-dipole attraction of polar groups such as –COOH, –CONH2 or –OH and association bonds such as van der Waals forces between polymer chains are not strong enough for excellent structure of hydrogels. Hydrogen bonds are fully reversible and three to four times as strong as van der Waals forces. Consequently PSAs with H-bonds are significantly stronger than those, which are interconnected only by van der Waals forces. Secondary valence crosslinkings are in general distinguished from prim-ary valence crosslinkings by their thermoreversible nature. When warmed up the crosslinking is lost and during cooling it is formed again.
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PUBLISHING HOUSE
Rek & Thomas Medien AG
Schmiedgasse 5
P.O. Box 1762
CH-9001 St.Gallen
Phone +41 (0)71 228 20 11
Fax +41 (0)71 228 20 14
E-Mail
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