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High-heat crystal polystyrene (HHCPS) and high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) macroscale parts with microscale features were injection molded using a commercially available mold base with matching steel insert and microfeatured silicon wafer in conjunction with a temperature control system.

Ultraviolet (UV) photolithography was utilized to create orthogonally arrayed microchannels on the surface of the silicon wafers, which served as the back half mold surface. The effect of mold temperature on final part microgeometry was analyzed. It was determined that high mold temperatures facilitated greater filling of the microfeatures. In addition, solid-state processing created an undercut feature in the microchannel, which promoted both pillar elongation and (unfortunately) tensile pillar rupture. The novel addition of tensile elongation of pillars during demolding could lead to pillar aspect ratios not achievable through conventional replication. Material compliance promoted greater pillar heights, as HIPS exhibited greater values at identical mold temperature conditions.
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From the February 2011 issue of Plastics Engineering.

By Jon Evans

The beginning of the end of the oil era is already causing headaches for fuel producers and plastics producers, as both start searching for potential replacements.

To read the rest of the article, please see the attached PDF.

From the June 2011 issue of Plastics Engineering

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From the April 2011 issue of Plastics Engineering
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Polyolefin Developments: Timely & Economical

PE & PP adjust to a world of tighter budgets and higher expectations.

By Michael Tolinski

 As the lowest-priced family of low-density polymers, polyolefins may find themselves being put into the roles of saviors during the economic recession and recovery. The lightweight resins can be tailored to do a lot—at minimal cost.

So resin producers continue to create new grades with enhanced properties, and compounders are beefing up polyolefins for new applications—while end-users expect the materials to come in more sophisticated compounds and forms. Along with their well-known roles in packaging applications, newly developed PO-based materials have become important in the replacement of aging urban infrastructure, as well as in the engineering of new lightweight vehicles.
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With globalization, everybody wins – sooner or later

By Peter Mapleston

Globalization began well over 2000 years ago when traders moved along a series of routes stretching from the Mediterranean through India to China, which collectively became known as the Silk Road. The trade involved not only silk, but all manner of commodities, including slaves (no plastics however).

So why all the fuss about globalization now? Well, as the Global Policy Forum puts it, human societies across the globe have established progressively closer contacts over many centuries, but recently the pace has dramatically increased. Cheap air and sea travel, global telephone services, instant capital flows and, of course, the internet, have all made the world more interdependent than ever.
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Plastics & Electronics: The New Flexibility

By Jon Evans

Computers are everywhere: all around your home—in game consoles, televisions, DVD players, and appliances—and they’ve invaded the outside world as well. On every train or plane, in every coffee shop, you’ll see someone working on a laptop; and of course, computers are also in phones, cars, MP3 players, and any other number of electrical gadgets we carry around.

            And this is just the beginning. In a few years, computers will also be on clothes, in bags, on walls, on almost every product that we buy, and even inside us, both disseminating and collecting information. This new generation of computers will be cheap, fairly simple, and, crucially, flexible and printable, and the vast majority will probably be made from electrically conducting polymers.
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Polymer nanocomposites are becoming increasingly popular
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