Electrical & Electronics

Non-halogenated flame-retardant developments are driving a transformative shift in the global market, challenging traditional flame retardants that often lead to toxic emissions.

Supercritical foaming revolutionizes polymer science, creating lightweight, porous materials with superior properties through controlled pressure and supercritical fluids.

In the turbulence, the future of the plastics industry emerges as a focal point. With forecasts depicting a landscape characterized by both challenges and opportunities. In a world inundated with crisis reports and the relentless hustle of daily life, it’s imperative now more than ever to hit the pause button and reassess our perspectives.

The IKV Colloquium demonstrated the plastics industry’s resilience in addressing current challenges. On February 28th-29th, 2024, RWTH Aachen University’s IKV organized an event fostering industry-academia exchanges.

NAFION, a remarkable polymer crafted by the Chemours Company, earns widespread acclaim for its exceptional properties and versatile applications across various industries.

While certain PFASs are notorious for their toxicity, persistence, and environmental mobility, Fluoropolymers emerge because of their durability, safety, water insolubility, and bio-inertia. These high-performance polymers are revolutionizing industries with their attributes.

Researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University in Sweden have unlocked a game-changing potential in 3D printing technology. By hacking into a 3D printer, they’ve transformed it into a versatile tool akin to a laser printer, capable of printing various polymers without the need for solvents, chemicals, or stringent clean room conditions.

PyroSpar, a derivative of the mineral anorthosite, is emerging as a novel element in the non-halogenated flame retardant’s domain. As industries shift toward eco-friendly alternatives, its distinctive attributes propose a novel approach to augmenting fire resistance, emphasizing sustainability.

In most plastics processing electricity is the main energy source. Electricity use is not, as is sometimes thought, fixed and uncontrollable, it is variable and controllable. For most sites, the electricity use will be directly related to the production volume in a given time period. 

Dell Technologies partners with materials firm Covestro to expand the possibilities of laptop recycling, to include designing for disassembly and increasing the amount of recoverable resin from each device. Together they are targeting a more circular solution.

TERRA, The Electronics Reuse & Recycling Alliance, has created a network of certified electronic waste (e-waste) recyclers, and is working to recover and reclaim the valuable materials contained in those discarded products.

Micro molding, a specialized manufacturing process, produces small and high-precision components with micron tolerances. The constant demand for miniaturization and higher complexity geometries for medical and electronic devices drives the continuous evolution of this technology.