A decade ago, in the wake of lawsuits over use of silicones for breast implants, use of polymers for implantable medical devices was an unexplored territory. This has changed significantly over the past few years, and the use of drug-bearing polymers in implantable devices has arrived with a bang. From a non existent base about 2-3 decades ago, it has become a US$28 bln industry in USA alone, with applications ranging from treatment of brain cancer to a potential game-changer for diabetes. Read more in New solutions for drug delivery systems through polymers achieve good success
PLA, a biopolymer, can be formulated to be rigid or flexible and can be made with different mechanical properties suitable for specific manufacturing processes, such as injection molding, sheet extrusion, blow molding, thermoforming, blown film and fiber spinning. However, one of the limitations of PLA is its processing instability as it is highly vulnerable to thermal, oxidative and hydrolytic degradation, resulting in polymer chain cleavage, leading to loss of molecular weight and deterioration of rheological properties. To overcome this, read Foaming and stability of PLA blown film improve with chain extenders
Environment stress cracking of HDPE products is quite common due to its semi crystalline nature. The stress cracking is more severe with detergent, bleach, motor oil and some industrial chemical packaging, problems get more pronounced in the summer, because of factors related to increased heat and humidity. Read more in Basic understanding of stress cracking in HDPE products
Solar Impulse is a long-range solar plane project that aims at completely solar-powered circumnavigation. The proposed one-seater aircraft will be able to take off autonomously, and remain airborne for days. Take-off is proposed for May 2011. Lightweight of the aircraft was possible due to usage of plastics. Read more in Eight thermoplastic parts in solar airplane makes it lighter
A self-disinfecting plastics film coated with silver and calcium phosphate has been developed by a research group. This innovative product that is lethal to bacteria has been developed with a special feature that the bacteria themselves invoke and dispense the disinfectant effect. Read more in A self-disinfecting plastics film wherein the bacteria invoke and dispense the disinfectant effect
Arizona State University's Flexible Display Center (FDC) and its military and industry partners are claiming development of the first flexible touchscreen integrated with an active-matrix display. Designed to be sufficiently rugged for use on the battlefield, the display is also extremely thin compared to traditional glass touchscreens. Read more in Debutant flexible touchscreen initially headed for the battlefield
Simulation Software is based on the process of imitating a real phenomenon, with a set of mathematical formulae. It is essentially a program that allows the user to observe an operation through simulation without actually running the program. 3D simulation of injection mold filling, packing, cooling, shrinkage, and warpage is fairly mature. Read more in New developments in process prediction simulation modules
