SPE Library

The SPE Library contains thousands of papers, presentations, journal briefs and recorded webinars from the best minds in the Plastics Industry. Spanning almost two decades, this collection of published research and development work in polymer science and plastics technology is a wealth of knowledge and information for anyone involved in plastics.

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Recycling

Various topics related to sustainability in plastics, including bio-related, environmental issues, green, recycling, renewal, re-use and sustainability.

Reinforced polylactic acid for use in high-strength biodegradable medical implants

Declan Devine , Sean Lyons, John Killion, Clement Higginbotham, Luke Geever, Yuanyuan Chen, January 2016

Melt compounding of polylactic acid and halloysite nanotubes produces a novel composite with good mechanical properties.

Optimizing the flame retardant content of natural fiber thermoplastic composites

Leif Steuernagel, Dieter Meiners, Gerhard Ziegmann, Ahmed El-Sabbagh , Oliver Toepfer, January 2016

Aluminum trihydroxide can be used with compounded flax and polypropylene to increase flame retardance behavior, but without reducing mechanical properties.

Effects of surface modification on physical properties of bio-composites

Sanjay K. Nayak, Mohini Sain, Rajkumar Subbiah , Jimi Tjong, January 2016

Treated sisal fiber-based materials exhibit permeability, resin flow direction, and tensile strength changes compared with untreated samples.

Investigating the geometrical shape of cellulose nanocrystals

Qiang Wu, Yanjun Li, Siqun Wang, Timothy M. Young, Yujie Meng, Biao Huang, January 2016

The 3D morphology of nanoparticles prepared from switchgrass is quantitatively and statistically characterized.

SPE Bioplastic and Renewable Technologies Division December 2015 Newsletter

SPE Bioplastic and Renewable Technologies Division, December 2015

Read the latest issue of the SPE Bioplastic and Renewable Technologies Division newsletter.

Enhancing the properties of low-density polyethylene composites

Thollwana Makhetha, Rantooa Moji, Mokgaotsa Mochane, Teboho Mokhena, Thabang Mokhothu, Tshwafo Motaung, Setumo Motloung, September 2015

Mechanical treatment, with the use of a Supermasscolloider, of sugar cane bagasse significantly improves the mechanical and thermal characteristics of composites made with this material.

Reducing the water uptake of environmentally friendly polypropylene composites

Rafael Balart , David Garcia-Sanoguera, Maria Dolores Samper, Alfredo Carbonell, Daniel Garcia-Garcia, September 2015

Spent coffee ground particles are treated with a fatty acid derivative in a novel hydrophobic method that improves particle dispersion and impact properties.

Investigating the crystallization behavior of poly(lactic acid) materials

Wei Li, Zhong-Yong Fan, August 2015

The poly(L-lactide)-to-poly(D-lactide) block length ratio of star-shaped asymmetric stereoblock copolymers is a key control on the crystallization of stereocomplex crystallites.

Functionally graded porous membranes for effective sound absorption

Noureddine Atalla, Chul B. Park, Hani E. Naguib, Shahrzad Ghaffari Mosanenzadeh, July 2015

Tailoring the microstructure of biobased open-cell porous materials could enable the development of innovative, eco-friendly thermoplastic packages for acoustic applications.

Investigating agricultural waste-reinforced polyurethane elastomer green composites

Mehmet Dogan, Erdal Bayramli , Umit Tayfun, June 2015

Enhancing interfacial interactions between natural filler and polymer matrix by modifying the surface of rice straw results in stronger thermoplastic polyurethane-based eco-composites.

Water uptake and its effect on biocomposites

Papa-Birame Gning, Vincent Francois, Karim Bensalem, Lotfi Toubal, Jean-Christophe Cuilliere, May 2015

A non-Fickian model of moisture diffusion in a hemp/polypropylene composite allows better prediction of moisture uptake and its related effect on mechanical properties.

Natural-fiber reinforced plastics for high-temperature uses

Prakash Hadimani, Padmanabhan B. Raman, Robert Roden, Sambhu Bhadra, Babu Padmanabhan, May 2015

Jute-filled polypropylene composites with a heat deflection temperature above150°C and improved mechanical and flow properties were developed on a high-performance co-rotating twin-screw compounder.

Enhancing compatibility of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and starch

Trong-Ming Don, May 2015

Grafting poly(vinyl acetate) from starch improves film formability, thermal stability, and toughness in biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/starch blends.

3D Thickness Mapping by Micro-Computed Tomography Aiding Design

Masoud Allahkarami, Sudheer Bandla, Jay C. Hanan, May 2015

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is the most used packaging material for water and carbonated soft drinks. Raw materials used in making PET are typically based on non-renewable resources and does not biodegrade at the end of their service life. Designing PET bottles to use less PET significantly reduces carbon emissions. This involves optimizing the part design and manufacture process which requires advancing accurate techniques for thickness and physical property measurements. The bottle base section is one of the locations that can often be modified in a mold. Due to the complex shape and curved surfaces, thickness measurement on the base section is difficult. Here, a micro X-ray tomography method was used for thickness measurement and visualization. Knowledge of the final thickness distribution at different locations of the bottle base is beneficial for both design and process optimization.

A New CMR-Free Polyamide Imide Resin

Limor Ben Asher, May 2015

Abstract
Polyamide imide [PAI] resin polymers are well-known thermally stable polymers that are used for many high performance coating applications due to their excellent adhesion, temperature resistance, and high strength.
For the various coating uses, PAI resins are used in solvent-based formulations. However, ever-evolving regulations dictate the need to find a solution and replace the traditionally used n-methyl- and ethyl-pyrrolidone [NMP/NEP] solvents. NMP is the most-commonly used solvent in a variety of coating applications. In the 1980?s and 1990?s NMP was used to produce ?environmentally friendly? coatings, replacing cresol as the predominant solvent at that time. Now NMP and NEP have been classified as reprotoxic chemicals, based on the EU REACH regulations and, once again, PAI users face a similar threat which will close entire segments in Europe unless an alternative solvent can be found.

As a key sustainability initiative, Fujifilm Hunt has successfully developed a proprietary alternative solvent solution to the REACH-classified CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic) chemicals currently available for PAI coating applications.

Bioadhesive from Lignin and Dried Distillers? Grains with Solubles (DDGS)

Tao Wang, Manjusri Misra, Amar Mohanty, May 2015

Lignin and dried distillers? grains with solubles (DDGS) were utilized to prepare biobased adhesives at different DDGS-to-lignin ratios. The adhesion properties of the bioadhesives for bonding plywood were then evaluated. The adhesives prepared from the mixture of DDGS and lignin showed higher bonding strength than the adhesives prepared from DDGS and lignin alone. Analysis of the hot pressed adhesives showed that the DDGS extract and lignin had favorable interaction, which contributed to better performance of the hybrid adhesives.

A Study on the Relationship between the Size of the Company and It?s Sustainability Spending in the Plastics Industry

Bonnie J. Bachman, Shikhar P. Acharya, Shristy Bashyal, Margaret H. Baumann, May 2015

Business corporations? emphasis on sustainability is ever increasing which is evident by the increase in sustainability spending. Each year, companies are spending more on sustainability. This research is an attempt to understand if the sustainability spending depends upon the size of the company as measured by its revenue. Moreover, the paper focuses on the relationship between sustainability spending and size of the company in plastic industry. The study is the second survey of its kind and is based on the global inquiry with the members of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). Based on the results of Chi-square test for independence, we found that there is no relationship between sustainability spending and the size of the company.

Adhesive Technology for Bonding Dissimilar Materials during the Injection Molding Process

Paul A. Wheeler, Chris Schneider, May 2015

LORD offers adhesive solutions that effectively bond plastics to substrates directly in an injection molding process. A specially designed injection mold was created to evaluate adhesive technologies and their effectiveness in bonding various thermoplastics, such as nylon, polycarbonate, PC/ABS, and TPU?s, to substrates such as aluminum and glass. This paper focuses on in-mold bonding of PC, PC/ABS, and nylon 66 to aluminum. Molded assemblies were tested for adhesion directly after molding and after environmental exposures (thermal cycling, heat and humidity, and anodizing). This process and product technology offers a number of design and cost benefits, such as light weighting, design freedoms, and manufacturing efficiencies.

Aging Behavior of Polyamide 12 during Selective Laser Melting Process ? Influence on Mechanical Properties

Katrin Wudy, Dietmar Drummer, May 2015

Selective laser melting is a well-established manufacturing technique in prototype construction. In recent years a tendency to rapid manufacturing applications and the production of ready to use components with this technology can be observed. If components made by laser melting are desired to be applied in technical series products, their achievable properties play a major role. The high process temperatures in combination with long build times during laser melting process lead to chemical and physical aging mechanisms on the polymeric feed material. The unmolten partcake material, which acts as a supporting structure, can be removed after each building process and reused for further processes. To achieve part properties which endure the necessary mechanical loads, refreshing of partcake powder with 30 up to 50 % by weight virgin material is necessary. However, constant refreshing strategies will lead to varying component properties due to an undefined aging state of the basic partcake material. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of the correlation between the feed material aging state and resulting mechanical properties is alienable.
This paper deals with the analysis of the relationship between the aging state of the feed material focused on rheological behavior, mechanical part properties and deformation behavior. Therefore, polyamide 12 powder is used for at least five processing cycles without refreshing. Before and after each build process, bulk and material characteristics like bulk density, hausner ratio, viscosity number, melt volume rate and average molecular weight were determined. Tensile tests were conducted in order to study the mechanical material and deformation behavior. Finally, mechanical behavior as a function of feed material can be evaluated. On this basis, powder life cycles in dependency of mechanical properties can be derived.

Corn Protein Composites for Agricultural Products

Jake Behrens, Jay-Lin Jane, David Grewell, James Schrader, Ines K??hnert, May 2015

Corn protein based polymer composites were developed for use in different agricultural consumer products. Addition of corn protein to polymer matrices increased thermal degradation, water absorption, and generally showed a slight decrease in mechanical properties. Thus, these composites are well suited for short-lived or controlled-degradation applications. For example, used as crop containers, the composites outperformed their petroleum-based counterparts in terms of enhancing plant growth.

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