Polymer rheology plays a critical role in understanding the flow behavior and viscoelastic properties of polymers across the supply chain. Whether in polymer manufacturing, compounding, conversion, or recycling, precise rheological measurements are essential for optimizing processing conditions, ensuring product quality, and preventing defects.
DetailsAs electronic devices grow more powerful and compact, thermal management has become a critical design challenge. Central to this challenge are Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs)—specialized materials engineered to enhance heat transfer between high-power electronic components and heat-dissipating surfaces.
DetailsCatalytic reactions are everywhere: from plastics and bread to over 90% of all chemicals worldwide, countless goods and materials are manufactured with the aid of catalysts.1 Catalysts are substances that speed up sluggish chemical reactions. Faster reactions are more technologically and economically competitive. Furthermore, optimized catalysts offer a huge potential to reduce energy and resource consumption and lower carbon dioxide emissions.
DetailsPolymers are everywhere, from components making up the electronic device you’re reading this on to life-saving medical devices, energy efficient solar panels, and lightweight aero or auto components. Material scientists and engineers continue to improve high-performance polymers for strength, durability, and stability under demanding applications.
DetailsWhat are bioplastics? How can plastic manufacturers use them to improve the environmental impact of their products? With so many emerging green technologies, producers and consumers need to differentiate between greenwashing1 and genuine advancements. Furthermore, if a new development is deemed environmentally beneficial, all stages of the plastics supply chain, especially converters, must then learn how to incorporate the new technology without undermining their process or products.
DetailsOur world is brimming with viscoelastic materials: The dough you knead before baking a fresh loaf, the Silly Putty your toddler slaps against the wall, the rubber gaskets that create an airtight seal on an airplane door. Testing those materials by applying controlled deformations (strains) or forces (stresses) at various timescales, temperatures, and/or humidities allows for the optimization of properties and ensures durability and safety.
Details3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is being embraced as a versatile manufacturing technique across diverse industries. 3D printing allows for rapid prototyping and print-on-demand solutions to avoid the potential waste associated with batch runs.
DetailsSuccessful additive manufacturing products depend upon your materials’ properties and behaviors. Rheology provides valuable information for safe, efficient, and reproducible polymer manufacturing.
DetailsMechanical testing supports material and product innovation across a variety of industries and applications, from testing the long-term durability of dental implants during chewing to predicting how a car part will bend during an accident. Learn how the latest technology advances mechanical testing to better support cutting-edge product development.
DetailsDynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) is a technique to measure the response of materials when they are subjected to dynamic or cyclic forces. Typically, dynamic mechanical analysis involves looking at the elastic and viscous response of the material when it is under a small oscillating load that probes the molecular structure’s response to the perturbation . Other variables, such as temperature, time and frequency may be changed as part of the testing to characterize how the material performs under different environmental conditions.
DetailsAgainst the backdrop of a plastic waste crisis, the global demand for plastic is set to quadruple by 2060. This has driven a shift toward sustainability and away from linear use models of plastic production. Post-consumer resin (PCR) has emerged as a key player in circular economy initiatives, though ensuring the quality and performance of PCR requires several characterization considerations.
DetailsThere is a renewed interest in the durability of protective sports equipment after Patrick Mahomes’ helmet recently cracked apart in -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius) weather. Scientists from TA Instruments ran tests to find out if materials found in protective sports equipment can break due to cold weather.
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