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The paradigm shift for our planet calls for new food for thought – also in the plastics and rubber industry.
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A true all-rounder: with two apprenticeships to become a turnkey expert
Oliver Fuss has completed not one, but two apprenticeships at Arburg: first an apprenticeship as a mechatronics technician and then as a process mechanic for plastics and rubber technology. Now he works in the turnkey division, where fully automated manufacturing cells are designed and built.
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"CMF has an opportunity to really understand all those different consumers"
Falza Khanani talks about the different possibilites of Color, Material and Finish design.
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Safely packaged: recyclable reusable transport box protects the environment and sensitive goods
Packaging materials are often not very sustainable. This is partly because they are only designed for single-use transport. Researchers in the Fraunhofer LBF's Plastics department have taken this fact as an opportunity to develop an alternative. With their recyclable reusable transport solution for sensitive goods, the climate, the environment and resources can be protected.
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A new self-healing coating material
A transparent protective coating material that can heal itself within 30 minutes when exposed to sunlight has been developed by a research team from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT).
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Covestro invests in the production of more sustainable polycarbonates in Asia Pacific
Covestro plans to set up its first dedicated mechanical recycling (MCR) plant for polycarbonates at its integrated site in Shanghai. The company also plans to convert an existing compounding facility in Thailand into a mechanical recycling plant.
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Gorgeous plastics – circular aesthetics
Few materials can compete with plastics when it comes to functional versatility, but the same can also be said for creating aesthetic expressions with plastics. At a time when they are often associated with generally negative press most consumer brands want to shy away from it is a material family. It needs to readdress the balance and play to more durable, higher-value stories.
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Sustainability by digitalization: Inventory machines become capable of communication
What's old is far from bad. This also applies to machines - however, they are often not capable of communicating. Yet it is precisely this ability that is of interest when it comes to evaluating data or correcting errors. Injection molding machine manufacturer Steinl has found a way to connect even older machines to a communication network.
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LANXESS: Entire value chain to become climate-neutral
The chemicals company LANXESS aims to make its upstream and downstream supply chains climate-neutral by 2050. In order to achieve the so-called Scope 3 targets, LANXESS has launched the Net Zero Value Chain Program. The focus is on sustainable raw materials, green logistics and climate-neutral products.
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Engineering enzymes to help solve the planet's plastic problem
Researchers at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) have developed a new enzyme engineering platform. The focus is on plastic-degrading enzymes that can be improved through directed evolution. To test their platform, they engineered a new enzyme, HotPETase, through the directed evolution of IsPETase.
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K Team Day: A day at K exhibitor Steinert
In August, the K Team from Messe Düsseldorf went to Pulheim to visit Steinert GmbH. The K exhibitor develops machines and processes for recycling a wide range of materials – including, of course, plastics. The team visited the Development & Test Center and had sorting and recycling systems explained and demonstrated.
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Pioneering recycling turns mixed waste into premium plastics with no climate impact
Carbon atoms in mixed waste can replace all fossil raw materials in the production of new plastic. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden are demonstrating this with a new thermochemical recycling method. It is modeled on the natural carbon cycle and could eliminate the impact of plastics on the climate or even clean the air of carbon dioxide.
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A flexible device that harvests thermal energy to power wearable electronics
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed the first flexible, wearable thermoelectric device capable of converting body heat into electricity.
The researchers demonstrated that they can print these devices on stretchable textiles and curved surfaces.
This will allow the devices to be applied to clothing and other objects in the future.
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Redefining sustainability with antimicrobial solutions for plastics
Plastic is one of the most versatile materials on earth, it has influenced all areas of our lives. However, in the last few decades, the reputation of plastics has been tarnished by the environmental threat predominantly associated with single-use, disposable products that cover landfills and pollute our oceans.
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Energy costs and climate protection in industry and commerce: decarbXpo launches
A lot is happening in the field energy technology, not least as a result of rapidly rising energy prices. Spurred on by falling costs for renewable energy technologies, innovative storage solutions, intelligent energy management systems and new opportunities are also opening up for industrial and commercial companies.
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"My ambition is to further expand the position of K as the most relevant meeting place for the industry worldwide."
Thomas Franken talks about his expectations for K2022, the challenges the industry faces and what technology is likely to develop in the coming years.
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BASF enters power agreements for clean energy supply of more than 20 BASF sites across the United States
The BASF company is focusing on renewable energy in the field of electricity supply in the United States. BASF enables renewable energy projects by signing virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) totaling 250 MW. In addition, the amount of solar and wind energy in the grid offsets the energy supply of more than 20 production sites.
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Climate-neutral with a plan – sustainability in the plastics industry
Successful business means sustainable business. Because according to KraussMaffei, sustainability has both ecological and economic advantages. Recently, the company reaffirmed its goal of being climate-neutral by 2030. Its strategy includes recycling solutions, energy-efficient construction and heating, and sustainable product development.
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Augmented Reality in the plastics industry: individualized instructions for the entire product life cycle
Individualization is the trend. In the plastics industry, too, more and more individualized machines are coming onto the market. Of course, these machines also require individualized manuals with instructions tailored specifically to them. However, this is not yet a reality today. The AdaptAR project wants to change that – with the help of Augmented Reality and an app.
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"They are recyclables, not waste" – Recycling of rigid polyurethane foams
Circular Economy is teamwork. Everyone can contribute, and every single step counts. Covestro is making its contribution – together with other partners such as Circularise – with the CIRCULAR FOAM research project. This is about recycling rigid polyurethane foams that are used in the insulation of buildings or refrigeration appliances.
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Smart textiles sense how their users are moving
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology develop a comfortable, form-fitting fabric that recognizes its wearer's activities, like walking, running, and jumping. Through the process of thermoforming, the researchers were able to significantly improve the precision of pressure sensors woven into multilayer knitted textiles, which they call 3DKnITS.
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BASF's IrgaCycle™ stabilizes recycled plastics used to protect pineapples from sunburn in Malaysia
The two companies BASF and 3T Industries Sdn Bhd are helping pineapple plantations in Malaysia to increase yields and conserve resources. 3T Industries has used BASF's IrgaCycle™ UV033 DD to improve the production of 100% recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) sheets to protect pineapples from solar radiation.
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Cloeren GmbH invests in solar energy
Cloeren GmbH has completed installation of a solar power plant at its Micheldorf, Austria facility to move towards carbon neutral manufacturing. The solar plant investment added 200 KW of solar produced energy, allowing us to reduce C02 emissions 90 tonnes per year.
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Saves energy and costs: two-stage process makes plastics recycling more efficient
In recycling, plastics are usually sorted, cleaned, ground, compounded and regranulated to be reprocessed as regranulate. The material must therefore be melted twice – first for granulation, then for injection moulding. ENGEL has now developed a process in which plastic waste can be processed as flakes in injection moulding directly after grinding. This makes it highly energy-efficient.
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Public obligations for recycling: Germany – a good role model?
With the Packaging Act, Germany is taking a further step towards an all-encompassing raw material cycle for packaging. One of the requirements aims to significantly increase the amount of recyclable packaging. Packaging used in mail order or "dispensed" for to-go products has recently been required to be registered in the LUCID Packaging Register.
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