23.07.2025

Did you know that the average smartphone contains around twenty grams of plastic? Plastics are not only found in the housings, but also in tiny components such as insulators on circuit boards or flexible connecting elements. They make modern devices lighter, safer, and more powerful and are therefore a key driver of innovation in electronics.

02.07.2025

From artificial muscles and sensory textiles to a cornea from the printer – current research projects show just how versatile modern polymer materials are in medical applications today. Flexible, biocompatible and precisely processable, they open up new avenues for diagnostics, therapy and care.

31.07.2024

The right outfit for every sport. Even for a short jog after work, sports enthusiasts can access sophisticated equipment. From breathable sports shirts and cooling running tights to running shoes. The choice is diverse. However, there is one unifying factor that most models have in common - plastics are used in their manufacture.

01.06.2023

Borealis introduces the Bornewables™ line of Queo™, a range of plastomers and elastomers based on renewable feedstock. The introduction follows the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) of Borealis' production site for the Queo™ portfolio, in Geleen, the Netherlands.

31.05.2023

The treatment of malocclusions can sometimes be lengthy and cost-intensive. A new corrective splint (aligner) is needed for each individual therapy step. So-called shape memory polymers can help not only to make the therapy more patient-friendly, but also to reduce material waste.

22.05.2023

Plastics contribute to climate protection. As fibre-reinforced plastics for wind turbines or films for solar cells, they already play an important role in power generation from renewable energies. But the conventional solutions are not equally suitable for every area of application. This is where a new type of material comes into play that was developed at Saarland University.

26.12.2022

In a project called "Manufhaptics", researchers at Empa, together with EPFL and ETH Zurich, want to develop a VR glove that will make virtual worlds tangible. The VR glove is to be created using a 3D printing process and will have three different actuators.

08.12.2022

A research team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA has succeeded inadditively manufacture sensors and other electronic devices in a single operation. As part of this research, the conductivity of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) was tested to find out, for example, how best to incorporate electronic components.