Volcanic ash and coconuts aren’t just found on tropical beaches anymore. That is because Hyundai, Kia, and Ford are using them in automotive applications, which have been nominated for awards. “Engineers at Hyundai and Kia are using ground volcanic ash in a polypropylene and rubber composite to reduce costs and achieve a cloth-like appearance,” reports [...]
Vaginal Mesh Lawsuits Continue to Stack Up
October 28, 2011 By 1 Comment
Makers of various kinds of vaginal mesh implants are now facing more than 600 lawsuits from women who claim the devices caused serious injury, report Alex Nussbaum and David Voreacos for Bloomberg News. As a result, a panel of 17 physicians at an FDA hearing recommended that some vaginal mesh be reclassified as high-risk devices [...]
CSB Studies Safety Issues at University Labs
October 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Since 2001, the U.S. Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), an independent federal agency that investigates serious chemical accidents, has gathered preliminary information on 120 different accidents at academic labs. Last week, CSB released a first-of-its-kind case study report that detailed one accident at Texas Tech University. In that report, CSB recommended that the [...]
Predicting Role of Plastics for Medical Devices in 2012
October 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Plastic — be that a new compound, tool, or process — will be the key to making most breakthroughs in medical technology actually happen, writes Doug Smock for Plastics Today. So where is the market headed in 2012? He suggests that a good place to look is the list of Top 10 Innovations of 2012 [...]
Characterizing Polymers With Magnetic Tweezers
October 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Scientists in the University of California, Santa Barbara, Materials Research Laboratory have used an instrument called magnetic tweezers to stretch a polymer and measure its nanoscale structure and other properties. This work could lead to a modestly priced and rapid tool to screen for polymer properties with applications in drug delivery to renewable biomaterials, according [...]
Committee Introduces 10 Bills for Revising FDA Medical Device Rules
October 24, 2011 By
House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders introduced a package of bills on Oct. 14 that is intended to reform the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) medical device review process as well as protect innovation and jobs in the device industry. Republicans and industry trade groups are happy, but Democrats and patient advocates say that patient [...]
Delivery Truck Redesigned With Lightweight Plastic
October 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
United Parcel Service of America, Inc. (UPS) was looking to cut fuel costs for its delivery trucks. The company has a few thousand plug-in electric and natural gas-powered vehicles in its 70,000-plus fleet, but batteries only go so far, and natural gas stations aren’t usually along rural routes. UPS was looking for a diesel-powered cargo [...]
Employing Microalgae to Make Biodegradable Plastic
October 20, 2011 By 1 Comment
The search is on to find biodegradable plastics that can be made from renewable materials at reasonable costs. Now, researchers in Germany have reported a method for rapidly producing poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) in microalgae. PHB is renewable and biodegradable polyester with thermoplastic properties. PHB is produced naturally in bacteria such as Ralstonia eutropha and Bacillus megaterium [...]
Polymer Advances Make Fur Faux and Fashionable
October 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Fur is the hot fashion for the upcoming cold winter season. Fake fur, that is. And it’s more exotic, realistic, durable — and even profitable — than ever before thanks to advances in polymer chemistry and manufacturing processes. Melissa Magsaysay of the Los Angeles Times reports that “stores and online sites, including high-end designer brands [...]
PET Recycling on the Rise
October 18, 2011 By 2 Comments
Two reports indicate that the U.S. recycling volume of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) went up in 2010, and the country’s recycling rate rose for the seventh consecutive year. The plastic recycling industry’s annual all-bottle recycling rate report was released by the American Chemistry Council and the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR). It includes data on [...]
