Materials and Fastening

Cheese, bacon, tomatoes and peanut butter - weird and wonderful burger toppings are all the rage, but some combinations are more appealing than others.  Layering several elements can be a formula for magic, and the same is true for nanomaterials. Here, Mar Garcia Hernandez, work package leader at the Graphene Flagship explains the potential of experimenting with Graphene and Related Materials (GRMs).

You wouldn’t attempt to delicately manicure a bonsai tree with a chainsaw, even if it would be entertaining to watch. This may seem obvious, but there are many fields where selecting the right tool is a vital ingredient to success. In the composites industry, customers often request carbon fibre when in fact fibreglass is a better suited high performance material for their needs. Here, Kim Sjödahl, Senior Vice President, R&D and Technology from Exel Composites, explains why carbon fibre is not always the best option.

New felt seals have been designed and manufactured by igus to protect iglidur plain bearings from the adverse effects when running in excessive amounts of sand, dirt, and abrasive dust.

Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation (MEP), meets the rapidly-changing stringent regulatory and functional requirements of the automotive, electronics and general industries markets for low formaldehyde emissions with a new polyacetal (POM) product family. MEP has announced the innovative low-odor and low-residue Iupital 05 Polyacetal Series.

Animals as different as lions, piranha and ants have something in common: their ability to hunt in groups. The anatomy of a wild hunt is complex. Each member of the pack has a role to play, and a specific position in the group’s formation. Just a step out of line could be the difference between dinner and empty stomachs. When producing composites, placement is also key. Here Lauri Turunen, Product Business Owner at Exel Composites, investigates the possibilities of fibre alignment in composite materials.

Matmatch has launched a series of new website features that simplify the process of material selection. The free database connects engineers and product designers with the best materials and suppliers across the globe, allowing them to find materials by filtering on their physical and chemical properties.

Two filaments can be joined together in a single production step to form a lubrication-free and robust component. Prototypes, spare parts, tools and low volume production: 3D printers from plastics specialist igus are now producing components with different filament materials. Specialised material properties can be easily combined in this 2-component 3D printing.

In 2018, an estimated 142 billion gallons of gasoline were consumed in the United States, with Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) attributing to 20% of this figure. With the environmental impact of fuel clear to see, composite materials have the power to drastically reduce unnecessary fuel consumption. This is only one way composites can benefit the transportation industry. Here, Jari Sopanen, Product Business Owner for Transportation at ExelComposites, explains more.

To help customers find the right iglidur material for the appropriate application, igus has developed a new compact, non-virtual material selector (a new sample box) for its 39 iglidur standard materials. The company has also developed a digital online iglidur system which helps customers select and calculate the material’s service life.

Since Italy became the first European country to enter lockdown on 8th March and the consequent restrictions from governments globally to control the spread of COVID-19, the materials market overall experienced a drop in demand. However, while the demand for many engineering materials dropped, the polymers industry saw continued growth in demand. Here, Ben Smye, Head of Growth at Matmatch, provides insight into Matmatch’s trend data.