Articles

Newsrss4Silicone & Medical

Researchers develop fast-curing silicone ink opening new doors in 3D printing

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a new method to 3D print sturdy silicone structures that are bigger, taller, thinner and more porous than ever before.

The team’s two-part “fast cure” silicone-based ink for direct ink writing mixes just before printing and sets quickly at room temperature, allowing for longer print times, simplifying the fabrication process, and ensuring structures will not collapse or sag, even in complex shapes and configurations.

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Newsrss1Silicone & Medical

H.B. Fuller acquires two leading medical adhesive companies

H.B. Fuller Company announced that it has signed agreements to acquire two leading medical adhesive technology companies: GEM S.r.l. and Medifill Ltd.
Medifill Ltd. is an Irish formulator and producer of medical-grade cyanoacrylate adhesives with a state-of-the-art clean room and manufacturing capabilities. Medifill produces advanced technology that is specifically tailored for the wound closure market. The next-generation formulations enable fast, safe, and effective wound closure.
GEM S.r.l. is an Italian manufacturer and market leading provider of medical adhesives and innovative application devices approved and certified for over 80 internal indications. The acquisition establishes a European headquarters for H.B. Fuller’s Medical Adhesive Technologies (MAT) business and expands the company’s medical adhesive offerings, further shifting its portfolio toward highly profitable, higher growth markets.

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Newsrss3Silicone & Medical

Silcotech and Neotech develop the new Neotech Bridge Breastfeeding Assistance Device

The Neotech Bridge is a silicone nipple cover with a built-in channel that attaches to a syringe filled with breastmilk or formula. The syringe allows mothers to control the amount and flow to keep the baby at the breast, feeding continuously which help to further promote natural milk production.
The market opportunity is vast as a large percentage of mothers experience breastfeeding challenges. While initially targeting hospitals, Neotech is now also focused on the retail space as well. And since taking over the product, Neotech continues to grow sales each year.
Both Neotech and Silcotech emphasized the powerful impact of this product.

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Chemicals & MaterialsNewsrss2

University of Virginia researchers solve a nearly 200-year-old challenge in polymers

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new design that appears to rewrite the textbook on polymer engineering.

“We are addressing a fundamental challenge that has been thought to be impossible to solve since the invention of vulcanized rubber in 1839,” said Liheng Cai, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering, and chemical engineering.

That’s when Charles Goodyear accidentally discovered that heating natural rubber with sulfur created chemical crosslinks between the strand-like rubber molecules. This crosslinking process creates a polymer network, transforming the sticky rubber, which melts and flows in the heat, into a durable, elastic material.

Ever since, it’s been believed that if you want to make a polymer network material stiff, you have to sacrifice some stretchability.

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Newsrss1Silicone & Medical

U.S. Medical Glove Company launches U.S. Medical Accessories division

U.S. Medical Glove Company (USMGC) announced the launch of a new division, U.S. Medical Accessories (USMA), to support its growing business of building proprietary medical exam glove-making machines.

The new division, USMA, will exclusively supply USMGC customers with support and service for its machines. This includes supplying the parts, components, robotic tooling technology, laser cutting systems, custom electrical panels, and additional accessories required for manufacturing nitrile and polyisoprene exam gloves.

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Latex and Natural RubberNewsrss1

New Engineering Research Center coming to OSU to study natural rubber

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a 5-year investment of $104 million, with a potential 10-year investment of up to $208 million, in four new NSF Engineering Research Centers (ERCs) to create technology powered solutions that benefit the nation for decades to come.
One of the four new centers is TARDISS: Transformation of American Rubber through Domestic Innovation for Supply Security. The Ohio State University (OSU) partnered with Caltech, North Carolina State University, Texas Tech University, the University of California Merced, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Case Western Reserve University for this new center. This makes OSU the only university in the nation to lead 2 ERCs simultaneously. Faculty members in the Food, Agriculture and Biological Engineering Department led the effort.

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