Plastic Fantastic

This talk will focus on recent material developments to fulfill the specifications set by the new field of soft robotics. Robots are playing a greater and greater role in society. For true interaction with humans, a soft interface is preferential. Imagine robots that can give a gentle embrace while actively listening to and commenting your problems, or small insect like robots used during operation to reach and operate within the most complicated structures within the human body. Soft robotics put a demand forward for softer and softer materials with mechanical integrity and stability over time. Silicone elastomers are excellent for soft robotics due to their inherent softness, mechanical integrity and stability, but for certain applications they are still too hard and must be optimized.

Erik will present plastic materials and surfaces with surprising properties. You will learn about light-altering micro-structures, 3D-printed optics, digital embossing, laser transfer decoration, a new type of shapeable silicone dough, low melting point plastics, plastic finger-printing, and many other interesting materials and technologies that you don’t find in your classic material compendium.
During the breaks you can explore a collection of 120 different material samples selected for the theme of the seminar.

Tribology is the science of surfaces in contact and relative motion. Topics related to this area are friction, wear and lubrication.
In this presentation, Ion will give examples of surprising and sometimes strange polymer behaviour that he has encountered during his work and in collaboration with international tribology groups e.g.:

• The friction properties of a polymer change when loaded or compressed
• Polymers are weak and soft. Adding fibers makes them stronger and stiffer, but then they start to wear out
• Car tires only touch the road with a few square millimeters. How can they keep your car on the road (most of the time)?

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are characterized by their high tensile- and compression strength, high electrical- and heat conductivity, and attractive fluorescence and luminescence ability. So far researchers have been unable to commercially exploit these characteristics, as efficient dispersion and anchoring of CNT in a composite have been impossible. At Nanocore, they are attempting to solve this challenge. They have developed a nanosizing approach that allows both the “individualization” (full dispersion) of CNT and tight anchoring of CNT in the composite. In this presentation, Henrik will give an overview of their current studies applying the nanosizing approach to different polymers and processing methodologies. The nanosizing technology should allow the realization of many of the potential uses of CNT, allowing for attractive applications such as the use of CNT in actuators, sensors, photovoltaics, and many other products.

In the course of future brand positioning there is a radical change visible in the automotive industry, which can only be answered by differentiation via sustainable implementation of new design ideas and production solutions.
Based on this new design language and component requirements for ongoing electrical mobility developments and needs for autonomous driving, a production concept was realised by injection moulding with IMD decoration technology and further with integration of PUR lacquer over moulding in one production cell.
Design aspects could easily be addressed by changing IMD rolls. Long-lasting sustainable surface resistance qualities are achieved by the integrated PUR over moulding into one single mould concept making off-line painting process obsolete, benefitting from scale economies of injection moulding.

That technology enables part design sufficiently for the needs of RADAR and LIDAR requirements for automated driving and is attractive also for other industry segments besides automotive sector, e.g. white good industry.

Several strategies have been attempted in the quest to make surfaces antimicrobial and/or self-cleaning, but implementation remains challenging for most commercial applications. The consequences caused by unwanted/ unknown reactions can be disastrous.
This talk will present an overview of the various mechanisms used for making surfaces, and present examples of the difficulties encountered when taking the step from research to product development.

Unfortunately, there is a real risk of Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAI). The Healthcare industry’s efforts to reduce HAI involve the use of aggressive, harsh chemical cleaners to destroy infection – causing microbes. However, when applied to hospital equipment and devices, these chemical cleaners can cause plastic housings and parts to become brittle and crack, rendering the equipment and devices non-functional, or unsafe to use.
This presentation will give you an overview of the HAI problem, the disinfection types, the chemical testing and plastic screening, the RTP new product development process, and show the new class of disinfectant resistant plastics.

Based on specific cases, this talk will present the benefits of using high performance polymers in terms of functionality and production and will also cover various additives such as glass, carbon, PTFE, metal ect. Jakob Clemen will also discuss when a high performance polymer is needed and what can be achieved with a more traditional plastic like nylon, POM or ABS in comparison.