MONTHLY MEETING

Abstract:

The coupling between microstructure and macroscopic material properties is a universally recognized materials science concern, and for polymeric materials, the relationship between applied deformation and microstructure is of added importance since nearly all polymer processing applications involve flow and thus deformation of the molecular structure.  More specifically, a diverse range of commercial products of tubular geometry rely upon a high degree of uniaxial (i.e., radial) or biaxial (i.e., mixture of radial and axial) orientation to imbue the requisite mechanical properties, including radial strength, modulus, and creep resistance.

These issues are also relevant to bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) based upon semicrystalline biopolymers, which may herald a new therapy in the treatment of coronary artery disease.  Such a scaffold is subject to a number of design constraints.  For example, it must possess sufficient radial strength to resist the pressure applied by the arterial wall for some finite time frame after deployment.  At the same time, the scaffold must retain some ductility so that it may be crimped onto a balloon catheter during production.  Complicating the picture is the fact that the device undergoes hydrolytic degradation in vivo, which erodes radial strength and ultimately compromises structural integrity.

This presentation will discuss the relationship between traditional polymer processing techniques, the resulting microstructural features, and the macroscopic material properties that make the BVS successful.  Particular attention will be given to the relationship between polymer processing and desirable macroscopic material properties at critical time scales over the lifetime of the device.

Directions to Exponent Inc.:

From the South (e.g., Sunnyvale, San Jose, Dumbarton Bridge)
101 North
Exit #406 Route 84 / Marsh Road
Proceed East
First RIGHT onto Independence Drive
Turn right at Chrysler Drive.
Chrysler Drive turns left and becomes Commonwealth Drive.
Exponent is on the left.

From the North (e.g., SFO, San Mateo Bridge)
101 South
Exit #406 Route 84 / Marsh Road
Proceed East
First RIGHT onto Independence Drive
Turn right at Chrysler Drive.
Chrysler Drive turns left and becomes Commonwealth Drive.
Exponent is on the left.
 

Dear SPE GGS Members:

The last NUMMI tour was filled out and Duke Sakaki gave a great demonstration of a quick mould change and walked us though manufacturing practices for injection molding and painting.  Thanks for organizing the tour four us.
NUMMI cranks out a car every 56 seconds on average – amazing! The closure of NUMMI will be huge loss to the Bay area. I wish the best to all the engineers and worker at NUMMI

We  are welcoming Juan Adames to the board of directors.  Juan comes from the biotech industry and has a PhD in polymers science.  I look forward to working with him to bring more biopolymer and biotechnology topics to SPE GGS events.  In fact, he is currently checking a biotech related tour for us.

Speaking of biotech, Feb 25 we will be bringing to you a topic of great interest to the biopolimers industry- polymers in cardiovascular stents. Dr. Oberhauser will discuss Bioresorbable Polymeric Scaffolds in Interventional Cardiology. Stay tuned during the next week for more details.

Finally,  I welcome all SPE GGS members to come out to our annual Education Night. It will take place March 5 starting at 5:00 PM.   Students from San Jose State, Chico and San Francisco state will be speaking on some of the plastics related projects they have been working on.  It is a great chance to meet some of our future engineers and listen to some really cool research topics in applied processing, materials and design with polymers. Plus, you will be supporting our local student SPE chapters. The location and registration cost will be announced via email.
 

Thank you

Alfonso Lopez
SPE GGS President
alfonso.lopez@hexcel.com

The GGS would like to thank Duke Sakaki, NUMMI and all those who worked on and attened the NUMMI tour. The SPE GGS is committed to providing both members and non-members, a broader range of topics and speakers for our monthly meetings. We have organized and strengthened our position on LinkedIn, a business networking web-based forum, and organized our board to reflect our growing committment to internet based education.

Look for more diverse topics and speakers. Check the CALENDAR section of our web site for our future meetings and social events. In March will we have our annual Education Night dinner. Plan early to attend this event! We hope to see you at one of our monthly meetings.

Tech Tip February 2010

BLACK PLASTIC -Part 1

How many times have we seen that name on a print? IF I had copyrighted the name and variants after I first saw it I would be retired by now, but probably still playing in plastics.  But truthfully material selection is important to the functionality of our parts, along with the processing, part design and tool design. As many have stated all four are important, much like the wheels on a car, any one of them goes bad and the car slows down or stops.

Too many times folks well not specify a material and expect the processor and or designer to specify the material, which may be okay until things go bad. As has been discussed here before about material selection, it really is elimination of those materials that do not meet the needs of the functionality of the product. The cost per pound aspect is sometimes the driving force in material selection, and in reality Black plastic should be replaced with price per pound.

When we look at cost of a material there are two important points in cost.  Cost per pound and cost per part. Cost per pound is easy, and the one most demanded of the supplier to cut because they are buying a gazillion pounds and it adds up. The cost per part is the one that really needs to be look at. See when we look at cost per part we have the following points to consider

1- weight of part converted to cost per part for our material
2- percent weight of runner system charge to that part
3- yield percent so as to charge material usage to that part
4- purging and startup usage of material to charge to that part
5- Cycle time impact of material used. (brand X versus brand Y)

Let us work through an issue. We have a part out of a multicavity tool that produces 8 parts per shot with each part having a weight of 10 grams and the runner having a weight of 25 grams. Our material is Black plastic sold at $10.00 per pound.

Our order is for 10,000 parts so that is approximately 225 pounds for the parts 70 pounds for runners and another 10 pounds to purge the machine (once running we do not stop). This total is 305 pounds to run the job at 100% yield. But we now have to account for a yield of 80% (poor molding) so to compensate we need to run approximately 1564 shots or 12,512 parts total to get 10,000 good parts.

When adding it up we come to the fact that now our material usage is close to 372 pounds to produce our parts. Thus our usage of material is not 10 grams per part (the actual part weight) but 16.89 grams per part.

To be continued..
Thanks for the time.

Steven L Silvey
Silveys Plastic Consulting
360-882-3183
silveysplastics@aol.com / silveysplastics@hotmail.com

February Council Meeting

The first virtual meeting of the SPE Council will be held on Friday, February 19, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern time.
The meeting will be predominately a check point on the progress of committees and will provide a full review of the 2009 fiscal year end.
There will also be a number of Bylaw and Policy initiatives on the agenda.
I will report more on this meeting in the March Spearhead.

Respectively Submitted,
Michael LoDico
SPE GGS Councilor
mld@plasco-corp.com

Education Corner

SPE GGS SJSU Status Report

The new semester has just begun and the members are looking forward to a polymers class that many of the materials engineering undergraduate are taking. The club plans to hold its first meeting of this semester at the end of February. During this meeting we will discuss potential field trips and current trends in plastic research and processing.

Thank you,
Stefan Bringuier
President of SPE
Phone: (818)481-4398
Email: Stefanb21487@gmail.com
 

Chico News:

Hello, my name is Chris Nomura and I’m the current president of the Society of Plastic Engineers here at California State University, Chico.  Our team of about twenty five members meets twice a month to plan for new ways to practice our plastic engineering and manufacturing techniques and to find ways to promote our new Sustainable Manufacturing program.  Between meetings, via hands-on experience and testing, we work to refine our designs and manufacturing processes.  Chico State SPE will be at the Education night in March with the SPE Golden Gate Section and I hope that with your continued support we can continue to learn about plastics so that we may be better prepared for our future careers in industry.

Thanks,
Christopher Nomura
SPE President -Chico
cnomura@mail.csuchico.edu
 

San Francisco State University Chapter

As President of SPE@SFSU my primary role is formulating and implementing a strategy that will further plastic education to our student body as a whole, not solely to our members. By now we are all aware of the dramatic budget cuts the State has made in our education system, and one of the hardest hit areas in our department was the plastics course. Instead of being offered every semester, plastics will be offered every other semester.

We as a student organization have had to rethink how to most effectively deliver on our core mission statement of “… furthering plastic’s education” even as plastics classes are cut. Our response was the formation of the SPE@SFSU Student Merit Award, to be given out during the opening of the Design and Industry Departments Annual Student show, which highlights the work done by the student body of that academic year.

Using the Education Grant given by the Golden Gate Chapter as seed money, the SPE@SFSU Student Merit Award will award a cash prize, tentatively set at a range of $250 -$500,  to the best individual project involving plastics as judged by a group consisting of faculty, professionals and selected students. The award is not solely limited to physical designs containing plastics, but any work that has plastics in its design ecosystem. For example a poster on recycling, or a research paper on biodegradable plastics will all be eligible.

It is my hope that by awarding the SPE@SFSU Student Merit Award, the students themselves will take up the slack and extend their knowledge of plastic outside the classroom environment, and keep plastics in the fore front of their minds in their design endeavors. Although the initial cash prize is small, I hope the recognition will also persuade students to participate and ultimately keep plastic education alive, even when plastic courses are not offered every semester.

In the coming weeks, the details of the SPE@SFSU Student Merit Award will be finalized and sent out to the student body. A call for entries will be made, along with a call for volunteer judges. If you would like to have more information or like to make a contribution (100% of your donations will go to the prize award) please feel free to contact me at speatsfsu@gmail.com

Thanks,
Michael Kim
SFSU Student Chapter President
mswkim@gmail.com
 

As most of you are aware, SPE Headquarters moved its offices last summer, and we've listed our new address in a variety of places over the last six months in order to inform members of this change. However, we've noticed that many companies have not made the change in their corporate records (e.g. for dues payments, conference registrations, etc.).

It would be helpful if each of you would make sure your company records correctly reflect SPE's new address:

Society of Plastics Engineers
13 Church Hill Road
Newtown, CT 06470

Our phone and fax numbers remain the same.

Drape forming is similar to straight vacuum forming except that after the sheet is framed and heated, it is mechanically stretched, and a pressure differential is then applied to form the sheet over a male mould. In this case, however, the sheet touching the mould remains close to its original thickness. It is possible to drape-form items with a depth-to-diameter ratio of approximately 4 to 1; however, the technique is more complex than straight vacuum forming. Male moulds are easier to build and generally cost less than female moulds; however, male moulds are more easily damaged. Drape forming can also be used with gravitational force alone. For multi-cavity forming, such as tote trays, female moulds are preferred because they do not require as much spacing as male moulds.

Processing Steps:

Step 1. The plastic sheet is clamped in a frame and heated. Heating can be timed or electronic sensors a can be use to measure sheet temperature or sheet sag.

Step 2. Drawn over the mold - either by pulling it over the mold and creating a seal to the frame, or by forcing the mold into the sheet and creating a seal. The platen can be driven pneumatically or with electric drive. In some very small machines the platen can be manually moved up or the clamped sheet can be manually pushed over the mold.

Step 3. Then vacuum is applied through the mold, pulling the plastic tight to the mold surface. A fan can be used to decrease sheet cooling time.

Step 4. After the plastic sheet has cooled, the vacuum is turned off and compressed air is sent to the mold to help free it from the plastic. The platen then moves down pulling the mold from the formed part. The formed sheet is unclamped, removed, and a new cycle is ready to start.

Main Techniques -differing by the position of the mold during the first stage.

1st Method: The sheet (without masking) is placed on top of the mold in its basic, flat state. Both sheet and mold are then slid into a hot-air circulating oven and heated to about 150-155?°C (300-312?°F). When the sheet (and mold) reaches the required temperature it sags and drapes over the heated mold. Both are then pulled out of the oven and quickly helped, by gloved hands, to conform more precisely to the mold. It is then allowed to cool down.

2nd Method: The sheet is placed into a hot-air circulating oven (without masking), and heated to about 150-155?°C (300-312?°F). When the sheet reaches the required temperature it is quickly pulled out of the oven and placed on top of the mold. there the sheet sags, aided quickly by the gloved helping hands, and takes the accurate shape of the mold. For better results we recommend pre-heating the mold to about 80-100?°C (175-210?°F) before putting the heated sheet on top. Then it is, likewise, allowed to cool down.

Save The Dates for ANTEC® 2010:

ANTEC®2010 will be held from May 16-20, at the Marriott World Center Resort Orlando (the site of ANTEC® 2000). For the most current information, visit the ANTEC website.

New Registration Fees for 2010:

SPE members will enjoy full-conference registration for $550. That's access to more than 600 presentations, 115+ technical sessions, 3 plenary sessions, an exhibit hall dedicated to plastics, and unlimited networking opportunities — at registration fees that haven't been so low since 1999. Division and SIG Board members are eligible for a low full-conference rate of $345 through April 30. Register online on the ANTEC website.

Wednesday Plenary Speaker Announced:

Dr. Donald G. Baird, co-director of the Center for Composite Materials and Structures at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, has been selected as the plenary speaker on Wednesday, May 19. His presentation on Thermoplastic Composites from the Molecular to the Macro Scale will focus on the development of improved composites through the use of rod-like molecules, nanoclays (dispersed with supercritical CO2,) and macrofibers. To learn more, click here.

SPE Consultants' Corner Introduced at ANTEC:

SPE will introduce a new feature to the ANTEC 2010 Exhibition Hall: the Consultants' Corner! ANTEC attendees can consult with an expert on the challenges they face in specific technical areas for free (an appointment is required). Technical areas include: Extrusion, Composites, Failure Analysis, Blow Molding, Injection Molding, Thermoforming and Design.

New Technology Forums Announced:

The New Technology Forums for ANTEC® 2010 include Applications of Polymers in Conservation of a Clean Environment, Successful Case Studies – Bioplastics, and Latest Developments in Non-halogenated Flame Retardants.
Click here to review the Forum abstracts.

Exhibit Sales Underway:

SPE has announced an additional tradeshow partner for ANTEC® 2010: SPI, The Society for the Plastics Industry. Plastics Engineering magazine, SPE's own publication, was announced as a partner in June. For more information, visit the ANTEC website or contact Lesley Kyle (+1 203-740-5452).
 

SPE and ANTEC Groups Continue To Grow on LinkedIn® and Facebook®

If you're a member of LinkedIn or Facebook, join the Society of Plastics Engineers and ANTEC™ Groups and display their logos in your profile.

The need for daily efficiency is more important than ever in the workplace. So neither supervisors nor employees have time for unproductive meetings. You can help keep meetings focused by heeding these three don'ts:

Don't just "discuss." If you simply want to convey information, try sending an e-mail or voice mail to the people who would have attended the meeting. The best meetings let groups do one of three things: brainstorm, solve a problem or make a decision.

Don't digress. Deal with off-topic ideas by placing them in a "parking lot"—a whiteboard or flip-chart page—and agree to pursue them at a more appropriate time. If a meeting strays from the agenda, help the group refocus by saying, "Are we getting off track?" Summarize periodically by saying, "What have we decided?"

Don't finish any discussion without deciding how the group will act on it. Record action items as they arise. At the meeting's end, you should have a clear picture of what actions you've assigned, what topics have been deemed "off topic" and what needs follow-up at the next meeting.
 

Reprinted from Communications Update, Issue 159

Epoxy or polyepoxide is a thermosetting epoxide polymer that cures (polymerizes and crosslinks) when mixed with a catalyzing agent or "hardener". Most common epoxy resins are produced from a reaction between epichlorohydrin and bisphenol-A.
The first commercial attempts to prepare resins from epichlorohydrin occurred in 1927 in the United States. Credit for the first synthesis of bisphenol-A based epoxy resins is shared by Dr. Pierre Castan of Switzerland and Dr. S.O. Greenlee in the United States in 1936. Dr. Castan's work was licensed by Ciba, Ltd. of Switzerland and Ciba went on to become one of the 3 major epoxy resin producers worldwide.
The epoxy business of Ciba was spun-off and later sold in the late 1990s and is now the advanced materials business unit of Huntsman Corporation of the United States. Dr. Greenlee's work was for a company called Devoe-Reynolds of the United States. Devoe-Reynolds was a player in the early days of the epoxy resin industry, but later sold its business to Shell Chemical (now Hexion, formerly Resolution Polymers and others).

Today the epoxy industry amounts to more than US $5 billion in North America and about US $15 billion world-wide. It is made up of approximately 50–100 manufacturers of basic or commodity epoxy resins and hardeners of which the big 3 are Hexion (formerly Resolution Performance Products, formerly Shell Development Company; whose epoxy tradename is "Epon"), The Dow Chemical Company (tradename "D.E.R."), & Huntsman Corporation's Advanced Materials business unit (formerly Vantico, formerly Ciba Specialty Chemical; tradename "Araldite"). The other 50+ smaller epoxy manufacturers primarily produce epoxies only regionally (not world-wide), produce epoxy hardeners only, produce specialty epoxies, or produce epoxy modifiers.

These commodity epoxy manufacturers mentioned above typically do not sell epoxy resins in a form usable to much smaller end users, so there is another group of companies that purchase epoxy raw materials from the major producers and then compounds (blends, modifies, or otherwise customizes) epoxy systems out of these raw materials. This class of companies is typically known as "formulators". The vast majority of the epoxy systems sold are produced by these smaller formulators and they account for greater than 60% of the dollar value of the overall epoxy market. There are hundreds of ways that these formulators can modify epoxies — by adding mineral fillers (ex. talc, silica, alumina, etc.), by adding flexibilizers, viscosity reducers, colorants, thickeners, accelerators, adhesion promoters, etc. These modifications are made to reduce costs, to improve performance, and to improve processing convenience. As a result a typical formulator sells dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of formulations — each carefully tailored to the requirements of a particular application or market.

The applications for epoxy based materials are extensive and include coatings, adhesives and composite materials such as those using carbon fiber and fiberglass reinforcements, (although polyester, vinyl ester, and other thermosetting resins are also used for glass-reinforced plastic). The chemistry of epoxies and the range of commercially available variations allows cure polymers to be produced with a very broad range of properties. In general, epoxies are known for their excellent adhesion, chemical and heat resistance, good to excellent mechanical properties and very good electrical insulating properties, but almost any property can be modified (for example silver-filled epoxies with good electrical conductivity are widely available even though epoxies are typically electrically insulating).

Epoxies find significant use in many applications including the following:

Paints and coatings
Examples include powder coatings for washers, driers and other "white goods". Fusion bonded epoxy coatings (FBE) are extensively used for corrosion protection of steel pipes and fittings used in the oil & gas industry, potable water transmission pipelines (steel), concrete reinforcing rebar etc. Epoxy coatings are also widely used as primers to improve the adhesion of automotive and marine paints especially on metal surfaces where corrosion (rusting) resistance is important. Metal cans and containers are often coated with epoxy coatings to prevent rusting especially for foods like tomatoes that are acidic. Epoxy resins are also used for high performance & decorative flooring applications especially terrazzo flooring.

Adhesives
Epoxy adhesives are a major part of the class of adhesives called "structural adhesives" or "engineering adhesives" (which also includes polyurethane, acrylic, cyanoacrylate, and other chemistries.) These high performance adhesives are used in the construction of airplanes, automobiles, bikes, golf clubs, skis, snow boards, and many other applications where high strength bonds are required. Epoxy adhesives can be developed that meet almost any application. They are exceptional adhesives for wood, metal, glass, stone, and some plastics. They can be made flexible or rigid, transparent or opaque/colored, fast setting or extremely slow. Epoxy adhesives are almost unmatched in heat and chemical resistance among common adhesives. In general, epoxy adhesives cured with heat will be more heat- and chemical-resistant than the same formulation cured at room temperature.

Industrial tooling and composites
Epoxy systems are also used in industrial tooling applications to produce molds, master models, laminates, castings, fixtures, and other industrial production aids. This "plastic tooling" replaces metal, wood and other traditional materials and generally improves the efficiency and either lowers the overall cost or shortens the lead-time for many industrial processes. Epoxies are also used in producing fiber reinforced or composite parts. They are more expensive than polyester resins and vinyl ester resins, but generally produce stronger more temperature resistant composite parts.

Electrical systems and electronics
Epoxy resin formulations are also important in the electronics industry and are used in many parts of electrical systems. In electrical power generation, epoxy systems encapsulate or coat motors, generators, transformers, switchgear, bushings, and insulators. Epoxy resins are excellent electrical insulation materials and they protect electrical components from short circuiting, dust, humidity and other environmental factors that could damage the electrical equipment. In the electronics industry, epoxy resins are the primary resin used in overmolding integrated circuits and transistors, and making printed circuit boards. The largest volume type of circuit board — an "FR-4 board" — is nothing but a sandwich of several layers of glass cloth bonded together into a composite by an epoxy resin. Epoxy resins are also used in bonding copper foil to circuit board substrates and are a major component of the solder mask used on many circuit boards.

Consumer and marine applications
Epoxies are sold in many hardware stores, typically as two component kits. They are also sold in many boat shops as repair resins for marine applications. Epoxies typically are not the outer layer of a boat because they are negatively affected by long term exposure to UV light. But they are often used during boat repair and assembly and then are over coated with polyester gel coats or marine varnishes that protect the epoxies from UV exposure. Polyester thermosets typically use a ratio of at least 10:1 of resin to hardener (or "catalyst") whereas epoxy materials typically use a lower ratio of from 5:1 down to 1:1. Epoxy materials tend to harden somewhat more gradually, while polyester materials tend to harden more abruptly.

The classic epoxy reference guide is the "Handbook of epoxy resins" by Henry Lee and Kris Neville. Originally issued in 1967, it has been re-issued repeatedly and still gives an excellent overview of the technology

Increase your knowledge of the plastics industry and improve your job performance, all from the convenience of your home or office. Internet access/phone line required.
The following WEBINARS are scheduled in February  / March 2010:

Serving as an Expert in Litigation-Oriented Projects
February 17, 2010
11:00am - 12:00pm

Addressing the Myths of Loss-in-Weight Feeders in Your Process
March 3, 2010
11:00am - 12:00pm
 
Understanding Pneumatic Conveying in the Plastics Industry
March 17, 2010
11:00am - 12:00pm
 
Polymer Degradation, Stabilization, and Failure Analysis - Part 1
March 18, 2010
11:00am - 12:00pm
 
Polymer Degradation, Stabilization, and Failure Analysis - Parts 1 & 2
March 18, 2010
11:00am - 12:00pm
 
Polymer Degradation, Stabilization, and Failure Analysis - Part 2
March 25, 2010
11:00am - 12:00pm

For more information and to register, please CLICK HERE

A pyrometer is a temperature measuring device, which may consist of several different arrangements. It is invented by Pieter van Musschenbroeck (1692-1761).

A simple type of pyrometer uses a thermocouple placed either in the furnace or on the item to be measured. The voltage output of the thermocouple is read from a digital or analog meter calibrated in degrees Celsius (C) or Fahrenheit (F). There are many different types of thermocouple available, and these can be used to measure temperatures from 200 °C to above 1500 °C.

The term can also be applied to the so-called optical pyrometer or radiation pyrometer, a class of non-contact instruments measuring temperatures above 600 °C. These are typically used to measure temperatures of glowing hot metals in a steel mill or foundry. See also the infrared thermometer

One of the most common non-contact pyrometers is the absorption-emission pyrometer which is a thermometer for determining gas temperature from measurement of the radiation emitted by a calibrated reference source before and after this radiation has passed through and been partially absorbed by the gas. Both measurements are made over the same wavelength interval.

To measure the temperature of incandescent metals, you look through the pyrometer at the glowing metal, and turn a knob or ring which adjusts the temperature of a glowing filament projected into your field of view. When the color of the filament matches the color of the metal, you can read the temperature from a scale on the filament color adjusting knob/ring.

The more common name for this type of instrument ia a Disappearing Filament Pyrometer (DFP). DFPs were very dependant upon operator judgement in deciding when the filament had disappeared and often two people would not be able to agree on the temperature.

DFPs are now old technology which have been replaced by modern Portable Infrared instruments which typically use a silicon sensor to measure the incoming radiation and have optical viewfinders with the temperature displayed in them.These instruments are state of the art with such features as emmisivity correction, digital readout, data logging, etc. Certain instruments are manufactured to work at specific wavelengths for measuring difficult targets such as plastics and other materials.

An extruder-type screw rotates within a cylinder, which is typically driven by a hydraulic drive mechanism. Plastic material is moved through the heated cylinder via the screw flights and the material becomes fluid. The injection nozzle is blocked by the previous shot, and this action causes the screw to pump itself backward through the cylinder. (During this step, material is plasticated and accumulated for the next shot.) When the mold clamp has locked, the injection phase takes place. At this time, the screw advances, acting as a ram. Simultaneously, the non-return valve closes off the escape passages in the screw and the screw serves as a solid plunger, moving the plastic ahead into the mold. When the injection stroke and holding cycle is completed, the screw is energized to return and the non-return valve opens, allowing plastic to flow forward from the cylinder again, thus repeating the cycle.

Tell Your Peers Why You Are Here

The SPE Member-Get-A-Member Membership Drive is underway! Think back on how you became a member of SPE. Someone—perhaps a colleague or an employer—recommended SPE to you because they knew that SPE membership would provide you with the up-to-the-minute information and industry contacts you need in the fast-changing plastics industry. Now, you can return that favor by giving your colleagues or employees who are not currently SPE members the same chance to enrich their professional lives when you invite them to join SPE through our Member-Get-A-Member program.

For each paid member you recruit, you'll receive your choice of rewards - including up to one full year of SPE membership and other great choices! And,your Section and Division will receive $25 for each new paid member recruited through the program ($7 for student members)!

You can personally invite your colleagues to join by sending an email or by giving them a special Member-Get-A-Member pre-approved application that includes your name and member ID number. The user-friendly MGM web pages offer easy access to recruitment tools and resources. Click here for instructions and details! Thanks for your participation.

FEBRUARY 2010

Feb. 17, Stanford
IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS)Santa Clara Valley Chapter
"Optical Coherence Tomography – From Bench to Bedside"
Tony Ko, Optovue, Inc.
http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r6/scv/embs/pages/upcoming.html

Feb. 17-18, San Jose
Two-day training class on COMSOL multiphysics software
http://www.comsol.com/training/cmitd/sanjose_ca/9204/

Feb. 18, Berkeley
Thermo Scientific free seminar on various spectroscopic analytical methods
"Advances in Solar Energy & Materials Characterization"
http://www.thermo.com/com/cda/landingpage/0,,1909,00.html

Feb. 21-25, Santa Clara
SEMI-THERM annual meeting
http://www.semi-therm.org/

Feb. 21-25, San Jose
SPIE Advanced Lithography 2010
http://spie.org/advanced-lithography.xml?WT.mc_id=Cal-AL

February 21-26, Ventura, CA
Gordon Research Conference - Colloidal, Macromolecular & Polyelectrolyte Solutions
http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2010&program=colloidal

Feb. 23-26, Stanford campus
Stanford Nanofabrication Facility workshop
"Bridging the gap between theory and experiment in nanotechnology and biology"
http://www.stanford.edu/group/nnin-computing/workshop.html

Feb. 24, San Jose
NorCal AVS thin film users group meeting - photovoltaic energy applications (details tba)
http://www.avsusergroups.org/tfug/tfug_schedule.htm
 

MARCH 2010

March 21-25, San Francisco
National ACS meeting
http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content

March 25 - Michael's at Shoreline, Mountain View
"Rheological Characterization of Aqueous Polymer Solutions and Hydrogels"
Prof. Michael Kulicke
Macromolecular Institute at the Univ. of Hamburg
http://www.ggpf.org
 

1899     Arthur Smith patented phenol-formaldehyde resins to replace ebonite for electrical insulation.

1904     The Fireproof Celluloid Syndicate (later became the Damask Lacquer Co. Ltd. - Sir James Swinburne) developed phenol-formaldehyde lacquers for metal.

1907      Leo Baekeland (USA) formed phenol-formaldehyde resins (p/f) and produced over 100 patents.

1909      Leo Baekeland patents Bakelite, the first major thermoset material to replace wood, ivory, ebonite, etc.

1910      Formica electrical insulation laminate was produced by H. Faber and D O’Conor (USA) using p/f resin impregnated paper plies.

1912      I. Ostromislensky (Russ.) patented the polymerisation of vinyl chloride to give unstable PVC polymer (unstable when not modified).

1913      Klatte produced polyvinyl acetate.

1918      Hans Johns patented urea-formaldehyde resins.

1922      Herman Staudinger (Ger.) proposed long chain molecular structures for polymers and synthesised rubber.

1924-28 Edmund Rossiter developed water-white transparent mouldings from thiourea-formaldehyde resins (marketed as Beetle resins from 1928).

1926      The first truly successful commercial injection moulding machine was produced in 1926 by Eckert and Ziegler (German Patent 495362).

1927      Otto Rohm (Ger.) developed poly (methyl methacrylate) clear plastic.

1927-37 Wallace Carothers headed major Du Pont team into ‘designed’ macromolecules, e.g. Neoprene rubber introduced in 1931 followed in 1934 with Nylon fibre (Nylon 66; Hill).
 

2011 - Boston, MA
2010 - Orlando, FL

Alfred P. Critchlow was born in 1813 in Nottingham, England and manufactured horn buttons in Birmingham. He emigrated to the US and continued his trade in Haydenville, Mass., before moving to Florence, Mass. where he began experimenting in the early 1850s with shellac and gutta percha moulding compounds.

He claimed to have invented a shellac-based moulding material (he called it Florence Compound) which he, and others, used to manufacture Union Cases. These highly decorated cases, used to protect daguerreotype photographic images, were among the first mass-produced plastics mouldings.

In an 1856 patent relating to the manufacture of Union Cases, Critchlow merely referred to the compound as being composed of various materials, well known to those whose business it is to manufacture such cases. Critchlow entered into partnership with Samuel Hill and Isaac Parsons in 1853 but in 1857, when the popularity of Union Cases was approaching its peak, he sold his interest in the business and its name was changed to Littlefield, Parsons & Company.

However, by the mid 1860s, ambrotypes had taken over from daguerreotypes and the need for the Union Case was gone. In 1866, Littlefield, Parsons & Co. changed their name to the Florence Manufacturing Co. and produced a number of beautiful shellac hand mirror and brush sets.

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