Especially in times of a pandemic, when you don’t always have another person around to assist you, a mechanical helping hand can be particularly useful. That is why Sintratec 3D operator and scientific draughtsman Tomy designed an extraordinary wearable third hand.

At Gummiwerk Kraiburg, Dr. Frieder Vielsack has taken over as head of the Research and Development department effective September 1, 2021. In his new position, he is responsible for leading the department with a focus on further expanding Gummiwerk Kraiburg's strength in developing customer-specific material solutions and innovative products for new fields of application.

Rubber Division, ACS annually honors outstanding elastomer experts with the prestigious Science & Technology Awards. Among these awards is the Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award.

The 27th Fakuma international trade fair for plastics processing celebrated an inspiring restart in Friedrichshafen from 12-16 October 2021. Organiser Schall welcomed in total 1470 exhibitors from 39 countries. (2018: 1933). Overall emphasis was placed on the topics of sustainability, circular economy and recycling. 

Teknor Apex offers the Monprene CP-16500 series, designed specifically for dog chew toys. The grades offer an extensive range of performance and aesthetic characteristics, including enhanced bite and tear resistance, and varying gloss levels and opacity. Formulated only with FDA listed ingredients, these TPEs are manufactured under strict quality standards, said the company. The materials meet relevant requirements of European Directives for Food Contact, EU 1935/2004 and PIM10/2011. They do not contain PVC, BPA, Latex, phthalates, or metals and are manufactured in ISO-9001 certified facilities in the USA, Singapore, and Germany to serve local markets. They are suitable for use in pet and children’s toys per regulatory standards CPSIA, EN 71 and ASTM F963.

Kraiburg TPE is now offering TPE grades particularly suited for applications that benefit from a surface with optimized gliding properties. The focus is on packaging for high-quality cosmetic products but also on direct product additions for consumer products from the electronics or household sectors. The Smooth Touch Thermolast K TPEs meet standard regulations for the food sector.

Rampf Group, Inc. is presenting its portfolio of mercury-free, RoHS-compliant, and UV-stable polyurethanes for theme park and specialty tooling at World Waterpark Association Show 2021 (booth 103) from 19 – 22 October 2021 in San Antonio, TX, USA.

Effective from 18 October 2021, Patrice Pinsard has been appointed EVP Strategic Markets & Innovation at Perstorp. In his new role, Pinsard will drive value creation and growth of Perstorp’s portfolio of speciality chemicals, with emphasis on the focus segments Resins & Coatings and Engineered Fluids.

With three new filaments – Ultrafuse TPU 64D, Ultrafuse TPU 95A and Ultrafuse TPS 90A – Forward AM is launching a portfolio of advanced flexible materials for Additive Manufacturing (AM). These new filaments are said to enable the easy, rapid and cost-efficient production of 3D printed parts via Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF).

The Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA) has announced a partnership with Cal Beyer, CWP and CSDZ to provide key education and resources to both spray foam and construction industry participants on suicide and substance abuse prevention. Fueled in part by ongoing stressors including the pandemic, as well as the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) assessment of the construction industry having the second highest rate of suicide in the USA at 53.3 per 100,000 workers, the SPFA Board of Directors initiated its campaign to assist the industry. As part of the program, the SPFA on 18 November 2021 will host an informative webinar led by Cal Beyer, which will be accessible at no cost to all in the construction industry.