Serta Simmons Bedding (SSB) is partnering with Switzerland-based HeiQ Group, a specialist in textile innovation, to create the US market’s first antiviral mattress.

Plastics behave dependent on temperature and strain rate. When designing components, it is therefore important to know the behaviour of the plastic used, not only under laboratory conditions, but also under the subsequent conditions of use. The entire spectrum of possible temperatures must be considered. To this end, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF have expanded the dynamic possibilities at the institute's own modified high-speed testing machine with a device that enables plastics to be examined even at low temperatures – validated down to -40 °C-– without a thermal chamber.

Under the name Aquair Trans-Textil GmbH is providing highly breathable coated textiles based on purely aqueous and solvent-free formula components from Covestro. In a joint and exclusive development, both partners have laid the foundation for this functional product line, which also focuses on ecological aspects.

According to Covestro, the warmer weather and more relaxed corona restrictions are drawing people outside – and more and more of them onto their bikes. There are plenty of reasons for this: exercise and fitness, fresh air and the opportunity to get out of the house or to avoid having to wear masks on public transport. Going shopping by bike or exploring one's surroundings could be a joy if it weren't for the many stones, shards of glass, nails and other sharp objects that will turn a perfectly good tyre into a flat mess, said the company.

BASF’s Master Builders Solutions brand has launched the colour-stable Ucrete CS heavy-duty polyurethane industrial resin flooring system across Europe. ‘CS’ stands for ‘colour stable’ and describes the system’s new benefit: enhanced colour stability. According to the company, this feature is achieved by advanced UV stability, reducing yellowing, even if the floor is exposed to intensive UV light for many years. In addition, the discolouration of the surface due to chemical stress is minimised. Thanks to the system’s advanced colour stability, Ucrete CS is said to set a new benchmark for aesthetic requirements in highly challenging environments, especially in the food and beverage sector.

The cyber security company Kaspersky has a strong interest in supporting technological solutions and innovations that can help remove debris from low Earth orbit and make space exploration safe for future generations. The company supports StartRocket, a startup developing a technology that can clean up space debris, and aims to draw attention to what is a growing problem.

According to Siempelkamp, at the end of April 2019, a US customer placed its first order for an SMC composites press system with the company. The successful acceptance took place on 6 March 2020 – after a project course in record time.

Lita Ocean, a leading shipbuilding and marine services company in Singapore, recently built six patrol crafts ordered by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. To efficiently minimise noise and vibrations in the wheelhouses of the 17 m long vessels, the naval architects and engineers relied on the elastic polyurethane material Sylomer from Getzner Werkstoffe.

BASF announced that it has developed a chemical recycling process for used mattresses and is starting pilot tests at the Schwarzheide site in Brandenburg, Germany. The materials from old mattresses are to be recycled in such a way that they can be used for the production of new mattresses.

The new, speed-dependent FlexSpeed dispensing technology from Rampf Production Systems is said to cut lead times in series production by more than 50 %. The dispensing robots take corners with high precision and cover straights fast, making it possible to cut lead times for sealing, foaming, and bonding processes in series production by more than half. The technology is based on forced volumetric dispensing and the direct linking of dispensing performance and axis feed rate, making the dispensing system extremely flexible and responsive.