Materials Know How
Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: The Commercialization of Acrylic
We covered the invention of acrylic in our last installment. Here, we discuss its commercial development.
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Melt Flow Rate Testing–Part 1
Though often criticized, MFR is a very good gauge of the relative average molecular weight of the polymer. Since molecular weight (MW) is the driving force behind performance in polymers, it turns out to be a very useful number.
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The Effects of Temperature
The polymers we work with follow the same principles as the body: the hotter the environment becomes, the less performance we can expect.
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Understanding Strain-Rate Sensitivity In Polymers
Material behavior is fundamentally determined by the equivalence of time and temperature. But that principle tends to be lost on processors and designers. Here’s some guidance.
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Density & Molecular Weight in Polyethylene
This so-called 'commodity' material is actually quite complex, making selecting the right type a challenge.
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Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: Aliphatic Polyketone
Aliphatic polyketone is a material that gets little attention but is similar in chemistry to nylons, polyesters and acetals.
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Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: Acetal
The road from discovery in the lab to commercial viability can be long, and this was certainly the case for acetal polymers.
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Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: The Differences Between Nylons & Polyesters
In many respects, nylons and polyesters appear to be interchangeable. But there are interesting differences in the properties of these two families that arise from their chemical structures.
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Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: Polyesters
Beyond PET, PBT and their analogues, development of polyester chemistry led to unsaturated thermosetting resins, copolyester thermoplastic elastomers, liquid-crystal polymers and, most recently, biopolymers.
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