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Polyurethane Flexible Foams

U.S. Patent 9,290,605 (March 22, 2016), “Method for Preparing Flexible Polyurethane Foam with Hydrolysable Silane Compounds,” Parvinder S. Walia, Bernard E. Obi, Venkat S. Minnikanti, William A. Koonce, Kamesh R. Vyakaranam, Ling Zhang, and Sabrina Fregni (Dow Global Technologies LLC, Midland, Mich., USA).

Flexible polyurethane foams are often used for cushions in seating and bedding. These cushions require low density, good tensile strength, tear strength and elongation (TTE properties) with low hysteresis losses. Unfortunately, changes that contribute to low hysteresis loss often lead to inadequate TTE properties. Walia et al improved flexible polyurethane foams by adding hydrolysable silanes to the foam formulation. These formulations contain 1 to 100 phr hydrolysable silanes with reactive isocyanates, blowing agents including water and organic polyisocynates. The silanes improve TTE properties without increasing hysteresis losses and are not affected by humidity. These foams are useful in packaging and cushions including mattresses, bedding, seating and flotation devices. 

Vehicle Door Seals

U.S. Patent 9,290,979 (March 22, 2016), “Adjustable Panel Closure Bumpers Incorporating Shape Memory Polymers,” Paul W. Alexander, Jonathan E. Luntz, Alan W. Moyer, Diann Brei, Suhant Ranga, and Nancy L. Johnson (GM Global Technology Operations LLC, Detroit, Mich., and The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., USA).

Motor vehicle closures such as doors, hoods, hatches, and decklids are attached by hinges and sealed with special gaskets. These seals are critical in that the closing panel must be consistently aligned with the surrounding structure after many opening and closing events. Alexander et al developed an adjustable bumper or seal based on a shape memory polymer. This gasket returns to its original state after many local deformations during opening and closing events. During assembly, the shape memory rubber seal is heated above its transition temperature, attached to the structure, the panel closed and fixed in place and, then, cooled below its transition temperature. The material during use will return to the fixed position as long as it doesn’t exceed its transition temperature. Candidate polymers include a wide range of polymers from polyamides to polyethers.

Repairing Fiber-Reinforced Plastics

U.S. Patent 9,289,952 (March 22, 2016), “System for Producing and Repairing Plastic Composite Components,” Jorg-Ulrich Zowalla, Sarmenstorf, Switizerland).

Repairing fiber glass laminates involves shaping and curing stored blanks in place. The problem is the uncured resin blanks degrade with time and assembly is difficult and messy. Zowalla developed a system for repairing plastic composites using sheets of uncured composites stored in special safety and processing sleeves. During repairing, the safety sleeve is removed and the blank cut, shaped and attached to the defective area. The patch is impregnated with adhesive and cured. The advantage of this system is the prefabrication of the woven fiber blank and the almost contactless processing of the woven fiber blank. The safety sleeve enables long-term storage of the blank with a minimum of degradation and contamination.  

Molding Microneedles

U.S. Patent 9,289,925 (March 22, 2016), “Methods of Making Hollow Microneedle Arrays and Articles and Uses therefrom,” Dennis E. Ferguson and Stanley Rendon (3M Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, Minn., USA).

Microneedle arrays enable delivery of drugs through the skin with minimum pain and maximum effect. Molding net-shape hollow microneedle arrays is difficult and expensive. Ferguson and Rendon developed a method of making these arrays using a mold formed by a laminate of plates forming the needle shape. Needle cavities are formed the alignment of different size hole. A plate with shaped projections is pressed onto the laminate in which the projections enter the cavities. The plates adjust to the impressed projection forming the shaped needles. After assembly, resin is injected, solidified and the array ejected. The cavities may have any shapes from pyramids to beveled cylinders. Resins include a wide range of engineering thermoplastics. 

Nanofiber Fabrics

U.S. Patent 9,279,203 (March 8, 2016), “Manufacturing Device and the Method of Preparing for the Nanofibers via Electro Blown Spinning Process,” Yong Min Kim, Young Bin Sung, Rai Sang Jang, and Kyoung Ryoul Ahn (E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., and Nano Technics Co. Ltd., Wilmington, Del., USA).

Manufacturing nanofiber non-woven cloth is not commercial because of the difficulty of scaling up nanofiber spinning. Superfine micrometer fiber webs are commercially useful and nanofiber webs are expected to open new opportunities such as ultra precise filters, electronic materials, medical biomaterials and high-performance composites. Kim et al mass produced nanofibers for nonwoven webs by banks of 500 electro spinning devices. A 20 wt% polymer solution is fed into the spinning nozzles charged with a high voltage and ejected as nanofibers in flowing air and collected as a nonwoven web on a grounded suction collector. Both thermoplastic and thermoset resins can be spun and the solutions do not need to be heated. The voltages range from 10 to 100 kV. The discharge rate is 0.1 to 5 cc/min with a bank of 500 spinning nozzles. Most polymers can be spun in this fashion. Polyacrylamide samples resulted in 500 to 1200 nm diameter fibers.

Molding Fabric-Reinforced Composites

U.S. Patent 9,278,464 (March 8, 2016), “Molding Machine for Making Thermoplastic Composites,” Shui Mu Wang (Chaei Hsin Enterprise Co., Ltd., Taichung, Taiwan).

A conventional molding machine for making thermoplastic composites based on a fabric cannot uniformly impregnate and fuse the cloth layers for proper appearance and function. Wang molded fabric reinforced thermoplastics using a vacuum. The machine includes a frame, a platform, a heater, a vacuum pump and a gas barrier film. The mold contains tiny holes connected to channels for the vacuum. A gas barrier film covers the top surface of the platform. The resulting thermoplastic composites are used for shoes, purses, and hats.

Nonflammable Polycarbonates

U.S. Patent 9,309,407 (April 12, 2016), “Polycarbonate-Siloxane Copolymer Flame Retarded with a Silicone-based Core Shell Modifier,” Niles Richard Rosenquist (Sabic Global Technologies B.V., Bergen Op Zoom, Netherlands).

Because of polycarbonate’s high impact strength and toughness, heat resistance, weather and ozone resistance, and good ductility it is used in many high-performance applications. However, polycarbonate polymers are flammable requiring flame-retardant additives. Improved nonflammable polycarbonate materials are needed with good heat resistance while maintaining the desired physical and mechanical properties. Rosenquist developed a nonflammable polycarbonate material by adding carbonate-siloxane copolymers including grafted copolymers. The compositions may include other polymers, such as a bisphenol-A polycarbonate with other additives like anti-drip agents, and flame retardant salts. These materials should contain 0.5 to 15 wt % carbonate silicone copolymers. If necessary the material may contain an additional flame retardants such as potassium perfluorobutane sulfonate (KPFS) or potassium diphenyl sulfone-3-sulfonate (KSS). Applications include auto bumpers, fire helmets and microwave ovens.

Recycled Composites

U.S. Patent 9,309,392 (April 12, 2016), “Reinforced Polymer Composites from Recycled Plastic,” Mariam Alali Almaadeed, Nabil Madi, Alma Hodzic, and Saravanan Rajendran (Qatar University, Doha, Qatar and University of Sheffield, Sheffield, Great Britain).

Plastics are used everywhere in products from food packaging, containers, and appliance housings to automotive components. Recycling and disposal remain serious problems everywhere. New products and uses for recycled plastics are needed to make commercial recycling of plastic waste materials more attractive. Almaadeed et al developed composites from recycled plastics reinforced with glass fibers and mica. Blends of recycled low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polypropylene (PP) filled with mica and reinforced with glass fibers can form cost effective composites. For example such a material can contain 30 to 35 wt% LDPE, 15 to 17.5 wt% HDPE, 15 to 17.5 wt% polypropylene, 15 to 40 wt% glass fibers and up to 15 wt% mica. This material has a high heat deflection temperature, good mechanical properties (such as increased stiffness and strength), improved thermal stability and is cost effective.

Toughened Polypropylene Materials

U.S. Patent 9,309,334 (April 12, 2016), “Propylene-based Impact Copolymers,” Prasadarao Meka, Chon-Yie Lin, Todd S. Edwards, and Christopher G. Bauch (ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc., Baytown, Texas, USA).

Toughened polypropylene (PP) materials require controlled amounts of ethylene in the PP copolymer impact modifier for optimum toughness. However, because of the limitations of commercially available catalyst systems these optimum levels cannot reached in commercial materials. Meka et al developed a propylene-based impact copolymer consisting of 10 to 45 wt% polypropylene homopolymer and 10 to 45 wt % of ethylene propylene copolymer. The copolymer consists of 20 to 44 wt % ethylene, 1-butene, 1-hexene or 1-octene and from 80 to 56 wt % propylene. The copolymer is produced with a magnesium chloride supported titanium catalyst with an external donor. The improved material has a higher porosity in the homopolymer granules which allows for a higher content of the ethylene-propylene copolymer phase. Applications include interior trim automotive components, instrument panels, bumper fascia and glove box bins.

Demolding Large Parts

U.S. Patent 9,308,681 (April 12, 2016), “Device for Demolding Parts,” Alberto Navarra Pruna (Comercial de Utiles Y Moldes, S.A., Barcelona, Spain).

Large injection molds such as those for automotive parts require special mechanisms for product movement during processing including part ejection. Navarra Pruna developed a molding device for demolding parts, based on special skids as part of the molding system. These skids consist of large slides with pushrods which can move during the molding process. The device for demolding parts doesn’t take up much space when assembled inside the mold.