SPE WEBINAR: Fractography in Plastics Failures

Christian Hopmann, Ph.D.
Institute Director, Chair for Plastics Processing
IKV - RWTH Aachen University

Abstract

TBA

About the Presenter

Dr. Christian Hopmann holds the Chair for Plastics Processing and is director of the IKV - Institute for Plastics Processing in Industry and Crafts at RWTH Aachen University in Germany. He is as well co-founder of the AZL - Aachen Center for Lightweight Production and Vice Dean of the faculty for Mechanical Engineering of RWTH Aachen University. His interest is fundamental and applied research in plastics technology with particular focus on Digitization and Simulation, Lightweight Technologies and Circular Economy. Hopmann is principal investigator and member of the steering committee of the Federal Cluster of Excellence “Internet of Production”. He initiated the Polymer Innovation Center 4.0, which addresses the domain specific realization and implementation of digitization in the plastics industry with particular focus on SME.

After studying mechanical engineering, he received his doctoral degree from RWTH Aachen University. Following a senior vice-director position at IKV, he started his industrial career in 2005 at the plastics processing company RKW SE, latterly as Managing Director of RKW Sweden A.B. in Helsingborg/Sweden. He participated in the Program for Executive Development at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland. Hopmann received the Innovation Award of Germany's federal state North Rhine-Westphalia in 2014. He has been appointed visiting professor at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing/China in 2017 and fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers, CT/USA, in 2019. Hopmann serves as international representative of the Polymer Processing Society since 2021 and is member of the board of directors and the scientific advisory board as well as chairman of the board of the material engineering division of the VDI - The Association of German Engineers since 2022.

Victor Sanfins Cecon
Graduate Research Assistant
Iowa State University

Abstract

Plastic production continues to increase and is expected to surpass more than 900 million tonnes in 2050. Plastic recycling has become necessary to provide correct disposal for this material to avoid landfill accumulation or, even worse, ending up in rivers and oceans. Plastic pollution is a global issue with further research and understanding needed to increase recycling rates. One essential approach to increase recycling rates is to evaluate the composition of outbound streams from current recycling facilities and what capacity they can be reused. In this study, the composition and quality of outbound bales containing #3-7 plastics destined to landfill or waste-to-energy facilities were assessed to understand the potential to increase recycling rates. Bales were sourced from three different Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) located in the states of Iowa and Wisconsin and were manually sorted and analyzed using multiple plastic characterization techniques. Significant differences in bale composition were observed between MRFs, usually associated with the sophistication level or technology used in the sorting process with seasonal feedstock variability. Differences were substantial in residual levels of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which are highly desired for mechanical recycling processes and not expected to be present in #3-7 plastics bales. Prior to physical, thermal, and molecular characterization on recovered PET, HDPE, low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) resins, traditional mechanical recycling processes were employed to include washing, extrusion, and injection molding of sorted material. Despite the differences in composition, some polymer properties presented similar values across MRFs. This research suggests that landfill-diverted mixed plastic waste can be utilized for novel and advanced recycling operations to recover unrecycled materials as processes can be designed to provide consistent polymer properties. This research also suggests the need for upgrading the sorting systems to prevent waste feedstocks that can be recycled with current technologies from ending up with low-value products or at landfills.

About the Presenter

Victor received his Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the Federal University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar, Brazil) in 2019 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology at Iowa State University under the supervision of Dr. Keith Vorst. During his undergraduate studies, he was a visiting scholar at the University of British Columbia (UBC, Canada) for one year and an R&D intern for 1.5 years at 3M Brazil. His research focuses on the mechanical and chemical recycling of landfill-diverted mixed plastic waste with the use of several polymer processing and characterization techniques, as part of the efforts of the Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics (CUWP) center.

Montgomery Shaw, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor
University of Connecticut

Abstract

Everyone builds portfolio of methods to handle bothersome difficulties when dealing with measurement of the flow properties of polymer melts. Most of these methods are never published, which is unfortunate, while others are buried in the Experimental section of a paper and thus difficult to locate. In this presentation, some of my own unpublished — or less published — methods will be presented and discussed. Examples include a really cheap, vacuum stress relaxometer for elastomers, a method for determining the flow curve of a thermosetting resin using a capillary rheometer, a desktop method of determining the viscosity of aqueous polymer solutions, and a simple trick for running a constant-stress extensional flow experiment of a polymer melt. In addition, two other methods of measuring the extensional flow properties of polymer melts will be described. Finally, several simple analysis methods will be reviewed including a modification of the Cross-Kaye ¬æth rule for single-point analysis of parallel-plate data, kink-point detection, T-t analysis of non-overlapping data, and the concept of random frequency sweeps.

About the Presenter

Montgomery T. Shaw Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of Connecticut
(a)Professional Preparation

Cornell University, Chemical Engineering, B.Ch.E., June 1966; M. S., June 1966
Princeton University, Chemistry, M. A., June 1968
Princeton University, Chemistry; Ph.D., August 1970

(b)Appointments

Emeritus Professor, June 2009 — present
Interim Dept. Head, Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engr., July 2007 — June 2008
T. DiBenedetto Distinguished Engineering Professor, October 2002 — June 2009
Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Connecticut, August 1983 — June 2009
Visiting Scientist, DuPont Experimental Station, Wilmington DE, August 1991 — June 1992
Sabbatical Professor, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, July 1983 — June 1984
Associate Professor, University of Connecticut, January 1977 — July 1983
Research and Development Staff, Union Carbide Corporation, Bound Brook, NJ, August 1970 — December 1976

(c)Research Interests/Accomplishments

Interests in polymer rheology and processing, including thermodynamics and processing of polymer blends and liquid crystal polymers, proton exchange membranes using field alignment, mechanism of so-called sharkskin melt fracture, biodegradable composites for bone repair. (d) Selected awards and honors Tau Beta Pi; Phi Kappa Phi; Phi Eta Sigma; Secretary of the Society of Rheology, 1977 81, Treasurer, 1997-2015; Best Paper Award, SPE RETEC, 1988 and SPE ANTEC, 2005; Assoc. Editor, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, 1991-2013; International Research Award, SPE, 1998, Distinguished Engineering Professor, 1999; SPE Fellow, 2000; International Award, SPE, 2002; A. T. DiBenedetto Distinguished Engineering Professor, 2002; SPE-PAD Founders' Award, 2004; Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, 2004; Service Award, Society of Rheology, 2017; Fellow, The Society of Rheology.

Mark Arnould
Senior Applications Scientist - Polymer and Industrial Chemical Analysis
Bruker

Abstract

Mass Spectrometry (MS) has become an indispensable tool for polymer analysis and has been widely used to study polymer structure and composition, end-groups and additives, molecular weight distribution, degree of polymerization, and so on. MS analysis is extremely sensitive, allowing the detection and identification of minor polymer components and synthesis by-products, as well as low-level impurities and products of decomposition. Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) MS is a well-established method of polymer characterization that continues to be developed and improved with new generations of MS instruments, bringing new analytical capabilities and enhanced performance. Modern MALDI-MS instruments generate rich chemical information highly specific for polymer structural analysis, copolymer composition and complex polymer mixtures characterization, and can even be used for imaging of synthetic polymer surfaces. Because of its unique capabilities, this technology has been widely used in a great variety of polymer analysis applications in both academic and industrial settings. In some cases, MALDI-MS is the only technique that can provide the information required to solve a practical problem. It allows for rapid MS analysis where no prior sample treatment or extensive separation is needed, including characterization of challenging insoluble polymers. TIMS technology has redefined the capabilities of Ion Mobility separation by providing an unmatched combination of resolution, speed, robustness and sensitivity. In polymer analysis applications, the timsTOF instruments expand the analytical boundaries by combining the TIMS technology with ultra-high-performance MS and providing an additional dimension for separation of complex polymer mixtures and structural analysis of challenging polymer compositions. Compatible with HPLS-ESI, GC-APCI and MALDI workflows, Bruker timsTOF fleX is a go-to multitool for a modern polymer lab.

About the Presenter

Mark Arnould is a senior applications scientist focused on polymer & industrial chemicals in Billerica. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Akron in the Wesdemiotis group. Mark has over 20 years of experience in the analysis of synthetic macromolecules using MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry. Mark spent 3.5 years at Oak Ridge National Lab in the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences conducting research and working with users on MALDI MS. Prior to that he worked at Xerox Corporation for 14 years as the polymer MALDI SME after completing an NRC post-doctoral appointment at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Robert Setter
Research Associate
Technical University of Munich

Abstract

Multi-material additive manufacturing (AM) pushes the barriers of complex part production with a comprehensive and complementary material spectrum to unprecedented heights. The experimental "Fusion Jetting" technology is one of the first attempts to simultaneously process thermoplastics and thermosets within a single AM process to functional multi-material parts. Applications lie in the field of load-path optimized reinforcements, hard-soft and smart structures as well as the strategic variation of the mechanical, thermal, and electro-magnetic part properties. This investigation focuses on the implementation of UV-curable acrylates within thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) parts to specifically alter the strength and elongation behavior of future parts. Process parameters like the laser power or the acrylate content within each plane are strategically varied to examine their respective impact on the mechanical and microscopic part properties. Based on tensile testing results, an increase of the Young's Modulus for continuous acrylate reinforcements parallel to the load path is detected. On a microscopic level, the choice of the processing sequence proofs fundamental towards the laser/material interaction and the infiltration behavior. This includes the detection of increased infiltration of the acrylate within melted regions of TPU using low energy densities. The results are further discussed towards the bonding behavior between the material constituents, including the potential impact of selected process parameters on the visually detected delamination behavior during mechanical testing.

About the Presenter

Robert Setter studied mechanical engineering at Technical University of Munich with majors in aerospace, light weight design and carbon fiber reinforced plastics. In 2017, he worked for 10 months as a visiting scholar in the field of resin-based additive manufacturing at the Polymer Engineering Center by Prof. Tim A. Osswald at the University of Wisconsin. In 2019, he wrote his master's thesis at BMW about additively manufactured injection molding polymer tools. Since March 2020, he is a research associate at the Professorship of Laser-based Additive Manufacturing by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Katrin Wudy at Technical University of Munich. He currently works in the field of innovative polymer-based additive manufacturing processes with a focus on powder- and resin-based technologies. This includes the conceptualization and development of new processes as well as the experimental analysis and characterization of polymer-based materials and additively manufactured parts.

Vitus Zenz
Ph.D. Student
Rosenheim Technical University

Abstract

One major problem of a continuous process like plastic extrusion is their incapability to deal with non-local gas pressure. This is an inherent problem because a continuous process's two "open ends" where pressure can escape. In this study a novel feeding system was developed to enable granulate feeding into gas pressurized processes inside a single- or twin-screw extruder. With this apparatus gas pressure can be applied inside the extrusion process. The apparatus separates the pressurized extruder from the dosing equipment that feeds the extruder. It keeps the pressure inside the system while continuously feeding new material into the process. The proposed prototype was designed around a square casing with two different sized holes perpendicular to each other. This creates a cross section in the middle which acts as a valve. On top is the inlet port and on the opposite site the outlet port. Both are radial sealing parts that adapt the curvature of the perpendicular hole. A crucial component of the prototype is the three-dimensional sealing that separates the two atmospheres. It had to be abrasion resistant as well as flexible enough to be installed at a curved contour. These requirements made it difficult to use traditional seals. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a polymer that is highly abrasion resistant and used in high pressure environments. It was used for this special three-dimensional seals to separate the two pressure atmospheres. Another challenge was the big difference in pressure, which led to a sudden pressurization of the feeding container. This meant that all granulate inside this container got scattered from the incoming pressure flow. Since the granulates are scattered, they could not fall down into the extruder. These problems were solved adding ventilation adapters for pressurizing and depressurizing. The first small-scale Prototype was made from aluminum and designed to be connected to pressured nitrogen. Due to the size of the prototype, it will be able to handle small amounts of granulates of around 10-20 kg/h. An applied gas pressure of 7 bar was achieved, with current optimization towards 15-20 bar. Following prototypes will be made of stainless steel demonstrate higher material throughput as an important next step in optimizing the feeding system. Main applications for this new feeding equipment could be foaming processes and reactive extrusion systems. In foaming applications, blowing agents could be injected earlier since the gas cannot escape at the feeding port. Compared to state-of the art processes where blowing agent is injected just before the die, inside of the polymer, the new feeding system could save valuable processing time and increase the overall throughput of the machine. Another application of the new feeding system could be reactive extrusion systems. Normal atmosphere contains about 5 % oxygen which can react with products inside the extruder. Nitrogen is often used for inert pressure atmospheres to carry out chemical reactions inside the extruder. It keeps oxygen in the air from interacting with the reactants and hinders side-reactions. The two very different atmospheres must be separated during the process. With this new feeding system, nitrogen or other gases could be applied to high pressures, supporting different reactive extrusion techniques. The developed equipment is easy to use and only requires a single motor to control. It also can be integrated into the control unit of the extruder for synchronization of the feeding mechanism. In summary, the new feeding system enables gas pressure inside a single- or twin-screw extruder while maintaining continuous granulate feeding.

About the Presenter

In 2016, I started as a student in plastics engineering at Technical University of Rosenheim. In my practical semester, I conducted an internship at the New Zealand based research institute Scion in 2019, and gained knowledge in reactive extrusion technology during the time. After that, I was involved in the development of pressurized reactive extrusion experiments and similar research topics. After my Bachelor of Engineering, I entered the master program "Applied research and development" at the Technical University of Rosenheim and finished the program with a Master of Science in 2021. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD in processing of wooden particles inside a twin-screw extruder at the Technical University of Berlin.

Dustin Souza
Senior Application Engineer
Hexagon

Abstract

Short fiber reinforced thermoplastic parts subjected to mechanical and cyclic loading during a long period of time eventually fail. To prevent premature failure in service, predictability is key when designing load bearing components. The lifetime depends obviously on the nature of the thermoplastic material but also on the amount of reinforcement, the type of reinforcement and the set-up of the injection process. All these ingredients make the fatigue modeling of short fiber reinforced plastic parts highly challenging. Dedicated solutions at several stages of the modeling workflow are thus required. The ingredients needed are (a) an accurate material model for any orientation tensors and any loadings, (b) a reverse engineering procedure allowing to identify the model parameters from a reduced set of experimental data in order to reproduce the measured lifetime at specimen level, (c) efficient structural and fatigue solvers enabling to predict life-time for various type of loading conditions (constant amplitude, random signal, frequency/time domain loadings, ‚Ä¶) and (d) an overall methodology able to account for stress gradients so to deliver accurate predictions for any part geometry and mesh. In this paper, an ICME (Integrated Computational Material Engineering) solution is presented, leading to accurate predictions of the fatigue life of short fiber reinforced parts for any type of experimental signal. The framework combines engineering tools that enable design engineers to predict fatigue life of engineering plastics applications, including material anisotropy and nonlinear behavior. This paper highlights the key features of the framework and demonstrates its ability to predict the response of a representative demonstration part.

About the Presenter

Dustin Souza is graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, with a major area of concenration in structures and a minor area of concentration in aerodynamics, from Purdue University. During his Masters degree, he worked extensively with Dr. Byron Pipes, in a number of areas of composites (from manufacturing to simulation). Dustin Souza joined e-Xstream Engineering to work on Digimat and support customer in US in 2013. He is now Senior Application Engineer in the Materials team in Hexagon Design Engineer part of Hexagon Manufacturing intelligence He is continuing to work on the modelling of various type of composite and support the biggest actors in the US Automotive market in their activities with Digimat.

Manuel Wenzel
Researcher and Graduate Student
Robert Bosch GmbH and IKV - RWTH Aachen University

Abstract

Machine Learning (ML) methods offer a great opportunity to model the complex behavior of the injection molding process. They therefore have the potential to predict the impact of various process and material parameters on the resulting part quality. The dynamic behavior of the injection molding process and the associated effort to collect process data are still a major challenge for ML methods. In this work, a hybrid approach is proposed to reduce the amount of data required for injection molding by combining process data with further process knowledge such as material models, flow equations and high-fidelity numerical simulations. A Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) is being used to model the relationship between process settings and physical process parameters. With the help of PINN, the governing differential equations and material models of the injection molding process are integrated into a machine learning algorithm. High-fidelity injection molding simulation results are used to further train and validate the hybrid process model. This approach leads to a data efficient surrogate model of a high-fidelity injection molding simulation for its holding and cooling phase.

About the Presenter

07/2021 - Present: PhD Student at the Robert Bosch GmbH in the corporate research section in cooperation with the IKV - Institute for Plastics Processing, RWTH Aachen, Germany. My research focuses on the combination of data- and physics-based modeling techniques for online and offline applications (e.g., Monitoring and Optimization) of the injection molding process. 10/2018 - 03/2021: M. Sc. Mechanical Engineering at Karlruher Institut of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany Majors: Automation and production engineering Master thesis: Shape optimization of a CFRP component by geometry analysis and evolutionary algorithm. Part Time: Research assistant at the wbk - Institut of Production Technology, KIT, Karlsruhe 10/2014 - 09/2018: B. Sc Mechanical Engineering at KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany Major: Product development and engineering design Bachelor thesis: Modeling of massless oscillation in biological tissue. 10/2016 - 09/2017: Completed an exchange program at Universitat Polit√©cnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain, during the bachelor studies. Research focus during exchange: Numerical methods for simulation. Bachelor thesis was written during exchange year and results were published: Mu√±oz, Jose & Dingle, M√≥nica & Wenzel, Manuel. (2018). Mechanical oscillations in biological tissues as a result of delayed rest-length changes. Physical Review E. 98. 10.1103/PhysRevE.98.052409.

Jonathan Alms
Research Assistant
IKV - RWTH Aachen University

Abstract

During the production of injection moulded components made of semi-crystalline thermoplastics, the material is locally exposed to different thermal conditions and thermal histories. While in the injection phase the surface layer material that gets in direct contact with the cold mould wall solidifies at cooling rates of up to 700 K/s, the core layer material solidifies at cooling rates of ~1 K/s, especially for thick-walled components. The significant differences of the solidification conditions lead to varying formations of the microstructure and the crystallisation degree across the thickness. Since the thermal conductivity depends on the crystallisation degree, a non-uniform thermal conductivity can be found through the thickness of the material. However, current injection moulding simulations do not take into account the decrease of the crystallisation degree towards the component edges by adjusting thermal conductivity depending on the local thermal history. To characterise the thermal conductivity in experimental tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses can be performed. However, DSC is typically limited to a maximum cooling rate of 0.5 K/s and thus cannot replicate the relevant crystallisation conditions for injection moulding. In contrast the Flash-DSC 2+, Mettler-Toledo, Ohio allows cooling rates up to 5000 K/s and thus covers the full range of injection moulding occurring cooling rates. The presented work will demonstrate a new methodology for the thermal conductivity characterisation using the Flash-DSC 2+. This approach enables the direct measurement of thermal conductivity as a function of the crystallisation degree and provides a more detailed description of the thermal boundary conditions in injection moulding processes and simulations. Initial experimental results show that a stacked test sample consisting of a polymer and a metal with a known and discrete melting point is suitable for measuring the thermal conductivity using the Flash-DSC 2+, analogous to the procedure using a conventional DSC. This methodology is verified in experimental tests with annealed polymer samples of isotactic polypropylene of the type PP505P, Sabic, Saudi-Arabia with a crystallisation degree of about 49 %. Thereby, it was demonstrated that the thermal conductivity is independent of the applied heating rate, which corresponds to the expectation. This allows the stacked test sample to solidify from the melt at any cooling rates and the measurement of thermal conductivity during subsequent re-heating at a high heating rates, which are characterised by a low noise to signal ratio. Since the solidification effects of the metal and the polymer can overlap especially at high cooling rates and a measurement of the crystallisation degree by Flash-DSC 2+ at very low cooling rates cannot be evaluated due to a high noise to signal ratio, the crystallisation degree depending on the cooling rate is empirically modelled by an additional measurement. Thus, for the first time, a measurement of the thermal conductivity as a function of cooling rate, respectively degree of crystallisation for the material is demonstrated here. This enables a more precise description of the thermal conditions within injection moulding simulations.

About the Presenter

Jonathan Alms, M.Sc. RWTH. Education/Study - Jonathan Alms studied physics at the RWTH Aachen University, Germany, specializing in condensed matter physics (Master). He wrote his master's thesis at the RWTH Aachen University, Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV) in Industry and Craft in the field of the application of artificial intelligence for quality assurance of polyurethane foams. Career path (2019 - present) - Since March 2019, he is working as a research assistant at the RWTH Aachen University, Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV) in Industry and Craft. He is employed in the Department of Structure Calculation and Materials Technology and leads the workgroup Materials Engineering, Digital Image Processing and Industry 4.0. Current research focus Development of a multiscale simulation for precise prediction of warpage of injection moulded parts.

Sadhan Jana, Ph.D.
BF Goodrich Endowed Chair and Professor
University of Akron

Abstract

Many highly porous materials with pore volumes greater than 90% are attractive due to their high specific surface area and tunable surface energy. These materials cannot be easily adopted in advanced applications due to their poor mechanical strength and low handling stress. The advent of 3D-printing methods comes handy in such cases. The porous materials can be 3D-printed directly as metamaterials that offer much higher elongation and compliance in response to extensional stress than the parent porous materials themselves. The porous materials can also be made an integral part of 3D-printed, load bearing scaffolds to take advantage of their multi-functional attributes in thermal insulation, liquid-liquid separation, and nanoparticle removal from air with performance close to those of HEPA filters. This talk will illustrate three such examples. In one example, polyurethane aerogel metamaterials show substantially high elongation due to strategic arrangements of the highly porous limbs. In the second example, high porosity polyimide domains are grown inside or on surfaces of solid polymer scaffolds to produce excellent thermal insulation or efficient removal of noxious dye molecules from aqueous streams. In last example, variable surface energy strands of syndiotactic polystyrene or polyimide are used in removing water droplets from a hydrocarbon oil. Some generalizations will be made that other researchers can use and expand the concepts presented in this talk to an array of materials systems.

About the Presenter

Professor Sadhan C. Jana is currently the B.F. Goodrich Endowed Chair and Professor of School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies of College of Engineering and Polymer Science at The University of Akron. He is a chemical engineer by training with a Ph.D. degree from Northwestern University. Dr. Jana received National Science Foundation Faculty Early CAREER Award, Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Fred E. Schwab Award for outstanding achievements in education, George Stafford Whitby Award for distinguished research and education from the American Chemical Society Rubber Division, SR Palit Memorial Lectureship award from Society of Polymer Science India, Kamath Memorial Lectureship award from the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, and Honorary Professorship from National University of Colombia, Bogota. He is a Fellow and Honored Service Member of SPE and a Fellow of The Royal Society of Chemistry, UK. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Polymer Engineering & Science Journal and Executive Editor of all SPE journals - Polymer Engineering & Science, Polymer Composites, Journal of Vinyl and Additive Technology, and SPE Polymers journals.

Marco Klute
Research Fellow
University of Kassel

Abstract

Interconnectivity options for injection molding machines, e.g., communication interfaces such as OPC-UA, allow machine and process variables to be recorded in high resolution. This data can be used to improve quality monitoring, which may contribute to cost reductions by minimizing production waste or increasing the use of recycled material. Currently, for example, only small amounts of production waste can be recycled back into the process because the component quality otherwise shows a high fluctuation due to changes in material properties. Automated quality control and adjustment of the process parameters can counteract these fluctuations and thus enable a higher proportion of recyclate to be used in production. In addition to the resulting savings, production costs can also be reduced by increasing product quality. This reduces the rate of production waste, for example, which contributes significantly to more economical and sustainable production. For these reasons, control of the quality properties of the manufactured components has been sought in injection molding for decades. However, the control of component properties requires their direct measurement within the production cycle, which is often not possible, very cost-intensive and/or cannot be carried out non-destructively. For this reason, it is common practice to control machine or process variables that correlate with component quality instead. However, the injection molding process is affected by numerous non-measurable disturbance variables which influence the transmission behavior of the machine, so that identical process parameters do not result in identical process variable curves and finally do not result in identical component quality. Thus, it is necessary to develop an assistance system based on a digital twin of the injection molding process, which supports the machine operator in setting the process parameters of the injection molding machine in such a way that a desired part quality results. As part of this study, a digital twin of a real injection molding process was developed on an Arburg injection molding machine (Allrounder 470S, ARBURG GmbH + Co KG, Lossburg, Germany). Essentially, the work involved the following steps: Setting up a quality measuring cell that records the relevant component qualities, developing a software module that records all relevant machine and process variables cycle-related as single values and trajectories, and modeling the digital twin that predicts the resulting component quality on the basis of the recorded variables. A laboratory scale and a digital measuring projector were used to determine the quality characteristics, so that the component weight and dimensional accuracies, e.g., diameter and width, were measured from the injection-molded tamper-evident closure after each cycle and assigned to the recorded machine and process variables of the corresponding cycle. The machine and process variables were retrieved via the OPC-UA interface of the injection molding machine. Process variable trajectories, such as cavity pressure, cavity temperature, injection pressure and injection speed curves, must be recorded in high resolution for reliable modeling due to the short duration of the injection process. All machine and process variables as well as the quality variables measured after the cycle are stored in a database file assigned to the cycle number. With the data retrieved from a design of experiment divided into training and test data, different static and dynamic model structures were tested according to their best fit rates (BFR). The different modelling approaches can be divided into three categories: 1)Setpoint model: The machine setpoints are mapped directly to the resulting part quality. A Polynomial Regression (PR) model and a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) were employed. 2)Measurement-features model: The final part quality is predicted from the machine setpoints and from features extracted from process measurements based on expert knowledge, i.e., maximum cavity pressure and temperature, or temperature in the cavity at the beginning of the injection phase. As for the setpoint models a PR model and a MLP were employed. 3)Internal dynamics model: A modern type of Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN), a Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) is used to predict batch-end product quality from process value trajectories. The internal state of the GRU is mapped to the output via a feedforward Neural Network with a nonlinear hidden layer and a linear output layer. Since the injection molding process is a time-varying process switching between different machine internal controllers, the model was also divided into the three major phases of the processing cycle (injection, packing, cooling). Since the third phase maps the internal state to the output, it is additionally equipped with an MLP. If the BFR of the individual models are compared, it can be seen that even the simple setpoint models can predict the component quality very well. The 10th degree PR model, for example, achieves a BFR of 90%. The fact that the models which predict the part quality only on the basis of the parameters set on the machine achieve very good results in this test series could be due, among other things, to the fact that all disturbance variables affecting the process were excluded or kept constant as far as possible during the test. For the models that take into account features calculated from the trajectories in addition to the setpoints, the MLP with ten neurons in the hidden layer achieved the highest BFR of 93%. Compared to these two static model approaches, the dynamic GRU achieves only marginally better BFR. On the one hand, it is astonishing that these models can predict the part quality so well based on the raw data without any prior knowledge from experts; on the other hand, the high computational effort for the formation of a digital twin, especially for short cycle times, cannot be justified. For the actual digital twin, static model approaches were therefore used whose computing times are significantly shorter. While the pre-trained twin receives the new machine and process data after each cycle in live operation of the injection molding machine and predicts the component quality from this, it then compares this prediction with the measured quality variables and re-trains itself based on the error. In this way, it learns to describe the process even better over time. Using backpropagation, the digital twin can also calculate the optimum machine settings for a desired target variable of the quality characteristics.

About the Presenter

Marco Klute studied mechanical engineering with specialization in plastics engineering at the University of Kassel/ Germany. His master thesis focused on two-component injection molding of polyamide and liquid silicone rubber (LSR) using different surface treatments. Since 2017 he has been working as a research fellow at the Institute for Material Engineering - Polymer Engineering at the University of Kassel, in the field of natural based composites as well as simulation and machine learning. He is currently working on two-component injection molding of bio-based polymers regarding material development and analytics of adhesion characteristics as well as the digitalization of injection molding processes using digital twins (supervisor Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heim).

Hassan Akhras
Research Engineer
Competence Center CHASE GmbH

Abstract

In line with Europe's green deal, a new edition of the European action plan for a transition to a circular economy has been published in 2020. Amongst others, plastics have great potentials to achieve a high level of product circularity. In recent years, the plastics recycling industry has gained a great momentum to be one of the drivers towards a sustainable circular economy. However, there is still an abundance of challenges that need to be addressed and overcome in this sector. Therefore, a great focus in the new action plan is dedicated to plastics and plastic packaging products. Consequently, a set of mandatory or voluntary product requirements and regulations were reinforced or introduced as part of a new framework for eco-design and sustainable products. Furthermore, this legislative initiative also aims to enhance the traceability and the accessibility to product information through the implementation of certain digitalization tools, such as digital product passports (DPP). The main objective of this research is to provide a practical implementation of DPP of a pilot product made of recycled post-consumer plastic waste. It also aims to track the possible changes in the material property profile of a defined waste stream due to processing throughout the whole recycling process. High density polyethylene (PE-HD) bottle caps were selected as the targeted input waste stream. On the other end of the process, a frisbee (i.e., flying disc) was selected as the pilot product. Two collection methods were employed in this case study, namely informal and formal. The first fraction of bottle caps was collected by pupils and students (informal) over a period of two months in Upper Austria region with focus on PE-HD bottle caps. Whereas the other fraction was collected via the conventional methods (formal) and pre-sorted (1st sorting) to remove metal contaminants at the waste collection centers in Upper Austria. At the pilot plant, each fraction was hand-sorted (2nd sorting) individually to ensure a high purity of input materials. Afterwards, materials were shredded by an industrial shredder and then re-granulated using an industrial recycling extruder equipped with filtration and degassing systems. Thereafter, the resulting recyclates were injection molded into the finished frisbee. To characterize the material property profile of the different material states, several measurements including melt flow rate (MFR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and mechanical tests were carried out. It was found that the informal collection led to a higher material purity as the other fraction had a more prominent melting peak of polypropylene (PP), which led to a slightly higher MFR value of this input fraction. However, no significant changes in the MFR values of the other materials were observed. In terms of the mechanical properties, the tensile stiffness and strength increased after processing. In contrast, the notched Charpy impact strength of the recyclates seemed to be slightly lower than that of both input streams.

About the Presenter

Currently, I am working as a research engineer at Competence Center CHASE (since Feb. 2020) and, simultaneously I am a PhD candidate at Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria. I am responsible for the characterization and testing of the recycling materials and the development of standardized quality control methods. Moreover, my responsibilities also expand to research project coordination and working together with my colleagues on the optimization of the recycling process through implementation of digitalization tools. Previously, I worked for two years at two different international companies in Upper Austria as a Quality Engineer and as a Product Engineer in the polymer and chemical sectors before I decided to shift back to research and pursue my doctorate degree in polymer technologies with focus on plastics recycling. By education, my background is a combination of industrial engineering with plastics engineering. I obtained a 5-year Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (specialization of industrial engineering) from University of Aleppo, Syria. Afterwards, I acquired a master's degree in management in polymer technologies from Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria.

Ram Gupta, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Pittsburg State University

Abstract

The current shift from solely depending on petroleum sources to seeking renewable alternatives is attributable to their fast depletion, erratic prices, and the need to reduce our carbon footprint. For instance, the polyurethane industry currently calls for renewable (and less toxic) polyols and isocyanates for their synthesis over the traditional petroleum-based ones. To tackle these issues, we have investigated the role of vegetable/fruit oils in the preparation of polyurethane foams. Different approaches such as thiol-ene click chemistry and epoxidation, followed by ring opening, were used to convert these oils into polyols. The effect of the synthesis process on the properties of polyurethanes was studied. One of the major issues in polyurethanes is their high flammability. To reduce the flammability of polyurethane foams, different types of flame-retardants (additive and reactive) were investigated during the foaming process. The effect of flame-retardants on the physicomechanical and flammability of the foams was investigated in detail. Most of the foams displayed density in the range of 30-55 kg/m3 which is suitable for many applications. The compressive strengths of these foams were higher than 160 kN/m2. Except for some high concentrations of flame retardants, most of the foams showed closed cells greater than 90%. It was found that the burning time of the foams reduced significantly after the addition of flame retardants. For example, foam prepared using sunflower oil-based polyols showed a reduction in burning time from 79 seconds to 2 seconds after the addition of 13.61 wt.% of dimethyl methyl phosphonate. The effect of various flame-retardants and the role of bio-based polyols on the properties of polyurethane foams will be discussed. Our research suggests that a variety of bio-based materials can be used for the polyurethane industries with a reduced impact on the environment.

About the Presenter

Dr. Ram Gupta is an Associate Professor at Pittsburg State University. Before joining Pittsburg State University, he worked as an Assistant Research Professor at Missouri State University, Springfield, MO then as a Senior Research Scientist at North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC. Dr. Gupta‚Äôs research focuses on green energy production and storage using conducting polymers and composites, electrocatalysts, fuel cells, supercapacitors, batteries, nanomaterials, optoelectronics and photovoltaics devices, organic-inorganic hetero-junctions for sensors, nanomagnetism, bio-based polymers, bio-compatible nanofibers for tissue regeneration, scaffold and antibacterial applications, bio-degradable metallic implants. Dr. Gupta published over 250 peer-reviewed articles, made over 320 national/international/ regional presentations, chaired many sessions at national/international meetings, wrote several book chapters (55+), working as Editor for many books (20+) for American Chemical Society, CRC, and Elsevier publishers, and received over two million dollars for research and educational activities from external agencies. He is serving as Associate Editor, Guest editor, and editorial board member for various journals.

Patrick Sapel
Research Assistant
IKV - RWTH Aachen University

Abstract

Accompanying the era of digitalization into business leads to a new manufacturing concept called "Smart Factory". Smart Factories promise more efficient production processes, manifesting in integrated autonomous asset configuration and data-based decision-support in the operator's daily business. Therefore, mapping the production assets into the virtual world by establishing their interconnection and to enterprise software systems is essential. Although the origin of Smart Factories lies in 2011, it can be identified that integrated Smart Factories are rarely implemented and often comprise one encapsulated, specific use case. One main reason is a lack of standard semantics that serves as a basis for asset communication and providing decision-support. This contribution presents the foundations for enabling an integrated smart factory within the injection molding domain and demonstrates a real use case that presents the benefits of a smart injection molding factory. As a basis, the reference architecture model industry 4.0 (RAMI 4.0) with respect to the characteristics of an injection molding factory is analyzed. The RAMI 4.0 consists of three dimensions: business layers, life cycle and value stream, and enterprise hierarchy levels, and it allows concrete derivations of technologies, their requirements, and their interactions. Two of these technologies are Digital Twins and Digital Shadows. Digital Twins represents the asset virtually. The Digital Twin provides all relevant properties, ideally in a standardized manner, and pictures its master data (e.g., id, vendor, year of manufacture) as also its transaction data, e.g., current temperature or the number of cycles, into the virtual world. Another core technology is Digital Shadows. The Digital Shadow uses the exact dataset and suitable models for solving a specific task, e.g., calculating an optimal shopfloor configuration, and acts as decision-support for deciders. This contribution gives insights into building Digital Twins and Digital Shadows using the RAMI 4.0 concerning the characteristics of an injection molding factory. Furthermore, it will demonstrate how Digital Twins and Digital Shadows can interact autonomously by introducing semantics and dictionaries. Hence, a draft of a standardized dictionary for the injection molding domain, enriched with metadata that describes the dictionary terms semantically, is provided. This contribution focuses on the shopfloor level, i.e., production planning and control. Thus, a real case in scheduling production orders within an injection molding factory will be applied. Inside this use case, the Digital Shadow retrieves suitable optimization models for providing decision-support under consideration of trade-offs in different optimization objectives and the current condition of the injection molding assets using the corresponding Digital Twin. It can be shown that the Digital Shadow autonomously provide decision-support for production planners so they can initiate an optimal schedule.

About the Presenter

Patrick Sapel, M.Sc. - Education/Study: Patrick Sapel studied part-time business administration and engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Hagen, Germany (Bachelor). During his part-time study, he worked in a medium-sized company in the field of master data and manufacturing preparation. In his master's program at the University Duisburg-Essen, he studied Logistics Engineering. - Career path (2019 - present): Since May 2019, he is working as a research assistant at the Institute for Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen University. He is employed in the Department of Injection Molding and leads the workgroup Production Planning and Automation. - Current research focus: Foundation of Digital Shadows within the Cluster of Excellence "Internet of Production" at RWTH Aachen University.

Mubashir Ansari. Ph.D.
Associate Research Scientist
Dow

Abstract

Various approaches for incorporating post-consumer recycle (PCR) into polyethylene based rigid packaging application have been explored using a model system comprised of multiple virgin resin components. These formulations were prepared using both a blending approach as well as a one-pellet solution approach. In the former approach, materials are dry blended and fed into an injection molding machine and the later approach involves pre-compounding the materials followed by injection molding. The selection of components included in each model system formulation was influenced by the desire to vary the relative melt index of the components to study the influence of polydispersity. Performance property comparison of the various model systems included quantification of tensile, flexural, part density, melt index, and shrinkage properties of the fabricated parts as well as quantification of processability. Formulations containing real-world PCR were also included in the study to probe the influence of contaminants and degraded polyethylene on performance properties.

About the Presenter

Dr. Mubashir Q. Ansari is currently an Associate Research Scientist at The Dow Chemical Company, where he leads an injection molding facility, partnering with various Dow businesses selling products into rigid packaging applications. His research interests include capability development, product development, and supporting automation and data integration developments that advance digitalization (i.e., "big data") of polymer processing workflows. His interests span virgin resin development for monomaterial packaging, sustainable additives, post-consumer recycled resins, and thermoplastic formulation development for electric vehicles. He received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Tech, where he worked in Prof. Donald Baird's research group. While there, his research was focused on generating patented composite filaments for 3D Printing Applications. Dr. Ansari received his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT (BHU) Varanasi, after which he worked as a Process Engineer in a petroleum refinery. Dr. Ansari's work at Dow has included technical developments that have aided in the commercialization of five products. He is proud to be part of the team that worked on Dow's first post-consumer recycled resin product, AGILITYTM. Dr. Ansari has one granted patent, one patent application, and 11 peer reviewed papers (conference and journal) to his credit. He is a member of ad-hoc committee on Society of Rheology's future conferences and board member of Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Thermoplastic Elastomers' Special Interest Group. He was recently recognized as 2022 Rising Star by PlasticsNews, a recognition given to under 35-year-old leaders in the plastics industry or those who are on track to become one.

Eric Andrews
Technical Services Manager
Colour Synthesis Solutions

Abstract

Though (EU) No 2020/1245 — the so-called, "15th Amendment" to (EU) No 10/2011 (The Regulation) — officially entered into force in September of 2020, it was written to allow two years for business operators to exhaust their stocks of materials which had already been declared to be in compliance with The Regulation prior to the 15th Amendment. Between this grace period and the official date of publication, the 15th Amendment shall be considered to be in full effect as of September 2nd, 2022. Included in an array of adjustments to declaring compliance of products expected to come into contact with food under Annex IV of The Regulation is the obligation of business operators who produce intermediate substances to provide adequate information about the migration of respective impurities and degradants for which genotoxicity has not otherwise been ruled out. Consequently; impurities and degradants of commonly used plastic additives which currently have ambiguous toxicological profiles must now be shown not to migrate to food or food simulant from the intermediate material(s) in which they exist at a rate of 0.00015 mg/kg (0.15 parts-per-billion). In light of this obligation, research has been conducted into the presence, detection of, and reporting on impurities and degradants of the prevalent plastic additive Anthranilamide (CAS No. 88-68-6). The degradants of Anthranilamide are representative of compounds which exhibit unknown toxicological status and are the epitome of the rationale for the inclusion of this concept in Annex IV of the 15th Amendment. The work presented in this paper sought to explore the challenges in adhering to the amended requirements in Annex IV of The Regulation insofar as how low the threshold of migration is set as well as options to consider for business operators producing intermediate compounds in the EU and the US who will both likely see increased demand for such declaration of compliance. As a subject, Anthranilamide is merely representative of all plastic additives that can give rise to degradants or which exhibit impurities that have unknown toxicological status and the ideas presented here are meant to be used generically in how best to navigate a new era of food contact plastics compliance requirements.

About the Presenter

CURRENT ROLE WITHIN THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY - Regulatory/compliance specialist for colorants, adjuvants and impurities used or found in compounding with emphasis on food-contact materials - Food contact compliance testing consultant, technician and impurities researcher.

BRIEF PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND - NIAS quantification method development manager - Extensive experience developing and conducting migration fastness studies - REACH sameness testing and dossier preparation manager - Liquid and ion chromatography specialist - Master of Science (MS) in Chemistry with focus on dyes and small organic molecules

Robert Weiss, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor
University of Connecticut

Abstract

Hydrophobically modified hydrogels based on statistical copolymers of a water soluble monomer and a fluoroacrylate exhibit extraordinary fracture toughnesss, ~ 10^4 J/m^2. The origin of the toughness is a nanostructuredd morphology consisting of hydrophobic nanodomains dispersed in a water-swollen polymer continous phase. The hydrophobic associations within the nanodomains serve as the fundamental crosslink for the network, and the reversible nature of these physical crosslinks provides a mechanism for energy dissipation by rearrangement of the hdyrophobic groups when under stress. The reversible crosslinks also allow the hydrogels to be extruded in the dry or wet state or injected as in situ forming hydrogels for biomedical applications such as tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The very small distances (< 10 nm) between nanodomains affects the mobility of water in these hydrogels, and even at relatively high water contents (> 50%), the hydrogels suppress freezing of the water. For nanodomain separations ~ 2 nm, a confinement effect prevents freezing of water to temperatures as low as 128K, which suggests that these hydrogels may have useful applications as antifreeze materials for biomedical, agriculture or food applications. Hybrid gels with a covalent network in addition to the physical network exhibit shape memory effects.

About the Presenter

Robert Weiss retired from the University of Akron in 2016, where he was the Hezzleton E. Simmons Prof. of Polymer Eng. and served as the Chair of the Dept. of Polymer Eng. and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. Prior to joining the University of Akron in 2009, he was a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and the United Technologies Corp. Prof. of Advanced Materials and Processing at the University of Connecticut where he served 10 years as Director of the Polymer Science Program and 6 years as the Associate Director of the Institute of Materials Science. Bob retired from UConn in 2009 and is currently Distinguished Emeritus there. He received a B.S. in chemical engineering from Northwestern Univ. in 1972 and a PhD in chemical engineering from the Univ. of Massachusetts in 1976. He spent 5 years at Exxon Chemical and the Corporate Research Laboratories of Exxon Research and Eng. Co. before joining the Chem. Eng. Dept. at UConn in 1981. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Chemical Society, the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) and the North American Thermal Analysis Society He was a Fulbright Scholar at Imperial College (London) in 1987-88 and was elected to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in 1990. He received the SPE Education Award in 2000, SPE Research Award in 2002, SPE Engineering and Technology Award in 2003 and the SPE International Award in 2008. He was awarded a doctor honoris causa from Brno University of Technology (Czech Republic) in 2012. Bob‚Äôs research interests include structure-property relationships of multiphase polymers, notably ionomers, block copolymers, liquid crystalline polymers, polymer blends, elastomers and gels. He has published 276 journal papers and 330 conference proceedings and has 26 U.S. patents. He served 25 years as associate editor and editor-in-chief of the journals Polymer Engineering and Science and Polymer Composites.

James Sternberg
Research Assistant Professor
Clemson University

Abstract

Kraft lignin is a by-product of the pulp and paper industry in excess of 70 M tons a year. While limited applications exist for its commercial use, those related to plastic applications are very rare. Lignin's chemical complexity and limited compatibility with existing materials has largely stunted its adoption as a mainstream raw material for bioplastic production. In this presentation, unique avenues are presented for the use of lignin as a reactive precursor in the synthesis of polyurethanes and polyamides suitable for packaging applications. New polyurethane foams have been innovated without the use of isocyanates to replicate the low density and cushion characteristics of flexible packaging material. Typically used in rigid applications due to its multifunctional character, the use of lignin in flexible foams requires unique techniques to synchronize the gelling and foaming reaction responsible for the foam structure. The same chemical modification of lignin enables its incorporation in extended polyamide networks containing 100% biobased carbon. The incorporation of lignin maintains the thermoplastic character of the polyamide while greatly increasing the melt-strength to facilitate processing in modern equipment. The new lignin-polyamide polymer can be compression molded, punched, thermoformed, and glued as a representation of its utility in flexible packaging. These new polymer structures advance the outlook for lignin in the biorefinery concept where all of biomass needs to be valorized to compete with other lower cost chemicals and precursors.

About the Presenter

James Sternberg is a Senior Scientist at the Clemson Composites Center in Greenville, SC and a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Automotive Engineering at Clemson University. James comes from a chemistry background having completed his B.S. and M.S. in chemistry before completing his PhD by studying biobased polymers under Professor Srikanth Pilla at Clemson. James's work focusses on redesigning polymer systems to be biobased and chemically recyclable. His projects have included recycling and/or redesigning polyurethane foams, nylons, composites, and 3D printing materials. He is currently the leader of the chemical recycling and upcycling group at the Clemson Composites Center.

John Torkelson, Ph.D.
Walter P. Murphy Professor
Northwestern University

Abstract

The production of conventional cross-linked polymer networks and their composites, i.e., thermosets and thermoset composites, was estimated to consume more than 40 billion kg of polymer in 2020. Unfortunately, thermosets cannot be melt-reprocessed into moderate- to high-value products because permanent crosslinks prevent melt flow. Three of many examples include rubber tires, disposed at a rate of ~300 million annually in the U.S. alone, polyurethane (PU) foam, and cross-linked polyethylene, with major economic and sustainability losses resulting because the spent materials are commonly landfilled or burned for energy. Here, I will report on research demonstrating the ability to employ simple one-step or two-step reactions to produce networks and network composites with dynamic covalent crosslinks that are robust at use conditions but allow for melt-state reprocessing at elevated temperature. Unique to our research group, we have developed several approaches that allow for melt-state reprocessing of addition-type polymer networks and network composites, including those synthesized directly from monomers containing carbon-carbon double bonds, such as those used in coatings and flooring, and those synthesized from polymer or combined polymer and monomer with both containing carbon-carbon double bonds, like materials used in tires and in cross-linked polyethylene. All approaches allow for full crosslink density recovery after multiple reprocessing steps. We have also demonstrated for the first time the ability to make PU and PU-like networks, e.g., polyhydroxyurethane and polythiourethane networks, reprocessable with full recovery of crosslink density. An "Achilles' heel" has been identified regarding the application of dynamic covalent networks, i.e., such networks are subject to creep at elevated or sometimes even room temperature, which is often highly undesirable. We have addressed this limitation in two ways. In one case, we add a fraction of permanent crosslinks to dynamic covalent networks. In a second class of systems, we employ dynamic chemistry with a sufficiently high activation energy, allowing for reprocessability at high temperature but with the dynamic chemistry essentially fully arrested well above room temperature, e.g., 70-80 degrees C. Implications of these studies for making major gains in the sustainability of polymer networks and network composites will be discussed.

About the Presenter

John Torkelson is a Walter P. Murphy Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University. John received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. During his time as a faculty member at Northwestern, he served as Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science from 1997 to 2002. In 2003 - 2006, John was the Director of the Materials Research Center at Northwestern University, which receives its main funding from the NSF-MRSEC Program. He was the recipient of both Teacher of the Year and Advisor of the Year Awards from the Engineering School and the Northwestern Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award. For three years, he was also the Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence. John has served as Chair of the Division of Polymer Physics of the American Physical Society (APS) and Chair of both Area 8A Polymers and the Materials Engineering and Science Division of AIChE. He has been recognized in research by the Polymer Physics Prize from the Journal of Polymer Science: Polymer Physics and the Charles M. Stine Award from the Materials Engineering and Science Division of AIChE, and he is a Fellow of the APS as well as AAAS.

Christopher White. Ph.D.
Senior Managing Scientist
Exponent

Abstract

The unique properties of polymer and plastic materials enable a broad array of applications. Some examples include food safety, medical sterility, renewable energy generation, and even building envelopes all require the functionality of polymers and plastics. As soon as the function is delivered, such as an empty water bottle, the continued persistence and durability transform the plastic from a benefit to a burden. Modern formulations often have a mismatch between the design life and the service life of plastic. The public has invested in separating the post-use durable plastic with the assumption that it would be recycled. Estimates of the recycled volume are less than 10%. This accumulated plastic waste has recently attracted new regulations and financial incentives to encourage new solutions to accumulating plastic waste. In this presentation, we will explore traditional pathways for post-use plastic including recycling, and conversion to fuel. We will explore a novel solution to the plastic waste problem, tunable plastic durability. This concept is to design traditional formulations that match the design life to the service life and have the material degrade post-use. The presentation will detail the use of UV photocatalytic degradation of post-use plastic.

About the Presenter

Dr. White is a senior managing scientist in the Polymer Science and Materials Chemistry Practice at Exponent, Inc., an engineering and scientific consulting firm. Exponent is a publicly traded company that employs over 900 full-time staff worldwide, including about 700 degreed professionals, more than 425 of whom hold doctorates in their field. One of Dr. White's core competencies is characterizing weather-related changes to polymers' chemical and physical properties and how those degradative changes may affect end-use performance. This expertise enables him to provide solutions to complex issues related to assessing recyclability. durability, failure, sustainability, and climate change effects on materials and assets exposed to weathering. He is skilled in developing and utilizing test methods and standards to analyze plastics, rubbers, textiles, metals, glass, and ceramic composite materials. Dr. White is experienced in offering technical guidance throughout all phases of product development, including formulation, scale-up, end-use testing, and field performance assessments. Dr. White was educated at the University of Maryland and holds a Master of Business Administration in addition to a Ph.D. in Polymer / Analytical Sciences from the University of Wisconsin and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Wabash College. Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. White worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the Engineering Laboratory, where his work focused on developing test methods related to quantifying the durability of polymer materials exposed to outdoor weathering. Dr. White served as a Lecturer teaching Project Management, Ethics, and Social Networking for the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.

Anthony Keyes, Ph.D.
Polymer Formulation Engineer
Natur-Tec

Abstract

This presentation provides an example of comparative Life Cycle Assessment for fossil-based and bio-based polymers that are non-compostable and compostable respectively. In this instance, fossil-based and non-compostable gloves made from polyethylene were compared with our commercial bio-based and compostable gloves utilizing ISO 14040:2006, ISO 14044:2006 and ISO 22526:2020 standards. As bio-based materials are created on a much shorter timescale than fossil-fuel reserves, some consider bio-based polymers to be a form of carbon sequestration. This means that bio-based polymers can be said to have a lower feedstock carbon emission burden than fossil-based alternatives. A major discrepancy, however, when comparing fossil-based and bio-based materials largely arises due to how biogenic carbon is accounted. This normally stems from how bio-based materials have their system boundaries drawn, where sequestration of CO2 is immediately tied to end-of-life emissions and taken as a net zero summation. This handling is the current methodology employed by the European Union Product Environmental Footprint (EU PEF) which states, "removals and emissions of biogenic carbon sources shall be kept separated in the resource use and emissions profile". We compare this mindset to that of ISO standards and give a representative understanding where fair comparisons are possible for fossil-based and bio-based plastics, and when fossil-based materials are preferentially benefited with this tactic. In doing so, this presentation will provide the audience with an understanding on the bias LCA methods have against bio-based materials when biogenic carbon is not properly accounted for and give specific criteria which allows for a fair comparison with their fossil-based counterparts.

About the Presenter

Dr. Anthony Keyes received his Ph.D. in the Fall of 2021 from the University of Houston in Polymer Chemistry for his work in block copolymer synthesis which bridged radical and insertion polymerization techniques. During that time, he served as Vice President for his local SPE Chapter where he received awards in the Flexible Packaging Division of SPE, UH Polymer Center of Excellence award, and was a recipient of the NSF-GRFP. He joined Natur-Tec¬Æ as their Polymer Formulation Engineer and currently works with compostable polyesters which find uses in blown film and injection molded applications.

Lena Schneider
Research Assistant
Schmalkalden University

Abstract

Regardless of the industrial sector, the identification of components, packaging and entire products is becoming increasingly important. In addition to production-related identification and registration of components, individual labeling is used to meet legal requirements and customer demands for traceability. More flexible and fully automated production and assembly processes are increasing the need for clear identification of components and assemblies. Downstream processes such as lasering, labeling, printing or embossing are state of the art. In order to be able to reduce work steps, cycle-integrated processes such as in-mold decoration are chosen. As part of the KMU innovativ joint project "Plastic packing Unique Device Identification System" (PUDIS), solution strategies for marking components directly in the injection molding process are being developed. In the project a prototypical realization of such a marking system is developed. The marking system consists of a marking module, a control unit, a scanning module and a corresponding user interface. A three-dimensional code is generated via the marking module, which is integrated in the injection mold, and molded directly onto the component during the original molding process in the injection mold. The design of this marking module is subject to various challenges in view of the high temperature and pressure intensities within the cavity of the mold. The overall system ensures clear identification and traceability of the plastic parts produced. A feasibility study carried out with a reduced functional scope was able to confirm the assumptions underlying the project and show that the marking module can withstand the conditions prevailing in the cavity and form a reproducible marking in the part. The project team was able to achieve these successes after implementing the marking module in the injection molding machine on 2 needles. The markings on the injection molded parts were measured tactilely and optically. Needle 1 and 2 cover a distance of about 0.4 mm from the 0-state to the 1-state. It was demonstrated that there is no displacement of the needles despite the high cavity pressure. A database for the decoding algorithms was obtained based on the components produced in the experiments. In the later course of the project, tests are to be carried out with all 25 needles and complete codes generated. The components will then be evaluated and analyzed via the evaluation software. Once all systems are functioning, long-term tests will be carried out to validate the system for series production. The aim of the project is to enable in-situ marking in plastic components. The requirements for the marking module used for this range from the smallest possible installation space to a modular design. Furthermore, a software for the evaluation of the introduced coding is being developed. KOMDRUCK AG, Formconsult Werkzeugbau GmbH and Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences are involved in the PUDIS project.

About the Presenter

Lena Schneider born in Speyer on 05.08.1995. 2015-2019: Studies - Material Design Bionics and Photonics, Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences, Lippstadt 2019-2020: Studies - Applied Plastics Technology, Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences, Schmalkalden. since 2020: Research assistant in applied plastics technology at Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences Collaboration in research projects, administrative management of projects, laser cutting and laser welding, computer tomography PUDIS: Development of a marking system with forgery-proof coding, Project Management Agency: Project Management Agency Karlsruhe (PTKA). Current main tasks in the laboratory of applied plastics technology are lasering of plastics and analysis of building components with computer tomography.

Ines Traxler
Research Engineer
Competence Center CHASE GmbH

Abstract

Due to insufficient sorting and recycling, macroscopic contaminations remain in post-consumer polyolefin recyclates. It is known that these contaminations affect the mechanical properties of the recyclates, as they constitute defects and thus crack initiators. However, the influences of different types and amounts of macroscopic contaminants have not yet been analyzed systematically. In this study, to close this knowledge gap, virgin polypropylene (PP) was systematically contaminated with paper, aluminum, sand, wood, in-mold labels, jute fibers and long glass-fibers. Additionally, three commercially available post-consumer PP recyclates were investigated. In a two-stage process, all materials were injection-molded into plates and subsequently milled to specimens. The specimens underwent (i) tensile tests at 50 mm/min, (ii) intermediate-rate tensile tests at 2000 mm/min, and (iii) tensile impact tests. Further, optical microscopy was used to measure the dimensions of the defects on the fracture surfaces. First, the influences of various types and quantities of contamination were evaluated. No significant effects were detected, as the matrix material was very brittle. Compared to the virgin reference grade, most samples showed lower strain-at-break values, except for those with labels and long glass-fibers, for which strain values increased. All PP post-consumer recyclates exhibited a more pronounced ductile behavior, although the contaminations incorporated gave rise to relatively high standard deviations. Second, in a comparison of various testing speeds, a greater influence of contaminants was detected in test (iii). Samples taken from a position close to the sprue had better mechanical properties than samples taken from the opposite side of the plate, as contaminants tend to flow to the end of the produced part. Finally, a non-linear relationship between the energy needed for fracture in testing methods (ii) and (iii) and the dimensions of the contamination on the fracture surface was found.

About the Presenter

Ines finished her Master's degree in Polymer Technologies and Science at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz (Austria) in 2020. The Bachelor and Master Thesis were done in the field of solar energy dealing with the development and evaluation of stabilizers needed for a high endurance time of solar thermal systems and photovoltaic modules. Since then she is working on her PhD Thesis in the field of recycling of polyolefin waste at the Competence Center CHASE (Austria).

Allison Ward
Principal Sustainable Materials Engineer
Dell

Nicolas Sunderland, Ph.D.
Senior Principal Scientist
Covestro

Abstract

Mechanical recycling is one of the most economical pathways to reduce the environmental impacts of plastics. High-value, engineered plastics such as polycarbonate (PC) are being recycled at increasing quantities to the point that the supply of high-quality post-consumer recycled (PCR) polycarbonate is seen as an upcoming bottleneck to meet growing demand. There is an urgency to scale recycling of high-value, engineered plastics from the waste stream into new electronics. Accessible sources of recycled PC are still limited to select applications such as headlamps, construction sheets, and water barrels. In order to utilize material from additional waste sources, focus needs to be on addressing complicated waste types (PC with additives or PC-blends), reprocessing approaches to remove contamination (metals), and development of robust performance recycled content plastics. Mixed-plastic waste is commonly downcycled today and presents many challenges for the value chain from re-processing to the scale of e-waste collection. It is encouraging that many electronics brands have created take-back programs to increase collection rates and support scaling recycling technologies. However, today only a fraction of the electronics manufactured enter the recycling stream. Lack of volume and consistency in waste material streams present another challenge for the industry. Dell, Covestro, and MPT together investigated the effects on material properties, processing, and component quality levels through multiple rounds of simulated closed-loop recycling with positive results. A PC/ABS + talc blend was used as the base production material to add reground scrap parts and mold new laptop components. A total of three recycling loops were tested (equivalent to ~32 years), increasing regrind content by 20% each loop. Impacts of UV monocoat paint on the recycling process were also examined. Results showed the material could be recycled several times and still retain high performance. Paint had a minimal impact on the recycled material performance. Closed-loop recycling of PC and PC blends can offer an efficient pathway to recycle laptop plastic materials. The recycling process from collection, dismantling, and sorting is critical to influence the quality of e-waste to be further developed for second-life use. Laptop brand manufacturers also use a common framework of materials primarily based around polycarbonate and polycarbonate blends, creating an opportunity for scale. Circular design principals must be considered for long-term recycling success and support circular e-waste models.

About the Presenter

Allison Ward is a sustainable materials engineer in Dell's Experience Design Group. With a background in material science engineering and supply chain development, she specializes in strategic circular material programs to support Dell's sustainability goals. She holds a bachelor's degree in material science engineering and a master's degree in industrial operations engineering from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Nicolas Sunderland is a Senior Principal Scientist at Covestro, where he supports the development and applications of polycarbonate plastic in Electronic and Electrical markets. He obtained his PhD in Chemistry at Penn State University, and has worked for over 20 years in the Plastics Industry in various technical roles, now focusing on the development of sustainable solutions.

Joerg Fischer
Associate professor
Johannes Kepler University Linz

Abstract

Initial situation, problem and motivation. The achievement of future EU and Austrian targets for mechanical recycling rates of plastic wastes and the minimization of the EU plastic waste levy for non-recycled plastic packaging wastes require significant improvements in all individual process steps of mechanical plastics recycling. For example, in order to achieve the EU target of a mechanical recycling rate for plastic packaging wastes of at least 55% by 2030, the output efficiencies in the 3 essential process steps, (a) collection, (b) sorting and pre-processing, and (c) conversion & recovery, must be increased from the current Austrian status of approx. 58% for process steps (a) and (b) and approx. 78% for process step (c), to 80-85% (!) for each of these process steps. Objectives and intended outcomes. Building on the existing competences of the partners involved (11 scientific partners, 14 company partners), a further significant increase in knowledge and competence with regard to the entire recycling process loop is to be achieved through comprehensive and interactive integration and participation of the partners in the research program as an overall objective, which is indispensable for the achievement of the very demanding political target quotas. On the one hand, this knowledge generation relates in particular to necessary process and materials technology aspects and measures, but on the other hand also to logistical requirements for waste and material flow management. From this, 4 concrete main objectives including expected results are derived: (1) to identify and explore further, so far unused potentials for the mechanical recycling of plastics, (2) to define, implement and test key process steps on a laboratory/pilot scale, (3) to demonstrate the eco-efficient "marketability" of increased quantities of recycled plastics through exemplary products with improved quality and performance characteristics, and (4) to demonstrate the principle scalability of the laboratory/pilot processes to production scale (case studies). Innovation content and sustainability. The integrative and coordinated consideration of all process steps in the mechanical recycling of plastics, together with the structure and design of the research program, defined by the selected classes of material flows, plastics and products as well as the process steps to be researched in the individual work packages and the associated effects on the material quality characteristics of the recyclates, form the overarching framework for the "conceptual" innovation content of this flagship project. Important innovation components also result from the use of digital technologies and modern, intelligent sensor technologies. This will enable the technical and the economic-ecological optimization of all process steps along the entire value chain of mechanical recycling of plastic wastes from both separate collection and mixed wastes. In the material flow management, special attention is paid to energy efficiency, the potential use of renewable energy technologies and the recycling of water including any additives (chemicals). The commercial implementation of the research results in future industrial practice is ensured not least by the main objectives (3) and (4) described above.

About the Presenter

Joerg Fischer is a professor in the field of Polymer Engineering and Science at the Johannes Kepler University Linz. As an associate professor at the Institute of Polymeric Materials and testing, he teaches and conducts research in the field of plastics recycling, polymer material development, and the characterization and testing of polymer materials. In his research, he considers the entire value chain of plastics products and he investigates the relationships between the processes and the material property profiles. The focus is on specification-relevant property profiles of materials, which is also a relevant perspective for plastics recycling processes. Prof. Fischer is project leader and key researcher in several cooperative research projects. He conducts research with companies along the entire value chain of plastics recycling, starting with waste management companies, over plastic recyclers and plastics product manufacturers and ending with brand owners and retailers.

Yousef Mubarak, Ph.D.
Chairperson, Chemical Engineering Department
University of Jordan

Abstract

Mechanical Properties of Bio-based Composite from Orange Peels Yousef Mubarak1 * and Dib Abu Fara1 1 Chemical Engineering Department, School of Engineering, The University of Jordan, Amman-19942-Jordan * Correspondence: ymubarak@ju.edu.jo Plastics are found almost everywhere and their applications are essentially limitless. Plastics have attained a unique position in packaging industry because of their favorable features such as high strength, water resistance, lightweight, energy effectiveness and low cost. The non-biodegradable and non-renewable nature of plastics has been a serious disadvantage to their application leading to huge municipal wastes and environmental degradation. The use of commodity plastics, especially polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene are growing day by day. Every year more than 25 million tons of synthetic plastics are being accumulated in the seacoasts and terrestrial environment because plastics are inert and they have high resistant to biodegradation. Generally, the main environmental disadvantage of plastic materials is that they do not readily break down in the environment and therefore can litter the natural environment. Using biodegradable plastics can reduce the amount of plastics in landfills. Orange peels have high cellulose content and they are available in good quantities. The present study was aimed to produce bioplastic composite based on orange peels. Orange peels were ground using a semi-automatic grinder before the pre-treatment step. The peels were immersed in a 15% sodium hydroxide NaOH solution for 4 hours at 60¬∞C to remove the lignin, hemicelluloses, and other pectic substances. Then, they were neutralized with 1% acetic acid before being washed with distilled water and dried overnight at 60¬∞C in a convective oven. Different natural additives, including starch, glycerol, agar-agar, and D-sorbitol, were added to the orange peels to develop the envisioned material for optimized mechanical and plasticizing properties. To enhance the mechanical properties of the orange peels bioplastic, calcium carbonate was used in different weight percentages. The ultimate tensile strength of the orange peels bioplastic samples increased from 0.9 MP to 2.4 MPa by the addition of 8 wt% calcium carbonate. On the other hand, the fracture point decreased from 20% to almost 13% by the addition of calcium carbonate, the bioplastic become more brittle as the weight percentage of calcium carbonate increases. The bending tests showed that the maximum deflection achieved before fracture is equal to 12 mm and that the specimen can withstand forces up to 6.2 N. This indicates that the achieved biomaterial has a remarkable bending strength and can withstand up to 6.2 N before fracture, proving that it has a strong bending behavior. The deflection decreased by about 20% when 8 wt% of calcium carbonate existed in the matrix and the bending withstand force reduced to about 5.0 N. It is expected that applying an optimized coating to the orange peels bioplastic composites expands its commercial applications ranging from disposable tableware, coasters, and placemats to tiles and building materials.

About the Presenter

Prof. Yousef Mubarak Chairperson Chemical Engineering Department, School of Engineering, The University of Jordan B.Sc., Chemical Engineering, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan M.Sc., Chemical Engineering, The University of Jordan, Jordan Ph.D., Queen's University Belfast, UK

Sven Behrens, Ph.D.
Managing Scientist
Exponent

Abstract

A novel type of foam can form when blowing or frothing is applied to aqueous particle dispersions in the presence of small amounts of a water-immiscible secondary liquid. If the particles have sufficient wettability for both liquids, the process yields a foam in which coated bubbles are embedded in a tenuous network of particles bridged by the secondary liquid and stabilized by capillary forces. First discovered in 2014, these so-called capillary foams show unusual stability and rheological properties in the liquid state. They also provide new avenues for the production and customization of solid foams. The secondary liquid component can be chosen from wide variety of options, including monomers and prepolymers, polymers solutions, waxes and melts. Along with this choice comes a variety of options to solidify the foam, which includes thermal or UV curing, interfacial polymerization or precipitation, solvent extraction, and cooling; these choices largely determine the foam's mechanical properties. The solid dispersion particles, which can be polymeric or inorganic, can impart additional functionality to the foam, such as magnetic, UV absorbing, heat conducting, or antimicrobial properties, to name just a few. Solid capillary foams can be made using materials commonly found in plastics and technical foams, but they can also be based on biocompatible, biodegradable, or even edible ingredients. In this presentation, I will briefly review the structure and material properties of capillary foams known so far and discuss the broad development opportunities of polymer composite foams for a variety of applications.

About the Presenter

Sven Behrens is a Managing Scientist at the engineering and scientific consulting firm Exponent. He holds a diploma in Physics from Goettingen University (Germany) and a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland. After two years of postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago and five years of industrial research in the polymer research division of BASF, Germany, he worked as an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology from 2007 to 2020, with tenure since 2013. Since 2020, he has been working as a consultant in the Practice of Polymer Science & Materials Chemistry at Exponent while retaining an adjunct faculty position at Georgia Tech.

David Kazmer, Ph.D.
Professor
UMass Lowell

Abstract

Economic and environmental costs are assessed for four different plastics manufacturing processes, including stock and upgraded material extrusion 3D printers, as well as cold and hot runner molding. Characterization indicated the larger stock 3D printer had a melting capacity of 14.4 ml/h while the smaller but upgraded printer had a melting capacity of 36 ml/h. 3D printing at these maximum melting capacities resulted in specific energy consumption (SEC) of 16.5 and 5.28 kWh/kg, respectively, with the latter value being less than 50% of the lowest values reported in the literature. Even so, analysis of these processes found them to be only 2.8 and 3.5% efficient, respectively, relative to theoretical minimum energy requirements. By comparison, all-electric injection molding with a cold runner mold had a specific energy consumption of 0.205 kWh/kg and was 54% efficient relative to the theoretical minima. Breakeven analyses considering the cost and carbon footprint of mold tooling found injection molding provided lower costs at a production quantity around 70,000 units and a lower carbon footprint at a production quantity around 10,000 units. Parametric analysis of model inputs indicates that the breakeven quantities are robust with respect to carbon tax incentives but highly dependent on mold costs, labor costs, and part size.

About the Presenter

David Owen Kazmer is past Chair of Plastics Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He performs teaching and research in model-based product and process design. He is the recipient of twenty different recognition awards, including Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers, Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Ishii-Toshiba Design for Manufacturing Award, U.S. Department of Energy Innovative Process Award, and the Lincoln Electric National Design Competition. He is an inventor with over 20 patents, the author of more than 300 publications including two books, and a member of the Machinery's Handbook Editorial Board. Dr. Kazmer received his B.S. Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and his doctorate from Stanford University's Mechanical Engineering Design Division. His academic research is motivated by industry experiences in engineering and management at General Electric and Dynisco.

Patrick Lee, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Toronto

Abstract

In the frame of polar, deep water, and exoplanet exploration, lightweight multifunctional materials with durability targeting extreme environments are highly sought. Specifically, mechanical strength and a high degree of thermal insulation are among the most critical properties of structural materials in these applications. Mechanical strength imparts the structural integrity needed to minimize damage to sensitive electronic components, while thermal insulation is needed to protect equipment in extreme temperature conditions. Herein, this work uses micro/nano-layered technology to fabricate film/foam alternating structures for an advanced structural architecture that combines the mechanical performance of multilayered materials with the thermal insulation properties characteristic of polymer foams. We used PC as the film layer, PMMA as the foam layer, and CO2 as the foaming agent. With respect to foam structure, our work demonstrates that due to the confinement effect of the film layers, samples expand only in the thickness direction with no noticeable expansion along the in-plane direction. The apparent expansion ratio in the thickness direction increases with increasing layer numbers (up to 513 layers), ranging from 2.3 to 11 times expansion. With respect to cell morphology, there is a clear decrease in cell size with increasing layer numbers, with a concomitant increase in cell density. Specifically, we obtain the highest cell nucleation density and smallest cell size, around 1.1√ó1013 cells/cm3 and 400 nm, respectively, from the 513-layer sample foam, when treated at 70 ÔÇ∞C and 20 MPa. This micro/nano-layered film/foam alternating system offers an outstanding combination of tensile strength (~33 MPa) and low thermal conductivity (~0.0297 W/m¬∑K), in comparison to foams or aerogels with similar thermal conductivity and tensile strength of less than 1 MPa. The balanced tensile performance and insulation properties offered by this multi-tiered structure open the door for use in applications including the exterior layer of vehicles operating in extreme conditions.

About the Presenter

Dr. Patrick C. Lee received his M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto in 2001 and 2006, respectively. Then he pursued Postdoctoral study in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Minnesota under Prof. Chris Macosko. Dr. Lee began his professional career at The Dow Chemical Company in 2008. He was a Research Scientist in Dow's Core Research and Development organization. Dr. Lee joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Vermont as an assistant professor in 2014, then joined the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at The University of Toronto starting July 1st, 2018. Since joining U of Toronto, he created the research platform on the lightweight composite structures. Dr. Lee has 61 research journal papers, more than 100 refereed conference abstracts/papers, 2 book chapters, and 19 filed or issued patent applications. He is the PI or co-PI on domestically and internationally awarded grants from various government agencies and industries. Among his honors, Dr. Lee received the US National Science Foundation Early Faculty Career Development Award (CAREER) in 2018, the PPS Morand Lambla award in 2018, the Hanwha Advanced Materials Non-Tenured Faculty Award in 2017, 3 "best paper" awards from the Society of Plastics Engineer (2005, 2 in 2011). He also served for ANTEC TPM&F 2019 as the Technical Program Chair.

Amol Avhad
Senior Scientist
SABIC Research and Technology Pvt Ltd

Abstract

Thermoforming is a widely employed technology for large part manufacturing in the automotive industry, in part because of lower initial tooling costs and the suitability of this process for medium to low production volumes. At present, the industry manufactures EV battery components predominantly through sheet metal forming. This can come with some challenges: use of metal can add significant weight and negatively affect overall performance. Also of significance, metal solutions can present critical heat shielding concerns. Despite all of this, lack of alternate mature large-scale manufacturing processes has kept sheet metal forming as the industry's leading choice. The challenges and limitations of using conventional metal highlight potential opportunities for use of thermoplastics, specifically for battery pack components such as top covers and bottom trays. The latter shows tremendous promise to support weight savings, for extended range, and enhanced thermal runaway protection, for improved safety. Furthermore, thermoplastics can potentially deliver added benefits, such as increased functional integration, enhanced thermal and electrical insulation, etc. To develop such solutions requires a holistic approach combining optimal design, novel material formulations, creative approaches for manufacturability, and methods for sub-system level validation. This session will highlight a study in which a novel thermoplastic composite material ‚Äì a 30% glass-filled, intumescent, flame-retardant (FR) polypropylene (PP) — was used to manufacture a battery pack's top cover, through sheet extrusion and thermoforming. The composite material was first extruded successfully into flat sheets at both pilot scale and commercial scale to exhibit its manufacturability. Next, the sheets were tested under different fire scenarios to assess material performance against thermal runaway conditions. Finally, the extruded sheets were thermoformed into multiple prototype geometries, from small to large-scale — to validate formability of the material for the top cover and similar-sized battery pack parts. Study findings demonstrate the feasibility of extrusion and thermoforming of the thermoplastic composite material for large actual scale components with complex geometric features. In addition, tests show the potential of this same FR glass-filled PP material to withstand the thermal runaway conditions encountered in battery packs so the industry can meet vehicle occupant escape-time requirements.

About the Presenter

Amol holds a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India. He is having 11+ years industrial R&D experience and his primary expertise is in plastics application development, polymer processing and CFD modelling. He is presently working as a Senior Scientist in Application Development team in SABIC Research and Technology Center, India and involved in development and validation of material solutions for EV battery pack applications.

Xiaoping Guo, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Research Fellow
Abbott Laboratories

Abstract

In the present paper, we have studied thermal properties and thermo-chemical stability of a medical-grade adhesive comprised of a cationic, cycloaliphatic epoxy resin system by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. Then, we have explored UV curability of the adhesive by performing a series of the UV-cure experiments using special photo-DSC (or p-DSC) technique and investigated relevant relationship of resultant thermal properties and thermo-chemical stability of such UV-cured adhesive materials with the underlying UV irradiances during UV curing. Thereafter, we have further examined thermal curability for various post-UV cured adhesive materials by conducting a series of the thermal-cure experiments and measured the ultimate glass transition temperatures of resultant adhesive materials at various "fully-cured" states with using a conventional DSC technique. According to these thermal analysis tests, p-DSC UV-cure experiments, and DSC thermal-cure experiments, we are able to thoroughly understand effects of UV irradiances applied during UV curing on dual UV-thermal curability and resultant thermal properties of various resultant adhesive materials at the "fully-cured" solid states to provide pertinent scientific insights on relevant adhesive handling and processing operations in making medical devices.

About the Presenter

Xiaoping Guo is currently a Senior Associate Research Fellow at the R&D Science & Technology, Abbott Laboratories (Electrophysiology Division), St. Paul, Minnesota. As a polymer specialist, he provides relevant technical services on Polymer Engineering & Science in support of product designs, advanced process development, post-market product analysis, and biological assessment of medical devices, and etc., across various medical device divisions in Abbott. He also conducts innovative polymer material development with specialty applications in novel medical devices, and performs a variety of in vitro and in vivo biostability studies of medical polymers for medical devices. Dr. Guo obtained his Ph.D. degree in Polymer Engineering from the College of Polymer Science & Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Ohio, in 1999.

Manuel Garcia-Leiner, Ph.D.
Senior Manager
Exponent

Abstract

This study describes a detailed analytical characterization of polyaryletherketone (PAEK) polymers used in extrusion-based additive manufacturing. The results provide key observations and highlight differences between commercially available polymers of the PAEK family, specifically polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and polyetherketoneketone (PEKK). Results suggest that inherent differences in their molecular structure lead to notable differences in terms of their viscoelastic, thermal and physical properties. Similarly, direct comparison of the properties between parent filaments and three-dimensional printed (3DP) parts suggests that, as observed in subtractive processes, the molecular structure of the PAEK polymer selected (PEEK or PEKK), as well as the inherent physical properties associated with it, determine greatly the performance of final 3DP parts. Differential scanning calorimetry results suggest that the glass transition temperature (Tg) of PEEK 3DP bars (146.8°C) is about 8°C lower than that of the parent PEEK filament (154.8°C). These small differences manifest greatly in the viscoelastic response after Tg, and the temperature at which a decrease in storage modulus is observed occurs consistently at lower temperatures in 3DP PEEK bars (ca 130°C) compared to PEEK filaments (ca 150°C). In contrast, no observable differences are noted between parent filaments and 3DP bars in PEKK polymers. For these polymers, the inherent semi-crystalline behavior dominates their thermal and viscoelastic response. These structure-property relationships provide fundamental understanding to aid in the design and manufacturing of several industrial and biomedical applications that could potentially leverage the advantages of high temperature thermoplastic PAEK resins, as well as in the incorporation of these polymers in a growing number of technologies encompassing the field of additive manufacturing.

About the Presenter

Dr. Garcia-Leiner is a Senior Manager at Exponent's Polymer Science and Materials Chemistry practice. His research and professional interests include structure-property relationships and processing of polymeric systems. He has extensive practical experience in traditional polymer processing applications, as well as novel processing techniques such as additive manufacturing/3D printing, high performance composites processing, and formulation development. Dr. Garcia-Leiner received a Fulbright Scholarship for his Doctoral Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he received a Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering in 2004. Following his Ph.D., he spent nine years in the polymer/plastics industry at Arkema where he held several R&D positions among various business units. Dr. Garcia-Leiner joined Exponent as a Manager in 2013 and became Senior Manager in 2016.

Gregory Mckenna, Ph.D.
Research Professor
North Carolina State University

Abstract

Ultra-stable glasses, either made by vapor deposition or through extreme aging as in natural amber, provide an avenue to explore otherwise unattainable regions of the deep glassy state. Here we show evidence from a vapor deposited (through vacuum pyrolysis deposition [VPD]) amorphous fluoropolymer and for a 50 million year old amber from Fushun China that glasses can be made that have fictive temperatures TF below the putative Kauzmann temperature TK. In the case of the VPD fluoropolymer, we find from flash differential scanning calorimetry measurements that the fictive temperature is approximately 11.4 K below the Kauzmann temperature as estimated from the VFT singularity temperature determined from the cooling rate dependence of the TF. In the case of the Fushun amber, we used length change dilatometry to determine the fictive temperature of the as-received material as well as to establish the glass transition temperature Tg upon cooling at 2 K/min. In this case the Tg was found to be 463.2 K and the fictive temperature, obtained from the intersection of the rejuvenated liquid line and the glass line of the as received material, was TF=270.2 K, i.e., some 193 K below the Tg. Given that amber is a polymeric material, one would anticipate that the VFT temperature would be approximately 50 to 70 K below the Tg. Using this is as the surrogate for the TK we then see that this ultra-stable amber has a fictive temperature far below TK. Similar to the findings of the VPD perfluoropolymer, this challenges the importance of the Kauzmann temperature as a driver of glass-formation. In addition, for the Fushun amber, we carried out additional experiments in which the viscoelastic response was determined for a range of glassy states that were obtained by partial devitrification steps. Three important findings were obtained. First, in the regime where T>TF, the upper bound relaxation times were always shorter than expected from a VFT type of extrapolation of the data, consistent with prior work on a 20 million year old amber and on a VPD amorphous Teflon. Second, we were able to perform experiments in the condition where T=TF, i.e., where the dynamics should be equal to those obtained in equilibrium at the specific value of T,TF. In this case the relaxation times not only did not diverge, but unlike prior work we were able to also show that they are exponential in the temperature rather than Arrhenius in temperature. This novel finding is not consistent with any current theory of glasses or super-cooled liquids. Third, because we were able to work so far below the glass transition temperature we accessed relaxation times as long as yotta seconds (1e24 s) which would correspond to a viscosity of over 1e33 Pa-s upon assuming a simple Maxwell model. Clearly, these data show that there remains much to be learned of the extremely deep glassy state. One important point is that understanding such behavior is related to our ability to formulate appropriate equilibrium models of glasses, thus forming the basis of non-equilibrium theories that are needed for lifetime predictions in applications of glasses, which are nearly invariably out of equilibrium.

About the Presenter

Gregory B. McKenna received his B.S. in Engineering Mechanics in 1970 from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a S.M. in composite materials MIT in 1971. From 1971 until 1975 he was stationed at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden Utah, where he served as a Test Evaluation Engineer. In 1975 he left the Air Force at the rank of Captain. While in Utah, he also obtained a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Utah, graduating in 1976. After working as a post-doc at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) for a year, he took a permanent position and worked at NBS (now NIST) until 1999 when he moved to Texas Tech University as a Professor of Chemical Engineering and the John R. Bradford Endowed Chair in Engineering. In 2021 he moved to the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University. Dr. McKenna has earned a reputation as a pioneering researcher in multiple areas of polymers and materials physics and engineering, including physics of glasses, solid mechanics and nonlinear viscoelasticity of polymers, thermodynamics and mechanics of elastomers and gels, and molecular rheology. He has over 260 publications that have been cited over 20,000 times. Dr. McKenna is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Society of Plastics Engineers, the Society of Engineering Science, the North American Thermal Analysis Society (NATAS), The American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the Society of Rheology. He is the recipient of multiple awards including the International Award from the Society of Plastics Engineers, the Mettler-Toledo Award of NATAS, and the Bingham Award of the Society of Rheology.

Zohir Benrabah, Ph.D.
Senior Research Officer
National Research Council Canada ATS

Abstract

A key challenge to the widespread commercialization of fuel cell electrical vehicle, is to design compact and cost effective on-board Compressed Gaseous Hydrogen tanks which store sufficient quantities of H2 without sacrificing passenger and cargo space. The first generation of FCEVs use 700 bar Type IV pressure vessels to store hydrogen. These vessels have a cylindrical BMPL, overwrapped by carbon-fiber composite material to maintain the internal pressure, which serves as a hydrogen gas permeation layer. However, due to its small molecular size, H2 permeates through the plastic liner wall. This represents a serious issue that should be addressed early in the design stage in order to minimize H2 emissions from the liner and conform to legal safety requirements and standards. Meanwhile, automotive OEMs and their suppliers are being challenged to design longer and thinner liners with very consistent wall thickness. One way to meet the hydrogen permeation rate requires a judicious choice of liner material. In the thermoplastic forming industry, it is still common practice to rely on trial and error to find the appropriate barrier layer configuration/thickness required to meet the permeation rate limit requirement. A tool offering a more efficient alternative, based on reliable predictive/virtual analysis of the H2 diffusion through the BMPL wall, could significantly shorten the design/development cycle by allowing product prototypes to be analyzed and tested virtually. A finite element based model that could help a designer better understand barrier layer properties was integrated in the latest version of NRC's BlowView software. The mathematical diffusion model adopted is based on Fick's diffusion law to predict H2 diffusion through a polymeric wall. Promising results, in terms of H2 permeation rate on an industrial BMPL, will presented during the presentation.

About the Presenter

Zohir Benrabah is a Forming and Blow Molding Simulation Scientist at NRC's Automotive and Surface Transportation Research Center in Boucherville, Quebec, Canada, where he is involved in the development of the engineering software, BlowView, dedicated to simulating and optimizing blow molding processes such as: Conventional and Twin Sheet Extrusion, Stretch, Thermoforming, and most recently Suction Blow Molding. Zohir hold a Bachelor and Master degree in Mechanical Engineering and he completed his Ph.D. in 2002 in computational structure at Laval University. He has written over 40 papers on the simulation of thermoplastic forming processes.

Mohammad Ali Nikousaleh
Scientific Assistant
University of Kassel

Ralf-Urs Giesen, Ph.D.
Managing Director
University of Kassel

Abstract

Multi-component injection molding of liquid silicone rubber (LSR) with thermoplastics, such as PBT or polyamide, is used in the manufacturing process for many components in the automotive industry and in the field of sanitary technology. Due to its hypoallergenic properties, biocompatibility, and resistance to the majority of liquid medications, liquid silicone rubbers are a promising alternative material for use in medical applications. They can be used over a wide temperature range and they are physiologically well tolerated and can be sterilized in various ways. Standard thermoplastics, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), cannot be overmolded with silicone rubbers in injection molding because of their low heat deflection temperature. With the right production method that combines the processing of silicone rubber and thermoplastics, it would be possible to replace the formerly expensive production and assembly of individual components. Such an integrated production technology makes it possible to realize high-performance new products economically and at the same time, to improve product safety for the patient through simplified, more highly automated and higher-quality production. In this investigation, we applied ABS grades, approved for medical applications, to show how ABS-LSR test specimens regarding the VDI guideline 2019 could be produced using variothermal mold heating and special surface treatment of ABS. Here we will show the development and challenges of a new 2C-molding technology for LSR — thermoplastic parts. For the quality of the later product, the adhesion between thermoplastic and LSR is the decisive feature and depends not only on the injection molding process, but also on the material pairing and the treatment process. Here, we succeeded to manufacture multifunctional products for medical devices through various partial pretratment methods of the thermoplastic surface. In addition, the effect of sterilization (gamma and eto) and artificial aging (humidity and temperature) and of such components on the adhesive bond is indicated.

About the Presenter

Mr. Mohammad Ali Nikousaleh received his bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Kassel. During his bachelor thesis, he investigated the "Stereocomplication and Additivation of PLA with a twin-screw extruder". Afterward, in his master's thesis, he continued his research on the influence of UVC irradiation as a surface activation method for bisphenol A polycarbonate to improve adhesion in TP-LSR composites, which was awarded the "Ráchling Prize" at the University of Bayreuth in 2018. Parallel to his studies, he worked on various projects, enabling him to gain more experience in scientific and practical topics. His professional experience in Germany includes working experience at Dow Corning Company (Wiesbaden; Germany) and Alutrim Company (Kyritz; Germany). Since January 2020, he is a research assistant at the University of Kassel and is engaged in multi-component injection molding of liquid silicone rubber.

Dr. Ralf-Urs Giesen studied Mechanical Engineering specialized in polymer process engineering at University of Paderborn/Germany, after that he made his PhD at the University of Kassel/Germany. In 2009 he took up employment as scientific assistant in the Institute for Materials Technology, Department Polymer Technology at University of Kassel/Germany. Currently Mr. Giesen is the managing director of the Polymer Application Center (called UNIpace) of the University of Kassel and also the head of the division UNIpace in the department of Polymer Technology.

Ayatullah Elsayed
Graduate Student
York University

Abstract

Environmental pollution caused by increased consumption of non-renewable energy sources has prompted researchers to explore alternative solutions to the global energy crisis. Energy harvesting technology covers the conversion of solar/light, vibration/kinetic, wind/fluidic, magnetic, and thermal energies into electricity, via various mechanisms such as the photovoltaic, piezoelectric, electromagnetic, electrostatic, triboelectric, magnetostrictive, thermoelectric, and pyroelectric effects. Additive manufacturing (AM) provides great opportunities for producing energy harvesters to extract abundant mechanical energy that would otherwise be wasted as heat. Its capability to fabricate structures with complex geometry provides new opportunities to enhance the performance of energy harvesters with individualized design. AM is one of the fastest-growing manufacturing methods that can capitalize its principal advantage of customization by fabricating structures using functional materials. Piezoelectric materials are one such type of functional material desired for their electromechanical behaviours. Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is an electroactive polymer with unique piezooelectric properties due to the presence of polar crystal polymorph (e.g., Œ≤-phase) with all dipoles aligned in the same direction (all-trans) zigzag conformation. The ability to additively manufacture piezoelectric material, such as PVDF, opens a new demographic of integrated and personalized smart devices serving from aerospace to biomedical applications. Compared to other AM methods, the fused filament fabrication (FFF) method offers many advantages including cost-effectiveness. Now, many researchers are moving towards FFF to study this process thoroughly. FFF process will be introduced to enable the manufacturing of a device capable of harvesting mechanical energy otherwise lost as heat to the surrounding environment. FFF offers the production of complex and customized geometries that cannot be produced with conventional manufacturing processes. Using FFF to fabricate PVDF devices is still in its infancy with only limited studies available in the literature. In this context, one challenge is to obtain high content of electroactive Œ≤-phase within the fabricated PVDF to maximize the materials' electroactive properties.

About the Presenter

Ayatullah Elsayed is a Ph.D. candidate in the Mechanical Engineering Department at York University, Canada. Her research area is additive manufacturing of polymeric smart materials for energy harvesting and sensing applications. She is the holder of NSERC scholarship. Aya's research experience in the field of material fabrication and energy harvesting includes the fabrication of nanotubes, nanofibers, nanoparticles, and several characterization techniques, such as SEM, Raman, XRD, and electrochemical measurement techniques. In addition to the conventional mechanical testing, including tension, bending, impact, fatigue and mechanical wear test. Aya obtained her bachelor's degree in Materials Engineering from Ain Shams University (2012). After graduation, she worked as a research assistant at the American University in Cairo (AUC) on a project for biodegradable polymer composites and their dynamic characterization. Aya obtained her Master's degree from the AUC where she worked on the fabrication and characterization of smart nanomaterials for energy harvesting at Energy Materials Laboratory (EML). During this time, Aya also served as Teaching Assistant in the Design and Production Engineering department at Ain Shams University.

Patrick Mather, Ph.D.
Professor
Penn State University

Abstract

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) have great potential and multiple successes for utilization in medical devices and as tissue engineering platforms. Thus, cytocompatible shape memory polymers that are activated to change shape by either heat or light are being actively studied in basic and translational research. By comparison with those traditional activation methods, SMPs that are triggered directly by biological activity have not been reported. Recently, we developed and studied an enzymatically triggered shape memory polymer blend prepared by dual electropspinning that changes its shape isothermally in response to enzymatic activity. We selected a fixing phase that was enzymatically labile so that the temporary shapes ‚Äì held in place by the labile fixing phase ‚Äì transformed to permanent shape as a bioinert elastic (memory) phase was liberated to exert its stress. In this presentation we will describe such enzymatic recovery using bulk enzymatic degradation experiments and show that near-complete shape recovery is achieved by degradation of the shape-fixing phase and that the materials and shape recovery process are both cytocompatible. Very recent work on cell-triggered shape recovery exploiting underpinning enzymatic responsiveness will also be presented. Finally, future research and application ideas will be described. The presented research represents a collaboration involving the speaker, Prof. James H. Henderson of Syracuse University, and our students.

About the Presenter

Patrick T. Mather earned B.S. ('89) and M.S. ('90) degrees from Penn State in Engineering Science and Engineering Mechanics, respectively, following which he went on to receive his Ph.D. in Materials at U.C. Santa Barbara in 1994 with dissertation research focused on the rheology of liquid crystals. Following work as materials research engineer for Air Force Research Lab, Mather's academic career has included University of Connecticut, Case Western Reserve University, and Syracuse University, where he helped to create and serve as director of the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute, a sustainable, interdisciplinary effort with 20+ faculty spanning three institutions and seven departments. From 2016 to 2021, Pat served as Dean of Engineering at Bucknell University, where he enjoyed the opportunities and challenges of academic leadership, with a particular focus on inclusive excellence. In 2021 returned to his academic roots at Penn State to become the dean of Schreyer Honors College and professor of Chemical Engineering. Mather's research interests center around smart materials, including shape memory polymers, self-healing materials, polymeric nanocomposites, and biodegradable polymers for medical devices. He is the author of over 160 peer-reviewed papers, inventor on more than 40 patents, and Fellow of both SPE (Society of Plastics Engineering) and the AIMBE (American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering). Pat is the Editor-in-Chief for Polymer Reviews. He has won several student-nominated teaching awards and prides himself on innovative and engaging teaching methods. Pat and his wife Tara Mather enjoy spending time with their blended family of five grown children (and too many cats to count). You can often catch Tara and Pat out on the road distance running or tandem cycling.

Avraam Isayev, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
University of Akron

Abstract

A correlation between the steady shear viscosity and complex dynamic viscosity of carbon black (CB) filled rubbers was found by evaluating the Cox-Merz rule and an alternative approach originally proposed by Philippoff for dilute polymer solutions, but since applied to amorphous polymers and concentrated suspensions. This was done by measuring the rheological properties of 16 industrially important rubber mixes containing CB N660 at concentrations of 20 and 35 % by volume. A capillary rheometer at various shear rates and a dynamic oscillatory shear rheometer at small and large amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS and LAOS) were used. The apparent viscosity, storage and loss moduli, complex dynamic viscosity and Fourier transform harmonics were measured. Generally, the shear stress, storage and loss moduli increased with increasing CB loading. Also, the ratio of 3rd and 5th stress harmonics to 1st harmonics increased with increasing strain amplitude and filler loading. Viscous Lissajou figures (shear stress versus shear rate) at a strain amplitude of 14% showed a nearly linear response for compounds containing CB at 20% by volume. All other shear stress responses demonstrated a strong nonlinearity. The stress waveforms at a strain amplitude of 140% for compounds containing 35% CB by volume displayed a backwards tilted shape expected for highly filled compounds. The stress waveforms at a strain amplitude of 1,000% tended toward a rectangular shape expected for pure polymer. Generally, the nonlinear response of the compounds appeared to be dominated by the filler at strain amplitudes of 14% and 140% and by the rubber matrix at a strain amplitude of 1,000%. The Cox-Merz rule was not applicable for any of the compounds with their complex dynamic viscosity being greater than the apparent viscosity. However, a modification of the approach proposed by Philippoff provided reasonable agreement between the apparent viscosity and complex dynamic viscosity.

About the Presenter

Dr. Avraam I. Isayev is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Polymer Engineering at University of Akron and former Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Polymer Technology. He is a co-founding faculty member of the department. He received his Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering, Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis of USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow; M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics, Institute of Electronic Machine Building, Moscow, USSR; M.Sc.in Chemical Engineering, Azerbaijan Institute of Oil and Chemistry, Baku, USSR. Prior to joining the University in 1983, Isayev conducted research at Cornell University, Technion, USSR Academy of Sciences, and State Research Institute of Nitrogenic Industry, USSR. His research interests focus in polymer and composite processing, process modeling, rheo-optics, rheology and constitutive equations of polymers, oil products and disperse systems; the injection, co-injection, transfer, compression and gas-assisted injection molding; processing of selfreinforced or in-situ composites based on blends of flexible and thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers; decrosslinking of thermosets, devulcanization of rubbers and in-situ copolymer formation in immiscible blends with the aid of ultrasonic waves; replacement of petroleum olis in rubbers by modified soybean oils; high temperature and high performance composites and nanocomposites. Isayev has co-authored 4 editions of 1 monograph on rheology, edited or co-edited 8 books, published 274 papers in journals, 37 chapters in books, 8 papers in encyclopedias, 176 papers in conference proceedings. He holds 30 patents. He advised 49 PhD, 42 MS students and 31 postdocs and visiting scientists. He serves on editorial and advisory boards of many journals.

Katharina Hornberg
Research Assistant
IKV - RWTH Aachen University

Abstract

In injection molding, the process is continuously affected by disturbances that influence the part quality. E.g. the processing of post-consumer recyclates (PCR) causes fluctuating process conditions due to a varying composition and history of material batches. PCR consists of recycled polymer material and includes impurities from other polymer types, metals, glass, paper, and others, varying in proportion batch by batch. The fluctuations in part quality grow with increasing recyclate use and lead to reduced mechanical and optical part properties. We developed a phase-unifying process control approach, which combines injection and holding pressure phase by eliminating the switchover point. The approach realizes a given cavity pressure curve by adjusting the screw velocity in real-time. Therefore, a model predictive controller and unscented Kalman-filter are used. Both use a simplified model of the injection molding process to calculate process adjustments correlating to real-time data and predicted process behavior. For the calculation of the cavity pressure reference curve, we used pvT material data in combination with a cooling model. This method decreased batch differences of PCR by more than 50 %. However, a determination of pvT material data is time and cost consuming and therefore not economic. This applies in particular for PCR batches, which are comparatively very small. Therefore, batch differences should be detected during the process to account for online process control. In order to realize process adaptations based on material properties, the objective of presented research is to evaluate batch differences by analyzing process variables, such as screw and cavity pressure, for increasing reproducibility. First, we characterized five different PCR batches to identify the material properties and find fast and cost-effective methods to initialize the controller setting, as controller parameters depend on the processed material. Afterwards, we performed injection molding trials for different process settings to detect batch changes by process analysis. Therefore, we measured cavity pressure, screw pressure, screw position, screw velocity and mold temperature. Finally, we defined part quality and correlated material properties and process data to part quality. Based on the results, a process control concept can be enhanced for automated compensation of batch variations without additional pvT measurements. A consideration of batch-wise viscosity changes is needed for controller parametrization and cavity pressure reference generation. The material characterization showed that the melt flow rate has the highest correlation to part weight, whereas the weight changes cannot be associated with viscosity changes only. The PE content from both, the fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements, had no significant effect on process curve characteristics or part weight changes. Furthermore, batch changes could be identified most effectively by characteristics of the screw pressure curve, which makes an online determination of material batch changes possible.

About the Presenter

Katharina Hornberg was born on 01 July 1994 in Oberhausen, Germany. After graduating from high school in 2013, Ms Hornberg studied mechanical engineering at RWTH Aachen University. In 2014 and 2015, she was a member of the Formula Student Team at RWTH Aachen University, where she gained her first experience of processing plastics. She subsequently decided to specialise in plastics technology in her Bachelor's degree. In 2017, Ms Hornberg completed an internship at the injection molding machine manufacturer Arburg GmbH + Co KG and conducted her first injection molding tests there. Ms Hornberg was enthusiastic about the processing of plastics in injection moulding, so she analysed the geometric and process similarity for transferring machine-learned process knowledge in injection molding in her Bachelor's thesis. From April 2018 to May 2019, Ms Hornberg studied plastics and textile technology in the master's programme with a specialization in plastics technology to expand her expertise in the field of plastics technology and injection molding. In her Master's thesis, Ms Hornberg focused on the development of a process control strategy based on cavity pressure for injection molding. During her Master's studies, Ms Hornberg worked as a student assistant at the Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) for the entire time. Since June 2019, Ms Hornberg works as a research assistant at the IKV in the injection molding department and is leading the process control working group. Her main area of research involves the development of new process control strategies for the injection moulding process.

Paul Van Huffel
Senior Applications Engineer
Altair Engineering

Abstract

A differentiable model for non-Newtonian, shear-thinning viscosity is presented as derived by integrating the log-log domain derivative function of the Carreau-Yasuda viscosity model. This work Expands from the discovery of the log-log domain derivative function as this is the foundation for the statement of the new viscosity model. A fitting experiment using polypropylene is performed to illustrate the improvement in viscosity fitting where the shape of the curve in the log-log domain may change with respect to temperature over the assumption of it being constant in the Carreau-Yasuda model for a given polymer. A comparison of pressure drops through two different polymer extrusion profiles and an analytical calculation of pressure drop through a constant cross section, a capillary, and a non-constant cross section, a funnel or conical section, are used to compare the equivalence of the results for shear viscosity. Potential uses for this work include development of explicit or hybrid flow solvers for weakly compressible viscous flows such as polymer melts, and possibly extending to the prediction of effects based on the rate of change of the dilatational (i.e., expansion/compression) and shear parts of the deviatoric strain and strain rate tensors (i.e., viscoelastic behavior) in the flow, although the current model specifically concerns the shear portion only.

About the Presenter

Senior Applications Engineer on the Global Technical Support Team at Altair Engineering, Culver Military Academy (1987), Aquinas College (December 1992) - BA in Philosophy, AAS from Grand Rapids Community College - Plastics Engineering (May 1996), BS in Plastics Engineering Technology from Ferris State University (May 1997). Some coursework after FSU in mathematics and genreal mechanical engineering. Spent 3.5 years setting molds and processing molded parts. Spent 3.5 years in Project and manufacturing engineering. Transitioned from manufacturing engineering in automotive lighting at Lescoa, Inc. into simulation at Hoff & Associates in 1999. In late 2001 moved to Cascade Engineering doing molding and structural analyses. Developed innovative tools for molding during the Cascade years. Moved to Altair in November of 2007. Paul has supported many of Altair's applications over the years and taught classes in both front end applications and several solvers for mechanical, crash, CFD, and Manufacturing solutions. He has developed a Molding Toolkit in Altair Compose to help plastics engineers with a variety of common tasks, and authored a few training classes related to injection molding for Altair, including one due to be launched in 2023, "Polymer Properties for Simulation," which covers properties for simulating with polymers in the context of structures as well as rheological simulation.

Rasmus Hertz
Ph.D. Student
LEGO System A/S and Aalborg University

Abstract

Injection moulding is an important manufacturing process in the fabrication of plastic parts. The repeatability of injection moulding machines has been an area of interest for several decades, to ensure the quality in the moulded product. It requires that each machine runs with multiple moulds and materials. The diversity of moulds and materials, require robust controllers that works well for different setpoints of speed and pressure. The tuning of machine controllers is a complicated task and should not be carried out each time a new mould or material is changed to ensure a consistent production flow. The injection moulding process is divided into several phases. The predominant moulding process in the industry is called secondary overpoint. It consists of a velocity-controlled fill phase and pressure controlled holding phase. The switchover between velocity control and pressure control of the injection cylinder is an important part of the cycle. It is important that the switchover occurs almost instantly to avoid overfilling the mould. It is desired to minimize the transient response of e.g. the pressure because a pressure drop before the holding pressure reference is achieved is undesired. A pressure drop results in reduction of the melt flow into the mould. This is undesired because the reduced flow will reduce the shear rate, hence increase the frozen layer making it harder or impossible to pack the elements. Previous research within bump-less transfer between the velocity-controlled phase and the pressure-controlled phase is based on making the pressure controller track the velocity controller. Hence ensuring continuity of the control input signal when the switchover occurs. A novel bump-less switch-over method is presented for hydraulic machines. The bump-less control switching approach is based on the control of flow into both chambers of the injection cylinder and is independent of plastic and mould properties. The controller structure is designed from a model-based approach. The controller is based on a cascaded controller structure, with a pressure and velocity controller. The bump-less transfer is secured through a continues reference generation and sharing of controller structure, making the switch-over less sensitive to mould and material parameters. It is possible to tune the time before the holding pressure is achieved through a single parameter, with direct relation to the settling time. The controllers and bump-less switch-over method are implemented on a rebuild commercial injection moulding machine. The results show in agreement with theory a bump-less fill to pack transition without any oscillations in the hydraulic pressure states. The controller structure enables bump-less switch-over between the velocity controller and pressure controller without the need for tuning when the mould and material is changed. If desired, it is furthermore possible to adjust the time it takes to reach the steady state holding pressure.

About the Presenter

Rasmus Aagaard Hertz received his M.Sc. in Electro Mechanical System Design from Aalborg University, Denmark, in 2017. With special interest in dynamic modelling and control of hydraulic systems. From 2017 to 2020 he has been working in industry with R&D Moulding, LEGO System A/S. Focusing on data and development of moulding platforms for the internal moulding factories. Since 2020 he has been an Industrial PhD student in cooperation with LEGO System A/S and Aalborg University, Denmark. Topics of interests include injection moulding, with focus on in-line material characterization, dynamic process modelling and control of the injection moulding process.

Steffen Verwaayen
Research Assistant
IKV - RWTH Aachen University

Abstract

Accurate material characterization and appropriate modeling are essential for the prediction of the process behavior in injection molding simulations. The material viscosity is particularly important for the filling process and consequently for the process design. However, it must be taken into account that the viscosity of plastics depends, among other things, on the temperature, the shear rate and the prevailing pressure level. The influence of the pressure is often neglected due to the time-consuming characterization, even though existing models can include it. In the case of parts with long flow paths, thin-walled parts or materials with high filler content this can lead to an incorrect prediction of the pressure within the process, which can result, for instance, in an underestimation of the required filling pressure. In addition, incorrectly calculated pressures also lead to prediction deviations for the material density and thus affect the calculation of shrinkage and warpage of the component after cooling. Therefore, the aim is to characterize the pressure dependence of the melt viscosity and to investigate the modeling methodology for injection molding simulations. For this purpose, the pressure dependence of the viscosity for a polypropylene type 505P supplied by Sabic is determined using a modified injection molding rheometer by varying the shear rate and the temperature under near-production boundary conditions. To be able to change the absolute pressure level within the capillary, a throttle is used. For the characterization of the pressure dependence, the measurements are carried out with and without the throttle using the same machine settings. In addition, the viscosity is measured with a high-pressure capillary rheometer, which is a commonly used test method for creating material cards for injection molding simulations. The results show that the pressure dependence of the viscosity decreases with increasing shear rate. Using the generated experimental data, the calibration of the Carreau-WLF viscosity model is investigated in terms of modeling the pressure dependence of the viscosity. It is also shown that fits based on high-pressure capillary rheometer measurements are already affected by the influence of the pressure due to the measurement setup, since the characterization is carried out at higher pressure levels than assumed, even though the dependency is neglected in the modelling. Hence, for conventional fits the viscosity is slightly overestimated at high shear rates. Nevertheless, if the pressure dependence is included for the fitting, the viscosity can be accurately modeled within the investigated range.

About the Presenter

Education/Study: Steffen Verwaayen studied mechanical engineering at the RWTH Aachen University, Germany, specializing in plastics technology (Bachelor and Master). He wrote his master's thesis at Simcon kunststofftechnische Software GmbH in the field of injection molding simulation. Career path (2019 - present): Since September 2019, he is working as a research assistant at the Institute of Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen University. He is employed in the Department of Structure Calculation and Materials Technology and leads the workgroup Material Modeling / CAE. Current research focus: Investigation of the pressure dependence of viscosity to improve injection molding simulation.

Cemi Kahve
Research Assistant
IKV - RWTH Aachen University

Abstract

Dimensional accuracy is, to this day, a challenging key quality aspect for manufactured parts using primary shaping processes. Many high-precision parts undergo multiple correction loops during the mold-making process to meet required geometric tolerances. Each iteration not only increases production costs, but also requires additional human and environmental resources. Dimensional inaccuracies are caused by the process-based part deformation, a superposition of the phenomena shrinkage and warpage. The mechanisms for shrinkage and warpage are strongly related to the dependence of a polymer's specific volume on pressure, and temperature (pvT-behavior). Shrinkage is inevitable since it is caused by the continuous decrease in melt temperature and the inherent crystallization process during solidification. Warpage results due to local and time-dependent variations of the melt temperature, cooling rate, and pressure and thus the local specific volume. These variations cause inner stress distributions that ultimately cause the part to warp. In order to reduce part warpage, the volumetric shrinkage must be homogenized across the part, which can be realized by manipulating the part's temperature locally and time-dependent. In this work, the warpage of a box-shaped geometry is aimed to be reduced by controlling the local temperature using dynamic heating elements. Dynamic temperature control is realized using a novel heating coating system based on plasma sprayed TiOx/Cr2O3, which is applied onto the cavity surface. Compared to conventional fluid-based temperature control systems, the heating coating system provides high heating rates of up to 25 K/s. Due to a coating thickness of 0.5 mm, the system is highly dynamic in its heating and cooling behavior. In order to ensure the feasibility of the heating coating system for complex geometries, a simulation-based procedure is presented, which identifies and compensates warpage-critical areas. In the first step, a commercial injection molding simulation software calculates part warpage while considering the water-cooling channel layout (reference). The resulting warpage file is exported to a 3D inspection software. Via a surface comparison between the CAD file (required drawing dimensions) and the warped geometry, the deviation was evaluated for all surfaces. A maximum warpage of 1.7 mm was measured for the box-shaped geometry and the polymer POM. This warpage is the reference value, which is used to determine the warpage reduction with the heating coating systems. Based on this initial calculation, multiple heating coating systems are modeled using CAD software. The modeled heating systems aim to homogenize thermal imbalances within the mold in such a way that the maximum part warpage is reduced by a factor of ten (compared to the reference). Each heating system is imported to the injection molding simulation software, where multiple power levels are applied during the molding simulation. The resulting warpage for each simulation is exported and evaluated. A significant warpage reduction has been achieved, with the maximum deviation being 0.35 mm (warpage reduction by factor five) with this procedure for the box-shaped geometry and the polymer POM. This work aims to achieve a maximum warpage of 0.17 mm, by optimizing the shape and applied power of the most suited heating coating system configuration. In the future, the modeled and simulated heating coating system will be validated in an experimental study.

About the Presenter

Technical leader with 10+ years of experience in product development of Engineering Thermoplastics. Proven track record of driving innovation with customer and market focus. Strong communication, team working and management skills vital for a dynamic global organization.

Mohammad Ahmed, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Southeastern Louisiana University

Abstract

The advent of additive manufacturing (AM) brought in new dimensions to the research and development efforts of cellular polymeric structures by offering design freedom, resulting in tailorable architected structures optimized for specific applications. This work proposes a two-dimensional (2D) density gradient approach to design graded honeycomb structures for energy absorption applications. Graded honeycomb structures having three levels of density gradients (low, medium, and high) and their uniform density honeycomb equivalents were manufactured using material extrusion (MatEx) based fused filament fabrication (FFF) AM process. The material used for the FFF process was thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomer (Polyflex). The relative density of the structures was in the range of 0.259 ‚Äì 0.346. A comparative study of the compressive behavior of the graded and regular honeycomb structures was carried out using in-plane quasi-static compression tests. Unlike regular honeycomb structures, all the graded honeycombs showed gradual stepwise deformation. Compared to their honeycomb equivalent counterparts, the high gradient honeycomb showed significantly different force-displacement profile compared to medium and low gradient honeycombs. While high gradient honeycomb showed higher maximum crushing force compared to the honeycomb equivalent, medium and low gradient honeycombs showed higher crush force efficiency. The experimental results were evaluated and compared with non-linear finite element analysis (FEA) simulation results. The hyperelastic properties of the TPU material were defined using Mooney-Rivlin constitutive model. The simulation results agreed well with the experimental results. The proposed 2D gradient parametric design methodology, coupled with the experimental and simulation results, can broaden the knowledgebase of graded honeycomb design principles, thus providing unique opportunities to develop and improve additively manufactured light-weight structures for commercial applications, ranging from automotive and transportation to healthcare and consumer products.

About the Presenter

Dr. Mohammad Faisal Ahmed is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial and Engineering Technology of Southeastern Louisiana University, who has interdisciplinary expertise in industrial, manufacturing, mechanical, and materials engineering. Dr. Ahmed published 12 journal articles in refereed journals such as Materials and Design, Additive Manufacturing, Journal of Applied Polymer science, Materials Chemistry and Physics, Journal of Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, and Micromachines among others. Dr. Ahmed‚Äôs research interests are additive manufacturing, sustainable manufacturing, architected materials, in-space manufacturing, industry 4.0, smart materials, and polymer processing. He is a member of SPE, IISE, and SME. He is devoted to teaching and training future engineering and technology graduates through his research activities to foster inclusive higher education and contribute to the economic development of the State of Louisiana. He is very active in STEM education and outreach activities. Apart from serving as an advisory member (e.g., MakerSpace Committee - LaSTEM Network, FIRST Robotics Mentoring Campaign etc.), he conducts outreach activities for K-12 students and teachers (e.g., Print the Future Camp funded by Louisiana Materials Design Alliance (LAMDA) ‚Äì NSF & Louisiana Board of Regents).

Johannes Austermann
Graduate Research Assistant
IKV - RWTH Aachen University

Abstract

Based on its mouldless, layer-wise manufacturing principle, screw-extrusion-based Additive Manufacturing (AM) allows for the efficient and economical production of thermoplastic prototype parts. During manufacturing, thermoplastic pellets are molten in a single-screw extruder and discharged through a nozzle. As the extruder is moved by a kinematic, the melt is subsequently locally discharged in a strand- and layer wise fashion to successively build up a part, similar to established AM processes such as the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). In contrast to FFF, standard thermoplastic pellets can be processed, as a single-screw extruder instead of a heated nozzle is used for plasticising the material. Thus, enabling injection moulding (IM) prototypes to be manufactured from series IM grade materials, including filled materials such as talc-filled polypropylene. However, the layer-wise additive manufacturing leads to anisotropic mechanical part properties in terms of strength and stiffness, which differ from the properties of the final IM-part, currently limiting the use of AM-parts to concept- and geometric-prototypes. These properties not only result from lower part strength orthogonal to the direction of deposition due to incomplete healing between adjacent strands, but also from a difference in filler-orientations, based on the process specific flow behaviour of the melt during processing. To extend the use of parts manufactured in screw extrusion AM to functional- or even technical prototypes, for which the mechanical properties are crucial, an understanding of these differences in the anisotropic mechanical behaviour of AM- and IM-parts is necessary. In the scope of this work, the quasi-static tensile and flexural properties as well as the high-speed tensile properties of additively, screw-extrusion-based manufactured and injection moulded parts are investigated, taking into consideration differences in the filler orientation between the manufacturing processes. To account for the anisotropy, testing is performed in several directions relative to the direction of deposition in AM or the direction of flow in IM. Furthermore, optical investigations are performed to assess the impact of filler orientations. The investigations are performed by manufacturing 1BA tensile test specimens from a 20 wt.% talc filled IM grade polypropylene material in screw-based AM and IM, which are subsequently used to perform quasi-static tensile and high-speed tensile testing. In addition, test specimens in accordance with DIN EN ISO 178 are manufactured for flexural testing. To allow for comparability, the test specimens are indirectly manufactured, i.e. both in AM as well as IM plate geometries are produced, from which the test specimens are milled. The AM parts are tested parallel and orthogonal to the strand-direction as well as at an angle of 30¬∞ and 60¬∞ relative to the strands. For IM, testing is carried out parallel and orthogonal to the direction of flow. In addition, ¬µCT and microscopic investigations are conducted to analyse the orientation of the filler. While the results show an anisotropy in strength and stiffness for both IM and AM specimens, the anisotropy of these properties is significantly more pronounced in case of AM. This is based on the higher degree of filler orientation in the strands of the AM-parts. At the same time, only a partial orientation of the fillers in flow direction can be determined for IM-parts, showing that the fillers used can impact the comparability of AM and IM-prototypes. Additionally, it is shown that a higher comparability of the part properties is possible in the case of a quasi static load, compared to high-speeds of load application, limiting the use of AM-prototypes to such load cases.

About the Presenter

After successfully studying mechanical engineering at RWTH Aachen University, Johannes Austermann completed his master's studies at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and RWTH Aachen University with distinction in the field of plastics engineering. Since 2019, he has headed the "Additive Manufacturing" working group as a graduate research assistant at the IKV. The focus of his work is on the process- and material-related properties of additively manufactured components.

Aboulfazl Barati
Postdoctoral Researcher
Troy University

Abstract

Accumulated used polymers and tires cause several ecosystem issues in landfills. A practical method was proposed to reuse recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) and ground tire rubber (GTR) powder by melt composite process. A composite material was developed in this work using GTR for reinforcement and rPET for matrix. The effect of two non-reactive (styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) and styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene (SEBS)) and three reactive (ethylene-methyl acrylate-glycidyl methacrylate (EMA-GMA), ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate (EGMA) and SEBS grafted with maleic anhydride (SEBS-g-MA) coupling agents on the mechanical properties of the composite material were evaluated. Mechanical tensile and impact strength properties were evaluated to determine how coupling agents affect composite behavior. All reactive coupling agents improve the mechanical behavior of composite materials, whereas non-reactive ones have little effect. EMA-GMA and EGMA are more reactive with rPET than SEBS-g-MA. Using 10 wt% of EMA-GMA in the composite of rPET/GTR (4:1) increases the tensile strain and impact strength (950% and 23%, respectively) and decreases maximum tensile strength and Young's modulus (16% and 35%, respectively).

About the Presenter

Aboulfazl Barati is a researcher with 18 years of experience in researching and teaching. He has been taught many chemical and polymer engineering courses at BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. levels. He has an international reputation for research on chemical and polymer engineering, especially polymer processing and polymerization. He has published over 70 journal papers in high-quality peer-reviewed journals, of which 5 of his papers are ground-breaking in their field. Also, he has published more than 80 conference papers and has been invited as a keynote speaker to many of them. His research has widespread applications in many areas of polymer and chemical engineering, for example in polymer processing, polymer blending, biomedical product, environmental applications, and the agricultural industry. Currently, he is a researcher at the Center for Materials and Manufacturing Sciences (CMMS) in Troy University. He is working amongst American and international individuals.

Lexington Peterson
Field Process Engineer
iMFLUX

Abstract

The macro-issues the plastics industry is trying to resolve today pertain to sustainability, supply chain shortages, and the lack of skilled labor. Within the injection molding sector, manufacturers typically perform a full validation when a mold is moved to a different injection molding machine (IMM) or there is a material change. These full validations are labor-intensive, expensive, and not sustainable. Moreover, these methods may or may not utilize scientific molding principles. There has been a demand for a standard "part process" development method to transfer a mold between IMMs that is more efficient and can embrace variation in resins. iMFLUX's Auto-Viscosity Adjust (AVA) technology has made doing so easier with its low, constant pressure injection molding process. This adaptive technology enables the molding process to automatically adjust parameters in real-time around parts' response. This research focuses on developing a regenerative part process with low, constant pressure that is independent of resin and machine. Using AVA and cavity pressure sensors, two molds' processes were transferred to another capable press with the original process, no user adjustments, and parts were studied for visual and dimensional integrity. It was determined that iMFLUX can automatically regenerate optimized part processes in different IMMs deemed capable with negligible part variation as seen from the visual and dimensional results. This is the first time an intelligent controller can autonomously redevelop and validate a part process to mold parts within spec despite varying IMMs and resins.

About the Presenter

Lexington Peterson is a field process engineer at iMFLUX, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Procter & Gamble in Hamilton, Ohio. She is an alumni of Pittsburg State University where she graduated with a B.S. in Plastics Engineering Technology as well as a B.S. in Polymer Chemistry. Lexington has been an active member of the Society of Plastics Engineers for 5 years. Her passion for plastics is sustainability-focused, which happens to be one of iMFLUX's main initiatives. Brandon Birchmeier is the Technology & Innovation Director for iMFLUX with nearly 20 years of hands-on injection molding experience varying from large automotive applications to high-speed packaging. He is a graduate of Ferris State University, and has been at iMFLUX for 8 years. Brandon is a driving force at iMFLUX with a passion for developing autonomous molding intelligence, sharing the benefits of the iMFLUX technology, and changing the way the world molds.

Saratchandra Kundurthi
Ph.D. Student
Michigan State University

Abstract

Polymer material extrusion additive manufacturing processes like fused filament fabrication (FFF) are increasingly being used for structural applications. Accordingly, there is a growing need for computational modeling to characterize and predict the process output and printed part performance under load. Prior studies have shown that the modulus and strength in the build direction (Z-direction) are sensitive to the surface bead shapes and can vary extensively depending on the print settings used. This presents a challenge for part-level (macro-scale) finite element analysis (FEA) because the material properties required for such models can vary from part to part or even different locations within the same part. The use of stress concentration factors is a critical step in computing effective material properties to be used in macro-scale numerical models. However, theoretical stress concentration factors (kt) published in literature for material extrusion AM are limited to tensile loading only. In this work, we demonstrate how the kt from tensile loading can be extended to other load cases. Meso-scale FEA was used to perform parametric studies with varying bead shapes. The models were subjected to pure bending loads as well as bending loads combined with shear loads. The stress concentrations were then evaluated, but with multiple iterations of the wall thickness used for nominal stress calculations. The results were compared to the results from pure tensile loading, and it was observed that the choice of wall thickness is trivial for tensile loads but is critical for bending loads. An equation for effective wall thickness was derived that yields consistent stress concentration factors for any bead shape, irrespective of the applied load. The results were also compared with the effective wall thickness for calculating the Z-direction modulus as published in literature. Ultimately, separate recommendations for effective wall thickness are presented for calculating modulus, strength, and the actual geometry used in macro-scale FEA models.

About the Presenter

Sarat Kundurthi is a PhD student at Michigan State University currently working on computational modeling of polymer additive manufacturing processes. He holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He also has 4 years of industry experience at Eaton Corp., with expertise in finite element modeling.

Chul Park, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor
University of Toronto

Abstract

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) exhibits poor melt strength which limits its widespread application especially where it is exposed to an elongational deformation flow in processes such as film blowing, melt spinning, and foaming. In this study, by taking advantage of in-situ nanofibrillation of thermoplastic polyester ether elastomer (TPEE) in HDPE matrix, we improved the rheological properties as well as the foamability of HDPE. TPEE consists of a hard crystalline segment of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and a soft amorphous segment of polyether. The polarity of these two groups causes TPEE to be thermodynamically incompatible with non-polar HDPE. Therefore, styrene/ethylene-butylene/styrene copolymer grafted maleic anhydride (SEBS-g-MA) as a compatibilizer was used for reducing the interfacial tension between two blend components. In the first step, a 10% masterbatch of HDPE/TPEE with and without compatibilizer was prepared employing a twin screw extruder. Next, to fabricate fiber-in-fiber composites, the 10% masterbatch was diluted and processed by spunbonding. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that not only the spherical size of HDPE/TPEE decreased significantly after SEBS-g-Ma inclusion, but also a much smaller TPEE nanofiber size (60-70nm for 5%TPEE) was achieved. Moreover, the extensional rheological results showed strain-hardening behavior for both compatibilized and non-compatibilized stretched samples at earlier times, at a given extensional rate, compared to the unstretched counterparts. It is worth mentioning that the improvement of extensional rheological properties was more pronounced for compatibilized samples compared to the non-compatibilized ones. This can be attributed to smaller nanofiber size and consequently higher aspect ratio as well as a more robust 3D fibrillated network. Finally, batch foaming was conducted to investigate the foamability of fibrillated nanocomposites.

About the Presenter

Professor Chul Park received his Ph.D. from MIT in 1993. He is Distinguished Professor of Microcellular Engineered Plastics at University of Toronto. He has an international recognition in polymer foam area. He has published more than 1500 papers, including 500 journal papers and four books with 27,500 Scopus Citations and 89 Scopus H-index. Prof Park serves as Editor-in-Chief for Journal of Cellular Plastics. He has been inducted as an Academician Fellow into 6 academies including the Academy of Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada, the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He is also a Fellow of 6 other professional societies including the Society of Plastics Engineers.

Sinja Pagel
Research Associate
IKT - University of Stuttgart

Abstract

Multi-layer materials (e.g. in packaging or technical parts) are used to achieve certain properties of products. However, a major challenge of plastics recycling is the separation of the various polymer layers. One example for this are airbags. Airbags consist primarily of polyamide 6.6 fibers and an additional silicone coating. To prepare for recycling, the wastes are processed to easily dosable fabric particles. However, the fabric particles subsequently do not consist exclusively of PA66, but still contain the silicone coating. In principle, it is possible to process these PA66 silicone fabric particles into plastic granules by extrusion, though this results in a product of low quality. This is mainly due to the low adhesion between the PA66 matrix and the contained silicone particles. The low adhesion leads to increased interfacial delamination and thus to premature failure. Mechanical properties such as impact strength or elongation at break are therefore very poor and high-quality technical components cannot be manufactured from this recyclate. An alternative to the extrusion of silicone-contaminated PA66 waste is the chemical separation of the silicone from the polyamide. However, the disadvantages of this recycling alternative are the large amounts of solvents required as well as the high energy requirements. Up to now, there is no efficient process for the mechanical recycling of PA66 wastes which contain silicone. However, from an environmental point of view and due to the large available amount of this type of waste (e.g. airbags), it would be desirable to process it into a high-quality recyclate which can be applied in the production of technical plastic components. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate a new approach for the recycling of PA66/silicone wastes using the example of airbag wastes. Thereby, the silicone particles should not be regarded as impurities but as a functional additive/impact modifier. To this purpose, a coupling between the PA66 matrix and the silicone particles was formed through a reactive extrusion in a twin-screw extruder by means of a silane coupling agent. This type of modification intents to reduce the risk of interfacial detachment in the resulting recyclate. After the reactive extrusion, an in-depth material analysis was conducted to verify the achieved coupling reaction in the twin-screw extruder. Rheological tests confirmed the formation of a cross-linked structure through the addition of the coupling agent. However, it cannot be determined through the rheological analysis if a chemical bonding has taken place. It can be assumed that the silicone has become inert during the airbag production and therefore none or only few functional groups are available. However, silanes and silicones have a basic structural similarity. Therefore, physical bonding can be expected, which may well lead to improved mechanical performance. The improved integration of the silicone particles into the PA66 and the reduction of cavities in the compound could be demonstrated by using Nano-IR-AFM analyses. Additionally, mechanical tests showed the increase in notched impact strength and elongation at break and therefore the possible function of the silicone as an impact modifier. The reactive extrusion process was further investigated in a hinged twin-screw extruder. After stopping the process, it is possible to open the processing unit and to take samples at different positions along the processing zone. This further analysis of the process emphasized the need for an adjustment of the machine parameters as well as the screw concept in order to optimize the reaction conditions in the processing zone and to prevent post-reactions as well as degradation effects. Future experiments will concentrate on the detailed investigation of the exact nature of the formed bonds (physical and/or chemical). In this context, the formation with additional silane types should also be taken into account. Furthermore, the process parameters of the reactive extrusion will be optimized with the aim to increase the additive content in order to further increase the notch impact strength while avoiding process-related post reactions that could hinder the processing of the compounds.

About the Presenter

Studies: Material Sciences (M.Sc.), University of Gättingen, Germany. Career: since 2017, scientist at the Institut für Kunststofftechnik (IKT), University of Stuttgart (Germany). Field of research: material engineering, (reactive) compounding, polyamides, biopolymers

Xiaoping Guo, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Research Fellow
Abbott Laboratories

Abstract

In an attempt to attest and justify that a polymeric medical device as possibly affected by some polymer process change(s) of device manufacturing would be substantially equivalent to relevant legally-marketed counterpart in view of its biological safety and functional effectiveness, a practical approach for statistically evaluating inherent thermo-chemical stability of polymer, namely activation energy of thermal degradation that is closely dependent of the underlying thermal history of device manufacturing, is proposed in compliance to relevant regulations and industrial guidelines. Accordingly, a series of thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) experiments can be comparatively conducted per ASTM E1641 standard practice and then kinetically studied to determine the measured activation-energy means for some "test" polymer samples taken from affected device, compared to some "control" polymer samples taken from relevant legally-marketed device, using the so-called Ozawa-Flynn-Wall analytical method. The statistical equivalence or superiority of affected device, compared to legally-marketed device, can be then technically assessed by performing the pertinent two-sample heteroscedastic t-test on any statistical differences in the so-measured activation-energy means between the affected and "control" polymer samples.

About the Presenter

Xiaoping Guo is currently a Senior Associate Research Fellow at the R&D Science & Technology, Abbott Laboratories (Electrophysiology Division), St. Paul, Minnesota. As a polymer specialist, he provides relevant technical services on Polymer Engineering & Science in support of product designs, advanced process development, post-market product analysis, and biological assessment of medical devices, and etc., across various medical device divisions in Abbott. He also conducts innovative polymer material development with specialty applications in novel medical devices, and performs a variety of in vitro and in vivo biostability studies of medical polymers for medical devices. Dr. Guo obtained his Ph.D. degree in Polymer Engineering from the College of Polymer Science & Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Ohio, in 1999.

Seokpum Kim, Ph.D.
R&D Scientist
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Abstract

Large-scale additive manufacturing (AM) often produces parts with unintended deformation and failures during the manufacturing process. The process involves a hot molten polymer deposited on a previously deposited and cooled solidified layer, generating a temperature mismatch between the layers. The temperature difference causes thermal contraction mismatches with the different shrinkage rates, generating thermal residual stress between layers. Due to the residual stress, printed structures experience warpage and delamination. Therefore, understanding the heat distribution behavior essential to predict undesired failures. We used biomaterial reinforcement which has been widely used thanks to its sustainability, specific stiffness, and low cost compared with carbon and glass reinforcement. The reinforcement increases the structural stability of the printed part, reducing deformation. However, the challenges of unexpected deformation remain in the utilization of natural fiber reinforcement in the AM process. The goal of this work is to investigate the effect of internal structures (a.k.a., infill patterns) on heat distribution and deformation in the large-scale additive manufacturing system with wood fiber-reinforced polylactic acid. A sequentially coupled thermal-structural analysis was conducted to predict the temperature field and warpage with thermo-mechanical properties, which were measured by a thermo-mechanical analysis test and a dynamic mechanical analysis test. We printed a box geometry model with three different infill geometries. During the process, temperature data were gathered with an IR camera, and final deformations were measured. The simulation model was verified with the experiments, and the results show a good agreement between predicted and measured temperature profiles and deformations. We applied the developed simulation model to a roof tray with complex geometries for a case study.

About the Presenter

Dr. Seokpum (Pum) Kim is an R&D scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), specifically in the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility. Pum's expertise is in digital manufacturing with polymer composites, specifically focusing on material processing and design optimization through computational analysis and predictions. Pum received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech in 2016 and joined ORNL after his Ph.D program. He has developed multiple algorithms related to additive manufacturing and optimization methods for design and processing, which led to 27 publications (h index of 17) and 7 patents currently in pending.

Guralp Ozkoc, Ph.D.
Professor
Xplore Instruments

Abstract

Thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) are high-performance polymeric materials, classified as thermoplastic elastomers, and contain a continuous thermoplastic matrix with crosslinked elastomers as a dispersed phase in their structure. TPVs combine the high elasticity of crosslinked elastomers and the easy processability and recyclability of thermoplastics. For this reason, TPVs are nowadays used in automotive, white goods, electronics, etc. as more 'green' materials than crosslinked conventional elastomer products. The most widely produced TPV type is polypropylene (PP)/ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), which is the focus of this study. The dynamic vulcanization (DV) technique is applied in the production of TPVs. DV is a complex reactive compounding technique. The crosslinking reaction takes place industrially with peroxides in PP/EPDM system. However, it is known that during dynamic curing with peroxide, side reactions such as undesired chain scission and undesired disproportionation reactions occur especially in PP phase. For this reason, coagents are used together with peroxides to increase the efficiency of crosslinking. In this study, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane nanoparticles, containing reactive side groups, were used as coagents for PP/EPDM system for the first time in the literature. The peroxide crosslinked PP/EPDM/A-POSS system was dynamically vulcanized in a lab-scale microcompounder (Xplore Instruments, The Netherlands). Mechanical properties of samples were determined by tensile, hardness and compression set analyses. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) were used to evaluate the phase morphology. The results showed that nano-reinforced network structure improved the performance of the TPV materials.

About the Presenter

Prof. Dr. Guralp Ozkoc was born in 1979 in Sinop, Turkey. He received his B.Sc. degree from Gazi University and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. (2007) degrees from the Polymer Science and Technology Department of Middle East Technical University (ODTU) in Ankara, Turkey. During his Ph.D. study, he researched as an intern-PhD at DSM in 2005 in The Netherlands. His Ph.D. thesis was on the "processing and characterization of short glass fiber and nanoclay reinforced ABS/PA6 blends". He also focused on the dispersion characteristics of nanoclays and polymer phases of ABS and PA6 concerning microcompounding conditions. After his Ph.D. graduation, he started as an Assistant Professor at Kocaeli University (KOU), Department of Chemical Engineering, in 2007. He founded the Plastics and Rubber Technology Research Group in 2008 at KOU, where 50+ MSc and Ph.D. students are actively conducting research. He supervised more than 35 M.Sc. and 15 Ph.D. theses in the last ten years. Furthermore, he chaired the Polymer Science and Technology Graduate Program for seven years, from 2011 to 2018. In 2019, he was promoted to a full-professorship position at Kocaeli University. In September 2020, he moved to The Netherlands to research additive manufacturing of polymer composites at TNO-Brightlands Material Center as a senior researcher. After working in this position for one year, he departed to Xplore Instruments BV/The Netherlands as Chief Technology Officer and General Manager. In 2021, Dr. Ozkoc started as a contract professor at Istinye University Department of Chemistry. He holds six patents and is the author of many international scientific papers and proceedings. Dr. Guralp Ozkoc's research interests are polymer compounding, polymer blending, composites and nanocomposites, elastomeric/rubber compounds, and biodegradable and biomedical materials.

Manoj Nerkar, Ph.D.
Global Application Technology Leader
Dow

Abstract

Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) is used in laminated glass to bind multiple glass layers. Key applications of laminated glass include safety glasses in architectural and automotive. Even if glass breaks, adhesive nature of PVB keep pieces of glasses together preventing human injury and damage to the surrounding. Because of this aspect of PVB, its used in automotive windshield applications. Each car windshield contains ~ 1kg of PVB. At the end of car life, glass in windshield is separated from PVB and recycled. In this study the PVB removed from glass was evaluated for its feasibility to recycle. Specifically, rigidity and indentation properties of PVB were studied. Substantial improvement in these properties was achieved by adding acrylic additives to PVB, making it suitable for applications such flooring. It was found that hardness of PVB was increased by addition of acrylic additives, resulting in improved indentation and rigidity. Glass transition temperature of PVB was increased by > 10°C. Significant increase in storage modulus was also observed. Effect of acrylic additives on tensile and impact properties are also presented. Being adhesive in nature, PVB tends to stick to metal surfaces making it difficult to melt process, addition of acrylic additive improved handling of PVB during melt processing preventing it from sticking to metal surfaces. Modification of PVB with acrylic enabled recycling of PVB in various applications, specifically flooring. With improved indentation and rigidity performance, use of PVB in flooring can be increased significantly. PVB modification can diverge >100,000 lbs. of PVB from land fill and can be used in value added applications. Acrylic modification showed potential to recycle PVB into useful applications making complete recycling of windshield possible, leading to overall improvement in automotive recycling.

About the Presenter

Dr. Manoj Nerkar is Global Application Technology Leader at Dow Chemicals. He received Ph.D. in Polymers at Queen‚Äôs University, Canada. He has ~ 18 years of experience in polymer industry. His expertise include polymer blends, composites, polymer processing and polymer structure-property relationship. Prior to joining Dow, Dr. Nerkar worked at GE Plastics, Solvay and TerraVerdae BioWorks. His current research focus at Dow includes acrylic additives, core shell impact modifiers, PVC, Polycarbonate blends and epoxy.

Scott Wasserman, Ph.D.
R&D Technology Leader
Dow

Abstract

Many years ago, Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) had established a well-equipped melt rheology lab designed to accomplish large-scale melt testing to simulate high shear conditions and small-scale dynamic and steady shear capabilities to both predict low deformation phenomena and delineate key features of molecular structure. UCC later initiated an aggressive metallocene catalyst development program to develop polyethylenes (PEs) with unique molecular structures. In an effort to fully characterize the key features of molecular structure that was manifested in the observed viscoelastic properties, we calculated the melt relaxation spectra for the new PEs and in comparing them to incumbent PEs, we found the new PEs to be differentiated. This led to a family of patent applications to protect the technology, and a new parameter, called the "relaxation spectrum index" or "RSI" to quantify the breath of the relaxation time distribution reflecting the novel molecular structures. The RSI proved to be a useful parameter to use to not only delineate interesting features of molecular structure, but also to predict large-scale processing behavior, such as motor load and amperage in extrusion of layers and components for wire and cable applications. This presentation will illustrate the power found in calculating and characterizing the relaxation spectrum with dynamic oscillatory shear experiments. As an illustration, a case study will be presented in which a new compound was to be developed for high-speed thin-walled chemical-foamed telecommunications wire insulation. Many key rheological phenomena needed to be simultaneously considered to design the next-generation product, and the RSI proved to be instrumental in allowing the necessary differentiation between inventive and comparative materials. This led to the development of a powerful set of patent claims to protect the strategic space for UCC (now Dow). The power of this rheology-based approach to intellectual property is that the invention is not limited to a particular composition — instead, the patent claims would be a potential challenge to any composition that meets the critical rheological profile.

About the Presenter

Dr. Scott Wasserman is R&D Technology Leader/Intellectual Capital Manager in Dow's Packaging & Specialty Plastics segment, a responsibility that includes the Wire & Cable and Adhesive businesses and Dow's digital innovation. He has functional responsibility for intellectual assets, including patents, agreements and licensing opportunities, and additional experience with numerous complex divestiture projects. Concurrently, Dr. Wasserman has served for 12 years as Adjunct Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at his alma mater, the University of Delaware, teaching Rheology & Viscoelasticity and Plastics Sustainability in a course on Polymer Science. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University in 1993 and his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree with Distinction from the University of Delaware in 1988. Dr. Wasserman started with Union Carbide Corporation in 1994 and approaches a combined 29 years with Dow. He has been active with the International Wire & Cable Symposium organization for many years, serving currently as Chair of its Board of Directors. Dr. Wasserman also serves as Chair of the Scientific Advisor Board for EFRC Center for Plastics Innovation and on the External Advisory Board for MRSEC Center for the Center for Hybrid Active Response Materials, both housed at the University of Delaware. He is also a member of both the Society of Rheology and the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). Dr. Wasserman has 10 granted US patents and most recently was the corresponding author of the chapter "Wire and Cable Applications of Polyethylene" in the SPE-sponsored Handbook of Industrial Polyethylene and Technology, published by Scrivener Publishing LLC in 2017.

Hamidreza Akrami
Graduate Student
University of Toronto

Abstract

In this study, we introduce the concept of in-situ nanofibrillation as an efficient, low-cost, and environmentally friendly tailored technique for the enhancement of polycarbonate (PC) properties. PC/ Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer Rubber (EPDM)-fibril composites are prepared by a twin-screw extruder. Taking advantage of the crosslinked rubber phase as well as nanofibrillation processing play the main role in properties improvement. Modifications of the mechanical and rheological properties of PC via fiber-spinning of PC/EPDM are distinguished by elongation and crosslinked network of the second phase (EPDM) properly in the main matrix (PC). Morphological observations showed the well-dispersed fibrillar phase of EPDM with a high aspect ratio in the PC matrix. PC with nanofibrillated EPDM also improved the mechanical properties, especially the ductility and the toughness, while increasing the stiffness, in comparison with neat PC. The change in the tensile, Izod Impact and flexural properties was governed by the draw ratio. Hence, having stretched fibrils is an effective way to enhance the mechanical and rheological properties. Rheological investigations proved that PC with nanofibrillated EPDM has dramatically improved melt elasticity compared with neat PC. Linear viscoelastic behavior of small amplitude oscillatory shear measurements showed a strain-hardening, solid-like, behavior in the fiber-spun PC/EPDM, which was not observed in the neat PC or the melt-blended PC/EPDM.

About the Presenter

Hamidreza is a current Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Chul Park at the University of Toronto. He is currently studying and researching the manufacturing and characterization of various simple and reactive blends as well as hybrid composites and foams containing polymeric nanofiber inclusions. To present his research and get feedback from academic and industrial visions, he attended many conferences as a presenter and speaker. He also published several papers as a main author or co-authors in high-impact journals. According to his beliefs in practically engaging academic research and studies with the industries, he worked and was involved in many company projects such as Sabic, Hanwha, TOTAL, etc. during his Ph.D. degree. Nowadays, he is a founder and director of one of the successful holding companies in Canada which are working in several fields; from the construction of buildings, importing and exporting polymeric productions, researching polymer science, investing in polymeric materials for constructions, etc. Hamidreza attempts to get involved and collaborate with all of you in novel ideas in polymer science for the improvement of people's facilities, lifestyles, and environmental protection.

Paula Wood-Adams, Ph.D.
Professor
Concordia University

Abstract

At high shear rates and strains in the start-up of simple shear of polyethylene, polymer melts go through a catastrophic and non-uniform cohesive failure that happens throughout the material which is called melt rupture. The melt rupture behaviour of a bimodal molecular weight distribution polyethylene is investigated under simple shear through visual and time-to-rupture analysis. Under constant stress, melt rupture is known to be a time-dependent phenomenon and time-to-rupture is a parameter to quantify the durability of polymer melts. The durability of polymer melts is industrially important since it defines the highest flow rate (production rate) possible in processing methods like extrusion. However, studying durability in extrusion is challenging for two reasons: 1. Confounding effects of pressure and shear rate gradients in the capillary. 2. The effect of the negative pressure formation at the edge of the die. The simple shear studies make it possible to study the material's response to the flow conditions by eliminating the mentioned effects. The characteristics of wall-slip are believed to be related to many instabilities in capillary and simple shear flows such as die drool, sharkskin and melt rupture. The relationships though are not yet fully understood due to the complexity of the process and the number of important parameters. In this study, we investigate the relation between slip and the time-to-rupture of a bimodal molecular weight distribution polyethylene using a sliding plate rheometer (SPR). The SPR tests were conducted at 190¬∞C for 6 different nominal shear rates and the stress is recorded (under slip condition). The no-slip behaviour is measured using a stress-controlled rotational rheometer by conducting small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) tests at 190 ¬∞C assuming the Cox-Merz relationship. The slip at constant stress is calculated from the difference between the true shear rate (no-slip condition obtained from SAOS results) and the nominal shear rate in SPR (slip condition). During the start-up of simple shear of polyethylene, three main phenomena can happen: simple shear, adhesive or cohesive failure near the wall (slip) and melt rupture. Once the material ruptures, the stress plateau ends, and the stress drops to zero. The time-to-rupture is defined as the time between the start of the experiment and the end of the stress plateau in stress transient curves. To further investigate the slip and melt rupture, the stationary plate in the SPR setup was replaced with a glass plate and the flow recorded using a camera. A glass plate is a good replacement for steel as it is also a high-energy surface. The visual studies were conducted for four resins with different molecular weight distributions. It was verified that the materials go through melt rupture after first slipping. The time-to-rupture analysis has been conducted on the material with the highest content of short chains. The other materials resist melt rupture within our experimental window in time. The results show that there is a negative power law relation between the nominal shear rate and the time-to-rapture of the material. The relation between time to rupture and stress changes with slip regime. Moving from weak to strong slip, there is a shift in the time-to-rupture curve to shorter times and lower stress.

About the Presenter

Dr. Paula Wood-Adams is the Special Advisor on Innovation at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. She is a professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering and was formerly the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Interim Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies. She is well known for her work on the rheology, slip, and crystallization of polymers and their relationships with molecular and micro-structure. As an academic leader, she has provided strategic and operational direction to various functions of research and graduate studies at Concordia for the past 12 years. She has been an active member of provincial and federal funding agency peer-review committees including, the New Frontiers Research Fund of the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat, the National Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Fonds de recherche du Qu√©bec (FRQ). She has published 75 journal articles on her research in materials science and has received over $3.7M in research grants. Dr. Wood-Adams is the chair of the board of governors of the National Cybersecurity Consortium, former vice-chair of the board of governors for John Abbott College and former President of AD√âSAQ, the Quebec association of deans of graduate studies.

Franco Costa
Resarch Director, Injection Molding Simulation
Autodesk Australia Pty Ltd

Abstract

A key objective of process simulation of thermoplastic injection molding is the accurate prediction of the final part shape. Deviation of the molded part shape from the intended design is known as warpage. In this research, we present a method to improve the accuracy of warpage prediction by using calibrated material properties. The calibrated material properties can be the modulus, Poisson‚Äôs Ratio and Coefficient of Thermal Expansion. The calibration is achieved using a database of measured shrinkage molding data from a series of standardized test plaque having a variety of molding thicknesses and using a variety of process condition settings (packing pressure, melt temperature and injection velocity). Unique in this approach is that the calibration of material properties is performed on-line at the time of the process simulation rather than in an off-line calibration process which prepares static material property values. The advantage of on-line calibration is that the calibration can be based on the particular molded test cases from the database of measured shrinkage data which are most relevant for the part design and process to be simulated. For example, the material property calibration can be done using measured shrinkage samples for which the plaque thickness and process parameters most closely match the thickness and indented processing conditions of the part to be simulated. In this way, the calibration of material properties is uniquely adapted for the design which is to be simulated. Presented in this work are comparisons to actual molding data of final part shape predictions for both unfilled polymers and fiber reinforced polymer composites performed both with and without the shrinkage test calibrated material properties. This includes a thin-walled part for which a post-molding buckling response is correctly predicted when the calibrated material properties are used.

About the Presenter

Dr. Franco Costa is Research Director for the Autodesk® Fusion Injection Molding group. Over 30 years with Autodesk Moldflow® he has contributed to the technologies of 3-dimensional flow simulations, thermal analysis, crystallization analysis, structural analysis, final net part shape prediction and multi-physics for the plastic injection molding simulation industry. Franco leads the Moldflow Solver Research and Development team.

Julia Resch
Research Associate
IKT - Univeristy of Stuttgart

Abstract

Injection molding and extrusion are the two basic processing methods in plastics technology. The most likely applications, especially in case of extrusion, are in the packaging sector. Here, polyolefins represent the most important type of plastic in terms of volume. Worldwide, the total consumption of polyolefins is estimated at over 150 million tons per year. However, during the extrusion of polyolefins such as polyethylene or polypropylene, flow instabilities can occur as soon as the mass flow exceeds a critical value. These instabilities mainly show up in three different forms. They are referred to as the "sharkskin effect", the "stick-slip effect" and the "gross melt fracture". The effects mentioned appear with increasing shear rate. In the case of the sharkskin effect, periodic tearing of the product surface result, producing a sharkskin-like structure. The occurrence of the stick-slip effect manifests itself in products (for example, strands or films) with alternately smooth and jagged structures. If even higher shear rates during the process lead to melt fracture, in which the product undergoes extremely severe deformation. The flow instabilities can limit the production rate and thus also affect cost efficiency. To counteract them, processing aids such as fluoropolymers are added in practice. Fluoropolymers are considered to be extremely environmentally critical. Due to the strong C-F bond, these polymers can stay in the environment for an extremely long time and are therefore considered persistent. Due to this persistence, the introduction of the substances into the environment is so to say irreversible and poses a serious risk to humans and the environment. For this reason, their ban is often called for. In the past, various alternatives have been developed as polymer processing aids. Most of them are based on siloxanes. However, siloxanes also have high stabilities and durabilities, which is why they might be harmful to the environment, as well. The aim of this study therefore was to develop a novel and highly effective processing aid master batch that does neither pose a risk to health nor the environment. The new developed master batch should suppress flow instabilities and thus shift the process towards higher mass throughputs. In order to investigate the effectiveness of the processing aid master batches developed, they were tested with a high-pressure capillary rheometer. The capillary rheometer offers to detect the resulting pressure fluctuations, which are caused by the flow instabilities. For this purpose, a novel and high-resolution measuring nozzle was developed. This nozzle allows complete characterization and high-precision testing of the efficiency of the developed master batches. Various additives were tested. It was shown that the measuring method is suitable for detecting and accurately analyzing flow instabilities in the nozzle. It was also found that polysorbate is suitable as a flow aid for polyolefin extrusion. By adding polysorbate, the pressure instabilities could be suppressed so that surface effects were no longer visible.

About the Presenter

since 02/2018 IKT - Institut für Kunststofftechnik (University of Stuttgart, Germany) Research Associate, Material Engineering Research projects in the fields of plastic pollution, biopolymers and sustainability, polymer porcessing
04/2014 – 09/2017 IKT — Institut für Kunststofftechnik (University of Stuttgart, Germany) - Master Thesis at the Institut für Kunststofftechnik IKT, University Stuttgart Title: "Analysis of the Processing Behavior of Recycled Carbon Fibers by Means of Direct Fiber Compounding in the Injection Molding Process". - Research Assistant: research areas include materials engineering, biopolymers, plastics and environment - Student Assistant: research areas include materials engineering, biopolymers, plastics and environment - Bachelor Thesis at the Institut für Kunststofftechnik IKT, University Stuttgart Title: "Mechanical Characterization of Thermoplastic Starch - Blends".
04/2016 – 04/2017 — Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (Weissach, Germany) Internship and Student Trainee in the field of materials engineering - pre-development and technology management

Education

11/2014 – 11/2017 — University of Stuttgart (Stuttgart, Germany) Master of Science, Technology Management
09/2010 – 10/2014 University of Stuttgart (Stuttgart, Germany) Bachelor of Science, Technology Management
09/2001 – 09/2010 Hegel-Gymnasium Stuttgart - Vaihingen (Stuttgart, Germany) Abitur

Christoph Zimmermann
Head of Department Injection Moulding
IKV-Aachen University

Abstract

The currently achievable flow path lengths in injection moulding often represent a limitation for thin-walled packaging applications as well as for technical components with long flow paths respectively high aspect ratios. Previous investigations have shown qualitatively that a micro-structured mould surface can positively influence the flow and cooling behaviour of the plastic melt in the cavity. This can be attributed to micro air cushions between the plastic melt and the mould, which influence the heat transfer from the plastic melt to the cavity. A lower required injection pressure or the realisation of longer flow paths are the result. In addition, faster filling times at constant injection pressures can reduce the cycle time of the injection moulding process. In order to investigate the influence of the surface structure in more detail, comprehensive practical and simulative investigations are carried out on the resulting flow path length, the surface replication and the melt temperature. Initially, different mould surface structures were produced using sink electrical discharge machining (SEDM) and then analysed with regard to the surface properties such as the surface roughness Ra and the material properties in the surface layer. The influence of the process parameters injection pressure, melt and mould temperature as well as two different polypropylene moulding compounds on the achievable flow path length for the different mould surfaces was then investigated and compared with an unstructured mould cavity. For this purpose, a flow meander tool with an aspect ratio of 460.5 was used and the parameters were varied in a full factorial test design. In addition, the influence of the mentioned parameters as well as the influence of the flow path on the structure replication is examined using laser-scanning microscopy and the melt temperature and cavity pressure along the flow path are determined by means of pressure and infrared sensors. So far, up to 4 % higher flow paths could be achieved due to the SEDM generated mould surface. At the same time, a significant dependence of the surface impression on the flow path length and thus also on the local melt properties such as the pressure or the temperature is shown. In addition to the practical test series, simulative investigations are carried out. By adjusting the heat transfer coefficient as a function of the structure replication in the simulation of the injection moulding process, the influence of the mould structuring on the cooling of the plastic melt can be taken into account. Using the pressure and temperature data of the mould sensor system as input and calibration data as well as the findings from a macroscopic simulation of the modified surface, a micro-model of the surface will also be developed and simulated. The boundary layer of the injection mould, which is influenced by the SEDM process, with e.g. a changed thermal conductivity, can also be taken into account. Finally, the results on the influence of the surface structure on the heat transfer will be transferred into commercial simulation software in order to improve the design of injection moulds.

About the Presenter

Professional Career

(since 07/2021) — He heads the Injection Moulding Department at the IKV and is in responsible for the organisation, guidance and supervision of 15 scientific staff members.

Education/Studies

(10/2010 to 07/2016) — Christoph Zimmermann studied mechanical engineering at the Rheinisch-Westf-lische Technische Hochschule Aachen, specialising in plastics technology (Bachelor and Master). He wrote his master's thesis at the Institute for Plastic Processing (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University in the field of elastomer design. Doctorate
(08/2016 to 06/2021) — Following his studies, he worked as a research assistant at the IKV. In the department of moulded part design and material technology he worked on the modelling the mechanical material behaviour of thermoplastic elastomers under complex stress conditions.

Kevin Guigley, Ph.D.
Principle Product Development Engineer
Amcor Flexibles North America

Abstract

It is well known that melt processing post-consumer (PCR) or post-industrial (PIR) recycled resins can generate foul odors due to contamination and/or thermal degradation. Additional components, such as printing inks and adhesives in plastic packaging, may be viewed as contaminates in the recycled resin and can contribute to this problem. Some of these odors could be from volatile organic compounds, VOC‚Äôs, with known safety concerns. With a growing need in the flexible packaging industry to increase circularity through the use of PCR and PIR materials, there comes an increase in risk for health concerns and food safety. Amcor has developed methods using gas chromatography, GC, along with heated headspace sampling, HS, to chemically identify and measure the VOC released from PCR/PIR that have known safety concerns such as acrolein, methyl acrolein, and benzene. These methods help Amcor evaluate the quality of PCR/PIR sources to determine feasibility for certain applications, and aid in the design of next-generation recycle ready packaging films. This will be a discussion on the development of the testing methods along with results of VOC analysis.

About the Presenter

Kevin Guigley, PhD has spent most of his career in the development of products and analytical methods of polymeric materials and supporting chemistries. Kevin had obtained his doctorate in material science and engineering specializing in polymer science from The Pennsylvania State University. He also obtained a master's in chemistry from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. With his background in both polymer science and chemistry, most of his technical efforts focused on the chemistries that affect the material properties of polymers and the resulting products. Kevin is a proven product developer as evidenced by authoring or coauthoring 5 patents and 7 patent applications. Kevin's initial work at Owens Corning was improving and developing the coatings on fiberglass, i.e. sizing chemistry, to improve mechanical and cyclic fatigue properties of fiberglass reinforced composites. His work at Owens Corning included developing and optimizing the properties of fiberglass composites in the applications of filament wound piping, thermoplastic composites, wood plastic composites, sheet molding compounds, fiberglass insulation, and ballistic composite armor plate. At Amcor, Kevin is continuing his interests in the chemistry of polymer materials by developing analytical methods for measuring the physical and chemical contaminants in recycled resins. This presentation will discuss his efforts on developing GC methods to measure and identify chemical contaminates with low to moderate boiling points, a.k.a. volatile organic components, VOC's.

Zeynep Iyigundogdu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Adana Science and Technology University

Abstract

The use of graphene nanoplatelets (GnP), biochar from agricultural waste, basalt fibers, graphite and wool from recycled sources and micro and nanoscale boron compounds as reinforcing and antimicrobial additives for different polymer matrices was studied. The recyclability of basalt fiber and natural fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP) and polyamide (PA6) composites were studied through injection molding and mechanical grinding. Flexural, tensile, and impact tests were conducted to assess the degradation in mechanical properties of virgin and recycled composites. The polymer matrices were exposed to many different chemical and physical environments to see the effect of environmental exposure (UV, temperature, humidity, sweat, abrasion) and active chemical ingredients in sunscreen lotions and insect repellents on the final antimicrobial efficacy of the polymer matrix. Compared to control samples, the modulus of elasticity increased with GnP, biochar, and boron compounds. An improvement in antimicrobial activity was observed with a combination of disodium octaborate tetrahydrate and zinc pyrithione content. Thermal stability also improved with the increasing GnP and boron compounds concentration.

About the Presenter

Dr. Iyigundogdu has been an Assistant Professor at the Department of Bioengineering of Adana Science and Technology University since 2016. In 2013, she earned her Ph.D. from the integrated doctorate program of Chemical Engineering at Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Turkey. She completed her studies in collaboration with the Bioengineering Department. Her current research interests are developing antimicrobial/antiviral materials, antimicrobial formulations, green synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles, boron ores, zeolites, and biomaterials.

Lisa Leuchtenberger
Chair of Plastics Processing
IVK - RWTH Aachen University

Abstract

The annually increasing plastic production volume and therefore the accumulating plastic waste require increasing recycling rates, as the plastic is otherwise landfilled in the environment or thermally recycled. However, the use of recyclates is not approved due to various problems in the processing of recyclates and lower product qualities. In recycling processes, different material streams with varying degrees of contamination and with different colours and additives are joined and compounded into new granules. In addition, additives and colour particles vary in type and amount depending on the season. For example, more packaging is coloured red during the Christmas season than in summer. The varying material composition as well as the material degradation impact the melt viscosity from batch to batch. In order to adapt the process to fluctuating viscosities, one possible influencing variable is the die temperature. By default, the thermal state of extrusion dies is determined by heat sources such as electric heating cartridges or fluid tempering. In addition, cooling in form of convection and conduction occurs in extrusion dies. These temperature control options, while highly effective, are too sluggish to respond to viscosity fluctuations. Therefore, a new approach needs to be developed which allows rapid heat input and removal into and out of the melt. In other applications (such as electronics and aerospace) heat pipes are already used to quickly adjust the temperature in various components. Heat pipes exploit the high enthalpies of condensation and evaporation, so they are able to transfer heat highly efficiently through relatively small cross sections. So far, heat pipes in extrusion dies have only been a research topic for homogenising melt temperatures in the die, but with active cooling and heating, heat pipes offer a highly efficient way to adapt the die temperature close to the flow channel. In order to integrate heat pipes in a binary pre-distributor die used for the extrusion of blown films, viscosity fluctuations are analysed using computational fluid dynamic simulations. Based on the simulation results, the required heat transfer capacity to compensate the viscosity fluctuations is determined so that suitable heat pipes can be selected. The selected heat pipes will be integrated in the pe-distributor die to investigate the effect of active cooling and heating in practical trials. During the experiments, the viscosity is measured inline via a soft sensor based on pressure measurements. Depending on the viscosity at the die inlet, the temperature control of the heat pipes is adjusted to compensate for any occurring viscosity fluctuations.

About the Presenter

Lisa Leuchtenberger studied Business Administration and Engineering: Mechanical Engineering at the RWTH Aachen University, Germany, specializing in plastics technology (Bachelor and Master). She wrote her master's thesis at the Institute for Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen University in the field of extrusion die design supported by computational fluid dynamics simulations.

Career path

(2019 - present) — Since March 2019, she has been working as a research assistant at the Institute of Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen University. She is employed in the department Extrusion and Rubber Technology and is responsible for the workgroup Flat film extrusion and die design. Since May 2021, she has also been team leader of the Process Simulation team. Current research focus — Extrusion die design and thermal homogenization of extrusion dies.

Joshua Heidebrecht
Research Scientist
NOVA Chemicals

Abstract

Due to the viscoelastic flow characteristics of polyethylene (PE) and the interaction of molten PE with metallurgy of a die surface, flow instabilities occur after exceeding a certain shear rate, temperature or mean velocity, which was initially discovered in 1958. This flow instability and melt fracture leads to an undesirable product appearance and can negatively impact product properties due to the emergence of a "sharkskin" morphology of produced film. In addition, melt fracture is one of the first instabilities that occurs at higher throughput, which can limit rates of commercial applications. Although the flow characteristics of polyethylene cannot be modified easily, specialty additives such as polymer processing aids (PPAs) can deposit on the die surface, inducing slip and enhancing flow. With this additional lubrication, die pressure can be lowered and the onset for melt fracture can be delayed, leading to significant commercial rate improvements. Fluoropolymers are ubiquitous within the field of PPAs for polyethylene and incorporate fully-fluorinated carbons to reduce interactions of the molten polyethylene and the die surface. While the efficacy of fluoropolymers to delay the onset of melt fracture is well described, the current regulatory landscape is progressing rapidly for the broad ban of perfluoroalkyl substances, which incorporates fluoropolymers. Although the chemistry and migration of fluoropolymers is quite different than that of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid which bans initially targeted, the current legislations are covering all compounds with at least one fully fluorinated carbon. Regarding plastic packaging, there are multiple states that have passed bans effective in 2023, with additional regulations going through the US and EU that come into effect within the next few years. For converters and film producers to maintain current rates and product morphology, new PFAS-Free technology needs to be developed and implemented within a very short timeframe. This presentation will provide insight into the mechanism at which processing aids lubricate the die and reduce melt fracture, cover academic and literature-based PFAS-Free PPA technologies and deliver an overview into the development of PFAS-Free PPAs at NOVA Chemicals. The performance of NOVA Chemicals fluorine-free PPA technology and efficacy towards melt fracture clearing will be presented alongside the effectiveness of fluorine-free PPA to prevent die lip build up.

About the Presenter

Josh Heidebrecht is a Research Scientist for NOVA Chemicals' Product Safety and Additives Technology team located in Calgary, Alberta. In his role, Josh is involved in the development and evaluation of fluorine-free polymer processing aids, responsible for evaluating new additive-based technologies for polyethylene applications and provides customer support for additives-related topics. Josh obtained a MSc in Chemistry from the University of Calgary and has been with NOVA Chemicals since early 2019

Giovanni Lucchetta, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Padova - DII

Abstract

With climate change worsening, people have become more conscious of their environmental impact. Companies are receiving growing pressure to use increasing content of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics in their products. However, PCR plastics differ from virgin materials in several mechanical, physical, and rheological properties, posing design and molding challenges for manufacturers. In this work, a polypropylene (PP) compound is produced and characterized using different contents of PCR PP to model its properties as a function of PCR content. A numerical approach is then proposed to determine the maximum content of PCR PP suitable for a given application. Furthermore, a robust design approach is proposed to identify engineering changes for both part and mold design that can make the part performance insensitive to lot-to-lot variations of the PCR properties.

About the Presenter

Dr. Giovanni Lucchetta is Associate Professor in Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Padova. His research is focused on forming technologies of polymeric materials and microtechnologies, particularly in injection molding. The main research topics are: i) Replication of microstructured and nanostructured surfaces for microfluidic and biomedical applications with particular reference to the analysis and modeling of replication and ejection of high aspect ratio features. ii) Injection molding of polymer compounds, with particular reference to the analysis and modeling of the orientation and concentration of filler particles, to the development of technologies for the rapid variation of the mold temperature, and to the study of their effects on surface properties of the molded parts. iii) Modeling and characterization of the tribological effects of the mold surface properties in the injection micro-molding process to produce complex 3D parts and improve both the filling flow of the polymer melt in narrow cavities and the ejection of the molded micro parts. Prof. Lucchetta has participated in several national and international research projects evaluated by peer review. As an Associate Member of the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP), Prof. Lucchetta has an active role in Scientific Technical Committees on Surfaces and Forming. He has been a member of the Polymer Processing Society (PPS) community since 2010 and president of the Italian Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). Prof. Lucchetta is the author of 121 publications in international journals or proceedings of indexed international conferences. The majority of these are related to injection molding and published in peer-reviewed journals (H-index: 23. Total citations: 1564)

Marco Sorgato, Ph.D.
Senior Researcher
University of Padova

Abstract

In injection molding of fiber-reinforced thermoplastics, in the presence of physical obstacles, such as cores, or for geometries that require multiple gates, weld lines develop where flow fronts rejoin. Regions affected by the presence of weld surfaces show worse mechanical properties. In fact, these areas are characterized by incomplete welding between the flow fronts and the presence of undesirable inclusions and porosity. In addition, due to the fountain-like flow in cavities, fibers on the weld line are unfavorably arranged and are unable to reorient themselves in the flow direction. If the incident flow fronts exhibit no pressure gradient during the defect formation and the holding phase, the morphology of the weld surface remains unchanged until the end of the process. By inducing a pressure imbalance after the formation of the weld line, on the other hand, it is possible to promote the interpenetration of one front into the other and significantly modify the local morphology. A dynamic packing stage during the first part of the holding phase therefore allows for improved matrix interdiffusion at the interface and fibers reorientation in the flow direction. Gas Assisted Injection Molding (GAPP) is a novel technology that allows for the dynamic packing of weld lines using only a single injection unit. Thanks to miniaturized gas injectors, it is possible to manipulate the molten polymer in the cavity and generate a flow through the weld surface. The dynamic packing achieved using GAPP allows for the elimination of weld lines in the core layer of the molded part, significantly increasing its mechanical performance. For a 35% glass fiber reinforced polypropylene, an increase in tensile strength and stiffness of 240% and 21.5%, respectively, can be observed in the defect region. GAPP can be implemented to solve weld line strength problems in all parts made of fiber-reinforced thermoplastics that require high mechanical performance, such as supports, brackets, cooling fans, pulleys, and other structural parts.

About the Presenter

Marco Sorgato is Research Fellow in Manufacturing Technologies and Production Systems at the Department of Industrial Engineering (DII) of the University of Padova. In 2016, he received the PhD in Industrial Engineering with the thesis entitled "Characterization of the micro injection moulding of micro- and nano-structured polymer surfaces". His main research activities focus on micro technologies, with particular reference to micro injection molding. The main investigated topics are related with:

Development of innovative process chains for the realization of micro and nano structured polymer surfaces;
Characterization of the effects of mold surface properties on both the filling and the demolding phase in micro injection molding;
Analysis of the feasibility of using additive manufacturing technique for the realization of micro-structured mold inserts for micro injection molding of micro fluidic devices.

Marco Sorgato is author of 82 papers in refereed journals and international conference proceedings. He participates as presenter at more than 30 international conferences in the field of polymer processing and micro manufacturing . He was member of the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP), Polymer Processing Society (PPS), Society of Plastic Engineering (SPE) and Associazione Italiana di Tecnologia Meccanica (AITeM).

Swaraj Paul
Research Director
PP Polymer AB

Abstract

Polymer materials are made fire resistant basically by controlling either the bulk properties of polymers i.e., the condensed phase or by controlling the gas phase chemistry i.e., the volatiles that are formed due to polymer degradation under burning conditions or by controlling both. This suggests that if materials could be designed with low specific mass loss rates under fire conditions, the amounts of volatiles formed would be substantially reduced resulting into less combustion and thereby less heat generation. The latter would result into less increase of surface or ignition temperature of the materials resulting into less thermal degradation of materials. This suggests that important parameters that control the condensed phase properties of polymers to make them fire resistant are surface or ignition temperature and the kinetic degradation parameters of the materials. Another parameter that has a great influence on the fire properties is the gas phase chemistry, which in turn, is controlled by the volatiles formed during the burning process. The volatiles formed differs both with respect to flammability and generation of heat of combustion. This suggests that both the total amount of volatiles and the chemical composition of the volatiles formed because of burning are important to improve fire resistance properties of the materials. Therefore, preferred volatile compositions are also presumed to be effectively improve the fire properties of the materials. Furthermore, in phosphorus (P) and Phosphorus-Nitrogen (P-N) based (PFR) halogen free flame-retardant systems, it has been suggested that formation of P and PO radicals in the gas phase are important to obtain good fire-resistant properties because they both function as effective radical quenchers and char formers resulting into less heat generation. For radical quenching presence of phosphorus in the form of P and PO radicals in the gas phase are important. This suggests that distribution of phosphorus both in the condensed and in the gas phase should play an important role in controlling the fire properties. This proposes that selection of suitable PFR compounds that renders a preferred P distribution in the gas and in the condensed phase is important to obtain good fire resistance properties. Unfortunately, quantitative estimations of the above-mentioned parameters are lacking in the literature. In this presentation, we shall present a toolkit to experimentally measure these parameters for different HFFR PP model compounds and their correlations to the UL94V results. The study shows that we obtain a good agreement between these quantitative parameters and UL94V tests. This suggests that our toolbox could be very helpful and effective tool both to characterize and develop new and effective HFFR formulations instead of using single point UL94V tests that are being commonly used today.

About the Presenter

Dr. Swaraj Paul took his MSc degree from Agra University in India and PhD degree from Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Department of Polymer technology in 1975 on the synthesis of acrylic polymers. He received his D Sc (Docent) degree from Royal Institute in 1979. After that he has worked in different industries such as Beckers, SOAB and ABB Plastics for 11 years. Since 1985, he is running his own research and development company, PP Polymer AB, which has specialised mainly in the chemistry of surface coatings, adhesives and polymeric materials. He is also CTO for the sister company, Paxymer AB since 2010. He has been the course director for Environmentally Favourable Coatings organized by CEI/Elsevier during 1987–1989 in Davos. He has authored the book, ‚"Surface Coatings: Science & Technology", John Wiley 1985 and co-authored the multi-authored "Comprehensive Polymer Science", Pergamon Press 1989 and the second edition of ‚"Surface Coatings", John Wiley 1996. He has been President for Federation of Scandinavian Paint and Varnish Technologists during 2000-2003. In 2012 he was awarded the Chemical Technology Prize for his invention of halogen free flame retardant for polymers, Paxymer by Swedish Society for Chemical Engineers. In March 2015 he was selected as one of the experts for EU's Horizon 2020, FoF (Factories of Future). In 2015-2016 he chaired the review committee for the grant of 6 million Euro research call on "Plastics in Sustainable Society" for MISTRA (The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research). In 2015, Swaraj Paul was invited to present a keynote paper and tech corner on flame retardants at China Coat in Shanghai. In 2017, he presented a paper on Paxymer at the AMI Conference on Flame Retardancy of Polymer Materials.

Pavani Cherukupally, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
MIT

Abstract

About 4 billion people around the world are suffering from water scarcity, which is expected to increase due to increasing global warming. One of the solutions to address the water scarcity challenge is to tap the 13,000 trillion of water present in the atmospheric air in the form of fog, droplets, or vapor. Simple fog collection systems effectively harvest water without investing energy in highly humid environments, but they are ineffective in arid regions like Arizona, where the humidity is low. Alternatively, adsorbents designed to capture water vapor during colder nights and release it during the hotter day could provide a passive solution to harvest water vapor in the arid regions of the world. Recently, porous polymeric hydrogels have been reported for water droplets harvesting from the air. The gels were fabricated with thermoresponsive polymers, such as polypyrrole chloride penetrated PNIPAM, that can switch to hydrophilic and hydrophobic structures at lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and upper critical solution temperature (UCST), respectively. By leveraging their switchable wetting properties, the water droplets were captured during the night at higher humidity and lower temperature conditions and collected during the day at lower humidity and higher temperature conditions. However, the influence of LC/UCST on the hydrogel's chemical and morphological structures has not been investigated, as well as harvesting water vapor present in arid regions. In this work, we report the fabrication of thermoresponsive P(NIPAM-co-BzDMA) copolymeric hydrogel to collect water vapor from the air across all humidity conditions. The hydrogels were fabricated by tuning the temperatures and compositions to achieve large surface area-to-volume ratios, ordered porous structures, and excellent switch between the hydrophilic-hydrophobic wetting properties. The gels synthesized at LCST at BzDMA salt concentration of 15% could uptake 20% higher water than their counterparts.

About the Presenter

Dr. Pavani Cherukupally is a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow of Circular Materials at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, and a Scientific Contributor at Advanced Science News and Nature Sustainability Blog. Dr, Cherukupally develops materials-based sustainable technologies to address grand challenges, such as water, energy, and environmental remediation. She invented novel sponge-based adsorption technology for oil field wastewater remediation, resource recovery, and disinfection. The Canadian and UK governments have invested over $2.5 M to scale up the sponge technology to clean marine oil spills and wastewater disinfection. Dr. Cherukupally has filed 2 patent applications and published 15 peer-reviewed articles in tier-I journals of Nature, Science, American Chemical Society, American Institute of Physics Publishing, and international polymer conferences. She has received several awards for research and leadership contributions, including Asian Women of Achievement by Accenture and NatWest, Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow and Next Generation of BlueSky Thinkers at Imperial College London in the UK; Research Excellence Recognition Award by New York Academy of Sciences and PepsiCo., and Rising Stars in Chemical Engineering at MIT in the USA; and Banting and NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowships in Canada. DR. Cherukupally is also a Science Alliance Leadership Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences and Lockheed Martin. Various news outlets, including the Hindustan Times, New Scientist, Science Magazine, and Nature Sustainability Editorial, featured Dr. Cherukupally's work.

David Anzini
Technical Manager - R&D
Celgard LLC

Lynzie Nebel
Upstream Quote Engineer
Cytiva

Workshop Overview

This workshop is designed to view the obstacles of plastic manufacturing from the perspective of the end product owner. Pinpointing an issue gets easier the closer you get to the manufacturing source, but what happens if you're not near the source or if you don't know which path to use to track down the problem? The workshop will include a speaker who has experience dealing with these rabbit holes and how to recognize what issues matter and what aren't really issues, discussing how to approach a problem of a plastic product, creating a troubleshooting mindset to systematically attack the issue instead of just jumping in without an organized plan thought out. The speaker will be followed by a roundtable of experts in different fields and plastics processes, offering up how they target their product issues.

About the Instructors

Lynzie Nebel is an Upstream Quote Engineer for Cytiva, managing the product costing for custom upstream hardware equipment for bioprocessing. Throughout her career, Lynzie has gained experience in the automotive, appliance, medical, pet, and micro-injection molding industries.

Lynzie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Plastics Engineering Technology from Penn State Behrend in 2008. She has been a member of SPE since 2004 and has been involved in her local section, holding many positions including past President. Lynzie also sits on the Injection Molding Division board, and is the former secretary for the SPE Foundation board. She is currently the Vice President of Member Engagement on the Executive Board for SPE. In 2015, Lynzie was part of Plastics News' inaugural class of "Women Breaking the Mold," and was named one of the group's "Rising Stars" in 2018. She is also on the Industrial Advisory Board for Penn State's Plastics Department.

David J. Anzini is a Manager of Research & Development for Celgard, with an office located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Celgard is a global leader in the development and production of high-performance membrane technology which is found in lithium-ion batteries and other demanding applications, such as performance textiles and specialty filtration applications. Prior to this, Dave held positions at Zip-Pak, Pactiv, Conwed Plastics, and Mobil Chemical. He holds an MS and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and has spent 40-plus years in the plastics and packaging industries. Dave holds multiple patents and has several patent applications pending. He also serves on the Extrusion Division Board of Directors.

Robert Migliorini
Sr. Licensing Associate
Yale University

Workshop Overview

This workshop is intended as an introductory primer in patent law and practice for scientists, engineers and managers involved in business and technology. The workshop provides an overview of patent protection and trade secret protection. The workshop also covers the fundamentals of how to identify, and document an invention, search for patents related to the invention, and apply for a patent application. In particular, attendees will become familiar with the types of patent applications, patentability requirements, the parts of a patent application, and the prosecution process for getting a patent application allowed before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Attendees will also become familiar with foreign filing of patent applications, post grant patent options including mechanisms for challenging a U.S. patent before the USPTO, the various types of patent opinions and patent litigation. No prior knowledge of patent law is required.

Agenda is as follows:

Patents – Introduction
Trade secrets
Inventorship
Invention documentation
Types of Patents
Patent procurement process overview
Patent searching
Patentability requirements
U.S. Patent Application Filing Formalities
How to read a U.S. patent publication
Patent application preparation
Patent prosecution
Foreign filing and prosecution
Post grant options
Patent litigation and infringement
Patent opinions

Target Audience

This workshop is for anyone involved in technology development, and business related to new technologies who needs a thorough understanding of intellectual property and in particular patent law fundamentals.

Are you involved in technology development? Learn how to identify, document and protect your inventions through the patenting process. What you think may not be worthy of a patent protection may in fact be an invention that could lead to highly valuable patent that could block your competitors and bring tremendous business value. Learn how to work with patent counsel to effectively prepare, prosecute and file patent applications. Don't let your ideas and technology work go unprotected!

About the Instructor

Robert Migliorini has been teaching a similar type workshop for over 15 years. His experience is as follows: A Senior Licensing Associate in the technology transfer office at Yale University and also an independent Patent Attorney. Prior to that, he worked for 18 years as a Senior IP counsel with Exxon Mobil Corporation where he assisted clients in all aspects of IP law, including patent preparation and prosecution, patent opinions, client counseling, and IP agreements and licensing. He is an author or coauthor of six IP journal articles related to patent law. Prior to becoming an attorney, Robert worked for 17 years for ExxonMobil Chemical Co., Films Business, in a variety of technical, operations and leadership positions. He is also an inventor or coinventor of 14 U.S. patents related to thermoplastic and metallized films. He also has extensive experience in coating, printing, metallizing and laminating technology. He is licensed to practice law in various states and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Robert is also an adjunct law professor at both Pace University School of Law and Quinnipiac University School of Law where he teaches courses in Patent Practice & Procedure and IP Agreements & Licensing to law students.

Maureen Reitman, Sc.D.
Group Vice President & Principal Engineer
Exponent

Len Czuba
President
Czuba Consulting

Workshop Overview

This workshop is intended for engineers, scientists and professionals already in the medical materials field who are looking for fresh insights into recent trends; as well as students, engineers, scientists and professionals who are not currently in the field, or are new to it but who are interested in learning more about medical material fundamentals along with recent trends in the medical materials field. Due to the complexity of the medical technology field, there are many new developments of which engineers, professionals, suppliers, manufacturers and other stakeholders may not be aware. This workshop will help broaden attendees understanding of the field and recent developments. This workshop will be organized into sections addressing (a) industry fundamentals and the evolving regulatory framework, (b) work-horse materials for industry sectors, (c) Industry drivers including sustainability and environmental issues, and (d) emerging materials for the life sciences.

Who is This Workshop Intended for?

This workshop is intended for engineers, scientists and professionals already in the medical materials field who are looking for fresh insights into recent trends; as well as students, engineers, scientists and professionals who are not currently in the field, or are new to it but who are interested in learning more about medical material fundamentals along with recent trends in the medical materials field.

About the Instructors

The listed instructors from the SPE Medical Plastics Division each have multiple decades of experience in the medical plastics and polymers field. We also have a history of developing and delivering timely, technical and business-relevant information to a range of audiences. For example, we have presented at ANTEC®, TOPCONs, MD&M, and other technical shows and trade shows for the last 40 years. The SPE Medical Plastics Division is planning this team-delivered workshop to leverage the combined insight and experience of our instruction panel to provide adynamic and engaging learning experience.

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