Kordsa Opens New Technical Center in California to Design Next-Generation Advanced Materials for Composite Technologies
Plant-based Leather: IDTechEx Discusses if It’s a Revolution in the Leather Industry
Sonichem launches project to transform the automotive industry with bio-based plastics
Albéa, Verescence & Sulapac offer beauty brands a fast track to uniquely sustainable luxury packaging
Vegan Bio-based Leather: IDTechEx Discusses the Next Generation Materials Aiming to Displace Animal and Plastic Leather
Steel industrial award announcement: Green Buffers wins Swedish Steel Prize 2023
Snow Lake Lithium Expects to Produce Enough Lithium to Power 5 million Electric Vehicles
Additive Manufacturing: A Dynamic and Innovative Industry Set to Surpass US$41 Billion by 2033, Says IDTechEx
Stratasys’ Acquisition of Covestro Additive Manufacturing Shakes Up the 3D Printing Materials Market
Bioplastics to Rapidly Expand With CAGR 10.1%, Says IDTechEx
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IDTechEx Discusses the Dichotomy Influencing the 3D Printing Materials Market
What are the biggest trends affecting the additive manufacturing materials market? There are numerous influential factors changing the 3D printing materials industry, which IDTechEx forecasts to increase at a CAGR of 18.6% over the next decade to reach US$29.5 billion in 2032. These factors include a growing need for higher performance materials, building a circular economy within 3D printing, changing methodologies for 3D printing materials development, and so many more. One of the most interesting points is how the dichotomy between “open” materials systems and “closed” materials systems (also known as platforms or architectures) affects the growth and utilization of materials for additive manufacturing. - What are closed and open materials systems? The concept of open and closed materials systems stems from the initial comparison between open-source 3D printers and closed-source 3D printers. Closed-source 3D printers utilize hardware, software, and materials made by the same printer manufacturer. With a closed materials system, end-users of the 3D printer can only use materials formulated and/or supplied by the printer manufacturer. This closed system was commonly used by legacy printer manufacturers like Stratasys and 3D Systems when additive manufacturing was in its early stages of development, as it simplified the adoption of 3D printing by its end-users by simplifying material selection and acquisition. Most importantly, closed materials systems help printer manufacturers secure long-term revenues by building a printer install base reliant on long-term consumables (I.e. 3D printing materials) purchases (similar to a “razor and blades” or “printer and ink” model). As key 3D printing patents expired in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the competitive barriers to entry for printer manufacturers were blown away, leading to the rise of open-source 3D printers. Such printers, like those pioneered by the RepRap project, used widely available hardware components, open-source software, and most importantly, 3D printing feedstock from sources other than the printer manufacturer. With open materials platforms, printer end-users could utilize third party materials without the danger of rendering their printer warranty void, and/or damaging the printer hardware. The growth of this printer install base, which was not locked into a single supplier of materials, led to the establishment of many specialty 3D printing materials companies across polymer and metal 3D printing. With open materials systems, end-users now have multiple options for additive manufacturing materials suppliers: (1) Printer manufacturers (like Creality and Prusa Research, who will often sell their own line of AM materials) (2) Material suppliers (as raw material providers like Covestro, Evonik, and BASF now develop their own 3D printing materials to sell to printer manufacturers and end-users) (3) Materials formulators (like Uniformity Labs and Liqcreate, who focus only on developing 3D printing materials) (4) The end-user themselves (who may be researching or developing their own AM materials) With open materials systems, a significant amount of flexibility is now placed in the hands of end-users with regards to the materials portfolio available to them. For hobbyists, open materials systems allow them to shop for cheaper materials from other manufacturers. For R&D scientists and academics, such systems facilitate cutting-edge materials development. From the perspective of materials suppliers and formulators, open materials systems exponentially increase the printer install base they can serve, as they would otherwise only have one channel to reach customers – the printer manufacturers. - What is the future of open and closed materials systems in 3D printing? Across different levels of 3D printers (I.e. hobbyist, professional, and industrial), there has been a shift towards open materials systems for printers. This is particularly true in the polymer 3D printing realm, which historically utilized the closed materials system. For printer manufacturers, especially recently established ones, the open materials system allows them to focus limited resources on hardware development. Meanwhile, materials suppliers see the shift towards open materials systems as essential to growing the materials market for 3D printing, as they enable economies of scale to produce 3D printing materials at lower costs. This point is relevant for end-users, as a common barrier to entry for additive manufacturing is the high cost of materials. However, many printer manufacturers remain reluctant to shift to a completely open materials ecosystem for their printers. First, revenue from consumables is important in the long-term, as 3D printers begin to saturate their target audiences; for this reason, it is difficult for printer manufacturers to undercut such an important long-term revenue stream. Second, as additive manufacturing technologies mature into more demanding and higher volume production applications, reliability and consistency “out of the box” are becoming much more important for end-users. Part of guaranteeing print reliability is establishing that a certain material will print well on a certain printer using optimized processing parameters. Realistically, printer manufacturers cannot validate and optimize the processing parameters for every third-party material on their printers; however, they can do that for a certain set of materials, like their own first-party feedstock. Therefore, closed materials systems allow for printer manufacturers to guarantee certain material performance without end-users needing to optimize print conditions themselves. In fact, the need for print reliability prompted Formlabs to close their latest generation of stereolithography (SLA) printers, after previous generations had open materials architecture. Others, like Meltio, are developing their own material feedstock validated and optimized for their open materials printers to address “out of the box” print reliability. To try and balance between open and closed materials systems, many companies are opting into hybrid materials systems; in such systems, printer manufacturers do provide their own validated and optimized materials, but they also validate other companies’ materials on their own platform. In 2021, Stratasys, a historic manufacturer of closed materials printers, shifted into a similar hybrid materials system called the Open Materials License. Hybrid systems attempt to combine the flexibility of open materials systems with the reliability (and revenue opportunity) of closed materials systems. Importantly, they represent the balancing act that the industry is trying to manage, where on one hand, the additive manufacturing industry moves to expand its materials portfolio to reach new applications, while on the other hand, it looks to make 3D printing more reliable for production-level needs. IDTechEx expects the transformation of materials platforms in 3D printing to continue influencing not only the materials portfolio available but also how these materials reach end-users over the coming decade. - Market forecasts for Additive Manufacturing Materials The 3D printing materials market report from IDTechEx forecasts future revenue and mass demand for the AM materials market while carefully segmenting the market by seventy-five different forecast lines across four major material categories. Additionally, IDTechEx provides comprehensive material benchmarking studies alongside detailed analysis on the AM materials market. For further information on this market including interview-based profiles of market leaders and start-ups, polymer material comparison studies, and granular 10-year market forecasts, see the market report “3D Printing Materials Market 2022-2032”. For more information on this report, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/3DPMats, or for the full portfolio of 3D Printing research available from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/3D
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Polymers Made From Emissions: The Plastics Industry may Become a Carbon-Capture Leader, says IDTechEx
One of the major environmental issues facing the planet today is the rising levels of plastic consumption and waste. According to a recent OECD study, the world produced 460 million tonnes (Mt) of plastics in 2019 and consumption will continue to rise despite an expected increase in recycling technologies deployment. As carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions also soar, the emerging carbon capture and utilization (CCU) industry propose a solution for both issues: creating lower-carbon, degradable polymers using CO2 emissions as the feedstock. The recent IDTechEx report "Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Utilization 2022-2042: Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players" analyzes the opportunities and challenges of creating this proposed circular carbon economy. How to make polymers from CO2? There are at least three major pathways to convert CO2 into polymers: electrochemistry, biological conversion, and thermocatalysis. The latter is the most mature CO2 utilization technology, where CO2 can either be utilized directly to yield CO2-based polymers, most notably biodegradable linear-chain polycarbonates (LPCs), or indirectly, through the production of chemical precursors (building blocks such as methanol, ethanol, acrylate derivatives, or mono-ethylene glycol [MEG]) for polymerization reactions. Caption: Pathways to polymers from CO2. Source: IDTechEx research. LPCs made from CO2 include polypropylene carbonate (PPC), polyethylene carbonate (PEC), and polyurethanes (PUR), PUR being a major market for CO2-based polymers, with applications in electronics, mulch films, foams, and in the biomedical and healthcare sectors. CO2 can comprise up to 50% (in weight) of a polyol, one of the main components in PUR. CO2-derived polyols (alcohols with two or more reactive hydroxyl groups per molecule) are made by combining CO2 with cyclic ethers (oxygen-containing, ring-like molecules called epoxides). The polyol is then combined with an isocyanate component to make PUR. Companies such as Econic, Covestro, and Aramco Performance Materials (with intellectual property acquired from Novomer) have developed novel catalysts to facilitate CO2-based polyol manufacturing. Fossil inputs are still necessary through this thermochemical pathway, but manufacturers can replace part of it with waste CO2, potentially saving on raw material costs. In the realm of emerging technologies, chemical precursors for CO2-based polymers can be obtained through electrochemistry or microbial synthesis. Although electrochemical conversion of CO2 into chemicals is at an earlier stage of development, biological pathways are more mature, having reached the early-commercialization stage. Recent advances in genetic engineering and process optimization have led to the use of chemoautotrophic microorganisms in synthetic biological routes to convert CO2 into chemicals, fuels, and even proteins. Unlike thermochemical synthesis, these biological pathways generally use conditions approaching ambient temperature and pressure, with the potential to be less energy-intensive and costly at scale. Notably, the California-based start-up Newlight is bringing into market a direct biological route to polymers, where its microbe turns captured CO2, air, and methane into polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), an enzymatically degradable polymer. Currently, the scale of CO2-based polymer manufacturing is still minor compared to the incumbent petrochemical industry, but there are already successful commercial examples. One of the largest volumes available is aromatic polycarbonates (PC) made from CO2, being developed by Asahi Kasei in Taiwan since 2012. More recently, the US-based company LanzaTech has successfully established partnerships with major brands such as Unilever, L’Oréal, On, Danone, Zara, and Lulumelon to use microbes to convert captured carbon emissions from industrial processes into polymer precursors – ethanol and MEG – for manufacturing of packaging items, shoes, and textiles. Questions remain Although the idea of reusing waste greenhouse gases as raw material seems like a win-win proposition, many viability questions arise for each CO2 utilization pathway. Will it truly lead to emission reductions? What are the financial and practical barriers to its commercialization? Can it scale to address climate change meaningfully? These are some of the tough questions IDTechEx addressed in the latest report "Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Utilization 2022-2042: Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players", focusing not only on CO2 use in the polymer and chemical markets, but also in enhanced oil recovery, building materials, fuels, and biological yield-boosting. The bottom line Not all CO2 utilization pathways are equally beneficial to climate goals and not all will be economically scalable. Scarce resources that have alternative uses must be allocated where they are most likely to generate economic value and climate change mitigation. As the world’s thirst for plastics does not seem to fade, a circular carbon economy may help maintain people’s lifestyles by fostering a petrochemical industry that sees waste CO2 as a viable feedstock.
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Toray Creates Ion-Conductive Polymer Membrane for Air Batteries - Contributing to the Safety and Longevity of Lithium-Air Batteries
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has created an ion-conductive polymer membrane for air batteries (see Glossary note 1). Employed in separators, this membrane should help improve the safety and longevity of lithium-air batteries and extend the cruising ranges of electric vehicles, industrial drones, and urban air mobility systems (note 2). Demand is surging for rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and other automotive applications and mobile electronic devices, stationary storage batteries, and other consumer applications. These rechargeable batteries have to be lighter and deliver higher energy densities to increase the cruising ranges of electric vehicles and industrial drones and make urban air mobility systems feasible. Lithium-air batteries employ air electrode at the anode and metallic lithium at the cathode, and have captured particular attention in this regard. That is because they are lighter than conventional lithium-ion batteries and offer a 10-fold higher theoretical specific energy density. The downside of using microporous film, a common separator, in these batteries is that different electrolytes used in the anode and cathode mix after repeated charge and discharge cycles. The batteries thus tend to deteriorate easily. Another issue is that lithium dendrite (note 3) deposition and growth during charging can compromise safety by breaking through a separator and causing a short circuit between positive and negative electrodes. Toray addressed these issues by designing a polymer that enables lithium-ion hopping (note 4) and leveraging the molecular design technology for highly heat-resistant aramid (note 5) polymers that it has cultivated over the years to create a lithium salt compound. The result was a non-porous polymer membrane with an ion conductivity of 3×10-5S/cm. This high conductivity enables batteries to operate despite the membrane being non-porous. This non-porosity makes it possible, in principle, to attain two types of electrolyte separation and suppresses lithium dendrite formation. Toray verified that lithium metal batteries employing its ion-conductive polymer film can operate stably 10 times longer during charge-discharge cycles than those using microporous film. The company will accelerate research and development to swiftly complete its new technology and deploy it with advanced rechargeable batteries, including for developing lithium-air batteries. The company developed part of this technology under a grant for the JPN P21005 project of New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization. Toray will continue leveraging its core technologies of synthetic organic and polymer chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology to research and develop advanced materials that transform societies in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value. ### [Glossary] (1) An air battery uses oxidation at the anode and metal at the cathode. (2) Urban air mobility refers to the use of aircraft to transport people and cargo at low altitudes in urban areas. (3) Lithium dendrites are crystals that form during battery charging. Their growth can degrade battery performance and cause internal short circuits. (4) Hopping refers to conduction in which lithium ions jump between adjacent sites. (5) Aramid, or aromatic polyamide, is a high-performance polymers offering outstanding heat resistance and rigidity. Toray was the first in the world to commercialize an aramid film, which it markets under the mictron™ brand. Its extensive use in data storage tapes draws on outstanding rigidity among mass-produced films. Aramid’s thermal resistance is second only to that of polyimide, so it is also employed in thin film circuits.
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3D Printing Materials: A $29.5 Billion Opportunity Ripe for Innovation, Says IDTechEx
Polymer, metal, wax, sand, concrete – as the 3D printing technology landscape has grown in diversity and complexity, so has the variety of materials compatible with these many processes. Whereas 3D printing used to be synonymous with low-cost thermoplastics for less demanding applications, it now sees more unique and high-performance materials enter the market annually, from metal-matrix composites to bio-ceramics to recycled plastics. This portfolio of compatible materials continues to expand as end-users demand higher quality products, greater choice, flexibility, and in the case of prototyping, materials that accurately mimic the final product's appearance and behavior. Importantly, this wider materials portfolio comes alongside increased adoption of additive manufacturing (AM), as important end-users begin to fully understand the value-add that 3D printing brings to their supply chain. With users spanning valuable industry verticals like medicine, automotive, and aerospace, there is a continuing drive to expand the materials market for AM. With every new material launch, comes an additional application for 3D printing to explore. The growth potential for AM materials differs from printing equipment, as operational legacy printers continue to consume materials. Therefore, this segment of the 3D printing value chain represents a tremendous opportunity: IDTechEx forecasts that the global market for 3D printing materials will be worth $29.5 billion in 2032. Caption: The 3D Printing Materials Landscape. Source: IDTechEx - Polymers: A dynamically shifting landscape Since the 2010s boom in desktop printing, polymers have become the public face of the AM materials market. In terms of tonnages, they are still the most in-demand class of materials for 3D printing. When asked about additive manufacturing, most people show familiarity with low-cost filaments like PLA and PETG. However, with this familiarity comes the perception that polymer 3D printing is only suitable for simple applications like prototyping. Now, companies are changing this perception by bringing more functional and higher-performance polymers to market. One of the more popular performance polymers are fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites (FRPs). The strength and stiffness benefits brought by carbon fiber are undeniable, and exploration into continuous carbon fiber extrusion opens a new opportunity for complex composite parts. Beyond composites are high-temperature thermoplastics, which materials suppliers and printer OEMs continue to tune for ease of printability. Additional polymers receiving interest include foams, recycled plastics, bio-based polymers, and polymers with additives like nanocarbons. As these developments continue to emerge, IDTechEx expects to see the face of polymer AM materials markedly shift over the next decade. - Metals: Moving beyond powders With metal additive manufacturing, powders are the dominant feedstock, comprising the majority of revenue and mass demand in the metal materials market. However, with cost and printability considerations in mind, printer OEMs are beginning to examine alternate feedstocks for metal 3D printing. One long-standing competitor is lower-cost metal wire, compatible with wire-directed energy deposition, that other processes are beginning to incorporate like a magnetohydrodynamic deposition. Another is metal injection molding pellets, which pellet extrusion companies are utilizing to extrude parts at even cheaper prices than metal polymer filament extrusion, a different emerging metal feedstock. Lastly, bound metal paste is seeing some traction as a safer alternative to powder, which has handling concerns. While IDTechEx does not foresee metal powders losing its position as the major feedstock, IDTechEx forecasts that these emerging feedstocks will contribute more and more to the growth of the metal 3D printing materials market. - Market forecasts for Additive Manufacturing Materials IDTechEx's new report on the 3D printing materials market (2022-2032) forecasts future revenue and mass demand for the AM materials market while carefully segmenting the market by seventy-five different forecast lines across four major material categories. Additionally, IDTechEx provides comprehensive material benchmarking studies alongside detailed analysis on the AM materials market. For further information on this market including interview-based profiles of market leaders and start-ups, polymer material comparison studies, and granular 10-year market forecasts, see the market report "3D Printing Materials Market 2022-2032". For more information on this report, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/3DPMats, or for the full portfolio of 3D Printing research available from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/3D IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact research@IDTechEx.com or visit www.IDTechEx.com
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Kordsa at JEC World 2022, featuring sustainable and new generation composite technologies
Kordsa attended the largest international gathering of the composite materials industry, JEC World 2022, which took place in Paris, France between the 3rd and 5th of May. The composite material industry's most awaited international face-to-face event, post pandemic, JEC World 2022, was visited by thousands, from numerous industries all over the world. Denis Granger, Kordsa’s Head of Sales, and Marketing for Europe gave a speech at the online JEC Innovation Awards ceremony on April 26. At the ceremony, he spoke about the company’s composite capabilities and sustainability vision and stated: “At Kordsa, we are working to use recycled materials, bio-based materials, natural fibres, and thermoplastic recyclable prepregs. We have expanded our product portfolio by launching slitpreg and towpreg product groups used in the production of safe hydrogen-storage vessels, which in turn are used in hydrogen-powered Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) to reduce carbon emissions. Throughout Kordsa’s reinforcement journey, we have been determined to contribute to a more sustainable future and we are still working with all our strength to achieve this goal.” At the JEC World 2022 fair opening Kordsa’s Chief Technology Officer Deniz Korkmaz, PhD was the keynote speaker. Being among the sponsors of the JEC World 2022, Kordsa showcased the latest composites technologies of its subsidiaries, including the US-based Fabric Development Inc. (FDI); Textile Products Inc. (TPI); Advanced Honeycomb Technologies (AHT); Axiom Materials; and Italian Microtex Composites - as well as technologies from its Kordsa Composite Technologies Center of Excellence (CTCE), located in Turkey. The center brings operations and R&D together under one roof. Sabancı University accompanied Kordsa at the fair with its academic perspective, knowledge and open innovation strategy. Kordsa’s Chief Operating Officer for Composites, Murat Oğuz Arcan had the following comments about Kordsa’s participation in JEC: ‘As a world-leading advanced material company, we reinforce different areas of life with a strong synergy between our business lines, the investments allogned with our strategy, and effective collaborations. With our vision, “Inspired from life, we reinforce life with passion”, we invest in innovative and sustainable reinforcement technologies at our 12 facilities across the world. We are continually improving ourselves and adapting to new trends and technologies in the best way possible. We are closely following emerging concepts such as sustainable mobility, circular economy, and electrification; and we are investing in clean technologies to reduce emissions and ensure an efficient use of energy.”
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Toray Adds Legendary Van Gogh Works to Toraysee Masterpieces Series
Toray Industries, Inc., announced new additions to its Toraysee™ Masterpieces series of microfiber cleaning cloths. They are three 24cm x 19cm items featuring Vincent Van Gogh works. They will retail in Japan from mid-April for 990 yen, including consumption tax, at eyewear suppliers, through Amazon, the Takezawa Online Shop, and other E-Commerce channels, and through Toray shops. The Sunflowers, Café Terrace at Night, and Almond Blossom designs commemorate the 170th birthday next year of the post-impressionist artist. The popular Masterpieces series leverages the precision of Toray microfiber technology to faithfully reproduce celebrated paintings for enjoyment of their artistry. Toray launched the series in 2010 with Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, and other designs. It added Pierre-Auguste Renoir designs in 2018. Toraysee™ cloths employ microfibers with diameters of just two microns, or around 1/1,600th the diameter of a human hair. Gaps between the fibers are invisible to the naked eye and draw even microscopic dirt into them. They make life better by deftly removing sebum from eyewear lenses and smartphone and other touch panels without scratching them. They also serve in medical and manufacturing applications.
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Flame-retardant polyphthalamides for electronic components without corrosion
BASF is now expanding its polyphthalamide (PPA) portfolio by a variety of flame retardant grades that combine high thermal stability with excellent electrical insulation and low water uptake. They are characterized by high electrical RTI values (RTI=relative thermal index) above 140°C while being halogen-free according to EN 50642, thus preventing corrosion and failure of electrical parts when used under moist conditions. With these new flame retardant grades, BASF offers a tailored E&E portfolio which opens new possibilities for applications like connectors for power or data transmission in vehicles, appliances and consumer electronics as well as for e-mobility parts, miniature circuit breakers, switch gear and sensors. You will find the long version of the press release in the internet under the following link https://www.basf.com/global/en/media/news-releases/2022/04/p-22-210.html
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Toray Develops Super High Barrier Film Offering Dramatically Lower Costs
Toray Industries, Inc., announced 25th April that it has developed super high barrier film that costs at least 80% less than conventional counterparts. This saving stems from the film’s unique design and formation technology. The company looks to commercialize the film in 2023 for high barrier performance applications. These include flexible devices and solar cell encapsulation. With the rapid progress of the Internet of Things towards a smart economy, demand for wearable biometric sensors, flexible displays, and other flexible devices should expand in the coming years. In addition, worldwide efforts to attain carbon neutrality have drawn attention to renewable energy and energy harvesting (see glossary note 1), and demand should grow for organic photovoltaics and perovskite solar cells. For these applications, it is vital to encapsulate organic devices and compounds to safeguard them from moisture. Super high barrier films for encapsulation are conventionally fabricated through sputtering (note 2) or chemical vapor deposition (note 3), which enable the formation of defect-free, high-density thin films. Both fabrication processes are slow and costly, however, impeding efforts to expand applications. Toray therefore applied high-density composite film design technology cultivated by the development of sputtered film, and fast vapor deposition technology for barrier film in food packaging and other applications. By doing so, the company attained a high barrier performance, delivering a water vapor transmission rate of 10-3 [g/m2･day] which is equivalent to levels from sputtered and chemical vapor deposited film. Deposition with this super high barrier･vapor deposited film is more than 100 times faster than with regular sputtering, at a more than 80% lower cost. Toray’s new film is also very transparent and flexible, making it ideal for flexible devices and solar cells. It can thus help expand the Internet of Things market and materialize a carbon-neutral economy. Toray will keep researching and developing innovative materials that can transform economies by leveraging its core technologies of synthetic organic and polymer chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. It will thereby materialize its commitment to delivering new value that contributes to society. ### [Glossary] 1. Energy harvesting processes convert light, heat, vibration, and other peripheral energy sources into electricity. 2. Sputtering is a physical vapor deposition vacuum process to form thin films. This technology introduces an inert gas into a vacuum chamber to generate plasma that collides with target surfaces to remove particles on the film of the target to deposit them on the substrate surface. 3. Chemical vapor deposition is a method for forming films. It transforms raw materials into gases and uses heat, plasma, light, or other energy sources to excite and accelerate chemical reactions and deposit thin films on substrate surfaces.
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Manitoba Celebrates Snow Lake Lithium’s Study to Establish Strategically Crucial Plant in Province
Snow Lake Resources Ltd., d/b/a Snow Lake Lithium Ltd. (Nasdaq: LITM) (“Snow Lake” or the “Company”), has commissioned a scoping study to assess the proposed creation of a Lithium Hydroxide Plant in South Manitoba. The study is a strategically important step towards creating North America's first fully renewable and fully electric, integrated lithium processing operation which is crucial for the future of the electric vehicle industry. Starting in April 2022, the scoping study will accelerate the company towards commercialized lithium production from both Snow Lake Lithium’s mine and the proposed lithium hydroxide plant in CentrePort Canada in Southern Manitoba. The study will identify the technologies, innovations, skills and potential partners required to deliver a world-class lithium hydroxide plant within the Manitoba province. Welcoming the study, the Premier of Manitoba, the Honorable Heather Stefanson, remarked, “Manitoba has the opportunity to be at the vanguard of the global initiative of achieving a carbon neutral economy. With our bountiful natural resources and clean energy, we are in the perfect position to leverage the province into a strategic role in the North American electrification supply chain. Snow Lake Lithium’s vision for developing a green ecosystem in our province will provide Manitoba with the platform for creating jobs and value with a focus on the future.” With demand for electric vehicles growing rapidly, the global automotive and energy storage industries will be competing to access raw materials, especially lithium, that is a crucial component of batteries. Just 700km from CentrePort Canada, Snow Lake Lithium is creating the world’s first all-electric, fully renewable lithium mine. The addition of a lithium hydroxide plant will enable the seamless integration of the domestic supply of this critical resource to the North America electric vehicle industry. Philip Gross, CEO of Snow Lake Lithium, commented, “This is a critical opportunity for Manitoba to play a significant role in building out a full ecosystem to support the electrification of the North American automobile fleet. Now more than ever, we must commit ourselves to securing our domestic critical raw materials that will protect our jobs from geopolitical shocks and ensure the uninterrupted growth of our industries as we transition to a post carbon economy. Lithium hydroxide is the foundation of the EV battery technology and, as of today, North America has no production on which to rely for the substantial industry commitments to electrification. Snow Lake is committed to being a part of the solution while at the same time ensuring the highest standards of carbon neutral and fully renewable lithium.” The plant’s proposed location is CentrePort Canada, North America’s largest trimodal inland port and Foreign Trade Zone. CentrePort Canada connects to major national and international trade gateways as well as being the only inland port in Canada with direct access to trimodal transportation – truck, rail and air cargo. This unique location means that Snow Lake Lithium is connected to all the major auto manufacturers across North America, reducing supply chain costs and emissions as well as delivering a secure and seamless lithium supply chain from rock to road. CentrePort Canada offers 20,000 acres of high-quality, affordable industrial land and benefits from its strategic geographic location in Winnipeg, Manitoba and the Rural Municipality of Rosser, within the capital region of Winnipeg. “CentrePort Canada is well positioned to support Snow Lake’s ambition of creating a Manitoba-centric, electric vehicle supply chain,” said Diane Gray, President and CEO of CentrePort Canada Inc. “Leveraging CentrePort Canada’s centralized location, access to trimodal transportation, state-of-the-art infrastructure and green energy aligns with Snow Lake’s EV supply chain vision and will have a tremendous impact on job creation and economic growth in Manitoba.” Snow Lake Lithium has contracted Primero to deliver the Scoping Study of the Lithium Hydroxide Plant in Southern Manitoba. Primero brings world-class, hands-on lithium experience through its vertically integrated project management across the global resources industry. Primero’s General Manager Americas, Alexandre Roy, commented “The roll out of lithium conversion facilities in North America is the first step towards establishing a domestic supply chain capable of supporting the electrification process that is currently underway. We look forward to working with Snow Lake and the Government of Manitoba in designing and developing this exciting project.” Snow Lake Lithium currently has an 11.1 million metric tonnes indicated and inferred resource at 1% Li2O with plans to expand the resource based on the current active drilling campaign as previously announced in the recent winter drilling program update (March 10, 2022 – Snow Lake Announces Significant Progress Update for Winter Drilling Campaign). The scoping study will start in April 2022 and is expected to be completed by Spring 2023. In parallel with this, Snow Lake Lithium will will continue its engineering evaluation and drilling programme across its Thompson Brothers Lithium Project site, with the expectation that the mine will transition to commercial production in late 2024.
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Toray Expanding Color Range for Toraysee Reversible Cleaning Cloth
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it will release its Toraysee™ Reversible Cleaning Cloth in five new colors early April. The 24cm x 24cm microfiber item will retail for 700 yen, plus consumption tax, at eyewear and Toray shops around Japan and through the Takezawa Online Shop. Toray debuted the Toraysee™ Reversible Cleaning Cloth in 2019 and introduced a Japanese patterned version in 2020. This new offering combines five in-trend hues with five popular ones from the regular Toraysee™ color cloth range. Contrasting with the colors on one side of the cloths are reverse sides featuring prints of herringbones, stripes, and other fabric patterns. The cloths can also serve as distinctive pocket square accessories for men and women of all ages. Toray debuted the Toraysee™ brand in 1987. The innovative cloths employ 100% polyester microfibers with diameters of just two microns, or around 1/1,600th the diameter of a human hair. The company has developed an array of very well received items under that brand. Gaps between the fibers are invisible to the naked eye and draw dirt into them to deftly remove sebum from eyewear lenses and smartphone and other touch panels without scratching them. Conventional cloths cannot match these capabilities. The cloths can also clean accessories, watches, mirrors, and other items. They can be washed numerous times for repeated use. Toray will continue to develop high-value-added merchandise for the Toraysee™ series in the years ahead.
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Toray Develops Eco-Friendly Textile Incorporating Toyoflon
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a high-strength textile that employs Toyoflon™, a low-friction polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fiber. The new textile retains the outstanding friction resistance of fluoropolymers. Toray tests found that the slide durability is 25 times greater than that of existing counterparts, with friction dropping by more than 50%. The new textile should reduce slide areas owing to its performance benefits and a higher surface pressure while enabling miniaturization and weight reductions. Enhanced slide durability should extend textile usage under tougher conditions. Another key benefit is a lower environmental impact from oil-free sliding, reducing environmental impact by cutting maintenance costs and conserving resources owing to less frequent replacements. Toray will draw on the features of the new textile to broaden applications, including for industrial machinery, plant facilities, automotive parts, and bearings. PTFE offers low friction and excellent heat and chemical resistance. Toray employed its advanced matrix yarn technology to develop a uniform, high-quality filament while retaining the features of PTFE resin, which is normally hard to make into a fiber. Toyoflon™ fibers Toyoflon™ delivers the best and most stable low-friction performance among chemical fibers. It serves as a sliding material in the automotive, industrial machinery, and other fields. Toray created this textile by uniformly transferring Toyoflon™ wear particles to high-strength fibers under friction to form a low-friction interface. A high-strength fiber backbone prevents excessive wear. Toray’s new textile should contribute to industrial progress and economic sustainability. The company will continue to provide innovative technologies and advanced materials to transform societies in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value. Toray will exhibit the new textile at the 26th Mechanical Components & Materials Technology Expo at Tokyo Big Sight, which starts on March 16. [Details of new textile] 1. Description: Toyoflon™ textile with low-friction and high sliding durability 2. Features （１） Sliding durability 25 times greater than that of conventional Toray counterparts （２） Lowest friction among synthetic fibers (less than half that of conventional Toray counterpart) （３） Resource savings from reduced maintenance costs and longer service life 3. Technological overview （１） A structure uniformly dispersing low-friction Toyoflon™ PTFE fiber and high-strength fibers （２） Toyoflon™ wear particles transferred uniformly to high-strength fibers during friction to forming low-friction interface （３） High-strength fibers serve as backbone to minimize Toyoflon™ wear, for lower friction and enhanced sliding durability 4. Sales plans （１） Launch timing: March 2022 （２） Key applications: Sliding materials for parts moving under high pressure, including industrial machinery, plant equipment, automotive parts, and bearings 5. Sliding endurance test results
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FRX Polymers Receives TCO Certification, Providing a Major Industry Endorsement for Nofia
FRX Polymers (“FRX,” or the “Company”), is pleased to announce that the Company’s Nofia® branded polymeric phosphorus-based flame retardants, Nofia® Homopolymers and Copolymers, have been added to the TCO Certified Accepted Substance List. TCO is the most recognized and world-leading sustainability certification for additives in the electronics and information technology industries. Only flame retardants on the widely used TCO Certified Accepted Substance List may be used for TCO Certified Products. Marc Lebel, CEO of FRX Polymers, stated that, “This news from TCO confirms that Nofia flame retardants are ideally suited for use in electronics equipment to replace halogenated flame retardants that will no longer be allowed.” Lebel continued, “Once again, it is confirmed that OEMs, retailers, and the general public do not need to compromise on sustainability in order to be protected from the catastrophic risks of fire.” The European Court of Justice ruled on March 16, 2022, that a ban on halogenated flame retardants in enclosures and stands of TVs and monitors, is in conformity with European law. FRX has developed a line of patent protected products under its Nofia® brand that address the very real and significant problem around the use of certain harmful chemicals that are currently used as flame retardants in several industrial and consumer applications. FRX has been built on over $US120 million of investment and is positioned to be a leader in the transition to environmentally friendly solutions within the $US30 billion flame retardant plastics industry. The Company is in commercial production at its facility in Antwerp, Belgium.
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Toray Develops Stretchable Device Film with Outstanding Shape Recovery, Thermal Performance, and Excellent Resistance Stability of Circuit Mounts
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a stretchable film that builds on its REACTIS™ technology to deliver circuit mounts with exceptional resistance value stability. REACTIS™ is renowned for its excellent shape recovery and heat resistance. Diverse prospective applications for stretchable device circuit boards include biological and industrial sensors and robots. Toray has shipped samples to users, and will push ahead with research and development to start swiftly commercializing this film. Recent years have increased the potential for developing stretchable devices with the elasticity of smartwear, which incorporates built-in biometric sensors that manage health and monitor biometric information during exercise. These devices must be able to bend and handle all sorts of complex movements. Circuit boards must accordingly be very flexible and shape recoverable and function consistently after repeated use. Toray’s REACTIS™ stretchable film benefits industrial products in numerous ways because its proprietary polymer structure design and film-forming technique combines cross-linked and stretchable components. The film is very flexible. It recovers its shape between -20°C and 80°C. It also maintains heat resistance even after treatment at 200°C. The newly developed film is a new grade of REACTIS™, and resulted from bolstering Toray’s polymer and surface design technologies to ensure circuit mounting with excellent resistance stability, shape recovery, and heat resistance. Combining Toray’s new film with elastic conductive materials can accommodate the expansions, contractions, and torsional deformations of circuits and 3D curved surfaces, delivering half the resistance of conventional counterparts when circuits expand and contract. In test storage for 1,000 hours with a relative humidity of 85% at 85°C, the new film’s circuit shape was unchanged, while the resistance value remained stable. Applying Toray’s new film as a circuit board for stretchable devices should help enhance movement followability during mounting and ensure stable functionality for diverse temperature ranges and repeated usage. The film offers excellent potential in healthcare, medical, industrial, and other applications that improve the quality of life. These include stretch sensors for exercise analysis and tactile sensors for robotics. Toray will keep leveraging its core technologies of synthetic organic and polymer chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology to research and develop advanced materials that transform societies in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value.
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Absortech Group announces new range of CO2 neutral container desiccants
The global leader in moisture damage prevention just announced their carbon neutral range of container desiccants: AbsorGel® CO2 Neutral! This line of desiccants replaces the previous AbsorGel® products and offer customers a broad choice of CO2 neutral desiccants. The new AbsorGel® container desiccants feature: CO2 neutral products, from cradle-to-gate, after offsetting Minimized use of packaging material Re-engineered components that use less, and recycled plastic Return-to-Reuse program available for certain products and parts Dual dose mixing – an in-house developed feeding system for precise mixing of calcium chloride and starch in an automated filling process Ergonomic installation accessories Maintained absorption capacity “In 2020, we launched the very first CO2 Neutral desiccant into the market – the Absorpole® CO2 Neutral. Now, we add a complete range of CO2 neutral container desiccants. We’re proud to have taken the sustainability leadership in our industry. Our offering, Peace of Moisture Mind®, coupled with the new CO2 neutral desiccant range will have a strong sustainability impact in supply chains, and we are prepared for fast commercial scaling”, says Rikard Kanmert, CEO Absortech Group. “The CO2 neutrality is definitely the main point in this launch, but we have also been working on improving other quality and environmental features. The Dual-dose-mixing system allows precise and automated filling of calcium chloride and starch into each desiccant. On top of that, we can now offer multiple packaging options to further reduce CO2 emissions due to the use of less plastic in the packaging material and accessories”, says Joakim Carlsson, COO Absortech Group. The only CO2 neutral desiccants on the market AbsorGel® container desiccants are, as far as we know, the only CO2 neutral desiccants available in the market. Their CO2 footprint has been third-party calculated by the independent Swedish Environmental Institute (IVL) and is available for each product. Our production is made based on a group-wide management system (ISO9001/14001) which guarantees quality and environmental responsibility for all products and services offered. Climate Compensation All unavoidable CO2 emissions related to the production and distribution of the new AbsorRange® have been calculated and compensated, an activity known as offsetting. Joakim Carlsson, COO at Absortech Group, explains the concept: “Even if our products are now optimized to have a lower carbon footprint, some CO2 is generated along the product journey. IVL has calculated the exact carbon footprint of each product so that we can compensate for every kilogram of CO2 generated in the sourcing and manufacturing process. This is done by supporting sustainable development projects.” Absortech has chosen to support “Climate+” Gold Standard projects. These are projects that deliver benefits for climate protection, local communities, and ecosystems. Which projects we support are listed on our website! Recycling and reusing parts – a circular economy solution Absortech has also developed the Return-to-Reuse program. A circular system that allows the reuse of desiccant components in a sustainable way. The program offers pick-up points where customers return the used components. From there, Absortech arranges transport back to the Falkenberg plant in Sweden, where they will be reused in the production of new products. Of course, these transports will be CO2 neutral. This pioneer concept allows companies to take part in a circular economy process and helps strengthen the sustainability of their supply chain and logistics process. Taking a continuous responsibility for the environment “We noticed that stakeholders, including consumers, are demanding companies to become sustainable, so we wanted to offer solutions that would help our customers achieve their sustainability goals. The CO2 neutral AbsorRange is an answer to that demand.” says Rikard Kanmert, CEO Absortech Group.
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Toray Launching TBW-HR Series of Ultralow-Pressure Reverse Osmosis Membrane Elements that Enhance Neutral Molecule Rejection
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it will begin marketing the TBW-HR series of ultralow-pressure reverse osmosis (RO) membrane elements in April 2022. The new offerings dramatically improve the rejection of silica, boron, and other neutral molecules from untreated water by controlling RO membrane micropore sizes and membrane structures. Impurity rejection with the TBW-HR series exceeds that of existing ultralow pressure RO membrane elements. A key prospective benefit is purification of higher-quality and higher-purity water. The resulting ultrapure water would enable the production of semiconductors with finer wires. Internal and external evaluations verified the outstanding performance of the new series, which Toray looks to target initially at water engineering firms providing ultrapure water production equipment. Toray also plans to broaden applications to include wastewater reuse. Demand for even purer water has risen in the electronics industry in recent years in view of finer wiring production. This is particularly important in manufacturing increasingly compact and complex semiconductors. Ultrapure water production conventionally entails undertaking additional electrodeionization and other processes for water treated with RO membrane elements. Boosting purity necessitates removing silica and boron, which are electrically neutral and have small particles, as well as organic matter with low molecular weights. It is hard to achieve this with electrodeionization. For its new series, Toray accordingly developed an RO membrane element with double the neutral molecular component rejection capacity of the company’s conventional offerings. It achieved this by maintaining low operating pressures and high solute rejection by precisely controlling RO membrane micropore sizes and enhancing the membrane fold structure. As well as contributing to electronic component miniaturization in semiconductor production processes, the TBW-HR series should also help reduce manufacturing costs. This is because higher purity water from using the series should cut the number of water treatment stages using RO membrane elements and simplify electrodeionization and other subsequent steps through improved membrane performance. Improved membrane chemical resistance offers potential with wastewater reuse applications entailing frequent cleaning with these substances. The diverse applications of RO membrane elements in water treatment membrane products including seawater desalination to make drinking water, industrial water production, and wastewater reuse. As well as providing RO membrane elements, Toray offers an array of water treatment membranes and technical services. Noteworthy examples are ultrafiltration membrane modules for water purification and membrane bioreactor modules for wastewater treatment. The company will continue to develop and commercialize advanced materials that contribute to sustainable economic progress.
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Toray Develops New Analysis Technology for Multi-Material Structures Using UD Tape
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a new analysis technology for multi-material structures consist of both UD tape (unidirectional continuous fiber-reinforced tape) and injection molding materials. This breakthrough makes it possible to more precisely predict the properties of parts made up of multiple materials and more swiftly develop high-performance components. The company looks to supply UD tape, injection molding resins, and other materials, as well as structural design, molding support, and other services while providing total solutions that incorporate its new technology. Toray will leverage the technology to expand the adoption of its materials in the urban air mobility, electric vehicle, and other advanced mobility fields and in regular industrial sectors, thereby helping manufacturers create lighter, more energy-efficient products. UD tapes are intermediate base materials in tape shape that are made by embedding fibers such as carbon fibers in unidirectionally aligned fibers of such thermoplastic resins as polyamide 6 and polyphenylene sulfide. Continuous fibers provide excellent rigidity and strength, and enable welding to other thermoplastics. Taking advantage of these features and optimally arranging UD tapes in injection-molded products makes it possible to create multi-material structures that maximize weight savings while constraining costs. The downside to all this is that laying UD tapes on injection-molded products makes it hard to accurately analyze strength and impact properties, which is vital for multi-material structures. Toray thus set about developing its new analysis technology by improving 3D TIMON® to accurately reflect jointing strength between materials and materials fracture behavior. Subsidiary Toray Engineering D solutions Co., Ltd., developed TIMON, a three-dimensional injection molding computer-aided engineering system. Toray also created a coupled analysis technology for resin flow and impact properties that factors in the fiber orientation of injection molding materials. That technology combines analyses of various phenomena and calculates their interactions. This work resulted in the company’s accurate new analysis technology, which helps to accelerate the structural design of multi-material structures. Toray will strive to help reduce weight and energy consumption by deploying this technology in diverse advanced mobility and regular industrial applications. Under the Toray Group Sustainability Vision, the company aims to help the international community pursue sustainable development by accelerating measures to tackle climate change and enable the world to attain net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Toray will continue to provide innovative technologies and advanced materials to transform societies in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value.
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Toray Creates High Polymeric Separation Hydrogen Permeation Membrane Module
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a polymeric separation membrane module that can selectively and efficiently permeate hydrogen from mixed gases containing that chemical element. This module more than halves the carbon dioxide emissions of hydrogen purification processes and the number of modules. Toray will accelerate research and technical development to help create a hydrogen economy. Hydrogen attracts growing attention for its potential as an energy source in the drive to attain carbon neutrality. It is accordingly vital to establish energy-saving and highly efficient hydrogen recovery and purification technologies to cater to swift hydrogen demand growth in coming years. Membrane separation offers considerable potential. That is because this process can secure high-purity hydrogen by removing impurities during hydrogen production and usage, saving energy and space by employing pressure differences and enabling separation without phase changes. Polymeric separation membrane modules experience low performance degradation from water vapor and are light. There are issues, however, with hydrogen permeation purity and amounts. Toray accordingly developed a separation membrane in 2018 that precisely controls pore structures. The company recently used a technology that it cultivated with reverse osmosis membranes to develop a separation membrane with a highly controlled pore structure by deploying a material with a high hydrogen affinity. Toray used this membrane to attain a hydrogen permeation purity of 98%, which is unmatched anywhere. This technology can boost permeated hydrogen purity with a single separation instead of the several required with regular modules and cuts initial investment expenditure. It also reduces energy consumption and can cut the carbon dioxide emissions of conventional separation membrane modules (Figure 1) by more than 50%. When modularizing, Toray optimally designed the channel materials of key components to reduce flow resistance. The membrane thus has double the area of conventional separation membrane modules. This improves the hydrogen permeability of a module (Figure 2) and more than halves the number of module elements needed for the hydrogen purification process. Combining the Toray-developed separation membranes can reduce the number of module elements by more than 75%, representing a tremendous space saving. The company will partner with engineering companies in Japan and abroad while drawing on process technologies from water treatment to establish mass production techniques. Toray will keep leveraging its core technologies of synthetic organic and polymer chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value to create advanced materials and innovative technologies that contribute to social progress. The company plans to exhibit polymer separation membrane modules based on this technology at nano tech 2022, an international nanotechnology exhibition and conference at Tokyo Big Sight from January 26 through 28, 2022. ### Figure 1: Toray-calculated* carbon dioxide reduction * Calculation assumptions Same module dimensions Constant hydrogen purification (feed stream composition: 80% hydrogen and 20% nitrogen + saturated water vapor) Figure 2 Membrane module performance
