A masterbatch is an additive mixed in with a polymer resin, which we call the carrier, in a highly concentrated fashion. This process of mixing the additive and resin together is called compounding …
What is a recent material trend we’re excited about?
One material trend I have noticed this year is seaweed. There have been a lot of companies looking to harvest seaweed for materials. The benefits of seaweed are its potential to address …
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Plasticizer
A plasticizer is a substance added to a material to make it more flexible, softer, less frictional, or less viscous. More specifically, we regard plasticizers as a substance added to a raw polymer to …
MDF
MDF, or medium-density fiberboard, is an engineered wood board that consists of wood fibers or dust, wax, and a resin binder. MDF is produced by mixing wood particles with wax, resin, and water, and …
Biomimicry
Biomimicry, or biomimetics, is the design and production of materials that are modeled after biological species and processes. A closely related field is bionics, or the application of biological …
Water vs. Solvent
This week we're going to talk about the difference between water and solvent coatings. Coatings typically contain four components. Resin that provides body Additives that lend performance …
Safe Chemistry: PFC-, PFOA-, PFOS-, PFAS-free Coatings
Join Andrew Dent as he goes over durable water-resistant coatings based around safe chemistry. …
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Thin and Thick Coatings
Compare and contrast the differences between thin and tick coatings and their benefits. …
Additive Manufacturing – Beyond Prototyping
VP of Research, Dr. Gayatri Keskar, hosts this Material Seminar: Additive Manufacturing – Beyond Prototyping. She'll take a look at production ready solutions, discuss the unique benefits of hybrid …
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4D Printing
In this series, Jennifer Gumpert, our VP of Business Development and Operations, walks us through material terms and concepts that are used frequently, but not always understood. This week: 4D …
Manufacturing of Tomorrow
EVP of Research, Dr. Andrew Dent, hosts this Material Seminar: Manufacturing of Tomorrow. He offers insights into current manufacturing trends, technologies to pay attention to, and what can be …
3D Knitting vs. Flatbed Knitting
In this series, Jennifer Gumpert, our VP of Business Development and Operations, walks us through material terms and concepts that are used frequently, but not always understood. This week: 3D …