Material solutions
http://www.sonostarhub.com/about-our-company.html
” border=”0″ />About Our Company
It started out that I wanted to cover my swimming pool in the wintertime. “Why not build a geodesic dome to keep the heat inside?” This rather benign question launched a research quest that spanned almost a year, looking at all manner of domes and learning that there is a huge body of knowledge available today to help non-engineers to build basic domes.
Throughout the research, I kept an eye open for connectors that would take advantage of the attributes of PVC pipe. PVC pipe is relatively lightweight, readily available almost everywhere, inexpensive, and incredibly strong, especially when you get to mixtures like Schedule 40. However, pvc connectors for building domes were not available anywhere. I contacted a friend in the plastics business and he recommended that I make an injection mold. To make the mold, I needed to hire an engineer to work up the specifications into a 3D design. We wanted the parts to be efficient, but also to be specifically useful for building domes. Since every dome ultimately needs a cover, we made the center of the hub solid, so that whatever cover was used could be screwed into the hub without compromising the strength of the hub. We also wanted the hubs to be usable in both large and small domes, so we opted for a 10 degree curvature that would make for a top and bottom side. In small domes, the flex of the PVC pipe would be sufficient to make up the difference. In large domes, the flex would work just the other way around. The engineer was able to run the design through a load-stress test that showed us that our hub design would withstand at least 100 lbs of angular force on each arm – more than enough for a dome where the stress is equally distributed throughout the entire skeleton. Using our software design, solid prototypes were produced, and after some small corrections were made, we produced a production run of the 5 Star and 6 Star hubs. To make the 4 Star connectors, we used a band saw to slice off two arms of the 6 Star hubs.
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These 4-arm PVC connectors for ½ inch pipe are actually 6-arm connectors that have had 2 legs cut off. These become the base connectors at the ground… more
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These pentagonal 5-arm PVC connectors for ½ inch pipe are injection molded with a 10 degree inward curvature. Each arm has exactly one inch of… more
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These hexagonal 6-arm PVC connectors for ½ inch pipe are injection molded with a 10 degree inward curvature. Each arm has exactly one inch of sleeve… more
2000 layers only 10μm thick!
Toray has developed the world’s first film forming technology designed for use in the high-precision lamination of several different types of polymers at molecular order thickness of several nanometers. This high-precision laminating technology has culminated in our groundbreaking nanotechnology. Toray is mobilizing this pioneering new technology, which lends itself to the pursuit of new horizons for film characteristics, in the development of advanced film materials.
Key features of nano-laminated film
- Dramatic improvements in heat resistance, machine characteristics, electrical properties, optical characteristics, gas permeability characteristics and other attributes
- Equally superb enhancement of formerly inferior properties, while avoiding damage to the superior characteristics offered by conventional film products
Example -Highly Transparent/Tear-resistant Film
Compared to LUMIRROR® and other leading Toray PET film products, while the new nano- multilayer film realizes equivalent levels of elastic modulus, strength, heat resistance, dimension stability, it is also crafted to be extremely difficult to tear. In fact, it offers some 40 times the tear resistance of the conventional types. In addition to these outstanding traits, this new film also excels in transparency. Taking advantage of these benefits, use of this new film is expanding to window adhesive coverings and other building materials demanding high transparency and security, flat-panel displays and other electronics materials and numerous other applications.
3 Form translucent surfaces and form
Design Stories
Explore a mood. Discover a design direction. 3form material stories allow you to create complete design solutions using multiple material platforms.
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TENTE
New stainless steel castors
Strict hygiene regulations apply in the canteen kitchen sector so high requirements are placed on mobile devices: regardless of whether food distribution systems or industrial handling equipment in washing logistics.(Read more…)
Protection against bacteria, viruses and fungi.
In the manufacture of hospital bed castors, a long-term effect of inhibiting the growth of bacteria, viruses, fungi and algae is achieved by adding antimicrobial substances to the base material.(Read more…)
The World in Motion.
- Corporate Movie
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Copyright© 2011 Angel Gilding - Stained Glass Ltd.
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New wonder material, one-atom thick, has scientists abuzz
EnlargeGraphene is an atomic-scale honeycomb lattice made of carbon atoms. By Dr. Thomas Szkopek, via WikipediaImagine a carbon sheet that’s only one atom thick but is stronger than diamond and conducts electricity 100 times faster than the silicon in computer chips. That’s graphene, the latest wonder material coming out of science laboratories around the world. It’s creating tremendous buzz among physicists, chemists and electronic engineers.
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“It is the thinnest known material in the universe, and the strongest ever measured,” Andre Geim, a physicist at the University of Manchester, England, wrote in the June 19 issue of the journal Science.
“A few grams could cover a football field,” said Rod Ruoff, a graphene researcher at the University of Texas, Austin, in an e-mail. A gram is about 1/30th of an ounce.
Like diamond, graphene is pure carbon. It forms a six-sided mesh of atoms that, through an electron microscope, looks like a honeycomb or piece of chicken wire. Despite its strength, it’s as flexible as plastic wrap and can be bent, folded or rolled up like a scroll.
Graphite, the lead in a pencil, is made of stacks of graphene layers. Although each individual layer is tough, the bonds between them are weak, so they slip off easily and leave a dark mark when you write.
Potential graphene applications include touch screens, solar cells, energy storage devices, cell phones and, eventually, high-speed computer chips.
Replacing silicon, the basic electronic material in computer chips, however, “is a long way off … far beyond the horizon,” said Geim, who first discovered how to produce graphene five years ago.
“In the near- and medium-term, it’s going to be extremely difficult for graphene to displace silicon as the main material in computer electronics,” said Tomas Palacios, a graphene researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Silicon is a multibillion-dollar industry that has been perfecting silicon processing for 40 years.”
Government and university laboratories, long-established companies such as IBM, and small start-ups are working to solve difficult problems in making graphene and turning it into useful products.
Ruoff founded a company in Austin called Graphene Energy, which is seeking ways to store renewable energy from solar cells or the energy captured from braking in autos.
Light-curable adhesive for multiple substrates has cure indicator built-in |
Intertronics (published 02/05/2011) |
Intertronics has introduced a new adhesive featuring a built-in cure indicator for appliance assembly and other industrial plastic-bonding applications.The Dymax 3225-T-SC is a versatile, plastic-bonding adhesive formulated with See-Cure technology designed for rapid bonding, laminating and sealing of most plastics such as PMMA (acrylic), PC, PVC, ABS, PA, PU, SAN, TPU and aluminium. It can also be used in many applications for bonding glass, stainless steel and brass substrates in combination with plastic substrates.3225-T-SC is coloured bright blue in the uncured state. This provides high visibility which enables automated vision systems to confirm adhesive placement prior to the cure – then during the curing process the blue colour of the adhesive transitions to clear and provides an obvious, visual confirmation that a full cure has been achieved. 3225-T-SC is designed to cure tack free and clear in appearance after exposure to broad-spectrum curing equipment in under 4s at 200 mW/cm2 at 385 nm and in under 3s with a suitable UVA system from the Intertronics range. |
Ecco
Thanks to Minimal Home
At minimalhome.com we realise that the international platform we have should be used responsibly and not just be seen to be catering for the needs of the privileged few. And to that end this section of the site is dedicated to promoting environmental and sustainability issues globally and in the home. Click here for previous features The Infinite Variety & Beauty Of Sustainable Living Does Your Favourite Brand Have Green Credentials Minimal Motoring Maximum Fun – The New Morgan 3 Wheeler
Those nice people at NAU Design have done it again with their Future Project and come up with a remake of our much beloved ‘door-mobile’ or VW Camper van which were so popular in the 1960′s. Its electric and it looks like an interesting drive. Like our last feature it only has three wheels. But the front wheels are huge looking a bit like tank tracks. With computer aided stability and auto -pilot sat-nav systems already being used by so many of us on the roads, surely something as novel as this could be on the cards in the very near future. The range of electric vehicles can only get better making them more of a realistic proposition for manufacturers to focus on.
Since their introduction, automobiles have been a source of passion and meanings as individual as their drivers. Today they are often associated with luxury, performance or safety, but the Ecco aims to remind us they can still be about freedom.
Following on the heels of design classics like the Airstream or VW camper van, this concept vehicle gets passengers to their destination, and becomes a temporary home when they get there. Compact, stylish and aerodynamic while on the road, when it is parked, the Ecco expands to provide a level space and comfort than its fore bearers could only dream of.
As an all-electric vehicle, the Ecco has no emissions of its own, and can be quickly charged at a standard 240V station. But when used for extended living purposes, even where no electricity is available, its built-in photovoltaic panels and solar sail roof mean that it can cut out the middle man, and charge directly from the sun.
The exterior is a harmonious blend of precision aluminum and glass. Its direct and sculptural form cheats the wind while pleasing the eye. While a bit wider than its Volkswagen predecessor, the Ecco’s form is more aerodynamic, and the vehicle rides closer to the ground. The result is vastly improved interior volume, wonderful sight-lines for all passengers, and less wind resistance to boot.
Design and Concept
NAU Design Zweierstrasse 124 CH-8003 Zurich info@nau.coop www.nau.coop
Aerogel: See-Through, Strong as Steel & Ligher than Air
Despite its incredibly low density, aerogel is one of the most powerful materials on the planet. It can support thousands of times its own weight, block out intense heat, cold and sound – yet it is 1,000 times less dense than glass, nearly as transparent and is composed of %99.8 air. The lowest-density silica-based aerogels are even lighter than air.
Despite its fragility in certain regards and its incredible lack of density, aerogel has amazing thermal, acoustical and electrical insulation properties as illustrated by the images here. A single one-pound block can also support half a ton of weight. NASA continues to find new space-based applications for this incredible material.
An aerogel window one inch thick has the effective insulative capacity of a ten-inch thick glass window system. While it is still expensive and has other limitations, this material – originally developed nearly a century ago but still undergoing experimentation – could prove to be one of the most influential materials of the 21st Century.
Aside from its other capabilities, aerogel also has amazing absorbing abilities. Some speculate it could be the future solution to oil spills. It is also being tested as a possible slow-release drug deliver system for potential human patients
New Noise-Quenching Curtains Absorb Sound, Let in Light
Somewhere between thick and opaque noise-blocking curtains and clear sound-reflecting glass windows there was a missing link, and this textile is it: lightweight and translucent, it sucks in sound without obscuring your view.
Specializing in Materials Science & Technology, the EMPA worked with textiles experts, acoustical engineers and computer modelers to weave disparate disciplines into a new compelling set of acoustically-altered patterns. Passive noise cancellation is of course a particularly tricky task in malleable and thin materials due to issues of density and directionality.
Mathematical projects and digital models led to real manufacturing and testing, resulting in something like five times more soundproofing than traditional curtains (and significantly better looking than bare concrete or glazed surfaces) but still sufficiently fireproof and translucent to let in the light.
RESYSTA – Brand New Eco-Friendly Furniture Material
The restaurant furniture supplier Go In, in collaboration with Münchener Boulevard Möbel GmbH are launching a new product range of furniture using an wood-less eco-friendly material called RESYSTA. The RESYSTA material looks and feels like wood, yet is composed of materials that don’t even include wood! The new RESYSTA products are designed to protect rainforests by reducing the amount of wood needed for high quality furniture.
The RESYSTA is made from several materials, most notably 60% rice husks, roughly 22% rock salt, and then about 18% mineral oil. There are probably a couple more secret ingredients too! The resulting material is completely recyclable, and very resilient against the elements, namely sun, rain, snow and salt water (such as on coastal properties). Unlike medium density fibreboard (MDF), RESYSTA does not swell when it gets wet. Additionally, RESYSTA does not split, tear or rot. The manufacturers are so certain of their new creation, that their furniture comes with a 15 year warranty!
Unsurprisingly, the material has taken 10 years to develop, and I expect to hear a great deal more about RESYSTA in the near future. The RESYSTA material was recently shown at the Hotelympia 2010 Show in London, where GO IN was awarded this year’s innovation award.
GO IN are a German-founded company, who have been around for over 35 years. They supply all kinds of commercial and contract furniture, like the furniture you see both indoors and outdoors at pubs, clubs, hotels, restaurants, airports, showrooms and other large buildings where you typically sit down on something solid!
Great to see a new modern material that’s a viable alternative to wood. Given the massive deforestation that still continues with the rainforest, everything that we can do to help keep our natural habitats gets my vote.
New Trend: Naturals and traditional Furniture design
In an apparent shift away from the over-upholstered look of the 20th century, most respondents said that upholstery was restricted to sofas. For the rest, there was a strong tendency towards mixed media furniture, like various material combinations are being used for aesthetics and style… For example, Woods and metals, metals and glass, woods and glass.
“Commercialism has increased with the invention of new building materials. The beauty of interiors is sustained only if the Architect or the interior designer chooses the right materials, the right combination for the specific type of furniture”. This basically means that the attractive and appealing piece of furniture design depends on the combination of materials complementing each other.
Traditional Furniture designWith the increasing number of various building materials introduced into the market and the effect of uplooking market, people are bending towards elegance, minimalism and comfort. Materials like silk fabric, brushed cotton, pure linen are now being preferred to artificial stuff. Modern fiber and synthetic materials are being used to the minimum.
There is a huge demand for leather. But since people are going eco-friendly, they are going for ‘faux leather’. People are keeping the base colour of their furniture neutral and making use of bright colors like red, blue, yellow etc and making a spectacular design statement.
Quarry stone from Cisa Italy
Taken from the quarries of Bergotto and Borgo Taro the stone is split revealing a range of textures and colours – similar to York stone with hints of flint and slate.
Natural stone - perfect pavers from the Cisa ranges Italy
3D Printing
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25 Amazing 3D MDF Walls: A new Inspiration in Interior & Exterior Works
Coillte to launch new MDF Product
Thursday 11 November 2010
Minister for Forestry Sean Connick TD is first to see new Medite Ultralite MDF Panel. Innovative new product for export markets developed in Ireland by Coillte Panel Products
Thursday, 11th November: Following a €15m investment by Coillte at its Clonmel plant, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food with responsibility for Forestry, Sean Connick TD, was in Coillte Panel Product’s Medite plant in Clonmel and had a sneak preview of a new MDF product Coillte is set to launch on the European market. Medite, with its state of the art MDF process, is now producing the exceptional fibre quality necessary to manufacture an ultra-light Medium Density Fibreboard which will deliver consistency, quality and reliability, under the Medite name.
Minister Connick congratulated Coillte Panel Products on the success of its Medite MDF and SmartPly OSB brands which he said are “superb examples of indigenous wood products that compete successfully in a global market by adding value to one of Ireland’s renewable natural resources – its forests”.
Gerard Britchfield, Managing Director Coillte Panel Products, said:
“Following intensive R&D we have done over the past 6 months we can now produce a fibre of such high-quality that our new ultra lightweight MDF is worthy of the Medite name. The launch of this new product demonstrates the commitment we have at Coillte to innovation and to ensuring we produce products that our customers want and are prepared to pay for.”
Aqua gel crete
http://www.zyn.com/flcfw/fwtproj/Lightwe1.html
Researchers at the Pacific West Area of the US Department of Agriculture have developed a lightweight concretethat uses firm, aqueous gels (aguagels) as the aggregate in lieu of sand, polystyrene, or air that is conventionally used in concrete mixes. Because the aquagels maintain the pore structure of the concrete while it sets, a concrete product can be obtained that has a substantially uniform density, regardless of depth, as compared to other compounds that are used instead of aggregate. During the curing and drying process, moisture migrates out of the concrete and aquagels, and the aquagels dry to a fraction of the size of the original cell or pore in the concrete.
This results in a cellular, lightweight concrete with reduced density, weight, thermal conductivity, and sound transmission as compared to concrete prepared with cinders, clays, air, polystyrene beads, or other lightweight aggregates. In addition, aquagels are not detrimental to the environment, and oftentimes less expensive than the aggregate substitutes that are currently used. This innovative process will enable architects, engineers, and builders to utilize lightweight concrete for a variety of new applications, including architectural details on building facades; suspended walkways and roofs; floating docks and vessels; and in reducing noise along freeways and in buildings.
Aquagel-based Lightweight Concrete uses aquagels to replace the aggregate in traditional concretes. Aquagels are aqueous gels that have sufficient rigidity to withstand the shear forces that occur during the mixing of concrete. During the setting process, the cement in the mix sets around the aquagel thus maintaining the pore formation in the concrete. If desired the size and/or uniformity of the pores can be regulated by using aquagels having a desired size and/or shape. Examples of aquagels include: starch (unmodified, modified, and mixtures of unmodified or modified); agar; and alginic acid.
Aerogels
Aerogel is a lightweight, advanced material that consists of more than 96 percent air. The remaining four percent is a matrix of silica (silicon dioxide), a principal raw material for glass. This material is one of the lightest weight solids ever developed.
Possible uses include:
- Environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, recyclable alternatives for polyurethane foam in freezers, refrigerators, refrigerated vehicles and freezer display cases.
- Alternative insulators in appliances such as water heaters and ovens.
- Aircraft and aerospace industry applications.
- Luminescent composites with potential opto-electronic applications.
- Magnetic composites that may be useful for paramagnetic cooling at ambient temperatures.
- High surface area carbon monoliths for electrochemical applications.
THEIR CLIENTS IN PORTLAND, OREGON.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2011
Memory Foam – The Secret Origins
Where did memory foam used in mattresses come from?
Memory foam was actually invented by NASA for the early Astronauts. Their ordeal from extreme accelerations was NASA’s concern. The pillows used are made of the same type of material, but the mattresses are actually only half memory foam due to the high cost of this material. The other half of the sandwich is regular foam.The two sheets are laminated together to form one solid mattress.
Image via Wikipedia
The idea is that you sleep on the top memory foam layer and place the regular foam side on the bed frame. It is thick enough so that you don’t notice or feel this difference while lying down.
Friends of ours recently switched from a waterbed to memory foam.The waterbed required too much maintenance and was expensive to heat and maintain. They were willing to pay a higher price for the extra comfort when compared to springs.
POSTED BY MIKE LANDFAIR AT 11:28 AM
LABELS: FURNITURE BLOG, MEMORY FOAM
Related Articles
- The Benefits of Memory Foam (time4sleep.co.uk)
- Are There Eco Smart Memory Foam Mattress Toppers? (brighthub.com)
- Graphene photocells could mean hyper-speed internet (go.theregister.com)
- The Judges’ Award 2011 Apartment Therapy Design Showcase (apartmenttherapy.com)
- Gordon Murray and Toray unveil electric T-Wave AR1 concept (autoblog.com)
- From The Nano World (bloggoschloggo.wordpress.com)
