Design

Sand and extruded copolyester sheet combine for a flood wall that can go up more quickly and withstand water better than the hand-filled sand bags they're aiming to replace.

ZWCAD Software Co. Ltd. of Guangzhou, China, a supplier of 2D computer aided design software, has leapt into the 3D league with its acquisition of VX Corp. VX, headquartered in Melbourne, FL, supplies 3D CAD and CAM software.

Design engineers have an expanding suite of natural fibers available for compounding into base resins. These not only “green up” products due to their renewable nature, but also can lower weight and boost physical 
properties, often at a lower cost than inorganic alternatives.

Unmanned vehicle manufacturers are increasingly employing unmanned fabrication techniques to create critical components. Plastics and metal laser-sintering equipment supplier EOS GmbH (Münich) has seized on the opportunity for its "e-manufacturing" technology, watching business within aerospace, which includes unmanned vehicles, grow steadily since the company entered the market in earnest around four years ago. This August, the company again participated in the Assn.

A plastic package for sending mail-order vitamins and similar products through standard letter post, rather than the more expensive parcel post, has been introduced. The blowmolded HDPE package, with its width-to-depth ratio of more than 4:1, created a significant technical challenge for the processor, RPC Containers.

Restriction to flow is the problem of the day.

Vertical grooves and horizontal reinforcing ribs in the corners of a new rigid plastic container are at the heart of an innovative container sidewall strengthening system that has earned U.S. patent No. 7,740,149 B2.

For many grade-schoolers, talk of mathematics and science invoke a nearly universal response: yuck! At Starbase Minnesota, a non-profit educational organization serving nearly 4000 students each year from more than 30 inner city schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul, instructors have found an assignment that eliminates this aversion—have the students plan a mission to Mars that includes building working rockets.

Compounder and distributor PolyOne (Cleveland, OH) can now further help processors looking to source certified compostable materials for products, announcing that its OnColor and OnCap BIO masterbatches have been granted OK Compost certification by AIB Vinçotte (Brussels), reportedly marking the first time this has been awarded to a full range of colorants and additives.

Working with inventors is common in the rapid prototyping business, with a lot of success stories out there. This latest one will make gamers sit up and take notice.

When inventor Hyrum Fairbanks came to Quickparts with a new product for his company Game Gripper LLC, he needed a mold fast. He’d just completed an idea for a new product and wanted to get it to market quickly.