White Papers

Climate change and depleting resources are key environmental themes for future material use. A shift to a circular economy, where suppliers become users and consumers suppliers, is imminent, and companies must drive this change economically. In medical applications, re-use and refurbishment will extend product life and reduce resource pressure, while new product manufacturing will remain essential. Both cycles are crucial for the future.

Globally, electric energy consumption is expected to double by 2050. This is due in large part to the growth of sustainability focused technologies, including smart grids, electric cars and connected homes. To meet increasing demands and the need for more sustainable power systems, power distribution providers work closely with equipment manufacturers to optimize compact electrical systems – including low voltage switch gears for residential and industrial electrical distribution. Designed to handle more power, low voltage switch gears are highly durable, and better integrate with next-generation electrical distribution technology.

For gear applications it is key to accurately predict short- and long-term mechanical performance. Applications with different load cases result in a combination of failure modes. One tends to perform dedicated application tests in each design phase. However, with fundamental material knowledge and gear-application know-how one can combine test results obtained via simplified tests, such as standard tensile bar fatigue testing or simplified gear test results, into a model that provides accurate lifetime predictions.

Although advanced recycling technology is on the horizon, biobased materials with the right performance can be utilized. Climate change, plastic waste and depleting resources are three important environmental themes for the selection of materials. Solutions can be offered with low carbon footprint by using materials, which preferably are recycled or biobased.

Consumers are increasingly engaged with their smart phones, smart watches, and other personal devices—wherever they are—exposing soft touch components to prolonged use, weather damage, and increased exposure to everyday chemicals such as cosmetics and sunscreen. Product designers and manufacturers increasingly rely on thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material solutions to produce and deliver highly durable and high-quality soft touch parts.

There are a handful of trends in the food contact and water safety markets today—sustainability, globalization and safety, which is of utmost importance. Since these markets are global, food and water contact industries are diverse and driven by different regulations in different regions—some being stricter than others. Currently, PA66 is under a microscope because of the exposure of cyclic oligomers exceeding the newly advised surface migration limit of 5 mg/kg food.

With the trend of integrating more functionalities into plastic parts, laser welding has become increasingly popular. Recently Envalior and LPKF Welding Equipment worked together on solutions that provide the right laser welding process in combination with the right PPA materials. Working solutions have been identified for grades using higher contents of reinforcement, halogen free flame retardancy and even in combination with materials for laser direct structuring (LDS).

The electric vehicle (EV) market is projected to grow at an annual rate of 20% over the next decade. During the same time period, autonomous vehicles are expected to see 63% annualized growth – largely due to roll-out of 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT). Beyond transportation, IoT offers countless ways to enhance convenience in our lives, including connected homes and automation in workplaces. Widespread adoption of these technologies substantially increases the demand for connectors built into hardware that makes them accessible.

Smart home technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) enhance convenience and security in our lives by enabling us to wirelessly connect to a range of home appliances via our smart devices. The growing adoption of connected living technology is driving transformation in the electrical appliances industry at the same time. Although smart homes are controlled virtually, appliances still require physical connectors to operate. As manufacturers produce more appliances that integrate with smart homes, the demand for smaller connectors with better performance, reliability and userfriendliness is increasing rapidly.

Manufacturers of outdoor power equipment (OPE), tractors, all-terrain vehicles and golf cars are increasingly under pressure to reduce evaporative emissions that permeate through plastic fuel tanks. To help minimize the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment, regulatory bodies mandate strict evaporative emissions limits. Gas tank manufacturers are required to use materials that guarantee compliance with ever-shifting regulations to avoid costly fines and equipment recalls.

Pressure on the agriculture industry to keep consumers fed is increasing faster than ever. Rising populations combined with higher incomes in developing countries is expected to drive global food demand up by 58 – 98% by 2050. Farmers need to invest in top-of-the-line harvesting equipment to distribute steady supplies of high-quality produce year-round. As a result, manufacturers of components for agriculture vehicles, such as tractors and combines, need to consider several factors when selecting a material provider.

The global impact of recent pandemics emphasize the importance of providing healthcare professionals with high quality personal protective equipment (PPR), including disposable medical gowns. Envalior’s Arnitel® VT is a polyester-based block copolymer thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) with more than 20 years’ use in medical supply manufacturing. The technology combines hard crystalline polyester (PBT) and soft amorphous links to provide outstanding durability, strength, comfort and design flexibility.

As automotive and commercial vehicle OEMs continue to drive more performance from internal combustion engine (ICE) powertrains, reducing the weight of every component is becoming increasingly important. For OEMs, this poses a new challenge. Engineers must leverage turbocharger systems to increase the power and efficiency of ice powertrains. At the same time, they must also decrease underhood space to accommodate the overall weight reduction of the vehicle. This combination of reduced space and elevated temperatures is driving the need for advanced lightweight materials that can withstand heat without compromising performance.

Advances in cardiovascular medical technology have led to new, minimally invasive methods for treating various complex conditions. Many of these procedures require next-generation catheters, which are more challenging for healthcare OEMs and contract manufacturing organizations to design and produce. As cost pressures increase, catheter manufacturers are focused on gaining a competitive advantage by advances in cardiovascular medical technology which led to new, minimally invasive methods for treating various complex condition and designing novel devices optimized to treat challenging disease states, implementing production processes that maximize operational efficiency.

Medical manufacturers worldwide need to meet rapidly growing demands for increasingly sophisticated medical devices. At the same time, regulators in numerous regions, including the United States and the European Union, are implementing stringent measures to mitigate patient safety risks caused by defective medical equipment. In this complex environment, manufacturers require advanced thermoplastics that leverage next generation material science and address emerging medical industry trends. Envalior has developed a portfolio of advanced material solutions that respond to the challenges the medical industry needs to overcome.

Globally, increasing rates of respiratory infections and chronic lung conditions are driving up demand for highly sophisticated respiratory tubing. As hospitals and caregivers require more of this equipment, medical device manufacturers will be expected to supply differentiated products that meet the needs of patients experiencing severe or long-term respiratory issues. At the same time, manufacturers must ensure medical devices comply with evolving safety regulations set in numerous regions, including the United States (U. S.) and the European Union (EU).