When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D ...
Boy does that hot dog you buy at the ballpark taste good — 
as long as you don’t think too much about what’s in it. Processed foods, like that ballpark dog, often contain a lot of fillers, and most people probably don’t view that as a good thing. Fillers are ubiquitous in the world of polymers and plastics, too. Sometimes their presence is good, and sometimes, well, not so much.
as long as you don’t think too much about what’s in it. Processed foods, like that ballpark dog, often contain a lot of fillers, and most people probably don’t view that as a good thing. Fillers are ubiquitous in the world of polymers and plastics, too. Sometimes their presence is good, and sometimes, well, not so much.
While heating up that hot dog will never tell you exactly which fillers are in it (you’ll have to read the label for that), thermal testing can help identify what fillers, if any, are present in a polymer. Thermal testing for filler content can also tell you whether the present fillers are beneficial or detrimental to the overall quality of a polymer, and how they might affect the ultimate performance of a product made with that polymer.
Understanding the filler content of a polymer is one more way to ensure it will perform as required in any product you make with it. Fillers impart many characteristics to products. They can alter a polymer’s color, make it more resistant to UV damage, strengthen it, enhance flexibility, slow degradation and decomposition, or make it more bio-compatible. Given the array of effects fillers can have on a polymer, it’s critical to know exactly which ones are present and in what quantity when you’re evaluating any sample.
Scientists identify polymer fillers and their quantities through Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS, and say that three times fast) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA).
TGA is the most common way scientists can identify the amount of filler in a polymer. We heat the sample inside a furnace and burn away all the organic material. What remains is the inorganic filler. In addition to helping determine the degradation temperature of the polymer, those remnants tell us what percentage of the sample is composed of filler. We can then run those remnants through SEM-EDS testing to identify the fillers.
We have used TGA to help our clients achieve their analytical goals, including deformulation, competitive analysis and failure analysis. We’ve tested rubber seals, vinyl fabrics, automotive components and a range of other samples. Identifying polymer fillers is a specialty of ours. We know how to use leading-edge science to produce reliable results and actionable data.
However, we’re still not quite sure just what’s in that hot dog.
Comments
Post a Comment