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 ...
Increasingly, companies are trying to find alternative sources of rubber, and they are often turning to plants.
A company in Arizona has just released to manufacturers its first samples of rubber made from guayule, a drought-tolerant crop and native to the Sonoran Desert. Tire manufacturers are considering whether to use guayule as a substitute for natural rubber in tires.
PanAridus, based in Casa Grande, AZ, has been cultivating the plant since 2009. Not only can the plant be used as a source for rubber, but it can also be used for making resins or be non-food, organic waste that can be used for biomass, making the plant virtually waste-free, reportsTruckinginfo.com.
Cooper Tire and Bridgestone are two companies seeking alternatives to petroleum-based rubber. Bridgestone, which is interested in using dandelions are a source for rubber, also is creating farms for cultivating guayule. Meanwhile, Cooper Tire is researching how to create polymers from guayule for tire applications.
The Brazilian Rubber Tree, Hevea brasiliensis (Hevea), which is grown almost exclusively in Southeast Asia, has traditionally been regarded as the only commercial natural rubber source in the world. However, its supplies are unreliable as economic growth has occurred in India and China.
“While the first century of exploring domestic alternatives to Hevea rubber from Asia and petroleum-based synthetic rubber has been marked by uncertainty, we’ve been able to unlock the Rosetta Stone through genetics, agronomics, and sustained research,” says PanAridus CEO Michael Fraley.
The company is offering samples of the rubber made from guayule so it can be independently verified that it meets the standards as an alternative for tire rubber. And there are benefits to the local farmers as well.
“At PanAridus, we’re ‘seeding rubber’s future’ by unlocking its profit at the farm gate, making it viable for farmers in arid climates like the Southwestern U.S. to make more money per acre growing [guayule] than they can growing traditional water-intensive crops like cotton and alfalfa,” he says.
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