The following items were compiled by assistant managing editor Bill Henson at the National Design Engineering Show, held March 10-13 in Chicago.
Rogers shows Prom polyurethane foams
Rogers Corp. of Rogers, Conn., presented its new family of Poron urethane foams.
The reformulated foams offer flame retardance, low outgassing and low fogging, according to Rogers. They are targeted at gasketing, sealing, cushioning and vibration-damping applications.
The company also displayed its line of nonwoven fabrics, available in basis weights from 2-24 ounces per square yard. The fabrics, made from polyester, polypropylene, rayon, glass, aramid or cotton fibers, are offered in master rolls as wide as 90 inches or in finished converted form, packaged in bags at roll widths slit to a minimum of 1 inch.
REsin use climbs in rotomolding industry
Resin consumption has risen to 507 million pounds annually within the rotational molding industry — a level sufficiently large to capture the attention of resin suppliers, according to the Association of Rotational Molders.
That pleases the trade group, according to its executive director, Charles Frederick. In an interview at the National Design Engineering Show, Frederick said the industry hopes the interest will help in the search for new materials.
ARM funds research for new materials on a limited scale at Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Brigham Young University in Salt Lake City; and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
Marilyn Wade, chairwoman of the trade group's public relations committee, said the industry is growing 14-16 percent a year in North America.
Worldwide rotomolding growth is averaging 25 percent, according to Wade, president of Rochester Rotational Molding Inc. in Rochester, Ind. She said the estimated value of the industry in North America is $1.3 billion.
ARM of Oak Brook, Ill., has 435 member companies in 57 countries.
The association announced at the design show that it will sponsor an international rotational molding exposition, Rotoplas '97, on Oct. 6 at the Inland Meeting and Exposition Center in Westmont, Ill.
Norton performance adds tape product
Norton Performance Plastics of Granville, N.Y., exhibited its next generation of mounting tape, Normount V5300 Attachment Tape.
The tape offers a conformable polyurethane foam substrate with an acrylic adhesive on both sides, according to the company. It can be used for attaching trim, exterior signs and side panels for truck bodies.