Selection of Subtractive Manufacturing Technology Versus Additive Manufacturing Technology for Rapid Prototyping of a Polymeric Product

The Additive Manufacturing (AM) industry has expanded steadily, occupying the market very quickly. New types of 3D printers have appeared and new types of polymeric and composite materials have been developed for these printers. Thus it passed very quickly from the stage in which the parts that were made by rapid prototyping (RP) only to be exposed (demonstration parts) to stage AM the parts are fully functional. Of course, the future of AM is still on the horizon, it is barely visible. The other technologies for forming the geometry of the part, ie subtractive manufacturing technology and formative manufacturing technology are still the basis of industrial production. Each technology has its own advantages and disadvantages and is chosen on a case-by-case basis, depending on the objectives pursued. In this paper, a study is made on the rapid prototyping of a single pump rotor part. The material of the piece is of polymer type, ABS. The piece was made in two variants: by additive manufacturing technology (PolyJet) and by subtractive manufacturing technology (milling). After processing, several parameters were followed, such as the functionality of the part, the surface quality, the mechanical tensile strength, the dimensional accuracy, and last but not least the manufacturing cost and the duration of the manufacturing cycle. The data thus obtained were processed with an artificial intelligence program for decision making.

Biocatalytic Strategy for Grafting Natural Lignin with Aniline

This paper presents an enzyme biocatalytic method for grafting lignin (grafting bioprocess) with aniline, leading to an amino-derivatized polymeric product with modified properties (e.g., conductivity, acidity/basicity, thermostability and amino-functionalization). Peroxidase enzyme was used as a biocatalyst and H2O2 was used as an oxidation reagent, while the oxidative insertion of aniline into the lignin structure followed a radical mechanism specific for the peroxidase enzyme. The grafting bioprocess was tested in different configurations by varying the source of peroxidase, enzyme concentration and type of lignin. Its performance was evaluated in terms of aniline conversion calculated based on UV-vis analysis. The insertion of amine groups was checked by 1H-NMR technique, where NH protons were detected in the range of 5.01–4.99 ppm. The FTIR spectra, collected before and after the grafting bioprocess, gave evidence for the lignin modification. Finally, the abundance of grafted amine groups was correlated with the decrease of the free –OH groups (from 0.030 to 0.009 –OH groups/L for initial and grafted lignin, respectively). Additionally, the grafted lignin was characterized using conductivity measurements, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD-NH3/CO2) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. The investigated properties of the developed lignopolymer demonstrated its disposability for specific industrial applications of derivatized lignin.

Characterization and Antimicrobial Characteristics of Chitosan Modified Hibiscus Sabdariffal.Extract

Samples of Chitosan (Cs) natural polymer containing successive amount of Hibiscus sabdariffaLextract were sucssesfuly synthesized using traditional simple casting route. Prepared thin films were characterized using fourier transform infrared (FTIR). FT-IR of synthesized thin films reveals maintenance of the characteristic bands of chitosan in addition to the appearance of two new sharp intense bands at 1782 and 954 cm-1 intensified with increasing plant extract content and assigned to the interaction between NH2 of polymer skeleton with falvanoids present in the extract. Obtained data poit out to a formation of homogenous composite structure. X-ray diffraction data (XRD) reval no prounounced band indicating the amorphous structure of synthesized final polymeric product. In vitro antimicrobial studies were performed using both gram negative and positive bacteria in addition to Fungul and Yeast activity using simple minimum inhibition zone (MIZ) standeredroutain.

The effect of process parameters on the electrospun polystyrene fibers

Electrospinning is one of the methods for obtaining nano/microfibers, using polymeric solutions. These nanofibrous membranes are highly porous with interconnected pores, having high specific surface area and small pore size, making them a suitable candidate for filtration applications. The properties of electrospun fibers are influenced by polymer solution, solvent, solution concentration, viscosity, electrical conductivity, electrical voltage, spinneret to collector distance etc. Expanded polystyrene is a polymeric product that is usually used for insulation and packaging. Recycling expanded polystyrene into nanofibers with applications in filtration could be useful from an economic point of view. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of expanded polystyrene polymer solution characteristics (concentration, viscosity) and the process parameters (applied voltage, distance between the tip and the collector plate, flow rate of the polymer solution) on the morphology and the properties of the obtained electrospun fibers. Therefore, three EPS solutions with 10, 15 and 20% wt. concentration were prepared and were electrospun under processing conditions with an applied voltage of 12, 15 and 18 kV, a spinneret-to-collector distance of 20 cm, a flow rate of solution of 1.5 and 2 mL/hour, a spinneret diameter of 0.8 mm and stationary copper substrate. The morphology of the electrospun fibers was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile strength and elongation tests.

Electrochemical treatment of wastewaters containing 4-nitrocathecol using boron-doped diamond anodesA paper submitted to the Journal of Environmental Engineering and Science.

The electrochemical oxidation of aqueous wastes polluted with 4-nitrocathecol has been studied on boron-doped diamond electrodes in an acidic medium. The voltammetric results showed that 4-nitrocathecol is oxidized in the potential region where the supporting electrolyte is stable. Galvanostatic electrolysis study showed that the oxidation of these wastes in a single-compartment electrochemical flow cell with boron-doped diamond anodes results in the complete mineralization of the organics. Cathecol, benzoquinone, 4-aminocathecol, maleic and oxalic acids have been detected as soluble organics, polymeric product as solid product at the cathode surface and NO3– as mineral product during the electrolysis of 4-nitrocathecol. The electrochemical oxidation of 4-nitrocathecol consists of a sequence of steps: release of NO2 and (or) hydroxylation of the aromatic ring; formation of quinonic compounds; oxidative opening of aromatic ring to form carboxylic acids; and oxidation of carboxylic acids to carbon dioxide. Both direct and mediated oxidation processes are involved in these stages.