Polymers are more alive than you may realize. There are molecules within them that wiggle, others that move from here to there, and some that permeate all the way through. Polymer properties change as all this motion is occurring. When this is not understood or anticipated during product development stages, products fail. The good news […]
Read MoreAuto manufacturers and suppliers need a valid, reliable way to detect flaws in electric vehicle battery enclosures, or modules. EWI has developed an inexpensive testing method with demonstrated feasibility! Our team validated an EV battery testing procedure involving colorimetric chemical reagents and a reactive gas. It’s a high-resolution marking method that’s faster and clearer than […]
Read MoreThe hydrogen economy is forecasted to grow significantly. The infrastructure required to support its emergence means more materials will contact high pressure hydrogen as it is created, stored, transported, and used as a fuel. Seals, gaskets, and non-metallic pipelines are prime examples of polymers that hydrogen will readily encounter along its life cycle. Hydrogen is […]
Read MoreThere are many options available for evaluating the quality of polymer welds. It can be a challenge to select the best one for your application. Yet, choosing the appropriate evaluation method is an essential step in the development and production maintenance of a welding process. Recently EWI conducted research to compare several quantitative and qualitative polymer weld quality evaluation […]
Read MoreBy James Cruz, EWI My first job out of college at Honda of America Manufacturing was a dream come true—the chance to play with robots and build cars! They handed me several crisp, white uniforms on day 1. Within that first week on the production line, however, I had soiled my pretty white pants with a huge, […]
Read MoreIn response to urgent need during the COVID pandemic, EWI conducted a study to validate the use of polymer additive manufacturing to make replacement parts for medical ventilators. The results of this research demonstrate that high-quality, leak-tight parts can be made quickly and efficiently using the 3D printing technology. To read the details of this […]
Read MoreEvaluation of plastic weld quality is a multi-industry challenge. Typical methods of weld evaluation such as mechanical or leak testing can determine whether a weld can accommodate a defined application requirement, but do not indicate whether the weld itself is good. A good weld is one in which the polymer chains from either side have […]
Read MoreI have assembled a fact sheet based on industry wide conference calls that I have participated in between Friday (March 11, 2011) and now (this is updated as needed). The most important thing that I can suggest to everyone is don’t trust anything that you find on the internet unless it is backed up by someone from the nuclear industry. The American Nuclear Society, the Nuclear Energy Institute, Nuclear Infrastructure Council, and the International Atomic Energy Agency are working diligently to distribute facts to organizations like the NFC and EWI. However, it is still extremely difficult to discern facts from hypotheses because few experts can provide firsthand accounts of the situation.
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