Desarrollo de productos industriales tecnológicos en el marco de la periferia

 The technological analysis of product development dynamics in the periphery initially involves the conceptualization of ‘technique’ and ‘technology’ as forms of knowledge building and as means of production. A benchmark was accordingly defined to determine the key components of a product development process within a technological context , which is related to the industrial context provided by the periphery that, in the Latin American context, involve small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This project was structured accordingly and aimed to design a tool to analyze product development processes in SMEs from a technological viewpoint. El análisis tecnológico de las dinámicas de desarrollo de productos en la periferia implica, en primera instancia, la conceptualización de ‘técnica’ y ‘tecnología’ como formas de construcción del conocimiento y como medios de producción. A partir de ello se configuró un referente crítico para determinar los componentes de un proceso de desarrollo de productos en el marco de la tecnología, el cual se relacionó con el contexto industrial que ofreció la periferia, que en el caso del contexto latinoamericano fueron las pequeñas y medianas empresas (PYMES). Por lo tanto se estructuró este proyecto, que buscó configurar un instrumento para el análisis tecnológico de los procesos de desarrollo de productos en las PYMES

Influence of coupling agent in mechanical, physical and thermal properties of polypropylene/bamboo fiber composites : under natural outdoor aging

Researches on thermoplastic composites using natural fiber as reinforcement are increasing, but studies of durability over time are scarce. In this sense the objective of this study is to evaluate changes in the properties of polypropylene/bamboo fiber (PP/BF) composite and the influence of the use of coupling agent (CA) in these composites after natural ageing. The PP/BF (70/30 wt) composites and 3% wt CA (citric acid from natural origin and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene from petrochemical origin) were prepared by using an internal mixer chamber and then injection-molded. The samples were exposed to natural weathering for a total period of 12 months and characterized before and after exposure. All exposed composites experienced a decrease in their properties, however, the use of CA promoted more stability; in mechanical properties, the composites with CA showed lower loss about 23% in Young′s modulus, 18% in tensile stress at break, and 6% in impact strength. This behavior was similar in thermal and physical properties, the result for the CA of natural origin being similar to that of synthetic origin. These results indicate that the use of a CA may promote higher interaction between the fiber and the polymer. In addition, the CAs of organic origin and synthetic origin exhibited similar responses to natural ageing