Development of binder system for manufacturing metallic and ceramic parts by Powder Injection Molding technology

The technology is used by manufacturing companies of metallic and ceramic parts. The PIM companies have an important problem: they have to use a patented feedstock. This fact causes an increasing of the cost of final product. Moreover sometimes is difficult to obtain parts from several materials because only exists few commercial feedstocks. We offer some innovative aspects, the possibility of development of feedstocks from different ceramic and metallic powders and different morphologic and surface characteristics

Biofuels: Political/Economic Boondoggle or Energy Salvation for Western States?

Nearly all western states lack comparative advantages for producing corn for ethanol and oilseeds for biodiesel. Despite this disadvantage, most western states have legislated incentives for production of biofuels. Unfavorable changes in price relationships, high transportation costs for imported feedstocks, and tight credit markets in 2008 and 2009 led to bankruptcies and plant closures at a disproportionate rate in the western biofuel industry. Policy makers in western states are advised to fund research and development for bioenergy and biofuel feedstocks in which they have a comparative advantage. These include forestry by-products, food processing and crop residues, and livestock wastes.biodiesel, bioenergy research, biofuels, biofuel bankruptcies, biofuel feedstocks, biofuel incentives, corn ethanol, western United States, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Will Washington Provide Its Own Feedstocks for Biofuels?

The study finds that Washington State’s field corn, sugar beet and canola production could satisfy only a small percentage of the State’s annual gasoline or diesel consumption. Linear programming projections for 2008 showed a relatively close match between projected and actual production. Projections for 2009-2011 showed no increase in the State’s capacity to increase biofuel crop feedstocks. In comparison to crop feedstocks, Washington’s total annual lignocellulosic biomass is abundant. However, only a fraction of the biomass could be converted to biofuel due to high costs of collection and processing, competing markets for some biomass, and limitations in current technology.biofuels, biofuel feedstocks, canola, cellulosic inventories, grain corn, linear programming, Washington State

Sistem penilaian kemahiran kejuruteraan awam anjuran Majlis Latihan Vokasional Kebangsaan

Tujuan kajian ini dibuat adalah untuk mengetahui punca-punca kegagalan pelatih-pelatih dalam menghadapi Peperiksaan Kemahiran Malaysia bagi kursus Kejuruteraan A warn yang dikendalikan oleh Majlis Latihan Vokasional Kebangsaan (MLVK). Pelatih-pelatih ini telah mengikuti latihan kemahiran selama lebih kurang dua tahun di mana sebahagian daripada mereka adalah terdiri daripada guru-guru iepasan Maktab Perguruan Teknik yang telah mempunyai banyak pengalaman dan kemahiran tetapi turut gagal apabila menduduki peperiksaan kemahiran tersebut khasnya pada Tahap Pertengahan dan Tinggi. Kajian ini dilakukan melalui kaedah soal selidek dan temubual terhadap responden yang terdiri daripada pengajarpengajar di mstitusi-institusi kemahiran. Hasil daripada kajian ini akan dapat memberitahu pihak-pihak yang berkenaan mengenai punca-punca sebenar mengapa terjadinya kegagalan pelatih dalam sistem penilaian secara peperiksaan. Seterusnya, seteiah mengenalpasti segala kelebihan dan kelemahan di antara kaedah penilaian secara peperiksaan dan pentauliahan adalah diharapkan kajian ini akan menjadi garis panduan kepada institusi-institusi kemahiran untuk memilih sama ada untuk menggunakan sistem penilaian secara peperiksaan ataupun pentauliahan yang mana sistem pentauliahan ini telah diperkenalkan pada tahun 1993. Dengan ini adalah diharapkan peratus kelulusan bagi kursus-kusus kemahiran dalam bidang Kejuruteraan Awam dapat ditingkatkan lagi pada masa akan datang tanpa menjejaskan kualiti latihan kemahiran yang sedia ada

Potential Infrastructure Constraints on Current Corn-Based and Future Biomass Based U.S. Ethanol Production

Rapid growth in fuel ethanol production in the U.S. will create pressure on infrastructure both in the near term and the longer term. Currently the vast majority of fuel ethanol produced is grain based with corn based feedstocks dwarfing the quantity of all other grain feedstocks. In the future it is expected that biomass based ethanol production will also develop using crop residues and other cellulosic feedstocks including switchgrass, woody plants and woodchip by-products from lumbering activities. Public and private investments are now being made in research and development for both crop residue and other biomass based feedstocks for ethanol production. Several pilot projects for plant scale production are already in progress. This paper will: (a) Summarize some of the major impacts rapid growth in the corn based ethanol (CE) production is now having on infrastructure in the Midwestern corn producing states. (b) Examine some of the likely infrastructure needs that might be expected to occur as a consequence of the future development of biomass based ethanol (BE) production.

Feedstocks development for Metal Injection Moulding

Today, more tan 90% of used feedstock for MIM in Europe, came from BASF (exclusive patent), with low possibility for change compositions or costs (in Japan or USA, the percentage is quite smaller). In our research group (Powder Technology Group) we can develop new feedstocks formulation that can be used directly by the MIM parts manufacturers and fulfilling their composition requirements. Interest in licensing the applied patent or commercial agreement with technical assistance with companies that would like to incorporate this technology

Analysis of rheological behaviour of titanium feedstocks formulated with a water-soluble binder system for powder injection moulding

Binder selection and formulation are critical in powder injection moulding. Binders play a key role in controlling the rheological properties of a feedstock and influence whether the resulting feedstock can be successfully injection moulded, debound and sintered without defects. A four-step process was used to mix hydride-dehydride titanium alloy (processed) powder (Ti-6Al-4 V) with a polyethylene glycol (PEG) based water soluble binder system. The rheological properties, including flow behaviour index, flow activation energy, fluidity and melt flow index of the homogeneous feedstock, were determined with a capillary rheometer. All feedstock formulations exhibited shear thinning flow behaviour. The optimum feedstock consisting of 60 vol.% powder content, 32 vol.% PEG, 6 vol.% polyvinyl butyryl and 2 vol.% stearic acid was suitable for titanium injection moulding

Bio-ethylene production: alternatives for green chemicals and polymers

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