Polymers : Next Generation Materials and Applications are Expanding

The plastics industry is an ever-expanding domain, accelerating at unprecedented speed. In fact, on-going work into research and development has resulted in the creation of next-generation polymer-based materials (the primary material used in the manufacture of plastics). These new materials have very interesting properties, as witnessed by their use in most industrial sectors.

The development and honing of advanced polymer materials, and the optimization and control of forming and manufacturing processes are the focal point of IMI’s specialists working in this field. The expertise developed covers many activity sectors:

• Polymer Foams
• Polymer Films
• Injection Moulding
• Blow Moulding

Important work is conducted jointly with industry partners within the framework of the different technology groups (or interest groups):

• Technology Group on Polymer Nanocomposites - PNC-Tech
• Special Interest Group in Blow Moulding (SIGBLOW)
• Special Interest Group in Thermoforming (SIGFORM)

Our experts have also developed leading-edge technologies that focus on polymer forming and parts manufacturing, specifically the analysis, control and optimization of advanced materials design:

• Intelligent Forming Technologies
• On-line Ultrasonic Technology for Monitoring of Polymer Processing
• Optical Sensors