Hydrogen fuel cells offer new opportunities for sustainable energy. They are considered the most energy-efficient devices for extracting power from fuel, capable of having twice the efficiency of traditional combustion technologies. They are also a clean energy source because a bit of water and sometimes heat are the only byproducts of the electrochemical process in … Read more Exploring Recent Advancements in Hydrogen Fuel Cells
When your equipment contains a hydrogen fuel cell, you are always looking for the best solutions to keep it in top working condition. One of the most significant issues for hydrogen fuel cells is keeping them cool enough to prevent damage to both the cell and the equipment it’s contained within. Polymer has been working … Read more Innovative Silicone Hoses: Enhancing Hydrogen Fuel Cell Efficiency
Hydrogen fuel cells offer a sustainable way to power a wide range of systems and are found in everything from large commercial vehicles to material handling equipment. They use a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen atoms to produce electricity while only emitting water and heat byproducts. Hydrogen fuel cells run similarly to batteries but … Read more Addressing Noise, Vibration, and Heat in Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA), or self-adhesive, is used with many of our composite materials to simplify their application to the surface being treated. PSA is a thin, flexible adhesive coating that adheres to various surfaces. Even though the technical performance of a material is not directly related to the adhesive, proper PSA application is critical. Many … Read more Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Guide for Composite Materials
Almost every industrial equipment business has used acoustic barriers in some way. The primary purpose of these barriers is to block airborne noise from traveling through a surface to the environment on the other side of the surface. A prime example of a barrier is the floor mats found in the cabs of large trucks. … Read more Effectiveness of Barriers and When Performance is Limited
Developing a new product on the cutting edge requires innovative thinking. Original equipment manufacturers are continually trying to break the mold with their new product designs, but sometimes the end product doesn’t work as intended. Usually, manufacturers use flat foam barriers, foam absorbers, and damping pads to control temperature, noise, and heat emitted from machinery … Read more How to Design and Develop a 3D Molded Foam Solution
Cellular polymer materials are permeable to some degree, while other manufacturing materials like metals, glass, ceramics and dense loaded vinyls are not. To some, this porous quality may seem like a disadvantage. But that’s not true! Whether or not a material is right for your project comes down to your application. If you’re looking to … Read more How the Permeability of Polyurethane Foam Affects Sound Absorption
When developing a new product, there are a lot of hurdles to consider before bringing it to market. Before production starts, you should familiarize yourself with intellectual property (IP) protections in the U.S. and abroad. Many businesses in the United States turn to locations overseas, like China, to produce goods, as it is usually more … Read more Top 4 Ways to Protect Your Product Designs Against Copycats
When it comes to determining how well an aircraft will perform, the thrust-to-weight ratio is one of the most important metrics. Aerospace manufacturers have always aimed to keep this ratio as low as possible by creating lighter aircraft, but the metals traditionally used in aircraft bodies are heavy. Composite materials, on the other hand, are … Read more The Future of Composites in the Aerospace Industry
Porous plastic foam is on the cutting edge of insulation for heat, vapor, noise, and other elements. The two major variants of porous plastic foams are open and closed cell foams. Both types of foam are used in everyday products, but because of their structural differences, one type of foam may perform better than the … Read more Open vs. Closed Cell Foam: Understanding Permeability