CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT
Businesswire | April 27, 2023
NatureWorks, leading manufacturer of polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymers, announces, in collaboration with Jabil Inc., a global manufacturing solutions provider, the availability of an Ingeo™ PLA-based powder formulation for powder-bed fusion technologies, including selective laser sintering (SLS) printer platforms. The new product marketed as Jabil PLA 3110P, offers a cost-effective option, with lower sintering temperature, and 89% smaller carbon footprint1 compared to the incumbent PA-12. Ingeo PLA is derived entirely from annually renewable resources, meeting demand for a biobased alternative to petrochemical-based powders, like PA-12.
“NatureWorks’ expertise in performance biomaterials and Jabil’s position as a leader in design, product development and manufacturing of highly engineered and qualified materials made our collaboration a natural choice,” said Salvador Ortega, Global Industry Manager, NatureWorks. “The resulting Jabil PLA 3110P powder is suitable for applications where incumbents may be over-engineered, thereby delivering both a lower cost and reduced carbon footprint product, compared to conventional powders.”
Compared to 3D printing methods such as fused filament fabrication (FFF), advantages of SLS include greater output, accuracy, and design freedom. As a result, this Ingeo PLA-based powder can form the custom, precision geometries needed for thermoforming and compression molds. Moreover, the significantly lower sintering temperature of this product translates to energy savings and faster start-up, allaying the relatively high energy usage of SLS-systems.
“Jabil is excited to work with NatureWorks in driving adoption of Jabil PLA 3110P, as well as other highly engineered and qualified materials that deliver value-added attributes while reducing environmental impact,” said Luke Rodgers, senior director of R &D for additive manufacturing at Jabil. “Our ongoing collaboration will enable us to propel the additive manufacturing industry forward with more sustainable material choices for a wide range of customer requirements.”
All of NatureWorks’ Ingeo biopolymer materials are derived from plant sugars. Plants naturally capture and sequester atmospheric CO2 in the form of long-chain sugar molecules. Fermentation of those sugars results in production of lactic acid, which NatureWorks uses to produce a range of high-performance materials with a significantly smaller carbon footprint than petrochemical-based polymers.
About NatureWorks
NatureWorks is an advanced materials company offering a broad portfolio of biopolymers and biochemicals made from renewable resources. With performance and economics that compete with oil-based materials, naturally advanced Ingeo™ biomaterials are valued for their unique functional properties and used in products from coffee capsules and appliances to tea bags and 3D printing filament. NatureWorks is jointly owned by Thailand’s largest ASEAN leading integrated petrochemical and refining company, GC, and Cargill, which provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world.
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CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT
Globenewswire | May 23, 2023
LanzaTech Global, Inc. an innovative carbon capture and transformation company that converts waste carbon into materials such as sustainable fuels, fabrics, packaging, and other products that people use in their daily lives, and Plastipak Packaging, Inc. (“Plastipak”), a global leader in the design, manufacture, and recycling of plastic containers, announce they have successfully produced PPKNatura, the world’s first polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin made from captured carbon emissions. The resin is suitable for food, personal care, and pharmaceutical packaging, as well as other non-packaging applications.
PET is a polymer that is molded into plastic bottles and containers for packaging foods and beverages, personal care products, and many other consumer goods. PET resin comprises 30% monoethylene glycol (MEG) traditionally derived from petroleum. PPKNatura leverages CarbonSmart™ MEG from LanzaTech’s CCT process. It retains the technical properties of virgin fossil PET while carrying a lower carbon footprint. Thus, PPKNatura can be a used for traditional food and pharmaceutical grade packaging and other sensitive applications such as hot-fill, refillables, and applications where a low crystallinity is required. Non-packaging PET applications can also take advantage of this ground-breaking resin.
PPKNatura resin reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and its production process does not require land or food resources. In addition, packaging made out of this material can be fully recycled at the end of its life, keeping the carbon in a circular material cycle.
Leading Swiss retailer Migros and its subsidiary Mibelle Group were the first to use this PET in in-house brand packaging, including in creating PET bottles for smoothies and the containers of household cleaners that also contained LanzaTech ethanol as a key ingredient.
“LanzaTech’s commercial technology is designed to enable our partners in diverse industries to reduce their carbon footprint and overall environmental impact,” said Jennifer Holmgren, Chief Executive Officer of LanzaTech. “Our partnership with Plastipak is critical to demonstrating what is possible today. Today we are producing food- and pharmaceutical-grade packaging and are well on our way to creating a more sustainable future for all.”
LanzaTech’s CCT technology works like a brewery in which proprietary bacteria consume pollution and convert it into CarbonSmart chemicals. Those chemicals are then turned into products ranging from clothing and laundry detergent to sustainable aviation fuel. Using a variety of waste feedstocks, LanzaTech’s technology platform is creating a future where consumers are not dependent on virgin fossil inputs for everything in their daily lives.
“We are delighted to partner with LanzaTech to achieve early progress in our ambition to produce PET with lower environmental impacts. The use of CarbonSmart MEG is a first and important milestone in our journey toward this goal, and combined with use of renewable electricity in the production process, has contributed to significant progress in indicators such as carbon reduction and use of fossil resources. PPKNatura resin is one element of Plastipak’s ESG program, which among other initiatives, targets the extension of our product circularity with the intent of supporting customers in reducing their Scope 3 emissions. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership with LanzaTech as we work together to achieve our long-term goals,” said Pedro Martins, Executive Managing Director Europe of Plastipak.
About LanzaTech
Headquartered in Skokie, IL, LanzaTech Global, Inc. captures waste carbon and transforms it into materials such as sustainable fuels, fabrics, packaging, and other products. Using a variety of waste feedstocks, LanzaTech’s technology platform is contributing to a future where consumers are not dependent on virgin fossil feedstocks for everything in their daily lives. LanzaTech’s goal is to challenge and change the way the world uses carbon, enabling a new circular carbon economy where carbon is reused rather than wasted, skies and oceans are kept clean, and pollution becomes a thing of the past.
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CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT
Globenewswire | June 08, 2023
CollabraTech Solutions a full-service capital equipment company, has announced the latest evolution of its Liquid Chemical Delivery System, which addresses the challenging logistical component lead times facing the market and the pain points experienced by customers designing semiconductor applications. With an industry-leading lead time of just 20 weeks, these state-of-the-art systems set new benchmarks for performance, efficiency, reliability, and flexibility while meeting the evolving needs of the semiconductor industry.
"Our approach to the market has always been to find innovative methods to address our customers’ critical challenges," said CollabraTech President Steve Lemons. "With the significant obstacles in the supply chain that continue to impact our industry and continuously evolving process requirements, our flexibility and creativity allow us to support our customers in ways that other equipment suppliers cannot. Our new Liquid Chemical Delivery System offers a compelling proof point for our approach, accelerating time-to-market by 55% and achieving a significant 33% boost in output while concurrently improving sustainability by reducing power consumption and facility needs. These unprecedented capabilities and superior features will redefine how liquid chemicals are delivered, transforming operations and propelling our industry forward."
CollabraTech Solutions is committed to pushing boundaries, delivering cutting-edge solutions, and empowering its customers to achieve their goals. Major design benefits that drive the performance improvements of the new Liquid Delivery System include
Adding the Siemens S7 family of PLC-based control systems allows for lead time reduction while offering comparable performance, compatibility and ease of integration with existing control systems. Six outlets allow customer to supply more chambers per delivery system reducing the initial capital outlay and on-going maintenance costs. Flexible configurations that deliver chemistries for production and development applications for a variety of deposition and etch processes. Consistent delivery pressures across cannisters eliminates pressure fluctuations inherent in day tank systems, yielding improved vaporizer performance. Auto cross-over and canister refill from the optional Bulk system, enabling the continuous and uninterrupted flow of liquid precursor to the process tools. Increasing canister capacity of up to 38 liters provides extended operational autonomy at the lowest cost per outlet in the industry.
CollabraTech Solutions' Liquid Chemical Delivery systems are available now.
About CollabraTech Solutions
CollabraTech Solutions is a fully integrated engineering and manufacturing solutions company. Drawing on decades of experience in gas and chemical delivery, contract manufacturing, and our proven supply chain networks, the company brings together the optimal resources to provide our customers with creative solutions to their complex, technical challenges in design and manufacturing.
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