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| Design/Innovation
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Opinion: China needs to protect innovation
 Toloken
Dow Chemical unveils new solar shingles
MIDLAND, MICH. (October 11, 2009) -- Dow Chemical Co. on Oct. 5 unveiled a line of photovoltaic solar panels that can be integrated into rooftops with standard shingle materials. Dow's Powerhouse
solar shingles integrate thin-film photovoltaic cells into a proprietary injection molded roofing shingle design. The solar shingle systems will be available in limited quantities by mid-2010, and
Dow expects them to be widely available in 2011.
IDSA’s new China chapter finally takes flight
 Xin
Tesla turns to metal for sedan
 Dewhurst Photography photo
Fuel economy rules encourage material changes
TROY, MICH. (September 22, 2009) -- One number is pushing innovation in the North American auto industry: 35.5. That’s the average number of miles per gallon that the passenger vehicle fleet will
have to hit by 2016 according to new rules announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Rice based composites to challenge WPCs
COLOGNE, GERMANY (September 15, 2009) -- German company Münchener Boulevard Möbel (MBM) claims its new rice-based composite may provide an environmentally-friendly and better performing alternative
to wood plastic composites (WPC) in applications such as decking.
Power station ash for new cut price fillers
BRISTOL, UK (September 15, 2009) -- A new reprocessing technology that extracts high performance fillers from the waste ash produced by coal-fired power stations could slash the cost of manufacturing
performance polymer compounds, according to process developer RockTron Engineers.
Aviation industry sees potential in polymers
 "Stingray" seats
Opinion: China aviation manufacturing has long way to go
 Toloken
Japan's Tanaka and Teijin make bioplastic eyeglasses
TOKYO (September 8, 2009) -- Teijin Ltd. said a Japanese eyeglass frame maker has become the first in the world to make a frame entirely from bioplastic, as part of Teijin's push to improve
performance and broaden markets for the material.
UK firm researching power-generating plastic trees
LONDON (September 8, 2009) -- UK-based firm SolarBotanic hopes to revolutionise the green energy movement with its new power-generating plastic tree concept, which uses nanotechnology to convert solar
energy to electricity.
Germany's IKV: Plasma-coated PLA could challenge PET
AACHEN, GERMANY (September 8, 2009) -- The Institut fĂĽr Kunststoffverarbeitung (IKV) plastics processing institute in Aachen believes that plasma coating -- a technique already used commercially to
enhanced shelf-life performance of PET bottles -- could enable polypropylene and polylactic acid containers to meet demanding barrier-performance requirements.
California's EnVino finding success with PET wine bottles
BURLINGAME, CALIF. (August 18, 2009) -- A joint venture between a plastic bottle maker and thermoforming packaging manufacturer is making an aggressive push to penetrate the wine industry with
plastics. With clear bottles for whites and green-hued bottles for reds, the bottles come in three sizes: 187 milliliter, the industry standard 750 milliliter, and 1 liter.
Plastics used in winning designs
DULLES, VA. (August 18, 2009) -- The use of polymer resins helped numerous products — including advanced medical devices, double-color injection molded consumer electronics and an amphibious sport
plane — win 2009 International Design Excellence Awards.
Snappy innovation for plastics packaging
OYONNAX, FRANCE (July 21, 2009) -- The breakage-resistant property of plastics is an advantage in most applications but not in production of ampoules, which are opened by snapping away the neck. Now,
the French plastic processor SĂ©riplast has developed a technology that uses irradiation to embrittle the neck of a polypropylene (PP) ampoule, allowing it to be "snapped" open without the risk of
sharp glass splinters.
China’s manufacturers mull ways to boost industry
 Chan
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Material Insights 
PN reporters Frank Esposito and Bill Bregar cover NPE's possible move.
NPE2009 videos
Plastics News' extensive coverage of NPE2009, North America's largest plastics trade show, included 17 news videos
shot on-site in Chicago. View the English-language clips here.
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