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Advancing plastic thermoforming technologies — Let’s shape up
Aldo Crugnola, Nick Schott and Don Rosato EngineeringThe thermoforming process typically consists of heating thermoplastic sheet, film or profile to its softening point and then forcing the hot, flexible material against the contours of a mold in three ways. Injection molders are not the only plastic processors that can benefit from process simulation software.
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Global medical plastics device trends keep expanding
Don Rosato EngineeringThe medical device industry is making important contributions to advances in healthcare. The sector is characterized by a high level of innovation and intense competition. One of the interesting aspects of research and development within the medical devices field is the coupling of diverse biomedical and engineering disciplines.
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Is $2.6 billion the real cost of drug development?
Mike Wokasch PharmaceuticalYou might see an article or news headline claiming that it now costs $2.6 billion to discover, develop and get a new drug to market. The pharmaceutical industry will make sure everyone becomes aware of this staggering cost number. After all, the high risk and high cost of research are the foundation for justifying high drug prices.
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‘Sweet’ self-healing corrosion materials are in field testing
Alan Kelsky EngineeringMiddle-aged men who attempt skateboarding for the first time are likely to come away from that experience with lots of abrasions and cuts. But, other than cleansing the wounds, they will heal if left alone. Imagine the engineering possibilities if materials such as steel and concrete had the same self-healing properties of human skin.
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Energy-saving, high-tech plastics applications in green building
Don Rosato EngineeringIn the U.S., demand for green building materials — products that contribute to LEED credits — are expanding 13 percent yearly and are currently generating sales of more than $70 billion annually.
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UK supermarkets prepare for new cooling landscape
Andrew Gaved ManufacturingMajor supermarkets in the United Kingdom are calling upon the cooling industry to come up with solutions that will help them face a new landscape characterized by tight margins, smaller store footprints and new refrigerant choices imposed by the European F-gas regulations.
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What’s behind high generic drug prices?
Mike Wokasch PharmaceuticalSkyrocketing generic drug prices have gotten the attention of patients, insurance companies, healthcare providers and the media. So much so that it prompted a congressional hearing during which Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) cited federal records that suggest prices for more than 1,200 generic medications increased an average of 448 percent between July 2013 and July 2014.
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Orion launch ushers in next generation of space travel
Ross Lancaster Science & TechnologyThe progression of space travel has taken the human race farther beyond Earth than previous generations could have possibly imagined. With technology also evolving, the outer limit of where humanity can potentially go has also been expanded.
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Tomorrow’s buildings may be built by robots
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsImagine building an entire 30-story hotel from the ground up in just 15 days. Sounds like futuristic pie-in-the-sky? A private Chinese construction company, the Broad Group, did just that in 2012 using robotics to prefabricate entire floors, according to a new report from Robotic Business Review.
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Researchers use nanotechnology to enhance corrosion protection
Alan Kelsky EngineeringNanotechnology is one of the world's most rapidly growing fields across a wide swath of industries from pharmaceuticals to engineering. Within the material sciences, corrosion protection is an exciting area for the use and development of nanotechnology. Protecting materials from corrosion is a big challenge in the engineering and science world.
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