Faraday publishes round-up of plastics research

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 16, 2004

Faraday Plastics is publishing the first full-scale review of plastics-related research in the UK funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Council (EPSRC).

Faraday Plastics, the UK's plastics research and development centre, is publishing the first full-scale review of plastics-related research in the UK funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Council (EPSRC).

A total of some 300 projects are sorted and listed by subject matter in the UK Plastics Research Review, and are also listed alphabetically and by organisation, department.

"We believe that this piece of work is a breakthrough for UK plastics", says Richard Simpson, Faraday Plastics Director.

"Not only does it document the breadth of UK plastics research activity under EPSRC and give an unique overview of the UK scene; it also provides industry and commerce with detailed clues as to the kinds of polymer expertise available throughout the country".

"In other words, it provides an excellent guide for finding R and D academic partners and R and D expertise - either by locality or by specialist topic".

In the first instance, the document will be made available free of charge to Faraday Plastics affiliates, academic and industrial.

"We do have plans to update and expand the findings - to include non-EPSRC funded activity - and we also plan to eventually put the information on our web-site".

"For the short term, however, we are channelling the information to Faraday affiliates - those companies that are most likely to use the review to further their own R and D and innovation programmes".

"We are actively recruiting our affiliates on a daily basis and welcome all new applications from industry and academe".

The Faraday Plastics affiliate scheme is a low-cost programme that allows plastics-based companies and UK universities to share knowledge and opportunities, with facilitation and enablement from Faraday Plastics.

Two leading materials scientists recently joined the affiliate community - Dame Prof Julia Higgins, Chemical Engineering, Imperial College, also Chair of the EPSRC, and Prof Tom McLeish, Director of the Polymer Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC) at Leeds, have become Faraday plastics affiliates.

Linpac Automotive, Lucite International (owner of Perspex), Amcor Flexibles, Victrex and Ford Motor Company UK are some of the sector's leading names already numbered among the Faraday Plastics industrial affiliate members.

Cinpres Gas Injection (CGI), having benefited from a Faraday initiative which clearly demonstrated the technical and commercial advantages of its technology, has shown its commitment to the Faraday Plastics Partnership by becoming the latest affiliate.

Faraday Plastics will have the new Plastics Research Review available at Materials Congress 2004 this year.

The event, hosted by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining will be held at Carlton House Terrace, London, from 30th March to 1st April 2004.

Copies of the research document will be available and Faraday Plastics will be demonstrating the benefits of its academic and industrial affiliate schemes and will also be setting out its research and technology focus - including items on nanotechnology, energy-saving processing.

The approval of the new Faraday Plastics business plan - and funding for the next three years - gives companies renewed opportunity to attract plastics technology development funding and use the knowledge base of the operation.

Since Spring 2003 Faraday Plastics has produced several Technology Road Maps for the plastics sector - on subjects such as low-energy processing, nanotechnology, plastics in healthcare, and others.

Faraday Plastics has also boosted its technology translator posts to a complement of seven, and is increasing its outreach work; matching companies to universities.