White Papers
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Calculating a Water Footprint - The Benefits for Your Business
Water supplies in many parts of the world are classified as ‘stressed’ where demand exceeds the resources available. Although this issue is usually associated with heavily populated regions with limited rainfall, it is also becoming increasingly common in areas where rainfall is relatively plentiful, particularly in developing nations where rising and increasingly urban populations combine with economic growth to create huge water demands from industry and agriculture.
Many European counties, and some regions of the UK already have water supplies that are classified as stressed; areas of south and south east England have lower rainfall per capita than many Mediterranean countries.
This paper explains why water is unlikely to be regarded as it is today, a cheap and freely available resource; prices will increase and restrictions may be imposed in some parts of the UK.Login or register to download this whitepaper
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Towards the Future of Controlled Release Applications
Finding use in many different industrial sectors, controlled release technologies are most prevalent in the healthcare industry thanks to drug delivery and biomedical applications. This white paper details the controlled release systems and mechanisms of release currently available and examines the materials used in this technology. The advantages of polymer and glass and ceramic materials are described, with a particular emphasis on how these and hybrid ceramic components can help to solve the challenges currently associated with controlled release technologies.
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Investment Casting - An Investment in Quality
Investment or 'lost wax' casting is a key process in the manufacture of high quality engineering components such as orthopaedic implants. The process may be applied to a wide range of metals and alloys and can be used to produce both large and small castings. The application of investment casting has seen significant growth in the last 5 years with estimates placing the current market size at $US 8.6 billion and whilst US remains the largest single producer, Asian markets account for approx 35% of this value.
This white paper examines the major issues involved with the investment casting process. The problems that can occur during pattern manufacture, shell moulding, de-waxing and casting are discussed and solutions to these problems are identified. The white paper also looks at some of the non-technical issues facing investment casting in 2011 and the future.Login or register to download this whitepaper
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Stents - New Materials and Technologies for the Future
Stents are expandable meshed tubes used either to reinforce body vessels possessing weak walls or to increase the internal diameter of a body vessel to allow an improved flow of fluids such as blood or urine. The use of arterial stents in particular has grown significantly over the last 20 years due to an ageing population and to a change in diet which has led to an increase in cardiovascular illness. Estimates vary, but it is predicted that coronary stents will have a market value of $7.2bn by 2012 and will continue to grow at a rate of 6% per annum thereafter. In 2009 over a million US citizens received angioplasty/stent interventions.
In this paper we will review some of the technology being used in the development of new stents and how, in particular, computational modelling and material characterisation are helping to improve clinical outcomes. Finally we will look at the future perspectives for next generation stent technology.Login or register to download this whitepaper
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The Use of Imaging for Claim Support in the Healthcare Industry
Over the last 10 years advances in high resolution imaging of both topographical features and chemical species’ distribution have been applied increasingly in the characterisation of commercially important surfaces such as hair fibres, teeth, skin and textiles. These capabilities have been used extensively to inform both the development of products and the proof of efficacy in support of performance claims for clients in several areas of the Home Care and Consumer Healthcare sectors. In this paper we describe some of these techniques and give examples of how they have been exploited in practice, from evaluating the level of protection afforded by oral health products to measuring the efficacy of skin and hair products, such as anti-wrinkle applications and conditioners.
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