Monthly Archives: August 2012

Federal funds will help seaweed products firm expand and relocate

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Acadian Seaplants, the largest independent producer of seaweed specialty products in the world, is expanding and relocating thanks to a repayable investment from the Government of Canada. The funding will enable the company to introduce new technology, with the goal of increasing production as well as improving the environmental efficiency in the manufacturing of its crop biostimulant products for export markets.
Through Atlantic Canada Opportunites Agency (ACOA), Acadian was awarded a repayable investment of $490,000 to supports the expansion of the processing facility in Cornwallis, NS. This will be used for a plant expansion and new processing equipment to help the company address current and future demands.
“Acadian Seaplants has been working hard to meet the current and future demand for our crop biostimulant products and has been operating our Cornwallis production facility at full capacity,” said Acadian Seaplants president Jean-Paul Deveau. “This repayable investment by the Government of Canada will allow us to maintain our competitive edge, capitalize on new opportunities and capture the potential of the global marketplace.”
Acadian Seaplants is a fully-integrated, diversified, technology-based manufacturer of quality, natural plant and crop input products, animal feed supplements, cultivated sea-vegetables and functional ingredients derived from select species of marine plants.

New Moldable Optical Silicone Resins Enable Innovative Lighting Designs Currently Not Possible With Other Known Commercial Products

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LED lighting designers and architects can start designing revolutionary new lighting applications with silicone optical resins which have outstanding optical properties under high temperature when compared to organics and can be easily molded into complex shapes, thicker and bigger parts, and even undercuts.

The properties of Dow Corning® MS-1002 and Dow Corning® MS-1003 Moldable Silicones allow them to be designed and injection molded into complex shapes, thicker and bigger parts and even undercuts; which are difficult to create with currently available optical materials. Applications include secondary optics –optical elements to diffuse, focus and distribute light–light pipes, and light guides in LED lamps & luminaires. The combination of high temperature resistance, UV resistance and non-yellowing effect can enhance lumen maintenance which makes the materials ideally suited for indoor and outdoor lighting applications without risk of degradation. Because of their heat and photo stability, optics made with Dow Corning® MS-1002 and Dow Corning® MS-1003 Moldable Silicones can touch the LEDs without air gaps between LEDs and optics, overcoming typical issues of plastic-made optics.

Kaz Maruyama, Global Industry Director Dow Corning Lighting Solutions said: “As LED penetrates further into lamp and luminaire applications, lighting manufacturers are struggling to manage high heat emission from LED devices. Given their superior optical properties and excellent heat resistance, moldable optical silicone resins can be an attractive alternative to optical plastics.”

Addressing the diverse needs of the complex lighting market, Dow Corning is developing multiple versions targeting specific designs and applications. The first two products in the new product family feature different hardness with the same outstanding optical properties:

  • ·         Dow Corning® MS-1002 Moldable Silicone with 74 shore A hardness (harder)
  • ·         Dow Corning® MS-1003 Moldable Silicone with 52 shore A hardness (softer)

 

 

Both materials exhibit good mold flow for excellent feature reproduction, and easy mixing with additives like phosphor.

 

Dow Corning lighting experts support manufacturers to develop new secondary optics designs and to process moldable silicones, bringing the benefits of silicone technology to the lighting industry.

Nova sheds stake in Novidesa joint venture to Grupo Idesa

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Nova Chemicals reached an agreement in July with their Mexico joint venture partner, Grupo Idesa, regarding the sale of Nova’s 50% interest in the Novidesa joint venture to Grupo Idesa. Novidesa is a manufacturer and distributor of construction systems.
Nova has also recently decided to begin to wind down Accelerated Building Technologies business and its related technologies, while, on a parallel path, continuing to entertain strategic options, including a sale of these assets. The remaining assets and associated businesses of the Syntheon subsidiary continue to be available for immediate sale.