| SPACE MART | SPACE DAILY | SPACE WAR | TERRA DAILY | MARS DAILY | SPACE TRAVEL | GPS DAILY | ENERGY DAILY |
 |
Tokyo (AFP) Jun 14, 2005 Japanese firms NEC and Unitika have developed a plastic made of corn for mobile telephone bodies, meaning users who choose to get a more high-tech gadget need not fear polluting the environment, company spokesmen said Tuesday. The computer giant and the major textile maker said they had already produced mobile phone samples with the new material, which is 90 percent plant-based, and aim to sell them by June next year. The two firms successfully reinforced a polyactide resin, a bio-plastic made mainly from corn, by adding in fibers of kenaf, which is a type of hemp, the spokesmen said. "Polyactide resin is an eco-friendly material as it can bio-degrade after being in the soil for a long time but the use of the material had been limited because it's subject to heat and shock," said Unitika spokesman Yutaka Imura. "But this new material is tough enough to be used for mobile phone bodies, which require considerable strength and heat resistance," Imura said. The two companies plan to mass-produce the material within a year for shipments of mobile phones to be produced by NEC, the spokesman said. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Space Technology News - Applications and Research
NGC Chosen To Proceed With Developing Solid-State Laser Technology For Military Applications
Redondo Beach CA (SPX) Jan 09, 2006Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected to develop "military-grade," solid-state laser technology that is expected to pave the way for the U.S. military to incorporate high-energy laser systems across all services, including ships, manned and unmanned aircraft, and ground vehicles. |
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
