New facility is plastic fantastic, says WMG

WMG at the University of Warwick has established a new National Plastics Processing Centre (NPPC) which will provide a national hub for innovation and research in plastics processing.
 
The NPPC is intended to bring an integrated approach to plastics design, manufacturing and disposal, encompassing multi-functional design and low environmental impact.
 
WMG has an extensive range of plastic design, manufacture and research technologies across its facilities which will now work together in the new centre.

It will have its own bespoke building by 2017 with facilities for training, research and development, and will also house a fully equipped elastomer technology laboratory.
 
WMG has an established track record of innovation and technology transfer in plastics processing. It has developed extensive capabilities and facilities across a wide range of processes and working with both large global companies and SMEs across a variety of sectors to develop and embed plastics processing.

WMG’s chair, Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, said: “The manufacture and processing of plastic and rubber materials is a multi-billion pound industry central to the future prosperity of the UK.

“There isn’t an industry which is not underpinned in some manner by plastics materials, from telecommunications, energy, transport and defence to healthcare. The centre will have capability in every polymer process with pilot scale equipment and larger, extensive testing and characterisation facilities.”
 
Tony Harper, head of research and advanced system engineering at Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Materials for premium cars in the future need to combine both light weight and multi-functionality with world class aesthetics.

“New developments in advanced plastics have great potential to satisfy all of these requirements but the challenge is not to make a few prototypes but to make parts in hundreds of thousands at high quality and sustainable cost.

“This unique new centre will provide the UK with the capability it needs to exploit this potential.”

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