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CSIR R&D outcomes in materials science and manufacturing
Umbiflow
This is a highly portable ‘plug and play’ umbilical blood flow-measuring device designed for use in the third trimester (+/- 24 weeks) of pregnancy. It is a diagnostic sensing tool used to measure umbilical blood flow in the umbilical artery to determine foetal nutrition health status. The device is designed to improve foetal survival rates through early diagnosis and remedial action of ‘small for gestation’ (SGA)-sick foetuses. About 10% of South Africa's full-term pregnancies are diagnosed as being SGA-sick. The target market for the product includes health care professionals: gynaecology, obstetrics, paediatrics, midwifery and general medical practitioners. The CSIR/MRC consortium seeks partnerships to ensure appropriate marketing, promotion, distribution, training and after-sales service and support.
Wax actuator
Wax actuators exploit the significant volumetric expansion (typically between 10 and 15%) experienced during the solid to liquid phase change of paraffin wax. An actuation system was developed using paraffin wax as a smart material for high-force, large-displacement applications.
Specific advantages of the technology over traditional wax actuators include:
- It represents a modular system to trade force and stroke (actuators can easily be interchanged)
- A large reservoir of wax can be housed in the pump, remotely from the actuator, reducing the required size of the actual actuator
- The heat used to melt the wax can be situated remotely
- It can be used to replace hand pumps and thereby eliminate the need for human operators in hazardous situations
- A wide range of commercially-available hydraulic actuators can be used
- A single pump can be used to drive multiple actuators simultaneously
- The system is simple and cost-effective, it has no moving parts and requires no maintenance.
Possible applications include:
- General purpose actuation for heavy industry (especially the mining industry)
- Applications where environmental temperature can be used. Examples include (i) latching applications for space vehicles, (ii) tracking systems where two actuators are used differentially, (iii) vehicle warping applications where ducted exhaust gases can be used to activate the wax, and multiple actuators could be actuated.
Semi-solid metal forming
Trends in the automotive and aeronautic industries to reduce weight in the interest of better fuel consumption have resulted in the increased use of high-performance lightweight alloys. The ever-increasing demands on quality and weight reduction have driven the development of new processing technologies and resulted in an increased interest in semi-solid metal forming processes.
The CSIR has developed and patented a rheocasting process and equipment for semi-solid casting of aluminium alloys. This technology has the capability of producing high-integrity castings with improved mechanical properties that find application in both the automotive and aerospace fields. The initial laboratory prototypes have also been fully developed into industrial-scale equipment, which is both highly functional and can be fully automated using robotics.
Controlled release
The CSIR has developed a novel oral controlled-release drug delivery system that has yielded impressive in vitro/in vivo results. Drug controlled-release rates close to zero-order were achieved for systems that incorporated uncoated polymer matrix systems. In vivo drug release profiles obtained demonstrate the flexibility of the technology to accommodate both basic and acidic drugs. The technology may further be tailored to be acid or base sensitive or pH-insensitive, depending on the polymer matrix employed.
The drug may be incorporated into the polymer complex in various ways, including the incorporation into the polymer complex as it is formed, such that it is embedded or encapsulated in the polymer complex; by coating the drug particles with the polymer complex in a fluidised bed; or by post-mixing the polymer complex with the drug and formulating it into a controlled release tablet.
The technology utilises polymers that are approved as inactive pharmaceutical excipients by the US FDA or with ‘generally regarded as safe’ (GRAS) status with the US FDA and other pharmaceutical regulatory bodies, which means that there is no need for expensive toxicology studies to prove that the technology is safe.
The CSIR has performed pre-clinical and clinical work in respect of the technology, ascertaining that the oral-controlled release platform has commercial potential. This work entailed the initial research into the use of polymeric matrices as oral-controlled release drug delivery systems, as well as the development of a process to manufacture the polymeric matrices embedded with active drug compounds.
Flax beneficiation
Flax (Linum usitatissimum L., Linaceae), is the source of products for existing, high-value markets in the textile, composites, paper/pulp, and industrial/nutritional oil sectors.
The CSIR has developed a new integrated approach for fibre preparation and processing of cotton/flax blends. This optimisation of flax-based products uses the cotton system, the most widely used processing technology in South African textile mills. This includes:
- Development of the optimum fibre preparation process parameters for the mechanical modification of flax fibre into “cotton-like” fibre
- Development of the optimum fibre preparation process parameters for processing of cotton:flax blends (opening, cleaning, carding and drawing)
- Development of the spinning process parameters for the spinning of cotton:flax blended yarns.
The CSIR now seeks industry partners in pursuit of the full-scale implementation of the technology.
Contact: Delon Mudaly |
