INTERNATIONAL >
C a n a d a Lags in Kesearch C a n a d i a n industry last y e a r spent only $ 2 . 0 0 per capita on researcu, compared t o over $12 sn U. S. A P A R T FROM some excellent work being done by Canada's National Research Council and by various universities, the research effort in Canada has not been on a par with the industrial potential of the country, declares R. S. Jane, president of Shawinigan Chemicals Ltd. Research in Canada lags far behind that in the United States and the United Kingdom, he says. Per capita research expenditures financed by industry in 1955 were only about one sixth as great in Canada as in either the U. S. or U. K. ($2.00 vs. $ 1 2 . 4 0 and $ 1 1 ) . This illustrates a great national weakness, Jane told the Chemical Market Research Association meeting in Quebec City. While in the U. S. some $23 per capita was spent in industrial laboratories in 1955 and $19 in the U. K., only $5.00 was spent in Canada. On the other hand, the comparable figures for research carried out in government laboratories in 1955 were $3.10 for the U. S., $3.00 for the U . K., and $7.20 for Canada, indicating Canada's considerable emphasis on government research. During World War II, a sizable part of the U. S. war research effort was carried out by private corporations that already possessed large, well equipped research facilities. On the other hand, Canada during the war h a d few, if any, well equipped laboratories and also lacked scientific personnel. This was primarily because most Canadian plants were merely branches of foreign companies, and research was normally done only by the parent organization outside the country. As a result, almost all war research in Canada was carried out by government agencies, mainly the National Research Council. I n the coming decade, this situation is destined to b e changed drastically, Jane predicts. The National Research Council, for example, is already withdrawing from some research activities taken over during World War II. Recently, t h e atomic energy project, originated and developed b y N R C , has b e e n absorbed by a newly formed company, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. Furthermore, during t h e past four or five years, Canadian industry has experienced a phenomenal growth, ac5G32
C&EN
OCT.
15,
195 6
companied b y a marked upsurge in interest in industrial research. British and American companies witii branch plants in Canada that previously relied solely on the central researdh laboratories of the parent companies have built or are building large research facilities staffed b y Canadians^ On an expanding scale, these laboratories are tackling problems unique to t h e Canadian economy. In addition, a. number of wholly owned Canadian companies are setting up research programs of their own to meet the competition that inevitably arises in a researcli-minded industry. Of course, says Jane, research efforts in Canada must not be expanded to a point where they become totally uneconomical. Competing companies in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany can afford t o operate laboratories employing between 100 and 1000 scientists. In Canada, however, very few of the process industries can support research staffs of more
A
than about 1 0 or 15 people requiring a budget of upward of $250,000 a year. A team of this size is the absolute minimum for a profitable research group. This not only limits the number of research problems that a laboratory can undertake but also seriously curtails the type of research that can be attempted. Although numbers do not necessarily guarantee results, it is still true that many of today's major chemical developments have demanded the services of a small army of scientists and engineers. For chemical research organizations, the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow" is much smaller in Canada than in other conn tries. The main reason is Canada's limited markets. Yet, says Jane, Canadian management is rising to the challenge and is certain to intensify its research efforts despite innumerable difficulties and risks.
For India-Polystyrene The development of a broadly based chemical industry in India hinges upon the availability of raw materials, says S. M. Shah, a young chemical engineer from Bombay. Recendy here studying polystyrene production at D o w Chemical, he says: "We are starting from the finished product now and working toward the raw material end in the chemical field. W e are doing this in the plastics and dye industries and in rayon. W e now import rayon grade pulp and make rayon out of it. Later
Rayf lo Plant on Stream
General view of million doilax Rayflo plant of Alaska Pine & Cellulose Co. Ltd., at Vancouver, British Columbia. Nearing completion when above photo was taken, plant is n o w in large tonnage production of the drilling mud dispersant.
This much overfill (V04) can steal a carload of profits from your
plant
every J months
A t filling rat*^ of 4 5 0 12-oz. containers per minute (half of HytafiU's maximum capacity) : An overfill of }«4-in. per- can amounts to 1 02. every 23-3 cans — or 20 02. per minute . . . 100 cans per hour . . . SO0 cans or 3 3 cases per 8-hr. shift. On two-shift production, y«ou\l fill a standard car with an average case capacity «of 4 to 4}{> thousand cases in 3 months.
G-E HYTAFIIX
& X-RAY MONITOR
"sees" wasteful overfill . . . helps you stop it immediately
Whether you package liquids or free-flowing solids—overfill may be stealing thousands of profit dollars a_nnually. If for instance, you're canning beer, this will add considerably to your barrel taxes. N o t so in plants equipped with General Electric Hytafill. Installed on your conveyor line, this high-speed x-ray monitor detects variations of Y&±' ( ± W ) im filling opaque containers . . . actuates automatic reject mechanism . . . warns you
to make immediate adjustment to filling apparatus. Hytafill gives you both overfill and underfill inspection on every container — at a maximum rate of 900 per minute. Full-time detection at minimum cost ! Most leading brewers, and a host of canners and packers of other products, are incorporating General Electric Hytafill equipment not only in new construction, but in their modernization programs as well. How about you?
Fast installation — adapts to existing conveyor lines. Hytafill consists essentially of a tube head and detector with remote control. Requires very little space. Tube head and detector are sealed against moisture . . . may be washed with steam and hot water. For full details on Hytafill, call your nearest General Electric x-ray representative. Or write X-Ray Department, General Electric Company, Milwaukee 1, Wisconsin, for Pub.AP-104.
7h>gre& /s Our Most important Product
G E N E R A L É £ ELECTRIC OCT.
15.
1956
C&EN
5033
UQUID MUSCLES for decorative fabrics are provided by PIIOUTE LATEX in "the form of lightweight, odorless backings that assure dimensional stability, improve body and drape, resist raveling, tearing and snogging—permanently!
MADE TO ORDER FOR ROOF-RAISERS are concrete floor enamels based on PIIOUTE S-5. They fully resist the attack of alkalies and moisture, hard wear and other abuses that raise the roof with ordinary enamels.
ow to market a product Each product pictured on these pages is a success. How each was developed is a story in itself. But there's one chapter common to all eight stories: That dealing with "binders" and the Coatings Department of Goodyear Chemical Division.
MAGIC IS PUT INTO CARPETS by backings based on CHEMIGUM LATEX. They not only impart stiffness, increase weight and dress down fuzziness, but also prevent raveling and skidding, resist scrubbing and dry cleaning and won't support mildew.
A binder is a solution or dispersion of a synthetic polymer in solvents or water. It may be used as the bonding agent in a non-woven fabric, as the vehicle in a masonry paint or as the base for a rug backing or a paper coating. In any case, it imparts the distinctive properties to each product shown through raw materials and services supplied by the Coatings Department. In one binder, the material may be used with solvents and may be a member of the PLIOLITE family of resins. In another, it may be a dispersion of one of these resins in water, such as PLIOLITE LATEX. Where oil resistance is a factor, a dispersion of a nitrile rubber in water, CHEMIGUM LATEX, may be selected. For other
CHEMICAL
G®®»#WEAlt COATINGS DEPARTMENT THE CAT'S MEOW is gasketing made of paper impregnated with CHEMIGUM LATEX. Smooth, resilient, heat-resistant and easily die-cut, it exhibits a minimum of "relaxation" — provides full measure of sealing for recommended service period of big Cat engines.
:-'..-.t>-|VtSl'O.N-> ^
CHEMIGUM · PLIOFLEX · PLIOLITE High Polymer Resins, Rubbers, Latices and
THE BEST OF IMPRESSIONS are made on high-quality papers finished with clay coatings based on PUOUTE LATEX. These flexible finishes provide a permanently smooth, ink-receptive surface for the finest reproductions.
5,000 POUND TRUCK LIFT proves strength of P i i O B O N D - t h e adhesive that "bonds anything t o anything"—used to j o i n halves of test coupling o f 4 " bar steel. PLIOBOND is widely used in home and industry as "all-purpose" adhesive.
that's bound to succeed applications, a vinyl dispersion resin in the form of PLIOVIC LATEX may be called for. Or t h e material may be PLIOBOND, a prepared adhesive of unusual versatility and strength. Regardless of the material involved, the services are the same — complete and competent. T h e Coatings Department was organized specifically to assure t h e type of technical service needed for p r o p e r u s e of i t s p r o d u c t s . Such service includes thoroughly trained sales representatives, extensive sales service laboratories a n d continuing research and development programs. If you a r e looking for a p r o d u c t r e q u i r i n g a b i n d e r t h a t ' s b o u n d to s u c c e e d , look t o t h e Coatings Department. The materials and help you need await your call. J u s t w r i t e t o : Goodyear, Chemical J? Division, Dept. •F V-9416, Akron 16, &y0y^'J&ei? ·. Ohio.
MASONRY PAINTS THAT BREATHE, and live longer f o r i t , are made with PLIOLITE S-5. They last up 1o 20 times longer than other paints because they are unaffected by alkalies and moisture, resist sunlight a n d weathering, provide a breathing-type water repellency.
fiksflffl
PLTOTTE m®
LATEX LATEX
CHEMIGUM
LATEX CherniErum, Pliobond. Plinfle> Pllolile. IMio-Tuf. P l i o v i c T.M.'s The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron. Ohi
