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Faculty of Polymer Technology is the only one in South East Europe offering holistic study programs in polymer technology, covering all aspects: Chemistry and Materials Science, Design and Simulation, Processing, Characterization of polymer materials and Applications.

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Monday, August 5, 2024

/ Categories: News

FTPO researcher's article published in Polymer Composites journal

The renowned international scientific journal Polymer Composites (Impact Factor: 4.8), published by Wiley, published an article entitled Evaluation of load-carrying and wear resistance of carbon-reinforced composite gears for E-Mobility: Short-term versus long-term performance. Among the co-authors of the article is our researcher, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Matija Hriberšek. The research was conducted in collaboration with the company Podkrižnik, specialna strojna industrija, d.o.o.

The article is accessible on the following link: Evaluation of load‐carrying and wear resistance of carbon‐reinforced composite gears for E‐mobility: Short‐term versus long‐term performance - Hriberšek - 2025 - Polymer Composites - Wiley Online Library

Article summary:

Poly(lactide) (PLA) is the most versatile biopolymer with few possible end-of-life scenarios, like recycling, biodegradation/composting, and incineration. Biodegradation occurs under strictly defined conditions, and ultimately, PLA is landfilled, where it behaves like conventional plastics. To completely utilize the potential of PLA, it is necessary to increase the recycling and upcycling rates. In this work, the influence of 10 cycles of reprocessing PLA pre-consumer industrial waste on the material’s properties was examined. The mechanical milling of the material was followed by injection molding, and after each cycle, mechanical, thermal, chemical, and optical properties were studied. Between the cycles, no virgin PLA or any additives were added to enhance the properties. Results showed a slight decrease in molecular weight, while the thermal properties remained unchanged compared to the starting material.

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Faculty of Polymer Technology is a private non-profit higher education and research institution based in Slovenj Gradec

Faculty of Polymer Technology is a private non-profit higher education and research institution based in Slovenj Gradec. It was founded in 2006 as Polymer Technology College and was promoted to Faculty by the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in February 2017.

Its founders are companies from Slovene plastics industry (Adient Slovenj Gradec d.o.o., Grammer Automotive Slovenija d.o.o., Plastika Skaza d.o.o., Kopur d.o.o., BSH Hišni aparati d.o.o. Nazarje), Regional institutions (Municipality of Slovenj Gradec, RRA Koroška d.o.o) and Industry associations/Research organisations (GIZ Grozd Plasttehnika, TECOS - Razvojni center orodjarstva Slovenije).

Others about us

Boris Maroh, inž. tehnol. pol.
Researcher - Polymer competence center Leoben GmbH

I will always remember countless debates from all the lectures that our group of eight students attended. We were the first generation of MA students of Polymer Technology. My Master’s degree enabled me to continue my career path in polymer materials abroad, as well as to continue my studies at University of Leoben.

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Igor Skaza,, Owner and Managing Director of
Plastika Skaza d.o.o.

The services that the Faculty of Polymer Technology offers help solve the problems that we encounter in our production and development of products. They help us reach our company goals. We have been successfully cooperating for many years; they offer quality solutions and are a responsive and a reliable partner that helps us grow and fulfil our mission – to create high quality products from Eco-friendly Plastics.

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Tadeja Rožanc,
Graduate

The faculty organises meetings with foreign experts and professionals, company visits, use of laboratory, and a whole list of practically oriented skills which definitely play a much more decisive role when talking to employers than the actual evaluation grades in the grade book.

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Žan Skodlar,
BA Student of Polymer Technology

The studies at FTPO are practically oriented and offer lectures from a range of professionals connected to the business sector as well, which quarantines high quality education for the students and enables them to have excellent employment opportunities.

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Education, Research and Industry cooperation

As the only academic institution focusing on polymer technology in Slovenia, Faculty of Polymer Technology bases its activities on three pillars: Education, Research and Industry cooperation. We provide our students with the necessary knowledge and skills to become innovative and competent engineers that are fit for responsible tasks in their future assignments. We support society and industry in Slovenia and beyond to cope with the increasingly competitive economic and rapidly changing technological environment by knowledge creation through innovative application oriented research on polymer materials and technologies, Know-How transfer and opportunities for life long learning. We live by our values – Responsiveness, Continuous improvement, Practical Attitude and Personal Approach – to achieve these goals.