Two of our first-year students following the PST/CHE/PHY Combination, Thisal Vitharana and Rukshika Fernando have won the first place at an innovation competition organized by the European Union and Dilmah, held on 15th December 2023. The competition was named ‘Sustainable Climate Action Challenge 2023’. Our students invented a smart recycling bin that can identify plastics and segregate them into different compartments. They have given the name ‘EcoSort’ to their invention and it has obtained very good comments from the judges and audience.
Our students got only six weeks to prepare a ‘Prototype’ and to come up with a business plan for the product. Our two first year students have succeeded beyond expectations by lifting the name of Faculty of Applied Sciences, USJ to the top, competing with participants from other universities comprising final year students. Dr. Dhammika Weerathunga from the Department of Polymer Science and Mr. Dhanushka Dharmasiri from the Department of Physics mentored the students. Mr. M. Priyantha, Technical Officer at the Department of Physics helped them to realize the prototype.
Dr. Dhammika Weerathunga (far-left), Rukshika Fernando (second from the left), Prof. Upul Subasinghe Deen of the FAS (middle), Thisal Vitharana (second from the right) and Mr. Dhanushka Dharmasiri (far-right) with the invention.
Date: October 23, 2023Marking a significant leap towards enhancing knowledge and expertise in the field of glove manufacturing, a comprehensive training program was successfully conducted by Dr. Dhammika Weerathunga, from the Department of Polymer Science. The two-day event, held on October 21st and 22nd, 2023, provided valuable insights into glove manufacturing, identification of defects, and troubleshooting methods.
Eight eager participants, including six representatives from Ansell Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, actively participated in the two-day training program. Dr. Weerathunga’s extensive experience and expertise in the industry added a unique dimension to the training, offering participants a deep dive into the depths of glove manufacturing.
During the hands-on sessions, participants prepared gloves by themselves, while being aware of the various stages involved in the large-scale industrial production process. The training program covered a spectrum of topics, ranging from raw material selection to the final quality assurance processes. The emphasis on practical learning allowed participants to grasp the nuances of glove manufacturing and troubleshooting potential challenges that may arise during the production.
In an era where quality control and product safety are paramount, Dr. Dhammika Weerathunga’s training program has undoubtedly empowered participants with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the competitive landscape of glove manufacturing.
The successful completion of this training program marks a milestone in the ongoing pursuit of excellence in the individual’s personal development. After the completion, participants who did not possess a knowledge regarding the manufacturing process of gloves previously have been fully armed with theoretical and practical aspects, making them highly attractive candidates as employees among glove industry. The participants who came from glove manufacturing industries also could gain a thorough knowledge about the reasons for their daily plant practices. Successful participants will carry with them not only a wealth of new knowledge but also a renewed enthusiasm to contribute to the advancement of the industry.
The next training program is scheduled to be conducted on 17th and 18th of February 2023. Next time the training program will include ‘balloon manufacturing’ as well. Balloon manufacturing is very easy to start as a cottage industry. People who are willing to start their own start-up manufacturing industry are mostly welcome to our next ‘Training Program on Glove & Balloon Manufacturing’. The program will be conducted in Sinhala medium, and all the handouts will be given in Sinhala. Anyone who passed Grade 8 school examinations can join this training program. For further inquiries please contact Dr. Sulashi Samarasinghe, sulashisama@sjp.ac.lk, 076-5603885.
Dr. Dhammika Weerathunga conducting the training program
Participants preparing the gloves by themselves
Participants with their prepared gloves in front of themParticipants with their certificates
The ceremonial opening of the newly established Dry Rubber Laboratory of the Department of Polymer Science was held on 21st December 2022. The vice chancellor, Senior Prof. Sudantha Liyanage, the Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Prof. Upul Subasinghe, the Director of the Accelerating Higher Education Expansion & Development (AHEAD) programme, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Prof. A. Harendra N. Kariyawasam, the staff members of the Department of Polymer Science accompanied by the Heads of the departments, the academic and non-academic staff members of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, and the students of the Department of Polymer Science graced this occasion. The newly opened Dry Rubber Laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for rubber compounding (internal mixer, two roll mill, and molding press), testing rheological properties (moving die rheometer), and testing mechanical properties (universal tensile tester). This facility can be used to support student learning and caters to academic, research, and industrial needs.
Inspired by the superhydrophobic nature of lotus leafs, there have been many attempts taken to make surfaces with enhanced hydrophobicity. The incorporation of hydrophobic fillers is one way to increase hydrophobicity. The required nano-scale roughness and low surface energy requirements for these hydrophobic surfaces can be fulfilled by the use of fillers with nano-scale surface roughness and treatment with low surface energy compounds. One such example is the use of treated diatomaceous earth (DE). Although, natural rubber latex (NRL) is an inherently hydrophilic material, incorporating hydrophobicity to NRL films could make them useful for applications such as manufacture of hydrophobic rubber gloves, latex clothing, upper layers of a rubber boot or other single or multi-layered-products. It can also be used as a surface coating for existing rubber products. We report the use of hexadecyltrimethoxysilane treated DE to obtain NRL films with enhanced hydrophobicity. Surface wettability was analyzed by water contact angle (WCA) measurements. WCAs of about 115° was achieved with treated DE incorporated into NRL films. However, the resulting NRL films were harder and had smaller tensile strengths compared to normal NRL films.
Ambegoda, VT, Egodage, SM, Blum, FD, Maddumaarachchi, M. Enhancement of hydrophobicity of natural rubber latex films using diatomaceous earth. J Appl Polym Sci. 2021; 138:e50047
