K-Resin - SBS - INEOS Styrolution

Plastics Technology, 2002-04-01, SBCs Are Back With More Capacity & New Grades
Two years ago, a supply crisis struck the SBC market. Some customers were forced to switch to other materials. Today, SBC producers hope to lure back processors with a surge of new resin capacity, new...

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-22, NPE Newsfinder: High Volume Thermoplastics
New octene and hexene LLDPEs, as well as HDPEs based on new metallocene and non-metallocene catalysts, will make their debut in Chicago next month. Among them will be the first metallocene HDPE film r...

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-23, NPE 2000 News Wrap-Up: Extrusion
At this year"s NPE, new processes to put wood flour into plastic were virtually everywhere-several even start with undried flour. There was also lots of news at the show in downstream cooling and...

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-23, NPE 2000 News Wrap-Up: Extrusion
At this year's NPE, new processes to put wood flour into plastic were virtually everywhere-several even start with undried flour. There was also lots of news at the show in downstream cooling and hand...

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-23, NPE 2000 News Wrap-Up: High-Volume Thermoplastics
NPE 2000 offered up new HMW-MDPE and HMW-HDPE film and molding resins with enhanced mechanical properties, plus new VLDPE resins, a hexene LLDPE with improved stiffness/ strength balance, and an LDPE ...

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-24, New Polymer Uses Sunlight To Arm Itself Against UVDamage
Using sunlight to protect against sunlight-that's the unusual concept behind GE Plastics' new Lexan SLX polymer. This clear, high-gloss resin was commercialized for Class A auto body panels and other ...

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-24, New Process Makes More Homogeneous PP Homopolymers & Copolymers
New styles of resin reactors don't come along very often. But some time in the next three months, Basell Polyolefins plans to start up in Bridisi, Italy, the first commercial-scale unit employing a br...

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-24, Renewable PLA Polymer Gets "Green Light" For Packaging Uses
Polylactic acid, first synthesized a half-century ago, has finally arrived as an alternative to PET, HIPS, PVC, and cellulosics in some high-clarity packaging roles. PLA is being used in candy wrap, o...

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-25, Big German Plant May Relieve U.S. Bottleneck in Recycling Carpet Nylon
An unexpected bottleneck in U.S. nylon recycling could be alleviated by a giant new carpet recycling plant in Germany. Right now, post-consumer nylon 6 carpets are piling up in the U.S. due to lack of...

Plastics Technology, 2004-06-11, Plastic-Metal Hybrids Make Headway On and Off the Road
Plastic-metal hybrids are replacing all-steel structures in automotive front-end modules at an accelerated rate. What"s more, technical ap­proaches to hybrids are multiplying as more resin suppli...

Plastics Technology, 2005-05-05, Thermoforming PPS: New Resin Choice Adds High-Performance Opportunity
For parts needing high heat and chemical resistance, thermoformers get a new way to compete with injection molding.

Plastics Technology, 2006-01-04, Four Ways to Fight Sky-High Resin Prices
There are lots of ways to economize on resin costs, but here are four that you may have overlooked: negotiating smarter resin contracts, buying "futures," using recycled resins, and more eff...

Plastics Technology, 2006-03-06, Make Polycarbonate Flow Easily Without Losing Toughness or Clarity
Here"s a whole new way to boost the flow of polycarbonate without the drawbacks of other flow modifiers. The secret is a low-molecular-weight cyclic oligomer form of PBT polyester that literally ...

Plastics Technology, 2006-06-08, What to See at NPE 2006: Materials
Fewer thermoplastic materials suppliers will make the trip to Chicago this year. But even with fewer major resin companies in attendance, there are many new product introductions coming from a strong ...

Plastics Technology, 2007-01-08, New "Ultra" Thermoplastics Contend for Top of Performance Pyramid
The industry"s broadest line of highly heat- and chemical-resistant thermoplastics is being fortified with several new amorphous and crystalline materials in the so-called "ultra-performance...

Plastics Technology, 2007-02-01, Process Improvement Tools Starred at Fall Rotomolding Show
A new approach to faster cycles focuses on resin modification rather than mold or machine technology. This, plus advances in mold temperature and pressure monitoring and a new ovenless molding concept...

Plastics Technology, 2007-02-02, The Impact of Processing Aids on PLA Extrusion Performance
The interest in extruding PLA (Polylactide resin) is growing for several reasons. These include the fact that the polymer comes from a renewable resource and that it is a degradable, environmentally f...

Plastics Technology, 2007-03-29, Polystyrene Ionomer Extrudes More Easily
Total Petrochemicals in Houston has invented what it calls a "breakthrough resin technology," believed to be the fi rst commercial styrenic ionomer. Previous commercial thermoplastic ionomer...

Plastics Technology, 2007-05-30, HOW TO COMPARE DRYERS? A Complex Challenge With No Simple Answers
Is one type of resin dryer faster or more energy-effi cient than another? That question prompts competing claims from suppliers-but very little concrete data. When one vendor performed controlled test...

Plastics Technology, 2007-12-06, Foamed PLA Shows Promise In Biodegradable Meat Trays
Foamed food trays made of polylactic acid (PLA) resin, the corn-based biopolymer, have a commercial toehold in Europe and are undergoing market tests here. They are used to package meat or fish at the...

Plastics Technology, 2008-02-01, K 2007 Materials: "Green" Is an Added Attraction In Bumper Crop of New Plastics
Among the staggering number of new plastics making their debut at last fall"s K Show in Dusseldorf, the buzz wasn"t all about faster processing or higher strength or heat or chemical resista...

Plastics Technology, 2008-05-15, Material Handling, Crystallizing and Drying PLA
PLA is a moisture sensitive, hygroscopic thermoplastic resin that will readily adsorb moisture from the atmosphere. Therefore, an effort should be made to minimize its exposure to the atmosphere throu...

Plastics Technology, 2008-09-08, Plastic Pallets Gain Ground In an Eco-Conscious World
Low-cost wood is still king, but plastics" reusability is a growing attraction among manufacturers looking for sustainable material-handling options. The one major hurdle is today"s high res...

Plastics Technology, 2008-10-30, New Machines and Materials Unveiled At SPE Thermoforming Conference
A new continuous roll-fed machine for high-precision forming and a flexible pressure former for prototyping were among the highlights of the recent 18th Annual SPE Thermoforming Conference in Minneapo...

Plastics Technology, 2010-03-24, Hot/Cold Thermal Cycling of Injection Molds Heats Up
Injection molders are warming up to the idea of cycling their tool surface temperature during the molding cycle rather than keeping it constant. This "heat/cool" process has caught on faster...

Plastics Technology, 2010-08-30, Boosting Extrusion Productivity--Part II: Optimize Product Changeover & Purging
Extrusion processors typically run a number of different products and resins. It’s not unusual for one extruder to run three or more different products in a 24-hr period. The change may ...

Plastics Technology, 2010-12-07, Break the Taboo on Purging Hot Runners!
It’s safe to say that the concept of using a commercial purging compound (CPC) has largely been embraced by the plastics processing community. But using a CPC to clean injection molding ...

Kunststoffe international, Delivering Efficiency Even in Harsh Environments
Across many industry sectors, the quest for enhanced performance of applications and cost-efficiencies is on. In addition to these traditional requirements, societal and environmental trends, such as the need to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and maintaining a healthy and active ageing population, are important needs that must be addressed as well. Due to its high-performing properties polyetheretherketone thermoplastic polymer is being used more and more frequently in many products. In c...

Kunststoffe international, Drivers of Electromobility
The transformation from the combustion to the electric engine entails several imponderabilities for the plastics industry. In part, electric drives have completely different material requirements which are becoming specifically evident with the increasing use of appropriate vehicles. The following article presents an overview of the most important changes. With the move towards electromobility, the automotive industry is facing a radical change. In the transition period, manufacturers will stron...

Kunststoffe international, Excellent Resistance at Reduced Weight
The transfer of foam injection molding from thermoplastic to thermoset processing has not yet been implemented in industrial practice. IKV Aachen has investigated this transfer and has precisely analyzed the economic efficiency of the process and the potential for lightweight construction. For years, politicians have been urging the automotive industry to reduce the CO2 emissions of its fleets – and thus above all the vehicle weight – [1–3]. At the same time, a trend towards increased temperatur...

Kunststoffe international, Laser Substitute Manual Work
Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) are being used in more and more components. Their production is also becoming more and more effective. In the event of damage, however, business continues to be carried out ‧manually. For this reason, greater automation is desirable when repairing CFRP. Automated laser processes could be one way of doing this. Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) have become increasingly established in lightweight construction. It is used extensively, especially in avia...

Kunststoffe international, Maintaining Clarity Long-Term
Transparent plastics are used in medical technology for disposable articles such as catheter accessories, blood/plasma separators, thorax drainage sets, and medical filter and device housings. Since they are being exposed to increasingly aggressive solvents, disinfectants and drugs (for example new cancer drugs), these plastic articles have to be comprehensively tested for their chemical resistance. Plastics in medical technology must be resistant to environmental effects throughout their servic...

Kunststoffe international, No Chance for Dust and Contaminations
LSR optics offers a wide range of applications due to the optical brilliance, the possibility to produce undercut shapes not to mention the competitive pricing. The adhesive surface which is almost impossible to clean however makes the LSR parts vulnerable against contaminations. This characteristic however limits the possible ‧application fields. To overcome this limitation Wilhelm Weber has partnered with Fraunhofer IFAM in a recent research project. The numerous advantages explain the large p...

Kunststoffe international, Polypropylene Beats Aluminum
Batteries in electric vehicles must be specially protected to counter the risk of fires. Battery trays made from aluminum frequently offer insufficient protection. The automotive supplier ElringKlinger has therefore developed underbody protection manufactured from glass fiber-reinforced PP. Until now, battery trays for electric vehicles have been produced mainly from aluminum. Recently, however, a number of vehicles have caught fire after objects lying in the road were flung up at high speed aga...

Kunststoffe international, Protective Coat for Electronics and Body
Cordless, mobile, networked devices promise comprehensive in vitro diagnostics. However, for applications in biological surroundings, the toxic electronic components must be carefully encapsulated. Therefore, cost-effective coating materials were examined regarding their interaction with biological systems. In medical technology, an Internet of Medical Things is used, in which medical products are networked by means of new communication structures and systems. The integration of cost-effective e...

Kunststoffe international, Replacing Metal in the Gearbox
Anyone seeking to replace a metal component by a plastic one, to reduce the number of component parts from eight to three and simultaneously cut both the weight and manufacturing costs needs to take great care to ‧ensure that all specifications are met – especially if the component is used in a hot gearbox and is subject to high mechanical stress. For developing a new shifter fork, GK Concept and its customer Koki Technik were awarded the 2019 GKV/TecPart Innovation Prize. When drivers of a manu...

Kunststoffe international, Sustainable Growth
Because of its good temperature resistance, impact resistance and aesthetics appearance, acrylonitrile-‧butadiene-styrene is often used in household goods and in the automotive industry. The development of a ‧circular economy also shows successes. More and more ABS materials used in a range of applications are ‧containing a contribution of recyclates. Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) is the largest-volume engineering thermoplastic resin, offering an excellent balance of heat, chemical, and ...

Kunststoffe international, Sustainable Growth
The central issue in all polyurethane applications is the conversion from the past linear economy into a ‧circular economy, and the use of sustainable raw materials in manufacturing. To do so, manufacturers are ‧taking measures such as using bio-based raw materials, chemical recycling, and CO2 as a synthesis component. Digitalization, electromobility, autonomous driving and the construction industry are also driving PU development. In 2019, global demand for polyurethane (PU) saw a significant b...

Kunststoffe international, Zero-Waste Concept for Carbon SMC
Composite materials are often the key to lightweight design for many applications. However, these hybrid ‧materials face a major challenge where recycling is concerned. There is still no solution to the recovery of long and continuous fiber-reinforced materials. Where it is possible at all, only downcycling has been feasible until now. Four research partners have therefore set themselves the goal of developing a new press forming technology as part of a zero-waste project. Whether for automotive...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, 30 Years of Playmobil: Investing in the Future
Sports and Leisure Investing in the Future 30 Years of Playmobil. This year, geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co. KG celebrates the 30th birthday of its highly successful toy range. Headquartered in Zirndorf, Franconia/Germany, this toy manufacturer had the right idea at the right time, combined with sophisticated plastics processing technology and a clever marketing strategy, that enabled it first to take pole position among German toy manufacturers and then to conquer children's play rooms all...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, A Substitute for Metal: Polyetherimides (PEIs)
Trend Report: High Performance Plastics> Polyetherimides (PEIs) A Substitute for Metal. Amorphous polyetherimides (PEIs) are characterised by their high temperature resistance in combination with dimensional stability. This mix makes them appropriate for galvanic coats or applications formerly carried out with metals. The main focus of new developments is on reducing weight for both aircraft and railway applications. Peter Catsman In 1982, GE Plastics commercially introduced polyetherimides (P...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Additives: Tough and Heat-resistant: New Silicone Particles for Thermosets
Thermoplastic Elastomers Tough and Heat-resistant: New Silicone Particles for Thermosets Additives A new generation of nanoscale silicone and core-shell particles is revolutionising the modification of heat-resistant thermosets. Even small additions of the new particles significantly increase the impact strength and fracture toughness of reactive resins and other plastics. Jochen Ebenhoch Highly crosslinking reactive resins, such as hot-curing epoxy resins, bismaleimide resins or cyanate resins ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Automotive Applications: Thermosets Get Going
Automotive Applications: Thermosets Get Going Metals, thermoplastics and thermosets are all competing against each other in the keenly-contested automotive sector. Thermosets have good prospects for under-the-bonnet applications, in particular, since they combine resistance and stability with the possibility of cost-efficient production. Eva Bittmann The use of plastics in cars not only permits weight reductions and hence energy savings when the car is in service but also makes for more co...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Automotive Industry Revives Business: Thermosets
Trend Report Crosslinking Plastics Thermosets Automotive Industry Revives Business. Improved thermal/mechanical properties and long-term resistance in conjunction with more economical production processes are often the driving force behind new thermoset developments. The industry is enjoying gentle growth at present and inclined to be optimistic. The innovative automotive sector is making an important contribution to this. Eva Bittmann Globalisation and consolidation among manufacturers of ther...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Automotive Industry: Innovative CFRP Technology for Volume Production
Automotive Industry: Innovative CFRP Technology for Volume Production A new CFRP technology has the potential to be used for the first time in volume production in the automotive industry for the manufacture of lightweight parts of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics. In motor sports and in aircraft construction, load-bearing parts of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRP) have been used for many years to keep weight down. The prime reason for the outstanding lightweight properties of these ma...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Blown Film Extrusion Today
Blown Film Extrusion Today Versatility and Flexibility are Required Jens Spirgatis and Johannes Wortberg, Essen/Germany Because of the increasing demands being imposed on film products, e. g. in the area of food packaging, a continuing trend towards coextruded film is evident. In addition, the market requires high production flexibility on the part of film manufacturers. As a result of this, new requirements have arisen in relation to plant technology, to which the machinery manufacturers ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Bond Reliably: The Right Adhesive
Joining Technology The Right Adhesive Bond Reliably. The property profile of polymeric materials also affects the bonding or joining method employed. Classical methods such as welding are often not suitable, so that bonding technology is gaining in importance. In order to achieve a successful bonding, however, certain basic prerequisites must be met. Gudrun Weigel With about 15 wt.-% in new car models, plastics represent the second largest materials group in the automotive sector and show a...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Bonding of Plastics
Bonding of Plastics An Overview Werner Gruber, Korschenbroich/Germany Bonding technology is growing particularly in importance for lightweight designs. The use of two-pack adhesives will continue to increase in the future. Elastic PU adhesives and PU hotmelts are forecast to grow at the fastest rates. To date, the use and growth of plastics has been and still is linked to the demands on the part of the processors to be able to join these materials during processing by suitable techniques...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Bonding PEEK
Bonding PEEK Pre-Treating the Surface Increases Bond Strength Carsten Weiß and Helmut Münstedt, Erlangen/Germany, Horst Sandner, Hofheim a.T./Germany Bonding of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) remains unsatisfactory because of the poor adhesive properties between it and the polymer material. However, the bond strength can be greatly increased by various types of pre-treatment. Heat-resistant thermoplastics are difficult to bond if their surfaces have not been treated beforehand. The reason...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, CAD/FEA Integration: Water Pump with Improved Long-term Performance
CAD/FEA Integration: Water Pump with Improved Long-term Performance To model engineering components from phenolic resin, Vyncolit uses an FE analysis system. The development of a new water pump for a car engine is used as an example to demonstrate the potential of this thermoset to cut costs, reduce weight and increase the efficiency of a component previously produced from metal. Gerhard Auer Engineering phenolic resins have a range of physical properties that make them ideal for many appl...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Carbon Nanotubes
Carbon Nanotubes High-Strength Reinforcing Compounds for Composites Bernd Lahr, Dublin/Ireland, and Jan Sandler, Hamburg/Germany A novel "carbon fibre" is the stuff of fantasy for American scientists: the tensile strength of carbon nanotubes is reputedly high enough to allow a "space lift" to be made from a polymer nanotube composite that could transport materials and personnel to space stations orbiting the Earth. Far removed from this vision, nanotubes exhibit outstandi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Colourmatch-capable Film Technology: A Technology Waits in the Wings
Exterior Parts A Technology Waits in the Wings Colourmatch-capable Film Technology. With this process, in contrast to previous ones, the surface is decorated in the vehicle body colour before the component is manufactured. After thermoforming and backmoulding with an LGF-reinforced thermoplastic, we end up with a finished part for the outer skin having a Class A surface. Daniel Zulkarnain Ulf Schlotterbeck Henning Gleich Thermoplastics cannot be coated online by conventional painting proce...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Complex Multi-Textile Preforms
Complex Multi-Textile Preforms The Potential of Sewing Peter Mitschang and Christian Weimer, Kaiserslautern/Germany Resin injection processes (e. g., RTM) are taking on ever greater importance in the production of structural parts made of fibre-plastic composites (FPCs). Further development of these production methods is critically dependent on the provision of tailored reinforcements, so-called preforms. This article compares the potential afforded by sewing technology in the manufacture ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Composite Constructions: Industrial Production of Structural Components Made from Fibre/Plastic Composites
Lightweight Construction Industrial Production of Structural Components Made from Fibre/Plastic Composites Composite Constructions. The economic production of large, complex, spherically curved fibre/plastic composites for machine and automotive construction requires the development of basic processing principles. In this article, the entire process chain is described from design through production of a preform contoured closely to the shape of the final part to impregnation of the component. ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compounds and Masterbatches: Revival of Research and Development?
Compounds Revival of Research and Development? Compounds and Masterbatches. Once again, over 80 exhibitors presented compounds and masterbatches at the K 2004. The selected strategies of the individual companies are as varied as the challenges facing the industry: tailoring the properties of plastics to their respective applications. For the first time, several global players were not present in Düsseldorf, while family-run companies emphasised that participation in the K-fair was meaningful...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compression Moulding of Long-fibre-reinforced Plastics
Compression Moulding of Long-fibre-reinforced Plastics Rolf Liebold, Bretten/Germany Large-area components are produced from both the thermoset materials, SMC and BMC, and the thermoplastic semi-finished products, LFT and GMT. In both sectors, new applications have been developed. The article describes the advances being made in industrial-scale processing. The manufacture of SMC (Sheet Moulding Compound) has already been described in detail elsewhere [1] and this article will only cover t...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Concrete Building: Plastics Replace Plywood
Concrete Building: Plastics Replace Plywood Formwork made of plywood has many drawbacks. A new sandwich system in plastic offers improved surface properties, greater durability and lower repair costs. Ernst Schmachtenberg, Thomas Seul, Carsten Tüchert More than 10000m² of formwork for walls and ceilings were used on the big building sites for the Reichstag in Berlin alone (title photo). The mechanical stressing that acts on this formwork is enormous. Soffit formwork not only has to wit...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Consumption Stabilises: Low-density Polyethylene (PE-LD/LLD)
Trend Report: Commodity Plastics Low-density Polyethylene (PE-LD/LLD) Consumption Stabilises. The methods used for the processing of low-density polyethylene have been well-established for many years and can be described as fully developed. Coextrusion processes have continued to gain importance for the manufacture of blown and flat film. This is an ideal way to combine the properties of different PE products. Total Western European PE-LD/LLD consumption grew in the period from 2001 to 2004 by ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Continuous-strand-reinforced composites: Multilayer Knitted Fabrics for Rail Vehicles
Continuous-strand-reinforced composites: Multilayer Knitted Fabrics for Rail Vehicles Multilayer knitted fabrics made from glass fibres offer great potential for the economical manufacture of complex, continuous-strand-reinforced structural and interior elements for rail vehicles. The preferred method of processing for this is low-pressure injection. Intensive searches are being conducted for economical and environmentally friendly solutions for lightweight machinery, equipment and vehicles....

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cost Explosion: Glass Fibre-reinforced Plastics (GRP)
Special: World Market Glass Fibre-reinforced Plastics (GRP) Cost Explosion. The market for glass fibre-reinforced plastics (GRP) has undergone substantial changes this year. Despite the pressure on prices and economic stagnation, the GRP industry has sustained its position and the consumption of these materials is higher than that of steel or aluminium. The markets are under extreme margin pressure due to the immense raw material price increases throughout the first eight months of the year, la...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Crosslinking Instead of Glassy Transition
Crosslinking Instead of Glassy Transition Determination of Degree of Curing in Fibre-reinforced Composite Parts Wolfgang Stark, Joachim Döring and Heinz-Ulrich Walentowski, Berlin/Germany In processing fibre-reinforced composites, the curing reaction can be significantly retarded if the temperature and reaction time are not optimally set. In such situations, complete curing is sometimes impossible under practically relevant conditions. It is difficult for processors to recognize or detect ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Customer-oriented Globalisation: Process Technology as Strategic Instrument for Developing New Markets
Market and Management Process Technology as Strategic Instrument for Developing New Markets Customer-oriented Globalisation. Markets must be identified, defined and then developed with the aid of innovative products. Of greatest importance in this regard for a plastics-processing machine manufacturer is a focused, product-based R & D and well-developed, customer-oriented process technology. The objective is to develop the best-suited raw materials, machines and processes. Erwin Bürkle Matth...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Data Quality in Commercial Databases
Data Quality in Commercial Databases Consequences to the End User Ralf Tüllmann, Marl/Germany, Rainer Kurzknabe, Le Grand-Saconnex/Switzerland, Knut Laumen, Frankfurt/Germany, Gerhard Maurer, Ludwigshafen/Germany, Ranganth Shastri, Midland/USA, Martin Wanders, Leverkusen/Germany Members of the Campus group recently evaluated commercial database systems to check the material data of their commercial products and found many different types of errors. Some of them may have serious long-term i...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Defect-Free Microstructures
Defect-Free Microstructures Forming of Textured Surfaces - an Application for Servoelectric Injection Moulding Machines Christian Gornik, Harald Bleier and Willibald Warta, Kottingbrunn/Austria The use of surfaces as functional elements, and not only the increasing degree of miniaturisation, is contributing to the growing importance of micromoulding. To produce trouble-free micro moulded parts, a precisely working injection moulding machine and a special process management are important fa...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Definition of Terms: From the Plant to the Natural Fibre-reinforced Part
Materials From the Plant to the Natural Fibre-reinforced Part Jörg Müssig Erwin Baur Definition of Terms. Natural fibres are being used ever increasingly as reinforcements for plastics. Where traditional materials, especially agricultural products, meet modern plastics processing, there are inevitably communication problems between the different stages in the supply chain. Natural fibres have become increasingly important in recent years as reinforcements for plastics. The field is characte...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Details of Economic Development: High-density Polyethylene (PE-HD)
Trend Report: Commodity Plastics High-density Polyethylene (PE-HD) Details of Economic Development. The development of the key applications for PE-HD, such as pipes, tapes, hollow articles and packaging, has shown little change in the last few years. Western Europe's share of global PE-HD capacities has decreased as a result of investments in the growth markets of Asia and Eastern Europe. In the period between 2001 and 2004, PE-HD consumption in Western Europe went up by 3.3% to 5.2 millio...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Detecting Contaminants: Product Safety in the PET Loop
Recycling Product Safety in the PET Loop Detecting Contaminants. It takes a powerful analytical system to guarantee the product safety of recycled PET. Specific detection methods enable all kinds of interferences to be detected at high sensitivity. A specially developed online method provides detailed information of the kind specifically needed in the manufacture of recycled PET for critical applications in the food sector. Andreas Mäurer Frank Welle Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Determining Wear Mechanisms
Determining Wear Mechanisms Solid-particle Erosion of Plastics Egon Moos, Nektaria-Marianthi Barkoula and József Karger-Kocsis, Kaiserslautern/Germany The solid-particle erosion behaviour of fibre-plastic composites (FPC) is typified by high wear rates. On the other hand, many polymers, especially elastomers, have low wear rates. Studies on the erosion behaviour of selected polymers and FPC were conducted to establish the correlations between material and wear properties. Erosive ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Development History of Plastics: Growth through Changing Times
PE103251 Special Growth through Changing Times Development History of Plastics. Plastics are markers of social change and pacesetters for technological progress. This emerges clearly from a review of their development, which started before the 20th century and has been characterised by steady growth. It all began with galalith, celluloid and thermosets, while today polyolefins and other thermoplastics are the high-volume sellers. The growth opportunities for plastics today still appear to be al...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Development Trends: Composites for Aircraft
Transportation Composites for Aircraft Development Trends. The benefits of fibre-reinforced composite technology in aircraft construction are leading to increased substitution of the currently used aluminium alloys. In the future, however, weight savings and improved performance alone will not decide on the success of this plastics technology, but also cost reductions for materials and manufacturing as well as better environmental compatability. Jürgen Brandt Klaus Drechsler Klaus Schmidtke ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Direct Compounding: New Directions in Plastics Processing
Special New Directions in Plastics Processing Direct Compounding. Process steps that normally occur separately during compounding at the resin supplier and during processing at the producer of semi-finished or finished goods are combined in direct extrusion and in the injection moulding compounder. The additional effort and expense incurred by the processor are considerable and must be offset by cost savings for the raw materials as well as by the benefits resulting from increased flexibility a...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Dynamic Growth: Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP)
Special: World Market Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP) Dynamic Growth. Since their introduction to the market in the mid-1980s, LCPs have experienced rapid growth, with annual growth rates between 15 and 25% to date. According to predictions, the market should continue to grow an additional 12 to 15% until 2007. Ever shorter product lifetimes combined with ever increasing production quantities that must be produced in ever shorter time frames with increasing miniaturisation and the resultant incre...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Ecological Beneficial Composites
Ecological Beneficial Composites Reinforcing PMMA Thermosetting Resins with Flax Fibres Gunter Hieber, Schorndorf, Robert Kohler and Rainer Alex, Reutlingen/Germany Especially high quality materials can be produced using domestic natural fibres. Therefore existing procedures and formulations are being adapted to the requirements of natural fibres. It has thereby been possible to achieve the characteristics profile of glass fibre reinforced plastics and sometimes to even exceed it. Especi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Economic PVC Pelletisation
Economic PVC Pelletisation Quality of the Pellet Stock is the Decisive Factor in Downstream Processing Operations Detlef Kühlborn, Munich/Germany Economic production of PVC pellets requires an optimised plant concept. Processors demand reliable production reproducibility and place importance on processing the widest spectrum of materials with maximum quality. This can be achieved with carefully matched processing units, allowing full control over the process. PVC pellets are easier to store and ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Economical in Long Series
Economical in Long Series Centrifuged FRP Pipes with Thermoplastic Matrix Max Ehleben, Wolfsburg/Germany, und Helmut Schürmann, Darmstadt/Germany A newly developed procedure based on centrifugation technology makes it possible to manufacture continuous fibre-reinforced precision pipes with thermoplastic matrices. The centrifuged pipes are almost free of eccentricity and have outstanding internal and external surfaces. They are therefore particularly suitable as drive shafts, bearings or hyd...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Economical Production of PU Parts
Economical Production of PU Parts State of the Art of Polyurethane RRIM Technology Karl-Heinz Dörner and Hans Joachim Meiners, Leverkusen/Germany, Hans-Joachim Ludwig, Sulzbach/Germany The RRIM process provides the polyurethane industry with a technology for meeting the automotive industry's basic demands of cost and weight reduction together with high quality standards. PU RRIM parts can now be produced at competitive prices with high process stability. The RRIM (reinforced reaction...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Electrically Conducting Compounds: New Functional Material for the Automotive Sector
Automotive - Functional Materials New Functional Material for the Automotive Sector Electrically Conducting Compounds. Electrically conducting components used in the automotive sector, are generally made in complicated multi-stage processes. An alternative is offered by a new material in which a low-melting alloy is incorporated along with copper fibres into a thermoplastic matrix. Electrically and thermally conducting components are becoming more important in the automotive sector. Electrica...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Epoxy Resins (EP)
Epoxy Resins (EP) Juan Antonio Merino, Horgen/Switzerland Just like most companies in the volatile economy of the last year, manufacturers of epoxies had a challenging business environment in 2001 with high raw material costs and a slowing global economy. Raw material costs have somewhat stabilized, and there is increasing confidence that we have or will soon pass the bottom of the business cycle. By the second half of 2002, we expect to see a resurgence in growth around the world. World c...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Estimating the Material Properties: The Route to a Working Prototype
Rapid Prototyping The Route to a Working Prototype Estimating the Material Properties. Developing an intake manifold for a V6 engine required a range of functional tests. A number of prototypes had already failed due to a lack of stability, and the alternative of producing the required parts from series material, was impossible on cost grounds. A methodological approach to the material selection for prototype construction was seen to open up the way to a solution. Tom Mueller In the past, ra...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Evolution, Not Revolution
Evolution, Not Revolution Prototyping at Euromold: Optimisation of Existing Processes C. Bonten, C. Janßen and T. Seul, Essen/Germany Euromold 2001 clearly showed that in the field of rapid prototyping the innovative focus of equipment manufacturers last year is more on optimising than on developing new processes. Fig. 1 shows that demand for models and prototypes remains unbridled. The clouds of alchemy surrounding rapid prototyping are clearing, with many visitors showing that they are...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Exhibition Preview: North American and Canadian Products at K 2004
USA-Special North American and Canadian Products at K 2004 Exhibition Preview. In Düsseldorf, more than 140 U.S. American and Canadian Companies will present their innovations for the first time to an European specialist audience. The editors of the magazine Plastics Technology have assembled a selection of the most important developments. With this thematically structured preliminary report you can effectively prepare your visit at the K show. Injection Moulding News from includes all-electr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Expanded Boundaries
Expanded Boundaries Newly Developed PPS Grades for Injection Moulding and Extrusion Benny Mermans, Kallo-Beveren/Belgium The advanced polymer polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) has now succeeded in overcoming critical technological hurdles. New injection moulding alloys and extrusion grades are extending the traditional applications of this previously highly specialized material, and opening up new applications. Polyphenylene sulphide, properly called poly(thio-1,4-phenylene), has a relatively...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Experimental Testing: Ring-shaped Reinforcements Made of Fibre-reinforced Composites
Composite Material Ring-shaped Reinforcements Made of Fibre-reinforced Composites Experimental Testing. Ring-shaped reinforcements and strap designs – it is only in these shapes and with unidirectional fibre orientation that all of the benefits of fibre composites over metals become fully available. Testing, however, poses a problem. Marcus Schwarz Helmut Schürmann In the form of ring-shaped reinforcements and strap designs using unidirectional (UD) fibre orientation exclusively, all of the b...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fast Product Development
Fast Product Development Rapid Prototyping and Rapid Tooling - Using Existing Technologies Kurt Heitel and Gunter Fischer, Karlsruhe/Germany A large number of mainly computer-aided techniques have been developed in the past few years in a bid to shorten the development time for plastic parts. The "Club RP" project was set up by the EU in order to make it easier for small and medium-sized companies to embark on rapid prototyping and rapid tooling. Rapid Prototyping (RP) and Rapid ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fibre Composite Parts: Automated Preform-RTM Production
Fibre Composite Parts: Automated Preform-RTM Production Experience acquired in automated textile engineering and plastics technology, coupled with software developments that can be implemented in different branches of industry, make it possible to optimize automated processes and achieve considerable savings potential. Thanks to the many years’ experience acquired in the mass production of textile clothing and the high market volume involved, these production processes are now run in an exte...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fibre Reinforced Plastics: Tailor-made Reinforcing Textiles
Fibre Reinforced Plastics: Tailor-made Reinforcing Textiles Textile semi-finished products for fibre composites can be made up by employing conventional sewing techniques. Special mechanical properties can be achieved in sewn and resin-impregnated parts in this way. Kai Klopp, Thomas Gries Due to their complex nature, fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) have a very high potential for solving specific strength problems. Continuous fibre reinforced plastics are employed in aeronautics and aerosp...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fibre-reinforced Plastics: Lightweight and Corrosion-resistant
Lightweight and Corrosion-resistant Fibre-reinforced Plastics. The use of fibre-reinforced plastics in land vehicles could have advantages over metals on account of the high potential they offer for lightweight construction and their excellent corrosion resistance. A precondition for this, however, is that both the manufacturing costs and the damage tolerance vis-à-vis stressing under the action of force must correspond approximately to those for a metal construction. Johannes Wolfrum As thin...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fillers: Improved Properties and Processing
Trade Fair Report Improved Properties and Processing Fillers. The trend that was obvious during the past decade continued at this year’s K-Show. The consequences of the increased price of energy, especially oil, together with developments regarding the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar, have had a significant effect on all materials, but especially the filler industry because of the very high freight costs in relation to the value of the product. Increasing transportation costs, in particular, pr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Flame Retardants: Flame-retardant Epoxy Resins
Transportation Flame-retardant Epoxy Resins Flame Retardants. While phosphorus-based flame retardants in epoxy resins often showed inadequate processing and material properties, recent work has succeeded in developing phosphorus-containing resins, curing agents and additives with significantly improved properties. Based on an organophosphorus compound, halogen-free, flame resistant epoxy resin systems can now be produced with good mechanical properties. There is no let up in the trend towards u...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Flame-Resistant GRP Systems
Flame-Resistant GRP Systems Fire-Proofing for the Construction and Rolling Stock Industries Michael Sommer, Wesel/Germany Halogen-free flameproofed SMC systems containing added wetting agents meet the specifications of fire regulations. As the EU proceeds with harmonisation of plans and standards for fire protection in different application areas, the scope for SMC applications is also increasing. As a result of the efforts of the EU to establish uniform fire-protection plans in various ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Flame-retardant Curing
Flame-retardant Curing Halogen-free Flame Retardant Modification of Epoxy Resins Hauke Lengsfeld and Volker Altstädt, Bayreuth/Germany, Stephan Sprenger and Rainer Utz, Hamburg/Germany Flame retardants have until now been introduced into the epoxy resin systems via the resin itself or as additives. However, recent developments use combinations of reactive organophosphorus curing agents, which already have built-in flame retardancy. Advanced composites based on glass, carbon and aramid fi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fluid Injection Technique: Understanding Residual Wall Thickness
Injection Moulding Understanding Residual Wall Thickness Fluid Injection Technique. The material distribution is one of the most important criteria when using the fluid injection technique. The residual wall thickness has a significant impact on the mechanical properties of the hollow plastic part and, for fluid conduits, directly establishes the area of the flow cross section. In addition to the process parameters and part geometry, the material properties of the polymer used play an importan...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, From the Idea to the Product
From the Idea to the Product Examples of a Consistent Development Process Ernst Schmachtenberg, Rainer Dahlmann, Oliver Pfannschmidt, Markus Glissmann, Sven Prollius and Jochen Töpker, Aachen/Germany In the course of part development, complex and interlinked problems are frequently encountered which have to be worked through on a step-by-step basis. The huge variety of problems that arise and the links that exist between them are set out on the basis of specific examples taken from differe...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, From the Skeleton Model to the Part
From the Skeleton Model to the Part CAD Service in the Design of a Barcode Scanner Ralf Steck, Friedrichshafen/Germany It is particularly difficult and expensive to produce plastic parts in relatively smaller production runs. Compromises have to be made in product design, not only because of the high costs of the injection moulds, but also because of poor knowledge about the materials. The remedy may be to subcontract part of the development work. The article demonstrates this with a pract...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Functional Compounds
Functional Compounds Properties and Applications of Magnetite/Plastic Compounds Peter Duifhuis, Rotterdam, Bernd Weidenfeller and Gerhard Ziegmann, Clausthal-Zellerfeld/Germany The mineral, magnetite, is of key importance for the iron and steel industry. Its role as a functional filler for plastics, however, is relatively new. Thanks to its outstanding properties, this filler has already gained ground in many applications, right through to the automotive industry. The increasing use of p...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Functional Filler: Precipitated Calcium Carbonate in PVC
Additives Precipitated Calcium Carbonate in PVC Functional Filler. Environmentally unfriendly lead (Pb) stabilisers are being replaced by systems with a low heavy metal content. With a functional filler, application-specific properties of PVC window profiles containing alternative stabiliser systems can be optimised. Marijan Vučak Hein-Dieter Stöver PVC processors use a wide variety of different additives. They include stabilisers and co-stabilisers, lubricants and polymeric auxiliaries ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Functional Plastics: Materials Research as Technical Investment
Market and Management Materials Research as Technical Investment Functional Plastics. "The future belongs to the technopolymers and special polymers that will probably be produced in smaller quantities, but are essential for humanity to advance", Paul J. Flory (Nobel Prize winner 1974). Jürgen Stebani Plastics are starting to age. Most of the resins belonging to this material class that we encounter every day are, in the meantime, over 50 years old. This does not mean, however, that pl...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Gas-assisted Injection, Temperature Control, Foaming: Industrial Gases as Aids During Injection Moulding
Injection Moulding Industrial Gases as Aids During Injection Moulding Gas-assisted Injection, Temperature Control, Foaming. The use of nitrogen or carbon dioxide for injection moulding applications provides noteworthy economic and technical benefits and, for these reasons, continues to grow. This article describes areas where the potential for industrial gases can be developed further. Ursula Resgren Andreas Praller The range of possible applications for industrial gases in injection mouldin...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Glass-Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (GRP)
Glass-Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (GRP) Peter Merz, Rödermark/Germany After GRP consumption hit a peak in 2000 reaching more than 1 million tonnes and a growth rate of 9.4 % in Western Europe, lower growth in consumption of 4.5 % is expected. In view of the worsening economic climate and stabilizing raw materials costs, this is still a remarkable increase. Markets, Processes, Applications Compression moulding/RTM continue to show the strongest growth this year at over 20 % (Table 1). The tr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Headlamp Bonding: Warm Reactive Bonding
Headlamp Bonding: Warm Reactive Bonding Individual parts of an automobile headlamp, which consists of different plastics, can be bonded economically with a reactive warm melt or warm fusion adhesive and a specially developed technology. The adhesive hardens quickly with environmental moisture and bonds well to plasma pre-treated plastics. Jürgen Horstmann, Peter W. Merz Automobile headlamps made by the system supplier Hella KG Hueck & Co., Lippstadt/Germany, consist in principle of two par...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Healthy Sleep . . .
Healthy Sleep . . . . . . on Profiles Made of Natural Fibre Composite Materials Klaus Jansen, Christian Gensewich and Melanie Menges, Bremervörde/Germany In bed systems developments lead from wood slat bed bases to elastic bed bases made of plastics. Also the glass fibre reinforced battens made using the precise pultrusion technique today can be replaced by natural fibre profiles in future. The market of elastic bed bases has been moving away from wood slat battens for about three years....

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High Fitting Accuracy
High Fitting Accuracy Moulds for Aircraft Components Made of Prepreg Materials Thomas Nägeli, Güttingen/Switzerland, Reinhold Krause, Burgdorf/Switzerland, Karl Heinz Sprenger and Gerhard Musch, Vaihingen/Enz, Germany In the course of the work carried out in the aviation industry to increase performance, very specific aerodynamic and structural improvements have to be made to the individual components used in aircraft construction. This results in correspondingly high demands on the manufa...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High Requirements - Low Investment Costs
High Requirements - Low Investment Costs LFI-PU Process: Ripe Flexible Technology Wolfgang Frehsdorf and Wolfgang Söchtig, Munich/Germany The trend toward light construction in automobile manufacture continues unbroken. More and more frequently plastics provide light-weight solutions where metals have been used for decades. The LFI-PU-process, for which no pre-formed glass mats are necessary, was developed for making large, complex parts. Instead, a mixing head supplies the moulds with a P...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High-density Polyethylene (PE-HD)
High-density Polyethylene (PE-HD) Gerd Beer, Helmut Danz, Christof Justus, Rainer Mantel, Jörg Schnorr, Michael Vogt and Albert Weber This article traces the development of consumption and applications of PE-HD in various industries. Market Trends From 1998 to 2001, PE-HD consumption in Western Europe grew by 3.5 to 4.0% to 4.75million tonnes. This trend for PE-HD is likely to continue in the coming years. In this period, exports to overseas and to Eastern Europe increased by about 150 to...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High-grade Bath Concepts: Pampering the Senses
High-grade Bath Concepts: Pampering the Senses Many people dream of having a bathroom in which they can really spoil themselves. Luxury baths with a high-grade plastic finish appeal to the senses. Two different composite concepts that give such bathtubs the necessary stability owe their success to an invisible composite partner: polyurethane. Polyurethane provides excellent adhesion to other materials, makes them easy to process and affords adequate reinforcement even without glass fibres. P...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High-Grade Design
High-Grade Design Polymer Composites and Composites of Dissimilar Materials in Sanitary Engineering Eva Bittmann, Herreth/Germany Polymer composites for the sanitary sector display a wide variety of designs and colours, coupled with a high surface quality and pleasant haptics. Use is made here of thermoplastic mouldings, thermoset-based artificial stone and glass-fiber reinforced reaction resins. Washing, bathing, showering, flushing - all these activities require robust materials which ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High-performance Plastics: The Right Material for Future Markets
Market and Management The Right Material for Future Markets High-performance Plastics. In 2003, 275kt of high-performance plastics to the value of 4.1 billion USD were consumed worldwide. Compared with engineering and commodity plastics, which are sold in far larger quantities, the materials in this group are characterised by exceptionally high performance. They have very diverse applications, ranging from the electrical/electronics sector and automotive engineering to aerospace. Klaus Kohlhepp...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Hybrid Technology with Braided Preforms: Ski Poles by Multilayer Technology
Composite Material Ski Poles by Multilayer Technology Heiner Becker Hubert Schneider Hybrid Technology with Braided Preforms. Modern plastic technology, if intelligently applied and developed, offers the possibility of injection moulding thermoplastics with endless-fibre reinforcement. These plastic-plastic hybrids can solve problems of conventional designs and replace traditional composites in selected applications. Thermoplastic materials with endless fibre reinforcement are principally use...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Impact Modification Of Thermosets
Impact Modification Of Thermosets Addition Of Hygrothermally Decomposed Crosslinked Polyurethane Jürgen Gremmels and József Karger-Kocsis, Kaiserslautern/Germany The impact modification of brittle thermosets with liquid rubber is relatively expensive. An inexpensive alternative is to use hygrothermally decomposed polyurethane as the modifier. The process was tested with the aid of two epoxy resin grades and compared with the conventional method. Thermosets are highly crosslinked, ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Impressive Variety: Polysulfones (PSU, PESU, PPSU)
Trend Report High Performance Plastics Polysulfones (PSU, PESU, PPSU) Impressive Variety. With exceptional material properties and the benefit of transparency, sulfone polymers span the range from function to aesthetics. This allows them to continually find new fields of application and assures attractive growth rates in the global competition among thermoplastics. Stefan Göttgens Wolf Sanner High-temperature (HT) plastics are enjoying continually growing popularity worldwide. In this regard...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Improved Performance
Improved Performance Phenolic Antioxidants with High Efficancy and Low Colour Contribution Robert L. Gray, Alan H. Wagner, Stamford (CT), U.S.A., and Ivan Vulic, Botlek-Rotterdam/Netherlands Antioxidant performance is strongly dependent upon hindered phenol structure. Through the further development of this antioxidant group over four generations, a product has now been achieved with a high melt-stabilising capacity and less discolouration in plastics. Polymers are not inherently stable ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Innovative Solutions from VDI-K: Outside and Under the Bonnet
VDI-K Outside and Under the Bonnet Innovative Solutions from VDI-K. The VDI-K “Plastics in Automotive Construction” congress held in Mannheim/Germany is the forum for automotive engineers seeking to learn more about plastics innovations that have proved themselves in initial series applications. The following report from this year's congress deals with applications in bodywork and the engine compartment. Wolfgang Kircher The widely known advantages of plastics, such as weight savings, func...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Integrated CAE Solution: Proper Simulation of Fibre Reinforcement
Construction Proper Simulation of Fibre Reinforcement Integrated CAE Solution. The methodology and corresponding software presented here enables local anisotropy to be taken into account during the design of parts injection moulded from short-fibre-reinforced thermoplastics. Comparisons with experiments on parts confirm very good agreement between simulated deformation and actual deformation for the pump housing studied. Higher demands on greater strength and rigidity nowadays mean that therm...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Interview: "Innovations are Required to Make our Vehicles Attractive!"
Interview In view of the increasing individualisation and amount of customised equipment in cars, plastics hold a high potential in the competition amongst the different materials. In an interview with Kunststoffe, Dr. Rudolf Stauber, Head of the Operating Strength and Materials Department at the BMW Group Munich, describes the future innovations with plastics that he envisages for the automotive sector of tomorrow, and explains what still has to be done in cooperation with the plastics industry...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Isocyanate-free Route to Polyurethane
Isocyanate-free Route to Polyurethane Additive for Tailored PU Applications Ton Loontjens and Boudewijn Scholtens, Geleen/Netherlands, Steffen Maier and Rolf Mülhaupt, Freiburg/Germany Carbonylbiscaprolactam (CBC) offers promising potential for plastics processing and polymer diversification. This non-toxic additive converts linear, branched and hyperbranched polyols and polyamines into polyurethanes, polyureas and prepolymers containing blocked isocyanate end groups without either phosgen...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, It All Depends on the Blend
It All Depends on the Blend Reducing the Impact Sensitivity of Fibre Composites Andreas Kessler and Andrzej K. Bledzki, Kassel/Germany, Horst Frenzel, Dresden/Germany Fibre composites are used as lightweight materials in a wide number of applications. However, a drawback to the use of such materials is their susceptibility to damage under impact perpendicular to the laminate surface. Great importance is therefore attached to the development of laminates with a low tendency to delaminate. ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Joining Technologies: Lightweight Hybrid Structures
Transportation Lightweight Hybrid Structures Joining Technologies. The development of loadbearing hybrid structures has a key role to play in the competitive use of continuous-filament- and textile-reinforced plastics for high-performance products made by lightweight construction. The joining technologies required for this must be optimally matched to the material structure of the joint components to ensure transfer of high load forces. Werner Hufenbach Lothar Kroll Olaf Helms In modern lightw...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Joining, Texturing, Modifying: Selecting the Right Laser
Special Selecting the Right Laser Joining, Texturing, Modifying. While the use of laser technology was often limited to expensive products in the past, inexpensive diode lasers and more compact Nd:YAG lasers are finding an ever-wider field of application in the plastics industry. For every specific application, the question always arises as to what is the right laser beam. Arnold Gillner Applications within the field of plastics range from products for packaging, electronics, household appli...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Joint Technology
Special Joint Technology Joining Techniques. Although the processing technology available for plastics permits a high degree of integration, thus reducing the need for joining processes, it is nevertheless often necessary to combine plastic parts in assemblies with other materials or with other plastic parts. This article provides an overview of purely additive joining techniques for previously produced individual parts. Gottfried W. Ehrenstein The difficulties and questions that arise when...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Laser Direct Structuring of Plastics
Laser Direct Structuring of Plastics A New Addition to MID Technologies Horst Wißbrock, Lemgo/Germany The traditional MID production technologies now include a new process that has been well received by specialists: laser direct imaging of thermoplastics. All the fundamental aspects of this method – technological, ecological and economic – are described and compared with prior technologies. Moulded interconnect devices – injection moulded thermoplastic circuit carriers – are predicted to...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Laser-sintering Technology: Series Production in Miniature
Laser-sintering Technology: Series Production in Miniature Whether in automotive engineering, household appliances or medical technology – an increasing number of sectors are employing laser-sintering for the series production of plastics parts. This is a technology that is virtually unmatched by any other when it comes to satisfying the current trend towards increased customisation and a greater range of variants. Michael Shellabear, Volker Junior There can scarcely be a trickier installa...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Latest Materials and Production Processes: 3D-MID Technology
3D-MID Technology Latest Materials and Production Processes. The use of the MID technology opens up fresh potential for the development and design of three-dimensional circuit carriers. It means, for example, that an electronic device can be manufactured in any desired shape, and it offers maximum integration potential at the same time. Klaus Feldmann Andreas Kunze Whereas thermoset materials are generally used to manufacture conventional printed circuit boards, thermoplastics tend to be the ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Less Water
Less Water Polyamides with Lower Water Absorption Jose Poch Parramon, Iserlohn/Germany When incorporated into polyamides, thermosetting plastics reduce their water absorption and improve their rigidity. At the same time, the polyamides retain their normal processing properties. Among engineering thermoplastics, polyamides play a key role, with a consumption in western Europe of some 650,000 t/a. The automotive industry in western Europe alone uses around 250,000 t/a of this material, and...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Low Manufacturing Costs: Plastics Encapsulation for Solar Modules
Photovoltaics Plastics Encapsulation for Solar Modules Low Manufacturing Costs. Solar modules can be more economically manufactured using a variety of plastics than with traditional materials, and at the same time additional functions can be integrated into the module. Plastic encapsulants will therefore reduce the manufacturing costs for solar modules in future. Almost all modern solar modules have an identical construction (a glass-EVA-PVF-laminate; PVF = polyvinyl fluoride, trade name Ted...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Low-Density Polyethylene (PE-LD, PE-LLD)
Low-Density Polyethylene (PE-LD, PE-LLD) Gerd Beer, Christof Justus, Rainer Mantel, Wolfgang F. Müller, Heinz Vogt and Michael Vogt This article describes the development of consumption and applications of PE-LD and PE-LLD in various industries. Market Growth From 1998 to 2001, low-density polyethylene showed an average growth in consumption of 2.0% p.a. in Western Europe. The two PE product classes contributed differently to the overall growth (Fig.1). While PE-LD declined slightly (by 0...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Market and Trends: Nanomaterials: Opportunities and Risks
Nanotechnology Nanomaterials: Opportunities and Risks Market and Trends. Nanotechnology represents an attractive link between bioscience and materials science and is a driving force for material innovations in the future. It also presents numerous opportunities for developments in plastics. However, the new nanocomponents must become more affordable and readily available to industry. This trend report points out potential approaches and opportunities. Rolf Mülhaupt Nanotechnology is the key to...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Market News
Gefran Jubilee Sensor The millionth linear potentiometer produced by Gefran Sensori Srl has been presented to representatives of Engel Austria GmbH. The device is a PK-M type model, which is used on a large scale for Engel injection moulding machines. For Gefran, this special presentation is evidence of a good co-operation between the two companies, which also involved the sale of more than 50000 linear stroke transducers produced at the Italian facility at Provaglio d’Iseo to Engel. The devices...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Market News
News In Brussels, in November 3rd European Blow Moulding Conference EuPC, the European umbrella association for the plastics processing industry has issued an invitation, together with the Dutch association, NRK/HKV, and the plastics packaging association, IK Industrieverband Kunststoffverpackungen e.V., to the "3rd European Blow Moulding Conference – Packaging and Technical Applications". The conference, which is being held on 17-18 November in Brussels, will bring together representat...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Materials and Processes: Electrical Engineering in Transformation
Materials and Processes: Electrical Engineering in Transformation Electrical engineering is in a state of change throughout the world. This results in individual trends in plastics applications and processing technology to meet demands. The wide variety of product groups are highly differentiated. Thilo Simonsohn, Gerold Malin The hierarchical structure of power distribution grids – from power stations, via transformer stations, to the consumers (industries, private homes and street lightin...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Materials of the 21st Century: Plastics Producers Remain on Path to Growth
Special: World Market Plastics Producers Remain on Path to Growth Fred Baumgartner Materials of the 21st century. Global plastics production has grown at an impressive rate since the last K-fair in the year 2001. Nevertheless, the plastics industry, and especially plastics production, still faces major challenges. Key words are restructuring, globalisation and pressure on margins. A central challenge for the future will be to obtain reasonable margins in spite of high pre-product prices. Plas...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Mechanical Joining Techniques: Metal Forming During Injection Moulding
PE103096 Injection Moulding Metal Forming During Injection Moulding Mechanical Joining Techniques. The range of products that can be injection moulded grows continually. It becomes more complicated, however, when inserts must be overmoulded: often, it is necessary to secure the insert against being pulled out through use of an undercut, which can require a metal forming step during injection moulding. Bernhard Wielage Eckart Kühne A novel joining method incorporating new process steps for inser...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Medical Technology: High-precision Lightweight Design
Composite Material High-precision Lightweight Design Hubert C. Stadtfeld Peter Mitschang Norbert Himmel Medical Technology. An assistance system for diagnostics and therapy has been developed and built. The materials employed are not permitted to interfere with an existing magnetic field. The high degree of functional integration of components represents an additional important aspect. In cooperation with the Institute for Medical Technology and Biophysics (IMB) at the Karlsruhe Research C...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Metal Injection Moulding: Precision Parts Rapidly and Economically
Injection Moulding Precision Parts Rapidly and Economically Metal Injection Moulding. Satisfying demanding requirements is nothing new for injection moulding. When it comes to application-specific material properties, high accuracy and minimal rework of metal components, metal injection moulding (MIM) represents an ideal approach to meet these objectives. An absolute prerequisite, however, is knowledge of the specific limits of the process. Thorsten Hickmann Eric Klemp It is for good reason ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Metering Technology: Precision for Highly Filled Formulations
Extrusion Precision for Highly Filled Formulations Metering Technology. Sewer pipes can be produced economically with highly filled PVC formulations. Processing of these formulations requires special machinery designs in order to ensure optimum feeding and plasticising of the material. A machine combination comprising a vertical metering unit and a dynamic mixer assures that every highly filled PVC formulation is metered into the extruder precisely and consistently, so that the screw flights ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Modified Polyphenylene Ether (PPE)
Modified Polyphenylene Ether (PPE) Henk Perree, Bergen op Zoom/Netherlands Blends based on polyphenylene ether (PPE) combine the properties of plastics such as polypropylene, polystyrene and polyamide with the familiar high heat resistance, high dimensional stability and good hydrolysis resistance of PPE. Applications are to be found primarily in the automotive sector. Modified PPE blends are well known for their high heat resistance, high dimensional stability, very low water absorption a...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Modified Polyphenylene Ethers (PPE)
Modified Polyphenylene Ethers (PPE) Jos van Gisbergen and Wim Minderhout, Bergen op Zoom/Netherlands Modified PPE materials have been on the market for more than 35 years and are well established among engineering plastics. PPE polymer is well known for its high heat resistance, high dimensional stability, low water absorption and good hydrolytic stability. For these reasons, PPE is an important blending partner for other polymers. Polyphenylene ether - also known as polyphenylene oxide (P...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, More elegance . . .
More elegance . . . . . . with injection moulded door frame finishers Günter Bagusche and Matthias Pfeifer, Morsbach/Germany Plastic door frame finishers gives vehicle designers more freedom of design. With suitably chosen colours and surface properties, door frame finishers can make vehicle interiors look and feel more like "home" and improve acoustic properties. In addition, door frame finishers offers automotive manufacturers promising potential for cost reduction, because it el...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Motor Vehicle Interiors
Motor Vehicle Interiors Ideas, Concepts, Materials Johannes Seesing, Odenthal/Germany “The Fascination of Cars” – that was the motto of the 59th International Automobile Exhibition (IAA) held last year in Frankfurt. Aside from the latest range of manufacturers’ vehicles, there were again numerous design studies on display for the vehicles of the future. However, not only were complete cars exhibited, but suppliers also presented interesting interior studies showing trend-setting approaches...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Mould Design: Safely Warp-free
Mould Design: Safely Warp-free In the design of a panel for a ski-loading hatch in a top-of-the-range car, mould design was supported and verified by simulation of mould filling and warpage. Thanks to this preliminary work, the product could go into mass production rapidly and with no start up problems. Michael Büdinger, Marco Sundermann, Alexander Reisinger Top-of-the-range vehicles must be fitted out with a luxurious but practical interior. For winter holidays, this includes the facility...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, MuCell Process: Microcellular Parts from the Injection Moulding Machine
MuCell Process: Microcellular Parts from the Injection Moulding Machine The MuCell1 process was originally developed for and employed in the extrusion process. Certain recent applications are indicating that this process can also be used on an industrial scale for injection moulding. Bernhard Rief ,Jürgen Gundrum Almost all well-known injection moulding machine manufacturers [1] are cooperating with Trexel Inc. (USA) to market injection moulding machines adapted to the MuCell process. One ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Multi-layer Composites with Reactive Coupling Agents
Multi-layer Composites with Reactive Coupling Agents Optimizing Processes and Materials Markus Cremer and Michael Schmücker, Darmstadt/Germany The influence of material and process parameters on the adhesion of multi-layer films was studied. Two and three layer composites were coextruded and tested in the T-peel-test. Recommendations concerning appropriate process conditions depending on the application requirements and the polymer combinations are given based on the influence of the proce...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Nanoscale NIR Absorbers: Permanently Mark Highly Transparent Plastics
Additives Permanently Mark Highly Transparent Plastics Nanoscale NIR Absorbers. Laser marking of highly transparent plastics represents a challenge, since commercially available laser additives have an intrinsic colour and cloud the plastic. Newly developed processes utilising nanoscale metal oxides now permit laser marking of transparent plastics without any loss of quality. Wilhelm Wolff Among the processes for marking and identifying plastics, the still young technique of laser marking exh...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Natural Fibres in Plastic: Compression Moulding of Natural-fibre-reinforced Thermoset Prepregs
Automotive – Compression Moulding Compression Moulding of Natural-fibre-reinforced Thermoset Prepregs Natural Fibres in Plastic. The use of natural-fibre-reinforced plastics continues to increase, particularly in the automotive industry. Natural-fibre-reinforced thermoset prepregs can be compression moulded with fast cycles to produce components with low density and good acoustic properties. Natural-fibre-reinforced composite materials have become established in the automotive industry because ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Natural Thermosets
Natural Thermosets Biologically Degradable Plastics made of Gelatine and Natural Fibres Dietrich Braun, Darmstadt/Germany, and Axel Braun, Kassel/Germany For the first time natural thermosetting polymers can be made from gelatine-linseed oil blends. As composite materials with natural fibres they can compete in their mechanical characteristics with conventional thermosetting polymers and are problem-free biologically degradable. Biologically degradable plastics [1, 2] are of increasing i...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Nozzles for Tightly Spaced Cavities: High Cavitation in Minimal Space
Tooling High Cavitation in Minimal Space Nozzles for Tightly Spaced Cavities. Nozzles are one of the most technically challenging components of a hot-runner system. They are responsible to a large degree for reliable operation, moulded part quality and the economics of the injection moulding process. Development of a new needle shutoff nozzle (valve gate) with a nominal diameter of 8 mm sets a new standard for applications with tightly spaced cavities or minimal space for installation. Thoma...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Online Process Control: Ultrasonic Measurements on Thermoset Moulding Compounds
Reactive Processing Ultrasonic Measurements on Thermoset Moulding Compounds Online Process Control. Ultrasonic sensors in the mould can be used to directly observe the softening and curing of crosslinkable polymers. Deviations in the process are identified immediately and errors eliminated promptly. The targeted optimisation of parameters can greatly reduce the cycle times. Moulding compounds consist of reactive resin/curing agent mixtures and a high percentage of organic and non-organic admix...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Opportunity and Challenge
Opportunity and Challenge 3D-MID: Technologies and Trends Karl Kuhmann, Münster/Germany Roland Dörfler and Gottfried W. Ehrenstein, Erlangen/Germany As an alternative to conventional interconnect technology on the basis of planar thermoset circuit boards, MID technology represents a novel design and manufacturing concept that provides a high degree of functional integration. Well-considered use of MID technology can offer a number of benefits with regard to increased design flexibility, co...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Optimising Safety Systems: Modern Chainmail
Modern Chainmail Optimising Safety Systems. Chainmail was not only used as combat armour in Ancient Rome and the Middle Ages. It is still used today, but with a different function. The combination of chainmail technology and ultramodern composites opens up new fields of application, for example in the security industry or as protection against stones. Jörg Wellnitz Chainmail was used by the ancient Romans. In the Middle Ages, armourers made chainmail shirts (known as hauberks), hoods, gloves ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Packaging: The Compostable Water Bottle
Injection Moulding The Compostable Water Bottle Packaging. Though not biodegradable, the PLA water bottles that the US company Biota uses to market its products can be composted in municipal/industrial composting facilities. The world’s first compostable water bottle made of a starch-based polylactic acid (PLA) is on the market. Husky worked hand-in-hand with Biota Brands of America Inc., Cargill Dow LLC and SIG Corpoplast to develop a fully compostable bottle for Biota’s new line of premium Co...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, PBT Oligomers: Always in Good Form
Engineering Plastics Always in Good Form PBT Oligomers. A recently developed technology is based on the fact that cyclic butylene terephthalate (CBT) oligomers – i.e. thermoplastic precursors – allow the economic production of reinforced PBT compounds under both thermoset and reactive thermoplastic processing conditions. By varying the process and process conditions, tailored PBT products covering a broad range of properties and applications can be produced. Martin Rösch The semicrystalline the...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Performance Show and Interview: Round About Pipe
Market and Management Round About Pipe Performance Show. With 540 visitors from 55 countries, the pipe symposium that was held on 22 and 23 June at Cincinnati Extrusion GmbH in Vienna can be considered one of the large events for this sector. After a morning of presentations targeted at real-world applications, the afternoon was available to view equipment running in the technical centre. As a systems supplier in the field of pipe production, Cincinnati Extrusion considers itself the first...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Permanent Antistatic Behaviour
Permanent Antistatic Behaviour Electrically Structured Inhomogeneous Conductivity in Carbon Black-filled Epoxy Resins Torsten Prasse and Wolfgang Bauhofer, Hamburg/Germany To selectively control electrical resistance, an electrical field is applied to form networks of carbon black-aggregates in low-viscosity epoxy resin dispersions. Thermosets modified in this way have antistatic behaviour together with good mechanical properties. Electrically conductive carbon black-filled thermosets ar...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Pipe and Film Extrusion: Homogeneous Melt Distribution Through Rotation
Extrusion Homogeneous Melt Distribution Through Rotation Pipe and Film Extrusion. Through use of a novel die concept for extrusion of pipe and film, melt is distributed within the die by an element that is made to rotate by the melt itself. The system obscures weld lines, creates a homogenous melt distribution and minimises residence time in the die. Andreas Limper Ingo Rübbelke Extrusion dies determine the shape and dimensional accuracy of extruded products to a significant degree. They thus ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Plastic Goes Online
Plastic Goes Online Cataphoretic-coatable Automotive Body Panels Made from RRIM Polyurea Polymer Martin Münstermann, Terneuzen/Netherlands, Tony Buchan and Konstantin von Diest, Schwalbach/Germany Plastic body panels are increasingly replacing the traditional engineering materials such as steel. The success of this trend depends on how seamlessly materials such as engineering thermoplastics, PU RRIM and SMC can be integrated into the conventional production process. The most recent example...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polyamide (PA)
Polyamide (PA) Ralf Neuhaus and Klaus Uske, Ludwigshafen/Germany Since polyamide was first introduced on a commercial basis more than six decades ago, world-wide demand has risen to more than 6m. t. The balanced properties of this class of polymer and the ease with which it can be modified with fillers, elastomers and additives means that it still holds a high innovation potential today. Basic polyamide polymers are used for both fibres and engineering plastics, and are processed by extrus...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polyamides (PA)
Polyamides (PA) Michael Fischer and Martin Balsam, Ludwigshafen/Germany In the past ten years world-wide polyamide consumption rose around 7.5 % p. a. and an end of this development is not to be foreseen. The great variation in the polymers of this grade and their modification possibilities using fillers, elastomers and additives guarantee polyamides a high innovation potential. Polyamides are therefore quantitatively in first place in engineering plastics. The main application fields are au...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT)
Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT) Alfred Stern, Geneva/Switzerland The main applications in which the thermoplastic polyester polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) is used are tightly-toleranced technical parts that are required to withstand high mechanical, electrical and thermal loading. Growth is running at an above-average level of 7 to 9% per year worldwide. The driving forces behind this growth include new halogen-free, flame- retardant grades for the electrical/electronics industry, grades ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polycarbonate instead of Glass: Large Car Windows from an Injection Moulding Machine
Injection Moulding Large Car Windows from an Injection Moulding Machine Polycarbonate instead of Glass. Injection compression offers designers design freedom for automobile windows and the technical variety of the world of plastics. A new moulding technique from Engel called "Glazemelt" provides the necessary process reliability. Advances in automaking are undoubtedly coupled with the continually increasing amount of modern plastics in automobiles. Replacement of glass in windows with...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polyethylene (PE-LD, PE-LLD)
Polyethylene (PE-LD, PE-LLD) Inken Beulich and Mike Cook, Horgen/Switzerland The family of low density polyethylene resins (PE-LD) includes both homopolymers and copolymers produced by the high-pressure process (PE-LD) as well as linear copolymers (PE-LLD) which are polymerised at low pressures. While the consumption of PE-LD shows only a moderate growth-rate of 1 to 2 % p. a., the linear product family continues to enjoy growth rates of more than 10 % p. a. The original polyethylene, high...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polymer Concrete Pipes: New Methods of Sewer Repair
Thermosets New Methods of Sewer Repair Polymer Concrete Pipes. It is now quite conventional to use glass fibre-reinforced reactive resin inliners to repair sewer pipes. However, polymer concrete, a synthetic stone with a similar matrix, can be used as a mechanically stable and chemically resistant lining for much larger and more geometrically complex shafts and pipes. It has clear advantages over conventional concrete. Peter Merz Germany has large numbers of sewer pipes in need of repair. The s...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polypropylene
Polypropylene Yves Bonte and Rainer Schweda, Brussels/Belgium Several factors support the continuous growth of polypropylene consumption. Besides the general economic growth, polypropylene is continuously expanding its applications arena thanks to its versatile properties portfolio, excellent processability, relative low density and good cost/performance balance. Lifestyle changes of the consumer further stimulate the substitution of other thermoplastic resins and traditional materials like ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Positive Market Development: Thermosets
Special: World Market Thermosets Positive Market Development. The importance of thermosetting resins as an engineering material continues to grow. While traditional applications in West European markets are declining in certain segments, innovative products in the automotive industry, for the most part, and noticeable growth in Asia as well as North and Central America are resulting in a positive trend in the worldwide market. The worldwide market for phenolic moulding compounds has grown at a ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Preparation for Painting and Bonding: Inline Surface Modification During Injection Moulding
Injection Moulding Inline Surface Modification During Injection Moulding Preparation for Painting and Bonding. With conventional methods of surface treatment, the surface of the moulded part is ”activated” through use of additional energy after the moulding process. The inline surface modification procedure described here activates the surface during the moulding process by employing the thermal energy of the melt. René Brunotte Harald Kolz Jürgen Nagel When plastics are to be painted or adhes...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives ...
Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives ... ... the Underestimated Daily Helps Ralf Fink, Ludwigshafen/Germany Imagine you are in the shower early in the morning. Your eyes haven’t got used to the glaring bathroom light yet and you fumble around for the towel on the wall. Instead of the hook and your towel, there is only a little, sticky spot on the wall and the towel is lying on the ground. Most people have experienced situations like this before, suffering the inconvenience because a so-called pres...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Process Technology: Plastic Automobile Windows
Special Plastic Automobile Windows Process Technology. Plastic is finding increasing use as a replacement for glass in automobile windows. An extremely dynamic market is developing, but one that places special requirements on materials, designs and production techniques. Success depends on an efficient logistical chain that addresses the product-specific requirements and the complex manufacturing processes. Christian Hopmann Sebastian Göbel Jan Forster With the introduction of the first Smar...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Process Technology: Polyurethane Processing Systems
PUR Technology Polyurethane Processing Systems Process Technology. In contrast to production of complete moulded parts or semi-finished goods by physical means, the primary step in production of polyurethane parts involves a chemical reaction that occurs at the processor. Reliable production equipment for this process is available to manufacture the greatest variety of parts. Starting from low-pressure and high-pressure machine technology, the present article briefly discusses the necessary m...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Processing of Thermosetting Resins: Pioneering Spirit Needed for Survival of the Species
Processing of Thermosetting Resins: Pioneering Spirit Needed for Survival of the Species Can thermoset processing prevail in the competition for raw materials in the future? To be in with a chance, courage will be needed to use the new processing and mould technologies and the improved materials for more economical working. Joachim Berthold Thermoset processing is still dominated by injection moulding and compression moulding. More than ever before, however, there are moves to make product...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Processing Technologies: Processing Fibre-reinforced Plastics
Processing Technologies: Processing Fibre-reinforced Plastics The industrial use of fibre-reinforced plastics essentially depends on the degree of automation in the relevant machine technology. This review sets out to show the advances currently being made in the various processes. Peter Mitschang, Ralf Schledjewski An important obstacle to the use of continuously reinforced plastics, besides the high cost prices of the raw materials (matrices and fibres), is the fact that the machine tech...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Product Development: Rapid Analysis of Film Properties on Pilot Lines
Extrusion Rapid Analysis of Film Properties on Pilot Lines Product Development. Blown and cast film must not necessarily be tested on large-scale systems: The extrapolation of tests conducted on pilot lines to production systems that are more than ten times the size provides very satisfactory results. Careful use of pilot lines thus offers considerable time and cost benefits when developing products and applications. Andreas Mayer Günter Müllerferli Successful introduction of a new film to t...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Production Control: Press Process Transparency
Production Control: Press Process Transparency On over 30 presses, the Aircabin GmbH moulds a great variety of fibreglass components for the interior furnishings of the Airbus fleet. For increased transparency, reliability and efficiency down the entire production line, a central PC-based HMI system has been in use for about one year. Jürgen Speck The company founded in 1960 as Bölkow Apparatebau Nabern – later also a division of MBB and Deutsche Aerospace Airbus – has established itself a...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Progress in Development: From the Prototype to the Individualised Product
Rapid Prototyping From the Prototype to the Individualised Product Ralf Deuke Progress in Development. Rapid prototyping techniques are becoming a key technology of the future. It will be possible to make available a manufacturing technology suitable for the individualised market by continuously refining the materials in combination with the intelligent use of follow-up and processing techniques. Rapid prototyping (RP) by means of stereolithography or selective laser sintering (SLS) is sti...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, PUR Composite Spray Moulding (PUR-CSM): Open to Many Different Applications
PUR Processing Open to Many Different Applications PUR Composite Spray Moulding (PUR-CSM). A new system variant of polyurethane spray technology involves the use of an isocyanate plus a fast- and a slow-reacting polyol. Depending on requirements, various additives, such as colour components, blowing agents or chopped reinforcing fibres, can be incorporated. For the production of moulded parts, only one mould half is required and no mould carrier. Ingo Kleba Thomas Kirsten In processing a rea...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Quality and Process Optimisation: Taking Stock of SMC Technology
Thermosets Taking Stock of SMC Technology Quality and Process Optimisation. SMC technology has continued to develop steadily from its manual origins. In Europe, some 270000 tonnes SMC are manufactured and processed each year. The quality requirements of the automotive industry are compelling SMC manufacturers and processors to make constant improvements in process control and monitoring. In a joint project between resin/SMC manufacturers and SMC processors/end users, significant improvements in ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Quality Assurance for Class A
Quality Assurance for Class A Process Control in the SMC Process Karlheinz Hörsting and Klaus Recktenwald, Bretten/Germany The article describes the production of an exterior automotive component and the use and benefits of a measuring system that logs press parameters during the press moulding operation. Future possibilities for using process data logging as standard in the SMC compression moulding process are discussed. Exterior automotive components made from fibre-reinforced plastics...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Quality Assurance: Comparison of Thermal Stability Measurement Processes for PVC
Quality Assurance: Comparison of Thermal Stability Measurement Processes for PVC Thermal stability is one of the most important criteria for the processing and application of PVC. There are four different methods used to measure it. An interlaboratory test was carried out to compare different test equipment and their precision using systematically determined data. A simple method of determining the thermal stability of polyvinylchloride (PVC) is to measure the amount of hydrogen chloride evo...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Quality of SMC Surfaces: Paintability Enhanced
Exterior Parts Paintability Enhanced Quality of SMC Surfaces. Body panels that have been produced with a new, tough SMC material exhibit fewer hair-line cracks under load. The formation of paint pops in coated parts is avoided as a result. Michael J. Siwajek Body panels manufactured from Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC) provide many advantages over steel and other materials; high strength-to-weight ratio, lower tooling cost, and design flexibility to name a few. The OEMs have recognised these advan...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Radiation-induced Crosslinking: Crosslinked PA6 for Circuit Carriers
Electronics Crosslinked PA6 for Circuit Carriers Radiation-induced Crosslinking. By post-crosslinking with an electron beam, it is possible to prevent engineering thermoplastics such as polyamide 6 from softening or melting. A definite improvement in the stability during soldering is the result. The crosslinking of plastics provides a very effective method for modifying the properties of engineering thermoplastics, particularly with regard to the current lead problem for the production of circui...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Railroad Rolling Stock: On Track with Lightweight Construction Techniques
Transportation On Track with Lightweight Construction Techniques Railroad Rolling Stock. Plastics make trains lighter, are economically producible and can fit the many special requirements on rolling stock construction. Also individual parts can be manufactured economically with modern production technologies. Since many functions can be integrated in fibre reinforced composite materials, they meet requirements on a high degree of modularity. Eva Bittmann The size of the world-wide railway tec...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Recycled CRP as Reinforcement for Thermoplastics
Recycled CRP as Reinforcement for Thermoplastics Thermal Decomposition of the Matrix Thomas Schubert, Gottfried Ehrenstein, Erlangen/Germany Thermal decomposition of the matrix material offers a simple way of recovering the relatively expensive reinforcing fibres from a fibre-reinforced laminate. The demand or wish for mechanical recycling together with legislation were instrumental in the development of recycling methods for fibre composite plastics containing a thermoset matrix. Added ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Recycling and Granulating: Material Cycle Closed
Trade Fair Report Material Cycle Closed Recycling and Granulating. The multitude of new developments in the recycling sector reflects the growing sensitivity regarding this subject, so that in the future improved quality and a wider range of applications can be expected for recycled materials. In order to produce high-quality products from recycled material, single-resin fractions are generally required. With its Peelomat system, Untha Recyclingtechnik GmbH, Karlstadt/Germany, employs a paten...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Recycling: Drinks from the Detergent Bottle
Recycling: Drinks from the Detergent Bottle PET bottles are finding increasing use outside of the foodstuffs sector. A research project was conducted to establish whether such non-food PET bottles are safe for food-contact applications after they have been recycled. It is not just the drinks sector where PET packaging is growing rapidly. This packaging plastic is also being used increasingly for applications in soaps and detergents, drugs and industrial dispensed goods. This is evident from ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Reinforced Plastics: Caught Up Again
PE103126 Caught Up Again Reinforced Plastics. Reinforced plastics are managing to assert themselves to a much greater extent on the market once again. The sectors of winding technology and compression moulding technology are two of the application sectors experiencing sustainable positive development. A clear focus on thermoplastic systems was evident. After many years of relatively low growth rates, the reinforced plastics sector has done a good job of catching up with the development of the...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Requirements and Markets: Polymeric Flame Retardants
Additives Polymeric Flame Retardants Requirements and Markets. Reactive and polymeric brominated flame retardants offer many advantages over conventional systems, as they themselves are polymers or become part of the polymer. They do not bleed, provide highly effective fire retardancy, are heat-resistant and easy to process. They are gaining increasing market shares in polyurethane foams and engineering plastics. Rudi Borms Pierre Georlette The market for brominated flame retardants has suffer...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Resin Separation in a Centrifuge
Resin Separation in a Centrifuge Centrifugal Force Extracts Thermoplastic Melt from Material Composites Werner Hoffmanns, Wolfgang Diegmann, Frank Adam and Rüdiger Tiedeck, Wuppertal/Germany Composite products have so far escaped materials recycling since it is so difficult to separate the individual components from each other. A new method now makes it possible to recover resins from material composites. The composite, placed in a centrifuge, is exposed in the presence of heat to strong r...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Retrofits: No Fear of Foaming
Injection Moulding No Fear of Foaming Retrofits. Functional integration, productivity gains, quality improvements – these buzz words characterise specialised injection moulding techniques. Although the benefits are obvious, many processors fear high investment costs and significant hurdles when introducing such technology. However, this does not have to be the case, as this injection moulding technique for foam illustrates. Sasan Habibi-Naini Most structural foam injection moulding techniq...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Retrospective: The Development of Injection Moulding
Special The Development of Injection Moulding Friedrich Johannaber Retrospective. For many years, the development of injection moulding has paralleled the development of polymers. The basic technology for today’s highly complex and fully automatic production machines traces its origin back to 1872. Bock divides the history of injection moulding into five eras [1]. This division is retained here with some additions, so that the attentive observer of this branch of industry can follow very eas...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, RTM Parts with a Class A Surface
RTM Parts with a Class A Surface Emission-free Processing Method for Unsaturated, Liquid Polyester Resins Peter Merz, Hamburg/Germany In the past, switching a production line from open moulds to closed moulds was prompted either on emission grounds or by production engineering considerations. Through the introduction of a new unsaturated polyester resin system, it is possible to produce parts with a Class A surface for the automotive industry by means of the RTM process. Unsaturated poly...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Series Production - Quickly
Series Production - Quickly Rapid Technologies - a Stocktaking Otto Murr, Matthias Meindl and Matthäus Sigl, Augsburg/Germany Different methods and tools are used in the different phases of plastic component production to quickly increase the maturity of the product. In recent years above all rapid technologies for production of prototypes and models have been established. Development of the procedures has even made series production possible. Product development is subject to constantly...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Silicones: Preserving a Heritage
Silicones: Preserving a Heritage In a world of high tech and future visions, a renaissance is taking place in our interest in the values and works of former ages. Conserving and preserving our cultural heritage are thus ongoing concerns, in which silicones have a firmly established position. Doris Wacker Silicones are familiar to us from many different fields of application. They perform their services in the automotive industry, in plastics and rubbers, textiles and paper and in the elect...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Simulation Tools: Vibro-acoustic Design of Composites
Automotive Vibro-acoustic Design of Composites Simulation Tools. Multi-layered plastic composites are simply predestined for the complex requirements encountered today in lightweight structures. Moreover, in the future, modern lightweight applications will have to satisfy increasingly demanding vibro-acoustic requirements. Full exploitation of the acoustic potential of lightweight structures – especially fibre-reinforced multi-layered hybrid composites – requires suitable simulation tools for ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Sports Equipment: Plastics at all Events
Sports and Leisure Plastics at all Events Sports Equipment. Of course, the ball is still round – but is it still made of leather? No, and it has not been for a long time. Basically, all sports equipment nowadays is made of high-tech materials – plastics. And polymers sometimes almost have to perform miracles if they are to help the athletes to victory. Putting together an ingenious combination of suitable plastic types is the well-guarded secret of all sports equipment manufacturers. Kristin...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Structural RIM: Composite Materials for More Robust Automotive Parts
Structural RIM: Composite Materials for More Robust Automotive Parts An automated process for preforming glass mats and subsequent processing of preforms by the S-RIM process stands at the end of the long development chain that was necessary for the production of a lightweight, durable plastic pickup truck box. Antonio Cossolo For decades, the pickup truck has been the most widely used vehicle for agriculture, building and in chemical and other industrial plant. The floor is subject to sev...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Tailor-made Properties: Modification of Polyamides
Engineering Plastics Modification of Polyamides Tailor-made Properties. With new long-chain dicarboxylic acids, it is possible to specifically influence the process temperatures, process cycles and mechanical and chemical properties of polyamides. They can also exert an effect on the appearance of these engineering plastics. Thorsten Roloff Ulrich Nagorny Ulrike Erkens The properties of engineering plastics can be customised through the selective synthesis of polymer building blocks. In this...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Teamwork Produces a New Design
Teamwork Produces a New Design Development of a Polystyrene Housing for TV Sets Mike Hale, Terneuzen/Netherlands, and Reinhold Rauh, Kronach/ Germany Collaboration between a television manufacturer, plastics supplier and injection moulder beginning at the product development stage rapidly led to the cost-effective development of a sophisticated design with the appropriate polymer. With consumer prices falling between 7 to 10 % every year, the European television market has to be very cos...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Temperature Control: Cooling and Heating of Plastics
Material Handling Cooling and Heating of Plastics Temperature Control of Plastics. Through use of an indirect method, powders and pellets are heated or cooled for processing. The bulk materials heat exchanger employed operates economically and requires little space. The design offers a very efficient method as an alternative to conventional temperature control via gas or other heat transfer media. Bernhard Stark Günther Dehm Sabine Schönfeld In many manufacturing and production processes i...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Thermosets
Thermosets Eva Bittmann, Herreth/Germany In the crosslinking plastics sector, alongside considerable restructuring and commercial setbacks, there have also been some successes. Demand in the GRP industry is high, even for specialty moulding materials. Material development is moving in the direction of resins with high heat and chemical resistance coupled with improved processability to ensure rapid production of parts in consistently high quality. In recent years, the thermosets market, li...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Thermosetting Moulding Materials
Thermosetting Moulding Materials Peter H. P. Brinkmann, Martin Kraemer and Christian Kürten, Iserlohn/Germany The importance of thermosetting construction plastics continues to increase. While traditional applications are slightly on the decrease in Western European markets, innovative products primarily in the automobile industry and a clear increase in Asian markets account for a positive world market trend. This report informs about phenolic (PF), urea (UF), melamine (MF), melamine phenol...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Three Weeks Until the Start
Three Weeks Until the Start Rapid Prototyping for a Solar-Powered Bike Matthias Hell, Biel/Switzerland Victory in the race through the Australian bush was the finale to the extraordinary development of a solar-powered electric bike. Less than three weeks were available for the production of the key parts of the bike. With the aid of stereolithography, however, the challenge was successfully met. The project was started by a group of cycling enthusiasts at the start of June 1999. The goal...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Torque Motor Solutions: Direct Drives on Film Pull Roll Stands Assure Constant Quality
Extrusion Direct Drives on Film Pull Roll Stands Assure Constant Quality Torque Motor Solutions. To further improve the stability film pull roll speed, Brückner Maschinenbau, Siegsdorf/Germany, has equipped this component of their film stretching lines with torque motors. The results achieved to date are so positive that designers are now considering other system components. Günter Oedl Josef Schneiderbauer High-quality, flexible plastic films represent one of the most commonly employed packag...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Towards Greater Automation
Towards Greater Automation New Development Stage in Thermoplastic Tape-Placement Technology Guido Beresheim, Martin Latrille and Ralf Schledjewski, Kaiserslautern/Germany The thermoplastic tape-placement technique offers excellent potential for the production of large-area components from fibre-reinforced plastics. The process allows a high level of integration and automation. In addition, the costly, time-consuming autoclave cycle can be dispensed with altogether. Industrial scale applica...