Lighter - PET - Equipolymers

Plastics Technology, 2005-07-06, TPUs Get Softer, Slicker, Lighter
BASF Corp., Wyandotte, Mich., has launched a new range of thermoplastic polyurethanes that push the performance envelope in several directions. The company has broken new ground with a non-plasticized...

Plastics Technology, 2005-11-07, High-Melt-Strength PP Makes Softer, Lighter Foams
A new high-melt-strength (HMS) polypropylene is said to be especially suited to foam extrusion because it makes much softer foams than other HMS-PP grades. It also produces very low densities and good...

Plastics Technology, 2007-01-08, New "Ultra" Thermoplastics Contend for Top of Performance Pyramid
...rformance" category. According to Solvay Advanced Polymers, Alpharetta, Ga., market demand for lighter, tougher alternatives to metals, ceramics, and thermoset composites is driving development o...

Plastics Technology, 2007-10-08, NPE 2006 News Wrap-Up: Chemicals and Additives
...tics prettier with new colorants. Make them stronger with new fillers and reinforcements. Make them lighter with foaming agents. Or just make them go away with improved purging agents and biodegradabl...

Plastics Technology, 2008-12-08, Automotive Plastics Adding More Value in Tough Times
...akers have an even greater interest in exploring new materials and processes to deliver lower cost, lighter weight, and more easy recyclable parts and systems.

Kunststoffe international, An Impact Way beyond its Small Market Share
...in many applications in modern-day architecture. They are inherently flame-retardant, offer long-term resistance to weather and environmental influences, have an outstanding thermal insulating effect and are lighter than glass. AGC Chemicals markets special ETFE films for use in greenhouses under the F-Clean brand (Fig. 3). They are more permeable to daylight and ultraviolet light than glass, polyethylene (PE) or polycarbonate (PC), meaning that the full spectrum of sunlight can permeate the int...

Kunststoffe international, Delivering Efficiency Even in Harsh Environments
...pth design and processing know-how are required, amongst other things, to avoid such defects. Such diaphragms are now also made of PEEK (see Box). In home appliances, high-performing PEEK polymer can enable lighter-weight and smaller designs that remain capable of powerful performance. Indeed, the use of PEEK polymer can also reduce the cost of parts, when replacing metals. A case in point are the recent advancements in vacuum cleaners to meet efficiency and noise requirements. The processing fl...

Kunststoffe international, Easier to Reach the Destination
...ies inevitably increase their overall weight. And while the energy density of batteries continues to rise, the range of modern EVs still lags behind that of conventional vehicles with combustion engines. This makes more efficient and lighter construction as well as improved functional integration more essential than ever for EVs. To this end, automakers are increasingly turning to polypropylene, or PP. With a density of 0.9 g/cm3, PP is lighter than water; in fact, it is one of the lightest mate...

Kunststoffe international, Present in a Multitude of Trends
... The backrests of both front seats of the vehicle are made of Covestro’s PC-based CFRTP Maezio (Fig. 1). In comparison to conventional metal constructions, the composite seat back is up to 50 % lighter. Savings in terms of weight are particularly significant as they are achieved on one of the heaviest parts of the car interior. The injection molding process used makes it possible to incorporate functional structures into the shape of the backrests, reducing the number of components and materials...

Kunststoffe international, Printed Tools for High-Volume Production
...irst sectors to recognize the potential and benefits of 3D printing. Its advanced technology has significantly transformed the development, design, manufacturing and distribution processes of car manufacturers over the last decade. The results are lighter-weight parts, novel designs and, in many cases, reduced costs and faster development and production processes. A study undertaken by Allied Market Research [1] in November 2017 has shown that 3D printing increases the value of existing parts an...

Kunststoffe international, Putting Hybrid Components to the Test
...tion-overmolded with polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), which is particularly well suited for many such e-mobility applications inside the vehicle. A challenge, however, is that the busbars and other electrical components need to become more compact and lighter (Fig. 1). To achieve this, the metal conductors must be situated closer together, increasing insulation requirements. At the same time, the power and voltage requirements of the vehicle are increasing, leading to greater temperature swings in t...

Kunststoffe international, Replacing Metal in the Gearbox
...ecialist GK Concept GmbH spent around one-and-a-half years doing preliminary and development work on creating a shifter fork made of polyphthalamide (PPA) with a 30 % carbon fiber content. The fork is now ready for mass production, is 35 % lighter than its metal counterpart, meets all specifications and has already passed endurance tests on test rigs. The German Dresden-based development team could not have achieved this success without possessing sound technical knowledge and a certain amount o...

Kunststoffe international, Semi-Crystalline, and yet Thermoformable
...cm x 5 cm) weighting close to 8 kg. By thermoforming a PEKK sheet, scrap is drastically reduced and much less material is needed (about 350 g), resulting in high cost reductions. Lighter and Cheaper PEKK ‧Components This technology not only opens up the opportunity to produce large parts with intricate designs, but also allows for the production of many small parts in one shot. A single large PEKK sheet can be used to produce several smaller technical parts as soon as the mold is suitable. In ...

Kunststoffe international, Sustainable Growth
...ades on wind energy systems has been the subject of intensive development work for many years. Interest in this application was sparked primarily by the trend towards longer, lighter, and more powerful rotor blades and the attempt to make wind energy even more competitive through lower manufacturing costs for wind power systems. Currently, commercialization of PU for rotor blades is advancing particularly rapidly in China (Fig. 3). A PU resin system is used for this purpose, for instance, based ...

Kunststoffe international, “Plastics Play a Key Role in Lithium-Ion Batteries”
...htweight design. Take pouch cells, for example. Their outer casing generally consists of an aluminum-plastic laminated film. Before this development was introduced in 1995, batteries used metallic cylinders. The new cell type made batteries lighter and slimmer. In the automotive sector, too, a decision will have to be made in future as to whether the batteries use metallic cylinders or pouch cells. Kunststoffe: What improvements in lithium-ion batteries are you working on at present? Yoshino: Li...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, A Contradiction in Terms?
...lly, non-detachable joints between incompatible plastics also lead to problems in downcycling. "Design for Recycling" versus "New Materials" The need to reduce CO2 emissions will make it essential over the next few years to develop lighter weight designs to cut vehicle fuel consumption. Numerous steel parts are being replaced by light metal or plastics parts. Conventional plastics are being replaced by lightweight fibre-reinforced composites. Other developments are relying on n...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, A Short Time-To-Market Process
...ront-end modules could be demonstrated using a prototype in the context of the development study. By integrating the hybrid assembly carrier, illumination engineering, radiator and condenser modules into a system the entire module became smaller and lighter. With the exception of the headlight glass all parts of the prototype for the front-end module (hybrid assembly carrier, headlight casing and accommodation of the headlight casing) were built and finally also painted based directly on 3D-CAD ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Aid for Day-to-day Business: E-commerce Portal Facilitates Business Transactions
...der management system. Order confirmation is then transmitted by e-mail. System integration thus only takes place from the customer, via the electronic distribution system, to, e.g., BASF – not vice versa. This option is lighter and less expensive to install than the full version. BASF’s global e-commerce portal, the “WorldAccount” started out with the company’s plastics activities and is now available to customers worldwide for all the company’s products (except oil and gas). It was the styren...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Airbag Module in PA 6 Recyclate
...t with high functional integrity - just a few individual parts for complex geometries - outstanding performance characteristics, including right at the temperature limits - recyclability - no corrosion problems In future, the housings will be even lighter and will have an even greater functional integrity. This puts the price for the relatively expensive raw material into perspective compared with a comparable solution involving a large number of steel or aluminium parts. By producing housings i...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Airbus to Fly with PPS
...than 1700 qualification parameters to arrive at the current composite. Küll: What advantages do structural components made from Cetex offer in aircraft construction? van Dreumel: Mainly weight and manufacturing advantages. Our material is 20 % lighter than aluminium. The parts can be readily welded to each other under pressure at the melting point of PPS. This saves the extra effort and expense of riveting, which also weakens the structure of the aluminium component. The wing leading-edge nose...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, All-plastic Hybrids: Thermoplastic Hybrid Structures
...o plastic-plastic combinations. Hybrid structures made of thermoplastics with continuous fibre-reinforced reinforcement elements have high integration variability with low weight and good economy at the same time. Ralph Funck Markus Steffens Light, lighter, lightest. The use of light alloys and highly specialised steel alloys is natural today. What will be the next innovation advance in lightweight construction? This question arises industry-wide and it concerns interesting cost savings potenti...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, All-round Supplier for Polyurethane Systems
...ch foams, even under extreme environmental conditions such as intense solar radiation, can satisfy the stringent emission requirements of the automotive industry and thus constitute an important step along the road to "no-fogging" materials. Lighter-weight flexible foams for car seats with previously unattained physical properties and latex-like slabstock foam (e. g. for mattresses) are just two of the items to emerge from research into the new technology. "We have only just begun...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, All-rounders: Industrial Gases in Plastics Processing
...dia in injection moulding technology. The effects obtained also vary: the most important advantages are weight reduction, shorter cycle times, lower material consumption and improved quality. In foam production, the use of industrial gases leads to lighter foams and more environmentally friendly production. This first article deals with existing and innovative technologies. More detailed articles on the various technologies will follow in upcoming editions of Kunststoffe plast europe. Gas Inje...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, An Overview: Innovative Processing Techniques
...ntally compatible gases uniformly in the melt. When the cavity is filled, nucleation occurs and the gas bubbles expand to yield microfoams containing trapped gas bubbles. Microfoaming offers a number of major advantages. For example, the parts are lighter, have fewer residual stresses and feature superior dimensional accuracy and dimensional stability. Less material is consumed and cycle times are shorter. With fibre-reinforced parts, especially, there is less tendency to warp. Ticona was the fi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Automotive Applications: Thermosets Get Going
... the materials employed in cars must be re-used or recycled as of 2015, and this requirement constitutes a criterion for type approval as of 2005 already [5]. This, however, could lead to a paradoxical situation where a vehicle equipped with lighter components, such as with SMC or moulding compounds, exceeds this 15% limit, whereas a heavier “metal version” with the same absolute share of non-recyclable components does not. This would be a setback for lightweight construction (Fig.5). Despite th...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Bonding of Plastics
...he steel or aluminium frame with flexible PU adhesives. The bonded parts increase torsional rigidity, dampen noise, insulate and thus increase passengers' comfort. Thanks to the use of plastics, modern rolling stock vehicles are up to one third lighter than earlier models and are thus more economical to operate. The importance of bonding technology is reflected in the fact that roughly 400 kg of adhesive is contained in each vehicle. Shipbuilding Shipbuilding offers plenty of scope for plas...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Building: Trends with Polycarbonate Sheets
...arguments for PC sheets compared to glass are the only about half as much specific weight, the high impact strength and resistance to fracture and the far greater ductility. Their low weight facilitates handling when assembling, permits the use of lighter support structures and because of the static gives to the architect greater formative liberty (Figures 1 and 2). Compared to other plastics such as polymethyl metacrylate (PMMA), which can also be used as sheet material, PC is characterised par...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, CAD/FEA Integration: Water Pump with Improved Long-term Performance
...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 applications traditionally dominated by metals. They are lighter than metals, corrosion-resistant and, unlike thermoplastics, very thermally stable, even at high temperatures. Vyncolit, a manufacturer of thermoset materials from Ghent/Belgium, supplies phenolic resin moulding compounds as alternatives to m...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Coloured PPVC Films: Colour Makes the Difference
Additives Colour Makes the Difference Coloured PPVC Films. The influence of coloration on the weathering resistance of plasticised PVC films was studied. While UV stability is significantly improved by the addition of carbon black, this increases surface temperature at the same time, leading to high plasticiser losses. So under what circumstances is coloration an advantage and what colours should be used? Martin Bonnet Plasticised PVC (PPVC) is one of today’s best known and most researched mate...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compression Moulding of Long-fibre-reinforced Plastics
...nces such as fillers. Before the finished paste batches are passed to the SMC plant for processing, their properties such as viscosity, color and reactivity are tested. The technology of a modern SMC production plant has reached a high standard. The lighter construction of earlier plants has given way to more solid designs. In this way, elastic deformation of plant components due to the high forces arising from increased output rates has been reduced. This has a beneficial effect on SMC semi-fin...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Convertible Roofs: Targeting the Fresh-air Fanatics
...try that gives plastics good marks. These relate to the potential for possible weight savings, along with the so-called secondary weight reductions, if, for instance, the roof operating mechanism or motors can be made lighter because of the lighter roof materials. Among the additional benefits resulting from the use of lighter plastics for retractable hardtops are a lower centre of gravity for the vehicle, which means better handling in curves, and improved operation, since with the same operati...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cosmetics Packaging: Optical and Haptic Aesthetics
... Cleansing Cream, the skin-care series from Kenzo Perfumes. This features a thick outer layer of Surlyn over an inner layer of propylene to create a frosted surface that offers an interesting contrast to the glossy, domed lid. The Surlyn tub is much lighter than its glass counterpart and also has a sensual feel. According to Qualipac, Neuilly/France, the manufacturer of the tub, Surlyn imparts the frosted surface during the injection moulding stage and no post-finishing is required. This leads t...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Custom-tailored Engineering Materials: Polyphenylene Ether (PPE)
...sistance to hydrolysis and insulating capability in an ideal manner. The flame retardant employed is chlorine- and bromine-free. In addition, these PPE grades contain no heavy metal pigments, have extensive thermal performance capabilities, are lighter and more flexible than many competitive thermoplastics and achieve lower system costs. Flexible PPE resins have a lower density and can provide a weight savings of 20 to 30 % versus PE FR and TPU. Better flow characteristics and higher extrusion r...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cycloolefin Copolymer (COC): Appearance Counts
... number of sectors already. Optical Applications: Crystal-Clear Polymer Solutions Highly-transparent lenses (Fig. 1), sensors and prisms can be produced from COC by injection moulding, permitting a precise geometry to be achieved and offering a lighter weight than glass. Lens systems of this type are used in the electronic industry inter alia, as reading systems for CD and DVD drives. Automotive manufacturers also exploit the properties of Topas, however, with the material offering security and ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Designed for the Sun
... More Development Space for Solar Ideas The attraction of this very new product idea lies in the combination of photovoltaics with the inherent advantages of polycarbonate. With a specific weight of 1.2g/cm³, polycarbonate is around 50% lighter than glass and, particularly in the field of roofing, allows considerable design freedom with lightweight supporting structures. With the aid of normal machining methods such as sawing, drilling or cutting, as well as cold-forming, the finished mod...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Details of Economic Development: High-density Polyethylene (PE-HD)
...for example, has established a local production facility in Asia to make the global plastic fuel tank material, Lupolen 4261 AG. On the cost side, efforts are constantly being made to reduce the wall thickness of the fuel tanks to make them lighter. The foundations for an efficient tank are laid in the development phase. Here it is a question of using modern means of simulation to make optimum use of the build volume offered by the car manufacturers and be able to predict the behaviour of the ta...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Diesel Lines: Some Like it Hot
...ty of the new specialty polyamide 12 over proven polyamide 12 moulding compounds for diesel lines having greater ageing resistance. The main advantages over fuel hoses made from vulcanised elastomer materials are: Polyamide lines are lighter and have a lower volume. They consist of fewer parts because clamps and reinforcements are not required. The thermoplastic line can additionally be more easily adapted to the design of the vehicle through thermoforming. This is more economical than the compl...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Editorial: Light and Versatile
...le to withstand the difficult economic conditions of the past few years. Moreover, the consumption rate for plastics packaging items in terms of weight has been rising steadily, despite the fact that plastics packaging itself has become increasingly lighter. This success is based on the superior and versatile property profile of polymer materials and the resulting substitution potential. Our latest issue of Kunststoffe plast europe provides a comprehensive overview over the plastics packaging se...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Exhibition Preview: North American and Canadian Products at K 2004
...l also introduce the Carousel Plus dryer, a totally new unit that is said to offer more control over dewpoint and temperature than ever before, in a package that is simpler, smaller, lighter, and easier to use and maintain than other dryers. Instead of placing desiccant beads in a canister or tower, the new unit uses a molecular-sieve desiccant that is impregnated into and bonded to a fiberglass substrate formed into a contiuously rotating wheel. The result is said to be “rock-steady” dewpoint a...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, For the Car of Tomorrow
...d vehicle and passenger safety - Design freedom, and - Integration of functions. Polycarbonate (PC) glazing offers potential for innovation in all these developmental areas. Thus, weight savings generally reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions. Lighter glazing also helps lower the vehicle's centre of gravity and thereby improves handling and makes a major contribution to active safety, especially in the case of vehicles with a high superstructure. The plastic also contributes to passive...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Gas-assisted Injection, Temperature Control, Foaming: Industrial Gases as Aids During Injection Moulding
...ng Gas-assisted injection with nitrogen can also be augmented with internal cooling. The benefits of this Linde-developed and patented technique: moulded parts produced in this way are less expensive, exhibit greater dimensional accuracy and are lighter. This technique can be employed for every product with a tubular void, e.g., all types of handles and similar items. The augmented gas-assisted injection technique utilises high-pressure nitrogen at ambient temperatures. This nitrogen flows in a ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, General-purpose Plastics: Appearance Ever More Important
...ansparency (Fig.3). Its improved stiffness and flexural modulus of 1850 MPa permit thinner walls in the finished product. Compared with PS and PET, the product has the advantage of a lower density with improved stiffness. Less dense, and hence lighter in weight, are two other grades from Exxon: BMT 131 and 132 for applications such as bumpers. The good flowability of these grades means that virtually no defects develop during production; the material retains its elasticity down to –30°C. Exxtra...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High Growth Rates: Polyphenylene Sulphide (PPS)
...ng PPS as the polymer matrix are being increasingly preferred for structural parts in the aviation industry. Where such components are used for parts of the wings or tailplanes and other supporting parts, the aircraft becomes lighter and thus more economical. Electrical and electronic system units in the fields of engine management, transmissions and lighting are other typical fields of application. The electrical industry uses PPS for a large number of components in motors and switches (especi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High Requirements - Low Investment Costs
...n logistics before and after producing the part. Excellent Characteristics for Load-Bearing Parts For load-bearing parts or covers made of plastics, the excellent mechanical characteristics of glass fibre-reinforced polyurethanes as well as their lighter weight play a crucial role. For power connections covers are usually made with snap on connections. Inserts made of thermoplastics are usually put into the forms for this purpose. However, inserts for screw on connections for instrument panel ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High-performance Applications: Trends in Packaging Technology
... of an order. Exhausting Savings Potential with Thin-wall Technology In a typical packaging product, the material itself accounts for as much as 70% of the manufacturing costs (Fig. 2). Efforts are underway to reduce wall thickness so as to produce lighter packaging and cut costs by economising on materials. In conventional injection moulding technology, wall thicknesses of 0.4mm with flow path/wall thickness ratios of 200:1 and more are already being realised. For example, when the wall thickn...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High-performance Polymers: Metal Substitution and Miniaturisation
...he Airbus A 380 takes off, it will be accompanied by, among other things, about 2.5 tonnes of plastic parts based on Fortron, the PPS from Ticona. The profile parts moulded from this are mounted on the wing leading edges and are about 20% lighter than the aluminium part used until now, which saves fuel costs. Also on board, in the form of transparent partitions between the different seating categories, is Radel R 7000 tr from Solvay. Polyphenylsulphone’s premiere in the Airbus was expedited by ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Influencing Product Properties: Additive Masterbatches for Foam Film
...ght. The lower weight is also a benefit when it comes to disposal. Flexible polypropylene and rigid PET thermoformed packaging is foamed using chemical blowing agents. Foam polystyrene packaging produced using physical blowing agents is considerably lighter, but also has lower mechanical properties. PE-LD is foamed using chemical blowing agents to produce portable coolers. Table 1 presents an overview. Technical foam films are found in the automotive industry as well as in the construction and m...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Injection Moulding by MuCell Technology: Pole Position
...shows how cell structure formation takes place. The skin is firm and non-porous, while the core has a homogeneous closed-cell structure. The MuCell housing differs from conventionally produced parts by its lighter and slightly cloudy coloration. The process thus cannot be used without modification for quality surfaces, however it is ideal for in-mould lamination of films. Once Schröder Kunststofftechnik GmbH had brought the first machine for MuCell production on stream, the gardening tool manufa...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Injection-Moulded Packaging
... packaging market have enjoyed above-average growth in recent years [3]. Injection moulding is becoming noticeably more and more popular for packaging, at the expense of thermoforming. The following general trends are occurring in packaging [5]: - Lighter packaging Material costs, which constitute a high percentage of packaging costs, coupled with additional disposal surcharges, are driving efforts to reduce the weight of packaging. - More consumer-friendly packaging As demands continue to gro...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Innovative Solutions from VDI-K: Outside and Under the Bonnet
...ctions, such as design and discouragement of theft, and accommodate heating wires and antennae. The windscreen has to defy stone chipping and abrasion over the full service life. Polycarbonate (PC) has an advantage over glass in being 50% lighter. The first vehicle panes were used in the Smart car in 1998. The Sports Coupé of the Mercedes C class was fitted with a transparent polycarbonate rear panel around the same time. The rear doors of the Smart forfour have fixed side panes of PC overmould...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Laminating PVC Window Profiles without Solvents
...opy, EDX and ESCA The studies were conducted on the same PVC materials used for the contact angle studies, in the supply condition. Fig. 4 shows the scanning electron micrographs of PVC surfaces in the supply condition at 3000 x magnification. The lighter-coloured particles in the indentations were identified as lubricant particles. The method of identification used was to direct the electron beam onto a particle and analyse the X-ray signal by energy-disperse X-ray analysis or EDX. The very hi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Lightweight Construction: LWRT Technique for Car Underbody Covers
... pressure, which would result in unstable components. Therefore, the ever more exacting requirements of OEMs can only be met by the introduction of a completely new technology. Based on the homogeneous density of GMT structures, the significantly lighter sandwich design sets the target. However, the new method dispenses with material blends, the optimum objective being the use of layers of the same pure material grade. The conflicting goals of pure material grades and layer construction are uni...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Lightweight Construction: Natural Fibres in Automotive Interiors
...anels, seats and parcel shelves. The reasons for this are that - these material systems are economically sound and efficient, - they offer excellent lightweight properties (i.e. parts based on wood or natural fibre-reinforced polymers are up to 30% lighter than comparable plastic solutions), - they have good acoustic properties, - there is low tool wear when they are processed, - they have a favourable overall environmental impact, - they have good heat resistance, and - they have excellent cr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Mould-making 2000
...s), price competition in the global market and individualization of products (freedom of design) are the driving forces behind system integration around the injection moulding tool in the specilized sector of multi-component articles. Bottle Crates Lighter and with Smooth Handles Similar to moulds for miniature- and small parts, or multi-component articles, development of tools for the injection moulding of medium to large articles has also progressed and improved consistently. One example for...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Multi-component Technique: Safeguarding the Future through Process Integration
Special Safeguarding the Future through Process Integration Multi-component Technique. Multi-component injection moulding has gained enormous importance over the last fifteen years. This is due both to the development of sophisticated products and to the efforts being made generally to economise. The combination of well-known processes, such as sandwich moulding with injection-compression moulding or the fluid injection technique, offers fresh possibilities for lowering costs and creating inn...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Non-elongating Corrugated Pipe: Flexural Elasticity plus Longitudinal Rigidity
...adapted three-dimensionally to the installation conditions and can generally be manufactured very economically in one operation, with all the necessary fittings for connection and assembly. Compared with rubber, thermoplastic materials are very much lighter and much more environment-friendly to recycle. Because of these cost, weight and ecological advantages, there is now a strong trend towards replacing rubber hose with pipes and hose made of thermoplastics. However, thermoplastics have a highe...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Package Solution: Production System for Screw Caps in China
...cavity moulds, not only saves material and energy, it also brings shorter cycle times and a fast return on investment. The "Schöttli Cap" is a screw cap made of PE-HD for one-way PET bottles. Weighing 2.45 to 2.65g, it is up to 20 percent lighter than conventional screw caps due to its special geometry. Because its thread is designed to fit on bottles with the standard BPF or PCO neck finishes, and because of its mechanical 'tamper-evident' band that remains on the neck of the n...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Pelletised and Powdered Rubber: New Feedstock from Old Tyres
...ese are broken down further by a pelletiser, which segregates them roughly into their constituents. Screen filters are then used to sort the pellets according to their size. A magnet separates the steel content from the grinding stock, while the lighter textile fraction is extracted by means of air suction. At the end of the ambient grinding process, the tyres have been processed into rubber pellets with a particle size of up to 4mm. In the next step, the pellets are subjected to the cryogenic g...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Performance Show and Interview: Round About Pipe
...ction, in electrical installations, as drainage pipe, sewer pipe and wastewater pipe as well as in technical applications in household appliances, the medical field, automotive, chemical engineering and the aircraft industries are up to 60% lighter than a smooth pipe with the same hoop strength. For such production, Unicor offers various corrugators that all feature water cooling, vacuum and the time-test horizontal design. The UC 500 is equipped with 40 pairs of directly cooled moulds and is su...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Perspectives at the Start of a New Millennium
...ed. The body of the composite concept vehicle (CCV) consists of just four elements. The material is glassfibre-reinforced PET containing 15 % recyclate - so it is an environmental slogan: "Once a soda bottle, now a car". This version is 50 % lighter and 30 % cheaper than a metal body. Also with regard to disassembly and recycling, such a body already comes close to fulfilling the Delphi forecast of automatic assembly, disassembly and complete recycling. This development, along with simil...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Plastic Goes Online
...ystems have important advantages over body panels made from other materials. The first point to mention is the weight saving, which is as much as 35 to 40 % compared with steel or 25 to 30 % compared with SMC. An RRIM polyurea wing is therefore far lighter than a comparable component made of steel or SMC, even in greater wall thickness due to significantly lower density. ln addition, RRIM polyurea offers increased design freedom in the production of large, complex parts. A key reason for this gr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Plastic, the All-purpose Material: Function in Form
...elmet protuberance – despite its elasticity – does not become soft on hot days or brittle in cold conditions. Weighing only 828g, a carbon fibre-reinforced (CFR) racing bike frame (Fig.6) is about 300g lighter as well as more torsion resistant than that used by Lance Armstrong, four times winner of the Tour de France. It was developed by the student Karl Durst of the faculty of plastics technology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg/Germany. The bike-sport company Cube from Marktredwitz/Germ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Plastics Packaging in the 21sup>st/sup> Century
Plastics Packaging in the 21st Century Horst-Christian Langowski, Freising/Germany Packaging is becoming increasingly lighter and cheaper, and plastics packaging is supporting this trend with technical developments pointing a long way into the future. Customers are calling for still more, however: convenience packaging, and also reliable indicators for quality and reliability. In terms of overall mass, packaging consumption has undergone a continual decline since it peaked in 1991. This tr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT)
...ulfil a central requirement of the TCO and Blauer Engel (Blue Angel) environmental labels (photo: GE Plastics) Fig. 8. Cooking utensil handles in glass fibre reinforced PBT are scratch-resistant and heat resistant and considerably lighter than the standard versions in phenolic resin to date (photo: DuPont) Fig. 9. Medical engineering applications such as this inhaler, where the high dimensional stability of PBT parts permits a precise dose to be dispensed, now require ‘BSE-free’ materials (pho...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polycarbonate instead of Glass: Large Car Windows from an Injection Moulding Machine
...rend contributes first of all to a further weight reduction, since with PC instead of glass the weight of glazing can be reduced by up to 50%. This assists car manufacturers in their efforts to reduce fuel consumption and improve driveability, since lighter windows shift the center of gravity downwards. Moreover, the greater design freedom compared to glass presents many possibilities for individualisation and differentiation in a competitive market. New design opportunities, especially for the ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polyphenylene Sulphide (PPS)
...alled chip carriers. Structural components for the aviation industry are a new highlight of the newly developing range of applications. Components which are used in areas such as airplane wings, tail units or support elements will help make aircraft lighter and more powerful. The European Airbus industry is a motor for the promotion of PPS and it has already affected the US aviation industry. Global Market Demands PPS Producers The PPS market of today has global dimensions. The market requires...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polyurethanes (PUR)
... The combination of PU/metal also impressed many engineers in 2001. This was shown by flexurally rigid, torsion-resistant polyurethane filled aluminium articles that are much lighter than similar solid steel products (Thieme), or steel plate with a PU interlayer, which were introduced by Elastogran, Lemförde/Germany, as an interesting innovation for marine engineering. A particularly intelligent example of the versatility of polyurethane composites is a refrigerator presented by the Italian pol...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polyurethanes: Diversity in PU
...ems, such as CeoDS which incorporates Cellasto for the auxiliary springs, buffer stops and damper bearings. Rigid PU foams from Elastogran are used for thermal insulation in the engine compartment. Elastollan-coated ribbon cables in copper are lighter weight, narrower and offer a higher performance than conventional cables. The lateral door lining on the Mercedes SLK, which is pleasant to the touch, is similarly made of materials produced by Elastogran. Displacement of Classical Materials Polyu...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Possibilities with Plastics: Sports Applications
...rriers are made of polycarbonate. The material is even impact resistant far below freezing. However, the most important advantage of the material is its low weight. In comparison, a runner carrier made of Makrolon is approximately 120g lighter than one made of steel. Because an ice hockey player makes 4000 steps on the average in a match, at the end of the match his legs have carried nearly half a ton less weight with runner carriers made of polycarbonate. Those who ski no longer stand on wood. ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Pressure Vessels: A Question of Curvature
...n trucks. Today's vessels consist primarily of steel and are not only heavy, but also corrosion-susceptible because condensation collects inside the vessels. Aluminium vessels are available as an alternative, which is clearly more expensive but lighter, however. More economical and lighter still would be desirable – an improvement that can be achieved only by processing suitable FRP component materials. Considering the car recycling regulations currently in force it would be meaningful to ma...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Prevention of Solid Waste: Plastic Packaging Today - A Lightweight Champion
...Many of these packages have short life spans and, as a result, are continually in the spotlight in discussions regarding solid waste management. One aspect, however, receives little attention: Efforts by industry over the years have resulted in ever lighter and thinner plastic packaging, while at the same time providing identical or improved functionality – a benefit for both the environment and the consumer. A study conducted by the German gesellschaft für Verpackungsmarktforschung (GVM) (Socie...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, PU Seat Foams from End of Live Vehicles
...loration is a symptom of its decomposition and therefore an important indicator of the available foam quality. To assess the seat foams, four colours were defined. From these colours, five colour groups were derived. They extend from colour group 1 (lighter than colour 1) to colour group 5 (darker than colour 4). The discoloration both at the surface and in the cushion itself was studied. This was used to calculate the volume proportion of each colour group. The proportion of each colour group o...

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, Reinforced Plastics: Caught Up Again
...itting cost-efficient series production. With high fibre contents (60% by weight), the mechanical strength in the direction of the profile is far higher than that of metal profiles. In addition, the thermoplastic-based profiles are considerably lighter than metal profiles. Stükerjürgen also had profiles on display, which are used primarily in aviation. The material combinations employed here include CF/PEI and GF/PA. Where flat inserts are required, the Tepex produced by Bond-Laminates can suit...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Safe Braking
...aking distance is guaranteed. The European Commission and the automotive industry have done justice to these findings by deciding to equip all new vehicles in the EU with ABS as of mid-2004, on the basis of a voluntary agreement. More Easily Dosed, Lighter, Smaller and Quieter Robert Bosch GmbH, with production facilities in several different countries (including at Blaichach/Immenstadt in Germany), ranks top in ABS technology with a market share of 57% worldwide, putting it a considerable dis...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Saving Costs
...talline polypropylene offers major processing and cost advantages for injection moulding, extrusion and downstream processes as well as enabling the properties of packaging to be tailored. For example, thermoforming can result in cups that are 30 % lighter than usual. The new Borstar process developed by Borealis greatly extends the property and application range of polypropylene [1, 2]. In particular, the production of highly crystalline, very rigid materials opens up the possibility of new a...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Somewhat Cooler in the South
...ckaging parts, such as containers, grew by just 3.5 %. Production of insulation material stagnated. As for rigid packaging, the picture for bottle production is somewhat distorted and cannot be compared directly with that for 1999 on account of ever lighter packaging and a shortage of PET. Thermoforming films experienced above-average growth, but all other applications performed poorly. Applications in the building industry grew by 2.6 %, but this figure is lower than that for the building indus...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Sports Equipment: Plastics at all Events
...ving FW 26 chassis from BMW Williams (Fig. 12) is made of carbon fibre aramid epoxy resin composite. A driver cell of this kind is extremely torsion-resistant, twice as strong as a steel body and five times lighter. It is hard to believe, but the chassis of Ralf Schumacher's crashed car was back on the track again two races later when Marc Gené drove it in Silverstone (Fig. 13). The first step in the production of a monocoque is to create a computer-assisted design (CAD), on the basis of whi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Starting Shot for COC
...polycarbonate. Its transmittance corresponds to that of PMMA, which is more sensitive to heat and moisture, however. The low density of COC leads to clear weight savings compared with other materials. COC is thus only half as heavy as glass and 20 % lighter than polycarbonate or PMMA. COC is an innovative alternative material for a large number of fields of application. These include medical primary packaging (e. g. pharmaceutical blister packs or pre-fillable syringes) (Fig. 2), diagnostic arti...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Strong Composites
...osite with improvements in most of its mechanical characteristics, but at the expense of increased specific weight, more complicated processing and more difficult recycling. Better mechanical properties alone are no longer sufficient. Parts must be lighter in weight, with improved properties, and take into account subsequent recycling. This applies to a large number of industrial applications, but particularly in the automotive industry. New possibilities are being opened up by self-reinforced t...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Strong Growth in Polyamides: Polyamide (PA)
...ife oil filter, oil sump seal, oil intake and feed line to the pump are directly integrated into the component, which considerably reduces production and assembly costs. Despite these integrated functions, the modules are still perceptively lighter than all-metal sumps. The first PA oil sump for trucks is now on the market and Lanxess has developed prototypes of a car oil sump that are ready for serial production. Experts expect that in future the number of applications in trucks and cars will i...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Strong Joint between Plastic and Metal
...left). Without such reinforcement, the main ribs often have a tendency to instability under load (buckling). Because of the greater design freedom, PMA often allows the same mechanical properties to be achieved with smaller component dimensions and lighter weight. This is particularly true with designs that depart from the familiar Ushape of the metal sheet [3, 4] and move to a sandwich structure (Fig.2, right). It can be seen, therefore, that PMA is technically superior to IMA. In addition, the...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Structural Change: Styrene Copolymers (ABS, ASA, SAN and their Relatives)
...pounds. This results in significant cost savings, for example, in the building and construction sector where waste water pipes made of this PVC+SAN blend (in accordance with the EU standard) can be made much thinner and therefore lighter. Specialties Styrene copolymer specialties (ASA, MABS, blends with PA or PC) stand out because they have a tailor-made range of properties that is unattainable for commodities. Specialties are mostly used in high-quality applications with strict product specif...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Styrene Copolymers (ABS, ASA, SAN)
...reinforced thermosets such as sheet moulding compounds (SMC). The advantages are obvious: The styrene copolymer systems have low emissions in production and processing (occupational safety), are easier to recycle, are lighter in weight and also have a better surface quality – and it all comes without additional, cost-intensive coating processes. This makes them particularly suitable, for example, for the production of large-area structural parts for camper vehicles. Currently being launched on t...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Submicron and Nano
...inforced PP remains the automotive industry, which produced over 15 million vehicles in Western Europe in 1999. Of the total production of 500 000 tonnes of PP compounds, 250 000 tonnes found their way into automobiles. There is a trend towards ever lighter materials in the automotive industry. This manifests itself in attempts to use as few fillers as possible and at the same time to even improve the mechanical properties. These are only successful in the case of highly select fillers that have...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Substitution: Compressed Air from the Plastic Pipeline
...h, founder and managing director of Beko. Unlike conventional steel pipes, the Bekoflow compressed air pipes are made of polybutene (PB) and have numerous advantages. The most significant is the weight difference. The plastic pipes are about 80% lighter than conventional materials, and PB is heat resistant up to 80°C. The pipelines are resistant to all widely used compressor fluids, and do not pose any hygienic or toxicological problems. The plastic system also does not have any of the problems ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Tailor-made Compression Moulding Process: Automatic Compression Moulding Machines for Powder Materials
...ilicated in a high vacuum at 1700°C. When the brake disc is being moulded, it is vital for the carbon fibres, which have the same size, not to be damaged and for the product height to be strictly observed. The new brake disc is much lighter than the cast iron brake discs used to date. The greater than 50% weight saving reduces vehicle weight by up to 20 kilograms, the exact reduction depending on the size of the brake. This not only improves fuel economy, but also reduces the unsprung weight...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, The Eye Listens Too
...colour deviation. In order to establish the cause of the deviation, however, it is important to make use of the individual components of da*, db* and dL*: da* provides information on greener/redder, db* assesses blue/yellow and dL* indicates whether lighter/darker. Philips has specified limit values, known as tolerances, to enable a good/bad statement to be made. These are the maximum permitted deviations. They can be saved in the color-guide gloss together with the standard, enabling the unit t...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, The Right Software Brings Success
... already well underway - the bending devices for the aluminium yoke already existed. However, since the aim was to develop a unique, high-quality caddy, it was decided to substitute carbon parts for the aluminium parts because not only were they lighter and more stable but they allowed the necessary rods and cables to be hidden. A design office was commissioned to revise the draft using the design capabilities afforded by Thermoshape. Computation Can Save Money The various steps in the project...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE)
...printers, keyboards and pointing devices. Non-slip TPE Non-slip handles are a further field of application for TPE. Veeser Plastic of Konstanz/Germany, for example, uses them to produce sliding switches using the two-component technique for lighters made by Rowenta (Fig.9). The basic frame of the switch which is produced in the polyacetal Delrin, has a non-slip grip surface injected on to it in Ponaflex TPE-S from Pongs & Zahn Plastics AG, Hamburg/Germany. The choice fell on Delrin because of...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Thermosets
...ins, hardeners and thermoset moulding materials have been forced to raise their prices. The rather disappointing balance sheets of moulding material manufacturers (Fig.1) can be attributed partly to the reduction in sales volumes due to the need for lighter-weight components, the stagnation in the construction industry and, in the case of urea resins, partial replacement by thermoplastics. Specialty materials, e.g. phenolic-resin-based, are making up for this to some extent. The industry has obv...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Trends at the IAA: Shop Window for Innovations in the Motor Industry
...doors, for example, is made of polypropylene reinforced with around 2kg of kenaf fibres per vehicle. Kenaf is a plant of the mallow family that grows to a height of 3 m and produces very robust, bast-like fibres. Fibre mats of kenaf are lighter than comparable mats of plastic, can absorb energy in the event of a side impact, and do not break or splinter. Kenaf found its way into the Ford Mondeo from the fields of Bangladesh and a local fibre-processing operation, via Rotterdam to the Funder Iso...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Turbocharged Engines: Plastic Solution for Supercharged Air Pipes
...PS using blow moulding technology for compressor and/or turbo engines. Peter Radden Matthias Schümann Technical plastics such as polyamide (PA) are often viewed as the better alternative to metal for manufacturing automobile parts because they are lighter and more flexible than for example steel or aluminium. However, in some ranges now even the so far frequently used PA reaches its limits. Supercharged air transport in turbocharged engines is a good example of this. For the cold duct of the in...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Unhindered Growth: Cyclic Olefin Copolymers (COC)
...s in digital cameras, cell phones, scanners, printers (Fig.2) and CD/DVD drives. Lenses, sensors and prisms can be injection moulded from COC with high geometrical precision, while offering the further advantage of being considerably lighter in weight than glass. Two Further Launchpads in the Medical Sector In the medical sector, too, optics plays a key role. For this reason, COC has two further launchpads from which to establish itself: pharmaceutical packaging and diagnostic applications. In...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, What Customer Focus Really Means
...users in Germany have formed a network (chief project of the BMBF) to gain as much as a competitive advantage as possible for all concerned. The innovation targets of the German plastics industry are clear: - Lower raw materials consumption through lighter products, and less scrap: hence, less dependency on raw materials prices - Recyclability - Replace other materials through lower weight and more extensive, cheaper moulding properties - New properties (e.g. surface properties, optical properti...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Which Way is the Wind Blowing for GRP?
...nd development of materials will therefore need to take into account not only the general increase in the size of the rotor blades, but also the conditions of an offshore environment. The construction of more rigid and lighter weight blades will be hardly likely to succeed without the additional use of carbon fibres. Yet opinion is split on this matter, because some people hold the view that the fatigue behaviour of CRP has not yet been adequately clarified and consider the wettability in infusi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Wood extrusion: Wood from the Extruder
... lift in particular since the K2001 plastics fair. Formerly an Additive, Now the Main Component Wood and other natural fibres offer many advantages over inorganic fillers and reinforcing fibres in the processing of thermoplastic polymers. They are lighter, have a lower abrasive tendency and are, of course, renewable materials [1]. Sawdust, for example, can be used as a filler to cut material costs, but it can also be used to improve the strength or the temperature-dependent dimensional stabili...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Worldwide Demand is Increasing: Polyphenylene Sulphide (PPS)
...ed grades are suitable for blow moulding processes, and so contribute to reducing weight. Charge air tubes are a good example of this. Until now they were made of light metal (aluminium). Thanks to the use of PPS, they are now over 40% lighter. Resistance under the Car Bonnet and in Filters PPS has a wide range of applications in automotive engineering. Under the bonnet, the above-mentioned new PPS fibre-reinforced hoses defy the increasing thermal, chemical and mechanical stresses. The elastom...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-30, Extrusion Dies: Variety by the Meter
Special Variety by the Meter Stefan Seibel Extrusion Dies. Production of high-quality semi-finished plastic goods requires product-specific extrusion lines that incorporate a number of critical processing operations. Regardless of where the extrusion die is located in this sequence of important components, there is no doubt that it is ultimately responsible for the shape of the product. It is this responsibility that results in the variety of products that can be produced via extrusion. Within...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-01-15, An Enterprise Preparing Itself: "Our Technologies Would Have Deserved More Courageous Renewal Also in Europe"
...r advantages concerning the precision of the shaped parts and the expenditure for finishing. Take mobile telephones, for example: The structural strength of the plastic is sometimes no longer sufficient when the parts become ever lighter and more thin-walled. Kunststoffe: One could say: an example of substitution in the reverse direction. Usually the industry works to replace metal with plastic in new applications. Neuber: Here it is about the economics of the process. The transmission case, wh...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-02-02, Injection Moulding: Perfection in Panels
... that the panels are completely coloured throughout. The thickness of the compact surface layers can be set up in the process. The foamed panels are not only much lighter than wooden materials and solid plastic panels, but can also be machined easily (8) One of the core business lines is the manufacture of recreational vehicles and caravans. Here, a decorated VarioLine panel forms the rear wall of a shower stall (photo: Hymer) (9) Miscellaneous applications are for instance concrete form work or...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-02-22, Carbon-fibre-reinforced Plastics (CRP): The Black Gold of Lightweight Building
...dapted for liquid processing [6, 9]. Optimum fire safety is achieved with RTM parts based on phenols resins [6, 10]. From a mould point of view, allowance has to be made for the high curing temperatures, which sometimes exceed 180°C. Flying Lighter than Ever. Rising sales in recent years for the CRP industry’s most important customer have been the motive force behind advances in new processing technologies. Vast quantities of fuel can be saved in civil aviation, where materials are catching up ...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-02-23, Materials: Nature in the Car
... for the centre section, which is strengthened with approximately 2kg of kenaf fibres per vehicle. Kenaf is an up to 3m high plant from the mallow family that supplies very durable phloem-similar fibres (Title photo). Fibre mats made of kenaf are lighter than comparable mats made of plastic and in the case of a side collision can absorb energy, break and do not splinter. For the Ford Mondeo the path of kenaf leads from the fields in Bangladesh via numerous stopovers first into the Rudolfstadt/...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-03-23, Food Packaging: To Each Yoghurt Tub, Its Own Polystyrene
...mance ratio of plastics in relation to alternative materials, such as glass and card, for certain applications. Several factors are affecting the development of new packaging: apart from the ongoing cost pressure, which is forcing through lighter, thin-walled packaging, and deliberate differentiation from competitors, it is primarily changed eating habits, new lifestyles, and demographic changes that are dictating consumption. Foremost among these are new age and household demographics, such as ...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-08-06, Performance Show: Westphalian Extrusion Marathon
...pment on this line: The vacuum tank used was a full-bath vacuum tank that assured a highly stable vacuum. The novelty of the newly introduced haul-off was its C-shaped design, which made it considerably smaller and lighter than conventional designs while providing better accessibility and higher speeds. Lines for irrigation pipe are a new product in the range of equipment offered by Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik and like all complete lines are supplied from Bad Oeynhausen with optimally matched ...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-09-28, An Attempt at Defining the Status Quo: Injection Mouldmaking in 2006
...ject manager at IFW sets out the current developments as follows: “The trend is towards ever-bigger parts. Big drain shafts in concrete are now being replaced by plastic systems, for example. These lighter parts can be installed by two men, without the need for a crane – something that would be inconceivable with concrete shafts”. And the weight savings are not just restricted to the moulded part: the weight of the moulds is also reduced by using a combination of cast aluminium and steel. “One ...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-10-27, Lanxess: Ensuring Sustained Growth
...y been produced worldwide with hybrid components, such as front ends. This innovation has provided a competitive edge in the market. Hybrid technology is now tackling new challenges, such as door modules (Fig.3). For the same cost, a 20% lighter hybrid component is produced with the same performance characteristics as the steel part. Its advantages include high rigidity, safety in side-on collisions and corrosion resistance. In electronics, metal and plastic have to meet requirements such as min...

Kunststoffe international, 2006-12-06, Process Engineering: Improved Surfaces in Foam Injection Moulding
...surface can develop solely by the effect of the surface tension and gas pressure. According to this concept, the light in the region of the silver streaks is oriented by the flat surfaces and reflected more intensively, making the streaks appear lighter and therefore silvery depending on the light incidence. In addition, the edges of the depressions can lead to intensive reflection of the light, which is independent of the angle of light incidence within a large range. On the surrounding surface...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-01-22, Comparison of Articulated Arm and Linear Robots
...as this depends on the working radius of the articulated arm robot, and does not take acceleration and braking procedures into account. For this reason, manufacturers of articulated arm robots are presently aiming for lighter constructions and greater reach, in order to increase the working speed when handling low-weight components, e.g. in injection moulding applications. As opposed to applications with six-axes robots, the mould opening time is highly significant for the efficient production o...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-03-15, Complex and Stable
...n Europe. He is located in Terneuzen; jvanpoucke@dow.com Manufacturer Dow Automotive Herbert H. Dowweg NL-4530 Terneuzen, Niederlande Phone +31/115/67-3532 Fax +31/115/67-3184 www.dowautomotive.com Fig. 0. The new Audi TT is lighter due to seat backs made of (PC+ABS) blend Fig. 1. The setup of the seat belt pull test of blow moulded seat backs and the equivalent CAE model Fig. 2. With the support of CAE calculations further prototypes were developed and tested at room temperature as well a...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-03-15, Modular Concepts for Lighter Engines
Modular Concepts for Lighter Engines Engine Components Technical and high-temperature thermo plastics such as glass fibre reinforced polyamide 66, polyphenylene sulphide or polyphthalamide are finding increasing use for numerous engine components in modern automobiles. As opposed to light aluminium, they offer an even greater potential for lightweight construction. It is the design freedom of plastics that has enabled the manufacture of complex modules – with a positive effect on costs. Mich...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-04-17, Hydraulics is High-Tech
...ault-tolerant, such as polyurethane, on the other. Kunststoffe: Aircraft constructors, in some applications, have even doubled the pressure in on-board hydraulic systems, so that they can use smaller and also lighter pistons. Is there the same tendency in mechanical engineering? Feuser: I see this tendency in other fields, too, even if pressures haven’t been doubled there. Some applications need quite a lot of space, such as rotary indexing machines, presses and transfer equipment. Machine buil...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-04-17, Optimised Material Usage
Optimised Material Usage Inline Recycling Rising material prices simultaneously increase the value of manufacturing waste. For injection moulding companies, inline recycling of waste offers an enormous savings potential. First, however, corresponding machine-related requirements must be fulfilled. Gottfried Hausladen Inline recycling of sprues and scrapped parts leads to optimised material usage, which in turn reduces feedstock consumption. Cleanly sorted by type, the material can be recyc...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-06-18, Formwork Panels Made of Plastic
...the panels find use in horse stalls (Fig.6) and milking booths. They are further suited for use as floor panels in animal transporters or as sheeting walls to protect against flooding. Current advances in the production process permit even lighter panel structures with the same mechanical properties. References 1. DIN 18202: Toleranzen im Hochbau: Bauwerke 2. DIN EN ISO 178: Kunststoffe: Bestimmung der Biegeeigenschaften 3. DIN EN 438-2: Dekorative Hochdruck-Schichtpressstoffplatten (HPL); Pl...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-08-14, Conserving Resources through Plastics
... (Gesellschaft für Umfassende Analysen, GUA) comes to the conclusion that dispensing with plastics just in Western Europe would lead to a 26 % increase in energy consumption. Plastics are Energy-efficient Materials Plastic parts make vehicles lighter, and the same applies to plastics packaging for products too. Both effects lead to a lower fuel requirement. The energy efficiency of commodity manufacturing can be increased through plastics and, in addition to this, energy savings are made espec...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-08-14, Tiny Tubes with a Huge Impact
... they are incorporated in epoxy composites the strength and mechanical resilience of these increase significantly. While the bulk polymer takes up the pressure the CNT network dissipates the tensional loading. In this way such components can be made lighter and still have better mechanical properties. This advantage is already being made use of in the manufacture of sports equipment – for example surfboards. For this application Nanoledge, Sophia Antipolis, France, have developed a special epoxy...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-09-19, Clearer and Longer Protection
...ws the unwanted yellow discoloration of PET bottles to be prevented. Simon Schambony Whether for liquid cleaning agents, fruit juice, ketchup or beer there is a strong trend in favor of plastic packaging amongst consumers. They are significantly lighter than other packaging, nearly unbreakable, easy to process and offer a great deal of design freedom. The unbroken triumphal progression of plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) continues with around 12.5 million tonnes of PE...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-09-19, Designing with New Freedoms
Designing with New Freedoms Improved Performance Highly filled polyamide 6 grades are extremely rigid and open up entirely new possibilities for design. All-plastic and plastic-metal hybrid components are not only lighter, more compact and more economical to produce; they are also characterized by improved mechanical performance. In addition, such components can be optimized with regard to weight and performance capability through the use of topological optimization and integrative simulatio...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-09-19, Energy Efficiency Taking on Increasing Importance
...r components that need to have a high dimensional stability, such as spikes or roller clamps. Martin Weber Fig. 1. The panorama roof on the smart fortwo is made of transparent polycarbonate and is around 40 % lighter than a glass version (photo: Bayer MaterialScience) Fig. 2. The Audi TT front end produced by the aluminum hybrid technique permitted weight savings of 15 % (photo: Lanxess/Audi) Fig. 3. Weight savings can also be achieved with an inline-painted body part made of an impact-modifi...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-09-19, Flexible with High Loadbearing Capacity
...eal for use in the extremely harsh conditions of an oilfield. Take blow-out preventers, for example, which are used to seal off well bores, so protecting people and the environment: These products can be manufactured in a much lighter weight and yet be made more robust and safer by using Therban AT, a particularly easyflowing HNBR grade with Mooney viscosity values of around 40MU. The high flowability of Therban AT further increases the safety of blow-out preventers and makes their production mo...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-09-19, Mastering Demanding Challenges
...lastics for low-density parts in refrigerator interior applications or other household appliances (photo: Basell) Fig. 5. A custom-formulated compound of polypropylene and glass fibers makes the rear seat of the Ford Galaxy lighter while simultaneously reducing noise inside the vehicle (photo: Quadrant) Fig. 6. Colorful printed shrink sleeves made from a special styrene-butadiene block copolymer (SBC) can be slipped over any bottle shape and offer material savings (photo: BASF)

Kunststoffe international, 2007-09-19, Tailored to Your Timeline
...hese fillers are ideally suited as reinforcements in PP for automotive applications, because they provide increased stiffness and better strength at elevated temperatures. As a consequence, parts can be designed with thinner walls and lighter weight. The HAR talc grades also reduce the shrinkage and expansion characteristics, allowing part designs with narrow gaps (Fig. 5). Since the lamellar shape of the particles is five times greater than that of conventional talc grades, good barrier propert...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-09-19, Versatile Material with Unlimited Potential?
Versatile Material with Unlimited Potential? Polyurethanes (Trade-fair-pre-report K 2007) The global market for polyurethanes has been growing steadily for years. It is driven by the desire for comfort, as in the furniture and automotive sectors, and for robust or tactile surfaces. At the K 2007 international plastics exhibition, manufacturers and processors will be providing information on new developments in these sectors. Virtually no other material combines an attractive appearance wit...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-10-19, High-Density Polyethylene (PE-HD)
...Asia/Pacific region more than 10% p.a. is expected (1.5 million t in 2011). PE-HD is a virtually ideal material for (waste) water pipes. It is long lasting, resistant to rotting, chemicals and disinfectants, flexible and so protected against damage, lighter as the alternatives metal, ceramics or concrete and thanks to highly developed joining technology simple to lay. This means that the construction or renewal of the distribution network can be carried out by untrained personnel. Due to the hig...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-10-21, A Simple Alternative to Rubber-Metal Composites
...esses Costly rubber production, the enormous price hikes for metals and the trend to lightweight construction have finally made the search for alternative component solutions inevitable. In many cases the substitution of heavy metal components by lighter plastics, which also afford considerable advantages in terms of production technology, has already been successful. Steel and aluminum can be replaced, for example, by glass-fiber reinforced polyamides provided the design is suitable. Likewise ...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-10-21, Foamed Thin Wall Packaging
...n comparison to solid injection molding. Whilst unfoamed 500 g margarine containers are typically produced with a 4+4 cavity stack mold on a SynErgy 5000 injection molder (clamping force: 5,000kN) a SynErgy 3500 (3,500kN) can be used for the lighter variant. The lower investment cost is therefore also a factor in making the total SLIM part costs significantly lower than margarine containers injection molded using the standard process. At K 2007 Nestal will be presenting this application on a mac...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-10-21, Four Ways towards a Multi-Component Bottle Crate
...status report needs a starting point: In this case it is the conventional one-component standard bottle crate, which has been gradually replacing the traditional wooden beer crate since the 1970s. The early plastic bottle crates, apart from being lighter, were still very similar to their wooden counterparts in terms of functionality and appearance. Back then, bottles were slimmer and heavier and the crates had to be taller than they are now because their most important purpose was to protect the...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-10-21, Polycarbonate (PC) and Polycarbonate Blends
...warpage. It is produced by Webasto AG, Stockdorf near Munich, Germany, by two-component injection-compression molding on an injection molding machine with a turnover plate. The PC roof element in the Smart fortwo is distinctly more than 40% lighter than a comparable solution made of glass. Bayer MaterialScience is proceeding on the basis that with today’s materials and mold and machine concepts for injection-compression technology low-stress roofs having an area of up to 1.7m2 are feasible. It ...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-10-21, Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS)
...itable for blow molding and so contribute to reducing weight. Supercharger pipes are a good example of this. For a long time they were manufactured from lightweight metal (aluminium). Due to the use of PPS, however, they are over 40 % lighter today and, furthermore, they have become more flexible and more resistant to stresses (Fig. 3). Promising new developments will soon be launched on the market. In the new generation of engines Mercedes, for instance, has put its trust in PPS. In the SLK V6 ...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-10-21, Polystyrene (PS)
...ue to a switch in technology by key applications. Thus, the proliferation of MP3 technology has meant that less CD packaging – a key polystyrene sales market – is being produced. The housings of flatscreen displays are much smaller and lighter than previous TV devices. The packaging sector is also witnessing some resubstitution of polypropylene for polystyrene. Volatile polystyrene prices are by no means the least reason for this. In 2006, some 11.07 million t of polystyrene were consumed around...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-11-21, Highlights: Lightweight Construction and Bio
...s the big challenge. In the case described a delta of 9 mm (Fig.2) must be handled. Also for Noble Bodies Not All is High-grade Steel The noble bodies gladly make use of the weight savings of plastics. The Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder became 5kg lighter using a tailgate made of CFK painted in the car’s color. Because of the small number of items the process costs contribute more than 50% to the total price, as Günther Deinzer of the development consortium Audi, Lamborghini, ACE and Weiss report...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-11-21, Joining with Natural Gas
...t integrity was achieved; the improved production quality lowered the reject rate. The hollow stainless steel heating elements employed have a longer service life than solid aluminum or aluminum-bronze tooling and are significantly lighter as well, which is of major importance for the design of hot-tool welding equipment. The safety and acceptance of natural gas technology – many components are standard items produced in high volumes – with its control units can be easily integrated into the mac...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-11-21, Lighter, More Sustainable, More Economical
Lighter, More Sustainable, More Economical Individual Mobility In the world of tomorrow, automobiles must have lower emissions and consume fewer resources, not to mention being safer and more comfortable. In addition, they should be more economical. This means: without major innovations regarding materials, processes and functions, the concept of individual mobility is at risk. Jan Dannenberg Jan Burgard Even today, innovations are a major factor for success in the automotive industry. In...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-11-21, Weight-Saving Plastics for Reduced Fuel Consumption
...turbochargers or mechanical compressors and their combinations, through increased functional integration, and through weight reduction. Mann+Hummel offers technical solutions that reduce vehicle weight by substituting metals with plastics. Lighter vehicles have a lower fuel consumption. Less fuel means less CO2 emissions. 60% Weight Advantage over Aluminium In this context, plastic plays a decisive role. It offers weight advantages and permits more complex geometries and therefore a higher deg...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-12-17, From Miniaturization through to Furniture Design
...access to the aviation industry can be readily summed up in such a simple formulation. Basotect UL from BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany, is, however, one material that has made the grade. This new variant of the melamine resin foam is 30% lighter than the conventional version, flame-resistant, and stable from +200 to -200°C, without becoming brittle. Above all, however, it absorbs sound very efficiently and has good thermal insulation properties, as will be shown in Boeing’s Dreamliner-787 from 2...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-12-17, Hollow Objects
... booth of Sidel S.A., Le Havre, France, was the NoBottle water bottle that is supposed to set new standards in terms of weight, design and performance. According to information from Sidel, with a weight of 9.0 g, this 500-ml PET bottle is 25 to 40% lighter than conventional bottles. The exhibited bottle was produced on the new model SBO 24xs Highspeed blow molding machine. The company also used the K show to publically present its Equinox automatic blow molding machine control system (Fig. 6). T...

Kunststoffe international, 2007-12-17, Marriage between Specialists
...ving as by no means the only benefit of the process, although container (500g capacity), produced at the booth of Netstal-Maschinen AG, Näfels, Switzerland, using the microcellular foam of the Trexel plant are a considerable 6 to 8% lighter than conventionally injection molded containers. Far more, Trexel points out the universal opportunities of the process, which are already requiring a rethinking of design. Use of the MuCell process reduces the required holding pressure and warpage of the par...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-01-15, Tireless Assistants
... the design data of the molded part. Around this support are the remaining components of the gripper, and the part is finally produced largely in a single piece. Compared to conventional designs, polyamide gripper models are much lighter. Because the air flow guides can be integrated, annoying hoses can be largely dispensed with (Fig. 9). The Axess robot series from Sepro Robotique, La Roche sur Yon, France, is designed for easy pick and place. Designed for injection molding machines with clampi...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-02-29, Injection Molding against Gas Crises
...zed systems matched to the application in question. New Opportunities from Metal Injection Molding G-Mag International, a business unit of Magna International, produces magnesium parts on a HyMET injection molding system. The material is much lighter than aluminum and other metals and so likewise contributes to lowering gas consumption and vehicle emissions. Magnesium is suitable for numerous different automobile parts, including crankcases and electronics housings, steering wheels and seat st...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-05-10, More Return, More Climate Protection
...with further innovative solutions BASF has realized different low-energy buildings up to the so-called "zero-heating cost house". Also in the mobility field for instance plastics should contribute to more energy efficiency by making cars lighter. With vehicles 5% less weight corresponds to about 5% less fuel consumption. According to data from BASF, for all licensed automobiles in Western Europe, annually about 2.3 millions tonnes of fuel and 9.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be sa...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-06-16, The Power of Long Fibers
...of polyamides – aliphatic, partly aromatic and transparent. In connection with LFT technology, new potentials are obtained – such as metal replacement. In many respects, using plastics instead of metal is of advantage: the component is much lighter and does not have to be processed after production. Plastics enable complex geometries and they save expenses, too. Where components must fulfill high requirements concerning mechanics and durability, high-performance LFTs are recommended. These long ...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-06-16, We're Moving towards Specialties
...de out of Ultramid T 4381 LDS from BASF. This further improved polyamide 6/6T can be laser activated and metallized Fig. 4. In their new window frame profiles aluplast were able to replace the metal stiffeners (right: red) with significantly lighter strips of Ultradur High Speed from BASF (left: black). This improved thermal insulation of the window frame profile by 20 % and allows the window maker to save complex and expensive steel processing steps Fig. 5. In the Performance Polymers Division ...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-07-15, Continued Growth in Compounds
...ite Element Method (FEM) as his simulation model. This model served for calculating components in the Airbus A350. Prof. Tsai presented Boeing's 787 (Fig. 2) as an "all composites airplane" – one that can be built more than 20% lighter than conventional aircraft. Another example for weight savings was the Toyota Prius. According to Prof. Tsai's MMF calculations (Micromechanics of Failure), a General Electric turbine could be designed 66% lighter with 100% higher mechan...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-07-15, Metal as the Virtual Benchmark
...ing driven ahead by the need to save costs and, above all, to bring about weight savings and hence also achieve a reduction in consumption and emissions. Although a large number of steel and aluminum parts in the engine compartment have given way to lighter-weight plastic parts with a higher level of functional integration, load-bearing structural elements have so far been excluded from this. Power train bearings, such as engine bearings, spring supports and chassis components subject to high me...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-08-14, Cross-Linked Precision
...ably mounted, its position determining the composition of the gas mixture flowing into the engine. To perform this important function reliably, the throttle valve body has to meet very high precision requirements. The thermoset components are much lighter than the aluminum version. They permanently withstand thermal stress from -40 to 150°C. The valve housings, made from BMC, offer high chemical resistance to the media used in the engine compartment and are valued for their beneficial acoustic p...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-08-14, Strapping Tape Production under Control
...s and bricks, PET strapping tapes have major advantages. Unlike steel strapping, PET strapping tapes have a high shock reserve for sudden loads and are at the same time sufficiently elastic to hold shrinkable loads securely. They are easy to secure, lighter than steel strapping tapes and are immune to weather, since they do not rust and upon opening they present no danger of injury due either to sharp edges or to the so-called pop-open effect. In the manufacture of strapping tapes (usually c...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-09-23, Economical Blow Molding
...sistance of ACP PE-HD is four times higher than that of unimodal standard grades. Even the elastic characteristics of the melt that are so important for the blow molding process can be affected in a positive manner by the new polymerization process. Lighter Products The relationship between the environmental stress cracking resistance and the density has been redefined in the new ACP grades from LyondellBasell. For instance, the high-density Hostalen ACP 5831D (0.959 g/cm3) or the Hostal...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-10-17, Polycarbonate (PC)
...requiring precision lenses and optics for use with LED bulbs – in particular as an alternative to glass and PMMA. Compared to glass, complex lens geometries can generally be injection molded more economically in PC. In addition, the parts are lighter. With its high heat deflection temperature of up to 130°C, PC is better suited to withstand the maximum LED operating temperature than is PMMA. Furthermore, because of the greater index of refraction, the part design can be thinner. To...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-10-17, Polystyrene (PS)
... Fig. 1) [2]. New fields of application for SBS are opened up by blow molding – both extrusion and injection blow molding. Compared to the transparent materials conventionally used for this process, e.g. PVC, PET-G or PC, SBS is up to 30% lighter and can be more easily processed (lower processing temperatures, shorter cycle times, no predrying necessary). The material can be easily pigmented, printed, bonded and welded. SBS hollow articles manufactured in this way are characte...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-10-17, Polyurethanes (PU)
...s in this regard – especially when compared to sheet metal or sheet holding compound (SMC). For instance, luggage compartment floors (Fig. 3), spare tire covers and sunroof cassettes can be as much as 80 % lighter than wood or sheet metal through use of PU sandwich construction. The “PU sandwich”consists of a honeycomb cardboard core sandwiched between two glass fiber-reinforced skins that are pressed together in a mold using a sprayed two-component PU system such as Baypreg F. I...

Kunststoffe international, 2008-11-20, Continued Growth
...years (250,000 million in the year 2000), globally. According to Lanxess, one might consider as a chance for growth in the area of semi-crystalline products the fact that there is a trend towards lighter and more economic vehicles. utives pointed out that this business unit had worked together in a specific project with automotive manufacturers to improve the company’s plastics-metal hybrid technology based on polyamide (Durethan). Applying this technique, a vehicle’s metal parts...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-01-26, Extreme Performance in Sport
...eless flexible cross-country ski is produced which can withstand the high stresses caused by cold, weight, flexing and speed. Furthermore, in comparison with versions containing different foam core materials the skis are distinctly lighter. The question remains as to what in the final analysis counts in sport. Is it human ability or the perfect material? Whether used for motion analyses to improve training or for specially developed materials, high-tech in sport is here to stay. Nevertheless, pe...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-01-26, Polyurethane Systems in Rail Traffic
...hat associated with conventional rail construction by more than a factor of three. The extended maintenance cycles also mean corresponding cost savings for rail network operators. Another aspect that should not be underestimated is that with the lighter FFU ties large switch modules can be pre-fabricated in the factory. With this approach, the complete sewage can be installed quickly, that is, with a relatively brief interruption of rail traffic. In addition, precise and fast installation of ind...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-06-16, Ever More Electricity and Plastic
...icularly suitable Ultradur grade that guarantees a very high level of process security. The portfolio of these laser transparent PBT special grades is being further expanded in order to meet future market requirements [1]. Thin Walls Smaller and lighter – this trend is leading to ever thinner component walls in electronic parts. For example in order to produce dimensionally stable and correctly filled connectors during the injection molding process optimized high flow materials are necessary. Th...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-06-16, Plastics in the Fast Lane
...ld be necessary [1]. Polymers today are driving development in the automotive industry. They are increasingly the key to fuel-saving, future-safe solutions in fuel systems, under the hood, and in safety and electronic systems. They are up to 30 % lighter than metals, withstand many different substances, corrosion and temperatures up to 260 °C, have little or no electrical conductivity and offer many other advantages. A wide range of high-quality plastics with some very specific properties ensure...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-07-16, Plastic Bodies
...ithstood for 10 s. The prototypes passed this and all other required tests. The fact that all the functions of the original parts could be incorporated reduced part complexity from 30 individual parts to five. The rear seat backrests are 20–30 % lighter than the original metal version, the exact saving depending on the design. Body Concept For all the modern-day controversial debates about new drives, alternative forms of energy and energy-efficient models, there is one undisputed fact: the smal...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-07-16, With a Lightweight Structure
...ructure is then heat pressed at about 130°C, during which the slightly foaming Baypreg F firmly bonds the individual composite components together. This results in rigid trunk floors, which, with areal weights of less than 3 kg/m2, are up to 80 % lighter than comparable components of conventional materials such as wood or sheet metal. There is no need for complicated and expensive lamination of the trunk floors with textiles. The soft-touch surfaces have a high-quality appearance and are robust,...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-10-14, Batch Size Is Everything
..., industrial robots can be used in virtually all sectors of industry. Every industry speaks its own language and operates according to different laws. Automation manufacturers must adapt to these conditions. Robot mechanisms are becoming lighter, slimmer and faster. In addition, they are provided with large reaches and comprehensive options. Sensible software functions required by the market, such as synchronized retraction and extension or automatic position recognition of molds, have also been...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-10-14, Focus on High-Tech
...ipresent in a few years time. Even today they are already found in everyday articles such as sports equipment. As additives for composite materials they ensure that ice hockey sticks and baseball bats, surf boards, arrows, skis and ski poles are lighter and have higher strength and stiffness (Fig. 3). Almost as Strong as Steel, but Only Half the Weight As well as in polymers and ceramics CNTs can be used as additives and reinforcing agents in light metals – with surprising results as recent inve...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-10-14, Versatile and Flexible
...ve both high stiffness and excellent environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR), the wall thickness of bottles and canisters can be significantly reduced. This leads on the one hand to considerable material savings and on the other to much lighter end products. However, multimodal Hostalen ACP products can also be used to increase the ESCR of blow molded containers for the same weight. This gives safetyconscious users an additional option for improving the safety of their products. Pipes: O...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-11-19, Every Kilo Counts
...htweight construction of dashboards are given by modifications in the surface construction, airbag integration as well as the component structure itself. Depending on the combination of the individual options the dashboards can be made up to a third lighter than conventionally produced reference parts. For example “Eco-Space”, a slimmed down support structure for cockpits that can be seen in the new concept car “re3” (Fig. 1), delivers not only a significant increase in space on the passenger si...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-11-19, Light, Inexpensive, and Good for the Environment
...in 2007. Every Gram Counts In the majority of vehicles produced all over the world, intake manifolds are made of plastics today, because this enables optimum air intake, large freedom of design and good options of integration. In addition, they are lighter and cheaper than metal parts. “However, with temperatures in the engine compartment rising and in regard to demands posed for ever-lighter and more low-noise parts at the same time, our traditional polyamides are reaching their limits,” Dennis...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-11-19, Lighter, Stiffer, Stronger
The need for mobility is continuing to grow. Modern, lightweight construction concepts must meet the requirements arising from this in future generations of vehicles. Lower material and production costs are a driving force for development here. The need to reduce CO2 emissions in compliance with EU regulations and international agreements will increasingly encourage lightweight construction. It is important here to be able to ensure improved or at least consistently high safety for vehicle occup...

Kunststoffe international, 2009-11-19, Save Fuel, Reduce Emissions
...nufacturer is reviewed to see if there is not somewhere a little window for weight reduction (= fuel consumption reduction and thus emission reduction) that can be opened. In the first, fast approach this is done by replacing metal with lighter materials. No later than the next generation of engines whether or not other functions can be integrated into the components will be considered and thought out. Without additional plastic applications the designers and developers will have little success.

Kunststoffe international, 2009-11-19, Water Makes It Lighter
Plastics provide opportunities to both develop and advance techniques that can be used in the automobiles of tomorrow. The major problem that is the focus of automotive engineering development now and will also be so in the future is how to achieve the legislated limit of 120 g/km for the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) [1]. To achieve this ambitious goal, efforts are being devoted systematically to continuously reducing fuel consumption while generating cleaner exhaust. In addition to engin...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-01-27, Bakelite Conquers the World
.... In 1904 he converted his private research laboratory in Yonkers, New Jersey, USA, into a pilot plant for the condensation of phenol with formaldehyde. His objective was to develop a new “material that should be more durable than wood, lighter than iron and less perishable than rubber and also keep electricity under control” [7]. He also published the results of his condensation experiments in German technical journals [8]. The Production of the First Fully Synthetic Resin In 1909 Max Weger was...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-03-17, A Permanent Bond
...erial types. Alongside a reduction in the sheet metal thickness the ribbed structure can be optimized to a point where the improved torsional and flexural strengths allow a substantial reduction in material use. This leads to a significantly lighter part and thus to reduced costs. The design and position of the ribs is a decisive factor in this respect. The points of force application must be sufficiently defined so that the reinforcing polymer ribs can be appropriately arranged. Critical points...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-03-17, Are You Sitting Comfortably?
...that have a strong influence on medium- and longterm automobile development. Automotive interiors and, particularly vehicle seats, will play an important role. The conflicting goals of increased comfort and safety requirements versus lower costs and lighter weight will become even harder to reconcile in future. This has already proved the undoing of many promising concepts. To resolve this conflict in future, it will be necessary to treat the seat as a whole system – taking into account all the ...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-03-17, Complex 2-Component Process Hits the Roof
...rt processing PC in its plant in Schierling, Germany. The aim was to develop PC roof panels because, with a density of 1.2 g/cm3, the plastic is ideal for use in lightweight constructions. Compared to a glass counterpart, a PC roof can be up to 50 % lighter. The resultant lower weight of the vehicle lowers its center of gravity and leads to improvements in roadholding and handling characteristics – partly because the see-through areas in roofs have grown increasingly larger in recent years. Many...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-03-17, Lighter than Steel
... kg higher loadbearing capacity, a weight reduction of around 40 % and cost savings of about 20 %. Another application for PA 6 is the world’s first hybrid pedal bracket. (Fig. 2). In comparison with an all-plastic component, it is around 10 % lighter and also exhibits ductile behavior in the event of failure. In hybrid front ends, aluminum can also be used instead of sheet steel. The first example of this was in the Audi TT (Title picture). This front end is around 15 % lighter than a comparabl...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-07-22, Big Breakthrough for PPS Composites
...on, by eliminating the laborintensive riveting and bonding of components. Thermoplastic composites – based on Fortron PPS polyphenylenesulfide in the case of G650 – can be used to manufacture large-area profile parts. They are about 20 percent lighter than conventional metal and light metal materials. And that is precisely the second advantage. After all, manufacturers all want and need to design more lightweight aircraft to reduce fuel consumption per passenger. ?: Thermoplastic composites have...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-07-22, Predictive Property Adjustments
...ing. BX 3580 from BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany, which is a grade specially optimized for this application, can be run on the same injection stretch blow molding machines as PET. Since the density of polystyrene is lower than PET significantly lighter bottles at the same wall thickness can be produced, which reduces material costs by up to 25 %. In addition during the injection stretch blow molding of HIPS lower pressures (5 to 7 bar) are needed than for PET (30 to 40 bar) and PS unlike PET doe...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-07-22, The Sun is Back to Taiwan
... 25 l and with up to seven layers. At the trade show, they produced a 20 l canister made of 20 % PE-HD/60 % recycled PE + CaC3/20 % PE-HD that is 30 % lighter than a conventional canister. Less material is also used to produce the special PC water container with its handle integrated and blow molded in one go with the container (Fig. 10). Kai Mei Plastic Machinery Co., Ltd., Taichung, produced it on a 4-station stretch-blow molding machine. The company will file for patent the product’s proper d...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-08-19, Polycarbonate – How a High-tech Material Conquered the World and Continues to Do So
...s and covers for electrical switch and fuse boxes, by the 1960s it had become a household name, so to speak, in the form of plates and dishes. From 1971, the construction industry discovered PC for itself. Highly fracture-resistant and much lighter than glass, solid and multi-wall sheets made from Makrolon are used as glazing for greenhouses, conservatories, car ports and patio roofs. And even when elegant roof structures are required, architects are increasingly relying on the plastic from Uerd...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-09-24, Bonding Required
...ction elements and screws. The screws of the engineering thermoplastic Grivory HTV-5H1, with 50 % glass fibers, provide the same reliability as metal screws but with greater potential for weight reduction. A plastic screw is up to 85 % lighter than a steel one of comparable dimensions. Further weight savings can be achieved by using plastic connecting elements, such as the pluggable plastic nut element specially for joining thin-walled parts (Fig. 7). Hall 5, booth C03 Wegener International Wide...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-09-24, Plastics Processing – Rapid and Reliable
...ing capacity of 120 kg, is claimed by the company to be the world”s strongest console robot with the highest power density, while the Quantec K prime is designed for a payload of between 90 and 210 kg. The console robots are 12 % lighter than their predecessors and hence easier to mount on injection molding machines. In conjunction with the control unit and a new drive technology, the robots should shorten demolding times by up to 25 %. The work area is extended considerably towards the front,...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-09-24, Systematic Metal Substitution
...asibility to be spin-welded with aliphatic high-performance polyamides, a complete new feature in this material group and further adding to function integration. Protecting the Environment The high-temperature thermoplastic Rilsan HT, by being lighter than metal, helps not only to reduce emissions and improve vehicle energy efficiency, but also offers a further advantage for the environment: Up to 70 % of the new PPA is based on a renewable non-food-crop vegetable feedstock (or oil). Compared wi...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-09-24, Two Centuries of Polyolefins
... with longer service life [23], higher pressure resistance (PE100) and larger diameters (“low sag” or LS types), but also stronger and ever lighter packaging films [24]. And what about PE-LD that has been d “dead” for years? Thanks to its unrivalled purity, it is today the standard worldwide for the insulation of medium and high-voltage cables. It can be radically or hydrolytically cross-linked by a variety of methods. In the meantime it is produced in world-scale plants, e.g. the 203 kt/a plant...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-11-25, Lightweight and Highly Resilient
...ite sheet in the guise of a U-formed profile in the lower beam. This carries i.a. the lower-leg protection, the underbody protection and the fixing point for the cooling module. It proved possible to make the lower beam lighter in organic composite sheet hybrid technology than in sheet aluminum. The hybrid front end was designed by Decoma Exterior Systems, which worked closely with Lanxess, Bond-Laminates and Audi to develop the component. The organic composite sheet semi-finished good for the l...

Kunststoffe international, 2010-11-25, The Long View
In the late 1990s, efforts were undertaken for the first time in Japan, Germany and the United States to make vehicle glazing from polycarbonate (PC) as a lighter alternative to glass windows and roofs. In 1997, General Motors used a Targa top made from PC in the Chevrolet Corvette C4 for the first time. This was followed a year later by the Smart ForTwo, which sported a rear window made from two-component PC by freeglass GmbH & Co. KG, Schwaikheim, Germany – the first provider of PC glazing...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-01-25, Clearly Transparent
...nstrated by new developments [1]. For instance, several alternating layers of glass-plastic permit construction of T beams that can withstand enormous forces while exhibiting decisive advantages over purely adequate glass products: They are much lighter and – in the event of failure of the glass – all for a high residual structural integrity. Starting with this knowledge, working groups at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany, and the Technical University in Dresden, Germany, as well as the...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-02-21, From Metal Substitution to Sterilization
... to the Pantone Matching System (PMS), RAL color standards as well as RGB color values. Ixef GS color plaques can be supplied if required. Figure 6 and Table 2 show numerically how the color changes as a result of gamma ray sterilization. The lighter the color, the greater the manufacturing and stabilization overhead. This also affects the mechanical properties of light color matches. Figure 7 shows that the mechanical properties of Ixef GS-1022/WH01 (white) in comparison to Ixef 1022/0006 (natu...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-02-21, Science for a Better Life
...nsulation included (center); Baytubes for larger rotor blades in wind turbines with higher effectiveness (right) Fig. 3. Energy saving: LED lenses made of Makrolon for the headlamps of cars are up to 50 % lighter than glass (left); polyurethane for thermal insulation on facades and window profiles as well as air and steam seals, energy savings in the refrigeration chain and nanofoams with doubled insulation performance (center); ultra-light materials for the Solar Impulse airplane (right) Fig. 4...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-08-24, Back to Nature
...y. Biowert is a company from Odenwald in Germany that produces AgriPlast [8] – a bioplastic molding compound made of 75 % field grass, which can be processed like any oil-based polymer. However, products of AgriPlast are lighter than those of conventional plastics, and can be composted at the end of their lifecycle. In Austria, too, factories are transforming the locally grown field grass into new materials, with lower CO2 emissions and closed-loop process-water circuits. Ingeo or AgriPlast may ...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-09-23, Fast Systems for Lighter Automobiles
...evelopment. The amount of plastics in today’s automobiles already lies between 15 and 20 % – otherwise the vehicles would be even heavier. Plastics offer two essential properties for automobile construction: Firstly, they are significantly lighter than conventional materials such as steel or aluminum, and secondly their easy and flexible processing permits highly integrated components to be manufactured. Additional advantages are provided by the use of plastics reinforced with short fibers. Comp...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-09-23, With Networked Competence to High-Performance Parts
...r interior linings or vehicle exteriors. Examples are side panels, floor pans, bumper brackets or crash boxes as well as “carbon-look” facings. Compared with equivalent parts made from conventional materials, CFR structures are significantly lighter, for example up to 40 % lighter than steel or up to 25 % lighter than aluminum. Apart from their lightweight construction potential, it is the outstanding mechanical properties such as high rigidity and strength that make these materials so interesti...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-10-17, Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP)
...nds freezing, shock freezing, and even microwaving without being damaged. The food-safe plastic can be provided in numerous colors and forms, and offers many benefits over classic metal. The plastic alternative is not only lighter, but also generates less noise and is also easy to clean. In addition, the plastic heats up and cools down faster – an aspect that can be of great significance for the energy balance and productivity in the food processing industry. That this new plastic opens up a new...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-10-17, Polyarylsulfones (PSU, PESU, PPSU)
...lay an important role in paints, resistant coatings and hightemperature resistant adhesives. Challenges and Outlook All suppliers of this material family are concentrating their development efforts on PESU and PPSU grades with ever lighter colors. The light to medium yellow hue is a familiar phenomenon of all hightemperature plastics. With Ultrason E 2010 HC (Fig. 10), BASF has taken another big step further. Other changes in the market will come from the fact that, following the expiry of paten...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-10-17, Polycarbonate (PC)
...ning importance, mainly as a result of increasing urbanization. At present, they are being used all over the world, e.g. as stand roofing in many prominent sports stadia or in industrial construction. These solid or multiwall sheets are lighter in weight and allow greater freedom of design than glass, while providing high transparency. They therefore offer a wealth of opportunities for implementing esthetic and highly functional architectural solutions. In particular, thermally insulating, heat-...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-10-17, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
...d with high-grade “bottle-to-bottle” recycling. As a result, renewable raw materials remain in the cycle permanently, which is very likely to further improve the acceptance of PET in future. PET bottles are becoming lighter (photo: Krones) Fig. 1. Worldwide consumption of PET packaging in 2010 (without fibers), according to application (source: Pira International) Fig. 2. Proportion of PET packaging for non-alcoholic beverages in Germany (source: GfK) Fig. 3. Price development for PET between Ju...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-10-17, Polyoxymethylene (POM)
... reduction, function integration and generally the less expensive processing. Lightweight Construction Advances Use of Plastics Automotive engineering is being increasingly characterized by both economic and ecological aspects. Small and lighter cars are today at the forefront of automotive development. It is estimated that to date the use of plastics in automotive engineering has already resulted in a reduction in weight of up to 30 %. POM is to be found in every car that leaves the assembly li...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-10-17, Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS)
...ield of electromobility. Innovative and demanding technologies, cost savings as well as the substitution of metals demand suitable materials. The automotive industry is facing a huge challenge that it can only solve using polymers. Lighter and smaller automobiles are the way to an environmentally friendly and resource saving future. The trend to lightweight construction can only be realized with thermoplastic, flexible moldable polymers. PPS is a high-performance polymer with ideal prerequisites...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-10-17, Polyurethanes (PU)
...ted with a 2 K PU system and subsequently compressed. The combination of this PU sandwich construction with the PU composite technique allows very torsionally rigid car roof modules to be produced which are up to 25 % lighter. PU foam or, for example, EPS-based materials can also be used as the core layer for the PU sandwich. The production and processing of different PU composite materials could benefit from the new SIA process (Solid Injection by Air Stream) developed by Bayer Material- Scienc...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-10-17, Resins and Reactive Systems
...d in the cement industry, where they also provide a source of silicates. This is particularly helpful for the wind energy sector, which due to the repowering of old sites is approaching 100,000 tonnes per annum of waste material. Rolling towards a Lighter Future The energy crisis has meant that alongside alternative drive systems for automobiles lightweight construction has increasingly moved center stage. Prepreg technology has established itself in motor sport and is being further developed wi...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-11-18, Designing Lighter Cars
... reduction has to begin in the body shop in order to fully exploit the potential for smaller dimensioning of the braking and exhaust systems as well as the drive chain and engine. Aluminum and high strength steels enable the use of thinner sheet and lighter reinforcing components and represent the current means of improvement in structural lightweight construction. However, beyond a certain point this optimized application of metals reaches its limits. The combined use of optimized metals togeth...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-11-18, Focus on Energy Efficiency
...the benefits of the carbon fiber composite. These include high strength enabling extremely rigid structures with respect to torsion and bending, excellent crash performance and low weight. With the same stability, CFRP parts are up to 50 % lighter than the comparable steel parts. Compared with aluminum, the weight reduction is still around 30 % with significantly lower material thickness. The weight savings offered by the carbon-fiber battery monocoque benefit the agility of the SLS AMG E-Cell a...

Kunststoffe international, 2011-11-18, Truck Oil Pan Made from Polyamide
... already starting to be widely used in truck construction. This is because they offer a number of advantages over their counterparts produced from pressure-die aluminum, sheet steel or sheet molding compounds (SMC). For example, they are up to 50 % lighter than similar components made from pressure-die aluminum. In addition, they allow pans with larger oil capacities to be produced, because in the injection molding process undercuts can also be achieved with sliders – unlike in pressure die in...

Kunststoffe international, 2012-01-30, Sustainable Way of Walking
...bsorption). Due to these trends, the midsole’s share in the shoe’s weight has considerably increased. Therefore, many OEMs are very interested in innovations in materials and technology aimed at making midsoles lighter, without concessions in design and comfort. So there is a particular demand for primary materials based on renewable raw materials. Bayer MaterialScience has thus developed polyester-based PU systems currently containing a 30 % share of renewable raw materials. They were customize...

Kunststoffe international, 2012-02-24, Adjustable Dispersion Rings Reduce Setup Times
...lly added. Phthalocyanine was used as the blue pigment since it is often very difficult to disperse in co-rotating twin screw extruders. In this series of evaluations poorer dispersion, that is a large number of large agglomerates, was indicated via lighter, yellower and greener colormetric LAB values. Highly homogeneous distribution on the other hand has the opposite effect on the colormetrics, since the pigment can more effectively deliver its desired color influence [2]. The dependence of the...

Kunststoffe international, 2012-02-24, The First Laser-Sintered Skull Implant
...mplantation. This can lead to longterm issues with fit and comfort in the skull. PEEK as a Titanium Alternative for Implants More recently, researchers have turned their attention to cranial implants made from PEEK (polyetheretherketone). PEEK’s lighter weight, strength, biocompatibility and other characteristics make it a realistic alternative to titanium. Recently, a line of custom-milled PEEKbased skull implants made by a U.S. company received FDA approval. And the first ever laser-sintered P...