QR Resin - TP - LyondellBasell Industries

Plastics Technology, 2002-04-01, SBCs Are Back With More Capacity & New Grades
...to switch to other materials. Today, SBC producers hope to lure back processors with a surge of new resin capacity, new domestic suppliers, and new grades and applications.

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-22, NPE Newsfinder: High Volume Thermoplastics
...ts, will make their debut in Chicago next month. Among them will be the first metallocene HDPE film resin in North America.

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-23, NPE 2000 News Wrap-Up: Extrusion
...amatic and includes the first commercial 10-layer die, more players making side-fed dies with split resin distribution, and advances in surface winders designed to accommodate processor shifts to more...

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-23, NPE 2000 News Wrap-Up: Extrusion
...amatic and includes the first commercial 10-layer die, more players making side-fed dies with split resin distribution, and advances in surface winders designed to accommodate processor shifts to more...

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

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

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

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-24, Renewable PLA Polymer Gets "Green Light" For Packaging Uses
...nk labels. It"s also showing up as the sealant layer in form-fill-seal coextrusions. The novel resin is forging roles in thermoformed cups and containers and is about to appear in single-serve dr...

Plastics Technology, 2004-03-25, Big German Plant May Relieve U.S. Bottleneck in Recycling Carpet Nylon
... piling up in the U.S. due to lack of capacity for chemical recycling of the nylon back into virgin resin for automotive and other uses. At the same time, the German carpet recycling plant is running ...

Plastics Technology, 2004-06-11, Plastic-Metal Hybrids Make Headway On and Off the Road
...at an accelerated rate. What"s more, technical ap­proaches to hybrids are multiplying as more resin suppliers develop alternatives to the overmolding method first established by Bayer. Tier One a...

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

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

Plastics Technology, 2006-03-06, Make Polycarbonate Flow Easily Without Losing Toughness or Clarity
... literally "flows like water" in molten form. This is a brand-new use of CBT (cyclic PBT) resin from Cyclics Corp., owner of patented resin technology originally developed by General Electri...

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

Plastics Technology, 2007-01-08, New "Ultra" Thermoplastics Contend for Top of Performance Pyramid
...ls, ceramics, and thermoset composites is driving development of new options at the top tier of the resin performance pyramid. Such "ultra" polymers are experiencing 15% annual demand growth...

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

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

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

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

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

Plastics Technology, 2008-02-01, K 2007 Materials: "Green" Is an Added Attraction In Bumper Crop of New Plastics
...the buzz wasn"t all about faster processing or higher strength or heat or chemical resistance. Resin suppliers appeared to be betting that "biobased" or "renewable" content wi...

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

Plastics Technology, 2008-09-08, Plastic Pallets Gain Ground In an Eco-Conscious World
...turers looking for sustainable material-handling options. The one major hurdle is today"s high resin prices.

Plastics Technology, 2008-10-30, New Machines and Materials Unveiled At SPE Thermoforming Conference
...in materials--including the first clear oriented PS for freezer packaging and a next-generation TPO resin with high melt strength and ultra-low CLTE. Other advances included a high-efficiency optical ...

Plastics Technology, 2010-03-24, Hot/Cold Thermal Cycling of Injection Molds Heats Up
...broad, but more U.S. molders are now also fi nding that raising the mold wall temperature above the resin"s glass-transition or crystalline melting temperature during the fi lling stage, followed...

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

Plastics Technology, 2010-12-07, Break the Taboo on Purging Hot Runners!
...taboo. This is evidenced by the continuing reluctance of some processors to put anything other than resin through their hot runners. This is usually a result of either never having attempted to use a ...

Kunststoffe international, Delivering Efficiency Even in Harsh Environments
...t of flying taxis or eVTOL vehicles for both inter- and intra-city travel over the recent years. Light-weight composite material solutions are being considered for structural elements of eVTOL vehicles. In contrast to thermoset resin, thermoplastic composite products based for example on Victrex AE 250 composites have a weight similar to that of thermosets but offer additional advantages. They can be produced more quickly, require less infrastructure to manufacture, are recyclable, do not use so...

Kunststoffe international, Drivers of Electromobility
...performance of the electric powertrain at actual working temperatures. Reasons for Electric Breakdown Fundamentally, there are three electric breakdown mechanisms for a plastic resin as an insulation material: Intrinsic or material-specific breakdown, which depends on the presence of free electrons capable of migration. When an electric field is applied, these electrons are accelerated and tend to escape from the trap of the molecular structure. When the field strength reaches a certain limit, t...

Kunststoffe international, Excellent Resistance at Reduced Weight
...pressure gradients [9]. In order to test the sorption behavior of pourable thermosets, IKV – the Institute for Plastics Processing in Aachen, Germany, – has carried out high-pressure sorption measurements for loading epoxy resin molding compounds (EP) with CO2. The results show that, after a loading time which is clearly above economically reasonable cycle times (> 60 min), only an insufficient gas concentration of < 1 % is achieved. The reason for this are the high filler contents of thermosets...

Kunststoffe international, Laser Substitute Manual Work
...d in ‧accordance with the test standard AITM 1–0053 for carbon fiber reinforced plastics, i. e. the energy required per area for crack opening or the start of delamination. To do this, the scientists removed the resin top layer on the CFRP surface with the laser radiation. The second half of the coupon was laminated to the exposed fiber surface in the same way as a CFRP repair. A separating film was inserted as the predetermined breaking point and crack formation was initiated there. The scienti...

Kunststoffe international, Maintaining Clarity Long-Term
...ample, Teel Plastics Inc., Baraboo, WI/USA shows that slow crack growth can be countered through greater molecular branching of the polymer chains. This can also be achieved by higher molecular weights and broader molecular weight distributions [6]. Resin manufacturers also have proprietary methods for reducing the effects of internal and external stresses introduced in the polymer during molding and post-processing and by the action of temperature and solvents. Testing Material Compliance Cyrol...

Kunststoffe international, No Chance for Dust and Contaminations
...ication is long-term stable. The modification is resistant against climate change, heating, storage in water, chemicals, etc. Gluing onto the substrate with typical methods like epoxide resin, polyurethane resins or tapes is possible, overall the surface energy is enhanced significantly. Adhesive free bonding onto glass is possible with freshly treated LSR. The glass-like surface has a conformable “silk-touch” feeling. The treated surface offers a high bio-compatibility. The surface modificati...

Kunststoffe international, Polypropylene Beats Aluminum
...t, and costs can be calculated. The behavior of different fiber composites under impact stress was tested by ElringKlinger using the puncture impact test as per standard ISO 6603–2. The matrix systems tested were polypropylene (PP) and an epoxy resin, while the reinforcing materials used were glass and carbon fibers. The tests showed that in a direct comparison, glass fiber-reinforced PP recorded the highest maximum forces and energy absorption (Fig. 1). The following material properties and me...

Kunststoffe international, Protective Coat for Electronics and Body
...Covestro Desmodur N3600Lackwerke Peters: Elpeguard SL 1305 AQ-ECOLackwerke Peters: Elpeguard SL 1307 FLZ/2Lackwerke Peters: Elpeguard SL 1308 FLZLackwerke Peters: Twin-Cure DSL 1600 E-FLZ 75Pro3dure medical: Generative Resin GR-20Struers: Epofix E1232 ResinLackwerke Peters: Wepuran VT 3402 KK-NV-HEStruers: ClarofastWacker: Silpuran 2430 A/BPottingsBühnen: C 40460Elantas: Bectron MR 3404Elantas: Bectron PB 3251Elantas: Bectron SK 75V1-35Elantas: Bectron SK 75V2-65Elantas: Bectron SK 76V2-50Elan...

Kunststoffe international, Replacing Metal in the Gearbox
... tensile strength is always greatest in the direction of the fibers. The solution was to use carbon rovings wrapped around a core of suitable diameter and embedded in a matrix of epoxy resin. Each fiber was only 5 to 9 µm thick and a million windings were needed to achieve an insert cross-section of 6 x 8 mm (Fig. 3). Various fiber orientations around the core were also tested virtually, with an angle of 0° ultimately proving to yield the best performance. Functional Integration Brings Decisive ...

Kunststoffe international, Sustainable Growth
...opment of a ‧circular economy also shows successes. More and more ABS materials used in a range of applications are ‧containing a contribution of recyclates. Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) is the largest-volume engineering thermoplastic resin, offering an excellent balance of heat, chemical, and impact resistance with superior processing versatility. ABS resins are produced by the polymerization of styrene, butadiene and acrylonitrile. Typically, the proportion of styrene is between 50 an...

Kunststoffe international, Sustainable Growth
...tive 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 on the isocyanate components Baydur 78BD085 and Desmodur 44CP20 from Covestro, which have certifications including a DNV-GL certification (Det Norske Veritas – Germanischer Lloyd). This industrial standard for the safety, reliability and performance capability of wind...

Kunststoffe international, Zero-Waste Concept for Carbon SMC
...n-fiber prepregs. The chips have a random orientation in the sheet molding compound. rC-SMC is designated secondary C-SMC and contains recycled carbon fibers from the US supplier Carbon Conversions, which are impregnated with epoxy resin in a prepreg line at Hexcel. The carbon fibers have an irregular structure, similar to conventional GF-SMC. UD tapes with an epoxy resin matrix were obtained from primary unidirectional carbon fiber prepregs and used for local reinforcement of HexMC-i 2000, whic...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, 30 Years of Playmobil: Investing in the Future
...ommodity and technical plastics, such as high-tech polyolefins (specialty compounds containing talcum or barium), polyacetal, polyamides, polyesters, polycarbonate, polystyrene and ABS from different manufacturers. The choice of resin to use, according to Benker, depends on the specification profiles of the parts and the price. When allowance is made for the 130 colours currently available, around 2000 recipes exist for the various plastics. "We generally operate a three-shift system five da...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, A Substitute for Metal: Polyetherimides (PEIs)
...tstanding electrical performance and are in compliance with the new European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) / Restriction of the Use of certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations on recycling of electronical waste. PEI resins are also characterised by a very low heat release rate in radiant panel tests in combination with low smoke emission and low smoke toxicity in case of fire. This behaviour makes the PEIs fit for use in applications constrained by the precise requireme...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Automotive Applications: Thermosets Get Going
...tive industry is increasing, since these materials complement the property profile of the thermoplastics in key technical areas. Leaving out adhesives and polyurethanes, the thermosets employed can be divided roughly into two areas: fibre-reinforced resins, such as SMC, which is used primarily for bodywork applications such as hoods, fenders and tailgates [1], and thermoset moulding compounds, which are processed into high-grade parts, generally with smaller dimensions and a more complex geometr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Automotive Industry Revives Business: Thermosets
...it North America Inc. (previously Rogers Corporation), has just become part of the Sumitomo Bakelite company. Another merger in this sector is the purchase of Bakelite AG, Iserlohn/Germany, by Borden Chemical, USA, a leading manufacturer of phenolic resins and specialty products. Vantico, the manufacturer of epoxy resins and curing agents for coatings and structural composites still known to many as Ciba, has now been acquired by Huntsman. In the USA, the Derakane range of epoxy vinyl ester resi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Automotive Industry: Innovative CFRP Technology for Volume Production
...behaviour and ensure better handling, a small proportion of cut random glass fibres is also added. The production of the compound is carried out continuously in a further developed, automated SMC process (Fig.2). It involves applying resin paste to two carrier films, placing the reinforcing fibres onto the resin, impregnating it and rolling it out. As in conventional SMC technology, the compound is stored for four or five days, during which it thickens and assumes a viscosity that is suitable fo...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Blown Film Extrusion Today
...RD mixing element (Photo: The Madison Group) Fig. 3. Streamlined coextrusion die (SCD) (Picture: Brampton Engineering) Strömungsoptimierte Schmelzevorverteilung = Streamlined passages, Schmelzezuführung = Side fed entry for resin, Flüssigtemperiersystem mit geschlossenem Kreislauf (Heizung oder Kühlung) = Closed loop thermal fluid circulation system to maintain consistent temperature of the module (heat or cool) Fig. 4. Adjustable die gap for adapting to different materials (Picture: Brampton ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Bond Reliably: The Right Adhesive
...Landsberg; info@delo.de Fig. 1. Approx. 15kg of adhesives are used in a mid-sized automobile. Often, these involve plastic bonding applications Fig. 2. Strength comparison: Strong bonding of LCP can be achieved with epoxy adhesives (Resin tested: Vectra E130 i). The bond strength remains almost constant even after demanding ageing tests (beige/olive-coloured bars) Fig. 3. Plastics often have low surface energies and a limited surface area for wetting by adhesives Fig. 4. The surface e...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Bonding of Plastics
...esives. For many of the materials employed, bonding is often the only means of effecting a join. Whether it be the instrument panel, interior and exterior door trim, headlamps, spoiler, rear parcel shelf or the roof liner, it is mostly PU and epoxy resin adhesives that are used for bonding and mounting. Laminating processes are employed wherever flat materials are finished with film or textiles. In this case, the rapidly setting PU hotmelts make for short cycle times in production. Even clips se...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Bonding PEEK
...sured ten times and the arithmetic mean calculated. The study was performed on polyether ether ketone PEEK 450 G (manufacturer: Victrex plc, UK) using standardised, injection-moulded tensile rods (DIN 53455). The adhesive was a two-component epoxy resin system (grade: Araldite AV138M + HV998, manufacturer: Ciba Speciality Chemicals, Basle/Switzerland). Surface Analysis The untreated and treated polymer surfaces were examined so that the adhesion mechanisms involved in the bonded joints could b...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Carbon Nanotubes
... break until deformations of approx. 18 % [10]. An estimate of the interlaminar shear strength returned values of up to 500 MPa [8], a figure that is an order of magnitude higher than in conventional composite materials with carbon fibres in epoxy resin matrix. Whether the theories of short fibre reinforcement can be applied to nanotubes remains to be proved. For many fracture-toughness-enhancing mechanisms in polymers, the aspect ratio plays a major role; however it does not influence the absol...

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

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Composite Constructions: Industrial Production of Structural Components Made from Fibre/Plastic Composites
...leads to stress concentrations in the areas of the individual loops. As a result of this, tensile stresses occur at right angles to the testing direction in the areas of the fibre bundles and compressive stresses in the areas of resin accumulation (Fig.2 below). In addition, the loadbearing and failure behaviour of orthotropically stiffened shell structures is being studied, with particular emphasis on the design of the intersection points between the longitudinal and transverse stiffening elem...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compounds and Masterbatches: Revival of Research and Development?
...n companies emphasised that participation in the K-fair was meaningful and profitable. It is noteworthy that companies exhibited who are new in the business, others expanded their presence considerably or indicated significant growth. The more that resin suppliers streamline and consolidate their product lines, the greater the field of activity for compounders and masterbatch suppliers. An especially positive observation is that the largely medium-sized companies characteristic of the industry h...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Compression Moulding of Long-fibre-reinforced Plastics
...article will only cover the advances made in the last few years. To meet the increasingly high requirements specified for moulded parts, it was necessary to ensure the quality consistency of SMC. The first step was fully automated preparation of the resin pastes to eliminate weighing and handling errors. This task is undertaken by a computer-controlled unit. Raw materials are supplied by road tankers and silo trucks and charged into the appropriate storage tanks. In a closed circuit, they are th...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Concrete Building: Plastics Replace Plywood
...rtain roughness in order to avoid a shiny concrete finish. The standard linings used for formwork systems in the construction industry today are made of plywood. Damage such as nail and drilling holes in the outer veneer ply, which has a phenolic-resin coating, cause the ply to swell, on account of the penetration of water, and reduce the service life (Fig.1). The transport and handling of the formwork elements in this rough environment also cause damage to the surface in the visible section of ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Consumption Stabilises: Low-density Polyethylene (PE-LD/LLD)
...insulating material. In the 1 kV range, however, silane-crosslinkable PE-LLD dominates. A number of new and interesting applications are emerging from metallocene plastomers for speciality cables. Three-layer coatings consisting of epoxy resin, an PE-LD copolymer as a bonding agent and PE-LD as a topcoat, have been proving themselves for more than 25 years in the durable corrosion protection of steel pipes. With large pipes, grafted PE-LLD is now being used as a bonding agent with a higher heat...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Continuous-strand-reinforced composites: Multilayer Knitted Fabrics for Rail Vehicles
... the ITB (Institute for Textile and Clothing Technology of the Dresden University of Technology) and the IMA Material Research and Application Technology Ltd., was to develop composite knitted fabrics (CKFs) that have been optimised for low-pressure resin-injection processes. They were to consist entirely of high-performance yarn material and to be suitable for the economical production of continuous-strand-reinforced, three-dimensional, large-area structural parts. The studies were conducted on...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Cost Explosion: Glass Fibre-reinforced Plastics (GRP)
... say that spiraling crude oil prices could severely stagnate the economic recovery of the whole chemical industry sector. Markets, Processes, Applications The worldwide volume of GRP consumed amounts to around 7 million tonnes (of which some 61% is resin and 39% reinforcement). It can be divided between North America (33%), Europe (30%), Asia (33%) and the rest of the world (4%). In the medium term, GRP volume production will still increase by around 2 to 4% per year, which is slightly faster ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Crosslinking Instead of Glassy Transition
...ium glass transition temperature plays an important role in complete curing in the production process. Composite components consist of reinforcing fibres and a thermoplastic or chemically curing polymer matrix. In chemically curing systems, epoxy resins, unsaturated polyester resins, acrylic resins and phenolic resins etc. are used. These resins are generally liquid at room temperature and enable the fibres to be thoroughly impregnated. During chemical crosslinking, the molecular weight of the...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Customer-oriented Globalisation: Process Technology as Strategic Instrument for Developing New Markets
...is largely customer-oriented, because it is product-based. Moulded parts and their production are the focal point of deliberations. The objective is to develop or combine the best-suited resins, machines and processes. End user, moulder, resin supplier and machine builder are thus pursuing the same goal, and, in order to reach this goal, close cooperation is necessary. Five Rules for Success The procedure for organising R&D to be efficient and goal-oriented does not depend on whether or not a ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Data Quality in Commercial Databases
...m implications for the end user. This paper looks at these consequences illustrated with specific examples. The Campus database was established very early on in an attempt to facilitate the unrestricted distribution of material data directly from resin producers and to keep with the needs of the information age. Nowadays, most material producers generally offer Campus as a download from the Internet. To simplify access, further links have also been set up on the www.campusplastics.com website ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Defect-Free Microstructures
...in the microscopic photograph that the pattern is not sharp-edged, but is rounded instead. As a result, the surface has lost its functionality. Because of the generally longer cycle times with a variotherm process sequence, the residence time of the resin in the barrel is lengthened. This can lead to degradation of thermally sensitive materials, with a resultant decrease in physical properties and change in shrinkage of the degraded resin. Damage to the microstructure during ejection is a conseq...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Definition of Terms: From the Plant to the Natural Fibre-reinforced Part
.... Fleeces are two-dimensional structures of laminated, positionally stable fibres that are consolidated by means of a “vinculate” (vinculum: Latin binder). Besides fibre-bonding vinculates (e.g. glues, adhesives, resins, thermoplastics), there are also filamentary vinculates (filament interlacing). The term felt covers all two-dimensional textile structures that are consolidated by fibre interlocking. As Fig. 2 shows, fleeces or felts can be produced from the two-dimensional formations. Datab...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Details of Economic Development: High-density Polyethylene (PE-HD)
...ow for the use of PE as an anti-corrosion layer, as they can now withstand higher service temperatures. These new multi-modal PE-HD sheathing materials are replacing the PE-MD and PE-LD types used in modern 3-coat systems (consisting of epoxy resin, PE-LD/LLD bonding agent and PE top coat). Versatility is of the Essence in Blow Moulding Articles Over decades now, PE-HD has proved itself to be an economical blow moulding material for the production of high-grade blow moulding articles. This quali...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Detecting Contaminants: Product Safety in the PET Loop
...graphy (LC) was devised to characterise the additive status of extracts. The detector employed is a UV detector or a mass spectrometer (MS). LC(MS), in particular, offers enormous potential in view of the complex active content of virgin PET resin (UV stabilisers, acetaldehyde blockers etc, that can lead to yellowing during recycling). Separation and molar-mass determination of high-molecular extraneous polymers and inert (usually inorganic) interferences are mainly accomplished with the aid of...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Determining Wear Mechanisms
...nverted into heat and the corundum particles rebound without great damage to the surface, with some isolated particles being embedded in the surface. Consequently, at first no directly measurable wear rate occurs. With brittle materials (e. g. epoxy resin, EP), the corundum particles cannot rebound elastically without causing damage to the surface in the form of micro cracks and material removal. Modification Possibilities In Fig. 3, the wear rates of different plastics and composites at an im...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Development History of Plastics: Growth through Changing Times
...tless, as is demonstrated in today’s rapidly developing economies of Asia, with China the engine of development. Klaus G. Kohlhepp The predecessors of today’s plastics are known in all cultures. Even before the time of Christ, the Chinese used resins obtained from the sap of certain trees to produce lacquers and for waterproof sealing of utensils and textiles. In Arabia, water tanks and water channels were sealed with natural asphalt. Also from Arabia came certain tree resins, which could be s...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Development Trends: Composites for Aircraft
...h lower the operating costs and improve the ecological impact of the aircraft. At the present state of the art, up to 20% of the structural weight of a modern passenger airliner exists of composites, based primarily on carbon fibres in an epoxy resin matrix. For the 7E7, which is supposed to start flying as of 2008, Boeing even considers a percentage of about 50%. This figure has already been attained or exceeded today in construction of military aircraft and helicopters. The example of the Airb...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Dynamic Growth: Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP)
...iers. For instance, Eastman’s LCP business that entered the market in 2001 with a capacity of 3000 tonnes has, in the meantime, been acquired by DuPont. In addition, the LCP business of BP Amoco was sold to Solvay, along with other engineering resins. Nevertheless, while two of the leading suppliers, Ticona/Polyplastics and Sumitomo, are expanding their capacities in order to meet the growing demand, the remaining suppliers are still holding back. Market Development In 2000 the worldwide market...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Economic PVC Pelletisation
...uniform pellet size at all times. The pellet cooling by vacuum and the use of the dust separator ensure extremely low dust pollution to the surroundings. The mixer connected upstream of the pelletising line blends the powder components, such as PVC resin powder, stabilisers, internal and external lubricants (processing auxiliaries), fillers, (e. g., chalk), pigments, plasticisers and impact modifiers, according to the desired end product. Depending on the bulk density and free-flow characteristi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Economical in Long Series
...sponds to a honed surface. First results of measurements showed that pipes manufactured using the TEP procedure achieve the same static torsional strength as pipes manufactured conventionally using the wet filament winding with high quality epoxy resin matrix [6]. Fields of Application The TEP centrifugation process can be adapted to many fields of application. The following applications appear particularly suitable: - Drive shafts made of fibre reinforced composites for passenger automobiles ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Economical Production of PU Parts
... brings the air provided for the "internal holding pressure" in the raw materials into solution. This leads to transparent and non-porous parts. With advances in mould construction, steel and aluminium moulds are being supplemented by epoxy resin and face casting moulds ("Frontguss"). They can withstand the relatively high cavity pressures necessary for PU-RRIM technology. The moulds have similar properties to steel moulds as regards dimensional stability and surface quality. Suc...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Electrically Conducting Compounds: New Functional Material for the Automotive Sector
...icated and requiring of several stages, but the products are also difficult to recycle. The desired material properties can be achieved by adding electrically conducting compounding materials (metal fibres, carbon black) to commercial thermoplastic resins. The use of intrinsically conducting plastics and organic anti-static agents has also been reported [3-5]. However, thermoplastics with a high filler content are difficult to process (e.g. on account of a substantial viscosity increase) and ad...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Estimating the Material Properties: The Route to a Working Prototype
...ifold had been sealed with an infiltrating lacquer, small particles became detached from the part and damaged the engine. As the next step, the supplier tried out a process recommended by Express Pattern and selected ceramic-filled ProtoComposite resin, type ProtoTool 20L (manufacturer: DSM Somos), which is a new material for prototype construction. The intake manifold produced with this material by the SL process (stereolithography) survived the entire test series with the dynamometer without d...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Evolution, Not Revolution
...loured details of the final product be highlighted, but the results of a finite elements simulation on a polymer product can be depicted in several colours. Stereolithography - Reinvented? The principle of using light to induce crosslinking in a resin (photopolymerisation) is not the sole preserve of classic stereolithography. Envision Technologies GmbH, Marl/Germany, presented an interesting new concept for the first time at this year's Euromold (Fig. 3). Its Perfactory (personal factory)...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Exhibition Preview: North American and Canadian Products at K 2004
...s. It has five cooling zones, instead of two for rubber, and a modified rotor geometry. Materials New polyolefins being featured at this year’s show emphasize specialty PP and PE materials. Also, new engineering resins are weighted toward nylons, acetals, polyesters, and TPEs tailored for improved processability, aesthetics, and specialized functional properties. Polypropylene, TPO and TPV Dow Plastics, Midland/Michigan, is showing PP grades with 20 times higher melt strength than standard PP ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Expanded Boundaries
...mm, have been successfully tested at pressures up to 29 bar and temperatures up to 160°C (Fig. 7). Other diameters and cross-sections are also possible. For even higher requirements, the PPS pipes are reinforced with glass fibre fabric and epoxy resin (title photo and Fig. 8). Only a few polymers are capable of producing the outstanding smoothness of the interior, which makes the pipes less susceptible to deposition, and thus reduces flow resistance. The reduced active surface area that this...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Experimental Testing: Ring-shaped Reinforcements Made of Fibre-reinforced Composites
...ation of the elastomeric pressure-transmitting medium posed no problems in preliminary oscillating load tests. To counteract any internal disintegration of the elastomer as the results of pores, cracks and air bubbles, the elastomeric resin was cast under vacuum and subsequently cured under pressure. Surface disintegration of the elastomer – as the result of relative motion – exists only close the plunger and the PTFE disc seal found there. This is reduced significantly through use of a lubrican...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fast Product Development
... tests during the development phase. Since it is not possible to obtain parts with a sufficient degree of strength by the RP process, the components have so far been milled out of the original material on an individual basis. By constructing a cast resin mould (Fig. 2), it proved possible to reduce the costs by more than 20 %. Initial injection moulded parts in the original material (PA 6 GF 30) were made available within a period of two weeks. More than 50 fan impellers were produced in the mou...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fibre Composite Parts: Automated Preform-RTM Production
..., the technical solutions implemented in this sector of industry could also be applied to the cost-efficient production of fibre composite parts with the appropriate further development. When employed in combination with closed, automatable liquid resin impregnation methods, such as RI (Resin Infusion) or RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding), these solutions will permit an efficient, all-in manufacturing chain to be achieved for fibre composites. The technical and economic benefits can be so great as t...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fibre-reinforced Plastics: Lightweight and Corrosion-resistant
...omposite made up of seven layers was stitched with a twisted E-glass thread employing a stitch length of 5mm, and one laminate was left unstitched. The stitched and non-stitched composites were subsequently impregnated with Atlac 430 vinyl ester resin from DSM BASF Structural Resins employing the DP-RTM process (Differential Pressure Resin Transfer Moulding). The thickness of the sheets produced was approximately 5mm. The impact strength tests in the low velocity range were conducted on an inst...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fillers: Improved Properties and Processing
...ed to the traditional grade Silbond W 6 EST, it has been possible to further increase the BET surface area that is important for the reinforcing action while further reducing the processing viscosity. For production involving epoxy resins, for instance, this yields benefits during mixing and processing without any negative impact on the usual mechanical integrity of the end products. The increasing attention to occupational safety in Frechen has also resulted in a new product line. With the Sepa...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Flame-Resistant GRP Systems
...y adjusting the ATH content accordingly. Typical Applications Products for outdoors, such as wall cladding, can be press moulded in many decorative variants from SMC or BMC (Fig. 1). Pultruded profiles can also achieve B1 fire status if the proper resin, preferably DCPD or UP/MMA, and ATH contents of up to 250 pbw are achieved by using the right additive combination. Applications in the building sector abound. The classification of flame-resistant GRP systems in the SBI test will be an enormou...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Fluid Injection Technique: Understanding Residual Wall Thickness
...r between the gas and polymer melt. Three different combinatons were investigated with the water-assist technique, while two different combinations were investigated with the gas-assist technique. For the water-assist experiments, resin and water without the antistat were processed as a reference. Then, in one case, 2 wt.-% of the antistat Cesastat PPA0025604 (abbreviated CS) were added to the polymer, while, in a second case, 1 wt.-% of the antistat Hostastat HS1FF was added to the water. Eva...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, From the Skeleton Model to the Part
...Prototyping “Concept modelling” is supplied by 4D concepts of Groß-Gerau/Germany In this process, a fine film of gypsum is applied to a support. This is sprayed with UP resin in a process resembling ink-jet printing, and is hardened at the sprayed areas. The model is built up layer by layer in a similar manner to conventional stereolithography. The process is only about a quarter as expensive as stereolithography. Details: www.4dconcepts.de Fig. 2. Exploded view of the handscanner Fig. 3. Pro...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Functional Compounds
....-Ing. Gerhard Ziegmann, born in 1946, is head of the PuK and specialises in the field of fibre composites. Fig. 1. Uniform dispersion of 80 % by weight magnetite in polypropylene after compounding (top: interface between granule and encapsulating resin) Fig. 2. Influence of different magnetite products and concentrations on the thermal-oxidative degradation of PP compounds Oxidative Induktionszeit = Oxidative induction time; Oxidative Induktionstemperatur = Oxidative induction temperature; u...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Functional Filler: Precipitated Calcium Carbonate in PVC
... abrasiveness, improving the strength properties, higher whiteness and surface gloss, and better weather stability of the PVC window profiles [8–11]. Studies performed on acrylate-modified PVC window profiles show that up to 10phr (per hundred resin) PCC of the type Schaefer Precarb 400 (manufacturer: Schaefer Kalk GmbH & Co. KG) can be used without problem. By increasing the PCC content from 3 to 10phr, the notched impact strength went up by as much as 12% without any significant change in the...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Functional Plastics: Materials Research as Technical Investment
...ongs to the technopolymers and special polymers that will probably be produced in smaller quantities, but are essential for humanity to advance", Paul J. Flory (Nobel Prize winner 1974). Jürgen Stebani Plastics are starting to age. Most of the resins belonging to this material class that we encounter every day are, in the meantime, over 50 years old. This does not mean, however, that plastics have lost any of their technical importance or economic attractiveness, but rather it means that th...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Gas-assisted Injection, Temperature Control, Foaming: Industrial Gases as Aids During Injection Moulding
...urther. Ursula Resgren Andreas Praller The range of possible applications for industrial gases in injection moulding is varied and multi-faceted. Primary among these are use as temperature control media, blowing agents and as a means of displacing resin to form hollow channels. Gas-assisted Injection Moulding When employed for gas-assisted injection, nitrogen is injected at high pressure into the polymer melt that has not yet completely filled the mould. The gas displaces the melt from the co...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Glass-Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (GRP)
...widely predicted and justified by the problem of emissions. Interestingly, the increase of closed-cycle processing techniques has not been at the cost of hand lay-up and fibre spraying, which both show a growth of about 4 %. Remarkably, hand lay-up resins are still the biggest resin segment. The automotive industry, which has been the engine of growth in recent years, is currently showing more modest growth. The SMC/BMC market is stagnating at a high level, while GMT/LFT were still able to grow....

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Headlamp Bonding: Warm Reactive Bonding
...ing Strength The handling strength, an important factor in the leakage test, depends to a large extent on the reactive, warm-hardening adhesive. RWMs usually contain rubber-like thermoplastic components or a crystallising resin. These are defined in Fig.6 and 7. Instant-fix RWM. “Instant-fix” RWM makes possible a handling strength that permits leakage testing immediately after bonding the headlamp construction units. It consists of a rubber-like thermoplastic material where the polymer chain i...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Healthy Sleep . . .
...aracteristics of the fibres must not be deteriorated by these methods. Matrices Made of Renewable Raw Materials Matrix systems made of renewable raw materials are alternatives to today's common plastics such as epoxy and unsaturated polyester resins (UP). Use of these resins results in composite material which produce the same amount of CO2 when burning as the plants took up when growing.Here thermoplastic systems such as starch or cellulose acetate can be used as they consist completely o...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High Fitting Accuracy
...s prevents an overtensioning of individual prepreg layers. It is necessary to keep strictly to the defined intermediate vacuum compaction stages during lay-up of the prepreg layers. These intermediate compaction stages, together with the different resin contents of the various prepreg materials, ensure that entrapped air is effectively removed from between the various prepreg materials, thus achieving good venting and thus good compaction of the laminate. Service life: The selected prepreg mate...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High Requirements - Low Investment Costs
...U glass fibre mixture. Polymers are to be found on the inside of automobiles, on their outsides, in the motor area and on their undersides. Also transparent parts and thus also associated functional parts are made of plastics today. Thermoplastic resins, thermosets and combinations of the two material types are used. Both the material and the processing procedures are aligned precisely to user requirements. The decision to select a thermoset or a thermoplastic resin is always based on the cost...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High-density Polyethylene (PE-HD)
...ow for PE as corrosion protection layer towards higher service temperatures. This new bimodal PE-HD sheathing material is increasingly replacing the PE-MD and PE-LD grades used until now in modern three-layer systems (consisting of epoxy resin, PE-LD/LLD adhesion promoter and PE cover layer). Small and Large Hollow Articles Almost a third of the PE-HD processed in recent years in Western Europe is used in the packaging sector, for example in vessels for the storage and transport of liquid and ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High-grade Bath Concepts: Pampering the Senses
...P plastic baths. First of all, a thermoplastic sheet, usually of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), is shaped into a tub by vacuum forming. The resultant wall thicknesses are between 0.8 and 2.0mm. Instead of now applying a glass-fibre reinforced UP resin to the back of the thermoformed part by the spray lay-up method, as used to be the case, the thermoformed PMMA bath is reinforced with the polyurethane reactive system by openly spraying it on (Figs.2 and 3). First of all, a solid polyurethane laye...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High-Grade Design
...osites for the sanitary sector display a wide variety of designs and colours, coupled with a high surface quality and pleasant haptics. Use is made here of thermoplastic mouldings, thermoset-based artificial stone and glass-fiber reinforced reaction resins. Washing, bathing, showering, flushing - all these activities require robust materials which will withstand long-term exposure to hot and cold water, bumps and jolts, and cleaning agents, while offering an optically appealing surface. While ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, High-performance Plastics: The Right Material for Future Markets
...ed April 2002), Kline & Co., Little Falls, NJ/USA 3 Malveda, M.; Toki, G.: Aromatic Ketone Polymers, June 2002, CEH Data Summary, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA/USA; 4 Malveda, M.; Kälin, Th.; Toki, G.: Polyphenylene Sulfide Resins, June 2002, CEH Data Summary, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA/USA 5 Malveda, M.; Kälin, T.; Toki, G.: Sulfone Polymers, June 2002, CEH Data Summary, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA/USA 6 Liquid Crystal Polymers, Chem Systems, September 2001, White Plains, New Y...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Hybrid Technology with Braided Preforms: Ski Poles by Multilayer Technology
...re under compressive loads as a consequence of transversal contraction, appropriate circumferential reinforcement should be provided, which also prevents splintering on fracture. The short cycle time of about 60s per pole can only be achieved with a resin system with a release agent modified for this application. Preliminary Development and Manufacture by Thermoset Techniques After completion of the preliminary considerations and the necessary preparatory work, a laboratory-scale unit was set u...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Impact Modification Of Thermosets
...autern/Germany The impact modification of brittle thermosets with liquid rubber is relatively expensive. An inexpensive alternative is to use hygrothermally decomposed polyurethane as the modifier. The process was tested with the aid of two epoxy resin grades and compared with the conventional method. Thermosets are highly crosslinked, infusible polymers, which are cured by the reaction of two (or more) components directly in the mould. This group includes, among others, epoxy resins (EP), p...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Impressive Variety: Polysulfones (PSU, PESU, PPSU)
... be processed once again together with virgin material. It should be noted, however, that to avoid quality fluctuations during production the amount of reclaimed material should not exceed 25%. Care must also be taken to not mix different resin types. The Authors Dr. Stefan Göttgens, born in 1960, is Market Development Manager Europe for Plumbing and Sulfone Polymers at Solvay Advanced Polymers GmbH, Düsseldorf/Germany; stefan.goettgens@solvay.com Wolf Sanner, born in 1966, is Product Manager A...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Improved Performance
...t volatility. However, what really sets the 4th generation apart is the ability of AO-1741 and AO-1790 to resist gas fading and hence not to discolour plastics. Gas fade measurements are commonly done by exposing compounded samples of the stabilised resin to the combustion products of natural gas in a controlled environment. Injection moulded PE-LLD plaques containing equal amounts of AO-2176, AO-2110, AO-1741, and AO-1790 were exposed in a US Testing Co. Atmospheric Fume Chamber. The chamber wa...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Innovative Solutions from VDI-K: Outside and Under the Bonnet
...rash element is a longitudinal member in the form of a tapering elongated-hole pipe (Fig. 4). The manufacturing process has been borrowed from the textile industry. The shell body is built up on a circular braider prior to impregnation with resin (Michael Bechtold and Bruno Möltgen, DaimlerChrysler, Sindelfingen/Germany). The company Rehau AG came up with the idea of dissipating the crash energy through shearing in a thermoplastic crash-box. This has still not led to any series application (Holm...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Integrated CAE Solution: Proper Simulation of Fibre Reinforcement
...r-fibre fracture (IFF) is needed. Accordingly, Puck’s failure criterion [9] was also considered here. Since this was specially developed for simulating fibre-matrix laminates, i.e. continuous-fibre-reinforced plastics, such as glassfibre/epoxy resin composites, modification for application to short-fibre-reinforced plastics must at least take account of the thermoplastic matrix material and the different fibre lengths/fibre diameter ratios as well as adjustment to different orientations. The st...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Interview: "Innovations are Required to Make our Vehicles Attractive!"
...developments based on carbon fibre technologies in our vehicles with a view to reducing weight (Fig. 2). Frequently, however, costs stand in the way of such concepts. In addition, the cycle times are too long for the relevant resin systems. We therefore need systems that reduce the cycle times for part manufacture from 15–20min to perhaps 5min. We would therefore ask the plastics industry to support our technological processes and help to make it possible to manufacture sophisticated components ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Isocyanate-free Route to Polyurethane
...ing and polymer diversification. This non-toxic additive converts linear, branched and hyperbranched polyols and polyamines into polyurethanes, polyureas and prepolymers containing blocked isocyanate end groups without either phosgene or isocyanate resins. It can be tailored for applications in the coatings and adhesives industries, thermoplastics processing and biomedicine. Polyurethanes are well known as versatile polymers with tailor-made property profiles. Prepolymers containing either iso...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, It All Depends on the Blend
...namic loading it can easily propagate and under pressure cause buckling of individual layers and failure of the part [1]. This susceptibility to damage can be improved, for example, by impact modification of the usually very brittle thermoset matrix resins [2]. The disadvantages of modification include high production costs and a greater or lesser drop in stiffness and thermal resistance of the composites. Another way of improving resistance to damage is to use hybrid fibre materials, such as hy...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Joining Technologies: Lightweight Hybrid Structures
...bonded to the CFRP loadbearing structure to permit rapid bearing change without damaging the CFRP surface. With this type of material-bonded joint, damaging vibratory friction effects can also be largely excluded. For this bonding task, an epoxy resin-based adhesive specified for aircraft construction was selected. It guarantees the integrity of this safety-relevant joint up to temperatures of 120°C. The thermal expansion of aluminium is some four times higher than that of the multiaxially reinf...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Joining, Texturing, Modifying: Selecting the Right Laser
...ield of plastics range from products for packaging, electronics, household appliances and medical devices to automotive engineering, to name just a few. While polymeric materials were employed largely for simple applications in the past, engineering resins have for some years now performed a variety of functions and can compete with other classical materials. New uses and requirements, however, also demand processing innovations. In this regard, laser technology presents new opportunities for we...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Joint Technology
...reased significantly through material and technological developments. Living Hinges A living hinge is an extremely thin, flexible joint connecting two parts that must move with respect to one another. It is preferably produced from a thermoplastic resin as a single piece in an integrated design. To achieve a long service life in such living hinges, it is critical that the molecules in the thin hinge area, which is only a few tenths of a millimeter thick, be highly oriented in the bending direct...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Laser Direct Structuring of Plastics
... active substances that must possess a range of properties: - Elimination of metal nuclei when subject to electromagnetic radiation typical of lasers - Absolutely no electrical conductivity - Extremely finely dispersible in a matrix resin/polymer by normal compounding processes - Compatible with plastics (especially in the high-temperature thermoplastics that are of particular interest) - Thermally stable at plastics processing temperatures - Toxicologically harmless - Reasonably priced A range ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Laser-sintering Technology: Series Production in Miniature
...to its biocompatibility as per ISO 10993 and FDA G95-1. Michael Mathey, the materials engineer in charge at Phonak, sums up the essential factors: “The skin-coloured polyamide fared better than the UV-cured acrylic resins in all the comparative tests. It is non-toxic, does not trigger any allergies, absorbs moisture and ages extremely slowly. And its high toughness and strength give it greater mechanical resistance than the acrylates. We are thus able to make the shells with very thin walls – th...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Less Water
...ets, being three-dimensionally crosslinked end-products. These include in particular all the properties on which a higher stiffness and hardness of the plastic have a positive effect. Like many adhesives, thermoset materials essentially consist of a resin/hardener system with fillers or reinforcing agents. This system cures under the effect of heat to form a three-dimensional network which can no longer melt. Earlier attempts to improve some of these properties by using cured and ground recyclat...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Low Manufacturing Costs: Plastics Encapsulation for Solar Modules
...very different coefficients of thermal expansion, the solar cells must be protected with a soft encapsulant cast between the PC panels. Fig.4 shows some applications of PC-encapsulated modules. Fast-setting polyurethane formulations for the casting resin have been developed, which are currently under test. Reducing Manufacturing Costs Using plastics, solar modules can be manufactured much more inexpensively than with the traditional materials, and additional functions can be integrated into the...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Low-Density Polyethylene (PE-LD, PE-LLD)
... range above 10kV. In the 1kV range, however, silane-curing PE-LLD is predominant. For metallocene plastomers, there are new interesting applications emerging for special cables. A three-layer coating comprising epoxy resin, PE-LD copolymer as adhesion promoter and PE-LD cover coat has proved an efficient and durable corrosion protection for steel pipes for over 25 years. The trend now, however, is towards grafted PE-LLD as an adhesion promoter with higher heat resistance and better adhesion pro...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Market and Trends: Nanomaterials: Opportunities and Risks
...rolytes water-insoluble and significantly reduce swelling. This is interesting for biocomposites and polyelectrolyte membranes. - As a result of the self-organisation of anisotropic nanoparticles in the resin matrix, barrier properties can be improved vis-à-vis gas and liquid permeation. - Nanostructured surfaces are of central importance to modern developments in microelectronics and sensor technology as well as medicine. In nature, nano-biotechnology has played a prominent role for more than t...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Market News
...n EUR 70 million. BASF Joint Venture for PBT Production BASF AG of Ludwigshafen/Germany and Toray Industries Inc. of Tokyo/Japan, set up a 50:50 joint venture for the production of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). The partnership Toray BASF PBT Resin Sdn. will supply the growing Asian market with this engineering plastic. Moreover, a world-scale plant for PT base polymer with an annual capacity of 60000t/a will be erected at BASF’s composites sites at Kuantan/Malaysia. The total investment fi...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Market News
...mpounds and Kapex PC compounds. The Ginar Technology Co. Ltd. products already have approvals for the Asian automotive, electrical engineering and electronic industries and can thus also be introduced on to the European market relatively rapidly. Resin Express Distribution for Rhodia Resin Express is the new distribution partner for Rhodia Engineering Plastics, Saint Fons/France. The contract covers Rhodia's Technyl and Technyl Star polyamides and is valid throughout Europe. The Technyl pr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Materials and Processes: Electrical Engineering in Transformation
...ed for insulation and housings, elastomers are particularly used in a wide variety of forms (silicones and EPDM). Thermosets are usually used for parts (e.g. shock-resistant housings), and for their properties as filling compounds (e.g. cast-resin joint boxes). As regards processing techniques, injection moulding and extrusion of thermoplastics and elastomers predominate. Of the latter, compression moulding and reaction injection moulding (RIM) are most notable. In addition, because of the mediu...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Materials of the 21st Century: Plastics Producers Remain on Path to Growth
...%. Nevertheless, prices of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) rose by 5% and those of polystyrene (PS) by 2.2%. Early 2004 heralded a long-overdue price recovery. By July, growth was running at between 10 and 25%, the exact figure depending on the type of resin. However, ultimately it is the margins that are crucial to plastics producers, in other words the difference between the costs of the raw materials and the revenues we obtain for our products (Fig. 5). Plastics producers, who are dependent on crud...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Mechanical Joining Techniques: Metal Forming During Injection Moulding
...tions. Previously proposed solutions involve additives (e.g., PTFE, graphite) to the injection moulded plastic to greatly improve the lubricity, or injection of lubricants during injection of the plastic before complete solidification of the resin occurs [8, 9]. Use of manufactured plastic inserts with spring inserts that provide the required pull-out force represents another possibility. Compensation of Shrinkage Generally, an undesirable gap forms during cooling as a result of the shrinkage o...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Medical Technology: High-precision Lightweight Design
...ital arc and is designed as a guide mechanism. Thanks to the functionally integrated design, the entire assistance system can be mounted on a commercially available patient support via retrofitted linear guide rails. Component Development The resin injection process used in conjunction with appropriate preform concepts appeared to represent a suitable approach to meet the above requirements. To achieve the extremely high stiffness at a low weight, the orbital arc was designed as a sandwich cons...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Metal Injection Moulding: Precision Parts Rapidly and Economically
...aches to gating and specify the most favourable one. The detailed design concludes the work and should take all considerations into account. When selecting the runner system, it must be borne in mind that the viscosity of the metal powder-filled resin is relatively high compared to that of conventional plastics. Accordingly, the pressure loss in the runner system should be kept as low as possible. This is achieved, in part, through the shortest possible runner lengths, largest possible runner cr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Metering Technology: Precision for Highly Filled Formulations
...lled pipe can be produced with a thinner wall but the same hoop strength (Fig. 1). Thanks to the lower material costs resulting from the reduced wall thickness and the lower price of chalk, this translates into a cost savings of about 25% versus the resin formulation. Formulation Characterisation With the aid of the so-called Brabender Test, the processing characteristics and the plasticising behaviour of any PVC formulation under near-real-world conditions can be determined reliably with minim...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Modified Polyphenylene Ether (PPE)
...n-line Painting The (PA+PPE) blends that GE Plastics introduced in the mid-1980s have now acquired a significant market share, particularly in the automotive industry for parts requiring high impact strength and on-line or in-line painting. The resin’s high heat resistance allows it be used in paint ovens. Over the past few years, conductive (PPE+PA) blends have been introduced that offer electrostatic painting without requiring the use of conductive primers. The material has also been shown to...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Modified Polyphenylene Ethers (PPE)
...polyphenylene oxide (PPO) - was developed by General Electric Plastics and released onto the U.S. market in the early 1960s. Since the late 1960s, it has been available in Europe and Asia under the trade name Noryl. Initially, PPE was used as a pure resin. But it was soon discovered that blending it with polystyrene (PS) greatly enhanced its processability. PPE and PS are physically blendable and do not need any chemical compatibilisation. Other typical blending partners for PPE are polyamides (...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, More elegance . . .
...door frame finishers. This material has the required strength, rigidity and resilience. It is easy to process with appropriate know-how and has a particularly pleasing feel when provided with a soft-touch finish. From Prototypes Produced in a Cast Resin Mould . . . Given the specifications of the automotive manufacturer and an increasingly tight schedule, a multi-stage development process is essential. IBS Brocke - as the development partner - takes responsibility for correct plastics design o...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Motor Vehicle Interiors
...to be found. Instead, the raw material manufacturers chose to expand their material portfolios by selectively modifying and optimising their existing product ranges. GE Plastics presented a new engineering styrenic resin called Cytra, which is an ABS/PBT alloy. This product yields moulded parts that have a fine-textured surface and a uniform, silky mat finish (Fig.3). Cytra thus represents an attractive option for a whole range of interior cladding and trim applications in vehicles. Besides exce...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Mould Design: Safely Warp-free
...rest folded down, the panel in the rear-seat backrest becomes accessible. The ski bag can be drawn out after the cover in the panel is opened (Fig.2). The injection-moulded parts of the cover and panel are made of ABS Magnum from Dow, supplied by Resin Express GmbH, Zwingenberg/Germany. Injection Mould for Warp-free Panels . . . The panel, injection moulded by Coko-Werk GmbH+Co. KG, Bad Salzuflen/Germany, as part of the interior trim, must meet high demands on its surface quality and dimension...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, MuCell Process: Microcellular Parts from the Injection Moulding Machine
...croscope: Leica M420). In dependence on the weight reduction, pieces were cut out in the centre of the test bar, in the flow direction and perpendicular to it. The pieces were embedded in synthetic resin and polished for microscopic and macroscopic reflected light examination. The cross-sectional dimensions of the test bars were 4 and 10mm. The studies showed that the gas distribution in the part is variable. In principle, there are as good as no gas inclusions present. However, the internal foa...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Multi-layer Composites with Reactive Coupling Agents
...ogether across the boundary surface by covalent bonds. Adhesion Mechanisms On the basis of pictures of cryofractured surfaces statements can be made about structure (but not about boundary surface coupling). Film strips were therefore embedded in resin, ground, polished and sputtered to study them using SEM. The boundary surface between PA and CA is visible in Fig. 4. Due to grinding and polishing there is a gap of a few µm separating the PA layer from the CA layer. At regular intervals ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Nanoscale NIR Absorbers: Permanently Mark Highly Transparent Plastics
.... Development is currently in process in the Project House with the objective of utilising the new technology of laser marking via nanoscale NIR absorbers in other polymers as well. The Project House is interested in working together with resin manufacturers, compounders and processors to develop new polymeric materials that are transparent yet can be laser-marked. The Author Dr. Wilhelm Wolff, born in 1951, works in the Project House “Functional Polymers” of Degussa AG; wilhelm.wolff@degussa.c...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Natural Fibres in Plastic: Compression Moulding of Natural-fibre-reinforced Thermoset Prepregs
...ooling. The technical tests indicated virtual conformity with technical specification requirements. The use of these natural-fibre materials achieved a component weight reduction of about 15%. The lower odour nuisance as compared with phenolic-resin-bonded bast fibre mats was perceived as a particular advantage. The good mechanical properties of the composite may be attributed to the very good fibre-matrix adhesion. The scanning electron micrographs show a fracture in the kenaf/hemp composite. T...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Natural Thermosets
...od a distribution of the linseed oil as possible in the gelatine (Fig. 1). For the partial binding of the pre-oxidised linseed oil acid groups can be introduced through maleic acid anhydride. This takes place in a way similar the production of alkyd resins. The use of vegetable lecithin as phase mediator is simpler, by which is meant fatty substances derived mainly from oil seedlings. Vegetable lecithin can be cross- linked with the linseed oil through its unsaturated fatty acid residues. If lin...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Nozzles for Tightly Spaced Cavities: High Cavitation in Minimal Space
...and 129mm. With a nominal diameter of 8mm, the nozzle, including heater band, requires a nozzle well of only 16mm. This permits cavity spacings starting at 16.5 mm with two-point and four-point gating. Depending on the flow characteristics of the resin processed the nozzle is designed for shot weights from 0.01g to about 10g and is intended to address a wide field of applications employing conventional thermoplastics. For selection of suitable geometries and material combinations for the thin no...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Online Process Control: Ultrasonic Measurements on Thermoset Moulding Compounds
... softening and curing of crosslinkable polymers. Deviations in the process are identified immediately and errors eliminated promptly. The targeted optimisation of parameters can greatly reduce the cycle times. Moulding compounds consist of reactive resin/curing agent mixtures and a high percentage of organic and non-organic admixtures. In the initial state, the resin melts at 60 to 70°C so that the compounds can be easily formed. The chemical curing reaction, which starts above 100°C, transform...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Opportunity and Challenge
...posed by the laser. The ADDIMID approach has the potential to modify a variety of plastics [24]. Capture Process The capture process (in which a plastic foil with a circuit pattern is preformed and inserted into an injection mould. Then plastic resin is injected behind the plastic foil to form the moulded part) and the photo-imaging process have played a subordinate role to date. Nevertheless, the in-mould decoration process is an increasingly utilised, automated technology in plastics process...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Optimising Safety Systems: Modern Chainmail
..., titanium, brass or steel alloys, which cast individually or in twos, and spot welded together with a 1:4 or 1:6 mesh structure. The matrix materials used are, for example, aluminium, aluminium foam, steel alloys, resins, carbon fibre composites, magnesium alloys, bulletproof wood or plastics. Properties and Fields of Application The special advantages of these chainmails lie in their large variety of combinations, the many different applications, high strength and energy absorption, low weig...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Packaging: The Compostable Water Bottle
...olved in PLA processing. Kunststoffe: How do the costs associated with PLA processing compare with PET? MU: On the equipment side, the capital costs for the two materials are very similar. The main cost component is the resin itself, and PLA resin comparable in cost to PET resin. So, the unit costs will really be based primarily on the bottle design and how much resin the designer decides to use. Kunststoffe: Will you commercialise this technology for PLA processing? MU: Husky is working close...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, PBT Oligomers: Always in Good Form
...f Schenectady New York/USA, which was founded in 1999. In this patented process, oligomeric ring compounds are produced in the presence of catalysts: cyclic butylene terephthalate (CBT). This low-molecular weight product, designated Cyclics CBT Resin is solid at room temperature and has a white colour. The room-temperature solid starts to melt at about 120°C and is completely molten at 160°C with a viscosity of less than 100mPas. The viscosity decreases as the temperature increases until it reac...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Performance Show and Interview: Round About Pipe
... manufacturer has optimised to achieve a constant temperature for processing of PP and PE and, on the other, a 6D longer processing unit of 36D. “To provide a constant temperature at the die, the new extruder assures gentle processing of the resin regardless of speed or load“, explained Thein. Corrugated pipe/tubing and multi-wall composite pipe that is used as cable protection, in electrical installations, as drainage pipe, sewer pipe and wastewater pipe as well as in technical applications i...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Pipe and Film Extrusion: Homogeneous Melt Distribution Through Rotation
...the laboratory die. The rotor speed depends on the material and throughput, and can be viewed through a sightglass integrated into the die cover (Fig.3). By way of example, the rotor speed is plotted versus material throughput for three different resins in Fig.4. The investigations of the rotational behaviour of the distributor element show no exclusive viscosity dependence of the attainable rotor speed (Fig.5). Analytical calculations as well as extrusion experiments confirm the low pressure re...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Plastic Goes Online
... be computer-modelled by FEM (finite element method) and - as with thermoplastic components - the filling behaviour calculated (Fig. 2). The main focus of attention, however, should not be on freezing of the melt but on the reaction kinetics of the resin, i. e. the progress of gelation. Mould filling time, flow direction and, if applicable, filler orientation can be predicted via wall thickness. The required clamping force, the areas last to be filled in the mould and possible air entrapment can...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polyamide (PA)
...he addition of nanomer fillers (sheet silicates) or amorphous polyamides, or through biaxial film stretching, as in the production of sausage wrappers. Monofilms are used primarily in the non-food sector where they serve as separator films for SMC resin mats, as heat-stabilised films for aircraft construction, in widths of up to 6m, and as a dust-proof barrier film that lets air through, for roof improvements [9]. The Authors of this Article Dr. Ralf Neuhaus, born in 1968, is Engineering Consul...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polyamides (PA)
...m stretching. The latter is the reason for the market success of PA 6 in the sausage covering field. Also here stretched multilayer films find applications. In the non-food field monofoils have found a place, for instance, as separator films for SMC resin mats, heat-stabilised films (width 6 m) for aircraft construction and as actively breathing but dust proof barrier films in roofing [2]. Product Development In the engineering thermoplastics series the polyamides are the most important produc...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT)
...er 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 (photo: Ticona) Fig. 10. High-viscosity PBT is use...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polycarbonate instead of Glass: Large Car Windows from an Injection Moulding Machine
...omplementary capabilities has been formed to support automakers and their system suppliers in the entire value-added chain of automotive glazing systems based on PC: - Bayer MaterialScience AG, Leverkusen, as a resin supplier, has developed optimised materials for glazing applications. - Incos Industria Costruzione Stampi S.p.A., S. Polo di Piave/Italy, a mouldmaker with experience in polycarbonate processing, is devoting the resources of the “INglass” Division entirely to the field of glazing a...

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

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Polypropylene
...anding its applications arena thanks to its versatile properties portfolio, excellent processability, relative low density and good cost/performance balance. Lifestyle changes of the consumer further stimulate the substitution of other thermoplastic resins and traditional materials like glass, paper and metal in favour of polypropylene. In the year 2000 the PP demand in West Europe was 6.9 million tonnes. Polypropylene is found in a wide variety of applications from rigid and flexible packagin...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Preparation for Painting and Bonding: Inline Surface Modification During Injection Moulding
... important criterion for application of a surface modification method. To investigate this characteristic, test specimens were stored in a controlled environment (climate) for up to 30 days before and after bonding with a heat-curing epoxy resin (grade: Delo 1196; manufacturer: Delo Industrie Klebstoffe GmbH & Co. KG). There was no decrease in shear strength during the above-mentioned time period. Additional investigations on PC, where the specimens were stored for a period of six months, gave t...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives ...
...kaging tapes (Fig. 3) or indeed the so-called protective films that every house-builder knows from his new window panes. Advances in this field were and are still being made rapidly, from the very first self-adhesive materials (simple tree resins) right through to today’s acknowledged “specialists” for many different applications. The first permanently sticky articles at the end of the 19th century consisted, from today’s viewpoint, of awfully smelly mixtures, such as rubber, terpentine, sprucew...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Process Technology: Plastic Automobile Windows
...investigating various surface coatings for components of the plasticising unit as to their suitability for injection moulding of optical parts. The goal of this project is to identify the most suitable coating system for any given plastic resin and at the same time find a coating system with the best all-around properties. To this end, the behaviour of various PVD coating systems is being characterised during processing of optical-grade resins. In particular, the tendency to adhere to the screw ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Process Technology: Polyurethane Processing Systems
... agitators find use in the low-pressure process, a completely new method resulted from introduction of high-pressure impingement mixing. It is only because of this invention that short cycle times became possible when processing polyurethane resins. Component velocities through the injection nozzles range from 100 to 150m/s. The liquid components are injected through the orifices into a mixing chamber, where they become thoroughly mixed as a result of their kinetic energy (Fig. 6). While the cla...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Processing Technologies: Processing Fibre-reinforced Plastics
...se of the many different processing methods and industry-specific process features. Instead, a selection had to be made. Nevertheless, significant developments are highlighted in the most important processing technologies, i.e. preform production in resin injection methods, filament winding, tape laying, semi-finished product development for thermoplastic based fibre reinforced composites and welding. Preform Technology and Resin Injection Methods Resin injection processes are having to meet i...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Product Development: Rapid Analysis of Film Properties on Pilot Lines
...ver, quality, time and cost aspects should be optimised equally. That this statement does not have to be contradictory will be illustrated here by way of examples of selected blown and cast film trials. Focus on Film Properties It is not only the resins and formulations that determine the properties of a film. Production method, machine type and even process conditions have an almost equal effect, e.g. the blow-up ratio and frost line for blown film or the line speed and air gap for cast film. ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Production Control: Press Process Transparency
...ance. Last but not least, Aircabin also supplies various airlines with replacement parts. Reliable and Transparent Control Required The basic process of moulding and hardening composite parts is always the same: Epoxy or phenolic resin sheets automatically precision-cut from a roll, partial reinforcements and the honeycomb profiles are placed by hand in a mould, which is then inserted into the press mould carrier. The actual hardening lasts from a few minutes up to several hours depending on t...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Progress in Development: From the Prototype to the Individualised Product
...l reason is the increased material diversity that has become available in the meantime to the development departments for use in checking different component characteristics in the manifold development stages. It began with the first universal epoxy resin for stereolithography – Somos 7120 – about eight years ago. This resin, created by DuPont, made it possible for the first time to generate components resistant to temperature and humidity that were able to withstand high thermal and mechanical ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, PUR Composite Spray Moulding (PUR-CSM): Open to Many Different Applications
... allowed to cure in the open mould at ambient temperature within moderate mould cycle times. With this multi-layer spray application into an open mould and curing in air, only a single mould half is required. This can be produced from a synthetic resin in view of the low mechanical and thermal stresses involved. Consequently, there is also no need for a mould carrier. The low mould costs and elimination of the mould carrier make processing the system by the CSM method particularly attractive fo...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Quality and Process Optimisation: Taking Stock of SMC Technology
...0000 tonnes SMC are manufactured and processed each year. The quality requirements of the automotive industry are compelling SMC manufacturers and processors to make constant improvements in process control and monitoring. In a joint project between resin/SMC manufacturers and SMC processors/end users, significant improvements in the consistency and quality of SMC products have been achieved. Peter Stachel SMC technology is one of the many compounding methods by which reinforcing fibres and bin...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Quality Assurance for Class A
... feed line to the press cylinder. The pressing work is calculated from the integral of the function of pressing force plotted against the closing stroke of the press. The pressing work enables conclusions to be drawn about the flow behaviour of the resin mat during the flow process. With all the values measured by the data logging system, reference values can be stored that ensure the reproducibility of pressing parameters, particularly when restarting the machine. Results The measured variabl...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Quality Assurance: Comparison of Thermal Stability Measurement Processes for PVC
...tive data from interlaboratory tests. The fact that this can be donescientifically is demonstrated by the independently performed interlaboratory test. THE AUTHORS KARL-HEINZ HAMSEN, born in 1954, is Manager Technical Service Dispersion Resin at Vestolit GmbH & Co. KG, Marl/Germany. Ralf Jaksch, born in 1961, is Laboratory Manager in the Technical Service Dispersion Resin at Vestolit. THOMAS Kolb, born in 1974, is Product Specialist for Ion Chromatography and Stability Measurements at Deutsche ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Quality of SMC Surfaces: Paintability Enhanced
...oading the paint frames, through final inspection, and finally from packing and shipping. The panel then must also withstand the assembly and topcoat process. SMC is fibreglass-reinforced plastic generally consisting of unsaturated polyester resin, low profile additives (LPA) used for controlling shrinkage and obtaining a high surface quality, catalysts, inhibitors, fillers (calcium carbonate), one-inch chopped glass fibre, and thickener (usually alkaline earth oxides; Table 1). SMC relies mainl...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Radiation-induced Crosslinking: Crosslinked PA6 for Circuit Carriers
...lts in more demanding requirements with regard to thermal stability. Previously, only high-performance thermoplastics have been able to satisfy such requirements. A lengthening of the short-term exposure to thermal loads that lower-cost engineering resins such as PA6 can withstand and improved resistance to various media can be achieved through radiation-induced crosslinking by means of an electron beam. As a result, the resin molecules form a three-dimensional network with a definite improvemen...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Railroad Rolling Stock: On Track with Lightweight Construction Techniques
... requirements. The area of application of the strengthened materials is mainly in the interior and external linings of trains. As matrix for the fibre reinforced composites essentially only thermosetting systems are applicable. Unsaturated polyester resins (UP) are the most usual resin systems for the usually glass-fibre reinforced materials. Because of fire protection (see the information box on fire protection) phenolic resins (PF) are having an upswing. For many fibre-reinforced applications ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Recycled CRP as Reinforcement for Thermoplastics
...thermoplastic matrices, the reinforcement is classified as either continuous filament or continuous strand-reinforced types. For the studies presented here, cured CRP with a fabric or UD-bonded reinforcement made of high-modulus carbon fibres and EP resin matrix were comminuted in a hammer mill. The resultant regrind consisted of short fibres and adhering matrix, as well as fibre and matrix fragments (Fig. 2). The EP matrix was made to decompose by thermal treatment in air or nitrogen, this trea...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Recycling and Granulating: Material Cycle Closed
...ector reflects the growing sensitivity regarding this subject, so that in the future improved quality and a wider range of applications can be expected for recycled materials. In order to produce high-quality products from recycled material, single-resin fractions are generally required. With its Peelomat system, Untha Recyclingtechnik GmbH, Karlstadt/Germany, employs a patented process to strip the coatings and metal layers from CDs. The process reclaims up to 90% of the incoming polycarbonate...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Recycling: Drinks from the Detergent Bottle
...8% for each model substance in the end product. Compared with virgin PET material, the studies show that the recyclate samples of the end products have a comparable fraction of migratable substances. Only substances contained in virgin PET resin as well were detected. A look at the various cleaning stages of the Super-Clean process reveals a substantial reduction in the concentration of the module substances in the extrusion stage (Fig.3). Crystallisation makes a minor contribution to cleaning....

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Reinforced Plastics: Caught Up Again
...stems, a new development was displayed in the form of an in-situ polymerising system. Cyclics presented Cyclics CBT – a matrix system based on commercial PBT which could take on particular importance for liquid impregnation processes, and resin infusion or resin injection processes. The particular attraction of this system is its low reaction temperature. With polymerisation being activated at a temperature clearly below the polymer's melting point, CBT combines short impregnation times with...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Requirements and Markets: Polymeric Flame Retardants
...t manufacturer, is now promoting the wider use of reactive and polymeric flame retardants to create a safer environment. Examples of these product groups include a brominated alcohol and a polyetherpolyol, brominated polyacrylate, brominated epoxy resins and their end-capped derivatives and brominated polystyrene. These brominated flame retardants are less water-soluble. They form a firm bond with the polymer matrix and therefore bleed hardly at all from the plastic end product. Even during agin...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Retrofits: No Fear of Foaming
...e processor, this technique can still only be the starting point. Depending on the requirements to be met by the moulded part, the processor must incorporate into his considerations the entire production sequence, beginning with selection of the resin and additives, continuing through moulded part and mould design and ending with process optimisation. Disregarding any aspects of the process sequence can result in unsatisfactory results. The Author Dr.-Ing. Sasan Habibi-Naini, born in 1972, was ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Retrospective: The Development of Injection Moulding
...Fig. 1), which was subsequently built by Hyatt, exhibited all of the features of a vertical injection moulding machine. Hyatt was surely aware of techniques for moulding brush handles, clasp and billiard balls from casein resin and likely recalled machines for metal diecasting, which existed since 1849. According to reports, several Hyatt machines were built and operated up until about the turn of the century. In 1878 these machines were used for the first time to mould handles for shaving brush...

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

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Series Production - Quickly
...totyping technology with a moulding process. Among these complex procedures belongs silicone casting of positive stereolithography components, for instance. The silicone forms can be cast afterwards with a multiplicity of different waxes or casting resins, whereby series lengths have already reached 50 to 100 items. A "requirement" is that the complex processing systems must be controlled. The development of rapid prototyping procedures has led to the fact that it is possible to make mou...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Silicones: Preserving a Heritage
...gineers and craftsmen. Their close and trusted working partnership has resulted in new products tailored to special applications, and many impressive successes. Product Innovations for Building Preservation Silicone products, particularly silicone resins and their various offshoots, show outstanding water repellency, but also very high permeability to gases. This product group has therefore been tested in building conservation projects, where it rapidly became adopted with great success. The f...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Simulation Tools: Vibro-acoustic Design of Composites
...sound emission behaviour of the individual fibre-reinforced plastic composite plates in a complex manner. To compare the different fibre-matrix combinations, the sound output curves for square composite plates of glass fibre-reinforced epoxy resin (GF/EP), carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy resin (CF/EP) and carbon fibre-reinforced polyetheretherketone (CF/PEEK) are presented in Fig. 4 for the first vibration mode. It can be seen here that the sound emission from multi-layered plastic composite plate...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Sports Equipment: Plastics at all Events
...he enormous centrifugal forces that occur in high-speed curves and remain unaffected by knocks and vibrations. The life-saving 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 (F...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Structural RIM: Composite Materials for More Robust Automotive Parts
...o the tailgate, are press moulded. Meridian also uses the S-RIM process for producing the centre door and interior tailgate parts for the popular Chevrolet Avalanche and the recently launched Cadillac Escalade EXT. In both the S-RIM and RTM (resin transfer moulding) processes, a reactive resin is injected into a mould containing a fibre preform. The high reactivity of the two-component resin system requires the polyol and isocyanate to be mixed under high pressure in a countercurrent injection m...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Tailor-made Properties: Modification of Polyamides
... he is head of the PE/AWT Polymer Building Blocks section; Thorsten.Roloff@cognis.com. Dipl.-Ing. Ulrich Nagorny, born in 1949, is also a technical manager at Cognis, where he is responsible for paint additives and epoxy resin systems. Ulrike Erkens, born in 1972, is also at Cognis, and is a technical specialist for product development/applications technology. She is responsible for coating resins and poly-mer building blocks. Fig 1. Dicarboxylic acids The melt point of dicarboxylic acids i...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Teamwork Produces a New Design
...g could only be produced by using gas-assist injection moulding which made it possible to create the unique concave shape of the "Vitros" TV set. Dow performed mould-filling analyses and confirmed that Styron A-Tech 1400 advanced polystyrene resin easily filled the mould and, additionally, had the strength required by the large cabinet design. A single injection gate minimised the problems of filling the mould and ensured a more even filling pattern. Gas-assist injection moulding helped ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Temperature Control: Cooling and Heating of Plastics
...roduct in the heat exchanger occurs very slowly and under very low product pressure. As a result, this technique is well-suited for abrasion-sensitive or highly wearing products. Practical Application: Heating prior to Extrusion For engineering resins, e.g., polyester that is spun into high-grade yarn for use in tire manufacturing, preheating with the aid of a steam-heated heat exchanger offers many processing benefits over conventional approaches such as preheating with air or nitrogen. The q...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Thermosets
...linking plastics sector, alongside considerable restructuring and commercial setbacks, there have also been some successes. Demand in the GRP industry is high, even for specialty moulding materials. Material development is moving in the direction of resins with high heat and chemical resistance coupled with improved processability to ensure rapid production of parts in consistently high quality. In recent years, the thermosets market, like other plastics sectors, has come under severe price pr...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Thermosetting Moulding Materials
...), melamine phenolic (MP), polyester (UP) and epoxy (EP) moulding materials. User Markets The world market for thermosetting moulding materials continued to grow in the last three years. Table 1 and Fig. 2 show this using the example of phenolic resin moulding materials. At the same time the number of suppliers was reduced somewhat by progressive concentration and globalisation. Responsible for the growth is above all the Chinese market for phenolic moulding materials, which grew by about 50 ...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Three Weeks Until the Start
... the specifications. Four stereolithographic prototypes had to be made first, and then had to serve for the production of the corresponding silicone rubber casting moulds. These were then used to vacuum cast an appropriate two-component polyurethane resin, treated with the right coloured pigment, to yield the finished solar bike. Data Sent Over the Internet Three-dimensional CAD data in SL format, which constituted the starting point of the project, were sent to Proform AG over the internet. T...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Torque Motor Solutions: Direct Drives on Film Pull Roll Stands Assure Constant Quality
...d turnkey projects, i.e., the erection of turnkey factories. At the company’s Technology Centre, which is equipped with laboratory equipment and pilot film stretching lines, customers can test whether and under what conditions their intended resins can be stretched and what properties the films have before the start of volume production. Film Stretching Lines – Stretching in Two directions In a film stretching line, the resins employed are first prepared and plasticised. The material flows thro...

Kunststoffe international, 2005-11-21, Towards Greater Automation
...ermoplastic tape-placement, on the other hand, is still at the development phase. The use of thermoplastics offers further possibilities for saving time and money. Less regular maintenance work is required than with thermosets because there is less resin contamination in the machine. The most important advantage, however, is that the autoclave cycle is dispensed with altogether, resulting in considerable cost and time savings. A further benefit of the thermoplastic tape-placement process (e. g. ...