materials | High density compounds
Right: Luvocom Detectables is a new line of magnetic
thermoplastic compounds
from Lehmann & Voss aimed at food
processing machine
components
steel, for example. Most MagniF-filled compounds are manufactured on twin-screw extruders, where typically MagniF is fed directly into the melt via a side feeder. Filler levels of up to 80% by weight are achievable with standard compounding equipment. Polypropylene compound densities close to 4.0 g/cm3
can be attained
with in-line compounding. As far as new developments are concerned LKAB
Minerals cite a number of key areas. “These include grades for better mechanical properties (low top-cut) and food approved fillers and compounds,” says Viering. “Detectability in plastics using more than one system, for example HF-coil and X-ray, is also a priority, as well as cost effective solutions. Using recycled thermoplas- tics for non-visible technical parts is also an area that is under development…Technical and aesthetical needs now require new material solutions including improved surface quality and finish, as well as colourability. Improving the heat transfer of polymeric compounds is also an area of development.” LKAB Minerals is actively involved in developing MagniF magnetite filler for thermoplastic applications. “Achieving the high density needed for automotive and other machinery parts for passive sound damping, particularly in plastic and rubbery materials, is one area
we have been looking at,” says Duifhuis. “MagniF’s density provides good sound damping characteristics to automotive moulded parts as well as to applications within the construction industry such as low-noise waste pipes and heavy foams. It is also used in packag- ing for cosmetics bottle caps where the higher density/ higher weight of the finished product imparts a quality feel, for example. In addition, as a tracer (HF-coil and X-ray) the use of MagniF offers detectability while maintaining mechanical properties, particularly in the food packaging industry. We see an increasing demand for detectable compounds in this area.” Magnetite filler grades MagniF10F and MagniF25F
have been developed for use in, for example, metal- detectable cable ties for the food industry. LKAB Minerals says that the pure and dried magnetitie F-grades comply with FDA (US) and EC (Europe) food contact require- ments. “Cable ties containing even less than 10% MagniF10F or MagniF25F can already be detected by commonly used HF-coil detectors,” says Viering. “MagniF filled compounds are even suitable for HF-coil detection in wet or frozen food production processes.”
Food applications Lehvoss North America, a subsidiary of Lehmann & Voss, recently introduced Luvocom Detectables, a new line of magnetic thermoplastic compounds that target food processing machine components. The new materials offer weight and cost reductions while maintaining contamination-free processing of foodstuffs. The company says that magnetisable plastics are
typically injection moulded and then magnetised through a secondary operation and are used to replace perma- nently magnetised sintered powder magnets. According to Lehvoss, until now the only other option has been to use soft-magnetic plastics as an alternative to sintered ferrites. The company says that in applications where hard-magnetic or soft-magnetic powders and steel
Above left: Ecomass Technologies specialises in production of high density polymer compounds. Above right: These RFID-enabled casino chips use high density compounds to deliver weight
60 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2016
www.compoundingworld.com
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