materials feature | Foamed sheet Sabic is
extending its portfolio of foamable
polymers – to include more
polyolefins and even engineer- ing thermo- plastics
using heat-activated crosslinking, for lightweight applications. The other partner was
European Van Company, a specialist producer of sandwich composites for the car body industry. The project was part-spon- sored by Vinnova, the Swedish innovation agency.
The partners managed to improve the
mechanical properties of rPET-based foam. This creates opportunities for material and cost savings for existing applications where similar performance can be achieved with less material, said the partners. Also, the competitiveness of rPET foam for other applications, where today more expensive materials are used, is increased. The crosslinking technology has been successfully
evaluated for other applications, which opens up for new business opportunities for Nexam. “The rPET-project was successful and all partici-
pants are satisfied with the outcome,” said Dane Momcilovic, chief technology officer of Nexam. “We have been able to develop a product which is already far into commercialisation.”
Extensions, expansions Sabic is extending its portfolio of foamable polymers – to include more polyolefins (including POP elastomers and POP plastomers), and engineering thermoplastics including polycarbonate, modified PPE and PEI. Several innovations are in the process of being
commercialised, says the company. Its LDPE 2502X0, for example, offers benefits for the physical foam extrusion process, and for the resulting lightweight foams. Its LDPE 2402CX0 offers benefits for crosslinkable (XL) foam extrusion processes. The XL foams have an improved properties-to-weight ratio, offering the possibility to use them in higher added-value applications. The company has also developed a series of ‘fast
Evonik’s
Rohacell is used as the
foam core in sandwich
composites
converting’ foam materials that further improve production efficiencies for foam manu- facturers. LDPE 2102FC is the first in a series of products that combine up to 50% savings in degassing time – reducing the foam manufacturer’s inventory – and an improvement in production
efficiency of up to 5% through less production waste and better foam
consistency. One example of a foamed engineering plastic is its
Lexan Flight F6L300 thermoformable sheet, which is 40% lighter than traditional solid sheet. Meanwhile, Evonik is to expand capacity at its
performance foams business in Darmstadt, Germany. This will initially increase output by about 20%. The expanded production capacity is expected to be operational by the second half of 2017. “We have experienced double-digit growth of our
Rohacell brand in recent years and have indications that this success will continue,” said Matthias Kottenhahn, senior vice president of high performance polymers at Evonik Resource Efficiency. The plant is currently producing Rohacell foam as a
core material in the construction of sandwich composites. Rohacell is a rigid, structural polymethacrylimide
foam used in the design and production of sandwich composites in a variety of industries. The lightweight foam can withstand high temperatures and pressures.
Energy harvesting Benecke-Kaliko has developed a PVC sheet that prevents evaporation of water from reservoirs – while simultaneously harvesting solar energy. Dynactiv Power has been developed for semi-arid
countries, and comprises a special opaque, foam- backed PVC sheet that is laminated with flexible thin-film CIGS solar cells. It is typically installed on cut-and-fill and embankment reservoirs, and can result in a 70% capital cost reduction compared to concrete reservoirs, says the company. With the product, up to 40% more service water is
retained, which can be used to cultivate large agricul- tural areas. In addition, the solar cells supply energy – which can be used for surrounding houses and to operate pumping stations. The composite sheet produces around 500kWp of
electricity per 10,000m². This means that a reservoir of 100,000m² can be used to run a small power plant with 5.0MWp. “There is enormous demand for a water and electric-
22 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | December 2016
www.filmandsheet.com
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