additives feature | Reinforcing fibres
PlastiComp has recently launched
long-basalt-
fibre-reinforced composites
Basalt breakthroughs Fibres made from basalt – a rock that forms when lava cools very quickly – are increasingly being considered as a further possible solution in thermoplastic compounds. Basaltex, a supplier of basalt fibres in Belgium, envisages them being used in place of glass for applications such as automotive parts where their extra high strength can be used to produce lighter parts. In some applications, they could also provide an alterna- tive to carbon fibres. The company says that their good mechanical
properties, the easy wetting of the filament surface and their recyclability make basalt fibres particularly suitable for composites. The fibres also show good resistance to UV, heat and abrasion and offer low water absorption and inherent fire resistance. Jeroen Debruyne, project manager at Basaltex, says
Borealis is targeting auto applications with Fibremod WE380HP, which combines PP, glass fibres and mineral fillers
the company began offering chopped basalt fibres compatible with polypropylene earlier this year, and already has one major compounding customer. It is currently testing sizings compatible with polyamides. Fibres have a diameter of 13 microns. Basalt is a mafic rock, meaning that it contains magnesium and iron. Mafic is also the name of a 2012 start-up company with basalt fibre production in Kells, Ireland (it also produces LFTs in Woodbridge, Canada). It has six small ovens there, an arrangement that provides it with flexibility to produce grades for specific requirements, explains Jeff Thompson who is in marketing at the company. It is also aiming to install a single large oven in the USA. Thompson says Mafic puts a strong emphasis on
quality control to set it apart from established produc- ers in eastern Europe and Asia, where currently the bulk of basalt fibre comes from. Mafic is pointing its products at numerous markets, thermoplastic compounds being one of them. Thompson
says the company has in-house capability to produce sizings, and will work with customers to produce grades according to requirements. Compounders producing compounds reinforced with basalt fibres include Lehmann & Voss. Thomas Collet, responsible for product management and marketing in the company’s Luvocom business unit, says that it has been using basalt fibres for some time, often in combination with other fibres that enhance tribological properties for example. Another user is PlastiComp, which has just introduced a line of long-basalt-fibre- reinforced composites. They are available in multiple resin matrices with 30-60% by weight fibre loadings. “During development of these new basalt LFT’s, we
saw across-the-board increases in mechanical proper- ties that were as much as 40% higher than chopped fibre grades.” says Eric Wollan, business development manager at PlastiComp.
Click on the links for more information: ❙
www.basaltex.com ❙
www.borealisgroup.com ❙
www.jm.com (Johns Manville) ❙
www.jushi.com.eg ❙
www.lanxess.com ❙
www.lehvoss.de ❙
www.maficbasalt.com ❙
www.millikenchemical.com ❙
www.owenscorning.com ❙
www.plasticomp.com ❙
www.rtpcompany.com ❙
www.sglgroup.com ❙
www.3B-fibreglass.com ❙
www.tohotenax.com
40 COMPOUNDING WORLD | October 2014
www.compoundingworld.com
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