MATERIALS | LFTs
Right: Magna Exteriors is using a 10% carbon fibre reinforced Fibremod PP grade from Borealis to produce this lightweight fender part
aluminium alternative and enables zero gap performance with very low CLTE when compared to other engineering plastics. Meanwhile, Solvay has introduced Ixef
3012, a 55% carbon fibre and glass fibre hybrid reinforced grade of polyarylamide (PARA). The company says the new material has been developed to provide extremely high strength and stiffness at lower density as well as a good surface finish. “Ixef 3012 PARA is targeted at long and thin lightweighting components that require no painting and are capable of meeting demanding mechanical functions in automotive, aerospace as well as consumer applications,” says Thomas Kohnert, Global Product Manager Ixef/ Kalix/Omnix high-performance polyamides for Solvay’s Specialty Polymers Global Business Unit. “The carbon fibre and glass fibre hybrid loading
Below: Coventive Composites has developed a number of long fibre reinforced compounds based on natural fibres, claiming reduced density and improved sustainability
provides outstanding flexural modulus and opens a wide potential for weight-saving metal replacement and system integration, while its high flowability enables cost-efficient injection moulding of delicate parts with long flow paths,” he says. Ixef 3012 PARA exhibits good creep resistance and is electrically conductive.
Natural options Carbon is not the only alternative to glass. Coven- tive Composites has introduced long natural fibre reinforced thermoplastic, injection moulding compounds based on flax, hemp and jute fibres in a PP matrix as a cost-effective alternative to long glass fibre thermoplastic (LFT) products for automotive applications. Coventive says glass fibres are relative heavy, derived from non-renewable sources and cannot easily be recycled. Natural fibres, it argues, are less dense, have a similar stiffness to glass, and boast a lower environmental impact. The pellet format and
method by which they are pro- duced helps to preserve the reinforc- ing properties of the natural fibres; these are often compromised in other more aggressive compounding process- es. Its pellets are typically a 50:50 mix by volume of natural fibres and polypropyl- ene fibres and are currently produced using Coventive’s in-house pilot line at pellet lengths of between 5-25 mm, depending upon the application. The pellets can be injection moulded using standard equipment and, because natural fibres are less abrasive than glass, they generate less tool wear
Continuous development The introduction of automated processing meth- ods for combining formed continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastic sheet with injection moulding is sparking development of a whole new range of thermoplastic composites. Lanxess says its Tepex range of continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastics are becoming increasingly impor- tant for lightweight vehicle design and can be found in an increasing number of series production applications – for example, front-end mountings, underfloor protection and bumper beams, brake pedals, through-loading systems and fuel tank reinforcements. There is also significant potential for use in vehicle underbodies, for the protection of batteries, and in new concepts for highly-inte- grated, multi-position seats. Lanxess is currently developing variants with electromagnetic shielding properties, especially for components of electrified vehicle drivetrains.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.plasticomp.com �
www.polyone.com �
www.emsgrivory.com �
www.conventuspolymers.com �
www.piperplastics.com �
www.elgcf.com (ELG Carbon Fibre) �
www.borealisgroup.com �
www.solvay.com �
www.coventivecomposites.com �
www.lanxess.com
42 COMPOUNDING WORLD | June 2018
www.compoundingworld.com
PHOTO: COVENTUS COMPOSITES
PHOTO: BOREALIS
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