REINFORCEMENTS | MATERIALS
While glass fibre has traditionally been the reinforcement of choice for thermoplastic compounders, a number of alternative material and format options are emerging. Mark Holmes learns more
Reinforcing options for polymer compounds
Fibre-based reinforcing materials are widely used in plastics compounds, providing an effective and affordable means of modifying performance properties such as strength and stiffness. Glass continues to be the most important and widely used fibre for polymer reinforcement but other fibres are also used, with carbon fibre increasingly being employed in lightweight thermoplastic compounds as costs fall and availability of recycled grades improves. While most compounds use short or long fibre reinforcements, non-fibre options — such as solid or hollow glass spheres — are also emerging. Transportation continues to dominate the long
fibre reinforced thermoplastics (LFT) market, according to Avient Corporation, which purchased long fibre reinforcement technology specialist Plasticomp in 2018. “Historically, automotive has relied heavily on long glass fibre reinforced polypro- pylene in its quest to lighten vehicles and improve fuel economy, in addition to lowering emissions to meet regulatory requirements,” says Eric Wollan, General Manager, Long Fiber Technologies. “Widespread use of these materials will continue
www.compoundingworld.com
and increase as build numbers grow. Most automo- tive parts that can benefit from metal-to-composite conversion using long glass fibre polypropylene have already been converted. Remaining metal parts that will benefit from conversion require higher performing materials, which bodes well for long glass fibre reinforced engineering resins, as well as the adoption of carbon fibre reinforced materials when they can economically be justified,” he says. “Electrification is not going to end automotive’s
mass reduction quest as lighter weight vehicles have greater range. The migration to electric vehicles is actually increasing performance require- ments,” Wollan adds. “Metal replacement has always been the
bread-and-butter application segment for long fibre compounds and that will continue to be the case in transportation and other markets where the increasing desire for applications to be more portable is driving material change away from metals. All major OEMs around the globe also have sustainability initiatives in place and these have designers and engineers increasingly inquiring
June 2021 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 33
Main image: Long fibre reinforced
thermoplastics (LFT) com- pounds provide good metal replacement opportunities in sectors such as automotive, whatever powertrain technologies are used
IMAGE: AVIENT
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70
