MATERIALS | REINFORCEMENTS
capacity of more than three tonnes and comprises a warehousing area, feeding and transportation equipment, shredder, burning chamber and milling. After processing, the recycled glass powder is said to be free of organic particles and is reintroduced as a raw material into the glass production process on-site. The company estimates the project will keep more than ten thousand tonnes of waste out of landfill each year. “We have invested nearly €10m into state-of-the-
Above: Johns Manville has added a glass fibre recycling unit at its plant at Trnava in Slovakia
less carbon dioxide than PA and POM. The Edgetek PKE series includes short glass-
reinforced formulations with 10-40% short glass fibre. These materials provide good chemical resistance, low moisture uptake, good dimensional stability, and high impact and wear resistance. They are targeted at applications such as pipes and tubing, electrical battery components, and under- the-hood fuel or chemical contact components. The LubriOne PKE series are internally-lubricated grades that combine chemical resistance with improved wear and low coefficient of friction. Target applications include conveyor belts, gears, switches, pumps, and spigots.
Glass developments Chinese company Jushi recently developed an ultra-high modulus glass fibre, providing a modu- lus of 100GPa against the 70-75Gpa for typical E-glass. The company says the E9 glass fibre is produced using an advanced production technol- ogy that has significantly improved the cost-perfor- mance ratio. It says it expects E9 glass fibre to provide new solutions for high-end applications in areas such as wind power, infrastructure, transpor- tation, aviation and aerospace, as well as fibre optic cable reinforcement, temperature resistant materi- als and sports equipment. Meanwhile, global glass fibre maker Johns
Manville has set up a thermal recycling unit for waste glass fibres at its Engineered Products plant in Trnava, Slovakia. “The primary goal of this investment is to achieve a tangible positive environ- mental impact by drastically reducing the landfilling of glass fibre waste,” says Elena Hrivikova, Manager for Environment, Health and Safety – Europe/Asia at the company. “This project is part of our response to the European Commission’s zero waste pro- gramme and our overall target for sustainable management of the planet’s natural resources.” The Trnava unit has a projected hourly recycling
36 COMPOUNDING WORLD | June 2021
art technology and made sure the recycling capacity will allow further glass fibre production capacity growth in Trnava,” says Martin Nywlt, Director of Global Operations for JM’s Engineered Products business.
Hollow spheres China’s Sinosteel Maanshan New Material Technology has developed a line of hollow glass microspheres for use as low-density additives for compounds that require higher mechanical performance for application in marine, aerospace and automotive structural components. The company’s T40 grade borosilicate hollow glass microspheres, for example, are described as lightweight and low thermal conductivity reinforcing additives with a high compressive strength. They are said to improve tensile strength, impact strength and hardness in PA6 compounds and to improve dimensional stability and heat resistance in rigid PVC. Used in ABS compounds they can improve dimensional stability and reduce shrinkage. Applica- tions include bearings, camera components, pipes, TV cabinets, and automotive parts. Hollow glass microspheres have to be used with
some care. The company says they can be damaged — crushed — by the high-shear forces and pressures generated in processes such as compounding and injection moulding. Crush strength is linked to bulk density: glass spheres with a bulk density of 0.125 g/ml have a crush strength of 250 psi (1.8 MPa); spheres with a density of 0.60 g/ml around 18,000 psi (124 MPa). Sinosteel says its hollow glass microspheres range in diameter from 11-18 microns and provide crush strengths of 8,000-10,000 psi (55-69 MPa) depending on the grade. According to the company, its hollow micro-
spheres can be successfully compounded on twin screw or kneader extruders. It recommends downstream feeding so the microspheres are introduced into the molten polymer and says screws should be designed to minimise shear — kneading blocks are not recommended. Chopped fibre feeders are generally suitable for microsphere addition, it says, with auger types providing the
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: JOHNS MANVILLE
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
