REINFORCEMENTS | MATERIALS
most consistent results. Other recommendations include the use of vacuum venting and underwater pelletising equipment.
Alternative fibres Last year Mafic commenced operation at what it claims is the world’s largest basalt fibre production facility at Shelby in North Carolina in the US. The facility, the first in North America, repre- sents a $20m investment and is able to produce 6,000 tonnes of basalt fibre annually — equivalent to near 30% of current global basalt fibre output. Basalt fibre is a drawn continuous mineral fibre. It is produced from mined basalt rock that is first washed and then placed into a furnace at a temperature of approximately 1,500°C to create a melt that is extruded through a metal bushing to form individual filaments. On leaving the bushing, the fibre filament hardens and a sizing is applied to improve its properties before winding with other finished fibres to form a strand.
According to Mafic, basalt fibre is well suited for use as a reinforcing additive in polymer compos- ites for applications such as automotive due to its lightweighting potential and low cost. It is available as a chopped fibre in lengths from 3 to 96mm and can be supplied with sizings suitable for use with PE, PP and PA. The company also offers a pre-compounded PP-LFT compound. Aramid fibres offer a low density/high tensile strength ratio that makes them suitable for a variety of polymer reinforcement applications. Teijin
Aramid has been working
with a number of partners for some time in a sustainability-focused pilot programme to develop its high-performance Twaron aramid fibres from renewable, bio-based materials. The pilot has shown it is possible to reduce the environmental impact of the production process without altering
Left: Mafic has started production of basalt fibre at a new production unit in the US
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IMAGE: MAFIC
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