MATERIALS | REINFORCEMENTS
Recycled 6mm chopped carbon fibre fibres with a PU sizing from Procotex Image: Procotex
stiffness and crash safety to the part, at the same time helping to reduce the weight of the roof. In the BMW Group model, this component will cut weight by 40% com- pared to steel designs. The latest additions to the
Ultramid Advanced polyph- thalamide (PPA) portfolio from BASF include carbon-fibre reinforced grades with 20, 30 and 40% reinforcement. The company says the new materials will allow production of lightweight parts that can safely replace aluminium and magnesium without loss in stiffness and strength. They are also electri- cally conductive. The compounds are based on BASF’s Ultramid Advanced N (PA9T), which provides high dimensional stability due its low water uptake together with good chemical and hydrolysis resistance, high strength and modulus. According to BASF, the Ultramid Advanced N3HC8 grade with 40% carbon fibre reinforcement shows better strength and modulus at 80°C (conditioned) than either magnesium or alumini- um. It also retains nearly 100% of its tensile modulus after heat ageing at 120°C for 5,000 hours or at 150°C for 3,000 hours. “Our new PPA compounds with carbon fibres
Below: BASF describes its Ultramid Advance carbon fibre reinforced PPA compounds as the “ideal metal replacement”
are the ideal metal replacement,” says Michael Pilarski from PPA business management at BASF. “And this not only from a material property point of view. Producing parts out of magnesium or aluminium also requires additional post-processing and tooling which increases system costs. Given the opportunities for 25-30% weight reduction with our new PPA grades, we can offer a safe, cost efficient and high-performance alternative for parts traditionally manufactured from metal.” The company also highlights the benefits the new carbon-fibre reinforced PPA compounds show in weight and tensile modulus compared to glass-fibre
reinforced PA. PPA grades reinforced with 20wt% carbon fibre are about 20% lighter than PA6 or PA66 filled with 50% glass fibres; the tensile strength of a 20% carbon fibre reinforced Ultramid Advanced compound is either better or equivalent to a 50% glass fibre reinforced polyamide and
processing is easier. The new carbon-fibre rein-
forced Ultramid Advanced grades
are expected to find application in auto- motive structural parts for body, chassis and
powertrain, for pumps, fans, gears and compressors in industrial applications, as well as ultra-lightweight components in consumer electronics.
Recycling moves Last month, Belgium’s Procotex Corporation acquired the recycled short carbon fibre business of ELG Carbon Fibre, which is based in the UK but is part of the German Haniel Group. Procotex will continue to supply ELG customers and says there will be no interruption to business. It says the acquisition complements the existing carbon fibre business of its Apply Carbon subsidiary in France. ELG will continue its recycled long carbon fibre activities. Germany-based Romira is the latest addition to
the list of compounders working with recycled carbon fibre, introducing a line of high strength and lightweight polyamide compounds. The company says its re-processed carbon fibre (rp-CF) is produced from residual cuttings/offcuts supplied by leading carbon fibre manufacturers. As the fibres are virgin quality they provide homogenous properties so there is no property fluctuation due to mixed fibre types, it claims. The use of rp-CF also results in a 90% reduction in carbon dioxide footprint compared to prime carbon fibre.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.avient.com �
www.jushi.com �
www.jm.com (Johns Manville) �
www.glass-bubble.com (Sinosteel Maanshan) �
www.mafic.com �
www.teijin.com �
www.toray.com �
www.teijn.com �
www.zoltek.com �
www.sglcarbon.com �
www.basf.com �
www.procotex.com �
www.romira.de
42 COMPOUNDING WORLD | June 2021
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: BASF
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