REINFORCEMENTS | NATURAL FIBRES AND FILLERS
fibre-based materials and that these are pre-vali- dated in thin-wall design and CAE correlated to deliver considerable weight savings. “This results in a now-confirmed 15 to 25% weight reduction versus traditional PP or styrenics market references, most of the time brought at equal cost or even with savings,” he says. Currently, 12 vehicles contain parts made with NAFILean compounds. APM has also developed NAFILite, a micro-cellu- lar foamed version of NAFILean, capable of deliver- ing weight savings of up to 35%. The unit currently has production based in France from where it exports to customers in Europe and Asia.
Above: NAFIlean, from Faurecia and Interval JV APM, is used in the instrument panel of Alfa Romeo’s flagship saloon, the Giulia
considerable. Many OEMs have investigated natural fibre reinforced thermoplastic compounds, and continue to do so. Ford, for example, has recently been playing up the possibilities for bamboo in various interior components. Last year, the car maker said some surfaces inside its vehicles could soon be made from a combination of bamboo and plastic “to create super hard material.” Janet Yin, a materials engi- neering supervisor at Ford’s Nanjing Research & Engineering Centre, points out that bamboo is “strong, flexible, totally renewable, and plentiful in China and many other parts of Asia.” One major Tier One, Faurecia, has put consider- able development effort into the area of natural fibre reinforced compounds. In 2014, it created the Automotive Performance Materials (APM) bio-ma- terials development and production company in a joint venture with Interval, a major French agricul- tural cooperative. Pierre Demortain, Faurecia Interior Systems Joint Venture General Manager at APM, says things now accelerating in this area. “The need for performing lightweight solutions is
more than ever required to lower vehicle emissions or increase electric vehicle autonomy and this is exactly where APM, with its unique business model gathering the complete hemp natural fibres value chain, is proposing solutions with recent new successes,” he says. “Indeed, the NAFILean material launched in 2013 is now fully deployed at industrial and commercial level to propose a mature 20% hemp fibre filled polypropylene grade for automo- tive interiors and “plug & play” implementation in instrument dashboards, door panels or centre console non-visible structural parts, mastering the demanding heat ageing, stiffness/impact balance and odours specs, together with the processing on standard injection machines.” Demortain says six major OEM producers of high-volume and premium cars are now trusting complete interior system concepts in natural
54 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2018
Natural sizing Christina May is Market Development Manager at Michelman, which specialises in the development of polymers, additives and modifiers for fibre sizing, which increases fibre-matrix bond strength. “The use of natural fibres in the production of thermo- plastic compounds is an area of great interest here at Michelman,” she says.
Michelman chemists have focused their efforts on the sizing of kenaf, hemp, flax, and bamboo. The company is currently testing and evaluating sizing solutions. “We are developing sizing solutions that will optimise their performance in both polypropyl- ene and nylon reinforced composites,” says May. “While sizing comprises a relatively small percent- age of the total composite recipe, its impact on composite performance is substantial.” The company is also exploring 3D printing and testing is ongoing into surface treatments for bio-based fibres to make them compatible with the bio-based polymers. Michelman is also working on creating biopolymer dispersions, with the ultimate goal of creating a 100% bio derived composite. “Over the next 12-18 months, we expect to validate a number of key concepts, and will pursue com- mercialisation thereafter,” says May.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.rise-pfi.no �
www.wki.fraunhofer.de/en �
www.performancebiofilaments.com �
www.attisinnovations.com �
www.genarex.com �
www.sappi.com �
www.nova-institut.de �
www.amorimcorkcomposites.com �
www.beologic.com �
www.aqvacomp.fi �
www.polyone.com �
www.faurecia.com �
www.michelman.com
www.compoundingworld.com
PHOTO: APM
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