INNOVATION | DESIGN
example is Panasonic’s MK-F800, 500, and 300 food processors. These have jugs made from
Tritan, with the largest having a capacity of 2.5 L. Eastman said Tritan’s high heat resistance, chemical resistance against oils and cleaners, and toughness give it the durability needed for repeated use in this application. Kitchen appliances are a rich area for
great plastics design. PMMA producer Evonik revealed it has collaborated with Vorwerk, the German producer of Thermomix premium brand appliances. Its Plexiglas PMMA
Above: The Luxtiera chair from Kawajun uses Eastman’s Tritan copoly- ester in its design
Right: For the curved white housing of the Thermomix TM5 food appliance, Vorwerk
decided on a high-gloss surface finish with Evonik Plexiglas moulding compounds
compounds are used to mould the high gloss body of the Thermomix TM5, the latest in Vorwerk’s multi-functional food appliances. Thorsten Gläser, head of Materials Engineering at Vorwerk, said: “Many of our customers have been loyal Thermo- mix fans for years, because they know they can rely on our quality.” The TM5 appliance has been designed so as to perform various functions – in- cluding weighing, chopping and cook- ing – without the need for changeo- vers, while remaining easy to clean. “For this we rely on the highest engineering skills and first-class materials,” said Gläser. Evonik said Plexiglas injection moulding compounds are widely used in the automotive, construc- tion and lighting industries, but they can be used for other demanding designs too. “As overmoulded or co-extruded finishes, they lend their excellent properties also to the underlying material. And it isn’t just the functionality that impresses: In the Thermomix housing, for example, the excellent transparency of
Plexiglas results in a seamless and particularly high-gloss surface with a brilliant depth effect,” said Evonik. The toughness of PMMA means it can stand up to long-term use. “Plexiglas has the highest surface hardness of all thermoplastics, and so makes surfaces more robust,” said Andreas König of Technical Service at Ter Hell, a long-standing compounding partner of Evonik. Any knocks during use leave the material unaffected, as does hot food dripping on to the housing or the detergent used in cleaning the appliance after cooking. ABS is another tough material that is regularly selected for household appliances that are put through years of use and abuse, such as vacuum cleaners. Styrenics producer Ineos Styrolution is providing ABS materials to Samsung for a new range of refrigerators and vacuum cleaners recently launched in Asia. It said: “Samsung approached Ineos Styrolution for an eco-friendly grade that offers excellent paintability, ease of processing and superior metallic appearance from high luminance spray. The existing ABS grades available in the market require an additional primer treatment prior to the colour and clear coating process to
improve the chemical resistance required for high luminance spray.” Novodur Xspray is an ABS alloy developed by Ineos Styrolution which it says offers good chemical resistance and excellent paint adhesion required in high luminance spray painting to achieve the desired superior metallic appearance. The material’s good chemical resistance
eliminates the need for the primer treatment process, resulting in eco-friendliness and better cost savings for the customer, according to the company. As well as refrigerators and vacuum cleaners, Novodur Xspray can be used for other
Classic design, modern material
Like all great designs, Mondaine’s Official Swiss Railways Watch is simple yet unmistakable. Its easy-to-read face and black and red hands are representative of clean Swiss design, making it a famous watch all over the world. A ‘timeless’ timekeeper, but the recently launched SBB Essence version of the watch has something new: the casing is made from BASF’s Ultramid S Balance, a high performance polyamide derived from castor oil, which is reinforced with glass fibres. The watch is “a clear signal for sustainability and increasing the use of eco-friendly materials”, said Mondaine. Essence is supplied in a soft, gray pouch made from recycled PET bottles that can be easily reused as a protective casing for mobile phones, sunglasses, and more. �
www.basf.com �
www.mondaine.com
70 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2018
www.compoundingworld.com
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