LFTs | TECHNOLOGY
Right: LFTs are valued for their lightweight and strength in applications such as off-road vehicles
manufacturers need to address the lack of sustain- able material options quickly to meet evolving consumer preferences. Not just any recycled or bio-derived thermoplastic can be fibre-reinforced due to the precise nature of the pultrusion process used to manufacture long fibre materials, Wollan says. “We cannot just sit around and wait or throw our arms in the air either. A lot of work remains to be done by suppliers to locate and develop methods to clean up streams of recycled thermoplastic feed- stocks so that sustainable options are available that can provide the consistent performance required of materials offering structural performance,” he says. Avient recently introduced a series of moisture-
resistant PA6 and PA66 materials reinforced with long glass or carbon fibre that address the condi- tioned performance degradation concerns that arise when PA is intermittently exposed to water or used in environments with changing humidity. The new Complēt materials are said to offer significant cost savings over traditional speciality PA options yet meet the expectation that a product will perform the same whether used in a humid coastal location or an arid inland one. The new long glass fibre variants also offer a surface finish free of visible fibre, which makes them suitable for use in exposed applications where the industrial appearance of standard long fibre materials would be unappealing to many consumers. Surface gloss levels greater than 70 can be obtained in polished moulds without the use of high mould temperatures, so cycle times are not extended. The Complēt moisture resistant PA6 and PA66
products are stabilised to slow moisture uptake and to moderate environmental performance degradation where consistent performance is required in a range of climates. They provide conditioned structural performance at a level
Figure 4: Tensile strength retention of Complēt moisture resistant PA66 after extended water
submersion to 1,000 hours compared to speciality PA6/12 and standard PA66 LFT alternatives
Source: Avient 32 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2022
www.compoundingworld.com
between standard and speciality PAs, and are expected to find application in lightweighting initiatives in the automotive or powersports industries (Figure 4). The grades are claimed to provide improved
flow at high fibre content levels, which eases filling of thin wall sections or long flow lengths. In addition, they exhibit up to 30% less cross-flow shrinkage, which minimises warp distortion. Formulations are available with varying percent- ages of long glass fibre, long carbon fibre, or hybrid combinations. Looking to the future, Avient says it is evaluating
different streams of recycled resin from both the post-industrial and post-consumer spectrums. “This is to determine which are compatible with the pultrusion process used to manufacture long fibre composites without degrading structural perfor- mance,” says Wollan. “There are several promising candidates across the range of polymers common- ly used to manufacture long fibre materials. We want to be a leader in this space and meet our customers’ sustainability goals without compromis- ing long-fibre performance.”
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IMAGE: AVIENT
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